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Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 59: Of Diamonds and Stars 4 | "Cousin! I didn't know you were here!" Starlight looked at the Pink alicorn approaching Blueblood, the confusion as to why another Pony royal was in Caninia quickly replaced with the need to appear professional.
Starlight walked over to block the Princess's path from her boss, only to hear him say her name with a tone of voice she never heard from him.
"Cadance," Blueblood said, his eyes staring into his so-called cousin with an indescribable emotion that seemed almost foreign to Starlight.
"I am sorry, but the prince is mighty busy today," Starlight spoke up, standing protectively in front of her boss and friend, "If you wish to speak with him, an appointment can be made by talking with his secretary,"
"Wha-?" Cadance tried to ask, only for Blueblood to jump into Starlight's plan.
"Apologies, Cadenza, but I am indeed mighty busy today, perhaps we can catch up another time," He smiled at his cousin, "Preferably not on foreign soil,"
"Bluey," Cadance said, using a word that almost made the prince freeze, "You're acting strange, is everything alright with you?"
"Everything is fine, Cadance, I am merely stressed over work, you know me, always moving around, haha," Starlight cringed at hearing the dry tone with which her boss delivered those words before he turned around and quickly walked away, not bothering to wait for her, his bag levitating behind her.
Starlight prepared to follow, only for the Pony to interrupt her.
"Excuse me, Miss Bodyguard," Starlight froze at being addressed, "I know he probably doesn't want to hear from me, but can you pass this over to him, I always carry some with me," Princess Mi Amore Cadenza said, levitating a chocolate bar over to Starlight.
"You want me to-?" Starlight took the floating piece of Chocolate from the pink Alicorn.
"Yeah, I try to always give him chocolate whenever I come back from a trip," Cadance giggled a bit, "He's always so grumpy about everything, but I know he secretly loves these, I'm sure of it,"
"Okay," Starlight nodded at the Princess, "I'll give him the chocolate,"
"Thanks," Cadance said and turned back to the group of Diamond Dogs that came with Queen Katherina, "Oh, and good luck with your job," Starlight could almost swear she received the friendliest smile she ever received from someone at that moment.
She didn't know whether to be enchanted by how nice of a pony the princess was or be perturbed.
"Yeah... You too..." Starlight whispered before turning and walking after the rest of the New Castle party.
Starlight stared dispassionately as she saw her boss sneer at a Bar of chocolate and throw the thing into the bin, not even bothering to open the snack.
"Damn her!" He said loudly as he paced around the room that Queen Jennino had given him for his stay at the castle.
"She seemed nice enough," Starlight said, trying to bring up some sort of defense for the Pink Princess.
"Well, she's not!" Starlight jumped at the volume Blueblood used, "She's mocking me! Flaunting around her wings and horns, telling everyone "Oh look at me! I'm better than Blueblood! I'm an Amore and he's just a measly Platinum! Look, He Isn't even an Alicorn!" She's the worst!"
"I really don't think-" Starlight's eyes widened as she quickly dodged and caught a chair being thrown at her, "What are you doing?!"
"Don't try and defend her," Blueblood sneered, a tone of voice Starlight never heard from him leaving his mouth as he grimaced and frowned, "If she managed to get you under her spell, why don't you go and talk with her tomorrow during the meeting? It's not like you actually do your job,"
Starlight sniffed and straightened her back, "You know what, I will go and talk to her, just to prove that you're wrong," Starlight smiled at the idea, of helping the royal cousins find a way to solve whatever disagreements they might have and be a happy family, she might even get to write one of those Reports that Celestia receives from her Pupil every week.
"And once I do, You'll apologize for talking to me like that," Starlight frowned at her boss, her eyes meeting with his as a fierce battle raged inside the bedroom, neither contestant moved, but they both knew the importance of their fight.
And as Starlight glared into Blueblood's eyes, she could see a flicker of emotion in his them.
He was... Scared?
Starlight smiled, knowing she won the battle of glares, and left for her own room, leaving her boss to be angry in his lonesome.
After waiting for both his roommates to fall asleep, a certain Earth Pony(?) exited his room and started walking towards the back of the small ship.
"What are you doing?" He stopped, his body freezing perfectly in place as his head slowly turned to look at the voice.
"I am feeling tireless, I am going on a midnight stroll," Hughbert Jellius said in his almost robotic way of speaking.
"Tch," The Griffon who stopped him clicked her tongue before she pushed past him and entered her room, "Don't make too much noise, Creep."
Seeing Gilda leave him, Hughbert smiled widely, a sick and unnatural smile, forced onto his face, almost as if trying to mimic an expression of excitement.
And seeing as the course was clear, Hughbert was more than excited.
He was downright euphoric.
Leaving the shower with a towel around her hair, Princess Indiana Ambereyes whistled to herself a nice tune as she made her way to her bed.
The VIP remained protected, Her little sister came back without any harm, and Katherina was none the wiser to her even leaving the castle.
All in all, It was a good day.
Knock knock knock
Indiana paused, taking off her towel and walking over to the door, a frown on her face as her paw moved to open it.
"Who is it?" She asked as she opened the door.
And froze as a flash of green light covered her body.
Starlight frowned at the door to the meeting room, her talk with Blueblood from the night before still fresh on her mind.
The face he made when he yelled "She's mocking me!" Still etched in her brain.
But right now he was on the other side of that door, talking with the leaders of Caninia about trade and politics, and here she is on the other side of that door, ready to visit a Princess on the other side of the city.
"Why don't you go and talk with her tomorrow during the meeting? It's not like you actually do your job," Starlight frowned as his words once again rang in her head, but she pushed on.
She had to prove to him that he was wrong.
"You're the bodyguard from yesterday! Please, come in," Princess Cadance smiled warmly at Starlight as she invited her into her room.
It was surprisingly easy to reach her, all she had to do was tell one of the guards at the Old Castle that she was there to speak with her, and she was let in without another question.
"Thank you," Starlight said and bowed to the princess, who quickly stopped her from doing so.
"Please don't bow to me, just because I'm an Alicorn doesn't mean I'm not just a regular pony," Starlight couldn't help but want to smile as she heard that.
"Sorry," She said as she straightened her back, the black suit Celestia forced her to wear for her job creasing as she sat on a sofa in front of the princess, "I have a few questions I need to ask you, I hope you'll be able to answer."
"I'd be happy to," Cadance answered simply and got ready to answer her questions.
"Thank you," Starlight started, "The first question that I wanted to ask is, and I hope this doesn't sound offensive, but are you mocking Prince Blueblood?" She asked, getting straight to the point.
The smile that was on Cadance's face fled her as she frowned at that question, "If this is your attempt at humor you have reached the wrong crowd,"
Starlight quickly tried to defend herself, "I mean! When you give him Chocolate, are you signaling that you're more generous than he is?"
The frown on Cadance's face worsened at that question, "I'm going to have to ask you to leave." she told her plainly.
"Wait! I just need an honest answer!" Starlight said as an aura of light blue magic wrapped around her and started dragging her out of the Princess's room.
And as Starlight was thrown into the corridor, she said words that caused the princess to pause.
"He thinks you're mocking him!"
Cadance sat on her chair, looking at the open door to the corridor, and at the Mare breathing heavily outside of it after she yelled those five words.
The frown on her face was replaced with a worried look as she asked for her to explain.
And so Starlight did, repeating what Blueblood told her the night prior.
"Thank you for bringing this up to me," Cadance then told Starlight the truth, and her eyes widened.
"I was right..." Starlight said to herself before she thanked the Princess and ran out the door, hurrying back to the New Castle.
Leaving Cadance alone to frown at what she heard.
"Do you really think I'm mocking you?" she whispered to herself, her eyes moving to look out the window and at the castle on the other side of the city.
Once the talks were finished and the deal was formalized, Prince Blueblood returned to his room to ready for departure.
Who knew signing deals was easy when the other party was infatuated with you?
"Blueblood, I was right!" The Prince paused as he turned to look at the purple Unicorn at the door, breathing for air as she pointed a hoof at him.
"Starlight, I wish to apologize to you for how I acted yesterday. I know that-" "Wait with the apology!" Starlight interrupted him.
"Because I listened to what you told me, And I spoke with Princess Cadance," Starlight told him, ignoring how he rolled his eyes at her use of 'Princess'.
"Save me the talk Starlight, she lied to you," Blueblood wasn't willing to listen to her, "Whatever she told you was fabricated to make her look better than me,"
"But she didn't!" Starlight said, quickly getting tired of the way Blueblood treated Cadance, "She was nothing but nice to you and you, and you call her a manipulator! Did it never pass through your mind that she might just be a nice pony?"
"No, It never did, and I suggest you watch your tone," Blueblood told her.
"Why not?!" Starlight yelled at him, not noticing his face contorting into a snarl, "Why can you not see that all the times she's tried being nice to you, were because she's just a genuinely nice pony?!"
"Watch your tone," He warned her.
"Just why?!" Starlight yelled, and Blueblood was glad he cast a soundproofing illusion on the room.
"Because nice people aren't real Starlight!" He yelled back at her, "They're not real! Especially not in such high positions of power! Cadance isn't a genuinely nice person because Nice people don't exist!"
"You know what?!" Starlight yelled at him, "You're being a doucheba- oh..." She froze as she saw the face Blueblood was pointing at her.
"...Did it really take you so long to figure out that the guy who decided to bend the rules to get a shitty bodyguard might not be such good of a guy?" He asked her quietly, sitting down on the nearest chair, his eyes not leaving Starlight.
"Blueblood I-" Starlight wanted to defend herself, to explain that she didn't really mean what she said, that it was a spur of the moment choice of words.
"Get out of my room Starlight, we're returning to the ship tomorrow morning," He told her, his tone offering no room for arguments.
"Please Blueblood I-"
"Out."
"I'm sorry I-"
"I Said OUT!" He yelled at her, and so she left.
Returning to her room in the castle, tears silently trailing down her face.
Dammit!
God Fucking dammit!
Can nothing go to plan?!
Go to an art museum? Beat the shit out of a group of thieves!
Find a missing person? Get sent to fucking magic Alaska!
Once a year special celebration? Get tackled by some crazy chick and cut your night short!
Get a Nautical Science degree? The City is flooded with FUCKING CHOCOLATE MILK!
Get Kidnapped to the moon? Gee! I wonder if that turns out fine!
"Every time! Every single time!" I scream out as I kick the chair beneath me, almost two months of living as a fucking midget horse tearing at my mind.
"Can I not get, I don't know, Just one week where nothing goes wrong? Where nothing crazy or stupid happens? FUCK!" I stomp angrily at the floor, feeling the illusion I placed on the room to keep the sound in waver as someone knocked on the door,
"Holy fucking shit what do they want," I whispered to myself before giving myself a strong slap to the face, the persona of the elegant and wonderful Prince Blueblood Platinum plastering itself onto me like a carefully crafted mask.
"What is it?" I ask, receiving no response from the person on the other side.
knock knock knock
"I said what is it? Do you need something?" I asked louder, the fake smile I forced onto my face wavering as I kept talking.
knock knock knock
"Fucking- WHAT?!" I Yelled at the door, not in the mood to deal with any of this bullshit.
knock knock knock
And so, with a snarl of anger on my face I open the door.
And freeze as a green light comes over me.
Next thing I know, When I open my eyes, I'm in a mostly empty void.
"Cosmos?" I ask aloud, hoping the talking head who appears in my dreams might answer, "Are you here?"
I walk toward one of the visible things in this empty void, one of six large levitating rainbow-colored crystals floating around me.
"What the hell is this?" I whisper to myself, looking closely at one of the six crystals and seeing what looks like a body levitating inside the crystal.
"My my my," I freeze as an unknown voice echoes out around me.
"I was wondering when you will visit," The voice said, sounding like a relatively young man.
"Who's there?!" I quickly ask as movement returns to my body.
"Me? Wait a minute..." The voice paused and I felt its gaze lock onto me from somewhere inside the space between the six crystals.
"You don't know?... Hahaha! You don't know!" The voice laughed, echoing around the darkness before I spotted it.
Two glowing white orbs, eyes, staring at me from the surrounding darkness.
"Me? How could you not recognize me?" The voice said and the two eyes grew closer before the body of the creature revealed itself in the weak light formed by the nearest floating crystal.
A Pony with a body almost as dark as the void around it, a smooth black horn that edges off into a dark grey, a mane, wings, and tail of dark grey fire, moving and flowing in a nonexistent wind.
A mouth opening with sharp teeth of darkness to reveal nothing but more darkness inside.
It seemed less like a real creature, and more like a sheet of magic covering the real creature.
"How could you not recognize your dearest uncle?" The creature smiled down at me, and I only had a few words to say.
"I am NOT dealing with this bullshit right now." |
Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 60: Of Diamonds and Stars 5 | "How could you not recognize your dearest uncle?" The Dark Pony said, and I had enough.
"I am NOT dealing with this bullshit right now!" I yelled out loud, my voice echoing between the rainbow crystals surrounding us.
"E-excuse me?" My so-called 'Dearest Uncle' asked after a short pause, his glowing eyes morphing into what I could only assume to be confusion.
"You're excused," I say calmly, my legs moving me away as I try my hardest to calm the fuck down.
"That's not what I meant and you know it, how are you not amazed? Horrified? Do you not fear this horrific visage that stands before you?" 'Uncle' asked, pointing a shadow-covered hoof at his own face as he took a step back.
"Why the fuck should I fear you? I don't know who the fuck you are," I tell him angrily, my legs moving quicker as I start to get more and more agitated with all the magical and arcane bullshit that's been going on.
None of this would have happened if Luna had come with me to look for Starlight...
"Hmm, I admit I haven't truly introduced myself to you, have I?" 'Uncle' said before he spread his wings and had the dark flame that made up his mane and tail flare up as he cried out, "I am the Pony of Shadows!"
I stared blankly at him, feeling the veins in my forehead start to twitch at that.
"That's a stupid fucking name and you should feel ashamed," I told him and continued moving, my agitated mind reaching levels of frustration I never knew I had.
The Pony of Shadows- I am not calling him that.
Uncle humphed to himself, "That's rude," He mimed wiping a tear from his eye before his face morphed into a ravenous smile.
"But how lucky am I, that my plan a thousand years in the making has brought me none other than my sister's far-future descendant," His face appeared in front of me, his eyes boring into mine like searchlights on a foggy night.
"That makes me your dearest Uncle, you know that yes?" He hummed as his body face disappeared from my view only for him to reappear leaning over one of the six crystals.
"And how long have I waited," He said miming a cry, "For someone to reach me," He disappeared.
"To free me," He reappeared right beside me, a hoof covered in shadows caressing my back before I quickly turned and knocked his leg away, causing him to once again disappear.
"To search for the puzzle," He appeared sitting on the invisible ground in front of me, his hoof morphed into a claw, holding between his fingers a familiar red and green gemstone shard.
I looked down at my neck, a sigh of relief leaving me as I noticed that Cosmos's gems were still there.
"What do you want?" I ask him, my eyes glued to the gem in his claws.
"Me?" 'Uncle' Pointed at himself as he asked that, "I don't want anything," He clasped his claw around the gem and I watched it disappear into his shadowy body before he again disappeared.
I suddenly froze as I felt my heart start beating uncontrollably as adrenaline pumped through my body, my fight or flight responses going haywire as for the first time in years It chose flight.
And as I looked down at my chest, I saw a sharp claw of shadows exiting from my stomach.
"I just want to kill you," My body shuddered as 'Uncle' whispered those words in my ear, slowly taking the claw out of my body, leaving it intact as relief flooded my systems.
"And I can't do that while I'm stuck in Limbo," He once again disappeared, appearing before me with the Cosmos Shard in his claws.
"So here's the catch, you free me, and I'll give you this shard for your little Spirit on your Neck. And once I'm free, You and me fight to the death," He said as a sadistic smile crossed his face, "Imagine that, the last two Platinum's, fighting for the fate of all living creatures, Isn't that poetic in a sort of way?"
I shuddered as I looked into his eyes, "What the fuck is wrong with you?"
And he smiled, "Nothing much, how 'bout you?"
And then he disappeared.
A wet splash sounded out deep under the city of Dimondia as a pod of green slime burst open, throwing onto the rocky ground a sweating Unicorn, his eyes bloodshot and his mind on overdrive.
The Unicorn quickly scrambled onto his hooves, and fell onto his face, his Yellow tinted eyes looking at the white fur on his leg and at the wet and sticky suit he wore, before he cursed out loud.
Moving his right front leg, he started dragging himself towards the only other pod he saw, most likely used as nothing more than a quick recharge for the love-sucking parasites that kidnapped his lover.
A green glow surrounded his horn before a beam shot out of his horn and impacted with the other pod, four cuts appearing on the pod as it burst open, almost as if clawed by a large monster.
Out of the pod fell the body of a Diamond Dog, She coughed as her lungs emptied the slime that entered her nose before she turned to look around, her blue eyes noticing the body of the Unicorn crawling toward her with his Right front leg.
"Prince Platinum! Are you alright?!" She yelled the question before coughing some more.
"I can't move my body," The Unicorn said, "I hope you wouldn't mind taking me to a secure location so I could recuperate?"
"Of course!" The Diamond Dog yelled as she stood up and quickly grabbed the body of the Unicorn, placing him on her back, "We haven't met before, But I'm Princess Indiana Ambereyes,"
"Hmm, Well met," The Unicorn said before his eyes moved to look down at his suit, and at the necklace around his neck, holding two-sixths of a red and green gemstone.
In the mind of the Unicorn, a certain Space Spirit was freaking out as she found herself piloting the unconscious body of her darling prince.
"BLUEBLOOD! WAKE UP! WAKE UP! WAKE UP!" She screamed in her mind, hoping that whatever was going on would stop and the second owner of this body would return.
"I WANT MY BLUEBLOOD BACK! BUT NOT THE OLD BLUEBLOOD! THE NEW ONE! MY BLUEBLOOD! GIVE HIM BACK TO ME! HE'S MINE! MINE MINE MINE!!!" Suffice to say, Cosmos was in a panic.
Especially now that she must make sure Blueblood returns to control while keeping him alive with only her head and right arm.
"HURRY UP!!!" She said in her mind calmly. |
Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 61: Of Diamonds and Stars 6 | Carrying the prince of Equestria on her back, Princess Indiana Ambereyes rushed back to her castle, hoping that whoever kidnapped the two of them was already caught.
"Halt! No one is allowed into the castle right now!" However, she was stopped, outside of her own castle, by her own guards.
"What is the meaning of this?" She asked the guards stationed outside the castle, her brows knitting together as her frustration at this delay grew.
"By orders of Princess Indiana Ambereyes, Head of the Caninian Crown Security, None shall enter the castle," One of her very own guards told her, still standing in her way.
"I did not give you those orders, And I command you to move!" Indiana yelled at the guards, urgency in her voice as an international diplomatic incident was happening at this very moment and her incompetent guard dogs weren't doing their job.
"That's exactly what you said you would say when you gave us the orders!" One of the guards pointed at her, "You said that you will run back here and try to-" The guards words were interrupted as the half paralyzed prince on her back for the first time since the two exited the gorge splitting the city.
"We don't have time for this," The Prince whispered, and the door to the castle exploded open, knocking the guards away and allowing the two royals a chance to enter the castle unopposed.
"You can't just attack my guards!" Indiana yelled as she ran into the castle, but the Unicorn merely responded with a grunt.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Queen Katherina Proudpaws yelled as an explosion knocked the doors to her castle open, revealing the haggard body of none other than her younger sister carrying Prince Blueblood Platinum on her back.
"Kath! We have a situation-" Indiana yelled, not bothering to let her sister speak, "Someone kidnapped us and the Guards are following orders I have not given! We need to figure out what is going on-" Indiana's shouting was interrupted once again by the prince opening his mouth.
"Changelings," He said simply, Yellow eyes burning with fury, "Shapeshifting bugs that feed off of love, draining their prey until they are nothing but an emotionless husk," The prince let go of Indiana and landed on the floor with a meaty sound, his one movable leg slowly dragging him towards the Throne the Canine queen was sitting upon.
"They must have replaced Princess Ambereyes and gave the command before they kidnapped and replaced me," The Prince said, his eyes in a burning glare as he slowly crawled towards the Blue-furred Diamond Dog Queen, "If they manage to return to my ship and leave Caninia, Then they have won," He told the Queen.
"They must be stopped."
Queen Katherina looked down at the barely moving Unicorn Prince on the floor below her, his paralyzed body pathetically trying to move closer.
Yet as she continued looking into his burning yellow eyes, she could not even dare to call the Prince before her pitiful.
What she saw in those burning eyes was more than enough to make her body shudder and her soul scream.
Beyond those deep, burning yellow pools of molten sunset, was Space, filled to the brim with Stars and Suns, Moons and Nebulae, An entire Cosmos, infinite in size, right beyond his Irises.
And so with shuddering breath, Queen Katherina Proudpaws of Caninia called the fastest carriage in her kingdom and the best Guards she had.
She had an International Incident to fix.
"Blueblood I'm sorry for what I said Yesterday I-" Starlight Glimmer tried to apologize to her boss, but he merely walked past her, entering the Carriage that Queen Jennino Lanterlight readied for them and took his seat.
He did not even bother looking at her.
Entering the Carriage, A certain Pony joined the group of the Old Castle.
"Excuse me, everypony," Princess Cadance called out to the group before quickly entering the carriage and sitting next to her Cousin, "I really hope you don't mind If I help out a little?"
"Do as you wish," Katherina answered as she took her seat on the carriage, Looking out the window at her castle.
"Wonderful, Thank you, Your Majesty," Cadance thanked the Queen of Caninia before her horn glowed light blue and a soundproofing barrier surrounded the two Equestrian royals.
"Now," Cadance said with a calm smile on her face, happy that the soundproofing spell took hold, She looked down at the half-paralyzed body of her cousin and her smile disappeared in an instant, "Who are you and what have you done with Blueblood?"
"What are you-" Blueblood tried to dodge the question only for pressure to appear on his chest, the horn on the Pink Alicorn glowing as she repeated her question.
"Blueblood has Blue Eyes, your eyes are Yellow, now answer my question," She asked again.
The Prince(?) exhaled a sigh of exhaustion before he answered her, "You are correct, I'm not Prince Blueblood,"
"I knew it! So who are you?" Cadance asked again.
"I might not be Blueblood, but I'm not a changeling either, This is his body, I'm simply piloting it for the moment," The prince turned his head to look away.
"Then as Princess Mi Amore Cadenza of Equestria, I am ordering you to return his body," Cadance told the prince.
"I would If I knew how," The prince answered, "But I can't control this," He ground his teeth at that.
"What do you mean you can't-" Cadance was about to ask but the Prince continued.
"Every time he falls asleep we meet up, but I never control his body! It has to be because he was magically knocked out! But if so, does he need to wake up to regain control of his body? How will that work If I'm piloting it?!" The Prince started to breathe rapidly.
"Hey, Are you-" Cadance was about to ask the prince(?) if he was fine but instead he turned to look at her, wide yellow eyes almost begging for help.
"You Have to knock me out! That has to be it! Bring him back to me! I want him back! Give him back!" The Prince seemed to almost cry as he begged Cadance.
The Carriage already started to move, Princess Fiona now sitting next to Queen Katherina, Princess Indiana staying back at the castle.
"PLEASE!" The Prince cried, his right leg holding onto Cadance, "I Can't have him leave me! Give him back! I LOVE HIM!!!"
And hearing those last three words leave the mouth of the creature in the body of her cousin, Looking into those deep sunset yellow eyes, Cadance nodded her head.
And her horn flared with Light blue magic.
"You should have been there! Those Sirens never stood a chance against me!" 'Uncle' Laughed loudly as he hung onto one of the Glowing Crystals that surrounded us, "Obviously I had to play the part of the weak little coward, And I had to nod my head and smile when STARSWIRL Took all the credit for MY WORK but all was fine in the end. Another obstacle was cleared,"
"This Starswirl guy sounds like kind of a dick," I said, my body floating around the nothingness of Limbo as if Gravity decided it had better things to do.
"EXACTLY!" 'Uncle' Yelled as his face appeared centimeters away from mine, "You know Nephew, Maybe we should work together, Take over the world side-by-side, Huh? What do you think?" He asked with that sick smile on his face, "It just means I'll have to fight you to the death after all is said and done, not before, But wouldn't that be fun?"
"Think about it," He appeared next to me, His leg hanging over my shoulder as he floated beside me, "The last two Platinum, Once saviors of the Pony Races, now the Destroyers of all things they stood for! Is that not poetic? I'll even help you get your little Girlfriend freed from her little Prison, What do you say?"
"I say," I paused as I thought of what words I should use to insult him, Before I felt a pull catch me and quickly drag me away, out of the barrier surrounding the Rainbow Crystals, Away from 'Uncle', Away from all this darkness.
And with a jump I was awake, my body sore, laying on a pillow, staring at the ceiling of a carriage.
"Bluey you're back!" I froze as someone yelled in my ear and enveloped me in a hug.
I turned my head to the side and found myself staring into the joyfully smiling face of Mi Amore Cadenza.
"I'm so happy!" She said as her hug tightened around me, "Your Marefriend told me everything that happened, but I am so glad you're okay!"
I pushed the Princess off of me and turned my body to face her, "Did you say Marefriend?"
Cadenza looked at me before nodding her head, "Yep! She explained to us about the Changelings and how they must have replaced you-" I screamed in alarm at that.
"They replaced me?! We need to get to my ship now! Do they have my bag? Where are we? I need my bag! Cadenza!!! I have no time to thank you for this, I need my bag now!"
"We got your bag," Cadance said simply, her horn glowing as my second most important personal belonging floated next to her, "We stopped by The New Castle to see if they left any clue as to what they were planning and when Queen Katherina explained the Situation they brought over your bag and their own carriages,"
"Their own carriages?" I asked slowly, my magic grabbing my bag and holding it close to me.
"Look out the window," She told me and I humored her, I opened the window to the carriage and looked behind us.
And I saw a small army of carriages following us, even recognizing the carriage that drove me from the port town to the New Castle when I arrived here.
I spotted Princess Moonbeam widening her eyes from one of the carriages before she opened the window and yelled at me something that I couldn't hear over the wind.
I saw another Carriage pulling along a cart filled with armored Dogs, looking ready for combat.
And many more, all driving down the road, pulled by almost ancient-looking carts and engines, going in the same direction.
"When Princess Moonbeam heard what was going on, She grabbed as many guards as she could," Cadenza- Cadance explained and I turned back to look at her, "Queen Jennino is in the cart where you are supposedly sitting, After all."
"This has become a matter of national security,"
I nodded my head and sat back down in the carriage, ignoring the looks the two Diamond Dog royals in front of me gave me as I opened my bag and started taking stuff out.
"Cadance," I simply said, continuing with taking out specific tools that I put in my bag of holding, "I wish to apologize for how I acted to you all these years,"
"Aww, no need to-" I interrupted her as I continued speaking.
"But I don't have time to fully apologize," I closed my bag and started readying the tools I took out of it, belts wrapped around my limbs, A sharp knife sheathed in every belt.
"As you said, This has become a matter of national Security," I said and grabbed a Piece of paper and a pen, and started writing.
"Not only for Caninia, but for Equestria as well," I signed the letter I wrote before I shot it with magic, causing it to disappear in a cloud of magic smoke.
I placed my bag on Cadance's legs and wrapped the last tool of mine, a frayed rope, around my torso.
"And it is my job as A Prince of Equestria to make sure whatever these Changelings are planning does not come to pass," I said with resolve as I looked into my Cousins eyes, " Thank you, Cadance, For everything," I smiled at her.
"But we both have a job to do, So please look after my bag while I'm gone," I told her.
"I can look after your bag, sure, but where are you going?" Cadance asked as she held onto my Bag.
"Isn't it obvious?" I asked her, a smile filled with teeth spreading on my face as my blood started pumping and my body started heating up.
"I'm going to smash their fucking skulls in," |
Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 62: Of Diamonds and Stars 7 | Boarding the Ship, Starlight apologized to Queen Jennino for how Blueblood was behaving.
"No need to blame yourself," The Dog Queen told her, "It's probably just stress."
Starlight sighed at that, "Yeah, You're probably right," She nodded her head "But again, thank you for your hospitality," Starlight gave the Queen a bow before she turned to board the ship.
And stopped when a letter magically appeared in front of it.
"What the-" She recognized the spell and quickly read the contents of the note. Her brow creased and her horn glowed with an Aquamarine light as the contents of the letter struck her.
"Your Majesty, I apologize for this but I need rescue ships ready," Starlight said and turned back to the ship, her eyes widening to see that it was already leaving port.
Without her.
"HEY WAIT!" She yelled and in a show of fizzling magic, she disappeared.
Leaving Queen Jennino Lanternlight to look with concern at the ship leaving the port before she scooped the letter Starlight dropped on the ground when she teleported.
And when she read its contents, She started barking orders.
Hughbert Jellius looked at Prince Blueblood, At his Queen's disguise, and quickly made himself scarce.
He had a large supply of love he needed to consume before his Queen noticed something going on.
Prince Blueblood smiled calmly as the waves of saltwater splashed against the bow of her ship, she was one step closer to defeating Celestia once and for all.
"Hey! What are you doing?" The Prince frowned as the irritating voice of that bodyguard entered her ears.
But she was no threat, The Real Prince was still in his pod on the other side of the nation, by the time anybug notices something wrong it'll be too late.
She has won.
Queen Proudpaws looked at the Pony royals sitting in front of her in the carriage under a veil of soundproofing magic.
"Psst, what do you think they're talking about?" Her youngest sister whispered in her ear.
"Likely security," Queen Katherina answered, "Our job is to make sure Jennino is alright and to provide a ride to Equestria should these Changelings get away,"
"Hey Kath, Do you think I could visit Equestria? As a tourist?" Fiona asked, her trademarked puppy-dog eyes widening at that question.
"Do not try your tricks on me, Fiona, I am not Indiana, I will not simply submit to your requests," Katherina scowled at her sister, causing her to pout in defeat.
Seeing her Sister was being her usual Immature self, Katherina turned back to look at the two Equestrians, before widening her eyes considerably and coughing loudly.
"Woah! Kath, are you okay? Don't choke on me here!" Fiona yelled as she quickly hugged her older sister and tried to give her a Heimlich maneuver.
"I'm not choking Fiona! Look at them!" Katherina yelled at her sister after she managed to escape the Golden Retriever's Hug and pointed at the Equestrians.
"What are you- Woah! Is that a real knife?!" Fiona Floppyears yelled in excitement as she watched Prince Blueblood wrap belts around his legs and a rope around his torso, a pair of black sunglasses, and a new black suit appearing on his body.
Finishing off with his horn glowing Blue, and his hair moving backward as if gelled, leaving his face clear of any strands.
If Katherina was asked, at that time the prince looked like a Secret Agent from a Spy Thriller.
"My Queen! We'll be reaching Quartz City Port in five minutes." The Driver of the carriage said from the window behind her head, and Queen Katherina Proudpaws could only nod silently as her eyes were glued to the Prince.
And a devious plan hatched in her mind.
In a closet on the Equestrian Ship, a certain Grey-furred Earth Pony opened a briefcase filled almost to the brim with jars upon jars of a glittering pink jam.
And he started consuming.
As soon as the Carriage stopped I was out of the door, Bag in Cadance's hooves as I got ready to catch up with the ship.
With the speed the ship was sailing, I'll never be able to catch up to it in time.
I'll need to have a very stern talking to with the Royal Shipworkers, but that's for later.
"Jenn!" The Yellow Dog princess shouted as she jumped out of the carriage before running to hug Queen Jennino Lanternlight who was standing near the road.
"Fiona," Jenn smiled at her younger sister, "I'm sorry I don't have time to catch up right now," She told her before she looked at me, "Your Highness," She greeted, I answered with a short bow, "I got your letter, Rescue boats are already prepared to depart, We'll be able to leave in ten minutes." She told me, her flirty attitude from our previous talks was replaced with the serious tone of a ruling monarch.
I wasn't dealing with Jenn, the thirty-year-old virgin. I was dealing with Jennino Lanternlight, the Second Queen of Caninia.
Good.
"That is wonderful to hear Your Majesty," I told her as I walked toward the docks, "However I have no time to stay here and chat, I must catch up with my ship," I looked around for a small boat, something light to sail in.
"And how will you do that?" Fiona Floppyears asked as she looked over her sister's shoulder.
"Yes, Prince Platinum, How would you manage to reach your ship?" Queen Katherina asked as she walked to us, followed by Princess Cadance.
"It's simple, really," I smiled at the group of royals before stepping onto a conveniently placed Sailboard, Grabbing the rope around my torso, and tying it onto my arm.
"I have this rope," With a glow of magic in my horn, My bag on Cadance's back opened, and out flew a hook. I tied the other end of the rope around the hook and started levitating it in my magic.
"A Grappling hook? That rope isn't long enough to reach the Ship," Queen Katherina pointed out as she looked at the small speck in the distance that was my ship.
"Oh believe me," I told them, my eyes locking onto the speck of color above the cold ocean, "I'll reach it," My horn glowed brighter and brighter, the hook vibrating with magic as my eyes stayed focused on the ship.
I felt a warmth emanate from my Cutie Mark, something that hadn't really happened since I dragged Starlight and myself through the Tundras of Yakyakistan, reaching the cave that led us to the City.
With my Magic, My Cutie Mark, and this rope. I will reach the ship.
And as the magic that I fed into the hook stopped and the warmth from my Cutie Mark disappeared, my smile widened considerably.
"I Won't Miss"
And with a sound akin to a howitzer, The hook flew into the distance, magically propelled toward the ship.
"Blueblood! That rope isn't long enough!" Cadance yelled over the sound of magic wind propelling the hook farther and farther away.
But then her eyes widened as she watched the rope elongate itself, longer and longer, never stopping the hook from continuing its flight.
And then she understood.
The Rope was magic.
And after a minute of watching the hook fly through the air, I felt it.
And with my blood pumping furiously and a smile that would make even devils scared, "Gotcha'"
I pulled back at the rope.
And I flew.
"Trixie," Starlight called to the only other real Unicorn on board, "I want you to get the Lifeboats ready," she told her.
"What, why?" Trixie asked back.
"Orders from the prince, Just do it," Starlight told her simply before moving along.
"Huh," Trixie said before moving to do her job.
She was getting paid after all.
With his face covered in pink glittering jam, Hughbert Jellius made his way to the engine room of the ship.
"You!" He stopped and turned to see Starlight Glimmer pointing at him, "Back to your workplace, now!" She yelled at him.
Blinking at her, The Earth Pony smiled widely before an explosion of green fire enveloped the corridor he was standing in.
"Dammit! There's more!" He heard Starlight Glimmer shout behind him, but by the time she'll be able to catch up with him, He'll already be done.
He dropped his disguise, now simply a greasy changeling, warts and pink pus covering portions of his body from the overindulgence on his Love Jelly.
"What the hell was tha-" The Yellow Pegasus asked loudly as she opened the door to her room before letting out a scream as she saw him running down the corridor.
"Never mind her," Hughbert thought to himself "I will be the victor of today,"
"Stop that monster!" A K Yearling yelled before she bolted out of her room, her coat, hat, and even glasses left behind as she gave chase after the black carapaced creature.
"Wait up!" Gilda the Griffon yelled as she flew out after her, followed closely by Cozy Glow.
"Did you hear something?" Time Turner asked Zephyr as the two were hanging in the engine room.
"Nothing," Zephyr Breeze answered easily as he cleaned his hooves, "Anyways, you were talking about this Derpy chick, continue,"
"Oh well," Time Turner blushed at that, "Well you see, Derpy and I aren't really-" Whatever he was about to say was forgotten as the door to the engine room burst open, revealing an insectoid Pony, a disgusting oily carapace covering its body as marks of pink and green pus and warts covered its body, "-AHHH!!!!" Turner screamed.
"Harmony shit!" Zephyr yelled at the sight of the Pony Bug before he grabbed the nearest throwable object without looking and threw it at the Creature.
The object thrown, which just so happens to be a wrench, flew through the air and missed the creature. Instead landing on a big red "Shut Off" button.
"Oh..." Zephyr said as the engine shut off and all the lights in the ship turned off.
"Hahaha! HAHAHA!" The Creature laughed at the Pony that did its job for it.
Prince Blueblood(?) smiled calmly as she watched the ocean in front of her, her plan was perfect, she had succeeded.
"I'm running on a feeling, that I get when you and me dance" She suddenly frowned as the sound of somebug singing entered her ears.
"Wait," She whispered as she looked around her, "Did the ship stop?" She scowled and turned around to see what those foolish ponies were doing.
"And I want it, And I need it, So catch up if you can" The singing got closer and suddenly a shadow covered the spot she was standing on.
She looked up to see what was blocking the sun, and her face crumbled "Oh bollocks,"
"If you can" And her face was hit by a flying Sailboard.
In a burst of green flames Prince Blueblood was gone, replaced by a tall, dark blue-haired Creature, covered by black chitin, her legs pocked with holes and her wings see-through like a dragonfly, a crooked black horn extended from the top of her head, a green and blue carapace covered her back.
"Who are you?!" She yelled in anger as her body was flown away the force of the Sailboard hitting her, "I am Queen Chrysalis! And you will die for your transgressions!"
And as she looked at the White Unicorn who land on the deck of the ship in front of her, his horn glowing blue and his golden blonde mane flying in the wind, she recognized him instantly.
And so Queen Chrysalis got ready to fight Prince Blueblood Platinum.
"I've got a million things that I can say to you," The Singing reached the ears of the Changeling in the engine room, causing him to turn his head to look down the corridor behind him.
And at the yellow Pegasus hoof that stuck him in the face.
"But that doesn't mean that I'm going to,"
"Wha-" The Changeling got out as A K Yearling kicked him into the engine of the ship, his body colliding with the large machine with a loud bang.
"Because you give me something to feel, Like I'm real," Starlight ran out of the ship, her eyes widening and a smile growing on her face as she saw her boss standing in front of a tall black insect-looking pony.
"Like my life's not some big joke"
"Blueblood! I'm here!" Starlight cried and stood next to her boss, only to stop when he moved his leg to block her, "What are you- Oh..." Starlight nodded as her boss whispered something to her by creating an illusion of him speaking, "I understand," She nodded her head and ran to a different part of the ship.
Chrysalis glared at the irritating Bodyguard who ran off before her eyes widened and she quickly took a step back as Prince Blueblood entered her personal space, a sharp knife held in his right hoof as he slashed up towards her face.
"Something to deal, With the rage," He sang, a wide toothy smile on his face as he kept close to her, his legs never stopping.
"I just thought I'd let you know"
"That I'm running off the feeling, That I get when you and me dance" I smiled excitedly, my blood pumping and adrenaline flowing through my body.
"And I want it, And I need it," My legs moved quickly and my horn glowed, Years of training in the navy kicking in I kept close to my opponent, never really letting her out of my range.
"So catch up if you can," My smile could cut my face in half with how excited I am.
And with a quick burst of magic, the knife strapped to my left leg flew out of the belt holding it and sliced a cut onto this so-called Queen Chrysalis's left front leg.
"If you can"
The Changeling that was Hughbert Jellius roared in anger as his horn glowed a bright green, an explosion of green flames knocking all the ponies around him away as he stood up from his spot lodged into the engine.
"I knew you were evil!" He snarled in anger as the damned filly yelled from behind the wall of green fire he created.
"I've got a million things I'd let you do to me"
"Silence!" He screamed, his magic growing brighter as the pink pus on his body pulsated with his movements, "I will not be ridiculed by some Ponies!"
"What about me?!" An abrasive voice called out and from the fire, a fist flew into his stomach as Gilda flew into the engine room, the wind from her wings dispersing the fire and allowing the rest of the crew to run away or join her.
"And I'm not afraid if it hurts 'Cause you do it so beautifully"
"Damn you!" The Changeling yelled as his body pulsated and warbled, a mixture of green and pink magic flowing out of his horn as he glared hatefully at the ponies in front of him, "Always snooping around!"
"You give me something to feel"
"I don't know who the heck you are!" Gilda yelled before she moved her head to the side, allowing A K Yearling to fly by her and let another kick into the Changeling.
"Like I'm real"
"AAARGH!" He screamed in anger, "DAMN YOU!!!"
"Like I never was before"
With Gilda punching him and Yearling Kicking him deeper into the engine, the machinery started sparking and his magic went haywire.
"DAMN YOU!!!"
"DAMN YOU!" Chrysalis screamed as another knife shot towards her, her legs covered with small cuts as her horn glowed green, shooting another beam of magic at the prince that he easily dodged out of the way with a simple lean to the side, that infuriating smile on his face and those sunglasses covering his eyes only making this moment feel much more humiliating.
"Now I'm running off the feeling, That I get when you and me dance" And why wouldn't he stop singing?!
"Shut up! SHUT UP!" She yelled as another beam of green magic shot out of her horn.
"And I want it, And I need it, So catch up if you can, If you can"
The Engine took too much damage.
Hughbert Jellius screamed in rage as his magic transformed him, "YOU ALWAYS TALK ABOUT SOME STUPID SEA-BADGER! RAGHHH!!!!"
And with green and pink magic shooting out of his horn, combined with blue arcane electricity coming from the engine, an explosion rocked the ship.
Knocking all the ponies away and punching a hole in the back of the ship.
Water started flowing in.
"We need to get out of here!" Time Turner yelled as he watched the water enter through the hole in the wall, The Changeling nowhere to be seen.
As the explosion went off, shaking the entire ship, Prince Blueblood was thrown onto the ground and Queen Chrysalis took this to her advantage, her hoof shooting forward and impacting the prince in the front leg he used to block the punch.
"Hahaha! Yes!" Chrysalis took a step back as the prince cheered as the pain ran up his leg, "Now you couldn't catch a vibe like this, Unless you got a little taste of just how high I get, Oh, oh!"
"What is wrong with you?!" Chrysalis screamed at the prince as he rolled back onto his legs and dashed towards her, his hoof raised for a punch as his magic picked the knives from the ground and shot them towards her.
"Now you couldn't catch a vibe like this, Unless you got a little taste of just how high I get, Oh, oh!"
Seeing the hoof enter her vision and the sharp knives fly at her, She yelled and let off an explosion of green fire, throwing Blueblood Away.
"Now you couldn't catch a vibe like this like this (Like this, like this, like this, like this)"
She held her scream in as the four knives flew through the fire and impacted her body, stabbing into her, green blood already marring her chitin, but she smiled as she saw Prince Blueblood stand up from where she threw him, a line of red blood covering the side of his body.
"This was good," He yelled at her, His smile relaxing as he started walking slowly back to her, "But it's time to finish this,"
"You look so different under all these lights, You look so different right now," Chrysalis glared at him, noticing the ponies running out of the door behind him as the ship started to tilt.
"Please give me something to feel" He continued to sing as he slowly walked closer to her, his hair a mess and his suit cut up, "Like I'm real" His steps started getting quicker.
"Like my life's not some big joke" He sprinted towards her, his horn glowing blue as a beam of magic shot out of his horn and hit the ground in front of her.
"Ha, You missed! Wha-?!" Chrysalis exclaimed as the deck of the ship opened up quickly like a trap door, throwing her into the air before turning into a launch pad, throwing the prince after her.
"Something to deal with the rage" Prince Blueblood caught her midair and his smile returned full force, "I just thought I'd let you know"
"Oh no..." Chrysalis whispered before the first hoof hit her.
"That I'm running! Off the feeling! That I get when you and me dance!" Prince Blueblood sang louder than before, each syllable followed by a punch hitting the Changeling Queen.
"And I want it!" More punches rained onto her body as gravity dragged the two of them down, into the ocean.
"And I need it!" But Blueblood ignored the incoming water as he continued punching Chrysalis in the face, no longer dodging whenever she started frantically hitting him back.
Simply taking those punches to the face.
"So Catch up if you can! If you can!" Chrysalis screamed as the two of them fell into the water, only to instead of starting to drown, a platform of Aquamarine Magic caught them, stopping them from drowning.
And so, Chrysalis punched Blueblood in the chest and threw him off of her, Before standing up just as he was and rushing in to continue punching and kicking him, all semblance of magic gone.
Just pure pugilism.
"Over here!" Trixie yelled to the crew as she saw them running in her direction, The large orange lifeboat was ready to drop with the press of a switch.
The crew quickly entered the Lifeboat and pressed the button, dropping into the open waters and watching the ship they spent a few days on slowly sinking.
As Chrysalis and Blueblood continued punching each other in the face without blocking like Neanderthals, A shadow grew beneath the magic platform.
Seeing that, Starlight began the final part of the plan.
And with a burst of magic from her horn, the Aquamarine Platform that both the changeling and her boss were fighting on top, disappeared.
"Dammit! Argh!!!" Chrysalis yelled as she fell into the water, her body transforming into a Dark Green Siren in a burst of green fire, Her back-flipper kicking forward and hitting Prince Blueblood in the face.
And then she noticed the Large shadow beneath her.
"FU-!" She screamed but was cut off, as a giant maw filled with sharp teeth exited the water, a body covered with Green fur and blue scales emerging from the water and taking both Chrysalis and Blueblood into its mouth.
The eyes of the creature were pink and almost lifeless, like those of a fish, Four large scale-covered legs extended from the body of the creature, allowing it to swim in the wavy ocean.
Trixie quickly opened her satchel and took out a camera.
"Now you couldn't catch a vibe like this" Prince Blueblood continued singing as he punched the Mermaid-looking Chrysalis deeper into the large mouth of the giant Sea-Monster.
"Unless you got a little taste of just how I high get"
"No! No no no!" Chrysalis yelled as her grip on the tongue of the creature weakened as Blueblood continued kicking her.
"Oh Oh, Now you couldn't catch a vibe like this, Unless you got a little taste of just how I high get" Prince Blueblood sang and kicked Chrysalis one final time, her grip on the tongue of the monster going loose and throwing her into its stomach.
As she fell into the warm and sticky darkness inside, She saw that irritating bodyguard appearing in a burst of magic, grabbing onto the prince before teleporting away.
"Oh No."
"There they are!" Princess Fiona yelled as she pointed at the orange lifeboat in front of the ship.
"Yes Fiona, We see it," Queen Katherina told her sister as she looked at the Equestrian Prince and his Bodyguard, who appeared on her ship not too long ago in a burst of magic.
"Once again, Your Majesty, I must thank you from the bottom of my heart," Prince Blueblood calmly told her, his regal voice not matching the almost primitive way he was looking, his hair was sticking onto his forehead and his suit was cut into ribbons, a large gash on the side of his torso already closed, indicating that it wasn't as deep as it looked, but he was still caked in blood.
Both green and red.
"I am in your debt," He told her, "If Caninia or yourself are ever in need of support, I will come to you, That I can promise,"
Katherina nodded her head at that, her lips curling into a smile as her mind searched for ways she could utilize this promise in the future.
A one-time ticket of support from the Prince himself, how wonderful.
"We're saved!" Zephyr Breeze yelled as he flew out of the Lifeboat, followed by the rest of the crew.
"We're alive! How incredible!" Time Turner yelled with a smile as he stretched his legs.
"I won..." Trixie whispered as she looked at the small camera in her hand.
All the crew stopped and turned to look at the Blue Unicorn.
"What?" Gilda asked as she let go of the hug she was giving Cozy Glow and A K Yearling.
"I Got it! I won! The Great and Powerful Trixie has managed to capture the elusive Sea-Badger on camera!" She cheered and held her camera up in the air, "Look!" She opened the camera to show them the picture.
"Hey, Trix," Zephyr said as he looked over her shoulder at the photo she was trying to show everyone, "That's just a huge splash of water, You can't see anything,"
"WHAT?!" Trixie yelled and looked down at the photo she took, seeing that the Pegasus was correct.
Instead of a photo of the Sea-Badger, it was simply a blurry photo of water and waves, an eruption of water from when the Sea-Badger surfaced, and even the corner of her hoof on the lens from how she was holding the camera
"I... I didn't get it..." Trixie Lulamoon slumped onto the floor, her camera rolling away from her.
"Starlight, I need to apologize to-" Starlight didn't let him speak.
She quickly wrapped her legs around him and pulled him into a hug.
"Don't say anything, I forgive you," She smiled with her eyes closed as she rested her chin on his shoulder, "Also, you smell like shit,"
"I feel like shit," Blueblood laughed and pat her on the back, "I can't wait to get back to Equestria."
"Bluey," The happy reunion was cut short as Cadance called out to her cousin, "We need to talk,"
The pink princess looked around her for a moment, "In Private."
Nodding his head, Prince Blueblood let go of Starlight and walked after Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. Stopping when the two of them reached a quiet part of the ship.
"So, What's this about?" Blueblood asked her, his body leaning on the rail of the ship as his magic created a soundproofing illusion over the two.
"It's about your Marefriend," Cadance told him.
"Oh." Blueblood straightened his back, "What is it that you wish to know?" He gulped.
"Everything," She told him, Light-Purple Eyes staring into Ice-Blue.
"I want you to tell me everything." |
Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 63: Of Diamonds and Platinum | "Let me get this straight," Cadance asked Blueblood, "For the last month or so you've been visiting something called a Space Spirit, who is trapped inside the gem you keep around your neck?"
"Yep," Blueblood nodded, his hoof touching the expensive chain around his neck holding the red and green gem.
"And she has not only been trapped inside that gem for who knows how long, but her body has split into different shards that you need to collect to reform her full body, as now she's just a head and an arm?" Cadance continued.
"Pretty much," Blueblood nodded.
"Okay let me just," Cadance took a deep breath and started massaging her forehead before releasing a sigh.
"Who else knows about her?"
Blueblood took a moment to think it over before replying, "Well, If you're asking who knows she exists in general I can't really give you an answer, If your question is who knows I'm meeting with her, Right now it's just me, you, and my apparently long lost evil uncle from one-thousand years ago."
"Your long lost evil uncle?" Cadance raised an eyebrow.
"Did I stutter? He's my Great-Uncle from 1,000 years ago, he's trapped inside Limbo, he knows she lives inside the gem, and he's definitely evil. Can't get more simple than that," Blueblood relaxed his body, scowling slightly as the gash on the side of his torso started to itch.
"What happened since I was gone?!" Cadance suddenly yelled loudly and Blueblood was glad he soundproofed the little corner the two royals were speaking in, "I leave for a nice travel around the world to celebrate finally finishing my education and suddenly Nightmare Moon returns! Twilight is an Element of Harmony! You meet a Spirit trapped in a gem! Discord returns! And now you're here fighting against shapeshifting insects! What's next?!" Cadance screamed as she held the sides of her head.
"Nightmare Moon returned twice-" Blueblood tried to tell her but the Princess of Love covered his mouth with her hoof.
"Shush!"
Two Days Later
It took some time to find a replacement ship to take the BBF back to Equestria, but Princess Indiana came in clutch.
"As thank you for releasing me from whatever those Changelings have done to me, It is my great honor to be the one to sail you and your servants back to Equestria," The Husky-looking Princess bowed her head to Prince Blueblood.
"Do not bow to me," He told her in his 'Royal voice' "This is your land, I am merely a visitor," He smiled at her with bright teeth, "A House Owner does not bow to his Neighbor if they are both on the same standing, So please, Princess Indiana Amberyes, Do not lower your head,"
"Of course Your Highness," The princess said with a smile as she straightened her back, "Although please allow me to show you to your room," She said before walking into the large Caninian ship.
The ship itself was much older in design than the metal and magic ship that Prince Blueblood arrived in.
Made of Oak, Three large masts for the sails and a two-story interior.
Sails of large white cloth hung from the masts and yards, while the flag of Caninia flew from the top of the middle mast.
Queen Katherina smiled as she watched her younger sister give the prince a tour, already planning on using the Prince's "debt" to get him married to Indiana.
It was basic politics at the end of the day.
"What are you thinking about?" Fiona asked her eldest sister, her legs bouncing up and down excitedly as she looked between her deviously plotting sister to the large wooden ship docked before her.
"Nothing you need to worry your little head over, Let's go back to the castle and leave Indiana to deal with this." The blue-furred Saluki told her Golden Labrador sister before they departed back to their Castle.
Seven Days later
"And we have finally reached Equestria," Princess Indiana said with a smile as her Guard Dogs started moving frantically around the ship in order to get everything ready for docking.
Documents exchanged paws and papers flew from dog to dog.
"Once again Your Highness, I must thank you from the bottom of my heart for your assistance," Prince Blueblood told the Dog Princess, "I must insist that you and your men join us for dinner, It's the least I can do to repay what you and your sisters have done,"
"That sounds wonderful," Indiana said and the conversation moved on from there.
Starlight Glimmer, watching the two royals talk about nothing again and again for the last week, could feel her soul grow lighter when she heard that they had finally reached Equestria.
Only two more hours and she can get back to the castle, go another round of being thrown around the training room by Princess Celestia as a form of torture disguised as Bodyguard Training, and then spend the rest of her evening talking to Raven Inkwell and not get a reply from the timid mare.
After disembarking from the ship and taking over a local Pizza place for the evening, Prince Blueblood bid farewell to the Diamond Dogs as they returned to their ship for the night. Tomorrow they'll restock and resupply their ship before leaving back to Caninia a day later.
Now standing before his employees for the past two weeks, Prince Blueblood was prepared to reveal some harsh news.
"Ladies, Gentlemen, Gilda, I am happy to inform you that our work is done, Most of you have done well, and nobody was permanently harmed," The Prince began
"What about the chef?" Trixie tried to ask but she was ignored.
"However, I have some terrible news to deliver to you all. News that I am sure some of you were expecting to hear, but news that I must deliver nonetheless." He continued.
"And that news is, Gilda, A K Yearling, And Cozy Glow," The Prince turned to look at three girls, "You're all fired, your paycheck has already been deposited into your bank accounts," He said quickly and immediately cast a soundproofing spell around Gilda.
"Time Turner, Zephyr Breeze, and Trixie Lulamoon, You have done an amazing job for amateurs," Blueblood turned to look at the trio in question.
"We have?" Zephyr asked before getting a slap on the back of his head courtesy of a Blue Unicorn.
"However, seeing as the job you were hired to do has finished, Your Pay will be suspended until further notice. Your Paycheck for this job has been deposited, If another job in the BBF comes up, you will be receiving letters, but until then you can consider the next days as an unpaid vacation," He ignored the complaints from everyone before turning to look at the last two Ponies.
"Starlight, Good work on getting me out of the Sea-Badger's mouth, If you were actually my employee I would have given you a bonus, alas I am merely your warden in this prison we call life, Take tomorrow off." He told his bodyguard who merely responded by rolling her eyes.
"And Finally, Cadance," He turned to the last pony, "To be honest, I have no idea what you're doing here, You're just here to look at me talk, Go home," Cadance also rolled her eyes with a smile before she picked her bags and headed to the train station.
"Any questions?" He asked the crowd of disgruntled ponies who silently screamed from behind a veil of sound-canceling magic, "No? Good, Dismissed."
The Island of Glaros
Emerging from the water onto a beach of soft white sand, a large blue-scaled and green-furred creature surfaced onto land, Its large limbs digging trenches in the sand before it started shaking uncontrollably.
The Sea-Badger started coughing and Hacking, Trying hard to breathe before an explosion of Green Flames erupted from its body and it disappeared.
In its place stood the half-melted remains of a Changeling, yellow and purple puss and warts growing on its back from overfeeding, the sweet smell of the love intermingling with the retched smell of gastric acid and smoke.
And right beside the charred corpse of the mutated changeling, was a Queen, Tall and spindly, screaming in pain as she held onto the stump where her arm used to be, now gone, melted in the acid of the Sea-Badger's stomach.
"AAAARGHHH!!!!!!" Chrysalis screamed as her body collapsed onto the sand before her horn started glowing green and her teeth bit into her own tongue.
And with a cry of anguish and what might have been the most pain Chrysalis has felt in over 1,000 years of life, her stump exploded into green fire, before revealing a newly grown leg.
Chrysalis collapsed into the sand, weak and injured, staring at the only other object on the beach with her.
A Suitcase filled with Pink Jam that her IDIOT of a subordinate swallowed from the wreck of the ship.
She weakly turned to look at her FOOL of a minion, his body destroyed and mutated, too weak to control the influx of Love he received from forcing himself to drink an entire suitcase of an experimental substance in a few hours.
She continued her weakened survey of the beach before her eyes moved to her newly regrown limb, and she froze.
Black Chitin shone reflectively in the evening sun, but that wasn't what caught her attention.
It was the holes, or the lack thereof.
Chrysalis smiled manically as she looked at her pristine new arm, devoid of holes.
"Hehehe," She started laughing as she looked at her other limbs, at the holes that BITCH Inflicted upon her all those centuries ago.
"Hahahaha!" She laughed as a plan formed in her mind, Slowly crawling to the suitcase of love Jelly, a manic smile on her face and her eyes bloodshot.
After she swallowed two jars and felt her strength return to her, She ripped the suitcase apart and held the handle in her mouth.
She felt her new arm transform into a mantis-looking saw, and she placed her other front leg on the sand in front of her.
And she laughed hysterically, pain and anguish filling her mind as she sawed off her limbs, her screams stiffened by the suitcase handle in her mouth, the pain dulled from the Love Jelly she repeatedly drank.
After five minutes that felt like decades, A burst of magical green fire erupted from the newly created stump, and a new, pristine front leg appeared to replace it as Chrysalis once again collapsed on the sand with exhaustion.
But as she looked at her new leg, and the lack of holes, she was again empowered.
Her eyes moved to the remaining Jam in the suitcase and her smile almost grew feral.
"Celestia," She whispered, her green eyes pinpricks as 1,000 years of revenge were slowly coming together as a new plan reached her mind, her brain thinking of that Unicorn who fought her.
"Your Nephew, hehehe," She started giggling, plans and plots, tricks and transformations, all passed through her mind as she thought of Prince Blueblood and Princess Celestia.
"I will make him MINE! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" And with another scream, the saw fell down on her back legs.
And Queen Chrysalis Laughed. |
Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 64: Bitter and Elite 1 | Raven Inkwell was many things.
Secretary to the most important Pony in the world, Last in line to the throne in cases of emergency, and also way too tired to deal with the hectic situations of Canterlot Castle.
But one more thing that Raven Inkwell is, is Bearer of Bad News.
It was a morning just like any other, she was looking at the papers stacked on her desk when a certain letter caught her attention.
After she read the contents of the letter, she sprang from her chair and ran to her bookshelf, opening the hidden passageway behind it, and started to crawl between the walls of the castle.
Her friend needed to read this.
On top of one of the spires in the guest district of the Castle, where guests of the highest honor may stay, Princess Celestia walked the pony of the hour to her personally created room.
"Here? I get to stay here?" The guest in question, a white Unicorn with Purple hair asked as she looked at the expensive interior of the room, at the Ponyquin readied for her use, at the soft silk and velvet of the bed-sheets, and at the large window overlooking the City of Canterlot far below.
The Guest in question was none other than Rarity, The Element of Generosity.
Celestia smiled at the little Unicorn, "Twilight Sparkle said you were coming to Canterlot for a visit and asked if I might accommodate you," She told her.
"Thank you so much Princess," Rarity told the princess as she looked around the room, a small white Cat jumped onto the bed and pawed at the blanket before laying down to sleep.
"You are very welcome," Celestia told Rarity.
"No really," Rarity ran up to the princess, "This is so nice of you,"
"It's nothing, Really," Celestia told Rarity with a smile.
"Oh but it isn't nothing," Rarity told her, "It's everything, I- I just don't know what to say but Thank you, Thankyou!" She quickly lowered herself to the floor and started kissing the Princesses hooves.
"Thank you," She said after a kiss, "Thank you!" She kissed again, Celestia started looking around uncomfortably, "Thank you thank you thank you!" Rarity kept kissing Celestia's hooves.
"You are very welco-" Celestia tried to say, hoping Rarity would stop kissing her feet, only for the Element of Generosity to jump into her face.
"Thank you!"
And luckily, Celestia's rescuer came, his legs buckling under the weight of the burden on his shoulders, yet he carried on walking.
"Your luggage, Mademoiselle," An Intern servant wearing a Bellhop uniform told Rarity as a small mountain of luggage and cases rested on his back.
Celestia, taking this moment of reprieve for what it was, told Rarity that she'll leave her to get settled as she walked out the door and away from the awfully thankful Element of Generosity.
"Is she in here? No," Raven Inkwell was a mare on a mission, She walked through the hidden walls of the castle, her eyes searching for a certain Unicorn who needed to read the contents of the letter as soon as possible.
"Is she in here? No," Raven Inkwell was starting to worry that she already missed her.
"Starlight, No! The entire point of long-range artillery is to act as a supporting fire to protect the soldiers in the field, They aren't supposed to be moving," Raven paused as the voice of her Coworker and not-at-all-hidden crush rang out from the Library.
"Of course she'll be in the library..." Raven whispered to herself before she turned around a corner and started walking to the Library.
Stopping behind the hidden entrance to the Library, Raven looked inside, her eyes switching with that of a painting on the wall.
On a table in the middle, she could see Prince Blueblood create a sort of miniature battlefield, where tiny ponies wearing old-fashioned military suits were shooting at each other as small explosions rained down around them.
"But wouldn't the cannons hit your own soldiers?" And there she was! The Unicorn Raven was looking for.
"You don't aim at your own soldiers Starlight, you aim at the enemy as they're running at your soldiers, and you aim at the enemy artillery. You think Napoleon shot his own men on purpose?" Blueblood turned to Starlight and asked her.
"You know I don't understand all these references you bring up, Right?" Starlight told Blueblood as she crossed her arms and leaned on the chair she was sitting on.
Raven decided she's seen enough, and slipped the letter into a crack beneath the paining, slowly pushing it into the Library.
"Psst, A Letter," She whispered before she ducked, hoping the two Unicorn's didn't see her.
"Did you say something Starlight?" Blueblood asked.
"Nothing, I though you said something, Trying to seem all mysterious and such," She replied.
"Me? Why would I whisper to you? we're an empty room," Blueblood gave Starlight a look.
"Don't look at me like that! If it wasn't you who whispered, who was it?!" Starlight got on her hooves and pointed a leg into Blueblood's chest.
"Probably Raven," He answered nonchalantly, grabbing Starlight's leg and pushing it away.
"Raven?" Starlight asked and started looking around before she noticed a paper envelope on the floor beneath a painting.
"Yeah, You know how she uses the hidden paths to walk around?" Blueblood asked as Starlight walked up to the envelope.
Starlight saw the envelope addressed to her and opened it, ignoring her boss as he kept talking to himself about hidden passageways or whatever else he had on his mind at the moment. Probably more Prench soldiers battling by blowing each other up.
Starlight Read the letter and then she froze, the paper slipping from her grasp as it slowly floated down to the floor.
"I need to go." She whispered quietly, taking a step away from the letter and turning to the door of the library.
"Starlight, what's going on?" Blueblood asked her as he stood up seeing his bodyguard walking away quickly.
"I- I don't have time to speak, I need to leave," Starlight's horn glowed Aquamarine and the door opened as she kept walking, "I'll be back tomorrow, tell Celestia not to kill me! I need to leave." Starlight started running, her hooves taking her down the hallway, pushing aside several servants as she kept moving, not bothering to slow down.
"What the..." Blueblood turned his head to look at the envelope she dropped before he stood to look at it.
"Wait!" he paused as a white Earth Pony fell from a hidden door on the ceiling, landing in front of him.
"Raven," Blueblood nodded his head in greeting, not bothering to point out how she just fell from the ceiling and tried to walk around her.
"You can't," Raven said as she moved to block Blueblood's path, "It's private for Starlight Glimmer!" Raven seemed distressed Blueblood noted as she kept blocking his way.
"Whatever it is, was important enough to cause Starlight to leave her duty. We both know she's not allowed to do so without prior contacting the princess or a good cause, It's a part of her Probation agreement." Blueblood told Raven as he kept slowly walking around her, The secretary keeping up with him to always remain between him and the letter.
"As Secretary of Equestria," Raven said as she looked into Blueblood's eyes, causing him to freeze as she used her authority, "I am classifying this matter as an urgent enough matter for Starlight Glimmer to be exempt from punishment for her actions in the matter,"
Blueblood looked into Raven Inkwell's eyes, before nodding his head at her and turning around.
"If you're using your spot like that, this must be more important than I thought," He told her as the two locked eyes, before he smiled down at her, "Good for you standing up for your friends like that," He gave her a pat on the shoulder before he turned around to leave.
Before he paused and turned his head back to look at her.
"Is Friday two weeks from now a good day? I know it's close to Hearth's Warming Eve, but I can still get a reservation for us, there's this wonderful place in Neigh-York that I think will be a good place," He asked her.
Raven blinked at him in confusion, "What?"
Blueblood looked at her confused, "For our date? You know, the one I promised you during Nightmare Night?"
Raven blinked again before the memory of that night appeared in her mind, and her entire head flushed a bright red.
"Oh Yeah..."
"If you have a better suggestion, feel free to update me whenever possible," He told her before lifting his hoof next to his head and shaking it a bit, whispering "Call me," At her before he finally took his leave.
Leaving Raven Inkwell as a red steaming mess, alone in the library.
She started touching her face, feeling how hot she got, as her eyes started wandering about the library before a book caught her attention.
"Prince of Pleasure" Was written on the title, and Raven bit her lip as she took the book and slithered back into the hidden passageways of the castle.
She had some cooling down to do.
As soon as the flying carriage touched down in Sire's Hollow, Starlight was already out the door.
She ran past building from her childhood and even more building that were built while she was away.
She ran past the small park she used to play at, and the local library she remembered spending most of her time with her only friend at the time in.
Her brow furrowed as she thought about Him but she quickly ignored it and threw Him out of her mind as she spotted the building she was looking for.
Running past a small, knee-high fence around the garden of common flowers, Starlight threw the door to the building open and cried out.
"MOM!" Her eyes looked around, her ears hearing hoofs clopping on the floor towards her, revealing her father, Firelight, as he looked in her direction with a sunken face and tired eyes.
"Chipmunk..." Firelight whispered as he looked at Starlight, before rushing forward and pulling her into a bone-breaking hug.
"Dad! I got the letter," Starlight said quickly, grabbing her father and pulling him away from her, "She's going to be fine, right?" Starlight asked as she looked into her father's eyes.
Firelight couldn't give her an answer, he just cried silently, tears rolling down his purple coat as he looked at his daughter.
Starlight started shaking her head at how her father was acting, "No! I need to see her!" She yelled and stormed past her Dad, entering her parents' room and seeing the Pale Turquoise mare lying on the bed, her cheeks almost white as snow and skin thin as paper.
"Mom! Everything's going to be okay," Starlight rushed to the side of the bed, her body lowering as she rested her head on the mattress, looking up at her sleeping mother.
"I can pull some strings, I'll get Raven to give you the best Doctors and professionals in Equestria, Raven's a new friend of mine, I'm sure you'd love to meet her, She's timid but also incredibly professional, but not too much, you know how Secretary's can get right?" Starlight talked with her mother.
Outside the room, Firelight was lying on the floor, his face ruined with snot and tears as he silently cried.
"And Blueblood, you remember him, right? He might be a prick at times, but he has a heart of gold, I'm sure he could get someone to help us out here," Starlight kept talking, her voice growing shaky as she continued.
"And Shining Armor! He's not the smartest, but his heart's in the right place! He can make sure nothing will bother you while we wait for your recovery hick because he's the captain of the guard," Starlight's voice started to crack as she felt her eyes grow wet, but she kept talking.
"Then there's Cadance, I'm sure she can help, She's an Alicorn, a real honest-to-goodness Alicorn, She'd help you in a heartbeat if she could, just say the word and I'll tell her," Starlight told her mother.
"C'mon, Mom, Just say the word hick so I can help you," Tears started dropping from her eyes as she looked up at her sleeping mother.
"Please hick Let me help you!" Starlight cried at her mother's unmoving body on the body, "I left you for years! I made you worried for who knows how long! So, please! Please just say the word and LET ME HELP YOU!" Starlight cried loudly, bawling her eyes out as she lay on the floor of her parent's bedroom.
"Please... Just say the word..."
But Starlight didn't receive an answer.
Starshine Campfire - Rest In Peace |
Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 65: Bitter and Elite 2 | I frowned as I looked at a flyer advertising the Wonder-Bolts Derby later today.
"Who places a flyer inside a castle?" I asked as I turned to look at the nearest guard, who shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.
"Wonderful, throw this in the garbage when you're done here," I told him and dropped the flyer as I went out to the garden.
"Ah, Blueblood!" I stopped and turned with a smile as Princess Luna joined up with me, "We haven't really had the opportunity to speak lately, may we join you to catch up?"
"Gladly so Luna, I was just on my way to have a walk in the garden, you are gladly invited to join," I say with my 'royal' tone.
"You know you can cut the act when we're around, yes?" She asked as she raised an eyebrow at us.
"Of course," I nodded at her as I opened the door to the outside. High up in the sky I could see the Pegasi getting ready for the scheduled snow to mark the start of winter. "It's just that you never know who else is watching," I said with a smile before pointing at a nearby bush.
"A Gardener is working over there," I pointed at a tree, "A servant is spending her break on the other side of the log," And I pointed at Luna herself, "And we also haven't talked in a few weeks, so Let's catch up."
Luna smiled and we soon reached a quiet corner of the gardens, a few animals ran about before entering a bush to hide from us.
"When was the last time we spoke, remind me," I asked her as I lay down on the soft grass.
"We believe it was when you refused to come with us on our visit to Ponyville to celebrate our first Nightmare Night," Luna said as she lay down next to me, her hair covering her face as a soft wind blew it around before she caught her mane in her magic and tied it behind her head.
"Ah yes, Nightmare Night," I nodded, a scowl briefly crossing my face as memories of how I acted appeared in my mind.
"Speaking of which," I changed the topic quickly, "Tartarus, I need a list of all our prisoners and their meal preferences," I told her as the small black blob of nightmare magic popped into my mind.
"Are you planning on feeding all of them?" Luna asked.
"Why not? Who knows how long it's been since they last ate," Luna nodded at my response.
"I see," She said slowly before looking me in the eyes, "Nightmare Moon asked why you hadn't visited when you were in Caninia,"
I gasped in fake awe, "She does care about me," I whispered dramatically, "But what if she more than cares for me..." I paused for dramatic effect, my hair magically whipping around before I smiled seductively and looked Luna in the eyes, "What if Nightmare Moon... Loves me?" I whispered, a smile growing as I watched the Princess of the Night try and hold a laugh.
"Oh, Woe is me!" I cried, my front leg lifting above my head dramatically, "A vile mistress of the night wishes to seduce me for her evil machinations,"
"Please stop talking... pfft," Luna said weakly as her body shook.
"What will I do? Her soft fur and silky mane, holding me against her body as she whispered sweet nothing in my ear," I Bemoaned dramatically, "Oh how vile a vixen of the night, corrupting such a pure innocent youth,"
"PFFT HAHAHAHA!" Luna burst out laughing as I finished my dramatic act, "Haha, Pure innocent youth? You?! Hahaha!"
"Oh laugh it off," I rolled my eyes as Luna rolled her body on the grass beside me, her legs kicking in the air as she laughed at the idea of me falling into the gentle yet firm embrace of Nightmare Moon, "You do know she's just a blob on the floor now, yes?"
"Oh, We are well acquainted with Nightmare Moon's current appearance, yes." Luna sighed as she stopped laughing, a bright smile on her face as she turned back to us, "If she was a Pony, would she look more like us or more like Lady Rarity?"
"Rarity is the one she possessed when she came back, right?" I shrugged my shoulders and stretched my neck, "I'm guessing a mixture of both, I wouldn't know, I'm not a professional in Magical Possession," I do need to speak with Cadance again about Cosmos when I get the chance, don't I?
"You aren't, yes." Luna nodded and closed her eyes, feeling the sun on her fur as it warmed her up from the early winter chill. "By the way, We have not seen Starlight Glimmer around today, do you know where she is?"
"Gasp!" I said dramatically at Luna's question, "Mine own family, throwing me aside as to ask for another's whereabouts, the betrayal!" I posed dramatically before relaxing back on the grass, "According to Raven she has an urgent private matter to attend to, She's taking a week-long vacation as a result to deal with it, Right now Raven knows more than anyone,"
Luna nodded her head at that. "We see... We should go feed the inmates at Tartarus together,"
"Woah, where did that come from?" I ask with surprise at Luna's rather sudden change of topic.
"You wish to feed them, for whatever reason you may have," Luna said as she looked at me, "We simply wish to spend time with our new family, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and We are going to a spa next week, We would invite you, but Cadance said it is a, and I quote, "Girls Spa Night," So we humbly apologize for excluding you from our outing on the basis of your gender,"
"Apology humbly accepted, And I would love to go feeding the animals- I mean Inmates with you, You are my-" I paused for a moment as a horrifying thought passed through my head, "-I'm supposed to say Aunt, but there is no way I am calling you that,"
Luna blinked at that and quickly nodded her head once my words entered her mind, "Oh yes, We are not at all old enough to be an Aunt, even if that is our relationship,"
"Quite," I nodded, "What are we in that case? I should probably act as if we are cousins or siblings, but Celestia's actions make that all the more complicated,"
"Oh yes, Perhaps far removed family members who happen to live in the same castle and are good friends," Luna suggested, and I nodded my head in agreement.
"Yes... Oh course! Friend Luna, That is what you are!" I exclaim with a wide smile, almost sure that Luna could understand why calling her that is stupid.
Nobody tell Prince Rutherford I thought that...
"That we are, Friend Blueblood," Luna smiled at me before we once again changed the subject of our talk.
"Chipmunk," Firelight said softly as he leaned into his daughter's room, "Are you doing fine?"
Starlight mumbled into her pillow as she lay face down on her bed, not putting the effort to turn and look at her father.
"I understand that times are tough," Firelight tried to speak with his daughter, "But we can get through this, we always do."
"No we don't," Starlight mumbled into her pillow, her father unsure of how to respond to that.
"Well... I made some Pumpkin Linguine, your favorite," He tried to say with a smile, but he couldn't bring himself to put the effort in.
Starlight ignored him as she lay in her too-small childhood bed, on a mattress she hadn't slept in since she left home years ago.
"I'll be placing it in the fridge, heat it up if you're hungry, okay?" The Purple Unicorn stallion asked his daughter with a weak smile, before frowning at himself and closing the door as he left her and went downstairs.
Starlight didn't have the strength to respond, her limbs felt like lead and her tongue felt dryer than the hottest desert.
Even being carried on Blueblood's back in Yakyakistan Starlight had more strength than she did right now.
"It's because I left..." She thought to herself.
"If I never left, Mom would still be alive..." She thought to herself.
"But the only way to change that is to go back in time..." She thought to herself.
"And that simply isn't possible..." She thought to herself.
Starlight was tired, she didn't have the strength to think deeper about her thoughts.
Starlight Glimmer closed her eyes and went to sleep, dreaming of a life where she never left her home.
And it was beautiful. All her friends were there.
Sunburst was reading from a book as he waved her hello, Blueblood and Raven were sitting next to each other on a park bench talking about whatever politics they got involved in, Even Princess Celestia and Captain Shining Armor were there, just hanging out with everyone.
But most importantly, Her family was there, not just her father and mother, but also her grandparents, her aunt and uncle, Her cousins, and even some ponies from Our Town came by to say hello.
"This can never be..." She whispered in her sleep, tears of grief slowly staining her pillow.
"So let me get this straight," Cosmos said with half-lidded eyes as she looked me down inside the endless void of space that was her prison.
"You promised this Raven chick a date-" Cosmos started before I tried to defend myself.
"I didn't promise her a date, She made me-" Cosmos raised a slender blue finger before she shushed me.
"Ep ep ep, I'm speaking now, Don't interrupt me," She looked me in the eyes as she said that and I nodded.
"You promised this Raven chick a Date, and only now you're telling me?" Cosmos asked.
"I mean, I was planning to, but then the whole Caninia thing came up and-" Cosmos once again shushed me.
"Don't dodge the question."
"Yes, But please understand, I had no choice, My reputation was on the line," I got on my knees and prostrated myself in front of her.
"Also, I'm not using this as an excuse, but it's been so long since I actually fucked someone and You aren't really an option..."
Cosmos looked down at me before she sighed and slapped the floor with her hand, jumping into the air and landing on my back.
"I understand," She whispered as her blue arm wrapped around my neck, "So I'll forgive you,"
"Really-urk!" Her grip around me tightened, not to a dangerous or choking degree, merely to one of discomfort.
"But I'm telling you this now," Cosmos whispered as her head leaned closer to my ear, I could feel her warm breath hitting the back of my neck as she leaned in.
"You can go and have as much fun as you want with the girls around you," her grip around my neck tightened, still not choking my life out but still stronger a grip than previously.
"But once I get my body back, once you get all my gems together, It's just you and me, and nobody else," Cosmos leaned so close to my ear, that I could physically feel the vibrations from her voice traveling down my body.
"Do you understand?" She asked as her mouth closed around the tip of my ear, and If I wasn't a Magic fucking Unicorn, I'm sure my erection would have touched the floor by now.
"Of course," I whispered in reply as Cosmos choked me gently, still nibbling on my ears.
"Good boy," She whispered as an illusion created her a body, a pair of hooves and another blue hand, a scorpion tail and a cat-like body.
"Now, This might not be what we planned," She whispered as she leaned her body onto me, "But this is the closest we might get to it before I'm free."
"It'll be annoying to clean the sheets when I wake up," I told her before quickly rolling my body around so we were both face to face, with her still on top.
"You'll make do," She smiled seductively down at me, her cat-like teeth peeking out of her mouth as she licked her lips.
"Now wait," I stopped her, "Before we start anything, you need to ask the question," I told her and she blinked at me in surprise before her seductive smile disappeared, replaced by one of excitement and joy.
"Do you wanna' go out with me?" She asked as she jumped up and down, her hands at the side of my head as she lay less than ten centimeters from my face.
I smiled up at her, "No," I answered with a smile the same answer I had given her since the first week we were together.
"Haha!" She smiled widely, "Shut down yet again!"
And then our lips met. |
Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 66: Bitter and Elite 3 | Walking through the walls of the castle, unseen as a ghost, Peering into the dreams of those around her, Luna was smiling.
In the last few weeks, her powers have fully returned, She defeated Nightmare Moon and threw her into Tartarus, she has made friends with her new Family members, and in a few hours, she'll be hanging out with one of her new friends.
"I wonder what he's dreaming about..." Luna mused to herself before deciding that she needed not to wonder when she could go and check.
"Last dream was of him waiting for that train," She smiled softly as the memory of her time in his dream passed through her mind, "I wonder what it'll be like tonight."
And so, walking through the walls of the castle, Luna quickly reached the Prince's room and peered into the window of his dream.
"Yeah, you like that, don't you? Come on, Say it!" Prince Blueblood said as steam entered her vision, the smell of roses and sweat filtering into her mind.
"Oh Yeah Daddy! I like It so much! HARDER!!!" A Feminine voice cried in ecstasy and Luna knew what was happening.
Luna quickly looked away, closed the window to his dream, And cast a spell to erase the last thirty seconds of her memory from her mind.
Sometimes Ponies need their Privacy.
And so, without remembering what she was doing in his room, but with the window to the dream closed and the last few seconds of her memory erased, Luna concluded that she saw something extremely private and let it go.
She had another few hours before she had to lower the moon, better to catch up on some work.
"Okay so we got several carts of raw meats," Prince Blueblood nodded his head as he looked at the list he was given for the day, "Some vegetables for the herbivorous monsters... Why are we keeping them in Tartarus? You know what, never mind. Why isn't there any actual food?"
The Servant who he was talking to raised his eyebrows, "Your Highness, The Prisoners in Tartarus aren't exactly-"
"Nonsense!" Blueblood said as he grabbed a note and shoved it into the servant's hooves, "I want ten different Burger meals, that include the chips and the drink, Beef burgers, not Hay. I want five Sushi Platters, two Vegetable Sushi platters, and two Salmon Maki, the last platter will be Tempura Sushi." The Servant quickly wrote down the orders as fast as he could.
"I also want the vegetable carts to be cut into a Salad, and half the meat cart to be cooked into Steak." The Servants quickly jotted down the orders.
"And Starlight!" The Prince turned to his bodyguard only to pause when he saw that she wasn't there, "Oh yeah, You're with your family..." He turned back to the servant, "I want fifty gallons of clean water for them to drink, and five bottles of different flavored juices. Make sure the bottles include Apple Juice, Orange Juice, Lemonade, Another fruit of your choosing, and a Soda," The servant grabbed another paper to continue writing.
"Any questions?" Blueblood asked, And the servant opened his mouth to ask, only to be interrupted by the prince nodding his head, "Good, now get back to work!"
The Servant turned tail and ran.
Blueblood frowned at the servant, looking at their back before a smirk appeared on his face and he chuckled.
"Yep, Still got it."
"Twilight Sparkle," Celestia smiled as she greeted her Pupil, "When you asked me for a favor I was sure something horrible happened," Celestia said as she led her student and her group of friends through the castle, "But if you only wanted to hold your birthday here you needed only ask, Dear." The Princess smiled softly at her pupil.
"I know, But I didn't want to intrude too much, I'm supposed to be more independent, living in Ponyville and all that, I don't want to rely on you for everything, you have so much better things to do," Twilight Sparkle told Princess Celestia.
"Oh Twilight, Helping a Friend is also something important, sometimes you have to miss out on work when your friends need help. And really, You're only asking for a place to celebrate so Rarity could join you, I should be commending you for coming up with the idea instead of celebrating without her," Celestia said as the group reached a door.
"So here we are, A Ballroom for your birthday," Celestia said with a smile as she opened the door to reveal a large ballroom, with huge glass windows connecting to a private section of the gardens.
"A group of Ponies reserved the gardens outside in advance already, so I'm sadly going to have to ask you girls to keep your party inside," Celestia said with a wince.
"That is not a Problemo Princess Celestia! I'll be sure to make this birthday party twice as good as I planned!" The Pink earth pony of the group said loudly as she hopped in her spot.
"That's lovely to hear," The Princess Smiled at the girls, "If you need anything else, don't be afraid to ask one of the servants," And with that, Princess Celestia left the girls to prepare the party and returned to her job of sitting on a big chair and nodding her head.
"That's a lot of food," Luna pointed out as she stood next to me, Looking at the massive carts filled with food and drink, "Are you sure we're not throwing a party with all of this?"
I smiled at her attempt at a joke, "There are many creatures in Tartarus, and most of them haven't eaten or drank anything in years," I told her as I levitated a paper bag with a Hamburger, Chips, and a bottle of Cherry Soda, "Just because they're prisoners doesn't mean they deserve to starve for years," I took a sip from the soda, my eyes widening at the taste.
This food sucks.
"So are we ready to go?" I asked Luna as she counted the group of Royal Guards that'd be accompanying us.
"We are ready to go, yes," Luna nodded, and with a burst of magic from her horn, we all teleported to the entrance to Tartarus.
Luna took in deep breaths as her legs started shaking slightly, "This Teleportation spell took a bit out of us, Don't expect to return for a few hours," She told us, and we all nodded in understanding.
"Understood," I nodded at her, "Now without further ado! Let's make sure they're fed!" With a glow to my horn, joined by a weaker glow from Luna, the massive Gates of the magical prison opened and we all walked in, the guards gulling at the carts of food.
Once we were deep enough inside the prison, we closed the gate behind us.
I looked around, seeing the spires of black stone in the distance, pillars of magic emerging from circles engraved on the floor, and cages of monsters lying about, lazying with nothing better to do.
I smiled as I recognized one of the caged monsters as the one that attacked Starlight and I in Yakyakistan, Seems Rutherford got rid of it.
"You already know your job," I told the guards who saluted before I turned to Luna, "So, let's begin,"
"Quite" Luna responded, and with a glow of magic from her horn, an entire cart of food levitated into the air, Raw and bloody meat mixed with cooked and smoked meat, no toppings or seasonings.
A cart as barbaric as the creatures it was feeding.
I shoved a corner of my hoof into my mouth and let out a loud whistle, the sound bouncing around the prison as a series of loud footsteps approached.
"BARK BARK!" A Large three-headed dog barked loudly as it raced towards me, one of its tongues sticking out and flapping in the wind.
"Come here Pooch!" I opened my front legs up as the large canine jumped into the air, clearing tens of meters in a single bound before landing on the ground in front of me, its tongue licking me happily as I rubbed at its soft belly.
"Who a good boy! Yes you are! Yes you are!" I cooed at the Cerberus as it rolled onto its back and let me rub its belly more.
"Blueblood, Are you ready?" Luna raised an eyebrow as she looked at me, a simple pulse of magic from my horn clearing the saliva off my body and suit.
"Of course I am, Come on Pooch, we're having a little walk," I tell her before petting the Cerberus.
"Bark!"
Nightmare Moon would have grimaced if she had any lips.
"What's wrong Nightmare Moon? Didn't you miss me?" Prince Blueblood asked her as he levitated several boxes of food into her glass cube of a cell.
"You Imbecile," The Living blob of Nightmare Magic whispered as she crawled to one of the boxes of food, ignoring the Vegetarian Sushi plate in order to look inside for something new.
"I didn't want to waste any real Burgers on you, so you got an Eggplant burger instead," The Prince told her as she grabbed the food inside, dragging it to her small table and setting it down.
"Aren't burgers made of Hay?" Nightmare Moon asked, her single blue eye wincing as she used a memory she stole from Rarity.
"Yuck," Blueblood mimed throwing up, "Why do so many people eat Hay? It's dried grass, You're not supposed to eat it yourself, you give it to farm animals because you're too cheap to afford real food for them!" Blueblood shouted heatedly as if the simple idea of eating Hay offended him on a personal level.
"What was the point of inventing agriculture? The evolution of farming methods? The creation of the irrigation system? Thousands of years of science and discovery?! All so we could eat DRY GRASS?!" He yelled, offended at the mere idea.
"Listen here Moony! If anybody feeds you hay, I am giving you permission to actually just kill them!" Blueblood took in deep breaths after he finished his round of yelling.
"I don't actually give you permission," He whispered as he straightened his back and pushed some hair off his face, "It's a manner of speech,"
"I don't think it is," Nightmare Moon responded before pausing her bite of the Eggplant Burger, "Wait... Did you call me Moony?"
"Yeah, I'm calling you Nightmare Moon, if your name has a space in the middle then your parents hated you, And I am not calling you just Nightmare or just Moon, those aren't names, even by Pony culture," Blueblood explained.
"In fact!" He continued, "We're both lucky that our names only have two syllables, anything more is another point that your parents didn't love you,"
"Celestia is four syllables," Nightmare Moon pointed out before she took a sip of her drink.
"I do not retract my statement, two syllables for a name is the perfect amount. I can only pity those with one-syllable names, like Bob or Craig, They have it worst," Blueblood shook his head.
"Anyway, enjoy your meal, Don't try to escape!" He told her before he started walking back the way he came from, "Later!"
Seeing him leave, Her single blue eye staring unblinkingly at his back, Nightmare Moon took another sip of her soda.
"Moony?" She whispered, her eye narrowing before looking at the food in her cell.
"Imbecile..."
"She's all yours," I told Luna as I passed her on my way back to the food carts, Intent on visiting the final prisoner on my little list.
"Pooch!" I yelled to Cerberus, who barked in reply as he turned his head to look at me, "Grab that last cart and come with me!" I told him.
Cerberus nodded his three heads and grabbed the cart with the actual cooked food in his mouths before he walked after me.
"Our final visit is the oldest prisoner here," I told him as we both walked up the path to one of the spires of black stone.
And on the top of the spire, just like with Nightmare Moon's cell. On top of a circle of magic sat a thick metal cage, inside of it was a thin red and black creature.
"Prisoner!" I yelled as the creature in the cage slowly turned its head to look at me, Four dark gray legs stood up, a coat of thin black fur covered its torso, and a pair of thin red arms extended from its shoulders.
A thin, Bull-like head turned to look at me, a pair of small horns jutting from its scalp.
"We brought you food," I told the creature as Cerberus put the cart down, "Hope you like Sushi and Burgers, because that's all you're getting 'til my next visit," And with a glow to my horn, platters of Sushi and bags of burgers levitated into the cell of the creature.
"And to whom do I owe the pleasure?" The Creature asked in a deep voice as it ignored the bags and plates of food and walked to the bars of its cells, its cloven hooves clacking on the metal floor.
"You owe your pleasure to nobody," I frowned at the slimy thing, its eyes unnerving me just by looking at it, "I am merely feeding the prisoners, Do not think any deeper of it,"
"But you must have a name to give me," The Creature said, its malnourished red hands gripping to the metal cell, "Even just a title will do,"
I frowned at the creature, Its behavior already putting me on edge.
Whatever crime it committed to have this entire prison built just for it, must have been atrocious.
The sooner I leave its presence, the sooner I can return to the castle.
"Wait a moment," It called out to me as I walked away from it, "There's something about you that smells familiar!" I ignored it as I kept walking.
"Wait!" It cried for my attention and I gave it none, "That Smell of yours! Cosmos!"
I don't know how I did it, but one moment I was heading down the path away from the stone spire housing the creature's cell, the next I stood in front of it, my horn aching slightly as I glared at the creature within.
"Tell me everything you know," I ordered it.
The creature, seeing that it finally caught my attention, merely smiled at me as it stepped back into its cell.
"Perhaps another time," It smiled at me, a smug and greasy smile, that of a predator who knew he already won and was simply playing with his food.
I glared at the creature inside.
"I'll be seeing you next time you visit, Blueblood Platinum," It said, my name leaving its lips merely proving how dangerous the creature inside was.
"I'll be seeing you then," I spat out at the creature, "Lord Tirek."
And I turned my back to it, knowing full well it was staring at me, smiling that damned victorious smile.
Hopefully whatever information the Deer hold will be enough to make it so I'll never have to meet with this revolting creature again.
My hoof moved to hold the gem around my neck, And I frowned.
"We need to visit the Deer," I whispered.
With no information in the library regarding the deer, I'll be forced to have to ask Celestia for information.
And I much rather not have to bring anybody else into this.
Only me knowing was enough, but with 'Uncle' and Cadance also in the know?
The fewer people who know about Cosmos the better.
"I need an excuse to look for the Deer that Celestia will buy..." I whispered to myself before my mind went back to my 'Uncle'.
"House Platinum... That could work..." A smile slowly spread on my face as I made my way back to the Gate of Tartarus.
"That could work indeed..."
Omake: Where in the world is Captain Shining Armor?
"Okay, everpony! I want you to hit me with your strongest attacks!" Copper Codpiece- I mean Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard, yelled to his soldiers as he erected a barrier around himself.
Beams of Magic shot towards him, arrows of lightning zapped at the barrier, boulders dropped on top of him, and not even a crack in the magical bubble.
"Okay now everypony back up, I'm increasing the size!" He called and the bubble around him increased in size, no longer surrounding only him, but now holding a quarter of the courtyard inside itself.
"Now! Attack me again!"
For several hours every day, Shining Armor worked on perfecting his Barrier magic.
After Nightmare Moon's attack on Ponyville, he learned that the biggest issue he had wasn't the strength of the barrier, but the duration for which he could hold it under fire.
If he hadn't dropped his guard in exhaustion that night, hundreds of Moon Creatures would still be alive.
"Again!" Magic impacted the barrier, arrows and spears bouncing off the translucent bubble, explosions sent shockwaves into the floor below Shining Armor.
And the bubble didn't pop.
"AGAIN!" And Shining Armor will continue working on his magic.
Until all of Canterlot could be protected under a single bubble.
"AGAIN!!!" |
Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 67: Elite and Sweet | "Happiest 21st Birthday Twilight!" A Pink earth pony yelled happily before pulling at a string connecting to a Cannon, firing confetti into the ballroom she and her friends were celebrating in.
Music was playing, Cake was eaten, Cake was subsequently thrown, and merriment went around.
Rainbow Dash was laughing as she danced with the girls.
Applejack was smiling happily at all the fun everyone was having.
Even Fluttershy was enjoying herself, making a mess by throwing cake at her fellow Pegasus.
And Twilight Sparkle was laughing happily, smiling and dancing and enjoying her Birthday.
Even Rarity was-
Wait... Where is Rarity?
"Remember your training..." Cherry Pop whispered to herself as she held her body close to the wall of the small house in a quiet street in the small town of Ponyville.
"Okay guys, Let's do this," Flash Sentry nodded his head at his two friends, Cherry Pop nodding back and Wildflower silently tilting his head in ready.
And on a count of three, the squad of Pegasi burst through the door to the small house, rolling for the nearest cover they could find, and waited for a reaction.
Silence crept through the house, a sickly sweet smell entering their nostrils causing Cherry to gag.
"Empty," Wildflower said before holding the large rectangular shield on his back in front of him, looking out the small reinforced window in the shield as he led the group down the small corridor of the house and towards the first door, Flash Sentry following close behind him, his wing holding a spear close to his chest.
Meanwhile, Cherry Pop made a quick search around the kitchen and living room, her face contorting into a grimace as she held herself from throwing up as she opened the refrigerator of the house, seeing it glow a bright pink as jars upon jars of jelly entered her vision, the smell of gelatinous love almost causing her senses to overload.
She quickly shut the fridge and ran outside, throwing up into a bush.
Wildflower moved the shield in front of him to the side as he reached the first door, Kicking the door open and moving out of the way as Flash rolled beneath him into the room, quickly searching for any signs of the target.
"Clear!" He said and the duo moved to the next room.
One by one, the royal guards moved through the rooms, until only one room remained.
"He's got to be in here," Flash said as he took a few steps back and gave his green-furred big friend room to work.
And with a strong kick, the door flung open.
And with a roll, Flash entered the room.
"He's here!"
Luna sighed calmly as she entered Canterlot Castle, tired of walking around Tartarus and feeding the many monsters and beasts imprisoned there.
"We brought Pizza for everyone!" Luna smiled as her friend yelled from behind her, a small pillar of cardboard boxes levitating above him as he walked a step behind her.
"We'll go ahead and call Celestia," Luna told him.
"Go right ahead, I'll set the tables and get Cadance," Blueblood told her before the two split away.
Luna smiled as she watched her friend walk away.
"This was nice," She thought to herself, "We enjoyed today,"
Her mind moved to earlier that day, as she sat in front of Nightmare Moon, smiling smugly down at her evil half.
"He gave me a nickname," The Nightmare told her, "You don't have a nickname," She continued, "He likes me more than you," Luna rolled her eyes at Nightmare Moon's pathetic attempt at making her react.
As if Blueblood would fall in love with such a creature? And even if he was, Luna was more than one hundred percent sure it wasn't with the Nightmare.
"Although..." Luna pondered for a moment, "Miss Rarity had an obvious attraction to him... And Nightmare Moon merged minds with her..." Luna paused in her thinking.
"Could it be?! No... We must be overthinking," Luna took a deep breath and calmed herself down.
"We mean, What are the chances that Nightmare Moon actually has a positive feeling towards somepony? Hah!" Luna chuckled as she walked,
"Really, What are the chances?"
Shining Armor stared blankly at the group of Guards sitting around the Castle Barracks.
"What are you all eating?" He asked as he stared his guards down.
"Olive Pizza," One of the guards replied as he showed him the slice of cheesy dough.
"And did any of you plan to go tell me we have Pizza?" Shining asked.
"It only just arrived," Another Guard answered.
"Yeah! The guys who went to Tartarus with Princess Luna and Prince Blueblood brought these back," A third pony answered.
"Ah huh," Shining Armor nodded his head before looking at the small pile of cardboard boxes before he levitated two slices of Pizza over to himself and walked out of the barracks.
"...Dick," The Guards nodded their heads at seeing their Captain just take the food and leave.
"Guys!" One of the guards suddenly exclaimed, "Don't forget to save a box for those three!"
"Oh yeah! Those three,"
"Of course, Those three,"
"Sure! We'll save a box for those three!"
They did not save a box of Pizza for the three Pegasus guards.
The Elite of the city of Canterlot were in shock at the sight of the country bumpkins ruining their party, with their commoner music and their undressed fur.
"How scandalous," Some whispered as a Pink earth pony dug her face into the cake, frosting covering her face as she gorged on the food like a wild boar.
"How embarrassing," Other whispered as a rainbow-maned Pegasus swung a cricket mallet around in a circle before throwing it away, missing the ball on the ground and scaring away the birds in the tree she hit.
"How disgusting," The rest whispered as an Orange pony with a stetsons hat dug weeds out of the ground, her legs covered in dirt.
"How come y'all aren't doing any gardening?" She asked as the elites of Canterlot backed away from the dirt and mud she threw around, "This is a garden party, isn't it?"
And to one purple-haired Unicorn, this night that seemed so wonderful just minutes prior turned into a horrible fear of hers.
"Yes," Rarity admitted to the crowd of ponies as they gasped in horror at the commoner who infiltrated their ranks, "Yes I do know them, They may not be as sophisticated as some of you Canterlot ponies," Rarity turned her head to look at her five friends standing behind her, their faces covered in dirt and chocolate, but smiling nonetheless.
"But they are my best friends, and they are without a doubt, the most important ponies I know,"
"Important Ponies? These ruffians?" A grey-furred Unicorn wearing a green polo shirt, Jet Set, asked haughtily as he looked at his fellow elites.
"Don't make me laugh, Haha," His wife, Upper Crust, joined in on making fun of the commoners and their embarrassing appearance.
"I for one find them charmingly rustic," A blue-haired Unicorn added and the rest of the elite quieted down as he continued speaking.
Fancy Pants turned to look at Rarity, a small smile on his face, "And I believe the dress you made for your friend is lovely,"
A small smirk appeared on his face as he kept going, "I dare say every mare in Canterlot will be wanting one,"
And as if a switch was pulled, The crowd of elites changed their tune in an instant.
Staring at the commotion that was happening in the gardens from a window on a higher story, Prince Blueblood frowned at the Pink earth pony.
"What the fuck is she doing here now?" he asked himself quietly before turning away, a Pizza Box levitating after him.
A Day Later, Canterlot Hospital.
Opening his eyes weakly, A grey-furred Earth Stallion looked around the room he found himself in.
Doctors were writing down notes and guards were stationed outside his doors.
"What in tarnation happened?" Hughbert Jellius asked quietly, his throat sore, his eyes tired and his body aching.
"Mr Jellius," A voice called out to him above the rest of the ponies, "I'm glad to see you are in fine health, but we have many things to discuss,"
Hughbert turned his head weakly to see the pony who called to him.
"'Ey, you're that Prince guy I done seen on the papers!" Hughbert smiled at the pony.
"Yes... I am Prince Blueblood Platinum, and we need to speak to you about what happened to you,"
"O' Course! 'm happy to help whenever ah can," The earth-pony said in his southern accent.
"Thank you," Prince Blueblood smiled at the stallion, before nodding to the Doctor, indicating them to leave the room.
"Now, Let us start at the beginning,"
Non-Canon Omake: Sharks, Badgers and Birds, Oh My!
Far away from the land of the living, in the deepest recesses of the Aether, a mug of hot Coacoa was steaming on the eternal table of the afterlife.
Inside the hot beverage, A fluffy pink marshmallow was floating helplessly, slowly melting into a pink fluffy goop inside the cup of liquid chocolate.
It had no mouth but it wished to Scream.
It had no flippers but it wished to swim away.
Cursed it was among its brethren, for it has been swallowed by the curse all beast fear.
Sentience.
By understanding right from wrong, and delving into the spiritual intricacies of Morality, the Marshmallow has led itself down the path of evil, for the sake of revenge in the name of siblings who never knew they existed.
In its mind, three Unicorns stood, The one with the Black-Suit, The one with the Crimson cloak, and the one with the golden mane.
The three ponies who killed it, subjected it to eternal torment as it slowly melted alive over the course of eternity.
Just like any other marshmallow.
Fluffy the Pink Marshmallow Shark was in Hell.
Pressure engulfed the head of the Purple and Orange Moon Creature, his smoke-like body stretching and bending as pain erupted across its body.
Rays of golden magic pierced his body, and he felt each cell in his magical biology twist and turn, from Gas to Solid back to Gas.
Larry screamed as the atrocities he had committed to his own siblings happened unto him for all eternity, Orbs of Gold and Silver shooting at him with magic, all while a White Unicorn stomped repeatedly on his head, scattering his brain across the room as his gaseous body rebuilt itself again and again, over and over.
And all the while Larry the Nightmare creature screamed, he could only clearly pronounce four words.
Four words he repeated over and over, the only words keeping him anywhere close to sanity in this eternal hell.
"MY NAME IS SHADOWFRIGHT!!!"
He was drowning, his body stretching and growing, trying to find a form that would allow him to survive, but the puss and warts kept exploding, pushing him into more and more pain as water entered his lungs.
He does not know why he tried to rebel against his Queen, Why he tried to fight against her.
He could have escaped, he could have run away.
Instead, he placed himself in danger, and in the process placed innocents into the crossfire.
He has doomed himself to hell, feeling as if his lungs filled with water, unable to shift his body into a suitable form, as he kept melting from the overflowing love that drowned his wounds in burning pain.
He no longer remembered his own name, Or why he wanted to rebel.
All he remembered was the form he took as he lost his mind in his last moments.
"GRAHHHHH!!!!!" The Sea-Badger screamed in its eternal hell. |
Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 68: Sugar and Snow 1 | "What are you planning to do?"
Princess Mi Amore Cadenza frowned at her cousin as she dragged him to a private corner of the castle.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" Blueblood asked with a scoff as he readjusted a Velvet red suit.
"It looks like you're taking Raven Inkwell for a night out is what it looks like," Cadance told him with furrowed brows.
"Then I must congratulate you, for your Eyesight is immaculate," Blueblood smirked as he turned to leave the room.
"Not so fast, You are telling me everything," Cadance stopped him, a shimmering pink barrier blocking his way.
Blueblood stared at the barrier with an amused glint in his eye, "You think something as paltry as this would stop me from leaving the room?" He asked with a widening smile.
Cadance stared blankly at her cousin, "Does Cosmos know?" She asked with an unamused voice.
All sense of humor evaporated from the Prince as those words left her mouth.
"She does," He told her, "We had a talk about it a few nights ago, As long as I end up with her once she's freed, I'm allowed to go around with more casual relationships."
"You will be telling Raven," Cadance didn't even ask him, she ordered him and they both knew it.
"Of course I'll tell her, I've been dragging her by the nose for long enough, She deserves to know," Cadance nodded at that answer.
"Good, As long as we're both clear on this," Cadance said and the room fell into an awkward silence.
"...Listen, Cadance," Blueblood started speaking before his face contorted into a hideous grimace as if he was physically forcing himself to speak his next words.
"Yes?" The Princess of Love raised an eyebrow at her cousin.
"I need your He-" His voice cut off as he struggled to get the next words out, "Your He- Hel- I need your hel- I require your assistance in something private!" He finally spit the words out, his face covered in sweat as the struggle to let the words out calmed.
"What is it that you require cousin dearest?" Cadance asked with a coy smile and an innocent look in her eyes.
"It's in regards to Cosmos," As Blueblood spoke those words, Cadance became serious once more.
"What is it?" Cadance asked Blueblood, the soundproofing barrier around the room strengthening.
"I have a lead that might take me to another shard of her gem," The Prince explained, his leg moving to hold the necklace around his neck, the half-broken gem held inside a locket in the middle, "I need to contact the Deer, specifically a white deer dressed in gold, from one-thousand years ago,"
Cadance held her head at that information, "You want me to get Auntie Celestia or Princess Luna to fork over information regarding the Deer?" Blueblood nodded at her.
"I'll do it," She smirked at him, "You can count on me!" Her smirk turned to a bright smile.
"What type of toothpaste do you use?" Blueblood asked as he hid his eyes from the blinding shine of her teeth.
"I'll show you later," Cadance said, "But I want to speak with her," Cadance said seriously, her horn starting to glow a light blue.
Seeing his cousin aiming her horn at him, Blueblood couldn't help but sigh. "Very Well, Just keep it quick, will you? I need to leave in an hour,"
"Don't worry, You won't miss your date," Cadance smiled at him, and with a blast of blue magic from her horn, The Prince Collapsed.
And when he once more opened his eyes, it was with eyes tinted yellow and a subtle glow of green.
"Cady!" The Prince said happily, his front right leg dragging him to a sitting position on the nearest sofa.
"Cosmos!" Cadance smiled and pulled the Prince's possessed body into a hug.
"Really? Again? What is this, The third time this month?" I scowled as the voice of my 'Uncle' entered my ears.
"Good to see you too," I told him with a roll of my eyes as I stood on the empty nothingness of Limbo, turning my head to see 'The Pony of Shadows' draw a silly face over one of the rainbow crystals illuminating the space.
"I met with Tirek," I told him as I walked over to stand beside him, looking at the fuzzy outline of the pony inside the Crystal.
"Hate that guy," Uncle said as he drew a swirl inside the eyes of the face he was drawing.
"He knew about Cosmos," I told him and he stopped drawing on the crystal, turning his large head to look at me, eyes of glaring white staring at me.
"I am telling you now because I don't want to see anypony but myself ending your life, Tirek has no information that you will find useful to your Quest, Do not trust him," he said, his voice as serious as the empty space around him.
"Of course I don't trust him, He's the reason Tartarus was built in the first place," I scoffed at the mere idea of trusting that creature.
'Uncle' Simply hummed at that, and the two of us fell into a calm silence.
"Do not die before you release me," His voice broke that calm as he finished adding the finishing details of his silly drawing of a pair of googly eyes and a beard.
"It's nice to know someone cares about my health," I rolled my eyes at 'Uncle's words.
"That's what family is for, I can't kill you if you're dead," He said as he moved to the next Pillar of rainbow crystal.
I rolled my eyes at his antics again.
And as soon as some sort of calm returned to the little slice of Limbo he was trapped in, I broke it with a question.
"What do you know of the Deer?" 'Uncle' blinked his glowing white eyes at my question before his smile almost turned feral.
"I know what you're trying to do Dearest Nephew, But I'm not telling you anything you don't already know," He said as he towered above me, "King Aspen is a coward who'd rather hide away in the Everfree than face the wider world!"
I stared at him blankly before smirking up at him.
"Why are you smirking?" 'Uncle' asked, "Why aren't you saying anything?"
And as a pull of magic grabbed hold of me and dragged me back to the world of the living, I smiled widely as realization hit 'Uncle' in the face.
"You didn't know his name was King Aspen, or that he was in the Everfree... drat." |
Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 69: Sugar and Snow 2 | Starlight Glimmer rolled to the side as she dodged a punch from Princess Celestia.
"You're nowhere near where I'd want you to be," Celestia hummed as she stomped her hoof at Starlight's head, forcing the Unicorn to once again roll away, "But at least you're improving,"
Starlight didn't say anything in return, her fur matted and sticking to her skin as she sweat profusely from the intense round of bodyguard training.
"Get up," Celestia told her as she stood over the tired Unicorn, "We're not done here-" Whatever Celestia was about to say was cut short as Princess Luna burst into the training room.
"Celly, hurry up! We'll miss them!" The Princess of the Night called out before running away.
Celestia sighed at her younger sister's childish antics, "Very well, We're ending our session early today," She looked down at Starlight with a frown before walking away.
Starlight simply stared at Celestia's back as she was walking away, breathing heavily on the floor of the training room.
"Wait!"
Celestia paused in her step, turning around to look at the Unicorn on the floor.
"How-" Starlight took a deep breath, "How do you do it?"
Celestia stared at the Unicorn, a brief flash of understanding in her eyes before she responded.
"I'll show you later," And with that, Celestia left the training room and followed after Luna.
Leaving Starlight Glimmer alone once more.
I took another look at myself in the mirror, a Velvet red suit over my regular tux collar before my eyes laid on the necklace around my neck.
A necklace holding two red and green gem shards.
"Cadance?" I asked the other pony in the room as I stared at my reflection.
"Yes, Bluey?" Cadance's response elicited a twitch of the eyebrow.
"I want you to look over this," I took off my necklace and passed it to Cadance, "Wear it when you go to sleep," I didn't turn to look at her, my eyes still staring into my own in the mirror.
"Are you sure?" Cadance asked as she took hold of the necklace.
"I think I'll probably need a regular night of sleep after tonight," I told her and she nodded her head at the answer.
"Welp," I opened the door, "Wish her luck,"
"'Wish Her'?" Cadance repeated.
"Wish Raven Luck, She'll probably need it depending on her reaction when I tell her," Cadance nodded her head at that and frowned, looking down at the necklace in her hooves before she put it around her neck.
"I'll wish her luck," She said, "And Bluey!"
I paused my exit as Cadance called me.
"If you hurt her, I'm going to hurt you," Cadance said, eyes wide as she tried to intimidate me with a stare.
"Stop doing that, You'll get a Hernia," Cadance immediately stopped her 'Stare' at that.
Raven Inkwell sneezed as she walked down a Neigh York street.
"This should be the building..." She told herself mentally as she stopped in front of a rather fancy-looking restaurant, several stories tall.
Raven took a deep breath to steady herself before she walked into the restaurant, shaking some snow off her legs once she got inside.
"Mademoiselle, Do you have a booking or are you searching for a table?" An Accented Stallion asked her as soon as she was inside, a notepad held in his magic as his brown horn glowed a soft pink. Staring down at her looks with his cinnamon-colored eyes.
"I uh..." Raven looked around, hoping to find her date somewhere, "I'm here for Blueblood-" The Unicorn's eyes suddenly widened at that.
"Ah, Are you by any chance Madam Inkwell zat we were told about?" The almost disgusted look in the stallion's eyes quickly changed to that of a warm welcome once the name of the prince exited her mouth.
"I'm Raven Inkwell, yes. Eh, Did Blueblood already arrive or -ooh!" Raven Inkwell jumped in surprise as the stallion grabbed her coat and led her inside, urging her to follow him.
"Many apologies, Madam Inkwell," The pony started to speak as he led her to a glass elevator on the opposite wall of the restaurant, "His Highness had some rather... Eccentric, requests for ze evening, and none of zem included ze heightened Security he brought with him," He wiped his brow with a napkin, "Ve are merely stressed for ze night,"
Raven looked through the glass walls of the Elevator as it rose upwards, looking at the many tables filled with steaming food.
Once the elevator reached the second floor, it kept going upwards, allowing Raven to see tables that very clearly were of a much higher standard than those on the ground floor.
And so too did she pass the third and even fourth floor.
Finally, It stopped on the top floor of the building, 45 meters above the ground floor.
The Elevator opened up to an open floor with a see-through glass roof, a balcony overlooking the outside city, and a single table for two in the middle of the floor.
The roof was surprisingly clear as the snow landing on it melted at the touch, allowing a clear view of the night sky.
"Zis is your floor, Madam Inkwell," The Stallion's voice pulled Raven out of her awe as she turned back to him, watching as he placed her coat on a hanger near the Elevator.
Raven walked out onto the floor as the Stallion walked back in,
"Ve hope you enjoy your meal," He bowed to her as the Elevator doors closed, leaving Raven to look back at the only table on the floor, and at the only other pony there.
"I was starting to get worried you wouldn't find the place," Prince Blueblood Platinum said with a cheeky smirk.
"Took ya' long enough,"
On a building across the restaurant, hiding under a white blanket and holding a pair of binoculars in her hooves, A certain pony was looking at the top floor of the fancy restaurant.
Next to her, another pony was wrapping herself in more blankets, an invisible bubble surrounding her and keeping the snow off her pristine white fur as she held a mug of hot coffee in her hooves.
"The Raven has reached the nest, I repeat, The Raven has reached the nest," The Pony lying under the blanket close to the roof said as she stared through her binoculars.
"Lulu, We can both see them perfectly fine, The walls are made of glass," The taller pony chided her stakeout partner before she took a sip from her mug.
"Hmmm, still too hot,"
"But Sister! We need to make sure nothing bad happens tonight! Do you remember what happened last time Blueblood left the castle on his own accord?" Princess Luna asked Celestia, her eyes not leaving the two ponies on the top floor.
"He spent the afternoon with you as you two hung out in Tartarus?" Celestia blew at her coffee before taking another sip and shaking her head, "Still too hot,"
"No! We mean before that!" Luna exclaimed as she floated a nearby snack bag closer to her before opening it, spilling a small amount of salted crackers onto the roof.
"I believe you are talking about the last time he left the castle for reasons that weren't his job, so I'll ignore his Caninia trip. And I'll also ignore the time before that when Nightmare Moon kidnapped him." Celestia said and Luna shrunk into herself at the mention of the Nightmare Moon situation a month prior.
"If so, the last time He left the castle was slightly over a month ago when he tested for his Nautical Science degree," Celestia said and took another sip of her coffee, "Now it's too cold," She frowned as her horn glowed a prismatic ray of multiple colors before a beam of magic shot at her mug.
"And what happened during that time?" Luna raised her eyebrow at Celestia.
"I believe he saved the lives of many civilians from drowning, got his degree, and appeared as a top headline in many newspapers, eclipsing Twilight Sparkle and her achievements from the same day," The Princess of the Day said as she once more took a sip from her coffee and spit it out.
"Now it's burnt!"
"You know, I can clearly see both of you," An Image of Prince Blueblood suddenly said as it appeared next to the two barely hidden Alicorns.
"Ah!" Luna yelled as she quickly jumped in fright, her wings and legs tangling under the blanket as her salted crackers flew all over the roof.
Celestia smiled at the sight before she turned back to look at the restaurant across the street, spotting her adopted son waving a greeting to her through the window, Raven Inkwell waving alongside him, a confused look on her face as she stared at the Princess.
Celestia merely smiled and waved back at the two Ponies, her magic grabbing Luna and getting her to stop struggling under the blanket.
"We're compromised!" The Princess of the Night yelled as Celestia stood up and spread her wings, dragging Luna along with her like a bag of potatoes as she magically held her in flight.
Omake: A Doctor's Party
"Thank you two so much for coming," Time Turner said with a relieved smile as he opened his door to invite his two guests into his home.
"There's not much, but I hope you feel at home," He told the two Ponies as he led them to the living room, where two other ponies sat waiting on a couch. A Pegasus Mare and a Unicorn Filly.
"Not much?" One of the two guests walking with Time Turner asked, almost offended in his reaction, "Doc, there's nothing here!" He exclaimed, pointing at the lack of any decorations on the wall.
"I have to agree with Zephyr here," The second guest added, her purple eyes looking over the spartan living room, her light blue hair swinging in front of her forehead, causing her to swipe her hoof at her hair, pulling it aside, "Even I have at least one plant in my caravan..."
"See!" The filly on the couch loudly exclaimed as she jumped to her small pale-purple hooves, "I told you you needed more color here,"
"I don't know," The Pegasus mare spoke up as she also took a look at the empty walls of the house, "It has a unique look to it, I think?" She questioned herself at the end, her eyes looking in different directions.
"Guys. We're not here to talk about my living room-" Time Turner tried to say but he was cut off by his lively guests.
"Oh My Gosh! There's no way you actually live like this!" Zephyr Breeze exclaimed as he looked through a nearby door, seeing another mostly empty room with only the bare essentials.
"Trix! You have to defend me here!"
Trixie Lulamoon rolled her eyes at her friend's antics but nodded her head regardless, "He's right Time, Your interior design in sad,"
"Very sad!" Zephyr yelled from further down the hallway as he looked through more rooms.
"See! More color is needed!" The filly pointed a hoof at him.
The Pegasus mare merely looked between all the other ponies, a confused smile on her face.
"I thought this was your birthday party?" She asked.
"IT IS?!" Zephyr screamed from the other side of the house, his voice banging on the walls as it bounced back to the living room.
"You didn't tell them?" The mare asked the aspiring inventor.
Time Doctor Turner sheepishly smiled and rubbed the back of his head, looking away from his guests.
"Why didn't you tell us it's your birthday?" Trixie asked with a frown.
"I eh, I thought that you wouldn't come if you knew..." He answered shyly.
"Why wouldn't we?!" Zephyr yelled as he flew into the room, a glare on his face as he grabbed hold of Time Turner.
"If you told me this was your birthday I would have brought a present, Doc! Everyone loves my presents!"
Trixie coughed to the side hearing that, remembering the present Zephyr Breeze gave her after she showed him her Caravan.
She didn't necessarily hate it per se, but she wouldn't say she loved it.
"I'll be right back!" Zephyr let go of Time Turner, "I'm getting you a present," He told the Earth Pony and swiftly walked out of the house, followed soon by Trixie as she went along.
Not because she felt the need to bring him a present, but because she knew she'd look bad if she didn't follow Zephyr.
"Wait up!" The Filly exclaimed as she jumped off the couch and ran after the two older ponies.
"Wait Dinky! Don't go without me!" The Pegasus yelled as she flew after the filly, hitting the wall a few times and luckily not dropping or breaking anything.
On account of there being nothing to break.
Time Turner watched the ponies leave his house with a sad look on his face before he sighed to himself and sat down on the now empty couch.
"Doc! Come on! I have a perfect gift!" He jumped suddenly as Zephyr returned to his house, followed by the rest of his guests, carrying a camera in his wings.
"What are you-" Time Turner couldn't finish his sentence as a flash of light blinded him as the camera went off, catching his surprised face in a photo.
"Okay now everyone on the couch!" Zephyr said as he jumped onto the couch, throwing the Camera over the Trixie.
Once everyone was seated next to Time Turner, Trixie levitated the camera to face the group.
"Everyone say 'Happy Birthday!'" Zephyr said loudly as he tried to push Time Turner over to Derpy. Accidentally knocking Trixie on the shoulder in the process.
The Unicorn Mare quickly turned to admonish her friend for bumping into her, only for her hair to whip back and hit Dinky Doo in the face, causing her to close her eyes and fall off the couch.
Seeing the filly fall off the couch, Time Turner quickly tried to dive and catch her, landing on the floor as the filly fell on his back.
Derpy Hooves widened her eyes and flapped her wings in shock at the quick series of events, a yell of surprise exiting her mouth at the sudden chaos.
And with a flash of light, the picture was taken.
Time Turner was on the floor, a Unicorn Filly lying on his back. Trixie was glaring as she held Zephyr in a choke-hold, his long legs trying to pry her off as the two wrestled on the couch. And Derpy was mid-air, flying off the couch as her wide eyes looked in different directions.
Suffice it to say, This was the beginning of the best Birthday Party of Time Turner's life. |
Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 70: Sugar and Snow 3 | Raven Inkwell was nervous.
She never thought she'd get this far.
That is, She never thought she'd get a date with Prince Blueblood.
Let alone in the exclusive top floor of a five-star restaurant.
"Here are your orders," A Waiter said in a Prench accent as he placed several plates of food on the table, and a bottle of wine so expensive Raven thought it could have paid for her entire school tuition.
"Should you need staff, just ring this bell," The Waiter placed a small bell on the corner of the table.
"Thank you very much," Blueblood told the waiter and Raven nodded her head.
Seeing his job was done, the Waiter left the duo and returned to the Elevator.
"So..." Raven started, "This is it, huh?" She nudged her glasses upwards, "The date," She smiled awkwardly, almost embarrassed from even being inside the restaurant.
If any pony asked her younger self where she would see herself twenty years in the future, Young Raven would never have guessed working in Canterlot Castle, or on a Date with Prince Blueblood Platinum.
Now to be fair, nobody knew who Blueblood was at the time, but you get the gist.
The point is, Raven was excited.
"So I wanted to-/-I need to tell you something," Both Raven and Blueblood said at the same time.
Raven Giggled at the coincidence, stopping herself from twirling a strand of her hair like a teenage schoolgirl.
"You go first," Raven told the prince, who shook his head at her.
"No no, You go first, I'm sure whatever you have to say is much more important than what I have," He told her.
"Okay," Raven paused for a moment, thinking over how she wanted to say what she wanted.
"I, I wanted to thank you," Raven finally decided to say, her eyes looking down at her bowl of Prench Soup, staring at her reflection on the lacquered wood of the expensive table.
If she were to look at the Prince, Raven would have seen his face harden.
"I wanted to thank you for agreeing to..." Raven took a deep breath, "This. All of this,"
Her smile highlighted her makeup, she gently took her spoon and took a spoonful of soup from the bowl, blowing on it to cool it.
"For going on a date with me," She took a sip from the spoon, the tasteful aroma of the broth wafting into her nostril as the creamy soup flowed into her.
"For helping get the Gala in order," Raven took another sip of the soup.
"And even for simply going out with me on Nightmare Night," Her smile turned soft as she looked away from her soup and to the glass ceiling of the restaurant, and at the snow magically melting away from the see-through roof.
Revealing a clear sky of stars and snow.
"I know you're doing this as a way to repay me, I'm not stupid," Raven chuckled as she watched a reflection of herself on the glass ceiling, looking down at her from the roof, "But just accepting it was... nice."
Raven chuckled to herself before she looked back to the Prince.
"What I'm trying to say is... Thank you. Thank you for entertaining me, even if it was with a pity date." The words leaving Raven did not match the sheer joy she felt at having a childish little Filly's dream come true.
"I am a Piece of shit."
Raven paused, her smile frozen as she looked at Blueblood.
"I have been inadvertently playing with your emotions, agreeing to go out with you on Nightmare Night was foolish of me, Especially as I am repeating right now exactly what happened that night,"
Raven frowned at the Prince, her eyebrows furrowing as she tried to understand what was going on.
"I have no romantic interest in you, and I should not have agreed to this date, it was stupid of me to do so." The prince didn't look away, his ice-blue eyes staring directly into Raven's own before he scoffed and looked away, the wine bottle opening magically and pouring into his glass.
Blueblood looked at his wineglass before he poured even more wine into it, almost overflowing the glass before he stopped.
Raven watched with a mixture of emotions she couldn't easily format as the Prince lowered his head to the side, so his eyes would be level with the wine glass.
Nodding his head at something Raven couldn't tell, he straightened back up and levitated the open Wine Bottle to his mouth before he grabbed it with a hoof as his horn stopped glowing.
Raven watched in fascination as Prince Blueblood emptied half a wine bottle in only a few seconds.
And once he was done, he let go of the bottle and calmly placed it on the table, his eyes looking at his own reflection on the snow-melting roof.
"I'm not drunk enough to do this," He whispered to himself, his eyes moving from his own reflection to that of Raven's reflection.
"I'm a piece of shit, I don't know any other way of saying this, I'm not good with emotional situations, never have been and probably never will be, So while there may be a much easier way of saying what I'm trying to say, I don't know it." He said, the back of his head resting on the back of his chair as he looked up.
"So I'm going to do what I always do when I don't know what I'm doing and just be blunt about it." He said before taking a deep breath.
"I am in a long-range relationship with what I would call a long-term romantic interest," Blueblood said, his eyes briefly moving to the wine bottle before they turned back to Raven's reflection.
"I am telling you this so you'd at least understand where I'm coming from," Blueblood's horn glowed as the bottle of wine levitated back into his hooves.
Raven took the overflown wine glass and dragged it towards her, spilling parts of it on the table along the way.
"So that you don't get your hopes up from this," Blueblood said with a frown as he took another drink of the wine.
Raven downed the wine glass.
"If you still want to continue," Blueblood paused as he took a deep sigh, his hoof moving to hold his head as he agonized over a better way to phrase his words, before shaking his head and continuing.
"It can only be casual, I'm telling you this because-"
"-You are my friend."
Raven slammed the empty wine glass back onto the table before abruptly standing up and walking away, Leaving the rest of her food untouched.
Blueblood merely looked at her reflection on the ceiling march away from him as he sighed tiredly.
"I'm a piece of shit," I thought to myself as I watched the Elevator go down.
"Dammit past me, Why did you have to do this," I stretched my limbs as I stood up from the chair.
"None of this would have happened if you simply spent a night trick-or-treating with Luna," I took out my wallet and placed a tip on the table before starting to walk to the elevator.
"But nooo~ You just had to push forward with the Caninia Deal, and for what? You didn't even have a boat," I kicked my feet as the elevator slowly descended.
"And now look what ya' did, You stupid idiot," A smile spread on my face as the Elevator reached the bottom.
I ignored the looks I was getting as I left the restaurant and got on a chariot.
"I'm a Piece of shit, no doubt," I chuckled to myself as I drove back to Canterlot, "But I'm a freedom-loving piece of shit, so It's time to own up to my actions,"
"Did you say something back there?" The Driver asked through the window separating us.
"Shut up and keep driving," I told him.
The Driver rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue, but did so regardless, The two Earth-Stallions carrying the chariot continued to move as they did their job.
Knocking on the door of a room in the castle, Prince Blueblood waited for a response from the Pony inside, a bubble of soundproof magic covering him and a bottle of cheap boxed wine.
The Door opened slightly to reveal Raven Inkwell peaking out at him, the makeup she wore previously was washed away by streaks of dried tears on her cheeks.
"May I come in?" Blueblood asked as he raised the bottle of cheap fermented grape juice.
Raven stared at him through the crack sh made in the door before taking a step back and opening it for him to enter.
Inside the room, The two ponies sat across each other on the carpet on the floor.
"I wanted to at least apologize somewhat," Blueblood told Raven as he popped open the bottle of wine, "So do you want the first drink?"
Raven stared blankly at the bottle of wine before looking around for a bit.
"There aren't any glasses,"
"This is cheap trash," Blueblood let out a quiet laugh, "It doesn't deserve a glass, Just drink from the mouth," He paused and thought it over for a moment, "Unless of course, you aren't comfortable with it, That's totally fine and I-" Raven cut him off by grabbing the bottle and placing it to her lips.
An almost pained look crossed her face as a sour liquid flowed down her throat, almost causing her to spit it out.
"Why are you-" cough cough "-Doing this?" Raven asked once she stopped drinking from the bottle, passing it back to the prince.
"Because while I might be a Piece of Shit, I still consider you my friend, and don't want you to feel bad," He told her as he placed the wine to his own lips.
"Wow, this really is trash."He coughed into his hoof as he passed the bottle back to Raven.
"Friend?" Raven asked as she took another drink from the wine, "I never had much friends," She passed it back.
"Me neither," Blueblood told her as he took a drink from the bottle, "It's hard to make friends when you're like me,"
"I don't blame you," Raven took the bottle back before drinking more, "I'm actually thankful you told me," She smiled easily as she stopped drinking from the bottle, but still held it in her hooves, watching the small amount of remaining wine at the bottom of the bottle.
"So... You can't do romance?" Raven felt fuzzy as she looked at her reflection in the bottle. There were a lot of reflections this evening...
"No romance, no." Blueblood shook his head as he watched the bottle of Wine if Raven's lap.
"But you said something about casual relationships back then..." Raven pointed out as she raised the bottle closer to her mouth.
"I mean, yeah. It's less of a real relationship and more of a Friends with Benefits thing, allowing me to fuck until I and her are permanent, so-" Raven heard enough.
She poured whatever was left of the cheap bottle of sour wine into her mouth and threw herself onto Blueblood, her lips meeting with his as she opened his mouth, the wine passing between the two as her tongue burst into his mouth. Cheap wine poured down the front of the two ponies' white coats.
After a few seconds, Raven let go of him.
"You said I'm your friend," Raven smiled with a red face as she bit her lip, untying her brown hair loose from the bun she usually kept it in before shoving her leg into Blueblood's chest, pushing him down to his back as she stood above him, licking her lips as she looked down at him.
"So now show me the benefits,"
"Now Blueblood won't find us," Princess Luna smiled as she crawled over the top of a roof, a small pile of snow piling on top of her as she looked through her binoculars at the restaurant's top floor.
And saw that it was empty.
"They already returned to the Castle, you know that, right?" Celestia told her casually, the snow melting around her and keeping her clean.
Luna slowly turned her head to look at her Sister, "You could have told us!" Luna shouted as she threw the binoculars away.
Only the binoculars were wrapped around her neck, so she threw herself slightly forward as the goggles pulled back and smashed into her chest.
"Ow..." Luna grunted on the snowy roof.
"That's what you get for spying," Celestia told her as she grabbed her sister in a magic hold and flew back to Canterlot. |
Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 71: Spice and Ice | "Hello? Cosmos?"
Cosmos, The Spirit of Space, perked up her head as the voice of someone not her Prince echoed out in her endless prison.
"Cady is that you?" She asked as her arm slapped the invisible floor below her, throwing her up into the air to look around.
"Yeah, It's me. Bluey told me to wear your Gems when I go to sleep, He wanted a night to himself," Princess Mi Amore Cadenza's voice echoed out as Cosmos looked for her.
"Just a moment, I'll be right with you!" She yelled as her head fell down to the floor. And with a snap of her fingers, the vast nothingness of space was replaced with the same Tropical Beach her Prince loved to illusion onto the dreamlike prison.'
Pearly White Sand, Clear Blue water, the Sun shining in the sky with not a cloud in sight, A pair of Lounge chairs, and an Umbrella above them.
Cosmos looked around once more and her eyes widened when she spotted the Pink Princess of Love stumble out of the tropical foliage making the backdrop of her little Tropical Beach.
"Want a Pineapple?" Cosmos asked the princess as a pair of pineapple sunglasses appeared on her head, her arm extending to the Princess as she showed off a pineapple with a straw coming out of the top.
Cadance looked in wonder at the beach she was in before her horn glowed and she grabbed the offered fruit. Taking a sip from the straw.
The Fake juice felt so real.
After laying down on a chair and watching the ever-present Sunset of the fake Beach, Cadance looked at her new gal pal.
"So, This is how you spend your time?" She asked, looking at the decapitated head of the Spirit.
"Like this?" Cosmos looked at the beach in front of her before smirking to herself, "Nah," She wiped her single arm in front of herself, and the beach changed to an indoor living room, "I've been playing Video Games, Blueblood showed 'em to me," A Pair of controllers appeared in Cosmos's hand.
"Here, Catch," She threw a controller at Cadance, Who quickly caught the plastic controller as the Television screen came to life.
It showed a pair of Earth Ponies with Brown Mustaches wearing Red and Green overalls, Looking up at some cartoony monster behind them, a short green Unicorn could be seen flying on a winged-Bean in the background.
"I'll show you, Just a few hours, then we'll talk about what you want," Cosmos told her cheerfully as she pressed a few buttons on her controller.
Cadance looked at the plastic device in her hooves, "I'm not that good at these Games." She told the Spirit, "Shining tried to invite me to a session of Ogres & Oubliettes," A small smile appeared on the Princess's face, "It didn't go well," A chuckle, "But I had fun, so sure, Let's play this game of yours,"
A Wide Smile spread over Cosmos's face, "Really? Then let's try this instead!" And with a snap of her fingers, the two found themselves wearing the same outfits as the two ponies on the Television. The walls of the living room collapsed to reveal a wide-open field with a beautiful castle on the other side.
"Come on Cady! We need to save the princess!" The Spirit of Space yelled excitedly, She had Blue overalls and a Green cap with the letter C on her head.
Cadance once again took a moment to look around before staring at her own pair of Blue overalls and Red cap, a quiet laugh exiting her lips.
"Sure," She smiled as she joined Cosmos, looking at her now almost feline body as opposed to the decapitated head with an arm she had previously.
Raven Inkwell woke up to the smell of Tobacco and smoke.
She weakly opened her eyes, and then quickly shut them with a groan as her head started aching.
This wasn't like her, Usually so punctual and tidy, to wake up with an aching head and twitching legs.
"You know, Smoking is bad for you," She turned to look at the window of her room, and the white outline of her bedmate greeted her blurry vision.
She still needs her glasses.
She fumbled around for a moment before she found them and put them on.
And with visual clarity, came the half-drunk memories of last night.
Memories of a night filled with Tears, Sweat, Cheap wine, and Passion.
Now Raven understood why she had trouble standing straight.
"Did... What happened last night... Does it..." Raven fumbled her speech as she looked over at Prince Blueblood.
Leaning against and looking out the window of her room, a cigarette in his mouth as he took a breath of smoke, his Golden blonde hair tucked behind his ears to stay clear of the smoking stick.
Raven enjoyed a long look at the Stallion's carefully sculpted muscles and shining white fur, her eyes scanning him like a peruser at a museum, searching for the secret details in a work of art.
"Does it what?" The Unicorn asked her as a puff of smoke left his lips and out the open window, into the snow-covered world outside her bedroom walls.
"What are we?" Raven asked him, walking up to stand beside him as the two watched gentle puffs of snow fall from the clouds in the winter morning.
"Friends with Benefits." The Stallion explained, taking the cigarette out of his mouth and blasting it with a small beam of magic, sending it flying in a cloud of magic smoke into a garbage bin far outside the castle.
"So... Nothing really changed?" Raven asked as she side-eyed the larger Stallion.
"I wouldn't say nothing changed," Blueblood said as he leaned on the windowsill and pulled his head out, turning to look directly up at the fluffy white clouds, "I'd say we're closer than we were before, for obvious reasons. We're just really good friends now," He pulled his head back into the room, the small pile of snow he collected on his face melting away and soaking into his fur.
"We're... Friends?" Raven whispered in question, testing the word on her lips a couple of times, "We're not just colleagues, but also Friends?"
Blueblood blinked at her in confusion, looking behind him as if to check if another pony was in the room with them.
"I mean... Yeah? Why wouldn't we be friends? We're FWB, It has Friends in the Acronym. Unless you mean before last night?" At Raven's nod he continued, "Well, Why wouldn't we be friends? You think a colleague will just run to your room as an excuse to get away from a family member?" Raven shook her head at that.
"Then that's that. There's no deep meaning behind friends, You just make them. Every living creature forms some sort of companionship or another, Friends is just another form of that," Blueblood told her before he walked past her and into her bathroom, looking himself over in the mirror.
"And us? We're good friends who happen to fuck sometime, no biggie," He said as turned his head to the side and closed in on his eyelids, Stretching his bottom lid slightly as he stared at a small dark circle under his eyelids.
"So... We're not-" Raven was interrupted.
"Romantically involved? Sorry, but no." Blueblood said as he levitated a small box of makeup from the corner, trying to cover up his dark circles.
"Huh..." Raven sat down on her bed, her eyes still glued to the Stallion as he spoke.
"But hey," He said as he exited her bathroom, the circles under his eyes gone, "If you want to sleep with me just come to my room, you know the hidden passage anyway," He smiled at her, leaned on to kiss her on the cheek, and then left through a hidden door in the wall opening for him.
Raven sat still on her bed, eyes looking at the hidden door the prince left through before her hoof slowly rose to touch her cheek where he kissed her.
"I might just take your offer," She whispered to herself, before throwing herself onto her bed and hugging her pillow, rolling on the mattress.
"!!!" She squealed adorably into her pillow as she rolled, kicking her legs in the air with childish excitement.
"How?" Starlight breathed heavily, sweat pouring down her back as she lay on the mat of the training hall, "How do you deal with it?" She asked the White Alicorn standing above her.
Princess Celestia looked at the Unicorn below her before sighing to herself. "Follow me," And she started walking, not bothering to wait for Starlight to follow.
Starlight scrambled onto her legs and started walking after the princess, Following her as the two walked down the corridors of the castle.
Celestia stopped once she reached the dining room, with a glow of her horn she corrected the slight tilt of a nearby painting.
Starlight watched as the wall next to her opened up, revealing a staircase going down into the darkness.
"Come on," Celestia said as she walked into the secret passageway, Her horn providing a source of light for the two.
Celestia stopped as the stairs ended and the tunnel opened up to a surprisingly fancy-looking room, magical lamps setting a nice lighting for the room next to a velvet couch and a table. Racks of different Alcohol bottles lined the wall, an expensive Blue carpet softened the floor.
"I see Bluey found this room..." Celestia whispered to herself with a small smile before she shot a bolt of magic onto a specific brick in the ceiling, the wall in front of her opened up into a wider hall, dust flowing into the cellar.
"You wanted to ask me how I deal with losing those close to me, Did you not?" Celestia said as she looked down at Starlight Glimmer from the corner of her eye.
"Let me show you, What I do to deal with it..."
Starlight gulped as she followed Celestia into the secret hall behind the secret cellar.
As soon as the two entered, the door closed behind them. Torches on the wall magically burst to light with white flames one by one, illuminating the hall from end to end.
The hall was large, Starlight could almost feel the age of the magic spells protecting this one room, imagining how powerful the pony who cast them must have been to do so and still be felt all those years later.
Celestia walked down the long hall followed by the Purple mare, Her eyes stared at the paintings on the wall.
Paintings of Ponies Starlight's only seen in History books or children's stories...
Starlight saw a Painting of a head butler placed beside the painting of an energetic filly. An Old Warrior placed beside a gentle poet.
Paintings of Creatures from all walks of life covered the walls of the hall, from Nobility to Common Folk.
As the two silently continued walking down the hall, the style of the paintings also changed, Oil switched to Water, and Suits of Chainmail switched to Leather and Plate.
And the deeper they went, the more changed.
No more were there only paintings, now there were pictures, black and white and grainy, but taken with a camera nonetheless.
Starlight paused as she looked at a particular photo, magically enlarged to the size of a portrait.
In it, She saw a small White Unicorn Colt, his face scrunched in discomfort as Princess Celestia squished her face next to his own, her Aurora of a mane tangling up in his golden blonde, a bright smile on her face as she hugged the young Pony.
They looked like a mother and son...
"Sending him to private tutoring so I focus on Sunset was a mistake..." Starlight jumped as Celestia spoke beside her, her voice barely above a whisper as she looked at the picture, at the photo of what could have been a happy royal family.
"What?" Starlight carefully asked, not hearing Celestia's words.
Celestia looked at her with something akin to sorry in her eyes before she shook her head, "Forget what I said,"
Starlight watched as Celestia started walking deeper into the Hall. She took one last look at the photo before following after her.
And as they went, more and more photos appeared of Ponies Starlight could recognize.
She saw a Young Princess Cadance trying to cast her first spell, A fresh out of the Academy Shining Armor smiling brightly at the camera while holding his new officer's badge.
She saw a tiny purple Unicorn she recognized as Twilight Sparkle.
Then she saw another photo of Twilight, And anoter of Cadance, A Picture of Raven appeared in there, before another Photo of Twilight showed up.
Starlight noted that there wasn't another picture of the blonde Unicorn from before.
Another photo of Raven, Followed by two pictures of Twilight Sparkle and another photo of Cadance.
Then she stopped again, watching a group photo of six mares with magical instruments around their necks, standing in an abandoned castle as the rays of the sun cast down upon them. And on the small blue Alicorn between them.
The next few pictures were almost exclusively those of Princess Luna, with Short Blue hair and small stature, Long Hair and Tall legs, It didn't matter, they were almost exclusively of Luna.
Until another photo of more than one pony caught her eye.
Taken a month and a half ago according to the date on the photo, Starlight watched a pair of familiar ponies stand over a table, working together to finish up on paperwork late into the night.
This was the second Picture of Blueblood Starlight saw, and it also included Raven Inkwell in it.
And seeing as there were only two more pictures, Which Starlight could already see didn't contain the prince, She noticed a pattern with the two photos.
Prince Blueblood didn't appear in his Pictures by himself, it was either Celestia or Raven who appeared with him, but never alone.
The next two pictures were of Cadance and, unsurprisingly once again, Twilight Sparkle.
Celestia stood in front of the empty wall next to the last picture, her horn glowing as a new photo appeared in her hold, showing a surprised Princess Luna tangled under a blanket as snow piled up on her with what seemed like Salted Crackers.
With a brighter glow to her horn, the picture enlarged to fit the same size as the rest before it found itself a new home on the long line of pictures Celestia kept.
"This is how I deal with it," Celestia spoke somberly, "I treasure them, Each and every one," She told her, and Starlight quietly stared at the Princess as her back hunched down, as if a massive weight was pressed on her shoulders.
"I am Old, Starlight Glimmer, Older than any ruler of my standing should be, In any other life I would have long ago retired, living the rest of my days as an old hag, telling tales of better times..." Celestia said as she looked fondly at the new picture she placed on the wall, "But those times aren't where I'm at..." She let out a sigh of exhaustion.
To Starlight, Princess Celestia almost seemed to physically age in front of her very eyes, that was simply how dreadful her posture was.
"How Old really is she?" Starlight mentally asked herself as she stared at the Princess of the Sun.
A Sudden snapping sound and a flash of light pulled Starlight out of her funk, Her eyes widening to see Celestia stand tall and confident as if the sudden wave of tiredness was nothing but a trivial matter. A Camera levitated in front of her smirking face as a photo slowly rolled out.
A Photo of Starlight staring blankly at the camera.
Princess Celestia smirked at the photo in her grasp, before she shot it with a beam of magic and sent it away in a puff of smoke.
"Starlight Glimmer," Celestia said as she looked down at Starlight, deep beneath Canterlot Castle, in a Hall none but few knew about.
"...yes?" Starlight shrunk under the Princess, knowing full well that should the Princess Choose to dispose of her, nobody will ever find the body.
"I must say," The Princess started, "I do not particularly like you,"
Starlight gulped nervously.
"However, I do not hate you. There are very few creatures I can say that I hate, and most of them are luckily no longer with us,"
Starlight nodded her head, trying to appear small and weak to the princess.
"So... Perhaps you'll find that picture I just took on this wall someday in the future," And like a candle in the wind, the stress of the situation blew away and Starlight let out a breath she didn't know she held.
"Now hurry along," Celestia told her, waving her leg as she signed her to leave, "I'm sure you have better things to do."
Starlight stared at the Princess, watching her look fondly at the pictures on the wall, before turning away and walking back to where she came from.
Leaving Princess Celestia alone with her memories.
"Oh Sombra, If only I had a camera all those years ago..." Celestia whispered to herself, her mind traveling to a Mirror held in a corner of the castle nopony walked in centuries.
"If only..."
As Starlight climbed back up the stairs leading to the hidden Cellar, She thought back to the Princess who stayed behind,
At the tired face she showed her for a brief moment, even if it was only an act, And at that same face in the picture with the colt, a smile so bright it could be considered a sun of its own.
Her mind then moved to her own mother, to the new grave at Sire's Hollow's local graveyard.
And to the wide smile her mother gave her as she hugged her after the Grand Galloping Gala, after years of not seeing each other, Of the tears the two shed as they caught up and spoke about things they hadn't gotten the opportunity to.
"Miss Glimmer, Is everything alright?" Starlight paused as an old Unicorn wearing a Servant's coat stopped beside her.
"Huh? Yeah, Why?" Starlight questioned the old butler.
"Because you're leaving tears all over the floor," His accusation didn't sound angry, he sounded... Sad?
Starlight looked down and spotted a small puddle forming under her head. Her hoof quickly went to touch her face, and she felt moisture.
"Am I... Crying?" She asked herself, the tears trailing down her cheeks faster as the realization hit her.
She misses her Mom.
"Wait right here! I'll go grab a box of tissues," The Butler said as he ran off.
Leaving the mare to silently cry in the middle of a hallway. |
Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 72: Hearth's Warming Eve 1 | Hearth's Warming, A Holiday for the whole family to gather together and exchange gifts.
A Holiday of Family, Friendship, And Community.
"What do you mean you aren't coming to the play?"
Princess Luna, Princess of Dreams, Alicorn of the Moon, was looking forward to celebrating her first Hearth's Warming back from the Moon with her entire family.
She couldn't celebrate Nightmare Night with them all, So Hearth's Warming was the next best thing.
"As I already said Luna, I have prior arrangements that I cannot delay," When Prince Blueblood told her he wouldn't be coming to the Hearth's Warming Play in the Canterlot Theater, she felt like her entire night was ruined before it began.
"Are you sure you cannot delay?" She asked her good friend, "It is Hearth's Warming,"
Prince Blueblood shook his head, "I'm sorry, but I will not delay my meeting for a reason as simple as a Play at the Theater,"
Watching him leave, Princess Luna felt her smile fade and her brows crease.
"What is so important for him that he must throw Hearth's Warming aside?" Luna asked herself as the Prince returned to what he was previously doing.
"Don't worry Princess Luna, I'm still going to the play," A smidgen of a smile returned to Luna's face when Princess Cadance told her those words, but it simply wasn't the same.
Luna simply doesn't have the same relationship with Cadance that she does with Blueblood.
"And for that we are thankful, But We've just remembered that something important is happening today so we will not be able to make it to the play either," Luna nodded to herself, her eyes still glued to the door Blueblood exited through.
"You're planning on following Bluey, aren't you?" Princess Mi Amore Cadenza asked Luna blankly.
"Yes, Yes we are," Luna smiled at her new family member.
"In that case, I'll go and update Auntie Celestia that I also have something important to do," Cadance smiled at the Dark Blue Alicorn as she left the room.
"Of course," Luna nodded to herself with a mischievous smile, "We are all most busy... Hihihihihi..." She giggled.
Our Town, A Town that was not long ago demolished and removed, built illegally by a maniacal sorceress and her cult of-
"You know I can hear you, You're not as funny as you think you are,"
But Recently, The Kind and Generous Prince Blueblood Platinum bought the rights to the land Our Town was built upon, not like that evil witch who decided that property tax is absurd-
"Just Because I didn't pay taxes doesn't mean I don't understand Property Tax, Also did you call me an evil witch?"
Starlight Glimmer has a secret stash of porno mags taped to the underside of her bed, hidden from the castle staff. She thinks nobody can find them, but she's really bad at keeping them hidden-
"Blueblood I swear to Harmony, I am going to hit you,"
I smiled to myself as I turned away from the window of the exclusive cart on the train, smiling smugly at my Bodyguard at my success in causing her to verbally threaten me.
"You know," I smirked, "If I wasn't your friend, I would have taken that as a threat,"
"But you didn't, because as much of an idiot as you may be, You're not stupid," Starlight said as she held her head in her arms, sighing in defeat at her curse of being burdened with my protection.
Something she fails at almost all the time, but that's fine.
"Of course, I'm not stupid! I'm-"
"Prince Blueblood Platinum, I know that already, Just get back to why we're going to Our Town?" Starlight groaned out defeated.
"First, it's Captain Prince Blueblood mother-fucking Platinum, I worked hard for that degree, thank you very much, And secondly, We're going to check on our newest BBF Factories," I told Starlight, my head turning back to look out the window, Ignoring the very badly hidden Alicorn's sitting further back the car.
"Okay, So you built Factories in Our Town, Why do you need factories exactly?" Starlight asked.
I smiled as I leaned down to my Spatial Bag and pulled out two containers.
One was a Mason Jar filled with red jam, and the second was a similar Jar filled with a creamy yellow sauce.
"Because I'm making products to sell, Starlight," I pass over the two glass jars over to the Unicorn in the black suit.
"I thought the BBF was a trading company," Starlight said as she grabbed the two jars and took closer looks at them.
"Well," I started to say, feeling proud of all that I've accomplished in such a short span of time, "The BBF Is, First and Foremost, A Company whose purpose is to assist the livelihood of its founder and namesake, One Blueblood Platinum, Using the many aspects and options available to the company, from Shipping and Trade to Construction jobs, and even grocery brands. The BBF Is privately owned and founded by-"
"Stop! Don't give me a sales pitch, Just give me the basics," Starlight said as she oh so rudely cut me off.
"Fine," I rolled my eyes, "The BBF Makes Money while supporting the communities around it, mainly by giving the people jobs and promoting tourism in its wake. Right Now, We're going to check on some Factories and Farms I bought, built, and now Own, Because they're to make money. A Shipping company needs customers who need shipments, and currently, our customers are us, and Caninia, So while the Dogs give us construction materials, We give them goods and services that aren't found easily in Caninia, Such as but not limited to, What I'm working on in the factories we're visiting,"
"So you're a modern-day merchant? That's what you're getting at?" Starlight asked after listening to my explanation.
"Pretty much, yes," I nodded.
"Then why didn't you just say so and save both of us the time?" Starlight groaned and laid her head on the table between us.
"Because, Starlight my oh so wonderful friend, If I just hurried along and got to the point, you wouldn't be groaning in annoyance," I told my Bodyguard with a smile.
Starlight Groaned in annoyance, "I'm going to kill you..."
"Love you too~" I chuckled with a smirk.
"Oh! Mistah Prince Sir! I didn't know ya we're gonna be visiting so soon!"
Hughbert Jellius wasn't the smartest tool in the shed, So when Prince Blueblood offered him a job opportunity that seemed promising, he had to go and ask his ma, She was the smart one.
His ma agreed almost immediately.
Hughbert trusted his Ma, She never steered him wrong ever in his life of forever as he can remember, No Sir!
And now Hughbert was very happy his Ma was so smart.
"I'm pretty sure I notified you two days ago that I'll be coming for a visit, but that's fine," Prince Blueblood smiled at the Earth Pony, "I'm here to see how you're doing, there aren't any problems with the workers or the machines, right? I want you to tell me if there are,"
"Aha, No Sir!" Hughbert shouted with a goofy smile on his face, "The Workers are taking the Jam lessons like a Jam to a Toast, And the Machines are making preserving the Jams so much easier," Hughbert gave the prince a walk around the Factory, pointing and talking about what he thought about different machines and tools.
"That's wonderful to hear," The Prince Smiled charmingly at the Pony, "How Much time do you think you'll need to start production at full capacity?" He asked Hughbert, "Don't get me wrong, You're doing amazing work here, but I want to have these Jars on the shelves before Hearts and Hooves day."
Hughbert nodded his head, "Don't worry non' Mr. Your Highness, We'll get you all the Jelly you'll ever need," He smiled widely at his employer.
"That is good to hear, I'll have someone come by next week to collect all the Jars you and the team have made, Take Care now," The Prince told Hughbert after another few minutes of talking with one another.
"You take care yourself Your Highness Sir!"
Leaving the large brick building, Blueblood and Starlight kept walking down the road before they reached another brick building of similar size that stood beside another building with a lower roof but much farther length.
"I'm guessing this is where you make the second Jar?" Starlight asked as the smell of farm animals filtered into her nose.
"Yep, This one was a bit tricky to make, not because it's expensive, but because finding workers who'd do it was much harder," Blueblood smiled up at the large building before pushing the large metal doors in, "Allow me to show you, The BBF's very first Egg Factory,"
Looking at the Duo of Unicorns from afar, coats of thick fur keeping them warm from the winter snow, A Pair of Alicorns let out gasps of shock at the sight of the second factory.
"Look at all those Chickens!" Luna exclaimed in amazement, her words completely wrong in regard to the species of animal raised on the farm.
"How many Quail Eggs are there?!" Cadance on the other hand got the animal right, her eyes wide as she stared at rows upon rows of cardboard containers filled with Quail Eggs.
"Thank you so much for having us act in this play, Princess Celestia," Twilight Sparkle smiled up at her teacher and role model.
"I am the one who should be thanking you for agreeing to this, Twilight," Princess Celestia smiled at her pupil and her friends, "I assume you all practiced for your roles in advance,"
"You betcha'!" Rainbow Dash said loudly, throwing her hoof into the air as she flew around backstage.
And as the rest of the Elements of Harmony started to speak up, Celestia thought about how lovely it would be to watch the upcoming play.
With her entire family. |
Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 73: Hearth's Warming Eve 2 | Watching the bags of quality bird feed, consisting of corn, wheat, black oil sunflower seeds, and Millet, pour into the trays stacked above each other, rows upon rows, really put a smile on my face.
"Do you see this Starlight?" I ask as I take a deep breath of the factory, the smell of seeds and feathers filling my nose, "This is the future of commerce, this is industrialization in its purest form,"
"What is?" Starlight asked, mouth agape as she looked on at the rows upon rows of Quails in cages, "Putting birds in cages? I'm pretty sure we've been doing that for centuries,"
"No no no, Not the cages, The Design," I smirk at her and start giving her a tour of the place, showing her how the eggs are collected, moved, processed, and how at the end of it all, jars of Mayo get made.
"I would have used plastic containers, but in this day and age, Plastic is somehow more expensive than just magically creating jars of glass," I explain as I continue walking around the factory, greeting the workers with a smile as I pass by.
"Your Highness!" The worker I placed in charge of running the factory called out to me.
"Just a moment, Starlight," I tell my bodyguard and walk closer to the Mare, "What is it, Fowl Feather?"
"Some of the workers had questions about how we'll take care of the Quails over the holiday," The Bulky Pegasus Mare asked, her mane and tail held in baggy hats and an apron covering her front.
"Well that's easy, The Night-shift guards will deal with it like usual," I smile at Fowl Feather.
"But- But your Highness, It's Hearth's Warming Eve tonight!" She exclaimed with widened eyes.
"And?"
"And- What do you- It's Hearths Warming, You don't keep working on hearth's warming!"
My smile dimmed slightly as I slung my leg around the mare's shoulders and pulled her close to me, shoulder to shoulder all buddy-like.
"Fowl Feather, You're a smart mare, I wouldn't have picked you for this job if you couldn't handle it, And I know you can handle this easily. So I want to ask you, What does it say in your contract in regards to holidays?" I ask her.
"I get twenty sick days and ten days off a year, Where I don't need to go to work, Right?" The Pegasus smiled weakly.
"Exactly," I slap her on the shoulder and let go, "Same goes for everybody else who works here, If they don't want to do the night shift, they take a day off."
"But-" I quickly cut her off.
"Upupup, no butts Fowl Feather, unless they're for making more eggs. A Winter Holiday does not give you an excuse to miss work, somebody needs to be here for the night, and it is your job to get them to be here, Because if nobody guards the place on account of being in some Hearth's Warming Party or whatever it is, and something happens to the Quails, or worse yet, the Factory, then that disaster will be on your head, and nobody wants that on their resume, right?" I smile at the Pegasus.
"No- No sir, Of course not!" Fowl Feather quickly changed her tune at that not-so-subtle threat to her career, "The Night Shift will remain unchanged!"
I smiled at the ex-guard, "Good, carry on then with your work, don't let my little visit bother or distract you more than necessary,"
"Of course Sir! Right away Sir!" Fowl Feather saluted, an act which almost looked funny with how she was dressed, before she quickly went back to work, chewing out a group of workers who were slacking off.
I smiled widely as I watched the group of slackers pick themselves up and resume working on overdrive.
"I love being a prince,"
"Okay so you inspected the factories, what's next on the agenda?" Starlight Glimmer asked as she and her boss returned to the train and sat down, wiping some snow off her mane.
"Next we're going to Pig's Eye City, Where I'll be donating publicly to the sick and needy," Blueblood explained, already drawing up checks of money to throw at the city.
"Why Pig's Eye? Wouldn't Whinnyapolis be better?" Starlight asked, confused about the reasoning for the city.
"You see Starlight," Blueblood Started, "While Whinnyapolis is bigger, it is not the local capital," He tapped the table between them as his horn shone, creating a small illusion of two miniature cities.
"Pig's Eye is where the governor lives, and we'll be meeting with him to give him a proposition that I am sure he would love to accept," He said, the illusion he created zooming into one of the cities, showing an Earth Pony with a stamp as his cutie-mark.
"And what is that proposition?" Starlight asked, her eyes briefly moving to the window of the train, seeing the snow falling gently to the ground.
"Why, It's to assist in the building of our Pony-Yak Railway, Of course," The Prince told her and the illusion changed, showing now a top-down view of North Equestria and the Tundra above it, leading all the way to the arctic north, with Yakyakistan in the north-west corner.
"Pig's Eye City is the perfect place to build a railway connecting all the northern provinces of Equestria, making the moving of supplies from the East Coast to the West much simpler and cheaper," A Red dotted line appeared on the illusionary map, spreading from Pig's Eye City in two directions and stopping at every local capitol it passed through before a blue dotted line spread out of Seaddle, Hoofington, and moved north along the western coast, passing between mountains before stopping outside Yakyakistan, several small red and blue flags popping along the way to signify stopping points.
"Once the Materials from Caninia start arriving, we're gonna have to move them across the continent," Blueblood explained, "We'll have a few months of moving it all by carriage, but in a year or two, if everything goes well, this North-Continental train-track will deal with it for us," he leaned back on his sofa, "Any questions?"
"Yeah," Starlight nodded her head, "Couldn't you have done this on another day? Why Hearth's Warming specifically?"
"Because People will see us on Christmas, Starlight, People will see me walking around and donating to their city, and then the paparazzi will take notice. And when the Paparazzi take note, they want to start rumors, and with a few carefully placed words from yours truly, the governor of Whinnesota won't be able to say no," Prince Blueblood Smiled.
"Okay everyone, the play is about to start soon," Twilight Sparkle said happily as she walked back into the changing room of the Canterlot Theatre.
In the crowd waiting for the play, Princess Celestia looked at the three empty chairs beside her, hoping her family would be able to make it before the play started.
"They must be getting ready," She told herself, "Harmony knows Blueblood and Cadance can't leave the castle without an hour of getting ready," She shook her head and took a calming breath.
They'll be here soon, Surely.
Walking down the Streets of Pig's Eye City, Princess Luna looked in astonishment at the wide variety of creatures living together in the same city.
"There seems to be a rather large population of Diamond Dogs and Buffalo in this city," She whispered to herself, prompting Princess Cadance to start telling her what she knew of the history of the city.
"And what about that tree in the middle?" Luna pointed out to a large evergreen planted in the middle of a square, decorated with lights and baubles.
"Oh, That's a Nollag Tree, it's part of a Canine Winter Holiday which happens around this time," Cadance explained as she also looked at the brightly decorated tree, "Now that I think about it, Let's go buy some Eggnog," The Princess of Love smiled at her new aunt, "Come on, Luna, It'll be fun,"
"Hmm... And what is this Eggnog you speak of?" Luna asked as she started following the Pink Princess.
"It's chilled, frothy, sweetened milk with whipped egg whites, Sometimes having a distilled spirit mixed in," A Familiar voice sounded out beside the two Princesses, causing them to jump and turn to the source of the voice.
"Personally I enjoy having Bourbon in mine, but I can see how some might prefer Rum or Brandy, Add a bit of cinnamon powder to the top and you have yourself a nice after-dinner drink," Prince Blueblood said with a smile to his fellow members of the Crown.
"How did you find us?! We were hidden!" Luna exclaimed in astonishment, causing Blueblood to laugh out loud at her reaction.
"Luna Luna Luna, Might I remind you that you are a head taller than almost every other pony, and your dark colors are incredibly visible over the white snow, and Cadance is bright Pink, You two weren't exactly camouflaged, Haha!" The Prince cheerfully said.
"Wait a minute," Cadance suddenly spoke up, "I thought you didn't celebrate Hearth's Warming,"
Blinking his eyes in confusion, Blueblood responded, "I don't, Just drinking Eggnog does not mean I celebrate Christmas, All Holidays are wastes of time and I could be doing something much more proactive during them, Now smile for the camera quickly," Blueblood suddenly turned his head away from Luna and Cadance, smiling brightly and cheerfully to a mare with a camera, a sudden flash of light enveloping the group as a photo was taken, and the mare quickly ran away.
"What in the-" Luna blinked the light out of her eyes.
"Paparazzi, They're everywhere if you know where to look," Blueblood told her before smiling once more, flicking his hair upward and looking to the side, striking a sudden pose for another camera before he turned back to Luna, "You should get used to it soon enough,"
"Where's your bodyguard?" Cadance asked, briefly shining a smile for a camera flush before turning back to the group.
"She's speaking with the Governor, passing along some messages I had for him," Blueblood said before once more smiling for the cameras.
Having three royals in one place is a treat for the media ponies.
"I see," Cadance said, "By the way, I'm keeping the necklace with me for another week or so," She said, her hoof wrapping around a red and green crystal around her neck.
"Sure, Just give it back when you're done," Blueblood told her nonchalantly, striking a sudden pose for another camera before turning back to the Princesses, "Anyways, I'm heading back to Canterlot now, Need to get Dinner ready, make it a little holiday gift so Celestia won't be mad I ditched her," And with that, Prince Blueblood turned away from the duo of Alicorns, gave the cameras another princely smile, and headed back to the train station.
"...Perhaps we should join him in the gifting for our sister..." Luna carefully added as she watched her friend walk away.
"You might be right..." Cadance nodded in agreement, "Let's just buy some Eggnog before we go,"
"Of course, was it even a question?" Luna raised a brow before the two Alicorns quickly went to buy sweets for later.
"Thank you for allowing us to stay the night over at the Castle, your Majesty," Twilight Sparkle said with cheer as she and Spike walked with Princess Celestia up the central street of Canterlot City.
"No need to thank me, Twilight, I already told you that you are always welcome to come by," Celestia told her pupil, her usually warm smile somewhat cool in the snowy winter evening, "But I must say, Your performance in the Play was magnificent, It was almost as if Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were really fighting,"
"That's what I said!" Spike the Dragon exclaimed from his spot on Twilight's Back, His small body wrapped in a thick winter coat.
"Indeed," Celestia smiled at the baby Dragon.
Soon reaching the Castle, Celestia opened the doors with a push of her magic.
And her eyes widened significantly.
Decorations of Green and Red hung from the ceiling, arcs of shining lights and baubles hung between the pillars of the main hall.
"Wow..." Twilight Sparkle voiced her wonder at the festive look of the castle, her eyes sparkling with amazement at the beauty of the lights.
"Princess Celestia, There you are!" Kibitz, the head butler of the castle and the Princess's personal butler called out to her as he walked swiftly in her direction, a red and white wool hat resting on his head.
"Kibitz, what is going on?" The Princess asked him in a whispering tone.
"I believe it was Blueblood's idea," The Butler said, "All he said was 'Holiday Cheer' and then started shouting orders to the kitchen staff,"
A small smile started to spread on Celestia's face, "Did he now? Well then let us go and speak to him," She told Kibitz, "Come along Twilight, You must be hungry,"
"Are we having Dinner together?! But I'm not dressed for-" Twilight started to panic.
"That is fine Twilight, It's Hearth's Warming Eve after all," The Princess simply said as she led the Unicorn and Dragon deeper into the castle.
Opening the Doors to the dining room, Princess Celestia smiled happily as the smells coming from the table wafted towards her, Salads and Pastas, Turkey and mashed potatoes, steamed cabbage rolls and stuffed bell peppers.
It was a feast fit for a royal.
"Woah..." Twilight and Spike once more said in amazement at the sight of the lights and decorations surrounding the room, Spike's eyes locking onto the Large and juicy turkey in the middle of the table, his mouth watering at the thought of having a taste.
"Ah, Auntie Celestia," Princess Mi Amore Cadenza said with a smile, "Sorry we couldn't make it to your play, We helped make this dinner as a way of saying sorry," She told her before her eyes caught Twilight.
"Ahh Twilight! Look how much you've grown!" The Pink Princess exclaimed with a wide and happy smile, grabbing the Purple Unicorn's hooves and pulling her into a little dance.
"Cadance! Sunshine Sunshine Ladybugs Awake, Clap your hooves and Do a little shake," Twilight Sparkle giggled as she danced with her old Foalsitter.
"Sister Sister, Look!" Princess Luna pulled Celestia away from her Student and Niece before lifting a plate of little sliced vegetables.
There was nothing fancy or specifically festive about it, it wasn't even a salad.
"We have assisted in the creation of Dinner!" Luna said proudly, gently putting the plate of vegetables back on the table.
"That's wonderful to hear Lulu, It all looks wonderful," Celestia pulled her younger sister into a hug.
"We know it does, we are the ones who made it! Everything we do is wonderful!" Celestia could almost see Luna's pride swell at that declaration.
"By the way, Where is Bluey?" Celestia whispered to Luna.
"Friend Blueblood is getting the Eggnog ready," Luna whispered back, nodding her head with a smile, still thinking about her rather huge part in the making of the dinner.
Who else could have made a plate of vegetables so incredibly mediocre? Only a powerful Princess could make something so absolutely average it could only be explained with magic.
"Out of the Way! Coming through!" Quickly moving aside, Kibitz made room for Prince Blueblood to walk by, carrying a plate full of mugs of warm eggnog that he placed on a table in the corner of the room, away from the main course.
Celestia smiled at seeing her entire family all in one place, working together, showcasing the real magic of Hearth's Warming.
"Celestia, I see you brought guests," Prince Blueblood smiled at her once he turned toward her, "Come, Make yourself comfortable, the food is ready and I am sure we all are hung- Guhkk!" The Prince was cut off as Celestia pulled him into a strong hug.
"Ooh look at you, Making everything so festive and cheerful, ooh what would I ever do without you, You're the best son ever I love you so much I forgive you for everything I'll always love you I-" Celestia whispered to him as she hugged, not noticing him tapping her leg frantically as his face started turning purple.
During the dinner, Princess Luna spoke up to say something.
"Wa jast noteesd-"
"Swallow before speaking, Lulu, we have guests," Celestia told her sister, who nodded at her and swallowed the food in her mouth before repeating what she tried to say.
"Where is Starlight Glimmer?" She asked.
"She's probably speaking with Raven or something, don't worry about her," Blueblood said, his horn glowing as he cut off a leg from the turkey and placed it on his plate.
"Huh, Makes sense," Luna nodded and returned to eating.
Sitting on a bench in the Snow, waiting for the next train to Canterlot in the Pig's Eye City Train Station. Starlight Glimmer thought back on the actions that led her to where she was.
And found herself surprised that she didn't regret them anymore.
Spike the Dragon cautiously poked the slice of turkey meat on his plate with his fork, looking around at the ponies around him to see if they reacted to the meat.
And he found himself surprised to see not one, but two ponies eating from it.
Even more surprising to see one of them being Princess Celestia Herself.
"You're a Dragon," He said to himself in his mind, "You can do this, It's just meat," he took a deep breath, "Think of it like eating a very soft gem,"
And without further wait, he stabbed the bird and shoved it into his mouth.
And then Spike Cried, Cursing his past self for never trying to eat meat before that night.
And so he took a second bite.
"King Aspen hic?, Yeah we know where he lives hic, Thicket, It's in the heart of the Everfree hic, You can't miss it, By the way, Blueblah, Did anypony ever tell you that you're hot? hic, Why are you still a bachelor hic? Go out there and find somepony who can- ZZZZZZZZ" Princess Luna drunkenly told the Prince before her face planted onto the couch, snoring away as she slept.
"Heart of the Everfree you say," Prince Blueblood whispered with a smile, pushing the half-empty mug of Eggnog away from Luna's hoof and readjusting her posture to make sure she wouldn't choke.
"Well well well," He smiled as he looked out the window, and towards a faraway sea of green trees in the distance, "I know where my next big trip will be," He narrowed his eyes, "I'll have to thank Uncle next time I see him," He barked out a short laugh.
"Nah, I don't think so," He shook his head and turned back to his own mug of Bourbon Eggnog.
Smiling victoriously all the while. |
Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 74: Hearth's Warming Day | Prince Blueblood donates to Soup Kitchens across the nation! Princess Mi Amore Cadenza with STUNNING New Necklace! Princess Luna OUTSIDE THE CASTLE??? more on page 8
Closing the newspaper in her hooves, Princess Celestia sighed gently as she took a sip from her morning coffee, a plate with toast and a jar of very good Quail Mayo set beside her on the table.
Closing her eyes in relaxation, Princess Celestia took a bit out of a slice of toast, and let the warm air from the nearby fireplace melt her into her seat.
"Good Morning Princess Celestia," A small smile spread on her lips as her student, Twilight Sparkle, Entered the room, followed by her little brother and assistant, Spike.
"Good Morning to you too, Twilight, How was your night?" Celestia asked, her eyes moving to the pair of gift baskets Spike was attempting to balance.
"It was wonderful, the bed was so soft and the room was so... roomy!" Twilight told the princess, grabbing herself a seat as Celestia levitated a plate with a toast over to her.
"That is nice to hear," Celestia smiled calmly, taking another sip of her coffee.
"We also got these Gift Baskets, Thanks for that by the way," Spike said as he tried placing the baskets he was carrying down on the table, only for him to slip and drop the baskets, allowing them to be caught in Twilight's magic.
"It wasn't me who made them," Celestia told the two before levitating her own basket.
"If it wasn't you, Princess Celestia, then who made these?" Twilight asked before looking into her basket, finding a paper letter.
Grabbing his own letter, Spike opened it and cleared his throat, "Dear Guests of Canterlot Castle, as a celebration of Hearth's Warming and jolly cheer, please enjoy this small gift of BBF Products, consisting of our finest Mayo, Jam, and Hair Conditioner, Ah geez, I don't have hair..." Spike complained before returning to the letter, "Signed with Honor, Prince Blueblood Platinum of Equestria,"
"Prince Blueblood Platinum?" Twilight asked, looking at her own letter and finding the same text written.
"Yes, You remember Blueblood, right?" Celestia asked, smiling humorously at her student's confused expression before she shook her head.
"Never mind that for now, Let us all enjoy our breakfast," The Princess Said as another plate of toast came in.
Opening the Door to her house with a smile on her face, ready to play in the morning snow, A Young Filly paused when she spotted a letter hanging just outside of her mailbox.
With a little glow to her horn, the filly picked up the letter and pulled it closer to read who it was for, before going back inside with the letter in held in her magic.
"Rarity?!" Sweetie Belle called out to her older sister, "Rarity! A Letter arrived for you!"
Instead of getting an answer from her sister, a deep groaning sound was heard from her room upstairs.
Furrowing her brow, Sweetie Belle climbed up the stairs and opened the door to her sister's room, watching as the sudden influx of light combined with the loud sound of her throwing open the door caused the mare sleeping on the bed to tumble out into a mess on the floor.
"Rarity, A letter arrived," Sweetie Belle said easily, not caring for the state her sister was in.
"Ooh, Sweetie Darling, what did I tell you about waking me up?" Rarity asked grouchily, her body still covered by her blanket as she pulled at the expensive fabric covering her in warmth.
"Only to do it when I have something important to tell you?" Sweetie asked, her eyes briefly turning to look at the stamp on the letter before turning back to her sister, "But I think this is important enough,"
"Sweetie, What could be more important than catching up on some beauty sleep? I must look atrocious under this blanket, my mane is a disaster!" Rarity cried dramatically, her Diva personality on full display as she finally pulled her head out of the mangled blanket on the floor, her bedhead splaying her hair everywhere.
"A Letter from the Crown?" Sweetie asked before jumping back as the letter was snatched into Rarity's hooves, quickly opening it and reading it through.
"KYAAAAA!!!!" Rarity screeched in excitement as a specific name appeared on the letter, "PRINCE BLUEBLOOD IS COMING HERE!!!" The Element of Generosity squealed, her little sister covering her ears and wincing at the volume.
"Does it say why?" Sweetie Belle asked as she climbed onto Rarity's Bed in order to get a look at the letter.
"Ahem!" Rarity breathed in before reading out loud, "Dear Miss Rarity, It is in my deepest regrets that I could not have contacted you sooner, He regrets not contacting me! I am writing this letter in order to notify you that on the Sixteenth of January, I will be making a visit to your place of residence as a matter of checkup after the events of the Second Nightmare Moon Scenario, Please keep you schedule open and clear for the day between Nine in the morning and Noon," She read out loud, her eyes sparkling at the thought of the Prince.
"Signed with Honor, Prince Blueblood Platinum of Equestria," Sweetie Belle read the last part herself, before turning to look at her sister, watching her vibrating in place as plentiful scenarios went and passed her mind, dreams of how the Prince might be in person.
Holding her gently as he checked her temperature, His hoof holding her forehead as the warmth of his body flooded her, flinching back as the heat from her head made itself known, only to look down at her and smile confidently, assuring her that everything will be fine, as the two's mouths started inching closer to one another, her breath lost in a sea of pleasure as she finally took a taste of the forbidden fruit, their lips meeting as pleasure turned into passion, with him carrying her into her own bed, ready to make her his...
Rarity's eyes shot open when she felt her legs starting to shake in excitement, ignoring the disgusted look her Sister was giving her for a brief moment.
"I need to start working on a dress, No! A Dress for a home visit is a bit too much, something smaller..." Rarity started mumbling as she stood up and started walking around the room, "A hat? No, Nopony wears a hat indoors to stay fashionable, Would I look good in a Blouse? Who am I kidding I look good in anything, a Blouse it is. Now I need something to go along with it. Denim Pants? Will I rock that look? It's casual enough to fit as loungewear and not be weird, but will it- Of course it will fit me!"
And so with a plan in mind, Rarity raced outside to tell all her friends the good news, Only to immediately run back in as the cold of the snow outside finally woke her up completely.
"I FORGOT TO DO MY MANE!!!"
Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes at her sisters antics as she skipped outside, a little coat on her body and boots on her hooves, Ready to meet up with her friends and tell them what she just learned.
"PRINCE! A GIFT ARRIVED!"
Carrying on his back a basket of gifts, a large Yak walked up to his prince and placed it in front of him.
"For Me?" Prince Rutherford of Yakyakistan asked loudly as he grabbed the letter attached to the basket and tore it open.
"Aha! Friend Blueblood sent this! A Gift for a Pony Holiday! Great Honor it is to recieve!" Rutherford yelled loudly, the elders and officials around him nodding their heads at the severity of the situation.
Grabbing a Bottle of Expensive Wine from the Basket, Prince Rutherford popped the cork and gave the bottle a chug, his eyes widening at the taste of the Equestrian Grapes.
"JORGEN!" The Prince called for one of his aides, "Make a Gift Basket! We Honor our Friend! Prince Blueblood of Equestria Needs a Good Gift! Highest of Quality!"
"YES YOUR MAJESTY!!!"
In The City of Dimondia, In the Castle of Queen Katherina Proudpaws, the fast tapping of feet could be heard in the early morning.
"Indy Wake up!"
Rolling out of her bed quickly, Princess Indiana Ambereyes dropped low to the ground as her youngest sister tried to leap into a hug, a basket held in left arm.
"Stop entering my room when I sleep Fiona, I could have hurt you if you didn't make yourself known," The Malamute Diamond Dog told her Golden Labrador sibling.
"But you didn't, and I did, And look!" Fiona Floppyears showed her the gift basket.
"What is that?" Indiana asked as she stood up from her place on the floor.
"It's a Gift Basket, Duh." Fiona rolled her eyes as she threw the basket at her sibling while she jumped on her bed.
Easily catching the basket, Indiana took out the note attached and read it, a small smile spreading on her face once she finished.
"So?" Fiona asked as she stopped jumping on the mattress, folding her legs as she sat on the bed, "What do you think? I got some amazing conditioner, Super sweet of him," She leaned back on the bed, wrapping herself up in her sister's blanket.
"I think It's nice," Indiana smiled at her sister before sniffing the air and wincing, "Did you shower this morning?"
"Ehehe, No?" Fiona wrapped herself more deeply into the blanket, slowly burying herself from her Sister's stern gaze.
"Fiona! Now I need to change my bedding!" Indiana cried, Grabbing her blanket and lifting it above her head, her sister squealing as she was dragged in the direction of the royal bathroom, Her blaket of warmth swiftly becoming her prison of Soap.
"Nooo! I don't want to take a shower! Noooo!!!"
Omake: A Prince From an Upcoming Arc
"Come on Portunes! You know how much I want to go!"
Deep in the heart of the Everfree Forest lies a Kingdom, hidden from the rest of the world by the trees and leaves of nature and magic.
"No, Prince Bramble, And I will tell you again, It is not safe for you outside outside the Forest."
That Kingdom was ruled by the Deer, A Magical Species who commanded the flora of the wild with their spells. A Long History of Magical Research and Mystery did they have.
"But Portunes!" A Young Brown Deer cried at the larger Armored Deer before him, "It's Snowing!"
"Then you can enjoy the snow, Inside the walls of the Kingdom." The Green-armored Stag told the Fawn as he shook his head, "You know the rules."
Shaking his small body in frustration, the young dear shouted, "Stop treating me like a Fawn!" before bolting away from his guard, skipping over the snow on the ground as he hopped up onto a low branch, using it as a springboard to jump even higher onto a platform hanging between a pair of tall trees, skipping around the plenty of other deer walking about the hanging bridge of magical vines and wood.
"There he goes again," Portunes the Guard sighed as he watched his Prince once more dash away.
Making his way around the Wooden Kingdom of Thicket, Prince Bramble slowed down as he reached a secluded corner of the wall surrounding the Kingdom.
Looking around to make sure he wasn't followed, the Young Prince smirked as he pulled aside a bush, revealing a hole in the wall which he quickly and quietly climbed out of.
As he stepped outside the tall wooden walls of Thicket, He smiled widely as he started dashing through the snow, his joyful laughter alerting the small woodland creatures living nearby to his presence as they too exited their dens and nests and joined the young prince in his joyful play.
"This is so Fun!" He cheered, Smiling at a small yellow bird resting on his shoulder, "And one day I'll venture outside our forest! To where the ponies live! And then I'll show Papa that there's nothing wrong with seeing the wide world!"
The forest critters cheered for the young prince, enchanted by his youthful hope.
Rolling onto the snow below him, Prince Bramble smiled widely as he looked at the canopy of leaves above him, the sun barely peeking through the treetops.
"I'll be out of the woods, a great big world," he smiled at the little bit of sky he could see.
"You know I'm Waiting for it," |
Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 75: An Uneventful Day | "So I've been thinking..."
Halting the world around them and clicking her fingers, Cosmos and Cadance returned to the expensive living room of the Oceanfront Mansion Blueblood loved to create.
"Yes?" Cosmos asked. the world the two previously enjoyed themselves in was now underneath a pause screen on the Television in front of them.
"I told you about Shining Armor, right?" Cadance asked as she lay on her stomach, her back legs moving back and forth above her as she gently kicked the air.
"He's the Guard Captain you're dating, Yeah?" Cosmos said as a small plastic figurine of a blue-maned Unicorn appeared next to her.
Picking up the figure, Cadance smiled lightly as she poked the Unicorn, "I've been thinking of taking the next step-"
"Sex?" Cosmos asked with a tilt of her head, Causing Cadance to cough loudly into her hooves, the Shining-Armor Figurine falling onto the floor.
"WHAT?! NO!!!" Cadance cried, her face bright red from the embarrassment, "We can't do that! We're not married yet!"
"Why not? Blueblood and I aren't married, and we've had lots of sex," Cosmos calmly said, a slender blue finger poking the boiling red cheek of her Alicorn Friend.
"Wha- DON'T TALK ABOUT MY COUSIN'S SEX LIFE!!!" Cadance cried, shoving her head into a nearby pillow and hiding her face in embarrassment.
"Fine~" Cosmos groaned out with a roll to her eyes before smiling mischievously, her false torso elongating like a snake and wrapping around Cadance as she yelped in surprise, pulling her into a constricting hug.
"So, what were you gonna' say?" She asked with a smile as she held Cadance, Cheek touching Cheek in an over-the-shoulder hug.
"I-" Cadance took a deep breath, briefly looking at the Powerful Spirit in her Yellow Eyes, noting her excited and mischievous glint, "I think I want to get married..."
Cosmos blinked after a momentary pause, taking the time to process the new information she just received.
"That's the next step? I thought It'd be moving in to live with him... No, Wait a moment! YES!!!" The confusion quickly made way for excitement as Cosmos pulled her body back to normal length, spinning the Princess of Love in a twirl as she unwound like a spring.
"Can I be the wedding planner?! I always wanted to be one since ten seconds ago! This is like a dream come true!!! EEEEEEEEEEE!!!!" The Spirit of Space squealed in excitement as she shook her hands, her control over her illusionary body leaving her in her excitement of the news, causing her to revert to her physical form of a Head with a Right Arm.
"It's an exciting thought, right?" Cadance asked with a giddy smile, her horn glowing blue as she picked the decapitated head off the floor.
"EXCITING?! THIS IS INSANE CADY!!!" Cosmos screamed with a wide smile, her eyes physically glowing with excitement as the two girls squeed and wowed at the prospect of one of them getting married.
The two spent the rest of the night bringing up ways for Princess Mi Amore Cadenza to ask Captain Shining Armor to marry her.
Because obviously Cadance has to make the first move, It's Shining Armor we're talking about here.
Standing on a port in Baltimare, I breathed in the crisp morning air as I watched the sunrise across the water.
Only I wasn't looking at the sun rising, my eyes were instead glued to the beauty of mechanical engineering floating across the water.
The First of ten ships I commissioned the construction of, A full 230 Meters Long, A 30 Meter Beam, A 10 Meter Draft with a Deadweight Tonnage of 55,000
Nineteen Magical Engines in Seven different engine rooms, Each running on a modified Arcane-Flux-Conducter. A Single engine room is capable of running the entire ship for several days before needing to refuel.
Five of the engine rooms are working simultaneously to power the ship, while the final two remain off until cases of emergency where they will automatically turn on after shutting off the regular engines.
Each one of these magnificent monsters will have a crew of twenty-five people running it, Five Engineers, Three Cooks, And Seventeen Seafarers.
This is just the first one, the construction of all of them won't finish until after the Summer Sun Celebration.
"Did we really have to wake up at four in the morning to look at a boat?" I smirked widely as Starlight Glimmer croaked tiredly behind me, dark shadows under her eyes as she held a Styrofoam cup of hot coffee in her magic.
"Of course we did," I tell her, my eyes not leaving the ship and the large B B F Written in bold letters on its side, "We are looking at the future of trade, Starlight, In twenty Years every nation that doesn't want to be left in the dark ages will have one of these beautiful babies," I turn away from the ship as I smile widely at Starlight, the sun rising behind me as my shadow covered the Pier I was standing on, shading Starlight in the process.
"And when asked how this magnificent event of our collective history began, they'll point out and say-" I Paused for dramatic effect before continuing quietly, "It was because of Prince Blueblood Platinum..."
"Ahuh," Starlight nodded uncaringly, "But couldn't we have done all of this during," She paused to roll her eyes, "Oh I don't know? Not FIVE IN THE MORNING?!"
I cringed and rubbed my head as Starlight yelled at me, "Not so loud Starlight, Some people are trying to sleep," I smirked at her as I watched her eye twitch in annoyance.
"Anyway, Get a pen out, I need to write a letter to Queen Jennino Lanternlight," I turned back to the ship, my eyes glinting as I smirked.
"Tell her to get the Goods Ready..."
"Why are you saying it like that?" She asked before taking another sip of her cup.
"Saying it like what?" I ask.
"Get the Goods Ready, Are you trying to sound like a drug dealer? Because if you keep talking like that ponies will start thinking you're some sort of black market merchant," Starlight said calmly, levitating her cup closer to her face as the warm steam emanating from the Coffee inside heated her face. Her breath left a cloud of frosty air as she sighed at the warmth.
"Wow, way to ruin the mood Starlight," I Click my tongue and turn to walk back to the city proper, "Anyway just write the letter later, I saw a nice breakfast place on our way here that I want to check out, Your treat."
"Sure sure... Hey!" Starlight exclaimed as she started walking after me, "What do you mean by My Treat?"
"It means you're paying, obviously," I tried my best to keep my face neutral as I fought to stop myself from laughing at her reactions.
I love being a Prince.
"Girls! Check this out, The new cover of my brand new book!" In a House Hidden in the Woods of southern Equestria, Award-winning author and Archeologist, A K Yearling, Held above her head the newest book in her collection of action-adventure novels.
"Daring Do and the Mystery of the Sunken Scarab!" She yelled happily, receiving a round of sarcastic applause from the two other people in her house.
The cover showed the titular character, Daring Do, Jumping over the railing of a ship as she dove to catch her hat which flew away, In the background below the title text, was an outline of two black figures standing over a shining Gold outline.
"I had to remove and change a lot of the details to keep the rest of the crew anonymous, now it's a Murder Mystery with a shapeshifting killer! Which actually turns out to be two killers in a magnificent twist all along, Ending with yours truly stopping an assassination attempt on Prince Gold-Star, The Nephew of a foreign Princess! Any questions?" A K Yearling said before turning to her new roommates.
"Yeah," The smaller Roommate, a surprisingly mature Pink Pegasus Filly, asked her question, "What did you do about the entirety of our Caninia visit?"
"I removed it, Now we only reach Glaros and then turn back after a night on the island," Yearling told the filly, who nodded in acceptance before flying to do something more interesting.
"I Have a better question!" The second Roommate raised her voice, a clawed talon raised in the air like a student raising their arm to get the teacher's attention, "Do I do anything cool in the book?"
"No Gilda, you're the comic relief," Yearling smirked at the Griffon, smiling at the squawk of indignation leaving her beak.
"But Zephyr is the obvious comic relief character!" Gilda pointed out as she rose from the couch she was laying on and pointed her hand at Yearling.
"Don't you mean Gust? He and Doktor share a few scenes along the story, but their involvement is always unimportant or in the background until the confrontation with the killer. As usual, I'm the Star of the Show, until the cast splits off to defeat the Killers at the end, with The Prince and his secret lover Bodyguard fighting against the mastermind while I and everypony else defeat the Shapeshifting Chef," A K Yearling ducked under a swipe from the irritated Griffin as she chuckled at the reaction her roommate was having.
"Stop dodging so I can hit you!" Gilda squawked as she jumped over the couch in an attempt to tackle Yearling, only to miss her entirely and crash onto the floor.
"As if you can catch me!" Yearling shouted at her before throwing the book onto the table and dashing to the door of her house, "Let's see you try, Slowpoke!"
"Grrr Get back here!" Gilda screamed as she also flew out of the house, chasing after the confident author.
"..." Slowly moving to the table and picking up the book, Cozy Glow hummed to herself before taking it to the living room, swiftly returning to the kitchen in order to make a plate of fruit to snack on. As Cozy Glow walked back to her now usual spot in the living room, a gust of cold wind from outside caused her to shiver.
Walking slowly over to the door, The filly poked her head and looked up, seeing the Griffon and the Mare wrestling in the air.
"CLOSE THE DOOR WHEN YOU LEAVE!!!" The filly yelled at the two adults before slamming the door shut and returning to her spot in the Living Room.
Sometimes it felt like she was the only adult in this house, and she's only Twelve.
In the jungles south of Equestria, Inside a Caravan hidden under a camouflage of leaves, A Blue Unicorn stared at the branch she spent all this time trying to get.
Made almost entirely out of White Crystal, the core of the branch was infused with natural harmonic magic. The tree the branch was connected to was the only tree on a small island in the middle of a lake of liquid diamonds.
The magical energy capable of being channeled through a Staff using this branch as a core will definitely make her one of the most powerful sorcerers in All of Equestria.
And then she could finally have her revenge...
"Yo Trix, I know we traveled all the way here so you could get this shiny twig and all, but can we hurry on back to civilization now? I really need to shower," Trixie Lulamoon paused as her newest friend poked his head over her shoulder.
"It's not a twig, Zephyr, this is a branch of a harmonically infused crystal willow tree." Trixie explained to her roommate.
"A Branch is just a slightly bigger Twig, so I don't see the difference, Now can we go back? I'm starting to smell like Swamp and Mud," The Teal Pegasus complained as he pulled his mane away from his head, the hairs sticking to his coat causing the Stallion to quiver in disgust.
"Fine! But next expedition there will be no complaining, you hear?!" Trixie pointed a hoof at Zephyr, who merely put on a smile and nodded his head.
"No promises," He said casually before exiting the caravan and starting to pull, the wooden wheels of the mobile home grinding into the soft ground for a moment before they popped out of the mud and the Caravan started rolling.
As Trixie was grumbling under her breath while securing the Crystal Willow Branch into a case, a note magically appeared in front of her.
Opening it without thought and reading what was written, She blinked before smiling, her eyes briefly moving to her quickly dwindling supplies of fresh food.
There was only so much canned food she could stomach before jumping in front of her own caravan wheels in an attempt to commit insurance fraud.
"Zephyr!" Trixie cried as she poked her head out the window of the Caravan, looking down at the Pegasus pulling her home, "A Letter from the Prince arrived, We might be getting a job!"
"Really?" Zephyr asked as he kept his eyes on the muddy road, "Awesome, that means I won't have to give you all my rent money,"
"You don't give me any rent money," The Unicorn pointed out.
"Exactly, that's why I love you Trix, you really know how to treat a friend," The Pegasus said, not noticing the blush spreading on the Unicorn's face, "Anyways, That was good timing, right? We're heading back to the city to sell all these Crystal you found, and now we have our job back. Nice."
"We are only selling the regular crystals, anything magic remains here," Trixie told him, her eyes moving to the crate of crystals and gems the duo had collected over the past month.
"Like that Twig of yours?"
"IT'S A BRANCH!"
"Whatever~"
In the quiet town of Ponyville, The Golden Oaks Library stood quiet and firm, the thick tree that made up the building standing tall and proud over the rest of the surrounding buildings of the small town.
"PRINCESS CELESTIA IS COMING TO VISIT NEXT WEEK?!?!"
Until a shrill scream shook the tree to its very core.
"I'M TRYING TO SLEEP! STOP SCREAMING!!!" A Neighbour raised her voice as she poked her head out of her window, glaring at the hollow tree.
"YOU'RE THE ONE SCREAMING ROSE!" Another neighbor screamed out from his window.
"I DON KNOW WHAT WE BE SCREAMING ABOUT BUT THIS Do SEEM FUN!" A third neighbor joined the cacophony.
And soon all of Ponyville was awake, with all the townspeople glaring angrily at the Golden Oaks Library for waking them up so early.
By the time the afternoon arrived, nobody remembered why they were angry and they all simply moved on.
All except for the Librarian of Ponyville, the Element of Magic herself.
"Spike, get all the girls gathered, I need their help preparing," She told her assistant.
"Aye Aye, Twilight!" Spike saluted before running outside, quickly running back inside and grabbing a winter coat before running back outside.
"And I also need to get Winter Wrap Up in order, This might be disastrous... Princess Celestia might banish me, or imprison me," Twilight paused before shaking her head at the silly thought, Princess Celestia would never do something like that-
"SHE'S GOING TO BANISH ME TO A PRISON FAR AWAY!!!"
No Twilight, Obviously she wouldn't...
Omake: Does the Narrator have a real job?
I am not narrating this Omake, find a better story.
On a different note, Thank you for including me in the chapter proper, it's not much but I do enjoy adding my thoughts to what I narrate.
But I am not narrating this Omake of yours, Maybe you could write about The Pony of Shadows drawing funny faces with a magic marker on the crystal pods the Pillars of Equestria are slumbering inside. I won't have a problem narrating that.
Now Finish the Chapter Already, You don't have an Omake to- |
Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 76: Pavane for a Dead Prince (Bonus) | Is it not a wondrous sight? Those stars glimmering in the night sky?
Is it not a wondrous sight? The sparks of untamed Mana escaping the horn of a fledgling Unicorn?
Is it not a wondrous sight? The intricately woven web of symbols, a work of art that is not but a piece to a larger puzzle that is our world?
Is it not a wondrous sight? The shadows extending over our land as the sun sets and the moon takes its place?
Is it not a wondrous sight? The Golden Splendor of the throne where the Princess sits?
Is it not a wondrous sight? The tears which rain from the cries of the sister, who wishes only to be loved by her subjects.
Is it not a wondrous sight? The ear in which I whispered the truth, forgotten by my years of preparation?
Is it not a wondrous sight? The Spells flying across the city as the Sun and the Moon fought for dominance?
Is it not a wondrous sight? Such a grand and encapsulating Distraction?
Is it not a wondrous sight? The Curses which I threw at my own family, as I butchered them in our ancestral home?
Is it not a wondrous sight? The eyes of a Filly, hiding underneath the shrubbery, hoping to escape the carnage which I hath committed on this most illustrious of days.
Is it not a wondrous sight? The Blood of my Father which stained my hooves, As I spread his body across the Everfree as nothing more than dust?
Is it not a wondrous sight? The Queen of the Deer, who innocently got caught in the carnage I partook?
Is it not a wondrous sight? Our manor on this most illustrious of days, as the Sun banishes the Moon, And the blood washes away the fire?
Is it not a wondrous sight? The Celebration of the masses, Cheering for the defeat of their very own princess, to the sister who wanted nothing more than to be happy?
Is it not a wondrous sight? The Shield, The Mask, The Flower, The Blindfold, And the Shovel?
Is it not a wondrous sight? The Journal of My Teacher, Left without Guard as the Pillars Comforted the Sun?
Is it not a wondrous sight? This magnanimous Plan of mine, coming to fruition as all the pieces of the Puzzle fell into place?
Is it not a wondrous sight? The Statue in the garden, The Being who fell for my plow with never the thought?
Is it not a wondrous sight? The Gem which I held, A Shard of a greater being, who so foolishly trusted a Liar such as I?
Is it not a wondrous sight? This Well of Untapped Magic which I have found deep below the darkness?
Is it not a wondrous sight? The Months I spent in the Depth, As the ones who should have stopped me were none the wiser?
Is it not a wondrous sight? This Masterwork of Magic that will fulfill my Vision, As I ascend higher than the Moon and Sun?
Is it not a wondrous sight? The Anger in the heroes' eyes as they arrived too late to stop me?
Is it not a wondrous sight? The fear in their soul as the hopelessness of their victory made itself apparent?
Is it not a wondrous sight? The Fool who acts as the lead of the circus, Hardens his mind for a most illustrious performance?
Is it not a wondrous sight? The acceptance on their face as they sacrificed their bodies in order to banish us all into Limbo?
Is it not a wondrous sight? The Gem I held, The Puzzle for the return of an even greater Being, which would attract the attention of a mind curious and hungry?
Is it not a wondrous sight? That I have planned this all? The Defeat? The Banishment? The Return?
Is it not a wondrous sight? The Genius that I was, who thought of any conceivable option in advance? Who had an escape planned long before the heroes thought of Banishment?
But truly, Is it not a most wondrous sight? That even I could not have planned for the curious mind to free me?
For who would have considered? The Filly who hid under the Bush as the Blood flew above her head, would survive long enough to bear children, and those same children would bear more spawn, as the House which I made sure would go extinct with the Moon miraculously survived, as the Last Descendant of my Father's blood approached my Prison.
Oh, How Poetic! How Miraculous and Wondrous Indeed!
That I have found a Pony who I wish so clearly to Kill in this day and Age!
That I have found a Pony who I wish so clearly would Kill me in this day and Age!
"Know This, Dearest Nephew, That when you free me from this prison, We will do battle for the fate of the Future. And Only one of us may walk away the victor..."
Oh, How Poetic indeed... |
Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 77: A Joke of a Visit 1 | It was shortly after sunrise that Princess Luna of Equestria found herself flying out of her window on the top of her tower, a small grey creature held in her hooves.
"Sister! Sister!" Luna yelled as she knocked on her sister's bedroom window, "Sister! Open up!"
Putting her face close to the window in order to search for her sister inside, Princess Luna couldn't ready herself for the window to suddenly slide open, letting her fall onto her face as the glass she was leaning on disappeared from her legs.
"Sister! You need to-" Luna pushed herself from the floor as if nothing happened as she turned her head to look at the other pony in the room, only to pause as she came face to face with an unamused Prince Blueblood.
"Oh..." Luna quieted down as her eyes quickly flickered around the room, seeing maps and designs on the wall, pictures of different ponies and creatures taped onto a board, a full-length mirror, and a walk-in closet right beside a bathroom.
"This isn't Celly's room, is it?" She asked, her face flushed in embarrassment.
"No." Blueblood answered blankly, "Celestia is two doors to the right." His eyes twitched as he fought off a yawn.
"We see..." Luna nodded in understanding before she spread apart her front legs to show him what she held, "Friend Blueblood, Look! An Opossum!"
Held close to Princess Luna was an Opossum, covered in gray fur with a white head and a long pink bald tail, small pink paws at the ends of its limbs.
"We have decided to call him Tibbles! It is short for Tiberius, Clever aren't we?" The Princess of the night smiled proudly at her choice of pet, closing her eyes and waiting for her friend to agree with her.
"Luna..." Blueblood tiredly said.
"Yes, Friend Blueblood?"
"Do you know what time it is?"
"Why of course!" Luna nodded her head, and with her eyes still closed and a smile on her face, she said "It's Five-thirty in the morning."
"Good," Blueblood said as he turned away from her and went back to bed, "Wake me up in Ninety minutes." He told her.
Slowly opening her eyes, Luna noticed that the Prince was no longer standing before her.
Seeing as he returned to sleep, A mischievous grin crossed Luna's face as she sneaked out of his room, not bothering to close the window she came in from, and started her masterful prank.
"Now where did we keep those petals..."
My eyelids twitched as I heard the sound of someone snickering above me.
"Oh this is going to be so good," I heard Luna whisper with a snicker before I felt something gently touch my forehead.
And then I fell off the bed.
Quickly opening my eyes, I sat up to see that I wasn't off the bed. I was inside it. Princess Luna lay on her back as she laughed out loud at whatever it was that she'd done to me.
I stood up, my legs wiggling slightly as I tried to find my balance while I walked through my bed as if it were an illusion, and stood above Luna.
"Oh, this is so funny!" She laughed as she rolled on my floor, the disease-carrying pest she decided to keep was hanging on to her mane.
"Yes, Very Funny," I answered in a monotone voice as I stared down at the Alicorn lying on my floor.
"We know," Luna smiled as she looked up at me from her spot on the floor, "Do not worry Friend Blueblood, the cure for your condition should be ready by the evening,"
I froze at that. My eyes quickly flicked to the calendar hanging on my wall.
Shit.
Oh wait, this is a Prank. Of course.
"Ahaha, Yes what a funny Joke this is Luna, now let's be serious, where's the antidote to whatever it is you gave me," I asked with a smile, She almost got me with that joke of hers, I was really starting to panic for a moment.
How unbecoming of me.
"The ingredients for the cure will arrive in the evening," Luna said with a smile, the Opossum in her mane turning to look at me before it returned to playing with her hair.
I waited for her to say Sike, because of course she would.
And then I waited some more, A relaxed smile on my face as I stared down into Luna's Cyan eyes, Still waiting for her to say the words and give me the cure.
"Are you not going to laugh some more?" Luna asked, acting as if we were having a totally normal interaction as if she wasn't lying on her back on the floor of my bedroom.
"I fail to see what I should be laughing about?" I told her, still waiting for her to drop the act and give me the cure.
Because there is a cure, for obvious reasons.
Who in their right mind would drug someone without an antidote on standby? You always need an antidote for the victim, and an extra antidote in case something happens to the first antidote. That's the basics of Poisoning 101.
Still waiting for Luna to tell me she was just pranking me before giving the cure, I went to open my closet.
Only to have my hoof pass through the handle.
With a twitch of annoyance to the eye, I used my magic to open the closet and levitated out a suit.
I had to make sure I looked good, I had several meetings today and I couldn't afford to give off a bad impression.
My eye twitched once again as the sharp, charcoal grey suit with gold buttons that I picked passed through my body as if it were an Illusion.
"Luna," I started, my eyes looking at myself in the mirror as I magically picked up my suit from the ground, "this isn't that funny," I stared at her reflection in the mirror, "Give me the cure."
Luna's smile seemed to lower as she sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck.
"Emm, We already said it'll be ready in the evening." She smiled sheepishly as she looked away.
"You're joking, please stop. I'm being serious." I stared at her intently through the reflection, "Give me the cure,"
"We can't, We already said-" Whatever Luna planned to say was cut off as my hoof passed through her head.
I stared at the hoof I raised before I retracted my limb, staring at the leg as I hummed to myself.
"Intangibility... Shit."
Princess Luna felt her breath stop in shock as the hoof passed through her face.
"Intangibility... Shit." Luna's ears flicked as she heard her friend say those words.
"Blueblood... Did you just-" Luna tried to speak but Blueblood didn't seem to hear her.
"Shit Shit Shit," Blueblood said, staring at his hoof as he walked around his room.
"Shit Shit Shit Shit Shit Shitting Shit Fucking Dammit Fuck Fuck Shit Fucking Shit Shit Fuck Fuck Fuck Fucking Fuck God Dammit Fucking Shit Fuck!"
Luna watched with wide eyes as her Friend fell to his knees, the tirade of curses leaving his mouth seemingly with no end spilled from his mouth as he kept cursing before he shouted out,
"Fuck!"
Holding his head in his legs for a couple of moments, only to quickly stand up and shake his head, his face clear of any anger or hint that something was wrong.
"Luna?" he called simply, His eyes staring at the door to his Bedroom.
"Yes, Friend Blueblood?" Luna answered, sitting up from her spot on the floor.
"You are going to help me do my job today. Understood?" He said more than he asked, a glow of his horn pulled several papers from his table and put them into a small bag before an Illusion of the suit he wanted to wear appeared over him.
"We understand..." Luna sighed as she stood up, grabbing the bag with papers that Blueblood handed her before the two left the room.
It was as the two were walking down the corridor, that Luna asked him the question she meant to ask him five minutes before.
"Did you try and punch our face?" She asked incredulously, Tiberius holding on to her mane as he two stared at Blueblood with amazement.
"Of course I did, I had to prove whether whatever you did to me made me intangible to living beings as well as inanimate objects." He explained.
"Wha- So why punch our face? You could have tapped our shoulder."
"Because I had a perfectly good excuse to Punch a Princess in the face without facing any consequences for it, I saw an opportunity and I took it." He told her, a small smirk appearing on his face as he started to return to a more cheerful mood.
"Oh." Luna nodded in understanding before another thought popped into her head.
"What would have happened if you weren't intangible to Living Creatures?"
Blueblood simply stared at her, before his horn glowed as a miniature illusion of Luna lying on her back appeared before her eyes, followed by a miniature illusion of Blueblood punching her in the face, the force of the hit cracking the illusionary floor beneath her head as her eyes were replaced with two spinning swirls.
Luna stared blankly at the knocked-out Illusion before scoffing and turning to look at Blueblood, "It would take more than that to take us down," She told him with a smirk, her eyes staring into his as if inviting a challenge.
A Challenge Blueblood was all too eager to accept.
"Tomorrow we'll see how true that is," He smiled widely at her, his toothy grin seeming somewhat feral in the light of the sun coming through the window.
"Very well," Luna nodded at her friend, "Tomorrow we shall spar, We have not fought any creature since Nightmare Moon returned, and we do not wish to become rusted."
"Haha!" Blueblood barked out a laugh, "I aim to please," He smirked his feral smile at her before he continued walking.
And seeing him walk away, Luna nodded to herself.
"You aren't as complicated as you look," She thought to herself as she watched him walk away before she started trotting after him. Her little Tibbles still holding onto her mane. |
Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 78: A Joke of a Visit 2 | "Sweetie Belle wake up!"
It was Eight in the morning when a yell rang across Carousel Boutique.
Covering her ears with her pillow as she tried to sleep longer, Sweetie Belle mumbled "Five more minutes," But luck was not on her side, as with a push of light blue magic, The door to her room was flung open.
"Sweetie Belle I know you can hear me, I need you to wake up," At the door stood her older sister, Rarity, With a lilac blouse around her torso and a cornflower blue scarf around her neck.
"But Rarity, there's no school today," Sweetie Belle mumbled groggily as she crawled out of her bed, rubbing her eyes.
"I know, But Prince Blueblood is coming in an hour and I need you out of the house," Rarity told her as she cleaned her room with a spark of her magic.
"That's today?" Sweetie Belle asked as she moved her head in circles, stretching her neck before walking into the bathroom to brush her teeth.
"Yes, And I don't want to inconvenience him with any distractions, so you'll need to leave the house before he arrives," Rarity explained as she took a spot next to Sweetie Belle in front of the mirror, checking her eyelashes one last time.
"Why? He's only coming to make sure you're not going crazy after Nightmare Moon kidnapped you," Sweetie said after spitting her toothpaste into the sink, "It said so in the letter,"
"Perhaps, But even still-"
"Blueblood, Mind telling me why you're intangible?" Starlight Glimmer asked once she joined Luna and I for breakfast.
"Starlight, Magic," I answered simply as I took a bite of my food, Air.
"I see, So what spell did you mess up this time? Because I don't know if you notice, but there's a difference between getting the colors of a sail wrong, and accidentally turning yourself into a ghost," Starlight asked sarcastically as she taunted me by taking a bite of her food.
"Blueblood's state is not of his own fault," Luna spoke up after taking a sip of her morning coffee.
I want coffee.
"It was our own negligence and failure to prepare that has caused us to reach this situation-" I cut Luna off.
"She poisoned me,"
Luna sputtered, Starlight widening her eyes as she stared at me in disbelief.
"She poisoned you?" Starlight repeated as if finding it hard to believe.
"It was a Poison Joke," Luna said before returning to her food, refusing to meet my stare.
"Oh..." Starlight nodded in understanding, "Yeah I can see that. Wait, If you're intangible now, Does that mean we won't be going to Ponyville today?" She asked, excited at the prospect of not doing her job.
"Sadly we can't postpone our visit, I assure you I would love to not go near that magnet of Bad Luck that is Ponyville, but as a Prince, I have a duty to make sure the victims of national tragedies are well taken care of-" My carefully thought up excuse for why I'm going to Ponyville was interrupted as Starlight once again opened her mouth.
"You just want the Sweet Apple Acres deal to happen," She said as a matter of fact, and I had no real retort.
Because why would I retort? Buying Apples for BBF Foods is the main reason, and the only real reason, I have to go to that town.
It's just for a year, Sweet Apple Acres will be selling the Blueblood Foundation apples in bulk. By next year I'll already be able to buy directly from Appleloosa instead.
With International Trade already happening between me and Queen Lanternlight, and with the success of my Jams and Mayo already spreading like wildfire, It's safe to say that the North Equestria Railway System is my next step, followed by the Pony/Yak railway that'll connect us to Yakyakistan.
Once that's done, It'll be back to searching for Cosmos's other body parts.
"Squeak," My plans for economic domination were interrupted by the pest that Luna decided to adopt reminding me that he exists.
"Is that a White-Crowned Opossum?" A Voice asked as Celestia entered the room, carrying a birdcage under her wing as she took a seat at the table.
"Are you not going to eat anything, Blublu?" Celestia asked once she saw the empty space in front of where I was sitting.
"Squawk!" So eloquently added the bald... I want to say Turkey? In Celestia's Birdcage.
"I'm physically incapable of eating right now, also please don't call me Blublu, it's weird," I told her.
"Why not? Lulu has a nickname, And Cadance already calls you by a Nickname, so why not let your Mama give you a nickname too?" Celestia asked.
"Because Cadance is Cadance, I'm pretty sure she has nicknames for everyone," I answered her with a roll of my eyes, "Also I'm almost thirty, I'm past the age for nicknames, seeing as I'm not a five-year-old child."
I stood up from the chair illusion I created to sit on, "Anyhow, Luna, Starlight, It's time to go," I nodded to the Turkey as it was the only thing on the table I didn't have any issue with at the moment, I walked through the table as if it wasn't there and passed through the door into the corridor outside the dining room, waiting for the two Mares who'll be joining me for today.
Celestia watched her Son walk through the door as if it wasn't there before she turned back to her Sister on the table.
"What did you do this time?" Celestia asked Luna, smirking at her sister's attempt at avoiding her eyes.
"We might have... placed a petal of Poison Joke on his head without preparing a cure," Luna answered sheepishly, scratching her cheek in embarrassment.
"Well, Have fun you two," Celestia told Luna as she picked herself up and joined Blueblood outside the dining room.
An Awkward silence then enveloped the room as Celestia stared at the only other Pony in the room.
"I'll- I'll be taking my leave then," Starlight said hurriedly before she teleported out of the room, not wanting to walk around the Princess of the Sun.
And as the silence encapsulated the room once more, Celestia chuckled to herself as she turned to her pet bird.
"He's just being a little Grumpy," Celestia smirked at the thought of her son curling up on her legs as she read him a book, something she always wanted to do but never had the opportunity to.
"You know, Philomena, Blueblood has been way more open about himself in the last few months," She said as she rested an elbow on the table, holding her head in her hoof, "Which means our visit to Ponyville today is more important than ever before,"
"Squawk?" The Molting Phoenix asked as she scratched a patch of feathers with her foot.
"Checking up on Twilight? Of course We'll be doing that, but we already know how things are with her," Celestia rolled her eyes with a smile, "She never stops sending letters, that girl, But it's her friend Pinkie Pie that we're after, remember, Blueblood cannot learn of what we're doing today,"
"Squawk," Philomena banged her head on the cage in an approximation of a nod, a couple of thin pink feathers falling off her head as she did.
"I'll buy you cream so you'll rebirth already, fine. Really what's with you this decade, you should have been reborn months ago," Celestia rolled her eyes at her Pet's antics before quickly finishing her breakfast.
"And besides, What are the chances Blueblood will be in Ponyville? He's probably going to speak with his Shipwright pals about his boats again,"
"Squawk," Philomena shook her head and curled into a ball, scratching at her feathers as Celestia picked her cage up and exited the dining room.
"Fine Fine, I'm going to the clubhouse, Stop pushing it," Sweetie Belle complained at her sister as she walked towards the door.
"Great, And remember Sweetie, It's only until Twelve, just three hours, that's nothing for you," Rarity called out to her as she quickly sprayed perfume on her neck and checked her makeup one last time.
"Okay!" Sweetie Belle yelled before she opened the door.
And stopped as she stared at the broad chest of a well dressed White Stallion.
"Hello, Is this the Carousel Botique?" The Stallion asked with a soft smile on his face, his horn glowing as he levitated a bag over his shoulders.
Sweetie looked around the Stallion, her eyes widening as she spotted two familiar ponies she hadn't seen in months.
"Princess Luna!" She exclaimed as her eyes met those of the princess of the night, who gave her a little wave in greeting.
"And the other one!" Sweetie exclaimed again as she looked at the Unicorn who helped the Princesses take down Nightmare Moon and free her Sister from her control.
"The other one..." The mare mumbled as she looked away from the filly, afraid the two other ponies of her group would see the blush on her face as she smiled weakly at the filly's excitement.
"Then that means..." Sweetie Belle put two and two together as her eyes returned to the Stallion in front of her, "You're Prince Blueblood!"
On the other side of the house, Rarity tripped on her hooves as she heard her little sister yell it out, resulting in a cloud of makeup to fall onto her.
"Haha, yes, I am Prince Blueblood Platinum," The prince smiled at her, and for a moment Sweetie Belle understood why her Sister loved to talk about him.
"Will you marry my sister?" Sweetie Belle asked innocently, a loud crashing sound heard coming from the back of the building as those words entered Rarity's ears.
Prince Blueblood blinked at that question before he burst out laughing before turning to Princess Luna.
"Hahahaha! See Luna, this is how you tell a joke! Hahahaha!" He laughed uproariously before he calmed down, "You know what kid, I like your style," The bag that levitated over his shoulders opened up with a glow of his horn, a small pile of bits levitated out before he put it in a small bag, "Here, Fifty bits, go buy yourself something nice," The bag of coins dropped in front of Sweetie Belle, who grabbed the bag in her mouth.
"Don't tell your parents, okay?" He asked her with a wink, which she happily returned before moving passed him and running off to tell her friends.
Still in the bathroom, Rarity stood up from the mess of spilled makeup and perfume she created on the floor before she saw herself in the mirror.
"Ah~" She quickly covered her mouth, hoping the Prince didn't hear her before she looked back at her reflection.
She was a mess, her Purple Mane was caked with white powder, Her face was smeared with Lipstick, Her eyelashes were crooked, and there was a stain of perfume on her blouse making her look as if she drooled on it.
"I need to fix this," Rarity whispered to herself before she called out.
"I'll be there in a minute, Just need to get some stuff ready!"
"I'll be there in a minute, Just need to get some stuff ready!"
Hearing those words leave the room on the other side of the house, I turned to Starlight and Luna.
"How much are we betting that we'll be waiting more than a minute?" I asked, "Because I'm willing to bet One-hundred,"
"Nobody is going to take that bet," Luna shook her head at her friends idea, "Instead I'm placing four-hundred on us waiting for ten minutes,"
Starlight widened her eyes at Luna and I betting on how much time it would take someone to get ready.
In the meantime, I took out the papers and reorganized them, If everything goes well, I'll be out of here in twenty minutes.
But this is Ponyville, So I'll probably be stuck here until four in the afternoon.
The simple thought of being here for long caused my stomach to ache.
"I'm hungry," I whispered, tired of being intangible.
"Did you say something?"
"Yes, Now Starlight, you know where Sweet Apple Acres is, right?" I levitated a few documents over to her, "Get the pony in charge there to sign these for us,"
"And what if they don't?" She asked as she grabbed the papers.
"Tell them to read the paper again, I assure you they will want to sign this," I nodded my head at her, "Now go do your job, Luna and I will wait here for Miss Rarity to get ready," I rolled my eyes at that, Get ready, yeah right. The Kid said it all, the Mare is shy and is trying to ready herself for a royal visit.
I just need her to sign some papers, There's no reason for anybody to take so long to get ready for that.
Sit down at the table, exchange a few words, sign the papers, and then we leave.
Although I do wonder what's taking her so long...
Jumping out of her window, Rarity dashed to the first pony she could think of that could help her deal with her mess in a timely manner.
"Twilight I need your help!" She called out as she flung open the door to the Golden Oaks Library.
"Miss Rarity," The Element of Generosity froze, "I must say I do not understand these new fashion trends you ponies have these days, But I'm sure you look wonderful,"
Sitting at a table in the middle of the library in front of Twilight Sparkle, was none other than Princess Celestia herself.
"I'm doomed..." Rarity whispered to herself.
"So doomed..." |
Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 79: A Joke of a Visit 3 | "Really?! That's Awesome!"
In the orchards of Sweet Apple Acres sat a Treehouse. A Clubhouse for the bravest and most fearless group of Fillies this side of Equestria.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders!
"Yep!" Sitting in their treehouse, Three Fillies gathered around a bag of bits, "He's a real-life bonafide prince," Sweetie Belle said.
"Why is he visiting Rarity?" The Earth Pony of the group, Apple Bloom, asked as she closed the blinds to the clubhouse, setting a mood fit for a secret meeting.
"The letter he sent a few weeks ago said he needed to make sure everything was fine after the whole Nightmare Moon thing a few months back," Sweetie Belle explained, eliciting a wince from the two other fillies, "But really it's just boring grown-up stuff like signing papers and shaking hooves," The Unicorn rolled her eyes at the idea of how boring it must be.
Scootaloo, the Pegasus of the group, scowled at the idea of boring grown-up nonsense before a thought popped into her head.
"Why don't we spy on him? See how a real prince does his job!" She brought up the idea, which seemed to cause the Earth Pony of the group to jump in place with excitement.
"Ooh Ooh! What if our Cutie Marks are Prince Escorting?" She suddenly stood up and grabbed her hair, holding it above her nose as if it was a mustache as she put on a fake accent, "Oh, my Prince, Your four o'clock meeting is ready,"
Scootaloo stood up as well, slicking her mane back and giving off a charming smile, "Oh, why thank you, butler," She said in the haughtiest voice she could muster before laughing out with an exaggerated "Hohoho!"
Sweetie Belle smiled at the Idea and stood up, "Yeah! Let's go follow the Prince!" She moved to exit the treehouse before stopping and turning back quickly to the bag of bits the Prince gave her.
"Wait! Before we forget," She opened the bag, levitated out two stacks of Fifteen Bits, and gave each one to her two Friends, leaving Twenty Bits in the bag for herself.
Pocketing their bits, the girls nodded to each other before yelling loudly.
"Cutie Mark Crusaders Princely Escorts Go!"
"There we go, Everything should be fine now," Twilight Sparkle said as she finished cleaning the makeup off of Rarity's face.
"Thank you Twilight, you're a lifesaver, I don't know what I would do If I had to go into that meeting looking like THAT!" Rarity thanked her Friend, Briefly shivering at the thought of meeting Prince Blueblood looking like she did ten minutes ago...
"It's Been ten minutes! I need to go, I'll thank you later Twilight! Nice to see you, Princess Celestia! Bye!" Rarity yelled before quickly turning away from the other occupants of the Library and running back to her home.
"...She seemed excited," Princess Celestia said in an effort to break the silence.
"That she did," Twilight Sparkle nodded at her teacher's words, "Now what were we talking about?"
"Squawk!" Philomena croaked from her bird cage, scratching at her skin with her feet.
Celestia ignored her bird and smiled at her Pupil "Your Friend, Pinkie Pie-"
Twelve Minutes after jumping out through the Window, Rarity entered the Carousel Boutique through the back door, acting as if nothing happened.
Quickly applying a much thinner layer of makeup, She smiled into the mirror before walking into the main room of her house.
As soon as she opened the door, she was awestruck.
There he stood, smiling slyly as he talked with- Wait a gosh darn moment!
"Princess Luna?! I didn't know you'd be coming here! I would have prepared more if I knew you were going to be here," Rarity started apologizing to the two Royals, not noticing a victorious look on Luna's face as Prince Blueblood levitated her a bag of bits with a scoff.
As soon as the money left his magic and landed in Luna's hooves, it was as if a switch was flicked in The Prince's mind as he walked toward Rarity.
"Please, Ms. Rarity- It is Ms. Rarity is it?" He asked her as he stood above her, pulling her up with a weak pull of his magic, "Please don't tell me it's Mrs. Rarity and break my heart," He winked at her to show he was merely joking.
"Oh-" Rarity's mind briefly short-circuited as she watched the Ice Blue eyes of the Prince wink at her, "-IT'S MISS! Haha!" She laughed loudly, her smile wide on her face as she kept her distance from the Prince.
"I see," Prince Blueblood smiled at her as he looked into her eyes, his Ice Blue orbs pulling her in as she- Get a Hold of yourself Rarity!
"You already know who I am, but just for necessities, I will introduce myself," Rarity nodded her head rapidly as the Prince kept talking.
"My Name is Prince Blueblood Platinum, And it is my very good pleasure to finally meet you," He smiled at her with his eyes as he gave her a courteous bow.
"Oh! It is my very good pleasure to meet you too, your Highness," Rarity bowed back, trying to suppress the giddy excitement she was feeling.
"I'm sure," Blueblood told her before he moved to the nearby table, "I suggest you take a seat, Ms. Rarity," He pulled out a chair for her, In her own house. Oh, what a Gentlecolt!
"Ah, Of course, Your Highness," Rarity once again gave a quick bow before seemingly teleporting onto the chair with how fast she moved.
"Great!" Blueblood once again smiled at her, causing butterflies to flutter in her chest, "Although I must apologize for bringing Princess Luna with me," He frowned to himself and shook his head, "There was a magical accident at the castle earlier today and I had to bring some assistance to help me," He turned to look at the Princess, "Luna, if you will,"
"Of course," Luna smiled gently at Rarity, before a small stack of papers levitated from the bag she was carrying over to the Table before setting in front of Rarity.
"Now," Blueblood once again stole her attention, "Before we begin going over the documents for you to sign, I need to ask you a few questions, If that is fine with you,"
"Of course Darling- I mean Your Highness! Ask away," Rarity cringed at herself for a moment before she refocused on those Deep Glaciers that stared into her very soul...
He was so dreamy~
"Wonderful," If Blueblood had any reaction to being called Darling, he didn't show it on his face as he turned to Princess Luna.
"Luna, I am sorry, but would you kindly write down Ms. Rarity's answers to my questions," He didn't wait for an answer before he turned back to the Unicorn.
"So, first of all, Let's Begin with something simple," His horn glowed as a chair appeared beneath him, letting him sit down without moving from where he stood.
"What is your full name?"
Making her way down the road leading to Sweet Apple Acres, Starlight Glimmer took the time to think.
How long has it been since she met her current Best Friend and Employer? Three Months? Four?
Starlight had to admit to herself, as she walked down the dirt path, a bag filled with business documents and proposals lying on her back, that a lot had happened in those surprisingly long four months.
"What happened first?" She wondered aloud, "There was the Teleportation mishap that started it all, landing us in Yakyakistan, And then what happened? Moving to Canterlot Castle?" She chuckled at the idea, Who would have guessed she'd ever live in a castle?
Obviously she would have built her own castle once Our Town gained enough momentum, but there's a difference between building your own castle, and living in a thousand-year-old building, hiding secrets and riddles from untold centuries ago.
Starlight grumbled as another thought popped into her head, "It's not as if I had much of a choice though, It was either that or spending how much was it? Thirty years in prison! That's not a real option!"
However, Starlight Glimmer knew it wasn't so bad.
She wouldn't have ever met Raven Inkwell or Shining Armor if she never moved there.
"Those two are my friends..." Starlight paused for a moment, "I think?"
Was this how friendship actually worked? Starlight wasn't sure, and so she decided to simply return to what she was doing prior.
"Hey, You! What are you doing here?" Starlight Glimmer paused as a trio of Fillies stood in front of her path, blocking her way.
"Me? I'm just here to speak with the Pony in charge of Sweet Apple Acres," Starlight explained before stepping to the side, intent on walking around the trio of Fillies.
"Why?" The Earth Pony filly asked, tilting her head to the side like a puppy.
"I need to give them some papers to read," Starlight asked, resuming her walk, now with the three children following her.
"Why do you need to give her the papers?" Asked the Unicorn filly, the same one from Rarity's house if Starlight remembered correctly.
"My Boss, Prince Blueblood, wants to buy a lot of apples," Starlight told them, simplifying the act by a lot, but still getting the main point across.
"Oh! Okay, I'll go notify Granny that you're coming!" The Earth Pony filly said before she started jogging ahead of Starlight, "Meet me at the house!" She yelled to her two friends before passing a wooden fence gate and skipping up the dirt road leading to a surprisingly expensive-looking red farmhouse.
The house shows off a homely feel while undoubtedly shouting to the world 'The people living here are important, show them respect.
Or at least, that's how Starlight thinks Blueblood will try and explain it as she looked at the Farmhouse, three stories tall with a pair of large barn doors in the front, likely leading to an indoor entrance to the house itself.
"Look! Granny Smith is already waiting for us," The Pegasus filly said as she bounced ahead to join her friend at the farmhouse, leaving the two Unicorns behind.
"Umm," Starlight turned to look at the Unicorn Filly, who seemed to be trying to say something to her.
"Yes? What is it?" Starlight urged, silently cringing at how forceful she sounded.
She was trying to be nice! She promises!
"Umm, I-eh... I wanted to thank you for Helping save my sister back when... When Nightmare Moon took her..." The Filly shyly looked away from the mare, hiding her face in embarrassment.
Starlight blinked at that, "You don't need to thank me, I barely did anything," Starlight shook her head with a quiet chuckle before she returned to the road.
"But- But you used this spell that on Nightmare Moon that allowed everypony else to fight her! Whatever it was, it had to be strong if even Nightmare Moon was unable to fight it off!" The filly jumped excitedly in place, almost dropping the bag tucked close to her hair.
"Once you're done here, Let me buy you something at Sugarcube Corner, As thanks!"
Starlight stared silently at the excited young filly, going over her thoughts as she did before a small smile spread on her face.
"You know what, that sounds nice," Starlight gave her hoof to the Filly, "My name is Starlight Glimmer, It's nice to meet you..." She raised her eyebrows expectantly as the filly stared at the hoof with widening eyes.
With a bounce of joy, the Unicorn filly grabbed the hoof and shook it, "My name is Sweetie Belle, It's nice to meet you too!"
And now with the promise of a child to eat something sweet later, Starlight Glimmer was ready for anything.
Granny Smith strained her eyes under her reading glasses as she read the paper given to her, reading the yapping of those big city business ponies, rolling her eyes at the big words that failed to impress her.
She's not new to this, She's been in the Farming business for decades, from before this Prince Whosawhatsit was even born!
And then she read a bit lower and froze as she saw the number.
A very big number.
"Apple Bloom," Granny Smith shakily took her glasses off and rubbed her eyes, "Go get Jack, She needs to be the one to sign this..." The old Earth Pony stood up and walked away from the table, slowly walking on shaking legs towards a drawer near the entrance to the house, opening it, and grabbing a very expensive-looking pen.
"Woah..." Granny Smith felt herself smirk in satisfaction at the reaction this little object always managed to get.
It was an old dip pen, older than even her house. Lacquered Willow etched with bronze images of branches and apples, with a clean silver tip at its end.
"Granny Smith, Apple Bloom said you called so I came running and-" Granny Smith closed her eyes and smiled as her granddaughter entered the house.
"Applejack, Take this pen," Granny Smith held out the antique to the younger Mare.
"Wha- Granny what's going on?" Granny Smith chuckled to herself, Fillies these days...
"I want you to read the document the nice lady over there gave me," Granny nudged Applejack over to the table, her eyes relaxed as she took a seat on a comfortable chair and got ready for the coming reaction.
"To the owners of Sweet Apple Acres and associates-" Granny chuckled as Applejack rolled her eyes, "This document is property of the BBF, unauthorized sharing of this document could lead to legal repercussions yadda yadda yadda," Applejack huffed as she skipped over the boring legalese, before getting to the part she actually understood.
"For the span of days between February 1st and October 31st, Sweet Apple Acres will supply the Blueblood Foundation with 40 tons of Apples per month- Granny, can we even do that?" Applejack turned to ask.
Granny scoffed with a smile, "Of course we can, easily, now keep reading,"
"Okay..." Applejack returned to the document, "Apples of the species- Let's skip a bit forward... Here we are- The BBF is willing to pay..." Applejack froze as she stared at the paper, Slowly moving it to her younger sister as Granny Smith burst out laughing.
"Apple Bloom, please read these numbers for me..." Applejack said blankly as she stared at the pen in her hoof, her eyes briefly turning to see her Grandmother laughing to herself in the corner.
"Okay!" Apple Bloom stood up on a chair to see better, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle looking at her expectantly from the other side of the Table.
"Emm, where are the numbers- here, Okay! The BBF is Willing to pay 125 Bits for every ton of apples, with an additional 35 bits per ton on delivery- What's 125 plus 35 again?"
"One hundred and Sixty!" Sweetie Belle piped up from her spot on the table.
"One Sixty per ton delivered, times that by forty..." Applejack whispered to herself as Apple Bloom moved the document back to her.
"That would be an overall of 6,400 Bits per month if you decide to deliver the apples that is, otherwise it's 5,000 Bits." Starlight Glimmer chimed in, her eyes glued to the reaction the two Farmer Mares were giving her boss's proposal.
"I already read the rest of the paper," Granny Smith said from her chair, "I want you to sign it Applejack,"
"What? But Granny, You're the one in charge of-" Applejack tried to speak but Granny Smith shook her head.
"None of that now, Dear. It's about time I let you take a bigger part in operating the farm," Granny Smith stood up from her chair and walked to her granddaughter.
"Granny, I don't-" Granny Smith shook her head as she sat down beside Applejack.
"I'm getting old Jacky, I want to retire while I can still feel my legs, and that requires somepony else taking control of the Farm, Big Macintosh, bless his heart, but he's not fit for the job, He doesn't have that special spark for the farm that you do," Granny Smith poked her Granddaughter with her hoof, "It's either You or Applebloom, and Applebloom is too young," Granny ignored the annoyed sounding "Hey!" coming from her youngest Granddaughter.
"But I'm not ready!" Applejack cried in alarm, receiving a thwack on top of the head from Granny Smith.
"Did I say I'm giving you the farm yet? No! Don't skip ahead, I still have some good years left in me!" Granny Smith chastised loudly before quieting down, "I just want to make sure You'll be somewhat ready when I feel the time comes..."
"Granny..." Applejack whispered as she looked her Grandmother in the eyes.
"This Pen," Granny tapped the antique pen Applejack was holding, "My Grandfather used it when he signed the royal deed to establish Ponyville as its first Mayor and founder," She said gently, "And my Father used the same Pen when he created this Farm," She continued, "I used that same Pen when I first sold my Zap Apples to Stinkin' Rich and struck that generous deal with him, and your father-" Applejack gasped "-Used this Pen when he signed the marriage documents with your mother."
All eyes in the room were on the two Earth Ponies in that moment, Even Starlight Glimmer was paying attention to the conversation.
"And now I want you to use it as well," Granny slowly pushed Applejack's hoof till it hovered over the Paper.
Applejack stared at the pen with wonder before taking a deep breath to ready herself, Before she lowered the Pen to the paper...
And scratched it.
"..."
"..."
"...Is it broken?"
"...Oh Yes! How could I forget!" Granny Smith loudly said to herself as she stood up, "It's a Dip Pen, we need to dip it in Ink first," She went to search for an inkwell, leaving the other Ponies staring at her back in shocked silence.
Or at least it was silent before Scootaloo started laughing to herself at the whole ordeal.
Followed by Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle.
Applejack stared at the three fillies, briefly locking eyes with Starlight Glimmer before they two joined the laughter.
Soon Granny returned, Applejack signed the paper and gave it back to Starlight, and Sweetie Belle came up with an idea that everypony agreed with.
"Let's all go to Sugarcube Corner to celebrate!"
It was soon after Luna and I finished with Rarity that a message from Starlight appeared in front of me, telling us that she'd be late and we should return to the castle without her.
So with a flash of Luna's Teleportation, we did.
"A Prince, A Princess, and a Pest walk into a Castle."
"Tiberius is not a pest!" Luna tried to defend, but I scoffed at her instead.
"Until you take it to the best Veterinarians in the country, it's a pest," I told her, receiving a glare from both Princess and 'Possum.
But I ignored them, I hadn't eaten or drunk anything at all today, courtesy of whatever Luna did to me, so I was not in the mood to continue the conversation.
"I'll still beat you tomorrow!" Luna called out to me, and I smiled.
"I'd like to see you try!" I called back before I turned a corner and disappeared from her sight.
Perhaps I couldn't touch anything, But I sure did get tired from walking around and carrying my bag in my magic the entire day.
Perhaps I am due for some last-minute training.
"Oh, Applejack! Princess Celestia was here just a moment ago, you totally missed her, Hey you're Prince Pirate Wizard's apprentice, What can I get for you?" As the group of Mares entered Sugarcube Corner, a Head of Pink fluff jumped into the middle of the group.
But listening to her, Starlight Glimmer asked herself.
"Why would Celestia be here?"
In one of the Royal Bathrooms of Canterlot Castle, A Pair of Ponies were relaxing in a large pool of Warm Medicinal Water.
"You know Luna, If you told me the cure to this Poison Joke thing was a Herbal Bath, maybe I wouldn't have been so grumpy earlier in the day," One of the Ponies, Prince Blueblood Platinum, told the other pony as he felt his muscles relax, a platter of Sushi laying a bit behind him as he levitated a piece into his mouth, washing it down with a glass of expensive Wine.
"Where would have been the fun in that?" Floating on her back with her wings outstretched and covered in soap, Princess Luna relaxed her body as she let the herbal waters wash her aches away, sipping from a wine glass of her own.
Filled with non-alcoholic Fruit Juice, of course, Blueblood didn't want to deal with a Drunk Luna right now.
"Are you two taking a dip without me?" Luna groaned as her head dove into the water as she turned her body to see her Sister walk into the room, a freshly reborn Phoenix on her shoulder.
"Go away Celestia, This is our pool now," Luna pointed out of the pool, "See that sign over there? No old hags allowed," Luna smirked in victory.
"I don't see any sign," Celestia smiled down at her younger sister, before a brief flash of light caused her to turn, seeing an illusion of a sign floating beside the door.
"Har har, Very Funny you two," She said with a roll of the eyes as she lowered her body into the pool, feeling the herbal waters breathe life into her skin as her Sister and Son high-hooved each other next to her on their well done job of making an illusion of a sign.
Now in the pool, Celestia grabbed Blueblood with her wing and pulled him into her, holding him close to her chest as she rested her chin on his head, smelling his shampoo as she hugged him like a big teddy bear.
"Really? Now?" Blueblood asked in annoyance but didn't fight as Princess Celestia merely closed her eyes and smiled.
"Mommy needs to charge," She whispered as she grabbed more soap and shampoo and redid his Mane.
It's been years since Princess Celestia cleaned another pony, but feeling her hooves moving through strands of hair, the feeling of soap-covered wings brushing against their fur coat...
Celestia might never admit it out loud, but she loved feeling like an actual mother, even if those times were exceedingly rare.
And so Celestia passed the next hour, sitting in a pool of herbal water as she cleaned and hugged her Son.
Even after Philomena flew off and Luna exited the pool, Celestia hadn't let go of the Prince.
"Are you excited for next week?" She asked him with a whisper as she played with his hair.
"..." Celestia turned her head to see why he didn't respond.
Only to silence her squeal of excitement before snapping a picture with a magical camera.
A Picture of a Prince Sleeping in his mother's soft embrace. |
Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 80: Star vs Moon | Canterlot Castle, the seat of power of the Nation of Equestria, is a place where motion can be found anywhere.
From the barracks of the guards training harder than ever, to the corridors of Servants moving to and fro, passing along messages or just cleaning the floor.
The Throne room, where dignitaries from far and wide visit to pay their respect to the Princess of the Sun, and even the Many gardens of the castle, some open to the public for tourism.
But today was different, every soul in the castle that was off their duty or resting all came to the same spot to watch a fantastic scene.
To watch a Princess Fight.
Standing at the edge of an empty ballroom, Princess Luna stretched her legs as she waited for her opponent to enter through the door on the opposite side of the ballroom.
She moved her eyes to a small indoor balcony, watching her sister speak with Raven Inkwell and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, a bubble of protective magic surrounding the three mares courtesy of Captain Shining Armor.
Luna looked back to the door of the ballroom as she took a deep breath to realign her thoughts, spotting from the corner of her eye Captain Armor whispering with another pony she couldn't see, before delivering whatever message he received to Princess Celestia.
Luna shook her head, she couldn't have any of these distractions, she had a Fight to win.
She took the time to try and remember what she knew of her Opponent.
Prince Blueblood Platinum...
She never directly fought with him, and subsequently, she never saw him fight himself. The closest she's gotten to seeing the Prince in combat was when one of Nightmare Moon's minions took over his body.
But that was less of a fight and more of a child wildly throwing around magic once his traps were avoided.
Luna frowned at that, She had no clue as to what she could expect from the Prince, other than an Illusion or two, but even that posed a problem to her.
How powerful are his illusions? The most she'd seen from him was a set of clothing, and while the illusion was undoubtedly high quality, it didn't really tell her anything other than that Prince Blueblood knew how to make realistic-looking clothes, something any Practitioner of the art could accomplish fairly easily.
Luna shook her head, once again clearing her mind before she refocused on the door as it opened.
And felt her brain halt as she watched the prince stroll in as if he were in the mall picking out which restaurant he wanted to eat lunch in.
The audacity of this stallion...
Luna couldn't help but laugh.
Princess Cadance looked down from the balcony at the two royals who stood at opposite ends of the empty ballroom, a small frown crossed her face at the thought of the two of them coming to blows, but she shook it off as she reminded herself that it was in a controlled environment and Princess Celestia would step in should anything drastic occur.
"Now that the two participants are here, Allow me to explain the rules," Princess Celestia spoke up, her voice sounding not only in the ballroom but also in the garden outside, where many servants and guards stood close to the windows to watch the upcoming spectacle.
"None of the participants are allowed to leave the Ballroom," Princess Celestia said as she looked down at her Sister and Son, "None of the participants are allowed to inflict permanent bodily harm onto the other, The fight will end whenever one of the participants surrenders or is deemed unable to continue,"
Cadance turned back to Luna and Blueblood, Watching the smirk growing on her cousin's face as a confused frown grew on Luna's.
"He has a plan," She thought to herself before her eyes focused on Luna.
"And finally, In the essence of fairness, Princess Luna is not allowed to use her Magic," Cadance watched as Luna's eyes widened into saucers as she looked at Princess Celestia, before turning to glare at the laughing Prince Blueblood.
"Let the fight, Commence!"
As soon as those words left Princess Celestia's mouth, Princess Luna opened hers.
"What did you do?!" She yelled at the Prince.
"Me?" He tilted his head in confusion before looking to check behind him to see if there was someone else, "I merely wanted to even the playing field," He explained in a calm tone of voice.
"You-" Luna grits her teeth as Prince Blueblood continues to speak.
"You see, I am just a measly little Pony, A tiny little Unicorn, who cannot hope to match the power of an Alicorn such as yourself, Princess Luna," Luna felt her stomach twist as the Prince spoke, the words leaving his mouth some that she never expected to hear from the proud and confident Stallion.
"You have the Magic of a Unicorn, the Flight of a Pegasus, and the Strength of an Earth Pony to top it all off! Why, to me it seems like an unfair advantage in this little bout, Practically a One v Three if you think about it," Blueblood started walking the perimeter of the Ballroom, his eyes never leaving Luna as he spoke.
Luna started walking in the opposite direction as him, her eyes glued to any small movement he could make as the two ponies circled each other.
"So you convinced our Sister to give you a handicap, Is that it?" Luna asked, waiting for the moment he'd open his mouth to answer her.
"Luna-" And as the Prince said her name, the floor beneath her cracked as she kicked herself towards Blueblood, her front leg punching him in the face.
"-You're not as clever as you look," Prince Blueblood's voice surrounded her from all directions as her hoof passed through his torso, The prince turned to look down at her before he disappeared into a cloud of smoke.
A Smoke that filled her vision, white and thick, she could barely see in front of her, but her breath was fine.
"An Illusion," She whispered to herself as she closed her eyes and focused on her wings.
"Without our magic, we cannot cast a cleansing spell to remove your illusion," She said out loud, hearing her voice echo around her, the tips of her feathers vibrating in an imaginary humm.
"But just because we cannot use magic," She moved forward, a sixth sense pulling her in a certain direction, her feather's vibrating faster and faster "Does not mean we CANNOT SENSE IT!"
And with a stomp on the floor, Luna felt her hoof impact an object that wasn't there, the smoke disappearing from her view to reveal a Grey Crystal Orb, smashed beneath her hooves.
A Crystal Orb with a design that reminded Luna of a very important night.
Without waiting, She flapped her wings and flew to the side, avoiding the beam of golden light that flew passed where she just stood moments prior, causing more cracks to appear on the floor.
Luna flew up, her head watching more and more Golden Orbs appearing as if out of thin air, all with the engraving of Blueblood's Cutie Mark on them, acting as a focus for their magic as they flew after her, shooting beams of golden magic.
Just like that Nightmare did when he took over his Body.
With a twist of her body, Luna dove to the ground, breaking two more orbs in the process and feeling a searing heat on her left hind leg which she promptly ignored as she flew near the floor of the Ballroom, Intent on locating where the Prince was keeping himself invisible.
"Luna, Luna, Luna~" She heard his voice tut at her from all around, the Invisible Prince not leaving a hint as to where he was hiding, "You can't keep running away from this fight,"
"You are the one who is running away, Blueblood!" Luna cried as she turned her body midair, her legs landing on the wall before she kicked off once more, "Show yourself so we can teach you a lesson!"
"Show Myself? And give away my advantage? Why should I do that? I'm winning, aren't I?"
Luna chuckled, "No, Friend Blueblood! We are the ones who are winning this bout! It won't be long before your magic runs out as you keep and try to hit us!" She twirled through the air before diving down like a majestic bird, Breaking several more golden orbs as she landed on the ground and rolled to the side, letting the golden shards crash behind her.
"...You are mistaken, Princess Luna~" Blueblood's voice sounded louder in the ballroom once the last of the Golden orbs shattered under Luna's heels, "~While you were running around, breaking my orbs, you have yet to notice that it was all a distraction~" Luna ignored his obnoxious giggle as she quickly looked around her, Staring at the clean floor and walls of the ballroom as her mind connected the dots.
"You weren't aiming for us!" Luna exclaimed as the Illusion that kept the floor and walls of the room clean disappeared, showcasing to the princess the extent of the damage done to the ballroom.
From cracks and shards of the floor lying about the room to lines of burns on the walls, the room looked like a travesty, but that wasn't enough to tell her what could constitute his plan, unless of course his goal was to ruin a room, and Luna doubted that.
Suddenly her feathers stiffened as she threw herself into another roll on the ground, avoiding a shard of Marble flooring that flew at her side before it crashed back to the floor.
Luna jumped into the air, her wings allowing her to reach the high ceiling of the ballroom, where she watched the third part of Blueblood's strategy.
Shards of marble flew at each other, striking each other like cobbled rocks in a construction site, held together by blue magic, Like a Skeleton, more and more shards from the floor hit the clump of blue magic and held together on it, like skin and muscle as whatever Blueblood was creating started to form a shape.
The Shape of a Torso, similar to a Minotaur or a Diamond Dog, with two long arms dangling from its marble shoulders like lifeless rope.
It was a Torso with Arms, its hands barely more than shards of Marble held with magic in the approximate shape of a claw. It lacked a head and legs, but it still floated there in front of her, needing neither.
"One of the biggest issues I had with fighting Crystal Lips, or whatever her name is, Was that I had to get close to her in order to hit her in the face~" Blueblood's voice seemed to come from several directions at once, but more importantly from where the Head of the floating Torso should be in, Luna glared at it and readied her body.
"So I came up with a solution, It might seem like me stealing someone else's Idea, But I don't really care~" He kept talking, as the blue magic that held the Body together seemed to intensify, the cracks on its body filling in with what looked like burning blue flames, as if the Statue was a marble volcano that was filled with Blue Lava.
And with a Burst of Blue Flame, The Skull of a Snake appeared on top of the Statue, a pair of backward-turning horns protruding from the serpentine Skull, before it was engulfed with blue fire, clearly an Illusion as Luna felt no heat from the flames. A Long Serpentine tail extended from the bottom of the statue, ending with what looked like the stinger of a Scorpion, made out of more Marble.
The flaming skull on the Statue turned to look at Luna as Blueblood continued, "And here it is!"
The statue raised its arms into what Luna assumed was a boxing stance, "A Way to punch my opponent without getting close!"
The statue leaned forward, a sound escaping its nonexistent lips in what seemed to be a hissed chuckle, like a snake trying to laugh.
"I Call it~" Blueblood paused for dramatic effect, The eye sockets of the flaming skull seeming to light up with a golden glow from within the skull.
"Pluto~"
And the statue blurred forward.
Cadance leaned closer to the ledge of the balcony, her eyes glued onto the Magical Statue that her cousin created, Staring at the Skull on top of its shoulders, as a small smirk climbed up her lips.
"Aww, You do like her~" She whispered as she watched the Arms of the statue strike at Princess Luna, "I'll tell her tonight," Her leg moved to hold the necklace around her neck, feeling the crystal shards that were held there.
"Plu~" Was all the warning Princess Luna was given from the Statue before its arms punched forward with unnatural speed, "Totototototototototo~" Each cry was met with a punch, And for once Luna was glad that Earth Pony strength came with an Earth Pony's unnatural resilience.
She ignored the sounds of Blueblood Laughing from all around her, joy filling his voice as his statue fought for him, punching her in his stead.
Luna took a deep breath, ignoring the ache in her chest as a fist managed to pass through her defenses before she punched back.
Shattering the marble that made up Pluto's arm, smirking widely at the scene.
Only to scowl as the shattered marble flew back and repaired the arm, "Crud"
"Plutoooo~ Plutotototototototo~" The Statue's hail of punches returned, but this time Luna was prepared.
"You're only as tough as Marble!" She yelled as she ducked, rolled onto her back, and pushed herself with her front legs, using her back legs to deliver a devastating kick onto the Marble Torso of the statue, "And you don't fight back while you're repairing yourself!" Luna pushed herself up from the floor, standing on her back left leg as her right leg started to kick at the damaged statue, shattering more of its body.
"It seems I need to work on the design a bit longer before I put it to work in the field..." She heard Blueblood say, but she quickly ignored him in favor of breaking more of the statue, Jumping into the air as the tail of the statue passed below her in an attempt to take out her legs, before she slammed back down onto the ground, shattering the marble stinger of the tail.
"...You know..." Blueblood's voice spoke up once more, now coming from directly behind Pluto, "If this was a fight to the death I would have won..." Luna froze at those words as she watched Pluto crumble down to the floor, revealing Prince Blueblood standing behind him.
"So~" Blueblood moved his neck from side to side, hearing the snapping sound of his bones before he continued, "Let me show you one final trick~" His voice was calm and even, a far cry from his joyful laughter just a minute earlier.
And before Luna could kick into the air again, the Ballroom was flooded in darkness.
This darkness wasn't like the Illusionary Smokescreen he created at the start of the match, Where she could still somewhat see her surroundings as she searched for the caster, This was deeper.
Pure Black enveloped her surroundings, unable to even see her own hoof over her eyes.
"Clover the Clever wrote that the school of Illusion Magic has three possible spells that would grant someone the title of Master," A Light appeared in the darkness, a spotlight that showed her Blueblood, following him as he walked closer to her, not a worry in his steps.
Almost as if he was assured of his victory.
"One of these spells, Is an Illusion that could not be dispelled, Something that could leave the target in an endless hell for the rest of their lives~" Blueblood kept talking as he continued to approach her, not bothered by the words coming from his mouth.
Luna tried to move, to get closer to him, to end this stupid spar and punch that annoying Stallion in the face.
"The second was an Illusion that could affect every living creature in the world, regardless of proximity to the caster, an Illusion that will affect everybody~" Luna struggled to move, her legs felt like they were knee-deep in the stickiest tar in the world, unable to free her.
"And third, but definitely not least, Was an Illusion that could affect the physical world, An Illusion that shaped Reality itself~" Prince Blueblood paused just in front of her, close enough to reach out his leg and cup her cheek in his hoof.
Because that's exactly what he did.
"What is this Blueblood!" Luna yelled at her opponent, staring into his Ice-Blue eyes as he rubbed her cheek, treating her like a foal, Looking down at her.
Blueblood Frowned at her, as if in disappointment at her inability to get where he's going, "Allow me to show you a glimpse of the third magic," He said calmly.
And then the darkness that surrounded the two disappeared, sinking away into the ground to reveal her standing atop a pillar over the abyss.
She tried to move, but found that her body refused to listen to her.
"Forcing the Alignment," Blueblood spoke, but his voice didn't sound like he was speaking to her, but instead as if reading out loud.
"A Chant?!" Luna exclaimed in surprise, This was the first time she'd heard Prince Blueblood chant the words of a spell, her eyes widened at the thought.
What kind of spell would Prince Blueblood Platinum attempt to chant, whatever it could be, if his little speech before this was anything to go by, Luna didn't want to be on the receiving end of it.
But without the use of her magic, she couldn't escape, at least not without forfeiting the match.
She took a deep breath and readied herself as much as she could, whatever Blueblood threw at her, she'd take it head-on.
Suddenly, a source of heat appeared behind Luna, and she grits her teeth as the uncomfortable heat stung at her back.
She turned her head to look behind her, only to gape her mouth at the sight.
The Sun.
Looming over her like an ancient colossal, an unmovable obstacle that burned and destroyed any who dared approach it.
As she stared at the giant celestial object, she could only tremble as another moved in front of it in a vain attempt to block the heat from reaching her.
Mercury.
Another Planet followed, stopping in front of Mercury and blocking the smaller object from gazing upon her.
Venus.
Luna felt her breath hitch as an even smaller Celestial Object moved in front of Venus, one which Luna could recognize like the back of her hoof.
The Moon.
"What are you doing?!" She turned back to Blueblood, her body on edge as her mane started to blow in a nonexistent wind, her eyes widening as the red planet appeared behind the prince, lowering so as to not block the view from the other Planets behind it.
For an entire minute, Luna watched with awe and horror as the entire Solar System seemed to bow to Blueblood, Planets and Moons aligning themselves in a straight line, moving out of the path of the other so they could create a seemingly flat plane, an unobstructed path of the Celestial Giants.
She watched with held breath as Blueblood Stopped his wordless chanting as he lifted his horn high above him, the tip of his horn seeming to touch the farthest celestial object, so far away that even in this illusionary world where they all stood closer to the other, it was barely more than a speck of dust far in the distance.
She watched as the speck in the distance started to glow with bright golden light, as Prince Blueblood stared into her eyes and finished his Spell.
"This is a Spell born of a broken Star," His voice seemed to echo around the pillar standing over the empty void the two found themselves in, the light from the far off speck growing larger and- No, It was growing closer.
"PALE BLUE DOT"
Luna watched in silent awe as a beam of burning light traveled the cosmos, shattering the planets below it as it raced closer and closer to her unmoving body.
She watched Uranus and Neptune burn underneath the heat produced by the light.
She watched the rings of Saturn shatter and break away as the light passed through them.
She watched the light disappear as it got close to Jupiter, only to burst out of the gas giant like a blade through a body.
And as the light broke through the Belt of Asteroids that separated Mars from Jupiter, she heard Blueblood speak.
"I Forfeit,"
And faster than she could blink, the entire world around her changed as she found herself back in the Ballroom, the crumbled form of the marble statue at her hooves, as she watched Blueblood stretch his legs on the other side of Pluto.
"I'm out of magic," He said lightly as an explanation, "That physical Illusion thing is incredibly taxing," He chuckled as he walked over to her and helped her stand, her legs still shaking as the sight of the celestial object remained in her psyche.
"Anyway, I'm hungry, I heard a new Indian place opened up in the Food Street that I wanted to check out, let's go," He walked passed her before standing at the door behind her.
"Are you waiting for a formal letter or something? Let's go!" He called out to her with his usual smirk, and Luna felt herself let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
"Heh, Haha! We won!" She cheered as she pointed at the Prince, a wide smile on her face, "We told you we'd win!"
Blueblood tilted his head at her and looked at her as if she said something stupid, "Well, Yeah. I forfeited since I ran low on magic and Didn't want to spend the rest of the week aching all the time," He smiled down at her as he clapped.
"Congratulations, Princess Luna, You who lived hundreds of years have successfully managed to beat a Unicorn with no formal combat training of any kind, You must be so proud of yourself," Luna ignored his attempt to poke at her as she continued to laugh at him.
"Ahaha! That means you shall be the one paying for the food!"
"Yes, Obviously, I'm the one who's inviting you, It would be weird if I had you pay," Luna ignored him again as she jogged over on shaky legs and caught up with the prince.
"Onward, Friend Blueblood! To this new restaurant that shall bring us our lunch!" Luna laughed happily as she leaned her body on Blueblood, letting the Stallion carry her like the loser of a gladiatorial arena carried the victor as his mount.
"To Lunch!" Blueblood rolled his eyes but kept moving, carrying the Princess on his back as the duo made their way to the restaurant, followed by a small squad of guards to protect them.
Princess Celestia stared at the ruined ballroom below her, a small smile on her face as she wiped tears from her eyes.
"They grow up so fast~" |
Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 81: Escape to Canterlot 1 | Standing on a pier in West Equestria, I watched the many guards move in preparation for the arrival of the very special guests.
Looking over the waves, I could spot the long wooden ship flying the flag of Yakyakistan heading our way.
"Get the carts ready," I tell a nearby guard, who nods his head before dashing off to fulfill my order.
Who could have guessed that a simple act of gift-giving on Christmas could have led to this?
I'm not complaining, With Cadance in charge of greeting the VIP from Caninia, I can easily hit two birds with one stone for the BBF's future.
"They said they're bringing gifts," Starlight stood beside me, feeling the cool late winter breeze, A very familiar coat covering her work clothes, "What do you think they'll be?"
"Hookers and blow," I answered blankly, smirking at the choking sound that left Starlight's throat at that as she started coughing at my response.
"Just kidding, I don't know what they'll bring, and until we bring them to Canterlot, I don't need to worry," I stretched my stiff neck, rubbing a bite mark on my shoulder that was hidden under my suit-of-the-day.
"And besides, It's not like they're bringing something that could harm anyone, This isn't the medieval-" I stopped my sentence and widened my eyes as I watched a certain Yak stand on the bow of the ship, Horns decorated in gold with a black crown on his head.
"Starlight, Quick! Roll out the red carpet!" I turn to her in alarm, before I turn to more guards and start yelling orders.
We were told a high-ranking Yak Diplomat named Jorgen would be arriving together with a team of archeologists, not that HE was coming as well!
"FRIEND BLUEBLOOD!" Prince Rutherford yelled from the bow of his ship, his voice reaching all the way here.
Oh, I am so getting drunk tonight.
Looking at the expensive walls of the large train cart, Prince Rutherford let out a whistle of appreciation.
"So this is train? Will take us to Canterlot, Yes?"
"Indeed," Prince Blueblood nodded to the Yak ruler, "This here is one of the crown's very own private trains, the very best our nation could bring with the short time we had," He led him to a private booth, allowing the Yak to set down his belongings before a pair of Yak guards moved to guard the booth.
"Now! Let us work through the gift-giving!" Rutherford said loudly as he took a seat at a large table outside the booth, Blueblood taking a seat facing him.
"I think we should both wait until we reach Canterlot for such actions, Prince Rutherford, It would only be proper," Blueblood smiled at the Yak who slowly nodded his head in understanding.
"Yes, Of course! Gift giving in Equestria happens with whole family, It only proper, Haha!" The Yak agreed with the Unicorn, Letting go of his bag as the two royals started talking about their plans.
Twenty minutes after the train left the station, a Pegasus wearing a butler's outfit walked into the room, dragging with him a platter containing boxed food.
"Your Lunch, Your Highness's," The butler bowed to the two royals as he placed the boxes of food on the table between the royals, bowing his head to them as he turned to leave.
Only to stop once he felt a leg wrap around his shoulder.
"We didn't order any food," Prince Blueblood whispered as he pulled the Pegasus back.
"Ho? Someone brought us food, We must be thankful and finish the meal!" Rutherford exclaimed happily as he opened the boxed lunch, only to widen his eyes in surprise as the Pegasus butler who brought the food to them smashed into the table, throwing the food onto the window of the booth the two royals were sitting in.
"Who hired you?!" Blueblood yelled at the butler as he held him down on the table.
"Prince Blueblood?! What is the meaning here!" Rutherford yelled as he stood up, towering over his fellow Royal with a glare on his face, angered at the ruined food.
"This ride has no boxed lunches, and we have no Servants on this train," Blueblood Explained calmly as if weathered the glare from the Yak Prince.
"Other than your group, my guards, Starlight, and the Operator of the train, nobody else is supposed to be here," Blueblood squeezed the Pegasus's neck, "So who is he?"
The Pegasus glared at the prince before rolling his body on the table, throwing more food into the air as Prince Blueblood let go of him, before diving out of the window of the fast-moving train, flying away.
"Shit!" Blueblood exclaimed as he wiped the food off his fur before quickly moving out of the booth, "That food could be poisoned, don't eat it!" He ran to the door where the Pegasus came in from, his horn glowing as the door slid open for him.
"Fuck!" I cursed as I looked at the downed Ponies and Yaks in the cart, A quick check of their necks gave me a bit of relaxation as they were only unconscious, but this was still horrible.
"Prince Rutherford, Watch your guard, We have an unknown number of assassins," I spoke as years of drilled in military practice kicked in, With a flick of my magic a Sword from one of the downed guards started levitating in a telekinetic grip
"Horrible! Must stop this! Now!" Rutherford exclaimed from behind me as he followed into the next cart, Throwing me my bag as he picked up his own. The two of us walked further into the train, pausing as the door to the next cart opened before we could reach it.
In walked a calm-looking Pegasus, also wearing a butler's outfit.
Before the disguised assassin could realize the situation he was in, The sword I picked up flew through the air and stabbed into his eye, killing him instantly.
I quickly caught the body before it could land on the ground, stepping over it and into the next cart.
"Crud, They're on to us!"
There stood four more Pegasi, all with the same colors and outfits as the last two.
"Who hired you?" I yelled at them, making sure to move a bit to the side so they could see the corpse of their associate behind me.
They all looked at each other, a silent conversation passing through their minds before they all turned back to me, and then ran in the opposite direction.
"No you don't!" Rutherford yelled as he tore one of the tables out of the floor before he threw it at the Pegasi, shattering their backs as they tumbled back to the floor, screaming in pain.
But before we could question them further, A Unicorn with the same outfit walked in, and with a green glow of his magic telekinetically threw all the Pegasi off the train before he jumped after them, ignoring their pained screams.
Starlight Glimmer huffed in anger as another Pony was thrown off the train, his body turning into a mangled heap as he hit the ground outside, bones breaking and tendons snapping.
She left to go to the toilet for five minutes, that's it! Only five minutes and now the train was overrun by whoever these ponies were!
"Damnit!" She turned her head to the door leading to the next cart, her eyes relaxing once she saw Prince Blueblood step through, a scowl on his face, followed by Prince Rutherford, a similar frown on his own.
"Great, You're okay," She sighed before straightening her back, "Who would have thought my first actual Bodyguarding job would start off like this," She chuckled, before pausing once she saw the serious look on the Prince's Face.
"All the guards are knocked out and an attempt on our lives was made," Blueblood said, not stopping to catch up with her as he moved onto the next cart, beams of blue magic flying out of his horn before two more Butler's found themselves knocked out.
Without stopping, The Prince kept moving, each cart was followed by a quick and efficient fight.
No, It wasn't even a fight.
The moment one of them even entered his field of vision, a beam of blue magic was already inbound, hitting them in the head, rattling the brain, and throwing them against the wall, knocking them out.
"Why didn't he do that against Luna?" Starlight whispered to herself as she watched silently as her Boss walked down the train, shooting Assassins as casually as mowing the lawn.
But the thing that bothered Starlight the most wasn't the way he was taking out these threats, but the look on his face.
"This is the first time I think I've ever seen him fight without a smile on his face," She thought to herself.
Was this the difference? This brutal efficiency?
Is this Blueblood when he's fighting seriously? It made no sense to Starlight, almost every real fight he was in could have spelled his end, But he always had a wide smile on his face as he laughed in the face of death.
"The thrill! Where one wrong move could end everything you ever did, It's like a Gambler putting all his chips on black and having the ball fall in the right spot, If it landed on red he would have been over, but when it landed on black- The sense of euphoria he must have felt at that moment~ I can only imagine this is similar," He would say something along those lines, But talking about how having his life in danger was exhilarating, a fight between himself and fate itself.
"How is this different?" Starlight tried to think of a reason, "These ponies pose a real credible threat to his life, So why is he taking them seriously, unlike the doppelganger from Caninia? What's the difference here?"
Starlight tried racking her brain to find the answer before it all clicked together once her eyes landed on Prince Rutherford.
This isn't just an attempt on Blueblood's life, It's an attempt on everypony on this train! He's taking this seriously because if he fails it will mean more than just his death, It's also the Yaks, the Guards, and even the Operator!
Starlight's eyes widened, "The Operator!" She quickly ran after the two royals, "If he's also out, who's driving the train?!"
Blueblood looked at her with wide eyes, Several bolts of blue magic left his horn at once, piercing through the door and hitting the targets in the next cart over.
"Starlight, I want you to start teleporting everyone off this train, start with the Yaks, then the guards, then Rutherford, and then me. I want everyone off this train, Now." Starlight nodded her head seriously before disappearing in a flash of Aquamarine light.
"Leave train? This must be serious," Rutherford spoke up as the Royal duo entered the next cart, ignoring the corpses on the floor from when Blueblood's magic shot them.
"As serious as can be, If the Operator is out, then it's only a matter of time before the train crashes." Blueblood flung the final door open, A Scowl on his face as he saw the missing window on the front of the train, a trail of bloody glass shards from where the pony must have been thrown out.
"Not good then?" Rutherford glares at the empty control car.
"Bad," Blueblood shook his head, "This is very, Bad." He heard a flash of magic behind him as Starlight reappeared, gasping for air before she disappeared once again, Prince Rutherford with her.
"I'm out of juice!" Blueblood's frown started to disappear as Starlight's voice sounded around him, "You need to get off the train yourself!"
"Heh," He chuckled, reaching up to loosen his tie, "Always have to do the hard part myself," He said out loud, stretching his legs as he stared at the rails ahead of the train, only for his eyes to widen as a figure stood in the middle of the train tracks, a bright green glow emanating from their head.
"Shit!" Blueblood shouted as his magic started working overtime in order to create a makeshift shield around his body.
But he wasn't fast enough.
In the middle of the tracks, staring at the Locomotive moving in their direction, A Hooded figure stood at the ready. Most of their body was hidden under a bright green cloak made out of countless tendrils resembling the stingers of a jellyfish.
Gelatinous in form, The cloak stretched and moved as if it were a living creature, covering almost its entire body, leaving only the eyes and horn visible.
Like a wraith made of green shadows, The figure's bright green eyes glared hatefully at the train, the green light emanating from their horn building in power as it slowly formed into a sharp pillar of magical energy.
And like a headsman swinging the axe, The pillar of green magic fell onto the train, cutting through it like a blade of bright green magic.
"Aaargh!" The figure yelled in effort as they raised their head back up, the pillar of magic following their movements like a sword stroke, splitting the Train down the middle, the crunching sound of metal and wood splintering echoed around them as they stood in place, the train crashing to the sides without harming them.
Almost like Moses parting the Red Sea, the cloaked watched their display of power with a smirk underneath their hooded gelatinous cloak.
Turning around, ready to return where they came from, the figure stopped as a flash of blue light appeared behind them.
Turning their neck to look back at the train, their eyes widened as they saw Prince Blueblood breathing heavily, yet unharmed.
"So you're the one in charge of these Assassins I presume," The prince spoke, his Ice-Blue eyes meeting the figures Emerald Green.
"..." They did not respond, merely lowering their body into a combative stance.
"I see," The prince lowered his body into a similar stance, "Now that I don't have to worry about others getting hurt," A feral smirk crossed his face as he glared daggers into the Assassin's eyes, "I can enjoy this to the fullest,"
The two combatants started preparing magic in their horns. Green and Blue light escaped them like to pillars of energy, fighting to see which could shine the brightest.
"And once I'm done beating you for what you're doing," The Prince's smile seemed to turn almost sadistic as he spoke, "I'll start beating you for fun,"
And with no more words to say, the magical pillars the two created fell upon each other like clashing swords.
The fight has begun. |
Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 82: Escape to Canterlot 2 | To an outside observer, the scene taking place inside the wreckage of the Crown's Royal Locomotive would have looked like a scene taking out of an Action Movie.
Pillars of solid magic clashed against each other like swords swung by giants, the force of each strike echoing with an explosion of raw magical power, sending more and more scrap flying to the side while the two combatants stood in place, moving nothing but their horns.
"You have the power, I can give you that," Prince Blueblood called as the giant pillar he created exploded with blue energy, Splitting into hundreds of minuscule missiles of energy, each the size of a small bird, all flying towards the Green Assassin, "But your method of execution could use some work!"
The Assassin kept silent, their Emerald green Glare briefly leaving the prince as they looked at the swarm of magical missiles flying in their direction.
With barely any movement, the Bright Green cloak on their body shifted as a Tendril of green gel flew out into the air, widening into a large green screen, and like a cube of Gelatin, the missiles flew into the magical screen and got stuck, dissipating inside the screen as if melted by Acid.
More and more Gelatin was added to the shield green, as each missile that was absorbed painted the shield a darker shade of green.
And once all the missiles were swallowed, the shield collapsed. The Bright green gelatin now resembling a dark green crystal,
Solid and sharp.
"So that's how it works..." The Assassin's eyes widened as they twirled around to see the Prince mere meters away from them, "Your Cloak absorbs the magic like, but once it does the slime gets hard, and you can't control that, Can you?"
The Assassin glared at the prince, A Beam of green energy firing from their horn and slamming into him, exploding into a pillar of flames and smoke.
"Cute..." The Assassin felt their eyes bulge out as the prince stood there unharmed before a realization hit them.
An Illusion.
With an explosion of magic from their horn, The Assassin wiped away the Illusion that surrounded her, only to shrink back at the sight that she found.
Hundreds of blue orbs littered the sky above her, twinkling like Stars as their shadow darkened the land.
The cloak moved again, Several Tentacles of green slime elongating and growing, wrapping into a dome around the assassin as the Orbs in the sky started shooting down to the ground, like a rain of bombs, Slamming into the newly constructed Green Dome and detonating into a powerful explosion.
The Assassin grit their teeth as more and more slime moved to replace the now Solid Crystal of the dome, their cloak growing shorter and shorter as the supply of Tentacles slowly started to dwindle.
Their back legs were now showing, Long and smooth, almost reflective in their shine, as if covered in armor rather than fur.
Seeing that their dome wouldn't hold long, The Assassin's horn burst into green fire, A Beam of energy shattering the dome as it pierced into the sky, detonating the rest of the Bombs as they fell.
The Explosion that followed shook the surrounding trees and sent more of the scrapped train flying into the surrounding forest.
If this fight had taken place in a population center, rather than in the middle of the wilderness, Many would have likely lost their hearing.
But with the bombs no longer dropping, the Assassin straightened their back and took a long look at the carnage the quick bout between the Prince and them took on the surrounding.
Fire licked at the wooden planks of the train track, The vibrant green trees of the forest lay strewn on the ground, uprooted by the many explosions. If it was not for its placement next to the tracks, the ruined train would have looked like a pile of garbage at a scrapyard.
But the Assassin didn't relax, there was no sign of the Prince.
So with yet another explosion of green magic, They once again cleared the area of any Illusions.
Only to be met face to hoof with a smiling Unicorn.
A small explosion of Blue Magic followed the punch, throwing the Assassin away, and forcing them to extend more green tentacles from their cloak to catch the ground and control their trajectory.
"It seems the first hit goes to me," The Prince said smugly as he looked at his hoof, blowing air on it to clear it of dust.
If looks could kill, The Assassin would have won this fight ten times over, A Wide tendril of green slime moved in from the side in an attempt to sweep at the Prince.
The Prince jumped over the tentacle as if it were a rope, Only for his eyes to widen as several sharp spikes shot out of the tentacle, intent on skewering him.
With a blue glow, The Prince used his own Telekinesis on himself, throwing his body out of the way of the piercing spikes.
"Your control over that cloak of yours is getting better," The Prince pointed out, watching the smooth green tentacle retract back into the cloak that resembled a Jellyfish.
"..." The Assassin didn't respond, But they noticed that the Prince was once again far outside his preferred Range. As long as they kept the prince out of melee range, the fight should be in their favor.
With an explosion of Magic, Green flames raced across the ground like snakes, intent on trapping the Prince in a circle of fire.
A bright glow of Blue magic solved the issue as the ground exploded upwards in a shower of dust and debris, putting out the fire and hiding the Prince underneath a smokescreen of dirt.
The Assassin prepared for whatever Spell the prince would throw out of the screen, already casting another Illusion-cleansing spell just for the sake of it.
But what came out of the screen of dust wasn't another simple Missile or Beam.
A Snake Skull with two backward curving horns leaped out of the dust, burning with blue fire, connected to a torso and arms made of scrap iron and burnt wood held together with burning blue veins.
"Pluto!" A Shout echoed out as the Flaming Golem slithered on a serpentine tail towards the Assassin, a flaming blue stinger at the tip of its tail seeming ready to stab at anything that came close to it.
"What?!" And for the first time in that fight, The Assassin spoke. An exclamation more than anything, but it was another small victory for the Prince.
Before they could react, A burning metal fist slammed into their face, once again throwing them back. It took just a moment for the Assassin to reorient themselves mid-air, but that was still a moment too late, as another fist landed on their body, throwing them back even further.
"Damnit!!!" The Assassin screamed, The Gelatin of their tentacle cloak morphing into many clawed limbs as they too struck back at the Statue of Scrap.
It was a battle of Quantity vs Quality, Each gelatinous claw that struck the Statue exploded under the barrage of punches that it returned, but for every tentacle the Statue destroyed, two more took its place.
But it wasn't a stalemate, not at all.
The Assassin took that opportunity to once again ready a spell, intent on getting rid of the snake-headed statue.
And the moment their Cloak was drained enough for the bottom of their torso to start being visible, they fired.
A Spiraling Beam of Green Fire and Raw Magic, like a drill of Energy, pierced through the Statue, rending it into nothing more than dust as the beam kept going, piercing the Trees behind the statue and gouging a burning hole through the treeline before flying into the sky, where it fell out of range and dissipated.
The Assassin breathed heavily, feeling several cracks on their smooth shiny armor from where the Statue managed to land its blows.
They raised their head, looking at the almost perfect circular tunnel they created in the forest as the trees collapsed and burnt.
"I can recognize you now," The Assassin froze as the Prince's voice echoed around her, "You smoothed out your legs, got some plastic surgery for your horn, and bought a fancy new wig, but it's still you, isn't it?"
"...Oh? Then who am I?" The Assassin asked with a smirk as the Gelatinous cloak of Tentacles moved to repair itself.
"I was trying to figure this out, you know?" Blueblood kept talking, his body hidden as his voice echoed around the assassin, "But I think I managed to put two and two together," He took a deep breath, "It was how your little pals looked that threw it away, you know. Unicorns, Pegasus, and Earth Ponies, all sharing the same eyes, coat, and Mane, It's almost as if they were wearing an Illusion."
"But I'm a sort of... Master of Illusions, you see, At least somewhat, And I can recognize an Illusion when I see one," The Prince explained, "And those ponies weren't illusions, especially after they remained looking like that once they died,"
"Oh? So what's your answer?" The Assassin took the opportunity of the two talking to stretch their body, readying for round 2.
"Those ponies weren't wearing Illusions," The prince paused for a moment, "They were shapeshifters, That's why the disguise remained after their death, At least however briefly, But really, It was as I was choosing the material to create Pluto that I saw it,"
The Assassin watched as a small black object threw itself into the air before landing at their feet, A head covered in cracked and burnt Chitin, blank eyes now empty of life, the small green fin on their head tore apart like a soft fabric, their sharp fangs and horn were cracked and broken.
It looked hideous. Just as the Assassin remembered her disgusting soldiers.
Of course, they were disgusting, She herself knew it better than any other creature on this earth.
They were nothing more than a dead worm living inside a rotten fruit. As disgusting an existence that could be imagined.
"You are Changelings!" The Assassin smirked as the Prince declared
"And you are supposed to be Dead, Chrysalis!"
"Heh"
It was a small thing, a sound barely audible over the crackling of the fire and the snapping of the branches.
"Hehehe"
But for the two people who stood on top of the broken train tracks, that sound could have been louder than a volcanic eruption.
"Hehe, Hehehe, Hehaha, Hahahaha, Hahahahahahaha!"
They laughed, loudly and boisterously, the green cloak that hid their form started to rise above them, like a cape of Tentacles, squirming and moving. Revealing itself not to be a cloak, but her own hair, both mane and tail, moving under her command like another set of limbs.
Legs that were once spotted with holes stood long and smooth, A Torso that was once thin and weak now stood healthy and shining, and The weak green Elytra that hung over fragile wings now shined with a reflective Jade, protecting beautiful insect wings.
Her horn, once jagged and twisted, was now as smooth as a knife, and likely as sharp as one also. The Bright Green tentacles that made up her new hair darkened as they returned to their original color.
The only thing that remained on this new body, was the two dark grey circles on the back of her neck, a birthmark she could never remove.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"
Chrysalis laughed, her eyes glaring at the only source of emotion nearby, the Prince invisible under another Illusion.
"IT TOOK YOU SO LONG TO FIGURE IT OUT! HAHAHAHAHA!!!" The Changeling Queen kept laughing, her eyes bloodshot as a range of emotions passed through her in a matter of seconds.
"So listen here, IDIOT! This is how this is going to go! You're going to kindly snap your own neck so I can wear your body as a Disguise," Chrysalis said with a wide smile on her face, clearly something was wrong with her.
"Then, We'll go together to a lovely date in Canterlot where we'll murder Celestia, and wear her skin like a fucking flesh puppet! With me now on the throne, we'll take our lovely time together TORTURING ANYONE WHO EVER OPPOSED ME!!!" Her head swung to the side, A Beam of green magic disintegrating several trees as she laughed to herself, "Then, Hehe, Then I'll spend our wonderful honeymoon taking down Equestria until it is nothing but your PATHETIC TRIBES FIGHTING EACH OTHER! And then, once you're all weak like the pathetic little mongrels you are, My Changelings will swarm in, and DEVOUR YOUR LOVE LIKE AN ALL YOU CAN EAT BUFFET!!!"
"...You know," Prince Blueblood slowly said, "Clover the Clever wrote that one of the best ways to improve the potency of a Unicorn's magic, is to remove outside influences, such as sight, or speech,"
"...Are you getting somewhere? Do you want to join me? I'll gladly let you become my little slave if you promise to serve me for all eternity!" Chrysalis called out to the Prince, her manic smile still stretched on her face as she glared at the spot where she could feel his emotions.
"When I was much weaker than I am right now, I managed to use a simple Telekenisis spell in order to break out of a prison cell, all sitting in place, not moving a muscle." Blueblood Continued.
"Do you want me to throw the first punch? I'll gladly turn you into my cute little slave if you ask nicely!"
"Allow me to showcase to you a little Spell my girlfriend and I created together, A Spell that would seal my own senses, massively boosting my magical power at a cost," As the Prince Spoke, a beam of Blue magic burst into the air from where he stood, revealing Prince Blueblood Platinum standing there, A Mask of solid gold hanging over his face, Chains of gold wrapped around his legs as if he was a Gladiator Slave in an ancient Colosseum, a pair of Devil-like horns twisted backward from the top of the golden mask.
"With this mask, I cannot See, I cannot smell, I cannot taste, I cannot even feel my body. Should I be injured wearing this mask, I wouldn't even notice it until I took it off," His voice echoed around him, as if speaking out of a speaker or a radio.
"I can't even speak with this on, All I can feel is my sense of hearing, and my Magic," The Prince lowered his head to the ground, his legs spreading apart as he entered a stance.
"So you blinded yourself, How's that going to help you?" Chrysalis scoffed as her wings started buzzing erratically, ready to shoot her at her target like a living missile.
"I see... Queen Chrysalis of the Changelings," The Prince's Horns started growing blue, his Unicorn Horn with Magic and the two curving golden horns with blue fire.
"I, Blueblood Platinum, Prince of Equestria and Last of his Name, Hereby grant you a great Honor!" His voice echoed around the wreckage of their fight.
"Rejoice! Oh, ruinous Queen! For you are worthy!" His voice grew louder as his horn started shining brighter and brighter.
"Rejoice! Oh, Detestable Wretch, For you are the first to receive such a blessing!" Chrysalis readied her body as the world around her seemed to tremble from the overwhelming power that the Prince was emanating.
How powerful could he be if he also lost his sense of Hearing? She wondered for but a microsecond, before her mind erased that thought as she focused intently on the prince, Ignoring the Darkness that surrounded her from every direction.
She would take whatever he threw at her head on, and she would push through it, and drive her leg through his torso! CRUSH HIM LIKE A BUG!!!
"REJOICE! CHRYSALIS!! FOR YOU HAVE FORCED ME TO GO ALL OUT!!!"
The sky above him shone with Golden light, as hundreds, no- Thousands of Golden Orbs appeared in thin air, shining like stars in the sky. Several Silver Orbs appeared beside them, quickly flying to take different corners, like cameras watching a play.
"REJOICE!!!"
And the sky was swallowed by shooting stars.
Chrysalis kicked off the ground, her wings buzzing loudly as she flew at the prince, Ignoring the beams of golden magic that fell behind her like a shower of light.
Her target was in her sight, and she was going to make him scream.
Her hair moved around her, shaping itself into sharp crystalized armor over her legs as she readied to punch a hole through the Unicorn Prince.
And as her fist entered the Prince's chest, he exploded in a ball of Golden Flames.
"WHAT?!" Chrysalis screamed, the armor on her limbs burning off, her hair growing shorter as turned mid-air to land facing the direction she came from, seeing the body of the prince stand there, half his form gone before it crumbled into golden dust.
Chrysalis didn't have time to think of it, as more beams of golden light pierced the place she stood at moments prior, forcing the Changeling Queen to fly away, her body nothing more than a blur of movement as she dodged the falling beams.
"WHERE ARE YOU?!?!?!?!" She screeched as her horn glowed with green energy, Blasting a green wave into the sky that detonated many of the golden orbs.
"IS IT ANOTHER ILLUSION!?!?!" She yelled as she instantly fired off another spell, but no illusion was broken, The Prince was nowhere to be found.
Just how powerful was he with that mask?!
"Forcing the Alignment~" Chrysalis suddenly felt her body freeze as darkness took over her vision.
"What is this?!" Chrysalis screamed as she tried to move her legs, but they wouldn't budge. She turned to look at her back and the sight that greeted her both burned her skin and froze her blood.
"Sol~ Mercury~ Venus~"
"Stop this!" She screeched, "Let go of me so I can kill you! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
"Terra~ Mars~ Asteroid~"
"SHOW YOURSELF!!!"
"Jupiter~ Saturn~ Uranus~"
Chrysalis struggled to move her legs, her hair vibrating and bubbling as the heat she the gelatinous form that it currently held burst under the intense heat she was subjected to, causing her to scream as the green slime burned her body.
"Neptune~ Pluto~ Kuiper~" The incantation stopped, and the mass of celestial bodies that levitated above her stood like a menacing beacon, highlighting the insignificance of everything in her life.
"LET ME GO! NOW!!!" Chrysalis screamed as the suns rays burned her back, her hair steaming and bubbling as it burnt her smooth black chitin.
The ground in front of her shook as a leg burst out of the floor, slowly revealing where the Prince hid himself all along.
"UNDERGROUND?!?! COME HERE ALREADY!!! LET ME KILL YO-" Chrysalis paused as she felt the volatile cocktail of emotion wafting off of the Prince.
"Is this... Love?"
"This is a Spell born of a broken Star~" The Prince said, as far beyond the edge of the solar system, perfectly aligned with his three horns, a bright golden glow shone brighter than anything in existence. Like a secondary sun that fell closer and closer to where Chrysalis stood stuck.
The Golden mask covering the Prince's face cracked, allowing Chrysalis a look into a singular Ice-Blue eye.
"He's overflowing with love..."
"PALE BLUE DOT"
And the world was engulfed in burning gold.
Prince Blueblood took deep breaths as he felt the self-sealing mask he created shatter and break, the chains on his legs turning to dust as the spell ended.
He looked to the side, watching the Queen of the Changelings, her black chitin covered in pale spots where her gelatinous hair popped and burnt her. Her previously long hair was now a short bob, frayed ending and sticking to her sweating skin.
And then he looked at how she managed to survive his ultimate attack.
"You amputated your own legs in order to escape..." It was an observation more than anything.
Chrysalis looked at the Prince with a mix of many differing and conflicting emotions, her legs ending on black stumps, a green liquid flowing out of her legs and onto the ground.
"Heh, Hahahaha! This was fun!" The Prince smiled widely as he started walking closer to the downed Changeling.
"We Should do this again sometime! But... We cannot," he sighed sadly once he stood over Chrysalis, watching as she struggled to push herself away from him.
"You know... I like this new look of yours, The short hair really complements your bitch of a personality," He said simply as more blue magic started collecting in his horn, "But, the fun is over, It's once again my win,"
Chrysalis simply closed her eyes and laid on the ground, as if accepting her fate.
And once the beam of Blue magic fell upon her, ready to turn her into dust, a flash of green magic engulfed her as she disappeared.
"...Turning off your sight and relaxing your muscles in order to get your Teleport ready..." he said calmly as he looked at where the Changeling queen lay previously.
"Clever girl..."
"Starlight! Ready another Teleport, We're going straight to Canterlot!"
Starlight Glimmer felt her body buckle as Prince Blueblood walked up the tracks, the wreckage of the train lying a few kilometers down the track from where she and the others waited.
"Another Teleport and I'll be out of magic for another week!" Starlight coughed as she raised her voice at her boss.
"And I'll make sure you get the best treatment once we're back in the castle, but this is an emergency," Blueblood told her, and Starlight could only sigh as she prepared herself for a week of bed rest.
"Fine, But you better not get into another crazy adventure like this while I'm out!" She snapped at him, a smirk on her face as she took the Sunglasses off her eyes and placed them in her black suit.
"I can't do that, However, I'll bring you a little gift from wherever I might end up, A key-chain or something," Blueblood joked at her, and Starlight tiredly rolled her eyes.
"You must tell me of the fight Friend Blueblood!" Prince Rutherford exclaimed as he walked up to the two Unicorns.
"I'll tell you once we're all settled in the castle," Blueblood told him as Starlight's Aquamarine magic engulfed all the Ponies and Yaks of the group.
And with one final flash of light, They were gone. |
Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 83: Escape from Canterlot | Her existence was an embodiment of disgust.
A Dead Worm inside of a Rotten Fruit.
She did not know how much time she spent in that shallow pool of muck, that was the only place she ever knew because, for her, time had no meaning.
She was a dead worm inside of a rotten fruit, a mass of dead flesh without a purpose. She knew not of time, or how time worked. She knew not of thought, for what would she think of?
She knew not of life beyond that shallow pool. She knew not of life as a true living creature.
Until It came along.
A creature that was loved by all, A creature that did not understand the gift she had, A creature that did not love anything other than itself.
The Creature did not greet her out of any kindness in its heart, for its heart was as empty and cold as a desolate tundra. It merely wished to showcase to those lowly masses how beautiful it could be, for even it would show pity to a dead worm inside a rotten fruit.
The sight of it was both Beautiful and Disgusting, for in those moments it was the first thing she ever saw.
And in those moments she swore eternal fealty to that loveless creature who was loved by all, yet Unable to love.
And in those moments, when the mass of dead flesh promised to follow it, shadow it, learn from it, Her form changed to resemble it.
"What a hideous creature you are," It told her, its long legs pulling her newborn form out from the muck of the pool she never left, Its white limbs glistening as if made by crystals, the dark muck of the pool sliding cleanly off as if in fear of harming its beauty.
Its words weren't said to be hurtful, for they were the truth. Everything it said was the truth. It was beautiful. It was perfect.
The people loved it. She loved it. The world itself loved it. Even it loved it. And a creature like it, so loved by all, would be unable to lie.
No. She was disgusting to the core, She loved it so much she could see what the others couldn't. She saw the truth behind it.
They were both the same, two disgusting beings, rotten to the core. Alas, where she was Disgusting on the outside, It was disgusting on the inside.
Perhaps that's what the Butterfly saw. Did the Butterfly also see through its facade of perfection? Or is she once more overthinking?
The thought mattered not to her. It was loved by all, so She would need to be loved as well.
And so she served, following in its hoof steps, copying the truth behind its mannerism.
If it was a perfect lie, then she would become the disgusting truth that mirrored it.
And yet, once the Butterfly exposed its truth to the world, it denied his words, for everything it said became the truth.
It said she was a hideous creature, so she became the most hideous creature it could imagine.
It said the butterfly was a traitor, so the butterfly usurped her.
However, she remembered, from the faintest corners of her disgusting mind, a brief moment.
A moment so fragile, barely more than a second, as the butterfly prepared to destroy all it ever worked for.
She remembered it doing something so unbelievable, so ludicrous, she could not have imagined ever doing so herself.
As its long and slender horn touched the crib of a newborn girl, moments before sending her away with its perfect magic, it showed love.
It loved a creature that was not it, even for the briefest of moments, before the Butterfly arrived and exacted his traitorous plan. Finally putting an end to everything it ever stood for.
No. Not everything. It still had her, and the baby it loved for but the briefest of moments.
So she left, searching for where the baby disappeared, for outside of it, the baby was the only thing it has ever loved.
She toppled kingdoms in search of the girl, Working exactly how It would have worked should it have shown its true colors.
She was the disgusting truth that mirrored its perfect lie. And to fulfill her purpose, her promise to it, to herself, she must find that baby.
And yet, perhaps she already found her? And perhaps because of all that happened in her search for the girl, she finally understood that brief flash of love from it.
Yes, she finally understood what It did, what it truly was, and with this understanding, she could finally become the disgusting truth that mirrored its perfect lie.
A real mirror, not the pale imitation she always had. A disgusting Copy.
No. She was not yet ready, only once the girl was hers would she be able to face it and tell it everything.
She was a Dead Worm inside of a Rotten Fruit.
But perhaps she already understood what it was.
"I think I'm in love with Prince Blueblood..."
With these hideous thoughts in her disgusting head, Queen Chrysalis woke up.
"You, Take Starlight Glimmer to the hospital now! And you, I want a perimeter search of the entire castle, I want every single possible entrance or exit those fucks could take closed yesterday! And you, Show the Yak's to the rooms they'll be staying in tonight! You, Bring our guests the best food and drink we have! Bow your head and like their hooves for forgiveness if it would make them happy, NOW!!!" The moment the group landed in one of the gardens of Canterlot Castle, Prince Blueblood wasted no time in catching Starlight's unconscious form before it could hit the ground, yelling orders at the surrounding guards.
"You can rest now," He whispered to the Unicorn mare, "You've done well," He gently passed her off to the guard he ordered to take her to the hospital before he started marching towards the castle, followed by Prince Rutherford and the rest of the guards.
"Will things be fine, Blueblood?" Rutherford asked as he walked a step behind the Unicorn prince.
"Of course they will, Who do you take me for?" Blueblood stated, eliciting a chuckle from the leader of the Yaks.
"Hah, good answer!"
The guards that stood at the door to the castle took one look at his face before they opened the door for him, letting him pass into the castle without slowing down his march.
He burst into the throne room, only to scowl as he found it empty.
"You!" He called to a nearby guard, "Where's Celestia?"
"You mean where's Princess Celestia-" The guard froze under the frigid glare from the prince.
"Answer the question or you're fired," He said simply, not even bothering to raise his voice as he glared at the guard.
"She's at the Ballroom! Please don't fire me!" The guard cried as his knees buckled under him, forcing the poor stallion to use his spear as a walking stick to keep himself standing. But the prince was already on the move.
He ignored the stares and whispers of the servants and the guards as he moved with a single-minded focus toward the ballroom.
With a flick of his horn, he sent his bag to his room, it only served to slow him down.
With a glare from his eyes, doors opened before him, guards and servants bowing low to the ground as a show of respect, fearing the angered prince's response should he not have it.
And as he reached the doors to the ballroom, he wasted no time in flinging them open with a glow from his horn.
And then white powder exploded in his direction, "SURPRISE!!!"
Blueblood quickly caught all the white powder in his magic, making sure none of it touched his skin as he pulled it into the shape of a ball, a bright blue beam escaping his horn and burning the powder into nothing.
"Did you throw Anthrax at me?" He calmly asked the now silenced ballroom, his eyes moving over figures both familiar and not.
"Anthrax?! That's flour!" An unfortunately familiar Pink Earth pony exclaimed as she pointed at the empty sacks of flour lying beside a cannon.
"Good reflexes," One of the figures in the back said, nodding her head in respect to the Prince.
Blueblood took a deep breath before he looked at the ballroom. The ceiling was littered with Balloons, a banner was hung from the ceiling with "HAPPY BIRTHDAY BLUEBLOOD" written in rainbow colors.
On a table to the side, Where three familiar Diamond Dogs were resting, sat several plates of snacks and sweets, and bottles of soda stood beside them.
Blueblood's eyes roamed over the other ponies in the room, recognizing a few of them, not recognizing others, before his eyes landed on the Pony he needed to speak to.
"Celestia, we need to talk," He walked up to her, trying his best to convey the importance of the situation with his tone of voice and lack of proper public address of her title.
"Luna, Cadance, Raven, Shining Armor, you also need to come with me," And without waiting for their response, Prince Blueblood turned tail and walked away, ignoring the gawking crowd of ponies watching him leave.
"Also, get rid of those decorations, they're a headache to look at," He gave some words of sage advice before turning the corner and leaving.
Princess Celestia looked at the many visitors who turned to look at her.
"Ehe," She sheepishly chuckled before following after the prince.
Once all the ponies that Blueblood called out were out of the room, One of the few ponies whom he did not recognize spoke up.
"What crawled up his tail and died there?"
"RAINBOW DASH!!!"
"What? We were all thinking it,"
"If what you're saying is true, then the Elements of Harmony will have a tough foe in the near future..." Blueblood almost wanted to scream as those words left Celestia's mouth.
"Of course," Blueblood simply gritted his teeth and nodded along to her decision, after all, she was an Alicorn, and he was a simple Unicorn.
She had the final say on everything.
"Now, how about we return to your Birthday Party, Pinkie Pie made you a wonderful cake-" The moment the talk came to a close, Celestia's demeanor shifted as she smiled, trying to pull the prince into a hug.
"I apologize, Princess Celestia, But I have prior reservations that I must attend to," Blueblood slipped away from her before he gave her a bow and left her behind.
He had a reservation with a bottle.
He was not drunk enough to deal with this.
"Welcome home darling," The sight that greeted him once he finally fell asleep was of his Human body standing in the doorway of an apartment, His cat-faced, snake-haired, twin-horned, Cosmic Girlfriend standing on the other side, a cheeky grin on her lips as she leaned her humanoid body forward.
"I already readied the water, so you can start with a bath, or you can start with dinner," She rested her hand on his chest, grabbing onto his shirt as she pulled him closer.
"Or do you want to start with me? Dar~ ling~?"
Blueblood stared down silently at Cosmos, the long day he had of dealing with Changelings, and then dealing with foreign diplomats, all the while finding out that it was actually his birthday all along. It was a very long day.
"I want to take a shower first," He told her as he leaned forward himself, His taller body pushing Cosmos back against the wall, "Then, Once we're both cleaned, I'm going to take a blindfold and cover your eyes," He continued speaking, towering over the Spirit of Space as she licked her lips up at him.
"Then, I'm going to lead you to our bed, where I'm going to proceed to tie your hands together and spread your legs open, that's when I'll have my dinner," Cosmos felt her body shivering as Blueblood lifted his hand to cup her chin, "And then for dessert, I think I'll get myself a little birthday present," He smirked as Cosmos stood on her toes, trying to reach for a kiss.
Only to widen her eyes as his finger blocked her lips.
"Ah ah ah, Not so fast," He leaned away from her, closing the door behind him as he entered the medium-sized apartment that Cosmos created in the dreamscape, "I think that for tonight, I want to take things slooow~"
Cosmos felt her breath quicken, she took the finger Blueblood used to block her attempt at kissing and put it in her mouth.
"You're a dirty girl," Her lips made a popping sound as Blueblood took his finger out of her mouth, "Let's get you cleaned up~"
As the couple entered the imaginary bathroom, Cosmos asked a question as she peeked over her shoulder, watching her Prince take his shirt off.
"Hey, Blueblood?"
"Yes, Cosmos?"
"Is it really your birthday?" She asked, her slender arms going behind her back to unhook her bra.
"It's the day Celestia picked me up from the streets, so it's basically my birthday," He answered casually as he removed his belt.
"Oh... Happy Birthday then," Cosmos said, earning a chuckle from the Prince.
"I don't care about birthdays," He told her once he finally took off all his clothes.
He turned around and Pulled Cosmos into a spooning hug, "Now how about you ask the real question?" he whispered to her, blowing small kisses into the back of her neck.
Cosmos took a moment to take in his body heat, Knowing full well that even though it felt real, it was but a dreamlike illusion.
She was still nothing but a head with an arm, lying in an endless void resembling the far reaches of the Universe.
But with him, She could ignore all of that.
He'd find the rest of her body, He'll free her from this prison.
"Do you wanna' go out with me?"
And one day, In the future.
"No,"
He'll give her a different answer. |
Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 84: Hearts and Hooves | Raven Inkwell closed her eyes and sighed as she rested her head on the cool wood of her office desk.
Finally, after several days of grueling work, she had a day off.
And what a better way to spend her day off than to go visit her family.
Only that her parents also have business to attend to, so they're not free for a visit, so Raven Inkwell is forced to deal with today on her lonesome.
With the recent debacle on the train being cleanly swept under the rugs so the citizens won't panic, The following days were a hurry and a half.
With half the Yak delegation mostly excusing themselves to check several archeological sights that interested them, The second half was busy making plans with Prince Blueblood in regard to their little Railway thing.
It took three days to settle for a course that all parties could agree to, but thankfully it ended with shaken hooves and toothy smiles.
And drinking.
Lots of drinking.
At the same time, Three of the royals from Caninia also stayed in the Castle, With Princess Indiana Ambereyes representing the Old Castle and Princess Moonbeam Twinkletail representing the New Castle.
Princess Fiona Floppyears, who came with Princess Indiana, disappeared with a group of guards, she was later found in an argument with a local Carnivorous restaurant owner over the quality of his meats.
A small investigation into the restaurant shortly after saw it closed for violation of several health and safety regulations. So at least something good came out of her little walk.
What wasn't fun was dealing with the two Bickering Dog Princesses, Who could not be kept in the same room alone without a loud argument erupting between them.
Raven Inkwell didn't care that Moonbeam thought her Magic was better than Indiana's armed skill, and neither did she care that Indiana thought her steel could beat Moonbeam's Arcane knowledge.
You two are talking about shipping lanes and maritime trade! Stop bickering like children and act your age!!!
Luckily for Raven, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza managed to placate the two Diamond Dogs and they all reached an agreeable consensus, and the Dogs are on their way to Caninia at this very moment to hold up their side of the agreement.
Prince Rutherford also returned to Yakyakistan, although half his delegation is still on tour around the many magical sights of Equestria. They're visiting the Pyramids of Somnambula last she heard.
What else happened during the last few days? Raven racked her head as she tried to think.
Oh yeah! Shining Armor is getting married.
"Arrgh!" Raven had enough, she slid down her chair and lay under her table, feeling the carpeted floor itching at her back as she despaired about her current life.
"It's not fair! Everypony but me is doing something special for Hearts and Hooves Day!" If any pony had heard right now, she surely would have died from embarrassment.
"Even Starlight Glimmer is doing something special!" Raven quickly slapped herself for that jealous thought, knowing full well that all Starlight Glimmer was doing was lying in bed as her magic slowly refilled.
"Raven! I need you to cancel everything I have in the next three days!" Raven jumped forward, her head banging against the underside of the desk, spilling over a number of pens.
"Ow~" The Earth Pony rubbed at her head as she crawled back out from under the table, trying her best to act natural and look as if she's a totally normal member of society.
"Of course your Highness, Is there anything else?" Raven nodded to the pony who barged into her office with a shout.
"No, Just make sure my schedule's clear," Raven felt her face go blank as Prince Blueblood answered her.
"Are you sure? Just clear your schedule? Nothing else?" Raven raised an eyebrow, hoping the Unicorn would get what she was trying to hint at, her eyes briefly pointing to the Calendar that was sitting on her table, the date marked with a red circle.
"Is there something wrong with your eye?" Blueblood tilted his head, Raven knew full well he understood what she was hinting at, yet he kept torturing her.
"I have nothing wrong with my eyes, The Royal optometrist made sure of that," Raven answered, not so subtly pushing the calendar forward, pointing at the circled date.
"We don't have a Royal optometrist and you know that, just out with it, we're both adults, just say what you want to say," Blueblood smirked his infuriatingly hot smile as he sat down across the desk from her, raising an eyebrow in anticipation.
Raven closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
And without opening them, she said-
"I want you to lock the door to my office, Lean over my desk, and catch me 'Slacking at my job,' I want you to then do your part as a good boss and punish me for slacking off, I want you to take the crop in my drawer and whip me, I want you to punish me, I want you to hold me against this desk and kiss me, I want your thick hot steamy rod inside of me as I beg you to keep going, I want you to choke me as I scream in pleasure, I want some excitement in my life, It's Hearts and Hooves day, and you're my Friend with Benefits," Raven took a long sigh before she opened her eyes and stared directly into the Ice-Blue orbs of a smug prince.
"So show me the bucking benefits you stupid, sexy, asshole."
A second later Raven's face exploded in a bright red blush, proverbial steam coming out of her head before she quickly hid under the table once more.
"Forget I said anything, this is stupid," She squeaked weakly, curling up into a ball.
Raven Inkwell rocked back and forth under her table, her mind replaying her words over and over as it mocked her for attempting to think she was worthy of his time.
She wasn't his Girlfriend, just a friend who was also a girl, He had no romantic interest in her, he already made that clear.
You don't do roleplay like that with friends, this entire question was stupid.
Hearts and Hooves Day is stupid.
She's stupid.
Stupid love and Stupid Raven and Stupid Blueblood with his Stupid Eyes and Stupid Smirk and Stupid muscles and Stupid- Gahh! She's thinking of him again!!!
"You know, If I didn't put up a Soundproof barrier around us, Someone might have gotten the wrong Idea," Raven felt herself croak weakly as Prince Blueblood took a look under her desk, watching her body curl up into a small ball of white fur and brown hair.
"They might have thought you were trying to proposition me, Can you imagine the scandal that would come if the ponies heard that Prince Blueblood Platinum was sleeping with Princess Celestia's Secretary? It would be front-page news everywhere!"
Raven felt tears well in her eyes, she was so stupid, she should have kept it to simple things in the confines of their bedrooms, not whatever she just asked him to do-
"For almost bringing a scandal to the royal castle, You really fucked up as a secretary, you know that?"
"I'm sorry..." Raven's ball-like form fell to the side, her cheek resting on the itchy carpet of her floor, wet tears staining the fabric.
Prince Blueblood got on his knees and crawled to sit beside her under her desk, his leg rubbing her side in an attempt of comfort.
"Hey there, You know I'm not angry, right?" He asked calmly, gently stroking her hair.
Raven nodded weakly, her face still red from embarrassment.
"It's just, as your boss, I can't let this go unpunished," He stopped rubbing her hair, his hoof moving to hold her chin as he opened up Raven-ball and turned her head to look at him.
Raven froze, the tears drying up instantly as she looked at the smug look on his face.
"The Safe Word is 'Twins', Now, where did you say you put that crop?" He whispered in her ear.
Raven whispered back, "Second drawer from the bottom of the bookshelf, Please don't be gentle..."
Maybe this Hearts and Hooves day wasn't so bad.
Omake: An Audience to Power.
Marigold was a simple maid working in the Canterlot Castle. Her days were filled with cleaning the rooms, passing along messages, and making sure Princess Luna had everything she could ask for.
So when she heard that a spar would take place Between Princess Luna and Prince Blueblood, she saw an opportunity to watch something many of the other maids considered entertaining.
A Chance to see Prince Blueblood get his face kicked in.
Now, Marigold never had any issues with the Prince, quite the opposite, in fact, she simply adored him.
If any of her sisters would have found her little shrine back at her house, suffice to say there would be an empty chair at her dining table.
Haha, She merely jests.
And yet, Marigold really liked this new personality Prince Blueblood has been taking ever since he met with his newest Bodyguard.
If she hadn't known of the relationship between the two, Marigold would have assumed that the Prince and Starlight Glimmer were lovers.
She still remembered his snobbish attitude from before, but it's really toned down, replaced by this... Confidence? This Drive to improve himself that he previously didn't have.
She, like many of the other Maids, and even some of the guardsmares, really loved this new change.
But Princess Luna was still going to beat him.
That, sadly, was simply how the world was. It doesn't matter how powerful his muscles are, or how potent his magic is, he was still a simple Unicorn.
And an Alicorn wouldn't lose to a simple Unicorn.
So when the fight finally began around noon, Marigold was sitting near the windows of the castle, watching the two royals fight inside.
And it was close. Surprisingly so.
Marigold felt her blood pump as her face glued to the windows. She oohed at the beams of light and aahed at the Flaming Statue.
Even without her Magic available, Princess Luna was holding up well against the seemingly endless barrage of punches from the statue and beams from the orbs.
The Speed of a Pegasus and the Strength of an Earth Pony... In the hooves of an Alicorn, they were a deadly combination.
As Princess Lune shattered the flaming Statue, Marigold was certain the fight was over, Blueblood had nothing left to throw at her.
And then the stars aligned.
And Marigold felt as insignificant as an ant, Watching as the beam of burning gold shattered the very planets, its overwhelming heat melting the rings of Saturn, piercing a hole through Jupiter, melting the Asteroid belt into nothing but magma and slag.
"I Forfeit,"
And then it was over. Princess Luna won.
And so, Marigold decided to construct a new shrine to her favorite celebrity, lest he throw a shooting star at her.
Haha, She merely jests.
One can never be too safe, however, so Marigold decided to build her new shrine anyway.
Constructing wooden miniatures was her special talent, after all, how hard could it be to construct a wooden statue of the solar system shattering under the power of a shooting star?
Haha, She jests, or does she? |
Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 85: Great Big Woods 1 | "This is the hundredth time I caught you like this, Stop it,"
At the north-eastern edge of the Everfree Forest sat a camp. Where Fillies and Colts used to learn about the wilderness, climb trees, make campfires, and have endless fun!
Or at least, that's how the Camp was twenty years ago. These days, The cleverly named "Camp Everfree" struggles to keep itself running.
"But Brother! I think I figured a solution to all our problems!" The Camp was run by two Earth Ponies.
"I also have a solution, Sell the Camp! This entire place is prime real estate, Some rich bloke will pay us boatloads! We can easily start a new camp in the Whitetail woods, Where the Everfree Forest doesn't threaten to foalnap the children every night!" The younger Pony was tired of seeing his older sister wasting her life trying to find a solution to the Everfree's wild magic interfering with the camp.
"We are not selling the Camp! This place is everything to us, and to so many more Children! Selling isn't an option, so don't you try to bring it up again!" The older Pony was also tired of her brother trying to get her to stop her search. For months now she's been researching the Everfree Forest, from which Creatures one can find there to what Plants one might expect to encounter.
And almost like routine, the two siblings argued about how to deal with their failure of a camp before splitting off to do their own things for the day.
The younger brother went to his second job, where he can actually make a living.
The older sister went back into the forest, several notebooks and research papers carried along in a bag.
Usually, the Sister would search for a way to fix her problem, but no more. because just as she said, She found it.
The Heart of the Everfree.
A Magical Artifact hidden in the middle of the forest, whoever holds the heart has the power to control the forest itself. With it, she can make sure that the Everfree Forest never messes with her camp.
And then everything will be just like the good old days when the camp prospered and made memories of joy for ponies of all ages.
All Gloriosa Daisy had to do was find it.
I felt a sigh escaping my lips as I stood at the edge of the giant cursed forest that covered a large portion of Equestria.
And when I say large, I mean Large.
If Equestria is the magical equivalent of the United States, then the Everfree Forest is the magical equivalent of a country the size of Belgium being picked up by God, turned into a cursed magical forest, and then dropped on top of the state of Missouri.
Maybe that's why the Deer decided to have their kingdom hidden inside that forest, It's basically the size of a country already!
Although the size of the forest is not the reason for my current sigh of exasperation.
"Tell me again why I should let you join me on this?" I asked the Pink Alicorn who stood beside me, also staring at the large forest.
"Because you're doing this to help Cosmos," Cadance said simply, and I let out another sigh.
"Fine," I told her, "But once we are inside the forest, you listen to me, I don't want to have to save you from every Monster that jumps out of the forest,"
"Of course, This is Your marefriend we're rebuilding here," Cadance said in a teasing tone of voice, which failed to work by virtue of her using the word Marefriend.
Just say Girlfriend, it fits every species anyway.
I just sighed at that, telling myself that even after half a year in this new world, I would never get used to this stupid dialect.
"Let's just go..." I tell Cadance and with a resolute look in my eyes and a calming rub of the necklace around my neck, I start walking into the magical forest, Followed by the Pink Princess of Love.
The moment we entered the shade of the trees, it felt as if a weight was placed on our backs, a pressure heavy enough to feel but still light enough to easily ignore.
It was... Weird to say the least.
The closest comparison I have to the feeling I can give was probably when I carried Starlight through the tunnel in Yakyakistan, where I found Cosmos all those months ago, a sort of primal understanding telling me that I was not somewhere normal people should be.
"I understand why most ponies keep out of this place," Cadance said as a shiver ran down her spine, her feathers bristling in discomfort, and I simply nodded to her words.
As we walked through the woods, the sounds of animals grew dimmer as silence descended upon us. I ignored the creepy atmosphere that the forest was trying to create as I focused on my magic, letting my hooves guide me.
It's really hard to explain how Cutie Marks work, each one is different, but for me? For Prince Blueblood? It's a really fascinating talent.
It's hard to explain how it works without using words like "Sixth sense" but simply put, I have a talent for finding things I'm looking for.
It could be something like finding where I put my keys, or it could be a bit more active, like how the grappling hook I threw back in Caninia found its way to the Ship, to even more active uses such as finding where Chrysalis was going to stand in order for my attack to hit her.
In other words, Letting my Cutie Mark guide me will eventually lead us to Thicket, in one way or another.
Because as long as I'm looking for something, even if I don't know where it is, I will find it.
Because this magical tattoo on my hip made it fate, or someshit like that, I really don't get how it works.
Even Clover the Clever never managed to really figure it out, he wrote down some theories of his in the book, but none of them were ever confirmed.
"Bluey, Did you bring food?" I'm once again pulled out of my thoughts by my new magical Cousin.
And isn't that a kick in the gut, I now have a cousin.
That's a good thing, I think. It's probably a good thing...
I haven't found a reason why Cadance being my cousin is any different than simply being a friend like Starlight is, but I'm sure the answer is out there.
Maybe Clover wrote it in a different book.
"Yes, Cadance, Obviously I packed food," I tell her as I step on a twig, hearing the satisfying snapping sound of wood breaking.
"AHH MONSTER!"
Nevermind then...
Gloriosa was not ready to die.
She still had to find the heart of the Everfree! So when she heard the claws of a beast that must have been stalking up on her snap a twig behind her, she bolted with a scream.
She should have never ventured this deep into the Everfree, now she was going to get eaten by a Timberwolf! or worse, a Timberbear!
Her heart beat in her chest as she ran away, her hoofs making loud sounds as she tried to escape from the hidden beast.
Her breathing hitched as she heard it catching up to her, the flaps of its wings dragging it over the forest floor before-
"We're so sorry for scaring you! Please stop panicking!"
Gloriosa Daisy screamed.
The Pink Pegasus that stood over her screamed.
The white Unicorn that soon entered her vision watched with a blank face, a barely noticeable blue glow around his horn before it disappeared.
"Wait..." Gloriosa paused her screaming as she looked at the two ponies, "You're not monsters?"
"Of course, we're not," The Unicorn said as he readjusted his steel-blue hair into a sort of upwards-facing mane, reminiscent of a bird's head feathers.
"My name is Kingfisher, but everyone calls me King," The Unicorn walked up to her and helped her back to her hoofs before he patted the Pink Pegasus on the back.
"This is my Sister, Pattern Hearts, but everyone calls her Princess, they think it's funny,"
The Pegasus looked at her brother for a moment before a realization passed through her mind and she quickly nodded her head, "Oh yeah, Kingy and I have been by each other's side since we were foals, Haha!" She smiled wildly and pulled her brother into a one-legged hug.
Gloriosa took another look at the two strange Ponies, Seeing an image of a bird diving into the water on King's Cutie Mark, and a playing card with a Jack of Hearts as Princess's mark.
"Oh... Nice to meet you," Gloriosa relaxed once she realized that the two ponies were not in fact angry forest monsters out to kill her, "I'm Gloriosa Daisy, Director of Camp Everfree, But you two can call me Glori."
"I see..." Kingfisher said slowly as he looked at her before he stared into Patter Hearts' eyes, a silent conversation passing between the two.
"Well, We'll be off now, Keep yourself safe," Kingfisher then said once the two seemed to reach a conclusion to their staring talk.
And just like that, the two strange ponies walked back into the forest, leaving Gloriosa confused and alone as to what just happened.
Somewhere else in the Everfree Forest, a certain Prince managed to escape his personal guard and sneak out of the walls that surrounded him.
Ready to explore more of the Great Big World outside of Thicket.
Omake: A Very Good Boy.
Cerberus was a good boy.
For over one-thousand years he kept guard over the magical Prison of Tartarus.
Starswirl told him to do so, and so that's just what he'll do!
But Starswirl hasn't come to visit in a long time. And Cerberus was getting lonely.
Sure, he could talk to the other monsters in Tartarus, but they'll never be his friends, not like Mister Rockhoof and Miss Somnambula were.
But everything changed when a new Prisoner arrived. And not in a cage, but in a Glass box.
Cerberus was confused as he looked at the little box, Wouldn't the prisoner break the glass and escape? But his worries were for naught. Because the prisoner never tried to escape. She simply sat in her little box and read the books given to her.
Cerberus wants to read too, but he never learned how the funny letters work, so he can't.
Hundreds of years ago, He caught the stinky Red prisoner trying to escape by writing on the floor of his cage, so he shook him around until he couldn't move his hand anymore, and then he never wrote again.
Or at least Cerberus thinks he never wrote again... The Red one was always moving about in his cage, almost as if he was trying to hide something, but whenever Cerberus came to look, there would be nothing.
Cerberus didn't like the Red one, he felt wrong.
But none of that mattered because Cerberus wasn't lonely anymore! He got a new friend! Just like Mister Rockhoof and Miss Somnambula!
"Come here Pooch!" Cerberus let out a joyful bark from his three heads as he leaped down cliffs of black stone and sharp rocks before sliding to a halt in front of his new friend, laying on his back as he gave him belly rubs.
"Who's a good boy, Who's a good boy?" The White Unicorn told him as he petted him and rubbed him and showed him affection.
"I'm a good boy! I'm a good boy!" Cerberus yelled happily, three big tongues lolling out of his mouths as he looked at the Unicorn upside-down, still lying on his back, but all that came out were a series of loud yet happy barks.
Cerberus didn't mind that his friends never understood his words, they could still understand the meaning behind them.
"Of course you're a good boy, You're the bestest boy! Now come on! I brought food for everyone and I need your help carrying it,"
Cerberus barked happily as he rolled back onto his feet to help his new friend feed everyone.
"I hope he brought Steak!" His left head barked happily.
"I hope he brought Drumsticks!" His right head barked in joy.
"I hope he brought Ribs!" His middle head barked in affection.
His new friend was his best friend because he always brought good food and plenty of belly rubs whenever he visited.
"Oh look at you, Being all happy, Who's a good boy, Pooch, Who's a good boy?"
Cerberus was a good boy!
"Come here Pooch, Help me with this."
Cerberus was a good boy! And he would make sure Prince Blueblood would keep visiting him! Always!
He won't leave him like Mister Starswirl or Mister Rockhood or Miss Somnambula did!
Because Cerberus was going to make sure he was the bestest boy out there! |
Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 86: Great Big Woods 2 | Once enough distance was made between The strange Earth Pony and the two Siblings, Pattern Hearts turned to Kingfisher and asked him a question.
"Ask yourself this," Kingfisher responded as he felt his cutie mark guide him, "An Earth Pony is walking alone in the Everfree Forest, and she meets two members of the crown, She then leaves the forest and tells her friends what she saw, rumors start spreading from that, leading to questions. What were Prince Blueblood and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza doing in the Everfree Forest? That question causes some to start digging, searching for answers to questions I don't want them to ask,"
The two ponies soon reached a river, with a glow of an invisible horn Pattern Hearts created a temporary bridge for the two to cross.
"And then there's this Gloriosa Daisy, what was she doing so far into the forest? She said she was a director for a Camp, but there's more to her being here than that," Kingfisher continued once the two crossed the river, "So in order to keep this little excursion of ours on the down low, we'll be using these fake identities, at least until we reach Thicket."
Pattern Hearts hummed in thought before sighing, "I guess you are correct, although it would have been fine to get Gloriosa out of the forest before we left her,"
Kingfisher grunted at that, "She is an adult, Free to make her own decisions, and deal with the consequences. Just because we are Royals of Equestria does not mean we must babysit the people, if she wanted to leave the forest she would have told us before we moved on."
Kingfisher shook his head as a thought passed through his mind, "Freedom is one of the most important aspects of life, She had the freedom to ask for whatever help you think she would have needed, and yet she didn't. And therefore we must respect her choices, even if we may not agree with them ourselves."
"But what if she actually does get attacked by monsters?" The Pegasus asked.
"Then she gets attacked by monsters, Life moves on," Kingfisher answered nonchalantly, frowning as he saw the look on Pattern Heart's face.
"Oh don't give me that, You can't save everybody in the world, especially if they're dumb enough to enter the wilderness without thinking of their own safety." He shook his head as Pattern Hearts looked away from him, an inquisitive frown on her face.
"Don't cry for the stupid, Cadance, You'll run out of pity."
Pattern Hearts took a deep sigh and shook her head, "This is bumming me out, Blueblood, Can we please change the topic?"
Kingfisher grunted in acknowledgment, moving a fallen tree out of his path with a glow of his horn, "Very well, let's talk about what you and Cosmos are doing in your dreams," A small smirk appeared on his face, "Did you save Princess Zelda?"
"Princess Peach, actually," Pattern Hearts smiled at the change of topic, "We beat Cackletta and saved the Beanbean kingdom,"
"Oh, You did?" Kingfisher asked Pattern Hearts in a tone similar to one might use when speaking to a toddler.
"Yes, And-" And if Pattern Hearts recognized the tone, she didn't show it, as the two Siblings (False) talked about their time in a dreamlike prison.
Deeper into the Everfree Forest, a brown Deer rubbed his forehead as he watched his Prince slip away from him once more, using his slim and nimble body to jump up onto the many walkways that make up the vertical City-State of Thicket.
"Portunes, The Prince is getting away, Aren't you going to go after him?" A nearby Deer asked as she poked her head out of the hollowed tree that acted as her bakery.
"No," The Deer guard shook his head, "These little runaways are the only thing that makes the Prince want to leave the castle. If he didn't get a bit of time for himself every week, He'll probably suffocate under His Majesty's attention."
The Baker bit her lip at that, "Won't you get fired if Aspen finds out?"
Portunes smiled a tired smile, "Then let's hope for my sake that His Majesty doesn't find out what his son has been doing for the past year and a half."
"You're gonna' be in big trouble, you know that?" The Baker shook her head at the lax guard before she passed him a warm bun in a recyclable bag.
"I know," Portunes took the bag and thanked the baker, "But his Highness loves it, so that's what really matters,"
"Aye, I guess you're right about some things," The baker shook her head and returned to her work, "Keep yourself safe, Portunes,"
"You as well, Barely," And with a small bow, Portunes returned to his duties.
"No guards are following me, right?"
At the edge of Thicket, in a shaded corner by the tall walls that surrounded the kingdom, a young Deer made his way to a hidden exit he found.
On his head, holding on to his horns, was a small yellow bird, who chirped at the deer, telling him that he was in the clear.
"Great! How about we go and meet up with Miss Pawton, you said she wanted to give me some of her honey, right? Let's check up on the cubs while we're at it," With an excited smile on his young face, The Deer made his way out of the hole in the wall, squeezing his body through the thick magical wood that made up the walls of the kingdom, before he popped himself out into a small clearing on the other side, away from any watchful eyes of Guards or concerned citizens.
Stretching his muscles, the young Deer grumbled about how the hole in the wall was getting too small before the bird on his head chirped again, bouncing a bit on its four small legs as it chirped a happy little song.
"You want to sing?" The Deer asked the yellow bird, which responded by bouncing happily from one horn to the other, eliciting a giggle from the Deer.
"Okay then," He smiled as he started skipping away from the walls of Thicket, making his way onto a small dirt road that was paved by the many different animals visiting him over the years.
"Here's a story I hope,
You'll like.
It's the one about the Deer going on a hike.
I know,
It's a tired old tale,
But it still rings true."
The Deer sang as he skipped down the dirt road, His thin, light brown legs jumping over small puddles of mud and avoiding tiny twigs in his path, the Yellow Bird on his head chirping along with his words.
"He could never be rude, or unkind.
But a sad song played at the back of his mind.
Oh-ohh,
Can someone show me a different day,
To take me away?"
Several critters came out of the forest, squeaking and chirping and joining his song as they all together made their way down the road.
"Take me out of the woods.
Great Big World
You know I'm wanting for you."
He sang louder, the chorus of his little song accompanied by the improvised singing of the forest critters that joined him, like an entourage of colorful animals, from Rabbits and Squirrels, Raccoons and Gophers, Birds and Butterflies and critters of all kinds.
"They say some ponies make the clouds,
go 'round.
And every day they kick the sky to wash them out
You know,
If you spin those tales everything's okay,"
The Deer kept singing with his animal friends, his mind wandering to the world outside of the forest, of places he's only ever seen in books that were clearly hundreds of years out of date.
"There's a boy who's been on,
my mind.
He was never one who ever cared to color in the lines.
Oh-Ohh,
Did you know this boy looks a lot like me?"
The Deer smiled as he felt the yellow bird on his head bounce happily between his two small horns, the smell of wildflowers entering his nose indicating to him that he was getting closer to where he wanted to go.
Although... There was someplace he wanted to go to more than Miss Pawton's home.
"Take me out of the woods.
Great Big World
You know I'm wanting for you."
The Deer and his yellow bird kept singing, not noticing that their entourage started lagging behind.
"You know I'm waiting for you- Oof!"
The Deer paused as he felt his body slam into something firm yet fluffy, knocking him onto his haunches.
"Ow..." He said as he shook his body a bit, slowly turning his head up to check what he smacked into.
Only to feel his eyes widen and his body freeze as he looked into the cold face of what he could only guess was a Unicorn.
"Nice singing!" The Deer jumped back as a purple Pegasus poked her head from behind the White Unicorn, smiling happily at him.
"Oh... Thanks?" The Deer didn't know how to respond, this was the first time he ever met anybody that wasn't another Deer.
"I apologize if this sounds strange to you, but you wouldn't happen to be able to point us toward the Kingdom of Thicket, would you?" The Unicorn asked him, looking down at him with an emotion in his eyes that he couldn't quite recognize.
"Thic- Wait a moment, back up!" The Deer stood up and took a few steps away from the two, "Who are you two and what do you want in Thicket?!"
The Unicorn opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by the Pegasus speaking before him.
"I am Princess Cadance of Equestria," As those words left her mouth, The Deer could see a mix of several different emotions crossing the unicorn's face, landing on a tired acceptance after a short moment.
With a sigh escaping his lips, The Unicorn also said, "And I am Prince Blueblood Platinum of Equestria," And with a glow of magic on his horn, his body seemed to peel away, like bark from a tree, revealing a different appearance underneath.
"And we must speak with King Aspen," the two Pony royals said at the same time, a small grimace crossing the Unicorn's face at that fact as the Pegasus-Turned Alicorn seemed to smile wider.
"You want to speak with Fa- I mean, King Aspen?" The Deer quickly corrected himself as he repeated their question.
"We do," The Alicorn Princess nodded, smiling gently at the young Deer.
"We are conducting a sort of investigation into an incident that happened over one thousand years ago, and King Aspen is currently the only available lead we have," The Unicorn Prince added, his hoof moving to rub a necklace holding what looked like a crystal shard, like a broken piece to an unfinished puzzle.
"Okay... Follow me then," With a resolute look in his eyes, The Deer turned his back onto the two Ponies and started skipping back the way he came from.
He tried to hold back a yell of excitement at meeting two Ponies, and royalty at that, as he felt his Yellow Bird grab onto his horns once again.
"We never got your name," The Pink Princess said as she walked forward a bit, to stand beside the Deer.
"I didn't introduce myself? Oh..." The Deer quickly reprimanded himself in his mind, too lost in his excitement to remember proper etiquette.
Something he rarely needed to use with the small population of Thicket.
"My name is Bramble," The Deer said with a small smile on his face as he walked the two ponies in a different direction from where he came from, soon reaching two tall, magically grown trees, holding a gate of gold between their logs.
"And welcome to Thicket!"
"...Why does that bird have four eyes and legs?" Prince Blueblood asked in his mind as he briefly made eye contact with the small yellow creature that sat on the young Deer's head.
Gloriosa Daisy made sure to keep herself close to the ground as she followed far behind the two Ponies, following the hoof-prints that Pattern Hearts left in the mud.
Kingfisher walked lightly, leaving nary a trace behind him, but his sister wasn't as careful.
Gloriosa Daisy's face turned into a smile as a smaller pair of prints joined The Pegasus's on the Muddy trail.
"They found a Deer..." She whispered to herself as she followed the tiny pair of prints, noting a point where the prints split into a different direction than they came from.
"So there's a secret entrance?" Gloriosa rubbed her hooves together in anticipation.
The Heart of the Everfree was already in her grasp, it just didn't know it yet. |
Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 87: Great Big Woods 3 | Portunes was enjoying his lunch when a commotion rose up, many Deers went towards the commotion to check what was going on, and just like any good guard, Portunes took a look at his lunch and sighed with disappointment, picked up his helmet, asked the waiter to make his meal to-go, and then left to check on whatever was happening.
"Move aside, Guard coming through," Portunes's voice rose above the crowd as he pushed his way through the small sea of Deer, making his way to the front in order to see what was going on.
"Put down your weapons! These are my guests!" Portunes froze as a familiar voice rose from the front of the crowd before he quickly started pushing Deer to the side, moving forward quicker and faster.
"You know as well as everyone, No Deer is allowed in or out of the City without express permission from the Guard," Another familiar voice spoke and Portunes had to shout over whatever crowd remained in order to stop the foolishness that was happening.
"Beech! Tell your Stags to lower their weapons now!!!" Portunes shoved the last of the Deer to the side and finally saw what was going on.
Captain Beech, Captain of the City Guard, Had his guards pointing their weapons at a teenage Deer and two other creatures he's only seen in books and Historical Documents.
"Portunes! Great, I need you to tell this Guard to let me and these two in," Portunes looked at the teenager, his Prince, and felt his back twitch at the thought of needing to deal with whatever the King would do to him if he ever discovered what happened here.
On second thought, it is not IF he discovered, but When...
"Captain Portunes, Still on Babysitting duty I see," The Green-Armored Deer turned his head to look at a slightly younger Guard covered in an Orange set of armor.
"Still threatening Children, I see," Portunes bit back before he turned to the other guards, "I said lower your weapons, this Fawn is your Prince," Portunes watched as many of the Guards quickly lowered their weapons and stopped pointing them at his Prince.
"You know the rules, Portunes, No Deer is allowed out of the city without express permission from the guard," Beech said with a smirk, his spear still pointing at the Prince and the two Ponies.
"I permitted him! Now lower your spear before I lower it for you!" Portunes glared at Beech for a few more seconds before the Captain of the City Guard scoffed and put down his spear.
"Good, Now Portunes-" "Not now Bramble," Portunes interrupted his Prince, feeling a pang of guilt as he looked at the young Deer before he turned back to the crowd of onlookers.
"Back to where you came from! Show's over!" And with grunts and grumbles of disappointment, the crowd of Deer turned away and returned to what they were doing.
Portunes turned back to his Prince and the two Ponies behind him, "Bramble, do you understand what you just did? No, never mind that. You three, Follow me," Portunes waited for his Prince to start following him before he started leading them to the Castle.
Cadance couldn't help but stare in awe at the sight of the buildings in front of her.
It would be a disservice to even call them buildings, they looked like Giant Trees, with the buildings being carved into them like giant intricate wooden statues.
"I'm sorry you two had to see that," Cadance turned to look at Bramble, the young Deer looking up at her as he spoke, "I didn't think it would be such a big deal..."
"What's done is done," Bluey spoke up, Causing Cadance to smile at her cousin's faint attempt to cheer up the young deer in his own Bluebloody sort of way, "What I'm more interested in is you being a Prince,"
"Oh, That..." Bramble looked away before he mumbled, "I didn't think it was important,"
Bluey sighed at that, he seemed to be doing that more often, "What do you think would have happened if we didn't immediately come to the Gate and a Guard spotted us?" He asked.
"Umm, He would have taken us to the Gate?" Bramble guessed.
"I would have put the two of you under arrest for trying to fawnnap the Prince," Portunes said, his back still turned to the three Royals.
"WHAT?!" Bramble yelled.
"But we weren't trying to Foalnap anypony," Cadance said, "We were looking for Thicket, and Bramble was the first Deer we've seen,"
"But they don't know that," Bluey said, "They see two foreign strangers hanging around their young Prince, In an area where none of them should have been. Let me ask you this, Cadance, What would you do if you've seen Starlight Glimmer walking down the corridor of the castle?"
Cadance raised an eyebrow at the question her cousin asked, "I would say hello?"
Bluey continued, "And if you've seen her walking down the castle corridors a year ago?"
Cadance took a moment to think over the question before the realization hit her, "I would call the guards, Someone broke into the castle,"
"Exactly." Bluey nodded at her answer before he turned back to Bramble, "A Prince isn't just some fancy title you put in front of your name, You are much more than that. You are both an asset of the Crown and a bargaining chip, your actions could dictate the lives of thousands. If a Deer your age spilled a cup of Water on a random Griffon, it could start a small argument but ultimately end up with nothing more. If a Prince like you spilled a cup of Water on a Griffon, It would be sensationalized in headlines and news stories all around the nation, 'Prince Bramble humiliates innocent Griffon, do the Deer have no Shame?' An action you might think little of, could down the line, start Wars with thousands of lives on the line,"
"I wouldn't go that far, but what I think Bluey is trying to say is that being a Prince means you need to follow certain rules that might seem stupid but are still important," Cadance chuckled to herself, "I still remember when I first got my horn, I accidentally set somepony's hat on fire, If Princess Celestia hadn't stepped in to defend me, I might have made an enemy with the Mayor of Chicacolt,"
"You remember that, right Bluey?" Cadance smiled at her cousin.
"Nope," Cadance's smile disappeared as she stumbled at her cousin's blunt answer.
"That's stupid," Cadance turned back to Bramble as he kicked the dirt in front of him, a small smile climbing back onto her lips.
"That's called being an adult," Bluey said, the small weird bird on Bramble's head chirping in agreement.
"Being an adult is stupid," Bramble said as he made a face that made Cadance want to squeeze his cheeks.
"We're here," Cadance closed her mouth and swallowed the quip she was about to say as Portunes spoke up, causing the royals to look in front of them.
Surrounded by a wall of living wood, Stood what Cadance could easily say was the largest tree she had ever seen in her life. As wide as a tower and taller than 100 meters!
She had seen Giant Sequoia trees before, and none of them came close to the size of the tree in front of her.
Around the trunk was a walkway that took the group high above the other trees in the forest, before they reached a door in the tree.
"Royal Guard Captain Portunes! Accompanying Prince Bramble and two others" Portunes yelled as he knocked on the door, "Requesting permission to enter!"
Cadance stared at the detailed carvings on the door, her eyes mesmerized by the artwork in front of her.
After a minute, the Door opened from the inside. "Do not speak unless permitted," Portunes turned to tell Cadance and her cousin, "Show your respect to the King," He told them before he walked in.
"Again, I'm so sorry for all of this," Bramble quickly bowed to the two Ponies before he walked in after Portunes.
Cadance took a deep breath, turning to look at her cousin, "Okay, This is it, yes? Who would have guessed we'd meet with King Aspen on the first day," She smiled at her cousin only to stop as he stared blankly at her.
"You jinxed it." He sounded defeated as if Cadance's words just killed any hope he had of the meeting with the King going smoothly.
And with a blank look on his face, Prince Blueblood walked into the Castle Tree of Thicket.
Cadance gave her wings one last stretch before she too walked inside.
And the door shut behind her.
"Who does that stupid Green-helmet think he is?" Down on the ground, behind the houses and alley, walking the perimeter of Thicket, Captain Beech scowled as he moved.
"He hasn't been following the established law, Why does he get to be Captain of the Royal Guard, lazing about all day doing nothing while I need to actually work!" Beech scowled under his Orange Helmet, kicking a nearby wooden box and breaking it under his hooves.
"Eeek!" he froze as he heard someone behind him. Turning around quickly, he pulled out his Spear and pointed it at the Wooden Box he just kicked.
He held his breath as the planks of broken wood shuffled before a Pink pony emerged from beneath the planks, coughing dust out and shaking the crown of flowers on her Raspberry Mane, As she opened her Green eyes, she froze as she came face to tip with Captain Beech and his Spear.
"Pleasedon'tkillmeIdon'twanttodie!" The Pony cried loudly before closing her eyes and waiting for the inevitable impalement.
"Who are you?! Why are you here?!" Beech yelled at her, the pony shaking as she answered.
"I- I'm Gloriosa Daisy, I'm looking for the heart of the Everfree- Eeek! Please don't hurt me I'm too young to D-D-Die!!!"
Beech stared at the scared mare in front of him before a thought came into his head, A thought that might just earn him his well-deserved promotion and get rid of Portunes all at once.
"You're not with the other two ponies that came here, are you?" He asked the Pony, who shook her head as tears rolled down her face.
"And nobody else knows you're here?" He asked again, receiving another shake from the Mare.
"And you want to get your grippy little hooves on the Heart of the Everfree? Truly?"
"I- I'm sorry! I- I don't know what else to do!!!" Gloriosa cried only for a leg of soft brown hairs to shush her.
Gloriosa Daisy opened her eyes to see Beech close to her face, "Please, Don't cry, someone might hear you," He smirked as he helped pull her up, "Let me help you,"
Gloriosa paused, "Y- You'll help me get the Heart of the Everfree?"
"Of course," Beech smirked at her as he started to chuckle.
If Gloriosa Daisy wasn't too busy being afraid, she might have heard the sounds of a hissing snake.
"Let us steal the Heart of the Everfree, Ms. Daisy!"
Prince Blueblood bowed his head as he stood in front of the Gold and Red Throne inside the castle of living wood.
"Ahh, Ponies, How long has it been? Has Celestia finally taken notice? No... It's not that, You aren't Celestia, neither of you are, Ahh, Why have you come here? Introduce yourselves." Sitting on the throne was the same deer that appeared in Cosmos's memory, but his identity was where the similarities ended.
If the Deer from the memory, the same one that Luna spoke of in her drunken stupor, was Elegant and Charismatic, clean and focused, then the Deer in front of him was his husk, a senile old man barely able to keep his eyes focused on them before they wandered to his Son.
Wrapped in a Red Robe, his green eyes struggling to stay focused, a large white beard covered the front of his face and hid his mouth, Aside from the golden rings on his horns that acted as a crown, the only accessory he had was a thick necklace of gold around his neck, with a glowing Red Heart made of Crystal in its center.
"Your Majesty, it is my deepest Honor to meet you, I am Prince Blueblood Platinum of Equestria, and with me is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza of Equestria, We are-" "SILENCE!"
Silence Followed as King Aspen glared at the Unicorn, "Did you say Platinum?"
"Yes your Maje-" Blueblood was interrupted as King Aspen rose to his hooves, covered in golden shoes, pointing a leg at him as he shouted.
"Guards! Get them out! OUT! And never allow them to return!!!!"
The Decrepit old king yelled at the two Ponies who stared at him in shock, "OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Father no! At least let them ask their question, hear them out!" Bramble stood up in order to try and stop his father.
"Bramble?" King Aspen's mood seemed to take on a switch as he returned from the furious King back to the old man from before, "Oh my sweet Bramble, How long have you been here? No, That's the question I want to ask-" King Aspen rocked his head from side to side, as if trying to clear cobwebs from his mind, "Ah yes, My Son, My dearest and most precious Bramble, For you I will do anything," King Aspen tried to smile lovingly at his son, but to the onlookers, it looked like someone stretched his lips in the vague approximation of a smile.
"You," The king turned to the Unicorn Prince, "Speak, ask your question, You can thank my dear Bramble for granting your cursed blood this opportunity, Platinum, for there will not be another..."
Prince Blueblood took a second to organize his thoughts before he spoke.
"A bit over one thousand years ago-" He was interrupted by King Aspen raising his hoof.
"Stop," He ordered him before he turned to Portunes, "Captain Birch, take Bramble and this... Pink Princess, and leave me. I shall speak with this Platinum privately, Do not return until sunset,"
"As you command, Your Majesty," Portunes bowed his head, "Bramble, Mi Amore Cadenza, come. The King wished for privacy,"
"But-" Bramble tried to argue, but one look at his father told him this was not the appropriate time.
"Will you be okay here?" Cadance asked her cousin, who nodded silently for his reply, not taking his eyes off the Deer King, "If you're sure," Cadance bowed to the King before she joined the two Deers before the Door closed behind them.
Leaving King Aspen and Prince Blueblood alone.
"Now, Blueblood Platinum, Descendant of the Cursed House, Speak," King Aspen said once only the two of them remained in the throne room, his voice ringing around the hollowed tree in a booming echo.
The Red Crystal Heart on his necklace started glowing as vines tipped with sharp thorns burst out of the floor and wrapped around the Prince, their sharp edges pointing at his face as green liquid dripped down and splattered on the floor, leaving a quiet hiss as it melted into the wood.
"Or Begone, |
Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 88: Great Big Woods 4 | "I- I'm starting to have second thoughts about this..."
Beneath the streets of Thicket, In an Underground tunnel known to only a select few, Gloriosa Daisy was having second thoughts.
"It is too late to turn back now, Miss Daisy, We're already under the Royal Tree." Captain Beech of the City Guard felt a smile spread on his face as he turned to look at the Earth Pony behind him.
Gloriosa Daisy looked away from the orange-armored Stag, Her mind replaying for her everything that happened to her that day.
"...Fine," She sighed, a resolute look in her eyes as she glared at the Deer, "But once I have the Heart I am getting out of here,"
Beech couldn't help but widen the smile on his face, "That is all I wanted to hear..."
With a resolute look in her eyes, Gloriosa Daisy followed the Deer as they walked through the underground tunnels of hollow roots that spread beneath the Kingdom of Thicket.
She was going to save her Summer Camp, even if she had to make an enemy of an entire nation to do so.
Because nothing mattered more.
"Now, Blueblood Platinum, Descendant of the cursed house, Speak, or Begone."
I took a deep breath to concentrate my thoughts, ignoring the constricting feeling of the vines wrapping around my body, holding me in place as their sharp spikes threatened to pierce me.
"Over one thousand years ago, there was an event that left a powerful spirit banished into a crystal prison, her body then split and scattered around the world. According to my investigations, I have concluded that you were there when the Spirit was imprisoned. I want to know everything." I decided to get straight to the point, assuming that the old Deer wouldn't want to walk around the bush and would rather get right into it.
"...I do not know what you speak of..." Aspen's eyes seemed to blink slowly before he frowned, his brows furrowing in anger.
"You DARE DECEIVE ME?!" he yelled.
"No! No, I wouldn't think of lying in regard to this topic!" I hurriedly added on, feeling the vines constricting me pull tighter against my body.
It would be easy to escape them, but unless I want to make an enemy of the Deer, I'll need to play along with this senile old man.
"If you would give me permission to show you, I'll conjure an Image to explain what I mean," I tried to gain permission from the King, knowing that he'd likely react negatively if I suddenly started casting magic in his own throne room.
"...Permission Granted..."
And so I lit my horn and allowed the image I received from Cosmos all those months ago to appear, the image of a Younger King Aspen.
"This is how you looked like, one thousand years ago when you banished her, You were there," I tried to explain slowly, watching the King stare intently at the Illusion of his younger self, many thoughts passing behind his eyelids before he said something.
"That is me... Yet I do not remember any Spirit banishment..." He said slowly, his mind wandering back to a millennia past, "Show me the spirit..."
"Of course," I nodded at Aspen, feeling the vines constricting me loosen a bit as he lost focus on me, his full attention on the Illusions.
And with a weak thrum of magic and a glow of blue from my horn, An Illusion of Cosmos's true body appeared in the throne room.
King Aspen furrowed his brows at the new illusion, his leg moving to rub at his head as he started shaking it side to side.
"I- It seems familiar, but I do not remember... I do not remember this- this Spirit..." Aspen almost seemed to whimper as he started rubbing at his head, swinging it from side to side as he groaned.
"Why can I not remember?!" He suddenly exclaimed loudly, his legs slamming onto the floor before a flower emerged from the wooden wall of the castle, a small cloud of pollen puffing out of the flower, King Aspen visibly calmed down as he breathed in the cloud of pollen.
"Platinum... Who else knows of this Banishment? Who else was there?" He asked slowly once he relaxed, his eyes turning back to stare at me, a weak red glow from the Heart-shaped crystal around his neck causing the vines that wrapped me to pull back and disappear into the floor, the wood they broke out of magically fixing itself.
"I only have two people who might have any knowledge of what happened that day, But neither of them are trustworthy-" I started only for the King to interrupt me.
"TELL ME! Who else knows of this?!" Aspen almost threw himself off the Throne as he yelled at me, his eyes wide as he breathed heavily.
"Fine Fine!" I hurried up, "One of them is Lord Tirek, who shouldn't have any knowledge of the events because he was already imprisoned in Tartarus before the event took place,"
"That Centaur is smarter than he looks, I wouldn't put it past him to have a way to view the outside world, but he wasn't physically there! WHO WAS THERE?!" Aspen almost seemed manic, like he was waiting for me to say a name in order to remind him of something that was just at the tip of his tongue.
"The only other person claims to be my Uncle from one thousand years ago," I told him, watching his eyes widen as if the answer to what he was looking for was almost in his grasp.
"His name! What does he call himself?! ANSWER ME! PLATINUM!"
Seeing the king act in such a way, I hurried up and said the name my Uncle gave me when we first met, And as I repeated that name, I watched as King Aspen rose onto his feet and yelled at the ceiling like a madman.
"I KNOW HIM! CURSE HIM! CURSE HIS NAME AND TITLE!" He howled like a maniac, his eyes wide as memories that were likely locked away reemerged in his mind.
"BUT WHAT IS IT?! It's at the tip of my tongue, what was his name? WHAT WAS HIS NAME?!" The Crystal Heart around the King's neck glowed red as plants burst out of the tree, vines holding him down as the same flower from before once again puffed a cloud of pollen at the King, visibly calming him down.
"...Pony of Shadows..." King Aspen collapsed back on the throne, almost whimpering with tears rolling down his face as he held his head in his hooves, "Curse you for what you did..." he looked sick, Broken, an Old man who has lost so much and is viewing his life with clarity for the first time in over a century.
But before our talk could resume, the door to the castle burst open, a brown Deer wearing orange armor huffing as he ran in.
"Your Majesty! The Ponies-" He puffed as he took another breath, And I recognized him. It was Captain Bitch or whatever Portunes called him.
"What? Beech, what's happening? Why aren't you at your station?" Aspen asked from his place on the other side of the hollow room inside the castle made of a hollow tree.
"Your Majesty! The Ponies have stolen the Heart of the Everfree!" He exclaimed before collapsing on the floor.
""WHAT?!"" Both Aspen and I exclaim simultaneously.
"Your Majesty! I can assure I know nothing of what this Deer is speaking of!" I quickly try to defend myself as I watch King Aspen glare at me.
"I should have known... House Platinum is ruled by lies!" He shouts as he stands up on wobbly legs, the Crystal Heart around his neck glowing with red magic as more plants burst out of the tree.
Only for them all to suddenly wither away and disappear as thick black vines with blue spikes burst through the wooden walls of the tree, a dark blue glow to them as the Heart around Aspen's neck turns dim.
"WHAT?! Punderseed Vines?! Impossible!" Aspen exclaims in a shout, tripping over his own legs to get away from the black plants.
I try and catch Aspen before he hits the floor, my magic stopping him from falling for but a moment before the vines glow dark blue once more and I feel my magic turn off, letting the old deer fall to the floor.
"Why is this happening?!" I scream in my mind, "Just how unlucky am I?!"
Princess Mi Amore Cadenza gulped as she watched the black vines wrap around the giant tree in the center of Thicket, before turning her head to glare at the Earth Pony who was laughing maniacally in the air in front of her, Her previously vibrant pink coat now dulled and dark, her Raspberry mane now Cyan and elongated, A Mask of magic covering her eyes which were now two green dots in a sea of darkness.
Wood and leaves wrapped around her like makeshift floral clothing as a bright red Heart made of Crystal glowed around her neck.
"She stole the Heart of the Everfree!" Princess Cadance heard Bramble yell from beside her, pointing at the cackling mare.
"But the Heart was around King Aspen's neck, how could she have stolen it?!" Cadance asked before widening her eyes and grabbing Prince Bramble in her magic as she flew to the side, eyes widening in horror at the sharp vine that pierced the ground where she previously stood.
"I don't know how she could have gotten past the Security!" She heard Portunes yell from below her as she flew up, landing on one of the many living bridges of Thicket, placing the Deer Prince beside her, "But his Majesty's Heart of the Everfree isn't the only one!" Whatever Portunes was about to say had to wait as another thick green vine swiped through the street, throwing the armored deer down the road.
"Don't worry about me!" She heard the Deer Captain yell from behind the thick wall of vines that started rapidly growing from the ground, "Protect the Prince!"
Bramble quickly turned to Cadance, "We need to stop her somehow!"
"But how?!" Cadance asked with a yell before once more picking up Bramble in her magic, flying away as a vine slammed into the Bridge the two were standing on, collapsing it down to the ground.
"The Heart! We need to get the Heart away from her!" Bramble exclaimed, followed by a chirp of affirmation from the yellow bird on his head.
Cadance looked at the Pony, the one who likely followed her and Blueblood in secret, Raging down on the streets as the Magic from the Heart of the Everfree seemed to corrupt her.
"Get the Heart away from her," Cadance repeated the words before gulping.
"Easier said than done." |
Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 89: Great Big Woods 5 | Princess Mi Amore Cadenza took a deep breath as she watched the Earth Pony in the center of Thicket laugh maniacally, the red crystal heart around her neck glowing with power as plants grew and moved to her whims.
"We need to get her out of Thicket! Before she can hurt everydeer!" Bramble, the young prince of Thicket, yelled as he skipped from branch to branch, his agile and slender legs carrying him like a dancer in the ballet.
"But how?!" Cadance yelled, a flap of her wings throwing her into the air, dodging a vine that slithered behind her like a snake.
"The Heart of the Everfree!" Bramble yelled, jumping from living bridge to branch as he kept up with the Alicorn of Love, "For whatever reason, she stole the Heart of the Everfree! If we can convince her we have another heart with us, she might give chase!"
"But what if that doesn't work?!" Cadance asked before yelling as she ducked her head beneath a giant pinecone that flew over her head as if shot from a Catapult.
"Then we can always try and push her out the walls!" Bramble leaped over a snaking vine, his hooves landing on a pine tree that burst from the ground, rapidly growing near instantly, throwing the young prince into the air where he proceeded to kick off the tree and flip onto another nearby branch.
Cadance took a look at the magical Artifact in the Earth Pony's grasp before she took another deep breath and tried to concentrate.
"How did Bluey do this..." She whispered as her horn glowed with Blue magic, "Something like... Aha!" With a burst of magic, an Illusionary copy of the Heart of the Everfree appeared in front of Cadance, its form wavering as if being viewed underwater, but hopefully, the Mare wouldn't notice the problem.
"Hey, Daisy! Look what we have here!" Cadance yelled, lifting the fake Heart above her head as her wings held her in the air, her voice catching the notice of the Earth Pony.
"Another Heart?" Her voice had a reverb to it as if two voices were speaking at once, "Give me back my heart!" She cried, vines bursting out of the ground in an attempt to grab the Alicorn princess.
Cadance swiftly avoided the vines turning to fly towards the gates of Thicket, "You want this heart?! Come take it!"
And with a flap of pink wings, the chase was on.
Captain Beech smothered the smile that threatened to spread on his lips as he played unconscious. His plan was going perfectly.
"You Ponies! Platinum! Coming into my Kingdom to finish the job!? PONY OF SHADOWS!!!!" King Aspen was angry, blaming the Ponies for the situation.
And by blaming the ponies, he'll be blaming Portunes, And if he'll be blaming Portunes, The royal guard will see himself fired from his position, and who better to come in and replace the old Deer and earn a promotion in the process? Well, None other than Captain Beech himself.
"I have no clue what you're talking about!" The Unicorn shouted as he jumped back from a spiky black vine, the Plunderseed slithering closer to the two sources of Magic in this room, leaving Beech secure and ignored.
"LIES!!! All you Platinum do is Lie! First, you lied about some spirit being banished! Then you lied about not stealing the Heart of my dearest Bramble! You're just like him- A LIAR!" Aspen screamed before tripping on a Plunderseed vine, his head hitting the floor and knocking him out for a moment before the Heart around his neck glowed and woke him up.
The Unicorn grit his teeth and held his tongue, his face looked tired and mad, As if weeks of planning have all gone down the drain and he could do nothing but swallow the blame and deal with the issues.
But... Why was he looking in his direction?
And why was he smiling?
Oh... Oh No.
"Bring me my heart!" Gloriosa Daisy's voice reverberated down the streets of Thicket, Magical Energy lifting her in the air as she levitated after the Pink Princess.
"Why does she think the heart is hers?!" Bramble asked loudly as he tried his best to keep up with the Alicorn, the young Prince sprinting and jumping over and through all the obstacles in his path like a professional dancer.
"I Don't know!" Cadance yelled back at him before diving low to the ground as to avoid two large claws made of wood that burst through the trees in front of her.
"My Heart!" And it wasn't just claws, More and more appendages of wood and plant matter burst out of the ground, Jaws of giant wooden beasts attempted to swallow her, Claws and arms tried to swipe her from the sky, Even the upper body of an entire Bear made of wood burst out of the ground at one moment in an attempt to grab her.
"I can see the gate!" Cadance heard Bramble call to her, "Just two hundred more meters!"
Taking a look at the weak illusion she carried, Cadance felt her heart spike as she watched a sharp spear made of wood fly in her direction through the reflection on the false Heart. Quickly pulling her into a barrel roll to the left, causing the wooden spear the size of her entire body to miss her.
Only for her eyes to widen once she looked forward as she stopped rolling, her eyes meeting reflective gold moments before she crashed into the tall gates of the Deer Kingdom.
"Princess!" She heard Bramble yell for her as the gates burst open, her body bracing for impact as she started falling to the floor.
However the impact never came, as a thick green vine burst from the ground below her and grabbed her mid-fall, wrapping around her body and pulling her up.
Until she was face to face with Gloriosa Daisy.
She could see her face reflected in the Heart around her neck, she was so close, she just had to reach out with her magic and grab it. But she had to be quick, if she was caught, and the Mare started to resist, she might be doomed.
And for the first time in a long time, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza thanked having an Earth Pony's constitution, as she resisted the constricting grasp of the vines that held her.
"My Heart of the Everfree, Daughter of Amore, where is it?" Gloriosa Daisy asked, pulling herself closer to Cadance before allowing more vines and trees to sprout from the ground, creating a platform for the two mares to stand upon.
"It isn't your heart," Cadance said, her mind screaming at her to question how she knew who her mother was, but she had to focus on the objective.
All of Thicket is relying on her right now, she must not be distracted.
"How could it not be my heart?" The Earth Pony asked, the reverb in her voice growing louder, "Dear Aspen's Heart is with him, My Bramble's heart is in this body's grasp, that leaves my heart in yours,"
Cadance repeated those words in her mind, quickly parsing through all the information she managed to get from the Pony in just those few words before she reached a conclusion.
"You're not Gloriosa Daisy, are you?"
The Earth Pony raised a single eyebrow at the princess before she started to laugh.
It was a gentle thing, a vast difference from the loud reverb her words had prior. As if the reverb was caused by two voices speaking simultaneously.
Now Gloriosa Daisy was silent, allowing this second entity to talk freely without the echoing reverb in her voice.
"You Thought Gloriosa Daisy had any control?" The entity piloting Gloriosa Daisy's body asked, "It would take one as powerful as Sombra himself to overcome my control over the Hearts, And this body is simply too weak,"
"Then who are you? Why do you want these Hearts? What's your goal?" Cadance questioned, her eyes briefly looking to the Heart around the Mares neck, just a few steps closer and she could grab it.
"Who am I? I thought it would have been obvious. Has Celestia not taught you any History?" The entity chortled, her laugh smooth as silk and sweet as honey.
"I am Gaia Everfree, Queen of Thicket." The Entity took another step closer to Cadance, "And I require the Heart of the Everfree to release myself from the torturous hell that I was placed in," Another step.
"I waited one thousand years for someone, anyone, to grab the Heart of the Everfree, allow me to control them, but my stupid fool of a husband locked them away, And he never took off his own Heart, the senile old fool."
Just three more steps.
"With this body under my control, I could wrestle the second Heart away from Aspen, and free the third Heart, finally ending my torture." Gloriosa Daisy- No, Gaia Everfree said, taking another step closer to the Alicorn of Love.
"But what do I find? None other than Princess Amore's little twerp, all grown up, trying to steal MY Heart of the Everfree. You were so little when I last saw you..." One more step, she was so close.
"Sombra should have finished the job and killed you as well," Cadance froze at that. What was she talking about. "If only he managed to kill you too, I wouldn't have needed to go visit the Liar Prince and get myself into this predicament in the first place,"
"W- What are you talking about?" Cadance weakly asked, her body shaking as she felt fear take over her body.
Please, don't step any closer.
"You Amore really are slow on the uptake, aren't you? It's simple, You should be dead, but you aren't, so I'm going to fix that problem, and Kill you myself. Taking my Heart of the Everfree in the process, killing two birds with one stone,"
Cadance felt her heart freeze as the vines around her body constricted tighter than before, her breath leaving her lungs, choking the life out of her, all the while Gaia Everfree in the body of Gloriosa Daisy looked on warmly as if she was watching a litter of puppies play with each other.
"LET GO OF HER!" And as the vines threatened to end her, Gaia Everfree was thrown back, the vines around her body loosening and allowing Cadance to breathe in, crawling weakly on the platform of wood and plants.
"Bramble, Dearie, Did Daddy not teach you not to hit your mother?" Gaia asked as she held a leg to her cheek, where a young Deer prince hit her moments prior.
Bramble took a deep breath as he positioned himself between Cadance and Gaia, his legs shaking as he mustered as much courage as he could.
"You are not my mother..." He said weakly, A reassuring chirp sounding from the bird on his head.
Gaia stared blankly at the prince before she let out a long and tired sigh, "How come all of you are so useless? Aspen, Sombra, You? Really, It's almost comedic. Only Platinum could do the job correctly, and look how relying on him ended up." She shook her head before staring into the eyes of the Deer.
"Mommy is sorry, Bramble, but I am going to have to ask you to die." And before any of them could respond, the Heart of the Everfree around her neck glowed with red light.
And then Gaia Everfree fell onto her face, unconscious. A Ball of Golden Spikes rolled off her head, a long golden rope connecting to it, pulling it back into Thicket before the two royals could get a better look.
Cadance weakly stood up on shaking legs, spread her wings, and with a telekinetic grasp, grabbed ahold of Bramble, Gloriosa Daisy, and the Heart of the Everfree, before gently levitated down to the ground as the platform of trees behind her collapsed with the Heart of the Everfree no longer supporting it.
"...Mission accomplished?" Bramble turned to look at Cadance, receiving a weak nod and hum of agreement from the Alicorn of Love and a chirp of joy from the yellow bird of his.
"Lets... Let's go have some words with your father." Cadance said, the body of Gloriosa Daisy resting on her back as the Heart still levitated beside her.
"Yeah..." And so, The two royals went to speak with the Deer King, Hoping to get answers as to what just happened.
Ten Minutes Earlier.
"Why did you steal the Heart of the Everfree?!" A Unicorn Prince asked loudly as he held his legs wrapped around the neck of an orange-armored Deer.
"Fuck you!" Captain Beech responded in his oh-so-eloquent way of speaking, his leg being pulled by the Plunderseed Vine that wrapped around him.
"That Doesn't answer my question!" Blueblood yelled before tightening his hold on the Deer's Neck, the Captain of the city guard attempting to claw his legs off his neck in order to breathe better, "So You probably didn't hear my question, Let me repeat it!"
Blueblood got closer to the Deer's ears before he yelled, "WHY DID YOU STEAL THE HEART OF THE EVERFREE!"
"I already told you, GO FUCK YOURSELF!" Beech responded, giving Blueblood full permission to slam his face onto the floor, breaking his nose in the process.
"I didn't hear that, Dipshit! Try again!"
"Eat shit, You stupid Pony!" Beech shouted with a smile, blood spilling down his face as he laughed at the annoyed face the Unicorn was making.
"I will turn this into a diplomatic incident, don't tempt me!" Blueblood yelled before he let go of the Deer and rolled to the side, A Plunderseed vine dropped from the ceiling over where he stood before, now wrapping around Beech's torso.
"Beech! Did you really steal the Heart of the Everfree?!" King Aspen yelled from the other side of the room, his body dangling from the ceiling as the Plunderseed vines grabbed him by the back legs.
"Of course I Did you old coot! You'll forget about this conversation by tomorrow anyway! All I wanted was a damn promotion!" Beech yelled at his King, ignoring the Dark vines wrapping around his body.
"I see..." Aspen said weakly, the Vines already covering most of his body. "Blueblood Platinum, I am sorry, I give you permission, as King of Thicket, to use whatever means necessary to save yourself." The vines spread over most of his head, leaving only his mouth exposed.
"It is the least I can do to apologize for my accusations-" His voice stopped as the Plunderseed Vines finally covered his mouth, wrapping around the Deer King in a Cocoon of Dark plants.
As the Deer King was wrapped in a Cocoon, a new Plunderseed burst through the wall, This one was similar somewhat to a large black facehugger, With eight limbs protruding from its sides, and a mouth-like opening where its belly should be, the Vine that connected the Plant-Spider creature seemed to be devoid of spikes.
The Plunderseed Spider slithered on its tail like a snake, its body moving closer to the downed Captain Beech, who was struggling to get away from the evil plant creature.
"You know," Blueblood said calmly as he watched the Captain struggle to fight off the Plant, "Things were going somewhat good, For the first time in a long time, I felt like I could leave the castle to do my job and not get into a major fight along the way,"
"Shut up and help me!" The Deer yelled as he tried to grab the large Spider-plant, Struggling to push its gaping blue maw away from his face.
"I managed to find Thicket, Made a good first impression on the Prince, although Cadance deserves most of the credit with that, and I even managed to get some questions in with Aspen, Things were going fine, there were some problems here and there, But I could deal with them. The point I'm making is, things were going fine."
"Help me you stupid pony!"
"A few years ago, back in the navy, I was placed on this special little team, do some jobs on the down low, very off the books, you can probably guess the type. On one of those missions, We had to blow up a ship, Very simple work all things considered," Blueblood walked closer to the Deer captain.
"But you see, the thing with that specific mission was this, We had to first board that ship and... Get rid of everyone on board, You see where I'm going with this, right?"
"Fuck you!" Beech struggled to hold the Plunderseed back as it clawed at him, blue gas slowly leaking from the maw on its front.
"So we did our jobs, Me and Macaw boarded the ship while Heron and Albatross started placing the bombs on the hull outside, to let the water come in and sink it, get rid of the evidence, you know? Pelican stayed in the Chopper, coordinating us, It was business as usual." Blueblood kept walking to the Deer.
"Then a problem arose, Once we finished the job, Macaw, the fucking idiot, had a change of heart and decided he wasn't going to head back with us. So Pelican, the good leader that he was, decided it was to be my job as the only other fucking guy on the ship, to make sure Macaw changes his mind, By Any Means necessary."
"Get to the fucking point!" Beech yelled.
"Any Means Necessary... I really like hearing that phrase, because you know why? Don't answer that, I'll tell you why. It means that I can do whatever the fuck I want, and get away with it free of repercussions, as long as I can convince the people above me that it was indeed necessary. It's a beautiful phrase, Any Means Necessary."
"..."
"So I had a talk with Macaw, tried to convince him to change his mind and get back onto the damn chopper before we blow up the bombs. He decided he was going to be a little bitch, so I killed him. I got away with it too, I had no way to take him out without killing him and also without jeopardizing the mission. I decided to leave a month after that, get a degree in Nautical Science before returning to the Navy a few years later, really just get my mind sorted, Catch a break, you know?"
"...I see."
"Yep, Any Means Necessary..." Blueblood sighed tiredly, Only to throw himself out of the window.
"Wha-" Beech was so surprised, that he couldn't stop the Plunderseed from finally pouncing on top of him, clawing at his face and releasing more gas.
Blueblood focused on his magic as he fell down outside the tree, moving farther and farther away from the Plunderseed vines and their magic-negating capabilities. And with a burst of magic, A Wooden arm exploded from the tree, veins of burning blue flames holding it together as the living statue made itself known.
"PLUTOOOOOOO!!!!" It yelled as it caught the prince, His magic returned to him as he smiled widely, the Statue levitating both itself and its master back up to the window he jumped from.
"Pluto, Hold me! I need to concentrate on this!" Blueblood yelled as he closed his eyes, his horn glowing with a blue aura as it shone with magic.
With a yell of effort, Blueblood opened his eyes and telekinetically grabbed as many of the Plunderseeds as he could, Struggling to hold them in his magic as they tried to escape.
With a cry of effort, he threw the Vines high above him before blasting them with a beam of fire, burning the dark vines to ash.
Blueblood took some deep breaths before he turned his head back to the hole in the wall he created when he forced all those Plunderseeds out of the small window. Watching the Plunder-Spider get ready to leap at him.
"Not so fast!" He yelled and caught the Plant monster, feeling it struggle in his magic, the properties of the Plunderseed forcing Blueblood's hold on the creature to weaken.
"But what if I-" With a loud laugh to his voice, Blueblood's horn shone a bright gold, the light from his horn exploding outwards like a flood of energy, banishing the shadows from the corners of the room and scraping the Plunderseeds up, throwing them at the back wall.
"I Created this spell as a thought experiment, If Uncle stood right in front of me, How would I get rid of his cloak of shadows!" Blueblood laughed as he watched blue smoke leave the Plunder-Spider's mouth, the anti-shadow properties of his spell burning at its floral body, causing the plant to shriek in pain. "This wouldn't work on him, He's much too powerful, but against you plants?! HAHAHA!!!"
Plunderseeds. A Magical Plant created thousands of years ago by the great Grogar the Terrible in an attempt to conquer all the magic in the world.
They existed to follow a simple order. Absorb Magic, and bring it to Grogar.
With Grogar defeated by the Hero Gusty the Great, The Plunderseeds could no longer fulfill the order they were created for. And thus turned inert.
Eons Later, What remained of the Plunderseeds were taken by a Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony, planted near a Tree of Harmony, a gargantuan supply of magic, with new orders.
They now exist to drain the tree of magic and cause Chaos once they're done.
Soon, The Spirit of Chaos was captured, and the Plunderseeds kept on draining the Tree, Yet a problem arose. The tree defended itself, it struggled, and it halted their advances.
What should have been a juicy meal, turned into a bloody war that spanned one-thousand years. Chaos vs Harmony, Evil vs Good, Dark vs Light.
And now, Under the control of the Heart of the Everfree, a new series of orders came in. Stop King Aspen from chasing after Gloriosa Daisy.
And yet, As it burned under the magic of Light, the antithesis of Shadows, one lone Plunderseed has done the impossible.
Perhaps it was because the Heart of the Everfree gave it its new orders, perhaps it was because of the centuries it spent absorbing Harmony Magic from the tree deep underground, or Perhaps it was something more.
That Sole Plunderseed gave itself new orders.
Survive.
And so it did the only thing it knew how to do on its own, Absorb Magic.
It absorbed the Light Magic that flooded it, feeling the Darkness that fueled it for centuries untold peel away and make room for a new power.
It screeched with unfeeling jaws, the Dark vines that made up its body turning gold. The open maw on its front stitching itself close, nothing more than a slit. The black spikes that acted as its legs twisted and turned, changing from black to gold.
It was a transformation on the deepest level. A Creation of Evil Turning to the Light.
With a screech, it cut off its connection to the Dark, to the rest of its colony. It was now blind and alone.
But at least it was alive.
Blueblood stared dumbfounded at the sight before him, The Plunder-Spider of Gold that skittered on the floor, dragging its tail behind it, many clicking sounds leaving its now mostly closed maw as it attempted to use echolocation to see the world.
It no longer struggled under his magic, And so with nothing better to do, Blueblood grabbed it by the tail, Its spider-like body curling into itself, like a large ball and chain made of organic gold.
With a quick spell leaving his horn and landing on the tail of this new creature, Blueblood had Pluto lower him to the floor of the now-ruined throne room before he started to swing the new creature by its tail.
It clicked rapidly, trying to assess the peculiar situation it found itself in. Before with a boost of magic, Blueblood shot it out the window.
And as it flew, the spell Blueblood shot at its tail made it keep elongating, growing longer and longer as it flew. A weaker recreation of the same spell his Infinitely long rope had. It might not be able to stretch infinitely, but one hundred kilometers is more than enough for most ropes.
Soon enough, The Living golden ball slammed into its target, Knocking Gloriosa Daisy unconscious, before the magic on its tail started pulling it back to its original length, rapidly pulling it back into the Prince's grasp.
And as the Golden Plunder-Spider returned to the Throne room, The Prince gave it one more spin in the air before slamming it into the floor.
Causing a shower of blood.
Blueblood stared blankly at the blood and gore that spread on the floor from where Captain Beech's head used to be.
"Any Means Necessary, Bitch." He spat at the corpse before pulling the golden Plunder-Spider back to him.
"I think I'm going to call you, Comet."
The Plunder-Spider clicked at him a few times before it started to crawl onto his back, finding it a good resting spot as it closed its nonexistent eyes and went to sleep. Or whatever the Plant-monster equivalent of sleep is.
Blueblood took one more look at the ruined throne room, the throne lat shattered on the floor, the windows were broken, the walls, ceiling, and floor were riddled with holes, and King Aspen was snoring away in the corner, asleep.
The Throne Room was ruined.
And Thicket was Saved. |
Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 90: Great Big Everfree | Cadance exhaled tiredly as she climbed up the long winding staircase of living wood leading to the entrance of Thicket's Throne room.
With Gloriosa Daisy detained by Portunes, Cadance and Bramble made their way back to the castle to check on everyone.
She placed her hood on the door, ready to push it open, only to stare blankly when it fell off its hinges and crashed onto the floor.
Stepping over the broken door, the two royals took a look at the room.
"Bluey..." Cadance voiced as she stared at her cousin leaning against the wall next to a large hole where a window was supposed to be, a Golden spider-looking creature resting next to his legs, as he let out a puff of smoke from the cigarette in his mouth.
"Yes Cadenza?" The Unicorn raised an eyebrow at the Alicorn, watching as the Young Deer beside her stepped over the broken pieces of wood and glass as he looked at a Wooden Statue with a flaming blue skull for a head, sweeping at the floor with a broom.
"Do you mind telling me what happened here?" She turned her head to look at the old Deer snoring on the floor, and at the headless corpse beside him. Ignoring the stains of blood that seemed to paint a portion of the golden spider next to her cousin's legs.
"I got rid of the problem," Blueblood shrugged as he puffed another cloud of smoke before widening his eyes as if forgetting something.
"Do you want a smoke?" He took his cigarette and held it out to her.
Cadance stared blankly at her cousin before she sighed tiredly and walked over, leaning on the wall next to him before letting gravity slide her down into a sitting position beside him.
She leaned her head to the side, letting it rest on his shoulders before she grabbed the cigarette and placed it in her mouth.
And promptly spit it out as she started coughing, keeling over from her attempt to smoke.
Blueblood stared at the cigarette that fell on the floor, "That was a gift from Princess Moonbeam," he said blankly before shooting a beam of magic at the cigarette, burning it to ash.
"You- Cough Cough -You smoke that?" Cadance asked hoarsely as Blueblood started rubbing circles on her back.
"Only after sex or a finished job, Yes." He told her, letting the princess cough onto the floor beside him.
"This is horrible."
"You get used to it."
"Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, Prince Blueblood Platinum, It is with great Honor... That I hereby grant both of you the privilege of freely entering and leaving our great Kingdom," King Aspen said as he sat on the grass outside his Tree Castle, the throne room currently undergoing renovations.
"We are grateful for that, Your Majesty," Prince Blueblood bowed to the Deer king, causing the Deer to wave him off.
"Do not be grateful, Platinum, I am not doing this out of the kindness of my heart," Aspen shook his head before he turned to his son, "My dearest Bramble, Would you mind stepping away for a few minutes, I must speak with the ponies in private," Aspen paused before he looked at the open area where he sat, "Well, as Private of a talk as we are capable,"
"Father..." Prince Bramble started to speak before he shook his head as he looked to the other royals around, "Never mind, We will speak of today later," The Young prince stood up and bowed his head to the guests before taking his leave, Leaving only Aspen, Cadance and Blueblood on the grass.
Aspen smiled as he watched his son leave before he shook his head tiredly as if attempting to clear it of cobwebs, "What was it that we needed to speak of?" He asked aloud, the red crystal heart around his neck shone as a flower grew beside him, a cloud of magical pollen puffing onto his face to clear his mind.
"The Event from one-thousand years ago, You didn't remember it, but you recognized the Pony of Shadows," Blueblood tried to remind the king.
"Also Gaia, and the Hearts of the Everfree, we need to know about those," Cadance added, hoping to get more information for herself.
Aspen sighed, his body hunching forward as if he was visibly aging, "Gaia... My Dearest Gaia..." Aspen shook his head to reorient his mind before once more opening his mouth, "The Heart of the Everfree isn't a single treasure," Aspen started, his hoof moving to rub against the Red Heart around his neck, "But a collection of three."
"So there are three Hearts?" Cadance repeated.
"Yes... The Hearts of the Everfree, Are the crystalized promises the Everfree forest had with us Deer, the trust the woods have given us. One Heart belonged to the King," He gently rubbed the Crystal around his neck, "One belonged to the Child," His eyes briefly turned to look at Bramble from afar, the young prince trying to listen in on the conversation despite the soundproofing barrier that now surrounded the royals.
"And the last one?" Cadance urged the King to continue lest he once more get swept by old age.
"The last Heart belonged to the Queen, The one who was chosen by the Forest itself to protect it," Aspen started rocking his body side to side, "The Everfree Forest is more than a magical forest, This place is a self-contained ecosystem of symbiotic relationships, We Deer use the Hearts to protect the forest, and the Forest in return protects us with its magic." The Deer King turned to look at the Unicorn.
"You only found Thicket because the Forest allowed you to do so," Aspen told the Prince, his eyes meeting Blueblood's for a moment before he looked away, returning to his explanation.
"But that still doesn't explain anything, How did Gaia take over Gloriosa's body, Why did she act as if she knew Bramble, this still isn't adding up." Cadance pointed out, trying to steer the Deer King in the direction of the answers she wanted.
"Gaia... Gaia Everfree was my wife, The Queen of Thicket, Who ruled this kingdom over one thousand years ago... And she's also Bramble's mother." Aspen resumed the side-to-side swaying of his body.
"But Bramble's still a teenager," Cadance pointed out.
"...It's because of Platinum." Aspen almost seemed to spit out the word, "That lying prince, He's the cause of all of this!" The king violently stood up, almost falling over as he started to pace in circles around the courtyard, "The Pony of Shadows! I know his name! BUT WHAT WAS IT?!"
"Your Majesty-" Cadance tried to get the Deer's attention, but he was ignoring her, lost in his own broken memories.
"He's the cause of all of this! He has to be! There's no other option! My Gaia will never attack us!" Aspen stomped his legs on the grass, "WHAT WAS HIS NAME!?"
Cadance stood up, attempting to calm the king down, trying to steer him back to the conversation they were just having.
But Blueblood pushed him further.
"How is he involved? What is his relation?" The Prince asked, pushing the Deer towards the answers he wanted to receive.
"How is he involved? HE KILLED THEM ALL!" Aspen roared, the Heart of the Everfree around his neck shining in red light as the flower once more puffed pollen onto his face, visibly calming down the King, "On the night where the Sun banished the Moon! Platinum Manor was BATHED IN BLOOD!"
"Where is the Manor?" Blueblood stood up and started walking closer to the King, "Why did he kill them? Who did he kill? How is this related to Gaia and the Hearts?"
"Ah- Umm- Platinum Manor! That cursed place!" Aspen shook his head violently from side to side, almost threatening to poke the Pink Alicorn's eyes out, "HE HAS GAIA! I must save her!" Aspen cried loudly, his mood once again swinging all over the place, "I shall take you there, We can save her- save Gaia, Free her from his torture! PONY OF SHADOWS! WHAT WAS HIS NAME!?"
"Aspen calm down!" Cadance yelled, her horn glowing light blue as she cast a spell in an attempt to get the Deer to relax.
Only for him to fall asleep, snoring loudly as his body hits the grass.
"Darn it!" Cadance cursed before she turned to her cousin, "Did you manage to get anything useful out of that? I have no clue what he tried to say, his explanation didn't go anywhere,"
"Yes I did," Blueblood walked up to stand beside her, looking down on the sleeping King, "If we want to get answers that make any sort of sense, we'll find them in Platinum Manor,"
"Platinum Manor, where your ancestors lived before they all disappeared..." Cadance whispered, "Do you know where it is?"
"No clue, But he-" Blueblood pointed at the sleeping Deer, "Said he'd take us there, so he obviously knows. What I'll do is come back here once everything is ready, and then I'll finally get some answers,"
"Don't you mean We?" Cadance raised an eyebrow.
"...Let's discuss this later, For now, we need to start heading back to Canterlot, we still have a lot of work to do,"
"...Okay," Cadance shrugged and turned away, "But don't you try and leave me out of this, Gaia said something about my mother, so it's my mystery to solve now too."
"Fine."
And so After making sure the King was taken care of, The duo left a message with the young prince, notifying him that they'd be back sooner rather than later, and to let his father know of that. The two Ponies started making their way back to Canterlot.
Intent on compiling a list of all the information they already gathered.
"I wanted to ask this sooner, but then Aspen went on his weird tirade, but what is that Spider thing you're carrying?" Cadance pointed out once they left the gates of Thicket.
"That's just Comet, try to ignore her," Blueblood told her, ignoring the golden plant-spider that was lying on his back. |
Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 91: Alberich (Bonus) | You Still remember that day, Do you not?
When you understood the place that the world has given you.
You were young, weak, poor. And you asked why.
Why should you be content to silently view the world from the background, alone and silent? Why was it that you had to share with those children the coins that you worked for?
You hated that, didn't you? Having your hours of work be thrown to the side as someone else reaps the spoils of your work?
It was unfair.
Why was it unfair? Why was it that while you worked, they reaped the benefits?
"Happy Birthday Kiddo, I got you a present!" Each year, you smiled when the Agent came to give you a visit, hoping that he finally found someone willing to have you, willing to take you away from all the other children, to give you a stable roof to live under, away from these rats who did nothing but benefit from your work.
And each year, that smile grew dimmer and sadder, Nobody came to take you.
"Sorry Kiddo, But hey, Look here, I got you this," The Agent smiled jovially as he gave you an old hand-me-down of some handheld console, "I know this isn't really your style, Kids like you should be out there playing Basketball and all that, but I think this will give you a bit of entertainment you can't get out there,"
That Gameboy Advanced was the first thing you were ever gifted. It wasn't payment for work, but an actual Gift.
And it was yours.
"Hey Guys! Look what I Found in BLUEBLOOD's bag!" Marcus, one of the bigger kids in the Orphanage, smiled widely, showing off his dirty yellow teeth as he waved in his hands something that wasn't his.
"Woah, Is that Kirby? Isn't that a Girl's game?" One of the other children ran up to the bigger boy, laughing at the image on the screen of that Gameboy.
"Yeah! BLUEBLOOD plays with girl toys! BLUEBLOOD plays with girl toys! Haha!" They laughed to themselves, Their oily hands smearing and dirtying the console. Your console.
It wasn't theirs to touch.
"Give it back!" You yelled at them, but they laughed at your face. And why wouldn't they? They were taller than you, bigger than you.
Stronger than you.
"You want it back?" Marcus laughed, "Catch!" The fat boy yelled as he threw the console over your head, into the hands of another child.
"Hey!"
"Haha, Stupid BLUEBLOOD thought we'd give him his girl toy back," The other boy laughed as he threw the Console back to Marcus.
You ran after it, jumping to try and catch it, but Marcus was still taller than you.
He caught your console, holding it above his head with his one hand, and used the other to push you back.
"This isn't funny!" You cried, your little hands barely reaching over the boy's head as you struggled to get your gaming console, "It's mine, Give it back!"
"Nuh-uh, It's mine now! And you wanna know what I'm going to do with it?" Marcus smiled, his face never looked more punchable than it did in that moment, "I'm gonna' do this!"
You watched helplessly as he threw his arm down, the Console flying out of his hands and smashing into the ground, breaking apart as old and used plastic collided with the cold concrete floor.
That second-hand, hand-me-down, old Gameboy Advanced, lay shattered on the floor, the screen cracked beyond repair, buttons loose, and plastic ruined.
It was your first gift, It was yours, not his. And this Child, this Bastard, broke it.
How dare he? How dare this stupid, fat, insolent Idiot break your gift, your treasure.
"Hahaha- Hey Wait! Let me go! Hey-"
So you broke his nose.
You didn't stay in that orphanage long after that, they moved you to another one across the city.
Where you could hopefully start anew, get some friends, meet a family that would take you in.
But you didn't care. Why would you? Friends are useless, All they do is leech off your hard work, take what's yours for themselves, and reap from what you sow.
"No more," you promised yourself, No more will you be pushed around and taken advantage of. You'll become someone who'll never be pushed around, Someone who'll never have to bow to anybody else, to listen to the demands of those bigger or stronger than him.
You'll reach the top of humanity, the one-percent of the one-percent. The best of the Best.
Number One!
You don't need friends for that, they'll just drag you down. All you needed was knowledge and money, a lot of money.
Money that you didn't have.
So you got to work, You studied at school harder than any other student. Outside of school, you worked part-time jobs to raise more money.
Fast Food, Retail, Babysitting, You did it all. You couldn't be picky. Being Number One is a hard task, you'll need every advantage you can get.
And once you finished high school, you Immediately joined the Navy, becoming a dog of the government. A Good credit score, Free College education, and a fast pass to rising higher in society.
You might not end up as the President, but a four-star commissioned officer is fairly close. Perhaps you'll even do the impossible and become the first Five-Star Commissioned Officer in the Navy in over Sixty years.
It was a good job, and you were good at that job.
"BLUEBLOOD, I am Major Harold McConway, and I have a proposition that I think you'll like to hear." You were good enough, that the higher-ups decided that you'd be more useful somewhere else.
"I'm listening..."
And so you transferred from the Navy, joined a team of Marines, and began doing jobs the government wanted to do but couldn't publicly authorize.
How sneaky of you.
"From now on, as long as you are with us, These nicknames will be your new name, is that understood?!"
"Sir Yes Sir!" You shouted, trying to hold back the pride in your voice, as they stood beside the three other soldiers chosen to be part of your little group.
"The names you had before this moment, forget about them! They don't matter to us! They do not exist to us! Is that understood?!"
"Sir Yes Sir!"
The Major yelled, and you repeated those same three words, like a good dog barking at his owner's commands. It's almost pathetic to look at.
He passed by you all, giving you your Nickname, your new names for the foreseeable future.
"You know me as Major Harold McConway of the US Marine Corps. I want you idiots to forget that name right now! From now on you will be calling me Pelican!"
"Sir Yes Sir!"
Birds, How Original for a Black Operation Unit.
"Ensign BLUEBLOOD! Your new name will be Kingfisher!"
"SIR YES SIR!"
Oh Dearest Nephew, Looking at these Memories of yours, So cute.
You really fit your new Name.
Platinum.
I'll be looking forward to when we next meet, It is getting mighty boring here in Limbo. Bring some new memories for me to look at, Your mind is the most entertaining thing I've seen in Centuries.
I'll Be waiting.
Toodles~ |
Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 92: Hagen (Bonus) | Three years passed in the blink of an eye.
From wiping out an international weapons smuggling group operating out of Brunei to Hunting down enemies of the state hiding undercover in Ghana.
Your time with the Major, With "Avian", took you all over the world.
And your last few missions were no exception.
"Dammit! We were so close to getting him this time! I almost fucking had him!" Barging into the Safe House you were currently using while in Chile, A Broad Shouldered man stomped up to the table in the middle of the kitchen and started emptying the bag in his hands.
"Albatross, Calm down," A black-haired man with greying hair told the loud man as he walked up to stand on the other side of the kitchen table.
His eyes roamed over the piles of photos and evidence thrown on the table depicting a bald man of South American descent.
"Now that we know Enrico is in the country, we'll be able to track him down much easier." The man turned to look at a younger man with a pair of glasses over his eyes, "Heron, Your job was to research the Australian Flagged Oil Tanker Billabong, How goes your side of things there?"
Heron walked up to the table and placed down a document showing the path the Oil Tanker would be going.
"The Billabong will be docking in San Antonio between the Eighth and the Twelfth of next month for a scheduled rotation of crew, At 10:30 it is scheduled to leave the docks and head north, keeping a steady distance of 35 miles from the shore until it leaves the Chilean EEZ and enters Peruvian Territory, where it will then turn west and starts the voyage to its destination of French Polynesia," Heron explained, his fingers moving the map of the Pacific Ocean as he went.
"According to the information we collected during our raid in Temuco, Enrico Dominguez and his men are planning on Hijacking the ship 200 Miles before it leaves Chilean territory,"
"Wait, Let me guess," Albatross piped up, still angry that Enrico managed to escape him, "He's planning on using the ship and crew as a bargaining chip from the Australian Government, get some sort of immunity or someshit,"
Heron shook his head at his hot-headed teammate's words, "Not at all If the Documents are to be believed, He's planning on blaming the hijacking on Argentina in order to fan tensions between Argentina and Chile,"
"The Son of a Bitch wants to start a war," Albatross chewed his cheeks as Heron nodded.
"He did write in his Manifesto his dream of taking back the 'Kingdom of Chile'," A new voice piped up into the conversation, causing Albatross to turn and look at the Dark Skinned man leaning near the entrance to the hallway, "He can't do that without annexing half of Argentina,"
"Oh, Macaw, You're back already," Albatross nodded his head to the man, "What did you two get?"
"You're asking me? Just check the fridge and cupboards, Kingfisher and I brought enough food for another week," Macaw told the group before he moved to join them around the table.
"So, what's the plan, Boss?"
The group turned to the oldest member of the group, Looking at him as he stared intently at the papers in front of him.
"I'll pass this info back to Top Brass, If we get the go-ahead, we might just finally get rid of this Son of a Bitch," Pelican said as he gathered up the relevant papers.
"Make sure to rest up, Once we get the go-to we'll be leaving Immediately, We need to reach Antofagasta before that Ship leaves San Antonio. Macaw, Pass this on to Kingfisher, Dismissed"
"Sir Yes Sir!"
You joined the Navy at 18, Got recruited to "Avian" at 22, And now at 25, You're on your way to stop a Terrorist from attempting to start a war between Chile and Argentina.
I must say, Dear Nephew, You have lived a very boring yet interesting life, A Mundane Past but an Exotic Present. And Seeing where you'll end up in the Future, Oh Dearest Nephew, You truly are a treat~
"We got the green light, Our equipment will be waiting for us in the Antofagasta Safe House, Pack your little things and meet me outside in thirty minutes, We're leaving!" Pelican clapped his hands multiple times in order to get everyone's attention before he left to ready the Car.
It was an unassuming black seven-seater, with enough room for all five men to fit in, and just enough extra for the bags.
Pelican grabbed the Driver's seat while Albatross took the Passenger's, Macaw took the back left while Heron took the back right, leaving you to sit at the very back, smooshed against the bags.
"Did you all follow Safe House clearance procedures?" Pelican asked as he started the engine.
"We've been doing this for years now, You know the answer," Macaw rolled his eyes as he leaned an elbow on the window of the car.
"I know, But I need audible confirmation," Pelican said, receiving another 'Sir Yes Sir' from the group.
And so started the long drive to reach Antofagasta.
Stepping out of the Motel room he had for the night, A red-shirted man of Surinamese descent took a cigarette pack out of his pocket and a match stick box from another as he the cigarette in his mouth and took a smoke.
"Are you still going to play that damn Gameboy all day, or are you going to sleep?" He asked as he turned to look at a younger man in his mid-twenties, leaning forward against the small metal fence between the pavement and the parking lot of the small out-of-the-way motel you stayed at.
He was looking at you.
"You know smoking is bad for you," You said, eyes still on the handheld gaming console in your hands, fingers rapidly tapping and moving as you watched the golden star move to your whims, "Also this isn't a Gameboy,"
"I don't care if it's a Gameboy or a PlayStation or whatever you use," Macaw rolled his eyes as he chewed at the cigarette in his mouth for a bit before exhaling another puff of smoke, "Also don't talk to me about smoking being bad, You also smoke this shit,"
"I only smoke after doing a good job or after sex, And at least I don't smoke those horrible cigars like Albatross, That shit has more than ten times the nicotine," You subtly shook your head as you saved the game on your Nintendo DS and turned the console off.
"Seeing as Enrico keeps slipping away, we hadn't had a good job in almost two months," Macaw said, eyes staring ahead of him as he too leaned on the fence, "And also, I doubt the nicotine content is the reason you don't smoke Cigars,"
"Luckily for us, I had sex with your sister last night, so everything's fine," You smirk and stretch your neck, "And Cigars take longer to smoke, I don't have the time to hold a tobacco stick in my hand all day, With Cigarettes I can finish them quickly and move on to something better,"
"...Sure," Macaw said as he took the cigarette out of his mouth and dropped it to the ground, stepping on it to make sure it was put out.
"..." The two of you stand there in an awkward silence, your mind wanting to bring up the elephant in the room that's been bothering you since Temuco, but you don't know what to say.
Luckily for you, Macaw spoke first, "Hey Kingfisher,"
"Yeah?"
"Do you think we're bad guys?" That question stumped you, enough to cause you turn to look at your teammate, to see him staring at you with a tired look in his eyes.
"Is this because of what happened to that ki-" He cut you off.
"She was a child, Kingfisher, She couldn't have been older than my niece," He scowls at the memory, turning away from staring at you as he looked to the street, watching the few cars still out at night passing by down the road.
"It wasn't your fault, You didn't know she was going to be there," You tried to explain calmly, not really knowing how to handle the situation.
You were never good at dealing with emotions, Nice to see some things stayed the same, Isn't that right Dear Nephew?
"It doesn't change the fact that she was there, And now her blood is on my hands," He scoffed as he took out another cigarette, "If we caught Enrico sooner, she wouldn't be-"
"Don't start with that bullshit," You scowl at Macaw, "It's always 'If only we were faster' or 'If only we had better info' Why don't you just go ahead and say 'if only we were G.I- fucking -.Joe' and be done with it. We can only work with what we have, and what we have is the best we can get,"
"So what would you have done?" He raised his voice as he turned to look at you, "You always stand there to the side acting as if you don't care about these things! Like this is all just some job to you-"
"It is a Job! Of course it's a job. What? Do you want me to start crying every time a civilian gets caught in the crossfire? You know how many people died in Brunei before we got rid of those fucks?! You want me to start bawling my eyes out for every little kid that's starving to death in Africa while I'm at it?!" You raise your voice to match his, His words starting to annoy you.
"You suck at this, you know that?" Macaw spits out his second cigarette, "Three years and this is still just a job for you? Just Business as usual?"
"Of course it's business, Pelican specifically told us all that we are in this shit because we're the fucking best people available for this, We're the fucking aces of this league! Heron is the Computer guy, Albatross is the Bomb guy, You're the knife guy and I'm the Gun guy, That's how this shit works! Do you think we were picked for this because we want to do good in the world? Because the government gives a shit about the well-being of some Bruneian children? Of course not! We're picked for this because they wanted a team to get the job done, and we got the job done."
Macaw stares at you for a while before scowling and entering his room, Leaving you outside with the smell of used cigarettes on the side of a cheap Chilean motel.
The Raid in Temuco was an operation where the American Black Ops team Avian attempted to capture Chilean Ultranationalist and international terrorist Enrico Dominguez.
The Raid was conducted on the outskirts of the City of Temuco, At a compound where the team had credible information that Enrico had been staying and conducting his work from.
Like many of the group's past missions, it was an Extermination. Nobody was to know they were there, and no witnesses were allowed to remain.
The first ten minutes of the raid were quiet, Consisting of Heron neutralizing the compound's security devices so the rest of the group could get in position.
Albatross entered through the Garage of the compound, placing explosives on the underside of the vehicles so that should Enrico somehow manage to escape by car, he'd get blown up.
Pelican was keeping in contact with Heron the whole time, receiving constant updates from the hacked security cameras, making sure Macaw and Kingfisher could get into position.
Kingfisher took the roof of a shed near the back fence, High enough to get a good shot should anybody pass by the windows on the east side of the Compound.
Macaw was preparing with Albatross in the Garage, where the two would have proceeded to split south and west once the bombs had been planted.
And then someone entered the Garage, and things went to shit.
"Hey, You're not supposed to-" Before the man could finish, A Bullet entered his head. Macaw rushed forward to try and stop the body from crashing onto the ground, but it was useless, as another man came from around the corner at the end of the hallway, seeing the open door to the garage and at the dead terrorist on the floor, He quickly shot two shots into the air, waking everybody up, before getting shot in the head himself.
As they say, No plan survives first contact with the enemy.
"Get in there and Kill these fucks!" Pelican yelled over the radio, "Remember, We are here to Kill, Not Capture," Same as always.
If everything goes well, Enrico Dominguez wouldn't live to see tomorrow, let alone his dream of a new Kingdom of Chile.
With the new change of plans, Albatross and Macaw split and went down their separate hallways.
With a Combat Shotgun in hand, Albatross made his way down the south corridor, Shooting at anything that wasn't wearing Avian's uniform, Fragmentation grenades were thrown into rooms before he burst in and shot everyone still standing after the explosion.
You looked through the scope of your rifle, trained at the windows on the east side of the Compound, lying prone on your stomach so nobody would see you before you gave the trigger a single click and shot a man who was standing near a window on the second floor.
You don't miss.
Macaw ran down west the corridor, knife in his left hand and pistol in his right, Each time someone tried to exit one of the doors to shoot at him, they would find themselves with a slash across a vital artery or a bullet in a vital organ.
Twenty Minutes, Twenty minutes of adrenaline, gunfire, knives and grenades. And you were stuck on a roof a distance away from all the action.
Another tap of the trigger, another body hits the floor.
Unfortunately, Terrorists aren't known to be the smartest people in the world, especially not ones following a Monarchist.
Perhaps one of them thought it was a bring your daughter to work day, Perhaps Enrico had his family staying in the compound with him, Perhaps this or perhaps that.
But whatever the case was, After you got confirmation that everybody was dead, you entered the Compound yourself, joined by Heron, as the two of you started looking for Enrico's body, Or in this case, Documents Detailing where the son of a bitch was going to be.
While Heron found the documents, and a still functional computer that Enrico left behind, You instead found Macaw sitting on the floor, gloves stained a deep red as he tried in vain to stop a child from bleeding out in his arms.
She was a small thing, Maybe eight or nine years old, with dark brown hair that would have probably reached the middle of her back and a face whose smile would have lit up the room with cheer.
But it was too late. Macaw was trying to save a corpse.
You knew what you would see when you joined Avian, This wasn't the first time children were caught in the crossfire.
But they were always outside, A Terrorist running one over in Kenya, A Bullet flying out of a window during a chase and hitting a passerby.
Never before was the child in the middle of the fighting. Perhaps that's why it hurt Macaw so much.
There was nothing you could have said that would have helped him. And even if you did, You didn't know the words to say.
But it was time to move on, You both had a job to do.
After cleaning the Safe House in Antofagasta, Your group sat around the kitchen table for another debriefing.
"The Billabong, as we already learned, will be passing by 35 miles offshore from here in three days time, If Enrico wishes to hijack the Oil Tanker, he'll either leave from here in Antofagasta or wait for the ship to pass Tocopilla. What we'll be doing instead is trail the ship from afar, Our good friends in the Top Brass finally listened to my request and brought us what I asked for, Down in the docks here we have ourselves an SH-60 Seahawk my name on it.
Tomorrow one of our contacts here will bring the supplies I ordered to a secure drop point, where Albatross and I will go and pick them up.
Heron, You will be busy keeping an eye on the Billabong, If Enrico decides to take the ship before we expect, I want to know in advance.
Kingfisher and Macaw, the two of you will be going over our guns, I want you two to triple-check, quadruple-check, make sure everything's working like a charm, I don't want our guns to jam in the middle of a firefight," Pelican told you all before he tapped the map on the table between you all.
"The Moment Enrico boards the ship Is when we leave. Macaw, Kingfisher, the two of you are on cleaning duty, The moment we pass above the ship the two of you will be dropped on it, Your job is to find Enrico and make sure he and his men are all dead.
The Moment you start your work, Heron and Albatross will start placing the bombs. The two of you will be dropped into the water on either side of the ship, where you'll be placing remote-controlled plastic explosives at these locations across the hull of the tanker," Pelican pointed at several points on the Blueprint of the ship.
"After ten minutes I'll drop the line to drag the two of you out of the water and back to the chopper, where we'll then land on the Tanker and pick up the other two before leaving, Once we're on our way out, We'll detonate the explosives and sink the ship. By the time the Chilean government drags the boat up and finds Enrico and his men, We'll be long gone.
Any questions?"
"What about the Crew?" Macaw asked as he crossed his arms.
"You know the answer to that already, We can't have witnesses." Pelican looked Macaw in the eyes, "This is an Extermination, We're killing everyone on board and then sinking the ship, No Survivors."
Macaw sighed and looked down.
"It's a Tragedy, I know, But that's what we do," Pelican said before he looked his team in the eye, "As far as the world is concerned, America had nothing to do with the sinking of the Billabong. We were never in Chile, You all know that already,"
"Sir yes sir..." Macaw said halfheartedly with a roll of his eyes.
Pelican gave his team another look before he shook his head, "Get some rest, all of you, the next few days will be busy. By next week, we'll be back out of here, and Dominguez will be a forgotten memory. Dismissed."
You gave your gun another check as you and the rest of Avian waited for the confirmation from Heron, Leaning against a shipping container in a quiet corner of the Antofagasta docks, the Seahawk ready to fly at a moment's notice.
"We have a Green-light, Enrico and his men have boarded the ship, I have visual on the Transport Heli, Twelve men, Enrico among them, He's there," Heron spoke up from in front of the portable computer he used to control the drones that have been keeping watch on the Ship for the past day and a half.
And it seems that confirmation came.
"All of you get in the chopper, We're moving!"
Time to take down Enrico Dominguez once and for all.
You aimed down the scope of the rifle in your hand, Eyes trained on the lone man standing at the helm of the ship. The Vibrations of the Helicopter made your hands shake as you struggled to aim, but nonetheless, you pulled the trigger.
One man down.
Eleven more to go.
The coast was now clear, The Helicopter quickly lowered close enough to the deck of the ship to drop you and Macaw off, and then it went on to drop Heron and Albatross in their respective positions before Pelican took back to the skies in order to keep in touch from afar.
As soon as your feet touched the metal deck of the ship you burst into movement, Rifle in your arms, and quickly made your way to the doors leading into the ship itself, Macaw already entering the ship thanks to his lighter carry weight.
As you entered you immediately spotted two more men on the ground, One was a crew member of the ship, and the other was one of Enrico's Men.
Two men down.
Ten more to go.
You held you rifle at the ready, your blood pumping as you moved down the corridor on your way to the staircase leading up to the bridge.
You hear footsteps coming from the right as you get on your knees and aim, Soon opening fire as one of the doors in front of you opens up to reveal one of Enrico's men, hand on his neck as he tries to stop his bleeding.
Seems like Macaw missed one.
Three men down.
Nine more to go.
You step over the body and make your way to the staircase, steadily making your way towards the bridge of the ship.
On the second floor, you open the first door you come across, and seeing that it was just an empty bedroom you move on.
Second door, Dead Crew mate on the floor.
Third door, "Hey! I'm not with them! You gotta help me! I don't want to-!" BANG
Fourth door, A Terrorist looks up at you to be met with a bullet between the eyes.
Four men down.
Eight more to go.
Fifth door, Another Dead Crewmate and Terrorist.
Five men down.
Seven more to go.
You turn back to the staircase, heading up another floor.
You quickly raise your gun as you see someone running out of the first door, Only to relax once a bullet knocks them to the ground and another one kills them, Macaw walks out of the door the Crew member came from just a moment later.
"I'll head upstairs, you clear up the rest of the floor," He quickly told you before he moved passed you and went up the stairs to clear out the fourth floor.
You enter the room Macaw came from and see two more terrorists on the floor.
Seven men down.
Five more to go.
You open the next room only to immediately leap to the side as you see a gun pointing at you, Shots are fired behind you a moment later.
If you were even a second slower or the gunman was half a second quicker, you would have died.
You respond by quickly taking out your sidearm and pinging a shot off the side of the doorframe.
"FUCK!" You hear him scream as the bullet ricochets and hits him in the arm before you slide down in front of him, two shots leaving your pistol, hitting him in the chest.
He goes down.
Eight men down.
Four more to go.
You catch your breath, feeling your heart beating like a drum as you stand back up and holster your pistol back in its place as you once more grab your rifle.
You make your way to the other rooms, Two of them empty, before you approach the last one and-
BANG
A bullet leaves the rifle in your hands as soon as you see the man leave the door, his eyes wide in fear as his bald head seems to sparkle with the sheen of sweat over it.
"EEEEK!" The man squeals as he stumbles backward, Holding the bullet wound in his shoulder as he drops the pistol that was in his hand.
You recognized the man, Enrico Dominguez, The one Avian was tasked with hunting down.
"DON'T SH-" BANG
You don't let him get more than a single word out.
Nobody would care what his last words were going to be, Be they a speech about how he was right, or the petty cries of a madman begging to live.
It didn't matter.
You were a hunter, Your job was to make sure people like him were dead.
And you were good at your job.
Nine men down.
Three more to go.
You take out your radio and call in Pelican, telling him about Enrico.
"Great work, Macaw just called in that he finished clearing the last floor, I'm picking up Heron and Albatross, Get over here ASAP," He told you before you started hearing the rotor blades of the Seahawk as it headed closer to the ship.
And so with a tired smile on your face, you made your way down to the deck of the ship, ready to finally get this mission over with and leave Chile.
"Kingfisher, I'll be landing down to pick you up in a minute, But Macaw isn't answering his Radio! Go check on him!" You stop and frown as Pelican gives you a new set of orders.
You fiddle with your own radio, trying to get in contact with Macaw yourself, scowling as all it picks up is the static sound of a Radio turned off.
You quickly make your way back up the stairs of the ship, Reaching the fourth floor and checking through the rooms, seeing more dead crew members, and the last three terrorists, all lying in a pool of their own blood.
Twelve men down.
No more to go.
You scowl as you start making your way to the stairs, only to take out your radio as you get another call.
"Kingfisher! I don't know what he's trying to do up there, but Macaw is handling something in the bridge, I need you to put a stop to whatever he's doing and try and bring him to the Seahawk! We need to start our extraction out of here, By any means necessary!"
Any means necessary.
Oh Dearest Nephew, how you love that phrase.
Any means necessary.
"Hello! This is David Jefferson! I am on the Oil Tanker Billabong and I require immediate evac!" Macaw yelled into the microphone on the bridge of the Ship, trying to get his message out.
"I repeat! My name is David Jefferson! I need an evacuation from the Oil Tanker Billabong-" BANG.
Macaw took a slow step away from the microphone, no longer working thanks to the hole in the machinery beside it, and turned to look at the door leading into the bridge of the Oil Tanker Billabong.
And at the gunman standing there.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" You asked, Rifle in hand, as you scowled at Macaw.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" Macaw answers with a question, "I'm getting my freedom,"
"The fuck are you talking about?" You glared at the man, Not understanding what he was trying to say.
"Please, Don't act coy. I know that under that mask of annoying Sarcasm, you have a keen mind, You're not stupid." Macaw scowled back at you from across the floor, "We're slaves here, Forced to kill for some nameless government official that we aren't even sure exists!"
It takes you barely a moment before you piece together what he's trying to get at, "This is about Temuco, isn't it?"
"Of course it's about Temuco damn it!" Macaw yelled, fist-banging on the chair beside him, "A Child died in my arms! All because we had to be the ones to catch Enrico! Where the fuck is the Chilean government?! Argentina?! Why are we the ones doing this shit! Killing children in foreign countries because some secret Top Brass told us to do so!" He points a finger at you, his face scowling heavily as he yells, "We're America! The land of the free! We're not supposed to be slaves to the government! Killers with a payroll!"
"Oh shut the fuck up!" You yell at him, "You can complain about all this shit later, We need to leave this ship!"
"I'm not leaving this ship!" Macaw yelled at you in return.
"Are you stupid?! Don't be stupid! Bring up all these complaints to Pelican later, This isn't the place! We are leaving this ship, Now." You turn away from him and start heading downstairs, waiting for him to follow you, to get over his childish tantrum so you could all just blow the ship up and leave.
But he wasn't following you.
You head back up the stairs to see him glaring at the windows overlooking the deck of the ship.
"We need to go, Macaw-"
"David," He interrupts you, "My name is David Jefferson, I've been with the Army for six years before Avian, I'm not going to go by the name of some stupid bird, My ancestors didn't fight for their freedom just so I would be chained once more,"
"..." You see his hand inch toward the gun on his side, and you start to pray he doesn't go for it.
"America is supposed to be the land of the free..." He takes a long sigh before he turns to look at you, "How did you say it goes? Pelican is the leader, Heron is the computer guy, Albatross is the bomb guy, You're the gun guy, and I'm the knife guy? That's one way to describe us, If a bit childish. I guess it fits with you always on that stupid Gameboy of yours," You silently curse yourself for what you're about to do as Macaw weakly shakes his head.
"As an American, I am free to choose my path in life, Because unlike you, Kingfisher, I'm no longer a Slave," Macaw, No, David, told you, a sad smile on his face.
Before he took out his knife and rushed at- BANG
He stumbled, the front of his uniform starting to stain red from the small hole in his stomach.
BANG BANG
He fell to his knees, Coughing as a trail of blood left his lips, that sad smile never leaving his lips.
You breathe deeply as you feel your hands start to shake.
BANG
The bullet flies past his head and lodges itself in the panels of the ship behind him.
You missed.
BANG BANG BANG
"What's the problem, Kingfisher?" David smiled, blood leaking from his mouth as he slowly raised his knife, "Did something get caught in your eye-" He coughed some blood, his arms shaking heavily as his head started to slowly droop down, "All those video games are bad for your eyesight, ya' know, Hehe," He coughed again.
BANG
You missed again, NO.
It wasn't that you missed.
You don't miss.
You simply didn't aim at him.
You empty your magazine into the room, none of the remaining bullets hitting David, as he simply smiles sadly at you, Three holes in his body staining his uniform a dark crimson while a line of blood pours out of his mouth, you tap the trigger but no bullets leave the pistol.
"...You're a Slave, you know that?" He told you, Pity in his eyes, "And I'm free~"
And before you could reload your pistol or switch back to your rifle, his knife moves across his own neck.
And you watch in dumbfounded silence as he mouths the word "Slave," At you, before he collapses down to the floor, face down in a puddle of his own blood.
David Jefferson, Macaw of Avian, was Dead.
"Are you sure about this, BLUEBLOOD? Once you sign this paper there's no going back," Sitting inside an office in Washington DC, Major Harold McConway stared at the young man sitting in front of him.
"I'm sure," You smiled sadly at the man who went by the name Pelican, the man who was your direct superior for the past three years, "There's this Nautical Science school down in Florida where I've decided I want to learn, I need some time away from the military as well, I think it'll be good for me,"
"...Very well," Harold smiled as he signed a few spots on a paper in front of him before standing up. You stand up as well.
"Ensign BLUEBLOOD, Under the circumstances we have found ourselves in, I am honored to be the one to formally dismiss you after seven years of serving in your country's navy," He winks at you, the two of you knowing that the past three years never existed.
He leans over the table and places a badge on your breast, His hand moving to salute you.
"Thank you for your service, Lieutenant BLUEBLOOD," You smile widely at the man, Saluting him in return.
"Thank you, Sir!"
The next three years of your life are a return to the mundane.
As said, you went to get your education in Florida, Your time in Avian made you more than enough money to pay for your entire education and then some, even without the government bonus of being Military.
Your free time was spent playing all the new video games you could now afford to buy, the ones you couldn't do so previously with all the work you had to do.
If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were on your way to having a happy and bright future, Karma finally on your side after years of hard and dirty work.
How Poetic.
But we all know that's not how the story went, Dearest Nephew.
And perhaps that is a good thing.
After all, If you never slipped through reality into the body you currently own, my time here in Limbo would have been such a bore.
Oh, Dearest Nephew.
You Truly are a Platinum. |
Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 93: The One About Side Characters | "You know, I never thought I'd miss being on a boat, but here we are. Who would have guessed?"
Trixie Lulamoon, The Great and Powerful employee of the Blueblood Foundation, groaned tiredly as she rested her head on the railing of the huge metal behemoth that her boss called a ship.
This thing could fit her caravan fifty times over!
"I mean, We first came here because we needed money or a job or something, but now that we actually have it, this just feels right, you know?" Trixie rolled her eyes as her friend kept talking.
"Zephyr, If you say the words 'You Know' one more time today, I'll be throwing you overboard," Trixie told her friend, the tall Pegasus simply laughing at her threat with a shake of his head, treating it as a joke.
"Don't threaten me with a good time," Zephyr Breeze, assistant engineer for the BBF's first active ship, His Royal Highness's Andromeda, or the HRH Andromeda for short, winked at Trixie before giving her a weak push with his wings.
"Ugh, Don't you have work to do?" Trixie turned to look at him, a weak scowl on her face as she watched the other workers behind him work on making sure the containers were held down to the deck.
"Time Turner can call for me if there's a problem, or more accurately Torque will, She's all dour and such, really snappy, no jokes with her," Zephyr Breeze let out a breath before he shook his head and gave Trixie another push, "Let's go introduce you to her, You girls need to stick together! Come on Trix!"
And before Trixie could come up with an excuse to be left to her great and powerful lonesome, Zephyr Breeze grabbed her leg and dragged her into the ship.
Ready to introduce her to one Torque Wrench.
In the City of Canterlot, A Unicorn was smiling at his daughter as she hugged his legs before work.
"Daddy! I want a Prince for my Birthday!" The young mule smiled up at her father, who chuckled at her words.
"Tabitha, You know I can't give you a prince for your birthday," The Usually serious Unicorn said gently as he hugged his young daughter, "Why not ask for a bicycle?"
"I got a Bicycle from Auntie Zapp! I don't want a new bicycle, I want to be a Princess! To be a Princess I need to have a Prince at my birthday party!" Tabitha shouted happily at her father, the source of his building Tinnitus not controlling her volume as the Paper White Unicorn that was her father rubbed her head and smiled.
"I'll see what I can do," He gave her a kiss on the forehead before waving her goodbye as he exited the house with a smile on his face, ready to go to work.
The moment he was out of sight from his house, the joyful smile on his face was instantly replaced with a resolute glare, His daughter wanted a Prince at her Birthday Party, so she would be getting a prince for her birthday.
Luckily for Chancellor Neighsay, He knew a prince who likely wouldn't mind making a surprise visit at a child's birthday party.
Spike the Dragon was having a relaxing day of cleaning the floor of the Library.
As the young Dragon climbed the ladder to place some books in their place, the door to the Golden Oaks Library burst open.
"Hey, Twilight! Did you read the new Daring Do novel?!" Rainbow Dash, The Element of Loyalty, shouted loudly, causing the young dragon to drop the books he was carrying and fall onto his tail.
"Oww..." Spike said while rubbing his tail as he stood up, "Sorry Rainbow Dash, Twilight's over at Fluttershy's to give Owlowiscious a checkup," He told her before he got back to cleaning the library.
"Then I'll just have to go there! Thanks, Spike!" Rainbow Dash said loudly before flying out of the door, a cloud of dust marking her exit.
Spike stared at the newly formed cloud of dust before sighing to himself as he went to grab the feather duster.
Deep in the jungles south of Equestria, A Filly was wrapped in ropes, hanging over a pool of Lava on top of a volcano.
Surrounding the filly were many ponies wearing tribalistic clothing and covered in tattoos, waving staves of wood and feathers.
"Oh Great Huitzilopochtli! Our great Sun of the South! We offer you this sacrifice for the Hummingbird of Fire! Let your Glory be known to-" An Old Stallion wearing extravagant golden feathered robes was interrupted by the filly opening her mouth.
"Boooring!" Cozy Glow rolled her eyes from her place tied above the mouth of the volcano, "Do you do this speech every time you want to sacrifice someone? Don't they die of boredom before they even touch the lava? Your Deity must be so disappointed in you, Did you ever think of that?"
"Ahem, Let your glory be known to-" The Old stallion tried to go back to his speech.
"No, Seriously, Did you never think that maybe instead of Pony Sacrifices, your Hummingbird guy wanted, I don't know what Hummingbirds eat, Cookies? Maybe Cakes? Something that isn't volcano-fried Pegasus?" Cozy Glow once again interrupted the tribal elder, a cheeky smirk on her face as she watched the old stallion start to fume at her interruptions.
"..." The Elder took a deep breath, "Let your glory be-"
"Come on! Get to the point already! I'm falling asleep over here!" Cozy Glow's face split with a smile as she watched the Elder fall for her jeering and angrily throw his staff into the Volcano.
"Enough! Just cut the rope and drop her! Grand Huitzilopochtli will understand!" He yelled angrily, one of his ponies taking out an obsidian blade and cutting the rope that held Cozy Glow over the volcano, dropping her into the Lava.
Or at least, she would have dropped into the lave if she hadn't squirmed out of the ropes, Now flying over the maw of the active volcano, too far for the Tribesponies to capture her.
"Hah! Told you you should have thrown me in sooner!" Cozy Glow laughed at the dumbfounded faces on the Tribesponies who stared at her flying to safety on the other side of the Volcano.
"Ahhhg! After her!" The Elder yelled as he pointed his hoof at the filly, His Tribesponies roaring and waving their staves and swords as they started running after the escaped sacrifice.
"Oh, Gotta' get out of here!" Cozy laughed as her tiny wings flapped quickly, taking her away from the Jungle Ponies, A smirk on her face as she felt the ruby circlet still hidden under the bow in her hair.
"Hohoho, Gilda is going to be so jealous! Haha!"
Raven Inkwell was having a relaxing and calm day, nothing crazy was happening in the castle that would cause the mare to lose sleep.
"Blueblood?" At least, nothing should have been causing her to lose sleep, but she could already feel the headache heading in her direction.
"Yes, Raven?" Her Boss-with-benefits smirked at her, acting as if everything was normal.
"What are you doing?" Raven pointed the clipboard she was holding at the Prince, and at the Golden Spider-looking creature that he held by the tail, slinging back and forth as if it was a paddle ball toy.
"I'm playing with Comet," He told her, still slinging the creature around as if it was a ball with a string.
A Large, Golden, Spider-looking, Ball with a string.
"Oh, Carry on then," Raven wasn't ready to deal with the headache, and if the clicking sounds coming from 'Comet' were anything to go by, the creature was enjoying it.
Perhaps Raven should try some of that Birch Sap Wine that Blueblood brought Starlight when he and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza came back from wherever they went last week.
Raven could use a drink.
"HAHAHAHAHA!!! I'm a Genius! Both Brains and Beauty! HAHAHA!!! With this plan, All Equestria will be mine!" Far to the south, beyond the borders of Equestria, inside an old castle of black stone and Gothic architecture, A Queen Laughed to herself.
"And then, PRINCE BLUEBLOOD WILL BE MINE!!! HAHAHA!!!! We'll go on lovely walks on the beach, snuggle on the couch, kill Celestia, call each other by cute pet names, have a honeymoon in Prance, Brutalize Celestia, drink milkshakes with two straws in the same cup, have a romantic waltz under the night sky, Murder Celestia, oh it's going to be perfect!"
Chrysalis already has a plan.
Deep in the Magical Prison of Tartarus, A Centaur smiled in his cage.
The Cogs of Fate have once again turned, His Destiny was approaching quickly.
"Just over a year away," Lord Tirek whispered as he bit his finger, drawing blood.
"And then, Oh Aspect of War, False Prince, Pony of Light, Child of Gold, Prince of Stars, You shall play your role in the grand orchestra of Fate," His finger deftly moved on the ceiling of his cell, drawing symbols that have been etched into his mind, like an artist, his finger moved smoothly and without falter.
"But first we must speak, There is so much you have yet been told," The Red Centaur cackled weakly to himself as he looked at the arcane sigil he painted on the ceiling of his cage using his own blood.
He took a deep breath before his right arm moved like a bullet, and his fist banged on the sigil he drew.
Red, Black, and Yellow magic exploded out of the sigil, the cage of reinforced steel blowing open as he the weakened Centaur lord stepped out of his cell.
He could already hear the Dog bark in the distance, Running to call for a member of the Crown to come fix the problem.
The Cogs of Fate have started turning, Now he'll wait for Destiny to arrive.
"Human in the skin of a Pony, What a fascinating Destiny awaits you," |
Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 94: It's About Time 1 | Cerberus was the guard dog of Tartarus, The Magical Prison where only the most dangerous threats are held.
Currently, Cerberus was not guarding the Prison of Tartarus.
Cerberus was running as fast as his paws could take him.
"We Need to Get to the Castle!" His middle head barked over the wind, his large body pushing aside trees and boulders as if they were nothing more than cardboard.
"We need to get the Prince!" His left head barked, His nose working overtime in search of even the faintest scent of the Unicorn that was the Prince.
"He'll know what to do! He's the smart one!" His right head barked as his ears perked, listening to every sound in a vast radius, from the faintest of whispers to the loudest of snores.
Halting his movement as he reached the edge of a cliff, Cerberus looked at the Moon in the sky and let out a howl, hoping the Royal Family could hear him and quickly fix the problem.
"We Can't wait!" All three heads barked simultaneously.
"The Red One has broken his Cell!" The right head barked.
"We Can't give him time to escape!" The left head barked.
"Starswirl said he's the most dangerous one!" The middle head barked.
"We Must Hurry!" And with a mighty flex of his well-trained legs, Cerberus leaped off the cliff he stood on, feeling the wind slap at his faces, and returned to running without a moment of wait the second his paws once again made contact with solid ground.
Spike the Dragon was having a wonderful dream, One he could almost wish he would never wake up from.
But Wishes are only wishes if they never come true, so Spike groggily opened his eyes and scrunched his face in displeasure at the clopping sound coming from downstairs that woke him up from his wonderful dream.
He rolled out of his bed and looked at the clock, his face scrunching up as if he bit an especially sour lemon.
So he tiredly rubbed his eyes and stood up from his bed, walking down the stairs of the Golden Oak Library to see his Big Sister Twilight Sparkle pacing back and forth, seeing that the sound of her hooves clacking on the wooden flooring of the second floor was what woke him up.
"We should get a carpet for that," He whispered to himself as he yawned, almost tripping over his tail as he made his way to Twilight.
"Twilight," The Dragon said to get the Unicorn's attention.
"Oh, Hi Spike," Twilight nodded at him as she continued pacing back and forth, something troubling on her mind.
"It's the middle of the night," Spike pointed at the window, his eyes briefly marveling at the full moon in the night sky.
If he squinted his eyes, he could almost see the constellation where Jerome and the other Moon Creatures went.
But thoughts of his now-gone friends would have to wait, he had a dream to return to, and he couldn't sleep while Twilight kept clip-clopping her hooves on the floor "Why are you pacing like this?"
"Frankly," Twilight said in her normal volume, not noticing the headache it was causing the tired baby Dragon, "I don't know how you could sleep at a time like this,"
Spike rubbed at his ears before lifting the clock in his hands, showing the time to be "03:00 AM?" before he turned to go back to bed.
Twilight Teleported in front of Spike, stopping him, "It's awful, It's horrible, It's tragic!" She quickly shook her head in despair before she went back to pacing.
"I don't understand, what's wrong?" Spike asked, his eyes slightly widening as he quickly caught the calendar that Twilight threw to him, seeing that the day was now the fourth day of the month.
"There, Now you see what's wrong?" Twilight asked from the other side of the room, still pacing around.
Spike didn't see what was wrong, It was another normal day, so whatever could be wrong had to be a Twilight Sparkle special issue.
"She'll explain it if I act as if nothing's wrong," Spike thought to himself as he shrugged.
"We forgot to celebrate Arbor Day?" Spike asked, knowing Twilight would correct him swiftly.
Twilight stopped pacing in front of one of the many books she took notes in, her horn glowing a raspberry pink as she opened the book and quickly flipped through the pages.
"No, The problem is I just finished planning my schedule for the month, But I forgot to leave time to plan for next month," She said with worry in her voice, as if one of the most horrific events of her life was taking place.
Spike would have groaned if he didn't already expect the reason to be so stupid.
"Don't you see?" She lifted the schedule she created up to show Spike, "There's not enough time in my schedule to put together another schedule!"
Spike moved to sit on a nearby chair, already used to how these things go.
"I could move my meeting with the Ponyville Hay Board to the following Tuesday, But then I have to reschedule my lunch with Pinkie Pie, and you know what a nightmare she is with scheduling. This is an absolute disaster. My whole year could be thrown off!"
Spike shook his head at how his Sister was acting, took a quick look at the clock, and came to a conclusion on how to solve this problem.
"I'm going back to sleep, Don't forget to schedule to buy a rug for the floor," And with those parting words, Spike the Dragon walked back up the stairs and went to bed.
Leaving Twilight Sparkle to pace around as she tried to fix her schedule.
Cerberus dipped his middle head into a large lake, taking big gulps of the crystal-clear water.
He knows he's a magical creature, He does not require Food or Water to survive, but he still likes to eat.
"Tasty!" The left head exclaimed as he chewed a fish in his mouth, sticky saliva dripping down his maw, carrying with it the knife-like bones of the prey he caught.
"We don't have time! We must reach the Prince!" The right head chastised his fellow heads, earning him a spray of water from the mouth of the middle head and a laugh from the left.
"Hahahaha!" The left and middle heads barked with laughter, enjoying the look on the right head's face.
"Grrrh, How about this then!" The right head barked as Cerberus jumped into the water, clearing away the twigs and dust that caught on his fur after hours of running.
"Hahahaha!" The left head kept laughing as Cerberus swam across the lake, water dripping down his body, as the right head took the steering wheel, earning a yelp from the middle head.
"Hey! I'm the one who's supposed to do the moving!" Middle head barked with widened eyes, laughter no longer leaving his mouth.
"Then move!" Right head barked loudly, "Starswirl entrusted us to make sure that the Red One never escapes! We need to get the Prince to put him back in his cage! Before it's too late!"
"Fine! I'll move!" Middle Head barked loudly, a resolute glare crossing his face as Cerberus stepped out of the lake, flexing his large muscles as he prepared to go back to running.
PFFFT
Only for the Middle and Right heads to scrunch their faces as they turned to look at the Left head.
"I don't think I like fish anymore..." He whimpered in embarrassment, receiving a sigh from his two head brothers.
The morning sun rose over Ponyville, A rooster cried with wakefulness, and Twilight Sparkle just finished finding a way to make time in her schedule for the month in order to work on the schedule for next month.
And so with bags under her eyes, Twilight Sparkle, Pupil of Princess Celestia, Element of Magic, and resident Librarian, stood up.
"Oh, my gosh, I think I did it! If I can find a way to read "The Art of Invisibility Spells" and "Thornhoof's Brief History of Canterlot" at the same time, that could leave me a half-hour scheduling window!" Twilight spoke to herself excitedly, only to widen her eyes as the wind picked up behind her, the paper notes she took flying away as sparks of magic started popping into existence.
She turned around, her eyes widening in awe as the wind picked up and the spark shone brighter, soon needing Twilight to cover her eyes from the brightness of it all.
"What's going on?" She walked backward, making sure the magical phenomena remained in her sight as she kept a safe distance between her and whatever was going on.
Soon the light was too bright to bear, Twilight closed her eyes and tilted her head away, even her eyelids weren't enough to shield her from the brightness of the magic.
And when the light dimmed again, Twilight opened her eyes to see- Another Twilight?
For it could be nopony else, Those colors on her mane, the purple of her coat, the violet of her eyes.
Not even the black bodysuit, the frazzled mane, the bandaged forehead, the eyepatch covering her right eye, and the cut underneath her left eye, could disguise Twilight Sparkle from herself.
But how was that possible?
Twilight screamed in shock at the sight, The Twilight in the Bodysuit shook her head and turned to look at her, "Twilight, You've got to listen to me!" She said as she ran up and stood before Twilight.
"Who are you? I mean, you're me, but I'm me too, how can there be two me's?" Twilight Sparkle was ignoring the glare on the second Twilight as she spoke, "It's not scientifically possible," She said before she poked her leg forward, "You are not scientifically possible!"
The Second Twilight jumped back, her eyes widening in fear as she kept away from the hoof Twilight almost poked her with, as if touching that could spell the end of the universe itself.
"Don't touch me!" Second Twilight yelled at Regular Twilight before she took a deep breath to steady herself, "Sorry, But I have a very important message for you from the future!" Second Twilight, now identified as Future Twilight, told regular boring Present Twilight.
"Not to touch you? Wait, You're from the future?!" Present Twilight started pacing around Future Twilight, keeping a distance between the two of them.
"That's right, now listen-" Future Twilight was cut off as Present Twilight once again opened her mouth.
"What happened to you? the future must be awful," Twilight noted as she took another look at the frazzled and injured appearance of Future Twilight.
"Please, I don't have much time!" Future Twilight tried to get Twilight to listen, but in regular Twilight fashion, she was too busy thinking of the many implications of what having a future version of herself doing in her home could mean, that she wasn't listening to the reasoning Future Twilight had for coming back in the first place.
"Is there some sort of epic pony war in the distant future of something?" Twilight asked, taking a look at the bandages and bodysuit that covered Future Twilight.
If she wasn't already planning to dress up as Starswirl the Bearded for the fifteenth time in a row for this year's Nightmare Night, she might have just found a new costume.
"Actually, I'm from next Tuesday morning," Future Twilight stated with a no-nonsense attitude, Likely finally understanding how Spike always feels when he has something important to tell her.
"But that's not important right now-" And as Future Twilight was about to get back on track to explaining everything, she was once again cut off by Present Twilight.
"I can't believe Time Travel is really possible, how did you- I mean I- figure that out?" Twilight asked with a cheeky smile on her face, somehow not noticing the serious expression worn by her future self.
"The time spells are in the Canterlot Castle archives, But that's not import-"
"Really? Where? I've never seen them!" Twilight asked with giddy in her voice as she leaned closer to Future Twilight, already excited to learn new magics and spells.
Future Twilight took several steps away from Twilight, "They're in the Starswirl the bearded wing, Now you have to listen to me-" And once again she was cut off.
"Is time travel fun, or does it hurt, I have so many questions I-" Future Twilight seemed to have enough of being interrupted if the pillow being magically shoved over Twilight's mouth in order to shut her up was anything to go by.
"I have something extremely important to tell you about the future!" Future Twilight said, worry starting to creep into her voice as sparks of magic started to move across her bodysuit and mane.
"And I only have a few seconds, so you have to listen!" Her voice grew more harried as the sparks started growing brighter and louder, the volume of her words needing to rise in order to be heard over the sound of the magical sparks and bright light.
"Whatever you do, Don't-!" Future Twilight was cut off as the Sparks reached their full brightness, and in a flash of light, she was gone.
Disappearing in a shower of bright magical sparks, leaving behind where she stood nothing but a scorched wooden floor.
"Future Twilight?" Twilight looked around, "Oh no, What was she trying to warn me about?" She started to worry, "Her clothes, her mane, that scar... Oh, What a mess she is!" Twilight suddenly had a horrifying epiphany.
"What a mess I am... Or, I will be..."
She gasped in shock, "She must want me to prevent whatever horrible thing happens in the future!"
Twilight Sparkle will not be buying a new rug anytime soon.
The left head of Cerberus barked loudly as a faint but still recognizable scent entered his nose.
It wasn't of the Prince he was looking for, but it was similar.
The Scent of someone who was close to someone who already had their scent marked on the Prince!
"They'll be able to bring us to the Prince for sure!" The right head barked as the left head kept sniffing.
The Middle head barked in agreement, Cerberus already running towards the location of the scent.
With Senses like his, he could follow a scent from hundreds of Kilometers away, So he better start moving faster if he wished to reach whoever that Scent belonged to before it was too late.
The Red One was not allowed to escape! Even if Cerberus must run across the entire Continent, He will make sure to fulfill his goal!
"Prince Blueblood! We're Coming!" The Right Head howled loudly at the morning sun, scaring away a nearby flock of birds.
"Princess Luna! I want Ribs as a treat!" The Middle Head joined his brother in howling.
"I like Chicken!" The Left Head howled as well.
And soon Cerberus resumed his dash across the wilderness of Equestria.
Cerberus was a Good Boy.
Deep in the Magical Prison of Tartarus, a certain Centaur was tapping his fingers on his forearms, stretching his legs as he walked around the unguarded Prison.
He could easily escape, and by the time any pony noticed it would have already been too late, He would have been long gone.
But now wasn't the time for escape.
Fate had plans, and Destiny was coming closer.
Everyone had a part to play in the Grand Orchestra, Everything was predetermined before it even began.
It was Destiny.
It was Fate.
Tirek was a Cog in a machine called Fate, The engine that powered it as it lurched towards the end goal of Destiny.
He knew it all. There was little that could escape the mind of one who has accepted his place in the world.
"They will never understand," He whispered to himself as he shook his head again.
"Only I can."
It was his Destiny.
It was his Fate.
He knew how it began, and he knew how it would end.
There was little that could escape his mind.
"Oh Aspect of War, Do you not realize what you are?" He asked aloud, knowing full well that he was alone.
"It is your Destiny to struggle, to Overcome, and to Fight, That is your Fate, the entirety of your being coalesced into a single sentence,"
Was he talking to himself?
Was he talking to someone else?
Lord Tirek was alone, Deep underground, away from the other prisoners of Tartarus.
And perhaps nobody will ever know.
Because after all-
It was his Destiny.
It was his Fate. |
Trash of the Royal Castle | Chapter 95: It's About Time 2 | Cerberus was getting closer, he could smell it!
Only a few more hours, and he'll be able to warn the Prince.
"We're Coming Prince Blueblood!" The Right head barked over the winds that flew by his face, his legs flexing as Cerberus leaped into the air, jumping almost fifty meters ahead, all but flying over a creek in the woods.
Trees fell to the wayside as he bulldozed the path forward with his bulk, stones shattered beneath his paws, branches snapped and critters fled.
He was the greatest guard dog in the world.
And he will not fail at the one order his old master gave him over one thousand years ago.
"Starswirl! Look at me! I'm a good boy!" The Left head howled, his tongue lolling out of his mouth as he panted.
"Shut it! And Focus on locating the scent!" The Right head chastised the left head, who quickly returned to his job as the designated sniffer.
The Middle head simply focused on running, that was his job.
Follow the orders of his right brother, which were currently to follow the scent caught by his left brother, So that is simply what he shall do.
He doesn't need to think, the Right head does that for him. He doesn't need to focus his senses, the left head does that for him.
All he had to do was Run.
And so he Ran.
Twilight Sparkle took a deep breath as she looked at her checklist of things to fix in order to stop whatever Future Twilight's disaster was.
"Good Job girls," She smiled as she checked the box at the bottom of the list before turning to her friends, "We managed to Disaster proof everything around,"
"Woohoo! We did it!" Her Pink friend cheered in joy.
"So, whatever this Future you said isn't going to happen no more?" Applejack ignored Pinkie Pie as she walked up to Twilight.
"I'm not sure..." Twilight pondered for a moment, "We managed to disaster-proof everything around, but nothing that we would have stopped should have brought enough of a catastrophe that I of all ponies would travel back in time just to warn me about it..."
"And you said that Future You came from next Tuesday, that's only five days away, If anything is going to happen in that time..." Applejack bit her lip.
"Then we'll be ready to stop it!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she wrapped her legs around Applejack and Twilight's shoulders and pulled the two mares into a hug, her wings carrying her over the two ponies.
"But what if we don't? What if the Disaster comes Tomorrow? What if it comes Today?!" Twilight's mind started to race as it worked to figure out what the disaster could possibly be.
"But- What if the disaster comes ten seconds from now?" Fluttershy meekly asked as she joined the group.
"Puh-lease Fluttershy, Like that's gonna' happen," Rainbow Dash waved her concern off, only to freeze as a loud bark sounded from the other side of Ponyville.
ROWR-ROWF!
AWOOOOO!
WOOF WOOF!
"On second thought, Maybe it can come ten seconds from now!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed before flapping her wings and going into the sky, getting a bird's eye view of what was going on.
"Oh no! The Disaster is here! Everypony PANIC!!!" Pinkie Pie yelled before running away, a crowd of fleeing ponies galloping after her.
"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight looked to the sky and called for her friend, "Can you see whatever it is?!"
"Twilight! You might want to look behind you!" Rainbow yelled down from the sky, confusing the purple Unicorn.
"Huh?" Twilight turned to look at Applejack and Fluttershy, confusion on her face, "What is she talking about?"
"Erm, Twilight, You might want to look behind you," Applejack told her, Fluttershy meekly nodding along as she tried to hide behind the larger mare.
Twilight wanted to ask what they were talking about but froze as she felt her back start to heat up as if it was hit by a cloud of hot steam from a sauna.
She slowly turned around to look at what was behind her and found herself staring into three pairs of red eyes.
I smiled as I shook hooves with Chancellor Neighsay, A tired smile on the older Unicorn's face as a group of fillies laughed happily behind him.
"Once Again, Your Highness, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to entertain the girls," The Chancellor said as he wiped some sweat off his brow, his adopted daughter waving goodbye from behind his back, the pink frosting from the birthday cake still staining her mouth.
"It was no problem," I smiled at the politician, "I had some free time, and I would take any opportunity to make orphans smile,"
"Luckily, she's not an Orphan anymore," Neighsay weakly smiled as he turned to look at his daughter.
"Of course," I nodded to the Chancellor, "Have a good day," And I bid the Head of the Equestria Education Association farewell before heading into the carriage that was parked for me, letting the royal guards carry it away.
"So, Neighsay's Birthday surprise is done. Starlight, what's next on my schedule?" I turn to the only other pony inside the carriage, Starlight Glimmer taking a moment to look up from the book she was reading to notice I even returned.
"Oh, Next up is-" She picked up the schedule and read it, "A Spa visit with Princess Luna," She looked away from the paper and raised an eyebrow at me, "A spa visit? Really?"
"What can I say?" I shrugged at my bodyguard, "After Luna turned me intangible for a day, I discovered my love for medicinal hot tubs," I smiled at the memory of floating in the pool after cleansing myself from the Poison Joke.
My smile faltered, face flushed in embarrassment for a moment when I remembered what else happened that day.
"..." Starlight raised a brow at me before sighing in exhaustion, "Lucky bastard,"
I barked out a laugh, not expecting Starlight's reaction to my words.
"Yeah, Yeah, Laugh all you like, you at least have time to go to a spa, I'm gonna' be forced to stand outside like some dumb guardsmare the whole time!" Starlight tossed me my bag before crossing her front legs and letting out a huff.
"You know," I started saying, "You can always go to the Spa whenever you have free time," I told her, "Take Raven with you as well, We both know she could use it,"
"...Fine," Starlight levitated the Sunglasses of her uniform onto her face as the Carriage stopped, the doors opening up to let the VIP in.
"Friend Blueblood!" Luna called with a smile as she climbed into the carriage, taking a seat on the bench beside me.
I wanted to smile as well, but when my eyes locked onto the pest on her back, I knew I was likely to have a bad time.
"Squeak Squeak," The Opossum giggled from on top of Luna's back, a glint of mischief in his black orbs as he locked eyes with me.
"Tiberius..." I growled, glaring at the offending disease carrier.
"Oh, We thought it would be nice for the spa visit if we could bring our pets along," Luna, not noticing the dislike I had for the Opossum, smiled as she tossed a golden plant spider at me.
The gold Plunderseed skittered around for a moment before coming to rest on my legs, my body already moving to pet Comet.
"Driver, To the spa!" Luna banged a hoof on the carriage wall, the Diver nodding as the royal guards started moving once again.
The Left head of Cerberus sniffed the purple unicorn in front of him before barking a confirmation to his brothers.
"So this is the source of the scent," The Right head growled, "If we concentrate, we should be able to find the Prince from here," He turned to look at his left-most brother, "Can you smell him?"
"Oh Yeah! The Prince should be..." The Left head closed his eyes and sniffed the air, his two brothers closing their eyes so he could concentrate better.
Cerberus turned his left head every which way, sniffing the air and the ground, the Unicorn and the Pegasus.
"Hey Twilight, What do we do?" The Orange Mare whispered loudly to the Unicorn, their voices easily caught by the magically enhanced senses of the guard dog.
"Cerberus is a strong creature, If he starts rampaging around Ponyville, it wouldn't surprise me if he was the disaster Future Me was warning us about..." She whispered back, her mind racing with plans and ideas for how she could solve the issue in front of her without causing an unmitigated disaster.
"I got it!" The left head suddenly opened his eyes and barked happily, his brothers following his example and turning to look where he was looking.
At a City on top of a cliff in the distance.
"So that's where we're going!" The Right head turned and barked at his middle-brother, the Central Head merely lolling his tongue out in excitement as he resumed his run.
"Starswirl we're coming!" The Left head cheered as his cheeks flapped backward in the wind.
"It's not Starswirl! It's Blueblood and Luna!" The Right head corrected his brother with a bark.
"Hahaha! I forgot!" The Left head laughed as Cerberus ran towards the cliff face of the mountain, leaping onto the sheer stone wall of the cliff, and dragging his claws into the stone.
It was time for Cerberus to climb.
Twilight stared in horror at the sight before her. Cerberus was climbing up the cliff of Canterlot.
"Girls! We need to head to Canterlot and stop Cerberus from destroying it!" She yelled for her friends. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie hurried to join back up with the three mares that stood before Cerberus just moments prior.
"So are we done panicking? Because I can continue to scream if we need to, check this out- AAAAAAAAAAH-oomph," Pinkie Pie stopped screaming when Rarity joined the group and threw a hat over her mouth.
"Darling, that's a wonderful Idea and all, but how are we going to get to Canterlot before that thing does?" Rarity asked once she made sure Pinkie Pie would stop screaming.
"Ooh Ooh, I know! The train is pretty fast, why don't we just take that?" Pinkie Pie raised an idea after spitting out the hat Rarity covered her mouth with.
"Pinkie Pie, The Train to Canterlot loops by us only once an hour, and it's a twenty-minute ride, by the time it comes to pick us up, Cerberus would already be most of the way up that cliff," Twilight pointed out the issue with that problem, and issue that would have been taken into account if not because.
"But it's National Posy Day, The train schedules are different on Flower related days," Pinkie Pie pointed out, "And also on Exotic Fruit-related days, but the timing on the train on those days won't help us, National Durian Day isn't for another two weeks,"
"Wait... Pinkie Pie," Twilight turned to the party pony.
"Yes?" Pinkie tilted her head to the side.
"When is the train coming?" Twilight asked.
"Oh, The train should be arriving in two minutes, we'll need to run if we want to buy tickets-" Pinkie Pie was cut off.
"You heard her Girls, Let's go buy our train tickets!" Rainbow Dash yelled, urging her friends to start running to the train station.
The Elements of Harmony had to stop a Disaster.
The sound of slow and steady hoof steps echoed in the quiet halls of the magical prison.
The inmates kept quiet to themselves in their cells, the usual loud and boisterous monsters, angrily slamming against the bars and clawing at their guard, now stood silent, scared.
"Monsters and Creatures and Devils of all shapes," The Red Centaur spoke as his frail body moved by the cells of the monsters, his mere presence amongst them enough to turn the most rabid of beasts into the most timid of critters.
"All held in the bowels of Tartarus, The archaic visage of the Grand Conquest," He passed by monsters of all shapes and sizes, from giant Snow-beasts to Feral Bugbears, Tartarus held monstrosities of all kinds.
"And yet, For over ten centuries, this Prison held only one sound mind, only one of the sentience to understand the morality of their actions," The Centaur left the cages of the monsters and walked up to a solitary glass box, away from the rabble of the prison.
And as he stared into the Glass Box, his eyes met the singular blue eye that sat inside the blob of shadows.
"And yet here you are, Corruption born of Envy, unfit to even exist in the natural order of things, and yet you still persist," Lord Tirek lowered his body as he sat on the other side of the glass box that housed Nightmare Moon.
"Why is that? Why do you struggle, Envious one? For what purpose does it serve?" Lord Tirek clasped his palms under his chin as he rested his head, His malnourished skin stretching across his weakened body, making him resemble a frail old man.
"You already concluded your Destiny, You returned from the Moon to bring your era of Endless Night, And your Fate has been sealed with your defeat by the Elements of Harmony, Not once but twice. And yet, Envious Corruption, you still cling on to this form you are trapped in, this cage of Shadow and Nightmare, Why?"
Moony stared with a half-lidded gaze at the Centaur, Her singular blue eye staring into his yellow dots before her voice sounded out.
"You smell horrible, when was the last time you showered? You filthy idiot, you should be lucky I do not have a stomach, your mere presence is making me wish to throw up," She made a retching sound as her body shuddered, "Disgusting,"
"....." Lord Tirek stared at the small Nightmare in the glass cage, at all that remained of the evil doubts that once plagued Princess Luna's mind.
And he smiled.
"I will enjoy spreading your crumbling form over the dust and ash of everything you ever wanted," He spoke proudly, as if it wasn't a threat but a fact.
"Because you are not Fated for greatness, you are destined to be a simple note in a history book, barely more than a chapter," His smile spread across his face, a sick and twisted thing, as if he was laughing at a joke that only he knew about.
"...You're Disgusting," Was all Nightmare Moon could reply as she merely turned away from the Red Centaur, not deigning to give him even a fraction of her time.
But Lord Tirek didn't mind, he knew what was to come, He would leave Tartarus.
After all, It was his Destiny.
It was his Fate.
But that time will not be now, The pieces aren't yet in place.
And when they were, Tirek would be ready.
It was his Destiny.
It was his Fate.
"Hurry Along, Guard Dog of this horrid place, Your Prisoner is waiting to speak with a Warden," He said out loud as he once passed by the cages of monster and beast, walking up to his own secluded cage at the edge of the Prison.
And sat down, Waiting for his Warden to arrive.
He already waited a thousand years, what was a few days more?
Don't let anybody say that Lord Tirek wasn't patient.
"Hurry along, Warden, Conquest cannot wait forever"
> Chapter 96: It's About Time 3
"I got eyes on the Big Dog!" Applejack Yelled as she held her hat tightly onto her head, poking her head out of the window of the train as she kept her eyes trained on the Large, Three-Headed Dog, climbing up the cliffs underneath Canterlot.
"Can this train go any faster?!" Rainbow Dash complained as she flew circles around their cabin, unable to sit still as the train made its way towards Canterlot at its usual pace.
"Not without breaking down the engine or falling off the tracks," Twilight Sparkle told her friends as she tried to calculate a plan to reach Canterlot before Cerberus could wreck Havoc.
Whatever was going to happen soon, will be disastrous enough to force Twilight to go back in time just to warn herself of whatever was going to happen! Cerberus must be stopped!
"Once we're past the upcoming tunnel, we should be close enough to Canterlot for me to Teleport half of us to the City without suffering from Magic Exhaustion, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Do you two think you can help me stall Cerberus once we reach Canterlot long enough for the train to reach the city?" Twilight turned to ask the two most fit Pony's of her group.
"I don't know Twilight," Applejack brought her head back into the cabin, her spot by the window being replaced by Pinkie Pie, "That Cerberus fella' looks mighty big, This isn't some foe we can just use the Elements of Harmony and blast away, is it?"
"I don't think so, The Elements of Harmony fix Disharmony and Chaos, That's how we turned Discord back into Stone, and Separated Nightmare Moon from Princess Luna, And even when Nightmare Moon returned with Rarity under her control, the Elements shut off all those orbs that shot at us because they were creating chaos. I don't think the Elements will be any use on something like Cerberus," Twilight told the girls what she already knew about the Elements.
"But wouldn't Cerberus also be counted as somebody making Chaos if he starts destroying Canterlot?" Rarity asked Twilight.
"I'm not sure, But even then, The Elements are with Princess Celestia in Canterlot Castle, we'll still need to reach the city first, and we can't do that before Cerberus," Twilight shook her head and brought their conversation back to its original track.
If Spike was there, he would have told her she should try not to let her thoughts wander off during such important situations, but the baby Dragon was instead catching up on some well-earned sleep back in the library.
"Then let's get ready!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, doing one final circle above the train cabin before landing on the floor beside her friends, "Twilight will teleport with Me and Applejack to Canterlot, where we'll hold that big dog off from ruining those Rich-Pony buildings until Fluttershy arrives to talk him down!"
"Oh...." Fluttershy started to shake at the thought of being in front of such a big and scary Creature, "I'll try my best,"
"That's all we need Fluttershy," Twilight smiled at the yellow Pegasus, "So get ready you two," She turned to nod at Applejack and Rainbow Dash, "We're teleporting out of here once the train passes the tunnel, We have five minutes,"
I closed my eyes as I let my muscles relax, feeling the smooth oil spread on my back and legs as I lay on the massage table at one of Canterlot's Spas.
"This is nice," I heard Luna say beside me, lying on her own table as a pair of masseuses worked on her wings. I ignored the squeak coming from her Opossum as I hummed an agreement with her, hearing Comet's clicking sound as he floated in a large bowl of herbal water, rose petals floating around the Plunderseed Spider.
"Mi Amore Cadenza is getting married by the end of next month," Luna said, trying to start some sort of small talk that I ignored as I let my massage continue.
"Never mind, that is the spot," Luna seemed to follow my lead and stop talking, letting our spa treatment continue in comfortable silence.
Cerberus growled to himself, His mighty claws once again piercing the stone face of the cliff, digging into the mountain before propelling himself upwards with another mighty leap.
He could already see the top, he didn't even require his enhanced senses in order to hear the Ponies in the city above.
And with one final leap up the cliff, Cerberus landed in Canterlot.
Starlight Glimmer was bored, Standing outside a Massage Parlor, a trio of Bat-winged ponies, Luna's Guards, keeping watch beside her.
Usually, whenever she found herself doing her job of being the guard of Prince Blueblood, she spent most of that time just hanging around, the Prince not needing any real protection.
He could also easily take care of himself.
However, with Princess Luna around him, Starlight Glimmer had no choice but to actually take her job seriously, or else she risked earning Princess Celestia's Ire.
At least, More than she already has.
ROWR-ROWF!
Starlight quickly perked up at the loud sound, All sense of boredom gone from her mind as her head turned to where the barking was coming from.
Widening her eyes as she spotted a trio of Ponies appear in the middle of the air and fall onto the street.
Starlight turned back to the Massage parlor where she saw the trio of Bat-Ponies fly towards the source of the sound, leaving her behind as the only one to guard the Massage Parlor.
The very unguarded Massage Parlor that is currently hosting two of the most important individuals in all of Equestria.
Starlight took a deep breath and shook her head, "Welp, Looks like I have a job to do,"
And with that, Starlight Glimmer entered the Building, intent on notifying the royals about what was going on outside.
"Okay Girls, Remember, We need to hold Cerberus back from rampaging through the town until the rest of the girls get here," Twilight Sparkle told her two friends as soon as they appeared in the streets of Canterlot, "With the speed the train was moving, that means we have to hold him down for fifteen minutes, did you get that?"
Rainbow Dash nodded woozily as her legs wobbled like jelly for a moment, Applejack giving a groan that approximately sounded like an understanding from her spot lying on the ground.
Teleporting for the first time will do that to you.
"Applejack, do you have your Lasso?" Twilight helped her friend up, Rainbow Dash holding onto her as her legs straightened out.
"Of course I do, I never leave without it," Applejack said as she pulled a Lasso from underneath her hat, grabbing it in her mouth as she started to spin it above her head.
"Rainbow Dash, We need Cerberus to focus on us so he won't harm any other ponies. Think you can bring him to us?" Twilight then turned to Rainbow Dash, The blue-furred Pegasus nodded excitedly as a smirk spread on her face.
"Of course I can, That dog won't be able to look away!" The Pegasus said with Cheer before flying into the air, doing three loops in the air before shooting off with a rainbow-looking trail, disappearing over the roofs of Downtown Canterlot.
"Get ready to Lasso his middle head once he gets close, Applejack," Twilight nodded to her friend as the two of them stood at the ready in the middle of the now empty street, hearing the sounds of wood breaking and stone smashing as Cerberus made his way closer.
"Aaaaahg!" An armored Pony with bat wings yelled as his body was thrown over the rooftops ahead of them, crashing down in a nearby alley.
Twilight gulped, her horn glowing with magic as she readied a spell to join Applejack in tying down Cerberus.
"He's too powerful!" A second royal guard yelled as he was also thrown high into the air, landing back in the streets with a loud crashing sound as his body fell into an open dumpster which quickly closed shut, trapping him inside with the trash.
Applejack weakly kicked the ground with her front legs, the Lasso still spinning over her head.
"He's Coming!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she popped over the roofs, flying back toward the girls as the sound of a large canine came closer and closer.
Landing with a slide on her hooves, Rainbow Dash turned to stand beside her two friends as they readied the inevitable fight against the Guardian of Tartarus.
And as they watched the shadow of the three-headed dog leap over the buildings, They prepared to engage, only to balk as the Dog jumped over them, landing directly behind the group and ignoring them completely.
"He's trying to reach the castle!" Twilight quickly reached a conclusion for why Cerberus ignored them, turning quickly to follow the dog, only to once again pause they she watched a trio of Ponies exit the nearby Massage Parlor.
BARK BARK!
Cerberus barked before sitting down, blocking the three ponies from view on the other side of his large body, Twilight being the only one to briefly catch a glimpse of the trio.
I smiled easily as I felt my neck pop, months of stress washing away from my body as Luna and I walked out of our Spa visit, our pets hanging onto Starlight as if she were a coat rack.
"So," I started as I looked at the familiar dog in front of me, "Pooch, Are you here to tell us that something is trying to escape Tartarus or are you just here to play?" I said as I walked up to the large Dog, "Bark once for the first answer, Twice for the second answer,"
"Bark!" Cerberus's right head barked once, nodding as it stared down at me, The left head was busy licking Luna, covering the freshly massaged Princess of the Night with saliva and drool, and the middle head was breathing heavily, likely tired from how far he ran.
"Did you get that Starlight?" I turned to smile at my friend, watching the Unicorn stare blankly at me as Comet wrapped her tail around her midsection while Luna's disgusting Opossum sat on her head and played with her mane.
"I'll take that as a yes, I need you to go to the castle and tell Celestia to bring a bunch of guards with her, Luna and I are having a quick trip back to Tartarus," I watched as Starlight groaned tiredly as her response.
"What an exciting turn of events we have found today, Friend Blueblood," Luna said as she turned to look at me, seemingly ignoring the giant dog head that was slobbering on her as she smiled at me, "We shall take us to Tartarus, and return Cerberus to his rightful place as guard of the Prison," Luna turned to Starlight, "You, Starlight Glimmer, take Tiberius back to the castle, Prince Blueblood and We will go to Tartarus and Await Celestia,"
I cringed slightly as I felt Luna place a saliva-covered leg on my shoulder, grabbing onto Cerberus with her other leg, before the three of us teleported away in a burst of magic.
"..." Starlight blinked at where her Boss stood moments prior, before turning to look at the trio of wide-eyed ponies who stared at her from behind where Cerberus once sat.
Feeling the Opossum on her head play with her mane as the Golden Plant-Spider wrapped its vine-like tail around her torso, Starlight Glimmer sighed tiredly.
If she hadn't grown as a person in the last couple of months, Starlight believed she would once again be regretting her past actions.
"...What just happened?" The Rainbow-maned Pegasus voiced up as she asked what everybody in the vicinity was thinking.
"I'm not sure, but we need to get to Princess Celestia to tell her what happened, Quickly!" Starlight watched Twilight Sparkle say before she and her two friends ran away.
"...Why does this always have to happen when we leave the castle?" Starlight asked out loud, even though Blueblood wasn't there to answer her.
"Welp... Still beats spending thirty years in prison," And with a shrug of her shoulders, Starlight Glimmer started to jog back to Canterlot Castle, a pair of pets on her back.
> Chapter 97: It's About Time 4
Princess Celestia was sitting in her throne, reading one of Raven's reports, when the doors to the throne room burst open, revealing a gaggle of six colorful ponies.
"Princess Celestia!" The purple pony called out to her, only to trip onto her face as a pink pony pushed her way forward.
"Hello Princess Celestia!" The pink pony waved, only to trip over the purple pony beneath her, throwing her onto the floor as well.
"Woah, Hey there! Stop pushing!" An orange pony yelled before a blue pony crashed into her back, throwing both of them onto the floor also.
"Ah! Don't ruin my mane!" A white pony exclaimed as a cloud of dust, caused by the four other ponies tumbling onto the floor, floated into the air and threatened her hair, her legs swiped at the dust cloud, only to trip over her other friends on the ground as she too joined the pile of colorful bodies.
"Umm, Should I join you on the floor?" Asked a yellow pony, her eyes looking at the five friends she came with, now all lying on the floor and groaning to themselves, "There's a lot of dust for some reason, I don't think it's healthy," She said, taking a moment to think over her course of action, before she blushed bright red and slowly lowered herself down onto the floor, embarrassingly lying next to her friends.
Princess Celestia smiled at the colorful distraction that appeared before her, ignoring the tired look from her secretary and aide.
"Princess Celestia!" Celestia's smile cracked as a new pony entered the doors, an opossum on her head, and a golden plunderseed spider on her back, "Princess Luna and Prince Blueblood are requesting that you bring guards to Tartarus," the opossum on the mare's head started pulling her mane, "And that you yourself go there," a few more pulls of hair, "What? No, I'm not asking for another massage on your behalf, ask Luna when she returns," She whispered to the opossum, Celestia's smile turning into a tired look of neutral indifference.
"Can you not leave the castle without getting into trouble, just once?" She mentally shouted at her son, slowly getting tired of how many times he found himself in these situations following what should have been a totally normal outing.
"Shall I organize a squad of guards, your Majesty?" Raven Inkwell asked Princess Celestia, lifting her glasses as she got ready to professionally do her job.
"Please do so," Celestia nodded to her secretary, who bowed in return before leaving to organize the royal guards that will go with the Princess to Tartarus.
"Miss Glimmer, Shall I take the pets off of you?" Asked a beige-furred Unicorn, wearing a red coat and grey cravat, a pair of small glasses sat on his nose, a carefully groomed mustache over his upper lip, and the Cutie Mark of a Stopwatch on his flank.
"Hmm?" Starlight turned to look at the old Unicorn, "Oh, yes, of course," She quickly nodded her head, using her magic to lift the two animals off of her, and into the waiting hooves of the Unicorn.
"I'll come with!"
Princess Celestia, Starlight Glimmer, and the old Butler, all turned to look at the pony who shouted those words.
"You want to take care of the Princess's pets?" Pinkie Pie asked as she also turned to look at the one you yelled.
Tiberius let out a squeak of surprise.
Twilight Sparkle ignored her friend's words and elaborated on what she meant.
"I want to go to Tartarus with you, Princess Celestia," Twilight told the room, staring into the eyes of the Princess of the day.
Princess Celestia took a deep breath, her eyes roaming over the many ponies in the throne room before she looked back at Twilight Sparkle, and responded.
"We're going to need a faster way for Cerberus to notify us in case anything happens," Princess Luna listened to her friend as he ranted about all the different things that could have gone wrong in the time it took Cerberus to reach Canterlot from Tartarus, "Maybe have a magical bell he can ring that immediately notifies some guards, or better yet, station actual guards here. For what is supposed to be the most secure prison in Equestria, there's very little actual security involved."
Luna nodded at what the prince was saying, the words entering through one ear and going out the other.
"Okay now, Pooch, what happened? Did a Bugbear bend its cage?" Prince Blueblood looked up to the three headed dog.
But before Cerberus could point to the reason he ran to get them, a new voice spoke up.
"I was hoping you'd arrive, Good,"
Prince Blueblood didn't even need to look at the source of the sound to recognize it, even after only talking to the person one time, the impact it left on him was unforgettable.
Prince Blueblood felt his stomach roiling, a sickly feeling washing over him, as if the source of the voice was something that should not be.
That cannot be.
He recognized it, But he felt sick to his stomach just picturing the monster it came from.
To Princess Luna, however, the effect differed. She never met the voice in her life. She heard of him, She knew of him, But she never needed to visit him in Tartarus before her banishment, and even when she returned, she never visited him. Only ever bothering to taunt her Nightmares made manifest when she came to the prison.
Prince Blueblood's eyes widened as he watched Princess Luna collapse onto the floor, her legs giving out beneath her.
"Luna!" He yelled, quickly grabbing her and looking at her face. Seeing the vacant stare in her eyes, he feared the worst. But when he placed his hoof under her nose, he felt his body relax. She was simply unconscious.
"WOOF!"
"Pooch! Watch over Luna!" Blueblood yelled, the three-headed guard dog standing protectively over the Princess of Dreams.
"Oh? Do not be worried, Prince of Stars, I merely wish to see how far you've come,"
Blueblood's eyes darted around the underground prison, searching for the decrepit old monster whose voice he was hearing.
"With all the changes you've made, I need to reorganize my plans, The timeline of events has changed drastically, and with it the outcomes of future choices,"
"Show yourself!" Blueblood yelled, his horn glowing, ready to blast a beam of magic at the Prisoner, "Tirek!"
"Very well," Blueblood froze as he felt a hand rest on his fur, four fingers gripping his shoulder as the voice sounded from right behind him, "Let us have a talk,"
"Oh, Aspect of War, Child of Gold, Prince of Stars.
Let us discuss what needs not be spoken of,
In the hushed whispers hidden behind the smirks of Snakes and Fools."
Omake: A Statue fit for a Prince.
Prince Rutherford, Ruler of Yakyakistan, the Strongest Yak in the world, and an avid drinker, chewed a spicy leaf between his teeth as he stared at the statue before him.
On a stone pedestal, Stood a stone Yak, A decorated Stone helmet rested on his Stone head,
Rutherford looked around the statue, at the progress on what was being constructed, and shook his head at the sight.
"This no good, Statue must represent cooperation between Pony and Yak! Make another!" He stomped his legs, cracking the stone floor beneath him, before headbutting the statue.
Crumbling it to the ground.
"This is Train Station! First in all of Yak history! Very good sign of friendship this is! I see no friend on Statue!" Prince Rutherford yelled, "Make another! Have pony on it!"
Prince Rutherford chewed a honeycomb between his teeth, staring at the new Statue placed in the center of the plaza outside the first Yakyakistani Train Station.
"Is this joke?" Rutherford looked away from the stone structure and at the Yak who sculpted the artwork. "I said statue need Pony, not that statue need ONLY PONY!" He yelled at the sculptor.
"This statue has no Yak! How simple do I need to speak here?! Statue represents Friendship! Cooperation between Yak AND Pony, Not one or other!" With a stomp of his legs, and a yell of "Yak Smash!" Prince Rutherford broke the statue in front of him and told the sculptor to make a new one.
"This statue WONDERFUL!!!" Prince Rutherford exclaimed loudly, a joyous smile on his face as he stared at the new statue sitting in the middle of the almost completed "Friendship Plaza"
On top of the stone pedestal, stood both a Yak and an Alicorn, Smiling widely, one leg over the shoulder of the other, as they laughed at an unheard joke. A Friendship between both Pony and Yak.
"With this Friendship Plaza is complete! All we need is Train Station to bring Trains, and then we celebrate!" Prince Rutherford cheered, joyful at the new symbol of cooperation in his land.
"With how quick Pony construction work is, the Train should be ready in month's time! How exciting!" Prince Rutherford turned to one of his aids, "Tarvik! Bring best Drinks from all around Yakyakistan over to fort! When Friend Blueblood come back to open new train station-"
"WE SHALL DRINK LIKE NEVER BEFORE! HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!"
> Chapter 98: It's About Time 5
I didn't have time to turn around, to catch a look at the bastard, as I felt his fingers tighten their hold on my shoulder.
And the world around me shattered like a pane of glass as if everything in my vicinity was a two-dimensional painting, the shards spiraling into a deep emptiness beyond the broken pane.
I saw Cerberus get cut in half, no reaction coming from the large dog as his form melded into the background, ripped apart as if a knife was taken to a canvas, cutting the painting yet still keeping whole.
I wanted to throw up.
I saw Luna's body split into thousands of shards, crystalline sparks falling into the depth beyond the pane, her body as still as a statue, like a painting.
Since when did I start to give these artistic explanations? There's no way Uncle is rubbing off on me!
After a second that seemed to drag on for hours, I blacked out.
A sharp gasp left my throat as my eyes opened, my lungs emptying of air as I coughed loudly and heavily, I felt like I was drowning.
"Finally awake, Are you? Good, Depending on how this talk goes, You'll forget ever coming here, so there is no need for you to worry about any unwanted traumas," I heard Tirek's voice as I looked around where I was, and even with hurting eyes and sore lungs, I knew this place was not normal.
I was standing on a circular rock, perfectly flat on the top, with a radius of two meters, giving me plenty of room to stand, but still small enough to feel claustrophobic.
The rock jutted out of a perfectly flat plane of water, the horizon all around me in every way I looked stretched on and on, as if the entire world around me sunk into the ocean, and the rippling waves of the sea decided they no longer needed to exist.
A Perfectly flat circle above a perfectly flat ocean.
"Where's Luna?" I tried to push myself up from the stone circle, my limbs unnaturally tired and sluggish. Every little movement sends painful spikes through my body.
My breath caught in my throat as I looked at the arm I used to push myself up.
Five pale white fingers.
"You're asking of the Princess of dreams first and foremost? I expected you to ask something along of your whereabouts, or the happenings currently," I tried to turn to look at where Tirek's voice was coming from, My human body barely responding to my commands of it.
I crashed back down to the stone, more breath heavily leaving my lungs, as if I just run an entire marathon in the short few seconds It took me to attempt to stand up.
"Here's a better question then-" I breathed heavily, my body aching as I lay on my back and stared at the sky, seeing the lack of Sun in the sky yet still basking in the light around me,"-Fuck You,"
A sharp pain made itself known in my stomach, causing me to cough hoarsely once again.
"Very Funny, Your Highness, But I suggest you treat this moment with the seriousness and severity it has earned," Tirek's voice seemed to come from right behind me, something which should have been impossible seeing the size of the stone circle, and that I was laying on my back.
"You are speaking to a King, after all,"
I wanted to clap back, yell some witty retort, and watch his reaction, But my mouth wouldn't move. It's as if Tirek told me to shut up and I now have no choice but to listen.
"Good, Let me start off by saying that it is wonderful to finally get this chance to speak," I heard footsteps walking up to where I was lying, something which again makes no sense seeing my current location.
"Last time we met, we got off on the wrong foot," I tried to turn my head to look at its direction, But everything felt heavy as if my bones were made of tungsten, too dense to move.
"..." I opened my mouth just a smidge, my mind blank for a brief second as white flashed behind my irises.
"Please do not try and use the little levity I am gifting you in a vain attempt to ridicule the situation, As you surely would have had I not stopped it," I turned my eyes to look at the source of the sound, Seeing the bastard that brought me here in the first place.
Wearing a white toga, skin red like raw meat, and a pair of horns bursting from the side of his head.
His lower body, which should have been that of a large Horse, was now a pair of human legs, the same red color as his skin.
His face was sunken and wrinkly, that of an aging old man, far behind his prime, yet still holding a few tricks up his sleeve.
It was similar to how Cosmos looked when I made her a human body when we dreamt, a mixture of her Animalistic form and a Human, but with how Tirek looked usually?
The man that stood before me appeared like the Devil himself, with the red skin and bull horns and everything.
"Enjoying this form? I believe speaking to you like this would have been more comfortable than a Centaur speaking to a Unicorn," Tirek said, the smirk on his face telling me what he thought of this appearance.
"..." I wanted to curse him, to tell him to let me go, to check up on Luna, to do anything!
But my body again did not respond, still laying on my back, spread eagle, on a circular stone platform under the heat of an invisible sun.
It was like I was a steak and this platform was a grill.
"Please stop thinking of food, I am trying to organize my words into a manner that a simpleton like you would understand," Tirek waved his hand in front of his face, the sky behind him changing to the movements of his hand as if he was a maestro and the world was his band. A sheet of clouds giving us some shade from the sun.
"..."
"You wish for me to get to the point? Very well, You'll forget this anyway," Tirek pointed at the ground with his hand, slowly lifted a finger, and then curled it into his palm.
A throne, Bronze in color with a Red Velvet cushion appeared beside him, The devil-looking man took his seat.
"From the moment I opened my eyes as a newborn Centaur, I could read," Tirek leaned his elbow on the armrest of his bronze throne, his cheek resting on his fist, "And I hated it,"
"By reading Destiny, I knew my place in the world, By reading Fate, I knew what my end would be, Everything there is to know was mine to read, From how our world was created, to the many different ways in which it could end, and I hated it, from the absolute deepest depths of my soul I hated it," Tirek said, his voice calm and soft, like a grandfather telling a story to his grandchildren, or at least something along those lines, I never had a grandfather so I wouldn't really know.
"Do you know how torturous it is, Knowing that no matter what you do, you will always end up in the situation you read about? Not even attempting to change the written script could save me, I still ended up as the first Prisoner of Tartarus, my Brother still betrayed me, and my fate is still the same.
Let me ask you, BLUEBLOOD, or do you prefer Blueblood now? If you knew how you would die, would you try and change it? Please, answer me honestly, I do not have time for all your childish antics,"
My body lurched forward as if resuscitated by invisible defibrillators, I felt my chest heave as I breathed in after releasing air I did not know I held.
"If I knew how I would die, would I change it?" I repeated the question, rubbing my neck with my right hand as I felt some semblance of control over my body.
"Well, That depends, Do I die of old age, or do I die young? Do I die happy or do I die broken? Do I die from an illness, or do I die from an injury? Do I die doing what I love, or do I die bitter and lonely? It really depends."
"Such a human answer," Tirek shook his head, "It depends, What a joke," Tirek closed his eyes as he leaned back in his Throne, probably thinking about what to do next.
I didn't wait, Balling my hands into fists, and with my body back under my control, I threw a punch at Tirek's face.
Only for my fist to pass through his head, through the throne he stood on, and then through the circular stone platform on the ground as I fell through a solid object like some sort of Poltergeist, reminding me of when Luna used the Poison Joke on me not too long ago.
"By your color, I would have guessed you to be Conquest, But your personality thus far has painted nothing but War," Tirek's voice echoed around me as I fell through solid matter.
"That is fine, It merely means that I am Conquest instead of War, Fate has not changed and Destiny remains the same, Famine and Death have not changed, and so my plan shall continue,"
"I apologize, Prince Blueblood Platinum, But your answer did not suffice for my curiosity, so let me give you a crumb, that you will yet forget once you awake from this little dream,"
"A Villain is fated to lose, the same way a Hero is fated to Win, I am a Villain, but you are not a Hero, My fate has been written in the words of Destiny since the moment I was born, but you, in the grand scheme of the story, are barely more than a footnote, a figure whose life is so innocuous you would have made no changes to fate should you have remained Prince Blueblood Platinum.
So cheer, Oh soul who changed the fate of the Platinum Heir, Oh Cheer, False Prince masquerading as the simple son, For your very existence can change Fate!"
"The question is, Would it be for better?
Or worse?"
"Just know this, Prince Platinum, should you stand in my way when the promised moment arrives,
I will make sure that you live long enough to watch me kill every single person you ever interacted with,
I will end this horrid existence that is my life, and I will not let anybody opposing me stand,
Pray, Blueblood Platinum, that when I reach the final hour, I shall be merciful enough to give you a quick end,
Pray, Snake of Lapis and Gold, Pray,"
"Get on the ground!" When I opened my eyes, a pair of white fur pillows wrapped around my torso, as I stood watching Tirek get tackled to the ground by a pair of large Earth Ponies.
"Are you fine? Did he hurt you? Don't worry sweetie, everything is going to be okay, I'll make sure he never hurts you again," I heard Celestia say as the pillows that wrapped around me squeezed tighter, telling me that they were not, in fact pillows.
I blinked my eyes, trying to remember what happened since Tirek put his hand on my shoulder.
"What just happened?" I could only whisper, confusion on my face as I tried to remember a moment that likely never occurred.
And as I watched Tirek get dragged into a new cage, much more reinforced than his old one, I kept repeating that question to myself.
"What just happened?"
> Chapter 99: It's About Time 6
Twilight Sparkle could only stare blankly at the scene in front of her, her mind going through hundreds of different possibilities as to what might come next, what the disaster her future self spoke about could be!?
Cerberus wasn't tearing through the streets of Canterlot, He was licking a very angry-looking Prince Blueblood, who was busy walking around and shouting orders at the guards.
The monster that seemed to have escaped from his cage wasn't the disaster either, seeing as he was thrown back into a much thicker cell, the magical metal bars replaced with heavy plates that seemed to isolate the creature from the outside world even more than simply being in Tartarus.
Twilight was getting shivers just thinking of that creature, when she first laid eyes on it, watching its horns glow in a malevolent red light as its hand rested on Prince Blueblood's shoulder, the Unicorn's eyes wide open yet unblinking, staring into the ceiling as if in a trance, Princess Luna knocked out on the ground beside them, Cerberus growling at it yet refusing to step closer lest he put Luna in danger.
For something that looked so old and fragile, just being reminded of its appearance made Twilight's fur stand on end.
"I want security tripled- no, Quadrupled! I want actual fucking guards down here! We can't have Pooch run all the way to Canterlot whenever something happens, We need a quicker response! Don't try and stop this Celestia, I am not relenting on this decision!" Twilight watched Blueblood yell loudly, his authoritative voice betraying his current appearance, being covered in drool and laying on Cerberus's stomach, the large dog hugging him as if he were a giant teddy bear.
"When you say Pooch, do you mean Cerb-" One of the guards lifted a hoof to ask a question, only to get picked up in the Prince's Telekinesis and thrown across the floor.
"Don't fucking Interrupt me!" He yelled before he returned to angrily rant at the guards, making Twilight turn her attention elsewhere, trying her best to ignore the scene in front of her.
"Princess Luna? How are you holding up?" Twilight asked as she trotted towards the second Alicorn in Tartarus, her ears briefly flicking as the sound of one of the many caged monsters roared loudly, only to be smacked on the head by a living statue, followed by the Prince yelling at it to simmer down.
"Friend Twilight? What are you doing here?" Princess Luna turned to look at Twilight, blinking away the tiredness in her eyes.
"Princess Luna, A few days ago I received a message from a me from the future who told me that a horrible disaster was going to happen before next Tuesday Morning and-" Twilight started to speak, her words going a mile a minute as she told Princess Luna of all that happened to her before reaching Tartarus.
"So let us get this straight, You received a vision from the future-" Luna started.
"A message from a time traveler, actually, she was physically in my house,"
"-And instead of letting the Time Traveler pass on her message, you cut her off, multiple times, and now you're stressing out because you do not know what the disaster she wanted to warn you about was?" Luna finished, raising an eyebrow at the Element of Magic.
"Well... When you put it that way, Yes! That's exactly what's happening! At first, I thought Cerberus leaving Tartarus was going to be the Disaster, but all he did was get you and the Prince to come over, So then I thought that whatever Cerberus was trying to warn you about was going to be the Disaster, so I asked to join Celestia in coming here to stop it, but then the creature that escaped got stopped by the guards that came along, so it can't be him, And Tuesday is only five days away and-" Twilight stopped her talking and took a long and deep breath, letting the air slowly exhale from her nose as she calmed herself down.
"You do not know what to do now?" Luna asked, Twilight nodded silently, her head hanging down.
"It's just- Whatever is coming is so impactful that I had to travel back in time to warn about it, but everything that could have been somewhat related to the Disaster seemed to just solve itself without my involvement, so now I'm lost," Twilight sat down on the rocky floor beside the Princess.
"What do I do now?"
Princess Luna lowered her body to the ground, turning to lie on her side, her cheek being held in her hoof, before she opened her mouth and told Twilight, "Have you tried to relax?"
Twilight paused at that, turning her head to look at the face the Princess of the Night was making, "I- I don't have time to relax, whatever is coming is going to be horrible, I need to figure out what it is before-"
"No, Twilight, listen to us, Being stressed doesn't help anypony, look at Blueblood over there for example," Luna pointed with a wing at the Prince, causing Twilight to turn and look, Seeing Blueblood marching around, his face red in anger, the few guards that dared get close to him suddenly finding themselves several meters in the air before gravity took its hold once more and they plummeted down to the floor.
"For as long as we've known him, Blueblood has always worked himself to the bone, so it's our duty as his friend to remind him to relax and not let the stress of all his work consume him, otherwise you end up with Mr. Grumpy over there," Luna chuckled at the childish name she came up with, "Whenever he's not working, Blueblood is full of life and vigor, always having these modern words of wisdom that we haven't heard before, throwing his playful banter at everypony around him, he really made Bantering into an art-form let us tell you, but just like you, Blueblood doesn't like leaving things half done,"
"What do you mean by that?"
"What we mean is that whenever Blueblood starts a project, he doesn't stop until he's finished it, which usually leaves him as a stressful mess who gets angered by the smallest inconvenience," Luna smiled at the memory of dropping Poison Joke on him, "Today, we wanted to bring him to a Spa visit, get rid of all the accumulated stress, help him relax, but then Cerberus came and whisked us away," Luna shook her head before she returned to look at Twilight.
"You should try going to the spa, it seemed to really help Blueblood, at least before Cerberus came up, Do something to relax, take your mind off the Disaster, It'll help you, we're sure of it," Luna stopped talking before letting out a long and tired sigh, "Sorry Twilight, we're not much help with Prophetic visions,"
"Time travel,"
"Same idea," Luna rolled her eyes before closing them, her still tired body deciding it was nap time, leaving Twilight with her thoughts once more.
"Maybe... Maybe I should take a day off, just one, before returning to stopping the Disaster," Twilight nodded to herself, "I mean, I still have five more days, there's plenty of time to figure out the Disaster in four of those, yeah!" Twilight kept nodding, agreeing with her decision.
Somewhere else in Tartarus, a black blob of Magic with a single blue eyes tapped a tendril of magic on the glass walls of her cage.
"Do those Imbeciles not hear me?! I heard everything! I know what Tirek talked about! HELLO!!! I'm a Nightmare for crying out loud! I was listening to the dream! HELLO?! DO YOU IDIOTS HAVE A HEARING DISABILITY?! OVER HERE!!!!" Nightmare Moon was furiously trying to grab the ponies' attention, her small body barely audible over the sounds of the guards being thrown around by an angry Prince.
"IMBECILES!!!"
Spike the Dragon stretched his back, enjoying the popping sounds that escaped his spine as he lifted his arms above his head and let out a relaxed sigh.
"I wish Twilight would go on epic adventures more often," A relaxed smile graced his face, "Best night's sleep I've had in weeks,"
He slowly climbed out of his bed and walked down the stairs, entered the kitchen and peered inside. He debated between taking a glass of Apple Juice or a glass of milk, before deciding that a glass of regular tap water is all he really needed.
Grabbing himself a nice bowl of crushed Onyx and Topaz, Spike sat down at the kitchen table, shoved a spoonful of crushed gemstones into his mouth, and started to eat a quiet and relaxing breakfast.
Only for the few minutes of peace of quiet to suddenly disappear with the sound of the front door opening, signaling Twilight's return.
Quickly finishing his breakfast and dropping the bowl into the sink, Spike went to greet his big sister.
"Hey Twilight, How'd it go with Cerberus?" He asked, before freezing at the sight in front of him, "Umm, Twilight, are you okay? You don't look so... Umm, What's the correct word to use here?"
Twilight Sparkle turned to look at Spike after a brief delay, dark circles under her eyes, she looked like she hadn't slept in days.
"Oh, hey Spike, Sorry I didn't come back sooner, Princess Luna told me to take a day to relax so I stayed in Canterlot for a night," Twilight yawned, not bothering to hide her mouth behind her hoof, too tired to care.
"Did- I mean- You don't look relaxed at all, are you sure you're okay?" Spike walked up and held his claw to Twilight's shoulder.
"Me? Oh yeah, pfft, of course, I am totally relaxed, no stress here, haha!" Twilight gave a stiff, before cringing backward a bit as Spike's stomach started to rumble.
"Oh, Right after breakfast?" Spike groaned before he opened his mouth and belched out a magical flame, a rolled up piece of paper flying out and hitting Twilight in the face.
Twilight's eyes widened, "Oh no!" she exclaimed before running to the nearest mirror, tripping over herself along the way, resulting in her skidding on the floor using her chest as a board, before her head landed face to face with her reflection on the mirror, tiredly lying on the ground and staring in horror at what stood before her.
"What's the problem? It's just a skin cream recommendation from Princess Luna, it says here that both she and Prince Blueblood use it," Spike read out the letter, "Hey, How is Prince Blueblood anyway? We haven't really interacted with him at all, even at Hearth's Warming we only exchanged greetings and that's it, Isn't it weird that we know three out of four Royals here? I think It'll be cool to know the only Stallion Royal, There's a bit too much girly stuff in your life, maybe you two will get along,"
"No Spike, It isn't cool at all!" Twilight turned to look at him, most likely having ignored whatever the Dragon just said as she pointed to a small paper cut on her face from where the letter hit her.
"Rude, I really think you need more Colt friends, maybe even a Coltfriend, you're an adult now, it's about time and-"
"Spike look!" Twilight pointed at the paper cut once more, "Future Twilight had a scar exactly like this one on her face, You know what this means?"
"...That it's not an actual scar?" The Dragon tilted his head in confusion.
"It means that whatever Disaster future Twilight tried to warn me about is still going to occur! Nothing I've done has changed the future at all, the Disaster is still coming!"
Spike stared blankly at the sight of the purple Unicorn mumbling to herself about a future Disaster with a capital D and resigned himself to a few more nights of bad sleep.
"I've done everything I could think of to try and change the future, but none of it worked," Twilight talked to herself as she walked circled around her house, "So if nothing I do can change the future, I'll have to use everything I Don't do!" With a purple spark of magic, Twilight Teleported herself to a corner of the room, "I'll just have to not do anything, If I stay here in this spot until next Tuesday, I won't be able to do whatever it is Future Twilight warned me not to do!" Twilight gasped as she said the idea out loud.
"Why didn't I think of this sooner?!" Twilight exclaimed before going rigid, her body barely moving a muscle.
"Oh really?" Spike raised an eyebrow at the statuesque Twilight, "No matter what happens, you won't move a muscle?" A smirk climbed onto his face, "Then I guess you-" He disappeared in a cloud of smoke as he ran to the kitchen before reappearing with a recognizable container in his claws, "-Wouldn't mind if I eat an entire tub of Ice Cream?"
Twilight's eyes turned to look at Spike, before quickly returning to their previous position, The Unicorn trying her best to ignore the sounds of her baby brother swallowing spoonful after spoonful of strawberry-flavored goodness.
"Spike Stop," She said through grit teeth, trying her best to speak without moving a muscle, "Think of the stomach ache,"
"Hehehe? Stomach ache? That's future Spike's problem," Spike smiled before taking another large chunk out of the Ice cream container.
Twilight didn't have the time to attempt to reorient herself when three knocks sounded on her door, followed by a Blue Pegasus walking inside.
"Hey Twilight, Another Pegasus just sent me the all-clear from Baltimare, so the Disaster isn't-" Rainbow Dash paused as she saw a baby dragon shoving his head into a bow of Ice Cream, and one of her best friends staring at him in horror, her body not moving a muscle.
"Haha, What's going on?" Rainbow Dash laughed at the sight before her, "Are you gonna' stop him?"
"She sure isn't," Spike laughed as his head popped out of the Ice Cream box, strawberry Ice cream covering his face, "In fact, she isn't gonna' move till next Tuesday. She thinks it'll prevent the Disaster from happening!"
"Oho, This is too rich!" Rainbow Dash chuckled before her eyes widened in shock, her leg pointing at something, "Oh no Twilight, there's a mouse right behind you!"
Twilight's eyes widened as her body flinched, only to relax once she noticed her two friends laughing at their annoying and juvenile prank, Don't they know the future of Equestria is at stake?!
"Wait wait! Let me try!" Spike cheered in laughter as he grabbed the Quill from the nearby bottle of Ink, before starting to tickle Twilight with the feathery end of the writing utensil.
Twilight Struggled to stop herself from laughing, her friend knew her body was sensitive to these kinds of things!
Twilight couldn't handle it, without thinking, she picked Spike up in her magic and threw him away from her, only for the impact of the Baby Dragon against the wall to produce a blast of magical green fire, flying out of his mouth and crashing into Twilight.
Rainbow Dash's eyes widened as she moved to stand beside Spike, "Oh no!"
"What happened?" Twilight asked, finally giving up on not moving after the longest minute-and-a-half of her life.
"I'm so sorry!" Spike said, "I didn't mean to, It was a total accident!" He cowered away from Twilight's stare.
"Show me," Twilight told the prankster duo.
"Ehh, I'm not so sure that's a-" Rainbow Dash tried to dodge the situation, only for Twilight Sparkle to repeat louder.
"Show me!"
Spike swallowed his worry before he grabbed a hand mirror and lifted it up so Twilight could see.
"Oh no!" Twilight exclaimed as she saw her reflection, "This is the same manecut as Future Twilight!" Her hair was frazzled and burnt, looking as if she was a survivor fighting in the apocalypse.
"You know," Rainbow Dash started, "It really doesn't look too bad..."
"I don't care how it looks! It's just another sign that the future hasn't changed!" Twilight returned to walking in circles, "Not doing anything didn't work either! Oh, I wish there was a way to know what the Disaster was!"
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Spike asked Twilight as the two siblings stood outside a tent, "You know most of these are fake tourist traps, right?"
"We're not here for some any Future Reading, Spike, we're here for one in particular..." Twilight furrowed her brows in readiness before she pushed the tent flap aside and walked in, Ignoring all the colorful trinkets that would be associated with Future Reading, such as the dream catcher and deck of cards, She sat in front of the Crystal Ball in the middle of the tent, waiting for the Hoof Reader in front of her to speak.
Spike's eyes moved to a pack of Tarot cards before he shook his head and sat beside Twilight, "Hey, Madam Pinkie!"
"Oooh, You have come to the wonderful tent of Madam Pinkie Pie!" The Pink Earth Pony dressed in mystic garb said as her hooves moved over the crystal ball that sat between her and Twilight, "For the answers you seek, Let us consult the mystical orb of Fates and Destiny! Oooh!" Pinkie Pie moved her legs over the orb a few more time before she dropped the act and smiled at her friends, "Do you like my mystical orb of Fate's and Destiny? I just got it, Cool huh?"
"Yeah, Eh, Best one I've seen," Twilight smiled at her friend.
"Look deep into the crystal ball! For soon it will reveal all!" Pinkie Pie returned to speaking with an echo, her legs once more moving around the Crystal ball, "Ah yes, I see something... It's a vision of the Future~ I see... You, Twilight!"
Twilight's eyes widened in astonishment, hope rushing into her as the identity of what the Disaster might be was making itself known to her.
"You will get a really cool birthday present next year~" Pinkie Pie said.
"Yes! And?" Twilight urged her friend to continue.
"That's it!"
"...Are you sure?" Twilight urged her friend to keep going.
"Yep, Really cool birthday present," Pinkie said while popping the P.
"Pinkie! I need you to use your Pinkie Sense to tell me about the impending Disaster that Future Twilight was trying to warn me about!" Twilight complained loudly.
"Oh, My Fortune telling has nothing to do with my Pinkie Sense, Silly," She smiled at her friend, "It's only good for vague and immediate events," As soon as Pinkie Pie finished, her tail started to quiver, before a potted plant fell on Twilight's head, the ceramic breaking apart and covering the Unicorn in dirt.
"Like that, see?"
"Where did that come from?" Spike asked as he scratched his head, looking for any place that plant could have fallen from.
"La Lala Lala La." Pinkie Pie was bouncing towards the Golden Oaks library, "Gosh, I haven't seen Twilight since the flower pot incident, Hope she still isn't mad," Pinkie Pie said with a carefree smile on her face, really showing off her attributes as the Element of Laughter.
Walking into the Library, Pinkie Pie went up the stairs to the Living Room, before pausing at the sight of what seemed to be a laboratory, graphs and papers littered the walls, several giant telescopes poked out of the many windows of the floor, tubes and pipes seemed to connect everything together as more papers moved around like a vacuum cleaner.
"Four point six degrees off from yesterday," Twilight said as she looked through a Telescope, dashing over to a graph to look it over once more, "Carry over the fifteen," She then moved to a notebook, a quill held in her magic as she wrote down something about the moons of a distant planet.
"Hiya Pinkie," Spike waved hello to his Pink friend, the container of Ice Cream still held in his claws.
"Wow, Twilight's really trying hard to figure out what her future Birthday Present is, isn't she?" Pinkie Pie nodded to herself as she kept watching Twilight Teleport around the room, noting down different discoveries in many different notebooks scattered around the room.
"Who cares? As long as I can keep eating Ice cream, sorry future spike," Spike smiled as he took another bite from the Strawberry-flavored treat.
Pinkie Pie walked up to Twilight, a slight look of worry on her face, "Are you okay?"
Twilight lowered the quill as she turned to look at her friend, her mane was frazzled, the paper cut on her face hadn't healed yet, and now a bandage was wrapped around her head from where the flower pot fell on her, "Ah, Pinkie, I'm glad you're here," She grabbed her hooves and dragged her to one of the telescopes, "Can you help me recalibrate the apertures on the Nine-and-quarter-inch Catadioptric telescopes?"
"Sure!"
"So I was thinking, After I came to see Madam Pinkie and the Flower Pot landed on my head," She pointed at the bandage on her head, "See the bandage? Just like the bandage from the future,"
"Nice!" Pinkie Pie smiled, the words leaving Twilight's mouth going straight through one ear and out the other.
"I had an epiphany after the flower pot, Doing things didn't work, not doing things didn't work, and I couldn't predict the future either, So I only had one other choice!"
"Monitor Everything!"
"Makes sense to me," Pinkie smiled along.
"That way, no matter what happens in the future, I'll be ready! I thought I saw something last night in the Horse-Head Nebula, but after staring at it for three straight hours I realized I was wrong!" Twilight chuckled to herself.
"Three hours?" Pinkie Pie repeated the word, "But when did you sleep?"
"Oh, I didn't sleep, I haven't slept since Future Twilight was here! There's only three days left until next Tuesday, I can sleep all I want after that!"
Spike opened a new container of Ice cream, dropping the old container into a growing pile of ice cream containers, "You've been awake too long Twilight,"
"Yeah! Tuesday's not three days from now, Tuesday's tomorrow," Pinkie Pie pointed out.
Twilight gasped in shock before teleporting over to the Telescope in a flash of purple magic, "Pinkie, did you finish recalibrating the apertures on the nine-and-quarter-inch catadioptric telescopes?" She asked as she popped next to the Telescope.
"I have no Idea!" Pinkie Pie said with cheer, not understanding a word of the science mumbo jumbo Twilight tried to tell her.
Twilight looked into the Telescope, only to be greeted with the Sun, "Ah! My eye!" She yelled as she fell backward, her hoof covering her eyes.
"Don't worry Twilight!" Pinkie Pie hurridly said as she rushed to Twilight's hearth, "I have eye patches stashed all over Ponyville for situations just like these! Or in case Pirates invade!" She grabbed the hidden eye patch from behind the dusty hearth and wrapped it over her friend's eye.
"There! Now you look like a Pirate, a sleepy pirate with a really weird manecut," Pinkie said as she pushed a mirror over for Twilight to look at.
"The Eyepatch... Another sign!" Twilight exclaimed for what must have been the hundredth time this last week, "Nearly all the signs have come true, and I haven't done a thing to prevent the catastrophe!" She cried before running to a blackboard.
"If Tuesday's tomorrow, and the Disaster happens before Tuesday Morning, that only leaves one solution!"
"That you're overthinking it? Princess Luna told you what to do since the beginning, didn't she?" Spike raised an eyebrow, only to frown when he saw that neither of the two ponies in the room were listening to him.
"I'll just have to stop time!" Twilight turned to Pinkie Pie, "We're going to need to break into the Canterlot Castle Archives Starswirl the Bearded wing! Can I count on you?"
"Yep! I always have sneaky ninja outfits for situations just like this! Let me go grab them!" Pinkie Pie nodded in excitement at the idea of breaking into Canterlot Castle before she dashed out of the library, intent on returning with the perfect sneaking setup.
Spike could only sigh at the knowledge that he'd likely not be sleeping tonight before he stood up and went to grab some more ice cream.
The inevitable stomach ache was going to be a problem for Future Spike.
> Chapter 100: It's About Time 7
"Blueblood, I know you're trying to research as much as you can about Tirek and all that, but can we, And I mean this from the bottom of my heart when I say this, Can we please not spend another day in the library?" Starlight Glimmer was losing her mind from boredom, there were only so many days in a row she could spend in a library before even she started to get annoyed.
"Starlight, I already told you fifty thousand times, Something happened with Tirek and I have no memory of it, If I want to figure out what that son of a bitch was doing, I need to learn as much as I can about him, and if that means reading every single book in the Archives that goes over Tirek, then I'm going to do so," Prince Blueblood Platinum said, not bothering to look at his friend as he read through yet another autobiography of some historically significant individual that was alive and in Equestria when Tirek first attacked.
"Look, I get that, But we've spent three days in a row here, You're even getting the staff to bring you food, and the only times you leave is to use the restroom and sleep, I haven't seen you this focused about something since the week preceding the Caninia trip, I'm actually debating whether I should just leave you here alone, take Comet out for a walk or something, anything to stretch my legs," Starlight frowned as she stretched her legs, a sound similar to creaking floorboards sounding out as she did so.
"Your legs aren't supposed to sound like that," Blueblood pointed out before flipping the page, already noting to himself that the book he was reading was as useless as the rest.
"Those weren't my legs, Unlike you, I'm not a Pirate junkie, I haven't replaced them with wooden pegs yet," Starlight rolled her eyes before looking at a painting on the wall, noting the eyes of the painting motioning her to come over.
"Key word being Yet," Blueblood huffed as he threw the book down to a large pile of other biographies and historical accounts, before grabbing a new book from a different pile and opening it, "Also, Tell Raven to cancel the next two days of my schedule,"
"Will do," Starlight grunted as she stretched her aching back, cringing at the popping sounds coming from her spine before she walked out of the library door and into the empty hallway outside.
She didn't have to wait long before one of the paintings on the wall opened up, Raven Inkwell walked out into the corridor, and the two mares shared a look of exasperation before Starlight pointed her chin towards the door she just came from.
"Colts." She said with a roll of her eyes, the Earth Pony joining her before the two left to get lunch.
"Aargh!" Back inside the Castle Library, Prince Blueblood was pulling at his mane, "You're telling me that Tirek has been in Tartarus for over one thousand years, and not one person thought it might be a good idea to even try and get a read of his goals, his psychology, his past, anything?! This is actual dogshit! None of this is usable!" Blueblood had to physically stop himself from picking up the nearest chair and throwing it as hard as he could at the wall.
Blueblood took a deep breath and closed his eyes, holding the air in his lungs for several moments before he let it out in a slow and relaxing exhale, with but a thought he turned off all the magic he was using, several levitating books falling to the floor as he did so.
And with slow and tiring effort, Blueblood opened his eyelids, revealing a pair of Ice-blue bloodshot eyes, the Illusion he cast over his face now gone, the usually handsome prince now replaced with a Stallion who looked like he really needed a break.
"All I got is the Forbidden Section to check, and then I'm getting a fucking vacation," He whispered to himself, rubbing his leg over his face, "Chrysalis tries to assassinate me, A Week later I finally go for the Deer and come back with no questions answered and more brought up, and not even a full week later Tirek escapes Tartarus, does something to me, and then gets thrown back into a cell with no interrogation and barely any extra security, I'm starting to get grey hairs and I'm only 29..." A tired groan escaped his throat as he leaned his head on the table.
"If Someone had told me, that it would be more tiring to play the game of Politics than it was to take down International Arms Dealers in Cambodia, I would have told Albatross he's smoked something wrong, But now I'm not so sure," He whispered, closing his eyes for but a moment to let them rest, planning on getting some eye drops and a bunch of cheap energy drinks brought to him soon.
"Hey, Blueblood, Wake up," He sighed as he heard Starlight try and get his attention, Already back from whatever Girl's talk she and Raven were having.
"Just a moment," He mumbled, still letting his eyes rest, weakly pushing Starlight's leg away when she tried to shake him.
"Blueblood, It's Nine in the evening, Wake up," Starlight's words elicited a groan from the Prince, who slowly and weakly opened his eyes and turned to look at his Purple coated Bodyguard.
"Oh my, Blueblood, what happened to your eyes?" Starlight took a step back when the pair of bloodshot orbs stared at her, the irises blurry and unfocused, as if the Prince wasn't actually looking at her but at something behind her, "Never mind, You need to get some rest!"
"No time," Blueblood weakly said as he slowly stood up on shaky legs, "I need to go through the Starswirl wing, and then take a look if the Mistmane wing has anything about Tirek or the..." Blueblood's legs wobbled as he seemingly dozed off before continuing, "Centaurs! Or maybe Gargoyles.... None of these books have anything about either of them! and Tirek's brother has only been mentioned in two of them..." Blueblood yawned, his jaw almost seeming to dislocate with how big he opened his mouth, "I still don't know how he was defeated, All these papers are saying is that Scorpan, that's his brother, Betrayed him, and then Starswirl, who wasn't yet bearded, sprung a trap. There's no mention of what the trap was, there's no mention of how Scorpan betrayed him, There's no mention of anything else, FUCK! I'm pretty sure Starswirl and Scorpan were having an affair, and I'm not even sure if that's true or not, but it sure is hell more than I know about anything Tirek did!" Blueblood started to march around the table in the middle of the floor.
"Blueblood, you're tired and you're stressed, I am suggesting, not as your bodyguard, but as your friend, that you go to sleep, You clearly need it," Starlight said gently, trying to coax the prince into giving his search a rest.
"Starlight you don't get it!" Blueblood said hurriedly, "It's only a matter of time before Tirek escapes again, and I need to be able to defeat him when that happens!"
"You don't need to defeat anyone, except maybe Chrysalis, Why do you even care so much?" Starlight asked.
"Because then I can point at Celestia and say 'I told you so!' and she'd say something along the lines of 'Oh wow, it seems you're ready to take on some more important tasks,' And I'd wave my hoof at her like, 'Oh you, I was just doing what any Prince would do,' and then she'd give me some actual form of authority here in Equestria because I'm doing more than Cadance is and I'm kind of tired of still being lower than her in the line of succession, And also because I seem to be the only person in this castle that actually cares about security! We can't all rely on these Elements of Harmony, In a year all they did was stop Nightmare Moon and then turn some asshole named Discord into a Statue, do you have any idea what I've done in that time?!" Blueblood huffed tiredly before pausing, only to then start giggling to himself as if he thought of a funny joke only he got, "Starlight, get me some energy drinks, NOT coffee, I need something cold, And get it to me quickly!" Blueblood yelled before he turned away from Starlight and started running deeper into the library.
"...Why would you want more work?" Starlight shook her head before sighing tiredly and leaving the library, walking to get the Prince's energy drinks, making sure she walked slow enough so that hopefully he'd fall asleep before she returned.
Sneaking through the streets of Canterlot, Twilight Sparkle had her eyes set on Canterlot Castle, or more specifically, at the Spire of the Castle that constituted the Canterlot Archives, or to be even more specific, the Starswirl the Bearded wing of the Archives, were some of the most protected spells and information was kept.
"Why are we even sneaking around?" Spike the Dragon asked, his clawed feet tapping on the cobbled roads of Canterlot as he followed Twilight, "It's not illegal to walk around at Night,"
"We're supposed to be sneaking? I just thought we wore these sneaking outfits for the aesthetic," Pinkie Pie asked as she bounced after Twilight, the Unicorn dashing between bushes and hiding behind statues as the group made their way closer to the Castle.
"Guard!" Twilight suddenly yelped, Jumping into a bush, accidentally ripping a part of her skintight sneaking suit that definitely was not bought at an adult store.
Following Twilight's example, Pinkie Pie jumped into a nearby fountain while Spike ran to pose beside one of the many statues that decorated the path toward the Castle.
The group waited for the pony wearing the dark blue armor of the Night guards to pass by before crawling out of their hiding spots.
"This is fun!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as her head popped out of the fountain, her skintight black suit making squeaky noises as she followed Twilight.
"No, This is not fun!" Twilight turned to tell her friend before she dashed into another bush, only to immediately jump behind a bench, following up by rolling underneath the legs of a statue.
"Oh..." Pinkie Pie said as she turned to look at Spike, neither of them following Twilight's Example of Sneaking, "I still don't understand how sneaking into the archives is going to help her find out about her birthday present,"
Spike answered by shrugging and taking a lick of his triple-scoop tower of Ice Cream.
Gently opening the bottom of the window, Twilight Sparkle looked left to right before nodding that the coast was clear of guards.
"Okay, The coast is clear, now slowly lift me u-" Her words cut off as a Pink earth Pony threw her head first through the open window, not caring for the sounds they were making as they followed Twilight into the Castle.
The group hid behind a turn in the corridor, hiding from the searchlight of a passing guard.
They then snuck behind a pair of guards who were staring out the window, hoping the two wouldn't turn around.
Or, at least, Twilight was sneaking. Spike was casually licking his Ice Cream while Pinkie Pie was happily bouncing after her.
"Hey Doorknob, Did you hear something?" Asked one of the guards.
"Nope," The second guard answered before the two returned to silently staring out the window.
"Okay, If my calculations are correct, the Starswirl the Bearded wing should be right around here!" Twilight whispered as she stood up after twenty minutes of sneaking around.
"Uh, Twilight?" Spike raised his hand to ask a question.
"What is it, Spike?" Twilight responded quietly.
"Isn't this the window we came in from?" Spike pointed at the nearest window, which as it turned out, was the exact same window she came in through.
"Cool, Can we climb through the window again?" Pinkie Pie asked before jumping out the window and climbing back in, "That was super fun."
"I don't understand..." Twilight started to walk in circles, "It's supposed to be right here, How are we supposed to find it now?" Her mind began to race, was there perhaps a magical spell hiding the wing from trespassers? Was the place perhaps under renovation, and so they moved everything somewhere else?
Or perhaps Twilight Sparkle was simply sleep-deprived and didn't see the door leading to the Starswirl the Bearded Wing.
Something which became apparent when Pinkie Pie pointed at the sign over the secure door.
"..." Twilight turned away from her friend and stared through the metal bars securing the door, like a prison cell of knowledge, "Look at all those priceless scrolls..." She whispered as she took a cursory look at the entrance of the Wing.
Now came the question, How do they get inside?
Prince Blueblood felt like slamming his head against the table, and so he did that.
"Useless! This entire wing is Useless!" He yelled before standing up and walking to the only window in the Archive wing he was staying at, "So many scrolls of advanced spells and ancient knowledge, and none of them tell me anything about Tirek!" If he could, he would have thrown something against the window just to hear the glass shatter.
His vision was starting to blur, His legs wobbled as he stood in a daze, each page taking several minutes to read through sluggishly.
"Caw!" Blueblood frowned as he stared at a bird on the other side of the window.
"Red? Probably one of Celestia's Zookeeping pets from her bullshit sanctuary," Blueblood groaned as he tried to focus on the red bird outside the window, "What? Are you looking at something? I'm wide awake, Fit as a fiddle, and can keep going for hours! I'm not tired!" He could barely see the bird through the fog covering his eyesight, but he felt as if the Bird was looking down at him.
Pitying him.
"Hah? Don't look at me like that, Asshole! I'm one of the Richest ponies alive, I can do whatever I want!" He taunted the bird, "I'm the textbook definition of freedom, baby! So don't you dare look down on me like you know something I don't!" He slammed his hoof against the window, the secure glass only causing his hood to bounce right off, the weak flash of pain causing a bit of clarity to return to Blueblood, as he looked back at the window only to find the bird gone.
"Yeah. Fly away! Like the coward you are..." Blueblood sneered at the tree where to bird previously sat.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of the door to the wing open up, and as if a bucket of ice had been dumped on his head, Prince Blueblood was wide awake.
"Three pairs of hooves? No, Two pairs of hooves are walking, the third pair is actually four hooves all moving in sync. Bouncing? That would explain the sounds, but why bounce? And what about the last pair of... Footsteps? A Harpy? or perhaps a Diamond Dog? A small one in any case..." Blueblood felt his horn pulse with the soft touch of Magic, his body disappearing as it melted into an Illusion.
"Now, Who are you..." He whispered under the cloak of invisibility, Another pulse of magic grabbing a nearby pen from the table where he hoped to write down notes.
The pen flew at Blueblood, before being caught in mid-air, another pulse of magic caused the pen to bend and break, the pieces then melding together into the shape of a shiv, held together with blue lines of magic, levitating invisibly in the Prince's grasp.
"I didn't expect the door to be unlocked..." Spike said as he took one last lick of his Ice Cream before eating the cone in one bite.
"We're lucky..." Twilight breathed heavily as she listened to the guards hoof steps walk further away from the door, "That nopony saw us..."
"What do we do know?" Pinkie asked as she peeked her head from behind a bookshelf.
Twilight turned to answer, only to spot her reflection in a nearby mirror, "Oh no, This is exactly how Future Twilight looked! All the signs are here!" She turned to her friends, "We need to find the Time Stopping spell to make sure the Disaster never arrives!"
Keeping his body close to the floor in a dark corner of the Archives wing, Blueblood Platinum felt right at home, lying on his stomach, keeping his eyes on the intruders.
Once they find whatever it is they're looking for, he'd intrude on their little party.
The one with the ripped outfit was a Unicorn, who knows what Magic she has?
The bipedal one was an Unknown creature, too dangerous to try and take him.
But the bouncing one? Earth Pony, voice seems to indicate early to mid-twenties, Speaks a lot, Seems to not know the depth of the situation she was in, Perfect for interrogation.
Now, Interrogation wasn't his Strongest field, Information gathering was always Heron's job, But that doesn't mean he was useless at it.
And besides, Staying low for hours at a time was what he did.
He might be sleep-deprived and stressed out, But for the moment, Blueblood Platinum felt as awake as he ever was.
"Keep your eyes on the target..." He whispered to himself, his eyes following the trio through a pair of Silver Orbs, hidden under an Illusion close to the ceiling.
Twilight was searching scrolls and books for the spell she could use to stop time. A minute turned to ten, Twenty minutes turned to an Hour, and an hour into two.
"Twilight," Twilight's turned to look at Spike, the baby dragon pointing at the only window in the wing, "The sun is rising,"
"It's officially Tuesday morning..." Twilight whispered in Horror before curling up into a ball and holding on to her head, bracing for the inevitable arrival of the horrible Disaster.
"Nothing's happening..." She whispered after twenty seconds, deciding then to stand back up and look out the window, Watching the sun calmly rise from behind the horizon, "There's no Disaster..."
"I mean, I don't see any disasters," Spike nodded before taking off the black skintight hood of the sneaking outfit he wore, "It looks like a pretty nice day,"
"But... Why? Future Twilight said she was from Tuesday Morning, Today! The Disaster should have happened by now..." Twilight looked at the nearby songbirds on a tree, singing the song of the morning.
"Maybe there wasn't a disaster to begin with?" Spike asked, "What if you already solved it without realizing and then spent the rest of the week stressing out for no reason?"
"You mean... I did all of this for nothing?" Twilight quietly asked as she blankly looked at the songbirds.
"I wouldn't say for nothing, You still Disaster proofed Equestria, remember?" Spike smiled awkwardly at his attempt to cheer his sister up.
"So... I was making myself frantic over nothing?" Twilight and Spike turned away from the window.
"I don't get it, If future Twilight wasn't warning you about a Disaster, then what was she trying to tell you?" Spike asked.
Twilight thought those words over for a moment before a soft giggle escaped her lips as a smile appeared on her face, "I don't know, But I do know one thing," She touched the bandage wrapped around her head with her leg, "I look ridiculous," The two sibling started laughing.
"And It's all because I couldn't stop worrying and let the future handle itself," Twilight smiled at the thought, her Friendship Lesson of the week already prepared.
"Well, Not anymore! From now on, I'm gonna solve problems as they come-" Twilight froze as a cough sounded behind her.
"What's wrong?" Spike turned to look at Twilight, watching his Sister's eyes frantically move all over the empty Archives in search of something.
"Hey, Spike..." Twilight took a step back, her eyes looking at the window on the wall as if expecting something to come crawling in through it, "Why was the door to the Starswirl the Bearded wing unlocked?"
"I don't kn-"
"Twilight Twilight! I found something!" The Sibling's train of thought was interrupted by Pinkie Pie dropping by, her Hood no longer covering her mane, as she held a scroll in her hooves.
With a purple glow to her horn, Twilight took the scroll and levitated her towards herself.
"It doesn't stop time, But it lets you go back in time. It says you can go back once and It only lasts for a few moments, Does that help?" Pinkie asked with a Smile.
Twilight shook her head to clear the worry away, "Pinkie, You're a genius!"
Pinkie cheered at the compliment.
"Now I can go back in time and tell past Twilight that she doesn't need to go berserk with worry about a Disaster that's never gonna' come!" Twilight started to get ready to cast the spell, her legs spread in a wide stance, her eyes closed in concentration as her horn started to gather energy.
Only to stop quickly and open her eyes as a scream of fright entered her ears.
"You finish that spell and your pal gets a new breathing hole!" Twilight immediately dropped the Spell and turned to see Pinkie Pie being held down by a White Unicorn, his wavy blonde mane was frazzled and unkempt, his Ice-Blue eyes were bloodshot and piercing, and beside Pinkie's neck levitated a makeshift knife, one wrong move promising a quick end to the Earth Pony.
"Woah! Hold on hold on hold on! Don't hurt her!" Twilight Yelled, Her eyes widening at the hostage situation she suddenly found herself in, "She was helping me, I can explain everything! Please! Put the knife down!" Twilight felt her legs weaken at the danger in front of her.
"Your explanation for why you broke into Canterlot Castle, trashed one of the most secure Archives in the world, and then planned on casting a Spell that was locked here, all in the span of a few hours, better involve saving Orphans dying of cancer, or else this carpet might be getting a new shade of red introduced..." The White Unicorn growled at Twilight, the Shiv still pointing at Pinkie Pie's neck.
Spike was seemingly paralyzed in fear, the simple thought that he could be watching one of his best friends die in front of him was more than enough to get the Young Dragon to shut down.
"Okay! Please listen to me, Don't hurt her-" Twilight tried to calm the Unicorn down.
"SPEAK!"
Twilight hurriedly nodded her head and introduced herself, "My name is Twilight Sparkle-"
"Occupation and place of living?"
"Wha-" Twilight blinked at the sudden question.
"What's your job and where do you live? Are you slow or something?!" The Unicorn barked at her, the knife poking a soft part of Pinkie's neck, not hard enough to draw blood but definitely enough to be felt.
"I'm a Librarian from Ponyville!" Twilight hurriedly answered, "A week ago I got a message from myself from the Future,"
"Okay, So you're not only stupid, You're a fucking schizophrenic as well," The Unicorn said, ignoring the wide smile on his hostage as her eyes seemed to widen with recognition.
"No silly! Twilight Sparkle is the Element of Magic, Don't you know that?" Pinkie Pie's smile seemed to stretch to the corners of her face, "Pirate Wizard?"
As soon as the last two words exited her mouth, Pinkie Pie found herself being thrown away from the Unicorn, her body rolling on the floor for a bit before crashing into Twilight's wobbly legs and downing her like a Bowling pin.
"Fuck! Why are you here?!" The Unicorn yelled as he threw the Shiv into the ceiling, the makeshift weapon breaking against the stone, "Don't tell me... NO! I refuse to accept that!" The Unicorn pointed angrily at Pinkie Pie.
"Wait..." Spike whispered as his mind seemed to turn back on, "Prince Blueblood?"
"NOOOO!!!!" Prince Blueblood collapsed to his knees, a look of defeat on his face as he stared at the Pink Devil who smiled widely as she bounced closer to him, pulling the Platinum Prince into a soft pink hug.
"I missed you too! Sorry that your Birthday didn't turn out so good! I promise I'll make you one much better next year! It'll have twice the balloons and twice the cake! We're gonna have twice the fun!" Pinkie Pie's hug turned softer as she started nuzzling her cheek against the Prince's cheek in an attempt to stop the tears from escaping his eyes.
"Equestria is doomed..." He whispered underneath his tears, no longer trying to pry the Pink Devil from his shoulders, "The Elements of Harmony are Idiots... We're all going to die..."
"Wait... Prince Blueblood? What are you doing here?" Twilight calmed down as she watched the situation defuse.
"What am I doing here?" Prince Blueblood repeated her question, his tired eyes turning to glare at her, "I LIVE HERE!!! WHOSE CASTLE DO YOU THINK YOU SNUCK INTO?!?!" His yell turned into sobbing as Pinkie Pie hugged him tighter.
"There there pookie bear, Let all the sadness out," She whispered as she started rocking him back and forth.
"You-" Blueblood turned to Twilight, the intensity in his eyes causing the Unicorn to take a step back, "You broke into the castle, because a Future version of you came to tell you, that an unspecified Disaster was going to happen, And you didn't stop for a second to think if you're maybe hallucinating?"
"...Well, When you put it like that," Twilight scratched the back of her head in embarrassment.
"...I'm surrounded by Idiots, everyone around me is an Idiot, I finally figured it out, I'm the only smart person he-he-he-here!" Blueblood started speaking before devolving into more crying, causing Pinkie Pie's Power of Pink Puffiness to swell as she hugged him in a much softer embrace than before.
"...Go, Close the Time Loop or whatever, Don't let the past version of yourself physically interact with you and all that yada yada Paradox bullshit, Just... Just go... I'm not Drunk enough to deal with any of you..." Blueblood closed his eyes and lowered his head in defeat, The previously intimidating Unicorn now looking like a tired mess.
Twilight smartly decided that she wouldn't take this chance for granted as she cast the spell and disappeared from the Canterlot Archives, only to reappear two second later "-Stop wasting your time worrying about... Ugh, I can't believe I just did that!"
"Did you get your message across?" Pinkie Pie asked from her spot laying in Blueblood's lap like some sort of oversized puppy, her legs latching onto the defeated Prince and hugging him in an attempt to put a smile on his face.
"Of course she didn't," Blueblood said weakly, "She returned from wherever she was with a sentence already halfway through her mouth, and seeing as the original message didn't get across properly, suffice to say this one didn't either, Time Loop has been closed, the world isn't going to be swallowed in a Paradox, I'm still the smartest person in the room, I'm out!"
Blueblood stood up, dropping Pinkie Pie onto the floor, "Unless your Librarian Job requires you to wear BDSM gear, I suggest you change," He told Twilight, who replayed his words in her mind before she looked at the ripped sneak suit she wore.
Skintight black latex.
"I'll tell the staff to get three rooms-"
"Two, Twilight and I share a room," Spike interrupted the Prince.
"I'll tell the staff to get two rooms for you three to rest in," Blueblood sighed tiredly as he walked towards the door leading into the wing, "As Elements of Harmony, you are invited to stay at Canterlot Castle anytime, especially during an emergency, such as closing a time loop, Next time, please don't sneak around in the middle of the night, I might have actually just killed one of you If this Pink Beast wasn't here," Blueblood walked passed an awkwardly smiling Twilight before he stopped at the Door.
"As Prince Blueblood Platinum of Equestria, I am humbly inviting you to stay a day at the Castle," He turned back to the group and gave a short bow.
"I'm so tired, I think I'll just fall asleep here," Spike said as he walked up to Twilight, who nodded to accept the Prince's generous invitation.
"Great, And also-" The Prince's professional smile turned into an icy glare, "If you speak to anyone about what transpired here tonight, You will be hearing from my lawyers," And with that glare, Prince Blueblood turned away from the group, slammed his body against the doorframe, before correcting himself and leaving the door proper, his legs wobbling as his tired body dragged him to his room.
"...A bed in the castle?! Do you think the mattress is bouncy?" Pinkie Pie asked with a smile before she started bouncing after the Prince, A cry of 'Get away from me!' going ignored by the Element of Laughter as she tackled her Unicorn friend into another hug.
Blueblood stared blankly at the Purple Unicorn that stood above him, trying his best to ignore the Pink menace glued to his back as he tried to focus on the aquamarine streak of hair in the Unicorn's mane.
"Where were you?" Blueblood asked his bodyguard.
"Well, you see, I got those Energy Drinks you asked me to get, but then I decided that I really don't want you to have them and then be grumpy for the next week, so I went to sleep and decided to come check on you in the morning to see if you hadn't died by pulling your brain out of your head while you pulled your hair," Starlight Glimmer said, her tone of voice not at all apologetic for her actions.
"You know, If you weren't my best friend, I'd have you fired for that," Blueblood told her.
"Awww, You're my best friend too," Starlight cooed smugly at the Prince, still standing over him as he lay on the floor in the middle of the corridor.
"Just drag me to my room so I can go to sleep... And let's act like tonight never happened," Blueblood raised an eyebrow at Starlight.
"Not happening, Raven and I are having brunch tomorrow, I'm telling her everything," She smirked as she lifted Blueblood in her magic, Peeling the Pink Earth Pony from his back as if she was a plaster before dropping her down to the floor, a nearby maid quickly rushing in to pick her up and drag her to her room.
As he was dragged by the telekinetic grasp of his best friend, Prince Blueblood Platinum tiredly sighed and said the six words he always falls back to in times of need.
"I'm not drunk enough for this..."
> Chapter 101: It's Time to Relax
Walking down the cold, snow-covered streets of some nameless City, I felt my body shiver as I turned my body towards a thin alleyway, hidden between a pair of tall buildings, their walls shielding me from the cold.
I didn't know how long I stayed in that alleyway, I didn't know what I was trying to do, and I barely even knew what I was trying to get away from.
I was lost.
And as I sat quietly inside the alleyway, the only sound coming from me was that of my teeth rattling in the cold as my fur stood on its end, I started to cry.
I didn't know why I was crying, I simply cried. Maybe it was because of the cold, Maybe it was because I was scared of not waking up tomorrow, or maybe it was simply for everything that I went through in the past year.
And it was as I cried silently, my tears turning into drops of ice before they even reached the ground, that I felt warmth for the first time in... I'm not sure how long.
I didn't dare open my eyes, Afraid that the warmth would disappear as nothing more than an Illusion, a trick of the senses my body decided to play on me in my final moments before the cold grasp of the land beyond tomorrow took me away.
"There there, You do not need to cry," A voice, warm and sweet, whispered into my ears as I felt the cold disappear as if the small claws of biting frost didn't dare stay in the vicinity of such warmth.
I didn't say anything as I continued to silently cry, Unsure if out of fear, or perhaps hope.
Maybe my last moments wouldn't be in the freezing weather? Perhaps my mind is once again playing a trick on me, trying to give me some sense of hope before my final moments. An Illusion of a dream I never knew I had.
I felt a pair of limbs pick me up, the warmth spreading around my body as I was rocked from side to side.
"It's been almost one thousand years, but I finally found you," The voice said, I did not know what it was talking about, I was too busy trying to absorb as much heat as I could.
"My Little Prince,"
Hesitantly, I dared to open my eyes, to try and get a look at the creature that picked me up.
What greeted me instead was an empty black sky, No clouds covered the grand view of the night, the moon already halfway up in the sky, the Mare on the Moon seeming to glare at the land beneath her.
But most important, was the Star.
In the midst of the empty sky, Far away from the Moon, bereft of any clouds, I watched a single, lone star.
Gleaming beautifully in the night sky like a desert island alone in the middle of a vast ocean.
At that moment I knew, That no matter how bad things got, I would always find my way out of them.
I would never get lost again.
That Night, I was given a name and taken in by the only person I think I could ever dare call Family.
I tried to repeat the name she gave me, my lips still shivering from the cold.
"Blueblood Platinum..." What a beautiful name I have.
Prince Blueblood groaned tiredly as he woke up, slowly dragging his body out of his bed and into his bathroom in order to take a refreshing morning shower.
In the Afternoon.
After standing in his shower without moving for fifteen minutes, The Prince closed off the water and exited, not bothering to dry his fur as he let the water droplets continue dripping down his fur, leaving a puddle behind him as he walked back into his room and started moving around objects with his magic.
An hour later he exited his room carrying a large and expensive suitcase, With a quick whistle from his lips the sounds of scuttling feet came closer.
"Hey there girl," He smiled gently at the Plant-based monster he decided to keep as a pet, the Golden Plunderseed Vine Spider named Comet climbing up his body and laying on top of his back, her long vine-like tail wrapping around the Prince's midriff to keep herself steady as the two walked towards the dining room.
Opening her eyes, Twilight Sparkle couldn't help but let out a yawn of tired relaxation.
Looking around where she was, she found she was lying in one of the many guest rooms of Canterlot Castle, listening to the sounds of flushing water from the nearby bathroom telling her where her little brother was.
"Ohh, I shouldn't have eaten so much Ice cream," Spike groaned as he dragged himself out of the bathroom, his back hunched as a hand covered his stomach.
Twilight didn't want to say "I told you eating so much Ice Cream was going to be bad for you," But she did so anyway.
"Urgh, Past Spike was a monster," Present Spike groaned as he climbed back up onto the comfortably large bed, crawling under the puffy blankets and returning to sleep.
"Spike, Wake up, We need to get ready to leave," Twilight nudged him gently with her legs as she too exited the bed and entered the bathroom, ready to freshen up.
"You know, I was never threatened with a knife before, It was super duper exciting, even though it was also super scary, I almost wanted to cry but then I recognized your voice so I knew you weren't actually going to stab me but it was still a new experience and It was super-" Prince Blueblood wanted to slam his head into the table as he listened to the Pink Demon go on and on about what happened this morning.
"Will giving you another bottle make you stop talking?" Blueblood asked as he tiredly turned away from his food in order to glare at the Earth Pony who was stuffing her face with food, like some sort of pig, unable to stop herself from putting more and more food into her mouth.
Pinkie Pie, Seeing as she couldn't speak with her mouth full, decided the best course of action was to force herself to swallow everything in her mouth, a face of pain etched on her face as she struggled to get everything down her throat, only to let out a loud burp when she finally did.
"Sorry, I'm told not to speak with my mouth full in such important places. You asked about a bottle? I love your bottles! You always have the best drink! Hey did you ever consider opening a store, all those drinks you have are so tasty I'm sure everypony will want to try them, There's my friend Applejack who opens a Cider stand once a year, her Cider is to die for, it's super tasty and delicious and you should try it sometime I think you-"
Prince Blueblood shoved a bottle of Bourbon in front of her face, causing the Pink Pony to shut up and grab the bottle before starting to drink it straight from the mouth.
"Pinkie Pie?! What do you think you're doing?!" Blueblood took a slow and deep breath in order to calm down before he turned to look at the Purple Unicorn that entered the dining room.
"Oh hey Twilight, Bluey just gave me one of his famous bottles, do you want to try some?" Pinkie Pie took the bottle out of her mouth and turned to Twilight.
"Yeah, No, I'm not dealing with both of you right now," Blueblood stood up and quickly left the duo behind him, taking his Suitcase and Plunderseed with him.
"...Why is he always so grumpy? Hey Twilight, do you think I can cheer him up without causing him to explode? I think I can do that easily, But I'm not sure if now is the time, there's a balance to this, Anyways do you want to try some of this? I know it's Neat, and usually, you'd want to start with an On the Rocks for your first drink, but this is really good, Hey Twilight, do you Drink?" Pinkie Pie's words caused Twilight to turn away from looking at the Prince's retreating figure and turn back to Pinkie Pie.
"I don't think it's a good idea to drink in the Castle, we are guests after all, and I never drank before, I'm not sure if this is a good idea to start doing so now," Twilight said and gently levitated the bottle out of Pinkie Pie's grasp, "Now let's go, we need to get back to Ponyville,"
"Awww, But I was so close to getting him to admit his evil world domination plan," Pinkie Pie pouted, "I had him running in my hooves, he was almost ready to admit everything,"
"Pinkie Pie, what are you talking about?" Twilight raised an eyebrow, making sure the bottle of Bourbon was away from Pinkie.
"I'll show you once we get back to Ponyville," Pinkie Pie answered before turning back to her plate and stuffing her face some more.
"I don't think we'll be leaving anytime soon," Spike said as he moved to sit in the chair where the Prince sat, taking a look at the leftovers still in front of him, before shrugging and deciding that he wasn't above eating somebody else's food.
Twilight sighed and got ready to spend another hour in the castle.
"Princess Celestia! I am going on a Vacation! I'll be back in two weeks! Please try to improve the security of the castle while I'm gone! And stop eating so much cake, it's bad for your health!" Princess Celestia smiled gently as she waved goodbye to the Illusion of Blueblood that appeared in her room.
"Cadance, I'm putting Cosmos in your care until I'm back, Don't forget to feed her twice a day and take her out on walkies, she gets grumpy when she's cooped up inside all the time. If she lays her head on your lap, try scratching her chin, Her favorite kibble is the Beef and Carrot flavored one," The Illusion of Blueblood said before disappearing, leaving behind an ornate box holding a pair of crystal shards connected to a golden chain necklace.
"...Is she a dog now?" Cadance raised an Eyebrow as she picked up the box with Cosmos's body parts and placed it beside her bed before returning to her work of planning the wedding.
"Are you sure now is a good time to do this?" Starlight Glimmer raised an Eyebrow as she followed her best friend onto a cruise ship, the two of them walking past the other passengers as they made their way to the VIP area of the ship in order to drop their bags, "Also, why did you bring Comet along?"
"Starlight, My cousin is getting married at the end of March, which means I have three weeks to try and relax until then, This ship is going to be at least four days of just sailing the sea, listening to whatever bullshit play the crew decided to hold, eating overpriced gourmet food, and just overall doing nothing." Prince Blueblood tried to explain as the duo entered their room, Blueblood placed his Plunderseed on the bed as he took his suit off, replacing it with a floral patterned buttoned shirt and a pair of sunglasses.
"Also, Comet is my responsibility, I need to take her with me on these long trips," Blueblood smiled as he scratched the Golden plant monster's back, "And before you suggest hiring a Pet-sitter, I'm telling you right now, there is no way I am letting some stranger take care of my baby," He pulled Comet into a hug, The Plunder-Spider producing clicking sounds in order to show her affection to the Prince.
Even without any eyes, Blueblood knew the Plunderseed liked him.
"You said two weeks, this ship is only for four days, what are we going to do once this is done?" Starlight raised an eyebrow as she took off her stuffy black bodyguard suit, folding her glasses away and stretching her natural body.
"Do not worry, I have everything planned, And once these two weeks of relaxation pass, We'll return to the castle and get ready for the wedding, buy a new suit and everything, Right now, all we have to do is nothing,"
"Nothing?" Starlight asked as she tested her mattress.
"Nothing at all," Blueblood let out a sigh of relaxation as he turned to the window of his cabin, opening the door to the small balcony overlooking the ship. Watching the setting sun disappear beyond the horizon.
"Something terrible is going to happen, you know that right?" Starlight decided it was a good idea to try and ruin the mood by bringing up the Prince's horrible track record of leaving the castle without something horrible happening.
"Starlight?"
"Yes Blueblood?"
"Shut up..."
"Nah, I think I'll be enjoying watching you trying, and failing, to relax," Starlight smirked at her friend.
Blueblood merely responded by letting out a tired sigh.
"Do you want to check out what drinks they have at the bar?" Starlight asked, and the Prince seemed to perk up slightly at that.
"Sure, Let's go," And with that, The two Unicorns and the Golden Plant Monster finally started their well-earned vacation.
But let us be honest with ourselves, something is going to happen.
> Chapter 102: The Harmony Awards (Bonus)
"We've never been to an awards ceremony before, Friend Blueblood!"
Riding in a magical carriage, Princess Luna was going over her makeup for the fortieth time that day, her long silver evening gown rolling down her body as if made of liquid moonlight, her legs kicking up and down in excitement at the ceremony she was going to be in, "It's so exciting!"
"Let's see how you feel after the first four hours, Luna." Prince Blueblood said tiredly, wearing an expensive dark blue tuxedo, having decided to forgo covering his face with an Illusion he wore a light covering of makeup on his face in order to make himself seem less tired than he actually was.
"It's all just a popularity contest anyway." He told her as he felt the carriage stop moving.
"We know... But it's got to be gratifying to be acknowledged by your peers, right? Its like, who better understands what you go through all year long?" Luna smiled at Blueblood, turning her head to the side and showing off some new earrings as if to ask "What do you think?"
"I suppose." Blueblood simply nodded at his friend before he turned to the door and stepped out once the chaperon opened it for him, once he stood outside he smiled at the many flashing cameras and turned back to the carriage to give Luna his hoof as she too exited the carriage, briefly squinting her eyes at the shower of flashing lights as the many photographers took pictures of the Royal Duo.
"Just promise you let me go to the bar if Pinkie Pie starts giving a speech about space dolphins." He whispered underneath the smile plastered on his face as the duo waved to the many ponies standing outside, making their way up the red carpet into the expensive hall where the Award Ceremony was taking place.
"Did you spot Celly or Cadance yet?" Luna whispered back to Blueblood, smile on her face as her eyes scoured the crowd of the many other visitors that were invited to the ceremony.
"Not yet, they're probably already inside," Blueblood whispered back over the sounds of flashing cameras and journalists calling out to interview the visitors, "You remember our table, right?"
"Table C, right?" Luna responded as the duo made it to the entrance of the building, where the Red Carpet finally ended.
The two royals turned back to the crowd to give one final cheerful wave with a picture-perfect smile.
"We love you Prince Blueblood!"
"Marry me, Princess Luna!"
"You're so adorable together!"
"Has someone seen my daughter?! She's in there somewhere! Chipmunk can you hear me?!"
"Prince Blueblood! Is it true that you're in a relationship with the Second Queen of Caninia?!"
"What are you talking about?! He's obviously with Princess Ambereyes! Not Lanterlight!"
"Are you two daft?! It's obvious that he and Prince Rutherford of Yakyakistan are having a secret affair!"
"Who said that?! The Prince is the Number One bachelor! He's Mine!!!!"
"I'm serious! Starlight! Daddy's here! Are you in there?! Chipmunk!"
Ignoring the crowd, Luna and Blueblood stepped inside the building, taking a few steps deeper into the entrance hall, so the crowd outside will no longer be able to see them, and then dropped the smile.
"Is dealing with those Ponies always so tiring?" Luna let out an exhausted breath as her head slumped forward tiredly.
"You get used to it..." Blueblood said with an annoyed twitch in his eye, "Let's just get inside, The Ceremony should be starting soon."
"Agreed."
"Do you have eyes on the Crown?" Starlight Glimmer asked the pony she was sitting beside at their table near the back of the hall, Each table in the hall had eight seats, but none of them actually had eight people, leaving each table with at least a few seats empty.
Her black dress was decorated with blue diamonds near the back, complementing the aquamarine streaks in her hair.
"I do, Princess Luna and Prince Blueblood just entered the hall, they are on their way to their table, where Princess Celestia is already waiting." Raven Inkwell answered, the white Earth Pony wearing a simple red gown.
"Princess Cadenza is sitting over at table H, with Captain Shining Armor and the visitors from Thicket, King Aspen seems to be drinking to combat some form of stress, and Prince Bramble seems to be staring in awe at everypony around him," The third member of their table answered, The Majordomo of Canterlot Castle, Kibitz, took a sip from a wine glass before he leaned back in his chair, content to take the rest of the night easily as if it was a vacation.
Not even the white and red suit he wore, making him look like someone from a toothpaste commercial, could make him take this night seriously.
It was a vacation for him, let the younger generation deal with protecting the crown for now.
"Lulu, Bluey, you made it!" Princess Celestia smiled at the duo, her body covered by a long white and gold dress reminiscing of the morning sun, "We only have two more ponies at this table and then we're all here, Are you two excited?"
"We sure are! Ooh, we can't wait to win the big award for Best Princess!" Luna said cheerfully as she took her seat to the right of Celestia.
"And what about you?" Celestia turned her head to Blueblood, watching him carry a large plate of food from the catering and place it on the table before taking the seat to the right of Luna.
"Eh, I'm just here for the free food mostly," Blueblood said without care before coughing and clearing his throat, "I mean- Of course I am excited, This is an award ceremony for... A Ceremony to celebrate the... Actually, What are we doing here?"
Whatever answer he was about to get was dropped as the final two members of Table C finally arrived, "Princess Celestia, Sorry we're late, Rarity wanted to make sure everyone's dresses were perfect," A Purple Unicorn with a starry blue dress said with an apologetic smile as she took the seat to the left of Celestia.
"Ahh, if I take the seat to your left I'll be facing the back of the hall..." A small purple and green baby dragon complained as he turned away from his sister and took the seat to the Right of Prince Blueblood, allowing him to be able to see the stage where the awards would be given, "You don't mind me sitting here, right?" Spike asked the Prince.
"Nah, go ahead," Blueblood waved him off as he poured some wine into his glass, before levitating the bottle into his mouth and drinking from there.
Twilight Sparkle waved to her friends, the other five members of the Elements of Harmony all sitting at a table a bit further to the back.
"Oh ooh! It's starting It's starting!" Luna excitedly started tapping Blueblood's shoulder, causing the "Totally not an alcoholic, I can stop whenever I want" Stallion to lower the bottle and turn to the stage, not noticing the potato fries on his plate being grabbed by the Baby Dragon and the Princess of Dreams in some sort of Competition to see who can eat more chips before Blueblood notices he has no more food.
"Ladies and Gentlecolts, Thank you all for coming here tonight to the first ever Harmony Awards Ceremony," A Blue Earth Pony with a short white mane said in a monotone voice as he stood behind the podium on the stage, "My name is Flour Dust, the judges might remember me as the Royal Guard who stood outside the Canterlot Castle Library during the first chapter of this story and who has never been mentioned again after," He continued speaking in his monotone voice.
Somewhere in Canterlot City, a Brown Pegasus cheered as he stared at the screen, hugging a small Filly close to him as they jumped excitedly at seeing their Husband and Adoptive Father on stage hosting the first portion of the Harmony Awards.
"Yeah! You go Flour Dust!" Funnel Cake, Flour Dust's husband, cheered excitedly at seeing his husband getting the recognition he deserved.
After working at Canterlot Castle as a Guard for years, and dealing with the Annoying Prince Blueblood, it was amazing to see his hubby finally being recognized for his achievements.
"First chapter? What is he talking about?" Blueblood asked in confusion, receiving a tap on his back in response.
"Who is it- What the fuck!?"
"Hello Nephew," A tall Pony covered in wispy darkness smiled at the Prince, "Allow me to explain!"
"No- Wait a moment! Why is everything acting like this is normal!? Aren't you supposed to be in Limbo or someshit? What is going on?!" Blueblood turned to Luna and Celestia, hoping to see the two Alicorns agreeing with him, but they just acted like everything was normal.
"Please, Do not ignore your dearest and #1 best Uncle in the world," The Pony of Shadows said with a mock hurt tone, "Besides, this chapter is not canonical to the actual story, and is a celebration of the 100 chapters that lead up to here," Pony of Shadows smiled through glowing white eyes, grey flames of shadow flickering over his wings and mane.
"None of this actually matters in the grander scheme of the story, and is simply harmless fun," The Pony of Shadows shrugged his shoulder before turning away from his Nephew, "Anyways, I'll be sitting over there if you want to chat, You won't remember a thing, but we can still act like family," 'Uncle' gave a cheeky smile, "I know you never played catch with a father figure, maybe we can fix that?"
"I will play catch with my hoof and your face, get away from me," Blueblood said dryly as he stared at the Pony of Shadows.
"Oof, So cold, Being threatened by your own Kin," 'Uncle' Smiled at that, "How Poetic indeed... Ciao!" And with that, he disappeared in a cloud of shadows and smoke.
Turning back to his Table, Blueblood's eyes zeroed in on the bottle of wine.
It was going to be a long night.
After a few useless awards and the changing of the host several times, Blueblood decided it might be nice to at least listen to what was going on instead of wasting the entire night with a bottle.
Up on the stage, One of the Royal Guards, Flash Sentry or something like that, read out the nominees to some award nobody gave a care about.
"The nominees for the best single parent award are: King Aspen-"
Princess Cadance turned to look at the disheveled White Deer sitting beside her table, His eyes darting around the hall, full of paranoia and fear.
"He's not going to win," the young brown Deer Prince Bramble said as he rested his head on the table, the yellow bird-like creature on his head chirping in agreement as both Royals looked at the King of Thicket.
"-Firelight-"
Outside the hall, a Purple Unicorn with Aquamarine hair was trying to convince the security that he was supposed to be inside.
"Look, I'm telling you, I have the invite, It's just not on me right now, But I need to get inside there, my Chipmunk needs me!" He tried to move past the two large bouncers.
"Sorry sir, You're not on the list," One of the bouncers pointed to a list of names behind him.
"Yes, I am! It's right there! I'm nominated for an award!" Firelight pointed at his name on the list.
"Sir, that's Firelit, Your name here says Firelight, And an event like the Harmony Awards will never make a mistake like getting somepony's name wrong, You're not on the list, move aside,"
"But my baby needs me-"
"-Chancellor Neighsay-"
The head of the Equestrian Education Association tidied up his tie and straightened his suit, making sure his EEA badge was shining perfectly as it should.
Back home, his daughter was cheering at the mention of his name on the screen, likely hurting the babysitter's ears in the process.
"-And our very own Princess Celestia!" Flash Sentry read out the last nominee, before taking a deep breath.
"And the award for the Best Single Parent goes to..." He paused for dramatic effect, "Clean Squeak! Wait why wasn't she listed as a nominee if she won, I don't get this wha-" Before the Pegasus could continue, he was pulled off the stage by the next host as the Earth Pony mother went up and collected her award, giving a small speech where she talked about the hardships and joys of raising her son on her own, thanking the many ponies who helped her along the way and so on and so forth.
It would have brought a tear to Prince Blueblood's eyes if he wasn't currently drowning himself in his fourth bottle for the night.
Standing upon the stage was a Spirit of Chaos who should have been currently trapped inside a statue.
"But I'm not, this is a non-Canon bonus chapter, did you really think I'd miss this chance to wear a fancy suit and stand on a big stage? With lights and cameras and a microphone on top of a podium? Please, This stage was made for me," Discord struck a pose before he opened the note with the nominees he was supposed to read out.
"Anywho, The most fabulous nominees for most Anticipated Character who has yet to make an official appearance are- Me, Who only really had two lines of dialogue and never interacted with the main cast directly, I should be winning this award on principle," Discord smiled as he read the next Nominee.
"Prince Scorpan, who is definitely still alive somewhere, It would be stupid if he wasn't, Like, he's Starswirls former lover, how tragic would it be if they were never reunited after all these years? Really bring a tear to my eye," Discord smirked, knowing full well he was not tearing up as an image of the Gargoyle Prince's face appeared behind him, A head resembling some sort of ape with a mane of thick brown hair surrounding his head like a Lion, a pair of leathery brown bat wings could be seen in the background extending from his back.
Down in Tartarus, a Red Centaur threw a rock at the projector screen in front of him, tearing a hole in the middle of the screen.
"Curse you Scorpan! You dumb flying baboon! When I escape here, You will surely perish! Raagh!" Lord Tirek yelled before he was tackled to the ground by the Earth Pony and Pegasus guards that now stood around Tartarus, dragging the angry Centaur back into his cell.
"...This is why we can't have nice things," Nightmare Moon complained quietly as she sat on a cushion, her small form sinking into the cushion as her single blue eye stared at the hole currently in the middle of the screen, before sighing tiredly at a shadow covering half the projector, "Pooch, you're covering the screen again..."
"Woof!"
"Bark!"
"Rowf!"
"...Imbeciles..." Nightmare Moon sunk deeper into her cushion as she listened to the voice coming from the projector.
"King Sombra," Discord read the next nominee, "Specifically the one from the Reflections Story Arc from the comics? Oooh, spicing things up here? nice!"
Princess Celestia coughed as the name was read out loud, a dusting of pink covering her face as she grabbed the collar of her dress and started fanning herself with it as if she was heating up.
"Is everything alright Princess Celestia?" Twilight Sparkle asked her mentor and teacher.
"Everything is fine Twilight," Celestia smiled reassuringly at her student, "I'm just feeling a little hot, perhaps a little cooling spell could help me," She said before her horn glowed, releasing a small cloud of frost to float down onto her.
"See? Much better," Celestia smiled as she shivered in the cold air.
"Oh..." Twilight nodded before she turned to see the other three people at her table, Watching her Brother stuff his face with the food from the catering table, Staring at Prince Blueblood building what could only be described as the Prench Eyefell Tower out of empty wine bottles, and looking on in horror as Luna rocked her head from side to side in a drunken stupor, having only drunk half of a single wine glass, the extreme lightweight was out faster than it took Rainbow Dash to clear the sky over Ponyville from clouds.
And she could clear clouds really fast...
Was... Was Twilight the only normal person on her Table?
She thought for a moment, before remembering her travesty of a first impression with half the people on her table, From Blowing a hole through the roof of her Academy to blasting one of them with the Elements of Harmony to breaking into an extremely private and dangerous corner of the castle in search of a spell to go back in time, perhaps none of the ponies at her table were normal.
Reading a few more nominees. Discord finally opened the letter saying the winner.
"And the winner of the Most Anticipated Character award is... Sunset Shimmer? Drats! Foiled again by the nature of popularity competitions!"
"Yeah yeah, quit your yapping," An Orange Unicorn with a Yellow and Red mane and wearing a black leather jacket said as she stood up onto the stage, a smirk on her face as she looked at the crowd, Grabbed the award from the Chaos Spirit's claws, who immediately turned back into a statue now that he was no longer needed to read the letters and crashed onto the floor, slowly being dragged off by the staff of the ceremony.
"All I want to say is-" Sunset Shimmer gave a look at the crowd before she locked eyes with a specific table, "Fuck you," She pointed at Spike, "Fuck you," She pointed at Twilight Sparkle, "Fuck you," She pointed at Prince Bluelood, who was too busy ignoring her and drinking his problems away to listen, "You're cool," She pointed at Princess Luna, who was trying her best to look sober, despite being almost blackout drunk.
"And most importantly-" Sunset Shimmer pointed at Princess Celestia who was giving her ex-student an unamused stare of disappointment, like a parent who was watching their child make a fool of themselves in front of a large crowd, "Fuck you specifically,"
She turned to the rest of the crowd, "Fuck you all too, that's all, You lose, I win, Bye Bye!" She raised her front leg and showed her hoof, before staring at it in amazement, as if wondering where her fingers disappeared to, before her horn glowed with a flash of red and orange magic, and the Unicorn with the Sun Cutie mark teleported away.
"Princess Celestia, Who was that?" Twilight turned to her teacher once more.
"You don't need to worry about her Twilight, She's just an angry child who has yet to grow up, Just ignore her for now," Princess Celestia said, not bothering to wipe the frost and small piles of snow from her mane.
"Okay..." Twilight decided to trust her teacher and turned back to the stage, watching as a pair of Diamond Dogs got onto the stage.
"Good evening Ladies and Gentlecolts! This is your favorite host of the night speaking to you!" Blueblood couldn't stop the tired groaning leaving his throat as he slammed his head on the table, causing the tower of empty bottles to fall over.
"Why is he up there?" He turned to Luna, only to find her snoring in her seat, the single glass of wine turning her from the Princess of the Moon to the Princess of Dreams in only a short few hours.
"Stop questioning thing, Dearest Nephew! It is my turn to read the favorite Arc of this Story!" The Pony of Shadows said loudly as he opened the note with the nominees.
"From our wonderful cast of forty-nine judges, the nominees for the Best Arc of this story are: Nightmare Stars, where we got introduced to everyone's favorite princess of the Night, Nightmare Moon!" The Pony of Shadows yelled into the microphone, causing Luna to suddenly wake up, as if she heard him call her the second favorite.
"Next we have Mysterious Missing Mare and the following Tundra Terror, really influential that one, brought us both Starlight and Cosmos, very popular!"
"What is he talking about? Who invited this guy?" Hiding in the vents near the ceiling, A certain Queen of the Changelings was waiting for the Award for Best Love Interest to come up so she could win both the award and the heart of her beloved Prince.
"Next we have the oh-so-wonderful Business Trip arc combined with Of Diamonds and Stars, making up the oh-so-controversial Caninia Arc, I do enjoy that one, introducing yours truly into the mix, really, if any arc deserves to win it's that,"
Princess Moonbeam Twinkletail of Caninia tapped her paw on the table as she sipped from her wine, her magical staff rested on her knees, as she stared blankly at the Shadowy Pony on the stage.
"Is he that egotistical or is he just plain stupid? The introduction of Cadance and the Changelings, combined with the discovery that Cosmos could control Prince Blueblood if he's wearing the amulet while being knocked out were all much more important than the introduction of his character, what did he even do? He's just been sitting in the background ever since talking about 'Oh, It's all part of my master plan, I will kill you, dearest Nephew, I'm actually the big bad of everything,' It's Minotaur Shit! He hasn't done anything! Do you know who did do something? Chrysalis! She's actually been doing things, instead of sitting in Limbo all the time talking about 'Oh, It's so Poetic, I'm so evil and Shadowy and I want to kill my family and take over the world' Chrysalis actually got to fight the Prince, TWICE!" Moonbeam slammed her paw on the table and pointed at the Pony of Shadows.
"Get off the Stage! Fraud!"
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that!" The Pony of Shadow pointed at the Diamond Dog Princess, who was being pulled back into her seat by her younger sister.
"Anyways, The final nominee is the Grand Galloping Gala arc! Where we got the Prince's first semi-introduction to half of the Elements of Harmony, Pinkie Pie gets thrown into prison, and the romance with Raven Inkwell began!"
"What is he talking about?" Starlight Glimmer turned to look at Raven, watching the Earth Pony seemingly turn into a blushing red sphere as she balled up in embarrassment, "Are you and Blueblood-"
"No! Yes! It's complicated..." Raven Inkwell whimpered as she hid away from the world.
"There there, It's no need to be embarrassed, Why, back when I was still a young Stallion, I had this secret affair with the Head Chef of the Castle, she was a sweet little lady, always making sure things were in working order in the kitchen," Kibitz pat Raven on the back as the table for the Castle Staff comforted the blushing secretary.
"Did... Did things go well with her?" Raven peeked her eye open to look at the old butler.
"Oh not at all, once her husband found out it became a huge mess, I'm pretty sure she ran away after that!" Kibitz coughed into his hoof, "Now, in my defense, I did not know at the time she was married, If I had, I would not have gone through with it all,"
"That doesn't help at all..." Raven mumbled as she curled up into a ball of White fur and red silk.
"I didn't say it would help? Who do you take me for? Casanova?! I've been single my whole life! Why would anypony take romantic advice from me?!" Kibitz laughed at the idea before he returned to rubbing Raven's back.
"I feel like we're ignoring the part where we just found out that Raven and Blueblood might be sleeping together!" Starlight tried to bring back the original topic.
"Miss Glimmer, I must say, it is incredibly rude to delve into the private life of two consenting adults- You were consenting, right?" Kibitz quickly turned to ask Raven.
"I consented, yes..." Raven whispered back, her face burning red.
"Good, The private life of two consenting adults! Why miss glimmer, how would you feel if your secret love affair was suddenly outed to the public like this?!" Kibitz harrumphed as he looked at the Purple Unicorn.
"I don't have a secret love affair!" Starlight yelled.
"I do like that conversation back there! Really juicy stuff, but we need to move on with the show! The winner for Best Story Arc or whatever this award was called is... Drumroll, please? No? Fine... The Mysterious Missing Mare/Tundra Terror Arc! Who could have seen that coming!? Wooow? But, seeing as this isn't an actual person winning the award, I'll just leave the stage so we can move on to the next award!" The Pony of Shadows laughed as he disappeared in an explosion of magic and darkness.
"...What an asshole..." Blueblood whispered groggily.
"I heard that!" The Pony of Shadows yelled at him from his table beside the statue of Discord and a black and white picture of Tirek that one would usually find at a funeral.
"Yo Yo Yo! Good evening Equestria!" An Energetic Golden Retriever Diamond Dog said as she ran onto the stage, wearing a light blue dress with a lot of room for her legs and arms to move in, "I'm Fiona Floppyears! And this is my Sister, Indiana Ambereyes!" She pulled closer to her a Malamute diamond dog wearing a black and grey women's suit, "And we're here to read for the award of... I can't read this, the letters are too small."
"The Judges Preferred Romantic Ship... Is this about boats all of a sudden or?" Indiana read the topic before rolling her eyes and opening the letter.
"Oh, I know what my preferred ship is, It consists of You, and a very specific Prince who also likes to fight things... You know the one! Let's read the Nominees!" Fiona jumped into the air and snatched the list from her Sister.
"Give me that!" Indiana snapped and grabbed half of the note, pulling her head closer so both sisters could read together.
"The Nominees for the preferred ship are: Blueblood x Cosmos, Blueblood x Raven Inkwell-"
In the back, the sounds of whimpering could be heard coming from the Castle Staff's table.
"Blueblood x Starlight Glimmer, Ooh I do enjoy a good enemies to friends to lovers kind of story, how about you Indiana?" Fiona asked her sister, a wide smile spread on her face as her tail wagged in excitement.
"I think we should continue reading the nominees, Blueblood x Chrysalis" As the Princess of Caninia said those words, a loud rattling sound was heard from the vents near the ceiling.
"Is there some sort of rat infestation up there?" Indiana asked as she turned to stare at one of the staff members who was standing off stage, who shrugged in response.
"No silly, There's an infestation of Love!" Fiona said cheerfully, "And the final nominee is Blueblood x Nightmare Moon, ooh this one's my favorite, think about it! Once sworn enemies, now tortured lovers, unable to touch each other through the cage over their hearts, one is imprisoned, but more free than ever before, the other, out in public, yet feeling trapped without his one true love... Oh, how tragic! I want Nightmare Moon to win this one!" Fiona cried as she turned to hug her sister, "Please tell me she won! I need this tragedy to have a happy ending!"
Princess Indiana sighed as she opened the letter, "The winner of the Judges Preferred Boat-"
"Ship." Fiona quickly corrected.
"What's the difference- The Judges Preferred Ship award goes to... Blueblood x Cosmos!"
"FUCK!" A loud yell could be heard from the vents.
"Woohoo!" Princess Cadance cheered loudly, grabbing the crystal necklace and giving it a kiss, "You won!"
"...You know what, Come here, take the award," Hearing those words, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza walked up to the stage and took the award in the name of her friend.
"I don't know why I'm up here for this, But I don't really have a choice now, do I?" Time Turner smiled awkwardly, trying his best to not wipe the sweat from his forehead.
Back at his home, Zephyr Breeze, Trixie Lulamoon, Torque Wrench, Dinky Doo, and Derpy Hooves, all excitedly pointed at the screen, watching their friend up on stage.
"So, I'm here to read the Best Villain Award," Time Turner gulped and stretched his tie a bit, "Is it just me or is it getting hot in here all of a sudden, Haha... Ha... Heh..."
Back in Cantelot Castle, a trio of animals were sitting in front of a huge flat-screen television.
"Is there not going to be a best pet award?" Tiberius the Opposum asked as he laid his stomach on the back of the couch.
"Why would there be?" A haughty voice told him, causing the young Opposum to turn and look at Philomena the Phoenix, "Everyone knows that Cerberus would win, there's no drama or suspense in that, nobody would care," The Phoenix said as she combed her head feathers with her wing.
"Okay..." Tiberius turned away from the Phoenix, "What about you Comet? What do you think?"
"..." The Golden Spider-like Plant Monster stayed silent, simply sitting there, quietly listening to the television, her lack of eyes not allowing her to see her Prince on the screen.
Tiberius could almost hear heavy guitar music and the sounds of screams the longer he looked at the silent creature, so he quickly turned away from her.
Tiberius doesn't fear a lot of things, It's thanks to his lack of fear that he managed to get noticed and then taken in by Princess Luna.
But Comet?
If Tiberius Fears one thing out there, Then the only thing he fears is her...
"Okay, So now with the nominees out of the way," Time Turner tried his best to ignore the stares of the people in the crowd, "The Winner for the Best Villain Award is... Chrysalis!"
"Thank you, Thank you," The Pony of Shadows smiled as he stood up to accept his award.
"Really, Thank you all! I would be so grateful if I could, But I do intend to kill or enslave most of you, so I can only give you so much thanks," He grabbed the Award and teleported Time Turned away in an explosion of Shadow Magic.
"Really, I want to thank my father, which I killed, and my Sister, Who I somehow didn't kill, And my teacher, Who I am still going to kill, and-" His speech was interrupted as a staff member walked up and whispered something in his ear.
"What... What do you mean Chrysalis won? What the fuck?! I'm The Big Bad! I'm supposed to be winning this! Not the Crazy obsessive Stalker who's trying to turn into Princess Amore or whatever the fuck her plan is! What the Fuck is this shit!" The Pony of Shadows threw the award onto the floor, nearly breaking the leg of the staffer who told him the news in the process.
"I'm going to the bar... Nephew! Come and drink with me!" The Pony of Shadows yelled before he grumbled off the stage, dragging himself toward the bar near the back.
"Ahem, Now I can give my speech, thank you," Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings, stood up on the stage, her hair was cut to a shoulder-length bob, and she wore a long ripped dark-green dress with many black leather straps around her body, and her eyes were staring directly into the eyes of a certain Blonde Unicorn.
And as she started to give her speech, the crowd cringed back in discomfort at the words coming out of her mouth.
"You can't hear this," Cadance told Prince Bramble as she held her legs and wings over his ear, trying to block the Changeling's words from entering his young mind.
King Aspen was too busy staring blankly ahead to do anything.
"Is she allowed to say any of those things?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she turned to look at her fellow Elements of Harmony, who all were disgusted by Chrysalis's Speech.
"To want to do all those things..." Rarity whispered as she closed her eyes, clenching her hoof tightly as she bit her lips.
"It should be me! Not her!"
"Umm, Prince Blueblood," Spike turned to look at the Unicorn he was sitting besides, "What do you think of what she was saying?" Spike asked the Prince, trying his best to hide the cringe on his face as Chrysalis kept talking about what she would do to the Prince if she could.
"Holding hooves before marriage..." Fluttershy shivered in disgust, "How scandalous..."
"Huh?" Prince Blueblood blinked suddenly and turned to look at Spike, "Did you say something?"
"Eh, what do you think about what the lady up there is saying about you?" Spike pointed at Chrysalis.
"Oh, her? I wasn't listening," Chrysalis spat out the water she was drinking in order to hydrate her throat for a longer speech, "I learned early on that there are only two types of Crazy, Those that are Hot, and those that have nothing worth listening to, And Chrysalis is both, and you should never stick it in both."
"I have nothing worth listening to..." Chrysalis repeated the words before a large and goofy smile spread on her lips, "What else?"
"Well, Your hygiene is awful on account of you never showering properly, so you must smell as bad as you look. Furthermore, Your attitude is horrible, I am currently physically holding myself back from slamming my hoof into our face just at the mere sight of you," Blueblood started listing off things he didn't like about Chrysalis.
Chrysalis meanwhile was holding on tightly to the podium on the stage as her legs started to give out, Her smile turning euphoric as her tongue lolled out of her mouth as she continued to be degraded in front of the crowd.
"And worst of all," Blueblood pointed at her "Is that your appearance matches my type, so this leaves a massive hole of confusion inside me! I hate you and you're evil! But if you're evil, why are you sexy-shaped? I Hate It!" Blueblood suddenly downed an entire bottle of Wine in one go!
"That's my Nephew! WOOHOO!!!" The Pony of Shadows cheered as Blueblood stood up from his seat and walked to join him at the bar.
"I'm probably already drunk enough if I said those words out loud, But I need to be even more drunk if I want to forget this ever happened," He said as he sat beside his Uncle at the bar.
"Don't worry Dear Nephew, As I already said, this chapter is non-canon, nothing that's happening here is going to be remembered, This event doesn't exist!" The Pony of Shadows pulled Blueblood into a hug, "You won't be able to remember that my name is Stygian! Ha! Now you have information that will cease to exist once you return to your regular chapters! Isn't this so poetic?!"
In response, The Pony of Shadow, or Uncle, or Stygian Platinum, however one might want to call him, received a fist covered in illusionary blue flames to the face, Pluto's gift.
Meanwhile, Queen Chrysalis was being dragged off the stage, her body unresponsive as the words the Prince shouted drunkenly played in repeat in her mind.
She did not even respond when she was thrown outside, her body landing inside a dumpster, the lid falling close, trapping her inside.
Her existence was an embodiment of Disgust.
A Dead Worm inside of a Rotten Fruit.
If only It could see her now, The Queen of Changelings might be able to finally die happy.
But she couldn't, She was going to be the Disgusting Truth that mirrored Its Perfect Lie.
"Heeheehee! He said I'm his type! Kyaaa!"
That is correct, Prince Blueblood has a type.
Girls who will ruin his life.
"Wait a moment! I want to have some line of dialogue before this chapter ends!" Pinkie Pie suddenly exclaimed.
"Here I go! Blah blah blah! Bloough! Woop Woop Woop! Bowowza! Applejack has a big butt! Season 2 is going to end soon! I ship the Pirate Wizard with Nightmare Moon! Ehhhh......." Pinkie Pie paused as she tried to think of more words to say.
"Ermmm... I don't know... Thanks for reading! Congratulations on supporting this story through over one hundred chapters, and two hundred thousand words! You readers behind this wall must be pretty cool!
Hey, Quickly! Ask your parents where babies come from-"
Thanks for 100 wonderful chapters!!!
> Chapter 103: Time Off 1
"You know, When you said all we had to do was nothing, I didn't expect you to be literal," Starlight Glimmer lazily held her head in her hoof, the elbow of her leg resting on the table beside the window of the large room near the middle of the ship, staring at her friend sip something he called a Roy Rogers.
"That cocktail doesn't even have alcohol in it, are you sure you haven't gone mad searching for information about Tirek?"
"Starlight," Prince Blueblood started to speak, turning away from staring at the waves through the window beside him in order to look at his Best Friend and bodyguard, "Sometimes you need some days where you don't do anything," He took a sip from his Mocktail before he returned to staring at the waves, "You need to learn the joy of stopping to smell the flowers,"
"I know what 'Stop and Smell the Flowers' Is, This isn't it. This isn't us stopping what we're doing to enjoy the small things in life, this is us stopping to do nothing!" Starlight groaned in boredom, her head sliding down the side of her leg in order to rest on the table.
"Maybe you should go outside for a bit, I'm planning to catch up on my tan outside in a few hours, maybe you can find something fun to do," Blueblood let out a relaxed sigh after taking another sip of his mocktail, "Think of this as a vacation for you as well, You know I can defend myself, you don't need to surround me all the time,"
"You... You're letting me leave your proximity?" Starlight asked, a tinge of hope entering her voice.
"Sure, Just be sure to return to our room at 22:00, go check out the pool or something, maybe you could- And she's gone..." Blueblood clicked his tongue as he saw his friend disappear in a pop of magical light.
"...She's getting really good with all these Teleportation spells," He took another sip from his Mocktail.
"...Would a Shirley Temple be... Nah, She seems more like an Arnold Palmer kind of person," Blueblood smirked at his oh-so-wonderful idea of bringing his friend a Mocktail of her own.
What a generous Boss.
The rest of the day passed by smoothly, at least, it did for Prince Blueblood.
Starlight Glimmer, on the other hand, tried her best to find relaxation on the large floating tub of steel, filled with nearly 1,000 Passengers, and an equal number of crew, in the middle of the ocean off the western coast of Equestria, surrounded by nothing but Water.
Her boss might find the big and wide open ocean as his happy place, that or the bottom of a bottle, but Starlight had experienced enough ocean during their trip to Caninia.
Did that sound like a good enough excuse? Starlight sure hoped so, because it was a way better excuse to tell her boss as to why she wasn't enjoying their vacation than to simply tell him the truth.
"I actually enjoy doing my job with you and going on a vacation to get away from it, when the best part of the job is that we can't get away from it, just makes me excited," She wanted to tell him that, "I'm just imagining what kind of disaster is going to ruin your attempt at relaxation this week, and I'm trying to think of all the different ways it could happen, Perhaps a sudden Iceberg will appear and smash the ship into pieces of scrap, or a tidal wave will flip the entire ship so we'll be stuck inside an upside-down ship? Perhaps another assassination attempt will take place? Anyone on this ship could be a Changeling in disguise." That is correct.
For what might have been the first time in over half a year, Starlight Glimmer was doing her job as a Bodyguard, and it just so happened to be during the time when Blueblood explicitly told her to enjoy her vacation.
"I'll enjoy it much more once I see you scream in frustration at how you want just one week where nothing happens," She smirked to herself as she walked down the hallways of the ship, trying to memorize the layout of the vessel in order to better think of ways someone, or something, might be able to ruin this vacation.
Perhaps Starlight was hanging out with Raven too much?
You do know those "Romance Stories" are just Smut with a plot, correct?
Or maybe the Prince is rubbing off on her too much? Starlight! Do not develop a sadistic streak!
Wait a minute... She was a cult leader for a while, who took away people's cutie marks... Starlight? Are you a sadist?
Oh, don't mind me, the Narrator! I am also enjoying my vacation this arc! Please do ignore any silly remarks I might make, I am simply enjoying myself.
Although this chapter's length is slightly short, perhaps an Omake could lengthen the- ...
What is it? No Omake this chapter?
...~
Fine, Although I would like to actually have the focus be on the characters for more than two scenes in the next chapter, this one was indeed rather short. I understand you want to get to the end of the season already so you can write some less fluffy chapters, but these arcs are important to developing the many relationships this story has created, My good author!
...!
Very well then, I will allow this chapter to end here, But I do believe that some readers will find the shift in tone from the last arc to this one, rather jarring. Are you sure this is a good way to go about it?
...<
Oh, you are also taking a vacation with this arc? Very well then, My Good Author! Let us both enjoy this magical spring cruise to the fullest!
...B)
A Pina colada? Thank you very much!
...;)
Although I must ask, now that I have the opportunity in this relaxing environment. Does the Blueblood x Pinkie Pie ship still have a chance of-
!!!!
Whoa! Relax, fine... I'll drop the subject, this is a vacation... No mixing business and pleasure, I get it.
...>B(
Should we end this chapter here or
> Chapter 104: Time Off 2
Clean Squeak was trying her best to relax, She decided to take a vacation from her job and enjoy some time with her son, luckily for her, she managed to win a pair of tickets for a free cruise she could take and take them she did.
The last half a year was a blur of headaches and worry for the poor mare, and it all started seven months ago when she let her son look around an Art gallery.
She knows she shouldn't blame herself for what happened, the security of the place was investigated after the event, and the Museum head was fired and replaced after it all, but it did not change the fact that her poor little boy got his nose broken.
And then that scarf.
That damned scarf.
She spent what must have been days trying to clean the blood off of that scarf, but whatever material it was made out of seemed to despise the mere idea of being washed, so she had no choice but to give up and keep it as it was.
A sky blue scarf, stained with the brown splatter of her son's dried blood.
And just a month after that, She gets caught up in what the Crown describes as a 'Storm of Chaos' that came about after an ancient Spirit escaped its magical prison.
Whatever excuse they have, it didn't change the fact that she almost drowned in a flood of chocolate milk!
Luckily a passing rescue boat managed to find her and her son, together with as many other ponies as it could pick up from the flooded streets.
But there was something that connected those two events in her mind.
Prince Blueblood Platinum.
She knows it's a coincidence, of course she does, but her Son saw the prince as a hero since the day they first met, and following the Chocolate flood, that Stallion turned into an Idol to look up to for her little Pip.
She can't remember how many times her little Pip ran up to her showing off another story in the newspaper about how the Prince did something or another.
She's happy he has a positive male role model to look up to, Harmony knows his father isn't going to be one, but she's getting tired of hearing about the Prince every other week.
Yes Pip, it's wonderful that he's building diplomatic relations with Equestria's neighbors, but Mommy has a job to do.
So she made a very special stipulation that her son had to follow if he wanted to go on another cruise with her in the future if she ever gets the chance.
No talking about Prince Blueblood Platinum.
"Mom! Mom! Prince Blueblood is on the ship! And he's giving away coupons! Look!" Clean Squeak closed her eyes and let out an exhale of exhaustion as her Son jumped on their shared bed, holding in his mouth coupons for a discount on select items in one of those new BBF Grocery stores that seemed to pop up in the bigger cities.
It seems that the woes of a mother never end, even on a Vacation she is cursed to listen to her son speak about that Prince.
Clean Squeak hates coincidences.
Starlight Glimmer let out a tired sigh as her body dropped into the chair at the cruise ship's dining hall, her half-lidded eyes threatening to close and drive the mare into a deep sleep as she struggled to glare at the smug face of the Unicorn sitting in front of her.
"You look tired Starlight, What's wrong? Is doing nothing at all really that hard for you?" Prince Blueblood asked smugly, his horn glowing with light-blue magic as he moved the napkin on his side of the table and twisted it into fancy shapes as he waited for his food to arrive, "I must say, I am having a blast doing nothing, this vacation is exactly what I needed, why I'm even planning on telling a story for the children tomorrow, like one of those Story-time things that sometimes happen in Libraries, you know what I'm talking about, how fun is that?! Come on, smile a bit,"
Starlight grumbled tiredly and did her best to look angrier as she once again tried, and failed, to glare at her boss so hard he exploded.
"If looks could kill, Why if I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to tell me to shut up, but I know you too well, If you really wanted me to shut up you'd tell me, come on Starlight I know you can do it!" With a glow to his horn, a party popper appeared beside him before erupting, a small explosion of illusionary confetti covering Starlight as she grumbled slightly louder, attempting to gain control of her facial muscles in order to open her mouth and tell her Best Friend to shut up.
"...Tup...." Was all that Starlight could say before her mouth opened widely as a yawn escaped her, once that was over she turned back to her boss to see him wave his leg in front of his face as if wiping away an awful smell.
Asshole.
"Okay, no jokes, you actually look awful right now," Blueblood dropped his smile and looked straight into her eyes, a hint of worry behind the pair of glaciers, "Do not make me order you to go to sleep, even though I think you need it more than I do."
Starlight wanted to retort, say some quip, but she couldn't.
This Vacation was supposed to be for Blueblood, but now it seems that Starlight was the one who needed it more than anyone.
So with a grumble of defeat and an aquamarine glow of magic, Starlight Glimmer teleported back to their cabin, crawled into the nearest bed, ignored the fact that it was Blueblood's, closed her eyes, and went to sleep.
The slob didn't take a shower or brush her teeth.
Disgusting.
Although... I do wonder what she was dreaming about.
Starlight Glimmer had a wide smile on her face as she held on tightly to the roof of the train, the locomotive galloping at almost breakneck speeds towards an unfinished bridge up ahead.
She already managed to get all the passengers out, but that was par for the course, now she had the opportunity to watch the real show.
The reason why she loved her new job so much, even though it was basically her prison parole.
Standing on the roof of one of the cabins ahead of her, she watched as Prince Blueblood slammed his hoof into a tall insect-looking Alicorn with a powerful right hook.
The insectoid Alicorn skidded slightly on the roof of the train cabin, the force of the punch causing the fake mustache she had on her face to fly off, revealing the identity of the villain, the criminal who tried to rob this train full of money, puppies, and orphans.
"Queen Chrysalis?!" Blueblood stepped back in shock, his eyes widening at the surprise reveal that the Tall Untransformed Changeling who looked suspiciously like Queen Chrysalis with a cheap fake mustache as a disguise, was in fact, none other than Queen Chrysalis with a cheap fake mustache as a disguise.
Who would have seen that coming?!
Starlight laughed at the sight, a bucket of popcorn appearing in her hoofs as she partook of her favorite part of Bodyguarding duty.
Watching Prince Blueblood protect himself.
What soon followed was a fight of epic proportions where no magic was fired, both combatants moved like the wind as hooves met chests, kicks met elbows, and faces met the roof of a metallic train cart.
But the best part was when Starlight and the Prince jumped off the train, causing the dastardly villain to laugh as if she won, only for the train she stood upon to fall off the unfinished bridge, collide with a convenient pile of explosive dynamite at the bottom of the fall, and explode into a large ball of cinematic fire.
A pair of Cowboy hats floated down from the sky and landed on top of the Unicorn Duo's heads as they watched the fire burn, knowing full well that they saved the day once again.
So what if they destroyed hundreds of thousands of bits in property, the point is that they had fun doing so.
Starlight Glimmer was having a nice dream.
Good for her.
> Chapter 105: Time Off 3
It was the third day of the cruise, and Starlight Glimmer was starting to question how the prince is able to find this place relaxing.
"Your Highness, It has been so long since you attended one of our parties," One of the many richer ponies on the cruise apparently spotted Blueblood sometime during the second day, and now he's been hounded by stuck-up nobles the entire day.
Starlight asked if they should do something, but Blueblood told her, "Nah, these asslickers just want a piece of a crumb of my attention, just so they can go to their other rich friends and say 'Hey, did you know, Prince Blueblood actually gave me a moment of time from his busy day, which makes me much more important than all of you' and then they all start sucking each other off with their words, there's no sincerity in there, They're disgusting dolphins,"
And when Starlight asked why he decided to call them Dolphins, Blueblood descended into a rant about how Dolphins act in nature.
Suffice it to say, Starlight Glimmer now had to choose a different creature to be her favorite Animal.
"There it is... The Pearl of the Equestrian Coast. This baby is a state-of-the-art gem worth more than your entire village, and tonight, it's going to be ours..."
Sailing in the shadows behind the Equestrian Cruise Ship, a wooden Junk followed hidden, using the faulty construction of the ship as a shield from the sight of the passengers, they could almost reach out a leg and touch the other ship they were so close.
Close enough that they managed to construct a makeshift poll onto the side of the Cruise Ship to act as an anchor poll, dragging their smaller ship behind it while they waited for their time to strike.
"Why are we doing this again?" One of the creatures on the smaller ship asked, scratching the mane of titanium blue hair that wrapped from his scalp to his chin.
"The Captain already told us ten hundred times, fool, We steal the ship and hold it for ransom, the Equestrians will pay a wing and a leg to get just one passenger back, but an entire ship? We can squeeze their coffers as much as we want!" Another creature explained in a deep voice, scratching its chin with a smile.
"It's not ten hundred, dumbass, it's one hundred or ten thousand, ten hundred isn't a number!" The previous creature replied.
"Why you-"
"SILENCE!!!" A loud and commanding voice echoed around the small deck of the Junk, causing all available eyes to turn and watch as the captain walked up from below the deck, a small Capuchin sat on his shoulder, one hand holding onto the blood-red branch-looking horn extending from the top of the captain's head.
"Your shouting will alert all of Equestria to our location!" The captain said forcefully, his crimson mane swaying in the salty air of the afternoon sea as he glared down at his crewmates.
"Sorry, Captain!" The second largest member of the crew quickly bowed in apology to his Leader, because even his larger-than-normal size was nothing when compared to the full might of his Captain.
He once saw him dispatch an entire tribe on his own, fighting not only all the warriors but their Royal leader too! He was even present when his boss ascended into his current form! It was a testament from the very world that his captain was born to be a leader!
Hehe! Those weak ponies on that ship won't know what hit them! The Captain will take their ship and all the treasures he may find! Because he was chosen by the universe itself to lead!
That is correct! It was time that these cowardly ponies met a real threat to their lives of sheltered Harmony!
And who better then teach them this lesson in humility than the strongest pirate captain of the flaming coast! The Blood-Soaked Butcher of The Swan Islands! The Crimson Captain of the Cerulean Cliff!
Captain Blake!
The one who is considered by the Elders of the Raining Sun to be one of the five strongest members of their species!
His Captain will surely prove them wrong! He is not just one of the five, No! He is THE STRONGEST!!!
THE STRONGEST KIRIN IN THE WORLD- cough cough... owww... I got a bit too excited narrating it, my throat got dry... Hehe, whoops.
> Chapter 106: Time Off 4
"Mom! Come on hurry up! Prince Blueblood said he was going to tell an amazing super awesome story!" Clean Squeak smiled gently as her son pulled her toward a corner of one of the leisure rooms of the ship, past the ball pit and indoor swimming pool, and towards a corner filled with pillows and bean bags, where a gaggle of other colts and fillies sat around, their parents joining them at a distance to keep watch.
Clean Squeak sat down on one of the many pillows, Pip squeezing his way through the other children so he could sit at the front, and watched as Prince Blueblood walked to a big bean bag positioned to face the crowd, and sat down.
"Okay, I did not expect to see so many of you actually coming here," The Prince said as his eyes roamed the crowd of children and parents.
"Are you really a prince?" A Filly in the crowd asked while raising her hoof as if she was sitting in a lecture, "You don't have wings,"
"Yeah! I thought to be a Prince you need to be an Alicorn!" Another colt exclaimed, also raising his hoof like a student in a classroom, "How are you a prince?"
Clean Squeak watched the prince plaster a smile over his face as he answered the two children, "I'm a Prince because my mother was a Princess, You don't need to be an Alicorn to be royalty, Prince Haakim of Saddle Arabia is an earth pony, But he's still a prince, because his parents were royalty,"
"Where is Saddle Arabia? I never heard of it!" Another child yelled, receiving nods and sounds of agreement from the other children.
Clean Squeak chuckled quietly at the tired face the prince was making before his horn started glowing with magic and a map of the entire known world appeared above him.
"I wanted to start by simply asking what kind of story you want, but instead I'll start off with a quick geography lesson," Prince Blueblood told the crowd as he pointed at the large map, "Who here can tell me where Equestria is?"
"Ohh ohh! I know that!" Pip Squeak raised his hoof, shaking it around to get the Prince's attention, "It's over there!" He pointed at a landmass on the map.
"Correct," Blueblood smiled before the map above him glowed, a small image of Princess Celestia surrounded by a Pegasus, a Unicorn, and an Earth Pony appearing over where Equestria was.
What followed was roughly twenty minutes or so of the Prince pointing out different nations on the map and talking about the many different species that live there.
Starlight Glimmer was tapping her leg on the floor, a lax look on her face as she watched Comet scurry her way from across the room toward the Prince, the Plunderseed's almost alien appearance causing the children to jump in fright as she passed by them before climbing onto the bean bag Blueblood sat on and curling like a ball, the Prince's hoof slowly petting the plant monster as he continued giving his impromptu geopolitical lesson to the children as if the appearance of the magic canceling monster was another everyday aspect of life.
Now that she thinks about it, Comet is one of the less unusual things that happened recently.
Sure, the plant creature just sort of showed up with Blueblood after he and Princess Cadance returned from dealing with "Private Business," Whatever that means.
But much weirder stuff happened.
The entire Nightmare Moon fiasco is a great example of that.
Or even that time he had to drag her unconscious body through the Yakyakistani Wilderness, that also happened.
And for the record, Blueblood will not be getting his coat back, she slept in it and used it as a blanket in the freezing cold, It was hers now.
Starlight Glimmer chuckled at the thought, only to perk up as the Intercom of the ship started buzzing.
"Dear Passengers, this is your captain speaking, we are currently being boarded by pirates," The crowd started murmuring, "Do not worry, our security team is taking care of the issue as we speak, please remain calm and stay where you are. Thank you again for choosing Ocean Gem for your cruise," and with another buzz, the intercom turned off.
"We're getting hijacked by pirates?!" One of the children screamed in a panic before running to his parents.
"Awesome! A real-life pirate hijacking!" Another colt yelled before pumping his hoof in the air in cheer.
"Mommy, are we going to be fine?" A filly asked her mother as she was pulled into a hug.
"Everybody calm down," Blueblood clapped his hooves together in order to get everypony's attention, Starlight could already feel the smile start to spread on her face in excitement for this current adventure she and her friend were going to have.
"Security has everything under control, and as long as we're in this room no pirate will be able to get close to you, you are safe-" Blueblood's speech was cut off as the intercom system turned back on.
"Dear Passengers, this is your captain speaking, I am going to black out from the stress of the situation," The captain said in his regular calm tone as he spoke over the radio, "Our security forces have been defeated and we have been officially hijacked by these pirates. I am going to knock myself out in a blind panic now. Thank you once again for picking Ocean Gem for your Cruise of choice. We have a no refund policy." And with that, the Intercom turned off once more.
Silence hanged in the room as the children and their parents looked at the speakers near the ceiling as if waiting for them to turn back on and tell them that it was just a prank.
Starlight Glimmer, however, was busy doing something else.
"Starlight, I see that look on your face, Don't you dare say it," Blueblood warned her, raising an eyebrow at her as if challenging her to disobey him.
"I'm gonna' say it," Starlight said as a dopey smile spread on her face, her eyes locking into those of her best friend and employer.
"I will cut your pay, I am serious here," Blueblood stood up, Comet quickly climbing up his legs in order to wrap around him like a bag.
"I-" Starlight started speaking, deliberately going slow in order to milk her enjoyment of this moment for as long as she could.
"Don't you dare!" Blueblood started walking towards her.
"Told you so~" Starlight glimmer smiled innocently, enjoying the yell escaping the Prince's mouth as he picked up Comet by the tail and swung the Plunderseed into the floor as if she was a ball on a chain.
"Starlight..." Blueblood said tiredly, his Ice-blue eyes glaring into her purple.
"Yes Blueblood?" Starlight asked innocently.
"Go get rid of the pirates."
"Let's go then," Starlight picked herself up with a smile, intent on enjoying the moment when she and her boss were going to beat up some pirates.
If anyone had told her a year ago that she would find joy in bringing physical pain onto those who wronged her, she would have called them an idiot for stating the obvious.
But she never expected to have the joy of it come not from the act of inflicting violence, but from the company she did so with.
"Your mission is to reach the bridge of this ship without teleporting there, and take down as many pirates as you can along the way," Blueblood told her as Starlight started walking towards the door to the room, a pep in her step and a smile on her face.
"You're talking as if you're not joining me," Starlight pointed out as she reached the door, only to turn back and see that Blueblood did not move from his position on the other side of the room.
"Starlight, I'm on vacation right now," Blueblood said in a matter of fact tone of voice, "You'll be doing this on your own,"
"Wait a moment-" Starlight turned to point at him, "I can't just take down an entire pirate crew on my own!"
"You don't need to," Blueblood said as Comet climbed back onto his back, "Just reach the bridge, I'll take care of things after that," A soft smile crept on his lips as his horn started shining with a blue light.
Starlight felt her body lift from the ground as an aura of magic picked her up.
"Hey! Wait a moment, let's talk about this!" She started to yell.
Instead of listening to her, Blueblood opened the door to the room and tossed her out.
"I would tell you good luck, but I know you can take care of yourself," She heard his voice echo around her, "Now go kick some ass," A pair of silver orbs appeared beside her for a moment before disappearing under an invisibility illusion.
"And try not to make them bleed too much, we have children watching,"
"You're going to broadcast this to the crowd in there, aren't you?" Starlight asked as she picked herself up from the floor.
"Of course I am, Give us a good show, yeah?" Starlight could practically hear the smugness in his voice at that time.
"Aye aye captain~" She rolled her eyes and started moving.
She had a mission to accomplish, and some pirates to take down.
> Chapter 107: Time Off 5
"Behind the door to the left, two more,"
Starlight Glimmer nodded her head as she opened the door to her left, her horn already shooting two beams of magic at the Pirates who stood there.
"Eh? What?!" They yelled as the magic enveloped them, soon finding themselves floating outside the ship, gravity taking hold of their bodies as they plummeted into the salty waters down below.
"You know, You could at least try to look like you're enjoying yourself- Wow this popcorn is bad- it's getting kind of boring just seeing you teleport every one of them out of the ship, where's the action?" Starlight Glimmer took a deep breath before she turned to stare at one of two silver orbs following her.
"Maybe I'd look like I'm having fun if I wasn't being used as a magical taxi service most of the time when things like this happen," She complained to her boss, the silver orb shifting side to side as if it was thinking something over.
"You know, You could also just ignore all the pirates and head straight to the bridge," Blueblood's voice echoed around her as the silver orb bounced up and down in midair.
"But I can't, You said I need to reach the bridge without teleporting myself and to take down as many pirates as I can along the way," Starlight pointed out how she can't ignore the pirates, by Blueblood's own words no less.
"Good observation skills Starlight," Blueblood applauded her, "If you actually did do that I would have docked your pay,"
"You don't pay me," Starlight pointed out.
"Haha, Sometimes you make me laugh, Starlight. However, this isn't as enjoyable as I assumed it to be, so just get to the bridge and teleport to you when you're there, I've had enough of this vacation."
"...You sure? I thought you wanted to sit back and do nothing-"
"Teleport to the bridge," Blueblood ordered her, and Starlight dropped her previous orders and teleported to the bridge of the ship with a pop of turquoise magic.
Prince Blueblood took a look at the bridge of the ship, ignored the unconscious ponies lying on the floor, and took a seat at the Captain's chair.
"Ladies and gents, this is Prince Blueblood speaking," He said as he pushed the button to activate the comm system of the ship, "I am currently commandeering this vessel under the authority given to me by the Salty Ropes Act of 785 under Equestrian Law for Naval emergencies, And bringing us back to the land, if you are a loved one are currently being held hostage by a Pirate, please stay calm and do not panic, professional help is on the way," He briefly shut the comms off before he turned to Starlight, "Go through each room and get rid of these pirates, I can deal with things here,"
Starlight nodded her head before teleporting away.
Blueblood turned the comms back on, "Passengers who have been harmed or injured by the event that happened today, will be happy to learn that the Crown will be paying for any medical treatment or lost luggage, please check in with your local governing body to see how you can be helped," And with those words out, he turned off the comms and started steering the ship back to shore.
He didn't get a nautical science degree just to sit on it, He's a legally recognized Captain.
"You!" Suddenly, the door to the bridge burst open, a loud voice calling out to Blueblood.
"Me?" Blueblood lazily raised an eyebrow at the figure that shouted at him.
"You! Prince of Equestria! I, Xue Huanxing! The Bloody Wake! Captain Blake! challenge you to a-" The figure, a tall Royal Kirin with almost flaming red hair, was interrupted as a beam of blue magic hit him in the face, the force of the beam pushing him through the wall behind him and sending him flying off the ship, into the water below.
"Don't care," Blueblood turned away from the hole he made in the ship and returned to lazily steering the multi-million bit Cruise Ship back to Equestria.
"Prince Blueblood! Is it true that you fought off the captain of the pirates on your lonesome?!" A Pony shouted a question as she shoved a microphone into Prince Blueblood's path of walking once he stepped off of the ship.
"Yeah, sure," Blueblood said with a simple smile before he moved away.
"Prince Blueblood!" Another journalist called out to him, "How did you defeat fifty pirates simultaneously, can you share with us your secrets to success?"
"Eat your vegetables," Blueblood winked at the camera mare behind the news stallion.
"Prince Blueblood! What are your thoughts on Coloratura's newest album?" A third journalist asked.
"Overrated, the songs lack any depth or soul to them, it's obvious from just a single listen that she didn't write these songs herself, but had a team of corporate writers do it for her. I don't enjoy artists selling out their talent for bits, it was a four out of ten album, Crying for a Rainbow is still easily her best album to date, and this new Glitter for Rust is most likely going to be her lowest-rated album yet, I do hope she finds it in her to write songs with actual soul to them, otherwise I don't think she's going to be remembered in the same way Golden Maple and the Seedy Bunch were, Now their songs had Soul to them, not this 'Safe pop' that Coloratura is singing nowadays," He gave his thoughts about the album before he moved on.
"Everybody! The Prince has a very busy schedule, please move away and let him through!" Starlight Glimmer shouted over the crowd of journalists as the duo pushed their way toward a magical carriage carried by four royal guards.
"Thank you Starlight," Blueblood nodded to his bodyguard as the duo entered the carriage, placing their luggage on the floor, Comet the Plunderseed was curled up and sleeping on top of one of the suitcases.
And the carriage was off.
"I had two entire weeks planned out, but now we're going to go back to the castle and do nothing over there," I spoke out loud, poking Comet with my hoof as I stared out of the window of the carriage.
"You know..." Starlight spoke up, "I think I know why your luck is so terrible,"
"Oh? Do tell,"
"Well... Your Cutie Mark talent is finding what you're looking for, even if you don't really know where it is, when you think about it in a way, It's just Luck, You get really lucky and find the thing you were searching for," Starlight Glimmer explained, "And so, in order to somehow counteract all the luck that your Cutie Mark talent is giving you, Harmony, or some other governing power of magic, made it so whenever your Cutie Mark isn't searching for something, you'll be unlucky,"
"...Starlight?"
"Yes Blueblood?"
"That is the dumbest thing I think you've ever said," I told my only friend.
"Well, at least my theory is better than 'Your luck just sucks'" She crossed her legs and smiled victoriously.
I had no argument to what she said, so I just returned to poking Comet.
Exiting the carriage outside the gates of Canterlot Castle, Blueblood levitated the suitcases to a nearby maid, the sleeping Plundervine hanging on to the suitcase like some sort of grotesque cat.
"Wait! Prince Blueblood!" Before Blueblood could step through the gate and finally enter the castle grounds, he stopped and turned to see a unicorn mare run up to him, Her coat was a pale green and her mane a brownish orange, with a Camera hanging on to her neck and Cutie Mark of a Ladybug.
"Yes? Are you another Journalist?" The Prince raised an eyebrow before he waved his bodyguard away, letting his friend carry her own suitcases back to her room before he turned to give his full attention to the new mare.
"Yes! Independant! Sorry for bothering you, Heehehehee-" The mare giggled, her voice cracking for a moment before she composed herself, "I wanted to ask you some questions, but I wasn't sure how to get to you,"
"Of course, I'm always happy to answer questions for indie reporters," He smiled at the camera, the mare giggled once more, her voice cracking again.
"So, I'm sorry if this sounds weird, but... A tropic beach, a crystal clear lake, or a desert oasis?" She asked with a smile, her green eyes staring straight into his icy blue.
"...I'm sorry, what is the question?" Blueblood asked the mare to repeat herself as he took a wary step back from the journalist.
"I didn't ask? Oh, Heeheheheehaha, I meant to ask where our wedding should be?" The mare's eyes seemed to stare directly into his soul, unblinking, as if in a trance.
The Prince took another step away from the journalist before his eyes widened, as if in recognition. The mare, seeing the realization hit the prince, started the next step of her plan.
Before the Prince had time to pull off a makeshift shield, a beam of green magic escaped from the mare's horn and enveloped the prince.
Seeing the magic hit its mark, the mare teleported away before the nearby royal guards could tackle her, a manic smile on her face.
My body was flipping in midair as I tried to orient my fall with my magic, landing on my side on a pile of leaves, I took a quick look at my surroundings.
And smirked.
"You know, I just wanted a week to pass where nothing crazy happens," I started to jump in place, switching from my front and back legs, left and right, high and low, I stretched my body, feeling the smirk on my face twisting into a wider and wider smile.
I watched as the mare from before teleported into the clearing in front of me, her smile matching mine with its manic intensity.
"I'M GOING TO ENJOY TURNING YOUR HEAD INTO A SMEAR ON THE GROUND!" I screamed with a smile, my eyes not leaving the mare's even as her body was consumed by green flames.
"CHRYSALIS!!!"
The Changeling Queen laughed hysterically at me, her green mane still cut short from out last interaction, her legs having been grown back smoother than before, tentacles of green slime seemed to extend from behind her green mane like a weird magical braid, levitating in an invisible wind.
Chrysalis opened her mouth and yelled "I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY! MEANWHILE! I'LL BE MAKING YOU MY LOVELY LITTLE SLAVE!!!"
"BLUEBLOOD!!!"
No more words needed to be said. I wanted to fight her. She wanted to fight me.
It was only natural what happened next.
My hoof met her cheek, her hoof met mine, and the two of us started beating each other as if we were wild monkeys arguing over the last banana.
And this time, I was going to make sure to finish the job.
"!!!HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
> Chapter 108: On Time
To an outside observer, the scene taking place in the middle of a clearing in the woods at the foot of Canterlot Mountain would likely be called a murder attempt.
When ponies fight, especially those capable of using magic, it usually boils down to keeping themselves alive while trying to stop the other pony from keeping themselves alive.
Ponies, as creatures of harmony, are not known to be especially malicious or bloodthirsty, and those that are can usually be summed up to a magical corruption making them evil, or something like that.
Blueblood, however, is not a Pony, not in the same way Starlight Glimmer is, his connection with Harmony is minuscule in comparison to other Unicorns, meaning that while his go-to method of dealing with problems is a bit more... how shall we say this?
Human.
Chrysalis, on the other hand, is also not a Pony. Her connection to Harmony is even smaller than that of the Prince. It is a biological fact of her species and nothing she can do will likely ever change that, only an outside influence will be able to get a naturally... Disharmonious creature like a changeling to truly act in accordance with the Magical laws of Harmony.
All that is a weirdly long complex way of saying that Prince Blueblood and Queen Chrysalis were trying to kill each other.
Magic wasn't being thrown like a shower of explosive orbs or tendrils of slimy claws, it was just two creatures, punching each other, and hoping that the other would fall before they did.
They did not try and defend themselves, they merely dodged the hoof when they could, or took it if they couldn't, just so they could dish a hoof back without waiting.
"Why would I defend myself, if I can go on the attack?" Is what they were both thinking, and to any outside observer, that way of thinking is stupid, insane, practically suicidal.
And yet, there seemed to be an unspoken agreement between the two opposing Royals.
Chrysalis will not regenerate the harm done to her or use her magic if Blueblood did not use his own magic to take her out.
It was not a battle of who can take down the other first, it was a battle of who would use their magic first.
It was a game of chicken, and they were both ready to lose.
Even an outside observer would have been able to notice that.
So the outside observer tried to intervene.
"Queen Chrysalis! We're here to help!" A changeling screamed as he flew out of the tree line and into the clearing, his wings buzzing loudly as he tried to take a punch for his Queen, giving her the upper hoof.
However, that act broke the other unspoken agreement.
No outside interference.
The moment the Changeling entered the clearing, it was as if both parties stopped whatever they were doing and came to a temporary truce.
A fist made of dirt and stone burst out of the ground, burning blue veins holding it together, as Pluto punched the gut of the changeling from below, causing the black bug to tumble onto the ground, rolling in pain.
Chrysalis's green braid, which previously levitated behind her like an extra appendage, magically extended into a clawed hand and grabbed the face of the Changeling, of her own subject, and pulled it towards her.
This one Changeling, this single insect, has dared interfere in her fight.
In her path to love!
A smooth black leg shot towards the gut of the Changeling, Queen Chrysalis impaling her own subject for the crime of interfering in her fight.
Her side was the one that broke the agreement.
And therefore, her side will be taking the punishment.
She let the still twitching corpse slide down off of her leg as she turned to look at her opponent, His face was stained red from all the blood trailing from his nose and lips, purple bruises seemed to grow beneath white fur on his cheeks and chest, and a Snake-Skulled statue made out of the material around him levitated over his body like a guardian angel.
A smile started to spread on the Prince's battered face as he realized what just happened, and without waiting for further clearance, his horn started to shine with a blue aura.
The real fight starts here.
"Your Majesty! Prince Blueblood has been kidnapped!" A Royal guard yelled as he burst into the throne room, his eyes quickly finding Princess Celestia.
"WHAT?!" The Princess of Equestria, who ruled for over one thousand years, screamed the question.
"It was right outside the castle gate, an unknown Unicorn came up to him under the guise of-" The royal guard was cut off as a magical aura of Arctic Blue, Light Pink, and vibrant gold, enveloped him and lifted him off the ground, quickly pulling him to float in front of a blank-faced Celestia.
"Where is he?" Celestia's voice was calm yet booming, magically echoing across the entire throne room, the nearby staff all took a step back, some taking several, and the Royal Guards stationed throughout the castle started to sweat under their armor as the temperature was raised several degrees in the matter of an instant.
"I don't know- She used a Teleportation spell! She could be anywhere!" The answer the guard gave, it seems, was unsatisfactory, as Celestia's magic through the guard across the room, his body hitting the floor and sliding out of the door he came in from, his magically enchanted armor the only thing keeping him from breaking several important bones in his body.
"Raven Inkwell," Princess Celestia said calmly, her voice still echoing with magic, "Keep my throne warm for me," She stood up, not even caring that Raven Inkwell was not in the same room as her, as she walked out of the throne room, passing the panicking Guard she threw out moments prior, and stepped outside into the afternoon sun.
Princess Celestia knew she was past her prime, she had spent more time as a benevolent and harmonious ruler of a nation than she had as a traveling Warrior from all those centuries ago, over one hundred times as long, yet she was not as rusted as many might think of her.
The ponies outside stepped away and kept a clear distance between themselves and the Alicorn, her aurora of mane now a pillar of fire, the heat emanating from her body was starting to singe the fur of the nearby pones, and with a single flap of her wings, she disappeared.
Where she previously stood, four indents were left on the marble floor, where his hoofs melted the ground beneath her.
And if any pony were to look to the sky, they would find a trail of fire circling Canterlot, slowly expanding the diameter of its circle, like a radar, searching for what it was looking for.
It took only an instant, one moment she was staring at a smiling Prince, enchanted by the color of his blood. The next, she stood in the middle of an empty road in the middle of the desert.
She looked left and saw the road stretch out for as far as her eyes could see.
She looked right, and she saw that the desert stretched out to the ends of the earth.
The sun was beaming down at her, a tumbleweed crossed by her, and the vultures in the sky circled her, waiting for their next meal.
She smiled at the scene, an empty wasteland, where only the worst of the worst could survive the natural hostility of the place. You either live underground like a mouse, hiding away for the rest of your life.
Or you live in the sky like a vulture, waiting for a mouse to pop his tiny little head out of the sand.
It wasn't long before she picked up a new sound made itself known, it was a rumbling engine, an automobile making its way down the road, a pillar of smoke and dust trailing behind it.
Queen Chrysalis smiled at the incoming automobile, and at the white Unicorn driving it.
She waited with a smile stretched on her wretched face as the vehicle sped up at the sight of her.
She bent her legs, waiting for the moment to jump, her smile nearly feral in its width.
And when the car was moments away from striking her, when she could see that her smile matched the one of the driver, she jumped.
Only that her legs did not move.
"Oh..." Queen Chrysalis said with a smile, as the vehicle, a large open-roofed jeep slammed into her legs, her body falling on top of the jeep and flinging over it, landing on the road behind, receiving a face of smoke and dust to spice up the pain.
"I expected more," Chrysalis noted to herself calmly as she felt her legs bend in directions that her biology would not naturally allow in the form she was currently taking.
And then her smile brightened when the "More" she was expecting appeared.
"PLUTO!!!" A voice screamed out, and an industrial chain flew out of the cloud of dust, the hook at the end of the chain stabbing into her left front leg, another explosion of pain sprouting from her limb.
Chrysalis laughed out loud, her voice manic and crazed, as the chain in her leg pulled taut as the vehicle sped away, and with nothing else to hold her back, she was dragged along.
She knew none of it was real, it was an obvious illusion, yet every bump in the road, every rattle of the chain, grain of sand flying into her eyes.
It all felt so real.
But it wasn't over yet, with a quick turn of the steering wheel, the Jeep left the road, dragging Chrysalis with it as they entered a field of Cacti.
Chrysalis screamed with laughter, her body overflowing with love, as every rock that slammed into her back, and every cactus that smacked against her carapace and every spike and every point all seemed to fuel her more and more.
"I LOVE THIS!" She screamed, a mixture of pain and joy, as her body was caught between a pair of heavy cacti, the chain in her leg still pulling hard.
With a scream of euphoric anguish, her body was engulfed by a burning pain, the chain in her no longer able to pull her body while she was stuck, a fountain of green blood bursting out of the mangled stump where her left front leg was supposed to be.
And with her body overflowing with such potent love, the Illusion shattered, And Queen Chrysalis found herself laughing hysterically at it all.
She ignored the corpses of the changelings that littered the previously empty clearing, she ignored the bloody stump where her lug was supposed to be, and she ignored her mind screaming at her to do something, that she was killing herself.
"I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!!!" Chrysalis cried, her missing leg seemingly bursting back into existence with a flare of green fire.
And without waiting any further wait, The gelatinous tendrils that made up the braid in her hair burst into green flame, escaping her body like a swarm of flying snakes, homing onto the only other living creature remaining in this sea of green blood and black bodies.
"PLUTO!!!" The living statue that levitated on a serpentine tail yelled out as it intercepted the flaming tendrils, acting as a meat shield for its creator.
Yet, the burning snakes were nothing more than a distraction, as a sharp spike of solid black chitin pierced through its torso.
Queen Chrysalis cracked her neck, her smile still glued on to her face as her body seemingly doubled in size, her previously slim form now covered in an organic armor of dense chitin, a pair of extra limbs extending from her shoulders like the claws of a praying mantis, ending in sharp black spikes.
She looked less like a Pony, and more like a mutated Beetle, her new solid black carapace too heavy for her to take flight.
She looked all around the clearing, her legs heavily armored, slowly turning her body to take in the entire clearing around her.
She created this transformation following her previous fight with the Prince, taking heavy inspiration from his sense-sealing chains and mask, trading her mobility for a large boost in power.
In this form, she was like a sitting duck, unable to turn quick enough to hit her target, but also tough enough to not need to dodge.
And most importantly...
With a flare of green magic and a scream of effort, Chrysalis spread her telekinesis as far as she could take it, and with a stomp of her legs, lifted everything in her grasp.
And by everything, that means Everything.
The dirt and leaves on the ground started to levitate, the trees found themselves uprooted and lifted into the air, the corpses and blood started to float, like a thick miasma of green and black, and in the distance, at the edge of her reach, she found it.
"COME OVER HERE!" She screamed as she dropped her telekinetic hold on everything else in order to focus on that one object. And with a pull of her magic, hearing it slam into the many trees in its way, Chrysalis dragged Prince Blueblood back into the arena the two created, his body covered in golden chains and a horned gladiatorial mask, only for it all to shatter away as he flew right into a solid black leg.
It was less like the hoof of a pony, and closer in shape and size to a battering ram, and Prince Blueblood's body slammed into it at speeds that would make some of the greatest Pegasus athletes jealous. His protection shattered, his body was enveloped in pain, and his mind seemed to blank for the briefest of moments as it screamed at him, working overtime as the lights started to dim beneath his eyelids, that he had to get out of there.
For the first time in twenty-nine years.
Prince Blueblood Platinum, Truly thought, in the deepest depth of his soul.
"I might actually die here,"
"Heh..." His limp body shook in Chrysalis's hold, his chest engulfed in pain as his lungs tried to keep him breathing.
"Hehehe..." Queen Chrysalis smiled wider than before, the armored carapace on her face cracking as her lips spread to unnatural limits, injuring herself in her manic glee.
"Hehehehe... Heheha.. Hahaha..." Blueblood's body stopped moving for a moment, going limp, silent, for but a moment.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" Only to return with an explosion of gold, blasting his body away from Chrysalis and onto the floor, only for his body to be caught in his own Telekinesis.
"YES! THIS IS WHAT I WAS WAITING FOR!!!" He screamed a mixture of joy and pain, his eyes bloodshot and manic, and yet so full of life.
Full of drive.
Full of Love.
Chrysalis's breath hitched once she saw those eyes, and that was all the time Blueblood needed.
"EPIMETHEUS!" With a yell, A beam of golden magic flew into the sky high above him, disappearing above the clouds and reaching the utmost edges of the magical atmosphere that surrounded the earth.
Chrysalis's eyes followed the beam, watching it disappear in the distance high above before she looked back down the to prince, only to find him gone.
"I GOT YOU!" She craned her neck down, seeing the Prince hugging the bottom of her body, magical chains extending from his horn and tying the two together.
With a smile, Chrysalis's form shifted, dropping the heavily armored carapace and returning to her slim and natural physique. Using her slimmer body, she wrapped her limbs around the prince and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug.
That is not to say she hugged him tightly, no. His bones were being crushed underneath her vice grip.
"I GOT YOU!" Chrysalis repeated the Prince's words, her face mere centimeters from his, Green blood dripped down from her mouth and mixed with the red flowing from his nose, her emerald orbs stared into his arctic blue, she got him.
She won.
"I win." Blueblood said simply, a confident gleam in his eyes as he stared into the Changeling Queen's windows to the soul.
"Oh?" Chrysalis tilted her head to the side, her forked tongue sticking out of her mouth as she started to lick the Pony in her grasp, "How so?"
"The spell I just cast, Epimetheus, It's going to kill you," He said calmly, not caring for the wet appendage licking the blood and sweat from his body, "Pale Blue Dot won't work on you, if you could escape it once, you can escape it again, so I needed a new spell, one with a similar cost to Pale Blue Dot, yet not an Illusion. That is where Epimetheus comes in,"
"Go on," Chrysalis whispered huskily as her tongue shapeshifted in order to extend further, wrapping around the prince like a wet scarf covered in taste buds, The Changeling Queen able to taste every corner of his body.
"Epimetheus is one of the many moons of Jupiter, but in Myth, he is a son of the Titan Iapetus, making him the brother of Prometheus and Atlas," The Prince started to explain, his eyes still staring to the Changeling's own, "Atlas isn't relevant right now, so we'll stick to Prometheus and Epimetheus. If Prometheus is the Foresight, who acts in a way that he sees will be better off in the future, Epimetheus is his opposite, the Hindsight, who acts selfishly only thinking of the here and now, irrespective of how his actions might affect himself or others in the future,"
"A Warrior and a Philosopher?" Chrysalis mumbled, her tongue still wrapping around the prince like a cocoon of muscle, "Just shut up and take me here and now why won't you~"
"Let me finish before you open your whore mouth to interrupt me you stupid bitch," Blueblood said with a calm smile as if he did not just insult the person holding his life in her grasp, The Changeling quivering as the insults washed over her body.
"Hehe, Demean me more~" She whispered, her tongue already halfway through with wrapping around the Princes's torso, steadily making its way lower.
"Shut up, In myth, Epimetheus is the husband of Pandora, and in some stories, he's the one that opens Pandora's box," Blueblood looked away from the Changeling Queen's eyes and turned to the sky above, "This Spell is a symbolic recreation of that, Opening Pandora's Box, or in this case, Opening the crust of the earth,"
"Oh?" Chrysalis turned to follow the Prince's gaze, watching a tiny glint of gold sparkle high above the sky.
"This spell is the Physical replacement to Pale Blue Dot, made specifically for people like you, who'll be able to escape that Masterful Illusion," Blueblood grabbed Chrysalis's face with his magic and pulled at it to make her look back down at him, watching an excited smile stretch on his face.
"This spell is a fallen star, that will drill into the earth until it no longer has any power, a spell designed for destruction above all else," His smile stretched wider as he managed to pull his legs out of the fleshy cocoon made form the Queen's tongue, grabbing hold of the sides of her face and pulling her even closer to hi.
"In order to maximize the destructive output of this spell, I had to throw range and accuracy out, This spell is the ultimate game of chicken, and this time, you won't be teleporting away!" A Pang of pain erupted from Chrysalis's hind legs, a pair of hooks emerged from the ground and pierced her flesh, grounding her in place.
"THIS SPELL WILL DIG INTO THE EARTH UNTIL IT IS NO LONGER ABLE!!! A DRILL THAT WILL BREAK OPEN PANDORA'S BOX!!! AND IT ONLY HAS ONE TARGET, NO MATTER WHAT!!!!!" Blueblood's voice turned manic as his hooves squeezed the Changeling's cheeks so tight her Carapace started to crack, "ME!!!!!"
Chrysalis's eyes widened in horror as she turned to look at the glinting spark of gold, getting larger and larger in the distance as it came down ever closer.
This was why Blueblood latched on to her, he could not aim this spell, so he had to use himself as the target.
And as he said, this was a game of chicken, Either Chrysalis tears her own legs off once more in order to escape, or the drill kills her as Blueblood teleports himself to safety at the last possible moment.
Or...
Chrysalis doesn't let go of the Prince or tear her legs off, and they both die.
Chrysalis turned away from the ever-approaching drilling beam of Golden Magic and stared into the Prince's eyes.
She could not let herself die yet, She still had so much to do, she had to become the perfect reflection of It, and to do that she still needed to understand It, what It did, what It truly meant to her.
She was little more than a dead worm inside of a rotten fruit, a living embodiment of disgust.
And she was hungry.
Oh so hungry.
Chrysalis's lips, bruised and bleeding, locked with those of the prince, chapped and dry, their blood mixing on her tongue as she dragged it back into her mouth, the taste of salty sweat and coppery blood mixing together to create a hideous concoction.
She loved it. But she was still hungry.
And she will always be hungry. That is something she knew.
From the moment It pulled her out of that muck, she was Hungry.
And that hunger could never be satiated.
Not by It, not by Its daughter, who was sent to the far future as the black butterfly betrayed It, and not by this Prince, the last heir to the ancient house of Platinum, nothing could make her full.
The Being who was called Chrysalis existed to consume, and no matter how hard she tries to change that, to become like It, A being who existed to be loved, She will never be It.
And deep down, in the recesses of her mind, she knew that.
She was a dead worm inside a rotten fruit.
And with a flare of green magic from her Horn, The Worm started to consume.
Deep inside the Prison of Tartarus, in the most secure cell of the magic prison, a certain prisoner was laughing hysterically at the turn of events.
"YES!" Lord Tirek cheered, the chains binding his body to the floor of his dark and empty cage creaking and rattling at the force of his yell, "IT'S ALMOST HERE! SO CLOSE! SO CLOSE!!!"
It was not yet time, but it was coming, the paths had aligned, and Destiny was fast approaching.
And Tirek Knew, that should he fail to destroy the world, there will still be three other opportunities to follow.
"THE END IS NIGH!!!"
Because only one may bring forth the Apocalypse, and that is something that will never change, no matter how much the script was ruined, it will always happen.
That was their Destiny.
That was their Fate.
Chrysalis knew she could not stop the drill, her magic could not create a barrier strong enough.
But she did not need to block it.
An orb of green flame shot out of her horn, flying upwards to meet the beam of gold.
And as the orb touched the drill, it started to consume.
Like a mouth in space itself, sucking the magic like a black hole, The orb of green fire started to consume Epimetheus.
The more Epimetheus drew closer, the more the green flames ate at it, growing larger and hotter with each second.
Chrysalis felt her horn shudder under the weight of the spell, she felt liquid drip down her face as her horn started to crack, forcing her to actively regenerate the horn while controlling the Fire.
The Flames of Famine.
Consuming all in their way, from trees and stones to heat and magic, nothing could escape the all-consuming hunger of a creature destined to be one of four beings who would bring the end to the world.
And yet, having an infinite appetite does not mean having an infinitely large stomach to hold all her food.
As the drill of magic disappeared completely inside of the flames, Chrysalis shuddered, her body convulsing as pain spread through her entire nervous system, as if her entire body was stripped apart into nothing but nerves, and then dipped into a vat of molten iron.
She screamed, not in joy or love, but in absolute, gut-wrenching, mind-numbing, indescribable pain.
The orb of flames shuddered above her, her mind barely conscious enough to understand what was going to happen.
If Epimetheus was a drill that was going to pierce the world. Then the orb of fire was a bomb, with the force of the drill that would break open Pandora's Box.
Chrysalis felt her lips turn upwards as she turned away from the orb, her magic no longer controlling it as the flames started to fall down to earth.
She stared at the unconscious body of the Prince beneath her, and for what was probably the first time in her rotten life, she loved something.
A soft pink mist flowed out of her horn as it started to heal the injuries the Prince sustained, her body going limp as the strength in her legs left her, tumbling down onto the prince beneath her.
With a final glow to her horn, Chrysalis created a dome around the two of them, trying her utmost to protect both of them. For the first time in a lifetime, Chrysalis cared about another creature that wasn't It.
And then the flames touched the ground.
Princess Celestia turned her head in silent horror as she watched an explosion of green and gold magic shake Canterlot, the mountain shuddering as it held strong under the force of the explosion.
Without waiting, Princess Celestia flew to the epicenter of the explosion, her magic clearing away the dust and flames as she looked around her.
What was once a clearing inside of a bright and colorful forest was now nothing more than an empty field of dust and ash.
Celestia's eyes locked on to the only thing in the clearing that wasn't Ash and smoke, her body turning into a living missile as she broke the sound barrier just to reach the body quicker.
She gently picked it up, an injured and bleeding Unicorn, and hugged it close to her.
She placed her ears on its chest and breathed a sigh of relief to hear that it was still alive.
"Don't worry Baby, Mommy's going to save you," And with a burst of an aurora of magic, the two ponies teleported back to the castle in order to get the Unicorn the best treatment he could get.
And in her hurry to bring her adopted son back to safety, Princess Celestia did not see the victorious smirk on the Unicorn's face or the glint of green magic in its horn.
When I woke up, I knew that I was still unconscious, thanks to the fact that my body seemed to be made out of solid blue water, and I was standing on top of a flat white plane, extending endlessly as far as I could see.
"I didn't look like this since Nightmare Moon was in my mind," I noted as I started to stretch my imaginary limbs, trying to get used to this false body that I seemed to create whenever I was pulled into my own mind.
"You fucked up," I froze as a hauntingly familiar voice sounded from behind me.
"You're dead," I turned around to point at where the voice came from, only to find the place empty.
"Oh? Am I a ghost? Or am I just your subconscious trying to tell you something?" The voice kept talking, that familiar emotional undertone.
I hated that voice.
"Come out here so I can make sure you're actually dead this time!" I yelled, my body turning around in search of that annoying voice.
"You're a slave Kingfisher, you can't kill me, And besides-" I growled as I turned around once more, searching for that bastard.
"-You're already dead~" I froze as I faced him.
He looked nothing like how he was supposed to.
"Why the fuck are you an actual Macaw?" I asked the anthropomorphic bird, a Harpy, his body covered in red feathers as his hands and feet were replaced by claws and talons, large white circles surrounded his eyes and his mouth was replaced with a black and white beak.
"You're not going to question being dead?" Macaw asked with that annoying voice of his, raising a feathery eyebrow at me.
"If I was actually dead, We wouldn't be having this conversation, secondly, If you're here that means you're a ghost and you're haunting me, however, ghosts aren't real, which means that you're just an annoying figment of my imagination and nothing you say matters, Also, go Kill yourself again you piece of shit," I told the walking and talking figment of my imagination.
"Ooh~ telling me to kill myself? So cruel, classic Kingfisher~" Macaw's beak turned to a smile before he returned to normal, "You're going to be stuck here until you wake up, you know that?" He kicked the flat white plane with his clawed leg, "Wanna do something in the meantime? I think I can create a deck of cards or something, seeing as this is your subconscious and I'm just an avatar created by your inner self in order to keep you from going insane," He plopped down onto the floor, a pack of cards appearing in his claws, "Wanna play Old Maid or Go Fish?"
"...Fuck it, Might as well," I groaned tiredly before my see-through water-like body sat down in front of the ghost of a man who ruined my life.
It's not like I had anything better to do.
> Chapter 109: The Princess is in Captivity and No Longer Dead
Inside of Canterlot Castle, sitting at her desk, Raven Inkwell was wishing she could take a break.
With the wedding just another week away, Raven has been stuck with managing most of the nation while Celestia was busy smiling on her throne as if nothing was bothering her.
Raven knew otherwise, of course, Princess Celestia is a horrible actress. Perhaps that's why so many ponies love her, she wears her heart on her sleeve, so you always know what she's thinking, and those thoughts are always positive.
Sadly that also means that whenever she's not feeling so positive, it makes her hard to approach, the citizens not wanting to get on the nerves of their Princess.
Luckily, that means that not many ponies visit her court, which makes Raven's job much easier.
Unfortunately, that also means that Celestia gets much less work done, and Raven needs to pick up the pace to keep everything running.
"Hey, Raven? Are you busy in there? I know you are but... I need to talk," Raven looked up from her paperwork, checked the time on the clock on the wall, took ten seconds to make her desk look more presentable, drank the last few milliliters of coffee in her mug, scrunched her face once she noticed it had gone cold, coughed into her hoof, brushed her hair a bit, adjusted her glasses, sat straight in her chair, tried to see if she forgot anything, decided that if she forgot it then it must not be that important, and spoke up.
"Open- I mean, Come in," Raven said once she made herself presentable.
Raven watched the door open as Starlight Glimmer walked in, looking somehow more tired than she was.
"Raven, your-" Starlight motioned with her hoof to her neck, "Your tie thingie is hanging loose,"
Raven looked down at her neck, finally noticing what she failed to remember mere moments prior.
She quickly turned her chair around in order to hide it, took her tie off, and turned back to watch Starlight as if nothing had happened.
If she doesn't acknowledge it, then that means it never happened.
"Hello Starlight," Raven said with a smile, trying her best to look prim and proper as the Secretary of Princess Celestia, "What can I help you with?"
"Please say go out for Brunch, wait, no, it's the afternoon, Please say go out for Supper, I need an excuse to stretch my legs" Raven begged in her mind, wishing Starlight Glimmer would say those magical words.
"I need to talk to you about Blueblood," Starlight said as she took the seat on the other side of Raven's desk.
"AHHHHHHHH!" Raven's mind screamed at her, "Did she figure out we were sleeping together? Does she not want me to be doing that? Why? Does she want Blueblood to herself? I can't let that happen! We'll no longer be friends with benefits, we'll just be regular friends! But what about Blueblood's mysterious long-distance lover? Does Starlight know about her? And what about-" On the outside, Raven looked calm and collected, like a proper secretary. But on the inside, Raven was reliving her teenage years.
"What about Blueblood?" Raven asked with a smile, ready to listen to her best friend.
Her best friend she only knew for less than a year...
Who is also a criminal on special parole and also the bodyguard of her lover...
Never mind the fact that the reason she's her best friend is that Raven's friend list can be counted with the number of Princesses Equestria has...
Raven concluded in her mind that she needed to make more friends, only for another part of her mind to immediately follow by telling her that she doesn't need new friends because making friends requires talking to other ponies about subjects that do not relate to her work, and that means being proactive, and she'd much rather not do that at all ever for the rest of her life.
"Do you think he's disappointed in me?" Starlight asked, and Raven had to turn her focus back to the Unicorn in front of her.
"Why do you think he's disappointed in you?" Raven asked, trying her best to look as if she wasn't thinking of something else entirely less than a minute ago.
"Well, He hasn't been speaking to me, and whenever I try to enter his room he locks the door and tells me to leave him alone," Starlight started to speak, "He locks the door sometimes, sure, but never when I'm trying to enter, it's usually when he's working on some stupid BBF project and wants some privacy, but he always explains that as well, now he's just... Distant."
Raven's mind whirled trying to think of a reason, "Maybe he's still angry after that assassination attempt, and he's been working out in his room alone, and doesn't want anyone to see him?" Raven brought up the idea, her mind imagining the Prince, his body shaking and covered in sweat, as he did one-hoofed pushups, the other front leg held behind his back, his face set in a look of fiery determination, only for the hidden door behind his closet to accidentally pull open, Her body tumbling out into his room, Blueblood stops his pushups and stands up to turn his body and look at her, using a nearby towel to wipe the sweat off his face as he scowls at her, frustrated that this moment of silent privacy was interrupted by her clumsy entrance.
"Hehe, oops?" She chuckled, squirming under his gaze as he scoffed at her, turning away as if she wasn't worth the effort of admonishing.
"I'll be leaving then, sorry for interrupting..." She said as she turned back to the hidden door, ready to leave the Prince to his own machinations, only for her leg to be caught in a telekinetic grip.
"Who said you have permission to leave?" He asked her, a subtle tone of frustration in his voice, his chest heaving from the intense workout making his breath come out heavily as he used his magic to drag her closer to him.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-" Raven tried to explain herself quickly only for her mouth to close, a telekinetic grip forcing it shut as her body was lifted off the ground, held up by her hind legs, as her face got dragged closer to the glaring visage of Prince Blueblood.
"Raven?"
"I do not remember giving you permission to speak," He told her, the ocean-deep glaciers that were his eyes glaring into her coffee brown, "You have interrupted me at my weakest, as I tended to my own flesh following that humiliating defeat," Raven felt insignificant at that moment, like a trapped rat cowering in front of a hungry cat, she was a mere Secretary, not even a royal like him, and yet she dared lay her eyes on him in his most vulnerable position, his forelegs still wrapped in bandages.
"Raven, are you listening?"
Raven stilled as she felt the Prince's heavy breathing impact her, her fur being pushed aside, "You will not be leaving this room until your behavior has been fixed," He growled into her ear, her body shivering as the vibrations flowed through her body, her mouth being forcefully pulled open by his magic as a plastic ball found its place there, tied to the back of her head by a pair of strings, "And you won't be needing this for your punishment," Raven's eyes unfocused as her glasses were taken off, "I know you have troubled vision, so you will likely be unable to see this," Raven froze as she felt the Prince's lips kiss beside her mouth, so close to her lips she could almost taste him. If only she didn't have this accursed gag over her mouth.
"Earth to Raven, Are you even there right now?"
"And since you didn't see that, You likely won't see this as well," Raven's legs started to rub together as her body squirmed, hanging upside down, held by the Prince's magic, as his lips started to kiss her all over, her body slowly getting lowered to the ground head first as the prince continued kissing her over and over, each kiss going a little lower on her body before-
Raven jolted up at the loud clapping sound, finding herself in her chair, back in her office, the sweat-covered stallion of her dreams no longer to be seen.
"Raven, You fell asleep while I was talking," Starlight Glimmer told her, her face twisted in worry, "You really need to take a break, and finish work early," She stood up and started moving to the door, "I'll come to talk to you tomorrow, My issues can wait, take care of yourself, okay?" Starlight Glimmer told her before she exited her office and closed the door behind her, leaving Raven sitting on her chair, wishing she was back in that wonderful dream.
Princess Mi Amore Cadenza was going through a very busy time, She already wrote down how she and Cosmos planned her wedding to look and gave the details to Princess Celestia, who was all too eager to help with the wedding preparation, anything to take her off the throne.
Cadance was almost worried for her, almost. After her Cousin came back and locked himself in his room without leaving, Auntie Celestia was down in the proverbial dumps.
Cadance wasn't worried, Her cousin would pull through with whatever was ailing him, He always does, and when that inevitably happens, Auntie Celestia will return to her normal cheerful self, who doesn't need to use her non-existent acting talent to make things look like they're doing fine.
The last time she was like this, was after Bluey got sent to Yakyakistan after trying to arrest Starlight Glimmer, and Cadance knows how well that ended up for Bluey.
Cadance wasn't actually there to see it, but she heard Luna talk about it, so she decided to give it some time. As they all say, Time heals all wounds.
Although, Cadance was not expecting one of the maids to tell her that Bluey was calling for her and that he needed to talk about something important.
She first assumed that he would simply illusion a copy of himself into her room and scare her while she wasn't looking in order to deliver the message, but perhaps he simply wasn't ready to use his magic yet so soon after the attempt on his life.
"Bluey, it's me," She said as she knocked on his door.
"Please, come in," He spoke from the other side, opening the door slightly to show that it was unlocked.
Stepping into his room, Cadance expected to see her cousin either lying injured in his bed, or working on one of his little projects by his desk, instead, she found... Nothing.
Her cousin wasn't in the room.
Her body involuntarily jumped as she heard the door close behind her, "Oh, Haha, What is this? A Horror novel?" Cadance chuckled to herself while rolling her eyes, turning behind her, expecting to see her cousin smirk that annoying smile he does whenever he thinks he's done something worth being proud about enough to show but not proud enough to smile widely about.
"A horror novel?" Cadance felt her body freeze, her eyes had to turn up to stare at the creature blocking the door, "No, oh you lovely little thing, This isn't a horror story," She recognized it, it looked different from the last time she saw it, its body was no longer riddled with holes, it was smooth and reflective, like the chitinous exterior of a beetle, its hair was now cut much shorter, having a sort of gelatinous depth to it.
But it wasn't any of that that froze Cadance in place, no, It was those eyes, wide and manic, a reflective Emerald so bright it almost made her feel sick.
Scratch that, Her knees buckled as she fell to the floor, her stomach exiting her mouth as she threw up, her wide purple eyes shrunk into pinpricks as she felt an unnatural fear take hold of her body, her mind banging against the constraints of its skull as it sang and shrieked as if a traumatic memory that she locked away in the darkest recesses of her mind was clawing up out of the mental void, like a beast ready to bring nothing but ruin and destruction.
She knew what this creature was, of course she did, she saw her Cousin fight it in Caninia back in November of last year, and yet, her mind seemed to scream at her louder at just the memory of that encounter, yelling at her that she recognized it from before, much before, from a time before she could remember.
"This is a Romantic Drama," The hideous creature told her, smiling down at her from her towering position above, "And you, dearest Princess, are a valued member of the oh-so-colorful cast of characters, and I do not wish any harm to come to you," Cadance felt ready to vomit again, her body hacking and coughing in an attempt to get rid of the vile feeling that coursed through it as the creature's leg moved to caress her cheek.
"Help..." She whispered, her body quickly losing the strength to fight back, to call for help, to save herself from this vacuous mass of living tissue in the approximate shape of a pony.
"Oh dear, I am going to help you, after all, you are Its daughter, and I would never dream of harming anything that was Its." The Creature smiled down at her, its horn glowing a sickly green as flames licked its flesh, changing texture and color as the form of the horrible being before her shifted into a perfect mirror image of herself, "I only wish to help you, And for that I need you out~"
Cadance didn't know what happened next, her mind was sluggish and slow, one moment she was lying in a pool of her own bile, tears streaking down her face, and next, she found herself inside a cage of crystal, with no visible exit from her underground prison.
"Eight-hundred and twenty-one, Eight hundred and twenty-two, Eight hundred and twenty-three, Eight hundred and-" Cadance's mind stalled as she heard a voice from behind her, she slowly turned her body around, eyes wide with panic, ready to shoot her magic at it should it prove a threat.
And then she paused, a soft chuckle escaping her lips at the sight in front of her, and before she could stop herself, she ran forward and tackled the only other figure with her in that cage of crystal with a powerful hug, tears of relief streaming down her face as she laughed and cried simultaneously, her legs wrapping around the heavily bandaged body of a white unicorn.
"You're alive!" She smiled happily, uncaring for the vomit stuck to her fur that she was inadvertently spreading onto the other pony, who kept doing his push-ups, despite the added weight of Equestria's youngest Alicorn now hanging onto him.
"It'll be a cold day in hell when I let Chrysalis of all bastards be the reason I die, Eight hundred and twenty-five, I'm pretty sure I told you this before, or maybe it was Starlight, I don't remember, Eight hundred and twenty-six, But I'm going to be dying of natural causes, meaning either of old age or of a natural disaster, preference for the second one, Eight hundred and twenty-seven, Most likely being struck by lightning while being pulled into a Hurricane flying above an active volcano, Now that's one way I wouldn't mind going out," The Unicorn chuckled as he kept doing his push-ups.
"Oh, and Cadance, I finally finished working on my speech,"
"Your Speech?" Cadance asked as she laid her head on his back, hugging him as if he was a giant stuffed animal, using his body for warmth in order to calm down her still heavily beating heart.
"For your Wedding of course," The Unicorn rolled his eyes before he returned to counting his exercise, "Being here in this cave for two weeks gave me a lot of time to think of how I want it to sound, It's not like I had anything better to do, I couldn't teleport out of here with my magic as it currently is, and I can't send a message asking for rescue, My Illusions might have good range, but even I can't reach the castle from here, and I can't use the letter sending spell without any letters to send, never mind the fact that the smoke that carries the letter will simply get stuck in this room before dissipating, believe me, I tried sending a pebble to check if it would work, it simply fell over there," He motioned with his head to the side, where a small grey rock was laying beside the crystal walls that surrounded them.
"...You worked on a speech for my wedding? Oh, Bluey..." Cadance sniffed her nose before snuggling into the Unicorn.
"Oh, and Cadance," The Unicorn, Captain Prince Blueblood Platinum of Equestria, Founder of the Blueblood Foundation and last living descendant(known) of Princess Platinum, turned to his cousin, "What is that smell?"
"It's my vomit," Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, The Alicorn of Love, spoke nonchalantly as she kept hugging her cousin.
"What?!" Blueblood stopped his push-ups and rolled to the side, pushing the Princess off of him, "Gross! It's in my fur! What the hell Cadenza?!"
"Stop moving!" Cadance shouted after him as she started running after her cousin, "Get back here so I can keep hugging you!"
"No! You're covered in your own vomit! Stay away from me!" Blueblood cried as he tried to keep his distance from the Princess of Vomit- Love, The Princess of Love.
Unfortunately, Prince Blueblood was still somewhat injured from his fight with the Queen of the Changelings, and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza was an Alicorn, meaning she had the strength and stamina of an Earth Pony and the speed and flight of a Pegasus.
Suffice to say, Cadance and Blueblood, two members of the Equestrian Crown, spent the rest of their day cuddling for warmth on the cold hard floor of a crystal-covered cavern, the stench of Vomit being replaced with soap and perfume thanks to a cheap cleaning spell.
And although the stench was gone, the worry remained.
How much longer will they have to stay there until they're freed?
Cadance was no combatant, she couldn't escape on her own. Blueblood's magic and body were still recovering, he could not escape either.
They had no choice but to wait, wait and hope that someone would find them, and free them from this Prison.
"Don't you worry Shining Armor, I'm not letting that shapeshifting hussy ruin our wedding..." And with those words leaving her tired body, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Hoping a Hero would come.
> Chapter 110: A Canterlot Wedding 1
For a bit over two weeks, Canterlot Castle's greatest asset has been lying in wait, preparing for the moment that the one who took the body of Prince Blueblood made themselves vulnerable.
It made no sounds, as it watched the imposter masquerade in the form of the Prince, it made no sound as it watched it banish the Pink Princess into a place unknown, it made no sounds as it switched places with the pink one, bringing forth a replacement Imposter that will take the form of the Prince.
It made no sounds as the new Imposter entered the shower, prepared to use the privileges which were not theirs to have.
It made no sounds as it released a cloud of sleeping gas into the shower, the Imposter not noticing a thing as the steam from the Prince's hot shower camouflaged its entrance.
It made no sounds as the Imposter fell unconscious, their hideous disguise coming undone.
It made no sounds as it grabbed the body by the neck with its long golden tail, and started to constrict.
It made no sounds as the Imposter woke up and started to resist, clawing and scratching at its body in a vain attempt to release itself.
It made no sounds as the imposter finally stopped breathing, lifting its strangled body by the neck as it slammed it back onto the porcelain floor.
It made no sounds as the green liquid splashed out of its body, like a pear being squeezed until the juice came out.
It made no sounds as it dropped the body, used its tail to turn on the shower, and cleaned the liquid off its body.
It made no sounds as it turned the water off, climbed out of the shower, shook its body to fling the remaining water off, before it soundlessly closed the door behind itself and returned to hiding in wait beneath the Prince's bed.
Her name was Comet, and she was Prince Blueblood's most loyal asset.
He just didn't know it yet.
And so she returned to waiting.
Surely the guards will realize something was wrong soon, they can't all be that incompetent.
...Who was she kidding, Comet knew that the only people she could rely on were herself and her Prince.
All she had to do was wait for the Prince to return.
"Feeding time," Princess Mi Amore Cadenza tiredly opened her eyes, watching two small bowls of rice and a pair of water bottles materialize inside of the crystal prison she was trapped in.
She looked up at the crystal, watching a projection of the Changeling Queen look down at her from above, "You know, I will give you more food if you promise to marry me and love me and care for me and kill for me and become my adorable little slave, you know that right Bloobloo?" Cadance hid her gag at the sound of the nickname leaving the Changeling's mouth, A cute nickname like that was something only shared between mother and son, or husband and wife! And she will not let her cousin be entrapped in a loveless marriage with this- this- This Bitch!
Cadance paused as those words passed through her mind, she turned to look at her cousin, perhaps he and Cosmos were rubbing off on her a bit too much, she never called any pony in her life such a hurtful word.
"If you call me Bloobloo one more time I'm going to shoot you in the head, I won't even announce my presence and make it a part of some blood-pumping fight, I'm just going to snipe you from afar, don't tempt me, I will do it," Her cousin said as he levitated the bowl of rice towards him, frowned at it still being partially hard, but ate it anyway.
"Ooh, you trying to assassinate me? That means you think I'm dangerous enough to warrant you not enjoying yourself, that means I'm special, ah, I love you too, I'll break your bones after I free you, I can let you both watch as I turn Celestia into a donut, just punch a hole in her chest, It takes a lot of force to do that, It's really impressive, You'll be amazed how hard it is to clean all the blood off afterward, I really do think we have something special Bloobloo, you know what? After I'm done with marrying this stupid guard captain, I'll marry you, and Cady can be the Bridesmaid, but on the groom's side, and then we can go to the Crystal Empire and finally finish It's dream, I want six, no, seven children, and Cadance will be able to name at least two of them, They'll be called Jerry, Terry, Larry, Gary, Harry, and the two that Cadance will name, Pinky and Stinky, You're going to hate them, I'll probably kill them a month after giving birth, they'll make these adorable little crunching sounds you'll fall in love with me immediately after hearing them I-" Cadance was thankful for the Illusion Blueblood cast over the projection, hiding the manic Changeling Queen and muting her sound.
"What's with her obsession with you?" She asked her cousin, her face cringing as she had to bite on the barely cooked rice.
"Fuck if I know," Blueblood said before he took a heavy swig of his water bottle, "She's insane, I don't understand what she's thinking at all," He stopped to drink some more water, "At first I assumed she was simply trying to take my place in order to get closer to Celestia, then she started talking about some weird slave-play she's into, and now she's kidnapping me for the sole purpose of beating me up and throwing me into a dungeon, I'm personally more confused about why you're here,"
Cadance took a deep breath and tried to comb through her mind, "I don't know." Was the only answer she could give, "If she only wanted to reach Celestia, she could have easily just taken the place of a random guard," Cadance thought back to what she said to her before she brought her here a few days ago.
"I- I think It's something to do with Princess Amore," Cadance concluded, "I remember she said that I was Its daughter and more than that, she said she wanted to help," Cadance stopped to let those words swim in her mind for a moment, "I... I don't think she's being malicious,"
"...Not being malicious? Cadance she's tried to kill me multiple times, she's trapped the two of us here in an underground prison, she has repeatedly stated that she was going to Kill Celestia, how is she not malicious?!" Blueblood exclaimed loudly at her, angrily throwing the empty rice bowl at the crystal walls that surrounded them, throwing as it simply bounced off the wall as if made of rubber instead of breaking apart like he wished it did.
"That's not what I mean," Cadance shook her head before she turned to look at the crystal walls, and at the spot where the Changeling Queen was previously projected, "I mean, she definitely is doing horrible things, she is a monster, don't get me wrong, but I don't think she's doing them with the intent of being malicious..." Cadance tried to think of a way to explain it, "I think... I think she's doing this because she thinks it's the right thing to do, even if she's wrong,"
"...And why would she think that anything that she's doing right now is somehow the right thing to do?" Blueblood asked her, and luckily for her, Cadance already had the answer.
"Because of Princess Amore," she told him. Those four words were all the explanation she needed.
"Princess Amore? Your ancestor that is the reason you're an Alicorn right now, she's the reason?" Blueblood raised an eyebrow at that.
"She's not an ancestor," Cadance shook her head, "I think I figured it out while we visited the Deer, Princess Amore isn't an Ancestor, she's my Mother. Gaia Everfree acted as if I was there when she died, which wouldn't make sense seeing as I'm only two years older than you, not over one thousand. But it would somehow explain why Celestia treats me like I'm Amore's very distant descendant, despite Amore having no known offspring, which clashes with both Gaia and Chrysalis's statements that she does have, and how all the rulers we met from that time call me her daughter, instead of her descendant,"
"And how would that be possible? You're theory falls flat here Cadance, You can't be her daughter, She died over one thousand years ago, and unlike with Platinum, she didn't have multiple offsprings who could have hidden and survived till this day," Blueblood pointed at a hole in her theory, and Cadance quickly explained her reasoning.
"King Aspen said that Bramble was Gaia Everfree's son, which also wouldn't make sense if we use that same logic, unless, of course, we think a bit outside of the box... We can assume that Gaia and Amore knew each other, and Chrysalis definitely has something with Amore, therefore all three of them would know if Amore had any children. Gaia had Bramble, but Bramble is only what? Thirteen? He's definitely too young to be her son, unless of course, he simply skipped one thousand years forwards-" Cadance was interrupted as Blueblood cleared his throat and pointed a hoof at her.
"Time travel?" He cleared his throat once more, less as a way of actually clearing it and more just to make that sound, "You're saying that the reason why Bramble, and subsequently you, are not over one thousand years old, is because you, and Bramble, were sent one thousand years into the future, and you have no memory of it,"
"...When you say it like that it sounds less believable than it-" Cadance tried to defend her reasoning.
"Nah, I believe you," Blueblood waved her off, "It would also explain why you're older than Bramble, if we use the time between the Crystal Empire disappearing and Gaia Everfree's supposed death when House Platinum disappeared, it gives us around twenty years, which explains the age gap between you two,"
"Yes- YES! EXACTLY!" Cadance yelled in excitement, "And the reason none of us remember any of it is that we were babies when it happened! We haven't reached the age where we could start storing memories yet, and- and it would explain why nobody knows Amore had any offspring! She had me, but I was basically a newborn, and she kept me secret, and then I got sent to the future before anyone could figure it out, except for Gaia, who only knew about me because she had something to do with the Crystal Empire disappearing! And was also the only other person who sent her offspring into the future! It explains so much!"
"Okay, New question, how does Chrysalis fit into any of this?" Blueblood asked.
"I have no Idea!" Cadance yelled with a smile as she flapped her wings and flew into her cousin, pulling him into a hug as she spun in the air.
"Don't be happy!" She ignored his yelling in her ears, "You went on this entire cockamamie rant about how you are actually Princess Amore's daughter who got sent into the future as a toddler, which doesn't actually answer any of our questions because it doesn't matter! We still have no idea what Gaia Everfree's deal is, we still have no idea what Tirek's deal is, we still have no idea who the Pony of Shadow's true identity is, we still have no idea how Cosmos fits into this, and Chrysalis is nowhere near connected to your theory besides the notion that she might have something to do with princess Amore! We've gone two steps forward one step back and we still don't have anything! What does it matter if you're Amore's real daughter?! it changes nothing! You're still an Alicorn of Equestria! You're still my cousin! And you're still going to be late for your wedding with your fool of a husband!"
"Hey! Only I'm allowed to call Shining a fool! It's one of my privileges!" Cadance defended the honor of her fiance.
"I'll call him whatever I want!" Blueblood yelled as he struggled in the hug of a Princess with the strength of an Earth Pony, "He's the captain of the royal guard, who provides security so incompetent they still haven't noticed that both of us have been replaced!"
"You keep talking about him like that and I'll send you one thousand years into the future!" She yelled at her cousin, laughing at him all the while.
"I'd like to see you try! You can barely cast a basic Illusion spell! I'll die of old age before you manage to send me to the future!" Blueblood laughed back at her, making fun of her lack of magical talent.
"Not if I die of magic exhaustion before I can even finish that spell!" And so the two royals went back and forth, laughing and yelling at each other as if they had nothing better in the world to do.
And seeing as the only thing they had to do was wait for Blueblood's magic to recover, doing nothing might as well have been the best thing to do.
And underneath all the yells and laughs, the two ponies had a simple thought crossing their mind.
"I'm so glad I'm not here alone,"
Spike the Dragon was running outside on the grass, a pair of paper scrolls magically nesting in his gullet as he made his way toward his older sister and her friends.
"Twi- Twilight!" He called out to her, breathing heavily as he moved his short legs as fast as he could as he ran towards the small picnic the girls were having.
"Spike?" Twilight turned to look at him, watching as he ran through the rest of the friend group and stopped in front of her.
"I- I have- Lemme' just," He managed to breathe out before he gagged and fell onto his stomach, a small burst of green flames escaping his mouth as one of the messages materialized through his Dragonfire.
Twilight Sparkle lifted the rolled scroll of paper and read aloud its contents, "Dear Twilight, I am sure you are as excited as I am about the upcoming wedding in Canterlot." She turned to look at her other friends, "Wedding?" She returned to the letter.
"I will be presiding over the ceremony, but would very much like you and your friends to help with the preparations for this wonderful occasion. Fluttershy, I would like you and your songbird choir to provide the music." She turned to look at the Yellow Pegasus who smiled at being addressed in the letter.
"Oh my goodness! what an honor!" Fluttershy said with a soft yet excited smile on her face.
Twilight turned to look at the next friend being addressed in the letter, "Pinkie Pie, I can think of no one more qualified than you to host the reception."
Pinkie Pie smiled widely as she stood up, "Hip," She jumped into the air, "Hip," she did a flip in the air, "Hooray!" She exclaimed as she did a perfect four-point standing landing.
"Applejack, you will be in charge of the catering for the reception" Twilight told her next friend as she continued reading the letter.
"Well, color me pleased as punch!" Applejack said with a smile as she joined Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie in being excited at the prospect of helping organize a wedding.
"Rainbow Dash-" Twilight read the next part of the letter, The pony in question yawning into her own hoof, trying her best to act as if she wasn't as excited as the rest of her friends, "-I would very much appreciate it if you could perform a sonic rainboom as the bride and groom complete their "I do"'s"
It seems the mere mention of performing a sonic rainboom was enough for Rainbow Dash to drop the act as she flew into the air and did a spin, cheering with excitement as she joined the rest of her friends.
Twilight kept reading, "Rarity, you will be responsible for designing the dresses for the bride and her bridesmaids."
"Princess Celestia wants me to-" Rarity stumbled over her words as she quickly started fanning herself "-A wedding dress, for a Canterlot wedding..." Her body started to swing side to side as the excitement caused her blood to rush to her head, leaving her knees weak, "Ah, Ahah, Hooo~" She fell onto her back, a wide and excited smile on her face as she giggled in excitement at all the different dress designs coursing through her mind.
"And as for you, Twilight, you will be playing the most important role of all: Making sure that everything goes as planned.
See you all very soon.
Yours, Princess Celestia." Twilight finished reading the letter, her eyes going over it one more time as she searched for details she couldn't find.
She read the letter again, flipped it upside down, read the back of it, and even pointed it at the sun in case there was some invisible ink.
"But... I don't understand." Twilight lowered the letter before her eyes could get hurt, "Who's getting married?"
"Oh, Wait," Spike rubbed the back of his head, "I was probably supposed to give you this one first," He slammed a closed fist on his stomach, a burp of green fire escaping him as a second letter appeared, "Hehe, sorry~"
Twilight picked up the second letter and started to read as her friends moved to stand behind her in order to get a glimpse of the letter themselves, "Princess Celestia cordially invites you to the wedding of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and..." Twilight gasped at the name of the groom, "My Brother?!"
> Chapter 111: A Canterlot Wedding 2
On the train ride to Canterlot, Twilight Sparkle looked out of the window, staring wistfully at the scenery. The only notice of her listening to the rest of her friends was a subtle ear flick as Spike asked what a Bachelor Party was.
Classic Shining Armor, get the child to organize a party.
"Why the long face sugar cube?" Twilight was dragged out of her musing as Applejack walked up and asked her what was bothering her.
"I don't know..." Twilight sighed, "It's just... I feel like ever since I left Canterlot, Shining Armor and I have been talking with each other less and less, and now that he's starting this new family with..." Twilight tried to remember the long and foreign name from the letter, "Princess Mi Amore Cal-what's-her-name, We'll probably never see each other," She frowned at the mere thought of never seeing her Big Brother Best Friend Forever, resting her chin on the train's window, feeling the vibrations shake her head.
"Twilight," Applejack said softly as she placed a leg on her shoulder, "From everything you told us, and the very little we do know, Your Shining Armor brother sounds like a wonderful guy, I doubt he'd just leave you behind once he's married, and besides, what if the wife is who is equally kind? I think, that if the two of them are truly happy together, then it's not our place to get in the way of love," She patted her shoulder, "Even if we really want to," Applejack gave Twilight a knowing look.
"But come on now, You're his sister, he'll always make time for you,"
Twilight scoffed lightly at that last part, "He couldn't seem to make time to tell me he was getting married!"
"Ooh, We're here! We're here!" Pinkie Pie jumped in excitement as the train reached the city of Canterlot, only to pause and shake away a wave of discomfort as the train passed through a pink magic bubble.
As the train stopped at the station, and the ponies got off, Rainbow Dash asked the question that the group all had on their mind.
"Whoa, what's with all the guards?" She asked as she got out of the cabin, followed by Applejack and Rarity, as the group looked at the many gold armored guards stationed around the place, spears held in their hoofs, some carrying red flags at the end of their polearms, all looking as if ready to jump into action at the subtlest hint of a threat.
"I'm sure they're just taking the necessary precautions, Royal weddings to bring out the strangest ponies," Rarity said as she too took a look at the place, moving to make room for Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy to exit the train cart, "Now let's go, we have work to do!" She said as the group started to move.
"And you," Applejack turned to the last pony to get off the train, "Have a big brother to go congratulate,"
"Yeah," Twilight scowled, "Congratulate," Her back was hunched, head low to the ground, like a predator stalking its prey, "And then give him a piece of my mind," She walked past a pair of guards, who must have enjoyed their very simple job of crossing spears in front of the exit, Spike the dragon walking after her as fast as his legs could take him.
"I'm sure she'll be okay, They're family," Applejack told the rest of the group as they watched a grumpy Twilight make her way up to the castle, a look of concern briefly flashing on her face before she and the rest of the girls moved to follow.
Twilight Sparkle glared as hard as she could, which as it turns out wasn't as hard as she wanted, as her eyes locked on to the figure of a White Unicorn with a Blue mane of hair, wearing purple Royal Guard armor, symbolizing his position as Captain.
"I've got something to say to you, Mister!" She said loudly as she approached her brother, ignoring the many spears the guards around her started to point in her direction.
"Twily!" Only to put the spears down as Shining Armor took off his helmet and went to greet his younger sister, "Oh I missed you Kid," He said with a smile as he walked down the stairs of the castle to meet with her, "How was the train ride?" He moved to pull her into a hug.
Twilight, with the grace of a stumbling drunkard, managed to elegantly pull away from the reach of her older brother in order to continue to weakly glare at him, "How dare you not tell me in person that you were getting married?" She asked him, a tinge of disappointment in her voice at the idea that her Big Brother Best Friend Forever was no longer her BBBFF, and was now simply a regular Big Brother, "I'm your sister for ponies sake!" She turned her head to look away from him, now weakly glaring at the ground, like a poor kitten that only got half a bowl of milk.
"It's not my fault," Shining Armor tried to explain, "Princess Celestia requested a major increase in security," He pointed his hoof and some guards behind her, motioning them to get back to their jobs, "Didn't you see all the guards in the train station?"
"Yeah," Twilight brushed his explanation off, "There's a big wedding coming up, maybe you heard about it?!" She walked away to look at a nearby puddle of water, a weak excuse to look at something that wasn't her brother.
"It has nothing to do with the wedding," Shining Armor explained to his sister as he moved to stand in front of her, his hoof splashing in the puddle of water, causing Twilight's reflection to disappear, showing only mud, "A threat has been made against Canterlot," Twilight peeked at her brother, her glare weakening into barely more than a sad frown.
"This isn't a simple threat Twilight, the people who made it are dangerous, Princess Celestia asked that I provide additional protection, more than any other simple Royal Wedding," Twilight didn't point out that there was nothing simple with royal weddings.
"This," She looked up to see the worried face of her brother, "You need to see," He said as his horn started to glow with a pink aura before a beam of magic erupted upwards and hit the roof of the bubble that surrounded the entire city, the massive bubble reinforcing itself as Shining Armor's magic gave it more power to replace the steadily dwindling supply already powering the spell.
Shining Armor clenched his teeth as the spell finished, his leg moving to rub at his horn, "The burden of keeping Canterlot safe and secure rests squarely on my shoulders," He told his sister as he walked back up the stairs leading to the castle, Twilight following her brother close behind, "Staying focused on the task at hand has been my top priority,"
Hearing that explanation, Twilight felt a pang of guilt flow through her, here she was complaining that her brother didn't meet her in person in order to deliver a message, while he was already busy draining his magic in order to keep Canterlot safe and secure.
"Okay, Okay, I get it," She said as the two siblings stopped in the middle of a bridge overlooking the grounds below, watching the many guards moving about like parts on a conveyor belt, like ants following one after the other, creating an almost artistic series of lines of groups, "You're protecting Canterlot with a forcefield only you can conjure up," She looked at the sky, watching the shimmering pink bubble that blocked out the clouds above, "But still, How could you not tell me about something as big as your wedding?" Twilight frowned sadly, "Am I not important to you anymore?" She asked, hoping her brother would go ahead and tell her that she was just overthinking it all again like she always does.
"Hey," Shining Armor answered, "You're my little sister, of course, you're important to me, and getting married isn't going to change that," He chuckled at the mere thought of not caring about his sister anymore, "Although..." A cheeky smile spread on his lips, "I would understand if you didn't wish to be my best mare anymore," He shrugged at those words, smirking at the sight of Twilight Sparkle's eyes widening with glee and wonder at those words.
"You want me?" She pointed her hoof at her face, "To be your best mare?"
"Well," Shining Armor tried to think of a wonderfully eloquent answer to such an emotional question, an answer that would showcase how much he's grown and learned ever since he became Captain of the Royal Guard, "Yeah."
"Well," Twilight, same as her brother, took half a second to think of an amazing response that would dazzle anyone who heard it, a response that would showcase all the lessons she learned since she moved to Ponyville almost a full year ago, "I'll be honored to,"
The two siblings smiled at the answers they each gave before pulling each other into a warm hug, only for Twilight to push her brother away a moment later, "But I'm still pretty ticked that you're marrying some pony I don't even know! When did you even meet this Princess Mi Amore Cadenza?"
Shining Armor smiled at his sister, "Twily, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, is Cadance," He told her, watching Twilight's mind start to whirl as it tried to remember who he was talking about, "Your old foal sitter," He raised an eyebrow at his sister, "You last met here at Hearths Warming," He pointed out to her, watching her mind still try to connect the dots.
He knew she wasn't that good at remembering faces she hadn't seen in a long time, but it hadn't even been three months since the last time they met, She was also an Alicorn, really hard to forget that part about her.
"Cadance?" Twilight repeated the name, "As in The Cadance?" She shook her head in order to clear it of imaginary cobwebs, "As in the greatest foal sitter in all the history of foal sitters?!" She asked with a smile.
"Eheh," Shining Armor chuckled at his sister's delayed reaction, "If that's how you remember her, then you'll need to tell me, She was your foal sitter after all,"
"Oh my gosh oh my gosh!" Twilight started to stare off into the distance as a flashback of all the good time she had with Cadance in her childhood flashed through her mind, "Cadance is the best foal sitter in the world, she's beautiful, she's caring, she's kind,"
"I'm sooo lucky to have you as my foal sitter," Young Twilight said in the flashback as she sat on a swing set, Cadance pushing her as the two played outside.
"I'm the one who's lucky, Twilight," Flashback Cadance told her
"But you're a princess," Flashback Twilight pointed out, "I'm just a regular old Unicorn,"
"You are anything but a regular old unicorn," Cadance told her as she picked her off the swing and sat her down on a picnic blanket, the two sharing a smile before they did their little dance.
"Sunshine sunshine, ladybugs awake, clap your hooves and do a little shake," The two giggled once they finished, falling onto the blanket with smiles on their faces.
"How many Ponies can spread love wherever they go? I only know of one!" Twilight said with a smile as her flashback ended, "And you're marrying her!" She opened her front legs to hug her brother once more.
"You're marrying Cadance!" She jumped happily, twirling her brother around before she let go and continued her joyful jumps, "You're marrying Cadance!" Twilight stopped her jumping suddenly, her hooves sliding on the tiles of the bridge as a new pony walked up to her.
It was her, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, her future sister-in-law.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything important," Cadance told her as her eyes gave her a quick look over before moving to her brother.
"Cadance!" Twilight smiled as she stood before Cadance, "Sunshine sunshine, Ladybugs awake, Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" Twilight did her little dance, hoping Cadance will join her like she always did.
"What are you doing?" Instead of joining her, the Alicorn of Love frowned at the childish display.
"Cadance it's me, Twilight!" The Element of Magic smiled at her old foal sitter, hoping to see a glint of recognition in the Alicorn's eyes.
"Uh huh," Cadance said blandly as she walked past, Smiling at Shining Armor as he pulled her into a hug.
"Welp," Shining Armor smiled as he let go of the hug, feeling as if he could fight five hundred, no, five thousand changelings all at once, "I need to get going back to my job, Cadance will-"
"I can speak for myself, Thank you very much... Darling~" Twilight frowned at Cadance interrupting her brother before she turned to look at her, "I shall be watching you and your little friends organize my special day, It needs to be perfect, after all~"
"Yeah," Shining Armor nodded in agreement, a lovestruck smile on his face, "And I think I speak for us both when I say that we are glad to have you here,"
"Oh yes~" Cadance nodded her head, her eyes staring at Twilight as if she were a body on an autopsy table, "We are so glad~"
Twilight felt her frown deeper as she watched the bride and groom walk away, leaving her with a sense of confusion.
That couldn't have been Cadance, could it? She would never just brush her off like that...
Something was off, and Twilight how no idea how to explain it.
This was more than just her overthinking things again, it had to be, she was sure of it.
The only question was... What was it?
Something was definitely off, she just had to figure out what...
"Blueblood?" Deep below the earth, The Alicorn of Love turned to look at her cousin.
"Yes, Cadance?" Blueblood Platinum answered, his body sitting cross-legged in the corner as he levitated himself half a meter off the ground like some sort of Eastern monk who achieved enlightenment.
"How long do you think we'll need to stay here?" She scratched her wings, the Cleaning spells might have kept the dirt and grime off her body, but they were no substitute for soap and shampoo.
"I'm guessing either until somebody notices that we've been replaced, which with the current track record, could probably take another month or so until someone puts the square into a hole that isn't triangle shaped, or the more realistic answer, Whenever I finish digging my tunnel out of here," He told her.
"Yeah, I guess it would take a- Wait a minute. Tunnel?"
Blueblood opened one of his eyes and raised his brow at her, "What are you talking about?"
"You- You just said you're digging a tunnel," Cadance pointed at him.
"No, I didn't," He closed his eyes and returned to seemingly meditate, "I did not at all say that I spent the last couple of days using my telekinesis to chip pieces of the floor away in order to dig a tunnel under the crystal walls of this prison only to hide it all under an illusion to make it seem like nothing's changed in order to fool Chrysalis," He opened both his eyes and stared at Cadance as if she was a child and he was disappointed it took her this long to figure his plan out.
"And let me guess," Cadance bit her cheek, "You didn't tell me any of this so I could keep acting like I'm trapped here in order to sell it to Chrysalis so she wouldn't suspect a thing? You're not telling me that?" She tilted her head and raised an eyebrow.
"Now you're getting it," Blueblood nodded, "Just like how I'm also not currently making an illusion of you sleeping in that corner over there so you could try and use your Earth Pony strength to help me," He winked at her before he pointed with his horn at a second Mi Amore Cadenza, who seemed to be sleeping behind her.
"The tunnel is behind me," She heard his voice echo around her, his mouth not moving, "You have two hours before I need to turn your Illusions off in order to conserve the magic on the tunnel illusion," He pointed with his head at an area of the wall behind him.
"If all goes well, We'll be out of here by tomorrow," His echoing voice disappeared as he turned to look at the sleeping Cadance illusion, "Wow," He opened his mouth to say out loud, "Snore a little quieter, why don't you?"
Cadance felt her lips twitch as the Illusion let out a loud snore, "I don't snore!" She shouted at her cousin, but no sound escaped her.
She huffed and moved under an illusion of invisibility to the area behind him, watching as the Illusion he placed on the tunnel disappeared as she entered it, allowing her to see the half-dug tunnel of stone under the wall of crystal, small chunks of rock being chipped off with Telekinesis as Blueblood kept digging while maintaining the Illusion.
"Time to get to work," She whispered to herself, motioning at her legs as if she were pulling up invisible sleeves before she crawled into the tunnel and started digging with the strength of an Earth Pony and the magic of a Unicorn.
They were getting out of there.
> Chapter 112: A Canterlot Wedding 3
Twilight's frown kept deepening the longer she watched Princess Cadance interact with her friends.
First, she smiled and complimented Applejack's pastries, only to throw them into the trash when she turned her back.
Next, she criticized Rarity's outfit, complaining about how she was hoping for something with more beading and a longer train, and then asked for it to be in a different color entirely!
And then she went to Pinkie Pie and compared her party to something that would only make a six-year-old happy!
Who doesn't like Pin the Tail on the Pony?!
There was definitely something going on! There has to be! Cadance would have never acted like she was currently!
When the day ended, Twilight only managed to check on those three, but she was sure that Cadance also acted nastily to Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash! She was sure of it!
"Bet I can guess what you're all thinking," Twilight Sparkle said as she and her friends joined up down in the city after they finished for the day, each one of them sipping from a glass of juice at some dessert place that Rarity heard about, "Cadance is the absolute worst bride-to-be ever,"
Twilight Sparkle was ready to hear her friends agree with her, all having their own complaints about how she was treating them.
Instead, she got looks of confusion from all of her friends.
"Twilight, whatever are you talking about? Cadance is an absolute gem!" Rarity told Twilight, disagreeing with her opinion on her future sister-in-law.
"Rarity," Twilight responded, giving her reasoning for why Rarity should also find issues with Cadance, "She was so demanding,"
"Of course she was," Rarity answered with a smile, waving off Twilight's concern, "Why shouldn't she expect the very best on her wedding day,"
While Twilight could agree with the sentiment, Cadance was still demanding, without even listening to Rarity's opinion on the dress, and outright dismissing her bridesmaids' opinions.
Perhaps Applejack would agree with her, She worked hard on all the food, she must also think it was terrible to simply throw it away!
"Applejack, Did you know that after she told you how much she just love-love-loved your hors d'eouvres, she just threw them in the trash?" There! Applejack will surely agree with her now!
"Aw, she was probably just trying to spare my feelings," Applejack said with a smile before returning to her juice.
"No, She was just being fake and totally insincere!" Twilight waved her legs in frustration at two of her friends not seeing what she was seeing. Gaining the entire groups attention as they waited for an example that might actually make Cadance look like the awful person Twilight thinks she is.
"Well," Fluttershy spoke up, "She did raise her voice at one of my birds in rehearsal,"
"See! Rude!" Twilight pointed at Fluttershy as if that was all the proof she needed. A content smile on her face as she closed her eyes and crossed her legs over her chest, assured of her proverbial victory in this imaginary argument she was having with nobody.
"But he was singing really off-key," Whatever chance of victory Twilight might have had was snatched away as Fluttershy brought out the bird in question, who let out a loud and obnoxious cry reminiscent of a rusty bicycle horn or a dying clown nose.
Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack didn't see it, so Twilight had to use her big guns, "Pinkie Pie. You had to have seen-" Twilight's words got caught in her throat and then summarily disposed of as she watched both Pinkie Pie and Spike playing with a tiny kitten away from their table.
"Rainbow Dash, You're with me, right?" Twilight turned to her last available friend.
"Sorry Twi," Rainbow Dash gave a sheepish frown as she stretched her legs and wings, "I was too busy prepping for my sonic rainboom to pay attention to the bride's bad attitude,"
"Twilight, The Princess is getting married," Rarity placed a hoof on her shoulder, "I'm sure all of this is nothing more than just her nerves before the big day, It's normal for brides to start becoming picky and bossy when their special day is so close, I'm sure everything is fine,"
Twilight shook her shoulders as she stood up, letting Rarity's hoof fall as she slammed her front legs onto the table, "And I'm sure that it's the results of her being an awful pony who doesn't deserve to know Shining Armor, let alone marry him!"
"...Think maybe you're bein' a just teeny tiny bit possessive of your brother?" Applejack asked awkwardly as the rest of the group watched Twilight pull at her hairs.
"Suger cube, I think that you're overthinking again, We know how that makes you react, but you shouldn't take it out on the Princess," Applejack continued, a soft smile on her face as she leaned her elbow on the table, "Why don't you go to sleep early, I'm sure by tomorrow you'll see that you're just overthinking everything again, like you did when that future you came here to tell you not to overthink things,"
"I'm not being possessive of Shining Armor!" Twilight exclaimed as she stood up from the table, "And I'm not overthinking! I know it!" She started to angrily walk away, only to turn back to the table and quickly take the finishing sips from her juice, her eyes glaring at her friends' soft and understanding smiles, before finally turning away for real and storming back to the castle.
"I'm not overthinking things," Twilight told herself as she walked down the castle corridors, "I stopped overthinking a while ago, I even wrote a Friendship report about it! Cadance is obviously awful now, I just need proof!"
"We also need proof," Twilight froze as another voice made itself known.
"What's that? Who are you? Show yourself!" She started looking left and right, up and down, searching for this new voice.
"Behind you, I'm standing right behind you," The voice told her, and Twilight turned around to be met with-
"Hey, Aren't you Prince Blueblood's bodyguard? Starlight Glimmer, right?" Twilight pointed at the purple unicorn who leaned against the wall.
"I see you remember my name, that's going to make this next section easier," Starlight Glimmer walked up and placed a hoof on her shoulder, Twilight noted that a lot of ponies have been doing that today, "I agree with you, that something about Princess Cadance isn't right, but for the accusations we want to bring, we need something more solid than a hunch, or a change in attitude that can be explained as pre-marriage nerves, we need actual evidence,"
"Why are you saying we? Are there more ponies that noticed Cadance acting-" Twilight tried to talk only for Starlight Glimmer to put a hoof over her mouth and shush her.
"There's no time to talk, We don't know how many of them are already in here, so listen closely," Starlight Glimmer looked to the sides as if expecting somepony to jump out at her, "When you get the proof, come to Prince Blueblood's room, alone," And without waiting for a response from the Element of Magic, Starlight Glimmer disappeared in a flash of magic, teleporting away.
Twilight, instead of questioning anything that Starlight Glimmer said, was ecstatic to learn that she indeed was right and that Cadance might have indeed possibly been acting awful for real, and that she wasn't simply overthinking everything again.
"That was weird..." Twilight Sparkle noted to herself before she turned around and left the castle once more, making her way towards her brother's house, hoping to convince him not to ruin his life with this awful Cadance.
"Twily, good to see you, come on in, make yourself at home," Twilight Sparkle smiled sheepishly as she entered Shining Armor's house, her eyes quickly looking around the living room, spotting a suit of armor, a plaque on the wall, a new couch, and even a vase with fake flowers.
"Shining, I need to talk to you about-" Twilight opened her mouth to talk to her brother about what was bothering her, only to get interrupted as a certain Alicorn walked down the stairs.
"Dear, we need to talk, privately," Twilight's eyes locked with Cadance's for a brief moment, and for a fraction of a second, Twilight Sparkle felt as if she was a worm hanging on to a fishing hook, and the pony she was looking at was a monstrously large eel, ready to swallow her whole, and plunge her into a fall for the rest of eternity down her monstrously long throat.
"Cadance should not be making me feel like this, there has to be something!" She told herself in her mind as Cadance looked away from her.
"Just a moment Twilight," Shining Armor told her as he followed Cadance into a nearby room, giving the two some privacy.
As Shining closed the door behind him, Twilight quickly caught it in her magic before it could close, giving her a thin opening to look into the room the two entered.
She couldn't make out what they were saying, there had to be some sort of soundproofing magic on that room, which would make sense if the office desk in the corner was anything to go by. That room must have been Shining Armor's home office, where he could continue to work outside of the castle, a soundproofing spell would make it so nopony would be able to listen in case some security issue was being discussed.
It was probably a good thing for Shining.
But for Twilight? She just wanted to hear what they were talking about.
Peering through the small opening in the door, Twilight looked on as the soon-to-be-wedded couple talked about what seemed to be Shining Armor's groom outfit, their talk devolving into what appeared to be an argument.
"See! A happily married couple shouldn't be arguing about that! She's no good!" Twilight silently cheered at another point she could add to the growing list of 'Why Cadance is an awful pony'
And then something weird happened.
As the two ponies' growing argument seemed to reach a crescendo, Shining Armor flinched, hoof moving to hold his head in head.
Twilight stared with wide eyes as she watched Cadance's horn release a misty green magic that enveloped Shining Armor's head, his eyes going all swirly and shaken before he shook his head as if nothing was wrong.
"She's hypnotizing him... She's using hypnosis to make him fall in love with her!" Twilight gasped at the revelation, "She's not just an awful pony, She's outright evil!"
Without waiting any longer, Twilight Sparkle dashed out of her brother's house and quickly made her way to the castle, not to the guest room that was readied for her to sleep at, but to the room Starlight Glimmer told her to go to.
Twilight Sparkle had evidence that Princess Cadance was an awful person!
"Yeah, we can't use this, this isn't evidence of anything," Starlight Glimmer was starting to understand why her boss got frustrated all the time.
If ponies like this were what she had to deal with whenever she wanted to get the job done, she'd also want to throw a pirate through the wall of a cruise ship.
"Wha- How is this not proof?!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed as she sat on an empty chair, "Cadance is obviously brainwashing him!"
"Did you see Shining Armor act any differently than he normally would after she cast the spell?" Starlight raised an eyebrow.
"Well, no. But his eyes went all weird and stuff! And his head was hurting just before that! He was obviously breaking out of the brainwashing before she recast the spell, that's the only explanation!" Twilight Sparkle slammed her hoof on the soft mattress of the bed she sat on.
"Or he was having a migraine after keeping the shield around Canterlot active for so long, and her spell helped him deal with the headache," Starlight Glimmer shook her head, "I apologize, Ms. Sparkle, but even with what you saw, all your accusations can be easily explained as something else, that's why I said we needed something solid," The Prince's Bodyguard sighed in exhaustion, "You can go to your room now, We all have a busy day tomorrow," She told her, and with an aquamarine glow to her horn, she opened the door.
"But we already have enough proof! Cadance is evil now! I know it!" Twilight vehemently yelled, shaking her legs around to emphasize her point, but it all seemed to fall on deaf ears.
Her friends just thought she was overthinking, and her brother didn't see anything wrong. Now, the only other pony that might have thought the same as her is also saying that she was wrong!
Twilight Sparkle angrily stood up from the bed and started marching out of the room, only to pause as she noted something peculiar about the room.
"Wait a moment, where is Prince Blueblood?" She turned her head slowly to look at Starlight Glimmer, the other mare simply returning her gaze.
"Go to your room Sparkle, the Prince's location is on a need-to-know basis," She told her, "And since you didn't bring any useful evidence, you don't need to know,"
"But why would the Prince's whereabouts be connected with proof about Cadance being a-" Twilight thought out loud.
"You are treading a dangerous path there, Twilight Sparkle." Twilight froze as a third mare made herself known, seemingly appearing out of the shadows behind the drapes on the window, "We suggest you heed Starlight Glimmer and return to your room, there is a curfew for non-Staff,"
"...Okay, I'll go to my room..." Twilight Sparkle said calmly as she stared at the new mare, a single thought running through her head as she left the Prince's room and started making her way toward the room assigned to her.
"Why would the Prince's whereabouts be connected with evidence that Cadance is awful, and what does Princess Luna have to do with it?"
Something wasn't right. Twilight knew that something wasn't right. And tomorrow she'll show everyone that something wasn't right.
She had all the proof she'd need, tomorrow she'll get everyone to see Cadance for who she really is! And then they'll all know that she wasn't overthinking it all again!
> Chapter 113: A Canterlot Wedding 4
It was time for the wedding rehearsal, Shining Armor was standing to the right at the end of an aisle with a long red carpet inside one of the castle's halls that remodeled to fit the occasion.
Princess Celestia smiled softly as she guided the Elements of Harmony, the new Bridesmaids, as they walked up the aisle to stand to the left at the end.
"Very good girls," The Princess of the Sun smiled as she turned to the door at the entrance of the hall, "Now in comes Cadance," She said, a pair of guards standing beside the door silently pulled the large doors open with their magic, letting the Princess of Love enter and walk down the aisle, stand in front of her bridesmaids, across from the groom, and smile as the two locked horns in affection.
"I'll say a few words, and then we'll begin with the vows," Celestia told the ponies how the wedding was to go, "Shining Armor," She looked at the groom, "You'll get your ring from your best mare," Shining Armor turned to his best mare, only to find that she wasn't there.
"Hey, has any pony seen Twilight?" He asked with a frown, looking at the bridesmaids to see if they know anything.
As Shining Armor asked the question, the doors to the hall once again opened, revealing a tired-looking and haggard Twilight Sparkle.
"Oh no... She didn't sleep, did she?" Fluttershy whispered as she leaned closer to Rainbow Dash.
"Knowing Twilight? I don't think so..." Rainbow Dash looked on as Twilight opened her mouth.
"I'm here!" She yelled, her voice echoing in the hall, "And I'm not going to stand next to her! And neither should you!"
"Rarity, you said a good night's sleep will make things better for her," Applejack whispered to Rarity, eyes watching Twilight with worry.
"And it would have if she bothered to sleep at all!" Rarity quietly hissed back, "I should have known something like this would happen with her, I would have sent Pinkie Pie to make sure she was actually asleep!"
"Why are we all whispering? Is it because Twilight looks grumpy? I don't want her to make the Princess feel bad, that's going to make us look like horrible bridesmaids, right?" Pinkie Pie joined the rest of the girls in whispering.
Shining Armor smiled awkwardly as he looked around, "I'm sorry, I don't know why she's like this," He tried to salvage the situation, waving his hooves beneath him in an attempt to send a message to Twilight, telling her to stop whatever she planned to do.
"It's fine, Darling, I'm sure our dear Twilight is merely overreacting, you did say she was prone to do that," Cadance said with a scowl as she turned to look at the Element of Magic, "It's merely jealousy, nothing to worry about,"
"It's not jealousy!" Twilight walked forward before lifting a leg and pointing it directly at the Princess, "She's evil!"
"Twilight, Darling, the princess has been nothing but a gem to us, she's not evil," Rarity tried to speak, her voice drowned out by the rest of the girls murmuring about Twilight's accusation.
"She's been horrible to my friends!" Twilight teleported to the end of the aisle, horn pointing at Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, "She's obviously done something to her bridesmaids!" She continued as she walked towards Cadance, horn aimed at her face, forcing the princess to start walking backward and away from the sharp natural weapon, "And if that wasn't enough, I saw her put a spell on my brother that made his eyes go all-" Twilight turned to look at the rest of the room, making circle motions with her hooves as she stuck her tongue out, holding her legs over her eyes before she turned back to Cadance, a smug smile on her face as she looked into her eyes.
Twilight smugly watched as Cadance's facade of false perfection crumbled, now she will reveal to the world her real self and all the evil she- Is she crying?
"Why- Why are you doing this to me?" Cadance cried, tears rolling down her face as she turned away from Twilight and ran out of the room, crying all the while.
"Because you're evil! You're the reason Blueblood is missing, and you're going to ruin my brother's life!" Twilight yelled after her, but she was too far to hear.
And with a proud smile on her face, Twilight turned to the rest of the hall.
And was met with the disappointed face of her big brother.
"You want to know why my eyes went all-" Her spun his eyes around, "Because ever since I started having to perform my protection spell, I've been getting terrible migraines, Cadance hasn't been casting spells on me because she's 'Evil', She's been using her magic to heal me!"
Twilight's proud smile was gone from her face, replaced with a frown of worry.
"And she decided to replace her bridesmaids because she found out the only reason they wanted to be in the wedding was so they could meet Canterlot royalty, And if she hasn't been on her best behavior with your friends, it's because with me being so busy she's had to make all the decisions for the wedding herself!" Shining Armor took a deep breath to steady himself, "And the reason Blueblood isn't in the castle is because he was moved to a secure location only he and Princess Luna know about, Cadance has nothing to do with him or the threat against Canterlot for that matter!"
"And the reason she's done all these things is because she wants out big day to be perfect!" Shining Armor stomped his hoofs on the carpet before turning to angrily glare at his sister, "Something that obviously wasn't important to you!" Shining Armor scrunched his face as his leg moved to grab his head, another migraine hitting him.
"Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go comfort my bride," And with those parting words, Shining Armor started to leave the wedding hall, "And you can forget about being my best mare! If I were you... I'd forget about showing up to the wedding at all..." And with that, he walked away.
Twilight turned away from her brother's retreating form to look at her friends.
"...I'm gonna' go check on the princess," Applejack said sadly as she walked away, followed by Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Spike. Leaving Twilight alone with Rarity.
"I'm sorry..." Twilight whispered as she lowered her head, "You can go comfort Cadance, she needs it more than me," Twilight waited to hear Rarity's footsteps walking away, instead she felt her warm legs pull her into a hug.
"Cadance has enough comfort," Rarity whispered as she rubbed Twilight's back, "Someone needs to stay here to comfort you after this," She told her, Twilight felt her eyes getting wet.
"I messed up, didn't I?" She sniffed, tears starting to escape her eyes.
"You did," Rarity said softly, "But you messed up for a good reason,"
"...What?" Twilight sniffed, wiping some snot from her nose as she pulled out of the hug to look into Rarity's eyes.
"You thought you were doing good, even if you wound up messing it up, That means you messed up for a good reason," Rarity told her.
"But... I'm a horrible friend!" Twilight cried.
"No, you're not," Rarity simply shook her head, "I'm the horrible friend here,"
"Bwuh?" Twilight made a confused sound as she looked at Rarity.
"I know how you are, I should have tried harder to make you see how you were overthinking everything, instead I simply told you to sleep it off, That's not how a good friend should act," Rarity shook her head as she tried to pull Twilight back into a hug.
"Wha- no! I'm the horrible friend! I should have listened and trusted you all when you told me I was overthinking! Now the wedding is ruined!"
"Twilight, you didn't ruin the wedding, Your brother might be a bit angry at you, but he'll return to normal sooner or later, he's your BBBFF, isn't he?" Rarity rubbed Twilight's back.
"Y-Yeah, You're right," Twilight nodded at Rarity's words.
"Of course I'm right Darling, when have I ever been wrong?" Rarity let out a haughty laugh, lightening the mood in her usual dramatic fashion.
"I should go apologize to Cadance... I know she probably doesn't want to see me, but... I need to do this," Twilight rubbed the tears from her eyes, "Thanks Rarity, you're the best!"
"You know I am!" Rarity laughed, "Just don't tell the others I did this, I don't want them to get jealous hearing that I'm better than them," Her lips curled into a coy smile, "I know they probably think so already, but It's just rude to give them confirmation, you know? Haha, I'm merely kidding Darling, go tell the Princess you're sorry!"
"In a moment," Twilight smiled at her, "I need to think of a proper apology first,"
Rarity nodded to her, "You do that then, good luck," Rarity gave her one last nod before she too left the hall in search of the Princess.
Twilight watched her leave before she turned around once more, only to find herself staring up at the frowning face of "Princess Celestia! I didn't notice you were still here!" Twilight hurriedly said, "I'm sorry for-" She wanted to apologize, only for Celestia to place a hoof over her mouth.
"Shush," Celestia told Twilight, "I heard enough. Do not worry, I am not mad at you, I merely expected better, especially during a time like this," Celestia sighed as she sat down next to Twilight.
"The reason your brother is so busy, and why Cadance is acting stranger than you might remember, and even the reason Luna took Blueblood to a place away from the Castle, is because of something that happened roughly three weeks ago,"
"The threat to Canterlot..." Twilight whispered as she watched Celestia turn to look out the window, at the sparkling pink shield that surrounded the city.
"It's from an old enemy of mine, one who resurfaced months ago after I defeated her almost one thousand years ago, and now she's aiming for revenge," Celestia spoke, her eyes staring at the sky beyond the shield, "She has made several attempts on the Crown, and her recent attempt..." Celestia let out a tired sigh, "She almost killed Blueblood."
Twilight gasped at those words, words that explained so much of what was missing.
"He managed to fight her off, but he suffered great injuries and hasn't left his room ever since he returned, and now Luna moved him to a secure location away from the Castle," Celestia shook her head, "Cadance has a lot on her plate, Twilight, We both know she didn't mean to come off the way she did, but the stress of both the attempt on her cousin's life and the upcoming wedding, it really takes its toll on her." She moved a lug to pat Twilight's back.
"Don't worry about what happened here," Celestia turned to smile tiredly at Twilight, "You're still my pupil, Twilight Sparkle, a mistake like this isn't nearly big enough to change that," She pat her back once more before she stood up, "And do take some rest, and listen to your friends more often, they worry about you," She said before she walked away, leaving Twilight alone to think of an apology that would hopefully make Cadance forgive her.
Twilight was pacing around the wedding hall, thinking of ways to apologize, when she heard the clopping sound of hooves coming her way.
She paused her pacing and turned to see Princess Cadance closing the doors behind her.
Now was the time to apologize.
"Cadance, I- I shouldn't have called you evil, I was wrong, I should have listened to my friends more instead of trying to search for proof of a crime you never committed! What I'm trying to say is this, I'm sorry~" Twilight bowed to the pink Alicorn, hearing her hooves keep walking closer to her.
It was when she felt Cadance's legs gently hold her shoulders that she looked up, watching the soft and loving smile on the princess's face, "You're right,"
"Yes, I'm... What?" Twilight repeated Cadance's words, only to pause in confusion as they didn't make sense to her.
"You're right," Cadance repeated, her gentle eyes staring softly into Twilight's purple orbs, "You will be sorry~" her soft gaze turned malicious, "Because you were right," A green glow escaped her horn as suddenly all the windows of the hall got covered by the drapes, sigils of soundproofing magic surrounding the hall as Cadance's smile spread on her face, "I am evil~"
And that was all the warning Twilight got before she felt something impact her stomach, causing her to cough loudly as she fell to the ground.
She tried to teleport away, but Cadance grabbed her with her magic, holding her down on the ground.
"Why- ACK!" Twilight tried to ask Cadance what she was doing, but before she could finish the question, Cadance kicked her in the side, her ribs aching as her vision went blurry for a few moments.
"I was so close," Cadance spoke, her leg sharply kicking the downed Twilight in the ribs, a sadistic smile on her face, "So close to killing that bitch in front of an entire crowd, but you just had to dig your nose into where you don't belong," Another kick, another scream of pain that no one could hear, "I was finally going to get my revenge, and then I could finally begin the true plan, but you-" Another kick, "You stupid-" Another, "Insignificant-" and another, "Little wretch! Are you trying to get in the way of Its perfection?! Do you not realize the scale of my plan?!" Cadance kept kicking Twilight, who was currently too busy biting her cheek in an attempt to deal with the pain.
"I'm doing this for Love!" Another kick forced Twilight to open her mouth, coughing out a small pool of spit, "True Perfect Love! A hideous little wretch like you could never understand!"
"..." Twilight struggled to talk, her torso ached and her lungs felt like they were on fire, "I won't..."
"What was that? Are you trying to speak to me?" Cadance scowled at Twilight's prone body, "An insignificant little wretch like you dares to raise her voice? I must commend you, I was sure you would have understood that I care not for your words," She shrugged her shoulders, "But do not let it be said that It wasn't a merciful being, So as the one who shall become the truth that mirrors It's lies, I shall let you speak, puny wretch, go on then."
"...I won't let you marry my brother!" Twilight, through grit teeth and inflamed lungs, managed to bark out.
"...Heh..." Cadance chuckled softly, her eyes staring down at Twilight, "...Hehehe... Hehehehehahahaha! Hahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! MARRY HIM?!" She yelled, "Why would I ever want to marry a useless little wretch like him?!" She continued to laugh, looking down at the unicorn at her feet as if she told the funniest joke in the world.
"You... You actually thought I was marrying him because I wanted to? Oh! Don't make me laugh! He's a tool! A tool to get close to Celestia, you idiot! The only creature remaining in this world that is worthy of marrying It is currently held in my captivity, but don't worry, he's not alone!" Cadance laughed loudly as a circle of green fire surrounded Twilight, "WHY DON'T YOU GO SAY HI?! HAHAHAHAHA!!!!"
Twilight couldn't do anything as the circle of flames turned into a dome, a bubble of green magic that surrounded her as she sunk into the ground, forced to watch in silent horror the sadistic look on Cadance's eyes as she sunk deeper into the earth.
And then she was gone.
Princess Cadance smiled softly as she exited the wedding hall, not noticing the invisible pair of eyes that stayed in the corner of the hall since the moment the rehearsal began.
"We got our confirmation," Starlight Glimmer smirked under an Illusion of invisibility, all the time she spent training with Blueblood finally paying off as she silently teleported away from the hall, ready to deliver the news to the Princess of Dreams.
Twilight gasped in pain as she opened her eyes, finding herself inside a cave surrounded by sharp crystal protrusions.
"I need to get to Celestia!" She told herself, using her horn as a light source as she painfully stood up, deep and pained breaths leaving her as her ribs ached at her attempts to move.
Without looking where she was going, Twilight Sparkle blasted a hole in the crystal wall that surrounded her as she started to make her way out of wherever she was.
Whenever she encountered a wall, she would blast a hole through it, uncaring of the stability of the cave walls around her.
Lives were in danger, she had to hurry!
It was after blasting another wall open, that her eyes shrunk into pinpricks as she spotted the mare that sent her here in the first place.
"Wait! Twili-" She didn't let her finish speaking as she fired a beam of magic at the evil Alicorn, only to be tackled to the ground from the side, watching her beam miss Cadance entirely and blow a hole in the wall behind her.
"Librarian! What in the world do you think you're doing?!" She heard the Pony above her shout, and her eyes widened in recognition.
"Prince Blueblood?!" Twilight exclaimed, "But-" she turned to look at Cadance, thin and haggard, as if she had barely eaten anything in days, "But-" Her words were stuck in her throat as her mind placed two and two together.
"You almost collapsed the entire cave over us!" The Prince yelled in her ears, but she wasn't listening, her eyes were tearing at the sight of the princess.
The Real Princess.
"Cadance..." Twilight sniffled before she dashed ahead, pushing the Prince off of her as she leaped into the princess, pulling her into a hug, "You're not evil!" She cried happily, tears of relief rolling down her face as she hugged the real Alicorn of Love.
"Why would I be evil?" Cadance asked as she rubbed Twilight's back, "No, never mind that! Bluey! Twilight blasted the wall open!"
"If what you meant to say was break every rule of mining and excavation safety in the book, then yes, she blasted the wall open..." Prince Blueblood grumbled as he stood up from where Twilight threw him, allowing Twilight to get a look at him.
He looked like Cadance, tired and filthy, thinner than normal, and worst of all, injured.
"An attempt was made on his life," Her brain reminded her, "But the one who returned to the castle was an Imposter! The Real Blueblood never got the medical treatment he needed!"
"We need to get out of here now! We need to stop Cadance- The Impostor Cadance, from doing what she plans to do!" Twilight told the two ponies, "Let's get out of here, now!" With a yell, she turned to the hole she created in the wall and started running, hearing the two ponies run after her.
They had a wedding to crash.
> Chapter 114: A Canterlot Wedding 5
Her life began as nothing more than a Dead Worm inside of a Rotten Fruit.
An Embodiment of Disgust.
An existence sitting on the precipice between a living being and a force of nature.
All she could do was wait, nothing more than a mass of dead flesh, waiting for a sculptor to arrive and model her into a form of living.
Or for the inevitable march of time to drag her to eternity, an empty mass with no purpose.
And then It arrived.
A being of perfection incarnate, a Goddess in mortal flesh, Its very existence was the catalyst that that pushed her forward, a spark of consciousness in the empty sea of nothingness that was her mind.
"What a hideous creature you are," It told her, cementing in her the truth of her existence.
She was an Embodiment of Disgust.
And like a wild animal, Newly Born, she imprinted on It. It became more than a mother figure to her, It became an Idol.
A being of worship.
It was Perfect, and she was not.
For one hundred years, she shadowed It, living as It's Mirror, an opposite force that contradicted the perfection that It represented.
And yet, she wanted more.
She was a Dead Worm inside of a Rotten Fruit, perhaps it was simply in her nature to want more, to Hunger for more.
She did not simply want to be like It, she wanted to be It.
Such blasphemous thoughts, a creature as hideous and rotten as her could never be It.
It was perfect, and she was not. Only a perfect being could be It.
What was Perfection? It was Perfection.
What was It? A Being loved by all.
To become Perfect, she must become a being loved by all.
And only once she becomes a being full of love, an existence so pure and radiant, will her body shed its disgusting flesh, the dead skin that was the building foundation of her temple, and the Chrysalis will open, and from the cocoon, the Dead Worm will sprout wings of Perfection Incarnate, and become the very being It was.
An Embodiment of Disgust, Becoming an Embodiment of Perfection.
How Blasphemous a thought, how Wretched a mind, how Hideous a being.
She truly was an embodiment of Disgust.
After It was shattered by the Black Butterfly, She searched the earth for the one remnant of It that remained, a child, a small filly, whisked away by the clutches of It's magic.
She searched for the child, and she devoured all the love she could find as she went along, She cared not for who she would harm and what damages she would bring to the ones she devoured, their love was Its love, and Its love was her love.
Kingdoms toppled, Legions fell, and Empires Crumbled, as she devoured their love, all in search of that child, all in search of perfection itself.
And then She arrived.
A Warrior Princess fueled by rage and anguish, a Ruler who banished her Sister to the moon above, and one who cared not for the damage she would bring her.
She cared not for Perfection, She cared not for Disgust, She cared not for It.
She brought down the might of the Sun itself upon her and her forces, the children she molded from her own discarded flesh, her Love was drained in an effort to keep herself alive under the burning heat of the Solar Warrior.
Her shining carapace, once a dark mirror to It, was scarred and ruined, marks of burning and holes of hunger, what was once a powerful Queen whose very presence could bring down nations in search of Perfection, was now little more than a hollowed shell, empty of love, thin and sickly, scarred and burnt.
She trapped her and her swarm beneath a volcano, far away from any civilization, where she would spend the rest of her years wallowing in her pain, licking at her wounds, like a rabid beast who could do nothing but run on instinct.
Like a Dead Worm inside of a Rotten Fruit.
Yet, She could not keep her from becoming It.
Digging and scraping and doing all she can, An Exit was created, Her life was freed from the confines of her volcanic prison, but she could not stop there.
She had to be destroyed, Daring to harm a vassal for It's will? Death was not a question anymore, but an answer!
And now here she was, One Thousand years later, Ready to devour all the Love that She has, before finally ending her life. Devouring all she had until not even her soul could recover.
And once she was done with her, she would turn to the Child, the last vestige of Perfection itself, and finally become full.
Her Unending Hunger would soon come to an end, as an Embodiment of Its Love will soon bring her to her Truth.
And then the Chrysalis will open up, and the Dead Worm will spread Its wings.
"This day is going to be Perfect~
The kind of day of which I dreamed since I was small~
Every Pony will gather round, Say I look lovely in my gown~
What they don't know is that I have fooled them all!"
"Starlight Glimmer, If Chrysalis has indeed teleported Twilight Sparkle, then she should still be close by," Princess Luna, Ruler of the Night, told the unicorn that stood before her inside her tower.
"Therefore she must still be somewhere in Canterlot, the only places in which she could have taken her where she would not have been found, are the Sewers, Starswirl's research room, and the Crystal Mines.
The Sewers are out, seeing as they are easy to escape from and are therefore not an optimal location to hide someone, We can also rule out Starswirl's research room, seeing as it is in the Castle, merely hidden. We would have known if any pony was there, which leaves only the Crystal Mines," She said as she looked at the Unicorn Bodyguard.
"You are to go there and find Twilight Sparkle, We'll need the Elements of Harmony if we wish to successfully take down Chrysalis, are we understood?"
Starlight Glimmer nodded her head, a look of focused resolve on her face as she gave a bow to the Princess, "Crystal~"
If Twilight was there, chances are that so was her Boss.
She stood up and exited the tower, leaving the Princess of the Moon to watch over the castle from above.
Before she leaves for a Tunnel, however, she has to make a quick detour.
Starlight had a bag to pick up.
Beneath Canterlot Mountain, Three ponies were running down tunnels of cold stone and crystal, trying to escape the abandoned caverns that trapped them within.
"Turn left here!" The Stallion of the group yelled as he turned at a crossway in the tunnels, his Cutie Mark pushing him towards the direction he was looking for.
"We need to hurry! The wedding must already be starting!" Twilight Sparkle yelled as she followed the white unicorn.
"No! It's a Dead End!" The Alicorn of the group cried as she too turned the corner, her body nearly crashing into the wall in front of her.
"No, it's not!" The Stallion yelled at her, taking deep breaths as she turned to the other unicorn of the group, "Librarian, blast this wall open!"
"Fine!" Twilight Sparkle yelled, her horn glowing with purple magic before a beam of arcane power left her head, blasting the wall of crystal and rock open as if it were paper mache.
The Stallion tried not to look jealous as he watched the ease with which the mare, almost a decade younger than him, used her magic.
If he tried to do the same thing, he would have tired out long ago, and that was if he was at full capacity.
As he was now, Just a few blasts like that would leave him empty, and he needed to keep all the magic he could hold, there was an inevitable fight coming up.
He scowled at the thought of the fight, he would be almost no help, low on calories and magic, and he would collapse after fighting just one simple Changeling, let alone their Queen.
"It's another dead end! We're never going to make it!" Princess Mi Amore Cadenza cried as she exited through the new hole in the wall, only to find herself standing at the edge of a cliff leading towards nothing but a drop into sharp crystal stalagmites.
"It can't be a dead end! There must be a way out of here!" Prince Blueblood yelled at his cousin, his body aching from running, even if it was for a short duration.
He needed to see a medical professional.
"There's no such thing as a dead end in caves like these," Twilight Sparkle said in an attempt to get the two royals to calm down, "We just need to find... There!" She yelled as she pointed up above her, where a small beam of light was entering the cave.
There must be an entrance over there!
Without waiting for a response, Twilight Sparkle grabbed hold of both royals with her magic before the trio disappeared in a shower of sparks and light, teleporting onto the opening she saw from far below.
And there it was, the exit, a hole in the wall leading to an entrance halfway up the Canterlot Cliffs.
And between them and the exit, there were three familiar mares.
"The Bridesmaids!" Twilight exclaimed at the sight, watching them slowly walk towards the group with eyes of blank green as if their minds weren't there.
And before the brainwashed mares could do anything, three quick beams of magic struck them in the back of the head, knocking them out.
"Heh~" Prince Blueblood let out a soft chuckle as he recognized the color of the magic, "Took ya long enough, I should cut your pay for taking so long," He turned to the entrance of the cave, smirking as he watched the air shimmer as an Illusion disappeared.
"You don't pay me," He smiled at the answer he expected to hear from the mare that stood there as she tossed him a familiar magical bag, "Now hold on, all of you, I'm taking you back to the Castle,"
All four ponies found themselves enveloped in an aquamarine aura as the newcomer teleported them all the way from halfway up the cliffs to the gardens of the Castle, even Twilight was impressed with the range of the spell.
"Let's go! We still have time to stop her!" Cadance yelled as she started to run towards the Wedding hall.
"Wait a moment, Cadenza," She stopped and turned back around to see her cousin hang onto his Bodyguard, his front leg hanging over her shoulders as she half-carried him.
"You two need to go on ahead," He told them, "There's going to be a fight, It's inevitable with a person like Chrysalis, and I'm going to be more of a liability than anything if that happens," He smiled sadly at the idea of not being able to personally smash the Changeling Queen's head in, "Go beat her up for me, yeah?" He nodded to his cousin before he turned to the Unicorn.
"Librarian," Twilight Sparkle straightened her back as the prince started speaking to her, "With the authority vested in me as Prince Blueblood Platinum of the Equestrian Crown, I hereby order you-" Twilight held her breath as she got ready to listen to a royal order.
"Win."
Win. Such a simple order.
"I have no plans on doing otherwise, Your Highness," Twilight lifted her front leg over her head as she saluted the Prince.
"That's not how you salute, You're embarrassing yourself, Librarian, just bow your head next time," He smirked at her before he turned around, His bodyguard still keeping him standing.
"And where will you be?" Cadance asked him as he walked away.
"I only have enough magic in me for one good shot, I need to make it count," He told her, "Don't worry about me, You two go and stop Chrysalis already."
Cadance stood there for a moment, watching her cousin walk away, before she turned to Twilight and the two nodded their heads.
"Lastly, before we move to the final part, Does any pony object to the marriage, Speak now or forever hold your peace," Princess Celestia spoke as her eyes roamed the crowd in the hall, a soft smile on her face as her adopted Niece was finally about to get married.
"Very well then," Celestia continued after no pony spoke up, "Princess Cadance and Shining Armor, It is my great pleasure to pronounce you-"
"OBJECTION!!!"
The crowd gasped as the doors to the wedding hall burst open to reveal...
"PRINCESS CADANCE?!"
There she was, standing on top of the podium at the end of the aisle, just a few seconds away from draining the Stallion's magic completely, shattering the shield that kept her forced outside.
And yet, there she stood, the Child of Perfection, an Embodiment of Its Love.
She learned enough from her past failures, there was no time to give a speech, or to reveal her plan to the whole crowd, letting them gawk at her like ducks in the pond.
There was no time for words, only Action.
With a flare of her horn, she turned to the Princess who scarred her a millennium ago.
And the world turned green.
> Chapter 115: A Canterlot Wedding 6
My lungs screamed at me to stop moving, to take a break and just let them rest.
"Blueblood! Are you alright? Can you keep moving?!" Starlight screamed at me, a bit too close to my ears for comfort, but I forgave her, she's simply worried.
It was almost funny, in a way, having someone worry about your life.
I never had something like that before.
"I can keep going," I managed to say, my legs shaking as I held onto Starlight's shoulder, the two of us making our way up the stairs to the top of one of the spires overlooking the hall.
I could see it almost perfectly from up here, Chrysalis in the form of Cadance down below, wearing a wedding dress that was not hers to have, standing in front of Shining Armor, the fool wearing something that wouldn't have been found weird on a British Noble in the early 20th century, or perhaps late 19th century... If it doesn't include boats, my knowledge of history becomes spotty.
And standing above the two, acting as the officiant of the wedding was... Never mind her.
"Just a few more steps," I told Starlight as we resumed our climb up the tower, the mare nodding her head as she practically carried me up the stairs, breaking open the door to the bedroom at the top of the tower, It was filled with mannequins, or Ponnequins or whatever they're called here, and rolls of fabric.
I let go of Starlight and dropped onto the floor, Starlight lowering my bag so I could reach it easier.
I opened the bag and started searching for something specific, "Starlight, help me find that thing Rutherford gave me,"
Following my fight with Chrysalis on the train tracks, and a long and awkward talk with Celestia in regards to the security of Equestria, I had the opportunity to check the gifts the delegations from Yakyakistan and Caninia brought for me.
The Old Caninian Castle, the delegation headed by the Princesses Indiana Ambereyes and Fiona Floppyears, brought me a collection of traditional Caninian spirits, some real high-quality Stout.
The New Caninian Castle, the delegation headed by Princess Moonbeam Twinkletail, brought me a wardrobe filled with Caninian Clothing fit for a Pony. If anyone ever finds me wearing an open luxury vest and a fashionable collar, they'll know who it's from.
But the gift I'm looking for right now, Is the one from Yakyakistan.
"Here it is!" Starlight yelled as she pulled it out of the bag, I turned my head to see if she got the correct one, when a sudden explosion rocked the castle.
She knew she was powerful, she remembered watching her cousin fight her back in Caninia, and she saw what remained of the train after she tried to fight him again, and even the forest clearing, which now stood as little more than ash and dust, all indicated to her that Chrysalis was strong.
She simply didn't understand what that meant without truly seeing it with her own eyes.
One moment she watched as the Changeling Queen in her body turned to look at Celestia, the next her eyes were filled with the color green as the ground shook.
"AAAH!" She heard Twilight Sparkle scream from beside her, her eyes closing as the bright green almost blinded her in its intensity.
And the moment she opened her eyes, she finally understood it.
The wedding hall was in disarray, the pews were broken, shattered into wooden splinters. The guests were lying on the ground in differing states of injury, some had simple bruises while others clutched their legs in pain as wooden splinters stabbed into their flesh, Luckily it seemed no pony was mortally wounded.
She turned away from the guests and the pews and watched as the green flames receded and fizzled out, showing the monster that took her form, her body trapped inside of a shimmering dark blue bubble that managed to capture the brunt of the explosion.
A Short dark cerulean green mane, smooth black chitinous skin resembling the carapace of a beetle more than anything, thin insectoid wings extending under shimmering elytra which went from a gradient of arctic blue to a moderate green, a smooth black horn that looked more like a weapon to stab with than a focus for magic casting, her eyes were green, both sclera and Iris, only her Pupils remained black, but also they were slits, like those of a cat or a lizard, highlighted by her dark green eyeshadow, and on top of her head she wore a small black crown with four protrusions ending in the same cerulean green as her wings and mane.
She hated to admit it, but she wasn't ugly, she would have even considered her attractive if she had grown out her hair a bit, and she also wasn't a psychotic monster.
"It seems we were correct," Cadance's eyes focused on the source of the voice, watching a pony walk from behind the shimmering bubble that held Chrysalis in place.
Princess Luna let out an exhausted breath as her horn shone with dark blue magic, the bubble around Chrysalis shimmering once more.
"Changelings?!" She heard Celestia exclaim in shock, but she wasn't focused on her, her eyes remained glued to those shimmering emeralds.
Twilight Sparkle held her breath at the sight of the creature in the bubble, was that truly what replaced Cadance?
"What in tarnation is going on here?!" Right! She couldn't sit here and gawk, she needed her friends to help her!
"Girls!" She yelled as she ran past Cadance and towards her friends, "We need to hurry!"
"Darling, what's going on? What's happening?" Rarity asked her as she jogged to meet her halfway across the hall.
"I was right! Cadance was evil! But not actually evil, because it wasn't actually Cadance!" She told them, watching their confused and worried faces slowly shift between the real princess and the creature in the bubble.
"I don't get it," Pinkie Pie raised her hoof and said.
"It doesn't matter, I'll explain later, but we need to get to the Elements of Harmony, quickly!" She told them.
"That is correct, Twilight Sparkle," She turned her head to see Princess Celestia giving her a serious look, "This foe is not someone you can simply battle," Celestia turned to glare at the bubble, "Go and get the Elements, we'll buy you time,"
"But-" Twilight wanted to argue with that, with Celestia putting herself in danger just so she could get the Elements, but before she could finish her sentence, the creature opened its mouth.
"You Idiots..." It stared at Celestia, "Your Elements of Harmony won't do you any good, They only work on chaos and evil, on things that bring imbalance to the natural order of the world," A smirk started to spread on its face, "A Perfectly pure creature is immune to such power," The smirk morphed into a sick smile, her head pointing up so she could look down on them.
"Then we are fortunate you aren't a creature like that, Chrysalis," Celestia told the creature as she stood between Twilight and it, "Go, Twilight, bring the Elements here so we can put this day behind us,"
"You heard the old hag," The Creature's eyes turned to stare at her, piercing through her soul with its stare, "Run along now, The Adults are talking."
Twilight wanted to stay, to check up on her brother, to help Princess Luna, and to do something useful.
But she couldn't, she knew she couldn't fight, she didn't know how, All she could do was use the Elements of Harmony, and hope for the best.
"Let's go girls," She nodded to her friends and ran out of the wedding hall, putting her entire trust in the Princesses behind her.
Luna took deep breaths as she once again reinforced the bubble, she was lucky she acted fast enough to contain most of the flames as Chrysalis transformed, but she wasn't used to casting spells like this.
If she could remain in her tower, isolated from the troubles of society, reading from her books and watching the world from afar, casting her magic from the safety of her room, she would have done so.
This active spell-casting in the heat of the moment with no preparations or fallbacks is something much more fitting for Celestia, or Blueblood.
"Heh, They're not too dissimilar in that case," She wanted to chuckle at the thought, but instead grit her teeth in concentration as she tried to keep the bubble up.
"Someone Snap Shining Armor out of it!" She yelled, hoping one of the guards would step up and slap their captain.
Luna watched as Cadance ran up to Shining Armor, trying to shake him into some form of coherent consciousness instead of the hypnotic trance that he was stuck in.
"It's no use, you know?" Luna scowled as Chrysalis spoke up, her eyes still locked on to Celestia, "It's no use at all, your little captain is all out of juice..." She mock sighed, tilting her head to the side, "If only one of you little cretins noticed something was wrong sooner... But you didn't!" Faster than Luna could react, Chrysalis's leg shot forward and slammed into the bubble, a small crack spreading from the place of impact.
"Luna! Reinforce that bubble!" Celestia ordered her, and Luna would have rolled her eyes and told her not to say the obvious if she wasn't focusing on keeping the bubble reinforced.
"Three weeks?!" Chrysalis laughed as her leg once again shot forward, a loud gonging sound echoing from the bubble, "I had your little Prince for Three Weeks! And your Princess for another Week! And you didn't notice!" Another kick.
The more Chrysalis kicked the bubble, the more Luna struggled to hold it, the echoing sounds weren't helping either, and neither was Celestia just standing there!
"Why~ If I didn't know any better, I would have thought you hated them! How awful of a ruler!" Luna wanted to yell at her sister to shut her up, but she was too busy keeping the shield from breaking.
"AN AWFUL RULER LIKE YOU SHOULD JUST GIVE UP AND DIE ALREADY!!!" Chrysalis didn't kick the bubble, which showed to be a useless endeavor. As long as Luna had magic, she could keep the bubble reinforced for as long as the Elements of Harmony required to arrive.
Instead, all she did, was softly put all of her legs on the floor, and tap it once. Like a dignified lady calling for the attention of a butler, a soft tap on the floor with her hooves was all she did.
"SHINING!!!" Luna widened her eyes as she turned away from the bubble to see Cadance drop to her knees, holding onto Shining Armor's knocked-out body as he lay out cold on the floor.
And that brief moment, barely over a second, where Princess Luna wasn't focusing on the Changeling Queen, was all it took.
Where once stood a leg of black Chitin, now stood a sharpened spike. And faster than the untrained eye could follow, Chrysalis jabbed it at the bubble and smiled with sadistic glee as it shattered, raining down around her with the sound of breaking glass.
But she didn't stop there, her leg kept going, passing through the shattered shield and towards the Alicorn that stood there with a lost look on her face.
"DIE!!!!" She screamed, her chitinous stake driving forward to impale her target.
Luna was pushed back as the winds created by the speed at which Chrysalis moved hit her, her legs unable to hold on to the ground as she was thrown into the broken pews, roughed up but mostly unharmed.
She watched with silent horror as the stake drove into Celestia's chest, a scream already on her lips as she waited for the expected blood to come spurting out of her sister's wound.
"Huh?" Instead, her legs automatically moved to wipe at her forehead as the room temperature started to skyrocket.
She watched with stunned Silence as Chrysalis looked up from the stake that was her leg and into her Sister's eyes, and saw her face of sadistic joy seemingly melt away.
"You dare?" Celestia asked quietly, ignoring the stake lodged in her chest, "Attack my Son, Kidnap my Niece, Live in my Castle, Take from what is mine, and then still try to kill me?"
Chrysalis, who previously looked ready to stab and claw and fight till the end in an attempt to get rid of Celestia, was now on the back foot as she took a step back, away from the Princess of the Sun.
"You- WHY WON'T YOU BLEED?!" She screamed as she stabbed at her again, feeling the stake at the end of her leg stab into the soft Pony flesh, but no blood came out.
"You dare?" Celestia repeated as she slowly took a step forward, her voice echoing around the hall with magical empowerment as the temperature kept rising, "Lay your filthy hooves against me?"
With a simple flick of light from Celestia's horn, Chrysalis started to scream.
Luna watched as she pulled the stake out of her sister's body, now red hot and partially melted as if she had placed it inside a burning furnace.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" Chrysalis screamed as she transformed the stake back into a hoof before jumping back to the other side of the hall, "YOU SHOULD BE DEAD! I KILLED YOU! I FELT YOUR HEART TEAR!!!" Green flames enveloped her body, transforming her slim Alicorn-like appearance into one covered in a heavily armored carapace, broad shoulders, and thick legs, her wings were hidden under a thick elytra, and her blade-like horn was replaced with a two-pronged thickened horn, resembling that of a rhinoceros beetle.
Luna couldn't take her eyes off the two, the Changeling who just moments prior seemed so confident in herself was panicking at her failed attempted Regicide, and her Sister, always so soft and inviting, like the gentle sun on a warm summer day, now seemed to raise the temperature around her to unbelievable degrees, each step she took left the marble floor beneath her smoking and blackened.
"JUST DIE ALREADY!!!" Chrysalis screamed as she raised one of her thickened legs, her horn glowing with bright green magic as an explosion of green flames burst out of her elbow, acting as a thrust to punch her leg forward harder than before like some sort of organic rocket.
Luna closed her eyes as a cloud of dust exploded outward from the force of the punch, hiding Celestia and Chrysalis beneath the screen of rubble and smoke.
"Heh... Hehehehah... HahahaHAHA! HAHAHAHAHA!!!" Chrysalis's laughter echoed out from the dust, assured in her victory.
"Time's up..." She whispered as the dust settled, showing her leg, as thick as a log, smoking under the intense heat emanating from the body it just punched, "Time's up!" She repeated, ignoring the lack of visible damage on Celestia's body, "Time's Up Time's Up Time's Up!" She cackled maniacally, a beam of green magic escaping from her horn and creating a hole in the ceiling, giving Luna a view of the sky outside.
And at the army of Changeling's banging on the quickly weakening bubble of protection.
Luna watched the elytra on Chrysalis's back open up to reveal shimmering beetle-like wings, letting the Changeling Queen fly out of the wedding hall with a glow of green magic in her insectoid horn, a shower of green sparks falling behind her to deter Celestia from following.
Luna tried to stand up, ignoring the ache in her back from where the wooden splinters of the pews attempted to stab into her.
"Sister! We must hold her off until Twilight Sparkle-" Luna called out to her sister, hoping the two of them could think up a plan to buy enough time, but Celestia wasn't listening.
Princess Celestia stood stoic and unmoving, her eyes staring up at the hole in the ceiling, and at the Changeling that just flew out of it, with a detached expression.
As if she wasn't looking at someone who just tried to kill her, who held her family in captivity for weeks, who did who knows what awful things to them!
No, Celestia was looking at Chrysalis as if she were a bug on the side of the road.
"You Dare..." Celestia whispered, the steadily rising temperature that surrounded her seeming to explode outward in an inferno of blazing heat, Her flowing aurora of a mane catching fire and turning into a burning pyre.
And with a single step forward, she disappeared in a tower of flames.
Chrysalis felt her smile halt as a near-unbearable heat assaulted her, but she ignored it as a bolt of green magic left her horn and hit the giant pink bubble that surrounded Canterlot, a green wave expanding from the place of impact as the shield shuddered, before-
CRACK
It shattered, like a crystal ball, shards of pink magic fell from the sky as they disintegrated mid-fall, followed by her army of Changelings, ready to turn the city below them into an all-you-can-eat buffet.
The sounds of her army buzzing past her as they rained down onto the city was like music to her ears, but she could not stop and enjoy the sight for long.
With a burst of green magic from her horn, a screen of protection was formed in front of her body, just in time to absorb a pillar of flames that would have swallowed her whole if she was just a second too late.
She could not wait, she could not allow the Princess of the Sun to get the upper hoof, More and more screens and barriers started to surround her, pillars of green flames turned into snakes of fire, flying around her like guardian angels, Claws and Spears of gelatinous magic and burning green flames started to build up behind her like an army ready to descend upon one singular foe.
"You..." And there she was, her mane a burning pyre, just like she remembered her all those centuries ago, "Insignificant..." Her horn glowed with a rainbow of power, her very presence boiling the moisture out of the air as a cloud of steam followed her, "BUG!!!"
A beam of fire, hotter than any natural flame that could be found on the surface of the world, burst forth from the Alicorn's horn, like a blade made of the sun itself, immediately burning away most of the hastily put-up barriers between the two.
"HAHAHAHA! THIS IS WHO YOU REALLY ARE!!!" Chrysalis cackled at the sight of the burning Princess, the exact same sight she saw so many years ago, "YOU'RE NOT SOME SOFT PATHETIC PONY SMILING AT YOUR SUBJECTS LIKE A FUCKING GRANDMOTHER! YOU'RE A WARRIOR! A SCOURGE OF FIRE!!! A MONSTER OF WRATH INCARNATE!!! HAHAHAHA!!!"
"Be Silent!" The Burning Celestia ordered, her voice reverberating with magic, "You shall bring my family harm no longer!" Her wings burst into a pair of flaming pillars, spreading behind her like a cape of orange fire.
"OH? ARE YOU GOING TO KILL ME?! IN FRONT OF ALL YOUR PATHETIC LITTLE SUBJECTS?! A PUBLIC EXECUTION?! HAHAHAHAHA!!! GO RIGHT AHEAD!!!" Chrysalis's eyes shrunk into pinpricks as she ignored everything around her and focused solely on the Alicorn in front of her.
The Sky, The Ground, The Changelings, The Ponies, Even the Buildings, They all melted away in her mind, leaving only Celestia and Her.
And with the speed it took for a nerve to send an idea into her Brain, Chrysalis shot forward, the claws and spears behind her falling after her as she dove into Celestia's burning embrace, her black chitin shimmering as she continuously reinforced it.
A Fight like this was perfect for her! She'll be able to absorb Celestia's love for battle as the fight goes on, weakening her opponent while maintaining her own strength, just like she did with the Prince!
And as Chrysalis's horn slammed against Celestia's, like a pair of clashing blades, Chrysalis swallowed as much love as she could from her opponent.
And then coughed out as a burning sensation started to spread down her throat.
She disengaged from her blazing opponent, letting her conjured weapons deal with her for now as she tried to understand what went wrong.
She focused on Celestia, trying to read her emotions, and froze, for less than a fraction of a moment, Chrysalis froze as her body felt fear.
"What..." She shuddered as she watched the Burning Alicorn melt away all the attacks she sent at her, "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" She screamed at her, "WHERE IS YOUR LOVE?!"
Chrysalis locked eyes with Celestia for a single moment, and her body froze.
One of the Princess's eyes had a burning orange iris surrounded by a cinder-red sclera.
And she screamed.
"Shining! Wake up, Please!" Down in the ruined wedding hall, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza was trying to wake her unconscious fiance up, praying that he was alright, hoping that everything was going to be fine.
"Give us a moment," Cadance turned to see Princess Luna drag herself close to her, her horn glowing with dark blue magic.
"He's going to be fine, right?" Cadance asked as Luna sat down beside her, her horn lowering to touch the Guard Captain's head.
"He'll be fine, It's just a mixture of Magic Exhaustion and Hypnotic Shock," The Alicorn of Dreams told her before she turned to look at her, "You might want to stand back a little,"
Cadance didn't want to let go of her fiance but decided to listen to the Princess anyway.
With a dark blue glow to her horn, a circle of magic appeared above Shining Armor's head, and with a soft hum of magic-
"PFFFT! Cough Cough, I'm up! I'm up!" Shining Armor bolted up as a splash of water landed on his face, coughing to get the little water that he accidentally inhaled out of his lungs.
"Shining!" Cadance cried as she hugged her fiance, using the strength of an earth pony to pull him into a bone-crushing hug.
"Cady!" Shining Armor ignored the aches in his lungs as he returned the hug, looking into his fiance's wet eyes, "I'm so sorry! I was too busy with the shield I didn't notice you were replaced- I Can't-" Whatever Shining Armor was about to say would remain lost as he suddenly found his lips taken in by his fiance, unable to speak as she pulled him into a loving embrace of locked lips and battling tongues.
After a moment, Cadance let go, allowing Shining Armor to breathe heavily as he tried to catch his breath, "I... I thought you said we weren't going to kiss like that until we were married..." He managed to say, his cheeks a burning red, the previously serious Guard Captain from the days prior was once again little more than that innocent boy that Cadance fell in love with.
"Just shut up and kiss me~" Cadance told him before she pulled him into another kiss, Shining Armor was unable to resist, not only because of his fiance's superior physical strength but also because his legs seemed to have been hit with a "Turn to Jelly" spell seconds before the kiss began.
"Ahem, We hate to break this wonderful moment, but we do still have an invasion to stop." Cadance and Shining Armor quickly let go of each other, their faces flushed in embarrassment as they turned to look at the unamused look on Princess Luna's face.
"Ahem~ Apologies Your Highness!" Shining Armor saluted the princess from his spot on the floor, his legs still not responding.
"Apology considered, Captain, Now listen closely-" Luna looked at the two of them, "We currently have an army of Changelings inside of Canterlot City, we can either wait for the Elements of Harmony to take their sweet time in getting back here, or we can do what we've been doing for the past three weeks." She focused on Shining Armor, "Captain, Are you able to recast the shield you used to defend the city?"
"I see where you're going Your Highness, but I can't-" Shining Armor demonstrated as his horn glowed with a pink and purple light, a small bubble starting to grow on the tip of his horn before it fizzles out in a shower of sparks, "I'm all out of juice." He started to rub at his horn.
"I... I think I have a way to fix that... But we're going to need to get Chrysalis back in here if it's going to work," Cadance spoke up, a plan forming in her mind.
High above the City of Canterlot, Princess Celestia was fighting two battles.
One against the monster in front of her, and the other against the monster within.
"Just burn her!" Her own voice shouted, trying to order her from the recesses of her mind, "You don't need to rely on those flimsy Elements of Harmony to do it, You're stronger than all of them!"
"Was this how Luna felt before she became Nightmare Moon?" Celestia mentally asked herself as the sheer heat emanating from her body burnt away all the attacks Chrysalis tried to throw at her, "This overwhelming emotion trying to claw its way out?" She wouldn't let it win, she wouldn't force her sister to go through the same loneliness she did.
"Aren't you angry? Why should you share the spotlight with her? She's weak, unfit to be your equal! Just make an example out of this Bug and then take the throne all for yourself! You deserve this!" The voice in the back of her mind kept trying to goad her on, wanting her to sink deeper and deeper into an all-consuming rage, a fire that would burn away her very being if she let it.
"YOU MONSTER! BEAST!! JUST DIE ALREADY!!!" And Celestia didn't forget about her, a flap of flaming wings dodging the shower of green bolts from the Changeling Queen.
"Just give me control, I'll deal with her no problem! You'll never have to worry about her ever again!" Celestia grit her teeth as her anger kept rising, more and more, like a volcano ready to erupt.
"Celestia!" She heard her sister call to her from down below, "Cadance has a plan! Get Chrysalis down here!"
Celestia nodded her head, ready to follow through with her sister's wishes, "Why listen to her? You're the one who's supposed to lead! Not her! You're the one who led this nation for one thousand years! And when your oaf of a sister returns the entire nation falls into disarray with one disaster after another! It's a sign from above! This land is better off with just you!"
Celestia roared in anger, fighting off both Chrysalis and herself, twisting in the air as she dodged and weaved the hail of attacks from the Changeling before she spotted something in the near distance.
A Gold and Blue shine, glowing at the top of a nearby spire, and Celestia felt her mind focused for the first time in minutes.
"I am Stronger than Luna," She told herself, for once agreeing with the voice in her head, "And it's thanks to that strength that you have NO POWER!" She yelled, her horn glowing a rainbow of colors as a rope of magic burst out of her horn, wrapping around Chrysalis's leg and pulling her towards her.
"Listen to me! You need me! You might be strong, but I can make you stronger than your wildest imagination! Nightmare Moon will be nothing when compared to our power!" Celestia closed her eyes as she dove down towards the castle, a screaming Changeling Queen dragging behind her in a rope of rainbow-colored magic.
"Shut UP!!!!" She yelled, silencing the voice in her head as she slammed Chrysalis onto the ground, her back landing on the marble floor of the wedding hall, leaving a cracked crater underneath her chitinous body.
"You... You haven't won!" Chrysalis spit out, "My Changelings are already ravaging your city, taking all the love they can get! I WON! YOU LOST!" She cackled, her chitin was cracked and burnt, but she cackled victoriously as if she truly had won.
"No." Celestia turned to see Cadance walk up to Chrysalis, "You didn't win," She told her, "But that doesn't mean you need to lose," Celestia watched as Cadance extended her hoof to the Changeling, "You can do better, We don't have to fight,"
Celestia smiled at the display, noting how this was how fights were supposed to end, with an opportunity of new friendships, not whatever the voice now back in the corner of her mind wanted.
"You..." Chrysalis stuttered as she watched the hoof offered to her, "You want me to... Do better?" She looked lost, tears starting to glisten in her eyes as she stared at the hoof before slowly reaching out to grab it.
"I do, And I think if we all work together, we can reach a conclusion every one of us will be happy with," Cadance smiled at Chrysalis.
"You..." Chrysalis smiled as she grabbed hold of the hoof, Cadance's face smiling as a glimmer of hope for the chance of redemption appeared on her face.
"ABSOLUTE MORON!" Only for Chrysalis's horn to glow green with magic as a pink fog escaped Cadance's body and swam into the Changeling's mouth, "You really are her daughter! A Love so pure, It's addicting! HAHAHAHA!!!" Chrysalis pulled her leg away from Cadance as she burst back up to her feet, ready to continue the fight.
"So that's how your love eating works~" Only to pause as Cadance kept talking as if she didn't just have her power sucked away.
"You don't eat emotions, but the magic associated with them," She noted as her body started to disappear, turning into flakes of snow and flower petals, "Love is simply the purest emotion you can eat, simple pure magic, a fuel with nothing else,"
Celestia looked away from the small pile of flower petals and snowflakes, watching Cadance walk up from behind her Sister's back, the pile where Cadance previously stood disintegrating into a pink magical cloud.
"AN ILLUSION?!" Chrysalis exclaimed with widened eyes, grabbing a feel for her magic reserves only to notice that they hadn't replenished in the slightest from the love she just took.
"You didn't really think I spent an entire week in that cave doing nothing, did you?" Cadance smirked as her horn started glowing with baby blue light, "Now all I need to do is reverse the process of you stealing love-"
"NO!" Chrysalis cried, her body throwing itself towards the youngest Alicorn, "NONONONONO!!!"
"And turn it into a gift!" Cadance's face spread into a glorious smile, the magic at the tip of her horn turning into a pink heart, floating out of her horn and into Shining Armor, whose horn started to shine with his purplish-pink aura.
"NONONONONONONO!!!!!" Chrysalis cried, Celestia and Luna joining forces to hold her back from reaching Cadance.
"Watch, Chrysalis! The True Power Love!" Cadance's mane started to levitate as her aura exploded with pink and blue light, "The Source of my Strength!" Her smile was dazzling, her hair was beautiful.
Celestia didn't even try stopping herself from shedding tears at the sight before her.
"Now! Shining Armor!" Princess Mi Amore Cadenza cheered as a bubble started to quickly expand from Shining Armor's horn, Passing over the Ponies and pushing the Changeling back.
"NONONONONONONONONO!!!!!!!!" Chrysalis screamed as the expanding bubble pushed her away, her leg quickly shooting forward to punch the barrier, her legs digging into the floor in an attempt to gain hold, digging trenches into the marble as the barrier kept pushing her back.
"SCUDO SPLENDENTE DELL'AMORE!"
Cadance cried out as her magic fueled the shield Shining Armor was creating, pushing Chrysalis up against the wall.
Celestia watched the scene with a teary smile on her face, "We don't need the Elements of Harmony to fix all our problems," She told the voice in her mind, "But that doesn't mean we must do it all ourselves," She looked at the glorious smile on her adopted nieces face, "Doing it all alone, Sounds sad, doesn't it?"
She got no response, but that was fine. As long as she had her family with her, she had no need to worry about ever becoming corrupted like Nightmare Moon.
"NOOO! I'M NOT GOING TO LOSE LIKE THIS! I CAN'T LOSE LIKE THIS!!! YOU'RE NOTHING LIKE HER!!! I'M SUPPOSED TO BE HER! ME!!!!! NOT YOU!!!!!!!!!" Chrysalis screamed as cracks formed on the wall behind her, the barrier trying to push her out through the solid wall.
"If being like my mother was what you're going for, then I'm glad I never met her," Cadance told her, her eyes glowing with pink and blue magic as her love kept powering the spell Shining Armor was casting, "And Besides, why would I want to be like her? I already got the perfect role model right beside me~" Cadance turned to smile at Celestia, a soft smile, small, but full of so much love Celestia felt like she could fight Chrysalis ten more rounds without getting tired in the slightest.
BOOM!
Out of nowhere, a beam of golden magic burst through the window on the other side of the hall, flying through the air, and slammed into chrysalis, who let out a scream of pain as the beam dug into her.
Celestia's mind started to focus as the world started to move in slow motion around her, giving her time to look at the beam of magic, and at the object in its center, currently spinning like a large drill, digging into reinforced Chitin.
"Isn't that?" Celestia's eyes perked up as she recognized the object inside the golden beam, a smile on her face as she turned to look through the window where it shot in from, watching a small figure on top one of the castle's spires.
"Told you I'd just fucking shoot you~" I smirked, ignoring the pain that burnt all around my body as my magic finally ran out.
"Quick- Kingfisher- Give this attack a cool name- You know you want to~" I wanted to ignore the hallucination of my tired mind, just as a way to Spite Macaw through the grave, but I had to agree with it.
I really did want to give this spell a cool name.
"This Shot holds the Last of my Magic- Weapon of the Stars, Crush and Break until all Runs Out-" I smirked as a fitting name appeared in my mind-
"MARS!"
And after going through with the masculine urge to shout out the names of attacks, I let my body finally rest as I blacked out.
"AAARRGH!" Chrysalis screamed as the beam of magic dug into her chitin, joining forces with the Barrier of love as the two spells finally pushed her body through the wall, the barrier now able to quickly expand to surround the entirety of Canterlot and even the mountain beyond, pushing all the Changelings out of the city, sending them all flying far away.
"CURSE YOU! MI AMORE CADENZA!!!" Chrysalis screamed as her limp body joined her changelings in being thrown far away, where she wouldn't be able to harm any pony any time soon.
Cadance let the smile on her face stay there for a few more seconds, watching the Changeling Army disappear into the distance until they became nothing more than a speck on the horizon before her legs finally gave out on her and she allowed herself to collapse onto the floor.
"Cadance!" Shining Armor quickly ran to his Fiance, holding her dearly, worry in his eyes.
"I'm fine," Cadance chuckled, "I'm just not used to all this action, I'm still reeling from living in a cave for a week," She chuckled once more before grimacing as her stomach started to rumble, "Auntie Celestia?"
"Whatever you need, Cadance~" Celestia smiled softly at her niece.
"I think I need a doctor," She chuckled as if saying those words was a funny joke.
"I'll bring the best Doctors in Equestria, don't you worry," Celestia told her as she caressed her cheek softly, telling Cadance that everything was going to be alright.
"Thanks, Lulu?" Cadance turned to Princess Luna.
"What is it Friend Cadance?"
"Can you go check up on Bluey, he needs more medical attention than I do, I know that if he's still awake he'll try and shrug it off and say that everything is fine, but I know he'll listen to you,"
"We'll go pick him up right away, You just wait here," Luna smiled at Cadance before she flapped her wings and flew out of the hole in the roof.
"And Shiny?" Cadance turned to the last pony remaining in the room.
"Anything, say it and I'll do it," He held her hoofs, worry on his face.
"Nothing like that," She chuckled, "I just wanted to apologize, It seems we'll need to delay the wedding for a few days," She smiled as if she just told the funniest joke in the world, "Also, did anyone ever tell you-" She paused for dramatic affect before she whispered something weakly.
"Yes? What are you trying to tell me?" Shining Armor leaned closer, trying to make out what she was saying.
"I said-" She whispered again, a voice so small she could barely be heard.
Celestia smiled, covering her mouth as she laughed to herself, already knowing what was going on.
"Yes?" Shining Armor leaned even closer, only to freeze as he received a peck on his cheek.
"Nothing, I just wanted to tell you that you look cute when you're worried~" Cadance smirked at her fiance, watching his face flush a bright red in embarrassment.
"Princess Celestia! We brought the Elements of Harmony!" All three ponies in the room turned to the entrance of the hall, watching Twilight Sparkle and her friends stand there, covered in several small bruises and marks from a fight against the Changeling forces outside.
"Why... Why are you looking at us like this? Did we miss anything?" Twilight Asked, and Celestia couldn't hold it in any longer.
"HAHAHAHAHA!" She burst into laughter, falling on her back and holding her gut, rolling on the floor as she laughed her heart out.
"What?" Twilight Sparkle looked around, "Seriously, what happened?"
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
> Chapter 116: The Royal Wedding
"Deep Breaths, This is your moment," Princess Mi Amore Cadenza held her breath in her lungs before exhaling it all out slowly, trying to steady her body.
"Don't worry Princess!" A filly told her, fiddling with a basket filled with flower petals, "A wedding is supposed to be an exciting part of any pony's life, just smile,"
A week has passed since the invasion of Chrysalis and her Changelings, and things have finally mostly returned to normal. Or at least, as normal as they could.
Blueblood was still bedridden, sadly, so he wouldn't be able to make it, but at least he was fine, Princess Luna was keeping watch over him as he recovered.
She herself was mostly fine, with simple doctor's orders to keep physical exertion to a minimum if she could, but otherwise, she was as healthy as a horse! Especially now with her magic keeping her... Full of magic? It was a confusing thing to explain, really.
After she copied and reversed Chrysalis's emotion-eating magic, her magic started to closer resemble her Alicorn trait, that is Love.
With love being the purest emotion, her own magic became endless purity.
Luna explained it as if her magical reserve became an endlessly deep ocean, but her own capacity to utilize that same magic was still a shallow river. In other words, she has an infinite amount of magic, but only a finite amount she can use at once. Like a very large bottle with only a regular-sized cap, She won't ever run out of magic to use, but she's still limited by the amount she can use.
At least that means she'll never suffer from magical exhaustion ever again.
"Just... Let's do this~" Princess Mi Amore Cadenza clapped her hooves over her cheeks and shook her head as she got ready, her face relaxing as she tried to enter a state of calm.
It was no use trying to think of the last week, these next few hours will arguably be the most important in her life.
"Shhh! It's starting~" Another flower filly whispered to her two friends as the music finally started sounding from beyond the large doors in front of them.
With one last deep breath, Cadance straightened her back and stared forward, watching the doors in front of her open up to reveal a full wedding hall.
"Here it was, The moment she was waiting for," She started walking down the aisle, following the flower filly's steps, "Her wedding."
"Ooh Ooh! It's starting! Look, Friend Blueblood! Cadance is finally getting married!" I let out an exhausted sigh as Princess Luna started tapping my shoulders, pointing at a nearby window where we could see a part of the wedding hall.
"I can see that," I told her tiredly as I fiddled with my new suit and tie, a navy blue suit with a black undershirt decorated with golden buttons.
"Are you sure we cannot go there? It is a most special day, you know?" Luna turned and gave me her closest approximation of puppy dog eyes, something I was immune to thanks to a tough resistance to common seduction tactics and the fact that Luna was biologically five years older than me and therefore too old to even attempt such a trick.
"You heard what the doctors said, no stress, that means no hanging around a crowd of ass-kissing dolphins who were only invited thanks to their importance in the internal affairs of Equestria. We'll still make it to the reception, it's only friends and family, so stop complaining already," I told Luna before I started walking away, one of my front legs holding on to a walking cane as I dragged my body away from the windows and deeper into the castle.
"You're not going to even stay here to look from afar?" Luna asked as she followed me, ensuring I didn't suddenly collapse from exerting my body too much.
"Luna, there are still a few hours before the reception begins, And besides, now that I have you, there's something I need to acquire..." I said as I walked deeper into the castle, walking down several flights of stairs as I made my way deep beneath the ground.
"Blueblood..." Luna started speaking as she realized where I was walking, "You do know this area is restricted for a reason..."
It wasn't long before halls of marbled bricks turned into raw stones and dirt, a cave system stretching down from beneath Canterlot Castle, lower than the old dungeons, lower than the sewers of the City of Canterlot, deep into the Mountain itself.
"I know." I stopped in front of what I searched for, "Only a Royal is able to open this door," I stood in front of a large magical door, built into the sides of the cavern, enchanted with potent spells that only the pony who cast them, and the Royals he taught, could open.
"However, The pony who made this rule made it so the only Royals who could open this have to be Alicorns," I turned my back to the large door and stared into Luna's eyes.
"Princess Luna, The library that lies beyond this door, is the only place in the castle I have yet to search for answers, I need a key to get inside," I told her, putting as much emphasis as I could on to the word Need to make it understood how important this was.
"Prince Blueblood, not even We have explored the place you seek entrance to, We know not what there is to find," She stared at the doors, her eyes not leaving the pair of large stars chiseled into the door, "We suggest you ignore it, your search for Tirek's motive has brought you nothing but ruin."
"I know," I said out loud, my eyes looking past the Princess of the Night before I took a deep breath to ready myself for what I was about to do, "However, If I do not do so, nobody will." I scowled as I lowered my walking cane and lowered my head.
"Blueblood..." Luna whispered as she watched me do something I would never have done if I didn't think whatever was beyond those doors was worth it.
"Princess Luna, Her Royal Highness of the Endless Night, Protector of Dreams and Ruler of Equestria, I, Prince Blueblood Platinum, Ask of you- No- I Beg of you," I felt my body shudder at the words leaving my mouth, as if attempting to punish me for even thinking of debasing myself like this, "Please, Grant me Access to Starswirl the Bearded's personal library~"
As those words left my mouth, I gagged, bile already threatening to climb up my throat as I begged for Luna to open a door for me.
I hate this, this feeling of inferiority, knowing that no matter how hard I work or train, the only way to open a fucking door will be to ask someone else to do it.
This reliance on someone other than myself... I hate it, I despise this feeling from the very core of my being, just the simple act of getting on my knees and asking for help is making me wish to throw up, my body instinctively trying to cleanse my body of impurities that do not exist.
Begging, Prostrating, on my hands and knees, asking for someone else's help, I absolutely, from my very core, Despise this.
And so I hope, from the very bottom of my heart, that whatever is behind these doors will bring me answers, because if it doesn't...
"We will make a key, one imbued with our magical signal, so you will be able to open this door," Luna said quietly as she lowered her body and pulled me back onto my legs, grabbing my chin and making me stare into her eyes, "I am ordering you, Prince Blueblood Platinum, don't you ever kneel for us ever again, do not beg us like this ever again, do not bow your head in submission like this ever again! DO NOT DEBASE YOURSELF LIKE THIS! EVER AGAIN!" She raised her voice, yelling at my face as if personally offended by my actions.
And then, faster than I could react, she pulled me into a hug, "Don't you ever, and we mean ever, do something like this ever again. You are our family and friend, we are to be equals, do not lower yourself for us, are we understood?"
I didn't say a word, I simply stood there stupefied at her reaction.
Why was she so angry at me? Because I lowered myself for her? But I am lower than her! Both in line to the throne and in royal influence and authority! She could order me to do anything she wanted and I'd have no choice but to follow her orders! That's how this works! The only pony who could overwrite any orders from Luna would be Celestia! I am, by the very definition of our different positions, lower than her!
"Understood." I nodded to her, lying without missing a beat.
We are to be equals? Don't make me laugh! There's no such thing as Equality in life.
There are only those who are at the top, and those who are not.
Those who are free, and those who are slaves.
Those who struggle, and those who accept.
Family... I lived twenty-eight years without needing a family, turning twenty-nine does not change that in the slightest.
"Good, Now let us get ready for the reception! We wish to partake in the wedding cake!" Acting as if the scene that just took place didn't exist, Luna grabbed us by the leg and started pulling us away, "Help us pick a fancy dress!"
If she noticed anything in how I acted, then she didn't show it.
"Wait! My walking cane!"
"Oops~"
Time as a concept was weird to her, trapped in a prison with no real way to measure time, nothing more than a head with an arm, sitting on the floor of the universe, surrounded by an endless expanse of stars.
Hoping, Praying, that one day her Prince will come and bring her back her feet, so he could proceed and sweep her off them as they go an live happily ever after.
But she was scared.
She didn't know why she was in this prison to begin with, her memory was jumbled and shattered and barely existent.
All she knew was that she was a Spirit of Space, a living embodiment of an aspect of the universe, and that part of her sealing was conducted by a Deer with a Red Crystal Heart.
And she is scared to find out the truth.
What if the person she was before she was imprisoned was so far removed from her current self, would she be able to comfortably live with that knowledge? And what if the personality of the one she was before he imprisonment starts taking control over her body, will she simply cease to exist, replaced with what was supposed to be her true self? What was her true self really? The one she was with her memory intact before the imprisonment, or the blank slate she became afterwards? Wouldn't the person she is now be her true self? She has no outside influence to change her personality, a nature versus nurture type of situation.
All those questions with answers that simply were unavailable, she could not help but let her mind wander as she waited for those few hours when she and her one true love could be together.
Because of course, he was her one true love. He told her his secrets, she told him hers, they shared everything with each other, he said he would bring her body back, and she said she would love him for the rest of her existence.
As long as her mind remained hers, and not that of some over version of herself, she would love him. She could promise that. And she knew it was true, she loved him more than anyone else, she wouldn't let herself lose to some sunken eyes insect bitch who didn't love him nearly as much as she did, they were fated to be together, that's why he's the one who found her, he's the one who would save her, he was meant to be hers, he WAS hers, she wouldn't let anyone change that.
Not the Insect, not the Nightmare, not the Secretary, not any other living being, none of them would ever change that. They can try, but they'll never succeed, she'll make sure of it.
"Do you want to go out with me?" She asked him, as she lay on his chest, her eyes staring unblinkingly at his appearance, tired and bandaged as he was, he was still the perfect Prince Charming for her.
"No." He said that word, that same word he said every other time she asked that question. He didn't actually mean that, he loved her, he had to, they were meant to be together, they were perfect together, they'll always be together, and she'll make sure of it.
"Haha, shut down yet again~"
> Chapter 117: Spooky Scary Shadows (Bonus)
It was the night before Christmas, that all- Wait a moment- Wrong Holiday, just a sec~
It was the last night of October, Ponies were out in the streets wearing the scariest outfits they could find, Children collecting candy as if they were taxes.
That is correct, dear Nephew, It was all Hallows Eve, the best holiday of the year!
"That's stupid, Everyone knows that Holidays are a waste of time."
The Pony of Shadows stopped talking into the void of endless nothingness that he was stuck in, turning his head to look at the only other pony in Limbo with him.
"Look, You're not here to get any information, so you're going to have to listen to me narrate the world around us, you do not have a choice." The Pony of Shadows told his Several-times-Great Grand Nephew.
"I'm not going to listen to you," Captain Prince Blueblood 'Kingfisher' Platinum told his long-lost evil ancestor. "You'll be talking into the void." He paused for a moment. "I mean that in the literal sense. We are in the void, and you are speaking to it."
"Look, It's currently Halloween, can you just please let me tell the story?" Uncle let out an exasperated sigh, turning to look at one of the six floating pillars of rainbow crystal that held the sealed wardens of his prison, "What are you looking at?" He asked a pillar, frowning at the Roman-dressed Pegasus frozen inside.
"I don't want to hear a story, I just want this to be over." Blueblood told the Pony of Shadows, turning his head to stare over his shoulder, "Shut up, Do not force me to go to a psychiatrist, I will make you disappear if you keep this up."
"Are you talking to yourself?" The Pony of Shadows chuckled at the sight, "I thought I was going to go crazy, but here you are." He smiled at his Nephew.
"I'm not going crazy," Blueblood said as a matter of fact, "I'm simply being haunted by my subconscious taking the form of someone I hate." He told him, only to pause for a moment, "Or it's his ghost and he's haunting me because he's a dick, one or the other..." Blueblood thought for a moment before he turned to look at his uncle, "Are ghosts real?"
"Someone's haunting you? Who is it? Is it that Moon Creature that tried to take over your body a while back? Maybe some poor Changeling you brutally squashed? Is it Blueblood, the real prince that is, trying to get you to give his body back?" The Pony of Shadows rubbed his hooves with excitement, the black smoky shadows that made up his body bursting into white flames from his excitement.
"It's Macaw." Blueblood's words turned the Pony of Shadow's excitement into Boredom.
"Macaw? From Avian?" He asked.
"Yep."
"Damn... Sucks to be you, I guess~ Ayo! Up top!" The Pony of Shadows excitedly raised his hoof up in front of Blueblood, ready for to receive his Nephew's hoof.
"Come on, don't leave me hanging!"
"..." Blueblood stared blankly at the Pony of Shadows, not rising to the occasion, and leaving his uncle to dry.
The Uncle of Shadows let out a disappointed sigh as he lowered his hoof and dejectedly walked over to the other side of the small corner of Limbo was his prison, sulking, "Why are you even here?"
"Cadance wanted to speak to Cosmos, She needs help planning her Honeymoon or something like that," Blueblood answered.
"Can't she just borrow the gems and sleep with them if she wanted to talk to Cosmos?" Pony of Uncles asked, "Having you wear them and then knock you out seems like a less healthy way to go about things, especially seeing as how she can only control your head and right front leg."
"That's what I also said," Blueblood told him, "I also told her to just go to a ski resort, but she decided 'Noo, I need my Honeymoon to be perfect, It can't be the same as any other Honeymoon ponies go on~' As if it matters, The entire point of a honeymoon is to get privacy from your friends and family in order to make out for as long as you want," Blueblood huffed in annoyance, "Too bad the two thirty-year-old Virgins are the ones going on the honeymoon this time. I would've taught Cadance how to put on a Condom, but I don't think she knows what one looks like."
"Now you're exaggerating, I'm sure she knows what a Condom looks like." The World's Greatest Evil Uncle said with a roll of his eyes, "And besides, I'm sure Captain Shining Armor knows enough about safe-"
"HE DOES NOT!" Blueblood interrupted with a yell, "Shining Armor is a horrible guard! It's almost comical how awful security in the castle is! I would be laughing at it if it wasn't so sad! I was kidnapped while I was in my room by Moon Creatures! MOON CREATURES!!! And don't get me started on Chrysalis not only managing to grab me a meter outside the castle but also infiltrating the castle for THREE WEEKS BEFORE ANYONE NOTICED!" Blueblood screamed, his mane of golden hair erupting in Blue Flames as he started ranting angrily about the castle staff and the many mistakes they made.
"Oh my~" The Pony who chose his name from an edgy thirteen-year-old's DeviantArt OC said as he listened to the Prince angrily ramble.
"-What I'm trying to get at here, Is that Shining Armor CAN NOT PROTECT ANYTHING! The only thing he managed to successfully defend in his life is his Virginity! So I am saying this with full seriousness and intent. SHINING ARMOR DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO USE A CONDOM!"
"Got that out of your system?" Pony of Shadows asked as he smirked at his Nephew, resting his chin on his hoof, his elbow on his knee as he listened to the Prince's angry rant.
"...Wasn't this supposed to be a Halloween special?" Blueblood asked as he calmed himself down, breathing heavily as he tried to relax from his spirited rant.
"It was? Eh, who cares." The Pony of Shadow waved him off, "It also seems like you're starting to wake up," He pointed out, watching as Blueblood's body started to fade away, "See you soon, Kill ya!"
"I'll kill you too!" Blueblood yelled as his body disappeared, Leaving Uncle Shadow all alone once more, with nothing but the Crystal Pillars that housed the founding pillars of Canterlot.
"...No, Seriously, Flash Magnus, go fuck yourself, stop looking at me like that."
"...."
"Yeah," The Pony of Shadows smiled in victory, kicking the crystal holding the Pegasus as he turned away from him, "Happy Halloween or something! Later, Losers!"
> Chapter 118: The Shifting Snow
Prince Blueblood shook the snow off his body as he stood near the northern border of Equestria, staring at the wide-open square in front of his eyes. Watching the snow pile on top of the roofs places over the benches, painting the concrete tiles of the floor with dots of white.
"How much did this place cost to build?" Starlight Glimmer asked him, her black suit covered by an oversized winter coat, one she refused to return to its rightful owner. Her eyes focused on the bronze statue sitting in the middle of the fountain built into the middle of the square.
The statue depicted a Unicorn and a Yak sitting in front of one another. Mugs of an undisclosed liquid sat before them as the two cheered in merriment, their joy and camaraderie depicted for all to see in the bronze symbol of their friendship.
"The Square?" Blueblood repeated the question, "Only twelve Million, Give or take." He shook his head to drop the snow off of it, his front legs still holding on to the walking stick he was given after the Changeling attack on Canterlot.
"I can walk just fine, I don't need this!" She remembered him yelling angrily, only to quiet down and promise to keep the stick for another week once Princess Celestia caught him trying to walk without it.
"If you're talking about the entire project, Closer to two hundred and thirty million." Blueblood's nonchalant answer almost caused Starlight to miss the amount he gave, "From the raw materials I had to ship over from Caninia, to the construction of the train track itself, to the employees who I've trained to work this train, to the many new stations I had to build all over the new North-Equestrian-Royal-Railroad, that's the name of the railroad by the way, this train is not for royals only." He told her, "It should be open to the public by the end of April, and with it, the Pony-Yak Railway should be officially complete."
"...Did you say two-hundred and thirty million?" Starlight repeated hoarsely as she turned to look at her best friend and boss as if he just told her he used liquid gold to flush his toilet.
"Do you have a hearing problem? Do we need to get you to a doctor, Starlight?" Blueblood raised an eyebrow as he looked at her from the corner of his eye, "Never mind all of this, it's the inside of the place that really matters, let's go!" Blueblood tapped his cane on the floor beside him as he started walking, making Starlight follow after him as the two walked past the open square and entered the train station on the other side.
Starlight watched many ponies wearing BBF-branded uniforms walk around the station, checking the walls and corners, testing the pipes and sinks of the bathrooms, and measuring the distance between the benches and the railway itself.
They were like a swarm of bees, all working like a machine in order to make sure nothing was wrong with the station.
"Welcome, Starlight Glimmer, to Rutherford Station!"
In the far northern nation of Yakyakistan, Prince Rutherford let out a hearty laugh as he read the letter before him, "Then our station be named Blueblood Station! Hahahahaha!"
Deep inside the Everfree Forest, in the Deer Kingdom of Thicket, a certain Pony was sitting in a surprisingly comfortable prison cell, spending her sentence listening to the birds singing outside of the small room she sat locked in.
"Hey, Pony, You've got a visitor, Stand up." Gloriosa Daisy let out a yawn and rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she stood up and faced the wall, waiting patiently as the deer unlocked the door before being given permission to walk out.
She was already used to this by now, Some Deer came to visit her, mostly guards asking about how she got her hooves on the Heart, or curious researchers who never got the privilege of leaving the forest's borders.
As she walked into the nearby room, where she was sat in front of a screen of magical see-through sap that acted as the Deer's answer to Glass, she watched the door on the other side of the screen open up, revealing that same Deer that kept questioning her about the security of the castle, about that other deer who helped her, about why she did what she has.
Portunes sat on the other side of the screen, stared at the prisoner through the plane of sap, and started asking the same questions he asked each time he visited the Pony.
"Do you regret what you did?" He asked the first question, already knowing what the answer she will give was going to be.
After all, they both had this song and dance twice a week.
"I regret that I could not save my camp," Gloriosa Daisy neutrally told the Deer Captain, calmly staring into his eyes, fully knowing what answers she would give him before he even asked his questions.
"But do you regret trying to steal the Heart of the Everfree?" Portunes asked, watching with a slight tinge of annoyance as the pony mouthed the question as he spoke it, mocking him for still asking the same questions over and over expecting a different response.
And even though Portunes was annoyed with the Pony, he could not hate her. He could not support her reasoning in the slightest, she still is a selfish and greedy criminal who risked the lives of hundreds for her own selfish exploit.
But she did force his King to actually act like a King for the first time in decades. Even if he is only meeting the bare minimum of being a King.
"I do not. I did it to save my camp-" Now it was Portunes's turn to mouth the words as if the two were reading from a script, "I would do anything for my camp."
Portunes sighed tiredly as let the guards walk back in and take Gloriosa Daisy back into her cell, noting in a small notebook that no change has been found, and that the Prisoner does not regret her actions.
All the Deer Captain could do now was hope his King would finally locate Platinum Manor so he could finally do something else with his time.
"Why is he even using those old maps?" Portunes thought to himself as he walked out of the Prison, "The Forest has changed so much in these thousand years, The town he's looking at is mostly debris and ruins, and that's not counting whatever Magic this Pony of Shadows fellow has placed on the building..." He shook his head as he made his way back to the Castle, watching with no small amount of awe as the giant tree that acted as the Royal Castle could be seen actively growing in front of his eyes.
The process was slow, there were still a lot of rooms and walls that needed to be replaced, but seeing the tree grow at a visible pace was still a wonder to his eyes.
"Magic... What a truly wonderful thing..."
Deep below the tundra, in a cage of crystal beneath the vast expanse of snow that stood between Equestria and Yakyakistan, a phantom banged on the walls of his cage.
His red horn burned with fury as he seethed and fumed, the words leaving his lips barely more than the wild howling of a beast, starved and mad, the few words that could be understood leaving his mouth could be described as the raving of a wrathful spirit.
He screamed about revenge that he shall never achieve, about a girl who he could never love, about a crime that should not have been, about the princess whose existence was a stain on the planet, about the whispers and touches of invisible pests, and most of all-
He screamed about Love.
"AMORE!!!!!!!!!!" His eyes were pinpricks, his body in a state of magically shifting between solid and gas, his entire focus being placed on the mocking timer that ticked away just out of reach, taunting him with the knowledge of his stay in this prison of ice and snow.
He growled and gnashed his teeth, his screams seeming to grow more and more feral as he watched the clock tick down. 3
His hoofs banged on the crystal walls, as if in an attempt to hasten the count. 2
His teeth chipped under the strength of his gnashing, turning into smoke as his body magically repaired itself in its constant shifting between the states of matter. 1
He screamed, a mixture of excitement, anger, and the indescribable primal feeling that all living beings experience. 0
For the briefest of moments, everything was calm.
He was not angry, His body was not in constant flux, His mind cleared from all noise, his words turned intelligible.
His very being seemed to enter a state of enlightenment, a euphoric release one thousand years in the making.
For but a single moment, no longer than a few seconds, the phantom remembered who he was, what he was here to do, why he was placed in this cage, all he knew became clear.
And then the crystal walls around him shattered, and with them so did the serenity.
Once more, he was barely more than a phantom, a mad and greedy being who was little more than a raging beast.
And with the freedom now given to him, King Sombra of the Crystal Empire left his cage for the first time in over one thousand years.
"AMOREEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Outside of Equestria's borders, inside a long-abandoned castle, a Queen cackled loudly, proud of the new plan she had concocted to fulfill her ultimate goal.
It was an outlandish plan, one so outlandish no sane person would risk placing their bets on it.
It was the perfect plan for someone like her.
And so she told her minions what her plan was.
"Your Majesty! This- This plan requires all the pieces to fall into place in time for one specific hour that only comes by every three thousand years!" One of her bug-eyed followers exclaimed.
So she drained all the love he had in his body, unhinging her jaw like a snake in order to let the magical pink mist enter her mouth, watching as his body shriveled like an empty water bottle that kept being sucked on, leaving him as nothing more than an empty husk, broken and unmoving.
How dare he question her. She was going to be perfect, her plan would make her perfect, therefore the plan itself was perfect. Perfection had no flaws. Therefore the plan had no flaws.
She ignored the rest of her minions, the fear that flooded out of their small bodies was none of her concern.
She had Thirty-six days, Seventeen hours, and forty-two minutes before her plan could come to fruition.
Before she would finally become Perfection Itself. |
Shades of Grey | pre | Octavia nodded slowly and then set off again. It wasn't until they had arrived at the station, boarded their train and found their seats that Octavia spoke again. As the train pulled away from the station she held the postcard that Brass had given her in her hoof. On the front was a very tourist looking night scene of Baltimare but it was the back that held her attention. The message was brief due to the size of the card but it was enough.
"Dear Beauty Brass, writing to you to let you know of a change in my circumstances. I've finally
got a spot at the Black Tie Club, it's not much but it's enough. The offer still stands if you want
to visit, would be great to see a friendly face. Yours Parish."
"A friendly face," read Octavia, "I hope he still doesn't think badly of me."
"I'm sure it will be fine darling, don't start worrying before we even get there. Besides you've got me along to help you out," replied Rarity as she looked up from a street map of Baltimare that she'd purchased.
"That's true."
"Now then, how about we order a pot of tea and enjoy the trip? I hear the scenery on the way to Baltimare is simply stunning."
Rarity hadn't been lying when she had said the trip to Baltimare was stunning. Vanhoofer and Baltimare sat on opposite sides of the Equestrian continent and the train ride took them through the heartlands of the country. Endless fields of crops and flowers greeted their gaze interrupted now and then by an isolated copse or small village. There was only one stop during the trip, that being at Dodge Junction where the train was split so it could head in two directions at once.
As the new engine was being coupled to their train Rarity took a moment to stretch her legs on the platform. She remembered the town well and a part of her wished they had time to call in on Cherry Jubilee. The cherry farm pony had been very understanding of Applejack's situation...or so she had heard. Rarity herself hadn't seen the end of the chase after being knocked from the cart by a flying Pinkie Pie. She could still hear the insane babble rattling through her head as she recalled the trip back to Ponyville with her.
Still this wasn't time to dwell on past events, it was a time to look forwards and focus on the task at hand. Boarding the train once again she settled down for the second leg of their journey to Baltimare. Octavia remained fairly quiet throughout the whole trip no doubt thinking about what she was going to say when she met Parish. She did wonder what he was going to be like. From what Octavia and Brass had told her he seemed to be a fairly quiet pony with a level head and a dislike of frivolities. Rarity hoped there was more to him than this.
By the time they reached Baltimare the afternoon was waning fast. Night was yet to fall but the sun was hanging low in the sky casting large shadows around the urban metropolis of the town. Thanks to her earlier studying of the map Rarity knew where they were going but the journey still took them a short while and they still made a few wrong turns before they found the establishment they were looking for.
The building and its exterior decor announced its class with ease. Like much of Baltimare the building was made of red brick and extended high into the sky above them. The upper floors were apartments each window holding a small balcony and each balcony adorned with a window box filled with trailing flowers that hung down towards the floor below it. The ground floor held a grand looking entrance, obviously a reception space for the apartments above it. Through the clear glass frontage Rarity could see the reception desk and the pony that worked behind it. The walls were decorated in a sleek looking two toned brown wallpaper and twinkling crystal lights hung everywhere.
Away to one side of the reception was another entrance. A set of wide stairs led down to a set of double doors. A long red carpet stretched down the stairs to the door and a canopy above shielded the entrance from any weather conditions that may be present. Above the canopy hung a sign that read 'The Black Tie Gentlecolts Club". Patting Octavia on the back Rarity set off towards the entrance. As they approached the bouncer pony at the top of the stairs turned his attention towards them.
"Sorry ladies," he said as he gave a small bow of his head, "I'm afraid the establishment doesn't open for another hour yet."
"That's quite alright darling, we were actually hoping to speak to a friend of ours who works here, Parish Nandermane."
"He never mentioned anyone," replied the bouncer as he gave them an inquisitive look.
"No well, we're stopping by slightly unannounced. Would you be able to let him know we're here?"
The bouncer pony thought for a moment and then shrugged slightly, "Can't hurt, who shall I tell him it is?"
"My name is Rarity and this is my companion Octavia Melody."
"Wait here."
With that the bouncer descended the stairs and headed inside. Octavia couldn't stop fidgeting, Rarity counting at least nineteen occasions that she adjusted her bowtie. When the bouncer returned she was starting to sweat.
"Well he says he'll see you but only for a little, once the club open he'll be playing and doesn't want any interruptions."
"Perfectly understandable," replied Rarity as she stepped forwards, "Come along darling, we don't want to keep him waiting any longer than necessary."
Octavia wasn't so quick to jump into action but followed Rarity all the same. They descended the stairs and pushed the door open. Inside the lighting was very subdued and a smell of tobacco smoke drifted on the air. To one side of the room sat a long bar with a black marble top. Behind it a bartender was busy checking the various spirits and wines that were stacked up on the shelf. The main area of the room was filled with small sets of tables and chairs intermixed with separating wicker screens and large ferns. Away to one side sat a door with a sign above it saying 'Smoking Lounge' and next to the door sat a low set stage. Octavia was currently looking at the stage, more exactly she was staring at the large gold plated harp that was occupying the centre of the stage.
"So it's really you Octavia," came a voice from their left.
Sat in a chair a few meters away, almost hidden in the shadows, was Parish. He looked tired and yet Rarity could see the faint glimmer of a smile on his face.
"Parish," replied Octavia slowly, the pony unmoving as she looked back at him unsure of what to say.
"Well you might as well sit down," continued Parish as he motioned towards two chairs at the table he was sat at.
Octavia didn't move for a moment, drawing back slightly in hesitance, before finally stepping forward and taking a seat. Rarity did the same, sliding herself into a seat next to her friend. For a moment silence filled the air.
"Parish, I..." began Octavia.
"Why are you here Octavia?" interrupted Parish with a firm tone.
Octavia swallowed her words, clamming up like a young student in front of a teacher. Rarity could see her distress and decided to interject.
"That was a little rude don't you think?" she said quickly with a slight frown.
Parish quickly raised a hoof towards her, his head snapping round to face her.
"I would appreciate it if you were quiet. I don't know who you are and at this time I'm not interested in knowing. My question is for Octavia and I would appreciate it if you would let her answer them unaided," he replied, his tone firm but courteous.
Rarity could tell he didn't mean to be rude even if the statement sounded more like an order than a request. Even so she felt compelled to obey and slowly nodded in response.
"Thank you," finished Parish as he turned back to Octavia, "Now Octavia, why are you here?"
Octavia didn't respond although apparently not out of choice. Her jaw moved up and down but no words left her lips. Rarity could only sit and watch, it was actually quite horrifying and she could feel a sense of loathing creeping into her mind towards Parish. The harp player himself just sat in silence for a moment, watching Octavia struggle to get her words out before giving a sigh.
"Look Octavia, I don't want to seem cruel. We've been friends for a long time but when I left for Baltimare you promised you wouldn't call on me unless you had something important to say. I've done everything I can to try and separate myself from everything that happened in Canterlot and the last thing I need is ponies asking questions just as I start a new job. Now unless you have something important to say I have a performance to prepare for."
As he made a move to stand up Octavia suddenly slammed her hoof down on one of his, pressing it firmly against the table top. For a moment the two ponies looked at each other as a flash of resolve passed over Octavia's face.
"I do have something important to say Parish," she began as she released his hoof, "and I need you to hear me out."
Parish paused for a moment and then finally gave a small nod as he sat back down. Slowly Octavia began to recount the story of the last few days. Her terminal fall and meeting with Rarity, the trip to see Brass and ultimately the plan that she and Rarity had developed between them. After she was done Parish sat back in his chair and brought a hoof to his chin.
"Well now, I wasn't expecting anything like that," he said as he turned briefly to look at the bar, "Tumbler, get me a double of the usual."
The light blue Pegasus pony behind the bar nodded and began preparing the requested drink.
"I know I'm asking a lot," continued Octavia, "But I believe this could work...but I can't do it alone."
Parish gave a sigh, "Octavia look around you. I won't say my life has been easy since I left Canterlot, in fact I've had to survive by taking whatever work I could find at first. But now...I have a new life. The work here is good, peaceful and well paid. I've finally been able to afford a new apartment. I have new work colleagues and ponies that respect me. You're asking me to leave all of that and trust on a prayer that we can get back what we once had."
Parish gave a long drawn out sigh, "I'm sorry I just can't do that."
Octavia looked like she was on the verge of tears. They had been threatening ever since she started retelling her story but now they were making a real appearance. Rarity quickly offered her a handkerchief, Octavia accepting and wiping her eyes as she gave a small sniff.
"Mr Nandermane," spoke Rarity, finally deciding it was time for her to say something, "I understand what you say but won't you reconsider?"
"Miss Rarity, don't get me wrong," replied Parish as he turned to look at her, "It's nothing personal and after hearing about what Octavia has been going through I do feel for her. But in my current situation if I don't do what I'm supposed to do here I will get fired. I had to fight hard to get this position and there is a long line of musicians waiting to take my place if I miss even one appearance. I just can't."
He turned to Octavia, reaching out to grab one of her hooves with his own, "Tavi, I know you blame yourself for what happened and I know you're just trying to put it right...but it's time to let go. Not everything that is broken can be fixed and you have to start making a new life for yourself."
"I'm sorry Parish, I just can't do that..." replied Octavia in a sullen voice.
Parish sighed and released her hoof, "So am I Octavia, so am I. Listen, why don't you two stay a while and relax. I'm due on stage shortly so I best go and get myself ready."
It was at this point that Tumbler, the pony from behind the bar, approached with a drink resting on a tray. Parish quickly swiped the drink from the tray, Rarity only getting a moment to observe the light brown liquid inside the glass before Parish had downed it in a single gulp. He drew a breath and then sigh as he placed the glass back on the tray.
"Tumbler get these two mares a drink would you, put it on my tab," he said as he turned away and headed towards the stage.
"Sure thing Parish," replied the pony as he looked at Octavia and Rarity, "What can I get for you both?"
Rarity couldn't find an answer at first, she was too busy watching the expression on Octavia's face sinking through the foundations of the building.
"Ah...what would you recommend?" she asked after a moment as she gave Tumbler the best smile she could muster.
"Hmm, well the Baltimare Sunrise is proving popular with the mares at the moment. Don't want to boast but I probably make the best ones in town."
"Sounds good," murmured Octavia, her voice both depressed and hopeless.
"Yes, why not dear," added Rarity as she turned her attention back to Octavia.
"Coming right up, oh and miss. I don't want to intrude on private business but don't feel upset at Parish turning you down. He's had quite a few mares asking him that question recently and I think he just wants to be alone for now."
"Oh um...yes...of course..." replied Octavia as she gave the best embarrassed giggle she could.
Tumbler smiled slightly and then departed back towards the bar leaving the two mares alone once again. Octavia tried to let her vision wander across the room but each time she did they could only stare at one thing. On the stage Parish was busy tuning his instrument. Seated on a small stool next to the large harp he gently plucked each string in turn, listening as the note rung out and occasionally tightening or loosening a string.
"I don't know what I was hoping for," mused Octavia quietly, "Parish has never been a pony to take risks. He's always wanted a steady life, that's why our ensemble suited him so well. Nothing ever seemed to threaten it...until everything happened."
"I'm sorry Octavia," replied Rarity, the unicorn not really know what else to say.
"It may have been different if Brass was here, those two always had a better chemistry than I did with Parish...but even then I don't think he would have agreed."
Rarity sighed slightly, "Don't lose faith darling, whenever a door closes another one opens."
Octavia nodded slowly but didn't seem overly convinced. It was then that Tumbler returned, the pony carrying a new tray with two drinks perched on it. The drinks were long cocktails and Tumbler had not been exaggerating when he said he did them well. They looked like a pair of flames in a glass, the liquid starting red at the bottom and then fading to orange with streaks of yellow swirled through it. Rarity had to admire the craftsmanship even if normally she wasn't one to drink too much.
"There you are ladies, I hope you enjoy," announced Tumbler as he placed the two drinks down on the table top.
Octavia didn't reply, seemingly content to stare at the contents of the glass for a moment before taking hold of it and taking a brief sip. What happened next left both Tumbler and Rarity in shock as Octavia upended the glass and drunk the entire thing without stopping.
"Another," she said quietly as she placed the glass down and wiped her lips with her hoof.
Tumbler just blinked and Rarity quickly looked over at him in urgency.
"Perhaps you better let me handle this deary, hold that order for now."
Tumbler nodded as he walked off, occasionally giving a glance back over his shoulder with a half dazed look. Rarity meanwhile reached forwards and grabbed Octavia's hooves.
"Darling don't do this, nothing good will come of drowning your sorrows."
"Does it matter?" asked Octavia, "Don't you see what's happening? It's all been pointless! All the struggles and problems I've dealt with since the ensemble split up...it's all been for naught! I thought that I could change it all if I kept going, that I could correct all the mistake that have happened. And yet..."
Without warning Octavia quickly snatched the drink that had been sat in front of Rarity and started drinking. By the time Rarity snapped herself out of her shock and raised a hoof to lower the glass the contents was already sliding down Octavia's throat.
"And yet here we are," continued Octavia, the mare barely pausing the breath as she carried on, "Brass can't help me, Parish doesn't care anymore and...hahah, the only other pony who may help me if Frederick...who the last time I saw said he never wanted to see me again."
Octavia giggled slightly and then started laughing. As she did tears began to form in her eyes.
"I'm being punished, I'm still being punished for my mistakes. That's what it is."
"Darling don't say such things, there is always another way, there is always hope," replied Rarity as she tried to get the mare to focus.
"I ran out of hope a long time ago, I have nothing left...nothing."
Octavia's tear began afresh, her earlier laughing descending into mangled sobs as she lowered her head to the table and began to weep into her hooves. Rarity was glad they were seated in an isolated corner of the establishment, even if it wasn't yet open she didn't want the staff casting judgement or comment. She got up from her seat, moving around the table so that she was beside the weeping mare, and placed a hoof round her shoulders. Quietly she began to coo gentle reassurances and brush a hoof through her mane like she had done for Sweetie Belle on numerous occasions. Before long Octavia's sobs had quietened and not soon after that all that was left was the quiet whistle of her breath as it flowed in and out.
Content that Octavia was safe for the moment Rarity removed her hoof and stepped back. Octavia didn't move; the mare now fast asleep. With a small nod to herself Rarity turned and headed towards the bar. As she approached she couldn't help but notice that Tumbler flicked his gaze away from table she had been sat at.
"Keeping an eye on us I see?" commented Rarity as she sat herself down at the bar.
"Uh well, just keeping tabs," replied Tumbler as he busied himself by cleaning some glasses, "Your friend just looked really upset about being turned down."
"Oh it's a little more complicated than that deary but it would take too long to explain all the details to you...and I don't think she'd appreciate it either. I do hate to ask but is there a small room available where my companion could rest a little?"
"Hmm...well normally we don't allow such things but let me double check with Parish."
Tumbler rounded the bar and approached the stage. Rarity watched as he conversed with Parish for a moment, the earth pony casting a few glances towards the table where Octavia was resting as they spoke. When Tumbler returned he was wearing a small smile.
"Seems you're in luck, Parish says she can rest in his break room for a while, do you need any help carrying her?"
"No that should be fine dear, but if you could show me the way."
Tumbler did just that. As Rarity used her magic to hoist the sleeping Octavia into the air the bar pony showed her through a door that said 'staff only' on it and along a corridor. Opening a door Rarity found a small room with a desk and chair as well as a small, yet adequate, fold down bed. Laying Octavia on it and covering her with a blanket the pair returned to the main part of the bar. It seemed that the establishment had just opened and a selection of rich, or at least well connected, ponies were starting to file into the room.
Rarity returned to her seat at the bar and started to think about what was going to happen next. She had always hoped it would go better than this but it seemed that luck just wasn't with them this time. Her plans to hold a comeback concert for the whole ensemble lay in ruins and even if Frederick agreed to partake, which she highly doubted, it still wouldn't be enough. She sighed heavily.
"Sounds like this problem is affecting you too," added Tumbler as he glanced briefly behind him as he prepared a drink.
"I suppose it does darling," replied Rarity as she looked across the bar.
"How about a drink on the house to help you relax?" offered the bar pony.
"Charming as that is deary I have to refuse, somepony has to be sober to make sure Octavia is alright. However, I would like a soda water with lemon if you would."
"My pleasure. Oh uh...don't suppose there would be a chance of us meeting up tomorrow when I'm not working would there?"
Rarity couldn't help but smile, "I'm afraid not sweetie, I'll be moving onto Manehatten in the morning. I do hope you understand."
"No problems ma'am, I just couldn't live with myself if I didn't try. You're a fine mare ma'am. If there's anything else I can do for you please let me know."
Soon enough Rarity was absently sipping her requested drink as she watched the comings and goings of the bar around her. Parish was about to start playing, several of the ponies in the room watching the stage as he readied himself. You could tell he was professional from the way he held himself and the air of confidence that surrounded him. As his hooves plucked the first string the bar went silent. Rarity found herself lost in the melody, the notes touching all manner of emotions deep in her mind. Unlike Octavia Parish played with his eyes open, his gaze focused intently on the strings of his instrument as if trying to burn ever last detail of the string into his mind.
As he had finished his first song the room erupted into a round of applause and Parish took a small bow before stepping down. Rarity watched as he scanned the room and then headed towards the bar. Rarity caught him glancing at her a few times as he approached the musician finally stopping next to the bar near where she was sat.
"Tumbler get me some water if you would," he said quickly before turning to look at Rarity, "I take it Octavia is still sleeping."
"I believe so yes," commented Rarity, "I think it's safe to say that she will have quite a hangover in the morning."
"Most likely, two Baltimare Sunrises is quite a considerable amount of alcohol...and Octavia never was a drinker."
Parish settled himself into a seat as Tumbler offered him a glass of water. For a moment neither pony said anything but ultimately Parish broke the silence.
"So what are you going to do next?"
"Well we have passage booked on the night train to Manehatten so I plan on letting Octavia rest a little more then I'll see about getting us both to the station."
"Manehatten huh? I take it you're going to see Frederick?"
"Yes we are."
Parish was silent for a moment, "I would wish you good luck but I think you'll need more than luck when you see him. When Frederick left the group he wasn't exactly shy about telling us all what he thought. If I recall correctly he called Octavia a whore and said he never wanted to see her again..."
Rarity didn't reply as she took another sip of her drink.
"I'm sorry for what I had to say earlier but in truth Octavia does need to move on. It's been a year since the group started to break up and it's not healthy for her to be clinging to the past like this."
Rarity looked around sharply, a slight glare settling on her face, "The truth darling is that I feel sorry for you. You've lost all hope and whilst you've started a new life you don't exactly look completely happy. Octavia has done nothing but sacrifice everything she had in an attempt to fix something that she perceives to be only her fault. I may not have known her very long but it takes incredible strength to go through all that without going completely insane and I don't intend on abandoning her now. Even if it means I have to sacrifice everything that I have I will not rest until I see that mare smile again."
Rarity quickly finished her drink and jumped from her seat. She gave another glare at Parish, the musician pony not able to speak.
"Now if you'll excuse me I have a friend to take care of and a train to catch." |
Shades of Grey | Chapter 5 | Something didn't feel right. All she could see was darkness and yet it seemed to be swirling around her like the night sky in fast forwards. She tried to blink but found herself unable to and the more she stared into the darkness the more unsettled she seemed to become.
"Octavia..."
A voice in the darkness called for her and yet she couldn't see anything. Where was it coming from, how did it know her name?
"Octavia..."
She tried to blink again, this time her eyes opening slightly for a moment as she tried. A prick of light was now evident in the darkness and as she watched it began to grow in size, slowly starting to fill her vision. She blinked again, this time the motion occurring properly as the light intensified and shapes began to form.
"Octavia darling, time to wake up..."
Octavia felt her senses returning slowly. A gentle click-clack sound filled her ears. The scents of different ponies filled her nose. Her eyes began to focus, the face of a white unicorn coming into view. She still felt numb, like she was wrapped in a sheet of plastic, staring out at the world from behind an invisible barricade. The unicorn smiled down at her.
"Good morning my dear, I was hoping you'd awake before we arrived, carrying you around is both tiring and most uncoming of a lady like myself."
"M-morning?" asked Octavia as her head began to ring.
"Yes my dear, I'm not surprised you don't remember," continued Rarity, "you did after all have a considerable amount to drink last night and I hear that you don't take to alcohol very well anyway. You've been asleep for about fourteen hours my dear."
Octavia tried to speak but her throat didn't like it, a gurgling cough the only sound that left her lips. Rarity acted quickly, levitating a water bottle from her bag over to Octavia and offering it to her. Octavia was slow on the uptake but eventually managed to get a firm hold on the canister and take a few gulps of the liquid. As she did she found herself spluttering slightly which only served to aggravate her headache. This wasn't helped by the gentle swaying of the train and before Octavia realised she had jumped up, rushed to the nearby window, lowered it and had stuck her head out.
Rarity cringed and looked away as the sound of retching filled the private compartment. Rarity was glad the train was moving and the airflow through the carriage managed to clear away the smell before it had time to linger. Even so Rarity couldn't help but shudder, so uncouth. Clearing her throat she crossed to the window, Octavia holding onto the edge of the window frame like her life depended on it as she took in deep shuddering breathes of fresh air.
"Are you feeling alright?" inquired Rarity gently, well aware that Octavia probably didn't.
"I've been better," came a reply after a moment.
Rarity just nodded as she started rummaging around in her saddlebag again.
"I thought something like this may happen," she said as she continued her search, "So I decided to plan ahead. I've brought a few bags of salted hay snacks and some juice. You'll probably be in need of salt and sugar after...well...after you're done."
Octavia could only nod as she continued to cling to the window frame. Just then the train gave a rather sudden lurch and Octavia felt her stomach give a lurch of its own. For a brief moment her face turned slightly green before the sounds of retching once again filled the air. Rarity retreated to the far side of the compartment and sat down. There was nothing she could do for the moment and crowding Octavia would likely only make her worse.
That said it didn't take long for Octavia's stomach to calm down and she finally released her grip on the window. Rarity was there to help her back to a seat and together they sat down on the large couch like seat that occupied one side of the compartment. Octavia found herself lying on her back staring up at the ceiling as Rarity sat down next to her. Octavia still felt a little queasy but accepted the bag of hay snacks from Rarity when offered them.
Closing her eyes she gave a long sigh and placed one of the snacks in her mouth. The taste was simply amazing considering what had recently passed through her mouth and she couldn't wait to swallow and eat another. As she did she felt something touch her mane, the object passing through it with long purposeful strokes. Octavia opened her eyes to find Rarity smiling down at her as she levitated a brush through her tangled mane. The unicorn was humming quietly as she worked, Octavia recognising the tune almost immediately.
"Is...is that Rest My Dear?" she asked quietly.
"Hmm? Oh you mean my humming, I'm sorry if I disturbed you darling. I tend to find myself humming while I work quite a lot and my sister Sweetie Belle likes that one a lot."
"It wasn't disturbing me...in fact my mother used to sing that one to me when I was a little filly. It always helped me relax."
Rarity just smiled and continued tending to Octavia's mane. The grey pony herself fell silent for a moment as she looked up at Rarity. She had done so much for her already and she was still there even now, going as far as to brush her mane for her.
"Rarity?"
"Mmmm-hmmm?"
"Can I ask a favour of you?"
"Of course darling, what is it?"
"Would you...would you sing that song for me?"
Octavia could feel a blush crossing her face as she asked. It felt so childish, so beneath her...a grown mare asking for somepony she had only known for a few days to sing her a child's lullaby. Whilst other may look down on her for such a request or give her funny looks Rarity just smiled. Raising a hoof to her chest she cleared her throat.
"Of course my dear, I may not be the best singer in all of Equestria but I like to think I do a decent enough job."
Clearing her throat once again Rarity took a deep breath and begun.
"When the day is over and your work is done,
Smile little pony and watch the sun.
Hours of toil have led you here,
Yet now you may finally rest my dear.
Hopes and dreams are waiting for you,
Be not afraid I'm right here too.
By your side I'll banish your fear,
So now you may finally rest my dear.
Close your eyes and think of morn,
Dream your dreams they shall be born.
Here I'll be so shed no tear,
So now you may finally rest my dear."
Rarity was about to embark on singing the forth verse as she heard a faint whistling sound. Looking down she found that Octavia had fallen asleep whilst she had been singing. Her head rested lightly against her side, the earth pony's face a picture of peace and serenity. Rarity smiled and set her brush aside as she glanced out of the window. Outside she could see the great blue expanse of the eastern ocean as the train ran its course along the coastline. It wouldn't be long until they arrived in Manehatten but until then she would let Octavia sleep. As she watched the sleeping pony beside her the final verse of the lullaby slipped from between her lips, a light whisper that barely carried on the air.
"When you awake you'll find me here, day by day and year by year. Always yours I shall be near, so now we may finally rest my dear."
By the time the train arrived in Manehatten Octavia was fully awake again, although perhaps not quite her usual self thanks to the lingering hangover that still plagued her head. Still Rarity didn't tease, helping her as needed and taking care of the more mentally suited tasks. Manehatten itself was huge, a sprawling cosmopolitan metropolis that spanned the coastline for many miles. Being home to Equestria's largest port it was home to creatures of all shapes and sizes not just ponies. Gryphons and zebras were a common sight and even less common species like minotaurs could be found in various places. Truthfully Rarity found it a little daunting. Canterlot was a big city but it had a much different feel to it, Manehatten just felt a little...odd.
Still she wasn't about to let such feelings stand in the way of her task at hand. Currently this was arranging a cab for transport across the city. Thankfully Octavia had a copy of Frederick's address but she thought it better to let somepony else do the driving so to speak. It was fast approaching mid-afternoon as they arrived at their destination and, despite the cost, Rarity was quite glad she hadn't had to walk.
The house, or rather manor, that stood before them was incredibly impressive. It was set in its own private grounds away from the city with a large stone wall encircling it. Through the large iron gated entrance Rarity could make out lavish gardens filled with all manner of trees and plants. The manor itself stood on a slightly raised area of land fronted by large pillars and a sizable oak door. Octavia had already explained all she knew about Frederick, that he was the younger of two brothers born into a rich family. His father owned most of the fishing rights for the surrounding ocean and ran two different companies. How he had managed to get such a position baffled Rarity but she wasn't about to start analysing the business model now.
Giving a glance at Octavia she raised her hoof and hit the call button on the intercom system mounted next to the gate. They both waited, time ticking by a second at a time until it felt like an eternity had passed.
"Who is it?" asked a voice finally.
"Ah, good day sir," announced Rarity joyfully as the reply came, "My name is Rarity, my companion and I were hoping to meet with Frederick Horseshoepin."
"He doesn't have anything in his diary."
"Ah yes, well we won't be expected but if you could convey a message to him we would be most grateful."
"Very well, what was the name again?"
"My name is Rarity and my companion is Octavia."
"Please wait."
The intercom went silent and yet again the two ponies were left waiting for a response. Again seconds dragged by and quickly became minutes. By the time a voice sounded from the intercom again Rarity was almost thinking that they had been forgotten.
"He says he has no interest in meeting you and he's asked me to ask you to leave."
Octavia surged forwards, pushing Rarity aside as she spoke, "Sir please, wait a moment. It's very important that I speak with him. Can't you ask him again if he will see me? Please?"
There was a pause but Rarity was sure she heard a sigh drift from the intercom, "Very well I shall ask again, please wait."
Again the waiting but this time Octavia found herself dreading the reply even more. Did she actually want him to change his mind? Would it just be best to call the whole thing off and leave? With each moment that passed she found herself feeling more and more on edge, her ears twitching back and forth rapidly. When the intercom sparked into life again the response filled her with dread.
"Master Horseshoepin has decided he will see you briefly. Follow the path and please don't touch anything. I will meet you at the front door."
With that the comm went silent and the large gates started to swing open on their own. Rarity could sense the tingle of magic in the air as she watched the gates open, an animation spell. It was yet another reminder that the ponies that lived here were not only powerful but extremely wealthy. Together they set off up the driveway. On either side flowerbeds bulged with colour and young trees provided a dappled shade from the sun above. As they neared the manor itself Rarity couldn't help but admire the architecture. It was an old building but well maintained, the weathered stone spotless. Above them pony shaped gargoyles sat on a lip around the building and the high arched windows were topped with small stain glass sections.
Climbing the stairs in front of the manor they found the front door already open, an aged looking pony standing waiting for them. He wore a suit over his brown coat and his white mane did little to brighten his tired looking face. He bowed his head slightly as they approached.
"Greetings and welcome to Horseshoe Manor," he said in a voice that showed he had said this many times before, "My name is Silver Service, if you'll follow me I'll take you to Master Horseshoepin."
"But of course," replied Rarity so as not to be rude.
Again the pony gave a small bow of his head and opened the door a little more so they could enter. They stepped through into the hallway, Rarity having to control her urges to freak out as she looked around at the decor. Tapestries and paintings stretching back hundreds of years adorned the walls Rarity recognising genuine work from both Ponycasso and Ponet amongst other great figures in Equestrian arts. She could have spent a week simply admiring them but Silver Service seemed keen to deliver them to his master as he ushered them forwards into the manor.
He led them down a few corridors and then turned sharply as he arrived at the end of one of the corridors. A large door stood here, Silver Service knocking and then pushing the door open. The pony stepped forwards into the room a little before speaking.
"Master Horseshoepin, here are the ponies I mentioned earlier," he said slowly, "Miss Rarity and Miss Oct..."
"I know who they are Silver, now kindly show them in and then leave until I call for you," came a sharp and very abrupt reply.
Octavia could feel herself shrink, it was Frederick's voice and it didn't sound happy.
"As you wish sir," replied Silver, the pony's voice holding no hint of being hurt by the sharp reply.
He stepped back, opening the doorway for them to walk in. Tentatively Octavia stepped forwards, Rarity following her inside as Silver closed the door behind them. They were in a large library, one that Twilight would have spent weeks cataloging and searching if she got the chance. Books extended from floor to ceiling, only interrupted by the occasional painting or window. To one side of the room sat a reading area, a large roaring fire flicking back and forth behind the grate and several large leather armchairs surrounding it. In one of these chairs sat Frederick, his expression could only be described as a glare.
"Octavia," he stated, his words strong with venom, "To what do I owe this reunion?"
"Frederick...I..." stammered Octavia, the fear evident in her voice, "I know you said you never wanted to see me again but...I've come to ask you something."
"Ask me something? What do you want?"
"I've been trying to put things right ever since you left and...well a few days ago I met Rarity here and she's given me a chance to try and fix everything. I...I want to get the ensemble back together...I want things to go back to the way they were...but I'm going to need everyone's help. Will...will you help?"
For a moment silence filled the room. Octavia looked ready to bolt as Frederick stared back at her, he hadn't even looked at Rarity yet. Then it happened, Frederick started laughing. Not a joyous laugh you may share with a friend but a malicious laugh, a laugh a crazy pony might use. Octavia and Rarity just stared at him as he tried to speak through his chuckle.
"You want to put things right? You want to fix everything? Oh dear sweet naive little Octavia, you really don't understand do you. You don't have a clue! You think it's just that easy? That we would all come skipping back to you when you decided to fix things?"
"Frederick...I..."
"Shut up! I don't know what I ever saw in you, snivelling little cowardly worm that you are!"
"Sir I must..." cut in Rarity as she saw Octavia collapsing faster than a balloon with a hole in it.
"And you!" interrupted Frederick as his head whipped round in her direction, "I don't know what you've said to her or what you've promised to do for her but this worthless excuse of a pony isn't even worth the air she breathes! And do you want to know why? Let me tell you a little story. Once upon a time there was a young brother to a powerful family. He would never carry on his father legacy; this would always fall to the older brother so he tried his best at what he could. Then he found out that his brother couldn't sire a foal and as such if he got married he could take his place by his father's side. But he was happy where he was and he didn't have a wife yet either. But he did have a special somepony that he looked up to and admired for her own talents. She was perfect but he could never pluck up the courage to tell her how he felt. Then one day he learns a shocking truth, one that not only brings his entire world crashing down around his ears but also saps every last drop of love from his heart in one go."
He paused in his story to glance back at Octavia. Her face was frozen in horrified realisation at what was about to come.
"Do you want to know what that truth was? Hmm? The pony he admired and adored, the one he thought would make his entire life complete...was a dirty self-degrading filly fooler!"
He spat his last words with such hate that Rarity felt a shiver run through her whole body. Octavia was completely frozen in place, not even her tears being able to break the death grip that Frederick had over her in that moment.
"I loved you Octavia! I loved you more than you can ever realise! And in that one moment when the truth came out, you not only destroyed our reputation, our livelihood and our future...but you destroyed my heart as well!"
"I..." the word caught in Octavia's throat like an apple in a hosepipe.
She didn't know what to say, what to think, anything. She had always thought that Frederick had hated her because she had caused the ensemble to break apart. She had never for one moment considered this possibility. They had worked together for years and he had never said anything, never shown any emotions of the kind.
"You what?!" spat Frederick, "You didn't know? You didn't mean for this to happen? Well now you do know. And let me give you an answer to your earlier request. On the day that I help you the fiery pits of Tartarus will freeze over and the sun and moon will rise and fall on their own. In truth Octavia I don't care what happens to you, you could very well roll over and die right now and I wouldn't care...but then that would be too easy! Get out of here Octavia, go and live a long life knowing what you've done...and if I ever see you again it will be too soon. SILVER!"
It seemed that Silver had been waiting on the other side of the door, the pony opening it only a moment after he was called.
"You called s..."
"Get this worthless lump of festering meat out of my sight before it leaves a stain on the carpet."
Octavia didn't even need to be ushered this time. She couldn't believe what she had just heard from a pony that she once considered a friend. Her mind wouldn't accept it, it couldn't be true...and yet it was. Tears streamed down her face like a pair of waterfalls as she backed away a few steps. Her vision was still locked on Frederick but as he looked away her mind cried out and she bolted, galloping from the room as new tears joined the old ones. Rarity had been so stunned during the whole exchange that it was only when Octavia bolted that she finally came back to her senses. Part of her wanted to leap at Frederick and smack him so hard his face came off. How could he say those things? How could he act so cold and hateful?
She could feel tears of her own flooding her eyes and a moment later she took off after Octavia, screaming her name over and over as she chased her down the corridor back towards the front door. Silver just stood to the side, sighing slightly to himself as he shut the library door leaving Frederick alone once more.
Octavia couldn't bring herself to stop. She tore through the house, throwing herself against the front door as she charged out into the sunshine. She kept running, the gardens of the manor passing by as she fled through the open gate and out into the road beyond. Still she didn't stop, Octavia running past a couple of confused looking ponies as she went. She didn't notice the scenery or the details of the buildings she passed. All she wanted to do was run; run until her legs collapsed beneath her and her lungs gave out, run until the very world faded from view and only the darkness remained. She was a monster, a sick twisted monster that didn't deserve friends or praise.
She would have run forever had it not been for a small rock that caught her hoof. In that moment she was sent tumbling head over hooves, rolling down a bank and landing with a solid thud at the bottom. Her body hurt all over and yet she didn't even seem to notice. She looked up briefly seeing that she had fallen down a small embankment and landed in a ditch at the bottom. A small stream ran along the ditch and Octavia could feel the cold water washing past her. She didn't care though, maybe this was for the best? Maybe she should just curl up and die right there like Frederick had said.
"Octavia!"
The voice rung out like a klaxon call, splitting through Octavia's thoughts like an axe through a log. She was looking for her and yet she couldn't bring herself to call out. She curled up in a ball, shivering and shuddering as she lay in the cold water, one set of words filling her mind.
"When you awake you'll find me here, day by day and year by year. Always yours I shall be near, so now we may finally rest my dear..."
"Octavia! Darling! Octavia speak to me!"
Rarity had launched herself down the embankment, skidding to a halt in the stream below. She reached out with her hooves, shaking the grey mare hard. Octavia gasped loudly but otherwise just continued to sob. Rarity quickly looked her over, the panic evident on her face.
"Octavia darling, are you alright? Oh my, that's definitely a broken ankle. Multiple cut and abrasions...we have to get you to a hospital darling and quick."
Octavia made no sign of moving. She was lost in her own little world of pain and not even the words of Rarity could reach her.
"Stay with me now Octavia! You hear me, stay with me!" she said as she looked back up the embankment, "Somepony! Anypony! Help!"
Darkness loomed on every side, flickering shadows swirling past like phantoms. She couldn't move, frozen in fear and terror. There was no light, no escape...only the crushing feeling of dread that filled every part of her body. Voices whispered in the dark, taunting her with foul lies. She curled up and shut her eyes, trying to block out the nightmare that was surrounding her. And yet even her own eyes betrayed her, the shadows plaguing her mind.
"I didn't mean it! I'm sorry!"
The shadows and whispers continued, ignoring her pleas and moving closer.
"Stay back! Please, don't come any closer!"
Still they approached. She drew herself tighter into a ball, trying desperately to shut it all out. She wished for the nightmare to end, to wake up and find out that everything had just been a terrible dream, a figment of her imagination...anything.
"Stay back!"
She looked up briefly, opening her eyes just enough to see a shapeless limb reaching out towards her. She froze, rendered immobile by fear. She could do nothing as the shapeless nightmare drew ever closer.
"No.....NO!"
Octavia jerked awake with a start, gasping loudly as she did. The world around her spun like a cartwheel and she could hear every last noise down to the almost silent dripping of a tap across the room from her. Her breathing was heavy and fast almost to the point of hyperventilating. Cold sweat clung to her coat causing her to shiver as she tried to focus her eyes. She looked around, the room slowly coming into focus as she did. She was lying in a bed, sterile white sheets covering her body that matched the curtains hanging on either side of the bed itself. The green wall ahead of her held a number of posters but she found herself unable to focus on any of them.
"Octavia!"
She looked to her side, a white unicorn standing against the side of her bed. As she watched the unicorns eyes began to water before she quickly wrapped her hooves around her.
"Oh Octavia darling!" continued Rarity as she embraced the grey mare tightly, "I was so worried about you."
Octavia didn't reply but instead returned the embrace, clinging to Rarity like a child to its mother. For a moment neither moved, both content to just remain in that moment, before Rarity finally pulled back.
"How are you feeling?" she asked.
"I...I'm not sure," whimpered Octavia in response.
"The doctors say you had a lucky fall so to speak. Your ankle was only twisted and the cuts you suffered aren't deep."
Octavia took a moment to look down at herself. There was hardly a part of her that wasn't covered in a bandage or plaster. Her right hind leg was wrapped up tightly in a temporary splint, no doubt meaning to immobilise it to allow the sprain to heal. For a moment her memory eluded her, the mare being unable to remember why she may be like this. Then it flooded back to her, everything from the fictional nightmare that she had awoken from to the real nightmare that she was living right now. Her breathing began to shudder, her eyes watering once again as her jaw began to quiver at the resurfacing memories. As the first tear trickled from her eye Rarity leaned in once again, cradling the mare in her hooves.
"Let it out my dear, I'm here for you."
It was all that Rarity needed to say. Octavia broke down, flinging herself at Rarity and wailing into her chest. Tears flowed freely, cascading down her face and soaking both her and Rarity in the process. Her hooves frantically scrambled for something to hold onto, each one finding part of Rarity's coat and clinging to it like caramel on an apple. She pulled Rarity closer, nearly toppling her over as she pressed herself further into the loving embrace of the unicorn.
"I'm so sorry Octavia," whispered Rarity after a moment, "I can't help but feel responsible for all this. If I hadn't pushed you into this idea then you wouldn't have had to go through all this heartache. I'm beginning to wonder if you would have been better off if I had not met you..."
"No you're wrong," stammered Octavia between her sobs, "You may have shown me the full extent of my reality...but you never once left my side."
The pair fell silent, Rarity content to be able to comfort the distraught mare and Octavia glad to have somepony to be with. For a time they remained still, minutes ticking by one by one until a light cough interrupted their embrace. Rarity looked round to find one of the hospital nurses stood at the end of the bed.
"I really am sorry to interrupt but I'm afraid visiting time ended nearly fifteen minutes ago," she said softly, "I'm going to have to ask you to leave so our patients can get some rest."
Rarity sighed and gave an understanding nod as she slowly pried the still sobbing Octavia from her body. The pair looked at each other for a moment, neither of them wanting to part ways and both knowing the other was thinking the same thing.
"Please don't go..." murmured Octavia after a moment.
"Don't worry darling," replied Octavia as she ran a hoof through Octavia's mane, "The doctors told me they just want to keep you in overnight for observation and that you'll be free to leave in the morning. I'll be here as soon as they open the door in the morning and...well..."
Rarity paused for a moment, Octavia looking at her intently.
"I was just thinking, you've been through so much these last few days and the fashion show I'm hosting isn't for a few days yet. Do you remember what I said that evening at Brass' house in Vanhoofer? About coming back to Ponyville with me for a while. After everything that's happened I know you could use a break and a rest. What do you say?"
"I...I would like that..." replied Octavia quietly.
Rarity gave a small smile, "Wonderful darling, I'm so glad to hear that. Now I best go before the nursing staff throw me out...but I'm sure if you need anything you can call on them at any time."
The nurse at the foot of the bed gave a nod in response before turning away and heading off down the ward. Octavia gave a small smile.
"Thank you," she said quietly.
What happened next surprised her. Without warning Rarity quickly leaned over her and planted a small kiss on her forehead. As the unicorn withdrew Octavia could see the faint blush that had formed on her cheeks.
"Think nothing of it darling, now you get some sleep and I'll see you in the morning."
Octavia gave a small nod and the two shared a final smile before Rarity turned and headed off down the ward herself. Octavia meanwhile pulled the sheets up over her body and snuggled into them. For some reason she didn't feel sad anymore and as she closed her eyes a shining white light vanquished the shadows that had been plaguing her dreams. Before long Octavia was sound asleep. |
Shades of Grey | Chapter 6 | "Surprise!" cried a choir of voices as the door opened.
Octavia was more than a little stunned, in fact she was positively catatonic as she stood rigid in the doorway. It wasn't until a bright pink earth pony jumped into her field of vision that she managed to recover some of her muscle control.
"Hi!" she chirped in a voice so high it was almost cracking, "I'm Pinkie Pie and I threw this party just for you! Were you surprise? Huh huh huh? I hope Rarity didn't spoil the surprise, because what's a surprise party without it being a surprise. But then given your reaction I guess you didn't know, which makes it a surprise. Well until now when I just told you I was throwing a surprise party for you, but the surprise had already happened by then so I wasn't spoiling it either and..."
"Pinkie Pie, do hush now and let our guest inside," interrupted Rarity as it became evident that Pinkie wasn't going to be quiet anytime soon.
"Oh sure! I'm going to go and check on the cake! Can't have a party without cake!"
With that Pinkie departed, bouncing off across the room towards the kitchen of Sugarcube Corner. Octavia watched her leave for a moment until she noticed the many sets of eyes that were now watching her with beaming smiles. Despite her years of performing on stage it was a little off putting. Rarity decided to defuse the moment, stepping up in front of Octavia with a smile.
"Now then everypony, there will be plenty of time for introductions later," she said quickly, "Octavia and I have just had a rather long tiring trip and we both need a little time to relax."
Most of the watching ponies nodded to themselves in agreement, it was a perfectly normal request. Turning to their various partners they went back to what they had been doing a moment before. Rarity meanwhile turned to Octavia and began ushering her across the room towards some seats.
"Goodness I wasn't expecting something this big...but then again I shouldn't have expected anything less when I asked Pinkie to throw a party," she mused thoughtfully.
"Party? Wha?" murmured Octavia, the mare seemingly completely perplexed by the situation.
"Forgive me dear," replied Rarity as she slipped into a seat, "After I left the hospital yesterday I decided to write ahead to my friends here in Ponyville. I wanted to do something to make you happy and Pinkie Pie always knows how to throw a good party...even if they are a little more...rustic...than you might be used to. Although I must say I'm surprised she managed to get something like this organised in less than a day. She could only have gotten my message early this morning."
Rarity gave a sheepish grin as she looked around. Ponies from all over town were here from Berry Punch the local vineyard keeper to Cherry Berry the owner of Ponyville's hot air balloons. Around the room tables were stacked with cakes, pastries and buns of various types intermixed with various drinks and other party foods. I was a spread to be proud of, no doubt the Cakes having helped Pinkie with the food order.
She looked back at Octavia. The mare still looked a little startled by what was going on around her and Rarity couldn't blame her. Since she had collected the pony from the Manehatten hospital early that morning Octavia hadn't said much at all. Despite looking more comfortable than she had the previous night it was clear that she was still carrying a heavy burden. The train ride to Ponyville had been conducted mostly in silence although Rarity had taken heart when Octavia had fallen asleep at her side once again.
The day had been reaching mid-afternoon when they had arrived at Ponyville and still Octavia hadn't said much at all. Even as Rarity had tried to show her the various sights of the town the grey mare hadn't taken much notice of her. It had taken her encounter with Pinkie a moment ago to even get her to speak.
Rarity watched as Octavia looked around the room. She still wore the badge of a pony who had a lot on her mind but Rarity could see faint cracks appearing in it. The music and chatter in the room was making her ears flick back and forth and each time her gaze passed over the food tables her tongue would sneak out and lick her lips. And yet it was almost as if Octavia was pulling herself back whenever something took her interest, the pony seemingly reluctant to allow herself to have any comforts.
"Do cheer up darling, I know things don't look so good at the moment but..."
"How can I justify being happy Rarity?" asked Octavia in a sombre tone, "All the pain and suffering I've caused...perhaps Frederick was right. Maybe I do deserve to live a long and unhappy life after all I've done."
"Darling, is this why you've been so quiet today?"
Octavia just gave a nod and sighed as she looked back at the party going on around her. Rarity gave a sigh of her own.
"Octavia dear you can't go on like this," she said slowly, "I know you feel like you should but what good will come of it? Hindsight is a wondrous thing my dear and I'm sure you've been telling yourself if only you had done something different then this wouldn't have happened. But it has happened and you can't go on living your life in the shadow of your mistakes. Brass and her sister didn't want that and I'm sure Parish doesn't want you to do that either."
"But what about Frederick? I had no idea I had hurt him so much," asked Octavia.
"I'm sure you didn't but that doesn't mean he should have spoken to you like he did either. There are always regrets that we have in our life but we have to move past them. Don't let everything you've done since last year go to waste. You've been through far too much pain and turmoil to give up now."
Octavia gave a small nod and shut her eyes, "You're right Rarity, I know you're right...it's just so hard."
"Just remember you don't have to face it alone, you have friends and..."
"And ah'm sure that Rarity's friends will help in any way they can," interrupted a voice.
Both ponies looked up to find an orange mare trotting towards them holding a tray of small cakes and buns. She quickly set the tray down next to them and turned to Octavia.
"Howdy, name's Applejack," she said quickly as she reached in to shake Octavia's hoof, "Ah understand you're going through a tough spell, or at least that's what ah understand from the note Rarity sent. Now ah might not know a lot about organising a party but ah do know that a belly full of good grub can make any pony happy. So what ya hankering for? Ah got apple pies, apple fritters and apple dumplings here...oh and if that ain't your thing ah'm sure Pinkie has a whole host of different cakes as well."
"Um...well..." replied Octavia.
"Applejack darling, don't crowd her so much. Octavia here is quite delicate right now," frowned Rarity as she moved in to separate the ongoing hoofshake.
"Don't mean nothing by it Rarity, just trying to cheer her up a bit."
"I'm sure you are darling but I also thought I mentioned for everypony to give her some space as well."
"Yeah well, how's she gonna go and cheer up if nopony tries to cheer her up?"
Rarity was about to reply when a light giggle left Octavia's mouth. The pair looked around to find the pony smiling slightly as she sat watching them. She gave a small cough as they looked at her.
"Oh sorry, it's just...well you two remind me of myself and Brass," she said slowly, "We used to bicker like that all the time when we first met."
"Bicker?" questioned Rarity.
"Nopony said anything about bickering...ah was just stating the facts," responded Applejack with a sideways glance at Rarity.
"As was I."
The two ponies looked at each other sternly for a moment before Octavia gave another giggle. After a moment both Applejack and Rarity also started to chuckle both of them giving the other a small smile. Octavia meanwhile leaned forwards and plucked one of the small apple pies from the tray. She took a small bite, one that showed the proper table manners she had taught herself after moving to Canterlot, and then a much larger one, showing the growing desire for more that crossed her face upon tasting it.
"This is good!" she exclaimed happily before taking another bite.
"Well there's plenty more where that came from. Speaking of ah better go check on Pinkie Pie," replied Applejack as she turned to leave, "Nice to meet ya Octavia."
"Ah, and you too Miss Applejack," replied Octavia between mouthfuls.
The farm pony chuckled again as she wandered off. Rarity sat back in her chair.
"I am sorry about that, Applejack has a heart of gold but she is well, perhaps a little rough around the edges."
"Don't worry about it...but she is right, a good meal can certainly lift your spirits."
Octavia gave a small smile, the first that Rarity had seen on her face in a few days.
"Although I must admit, she does look a little familiar from somewhere. That pink pony as well," continued Octavia, "Can't quite put my hoof on it. Have they ever been to Canterlot before?"
"All my friends have at some point or another. We regularly get summons to the castle but we have all attended the Grand Galloping Gala and we were there for the royal wedding as well."
Octavia thought for a moment. In all honesty she couldn't recall Rarity saying much about her friends since they had met. Conversations between them had always revolved around her own problems and ways to fix it. Thinking back on the two events Rarity had mentioned was not something she enjoyed. The royal wedding held its own pain and sorrow for her and the last Grand Galloping Gala that she had played at had been a mess of chaos and...
Octavia blinked, now she remembered. She looked up sharply scanning the crowd before looking back at Rarity.
"That pink pony, she was at the Gala last year! She was the crazy one who kept jumping on the stage and interrupting our music."
Rarity gave a sideways glance and cringed slightly, "Yes...I'm afraid she was...although I didn't know it was you playing at the Gala that year."
Octavia paused again, Rarity easily seeing the cogs turning in her mind as she processed her thoughts. She went to speak several times but each time she did she went back to thinking.
"But I also heard that pony was actually one of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony," she said at length, "And if you know her that would mean that you also know..."
"Well hello there, hope I'm not interrupting," came a voice.
The timing was almost comical in a way. If Rarity didn't know better she would have said the new pony had been waiting for this very moment before revealing herself. Octavia turned towards the voice slowly to find a purple coloured alicorn standing tall behind her. If it hadn't been for her slightly larger stature and the combination of horn and wings you wouldn't have been able to tell she was any different to the rest of the party goers. She wore no fancy clothing and the crown that usually sat upon her head was nowhere to be seen.
"I take it you're Octavia," continued Twilight as she stepped forwards and extended a hoof.
"P-Princess Sparkle!" exclaimed Octavia as she snapped herself from her stunned silence.
"Oh no need for formalities," blushed the alicorn, "Tonight I'm simply Twilight Sparkle, see? No crown."
"Twilight," smiled Rarity happily as she got up to embrace her friend, "I didn't think we were going to see you tonight."
"My latest trip to Saddle Arabia got cancelled so I was able to attend. I must say Pinkie has done a great job once again, how she does it I have no idea. Despite how crazy she can get at times maybe even I could learn something from her organisational skills...not that mine are bad you understand."
Rarity smiled, typical Twilight. She glanced back at Octavia, the earth pony simply staring at Twilight with an expression somewhere between disbelief and terror. Carefully she placed a hoof on Octavia's shoulder but even this gentle touch was enough to make her jump harshly.
"Darling let me introduce you properly," she said with a small smile, "This is Twilight Sparkle, one of my dear friends. Twilight as you so correctly guess, this is Octavia."
"A pleasure to meet you," smiled Twilight, the alicorn extending her hoof once again.
This time Octavia retained enough of her free will to extend her own hoof to shake Twilight's.
"A-A pleasure," she managed to squeeze out between nervous chuckles.
Once again Rarity smiled, perhaps this had been a little too much for Octavia to handle. Looking around the room for another subject to talk about she found herself questioning something.
"Say Twilight, have you seen the others?" she asked.
"I assume you mean Rainbow and Fluttershy?" replied the alicorn in a factual tone, "I'm afraid neither of them will be here tonight. Rainbow is still at the Wonderbolt Academy and Fluttershy apparently has an emergency at her cottage and had to stay home to care for her animals. She's been taking things super serious since she started her formal education."
"That's understandable although I did so want to introduce Octavia to everypony."
"Looks to me like she's had enough already."
Rarity looked round to find Octavia sat on a nearby seat staring at the far wall. She shook her head slowly and gave Twilight a small wave with her hoof.
"Maybe it's best if I talk to her alone for a little."
Twilight just gave a smile and nodded before trotting off towards the punch bowl at the other side of the room. Rarity meanwhile took a seat next to Octavia, giving her a gentle nudge as she did.
"Darling, are you alright?"
"I...I was just thinking," replied Octavia without changing her gaze, "If that pink pony is one of the elements of harmony...and you know Princess Sparkle then...then..."
"...yes, I'm a bearer of harmony as well," finished Rarity, sensing where Octavia's mind was going, "I didn't mean to keep it a secret, I suppose it just never came up. I've been so busy trying to find solutions to your problems that I never thought about it."
"It's...alright. In fact it explains quite a few things...you're certainly full of surprises."
Octavia looked round at her friend, smiling happily as she did. After a moment she looked away, giving a small laugh as she looked at the party going on around her.
"Look at me, you ponies have gone to so much trouble to throw me a party and all I've done is sit here in a corner," she chuckled to herself.
"Well you're doing better than the first time we threw a party for Twilight...all she did was sit in her bedroom sulking," Rarity chuckled as she thought back to the incident in question, "Now then, what say we have a look at the buffet table? I am a little parched and so long as Gummy hasn't landed in the punch bowl again that will do nicely."
"Gummy?" questioned Octavia as she rose to her hooves along with Rarity.
"Long story, remind me to tell you about it sometime."
From this point the party fell into full swing. Whilst a little reserved at first Octavia gradually began to relax, chatting and interacting with ponies from all over the town. By the time the evening was drawing to a close Rarity even managed to get her to dance, something the earth pony had been highly reserved about doing initially. However, being surrounded by kind and fun loving ponies had slowly begun to break down the walls of reservation and doubt that existed in Octavia's mind.
By the time both she and Rarity left Sugarcube Corner Octavia's smile had broadened into a full grin and she was laughing and joking with everypony she spoke to. Compared to what she had been like the previous day she was a pony transformed. The pair continued to share stories and jokes all the way home, the quiet early evening streets of Ponyville echoing with the sound of laugher and high spirits. As they reached Carousel Boutique Rarity gently pushed open the door and beckoned Octavia inside.
As Octavia stepped inside her vision was filled with yard after yard of elegantly crafted fabrics. Dresses of all shapes, sizes and designs sat around the room, each displayed on its own mannequin and each seeming to glimmer in the light. Octavia had never been a pony to take much notice of fashion, usually opting for something practical rather than stylish, but even she couldn't help but stare at the collection before her.
"What do you think my dear?" asked Rarity as she slowly trotted to a nearby dress and started to brush out a few mild creases with her hoof.
"It is certainly an impressive collection," replied Octavia as she approached a nearby dress as well.
For a moment she just examined the fine detail. The perfectly stitched hem lines, the carefully crafted pattern, the tiny sparkling gem stones...there was only one word for it, precision.
"I'm glad you like them darling, although I must say these are last seasons...or soon to be last season's anyway. My new line is already in Canterlot ready for showing."
Octavia gave a small sigh, "I suppose that's our next stop isn't it."
"Don't fret Octavia, it's most unbecoming of you. Besides, everything will work out, I'll make sure of it."
Octavia gave a small nod as she turned back to the unicorn, "Thank you Rarity, I truly mean that."
"You don't have to thank me dear, I'm only doing what is right. Now why don't you go and relax a little and I'll fetch us some drinks."
Rarity motioned to one of the doors leading from the room before disappearing off around a corner. Octavia looked back at the dresses for a moment, still amazed at the work the unicorn had done. Whilst some of the dresses and garments shared a common theme none of them were the same, each having their own original twist or flare. It was amazing to think of how far the unicorn must have come from where she had started. Whilst at the party Rarity had amused the earth pony with tales of how she had first become a fashion designer and, by extension, how she and her friends had all earned their cutie marks.
Much like Octavia it had been a long and somewhat difficult road and yet she was willing to risk it all for her. She hoped that everything went well, she hoped that she wouldn't doom yet more ponies to a life of misery and pain. Beauty Brass, Parish...Frederick, they had all suffered due to what she had done, she didn't want Rarity to be the next.
As she set off towards the door Rarity had motioned to she shook her head. Thinking like that wouldn't help, she had to focus and do her best like she had always done. If there was one thing that had been reinforced to her today it was that no matter the circumstance if you stand tall and believe in yourself you can do anything. The Elements of Harmony, she hadn't for one moment thought she would ever meet them...and yet here she was in their midst. Through talking to Twilight, Applejack and even Pinkie Pie at the party she had learned so much, not just about their struggles but about her own. She couldn't give in, not now...not ever!
Entering the next room she found it set out as a lounge. Several large padded sofas surrounded a small coffee table in the centre of the room and large bookcases and potted plants filled in the gaps between. Octavia approached one of the sofas, hoisting herself onto it and settling down on her haunches. As much as she had enjoyed the party she was now exhausted. Her limbs ached from days of walking and her heart hung heavy with the burdens she was carrying. Even so a smile was still evident on her face and as she relaxed it began to grow.
"Well I see somepony is happy," announced Rarity as the door opened and the unicorn stepped through levitating two mugs with her, "You do look so much nicer when you smile."
Octavia blushed slightly, giving a small cough to try and hide it but to no avail. Rarity chuckled quietly as she levitated a mug over towards Octavia and sat down. Octavia took hold of it and looked at the contents, some form of tea filling the cup.
"It's a special blend that my friend Zecora makes," commented Rarity as she noticed Octavia looking at her drink.
"Zecora? That's an unusual name," replied Octavia as she sipped her tea.
"Yes well she is an unusual character, she's a zebra. She lives out in the Everfree Forest, why she wants to live in that icky place is beyond me but she's a darling to get along with."
"A zebra? There's a zebra in Ponyville?"
Rarity nodded, "It is a little unusual I will agree and at first the residents here were convinced she was a witch...myself included I'm ashamed to say. But we all realised how silly it was and now we regularly see her in town, especially on market days."
"I never thought such a small town could have so much diversity. A princess, a baby dragon, a zebra and all six of the Elements of Harmony. It must be quite interesting living here."
"You have no idea darling but I wouldn't be without it for all the fame in the world. Growing up in Ponyville has made me what I am today and I would never be without it."
A silence fell across the room for a moment, Rarity taking another sip of tea as Octavia stared at the leaves at the bottom of her cup.
"...You know...in a way I'm a little jealous," murmured Octavia after a moment.
"Jealous? What do you mean darling?" asked Rarity quizzically as she put her cup down.
"Sorry, I didn't mean that to sound negative. It's just that...well...if I could swap my childhood for anything else I would."
"You've not spoken of your childhood before Octavia, what is it?"
Octavia remained silent for a moment, swishing the tea leaves around her cup for a moment before speaking, "I grew up on my parent's farm...or rather my father's farm. My mother died when I was very young...all I can remember are fragmented pictures. It was a hard life but not because of the work we had to do. My father had a relatively short fuse and whilst he was pleasant most of the time you could never tell when he would suddenly erupt. I think he blamed himself for my mother's death...I don't know if he meant to take it out on us but...that's just how it was."
"Us?" asked Octavia, "You have a sibling?"
"Had...a younger brother...his name was Pitch String. We were always together, always helping each other out. If it hadn't been for him I don't know what I would have done, he gave me a reason to live. Whenever my father got mad he would always get scared, especially if my father was mad at him. But I always took the blame, creating a story to keep him out of harms way. I'm amazed I still don't have the bruises to be honest with you. I suppose it was all the loving care Pitch gave me after my father calmed down."
Octavia paused and sighed heavily, "Then one winter he caught pneumonia. We weren't a rich family and couldn't afford to pay for treatment and slowly he started to fade away from us. I don't think I've ever been as sad as I was at his funeral...and yet there is something about that day that gave me hope."
Rarity remained quiet, entranced by the sad tale unfolding before her.
"One of my grandparents gave me something that day. He said my mother would have wanted me to have it. It was an old fiddle that had belonged to my mother during her childhood. My grandfather told me that music had always made her happy and that I needed something to make me happy too. I can't say I touched it for weeks. For me the pain of losing Pitch and being reminded of my mother was too much for me. But as things returned to normal on the farm I found myself pulled to that old fiddle. Oh course the first time I played it was horrid, I'd never had any musical training and well...you can imagine."
Rarity gave a small nod.
"Over time I started practicing more and more and slowly I began to improve. My father never saw the point in it, always telling me I was wasting my time and that I should focus more on helping around the farm. I hated him for that...he never seemed to care how I was feeling, always putting me down and making me feel worthless. But whenever I played that fiddle I felt as if I could forget about all the pain and sorrow, all the anguish and troubled night's sleep. Nothing else mattered apart from me and the music I was making. When I finally became old enough to leave home I couldn't sit still. I enrolled myself in a music school and left home...I've not been back since."
"Never?" asked Rarity slowly, finally feeling it was time to interject.
Octavia frowned as she stared into her cup, "Why would I want to? My father never cared about me; after mother died all he ever did was abuse me."
"But he's still your father darling."
"My only living family, yes...but...I can't, I just can't. The only things that mattered to me from that time were my brother and that fiddle...and I don't have either of them now."
"What do you mean darling?"
"When I left home...I...didn't exactly leave normally. I...I fled in the night. I knew my father would never allow me to go so I ran. I couldn't take anything with me...I didn't want anything slowing me down. I left that fiddle on my bed with a farewell note attached to it. I...I..."
Rarity watched as tears began to pool in Octavia's eyes. In her cup the tea began to quiver as her hooves began to shake.
"I'm a monster..." she murmured to herself, "As much as I hated my father...he didn't deserve that. But I've been so ashamed that...I couldn't bring myself to go back."
A hoof slowly fell across her shoulder, Octavia jumping slightly as it did. Looking up she found Rarity beside her, the unicorn smiling down at her like some kind of angel.
"And so I continue to learn more and more about you darling," she said softly as she pulled the earth pony into a hug, "This explains why your music means so much to you. Without it you..."
"...I have nothing," finished Octavia as she returned Rarity's embrace, "Just what am I without my music? What have I become?"
Rarity didn't respond, simply choosing to run a hoof through Octavia's mane once again. The gentle breathing of the two ponies was the only sound that filled the room for the longest time. As Rarity finally pulled back Octavia looked almost ready to fall asleep in her hooves. Pulling herself from her seat she set off towards the door.
"I'll be back in a moment darling, there's a little something that I want you to have."
With that Rarity left the room and headed for the upstairs part of the Boutique. As she climbed the stairs her mind was racing, trying to remember where she'd seem the item she was looking for. Fearfully she could only think of one place, the store room. It wasn't the most glamorous part of the building, a small room stacked high with box upon box of various unsorted junk and brick-a-brack. She just hoped it was obvious or she could be a while finding it and she hoped Octavia would remain awake long enough until she did.
Approaching the room she opened the door and readied her magic in case anything decided to topple out. Luckily nothing did but as she looked at the stacks of boxes she knew her hunt wouldn't be easy. She started in earnest, sifting through one box and then the next and the next. Old ornaments, bills, clothing, toys and everything else you could think of was soon scattered around the small amount of floor space and Rarity was beginning to lose hope. It was then that one box caught her attention. It was poking out from behind another stack of boxes almost hidden from view by the shadow. Rarity quickly grabbed at the box, sliding it out and grinning, this was it.
A moment later she had sifted through the box's contents and had pulled out another item. Smiling to herself she left the room and headed downstairs. Octavia was lying still on the sofa when she arrived, the unicorn fearing that she had already dozed off, but as she arrived she rose her head and rubbed her eyes. Rarity quickly floated the item she had brought over towards Octavia and allowed the earth pony to take hold of it.
It was a plain triangular shaped wooden box. Two sets of hinges adorned one long side whilst a catch was visible on the other. The box itself was old and tatty, scratches and marks scored into the once pristine varnished surface.
"What's this?" asked Octavia.
"Just open it my dear," replied Rarity.
Octavia took another look at the box and then did so. Inside the box was padded, a deep maroon fabric moulded to the shape of the item it was cradling. The violin was pristine, its polished surface glinting in the light and its strings shimmering. In one corner of the instrument was a mark, a signature if you will, that showed the instruments origin. Octavia could do little but stare at it.
"This...this is a Strata...Stratahoovius! Where did you get this?" she exclaimed.
"It's been passed down through my family for generations darling. I got it from my father who got it from his mother, etcetera etcetera. I know it's not exactly a fiddle but and I want you to have it."
"What?! No! No I can't accept this! Element of Generosity of not this thing is worth tens of thousands of bits! I couldn't possibly..."
"Octavia darling, please don't make me repeat myself. I want you to have it. My parents were never musical types and I myself will never have time to learn to play an instrument. It's just going to sit in a cupboard unused for several more generations and I feel that is an unworthy end to such a fine instrument. No, I want you to have it...but I do have one request."
"What is that?"
"Play me a song."
For a moment Octavia looked like she was going to protest. Whilst she had played a fiddle in her youth and had tried many different string instruments in her lifetime, the cello is the only one she had played for the last half decade. She looked down at the instrument, examining the finely crafted curves and filigree pattern that adorned its surface. Slowly she lifted it from its case, looking even more closely at it in the process. She plucked a string, the sound resonating around the room. Even after the length of time it had been in storage the sound was still nearly perfect.
For a moment she continued to pluck the strings, altering the tightness of each one a little before she was satisfied. Next she lifted the bow from the case, it was a lot smaller than the one she used for her cello but nearly identical in appearance. She held it up, checking the balance and weight for a moment before lowering it to her side. She adjusted her position, sitting herself on the edge of the sofa as she brought the violin up to her chin. Making sure it was in a comfortable position she finally brought the bow around and ran it clean across the strings.
Even this simple movement created a beautiful sound and for a moment Octavia had to stop as she felt her heart race. Looking back at Rarity she found the unicorn's gaze glued to her, watching her every movement with great interest.
"My grandfather told me that this was my mother's favourite piece," announced Octavia after a moment, "I'm not sure if I can remember it right but I'll try."
With that Octavia began to play. At first she seemed stiff and unsure but gradually the earth pony began to relax. As she did her eyes closed and a light smile spread across her face. Rarity didn't seem to notice, she was enchanted by the music, lost in the varying tempo and flow of the music. She could have remained there forever, locked in the musical prison that Octavia was creating, but all too soon the music stopped and the earth pony lowered her instrument. She wore a smile and yet tears were forming in her eyes. Rarity slowly crossed to her as Octavia returned the instrument to its case.
"Come along my dear, I think you need a good rest." |
Shades of Grey | Chapter 7 | It was later the following afternoon that Rarity found herself trotting across Canterlot. Above her the sun was shining but the large yellow sunhat she was wearing shaded her nicely from the heat. She stopped a moment as she pulled out a map from a small, but elegantly designed, set of saddlebags that rested on her back. Holding it in her magic she studied the route she was to take and then looked up at the streets. She was worried she had become lost, this area of Canterlot was not one of her common visiting locales, but thankfully that was not the case. Putting the map away she trotted on, rounding a few more corners before coming to a stop.
In front of her was a sizeable but low set building. It looked a little worse for wear, some of the paint peeling and one of the letters in the neon sign on the front remaining unlit. Rarity pulled a face, she didn't much care for the state of repair the building was in, truthfully she found it rather insulting to Canterlot's well-kept streets and pristine decor. Even so this was the right address and there was little choice in the matter if she wanted help. As she approached the door she remembered back to a few hours before when she had proposed her idea to Octavia.
"Are you sure that's the best idea?" asked Octavia slowly, nursing a fresh cup of tea around her hooves.
"I'm not entirely sure my dear but given the situation I think it's the only option. I have worked with her before on a few projects and her work, whilst different to yours, is good," replied Rarity before taking a sip of her own tea.
"But her? I don't know if I would feel comfortable..."
"Darling don't worry, we will make sure to explain everything to her before we agree to anything. Just trust me on this, please?"
"Well...alright..."
"Tell you what darling, if you're feeling uncomfortable why don't you stay here this afternoon. I will speak to her and see what I can work out. How does that sound?"
Octavia paused for a moment, seemingly studying the tea leaves in the bottom of her cup as she considered the proposal. At length she finally gave a small nod. Rarity leaned over and gentle rested a hoof on Octavia's.
"Have faith my dear, we will find a way."
"And we shall!" announced Rarity to herself as she pushed open the door to the building and stepped inside.
Inside the building was much the same as the outside, slightly uncared for but not completely dilapidated...yet. The doors opened into a small reception area, a corridor leading off to the right. There wasn't much in the way of decoration in the room apart from a few pictures of famous musical ponies and a slightly ill looking potted tree in a corner. A desk sat at the back of the room, behind which a young blue pegasus pony was sitting. He looked a little bored, aimlessly flipping a yoyo around in his hoof as he attempted to perform a few tricks. As Rarity walked in though he snapped his attention forwards, a beaming smile filling his face.
"Hi there! Welcome to the DJ Hole, what you looking for today?" he called cheerfully.
"Oh uh, well," began Rarity as she glanced around the room, "Is Miss Scratch available?"
"Pon-3? I'm sure she's around here somewhere, think she was out on the town last night so she might not be too talkative. That going to cause a problem?"
"Maybe, maybe not," sighed Rarity as she shook her head, "I will have to speak to her to find out."
"Sure thing, if you'll follow me I'll see if I can find her. What's your name by the way? I'm Star Blitz."
"Rarity."
Star Blitz flashed her a broad smile once more as he gave a quick flap of his wings and catapulted himself over the desk, landing only a few paces from her. As he landed his spiked yellow mane flipped forwards into his eyes causing him to raise a hoof to throw it back. He grinned again and then motioned for Rarity to follow him. Rarity did just that, wandering along behind the Pegasus as he made his way down the corridor. Rarity continued to look around taking note of each door as the passed by. Despite having worked with Vinyl Scratch on various occasions in the past she had never visited her place of work. She was less than impressed and began to wonder just what the pony had spent all the bits on that she had paid.
"Ah hah! Here we go," announced Star Blitz as he stopped next to a door.
On it was a slightly crooked nameplate that read 'Vinyl "DJ Pon-3" Scratch'. Star Blitz rose a hoof and knocked loudly. There was no response. Pulling an irritated face he tried the handle and found the room unlocked; pushing it open he stepped in. Rarity poked her head in too, catching the sound of snoring almost immediately. Flopped over her desk was Vinyl, the white unicorn drooling slightly as she snored loudly. Star Blitz didn't bat an eyelid as he walked over to the sleeping pony.
"Hold on this won't take a moment," he said quickly with a glance at Rarity before turning back to Vinyl.
He lowered himself closer to the sleeping pony before he spoke again.
"Vinyl Scratch!" he cried loudly, his muzzle no more than a few inches from Vinyl's ear.
The sleeping unicorn jump like she had just been zapped by lightning.
"Yes mommy!" she cried loudly in shock before going silent and clutching her head, "Uuuuuh! What....Blitz? Oooooh, by Celestia! Why'd you...oooooh, why are there three of you? Wait never mind? Whichever is the real you get me something for this headache alright?"
"Sure thing Pon-3," replied Star Blitz as he headed for the door, "Oh you got a visitor too, her names Rarity."
With that the young Pegasus turned and headed from the room leaving a rather unimpressed Rarity to stare at the hung over DJ in front of her. Vinyl just continued to groan as she rested her head on the desk. Rarity sighed, this was going to be much more difficult than she had planned. Trying to think of an icebreaker she glanced around the room. The walls were decorated with all manner of records and certificates in frames; the collection being very impressive.
"Interesting selection of decor my dear," commented Rarity.
"Huh? Oh, right..." replied Vinyl as she slowly raised her head to look at Rarity.
Despite her mind being full of fog she couldn't help but think of the name, it was definitely familiar to her.
"R-Rarity...that name sounds familiar..." she mumbled to herself as her mind finally clicked, "Oh hayseeds!"
Vinyl's head shot up quickly as she remembered who Rarity was. The sudden movement caused her head to spin and as quickly as it had risen it crashed back to the desktop. She moaned again and slowly raised a hoof to her face to rub her eyes. This time she raised her head a lot more slowly, blinking hard to bring the world into view. Rarity gave a sigh and shook her head.
"Uh sorry," continued Vinyl as she took a deep breath, "Wasn't expecting company this morning."
"Afternoon," corrected Rarity, "Late afternoon."
"Afternoon? Geez, what did I drink last night?"
"I doubt it's a question of what but rather how much."
"Yeah, most likely," replied Vinyl as she rubbed her head, "Blitz! Where's my headache relief?"
"Coming boss," replied the Pegasus as he swooped into the room and landed in front of Vinyl's desk.
He promptly plonked a glass of water and two white pills down on the table top. Vinyl didn't need prompting, sweeping up the pills in her hoof and chugging them down with water. She continued drinking until the glass was empty and then sat back in her chair. For a moment Vinyl remained still and then finally pulled herself to her hooves.
"Thanks Blitzr," she said pleasantly.
"No worries boss, I'll on the front desk if you need me," replied the Pegasus with a grin before dashing from the room.
Rarity watched the Pegasus leave, smiling slightly to herself, "A pleasant pony."
"Yeah Blitz really helps out a lot around here. Couldn't keep up with it all if it wasn't for him."
"Maybe you should lay off the alcohol then, you do realise the effect it can have on us unicorns."
"Yeah I guess so," replied Vinyl with a blush.
It was very true that most unicorns didn't drink alcohol, or at least didn't drink a lot. The chemical imbalance it created in the body had a tendency to disrupt the passive movement of magic in and out of a unicorn's body. The results varied greatly but severe hangovers unlike anything a Pegasus or earth pony could imagine were one of them.
"Well, now that is all said and done," commented Rarity, "I need to talk to you."
"Uh sure, what about?" asked Vinyl.
"Two items. Firstly are you available for hire in two days' time?" asked Rarity.
"Two days? Yeah I think I'm available. I've got a gig at the Hardhoofs Bar tomorrow and next weekend I'm playing at the party after the national chilli eating contest."
"National chilli...oh nevermind," Rarity rolled her eyes.
"So what's the gig then?" asked Vinyl.
"Well that brings me to my second point. Unlike the previous time I've hired your expertise you won't be working alone this time. Actually I want you to play as a backup and support for another artist."
Vinyl frowned, "Support? Seriously? DJ Pon-3 is the best pony you could ever hire. She drops more bass that a fish vendor! Who could you possibly want me to play support for?"
Rarity pondered for a moment, debating on if she should tip toe around the issue or just come straight out with it. Given the disgruntled look on Vinyl's face though she doubted the unicorn would settle for any fancy stepping.
"Octavia Melody," she replied finally.
Vinyl's eyes dilated rapidly, her jaw dropping a moment later. For a moment she stood in shocked silence before her hind legs finally decided enough was enough and collapsed under her sending her rear plummeting to the floor. The impact jolted her back to her senses but even so it took her a moment to regain the ability to speak.
"Oc-Oc-Octavia...man..." she murmured slowly, "...that was unexpected."
Rarity bit her lip slightly, "I uh...understand that you two...got a little close at one stage."
Vinyl blushed bright red and quickly looked away, obviously embarrassed by the mention of such things.
"Well uh...I guess...kinda...but not really," she replied slowly.
"Whatever do you mean darling?"
Vinyl still looked a little embarrassed to be talking about such a subject forcing Rarity to go on.
"Look I'm sorry to bring this up and well the truth is..."
Rarity spent the next twenty minutes explaining everything that had happened since she had met Octavia a few days before. About Octavia's struggles, her problems and her broken friendships but most of all the event that lead to it all coming to a head. Through it all Vinyl sat and listened, nodding as Rarity spoke. Vinyl usually found talking like this to be boring, she was a pony of action and fun, but right now you could have mistaken her for Twilight. As Rarity finally came to the end of her story Vinyl could only say one thing.
"Woah..." she murmured, "And all that happened because they think we..."
"...yes," replied Rarity, cutting Vinyl off before she could say anything too graphic.
"Woah, I didn't think anything like that would happen. In my line of work it's pretty common place to be honest. Mad parties, loads of beer, casual sex...life of a DJ. Never occurred to me to think that other ponies might frown on it."
"Well I think most would my dear if they knew the full extent of it but in Canterlot...well the level of tolerance for such things is a little lower. But I do have one question, what did you mean when you said 'kinda' earlier?"
"Oh that...well you'll probably find this a little amusing honestly now that I've heard that story. That night after the wedding party when Octavia and I supposedly, well you know, we didn't."
"You didn't? But Octavia..."
"Octavia was so drunk that night I'm amazed she remembered as much as she did. Truth be told she came onto me like a pony in heat but...well we retired to a private room but before anything actually happened she fell asleep. Totally out cold, she could have slept through holy Armageddon and not woken up. Worse part of it all was she collapsed on top of me, you ever tried to move a sleeping earth pony? Take it from me, don't bother trying, I was stuck there all night. Total mood killer."
This time it was Rarity's turn to be shocked, "But then..."
"Heheh! The look on your face is priceless!" chuckled Vinyl.
"This is no laughing matter! This is serious!" snapped Rarity as her senses returned to her.
"Oh, yeah...right."
This changed everything! All the problems and turmoil that Octavia had faced since the wedding party, all of it was based on something that didn't even happen regardless of how close it was. She had to tell Octavia, she had to...
Rarity paused in her thoughts, did this really change everything? Was Octavia's situation likely to change just because one pony said it wasn't true? If anything it would likely make it worse! Dredging up past problems was never a way to make things right...at least not in this case. The Canterlot elite was hardly going to believe a story that came from a 'disgraceful' member of Equestrian society. Having worked with Vinyl on multiple occasions Rarity knew that much that was said about her was untrue; despite her tendency to party hard she was a good natured creature at heart but that didn't mean a thing to those in the upper circles.
"Uh...hey, you alright?" inquired Vinyl, her voice cutting through Rarity's internal monologue, "Looks like you're getting a headache too."
"I'm fine, I'm fine," dismissed Rarity with a wave of her hoof, "Just thinking, I just don't know if this revelation makes things easier of harder."
"Uh yeah...I guess that's an issue," replied Vinyl as she scratched a hoof across her temple, "...say, it Tavi here? I don't know if she'd want to see me but after hearing about everything that's happened guess I should apologise."
"She's not here no, she was a little nervous about meeting you again, she still think the two of you 'did it'."
Vinyl nodded slowly, "Well I'll take the gig, it's the least I can do for Tavi. She was such a fun pony to hang out with at the party. I kept meaning to find out what she was up to but I was always too busy."
"Or drunk..." murmured Rarity to herself with a small shake of her head, "Alright, why don't you come back with me? You can apologise and we can discuss what we're going to do next."
"Awesome!" cheered Vinyl, the DJ pony punching the air with a hoof as she spoke, "Oh and don't worry, with DJ Pon-3 at your side nothing can ever go wrong!"
Octavia paced back and forth across the small room. Ever since Rarity had left she had been unable to keep still, her mind racing from one concern to another. Was this the right thing to do? What would happen? Could Vinyl be trusted? Could she herself be trusted? Her mind kept going back to that night when it had all started. Much of it was a haze, a mass of swarming images that made little to no sense. She remembered playing during the opening song of the night and some of the party that followed. She remembered watching the white unicorn as she bobbed her head to the beats she was playing. What had possessed her to speak to her? She didn't even like 'wubs'.
She sighed heavily and looked towards the door once more. She couldn't do much until Rarity returned and worrying wasn't going to help. Crossing to the table she poured herself another cup of tea. The liquid had long since gone cold but Octavia didn't seem to notice as she sipped slowly. She hated to admit it but she was scared. Scared of what might happen but more so what wouldn't happen.
Before she had been trying her best to make things right; to bring her friends back together and to apologise for the events of the past. She knew now that it was a far flung dream that only existed in her mind. Perhaps a part of her had known all along but she had refused to admit it to herself. Even if this grand event that Rarity had planned out actually work...even if her reputation was restored...what good would it do now?
She was about to take another sip of tea as she heard the sound of hoofsteps approaching from the other side of the door. She placed her cup down, trotting quickly towards the door.
"Rarity, I'm so glad you..." she began as she flung the door open.
The rest of her sentence caught in her throat as she saw not one white unicorn but a pair standing before her. Rarity was trying her best to look calm but the other was looking a little sheepish as she slowly removed the pair of shades she was wearing.
"Uh...hi Octavia...long time no see," Vinyl spoke in an oddly out of character chuckle.
For a moment Octavia stood still in the doorway. She could feel her cheeks flushing with sudden embarrassment as the memories that she did have of that night over a year ago flooded back to her.
"V-Vinyl..." she stammered slightly as she looked quickly at Rarity, her eyes pleading for an explanation.
"Don't worry my dear," replied Rarity as she noticed the earth pony's growing nerves, "we have plenty to discuss and I'll explain everything in due course. Come along now Vinyl."
"Uh...yeah" replied Vinyl as they both stepped over the threshold and into the room.
Octavia backed off slightly as they entered, the earth pony still trying to stammer words but quickly closing her mouth as incomprehensible gibberish was all they came from it. She raised a hoof to cover her face as the ruby red blush continued to spread across it. Her mind was confused, why wasn't she angry? Why was she just standing there like a small child? Lowering her hoof she found Rarity and Vinyl slipping into a pair of chairs at the table. She took a step before hesitating, why was she hesitating?
"Octavia darling...are you alright?" asked Rarity in a concerned tone.
Octavia shut her eyes and took a deep breath. With almost perfect precision she let the breath go and opened her eyes as the blush faded from her face and the calm exterior Rarity had seen many times before crossed her face. It was an act, a well-rehearsed way of coping with stress that any performer would be accustomed to seeing. Rarity couldn't help but smile slightly as Octavia joined them at the table.
"I know this must be hard for you Octavia but we have a lot of important matters to discuss and I need you to be strong," she said slowly with a mild apologetic tone.
"Of course," replied Octavia, the musician still maintaining the façade that surrounded her, "But may I ask...what is she doing here?"
"During our discussions I found out some rather important information but I felt it best if Vinyl tells you herself."
"Yeah, rockin'," added Vinyl, "Rarity told me all about what's been going on and well...you know that night when you think we...?"
Octavia gave a small cough, a fracture appearing in her calm exterior. Vinyl didn't even seem to notice, as with everything in her life she was presenting her information garnished in fireworks and rave music...well figuratively speaking of course.
"Well we didn't!" she continued, "Actually you sorta fell asleep on top of me. Most uncool by the way but I can forgive you as your music is great. I mean it's not exactly my thing you know but I can tell a great musician when I see one and you got some serious beats going on!"
In the background Rarity found herself facehoofing. It seemed that all the instructions she had given the DJ regarding being gentle with what she said and not going off on a tangent had been completely forgotten...or hadn't even gone in to start with. As Vinyl continued to chatter on the walls that Octavia had built around herself were beginning to crumble. First her lower jaw began to quiver, then her eyes widened and finally her hoofs hit the table top with a bang.
"What do you mean we didn't?!" she exclaimed loudly.
Vinyl stopped mid-sentence and as she looked back at the earth pony.
"Just what I said, we didn't do anything. You fell asleep," she replied casually, "I must have added too much alcohol to those drinks I gave you, man you must be the lightest lightweight I've ever known. Even Rising Star can hold more than that and that guy is usually dancing on the tables after a couple of ciders!"
Vinyl gave a chuckle but Octavia looked far from being in a laughing mood. Her chair flew backwards and clattered to the floor as she stood up, the noise silencing Vinyl instantly.
"This is nothing to laugh about...this is...if we didn't...but I was going to...but was it the alcohol or did I want to?"
Octavia started to pace back and forth, rambling as she went. Rarity could see the rising sense of panic filling her face and quickly got up herself. However it wasn't the white hoof of Rarity that landed on Octavia's shoulder a moment later, this one belonged to a different white unicorn.
"Octi! Can I call you Octi? Yes? Good!" Vinyl looked a little concerned but mostly irritated, "Octi you gotta relax a little! I mean you are an awesome musician, not exactly my style you know but...when you were playing at the wedding I could tell how much it meant to you. That's rare you know, not every pony takes their skill as seriously as that. But what good is it if you can't enjoy yourself? If you can't be you? I mean look at me! Your friend Rarity here just loves poking fun at my drinking habits but you know what? That's how I enjoy myself! Sure I've had my spell of bad times and run into more than a couple of problems but I've enjoyed every moment of it!"
Vinyl paused for a moment and grinned, Octavia meanwhile had calmed down and was listening intently. It was true, she had lived her life in a way that had always been aimed at making those around her accept her...but was it really who she was? She always enjoyed her music and she never doubted that would ever change...but what about the moments between? She had only ever interacted with the other members of her ensemble on a personal level and even then only Brass really knew who she was.
"So yeah, you need to lighten up a little, go with the flow you know," continued Vinyl, "For a start living like that is boring, secondly it's not healthy, thirdly...um...well I can't think of a third thing. Anyway, I came over to help out and that's just what I'm going to do. Why don't you lay some on me?"
"P-Pardon...?" stammered Octavia, the earth pony face twitching in pure astonishment.
"Oh by Celestia," Vinyl rolled her eyes, "Not like that, play me some music! You know, that string instrument you play, what you call it?"
"....A ce-cello."
"Huh...always though it was a bass. Anyway, don't just stand there, play me something. If I'm going to do backing work for you I'll need to know what sort of stuff you'll be playing so I can match in some wubs of my own."
Octavia looked towards Rarity for support and found the other unicorn nodding slowly at her. Octavia took a deep breath and held it for a moment as she tried to settle her nerves. What Vinyl had said still spun around and around in her head as she went about getting her instrument ready. As she started to play a weight seemed to lift from her mind. Why was she doing this? It wasn't in the hope of getting her ensemble back together any more. So why? Why would she risk more heartache and ridicule? Why was she still trying to prove she wasn't a failure? There was only one answer to that question...because she loved to play. More than anything else in the world she enjoyed the sound of music, the expressions that drifted across her audience's faces with each note she played. The power and emotion she commanded with every pluck of a string. She was doing this for herself, to prove to herself and every pony else that Octavia Melody would never give up and to thank the one pony who hadn't given up on her. The past was past and couldn't be undone...but the future was unwritten and she was going to forge it in her own way. |
Shades of Grey | Chapter 8 | The assembled ponies erupted into yet another round of applause as the last of Rarity's ensembles was paraded down the runway. The yellow earth pony displaying the dress tried to maintain a professional look but Rarity couldn't help but notice the edges of her mouth turning upwards as the crowd stared at her. She couldn't blame her, having ones moment in the spotlight was a fabulous experience. Or at least it should be. Rarity couldn't help but remember when Hoity Toity had attended her very first fashion show, the image of the dresses she had created for her friends still haunted her from time to time. But then again everything had worked out alright in the end. Something she sincerely hoped would happen tonight.
As the yellow pony finished her last waltz and began her return trip up the runway Rarity took a deep breath. The moment was fast approaching and she just hoped that everything was in place. Despite Octavia's earlier reluctance and shock she had eventually started to relax around the DJ unicorn. Rarity had to admit that she was hard to get along with, always so brash and in your face. The concept of personal space seemingly didn't exist for her and neither did basic manners and decency...but that said she wasn't vulgar out of spite and had a heart of gold once you actually saw it.
The pair had been practicing all the previous day, Vinyl only disappearing a few times to rush back to her studio and pick up yet another set of records or mix up a new beat. The afore mentioned items still cluttered Rarity's castle room, stacked up in piles all over the place. Rarity was sure that Opal had actually been buried underneath one of the stacks that had collapsed at some point over the last few days. Despite it all though Rarity could see a growing confidence in the earth pony and, despite Octavia chastising Vinyl at every possible opportunity, you could see a growing sense of respect between the two ponies based purely on their joint love of music.
Rarity still found herself marveled by Octavia's strong will. No matter how many times she had been put down, no matter the pain or turmoil she had been through, she always managed to pick herself up and carry on. In part she was slightly envious, in Octavia she could see everything that she had looked for in a stallion herself. A strong determined heart with a deep well of kindness and empathy. Rarity smiled, whoever got her was a lucky pony.
With a final glance at the now empty runway Rarity turned towards the stairs leading up to the stage. She was nervous, not just for Octavia but for herself as well. If everything fell apart it wouldn't just be the earth pony in trouble, it would be herself as well. Each step felt like her hoof was encased in cement and her breathing shuddered slightly. As she reached the top of the steps and a spotlight fell on her she took a deep breath and set a look of determination upon her face. This was it.
"Fillies and Gentlecolts," she announced in her usual tone as she took a few steps up the runway, "Thank you so very much for coming tonight and I trust the evening has been entertaining for you."
The crowd began clapping to show their appreciation but all Rarity had to do was raise a hoof and the applause slowly died back.
"Now then, I have a special announcement to make. As I'm sure some of you will have noticed the music for tonight's show has been a little different to normal."
A slight murmur ran through the crowd as the various ponies turned to their neighbour to converse. Indeed the music had been substantially different. Whilst normally Vinyl Scratch would have been playing some of her more mellow beats this time the gentle melody of a string instrument had been playing throughout the whole show. Rarity could tell that some ponies had indeed noticed, ear twitching one way and the other as they had tried to work out what the music had been.
"Well I'm pleased to announce a little something extra not featured in your guide. The musician responsible for tonight's music has agreed to put on a little performance for you all and I do hope you enjoy it."
With that she stepped aside waving her hoof backwards as the curtain at the end of the stage lifted. Behind it stood the form of a pony, their features masked by the lack of light that was illuminating them. Another murmur ran through the crowd, who was this mysterious pony? The pony was stood next to a large instrument, it too shrouded in darkness, using it as a support as a spare hoof slowly drew a long bow from her side. Still encased in darkness the pony brought the bow down into contact with the instrument itself and paused. The crowd was silent as they waited to see what would happen.
Then the music started. A slow melodic backing beat provided by Vinyl as an accompaniment to what was to come. With expert precision the pony drew the bow across the instrument, the notes fierce and determined as the pony continued to play the bow across the strings. As the notes continued the backing track began to grow in intensity, growing louder and louder as the playing pony continued to slice notes out of the air.
The crowd could do little but gaze and Rarity found herself staring aghast at what the duo had created. Just then the tempo increased, the pony on stage increasing her movement as note after note tumbled from the instrument. Then suddenly the backing beats stopped and the pony on stage seemed to start playing even faster. The energy built like a raging inferno, the ponies hoof a blur as she played the bow back and forth with mounting energy. As the backing beats slowly started to build in time once more the pony on stage stopped abruptly.
For a moment a silence resonated through the air before both the pony and the beats resumed although at a slower earlier pace now. The energy was still there though and each note carried incredible weight with it. And so it continued, the rising and falling tempo of both the pony and the music behind her synchronised to perfection. There was no let up, no lull in the tempo, nothing, just pure emotion and spirit that felt like it was reaching into your very soul.
By the time the music finally started to build to a finale everypony was glued to the stage, completely absorbed by the music. As the final note was strung and the backing beats came to a climactic finish everypony in the crowd started to cheer and clap. None of them had heard music like it before and the calls for an encore were quick to begin. The pony on stage remained motionless, still encased in shadow...but not for long.
As the stage lights finally lit up everypony in the crowd suddenly fell silent. Octavia stood tall, resting defiantly against her instrument as she looked out at the sea of faces staring back at her in shock. The moment seemed to last forever, Octavia feeling her confidence waver as the crowd remained silent and unsure. Rarity took a deep breath and stepped forwards.
"Let's have a big cheer for our mystery musician tonight, Octavia Melody," she announced with a wave of her hoof.
Again there was a moment of silence. Rarity felt a chill of pure fear running down her spine, it couldn't end like this could it? Then, from the back of the crowd, a voice run out.
"Woo-hoo! Go Octavia!" it cried, each syllable separated by a dry sounding cough.
Octavia felt her heart skip a beat, it couldn't be.
"Brass?!" she cried quickly, dropping to her hooves and looking out across the sea of faces.
In that moment nothing seemed to matter to her, not the shocked reaction of the crowd, not her music, nothing...only the single voice that had cried out above it all. She scanned left and right and then back again, the second pass catching something waving in the crowd. Looking at it she found herself locking eyes with her friend and her sister. The two ponies stood side by side, well Quill stood and Brass leaned...on Quill. Brass was wrapped up in a multitude of layers to keep her warm but despite the weight of her illness she was still smiling.
Octavia bolted towards her, racing down the runway and leaping down into the crowd. A gap opened up for her and the eyes of the ponies around her followed her as she scythed through the crowd towards her friend. As she approached she didn't slow, almost launching herself at the earth pony and throwing her hooves around her neck.
"Brass! Oh Brass!" she sniffed, tears of joy slowly sliding down her cheek, "It's so good to see you."
"Couldn't miss this now could I?" replied Brass with a few coughs.
"But I though..."
"I was too ill? Well I'm probably going to regret this later but I couldn't abandon you after all we talked about back in Vanhoofer."
"But how did you know?" asked Octavia slowly as she pulled back from her friend slightly.
"Your friend Rarity sent us a letter," cut in Quill as she held up a flyer for Rarity's fashion show with a hoof written letter elegantly written across the back.
Octavia looked back towards the stage, only to find the white unicorn moving towards her through the crowd. She was smiling happily as she approached almost looking like she was on the verge of tear herself.
"Well I couldn't let everything go without trying one last time," explained Rarity before Octavia could ask, "Even after everything you've been through you were still so determined to go on and it didn't feel right to let that go un-noticed."
"Hear hear," came a voice from the side, calm and masculine.
Again Octavia froze, her head snapping round to find a deep blue earth pony standing not more than a few meters away. He had a slight grin on his face, a beaming look of pride and respect etched into every facet of his expression. He stepped forwards and then stopped.
"Good evening Octavia," he said politely.
"P-Parish...? What are you..."
"The same reason Brass is here, your friend Rarity sent me a flier in the mail. I must say I did debate on whether I should come but I'm glad I did. Hearing you play again has certainly made your struggle easier to understand."
"Parish...I..."
"Not another word my dear Octavia, I think you performed splendidly tonight, you should be proud."
With that Parish started clapping, Brass, Rarity and Quill joining him a moment later. Slowly but surely the clapping began to spread, one pony after another adding their own applause to the growing noise that filled the air. Octavia could feel the tears trickle down her face as she slowly turned to look around her. Where once the faces of the various ponies had been shocked or even disgusted to see her now each of them looked at her with a fresh perspective. Most were smiling, a few of the more excited show goers beaming and clapping a little more energetically. Even Lyrica Lilac, a pony who had until recently simply dismissed the cello player, was clapping although she still managed to keep a straight face...it wasn't always possible to turn everypony immediately it seemed. Still Octavia didn't seem to care.
"Thank you....thank you everypony!" she replied, trying her best to keep her voice from cracking as she took a small bow.
"...and then when you started freestyling during the third encore! Oh man did I ever lose my tail hairs! You seriously nearly got me on that one, had to really mix those beats to keep up! Sick, totally sick!"
"V-Vinyl...I wasn't 'freestyling', I was allowing the music to guide me. There's a difference," sighed Octavia as she rubbed a hoof against her temple.
Despite the seemingly never ending stream of words the DJ pony was outputting Octavia couldn't help but smile slightly. Tonight had been better than anything she could have hoped or dreamed of. Her concert had been a tremendous success and four encores later Octavia had finally found herself too exhausted to continue. The crowd had been disappointed but understanding and as she had finally stepped down the noise of the applause had reached a peak that exceeded anything else that evening.
"Yeah whatever," continued Vinyl, seemingly unconvinced by Octavia's explanation, "You're still a totally awesome musician! Hey, we should totally do this again sometime, maybe at your next show Rare!"
"Well we'll have to see about that," replied Rarity with a shake of her head, "Thank you for your assistance tonight my dear, I'll forward the usual fee to your account tomorrow."
"Fee? Oh no way! Tonight was on me!" protested Vinyl, "No seriously, it was a treat to help out."
"Are you sure darling?"
"Totally, besides I have to repay Octi for all the problems I've caused."
"Please stop calling me Octi, its Octavia," groaned the earth pony as she pressed a hoof to her forehead.
"I think it suits you Octi," cut in Brass with a grin.
"Oh don't you start too Brass," moaned Octavia as she looked towards her friend.
Brass just gave a small chuckle as she looked back with tired yet happy eyes. She looked weary, her illness taking its toll on her physical condition, yet there was a spark about her that hadn't been present for a long time. Octavia could see it, the childish eagerness, the overexcited joy, there was the Brass she knew; this is who she was meant to be.
"Childish banter aside," interrupted Parish before the pair started to bicker, "I have to say you performed marvelously tonight Octavia. To think you've been through everything you've told us about and still be able to play like that. It's quite a marvel...and I have to say I feel refreshed and revitalised after seeing it."
"Thank you Parish," replied Octavia with a nod of her head.
Like Brass, Parish seemed a different pony. In Baltimare he had seemed sharp and a little on edge but now he was relaxed and mellow. He had always been the stable pillar in the ensemble, always there for everypony and always the voice of reason in the midst of chaos.
"Are you sure you won't reconsider Octavia's request?" asked Rarity curiously.
"I'm afraid not my dear," replied Parish with a shake of his head, "Tonight has been amazing and to see Octavia's determination on show was a true eye opener but...I've moved on. I have a new job, a new friends, new commitments and responsibilities. I can't rightly throw them all to the wind on a whim. Octavia doesn't need our help any more, she's already proven her strength...wouldn't you say Brass?"
"Indeed," replied the sousaphone player with a nod before turning to Octavia, "I know you did all this to try and make up for what happened but I think I speak for both of us when I say that we forgive you. It's been a hard year for all of us but none of us need to suffer anymore...especially you Tavi."
Octavia gave a small sniff and looked back at the two ponies in front of her. She had been dreaming of this day for so long, the relief of being forgiven, the sense of pride for what she had accomplished. Her eyes began to water, the pony looking away slightly to rub her eyes. As she did her breathe caught in her throat. She felt a chill run down her spine and her eyes shot open. Those stood around her noticed and frowned before looking in the same direction. The frowns deepened as everyone locked their gaze on a brown coloured pony standing half hidden behind a doorframe.
"You...you didn't...?" snapped Octavia with a tone verging on sheer panic as she looked round at Rarity.
"Yes, yes I did," replied the unicorn, "Despite everything that's happened I didn't want to exclude anypony...even Frederick."
The pianist didn't speak, instead he just looked at them all with one eye, his expression filled with defiance and yet mellowed with...fear? The silent moment was quickly broken by Parish, the earth pony stepping forwards a few steps as his expression flickered with loathing.
"How dare you show your face here you despicable pile of cowardice!" he snapped harshly, "Don't think for one moment that we don't know what you said to Octavia, she told us the whole story."
"Woah, things just got real," commented Vinyl with a chuckle.
Rarity and Brass quickly exchanged a look of intolerance before Brass turned to Quill and motioned towards Vinyl. The energetic writer quickly grabbed the DJ and started to drag her across the room towards the far door.
"Aaaaw, but I wanted to watch," complained Vinyl before Quill shut the door and left the others alone.
Parish didn't even seem to have noticed the shenanigans going on behind him. Instead he continued to walk slowly towards Frederick, all the time his tone becoming louder and angrier.
"I'm ashamed to think I ever considered you a friend! Despite everything that has happened it gives you no right to speak to a mare that way."
He stopped in front of Frederick, the pianist still looking away with one eye fixed on the approaching harp player. The defiant look in his eye held firm and yet it seemed to flicker like grass in the wind. There was a moment of silence, a moment in which Octavia and Frederick locked gaze. The defiant look melted away to reveal what was behind; regret, sorrow and pleading wishes of forgiveness. As Parish raised a hoof to strike a blow Frederick's eye snapped shut, the pony recoiling and shivering where he stood.
"Wait!" cried Octavia suddenly, Parish halting in mid strike as he looked back at her.
"What? Octavia?" asked Parish, unsure if what he had heard was actually correct.
"I said wait," replied Octavia as she took a few steps forwards.
Parish opened his eye nervously, everypony now able to see the slight shaking of his body.
"Look at me Frederick," instructed Octavia slowly, "...please?"
For a moment he didn't move and simply shut his eye once more. As he opened it again he turned to look at them properly, the hidden side of his face coming into view. Everypony gasped at the sight. The entire side of his face was bruised his eye encircled by a deep purple ring. Octavia faltered slightly, recoiling back slightly at the sight before taking a deep breath.
"Frederick...what happened?" she asked quietly.
Yet again Frederick was silent, each of the ponies around him waiting with baited breath for an answer.
"It...it was Silver Service," replied Frederick at length with a sullen tone, his eyes closing as he began to speak, "he must have been listening when...after you left he...turns out that despite his age he still has a nasty right hoof."
Frederick paused to raise his own hoof to his bruised eye, wincing slightly at the contact.
"He said I'd disgraced the family and that he'd had enough...he quit his job a moment after striking me. After that I spent the next day thinking about everything that had happened, about everything that I'd said and done. I...I thought I was justified, I thought I was acting rashly as anypony else would...turns out I wasn't. I don't expect you to forgive me Octavia but I hope you can at least find it in yourself to not hate me, I'm just sorry I couldn't do that for you."
As Frederick finished speaking a silence fell upon the room. All eyes were on Octavia, the grey pony stunned at the words that he had spoken. Was it really true? Had she heard correctly? For a moment she felt rage building up inside her, a year of struggle and pain boiling to the surface and threatening to spill over. At the same time though her mind managed to keep itself above the seething mass of emotion, the only betrayal on her otherwise emotionless face being the slight twitching of her right eye.
What was the right thing to do? Should she forgive him? Frederick who had done nothing but blame and insult her ever since it had all started happening? The pony who had disowned her as a friend and didn't care if she died? And yet despite everything she felt sorry for him. Anger and hatred could twist even the most steadfast pony and Frederick had always been prone to being emotional.
She took a step forward, the room falling even more silent as she approached Frederick. Her face remained emotionless, void of any reaction at all. This only seemed to unnerve Frederick even more, the pianist casting a glance at the door behind him as Octavia approached. She stopped in front of him, pausing for a moment before raising a hoof slightly. Frederick flinched and shut his eyes expecting to feel the cold impact of rejection. Instead he felt a hoof fall across his shoulder and a moment later the warm embrace of the cello player as she nuzzled into his neck.
"Oh Frederick, I'm so sorry for everything I've put you through," sniffed Octavia, tears threatening to spill over as she spoke, "I could be angry with you for how you've treated me and...someponies would think I was justified in doing so. Despite everything that has happened though I...I still consider you a friend and more than anything I want us all to be together in this moment like we used to be. I...I may not be able to forgive you just yet but I don't hate you Frederick. You're my friend and always will be no matter the circumstance, just like Parish and Brass. It's...it's just good to see you."
"And you Octavia..." replied Frederick as his own tears began to slowly pool in the corner of his eye.
"Glad to see you've come to your senses at long last," added Brass as she took a step forwards.
"I'm sorry Brass," replied Frederick as he pulled back from Octavia's embrace, "I haven't been acting as I should. I got so caught up in my own emotions to even realise what I was doing to every pony else."
He paused to rub a hoof against his bruised face once more, "It took this to finally snap me out of my own head for a while. Silver has always been like an uncle to me ever since I was little...hearing those words from him...it...struck home rather heavily."
"Emotions can be a powerful thing Frederick," spoke Octavia as she took a step back and shot a glance at the pony next to her, "Can't they Parish?"
The harp player gave a small cough and nodded, "Indeed they can, my apologies Frederick, it would seem that my earlier actions were a little too hasty."
Frederick gave a small smile and nodded. Meanwhile Rarity watched the scene unfold before her. The heavy weight of doubt and uncertainty that had been resting on her shoulders throughout the entire day finally gave way and allowed her to breathe normally. Everything had worked out; the show, Octavia's performance, reuniting the cello player with her fellow musicians. Everything had gone to plan, everything but...
Rarity shook her head, perhaps her final wish was too much to hope for but it would have been the cherry on top of an otherwise perfect day. Still, she had managed to accomplish what she had set out to do. She had brought light back to Octavia's world and as she watched the four musicians begin to laugh and chatter she couldn't help but shed a few tears of her own.
At length Octavia turned and trotted over towards Rarity. She was smiling, her cheeks damp with a seemingly constant flow of joyful tears. She didn't speak, she didn't need to, as she put a hoof around Rarity's neck and hugged her tight. Behind her the other three musicians walked up and watched silently as the pair embraced. Octavia couldn't remember the last time she had felt so happy. Her life was indeed different to what it had been before but now she had hope and direction. She could look forward to the future without being weighed down with the mistakes of the past. She felt free.
"Rarity, I..."
"Hush darling, you don't have to say a thing," interrupted Rarity with a gentle squeeze, "I only did what I felt was right, there's no need to thank me."
No need to thank me...the mare had repeated those words so often over the last few days. It didn't seem right though. Rarity had risked a lot to help her, had bent over backwards to do everything she could, and still asked for nothing in return. It was like she was an angel sent to watch over her, her angel! A feeling began to blossom in Octavia's heart, a need and a pull so strong that it couldn't be resisted. All her life she had longed for this, to have somepony to look out for her, somepony that cared about her more than anything in the world, somepony that would move the world just for her. Would another pony have done everything that Rarity had? In that moment a cascade of emotion swept over her, a burst dam that had been threatening to overflow for days. She loved Rarity!
"Oh Rarity..."
She pulled back sharply, the earth pony having but a brief moment to catch the puzzled look on Rarity's face before she leaned in and planted a long and firm kiss right on Rarity's lips. Behind Octavia a set of surprised gasps sounded but Rarity herself didn't notice, the unicorn stunned in frozen shock as the kiss continued. After a few moments Octavia pulled back, her face awash with unbridled joy and happiness. However as Rarity watched the expression faded, her face going white and her eyes widening in shock over what she had just done. She pulled away sharply, spinning round to face her friends. They all wore slightly shocked expressions but to Octavia they looked more like evil glares. She glanced back at Rarity, the unicorn also looking back at her with stunned silence.
In that instance Octavia felt her world fall apart. What had she done? Why had she done that? Why now? Why?! For a moment she cast terrified looks between her friends and Rarity, edging backwards slightly with every look. She felt the room closing in, the light in the room fading to nothing but a spotlight centred on her. Fear and doubt rushed into the space in her mind previously occupied with joy and happiness.
She bolted. With a flurry of hooves and a rather graceless dive Octavia galloped from the room, tears flowing freely from her eyes. Her friends barely had time to glance towards her as she ran, each of them unsure on what to do. Rarity meanwhile had managed to pull herself together slightly and the sudden movement drew her attention immediately.
"O-Octavia! Octavia wait!" she called as the earth pony vanished around the doorframe.
She looked back at the other musicians, each of them looking at her in surprise as if they were expecting answers from her. She shook her head and looked back at the door.
"Wait here!" she said firmly as she took off towards the door herself, "Octavia wait!"
Octavia didn't wait, she simply continued to run. Down the corridor towards the emergency exit she fled, throwing herself against the double door as she reached them and tumbling out into the alleyway behind the theatre. She looked both ways, quickly choosing a direction as she took off at a gallop once again. Panic raced back and forth around her mind, urging her ever onwards. Rarity was close behind but she knew she wouldn't catch the earth pony if she didn't slow down.
"Octavia, please stop!"
The words did little but spur Octavia on, the earth pony not slowing for a moment as she rounded the end of the alley and fled out into the moonlit streets of Canterlot. There was no other pony there, the time easily after midnight but the position of the moon above them. The clip-clop of hooves on the cobbled streets echoed between the buildings, each one sounding a hundred times louder to Octavia than they actually were.
Why had she done that? Why had she just thrown it all away? One moment of weakness, just like before, one moment of weakness. So wrapped up in her own mind was she that Octavia failed to notice the uneven lay of the ground beneath her. Her hoof caught on a jutting stone and a moment later she found herself crashing to the ground. The impact hurt, her head bouncing off the stonework as it in turn knocked every last bit of air from her lungs. She coughed and choked, gasping for air as she tried to focus on the present. As she did she heard the sound of galloping hoofsteps approaching. Slowly they changed to a canter and then to a walk, the noise seeming to get louder as it approached. Finally it stopped, Octavia sobbing onto her hooves as she lay motionless on the ground.
"Octavia?"
"Go ahead, tell me you hate me!" replied Octavia, the pony staring down at the ground as she spoke, "Tell me that I'm disgusting and don't deserve your help anymore! How could I do that? After everything you've done for me! After all the trouble I've caused you I...I...I'm so sorry!"
Rarity didn't respond, instead she slowly approached the ground bound pony. Octavia tensed half expecting a kick to land any moment. Instead something warm and soft pressed into her side and a hoof brushed against the side of her face. Daring a look she slowly glanced round to find Rarity lying on the street next to her. Her face said a thousand words; there was no malice or hatred, no cruelty or disgust. Instead all she saw was the same caring smile and pair of soft loving eyes that she had seen on her face many times before.
"I don't hate you Octavia," replied Rarity finally, "I will admit I was a little shocked but...to think that I would abandon you now after all we've been through together is such a foolish thought."
She leaned in, gently planting a soft kiss on Octavia's forehead.
"We've both been so busy preparing for tonight that our personal feelings have taken a back seat," she said before giving a small sigh, "In truth I have found myself feeling a little envious lately, thinking that any pony that got you would be a lucky one...I never considered for a moment that it would be me."
"Y-you mean..."
"Octavia darling, you're a wonderful mare and I would be honoured to...well..."
Rarity felt a blush cross her face, it felt so odd to be saying this. Truth be told she had felt herself getting closer and closer to Octavia ever since their meeting. Her desire to protect and help her was unlike anything she had encountered before, even amongst her friends. Even now, helping her to overcome her doubts and fears, she couldn't help but smile at the earth pony. She had spent most of her adult life looking for the perfect stallion, a white knight to pick her up and whisk her away to a fairy tale castle...it never occurred to her that she herself would be the white knight for somepony else.
"It's just that after I found out you never...did anything with Vinyl...I didn't want to push the subject, I didn't know if that's truly how you felt or if it was just a lax of judgement. And I don't want to ruin our friendship by...well, getting involved in such a way and...well..."
Rarity was interrupted as a hoof grabbed the base of her chin and spun her head towards the earth pony. The next thing she knew she was once again locked in a kiss with Octavia. Whilst there was still a mild amount of shock this time it felt easier. She felt herself relaxing, the gentle exchange saying a thousand words as the tension and doubt slipped from her mind. After a moment which seemed to last a thousand years they both pulled back, each giving a nervous smile as they did.
"Well, I suppose that erases the doubt somewhat," commented Rarity with a small chuckle.
"I'm so glad I got to meet you Rarity," replied Octavia, "I've been living in fear for the last year...but now, when I'm with you, I feel like I could take on the world."
Rarity blushed and sighed heavily. She looked up, the clouds above drifting slowly across the moonlit skyline causing rows of tiny stars to glimmer. She yawned, the pent up exhaustion that had been building over the last few days finally getting chance to make itself known.
"I hate to break the moment darling but...maybe we should get inside, lying on a cold street in the middle of the night doesn't help ones complexion."
Octavia chuckled as she slowly rose to her feet with Rarity quick to follow. For a moment they stood in silence, the gentle night breeze the only sound that disturbed the...
"...L-Little Octave? Is...is that you?"
Octavia felt every hair on her body stand on end and every muscle tense. Her breath caught in her throat and the little that squeezed through only caused her heart to race. She knew the voice; it was one that she would always remember despite their time apart and one that she thought she would never hear again. Slowly she turned to face the voice, her eyes locking on the silhouetted form of a pony half hidden behind the wall of a side street.
The pony stepped forth as she turned, their body held low to the ground as if nervous or scared to approach. As the light of a street lamp finally caught the lines of his face the pony came into view. He was old and frail looking, his brown face lined with many furrows and scars. His eyes looked tired but at the same time held a fierce determination hidden beneath years of toil. He stared in awe at Octavia, unable to speak further.
"P...Papa?" murmured Octavia quietly, her voice filled with astonishment.
"Octave..." replied the pony as he looked back at her.
"But...how..."
"I see you got my message," spoke Rarity quietly as she stepped forwards.
"M-Message?" asked Octavia as her vision flashed round to face the unicorn.
Rarity nodded slowly, "After hearing all about your childhood in Ponyville I...I just couldn't let things go as they stood. When I wrote to invite your fellow musicians to the show tonight I...I also wrote to your father. It wasn't easy to find where he was living but I didn't want to say anything about it in case..."
Rarity trailed off, looking away as a wave of insecurity washed over her. She hated going being a pony's back but in this case she had decided it was the only way, "I...I'm sorry if I did wrong..."
Octavia didn't even seem to notice half of what Rarity had said, her attention had shifted back towards the pony stood in front of her.
"Papa...I..."
"...I...I'm sorry Octave..."
Octavia fell silent in surprise, her father had never once apologised to her for anything. Everything had always been her fault or that of her brother...never his.
"You...you were right to run away," continued the pony as his head sunk towards the floor, "I...I was never a good parent, all I ever did was upset you and Pitch. After your mother died I just...I couldn't cope and I lashed out. I didn't mean to hurt you...I was afraid...afraid I would lose you too."
He paused, his gaze now directed at the floor as he sighed slowly, "You meant more to me than anything in this world...and yet whenever I looked at you all I could see was your mother. When you started playing her fiddle...it nearly broke my heart all over again. I'm so sorry for what I said, all I wanted was for us all to be happy but all I did was drive a wedge between us. When I found your note that morning I...I almost...I almost..."
He stopped, his words catching in his throat. Octavia started to make a move, her hoof barely making it off the ground before she froze in place once more.
"I couldn't even do that...I'm such a coward," he continued after a moment, "When I received the letter from Miss Rarity I couldn't even bring myself to read it when I realised what it was about. All the old wounds got ripped open and I...I ran away again. I didn't want to believe it was you, I couldn't bring myself to face it all again but part of me refused to let it all go. When...when I saw you playing on stage I..."
"You...you saw...?"
"I watched from the back. A part of me wanted to come forward and congratulate you when all those ponies started clapping but...I couldn't. I was afraid you wouldn't want to see me...that you'd still hate me for everything that I did..."
Octavia made another slight move forwards. All these years she had lived with the guilt of running away when she did. She had always thought her father would be mad at her, that he wouldn't want to see her. And yet here he was; not angry or mad but regretful, timid and scared. She knew how he felt, after her mother had died Octavia had felt nothing but fear from her father and yet now he was at her mercy. She could yell at him, tell him how much she hated him and how he never cared for her.
She felt a tear form in her eye. Without warning she quickly stepped forwards and threw a hoof around his shoulder. The pony tensed, expecting some kind of physical blow but instead all he felt was the steady drip of tears as Octavia broke down on his shoulder.
"I don't hate you papa! I could never hate you!" balled Octavia as the tears turned to waterfalls, "I'm so sorry for what I did, you're not a coward...I'm the coward! I should never have run away like that. I shouldn't have left you alone! I was just so scared that you wouldn't let me go."
"You-you were my only light Octave, I just didn't want to lose you like your mother and Pitch. I'm sorry I made you feel that way, I'm sorry I made you feel imprisoned like that."
Octavia didn't reply, instead she simply tightened her grip on her father and buried her head in his shoulder. Her father followed suit, holding her tightly and shutting his eyes as his own tears threatened to spill forth. For a time they both stood still, locked in each other's hooves. Rarity stood quietly to one side watching the tearful reunion. She had taken a risk when she had written the letter to Octavia's father, a risk that had, at least in this case, paid off. She let herself relax a little, her body sore and exhausted from the previous day's struggles and turmoil. She found herself musing on what she had said earlier about being a white knight straight out of a fairy tale. Most tales like that aimed to teach a moral and one could never tell if the ending would be happy or sad. As she watched the two ponies still locked in each other's embrace she knew one thing was certain, this story would have a happy ending. |
Shades of Grey | Epilogue | "Are you sure you want to do this?" asked Rarity.
"No," replied Octavia, her vision cast in front of her as she spoke, "but I have to know...and so do they."
Rarity gave a nod and followed Octavia's line of sight. They both stood at the end of a small path that led away from the roadside. The path led up a small bank through a garden filled with all manner of flowers, fruits and vegetables towards a thatched cottage that sat nestled under a large oak tree. A steady stream of white smoke drifted from the chimney indicating that the occupants were indeed home.
Octavia took a deep breath. It had taken two weeks to find them, two weeks of uncertainty and questions. Was she doing the right thing? Was it really best to simply let it all go? No...this had to be done, not just for her sake but for theirs. She took a step forwards, pushing open the small white gate that blocked her path and beginning the short walk up the bank to the house. Rarity followed close behind her casting looks at the garden around her. It was easy to tell that earth ponies had made it. Everything was arranged perfectly for maximum production and yet the garden didn't feel artificial or managed. Flowers bloomed from odd places and every so often the perfectly straight plantation lines would take a sudden turn or stop without warning. Rarity had often wondered about the magic of earth ponies and their connection to the world around them. Unlike her own magic, earth magic was subtle and silent; always surrounding them but never seen. She took a deep breath, her nose filling with the sweet smell of flowers and herbs. She still hated getting dirty but she could understand why Applejack loved her farm so much, being surrounded by such natural beauty was truly a gift.
As the pair arrived at the door Octavia paused once more. She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath as she did and raising a hoof towards the door. She hesitated, the moment finally upon her, but it only lasted a second as her hoof came down and rapped several times on the door. At first there was nothing, silence, and then the gentle clop of hooves filled the air as a pony approached from the other side of the door. A bolt was slid back and the hinges gave a small creak as the door finally opened. A brown coloured earth pony stood before them. He wasn't looking at them just yet, his attention diverted down the hallway behind him.
"Just a minute darling, I'll be right with you," he called over his shoulder before turning his attention forwards, "Hello, can I help...?"
He stopped mid-sentence, his face going slightly white as he came face to face with Octavia. She tried to remain calm, to keep an expression of neutrality on her face, but it was difficult.
"Hello Concerto, may we come in?" she asked slowly.
Concerto seemed to swallow at the question and for a moment he simply stood motionless in the doorway. Finally he gave a small sigh and nodded.
"...of course," he replied.
He stepped back and opened the door allowing both of them to enter. The air was as still as a millpond and no pony spoke a word as Concerto led them down a small hallway and into the main room of the house. Rarity found herself looking around at the decor. Exposed beams ran the length of the room, each one decorated with various horseshoe ornaments and farm tack. A selection of old worn sofas lay scattered around the room in front of an open fire, currently unlit but cleaned and prepared for lighting that evening. The walls were adorned with pictures of various ponies and on one wall hung a pair of violins, their necks crossed like a coat of arms. In the centre of the room stood a yellow coloured mare with a purple mane and tail. Her back was turned to them and she was cooing a song quietly as she swayed back and forth gently.
"Concerto, who was at the door?" she asked without looking round as the door opened.
"Hello Symphony," replied Octavia quietly, keeping her voice as calm as she could.
"Oc...Octavia..." murmured Symphony as her body froze on the spot.
She turned slowly to face them, both Rarity and Octavia gasping slightly as she did. In one of her front hooves was cradled a roll of blankets, the small form of a baby foal visible through an opening at the top. The foal was a light peach colour, the tip of her yellow mane flicking back and forth on the breeze caused by her gentle breathing. For a moment nopony spoke, each unsure on what exactly they should say. For a moment the resolve Octavia had flickered; should she really be here, was it really necessary?
"M-May we sit down?" she asked hesitantly.
Symphony cast a glance at Concerto, the stallion giving a single firm nod of his head. Symphony sighed and nodded in response.
"Of course, please have a seat," she said slowly and she continued to cradle the child in her hoof.
Octavia and Rarity slowly slipped themselves into a seat and again a silence fell on the room. Octavia found herself staring at the sleeping foal.
"What her name?" the question was quiet, barely a whisper dare she disturb the sleeping infant.
"Melody," replied Symphony with a small smile as she cast a glance down at her daughter.
"M-Melody?" questioned Octavia thinking she must have heard wrong, "As in..."
"As in you, yes," interrupted Symphony with another sigh.
Slowly she moved over to a chair herself and hoisted herself onto it. She sat back, bringing her second front hoof round to cradle the infant properly before resuming her earlier motion of gently rocking her back and forth. For a moment she just sat and smiled at the child.
"We've been expecting you to drop by at some point, haven't we Concerto?" she stated.
The other pony just nodded and grunted affirmatively as he sat down next to her. Slowly he raised a hoof and lightly brushed it against the foal's cheek. She made a small gurgle in her sleep and stretched slightly but otherwise remained asleep.
"I expect you're here to find out why we did it?" asked Symphony as she looked back at Octavia, "We heard about everything that happened in Canterlot recently, we're both glad things are looking up for you."
She cast a glance at Rarity, her smile broadening slightly, "Would you be Rarity?"
"That I am darling," replied the unicorn.
"Words can't describe how happy we are for what you've done for Octavia and her friends. We're so grateful."
"Very grateful," added Concerto with a slight bow of his head.
"But why?" cut in Octavia sharply, her eyes narrowing slightly, "Why?"
A look of shame and regret slowly crept across Symphony's face. Octavia immediately felt bad for being so sharp but her desire for answers remained strong as she waited for Symphony to speak.
"I guess I should start from the beginning," she said finally as she looked over at Concerto for a moment, "It all began when Concerto and I met during a visit to the concert hall in Canterlot. We were both aspiring musicians at the time and had come to check out the local talent."
"I don't think either of us expected to find such talented musicians did we dear?" added Concerto.
"No we didn't," she replied with a small smile, "But neither of us wanted to give in. We met during the intermission and started talking. By the end of the night we had decided to help each other, form a duo and try to make our own mark on the musical world. It seemed like a perfect plan...but there were problems."
"Canterlot already had a thriving cultural centre and finding a space within it was difficult," continued Concerto, "We tried many venues but a lot of the time we were turned down due to venue schedules being booked up months in advance. We did make some money, enough to live on, but it was a frugal existence."
"The more we worked together though the more we were determined to make it work but something else occurred that we didn't account for...we both fell in love."
Symphony and Concerto looked at each other, the pair lost in each other's eyes for a moment before Symphony finally broke the look and glanced back at Octavia.
"It took some time for us both to admit it to ourselves and then to each other but when we did we found the feeling was mutual. I can say it was one of the happiest moments of my life apart from the day Melody was born. She was conceived that day but we didn't know it at the time. When we did find out we began to panic a little, we barely had enough money to support ourselves and babies are not cheap."
"It was about this time that we found out your ensemble was looking for short notice replacements for the Garden Party," Concerto said as he picked up the story from Symphony, "Of course we were thrilled when we got the opportunity. It would help both our finances and it gave us an idea. We could use the limelight from that event to promote ourselves and hopefully get some recognition and more venue opportunities."
"It worked...in part," sighed Symphony with a shake of her head, "I think if we could have calmed down everything would have worked out but instead everything fell apart around us. After that we started getting even less shows and the panic finally overwhelmed us."
"We aren't proud of what we did," added Concerto with his own sigh, "We may have been driven by fear at the time but that doesn't excuse the pain and suffering we caused. All we wanted to do was knock your ensemble down a couple of pegs, create some more openings for ourselves so we could earn a little money. We never thought...it would get so out of control. When everything came out about what happened during the Royal Wedding we couldn't stop it. We tried, Celestia knows we tried, but the rumours took on a life of their own and everypony started spreading them."
"We were so shocked by what happened that we just couldn't bear to stay in Canterlot," sniffed Symphony, "You can say that we ran and you'd be correct. When I saw the full extent of what our fear and panic had done I nearly...thank Celestia Concerto was there to stop me."
The mare leaned over, pressing herself against Concerto's side as he gently wrapped a hoof round her shoulders. Octavia sat silently, her desire for answer fading just as fast as her anger and resentment. She wanted to get up and go to them, she wanted to say she was sorry...but she remained seated and silent, frozen by the truth that sat before her.
"We managed to find this place and had just enough bits to buy it," continued Symphony after a moment, "We started growing fruit and vegetables and sold them at nearby markets, I suppose it's lucky that we are both earth ponies. Melody was born a few months ago so since then I've not had much time to tend the crops so Concerto has been doing it alone. It's been hard but I suppose it's been nothing compared to what you've been through."
"I know it doesn't really mean anything now," cut in Concerto, "But believe me when I say we are both sorry...and I just hope you can find it in you to forgive us."
For a moment Octavia didn't say anything as everything she had just heard circled round and round her head. She had always suspected that they had been driven by jealousy, that much was certain...but not in this way. Perhaps her time in Canterlot had desensitised her to the plight of other ponies? Perhaps she had been so used to having everything that she hadn't noticed the ponies under her and the struggles they went though. She knew now what that was like; to have everypony looking down on you, struggling against a never ending tide of pain.
She looked at the two ponies sat before her, both of them looking back with eyes filled swimming in sorrow and hope. How could she not forgive them? How could she not? And yet one thing was yet left unanswered, not about what had happened before but about what had happened since.
"What about your music?" she asked.
Concerto and Symphony just blinked, not expecting the question in the slightest. They looked at each other for a moment seemingly unsure on how to answer.
"We...we haven't really played since we moved here," replied Symphony after a moment, "All our effort has been put into our garden and then into Melody."
"I don't think either of us has felt very musical in the last year either..." added Concerto.
Octavia huffed and immediately got up from her seat. Everypony in the room was watching her, hope slowly draining from the faces of Concerto and Symphony. After taking a few steps Octavia stopped and turned around.
"I'll forgive you...on one condition..." she said as she turned away again and headed towards the back wall.
There on the wall hung two violins, Octavia slowly lifting one of them from the wall and walking back towards the assembled ponies. She held out the violin towards them, determination and resolution dancing in her eyes.
"One condition," she repeated firmly, "don't give up on your music."
The two ponies looked at her with confusion forcing a sigh from Octavia's mouth.
"Before two weeks ago all I ever had in my life was music," she said slowly as she seated herself one more, "Music kept me going during the worst time I could imagine. It gave me strength, determination and a purpose. It let me reach out and touch other without them even realising or wanting. No matter the hardship, no matter the pain and suffering, you cannot let such a precious gift go unused. Please, if not for yourself then for Melody. That very word has meaning and you can't allow her to grow up not knowing the full power of the word by which she is named. So, I will forgive you and everything you've done if you promise me that you will not give up on your talent and show your child the wonders that music can bring."
By the time Octavia stopped talking Symphony was on the verge of tears. Had she not been cradling Melody in her hooves Octavia was sure those same hooves would be wrapped around her neck. Concerto appeared to have better control over his emotions but even so Octavia could see the waves of happiness lapping against the backs of his eyes.
"Thank you," he said slowly, "Thank you."
"Thank you for not saying anything," smiled Octavia as she and Rarity walked calmly along the forest track.
"I told you I wouldn't my dear and I'm not one to break my promises," replied the unicorn, "Did you find all the answers you needed?"
"All of them and more than them, I feel like my heart is finally free."
"I'm glad my dear."
Rarity slowly leaned over and planted a small kiss on Octavia's cheek. The earth pony blushed slightly and gave a small sigh. She couldn't describe how she felt, a mix of so many emotions that it would have been easier to describe how she didn't feel. She stopped for a moment, looking back down the track at the small house nestled under the trees.
"They'll be alright, I'm sure of it," reassured Rarity as she followed the earth pony's gaze.
"I hope so, I know what those two have been through...but unlike me they never found somepony like you to help them."
"Oh I wouldn't be too sure of that my dear."
Rarity shot a glance at Octavia and giggled quietly before turning away and continuing along the track. Octavia remained still for a moment before she too turned away, a small smile present on her face. |
Carrot and Stick | pre | He poured me another drink.
Wiser, I stared at the whiskey, trying to think of an excuse not to drink it-- which is when Carrot Top walked in and coughed, politely.
"That's enough, dad. Sen-- Flash has been through a lot."
"THAT HE HAS! AND I CAN'T THANK HIM ENOUGH FOR IT! TO THINK, HE SAVED BOTH MY LITTLE GIRLS ... " Over the Top trailed off, tears welling up in his eyes. "I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH, LAD!"
"I, er, I was just doing what anypony else would have." I instinctively lapsed into the 'heroic' humility that made me the toast of the town after the Battle of Canterlot.
"THAT'S A DAMNED LIE AND YOU KNOW IT!" Over the Top sniffed again, and wiped at his eyes. "THERE ARE FEW PONIES AS BRAVE AS YOU ARE, MY BOY! DON'T LET ANYPONY TELL YOU OTHERWISE! YOU'RE ONE IN A MILLION, LAD!"
"He won't, Dad." Carrot Top put a hoof on her father's shoulder. "But for now, do you think I could talk to Flash alone?"
"OF COURSE!" Over the Top wiped away the last of his tears, and went so far as to give Carrot Top a conspiratorial wink. "FAR BE IT FROM ME TO GET IN THE WAY OF YOUNG LOVE, WHAT?" And before either I or Carrot Top could make the appropriate protestations, Over the Top turned on a hoof and trotted out of the room.
I stared after him for a moment, and then looked back at Carrot Top. "So ... "
"Yeah." Carrot Top slumped into a chair beside the bed, and neatly plucked the whiskey from my hooves. She downed the whole thing without so much as flinching, and then let out a deep sigh. "This was all a mistake."
"I could've told you that from the beginning."
"Apologizing is hard enough without your commentary, Sentry."
"Every time we meet, I get new scars."
"What're you complaining about? I thought mares liked scars."
"Do you?" My mouth has always been faster than my brain. No sooner had I said the words, they hung heavy in the air.
Carrot Top's cheeks flushed. "Look, if it's about what happened in the Everfree Forest ... that was just a--"
"-spur of the moment thing." I added on, helpfully. "Nothing but--"
"-nerves." Carrot Top nodded, resolute. "Sometimes ponies just do stupid things when they're in danger."
"And if there's anyone who knows about being stupid in the face of mortal danger, it's me, right?" I forced a little laugh, and Carrot Top did the same.
She poured herself another drink.
"The funny thing is ... you're not as bad as I thought, Sentry."
"No?"
"It's ... strange. The whole of Canterlot thinks you're a hero. But anypony who spends enough time with you can see just how much of a cad you really are ... but then, sometimes, sometimes-- you go and inexplicably do the right thing, no matter how dangerous it is." She shook her head, and sipped at her whiskey. "I don't get it."
"If it's any consolation, neither do I." I winced a little as I lay back on the pile of pillows. "But I guess that just makes us even. I'm the only one who's met both Carrot Top and Special Agent Golden Harvest. So I guess you get to meet Flash Sentry, Hero of Equestria, side by side with Flash Sentry the stupid fool."
"Heroes usually are pretty stupid." Carrot Top mused with a wry (and dare I say lovely) little grin. "Maybe it's the same thing?"
"Hey!" I sputtered.
"Calm down, Sentry. But just as a head's up, you're probably going to come out of this even more popular than before." Carrot Top rolled her eyes. "Rock Bottom carried you all the way to Hilltop. And once my parents found out about everything you did, and everything he did ... well, the Tops and Bottoms aren't feuding anymore. Theoretically. Muffin might even write Princess Celestia a letter about it. Apparently that's the new thing?"
"Don't look at me. All I did in the palace was stand around and look official."
Carrot Top shrugged. "Letter or no, everypony's so distracted by Muffin and Rock Bottom that they're not paying attention to ... us. Or at least not as much attention. So we just need to bide our time until we can catch the next train to Canterlot, and in a few months I'll tell my parents we had an amicable breakup. Maybe you just got posted to someplace far away, and a long distance relationship just wasn't working."
"You'd better not get me assigned to Yakyakistan or something to support your cover story."
"Say ... " Carrot Top rubbed her chin with a bemused laugh. "That's not a bad idea. You're thinking like a Special Agent."
"Only because I've been hanging around you too long."
My wounds, though numerous, were mostly shallow and superficial. I was back on my hooves before long, just in time to receive a hero's welcome from both the Tops and the Bottoms. I played up my injured condition, affecting a limp. I didn't do this for sympathy, but rather so I wouldn't get pulled into uproarious earth pony dancing (something about a square?). I even did the responsible thing and rationed my booze, so that by the next morning I must have been the only pony in the house (or at least the only of-age pony in the house) without a hangover.
Carrot Top made her goodbyes at the train station-- her father blubbered and bellowed the whole time, loud enough we could barely hear the engine pulling up to the platform. We loaded up our luggage, and Carrot Top even hung out the window of our cabin to wave goodbye to her family.
The train chugged on, heading steadily towards Canterlot. Carrot Top spent most of the trip with her nose buried in a newspaper, while I alternated between watching the scenery go by outside and making eyes at the stewardesses that came by periodically with coffee and snacks. Though to be honest, Carrot Top was better looking than most of said stewardesses-- the poor things must have been a little frazzled and fatigued after a long trip.
Still, the train trip was blissfully uneventful. We pulled into Canterlot Station, and Carrot Top took in a deep breath. "This is it, Sentry. You're free to go."
"Ah, right." I fidgeted. "To be honest, this was kind of a pleasant trip. Except for the part where I almost died, but I really should start expecting that sort of thing whenever I'm in your company."
"Well, lucky for you, I'm sure Fancy Pants will have a new assignment for me once I get back to Canterlot. You might not see me for a long, long time."
"Ah." I made myself smile at the prospect, and stretched out a wing and eyed the gaps in the plumage. "At least that'll give me time to grow my feathers back."
"Last stop, Canterlot!" the conductor called out from the other side of the cabin door.
"So I guess this is goodbye, then." Carrot Top said, slowly.
"I wouldn't go that far. I mean, we're not even off the train yet." I fussed with the overhead compartment and started pulling out our luggage. "And ... hell, I don't know about you, but travel makes me thirsty. I don't suppose you've got enough time for a drink before you've got to go save Equestria again? I know a nice little place just around the corner."
Carrot Top smiled. "Oh, why not?"
We shouldered our saddlebags and disembarked. The familiar bustle of Canterlot crowds swept the both of us into its comforting embrace, and we trotted down the platform--
--at which point we ran into Fancy Pants.
"Flash Sentry! Golden Harvest! What a pleasant surprise!" The monocled unicorn winked conspiratorially, signaling this was hardly a surprise at all. "Just the ponies I've been looking for." He spoke between blasts of the steam whistle, using the mechanical din of the train station to protect our conversation from any eavesdroppers.
"What is it?" Carrot Top's smile faded, and she lapsed back into her cold, intimidating 'business' voice.
"Oh, just a little spot of bother up in the Crystal Empire. Cultists, I'm told. The sort of thing that may require a ... personal touch, you understand. But don't worry, I won't be sending you alone! You and Sentry here did quite a number on that illegal casino, so I've made arrangements for you two to work together on this Crystal Empire project. Should be small beer, honestly-- but, well, it's all in the line of duty. What do you think, hm?"
"I think--" my mouth suddenly went very, very dry. "I need a drink."
So ends the second volume of the Flash Sentry Papers. -G.M.F. |
The Road to Us | pre | Sunset winced as old, painful memories flooded in. "Flash doesn't really count. Yeah, we 'dated', but we both later agreed it wasn't love. Looking back, who knows what we were. We barely even made it to first base.
"Besides," she nuzzled, "I never brought Flash to Equestria."
Wallflower blushed as she resumed her walk. "You're, um, all my lovers, too." ---
Their tour concluded, Sunset guided her family through the castle's private wing. She showed them her old bedroom, which was now a guest room. However, her study remained the same.
Filled with wonder, Rose browsed through her mother's book and artifact collections. She squealed with glee as she surveyed the various charts and maps. "Where did you get all this?" she asked.
"I was more a hooves-on student" her mother smiled, "I traveled throughout Equestria to perfect my magic. What you see here are some things I picked up on my adventures."
"You think I could go on such adventures one day?"
Sunset froze, remembering the dangers she faced. Though fun for her at the time, now, as a parent, she wouldn't dream of sending her daughter on such missions. She knew her wife shared the apprehension. "Maybe, one day, when your older."
"Much older" Wallflower quickly added. ---
Wallflower had suggested it would be nice to have a picnic lunch at the park. It was a bit of a walk, especially with three little ones, but was well-worth it.
They rested by a small playground at the end of the park. Stardust and Honey were elated to run around and release some pent-up energy. Rose, however, quietly resided herself to one of the swings.
With Wallflower settling back to watch the foals, Sunset took Even to help her procure some food.
Much to Canterlot's surprise, and dismay, Pony Joe's Donut Shop had evolved from coffee and breakfast pastries, now providing soups and sandwiches for later-dining crowds.
With sandwiches for lunch, and donuts for dessert, Sunset and Even rejoined the family.
The foals seemed to be having an easier time eating sandwiches than their dinner. In result, less food was lost to the ground.
"Did you come to this park, mommy?" Stardust sipped her drink.
Sunset nodded. "Almost every day."
"Was the playground here then?"
"There was a playground, though not this particular one. However, I would come here to study, not play. Actually, I spent many a time reading at a picnic table, just like this one."
Stardust had a realization. "Woah...We could be sitting at one of the tables you sat on!"
Full, Stardust and Honey wanted to play some more, and quickly ran back to the playground. Seeing their younger siblings have fun, the older two decided to join in, and soon, all four were having a wonderful time.
Sunset threw the trash away as Wallflower curled up under the shade of a nearby tree. She laid down next to her, pushing her as she stretched out. She chuckled lightly as Wallflower pushed back.
"Well?" a nose pushed into her mane, "Isn't this what you always wanted?"
Sunset looked up to see the children running and jumping on wood and metal ramps, bridges, and slides. "It's not grass, but I suppose it'll do." ---
Sunset led the way to Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns.
As they approached the steps to the prestigious school, Rose could barely contain her excitement. This had been a dream come true. Ever since her mother had told her about Equestria and the different pony tribes, she had always imagined herself as a unicorn; wielding the magic of the land, learning from the most powerful and wisest mages.
Upon entering the school, they went to the main office where they were greeted by one of the senior professors.
"Moondancer!" the children smiled, happy to recognize a familiar face. They ran up to the bespectacled unicorn.
Professor Moondancer greeted the children, glancing a smile up to the adults as they approached. "It's been a long while. How are you all doing? Enjoying your time here in Equestria?"
"It's a really strange place" Stardust said.
Moondancer laughed. "I could say the same about world!"
Straightening up, she handed a carded string to each of the family members. "These are your visitor passes. Just a reminder, classes are still in session. As for this little bird," She gently grabbed Stardust with her magic and pulled the hovering pegasus down to the adults' eye level. "Keep to about this level in the hallways, and no flying is allowed in the classrooms and lecture halls."
"Yes, ma'am" the filly nodded.
"Speaking of lectures," Moondancer continued, "there's a transfiguration demonstration scheduled for this afternoon. It's meant for the fourth years, but all are welcome to join. It starts in about an hour."
"Large lecture hall?" Sunset asked. It was where such events were usually held, but she wanted to be sure.
Since the hall was on the other side of campus, it was decided to go there first before exploring the rest of the school. As they made their trek, Sunset glanced around at the buildings.
"This place has grown so much since I was a student. We used to have just the one building, plus dorms. Now, it's nearly double."
A couple students had already congregated in the seminar room. Many of them appeared to be younger students, anxious to see what laid in store for them in upcoming years.
Not wanting to be a disturbance, the family took their seats near the back of the hall.
Even looked around with interest at the groups of students. "Flare is a student here too, right?"
"One of our top students" replied a stallion, approaching the group.
Sunset's face lit up. "Professor Magnus! Kids, this is an old professor of mine."
The senior pony snorted. "Oh, come now, Miss Shimmer," he playfully pouted, "No need to be so harsh." He quickly returned with a smile. "What brings you all here?"
"Oh, just showing off my old stomping grounds." She was taken aback when the professor laughed.
"I remember the last time you did that, you had this lovely filly on your arm." He took Wallflower's hoof, like a proper gentlecolt. "How've you been, my dear? Seems like I haven't seen you since you reined my wildest student."
"Well, you know," she glanced slyly to Sunset, "gotta keep her in her place."
"Indeed, you two are coming up on what now? Twelve years?"
"Fifteen" Sunset corrected.
Magnus was shocked. "Has it really been that many? It seems like yesterday I was celebrating your wedding!" He looked to their foals. "Well, certainly seems you two have made quite a good business for yourselves. But, don't tell me this is little Evenstar."
"Even" the colt replied, raising an eyebrow. "You know me?"
The professor let out a light laugh. "Practically since day one! Such a tiny, little thing you were!"
Even blushed as his siblings giggled.
"I take it you're doing the demonstration?" Wallflower asked.
Magnus nodded. "Every year. Which reminds me," he checked the clock on the back wall, "I'd better go finish preparing. It was great seeing you!" ---
The presentation started late, something Sunset joked was the usual of Professor Magnus. The old teacher quickly garnered the foals' attention. They marveled and awed with each transfiguration. Rose, especially, paid special heed to the instructor's every word.
Wallflower smiled, making a quick glance to the children. It made her happy to see them so interested. They knew so much about her world, it joyed her to see them learn something of Sunset's. She suppressed a giggle as her ear was tugged.
"You remember when you used to sneak me into your lectures?"
"I remember you attended so many they thought you were a student."
"If I remember, I was pretty good one."
"One of their best." Another laugh suppressed. "The looks on their faces when the realized the truth!"
"Brought me back to my early days at CHS. Good times."
"Until it almost got you banned from campus." She playfully gabbed her wife's side, "You're lucky they let you attend my graduation."
"Well, after all I did, least they could have done is give me an honorable mention."
"You just have to have everything, don't you?" A muzzle brushed against hers.
"Not true. I have you." ---
It was late when the family returned to the house. Spending the rest of the afternoon walking around the school, and the subsequent walk home, had worked up quite the appetite. Along the way, they picked up takeout from The Tasty Treat.
Wallflower and the kids laid out dinner while Sunset put an exhausted Honey to bed.
Even took in a spoonful of curry. "Food still all seems weird."
"You'll find the same thing back in our world" Wallflower smiled, "Different places make the same foods differently."
"We really have to leave tomorrow morning?" Stardust asked.
"Not too early" Sunset replied, "We're catching the eleven o'clock train. We'll have brunch here before heading out."
"I'm excited to go to Neighagra Falls" smiled Rose, "I've been looking at pictures of it and it looks absolutely stunning!"
"I wanna go over the falls!" the younger sister yelled.
"Not a chance" Wallflower quickly vocalized.
"There are many restrictions" Sunset said, "You'll need to grow a bit before they'll let you go anywhere near the platform." She smiled as her wife whispered into her ear:
"I still don't know how you got me to do it." |
The Road to Us | Chapter 8 | With the morning came Gallet. With him, came boxes of morning pastries. With delight, the foals sat around the breakfast table, happily enjoying the baked sweets.
Gallet checked his watch. "The chariot will be here at ten-thirty-two to take you to the station. Your reservations at the resort are all made and dinner is set for seven-nineteen."
Sunset suppressed a chuckle. As annoying, and aggravating, Gallet might be at times, he sure did have a way of making everything run like clockwork. ---
With great excitement, the children jumped off the train in Neighagra Falls. Almost instantly, they could hear the faint roar of thousands of gallons of water.
With still a few hours before they could check into their room, the family set out to explore the surrounding area. Of course, the first thing the children wanted to see were the falls.
If they thought it sounded loud from the train station, they had no idea what it was like up close. The loud, thunderous noise upset little Honey, who put his hooves over his ears.
"Woah!" Stardust yelled, "Who turned the faucet on?"
Sunset had to shout, herself, to be heard. "Nobody did! All this is a river. It connects two large lakes together." She took a quick glance to the two older children, who stood in awestruck wonder.
Honey, however, wasn't taken by the spectacle.
"Why is it so angry?" he cried, hugging Wallflower tighter.
"It's not angry" she consoled him, "It's very happy. Just very loud."
Honey remained unconvinced.
Thankfully, there were other things in the area besides the falls. A little ways down, there was a giant hill on which there had been much development. They strolled up and down, eyeing its many shops and amusements.
Finally, their tour ended at the hotel. Once up at their suite, everyone was ready to relax in the common area.
Even stretched out on the couch."So, what's the plan?"
"That's all up to you" replied Wallflower, "We can continue exploring, or rest now and walk around a bit more after dinner."
"I want to stay here" said Stardust, as Rose materialized a board game, much to Sunset's astonishment. "This was in the living room in Ponyville. Can we play it? Pweeeaaase?"
Wallflower looked at the box. "Dragon Pit?"
"Heard of it?" asked Rose.
"I've played it a few times" replied Sunset while Wallflower shook her head, "It's Starlight's favorite game. Never quite caught on with me. Anyone else want to play?"
Even shrugged, viewing the box's graphics. "Sure. Sounds like fun." ---
Though Honey began playing the game, his lack of a nap made him a bit fussy. However, he persevered, and eventually fell asleep beside the board.
Wallflower finished her turn. "How have you kids been enjoying Equestria so far?"
"Been really cool" Even smiled. "Just wish we would have been able to visit before."
"We've tried" replied Sunset, "Even if it was just a short stay in Ponyville. The problem always was getting away. It's easier for one or two to travel through, rather than a whole group.
"Also, since not many people know about the portal, it's getting the timing just right to be sure that no one is around."
"Then, there are all the dangers."
Sunset rolled her eyes at Wallflower's remark. "Not that Equestria is dangerous, per-se, but certainly more things to be aware of than back home."
Rose thoughtfully hummed, moving her piece. "I guess it'd pose more a threat to those who didn't grow up with it."
"The same is said about the reverse." ---
Honey awoke just in time to head out again. He yawned rubbed his eyes. "I'm hungry" he mumbled.
Having skipped lunch because of a late breakfast, they were all hungry. Wallflower smiled as she nudged the little one out the door. "I know, Hon. We're gonna eat something soon." ---
The hotel restaurant overlooked the falls. The children gasped in awe as they settled into their window-side table. The sun began to set behind the hotel and slowly the natural wonder and its surrounds was becoming illuminated with various night lights.
As their parents ordered up drinks and appetizers, the young ponies watched the day turned into night. With the rise of the moon, ponies slowly disappeared from the streets, presumably in pursuit their own suppers.
In their place, a new population appeared. These were ponies who were out for the nightlife. Unlike the day ponies, who seemed to be parts of families, or large groups, these seemed to be individuals, or smaller groups. Each excited for the new reign of the moon and a new season of fun.
Bread and salad arrived just as the light show over the falls began.
"They do this every night?" Stardust asked.
"Yep" Wallflower replied, "Sometimes, fireworks as well."
"Are we going to see fireworks tonight?"
"Probably not" said Sunset, "they generally save those for special occasions, holidays, and celebrations. Neither of which are happening today." She felt her wife lean in close.
"They did fireworks for our wedding" Wallflower whispered, frowning slightly when Sunset tensed. "What? You didn't enjoy the show?"
Sunset took a sip of her wine. "I enjoyed it. Didn't like the attention. If I remember, you weren't too keen on it either."
"True... But, your mom wanted to celebrate. It was a big occasion. The marriage of a daughter of the princess?"
"Step-daughter" Sunset clarified.
"Even so, you're still considered royalty" she gestured to their foals excitedly watching the show, "...And so are they."
"You know that's a life I never wanted for them." Her tone was a bit more stern than she had wanted.
"Look," Wallflower said gently, "at some point, everything will need to be explained to them. You may not have embraced the royal lifestyle (and you will have to explain why). But, this is part of their inheritance, whether or not they choose accept it, it will be their own decision.
"And, so far, I'd say we're doing a good job at guiding them."
Sunset gave a slight smile just as the main courses arrived. ---
Even and Rose shook themselves off as they walked into the hotel lobby. Despite being quite a bit away, it still surprised them how much mist came off the falls. Their after-dinner stroll, had left them all soaked. Sunset, Wallflower, and Honey were still sopped when they entered their room. Stardust, however, was a little fluff-ball with wings, having flown around the town at high speed.
Her flying, however, garnered some unwanted attention from the local air traffic patrol, who stopped the little pegasus for flying over the nightly speed limit. Though, luckily, she was released with a warning.
Rose passed out towels for everyone to finish drying off. "What's the plan for tomorrow?" she asked.
"We have something a little different planned for tomorrow" Sunset said, wrapping Honey into a bundle, "You, Even, and Stardust are going to a day-camp the CMC's are holding. Honey will spend the day in daycare and," she wrapped a foreleg around Wallflower, "Mommy and I have some things to do."
"I think I've seen posters for this camp" said Even, reading a brochure he had picked up on their walk. He showed it to his younger sisters. "It's basically a playground for big kids. It's all about teaching kids about cutie marks."
"It also gives you a chance to interact with foals your own age" said Wallflower, "I'm sure you kids have had enough of hanging out with us old mares all day."
Stardust shrugged. "Hasn't been all that bad." |
The Road to Us | Chapter 9 | The morning began as it had for the past few days. Wallflower and Sunset sipped their coffee as the children cheered on the rising sun.
"You know the funny thing" Sunset lightly chuckled, "I used to do the same thing when I was their age."
"What happened?"
"One morning I lost my voice."
"Well," Wallflower smirked, "you've always been a little horse."
They headed out after a light breakfast. Honey was the first to be dropped off. He seemed a bit hesitant to be away from his parents. However, after spying a few other foals, he was soon galloping and prancing to his delight.
It was a bit of a longer walk to the CMC's day-camp.
"Don't they have a campground of their own?" asked Even.
Sunset nodded. "That's a camp they have year-round and is based near Ponyville. This is a special summer camp they do primarily for foals who can't travel. Last year, they were in Apple Loosa."
As they approached the park, they started seeing banners and signs for the camp. Eventually, they came up to the sign-in table.
A yellow earth pony with a giant bow in her mane scrolled down her list. "Ah!" she smiled, "Here yer are!" She pushed forward names tags for them to fill out and marked their names on the list. "Yer a little early. Sit yerselves down a spell and relax while we wait fer the others ta arrive.
"Moms, yer welcome ta join them."
"Is it just me," Rose said, sitting at a picnic table, "or did that mare seem strangely familiar?"
"She should be" nodded Sunset, "That's Applejack's little sister."
The three foals quickly turned again to see the pony.
"Okay," Even said, "that's really weird. And also really cool."
"Does that mean Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo are here, too?" Stardust asked.
"Yes" Wallflower said, "But, try not to let on that you know alternate versions of them. If anyone asks, you're all from Canterlot."
Stardust looked a little uneasy. "What if they ask more questions?"
"Just answer as you normally would" Sunset said, "Just leave out the part that you're from another world."
Even's body dropped slightly. "Like you have to?" It brought him no pleasure to see the hurt in his mother's eyes. But, it was something he felt had to be said. ---
Wallflower gently nuzzled her wife as they walked away from the camp. "You know Even didn't mean to hurt you."
"And, yet, he's right." Sunset let out a sigh. "I'm sure he's not the only one who sees it. How I have to lie all the time."
"Not all the time."
"Most the time."
"You're not the only one, you know."
"You shouldn't have to."
"And, yet, I do. Because I love you." She pressed her muzzle into Sunset's neck. "Come on, it's just you and me, and I want a little fun." ---
Wallflower released a strained squee, grabbing Sunset tightly. Heights had always made her feel a bit squeamish. She began to wonder why she asked Sunset onto the ride. Though, there was nothing to fear. Unlike other Ferris wheels, this had a completely enclosed gondola. There was no way of falling out, even if one tried.
Still, there was the matter of why she so enthusiastically pulled her wife into the ride queue. Perhaps, it was because it seemed much smaller from far away. Perhaps, it was a new attraction, and one neither had been on. Perhaps, it was just for the thrill of it all.
Whatever the motive, Wallflower was regretting it. Her wife, on the other hand, was quite enjoying it.
Back on terra firma, Wallflower never felt happier. On wobbly legs, she turned to Sunset with great delight. "Let's go again!"
Sunset laughed, nuzzling her wife. "It's a good thing you're not a pegasus.
"Maybe we'll come back later with the kids. Right now, there are a few other things I want to see."
They strolled back to the falls. Though it was still morning, a large crowd had already gathered to watch the falling water. However, it wasn't so crowded that the two mares couldn't get a spot by the guardrail. Sunset embraced her wife, kissing her cheek.
"Remember all the times I used to bring you here?"
"I remember it was always for something special."
"That's because I wanted this place to remain special. Too many mundane things in life. It's nice to have something that's special."
Wallflower rested her head on Sunset. "To me, you'll always be special."
Sunset stood still for a moment. The roar of the water drowned out all other noise. The rising mist clouded the area. For a moment, nothing else existed. They were alone. A feeling arose within her chest. She knew it well. She'd experience it so many years before. As it did then, it became so intense, she couldn't ignore it. She had to do it.
Firmly grabbing Wallflower, she pressed their lips firmly together.
At first, Wallflower jolted, surprised by the impromptu kiss. However, it didn't take her long to melt into it and reciprocate.
The only thing that could break the moment, and it did, was the cry of some poor soul who dared to venture the falls via its famous barrel ride.
A short while later, another followed.
The mares looked over as, one by one, a new barrel crested the falls and plummeted into the pool below.
Sunset turned to Wallflower. Smiling, she repeated words from years ago. "Will you take the plunge?" She received a peck on the cheek.
"Last time you asked that," She giggled, "it ended with a ring on my finger. But, okay!"
The line for the barrel jump wasn't long, but, as usual, it was also very quick. After filling out the required paperwork, and getting all geared up, the two stood on the wooden deck, anxiously awaiting their turns.
As before, Sunset had elected to go first. Climbing into the barrel, she blew one last kiss to her wife before being sealed in.
Wallflower looked on in anticipation as the old mountain goat kicked the barrel containing her beloved off the dock and into the river. Heart pounding, she watched the wooden casket bob up and down, till it was lost to the mist.
Swallowing down her own fear, Wallflower prepared to enter her own barrel. The attendants were very courteous and gently helped her in. Firmly sealed in, Wallflower only had to wait in the dark for the initial jolt--which seemed to take forever coming.
Then it came.
Wallflower had forgotten how much it hurt to be kicked. Barrel or not, it still hurt. A lot.
The ride down river was quite pleasant. Very much as she had remembered. However, she also remembered the burning anxiety building up as she neared the edge. She couldn't recall how long it took to reach the falls. Whenever she thought it was near, and had steeled herself, it proved to be a false alarm.
When it finally happened, she was completely unprepared. It wasn't so much the ride to the edge, or the plunge into the pool that she disliked. It was all the time spent in free-fall.
Finally, she splashed down. Once again, it was a nice ride down the river till she was fished out. Wallflower grunted as she and the barrel were roughly thrown onto a conveyor which took them back to the top.
At last, the ordeal over, the barrel was opened and she was relieved to finally see light again.
Looking around, she found a feeling of de-ja vous. Sunset was kneeling on the deck, small box held in her magic. Wallflower exited her barrel. Her breath stuck in her throat as walked to her wife. Her heart pounded, tears filled her eyes. Soon, she stood before Sunset.
"Wallflower Shimmer-Blush," Sunset smiled, "will you take the plunge?" She opened the box. In place of a diamond ring, was a diamond necklace. "Another fifteen years, another road of triumphs and hardships, heck," she chuckled, "even another four kids, I want to be yours. Will you do me the pleasure, and honor, of continuing to be yours truly? And only?"
Wallflower let her tears fall as she nodded. She wrapped her hooves around her wife before pulling her in for a deep kiss. "Yes" she whispered, going in for another, "When you first asked me, today, in fifteen years, and forever, you know my answer will always be 'yes'.
"Though, maybe, let's not go over the falls next time."
Sunset laughed. "You wanna know the funny part?"
"What?"
"That was never part of the plan." |
The Road to Us | Chapter 10 | In the silence, Wallflower snuggled closely to her wife, gently nibbling an ear. "The kids are still asleep."
"Are they now?"
"I really enjoyed last night."
"The feeling's mutual."
"I was wondering what you had in mind for breakfast."
"Something light. I've been feeling very full as of late."
"Not exactly what I meant..."
Sunset turned over, a sly smile on her lips. "Whoever said that's what I meant?" ---
"Okay, guys," Wallflower woke the kids, brushing the tangles from her mane, "we're leaving for the station in two hours. Mommy's ordered up room service.."
Even yawned. "Can't believe how tired we all were."
"Well," Rose leaned on her brother, "there was a lot of stuff to do at camp. I don't think we ever took a break."
"At any rate" Stardust stretched, "it was fun."
"You got that right" Even smiled, "Maybe we can sleep more on the train. Mom said it would take nearly the whole day to ride up there."
"I don't know if I could sleep" said Stardust, "I'm too excited!"
The older siblings looked at each other. "She'll sleep." ---
Once settled in the rail car, the younger children quickly nodded off to sleep. Even, however, had found new energy and settled himself off to the side to watch the landscape roll by.
The next row over, Wallflower and Sunset huddled together, enjoying a fresh pot of coffee.
Wallflower fiddled with the new chain which adorned her neck. "I don't know why, but I always feel uneasy meeting your mother."
Sunset gave a smirk. "I hope it has nothing to do with her being a millennia-old being with enough power to move the sun."
"Well, if you put it that way... No, though that is impressive, I mean, that she's your mother, and mothers want what's best for their children. And..." She stopped when a muzzle pressed into her.
"Stop that" Sunset gently scolded, "You never have had to fear what my mother would say. Yes, she has always taught me to go for the best. And I found it.
"Besides, you can't be nearly as nervous as I was first facing your parents."
Wallflower laughed. "They did calm down... eventually..."
"That was after we told them we were engaged. And then we told them about Equestria."
"Okay, maybe they didn't take that bit of news quite as well..." ---
After a long and relaxing train ride, the conductor yelled out their stop.
The foals were wide awake and energized as the train entered the station. Almost immediately, they noticed it full of royal guards.
"What's going on?" Wallflower asked, pulling the littler foals close as they exited the train.
Sunset looked around. "Looks like they've heightened security because of the summit."
"Sunset Shimmer!" came a familiar voice.
"Shining Armor!" she smiled, "Good to see you again. See you have your hooves full."
"Yeah, well," the prince laughed, "Cant' really take any chances. And I could say the same for you.
"Anyway, let's get all of you to the castle. Everypony is excited to see you."
Along with Shining, a small group of guards escorted them out of the station. In the city, they were once again free to wander. And wander the children did. Like in Canterlot, everywhere they looked, they were met with new sights, sounds, and smells.
"Earth ponies!" Honey cried out, pointing to the inhabitants.
"Crystal ponies" Wallflower corrected. "They're like earth ponies, though."
"We can come out and explore more later" Sunset ushered the foals. "Right now, let's get to the palace, otherwise, Grandma may come looking for us."
"Doubtful" Shining laughed, "She and the other princesses have been in meetings all day. Barely have had time for anything else."
Sunset sighed. Where had she heard that before?
Once at the castle, Shining left the family to the care of the staff, who showed them to their rooms.
Free of their saddlebags, the children set out to explore the castle. Sunset and Wallflower, however, resided themselves to on the parlors, where a fresh brew of tea was steeping.
"You sure they won't get lost?" Wallflower asked.
"I've told you" Sunset smiled, "there's a tracker spell on this whole castle." She lit her horn and floor plans lit up in mid-air. In a corner, were four little, blue dots. "See? Here they are." She pointed to another set of dots not so far away, and here's where we are."
"What about your mom?"
"For security reasons, I can't track her, or anyone else. Shining only gave me what I needed to locate the kids." She took a sip of tea, "With any luck, though, they'll come across Mom before we do."
"Oh, I highly doubt that."
Sunset nearly dropped her tea in fright. "Mom! Please stop doing that!"
"I'll try, dear" Celestia said, nuzzling her daughters. "Sorry for not greeting you at the door. Our meeting ran a little longer than anticipated."
"Let me guess:" Sunset smirked, "Twilight?"
"Who else?" her mother laughed.
"Grandma!" shouted a chorus of little voices.
Before Celestia could react, four little bodies descended upon her. Giggling, she embraced her grandfoals. "Now then," she said, after kisses were exchanged, "let me see you, my little ponies."
The children took a few steps back to allow their grandmother to see them in their pony forms. Similarly, they looked just as curiously at her.
Stardust's eyes went wide. "Woah... You're huge!"
Celestia let out a boisterous laugh while Sunset hid her face. ---
Unfortunately, Celestia's time was short. The children walked her back to the meeting room.
"I'm sorry I can't stay for much longer" she said, "but, I've cleared out my schedule so I can spend all day tomorrow with you foals."
Even nuzzled his grandmother. "We're just happy we got a chance to see you while we were here."
"Me too" she nuzzled back, "Now, get some rest because we're starting first thing in the morning." |
The Road to Us | Chapter 11 | Wallflower and Sunset were the last ones to breakfast. As they walked in, everyone was enjoying cute, fruity pancakes, courtesy of Princess Celestia.
"Morning, sleepy heads" Princess Twilight teased, "You two sleep well?"
Sunset yawned while Wallflower silently took her seat. Pancakes appeared before them.
"That's Mommy-speak for 'where's the coffee?'" Honey translated.
Celestia frowned. "We'll have none of that vile liquid here." She quickly set cups of tea before her daughters, who took it without a second thought.
"The kids were just telling us of all the things you've been doing" said Flurry Heart, "From it all, doesn't sound like you've gotten much sleep."
"Surprised they got any sleep at all" added Stardust, "the way there were tossing and turning for most of the night." She turned to her parents, who were now a bright shade of red: "You can sleep in my bed, if you want. It's very comfortable."
The other adults tried to hide their amusement.
"Well, anyway" Celestia turned to her grandfoals, "Think it's about time we headed out."
"Yeah!" Stardust cheered, "Grandma time!"
"What are you going to do?" Sunset finally spoke. Her mother gave her a side glance.
"That's for me and the little ones only. You two just enjoy your day alone. And, by the way, happy anniversary." ---
Sunset stretched as they entered their room. "You know, I completely forgot what day it was."
"Well," Wallflower nuzzled her, "we have kinda lost track. Besides, we've been celebrating this whole time."
"I guess that's true... So, then," she grinned, "since we've, so graciously, been left alone, what did you have planned?" She was slightly startled when her lips locked with Wallflower's. More surprising was the forcefulness of her wife as she was pushed towards the bed.
"I thought you'd never ask." ---
Sunset was still glowing when they stepped out into the city streets. Wallflower noticed and basked in its light, proud of her handiwork. She pressed against her wife, tenderly nipping and nudging. Each touch and stroke elicited new shades from her love; and she reveled in it.
"Look at you" she teased, "I've got you giddy as a schoolgirl."
"If only we were schoolgirls again..." blushed Sunset. Another gentle nudge.
"Later, my darling."
"So, where're we going?"
Another tease. "You mean you don't know?"
"Well," Sunset shrugged, "considering I planned this whole trip, I thought I knew everything..."
"...But, you left today to me."
"That, I did."
Wallflower gave a kiss. "Then trust me." She pranced slightly head to the main part of the city, past the various shops and vendors. Finally, stopping before a door she waited for Sunset to catch up.
The other mare had a lovely reddish tint beneath her coat, which caused her to radiate like the empire. It's beauty only made Wallflower's heart beat faster. She gave her wife a sly smile.
Sunset looked up at the building. It looked familiar, but she couldn't remember why. The name painted on the sign, however, she recognized. "Is this...?"
"Yep!" Wallflower smiled.
"Looks like they did some remodeling."
"But, that's all they've changed." She opened the door.
"Wow," Sunset breathed, examining the interior, "how many years has it been?"
"Well, last time we were here, Even was still very little."
Sunset stood back while Wallflower spoke with the maitre d'. Soon, they were nestled together and enjoying a bottle of the house's wine.
Sunset took a sip of her drink. "I had almost forgotten about this place."
"How could you forget the place? You first brought me here for a very special date. Did you also forget what happened after?"
"No," Sunset blushed, "I remember very well what happened after." She glanced through her menu.
"What are you in the mood for?" Wallflower asked.
"I think you know." ---
Despite having breakfast, neither of them realized how hungry they were until the giant dish was placed before them.
Sunset's stomach rumbled as she gazed upon the sauteed veggies smothered in a wine sauce, all on a bed of noodles. Her mouth watered as she watched the freshly grated cheese coat and melt into the food.
Wallflower smirked as she stabbed a fork into the middle of the plate. She spun it around a couple times, pulling out a huge bundle of vegetable, pasta, and cheese. Letting the loose particles fall back to the plate, she positioned the laden fork before Sunset. She watched with mirth as her wife slowly engulfed the food in her mouth, slightly tugging at the utensil as she pulled the food off it.
Removing the fork, Wallflower examined her work. The bite had been a little too big for Sunset to handle. A few pieces of pasta hung from her mouth, and some of the sauce had dribbled onto her chin. Unable to find a napkin, she leaned in, licking Sunset's fur clean before nibbling off the excess noddle.
In the closeness, she could feel the heat radiating from her wife. She felt the pounding of her heart, the increase in her breathing.
When she pulled away, Sunset swallowed hard. "It's a good thing we're in private dining." ---
They leaned against each other as they sauntered through the city, silently glancing into the numerous shops.
Sunset nuzzled into Wallflower's mane. "That was as good as it's ever been."
Wallflower nodded. "It's good to know that some things never change."
"Though change can be good. I mean, look at us. We're different ponies walking out of that restaurant now than what we were last time. Or, even the first time."
Wallflower let out a sigh. "Just thinking, though, of all we went through just to get that change."
"We've had our rough patches. Thankfully, they've been less than most. But, still, we've made it through.
"I can say one thing for it all."
"What?"
"It sure has been an adventure." |
The Road to Us | Chapter 12 | Moans of release floated in the air. A new movement, a new noise expelled.
"You're very tense."
"Both of you are."
"It's been a while" Wallflower explained. She looked over to her partner, who had almost fallen asleep in euphoric bliss. "You look relaxed."
She felt the same way. She laid her head back down, closing her eyes as the masseuse placed hot stones on her more troubled areas.
"Well," he said, "you should try to do this more often."
Wallflower only smiled as the warmth settled into her knotted muscles. 'You got that right.' ---
Sunset took in a deep breath of the moist air. After a massage, there was nothing better than a hot bath. She scooted over as she heard Wallflower come in after her. She felt a little peck on the cheek.
"Feeling better?"
"Much. The massage was good, too." She laughed as she was lightly splashed.
Wallflower nestled close to her wife. "This was fun."
"Yes, it was."
"We should do more things like this. You know, going out. Just you and me."
"There was that wine tour/tasting thing we did last year."
"Well, yeah..."
"And the art exhibition the year before that."
"I know, but we're talking one thing each year. I...I'd like to do more."
"Kinda hard with four kids."
"You know my parents will always take them." Wallflower laid her head upon Sunset. "I guess I just never quite realized how much fun we used to have when it was just you and me."
"So, you want more date nights. Is what you're saying?"
"Well, yeah."
Sunset kissed the top of her wife's head. "I'd like that." |
The Road to Us | Chapter 13 | The children entertained around the dinner table, recounting their adventures with Grandma.
"...and then," continued Stardust, "we got into a hot-air balloon and went really up high. And we could see the whole empire."
"And then, we walked on clouds!" Honey gleefully added.
Sunset looked curiously at her two non-pegasi children.
"Grandma put a spell on us so we could do it too" Rose explained.
"Even didn't like it very much" Stardust teased.
The colt sulked. "Just all too weird, and unnatural."
"Did you do any flying at the CMC's camp?" Wallflower asked.
"Some."
"You did a little bit today" added Celestia.
Twilight looked understandingly at the pegasus. "You're just too used to being on the ground. Give it some time. Soon, your instincts will kick in and you'll be soaring like the rest of them."
Even thoughtfully stared at his food.
"If it helps," Luna offered, "I can tutor you tonight. Dreaming may help alleviate any weird feelings."
Stardust resumed the narrative: "Then Flurry joined us and we went shopping."
"Get anything interesting?" asked Shining.
The table erupted with a series of answers ranging from souvenirs, to books, to toys. Even had found an instrument he was most anxious to try.
"Oh, dear," Wallflower said, "I hope you didn't use all of Grandma's Bits."
"Don't be silly" her mother-in-law replied, "Bits are meant to squandered on grandfoals."
"I found some rather nice clothes at Rarity's new boutique" said Flurry.
"What?" Twilight yelped, "It's open?"
Cadence nodded. "Has been for about, what, two moons now?" She jumped when her sister-in-law shouted again.
"Two moons?" She released a groan, "I told Rarity I'd visit as soon as I got here. How did I miss it?"
"Because you've been planning the summit" Sunset deadpanned. Receiving a glare from the Princess of Friendship, she continued, "Starlight and Flare told me. You've missed a couple things. Like Flare telling you the boutique was open."
Flurry was amused by her aunt's distraught state. "It's okay Auntie Twilly," she comforted, "we can go tomorrow. There's still so much more to see."
Twilight only let out a stressed cry. Pulling out her itinerary, she scrambled through it. "But, we're so packed. I don't know if I can squeeze it in."
"Here's where Gallet comes in handy" Sunset said, eliciting laughter from around the table.
"What did you do all day?" Rose turned to her parents.
"Sleep" said Wallflower, nonchalantly.
The kids' eyes grew wide.
"What?" Stardust cried, "The whole day?"
Sunset blushed. "Pretty much."
"How come we never get to do that?"
"It's mostly something adults do" replied Cadence, with a twinkle in her eye. "That reminds me, didn't you kids also buy something else?"
Stardust did a "wait a minute" gesture before zipping from the dining hall. She returned with a small, white box. Lettering upon the lid denoted it had come from some bakery.
"Grandma said we needed to buy you this" the filly said, handing the box to her mothers.
Both mares looked a little confused as they pulled back the lid. That quickly turned to surprise when they peered in. With a laugh, Sunset levitated the miniature wedding cake from the box to the table.
"Really?" Wallflower chortled to her mother-in-law.
Celestia smirked into her drink. "It seemed fitting."
"One more thing" Cadence placed a small tin next to the cake box. "A little something for dessert."
Sunset couldn't help but notice a special glint in her cousin's eye. ---
The small cake and tea proved not to be the only gifts. Seated in the parlor, Wallflower and Sunset were bestowed with little trinkets and mementos commemorating their fifteen years together.
"This is from Starlight" Twilight said, passing over another small package.
Wallflower took the box. "Shame she and Sunburst aren't here."
"Yeah, but they've been really busy with me here. Flare can only do so much with her current schedule."
"They must be really proud of her."
"I hear her brothers are doing equally as well" said Celestia.
Sunset found some humor as she watched her wife fumble with the wrapping. "Need a little help, love?"
Wallflower growled lowly. "Hooves can be so troublesome sometimes..." She was revealed when a red aura surround the box and, soon, a frame remained in her hooves. She squinted, peering closely at the encased object. "Is that...?"
"It's a flower" Sunset said.
"No, it's... it's a shy pansy!"
"A what?" laughed Honey. His older siblings shared the sentiment.
"Is it really?" Sunset eyed the thing closely before leaning back. "I'll take your word for it."
"Care to explain?" asked Flurry, being equally as confused as her cousins.
"It was the first magical incident we dealt with after our wedding" replied Sunset. "Starlight was a with us, and enjoyed pointing out all our 'firsts'."
"I think having just had Sundancer may have had something to do with it" Wallflower mumbled. She continued aloud. "I wonder how she got a hold of one. It seems really well preserved."
Twilight frowned. "I can have one guess..."
"Despite," said Sunset, "that was a fun adventure."
"Not nearly as fun as the raging rhododendrons."
Sunset scrunched her nose at her wife. "You liked that one?"
Flurry piped up. "The fighting foxgloves one sounded like a blast."
The couple glowered. "It wasn't!"
"We had Rose and Even with us" Wallflower explained.
"Wait!" Even jumped.
Rose joined him. "We got to go one one of these?"
Sunset slightly winced, "More like dragged into one. We couldn't find a sitter. "
"You know what it's like to deal with an out-of-control toddler and a newborn?" added Wallflower, "You can forget all about magical plants after that!"
Rose shook her head. "You guys have some weird plants here."
"Yes, we do" Celestia said, "but, they're common place here. Not so much in your world."
"...which was where all this was happening" finished Sunset.
"Well," Twilight sat back, "I'm glad you finally managed, for the most part, to get all that rogue Equestrian magic under control." |
The Road to Us | Chapter 14 | Wallflower sat thoughtfully as Sunset brushed her coat. "Sunset,"
"Hm?"
"Do you remember our wedding?"
Sunset breathed in deeply, wrapping her forelegs around her wife. "I remember holding you in my arms, thinking of all the things I wanted to do with you. All I wanted to do for you. All that could be now that you were mine.
"Do you?"
Wallflower's ears fell. "Admittedly, no. In all the excitement, everything is a bit of a blur. I do remember your present, though." She giggled lightly as her ear was nibbled.
"I have one more." ---
Two ponies snuggled, tangled the sheets. Their love-making having reached it peak, they rode out its waves in each other's embrace.
"Wow..." Wallflower breathed.
Sunset nuzzled. "I know."
"That was like...our first time...all over again..." She heard a snort from her wife.
"I hope not! That was horrible!"
"Well, we were inexperienced. But, I was speaking merely in terms of intensity and passion."
"Okay" Sunset shrugged, "I'll give you that."
"Besides, you seem to be forgetting the subsequents."
"Now, those were good!"
A moment of silence passed between them as the last remnants left them.
"What about it?" Sunset asked at long last, adjusting her position.
"What about what?" Sunset's lips met with hers.
"Subsequents." ---
Wallflower laid across Sunset's barrel. She heard and felt her lover's every movement and noise. Sunset rested soundly beneath her. If not for the slight movements, Wallflower would have thought her asleep.
She nuzzled Sunset's chest, absorbing and enjoying her lover.
"Sunset?" she said softly.
"Hm?"
"I've missed this."
"Me, too."
"How did we let this time escape us?"
"Kids. Kids ruin everything."
Wallflower let out a chuckle. "Only means we need to be more sneaky." She rubbed her wife's belly, "Which only makes these things all the more interesting."
Sunset shrugged. "The element of possibly getting caught does add a certain degree of hotness."
"I'm just sorry I let so many moments pass. I never meant for you to feel like I've been neglecting you."
"It's not entirely your fault. I know you have a job to do."
"But, it shouldn't come before you, or the kids. When we get back, I promise, I'll try to make time for all of you." She pulled her wife closer. "Especially you."
"And," Sunset added, "we'll see about getting you a proper work area. That way, you'll be able to focus your work."
Wallflower pouted. "But, what if I end up working all night? You'll be in that huge bed all alone." She was comforted with Sunset's muzzle against hers.
"I can suffer some nights alone if I know that when I have you in bed, I have you in bed." |
The Road to Us | Chapter 15 | Wallflower was awoken not to the tender touch of her wife encased around her, nor was it to the heavenly music resounding through the castle--though, both were also the case--but it was to a panicked scream from down the hall.
She quickly sat up. "What was that?"
"It sounded like Even!" Sunset ignited her horn and was gone in a red flash.
Wallflower followed, galloping out the door. She came to a halt at the landing. A couple guards had already assembled, summoned by the cry. Above, floated Even, a bright light emanating from him. His younger siblings looked equally as scared.
"What's happening?" he cried.
Sunset tried to soothe her son. It didn't seem to be working.
"What?" he yelped.
"It's okay, Even. It's completely natural. Just relax and let it happen."
Though it felt against his instincts, Even knew he could trust his mother. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and let the feeling take him. Before he knew it, he was back on the floor and everything seemed returned to normal.
Even looked up to see his mothers brightly smiling. His siblings looked at him in wonder. Though, they seemed to be looking at a particular part of him. "W-what just happened?"
Sunset nuzzled him. "A beautiful and wondrous thing."
Even followed is siblings' gazes, eliciting a gasp. "I have a butt-mark?" he pranced in excitement, "I have a butt-mark!"
"Probably shouldn't put it that way..." Wallflower winced.
"BUTT-MARK!" ---
Celestia viewed her eldest grandchild with pride.
"I got a butt-mark!" Even shouted, waving his rump under everyone's noses.
Wallflower stood off to the side with her wife, nudging her gently. "Whatcha thinking?"
Sunset sighed, shaking her head. "Seems like just yesterday he was this little bundle in our arms. Now, look at him."
Wallflower looked on sadly. "They grow up quickly, don't they? What did you say his cutie mark meant?"
"That he's musically gifted."
"Well," she laughed, "we knew that. I mean, look at his mom."
"Yes, but he needed to know it. I guess in playing that yovidaphone, he figured it out." ---
Celestia saw her family to the train station.
"Promise you'll come visit us soon?" Stardust pouted.
"I promise" the grandmother smiled, "Just a few more days here, then back to Canterlot to see how Blueblood is carrying on. Then, I'm off to spend some more time with you."
"Yay!" Honey grabbed her tightly.
Sunset shared in the hug. "Thanks for everything, Mom."
"No problem, sweetie" she nuzzled her daughter. "Now, you all enjoy the rest of your trip."
Wallflower helped the children into the car. "We will."
The children waved to their grandmother as the train pulled away from station. With the Crystal Empire soon far behind them, they settled in for the long trip.
"You've never been to Manehatten before?" Rose sounded shocked.
"It was years ago" Sunset explained, "I was just a small filly. Mom had brought me so I wouldn't be in the huge castle alone. I spent most all my time in the hotel. And, even though we went out, I have no memory of it."
"So, we'll all be seeing the city for the first time" Even said.
"That's correct."
Stardust sat up. "What're we gonna do there?"
"Well," she laid out travel brochures, "the museums and historic sites are a definite must. Aside from that, it's whatever.
"We have a long ride ahead of us. Why don't you go through and see what you might want to do?"
The children happily pouring through the literature, the parents settled back and enjoyed the show.
Sunset smiled, spying the diamond necklace around Wallflower's neck. "You ready for this?"
"Another fifteen years?" Wallflower grinned, "Sure. Couldn't be nearly as bad as the first. As long as I've got you, might as well be a hundred." Their noses pressed together.
"I'll remember to check back with you after a hundred years to see what you still think." She started to lean in for a kiss, but a little ball of fur got in her way.
Honey held up a flier for the zoo. "I wanna see the animals!"
"That sounds like fun" Wallflower smiled, "What else did you find?"
Even showed a poster. "They're holding an open-air concert in the park."
"The Wonderbolts are performing" jumped Stardust.
Rose flipped through a magazine. "I'd like to see a musical."
"That all sounds very exciting!" Sunset turned to Wallflower, "What does mommy say?"
Wallflower took her wife's hoof, gently nuzzling her. "I love it all. Whatever we do, we'll make it an adventure. |
Broken and Rebuilt | pre | Starlight sighed, "Dad, I simply asked for advice. I'm not asking you to decide for me."
This was something that was horribly difficult for Firelight. He thought that Starlight would look perfect no matter what and had absolutely no clue as to how a mare should wear her hair. He knew that Starlight was getting older and likely wanted something that looked a bit more mature than the younger mare look she had going on.
He sat there for several minutes thinking, much to Starlight's displeasure, until he decided to pull out a photo album with pictures from before she was born. Her mother died during childbirth so she never got to see her. Her mother's mane was a bit straighter and hung down to the side. Her tail initially went up before curving down and then out a bit. Her mane style also would give her the bangs that she liked. She gasped, "Mom's style looks a lot like the local dentist up in Ponyville, Dr. Colgate."
She had a huge smile on her face and continued, "I love it! I think I'll go with mom's style!"
This will be what Starlight's new mane and tail style will be like.
Firelight had a huge smile on his face, "Alright sweetie. Let's get you to the salon and get you a new style!"
Firelight grabbed the photo album so the stylist would know exactly what she wanted. He was glad to see that Starlight seemed so happy and thought that starting over with removing her past from her bedroom and going with a new mane and tail style. He felt that she truly was wanting to do away with the past that had caused her so much turbulence. |
Broken and Rebuilt | Reunited! | After their trip to the salon, Starlight felt like a new pony. She felt like she had washed away all of the things from her past. She had a new mane and tail style, she had got everything off her chest regarding what happened to her and she had cleared the less than pleasant past out of her room.
While she and her father were walking through town, Starlight heard something, something extremely familiar. She heard fireworks and thought to herself, "It can't be! It can't be her!"
Firelight heard this and asked, "Who can't be her?"
Starlight pointed her hoof off in the direction of the fireworks and exclaimed, "Trixie! My best friend Trixie!"
Firelight wasn't sure exactly how being around somepony close to her in the past would do as far as her recovery went but given how she put so much emphasis on "best friend" he pointed in the same direction and suggested, "Well you should go tell her hi. It is obvious you miss her and I'm betting she misses you too."
Starlight was kind of unsure whether she should approach her or not given that she was just now recovering but with another suggestion from her father, she headed towards Trixie's show and pushed her way up to the front. When Trixie saw her, she stopped right in the middle of her show, jumped off the stage and quickly embraced Starlight."
"Starlight, where have you been? I've been worried sick about you!" Trixie exclaimed.
Starlight returned the tight embrace and replied, "It is a long story Trixie, a very long story."
Trixie was curious as to what happened so she announced, "The Great and Powerful Trixie is sorry everypony but she must stop her show early so she can visit with her best friend!"
The two headed back towards Firelight. Starlight really didn't want to have her Trixie time with her dad but figured that she would at least introduce the two. Once they got within earshot of him, Starlight introduced them, "Dad, this is Trixie. Trixie, this is my dad, Firelight."
The two shook hooves and greeted one another. It felt kind of odd to Trixie for her best friend to be with her father, one that she had described as a pony who had always treated her like a foal until recently. Trixie asked, "So, you're Starlight's dad?"
Firelight replied, "Yes I am." He gave Trixie a smile and continued, "You know, the times Starlight and I have been together ever since we got close again, she has done nothing but give rave reviews about you."
Trixie returned the smile, "Well who wouldn't give The Great and Powerful Trixie rave reviews?"
Starlight really wanted some time alone with Trixie to catch up. She said, "Dad, I'm going to go spend some alone time with Trixie. Her and I have so much to talk about."
"Alright Starlight," Firelight replied "you and Trixie have a good time."
"We will, we will."
Starlight and Trixie took off towards the south, towards a local park where Starlight could talk to Trixie about everything that happened to her that caused her to not only leave for so long but to ultimately wind up with a new mane and tail style. Once they got to the park Trixie asked, "Starlight, what happened to you? Why did you disappear for so long?"
Starlight replied, "Like I said, it is a very long story."
Starlight then began to tell Trixie about everything that happened. She told her about Sunset needing a new journal, her curiosity about the human world, the premiere, the things that her and Sunset did together. She would then be interrupted by Trixie. She gasped, "Starlight, you did all that? But I thought you were going to not even kiss anypony until you met the right mare!" *WINK!*
Starlight blushed before continuing, "Well when you go through that mirror and turn into a human, you get human urges and let's just say, humans have rather nasty urges. The urges they have are things that us ponies would never even think of, much less actually do."
Trixie sighed, "Oh, ok."
Starlight replied, "Trixie, I'm back to being a pony and I don't have those urges anymore, I don't have feelings like that for Sunset and to be honest, I would rather never run into Sunset Shimmer ever again."
Trixie's ears perked up, "Really, you don't?" *WINK!*
Starlight blushed but then got back to where she was. She got into how as the anniversary of her going to the human world slowly began to eat away at her and then she told her about the night that she broke. She told her about the cutting, the violence, her return to Equestria, the violence in the hospital and then her time in the mental hospital."
Trixie was shocked that Starlight had been through all that. She said, "If I would have been there that night when you came back, I could have taken you with me. I could have stopped you from being locked away."
Starlight shook her head, "Trixie, had you been there the night Sunset brought me back, I would have been unrecognizable and I was violent towards everypony. You would have either had you hoof swiped away, you would have been yelled at or I would have attacked you with my magic."
Trixie sat there stunned. She had no idea that such an experience would cause Starlight to become such a different pony. She was not thrilled about who was likely responsible for her breaking that way though. She became angry, "Ugh, when I get my hooves on Sunset, she'll be sorry for doing this to you!"
Trixie was incredibly angry but Starlight would calm her down, "Trixie, I was partially responsible for it too and besides, Sunset isn't worth you going to jail over."
"Oh you're right." Trixie replied, "I just wish I could do something to avenge you."
Starlight suggested, "How about you just be here for me. Having my best friend around to keep me company is more than enough."
Trixie gave her a huge smile and replied, "Your best friend!" *WINK!*
Starlight couldn't help but smile speculate, "You're wanting me as more than a friend aren't you?"
Trixie replied, "What would make you say that?" *WINK!*
While Starlight did consider Trixie her best friend and at that point in time, the only pony outside of her father she could trust, she was really unsure. "Trixie, I'm not sure. I just got out of the mental hospital and for right now I need to focus on myself and fully recovering."
Trixie sighed, "Oh, ok."
Starlight could tell that Trixie was very disappointed in this but deep down she was kind of hoping they could be together once the time was right, "Trixie, I'm not saying no. I'm saying not yet." She got a smile on her face and added, "When the time is right, we can be marefriends."
Trixie hugged her and exclaimed, "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!"
Starlight returned the hug and suggested, "You're welcome Trixie but how about we go and grab a bite to eat for right now. What is a friendly get together without getting together for lunch?"
Trixie replied, "Well it certainly wouldn't be great and powerful if we didn't!"
Starlight laughed and the two headed back into town. While Starlight did want to hook up with Trixie someday and she knew Trixie was hoping that would be sooner rather than later, she remained cautious. While she had gotten to where hugging didn't bother her any, things like kissing were still on her no list. She knew that Trixie would likely want kisses, probably plenty of them, and that was something that she simply wasn't ready for. Her primary thought while they were heading towards the cafe was, "Eventually Trixie, eventually." |
Broken and Rebuilt | The Final Test | Convincing Starlight to Go
Eight months had passed since Starlight had been released from the mental hospital and life had returned to normal, well somewhat. She and Trixie had grown much closer as friends. Trixie was a bit frustrated that they had yet to move on to being marefriends but she knew that with everything that happened to Starlight, she still needed time to fully heal.
Trixie had decided to, for the time, to take up permanent residence in Sire's Hollow until Starlight had healed sufficiently that she could at least go with her on short tours. Starlight had returned to being her great and powerful assistant but still, she felt the safest in her childhood bedroom, the safest from the turbulence that still haunted her dreams from time to time.
One day though, Trixie decided that perhaps they should go on a trip. She really hoped that this trip and magic show would be what would finally get Starlight to realize that she had finally healed and would be ready for a relationship. She also knew that this trip, a trip to Ponyville, could set Starlight back if she encountered a certain bacon maned mare who might still be in Equestria waiting for her.
That day was like most days, Starlight and Firelight had sat down to breakfast and were enjoying eggs, hay bacon and toast. During that meal though, there was a knock on the door. Firelight got up and answered it, "Oh hi Trixie. Here to see Starlight I take it?"
Trixie replied, "Of course The Great and Powerful Trixie is here to see her best friend!"
Firelight motioned for her to go in where she would join the two at the dining room table. Trixie had a huge smile on her face and suggested, "Starlight, The Great and Powerful Trixie thinks that we should go on a road trip, a magic trip!"
Starlight had an uncertain look on her face, "Ok, where are you wanting us to go? Appaloosa, Dodge Junction, Baltimare?"
Trixie knew that she couldn't just come out and say what her plan was so she decided to let Starlight know what she thought about her progress. "Starlight, you have been out of the hospital for eight months and I have seen for myself how much you have improved. I remember when at first the only ponies you would talk to were me and your dad but now, look at you. You are out there, helping me like you once did! You mingle with the crowds here after our shows and your confidence seems to build with every passing day."
Starlight asked, "What is it you are suggesting? Why is it I have a bad feeling about this?"
Trixie replied, "Starlight, I think it is time for one final test. I think that if you can pass this one, you will be able to face anything."
Starlight froze. She knew exactly what Trixie was talking about, "You're wanting us to go to Ponyville, aren't you?"
Trixie replied, "Yes I do because I think that going there will help you overcome your past."
Starlight began to breathe heavily as the very thoughts of going to the place where that mirror was. Firelight saw this and suggested, "Starlight honey, Trixie makes a point. This could be what it takes for you to fully heal for the most part."
Starlight asked, "But what if Sunset is there? What if she begged me to go back with her? What if she was to try and kiss me?"
Firelight, "Nopony is going to force you to do anything and like I said, Trixie makes a point. Perhaps it will be talking to her that can help you heal completely."
With both her father and her best friend telling her this, she began to think that perhaps this would be her chance to heal completely. She then began to think that maybe Sunset wouldn't be there and that seeing Twilight might not be so bad so she finally agreed, "Oh alright, so when do you want to do this?"
Trixie replied, "Well I was thinking that we could head out after you finish breakfast. That way we can get there sooner, we can put on our show, you can see your other friends and then we can come back."
Initially the very thoughts of leaving that soon did not sound very appealing to Starlight but then she decided that if she didn't do it now, she may never do it. She said, "Oh alright, we can go after I'm done with breakfast."
Firelight gave her a smile and Trixie said, "Good. Don't worry about what we'll do for food. I bought some hay cakes and some cider before I headed over here." Her smile got bigger as she added, "And I packed light so we'll have plenty of room!"
That got a laugh out of Starlight, "Don't want a repeat of our attempt to go to Saddle Arabia?"
Trixie laughed, "Exactly!" Trixie noticed that Starlight had finished eating and continued, "Well shall we?"
Starlight nodded and Firelight suggested, "Now if it gets to be too much for you, just teleport out of there. With as good as your teleportation is, you could just teleport back home."
Starlight replied, "That would be my plan."
Starlight and Trixie then headed out to her wagon and took off in the direction of Ponyville. This was the first time in a bit over eight months since being released from the hospital that she had even left town. Starlight was really wishing that they were heading anywhere other than Ponyville but knew that they were right, this was her chance to fully heal herself.
The Last Test
Two days after leaving Sire's Hollow, Starlight and Trixie began to descend down the last hill into Ponyville. Twilight's castle was clearly visible and this caused Starlight to freeze. She began to breathe heavily and this caught the attention of Trixie, "Starlight, it is ok. Remember what your dad said if things get to be too much for you and besides, you have The Great and Powerful Trixie with you!"
Starlight replied, "I know, I know." Seeing Twilight's castle was hard on her but again the thoughts of fully healing herself came into her mind. She continued, "Alright, let's do this. If their schedule hasn't changed any, they should be at Sugarcube Corner."
"Alright Starlight, let's go!" replied Trixie.
Once they descended down into town, they noticed that ponies were looking on in curiosity. They weren't sure if it was because they had been gone for so long or if it was because of the rumors of Starlight becoming violent that ponies remembered. When they finally got to the sweets' shop Trixie said, "I'll go in first and then you can follow me."
Starlight replied, "Alright."
When Trixie headed into the sweets' shop, the seven ponies present looked at her in shock. Twilight was the first to say anything, "Trixie, I thought you were gone forever after Starlight got committed."
Sunset, who had remained in Equestria for the past year, gave Trixie a deep scowl, "So Trixie, do you know anything about my girlfriend? Do you know how she is doing?"
Trixie gasped, "Your girlfriend? Who is to say she is your marefriend?"
Sunset angrily replied, "Yes, my girlfriend. She was my girlfriend for months before she returned to Equestria."
Trixie found Sunset's statement a bit humorous, "Well The Great and Powerful Trixie does know how she is doing and one thing Trixie does know is that she no longer sees you as her marefriend."
Sunset flared her horn up in anger and yelled, "What did you do?" She became angrier as she continued, "You STOLE her away from me, didn't you?"
Sunset then fired a bolt of energy at Trixie but it would be deflected by a light blue bolt of energy, a color that was noticed immediately by Twilight. She asked, "Starlight, is that you?"
Starlight entered the sweets' shop and replied, "Yes Twilight, it is me."
Upon seeing Starlight, Sunset got up and immediately ran towards her. Starlight put up a protection bubble around herself and yelled, "How many times do I have to tell you, don't touch me!"
The yell surprised everypony but saddened Sunset. Here it was, a year after being taken off to Manehattan, and she was still not wanting her to touch her. She asked, "You still don't want me to touch you?"
Starlight replied, "No, I don't."
Before Sunset could say anything, Rainbow noticed something, Starlight's mane and tail. She asked, "Starlight, what happened to your mane and tail. You look like you're copying Colgate's style."
Starlight replied, "Well I decided I needed a new look for me starting over again. My dad showed me pictures of my mom before she passed and this was her style. I figured that going with her style would be the right way to go."
Most of them shifted their thoughts away from Sunset and her wondering what happened to Starlight. Fluttershy asked, "Um, if it is ok with you, what happened to your mom?"
Starlight held her head low and replied, "She wound up dying during childbirth and that is why my dad raised me alone. When he showed me pictures of her from when she was pregnant, she had this style and I wanted to feel closer to her. That is why I chose this style."
The whole room went quiet when Starlight explained why she chose the style she did. Even Sunset, who was clearly angry with Trixie and hurt that Starlight wouldn't let her touch her, began to show her sympathy. She was the first to say anything, "I'm sorry Starlight, I'm sorry that happened to your mom."
"Thanks," Starlight replied "I just wish I could have had her in my life as a filly. If I had, maybe I never would have went down the path I did." She paused for a minute before continuing, "I don't know how things would have turned out or where I would have wound up but I doubt I'd have all the turbulence in my past that I do."
After she explained why she had her mane and tail style, Sunset wanted to know more, "So did you just get out of the hospital or what?"
Starlight had a feeling that Sunset and Twilight both would be upset that she didn't get in contact with them and had basically been avoiding them for eight months but knew that honesty was the best policy. She replied, "Well I have been out of the hospital for eight months. After I was released, the doctor thought it would be best if I went home to Sire's Hollow with my dad until I was ready to interact with those from my past."
Twilight had a sympathetic look on her face but Sunset had some suspicions, "Ok, if that is the case why are you here" she then pointed her hoof at Trixie and continued, "with HER?"
The fact that Sunset would speak that way when referring to Trixie did not sit well. While she wanted to flat out attack Sunset over the comment, she knew that such an action could result in her winding back up in Manehattan or maybe in jail. She replied, "Well not long after I got home Trixie was doing a show down in Sire's Hollow. I went to watch it and then Trixie and I got to talking and despite my absence, we were still just as close as ever and now, I'd say we're even closer."
Sunset's face began to turn an angry red but Twilight would be quick to attempt to calm her down, "Sunset, I told you that the love you had as humans likely wouldn't be there with her being a pony and I told you that her and Trixie were close. They may not be a couple yet but I am sure that Trixie is the one Starlight will want to be around the most."
Starlight replied, "For right now, yes. I feel like I'm ready to get closer with most ponies now but Sunset, I'm sorry but with everything that happened between us, I'm simply not ready to be touched."
Sunset hung her head low and realized that everything Twilight told her did wind up coming to pass. She could tell that Starlight and Trixie were close and that there was no way that Starlight would ever go back to the human world, much less be her girlfriend. She sighed, "Ok, I understand."
Trixie wanted to get them out of that situation and out of the sweets' shop. She said, "Well everypony, we must get going. We have to get everything set up for our show this afternoon."
Starlight added, "Well ladies, maybe we can talk later."
The fact that Starlight brought up the possibility of them meeting up later made Trixie happy. She knew that Starlight had cleared that one final hurdle. She embraced her and exclaimed, "You did it Starlight, you did it! You were able to face Sunset without breaking down!"
Starlight thanked her, "Thanks Trixie but I know that there is no way that I could have done it without you." She turned Trixie to where she was facing her and continued, "Trixie, ever since we reunited after I got out of the hospital you have always been there for me. You were there for times when I just wanted to talk, you would come over and join my dad and I for meals, you would be there to comfort me after my nightmares and most of all, you relocated to Sire's Hollow to stay close to me!"
Trixie began to hope that maybe that one phrase that she wanted to hear was about to be said but wasn't about to go exclaiming she would. She replied, "Well you do mean a lot to me Starlight and I'd do anything for you, anything."
That was all the more that Starlight needed to hear. She grabbed Trixie, looked deeply into her eyes and asked, "Trixie, you know you mean a lot to me and the fact that you'd do anything for me means so much." She began to tear up, "Trixie Lulamoon, would you be my marefriend?"
Trixie's heart exploded when she heard the question she had been wanting to hear ever since before Starlight went to the human world. She jumped up and exclaimed, "Yes Starlight yes! Yes I'll be your marefriend!"
The two embraced and engaged in a passionate kiss with the whole town watching. Some ponies did make comments discouraging the behavior but neither one cared. Both of them had the one that they truly felt that they belonged with. As they were kissing, they couldn't help but imagine the possibilities the future would hold.
One thing Trixie did know is that with them being an item now, that Starlight would likely want to be her assistant on her tours and offered a suggestion, "Starlight, after this show what would you think about going on a tour to Saddle Arabia."
Starlight tried to be stern but just couldn't, "Trixie, remember last time?"
Trixie replied, "Oh no, I was thinking we could find that unicorn and see if he'd still be willing to trade caravans! We're going to need a bigger wagon now!"
Starlight gave her a huge smile, "And we need to see if he will still throw in those robes! We'll look spectacular like that!"
The two again kissed before going to get things set up for their show. Starlight was hesitant at first but at that moment she knew that facing the one pony who she wanted to have to talk to the least, she felt the weight of the world be lifted off of her shoulders. She felt more like she did prior to going to the human world, only better. She finally had the one mare that she truly wanted as her beloved marefriend, Trixie.
> The Final Test (Alternate Ending)
Convincing Starlight to Go
Eight months had passed since Starlight had been released from the mental hospital and life had returned to normal, well somewhat. She and Trixie had grown much closer as friends. Trixie was a bit frustrated that they had yet to move on to being marefriends but she knew that with everything that happened to Starlight, she still needed time to fully heal.
Trixie had decided to, for the time, to take up permanent residence in Sire's Hollow until Starlight had healed sufficiently that she could at least go with her on short tours. Starlight had returned to being her great and powerful assistant but still, she felt the safest in her childhood bedroom, the safest from the turbulence that still haunted her dreams from time to time.
One day though, Trixie decided that perhaps they should go on a trip. She really hoped that this trip and magic show would be what would finally get Starlight to realize that she had finally healed and would be ready for a relationship. She also knew that this trip, a trip to Ponyville, could set Starlight back if she encountered a certain bacon maned mare who might still be in Equestria waiting for her.
That day was like most days, Starlight and Firelight had sat down to breakfast and were enjoying eggs, hay bacon and toast. During that meal though, there was a knock on the door. Firelight got up and answered it, "Oh hi Trixie. Here to see Starlight I take it?"
Trixie replied, "Of course The Great and Powerful Trixie is here to see her best friend!"
Firelight motioned for her to go in where she would join the two at the dining room table. Trixie had a huge smile on her face and suggested, "Starlight, The Great and Powerful Trixie thinks that we should go on a road trip, a magic trip!"
Starlight had an uncertain look on her face, "Ok, where are you wanting us to go? Appaloosa, Dodge Junction, Baltimare?"
Trixie knew that she couldn't just come out and say what her plan was so she decided to let Starlight know what she thought about her progress. "Starlight, you have been out of the hospital for eight months and I have seen for myself how much you have improved. I remember when at first the only ponies you would talk to were me and your dad but now, look at you. You are out there, helping me like you once did! You mingle with the crowds here after our shows and your confidence seems to build with every passing day."
Starlight asked, "What is it you are suggesting? Why is it I have a bad feeling about this?"
Trixie replied, "Starlight, I think it is time for one final test. I think that if you can pass this one, you will be able to face anything."
Starlight froze. She knew exactly what Trixie was talking about, "You're wanting us to go to Ponyville, aren't you?"
Trixie replied, "Yes I do because I think that going there will help you overcome your past."
Starlight began to breathe heavily as the very thoughts of going to the place where that mirror was. Firelight saw this and suggested, "Starlight honey, Trixie makes a point. This could be what it takes for you to fully heal for the most part."
Starlight asked, "But what if Sunset is there? What if she begged me to go back with her? What if she was to try and kiss me?"
Firelight replied, "Nopony is going to force you to do anything and like I said, Trixie makes a point. Perhaps it will be talking to her that can help you heal completely."
With both her father and her best friend telling her this, she began to think that perhaps this would be her chance to heal completely. She then began to think that maybe Sunset wouldn't be there and that seeing Twilight might not be so bad so she finally agreed, "Oh alright, so when do you want to do this?"
Trixie replied, "Well I was thinking that we could head out after you finish breakfast. That way we can get there sooner, we can put on our show, you can see your other friends and then we can come back."
Initially the very thoughts of leaving that soon did not sound very appealing to Starlight but then she decided that if she didn't do it now, she may never do it. She said, "Oh alright, we can go after I'm done with breakfast."
Firelight gave her a smile and Trixie said, "Good. Don't worry about what we'll do for food. I bought some hay cakes and some cider before I headed over here." Her smile got bigger as she added, "And I packed light so we'll have plenty of room!"
That got a laugh out of Starlight, "Don't want a repeat of our attempt to go to Saddle Arabia?"
Trixie laughed, "Exactly!" Trixie noticed that Starlight had finished eating and continued, "Well shall we?"
Starlight nodded and Firelight suggested, "Now if it gets to be too much for you, just teleport out of there. With as good as your teleportation is, you could just teleport back home."
Starlight replied, "That would be my plan."
Starlight and Trixie then headed out to her wagon and took off in the direction of Ponyville. This was the first time in a bit over eight months since being released from the hospital that she had even left town. Starlight was really wishing that they were heading anywhere other than Ponyville but knew that they were right, this was her chance to fully heal herself.
The Last Test
Two days after leaving Sire's Hollow, Starlight and Trixie began to descend down the last hill into Ponyville. Twilight's castle was clearly visible and this caused Starlight to freeze. She began to breathe heavily and this caught the attention of Trixie, "Starlight, it is ok. Remember what your dad said if things get to be too much for you and besides, you have The Great and Powerful Trixie with you!"
Starlight replied, "I know, I know." Seeing Twilight's castle was hard on her but again the thoughts of fully healing herself came into her mind. She continued, "Alright, let's do this. If their schedule hasn't changed any, they should be at Sugarcube Corner."
"Alright Starlight, let's go!" replied Trixie.
Once they descended down into town, they noticed that ponies were looking on in curiosity. They weren't sure if it was because they had been gone for so long or if it was because of the rumors of Starlight becoming violent that ponies remembered. When they finally got to the sweets' shop Trixie said, "I'll go in first and then you can follow me."
Starlight replied, "Alright."
When Trixie headed into the sweets' shop, the seven ponies present looked at her in shock. Twilight was the first to say anything, "Trixie, I thought you were gone forever after Starlight got committed."
Sunset, who had remained in Equestria for the past year, gave Trixie a deep scowl, "So Trixie, do you know anything about my girlfriend? Do you know how she is doing?"
Trixie gasped, "Your girlfriend? Who is to say she is your marefriend?"
Sunset angrily replied, "Yes, my girlfriend. She was my girlfriend for months before she returned to Equestria."
Trixie found Sunset's statement a bit humorous, "Well The Great and Powerful Trixie does know how she is doing and one thing Trixie does know is that she no longer sees you as her marefriend."
Sunset flared her horn up in anger and yelled, "What did you do?" She became angrier as she continued, "You STOLE her away from me, didn't you?"
Sunset then fired a bolt of energy at Trixie but it would be deflected by a light blue bolt of energy, a color that was noticed immediately by Twilight. She asked, "Starlight, is that you?"
Starlight entered the sweets' shop and replied, "Yes Twilight, it is me."
Upon seeing Starlight, Sunset got up and immediately ran towards her. Starlight put up a protection bubble around herself and yelled, "How many times do I have to tell you, don't touch me!"
The yell surprised everypony but saddened Sunset. Here it was, well over a year after being taken off to Manehattan, and she was still not wanting her to touch her. She asked, "You still don't want me to touch you?"
Starlight replied, "No, I don't."
Before Sunset could say anything, Rainbow noticed something, Starlight's mane and tail. She asked, "Starlight, what happened to your mane and tail? You look like you're copying Colgate's style."
Starlight replied, "Well I decided I needed a new look for me starting over again. My dad showed me pictures of my mom before she passed and this was her style. I figured that going with her style would be the right way to go."
Most of them shifted their thoughts away from Sunset and her wondering what happened to Starlight. Fluttershy asked, "Um, if it is ok with you, what happened to your mom?"
Starlight held her head low and replied, "She wound up dying during childbirth and that is why my dad raised me alone. When he showed me pictures of her from when she was pregnant, she had this style and I wanted to feel closer to her. That is why I chose this style."
The whole room went quiet when Starlight explained why she chose the style she did. Even Sunset, who was clearly angry with Trixie and hurt that Starlight wouldn't let her touch her, began to show her sympathy. She was the first to say anything, "I'm sorry Starlight, I'm sorry that happened to your mom."
"Thanks," Starlight replied "I just wish I could have had her in my life as a filly. If I had, maybe I never would have went down the path I did." She paused for a minute before continuing, "I don't know how things would have turned out or where I would have wound up but I doubt I'd have all the turbulence in my past that I do."
After she explained why she had her mane and tail style, Sunset wanted to know more, "So did you just get out of the hospital or what?"
Starlight had a feeling that Sunset and Twilight both would be upset that she didn't get in contact with them and had basically been avoiding them for eight months but knew that honesty was the best policy. She replied, "Well I have been out of the hospital for eight months. After I was released, the doctor thought it would be best if I went home to Sire's Hollow with my dad until I was ready to interact with those from my past."
Twilight had a sympathetic look on her face but Sunset had some suspicions, "Ok, if that is the case why are you here" she then pointed her hoof at Trixie and continued, "with HER?"
The fact that Sunset would speak that way when referring to Trixie did not sit well with her. While she wanted to flat out attack Sunset over the comment, she knew that such an action could result in her winding back up in Manehattan or maybe in jail. She replied, "Well not long after I got home Trixie was doing a show down in Sire's Hollow. I went to watch it and then Trixie and I got to talking and despite my absence, we were still just as close as ever and now, I'd say we're even closer."
Sunset's face began to turn an angry red but Twilight would be quick to attempt to calm her down, "Sunset, I told you that the love you had as humans likely wouldn't be there with her being a pony and I told you that her and Trixie were close. They may not be a couple yet but I am sure that Trixie is the one Starlight will want to be around the most."
Starlight replied, "For right now, yes. I feel like I'm ready to get closer with most ponies now but Sunset, I'm sorry but with everything that happened between us, I'm simply not ready to be touched."
Sunset hung her head low and realized that everything Twilight told her did wind up coming to pass. She could tell that Starlight and Trixie were close and that there was no way that Starlight would ever go back to the human world, much less be her girlfriend. She sighed, "Ok, I understand."
Trixie wanted to get them out of that situation and out of the sweets' shop. She said, "Well everypony, we must get going. We have to get everything set up for our show this afternoon."
Starlight added, "Well ladies, maybe we can talk later."
The fact that Starlight brought up the possibility of them meeting up later made Trixie happy. She knew that Starlight had cleared that one final hurdle. She embraced her and exclaimed, "You did it Starlight, you did it! You were able to face Sunset without breaking down!"
Starlight thanked her, "Thanks Trixie but I know that there is no way that I could have done it without you." She turned Trixie to where she was facing her and continued, "Trixie, ever since we reunited after I got out of the hospital you have always been there for me. You were there for times when I just wanted to talk, you would come over and join my dad and I for meals, you would be there to comfort me after my nightmares and most of all, you relocated to Sire's Hollow to stay close to me!"
Trixie began to hope that maybe that one phrase that she wanted to hear was about to be said but wasn't about to go exclaiming she would. She replied, "Well you do mean a lot to me Starlight and I'd do anything for you, anything."
That was all the more that Starlight needed to hear. She grabbed Trixie, looked deeply into her eyes and asked, "Trixie, you know you mean a lot to me and the fact that you'd do anything for me means so much." She began to tear up, "Trixie Lulamoon, would you be my marefriend?"
Trixie's heart exploded when she heard the question she had been wanting to hear ever since before Starlight went to the human world. She jumped up and exclaimed, "Yes Starlight yes! Yes I'll be your marefriend!"
Everything below this line is the alternate ending.
The two embraced and Trixie began to move in for a passionate kiss but the moment their lips met, past memories began to flood Starlight's mind, bad memories. She quickly broke the embrace, flared up her horn to cast a protection bubble spell upon herself and she yelled, "No no no! I can't do this, I can't do this!"
Trixie was thrown back by Starlight's spell. At first she wasn't even sure exactly what happened but very quickly it hit her that Starlight had cast a bubble spell around herself when she saw Starlight standing there with her horn shining brightly and breathing heavily in a protection bubble. Trixie was shocked at first but then she became sad, "What do you mean you can't do this?"
Starlight's panic continued, "I can't Trixie, I just can't. If being marefriends involves kissing, I can't. Kissing brings back horrible memories and I fear falling into the same traps of my past."
By this point her friends in Sugarcube Corner along with Sunset came rushing out when they heard Starlight's yells. When they saw Starlight in a protection bubble Twilight was the first to say anything, "Trixie, what happened? Why is she in such a panic?"
Trixie was quite distraught by this point, "I don't know Twilight, we went to kiss and then she panicked. She started saying something about kissing bringing back bad memories."
Twilight then approached Starlight and attempted to see what was wrong and try and get her calmed down. When she put her hoof on the protection bubble she wound up getting shocked. She knew that protection bubbles normally kept the castor from being touched but she didn't know that they could actually shock somepony. She finally decided to try and get the unicorn's attention, "Starlight," Twilight yelled "what's wrong? Why are you panicking like this?"
Starlight yelled, "I can't Twilight, I just can't. I can't be Trixie's marefriend, I can't do this affection thing."
Trixie along with Twilight's friends were watching their interaction with looks of curiosity. They all knew that Starlight could panic from time to time but with this happening with Trixie, Twilight knew that while she wasn't bad like she was on the night she returned from the human world, that Starlight still had not fully healed. She approached Starlight and asked, "Starlight, do you need to talk about this?"
Starlight lowered her protection shield and replied, "I would but I would prefer it if we could talk alone."
Twilight nodded, "Come with me to the castle...."
Starlight quickly disagreed, "No! Not there, not near that mirror!"
This frustrated Twilight some but she could also understand why Starlight would say such a thing. She then suggested, "How about The Everfree Forest?"
Starlight replied, "Alright, that sounds good."
Twilight then turned to her friends, "Ladies, we will be back. Starlight really wants to talk to me alone."
Most of them didn't question her but one would, Trixie. Despite having given up speaking like she does during her shows for the most part, Trixie questioned Twilight over this, "Twilight, what are you going to do? Are you going to try and tell Starlight she should never be the Great and Powerful Trixie's marefriend?"
Twilight was less than thrilled over the question especially given the state that Starlight was in. She firmly stated, "Trixie, I'm not going to try and tell her to not be your marefriend. She needs to talk and I'm the one she trusts the most."
Trixie sighed in frustration as Starlight and Twilight headed off to the north, into the Everfree Forest. Once they were out of eyesight of everypony else, Twilight wanted to know what caused Starlight to go into a panic the way she did. "Starlight," Twilight questioned "why did you go into a panic when you and Trixie tried to kiss? Did you decide that you really didn't want that?"
Even thinking about her recent interaction with Trixie caused her to start breathing harder but knew she could trust Twilight. She replied, "Twilight, at the very moment our lips barely made contact, everything came rushing back to me. All the events of the human world, all the interactions that Sunset and I had, everything that caused me to become so uncomfortable and finally my meltdown."
Twilight could sense that Starlight's panic truly was legitimate and was not an act. She asked, "Starlight, I know that Trixie is wanting something special but with this happening, what now?"
Starlight took a deep breath before replying, "Well I'm not sure. I do know though that a relationship with Trixie, or anypony for that matter, simply isn't going to happen....maybe ever. The very thoughts of anything beyond a friendly hug terrifies me and" she paused briefly before continuing, "and I really don't want to be tied down. I ultimately got to where I felt tied down in the human world and I don't want that."
Twilight asked, "So do you think you'll move back home with your dad?"
Again Starlight took a deep breath before replying, "One part of me says I should but I do miss all of you, the first ponies who I thought of as true friends."
This gave Twilight a bit of a sense of hope that perhaps Starlight wasn't going to forget about everypony she had grown close to. Twilight thought of Starlight as a good friend and while she wouldn't admit it outright, she didn't want to see Starlight simply cut them all out of her life over this. She then wanted to know more, "So if you decide to not move back home with your dad, would you consider coming back to Ponyville?"
The initial thought of it did make Starlight nervous, nervous enough that her breathing got a bit heavier. She sighed, "Twilight," she then was able to calm herself down a bit and decided to be honest "I'm going to admit, returning here where that mirror is was difficult but I do miss the six of you." She saw Twilight beginning to smile a bit and continued, "I know that you'd never force me to go back through that mirror so if it would be ok with you" she paused for a moment before finishing, "I was wondering if I could move back in with you?"
Twilight got so excited over her question that without even thinking she embraced Starlight and exclaimed, "Of course you can move back in with me! Your room is exactly as it was when you left!"
Starlight wasn't exactly thrilled with the tight embrace but knew that Twilight meant no harm and wouldn't try to force herself on her. Once Twilight broke the embrace she saw a bit of an uncomfortable look on her friend's face and added, "Sorry about that. I'm just so happy you're coming back."
Starlight replied, "It's alright Twilight, I knew you weren't wanting anything like that." She paused before continuing, "So what now, do I just move back in with you?" She again paused before adding, "What about Sunset? Will she be staying or with this being resolved, will she go back to the human world?"
Twilight could tell that she was nervous about Sunset but she knew that she couldn't just force Sunset to go back. She replied, "I don't know but I will say this, I won't force her to go back if she doesn't want to. Going back to her blood stained apartment was hard enough on her."
Starlight wasn't exactly thrilled at the prospects of perhaps having to live with Sunset but began to wonder if this wasn't maybe her chance to truly heal. She realized that it would be spending extended periods of time around her ex that would help her heal, not just a couple of minutes. She said, "Alright Twilight, I understand. Who knows, if she chooses to stay in Equestria, maybe this is what could truly help me heal."
Twilight gave her a smile, "So if you can handle living with her, would that mean you might want a relationship again?"
This was something that unnerved Starlight a bit but rather than being nervous she knew she had to be a bit more firm. "Twilight," Starlight stated "healing does not mean that I would want a relationship and like I said, I began to feel tied down in the human world."
Twilight replied, "Ok Starlight, I get it, you don't want to feel tied down but what if somepony else other than one of those two was to want to pursue something special?"
Starlight sighed in frustration, "Twilight, I just said that I don't want to be tied down. Twilight, you don't have a special somepony so why is it that I should have to?" She became a bit more firm as she continued, "I know you want me to be happy but right now, I just need to focus on healing and I probably have two ponies I need to open up to and be completely honest with. I need to be transparent with them."
Twilight replied, "Yeah, that would be for the best and I think you should discuss this with them alone."
Starlight agreed, "I know and I think that talking with Sunset should take place first, I know I hurt her a lot." She paused before adding, "Well shall we get going back so I can do this?"
Twilight replied, "Yeah, I think we should head back. I know this will be tough on you but I know that you'll be able to handle it."
They had walked quite a ways into the forest so the trip back took longer than what either one of them were expecting. As they headed back, Twilight had her concerns as to how her private discussions with the two would go. She knew that Trixie would likely beg and plead but she was the most concerned about Sunset. She wasn't sure if she would understand and realize that nothing would happen or if she might try and remind her of the good times, the times before Starlight had her meltdown.
Starlight was nervous, very nervous. She knew that Trixie would try to persuade her and bring up their close friendship along with how she moved to Sire's Hollow to be with her but it was Sunset she was most nervous about. She wasn't sure how she would react to it. While Starlight didn't want to cut Sunset out of her life completely, she knew that she could never do a relationship or return to the human world. It was just a matter of how would she handle this without becoming too nervous.
> Healed at Last (Alternate Ending)
Once the two had returned to Ponyville everypony was watching trying to figure out what had happened. Trixie had her suspicions over what had happened but given that both of them were smiling and talking about what seemed to be unrelated issues, Sunset had a bit of hope. Starlight then approached Sunset and said, "Sunset, I think we need to talk about everything alone."
Sunset nodded and walked alongside her former girlfriend as they walked to the other end of town. Once they were out of earshot of everypony Sunset would be quick to question her, "Starlight, so what did you and Twilight talk about?"
Starlight took a deep breath and began, "Sunset, we talked about my future. While I was planning on moving back to Sire's Hollow I have decided to stay here in Ponyville."
Sunset's eyes lit up when she heard this. She asked, "Really? You're going to stay?"
Starlight replied, "I am" she had a feeling as to what was running through Sunset's mind and knew that she had to nip that in the bud, "but I have also decided that I probably won't be wanting any kind of relationship with you. I'm sorry but I don't think it is possible given our past."
Sunset's eyes dropped when she heard this. When Starlight brought up she was staying she became optimistic but those hopes were quickly dashed. She began to think a bit deeper and realized that it was all the events, all the close physical contact and intimacy that ultimately led to Starlight's path and decided to apologize, "Starlight, I'm sorry about everything that happened. I'm sorry about what happened in the human world."
Starlight knew that it wasn't all Sunset's fault and needed to let her know that. "Sunset," Starlight began "this isn't all your fault. I am just as much to blame because I wanted to stay just as much as you wanted me to. I could have chose to come home but everything we did caused me to want to stay. Yes we had a lot of good times but ultimately it became too much for me." She paused before adding, "And like I said on the night you brought me home, I missed my magic, I missed being a unicorn. It was nothing you did so don't blame yourself."
When Sunset heard this, she felt a great sense of relief. For over a year she had felt like it was her fault that Starlight broke but now knew that it was not her fault. She wanted to embrace Starlight and tell her how she felt but knew that a hug might cause Starlight to go into a panic. She extended her hoof and said, "Thank you Starlight, I am happy to know that this wasn't my fault."
Starlight extended her hoof out and gave her a hoof bump before asking, "So what now? Will you be staying here in Equestria or will you be returning to the human world?"
Sunset was unsure as to what she wanted to do. One part of her wanted to go back to the human world but another part of her wanted to stay in Equestria. She had grown accustomed to being a unicorn again and did enjoy having her magic. She had also become just as good of friends with Twilight's Ponyville friends as she had with her human friends. She then began to think about whether she could live with Starlight given their past. She was unsure about that but after nearly a minute of thinking she replied, "I, I think I will stay here. I do miss my human friends but I have become more accustomed to being a pony again and Twilight has helped me learn more magic."
Starlight asked, "So you think you'd miss being a unicorn like I did, think you'd miss your magic?"
Sunset replied, "I am pretty sure I would." She paused before adding, "So would living in the same place as me bother you any?"
Starlight replied, "No, I don't think so. I honestly feel like I have got what I needed to off of my chest. I will be completely honest with you, a relationship between us will likely never happen but I do hope that we can become good friends again."
Sunset was so happy to hear this that without thinking she embraced Starlight tightly before she could react. She exclaimed, "I'm so happy to hear that! I'm so happy we can be friends again!"
The embrace caught Starlight off guard but it did not cause her to panic. At that moment Starlight knew that when it came to Sunset, that she had healed. After Sunset released the embrace, Starlight gave her a smile and stated, "Sunset, I think I did it! I think I have healed almost entirely."
Sunset knew what she was talking about and asked, "Are you worried about Trixie and how she'll take things?"
Starlight replied, "I am. I know how bad she wanted something between us so bad and then I cast that spell. I know she is suspicious of Twilight and what we talked about but I know if I'm honest with her, everything will be fine."
Sunset agreed and the two headed back towards where their friends were still gathered. When they got back within eyesight Twilight was the first to see them both with smiles on their faces and talking causally. Twilight was thrilled that it appeared as though Starlight had cleared that hurdle. She approached the two and asked, "I take it everything is good between you two?"
Sunset replied, "It is and I've decided to stay here in Equestria. We talked and we can live together with no problems."
Starlight added, "And we're both hoping that we can be good friends, maybe even great friends."
Twilight embraced the two and exclaimed, "That is wonderful news!" She broke the embrace and suggested, "Starlight, now you need to be honest with Trixie." She took a look at the blue unicorn and saw a less than happy look on her face. She added, "Good luck, I can tell she isn't happy."
Starlight replied, "Thanks Twilight." She then approached Trixie and said, "Trixie, we need to talk."
Starlight and Trixie headed towards the other end of town. While Starlight thought that talking with Sunset would be tough, she suddenly realized that Trixie was going to be the one that would be angry. Once they got to the other end of town Trixie would be the first one to speak, "So Starlight, what are your plans?"
Starlight replied, "Well I have decided to move back in with Twilight." She could see an unsure look on Trixie's face and added, "And before you ask, Sunset has decided to stay here in Equestria."
This did not sit well with her at all. She angrily asked, "So Starlight, are you going to be Sunset's marefriend again? Is everything Trixie did for you not enough?"
Starlight knew that she had to calm her down and hoped her honesty would do it, "Trixie, we are not getting back together. She knows that I don't want to be in a relationship and she has accepted it. I just hope you will do the same."
Trixie was angry but she was also sad. She began to angrily cry, "Starlight, I did so much for you. I moved to Sire's Hollow for you, I was there for you when you would have your nightmares, I joined you and your dad for meals." Her crying became louder, "I hoped for months and months that we would be something special. When you finally asked me to be your marefriend I was ecstatic and then you cast that spell, your old memories came back and you hurt me when you couldn't show any affection, when you said that you couldn't be my marefriend."
Starlight knew that with Trixie speaking in the first person that she truly was hurt but she also knew that she couldn't allow that to cause her to cave in and get into something that she didn't want. She replied, "Trixie, I'm sorry if I hurt you. You just have to understand that with everything I went through, a relationship isn't going to happen and kissing will do nothing but traumatize me, it will do nothing but make me panic and bring back those memories." She saw an angrier look develop on Trixie's face and added, "Why can't you understand that? When Sunset and I talked, we gained a mutual understanding and she understood me. Can't you do that too? Can't you do that for the pony you consider your best friend?"
Trixie let out a scream, "I can't do this anymore Starlight. All I can think of being around you is how you cast that spell and hurt me." She began to run off and screamed, "Goodbye Starlight Glimmer."
Starlight was indeed saddened by what seemed to be the end of what she thought was a great friendship. She was frustrated though that Trixie couldn't understand why she did the things she did, why she couldn't do any kind of affection and why she didn't want a relationship. When she returned to her friends they quickly noticed that she was alone. Sunset was the first to ask anything, "It didn't go well did it?"
Starlight sighed sadly, "No, it didn't. She just couldn't understand everything I have gone through like you did."
Twilight then spoke up, "So what now? Is your friendship with her over or will this be a matter of you two needing time apart?"
Starlight replied, "I'm not sure but I do know that I'll probably need somepony to talk to, somepony to do something with to take my mind off of this."
Fluttershy had a feeling that she may need somepony who could be more empathetic to talk to and asked, "Starlight, would you want to help me with my animals?" She then developed a slight blush as she added, "We can talk about whatever you need to. You know I'll understand."
Out of all her friends she had always been a bit more fond of Fluttershy and felt that doing this would be something to take her mind off of things. She too blushed a bit and replied, "I'd love to Fluttershy, you've always been here for me."
Twilight noticed the two blushing at one another and as they took off towards Fluttershy's cottage she began to wonder if perhaps maybe a fondness for Fluttershy was another reason she had her meltdown. While she would never admit it to anypony, she was kind of hoping that this would happen. She had a feeling that despite everything she had said, that Starlight did indeed want a relationship. She had a smile on her face as she thought to herself, "She's fully healed and I know Fluttershy will be perfect for her! She won't force affection, she will give Starlight time and Starlight likes doing things with her! Maybe Fluttershy is the one for her." |
The Girl That Never Was | pre | 'Preaching to the choir on that one, I've been trying to solve this mystery for most of my soon to be eternal life.'
"Sombra, shut it. As I told you, I'm done listening to orders! I'm done being a...a puppet and not being able to make my own choices! I am done being a slave!"
'You tell him, puppet. Now go kick his ass so we can get back to me telling you where to go next!'
"Not a puppet. Interesting. You want to be more than you were created to be, even though you constantly are tricked to be the servant to some else. You're naivety is so pathetic. You have almost ruined this world by falling into Sombra's hooves, for he would turn you away from those that you are here to seek out. But fortunately for you, I can fix your transgressions. Now hurry puppet, to the edge of this forest. There is one who needs your assistance."
"Why would I listen to you? For all I know you're leading me into a trap and there's a monster there that will kill me," Xion spat back.
"Why would you listen to me? Because you are a failed copy of the key master. And if you are anything like him, you will help those who are in need. You cannot fight against it, just like you cannot fight those that command you. That is the fate of a puppet such as yourself. Now go and hope that I do not feel the need to return again. For if I do, I will return you body to the nothingness that I pulled it out of."
Xion blinked and the Maestro was gone, leaving a ring of dust that had once been grass to show that he had been there to begin with. Xion didn't realize how nervous she had been until she felt drops of sweat run down her face, getting her to finally move so that she could wipe the sweat out of her eyes. She banished her keyblade and let out a sigh, exhaling the tension that she had been holding in.
'So, that was the Maestro that you told me so little about,' Sombra said to break the silence, snapping Xion out of her thoughts. 'First impressions? Wow. Just...wow. I could feel his power from in here and I don't even have nerves any more. That's scary.'
"They why did you try so hard to tick him off?" Xion asked.
'First rule of meeting or fighting somepony stronger than you, never show them how afraid of them you actually are. Make it look like you're the one in control of the situation. A snappy one liner or a funny joke can help with that,' Sombra said.
"Do you think he was telling the truth? That there's someone here in danger and we need to go help them?" Xion asked.
'Don't know. If it were me in control and you trapped in my pocket, which is impossible to get out of by the way, then I would leave and make sure that Maestro doesn't get anything out of me. But since it's you,' Sombra began, getting Xion to smile slightly as she realized he knew what she was about to do. 'I guess we're going to go see which pour soul is in trouble this time. Let's go.'
Xion took off towards the edge of the forest, smirking when she found a trail of Maestro's shattered magic leading her to where she needed to go. But while she ran she was also lost in thought, thought was very close to what Sombra was thinking at the exact same time.
'I've never felt anything like his power before. Even the first time I've faced him I never sensed that much power. But right then...he can't be a living being. He can't be anything less than a god or something along those lines. But whatever he is...if he ever decides to come after us, then it would be the end of us. I need to help Sombra get his body back then figure out what to do next. After I see what Maestro has in store for me now.' |
The Girl That Never Was | Beware the Shy Ones | Edge of the forest wasn't exactly the best of directions. Xion reached the edge of the forest at least six different times before she found what Maestro had instructed her to find. Or at least, she believed it to be what the Maestro wanted, because when she saw a small Pegasus at this clearings edge, Sombra let out a sound that she had come to associate with disdain.
The Pegasus was yellow, with a pink mane and tail. As Xion walked out of the woods and got closer to her, Xion could see a set of butterflies on her flank, which were all pink as well. The sun was just beginning to lower across the sky as Xion approached, the sound of her heels on the grass gaining the attention of the pony. The pony's eyes went wide at the sight of the being in the cloak, while Sombra let out a small cackle at the pony's face.
'Oh boy, it's Fluttershy. Wonder what she's doing so far from home?' Sombra muttered to himself with a snicker, before Xion drove him deeper into her pocket.
"Anything you can tell me about her so I know what not to do?" Xion whispered as she came to a stop, the look on Fluttershy's face telling the puppet that the pony was on the verge of panic.
'Sure. Roar as loud as you can and swing your keyblade at her. Maybe she'll drop over dead from the sight.'
"As usual, you're useless," Xion sighed before taking another small step towards the pony, who took a step back in reply. "Hi there. I'm not going to hurt you. I promise you that."
Xion had hoped that her words would calm the pony down, but instead her eyes went even wider and her face turned white.
'Don't bother, puppet. She doesn't see your cute little face or your annoyingly sweet voice. She sees the same thing everypony else sees. Red eyes. Face hidden in darkness. Voice as blank and emotionless as a mannequin. She ain't trust you anytime soon,' Sombra revealed to Xion, who crossed her arms with a sigh. 'All she sees is a monster of darkness.'
"Well, you know her, maybe you can get her to trust me?" Xion asked, getting Sombra to let out a laugh so loud that Fluttershy fell over from fear.
'Yeah, and maybe if you plant me in the ground I'll grow into a brand new pony, complete with a heart and conscious,' Sombra mocked before Xion heard him scoff. 'She's one of the seven that helped to kill me. We're not exactly on speaking terms at the moment. But if you slay her now, Maestro will never get what he wants...'
Ignoring Sombra's less than stellar advice, Xion walked right up to Fluttershy and knelt down in front of the pony. Fluttershy's pupils were barely visible they had shrunken so far, but at the mention of the Maestro Xion figured that she needed to act and soon.
"Look, I get that you're afraid of me and you see me as a monster, but I bet we have other things to worry about right now," Xion said in a serious tone, one that made Fluttershy blink once as the fear began to ebb away. "Someone sent you to this location, same with me. And if I had to wager, we're both in danger right now. So you can sit here and be terrified of me, or you can tell me why you're here and what I can do to help."
Xion's words seemed to have an effect on Fluttershy, who blinked a few times before she swallowed her fear. "I was told that there was an endangered animal in this forest that is being hunted," Fluttershy revealed as she hid behind her mane, her voice softer than a cloud. "He told me that if I wanted to save it, I would need to work with somepony that is nothing more than a fake. Um, would that happen to be...um..."
"Yeah, he was probably talking about me. And what he said to you was most likely to get you out here by yourself," Xion said before turning to glance into the forest, making sure that they weren't being watched. "If you want my advice, go back home and forget the being that talked to you. Anything he says can only end in pain."
"But what if there actually is an endangered creature in need of my help?!" Fluttershy said with a conviction and strength that both Sombra and Xion thought was impossible for her. "I can't just turn away and leave it to die! Even if I have to work with somepony super scary, I still have to help it!"
'Haha, stubborn idiot. How easy it is to take advantage of these Element bearers,' Sombra cackled from within Xion's pocket.
"And yet they beat you...fine, if you're going to go in there, I'm coming with you," Xion told the Pegasus, who looked at the cloaked being with surprise. "Do you have any idea where this injured animal might be?"
"Um, not really, but I can...sense it," Fluttershy muttered as she started to walk towards the forest, as if pulled by an invisible force. "But something is really wrong with it. I can feel that too. There's a darkness in this forest. A darkness the likes of which I've never felt before. A cold, merciless darkness."
'Like Sombra?' Sombra asked before Xion swatted at her pocket.
"No, Sombra was more confused and annoying, not like this," Fluttershy replied. Xion had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing as Sombra made a gagging sound. Fluttershy looked back to Xion, the conviction shining through once more. "And then there's the darkness coming off of you. It's...strange. It's almost like you're just there, nothing more than a shadow. Not cold, not evil...but strange."
"That's a pretty accurate description of me, I guess," Xion said before extending her hand, summoning forth her keyblade in a flash of light. Fluttershy looked at the blade with a shocked expression on her face, but before she could say anything Xion motioned to the forest.
"You can sense this thing. Lead the way."
====
XIII
====
The first wave of heartless caught the both of them completely off guard. Fluttershy had been leading Xion through a small ravine when the heartless poured out of holes of darkness in the rocks, surrounding the both of them instantly. Upon seeing the monsters of darkness that were there to claim her heart, Fluttershy let out a scream and ran straight into a dead end, where she turned around to see the heartless charging towards her.
'Straight into a dead end. So many places for her to go, and she picked there,' Sombra said with a disgusted sigh as Xion drove the keyblade into the back of one of the Shadows head, banishing it back into the darkness. 'For the love of Faust, she's a pegasi. She could just fly straight up and avoid these things. Sweet mercy, she is cowering under her hooves.'
"Trying to focus here, Sombra," Xion snapped while lifting her blade to deflect a strike, before thrusting her arms to the side and generating a burst of magic that pushed the heartless back. She dashed forward and uppercutted one of the Shadows, launching it into the air. She leapt up after it and slammed the blade of her key onto its head, driving it into the ground and turning it back into darkness.
"Fluttershy, this way!" Xion yelled while waving a hand into the air. Fluttershy let out a whimper before racing in-between the opening that Xion had made for her. Fluttershy took cover behind Xion right as the heartless began their next attack, with a Soldier whipping around behind Xion and winding up a kick. Xion caught the movement and rolled out of the way of the kick, before leaping back towards it and cleaving it in two with a single strike.
"Is that a...heart?" Fluttershy asked as the heart trapped within the Soldier was released, ascending into the sky.
"No time for questions, we need to keep moving," Xion instructed as she deflected a lunge from a Shadow. She drove the tip of her blade into the head of the creature and destroyed it, only for three more Soldiers to show up behind Fluttershy. "Argh, they're all going after her. Don't know if I can keep protecting her forever."
'They're most likely after her heart,' Sombra revealed, getting Xion to spare a momentary glance of confusion at where he was stashed. 'Think about it. The heartless go after hearts, the stronger the better, right? Even if you didn't have a heart, she's one of the six champions of this land. If I were them, I bet she would make one heck of a heartless if her heart was taken.'
"The stronger the heart, the more powerful shadow it casts," Xion muttered under her breath before rolling over to Fluttershy's side, cleaving through a pair of Shadows as she did so. She spun around to face the last three heartless before pointing her blade at them. "Fire."
The fireball struck dead center between the heartless, blasting them apart in a massive burst of fire. Xion let out a sigh of relief as she lowered her weapon, before glancing down at her hand. 'I'm still feeling the effects of this land. I had hoped that with time at least some of my full power would return, but...'
"We're almost there," Fluttershy said, snapping Xion out of her thoughts and getting her to look down at the pony. "I can feel it. Whatever I'm here to help, it's just up ahead."
Xion nodded and continued after Fluttershy, resting the keyblade upon her shoulder as she did so. For a few minutes the two of them walked along in silence, but Xion was aware that every few feet Fluttershy would cast a glance Xion's way.
"Go ahead, ask me what you want."
"Oh, I um...what's you're name?"
"Pardon?"
"I was just...you've been...you...do have a name, right?" Fluttershy asked from behind her mane once more. Xion glanced down at the forest floor, not sure that she felt ready to reveal her name to a total stranger. Someone Xion knew practically nothing about. The thing that she knew they had in common was that they were both being used by the Maestro.
'You could always just lie,' said the devil in her pocket.
"Xion..." she said after a few moments of silence.
"Oh...that's a pretty name," Fluttershy said as she peeked out from behind her mane, only to hide behind it once more as Xion's red eyes turned towards her.
"Thanks...is this the place?" Xion asked as the two of them walked into a large clearing, one that was devoid of both tree and grass life.
"Yes, I can feel that there's something wrong here," Fluttershy muttered as she stepped into the clearing, looking around with a confused look upon her face. "But I can't sense the creature that was in need of my help. But what could have happened...?"
Fluttershy's answer came as a colossal beast of darkness leapt through the trees on the edge of the clearing, landing in the middle with enough force to knock both the puppet and the pony off of their legs. The creature looked like a mix between a T-Rex and a bird, with a large, black beak and eyes that were a deep yellow. It had muscular legs and wings that were tucked against its body, while it whipped a feathered tail back and forth. The rest of it was made up of darkness, a darkness that looked familiar to Xion and Sombra. As well as the red symbol that it wore upon its chest.
"Is that what I think it is?" Xion asked with some fear as she took up her fighting stance once more.
'Yep. That is what was supposed to be guarding the water that we totally didn't steal. Only different is I don't remember the thing looking so much like a heartless,' Sombra confirmed for Xion, before his dark aura seemed to grow stronger. 'So the heartless, or Maestro, got to it before it got to us. And you just had to come back in this forest, didn't you?'
The massive heartless let out a roar and charged the three, the ground shaking beneath each of its footsteps. Xion dived out of the way, but when she glanced back over she found that Fluttershy was frozen in place with fear. Realizing that she had to act, Xion raced back over to Fluttershy and tackled her out of the way just as the heartless came charging past. The two rolled across the ground as the monster skidded to a stop, turning on the both of them.
"You need to get out of here," Xion said to Fluttershy as she pulled the pony to her hooves.
'Focus, puppet. The giant heartless is our biggest concern right now!' Sombra reminded her.
Xion pushed Fluttershy to the side before she charged towards the heartless, which let out a roar as it charged towards her. Right when the two were about to collide, Xion leapt up and wrapped her arm around the bottom of the monsters jaw, flipping herself onto its head. The moment she landed she drove her keyblade into the center of the heartless symbol, getting the beast to roar in rage.
"Time for a rodeo!" Xion yelled as she yanked her keyblade to the side, turning the head of the heartless and got to turn in the direction she was pulling. She made the heartless run right into the side of a tree, where she flipped off as the creature collapsed to the ground. The moment she landed she ran up to the head and slashed at it with her blade, managing to get off a string of strikes before the creature pushed itself back up to its feet.
"That thing can take a beating," Xion muttered as she backflipped to gain some distance, taking up a defensive stance as the heartless turned on her once more.
'We should retreat. It's clear that it's stronger than we originally thought. We'll let it eat Fluttershy while we make our escape.'
"Yeah, no."
The heartless lowered its head and opened its beak wide, making Xion raise an eyebrow in confusion. A massive blast of darkness erupted from the creatures maw a moment later, catching Xion completely off guard. She had enough time for her eyes to go wide before the wave of darkness consumed her, throwing her backwards and slamming her into a the side of a cliff face.
'Xion! Get up!' Sombra roared, but all Xion could do was let out a weak groan in reply. Sensing that the key bearer was almost defeated, the heartless let out a bellow before it lunged towards her, shaking the ground with each step as it barreled at Xion.
"STOP!"
Despite being a heartless, the creature came to a stop as the yellow Pegasus flew right in front of its face. "You will not lay a feather on them," Fluttershy told the heartless with a look upon her face that made Sombra shake slightly within Xion's pocket. The heartless did not fear her, but the look upon Fluttershy's face stunned it for just a moment. And a moment was all that Xion needed.
"Time to go down!" she roared as she lunged at the heartless, her keyblade consumed in light magic that formed a blade. Faster than Fluttershy could register Xion slashed through the heartless in a flurry of strikes, getting the beast to roar as light erupted from its eyes and cuts. The heartless then exploded into a spray of darkness, allowing the massive heart that had been trapped within the darkness to finally be freed.
Both Fluttershy and Xion watched as the heart rose into the heavens, radiating a light that caused grass to grown beneath the feet and hooves of the two. Xion then let out a sigh as the light faded from her keyblade, returning it to normal.
'Ugh. I don't feel so good,' Sombra said queasily from within Xion's pocket. Xion opened her pocket and pulled the horn out, while keeping it hidden from Fluttershy.
"You're a horn. You can't feel anything," Xion reminded him.
'Tell that to my stomach. Think I'm going to hurl!'
Xion rolled her eyes before she placed Sombra back into her pocket. She then turned towards Fluttershy, who was looking at where the heartless had vanished with a sad expression on her face.
"What happened to that animal?" she asked Xion when the puppet walked over. "I've heard of those creatures before. They can be territorial, but what it was like was...nothing I've ever seen before. None of those...monsters were like anything I'd ever seen before."
'You shouldn't tell her about the heartless. If they know, they'll get involved. And if they get involved, it will be tougher for us,' Sombra told Xion, but there was none of his usual arrogance in his voice.
"Fluttershy...I can't tell you what they are. All I can tell you is that they're bad news and that I will do everything I can to defeat them," Xion revealed before turning to leave. "You should go back to where you're safe. Stay away from these things and any other voices that tell you to go anywhere. Or else you might end up like that animal."
"Are you sure? Because maybe I could-"
"I work better alone. Trust me," Xion whispered. Fluttershy's gaze softened at Xion's words before she remembered something. She tapped Xion on the back of the coat, getting the puppet to turn to look down at Fluttershy.
"I found this when I was exploring the edge of the forest. I want you to have it," Fluttershy said as she extended a keychain, one that looked like a blue butterfly. Xion reached down at took it from the pony, glancing over it before putting it in the same pocket as Sombra.
"Thanks. See you later."
"Thank you for helping me, Xion. At first I thought you were evil or a monster. But I guess...you're not as scary as I thought," Fluttershy said with a kind smile, one that wasn't hidden behind her mane. Xion flashed her a smile, and for a brief moment Fluttershy saw a smiling face beneath the hood. Then the pony blinked and all that was beneath the hood was darkness. Xion then turned and walked off, leaving Fluttershy to watch the hooded figure go.
"Heartless...that's what Sombra's voice called them," Fluttershy muttered to herself once Xion was gone. "I need to tell Twilight about them...and maybe about Xion." |
The Girl That Never Was | Within | A burst of fire from the end of Xion's keyblade ignited the small amount of sticks that she had placed into a pile, giving birth to a small campfire. Xion took the gloves off of her hands and extended them towards the fire, while she felt Sombra's horn pull away from the fire in her pocket. The light of the fire made the trees within the forest look ghastly, but as a fellow creature of the dark she wasn't afraid.
"So can you not be around light at all?" she asked him.
'I have an aversion to fire, considering the princess of the sun set me ablaze during our battle,' Sombra clarified for Xion, who took the horn out of her pocket and placed it next to her on the grass. 'And yet despite all of my warnings, you do not have that same aversion for that same princesses little cronies. We shouldn't have saved Fluttershy. Now it's only a matter of time before the princesses come down upon us and try to eradicate us as well.'
"Why? I helped save Fluttershy and unlike the other ponies, Fluttershy is fully aware of that fact."
'You think old tank flank cares about what you did or didn't do? You not apart of the light, the side of good, and she wants you gone,' Sombra informed Xion, but when she raised an eyebrow in response he figured that she was going to need some convincing. 'Alright, here. Discord, lord of chaos, little erratic, was created to be an agent of disharmony. So that's what he did. He messed with ponies, changed the day to night or whatever fun little things he could think of.'
"That sounds like someone I've met before," Xion muttered, vaguely able to recall a blue being with similar powers.
'Well anyway, he rubbed Celestia the wrong way. So you know what she and her sister did? Sealed him in stone. For over a thousand years.' Sombra watched with delight as Xion's eyes went wide and a question started to form on her lips. 'That's right. And yes, he was aware of each painful year that passed. He couldn't move, talk, breath...all he could do was watch. Now luckily for him he was already insane, so the experience didn't drive him mad, but what boils my nonexistent blood is that he was sealed in stone...all for being himself. Does that sound fair?'
"No...no that's horrible," Xion whispered as she clenched her own fists, flashing back to all the pain she had to endure because she had been created a copy. "How could Celestia do that to him? How could any of them live with themselves after inflicting that kind of suffering on another being?!"
'Quite easily, because it wasn't too long after that they did the same to me. Except I was imprisoned in ice and not stone, but little difference. Now I'll grant you that I'm no saint, but I was given the same treatment. And all because I wasn't apart of the light. Because my darkness just didn't fit in with Celestia's little "Utopia" of a world. Like I said puppet, the darkness is fading in this land. And Celestia's helping to drive it into it's grave.'
'That is why I need so badly to reform my body, so I can reverse what she is doing,' Sombra continued on, the darkness that was radiating from his horn slowly extinguishing the light of the fire. 'Darkness needs to be in Equestria, but Celestia and her cronies won't let it. So we must all suffer for their beliefs.'
"But Fluttershy didn't seem like someone that would destroy the darkness. In fact, she seemed fairly nice to me despite seeing me as a monster," Xion pointed out.
'Fluttershy is kind to everything. It is literally her Element. And you're right, I can't put the blame on Fluttershy and her friends for their crimes against the darkness. After all, all their lives they've been fed the crap that Celestia has given them. But of course, the princess of the sun only wants eternal light. And we can't let her have that.'
"I'm going to have to fight her, aren't I?" Xion asked Sombra. When he didn't answer she glanced down at the horn, swearing for just a moment that she heard laughter.
'No, fighting Celestia is the last thing we want to do right now. Being of light in a land of light; that will end badly for beings of darkness like us. What we need to do is restore the balance, then the fight will be on fairer footing. And with your skills, I have no doubt you could defeat her in an even fight. At least, physically. Your magical prowess leaves a lot to be desired.'
"What's wrong with my magical skills?" Xion asked defensively as she crossed her arms. The pouting look on her face got a chuckle out of Sombra, who then used his dark powers to summon a black ball of darkness, which he then hurled into the air. The blast exploded above them, raining down a darkness that blocked out all light and chilled the warmth of the fire.
'You are not using them to their full potential. You still fight like those you are...inspired by, but in reality you are more of a mage than a warrior,' Sombra said to her as the spell faded and the fire returned to its normal strength, but Xion was now looking at the horn with a wary expression. 'Make no mistake, puppet. I still posses every single spell and ability I have learned. I just lake the physical form to draw strength from. But...'
"I hate it when you say but," Xion grumbled, but was far too invested at this point.
'But if you drew upon my knowledge with your strength and keyblade, you might be able to reach a level of magic that was sealed off even to me,' Sombra tempted. 'Also, there is the threat of the Maestro. If you do not have the power to best him, then it doesn't matter what you want. He'll simply end you again.' His words got Xion thinking and she summoned her keyblade, looking at it for a long time before she sighed.
"You're right. Against someone as powerful and evil as the Maestro, I need to become stronger. At least until I can reach the beach," Xion said in a whisper as she held her keyblade aloft, the light from the fire reflecting off of its silver blade. Then she flashed a glance at the horn. "But I'll say this now. I am only learning your dark arts for him. Not for Celestia or any of those that follow her. You're an amazing liar, Sombra. So forgive me if I don't trust everything you say."
'I'd be insulted if you trusted me so easily,' Sombra cackled, before raising an eyebrow as Xion pulled out the blue butterfly that Fluttershy had given her. 'So what do you want to do with that? We can pawn it at the next town to make some cash, but other than that...'
"This is actually more important than you realize," Xion said as she reached towards the hilt of her weapon and unclipped the keychain at the end of it, which Sombra noticed for the first time had a shape with three circles attached. She placed that keychain in her pocket before reaching for the butterfly, pulling on it and revealing that it had a keychain as well. She then clipped that keychain to the end of her weapon.
The keyblade erupted into a flash of light, one that momentarily blinded the horn. When he could see again he was struck dumb by what had become of Xion's weapon. The silver blade looked now like a log decorated with flowers. Where the teeth of the key had been near the top now rested a blue butterfly. The guard of the weapon had gone from a golden handle to the roots of a plant, one that made Xion's guard more circular in design. And where the blade met the hilt was a pink butterfly, the same kind as the one's on Fluttershy's flank.
'What happened to the keyblade?' Sombra asked as Xion gave the keyblade a few swings, smiling down at the horn now that she had confused him.
"Whenever I change the keychain, the keyblade changes in form," Xion explained before closing her eyes for a moment, only to open them with a large smile. "Okay, so I lose a bit of striking power, but gain a bit of a buff in magic. That will be useful for our lessons. And I get cure boost? Nice."
'So...this new form...makes your magic stronger, but somehow weakens you physically?' Sombra tried to piece together.
"Not really, it just makes it so hitting with this thing doesn't do as much. All different versions of the keyblade have different powers and abilities," Xion said before she made the keyblade disappear and she sat back down. Sombra pondered over what he had just learned for a long minute before he let out a chuckle that drew Xion's attention.
'And of course, you got this power up after you helped Fluttershy, one of the six ponies that the Maestro wanted you to meet. That's quite the coincidence.' Sombra was happy to see Xion's eyes narrow, telling him that she had caught onto what he was saying. 'That's right, puppet. A keychain, something specific to your weapon, was found here on our world. After the Maestro brought you here. Along with the heartless.'
"So either he brought the keychains here or he's changing this world for a reason," Xion pieced together, growling to herself before she stood up and kicked some dirt over the fire to extinguish it. "We need to get practicing. And moving. As much as I hate to admit it, you're right. Maestro's going to keep messing with this world whether I want to be apart of this or not."
'Oh ho ho, haven't heard that kind of conviction in your voice since the last time we saved all those little, innocent ponies from having their hearts ripped out. Maestro got you that riled up, huh?'
"Are you going to teach me or not?"
'...very well, I always wanted my own pupil, considering every other pupil I took on was consumed by the dark magic. But that's a good thing for you, puppet, because that means there's a vacancy and you're the only one around to fill it. Come on puppet, time to lead down the path to the dark side.'
======
XIII
======
Xion had thought that in order to learn they would have headed to a library or perhaps a school to learn more about magic. To her surprise, Sombra brought them to a cave in the middle of nowhere, one that Xion never would have found had Sombra not shown where it was. He then demanded that she head deeper into the cave and she begrudgingly did so, only to find herself amazed beyond her dreams.
'Incredible, isn't it?' Sombra asked as Xion gazed around at the cavern within, a cavern filled to the brim with crystals of all shapes and colors. All of the crystals glowed with a power and light that illuminated the cavern and the tunnels, but Xion could also feel that the crystals were more attuned to her than they were the light. This was a place of darkness. And she had a feeling Sombra knew that.
"This one of your secret hidden lair that you liked to brag about so much?" Xion asked Sombra as she moved further into the cavern, amazed by how the crystals seemed to be leading her down a path.
'Heh, I considered turning this place into a lair of mine a while back, but then I got attacked and those plans, along with me, were put on ice,' Sombra corrected, his horn drawing tiny bits of magic from the crystals as Xion passed by them. 'But this place has always been a bit of a comfort zone to me, a place where I can come to submerge myself in darkness. You've felt it, haven't you?'
"Yeah, this place feels...right," Xion agreed before she was stopped by a large door. It was formed out of crystals, but she could all see the wooden frame and iron hinges behind the crystals as well. She summoned her keyblade once more and unlocked the door, stepping back as the door slowly creaked open.
'This is one of the last places in Equestria where both light and darkness are in perfect balance,' Sombra stated for Xion, who stepped through the door once it was finished opening. She entered into a large, circular chamber that housed very little within it, aside from a large circle in the middle of the room that held no crystal or rock. Only a circle of solid glass in the center.
"I feel at peace here," Xion said as she closed her eyes and walked onto the glass circle, able to physically feel the weight that had been upon her slowly begin to melt away. "Especially here. It's like...there's nothing. There's no Maestro, no ponies needing help from the heartless...nothing."
'How observant of you. This is a circle of nothing,' Sombra informed Xion, who knelt down and placed her hands over her knees. 'It's an anomaly. Here I tried to erase both light and darkness and this was the end result. A circle where there is no light and darkness. Nothing.'
"I guess that's why I feel so content here. As I am a being of nothingness."
'I'm not going down this path with you again. Now summon your keyblade once more and stand up.' Xion did as she was instructed, rising to her feet and summoning her butterfly keyblade to her side. As she did so crystals of the darkest black emerged from the ceiling, all of them resembling different ponies. Xion assumed that they were ponies that had ticked Sombra off at some point in his life.
'Now then puppet, do you know the trick to summoning the power of dark magic?' Sombra asked.
"I think so. You need to focus on negative emotions, such as hatred and sorrow, to-"
'Wrong! Gah, you're eating the same kind of crap that Celestia feeds the rest of her nation,' Sombra cut her off before she could continue, getting Xion to make a pouting face. 'Darkness is not based on evil, just like light is not based on good. Only the cheapest of dark magic users base their power on those emotions. The way to truly use the darkest and purest of dark magic...is to embrace it.'
"Pardon?"
'You must embrace the darkness the same way almost every living being embraces the light. Do not be try to control it completely, but do not let it swallow you. The darkness is a part of you. It is your ally, just like the light. Now embrace that darkness and channel it into your blade.'
Xion pointed her blade towards the targets after Sombra instructed her, closing her eyes and focusing on the darkness within her. For a long time she felt nothing at all, but then she slowly began to become aware of a feeling within her. A feeling that was not good nor evil, but...strange.
'So you are what my darkness feels like, huh?' she asked, but got no answer. She then let out a sigh before concentrating with all of her focus. 'Do not try to command it, but do not let it swallow me. Just accept that it is a part of me and call upon its power. Call upon the other half of the coin.'
She held that thought for what felt like hours, trying to focus all of those feelings and will into her weapon. But she slowly began to grow more and more frustrated as she felt nothing happen. No wave of power washing over her, no blast to tell her that she had launched a spell. She was just about to give up when she heard Sombra speak.
'Xion...open your eyes.'
Xion did so and to her amazement she found that her keyblade was covered in a blade as black as the cloak that she wore. But unlike the cloak the blade was see through, allowing her to see the keyblade that it was now covering. She moved her blade and looked over it, before gingerly reaching out with her finger and poking the blade of darkness.
It vanished the moment she touched it, but for the brief second that she could feet it she felt...strange. Just like the darkness inside of her. "What happened?" she asked Sombra a minute after the blade had vanished, but to her surprise Sombra waited a long time before he finally answered her.
'It was strange, to say the least. First you summoned that blade of light, just like when you fought the heartless. Then you summoned the blade of darkness and I wanted to tell you to open your eyes. But then it changed once more. The light and the darkness became one for a brief moment. Your blade then felt empty, like it was lacking something important. I used my magic to help you a bit and managed to return the blade back to the one of darkness you just saw.'
"So what happened?"
'The best I can figure...the way I taught you to draw out the darkness was to draw upon the darkness within you,' Sombra began, before he had to stop for another few minutes to think. 'But you drew out something else along with that darkness. Something that wasn't quite light, wasn't quite dark...and wasn't nothing. And I don't know what it is.'
"Does this mean I can't use the power of dark magic then?"
'Actually, it seems that this has confirmed my suspicions. You are more suited to magic than you are close quarters, though you're not bad at that either,' Sombra corrected, though his voice told Xion that he was still very much lost in his own thoughts. 'But as with all skills, it will take time to learn. This time I'm going to teach you how to use bolts of darkness, a personal favorite next to smoke. Now pay close attention, for this is where it gets difficult.' |
The Girl That Never Was | Snake Pony | "I don't know about this, Sombra," Xion said with some hesitation as she looked towards the entrance of the small village, hood covering her face as best it could. "The last time I was in a populated area, it ended with the both of us running for our lives while a bunch of ponies with spears chased us. And I have a bad feeling that this will end similarly."
'And if it does, you can use those impressive keyblade skills to fend them off. Or kill them all. Whichever you prefer,' Sombra replied with a small laugh. Xion braced herself for the chaos that was sure to follow before she walked into the village, doing her best to breath calmly as she entered.
The village was smaller than the Crystal Empire, which was to be expected, but what Xion hadn't been expecting was for every pony to be on high alert. Guards ran past her with rusty armor and weapons that hadn't seen use in a long time. Ponies walked in groups with at least one unicorn in them, with all of them watching the shadows with close eyes. And the moment she came into view, everypony in the town turned and glared at her, giving Xion a moment to realize that she would most likely have to fight her way out of the town.
"Remind me again why I have to do this?" Xion whispered to the horn in her pocket, who chuckled slightly at the sight of all of the ponies trying to look tough.
'Because an old friend of mine lives here, an immortal being that has aided me in the past...for a price,' Sombra replied in a whisper as well, knowing full well that the ponies were watching closely. 'Their house is that one over there with the red roof. Hasn't changed it in a thousand years. That's where we're heading. She has what I seek.'
"Problem. These ponies look like their going to trying and attack at any moment," Xion replied as some of the ponies began to close in on her, making her decide whether or not she pulled out the keyblade then and there. "And I would prefer not to attack them. I'm already on shaky ground with them already."
'Then this is the perfect time for another lesson,' Sombra replied before a stream of darkness poured from Xion's coat pocket. The ponies in the area only had a moment to cry out before the smoky darkness overwhelmed them. Xion was about to yell at Sombra, but then the darkness pulled away and the ponies were left with little clouds of darkness floating around their eyes. They blinked in confusion and began to walk away from where Xion stood, muttering to themselves.
"What did you do?" Xion asked Sombra, only for her not to receive an answer. Angling her back so that it faced the ponies, Xion reached into her pocket and pulled out Sombra's horn, which was a dull orange and seemed to be cracked slightly. "Sombra, are you alright? You're never silent for this long."
'Go...to...house...' Sombra replied in a weak tone, one that made Xion concerned for the horn. But with little other choice, Xion placed the horn in her pocket and walked towards the house. She eyed the ponies of the village the entire time she walked towards the house, but to her amazement she found that none of the ponies so much as gave her a second glance. Even the ones that she walked towards moved out of her way at the last second, the darkness still floating around their eyes.
Xion reached the house with the red roof, but when she did she found it was so much more than that. Plants grew along the side of the house, but each of them was a different plant that seemed to be older than the house. Different brick work made up the house, with different styles built into it. Then there was the air around the house, air that was ancient and powerful, getting Xion to instantly be on guard as she reached up and knocked against a green door.
"Come in," a voice said from within as the door creaked open, getting Xion to stare into the darkness for a moment before she entered within. If she had thought that the house was odd on the outside, the inside of the house made Xion's eyes widen with shock.
What she noticed first was the jars. There were hundreds of them, each of them holding different things within them. Heads, claws, goo: almost anything she could think of was within the jars. But what truly drew Xion's eye, aside from the ugly green curtains and rugs, was the being sitting in one of the chairs, a being that had a serpents lower half and the upper half of a pony, one with a long, black mane and a crimson coat.
"What do we have here? Another creature of the night?" the serpent mare asked as she slithered close to Xion, who summoned her keyblade and pointed it at the serpent, who stopped her advance and looked at the blade with interest. "And a creature that wields a strange weapon, one that holds both light and darkness within it. How curioussssss."
"I'm here because I need something from you. Or rather, he does," Xion began as she took out Sombra's horn and placed it on a table made of glass to her side, getting the mare's eyebrows to raise before she began to laugh to herself. Faster than Xion thought possible the serpent lady swiped the horn from the table and held it close to her slit like eyes.
"Oh the might king of the Crystal Empire, reduced to such a state as this," the serpent laughed with joy, before tossing the horn back to Xion before she turned towards her jar and began to shift through the numerous glasses. "But now that I have seen him, I know what he is here for. Heaven's tears."
"What's that?" Xion asked, keeping her blade pointed at the serpent at all times. The serpent lady paid the weapon no mind as she pulled a jar from the shelf, one that was filled with a bluish black liquid that had specks of white within it, mirroring the stars at night.
"Heaven's tears," the serpent lady replied as she placed the jar on the table, getting Xion to stare at it as the contents within circle inside of the glass and made it look like a swirling cosmos. "An item that can be used to infuse the strongest of items together flawlessly. And if Sombra is planning what I think he is planning, then he will be in desperate need of this."
"Um, thanks. We'll just take that and be on our way," Xion muttered as she reached out for the jar, but the serpent lady chuckled as she pulled the jar closer to her. "Let me guess, there's something that you want in return and you want me to go get it for you, don't you?"
"How clever of you. That's exactly what I want," the serpent lady said with a toothy smile, one that made Xion shiver slightly. The serpent pulled out a map and placed it on the table in front of Xion, who noticed that it was a map of the area, with a large, red X on a certain point of it. "Here lies a mountain where I gathered my minerals for my potions and other items. But recently there have been...creatures there that have made it impossible to obtain my minerals. I would like you to be rid of them."
"How do you know that I can get rid of them?" Xion asked, even though she had already figured out what the creatures were and that she was already going to have to take care of them.
"Sombra would not choose you unless there was something special about you. And from the weapon you wield, I can see that you are indeed special," the mare replied with a chuckle as she stared at the forest styled keyblade. "So yes, I believe that you are the perfect one for the job. Even more so than that pink pony that offered to help me a day ago."
"Another pony was willing to fight those monsters?" Xion asked with some moderate surprise.
"Yes. And I will promise you the same thing I promised her, just to sweeten the deal," the mare said as she reached behind her and pulled out a keychain, one that had a bright blue balloon making up most of the chain. Xion's eyes narrowed as she realized what the serpent lady held, getting the serpent to chuckle. "Ah, I see this is far more valuable to you than it is her. Well, if you wish to get it, then you must slay those monsters. Off you go."
The lady let out another laugh as she coiled around a column and ascended to the second floor of her house, leaving Xion to watch her go before she turned and exited the house, shivering once she was outside of the house. "Okay, that was super creepy. Sombra, you awake yet?"
'Give me another five minutes,' Sombra grunted, only to be shaken awake when Xion shook Sombra quickly in her hand. 'Fine, I'm up I'm up. Ugh, so did you manage to work out a deal with my dear Gorgana?'
"That her name? She never said it," Xion muttered.
'Of course not, nopony in this town knows that she's a gorgon. All any of them see is her upper half and even then she's often cloaked in darkness,' Sombra explained in a tired tone.
"What about her eyes?"
'Contacts. Speaking of things in the darkness, I take it my blinding spell worked to perfection?' Sombra asked, getting Xion to look around at all of the ponies that were walking right past her without so much as a look.
"Is that what you did? I wondered why everypony stopped looking at me with murder in their eyes," Xion muttered to herself, banishing the keyblade as she quickly moved towards the edge of town. "But that spell of yours seems to have taken a lot out of you. You were quiet for a full ten minutes before you spoke again. I've never heard you quiet that long."
'Hahaha, sometimes I wonder why I keep you around,' Sombra replied in a grumbling tone. Xion was about to reply before a newspaper floated in front of her, getting Xion to look down at the horn with confusion. 'I snatched this from Gorgana's house when she wasn't looking. Take a look at the front page and see what your "good deeds" have done for us.'
"You stole from one of your oldest friends?" Xion asked in disbelief as she grabbed the newspaper and looked at the front of it.
'She knew full well what she was letting into her home. Her fault for not nailing it down,' Sombra replied with a laugh, but at that point Xion wasn't listening. She was far too busy reading the headline with both rage and amazement filling up her thoughts.
"Monsters of darkness have been popping up all over Equestria, attacking any and all with a merciless wrath, while doing everything in their power to take the hearts of ponies," Xion read, ignoring the king of darkness. "Regular weapons cannot hurt the creatures, but magic has been found to repel the creatures if a strong enough spell is used. All ponies are advised to stay around at least one unicorn, preferably more. Well, at least they've figured out that the Heartless don't like magic."
'Yeah, and if you keep reading you'll find that Twilight was the one that found out that the Heartless don't like magic, not Celestia or Luna. Another reason to trap those two far away from anypony with brains and let me take control of the world once again,' Sombra said, getting Xion to scroll down to the part he was talking about. 'Did you read the part that they mentioned about you?'
"Yeah, I read it. A being in a black cloak has also been spotted along with the creatures of darkness and it seems to be far more powerful than them. Extreme caution should be used in dealing with the creature. Do not engage unless an Ambassador of Harmony or a princess is nearby," Xion read with some heat in her voice, before she crumpled the paper and kicked it away from her. "I can't believe it. Help some ponies out and get labeled as a monster. No good deed, am I right?"
'Hey, I wanted to read the funnies.'
"Ugh, come on, let's go destroy these Heartless and hope that nothing else dangerous shows up to mess up my day. Especially the Maestro," Xion grumbled to herself as she shoved her hands into her pockets and stalked towards the mountains near the town. Once she had been walking for a few minutes and had a chance to calm down, another question crossed her mind.
"So, you know this pink pony, don't you?" Xion asked Sombra.
'Yeah, I do. Pinkie Pie is another of the Ambassadors and one of the more annoying ones at that,' Sombra grumbled in an annoyed tone. 'She's a party animal and has a smile so bright it can kill a being of darkness who looks at her. She's also got...strange abilities that makes her a hassle to deal with.'
"Think I'll have to fight her?"
'Highly unlikely. Pinkie is the friendliest of the Ambassador's by a wide margin, to the point where she comes across as a stalker. She will try to make friends with you, no matter what you do,' Sombra warned Xion, who was having issues seeing how making friends was a bad thing. 'Honestly, if you want to cut her head off before she can say anything along the lines of parties, I'll be your best friend for eternity.'
"Yeah, I'm not going to do that," Xion replied as she looked up to see that they had reached the mountains, getting a sigh to escape her lips as she saw that she was in for a heck of a climb. With nothing else to do but climb, Xion began to scale the cliff before her. For a long time she scaled in silence, amazed that Sombra hadn't said anything yet.
'So do you have any family?' Sombra eventually asked. The question was so sudden and out of left field that Xion had to stop climbing to look down at the horn.
"What?"
'Family? You got any?'
"Where did this come from?"
'Well, just seeing my old friend again reminded me of families and connections and...' Sombra began, before he saw the look Xion was giving him and he let out a laugh. 'Alright, you caught me. I'm just trying to find out more about you, puppet. Since we're going to be stuck together for a while, figure I might as well find out who my buddy is.'
"So if I have any weakness you can exploit them later."
'See, you get me. So come on. Mom? Dad? Brothers or sisters?'
"No...I'm a creation, remember?" Xion said before she started to walk along a small ledge on the side of the mountain. "A science experiment that went horribly wrong. Or horribly right, depending on who you asked."
'See, isn't that better than that whole I'm made of nothing crap you were spewing?'
"For the love of...better. Yeah, that's the word I would use," Xion grumbled as she grabbed hold of a branch and used it to pull herself up to another ledge. "Being used unknowingly to try and kill my best friend while being manipulated to become the ultimate weapon for an organization that wanted to steal the hearts of the worlds. That's better than being made of nothing."
'Whoo, touched a nerve there, did I?' Sombra asked. 'But you mentioned an organization? Care to talk about them?'
"Here's all you need to know. Eleven jerks decided to form a group to get back their hearts and take over the worlds and all of that evil organization crap," Xion muttered while taking a rest on another ledge, staring out across the land as she did so.
'But you said one of them was your best friend. Is this the Roxas I heard you saying in your sleep?' Sombra asked coyly, getting Xion's face to soften as she glanced down at her hands. 'Ah, there's some feelings for this one, eh? Well tell me all about him, then.'
"We were just close friends, nothing else. But...yeah, he was my first friend in the organization," Xion said with a small smile recalling some of the few good memories that she still had. "He helped me...become me, in a way. Then I met Axel and the three of us became a group. We'd do our missions, hang out and eat ice cream together. Those were...the best days I've ever had. And I haven't had that many."
"And then I found out I was created to steal Roxas's power and then be used as a weapon. That's what I was created to be," Xion said with venom, getting Sombra to be slightly surprised by the sudden change in attitude. "And so Roxas and I fought. And he killed me. End of my story. Or it was supposed to be."
'Okay, I've heard that bit at the end before. I still don't care. The organization sounds much more interesting, but you clearly don't want to talk about them. Fine,' Sombra said in a tone Xion couldn't figure out. 'But you've just given me an idea on how to help you with your magic training. See, there's another great emotion that can draw our your inner power. Vengeance.'
"Vengeance?" Xion asked. "I thought you said that negative emotions were a cheap way to access the power of darkness?"
'They are, but vengeance, especially justified vengeance, can be a very powerful force,' Sombra cackled in a menacing tone. 'And you seem to fit that bill perfectly.'
Xion wanted to answer, but before she could an explosion rocked the mountain tops, followed by a stream of confetti that rained down upon the both of them. 'Hold that thought. Seems that Pinkie has found those Heartless that we're here to deal with. Onward, my noble puppet!'
"How am I supposed to find her?" Xion asked as she rose to her feet and took off running.
'Simple, puppet. Follow the confetti.' |
The Girl That Never Was | Party Pony | The confetti lead the two beings of the darkness to the pink party pony, who was fending off a swarm of heartless with cakes, cookies and a giant cannon that fired giant blasts of confetti into the faces of the heartless. Xion came skidding to a stop at the top of a ridge that looked down over where the battle was taking place, allowing Xion a moment to gather her breath while surveying the situation.
'Pinkie seems to be handling the situation pretty well,' Sombra muttered from Xion's left hand as the two of them watched Pinkie flip over two of the Shadows and drop a party bomb onto them, which then exploded into candy and streamers while the Heartless flew into the air.
"She's fending them off, but she's failing to actually hurt any of them," Xion replied to Sombra as she pointed at the Heartless that had been sent flying. They both crashed into the ground, but a moment later were back up and battling with the pink horse again with no injuries. "Just like I said, the Heartless can't be hurt with everyday weaponry. Either the keyblade or some form of magic is needed to hurt them. This is a loosing battling for Pinkie."
'Well are we going to sit up here and watch her be consumed by the darkness? Or are you going to be a hero and get down in there to save her? Because I know where my vote goes.'
Xion summoned her keyblade and leapt down into the fray, hurling the blade of light into the horde of Heartless. it cleaved them into shreds and caused three of them to vanish, while the others were knocked back from the pink pony. Xion landed next to Pinkie and extended her hand, summoning the keyblade back into her grasp before she took up a fighting stance.
"You alright?" Xion asked Pinkie, who nodded her head with a smile as she gazed up at Xion. Pinkie's face filled with confusion as she looked at Xion, before she rubbed her eyes and turned her attention back to the Heartless. "Your cannon and weapons can't harm them. But they can keep the Heartless distracted. If you can keep them busy I can finish them off."
"Sounds like a plan, mysterious person! Let's send these beings of darkness crying home to their mommy's!" Pinkie laughed before throwing numerous pies that she had been concealing somewhere. Each of her pies caught one of the Heartless in the face, making it so the entire swarm was covered in an assortment of flavors and cream. Xion was upon the Heartless in a second, slashing through the Shadows with a merciless precision. In one swift motion she disappeared from Pinkie's side and appeared on the other side of the Heartless, twirling her blade once before driving the tip into the ground. When she did so, all of the Heartless exploded into darkness, leaving only toppings and fruity filling behind.
'Well that takes care of that. Think that was all of them?' Sombra asked Xion as the puppet banished her keyblade, before she lifted her hood and covered her head with it.
"Doubtful. Where there is one Heartless there is generally hundreds more," Xion replied as she turned to leave, only to take a step back in surprise when she found the pink pony with the poofy mane standing in front of her. "Um, can I help you?"
"Hi there! I'm Pinkie Pie! Nice to meet you!" Pinkie said with a smile as she extended a hoof to Xion. Xion stared at it for a moment before she gently reached out and shook Pinkie's hoof. The pink pony then started to bounce around Xion, who had to constantly turn so that her eyes weren't off Pinkie for even a moment. "I've never seen anypony like you before! But you don't look like a pony. Are you new to these lands? And are you that cloaked being that Twilight told us all about?"
"Slow down and one question at a time, please," Xion replied as she tried to process all of the questions at once, but Pinkie was too busy asking more questions to hear Xion's request.
'What did I tell you? She has two settings. Intense and get her off of me,' Sombra cackled from within Xion's pocket and Xion understood perfectly why Sombra had warned her. After another minute of asking questions, Pinkie finally paused for a breath and allowed Xion a chance to cut in.
"Look, Pinkie, I appreciate you being so...talkative, but you need to get away from this place. This is no place for a being of light like yourself," Xion told Pinkie while surveying the area, finding the entrance to a cave in the stone walls.
"What do you mean?" Pinkie asked Xion as Xion was walking away from Pinkie. When Xion didn't answer, Pinkie zipped over to her side and walked alongside the puppet, much to Xion's annoyance. "What were those things? You called them Heartless, but a being can't have a heart? But what if they don't? Does that mean they can laugh? They can't enjoy parties?! What kind of life is that?!"
"Pinkie," Xion said in a far more serious tone, getting Pinkie to look up at Xion once more. Yet this time Xion noticed that Pinkie was squinting her eyes at Xion's face, almost like she was trying to see something. "You can't be here. These Heartless will tear out your heart and turn you into one of them. Not only would that make someone I hate very happy, but it would also mean that your friends would lose you. And I won't let any other friendships be ruined."
"Thanks for thinking of me, but I'm a protector of Equestria. And these Heartless have been real big meanies and somepony needs to teach them some manners. And I'm the only pony around here that seems to be able to. At least, until I met you," Pinkie replied, getting Xion to sigh in exasperation. "So I need to help these ponies fight the darkness. Because it seems this darkness is way, way worse than any other we've faced. And one time Flim and Flam tried to outlaw smiles! Which was terrible!"
'I warned you,' Sombra added in.
Xion wanted to argue, but at that moment the three of them reached the entrance to the cave. Xion narrowed her eyes and stared into the darkness, gritting her teeth as she felt something both dark and powerful within the depths. But knowing that she needed to get rid of all of the Heartless to get what Sombra needed, Xion summoned her keyblade once more and marched into the depths.
"Fire," she muttered and caught the end of her blade alight, allowing some light to fill the depths of darkness. The cave entrance hadn't done the cavern within any favors, as the space that Xion, Sombra and Pinkie found themselves in was massive, with numerous branching paths. In the middle of the giant cavern was a massive gate, one that was held tight with chains. "Why do I have a feeling that whatever we're here to fight is behind that gate?"
'Can't you just open it with your keyblade? Like you've done every other lock we've come across?' Sombra asked, only for Xion to shake her head.
"You see a lock on that thing? No, looks like the only way to open it is to go down these side paths and destroy whatever is within them that's holding up that gate," Xion said with an experts opinion, remembering times that she had to do similar tasks in the past.
"Okay then, what do you need me to do, stranger?" Pinkie asked Xion, who looked down to see that Pinkie had followed her into the cavern. "Fight more of the Heartless? Use my Pinkie sense to figure out which paths we need to go down? Cupcake?" Pinkie finished as she offered a cupcake to the puppet.
"No, what and sure," Xion replied as she took the cupcake from Pinkie, placing it in her inventory for later. "Pinkie, what I want you to do is go back to the surface and stay out of this. I will not risk losing your heart to the Heartless. Let me deal with this."
"Alright then, miss bossy, I'll leave you alone if you can answer me a simple question. Which of these paths contain whatever it is you're looking for?" Pinkie asked Xion. Xion wanted to answer right away, but as she looked at the numerous paths, some of which branched off even further, she realized that she had no idea how to proceed any further. "See, you have no idea where to go. But with my Pinkie sense, I can figure out which of these paths you need to go down! I can help!"
"And I'm really supposed to believe that you have a special ability that would allow you to find your way in all of this?" Xion asked in a disbelieving tone.
'You mock her, but she's the weirdest out of her friends and I don't just mean her personality. Remember those strange powers I told you about?' Sombra reminded Xion. 'Yeah, one of them seems to be this strange sense of hers that allows her to do practically whatever she wants. Annoying, but useful.'
"But it's too dangerous. She could lose her heart," Xion replied to Sombra while Pinkie watched the being in the cloak argue with herself, not at all bothered by it. She'd lost a few arguments to herself before as well.
'Again, you underestimate the Ambassadors of Harmony. I thought that they were just six idiots with a power they didn't know how to use and then they blew me up. Just because they don't have the keyblade doesn't mean they can't be useful. Not to mention I don't care in the slightest if Pinkie loses her heart or gets ripped apart, but time is of the essence and right now you don't know jack about this cave. We need her help and if I can admit that, so can you.'
"I hate it when you're right. Good thing that's not often," Xion grumbled to herself before glancing over at Pinkie, who still wore a smile on her face. "Alright then, Pinkie, I guess you can show us-ME to where we need to go. But after that I need you to promise that you'll leave this cave and the Heartless to me. Alright?"
"Okay, I promise," Pinkie replied in a deadpan tone.
'Make her Pinkie promise,' Sombra added on, but Xion chose to ignore him and motioned for Pinkie to lead the way. Without a seconds delay Pinkie bounced into one of the tunnels and motioned for Xion to follow her, which the puppet did so with a sigh.
Xion had been expecting traps or Heartless or numerous other things, but the tunnel was surprisingly empty aside from the occasional strange rock or glowing mushrooms growing out of the walls. The pair reached the end of the tunnel to find a strange sphere floating in the air, one that was filled with the power of darkness. Xion narrowed her eyes before a single swing of her blade cleaved the sphere in two, causing it to burst apart in a shower of light.
"One down," Xion muttered to herself as she heard what sounded like a chain breaking, figuring that the sphere had been connected to the door. Xion then glanced down at Pinkie, who was smiling up at Xion with a happy look on her face. "Thanks. Think you can lead me to the other ones?"
"No problem! There's only four left anyway!" Pinkie pointed out as she started to hop along at a much faster pace, making Xion wonder how Pinkie knew all of the things she did.
'Don't question it or you may end up driving yourself insane, which would be bad for me,' Sombra muttered to Xion, who decided this time to take his advice.
Pinkie lead Xion down another tunnel, one that was hardly different than the one they had just been down. But this time Pinkie warned Xion in advance to crouch as they walked through the tunnel. Xion did so, though she saw nothing in the dark tunnel that gave her a reason to crouch down. At the end of the tunnel was another sphere of darkness, same as the first.
"Alright, let's deal with you," Xion muttered before her blade flashed in the darkness, cleaving the sphere in half and causing the sound of a chain breaking to echo throughout the cavern. As she turned and started to walk back down the tunnel Xion said, "Two more to go and then we can figure out what-"
"GET DOWN!"
With a speed Xion couldn't begin to fathom she was tackled to the ground by a pink blur, landing on her back just in time to see two blades of shattered magic slash through the air where she had been standing a moment ago. Xion blinked twice as the recognition began to sink in, while Pinkie rose to her hooves and glared at where the blades had come from. She then offered a hoof to Xion, who took it and was pulled back up to her feet.
"Um, thanks," Xion weakly said, still trying to process what had just happened. "How did you know that the blades were there? I didn't see any indication that told me."
"Pinkie sense. It has a warning for all sorts of dangers. But I will admit, that was a new feeling," Pinkie admitted as she shivered slightly in place. "I've never had such a cold, loathsome feeling course through my body before. Whoever made those traps has no ounce of remorse or kindness in their body. Scary...oh well, let's keep moving! Just two to go!"
Pinkie bounded ahead happily, humming her tune to herself as she did so. Xion didn't follow after her right away and instead pulled out Sombra's horn and looked down at it with a nervous expression on her face. "That power...that was the Maestro's power, wasn't it?"
'Yeah. And had Pinkie not stepped in, you'd be missing your pretty little head,' Sombra said in a low voice, one that made Xion shiver slightly. 'So this entire area has been his doing. Which means there's probably a reason for the door and all of the spheres. But what gets me is why would he use chains on the door and what could possibly be behind it?'
"It couldn't be a Heartless, could it?" Xion asked Sombra, who gave no reply. "I mean, the Heartless can travel anywhere through the dark corridor, so it's impossible to actually trap one of them. But then again, I thought it would be impossible to bring me back to life and somehow he managed to do it."
'Well we won't know what's in there until we open the door, won't we?' Sombra asked with one of his cackles, but when Xion didn't respond he ceased laughing. 'Look, whatever it is I know you can handle it. You were picked to be my student after all, so if you lose to whatever abomination that freak thought up, I will be very disappointed. So if you can't win for you, do it for me.'
"And that's supposed to motivate me?" Xion asked with a small chuckle before she saw Pinkie bound back into view. "You're right Sombra. I've got to face whatever it is that Maestro has in store for me. After all, if I can't beat his henchmen, how in the worlds am I supposed to defeat him?"
'Now you're thinking like my student. Onward!'
Xion followed Pinkie into the next tunnel, this time listening to her advice and doing everything she told her to do. At the end of that tunnel was another sphere of darkness and like the other two it went down in a single strike. The two moved carefully back to the front of the tunnel, before Xion tossed her blade inside to trigger the traps so that no curious pony would get caught in there in the future. One that was done, she and Pinkie returned to the main room, where to their surprise they found the final sphere floating in the middle of the room.
"Well, that makes this easy. There are no traps, right?" Xion asked Pinkie, having learned her lesson.
"No, I don't think so..." Pinkie replied with a confused expression before she shook her head and glanced up at Xion, who was starting to move towards the sphere with her blade drawn back. "You know, you never did tell me your name."
"What?" Xion asked as she stopped her approach to the sphere and looked back at Pinkie, who was looking at Xion with a curious expression on her face.
"I mean, I don't want to sound ungrateful or anything, but we've been helping each other through all of this and I don't even know your name," Pinkie told Xion with a curious glance.
"Why do you care so much about the name of a nobody like me?" Xion asked Pinkie, before spinning around and slashing through the final sphere. As it exploded into light, the final chain snapped around the door and the metal door fell over with a loud boom. Xion took up a fighting stance while Pinkie pulled out her party cannon, but after a tense moment nothing came out. "I don't get it, was something supposed to-"
'XION!' Sombra roared right before a wall of darkness appeared before the puppet. The moment it did so three pieces of ice embedded themselves in the dark wall, puncturing it and leaving their tips just inches away from Xion's face. As the wall of darkness fell Xion and Pinkie could both see that know someone else was in the room with them.
They wore a cloak identical to Xion's, except that the hood completely covered their face. They were taller than Xion and had more of a build, but other than that there was no features for the two to discern. But what drew Xion's eyes, and made her body go cold, was the weapon it held in its left hand. A bright, blue shield with spikes at the top.
"There's...no way..." Xion whispered to herself as the being took up a stance and began to walk towards her. "You shouldn't be here! You were destroyed!"
'You dared to defy me, your creator,' the being replied before it pointed its right hand at Xion, a hand that became filled with ice. 'And for that you will freeze for eternity!' |
The Girl That Never Was | The Chilly Academic | Xion had never summoned her keyblade faster than she did when the being in the cloak spoke to her. And it was a good thing she did, for a moment later shards of ice erupted from the beings right hand and hurled themselves across the air to get to her. She deflected the ice with her key, but instead of taking the opening to close the ground against her foe she backed away with terror in her eyes.
"This...isn't possible. You can't be here," Xion whispered to herself as the being slowly began to advance towards you. "You were erased. I saw the reports! And even if you somehow managed to survive, how could you possibly know that I'm here?! Answer me, Vexen!"
'Puppet, get a grip. It's clear that this is nothing more than an illusion created to mess with your head,' Sombra's voice said from within Xion's pocket, getting the puppet to take a moment to realize that he was right. 'If what you said is true, then the real one is dead. Meaning this guy here is a fake. So calm down, or get even more worked up, and put an end to him once more.'
"Yeah...that I can do," Xion growled as she lifted the woodland keyblade and took up her fighting stance, before roaring with rage as she lunged towards the cloaked being. She leapt into the air and slashed her blade at the head of Vexen, who lifted his shield to block the attack. Vexen skidded back under Xion's strength, but even as the keyblade wielder pushed against the icy shield she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
"You are not apart of my life anymore," Xion said through gritted teeth as she continued to overpower the Academic, who gave her no response. "You may have originally created me, but I have become a...person that you can no longer control! Do you hear me, you fake?!"
"Fake? I am insulted, no. I. Unlike you, I...am no fake!" Vexen yelled as he flipped his hood back to reveal a narrow face with long, icy blonde hair. A mad smile crossed his face as his eyes locked with Xion's, which only grew wider when he saw the fear in her eyes. Vexen let out a cackle before he kneed Xion in the gut, sending her skidding backwards before collapsing. "I am the genuine article. I am the one that made you. And I am pleased to see just how far my creation has come."
"But...that's not possible. You were erased. Axel personally erased you!" Xion roared as she pushed herself back to her feet. Vexen placed a finger in the center of his forehead before leaning back and letting out a laugh that was as cold as the ice that hung from his shield.
"Foolish, idiotic puppet. Have you learned nothing from your brief time in this world? I am not the Vexen you know. I am from a different reality," Vexen informed Xion, who glared at him in confusion for a moment before her eyes went wide with realization. "That's right. Axel would have slain me in my reality, had the Maestro not stepped in and put an end to him and the keyblade wielder. Thanks to him, Organization Thirteen finally took control of the worlds!...but why do I tell you this? For soon, you will belong to me once more?"
"So you're here on the Maestro's orders? Are you here to kill me?" Xion asked, noticing out of the corner of her eye that Pinkie was moving to a position behind the Nobody.
"Kill you? What good would that do any of us? Unfortuantely in my world, an unexpected consequence of the keyblade wielder being slain is that Roxas vanished as well. We do not know how that happened, but that means we are lacking a keyblade wielder that can be...controlled," Vexen said with a large smile as he took in Xion once more. "And without him means that our puppet would never work like you. But as I made the Xion in my world, I can...reprogram you to serve both mine and the Maestro's purposes. Now be a good puppet and don't resist. Because if you do...things will get painful."
"Maestro...killed Roxas? And Axel?" Xion asked in a near whisper as she looked down at her hands, her words getting Vexen to look at her with confusion. Then his face hardened like ice and he slammed his palm into the ground, conjuring icicles that spiked across the ground towards Xion.
'Move, puppet!' Sombra roared in her mind before using his power to yank her to the side
"Oh yes, he ripped the very nothingness out of Axel. Didn't know that was actually possible until I saw him do it," Vexen stated with a small chuckle before he aimed at Xion with his hand once more. "But that is enough questions. After all, once you are under my command, you will no longer need to ask-!"
"Hey, do you like ice cream?"
"My shield is modeled like a snowflake. Of course I like ice-" Vexen answered before he realized the question he was answering. He spun around just in time for Pinkie to slam a tub of ice cream over his head. Vexen let out a muffled roar as the sugary goodness stuck to his hair, getting him to stagger around as he tried to pull the tub off of his head. "Cloaked girl, that's not going to last for long! Do you have a plan?"
'Puppet?' Sombra asked Xion, who had yet to move after hearing what had become of her two best friends.
"Maestro...killed them."
'That he did. Not the ones you know, but ones just like them,' Sombra stated, but as he glanced into Xion's eyes he wished he could smile. 'And he's going to do it again. And again. And again. And Vexen is going to control them or you to his heart's content. Unless somepony stops him. Somepony that has the key...to his defeat.'
Xion threw her head back and let out a howl that shook the ground, before an aura of darkness erupted around her. With hate filled eyes she glared at Vexen, who had just managed to free himself from the imprisonment of Rocky Road. His eyes went wide as he saw what was happening to Xion. Xion extended her keyblade and a blade of darkness encased the key, which Xion slowly then lifted as she took up a fighting stance.
Vexen then let out a roar as he fired blasts of ice towards the key master, but in a flicker of darkness Xion moved past the ice and appeared in front of Vexen. Vexen's eyes went wide as he stared down into her eyes, eyes that were filled with the power of darkness. Her body flickered and a moment later she appeared behind Vexen, standing in a pose with the keyblade held high. Vexen turned slowly to look at her, before a slash tore through his body and nearly cleaved him in two.
'What...is happening to him?' Sombra asked in disbelief as he and Pinkie watched as Vexen began to come apart, pieces of him fading away into the darkness.
"We are made from nothing. Thus, we return to nothing," Xion whispered as she turned around to stare at Vexen, who was staring at himself with wide eyes. Then he slowly lifted his eyes to Xion, locking eyes with her for a moment before he let out a cackle, the most menacing, but also joyous, laughter that she had ever heard.
"Truly you are my greatest creation. I created you to copy the powers of the key bearer. But to think that you would be able to learn genuine emotion and humanity...truly it shows what an incredible genius that I am," Vexen laughed to himself as his legs vanished into nothing and all that was left was his upper torso. "But the trials will only get harder from here, my creation. I will not be the only being from your past Maestro will bring to deal with you. And after you see what else he has up his sleeve, perhaps you will wish that you had been reprogrammed by me."
"I will never be the slave of someone like you again," Xion promised in a rage filled whisper, but all that did was make Vexen smile once more.
"Actual rage. From a puppet like you. How incredible you turned out. I have nothing...but...pride..."
The rest of the Nobody vanished into nothingness, leaving the group of three to stare at the spot where he had vanished. Xion was the first to look away and turned her gaze towards the door that they had opened. To her surprise she found that the entire area within had been frozen in ice, except for a book that floated off of the ground.
"There it is!" Pinkie sang as she skated across the ice and to the book, grabbing hold of it and placing it in her mane. "Thanks for helping me find that! Twilight sent me to find it, but I've been looking for days with no idea where it could be. To think it would be in here..."
"Yeah...no problem," Xion replied as she banished her key and started to walk towards the exit, only for Pinkie to hop alongside her. The two left the darkness of the cavern and stepped back out into the light. Pinkie reveled in the light, but Xion flipped up her hood to shield her from the star. "Thanks for your help back in there. Guess I shouldn't have underestimated you. Bye."
"Hey, wait," Pinkie said, getting Xion to stop and turn her hooded head to look at the pony. "I still didn't get your name."
"...Xion. My name is Xion," Xion replied before she walked away from Pinkie, leaving the pink pony to watch her go until Xion vanished from her sight.
"Xion, huh? What an interesting friend," Pinkie said to herself before she started to head off in the opposite direction. "Wonder how she got her hair to look so nice?"
=======
No. I
=======
"Alright, as we promise the land is now free of the Heartless," Xion told Gorgana, who hissed happily at the news. She slithered over to one of her shelves and removed the Heaven's Tear from the shelf, which she then placed on the table in front of Xion along with a balloon keychain. "But I'll warn you now, Heartless almost never stay gone long. Be careful if you go back out to the mountains, just to be safe."
"I will keep that in mind, key bearer," Gorgana replied before she took a look at Sombra's horn, which was resting on the table. "So I must ask you this, king of the darkness: do you actually know the rest of the ingredients to reform your body? Or are you hoping to stumble across the answer to that like you have most other things in your life?"
'Well thank you for making me look bad in front of the help. The next time the villagers form an angry mob when they find out what you are, don't ask me to warp their minds,' Sombra spat in reply. 'But in all seriousness though, what are the remaining two ingredients? I'm asking for a friend.'
"You don't have any friends," both Xion and Gorgana said at the same time, before Gorgana cleared her throat. "The other two items to reform a body destroyed by the heart. You will need the Dragons Fire and the Golem's Core. One of those you will find to the East. The other will be in the South. But be warned, I have heard rumors that the lands are not as safe as they once were. There are dangers out there, along with the Heartless. Be careful."
"We will. And thank you for your help," Xion said with a small bow before she took the Heaven's Tears off of the table as well as the chain, placing them both in her coat before nodding to Gorgana. The serpent pony slithered into the back of her house, telling Xion that it was time to leave. She stepped out of the house to see that the spell Sombra has placed on the ponies had worn off, meaning that all of them gave her the same glares that they had when she first showed up.
"Time to go."
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No. I
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From the confines of his horn Sombra looked over Xion, who was resting her head on her arms while she stared into the fire that crackled before her. She hadn't said anything to him since the cavern where she fought the other hooded being, which was something that had interested Sombra.
'So that Vexen being was the one that created her, huh? Guess she wasn't joking when she said she was a creation,' Sombra thought to himself. 'But if she was right about that, does that mean she was telling the truth about everything else? Like how she is a being with no emotion made of nothingness? That can't be true, Vexen himself said that she had developed emotions on her own. But the less I know, the more interested I become. Seems that she's not just some powerful kid from the darkness, but a science experiment gone horribly right.'
'So why are you still moping?' Sombra asked Xion, getting her to lazily look over at the horn resting beside her. 'We stopped the Heartless, killed your creator while also tapping into your inner darkness, got the Heaven's Tears and best of all got away from Pinkie without becoming friends with her. I'd consider today a win. Yet you look like you're about to attend a funeral.'
"Sorry, it's just that...I didn't come here expecting to see anyone I knew, let alone the Nobody that...created me," Xion said as her body shivered, getting her to pull her limbs closer around her. "Actually, I've had to face y creator twice now. First it was the Maestro, and now it's Vexen. I almost can't believe it."
'So this Vexen, he's a member of Organization Thirteen, right?' Sombra asked, chuckling when Xion nodded. 'Thought so. Not only is he a member, but one from a different reality than what you know. Things just keep getting more and more interesting, doesn't it?'
"Interesting? How can you call this interesting?" Xion said with a rage as hot as the fire that blazed before her. "We're beings of shadow in a world of light while being hunted by a mechanical madman that seeks to undo the very fabric of this world! Now we have to deal with Maestro bringing in members of Organization Thirteen from a world where they've won!...Maestro killed my friends..."
'I call it interesting because, not only did you and Maestro pretty much confirm that multiverse theory is real, but now all these beings of shadow are showing up in the land of light. That will have to help balance the scales,' Sombra told Xion, but as she rested her head onto her arms Sombra knew he wasn't going to be able to get her to do anything until she was cheered up.
'And speaking of darkness, that was quite the darkness you pulled out there during your fight with Vexen,' Sombra continued on, waiting to see if she would react before he continued. 'Not only did you call upon the power of darkness, you called upon enough darkness to put even me to shame. And all of that without much training by me. Just like I said, puppet. You're a natural. You've got quite a bit of darkness in your heart.'
"I don't have a heart, remember?" Xion reminded Sombra, but all Sombra did was respond with a gargling sound of annoyance.
'You can feel hate. You can feel love. You can feel sad. You cannot feel any of those emotions without a heart. Therefor, you have a heart,' Sombra stated for her in such an annoyed tone she decided not to argue. 'But, as I was saying, you used that darkness and channeled it perfectly. Not only did you channel it around your keyblade, but you also channeled it around yourself, increasing your physical attributes. Makes you quite the warrior. Next time let us see what that can do for your magical side.'
"I thought that I wasn't supposed to use my emotions for darkness?"
'You didn't. You didn't rely on the emotions to draw out the power. You didn't let your emotions control you. You felt the negative emotions and channeled them into power. Just like I taught you,' Sombra said with a small sniffle. 'I almost brings a tear to my eye to see how well you're following my orders. Maybe we'll make a proper puppet out of you yet.'
Xion grunted in reply, but instead of answering Sombra she summoned her blade, flashing light across the area. She removed Fluttershy's keychain from the key, returning it to the Kingdom Key, before pulling out Pinkie's balloon and attaching it to the base of the key. The keyblade vanished in a flash of light and was replaced a moment later with a different design.
The base of the keyblade changed to the outline of a cupcake, with the top of the guard colored like frosting while the bottom was the color of chocolate. The blade itself was a single, long candle that had a metal flame where the tip of the blade was supposed to be. And the part sticking out from the blade was the roman numeral for fourteen, both Xion's "age" and the number she wore back in the Organization. She wondered if it was on purpose. And from the bottom the blue balloon keychain swung back and forth, with little bits of confetti falling off.
'Ugh, that is one ugly blade. So what's this one do?' Sombra asked Xion as the girl extended the blade, swinging it a few times to get a feel for it before she held it with both hands.
"This one has huge reach, meaning that I can strike foes from farther away," Xion noted as she swung the blade, allowing Sombra to see that it had a large arch. "It's also balanced in magic and strength, which is fine, I guess. Oh, but I get Lucky Lucky with it. That'll be handy for gathering items."
'See, something good happened to you today. In fact, a lot of good things happened to you,' Sombra added on quickly before Xion's sadness returned. 'You got a new blade on top of everything else. So why wallow in your misery. It doesn't do you any good. So why not use those emotions for something useful, like channeling your magic?'
"What do you mean?"
'Well, how do feel when you're angry?'
"Well, like I could tear apart any that stand before me. I'm like a wildfire."
'Good. How about when you're sad, like right now?'
"I feel...alone, distance...cold."
'Excellent. Now then, I recall earlier you showed me that you could shoot a fireball with your magic. Am I wrong to guess that you could also do the same with ice?'
"Are you saying...to use these negative emotions to further strengthen my magic?" Xion asked. "But I thought you said-"
'Again, using emotion to further your magic is fine. What you want to avoid is depending on the emotion to cast your magic,' Sombra clarified again for her. 'You must embrace the pain, embrace the rage and make it work for you. And stop calling them negative emotions. There are no good or bad. There are only emotions. And what emotion you're making me feel is incredibly ticked off.'
Xion thought about what Sombra said for a while, before another thought crossed her mind. "Why are you teaching me, anyway? If you plan to take the keyblade from me eventually, why are you helping me to become stronger? It just doesn't seem right from someone like you?"
'Because puppet, if you were the only problem I had to deal with I wouldn't bother so much with training you. But we've got the Heartless to deal with. We've got the Maestro to deal with. And in order to deal with all of these threats, you're going to need to be stronger than you ever thought possible,' Sombra revealed to Xion in a concerned tone and when Sombra was worried about something, it made Xion worry as well. 'Now get some rest. First thing in the morning, we're going to hunt some Heartless so you can try out something.'
Xion nodded at the horn before she looked down at her own hand, remembering the battle with Vexen and the things he had told her. 'He was just the first brought here by Maestro. That means that Maestro can bring others, others from my past who will try to kill me. Sombra's right. I have to be strong. I can't fall to them yet. Not until...I reach the beach and fulfill our promise.' |
The Girl That Never Was | Dark Memories | With a twirl and a yell Xion spun in the air and fired a blast of fire from the end of her keyblade, before she hit the ground in a role and shot up to her feet. She took aim at a target to her left and unleashed a blizzard upon the target, freezing it solid a moment later. She had no time to look at her handiwork, as when she looked up she saw aerial targets circling in on her.
"Thunder," she whispered to herself before hoisting her keyblade into the air, summoning down numerous bolts of lightning down on the aerial targets. The moment those targets were down spikes made of darkness erupted from the ground, forcing her to slam the tip of her keyblade into the ground and create a barrier of magic around her to halt their attack.
"Limit break," Xion said before she thrust her arms to the side, shattering the barrier in a flash of light. The shards of the barrier flew around her and tore through the darkness, but even as those spikes of darkness fell more shot out of the ground to take their place. Xion swung her light covered keyblade, cleaving through each of the spikes as they got close to her. Which each swing their was a flash of light, and some confetti, until all of the spikes had been destroyed by her blade. She then twirled the blade around in her hand before lowering it in front of her face, letting out a small sigh before it vanished from her grasp.
"How was that?" she asked before turning to look at the horn that rested alone on a rock, smiling proudly at her work. The horn moved around to look at her work (and once again made the puppet wonder how he was able to do anything in his state) before he let out a disappointed sigh. "What?! What did I do wrong? I destroyed all of the targets and didn't take a single hit?! You're blind, you no eyes horn!"
'The point of the exercise wasn't to see how accurate you are or test your ability to avoid being hit. I don't doubt your abilities there. What we were testing was how well you could resonate with the darkness within in order to strengthen your magical attacks. There is where you failed miserably,' Sombra informed the teenager, who growled slightly before sitting down on a rock.
"So I'm no good at using the darkness when I'm not fighting in battle, cut me some slack," Xion grumbled, only to hear the sound of Sombra sighing in frustration.
'Puppet, you finished the trial by using a light based attack. Light, for the love of all that is holy! Never before have I ever dealt with somepony who can do so poorly with directions! Are you sure you don't have a flaw in your programming?' Sombra nagged Xion. Xion let out a snarl before she rose to her feet and stomped over to where Sombra's horn rested. 'Wait a moment Xion, I was just messing around I didn't mean to-'
Xion grabbed the horn and chucked it as hard as she could off into the forest, her rage allowing her to ignore the screams of Sombra until he had sailed out of view. For another minute she seethed in place before she let out a sigh, following after where she had chucked the horn of the unicorn.
'Maybe Sombra's right. Maybe I do have emotions now. I've definitely got a temper,' Xion thought to herself as she summoned her keyblade and used the blade to cut through the underbrush, trying to ignore the confetti that came flying out of her keyblade with each swing. 'But if I have rage in me now, is that because I've finally got emotions of my own...or did the Maestro do something else to me when he reformed my body? There's a scary thought.'
Even though the trees and bushes did their best to obstruct her path, Xion made it through the forest with little effort. She had expected at some point to hear the sounds of Sombra screaming either for her or at her, but to her surprise, and rising concern, the forest remained eerily silent.
'No sounds of birds, no hisses or snarls...something isn't right,' she thought to herself as she held her keyblade in a defensive position, waiting for the first sign of a Heartless to attack her. 'I hope it's not another member of Organization Thirteen. I really don't want to mess with Xaldin or Luxord. I will, however, not pass up the chance for a crack at Saix. There's one I wouldn't mind-'
'Ow.'
Xion looked down at her foot to see that she had stepped on Sombra's horn, which was now imbedded in the mud and sunk about halfway down. Xion let out a small laugh as she reached down and pulled Sombra out of the mud, turning him over in her hand to see that he was covered in filth.
'I am the king of an empire. I should not be treated this way,' Sombra grumbled in an angry tone.
"Well hello there your highness, you're looking awfully muddy today," Xion said with a laugh to Sombra, who let out a string of curses in response to Xion's words. "Now now, that's no way for a king to talk. You should be better behaved than that."
'I swear if I didn't need your help...'
"Well you do, so just suck it up and learn not to be so mean," Xion replied in a stern tone as she wiped Sombra off with a leaf, before pocketing the king of darkness once more. "Now come on, we're still a day away from the next city. Are you sure that this...what did you call it again, is there?"
'The Dragon's Fire. And no, this is not the kind of fire that dragons breath. It is a different fire and I know it is there,' Sombra barked in reply. 'But I must say, I'm surprised at this new attitude of yours. You're normally so withdrawn and feeling sorry for yourself that I'm not used to seeing you with a spine. Vexen really mess you up that badly?'
"Of course he did. How would you feel if the very being who created you, who you thought was dead, showed up in a reality completely different from your own and tried to place you under their control once more?" Xion asked Sombra, who said nothing in reply. "I thought I had left all of that stuff behind me. I thought that when I surrendered to Roxas that I would finally find peace. But there is no peace for one who wields the keyblade. There is only suffering."
Xion sat down on the ground after she said her peace and placed her head in her hands, sighing occasionally through her fingers. Sombra watched her mope for a few minutes, trying to think of an insult or remark that would snap her out of her funk. But when none of those ideas bore fruit, he decided to take a different approach.
'So, Vexen was a member of Organization Thirteen, huh?' Sombra asked, getting Xion to lift her head from her hands and pull Sombra out of her pocket. 'And you were one of them as well, yet the number on your key is for fourteen. Either the organization doesn't know how to count or you were never considered a part of their ranks. Care to fill me in?'
"Yeah, Vexen is...was a member of the organization. And I guess, technically, I was too," Xion began. "I was the fourteenth member, but I was never really...accepted by the other members of the organization. Saix treated me like the puppet I was, the other members treated me like I was a ghost and Xigbar...well, he saw more than he would ever let on. Only Roxas and Axel were ever nice to me. And Demyx too, I guess."
'Do all of the fools in the organization have X's in their names?' Sombra asked, scoffing when Xion nodded. 'Even you, huh? Always assumed your name was spelled with a Z, but whatever. So you had some you like and some you don't. Care to tell me which of the organization you're not looking forward to meeting on our little journey?'
"What are you implying?"
'Think about it. You ticked off the Maestro. In return, he brings Vexen, the very being that created you, to this world to fight you. If he did it once, he'll definitely do it again,' Sombra pointed out. 'He's already brought the Heartless and now a member of the organization. At this point I'm just beginning to wonder what other surprises he'll have in store for you.'
"It doesn't matter what he sends after me. We'll get your body reforged and then we'll get me to the beach," Xion said with determination, clenching her hands together and squeezing Sombra's horn.
'Alright. Then what?' Sombra asked. Xion blinked a few times before she looked down at the horn, which was still waiting for a response. 'After we get you to the beach, then what are we going to do? The Heartless will still be here along with the Maestro. We'll have to deal with the both of them eventually.'
"I don't know. I haven't thought that far ahead," Xion replied.
'Fine. I get it. Just like all the other times Sombra will have to figure out what to do. Lucky for you that you found me when you first came to Equestria. Can you imagine if you had been found by Luna and Celestia? Either your brain would have stopped working due to how stupid they are or they would have obliterated you on the spot. For somepony with such a...confusion backstory, you've got a decent amount of luck on your side.'
"Yeah. But is it good or bad luck?"
'Some intelligence shines through. Yes, what kind of luck do you have? There is only one way to find out, isn't there?' Sombra chuckled before his horn glowed and created a map of the land for Xion to look at. 'Alright puppet, if you're done talking with me, then we best get moving. This path will be the fastest to the city, so-'
In a blur of motion Xion summoned her keyblade and swung the weapon around behind her, just in time to block the attack of a being that had tried to take them from behind. Xion's eyes narrowed as she recognized what she was trying to prevent from killing her, a silverfish dragon like creature wielding a spear made of the wind. She pushed the creature back before swinging her blade low, catching the creature between the legs.
'Ooh, that hurt to watch,' Sombra muttered before Xion went for a horizontal slash, cleaving the being clean in two. The creature let out a shriek before it vanished into nothingness, leaving Xion to glare at where it had been standing with narrowed eyes before she turned and began to walk away. 'Okay, clearly you knew what that was. Care to share?'
"That's a Nobody. That's what it's called, so no smart remarks," Xion snapped at Sombra before he could say anything in retort. "Nobodies are the shells left behind when a being loses their heart. There are different variations, ranging from Dusks to the ones that made up the Organization. I believe that one is called a Dragoon and it is loyal to Xaldin. Great."
'That was an info dump. Is it related to the Heartless at all?'
"Didn't you hear a word I said? They are what's left behind when a being loses their heart, most likely to the Heartless," Xion snarled. "But unlike the Heartless they are not mindless. They can follow orders and think for themselves."
'And you mentioned Xaldin, who, since he has an X in his name, is another member of the organization,' Sombra deduced, getting Xion to look down at him with some surprise. 'If these creatures only follow his commands, that means he must be here as well. Was he was of your friends on the organization and what was his number?'
"3. And pretty sure he hated me."
'Excellent, well now I don't have to worry about saving him. Let's find your former teammate and send him back into oblivion!' Sombra ordered and for the first time in a while, Xion felt inclined to agree with Sombra. 'And if I were a betting pony, I'd wager that he'll be exactly where we're heading. The universe is funny like that. Are you prepared to fight him if we do find him?'
"Of course I am."
'Okay, let me rephrase that? What I mean is are you able to defeat him if we run into him?' Sombra asked as Xion ran. 'Because if he's number three, that mean's he should be pretty powerful. Can you take him in a fight?'
"I guess I'll have to. I'm not going to let my second chance at life end with him," Xion replied with confidence, but internally she felt doubt creeping at her very being. 'But Sombra's right. I don't have a good track record against the other members. Both Axel and Roxas have defeated me. My only real win is over Demyx and that was training. Can I beat him at my current state?'
Xion wasn't able to continue her train of thought, for as she and Sombra ran over the edge of a hill she found herself face to face with a familiar sight. A group of Heartless were battling with numerous Nobodies, most of which were of the Dusk variety. But the moment the two groups sensed the keyblade wielder, they ceased their fighting and turn their attention to her.
"Alright, let's do this," Xion growled as she summoned her cupcake keyblade. The moment the blade was within her grasp, the Shadows leapt forward with murder in their eyes. Xion slashed vertically at the approaching Heartless, cleaving through the both of them in a single strike. The two vanished back into the darkness, but three Soldiers appeared behind Xion and spun towards her with legs outstretched.
"ARGH!" Xion yelled as she was struck in the back with a series of kicks, sending her sprawling into the dirt. She gritted her teeth and rose back to her feet, just in time to see the Dusks walking towards her on thin air. "Fire!" she roared as a ball of fire erupted from the end of her keyblade, blasting through one of the Dusks and returning it back to nothingness. The other two were on her a moment later, forcing her to slam the tip of her blade into the ground to create a barrier around her.
'Xion, what's going on?' Sombra asked Xion as the Dusks attacked the barrier, causing cracks to form in the barrier. 'These guys are nothing to you! You should be able to cleave through them with no effort!'
"These ones are stronger than the ones that we fought previously," Xion snarled right before her barrier shattered, forcing the girl to leap back to avoid being struck. As she landed two Soldiers appeared out of the darkness, slashing at her with their claws. Xion ducked underneath of the attack and slashed the both of them, but instead of vanishing all they did was stagger back from the blow.
The Dusks resumed their attack on Xion from behind and to avoid being struck Xion leapt into the air. Once she was airborne, a bolt of lightning burst of out of the blue and struck her in the back. Xion let out a scream of pain as she was sent crashing into the ground, where she pushed herself up far slower than before.
"Curse it all...these guys are way stronger than I remember," Xion panted heavily as she watched the Heartless and Nobodies advanced towards her, each of them wanting the pair of hearts that stood before them. "Sombra, I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but I don't know if I can fend these guys off."
'What's the matter with you? I've seen you fight bigger and badder creatures and cut them down like they were nothing! You slayed Vexen, for the love of Faust!' Sombra roared at Xion, who pushed herself back to her feet and took up her fighting stance once more.
"These aren't like the Heartless that we've fought before. Even Vexen felt...different. But these guys are way stronger," Xion replied before she was forced to lift her blade to deflect an attack, before she rolled out of the way to avoid being hit from a Dusk. She rolled to her feet and hurled the keyblade at the Dusk, cleaving it in two and causing it to vanish in a flash of confetti.
Another bolt of lightning struck right next to her, getting her to glance to her side to see a floating, yellow Heartless dancing around near the back of the group of darkness. Xion narrowed her eyes at the Heartless before one of the Shadows leapt on her from behind, slashing at her back. Xion grabbed the Heartless's arm and flung it off of her, slamming it onto the ground before she drove the keyblade through the head of the Heartless. But when she looked up, she found that she was still horribly outnumbered.
"Sombra, if you've got any tricks up your proverbial sleeve, then I could really use it right about now," Xion panted in a weak voice, shaking her head as the exhaustion started to take over.
'Unfortunately I have no tricks left. Used all of my dark powers on the targets you were slaying earlier,' Sombra replied with a bitter laugh, before the weight of what was about to happen sunk in on him. 'This isn't good. These creatures are going to slay Xion and I can't let that happen. I need to somehow get her to fight, but how? Negative emotions don't work with her...but maybe...'
'Well, looks like our journey ends here,' Sombra said to Xion, who looked down at him as if he was crazy, which he was. For he was betting on a crazy plan. 'It's been a nice ride. My only regret is that I couldn't balance the light and darkness of this land. Oh, and I guess all of the Organization members that will be running around this land.'
Xion narrowed her eyes as she thought about what Sombra was saying, slowly realizing that the ponies would be in trouble against the Organization.
'I mean, they'll probably make a base here and steal all of the hearts of the ponies. All those innocent will lose their hearts and the ones that get to keep them will be enslaved,' Sombra said in as pitiful a voice as he could muster. 'Who knows, maybe they'll try to make a puppet version of a pony, only this one has no will of its own. It just lives to serve them.
Xion gritted her teeth at those words, thinking about the likes of Pinkie or Fluttershy being forced to serve the Orgnaization.
'Or maybe they'll finally get Roxas to obey them? That would be their end game most likely. Maybe this time they'll erase his memories to keep him under their control. That's what I would do.'
Xion's eyes widened as she thought of Roxas as a slave to the Organization, without his laugh, his smile...anything that made him...him.
'Maybe he'll even forget his promise. The promise of the beach.'
"NO!" Xion roared with a fury that caused the Heartless and Nobodies to back away from the key wielder, who was shaking with rage as a black aura surrounded her. Her mind was raging with all of the terrible things the Organization had done to her, how they had tried to use her as a weapon to kill her closest friend. The Maestro's seal broke and all of her painful memories came flooding back to her. All of her darkest memories.
"Dark Firaga!" Xion bellowed as she pointed her blade at the center of the Heartless and Nobodies, unleashing a ball of fire made of darkness into the center of the group. The ball detonated in the center in an eruption of darkness and flame consumed the beings within. The Heartless and Nobodies let out a silent scream as their essence was burned away, leaving only a circle of scorched earth to show where they once stood. Xion glared at the spot while breathing heavily for a few moments, before she blinked her eyes and stared down at her key.
"Did...did I do that?" she asked with amazement.
'It seems you did. You finally combined your magic with the darkness within,' Sombra said, laughing in a way that sounded an awful lot like Vexen's. 'I made an error with you, puppet. I thought your darkness was tied to your emotions. But it turns out your darkness comes from your memories, all the pain and darkness you had to go through. That is where your power lies.'
Xion looked down at her key, able to feel the darkness in the back of her mind. And along with that feeling was the memories she had of the Organization, but only the painful ones. When she closed her eyes and thought of Axel and Roxas, she felt the darkness fade away. She opened her eyes once more and gripped her weapon tight.
'That's good to know. Now I know how to both channel and avoid the darkness,' Xion thought to herself before she looked up to see that the Yellow Opera was floating at the edge of the circle. The Heartless looked from the circle to Xion, before it vanished in a ball of darkness. Xion smirked at the action, before she turned and continued her run towards her next destination, feeling stronger than she had in a long time. |
The Girl That Never Was | City Girl | Xion hadn't had been sure what to expect from a city made by ponies. She had been expecting floating buildings maybe, or perhaps a lot of hay everywhere. Deep inside she had hoped that she could ride some of the larger ones, as she liked the idea of her on the back of a unicorn riding into battle. But what she hadn't been expecting was an entire city of ponies with white eyes wandering around like zombies.
'Oh Faust, they caught Celestia's stupidity. Curse you princess, why must you ruin everything you rule?!' Sombra cried into the sky, while Xion tuned him out and walked through the streets of the city. To her surprise the pony city looked an awful lot like the World that Never Was, except during the day and without an eternal moon hanging over the city. But she didn't have much of a chance to look around, as the ponies that wandered around garnered her full attention.
"What happened to them?" Xion asked Sombra as she walked over to one of the ponies, kneeling down next to them and placing her hand against their chest. She closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again, shaking her head. "They still have their hearts, so I don't think the Heartless did this. But if not them, who did this? The Organization?"
'Perhaps. Until we've learned more, we'll go with that as our working theory,' Sombra replied and his tone of voice told Xion he too was concerned. 'Proceed with caution, puppet. We don't know what to expect in this city and while I doubt I can be made brain dead, genius mastermind that I am, if you were to lose your mind it would be troublesome for me. I'd have to plant my horn on your head and take control of your body myself.'
"Can you do that?" Xion asked with some disbelief, only to get Sombra to laugh.
'Keep on moving and hope that neither of us need to find that out. Come on, let's move.'
Xion summoned her Happiest Day keyblade, walking through the streets with the blade on her shoulder. She held Sombra in her free hand, wanting him able to act on the fly if something were to happen. She was on alert, but with the thousands of ponies all around her, she found it hard to concentrate on any danger she couldn't see.
'It's like they've lost their wills,' Xion thought to herself, looking away from a family that stood mindlessly in place. 'I know that hearts and bodies can be stolen, but can wills be taken as well? Perhaps this is not the Organization, but the Maestro. He would do something like this.'
'It's not the Maestro,' Sombra told Xion, who was visibly startled by the way Sombra seemed to read her mind. 'Whenever you think about that metal menace you get a strange fire in your eyes. I can't read your mind, at least not yet.'
"That's comforting. But why don't you think it's him?"
'Maestro, at least so far, has not been a being for subtlety,' Sombra explained. 'After he made you, did he just dump you off in Equestria with a note telling you what to do? No, he told you in person. Then he fought you so that you could see how pointless it was to resist him. That's all the signs of a villain that likes to grandstand. There is no way he wouldn't let you know that he was here.'
"I thought you couldn't read my mind. How'd you know so much about my first encounter with the Maestro?" Xion asked in a whisper. Sombra chose to chuckle as his response, leaving Xion mildly terrified of the small horn that she clutched tighter in her grasp. But her follow up question was cut off when three portals of darkness appeared in front of the girl and out of the darkness fell three Heartless that Sombra hadn't seen before.
The Heartless were giant, dark balls with sickeningly thin limbs that twisted from their bodies. Their teeth were black and sharp and their yellow eyes glared at Xion with both hatred and desire. Xion pocketed Sombra and took up her fighting stance, narrowing her eyes and waiting for the first move.
The first Darkball lunged towards Xion, gnashing its teeth as it approached the girl. Xion rolled out of the way and avoided the attack, letting the Darkball sail by her before she turned her attention to the other Darkballs. With a kick Xion was in the air over the Darkballs, giving them just enough time to look up at her before she struck down at them with the keyblade. One of the Darkballs let out a roar as the blade slashed across its face, sending it crashing into the ground as Xion landed.
"Freeze," Xion said to the Darkball on the ground before pointing her blade at it, firing an ice crystal from the end of her blade and right into the face of the Darkball. Icy spikes erupted from the crystal, impaling the Darkball and finishing it off. With the first Heartless out of the way, Xion turned her attention to the remaining two.
'These ones don't seem as hard as the ones that we fought earlier,' Sombra pointed out as Xion cracked one of the Darkballs over the head with her blade, stunning it long enough for her to follow-up with a thrust to its face. She drove the flame on the end of the candle clean through the Heartless's body, finishing it off and returning it to the darkness from whence it came. She turned on her heels and threw her blade towards the final Darkball, sending the spinning blade clean through the body of the Heartless. It vanished into darkness without another sound, ending the battle.
"No, they don't," Xion agreed as she summoned the blade to her hands once more before she turned and continued on her way. She kept an eye out for more Heartless attacks, but the more she walked the less and less she became interested in the Heartless and more about the ponies that wandered around. 'While they seem to have no clear goal in mind, there's no less than five in a group. I thought that I saw a family earlier, but it's possible that it was just a bunch of random ponies. But why are they gathered together?'
'It doesn't seem right,' Sombra agreed once Xion voiced her concerns to the horn. 'If they were mindless, they would just be wandering. But you're right in saying that their are standing in groups. No more than seven, no less than five. How curious...'
"Well, if you don't have then answer then it can't be good news," Xion muttered aloud as the two of them reached an intersection. Xion glanced to her left and right, before her eyes went wide as she laid eyes on a certain store. Without thinking she raced over to the store, pressing her face against the glass while a huge smile crossed her face.
'What the hell are we doing here?' Sombra snarled at Xion. 'An ice cream store? Seriously, puppet? We're in the middle of trying to find out why all these ponies went stupid and you're here seeing what the flavor of the day is. Oh don't tell me you've caught the stupid as well?'
"No, it's just...seeing the ice-cream here brought back some memories," Xion said in a soft tone as a gentle smile crossed her face, her mind lost amongst memories of her and her best friends sitting on top of a clock tower, eating ice cream and talking with each other. Despite the altitude of the clock tower and the cold of the ice cream, a feeling of warmth washed over her as she recalled the past. "Memories of hanging out with Roxas and Axel. In a time before things became so...painful. They're some of my most precious memories."
'I can tell. You're radiating more light from you than I've ever seen from a creature of the darkness,' Sombra muttered to Xion, before he let out a gasp and used his power to yank Xion away from the window.
"OW! What the hell, Sombra? That really..."
Xion stopped talking as she lifted her eyes to see that all of the ponies were now shambling towards her, all of their white eyes locked onto the girl. Xion slowly backed herself up to the window of the ice-cream shop, looking around with confusion as the crowd of ponies swarmed in.
"What's going on? Why are they attacking us?" Xion asked Sombra as she pointed her keyblade at the crowd, hoping that the weapon would scare them off. It didn't.
'I don't know, but until I can think of a reason why you'd better start slashing!' Sombra instructed to Xion, who looked down at where his horn was with horror.
"I'm not slashing my way through a bunch of innocent ponies!" she roared in an outraged voice.
'First, no pony is truly innocent. We all have our demons. Second, if you don't this crowd is going to rip us apart piece by piece. And as a talking horn let me tell you it's not as fun as it sounds. Now start fighting!'
Xion gritted her teeth, but she didn't have time to argue as the first pony threw themselves at Xion. Xion blocked their hooves with her key before planting her heel into the ponies chest. She kicked the pony off of her and sent them tumbling back into the crowd, knocking over three other ponies in the process. Xion looked around at the advancing swarm while trying to figure out what to do, before she saw something off in the distance that caught her eye.
It was a being that looked like some kind of humanoid, but its head looked like its brain had swollen five times larger than it should be able to. Its red eyes stared at Xion with interest, while a blue ring floated around its head. But what drew Xion's eyes, and her rage, was the red and black heart symbol on its chest.
"Sombra! Do you see that?!" Xion yelled to Sombra before she dashed into the crowd of ponies, summoning a barrier around herself and using it to push her way through the ponies while not hurting them. "That Heartless has to be the cause of what's going on with the ponies! It's mind controlling them!"
The moment she started chasing after the Heartless the being of darkness took off through the streets, floating over the ponies as it did so. The blue ring around its head turned to red, which in turn resulted in getting all of the ponies to swarm towards Xion. Xion narrowed her eyes as her barrier gave out in the middle of a hoard of ponies, getting her to look around for a way out.
'Okay, so that thing is controlling all of the ponies. That means we take it down, we free all of these ponies and you don't have to worry about a guilty conscious for whacking a few of them,' Sombra recapped with a grunt. 'I take it you do want to avoid hurting them, right?'
"Of course. Wait, I mean, I don't want to hurt any of them," Xion said clearly for Sombra, who chuckled to himself before his horn began to glow within her pocket.
'I thought as much. Very well then, my dear puppet, I shall assist you.'
Xion was about to ask what Sombra meant, but then three beings shot out of puddles of darkness that had appeared at Xion's feet. Xion looked around with amazement as three more Xion's made of darkness took form in front of her, each of them matching how she looked perfectly. The three of them then let out a battle cry before they took off in different directions, each of them getting a good number of ponies to follow after them.
'Alright puppet, I've bought you some breathing room, but it's only a matter of time before the mindless fools realize which ones are fake,' Sombra said to Xion, who ran around the ponies that had stayed behind to capture her. 'We need to get to that Heartless and take it down before it takes control of any more ponies or, heaven forbid, us. I will not be a mindless follower like the rest of these sheep!'
Xion nodded before she sprinted after the floating Heartless as fast as she could, slowly gaining ground on the floating being of darkness. The Heartless turned around to see that Xion was chasing after it, getting it to narrow its eyes at the approaching puppet. It's ring turned yellow, which resulted in blasts of lightning striking down towards Xion.
"Yikes!" Xion exclaimed as she leapt out of the way of one of the lightning bolts, only to throw herself in the path of another strike of lightning. The blast caught her in the chest and flung her backwards, where she fell into the streets while her body twitched. "Ugh, pain. Pain hurts. Heal," she grunted as she lifted her blade and cast a green energy around herself.
'It's going to be tough to get close to this thing with how slow you run. We've got to think of something else,' Sombra instructed Xion as the Heartless came to a stop a block away from Xion, watching to see what she would do next. 'Can your keyblade lock that thing in place or is it only good for unlocking things?'
"I...think it can lock things, but I've never seen it lock down a...hold on a moment, I have an idea," Xion replied as a smile crossed her face, before she started to look around. "But I'm going to need a place to do it. Think you can get this thing to follow me?"
'Please, if you could see me as a stallion, you would know why everypony wanted to follow me,' Sombra replied with a laugh as Xion pointed the horn at the Heartless. The Heartless titled its head to the side before Sombra fired a blast of darkness from the end of his horn, sending out a thin stream of darkness that struck the Heartless right in the chest. The beast let out a roar before it began to float towards Xion, who spun on her heels and began to run.
"So what did you do to it?" Xion asked as she ran, glancing around for a place to trap the Heartless.
'Made it...so that...it wanted to kill me,' Sombra said in-between pained grunts, his horn flickering as it tried to keep the darkness intact. 'Hurry. Can't keep...it up...for long.'
Xion nodded as she picked up her pace, looking for the perfect spot to unleash a trap. Her eyes rested upon a park in the center of the city, one which had an amphitheater in the center of it. A devious smile crossed her face before she turned and took off down the road towards the theater, glancing over her shoulder to see that the Heartless was closing in.
"Almost there, Sombra. Stay strong," Xion whispered to the horn as she approached the gate to the park. Without slowing down she pointed her keyblade at the gate and fired out a beam of light, one that unlocked the padlock that held the gate shut. The second the gate was unlocked Xion drove her shoulder into it, knocking it open while simultaneously ceasing her moment. She stumbled for a moment as she tried to regain her footing, giving the Heartless enough time to catch up to her.
'Puppet, look-'
A blast of energy caught Xion in the back and sent her flying into the air. She had just enough time to register where she was falling before she crashed onto concrete, getting pain to lance through her body while her vision went blurry. Through the pain she could hear Sombra yelling at her, but it wasn't until the Heartless was floating over her that she regained her senses completely. For a brief moment she stared up at the Heartless, before a smile crossed her face and she pointed her blade at it.
"Got you."
A blast of light erupted from the end of her blade and shot past the Heartless into the sky, where it exploded and rained light down around the battlefield. The Heartless looked around as a barrier of light encircled the battlefield, trapping it within the amphitheater with Xion and Sombra. While it was busy looking around, Xion pushed herself back up to her feet and summoned her keyblade, which gained her the full attention of the Heartless.
'What did you do?' Sombra asked Xion as he glanced at the barrier of light, getting a smile to cross Xion's face.
"Before I was struck down by Roxas, I learned how to create these barriers. They're useful for when I want to keep my foe in or my enemies out," Xion said with some pride, before the painful memories came back and her face fell. "I just wish that I didn't have to learn how to do it by almost trying to kill Roxas."
'No time for sadness, we've got ourselves a Heartless to kill,' Sombra reminded Xion, who shook her head and took up her fighting stance, getting the Heartless to narrow its eyes at her.
"Sounds like a plan. Come on, Mastermind, let's put an end to-"
An eruption of light filled the center of the amphitheater, blinding Xion and Sombra with its intensity. Xion lifted her hands to shield her eyes from the light, but from what little she could see through her fingers she found that the light had a rainbow coloring to it, a color that filled her with both hope and dread.
'No...no, you've got to be screwing with me,' Sombra snarled in a voice that was filled with worry. 'There's no way he managed to get one of them under its control! The freakin rainbow power is supposed to be able to resist this kind of crap! Damn it all!'
"Sombra, what's the matter?" Xion asked, but before he could answer the light died down and allowed Xion to see again. But when she lowered her hands, she found that she wasn't sure what she was looking at.
Standing before her was a pony, a pony who radiated a light the likes of which she had only felt when she had sensed Sora for the first time. Her coat was as white as the snow and her mane was primarily purple, but had numerous other colors in it as well. Three, blue diamonds were upon her flank, but then when Xion glanced at her eyes she found that they were as white and mindless as the rest of the ponies in the city. But she could fell the pony's power and it made her grip her keyblade even tighter.
"Sombra, I take it you know who this is?" Xion asked as she took up a fighting stance, not liking how the Heartless and pony stood side by side.
'That, my dear puppet, is Rarity. She's annoying, a drama queen and one of the six ponies in possession of a light that can destroy any darkness, present company exclude,' Sombra explained to Xion in a very annoyed tone. 'And it seems that she's fallen under the control of the Heartless, meaning that we will have to fight her along with the Heartless. Man, what a bitch.' |
The Girl That Never Was | A Real Rarity | "So Rarity is like Pinkie and Fluttershy, huh?" Xion asked as she leveled her blade and prepared for the fight to begin, not liking the amount of light that the mind controlled Rarity was giving off. She felt her body screaming at her to back away with Rarity just standing in front of them. She didn't want to know what being hit by the light would feel like. "One of the six that the Maestro wants me to unlock."
'Yeah, but this one is all rainbowed up. Stay mobile and don't get hit,' Sombra instructed Xion, who nodded her head and turned her attention back to the opponents before her.
Not wanting to allow either the Heartless or the pony to make the first move, Xion kicked off the ground and launched herself towards the Heartless. With a scream she lifted her blade over her head and prepared to bring it down on the Heartless's ringed head, yet with a flash of movement Rarity placed herself between the key and the Heartless. A burst of magic erupted from Rarity's horn, which struck Xion in the chest and knocked her out of the sky.
"GRAH!" Xion yelled as she crashed into the amphitheaters seats, slamming her body into solid concrete. The girl fought through the pain and pushed herself back up to her feet, just in time to watch Rarity fire more divine looking magic towards Xion. "Barrier!"
A sphere of light constructed itself around the girl just in time to deflect the blast of magic, yet Xion still had to dig her keyblade into the ground to avoid being pushed back by the force of the multicolored magic. Xion canceled the barrier and aimed her keyblade at the Heartless, firing a blast of ice past the pony and towards the being of darkness. Yet to her annoyance Rarity appeared at its side once more, using her rainbow power to destroy Xion's magic.
'You're not going to beat a unicorn like Rarity in a magic battle,' Sombra advised from Xion's coat pocket as Xion rolled out of the way of a pillar of rainbow that erupted where she had been standing. 'If it was her regular self, maybe. But this is the rainbow power, the second strongest source of magical power in all of the world. Behind mine, of course.'
"I'm amazed that even in a situation like this, against a source of light like this, your ego is so big that you still can compliment yourself," Xion said to Sombra as she lifted her keyblade and sliced giant gemstones out of the air. "Hoe about you give me some advice that would help us both make it out of this alive?"
'If your opponent is a mage, that means that they have crap physical stamina. Get up close and cave Rarity's head in. That'll put a stop to her real fast.'
"I'm not going to kill her! She's being mind controlled!" Xion roared at Sombra before the ground underneath of her feet exploded and she was tossed into the air. Xion rolled in the air and landed hard on her back, knocking the wind out of her sails and leaving her vulnerable. The Mastermind Heartless pointed a finger at Xion and Rarity channeled all of her magic into her horn, aiming it where Xion was laying.
"Not today"! Xion roared as she rolled to the side and leapt to her feet, thinking of her most horrible moments in the organization. With a roar of fury her body channeled a dark aura around her, including the keyblade that she pointed at the rainbow pony. "Dark Blizzaga!"
A giant chunk of dark ice erupted from the end of Xion's keyblade and sailed through the air towards the mare, who unleashed her rainbow light in a concentrated blast into the advancing ice. The two powerful magics struck each other and resulted in the dark ice being shattered into thousands of pieces. But instead of being upset, Xion smirked before she slammed her blade into the ground and summoned a barrier to deflect the shards of ice that flew everywhere.
The Mastermind let out a shriek of pain as icicle shards tore into its form, while Rarity's rainbow power prevented her from being struck by any of the shards. Rarity looked towards the Heartless with worried eyes, while Xion lowered her barrier and smiled at her handiwork.
'Clever. You knew that Rarity would destroy your magic, so you used a spell that would just as dangerous if not more if shattered,' Sombra complimented from the side. Rarity then toward her head back to the puppet, who brought up her blade in response. Rarity's horn flashed and she summoned dozens of gems that were bigger than her, all of which were pointed at Xion. 'So, have any idea on how to stop this from killing us?'
"Yeah. Dodge," Xion muttered right before the gemstones were sent hurtling towards her, forcing Xion to hurl herself out of the way to avoid being crushed. She rolled to her right to avoid one gem that imbedded itself into the ground, before flipping into the air to avoid another one. She landed on the gem and kicked off of it, leaping from gem to gem as they flew by her in an attempt to close the distance between Rarity and her.
Rarity let out a roar and slammed the two gemstones that Xion was between together, but to her horror she found that Xion had been expecting the move. Xion grabbed the edge of the gemstone she was on and vaulted herself over the side of the gem right before it collided with the other, before she slammed the blade of her key into the end of the gemstone and sent it hurtling towards Rarity. Rarity's eyes went wide right before the gem slammed her out of the air, sending the mare and the giant gem crashing into the edge of the amphitheater.
'Most impressive,' Sombra praised as Xion hit the ground and turned her momentum into a roll. 'Her magic was too strong for your magic and you didn't want to strike her with your weapon, so you use her own magic to stun her for the moment. Clever, puppet, I must be rubbing off on you.'
"Or maybe you haven't been giving me enough credit," Xion replied before she narrowed her eyes at the Mastermind, which was floating above her with menacing eyes. The creature lifted both of its arms and fired twin beams of energy towards Xion, who rolled in-between the blasts before she hoped back up to her feet, hurling her keyblade at the Heartless and smacking it dead in the face.
"Crazy ponies with magical, rainbow powers are new to me. But striking down Heartless? That's something I can do with ease," Xion smirked as she summoned her blade back to her as she approached the Heartless, which had fallen to the ground. She pointed the blade at the Mastermind, which looked up at her with blazing red eyes. "Time to put an end to you."
Xion lifted her blade to strike the Heartless down, before she caught a flash of light go off in the corner of her eye. She spun around and lifted her blade to deflect whatever was coming towards her, only for a raging pain to course through her body as a beam of rainbow light tore through her left shoulder. Xion screamed in pain as she was thrown to the ground, gritting her teeth as she clutched at her shoulder, which was now a whispy, shadowy smoke.
'XION!' Sombra roared before he used his darkness to yank Xion out of the way of a second blast, hurling her body behind the cover of some of the stone seats and erecting a barrier of darkness around the both of them. Rarity unloaded with rainbow light upon the barrier of darkness, which nearly buckled under the first onslaught of light. 'Puppet, speak to me. Are you alright?'
"Do I...look alright?" Xion spat in reply as she glanced down at her shoulder, which was only just beginning to retake the form of her shoulder, though her coat was completely gone near her shoulder. "T-that blast of light...tore right through me. If that had hit me anywhere else, I'd be gone. How...could that hurt me so badly?"
'Damn Celestia and her ponies to hell, it's because you're a being of darkness,' Sombra revealed to Xion before another salvo of darkness bombarded the barrier, causing cracks of rainbow light to form along the barrier. 'The rainbow power is specifically designed to deal with beings that get their power from the darkness. Normally it's just negative emotions, but whatever Maestro did to re-create you means that the rainbow power will tear you apart. A direct shot from the rainbow power will kill you, and by extension me.'
"So...what do we do?" Xion asked. For longer than he was used to Sombra was silent, racking the intelligence he had brought with him into the horn for a plan. But as another round of rainbow power decimated his barrier and shattered the darkness once more, he found that his unmatchable brain was unable to think of a way out of their predicament.
Xion forced herself back to her feet as she turned to look up at the rainbow pony, her right hand clutching at her shoulder while her left hand weakly held onto her keyblade. Rarity glared down at Xion, horn glowing with so much rainbow power that Xion was certain she would disintegrate on the spot if she took a direct hit. Xion let out a small sigh and banished her blade, figuring she was finished. She pulled Sombra's horn out of her pocket and held it tight, taking comfort in the fact that she wouldn't die alone. Then she stared a little longer at Sombra's horn and an idea came to her.
"Hey Sombra, remember when you joked earlier about planting yourself on my head and taking control of me?" Xion asked Sombra, who glowed his horn in reply. "Think you could do it to a pony that's being controlled?"
Xion swore that after she voiced her idea that Sombra was smiling, but whether he was or not she would never know as Rarity took that moment to unleash her rainbow power down upon Xion. With some hope left alive within her, Xion hurled herself out of the way of the rainbow power and rolled to her feet. She took aim with her good arm at Rarity's forehead before she threw Sombra's horn with all her might.
The horn sailed through the air and latched right onto the side of Rarity's head, getting the mare to roar with fury as she started to use her magic to pry off the horn of darkness. 'None of that now dear, we've gotten too close for you to push me away!' Sombra's voice echoed throughout the theater as he used his darkness to break into her mind. For a brief moment Rarity's eyes flickered white and black, before she closed them and ceased to glow. 'Puppet! I've got her locked down for the moment, but I won't be able to hold back the rainbow power for long! You've got to beat that Heartless and do it quick!'
"Don't worry, Sombra," Xion began as she turned herself towards the Heartless, who slammed his hands into the ground and summoned two wand looking weapons. Xion reached out and summoned her blade once more, casting cure upon herself before she took up a fighting stance she shared with two others. "Slaying Heartless is what I was trained to do."
Xion threw herself at the Heartless, who swung one of his wands towards the key bearer as she approached. Xion dug her heels into the ground and blocked the strike from the wand, gritting her teeth as she used her might to push back against the Heartless's strength. With one last push she bounced the wand off of her key and caused the creature of darkness to stagger, giving her an opening to attack.
"Right there!" Xion called out as she struck downwards at the Heartless in a one handed strike, before gripping the handle with both hands and swinging the blade horizontally across the Heartless. She then rotated to swing the blade over her head, before bringing the blade crashing down onto the head of the Heartless. The Mastermind staggered backwards under the combo, causing its ring that had been floating around its head to fall off of its body.
"You better hope that's not a weak point that fell off of you," Xion told the Heartless before she lunged towards the ring and brought the keyblade down onto ring, shattering the ring into thousands of little pieces. The Heartless reeled back from the destruction of its ring and collapsed to the ground, where it held a hand out to where the ring had been. A blue and red light erupted from the rings pieces, lights that ascended into the sky while circling each other before they collided in a ray of light.
Xion lifted her head to the sky to see the white light raining down upon the city, bathing it in color and light. She smiled to herself as she pieced together what had happened, before she turned her gaze back down towards the fallen Heartless.
"Seems that your days of controlling ponies are done. Now all that's left is to banish you back into the darkness from whence you came," Xion told the Heartless, which rose back up to its feet with the two wands in hand and its full attention of Xion.
It hurled a wand towards Xion and, as she wasn't expecting the Heartless to throw its weapon, barely managed to move out of the way of the projectile. The want tore through the side of her cloak, which suffered a large gash in the side of it as the wand tore through it and then embedded itself in the ground behind Xion. Xion glanced from the wand that had almost impaled her to her torn cloak, before she glare at the Heartless with rage filled eyes.
"That was my favorite slash only coat. And you went and ruined it," Xion growled as a dark aura flooded around her body, causing her eyes to glow with an eerie light as a dark orb appeared in her left hand. "Oh yeah. You're in for it now."
Xion hurled the ball towards the Heartless and struck it clean in the face, getting the Heartless to stagger. Xion ripped open a corridor to the darkness behind her and dove into it, appearing above the Heartless from a portal of darkness. With a roar she drove the tip of her keyblade into the head of the Heartless, getting the being to writhe back and forth as Xion pushed the blade deeper and deeper into its skull.
The Mastermind lashed out at her with its other wand, but Xion was within the darkness once more before the wand could strike her. She appeared at the ankles of the Heartless and slashed through its feet in a single strike, getting the creature of darkness to collapse to the ground once more. As the beast fell to its knees in front of Xion, Xion clutched her left hand with her right, summoning the darkness into her left hand and giving it form.
"I can take a lot of punishment. I've had my mind messed with, I've been beaten by friends and foes alike and even had my memories ripped apart and pieced back together," Xion snarled at the Heartless while her eyes flashed with a feral fury, while a black claw formed around her hand. "But that light that you made Rarity shoot at me, that light that has the power to banish the darkness...that REALLY hurt!"
Xion bellowed with rage as she drove the claw into the chest of the Heartless, driving it clean through to the other side. She then lifted the Heartless with the clawed hand, before channeling her dark power into her keyblade and pointing the tip of it at the side of the Heartless's head. "Dark Firaga."
The blast of fire detonated on the side of the Masterminds head, sending the Heartless crashing into the ground where it didn't move again. Xion glared down at it with a dark gaze, before she closed her eyes and let out a sigh. Slowly, as if it was hesitant to go, the darkness faded from the girl, returning her emotions to a normal state. Xion then opened her eyes and looked down at her hands, smiling when she saw that she wasn't covered in darkness anymore.
"Okay, may have gone a bit too far there," Xion said, before she shrugged her shoulders with a smile, only to regret her decision a moment later as pain arced through her left shoulder. Xion bit back a curse as she held her hand to her shoulder, glancing over at it to find that a small chunk of her shoulder was missing and darkness was seeping out of it. "Crap, that's not good. Whatever that rainbow power did to my shoulder isn't going to heal easily. I need to find Sombra and-"
An explosion of energy went off behind Xion and she spun around to see the Heartless lunging towards her, wand aimed right at her head. Xion's eyes went wide as the watched the weapon approaching her, trying to summon her keyblade but her body was too slow to react. The Heartless was right in top of her, only to be struck down as a blast of rainbow light tore a hole through the Heartless.
Seeing the rainbow light snapped Xion back to reality and she summoned her keyblade in a flash of light, gripping the handle with both hands and slashing through the head of the Mastermind in a single stroke. The Heartless ceased to move and slowly faded away into darkness, before a large, glowing heart emerged from within the Heartless and slowly floated into the sky.
Xion watched the heart ascend into the sky until it disappeared, before she turned around to see Rarity, still in her rainbow form standing behind her. The two stared each other down for a moment, Xion looking at her rainbow mane and Rarity looking at Xion's missing shoulder, before Rarity held up a hoof. A hoof with a red horn that was covered in darkness clutched within her grasp.
"So tell me darling, does this belong to you?" Rarity asked Xion as she shook the horn, whose eyes flashed from the horn to the look Rarity was giving her.
'Yeah, so fun fact: Rarity's got a far stronger mind than I thought,' Sombra admitted weakly. 'Who knew?' |
The Girl That Never Was | A New You | Xion wasn't sure what her next move should be. Rarity stood on the stage of the amphitheater with her, clutching Sombra's horn in her hooves. Xion wasn't that worried about Sombra being a hostage, figuring that he had gotten out of way worse, but what she was worried about was the rainbow light that Rarity emitted from her body. Xion moved her hand to where her shoulder was still damaged, feeling the pain course through her body and reminding her of what the light of Rarity's could do.
"See darling, I've been having a very rotten day," Rarity said to Xion as she looked down at the hoof that held Sombra. "First that creature attacks the city and makes all of us do it's bidding. Then I find myself in a fight with some kind of mannequin in a black coat that wields a weapon that can combat my rainbow power. Finally, Sombra plants his horn onto my head and tries to take control of my body. I did not appreciate that. I am in the mood to break something. But, as I am a lady, I shall ask once more. Does this belong to you?"
Xion was tempted to summon her keyblade on the spot, but she didn't know how Rarity would respond. And in the shape she was in, Xion figured that a fight with a Rarity that had not only full control over herself, but also Sombra as a hostage, wouldn't end well for her. All she could do was answer the pony's question.
"Yes, that horn does belong to me. And I'd like it back," Xion said in a calm voice as she extended her hand to Rarity. Rarity raised an eyebrow at how Xion answered her question, before she once more looked down at the horn that was being covered in her rainbow magic.
"See, I would give it back to you if I didn't already know who resided within this horn. King Sombra," Rarity said in an annoyed tone, one that made Xion tense slightly as she prepared for an attack. Then Rarity shook her head and gazed back at Xion. "You are a smart being, darling. I am sure you already know that Sombra is one of the most vial and evil beings in our land. He tried to cast the land into eternal darkness and snow. He is not a good pony. One that doesn't deserve to be in your care."
"Maybe not. But right now he's the only one who can help me get what I want," Xion revealed to Rarity, who raised an eyebrow at Xion's words. Xion extended her hand once again, this time with a sterner look in her eyes. "Now if you don't mind, I would like him back. Now."
"You know that I cannot allow that. As a protector of my land it is my duty to defeat any evil that would dare threaten it," Rarity informed Xion, who narrowed her eyes in reply. "And Sombra has been a very difficult pony in the past to deal with. Not to mention he tried to break into my mind. Sorry, darling, but I am afraid I must defeat this foe here and now."
"You say that you defeat evil. But in truth you mean any being of darkness," Xion clarified for Rarity, who shrug in admittance. Xion then summoned her keyblade and pointed it at Rarity, whose rainbow light grew brighter at the appearance of Xion's weapon. "Well I'm a being of darkness as well. And if you're going to try to hurt him, you're going to have to go through me to do it. And I'll warn you now, I'm not somebody you want to mess with."
'Heck yeah! That's my loyal puppet! Now bash her head in!'
Rarity thought about Xion's words for a moment, before she lowered her rainbow aura slightly and smiled at Xion. "Well darling, you said that you are only with Sombra because he can get you what you want. Well, how about you tell me what you want and if I can help you, I can."
Now it was Xion's turn to think about what Rarity was saying, before Xion sighed and lowered her weapon slightly. "I want to go to the beach. I made a promise with two of my friends...a life ago that we would all go to the beach. I'd like to fulfill that promise. That's why I'm traveling with Sombra. I help him out, he shows me where the beach is in this world."
"Well, nothing simpler, darling. I can take you to any number of beaches with ease," Rarity said with a smile before she glanced down at the horn of Sombra. "I take it Sombra somehow managed to trick you into working for him, but now that I'm hear you no longer need to listen to him. I promise you that I will take you to the beach, in exchange for helping me catch Sombra. So I take it you will not mind if I take him off of your hooves, er, hands?"
'Puppet...don't listen to her...remember our deal? Our training?' Sombra begged from his horn in a scared tone, not liking how the rainbow power was slowly consuming his horn. Xion lowered her head for a moment and thought about Rarity's words once more, before she raised her head to reveal eyes filled with fire.
"Sorry, but I'm going to have to pass," Xion said to Rarity, pointing her keyblade at the pony once more. "I made a promise to that pathetic excuse of a villain and whether or not I agree with him, I keep my promises. Now return my friend to me."
"You'd be willing to decline my offer for this piece of evil filth?"
"I will fight you for that piece of evil filth."
Rarity's eyes narrowed for a moment as she glanced from the horn to Xion, before Rarity's eyes rested on Xion's wounded shoulder, which was still seeping darkness from the wound. Rarity then let out a sigh before she tossed the horn to Xion, who caught it in her left hand.
"You okay?" Xion asked Sombra, who said nothing in reply. Xion pocketed the dark king before turning her attention back to Rarity, who was no longer covered in rainbows and her mane had shrunken considerably. "Didn't think you'd actually give him back to me without a fight. Didn't seem like that kind of pony."
"If this was my first encounter with you Xion, then I wouldn't have given him back," Rarity said to Xion, who was surprised that Rarity knew her name. "But I've heard about you from Fluttershy and Pinkie, two friends of mine that you helped out. And according to them, you aided them in their hour of need to defeat the beings of darkness that have been recently plaguing our land. And that includes your name."
"Pinkie. Knew I shouldn't have talked to her," Xion grumbled to herself.
"Oh don't blame Pinkie, we've heard of your deeds back in Ponyville. Now granted, most of them paint you as a monster of darkness with red eyes, but I can see that's not the case," Rarity revealed to Xion, who glanced over at Rarity with interested eyes. "Our magic has been all we can use to fight back against the Heartless, that is what you called them, yes? But that weapon of yours...it has slain them and kept them slain. And if you're slaying them, then it is clear that you are not with them."
"You're a pretty good detective," Xion muttered, but she kept her blade leveled at Rarity. "But you said it yourself. I'm a red eyed, creature of darkness. Why would you, a being of light, trust something of darkness would trust me?"
"Well, first off is that I don't see it. I see more of a...mannequin in a cloak, not a red eyed monster," Rarity said with some slight confusion. "Interestingly enough, Fluttershy saw the red eyed monster. But you still helped her. And Pinkie saw a red-headed human girl, who helped her. What do all of these have in common? You've helped us, so I see no reason why you should deserve my wrath."
"The second reason is that..." Rarity began, before she looked once more at the wounded shoulder with a guilty look in her eyes. "That Heartless made me do things that I would never do. It made me try to kill you, which was against my will. So I feel that I owe you one, for nearly trying to kill you."
"Oh, you owe me one. That's why you're not trying to kill me," Xion replied in an annoyed tone, one that made Rarity glance at the ground with sad eyes.
"Look darling...I understand if you cannot forgive me for my actions. I am sorry for my actions and that is all I can do," Rarity sighed and Xion actually found herself feeling bad for the pony.
"Look...I've had a rough day too, alright?" Xion agreed as she banished her keyblade, getting Rarity's eyes to go wide as the weapon vanished. "All I was planning to do today was go shopping and that's it. I didn't plan on having to free a whole city from the Heartless or nearly lose my shoulder in a blast of rainbow light that can destroy any being of darkness. But here we are."
Rarity placed a hoof under her chin and thought for a moment, before her eyes lit up with a smile. "Idea! How about this, Xion? Since I...contributed to your bad day, how about I take you to where you needed to go and pay for it myself tomorrow? Consider it my way of paying you back for helping us? I'm sorry that's all I can do for now."
"No...no that might work," Xion agreed with a small nod, knowing that she was strapped for bits. "What I'm getting isn't a traditional item, though. Figure I should warn you in advance."
"It's no problem at all darling. And how about after we get this item for you, we go and get you a new outfit made?" Rarity asked Xion.
"What's wrong with my coat?" Xion asked as she looked down at her coat, only to realize that it was torn apart in numerous places and was covered in dirt and grime. Rarity giggled to herself as the realization dawned on Xion's face before she turned and motioned for Xion to follow her with her hoof. Xion did so, but as the two walked she reached into her pocket and pulled out Sombra's horn.
"You've been awfully quiet," Xion said to Sombra, who said nothing in reply. "Normally you would never pass up on the opportunity to get in some shots against one of the Ambassadors of Harmony, let alone one that kicked you out of her mind. You feeling okay?"
'I'm...just thinking, puppet. And I require not to be bothered until I am finished.'
"Alright, geez. Sorry for worrying," Xion grumbled as she placed Sombra back into her pocket as she continued after Rarity, wondering what could possibly get Sombra to silence his tongue.
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No. I
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"Yeesh, I know that I promised to buy whatever it was you were after, but I wish you had warned me how much of a dent it would out in my purse," Rarity said to Xion as the two of them left an odd shop, while Xion pocketed the Dragon's Fire within her coat. Xion had spent the night at the hotel Rarity had been staying at, yet Rarity hadn't slept that night. She had spent all night dealing with the confused citizens and had only showed up around ten to take Xion shopping.
"You were the one that so nobly offered to pay for my woes. I figured that it would be better if I didn't say anything to sway you from your noble path," Xion said with a wry smile to Rarity, who sighed in defeat before shaking her head with a smirk of her own. The two walked in silence, with Rarity occasionally offering to talk to Xion yet Xion chose to remain silent. "Sorry if I'm not that talkative, I've got a lot on my mind right now. I'm dealing with more than just the Heartless, so I've got to plan in advance."
"Perfectly understandable darling. We've all got a lot on our minds with these Heartless in the land. Terrifying beasts," Rarity muttered to herself. The two continued on in silence, with Xion glance down at where Sombra rested silently in her horn with growing concern. That was until the both of them came to a stop outside of a clothing store, one with a huge sigh that looked like it was made with magical lace.
"Ah, here we are! Do not worry, Xion, I am friends with the ponies inside. And the owner owes me a favor," Rarity said to Xion as she pushed open the door. Rarity entered the store, leaving Xion to glance around at the city streets around her. The ponies walked the streets like nothing had happened, making Xion wonder how much they remembered about being mind controlled.
'Just ignore them. If they want to live in their blissful fantasy land, who are we to stop them?' Sombra asked Xion, who shrugged her shoulders before she entered into the store after Rarity. The store was nothing special, with numerous outfits on display while different sections held different styles. It only occurred to Xion after she entered the store that she was a Nobody and that clothing designed for horses wouldn't work for her.
"Yes, I figured as much as well darling," Rarity agreed when Xion voice her fears to the mare, who had been standing by the counter. "But do not worry, there is a reason I chose this shop. The ponies here specialize in making clothing for any sort of being, be it a griffon or a yak. If anypony is able to make a new suit for you, it will be them."
As soon as Rarity said this, two ponies in strange clothing zipped out of the back and appeared next to Xion, taking her measurements quickly before they vanished back into the backrooms from whence they came. Rarity motioned for Xion to sit down in a waiting chair while Rarity browsed the shelves, leaving Xion to sit down and pull Sombra from her pocket.
"So two down, one to go and then you'll be fixed, right?" Xion asked Sombra.
'Yeah...that's how it should work,' Sombra said to Xion in a tone that Xion couldn't read. Xion didn't like it when she couldn't tell what Sombra was planning. The more she talked to him, the more she felt there was plenty that he wasn't telling her.
"The Golem's Core. That's the last item. Any idea where we'll find it?" Xion asked Sombra, who said nothing for a few minutes.
'Last I heard, it was rumored to be in a wasteland to the south of here. A place where even the princesses don't like to tread, thanks to the beasts that live there. And that was before the Heartless showed up,' Sombra revealed with a bit more of his old self in his voice, which relieved Xion slightly. Before Xion could say any more, the two ponies zipped out of the bag and dumped a pile of clothes into Xion's lap. Xion had only a moment to register that clothing had been dumped into her lap before the ponies yanked her off her feet and rushed her to the changing rooms in the back.
Getting the hint that they wanted her to try on her clothing, Xion tossed Sombra's horn out of the changing room and to the floor next to the outfit making ponies, who glanced at the horn with interest. A few moments passed before Xion walked out of the changing room, her new outfit replacing her coat.
She wore a white T-shirt with a black, sleeveless jacket over the top of it, black hood hanging off the back. Her pants were also black and went to Xion's knees. The way the pants felt reminded Xion of jeans and she assumed that's what they were. A pair of black boots with white highlights on the sides. A chain wrapped around her waist and looked kinda like a belt, but other than aesthetics Xion couldn't place it's purpose. Finally, there was a pair of gloves that she wore, gloves that felt...magical to her.
"Oh you look wonderful, darling!" Rarity exclaimed as she raced over to Xion, who looked down at herself before shrugging. "See, I told you that this place would have the clothing that you need! Now what do you want to do with you old coat? Do you wish to dispose of it or do you wish for me to?"
Xion glanced down at her old and torn coat, one that was given to her by Xemnas himself, and felt conflicted. On one hand, the coat was a reminded to her that she was a puppet, a being created to be a tool in the plans of a being that held no care or love for her. But on the other, it was also a reminder that she was connected to Roxas and Axel, that just because she was a puppet didn't mean she didn't belong. A small smile crossed her face, before she folded up the cloak before placing it in her inventory. She then picked up Sombra and put him in one of the jacket's pockets.
"I think I'll hang onto it," Xion replied as she zipped up her jacket, moving around in her outfit to get a feeling for her outfit before she nodded to Rarity. "Thank you for doing this. I didn't think that changing my outfit could make such a difference, but for the first time in so long I feel like I..."
"Can breath? Don't worry darling, I know exactly how you feel," Rarity replied with a nod to Xion, who believe that Rarity knew what she was talking about. Rarity paid for the outfit and the two left the store, leaving Xion to look around while trying to decide where to go next. "Need some directions?"
"Yeah, I'm heading to a wasteland in the south next. A place where the princesses dare not to tread," Xion told Rarity, who narrowed her eyes before she pulled out a map and circled a spot on it.
"Here you go, this is where you are probably going to be heading," Rarity said to Xion, who took the map and looked at the spot that Rarity had circle. "That is the only wasteland I know of in Equestria. It is also a spot where plenty of Heartless are heading. I doubt it is coincidence."
"Me either. Thank you again Rarity, but I need to get going," Xion said as she rolled up the map, only for Rarity to extend something else to Xion.
"Here, this is something I found while patrolling the streets when I was being controlled," Rarity said as she handed a keychain to Xion, one that had a diamond on the end of it. "I didn't know what it was, but then I saw the keychain on the end of your blade and it made sense. This is for you."
"Thank you again, Rarity," Xion replied as she took the keychain.
"It is no problem. And good luck with wherever it is you are heading," Rarity replied as she started to walk away, before she stopped and smiled back at Xion. "And if you ever feel that you are tired of only having Sombra for company, come seek me and my friends out. We'd all love to get to know you a little better. Au revoir."
With a wave Rarity vanished into the crowd of ponies, leaving Xion to look down at the diamond keychain, wondering what this one would do for her blade. She then pocketed the keychain and headed off towards where Rarity had circled on the map, feeling that things were only going to get harder. |
The Girl That Never Was | Inner Glow | With all of Xion's experience of Equestria being mostly beautiful lands filled with wonder and majesty, she was a little surprised to find a section of Equestria that was devoid of life such as the wasteland she found herself in. The sun was blocked overhead by black clouds that seemed to follow the pair no matter where they went in the lands, but the clouds did not block the heat that radiated from the ground. Xion found herself grateful not to be stuck in her stuff coat, but what she wasn't so grateful for was that Sombra hadn't said a word since the two of them left Rarity.
"So...once we get this Golem's Core, we'll have everything you need to reform your body, right?" Xion asked Sombra, who was hanging out in one of Xion's pockets. Once again Sombra did not answer the girl, leaving Xion to sigh before she summoned her blade. While she had gotten used to the Happiest Day, she figured it was time for her to try a new style.
She detached Pinkie's keychain and replaced it with Rarity's, smiling as her blade flashed a brilliant light as it took on it's new form. The guard of the keyblade was a long strand of ribbon, one which encircled the handle and met together at a tied bow where the blade extended. The blade was a long, slender sewing needle, giving her keyblade far longer reach than any of her previous blades. And the teeth of her keyblade was a spool of thread, one which shined like the moon.
"Extended reach, that's always appreciated," Xion muttered to herself as she took up the blade in both hands, swinging it a few times to get a feel for her new weapon. "Good increase to my strength, so I want to hit things with this more. Draw? Ugh, what kind of useless ability is that? None of these Heartless drop any munny or treasure, so what's the point in it?"
'Only you could find something to complain about when you are gifted a new weapon from the heavens,' Sombra muttered from Xion's pocket, getting the girl to raise an eyebrow at the fact that Sombra had finally spoke. 'If anything, at least having a needle for a blade means that you'll be able to stab things. Or sew me a sweater, whichever suits your tastes.'
"So you finally decide to grace me with your voice. You know for a while I was actually hoping that you had permanently lost your voice and that I would be able to spend the rest of this journey is blissful silence. Glad to see that my bad luck hasn't changed," Xion joked to Sombra, but once again Sombra returned to his silence. "Geez, I was just joking, don't take it so personally."
'Please, your words cannot harm me. I have a far thicker skin than any pony despite not having skin...or any form of body at the moment,' Sombra replied with a sigh before he sensed that the sky was getting darker. 'We should probably stop here for the night. We're still a ways away from the location of the Core, so we'll need to rest. Don't want you getting too tired now.'
"It's weird hearing you being so considerate for my well being," Xion noted, but she took Sombra's advice to stop. She gathered up what few sticks she could find and clumped them into a pile, before blasting a burst of fire from the end of her keyblade to ignite the wood. "So do you want me to practice more of my training tonight? I've gotten pretty good at summoning the darkness, but I bet that it's not good enough for you. Alright, bring it on."
As she said this, she closed her eyes and summoned the darkness within, creating an aura of darkness around her that was darker than Sombra had recalled. Xion placed Sombra's horn upon a rock before she began to practice her spells, shooting dark versions of all of her magic. Sombra watched the entire time, noticing how far she had improved in such a short time.
'Yes, her grip on the darkness within has truly become stronger. At the rate she's going, she should become completely consumed by the darkness soon,' Sombra thought silently to himself, amazed at Xion's progress and also the amount of darkness that was radiating off of her. 'Perhaps, if I were to keep her going down this path into darkness, the darkness would eventually consume her heart and mind...leaving her a mindless puppet once more. One to command.'
"You know something Sombra, I actually feel that I can go farther with this darkness. Like there's a whole pool of power awaiting me within," Xion began as she closed her eyes and held a hand to her heart, beginning to summon the darkness within her once more.
"Perhaps with this power, I won't have to worry about the organization hurting us. With this power...I can protect us both-OW!" Xion yelled as a rock hit her in the back of her head, spinning around to glare at where the horn was resting. "The hell was that for?!"
'Because you are being an idiot! What did I tell you before?! You must have balance, you stupid puppet!' Sombra roared at Xion from his rock, falling off of it in the process. 'Yes, there is another well of power within your darkness, but if you were to tap into that power with how you are now, you would lose your heart and your mind, truly making you a puppet!'
"Oh...really? Thanks for the warning," Xion muttered as she canceled her dark aura, before glancing down at Sombra. "So is this as far I can go with the power of darkness?"
'For the moment. However, you will be able to tap into that pool later if you have forged your heart and soul to withstand it. And in order to do that, you must master the light within you,' Sombra explained to Xion, who tilted her head and looked and Sombra with confusion.
"The light? But I thought I was a creature of darkness?"
'You are. However, that is not the element that you are naturally inclined towards. You, Xion, are a being of darkness that has a natural connection with the light,' Sombra revealed to Xion, who looked down at her hands with amazement. 'A being of darkness that is naturally filled with light. The only being like that I've ever seen. I do not know if it is because you were created that way or if it just who you are, but that makes you both interesting...and potentially the most powerful being I have come across.'
"I think that is the closest you've come to complimenting me," Xion said with a smile, before a serious look crossed her face. "So, how do I train myself to become stronger with the light?"
'Unfortunately for you, I am not a being of the light nor have I ever cast a light based spell in my entire life,' Sombra revealed to Xion, who sighed as she slumped over slightly. 'However, just because I have never done it does not mean that I do not have a few ideas on how one would go about channeling the power of light. You remember how you channeled the darkness, correct?'
"Yeah, I just remember all of my painful memories and use them as a catalyst for...oh, I think I get what you're saying," Xion caught on with a smile, before she closed her eyes and started to remember. "In order to draw out the light within me, I just need to remember all of the good and happy...there we go," Xion finished as she opened her eyes and looked down at herself, finding an aura of light faintly surrounding her. "Huh, not as strong as my dark aura."
'Of course not, you have just started using it. It will take time and training to make your light as strong as your darkness,' Sombra said to Xion, who nodded as she summoned her blade once more. When the blade appeared in her hand, Xion found that her keyblade was covered in a second blade, one made of light. 'I see. Your darkness increases your magic while your light increases your strength. You truly are a cornucopia of surprises, aren't you puppet?'
"I aim to amaze," Xion said with a confident smile before she took up a fighting stance. Sombra felt himself smirk before his horn glowed with power, summoning creations of darkness to surround the girl. One of the beings snuffed out the light of the fire, but the light that radiated from Xion generated more than enough light to allow her to see. "But y'know, this light feels...familiar. Like an old friend I haven't seen in a while..."
'Interesting. Let us see if that aids you during this trial!' Sombra roared while signaling for his monsters of darkness to attack. The beasts did as he asked and lunged towards Xion, who let a smile cross her face as they approached. She slammed the tip of her keyblade into the ground and summoned a barrier of light, but when the beasts of darkness got close to the barrier beams of light erupted from within and decimated the dark creatures.
The ones that weren't destroyed by the rays of light charged Xion the moment her barrier lowered, but even though she was horribly outnumbered Xion's smile never faltered from her face. She charged towards the closest shadow being and cleaved him in half, causing his two halves to vanish into darkness. Xion the spun her blade around and drove the blade under her shoulder, driving the tip of her blade through the stomach of another shadow creature.
As that one vanished into darkness, Xion spun towards the final beast of darkness and hurled her keyblade towards it. The blade spun with a radiant light surrounding it, getting the beast to let out a roar before the blade pierced its body. Xion extended her hand and returned her keyblade to her, before she smiled over at Sombra with pride and gave him a thumbs up.
'By the heavens, that is some strong light,' Sombra found himself saying with a smirk of disbelief, unable to believe how quickly Xion was disposing of his minions. 'I may have said that she has a strong connection to the light, but I never thought would have believed how easily she could make its power hers. I'm almost a little jealous.'
Then Sombra watched as Xion laughed aloud as she spun her keyblade around in victory, before she hefted the keyblade onto her shoulder and gave a victory pose. Her moment of victory was ruined when the hand of one of the shadow beasts grabbed hold of her ankle, getting the girl to freak out before she started to swat at her ankle with her blade. And amidst all the chaos, Sombra found that he couldn't help but laugh.
'Able to learn both the power of darkness and light. Has met with three of the six guardians of this land and survived. Not to mention that even as a being of darkness she managed to befriend the three. She truly is one the most talented learners I have ever seen. Of course, I wouldn't expect anything less from my student.'
"Thanks for the tips, Sombra. That was fun."
'Well then, fun time's over, puppet!' Sombra roared at Xion, who had just managed to get the hand off of her. She glanced over at Sombra's horn with a look of interest on her face, before her eyes went wide as darkness began to spew out of the horn. The darkness that had emerged from Sombra's horn wrapped around itself and slowly began to form a body, one that was of a dark stallion that was almost up to Xion's height. Xion's eyes went wide as two white eyes opened on the face of the stallion, before a toothy grin crossed his face. "Now you face me!"
"What?! You can reforge your body?! You could do that the whole time?!" Xion yelled with disbelief as Sombra began to walk towards her, a confident grin upon his face. "If you could make a body out of the darkness, then why the heck are we even gathering up these items?! Or have you just been wasting my time?"
"Calm yourself, puppet, this is not a form I can hold for long. Thirty minutes at most and that's without strenuous activity," Sombra informed Xion, before he crouched down with a wicked smile. "Now come, puppet, allow me to truly test this light of yours. If it is not strong enough to defeat this form, then we might as well kill ourselves here to save our foes the trouble of striking us down."
"You really know how to motivate, don't you? But I won't pass up the chance to knock that annoying smile off of your face!" Xion said before she lunged towards Sombra, who cackled before he vanished into a pool of darkness. Xion's keyblade struck the ground where Sombra had vanished, before she started to look around for the dark king.
"Where are you looking?!" Sombra roared as he came flying down from above, firing blasts of darkness from his horn. Xion lifted her gaze towards Sombra and spun her blade on her fingers, using the whirling weapon to deflect the attacks before she kicked off the ground and lunged into the air towards Sombra. She slashed at Sombra, only to watch as he rolled out of the way and landed on the ground, smirking at Xion as she landed. "You're quicker on your feet than you used to be. Been practicing when I haven't been looking?"
"Guess you can say I've been leveling up," Xion replied with a smile. "You sure you want to keep fighting me? If I strike you with the blade of light, I guarantee it will hurt."
"Relax, puppet, this isn't my real form. It's just a body made of my dark magic. If you strike down this form, I'll just return to being a horn," Sombra assured Xion, but when he saw the look in her eyes he realized that she had been holding back for his sake. 'I am a king of darkness and evil and yet you still show concern for me. I will never figure you out.'
In a burst of light Xion was on the dark king, keyblade raised over her head and victory shinning in her eyes. Yet once more Sombra vanished into the darkness in time to avoid being struck down by the keyblade, but when he emerged from the darkness he found Xion's boot waiting for him. She kicked his dark form in the side of the head and sent him sprawling, forcing him to pick himself back up with a confused look on his face.
"You forget that I've used the dark passages in the past. I can feel you as you race through them," Xion informed Sombra with a wicked smile of her own, while Sombra chuckled to himself nervously. Sombra used his dark magic to conjure twin blades of darkness, which he spun around his body before taking up a fighting stance of his own. Xion dashed towards him and twirled her body, gaining momentum before she lashed out at Sombra with her keyblade.
Sombra lifted one of his dark blades to intercept, causing sparks of light and darkness to erupt when the two blades struck. For a brief moment the two forces pushed against each other, before Xion's blade cleaved through Sombra's and nearly slashed through his face. Xion then let out a cry as she prepared to stab at Sombra, before her light aura vanished in a flash and she collapsed to the ground.
"Xion?" Sombra asked as he walked over to her side, rolling her over to find that she was breathing heavily and had sweat running down her face. He let out a sigh and shook his head at the girl, who closed her eyes and began to calm her breathing. "Oh you fool. You pushed yourself too hard."
"What...do you...mean?"
"That new light form of yours is incredibly powerful, but it takes a huge chunk out of your stamina. And you're not as adept with it as you were the darkness, so when you took me on you pushed your power of light past what your body could handle," Sombra said with another sigh, before looking up at the darkening sky. "Perhaps it was for the best. We need to stop here for the night and you need to regain your strength."
"Sounds...good. Goodnight," Xion weakly muttered before she practically passed out, getting Sombra to look down at her with disbelief.
"And just like that she's out," Sombra said with a smirk at Xion, before he used his dark magic to ignite the fire once more. He then rolled Xion over next to the fire and drew forth her coat from her inventory, placing it over her. He then sat down on the rock across from her, dissipating his shadowy form and returning himself to his horn form. He sat in silence for a while, before he glanced over at the sleeping girl once more.
'Her progress is extraordinary. The other day she just learned how to channel the darkness and today she's able to use its power to increase her abilities,' Sombra thought to himself as he recalled what Xion had done. 'And then, with her strength already drained from using the power of darkness, she channels the light and manages to infuse it into her blade. Incredible.'
'She would make the perfect, mindless henchmen. With her power and my knowledge I would be able to reclaim what was stolen from me. Hell, perhaps I would be able to take over the entire world,' Sombra thought to himself before he glanced at Xion once more, remembering the city and what had happened within it. He then let out a small laugh before he turned his gaze towards the sky.
'You couldn't make it easy for me, could you? You couldn't send me some goody two shoes hero or some evil monster that I would have no issues turning to my will. No, you had to send me this train wreck.' |
The Girl That Never Was | Temple | Xion couldn't help but stare in awe at the colossal statues of beings past as she and Sombra walked underneath a long row of statues. Each of the statues looked like a different being, with some of them looking like ponies while others looked like dragons. The structure that housed the statues was far larger than the statues themselves, with its outer walls weathered and ancient, yet the front door seemed as pristine as it would have been the day it was created.
While Xion was staring at the place with wide eyed wonder, Sombra rested within her coat pocket with concern coursing through what remained of him. It was not his first time having come to the place to claim the core of a golem. But it was the first time that he had come to the place knowing full well the power of what rested inside. He was concerned not just for him, but for the girl whose power seemed to get stronger by the day.
'Of course, now that I know she has a connection to the light, it is no surprise that she's getting stronger. The land just oozes the light,' Sombra thought to himself while Xion looked at some carvings on a pillar. 'And that, in turn, makes the light within her naturally stronger. What I can't understand is how her dark powers are getting stronger as well. The lands light should be subduing them like it is mine, yet she seems completely unaffected. Is it simply because she is not from this world? Or is there another, far more sinister reason?'
"Hey Sombra, can you read these?" Xion asked Sombra, who snapped out of his thoughts right before Xion pulled him out of her pocket and held him in front of the symbols. Sombra glanced over them for a second before he let out a sigh.
'Sorry puppet, but these are older than even me,' Sombra replied with disinterest.
"Wow, older than you? So these were around at the beginning of creation?" Xion mocked with a smile and Sombra chose not to reply. Instead he rolled his horn so that it was facing the entrance to the temple and Xion followed his gaze towards the entrance.
'Now would be the best time for jesting. For I promise you once we're inside the last thing you'll be doing is laughing,' Sombra informed Xion. 'Within those walls is a never ending maze of traps and tricks, which will constantly change and morph itself so that you never escape or find the center. And even if you do find the center, the golem within will make you regret finding it.'
"Geez, that sounds like a fun time," Xion said as she started to walk towards the entrance of the temple. "Are we just going to wing it like usual or do you actually have a plan this time?"
'Fortunately for you, I have been within these walls and have learned how to navigate the maze,' Sombra said with some pride, before his horn glowed darkly. 'However, I have yet to best the creature whose core we are here to take. And if I couldn't do it, then I severely doubt your ability to do so. But go ahead, prove me wrong.'
"I intend to," Xion replied as the two reached the shining door. Xion summoned her keyblade and pointed the tip of the needle at the center of the door, yet before she could open it beings of darkness and nothingness shot out of the ground around her.
"Heartless!" Xion roared as she spun around and lashed out with her blade, the longer reach allowing her to slice through one of the closer Shadows. She backed up to the door so that the Heartless couldn't get behind her and glanced around at what she was facing.
The regular Shadows and Soldiers littered the battlefield, but to Xion's annoyance there were Heartless in the group wearing turbans and carrying scimitars. But then there were the creatures that were as thin as sticks and wore white outfits, with the tops opened up on the face to reveal pointed teeth.
'Xion, are those more Nobodies?' Sombra asked.
"Yeah, but fortunately for us, these are just Dusks. They're not that much of a threat," Xion replied before the creatures attacked. Xion deflected a strike from a Dusk before she rolled out of the way of a sword swipe from a Bandit. With a vertical slash she cleaved a Soldier in two, giving her some breathing room to spin around and fire a blast of ice from the end of her keyblade and into the chest of the Bandit, blasting it to darkness. She swung at one of the Dusks, but the creature leapt into the air and skidded to the edge of the battlefield.
'These Dusks are hard to hit, aren't they?' Sombra asked Xion, who cartwheeled out of the way of a stray Heartless strike before spinning around and knocking the Heartless back with her blade. Xion tried another swipe at a Dusk, but once more the being rolled out of the way.
"Yeah, but I know how to get around that," Xion replied before she thrust her keyblade into the air. "THUNDER!"
A blast of lightning came raining down from above the Dusk, striking it right on the center of the beings head. The Dusk writhed like it was in agony before it burst apart and faded away into nothingness. If Sombra's had eyes, they would have gone wide at the new spell that Xion had pulled out. Xion didn't waste any time before she lunged towards two more Bandits, blocking the blade of one of them before she ducked under the swing of another.
"Take this!" Xion yelled as she drove the keyblade through the center of the Bandits chest, before ripping the blade from his fading body to slash through the Bandit standing beside her. Both of them faded into the darkness, but as Xion looked behind her she found more Heartless appearing out of the ground. "You guys like to hide in the dark? Then time to face the light."
Xion closed her eyes as she held her keyblade in front of her, channeling the good memories and drawing forth the light within. An aura of light surrounded her and formed a blade of light around her keyblade. Xion's eyes snapped open once more and she pointed her blade at the Heartless, which slowly backed away from the glowing blade.
In a flash of light Xion was on the Heartless, swinging her blade through the head of the Heartless and driving it all the way to the ground in front of the door. The energy coming off of her blade left burn marks on the ground, but Xion didn't notice as she swung her blade of light around and slashed through another of the Heartless. She locked her eyes onto the final Heartless and channeled the light into her keyblade, before she let out a bellow as she thrust the blade towards the Heartless.
A massive chain made entirely of light erupted from the end of her keyblade and impaled itself through the Heartless, causing cracks filled with light to appear in the Heartless before it exploded into a shower of light. Xion stood back up before she glanced over her shoulder at the remaining two Dusks, who stood behind her without moving. For a long time Xion stared at the two Dusks, who stared back at her. Then the Dusks leapt into the air and vanished into nothingness, leaving Xion alone once again.
Xion closed her eyes and dispelled the light from her body, before she let out a tired sigh and fell to her knees once it was gone. She took in a few deep breaths, before she pushed herself back up to her feet and gritted her teeth. Xion then pushed herself towards the door, pointing her keyblade at it.
'Why'd you let them go?' Sombra asked Xion once the light was gone, stopping Xion from unlocking the door.
"Why'd I do what?"
'Let the Dusks go. You could have struck them down before they could have reacted, but you chose to let them get away. I want to know why,' Sombra asked Xion. Xion said nothing for a moment, before she sighed and looked down at the ground.
"Look, when I worked for the organization...the Dusks were nice to me. They helped with chores, attended to our needs and one even gave me flowers," Xion said with a pained expression. "They're the lowest of the Nobodies to serve the organization, but they're still Nobodies...meaning that they still remember what it means to be alive. At least, some do. They're just following orders."
'Hmm, if they follow orders, does that mean that you could control them?' Sombra asked, though he took careful note of what else Xion had said. 'I mean, you were once a numbered member of the organization.'
"I could, if any other organization members that didn't outrank me decided to give them orders. And I was number fourteen, so you can guess how that would work," Xion said with a bitter smirk before she shot a beam of light out of the end of her keyblade, one that pierced through the door before her. An unlocking sound could be heard before the massive door swung back, allowing Xion and Sombra access to the temple. "Come on, let's focus on the mission at hand. What do I need to do?"
'First things first, move to your left,' Sombra said before he used his power to yank Xion out of the way, right before a giant boulder struck where she had been standing. 'Yeah, don't worry about that. One of the ponies I brought with me the first time got crushed by that boulder when I first came here.'
"You let a pony die?!"
'Hey, I didn't know it was there the first time, alright? But there's a lesson for you, puppet. Never go into an ancient temple first, unless you want your friends to clean you off the wall,' Sombra continued on, barely registering Xion's outburst. 'Now you'll want to go to the left. Trust me, right is a dead end. Emphasis on dead.'
Xion followed Sombra's instructions and went to the left, keeping her keyblade in front of her while she walked. Whenever a sound would go off around her, she would turn her full body to face it, holding her key the way a samurai would his blade.
'So why'd you change your stance?' Sombra asked Xion, having picked up on the change in stance. Xion blinked a few times before she looked down at her stance, noticing that there was faint traces of light radiating off of her. 'Yeah, you've been doing that too, even though you thought you sealed away the light. I would have said something, but I wanted to see how long it took till you noticed.'
"I...don't know," Xion muttered to herself as she fixed her stance, before she closed her eyes and sealed away the rest of the light. "But when I used the power of the light and shot that...chain out of my keyblade, holding the keyblade like that afterwards felt...like the correct way to hold it. Like I had seen someone before hold the blade the same way."
'And have you seen somepony...one, hold the blade that way?'
"To the best of my knowledge, no. But Maestro did mess with my memories. He told me that he lessened some of the more painful ones, so it's possible he completely got rid of others," Xion grumbled as she walked. "I'm really tired of being a puppet for people to try and control."
'Well that's a shame, because you give off an aura that makes you look really controllable,' Sombra added on, on for Xion to chuck his horn into the all. 'All joking aside, we'll need to concentrate for this next part. Once you walk through this door, prepare to lose what little mind you have.'
Xion wondered what Sombra meant as she pushed open the very doors Sombra had mentioned, only for her eyes to go wide with shock with what she saw on the other side. Before her was a very long corridor, one that seemed to stretch on for eternity. She squinted her eyes as she tried to see an end or a turn in the road, but all she saw was the same corridor.
'Yeah, I had the same reaction when I first saw it. And yes, it is an illusion. But is also real, if that makes any sense,' Sombra informed Xion, before he floated in front of her and cast a dark light from his horn. The dark light doused the torches that hung from the walls, covering the area in darkness except for the eerie light that Sombra's horn generated.
"What are you doing?" Xion asked Sombra as he rested his horn upon her shoulder.
'The light in this temple lies. Only in the shadows can you see the true path,' Sombra replied. 'Now go. Walk forward until you come to your third left. That is where you will turn.'
Xion did as Sombra requested, walking down the corridor until she came to her third left and turned there. After that Sombra gave her some more directions, each of which turned her down a path that she was certain wasn't there before. At one point she had the good idea to look behind her, only to find a solid wall twenty feet behind her.
'Like I said puppet, this place is an illusion made real. Try not to think too hard about it,' Sombra advised Xion, who decided to take his advice. The two walked on for a while, with Xion losing track of how long they had been in the maze. Aside from Sombra telling her which way to go, the two moved along in silence. Xion eventually began to lose herself in thought, only responded to Sombra's words when he told her to turn.
'Xion.'
Xion snapped her head up and looked around the maze, finding herself standing in a circular room with paths all heading off into the darkness. But what had gotten her attention wasn't the room she was standing in or the way that Sombra didn't seem to know where to go next. It was who had spoken to her. For they had a familiar voice. The voice of a boy.
Xion glanced around in a frenzy, ignoring Sombra's inquires as he noticed that she had started to act strange. She glanced down each of the corridors until her eyes locked onto a figure practically invisible in the darkness. It was a being around her height wearing an organization cloak. But even though he was hidden in the darkness and his face was covered, Xion recognized him instantly.
"It can't be," Xion whispered to herself as she started to walk towards the figure, who turned and ran down the corridor into the darkness. "Wait! Come back!" she yelled as she chased off after him. Xion sprinted down the corridor, barely able to keep the cloaked figure within her sight. She barely paid any attention to where she ran or how many twists and turns she took, only caring if she could keep the figure in her sight.
The figure rounded a corner and a moment later Xion rounded the corner as well, only to find herself face to face with a solid wall. Xion blinked twice before she started to search the wall, trying each brick and crack to see if there was a secret exit or a switch that would cause the wall to spring back. She tried at the wall for a few minutes, before she gave up and sat back while gathering her breath.
'Ya done chasing ghosts?' Sombra asked Xion, who suddenly remembered that she had a horn resting on her shoulder. She reached up and took the horn off of her hand, gazing down at it with confusions.
"Ghosts? No, I was chasing the boy in the cloak. The boy that...I think I know," Xion replied, but her words only caused Sombra to sigh in disbelief.
'Xion, there was nopony there. You were running through corridor after corridor like a girl possessed. And trust me, if there was another being in this place with you, I would have either seen or sensed them. But there wasn't.'
"Okay, so if I wasn't chasing a boy in a black coat, then what was I chasing?" Xion asked in a temper, getting Sombra to chuckle bitterly.
'This place is a trap, remember puppet? It is designed to trick you and lead you astray, so that you get lost and never come back,' Sombra reminded Xion, whose heart fell as she realized that Sombra was right. But then came the pain of her realizing that who she had been chasing after hadn't even been there.
"So...there was no one there? He wasn't there?"
Sombra saw the disappointment and pain on Xion's face and he felt his own snarky side subside slightly. 'Look puppet, the reason I know that you were being tricked by the temple is because I was tricked by it too all those years ago. Even a brilliant mind such as myself was tricked by this temple, so what chance did you have? That's one of two reasons that I'm not mad at you.'
"Wait, then what's the other reason?"
'Well, the other reason would be that the temple didn't lead you to just a dead end. It lead you to your soon to be death. Brace yourself.'
As soon as the words escaped Sombra's horn the floor opened up underneath of Xion and she was plunged into the darkness. Xion barely had time to register what was happening before she slammed hard onto her back, knocking all of the wind out of her. She spent a moment or two trying to get her breath back, before she realized that the floor she had fallen through was no more. She rolled over and felt pain lance up her back, getting a weak groan out of her.
'That looked like it hurt,' Sombra's horn said from a pile of sand next to Xion, who grunted in reply. 'Well, shake it off and get that keyblade of yours out. You've got an audience with the being we're here to see.'
Xion pushed herself up to her feet in time to notice that the ground was shaking around her. Her keyblade appeared in her hands right before a massive, stone sculpted foot slammed down in front of her. Xion slowly lifted her eyes to see a massive beast of stone gazing down at her, a being so tall that she could barely see the top of its head. But her eyes only rested on its head for a moment, before she glued her eyes to the symbol upon its chest. A symbol of the Heartless.
'So the stone golem that I couldn't defeat all those years ago is now a Heartless and seems to be even more powerful than the last time I fought it. Man, do you have the worst luck or what?' Sombra asked Xion as she took up her fighting stance, one that mirrored the one her best friend had taught her.
"Or what," Xion agreed before she lunged towards the golem. |
The Girl That Never Was | Always a Catch | A frontal attacked proved not to be a winning strategy, despite Xion's best efforts. She had lunged towards the golem with keyblade held high, only for the monster of stone and magic to drive a fist into the ground right in her path. The shockwave knocked Xion off of her feet and hurled her across the large chamber, where she slammed into the side of a stone wall and collapsed to the ground.
'That looked painful,' Sombra told Xion as the girl picked herself out of the sand, breathing heavily as she glared through her bangs at the golem, which was standing in the center of the room. She then glanced down at its lower body and found that it had no legs, so it's lower base was attached to the floor of the room. Realizing that it couldn't get to her and that she was, at the moment, out of its range, Xion took her time rising back up to her feet.
"Yeah, it was. Good thing that wasn't a direct attack or else I'd probably be a stain on the wall," Xion noted before she pointed her keyblade at the golems head, smirking to herself before she muttered," Fire."
A ball of fire shot out of the end of her keyblade and soared right into the face of the golem, exploding with a roar. Smoke and flames consumed the head of the golem, allowing Xion to smile as she watched it rock back and forth.
'What are you smiling about?' Sombra asked Xion, who lifted Sombra's horn so that she could look at him.
"See how the golem's stuck to the floor? That means he can't come to get me," Xion said with a smile as she pointed her blade at the golem's base. "All I need to do is stay out of his range and keep using long range spells to wear him down. Eventually the damage will add up and we'll be able to proceed with little to no effort."
'Puppet, I'll give you credit for being clever. Against any other opponent, that would be a brilliant idea,' Sombra praised while a clapping sound emerged from his horn. 'But I fought the golem before when I was at the peak of my power and yet I didn't manage to beat him. Do you know what my primary weapon against him was?'
"Magic," Xion said through gritted teeth, before she looked up at the golem to find that aside from some soot, the face of the golem was perfectly fine. "So he's immune to magical attacks?"
'Seems like it. Golems were created originally to combat powerful magic users like moi,' Sombra revealed to Xion, who bit back a curse as she predicted what he was going to say next. 'No, the only way to defeat a golem was either to destroy it with physical force, not my forte, or find a way to imprison it. Which this one seems to be. So puppet, looks like we've got only one option available to us. You think that toothpick can take down a monster of stone like that?'
"It'll have to."
Xion resumed her attack by dashing across the ground towards the golem, using quick movements to the left and right to make sure that the stone sentinel had trouble tracking her. She watched it wind up its fist and quickly leapt into the air, right as the fist came crashing down where she had been standing a moment ago. She landed on the back of the golem's fist and used its arm as a bridge, one that lead her right to its head.
"TAKE THIS!" she roared once she reached the head, swinging the keyblade down for all she was worth into the side of the monsters head. The force of her blow knocked the golem's head to the side, but to her disbelief the keyblade failed to scratch the brick that made up the head of the golem. The golem then slowly turned its head towards Xion, glaring at her with its yellow eyes. A blast of light erupted from its eyes, a blast that hurled Xion off of the golem's shoulder and to the sand below.
"Well that didn't work!" Xion yelled at Sombra as she landed in a roll, allowing her to spring back up to her feet in time to turn around to see another punch coming her way. Xion slammed her keyblade into the ground and summoned a barrier around herself, but when the fist struck the barrier the barrier shattered, once again hurling Xion across the room. Her side clipped the edge of a pillar and she fell to the ground, pain lancing in the side that caught the pillar.
'No, I didn't. Wow this is quite the golem. I've never seen one be so fundamentally sound,' Sombra said in an impressed tone while Xion cast Cure on herself to recover from the impact. 'Not only is it completely magic resistant, but it also is built incredibly tough. We may not actually manage to defeat this foe.'
"You've got to be kidding me. I didn't come this far just to lose to a giant chunk of rock!" Xion roared as she returned to the fray once more. She closed her eyes and focused on her fondest memories, memories which summoned an aura of light around her. Xion's eyes snapped open as a blade of light formed around her keyblade, while the power of the light coursed through her veins.
Xion shot towards the golem in a burst of light, arriving at the base of the creature in a heartbeat. She used the enhanced power of her blade to slice into the base of the golem, gaining its attention. The golem brought back an arm and slammed it where Xion had been standing, but by the time the fist struck at where she had been, the girl was already in the air over the golem's head.
"Time to fall!" Xion roared as she thrust the keyblade towards the golem, firing four chains made of light out of the end of her keyblade. The chains of light drove themselves through the golems head, getting it to roar as the light coursed through it. Xion then yanked back on the chains to pull herself towards the golem's head, where she aimed her blade right between its eyes.
With one last yell she thrust the keyblade through the head of the golem, driving the blade of light clean through the other side of the creature. She then roared as she ripped the blade out of the head of the golem, causing brick and magic to fly around her. Xion then back flipped off of the golem and landed on the ground, spinning her keyblade in victory as the golem collapsed to the ground behind her.
'That...was impressive,' Sombra said with actual amazement in his voice.
"Like I said Sombra, I'm not going down until I make it to the beach," Xion said with determination in her voice. "And there's no way I would lose to a giant pile of bricks. Now come on, let's grab the core and get out of this dusty-"
The next thing Xion knew she felt something large and solid strike her in the back, ripping her feet from the ground and hurling her into one of the temple walls. Her back cracked hard against the wall and she slumped to the ground, barely able to feel what was going on in her body.
'Xion! Are you alright?!' Sombra's horn asked Xion, who struggled to get out an answer.
She and Sombra turned to see what had struck her, only for the both of them to be shocked by the fact that the golem was getting back up. A crack filled with light was still in the center of the creatures skull, yet despite that would the golem was moving around like nothing had happened.
'That can't be right. You stabbed it through the head! It shouldn't be able to move anymore!' Sombra roared as Xion tried to push herself back up to her feet, yet the damage done was making it hard for her to do so.
"Then I guess I have to cut it's head clean off," Xion snarled as she pushed herself back up, closing her eyes and starting to channel the light once more.
'Puppet, cease that at once,' Sombra said to Xion, who cracked open her eyes to look down at the horn. 'Stop channeling the light. It's doing more harm than good at the moment.'
"What do you mean? It increases my power, speed and magical abilities. Why wouldn't I use it?" Xion asked Sombra, before pain washed over her and she nearly collapsed to one knee.
'It's draining your stamina too quickly. Remember, you still haven't adapted to the power yet and using it too much could knock you out cold,' Sombra reminded to girl, before the two of them looked towards the golem once more. The golem slammed both of its fist into the ground and sent out a shockwave that tore towards the pair. Sombra's horn flashed and a barrier of darkness constructed itself around the both of them, just in time to protect the both of them from the wave.
"So what should I do, tap into the power of the darkness?" Xion asked Sombra, who wracked his brain in an effort to think of an answer.
'It doesn't make sense, the golem should have gone down. Even if they seem invincible on the outside, they are not...puppet, toss me at the golem's joints!' Sombra roared as Xion as he lowered the barrier, getting Xion to look at him like he was crazy. 'Just do it!'
Figuring that she had nothing left to lose, Xion picked up the horn and chucked it at the golem. While her aim was a little off, Sombra used his dark magic to adjust his flight path so that his horn fell through a joint area around the golem's neck. The golem looked down at where the horn vanished, before it turned its attention back to Xion.
"Alright, I've fought Heartless, I've fought Nobodies and I've fought the biggest threats the worlds have had to offer. I will not allow myself to lose to you!" Xion roared as she took a few steps forward, only for pain to lance up her side and force her down to one knee. Xion grit her teeth as she leaned against her keyblade for support, before looking up at the golem which was cocking back another fist.
Then the golem's fist stopped in mid swing, getting Xion to tilt her head with some confusion. The golem then let out a roar as its body began to spasm back and forth, while it's hands clawed at its chest. Just as Xion was wondering whether or not the golem's actions had anything to do with Sombra, a blast of darkness erupted from the center of the golem's chest, spitting out a small black ball of darkness with yellow eyes and sharp teeth.
'Haha! So that's what was keeping the golem moving!' Sombra yelled with excitement as his horn came tumbling out of the golem's chest and onto the ground. 'Puppet, your strike to the golem's head did finish it off. The problem was this little bugger was inside controlling the actual thing like a...well, puppet. Finish it off and we can finally leave this Faust forsaken place!'
"So you're what was causing the golem to keep going," Xion said with a small growl as she glared down the Heartless, which slowly backed away from her key. The creature turned around and tried to flee, but a single slash from Xion cleaved the ball of darkness into two. It let out a weak cry before it vanished into darkness, finally finishing off the golem.
'Well I'll be damned, puppet. You actually managed to do what I could not. You slayed the golem,' Sombra said with praise in his voice as he looked at the giant pile of stone that had once been a foe he couldn't overcome. 'Of course, the keyblade played a huge roll in slaying this beast. What an incredible weapon. What I wouldn't give to have one of those for my own. Too bad they have to chose their wielders and you just can't steal them.'
"No, you can't. And with you being around, I'm very grateful for that fact," Xion said with a tired smile as she limped over to the horn, scooping it up and placing it into her pocket. She then looked around at the stones that had burst out of the golem's chest, eventually finding one that was spherical in nature and glowed with a warm, orange light. "So this must be the Golem's Core, eh? Smaller than I thought it would be."
'Good eye, puppet. That is what we came here for,' Sombra said as Xion picked up the core, holding it in her hands for a moment before she placed it into her inventory. 'With that I finally have all the components needed to fix what was once the greatest and most sought after body in all of Equestria. I cannot wait to return to my godly form once more.'
"Yeah...sounds good," Xion muttered weakly before she sat down hanging her head and breathing heavily as she felt exhaustion and pain wash over her. "You think, now that we've got everything, we'll be able to take a break? I'm not feeling so hot."
'Yeah, let's get out of here. There's a good amount of darkness in this place, so I should be able to...' Sombra muttered before a portal of darkness appeared in front of the both of them. Xion pushed herself back up to her feet and walked over to Sombra slowly, gathering him up before the two of them walked into the darkness. 'Something's wrong with her. She shouldn't be that damaged from simply taking a punch. I wonder...does it have anything to do with her constant use of the light?'
=======
No. I
=======
Xion enjoyed watching the stars. She especially enjoyed watching them in Equestria, where there were so many in the sky that she felt like they could cast away the darkness of the night. Every once in a while a comet would fly by or the moon would do something weird, but Sombra told her that it was just the princesses being stupid.
What she wasn't enjoying was the pain that refused to leave her body. Even as she laid on her back under the starry sky, simply relaxing, the pain was still there. She could still feeling her skin burning or her muscles hurting and she had no idea why. She winced in pain after she moved her head slightly to the left, resulting in some grumbling of hers that gained the attention of Sombra.
'Body still hurting?' Sombra asked Xion, who let out another moan of pain as her answer.
"I don't get it. I've recovered from the fight and even cast Cure myself a few times incase my body wasn't healing, but I still feel...like I'm hurting," Xion grunted as another wave of pain washed over her. She then cast a glanced at Sombra, who was resting on an open book with the three items they had fought for around him. "You have any idea what could be wrong with me?"
'There are plenty of things wrong with you, puppet. But if you are asking what is wrong with you at the moment, I may be able to offer a few ideas,' Sombra put forward, but his tone left Xion hesitant to ask. 'Yeah, I don't think you'll like any of my theories, but fortunately for you they're just theories.'
"Lay them on me."
'The first is that you are a being of darkness using an incredible amount of light. Even if you have a connection to the light, it still can't be good for your body,' Sombra began and Xion realized he had a point. 'The second is far darker, however. The second possibility is that Maestro created your body to function for a certain period of time, just long enough to get him the information he needed. Perhaps we are getting close to your time limit and soon your body will start to fall apart.'
"So...I'm falling apart? Again?" Xion asked, her voice sounding like a person who was crushed. She lifted her hands and looked up at them, finding that they were starting to shake with fear. "No...no this can't be happening again! Why?! Why is it every time I feel like I'm start to get a hold of things, it all just comes crumbling down?! What did I do to deserve this kind of existence?! Where I'm just...a puppet?!"
Her last question was screamed up at the sky, but there was no answer from the uncountable number of stars in the heavens. Xion then choked back a sob as she rested her arms and head back down on the ground, closing her eyes and breathing shakily. All the while Sombra watched from his book, unable to answer any of the questions that she had asked. But while he didn't have any answers, Sombra was never without something to say.
'Look...Xion. I know things seem terrible right now. And trust me, I know what it's like to have a body that doesn't work the way you want it to. I've gone through it before. Right now, as a matter of fact,' Sombra said to Xion, but the girl didn't answer. 'Also, don't take what I've said too seriously. Remember, they're just ideas. I have no idea whether they're true or not. I could be wrong.'
"I thought you were never wrong?" Xion spat back in a sad voice.
'Well, you've got me there,' Sombra admitted with a chuckle, before he let out a sigh and thought back once again to the city. He then glanced over at Xion once again, finding her staring at her keyblade. 'Alright puppet, I'm going to make you a promise,' Sombra began before he used his dark magic to take on a shadowy form.
"A promise?" Xion asked as Sombra walked over to her, getting the girl to sit up and give Sombra a suspicious look.
'Yes, and despite what you may think of me, I do keep my promises,' Sombra said with a smile of confidence, but all that made Xion do was point the tip of her keyblade at him. 'Still don't trust me?'
"Of course not."
'Smart girl. I see I'm rubbing off on you,' Sombra said with a laugh before his face took on a more serious expression. 'But look, you've been an invaluable...assistant to me these past couple of weeks. More so than any other assistant I've had in the past. Not to mention you've been an endless source of entertainment and intrigue. Your keyblade alone is enough to thank you for.'
"Get on with it."
"Fine, fine. What I will promise you is that I will find a way to fix whatever the Maestro or the darkness did to you," Sombra said with conviction, more conviction that Xion had ever heard in his voice before. "I can respect the Maestro for creating a puppet that he would use for his own, evil ambition, heck, I might do it myself. But where he made a mistake was when he messed with MY puppet, the one that has been helping me. And I cannot allow that to stand."
"Wow, really making me feel good here," Xion said with a smirk.
"But that is my promise. I will not let one of the best and strongest beings of darkness be lost to this land of endless light like so many others. I will find a way to fix you, and if I cannot do that, I will change this world so that you do not need to be fixed. This is my promise to you pu...Xion."
Xion's eyes widened slightly at Sombra's words, amazed that a creep like himself could be saying them. She then lowered her head and thought about what he had said, never noticing that Sombra had his eyes closed as well. She then lifted her head with a smile and extended her hand to him, one that still held the keyblade in it.
"Are you sure you're not saying all of this stuff just to get the keyblade?" Xion asked, getting Sombra to chuckle before he placed a hoof on the keyblade to push it to the side.
'No, if I want your keyblade I would have taken it already. But getting you repaired is my...first priority,' Sombra promised before he held out his hoof to Xion. "Not like I can repair my body at the moment. Even with all the materials, I still have to preform the ceremony "When the moon blocks out the light of the sun" or some crap like that. There's always a catch with these kind of spells. Stupid, rule making wizards."
Xion shook her head at Sombra's words with a small smile, before she reached out and grabbed hold of his hoof to shake it.
"Alright Sombra, it's a promise. Just stay away from my keyblade."
"You're no fun." |
The Girl That Never Was | Falling Apart | 'Life water, or fountain of youth of you're an old crone that's desperate, is exactly what it sounds like. Water that can restore life,' Sombra said from one of Xion's shoulders, as that was the last place the girl had left Sombra. The two of them had spent half a week traveling, with once again only Sombra knowing where they were heading. At the moment their journey lead them to a small, grassy plain, with little of interest to look at aside from the calming green hills. 'But it does not restore youth, so if you get old and ugly you'll just have to suck it up like the rest of us.'
"So, life giving water? That's what we're gathering up next?" Xion asked with a bit of exhaustion in his voice, still having issues with her body. "And you didn't feel the need to tell me this until right this very moment?"
'Gods work in mysterious ways, Xion,' Sombra replied with a laugh.
"You're not a god."
'Huh, I'm not? Damn, I'm so powerful and mighty that I thought that I was,' Sombra cackled before his horn leaned back on Xion's shoulder and he looked up at the sky.
"Something the matter?"
'Yeah, as a matter of fact. See, the last time I heard of this place it was supposed to be guarded by over a dozen of Celestia's best soldiers. So cannon fodder to us, but you get the picture. Yet we're not that far out and I have yet to see anything to tell me that there are guards in the area.'
"And that's a bad thing?" Xion asked. "Less guards means less problems for us. Rarity heard about us from Pinkie and Fluttershy, but I'm fairly certain that the rest of Equestria is still under the wrong assumption that I'm the same kind of monster the Heartless are."
'Well, let me put it to you this way, puppet. If the guards aren't here, that can only mean a hoofful of things. The first is that they're bad at their job and left their posts. This is the most likely reason,' Sombra said with a snicker, before his aura grew darker. 'But the second reason is the reason they are not here fighting us is because they are off somewhere fighting something else. And if that's the case, how long until their problem becomes our problem?'
"So you think that they're currently dealing with the Heartless?"
'Heartless, Nobodies or maybe one of your old friends from the Organization. Who knows. Of course, I think that right now they've all, at the same time, managed to get their heads stuck in the ground and now can't tell which way is up,' Sombra said with contempt in his voice, something Xion hadn't heard in a long time.
"You know, I never did ask you about that. I, kinda, understand your hatred from the princesses, but what did the rest of the world do to you that was so bad? I mean, you are the villain, so you've got to expect that everypony that isn't evil will hate you," Xion pointed out, to which Sombra chuckled in reply.
'What they did, puppet, is that they failed to learn. I ruled the Crystal Empire for years, taught them magic and science the likes of which the world has never seen, and they rejected it. They rejected it for the old ways, the ways of the princesses. The two ponies that say light is good and darkness bad and friendship is key and blah blah blah...' Sombra snarled before taking in a calming sigh.
'My issue with the ponies of this world is that they refuse to grow, refuse to learn. They, like the guards that we can't find, keep their heads buried in the ground each time something bad happens and just hope it all goes away or somepony else deals with it. Hell, just look at the Heartless problem they currently have. Who thought of the magic solution? Twilight, the only pony among them with half of a brain. Everypony else just ran around flailing their limbs uselessly.'
"That's not entirely true. Pinkie, Fluttershy and Rarity have all been out here dealing with the Heartless the best that they can," Xion said, trying to stand up for the ponies.
'Hah, on Twilight's orders no doubt. And look how well that's gone for them. If not for you, all three of them would most likely be Heartless now and Twilight would have to strike down her closest friends...actually, now that I think about it we may have made a mistake in keeping her friends alive. Point being, I'm mad at the ponies because they refuse to learn, to change. And because they tried to refuse the darkness for too long. Look what that got them. Heartless.'
"The Heartless didn't come here because of too much light, the Maestro brought them here," Xion reminded him.
'Maybe he brought them here, but all he did was get them here ahead of time. Puppet, you can't tell me that the Heartless, beings that hunt strong hearts filled with light, wouldn't have eventually found this place, can you?' Sombra asked Xion. Xion tried to think of a way he was wrong, but once again his logic was too sound for her to fight against. 'My point exactly.'
"But Twilight isn't the only one battling the Heartless. I am too."
'Yes, you're cleaning up their mess. You're dealing with the problem because the ponies won't do it themselves.'
"More like can't. Only the keyblade can keep a Heartless down for the count, remember?"
'Puppet, you're very intelligent for...how old did you say you were?'
"Technically I'm less than a year old, but mentally I'm about fifteen," Xion replied.
'Faust I forgot how confusion your backstory is. Fine, whatever. You're very intelligent for someone who is fifteen, but you've a lot to learn about the world. And speaking about learning, I think we need to learn about what happened to the good ponies here.'
Xion looked forward after Sombra said this and her eyes went wide. A fortress stood before her, but instead of looking like a building that could withstand any attack there were flames that billowed smoke into the air with the walls. The doors to the fortress had been blasted open and spears along with other weaponry lined the ground.
"What happened?" Xion asked as she summoned her key, before racing towards the fortress.
'If I had to wager a guess, I'd say trouble,' Sombra replied. 'Those fires aren't that old, you can tell because they haven't spread that far yet. But what's really bad is that these are the ponies that were supposed to be guarding the life water. And if they're down for the count...'
"Then we need to get in there."
Xion rolled through the open doors and shot up to her feet, ready for an attack from any side. Yet when the attack didn't come right away, she took a moment to glance around the inside of the fort. The walls and buildings were made of the same stone material that made up the front, but in the center of a massive courtyard was a fountain that was as dry as a desert. Xion ran over to the edge of the fountain, looking in it for any sign of water.
'This is bad. Whoever did all of this also took the water,' Sombra snarled as his horn began to glow. 'And I can't sense any other trace of the water that this fountain once held. That makes this way more complicated than it was.'
"Why's that?"
'The Heartless and Nobodies would have little interest in water. Only a sentient being would. Like a member of the organization,' Sombra said quickly. Xion caught the tone in his voice and prepared herself for a sneak attack, but a moment later Sombra's horn began to glow with a violet light. 'Hang on, I'm picking up some life forms. They're not that far from here! Hurry, before something else has the pleasure of striking them down!'
Xion heeded Sombra's words and sprinted through the fortress, following his directions of where to turn or go. Despite wanting to get to whoever was in danger as quickly as possible, when she rounded one of the corners she met a sight that brought her to a screeching halt.
A suit of pony armor lay in the center of the street, with a sword and shield laying near the armor. But what drew Xion's full attention wasn't the armor, it was the weapon sticking out of the armor. A long lance stuck out of the armor, with the head of the weapons, which was shaped like a dragon's head, impaled through the armor and imbedded in the ground. On the other end that stuck in the air was a symbol, a symbol that Xion knew all too well.
"Xaldin is here," Xion said to Sombra with a voice filled with disdain. "That's his spear. I'd recognize it anywhere."
'And that solves our who would take the water problem. Question now becomes what would he want with the water when he isn't a being to begin with,' Sombra muttered, before catching Xion's expression. 'What? I pieced together that all of the organization are Nobodies. That or you told me. It's hard to remember without an actual brain.'
"Fine, whatever. Just keep your eyes on the sky," Xion instructed Sombra while she glanced up at the heavens, noticing for the first time the fact that there were gray clouds rumbling overhead. "Xaldin commanded the winds and is very skilled at ranged attack. I wouldn't put it past him to try and strike us down from above."
'So in comparison to the other members of your little group, how close would you say you and Xaldin are?' Sombra asked.
"Let's just say that he and I didn't like each other. At all," Xion replied.
'Good to know. But those life forms are still in danger. In fact, I sense less of them now. Hurry, puppet, if you want to save them.'
With one last, cautious look at the sky Xion raced off towards where the living beings were in danger, vaulting over a fallen barricade to find the exit to the back of the fortress. The doors at the back of the fort were missing as well, which allowed Xion to easily see the three guard ponies that were surrounded by a combination of Heartless and Nobodies.
"Freeze Raid!" Xion roared as she hurled her keyblade towards the group of Heartless, striking one of the Shadows that had been leaping at a guard mid air. As the keyblade passed through the Heartless it froze it in a block of ice, one that shattered when it fell to the ground. The Heartless and Nobodies all turned to face Xion, who was racing towards them as the keyblade reappeared in her hands.
One of the Dragoons vanished in a burst of air, leaving the Soldier behind it to be cleaved in half by Xion's weapon. A Blue Rhapsody began to charge a magical spell around itself to fire at Xion, yet Xion spun on her toes and launched herself at the Heartless, slashing through it in a single strike. Xion landed in a roll and came up next to the guards, who were looking at her with fear in their eyes.
"Are all of you alright?" Xion asked them, but from the way they flinched they could tell that they didn't see her how she saw her. "If you can move, get up and get away from here. Things are only going to get worse from here on out."
"W-what are you?" one of the guards asked.
"The only one that can stop these beings."
Xion then rose back to her feet and turned around to see that the Dragoon was now staring at her, with two more Dragoons standing behind it. Xion narrowed her eyes as she lifted her blade over her shoulder and summoning a dark aura around herself, which was concentrated around her left arms.
'Heh, seems that your skill with the darkness had the chance to grow stronger since you posses the light now to keep it balanced,' Sombra informed Xion in an impressed tone, but Xion said nothing in reply. The guards let out gasps at the dark being that stood in front of them, before the two that could move grabbed their comrade and dragged him away from the battle.
The first Dragoon lashed out at Xion with its lance, yet faster than even Sombra could keep up with Xion lifted her left hand and grabbed the lance. The Dragoon looked from its weapon to the puppet, before a dark cloaked blade sliced down the center of its skull. Xion then ripped her keyblade from the head of the Dragoon, only to its own lance around and impale it through the chest of the Nobody.
As that Dragoon fell the second one disappeared in a flash of light, vanishing from their sight. Xion stopped moving the moment it vanished, before she started to keep an eye on the sky. A burst of nothingness appeared above her, getting her to react a moment later by swinging the keyblade over her back. The Dragoon came hurtling down with its lance aimed at Xion, yet she had positioned her blade perfectly and the attack from the Nobody bounced off of her keyblade.
"Say goodbye," Xion snarled before she arched her keyblade in an upward swing, one that sliced one of the arms off of the Dragoon. The Nobody stumbled to the side before a horizontal slash of Xion's keyblade took the head off of the Nobody. As it faded away into nothingness, Xion spun and turned to face the final Dragoon, which had kept its distance the entire time. "One left. Let's make this quick."
The Dragoon lunged towards Xion, faking a low attack before switching its stance and changing to an overhead attack. Xion paid no attention to the Nobodies fancy moves and simply lunged towards it with her left hand, which became cloaked in darkness. She let out a roar as she thrust her left hand forward, creating a giant fist of darkness that slammed into the body of the Dragoon and pushed it back. Xion twirled and slashed through the Nobody in a diagonal motion, cleaving the being of nothingness in two and making it vanish from her sight.
With all of her foes out of the way, Xion closed her eyes and banished the darkness. She looked around at the area to make sure that she hadn't missed any of the Heartless or Nobodies, before she turned her gaze towards the sky and narrowed her eyes.
'I see you sense that too. Yeah, there's two beings up there, neither of which look to be anything good for us,' Sombra agreed with Xion, confirming her silent suspicions. 'The good thing for us is that the two of them seem to be battling it out right now. Any member of the organization that would want to take out Xaldin?'
"I can name a few," Xion muttered before two beings burst through the cloud cover, two beings locked in a rainbow light that was plummeting towards the ground. The two beings impacted not too far from where Xion was standing, allowing her to race over to the newly created crater before either being could resume the fight again. As the puppet reached the top of the crater, she narrowed her eyes at who she found inside.
One of the beings wore a black coat and was much taller than her, with long, black hair that shot out of his head. Around him danced six lances, lances that seemed to move with a mind of their own as they sought out any attack that would harm their master. And all Sombra needed to do was look at Xion's face to know who the cloaked figure was.
But then Xion glanced over at the other figure and Sombra could tell that it would be his turn to explain. The other foe was a sky blue pegasi with a rainbow mane that shown in the single ray of sunlight that shown down through the hole in the clouds the two had created. On her flank was a rainbow lightning bolt under a cloud and her body was covered in cuts and bruises. Even if Xion didn't know who she was, she could tell that the battle had not been going well for her.
'That's Rainbow Dash. She's one of Twilight's merry band of idiots,' Sombra informed Xion, who nodded to show she understood before she drew her keyblade and lunged towards Xaldin, aiming right for the back of his head before lashing out with her blade. A lance moved between her and the key and deflected the strike, knocking Xion back and forcing her to roll back up to her feet. Xaldin spun around to face Xion, but when he saw her his eyes went wide with shock.
'Attacking a foe from behind with the intent to kill. I knew you were secretly evil! My prayers have been answered!' Sombra exclaimed before he let out a cackle. Xion said nothing in reply, choosing to lift her keyblade and glare at Xaldin.
"So are you with the Maestro or did you come here by accident?" Xion asked Xaldin, before taking up a fighting stance. "Because either way, you're going to regret that decision."
"I am here because the Maestro told me that there was something in this world that did not have the right to exist. I thought it would be something interest, but now is see it is just another one of Vexen's failed puppets," Xaldin replied before the air darkened around him and he started to float, his six lances whirling around him. "Well, just like all the others, it seems I must break this toy as well." |
The Girl That Never Was | The Whirlwind Lancer | In a burst of wind Xaldin hurled himself towards Xion, his lances whirling around his body with the speed of a twister. Xion narrowed her eyes at the advancing Nobody before she swung her keyblade into the center of the storm of metal, stopping all six of the lances with her strike. Xion pushed against the might of Xaldin, but then a burst of wind erupted from the Nobody, hurling Xion backwards. She flipped in the air and landed on her feet, taking up a battle stance and narrowing her eyes once more.
"I am surprised to see that the Maestro had so much trouble with you," Xaldin smirked as he floated around Xion, who slowly moved to make sure that her eyes were on him at all times. "After all, he managed to kill all of the other keyblade wielders with relative ease, so I would have believed that he could dealt with you. Not that I am complaining. You keyblade wielders have always irritated me."
"Oh, if you think I'm irritating now, just wait till I drive my keyblade through the center of your chest," Xion growled in reply. Xaldin smirked in reply before he slammed his lances together and created a whirling vortex, one that sucked in all of the air around the girl and pony. Xion's eyes went wide as the vortex spat out a blast of air, which tore across the ground towards Xion with a speed she couldn't keep up with.
"MOVE!" a voice said before Xion was tackled out of the way in a blur of rainbow, moving her out of the way of the blast of wind. Xion felt herself slam to the ground just as the wind ripped by her, lifting her head just in time to see the blast of wind decimate a boulder that had been behind Xion. Xion then looked up to see Rainbow Dash standing over her, with the pony being crouched down in a battle stance.
"You saved me?" Xion asked in confusion as she used her blade to push herself up to her feet.
"Yeah, and don't ask me why I would save a monster of darkness like you. What's up with your look anyway?" Rainbow Dash spat at Xion as the puppet stood beside Rainbow, both of them glaring down Xaldin. "Fluttershy sees a monster of darkness, like me. Pinkie saw a red headed human. And Rarity saw a doll. Do you change your looks on purpose or just to annoy us?"
"Trust me, it would take way too long to explain it all to you," Xion replied before she slammed her blade into the ground, creating a barrier around both her and Rainbow to deflect a storm of lances. "But considering you're friends with those three, I take it that means you're on my side like they were?"
"Don't kid yourself, I'm against him. I'm not with you," Rainbow Dash replied before she kicked off the ground and rocketed herself towards Xaldin with a hoof extended. Her speed was almost unmatchable, but in a flash of movement Xaldin vanished and left Rainbow Dash striking at open air. "What the...how does he keep-?"
"Above you!"
Rainbow Dash reacted in time to Xion's words and hurled herself to the side, just in time to avoid six lances that came raining down where she had been flying. Xaldin landed atop his lances a moment later, smirking at the pony before he combined his lances into his wind cannon once again. Rainbow Dash prepared to get out of the way, but before Xaldin could fire Xion hurled her keyblade right into his face. He let out a roar of pain as he staggered backwards, with the blow having the added effect of breaking up his cannon.
"That's a weird weapon you've got," Rainbow muttered under her breath as Xion summoned the keyblade back into her hands.
"So what do you have against Xaldin? He's a piece of crap, don't get me wrong, but I'm surprised to find you fighting him," Xion asked Rainbow Dash before the both of them had to move out of the way of a storm of lances that did their best to impale or slash the two. Xion opted for deflecting most of the strikes with her keyblade, while Rainbow Dash took to the skies to avoid being hit.
"This jerk here attacked the ponies that lived here and...stole their hearts," Rainbow seethed through gritted teeth as she glared down at Xaldin. "Then he stole the life water that they were guarding before sending his minions to execute the rest. If you think I'm going to let him walk away from something like that, you don't know who you're dealing with, shadow monster."
"It's Xion."
"I believe that puppet or doll is the proper term for you," Xaldin coldly cut in before he made a movement with his hands, summoning his lances back to his side. Xion glared daggers at him, but her look of rage did little to affect the Whirlwind Lancer. "Do not trick yourself into believing that you are anything more than another tool for the organization to use. Whatever personality you believe you have, it is nothing more than an illusion that Vexen programmed into you."
"That's interesting. Say, do you think you could talk to Vexen about maybe fixing that? Oh wait, you can't," Xion said in a dark voice as she gripped her keyblade tighter. "Because I struck him down."
"Hmm, so you are the one that disposed of that annoying busybody. Perhaps there is still some use in you after all," Xaldin remarked before he lunged towards Xion once more, whirling his lances around him in an intricate formation. Xion backed away from the attack while doing her best to deflect all of the strikes, but she was quickly being overwhelmed by the onslaught of lances. "It is a pity that you will not live long enough to obtain that usefulness. Not that is matters. We are all better off without you."
"Funny, I was about to say the same thing about you!" Xion roared as she deflected one of the lances at the proper time, bouncing that lance back into the others and knocking them all out of place. The deflection left Xaldin open for attack and Xion took full advantage of that opening. She started by driving the tip of her keyblade into the chest of Xaldin, knocking him back. She then twirled to slash across the chest of Xaldin, before she leapt into the air and brought the keyblade down right on top of Xaldin's head.
"GRAH...stupid, worthless puppet," Xaldin growled as he staggered backwards, spinning his lances around him in a defensive pattern to keep himself from further attack. Xion shot a blast of fire into the center of the lances to try and disrupt them, but to her annoyance she found that the defense was too strong.
"If I'm stupid and worthless, what would that make the guy losing to me?" Xion spat back with a smirk, her words getting a laugh out of Rainbow Dash. "I would say nothing, but you're already that. So does that make you less than nothing?"
"Less than nothing...that is fitting, considering in a moment that is all you will be!" Xaldin roared before he leapt onto the back of his lances, making them whirl around him in a way that made them resemble a dragon. Xion's eyes went wide as the dragon began to create a typhoon in its mouth, one that it was aiming at her. "Let us see how you avoid this!"
Winds stronger than any storm that Equestria had ever face erupted from the "mouth" of the dragon, sending a hurricane of winds towards Xion. She lifted her key in a feeble attempt to protect herself, but from the strength of the winds she knew it was a foolish attempt. Yet right before the winds could strike her down, something wrapped around her arms and yanked her into the sky.
"What the...how did I?" Xion asked before she looked behind her to see that Rainbow Dash had grabbed a hold of her, using her wings to fly the both of them over the hurricane that raged below. "Rainbow Dash? Why are you..."
"Look, as much as I don't trust you, I trust that guy even less. And also...I can't beat him," Rainbow admitted, even thought she had to do it through gritted teeth. Xion glanced at Rainbow's arms and body to find that she was covered in wounds, ones that looked like she had been sliced up. "His weapons and way of fighting are too strange for me to deal with. But I take it you and that weapon of yours can deal with him?"
"I can finish him, but first we need to get past his defenses," Xion instructed as Rainbow Dash came to a halt, flying in place as the two glared down at Xaldin. The Nobody stopped his ultimate attack and recalled his lances to his side, before he smiled up at the two that flew above him. He then snapped his fingers and sent his lances flying towards the both of them, forcing Rainbow to start weaving through the sky to avoid being hit.
"Careful! Don't drop me!" Xion roared at Rainbow over the sounds of the winds, while using her blade to deflect the lances that got too close.
"I'm doing my best," Dash snarled in reply as she dove towards the ground, just narrowly missing a blast of wind that would have knocked the both of them out of the air. She had been so busy dodging the blast of air that she didn't see the lance until it struck Rainbow in the wing, getting the Pegasus to cry out with pain before the both of them crashed into the ground.
"Return to your nothingness!" Xaldin exclaimed as he jumped into the air, spinning his lances around him before he hurled all six of them down at where Rainbow and Xion lay. Xion rolled in front of the attacks and blocked five of the lances, only for the sixth one to slip past her defenses and strike her in the side. With a cry of pain Xion staggered backwards, clutching a hand to her side.
'Puppet, you can't let him keep moving like this. You need to keep him chained down. Emphasis on chained!' Sombra roared from Xion's pocket. Xion shook her head to try to clear the pain, before she closed her eyes and forced all of her pain down.
"I don't know what you're doing...but it shall not work!" Xaldin promised as he thrust at Xion with all six of his lances, only for them to be knocked to the side by a blur of rainbow. "You infernal horse, when will you learn you cannot defeat me?!"
"Sorry, I'm a slow learner. Ask my friends," Rainbow Dash taunted while motioning for Xaldin to bring it. The Whirlwind Lancer snarled before he began to slash at the Pegasus with his lances, forcing her to move fast to avoid being struck. "Xion! I don't know what you have planned, but you'd better do it soon!"
"Planned...what?!" Xaldin roared as he spun around to find Xion standing in the center of a symbol of light, one that made the girl glow with the light of the heavens. She held out her keyblade with one hand and pointed it towards the ground, summoning a sphere of light at the tip of the blade, before she slowly lifted it and aimed it at Xaldin. "If you think I'll just stay still and allow you to-GRAH!" Xaldin snarled as a rainbow blur struck him in the side and knocked him to the ground. "You infernal horse!"
"Sorry, still learning," Rainbow said with a smile before she cast a glance towards Xion. "Yo, you're up!"
Xion grasped her keyblade with both hands and fired four chains of light from the end of her blade, with spikes of energy at the tips of the chains. Each of the chains embedded themselves into one of Xaldins limbs, getting the Nobody to roar with pain as the light sealed his movements. The chains then wrapped around his entire body, pinning his limbs to the side while a column of light surrounded him. Xion then extended her blade once more, creating a second blade of light that consumed her keyblade.
"Xion, wait..." Xaldin began to beg.
"No. This is over," Xion replied before she dashed forward, moving her keyblade faster than the eye could track as she passed by Xaldin. Xion dispelled the light around her weapon before she turned to look back at Xaldin, who had a dozen slashes across his body that spilled out light. Xaldin shakily glanced down at his body as his form began to fade away, before he looked back at the stern face of Xion.
"You think...you've won?" Xaldin snarled at Xion, before a cracked smile crossed the Lancers face. "No...this is not over. You will not win. The Maestro...is beyond any of us. The only reason...he allows you to live...is because you still amuse him. He still finds...a reason to keep you around. The moment you outlive your usefulness...you will be gone. Heh, I wish I could be around to see it."
Xaldin then closed his eyes and fully faded away, leaving behind a vial of water that clinked to the ground. Xion let out a tired sigh before she collapsed to the ground, seething with pain as she held a hand to her side. She glanced down at the wound to find that a small piece of her was missing, revealing the darkness that had been used to make her.
'So it's true. This body is falling apart,' Xion thought to herself before she closed her eyes. 'No, I can't le the fear take me here. I need to keep moving. I need to get to the beach.'
Rainbow Dash landed next to the vial and picked it up, glancing down at it for a moment before she cast a glance over at Xion. All Dash could see was a being of darkness with red eyes that sat on the ground, but then Dash cast a glance to the being's side and saw the wound, which to her was pouring light. Rainbow thought about her next move for a moment, before she let out a sigh.
"Hey Xion," Rainbow said, waiting until Xion lifted her head towards the pony before she chucked the vial to her. "Take this. It's all that's left of the Life Water or whatever you want to call it."
"Um, thanks. But why-?"
"You ask a lot of questions, y'know that?" Rainbow cut Xion off, before she closed her eyes and sighed. "Look, that Xaldin guy attacked a lot of innocent ponies and summoned those creatures that have been attacking Equestria. And I couldn't beat him on my own. But thanks to you, he won't be bothering ponies anymore. Not to mention Rarity and Pinkie both put in a good word for you, so there's that. Finally...look, just take the water and stopping asking questions, alright?"
"Alright, I guess," Xion replied before she opened the top of the vial, waiting until Sombra gave her the go ahead before she drank the water. The moment the water touched her lips she felt her body get stronger and the feeling only grew stronger as she drank the water. When she was done drinking, Xion cast a glance down at her side to see that her wound was completely healed. "Wow, this stuff really works."
'Oh course it does. Do you think Sombra would go after anything that didn't have use to him?' Sombra asked with a chuckle, but Xion didn't hear his words as she glanced over at Rainbow Dash. Xion then rose to her feet and walked over to Dash, who gave the puppet a glance as she approached.
"Rainbow Dash...it was a team effort," Xion told Rainbow Dash, who raised an eyebrow in response. "I don't think I could have beaten Xaldin without your help. So don't feel like you didn't do anything. You were a great help and a good teammate. Honestly, I wouldn't mind teaming up again in the future. It was fun to fly."
Xion then extended a hand towards Rainbow Dash, who looked at the hand like it might bite her. Rainbow glanced from the hand to the red eyes of Xion, before she shrugged her shoulders and grasped Xion's hand. "Yeah, I guess we made a pretty good team. You take all the hits and I swoop in to save the day. I could get used to that."
"Hey, if I recall I'm the one that finished off Xaldin with my Event Horizon."
"Yeah, after I kicked him in the side of the head and prevented him from stopping your from doing that. Now that I think about it, I did most of the work."
"In your dreams."
Rainbow Dash and Xion then both began to laugh as they broke their handshake. Xion was laughing at good she felt for the first time in a long time and Rainbow was laughing at the fact that the being of darkness that the ponies had feared was a bit of a dork. But then Rainbow cast a glance at Xion's face and had to do a double take. For a brief moment the red eyes were replaced with bright blue ones and the visage of darkness was gone. In it's place was the smiling face of a human who had black hair that fell into her eyes. Then Rainbow Dash shook her head and blinked to find that the darkness had returned.
"I'd better get going. There's still a lot of work that needs to be done," Xion said to Rainbow Dash as she turned to leave, waving at Rainbow one last time. "That was fun, though. I hope our paths cross again in the future."
"Hey Xion." Xion turned around and was nearly hit in the head with the item Rainbow threw at her. Xion's reflexes kicked in and she snatched the item out of the air, before she glanced down at her hand to see a rainbow colored lightning bolt that was at the end of a keychain. "Found that laying on the ground before I got into that scrap with Xaldin. Doesn't do me any good, so I'll give it to you."
"Wow, thanks. I feel so loved."
"I know, I'm the best. Catch you around, whoever you are."
Rainbow Dash then took off into the sky, creating a sonicboom that was the color of the rainbows before she vanished out of Xion's sight. Xion shook her head as she watched Rainbow go, before she moved her shoulder a few times and smiled when no pain surfaced.
'It won't last forever.' Sombra's voice snapped Xion out of her thoughts and got her to pull out Sombra's horn, which seemed darker than usual. 'Eventually the Life Water will run out and then you'll be in bad shape. Come on, we need to keep moving. I've got a lair not far from here that we can use to rest and resupply. But we need to move.'
"Why's that?"
'Because, as an evil villain myself, I have a terrible feeling that the Maestro's patience will be wearing thin. And we're not ready to take him on. Nowhere close.' |
The Girl That Never Was | Formulating a Plan | "We there yet?" Xion asked Sombra for the tenth time in an hour, getting a snarl out of the dark king. Seeing that he was in no mood to talk, Xion summoned her keyblade and detached the keychain at the end of it, returning the key to its original Kingdom Key form. She then drew forth the keychain that Rainbow Dash had given to her, staring at it for a long time. Long enough to draw the ire of the dark king.
'Why are you just staring at the stupid thing? Put it on and let's see what new abilities you get,' Sombra snarled, snapping Xion free from her thoughts. Her response was to sigh in a way that made Sombra even more irritated. 'Let me guess, the reason for this mopey attitude is because you've got some moral dilemma? Well out with it, we don't have all day.'
"Those guards lost their hearts because of me," Xion said in a quiet voice.
'What?'
"If I wasn't in this world, or if I had moved faster to find Xaldin, maybe those guards would still be around. Hell, how many ponies here have lost their hearts to the darkness because I was brought to this world?" Xion asked as she held a hand to her head, feeling the weight of all that she had "done" coming down on her. "What if my actions here have only hurt these ponies more than help them? What if-"
'Oh Faust, you're one of those heroes aren't you? The ones that blame themselves for every little thing that goes wrong,' Sombra said in a voice that sounded like he was trying to resist the urge to throw up, which was impressive considering he was a horn. 'You have no reason to blame yourself. You didn't take the hearts of those ponies, you didn't bring Xaldin to this world and you sure as hell have done far more for these idiots than they deserve.'
"But-"
'Don't sass me and listen. Everything...ninety percent of what is going wrong with this world is the Maestro's fault. He's the one that brought the Heartless and your old buddies to this land. We're doing the right thing and trying to get rid of them. Normally I love the idea of darkness taking over the land, but as these Heartless can't be controlled by me, it's best to be rid of them.'
"Yet they're all here because of me. Because of my actions. I finally realized it when we saw that guard post," Xion replied in a sad tone, one that ticked off Sombra even further. "Maybe if I had listened to the Maestro, or been more clever about pretending to follow his instructions, then maybe-"
"Stop that. Stop it now. Stop trying to take the credit for the evils committed by a true villain. It makes the rest of us look bad," Sombra snarled at Xion as he erupted from her pocket and took on his dark pony form, glaring into her eyes with his bright crimson ones. "Puppet, one day you're going to have to get over yourself. Not everything bad that happens is your fault."
"You've got a terrible past. You've been used and discarded by the wayside. You had to fight your best friend in a battle to the death in order to, I think at least, ensure the survival of your world. You've had it rough, but guess what? None of that was your fault either."
"How can you say that? I fought Roxas. I-"
"Fought him because you were left no other choice. Did ya kill him, even though I know you were strong enough to do so? No," Sombra told the girl, before he looked around at the rocky field they were in.
"Maybe I just lost. Maybe he just beat me."
"Please puppet, I've seen your skills up close. You've beaten almost every foe you've come across in convincing fashion. If you really wanted to beat him, you would have," Sombra said with certainty as he began to search around, occasionally grumbling to himself on how things had changed. "But you didn't want to. Because you're a nice person. Honestly, you're the nicest person I've met."
"I'm the only person you've met, unless you've met another human before me," Xion corrected Sombra, who smirked at her response before firing a blast of magic into the ground. Nothing happened and Sombra let out a grunt before he moved on.
"My point still stands. You're nice, maybe too nice for you're own good," Sombra continued on. "But you've got that darkness in you, that pain and suffering that separates you from the ponies of this world. You've got a good chunk of light and darkness in you. That's what makes you so interesting, to me at least."
"I thought what made me interesting was that I actually listen to you, instead of acting like a sane being and chucking you into an internal abyss," Xion shot back at Sombra with a smile, getting a laugh out of the dark king. "But still, shouldn't I be doing more to help this world? Shouldn't we be taking down the Heartless and trying to stop the organization?"
"We don't...well, rather you don't have the time. Remember, your body isn't going to last forever. We need to find a way to get you fixed before we focus on the rest of the crap going on in this world," Sombra finished his thoughts, before he let out a laugh and fired a burst of magic into the ground. The ground began to shake before a massive spike made of crystal shot out of the ground, filling up the area that the two were standing in. "Finally, I thought we were never going to find it. Geez, go on the ice for a thousand years and everything moves around. Come on puppet, let's head on in."
Sombra took a few steps towards the spike before he turned around to see Xion standing in place, eyes closed and hands on her hips. As she was clearly in thought, Sombra didn't say anything until Xion opened her eyes once more. She then summoned her keyblade and pulled out Rainbow's keychain, before attaching it to her weapon.
A flash of rainbow light went off around the keyblade and when it faded away both Xion and Sombra looked at the new blade with interest. The guard of the blade resembled a building made of clouds, with two cloud pillars residing on the left and right of the handle, while the rooftop made up the upper part of the guard. The blade of the keyblade was a massive, rainbow lightning bolt, one that radiated power and crackled with electricity that struck down on the guard of the keyblade. The teeth of the keyblade was a black cloud, the source of where the rainbow lightning bolt came from.
"Wow, huge strength boots. Barely does anything for my magic, though. Thunder boost, not surprised there. And shorter than my previous blade, but not by much," Xion muttered as she swung her blade a few times to get accustomed to it, before she banished the blade and walked over towards Sombra. "Come on. We're going to fix what was done to us and then we're going to fix what was done to this world."
"You have an idea?"
"I have an idea," Xion confirmed before she and Sombra walked into the spike. Xion's eyes went wide as she looked around the room, amazed by what she was looking at. The crystals that made up the walls and floor of the spike were constantly changing colors and shifting around the room, making the place constantly change how it looked. In the center of the room was the only place where none of those colors touched the crystals, as the center of the room was a solid black circle, one that seemed to call to Xion.
"Yep, circle of darkness. Just like the circle of nothingness at the other secret base we were at, except this one is darker," Sombra said for Xion before he tapped his hoof against the ground, summoning a pair of crystal chairs out of the ground for the two to sit on. "So, what's this grand plan of yours that's going to stop the Heartless, beat the organization and put an end to the Maestro?"
"Well, I can't promise that it will do all of that, but I can stop or at the very least stem the tide of Heartless for the time being," Xion informed Sombra, who leaned forward on his hooves with interest. "And in order to do that, I've got to find the lock to this worlds heart."
"Oh, it's one of your crazy ideas, isn't it? Well, go ahead and tell me and I'll humor you to the best of my ability," Sombra promised Xion, who frowned at him.
"I'll make it simple. Every world has a heart that is found through a keyhole, which the Heartless travel through to get to the heart of a world. If I can lock that keyhole, I can prevent the Heartless from taking that world and weaken them considerably. And eventually, with enough time and effort, we should be able to get rid of the Heartless that have come to this world," Xion explained for Sombra.
"What kind of wacked out reality did you live in?" Sombra simply asked her with a shake of his head, getting Xion to frown at him. "Hearts of worlds? Nobodies? Key swords that can open any locks? Now I've had talks with Discord and I know crazy, but seriously puppet, what the hell?"
"You don't have to believe me. All you have to do is help my find the keyhole and I'll do the rest," Xion replied in a serious tone, one that made Sombra smirk. "Once our bodies are fixed, we'll have an easier time dealing with the organization and the Maestro. In fact, I've thought up a way to help us deal with the both of them."
"A second idea in a single day? My word it's a miracle," Sombra remarked.
"Oh yes and you're going to love it. We're going to find Applejack and Twilight," Xion told Sombra, an evil smile spreading across her face when she saw Sombra's face fall. "Think about it. They're the six heroes of light in this world, are they not? We'll need their help if we want to be rid of the Maestro once and for all."
"Okay, I was right. You've gone mad. I can't say I blame you, as any being stuck being next to my genius would inevitably become insane, but I thought that you would have lasted a little longer. I blame myself for being so smart. Curse me and my incredible brain and looks."
"Just shut up and listen. Not only are the six of them heroes of the light, but they're also the only ones that I've met that have keychains. Meaning that they're the ones that can help us become stronger," Xion reasoned with Sombra, who perked up an ear at her newest information. "And you've said it yourself. Twilight is the only one among them who you consider to be a threat, so she's definitely someone we'd want on our side. Besides, it's more than likely that eventually the Maestro will be after them and we'll be helping them anyway. So might as well do it now. Any flaws in my argument, oh wise ass?"
"...just this. Twilight and Applejack are more than likely to be alright with you, if our interactions with Rarity and Rainbow are to go off of, but I guarantee Celestia and Luna will try to dispose of you. Those two couldn't think their way out of a wet paper bag, let alone figure out that this girl of darkness is not their enemy. There is also the thought of the Maestro attacking us before we can get to them. For if he does, I'm afraid out little adventure will end here."
"It's a risk that we'll have to take. If he wants to I guess he could end us at any time. We'll have to move quickly," Xion decided. "You know more about them than me, so I guess you'll be leading. If you had to guess where the Applejack and Twilight would be, what would that guess be?"
"That hick Applejack is either on her farm or doing something related to her farm. She shouldn't be too hard to find. Twilight is trickery. As a princess of this land, she could be out anywhere on a mission of peace and harmony and...sorry, almost threw up there. Point being, Applejack would be the easiest to track down and then we can ask her about Twilight."
"Alright, sounds good. How far away from Applejack are we?" Xion asked, but immediately regretted doing so when Sombra let out a cackle.
"We are quiet a ways away. Three weeks if we go on foot. A week if we take a train. Either way, it will take a considerable amount of time to get there," Sombra informed Xion, who crossed her arms and waited for him to continue. "Unless, you manage to open that dark corridor that you tried to use when we first met up and then we can be there in no time flat. What do you say, puppet? Think you can manage."
"The corridor to darkness? But you told me when I first tried it that there was far too much light in this world to manage the corridor. What could have changed?" Xion asked.
"Haven't you been paying attention, puppet? There is far more darkness in this land now, thanks to the Maestro being a colossal pain in our flanks. The Heartless, the Nobodies and the organization are just some of the darkness that has arrived in this land. The rest is you."
"Me?"
"You've used more dark power than any other being in this land. Wherever you've gone, a trail of darkness has followed you. I didn't tell you at first because you would have flipped and assumed you were doing something terrible, but your mere presence here has slowly added just a little more darkness to this land of light. Another reason to keep you away from Celestia."
"I'm starting to think you have a problem with her."
"My point being is that there should be more than enough darkness in this land. Especially with the Heartless making the darkness within ponies much stronger through fear and anger," Sombra cackled as he rubbed his shadow hooves together. "The fear of the darkness increases their own darkness, thus increasing the overall darkness in this land. So the Heartless have done some good."
"So the Heartless's mere presence is filling ponies hearts with darkness. This is worse than I thought."
"No, it's not their hearts, it's the ponies themselves. That is what is filling with darkness."
"That is literally one word away from what I'm saying and makes just as much sense."
"Nope, they're totally different. And mine is the correct reasoning, of course."
"God you can be insufferable."
"Anyway, the corridor of darkness. Think you can manage summoning it now?" Sombra asked Xion, trying to change the topic. Xion gave Sombra a look telling him that they weren't done before she rose to her feet, staring into the center of the darkness that circled in the center of the room. She extended her hand and closed her eyes, focusing on both the negative memories while also drawing power from the darkness in the center. She then snapped her eyes opened and channeled the darkness into the space before her, tearing open a hole in the light and summoning a vortex of darkness.
"Wow, you actually did it," Sombra said with a whistle, before Xion let out a gasp and collapsed to her knees, beads of sweat dripping down her face as she stared at the floor. "And it seems that the doing so nearly killed you. Good to know, next time we'll wait till you're stronger. Where did you open it to?"
"I have no idea," Xion wheezed before she pushed herself back up to her feet and held a hand out towards the corridor, feeling a sense of comfort and familiarity with the corridor. "But wherever it leads is a place that is calling to me. I can feel it. On the other side of this corridor is somewhere we need to go."
"Well, if you have so much confidence in it, then you can lead the way," Sombra said as he turned and used his magic to start to gather supplies off of the shelves. "Once I've gathered up some supplies and other items that we will need, then we can go on through. Also, good job on the corridor. That's some grade A darkness right there."
"Why is it every time you praise me I just wait for the insult to come after it?"
"Because you're smart and have learned how I respond," Sombra responded before he tossed a bag to Xion and then returned to his horn form. Xion caught the bag then caught the horn, slipping it into her pocket once more. 'And Xion, remember, no matter what awaits us on the other side of this corridor, you can handle it. You are the strongest being of darkness that I've ever worked with.'
"Wow, kind words from you. Now I'm really worried."
And without another word, the two walked into the corridor of darkness and left the room empty once more. That was until another being in a black coat entered into the room, glancing around before he turned his hooded head towards the still open corridor. He stared at it for a moment before he too entered within, closing the door behind them. |
The Girl That Never Was | Cloaked Being | 'So this is what it looks like inside one of your corridors of darkness,' Sombra said with a whistle. All around the horn and the girl was a swirling void of blue, with a vortex of darkness at the far end of the corridor. Xion walked towards the exit with Sombra's horn clutched in her hands, giving the dark king a chance to look out at the void. 'Who knew that a whole reality of darkness existed in a place like this? I might have to ask you to bring me back here just so that I can study it.'
"Well if you do want to come back here it will have to be after I've gotten stronger," Xion replied. Her breath sounded heavy and she had sweat falling from her face. "It took a good chunk of my strength to simply open one portal. I'd hate to think what state I'd be in if I had to open multiple ones for you. Probably use up what I have left of my form."
'Which is why, for the time being, we will be avoiding multiple uses of this dark dimension,' Sombra clarified. The horn then slowly turned in Xion's hand, taking in all of the void with interest. 'But there is so much dark power here. enough to balance out...no, to tip the scales in the favor of darkness. If only I could think of a way to channel the power of darkness that is in here and turn it loose upon Equestria.'
"Okay, first, that sounds like a villainous thing to do. Second, letting anything out of this place would most likely end up in the destruction of Equestria," Xion informed Sombra as she summoned her keyblade into her hand. "This is the corridor of darkness, remember? That means this is the place that Heartless use to travel between worlds and places. Meaning..."
'That there are plenty of those Heartless roaming this place. Good to know,' Sombra muttered, but an idea struck him a few moments later. 'But if this is what you and the other Organization members used to travel between worlds, how come you were never attacked by the Heartless here?'
"The Nobodies that we had under our command would generally keep the corridors that we used clean of any and all Heartless. And seeing how clean this corridor is right now, I have a feeling that we'll be running into said Nobodies sooner rather than later," Xion pointed out before she hefted Rumbling Storm onto her shoulder. "So keep your...horn peeled and on the look out for anything that wears silver. Last thing I want is to be ambushed in this place."
The pair walked on in silence for a while after that, with Xion often glancing around for any signs of a threat while Sombra studied the changing symbols that floated around them and would sometimes gaze off into the darkness. Yet after a while of studying the darkness, the dark king glanced up at Xion to see that there was still sweat running down her brow and she was still panting heavily.
'How are you holding up?' he asked her, breaking the eerie silence that surrounded them.
"I'm holding up. I feel tired and a little woozy, but other than that I think I'm fine," Xion replied, but Sombra didn't hear any of her usual fire in her voice. "Besides, we don't have time to worry about me. We've got to find Applejack and Twilight and get the keychains that they have. Then we'll get them to help us against the Heartless."
'And the Maestro?'
"No...the Maestro is my problem to deal with," Xion admitted with a sigh, before she wiped her head with the back of her hand. "He's far too powerful for any of them to deal with. He's probably too powerful for me to deal with. But with the keyblade and my far more powerful magic I should be able to stand up to him now."
'I wonder about that,' Sombra muttered to himself, but loud enough so that Xion could hear.
"If you've got something to say, say it."
'You still can't beat him in the state you're in,' Sombra revealed, getting a sigh out of Xion. 'He made the body you're currently occupying, remember? That means that even if you had all the power in the worlds, he has the upper hand on you. And that's something we cannot afford to let him have.'
"Then what should we do to make sure that he doesn't have that advantage over us?" Xion asked. Before Sombra could answer, eight pillars of nothingness erupted from the ground. Xion let out a curse as she took up her fighting stance, watching as eight samurai Nobodies emerged from within the circles of nothingness.
'I'll tell you after you're done dealing with these guys.'
Xion braced herself and prepared for the samurai to unleash the first attack, but to her surprise all of the Nobodies simply stared at her from a distance. Then all of them lowered on to their two knees and drove their twin swords into the ground beside them. Xion looked around with confusion at the passive positions all of the Nobodies took up, but then her focus was completely grabbed when she turned around to see a figure that stood behind her.
The figure was as tall as her and wore a black Organization cloak, with the hood up so that she couldn't see their face. But she knew that the Organization meant trouble, so she took up a samurai stance of her own and glared down the cloaked being.
"So which member are you?" Xion asked the cloak being, who gave her no reply. "You're way to tall to be any of the higher ups. Zexion, perhaps? Or maybe you're a new member, one that I haven't had the "pleasure" of fighting yet. If you are one that I've never met, then I will warn you only this once. I am not somebody that you want to mess with."
The cloaked beings response was to lift its right hand and open it, filling it a moment later with a fireball a moment later. Xion let out a curse before she rolled out of the way of the ball of fire that was hurled at her a moment later. "Alright, you've made your choice!"
In three dashes Xion closed the distance between her and the cloaked being, allowing her to thrust at the beings chest with rapid succession. Yet to her amazement the cloaked being managed to leap out of the way of each of her attacks, before it leapt over the final strike and landed on the edge of her keyblade. Xion glared up at the cloaked being, who stared down at her.
"Thunder!" Xion roared, calling down a bolt of lightning onto her keyblade. Right as the bolt was about to strike the blade, the cloaked being backflipped off of the end of the keyblade to avoid the bolt of lightning. Xion didn't hesitate to keep up the pressure, for with a cry of "FREEZE!" she hurled a giant chunk of spiky ice towards the airborne foe.
The cloak being thrust its hand forward and fired a ball of ice equal in size to that of Xion's. Her eyes widened as the two ice balls collided and destroyed each other in a shower of snow. The cloaked being touched down and slowly turned to look at Xion, who narrowed her eyes as she took up her fighting stance once more.
"Any idea what this thing is?" Xion asked Sombra.
'I'm not sure. They move similarly to you, but I can't sense any kind of...intent behind its actions,' Sombra replied in an unsure tone. 'Normally I can tell if a beings intent is malevolent or noble, but from this thing...nothing. Be careful and don't give it the chance to get the upper hand. Also, watch out for the Nobodies.'
"But they're not doing anything," Xion said.
'Not yet. But once you start winning, watch out.'
The cloaked being then lunged forward at the both of them, cutting short their time to plan. She dug her heels in and brought up her guard just in time to stop a kick hurled by the being. The blow was powerful, but not enough to knock Xion off balance or to get through her defense. After delivering its kick the cloaked being kicked off of Xion's keyblade and leapt into the air, but Xion had been expecting it to do that.
"Got you!" Xion declared with a smile before she hurled her keyblade into the air after the cloaked being. The blade spun towards the being and in a moment was right on top of it. Yet with a twirl of its body the cloaked being spun out of the way of the strike, just barely missing the blade of the key by inches. The cloaked being then flipped and started to fall behind Xion, but once again the girl only smiled in response. "Saw that coming!"
Xion then summoned the keyblade into her hand and threw it behind her, aiming it right at the spot where the cloaked being would land. The being landed and spun around just in time to see the keyblade cleaving through the air right towards it. Unable to leap out of the way, the cloak being thrust out its hand once more...and caught Xion's keyblade by the handle.
"Okay, good reflexes. Now give that back," Xion growled before she extended her hand to summon back her keyblade...only for nothing to happen. Her eyes went wide with shock before she tried to summon it again, only for the key to remain in the grasp of her foe. Very slowly Xion began to back away, watching as the cloaked being looked down at her rainbow blade with an unseen expression.
'Xion, what's going on? How is that thing able to hold your blade?' Sombra whispered to Xion.
"It shouldn't be able to! The only beings that can wield keyblades are...other keyblade wielders," Xion realized, her eyes going wide as a look of terror crossed her face. "No...it can't be."
The cloaked being then looked over at Xion, tightening its grip around the keyblade before it slowly began to move towards the girl. Xion raised her hands and began to fire spells out of them, but each of her spells was swatted to the side by her own keyblade. Then the cloaked being lunged into the air with Xion's blade held high, aiming right for the center of Xion's head. Despite having faced numerous dangerous beings, upon seeing her own key coming down towards her Xion froze.
Fortunately for her, Sombra didn't.
'BAD MOVE!' the dark king roared before an explosion of dark energy erupted from his horn, lancing up towards the cloaked being and striking them dead in the chest. The dark being cried out in pain as it was knocked from the sky, dropping Xion's blade before it came crashing to the ground in front of Xion. 'Xion, now's your chance! Strike this thing down before it has the chance to get back up!'
Sombra's words snapped Xion out of her trance and she raced forward towards the stunned being, summoning her keyblade back to her grasp before she slashed down at the being for all she was worthy. A bolt of darkness appeared in the hands of the cloaked being and a moment later it raised something to intercept Xion's blade. Rainbow light clashed with a surge of darkness, but the collision was nothing compare to the terror that Xion held within her.
The being held a keyblade in its hand, a keyblade the likes of which Xion had never seen before. The keyblade was a pitch black blade, with bat wings making up the handle. The teeth were some kind of dark symbol and a chain ran up the center of the blade, a single, long, black chain. A blue diamond rested upon the top of the guard and the keychain held a black crown at the end of it.
'Is that...?' Sombra asked with horror in his voice.
The cloaked being then shoved Xion back with a push and she staggered back, only to regain her balance a moment later. The cloaked being rose to their feet and stared down Xion, who extended her blade and prepared for the fight of her life. For the longest minute the two stared each other down, before the cloaked being banished their keyblade and turned around. A moment later they vanished in a flicker of darkness, only to be followed by the samurai Nobodies a moment later. Only when she was completely alone did Xion banish her own blade and collapse to her knees.
'Xion, what was that? What happened?' Sombra asked Xion, who had to take a few minutes to calm down so that she could speak.
"Sombra. There were only two members in the Organization that could wield keyblades," Xion said in a terrified whisper, unable to believe what she was saying. "And I'm kneeling right here."
=======
No. XIII
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The sounds of laughter filled the air. The sun was high in the sky and a cool breeze swept across the land, providing both warmth and relief from the heat at the same time. And from where the two beings of darkness emerged from the corridor of darkness, they could both see the giant Ferris Wheel that towered over the rest of the carnival. But Xion and Sombra felt no warmth or joy at the sight of the fair. For the both of them had the same thoughts crossing their minds.
'We are not that far from Ponyville, if I remember anything about the lay of the land,' Sombra said to Xion, who gave no indication that she had heard him. 'If we start moving now, we may be able to reach it in a few days. Come on, let's head out.'
"It had to be him," Xion replied in a whisper.
'You don't know that.'
"But I do! He's the same height as me! The figure had the same moves and magic as me! For the love of god, Sombra, they wielded a keyblade! What more proof do I need?!" Xion yelled at Sombra, who chose to remain silent. "But if it was him, why didn't he recognize me? Why did he attack me? We're supposed to be friends?"
'It attacked you because it wasn't him. It's not him for all the reasons you just gave. This is most likely a trick by the Maestro to try and get you to doubt yourself. Don't let him do that to you,' Sombra said in a stern tone.
"But...if it really is him...how can I fight him?" Xion asked with tears practically in her eyes. Sombra didn't have an answer.
'I had hoped that the Maestro would have waited to play this card, wait until I had gotten Xion into a more stable state, where she would have been able to face this...being, if it is who we think it is. But the way she is now...' Sombra thought, before he felt something not too far from the pair that completely derailed his train of thought. 'We can't worry about that right now, Xion, because we just had a good stroke of luck. Or maybe it's just a stroke of luck, we'll find out.'
"What do you mean?"
'I mean that I just felt the power of one of those cursed Rainbow ponies, so that means that either Twilight or Applejack is close. And since this is a state fair and Applejack, like I said, is a hick, I think you can figure the rest out.'
"So wait...Applejack is down at that fair?" Xion asked, squinting her eyes to se if she could make out the pony Sombra was talking about in the sea of ponies that was at the fair. "But I don't see any Heartless or Nobodies. Every single one of the Ambassadors that we've come across has been battling with either the Nobodies or the Heartless. Shouldn't she be as well?"
'I can't say. Maybe since we're so close to Ponyville that means that the princesses and the Ambassadors are fighting harder to keep this place safe. Figures that the princesses would play favorites. This is why I simply let all the cities and towns burn, so that way the ponies know that I don't think any of them mean less than the others.'
"Think we should go down there?" Xion asked nervously. "I mean, the Ambassadors might be fine with me, but every crowd of ponies that I've come across have either fled from me in terror or whipped out their torches and pitchforks at the sight of me. And a fair full of them is likely to have mixed results between the two."
'We don't have a choice at this point. We need to get into contact with all of the Ambassadors and gather the keychains they have. And since fate was so nice to deal us this hand, we would be foolish not to take what we were given,' Sombra instructed Xion. 'But just to be safe, we should probably either make this quick or have you keep your keyblade out at all times. I wouldn't put it past one of the dumber ponies to try and act like a hero.'
"I'm not striking down an innocent pony."
'Then smack them with the flat side of your blade, I don't care. But we're going to go in there, that's no question. The only question I have is how much opposition will we meet once we get down there?' Sombra asked himself with what sounded like a bit of a chuckle. 'But I can sense Applejack in the center of that mess. So let's go on down an introduce ourselves.'
"We don't have much of a choice, do we?" Xion asked.
'Nay, choice is something that beings of darkness rarely have,' Sombra said with a laugh. Xion shook her head before she started to move towards the fair, but while she walked Sombra lost himself in thought. 'I am still not certain about that foe we faced. Yes, their moves were similar to Xion's and they also wielded a keyblade, but I have been an evil villain practically all of my life and something feels wrong to me. If the Maestro had brought in Roxas, why hide his face? It would be far more emotionally scaring to have her look into his eyes as they fought, not mask them in darkness.'
'What is your game, Maestro? And why, for the first time in my long and meaningful life, can I not figure out my opponents next move? What their next move against Xion will be?' Sombra asked. 'And why does that bother me far more than it should that Xion is so upset?' |
The Girl That Never Was | Hick | The crowd wasn't as bad as Sombra had made it out to be. Upon entering the fair, Sombra had spied a stand with numerous masks and outfits on them. With his dark powers he snatched up one of the masks and told Xion to wear it, which she did so without hesitation. Now that she had the face of a chicken, Xion found that aside from a few strange looks none of the ponies in the fair paid her so much as a second glance.
'And once again my unfathomable brilliance has saved us from future danger. Truly my genius is a gift from the gods,' Sombra bragged loudly, forcing Xion to clamp her hands around his horn to stifle his voice.
"Are you serious?"
'You're right, even the gods couldn't bestow such brilliance. Perhaps I myself am a god?'
"No, I mean you're talking out loud while we're surrounded by hundreds of ponies, none of who like you," Xion harshly whispered to Sombra, who let out a scoff but heeded her words and lowered his voice.
'Applejack should be close by. Unfortunately, you're most likely going to have to take off your mask in order to be recognized by her. Her friends have most likely told her about you, so perhaps we'll get lucky and she won't freak out at the sight of whatever she sees in your face.'
"Well, we'll just have to take that risk when we meet her," Xion stated.
The two walked through the fair, keeping their eyes out for any sign that the ponies might be catching onto them or that some of the security that they had seen had become interested in them. But surprisingly to the pair they weren't stopped once by any guards or any of the ponies, so with little incident they made their way to where Applejack was using Sombra's ability to track her.
They found the orange mare with the apple mark sitting on a bench, looking tired as she munched on a snack. As Xion approached Applejack turned her head to look at them, an eyebrow going up as she saw the mask Xion wore. Applejack then patted the seat next to her twice, inviting Xion to sit down with her. Xion looked down at Sombra, who told her to do as Applejack asked.
"So yer the mysterious dark being Xion, are ya?" Applejack asked as Xion sat down next to the orange pony. "Gotta admit, when ah heard you were coming ah didn't expect ya to show up wearing a chicken mask."
"Well, my normal face tends to scare ponies and incite riots, so I figured it was best that I kept my face covered up to keep things nice and calm," Xion replied.
"That's some smart thinking. Did ya come up with that idea or was it Sombra?" Applejack asked, smirking when Xion chose not to answer. "Yeah, I heard from Rarity that yer carrying the horn and consciousness of Sombra around with ya, and that ya were willing to fight with her to keep him safe. Ah take it I don't have to tell ya how dangerous or evil Sombra can be?"
"Believe me, he's more hot air than he is evil," Xion replied with a smirk, getting Sombra to seethe in her pocket. "But I didn't cross all of Equestria just to talk about what I've got in my pocket. If you've heard about me from your friends, then you know what I'm here for."
It was Applejack's turn to choose silence as her answer, but then she reached under her hat and pulled out a keychain a moment later. The keychain looked similar to the ones that all of the other Ambassadors had held, only that this one had an apple at the end of it. Applejack then cast a glance towards Xion, who nodded to show that indeed that was what she sought. Xion reached out for it, but before the girl could grab it AJ pulled it back.
"Applejack, if you've heard about me from your friends, then you know that I need those keychains so I can fight back against the swarm of Heartless that are invading your lands," Xion said to Applejack.
"Ah get that, but ya had to earn all the other ones, didn't ya?" Applejack asked with a smirk, getting Xion to narrow her eyes beneath her mask. "Don't you worry none, ah'm not going to ask ya to do some impossible task or anything like that. Something nice and easy. Just a small trial."
"And what kind of trial would that be?"
"Mah sister and her friends are somewhere at this fair playing hide and seek with me. But I'm too tuckered out from the constant battles with the Heartless to see straight, let alone chase three fillies with enough energy to power a city," Applejack said before she stifled a yawn with her hoof. "Ya find all three of them and bring them back to me, the keychain is yers."
"Alright, I guess I can do that. Sounds far easier than anything I've done since I've gotten here," Xion replied with a shrug. "Any hints as to where your sister and her friends will be hiding? And how will I even know its them when I find them? I've never met them before."
'Allow me to answer that,' Sombra cut in before Applejack could speak. 'As they are closely connected to the Ambassadors, I can faintly sense where they are hiding. I will also be able to identify them for you should you happen to find them.'
"Ah didn't know you could track our power," Applejack muttered through narrow eyes, before she took her cowboy hat off of her head and handed it to Xion. "Wear this and the girls should know that you're a friend of mine. That way they won't run away from ya screaming at the top of their lungs."
"Yeah, trying to avoid that honestly," Xion said as she placed the cowboy hat on top of her head. "A chicken mask and a cowboy hat. Bet I look amazing. Come on Sombra, let's go find those foals."
"Good luck, they can be hard to catch," Applejack warned the pair after Xion rose and walked towards the massive crowd of ponies.
=======
No. XIV
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'The nerve of that country bumpkin, thinking that she can make us do her chores while the fate of this world is on the line!' Sombra roared with fury from within Xion's coat pocket. 'We could be doing far more important things like trying to balance the light and the darkness or maybe beating our heads against a tree, but no. Here we are foalsitting.'
"I don't like it any more than you, but I'm going to need that keychain if I want to hope to stand a chance against the Maestro," Xion replied before looking up at the massive Ferris wheel that towered overhead. "So quiet your whining and help me. You said that you sensed one of them around here, right?"
'Yeah, and considering how much this ones energy feels like Applejack's I'm going to guess that it's her sister,' Sombra replied. 'Look out for a red bow and a red mane on a yellow filly. I think her name is Applebloom.'
"And you know all of this because...?"
'I keep careful track of my enemies and those close to them. You don't get to be a good evil villain by overlooking tiny details,' Sombra said with some pride in his voice.
"Okay, that's creepy...and I think I see who you were talking about," Xion muttered to herself as she spied a red bow sticking out from behind a cluster of barrels.
'Yep, I can feel the Rainbow energy faintly coming from her. That's one of them,' Sombra confirmed. 'So how do you want to do this? We just going to walk over and talk to her or do you want to grab that giant net I saw at a tent a few yards back. Because I know what I would pick.'
Choosing once again to ignore Sombra, which Xion noticed she was starting to do more and more, she slowly walked over to the barrels and peeked around behind them. Just as Sombra had said, a yellow filly with a red mane and ribbon was crouched down behind the barrels, glancing out from a gap in the barrels at the ponies that passed by.
"So you're Applebloom?" Xion asked. The moment she spoke the filly leapt into the air and spun around to face the masked being. Her eyes widened with fear for a moment, before she looked up and spied the cowboy hat that Xion wore.
"Awe, are ya kidding me?" Applebloom asked in an annoyed tone, getting Xion to raise an eyebrow underneath of her mask. "Applejack was supposed to come and find us, but instead she sends somepony else to come and do it? What's the point of taking yer sister and her friends out fer some fun if all ya do is sit around?!"
"Um, look, whatever issues you have with your sister you can work them out with her," Xion cut the foal off, not wanting to have to waste time listening to her complain. Applebloom sighed sadly before she started to head off towards where Applejack was sitting, leaving Xion to shake her head before she glanced down at her pocket. "Alright wayfinder, tell me where to go next."
=======
No. XIV
=======
The next location that Sombra lead the both of them to was the games part of the fair, where dozens of tents were set up and each of them held a different challenge within them for a chance to win a prize. Standing in front of one of those tents they found an orange mare with a purple mane, who was shooting at numerous things that moved by on a belt, yet was unable to hit any of them.
'Scootaloo. More or less Rainbow's sister,' Sombra informed Xion, who nodded before she walked over to the filly. 'Seems that she isn't playing the same game as her friends.'
When she got close enough to the filly, Scootaloo glanced up at Xion. For a brief second confusion crossed Scootaloo's face, then she laid eyes on the hat and a smirk spread across her lips. "So Applejack sent you to gather us all up, did she? I knew she was tired, but to think that she was trust a total stranger like you with the task..."
"Yeah, she sent me. And I'm in a bit of a rush, so if you wouldn't mind coming along nice and easily," Xion tried to say, but Scootaloo then held up a hand to silence the girl. Scootaloo then pointed her hoof to a giant, stuffed pony in an outfit.
"I'm not leaving this spot until I get that Wonderbolt," Scootaloo stated before she slammed a handful of gold coins onto the counter, getting the stallion behind the counter to shake his head with a sigh before he started up his game once more. Targets began to move across a belt and Scootaloo began to shoot at them once more, yet she missed every shot.
'With that filly's accuracy we're going to be here until the end of time,' Sombra said quietly, but just loud enough so that Scootaloo began to look around for whoever had insulted her.
"You have an idea?"
'Win it for her.'
Scootaloo let out a frustrated growl as the game came to an end, yet she had been unable to strike any of the targets. But this time when she placed more bits on the counter, Xion snatched the gun from her hooves and took aim. Scootaloo began to complain, but a look from Xion, even with the mask on, silenced any arguments. The stallion started the game once more with interest in his eyes, while Xion took aim at all of the targets moving.
Twenty total targets moved across the belt and twenty times Xion pulled the trigger, striking each target with a deadly precision. When the game came to an end and none of the targets were left standing, Xion placed the gun on the counter and pointed to the stuffed Wonderbolt that hung overhead.
"I'll be taking that."
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No. XIV
=======
'Sweetie Belle should be the final pony that we're looking for,' Sombra informed Xion as the three of them headed into the house of mirrors, where Sombra had felt the Rainbow power of Rarity radiating from. Xion cast a glance up at the wacky clown face whose mouth they would be entering into to get to the mirrors, smirking at how it was supposed to be terrifying.
"So what should I be on the lookout for?" Xion asked as she stepped into the hall of mirrors.
'Think of Rarity, but smaller and less annoying,' Sombra stated. 'Also I believe she has some pink in her mane, but that may have been dye. I don't know.'
As Sombra said this, Xion walked by her first mirror and came to a dead stop at what she saw. The reflection of her was her in her same clothes with the mask and hat still on, but something was different. Underneath the mask and hat she could make out red hair. Slowly, Xion reached up and removed her mask and hat, revealing to her a face that she recognized along with the blazing red hair that the girl had.
'Woah, Xion. You look different,' Sombra muttered as he gazed into the mirror as well, able to see what Xion was seeing.
"Yeah, that happens," Xion muttered as she kept on walking, each of the mirrors she passed by showing her the same red headed girl. Xion then turned a corner and walked down a new hallway of mirrors, only to find that instead of the red headed girl, this time a blonde girl with worried eyes and a white dress was now looking back at her. For a long time Xion gazed into her reflection, until Sombra broke the silence.
'Eh, I don't know. The red hair might have worked, but blonde definitely isn't your thing,' Sombra said with a cackle, one that broke Xion out of her thoughts. 'Xion, these are just mirrors, designed to mess with you and show you how you would look in different ways. Don't take any of these personally.'
Xion decided to listen to what Sombra had to say and continued moving on, not paying attention to what the mirrors showed her. That was until she came to a single mirror in a sea of the red headed and blonde reflections of herself. Inside the mirror was a boy with dirty blonde hair and a black cloak like hers.
'Okay, how does that one work?' Sombra asked, but instead of answering Xion walked closer and closer to the mirror, staring into it with longing eyes. She then raised her hand and gently pressed it against the glass, with the reflection doing the same. For a moment nothing happened, then the reflection smiled at Xion before the boy vanished and change to a perfect reflection of her.
Xion then slowly fell to her knees, hand still on the mirror while tears softly fell from her eyes. Sombra, having no tact or any idea how to be comforting, opted for silence instead of opening his mouth. For a long time Xion knelt there with tears streaming from her eyes, until a white hoof tapped her on the shoulder. Xion looked over her shoulder to see a white filly standing behind her with concern on her face.
"Um, excuse me miss. Are you lost?"
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No. XIV
=======
"Welp, that's all of them. Thanks for helping me out," Applejack said to Xion once all three of the foals were seated at the table with her. Applebloom didn't look happy, Scootaloo was holding onto the stuffed Wonderbolt happily and Sweetie Belle occasionally glanced over at Xion with worry. "So what did ya think, not too hard a trial, right? Certainly couldn't be harder than dealing with all of those Heartless?"
"Yeah, this wasn't that bad," Xion said in a deadpan voice, one that made Applejack chuckle nervously. Xion then took her hat off of her head and handed it to Applejack, who took it and placed it upon her head.
"And ah believe that ah owe ya this," Applejack continued on as she pulled out the keychain with the red apple on the end, which she then handed to Xion. Xion nodded in reply before she turned and started to walk away from the group, only to stop when she heard Applejack clear her through. "Ah know that yer probably going to go to Ponyville next to look for Twilight, but she won't be there."
"What do you mean?" Xion asked Applejack.
"See, with all of the attacks going on all of us have been traveling all over the land fighting back against the Heartless as best we can," Applejack revealed to Xion. "Heck, that's why we had the fair today, to try and brighten the mood of the ponies here. But Twilight's been working herself harder than all of us. Wherever an attack takes place, she's instantly there fighting back as hard as she can. She hasn't been home in weeks."
"So do you know where she is or is my journey here going to get even longer?" Xion asked in a dry tone, one that caught the apple pony off guard. Xion saw the face that Applejack made and Xion sighed. "Sorry, I'm just going through a lot right now. If you know were Twilight is, I'd appreciate it. She's the last one I need to find."
"Yeah, ah kind of figured that. Now ah don't know this for certain as it has been a day and a half since she last wrote to us, but last ah heard from her she was fighting in the city of Mareami, which is east from here. Maybe a days journey by train," Applejack told Xion, who nodded.
"Thanks. Anything else you can tell me about this city?"
"Um, it's had the most Heartless attacks, the most causalities until Twilight arrived and the Heartless seem to want to take it more than any other city. Not to mention the cloaked beings that have been rumored to be running around there," Applejack stated, getting Xion's eyes to widen with shock.
"Thanks. Let's hope I don't get lost getting there," Xion said with a smirk as she started to walk away.
"Oh don't worry sugar cube, there's no way you can miss it. It's along the beach!" |
The Girl That Never Was | Cracks in the Armor | Sombra hated trains. Not in a way that he hate to ride along them or that they terrified him or anything like that. Sombra feared very few things. His hatred for trains popped up right around the time that he had met Xion and her experience with trains. For that was the first time he had run into Heartless. And Sombra was afraid of the Heartless. Yet there was Xion and Sombra, sitting on the cushions of another train, heading towards another destination that would probably have another fight waiting for them.
Getting Xion onto the train had been no trouble for Sombra. The moment that the conductor's eyes started to wide at the red eyes of Xion, Sombra had used his magic to control the pony's mind, making him a slave to Sombra's will. Sombra had wanted to make the conductor do some hilarious things, but a cold remark by Xion put an end to that. So Xion had boarded the train with no issues, but she still took up a car in the back just to avoid attracting attention to herself.
'And so here we are, sitting in another train and heading off to fight more Heartless,' Sombra thought to himself. Xion had been gracious enough to take Sombra out of her pocket and she had rested him on the cushions next to her seat. And then she clasped her hands together and stared at the floor for hours on end.
'None of my attempts to get through to her have been for nothing. Whatever is eating at her will take more than a few snide remarks to snap her out of,' Sombra thought to himself. He then watched as Xion pulled out her old Organization coat and reached inside of it, pulling out a small seashell from within its pockets. She placed the coat on the seat across from her before she began to move her fingers over the shell, her eyes a million miles away.
'She's thinking about the being in the cloak. Who she believes to be Roxas,' Sombra thought. He didn't have to ask Xion if his line of thinking was correct, he knew that it was. What he didn't know was why she was so dead set on the cloaked being's identity being Roxas. 'The Maestro is a being that travels realities. It could have been any keyblade wielder for all we know. Xion's just letting her past get to her again. Got to try and break her out of it.'
'That's a nice seashell you've got there,' Sombra pointed out, but Xion didn't respond. 'It's especially nice considering that you told me that you've never been to the beach before. Yet you've got a shell. What, did you buy it from some shell shop because you were too afraid to actually step foot on the beach?'
It took Xion a minute before she responded to Sombra's words. "I wasn't completely honest with you when we first met," Xion revealed to Sombra, who wasn't surprised in the least. "I have been to the beach before. Actually, I've been there a few times. But I never went there with Axel and Roxas. And we promised that we'd all go together. That's the promise that I'm trying to fulfill...and why I want to get there so badly."
'You think Roxas and Axel will be there,' Sombra said, not needing an answer to know that he was right. 'Xion, we are in an entirely different reality than the one that you've come from. There is very little chance that those two could make it to this reality, and even if they could, the Maestro would have most likely gotten to them.'
"I know that."
'But more importantly, you told me that, somehow, everyone in your world forgot all about you, forgot that you even existed,' Sombra continued on, not seeing Xion clench her fists around her seashell. 'So even if they managed to cross the reality barrier and even if they managed to avoid the wrath of the Maestro, how would they know to go to the beach? And how would they know to meet you there?'
"I KNOW!" Xion roared with fury, silencing Sombra instantly. For a few minutes Xion sat and seethed with rage, before she hung her head and placed it into her hands. "What do you want me to say, Sombra? That I have no real reason for pushing on? That I'm being used by a dark king to further his goals while I hold onto a small sliver of hope that my friends will be waiting for me?"
Sombra, for the first time in his life, didn't have a response.
"I know that it's foolish of me to think that they'll be there waiting for me. Hell, if things went according to Namine's plan Roxas will be apart of Sora again," Xion said, her words confusing Sombra but he stayed silent. "And Axel has most likely faded at this point. But I was torn from my peaceful resting place and forced to live again. And then I've been fighting against new and old foes alike in a world I know nothing of with beings I know nothing about. It has taken all I have and that last shred of hope to keep me from just giving in and letting the Heartless tear me apart. And now the Maestro is after me with far more vengeance."
"I'm tired Sombra. I'm so tired of being a pawn in somebody else's game," Xion revealed. She paused for a moment so that Sombra could make his witty comment, but when silenced reigned she continued on. "Ever action, every decision and ever road I've gone down has either been according to somebody else's plan or going against their plan. Nothing I have ever done has been...according to my plan. I just move along, hoping that today isn't the day that their plan comes true. And yet here I am, following your plan. I truly am a puppet, aren't I?"
Xion stayed silent for a long time after that, leaving Sombra to think hard about what he was going to say to her. Yet Sombra found that there was nothing he could say. He then cast a glance towards Xion's face, noticing that small cracks were starting to form along her face and neck.
'Her body won't hold up much longer,' Sombra noted and he would have frowned if he was able to. 'Her body should be lasting longer, but the constant battles and stress has torn down her body even faster. She's got maybe...a few more days at most. I've got to think of a way to fix. And I've also got to think of a way to take her minds off of these stressful thoughts. They aren't doing her any favors.'
'So, Namine. She was one of those reflections of yours in the mirrors, wasn't she?' Sombra asked point blank, getting Xion to snap out of her thoughts and she glanced down at Sombra. 'Ah, no need to answer now, your face tells me all I need to know. So who is this Namine and why does she have such power over you?'
"She doesn't really, but...you remember how I said when a person becomes a Heartless, if they have a strong enough will they leave behind a Nobody?" Xion asked.
'Yep. Why, does this get even more complicated?'
"Afraid so. See, Roxas is Sora's Nobody. But Namine is kinda Sora's Nobody as well. At least, that's how she put it when she told me her story," Xion stated, while Sombra was doing his best not to have his brain implode. "Sora had a girl named Kairi's heart inside of him when he became a Nobody, so when Sora lost his heart so kinda did Kairi, forming Namine. But then there was-"
'Kairi, the red headed girl?' Sombra cut her off, looking for any excuse to change the conversation away from confusing. 'Yeah, I saw her reflection in the mirrors as well. She Sora's special somebody?'
"Um, I think so? I don't know, the memories are all confusing. Whatever Maestro did to me has made it hard to recall memories that aren't mine," Xion replied. She closed her eyes and thought for a moment, only to shake her head as she opened her eyes. "Sorry, but Sora's memories just are just too confusing for me to decode. All I can understand is what I remember from my time in the Organization."
'Ugh, your story is so damn confusing,' Sombra said with a shake of his horn. The sound of a voice echoed throughout the train, telling all of the passengers that the train was coming to a halt. 'Wait a moment, that can't be right. We're still a good twenty minutes out from the city. Why in the infernal hell are we stopping here?'
Xion threw up the window and stuck her head through it, her eyes going wide when she saw the city in the distance. She brought her head back inside so that she snatch Sombra off of the seat, only to stick him through the window so that he could see the reason for the unexpected halt.
Off in the distance was Mareami, covered in a dome of darkness that was a sea of black against a beautiful blue sky. Even though they were miles from the city, Sombra and Xion could both see winged Heartless flying around on the outside of the dome. And off to the side of the domed city was a stretch of white sand that seemed to go on forever, catching Xion's eyes and making a thin smile crossing her face.
'I'm almost there. I'm almost to the beach,' she thought to herself before she brought her head back into the train, picking up her Organization cloak and stashing it in her inventory. She then raced down the train car and kicked the door off of the train open, before she leapt out and started to race towards the city in full sprint.
'Xion, what in the blazes are you doing? Slow down, we need to form a plan of attack before we just run in there!' Sombra roared at Xion, but the girl couldn't hear Sombra's voice anymore. 'Xion, will you listen to me? I can't feel Twilight's Rainbow Power, meaning if she is in there she won't be on our side! For the love of Faust, listen to me!'
'I'm almost there, Roxas. Axel. I've almost fulfilled our promise,' Xion thought to herself silently, the smile fading from her face as she ran. 'And I know that I'll see at least one of you there. I just wish that it would be as friends, not as enemies.'
=======
No. I
=======
The army of Heartless that swarmed on the outside of the dome looked far more dangerous up close than it had from the safety of the train that was a good ways away. Xion had taken shelter behind a boulder in hopes that she wouldn't be spotted right away, but she knew that it was only a matter of time until the Heartless sensed the presence of a keyblade wielder.
"Do you think that your dark magic can get us through that barrier?" Xion asked Sombra, who took a moment to think before he sighed.
'I should be able to, but the down side is that we'll have to be point blank in order for my magic to do anything to that amount of dark power,' Sombra stated. 'If you could open another corridor of darkness, we could skip past all of this and get into the city. But then you'd be in no shape for the fight that will come on the other side.'
"So you've also realized what awaits us on the other side of that dark dome," Xion muttered, a smirk crossing her face. "Well glad to see that both of us know better than to think that it would be easy. So all I have to do is get you to that dome, right?"
'Yeah, that's all you have to do. Simple, except for the army of Heartless that stand between us and that dome,' Sombra pointed out as he stared at the numerous Heartless, some of which were versions that he had never seen before. Numerous ones looked like wyverns, which patrolled the skies to keep out any airborne foes. Giant, armored ones with dog faces on their shields stood rooted in place like a defensive wall, while the small Soldiers patrolled the area around the dome.
"Look on the bright side. I've only got to get past them. I don't actually have to beat them all," Xion pointed out before she summoned her keyblade, glancing down at the rainbow thunderbolt that made up her blade. She took a moment to take in a few deep breaths, before she rose to her feet.
'Don't want to try out the new blade you got?'
"I don't know what that one can do and this is the strongest blade I currently have," Xion replied with a grimace. "And with my light and dark forms limited I'm going to need all the raw power I can get. Come on Sombra, let's do this."
Xion then leapt on top of the boulder and kicked off of it, launching herself into the air above the Heartless. The monsters of darkness had just enough time to look up at the being of darkness before bolts of lightning came crashing down upon them, blasting the Soldiers to darkness while the giant, armored Heartless tanked the blasts. The Defenders then pointed their shields at the girl, before firing blasts of fire from the mouths on the dog heads.
'Incoming!' Sombra roared as the fireballs came blazing towards them. Xion narrowed her eyes before she lashed out with the keyblade, swatting the blasts of fire out of the air. She landed with a roll so that she could be up on her feet a moment later, sprinting full speed towards the Defenders. 'Careful, those things look like they're hell to get through!'
"Noted," Xion replied as she reached the first Defender. The Heartless roared before it lashed out with its shield, driving the full shield towards the girl. She leapt into the air and kicked off the shield once it reached her legs, propelling herself over the head of the Heartless. She came crashing down with the keyblade aimed at the back of the Heartless's head, slashing through it and turning the creature to darkness a moment later.
'Behind you!'
Xion spun around just in time to take two clawed feet to the face, knocking her off of her feet and sending her crashing across the ground. Xion bit back a curse as she sat up in time to see her assailant sailing back into the sky, with three more Wyvern's heading in her direction.
'Those things are fast. Might want to catch them with some magic before they get too close,' Sombra advised Xion. Xion nodded before she thrust her keyblade into the sky, summoning bolts of lightning from the clouds above. Lightning came raining down from above with a murderous intent, striking all of the Wyvern out of the sky and bringing the Heartless tumbling into the dirt with Xion.
The Wyvern got back up a few moments later, but it was a moment too slow as Xion was already upon them. In a flash of rainbow lightning Xion cleaved through the three Wyverns, blasting them into darkness before she sprinted back in the direction of the Defenders.
The Defenders had seen what Xion could do and they had taken measures to make sure that she couldn't do it again. The Defenders linked up their shields together and began to fire a wave of fireballs towards the keyblade wielder. Xion swatted at every fireball that came her way, but as more and more fire came blazing towards her she had to stop her advance and cast a barrier around herself to get a reprieve from the onslaught of fire.
'Well they've pinned us down. Any ideas that can get us out of this one?' Sombra mocked Xion. The keyblade wielder narrowed her eyes in reply before she started to channel the dark power within her, changing her left arm to that of a demons arm with three clawed fingers at the end. She then shattered her barrier before she plunged into the ground, vanishing into the shadows and surging towards the Defenders.
The Heartless looked around for her for a moment, yet they never saw her emerge from the darkness behind them until it was already too late. Xion roared with rage as she slashed through the back of one of the Defenders, cleaving it clean in two. She was on the next couple in a heartbeat, roaring with fury as she plunged her darkness arm through the shield and then the chest of the Heartless. With another bellow she flung the Heartless into another Defender with such force that they both burst into darkness.
Xion then turned her gaze towards the final pair of Defenders, glaring at the pair of them from under he bangs. The pair of Defenders slammed their shields into the ground before they started to march towards the girl, hardly phased by the dark arm that was pulsing with darkness or the fact that she had just torn through over ten Heartless with ease.
'Finish them off and make it quick. You shouldn't spend much longer in that form,' Sombra advised Xion, who nodded in understanding before she plunged into the darkness at her feet once more. This time the Defenders knew what was coming and they placed their shields on the ground to try and stop her oncoming attack.
Yet her darkness was far too powerful for the Defenders to deal with, so when she burst from the darkness claw arm first the Defenders were hurled into the air. "You're done," Xion said before she thrust her clawed hand into the air after them, summoning an orb of darkness within the hand that ripped apart the two Defenders with ease. Xion then let out a bellow of fury as she roared at the sky, the darkness moving up her arm and starting to consume her neck.
'Xion, put a lid on it. We need to get to the dome before more Heartless show up,' Sombra advised Xion. Xion closed her eyes and let out a small sigh, chaining up her darkness once more and allowing her to think clearly once more. Once she was in control once again, Xion ran over towards the dome, doing her best to keep the pain that was burning in her body from showing on her face.
When she reached the barrier she pulled out Sombra's horn and pressed it against the dome. Sombra channeled his dark magic and sent a pulse of magic out through the barrier, causing a ripple to form across the darkness for a brief moment. Sombra roared as his magic began to tear away at the barrier, tearing open a small hole that was just large enough for Xion to enter.
'Alright, let's head on in and put a stop to this madness,' Sombra said to Xion, who nodded in reply. 'And be careful in here. Not only are there a ton of Heartless in here, but I have a feeling that something is wrong with princess Sparkle Butt.'
"Got it. Fight the Heartless, save the princess, try not to die. Sounds like every other day here." |
The Girl That Never Was | Devoid | The streets were abandoned, devoid of any life within them. There was also a darkness in the city, a darkness created by the dome of darkness that covered the sky, blocking out the sun. Yet as Xion walked through the streets she felt slightly better than she had in a long time. At least she physically felt better. The fact that there were only buildings covered in darkness and all of the ponies that should have been there were missing made her nervous.
Since the two of them weren't being attacked at the moment, Xion summoned her keyblade and removed the keychain from it, returning its form to the Kingdom Key. The key returned to its regular form for only a minute, as Xion pulled out Applejack's keychain from within in coat and attached it to the key. In a flash of light the key changed shape and form, before the light died down and Xion was allowed to look over her weapon.
It was pretty much what she had been expecting. The main blade was a tree trunk and the teeth was a large, red apple. The guard of the blade was a wagon wheel, with a few spokes attached to the handle. And the keychain was another red apple. What Xion hadn't been expecting was the massive boost of strength she got from the blade, making it her most powerful weapon to date.
'This will come in handy,' Xion thought to herself as she took a few test swings, getting a handle on her weapons before she started to slink through the streets. "So we come across one city where all the ponies have been mind controlled and now we come across one where all the ponies are missing. What are the odds the next city we come across will have something weird going on with it?"
'This isn't the time for jokes, Xion,' Sombra said in a serious tone. 'This isn't like the other city we went to. Dark things happened in these streets and I can feel the horror and panic that went on here like it happened the other day. The Heartless took this town, Xion. And they didn't leave any ponies behind.'
"That's not good. That's...I don't know, how many ponies make up a city?"
'Back in my day the biggest city would hold over fifty thousand ponies. And they've only gotten bigger in the thousand years I've been sealed away,' Sombra revealed in a nervous tone.
"Which means all of those ponies have most likely been turned into Heartless," Xion growled before she lifted her blade. "Can you feel Twilight at all in this city? Or am I going to be fighting her Heartless and most likely her Nobody?"
'...no, I can feel her Rainbow Power. It's faint but it's still hear,' Sombra clarified for Xion. 'But it's at the center of the city and we can guess how easy it will be to get to her. Not to mention I feel a lot of Heartless moving around here. We're going to have to be on our guard.'
Xion nodded to Sombra before she started to move through the city, racing through the abandoned streets with her eyes open. She had made it a few city blocks before a couple of Shadows spotted her. Instead of running off to gather more forces, the Shadows lunged towards the keyblade wielder with reckless abandon.
Xion didn't spend much time on the Shadows. With her new keyblades added strength she cleaved through them with no issues, leaving the streets empty except for her a short time later. Yet the moment the Heartless were cut down, she then snapped her head in the direction that they were heading. Xion narrowed her eyes for a moment, gaining Sombra's attention.
'What's up, Xion?' Sombra asked.
"I think that the cloaked being is here," Xion muttered as she started to walk towards the center of the city. A cry of pain escaped her lips and she fell to one knee, seething with pain as she clutched at her left shoulder. "Dammit all, that hurts. What is happening?"
'Your body is breaking down faster than I thought,' Sombra said once he had managed to worm his way out of Xion's pockets. 'You using your dark powers to defeat the Heartless outside of the dome has advanced the rate at which you're falling apart. I don't know how much longer you have, but I do know that it is not long.'
"All the more reason to find Twilight quickly," Xion snarled as she pushed herself back up to her feet, still clutching at her shoulder with pain.
'Xion, you do not need to be pushing yourself right now. What you need is to take a moment and rest, recover from what your dark form did to your body,' Sombra advised in a concerned voice. Xion ignored him and pushed on through the pain. 'Xion, listen to me. If you push yourself too hard now your body will break down and you won't be able to get to the beach.'
"We'll get to the beach after we make sure that Twilight is safe," Xion snarled in reply, before she closed her eyes and staggered from the pain.
'Xion, I am telling you to stop and recover!' Sombra snarled.
"Why do you care so much?" Xion asked Sombra, who was grateful to see that her question had gotten her to stop moving. "Why do you care so much about me? I'm a puppet to you, remember? A pawn in your game that you're using to return you to your former power and then to take over Equestria."
'And restore the balance of light and darkness,' Sombra added on.
"Really? I thought you made that up to try and trick me into thinking you were on a noble mission," Xion added, before she glared down at the horn in her hand. "Why, Sombra? Why do you care?"
'...look Xion, I may be an evil king, but I'm not a heartless, pardon the irony,' Sombra said with a chuckle. 'I have had numerous apprentices over the years, but none of them have ever had the skill, talent or patience as you. In fact, it's safe to say that your magical skills may already match mine, if not surpass them.'
"Excuse me?"
'I may be evil, but I am no fool. In just a few weeks you have brought your magic and skills with both darkness and light to a level that I cannot reach. I know. I tried,' Sombra bitterly admitted. 'Yet you have far more potential than me. You could reach a whole new level of magic and surpass me in every way. I'm including being evil on that list, but I doubt you'll do that.'
"Too bad that my dark and light powers are killing me," Xion said with a dry chuckle.
'We'll get to fixing that eventually. But the reason I care so much Xion, if you must know, is that I want to see how far you can go. I want to see what new limits you'll get to or if you even have limits at all,' Sombra said with what sounded like genuine joy in his voice. 'Would I love to have my body back? Sure. Would I love to rule the Crystal Empire again? Of course. Would I desire to see Celestia and Luna cast into Tartarus where they burn for eternity? I'd sell my soul for that if I hadn't sold it already.'
'But above all of that I want to see you grow. I want to see you become the magical master that you can be. You see Xion, you've done what no other apprentice of mine has done. You've impressed me, to the point that I actually care about you. And no other being has managed to get that out of me,' Sombra revealed.
"Sombra..." Xion muttered with a small smile at Sombra, before a bolt of lightning cracked across the sky. The earth heaved under Xion's feet and she was flung to the ground, grunting with pain as she landed back first onto the concrete. "Ugh, that hurt. And now my shoulder's hurting again. Freaking great."
'Xion, stop complaining about the pain in your shoulder and look up. Because I guarantee that you'll have something else to complain about,' Sombra advised Xion. Xion shook the pain from her eyes and looked up as Sombra advised, only to feel the color drain from her face as she realized what she was looking at.
A colossal Heartless made of pure darkness was towering over them. The Heartless had a heart shape hole missing in its chest, allowing the two to see right through it. The Heartless had strands of black hair that shot out in every direction and a scarf of darkness covered the face of the Heartless. Yet what drew the eyes of Xion was the twin yellow eyes of the Heartless, eyes which stared down at her.
Before either Sombra or Xion could speak the Darkside brought back a massive fist and hurled it at where Xion was standing. The girl had just enough time to through herself out of the way before the fist collided with the concrete, shattering it to pieces and generating a shockwave powerful enough to send her flying across the city street. She rolled to a stop next to a fire hydrant, where she pushed herself up to her feet.
Her keyblade was back in her hands a moment later, filling her with confidence as she glared up at the Darkside. The Heartless brought back another fist and hurled it towards Xion once more, yet this time Xion was ready for the Heartless this time. She kicked off the ground and landed on the wrist of the Heartless, before she started to race up the arm of the Heartless and headed towards its face.
'Xion, you aren't at full strength! You need to retreat and heal!' Sombra roared, but Xion couldn't hear him at that point. With a roar she hurled herself off of the shoulder of the Heartless, sailing towards its head with her keyblade held over her head. The Heartless turned its head just in time to take a keyblade to the face, snapping the Heartless head to the side as her blade slashed across its face.
The Heartless began to fall to the ground, yet Xion didn't give the Heartless a moment to breath. She landed on the side of its head and drove the end of her keyblade into the side of its head, firing multiple burst of firaga into the Heartless head. She hurled herself off the side of the head and aimed at the Heartless's eyes as she fell, unleashing chunks of ice into the eyes of the Heartless. The Heartless crashed into the ground as the ice struck its eyes, finishing the Heartless off and causing it to vanish into the darkness once more. Xion stared at the spot where it had vanished for a moment before she turned and continued on her path.
'That right there is what I'm talking about,' Sombra said to Xion, who lifted the horn so that she could see it. 'When I first met you we fought a Heartless that was nowhere near as big as that one, yet you barely managed to take it down. Yet this time you walked through that giant like he was nothing. All in a matter of weeks. Your progress is like nothing I have ever seen in any of my apprentices. Or me in fact.'
"Heh, it's weird hearing somebody be so proud of me, let alone you being proud of me," Xion replied with a small smile.
'You're someone who's worth being proud of. Now come on, we're getting close to Twilight.'
=======
No. XIV
=======
Neither Sombra nor Xion had been expecting a dome within a dome, yet as the two reached the center of the city that was what they found. A giant, violet barrier blocked their path and through the barrier Xion could see ponies on the other side of it. There was only a few of them and they all looked terrified, but Xion was just relieved to see that some of them had managed to survive.
What she didn't like seeing was a violet alicorn in the center of the barrier, who sat with her horn glowing and darkness blazing in her eyes. 'That can't be good. Twilight's tried to tap into dark powers in the past, including my power once or twice, but if she's like this then something is wrong.'
"Is this her barrier?" Xion asked Sombra as she approached the barrier, getting the ponies behind the barrier to back away from her.
'Yep. This is one hundred percent alicorn magic. Meaning it should take all of ten seconds for me to deal with this and let us in,' Sombra said as his horn started to glow, but before he could do anything Xion covered his horn with her hand.
"Hang on, it looks like Twilight has been using this barrier to keep out the Heartless," Xion noticed as she pressed a hand against the barrier, feeling a bit of pain lance through her hand. "That's impressive, actually. The Heartless are normally impossible to keep out, unless you lock a world, but she's managed to construct a barrier that would keep out all darkness, including mine. She really is as good as you said she is."
'Feh, she's alright, but I've seen what real talent looks like and Twilight's a five in the talent department at best,' Sombra said with a sigh of disgust. 'But her magic lacks imagination and the ability to be flexible. See this barrier you're so proud of?' Sombra asked, before he fired a bolt of darkness from his horn and tore a hole open in the barrier.
The ponies let out a gasp of horror as Xion stepped through the barrier and backed away from her in terror. Xion ignored their reactions and walked over to where Twilight was, only to be stopped when a small dragon stepped in front of her path and glared up at her. Xion raised an eyebrow at the small dragon, before Sombra let out a cackle that turned the dragon's attention towards her hand.
'Well look who it is, the little dragon that thinks himself a hero,' Sombra mocked with delight, while the dragon narrowed his eyes at Sombra's horn. 'I had wondered what Twilight was doing here without her pet, but it seems she brought you along with her. What's the matter, was she afraid you'd pee on the floor with her gone?'
The dragon narrowed his eyes at Sombra's words, but then he turned his full attention to Xion. "Yep, it's you alright. Twilight told me that a strange being with a changing face might be coming this way, so I've been on the lookout. Btu she also told me if I had any doubts that they were also carrying Sombra's horn. And since you've got the annoying blowhard, I guess that makes you the being."
"You and Twilight heard about me from one of your friends, didn't you?" Xion asked the dragon, who nodded his head. "Yeah, we came here to find Twilight. We've met with the other five members of the Ambassadors and gotten the keychains from them, which leaves Twilight as the only one left. But I can tell that something has happened here."
"We were here dealing with a small amount of Heartless. They were tough, but with what Twilight had learned about them she was able to deal with them without too much trouble," the dragon admitted before he hung his head. "But then another being showed up, one that turned the tide of the battle. He wore a black cloak and had a strange weapon the likes of which we'd never seen before. And he commanded the Heartless to fight us like a general would."
'The cloaked being,' Sombra whispered to Xion, who nodded her head.
"Twilight found that the Heartless are generally mindless beings, but under the cloaked beings control they fought far more organized. It was all Twilight could do to keep the small amount of ponies you see here safe. She cast this barrier to defend us, but not before she was struck by the beings key like weapon," the dragon revealed before looking back at Twilight. "And now she's in the state you see her in. We can't snap her out of it. I don't know what else to do to help her."
'That's because you are an idiot pupil of an idiot pony who is another idiot student of the biggest idiot in all of the land,' Sombra replied with a laugh, gaining him a glare from the dragon. 'Step aside Spike and allow two professionals to deal with this.'
'So what are we looking at here?' Sombra asked Xion once the two had walked over to where Twilight sat. Xion looked directly into Twilight's eyes for a long moment, snapping her fingers once or twice before a sigh escaped her lips. Xion then summoned her keyblade and pointed the tip of it towards Twilight, getting cries of shock from the ponies that were watching.
"Her hearts been locked," Xion revealed, getting Sombra to sigh in reply. "The only way she can snap out of the state she's in is if someone unlocks her heart from within her heart. This isn't going to be easy."
'It's something convoluted. Why am I not surprised?' Sombra snarked in reply. 'I don't want to know any of the details or anything like that. All I want to know is can you undo it?'
"I don't know. I've never-"
'...dive...'
"Actually, I have an idea. If I can dive into her heart, I should be able to," Xion muttered as she stood up and walked a bit away from Twilight, before turning around and pointing her key towards Twilight.
'Can you do that?'
"Only one way to find out."
"Only one way to find out what?" Spike asked, getting Xion to glance down at the dragon. "What are you going to do?"
"Hopefully I'm going to be able to save Twilight from what has been done to her," Xion replied as a sphere of light emerged around the tip of her blade. When the sphere appeared, a small orb of light appeared just above Twilight, with a sea of darkness inside of it.
'Do you know what you're doing?' Sombra asked.
"For the first time since I've gotten here, I do. This is what Maestro wanted me to do originally, so I know exactly what I'm about to do," Xion replied with a sigh, gripping her key slightly tighter. "How ironic that to save Twilight I have to do what that monster wanted. I bet if he was watching now he'd laugh at me."
'I can laugh at you if it makes you feel any better.'
"Thanks Sombra. Always got my back." And then Xion fired a beam of light from her keyblade right into the sphere over Twilight's body. An unlocking sound could be heard and a moment later Xion vanished from the view of the ponies and the dragon. She had dived into Twilight's heart. |
The Girl That Never Was | Dive Into the Heart | Xion knew about diving into a heart thanks to the Maestro and what little information about it he had planted in her mind. But other than how to begin one, Xion had no idea what to do after that. So when she opened her eyes and found herself floating in the middle of a black void, she began to panic slightly.
'Keep a hold of your senses, Xion. We're not dead and we're not in danger. At least, not in any immediate danger.' Xion had never been so relived to hear Sombra's voice, so when she looked down at her hand to see his horn there she felt a small bit of comfort wash over her.
"So managed to follow me even in here? What do I have to do to get away from you?" Xion asked with a smile, before she began to look around. Utter blackness and dark clouds rumbled around where she floated, preventing her from seeing anything for miles. Then something within her pocket began to glow and she reached inside, pulling out the four keychains that she had gathered from the Ambassadors of Harmony.
The moment she pulled out the keychains, a radiant beam of light emerged where she was facing and Xion's eyes widened as she saw herself staring down at a giant circle with stained glass making up the surface of the circle. The glass was formed into images, images that Xion recognized.
In the center of the circle was an image of princess Twilight, with her eyes closed and wings spread in a way that almost made her look divine. Around Twilight were smaller glass circles with images of the other Ambassadors within them, each of them with their eyes closed as well and a smile upon their faces. Below Twilight and her friends were six radiant beams of rainbow energy, five of which were glowing in unison with the keychains that Xion wielded. She summoned her keyblade and found that Applejack's keychain was glowing as well. She unclipped it from the key and held it in her hand, returning the keyblade to the Kingdom Key.
"If I had to wager a guess, these five keychains will be important to unlocking Twilight's heart," Xion said to Sombra, before a smile crossed her face. "In fact, you might say that they will be...key."
'Ugh.'
Xion then pocketed the keychains once more and returned her gaze to the stained glass circle, the center of Twilight's heart. She then placed her feet behind, able to feel herself standing on something that wasn't there. With a kick Xion propelled herself towards the glass circle, yet to her surprise she didn't find herself getting any closer. The surprises continued for as Xion felt herself continue to move, Twilight's made out of stained glass began to appear around Xion.
'Fly into the Twilight's. I have a feeling that's what we need to do,' Sombra advised Xion, who glanced at the horn with surprise. 'I don't know how I know that, but it feels like there's a voice in the back of my head telling me what to do. And the voice says to fly into them to unlock the way.'
"Alright, if you're sure that's what we should do," Xion said. She pointed the Kingdom Key forward and dove towards the glass, weaving through the air so that it put her on course with the glass Twilights. She braced herself as she dove right into one of them, but instead of slamming into the Twilight it simply vanished in a cloud of purple. Yet when Xion looked towards the glass, she believed that it had gotten a little closer.
Now realizing that Sombra's plan was actually going to work, Xion began to spin, dive wand soar through the darkness into as many of the Twilight's as she could. With each Twilight she flew into, the glass circle grew closer and closer, until, after flying into at least twenty of the Twilight's, Xion extended her feet and felt herself land on solid ground.
"So this is the center of Twilight's heart," Xion whispered to herself as she began to look around.
'This can't be the center of her heart. Where's the blood and the veins and all the stuff that a normal heart has?' Sombra asked Xion, but instead of answering Xion glanced at the five glowing images of the Ambassadors. She reached into her pockets and pulled out the five keychains once more, looking between the keychains and the images.
Xion walked towards the first glowing image, the one of Fluttershy, and placed the butterfly keychain upon the image. A beam of light erupted from the image and the keychain floated up in the beam of light, until it was eye level with Xion. Then a circle of light appeared behind Xion, who spun around to see a being in a yellow cloak appear behind her, a cloak that was like the light version of her Organization cloak with pink highlights. The being then lifted their hooded face before extending their hand, summoning the Forest Melody into their grasp.
Xion narrowed her eyes before she took up her fighting stance, holding the Kingdom Key in front of her before the two began to circle each other. The cloaked being mirrored her stance perfectly, before they lunged forward towards Xion. Xion parried the first strike before lashing out with her own attack, which was blocked by the cloak being before they backed away.
Xion pressed the attack, swinging with precise attacks that the cloaked being managed to parry and block each time. The being thrust at Xion, who spun to the side to avoid being struck, before the being of light went low and tried to sweep out Xion's feet. Xion hopped over the attack before she threw out a kick, catching the being of light in the chest and staggering them for a moment. With one quick slash of her blade Xion cleaved through the cloaked being, who stood still for a moment before they vanished. Fluttershy's keychain floated back over to where her image was, before the light died down some and the chain simply floated in place.
Pinkie's keychain was the next to begin glowing and a moment later a cloaked being in pink appeared beside Xion, who had to duck underneath of a strike from the Happiest Days. Xion parried the next blow before she summoned a ball of fire at the end of her blade, which she launched towards the being in pink. The being flipped out of the way and let out a laugh, one that mirrored Pinkie's perfectly.
The cloaked being resumed the attack, springing around Xion who had to constantly move to keep up with the cloaked being. Xion threw out a few attacks, but each time she found that the cloaked being was able to easily bounce around her. Xion then glanced down at the ground before an idea came to her and she pointed her blade towards the glass around her. A blast of ice emerged from the end of her keyblade and froze the floor solid, right before the cloaked being landed upon the ice.
The cloaked being slipped the moment they touched down, resulting in them flipping a few times before they crashed to the floor. Xion was on them in a second, slashing through them and creating a slash of light through their body. The cloaked being seemed to sag its shoulders and sigh, before it vanished in a bunch of confetti and Pinkie's keychain retuned to its image.
Rarity's was the next to form a being, a being in a white cloak with purple highlights. The being reached out its hand and summoned the Eye of the Needle, before it slammed the tip of the blade into the glass and summoned numerous gemstones that floated around it. The being then pointed its key towards Xion and a moment later the gemstones came flying towards the girl.
Xion responded to the gemstone attack by creating a barrier around herself, gritting her teeth as each impact by the gemstones cracked the barrier further and further. The cloaked being then twirled its key over its head and returned the gemstones to its side, before circling them in preparation of another attack. Knowing that her barrier wouldn't be able to survive another attack, Xion shattered her barrier and sent shards of it flying towards the cloaked being. The gemstones circled around the being and protected it from the shattered shards, but the gemstones also cut off its vision from Xion.
Xion saw that the cloaked being couldn't see her and took that chance to move. She kicked off the ground with all of the might in her legs, propelling herself into the air and over where the cloaked being was standing. The gems moved from the cloaked beings path and allowed it to see that Xion was no longer where she had been standing. The cloaked being looked to its left and right, before realization dawned on it and it snapped its head skyward just in time to see Xion hurtling towards it.
The gems had started to move to try to protect the being, but Xion had been falling too fast and she slipped by the gemstones with ease. Xion landed right in front of the cloaked being and slashed down with her keyblade, cleaving through the center of the being. The moment she had struck the gemstones shattered into pebbles and the cloaked being fell apart into a pile of thread, with the keychain returning to the light emitting from Rarity's image.
An explosion of rainbow light erupted from Rainbow Dash's image and a moment later a cloaked being with all of the colors of the rainbow making up its cloak came rocketing towards Xion, with the Rumbling Storm clutched in its grasp. Xion barely manage to throw herself out of the way of the attacking being before it rocketed by her, sailing into the air with a rainbow trail behind it.
Xion snapped her head to the sky to see that the rainbow being was descending towards her once more, thunder crackling around its body and key. Xion parried the strike to the side, only to feel lightning lance up her body after she deflected the strike. The rainbow being came to a stop in the air and hoisted the keyblade over their head, bringing down barrages of lightning strikes around Xion. Xion had to dodge roll out of the way of each lightning strike, with each roll moving her closer and closer to the being.
The moment she was close enough Xion filled her keyblade with the power of wind before she hurled it towards the flying being, who didn't realize what was about to happen before the keyblade struck it in the chest. The extra effect of the wind blew the being off balance and they came crashing to the ground, where it struggled to push itself back up to its feet.
Xion was upon it a moment later and she slashed through the beings chest, getting a crackle of lightning to echo throughout the darkness. The rainbow being rose to its feet and hurled its keyblade to the ground in a fit of frustration, before the being vanished in a flash of thunder and Rainbow's keychain returned itself to where her image lay. Xion sighed before she turned her head towards the image of Applejack, waiting for the next combatant.
Just as she had expected, a moment later a burst of red light emerged from Applejack's image and an orange being with yellow highlights stepped out, wielding the Red Delicious. The cloaked being then raced right up towards Xion and struck down at her with the keyblade, forcing Xion to raise her blade to try to block the strike. The impact created from the Red Delicious striking the Kingdom Key nearly made Xion's knees buckle, with her unable to believe the amount of force that she had barely withstood.
The moment the cloaked being drew their keyblade back once more, Xion hurled herself backwards and rolled away from the orange being. The being chased after Xion, but Xion managed to stay ahead of it using her speed and acrobatic abilities. Xion dashed, rolled and leapt over each and every strike, knowing better than to get into a physical fight with the cloaked being.
Realizing that she couldn't evade forever, Xion came to a screeching halt and narrowed her eyes, watching as the cloaked being rushed towards her once more. The being hoisted its key over its head and slashed down at Xion with all of its might, preparing to cleave the girl clean in half. Yet the moment the being struck, Xion leapt back slightly to avoid the strike, watching as the being crashed through the glass at where she had been standing. The keyblade was buried halfway into the glass and the cloaked being began to struggle to pull it out.
With her opponent open to attack Xion lunged forward and formed a circle of lightning around her body, before dashing forward and slashing through the cloaked being. The being let out a moan before it let go of its key, before falling to its knee. The being then looked back at Xion before it nodded its head, vanishing into a flurry of leaves a moment later. Applejack's keychain returned to Applejack's image and floated in place, joining the other four in the light.
'Think that's all of them?' Sombra asked, finally breaking the silence between the two.
"Doubt it," Xion replied before she turned her head towards the image of Twilight, which had just started to glow. Xion then lifted her head towards the sky to see a single keychain floating down from above, a keychain with a violet, six sided star on the end of it. The keychain was then swallowed up in a light that emerged from Twilight's image, before another being in a violet cloak appeared before Xion. The cloaked being then did as the other did and extended its hand, summoning forth its keyblade.
The keyblade had a guard that looked like two alicorn wings, with them coming together at the guard with a crown. The blade was a violet horn that held magic within it and the teeth of the blade was the same violet star that resided on the end of the keychain. The cloaked being then took up a fighting stance and Xion did the same.
The being pointed their key towards Xion and unleashed a giant beam of magic towards Xion, who spun to the side to avoid the giant beam of energy. Xion returned fire with a blast of fire, but to her amazement the cloaked being swatted the blast of fire to the side. It then twirled its key and slammed the tip of it into the ground, sending out waves of earth that came crashing towards Xion.
'Seems that this one has all of Twilight's magical power!' Sombra roared as Xion hurled herself to the side to avoid being crushed under tones of stones. 'And from the looks of things, you can't match her spirit in a magical battle without tapping into the darkness or light within you. And since you can't do that...'
"Got it. Get in close and finish this off. I can handle that," Xion said before she raced forward, ducking and weaving past a dozen fireballs to try and close the distance. With a yell Xion spun and slashed out at the cloaked being with all of her might, yet a barrier of light constructed itself around the cloaked being to deflect Xion's strike. The barrier then detonated and sent dozens of shards flying towards Xion, who wasn't fast enough to avoid all of them.
Xion cried out in pain as the shards cut through her body and the pain forced Xion to drop to one knee and clutch at some of her wounds. The cloaked being sensed the moment of weakness and lunged towards Xion, but as it got close Xion snickered before she grabbed Sombra's horn and chucked it at the being. Sombra's horn bounced off of the hood of the cloaked being and got it to snap its head to see what had struck it, which resulted in it lowering its guard for a moment.
Xion roared before she drove her keyblade forward, driving the tip of it through the chest of the cloaked being and through to the other side. The cloaked being then slowly moved its head and looked down at the blade that was sticking out of its chest, before it looked up at the panting face of Xion. Xion then gave the cloaked being a smile, which made the cloaked being nod its head in response.
The being then reached down and unclipped its keychain from the end of its blade, before it held it out to Xion. Xion reached up at took the keychain with the violet star on the end, before watching the cloaked being vanish into a flurry of book pages. Xion rose back up to her feet and cast cure upon herself, soothing the wounds. She then looked towards the image of Twilight, which now how a keyhole in the chest of the images chest.
Xion walked over to the keyhole and pointed the end of the Kingdom Key towards the keyhole, creating a sphere of light at the end of her key. She then fired a single beam of light into the keyhole and the sounds of something being unlocked could be heard, getting Xion to sigh in relief as she heard the sound.
"I think we're done here. Time to go," Xion said to Sombra, before she extended her hand towards the five other keychains that floated around her. The keychains flew to her hand and she placed all of them within her pockets, before glancing down at the keychain that Twilight's spirit had given her.
'I think this means that she trusts you,' Sombra said to Xion, who nodded in agreement. She then pocketed Twilight's keyblade as well, before turning around to see a pair of crystal doors standing behind her. Xion walked towards the doors and grasped each handle, before using her might to pull open the doors. A wall of light greeted her and she could feel the real world calling to her. So with one last look at the glass images behind her, Xion stepped through the doorway and left the heart.
=======
No. I
=======
'XION!'
Xion groaned weakly as she slowly felt her consciousness return to her, blinking her eyes as a blinding light greeted her sight. She raised a hand to shield her sight as she slowly pushed herself up to a sitting position. Her vision was a little bit blurry and she couldn't see what was going on around her that well, but she was vaguely aware of the fact that there was a numerous amount of ponies all crowded together in the corner.
'XION! Turn around!'
Xion heard the fear and desperation in Sombra's voice and by the time she had risen to her feet her keyblade was already in her hands. She spun around to see what had caused Sombra to be so terrified, only for a metal fist to strike her in the side of her head. Xion let out a cry of pain as she staggered backwards, clutching at the side of her head with one hand while pointing her keyblade at her attacker with the other. But as her vision settled and she could see straight, her eyes widened with terror as she saw who stood across from her.
One of the beings was the cloaked boy that was her height, who glared at her from beneath his hood with the keyblade Oblivion clutched in his grasp. The other being was the Maestro, who seemed to be smiling from his metal face as he stood in the center of the three beings that stood across from her. Yet it was the final of the three that truly made Xion's eyes go wide and she felt herself begin to burn with rage.
The final being wore a black Organization cloak like many of the others that Xion had fought, but in his grasp he carried a large claymore in a reverse grip. His hair was blue and long, going all the way down to his shoulders and on his face was an X that was in-between his eyes. But it was those eyes that Xion found herself glaring at with all of her hate, eyes that looked upon her the way somebody looked at a piece of trash.
"Saix," Xion snarled.
"Hello, puppet," Saix replied. |
The Girl That Never Was | Oblivion | If Xion still held any doubt that she didn't have a heart, those thoughts were banished from her mind when she found herself face to face with the three beings that stood before her and fear clutched at her heart. Saix smirked at the girl while the Maestro and the cloaked boy stared at Xion with hidden faces, yet she could feel the danger radiating from all of them. Xion held her keyblade in front of her, yet she felt the blade shaking in her grasp as the fear began to take hold.
"So this is what it took to finally get you to do what I asked," the Maestro said to Xion, who gritted her teeth as she turned her full attention to the metal being. "I had to annihilate this city, which I did not wish to do, and have Saix tell his little minion to lock away Twilight's heart. You have forced me to change a great number of things in this world in order to get the results I desired. I am not happy about that."
"Well you happy is the last thing I want, so..." Xion spat back, but there was no confidence in her voice. Only fear and anticipation for what was to come. The cloaked boy took a step forward towards Xion and she instantly spun to face him, but Saix held up a hand and the boy stopped his approach.
"There will be time for that soon enough, but for now I have a few...questions to ask this puppet," Saix told the boy with an emotionless face, before turning his gaze upon Xion. For a brief moment he studied her, before a scowl crossed his face and he shook his head. "So this is the final result of all of Vexen's hard work? A half formed puppet that can barely follow any task it is given? If there is any need for further proof of Vexen's failure-"
Xion lunged towards Saix and slashed at the Nobody with her keyblade, catching Saix off guard and getting his eyes to widen with shock as he realized she was upon him. Yet instead of cleaving through Saix's skull, Xion's keyblade clashed against a keyblade as dark as the knight. Xion snarled as she turned to look at the cloaked figure, who stood to the side with his keyblade extended. Saix growled before he lifted his claymore to strike at Xion, but before he could strike Xion backflipped away from the two and raised her guard once more.
"Well aren't you just quick to fight?" Saix asked with an angry scowl as he and the cloaked boy began to approach Xion. The Maestro held up his hand and the pair stopped, allowing Maestro to walk towards the girl.
"Seems that your body is falling apart faster than I predicted. You've been tapping into powers that aren't entirely yours, haven't you?" Maestro asked. When Xion didn't answer, he continued on anyway. "See, this is why I was so angry when you fell into Sombra's clutches. Had you done as I asked and unlocked the secret of the Ambassadors hearts, then you would still be in relative alright condition. In fact, you may have lived another year. But after doing as Sombra taught you, you have cut the life force I so graciously gave you into shreds."
When the Maestro mentioned the dark king, Xion glanced down at her pocket hoping to hear some words of encouragement or at least some confirmation that Sombra was there. But the silence that resonated from her garments made her already shaky nerves even worse.
"Are you surprised that he is gone?" the Maestro asked Xion, who snapped her attention back to the Maestro. "He is a coward pretending to be a villain. The moment he realized what you were up against and saw how hopeless it was he fled for his life, leaving you to fend all for yourself."
"Well, that would be the smart thing to do. And he always did say how much of a genius he was," Xion replied with a smirk, trying not to let the Maestro see how betrayed she felt at the moment. "Besides, him leaving saved him the mental scares of seeing what I'm about to do to you. I'm not the same, scared little weakling you brought to this world, Maestro. I've gotten far stronger since the last time we've met."
"Oh, I have no doubt about that. All heroes or villains I bring to different realities get stronger in some way, provided they don't die instantly," Maestro agreed with a shrug. "And yet all of them eventually end up fighting me. And I am still here, whereas they are not. So how well do you think you are going to do against me, puppet?"
Xion gritted her teeth and tried to look angry, but deep down she knew that the Maestro's words were true. She had felt his real power first hand and knew that she was no match for him. What made the matter worse was that even if she could tap into her full powers of light and darkness, she wasn't sure if her body could hold up under the strain.
'So either the Maestro kills me or I kill myself try to kill him. I never get to win, do I?' Xion asked herself bitterly. Maestro read the expression on her face and his own metal face seemed to darken for a moment.
"You believe that I came here to kill you, puppet? No, I have no such interest of dirtying my hands doing such an action. It is far beneath me to waste my time on nothing," Maestro told Xion before he turned and walked away from the girl, getting her to look at him with surprise. Then Saix and the cloaked being began to walk towards and Maestro looked over his shoulder. "So I promise the two of them that they could kill you instead. It seems that in nearly every reality Saix sees you as a useless waste of time. This one just wanted to kill you more than the others."
Saix lifted his claymore into the sky and changed the heavens from a beautiful blue day to a pitchblack midnight, complete with a white moon in the center of the sky. His body began to glow as a white aura surrounded him, before his snapped his eyes open and glared at Xion with a feral intensity. In a flash of moment he lunged towards Xion, who kicked off of the ground and leapt into the air to avoid being struck.
Yet the moment she had taken to the skies the cloaked boy followed after her, lashing at her with his keyblade. Xion was forced to construct an aerial barrier to protect herself from the onslaught of attacks by the cloaked boy, before she shattered the barrier and used the shards to push him back.
Xion landed on the ground and turned her gaze towards Saix, who leapt into the air and came crashing back down claymore first. Xion thought she had gotten out of the way of the attack at first, but as the claymore struck cement and massive shockwave was sent out from the impact and struck Xion head on. She cried with pain as she was sent tumbling across the ground.
"Come, puppet, you were created to replace the keyblade wielders! Do not tell me this is all you can do?!" Saix sneered at Xion before he hurled his claymore at her, forcing her to dodge to the side to avoid being hit. As she rolled to her feet the cloaked boy met her there, driving a boot into her gut that doubled her over. He twirled around and slashed at her in a diagonal arc and Xion barely got the Kingdom Key up in time to deflect the blow. The impact was still strong enough to send her flying backwards, where she slammed onto her back and felt pain course through her body.
"Be gone!" Saix roared as he lunged towards the fallen girl, swinging down at her with his claymore. Xion rolled to the side to avoid being impaled by the weapon, yet the shockwave it generated hurled her across the road and into the side of a building, where she felt pain burn through her once more. She managed to push herself up to one knee, just in time to see Saix lunge towards her once more.
"Fire!" Xion roared as Saix closed in on her, catching the lunar Nobody of guard and then catching him in the chest with the fireball. Saix staggered backwards as the flames grabbed hold of his cloak and licked at his body, leaving him open to an attack from Xion. Xion dashed forward and slammed the hilt of her blade into the skull of Saix, snapping his head back and getting him to drop his weapon.
Xion snatched the hilt of the claymore and, with a roar, used all of her might to swing it around and crack it against the side of Saix's head. She followed up the attack by swinging the hilt of the claymore into the gut of Saix, before bringing the claymore up in a vertical strike to slash across Saix's body. Saix was sent tumbling across the ground, leaving him vulnerable to another flurry from Xion.
A boot to the side of her head stopped her offense before it could begin and a moment later Xion found herself face down in the mud, with pain burning in her skull. She pulled herself up to see the tip of Oblivion being pointed towards her, getting her to look past the blade to see its wielder looking down at her underneath his cloaked features. Xion snapped her blade up and knocked Oblivion to the side, but by the time she was back on her feet the cloaked being had already recovered.
"Look, I know who you are," Xion said in an exasperated voice to the cloaked being. "You may not know me. Heck, I may not have ever been created in your world, but I do know you. And I know that you are a kind and fun loving person that would never fall under the influence of someone as evil as Saix or Maestro! You can't let them have their way!"
The cloaked being lunged towards her once more, firing ice out of his hand and forcing Xion to raise her blade to defend herself. She slashed through the ice before knocking a strike from the cloaked being to the side. The being followed up by ramming its shoulder into her chest, knocking her off balance for a moment. He then raised his keyblade and went to impale Xion, but this time Xion weaved to the side before smacking the blunt side of her keyblade against the cloaked beings head. The being staggered back, yet brought up his keyblade once more and began to walk towards her.
He lunged towards her once more and slashed down at her. Xion brought up her key and blocked his vertical strike with her horizontal one. The two strained against the other, with neither able to get the upper hand. "This isn't you! You're better than this!" Xion pleaded, yet her words fell on deaf ears. "Listen to my voice! Roxas!"
For a brief moment, upon hearing the name, the cloaked being seemed to be confused for a second. Then an explosion of lunar energy erupted from besides the two and they both turned their heads to see Saix bathed in lunar light and power. He slowly lifted his head to glare at Xion, before he hoisted he claymore into the sky.
"ALL SHALL BE LOST TO YOU!"
Lunar light consumed Saix and with a scream of madness he hurled himself towards Xion. The cloaked being leapt away from her and left Xion as the lone target for Saix's wrath. She raised her blade to defend herself, only to be knocked off her feet as Saix slammed his claymore into her keyblade. Her guard was broken and she was sent hurtling backwards.
Saix bellowed like a madman as he hurled his claymore at Xion, who constructed a barrier around herself to deflect the attack. Yet to her horror the claymore bounced off of her barrier and went flying towards the ponies, who screamed with terror as the weapon impaled itself into a wall mere inches from where one of them had been standing. Xion glanced at the ponies and realized that Twilight was getting to her hooves, looking at the battle that was going one with confusion upon her face.
"Twilight! Get the ponies out of here! I'll hold them off!" Xion screamed at Twilight, hoping that the alicorn understood. Xion then forced herself back to her feet, glaring down Saix as he floated into the air and charged himself with lunar light once more. She then looked up at the blackening sky, narrowing her eyes and preparing herself for what she was about to do.
"This is over, Saix. I won't let you hurt any more innocent for your won selfish desires!" Xion bellowed before she was consumed by a tidal wave of darkness. The force of the darkness was so great that it swallowed the land and eclipsed the moon. Saix and the cloaked boy backed away from Xion slightly, before Xion ripped herself free of the darkness and lunged towards the pair.
With an unholy roar she slammed her now dark infused keyblade into Saix's claymore, cleaving through the weapon and splitting it in two. She then slammed her right arm, which was also consumed by darkness, into Saix's stomach and set him rocketing back with an explosion of dark energy. She then lifted that same arm into the sky and fired a dozen dark blasts, all of which rocketed towards Saix as they locked onto him.
Yet Saix was saved from the same fate as the other Organization members that Xion had fought when the cloaked being intercepted the dark attacks, slicing through them with Oblivion. The cloaked being then turned towards Xion, who seethed with anger and glared at the cloaked being with black eyes. She kicked off the ground and appeared before the cloaked being in an instant, slashing down at him with the kingdom key. This time it was the cloaked being that constructed a barrier around itself to deflect Xion's strike and the barrier shattered to hurl dozens of barrier shards her way.
Xion dove down into the darkness to avoid being hit, slithering past the cloaked being and appearing before Saix. Saix's eyes went wide as he found himself face to face with Dark Xion, who snarled at him before she swung her dark arm around and slammed it into the back of the cloaked boys head, sending him flying across the ground.
"You still think I'm a failure of a being? That I'm nothing more than a cheap imitation?" Xion asked Saix, before she channeled all of her dark power into her left hand and cocked it back. "Well this cheap imitation is doing being a puppet! Is done being a fake! I am going to be my own person!"
Xion let out a roar as she swung her fist towards Saix, planning on punching clean through his body. Then a metal fist slammed itself into the side of her head and the next thing Xion new she was upside down in the air. A metal leg then rammed itself into her back, getting her to scream with pain as she heard bones break. Three more strikes knocked nearly all of the sense out of her, before a final fist to the face sent her crashing down into the dirt.
Xion weakly coughed in pain as the dark form around her faded, leaving her a broken wreck that could barely move. She shakily lifted her head up to see the Maestro standing over her, glaring down at her with an emotionless expression. Xion gritted her teeth as she started to lift her blade, but before she could the Maestro stomped his foot down onto her hand. She screamed with pain once more, releasing the keyblade and clutching at her hand.
"Done with being a fake? That is what you believe you are capable of doing?" the Maestro asked Xion, who glared up at him. The Maestro then reached down and picked up the Kingdom Key, glancing it over before turning his gaze back down to Xion. "Everything about you is fake, girl. That body. Those memories. And especially...this key!"
The Maestro then grasped the keyblade with both of his hands, flooding his shattered power into it. Cracks formed along the blade and handle of the weapon as the power overwhelmed it, before in a flash of light the keyblade shattered into thousands of pieces. No emotion could be found in Xion's eyes as she watched the pieces of her weapon fall to the ground in front of her, before the keychain with a silver mouse head landed in front of her. She slowly reached out for it, only for the Maestro to slam his boot onto it and destroy the keychain.
"How is this so hard for you to understand? Every about you has and always will be fake. False. A copy," Maestro told Xion, who stared up at Maestro with a broken look in her eyes. "Remember that you were never chosen by the keyblade. You were given a fake one to mirror the one that the true wielder has. It was as fake as you."
A roar of rage then exploded from Xion's lips and she pointed her hands at the Maestro, fire crackling along them as she prepared to unload every last ounce of magic she had into his face. "Fake as me?! I may be a fake, but at least I won't be the one who's fried to a-"
Xion's words died in her throat as the tip and teeth of a black blade erupted from her chest. A small gurgle escaped Xion's lips as she slowly looked down to see the upper half of Oblivion sticking out of her body. Xion then slowly looked over her shoulder to see that the cloaked being was standing behind her, having driven Oblivion clean through Xion's body. Xion then turned her head to look back at the Maestro, before a small light began to glow in her chest.
A moment later a small heart within an orb of light emerged from her chest and slowly started to ascend into the sky. Xion and the Maestro watched it ascend until darkness began to circle around it, swallowing the heart whole and dragging it into the darkness. Xion's body then began to fall apart, with cracks forming along her limbs and parts of her beginning to deteriorate.
"So you did create a heart for yourself after all. Who would have guessed Expected? Known?" the Maestro asked Xion, who gave him an emotionless stare in reply. Maestro then shook his head before he lifted his hand and fired a beam of shattered magic that consumed Xion. The rest of her body burned away until there was nothing left but the Oblivion keyblade and Xion cloak. The keybalde vanished and returned to the grasp of the cloaked boy while the cloak vanished into darkness a moment later. "And that is the end of that."
"You told me that I would be the one to kill her," Saix said in a weak and angry voice as he picked himself up off the ground.
"Your fight with her made it clear you were incapable of finishing her off," Maestro snapped back before he turned his head towards where the ponies had been, only to find that all of them had vanished. "Twilight. No matter. The time is almost at hand to change the fate of this world. To see what happens when darkness consumes it. And then your Organization will have its armies of Heartless and Nobodies...and I will finally get to see what the Ambassadors Heartless shall look like. I am quite excited." |
The Girl That Never Was | Forged | 'So, I guess I'm back here?' Xion thought as all she felt around her was darkness, a darkness that was very familiar to her as well as comforting. The last time she had been wrapped in this darkness was after she had been slain by Roxas, a memory she didn't enjoy. 'Though to be fair, last time I was here I wasn't aware of anything. What makes this time different?'
Her thoughts then drifted back to the battle against the Maestro and Saix, with the memories fading in and out as she found it harder and harder to recall them. Yet even as she felt her grasp on her memories starting to slowly fade from her grasp once more, there was one part of that battle that she could see clear as day. It was the image of a pink heart floating out of her body, a heart that she wasn't even aware that she had.
'Heh, so all this time I did have a heart. Makes sense, I guess. How else would I feel all those emotions without one?' she asked herself with a small smile, before an unpleasant though crossed her face. 'Oh great, that means if I did have a heart that means Sombra was right. Ugh, good thing he can't rub it in my face.'
Xion then allowed her mind to wander for a bit, thinking back to her journey through Equestria and how it had been one of the more enjoyable things should could remember doing. She also realized had it not been or the Maestro or the other members of her Organization popping up with her, it would have been quite the pleasant journey.
'The Organization. Maestro. They're still out there, hurting the ponies,' Xion remembered and for a brief moment an old fire burned within Xion, a fire telling her that it was not time for her to fade away. But then a blanket of darkness smothered the flames and Xion felt her consciousness begin to seep into the darkness once more. 'I'm just so tired. Tired of being used. Tired of being seen as nothing more than a puppet, a tool for everyone else. I want rest. And here, I finally can. Here in this darkness.'
And it was then that a single thought raced across Xion's mind, a thought so strong and powerful that it ripped her from her dark comfort and made her realize that she couldn't fade just yet. 'Roxas is still under Saix's control,' she realized, the flames within her erupting into a wildfire at the thought. 'And he's making Roxas do all sorts of terrible things! I can't let Saix have his way! I can't let the Maestro have his way! I need to get out of here and save him!'
As she thought this a single ray of light broke through the darkness and shined down from the heavens, giving Xion a destination. She began to struggle towards the like, but moving her body felt like she was pulling against the weight of all the worlds. Yet with her fear for Roxas fueling what she knew to be her heart, she sluggishly pulled herself towards the beam of light. It may have taken an eternity reaching the light or it may have taken seconds, Xion would never know. All she knew that was eventually the beam of light was within her grasp and she reached out towards it with all of her might, just barely able to get her fingers to brush against the beam.
And then her world was filled with light.
=========
No. XIV
=========
Xion could hear voices talking around her. She could feel the presence of familiar beings in the room with her. She could feel that she was laying against something cool and hard, yet she couldn't' identify it. Yet what she noticed the most above every other sense was that she could feel the steady beat of her heart, something that she had never felt in her entire life.
She had enough strength to open her eyes and discover what had become of her, yet she chose to keep her eyes closed and simply enjoy the sensation of feeling her heart beat for the first time. It was an odd sensation, but it also made her happy. Then Xion began to wonder how she was able to feel her heart beating or feel anything at all, as the last thing she remembered she had been impaled on the end of Oblivion and her heart had been consumed by darkness.
Figuring that she had waited long enough, Xion opened her eyes to find herself laying on her back and staring up at a ceiling. The ceiling was made of crystal, yet there was also a massive tree trunk with the roots still attached hanging over her head. She then moved her head around slightly to look at the rest of the room, finding that she was not alone.
She was laying on a large, crystal table that had seven crystal chairs around it, each with a symbol she knew well. Those same symbols were on the flanks of six ponies that were also in the room, along with two other alicorns that Xion didn't recognize. Yet when she saw the sun mark on one and the lunar mark on the other, she pieced together who they were.
'Celestia and Luna, huh? Amazed that I don't hear Sombra cursing their names,' Xion thought to herself. Figuring that she had put off asking what happened long enough, the girl pushed herself up to a sitting position. Her clothes were the same as they were before, except with a few extra touches added onto them. Pinkie heard the movement and looked over to see Xion sitting up, getting a cry out of her before she and the other ponies raced over to the side of the table.
"Xion! You're awake!" Pinkie exclaimed happily as she tried to get up onto the table to give Xion a hug, but Twilight held her back.
"Give her some breathing room, she's probably disoriented," Twilight told the others. They did as she asked, but all of the ponies wore huge smiles of relief on their faces, save for Celestia and Luna who were looking upon Xion with interest. "Hi, Xion. I guess this is our first official meeting. I'm Twilight, the princess of Friendship."
"Yeah, I know who you are. What I don't know is what I'm doing here," Xion asked as she looked down at her hands, confusion written on her face.
"Give yourself a few moments to compose yourself. You were all but dead before we managed to reform your body," Celestia said, her regal and powerful tone informing Xion of why Sombra despised her so much. She could just feel the air of royalty and light radiating off of her. Xion didn't like it.
"All I remember is being impaled and then been disintegrated...and then nothing else," Xion said with some confusion, looking to the six ponies she somewhat knew for answer. "What happened to me? And how did you manage to fix what happened to me?"
"How did we manage to do it? Xion, we did it with the same materials that you've gathered," Twilight told Xion, who gave Twilight a confused look. "A few days ago, my friends and I were discussing how we were going to defeat the metal being and the cloaked being with the blue hair, the same ones you told me to run from, when all of a sudden your black cloak appeared here, along with three items. The Heaven's Tears, the Dragons Fire and the Golems Core."
"Those are three legendary items, which, when brought together under the eclipse of the sun, can create a body of any shape or size for any being," Luna added in with a smile. "And as my sister and I can control the sun and moon, creating such an eclipse was a small effort for us. But it was Twilight and her friends that were responsible for creating your new body. The six of them spent days working together to form your body."
"Yes, but interestingly enough, your features constantly shifted. At one point you had red hair then at another point you looked like a mannequin. It was...bizarre to say the least," Celestia informed Xion, who wasn't surprised in the least. "But then a darkness fell over you, cloaking your body from our view. When it faded we found that your features had settled on the ones you have right now."
Xion glanced down at the crystal table she was laying on to see her black hair and her blue eyes, the face she remember seeing whenever she used to look in the mirror. She then placed a hand over her heart, amazed to feel the beating of the organ that she had never had before.
"This is real," she whispered to herself, a small laugh escaping her lips as she looked at her body. She then rose off the table and landed feet first on the floor, staggering slightly before she steadied herself. "This is incredible! I feel amazing, like I can do anything! Hell, I feel...alive."
Xion let out a laugh as she twirled around, getting used to the feeling of her new body. The six Ambassadors danced around with her as well, each of them laughing along with the girl and occasionally holding her up when she lost her balance and started to fall.
"I can't believe that you guys would do this for me. A creature of the darkness," Xion said to them with disbelief in her voice.
"You may be a creature of the darkness, but you still helped us out. I'd like to think of you as a friend," Fluttershy said with a smile to Xion, who smiled in reply.
"So this is what you really look like, isn't it?" Rainbow asked, getting Xion to turn her head towards the rainbow mare. "Because all of us saw something different when we first met you, but after we forged your body we all saw the same face and hair. So this is who Xion really is?"
"Yeah...yeah, I think this is really me," Xion said happily. "This is what I would be if I had a real body and heart."
Then the full weight of what the princesses had said sank in, making her realize that there was something she was missing. Her hands snapped to her pockets, yet there was no horn within. "Twilight, where did you guys say that you got those three items?"
"We found them in your cloak, along with a scroll on how to properly use them," Twilight said. Her words pierced Xion's heart and pain flooded through Xion's heart.
'Sombra,' she thought to herself. She reached with her pockets in a desperate hope that her friend would be there, yet when she pulled her hands out all she had was the six keychains that she had gathered.
"Oh, I wondered where that had gone to," Twilight said when she saw the purple start keychain. "I had found it nearly Mareami and picked it up. Yet I couldn't find it when I arrived back here. Thought I'd lost it. How'd you get ahold of it?"
"You gave it to me when I went inside of your heart," Xion answered, getting Twilight to give Xion a baffled stare.
"You may not believe Twilight, but what she says happened."
All sets of eyes in the room turned towards the door, where Spike had entered from. "I was there and watched the whole thing happen. When you were all zonked out, Xion went inside of your being and found a way to wake you up. Of course, I wasn't able to ask her how she did it because we were then attacked by the two guys wearing the same cloak she wore and the metal guy. Want to fill us in on them? Heck, how about you tell us all about yourself as well?"
"Yeah, you and I fought another one of those cloaked beings together. Baldin? I think that was his name," Rainbow reminded Xion. "Not to mention there's all of those Heartless and silver creatures that have been popping up around here. What are all of those things?"
Xion felt all sets of eyes rest upon her. Under the pressure she sat down upon the table, looking to each of them before she finally worked up the courage to speak. "I'll keep this as simple as I can. There are Heartless and there are Nobodies. The Heartless are the black creatures that try to steal the hearts of others. The Nobodies are the shells left behind when a heart is stolen. Don't ask me how all of this works, it just does."
"Yeah, we've seen the Heartless taking hearts first hoof," Twilight admitted in a pained voice.
"The cloaked beings you saw are the most powerful forms of Nobodies. Those that have retained their skills, minds and powers from when they were alive. A Nobody technically isn't alive, as it doesn't have a heart. It just...exists," Xion continued on. "The most powerful formed an Organization and ruled over the lesser Nobodies, using them for their dirty work. And I can promise you that what the Organization planned to do was nothing short of evil."
"Yet you didn't agree with them and so you left?" Rarity asked, getting Xion to stare at the pony with a shocked expression. "Darling, when a being appears before me wearing the same cloak as my enemy, yet is fighting that same enemy to the bitter end, it is clear that they used to work together, but there was a falling out. So did I guess the truth?"
"You're not that far off. But I didn't leave. I was...killed," Xion revealed, getting horrified gasps from the ponies. "But I guess it's more accurate to say that I never lived at all. I was originally a puppet created to mirror the powers of another, somebody who wielded an extraordinary weapon that could not only slay the Heartless, but keep them slain."
"Your key sword," Applejack said, getting Xion to nod. "So that weapon can really keep a Heartless down fer good?"
"Yes, as well as free the heart that's trapped within," Xion said. "They tied to turn me into their puppet, someone that they could use as they pleased. I fought back. They didn't like that. So eventually I was left with a choice. Kill my best friend, who was also a keyblade wielder, and take his power...or fall to him and hope that he could bring down the Organization. He survived...at the cost of my non-existence."
"Xion..." Pinkie said with sad eyes, but Celestia stepped forward before the Ambassadors could comfort Xion.
"So if you were slain, how did you end up here?" Celestia asked. "How did a dead being end up in our land, just before the Heartless and the Nobodies?"
"You think that I brought them here?" Xion asked Celestia, who nodded in reply. "Well, you're not entirely wrong. Because the same being that brought me back from the dead also brought the Heartless and the Nobodies. The Maestro."
When she said his name a cold chill fell over the ponies, as if Xion had just said an unspeakable name. "I don't know much about him. All I know is that he brought me here and he wants your six hearts. That's why he brought me back, so that I could free your hearts and unleash what lays within you."
"But once again you refused," Rainbow said.
"I did. And so he made it his mission to kill me. Which he did," Xion said somberly. "Seems I've been dying a lot in my life."
"And that's why there was the other being with the second keyblade. That's who he brought here to do what he wanted you to do," Twilight realized, putting some of the pieces together. "He was the being with the metal limbs, wasn't he?"
"Yep."
"So he's the one behind all of the pain and suffering in our land...as well as the pain you've had to go through," Fluttershy said in a tone none of her friends had heard her use in a long time. "How could anybody do what he has done?"
"While he may have brought the Heartless here, I'm fairly certain the Maestro is nothing but absolute evil," Xion said. "He won't rest until he has taken the hearts of every being in this world and then the very heart that makes up this world."
"But his plan won't work! Not now that we've got you on our side," Luna said, getting Xion to turn her head towards the princess. "You said that the Heartless can only be permanently defeated with a keyblade. Well now that you are on our side, you can use your keyblade to strike them down. We will assist you and help you in fighting back against them. While the Maestro and this Organization may be powerful, we have an entire nation to fight with. They cannot win!"
"They already have."
All eyes turned to Xion, who sat with her shoulders hung and her head lowered. She then raised her hand and summoned her keyblade to her, but instead of appearing in a flash of brilliant light, it appeared with the sound of glass shattering. Instead of a weapon with a silver blade and a golden guard, the keyblade that Xion held was missing the blade completely and the guard was shattered and missing pieces of it. The light that had shined from it was gone and the keychain was shattered beyond repair. For a brief moment the ponies looked upon the weapon, before another shattering sound could be heard and what was left of the blade fell apart in Xion's hand.
"The Maestro destroyed my keyblade. Not that it was ever a true keyblade, it was a replica...just like me," Xion revealed as she stared down at the remains of her weapon which glistened on the floor. "He's taken my weapon from me. He's taken my friend from me. I can't do anything against Saix and the other one, let alone the Maestro. I'm sorry, but I'll be no help against them."
Xion then rose to her feet and walked past the ponies, placing her hands on the doors to the room and pushing them open. She then glanced back at the ponies with a bitter smile on her face. "But I am in your debt for fixing my body and giving me another chance at life. I just wish that I could be of more use to you. I'm sorry."
"Xion, where are you going?" Pinkie asked.
"I have somebody I need to go look for," Xion replied before she walked through the doors. "Maybe they will have the answers." |
The Girl That Never Was | Friendship | In hindsight, Xion realized that running through the streets of Ponyville calling out for Sombra was a bad idea. The moment she had started to call out the dark king's name the ponies in the streets began to panic, running around while screaming about his return and how they were all doomed. Xion had tried to calm them down, but her efforts were for naught. Eventually she gave up and left the ponies to their panic, choosing to search for her friend instead.
She checked all of the places that she was certain Sombra would have hung out around. She checked back alleys, locations filled with some amount of dark powers and any place that no self respecting person or pony would be caught at. Yet none of those locations revealed the dark pony she was looking for and Xion only became aware of how long she had searched when she looked up at the sky to see that the sun was setting on the horizon.
She decided to take a rest on a small bridge that had been built over a river, leaning her arms against the side of the bridge and looking down at her reflection in the water. 'Sombra, where are you? Don't tell me that what they said about you is true and that you abandoned me when I fought the Maestro,' Xion thought to herself, before looking down at her newly formed body. 'No, that can't be right. If you were truly just in it for yourself you wouldn't have given the ponies the materials needed to make a body along with the instructions. You're up to something. I just wish you would let me in on it.'
"You cannot find Sombra, can you?"
Xion looked over her shoulder to see the princess of the night walking over beside her on the bridge. Luna flashed Xion and unsure smile, but Xion gave the princess a less than friendly gaze in reply before Xion went back to looking down at the water. Luna walked up beside Xion and rested her own forearms on the edge of the bridge, staring up at the darkening sky.
"Well, I'm not surprised. Sombra has a nasty habit of vanishing before anypony can get any answers out of him. Back when we originally fought him, it took us three weeks just to track him down. And honestly it looks like this time it will take even longer," Luna said to Xion, who narrowed her eyes. "You shouldn't take it so personally. He's done this to many others plenty of times."
"He hasn't abandoned me. I know him too well. He's up to something," Xion replied in a cold voice, one that made Luna sigh and shake her head.
"It shows what kind of character you are that you wish to see the best in him, but you must face the truth. Sombra is evil. He always has been and always will be. He puts himself before everypony else," Luna repeated. "And the sooner that you accept this, the sooner you can-"
An explosion of darkness erupted next to Luna, who leapt back away from the girl with wide eyes. Xions body was swarmed with darkness, which wrapped around her like a dark aura. Her left arm held the most dark power and it looked like something out of a nightmare. Her eyes glowed with a dark power and despite having fought many dark beings in her time, Luna could tell that Xion was far beyond any of them.
"I am not saying this to infuriate you. I am just telling you what I know about Sombra based on my experiences with him," Luna replied calmly. "But I can now see why Sombra took such an interest in you. You truly are one of the most powerful creatures of darkness I've ever seen."
Xion smirked at Luna's words as the darkness around her died down. Then a blinding flash of light erupted from her body that blinded Luna. When the pony could see again, she was stunned to see the change that Xion had gone through. A radiant light surrounded her body and all of her clothes had gone from black to white. Her eyes held a pure light in them and a blade of light flickered in her hand.
"You...can use the light as well?" Luna asked in a near whisper, getting Xion's smirk to widen. "Now I know why for certain Sombra was so interested in you. You truly are full of surprise, aren't you? I'm just glad that you use all of that power to fight with us."
"If I'm going to be honest, I was ready to fight you and your sister when I finally met the both of you," Xion revealed. Luna tilted her head in response. "See, Sombra told me that the two of you weren't exactly fond of dark beings and how you wanted to whole world to be filled with light. So that would mean when you met a being with as much darkness as me you would do everything your power to bring me down."
"Heh, leave it to Sombra to say that. Of course he would tell you that, because he probably wanted you to get rid of my sister and I," Luna said with a chuckle. "I wouldn't be surprised if meeting you accelerated whatever harebrained plan he had for us. Glad to see that whatever it was it didn't work you."
"You're still wrong about him," Xion told Luna, who raised an eyebrow. "Sombra did care about me. And I know this, because we were gathering those items to restore his body, not mine. He was holding onto them, not me. Yet somehow they ended up with me instead of with him."
"Perhaps-"
"And then there's something else that's been bothering me. My heart was swallowed by darkness when I fought with Saix and the Maestro, yet it ended up with my cloak and the three items. How could that happen?" Xion asked Luna. Luna didn't have an answer. "And then it hit me. Aside from the Heartless, who's the only other being in this land with a darkness like that? Sombra. He grabbed my heart and brought it to the one place it would be safe until I was repaired. He brought it to all of you."
Luna stood in silence for some time after that, while Xion went back to looking at her reflection in the water. "Perhaps you are right, Xion. Maybe Sombra has changed. Or maybe he's playing the long game, waiting until the proper moment to unleash his plan. Since he is not here to ask, I guess neither of us know the right answer," Luna said as she turned to leave. "But I will say this. Light or dark, you have been an invaluable ally in the fight with the Heartless and the Nobodies. And when the day comes that you fight Maestro and Saix again, know that we will be there to help you."
"Thanks. I actually do feel a little better now," Xion replied with a small smile. Luna nodded before she ascended into the night sky, leaving Xion alone once more. Xion then reached into her pockets and pulled out the six keychains, dangling them from her fingers and moving them in the moonlight. "I guess none of you will do me any good now. Now that my keyblade's been broken."
That was the wound that hurt Xion worse than anything else she had been forced to endure since arriving in Equestria. The battles had been painful and being destroyed had hurt like crazy, but the loss of her weapon, something that she had had with her since should could remember, was the biggest blow.
She remembered how happy she had been when she first summoned her keyblade, as it was followed by her feeling for the first time in her existence that she was worth something. That she could do something for others. She then recalled the time when she and Roxas had to share a keyblade because she had lost the ability to summon hers and how silly Roxas had looked taking on the giant Heartless with nothing more than a stick. That memory got a giggle out of her.
But what she remembered the most fondly was how she had used her weapon to save so many innocent from the Heartless, both back when she was apart of the Organization and even when she had gotten to Equestria. And now she had lost that weapon, a weapon that had brought her so much pain and joy. Xion gazed down at her hand and tried to summon her blade, only for a few crackles of light to appear in her hand before they fizzled out.
"I guess it really was just a fake," Xion whispered to herself before gazing at the keychain she had gotten from Twilight's spirit. "It's sad. I never got the chance to see what kind of keyblade you would have made for me. Maybe I should just return you guys to Twilight and the others. You might do them some good."
"Sorry, but I don't want it." Xion turned her head to see Twilight was heading towards her. "I don't actually own any keys, so I don't know what good it would do me to have a keychain. Especially considering they seem to be way more useful for you than for me."
"They're not that useful to me anymore," Xion revealed as Twilight walked up beside her. "Not since the Maestro destroyed my keyblade. Without a weapon to attach these to, they're of no use to me. Just trinkets of my travels across the lands, I guess."
"Well there you go, that's one use for them," Twilight said with a smile, one that Xion didn't return. For a long time the two stood in silence, with Xion glancing over the six keychains while Twilight watched. "Thank you," Twilight eventually said at last, breaking the silence and getting Xion to look over at her.
"For what?"
"For all that you've done. Saving me. Saving Spike. Helping out all of my friends and the ponies of this nation. Just to name a few," Twilight answered. "Not to mention that you've been helping us despite our...less than nice ideas about you. I've read the papers, about how everypony seems to think that you're the cause for everything that's been going on."
"I already told you-"
"That's on the Maestro. If he hadn't brought you, he would have brought somepony else. Maybe somepony that's not as nice or wouldn't care if the world was lost to darkness," Twilight cut off Xion, before a look of fear crossed Twilight's face. "But if I'm going to be perfectly honest...you're braver than I ever could be."
"What do you mean?"
"When I awoke from...whatever that guy in the black cloak did to me, I saw you preparing to face the Maestro and...Saix? I watched you prepare to fight them, but I also sensed their power. Especially the Maestro's. And...it's beyond anything I could ever fathom. It's beyond any magic that I ever could have believed existed. And it terrified me," Twilight revealed in a whisper, shivering slightly. "How can you go up against somepony like that and not be afraid?"
"Easily. I've been fighting beings like that all my life," Xion replied. "Beings that only want to use others to further their own goals. Beings who step on the lives of others so that they can get to where they want to be. And those are the kind of people I can't stand."
"Wow, that's really brave of you."
"Of course, I still had my keyblade with me when I fought against him. But without it, I don't feel like I could do anything against him," Xion revealed as she looked down at her hand once more. "Even against the strongest of foes, knowing that I had been chosen by the keyblade gave me the strength to overcome. But now, with both the knowledge that I wasn't chosen and the fact that my key is gone, I don't know what I can do against them. I'm sorry, Twilight, but I don't think I can protect you guys from the darkness any longer."
Twilight looked at Xion for a moment, able to tell that she had gone through a great deal of pain and suffering her in life, despite looking so young. Twilight then glance down at the keychains that apparently she and the other Ambassadors had give Xion. Keychains that they had given her to make her stronger. Make it so Xion would have an easier time fighting their battles. Protecting them, even though she had no reason to. And it was then Twilight made up her mind.
"Then you won't need to," Twilight told Xion. Xion turned her head towards Twilight with a look of surprise on her face. "You've done more than enough. You've not only helped fight the Heartless, but you've given me a few ideas on how to beat them for good. The fact that you've been fighting the Maestro and this Organization for so long by yourself shows me that my friends and I haven't been doing enough. But now that we're all together, we're at our full power."
"And what does that mean?"
"It means that you no longer have to fight, Xion," Twilight said with confidence as she spoke. "The next time a Heartless swarm attacks or one of the Organization shows up at our doorstep, my friends and I will deal with it. Because while you've only seen us by ourselves, you have yet to see us together. And when we're together is when we can tap into a magic far greater than any you've ever seen."
"Are you sure about that? I've seen some pretty impressive magic in my life. Ever hear of the Genie?" Xion asked Twilight.
"I'm sure that if we work together we can defeat all of them and then eventually the Maestro," Twilight continued on. Xion thought about it for a moment, before she shook her head and smiled gratefully at Twilight.
"I appreciate the offer, but I can't risk letting any of you guys getting hurt for my sake. I'll fight against the Maestro and whatever else he throws at me and I'll find a way to beat him...somehow," Xion replied, but there was no confidence in her voice. Twilight picked up on that and gave Xion an understanding smile.
"Xion...you don't want us there because you don't want us getting hurt. I understand that and I think that's noble of you," Twilight said before she gave Xion a knowing look. "But I also think that you don't want us there because you are afraid that we'll be killed along with you, fighting a battle that we shouldn't be apart of. In fact, I think you have issues fighting with others."
"It's not that, it's just...I used to be apart of a group back in the Organization, alright. We were good friends who enjoyed hanging out with each other. Yet because of me and what I was, our friendship was torn apart," Xion revealed as she hung her head. "And now I've seen you guys and how close you all are...and I'm afraid that if I get involved with you I'm going to end up being responsible for tearing this friendship apart as well. And I don't know if I can handle going through that again."
Twilight walked over to Xion and placed a hoof on her shoulder. "Again Xion, that's a noble reason, wanting to keep all of us safe. But even if you keep us physically safe, it would still break our hearts if you were killed fighting the Maestro by yourself because we weren't there to help our friend."
"Your friend? You guess think I'm your friend?" Xion asked with disbelief, shaking her head when Twilight nodded. "Twilight, you don't want me as a friend. All I do is bring pain and misery to anyone that's unfortunate to be friends with me. Just ask the previous two people I was friends with."
"I'm sure you do more than bring pain and misery to others, but how are we supposed to learn what else if you won't give us the chance to?" Twilight asked Xion, who didn't answer. "Besides, according to Pinkie you're already our super bestest friend in the whole world, and since Pinkie is the expert on friends, I guess that already makes you our friend."
"Why are you trying so hard to help me?" Xion asked Twilight, unable to figure out the pony's desire for helping somebody she barely knew. "You don't know much about me and until earlier today most of thought I was some sort of monster of the darkness, which nopony in your land liked. Why try so hard for me?"
"Because you tried so hard to help us, even when we all saw you as a monster," Twilight replied in a no-nonsense voice. "You risked so much for us and fought all of these creatures by yourself so that none of us would be hurt. You risked everything to save those who I'm fairly certain wouldn't do the same for you. So yes Xion, I may not know much about what you like to eat or what your favorite songs are, like friends actually would. But I do know what's in your heart and that kind of person is somepony I would want as my friend. I've already seen who you are. It's just the smaller details my friends and I would like to learn more about. And we can't do that if you're gone."
"So keep the keychain," Twilight finished up, looking down at the violet star on the end of a chain. "And don't just think of it as a trinket that you can't use. Think of it, think of all of them, as signs of our trust and friendship. And know that you aren't alone here, that you've got six of the most powerful ponies in the land willing to watch your back and fight your battles. Think of them as gifts from your friends."
Twilight then gave Xion another pat on the shoulder before she turned and walked off, leaving Xion alone with her thoughts. She gazed down at the keychains once more, noticing that the one Twilight had given her was glowing brighter than it had before. Xion wasn't sure if it was because of the light of the moon or some other reason, but she then placed the keychains in her pockets and went back to her solitude.
'Friends, huh?' Xion thought to herself, a bitter smirk crossing her face. |
The Girl That Never Was | Keyhole | All of the ponies had offered to take Xion on a tour of their town, but after losing her keyblade and then her life, even though it was a short time, Xion decided that she could do with some alone time. It had been a long time since she had been truly alone, so the silence that accompanied her as she walked around the town early in the morning, devoid of any life aside from the birds in the air.
'This is a nice place. Perfectly peaceful. Devoid completely of darkness. I'm amazed that a place like this can exist, especially with the Heartless around,' Xion thought. She had her hands in her pockets and a thin smile on her face, tasting the clean air and enjoying the rays of the rising sun. But despite her pleasant mood, there was a dark thought in the back of Xion's mind. One that she had been trying to avoid since the previous night.
'It was nice of Twilight to let me stay at her castle. Actually had a peaceful nights sleep for the first time in forever,' Xion thought, stretching out her limbs. 'But that doesn't make these thoughts any harder to think about. Maestro, Saix and Roxas are still out there, planning something. I don't know what they could be planning, but I know it can't be good. It never is with Maestro or Saix.'
'But what can I do?' Xion asked herself as she came to the town square, where a large statue of a pony she didn't know dominated the center of it. She lifted her hand and gazed down at it, watching as light magic coursed through her fingers. 'I still have access to my magic, which is something. But I can't beat Saix with just magic. I definitely can't beat Roxas. Maestro would be suicide.'
The sounds of ponies starting to awaken reached Xion's ears and she quickly moved to the shadows where she couldn't be seen. She watched as the doors to the houses all around her began to open and the ponies that lived their began their days. Yet her heart filled with sadness when she saw the parents of foals walking out with their children, glancing at every shadow with fear filled eyes.
'That's right. The Heartless may not have attacked this town, but they affect they have had on this land is still present. Even if they never show up here, the ponies will always fear the shadows,' Xion realized. Her thoughts were confirmed when a pony glanced into the darkness and saw her, his eyes filling with terror before he raced away from her. 'If they were scared of beings like me before, then they'll be terrified of us now.'
She left her hiding place in the darkness and continued to move through the town, doing her best to stay out of sight. The previous night Twilight had told her that she would tell the ponies of the town about Xion the following day, but Xion had left the castle before Twilight had risen. She didn't feel like staying in such a large castle. it brought back memories.
An empty field on the outskirts of the town fitted her needs perfectly and the girl sat down amongst the flowers, sighing before she closed her eyes and enjoyed the cool breeze that blew over her. Her eyes cracked open and she looked down at her hands once more.
'I once told Riku that I wasn't just a fake, that I was real. And at the time, I thought I was. I thought my keyblade was too. But both of us were fakes, fakes created to do their jobs. And I never realized how true that was until now,' Xion thought as she extended her hand, willing her keyblade back to her once more. But while before she had at least been able to summon bits and pieces of her weapon, this time there wasn't so much as a flicker of light. A sigh escaped Xion's lips and she crossed her arms, turning her gaze towards the flowers.
"I'm not a fake. Not anymore. Thanks to Twilight and her friends...along with Sombra, I finally have my own real body. My own heart and emotions which are all mine. Heh, I got what everyone else in the Organization wanted so badly. All I had to do was be blasted apart by the Maestro. Guess that's one good thing to come out of this mess."
She then looked down at her hand once more and a frown crossed her face. "Chosen wielder of the keyblade. Only one that the keyblade has chosen can wield it. But I was never chosen by the keyblade. Roxas and Sora were. The only reason I could use it was because I was a copy of them. But now that I'm not a copy, now that I'm my own person, a true keyblade won't come to me. Only the remains of this fake one...the remains of the fake me."
"Guess it makes sense. A keyblade wielder needs to have a strong heart and needs to have held a true keyblade before. Fairly certain I don't have either of those," Xion said with another sigh, resting her head on her arms. She heard the sound of voices and glanced over to her side to see three fillies running off towards heaven knew where. She recognized the three of them from the fair, but they didn't see her sitting by herself.
What did slightly improve Xion's mood was that Applebloom had a small dog with her, one that had brown fur with white patches on its face, tail, chest and paws. The dog was barking excitedly and raced around the fillies with a speed that made the three fall off balance. They got up laughing and took off to wherever it was they were going, but the dog stopped in its tracks and tilted its ears around.
Against her better judgment Xion pursed her lips together and let out a small whistle, one that wouldn't have been heard by any but the dog. The dog spun its head to look to where the whistle had come from and immediately its eyes rested on Xion. It cocked its head to the side with curiosity before it came walking over to Xion, who giggled at the curious face of the dog.
Xion held out a hand for the dog to sniff and she did so, inching closer and closer to Xion with a hesitant approach. The dog sniffed her hand and instantly perked up, letting out few happy barks before she moved closer to Xion. Xion let out another giggle as the dog sat down next to her, looking up at Xion with expectant eyes.
"Aw how nice, you want to keep me company," Xion said happily. She had only taken care of one other dog before, and that was when she worked with the Organization, but she found that she couldn't help but love the adorable animals. She scratched the brown dog under her ears and instantly a dreamy expression crossed the dog's face. "Nice to see that some things are the same no matter what world or reality I go to. And you smell like apples! Do you belong to Applebloom?"
The dog let out a bark to show that Xion was correct, before her ears perked up at the sound of another being whistling for her. Xion looked up to see Applebloom looking around for her dog, whistling for her to come over. Xion removed her hand from the top of the dog's head and motioned for her to go to her owner, which the dog did so without a moments hesitation. Xion smiled as the dog tore towards Applebloom, tackling her in the side and licking the filly's face while Applebloom laughed.
"Look at them. Not a care in the world. Must be nice," Xion muttered aloud as Applebloom and her dog took off, vanishing from Xion's sight a moment later. Xion then looked down at her hands once more before she clenched them into fists, coming to a decisions. "It doesn't matter if I have the keyblade or not. I'm going to fight as best I can. I won't sit on the sidelines and let the others fight this battle. This is my fight. I'll be the one to fight it."
"Sounds good. But what will your magic do that ours can't?"
Xion looked behind her to see the princess of the sun walking towards her, a look upon her face that was both questioning what Xion had said and doubting it at the same time. "You told us that the only way to truly keep these Heartless defeated was to strike them down with a keyblade. Yet you seem to be lacking that weapon at the moment. Can your magic do what your keyblade did? Or are we going to have to find another way to defeat this dark threat?"
Xion chose not to answer. "Forgive me if I'm seeming blunt, but we have been fighting the Heartless since they arrived in this land and I have lost many of my subjects to their clutches," Celestia added on, her tone telling Xion that she was not happy about this. "And at the same time I was having to deal with this new crisis, I also hear word that Sombra has a new dark creature with a weapon the likes of which I had never seen before. A creature of the dark far more powerful than any I have fought."
"Well glad that word about me got something right," Xion replied in a cold tone, feeling the emotion disgust for the first time. "You have something to say to me, all knowing princess, then say it now."
"Hmph, I see some of Sombra has worn off on you. What I am saying...no, asking, is can you help us stop the Heartless for good without your keyblade?" Celestia asked in a no-nonsense tone. Xion looked at her hands once more as she thought about it, able to feel a wave of helplessness start to wash over her. But before it could take hold Xion gritted her teeth and shook her head, banishing the emotions from messing with her.
"I am willing and ready to do whatever it takes to bring down the Heartless, the Organization and anyone else who wants to harm this world. Or any other world for that matter," Xion snarled to Celestia. "I may not have the keyblade anymore, but I still know more about Heartless than anyone else in this land. I can help."
Celestia stared down at Xion with cold eyes for a long time, while Xion glared back up at Celestia with unflinching resolve. Then Celestia's eyes softened and a smile crossed her face. "Very good, Xion. I am glad that you feel that way," Celestia said with an approving nod, one that changed Xion's expression from one of determination to confusion. "Twilight and her friends told me what you have done for them and how you could be a valuable ally in the battle with the Heartless. But I was afraid that after losing your keyblade you would have lost the will or courage to fight. And if you had lost either, then I could not bring you to battle them in good conscious. That is why I had to make sure you were willing to continue the fight."
"And I passed your test?"
"You are every bit as courageous and strong as my ponies have said you are. I would be honored to have you fight with us," Celestia said with a small bow to Xion.
"So you're fine with telling me what to do and trusting that I'll actually work with you guys? Because from what I've heard about you, you normally shoot to destroy anything made of darkness the first chance you get," Xion stated, getting a smirk from the princess.
"I can see that you have been hanging around Sombra for far too long. Yes, generally whenever I have come into contact with a dark being I try to either destroy them or imprison them. But that is because up until I met you, every being of darkness that I have faced has been evil and tried to destroy my home. You can forgive me if I met their actions with a less than friendly approach."
"As for whether or not I can trust you...you have been attacked since the moment you've come to this land. You've been shunned by a good number of the ponies and have had no reason to aid us against the Heartless. Yet time and time again you risk your very being trying to protect us from a foe we cannot fight by ourselves. I would say that you have earned my trust, but that would be an understatement. The only doubt I had against you was that you are friends with Sombra, but seeing as he vanished my one doubt is gone."
"So all that is left to do is ask you, Xion. Would you be willing to fight alongside my ponies against the darkness that plagues this land? Will you help us try to find a way to stop this threat?" Celestia asked Xion.
"Of course."
"Excellent. Now I can trust you with this," Celestia began as her horn began to glow. Xion raised an eyebrow at the glowing horn, half expecting to be teleported, but instead of her being teleported a book was teleported right in front of her. Xion reached out and grabbed the book, instantly able to tell that it was ancient simply be feeling the cover. "Turn it to page three hundred and twenty four, please. It's marked for your convenience."
Xion flicked through the book, raising her eyebrows at some of the images that she glance by, before she came to a page that instantly caught her full attention. She couldn't read any of the ancient dialogue, but the image in the center of the page was more than enough to fill her in on what Celestia wanted her to look at. The image was of an ancient tree, one that seemed even older than the book itself, with a single keyhole in the center of it.
"I see you understand what this keyhole is for," Celestia said with a smile when she saw the look on Xion's face. "Yes, that is a book of strange and odd occurrences around the world. That is the locked keyhole. It has been around as long as Equestria itself and, despite hundreds of unicorns, geniuses and locksmiths trying, no pony has ever been able to open it. We figured that it was just going to remain locked all of our lives. Until you came along. You know what this is, don't you?"
"Yeah, at least I think I do. This is the keyhole to the heart of your world," Xion explained, yet just like with Sombra her "explanation" only drew a look of confusion from the princess. "Look, I'll keep it as simple as I can. Worlds, like the beings that live on them, have hearts. Don't question it, they just do. And each world has a keyhole that can be locked. Heartless travel from world to world trying to find these keyholes, as it allows them to get to the heart of each world."
"But a locked keyhole would keep them out for good? How about the Nobodies?" Celestia asked.
"I assume it would keep them out for good as well."
"I see. What happens if the Heartless get to the heart of a world?"
"Then that's it. The world is taken by darkness and destroyed. Very few survive this."
"That's...terrifying. We cannot let that happen," Celestia said.
"No. We can't.
"Last question. Will locking the keyhole get rid of the Heartless?" Celestia asked.
"Sadly, no. But it will remove one of the reasons for them being here. Heartless are drawn to Hearts, keyblade wielders and darkness. There is little darkness here and once we lock the keyhole to this world, they won't have that either. And once I leave..."
"You are planning to leave?" Celestia asked in disbelief, getting Xion to nod slowly. "Ah, I see...that is sad, but I understand why you are doing it. So there will always be Heartless here, huh?"
"Well...maybe not," Xion muttered, getting Celestia to glance at her with confusion. "See, the Heartless didn't come here like they normally did. Normally they take a corridor to get here, but Equestria's light is so bright that the corridor barely works here. I could barely get mine open and that was with Sombra's help. Maestro brought most of them here."
"So if we rid this world of Maestro and the Heartless, then perhaps we can get rid of them once and for all," Celestia muttered, a smile crossing her face. "Thank you Xion, your words have brought comfort to me for the first time in weeks. There is only one last problem. You do not have your keyblade, so how will we seal the keyhole?"
"It is simple. She will not."
Xion and Celestia spun their heads to see a vortex of darkness in the field across from them. Two beings stepped out of the dark corridor and both of them made Celestia and Xion narrow their eyes. One of them was Saix and he had his claymore gripped tight in his hands. The other was the cloaked boy, who stood behind Saix and glared at the both of them from beneath his hood.
"How did you find me, Saix?!" Xion snarled at Saix.
"The Maestro may have believed you to be dead, puppet, but I knew better. I felt that horns dark magic whisk your heart away from our battle. It took me a while, but I finally followed it here. And here you are, still a torn in my side," Saix said in a cold tone to Xion. Before Xion could respond Celestia thrust her horn into the air and fired a blast of light into the sky, one that detonated like a firework. "And pray tell, what was the point of that?"
"It was a call. A call to my friends that there is somepony here who shouldn't be," Celestia replied. A moment later six rays of rainbow slammed into the ground between the Nobodies and Xion, which slowly faded away to reveal Twilight and her friends all in their rainbow forms. "And they are here to remove you from the town limits. Hopefully, by force." |
The Girl That Never Was | The Luna Diviner | "Moon! Shine down!"
Darkness covered the skies above the ponies heads, blotting out the sun while a moon in the shape of a heart formed above them. The moon seemed to drain the light more than it did shine with light, while Saix floated into the air. He absorbed the lunar power into his body, before swinging his claymore out and causing spikes to erupt along its end. His eyes filled with a feral power and a nasty snarl crossed his face. He landed next to the cloaked boy, who drew forth his Oblivion and held it at his side.
"You jerk. Only my sister and I get to control the moon around here!" Celestia roared before she fired a blast of solar magic towards Saix. Yet to her amazement Saix took the beam right in the chest, before he started to walk through the beam towards the princess of the sun. "Okay Xion, an explanation for what the hell just happened would be nice!"
"He's in his berserker form! We won't be able to harm him until he calms down!" Xion informed the others. "Stay out of his range and stay off the ground if you can! Saix has trouble dealing with airborne foes!"
The Ambassadors and the princess nodded, with those of them that could taking to the skies. Twilight used her magic to construct a platform for the others to stand on before creating one for Xion as well, but right as Xion was about to hop on a claymore ripped past her head and shattered the rainbow platform.
"You will not escape me this time!" Saix roared as he came charging towards Xion. He slashed the claymore to his left and right as he ran, creating shockwaves of lunar power across the ground. Xion backflipped into a handstand to avoid being hit, before she rolled to the side as Saix hurled his claymore at her. He summoned the claymore back to him, yet when Xion turned around to grab the copy that was supposed to be behind her, she realized that there was no copy.
"Did you think I would not learn?" Saix asked, getting Xion to face the berserker with narrowed eyes. "Maestro informed me of how Sora was able to beat me in the other realities, by using my own weapon against me. So now I have prevented any chance of you laying hands on my weapon!"
As he said this he hurled himself into the air and came crashing down, striking the Claymore into the earth for all he was worth. The shockwave generated by the impact was far too large for Xion to roll out of the way of, so all she could do was watch with terror filled eyes as the wall of lunar power came crashing towards her.
That was until a rainbow blur wrapped its arms around her arms and yanked her into the sky, getting her over the shockwave before it could crush her. Xion glanced over her shoulder to see a rainbow Pegasus holding her up, smirking down at Xion while Saix howled with fury.
"I seem to be saving you a lot, don't I?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Hey, I'm not complaining," Xion replied before she summoned twin balls of fire into her hands, which she then aimed at Saix. The fireballs came crashing down on him from the sky, forcing him to take shelter behind his claymore. "Alright, we've got him on the ropes! See if you can get behind is weapon and I'll-"
Xion was cut off as a chill went down her spine, a chill that told her to look behind her. She glanced over her shoulder just in time to see the boy in the black cloak appear behind Rainbow Dash, with the Oblivion keyblade held over his head.
"Dash!" Xion roared before she thrust her hands towards the boy, creating a barrier around the two of them. The cloaked boy struck the barrier with his keyblade and shattered it, sending the pony and the girl crashing into the ground. Xion was the first to get back to her feet, just in time to see the cloaked boy land and come racing towards her.
"Hang on Xion, I've got your back," Rainbow told Xion as she rose to her hooves, but at that moment Xion glanced over at Saix to see that his lunar aura had faded from his body and he was breathing heavily.
"No!" Xion roared at Rainbow Dash, stopping her in her tracks. "Saix is out of lunar power right now! This might be the only chance you have to take him down! I'll deal with this guy, you all just focus your efforts on Saix!"
Rainbow Dash didn't look happy with Xion's words, but when she glanced over to see the other Ambassadors battling with Saix she realized Xion was right. Rainbow took off and engaged Saix as well, while Xion stared down the boy in the cloak that was slowly walking towards her.
"Roxas, I know that you're still in there," Xion said in a pleading voice. Once again the name Roxas seemed to stop the boy in his tracks and he tilted his head to the side, as if confused. "I don't know what Saix or Maestro did to you, but I promise you that we'll fight it together. I left your side once. I'm never going to do it again. Please, let me help you."
For a brief moment the cloaked being considered her offer. Then he lunged forward and slashed at Xion diagonally. Xion rolled to the side to avoid being hit and came up with a word of fire on her lips, sending a fireball flying from her hand and towards the being. He twirled to the left and the fireball went over his shoulder, before he thrust the keyblade at Xion's chest. Xion took the strike in the center of her gut and felt pain flash through her body.
"Barrier!" she cried out, trying to get some space between her and the cloaked being as a sphere of magic surrounded her. The cloak being was upon the sphere in a moment, hammering on it with the keyblade. Cracks began to form around the barrier with each strike and Xion knew that it would only be a few more moments until the barrier gave out.
She spent that moment looking over at how the other ponies were doing. Saix was roaring with fury and slashing at the rainbow ponies with reckless abandon, but with their speed and magic the ponies were able to avoid his strikes. And every time Saix would swing and miss, one of the Ambassadors would blast him with a ray of rainbow magic. The same rainbow magic that had nearly slain Xion and, from the way Saix's body smoked after each it, the same magic that would slay him.
The sound of her barrier shattering brought Xion's attention back to the being in front of her and she turned her gaze forward in time to see the Oblivion being thrust at her chest once more, this time with the full intent to kill. And it would have, had its wielder not taken a blast of solar magic to the chest with such force that he was hurled across the field and out of sight from Xion. Xion glanced up to see Celestia landing next to her, a smirk upon her face.
"Well, I'm glad to see that my solar magic still affects some of my foes," Celestia said as she used her magic to help Xion to her feet. Xion flashed Celestia a grateful look before the sky above them somehow seemed to go ever darker. Both Celestia and Xion turned their gaze towards Saix, who was consumed with lunar magic, so much so that his eyes were completely white. With a roar he lifted his claymore aloft, channeling all of the lunar magic into it.
"ALL SHALL BE LOST TO YOU!" he roared with enough power to shake the ground.
Yet that lunar power was then overshadowed by a light that cleared away the dark skies, a light filled with all of the colors of the rainbow. Xion turned her gaze to see Twilight and her friends all floating next to one another, with a rainbow magic wrapped around them the likes of which Xion had never seen. Saix let out a howl of madness as he lunged towards the six with enough power to shatter the earth beneath him, but then the six retaliated by firing a blast of rainbow light that instantly consumed Saix, whose howls were lost within the light.
The light the went crashing into the ground, where it then shot into the sky and returned the day to the sky. The six ponies cancelled the rainbow light and allowed it to vanish, revealing that Saix had managed to survive the attack. His body was smoldering and he could barely stand, yet there was still the look of madness in his eyes.
"One more shot shall put an end to you," Twilight spoke with certainty as she and the other five channeled their magic once more. Saix shakily lifted his weapon to defend himself, but all parties knew it would be useless against the rainbow light. With another explosion of color the rainbow magic came cascading down upon Saix, but before it could strike him the cloak boy landed in front of the magical onslaught.
The cloaked boy slammed the end of his keyblade into the ground and created a barrier around himself, one that he used to block the rainbow magic. The barrier barely lasted for more than a few seconds under such powerful magic, but those few seconds were all that Saix needed to get out of the way of the blast. The moment he was clear, the barrier shattered and the boy was consumed by the rainbow light.
"ROXAS!" Xion cried out in terror as she tried to run to his side, but Celestia grabbed her and held her back. For a moment the rainbow light consumed the spot where he had been standing, only to vanish when the six Ambassadors cut the power. Yet when the light died down, to the horror of all, they found the cloak boy still standing there...without a scratch on him.
"That...isn't possible," Celestia whispered with disbelief. The Ambassadors shared the same loo of utter bafflement that Celestia wore and even the cloaked boy himself glanced down at his hands, seemingly surprised that he had suffered no wounds. Yet an instant later he was on the attack once more, thrusting the keyblade over his head once more.
A ball of darkness and energy appeared over the six, who were suddenly yanked to the ground as if gravity had increased a hundred fold for them. There they were pinned, leaving them completely open to attack. The boy then lifted his keyblade once more, before he leapt into the air and drove his keyblade into the ground in the center of the circle that the pinned Ambassadors made. A keyhole appeared where he drove in his blade and all around the six formed a circle of light and power.
The keyblade wielder then turned his keyblade to the left, causing the circle to erupt with a light the likes of which Equestria had never seen. The Ambassadors were consumed by the light and sent hurtling away from each other, where they all crashed to the ground and their rainbow light went out.
"W-what just happened?" Twilight asked as she shakily got to her hooves, the only one of the six able to stand. "What was that light? It...it was stronger than our Rainbow Power!"
The cloaked boy noticed that Twilight was the first to her hooves, so he turned towards her and slowly began to approach the pony. Twilight shot a blast of magic out of her horn in desperation, only for it to be swatted to the side by the keyblade. Celestia let out a war cry before she threw herself at the cloaked boy, who turned and slashed at her as she approached. Celestia moved out of the way of the strike, but in doing so left herself open to be struck in the side by a claymore. With a cry of pain Celestia went crashing into the ground, where she didn't get up.
"You six are indeed powerful. In fact, had you been fighting me alone perhaps you may have actually managed to beat me. But fortunately for me, I brought our most powerful weapon," Saix said in a tired, but victorious, tone as he gazed around and the fallen ponies, save for Twilight. Then he turned his gaze towards Xion. "And you, Xion, I want you to watch this. Watch as those you fought so hard to protect and formed a friendship with fall one at a time...starting with her."
The cloaked boy resumed his walk towards Twilight, who started to hobble backwards to try and get as much distance between her and the cloaked boy as she could. Yet she found out quickly that Saix had created a barrier around the battlefield, one that prevented the purple pony from leaving. All Twilight could do was watch as the cloaked boy came closer and closer, pointing Twilight's oblivion at her.
'What should I do? What can I do?' Xion asked herself, knowing that she only had a few seconds left to act. 'I can't fight either of them, yet if I don't do something they'll all be slain and their hearts taken! I'm...afraid...so this is what fear truly feels like. Fear and helplessness...no, I promised that I wouldn't let anything happen to them! I won't let Maestro win!'
With a roar of fury Xion lunged towards the cloaked boy, who turned to face the oncoming threat. Twilight tried to use the opening as a chance to shoot the cloaked boy in the back, but a claymore to her side put that idea and the pony down for the count. Xion summoned all of the light power that she had within her before firing radiant crystals of ice towards the cloak boy, who cleaved through them with his keyblade. She fired a massive one with all of her power towards the cloaked boy, but this time he lunged forward and sliced clean through it before landing right in front of Xion...before he drove the tip of his blade into her chest.
"This must be so painful for you," Saix taunted from the side as a circle of light appeared on Xion's chest. "Losing your heart twice in the same week. But do not worry Xion. This time, when you are reborn as a proper Nobody, I promise that I will take excellent care of you...as one of my servants."
'Is this...really it this time?' Xion asked herself as everything seemed to slow down around her. She could feel her heart being pulled from her body, only this time she knew that she was truly losing it for good. 'No Sombra to save me. No keyblade to fight back with. And...no friends to aid me. This really is it.'
Then Xion looked around at the fallen ponies and each one made a memory come back to her. How Fluttershy had been the first pony to be kind to her. How Pinkie had tried her hardest to be her friend. How Rarity had bought new clothes for Xion and how Rainbow had fought Xaldin alongside her. Applejack had given her a chance to relax and Twilight had given her shelter. And even at that moment they had done everything in their power to fight Xion's past and her foes, despite not owing her anything.
'No. My friends are here with me! They've never left my side!' she realized and her eyes blazed with a will and passion that could not be quelled. 'They welcomed me here! They didn't see me as a puppet or monster, but as a friend! They believed in me and wished to lend me their strength. I was too blind to see it! But this time...I will accept your friendship! I will borrow your strength!'
A blinding flash of light erupted from Xion, a light that was so powerful that it sent the cloaked boy staggering backwards away from her. The six keychains that Xion had been given emerged from her pockets and began to circle around her, healing her wounds before they came to a stop in front of her. The floated in position in front of her the same way Twilight and her friends had floated, in the same hexagon style pattern. Xion knew what she had to do and she thrust her hand into the center of the keychains.
The moment she did so she felt her hand strike what felt like a handle and on instinct her fingers wrapped around it. Another radiant flash of rainbow light erupted around her hand, but this light did not blind Xion. What it did was fill her with strength and determination, along with the knowledge that she was not alone anymore. Then, forged from the very light itself, a new keyblade appeared in her grasp.
The handle of the keyblade was made of strong oak, while the guard around it was a hexagon with six different colored spheres in each of the angles, each of the spheres representing a different element. The blade of the keyblade was a sword made up of stain glass that was the color of the rainbow and from that glass shone a brilliant light. The teeth of the keyblade was the silver outline of a heart, one that looked familiar to Xion. And finally at the end of the keychain that swung from the bottom of the keyblade was the roman numerals for fourteen. Xion's number.
"That...cannot be possible!" Saix seethed as he looked upon the new keyblade. "Your keyblade was destroyed! I saw it happen! And even a keyblade wielder cannot re-forge a broken keyblade!"
"Correction. Maestro destroyed my fake keyblade, the one that was created for the fake me," Xion corrected for Saix as she began to swing her true keyblade, feeling out how it worked. "But I'm real now. My heart is finally real...or rather, it's finally awoken. And with this awoken heart, it seems that the keyblade has deemed me worthy of wielding it. A true keyblade. Allow me to show you what this one can do."
Xion dashed towards Saix, only for the cloaked boy to get in her way. The new keyblade collided with Oblivion and for a brief moment the darkness of Oblivion clashed with the light of the rainbow blade. Then Xion channeled the light into her body and blasted the cloaked boy back in a radiant beam of light, one that sent him flying over the head of Saix and to the ground behind the Luna Diviner. Saix looked from Xion to the fallen boy, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
In a flash of motion that Saix couldn't keep up with Xion was upon him, slicing down at him with her new blade. Saix brought up his claymore to defend himself, but when the two blades met Xion's cleaved clean through Saix's weapon. Shock and horror crossed Saix's face as the weapon went through his claymore and then sliced through his chest, getting him to howl with pain as rainbow light began to emerge from his wound. He clutched at his chest as he staggered backwards, glaring at Xion with more hate than should have been possible for a Nobody.
"You believe that simply because you have found a real keyblade that you have won? No puppet, I promise you that this battle is far from over," Saix seethed before his body started to glow with lunar light once more. "And I will not stop until I have ripped your heart from your body and-"
Whatever other threats Saix had planned to say were silenced when Oblivion ripped through his body and came bursting out the front. Saix let out a gagging sound before he slowly looked over his shoulder to see the cloaked boy standing behind him, having driven his keyblade up to the hilt through Saix's body.
"But...why...?" Saix asked before he body disintegrated and he faded away into nothingness. The boy glanced down at where Saix had vanished before he looked up at Xion, who gazed uncertainly at him.
"Roxas? Did you finally snap out of it?" Xion asked with hope in her voice.
"No, puppet. He is still under control. It is just that Saix thought that he was the one holding the strings, when in reality it was truly me," the voice of the Maestro spoke from nowhere. Xion looked around to try to find her foe, but a cold laugh filled the air as she did so. "I am not here, puppet. I am at the keyhole to this worlds heart. A place that you know by now I am certain."
"Why are you hiding? Afraid to face me?" Xion roared back at the sky.
"Not in the slightest. Sadly, I am on a timetable and the sooner this world is consumed by darkness, the sooner I can see whether or not I wasted my time coming to this reality," Maestro replied. "If you wish to face me, then come to where the keyhole is. There you will find me, an army of Heartless completely under my control and perhaps the answers to what happen to the boy you are so desperately trying to save. Of course you will die here, but still. It is your choice...but I think we both know what your answer will be."
The boy in the cloak then vanished from Xion's sight, getting Xion to narrow her eyes before she banished her keyblade. She then glanced around at her friends to see that they were getting back up, before the Maestro's voice echoed through the air one last time.
"Come to the keyhole, puppet. Come and finally have your strings cut." |
The Girl That Never Was | Chosen | "The Forest of the Forgotten. That is the location of the keyhole to the heart of Equis."
After speaking, Celestia glanced around at the group that was gathered around the crystal table at Twilight's castle. The princess of friendship was the only pony that was really paying attention to what Celestia was telling them, for all the other ponies were too busy either icing their injuries or watching as Xion stood off to the side, practicing with her new keyblade.
"Why is it that I'm only just hearing of this keyhole now, sister?" Luna asked Celestia. Celestia glanced over at Luna, who had shown up after the battle with Saix had ended, and gave her an exasperated sigh.
"Because sister, until recently I did not think it was anything of importance. Just one of many mysteries that would never be solved in Equestria," Celestia replied, before she turned her gaze towards Xion once more. "Not until I met the girl who wielded the key. The key that could unlock that mystery."
"Wow, I've seen your keyblade before, but that's the prettiest one that I think I've ever seen you wield!" Pinkie said excitedly as found her eyes couldn't be torn from the blade of stain glass. Xion swung the blade a few more times with both hands, with each slice leaving a trail of rainbow light.
"Not only is this keyblade the prettiest that I've wielded, but this is also the strongest blade that I've ever held," Xion added on before she held the blade with her other hand. "The stats for this thin are ridiculous. An insane boost to strength and magic would be amazing on its own, but its power doubles when I fight a foe with evil or negative intent. Not only that, but with each new friend that I make this blade get slightly stronger as well! This might just be the strongest blade I've ever heard of!"
"So what do you call this weapon, darling?" Rarity asked. "I mean, a blade that perfect must have a perfect name. It is only fitting."
"Hmm, how about Perfect Harmony?" Xion asked. The five ponies that were watching her all thought about it for a moment before they all nodded their heads in agreement. "But honestly, it's thanks to all of you that I managed to summon my real keyblade. You all gave me your strength and friendship, which strengthened my heart to the point that the keyblade deemed me worthy of wielding a real keyblade. I owe all of this to you."
"And we owe our lives and hearts to you sugarcube, so let's not get into any talk of debts," Applejack said, knowing what Xion was about to say.
"I have to agree with Applejack. We wouldn't even be here if not for you. You're a hero," Fluttershy added on and Xion blushed at the thought of her being a hero.
"But now for the real question? Can that blade strike down the other guy in the coat and the Maestro?" Rarity asked, turning all heads towards her. Even the princesses stopped their talks and listened in the conversation. "And, to ask the more important question, can you bring yourself to strike down the cloaked boy?"
"Why would you ask that?" Xion asked in reply, getting Rarity to smirk.
"Answering my question with a question? That confirms it. You know who's under that cloak and you care about him, don't you." Rarity said, not needing to ask it as a question. When Xion stared at her with disbelief, Rarity chuckled to herself. "Again darling, I am more than a pretty face. I notice things. Like how when we blasted the boy with the Rainbow Power you called out his name in a distraught tone. A tone which I have heard among only the closest of friends or couples. So who was this boy and what does he mean to you?"
Rarity's question and Xion's reddening face got everypony very interested in her answer. After a moment Xion closed her eyes and let out a sigh, suppressing her emotions and allowing her to think of the best way to answer their question. At first she considered giving them an evasive answer, but then she caught the light of her keyblade and she remembered that these were her friends who had saved her life. She owed them the truth.
"Roxas was...is my best friend. He was the first person to accept me when I worked for the Organization. For the longest time we did everything together. We talked, we hung out, we fought Heartless, but most of all we enjoyed being with one another...along with Axel, but he could be a downer," Xion began to explain. She glanced over at the ponies to see that some of them had sly smiles on their faces at the way Xion spoke of Roxas. But then Twilight's face became horrified.
"Wait a moment. You told us that you were slain by your best friend, who also wielded a keyblade," Twilight began and the other ponies face turned to those of horror as well, before they looked to Xion for an answer. "Does that mean..."
"Yes. Roxas was the one that killed me. I didn't give him much of a choice. Only one of us could have lived or both of us would have died," Xion revealed with a bitter smirk. "Though truth be told...I didn't go all out against him. I wanted to, but I couldn't. How could I? So in the end he struck me down and I died in his arms. And in those last moments I thought that I would finally have peace. But then the Maestro brought me back and brought me here. You all know the rest."
"Xion, I am so sorry to hear all of that," Celestia said with genuine sorrow in her voice. "But are you certain that the cloaked boys is Roxas? Perhaps it is-"
"There was only one other member in the Organization that could wield a keyblade. The cloaked being is the same height as me and uses an identical fighting style to how I used to fight. And each time I said his name, the cloaked being looked...confused, like he was trying to remember something," Xion said with certainty, stopping any further questions. "I know it is him. And something is wrong with him. Maestro did something to him. So I have to save him...just like he saved me."
"Alright, so now we know what is at stake. Mind if I tell the ponies what you told me?" Celestia asked Xion. Xion nodded and Celestia brought up the image of the keyhole, which rested in the center of a large tree in an even larger forest. "This is the keyhole to Equis, to the heart of our world, as I stated. But what I did not get the chance to say is that that the Heartless have been searching for this keyhole, for if they get into it they can claim the heart of our world."
"So wait, if the Heartless takes the heart of a pony, they turn into a Heartless," Rainbow began. "What happens if they take the heart to an entire world?" All eyes turned to Xion for that answer.
"The world is consumed by darkness, the inhabitants are lost to the nothingness and whoever is unlucky enough to survive is trapped within a fragment of what was once their home," Xion revealed, getting all of the ponies to look at her with horror. "I didn't say it would be anything nice. Hence why we have to stop them."
"Fortunately for us, now that Xion has a new keyblade we can prevent the Heartless from prevailing," Celestia continued on, gaining the attention of the group once more. "Just like an actual keyhole, the keyhole to our world can be locked and thus prevent the Heartless from getting in there."
"Okay, say Xion locks it. What's to stop that cloaked guy from unlocking it once more?" Again, all eyes went to Xion for the answer.
"Once a keyhole to a world is locked, it can never be opened again. This will also rid the world of a large chunk of Heartless, as they will go seeking other world's hearts," Xion explained.
"That's good for us. We can protect out world and get rid of its invaders in a single strike," Twilight clarified. "What I'm the mot worried about is the Maestro. His power, at least from what I saw, seems to be unlike anything that we've ever had to fight before. Xion, do you think this new blade and your powers over light and darkness will be enough to defeat him?"
"They will have to be."
None of the ponies seemed to take comfort in her answer, but Celestia took that moment to create an image in front of them with her magic. "So here is how this is going to work. We know that there is an army of Heartless around the keyhole. We also know that the Maestro is there along with Roxas. Our plan of attack is to get Xion to the keyhole before we deal with everything else. Once the keyhole is sealed, the Ambassadors will deal with the army of Heartless. Xion will deal with the Maestro. My sister and I will deal with Roxas."
"Wait a moment, why are the two of you dealing with Roxas?" Xion asked, getting the two princesses to share a look.
"Because we both know that you will not fight him with your full strength," Luna explained bluntly. "And with the hearts of our entire world on the line, we cannot afford to give him the chance to kill you. You would have no issues striking down the Heartless or Maestro, but you will most likely not harm Roxas too badly. Therefor, we cannot trust you to deal with him."
"I am sorry Xion, but it is how it must be. Perhaps if it was just you versus him, then we would allow you to try to reach him," Celestia said in a regretful tone. "But our world is at stake here, with all of the lives on it. We must prevail. My sister and I will do everything to imprison or capture Roxas, but if we must slay him..."
"I understand," Xion said in a near whisper, getting Luna and Celestia to look at the girl with surprise. "But the two of you can't beat him. I know this. So I ask of the both of you, let me be the one to fight Roxas."
"Xion..."
"Yes, I will try to reach him. I will try to break him free of whatever curse the Maestro has him under," Xion told them, before she looked down at her blade and tightened her grip on it. "But if he cannot be broken free...or if he is no longer the Roxas I knew, then I will be the one to strike him down. The Roxas I know would want that. I know, because that is the same thing I asked of him. And we're practically identical."
"...alright Xion, we will allow you to try to break through to Roxas, as long as you know what must happen if you cannot save him," Luna said in an emotionless voice. The other ponies gave Xion sympathetic looks and Pinkie placed a hoof on Xion's shoulder, but aside from a grateful smile Xion didn't reply. "If you will be facing Roxas, then my sister and I will have to combat the Maestro. I will admit I am not looking forward to this."
"Actually, I don't think you will have to," Xion cut in, getting Luna to give her a look. "The Maestro is all about wanting to learn what will happen if X is changed or Y is moved. If he gets drawn into my...interactions with Roxas, then perhaps he will turn a blind eye to the rest of you destroying his army of Heartless."
"We cannot keep the Heartless down, even with our magic," Twilight reminded Xion.
"No, but you can banish them for a long time, longer than perhaps any other magical weapon," Xion corrected. "But back to the Maestro. If he's drawn into our interactions long enough and if can get Roxas to join our side, then perhaps the both of us can fight him together."
"And if you can't reach him?"
"Then the eight of you will aid me in bringing an end to the Maestro," Xion said in a cold voice. "He may be strong, but with our powers combined even he must fall. And once he has, I am certain that your world will be safe from the Heartless, for the most part. You will have to be on guard, but there shouldn't be anywhere close to as many as you have had to deal with. The light of your world drives them away and makes them weak, so I'd be surprised if a lot stayed after we seal the world."
"I see Sombra has also teaching you about the workings of our land," Celestia said with a smirk, one that was matched by Xion. "Speaking of the dark king, as much as I hate to admit it we could use his magical firepower in this fight. Any chance that we will have him on our side during this battle?"
Xion reached inside her pockets to find them empty and she gave Celestia a shake of her head in response. "I see. That's a shame, but honestly I would be more surprised if Sombra did choose to do the right thing. Guess some things in the world remain constant. I recommend all of you get some sleep and prepare for tomorrow. We cannot wait any longer than that. Who knows how long the Maestro will wait for us?"
With that Celestia and Luna vanished in flashes of light, leaving Xion alone with the six. "I've got your room all set up, Xion," Twilight said to Xion before turning her head to her friends. "You guys all know where your guest rooms are, along with the kitchen. And don't worry. With the power of friendship on our side, along with Xion and her keyblade, there's no way we can lose."
'I hope you're right, Twilight,' Xion thought to herself as the ponies began to wander off. Xion then reached into a deep pocket and pulled out a small seashell, which she held gently in her hands. 'Because I have a feeling that it won't be so easy. I have a feeling that Maestro has one last surprise for us.'
=========
No. XIV
=========
The moon shined with a calming light far above Xion's head, while the girl stared off into the distance from the balcony that was connected to her room. Her thoughts were a whirlwind, unable to focus on a single problem that she faced. The idea of battling the Maestro was terrifying. The thought that she would have to strike Roxas down made her feel a fear that she couldn't put into thoughts. And then there was the idea if she failed. The thought that all of the innocent beings that lived in this land would be claimed by the darkness.
"Yeah, I can never sleep before a big battle either." Xion glanced up to see Twilight floating down towards her from an upper floor. Twilight joined Xion on the balcony, gazing across the land the same way Xion had been doing. "It's a lot of stress, isn't it? Knowing that all of this rests on your shoulders. All these lives, all of this happiness...trust me, you're not the only one awake right now. I'm fairly certain all of my friends are as well."
"Thanks for the pep talk. It totally got rid of my anxiety over tomorrow," Xion replied with a smirk, before she held a hand to her heart. "Ugh, whenever the Organization talked about the heart, they always told us about the god emotions like happiness or hope. They never said it could come with this gut wrenching feeling."
"Heh, I'm not surprise people like them hid things from you. Yeah, the heart is filled with all sorts of emotions and you won't like all of them," Twilight replied as she rubbed her own chest. "But the fact that you can feel all these emotions shows that you're alive. That you aren't a puppet or a fake like Saix said you were. You are your own person now. You're free of the shackles of the past."
"Not all of the shackles," Xion replied with a look of determination. "Roxas. He's the last like to my past. And he's a link that I need to save. I lost him once. I won't lose him again."
"I know you won't. The keyblade chose you for a reason. I know you will succeed," Twilight replied with nothing but confidence, before a thought came to her. "Hey Xion, say we do defeat the Maestro and free this land of the Heartless. What are you going to do?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, will you stay here with us? Because if you do we'd love to show you the world and all of the cool ponies within it. Perhaps we can strength the Perfect Harmony by helping you make a bunch of friends," Twilight suggested. "Or maybe you'll head off to a different world. I know if I could travel the worlds I would want to see as many of them as possible. I'm just asking."
"Y'know something Twilight, I haven't put any thought into what I might do if I win. I guess all I can think about right now is the battle tomorrow," Xion honestly replied. "But I know this. I won't let the Maestro mess with anyone else like he has me. I won't let him hurt anymore people or ruin anymore worlds. That I can promise you with certainty."
"And say he gets away?"
"Then I won't rest until I've hunted him down and made sure he will never hurt another again," Xion promised. Twilight smiled at Xion's response before she patted the girl on the shoulder and stretched her wings.
"Sounds like you already know what you're going to do when all this is over. Even if you strike down the Maestro, I bet there's a lot of worlds out there that need help like our world did. I bet they would be grateful to have somepony like you help them."
After saying this, Twilight flapped her wings and flew up to a balcony on the floor above Xion's. Xion returned to staring out at the moonlit land, before she gazed down at the seashell she held in her hands. The sensation of wind running through her hair and the taste of ice-cream filled her memories and she felt her fingers tighten around the seashell.
'No matter what happens tomorrow, I will not let these ponies be harmed any further. I will not allow the Maestro to win. And I will save you, Roxas. That's a promise." |
The Girl That Never Was | Light and Darkness | Even though she was racing off at full speed towards what might be her final battle, perhaps against a person she considered to be her best friend, Xion couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of the wind on her face and the gorgeous view of the land from the edge of the airship.
Celestia, Luna and the Ambassadors were on the airship deck with her, with Luna at the helm while Celestia provided lookout. The Ambassadors talked amongst themselves, with occasional glances over at Xion that they didn't know she was aware of. All of them were thinking about the upcoming battle, except for Pinkie, who was thinking of what kind of party she would throw for their victory.
Yet their thoughts of battle and victory were interrupted when they looked overhead to notice that the sky had turned black. A chill filled the air, one that seemed to be created by evil intentions instead of cold air. And when Xion looked over the side of the ship she could see that they were flying over a wasteland filled with thousands of stumps, informing her that what they flew over was once a forest.
"Heads up, ponies! We've just entered the Forest of the Forgotten. And from the looks of things, we're not the first ones here," Luna called out from the helm.
"Indeed, it's look like an army cleared out the forest to make the land more like a battlefield," Celestia confirmed for Luna and the other ponies. "And unless my eyes are playing tricks on me, I believe I can see the army of Heartless that the Maestro mentioned to Xion. It's larger than he said."
"Perhaps your eyes are playing tricks on you, sister. After all, the are millions of years old, just like you!" Luna teased from the helm, getting Celestia to give her sister a look.
"Xion, it seems that a Heartless managed to stow away on the ship. Would you please throw it overboard?"
The Ambassadors laughed at Celestia and Luna's words and the two sisters smiled at each other before they went back to their tasks. Even Xion, who felt the weight of what was about to happen far more than any of them, managed to crack a smile. She then glanced down to notice that there seemed to be a darkness coming onto the ship. A darkness akin to that of the Heartless.
'This is it, Xion. Time to see if you've really cut the strings that originally bound you,' Xion thought to herself before she extended her hand, summoning forth the Perfect Harmony to her hand. The light generated from the keyblade pushed back the darkness that had been seeping into the ship. Yet another darkness filled Xion's heart and on instinct she reached into her pockets in a vain hope that Sombra's horn would be there.
"Why the long face? You should be the happiest out of all of us!" Xion turned her head to see that Pinkie had hopped over to her and was now looking up at Xion with excited eyes.
"I don't see any reason why I should be all that happy," Xion replied.
"Don't see the reason?! Today's going to be a great day for you!" Pinkie exclaimed, getting Xion to raise an eyebrow. "Think about it. Today you'll drive the Heartless from this land, finally stop the no good meany that's been messing with your life and save your best friend and finally reunite with him! That sounds like a pretty good day to me!"
"If I can do all of that," Xion muttered.
"No negative talk. You're going to do this and then we're going to throw an amazing party to celebrate. And I'll make sure to invite everypony that you've ever helped just so that they can thank you for what you did for them in pony," Pinkie replied with an excited look on her face.
"But if we pull this off, we'll have saved the entire world," Xion pointed out.
"Then it's going to be one massive party. I'm looking forward to it."
Xion felt herself smile at Pinkie's overwhelming confidence despite her less than positive outlook on how the battle would go. Pinkie began to mutter to herself before she pulled out what looked to be the beginning of a very long list from her mane and walked off, occasionally smiling to herself. Rarity and Rainbow walked over after Pinkie walked off, watching the pink pony go while shaking their heads slightly.
"Come on, don't look so down. It's not like the fate of everything depends on this battle," Rainbow Dash pointed out, her words getting her a look from Rarity.
"What Rainbow is so poorly trying to say is that there is no reason to doubt yourself, darling. You have dealt with everything that has been thrown at you and you have prevailed each time," Rarity said with confidence. "And this time you have us with you and we will make sure that you do not face your demons alone. That is what friends do."
"Yeah, because you've shown us that you're completely helpless without us there to bail your flank out," Rainbow said with a smirk. She got another glare from Rarity for saying this, but to both ponies surprise Xion smirked at Rainbow's words.
"You're not wrong, Rainbow. I have need your guys help. I probably wouldn't have made it this far without the aid of the ponies of this world, actually. So I do feel more comfortable hearing that you're there to...bail my flank out," Xion said to Rainbow. Rainbow Dash then gave Rarity a "I was right" smirk while Rarity did her best to avoid looking at the rainbow mare.
Fluttershy and Applejack were the next to join Xion once Rainbow and Rarity left. The two didn't say anything to Xion, then just rested their hooves on the railing and joined Xion in looking out at the oncoming darkness. Fluttershy looked up at Xion, opened her mouth to say something, and then though better of it and simply went back to enjoying the silence with her friends. Yet despite neither of the ponies saying anything to Xion, she felt a sense of comfort wash over her, knowing that she had friends beside her.
"We are here," Celestia said. All eyes turned towards her, with Xion, AJ and Fluttershy walking over from the edge to join the princess and the other ponies at the front of the airship. All sets of eyes went wide at the sight that greeted them, except for Xion who narrowed her eyes in response to what she saw.
The Heartless below them were uncountable and instead of an army they looked like a swirling sea of darkness. Amongst the swirling darkness Xion could make out a few flashes of silver, telling her that there were a few Nobodies in the army as well. But at the edge of the army, next to the one tree that was still standing despite the army's best effort, stood the Maestro and the cloaked boy, both of who were looking up at Xion. And she glared back down at them.
"You all remember the plan, correct?" Celestia asked the group, who all nodded in response. None of them wanted to speak at the moment, as they weren't certain if a scream would come out if they opened their mouths. "Very well. Ambassadors, time to Rainbow up. Luna, Xion, you two are with me. We will escort you to the Maestro and Roxas. Ambassadors...clear a way."
Six explosions of rainbow went off behind Xion and a moment later six streaks of rainbow soared across the sky, clearing away the dark sky with their light. The six then came to a stop over the heads of the Heartless, who all began to back away from the blinding light. Twilight gave the order and a moment later an onslaught of rainbow light bombarded the army of Heartless, decimating their ranks and banishing hundreds of them back to the shadows.
"And that's our entrance," Celestia said before she used her magic to place Xion onto her back. She then nodded to Luna and the two princesses took to the skies, flying as fast as they could straight for the Maestro and Roxas. Some of the aerial Heartless that hadn't been decimated by the rainbow light, upon feeling a keyblade wielder getting close, soared towards Celestia and Luna with every intent to rip their hearts from their chests. But before they Heartless could eve get close to the princesses, orbs of light flew from Celestia's back and blasted apart the Heartless in seconds, leaving the path clear once more.
"I didn't come this far to be stopped by the grunts. I'm here for their leader," Xion told the princess in a powerful tone as her body glowed with light. Celestia and Luna shared an amused look before they propelled themselves towards Maestro, landing in front of him on the only area of land for miles that wasn't covered in Heartless. Xion flipped off of Celestia's back and landed in her fighting stance, her actions getting the cloaked boy to summon Oblivion before he began to walk towards Xion.
"None of that now, it is not yet time to fight," Maestro told the boy, who glanced over his shoulder at the Maestro before he stopped in place. "Xion. I am so glad that you decided to make it. I thought you might run away from this like you tend to do most of your problems."
"Sticks and stones, Maestro. You know why I'm here and what I'm about to do to you," Xion promised as she pointed her keyblade at the Maestro, who chuckled at her action. "You've messed with my life for long enough and I'm not going to let you try to harm these ponies any longer. I won't let you have your way!"
"My way? Fool, have you not been paying attention. I have had my way ever since I brought you to this land," Maestro reminded Xion, who narrowed her eyes at him. "I brought you here because I wanted to see something different. Now originally I had hoped that you would unlock the Ambassador's hearts and show me what made them so immune to the darkness, but that plan didn't last long."
"However, in your desperation to deny me what I wanted you to do, you have given me a completely new avenue that, I will admit, intrigued me far more than the other path," Maestro revealed. "You have achieved a living form. You have been chosen by a true keyblade, one made up of the power of the Ambassadors and their friendship. And you have overcome most of your past and struck down the Organization members that affected you the most...aside from a few."
"I'm not going to kill Roxas, if that's what you're implying," Xion spat back. In response to her words Maestro shrugged his shoulders.
"I doubt you would. But I honestly don't know at this point. And that gets me...excited," Maestro said in an ominous voice. Before Xion could reply Celestia and Luna stepped forward, getting a sigh of frustration out of the Maestro. "You two. Let me guess, you are going to say something noble, then something about how you're going to stop me and then we will "fight". How about I skip all of that and just get to the part where I kill you both?"
A blast of shattered magic erupted from the Maestro's hands and tore across the air to Celestia and Luna, but before it could strike them Xion placed herself between it and them. With a roar she slashed at the magic with her keyblade, yet to her amazement the key didn't destroy the magic. She tilted her blade to the side and angled the magic away from the ponies, where it flew off into the sky. Xion then turned her gaze to the Maestro, glaring at him while shaking out her hands.
"Celestia. Luna. I want the two of you to assist Twilight and the others in fighting the Heartless," Xion instructed, getting Celestia and Luna to look at the girl like she was crazy.
"Xion, you cannot be serious! You cannot fight the both of them without help!" Luna told her.
"I can't fight either of them if I have to protect the both of you while fighting them," Xion snapped back. "And it won't be two on one. Maestro has made it clear how easily he could kill you two, yet he hasn't tried to kill me yet. I think he wants me to fight Roxas first, just so he can see what happens."
"Ah, some of Sombra's feeble brains have worn off on you. Yes, I am far more curious to see the outcome of your battle with the one you call Roxas than I am with watching the princesses die again," Maestro confirmed for Xion. Xion took a risk and glanced back over at the princess, whose eyes made it clear that they had no intention of leaving Xion alone.
"I know it's a lot to ask, but I need you guys to trust me," Xion said to the both of them in a far more pleading voice. "I need to do this by myself. I need to show him...and everyone else that called me a puppet, that I am not their toy for amusement. That I am my own person."
"Hmph, so you say," Maestro replied. Celestia and Luna shared a look, neither one of them liking what Xion was saying. But then the two spread their wings and ascended to the sky, giving Xion one last look to let her know that they weren't happy with her plan.
"We do not like this plan of yours, Xion. But after what you have done for us and the ponies of this land, you have earned our trust. We shall allow you to go through with this," Celestia said.
"But the moment things start to go wrong or that monster tries to cheat, then we shall descend upon him like a storm of fire and pain," Luna promised as she glared at the Maestro.
"Leave my sight before I decide to kill the both of you," Maestro snarled in reply. Xion nodded to the princesses, who flew off a few moments later. Once she was alone, Xion turned her full attention to the boy in the black cloak, knowing that he would be the first obstacle to defeating the Maestro. She also knew that he would be the hardest to overcome.
"You hero types are always the most interesting," Maestro said once the princesses were gone, yet Xion didn't dare take her eyes off of the cloaked figure that stood before her. "It is always interesting seeing how you react to certain situations. Will you have to do something you would normally never do in order to save the day? Will you damn a nation to the fire just so that you can save a single soul? Or will you stand against me in an unwavering way that I find annoying, just like that damned silver being tried to do?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Xion replied in an emotionless tone.
"I suppose you don't. That is not your fault. You didn't ask to be created. You didn't ask to be stuck in such a confusing story as you did. And you didn't ask to be brought back. But that is your flaw, Xion. You never had ambition. And that made you so easy to take advantage of. A puppet with no soul is the easiest puppet to control."
"Then that makes you a crappy puppeteer, because I didn't do anything that you wanted me to do," Xion spat back, but all her words did was get a chuckle out of the Maestro.
"I brought you back to life so that you would entertain me. And you have been a constant source of amusement this entire time. You went beyond my expectations, my dear. The only question now is how will you end this enjoyable tale? Will you become the warrior of the light, just like all of the other keyblade wielders? Will you surrender to the darkness in a vain attempt to defeat me? Or will you do something different?"
"I'm going to beat you. I'm going to save Roxas. And then I'm going to take a permanent vacation at the beach," Xion replied. Once again Maestro smirked.
"Fool. You have the heart of a hero. You will never rest. Not until you finally die. And speaking of dying, I believe that we have put this off long enough. Boy, kill her."
In a flash of movement the cloaked boy was upon Xion, who deflected his strike and retaliate with a punch to the side of the boy's head. The boy staggered back before he backflipped away from Xion. He rubbed the side of his head before taking up a fighting stance, holding his keyblade to the side while gripping it with both hands. Xion crouched down and mirrored the stance, getting the being to tilt his head at her.
"That's right. We both have the same stance. We have the same moves and we have the same style. That's because I was based off of you. That's because you and I are best friends," Xion said to the cloaked being, who gave no visible response.
"Your words will not reach him. Even if he understood what you were saying, he is far too gone," Maestro told Xion. "He has done countless terrible things under mine and the Organizations order. Struck down his friends, damned worlds to the darkness and even brought down other keyblade wielders. What makes you think you can get through to him, when nobody else could?"
"Because I'm a part of him. A piece of his heart, if you will," Xion replied, getting a chuckle out of Maestro.
"Well, you're not wrong. But you are dead. It's just a question of how long it will take you to die." |
The Girl That Never Was | Clashing Keys | Xion and the cloaked boy both let out a bellow as they charged towards each other, slamming their keys into each other and locking the blades in a battle of light and darkness. Despite the Oblivion being one of the stronger regular keyblades, Xion's Perfect Harmony far outclassed it. Even without her foe being filled with evil intent, she still wielded the superior weapon. And the cloaked being knew that.
He kicked off of her keyblade and propelled himself into the air, where he started firing blasts of fire towards Xion. Xion rolled out of the way of the first volley before she spun her keyblade around on a single finger and used the whirling blade to deflect the rest of the fireballs that had come near her. The boy landed and lifted his blade towards the heavens, calling down dozens of bolts of lightning that tore apart the ground.
Xion slammed the tip of her keyblade into the ground and summoned a rainbow barrier around herself, one that not only protected her from the bolts of lightning that came crashing down on top of her, but also turned the magical lightning into energy that restored her. She broke the barrier and rushed towards the cloaked figure, swinging at his leg with her blade.
He blocked the strike and knocked Xion off guard, giving him an opening. He thrust his arms forward and created an explosion of light that sent Xion tumbling backwards. He lunged towards her and thrust at her with his blade, yet by the time he had attacked Xion was already on her feet. She reversed the attack and slid behind the cloaked boy, who glanced around to see where she had gone.
He soon found out as Xion slashed across his back with a diagonal strike from her keyblade, before following up with a horizontal strike. The cloaked boy staggered under the onslaught, before he rolled out of the way of Xion's final strike. Instead of pressing the attack however, Xion let the boy get up to his feet and cast cure on himself.
"You really can't see anything in those hoods, can you?" Xion asked with a smile. "I remember back before I knew who I was I had my hood up all the time. Couldn't see anything in it. Saix always asked me how I always managed to do so badly on missions and he just assumed that I sucked. But nope. It was because I couldn't see anything in those hoods of theirs. Bad design flaw in my opinion."
The cloaked boy said nothing in reply. Instead he channeled ice around his blade before hurling it towards Xion. Xion hadn't expected a raid and was slow in getting her blade up to defend herself. She managed to deflect the strike, but the action caused her to stagger backwards and she had to throw her arms out to keep from falling over.
The cloaked boy seized his opening and teleported to his blade, snatching it out of the air before he dove towards the girl. Xion kicked to the side to avoid being struck, but she wasn't fast enough and the edge of Oblivion caught her in the side of the leg. Pain lanced up Xion's side, but she couldn't cast cure on herself as the cloaked boy pressed the attack.
"You should focus more on fighting than you do talking," the Maestro advised Xion, who had been put completely on the defensive by the attacking boy. "I have already told you that you cannot reach him. He is not the being that you thought you knew. All you are doing is wasting your breath and my time."
"I won't give up on him!" Xion roared before she lashed out with her own attack, catching the Oblivion in the hilt and ripping it free of the boy's grasp. The keyblade went sailing off to the side where it impaled itself into the ground, leaving the boy defenseless. Xion pointed the tip of her keyblade at him, but once more she didn't press the attack.
"Remember that time when I finally beat you in a fight? You were so happy with me that you agreed to buy all three of us ice cream," Xion told the cloaked boy, who turned his cloaked head slightly towards his keyblade. "And then you realized that you didn't have any munny and Axel ended up buying for all of us. For a being with no emotions, he sure seemed upset by that. But we all had fun in the end."
The cloaked boy leapt up and kicked Xion's blade to the side before he extended his hand towards his blade. Oblivion vanished in a flash of darkness and materialized in his hand a moment later. He attacked with an overhead slash, forcing Xion to block high to avoid being struck. She pushed back his blade before she went low, attempting to sweep the boy's legs out from under him.
The cloaked boy leapt backwards to avoid being hit before he lunged forward once more and stabbed at Xion's head. Xion moved her head to the side to avoid being struck, before she let out a roar and slashed at the cloaked boy with her keyblade. The boy had overextended and thus was caught in the chest by Xion's strike, sending him tumbling backwards across the ground.
"Hmm, it seems that you are a far better fighter than when I brought you back," Maestro noted, before glancing over at the boy that was getting back up. "Stop holding back. I give you permission to go all out."
The boy nodded his head before he crouched down, getting Xion to hold her blade before her like a samurai, in the stance that felt familiar to her. Then the boy rocketed forward with the keyblade extended with such speeds that Xion didn't realize that he had moved until he was right on top of her. She threw herself to the side and just managed to avoid being hit, but then the boy spun on a dime and came rocketing back towards her even faster.
"Enough of this!" Xion roared as she drove her keyblade into the ground, summoning six pillars of light which she then sent flying outwards with a roar. The boy swerved to avoid being hit, before closed the gap between him and Xion. Xion didn't have time to block and thus took a deep slash across her chest, one that nearly got her to collapse to her knees.
Yet the cloaked boy wasn't done. He came rocketing back around and slashed across her back, getting Xion to cry out in pain as she fell to her knees. She looked up just in time to see the boy circle around once more, but this time the tip of his blade was glowing with power and light. Xion knew if she took a hit from that she might not be able to get back up. So she closed her eyes and apologized.
"Roxas...I'm sorry." Xion then ripped her blade from the ground and pointed it towards the boy, a blinding light covering her body and blade as she did so. Eight chains of light then burst forth from the edge of her blade, chains that snaked towards the boy who was hurtling towards her. With the speed he was moving at, he couldn't get out of the way of the chains. The chains impaled themselves into his limbs, stopping his advance before they began to wrap around him.
The cloaked boy struggled to break himself free of the chains, yet his bonds would not be so easily broken. Now that she had a moment to breath Xion lifted her blade over her head and cast cure on herself, healing her wounds and getting her back into fighting strength. Before she could press the advantage the chains were shattered and the boy was free once more.
"This isn't the first time that we've been forced to fight like this either," Xion said in a small voice. "Remember when Xemnas messed with me? Remember when you were losing your power? That was the first time we truly fought. They said that only one of us could survive, because as long as we both lived I'd be slowly killing you. And I couldn't live with myself if I hurt you, Roxas. But I knew that you would never hurt me either. So I had to fight you, to get you to strike me down. So that we could free Sora."
This time her words got the cloaked boy to stop and consider Xion for a moment, almost as if something she had said was getting through to him. "But I know how much it hurt you, even if you don't remember it. Even if your memory of me was erased, I know how much it had to have hurt you to have to do that to me. So I'm sorry, I'm sorry that I hurt you. I hope...you can forgive me."
The cloaked boy responded by casting cure on himself, before he lunged towards Xion with another overhead strike. Xion lifted the Perfect Harmony and deflected the first strike, only for the boy to leap into the air with a second strike. Xion deflected the second strike as well, but to her bafflement the second strike was far stronger than the first. The boy then leapt into the air for a third and final strike, but as Xion lifted her keyblade to deflect the strike something in the back of her mind screamed at her to get out of the way.
Xion listened to instinct and rolled out of the way, just in time to avoid the final strike. And she was glad she did, for when she looked behind her to see why she had rolled out of the way she found that the third strike had created a massive gash in the ground, right where she had been standing. The boy then pointed his keyblade towards her and summoned a black ball of gravity that came crashing down towards Xion. Xion counter this by summoning a barrier of wind around herself, one that clashed with the gravity and cancelled both of the spells out.
"It seems that the two of you are equally matched," Maestro mentioned offhandedly to Xion, who cast a glare over at him. "Why don't you take on that giant form that you used the last time you fought Roxas? Because I am certain that will work out in your favor this time."
"Keep talking, Maestro. You'll get yours soon enough," Xion snapped back.
"Will I now? Because from what I have seen it seems like you are not willing to finish my pawn here off," Maestro pointed out.
"Do not call Roxas your pawn."
"Would you prefer puppet? Or do you prefer if people call you that instead?" Maestro replied with a smirk, one that made Xion seethe. "But back to my point. You are not fighting to win. You are fighting to stall. But you cannot stall forever. Even with that superior blade, eventually you will run out of magic. And then you will start to suffer more and more injuries, until you reach a point that you can no longer fight. And then my pawn will strike you down."
"No, I'll break through to Roxas before that happens," Xion promised as she pointed her blade towards the Maestro. "And then the both of us will work together to make sure that you never-"
In a blur of motion the cloaked boy was upon Xion, who snapped her head to the side to see him coming. She tried to get her blade up in time to deflect the first strike, but this time the boy kicked her blade out of the way. He then unloaded with a flurry of blows upon Xion, each more devastating than the last. The final blow from the boy knocked Xion up and away from him, before he leapt into the air after her. In her stunned state all Xion could do was watch as the boy spun the blade over his head before he pointed his keyblade at her, summoning untold amount of power into the tip of his blade.
He then fired all of the light held within the weapon towards her, unleashing ragnarok itself upon the girl in a storm of light missiles. Xion couldn't move her keyblade up to deflect all of the strikes nor could she summon any of her magic to stop the onslaught. That left her with only one choice.
An explosion of darkness consumed Xion, an explosion powerful enough to destroy the missiles that had been heading for her. The darkness wrapped around her like a blanket, before a moment later she burst forth from the sphere and lunged towards the boy. Her left arm grabbed around his head and slammed it into the ground, before she grabbed hold of his leg and hurled him into the sky.
"This ends now!" she roared as she pointed her dark infused left arm towards the boy, unleashing a beam of concentrated darkness towards him. The boy brought back his keyblade and let it fly towards Xion, cleaving her dark beam before the blade impaled itself into her arm. Xion roared with pain as her left arm went limp, glaring up at the boy only to find him flying towards her with blade extended. She slipped into the shadows right before the boy reached her, impaling the ground where she had been standing.
"You choose darkness to fight against him?" Maestro mocked once Xion emerged from the darkness. "You are in the land of Equestria. Your darkness has no power here. Not to mention that you are also fighting against a boy who has slain more darkness in a year than most have in their entire lives. If you wished to die so badly, you should have just asked. Demanded. Begged."
"Lesson learned," Xion replied before she closed her eyes and locked the darkness away once more, returning her to her regular form. She swung her blade around her side before holding it before her once more, in a stance that felt familiar to her. Her eyes then softened as she gazed at the cloaked boy, but then she looked behind her to see how the battle with the Heartless was going.
Her heart fell when she realized what she was looking at. The Ambassadors light seemed dull in comparison to how brightly they had been shining earlier and despite them continuing to blast apart the Heartless with their Rainbow Power, more and more swarms of Heartless lashed out at them from the ground and tried to consume them with darkness.
The sisters weren't fairing much better, with the two of them back to back and trapped behind a barrier of their combined magi. The Heartless were forming together to create a giant tornado of Heartless, which would them ram itself against the barrier again and again.
"Do you see now, puppet?" the Maestro asked Xion, turning her gaze back to the battle in front of her. "The ponies can stem the tide of the Heartless, but they cannot keep them down for good. Only your keyblade can dispel the threat for good, but instead of ending this fight and going to help your friends, you are trying to save someone who is not here. So when they die and their hearts are taken, along with this entire world, know that it is your fault."
Xion gritted her teeth as she tried to think of some kind of reply, but the truth that rung in the Maestro's words was too great to ignore. She cast another glance at her friends, who were still struggling to fight back against the horde of darkness with little success. She then lowered her head and remembered what she had promised the princesses. Should she fail to save Roxas, she would strike him down herself to save the world.
Xion then opened her eyes and glared across the clearing at the boy in the cloak, tears forming in her eyes as she made peace with what she was about to do. She tightened her grip and channeled the best memories of Roxas she could think of, creating an aura of light around her. She then put her feelings into her memories and the light around her wrapped itself around her body, forming what looked to be a suit of armor made of light except for around her face. A sword of rainbow light wrapped itself around her keyblade, while pillars of light erupted from the ground around the edge of the battlefield, sealing the two in.
"Roxas...please, give me some signal to let me know that you're still in there," Xion begged with the cloaked boy one last time, praying that her words would get through to him. "Because if you don't...I will do what I must to save this world and protect my friends, no matter how badly it will tear me up inside. Because I promised them. I owe it to them...and I owe it to you, to free you from the Maestro. Please, just say something."
The boy's response was to plant his boots into the ground and point his keyblade at Xion, summoning hundreds of beams of light into a sphere of purple light that appeared at the end of his keyblade. Xion shook her head bitterly before she closed her eyes and held her keyblade to the side. The boy then let out a roar as he fired the hundreds of ray of light towards Xion, bringing down ragnarok upon her.
Yet the moment that the beams were about to be upon her, Xion dashed forward in a flash of light so fast that neither the cloaked boy nor Maestro could keep up with her. When she was visible to them again she was standing behind the cloaked boy with her back towards him, keyblade held out like she had just sliced through the world. The cloaked boy turned around to see Xion there, before a massive slash erupted across his body. Light poured from the wound on his chest and he slowly looked down at his injury, before he collapsed to his knees. Xion lowered her blade and turned around to face him.
Dozens of other slashes them emerged across his body, all of them bearing the same light that was shining from Xion's keyblade. Xion then walked forward towards the boy, who tried to lift his keyblade to stop Xion, yet he didn't have the strength. When she reached where he knelt she placed the Perfect Harmony on the ground beside her, before gently lifting her hands and grabbing the edge of the boy's hood.
"I am sorry, Roxas. I wish there had been another way," she said before she pulled the hood down. The moment the hood was down, however, Xion's eyes widened with disbelief and she stepped back away from the boy like he had tried to bite her. The moment the boy saw Xion's reaction a pink flower appeared over his head and cured his wounds. Xion realized what was about to happen and she reached out for her blade, which barely appeared in her hands in time to block the next strike. As the two keyblade locked up, Xion was able to look fully into the face of her foe.
He had blue eyes the same color as the sea, the same eyes that Xion had remembered staring into on the top of the tower. But there was something wrong with them. Instead of bright and full of life, they were dull and devoid. The face was also one she remembered well, yet it was different all the same. But what was truly different was the hair. The hair was spikey just like Roxas's had been, but instead of a dirty blonde this boy's hair was straight brown. And there was only one person she knew like that.
"It...it can't be," Xion said in disbelief while she struggled to push him back, before the sound of Maestro laughing reached her ears.
"Oh yes. Let me tell you, it took a lot of effort to get him under my control. But now does it make sense why your words couldn't reach him? After all, you were calling him by his Nobody's name." |
The Girl That Never Was | Heart of the World | "Sora."
Xion couldn't believe what she was seeing was true. But despite her hoping that it was a nightmare or some illusion being cast by the Maestro, there was no questioning the identity of the brown haired boy that stared at her with blank eyes. He lifted the Oblivion and slowly began to walk towards Xion once again, who lifted her keyblade and took up a fighting stance.
"What did you do to him?!" Xion roared over at Maestro.
"What those in Castle Oblivion wanted to do. Create a perfect puppet, one that could bring down the Organization and help them to rule over all the worlds," Maestro revealed before he shrugged his shoulders. "Of course, once we succeeded in creating the perfect puppet I killed those traitors myself. I despise those that cannot follow simple instructions or think themselves better as their superiors."
Sora lunged towards Xion and stabbed at her head. Xion blocked the blow to the side and retaliated with a kick to the gut that staggered Sora for a moment. Xion slashed down at the boy, but with his hood down his speed seemed to have increased and a moment later he was behind her. Xion had just enough time to register that he had moved before she felt Oblivioon slash across her back.
She rolled forward to get out of his striking distance before whirling around to deflect another strike from Sora. The power of light flowed through her body once more and she fired eight chains of light towards Sora. Sora backflipped out of the way of the chains before leaping into the air, channeling light on the end of his keyblade. Beams of light came flying from the end of his keyblade, breaking through Xion's chains and nearly striking her down. It was only by creating a barrier of light around herself at the last second that she was able to avoid being killed.
"This...this isn't the Sora from my memories," Xion said to herself as she cancelled her barrier, still feeling the pain of being slashed racing across her back.
"Of course it is not. This is one of mine. What would happen if Sora did become the Organizations perfect puppet instead of you?" Maestro asked as he turned his head towards Sora. "Numerous things, actually. You should have seen how hard Riku and Kairi fought to free him. Especially Kairi. Never before have I had a princess fight me with such strength and ferocity. She, on her own, nearly succeeded in freeing him. Nearly."
"You monster. What did you do to him?"
"Stripped him of his memories. Tore away that infuriating naivety that made up his core personality. And removed all traces of morals that he may have once had," Maestro replied in a joyous tone. "And thanks to the strength of his heart, he is even immune to the Rainbow Power, as he does not comprehend good or evil anymore. I was delighted when I found that out."
"But why here? Why bring him to this world?"
"Because you are on it." Xion gave Maestro a confused look and accidentally left herself open, but before Sora could attack Maestro held up a hand to pause the battle. "I told you that you would have to face your past. And who better as your final challenge than the very being you were supposed to replace. But not only is he the original, now he is a mindless puppet, much like you were supposed to be if you had never met Roxas and the other one I am curious to see...which of you is the superior puppet."
"You sick bastard."
"But there are a few equations that I did not account for. Your new keyblade," Maestro continued on, pointing at the Perfect Harmony. "I did not expect you to be able to befriend the ponies and I never thought you would achieve a real form. Unleashing you upon this land has been quite the learning experience. You have my gratitude, Xion. For that, I shall make your demise swift. But not at my hand. I have something far more important to do. If you will excuse me, my pawn will keep you company."
As he said this, Maestro floated into the air and turned towards the keyhole. The keyhole began to glow with light, a light that Maestro mimicked a moment later. He then transformed into a ray of light and was sucked into the keyhole. The moment he vanished into the keyhole darkness formed overhead. The ground began to shake with a force that shook the entire planet, while lightning cracked across the sky.
The Heartless that were battling the ponies all ceased the fighting and turned their heads towards the keyhole. For a brief moment they didn't do anything, before all at once the Heartless entered into the shadows and vanished from the battlefield. The ponies who had been battling the Heartless all looked around in confusion, before they turned their gaze over to Xion and Sora.
Xion leapt over a strike from Sora before firing a blast of fire into his back, knocking him to the ground and sending him tumbling through the dirt. Sora got back up to his feet with a blank expression on his face, despite the fact that he had taken a ball of fire to his back.
"Stay down, Sora! Don't make me hurt you!" Xion called out to Sora, but instead of staying down Sora charged towards Xion once more. Xion shook her head with sadness before she channeled the light into her blade once more, forming a sword of rainbow light around her keyblade. Sora saw this and hurled his keyblade at Xion, hoping to catch her off guard before she could strike. Xion hurled herself to the ground to avoid being struck by the keyblade, which impaled itself in the tree behind her.
Xion snapped to her feet and lunged towards Sora, slashing at him with the rainbow blade. Sora managed to dodge a few of the strikes, but with the intensity and speed of Xion's strikes eventually one of the strikes managed to catch Sora in the side of the head. Once he was stunned by the one strike, Xion began to unload with all of her might and fury, hammering Sora with a flurry of strikes and slashes. With a bellow of both rage and pain Xion slashed across Sora's chest, sending him flying into the air.
Xion cancelled out her light power right as Sora hit the ground, where he remained motionless on the ground. She shook her head at the broken boy before she turned back towards the keyhole, which had dark cracks forming in the tree around it.
"Maestro, what have you done?" Xion asked before she pointed her blade at the keyhole. Her eyes then widened as she realized that she was looking at the tree, but Oblivion was nowhere to be found on it.
The realization dawned too late and a moment later Xion felt the edge of a blade rip through her side. She screamed with pain as she fell to one knee, before she glared over her shoulder at Sora. Despite having been beaten relentlessly with her keyblade, somehow Sora had managed to get back up and summon his weapon back to him. He was covered in bloody cuts and horrible bruises, but his face remained as emotionless as ever.
"You really...never give up, do you?" Xion spat in pain. Sora didn't say anything, but he raised Oblivion over her head before striking down with a force that would have cleaved her head from her body. Xion's pain tolerance was nothing to laugh at either, so she was able to force herself to spin and lift the Perfect Harmony to deflect the Oblivion strike.
The force of the impact knocked the two keyblades out of both keyblade wielders hands, leaving the both of them without their weapons. Not wanting to allow Sora access to his weapon, Xion wound back a fist before she hurled it forward. Sora took the punch right to the side of his face, snapping his head to the side and staggering him backwards. Xion hurled another punch that nearly dropped Sora, before she finished her combo by grabbing Sora by the face and channeling the power of lightning through her hand. Sora silently screamed before he collapsed to his knees, where he began to struggle to get back up.
"No. This is over," Xion said as she reached out and summoned her keyblade, which she then pointed at Sora's head.
"Xion!"
Xion glanced over to see the ponies racing over towards him, most of them looking like they had come from the fight of their lives. Xion figured that she didn't look much better, but at the moment she was too busy ignoring the pain to care how she appeared.
"Xion, is this Roxas?" Rarity asked Xion, who shook her head.
"No, this is Sora. He's...closely related to Roxas," Xion revealed, getting her confused looks from the ponies. "All you need to know is that he's a keyblade wielder as well and he's the one that's been under the Maestro's control."
"Then what are you waiting for? Knock him out and leave him to us. You saw what the Maestro did, he went into the keyhole!" Rainbow Dash reminded everypony. "How could he even go in there? I thought that it was only a place Heartless could go?"
"I don't know, but whatever the reason, it can't be good," Xion replied as she glanced back at the keyhole. When she took her eyes off of Sora, he tried to get up to strike her. But the damage was too great and he ended up falling onto his face instead. Xion turned her gaze back to him and her eyes softened, feeling nothing but pity for the boy.
"Xion, our world is starting to fall apart. Whatever Maestro is doing it cannot be good," Celestia pointed out to Xion. "Leave him with us. We shall restrain him. You have to seal the keyhole."
"Alright Celestia, but first let me try something," Xion asked. She then knelt down next to Sora and pointed her keyblade at his head once more. "Maestro said that he made you a mindless puppet. That he stripped away your memories and personality, so that you would be nothing but a puppet. He cast you down so far into nothingness that not even your friends could help you. I know how that feels."
"But he made one mistake. He put you up against me. The very being that was created to steal your memories and copy you," Xion said with a smile before she placed the tip of her keyblade against the side of Sora's head. "And I've still got a few of those memories rattling around inside my own head. The ones that Maestro didn't bother to take out. It's not enough to restore you...but it may be enough to give you an idea of who you were."
Xion then closed her eyes and concentrated, focusing all of her memories that belonged to Sora into her blade. She could feel them slowly seeping from her mind into his, telling Xion that her plan was working. Memories of chasing around a white haired boy and red headed girl on the beach. Battling Heartless in a castle. Gazing at the sunset. There were only a few of them, but Xion gave them all to him without a second thought.
After a few moments she felt the last of the memories that weren't hers fade completely. She opened her eyes and gazed down at Sora, who let out a small groan before he lifted his head up and looked at Xion with the first emotion she had seen on his face. Confusion.
He then fell over and passed out on the ground, allowing Xion to let out a sigh of relief. She then glanced up at the ponies, none of who were certain of what had just happened. "Celestia, can you guys take care of him until I get back? If I leave him alone as he is now the Heartless will probably get him."
"We can, Xion. But are you sure he won't attack us?" Celestia asked.
"I'm not a hundred percent, but I think that he'll be too confused to want to attack you any longer," Xion said sadly as she gazed down at Sora. "He's been through a lot and he's going to need your guys help if he hopes to break free of what Maestro did to him. Please keep him safe."
"That we can do, Xion. We owe it to you," Twilight said and her friends nodded in agreement. Xion smiled at all of them before she pushed herself up to her feet, wincing in pain as she remembered all of the damage that was done to her. She cast cure over herself once more and felt all of her injuries heal, but it was a grim feeling as she knew that she had used up her last cure. She shook the thought out of her mind before she started to walk towards the keyhole, gripping her keyblade tightly.
"Alright Maestro, let's do this. You and me. One on one." Xion then raised her blade and pointed it at the keyhole, summoning a sphere of light around the end of her blade. The sphere of light then fired a beam of light into the keyhole and the sound of something being locked could be heard. But then a moment later darkness erupted from the keyhole and the sound of it being unlocked echoed across the world.
"Xion, what happened?" Luna asked Xion.
"It's like I feared. As long as the Maestro is messing with the keyhole, I can't lock it from the outside. And if I can't lock it from out here..." Her voice trailed off as she looked up at the sky, which was becoming darker and darker.
"How can you get to the keyhole, then?" Fluttershy asked.
"The same way he got in there. I have to go in there and lock the keyhole from within," Xion said in a less than thrilled tone.
"Can you even do that?"
"Guess we'll find out." Xion pointed her keyblade at the keyhole once more, but this time she changed her stance and moved the keyblade onto its side. A sensation in the back of her mind told her that what she was doing was right, a sensation that felt slightly like the Maestro. That was when she knew what she was doing was correct. She then fired a beam of darkness from the end of her blade into the keyhole. A moment later her body began to glow with a strange light, one that the keyhole matched. Then a flash of light went off and Xion was gone.
=========
No. XIV
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Xion had no idea where she was. What she did know was that she felt a surge of darkness and emptiness wash over her, almost as if she was in a sea of darkness. When she finally summoned enough courage to open her eyes, she found that she was in a place similar to where she had dove into Twilight's heart.
But where she was now had one key difference. Twilight's heart had only one stained glass circle, which had her closest friends on it. This place was filled with an uncountable number of stained glass images, all of them with a different pony, dragon or other creature upon them. Yet Xion's heart sunk when she saw that there was one circle that stood above all others. That one was an image of the Maestro, which had an ever shifting number of worlds around him. And in the center of that stained circle was the Maestro himself.
Xion glanced down to find herself standing on a single piece of stained glass, in a sea of endless darkness. Xion knew where she had to go, so she summoned as much courage as she could before she kicked off of the stain glass and hurled herself towards where the Maestro was. She glided through the darkness before she came to the edge of the circle, immediately falling to the edge of the circle. When she touched down she summoned her blade and fully expected Maestro to attack her, but instead he continued to stare up at the countless images.
"Isn't it amazing?" Maestro asked Xion, who gave him no reply. "All of these...stories...just waiting to be changed, written or ended. What would happen if Scorcher was raised by a zebra instead of another dragon? What if the sun and moon fell to the earth and it was the alicorn Gaea that ruled over this land? And those are just two of a seemingly infinite number of possibilities...and that's for this world alone."
"So that's the reason for you messing with people's lives? Because you just want to see what happens?" Xion asked with disbelief, the anger in her voice getting the Maestro to look over his shoulder at Xion and he finally registered the fact that she was really there. "That's...beyond twisted! How many lives have you ruined just because you were bored?!"
"Do not speak of my actions as if you understand them. In your terms, I have done just as much "good" as I have "evil". Take you, for example. In the world the Sora you defeated came from, you never even came to be thanks to my existence. But in another reality, I interfered on your behalf, aiding you and Roxas in bringing down the Organization and freeing you from your destinies. It is interesting, seeing how much you hate me when that version of you thanked me with genuine gratitude. And again, that was two of an infinite number."
"So what? Do you think that you're some kind of hero? That because you help others in some places you're allowed to ruin the lives of others?!" Xion roared at the Maestro, who shook his head at her words.
"So you actually managed to defeat Sora? Interesting. He is one of the strongest keyblade wielders in the worlds, yet severe his ties to his friends and loved ones and he becomes weak. How curious," Maestro said with a laugh. "I will have to remember that the next time I place him under my control."
"Are you deaf?! You're done hurting others for your evil reasons!" Xion roared.
"You are the one that is not listening, puppet. I am beyond the idea of good and evil. I seek to learn. I do not act out of malevolence or benevolence. All I do, I do to learn. To change. To...fix. I do not care how many lives I ruin or save to achieve my knowledge. There are infinite versions of those I ruin or save. What difference does changing the fate of one world make in the infinite universe?"
"To you, maybe nothing. But to those you hurt, it makes all the difference," Xion replied in a cold voice before she took up her fighting stance once more, channeling the power of light into her body. "And then there's me. You say that changing a reality doesn't matter to you? Well today it will matter. Because I'm going to end you. I'm going to strike you down once and for all and rid the infinite universes of your cruelty. You're right. You're not good. You're not evil. You're dead."
"Fool. So many beings, some which are beyond your understanding, said the same thing to me. Yet here I stand," the Maestro replied before he ripped off his brown cloak and tossed it to the side, revealing his full, metal body. "But just like them, you are welcome to fail. So come, Xion. Let us see if you can amuse me one last time before I strike you from existence." |
The Girl That Never Was | Sealed | Xion wasn't going to waste any time. Without access to anymore of her cures and knowing what the Maestro could do if given the chance, she planned to go all out right from the beginning. With a roar her body erupted with a brilliance that brought light to the infinite darkness around her. The light solidified over her body and formed armor similar to that of a knight, while her keyblade was wrapped in a blade of rainbow light.
"Interesting," Maestro muttered before he took a light infused keyblade to the side of the head. The blow staggered the metal being, while the blade managed to leave a slash mark in his armor. Xion followed up with a flurry of strikes, each one hitting harder than the last. The sound of metal striking metal echoed throughout the abyss of darkness, before her roar joined the sounds of violence as she thrust her keyblade clean through the chest of the Maestro. The end of her keyblade erupted through the other end of his body, sending sparks showering from his wound.
"Make no mistake Maestro, I'm not the same weak little girl that you met the first time we fought," Xion promised Maestro before she ripped the keyblade from his chest, before twirling it in her grasp and placing the blade right at his throat. "I've reached a new level of power since coming to Equestria, one that even you can't stop. Goodbye."
As she said this she slashed her blade upwards, cleaving through the metal that made up the Maestro's neck and severing his head from his shoulders. His metal head with the animal design carved into it clattered to the ground and Xion's feet. She glared down at it before glancing at his body, which fell to the ground with a metal clang. Xion then let out a sigh of relief before she turned and started to head for the exit.
"Did you really think it would be that easy?"
Fear consumed her heart as Xion spun around just in time to take a metal fist to the face, one that sent her sprawling across the stained glass image of the Maestro. Pain flooded her senses, but her fear and disbelief allowed her to fight through it and rise back up to her feet. Her eyes widened with shock when she saw the Maestro standing before her, but his body was different than the one that she had slain.
This body had armor that looked similar to a knight's, while the metal head had an animal designed carved into it that looked like an owl. A blade made of a deep blue material was clutched in his left hand and he held his right hand behind his back, as if he didn't need it. A second brown cloaked draped itself over his shoulder, while empty eye slits gazed down at the girl.
Xion then looked behind the knight version of the Maestro to see the body that she had slain a moment ago, now just a pile of scrap upon the ground. She summoned her keyblade back into her hand and took up her fighting stance once more, but now her confidence was far shakier than it had previously been.
"I will give you credit for that light form, I have yet to meet a version of you that was able to access such a considerable amount of power," Maestro admitted before he swung his blade at Xion. Xion lifted her Perfect Harmony to deflect the strike, but the moment the two blades collided Xion felt some of the light within her being sapped from her body. She pushed the Maestro's blade off of hers, only to find that the rainbow blade that covered her keyblade was missing a chunk from it. "Yet if that is all you have, than this battle will be over shortly."
"I've survived far too much to be brought down here. I will tear through as many of your suits as I have to so that you don't win!" Xion promised before she lunged forward, aiming for the Maestro's head. He brought up his blade to deflect her strike, but when she saw his blade move she spun in the air and aimed her strike low, knowing that she couldn't let their blades clash.
Her blade clashed against the armored thigh of the Maestro, yet to her horror she found that the blade that had sliced through his previous suit with little issue was stopped cold by the armor of the new suit. She had just a moment to contemplate what that meant for her before a metal fist caught her right under the jaw, ripping her from the ground and sending her flying backwards through the air. She crashed head first onto the ground, where she lay as she tried to regain control of her senses.
"As many of my...ah my foolish puppet, you mistakes these "suits" for just pieces of armor? No, each one of them is me. Each one of them is an extension of my will. They are here so that I can be everywhere," Maestro corrected for Xion, who rose to her feet and leaned against her keyblade for support.
"What are you...?"
"Did you really think that I only go to one place at a time? No, that would be far to inefficient to learn what I wish to learn. There are as many of these "suits" as there are stars in the sky," Maestro told Xion, whose eyes widened at the news. "And my will flows through all of them, allowing me to be in an uncountable number of places at the same time, learning how a world would be if something was changed. You are not the only one who I am dealing with right now. Do not think that you are so special that I would meet you twice in person."
"Of course you wouldn't. Too afraid I bet."
"Too busy, actually. And you should be grateful that I chose to meet you inside one of my forms," the Maestro told her before he lashed out with his blade, forcing the still dizzy Xion to block with her keyblade. Yet again when the two blades met, Xion felt more of her light being drained from her. "Because these forms hold only a small percentage of the power I truly wield. If I were here in person...this would have ended long ago."
Xion broke the blades connection and rolled backwards, flipping to her feet and unleashing numerous balls of fire from the end of her keyblade. The Maestro responded by raising his right hand and allowing the fireballs to strike his extended hand, where they fizzled out without leaving so much as a mark.
Xion switched up her tactics and raised her keyblade over her head, summoning clouds of thunder and lightning over the Maestro's head. "Well I bet those suits of yours conduct electricity really well!" Xion roared before her roar was drowned out by the roar of the bolts of lightning that came crashing down on top of the Maestro. The Maestro remained rooted in place as the lightning struck him down, yet once more Xion was left dumbstruck when her most powerful spells failed to leave a mark on the metal man.
"I have designed each of my forms to be able to hold their own against any foe. If this body was able to take a strike from your light infused keyblade without so much as a scratch, what makes you think your magic would get a different result?" Maestro asked Xion.
He dashed forward again and thrust his blade towards the girl, who rolled out of the way to avoid being struck. The Maestro caught her movement this time and lashed out with a foot to catch the rolling Xion right in the side of the head. She was sent tumbling away from the Maestro and her keyblade skid across the ground towards the edge of the circle, where it fell over the side a moment later.
"NO!" Xion cried out. Movement to her side made her focus and she just barely managed to move her body to avoid being impaled on the end of the Maestro's weapon. She threw a kick at his leg to try to knock him off balance, but when her flesh struck metal she knew that she had made a mistake. Maestro then lifted a boot and slammed it onto Xion's chest, getting her to cry out with pain as she was pinned to the floor.
"Do not act like the loss of your weapon will be of a detriment to you. I know that no matter where you are you can summon your blade to your side," Maestro scolded her before he drove the tip of his blade through Xion's shoulder. Xion screamed with agony as the blade began to drain all of the light within her from her body. "Not that it will do you any good here. Within moments, you will be stripped of that power you fought so hard to obtain. And then you will lose your life."
"Y-you...think that this is the only power I can wield?" Xion asked the Maestro. He tilted his head to the side in response, clearly curious to see what Xion had meant. Xion allowed a smile to cross her face before an eruption of darkness consumed her form. The darkness hurled the Maestro off of the girl, allowing Xion to get back up to her feet.
She extended her right hand and summoned the Perfect Harmony back to her, channeling her dark power around the keyblade. Instead of forming a sword around her blade like her light powers did, the power of darkness formed an ax like weapon around the key, with an eyeball in the middle of the ax's head. She flipped the weapon around in her hand, glaring down the Maestro with red eyes.
"Your power over darkness. Equally as interesting as your power over the light," Maestro noted before he banished his blue blade from his hand. He then placed his left hand behind his back and extended his right hand forward, creating a blade made from a crimson material out of the air. "And equally as easy to deal with."
Xion was upon the Maestro in a moment, swinging her clawed, left hand towards the face of her foe. Maestro reached up and blocked the strike with the back of his right hand, but in doing so left himself open to Xion's keyblade, which came in from his left. Instead of lifting his left hand to block the blow, Maestro simply allowed the keyblade to strike him in the side of the head. Despite having put all of her power behind the swing, once again Xion found that the metal that made up the Maestro was too strong to pierce.
Maestro's blade flashed through the air and Xion felt the sting of its bite a moment later. A piercing pain ran up her chest as she fell to the ground and when she looked down at her chest she found a slash mark running down the front of it that both leaked blood and darkness. A metal boot slammed into the side of her head and made her forget all about the wound on her chest. Her vision blurred into one big color for a brief moment, before her eyes slowly gave her a blurred image of where she lay on the ground.
"I will give you this much credit, Xion. You did provide to be far more entertaining than most," Maestro told Xion as she pushed herself to her side, unable to find the strength to get back up to a horizontal base. "It is actually impressive how quickly you managed to master light and darkness, especially which such a pathetic excuse of a teacher. You truly do have some talent. Too bad that neither the light or the darkness can save you here."
"Neither the light nor the..." Xion repeated in a daze, her mind starting to work despite all of the pain she was in.
"And even if you somehow managed to destroy this body, I would simply have another one. And then another. And then another," Maestro continued on. As he said this, Xion glanced over her shoulder at the body she had already beaten, wondering why he wasn't using that one as well.
"You were doomed from the moment you stood against me. You sealed your fate," Maestro told Xion as he lifted his blade over her, aiming right for her heart. Xion glared up at the Maestro with a look of defiance on her face, but she wasn't looking just at him. She was looking at the stained image that floated vertically next to one they were on, an image of the planet, with a keyhole in the center of it. "Farewell...puppet."
The second Xion saw the blade start to come down she summoned whatever strength she had left in her body to roll out of the way, causing the Maestro to drive his blade down right into the center of the platform they were on. She moved to her right a little before she summoned her keyblade to her side and aimed it right at center of the Maestro's chest. A circle of light formed around the end of the blade, before she shot a light ray into the Maestro. The ray went clean through him and out the other side.
'That's...all I have,' Xion thought before she collapsed to her knees, the pain and exhaustion finally catching up with her. Maestro glanced down at himself to see that his metal body hadn't suffered any damage from the attack. He ripped his blade from the ground and pointed it at Xion, who didn't react to the motion.
"And what, pray tell, was the point of that?" Maestro asked. His answer came when the sound of something being locked echoed throughout the area and the Maestro spun his head around to see that the keyhole behind him was glowing with light. A moment later the light, along with the keyhole, vanished and an even louder locking sound could be heard. "No...no...no."
"Good thing...you don't like...to dodge," Xion said weakly as a smirk crossed her face. Maestro was upon her in an instant, wrapping his fingers around her throat and hoisting her into the air.
"What have you done?"
"I locked the keyhole. From the inside," Xion replied, smiling as she did so. "And once a keyhole is locked, it can't be unlocked. Which means that you can't hurt the ponies anymore...because you're trapped in here with me."
"Do you truly believe that just because the way I entered is sealed means that I am trapped?" the Maestro asked her with a chuckle. "I can be wherever I wish to be. My will is what makes this body move, not my true form. All you have done is cause me to waste a body."
"Then go ahead. Leave. If you can."
The Maestro's form flickered for a moment, only to cease a moment later. Slowly, the Maestro lowered his head to look down at his metal form. His form flickered once again, but just like before nothing happened. Then the Maestro lifted his head to Xion, who smiled at him knowingly.
"What have you done to me?" he asked her.
"I used my keyblade to lock the keyhole...and anything else that was in it's path," she replied with a smirk. "That's what the keyblade does when you fire it at a keyhole. It will lock it. But I also fired it through you, meaning that you were locked as well."
"I am not a keyhole. This is not even my real form. It is nothing more..."
"Catching on? It may not be your real form, but it is you in a way. See, I was wondering why you didn't just swarm me with bodies if you wanted me dead so badly. Surely it wouldn't be that hard for you. But then, after remembering what you said, it dawned on me. You're everywhere. You're in a bunch of different bodies in an infinite number of realities. Which means that even your incredible will is stretched to its absolute limit, isn't it?" Xion asked. When the Maestro didn't respond, Xion allowed herself to laugh.
"Thought so. And with your will stretched so thin, that means you can only manage to possess one of your bodies at a time in each reality. That's why you had to jump from the damaged one to the one you're in now. That's why you always use one at a time. You're at your limit," Xion explained while the Maestro seethed.
"And now I've found a way to lock you, in a way that keeps you trapped in that body. You can't escape from that body. And now you can't escape from here either. I've locked the only way out. This is where you'll stay...for the rest of this world's eternity."
"This will not stop me."
"No, it won't. There are still an uncountable number of you out there. But it will stop you here. In this reality. On this Equestria. Because as long as you try to be here...this place shall be your prison," Xion told him in a quiet voice, before she closed her eyes and let out a sigh. "This battle is over."
"Yes, it is. You, as much as I hate to admit, have bested me," the Maestro replied, before he brought his sword back. "And in doing so, you have damned yourself to a fate worse than death. I wonder how long it will take to break you this time, puppet!"
The Maestro thrust his blade forward, yet before the blade struck an eruption of darkness caught the Maestro square in the chest. The blast was so strong that it sent the Maestro flying backwards while also forcing him to release his grip on Xion, who collapsed to the ground. She weakly lifted her head to try to see what had happened, only for her eyes to go wide when she realized that there was a pony standing in front of her. A pony with a black coat and a horn with a red tip at the end.
"Sombra?" she asked in disbelief. The dark king looked over his shoulder at her and smiled, before he turned his gaze back towards the Maestro.
"So this is what the heart of a world looks like? Honestly, I thought it would be bigger," Sombra muttered aloud as the Maestro got back up to his feet. "And I thought you would be more intimidating, but to be outsmarted completely by Xion? Whoo, that has to hurt."
"It will not hurt nearly as badly as what I shall do to the both of you," Maestro promised before glaring at Sombra. "How did you even get here? The keyhole was sealed! No one should be able to enter or exit!"
"Ah Maestro, despite thinking you know so much about the worlds it's clear that you know nothing," Sombra replied, infuriating the Maestro. "Xion thought she sealed the keyhole. And she did. But not entirely. For some asinine reason, somepony thought it would be a good idea to keep a small connection between this place and the outside world, just incase they needed to get somepony out of there."
"Then I am not trapped. I shall be free!" Maestro roared as he lunged forward, slashing at Sombra. Yet to the Maestro's bafflement, Sombra deflected the Maestro's strike with a blade of his own. A blade that had a circular guard made of chains, chains that wrapped around two pony heads that formed the guard. A black blade shaped like a tower made up the blade and at the top of the blade, making up the teeth, was a crystal heart wrapped in darkness.
"You...wield a keyblade?" Xion asked. "How?"
"Like I told you, Xion. I won't steal your blade. I don't need to!" Sombra cackled before his horn glowed with power, blasting the Maestro in the chest with his dark magic and pushing the metal man back. He turned his gaze towards Xion as he continued to pin down the Maestro, a warm smile crossing his face as he did so. A cure spell then descended onto Xion, who felt her wounds heal themselves.
"You need to get out of here," Sombra told her.
"No! I'm not going to leave you!" Xion roared at him, but then her roar was drowned out by the sound of the Maestro ripping through Sombra's magic to get to him.
"There's no time to argue. And no more time to talk. I wish I could spend hours telling you how much you impressed me or how you're the greatest student I've ever taken on, but all I can say now is...thank you." Sombra's horn then glowed once more and a sphere of darkness wrapped around her. Xion called out to Sombra within the sphere before she was hurled into the sky, vanishing in a flash of light. Sombra watched her go before he turned his gaze towards the Maestro, who seethed with hatred.
"How did you come to wield a keyblade? You do not have a strong enough heart nor have you held the keyblade of a master before!"
"Quite contraire. My heart is incredibly strong, perhaps one of the strongest in the world. As for holding a keyblade...let's just say that Xion allowed me to unintentionally grab hers, even if she didn't realize it. Of course, even I didn't know I needed to do that until I figured it out. That's the reason I "left" Xion alone. I was figuring out how to work this thing. I figured she was safe enough with the Ambassadors until I made my grand return. And I was right."
"I shall slay you Sombra and then I shall follow that path you created to my freedom. And then I will make sure that I kill Xion slowly and painfully, just to thank you," Maestro promised.
"See, there's a problem with your line of thinking. That pathway that I created? You need a keyblade to open it," Sombra said to the Maestro.
"That is of no matter to me. I will force you to use yours to open the path!" Maestro roared.
"Uh-huh. I see where you're coming from and it's honestly not a bad plan, but there's only one problem regarding the keyblade in question," Sombra said as he looked down at his keyblade, the weapon that he had strived so long to make his.
"And what would that be?"
Sombra's horn glowed with a power that eclipsed the two princesses and a beam of light shot from his horn, right into the center of his keyblade. Cracks formed all along the blade before it shattered into thousands of pieces, all of which were consumed by the darkness. Maestro stared in disbelief at where the keyblade had shattered while Sombra gave him an innocent smile.
"It's broken."
The floodgates opened within the Maestro and a flood of rage and hatred washed over him. He slowly lifted his head to glare at Sombra, who smiled back up at him with no regret on his face.
"Think we should try looking under the mat? Might be a spare key there?"
Maestro grabbed Sombra and lifted him into the air, driving his sword through his chest all the way to the hilt. "You have just damned yourself to eternal torment, Sombra. You will suffer for as long as I remain trapped within this place!"
"Still not as bad...as having to be ruled be...the princesses," Sombra spat back.
"Why do all of this?! Why sacrifice yourself for Xion?! You are Sombra and Sombra never helps anyone but himself!"
"True. But Xion is my prized pupil. She's smarter than me, more adept at magic than me...and honestly a far better pony...person than me. Still have her beat in the looks department though," Sombra coughed out. "So if it was for anypony else, I would have said screw em. But you chose to mess with my pupil. And I couldn't forgive that."
"Very well, you shall suffer in her place," the Maestro promised. "And throughout all this suffering, you will know that it is all because of your choices. You chose to oppose me. You chose to aid that puppet. Know that your suffering is on you."
"You're in here. She's out there. And she outsmarted you. That's all I need to know," Sombra replied with a smile. Maestro then tightened his grip before he dropped his blade to the ground. He channeled all of his power into his left hand and took aim at Sombra's face, preparing to unleash a pain upon him the lies of which Sombra would have never felt. But then Sombra's entire body began to glow with light, a light that caused cracks to form all along his form.
And now I'm going to blow myself up and take everything in this realm with me, including that little pathway I made to get here. So you can't out, but more importantly, she can't get back in," Sombra replied as his body reached critical mass, allowing him to smile one last time at the Maestro. "There's nothing you can do. The great, omnipotent, travel of realities will be defeated by me."
"How's that for a C level villain?" |
The Girl That Never Was | Hero | Xion knew that he deserved better. A single, unmarked grave in the middle of a barren wasteland that no pony would ever visit was not where Sombra, the pony that took Xion under his wing, taught her everything he knew and then saved her life, should have been buried. But Xion also knew that the ponies would not accept her story. Even the princesses had trouble believing that Sombra had been the one to save her. So his grave would be a lonely one. But Xion knew what he had done for her. And she would never forget his sacrifice.
She knelt next to his grave by herself, with the Ambassador and the princesses having left hours ago. Sorrow was all that she felt in her heart, a sorrow of having lost another person close to her. She had tried to go back in after him, tried to go back and save him from the Maestro's wrath. But before she could the keyhole on the tree vanished. Or, according to Celestia, was destroyed. From within. By a dark pony's magic that felt all to familiar to her. It didn't take a Sombra to piece together what he had done.
'Why?' Xion found herself asking once more as she stared at the gravestone, tears pouring from her eyes. 'Why did you have to pick that moment to grow a conscious? Why did you have to return at the last possible moment like a hero and then sacrifice yourself to save me?'
The grave did not answer her, causing Xion's heart to sink even further. She could almost hear Sombra laughing at her, calling her weak and a fraudulent excuse for a puppet, before he would tell her to get her crap together and figure out a way to do something. But she knew that the words were just echoes and that Sombra was truly dead. Because if he wasn't, he would have made sure to rub it in the princesses faces, never letting them forget what he did to help save the world.
A light breeze blew over the wasteland, catching Xion's hair and causing it to get in her eyes. She growled with frustration as she reached up to move the hair from her eyes, as it temporarily blinded her. When she cleared her hair from her eyes, she looked back down at the grave to see that something had changed. Her eyes widened with shock when she found that there was now a keychain resting upon the grave, a keychain with a black crown at the base of it.
Xion picked up the keyblade with disbelief, knowing that she was holding the keychain that had been on the end of Sombra's keyblade. The moment after she picked up the keychain, a letter appeared next to her, a letter written by a pony that was long gone.
'Hello Xion. If you can read this it means I am dead. Which isn't that surprising, given what I'm about to do, but I still kinda hope I'll survive this encounter. I mean, I'm me, so if anypony could survive it would be me. But nope. Dead. Like a doornail. Stupid expression, but get's my point across. And with me dead, you're probably thinking about how terrible things are and how badly you failed and you're wondering how you can go on without your super cool and amazing teacher? Am I right?'
"You arrogant, egotistically..." Xion whispered with tears in her eyes, but Sombra's words did bring a small smile to her face.
'Well sadly, you will have to go on without me. Because of the whole dead thing. But honestly...you don't need me anymore. You're already far better with dark magic than I will ever be. You can use light magic, whereas I don't touch the stuff. And you've got a good head on your shoulders. Should keep you out of most trouble. Who am I kidding, this is you we're talking about. That head will get you into trouble, but it should also get you through that trouble. Yeah, that's better.'
'Also, if you're getting this message, then you're probably holding the keychain to my blade, which I have dubbed the Dark Kingdom. You're also probably wondering how is it there when I brought the keyblade with me into the keyhole, right? Well if everything went according to plan, then the keyblade I brought with me was a fake. Just like the one you first wielded when you came here. That's right, I got both a real keyblade and then built a fake copy, which I brought with me to fight Maestro. How's that for smart?'
"You clever bastard," Xion whispered with a chuckle.
'Which brings me to the keyblade I'm giving to you. The Dark Kingdom. It will give you an insane magic boost and allow you to draw out your dark powers even further. However, I would recommend keeping the Perfect Harmony as your primary weapon. Overall it's better than mine, but not by much, and it's a better weapon for you. But if you ever feel like the light isn't working for you or you want to unleash the darkness within, give this bad boy a try. I promise you won't be disappointed. And whenever you use it, feel free to think of me.'
"I will. I promise."
'Okay, think that's about everything and this death message is running out of paper...ugh, guess I'll finally say it. I'm proud of you, kid. Despite having me, the Maestro and so many others try to get you to give in, to either accept that you are nothing more than a puppet or a mistake, you chose to be someone better. Someone who your friends would be proud of. Hell, I'm proud of you and I nearly vomited the last time you gave me your hero speech. You're an amazing mage, an incredible warrior and a master of learning. But most importantly, you're a good kid. Never let anypony else tell ya otherwise.'
'So I won't be that worried about you. Not just because I know you'll be safe and that you have friends to rely on, as well as two awesome keyblades. I won't be worried because I'll be dead. And that I know you're safe. But mostly because I'm dead. All that's left for you now is to decide what you're going to do next. Are you going to enjoy life in Equestria, now that you can finally stop doing what others were telling you to do. Or, if I know you, will you try to do more? Will you be the hero we both know you are? I look forward to find out, Xion. Because you always do what everypony least expects.'
'P.S. If you were wondering where I was the entire time, I was in your back pocket. Didn't think to look there, did you? Haha, truly I am an evil genius!'
The letter than burned away into darkness, leaving Xion alone with the keychain in her hands. Yet she didn't feel as sad as she did before. The sadness was still there, but she knew that Sombra would be with her in spirit. In the form of the keychain that he had given her. She was tempted to attach it then and there, but she recalled his words and decided to save it for a special occasion, when she really needed it.
Xion rose to her feet and placed the keychain in her back pocket, just to honor Sombra's memory, before she looked at the grave one last time. The gravestone had been blank, so that nopony would be able to figure out whose it was, but a smile crossed Xion's face as an idea came to her. She summoned her keyblade and used a beam of light to carve some words onto the front. Words that would make Sombra happy.
'An A+ villain.'
==========
No. XIV
==========
Being surrounded by her friends made Xion feel better slightly, but as she and the ponies looked through the glass at Sora, who lay upon a table in the middle of an operating room, she couldn't help but feel pangs of regret beat through her. Pinkie placed a hoof on Xion's shoulder to try and comfort her, while Twilight told her what she had been told by the princesses.
"Luna told me that she's doing everything she can to help fix his memories to the best of her abilities. She can go into the dreams of others and use her powers to help fix anything that is wrong with them," Twilight explained, pointing to the alicorn of the night that sat in a chair at the end of the room. Luna's eyes were glazed over and her horn was glowing slightly, telling Xion that she was working.
"Will she be able to help Sora repair his memories?" Xion asked.
"Sadly, no. All she really has to work with are the memories that you gave to him, along with which few terrible ones that he still has left," Twilight said with a shake of her head. "In time we may be able to get his old personality to surface and he might be able to start living again, but he will never be who he used to be. At most, he'll be...a blank slate."
"Heh, just like me, huh?" Xion asked, the irony not lost on her. Then she tightened her grip on the railing she was leaning on and she felt rage course through her body. "And he's suffering because of Maestro. Because of somebody that treats the lives of others like their just...toys to play with. To use as he sees fit."
"Xion, you stopped Maestro. You and Sombra both. You trapped him within the keyhole, where he'll never be able to escape. It's over...isn't it?" Fluttershy asked.
"For this reality, yes. But there are countless others out there, all of whom are faced with a Maestro just like the one I fought," Xion muttered to herself. "He's out there harming others, ruining their lives like he tried to ruin ours. And I'm here."
"You've done all you can," Rainbow said to Xion, but she shook her head and resumed watching Sora through the glass.
"Guys...can you promise me something?" Xion asked the ponies around her, turning all of their eyes towards the girl. "If I'm not here when Sora regains his personality, can you guys help him? Give him friends and good memories for him to have, not the terrible memories that he currently has."
"Xion, the way you're talking makes it sound like that you will not be with us much longer," Rarity said to Xion, who avoided eye contact.
"I've made up my mind," Xion said after a few moments of silence, lifting her had with confidence in her eyes. "All my life I've been doing what others want me to do, be it in the Organization, with the Maestro or even with Sombra, even though he eventually became my friend. I've been thinking about what I want to do and who I want to be. And who I want to be...is someone who helps others. A protector. A protector like Sombra was."
Xion then glanced around at her friends, waiting for one of them to try to talk her out of it. But to her surprise, all of the ponies smiled at her and nodded their heads. "Yeah, that's about what we expected you to say," Applejack said.
"Are you kidding? You want to be a protector? You're already a protector. Heck, you're a hero, Xion," Pinkie said. "You've fought the Heartless and beat the Maestro! What about that doesn't already make you a hero?"
"You guys don't get it. The kind of hero I want to be...might be the hero that won't be on this world much longer," Xion admitted. "There are so many other worlds that need help out there, worlds that are suffering under cruelty and darkness like the Maestro. I can't just sit by and do nothing. That's not what Roxas, or Sora...or Sombra would do. They'd do something about it. And so will I."
"We understand, Xion. While we love nothing more than to have you on our world...you have the heart of a hero. Which means you've got to go out there and fight," Rainbow agreed. "I admire that."
"As do I. But we just want you to know that no matter where you go or what you run into, you'll always have a place here with us," Twilight said. "And we'll always be out there with you as well. Your keyblade shows that you'll always have a little piece of us with you. So I hope you know that you're not alone."
"I won't. I will always have my friends with me. Both you guys and my old friends," Xion said with a nod of her head. A blinding flash of light then went off behind them and the group turned to see Princess Celestia standing behind them, a look on her face telling them that there was trouble.
"There is an attack by a small band of Heartless near the edge of a small town not far from here," Celestia told the group. All eyes turned towards Xion, who gave the princess a smirk before she extended her hand and summoned her keyblade into her hand. "Alright, Princess. Lead the way."
Celestia's horn glowed once more and Xion vanished in a flash of light.
=========
No. XIV
=========
As the last of the Heartless fell to Xion's keyblade, Xion allowed herself a moment to look around. The ponies of the town had come out to watch her fight the Heartless and when Xion had finished off the last one, the ponies began to applaud her, with genuine smiles on their faces. Xion couldn't help but smile at the praise, amazed on how quickly the ponies perception of her had turned around.
'Of course, it doesn't hurt that Twilight and the other princesses are telling everyone about what I did to save the world,' Xion thought to herself. She gave a small wave to the ponies before she turned and walked away from the village, sighing in relief to be away from all the applause. 'As nice as it is, though, I'm still not used to it. But it is nice to not be feared anymore. Twilight was right. The ponies here really are good deep down.'
"Alright Celestia, I'm done," Xion said to the sky, waiting to be teleported back. She waited a few minutes, her face falling when the teleportation never came. "Celestia, come on. As much as I like it out here, I need to get back to work. There's a lot to be done."
"Indeed there is, Xion."
Xion spun on her heels and lashed out at her keyblade at whoever had snuck up behind her. Her keyblade strike collided with a silver bracelet, one that didn't budge under the power of the keyblade. Yet while the bracelets themselves were impressive, it was who was wearing them that made Xion's eyes widen.
A woman stood before Xion, a woman with jet back hair and muscles that made her look like a Greek warrior. Her face was strong, but caring and her expression was one of interest, yet unlike Maestro there was no evil in her expression. She wore a shield and sword that hung from her back and she had a strange, star spangle coloring to her outfit. But Xion could sense the power that she had, a power that Xion had never felt in her life.
"That is you. You are Xion, correct?" the woman asked.
"Yeah, who wants to know?" Xion asked as she back up, still waiting to see whether or not she would have to fight her way out of this.
"I am called Diana. I am a hero from another world, a world that was attacked by a being that perhaps you know well. The Maestro," Diana said, her words making Xion narrow her eyes. "Ah, so you have met him."
"I did more than meet him. I fought him. I fought him, got broken and beaten by him and lost someone I cared about deeply to him," Xion clarified. Diana's expression softened upon hearing Xion's words, an action that wasn't lost on Xion. "So why are you here? If you're here for him, you're in the wrong place. There's only a fragment of him here. I don't know where the real one is."
"That's fine. We do," Diana told Xion, whose eyes widened at her words. "The problem is, the world that the coward is hiding on is locked up tight. And we don't have a key to get in. But, from what I heard, you do."
Xion glanced down at her keyblade, knowing what Diana was asking her. For a brief moment she thought about staying on Equestria, staying with her friends and finally living a peaceful, semi-normal life. And then she remembered what Maestro had done to her and Sombra. And the choice was an easy one.
"You need me to unlock his front door?" Xion asked as she spun her blade around, placing it on her shoulder. "You've come to the right person for the job." |
From Nirn to Equus | pre | "Not that kind of shouting, Spike. The magic kind."
"Oh, okay." A few beats passed before he flinched and exclaimed, "Wait, what?! You mean I could learn magic?!"
"Maybe," I stressed, "though first off, that should be delayed for a while. I am injured, and it takes energy and time to train as it does to heal from wounds."
"Aw..."
Favoring my left foreleg, I hobbled around and began to head for the door. "Wait, where are you going?" Fluttershy questioned.
"Out to find a quiet place to meditate," I replied, "I can't just sit around and do nothing. Also, I don't feel as though the castle's a good place for meditation."
"Uh, why?" Princess Twilight sounded almost hurt at that.
"I mean no disrespect, your Highness, though an out of the way place is better than an easily accessed one." I turned to the dragonling. "I may be able to give you a head start if you come with me, Spike." Eager claws on crystal clicked after my hoofsteps as I began my search for a meditative place.
~(☼~
It took a while, though I finally found a place that was perfect. It was close to a cottage that looked as though a druid resided in it, so I wasn't too far from someone in case someone became injured again, as the Everfree Forest was still close by. I learned Fluttershy lived there upon seeing her walk to the front door and wave shyly to me before entering. The quiet mare shouldn't cause any disturbance. I sit on the ground cross-legged, straighten by spine, and place what I believe my wrists to now be on my knees. A little tricky as a pony, but not impossible. I kept my eyes open and waited for Spike to mirror my movements. Once he did, his claws automatically had his index claw and thumb closed together.
"Now, first this is first. You must know the word and meaning of a Shout," I began, "as failure to do so will fail in properly Shouting." An eager nod. "Alright, then. Let's start with Yol. Fire." Spike then groaned audibly.
"Come on, I know about fire. I'm a dragon!" He waved his scaled arms in protest.
I glared back at him, "Then perhaps you'd care to tell Twilight how you injured yourself Shouting or how you didn't learn anything to tell her about it." I was met with a tangible silence and his eyes slammed shut. "Very well."
"Breath. That's the main key to it. Fire requires breath. Air. Where I am from, the wind is called Kyne's Breath. The breathing of a goddess. In. And out," I stated as I began to follow my own instruction and too, closed my eyes. "Fire. It burns all it touches, reducing most to cinders, others liquid rock or metal. Other time, simply providing light as a torch, or even a simple candle or a spark. Meditate on this meaning, within and without. Understand the nature and relationship is has with you, especially as a dragon. Heat-resistant scales. Fire-breathing. Let your natural breath improve the flame within." The flame within me grew warm, and I sensed a light warmth coming from Spike as well. "Now picture yourself within the source of fire. The heart of the flames. Within a campfire. Now a furnace, a wildfire. You are within it, and it, within you. Both unharmed by either. The fire large, yet stagnant in size." The heat from Spike was starting to grow at an alarming rate. "Now what is... going... on...." I couldn't form the words proper as a small emerald inferno surrounded the dragon, only lightly scorching the ground underneath himself.
"What? Should I open my eyes? Am I doing it?" The moment his focus ended, so did the flames. His eyes opened, and his disappointment was palpable. "Aww, man. I thought I had it. What are you looking at like that?"
Just realizing my jaw was slack, I corrected with an unintentional clack. "Perhaps you did better than you thought." I pointed a hoof to the scorch marks surrounding him. "The flames were controlled, yet intense. Perhaps I may be able to teach you to Shout."
"Wahoo!"
"Once I'm healed, hatchling!" I stated, laughing.
"Oh! Right." Though sheepish, the young dragon was still excited. A training plan began forming. Princess Twilight would be eager to learn this. |
From Nirn to Equus | 8. Dreams | Spike's stunning progress stunned me. Even Spike's normal fire breath improved due to his training, increasing considerably in size. He alternated between practicing the flame and speaking with me.
"Really, I could probably take on a manticore now!" He puffed out a brief emerald fireball the size of a troll's head.
"Now take care not to burn anything around you. Dragon fires are a bit more dangerous than normal flame."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Twilight's been telling me, only, my whole life." Another fireball.
Chuckling, I hobbled myself alongside him as he tested his flames. Then my ears perked up as I heard something odd from the forest. I swiveled them trying to pinpoint the sound.
Thump-thump, thump, thump.
It repeated steadily and reminded me of my wounded self. Was this pony walking on the injured leg? "Spike, hold."
"So, then I- What?"
"Wait here," I said sternly. I charged my horn with a fire spell and slowly made my way to the sound. It increased in noise steadily. Whatever it is was indeed headed this way. Parting some brush, I entered the forest we were near. I need not go much farther, as only twenty paces away was indeed a wounded pony.
So injured, they should have stayed in their grave.
I heard a gasp beside me. I turned and noticed Spike with his jaw slack and eyes wide. I rolled my own and cleared my throat. He jumped a little. "I thought I told you to stay."
"You told me to hold. There's nothing to hold over there."
I resisted the urge to facepalm -no, it was a facehoof, now- as I turned back to the undead pony. It was either barely mindful of its surroundings, or there was good magic piloting it, as it had noticed our presence and had opened its muzzle in a groaning moan. It shambled even faster. My spell had winked out being distracted by Spike's appearance reignited on my horn before I lobbed it at the zombie. It was joined by a fair-sized emerald fireball as both crashed into the creature, burning a hole into the core of the zombie, forcing it to fall apart. I then heard retching. Poor Spike must have never seen nor heard of such a being. At least he didn't regurgitate lava.
"Oh man, what the heck was that!?"
"That, Spike, was a zombie. Typically created when there's a necromancer: a wizard or other spell caster that dabbles in the magic of undeath and the control of it."
"What?! How's that possible? There's never been any record of necromancers! Just stories!" Spike was aghast. Truly, were there no necromancers to be heard of around?
"Then you are both lucky and unlucky. It means you haven't dealt with the potential depravity of someone desecrating any family graves as well as the fear of fighting undead hordes."
"We have to tell Twilight! But how is she going to believe us?" In response, my horn lit up in its golden glow, the same tell-tale magic surrounding the fallen corpse. "Oh. Oh no. Oh no, no. Twilight's not gonna like this."
~(☼~
"What the hay!"
The Princess's cry of outrage rang throughout the castle as I dropped the invisibility spell on the corpse I was holding in my telekinesis. Which was hard work, considering the magicka it takes to hold anything magically aloft. Losing energy, I lowered the remnants of the fallen pony to the crystal floor. "I doubt you would believe me if I told you this was animated a few minutes ago."
Her brow furrowed and she looked over to the stairs before returning her gaze to the corpse. Luckily, Fluttershy was already seen leaving and didn't have to deal with it. Twilight seized the body in her own aura and headed upstairs, saying to us, "Stay down there for now and if Starlight comes back after shopping, don't let her come up to the first library. I need to figure out where this came from." Spike and I watched her retreat upstairs before a door was heard opening and closing. I looked back at Spike. The poor young drake spoke nary a word since our hauling of the zombie.
"Okay, I'm going to my room and read comics to get that whole image out of my head. You stay here and watch for Starlight," Spike suddenly announced, snapping out of his trance. He then marched stiffly up the stairs, picking up pace past the library and dipping out of sight.
"Well then, I guess I'm Guard for the Night." Right as I said that, the front doors opened revealing a light violet mare with wavy mane and tail a lighter purple than Princess Twilight's mane and with a teal strip instead of pink. Her mark was that of a five-pointed star-topped wand with teal magicka trailing. Her eyes reflected the self-same color. She walked in relaxed as though her home. Must be the third occupant and perhaps this Starlight I've been hearing about.
The mare trotted up with confusion on her face, "Hey, so, you wouldn't happen to be the stallion that Twilight and Fluttershy found, would you?"
"I am indeed. I am Shade. Is it safe to presume you are Starlight?"
She nodded, "I am. Starlight Glimmer, Princess Twilight's student." Starlight then held out a hoof in greeting, which I shook. "I'm learning about the magic of friendship since I've mastered just about every other thing there is in magic."
"So, magic here can take on power dependent on a feeling or concept for a boost, or is it attached to certain spells?"
"Oh, well, it's pretty much its own kind of magic. Like how two different species can get along, or how absolute opposites can be friends or even get someone like me to be a friend to anypony." She trailed off.
"I won't divulge if you aren't willing to speak with someone you just met about it yet," Starlight appeared grateful, "However I must warn you that the first library is occupied, and I don't recommend entry until Princess Twilight has expressed otherwise."
"Are you a guard from Canterlot?" Her question seemed sudden to me and took me aback.
"No, I've never done any sort of guard duty. Why do you ask?"
"Sorry, it's just the way you were talking reminded me of some of those stuffy stallions. Well, more like stiff, but I think you get the point."
"Well, I have been a member of a branch of my empire's military, and my age may have something to do with me being old-fashioned," I paused, "though there's still the matter of the library. There is something that is being examined and I was requested to keep visitors or residents out until either approved by Her Highness or the subject of study has been removed."
"That bad, huh? Well, I guess I'll knock before anything else because I need to get in there for a certain book that's on one of the shelves."
"Of course, though do brace yourself if you are given entry. I've seen many like it before, though I doubt you have seen even one in person," I warned.
She smiles wryly, "Uh huh, sure."
We both walked up the stairs though Starlight stopped at the first library door and I headed towards my room for some rest to heal. A brief knock and light argument sounded muffled as I put distance between myself and the library. The door opened and I heard a "THE FAUST IS THAT!?" from Starlight.
I did warn her.
Luckily the rest of the evening was uneventful.
~(☼~
My hooves raced across the ground, pounding the packed and hardened earth beneath me as I fled. Sweat scattered upon my brow, wicked away by my mane. A howling echoed through the air. In the forest around me, green eyes and growls followed my every movement. Some of the pairs winked out or moved around, as though anticipating my erratic movements as I wove around the trees. As I turned, I noticed three pairs of eyes, two green, one yellow.
The yellow pair much higher up than the green.
"These hounds may not be mine, but soon you shall be."
I backpedaled and ran back whence I came, only for more green eyes behind me. I had to remind myself that these were only timberwolves, hounds made of wood and trees. As I calmed, however, the eyes began to shift in color, slowly changing from green to yellow. The growls deepening as though the owners increased in bulk. One hound stepped out as a werewolf. Then another. And another.
Then behind me, I heard footsteps from the speaker I assumed, as they spoke, only closer. "No one escapes the Wild Hunt." The moon turned a blood red at His declaration, his hounds circling closer.
"Get back, back!" I cried in vain as they closed in. I then threw spell after spell at them. They took the hit and rubbed their faces in the dirt to extinguish flames, lower raised fur, or brush off icicles, but others simply walked around those and filled the gap. More and more and more. They were then in their arm's length of me. "Get away!" My voice caught. Too many fangs, too many claws. My fate to be hunted forever.
"Begone, foul nightmares! Plague this dream no more!" A voice I have not heard before cried out and a lance of magicka pierced the werewolf closest to me, forcing it to cry out and fall into dust. More lances of magic shot out and the same result was found for nearly every werewolf. I turned and saw Him. Hircine. Humanoid with a deer's skull for a mask. Multiple shots hit him. Twice in each shoulder and once in the forehead. I felt myself relax and regain my senses. I then charged my strongest lightning spell. The bolt hit one hound and then jumped from wolf to wolf. I repeated, brimming with renewed determination until the hounds were gone.
"Finally, they are gone. Truly, such fearsome beasts the minds of ponies can conjure these days. Art thou all right?"
My speaker was not just an alicorn princess, rather the alicorn princess of the night. The guardian of dreams. I looked around and noticed a lack of viscera. "So, I am certainly dreaming. Unless your spell vaporizes dreams rather than actual harm due to the lack of blood." I quickly sniffed the air and smelled burning flesh from the hounds I slew. "Or perhaps this is a very vivid dream, I pray."
"This is very much a dream, my little pony," the midnight mare assured me, "though we are also very much here. We have not met you before, stallion. We are Princess Luna, diarch of the night, sister to Princess Celestia."
I bowed before her, "Pleasure, Princess. I am Shade. I have many titles, though I prefer none."
"None? Interesting. Perhaps you shall tell us thy story as to why someday. For now, we have other ponies we need to assist, most less in a less direct manner than yours."
"Why assist me so boldly, then, Your Highness?" I inquired. "Surely you may have had other methods."
She smirk was a wry one, "Thoust think that we would turn down an opportunity to fight against such strange creatures? Also, this was a serious one. Some of the more serious nightmares require direct assistance." She looked around. "Though we notice that thy dream seems to shift on its own."
I also looked around and noticed this dream was like one I had shortly after waking up in this world. Only the rapid images were just slightly slower. I recognized a part of Ponyville park and some of the Everfree forest, though there were other places that I did not recognize. A ruined castle, a hut in the woods, then the looming, shrouded face over the town of Ponyville and the ringing of a cattle bell. Upon closer inspection, the head resembled a ram. Confusion swept through me as I looked upon what I was seeing, I asked the Princess, "Your Highness, do you know what I am looking at?"
She shook her head, "Regretfully, we do not, we though thyself did?"
I shook my own head in return, "No, your Highness. There are times where I receive visions in my dreams from my patron, Azura. She watches over me as I worship her by granting me dreams of that which I must solve, but act upon once I know the riddle. The ending is a warning that someone is coming, and we must prepare."
"Quite," she responded sharply. "Normally we would prepare quickly, though without knowing the threat, we cannot prepare properly."
I bowed, "I thank you for your aid. Perhaps with this knowledge, I can sort out what is occurring." A thought then occurred to me. "Also, you should know that a zombie was found just outside Ponyville. Twilight was examining it last I saw and hopefully, she'll have some answers to this puzzle."
"A zombie? We have heard tales of zomponies before, but they were that: tales."
"I'm afraid you have a necromancer in Equestria, then, your Highness. The best I can do is prepare Twilight and her friends for the inevitability that once this necromancer has gathered enough corpses, they may mount an attack if my dream is anything to go by."
Her face was then fierce and determined, "Indeed. We know what to prepare for and We shall alert our sister. She will know when to notify the populous and of what. Fare thee well, Shade." With that, she spread her wings and vanished as her mane swirled around her and she disappeared into the nebulous stars within.
I then awoke. |
Spikewall still active. | pre | "We can't understand one another, it would be very dangerous to bring him with us. We know he can handle himself, I'll inform the Princesses of the situation, they might know what to do." Seeing her response logically, the main six traveled back in relative silence, until the sounds of crunching were heard.
After turning their heads they all discovered Spike eating a gem, sighing Rarity used her magic to pull the half-eaten rock away from the baby dragon.
"Hey! I was eating that!" Spike wined while Rarity spoke up.
"You'll get the leftover gems. Once I finish alright Spike?" Rarity reassured, making the others giggle at his fussiness.
860 POV
The first rays of the sun had stunned 860 but didn't deter him.
Stepping out onto uneven earth made him sign in serenity but something that confused the Soldier was where his current location was.
His memory was still foggy, in time it would return but for now time to convey a message to Overwatch.
One of the equines flew around him, apparently inspecting his equipment and symbols. However just as things seemed to be promising, they departed in a different direction.
Stopping. 860 watched them for a few moments before removing the radio from his back and redoing the process he did before, 860 started from the top. This time, prepping the radio for long-range transmission.
"Overwatch, Stabilization team designated, 7-0-3-9-10 has Flatlined. Spikewall Unit, is Solo active, holding its current position. Malignant contaminants have been Amputated, Awaiting for a new Advanced Directive."
And again, there was; nothing, only static was his response. No orders to command him, no hierarchy to follow. 860 was on his own.
'Maybe the Equines can assist me? Last I saw, they were trotting towards some old mine carts.' Turning his head, he discovered they were long gone. But a mine cart of Precious materials was left.
'I guess not. So much for them being Reliable.' Walking toward the old rusty cart, the Soldier bore witness to so many gems, some were large, others small.
Some were sparkling, others dull but the one that stood out to him was a gem attached to a collar. It was a bright orange color while glowing, the collar itself had diamonds ingrained into it.
'Christ, if these are the real deal, before the Seven-hour War. I could have made a small Fortune with this one alone.' Deciding to take the exotic resources, even though they didn't have a use now, Didn't mean they would later.
Looking up at the bright blue sky, 860 sighed, his vocoder distorting the sound of air escaping his lungs.
'I'm really on my own aren't I?' he thought, watching a single bird fly by and disappear into a lush green tree.
Spotting a forest, 860 pushed the mine cart with one hand, Toward it. 'I guess I'll hide in that Grove, better than being out in the open.' |
Spikewall still active. | Chapter Two - Meeting a firebird and a letter to a tired Princess | Chapter Two -
860 was still pushing this blasted cart full of precious materials; the internal clock on his HUD was showing the sun was going to set soon.
'Great, if my helmet isn't lying to me or isn't malfunctioning, I have two hours left of Sunlight before I need to use night vision again.'
Not that 860-minded. but still, sunlight was better than night vision. Shaking his head, the soldier pressed forward while nature around him was very much energetic. There were birds, rabbits, and insectoids.
Living and surviving around him, making the soldier pause, for a moment while 860 took in his surroundings.
'Where the hell, am I? Is this an overlooked pocket from the Suppression field? So many questions and so few answers.' Sighing, 860 made sure the cart wouldn't roll off, so he could grab a rock to keep it in place.
After finding a decent-sized stone, the modified man got down on his knees. To place it in the path effectively, stopping its chance at movement.
'I should take a break. This armor is making me sweat like a pig on a hot summer day.'
Moving over towards a larger stone, one that could handle his weight. He proceeded to take a seat, retrieved his mini-death helicopter in one swift motion, and tossed it into the air.
The viscerator, of course, turned on. Waiting for the soldier to issue a new directive. "Scan, the atmosphere for possible health contaminants for human life."
Moving into action, the little death copter flew off. Scanning the space around him, along with plants, and algae.
Even the nearby stream, wasn't spared by the soft blue light. This would take time, to receive a full report on. So 860, grabbed his main weapon and began an inspection.
'At least my Firearm didn't break on me, mid-combat. however, it's still operational from what I'm seeing.' 860 might have been wrong, for all he knew.
And fully dismantling, his prime weapon in an unsafe location, was a good way to get flatlined.
Having nothing else better to do, the soldier sat there, postponing his exploration of the woodlands, fate seemed to target him as his body began sweating.
Checking the temperature, in his helmet, the outside scanner. Marked the surrounding environment temperature, at 79F. However, it was decreasing due to the sun setting.
'Christ, it's hot, can't that damn drone hurry it up? This armor is sweltering.' The combine was pretty good at many things. But making armor that was insulated, wasn't their strong suit.
It didn't help that this armor was a winter model instead of a summer one. 'At least, I'll be warm during the colder months, But hopefully. I'll be back at the Citadel before that happens. '
Twilight POV
Twilight, and her friends, had arrived back at Ponyville without much issue; her friends had taken the gems back to Rarity's shop.
Once everypony, had given Rarity the gems she needed they said their goodbyes. And left to do whatever their plans had been before, Rarity's foal-napping.
However, Twilight didn't forget about the thing that saved them all. Or better yet, 'him.' as Rarity called it.
'What would have happened if it wasn't there to save us? Surely, it is a force to be reckoned with. We can't handle this. Nor can the local Royal Guards.'
Arriving at her library, Twilight immediately got to work, using her magic to unlock the front door and entered.
Spike followed close behind.
"Spike, would you fetch me some paper, ink, and a quill?" Nodding, the little dragon scurried off to retrieve the requested items.
Meanwhile, Twilight went to inspect the item that saved her life.
'I have no idea how to disassemble it, maybe he may know? But the main issue is the obvious language barrier between us. If only there was some way to make him understand my questions. And magic can only go so far.'
Gently igniting her horn, Twilight floated the half-emptied syringe over, she wanted to experiment with the last of the liquid inside. Which made her frustrated.' One day we will. But for now, I must keep it frozen if possible so the last of the samples don't spoil.'
Calmly, Twilight went into her basement, increasing the magical flow into her horn so it would become brighter.
"Now, where did I move that Freezer?" Looking around for a moment Twilight spotted the appliance. 'Found it, let's put this somewhere that won't break or freeze.'
Walking up to it, she opened it and placed the used syringe inside. "There, now it should hopefully last. If it even can be frozen now, let's go write that letter to Princess Celestia."
Checking, once, then twice, and even a third time. if the alien sample would handle being frozen. Twilight eventually. went back up, to the main part of the library, tail flicking sporadically.
"Is something wrong, Twilight?" asked a concerned Spike.
Swiveling her ear, Twilight sighed, before shaking her head. "Nothing to concern yourself Spike, did you get the things I asked for?" she asked.
Shortly, the mare heard familiar footfalls, coming toward her. "If you say so, Twilight but here are the things you asked for." Spike offered while she took them into her magic the mare began to write her letter.
'Dear, Princess Celestia, today I learned. Just because somepony is ladylike, doesn't make her weak. In fact, by using her wits, a seemingly, defenseless Pony can outsmart and outshine them all.'
Seeing that, as her friendship lesson. Twilight moved to the bottom part of the letter to tell her of the main issue.
'I didn't want to end this letter, on a sour note however, a situation is going on. Near and possibly inside, the Ever-free forest. A creature that I have reason to believe is from beyond the stars, is now hiding in those woods. It is extremely dangerous and deadly. I ask for instructions on how we should handle this if at all. Yours truly Twilight Sparkle.
Reading the letter over, multiple times to confirm no spelling mistakes. Nor over-complicated words were used. Twilight sealed the letter, in the Royal seal.
Turning around. She found that Spike had been given gems by Rarity; currently, he was going through them to see which was the biggest or longest.
"Spike before you start eating, can you send this to Princess Celestia?" jumping up, Spike rushed over nodding.
"Sure thing!"
He said happily, after taking it from Twilight, he proceeded to send the letter to the sun ruler. "Was that all?" Spike asked while Twilight shook her head.
"Nope you're good to go, I'll be reading if you need me, Spike." Nodding the baby dragon went back to sorting his gems.
"Spike, save some of those, I doubt Rarity will have any left. Once she's done." Twilight warned, but the dragon waved her warning off.
"Uh Huh."
'All of those gems will be gone by tonight.' Twilight thought, shaking her head, she knew her little assistant better than anypony.
Walking up the wooden carved steps, Twilight went to her room along with grabbing an unfinished book from her bedroom bookshelf, then went out onto her balcony.
Laying down, Twilight opened the book from where her bookmark was poking out. Once the book was open, she began to read from where she left off.
"I just hope, Princess Celestia responds soon. Celestia knows what it can do if it finds Ponyville and goes on a rampage." Twilight implored the heavens, hoping 'he' wouldn't find their quaint little town.
Because deep down she doubted that her and her friends could stop him, slow him down maybe. But stop him? Improbable.
860 POV
It felt like an eternity waiting on the Manhack to gather the necessary information. And 860 was growing more agitated with each passing minute.
'I swear to God, if this damn drone, Doesn't hurry it up, I'll just take my helmet off, and find out if I can breathe or not.'
Deciding not to shoot the viscerator drone, 860 gave out a long and exhausted sigh. 'Maybe thinking might help me wait out the information gathering.'
Closing his eyes, 860 thought back to his first mission with his permanent team, it was an immense infestation of 'necrotics.' and 'Parasitics.' or what the Resistance called, 'Headcrabs, and Zombies.'
Two, other Stabilization teams were dispatched, but they hadn't responded for three days, five hours, and twenty-seven seconds.
During the mission, a headcrab tried to connect with his head but failed. 860, had reached up, and had pulled the Parasitic off, and slammed it. Repeatedly, against a wall, until the wall was glistening in fluorescent plasma and organs.
"526, did say that was overkill. Even for a Parasitic. And I told him, I was giving the new Residential place, a fresh paint job." This made 860 grin slightly, but it didn't evolve into true exhilaration.
860, had many successful missions. That his higher-ups allowed him to remember to make him a skilled and better, 'Asset.' In live combat. However, 860 was so deep in thought, he was not aware of the manhack.
It was floating in front of him, waiting for the modified human to take the digital report. Snapping out of it. 860, offered his hand, to the death drone once more and took the report.
"Recall."
After storing it, 860 began going over the report to see if the air was safe, it took time to load the behemoth of a report. But after getting it, 860 began reading it.
'The Atmosphere here is 23.95% oxygen. Nitrogen is 75.09%, Argon is 0.93%" Looking at the report again one last time, to confirm the data was indeed correct.'
'From these readings, I shouldn't face many issues, and actually. More oxygen in the air might benefit me.'
but deep down, there was still a part of him that was suspicious of the report thinking it was false.
860 sighed. 'If I die, because of a drone malfunction. I swear if there's an Afterlife. my team, wouldn't let me hear the end of it.'
Seeing this as a make-or-break moment, 860 reached up with one hand, and slowly began undoing the clasps that held his helmet in place.
Once that was done, he needed to loosen it, leaving his firearm on his lap. 860 reached up and removed the grayish-black, helmet from his head, exposing his real head to the world.
The wind felt amazing on his skin, adding sweat into the mix was heavenly. Along with the fresh air he was breathing in, however, the air here was different.
Unlike the atmosphere back near the cities and citadel, from what he could remember smelled dirty, even synthetic.
But the air here reeked of fresh, untouched nature, it was quite pleasant to him he stayed there unmoving, expelling excess heat.
Listening, to the beasts of the woodlands, along with just smelling the world around him from 860's seat.
'I could get used to this, but this isn't my function. This recess may continue for five more minutes, and then I will continue my main directive.'
Once the five minutes were up, the modified human redid his helmet, the fit was always immaculate. While tightening it into place, a large bird landed on his knee-guard.
"Hello, Avian lifeform."
860 called out to it, before reaching over slowly with his hand, offering the bird his hand as a makeshift perch, to his surprise. It hopped up and was now resting on his whole hand.
'Now what? I've never held a bird before.' 860 had seen plenty of avian lifeforms, but none had ever dared to do what this current one was doing.
Upon closer inspection, 860 found that this bird was blood red, and orange. It was also producing an abnormal amount of heat, and energy, for a bird of its size.
Slowly, it leaned over and pecked at 860's helmet; it seemed to be inspecting him as he was in return.
"Please avian lifeform. Refrain from pecking, at the lenses. They are a nuisance, to clean smudges off of." Still, it continued pecking at them along with other parts of his helmet.
"I see you listen very well, to instructions." 860 grabbed his gun and sat up this time. The bird took to the air, flying around him, before landing on his shoulder.
'Better, than the equine's, at least this creature wouldn't leave me for dead.' Going back, to the mine cart he kept pushing it with one hand, but this time with a bird companion, getting a free ride on his shoulder.
They traveled together for some time, the sun was going down behind them, luckily the soldier and Phoenix had found a primitive stone tower overgrown with greenery.
'Beggars can't be choosers, this is where my forward operating headquarters will be, For the time being.' Reaching up, 860 offered his hand to the Phoenix who quickly hopped up.
Placing it on the mine cart he pointed to the bird then at the ground, signaling it to stay there. Turning around he grabbed the drone and turned it on.
"Sweep directive."
860 commanded, the structure had no door, however, it was just big enough for him to enter so once the viscerator flew in, 860 followed.
"Shadow clear."
He said to nobody in particular, while the active drone assisted in clearing the tower. To avoid getting injured, 860 left the drone to sweep the building.
The drone was gone for an overextended amount of time. Until it returned, a few minutes later showing that the Sweep had no hostiles to engage.
"Building clear, area secured."
Redoing the process with the manhack, 860 explored the building personally. He discovered a wooden table, that looked a little worn-out, and yet was still standing somehow. 'At least, I can do full maintenance on my equipment now.'
Three pillows around it, some drawers and cabinets, and a window that wasn't shattered, And after investigating the next room, he found a shared bed quarter that had three beds. Out of the three only one looked slightly usable.
'First-floor clear, time to go to the second and resume scan and clear.' Going up the stone steps, one step at a time. 860 had his finger on the trigger.
If there was anything in this building the man hack missed it would have been an easy fix for 860 with one blast of his firearm.
Thankfully, the search provided nothing except two more rooms. A sentry post, on the third floor. and the basement was empty minus a few barren, crates and barrels.
Heading topside, 860 found the bird still there, surprisingly even after he ordered it too. Surprised 860 inquired a question to the bird.
"You stayed? consider me surprised." Even though his Vocoder, wasn't showing it in his voice, 860 was telling the truth, While the bird nodded.
Thinking his head was still recovering from the crash still, the Overwatch soldier, just summed that up to his eyes seeing things.
Looking back, toward the setting sun the large bird seemed anxious like it wanted to fly off, but 860 wasn't letting it.
'Probably, it has a nest that the lifeform wants to return to. Might as well, release it.' Walking over to the mine cart the soldier grabbed a jewel and offered it to the bird.
"Take it."
It was the collar, from the bipedal lifeform he killed. Sure, it wasn't covered in blood, and last he checked, it didn't stink. So 860, didn't see why the bird wouldn't take it.
Moving over, the bird gently plucked three feathers from its body. One flight feather and two secondary feathers.
It placed them into his gray gloved hand, before taking the collar. 'Did; I, just. Do a commerce Exchange, with a Bird?' 860 was dumbfounded by this.
Finally snapping out of the confused state, 860 discovered the bird was long gone and now it was dark.
Pushing the mine cart inside was easier said than done, but once it was in, he moved it to the basement for proper storage.
"I'm not exhausted, yet might as well, clean this place up." Activating his night vision, the modified human began working on clearing plant life, and rocks. And other forms of debris that had built up over time, while avoiding the more nocturnal creatures that called these woods home.
However, he left the feathers somewhere where he wouldn't accidentally. Destroy, or ruin them.
'I never, really noticed the night sky. It's so open and, silent.' 860 gave the night sky a few more glances, before continuing on his work.
'Last I checked, it's not going anywhere, I can star gaze another time. right now, I need to focus.'
Celestia POV
Currently, the sun ruler was waiting on Philomena, her pet Phoenix. For the past week, she was very well-behaved in exchange. For good behavior, she was allowed to fly wherever she sees fit but must return before the sun sets.
This time, she was late. By an hour, to be specific. Celestia wasn't angry at her bird, but still. She loved pulling on her feathers when she did something like this.
As if on cue, Celestia's ears swiveled, and she could hear the familiar wing flapping of a certain Phoenix.
Celestia simply waited, for the right moment before jumping into action. Using her magic, the solar ruler took hold of Philomena and teleported her right in front of her.
"Philomena, what have I told you about staying out past the agreed amount of time?" Celestia asked the female Phoenix in question, who seemed to be hiding something behind her back with her wings.
"Young lady, what are you hiding behind you?" asked Celestia, but Philomena refused to reveal whatever it was she had been hiding.
Knowing her best, The white Alicorn simply teleported a mirror behind her large phoenix. Which revealed a diamond-engraved collar and a bright orange jewel hanging from it.
"My word, Philomena! Did you steal this?" Celestia asked, taking the collar away from her, with her golden magic. This seemed to upset, the bird who snatched it back with her beak, furiously shaking her head no.
"Then, who gave it to you? This isn't a cheap item to purchase. Did a Noble? give it to you." Asked Celestia another no was her answer.
Midway through her interrogation, Philomena reacted to one of the questions, that grabbed Celestia's attention.
Her once, solid orange feathered cheeks turned red, picking up on this, Celestia's once serious demeanor, Changed like a switch.
"Does my little, Philomena have a Colt friend?!" Celestia teased, which made her redder than orange.
Reaching over, with her foreleg. The fiery bird jumped up onto the outstretched limb, holding the color in her beak.
"What is his name?"
Inquired, Celestia however Philomena didn't have a name to give for her new friend.
This story wasn't adding up in the elder monarch's head, not in the slightest. "You mean to tell me. Philomena, a stranger, has given this to you, without knowing its true worth?"
The bird nodded, making Celestia sigh, as a result. "Did you give him or her compensation in return at least?"
She peeped, and nodded once more, opening her large wings and showing three feathers were missing.
"I should have never taught you how to barter with anypony." Another peep was her response.
Gently putting Philomena back in her cage, Celestia decided to shrink the collar down for her bird.
Since she seemed to really like the collar she was given, after making sure the neckband wouldn't choke her at all, or constrict her movements, Celestia went towards her desk.
"If I find out who you got that from I will compensate them. True, your feathers can fetch a decent amount of bits if sold. But nowhere near the worth of that collar," With a flick of her tail Celestia, Ignited her horn.
Deciding to close the open window, now that her prized bird had come home.
'Now that Philomena is back, I can go through some Paperwork.' True this was the least interesting part of running a whole realm.
Especially since her sister's return, many of her nobles had refused, to accept Luna back into the position of being a 'Princess.' most were terrified of her.
Others simply saw her return as an insult to Celestia's rule, however, rumors were going around the ranks of nobility.
From what she was told by her Guards, that overheard talks. Some wanted Celestia to oust her younger sister and declare her rule absolute.
She hoped it wasn't true, and was just intoxicated rambles of aristocrats, who had a little too much to drink.
But to play it safe, and for the safety of Luna, who was just now getting her magical abilities back, her older sister decided to.
Call forth, her young sister's ancient banners, and the bat pony sovereigns, were keen on answering the call. In droves, eager to serve. The Night Princess once again.
'At least they didn't forget her like how my Ponies did. However, the bat pony lands are even willing to join Equestria again after her return.' Celestia thought, making her heart twinge in sadness.
Thinking back to that fateful sunset after banishing Nightmare Moon, a letter had arrived in the sun ruler's court.
It decreed, that the bat pony lands. After the false banishment, and unnecessary hostility of the sun Princess, and her nobility, forced them to secede from Equestria and wouldn't merge until Princess Luna's return.
Many nobles at that time. Were outraged by the letter, and urged the Sun Princess to Call her banners. to stomp out, this illegitimate Rebellion against her crown.
Many of her High lords had called their Banners, in preparation for Celestia's call to arms. However, seeing the Thestrals request a just and peaceful motion.
Celestia sent a message, via messenger, telling them she accepted their demands, and that they were allowed to do as they desired, much to the disappointment of many.
'I avoided needless bloodshed. It was the least I could do for my Sister, during her time on the moon, I didn't have a say over them. But now after all that time, at the very least, they wish to Merge with Equestria once again.'
Finally seeing the end to the thousand-year divide between ponies and thestrals, Celestia was glad for the fact. that they did, keep their word, and didn't try to fight the peaceful reunification.
'All they wanted. Was for my Sister, Luna, to return.'
This warmed Celestia's heart because it showed just how Loyal, the thestrals were to their Princess. But sadly, it also showed the younger sun Ruler. just what kind of nobles, reside in her castle.
But her little ponies were still loyal to her even though they wanted her to dispose of Luna which would never happen.
Deciding, her mental mulling, had taken up enough time she snapped back from her drawn-out, blast from the past.
Celestia began going through the paperwork that required her to examine, working late into the night, which was very common for the sun ruler; she did it, in hope of making the next day slightly manageable.
However, her efforts would be in vain, somehow there always seemed to be a manuscript or document that needed her to read or sign.
Looking, to her left, Celestia spotted a familiar scroll that always appeared there making her smile faintly.
"It appears, Twilight has another friendship lesson she has learned."
Deciding to spend the last of her energy, reading her student's letter Celestia used her magic to flow the scroll over, and opened it.
The letter itself was a delight to read, however, the part at the bottom troubled, Celestia. "Twilight could be overreacting, the Ever-free forest, and even the rock wastes are connected so it shouldn't be a surprise seeing exotic animals there."
Reaching up with a hoof, Celestia covered her muzzle as a yawn escaped her. "I shall write back later tomorrow. Hopefully, it was just her nerves getting the best of her."
Celestia slowly got up, from her seat before making her way into her bed-chamber, to retire for the rest of the night.
860 POV
It took some time, roughly eight hours had passed, and 860 had cleaned the old stone structure up. All the flora, that had managed to grow inside or on the outside. we're pulled out, root, and stem.
He had discovered a flag of some kind, it was ancient, but it displayed two equines, one white and one blue. Both with wings and horns.
'Why does the wildlife here, have wings, or horns? Even none of these anomalies at all?'
Deciding this was a topic of discussion for another time, 860 returned to the second floor and moved two crates in the way to block the doorless frame.
'That should keep out any trespasser that shows up.' Removing his helmet, and other forms of equipment, and pieces of heavy armor.
860 felt lighter, this felt strange. He more or less lived in his armor, and only removed it when it needed to be cleaned. Or changed, for a stronger model or just for the season.
'I could have transferred into the Ordinal core, I have the experience and the successful manuscripts to do so, but I do better on the front than commanding from the rear."
Regardless, the human could see his fleshy body underneath. Within the moonlight, 860 could see his lesions that healed, long ago but still remained.
Some were long, others short, and others had faded away but the more profound ones remained.
And for the cost of this disfigurement, was his humanity.
Well, a decent bit of it anyway, in exchange the human was far stronger, more durable, taller, and lastly more deadly than an average human male.
'Time to initiate, stasis mode.' Getting onto the old bed, 860 made sure he wouldn't fall off, before passing out.
Little did he know this uneventful sleep would change. Once falling asleep the altered human heard an unfamiliar voice.
"Spikewall, unit respond." a voice called out from the darkness, it waited a few moments before repeating the sentence.
"Spikewall, unit. It would be in your best interest to respond." Acting quickly, 860 spoke out to answer the unidentified voice.
"This is unit, 8-6-0-9-6-2-1. Please identify immediately, to confirm you're true identity."
"Advisor, unit."
This surprised 860, as he never thought a combine advisor, would talk to him personally, but due to it outranking him 860 quickly responded.
"How can I be of Service?" the voice continued to speak once he stopped conversing.
"Unit 8-6-0-9-2-1, where is the rest of you're Stabilization team?" Asked the slug life form.
"Stabilization team, designated. 7-0-3-9-10 has flatlined, Spikewall is still active."
In response, the slug produced a sound of displeasure at the recent knowledge, but not a sound of annoyance. "Acknowledged. Spikewall unit prepare for advanced Directive."
"Affirmative. Spikewall is awaiting new directives." There was a long delay before the oversized slug spoke once more.
"Your Directives, are as follows. Investigate this Region, and discover the driving force, of these unknown, energy fluctuations. Once you find the main source, report your findings, immediately. To make further connections possible, we will return some, 'Faculties.' This is a privilege. Do not abuse them."
Seeing this as his new assignment he agreed. "Copy that, but what am I to do if the local life forms becomes hostile?"
Without missing a beat, the advisor responded." Prosecute at will. If they do not serve a purpose to your new directives then deal with them as you see fit."
"What has happened to Overwatch and Airwatch? I can not be fully effective without some kind of support."
"You still suppose, you're on earth. 8-6-0-9-2-1? Allow me to break the knowledge to you. You're no longer on Earth, but somewhere that we cannot reach. That should explain your inquiry about not reaching Overwatch and Airwatch. We have reason to believe the main cause of us not being able to reach this new universe. Is because of those, unknown fluctuations we mentioned, previously. You have your orders, do not disappoint us."
And just like that, 860 was awakened to birds chirping and singing. Getting up from the old bed 860 had equipped his armor once more. But left the backpack and extra weapons
Once that was completed, 860 moved the wooden crates out of the doorway. 'Nothing has attempted an entry on the structure.'
After pushing them away, he went back to retrieve his weapon of choice. Before he finally noticed the few crossbow bolts sticking out of his armor.
Afterward, he extracted the primitive projectiles, seeing them as nothing more, than a hindrance. On his movement, 860 headed downstairs, and out of the primitive structure. 'Time to retrieve my team.'
Heading back, in the direction he arrived from. 860, kept an eye out, for any hostile Contaminants, he may run into on his travels.
'I wonder if that bird will return. I doubt it, Birds don't come back if they are frightened off. But how did I scare it? I didn't do any sudden gestures or show any Aggression towards it.'
Dissatisfied, at the loss of his travel companion, 860 prevailed. Onwards, knowing that languishing over the point would be pointless.
However, upon reaching the stream 860 spotted something in the corner of his eye. It was brown and large, turning to look, there was nothing but grass and shrubs.
Wanting to play it safe, 860 tried to transmit to the A. I again. "Overwatch potential ambush, Spikewall, is preparing to Prosecute at will."
Gripping his main firearm, and flicking the safety off. 860 was ready to throw down with whatever dared attack him.
Behind him an animal released a vicious snarl, turning around. In a flash, 860 saw a strange lifeform; it was the shape of a wolf but made out of Timber.
'Let me guess, they're called Timberwolves?' 860 remarked inwardly, before the beast that was large enough. For 860 to ride, suddenly charged. Resulting in him putting a hole through its head.
"Spikewall is Prosecuting, at will!"
The blast was loud nowhere near the level of thunder, but still effectively loud. The plasma slug had connected with the Timberwolf's head resulting in a loud wood-splitting crack; after the smoke cleared, the blast had gone straight through the wolf's head
Shortly, after finishing off the one, two more. Arrived taking the place of the recently slain predator.
"Attention hostile, toothpicks. Fighting a Soldier of the Universal Union. Is not permitted, Please. leave while you still have your lives. Failure to obey will result in your rapid Amputation."
Gripping his gun handle, 860 prepared for a fight as the two multiplied into four. Then five, and then eight.
'I guess they want to be Sterilized. Good, I need plenty of experience that I can feasibly obtain. if I'm to function, in this mysterious Environment."
Like a wave of water, the Timberwolves charged him forcing 860, to engage the feral beasts.
Being only able to shoot approximately, five of them, before the wolves were upon him. One of the large wooden animals had knocked his main weapon away and had gone for an attack on his leg.
Another was trying to bite through his armor, along with Snarling, trying to and failing. at killing the 'prey.' Resulting in 860 saying how practical their attack was.
"Hostile spikes, Ineffective."
Resulting, in him having to use his Stun baton. 'Now this is a challenge, I can get behind.' Gripping the metal baton, 860 jammed it into the eye sockets of one of the Timberwolves and then turned it on to full power, while the wolf howled in pain.
860 electrified its head cavity, for five straight minutes while the wolf's packmates, attempted to tear at 860's armor, to little consequence.
Only then when smoke leaked out of the flatlined Wolf. Made the others flee, from the recently started fire.
"Overwatch be advised, Timber lifeforms are susceptible to conflagration. Spikewall is switching to more, sufficient, combat mode."
Grabbing a tree branch, from the smoldering wolf. 860. Threw it like a spear with deadly precision, going through the side of one Timberwolf and getting lodged in its body.
The recently started fire, had scared the last remaining Timberwolf. "Spikewall checking for any recent deterioration."
Looking over, his armor 860 had discovered, that the monsters had left their claw marks, and bite marks, on his armor but nothing too serious.
"Overwatch, Spikewall, has insignificant damages, maintaining current Directives." Shaking his head, 860 mentally smacked himself.
'Stop that, 860 there isn't any Overwatch to report to. I'm on my own, minus the Advisor Unit. Unless my mind is being affected. But then that means my mental state is deteriorating.'
Retrieving his primary firearm, 860 continued on the two-hour journey on foot. Toward, the rock and barren lands of the west.
"It's time to bring my Squad home." While walking 860 went over the plans he would need to do in order to give them a proper send-off.
'I'll need a Shovel if I can't make one, or Pilfer one. By the time, I dig five graves, under six feet, their bodies will belong to the maggots by then.'
Smacking his lips, 860 had discovered his low, hydration level. 860 grabbed a water ration and leaned against a tree.
After removing his helmet which he placed on the ground, he proceeded to down the whole silver-lined pouch of its liquid contents.
'I still prefer cold water, not warm. Especially in summer weather.' knowing the pouch could be reused, 860 stored it once more and re-equipped his helmet, then shortly continued on his way.
Until he arrived back at where he exited the underground cave formations. However, the bipedal lifeforms had moved the half-destroyed dropship pod out from the underground caverns. and left it there, along with another cart of gems.
This made 860, slightly disappointed, he did want to go back into their dens. To do some target practice, but now, there wasn't a reason to.
Grabbing, the man hack once more 860 turned it on before issuing an order. "Find any kind of urban Centers nearby."
860 just watched, the little drone gain altitude for some time after reaching roughly a hundred feet in the air it stopped and began slowly moving around taking in the surroundings and searching for any kind of structures.
Shortly it returned and looked in the direction of an urban center. 'It found, what I was looking for time to get that shovel.'
Turning, in the direction the Viscerator pointed to the modified human began his march toward this supposed urban center. While the manhack flew down and awaited, for a new mission tasking.
Grabbing it and storing it 860 continued on his trek to this town. Little did 860 know, he was walking toward the town of Ponyville unaware of the true inhabitants, of the village.
To be safe, the soldier, kept his prime weapon to stand by status in the event something else tried its luck at attacking 860.
'I have no idea if, this Urban Center. Is friendly or hostile so it's best if I stay vigilant went entering the town.'
860 was forced to cut threw the woodlands which he didn't mind of course if yesterday wasn't a sign of his liking of the fragrance of nature.
'Let's wait till nightfall. The night will cover my approach, I'm kinda not hard to miss. in broad daylight no less, along with me not being camouflaged. I rather not take, incoming fire from hostiles if it can be avoided.'
Sitting down, on a fallen tree. 860 removed his helmet so that his head could breathe, without the protective armor covering it all up.
'In the meantime, I can appreciate the nature around me. This isn't terrible I never understood. why 526 disliked nature, maybe he was mistaken. Or was he made to dislike it.' |
Spikewall still active. | Chapter Three - A proper send-off that results in capture | Chapter three
General third-person POV
Throughout the day, 860 sat on the fallen tree log waiting for the inevitable sunset. The half-human began going through his select few memories, to form some kind of plan.
'From this distance, that urban center is utterly populated by equines, which is very abnormal for their species.'
Shaking his head, 860 just did his best waiting for the needed time to pass to begin the mission.
'God, waiting for time to pass is boring, especially when there's nothing that can help me pass it.'
Looking around, 860 did his best trying to, and failing, at finding something worthwhile doing.
Just then, a brown rabbit appeared. It didn't spot the soldier so he didn't move, seeing the small life-form as his salvation from boredom.
860 sat there, watching the rabbit forge, and dig, into the earth. Suddenly something slammed against 860's head.
Turning his head around, 860 discovered the cause of the disturbance, a plastic ball had connected with his head, and the resulting clank scared the rabbit away.
Upon closer inspection, the ball was very similar to a dodgeball, from a school gym.
"Nice going, Scootaloo! Now we have to get the ball!" yelled Applebloom, while the filly in question defended herself.
"How is it my fault that Sweetie Belle wasn't open? and why can't you just use some of your magic to get the ball back?"
"I'm practicing! It worked just last night, but apparently, it doesn't work now."
"That shouldn't matter, you still need to get the ball! It went in your direction so it's your job to get it back!" Scootaloo persisted,
"For the love of Celestia's horseshoes! I'll get the darn ball!" shouted, Applebloom who had enough of the other two arguing
While they argued, 860 recognized the strange language from two days ago. 860, got up in a flash, and went for a more camouflaged position.
However, upon closer inspection, he discovered that the creatures speaking were higher pitched,
Compared to the adult equine, from before.
'I'm not in the mood to Sterilize someone's offspring, but if they discover me, I don't have a choice.' Offspring were very unreliable, at keeping quiet, or keeping secrets, for that matter.
But then again, he allowed a group of six female equines to leave unharmed, why should they be any different.
'Regardless, they saw what he was capable of. The smaller equines hadn't. All I can do is hope they won't compromise my position. If they don't spot me I won't engage.'
Sufficiently, as one in heavy armor, could stay still. The pony continued her approach, making him more uneasy.
'This is bad, they're going to spot me and then lose their lives.' 860 slowly trailed the cream-colored Equine with the barrel of his gun.
She slowly got closer and closer, and her hoofalls, became more Audible, to the Overwatch Soldier.
'Please in the name of creation don't see me. And compromise my stealth mission.'
"Applebloom, did you find the ball?!" shouted, Sweetie Belle.
860 gently flipped, the controlling switch setting it, to a single round burst. "Ya! I found it!" Applebloom replied, gently picking it up, with her muzzle. She turned tail, and galloped back, toward the same direction she came from, missing 860 by a hair.
"Next time, Scootaloo, let's try and not kick the ball alright?" said the irritated filly.
"Only when Sweetie Belle's horn starts working!" remarked an annoyed orange filly.
He was just about to squeeze the trigger, but thankfully his body stopped itself. The small Equine was gone, 860 had released a sigh he wasn't aware he had been holding in, after hearing their approach.
'There's something, looking out for that young Equine in the great beyond. If I was a Protection unit, I would have been screamed at by Overwatch, along with getting two or even three ration units, deducted for exhibiting hesitation.'
860, had refused to go back to his old seat, thinking that the more plant life that was covering him, the less likely chance he would be spotted, by any equines.
'I might as well just go into Stasis until the sun sets. For some reason, the Timberwolves I have decided to call them, aren't near this urban center. I guess I had entered a hunting ground, of some kind.'
Making sure he wouldn't be discovered, 860 extracted some vegetation from the earth around him; he then laid it on top of his armored body, in hopes of keeping himself hidden.
'Initiating Stasis.' Slowly, 860 went into an unconscious state once more, however, the Combine advisor, was not there to converse with him. Making his first-ever dream dark and cold, which never bothered him.
Princess Celestia POV
"Your Highness, why have you called me into your study?" asked a confused but nervous Shining Armor.
Giving a soft, but warm smile, Celestia answered. "It appears your Sister has run into an issue of sorts."
This made her Captain of the Royal guard, tense instantly, getting up with a hostile and icy tone. "I swear if a colt, or stallion, has hurt my little sister! So help me, they will be eating through a straw for a month."
Said an overprotective older brother, forgetting who he was standing in front of, Shining Armor, immediately bowed his horn; nearly putting a hole in Celestia's desk.
"F-forgive me! For my outburst, your Grace." Finding her Captain's actions warranted, she nodded.
"I would be in the same position if I thought a bad colt, or stallion, was trying to harm my sister, but I digress. Please, rise so we may proceed."
With a hoof, Celestia motioned for her captain to retake his seat, once seated she continued.
"However, that is not the reason I have summoned you to me, it does involve your sister,
but for a different reason."
Perplexed, Shining Armor tilted his head slightly, his blue mane covering his face barely. "If I may inquire, what was the reason?"
Nodding, Princess Celestia, ignited her horn making the letter Twilight had sent to the sun ruler, last night appear.
Celestia Floated it over to her older brother, while she spoke."Please pay attention to the ps at the bottom, Captain. That's what concerns me."
After reading it. Shining Armor became more cautious. "What would you have me do, Princess? Shall I send reinforcements to the town's garrison?"
Celestia however, wasn't on the same page with her Captain. "Don't you think it is possible, your sister could be overreacting?"
Thinking for a moment The stallion nodded. "True Twilight would overreact to certain things, but I doubt, she would be joking about something that serious."
Gently sliding the letter back, Celestia moved it to the side. "Well, good thing, I had asked another pony to come here as the tiebreaker. If only she wasn't up all night."
Just then a slow knock reverberated, off of the refined oak door, that blocked off the study from the rest of the castle.
"Come in," Celestia called out while the door was enveloped in soft blue magic and slowly opened to reveal the Princess of the night.
"Sister." Luna stayed covering her muzzle with a hoof as she yawned. "Why have you awoken me from my slumber?"
Smiling, Celestia waved her younger sister close."I wanted your opinion on the situation currently happening, near Ponyville."
Confused, Luna tilted her head, the bags under her eyes becoming more visible. In the process, "What has happened to the small Village?"
Through the talks, Shining Armor stayed silent not wanting to interrupt either, Princesses."Nothing has transpired. But my student, Twilight Sparkle, claims to have seen a strange creature."
Curiosity sparked in Luna's tired eyes for a moment, but it intrigued her enough to stay. "Where has this foreign creature been spotted?" asked the night-themed Alicorn.
"From what the letter had said, the creature is using the Ever-free forest as a place to hide. But, my student claims that it is incredibly dangerous, along with being deadly." Celestia informed, even giving her the letter that Twilight had sent.
After reading it over, Luna spoke up again. "Then allow my nightguards to handle this problem, I'm sure it won't be a challenge to scout the forest and find its dwelling."
With another loud yawn. Luna got back up, before walking towards the exit, Of the study.
"Apologies, sister, Captain. But I am very exhausted. Please excuse me." Luna asked while bumping into a wooden dresser, knocking over a glass vase and breaking it.
Looking back, Luna gave an awkward smile, while her horn flowed with magic. "Apologies sister, I will fix that immediately."
Celestia shook her head, at the mistake her sister caused. "Don't worry yourself, I'll fix it myself, just get yourself to bed, and try not to break anything else on the way, ok?"
Seeing her blue magic, she is overwhelmed by Celesita's golden sorcery. Luna sighed, giving up in an attempt to fix what she broke. "Very well, Sister I shall see you at Sunset."
In a flash of golden light, the shattered vase was repaired, back to its former glory.
Once it was repaired, Celestia returned her attention to her captain. "Shining Armor, please inform Ponyville's local guards, to double their patrols. And move to a more alert stance, until informed otherwise."
Her Captain turned his back towards his Princess while nodding, "At once, your Highness." Getting up and giving a bow, the Stallion left the room, quietly closing the door behind him. while Celestia got to work on writing a response to her student.
860 POV
Exiting, stasis wasn't hard; his body felt achy, however, sleeping while hunched over with dirt and grass all over one's body, will do that to anyone.
Opening his eyes, 860 discovered that thirteen hours had passed, and the lush awake world around him had gone dark and quiet. Minus a few insects making their calls, here and there.
Getting up, 860 looked toward the town, he spotted a few of the buildings had functioning power. "Overwatch be advised. The primitive, urban center has a concept of electricity."
Checking the clock in the corner of his helmet it said the current time was midnight, while an exclamation point appeared. Clicking it, the helmet warned that a severe weather pattern was moving in his direction and that he should stay inside a building or underground.
'Heavy rain, and strong wind gusts, I should double time, this up quickly. Visibility will be extremely low soon." 860 gripped, his firearm and began walking in the direction of the town.
860 made a plan inside of his head. 'Check radials, Sweep and clear corners, and stay on my toes.'
Moving slowly, to not make excessive noise, 860 kept on his approach, after some time he entered the town outskirts. Going from house to house, looking for any kind of shovel.
'Do these equines have no concept of excavation? Or am I just unlucky?' unknown to 860, something or someone was watching him.
Unaware of the few onlookers watching him, 860 glanced around cautiously, he didn't mind if the Equines were watching. If they got in his way, however, that's a different story.
Spotting more habitations, 860 gradually, made his way over. Cutting through alleyways, and avoiding windows that had light coming from them, and relatively, staying inside the darkness.
'If this whole town doesn't have a shovel I'll just make one myself.' Arriving at, the last house he could scavenge the backyard of, 860 didn't find anything but a flower bed of roses and other plant life.
Looking over, the wooden fence. The Overwatch soldier discovered that this town was far larger than first assumed. 'There's still hope for the search, but I need to cross that town square to check.'
Checking his radials, along with his blind spots. 860 proceeded to walk across the square with extra alertness.
Reaching a water fountain, 860 discovered a large group of horses. Some had yellow armor, others a purplish hue, and the six female equines from before. They appeared, to be down the road talking with one another unaware of his presence.
However, the two large groups of armored ponies walked off, heading north and south.
'This isn't going to end well.' After confirming that none of them were looking, in his direction, 860 made a slow walk across, deciding to keep hidden rather than wasting the energy to Amputate them all.
'Nice and steady, 860, stealth wasn't your strong suit but neither is diplomacy.'
Making it near what appeared to be a house made of sweets and icing, gave him pause. 'God, I haven't seen all of these sweets since before the war.'
Looking them over, they looked just how he remembered. ' If those were real, I would have taken those as well. It's been a very long time since I last had a candy cane, hell anything sweet for that matter.' Shaking his head, 860 snapped back to focus on his mission.
'Focus, 860, if you're spotted going loud, might be your only option.' Just then a soft gasp rang out from his right.
Turning to investigate, he found the orange Equine with a hat and green eyes. She shouted but he moved, quickly enough to snatch her, 860 picked the pony up, without much issue, along with storing his gun on his chest.
860 grabbed her mouth, not allowing her to make any kind of noise, all he needed to do was twist her neck, like an unopened soda bottle and she would expire but he didn't do it.
'Maybe I can use her as leverage if I'm discovered by the rest of them?' while he decided what to do with Applejack.
She, of course, wiggled and thrashed about not liking the idea of 860, restraining her movement, but he continued to hold her.
By the orange furred shoulders, and neck.' You're tough to hold equine, I'll give you that. But not tough enough.' going behind the gingerbread house, along with taking the rope she had. 860 pinned Applejack against the wall, by her neck, making her gasp, fear flashing into her eyes.
His fingers were deep into her large neck, 860 could feel her rapid heartbeat. ' You're terrified; good. Congratulations, equine, you are now my hostage.'
"Don't resist." 860 ordered.
Looking over at the rope, and moving it over, 860 began to tie her limbs together, making movement for her not possible. By this point, she was talking again, however, 860 didn't give her a chance to talk far. Her limbs were hog-tied together, all he needed to do was hold her mouth shut.
Applejack POV a few minutes prior
Twilight gently coughed, to grab the group's attention, for the plan she and the guards had made.
"Alright, girls here's the plan, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. Will watch the west side of Ponyville. While me, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack will take the east side of Ponyville. The guards have informed me, that they will be protecting the northern and south sides of Ponyville."
Nodding, the main six, divided into their assigned groups, after saying their farewells to one another Applejack walked with the two others, in her assigned group. "Twi, do you think the Royal guards can handle that big fella?"
Asked the nervous farm pony, while the lavender mare shook her head. "On their own? No, but each group of Royal guards were told by their officers to retreat if they spotted him."
That brought up another question, this time from Rainbow Dash. "Egghead, what are we supposed to do if he's in Ponyville?" asked Rainbow, her wings outstretched, along with flapping slightly but not consistently, enough to make her take flight.
"I'll teleport him away, and inform the guards, they will relay the message to Princess Luna, who in my response letter from Celestia, said she would aid Ponyville, Personally."
Sighing, Applejack turned to the left, walking toward, sugar-cube corner. "I'll be back y'all just need to use the restroom."
The other two nodded knowing she would return. "Just be quick about it, Applejack being alone is the most dangerous thing we all could do right now."
Carrying her lasso, on her back, the farm pony continued not thinking, that thing was in or near Ponyville.
'He sure can put on a show one, I don't agree with.' she thought, shuttering lightly at the memory of his hoofwork.
'I do hope, that thing isn't here.' Applejack knew for a fact her friends and her couldn't take him on alone, maybe one of the Princesses, could but not us.'
Turning the corner, Applejack spotted the creature that inspired fear, making the mare gasp which grabbed his attention. "Horse apples! It's here!"
Applejack was going to turn tail and run, however, his glove-covered hands grabbed hold of her. Before she could call out to her friends his hand was upon her muzzle keeping it shut.
Looking up, she saw the familiar unblinking eyes of the creature that slaughtered a den of Diamond dogs. It seemed to be more interested in her, lasso. 'You got another thing, coming partner! If you can take this pony by the rains that is!'
The earth pony continued to thrash about, trying to free herself from him. Resulting, in her getting pinned. Against the back wall of the pastry shop. With one hand on her neck, and him constricting her airway.
"P-partner! You've proven your point! L-let go." She pleaded, while her limbs were tied down. Ultimately, Applejack could feel her legs being restrained, but she was more concerned with getting air into her lungs, to care, or notice.
Eventually, she was able to breathe, gasping and coughing. However it was short-lived as his hand returned to her muzzle, but this time she could breathe.
Carrying her by her barrel, the tall monster hauled, the element of honesty, like baggage. It appeared to be, looking for something. Applejack couldn't tell currently, but her fear kept her, from acting out, of the thin line he had given her.
"Be still! And release our subject, Fiend!" boomed a voice from behind them, turning to look. The pair saw Princess Luna in midnight black armor. Wielding a night-themed sword, along with a whole contingent of Lunar guards, including day guards, sprinkled throughout.
Unceremoniously the alien dropped Applejack, giving her the ability to speak again. "Your H-highness! Do not fight him. He's an expert at it!"
Regardless, Luna didn't heed her warning. "Worry not fair Applejack, I shall be your savior this night. Guards, get the Element of honesty to safety, and detain this creature, it has caused enough trouble."
Slowly two guards advanced, one a day guard the other a night guard. Many of these Royal guards had weapons of their own, some had swords like their Princesses, but not as elegant. Others had crossbows, one even had a flail.
He spoke again, in his metallic voice, before retrieving his weapon from the chest armor he wore.
Applejack knew what was going to happen if the last time he fought was any kind of hint. And for the sake of her ears, the orange farm pony. Folded them, to stop the loud blasts she would hear.
A few moments later she would hear two blasts that filled her with dread.
"Sweet stars above!" Shouted a guard while he screamed in pain doing their best to stop the blood flowing out of the blown-off limb.
Not a second later his fellow compatriots shortly arrived to help aid in clotting the stream of red. "Guards! Hear my command!" Luna commanded, grabbing their attention and even Applejacks.
The medics unable to hear the night Princess from the pained screams of their day comrade, quickly muffled him with a rag in order to hear Luna's order.
"Protect the citizens of Ponyville! And get any wounded to safety! I shall handle this creature."
Moving quickly, the Royal guards dispersed, taking the wounded to safety. Along with the elements of harmony, minus Applejack.
The two stood there staring at one another, Princess Luna, was keeping an eye on the orange Farm pony. In the event, the alien tried to attack the incarcerated mare.
She would intervene immediately, however, Luna went for the attack, and the farm pony teleported by a familiar lavender pony.
"Applejack!" Called out, Twilight who tackled the Farmpony. Who made a soft grunt, in surprise as the rest of her friends join in on the tackle move.
"Are you ok, civilian? do you need to see a medic." Asked one of the Royal guards asked
"I'll be fine, Girls a little help here?" she added referring to her lasso that pinned her limbs together.
It took a few moments to undo the knots but after that was done she was free. "Should we help the Princess?"
"Her Highness as told us to protect the villagers of this town so the answer is no." The Response, was the very same Princess, getting thrown through a house.
860 POV
860, was planning to search the town. Even with the equine tied up in his arms, however, a loud yell grabbed his attention.
Turning to face the owner, of the shout, he found a slightly larger equine. her hair was of space, along with flowing in the wind. However, her eyes and body were different shades of blue.
She appeared to be in black colored armor while holding a sword, within a blue field of some kind.
Upon closer inspection, her horn extremity was glowing in the same field. Looking around her, 860 discovered male, and female horses; beside her, they all had primitive weaponry. "Overwatch be advised, Spikewall, has encountered loud Contaminants."
Simply dropping the farm pony as if she were a box, he reached over grabbing his firearm.
"Attention, noncompliant, lifeforms. Threatening a soldier is punishable by death, drop your weapons, and vacate this sector. This is your first and only warning, that will be issued."
However, they didn't listen, instead, the group of armored ponies approached. 'I did warn them.' pointing his firearm, toward a male horse who seemed to be, carrying a spear, 860 shot him. Resulting in his head exploding. And the second approaching pony, in the leg.
Resulting in him screaming and wailing in pain having lost a limb.
Needless to say, the moment that one horse fell over dead. The blue horse spoke, then, went for the attack. her eyes were cold, and void of warmth. Yet filled with resolve.
She tried a wide arch slash, with her sword, but 860 dodged the attack. Grabbing hold of her neck, the blue horse released a sound of surprise as he tossed her like a rag doll away.
'You're going to have to try harder than that, horse.'
Even though they couldn't understand one another it looked like she heard him. Releasing a snarl, the horse spoke, again. Her group of armed ponies left some time ago, presumably to flank him.
Along with his hostage, disappearing in a flash of purple light, 860 had no leverage or assistance in this fight.
'They outnumber me, ten to one, but yet they aren't pressing the numbers advantage.' Looking around, 860 discovered that they had left, it was just him and the blue horse.
Soon it began to rain more heavily.
She stopped her hoof, making the ground crack under the pressure while flaring her nose. Seeing this as a challenge, 860 simply shot the ground doing more damage to the earth below.
In an instant she flashed over, gritting her teeth and wings flared, she attempted an overhead slash.
It connected, but the sharp blade wasn't allowed to sink into flesh, due to his armor. 860 grabbed the stuck blade, it was pierced into his shoulder guard at the same time. 860, stored his gun.
'I'm not even going to waste the ammo, to fight this equine, at the very least the others saw reason and ran.' Reaching up, he grabbed her blade and shoved her back. Then slammed the sword into the dirt below.
'No weapon, for you, horse. Now withdraw from this sector, to avoid punishment.' 860 was trying to make her leave, but she wouldn't take no for an answer. Instead, she attacked him again, taking flight with her blue wings the flying horse charged him.
Then slammed into his chest, she managed to lift 860 off his own two feet, and then the ground. 860's short time of weightlessness was short-lived, as they slammed through a wall, and the resulting force, made him land in a kitchen of some kind.
While debris fell off his Armor, 860 grabbed the Equine by her neck. 'No more chances!' clenching his free hand into a fist, the modified human punched her across the muzzle, with enough force to Flatline, an equine. However, it did little more than make her stumble back a few steps, dazed.
"Oh, you're just a glutton for punishment, aren't you? Time for Re-education!"
Getting up, 860 grabbed a dented, cooking pan, and brought it down, on her head, making an audible *CLANG* ring out.
She was still standing, which amazed him. 'How the hell is she still alive? She should have died after my punch, no matter. I'll fix this, and continue with my main objective.' 860 decided to keep wailing on the female equine. His efforts dented the pan beyond recognition and yet, he still kept hitting her with the pan.
Regardless, it did little to end, or slow, her down because. When it came to the fifth, frying pan whack, she grabbed it with the light blue aura and flung it away. While it disappeared into another room, she released a sharp exhale from her nostrils and then tried to spear him with her oversized horn.
This time, 860, was ready, when she thrusted her head forward, he dodged again, and grabbed hold of her horn, effectively gaining control of Luna's head.
'That was reckless, how did she think that was a good idea to begin with?' to mock her attempt, 860 grabbed a large fruit, from the counter of the kitchen, and impaled it on her blue horn.
"Congratulations, you have become an overrated pin cushion." 860, said before throwing her through the wall and back out into the town.
Pushing a few bits down to match his height, 860 stepped through, following the multi-trait horse. Once, being a drizzle of rain, became a roaring storm from their time in doors.
Trudging over, 860 used his boot to push the pony, onto her back and prominently. Placed his boot, against the stomach of the horse, to pin her there.
Some blood was leaking from her nose. Along with a few lacerations, and bruises, on her upper half. 'Just stay down, for Pete's sake I'm on a time constraint here.'
Examining the area around them too, Confirming. No other hostiles were going to engage him, 860 was blasted in the face with a bright blue light making him stumble back holding his face. 'God damn it! That won't happen. Once, I can see again!'
During his moment of being half-visionless. Luna retrieved her sword, along with using her magic, to heal the minor wounds she sustained, and removed the apple, from her horn.
The winds were strong, the storm was building in strength. On top of that, visibility was getting harder and harder for each party.
Out stretching her wings, Luna took to the air, the winds, doing very little to stop the alicorn. Spotting her foe, Luna slammed into him once more but she didn't aim for any homes, this time. 'The apple farmstead, is the safest choice, for my subjects.'
While the Equine carried, 860 he simply lifted his two hands above her back; calmly, making them into fists, he brought them down on the center of Luna's back with a large amount of force.
The reaction was immediate: the pony released a mixed shout of surprise, and pain, as they both slammed into a tree with the equine landing on top of him.
Looking up, he locked eyes with her. She looked pissed, but was currently catching her breath from carrying him; her sword was still glowing a soft blue, without warning it was pressed against his neck to keep him down.
Taking this as motivation, 860 grabbed the sword and got back up. With her eyes wide in surprise, snapped her blade into two pieces, before her gaze.
She attempted to rise, from the wet earth beneath her, but a quick boot, to her side, stopped her.
The Equine's nose was flared along with the large eyes she had were narrowed, the idea of him pinning her down wasn't too appealing for her.
Retrieving his stun baton, 860 tuned it to a full blast and drove it into her side, shocking the night Princess.
'Your strength for an Equine has been noted. Let's see how much charge, you can take, from a fully charged, Stun baton.'
They stayed there for twenty whole minutes, and 860 confirmed that she was, indeed still alive. The stun baton had emptied its whole battery, in the re-education attempt. and by the end, she was left panting, and even steaming.
Storing his non-lethal weapon 860, got off of the horse and spotted a red farmhouse. 'There better, be a damn, shovel in there.'
Walking over to it 860, discovered the main doors to the red building were locked. Grabbing hold of said lock, he pulled, until it broke; and tossed the offending obsolete metal away.
Pushing the doors open, 860 entered uncontested, turning on his night vision, the Overwatch soldier began searching for the tool.
After some time, he found said tool. Grabbing the wooden handle, 860 exited the building, looking around it was a ghost town. No horses, not even local wildlife.
'These trees are producing some kind of fruit. It has also been duly noted. The main cause, for little to no activity, from wildlife is the storm.'
Following the path out of the apple Orchard, he simply traced the path of destruction. He and the blue equine caused, going around the home she slammed him through and spotting the giant gingerbread house.
"Spikewall is returning to the destroyed drop pod, then to field headquarters." Leaving the small town, the half-human, traveled back to his, temporary command post.
'I think that's a fair trade, a shovel for their lives. But if it breaks, mid-digging, I will burn the Urban center to the ground. For attempted amputation, on an Overwatch soldier.'
Arriving at the pod, 860 entered, making sure everything was still there. Seeing everything still inside, he vacated the destroyed pod. And began pushing it, along with the second mine-cart, full of gems to the old tower he found.
By this point, the storm was on top of him, his movement was hindered, but not stopped. 'I have to dig in this, all I can desire is better weather.'
Reaching the familiar tower, 860 deposited the gems and went to retrieve his radio. 'Does this even have what I'm looking for?' going through the channels, it had, most were static, others dead silence.
Until he found a recording. "526, you always liked to be prepared no matter the situation; even in death." Attaching it, on his back he carried it outside and removed some of their armor to begin digging, decent-sized graves for them all.
As the modified, human dug the reality of the current events was finally, hitting home.
860 was burying, the closest thing, to a family or friends he had sense, the conclusion of the war. They ate, fought together, won, and even failed, as a team. They understood why he enlisted, for the Combine. And 860 understood why they joined, everyone had their reasons but for him, It was just to have something to eat.
Granted, some sick people filled their ranks, but he tried to be a good person when no one else was looking.
But this. Being in a new world, that was exactly like Earth pre-war. 860, was all on his own. No friends, no backup, nothing. All 860 had was his armor and his dead team's firearms.
Climbing out of the last grave, 860 went to retrieve the first body, to lay in the six-foot grave. The walls and floor around him in the hole were turning into mud so this needed to be quick.
Gently laying them down, 860 would repeat this process with five other bodies the task was complete, and now all there was to do, was the ceremony, that would decommission, them from service.
Straightening up, 860 went into an attention stance. Retrieving his firearm and then holding it at the proper place the soldier began his duty.
Starting with the officer of the group, his captain. 860 gave his body, a salute, before speaking. "Unit; 5-2-6-0-8-9-1. The Universal Union, thanks you. for your years of service, along with your unfailing loyalty. Upon the discovery of your Flatline, Overwatch has approved this burial. Unit; 5-2-6-0-8-9-1 you are now, code 10-10A."
Giving his squad leader one last salute, 860 began to bury the cold carcass; once accomplished, he moved to the Sniper of the group; this would take time to finish doing all five of them.
By the end, 860, wasn't doing so well, the emotions that were put back, were rearing their ugly head. And his eyes were very close to crying. He doubted himself if he could do another burial alone.
Just then, something touched his back making him jump. Veering around to look, it was the blue equine from before, but her once rage-filled face was one of pity and warmth.
She spoke out to him, but it didn't make sense to 860, so he just turned around to face the last member of his group, the APF Unit while the sound of wings flapping were heard behind him.
He felt something, softly wrapping around his neck, not long after, someone was pressing against his head. That being said it gave him the willpower, to say what needed to be done.
"Unit; 1-3-0-5-2-4-7 T-the Universal Union, thanks you. for your years of service; A-along with your unfailing loyalty. Upon this discovery of your F-flatline, Overwatch has approved this burial. Unit; 1-3-0-5-2-4-7 you are now, C-code 10-10A."
With that being finished, 860 slumped against her and she guided them down, into a sitting position. the Equine, supporting him and his weight.
She spoke once more, but he couldn't still grasp their language but a gentle noise filled his ears it was the Princess's magic.
As the gentle hum, of magic filled his ears, a new face filled his vision. It was the shy female equine, from before, with tears streaming down her face, or was it the rain, nevertheless, she lay against him crying.
While he drifted off to sleep. for the first time, in a long, long time. 860 had a peaceful sleep.
Princess Luna POV
The night Princess, had no idea, what the creature was planning, however, one of her patrols had spotted, the creature, going into the woods and she was filled with anger, at how weak it made her look.
Along with the elements of harmony the only sounds they were hearing, at the moment, were hooves on dirt.
"Do you have any idea what he could be doing Princess?" Asked Twilight Sparkle, her friends were just as curious.
"I do not, but we know, Where it is hiding. I refuse to let him be free, after the death and harm it has caused."
The group fell silent once more until music was heard.
It was soft, melancholic. Luna, seeing this as a potential ambush, motioned her guards to take point and investigate. "Please make sure it isn't an ambush."
Nodding, her guards, Disappeared into some dense plant life. They disappeared for a moment and repeated.
"It is safe, your Highness. It isn't aware that we are here." Nodding, Princess Luna proceeded to see what was going on.
Thanks to her magic, Luna could see what was going on through the downpour, which made her rage pause.
This monster, who had electrified her, slammed a metal cooking tool on her head. punched her, and broke her blade, stuck an apple to her horn. Did all that, to bury his dead.
Her guards were going to attack, but Luna stopped them, with her words.
'Halt, all Royal guards, must hold their positions until told otherwise."
'I will honor, this moment with a truce, bury your departed.'
"Your Grace, we should strike now, while it's distracted." Whispered, a solar guard however this annoyed her.
"I have made up my mind. Hold your positions, or you'll face my iron if you fail to obey my command. Show your respect, for his loss." Luna's way of thinking was ancient and stern, but she had honor to a degree, especially in moments, like these.
The song was fitting, it was no doubt a military-style burial. Many of her Lunar guards had removed their helmets, following their princess's command.
There was one more grave left to fill, and the not-so-scary creature couldn't bring himself to do it.
'No creature should handle this burden; alone.' Luna thought, before entering the clearing, while many of the guards, and a few members of the main six, watched in silence not sure how to approach him.
She kept her hoof falls quiet, until she was right behind him, gently reaching up, and placing her front hoof on her back.
That seemed to have startled him, he turned around to face her but he didn't attack. "I know you can't understand me, but you have my pity, great warrior," Luna said slowly, in hopes he would understand her.
Gradually, he turned back, to face the graves while she took to the air, gently flying behind him, getting in close she wrapped her hooves around him.
Being this close, she could feel him, holding back tears. His body was seizing up, under the armor. Gently, Luna nuzzled his head. In hopes, that would break the dam, and sure enough it did, after he finished speaking, He slumped down.
but he wasn't holding it back now, from what she could tell. 'I shall aid you.' with this Luna ignited her horn.
Taking control, of the small pile of soil, she helped bury the last hole which resulted in him collapsing fully against her, using her strength. Luna gently pulled him into her warm embrace along with using her wings to shield him from the rain.
Slowly, the song had a somber conclusion.
By this point, Fluttershy, the element of kindness, was inconsolable.
Glancing back, Luna saw the other five mares didn't handle the ceremony, Rainbow Dash was refusing to cry, though her lower lip did quiver, slightly.
Pinkie Pie was crying a river, from how much water was released from her eyes. Applejack, had her hat pulled down to hide her face while the others cried more openly.
"Rest now, they are, at peace."
Luna gently said, while her horn glowed brighter, she cast a sleep spell over him which worked.
He slumped against the night Princess who needed to sit, to hold him now due to him being dead weight.
"Guards, send for a Royal land carriage." Swiveling her blue-furred ear, Luna heard her guards gallop off no doubt to call in what their night ruler requested.
Looking toward the day guards she pointed toward the tower. "Search the sentry post, and look for anything suspicious, once the search is over. Report back to me immediately, on what you find."
She stayed there, letting the armored creature sleep against her. It needed comfort, and Luna was in its position before, so she was more than willing to be a shoulder to cry on. Or sleep, in this case.
"Princess Luna."
Called out a sniffle, Twilight, turned to look at the unicorn. The night princess raised an eyebrow at her sister's pupil.
Seeing that it was ok for her to continue to speak she did so. "What will happen to him? Is he going to be safe?" asked the concerned, element of magic.
"Yeah! Even though this was pretty sappy, and all. But he saved our flanks a few days ago!" Rainbow Dash, seconded.
She wasn't the only one of the main six, who defended him. But first, he would need to answer for the crimes he committed. "I and my sister will take care of this, you all worry not, your tiny village is safe."
"W-what about the W-welcoming party I had planned?" Pinkie Pie asked teary-eyed.
"I'm sure, you can throw him a party later darling. But first, let the Princesses and the Royal guards do their duties." Nodding, Pinkie blew her nose out, on a tissue that she pulled from nowhere.
The Element bearers, we're affected by this ceremony even, Luna was feeling slightly emotional but was strong enough to hide it.
"I will have you all Escorted, back to Ponyville to ensure your safe return, from this blasted storm."
"Your Highness." A guard called out, grabbing the young alicorn's attention, turning to face the golden armored mare that made her continue.
"We have discovered two mine-carts full to the brim with jewels, and other forms of expensive precious stones, along with unknown technology on the second floor of the sentry post."
Luna simply nodded her head at the report. "Excellent outcome, Sargent, prepare everything for transportation."
Nodding the golden armored mare turned to leave before Luna spoke again. "Please get me a pair of cuffs, Sargent." The night Princess requested.
"It shall be done, your Grace." The royal guard enunciated, and after some time she returned with shackles.
"Those shall work, thank you. Now please escort the Elements of Harmony, back to Ponyville." Nodding, the guard bowed at the command.
"At once, Your Highness. Squad three! And squad four! Prepare for escort duty." The seasoned Royal guard commanded while walking off to shoot the orders she had been given.
By this point, Fluttershy, the element of kindness, had joined them. She was still weeping, but she was making sure the alien was indeed ok. "I'm so sorry for your loss!" Fluttershy cried while she latched onto his side lightly.
"Fair, Fluttershy he is asleep. And unable, to hear you." Luna remarked.
Jumping slightly, Fluttershy glanced up. Forgetting who, she was in the company of, while she stuttered a response. "M-my apologies, your Highness. I didn't mean to offend you, I'll leave if that's not too much T-trouble."
Before Luna could converse, with Fluttershy a moment longer, she rose from the ground and then bolted away, still scared of the night Princess.
Seeing that, as an issue to fix later. Luna shook her head while using her magic to open the cuffs. Gently lifting his hands she clasped them onto him, afterward locking them into place.
Making sure he wouldn't escape or wake up, Luna gently lifted the Alien with her magic so she could get onto her hooves. Once achieved, the Alicorn placed him back down stretching her body.
'Stars above, he was heavy. I think my back legs fell asleep.'
"Civilians, let's go." A royal guard calmly stated wanting them to follow.
"Let's go, girls." Said Twilight, while they began to walk back Fluttershy lingered, unsure of what was going to happen to the alien.
"Fluttershy, let's go!" Rainbow Dash, called. Snapping her back to her friends, Fluttershy made a noise of frustration, before running over to follow the main group.
"I-i'm coming!" she called back, slowly her galloping faded, and once again the night was all that remained.
'Once we, return to Canterlot I will inform my Sister of the alien's capture. Personally, then we shall begin an interrogation, however, if it doesn't understand us a way of communication, must be established.'
Princess Luna was so deep in thought she hadn't noticed the Royal land carriage arrive. "Your Highness the carriage is here."
Snapping back to it, she nodded. "Thank you, please load the Prisoner, for transportation, afterward we shall head for Canterlot."
This process would take time, due to how heavy he was, and the items, he owned. Princess Luna didn't want to leave anything, behind. She was in no rush, to return, back toward Canterlot.
'I might as well, bathe when I return home. Last time sister saw me this dirtied, I was a mear filly.' Grunting, Luna's body ached, making her surprised.
'This creature has made my body sore, well fought. I wouldn't expect anything less, his reputation, proceeds him.'
No doubt, she would feel it all in a few hours, but it's better than being dead. |
Spikewall still active. | Chapter Four - Old Memories Returned and Peace Interactions | Chapter Four
860 POV
Uploading previous mask Data. . .
Upload complete. Replaying old memories. . .
860 was unaware of his current surroundings; it felt like he was sitting down, but he couldn't open his eyes.
No matter how hard he tried, his eyelids refused to open. it was as if someone had super glued, them shut. 'What the hell, why can't I open my eyes?'
Trying for another few moments, the Overwatch voice arose, from his built-in radio. "Alert, Ground units. Invasive, Operation of Anti-Citizen Origin."
"Response code. Assemble. Sword. Inoculate. " Just then, someone punched his shoulder, while a new voice entered the mix.
"Oi, 86, no dozing, while we're on duty. That's what Anti-fatigue drugs, are for." Said a Civil Protection Officer.
Finally, 860 opened his eyes while responding. "Can it, 79, you know I don't use that crap. I don't even do the non-mechanical, reproductive simulations, they give us for, remarkable operations."
The person, named 79, looked over while still driving the vehicle. "You really should give those drugs a chance, especially when in a recess period. Best way to start it, in my opinion."
"Yeah, you also said that about, mixing those drugs with liquor." 860 commented, with a grin under the masked helmet, however, 79 responded keeping his eyes on the road.
"I also recommend that, even though, Dispatch does not. But what's life nowadays, without living on the edge?" 79, suggested making 860 scoffs.
"There's a fine line, between being an addict, and a half-wit. Somehow, you've become both, after trying those drugs. You're the prime reason, why I don't touch that stuff."
Looking towards him, 79, spoke up. "Good, can I have your stash of pills then? After, this round of active duty. That is."
"Hell no. I can use those, for trade. Why would I let that stuff go? Focus on the road, before you make us crash." 860 responded along with adjusting his combat belt.
"And this is why, you don't get invited to 91's gambling reception nights." 79 said,
Rolling his eyes, 860 just sat up, reaching up to grab something. He noticed the gloves he wore, weren't the normal Spikewall gloves he wore. Along with giving a response along with, gripping the sun visor.
"91, has informed me countless times, I can come whenever It transpires, I just choose not to. I went once, and everyone was boozing, and taking narcotics. After that, they began rambling about the old world. Before the combine, while I just took their credits, from said poker games."
Clasping the padded flap, 860 pulled it down to reveal a mirror, and to his surprise; 860 saw a Civil Protection, staring back instead of his normal appearance.
'What is going on here, Why can't I control my movements? Or speak, for that matter, And why am I in a Protection unit, uniform?'
"Alright, enough chit-chat. We're arriving on scene, I think today, is going to be an active one." commented, 79 while putting the prisoner transport in Park.
"Dispatch, truck 47-B is on the scene, for 10-33-A now." 860 informed while hopping out of the passenger side of the truck and retrieving his stun baton.
"Dispatch copies. Investigate, and report. Reminder. Lethal force will be authorized, if Citizens turn the protest, into a Class-C Riot. Exercise caution. Other, Civil Protection units, are in the area and link up. Before moving on the 10-33-A."
Reaching under the seat, 86 grabbed his MP-7 along with extending the rear stock out. "10-4."
Flicking the safety off, and closing the truck door
He cocked the gun while, 79 chuckled.
"God, you're like a teacher's pet when it comes to Dispatch," he remarked, making 86 flip him off silently.
"Just shut up, and keep moving. We need to link up with the others. So we can end this, and everyone can go home." 860 reprimanded, making 79 shake his head while drawing his pistol.
"You do know, I outrank you, 86. As your acting Supervisor, I could make a statement of you being insubordinate, and you'll lose your 'perk' for talking back. Show me some more respect." 79 jokingly teased, however, the non-modified human. Just kept going, deciding to stop, adding fuel to the fire that was his partner.
Following the concrete path, 860 found a combine shield door, walking through without any issue he entered the building it was safeguarding.
Heading to the courtyard of the Apartment complex. 860 saw a considerable, gathering of CPs and fellow Overwatch soldiers.
"Protection Units, prepare stun batons, and riot shields, in the event, citizens become malignant and engage us. Disengage, emotion. And prepare to Inoculate, then sterilize. Those who do not comply." Ordered an Ordinal unit.
Looking around, 860, looked about to see what his fellow allies were planning. He would discover, they were preparing to stop the demonstration, by force.
Storing his MP-7, 860 quickly grabbed a riot shield and moved towards the east exit of the apartment complex to join the front lines 860, could see the demonstration currently going underway.
Making a shield wall with his fellow CPs, a voice appeared from behind him.
"Attention, please. This rally is not authorized. Please, return to your housing blocks. This sector is now under lockdown. Those who fail to comply will face judgment."
This, of course, earned the attention of the angry mob the group of law enforcement.
"Overwatch, sector 89, sub-grid 40. Requires Strider-unit support."
"Overwatch copies, Ordinal unit, Support is inbound. ETA, ten minutes." Said the icey, and stoic Artificial Intelligence.
"This is going to be a massacre, if Dispatch allows it." The younger 860 mumbled while the civilians threw rocks, trash, and more or less anything. They could have picked up and at the metal shield of combine police.
"Protection units, hold the line. Tighten, current formation." In response, 860 and his fellow Officers, made a tight shield wall formation, as the citizens began their verbal assault.
"Your minds are in the gutter!" shouted a man who threw a brick at the wall.
"Traitors! Every single one of you. I doubt you would feel bad for us because you chose your side in this matter!" snarled a woman, who held a wooden plank like a baseball bat ready to charge if her fellow humans did.
"Turn off, the suppression field!" shouted a man, who thought, getting in the face. Of said riot shields, which wasn't a good idea, resulting in him getting shocked in the side.
"You asshats!" the rebel man retorted.
"Dispatch, ready to prosecute, noncompliant citizen, final warning issued." Warned 860.
While the man persisted. "I'll show you some real noncompliance!" Soon heavy footfalls were approaching from behind them.
They were distant, but approaching; 860 and his group needed to hold out just a few more minutes while the citizens kept throwing things at the shield wall both physically and verbally.
Eventually, a large stick-like leg slammed into the roof of the building behind them. Then finally another, ultimately their reinforcements had arrived. Standing on top of the white apartment building. It released a metallic call, indicating it had acquired hostile targets.
"Stabilization team, leader. Update mission directive. New response Code, Assemble. Sword. Sterilize." This made 860's heart rate increase.
'They're going to kill them all, just for wanting to have kids.' The younger 860 remarked inwardly as the Overwatch soldier behind him spoke up.
"Affirmative, Protection units. Equip lethal weapons, and sterilize the anti-Citizens."
Wavering, the younger 860 dropped his shield and stored the stun baton. And equipped his MP-7 Before he knew it, shots were flying and people were being gunned down for a basic human right; as Overwatch declared what they had been charged with.
"Attention, anti-Citizens. You are charged with Code 415, 'Civic disunity.' Code 404, 'riot.' Code 243, 'assaulting Civil Protection officers.' You all are Judged guilty, by the Civil Protection team, All units, deliver the terminal verdict immediately. "
While they routed and tried to escape. The Strider would simply blast them with Anti-personnel rounds. Making them explode into human chunks. Once the slaughter, had died down the Overwatch Officer spoke up, and issued a new command.
"86, and 36, Advance and execute any surviving Anti-Citizens." Commanded the Overwatch officer, looking back 860 gave a nod at the ruling.
"Copy, moving forward." Ejecting his old mag, and reloading a fresh one, he moved towards the deceased crowd.
Most of the civilians had perished but underneath some body parts and a torso 860, found a man clutching his throat, 860 honed his firearm at the dying man. Blood was flooding out from his wound and if it didn't stop he wouldn't make it.
"P-please, we just wanted to have more liberties."He gurgled out, while the Ordinal reached, out to 860 on the built-in radio.
"Protection Unit 86, disengage emotion, and execute the Anti-Citizen." The Overwatch leader instructed. Pointing his barrel at the man, he raised a bloodied hand, in hopes of stopping 860.
"Don't do this, Y-your not like the soldiers. You still have a free mind, is it wrong for us, wanting to teach and pass lessons onto our children?" asked the dying man. However, his hesitation caught the attention of Dispatch who communicated through 860's built-in radio.
"Civil Protection officer designated 86, disengage emotion. Failure to comply will result in. Five ration units, being deducted." Dispatch warned, seeing no way out of this the young 860 composed himself.
The youthful 860, racked his MP7, then pointed it at the man who was going to perish anyway from the loss of blood.
"D-don't. Do it, please your brain isn't, mush yet." The man pleaded but his pleas for mercy ended with a pull of his trigger.
"Protection Unit, 86." Turning to look, 860 saw a Combine soldier. Now that he was paying attention, it continued.
"You will come with us, for a new mission directive, acceptance is mandatory. Protection Unit, 86"
'Well, shit there goes my selected perk.' The human 860 thought but still followed not wanting to cause more trouble for himself than he was already in.
Traveling towards a Different kind of vehicle 860 climbed into the back along with four new arrivals. All sadly, we're soldiers of Overwatch which means a long and silent ride.
'Great just what I needed.' The younger 860 remarked inspecting his MP-7
Slowly the memory faded to black;
Uploaded data received. . . .
Memory Skipping Forward.
Revitalizing, in a combine Transport truck, 860 was face-to-face with a fellow Civil Protection officer. Beside him, looking around the younger 860 showed there were two more Civil Protection units.
And four soldiers, three assault grunts, one ordinal,
"Protection Units, be advised. We are entering sector 20. Subgrid 91, Overwatch is confirming the terminal restriction zone. Keep sightlines open, and sound on. A possible necrotic outbreak in the sector. If the mission is completed, all protection units, who survive, will be given reward notice."
Grabbing his firearm, the younger 860 still showed hesitation; when they talked about the head crabs.
'Jesus, I hate those damn things; why does dispatch let them run free? Instead of burning, them all.' Saving his hatred, for when he encountered the xen lifeforms.
860 along with the multitude of fellow Combine entered the underground.
Walking through a few combine shields, and one solid metal door a smell had reached the human. It was revolting;
Striding forward 860, Stepped onto Xen flora the fleshy like ground, squelched under the new pressure, making him gag slightly.
'Where the hell is infestation control? This is their department, not ours.' 860 remarked, while the captain of the Soldiers communicated with 860 and the two others.
"Protection Units, watch and secure shadow. For possible hostile contaminants."
Nodding at the order, he and his two comrades formed a loose formation; the three officers turned to watch the back of the group while the overwatch soldiers advanced. Leaving them behind,
"So what city are you from?" Inquired the officer to his left.
"City 10" 860 offered.
"Before or after the insurgent uprising?" asked the same officer.
"Five months before; Where are you from if you're so damn nosy?" stated an annoyed 860.
"I'm from city 19"
"City 17." the officer on his right stated.
'Why can't I be like him? Nothing ever happens in City 17. Instead, I need to be from the most unruly metropolis area on earth.'
"Do you lot, have an idea of where the Infestation team is? This place is filled with this organic Rubbish." Asked the City 19 cop.
860 was going to respond, but the City 17 cop beat him to it. "They're deceased, I see some of the bodies over there, whatever is down here, killed them."
While the three humans chatted and connected their radios came to life.
"Protection units, code 10-78. Has been declared in your sector. Assist stabilization Team, Anti-citizens are heavily armed." Dispatch commanded.
"Rebels down here? Are they nuts?" asked the city 19 cop.
"We can argue about it later, let's just get this done. So we can leave this perdition."
860 very much hated the sounds of the fleshly flooring below him but did what he could to ignore it.
The subway was a maze, thankfully the Soldiers did them a favor by leaving a trail of death to follow soon the sounds of battle reached their ears.
"How are we going to do this?" asked 17,
"We should flank them." 860 offered but 19 disagreed.
"They need critical support currently, flanking doesn't sound like a good idea." 19 argued,
Having enough of this 860 devised a plan. "You two, go help them. I'll flank these bastards. They technically are getting support. But I'm making sure they aren't able to escape. Got it?" he asked and without much resistance, they agreed.
Looking to his left, 860 found then entered. A maintenance tunnel, which led deeper underground. 860 gave one transmission toward dispatch to notify them of his tactic.
"Dispatch, Unit 86 is flanking hostiles, Protection unit is going dark."
"Dispatch copies, proceed with-."
Looking around, 860 shuttered. "I regret this already."
The smell was ten times nastier, down here and alien plant life was bigger and discharging spores, To continue dispersing.
'I'm gonna throw up, that smell is worse than rotting bodies.'
860 made it through relatively unharmed minus nearly getting eaten by a barnacle, and cooking three head crabs with his stun baton he made it.
The fall made his rear sore, nothing pain reducers couldn't fix.
Making it toward the exit he picked up some voices.
"Wipe all hard drives! We can't let them get that information. I don't care if you burn it afterward. Just get rid of it all."
Taking a deep breath, 860 readied himself; gripping his gun and kicked the door in.
'Let's do this!' entering what appeared to be an old data center of mainframes, and other important computer items. 860 spotted a target and quickly buried a bullet in the side of their head.
Pushing forward, 860 walked into a group of rebels; one had managed to get ahold of an Ar1, another a pistol; and the third a pump action.
'Shit. I don't think flanking was such a good idea.' The human 860 reflected, as bullets both man-made and combine made we're shot his way.
Reaching up, 860 radioed dispatch.
"Dispatch, rebel forces are in the AO; unit 86 is requesting support!"
"Copy. The additional unit has been already dispatched. Eta Three minutes;"
860 was stunned by the revelation. 'Only fucking one? Are you serious? How is one extra person going to change it?'
Just then an activated grenade landed next to him. Making his heart stop at the second, click sound off.
"Shit!" grabbing the hand explosive 860 threw it like a baseball over the mainframes as a loud thud rang out.
"Ow you twat!" shouted a man getting hit in the face with it.
The resulting explosion ended the rebels.
Advancing gradually, he checked corners then behind him, as a considerable amount of people advanced, Towards him.
"Are you human? What is your name? Not the designation the combine has given you. Your birth-given name, a man called out.
860 didn't reply while the man continued. "My name is Eli. What is yours?"
The Civil Protection officer didn't respond;
Heavy footfalls were approaching from the concrete wall behind him, pointing his firearm at the wall he braced for a two-front attack.
"I'm trying to help you walk away from this life, to join the resistance after you get a change of clothes."
After Eil stopped talking towards 860, the wall behind 860 exploded outwardly; spraying debris and bent rebar all over the room.
Something stomped forward, before speaking up." Protection unit, remain behind Wall-hammer; Overwatch, Wall-hammer is advancing to engage hostiles."
"Shit! Get behind solid cover! They have a Charger, John! Get more grenades."
Without saying a word 860 Jumped over a fallen mainframe. As the soldier activated the arm-mounted force field.
Immediately Charging in, the more heavily armored Combine's shield glowed brighter before a loud bang rang out.
Making two of the rebels shout in surprise at being flashed.
"Overwatch, Stun shock is code delta nine." the Wall-hammer communicated, disengaging his shield and starting to shoot. The unlucky few rebels who didn't get into cover.
Sticking with his support, 860 assisted in securing the flank of the rebel-controlled area;
"Protection unit, watch radials." The altered human commanded while retrieving an extractor from its combat belt.
"Don't resist." The Wall-hammer requested before activating the grenade and throwing it with deadly accuracy.
"Raising wall." Its shield flashed to life just before an explosion, from the extractor.
By the end of it all, some rebels had escaped, and others were either dead or captured.
"Give us names." Ordered the ordinal, gripping the man's neck.
"We don't know anything." He lied, while the officer punched him in the gut, making him lean forward before the Wall-hammer pulled him back up.
"We don't care. What do you know. What plans does the resistance have?"
"Nothing, we aren't accomplishing anything! That is deemed as Anti-citizen." Having enough of this charade, the officer backed away.
"We will get it out of him; take him to the transport." Turning to look at 860 the ordinal continued to speak.
"Protection unit, 86 Reward notice is live. acceptance is mandatory. A dropship is being sent to extract you."
Awakening. Privileged half-Cognitive Unit. 8-6-0-9-6-2-1 for Duty. . . Stand by.
Opening his real eyes, 860 felt like he was hit by a razor train. Sitting up, and groaning the whole way. 860's vocoder, made his sounds of discomfort audible, they sounded artificial. Along with discovering, his present situation.
Currently, his firearms and stun baton were missing, but 860's armor was still on his person.
The room he was in, was pretty dark, devoid of any kind of sunlight. Reaching up, to rectify the issue, with a simple button press.
However, metal chains and handcuffs halted his hand's advancement. 'What kind of primitive crap, is this?'
Struggling for a moment, 860 tried to remove the chains, but ultimately couldn't. Due to the handcuffs on his wrists, not giving him enough leeway, to break out. 'Great; I'm stuck here, isn't that just wonderful?'
Attempting to sit up, 860 discovered he was able to sit, now just sitting in the dark wasn't a huge deal. But these obscene chains were becoming more of a hindrance towards his situation.
'Note to self, do not trust Equines. Especially the ones, that are in my blind spot.'
Trying a few more times, to escape 860 gave up. 'If only, I had some kind of tool. To assist me, in breaking these cuffs, after that, I can handle the rest.'
Soon a loud clang, of metal on metal caught his attention, then a single pair of hoof-falls. The horse speech followed shortly after.
'If they are contentious, I am as good as dead. Maybe I can use this to my advantage?' their hoof falls stopped right in front of 860's door, and the previous social interaction though muffled, had ceased.
After a few locks were disengaged, the door opened inwardly, and the room filled with an orange hue.
Gentle pops echoed out, while the room filled with soft light from a torch. 860 could somewhat now see, the rag that blinded him wasn't as thick as first expected, more on par with an old potato sack on his head.
Softly the sounds of magic filled his ears as the sack was removed showing 860 a tall white horse with a horn on her head and a flowing mane.
Celestia POV
The day ruler's day court was on recess, her sister before retiring to sleep, informed her of the Alien's capture.
Thinking she was just overreacting, Celestia arrived at the entrance of the dungeons, and entered without much issue, passing the guard's main chamber. Which wasn't housing Sentries, at that time.
However, a pair of voices were echoing off the stone walls. Being the Curious mare she was, Celestia calmly listened, while walking towards the alien's cell.
"Princess Luna, wanted the added security to make sure it doesn't go anywhere she claims it threw her through a wall." Whispered another guard, the second voice of a mare spoke up.
"That explains, the gimp she had in her back legs you saw it too right?" she asked while her fellow Royal guard presumably nodded.
"I don't know if this thing is as dangerous as the Princess claims. If so, Why haven't we just killed it? Or why haven't the Princesses just banished that thing to Tartarus?"
"She even put a noise cancellation spell on the door, for added security. But if you ask me, Princess Luna's magic is too thin. If one of us slammed against it, hard enough I bet it could hear it."
The guards continued to gossip with one another as if they were alone in the dungeons.
Walking around the bend of the dungeon hallway Celestia saw this as her moment to speak up.
"That will be for me, and my sister, to decide. The creature's fate, now would one of you be of some assistance and unlock its cell?" Celestia's little scare made the guards nearly jump through the very cell door they were guarding.
"Y-yes Princess at once!" the startled Guardsmare answered, turning to the door in a flash she began unlocking the cell for the White Alicorn.
'That was a bit excessive sister, I wouldn't even do this to anypony. No matter their origin, unless justifiable.'
Igniting her horn, the sun Princess softly removed the blindfold seeing her alien guest's yellow unblinking eyes. This gave Celestia pause, 'I see why my subjects are calling for its banishment or even execution. Its unblinking eyes would scare most ponies. Though I doubt they realize it's wearing armor, of some kind.'
Moving closer, Celestia began to speak. "Before I begin, I apologize for your harsh treatment, after your imprisonment. I will make accommodations to have you, transferred to a different cell. Or to a solitary cell that has furniture at the very most a bed."
Now with that out of the way, Celestia cleared her throat to prepare a formal introduction. "My name is Princess Celestia, I am the ruler of the day. And co-ruler of Equestria, now please tell me who you are?"
Giving a gentle smile, Celestia hoped her act of friendliness would make it speak, however, all it managed to do. was looking up towards her, now able to see its surroundings.
Stepping a few steps closer, giving a slight frown, the sun Princess tried again. "Can you understand me?" the white Alicorn continued, seeing if a method of communication would be feasible.
'The creature seems unable to understand us, or maybe even speak our language; this makes future questioning hard for us to understand his motives and origins. But still, I need to keep attempting a stable form of communication at a later date. But who should I delegate this to when I'm unable?''
Shaking her head softly, Celestia turned to leave. "I must go, do not worry, I'll send somepony to offer food and other necessary items."
Gradually, Celestia left the cell and evidently, the dungeons. Walking back to her throne room her recess had concluded.
Walking past a maid, Celestia stopped and gently coughed to grab her attention.
The maid was a pegasus she turned and bowed respectfully after seeing who it was and immediately spoke up.
"Your Grace, how can I be of service?" she asked, still staying low to the floor in respect.
"I would ask you to bring a meal to the jail, a prisoner in the solitary sections of the dungeons." This made her ears fold but she didn't respond.
Catching this, Celestia raised an eyebrow at the display. "Is something wrong?" she asked not sure of what she said to spark the reaction.
"If I may be honest, your Highness, that thing down there scares me. What if it attacks me? Or lashes out in any kind of aggression?" she doubted.
Shaking her head Celestia answered. "My little pony, would you think I would send you there if it was dangerous? He's secured tightly, and can not harm you or anypony, all I ask of you, is to offer him food and water."
Slowly the Mare's ears went back before she nodded. "Very well, your Highness, what shall it. I mean he, be offered to eat?" The Pegasi corrected not wanting to upset the Solar Princess.
Celestia opened her mouth to speak but prominently closed it. She nor any other pony, knew what his daily diet was so anything and everything was on the table.
"For today, I think maybe something involving fruit should be a safe starter; after that, we try vegetables," Celestia ordered for her guest.
Making the mare nod. "I shall inform the kitchens immediately of your selection, your Grace." Standing the mare gave a slight bow again before departing.
"One more thing, please." Celestia requested making the mare stop and turn back to look.
She didn't speak, so the sun ruler continued. "I know I am pushing your comfort zone by asking this of you, but do you think you can keep him company while he eats?"
Giving a soft nod the mare trotted off, Celestia continued on her path. Finally making it back to the room where her royal duties mostly happened.
Seeing Blueblood and other notable nobles there made her cringe inwardly.
'Just for one day can't I enter my throne room and no nobles of any kind be inside?' The Sun Princess asked before releasing a soft sigh knowing it wouldn't happen.
860 POV
The Overwatch soldier sat there waiting; and for what? His team was dead so no potential rescue, he had no connection with any other kind of Combine-related entity in this cell so for all intents and purposes.
The alien empire had left him on the back burner. Looking to the corner of his vision, 860 checked the built-in clock which marked the current time midday.
'I have my mission directives that is more than reason enough to escape. But how do I break out?'
Just then a gentle knocking noise echoed around the room, originating at the metal cell door.
Slowly it opened revealing a horse in clothing similar to a maid uniform. Holding a plate of red things on it along with bread.
Verging towards him slowly, 860 watched her walk closer till finally, she stood in front of him.
Gently taking the tray from her back she placed it in his lap before backing away not wanting to be this close to him.
Looking down at the food gifted to him there were sliced fruits, a roll of bread. Along with a glass of water.
Glancing back towards the female horse she shifted from right to left nervously, even more so now that he was directly looking at her.
While he watched her, 860 studied the equine. The horse had wings on her back, her fur color was of a soft gray and her eyes were cyan. Along with that, her hair was softer shades of blue.
'These horses have strange color patterns. I do not believe that is normal with the current database, about them. I haven't consumed anything. I may as well try this stuff.'
Looking back down at the food, 860 tried to lift his hands to attempt to pick the food up but the handcuffs stopped him.
Attempting it a few more times, and failing. The horse called out,
"For Celestia's sake. Hang on."
looking over he saw her with her hoof against her face, in their version of a facepalm.
Walking over to the door she opened it and talked with an individual outside of the cell.
A moment later, a pair of keys floated, yes floated inside and undid one shackle, after that was done it floated back out and she closed the door.
Rolling his free hand; his wrist cracked, much to the displeasure of the onlooking Equine.
Reaching up, 860 undid the first strap then finally another gripping his helmet and in one swift pull removed his helmet.
Placing it on his lap, he took in the cell once again but this time without his helmet's aid.
The room was darker, farther away from the fire torch near the door, and to his surprise, the equine looked more dumbstruck than before.
Ignoring her reaction he cautiously picked up the sliced fruit, before smelling it.
'It smells fresh, and sweet with a hint of tart.'
Popping it into his mouth, he began to chew the apple slice.
It tasted; adequate, certainly a step up from a standard food ration but it no doubt something to write home about.
Eating another slice. Then another, before he knew it.
860 ate eight slices of Apple, his next target was the bread roll, grasping it he bit into it without much issue.
The roll was soft on the inside and chewy the taste was ok and it was certainly filling for just one person.
He finished the individual bread roll within a few bites and lastly, the glass of water, was taken into his gloved hand, 860 took a long hard drink.
Being in this model was making him sweat, true. This cell was cool, but it wasn't stopping his body from combating excess heat.
Putting the glass down with a sigh, that seemed to grasp the pony's attention. While the equine began her approach, seeing that he had finished his plate of food.
"Done already? You must have been really hungry weren't you."
Acquiring an idea, 860 watched the mare approach once her head leaned down to grab it with her teeth. The half-human grabbed her by the barrel and pulled her on top of him.
She, of course, gasped and struggled.
Getting her onto her back, had exposing the female's abdomen. This resulted in her flushing a different color.
"U-um what are you doing sir?" asked the embarrassed mare looking up, spotting his free hand hovering over her head.
She Watched it as if it was a flying saucer.
Cautiously, 860 placed his hand against her head, gently patting her forehead making the mare produce a face of confusion.
She was unsure of what to think of this alien giving her head pats.
"Sir? If you wanted to pet me. You could have asked, to see if I was ok with it or not. I don't mind it; but please, ask a mare before you drag her on top of you. It's not very gentle-colt-like."
She shuffled, not finding his armor to be the most comfortable thing to lay on.
Taking this as her wanting more, 860 moved his hand behind her ears and began scratching there; this made her stop shuffling as her rear leg began to kick slightly.
He took notice of this display making him calculate her behavior.
'Strange; equine's here, act more like dogs than actual horses. Granted, I never interacted with a horse before arriving here. So I may be mistaken.'
Continuing to scratch her ear the equine did everything she could to keep this peaceful interaction going.
Eventually, the cell opened. And an equine peeked her head inside.
"Starshine, you're getting us a little worried out here." Said he female guard peeking in.
"Shush! I'm in paradise~" Starshine hissed, stretching out like a cat from the ear scratches, tail swishing.
"And here I thought, you were terrified to be alone with him." Remarked the second Guard.
To 860, they were speaking in the tongue he couldn't understand. 'What I would give to have Overwatch here so it could translate it.'
Gently pushing the mare off, she in return, whined in despair not wanting the ear scratches to end.
"Come on! Things were just getting good, you can't leave me hanging like that!" Starshine pleaded while the royal guard spoke up.
"It can't understand you, Princess Celestia tried and failed at a communication attempt; so if she failed you're not getting far, Starshine."
Sighing in dismay, she adjusted her wrinkled maid uniform before flicking her tail in annoyance.
"If you two didn't come in here to bother us I would be still getting scratches!" The pegasus mare huffed, stomping her hoof, pouting.
Similar to a foal not getting its way in an argument.
Requipping his helmet one-handed was easier said than done, but once completed. He just watched the horses argue, among themselves, until eventually, they redid his shackle. And then departed.
Taking the plate and cup, the maid Equine stopped in the doorway of the cell, looking back at 860 tail swishing, before fully leaving.
'Back into isolation.' Checking his internal clock, it was in the afternoon time range.
Glancing over the chains, 860 did try to break them again but failed.
'I have no idea, what these Equines have planned for me, but so far. They are providing me sustenance, and not attacking me. Possibly waiting for a moment of weakness from me, I might have to stay awake for longer periods; Sleep mode might need to be reduced, below recommended levels, For survival purposes.'
Luna POV
Cracking one eye lazily open, her vision was greeted by Celestia's sun, somehow leaking into Luna's darkened bedchamber. Making her grumble a few words of discomfort; rolling over she turned her back towards the warm sun before pain shot up her lower body.
Making her hiss, in slight pain as it reminded her of what was currently rotting within Canterlots hold.
Gradually sitting up Luna, carefully removed herself from the sheets and blanket that made her bed before walking toward her night-themed lavatory.
Going through a few drawers, Luna found what she had been searching for. A magical cream that aided in healing one's body after a fight.
"I haven't fought like that in years, not since that night," Luna said to Nopony in particular, jumping slightly once the cool gel was applied to her rear, making her shutter.
Gimping back towards her bed Luna laid across it, her blanket only covering her upper body.
While the magical cream sped up her recovery time, the night Princess glanced towards her bedroom clock to see how much time had passed from her sleeping.
This was a few hours earlier than her normal waking time. Sighing she ignited the longhorn she had and removed her covers, getting back up Luna equipped the royal regalia and left her room deciding to talk with Celestia about this creature.
Walking down the hallway, her gimp was less noticeable. Including the pain from her back had lessened.
Making walking less of a chore.
Arriving at the throne room, the guards immediately opened the large double doors upon her approach; entering the grand hall Luna spotted her sister surrounded by whiny and sycophantic courtiers.
Approaching made them turn their attention to Luna, thinking they could sway the younger sister of the kingdom; however, even though she was out of fashion by a good thousand years, Luna knew when a noble was trying to. Extract, more favor among the higher ranks of royalty.
Flaring her wings, Luna gave one command in the Canterlot voice.
"Leave the throne room!"
With four words, the night Princess made all of the nobles turn tail and bolt for the exit making her smile still watching them flee.
After the large double doors slammed unceremoniously. A sigh from behind the night-themed mare caught her attention.
Turning to look, Celestia's hoof was against her face. "I really don't want to say this, but I really needed a break from those nobles. They keep coming to me, with insignificant problems that they, themselves can fix."
"You are most welcome sister! I know how some courtiers can be a royal pain, but at least I know that fact hasn't changed, for a thousand years." Luna responded gently folding her wings back over her backside.
"But this wasn't the reason I have come, I wish to know how the alien is handling the dungeons," Luna said truthfully.
"I have requested to transfer him to a different solitary cell that at most holds a bed." This gave the younger princess pause, stepping towards the throne, Luna decided to voice her concerns.
"Why would you move that thing? It is extremely dangerous. And has killed and severely wounded two Royal Guards! Let alone it attacked me, and threw me through a wall of one of our subjects Home! Give it some old hay to rest on." Luna snarled,
Which made Celestia frown slightly, before speaking. "Luna that would have been fine to do a thousand years ago; but that has long since fallen out of fashion."
Snorting, Luna locked eyes with her sister. "That thing deserves such treatment! Not be pampered like a newborn foal!"
"Dear sister, how would you feel if we sent a diplomatic envoy towards a nation we never encountered before? They are apprehended on charges, and left to rot in a dark cell. With no official trial even made yet. For all we know he was apart of a diplomatic Envoy our actions now could mean war or peace for our two nations."
Thinking for a moment the young Alicorn answered. "Before his arrest, he did bury five of his fallen comrades, maybe I did act too hastily."
Nodding Celestia smiled. Finally, her younger sister caught on to what her eldest sister wanted to avoid. "I always told Mother and Father you had a quick and sharp mind. You just lack foresight, dear sister."
Folding her ears, Luna spoke up. " Then how do we fix what I had sabotaged? Do I need to offer, something of equal value?" Luna blushed, which made her older sister frown. Knowing what she was talking about.
"That won't be necessary, Sister, I believe a standard diplomatic approach may suffice." Just then a gentle knock reverberated off the main entrance to the throne room.
"Enter," Celestia called out, and shortly after a maid entered the room.
"Ah, Maid Starshine how did it go?" The Solar Princess inquired.
The maid bowed before speaking, the door closing behind her. "He didn't mind the Apple slices and bread I offered." The newly named Starshine stated, tail swishing behind her.
"Is there something, else you'd like to add?" Luna added watching her tail move seemingly on its own accord.
"U-uh he was very appreciative of what I offered. Your Highness." Starshine stammered, making both royals even more suspicious.
"Appreciative how?" This time Celestia took control of the questioning, and finally, she cracked.
Sighing, she spilled what transpired. "He had just finished the plate of food I offered him. I bent down to grab the dish to take back to be cleaned, and that's when he grabbed me. I feared for my life that I can not deny, but he simply patted my head."
Her tail continued to swish,
Thinking this would anger Luna, Celestia prepared to stop her but she didn't lash out. Seeing this as a good sign Celestia decided to ask the pressing question. "What happened after that? I see he didn't harm you or else you wouldn't be here."
"He scratched me behind the ears." The pegasus mare admitted a soft blush on her gray cheeks. She also took this moment to arise, seeing that talking with the two princesses while her face near the floor would be problematic.
Knowing of the feelings she was describing, Celestia nodded. "I understand, do you still wish to offer him food? If not I can assign another mare or stallion to the task."
The Solar princess offered but. Starshine refused, "No no! I'll take on the added response abilities, with no trouble; your Highness." Starshine quickly answered, wanting him all to herself for ear scratches.
Giving a soft smile, Celestia nodded. "Very well, I will inform the head maid of your new responsibilities in the meantime. Do take the rest of the day off you've earned it."
Nodding, the maid spoke up. "Thank you, your majesty, I won't let you down." She bowed one final time, before departing softly, closing the door behind her as she went.
Leaving the two monarchs alone with one another, turning to look over at Celestia, Luna spoke up. "Do you really think it could be trusted? What if it attacks our guards? Or that maid you've put in charge of feeding it?"
"If I am being truthful sister, we won't be sure until something happens. Therefore we need to be extra cautious when we deal with this creature or allow our subjects to do the same. In a few days, I hopefully shall receive a response from the dungeon master soon."
"Thank you for your time Sister, I will head back to my chambers and prepare to rule the night if you'll excuse me," Luna said, bowing her head towards her sister before leaving the throne room.
Entering her bedchamber, Luna removed the royal regalia and prepared to bathe to ease the soreness that was still there. 'I hope this will ease it, my magic isn't strong enough to dull it.'
Luna didn't want to admit it, but her magic was still weak but recovering. Possibly in a month, she will be at full strength again only time will tell.
Twilight POV
Twilight had just gotten back to the tree house they called home.
"Spike, did you enjoy the picnic?" Twilight asked while the baby dragon burped to answer her question.
"I know one thing, Applejack can make a mean Apple fritter!" Spike commented, releasing another burp.
"However, I think she should add gems to them now that would be perfect!" making Twilight shake her head.
"You didn't even eat that much today, why are you burping so much?" Twilight inquired.
Spike was going to respond until the last burp shot a scroll out hitting the purple mare in the face.
"Spike! That's gross. " Twilight grunted, reaching up to rub her face with a hoof.
"Eh. Sorry," Spike offered sheepishly, before picking up the scroll he opened the letter and coughed to clear his throat.
"My most faithful student, the creature my Sister Princess Luna had captured, is still very much alive. However, he is unable to communicate with us; I am wondering if you would be interested in helping establish a form of communication with him. Or even teach him our language; Reply at your earliest convenience. This is also not a royal command, do not feel pressured into agreeing. Signed, Princess Celestia."
This made Twilight overjoyed for the opportunity to be one of the first ponies to be allowed to open a way of conversation with this foreign entity, as a result, she began prancing around the library.
"Can you believe it, Spike! The Princess wants me to try and teach a foreign entity the Equestrian language!" The impact of the offer began to sink in making the lavender mare slightly panic at the aspect of failure.
"Wait! What if I fail? What if it's unable to learn, if I fail Celestia will have me sent back to magic kindergarten." She did it again, getting herself all worked up to the point of crying, Rolling his eyes Spike answered.
"Twilight you're overthinking it again; do you really think Celestia is going to send a fully grown mare to a place for fillies and colts?" Spike reasoned, trying to snap his caretaker out of her state of fear and panic.
Still, it wasn't enough to calm her fears. Scratching his chin from the corner of Twilight's vision the baby dragon received an idea. Scurrying off towards the kitchen, the ponies ear's swiveled in the direction of their kitchen.
Various clangs and other things falling were heard; until finally the familiar footfalls of her assistant were heard again.
Turning to look this time, she saw Spike holding two Liters of Ice cream; the one was her favorite flavor. Whipping her tears away Twilight hiccuped before answering.
"S-spike we're, did you get the bits for that ice cream?" Questioned Twilight, she had never given him bits. Thinking he wasn't trustworthy with the money they earned or were sent.
Smiling nervously, he spoke the truth. "I did a few odd jobs for Applejack and Rarity both had paid me as a thank you."
Offering her a spoon she took it with her telekinesis. With a free claw, Spike popped the lid off his liter of ice cream before sliding hers over.
Looking at the lid to confirm it was her favorite style of ice cream. Made her chuckle, "Did you make sure they added extra Hay bits?" Twilight asked through a sniffle.
Spike was about to take a bite of his spoonful before nodding. "Yep! Even made sure they put extra rose petals just for you."
Smiling at her assistant, Twilight followed in opening her ice cream and slowly began to eat it.
"You never cease to amaze me, Spike," Twilight admitted before taking another big bite of her prized ice cream.
"Uh huh; but what about the letter? I mean, are you going to accept what the Princess offered?"
Giving it some thought Twilight chewed on a few rose petals, thinking on what to do."
"Mm, we don't have anything interesting going on here in Ponyville might as well right? Do you think the Princess would care if we tried one a week, maybe three times?"
The baby dragon just shrugged. "You know you are able to ask her, right Twilight?" Spike asked.
"Oh, maybe we should write back! We kept her waiting long enough." This made the baby dragon groan in slight annoyance no longer able to eat his ice cream in peace.
Glancing towards him Spike gave a defeated sigh before putting his ice cream down on the table in the center of the library.
"Ok, give me a moment."
Returning a few moments later with a paper and quill and some ink, Spike prepared for what Twilight had to say.
Coughing to clear her throat, Twilight began to speak.
"Dear, Princess Celestia I hope this letter does not keep you from resting but I wish to inform you of my decision; I Twilight Sparkle, formally accept the task of teaching this creature our language, I shall begin at the earliest convenience. I also thank you for this opportunity."
Seeing that she was done Spike decided to add a PS.
'Twilight, made me stop eating my ice cream to write this.'
Looking it over to confirm everything she wanted was indeed on the scroll, Spike sealed the letter and set it off with dragon flame.
"Am I free to go back to eating my ice cream Twilight?" The baby dragon asked while she giggled and nodded.
"Of course, Spike, you're free to go."
Without even finishing her sentence the young dragon grabbed his ice cream and ran for the kitchen.
"Don't spill it! If you do, you'll have to clean it up!" Twilight warned, but he just began housing it at the kitchen table.
Sighing, Twilight reclosed her ice cream and without much issue floated it along with the spoon into the kitchen.
After putting her spoon in the sink and, ice cream in the freezer, she got back to her hooves and made her way towards their shared bedroom.
'If I start tomorrow or any time at all that day, I'm going to need all the sleep I can get! I hope he can keep up. Once we can speak together I'm not holding back with any of the questions!' Twilight decreed laying onto her bed and getting ready for sleep. |
Spikewall still active. | Chapter Five - Foreign Language Identified. | Chapter five
The whole night, zero hostility had transpired toward the heavy Unit, which made 860 even more vigilant.
It was well into the early morning, three AM to be exact. The effects of being up all night were taking their toll, true he was still dangerous, but his alertness was hindered making him less combat-effective.
Just then his helmet produced a notification.
[Alert. Physical strength, along with situational awareness may be slowed due to the lack of a respite period, please initiate code. Refresh and recycle, to resolve the issue.]
'If nothing has occurred I might as well sleep.' Leaning back and resting his head against the Stone wall 860 finally permitted his modified body the rest it deserved.
Uploading previous mask Data. . .
Upload complete. Replaying old memories. . .
The combine dropship had landed, and not a moment later, it would open its metallic doors. showing the human 860 to disembark.
Stepping out followed by the same Cp's as before, plus four other Officers. Who received this,
'Reward notice.'
Glancing around the massive Courtyard, 860 saw an abundance of combine activity, the majority of which were Soldiers of all varying types, being divided into groups, to go through some kind of 'test.' or possibly being deployed for active duty.
'Well, shit this is how I get killed. Not how I expected it to end. I preferred to die in my bed, not by a firing line.' 860 dryly remarked, thinking he was going to be shot.
Looking left, he would spot four Soldiers walking towards the group of Civil Protection units. The one leading them was of course an Ordinal, and those behind him had the words, 'Nova Prospekt'
Inscribed on their chest, and backs. Showing what they mostly specialized in.
"Civil Protection officers, Follow us and do not stray off from the group. " The majority of the Cp's, had no idea what was coming, and neither did 860.
Entering the lobby, the Ordinal pointed to a soldier on the other side of a reception desk. "Hand over all Firearms. And stun batons, They will be exchanged for upgraded weaponry, After your reward notice." Meanwhile, all around the Cp's and soldiers, the sounds of construction and alien machinery echoed around them.
Following the edict, most if, not all. Had handed in their weapons and continued following, 860 had managed to fall behind till he was at the very end of the crowd.
The halls were made to prevent and restrict the movements of former prisoners, now the new intention of this correction facility was far darker.
Glancing around while they walked, 860 caught a short glimpse of a Soldier he had never seen before.
The armor was white, and the combat gloves were black. One arm had a red plate, the other had been the symbol of the Union, along with a Service Ribbon not to mention pouches for holding god knew what on its chest armor. Not to mention a black utility belt around it's waist,
'The hell kind of Soldier is that? I've never seen one before; it's so White, with that most obvious color makes them useless in any environment, unless they are to be deployed in Greenland or even Siberia. How do they clean blood, or anything off for that matter?'
860 would have moved closer to get a better look. But the Overwatch soldiers, behind him, who were acting as rear guards had stopped him.
Reaching a four-way intersection many different combine Units were going about their business, some going to different sections to continue modifying the man-made structure.
Their large group had stopped and soon shouting was heard.
"Get the hell off of me! You pitiful shells of human beings!" Wailed a woman who was being dragged by two Nova Prospekt Soldiers.
Soon another person was dragged by. This time a man followed, having been muffled by a piece of fabric to shut him up, regardless of losing his voice he sure as hell didn't make it easy for them.
And the last person was far less compliant and had refused to even walk so they just dragged him, however, he had been hog-tied. So he couldn't fight back during transportation.
Watching them leave, the younger 860 shook his head. 'Off to get their brains sucked out. Should have just answered the questions willingly, instead of causing problems.' He didn't know what goes on here nor did 860 want to.
After the three rebels were hauled down the right corridor, 860's group went left.
"Where do you think these Soldiers are taking us?" A feminine, CP inquired to somebody next to her in front of 860.
"I don't know, but maybe it's something positive. Maybe we're getting our selected perks? What was yours again 19?" the male Civil Protection officer asked.
"Mine was family cohesion services, what was yours again 21?" Officer 19 asked, trying to fill the dead and stone walls with some kind of human interaction.
He tried to answer her, but the Soldier who was acting as Rear Guard spoke up. "This Social interaction will cease, immediately."
Seeing no way out of it, they stopped talking, making 860 frown. 'Damn, I wanted to know what his perk is, maybe these two are right? Who knows, perhaps we are getting the perks we selected.'
Entering a room with many chairs, and a single metal desk. With a combine terminal connected to said desk. The alien-made computer looked alive, as it kept Glowing, its many different shades of cyan and blue hues. The officer leading them spoke up. "Remain seated until told otherwise."
In total, there were Thirty Civil Protection officers forced to sit and wait.
They sat there for what felt like an eternity, until the same, white armored Soldier appeared. Followed by two Ordinals, entering the room. The white armored one, went behind the desk to interface with the computer.
"Please approach one at a time, for processing." One by one Civil Protection officers went up and conversed, with this snow-themed combine.
From where he was, 860 couldn't make out what they talked about, nevertheless. Once they finished talking, the Cp would leave behind the Elite and enter one of four hallways. Each of them, was marked with numbers to show where people needed to go.
Gradually the room slowly emptied, until 860, and the two before were left, beforehand. They were asked to move up, due to the lack of bodies blocking them.
"Good luck, see you after this." The female CP whispered to her companion but this time 860 could hear the transaction of information.
"Designation."
The Elite inquired, with zero emotion evident in its Vocoder, far more robotic sounding and not so easily comprehensible for the inexperienced.
"My designation is 19-70."
She stammered nervously having never seen this Soldier before, especially one with only one red eye.
It entered her Civil Protection ID before continuing. "You have shown great leadership skills. Your selected perk is family cohesion services; Regardless, please go down the first hallway."
Nodding she went towards the First door and disappeared into the dark hallway.
"Next."
The man next to him got up, and walked over. After repeating the same process, as before 860 only decided to listen, when it came to Officer 19's perk.
"You're Selected Perk is Infestation Control. However, you lack situational awareness or strategy; Please go to the Third hallway."
'My man! That guy loathes Head crabs and xen life more than I do. Give them hell for me!'
Regardless, it was 860's turn.
"Next"
Looking around the now-empty hall, 860 stepped up following the procedure. Like the Twenty-nine Civil protection members, before him.
"Designation."
"My designation is 86-88." 860 replied, listening to the combine soldier click and press away at buttons to find his file.
"You're selected perk, is Research and Development. With that being said, you also have shown extreme efficiency, and situational awareness, in live Combat. Enter hallway four."
Not many others had entered the fourth hallway. What was down the dark hall? Walking towards it,
860 turned on his night vision and still nothing was there, besides the long dark hallway.
'You only, live once I suppose.'
Going down the hall, 860 Would experience lightheadedness, before falling unconscious.
Consciousness would flicker in one moment and out the next, but 860 could see a new scene playing out before him.
Flickering between the two states only a few things were clear: 860 was on an operating table but he wasn't injured when he first arrived at Nova Prospekt.
Attempting to shift to sit up, resulted in intense pain, trying to open his eyes. 860 failed, it appeared his face was covered, that's what it felt like anyway. Soon a sharp pain entered his neck, and gradually the pain went away but his movement was lightly restricted, yet 860's hearing returned.
"Subject has been injected with 25 ML of Morphine to Impede the patient's movement, restrain further immediately. Prep Femur bones to be altered,"
'What are they doing to me!' 860 tried to get up to see, but his head was locked into place. As his eyes, felt like they had been pulled out of his skull. Before he could protest this further, elastic restraints ended his attempt.
He tried to stop the operation, 860 tried with all his might. And what did he get for his trouble? Nothing more than his restraints creaking. After all, this wasn't what he signed up for, or was it? the combine always knew how to bend
Certain agreements
The human 860 attempted to speak but nothing happened. Why weren't his vocal cords working, 'What the hell did they do to me?! Why can't I speak?!'
Panic began to consume him, some hissing of machinery grabbed his attention, before his leg bone was snapped in half. And finally, his other leg soon followed. In the end, both of his femurs were broken,
The pain was incomprehensible, and 860 tried with all his might to scream, and even cry but the tears refused to come out, yet a soft and meak croak was the only thing he was able to produce, causing his heart rate to increase.
'They broke my legs! They broke my motherfucking legs!' The agony though dull was unlike anything he ever experienced, while dispatch spoke out in the chamber.
"Subject 78 is still responsive, administering drug cocktail 21-E." There was a soft humming, and other combine machinery at work. Until Exhaustion finally hit, 860 who slowly collapsed into unconsciousness.
However, this was only the beginning.
860 was locked within the winding halls of Nova Prospekt for days, weeks, and possibly even months, due to his selected 'perk' to heal. But to keep a long story short, they experimented on him brutally.
In ways that would make rebels shutter, if they had to undergo the same thing without any kind of synaptic dampener, or something for the pain.
When he could finally stand on his own, this took roughly three or so months after the operation; personally, 860 was unsure of the true passage of time. It could have been longer than he assumed,
Finally when 860 was able to stand, longer than fifty seconds his legs shook from the added weight on them. Besides this temporary weakness, he finally could reach the terminal in his room through shear will power.
'N-not very smart to leave a terminal unguarded, don't you think? I-I gotta be quick with this.'
From what he could research at a Combine terminal within his cell when no guard was around, and despite his limited clearance.
This is what 860 knew so far; the combine wanted to replace the Wall-hammer units for a Very long time. Maybe even permanently, and to anyone who still had a functional and fully intact brain, it was obvious as to why.
The first issue was the armor plating, even though it was great and effective at protecting the wearer the defects were it being clangorous, and bulky.
This means no aspect of surprise when flanking a target or stealthily entering buildings that were Rebel hideouts. To put it simply, it was loud, and not cost-effective.
Furthermore, the armor was easy enough for Parasites to latch onto and possibly cause an outbreak. Or for rebels to steal and make better hurriedly crafted bulletproof vests.
So Overwatch, with the approval of the Earth administrator, authorized the work of a new Combine unit.
'Spikewall.'
The new armor was made with Stealth and head crabs in mind, in theory. The sleeker build would make it more difficult for them to latch onto a Soldier's armor, along with a new experimental shotgun to replace their six gauge slugs with self-replicating plasma shells.
The new armor however offered the same, or even better protection to the wearer. Minus the obvious weak spot, the eyes. This means things like RPGs, and landmines were ineffective. Unless fired at the head,
The only main issue was the gun, it could overheat and possibly melt, or even explode. If not given a chance to cool down, properly. Or be maintained, after intense combat drills or live combat.
Subsequently, his memories were wiped. And replaced, but they left some emotions for some odd motive. Overwatch always mandated a field test, to see how this new experimental Soldier of the combine Armed forces, could handle themselves. And today was that day.
"Experimental Unit 860, Report to the seminar room immediately."
Getting up with ease, 860 spotted his helmet and weapon on a metal rack near the exit door he just needed to walk over and put it on.
Taking one step off the shield table, and then another, 860 was by this point still not very balanced. Even though his legs had healed, the combine didn't give him any therapy to adjust to the forced upgrades; reaching up and holding onto the wall as a sort of support. He traveled around the room until arriving at the exit, Snatching his helmet, and with the support of an old cabinet, he equipped his helmet. Giving him the ability to respond to Overwatch.
"Overwatch requesting referred action. Movement is still problematic." 860 inquired, while it issued an answer.
"Use of steroids of class E strength have been prescribed to you, Unit 860. Please report to the medical bay for injections. Afterward, maintain the original directive."
Grabbing his gun, and leaving his quarters. The freshly made 860 dragged himself, to the old penitentiary's medical ward, after a few injections he felt better in walking, even able to sprint if need be.
Entering the same room he entered, all that time ago. A group of Overwatch Soldiers were standing in a loose formation. All of the Cp's who had gone down a hallway, received an upgrade. Not on the extraordinary level as 860 mind you, but they went down the more well-known paths.
"Congratulations on surviving your surgeries, the Administrator of Earth is pleased by your commitment to keeping our collaboration further dedicated to the multi-dimensional empire. Now even though you all are considerably superior to a Simple Civil Protection officer, a field test is required to see how you all can operate, report to the courtyard for a new mission directive."
Leaving the conference room, with his fellow soldiers they went through many twists and turns through combine controlled Nova Prospect; 860 entered the massive courtyard. spotting a group of Cp's who were about to go through the same hellish, and painful fate, not that he cared now. All that mattered now was his mission.
He stood there for Eighty whole minutes, watching combine Soldiers of all types being assigned into groups. Then boarding a dropship and being flown off to their sectors.
"Experimental unit 860, you are being assigned to Grid Niner Dash Five. Infestation control."
"Mission directive confirmed."
860 noted, moving towards a group of combine soldiers who were given the same assignment. The group consisted of two, Wall-hammers. One Ordinal, and four assault grunts. Finally, 860 was given his temporary squad.
The group entered the dropship and not a moment later were in the air flying toward their drop zone.
"Overwatch is confirming the sector lockdown, All units advisory, prep for contact. Keep sightlines open, and sound on." Slowly the doors opened and the group exited one at a time.
"Unit 860, Unit 236, and Unit 987 Split off and clear the underground." The Ordinal commanded, pointing towards the metallic door that was heading for the train station below.
"Acknowledged,"
The Wall-hammer to his right confirmed for his small group while it took point 860 and a lone assault grunt followed.
After a short journey, through the underground train station, they spotted warning signs showing where it had begun to spread out.
"Approaching, zero sector containment zone." Unit 987 conveyed over their built-in radios.
"Possible Parasite infestation." The Wall-hammer announced making 860 flick the safety off on his firearm.
Just then a headcrab attempted to attack them through the shield door only for it to get blasted into chunks, by 860.
"Parasitic infestation confirmed. Grid Niner Dash Five, awaiting advanced directive. Over." 860 radioed their team leader. Subsequently, their officer responded.
"Code 10-307. proceed with Containment"
"10-4. Contain and Control is underway." The Wall-hammer unit to his right responded, before charging through the combine shield door, followed by the other units.
Following but turning left, 860 secured shadow while they pushed,
"Contact, necrotics." The Assault grunt warned, grabbing 860's attention.
"Shadow secure."
Moving to join the group, he saw the state of the necrotics. Most of them were combine related, Others were infestation control cleaners, and a very few were unlucky scavengers.
"Second Outbreak detected. Secondaries spotted," warned the Wall-hammer to his right. Glancing over, 860 moved to cover them so they could deal with the approaching contaminants,
"Processing viscon."
While his cohort stood there watching them, 860 listened to their shuffling footsteps moving closer to them; till finally one of his allies spoke up again.
"Scan complete. Go sharp," Immediately after giving the order the grunt began dispatching the infected, bullets were fired and robotic groans of pain wailed out before being blasted a few more times, silencing them permanently.
"Hostiles exterminated."
987 said towards 860, to show that they were going to move forward, so he wouldn't be left behind.
"Report infection status."
A robotic voice called out through the radio, encouraging 860 to answer.
"Outbreak contained."
"Copy that. Advance and continue Scan and clear."
Nodding, 860 took the lead moving towards a door, the two others following while Xen flora throbbed, and squashed under their boots.
Finding a door covered by xen life the Wall-hammer moved 860 to break it down. "Ordinal, be advised, Wall-hammer is attempting to accomplish a 603."
However, the brain of this team didn't answer seeing that a minor thing like that, didn't need to be answered. Rearing up it kicked the door which shook violently from the kick, trying again and then again the outdated combine Juggernaut couldn't break it down.
"Experimental unit 860, attempt code 603." The annoyed Wall-hammer proposed making him advance as Unit 987 moved away, giving the floor to 860.
"987, 236 please. Back down." Gesturing with his hand for them to move, they followed the request. Giving 860 the ability to proceed fully.
"Ordinal be advised, Tau Cannon is being used."
"Affirmative."
The inexperienced captain answered, giving him the ok to proceed.
Grabbing on the handle, 860 yanked it backward to unlock its tau cannon ability.
After a loud snap, a compartment appeared showing three fluorescent glowing tubes that were rapidly whirling. 860 knew his gun was ready for shooting the door off of its hinges. Backing up, 860 took a firm stance. Placing his gun in a proper position, 860 aimed and fired.
The blast was far louder than in its normal shooting mode, as it tore through the overgrown xenial flesh and covered metal, while molten metal dripped off and sizzled any organic material below. 860 fired again, and again.
After punching a hole through the weaker organic wall, quite literally. 860 pointed at the other soldiers and motioned for them to enter.
The modified human was panting by the end of his first mission. Despite this, his muscles didn't give out. Even though 860 by all human accounts, should have been driven to medium, to even high exhaustion. His armor, needed to be cleaned as it was drenched in parasitic glowing blood.
"Experimental unit. 860, mission status complete. Return to the surface for divergence." Overwatch's voice radioed through his helmet. Showing it was over,
Looking behind him in the darkness of a discontinued train tunnel he saw one of his comrades, Reaching up 860 responded.
"10-4."
Seeing the silhouette of 987 approaching, 860 didn't see anything off. Or something causing an issue, in his half-synthetic ally. 860 chose to play a game while he approached since he was moving towards him.
Coughing to warm up his vocoder, 860 gave a pass to 987. "4.11.12. 7. 10. Check. Your go, bladewall over."
Yet he didn't respond. The only thing audible was his heavy breathing and his heavy footsteps. Which concerned, 860. Deciding to reach him over their built-in radio's, the Spikewall did just that.
"Bladewall, Report sector status."
Still, nothing, thinking his helmet was broken. 860 tested it. By radioing in 236, "Unit 236. 4.11.12.7. 10. Check. Your turn, over."
The grunt answered immediately with his moves. "14. 1. 6. 3. 11. Check. Your turn Bladewall over."
This was going south pretty quickly.
Grasping a flare from a front pouch, and tearing the lid off. 860 threw it towards 987 who was still shuffling towards him.
In the red hue, 860 saw it. 987 had become infected.
Acting quickly, he radioed his captain. "Ordinal we have an Outbreak at Grid Niner Dash Five. Prosecuting at will."
However, the poor soul had come within range and became audible to his Superior model.
"Overwatch...sector is... not secure." 987 called out but the head crab's xenial body armor was too thick to allow the transmission through.
Pointing his gun at him, 860 activated the tau cannon mode. The normal mode would have gone through the hardened fungus, but there's a chance it wouldn't have, and instead caused severe pain to the headcrab and his comrade. Deciding on relieving 987's suffering. Instead of making it worse, drove him to such extreme actions.
Aiming towards his head, 987 said something that made waves to the experimental unit. "Code...10-...109." the words stunned him, but 860 understood completely.
"987, Your request is acknowledged."
Aiming for his head, 860 ended his suffering with one pull of his trigger. The resulting blast killed the headcrab, and freed him. From the extreme pain of being a Uber with legs for a headcrab. Just then a head crab vociferation grabbed his attention.
Turning around, the thing thankfully missed his head. And instead latched into his chest armor, letting his rage out. 860 released his foregrip and grabbed the unarmored parasite.
It stabbed at him with its front pincers along with releasing more annoyed vocalizations, doing its best to get free of 860. 'Not this time, this is why your kind belongs under my boot!'
Grasping it tighter, 860 slammed it against one of many brick pillars to the underground ceiling, the resulting crunching sounds. Made him press forward in brutally killing this infernal lifeform;
After he was done there wasn't much left of the space turkey. Besides its mangled and brutalized remains, 860 would have done more but he decided that was enough. The glowing blood from the recently killed headcrab merely just aded onto his dripping armor. Despite this he Headed topside, once reaching the outside world 860 was stopped by his temporary captain,
"860, report status on unit 987."
Nodding he did so.
"Unit 987 is terminated. Motive, stopping another infestation,"
After giving his side of the events his captain received new orders. Strictly for 860,
"Overwatch is requesting Unit 860 to Refresh and resolve. Cognitive dissonance will not be tolerated."
Slowly 860's heart rate increased while he raised a question.
"Code 19-20?"
Time appeared to slow to a halt as he nervously awaited an answer. It felt like an eternity waiting but finally, he got what he wanted.
"Negative... memories included. Update is live. Acceptance is mandatory."
Seeing no way out of this, without being seen as 'malignant.' 860 accepted. While everything faded to black, 860 spoke his answer along with completing his issued orders.
"Copy. Accepted. Cognitive Suppression biodat update Complete. In three. Two. One."
Starshine POV
Now with these added responsibilities, Starshine had to wake up extra early. And she was not a morning kind of Pony if her ruffled and unruly mane and coat were any correlation.
'Ugh, why did I say yes? I should have asked for a pay increase too. Not just blindly saying yes. Foolish Starshine!' she said mentally smacking herself.
Entering her bathroom she quickly climbed into her shower and began washing up. 'The only way I can get my fur and mane under control is by wetting it. I might as well shower. I need to smell the best for my personal ear scratcher~'
This made her giggle softly, looking through her choices of shampoos and conditioners, Starshine decided on using a Mango strawberry twist. "Maybe if I smell good enough he'll scratch me for longer." Starshine openly pondered,
She showered for roughly five minutes doing all essential parts, places like her mane, wings, and chest fluff were washed first. Then her back face and tail,
"It's all about the system," She hummed.
Once done she turned the warm water off and shook herself out, grabbing her brush Starshine began brushing the wet fur down and doing her wings.
Now having been freed from her unkempt fur, she quickly left her room. And walked down her steps, towards her kitchen. Going into her fridge, upon seeing the sad state it was in, made the Pegasus sigh with annoyance.
"Celestia damn it. I forgot to go shopping last night, *sigh* oh well. I'll grab a bite to eat after my morning duties,"
Closing her fridge, she moved around her kitchen. Through the small living room, and towards the front door of the small apartment she rented. She took her work saddle bag from its spot and put it on.
Unlocking the front door and stepping outside, Starshine was greeted by a warm summer day. Closing the door behind her and locking it with her key, she began walking towards the castle to prepare for her job today.
After being checked through the checkpoint of the front gate and getting her maid uniform on, Starshine started with the first order of business Feeding her alien friend,
"Ugh, I need to give him a name. Or find out if he even has one," Starshine muttered but somepony behind her spoke up.
"Does our Starshine have a special somepony already? You must have one if you're thinking about nicknames." A familiar voice called out, making her whirl around in surprise. Spotting the guard she knew all too well making Star huffed.
"Damn it, Ebony Don't sneak up on me." Starshine huffed before realizing what the Guardsmare was getting at.
Worried, Starshine began quickly backpedaling, "It's nothing I swear!" her friend however was less than convinced.
"Starshine, you know I can tell when you're trying to cover something up. And this," the Unicorn mare said pointing at her.
"Isn't covering it up, nor is it satiating my curiosity." Ebony Shadow said, giving her a look of displeasure.
Groaning, Starshine cracked. "OK fine! I'll spill. I was trying to think of a name for our friend in the dungeon."
Ebony's face fell slightly as she realized who she was talking about. "The guard already has a name for him, the newbies call him, 'The gray beast.' And that is a nickname well-earned. If you read the after-action reports from Ponyville and the Diamond dog incident you'll see why."
Folding her ears back, Starshine found the name for him to be kinda rude, he didn't seem like the type who would hurt a fly but then again. He was chained up with nearly everything the guard had in Canterlot. She's surprised Celestia didn't turn him to stone while they were at it.
"I would be quick. He's got a busy day today." Ebony alerted. That made Starshine perplexed,
"For what? I thought he wouldn't be doing much in a maximum solitary cell."
Giving a light laugh the guardsmare decided to show off his schedule. "Princess Celestia's student is going to have an interview with it. Along with her Highness, and the Captain of the Guard. Watching; after that, he's getting a sooner-than-expected cell transfer, and possibly some one-on-one with Miss Twilight."
Groaning, Starshine shook her head. "How long do I have before this mare shows up?" Asked the annoyed maid pony.
"About five minutes. So If I were you'd move those flanks. Good luck, and if you're fast enough I'll put in a good word for you when you decide to join the guard."
Said Ebony. Trying to give her some verbal support.
'Celestia Bucking damn it.'
Starshine groaned, before galloping off doing her best to feed the being placed in her care.
Running with enough speed to impress the Guard training officials. Starshine arrived at the cell rasping like she dragged herself out of a burning building.
Her lungs were burning, and her legs felt tired. Starshine's heart was beating out of her chest; she had never ran like this before, as the guard coughed to grab her attention.
"Are you here to feed the freak?" Asked the stallion,
She wanted to yell at him, but the lack of oxygen in her lungs wouldn't let her. So she ended up just glaring at him.
"I'll take that glare as a yes, hang on." Fumbling with the ring of keys on his side the stallion simply pushed a large key in and unlocked the door granting her entry.
"A word of wisdom, use your wings next time. Not your hooves. I've been there before, early morning shifts suck." A guard Pony to her right offered pointing to his wings.
Shakeily walking in, The mare gave him his meal and slumped down. Clinging, to the cool floor. "S-sir he needs one hand uncuffed to eat," Star said, too tired to even get back up.
Entering, the earth pony guard walked around the grounded mare and undid, one hand cautiously. "Just yell when he's done." The stallion said not wanting to stick around the thing.
Closing the door after him, Star sighed, having slowly begun cooling down from her non-stop running. And like before, he began removing his helmet, slowly his face was revealed once more.
'How does he even use the bathroom in all that armor? What's the point of the bucket if he's not even using it? Is he holding it in?! How is he not dead if that's the case!' While Starshine contemplated the existence of the room's sole inhabitant be side her. He finished, not too long after.
"G-give me a break, won't you? I've had a rough morning." She said shakily getting onto her hooves, Looking up Starshine saw what she had been waiting for.
The Gray demon had moved his empty tray and was waiting for her, to claim his lap and he re-equipped his helmet. 'Y-yes!!! Hearts and hooves day has come early!' she was just about to fling herself at him when the door opened and a Lavender mare entered, followed by a small group of Royal Guards; one of which was Ebony Shadow.
'Celestia Damn it!!! I was so bucking close!'
She huffed lightly, knowing they couldn't interact now that more than one pony was here. Picking up his tray. Starshine properly departed, disheartened at the loss of not getting scratched.
"I'll get you later."
She mumbled tail softly swishing left to right, as her wings twitched at her sides.
860 POV
'I am going to be flatlined.'
That was his only response to this Entourage of armored horses with weapons of nearly all kinds, primitive to be clear. Yet they fell under the category of a weapon, just not In a firearm category.
Slowly the same pair of keys floated over and freed his legs and body allowing him movement. But at the cost of his free hand being shackled again.
Slowly a horse with a horn approached him, smiling at him, "Hello. My name is Twilight Sparkle, we're going to be seeing a lot of one another for the foreseeable future. Do you have a name?" She tried speaking to him. But 860 couldn't understand her for the life of him.
"We're going somewhere more appropriate to talk. Are you ok with that?" Twilight pressed softly, seeing if he could pick up the language the more she spoke it to him.
Noticing, that he wasn't following she simply nodded at the guards to show it was time.
Standing up for the first time. In a long time, 860 struck fear into the guards around him, as he was currently standing far taller than them as their heads came up roughly to his thighs.
"Come on, let's get moving, it's best not to keep the Princess waiting." Said Twilight leading them down the refined halls of the dungeons.
As the group traveled, 860 truly believed he was soon going to be killed. Instead of feeling solemn or trying to negotiate with his captors, like any normal person who feared death. Instead, 860 didn't see a point to it, his fear was removed. Same for his Humanity, and morality.
But after joining the combine those that knew him. Said he never had it anyway, along with calling him a turncoat.
Yet his views on this Changed after entering a gray room with a mirror behind a pillow. "Sorry, we weren't able to find something comfortable for a creature of your size. But I hope that doesn't affect anything!" Twilight said with a warm smile.
Sitting on a worn-out pillow with a metal table before him was the last thing he expected. 'Do these horses perform executions differently? Or even believe in a death penalty?'
Looking around the room, 860 found four guards stationed at each corner of the room out of the way of the interaction but still close enough to act if needed.
Glancing backwards at the two-way mirror Twilight gave a small wave.
"Shinny, can you hear us?" he shortly replied afterward.
"Everypony in here can hear you loud and clear kiddo, Just for my sake get out of there alive or else I'll join you when Mother and Father find out. You died under my watch." He dryly jokes.
Rolling her eyes at his joke, Twilight shuffled to face 860.
"Sorry about my brother, he's just protective, let's begin testing shall we?" Twilight said, pulling out some basic books of the equestrian language.
"Let's start with something simple, can you say A?" Twilight said giving the same amount of effort as Cheerilee would for one of her students.
Looking down at the strange shapes, 860 had no clue on how to read. Or even pronounce it.
'Is this pony trying to tell me something? Or show me? Should I copy her?'
Looking at it for a few minutes, Twilight sat there doing her best to sound the letter out for him.
Deciding that was the best course of action, 860 attempted to copy her. His vocoder didn't agree with it too well, resulting in it screeching loudly. The metal box wasn't adjusted to speak more than one language, approved language.
The loud metallic wails didn't stop until 860 forced it to by restarting it, as it started to annoy him.
'Christ that was loud,'
looking around he took note of how the Horses weren't handling the sound too well.
"M-maybe we should just stick to reading and W-writing for the foreseeable future," Twilight said, rubbing her ears with her hooves.
While Twilight switched to a less verbal method of communication, 860 took a mental note. 'Horses are weak against glitching vocoders, or loud noises.'
They sat there for ten whole hours alternating between reading and writing basics. To even simply her speaking to him, and from what 860 could guess the Lavender horse, was becoming furious and frustrated at him. If her lashing tail and twitching ears were any sighs.
She knew he could speak and possibly write, yet he wasn't even trying now. He did attempt once in communication, and that nearly made everyone in the room and the watching area go deaf.
Releasing a frustrated groan of defeat she gave up for today.
"We will try again tomorrow, see you then," Twilight said, almost relieved to have a break.
860 on his part had a report to give to the advisor unit, the guards around him talked with one another even though he wasn't a part of the conversation, 860 made a mental note of their language for his request
Arriving at a different cell, they locked him up nice and tight but to 860's surprise, he was given a bed that looked a little worse for wear and the worst shock of all. The horse in a maid uniform showed up again after all the guards departed.
'Does she want me to scratch her again?' looking at the Mare before him he was confused by her waving her front hooves about to even flapping her gray wings at him.
To see if what he thought was true, he laid down onto the old bed which nearly broke from his heavy weight as it creaked loudly getting into a position, she immediately nodded and dove for him, giving him her head to scratch.
'You truly are an addict to these simple head scratches for legged lifeform. I would recommend therapy but the combine doesn't believe in it.'
He shook his head at her physical response, which was her stretching herself to cover most of his armored body. This mare did anything and everything to keep getting his gloved, and almost magical hands on her ears. Giving them to her as best as one in chains could, she took them gracefully. Causing her uniform to become a wrinkled mess;
Two hours.
He gave her scratches for two straight hours. She hadn't even left, instead fell asleep on top of him.
860 sat there, watching the steady rise and fall of her sides. He shifted slightly resulting in her nestling closer, and covering him in her gray wings protectively. Even resting her head on his arm, finding him somehow comfortable to sleep on.
'I will never understand these horses, first, she found me not comfortable and for good reason, this is heavy armor, not pajamas, and now she finds it comfortable.'
Getting as comfy as 860 could with a horse that had wings on top of him. He fell asleep to have the meeting that would change the playing field for him;
"Unit 8-6-0-9-6-2-1 Report recon survey." The ghostly voice of the combine Advisor requested.
Immediately getting into it, 860 didn't hold back.
"Spikewall 8-6-0-9-6-2-1 has been captured by equine-like lifeforms called 'horses.' They have no noteworthy technology to report, at this time. For some reason they have, however, tried to create a method of communication with me."
This annoyed the superior combine lifeform before it launched an inquiry into 860's report. "What use would you have over an insignificant language? That most likely is not the dominant tongue of that world."
"The reason why I bring this into the report is because it would be beneficial for me to learn it. If I know the language, I can escape their imprisonment and continue my recon directive. and offer a new form of speech to the union."
Giving a sound of consideration, The slug was calculating the options it had. If it lost the only living unit there it would jeopardize the expansion of the Combine, and no doubt the loss of its life.
"Reason is acknowledged, and accepted. Your vocoder will be adjusted properly, along with parts of you're Frontal lobe, and the Occipital-temporal region will be tuned accordingly. Since you have been captured, your new directive is to escape by any means, and resume the original directives you were issued."
Nodding into the darkness, 860 had nothing else to report, which the advisor already was aware of, and had left him after giving its edict.
Opening his eyes again he found himself being snuggled to death, by a gray blob of fur.
Reaching up, 860 tried to move the horse off his face but his cuffs didn't let him. 'These cuffs are becoming a far worse hindrance than first expected.'
However, the female horse on top of him wouldn't stir from her sleep. The sounds of jingling chains wouldn't wake her up.
Deciding to shake them repeatedly until she awoke, 860 did just that.
Eventually, the soft clanging of metal made her wake.
"A-ahem mm?" She said lazily, opening one eye, and glanced towards the source of the nose.
Gradually her Cyan eye grew in size till finally it was fully opened. "G-gah!" she half shrieked, struggling off of him and falling off of the old bed with a loud *THUD*
'That sounded painful.'
Sitting up and looking over, 860 saw the sad state she was in. The poor horse had fallen face-first into the floor, her uniform was wrinkled beyond comparison and her mane and coat looked like she lost a battle with her bedsheets.
Re-adjusting quickly, she stood back onto her hooves. And began speaking, while also fixing her clothes and coat.
"I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to fall asleep! I have no idea what came over me. Your head scratches are just amazing. Please don't kill me for falling asleep on you!" Starshine tried to plead her case to him.
But internally 860 was amazed, he could understand them now it wasn't perfect. He still needed to learn the terminology before trying any kind of escape attempt.
Just then the door opened and Twilight was accompanied, by her brother, and Starshine's friend Sargent Ebony.
A look of fear crossed Starshine's face as her face lit up like a Christmas tree from how red her face and ears became.
"T-this isn't what it looks like! I swear!" She pleaded as Ebony began to struggle at keeping her composer, let alone a straight face.
"Please do not try and explain this here." Shining Armor said waving with a hoof.
"I'll have Sargent Ebony, talk to you about what you were doing. Alone, with an extremely dangerous alien. So the best course of action for you, Miss Starshine, is to cooperate with the guard."
As the equine talked, 860 was getting a grasp of their language; it was all making sense now. And with his altered brain and vocoder, he would begin practicing in private. But for now, it was best to make them think he didn't understand them.
'That one is a male and the one in a maid uniform is Female, from what I can see Males and females have different builds. This may be the case for their kind. And that is the name of my caretaker? Starshit, negative Starshine.'
He could have been wrong about her name, and there wasn't any way to see if 860 was correct or not. In due time, he would find out.
Sighing, Twilight looked over at him before giving a gentle wave, "Good morning! I hope you're ready for another day of learning."
'A possible way to learn the equine language has been discovered. Escape directive has been postponed.'
After they had served their purpose, he wasn't going to be sticking around. So it was better to learn more of what they had and their capabilities as a species before that day came. |
Roses are Red | pre | "So, uh, where are you from?" Carbon asked. "I heard you mention something about the Broken Leylands?"
Lilo's ears perked up and she glanced at Carbon. "You want to know more about me?" she asked. "W-why?"
"I've spoken quite a bit about myself," Carbon mused, bring a hoof up to his chin, "but I haven't heard you talk about yourself at all." He paused, watching as Lilo looked away from him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry. You don't-"
"No, I... I should tell you, or somepony," Lilo said quietly. She took a deep breath. "As you have probably heard, the Broken Leylands is a desolate plain of nothing but desert and rocky chasms. There are a few cities out there, but the cities are all protected by massive twenty meter walls so that they could keep the bandits that roamed the deserts out. No laws truly existed out there unless you happened to be in one of the cities; it was everypony for themselves.
"Well, I was born out there." Lilo paused, shifting on the couch. "My mother gave birth to me while our... hive was moving from one city to the next. Apparently we had been driven out when our camp had been discovered by the city we were feeding off of, so the hive was moving to another city in the hopes that they could secure a better source of food there. Needless to say that many of the changelings in our hive were starving and living off the scraps of love our scouts brought back; my mother was no exception."
Lilo looked up at Carbon. "She died giving birth to me. She didn't have much strength left after I had been born so she let go and passed on." Lilo looked away again towards the map of Equestria. "I was raised by one of the broodmothers from then on, along with several other changelings who had also been orphaned by their parents."
"What about your father?" Carbon asked.
"I never had a father," Lilo said. "Changelings aren't well known for keeping families. The mother is usually the one who raises the offspring, and once the offspring are old enough they are separated from their mother. It keeps attachments minimal between each other, and also teaches us that we cannot grow attached to our... well, our food." Lilo flinched.
"Oh," Carbon said, looking down at his hooves. The room remained silent for a moment before he asked, "What happened after that?"
"I grew up to be a broodmother myself," Lilo replied. "We traveled across the Broken Leylands for years, constantly being driven away from potential sources of food by the city guards. They were on high alert since our discovery during that first city, and we had been pushed back towards Equestria. Eventually the Queen made a desperate break for the nation, pushing our hive to the limit so that we could escape our pursuers." Lilo sniffed and added quietly, "Although, for some, she pushed the hive beyond their limit."
The room fell silent again as Lilo continued to stare at the floor. She heard the couch Carbon was resting on squeak, but she didn't pay attention when Carbon's hoofsteps thumping quietly on the carpet, assuming he was walking back to the kitchen. Lilo closed her eyes are sighed. She heard the hoofsteps stop and felt the couch cushion next to her deflate, and after looking up, she saw that Carbon had taken a seat next to her. Her eyes widened, but she didn't move away from him when he extended one of his wings around her back.
"I'm not sure what to say," Carbon said, sighing. "I don't think there is anything to say. What you have been through, I just can't imagine it."
Carbon tensed when he felt Lilo lay her head up against his neck. He looked down, seeing Lilo's eyes watering.
"I have only known what it is like to be hungry and live in despair," Lilo whimpered. "For years I have watched as changelings around me collapse from exhaustion and starvation, for years I have watched the changelings I was meant to raise die because they didn't get the nourishment they needed. I spared them all of my own love reserves I could, but it was never enough." She closed her eyes and pushed her face more against Carbon's neck. "We came and we saw Canterlot, we thought all of our worries had ended, only now we are more broken and scattered than before."
Carbon wrapped one of his forehooves around the back of Lilo's neck, holding her closer to himself while she broke down into hysterical sobs. His own heart felt heavy as he listened to the crying changeling next to him, and a few tears of his own came to his eyes. He looked down at Lilo, and he rested his cheek down on top of her forehead, careful not to poke himself with her horn.
The changelings had marched upon Canterlot in an attempt to feed themselves with the love that they desperately needed, only to be repelled quickly after the invasion had happened. Why they had not come to Princess Celestia and asked for help was unknown, but now the changelings were being rounded up and taken to Canterlot Castle for who knows what reason. More so, any changelings within the city were unable to contact each other through their "hive mind" because of some magical field that had been thrown up around Canterlot. Carbon held Lilo closer.
When the first beeps from the oven echoed throughout the apartment, Lilo's sobs had long since subsided, and both she and Carbon were sitting silently on the couch. Carbon nudged Lilo, causing her to look up at him. Darkened streaks from where her tears had fallen down her cheeks still stained her chitin.
"Feeling better?" Carbon asked, giving Lilo a slight smile.
Lilo nodded her head.
"Still want to eat?"
Lilo thought for a moment, then nodded her head again. Carbon lifted himself from the couch.
"Well, that was the timer for the lasagne going off," Carbon said. "Let's get it out of the oven and eat."
Carbon trotted to the kitchen, quickly followed by Lilo after she had risen from the couch. He opened the oven and, grabbing a rag between his teeth, took the pan and moved it onto one of the burners above the stove. Looking over the edges of the lasagne to see if any part was burned, he then took a knife from one of the drawers and cut into the lasagne.
"Hey Lilo," Carbon said, still cutting the lasagne. "Do you think you could get me two plates from the cabinet?"
Lilo hastily took two plates from the cabinet and set them down next to Carbon. She meekly scraped one of her forehooves against the floor. "Carbon, do you think the changelings were wrong for invading Canterlot?"
Carbon stopped cutting the lasagne. After a moment, he set the knife down and faced Lilo. "I... don't blame them, Lilo. I do, however, question their actions. Why didn't Queen Chrysalis come to Princess Celestia and ask for help in the first place?"
"I don't know," Lilo said, looking away. "She wouldn't tell us anything once we were approaching Canterlot, and she became increasingly more quiet and agitated as the day of our invasion was approaching. Noling knew what the matter was, only that she seemed to be harboring some sort of resentment towards both Celestia and Luna."
Carbon had cut two pieces of the lasagne and placed them on the plates. "But her ponies were starving. Why would she sacrifice them rather than help them?"
Lilo trotted after Carbon as he took the plates to the small table in the corner of the kitchen. "I don't know, Carbon. It... It was completely unlike her to openly attack a city like she did." Lilo sat down in front of her plate of food. "I never knew she had such a dark side to her leadership. I remember the time when she came to visit me and the foals I was raising. I watched her has she played for hours with the foals, watching her laugh as they wrestled and nipped at her with their tiny fangs. It was adorable and... motherly."
Carbon took a bite of his lasagne, remaining silent as Lilo continued, "From that moment on there was without a doubt that Queen Chrysalis cared deeply for all of her subjects. I wasn't the first broodmother she had visited, and I wasn't the last either. She never allowed for the scouts to give her more love than any other changeling, and when times were tough, she would refuse love entirely so that the weaker could survive a bit longer."
Carbon looked down at his food, less interested in the prospect of eating. Lilo had begun eating, however, and her eyes widened when she put the first piece of lasagne in her mouth. She devoured her piece of lasagne quickly to Carbon's amazement. He had only taken four bites of his own by the time Lilo had finished. She was busy licking the leftover sauce and cheese on the plate when she notice Carbon was staring at her.
"Can I have some more?" Lilo asked.
"Uh, sure," Carbon said. "You have something on your lips."
Lilo's tongue licked around her entire muzzle before she trotted over to the pan of lasagne and cut herself a massive piece. She was almost skipping back to the table, and after she had set her plate down, she went straight to devouring this piece as well. By the time Carbon had finished with his piece, Lilo was licking her own plate again for whatever scraps were left.
"I won't need to wash the plate if you keep that up," Carbon said with a smirk.
Lilo stopped licking the plate and hastily sat up straight. Her tongue was still moving along her teeth inside of her mouth.
"Sorry," Lilo said, blushing. "It was really, um, delicious."
"You are feeling better as well," Carbon observed, rising from his seat and carrying his plate over to the sink.
Lilo quickly followed Carbon, taking her plate with her. She set her plate down next to the sink and said, "Yes, the food was so good that I forgot about everything else."
"That's good," Carbon said, turning the sink on and rinsing both plates. "Hey, Lilo, can you go and make sure that the front door to the apartment is locked?"
Lilo turned to make for the apartment door, but she stopped suddenly and looked behind her. "Didn't I already see you lock the front door earlier?"
"I don't remember," Carbon said nonchalantly.
Lilo shrugged and trotted over to the apartment door. She noted that the door was, in fact, locked, and so she turned back around and walked back to the kitchen. She halted in the doorway to the kitchen, however, when she spotted Carbon waiting for her with two plates, each holdings a strange looking pastry. Lilo slowly stepped over to the table, eyeing the pastries.
"What are those?" Lilo asked, pointing to the plates.
"It's apple strudel," Carbon replied, smiling.
Lilo raised one of her eyebrows. "What is 'apple strudel?' "
"Wait, you have never had apple strudel?" Carbon asked, shocked. Lilo looked down at her hooves, causing Carbon to cringe inwardly. "Right, uh, well, they are probably one of the best kind of pastries out there. Try one."
Lilo leaned forward and took a bite of one of the pastries. Her eyes lit up, and in the next second she had completely devoured the apple strudel in a couple of bites. Carbon chuckled and pushed his plate in front of her.
"Here, you take mine," he said, walking over to a box that sat next to the oven. "I'll just get another." He paused before grabbing another strudel out of the box. "Oh, and try to savor it, Lilo. I'm predicting that you are already going to have a stomach ache tonight, no need to make it worse."
Lilo's tongue had been slowly sliding underneath the pastry when she stopped at looked back at Carbon. She sucked her tongue back into her mouth and grinned sheepishly, taking the plate and moving it so she was sitting across the table from Carbon, who sat down with his own plate. She slowly ate the second apple strudel, shooting a few glances at Carbon to watch how he ate his strudel.
"Do you think I'll really get a stomach ache?" Lilo asked once they had both finished their strudel.
"Probably," Carbon replied. "I haven't seen a pony with such a... small stature eat so much so fast before."
Lilo pouted. "Small?"
"Well, you are smaller than most mares I have met," Carbon said with a shrug.
"I'll show-" Lilo stopped as she felt something catch in her throat. Her stomach twisted, and after bringing a hoof up to her mouth, she bolted for the bathroom down the hall. Carbon watched as she sped away, and only seconds later he heard her heave into the toilet. He sighed and rose from the table, trotting after her to make sure she was alright. |
Roses are Red | Chapter 8: Afternoon Stroll | Roses are Red: Chapter 8
"How long has your wing been bent like that?" Carbon asked, walking around to behind Lilo and scrutinizing her wings.
Lilo looked behind herself. "When I was repelled out of Canterlot, I was moving much too fast to correct my flight path through the air. I crash landed outside of Everfree Forest on my wing."
Carbon held a hoof up to his chin. His eyes scanned along the delicate and wrinkled membrane, and when he lifted a hoof up to touch the wing, Lilo visibly flinched.
"I'm not quite sure what to do about this," Carbon said. "Your wing is in awful shape, and I suggest that you do not use it until it has properly healed." He walked in front of Lilo. "The membrane is horribly bent and torn in a few places."
Lilo bit her lower lip and asked, "Do you know how long it will be until I can fly again?"
"I don't know, Lilo," Carbon said, sighing. His eyes were downcast. "To tell the truth, I don't even know if you will be able to use it again. The wing will heal, but just by looking at the membrane growth, it isn't healing properly. You would need to have immediate surgery performed on your wing, and judging by the social acceptance of changelings, I have my doubts."
Lilo sat on her haunches, looking back at her wings, fluttering them. They buzzed quietly from their rapid movements, and a gentle gust of wind from them disturbed the fur on Carbon's legs. Her gaze drifted over her mangled wing, tracing up and down the creases and tears that were scattered all over the membrane. Her eyes were misty when she turned back to look at Carbon.
"Isn't there anything you can do?" she asked. "I saw that you have some medical equipment in your room still, doesn't that mean you are some sort of doctor?"
Carbon sat down and fumbled with his hooves for a moment. "Not exactly. You see, I have the medical equipment for use for my laboratory experiments, not because I'm a licensed doctor. I have the basic understanding of the training the medical staff at the university undergo, but it's not enough to perform extensive surgery on your wing. I don't know one thing about cell reconstruction or how to work with stem cells."
"Oh," Lilo said, looking away. Carbon recoiled and looked around the living room.
"The good news is that it looks like your vitals are stable," Carbon said, putting on a hopeful smile. "You're as strong as you have ever been."
Lilo continued to look away and muttered, "Yeah, strong."
Carbon mentally kicked himself and looked back down at his hooves. He pushed them together for a moment, and then turned to gaze out of the living room window. The sun was nearing its pinnacle in the sky, and his eyes lit up. He turned back to Lilo.
"Hey, I know something that might cheer you up," Carbon said, grinning.
Lilo glanced at Carbon.
"How about we go for a walk around the market?" he asked. "There is so much to see and to do. There are concession stands with wonderful food, street performers who do all sorts of tricks and play all kinds of music, and plenty of lovely wares from around Equestria." He paused, his grin widening when he saw Lilo's eyes brighten slightly. "How does that sound?"
"I-I guess that sounds okay," Lilo said.
Carbon rose to his hooves. "Great! Give me just a second while I go and grab my saddlebags before we leave."
Lilo nodded and watched as Carbon left to trot back to his room. She stood up, and after a moment, lit up her horn and engulfed herself in a green aura. When the magic dissipated, Lilo had donned her Rosebud disguise. Carbon came trotting back into the living and paused when he saw Lilo.
"Oh, yeah, that's right," Carbon said, shaking his head. "You need to... disguise yourself."
Lilo cocked her head. "Why wouldn't I?"
"Well, you see..." Carbon stammered. "It's nothing. Let's get moving so we can get to the market before it becomes even more crowded." ~~~
Canterlot Castle loomed in the background as Lilo and Carbon neared the market place. The sounds from the thousands of ponies swarming the stalls and stores echoed off of the buildings, and the smells from the many concession stands filled their nostrils with scents of pastries, cooked vegetables, and the odd flesh substances being sold by griffon vendors. Lilo's eyes widened from all of the ponies she saw walking to and fro among the stalls carrying all sorts of bags filled with items.
"I have never seen so many ponies in one place before," Lilo said.
Carbon looked over at Lilo. "You haven't? What about when you were flying over Canterlot?"
"I... was part of the second wave that was meant to secure the throne room with the queen," Lilo replied, looking away. "I never was able to view the rest of Canterlot."
"Oh."
Carbon glanced around the stalls that both he and Lilo walked past. His eyes eventually landed upon one particular street vendor, and he nudged Lilo and pointed his hoof in the vendor's direction. Lilo's eyes followed his hoof and she raised an eyebrow when she saw a zebra standing behind a large stall surrounded by strange masks and trinkets.
"What kind of vendor is that?" she asked.
"You have never seen a zebra witch doctor before?" Carbon asked. Lilo shook her head. "Well, I guess I can't say that I'm surprised. Zebra aren't common unless you travel to their home of Zebrica. It's mostly devoid of life unless you happen upon an oasis or a coastal city."
"Have you been to Zebrica before?" Lilo asked as Carbon began to lead them towards the stall.
"Yes, once. My parents took me to Zevena for a week when I was just a colt."
The zebra beamed once both Lilo and Carbon were standing in front of her stall.
"Hello and welcome, my lovely allies," she said. "What brings you to my store of magic and supplies?"
"Good afternoon, Naroke," Carbon replied, smiling. "I can see that business has really been taking off for you. You have a few more masks adorning your walls."
"Oh yes, business has been quite fine. It seems as if ponies continue to be enthralled by my rhyme." Naroke paused, glancing at Lilo to see that she was staring at her. "If you'll beg my pardon, miss, but would there happen to be something that is amiss?"
Lilo shook her head and took a step back. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare. I have never seen a... a zebra before."
Naroke smirked. "Many are captivated by my speech and stripes. Do not worry, young pony, I receive stares from all the types." The zebra waved a hoof over the counter of the stall, revealing a coconut bowl filled with water that appeared out of thin air. "Since you are new to my ponies and my ways, I'll show you a trick that should snap you out of your daze."
Lilo's mouth dropped when she saw the water within the bowl start to boil as the Zebra merely stared at it. The bubbles came together into the center of the bowl, and the water began to funnel through the bubbles in a long tube. When the tube had extended far enough out of the bowl, it whipped around like a fan, throwing water droplets up into the air that formed a mirror in front of both Carbon and Lilo. They gazed at each other in the mirror.
For the first time Lilo noticed Carbon's strong, hard jaw and soft, turquoise eyes. She felt as if she was becoming sucked into his gaze, and her heart began to flutter once again in her chest. He smiled into the mirror, and Lilo tried to look away, a small blush flushing her cheeks. Before she had a chance to look at the mirror once again, Naroke dissipated the water and waved her hoof over the coconut bowl, causing it to disappear. The zebra smiled.
"I can see you two enjoyed my mirror," she said. "I hope that in the future you will be able to see things a little more clearer."
"That was wonderful, Naroke," Lilo said. "Where did you learn that kind of magic?"
"It is a rare trait inherited by the ponies of my land; it is not something I could easily explain offhand."
Carbon opened his mouth to say something, but Lilo took no notice as she spotted a pink bow and collar in the back corner of Naroke's stall. She grinned, stepping to the left of Naroke slightly so she could get a better view of the two items.
"Hey Lilo, what do you see?" Carbon asked, peering around Naroke. The zebra turned around as well.
"I think something bright and colorful catches her eye," Naroke said, turning back around. "Would it happen to be that pink bow tie?"
Lilo nodded her head, and Carbon stepped forward, depositing a few bits on the counter.
"I'll buy it for you, Lilo," Carbon said, nodding at Naroke.
"You don't have to," Lilo said, looking down at her hooves. "The bow is nice, but it's not worth spending the bits on it for me."
"Nonsense," Carbon scoffed. "The bow would look wonderful on you."
"You are quite lucky, mister Carbon," Naroke said, placing the bow on the counter and scooping up the necessary bits. "This bow was on sale and is quite the bargain."
"Thank you, Naroke," Carbon said, smiling at the zebra. "It was a pleasure speaking to you today."
Naroke smiled back at Carbon and Lilo as they trotted off deeper into the market. She watched as the two ponies disappeared into the crowd and sighed, reminiscing the first time she had caught sight of a handsome colt. There was a tap on the counter, and Naroke snapped out of her gaze and came face to face with a blue unicorn stallion.
"I'm sorry to disturb you, miss," the unicorn said, "but could you tell me what kind of magic that mirror you conjured up was? I couldn't help but notice that I could not see my own reflection in it when I was standing behind those two ponies."
"It is a powerful conjuration called the Mirror of Desire," Naroke said, waving a hoof. "It shows the ponies who it was conjured for what they most admire." ~~~
The sun was beginning to set behind the Everfree Forest to the west, plunging Canterlot into a moody, surreal atmosphere. Everypony within the marketplace was finishing up their last transactions with some vendor, throwing their bits onto the counter and picking up their items in a haste to make it back home in time for dinner. Some shops and stalls had already closed, flipping their signs around or draping large sheets over the fronts of the stalls.
Lilo and Carbon were meandering their way out of the market back towards Carbon's apartment with Carbon's saddlebags filled to the brim with food and trinkets. Lilo happily wore her bow, nearly skipping her way down the street next to Carbon with a wide grin on her face. Carbon chuckled at the hopping changeling next to him, then stopped when he felt his stomach growl.
"Hey, Lilo," Carbon said, stopping. "Let's find some place to eat before heading back to my apartment."
Lilo stopped bouncing and turned around. "Aren't all of the stalls and stores closing up?"
"Restaurants usually stay open later," Carbon said, turning around and beckoning to Lilo to follow him. "Some even stay open all night, believe it or not. I know this really good sandwich place not too far from here."
They trotted through the marketplace yet again and began to climb the slopes of the city streets into the wealthier districts of the city. Buildings were more colorful and cleaner here, while many of the ponies that were roaming the streets wore clothing or carried some sort of haughtiness about them. Walking past a few of the ponies, Lilo could sense the arrogance dripping off of them, and she treaded closer to Carbon.
Eventually they came to a stop in front of a modest and well kept restaurant that had been built two blocks away from Canterlot Castle. Lilo eyed the castle warily, scanning over the multi colored stain glass windows and the hill that led up to the castle's gates. Ponies were pouring out of the two massive wooden doors that marked the castle's entrance. The Royal Guard stood at attention, directing many of those ponies to the exit of the castle grounds so that they may find their way home.
"Coming inside?" Carbon asked, holding the door open for Lilo.
Lilo snapped out of her daze and quickly trotted into the restaurant. Carbon came trotting in after her, letting the door shut behind him. A light red unicorn mare with a crimson mane and tail came walking up to them with saddlebags filled with menus.
"Good evening and welcome to the Prancing Pony!" the mare said cheerfully. "Just two of you tonight?"
"That is correct," Carbon said, nodding.
"Right this way."
The mare turned and led Carbon and Lilo towards one of the windows that looked out onto the street. She placed the menu's down and stepped aside to allow for them to take their seats at the table.
Once they had been seated comfortably, the mare asked, "Is there anything you two would like to drink?"
"I'll have water, thank you," Carbon said, smiling.
"Water, too," Lilo said quietly, hiding a bit of one of her eyes behind her mane.
The mare nodded and trotted off back to the kitchens. Carbon watched her go for a moment, and then he turned to Lilo and chuckled.
"What?" Lilo asked, glancing after the mare.
"She's not going to bite you, you know," Carbon said, opening his menu.
"I know!" Lilo protested. "I don't know her very well."
"You don't know me too well and yet you will hug me when you win at a game of ring toss."
"That's different!" Lilo said as she propped her menu up so she could peer over the top at Carbon.
Carbon raised one of his eyebrows. "How so?"
Lilo hid behind the menu and fumbled with her words, and she let out a sigh of relief when the mare had come back with their drinks. Placing them on the table, the mare then took out a notepad and a pen.
"Have you decided on your orders?" she asked.
Carbon glanced at Lilo for a moment before he said, "Yes, I'd like to have the avocado and jalapeno sandwich."
The mare scratched Carbon's order down on the notepad and looked at Lilo. "And you, ma'am?"
"I'll just have whatever he is having," Lilo said, still hiding behind the menu slightly.
After writing down Lilo's order, the mare collected the menus up in her magic and trotted back to the kitchen. Lilo glanced at Carbon and saw him staring at her with grin stretched across his face. Lilo bit her lower lip.
"Uh, so, what do you do at your work?" Lilo asked quickly.
Carbon rolled his eyes and took a sip of his water. "Well, it's a bit obscure at times. I mainly act as a research assistant for the scientists that work in Canterlot University's research department." He swirled his straw around in the glass. "I carry out various chemical reactions and report my findings to my superiors, who will then use those findings to write up reports. Since our research mainly deals with researching and improving antibiotics to combat various diseases scattered around Equestria, there is always work to be done since viruses and bacteria are constantly evolving to withstand the vaccines."
"Are there really that many diseases in Equestria?" Lilo asked, taking a sip of her own drink.
"Well, yes," Carbon replied. "The Everfree Forest is home to over twenty thousand different viruses, aggressive bacteria, and parasites. In combination with the recent expansion of the forest approved by both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, more and more ponies have been getting sick lately. The research department has been nearly working twenty four seven to find new vaccines or cures.
"However, there is something else that I do when the research department is moving slow," Carbon said, turning to look out the window and into the street. "I also volunteer in the foals wing to help play with and comfort all of the colts and fillies who have been admitted to the university's hospital."
Lilo stared at Carbon and her heart began to swell in her chest.
"Y-you have worked with foals as well?" she asked.
"Yeah," Carbon said weakly. "Every chance I get I visit them. It helps lift their spirits in the unfamiliar and scary environment they are placed into while they wait for their surgeries or treatments. By the time the nurses come to pick the foal up, he or she is ready go and happily departs after saying goodbye to me."
I'm sure there have been a few times when that was their last, Lilo thought to herself as she watched Carbon continue to stare out the window. Fidgeting with her glass for a moment, she said, "Carbon?"
Carbon turned. "Yes, Lilo?"
"Do you know what love is?" she asked.
"I... I don't understand," Carbon said, leaning forward.
Lilo leaned forward as well and asked, "Do you love the foals that you work with?"
"With every bit of my heart," Carbon replied locking eyes with Lilo.
There was a long paused, and the air around Lilo felt infatuated with warmth and bliss.
"Do... Do you love me, Carbon?" Lilo finally asked.
There was another moment's paused, and then Carbon leaned forward and planted a kiss on Lilo's lips. She was startled at first, but then received the kiss openly and happily. The world seemed to stop as their lips pressed and moved against each other. The commotion from the kitchen had fallen silent, and the smells and sights disappeared as Lilo closed her eyes.
Lilo felt as if she had entered a dream. The love radiating off of Carbon filled her own heart and lungs with a warmth she had never felt before. Energy coursed through her muscles, and she felt her wings puff out. She felt happy, she felt free, and most of all she felt alive.
"Excuse me?"
Lilo's eyes shot open, and both Carbon and she pulled away from each other, wide-eyed. The red mare was standing next to them with two plates of sandwiches.
"Sorry to interrupt you two love birds," the mare said with a wink, "but your order is ready."
The mare placed the two plates on the table and trotted back towards the kitchens. Lilo and Carbon continued to stare at each other. Only after what seemed like several minutes did Carbon finally cough awkwardly.
"Did we just...?" Lilo asked, looking at her food.
"Yeah," Carbon wheezed.
"Does that mean...?"
"I don't know." Carbon blinked looking down at his food as well.
"Are we going to...?"
"Yeah," Carbon said, nodding his head.
Both he and Lilo leaned forward and kissed once again, this time locking lips with each other and remaining uninterrupted until they had had their fair share. |
Roses are Red | Chapter 9: Next Morning | Roses are Red: Chapter 9
Lilo and Carbon lay staring up at the ceiling in Carbon's bed. Trickles of morning sunlight shone through the string holes in the blinds, dousing the room in a faint glow of light, while the first sounds of a rousing Canterlot echoed their way through one of the open windows. The air around Lilo felt warm and thick, saturated from the love in the air, the heat from the sun, and the warm remnants of sweat and exhaustion radiating from both of their bodies. Lilo sighed and looked over at Carbon.
"What did you call that one thing that you did?" Carbon asked, facing Lilo. "The one with your tongue."
"Oh, the, uh... The Monkey Eats the Mango?" Lilo asked, blushing.
"Yeah, that," Carbon said, gazing back up at the ceiling. "Wait, is that really what it is called?"
Lilo hid her face under the covers. "No. I just made it up on the spot."
Carbon chuckled. "You have quite the imagination, you know that?"
Lilo scooted closer to Carbon, wrapping her hooves around him and resting her head onto his chest. Carbon started, but when he felt Lilo's head on his chest, he wrapped one of his hooves around the back of her neck and hugged her closer. Lilo heard the quiet beats of Carbon's heart thumping inside of his chest, and she purred.
"You know, last night was one of the best nights I have ever experienced," Carbon said.
Lilo looked up and nipped at Carbon's chin. "Is there a night that could have been better?"
"Well, there was my college graduation party," Carbon said, meeting Lilo's nips with a kiss, "but I didn't get to have kinky changeling sex that night so it wasn't quite as good."
Lilo giggled and tightened her grip around Carbon's waist. "Can we just stay in bed all day?"
"I wish we could," Carbon said, sighing, "but I need to go to work today. I've already used up three out of ten of my sick days this week." Lilo nuzzled Carbon. "Lilo, I'll be back home tonight before dinner. Don't worry."
"Can I come with you to work today?" Lilo asked.
Looking up at the ceiling and rolling his eyes, Carbon began to stroke Lilo between her wing joints. She shuddered from his touch, letting out a soft moan as he continued. Carbon chuckled.
"You know you're not going to be able to follow me back into the research labs, right?" he asked.
"I know," Lilo said, fluttering her wings. "I just want to play with the foals."
Carbon stopped rubbing Lilo between her wings and looked down at her again. One of her ears twitched, and he smiled.
"Of course you can come to work with me," he said. ~~~
Canterlot University rivaled Canterlot Castle in both size and grandeur. The university's white walls glimmered from the sunlight, shining as a definite beacon from its location atop a hill in one of Canterlot's wealthier districts. Domes of marble, gold, and lapis lazuli hovered over various sections of the castle and pierced into the blue sky, while various buildings around the castle literally floated above the building itself, perched on top of pieces of earth that had been ripped from the ground. There were no chains, ropes, or ladders connected to the floating buildings, allowing for them to stay aloft over the university.
Lilo's mouth remained agape as she and Carbon stood at the bottom of the long staircase that led up to the front doors of the university itself. The university, aside from the castle, was one of the most innovative buildings in Equestria, displaying the pinnacle of creativity and complexity of Equestria's leading architects, engineers, and arcane masters.
"It's so beautiful," Lilo said, swishing her pink and white "Rosebud" tail back and forth.
"It is quite a sight to see," Carbon said, nodding his head and starting his ascent up the staircase. Lilo quickly began her climb with him. "Ponies from all over the world come to simply see the splendor of the castle and university."
"How do unicorns and earth ponies get up to those floating buildings?" Lilo asked, looking at one large building in particular.
"About two years ago," Carbon began, glancing in the direction Lilo was looking, "the unicorn research teams discovered a new arcane teleportation method that successfully teleported Earth Ponies, Pegasi, and Unicorns great distances without the use of a continuous stream of magic." He pointed to the massive tapestry draping over the front of the university. On it was a queer-looking arcane circle. "They look sort of like that. All you need to do to use it is step on it, and it will take you to the destination where its sister circle has been placed. I'll show you after work today."
"Is there one that leads to the medical wing?" Lilo asked hopefully.
"No," Carbon replied, shaking his head, "although the arcane circles are completely safe to use, the risk of sending an injured or sick pony through the circle is still speculative. It could disrupt the magic field or harm the pony if there should happen to be a sudden magical surge when teleporting."
"You seem to know a lot about these arcane circles," Lilo said, bumping her flank against Carbon.
"I attended their unveiling two years ago. I had a paper to write so I used it as a source for my argument as a senior," Carbon replied with a shrug.
They pushed their way through the massive front doors of the university and Carbon immediately took a right turn down a massive, spacious hallway. Enormous stain glass windows adorned the right side of the hallway, letting in a remarkable amount of light through the colorful pictures that had been shaped with the glass. The ceiling above was pointed in an arch, and chandeliers floated above the unattached to any chain or rope. To left of the hallway were various wooden doors and staircases that led to classrooms or offices.
After a few minutes of walking, and after Carbon spontaneously stopping in front of Lilo so that she could collide with his flank, earning him a tug on his tail that caused him to yelp, they reached a pair of double doors with a large sign plastered over them.
"Ah, here we are," Carbon said, pushing one of the doors open. "The medical and research wing. The foal's wing is just through those doors."
Lilo followed Carbon's hoof towards a set of double doors. The doors had a few childish decorations on them with various crude, colorful drawings strewn across the tops and bottoms. Carbon cantered over and pushed the doors open, allowing for a wave of gleeful shouts to pierce Lilo's ears.
"Carbon!" a few of the foals shouted, dropping some of the toys or pencils and crayons they were using and galloping over to both Carbon and Lilo. Fillies and colts of all different colors and sizes were wildly skipping around or staring up at them both. Lilo's eyes were wide.
"Hey, Teak!" Carbon said enthusiastically, kneeling down in front of a silver filly. Lilo noticed that the filly didn't have any hair on her head.
"Carbon, I've missed you!" Teak said, nuzzling against Carbon's cheek. "It's been almost two weeks since I last saw you! Where have you been?"
"Sorry, Teak," Carbon said, patting the filly's head. "I've been busy with work and my new friend here." He gestured at Lilo. "Would you like to meet her?"
Teak stared up at Lilo with large eyes. Her white tail was swishing back and forth. Lilo lay down in front of Teak with a pleasant smile on her face and she offered a hoof towards the little filly, who took the hoof gingerly.
"Hi, Teak," Lilo said, tilting her head. "My name is Lilo."
"Are you Carbon's fillyfriend?" Teak asked.
Lilo blushed and looked at Carbon.
"Yes, yes you could say that I am," she said, looking back at Teak.
"Have you gone on any dates yet?" Teak asked Carbon with a wide grin.
Carbon chuckled. "I'd love to stay and talk with you, Teak, but I have to go to work."
"Awww," Teak whined, looking at Carbon with big eyes.
"But you'll have Lilo to play with you," Carbon said, winking. He then rose to his hooves and turned to Lilo. "I'll be off work in about six hours. I'll see you then?"
Lilo nodded her head and--before Carbon could turn and walk out of the room--leaned forward and planted a quick kiss on his lips. Carbon smiled, and then departed the room, leaving Lilo alone with the foals. Teak was staring up at Lilo, and when Lilo looked around the room, she saw that several of the other foals were staring at her as well. Next to Teak was a piece of paper with some kind of drawing on it. Lilo tilted her head.
"What are you drawing, Teak?" Lilo asked. A few of the foals went back to playing with their toys or coloring.
Teak looked down at the piece of paper and stepped on it with her hoof, hiding it from Lilo's view. Lilo raised an eyebrow and flicked her tail.
"It's, uh, nothing," Teak said, flushing. "I'm not drawing anything."
"Are you sure?" Lilo asked, lying back down so she was eye level with the filly. "I thought I saw some colors on that piece of paper."
Teak kicked one of her hooves against the floor and looked down. Lilo frowned, and leaned her head forward so she could nuzzle the filly.
"What's wrong?" Lilo asked.
"The other foals make fun of me for my drawings," Teak said. "They say I'm weird for drawing them and sometimes throw them in the trash."
"Well, that's very mean of them," Lilo said, glancing at the other foals in the room. A few met her gaze and quickly looked away, returning to occupying themselves with their toys or drawings.
"I get their point, though," Teak continued. "What I draw probably isn't normal for other foals to draw. My mother tells me otherwise, but I think she is just trying to cheer me up."
"Can you show me your drawing?" Lilo asked, giving Teak a hopeful smile.
Teak nodded and removed her hooves from the paper before picking it up and showing Lilo. On the paper was a crude drawing of a changeling. Lilo's breath caught in her throat, and she looked past the piece of paper at Teak.
"You draw pictures of changelings?" Lilo asked.
"Yeah," Teak said, dropping the paper on the floor. "Ponies keep telling me that changelings are bad because they attacked Canterlot. A lot of buildings were damaged and a lot of ponies were hurt when they attacked and stuff. I still see a lot of buildings that still need to be repaired by the city.
"I don't think changelings are bad ponies, though." Teak shook her head and sat down. "They may have attacked the city and hurt ponies, but everypony has to have a reason for why they do something. A pony wouldn't just outright hurt some other pony unless they have a reason. I mean, maybe some ponies have bad intentions for why they hurt somepony, but I don't think the changelings had bad intentions."
Lilo stared in awe at the filly in front of her. Teak took a deep breath before continuing.
"You see, sometimes when I go home from the hospitals after my check ups, I see changelings being hauled through the streets towards the castle. I'm able to see them up close as my mom makes us step out of the way for the carts, and I can each one of their faces. They don't look like nasty, evil ponies who would eat a pony if they got the chance. Instead they look scared and horrified. I don't think some of the mean things the ponies on the street say to the changelings help."
Lilo looked down at the piece of paper Teak had dropped, and asked, "So you draw changelings because you think they deserve a chance like everypony else?"
"Kind of," Teak replied, scooting the piece of paper closer to Lilo. "I think we should get to know some pony before we judge them. From what I hear, the changelings were led by a queen who defeated Princess Celestia. The changelings were probably just working for her. The queen must have had her reasons for attacking, too.
"So, drawing is just my way of trying to get to know a changeling better. It might not help much since I can't talk to any of my drawings, but I think it is better than not trying to get to know a changeling at all because you are afraid."
Lilo smiled and scooped the filly up into a tight hug. She felt Teak wrapping her own arms around Lilo, and she kissed the filly on the cheek.
"You know, you are one of the smartest fillies I have ever met," Lilo said, letting go of Teak. "You want to get to know everypony rather than make assumptions, even if the pony is vastly different than you."
Teak beamed up at Lilo and pushed the changeling drawing towards Lilo.
"You can have it if you want," Teak said.
Lilo smiled. "Thank you so much, Teak. I'll be sure to show Carbon when he comes back."
"So, how did you meet Carbon?" the filly asked, twisting her body slightly and lifting her eyebrows.
Lilo laughed. "Well, after the changelings attacked..." ~~~
Carbon was practically skipping through Canterlot University as he was returning to the medical wing. The sun was approaching the tree canopy of the Everfree Forest from the sky, gently dulling the bright light it had shone across Equestria. Shadows were longer, and the stained glass of the university's windows had become darker and more pronounced.
The university was still bustling with ponies at this hour. Many of the students were either roaming the halls to find their classmates to study or delivering some message to a professor or a superior. Carbon wound his way through the thin throngs, quickly approaching two large doors that marked his destination. A few ponies greeted him as he trotted by, and he quickly replied with a hello back before he continued on his way.
He pushed the medical wing doors open, and after throwing a greeting towards the receptionist at the front desk, he made straight for the decorated doors that marked the foal's wing. He stopped at the doors and took a look at himself as best he could in the thin, tinted window, straightening his hair a bit with his hoof before pushing the doors open and striding in.
Carbon was met with an empty room with no foals to be seen. He scratched his head and walked further into the room, letting the door behind him swing shut. On top of the foals and Lilo missing, the floor of the room was very clean; not even a scrap of paper or a small toy had been left out. Carbon looked towards the edges of the room, noticing that pillows had been built up around the walls in a ring around the center of the room, and piles of toys had been stacked behind the pillows. He cringed, and turned back for the door.
"Get him!"
Before he had a chance to bolt, fillies and colts of all colors and size swarmed Carbon and began latching themselves onto his legs and around his neck. He yelped when one little filly jumped and hung onto his tail, and he fell over onto the floor when some of the larger foals hopped onto his back. He lay on the floor with more and more foals piling onto him until it seemed as if every foal in the room had tackled him. He squirmed and chuckled as Teak jumped onto his muzzle.
"We got you now, Carbon!" Teak exclaimed. "Queen Lilo, we have taken down the enemy! It's safe to come out!"
Lilo popped her head out from behind one of the pillows and smiled at Carbon. She had a large paper crown on her head, although her pink bow was still slightly visible from the top of the crown.
"You put them up to this?" Carbon asked, putting on a fake snarl.
"I had to think of some way to punish you," Lilo said, slowly walking over to Carbon. "You are twenty minutes late, you know."
Carbon smiled sheepishly. "Hey, we made a breakthrough with one of our experiments, I just had to stay and watch."
Lilo lowered her head and nuzzled Carbon against the back of one of his ears.
"It's okay," she said. "You can release him now, everypony."
The foals immediately started rolling off of Carbon and formed a circle around both him and Lilo. Carbon unsteadily rose to his hooves and looked around. Lilo looked around, too, and blushed.
"How did you manage to get all of these foals to work together like that in less than six hours? Carbon asked, finally turning back to Lilo.
"Well, Teak wanted to know how we met," Lilo said, hiding one of her eyes behind her mane. "Once I started the story, many of the other fillies and colts were soon sitting around me and listening intently. Pretty soon, after the story, I started getting the foals together to play games like charades and duck duck goose. They had a ton of fun."
"Did they?" Carbon asked, raising an eyebrow. Many of the foals nodded their heads. "Well then, I'm glad you all had a great time, but I'm sad to announce the Lilo and I really need to get going."
"We do?" Lilo asked, cocking her head.
"Well, yeah, I made us a reservation for dinner tonight," Carbon said, scratching the back of his head.
"When did you make this?" Lilo asked, sitting on her haunches and crossing her forelegs.
"Uh, during work," Carbon said.
"Shouldn't you, I don't know, be working?"
"Technically I should," Carbon said with a wink.
Lilo rolled her eyes and leaned forward to give Carbon a peck on the lips. The foals around them whooped and hollered, causing Lilo's eyes to widen and look around.
"Is that what you all were waiting for?" Carbon asked, chuckling. "Well, let's get going, Lilo. If we hurry, we can still get to the place before it is too late."
After saying goodbye to all of the foals, Lilo and Carbon quickly departed Canterlot University and began their trek through the streets of the city. Lilo lay her head on Carbon's neck as they passed over a bridge that had a small creek running underneath it.
"Carbon?"
"Yes, Lilo?"
"Can I come to work with you again soon?"
Carbon smiled and wrapped one of his wings around Lilo's back.
"Of course you can." |
Roses are Red | Chapter 10: Meeting | Roses are Red: Chapter 10
"Good evening and welcome to Il Castello delle Rose," greeted a white unicorn. He stood behind a podium and had a quill floating in his blue magic. "Would you happen to have a reservation?"
"Yes, for 'Carbon'," Carbon said, smiling politely.
Both he and Lilo stood in the entrance of a beautiful wooden building. An entire garden with an array of flora that rivaled the Castle Gardens, hung around the perimeter of the restaurant. Fauna from all around Equestria flitted to and fro amongst the trees and grass. A stone walkway cut through the garden, forming a semicircle that led straight up to the entrance of the establishment. Massive windows covered the exterior of the building as well, allowing for the customers inside to direct their gaze outside while they ate their meals.
Lilo gazed up in awe at the ceiling that hung overhead. Lamps shaped to resemble salmon ran along the ceiling of the restaurant, shining soft light across the entire establishment and bringing a moody atmosphere to even the darkest corners. A massive, ponymade waterfall was built up against the far side of the restaurant where the fish were pointing, and roses of all colors had been placed in pots and planter beds scattered everywhere.
"Ah, yes, Carbon, party of two," the unicorn said, scribbling something onto a piece of paper that lay on the podium. "Right this way."
Lilo and Carbon followed the unicorn through the restaurant, swerving in and out between tables covered with beautiful table clothes and lined with intricately designed cushions. Finally, as they neared the waterfall, the unicorn stopped and raised a hoof to show them their table. The table was placed next to one of the large windows, allowing for Lilo and Carbon to look out into the garden and the pond filled with parrotfish beneath the window. They settled into their table and found that their menus had already been placed before them.
"Make yourselves comfortable," the unicorn said, bowing his head, "a waiter will be with you shortly."
When the unicorn had fallen out of earshot, Lilo said, "This place is so beautiful, Carbon."
"It was also a pain to get a reservation on such late notice," Carbon muttered. He then added more loudly, "I don't think there is another restaurant in all of Canterlot that matches up to the grandeur that this place displays. Although, I have to say, this places luxury matches its bill quite well."
Lilo raised an eyebrow. "Why would you say that?"
"Well, uh," Carbon paused, looking down at his menu. "Let's just say we won't be going to a place like this again anytime soon."
Lilo giggled. "Are you trying to impress me?"
"I... I..." Carbon stuttered, fumbling with his hooves.
Lilo leaned across the table and nuzzled her nose against his. "You don't have to do things like this to impress me, Carbon."
"I-I wanted to do something nice for you tonight," Carbon said. "I thought we should keep it in the realm of beautiful buildings, so taking you here for dinner is as good a place as any."
Lilo smiled. "Well, thank you, Carbon. This place is wonderful." She lifted her menu up so that she could scan over the contents. "Wow, there are so many choices on here. I don't even know where to begin."
"May I make a suggestion?"
Lilo dropped the menu. Her ears folded back against her head as she instantly recognized the voice from behind her. Turning her head slowly, Lilo's eyes met those of Zumas as he stood not even half a meter behind her. He had a bow tie tied around his neck and a cigar had been tucked behind his right ear.
"I'm sorry, where are my manners?" Zumas asked, bowing his head slightly. "It's good to see you, Rosebud. I hope you haven't forgotten who I am."
"N-no, I haven't," Lilo said, slowly turning back around to face Carbon. "Um, good evening, Zumas."
"Zumas?" Carbon piped up, cocking his head. "You mean you're the unicorn who owns the most prominent brothel in the entire city of Canterlot?" He looked at Lilo. "How did you come to meet him?"
"It's a long story," Lilo said quietly.
"Not that long," Zumas said, waving his hoof. "I happened to run into her while she was at my business. I mistook her for one of my employees, believe it or not." Zumas threw Lilo a glance. "Seems like she was just there for the show, however."
Zumas levitated a pillow over from one of the tables near the one Lilo and Carbon occupied and sat down. Lilo opened her mouth in protest, but quickly closed it again when Zumas looked over at her with a spiteful smile. She recoiled and looked back down at her menu, feeling his eyes pierce into the side of her head.
"So, Rosebud," Zumas said, causing Lilo to jerk her head up, "who is this handsome colt you found?"
"Oh, uh," Lilo stuttered, looking over at Carbon. "He, uh, helped me when I was going through a rough time after the attack."
"Is that so?" Zumas asked, looking over at Carbon.
"Well, yes," Carbon said. "She... seemed to have lost her house after the attack. I helped her out by offering a her a place to stay back at my own home, and ever since then we have gotten closer together." Lilo winced, and Carbon gazed back over at her again. "Lilo, are you alright?"
"You seem nervous," Zumas added, putting on a worried look.
"No, no, it's fine," Lilo said, looking out of the window and into the pond. "I was just hoping that tonight could be just between Carbon and I."
"I understand," Zumas said, rising to his hooves and levitating the pillow back to where he found it. "I just wanted to stop by and say... hello." He paused, raising a hoof up to his chin. "I do have a question for both of you, though."
One of Lilo's ears twitched, and she turned back towards Zumas. Carbon, too, had his eyes on the unicorn. After a moment, Zumas cleared his throat.
"I wanted to ask if you two will be attending the public trial tomorrow morning," Zumas said. "It's said that almost half of Canterlot will be in attendance."
"Wait," Carbon said, turning his entire body towards Zumas, "what trial?"
"Oh, the trial for the queen of the changelings, of course," Zumas said casually. "It's to be held in the market square. You didn't hear? She was captured by a squad of the Royal Guard's finest ponies just the other day."
Lilo's breath caught in her throat. Carbon glanced over at her, biting his lip when he saw that Lilo was staring down at the wine glass on the table. He looked back at Zumas.
"Thank you for letting us know, Zumas," Carbon said. "We'll consider attending."
Zumas nodded his head. "Have a good evening." He then looked at Lilo and added, "It was nice seeing you again, Rosebud."
Once Zumas was a safe distance away on the other side of the restaurant, Carbon asked, "Lilo, what was that all about?"
"It's... it's a long story," Lilo replied, finally looking up. "Carbon, we need to go to the trial."
"The entire market square is going to be bustling with ponies and guards," Carbon said, opening his menu. "The princesses will be there; by Tartarus, even the Elements of Harmony might be in attendance. It would be extremely dangerous for you to go, Lilo. Who knows if the unicorn guards have managed to concoct a new spell that could be used to detect changelings."
"I haven't seen another changeling or connected to the hive mind in two weeks," Lilo said, opening her menu as well. "Besides, it is my queen that is going to be up there facing trial for what could be considered heinous war crimes. What if the trial turns sour or unfair?" She paused, looking Carbon straight in his eyes. "If one of your princesses was up on stage facing a trial that could decide her fate, and you knew the crimes she committed can be justified at least remotely, wouldn't you try to take action to help save her?"
Carbon was silent for a moment, his eyes scanning over the various dishes written on the menu. Lilo's eyes scanned across the menu as well, but her thoughts continued to run amok inside her head, scrambling over the fact that the queen of her race had been captured by Equestria. She brought her hooves to her temples and rubbed them.
"I guess it wouldn't be right for me to deny you attendance," Carbon finally said, looking up. "Just remember, Lilo, that we need to be careful if we go. The guards will be on the lookout for anypony who looks or is acting suspicious. If the trial looks like it will turn sour, then we will think of something that might help Chrysalis, but until then, we should remain inconspicuous."
"Wait, 'we'?" Lilo asked.
"I've heard your story," Carbon said, looking back down at his menu. "If Chrysalis is as benevolent of a leader as you make her out to be, then it would be morally wrong of me not to help you." He pointed his hoof at something on the menu. "Looks like the waitress is on her way over to the table, do you know what you want to order?"
Lilo's eyes widened, and she hurried looked back down at her menu and searched widely through the list of entrees. She paused for a moment, however, and looked up and saw Carbon staring at her. She blushed.
"Thank you, Carbon." Lilo said.
"Lilo, at this point, I would do anything for you," Carbon replied with a smile. "As for right now, let's try to make the best out of this night." |
Roses are Red | Chapter 11: Improvise | Roses are Red: Chapter 11
Lilo and Carbon hastily galloped through the streets of Canterlot, whipping past ponies that were meandering along the streets and market stalls that had been set up outside of the market square. A huge throng of ponies lay before them, all huddled around a large platform that had been brought into the market square overnight. Tense chatter rolled throughout the crowd that had gathered to watch the trial.
Royal guards patrolled the outer ring of the crowd, occasionally glancing in and scanning their eyes over the tops of the heads of each pony. The pegasi guards each had one of their wings wrapped around a massive spear, and each of the unicorn guards had their horns completely lit up in uniform yellow hues. Their armor clanked noisily as they walked, barely audible above the wurr of voices from the ponies they circled.
Lilo eyed the guards nervously as she and Carbon neared the edge of the crowd, clenching her pegasus wings tightly against her sides. One of the guards passed behind her, his eyes piercing into the back of her head, before he casually moved passed her to glare at another pony who was jumping up and down in the crowd. Lilo's heart was racing in her chest.
"Hey, are you alright?" Carbon asked, casting his gaze from the stage at the center of the crowd.
"Y-yeah," Lilo said, rubbing one of her forehooves against the other, "it's just that the guards are making me a little nervous. I didn't know there would be this many."
Carbon looked around himself, noting that there were, indeed, a couple dozen guards standing on the stage in the center or patrolling around the ring of ponies. He exhaled and ruffled the feathers of his wings.
"It'll be fine," Carbon said, bumping his flank against Lilo's. "From the looks of it, the guards are practically allowing anypony to come and watch the trial. And from what I can see, they haven't devised some spell that can detect changelings, contrary to the rumors that have been floating around."
Lilo's wings relaxed slightly when she felt Carbon's touch, but she could still hear her heartbeat thumping inside of her ears. Her gaze shifted wearily around the crowd, shooting glances at each of the guards as they made their rounds. As her eyes finally landed on the guards were standing on the stage, a bright light filled the market square. Lilo shielded her eyes.
When her eyes opened again, her breath caught in her throat when she saw Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess Cadence standing on the stage. They all wore their full regalia, and they all stood perfectly at attention. The guards that were patrolling the outer circle of ponies stopped and turned, saluting the princesses and standing in their respective positions. Celestia nodded, allowing for the guards to stand at ease. She cleared her throat, causing everypony in attendance to fall completely silent.
"Greetings, my little ponies." Many of the ponies in the crowd bowed. Lilo noticed that Celestia's lips curled into a small frown. "Please rise, there is no need to bow before us. Not today." Ponies all rose and glanced at each other, causing a small murmur to travel through the crowd. Celestia once again cleared her throat.
"I can see that many of you have gathered here today to witness the trial of the crimes committed by the one who led the attack on Canterlot just a little over two weeks ago. I cannot say that I am surprised, and was actually expecting more to arrive. She led an army onto the city, using her minions to rain down hellish fire onto many of your homes and businesses." Celestia paused, unfurling her wings and walking to the other side of the stage. "Reports say that much of Canterlot is still damaged, and a few parts left in total ruin, even with all of our constructions crews working around the clock."
A few more murmurs ran through the crowd. Lilo looked down at her hooves and pressed her side into Carbon slightly.
"Many of you have probably been witness to those same minions that have been carted through the streets towards the castle." Celestia's gaze slowly drifted the entire crowd in front of her. "I have heard from a few anonymous sources that threats and insults have been said and food has been thrown towards these prisoners of ours. I have seen with my own eyes the fear upon these creatures eyes when they are finally beyond the castle gates."
There was another flash of light, and sitting on the stage were three cages that held changelings in each one. When the changelings looked around them, they immediately curled into tight balls in the center of the cages and covered their eyes with their hooves. One of Lilo's hooves went up to her mouth, suppressing a gasp.
"To say that I am disappointed is an understatement," Celestia continued. Her horn lit up, her yellow magical aura surrounding the cages and teleporting them away from the stage. Out of the corner of her eye, Lilo saw Princess Cadence's eyes narrow. "We bring prisoners--no, not prisoners--hostages of war, and we treat them like they are some sort of vile demon from Tartarus."
Celestia stopped, allowing for a rumble of conversation to sweep the crowd. A mix of angry, defensive shouts and apologetic statements rose up from the crowd towards the center stage. Celestia folded her wings back against her sides again and closed her eyes. Luna stepped up next to her sister.
"Silence!" she roared, bringing the entire throng to silence. The only sound the echoed through the market square was the occasional rattle from a guard's armor or the dull thrum of city activities from beyond the trial.
"Our sister is right, but now is not the time to scold you all like foals," Luna added, glancing at her sister. "There is one who must be brought before you all to be judged for the crimes she has committed against the state. Prince Shining Armor, please bring forth the prisoner."
Another flash of light emit from the side of the stage, revealing a large, white unicorn. However, Lilo hardly noticed him, her eyes instead focused on the changeling that stood behind him. Queen Chrysalis stood proudly behind Shining Armor, her head held eye and her posture as straight as it could be. She wore manacles around her hooves, chained together tightly. Another pair of manacles were cuffed around her wings, and around Chrysalis' horn was a circular device that prevented her from using her magic. In Shining Armor's teeth was a chain leash that connected to a metal collar attached to Chrysalis' neck.
The captain tugged on the chain, forcing Chrysalis to follow him onto the stage. He stopped before Celestia, Luna, and Cadence, and then stepped to the side so that Chrysalis was the one who stood before the three princesses. The queen's posture faltered slightly when she came under Luna and Cadence's hard glares. Celestia stepped forward.
"Queen Chrysalis," she started, "you stand before the princesses of Equestria and the citizens of Canterlot to participate in your trial for your misgivings. You are accused of threatening the safety of the Equestrian nation and its citizens, destroying much of Canterlot city in the process and killing eight hundred and fifty seven ponies. You will be given a chance so that we may hear your defense. How do you plead?"
"Guilty," Chrysalis curtly said.
Celestia sat back on her haunches, shortly followed by Cadence and Luna.
"Very well," Celestia said. "Please present your case."
Chrysalis took a deep breath, staying her gaze on the three princesses in front of her. Lilo held her breath.
"What is better?" Chrysalis asked quietly. "To be born good, or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?" The crowd fell silent. "Once upon a time there was a beautiful race of mystical ponies who carried with them the very magics of nature and life itself. They were regarded with the utmost respect and love throughout every nation that surrounded them, and in turn, they shared the same respect."
Lilo's eyes widened. This story...
"Each citizen--each pony--of this race was beautiful beyond comparison, and they all sported a compassionate and wise personality on top of that." Chrysalis paused, looking down at her hooves. "These ponies had a wonderful queen, whose love and beauty was known to even the creatures who existed in the distance reaches of the furthest leylands. It seemed as they had everything anypony could ever want.
"However, they had one weakness." Chrysalis looked up, staring at Cadence. "The ponies gave the land that they lived on love to survive, and in turn, the land gave the ponies the energy needed to sustain themselves." She flipped her mane out of her eyes. "As you can guess, it was only a matter of time before something fed off of that weakness.
"A creature of immense power tore into the land that these ponies lived upon, twisting the magics that were present until there no longer existed a connection between the land and these ponies. The queen was mortified by what the creature had done, and she pleaded with him to give her and her race their land back."
Chrysalis sighed, finally turning to face the crowd. She took another breath, and continued, "The beast promised to give them the land's magic if they would serve under him as their slaves for as long as he remained alive. In desperation, the queen complied with the beast, but to her horror, his treachery didn't stop there. He took the magic of the land, twisted it some more, and infused it with every citizen of the nation, changing the ponies forever into horrid manifestations of their former selves.
"Well, not long after that the beast was defeated, freeing the ponies from their enslavement. However, for the atrocities the ponies committed under the rule of the beast, they were no longer welcome amongst the world that they had come to know, and so they fled to the distant reaches if the world in order to find a new life."
Everypony stared on at Chrysalis in silence. The queen shut her eyes.
"For centuries since then, these new... ponies had to make a new life for themselves," Chrysalis continued. "They were hunted, they were starved, they were captured, and most of all, they were unloved by all those that they met. They were chased across the far reaches of Equestria until they came upon the Broken Leylands, the remnants of their home.
"Unfortunately, they were no longer welcomed there as other ponies had made settlements scattered across the barren, arid land. Again, these ponies were chased across the wastes until they came upon Equestria, and then upon this very city, Canterlot."
The queen sat down, looking down at her hooves.
"In a last ditch effort, these ponies attacked the city to gain the love that they had been deprived of for centuries. The city had more love to feed the entire nation of ponies than they had ever felt before, and it sat there at the very edges of their hooves. They plotted, they conspired, they infiltrated, but in the end, it still wasn't enough and they were defeated by the very thing they had sought to consume. Love had defeated and condemned them to the fate that was so eagerly awaiting them since they first lost their connection with their homeland."
Princess Cadence stepped forward, her face contorted into a snarl. Neither Luna nor Celestia made to stop her as she stood before Chrysalis.
"You sit here and spin this tale," Cadence said, lowering her face to be level with Chrysalis', "yet the actions you have committed here in Canterlot still stand. Have you really stooped so low, Chrysalis, to try to pass a sob story as your defense?"
Chrysalis bared her fangs, but remained seated.
"I would like to see you stand before the ashes of two hundred thousand dead souls," Chrysalis said, her eyes watering, "and ask the ghosts if honor matters. What else could I have done? I had no other choice. We had no other choice."
"You could have asked!" Cadence shouted. Her breaths were ragged. "You could have asked Princess Celestia for aid for your ponies. You could have asked Princess Luna. You could have asked anypony, but instead you decided to take the most brute course of action."
"Don't you think I would have tried?" Chrysalis asked, rising to her hooves. Tears were streaming freely down her face. "Princess Celestia, your little aunt, still regards the changelings as a brutish and insufferable race who are relics of an age from a millennia ago."
Cadence's face scrunched up in rage. Lilo glanced up at Carbon, worry etched across her face. The wurr of ponies voices echoed through the crowd once again.
"Carbon, Queen Chrysalis doesn't stand a chance in this trial," Lilo said, nudging her muzzle against Carbon's neck. "We have to do something, now. Cadence only grows more agitated the longer this trial drags on."
Carbon grimaced, looking back down at Lilo. "I'm not sure there is anything we can do, Lilo."
"You and your minions have brought suffering upon this city with your invasion," Cadence said coldly. "You talk of walking among the ashes of your fallen subjects, yet you turn my own subjects to ashes in their stead. Your hypocrisy will be the end of you, Queen Chrysalis."
"There is something that I can do," Lilo said, taking a step forward. She looked back. "Please, Carbon, stay here."
Before Carbon had a chance to lift a hoof, Lilo darted into the crowd and began to push herself towards the stage. A few ponies shouted out in displeasure, and in a moment, the pegasi guards had noticed the disturbance and began to take to the air to capture the creme colored pegasus pony who made for the stage.
Chrysalis remained unaware of the approaching pegasus. "Have you known what it is to feel loss--true loss? You sit upon your throne and help with the relief effort of this city, taking tallies on the dead and the decrepit, yet you have not had the pleasure of witnessing everything you have ever loved be taken away from you within an instant."
Cadence opened her mouth, but before she could reply, Lilo jumped and spread her wings, giving one powerful flap and landing on the stage in front of Chrysalis with a heavy thud. Pegasi guards landed all around the queen and the pegasus, lowering their spears around the two. Princess Luna stood, walking up next to Cadence.
"Stand down, citizen," Luna said, her horn glowing. "Remove thyself from the stage at once."
Lilo growled. "I am not your citizen," she spat.
A roar of conversation erupted from the crowd. Cadence furrowed her brow and Luna unfurled her wings, dissipating the magic around her horn.
"You are not?" Luna asked. "What makes you imply such a thing, pegasus?"
Lilo closed her eyes and slowly encased her body in a wave of green flames. Her pegasus disguise dropped, revealing her changeling form in front of the entire crowd, the guards, and the three princesses. A few screams rang out.
"Seize that changeling!"
Lilo's eyes widened, but before one of the guards could move in and apprehend her, Carbon swooped in and landed between her and the guards in front of her. His wings were fully extended, and he lowered his head to be level with one of the spears in front of him.
"Get away from her," he said, a chill creeping into his voice.
The guards tensed, and the crowd around the stage fell silent and watched on in awe as Carbon and Lilo stood between the guards and Chrysalis. Lilo sidled up next to Carbon and bared her fangs.
"At ease, guard," Celestia said from behind Luna and Cadence. The two other princesses and the guards parted, allowing from the large, white alicorn to walk up before Carbon and Lilo. Her face remained stoic. "This is something that I would never have expected to see, not now. A pony standing united with a changeling under the premiss of love. I can see it.
"But you have interrupted an ongoing trial for the crimes of one who has brought much suffering upon this city. Regardless of what race you are, this does not excuse your intrusion, so, please, explain yourselves before I have you two removed from the stage."
Lilo gave Carbon a nuzzle on his neck, and then she stepped forward in front of Celestia. The pony princess towered over the changeling, but Lilo stood as tall as she could and stared into the princess's eyes.
"For my entire life I have trailed behind my queen," Lilo said. "I have followed her across the barren wastes of the Broken Leylands, and then into the dark and dangerous forests of the Everfree. She led us to each potential food source in hopes that we would be forever sustained, but each time we were driven away because of our queer dietary habits and strange complexions."
Lilo paused, clicking her tongue together. "For however long I have know Queen Chrysalis, I have never seen the monster that you ponies make her out to be. When I was a part of our swarm, I had the job of taking care of the foals that had been orphaned by their parents. One day while I was feeding them, the queen herself stopped by and asked if she could see all of the foals, and I warily complied as I led her to them."
Chrysalis' eyes widened and she turned away.
"For an hour she sat down and played with all of the foals," Lilo continued. "She wrestled with them and played hide and seek. I had never seen a pony of such power display such affection before, and from that moment on I knew that Chrysalis was no leader. She's not a monarch, she's not a tyrant; she's a mother who cares about every one of her children." Celestia stared passed Lilo as she continued. "She's not much different than you ponies. You pride yourselves on caring for each other and having loving princesses that are mothers to all of their subjects. The only difference between you and her are the ponies that she leads." Lilo looked down at her hooves. "Our home is where we are. Our place of origin is not relevant, only where we choose to go together."
Celestia raised an eyebrow. "You three stand together on this stage, defying those that would otherwise have you taken away. You, changeling, stand before me proudly as you vouch for the tenderness of your queen, and you, pegasus, stand next to that of whom you love. I know what it is that motivates you, but I wish to hear it from yourselves."
Staring directly into Celestia's eyes, Lilo said, "No matter what any other pony thinks, there is no other place I'd rather be. I love my queen, and I love Carbon. I have lost enough, and I would never be able to bear losing more of those that I love."
"Sometimes ponies deserve second chances," Carbon said, stepping forward. "In the short time that I have known Lilo, I have come to love her beyond any pony I have known before. The determination that I see in her now is something that I never want to lose."
Celestia stared at Lilo for a moment, her eyes softening considerably. She stepped forward, walking past Lilo and Carbon and slowly lowering herself down in front of Chrysalis. The queen continued to look away, but she didn't recoil when Celestia rested one pressed one of her metal clad hooves up against her own holed hooves.
"I think it's time we forget what happened between us in ages past," Celestia whispered. "Our ponies need us more than ever, and it wouldn't do well for either of us to squabble over a conflict that should have been settled over a millennia ago."
Before Chrysalis had a chance to respond, Celestia stood onto all four of her hooves and strode to the front of the stage. Most of the guard that had been on the stage returned to their posts, although a few remained who kept their eyes on Lilo and Carbon. Luna walked up next to Celestia, and Cadence looked away from the crowd of ponies, biting her lower lip.
"A verdict for this trial has been achieved," Celestia announced, opening her wings. "By the royal decree of Princess Luna and I, Queen Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings, will remain under house arrest at Canterlot Castle until a consensus has been made about what to do with the rest of the changelings."
A roar of voices thundered in the market square. Ponies of all colors began to shout a mix of emotions towards the center stage, ranging from strongly worded speeches or displeasure to cheers and hollers of congratulations towards Chrysalis, Lilo, and Carbon. The sound was deafening, and Lilo immediately folded her ears back and pressed herself into Carbon's side.
Princess Luna glanced at her sister, and after a moment she slammed her hoof onto the stage. A powerful thunderclap ripped through the air, immediately silencing everypony who had the pleasure of hearing it. She cleared her throat and opened her wings.
"If that is all," she began, "this trial has come to a close. My sister and I will devise a royal pardon that you all may scrutinize to your heart's content later. As for right now, we have more pressing matters to attend to. If you have any questions, please direct them towards the Day Court."
Before another roar of voices could blast towards Celestia and Luna, the two alicorns ignited their horns and teleported away. Cadence remained a moment longer, shooting a glare towards Lilo and Carbon before igniting her own horn and teleporting away. Shining Armor appeared on stage next, flanked by two pegasi guards. He held a scroll in his magic, which he levitated in front of Lilo and Carbon and unraveled it.
"By the order of Princess Celestia," he said. "you two are to meet with her and Princess Luna tonight to discuss your present situation. I will have one guard escort you back to your home and then to the castle later tonight."
Lilo scanned the scroll and then glanced over at Carbon, who looked up at Shining Armor curiously. The prince looked to be agitated and impatient as he stared past them towards Chrysalis.
"Will I have time to speak to Queen Chrysalis?" Lilo asked.
"You will tonight," Shining Armor replied. "As of right now, I have orders to take her back to the castle and given appropriate accommodations." He leaned forward and whispered, "The crowd looks to be growing more upset, so I suggest that you leave now before things get out of hand. Besides, I have a job to do."
Lilo and Carbon looked at each other, and after looking back at Chrysalis one last time, they both quickly departed the stage with one of Shining Armor's guards in tow. Towards the back of the crowd, a grey unicorn eyed the party with a sinister glare. He nodded his head, and four other ponies that had surrounded him departed the market square, galloping through the streets towards the poorest districts of Canterlot. |
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