[Yomega]
It had been eight days since Leo had been checked into the Daycare, and everyone was starting to get antsy to figure out how to help her. I was now browsing through the mental disorders and self help sections of the library. I had looked at and discarded the various books on psychology. They were focused too much on the pony mind.
"Hey Spike?" I mentally called out. "Do you remember if we have any books on vulpine psychology?"
"No, but I think Fluttershy does."
"Okay, thank you."
"No problem. Heh, this mind thing is great. Twilight hates shouting across the library." I felt Spike's mild joy in his mental voice.
"Alright, I'm heading out to check in with Conner and Leo." I placed the book I was holding back onto the shelf. I lightly walked past Moon Dancer's "lab" as Spike sent me his farewells.
"Okay, this is everything on the eggs?" Moon Dancer asked, causing me to pause.
"Yup," Thunderlane answered, "Everything from when they were laid. Conner's been keeping us from getting any other readings. I think Fluttershy said he doesn't want to risk the eggs being damaged."
Moon Dancer sighed. "Darn. If we had more recent readings, we could've compared them with these ones to see if we were doing anything wrong with incubating them."
"You think that's what's causing Leo to act like this?"
"It's as good a guess as any."
I sighed and left them to their musings. Really should let them take proper readings on the eggs at some point, see what Luke saw in them... I glanced out the window spotting a clear spot outside. Teleporting to it, I started jogging towards Fluttershy's, avoiding the town center. I had just cleared the pond when Villhiem came running up to me.
"Headmaster, wait!" He panted, causing me to pause. "Glad I could catch you. There's something going on in the Everfree and-"
I cut him off. "If this is about bugs blundering through poison joke again..."
"No, no..." The grass type gulped down some air. "The 'wolves. Something came into their clearing. I'm trying to stall them, but they won't listen for much longer!"
We both looked towards the Everfree as a flock of birds took off and vacated a section of the forest. A tree fell silently, another tilting as a light briefly flashed. We glanced at each other.
"That can't be good." I muttered. Louder, I addressed Villhiem. "C'mon, let's let Fluttershy know." We began jogging again. I kept a part of my mind on reading the psychic ripples I was picking up. "We need to hurry." I stated, breaking into a run as a chill shivered across my whiskers. We cleared the town when Conner ran into us, worry clear on his face.
"Leo's in the Everfree!" He yelled. "She was in the Daycare, and we were going to check up on her, then Rainbow came by asking about her, and when we looked over at her, she was gone!" He took a deep breath. "Rainbow checked her loyalty radar thing, and then asked Fluttershy to get her things. They're heading after Leo right now, and I was told to find you guys!"
"Why would she be in the Everfree?" I asked.
"You don't think...?" Villhiem asked me.
I took a moment to read the psychic field. I felt pain, sadness and... smugness? All coming from the direction the trees were shaking. I felt the 'wolves hunting, something, and something in conflict with itself. Then I looked into the future. Three paths opened before me, only one didn't end in death, but held more pain.
I opened my eyes.
"Conner, go get Abes." I pointed back at the library. "Tell him to get Luna, and then bring them into the Everfree. Villhiem, you need to come with me and lead them to us. Let's go." Orders given, we left Conner to run back into town.
I followed the trail Villhiem laid out for us deep into the forest, arriving at a torn up clearing. Pieces of timberwolves lay scattered around the area, their dens now laying abandoned. Leo lay in the clearing's center, bleeding from her many cuts, bruises and welts barely hidden by her fur.
I glanced over at Villhiem. "Where's the ponies?"
"Still a while away." Villhiem snorted. "They chose the thickest path."
I nodded, carefully sitting beside Leo. "... What are you doing out here, Leo?" She murmured something into the dirt and tried curling up on herself. "You gotta speak up, Leo."
She barely lifted her muzzle. "Jus' leave me here." She started to weakly crawl away from me. "Jus' leave me to die."
"What?" Villhiem cried out behind us. "Why?!"
"Monsters don' deserve t'live." She whimpered.
"You're not a monster." I tried to soothe.
"Yes I am!" Leo insisted. "Only a monster would go out of their way to... to kill people."
I sighed. "Is this about the invasion?"
"Is it about the mana bomb?" Villhiem added.
The Eevee snorted. "There was no bomb... That was just me... The monster of Ponyville." I felt something reverb against my whiskers.
"This isn't like you, Leo." Villhiem crept closer to us.
"It isn't." I stated. I used my mental might to hold her in place. I looked over at Villhiem. "Something's gotten into Leo. I need you to hold her in place while I dive in. Let Abes and Luna know what's going on when they get here." I barely waited for Villhiem's roots to grab onto the weakened Eevee before beginning to meditate.
I quickly pulled myself from my body and jumped into Leo's mind.
Immediately, the real world faded away and was replaced by a disheveled ruin of a forest. What few firs and birches were still standing were desiccated and rotting. Blood was splashed over the ruined trunks, splinters of rock embedded into the dirt around small craters. The wind whipped past, stirring the ashes carpeting the ground. I placed a small portion of my mind into the area around me, tethering me to that spot.
"That's right, you better run! Fucking coward!" I heard something bellow. "That's right, asshole, I've won. This bitch will die, and I will be free!"
I followed the voice through Leo's mindscape until I spotted a blob of black mist. It shifted and roiled above and around a grayed out canine. I paused to consider my future options, before nodding. My path was chosen now.
I sauntered out onto the red ash plain the mist hovered over. "Hey! You got a moment? I'm here to talk to you about your car's extended warranty!"
The mist formed a warped Eevee head to look over at me. "Didn't I just... Oh, you're new. What's this about my car?"
"No, no, no, no." I waved a paw at it, subtly wrapping my telekinesis around some nearby logs. "It's about your car's extended warranty."
"What about it?" The mist compacted into a more coherent, wolf-like Eevee body solidified. It broke apart as I threw the logs through it.
"It's expired." I floated a few more logs overhead. "Get the fuck out of my mate's head."
The mist quickly reformed its body. "No can do, asshole. You fucks trapped me in here. Even if I could leave, what could you do about it?" It idly flicked a ball of black energy at me, forcing me to dodge. I slowly returned to my position as a pair of ripples passed through my fur. "You can't hurt me. I'm a dark type."
I shrugged, feeling a slight tug on my tether. "Then you wouldn't mind if I make the next move? Since I'm clearly outclassed."
"Oh, this I've gotta see." The being sat on the grayed out Eevee. "What move, what ability, hell, what spell could you possibly have that can affect me?"
"It's a simple spell." I smiled as I pulled on my tether. "For my first move, I cast 'Summon Creature: Bigger Fish'."
Time to fuck up a mind parasite ♤
HAHAHAHAHA! Oh this'll be HILARIOUS! Time for some entertainment!
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McOof
Thats no fish.
Thats a Megalodon.
Luna I choose you.
Summon Bigger...
...I feel like I know that joke, but not its origin. Someone wanna help me?
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He called for Luna to come and be lead to where they were in the forest, and she most likely was the thing tugging on it. If this is true, he's bringing her right to where he was.
I like how you made the suicidal thoughts into a literal parasite, because that is essentially what they are. Kudos to you and your writing.
Whoe, update after so long, I had given up hope.
Ah, it looks like Majin from Pokéstar Studios is about to find out the hard way that they patched the exploit allowing him to exist. Luna used Moonblast! It's super effective!
My mind to your mind, my thoughts to your thoughts.
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https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SummonBiggerFish
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It DID originate from Darths And Droids!!!
HECK yes!
Thanks for the sauce!
Some lighter music might liven up the pity-party going on up'n there.
"No, no! A bigger fish that THATl"
Hot damn it's updated!
That's right, just inject that new chapter straight into the vein baby. The wait only kills me because I'm so invested! Particularly in Leo at that!
It lives
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Actually, it blamed them for locking him in there...and is dark type? Also a mist thats around a greyed out canine...
I have a feeling this evil mist is actually a Zoroa...
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Zorua aren't evil so much as mischievous, so I doubt it. Not even a Zorua or Zoroark would go this far for a prank.
I know Leo is only a character, but she deserves a damn hug.
And so do you Symph.
I may be a stranger on the Internet, but I still find it worth saying.
Good job man. Don't push yourself too hard. The day goes by one step at a time.
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What about a human in a Zorua body whose been trapped in a depressed person's head for months?
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Yeah, that would do it, I think.
Who is it going to be: Luna Celestia Discord Arceus or the nuclear option all four 😈
First I'm beyond happy the story still lives, second thank goodness we've finely found out what or whos been doing this to Leo. I can't wait to find out 1 what's been doing this and 2I really pray they can stop it and get it out .
I just binge read the entirety up to present in less than 12 hours, and I am on the edge of my seat on this one. You are exceptionally masterful when it comes to writing recognizable character identities and I wish you all the best in all the work you do.
My theory as to what’s going on with the Tulpa:
Discord decided he needed a way to prevent the bearers from resealing him when he got out, so he turned some people into eevee’s, hoping to re-bind the elements to them. However, the Tulpa, hoping to find a host, noticed this and wormed it’s way into Leo’s mind, perhaps using Discord’s mental adjustments as a backdoor.
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Also, is it just me or are the bonus chapters some sort of a bad future?