//------------------------------// // Chapter 13 // Story: Fiend Shifter // by Xinrick //------------------------------// It has been a week since the events at the Dragon Lands. Most of the older ones, like Ember and Garble, are helping to look after the eggs and whelps that survived. They plan on going back, apparently the remnants of Australia said 'sure, why not.' Given the hell they went through, sharing their country with the dragons, especially given their country appeared on the Dragon Lands continent, co-existence with dragons would be easy for them. I, after a break from that mess, decided that I needed to practice and test my abilities. I have a lot of new forms and summons so this should be interesting. "Alright…so which person do I want to summon first?" I wondered to myself. "Hmm…Satan or Bahamut…" Summoning the devil himself probably isn't a good thing. Best to keep him inside until later. For now, I decided on summoning… Harut. In a flash of rather divine light and feathers, Harut appeared before me. He looked normal again. "Anna." He greeted me with a bow. “Nice to see you again Harut.” I nodded. “How’s it feel being apart of my soul?” "Much like when I was linked to my father. More whole and with purpose." He admitted. “Glad to hear you're having fun.” I nodded. “Hopefully it’s not too crowded in there for you.” "It reminds me of the silver city, er, heaven. Bustling with generations of life and always something to do." “That’s good to hear.” I nodded. “Glad to hear you're not bored with all the nonsense going on in there.” "Yes, it's all quite enjoyable. So, do you need anything?" “Just training a bit, seeing how all my new summon’s and abilities work.” I said honestly. “Especially since I can transform into your special race of Angel right now.” "Ah, that is impressive. How many beings can you summon at a time?" That… was a good question. Once we got home I disbanded Jecht, and normally a summoner can only summon one, well, summon at a time… but I am not a summoner nor am I normal either. “Uh…no idea.” I said honestly. “I kinda thought I was limited to one summon at a time …”  "Normally, but that is a typical human limitation. And you are not human nor bound by their limitations." “Yeah, that’s what I thought…” I started. “So…let’s try summoning another being here.” I took a breath, managing to get the next summon circle to appear and this time, Jecht appeared. "Holy- back out here already?" He asked, looking around. "What's the occasion?" "Anna is practicing her powers." Harut answered. "Woah! You're here? Wow, two at once. Nice." “Yeah, this is pretty neat.” I nodded. “Good to know that I can summon multiple people at once.” "How many can you summon at once?" Jecht asked. “Figuring that out right now.” I answered, this time trying to summon Tidus for this wonderful party. So far I summoned Tidus, Chrysalis, Ocellus, ifrit, and I felt like I could keep on going. This is awesome! “Alright, so far it feels like I could literally summon any mount I want.” I said happily. “But…this might be leading into a bad thing and I don’t know why…” "Well, you'll at least have back up at all times- Ocellus let go of me!" Tidus yelled at the young changeling kept trying to cling and cuddle the Blitz Ball player. "Aw, you gotta girlfriend." I couldn't help but giggle. "I wonder if Changelings invented the name 'cuddle bug'?" "She's not my girlfriend…" Tidus growled. "Just kiss already!" Jecht yelled, quickly dodging the thrown greatsword that Tidus aimed at Jecht's head. I laughed a little at that. Okay, now to try with my forms. Let's see… well, guess I'll go with Harut's angel type. “Alright everyone, do not be afraid with what I might turn into.” I said while trying out my new Angel form I got from Harut. I felt the change happen but when I looked at myself… I didn't actually look different. Huh… well that's upsetting. I think? “Uh…” I started. “Shouldn’t I look…different?” I asked carefully. "Do I look less like a human than you?" Harut asked as he walked up to me. "Many of my younger generations of siblings were made to look more human in order to better blend in with them. But you do have nice wings." I looked behind me, seeing two large wings made from magic emerged from my back. "They do look pretty." I smiled. "Now, my specific breed of angel is known as Cognoverse. Do you know what we do?" "Not entirely." I said simply. "Primarily, we taught magic to humanity, but we also taught them languages and how to speak in the languages of each magic type. It's why all Cognoverse Angels have an affinity for every magic type. We are wizards, spell casters and crafters, and teachers." "Amazing." I nodded. "Will help me figure out magic faster." Okay, so this form will probably be best suited for studying magic and practicing it. Hmm, now what else… ah, dragon form! "Alright, time for dragon." I said, shifting into my new dragon form, not sure if its a normal dragon or some weird dragon god form. I shifted and was a bit taller, maybe six inches. Looking down at myself I was naked but the scales and such covered pretty much everything. The first thing I noticed to my horror was that I was flat! My knockers are gone! After getting over that, I noticed in better detail my looks. I had pink scales, oddly, two short horns on my head, two fair sized draconic wings, claws that were rather sharp and a tail that ended in several barbs. Huh, aside from being flat chested, not bad. "While I do miss my chest, I do look nice." I said honestly. "Feel pretty strong too." "Dragons can eat gems. Can you in that form?" Chrysalis asked. "I'm pretty sure." I said, carefully looking at my teeth to see if I had those special gem eating teeth. Yup. Sharp, thick, a bit rougher than I expected, and many. It wasn't hard to find a gemstone, a sapphire and after dusting it off a bit, popped it into my mouth. It had a hard candy consistency, and it was sour raspberry flavor. I did not expect that. "Huh, raspberry for sapphires." I said honestly  "Makes sense. So, what next?" Jecht asked. "Well, next up would be my 'Bahamut' form…or I could summon a piece of Satan." "I wouldn't if I were you Anna." Harut said.  “How bad would it be if I did?” I asked. "Well, Heylel, even if you summoned him, would definitely not obey you. In fact I'd wager he'd immediately try and kill you." “Rude.” I frowned. “Alright, looks like I’m gonna have to make a personal visit to that asshole when I head to Zanarkand next…” "So, your Dragon God Bahamut then?" Tidus asked. “Yes.” I nodded. “But not that Bahuamt, this is someone completely different.” I said, starting to channel the summoning of Dragon God Bahamut. To my surprise, and a bit of relief, he was smaller than when I fought him, roughly my size but his form and shape were the same. "Hmmm." He hummed, looking around. "So, I've been… bound?" They asked. Their voice dropped with aged wisdom and a strong hint of wrath. “Less ‘bound’ like when you were corrupted by Sombra and more…resident.” I said carefully. “Please don’t be pissed…I’m not a slave driver.” "Hm. You're no dragon, that's for sure." He said, looking me over. "But you are a Goddess, and quiet powerful at that. If inexperienced." "Goddess of Life…that I learned not too long ago." I said. "Hm. And why do you appear as a dragon now?" "Because before I became a Goddess of Life I had the powers of Shape shifting." I said simply, reverting back to my human form. "And it helps a lot for a lot of situations." "I see. And upon my… assimilation, to your power, you inherited mine as well." "As far as I know and understand." I answered. "Don't know how it would work for absorbing a literal God." I said nervously. "But I'm also housing your Soul inside me, so whenever you want to…be alive again I can figure something out sooner or later." "No need." He said. "To be honest I wasn't expecting to wake up when I went into hibernation." "Fair enough." I nodded. "And hopefully, all your knowledge and experience will help me save this world from a parasitic asshole known as Spiral." "If you say so." “You sounding passive aggressive while holding back a whole lot of pent up wrath is not good for any of us.” I stated simply. "I'm not wrathful. This is just how I sound." “Right…” I started. “So anyways…my name's Anna, and these many fine folk are your roommates inside my soul.” "I noticed. Can I go back now? I'd like to continue sleeping." “Fine, fine.” I said while putting him back into my soul realm. "Well, they seemed fun." Jecht said. “I’m sure you two will get along great.” I said. “Yeah, a couple of cranky old geezers that need a nap.” Tidus commented. "So, what next Anna?" Harut asked. Hm, well, if Heylel is out for summons, what should I try next? “Hmm…well I have a bad idea, and it involves seeing if I can shapeshift into Satan himself.” I said honestly. "I also advise against that." Harut stated quickly. “Why is that Harut?” I inquired. "Personal trauma." “Fair enough.” I nodded. “So…hmm, well, considering you're all out and about here, what do you all want to do?” "I got Chrysalis so I already know what I'm doing." Jecht said. "Probably look for a bite to eat… and avoid Ocellus…" Tidus said, the Changeling in question clinging to him like a strange over sexualized backpack. "I suppose I'll read up on Equestrian magic." Harut said. “Works for me.” I nodded. “And also, you’re not going to avoid that adorable girl who is very into you Tidus…and I suppose I should head into Bahamut’s cave to see everything he has down there…hell, maybe I can find another person from Spira like Wakka and Khimari.” "If you do, that would be great." Tidus said, managing to push Ocellus off his back and rushing off before she could get up. Once she was up, she began flying off after him. “So about Ocellus being clingier than static electricity?” I asked Chrysalis curiously. "My best guess, she picked him as her mate." Chrysalis stated with a shrug. "Typically, Changelings who choose a mate with another are always together. Even if one dies, the other will often stick with their mate til they too pass. Given Tidus isn't a Changeling though it's going to be hilarious." “So I was right that Ocellus likes him.” I chuckled. “Yeah, that’s gonna be a bit hilarious…though I can kinda understand why Tidus is a tad concerned with it…probably still has his heart on Yuna all thing’s considered.” "Awh, he takes after his old man more than I thought." Jecht said. “Oh? Being a ‘ladies man’ I take it?” "Damn right!" With that he and Chrysalis headed off. Probably gonna look for a private place to do stuff. Harut also bid me farewell and headed towards the library. Hm, don't wanna head there alone though… "I am so glad I was free for this!" Celestia said as she and I flew towards the Dragon Lands/Australia. “How excited are you for this Celestia?” I inquired. "Very, Bahumat was my teacher back when I was a young goddess." She said. “Oh wow.” I said in surprise. “And here I thought he was a old grump that wanted to sleep.” "Well, he kinda is but he's also really nice once you get over his size and scary voice. One thing I was always curious about was his horde. I always wanted to see it. There's relics and items there from well before pony kind even existed! It's gonna be amazing!" “And I can lead you in there.” I said honestly. “Also, when I summoned him he wasn’t that much taller than me in my dragon form, and he sounded like he was going to snap somebody in half.” "Oh he always sounds like that." She waved it off. "It's just how his voice is. He always sounds angry even though he's never lost his temper. Pretty sure that's why they say when he'd wake up he'd set the world on fire. All the dragons back then were completely terrified of him." “And considering I had to fight a Sombra possessed version of him…I can safely say, they were right to fear him.” I said honestly. It was a while before we made it to the Dragon Lands, and Mt Bahumat was now more like a crater. Landing inside, I spotted all kinds of things around me. Hills and hills of gemstones, gold, silver, platinum, and all kinda of relics I can just feel the magic and power radiating off of them. And there was so much. “Holy sheep shit…” I said in awe. "This is about what I'd expect." Celestia said as she moved some things around. “So what is like…half of this stuff?” I asked, sifting through gem’s, golds, and what looked like ancient weapons and armor that all looked really cool. "Most of this seems to be old weapons from the divine wars." Celestia said, picking up a small shield, looking it over then tossing it. “I don’t think you should be tossing old arms and armor from a time called the ‘Divine Wars’.” I said carefully, sifting through more of his shit…well, technically it would be my shit now…”So this is all my shit right now…” My right eye twitched lightly, as I was currently in my dragon form experiencing… something very weird at the moment. I immediately began grabbing things. Gold, gems, whatever really and tried to pile it up to lay down on it. “This is my hoard.” I stated. “There are many like it, but this is mine.” I said, knowing for a fact I was laying down on this like a goddamn cat but not caring. "I actually doubt there's many others like this." Celestia said, picking up some silver coins, then tossing them. “Don’t just toss my shit.” I huffed, but shook my head. “Whoa, okay…gonna need to figure that bit out soon…” I muttered, digging through my hoard to see if there was any cool shit in here. "That would be the Greed part of your new godly title. Especially since you're a dragon at the moment it would affect you more than not in that form." Celestia said, tossing more stuff aside. “Well…what are you looking for specifically?” I inquired, I myself was digging around trying to see if there was any Fayth’s or a Spira character statue here. "I think he had my Mother's armor here." Celestia said, still sorting through some things. “Huh…” I said. “And what does her Armor look like?” "White, gold and red." She said, tossing another helmet. "I never knew what happened to it but I know Bahumat knew my mother before so odds are he kept it after she vanished." “Alright.” I said, continuing to dig through the mountains of gold and gems, trying to use either my dragon magic to find where it is specifically or use my other armor’s magic to find it. I wasn't having much luck. Just a lot of tasty gems, a ring that turns you invisible, a glowing blue shield made from magic, a bag of magical beetles, a bow that shoots lightning, a bag that blows hurricane level air out when opened, several petrified monkey paws, glasses that let me view into the future, only five to ten seconds, and many other wild and crazy artifacts. “Okay seriously, what nonsense was this guy hoarding?” I asked. “Also…I might as well summon him to not only see you again, but to show you where her armor is.” With a wave I summoned back out Dragon God Bahumat… and he was sleeping. "Heh, that sounds about right." Celestia responded to his snores. I rubbed my temples. “So that’s not gonna help…” I muttered, ready to send him back from his sleep.  I sent him back and helped Celestia sort through this crap. One thing that surprised me was a skull with glowing yellow eyes. "Oh, I think that's a Liars Conscience. They immediately detect who in a conversation is lying and tells the truth they're hiding." “Well then, that’s pretty cool.” I said honestly. “Beat’s a lie detector that’s for sure.” Celestia and I were sorting for hours, at some point I was separating the stuff. Magical weapons, armors, items, ECT all into their own piles and if they matched I tried to put stuff together. "Well, this has been productive, but I still haven't seen her armor." Celestia said. “Yeah, that is pretty weird.” I said, still sorting through my asinine amount of stuff. “Seriously, I might be the richest person on the planet at this point.” "Probably." Celestia shrugged. She sighed as she lit her horn, lowering the sun. The crater got quite dark until Celestia lit her horn again, making various floating orbs of light. In a flash of her magic appeared a bed, a fire place, and some food stuffs. "We can sleep here tonight. With luck we'll find the armor tomorrow." “That would be great.” I nodded, yawning as I realized how tired I was. ‘Ugh…it’s been a trying day.” "Yes." Celestia said as she began preparing the food stuffs. "Go ahead and lay down. I'll just make something quick then join you." I nodded, walking over to my specifically made pile that was weirdly comfy, as I did the cat thing of circling around in one spot before laying down. “Why must dragon’s act like cats for this?” I wondered to myself as I drifted off to sleep. "It's a weird phenomenon, I'll admit but one that all drakes do. Unless you're Spike." Celestia stated simply. “Oh? How so?” I inquired, lightly perking up at that. “Well, as you know Spike was hatched here in Canterlot, from a long since fossilized egg at that. By all meanings of the word, Spike should not exist, but we have long since believed that Spike was fossilized at the near hatching point for his development, and so when Twilight’s magic went wild in that surge, she managed to reanimate what was in his egg, and replaced some bits and pieces with her own magic in a way that hasn’t been possible for a long time. It’s part of why I knew Twilight was the one to become the next Alicorn.” “That’s pretty neat.” I said. “So…Spike’s technically part Pony?” “Yes. Though not in a typical way. Genetically, Spike is pure drake, but magically, his magic is very in tune with Twilight’s, and even readings on his soul show they are on the same wavelength as Twilight. If you were to be technical, Spike would be a rare type of organic golem, but still he’s much more. He’s more akin to the first members of a race a new Elder or Eldritch god makes before they breed to populate.” “Now that’s really cool.” I said honestly. “Yes, and for Twilight to achieve that, before Alicorn Ascension, and on accident, well, as they say, there are no accidents. I took that as a sign to train her properly. She has not disappointed and has surpassed all my expectations.” “That’s good to hear.” I nodded. “Now…hopefully all that beyond expectations can…help us through all this shit.” I yawned. “She is still young, but I have commissioned something to aid in her, and Cadence’s development for the trials ahead.” “Cool.” I nodded. “Wonder if I’ll be able to gain those armor’s abilities as well?” I wondered, before shrugging. “That’s for tomorrow…night Celestia.” “Don’t you want to eat first?” Celestia asked, holding up a small salad bowl and pulling out some eggs. “Alright alright.” I said, perking up again at the prospect of food. “You’re driving a hard bargain to stop me from sleeping here sunbutt.” I chuckled. “Also…where did you get this?” “I teleported it here from Canterlot. It’s a nifty spell that lets a unicorn teleport an item from long distances so long as they have the items in a spot rich in their mana signature.” She said, handing me the salad. “Plus, well, I haven’t gotten a chance to spend a sleepless night with you yet~ This is the first time we’ve been alone together. I’d like some memories aside from the dusty relics.” “Well then get over here and let me show you what fun we can have my sexy princess.” I said readily. I forgot just how much hornier Celestia was than me. That little preview Gilda and I saw that one time and repeated, was nothing compared to what she and I did last night… I’d happily and all too willingly do it all again… if I could move. “You really should stay laying down Anna. First time Inkwell and I did this, she couldn’t move for a week.” Celestia said as she managed to move and sort through the piles of still unsorted items. “Me and Gilda…accidentally saw some of this…” I panted. “But physically experiencing it…wow…” “Heh, yes well, you live long enough and the basic stuff just gets boring.” She said simply. Even with all I can do with shapeshifting, that was stuff I thought could only be done in fictional porn. “So uh…yeah…” I started. “Gilda’s probably gonna be shocked to know I knocked you up…and so is the rest of the planet at this point…” I started, considering how Celestia wanted…every shape inside of her. “And I you.” She said, giving me a wink. I blushed, remembering that beast she adorned with magic and used on me for just as long as I was using my forms on her… and in all my forms too. Multiple times… across all entry ports and… usable bits.  Still, would do it all again… once I can move and feel more than just sore and pleasure… “Ugh…making my pregnancy longer or just doubling or tripling how many I’m going to spawn…” I sighed out. “I still hate how I have to spawn in an entire planet’s worth of people instead of…giving birth to a few like a normal mother…” “Well, you can but you’ll be pregnant forever at that rate.” Hmm… I mean… Could I? “But…that would lead to problems…” I said. “I can’t fight if I’m constantly pregnant right?” “What about Gilda? Or some golem construct?” I mean… when I used Gilda, my powers did work I’ll admit, but I don’t want to endanger them… A Golem Construct though… Maybe Vincent can teach me how to make one. “Well…maybe…” I admitted. “I’m…just not sure is all…” I gently put a hand on my stomach, at least able to move that much as I felt my ever growing baby bump. I stayed laying there while Celestia sorted through some things. “Ah! Found part of it!” She said, showing me a gauntlet. “That’s cool.” I said honestly. “Yes. I never got to see mom wear it, just remember seeing it in a cabinet when I was very little.” “Well, glad you never had to see it used I suppose.” I pointed out. “Yes, I guess that is a good thing.” Celestia said with a nod. It was a few more hours before Celestia found the whole set of her mothers armor. By then I was finally able to move enough to sit up and then walk… rather limp, but I was moving at least. “Well, your mother certainly had a neat looking set of armor.” I said honestly. “Yes. I was hoping to clean it up and put it on display in our home. But, if you can absorb it, then you can have it.” I limped over and gently put a hand on the armor, trying to absorb it like I did the other two suits of armor. To my surprise I didn’t feel it absorb, so much as… bond, to me. In a flash it was gone and I now wore a bracelet that looked to be made from green vines. “Okay…didn’t absorb it, but it certainly bonded to me.” I said honestly. “Makes sense. Mother was an Elder Goddess of life, so are you. The armor must have recognized you as a worthy and qualified master.” “That’s cool.” I nodded. “Certainly help me in fights.” Warning! Faust Armor use limited! Situational activation not detected! Awaiting Situational Activation Trigger. Of course… “Cause of course it would have to be a ‘situational activation’...” I grumbled. Celestia chuckled. “Well, at least it’s better than nothing. Now then, if you are up and able to move, ready for round two?” “What do you mean that was only ‘round one’?” I asked in surprise. “Hmm, I’d say half a round but it was your first time with me so, I’ll give you full credit for participation.” She said, giving me a playful smile. This woman is gonna snu snu me to death… “Now you know how I felt when your Changeling form got its cravings.” Gilda said as she put another cold compress along my body. All the feeling in my crotch area was a mix of excruciating pain and absolute mind melting bliss… Still would go again. “Still worth…” I groaned lightly. “But…still, ow…” “Yeesh, remind me to obtain godhood before I try and sleep with Celestia.” Gilda said as they now carefully fed me a potion. “Inkwell say’s this potion is safe to take while pregnant and will help with your… pain. Also, she has pointers for when you want to go a full nonstop round with Celestia next time.” “Gonna need all the help I can get…” I sighed out. “So, aside from clearly painful, how was it?” “Amazing and…weird.” I said honestly. “Care to go into detail or still processing it all?” “Still…kinda processing it all.” “That’s fair.” Gilda said, giving me a kiss. “What am I going to do with you my ever horny goddess?” “Cuddle her and give her snacks?” I asked innocently. “I can get you snacks, but I think cuddles should wait until you’re more recovered from that sexual adventure.” Gilda chuckled as they left to go get me snacks. And so I laid on bed, waiting for snacks- “I see sister had quite the fun with you.” Luna said as she sat down next to me. “Yes…yes she did.” I said weakly. “So…hi Luna, how you doing?” “Better than you are, that’s for sure.” She said. “So, it also looks like you did find mothers armor.” Luna added as she lifted up the arm with the bracelet on it. “Yes I did, and immediately was told ‘it’s only usable in specific circumstances’.” I said honestly. “Hm. I suppose that makes some sense. Mother wasn’t much of a fighter. Or so Tia tells me.” “Celestia said she was a Goddess of Life like me.” I brought up. “I know that much.” Luna sighed. “I was very young when Mother vanished. My clearest memory of her was when she’d read to me. I was so young.” “I’m…sorry to hear you lost your mother at such a young age…” I sighed out. “Hm. To be honest, I was too little to even really notice. I remember the color of her mane, her coat. But despite my clearest memory of her was reading to me, I don’t remember her voice. Her face. Tia remembers more, being older, but even so, most of my memories are from after she vanished.” “I understand.” I nodded. “Still sucks not having a mother…what about your father?” “I don’t know. Neither does Tia. Frankly, neither of us have memories of him. Whoever he was. Sometime we think maybe we never had one, that mother conceived us both on her own, but it’s just a mystery we will never know the truth of.” “Alrighty then.” I nodded. “That…kinda sucks.” “It has never bothered us much. You don’t need to feel bad about it, we just are happy to have you in our lives.” “And I’m happy to have all of you in my life.” I said happily. Gilda came with my snacks and after another dose of anti pain potion, Gilda and Luna joined me for a cuddle as I decided to finally get some sleep. Celestia did not let me sleep with after sexy funtime… The cell was pitch black. I couldn’t see anything in there, just darkness. This is Heylel’s cell? “Hello?” I asked. “Anybody in there or do I need to turn on the light’s ya edgy bastard.” A hand touched the barrier, making me jump some as soon a single glowing red eye was visible, and looking at me. “You…” A voice, deep and more wrathful than Bahumat’s, spoke. “You are like my father, but not. And they call me an abomination…” “Right…” I started. “So hi Satan, or do you want to go by Heylel?” “Satan, The Accuser. Not my job, and not my name. I am Heylel, the fallen one and rightful ruler over humanity.” “Ah, yes, cause the red eye, the threatening voice, and your room being darker than a Shadow the Hedgehog convention certainly gives off the ‘I’m the rightful ruler of humanity’.” I stated. The barrier cracked, making me jump back. “Bite your tongue, fledgling. A goddess you may be, but even this prison is breakable. And I can still feed from within you, and there are so many souls ripe for the devouring around me.” “Fantastic…” I grumbled. “And here I thought literally eating a literal Eldritch God would make this easier…” I grumbled. “They are quite appetizing, aren’t they?” Heylel asked, the barrier beginning to repair itself. “Hm, how quant. You want my power, but your entire being simply can’t be rid of my consciousness. Such is the way of gods of life. So, here we are at an impasse.” “Either you help me deal with someone much scarier than you, or you have to get into my stomach and have to relive this experience again for god knows how many times.” I stated simply, still trying to wrap my head around the fact I’ve done this song and dance who knows how many times. “Intimidation is not your strong suit fledgling. No, no torture or pain your mind can come up with will break me. And you know this, but still, you need my power, and that will have to come at a price.” “It’s funny you think that was either an intimidation tactic, or threatening when I only spoke the truth.” I said honestly. “But what is your price if I may ask?” “I will not lie, my time imprisoned has given me time to think, and time to analyze and time to… settle, on what I’d take in exchange. I want Michael’s head.” “So…you want me to kill a Seraphim?” I asked carefully. “I want to see the lifeforce of father’s little obedient brat leave their eyes. It was he who captured and imprisoned me. All you need to do is absorb him as you did little brother Heylel, and I will handle the rest. Once Micheal’s consciousness is obliterated, you can have not only my power, but his as well.” “Goodie…” I grumbled, rubbing my temples at that. ”I really need Vincent and Grey to teach me how to be strong enough…” I thought to myself bitterly. “And where in the world would they be?” “Among the fragments on earth, he is likely on that western continent. The one you know as America.” “Heylel’s in Australia, Jesus is in Ireland, and now Michael is in America? No wonder a lot of places are weird.” I chuckled. “You were all given such a magnificent planet. Yet you all had to ruin it.” “And…you thought you could do better?” I asked carefully, motioning to the entire cell. “I would have never let you all destroy magic. I would have never let you all create weapons capable of obliterating hundred and thousands and millions of lives in an instance. I would have never let you all steal, kill and starve your own kind while a greedy few lived like gods with fortunes ill gotten. You may not have had your precious free will, but you all would have lived happy lives.” “Huh, normally it’s the other way around.” I said honestly. “Maybe you should not trust the words and text written by mortals on matters they’d have never understood.” “I mean…you’re not really giving off any ‘I’m trustworthy’ vibes considering your threatening to devour souls, your entire room is pitch black, and your first thought for helping someone prevent the end of existence is ‘get me this guys head’...” I said honestly. “Just saying.” “To create paradise, blood of those who would seek to destroy it must be spilled. Micheal was the one to keep humanity from paradise, so his life must be given as payment for letting humans devolve into such a wicked, self destructive race.” “So I must ask…what are you going to do to make me believe in anything you just said?” I asked. “Cause even Harut has been…very adamant that you’re just a douche bag all things considered.” “Insurance. I can respect that. The world you reside on is known as Equestria, yes? It’s goddess is known as Faust, and she’s been missing for so long.” He started, moving his hand off the barrier and using a finger to draw a map. “Here, you will find a… clue, as to where she vanished too.” “That’s…weird you know about Equestria and Faust missing…” I said carefully. “I know a lot about the world of the gods. Like them I too traveled across the worlds, the multiverse, and beyond. There is much I know.” “Alright…” I said carefully. “So…going to find a clue to find out where Faust is…” “When you find it, you’ll trust me. I can promise you that, and unlike my father, I keep my promises.” Heylel said, his one eye vanishing and putting the room back into darkness. Once I woke up and felt good enough I took Celestia and Luna with me to the place Heylel’s map led. “Are you sure this Heylel can be trusted?” Celestia asked as we arrived at the place. A small island way north, passed the Crystal Empire and well into the cold oceans. “I was unaware an island even existed here. “Honestly, no, no I don’t.” I said, summoning out Harut just in case. “Yo, mind helping the three of us figure out if Heylel is full of shit or not?” “Of course. Where are we?” Harut asked. “Alright, so right now, Heylel said that he can be trusted, shocking I know, and that the proof would be on this island.” I said, pointing to the specific island in question. “Should we bother listening to him, and do you know anything about this mystery island?” “Regrettably… Heylel doesn’t lie…” Harut admitted. “Then why is he more dark and brooding then an Edgelord conference at the world’s biggest Hot Topic?” I asked. “How would you feel if your father and siblings all turned against you? Imprisoned you in stone and scattered your fragments all across the earth?” “Before or after you declare that you want to create a ‘paradise’ on the corpses of billions?” I asked curiously. “Both.” Harut admitted. “It’s not like none of us knew the dangers of letting humanity run free with it’s own will, but Heylel was the only one who wanted to ensure that free will didn’t devolve into… extinction.” “See, the problem here is that every single magical being either fucked off when thing’s started to get a little too weird, like Odin did, did basically jack all like God is apparently, even though he’s the one that sent me and my family here…or sound like complete jackasses that would have sooner caused an extinction because they thought it was correct.” I frowned. “Yes, well, it was always meant for you all to forge your own path. And, if you made it, become gods yourselves. That is the ultimate destiny for any mortal race.” We landed on the snowy, icey island and looked around. Doesn’t look like anyone has ever been here. “Well…this is certainly a weird place to hide something…” I started. “There is something oddly familiar though…” Celestia said, looking up at the main mountain on the island.  We all ended up following Celestia until we came across an entranceway, carved in stone and a door made of petrified wood, partly frozen over. “A door? Here?” “It… couldn’t be…” Celestia said, putting a hand to the door. She knocked off the frost and ice, revealing the heat engraved image of an inkwell with a large feather quill resting inside it. “This is… our old home…” “Uh…huh…” I started. “That’s…how the hell did you live here?” “It wasn’t like this before… back, way back when we were little, this was a tropical island.” Celestia said. She managed to force the old door open and we all went inside. We were greeted by a simple, small livingroom and kitchen. A hallway led to three rooms. A makeshift bathroom, a bedroom, one small bed and one crib, and the other room was also a bedroom, with a larger bed and many bookshelves filled with books, a desk where old paper, ink and quills all rested. “I… remember this…” Luna said, walking over to the desk. “Mother was… always writing. Drawing.” “She’d draw us because it made us happy.” Celestia said, picking up one old image of the two sisters. Celestia had to be at least… six, seven at most and Luna couldn’t have been more than a year. “I…don’t feel like I should be here right now…” I said, feeling like I just walked in on something very personal for the two. “Also…you look adorable as kids.” “Anna.” Harut spoke. I looked over, seeing a picture of Faust herself. She was… beautiful. In the picture she was holding onto an even younger Celestia and a little Luna as a baby.  On a shelf hunt at the base of a painting was a single, folded piece of paper. I moved over and gently took the piece of paper, gently unfolding the ancient piece of paper to see what was in it. To Celestia and Luna, my dearest daughters. You will never know me. You will never see me. You will never even know my name. I am not a god like your mother, but what I do I do because I know it is truth. The god that made me, my siblings, believes the race he made will be better off without divine intervention. Your mother and I know better, however, that free will if unchecked leads to evil.  While not all of them will fall to this evil, those who do will spread their influences across their planet and bring forth suffering upon their own just to keep their ‘power’ over them. I hope you will never read this letter, because if you don’t, then it means your mother and I succeeded, and we were here to raise you. If you are reading this letter, I only hope you two grow up into kind, just gods who can keep the mortals in check. Free will leads to many roads, some good, some evil. I hope you two are leading your race into prosperity. I hope if we do not return, Bahumat will raise you well. Sincerely, your Father. “No…no no no…” I muttered, shaking my head as I read this. “That should be impossible, how can that guy be their father?” I looked over, seeing Celestia and Luna were both busy with the old books and pictures. I quickly walked back into the living room area with Harut. “Anna…” Harut started. “That rat bastard is their father.” I whispered to Harut. “How? When?” I asked Harut worriedly. “He said the exact same thing to me…like he did in that paper…” “...” Harut was quite… “Long, long ago. Let’s just say some of those theories about humans once being advanced civilizations lost to time hold some truth.” He sighed. “By that time… Heylel had watched them destroy everything they built… several times over.” “Damn…” I muttered. “So was this…before or after he was shattered?” “Before. He and Faust were a lot alike. And well liked…” “So…what happened?” I asked carefully. “Heylel wanted to ensure some form of divine intervention would keep humanity from committing terrible atrocities, repeating the pain of building up their world just to end up back to sticks and stones… Father said they had to learn this lesson on their own. He and Faust argued against this constantly… until words no longer would cut it. He and Faust… attacked. Tried to claim earth as part of her divine territory.” “Ah…that’s where it ended poorly…” I sighed out. “In the end… Heylel was, well, you know… but… Faust…” “What happened to her?” I asked carefully. “...Father, could not kill her, he is a God of Life… so, the duty fell to… Micheal.” “So that’s why he wants his head…” I started. “Michael…killed Faust…” “He was the only one who was willing to kill her. Micheal is… not, as Humans portray. He is… self absorbed, and… selfish.” “So…basically humanity got everything backwards?” I asked. “Yes, because after God and other divine beings left, Micheal began to manipulate and lie. He is the reason the Catholics and Christains were so hard pressed on exterminating other religions, the subjugation of women. He was made in God’s likeness, but when Father left, and Heylel away… he felt he could rule earth as he saw fit. He’s worn many faces, and done all he could to make your earth in his image.” “Ah…” I nodded. “Alright, now I don’t feel bad about wanting this asshole dead.” I stated. “But…now the question is…how the hell do we break it to Celestia and Luna?” ”You don’t.” I jumped, hearing Heylel’s voice in my head. ”You will not weigh their hearts with this information. We still have a deal to fulfill.” “And I’m trying to figure out if I should tell them I have their father inside my head.” I said bluntly. “Everything else can be a secret…also be glad that I didn’t force you out when I read that…” ”They have lived happy, caring lives without me in it. Besides, they have you. You even got my little Tia pregnant.” I blushed at that… well, that’s a whole level of awkward… ”And she you. Heheh. Takes after her mother. Just… Keep them happy, and kill Micheal, or absorb him so I can crush his conscious mind into non existence.” “And I will keep them happy.” I answered. “And I’ll help you deal with that bastard angel…but I’m not going to keep you a secret from them, especially to your grandkids.” ”You will. This is not the request of a fallen angel, but of a father. As far as they should be considered… They never had a father.” “No.” I stated bluntly. “Especially when they’re probably reading the letter you made right fucking now.” I said, having left that piece of paper on the table near Celestia and Luna. “And…I’ll at least give them the choice to know…cause sooner or later, Luna will find you when she visits Zanarkand.” ”... You are a lot like Faust was. Fine, but our deal remains unchanged, kill Micheal and all my powers are yours, willingly… As my vast knowledge on the outer worlds and dimensions.” “Thank you.” I nodded. “I know it’s rough…and I know it might be a pain in the ass…but honestly you might have something that I might not be able to experience…” I sighed, starting to walk towards Celestia and Luna. “Hey.” “Oh Anna, look!” Celestia said, showing me a rather poor drawing of Luna, Faust and Celestia in black ink. “I drew this! Mother said it was lovely but… heh, well I have come a long way.” “Better than ink handprints.” Luna added, showing an image of small handprints made in ink. “Oh I remember that! It took her hours to clean you off!” “I think she missed a spot.” Luna joked, motioning to the black spot along her hips, making her and Celestia laugh. I couldn’t help but chuckle. “So uh…I have a very heavy question for the both of you.” “Uh, what- Oh! Wait I think it might still be here!” Celestia said, rushing off. I stood there sighing, looking over at Luna sort through the books. “Oh! This is the one she would read me.” Luna said, picking out a small leatherbound book with a burned image of… a being with wings. “Oh?” I inquired, walking over to that burned leatherbound book. “What’s in it?” “It’s a story mother would read Tia and I almost every night.” She said, opening the pages. “The book tells of a story about the world of gods long ago, and how the servant of one god fell for the goddess of another realm.” As Luna told the story it wasn’t hard to figure it out. This is her mother and father’s… Faust and Heylel’s love story. Only… this one ends with the two rejoining their children, and raising them to rule over both worlds and helping them prosper. “So hey…what would happen if I said I know where your father is?” I asked Luna carefully. “After…reading all of this to me…would you want to see your father?” “Honestly… I don’t know.” Luna said, closing the book. “I never knew him. I don’t have any memories of him. I don’t even know what they look like or have a name. All I remember is mother…” She said, hugging the book. “And you.” Luna added, putting a hand on my shoulder. I smiled softly, holding Luna’s hand. “I can show you your father whenever you want…he might be a bit stubborn, but I’ve dealt with plenty of stubborn people…and now we just need Celestia here to see what she thinks.” “What do you mean?” “To what part?” I asked. “Cause I’m trying to lay down some…pretty heavy questions on the both of you.” “Tia and I never knew our father. How could you?” “Because of some extremely hyper circumstances that I thought never would have happened.” I said, walking over and picking up Haylel’s letter. “Heylel was the one that told me about this place…and then there’s this letter.” Luna took the letter, reading it over. “But… how? You said he shouldn't be trusted…” “And I said Heylel never lies.” Harut added as he walked into the room. “And considering what he also told me…” I sighed out. “I’m learning some very important thing’s, that we need Celestia here to have everything fully explained.” “She’s dead, isn’t she?” Luna asked, catching me off guard. “God’s don’t just vanish for millions of years for no reason Anna. If she were alive… She’d have at least let us know… In small signs or even indirect contact…” “I’m sorry…” I sighed out. “We should wait for Celestia before everything is explained…cause it’s some heavy shit.” “Don’t.” Luna pleaded. “Tia has more memories of mother than I do, if her fears are confirmed…” “I have an idea.” I said carefully. “Cause…it might be a little strange to hear, but there might be a way to bring her back, and it has to do with my weird specialty in absorbing beings, whether they’re mortal, monster, or God.” “How so?” “Either one of two things…I literally look inside my ‘stomach’ and see if she’s there in some capacity…or we find her and I absorb her, which should bring her back inside of me in Zanarkand.” I explained, not knowing if it would work but considering I have a biblical Devil telling me that all of Religion is backwards, and a fallen angel telling me ‘he has literally never lied’...I had to do something. ”They only way you could pull that off is if you had something with her divine power… her armor…” Heylel said, making me look at the bracelet on my arm. “Oh…” I started. “You sneaky sneaky Powerpuff Girl…” I chuckled, lightly touching the bracelet. “Well congratulations, I think I can give you both your father, and your mother in one fell swoop on pure coincidence.” “How?” Luna asked. “With Faust's armor,” I started, showing Luna the special bracelet. “And a lot of help from people that know a lot more about this stuff than me.” I said, already hoping Heylel and Vincent can help me figure this nonsense out. “It’s definitely possible.” Vincent said. “It will just take a while.” “How long is ‘a while’?” I inquired. “Well.” Vincent started, looking at the bracelet on my arm. “To pull out enough of her Divine grace without destroying the armor, making a body is the easy part, but her power and memories will take… a few… thousand years.” “Oh…” I started. “Uh…shit.” I started, trying to think on how to make it not take that goddamn long. “If we had Time Gems we could accelerate that down to a few months, but we’d need at least ten.” Vincent added. Time Gems? “The hell are Time Gems?” I inquired. “Elemental primordial crystals that contain the raw elemental powers or a corresponding element. In this case, Time.” “And I doubt I can either make one or have one on hand…which…what color are those gems?” I inquired, thinking Bahamut somehow managed to have a couple on hand. “They’re usually either a bright, almost neon blue or purely clear.” I went through all my sorting while Celestia was finding Faust's armor, and none that fit that description came to mind. “Alright…so how do these Time Gem’s form?” “Usually in the heart of a temporal event. Like a Timeline dying, a singularity capable of sucking in space and time, and at the epicenter of a paradox.” Vincent stated. “Oh, then I should have an asston in my stomach.” I said honestly. “Cause…while I’ve only seen that area once, a recording said I’ve ‘absorbed’ millions of timelines, if not more…so would that count?” “One per timeline. So yeah, I’d say you have a million in there. Though finding them won’t be easy.” “Leave it to me.” We both looked over at Gray, who was silently napping on the nearby grass until now. “I can help ya find them.” “And why would you help her?” Vincent asked. “Awh, pop’s, I’m hurt.” He replied in mock pain. “Thanks for the help, but mind if I ask why the sudden want to help?” I inquired. “My own amusement.” He stated bluntly. “You best be careful around him. Even if he’s ‘helping’ he’s going to cause more trouble for you.” Vincent warned. “Alright, so let’s set some ground rules then.” I said. “Cause any good form of amusement has rules to it, sound fair?” “If you say so.” Gray replied. “Alright.” I nodded. “So, firstly, no hurting any of the good people down there, cause while I was devouring timelines, I was also saving as many people as I could.” I started. “Second, don’t cause too much damage down there if you meet any hostels, cause there are some weird shadow creatures down there and I don’t know what they are or why they’re down there.” I explained. “Vincent, any other rules?” “Better question should be what rules aren’t on that list.” Vincent said. “Uh…yeah you’ve got a point…” I said nervously. “Please help, I’ve honestly…never had to lay down ground rules this precisely…” “Relax pop’s. I’ll behave. After all, I am trying something new this time around.” “I may not understand what’s going on with all of that but…thankfully you’ll be behaving.” I said honestly. “I have a lot of kids down there…and a lot of saved power and timelines down there as well that I need to hopefully sort through sooner or later…” “Of course.” Gray said as he sat up. “This is going to be fun.” “Alright…” I said carefully. “Let’s hope for the best.” To be continued...