Friendship: The Gathering

by CrossMalaki

Beginnings

"This is the place…" Jace Beleren stood on a hillside, another young man beside him. Each was looking around, watching for any signs of life. The early morning air was warmer than either had expected, Jace having brought one of his heavier cloaks, and his accomplice decked out in golden armor.
"I can sense something here, not sure what though." Jace's companion fell to one knee, putting one hand to the ground.
"Yes, I feel it too. I'll set up a barrier to keep out any unwanted visitors." Jace began drawing mana in, but the other man had already summoned a blanket of magical blue fog around them, obscuring them from view.
"Let's make this quick then. Bolas's plan as we understand it is hostile takeover. We can't let him expand his powers Cross." Jace sighed and channeled his own mana into fueling the fog. His spell would have been something more subtle. Fog in summer was not a common sight.
"I understand. I'll disguise myself in wolf form. I can only hope your information is accurate on the inhabitants of this Plane." Red and blue mana flew to the other man's eyes, and some of the fog was swept away as an unearthly spiral of wind surged around him. The fog fully disappated to reveal the man had been replaced by a stark white wolf with red fur in the form of an insignia on his back. The wolf turned and raced into the trees, Jace making sure the magical fog was gone.
"It usually is Cross. It usually is." He watched Cross's canine body race through the trees, before turning. A few muttered words, a flash of blue light, and he was gone.

"Okay, everyone be careful. Just follow me very carefully." Fluttershy was once again rounding up the bunnies outside of Ponyville, doing what she could to keep them all together. So far everything had gone well, and she was just finishing the last group.
"Alright, this way…" The bunnies' full attention was on Fluttershy, and hers on them, until she bumped right into something behind her. She turned to look, keeping one eye on the bunnies as she did so.
The object she'd run into was a large hunk of metal, a deep gray with strange black streaks. The streaks drew Fluttershy's attention first, until she heard a strange creaking noise above her. Looking up, she saw a strange metal head atop the mound, and with a few clicks and whirs, two sections of its sides popped open and a pair of arms popped out. The arms landed on the ground, pushing the mass into the air, as two more panels on the bottom slid back and a pair of thick legs appeared, hooked up with hoses of varying thickness and gears of all sizes.
"I, I'm sorry… I didn't see you…" Fluttershy began to apologize but the thing seemed less interested in her words as it did her proximity to it. The living steel put a hand down and pushed Fluttershy back with one finger, sliding her hooves on the ground. It then reached back, pulling a large axe made from a single piece of sharp metal from a hidden compartment on its back. Fluttershy watched in horror as the mechanical monster then lifted the axe high over its head, ready to drop it on top of her.
"Hey! Golem! Leave the Pegasus alone!" The thing turned to look as a white wolf ran forward from the woods. The golem stopped its preparations, looking between Fluttershy and the new arrival, which snarled and bared its fangs in a pure show of aggression. Finally the golem made a decision; it could deal with the little yellow horse later, this white mammal needed a good killing. The wolf backed away slowly as the golem turned towards it, raising its axe even higher.
"Fireball." The wolf uttered one word, quiet enough for the Golem's gears to drown out. A flash of fire leaped from the between his jaws, slamming the metal brute in the chest and melting through the external plating and interior hoses and gears, before detonating at the golem's core.
"Not so tough now, are you big guy?" The wolf laughed, moving backwards. He watched with a look of hearty satisfaction as the remaining pieces of golem fell straight to the ground, clanging softly. Fluttershy was shocked that one lone wolf had taken down something that big, when a second appeared.
"Great, another one." The wolf circled slowly, moving close to Fluttershy and putting himself between her and the machine. This particular model was made of stone instead of steel, and moved with joints as stiff as boards. It served as a decent shield against arrows, but as a scout it was pathetic.
"Get yourself out of here. He's my problem, I'll handle it." The wolf turned to look to Fluttershy as he spoke, and then looked back to the clunky contraption. The steel golems were simply a matter of melting or ripping out their glowing hearts, but stone ones were a tougher beast. He'd need to immobilize it so he could crack it open and crush the powerstone giving it life. Or just crack the stone while it was still inside.
"Icefall." With a whisper and a flash of blue and red light, a large chunk of solid ice dropped from the sky overtop of the golem. The magically made ice was tougher than the golem could handle, and a section of it was broken off as it attempted to stop the crushing stalagmite. The remainder of the glacial chunk slammed into its stone chest and broke it, crushing the powerstone into powder. The golem lay silenced under a sheet of snow, and the wolf laughed triumphantly.
"Now that's how you take out a golem!" He followed the statement with a short howl, before clearing away the snow with a nod and a flash of brilliant white. The bits of golem that were lying around also vanished, as though they had never been there to begin with.
"Wow. How did you do that?" Fluttershy had been too stunned at first, but now finally found her voice again. The wolf looked to her, and she flinched, but he simply shook himself and sat down.
"It's nothing too hard. I just tapped into the mana of the land. Lucky the plains near here are still wild enough, the mana's more potent when the land is free to change as it will." The wolf looked Fluttershy over quickly, then bowed his head, "Cross Malaki."
"What?" Fluttershy tilted her head to one side, and the wolf once again looked her in the eyes.
"It's my name. Cross Malaki, Planeswalker." A glow of pride appeared in his eyes as he spoke the last word, and Fluttershy nodded slowly.
"I-I'm Fluttershy. It's nice to meet you." For the oddest reason she didn't feel as nervous around him, the glow from the light on his pelt actually seemed calming. Of course, it might be because he was a wolf and not a pony. Still, she did feel a little uncomfortable.
"Is something wrong?" Cross began looking around, searching for something. Fluttershy shook her head, closing her eyes. When she opened them he was standing and staring in one direction silently.
"Someone's coming. Purple unicorn, some magical force about her, along with a relatively young dragon… Green spines and purple scales…" His eyes were lit from within with a bright cyan light, which faded when he looked to Fluttershy.
"They mentioned your name. Are they friends of yours?" Cross's voice was calm, but she could see something was bothering him. Fluttershy simply nodded.
"That's Twilight Sparkle and Spike. They must be looking for me, I'd better go." She turned in the direction he had been staring, and he nodded silently. She had started walking when an idea came to her.
"Hey Cross, would you like…" As she turned to look, he was gone, having disappeared into the undergrowth. She sighed, starting towards Twilight again.

Meanwhile, a small mechanical insect chirped quietly. A man in blue robes appeared, his right arm made of deep blue steel. He pushed his deep brown bangs away from his eyes, then looked to the insect.
"Your report?" Tezzeret the Seeker, now Agent of Bolas, watched as the insect hopped into his outstretched palm.
"Master Tezzeret, the Planeswalker Malaki has arrived, as was planned. Units two and five did not return from their scouting missions." The insect's chirping voice was tinted with steel. Tezzeret nodded, sighing.
"I will inform the dragon." Tezzeret resented being forced to serve under another Planeswalker, but the defeat he had suffered at Beleren's hands would be avenged soon. Bolas had sent him to investigate the Phyrexians, but a new idea had occurred to the dragon.
"Have you found the source of that unlit spark he sensed?" Tezzeret then asked. The insect flipped open its wings and hovered upwards.
"No master Tezzeret. We will continue our search." It stated calmly, then turned and flew away. Tezzeret simply turned, scowling, and planeswalked away.

Cross stopped near a small pool of water, muttering a few indistinguishable words and recalling his time on Jwar Isle. It had been so long since he had seen the Plane of Zendikar, but he remembered what had happened vividly. But more than reminiscing, he was drawing the mana of those memories, blue and smelling of salt. It had been storming in his memory, and even now he heard the thunder.
After several moments of drawing in the mana he would need, he felt a change coming over him. His fur began to recede, his body lost its canine form, and his armor magically formed around him. In mere seconds he was human again, with more than enough mana left for his other spell. He extended his hands, closing his eyes and pouring the mana into the pool.
"Jace, can you hear me?" He asked aloud. After several seconds the pool erupted in a gout of steam, causing Cross to cringe and back away. In the haze he saw Beleren's figure, standing in his study likely.
"I hear you. Have you found anything?" Jace was preoccupied, Cross could tell. Something was weighing down the mind mage's thoughts. And considering how adept Jace was at organizing his mind and the minds of others, that boded ill indeed.
"Possibly. One of the unicorns has a powerful magical aura about her. I'll investigate further at first opportunity. I wanted to report in to you before proceeding." Cross had worked with Jace long enough to know the mind mage wanted in the loop at all times. It was a good thing for him as well, as he was used to reporting in to those with more experience. The legion had taught him well.
"Understood. Find out more about this Twilight Sparkle and report in when you can." Jace had long since stopped surprising Cross. He'd actually gotten used to Jace picking through his head even as he gave his reports. With a simple nod, Cross began pulling mana to himself again, and the steam hovering about the pool vanished at last, no longer held in place by Jace's magic.
Turning in place, Cross's body reverted to wolf form, and he sprinted away from the pool.

"Twilight, Spike." Fluttershy had found the pair of them not long after Cross had left her, walking on one of the many paths through the forest. After a quick exchange of hellos and pleasantries, Fluttershy began to recount her entire morning to them both, Twilight listening intently and keeping quiet aside from a few questions here and there. At the end of it all, Twilight seemed pensive, and Fluttershy wondered what her friend could be thinking.
As they walked and Twilight thought, Fluttershy and Spike began talking about the weather and what they'd been doing for the last few days. It wasn't long before Fluttershy felt herself being watched, and she looked to her right, afraid of what could be out there. She sighed with relief as she recognized Cross walking out of the bushes.
"Is that him?" Spike asked, Twilight stopping to look as well. Fluttershy nodded quickly, smiling. His fur was glowing white as he stepped into the light.
"Well met, Twilight Sparkle and Spike, and hello again Fluttershy." Cross bowed his head to them all, and they returned the gesture.
"Fluttershy told us what you did for her. We're thankful you were there to help." At Twilight's words, Cross simply nodded and flicked his tail to one side.
"It was nothing; those golems were hardly a challenge. All you need to do is know their weakness and they'll topple like dominoes." Fluttershy could tell Cross was trying to be modest, but she saw a small glint of pride in his eyes as he spoke. Then something changed, his expression changing suddenly from jovial to austere in less than a heartbeat.
"Is everything okay?" Twilight asked, and Cross shook his head quickly. When he stopped he was in a better mood again, smiling.
"Sorry, thought I'd forgotten something." He looked back to Fluttershy, who could see the worry in his eyes. Something was still bothering him, but she wasn't going to bring it up when he was trying so hard to keep it secret. She'd make sure to ask him later.
"Anyway, I suppose some explanations are in order, and I'd like it if I could say it once only. Do you think you could gather those other friends of yours and meet me here tomorrow?" Cross asked, looking at all three of the Equestria natives.
"How did you know we had other friends?" Twilight asked, and Cross chuckled.
"I suppose you wouldn't believe me if I told you I had guessed, regardless of how true it was. You'd likely believe I'd read your minds to find that information, which would be true if I were more adept at such spells. It's always been my personal preference to allow others to believe what they truly want to believe." He suddenly looked worried again, and decided to clarify, "I'm sorry, I was rambling. I had merely guessed, basing it upon the fact that you two seem like the type to have many close friends." With that he looked a bit more comfortable, and Fluttershy nodded.
"And I suppose since you knew we wouldn't believe that, you would have some way to prove you hadn't read our minds." Twilight asked. Fluttershy wondered why the purple unicorn was being so suspicious, but suddenly watched as Twilight's eyes began to glow a bright cyan. She looked to Cross, shocked that he'd cast a spell on her, but as she looked the wolf broke eye contact with Twilight and released the spell.
"Do you believe me now?" He asked, and Twilight nodded simply. Fluttershy began to wonder what had happened, but the two smiled and turned to leave.
"I'll see you this time tomorrow. Please don't be late." Cross said as he walked towards the woods.
"I'll be here." Twilight responded, headed back for Ponyville. Fluttershy followed, waiting to see what had happened between Cross and Twilight when their eyes were glowing. Spike was just as confused, and he shrugged when Fluttershy looked to him.
"Maybe he'll explain tomorrow?" Spike asked. Fluttershy sighed.
"I hope so." As she replied, they arrived in Ponyville, and split up to find the others.

Comments

[kili79]

Okay, I am filled with happiness at seeing a MTG crossover fanfic, as I am a bit of a MTG superfan.
Your plot shows promise, and your choice of villain is superb.
I have some criticisms for you
1: the amount of characters involved in the story so far is pushing it, I think we could have easily done without Tezzeret.
2: Your main character, which is probably based on something you dreamed up, is lacking a sense of magic identity. I can't tell whether he's supposed to be white (the legion), red (the fireball), or blue (the mind magic). Please fix this.
3: References to actual magic cards would be very cool.