"...you want Uncle to help you do what?"
Jade, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo smiled winsomely up at Uncle as they stood around the new magic circle drawn on the floor of what Uncle had come to think of as the girls' Chi Lab. The center of the circle was the traditional demonic binding sigils, with the trigram representing sky - three solid lines - in the center of the seals. An extra circle was drawn around that, much wider than normal, divided into six segments with...odd symbols inside. Viewed from the door into the room, the 12 o'clock point had a large purple star. Clockwise from there was a violet diamond, a magenta lightning bolt, a pale blue balloon, an orange apple, and a pink butterfly.
"We want your help summoning Hsi Wu from the demon netherrealm," Jade explained simply.
Uncle stared at them, nonplussed. "Uncle stayed out of Sky Demon situation because girls said they had it under control. Focused on preparing for other demons. Was happy to learn girls handled banishing of Sky Demon without help, showed good promise. Now girls want help summoning demon in way without banishment? Why? So Jade can have magic boyfriend?" Hsi Wu would likely be nonplussed as well to discover that the only one who'd met 'Seymour' who was actually deceived was Jackie.
"Hsi's not my boyfriend!" Jade snapped out angrily. "He's just a friend!"
"Pfeh!" Uncle countered dismissively. "Say that after seven hormonal years of magic boy waiting on you hand and foot!"
Jade struggled to suppress her blush as Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and even Tohru burst into giggles. "Uncle!"
"Besides, takes more than summoning circle to bind demon as familiar!" Uncle continued. "If demon doesn't agree, can fight to break free, and Demon Sorcerer very powerful! What makes you think Sky Demon agree?"
"Because he already said he'd agree to be bound in magical servitude to me if I beat him," Jade explained, "just as he intended to bind us in servitude to him if he won, but treat us well since we were friends. And I know he'll keep his word." She crossed her arms and blew up one of her hanging bangs. "Whatever he says, he's more Lawful than Chaotic with how important he considers keeping his personal code."
"Now don't start that again!" all three fillies exclaimed simultaneously, making Jade giggle.
Uncle chuckled softly at the girls' antics, but then returned his expression to stern. "And you trust this demon?" he asked coldly.
Jade shrugged. "He's our friend."
"But-"
"The name and face may have been false, but the friendship was real."
Uncle looked critically at Jade, then turned his face to read the other girls. Finally, he nodded. "Alright. Tohru and I will help you."
"We will?" Tohru asked in surprise, only to wince as Uncle struck his temple. "Ow!"
"You are Chi Apprentice!" Uncle snapped out. "Do not question your teacher!"
Chuckling, Sweetie Belle took charge as she moved to sit on the diamond symbol, which glowed as she settled. "Tohru, sit on the butterfly," she instructed as Apple Bloom moved to the apple and Scootaloo to the lightning bolt, the symbols glowing as they settled. "Uncle, you sit on the balloon-"
"What?" Uncle demanded incredulously. "This is Harmony seal, and balloon is Laughter! Why is Uncle Laughter? Uncle is not funny!"
"Are you kidding, Uncle?" Jade joked as Tohru sat in the butterfly segment, the glow spreading around him. "You're hilarious!"
"Laughter ain't just bein' funny," Apple Bloom pointed out. "It's makin' people smile, and have hope."
"And it never mattered how bad our moods got growing up," Scootaloo added. "You were always able to cheer us up, and keep us moving forward."
"That is just being parent!" Uncle countered dismissively as he took the indicated seat. Inside, however, he was touched at the praise...and surprised that the symbol glowed readily for him.
Once everyone else was seated, Jade sat upon the star. As she did, the entire circle glowed. "Now that we're all seated, none of us can move until the spell is complete," she explained calmly as the fillies passed slips of paper to Uncle and Tohru. "We'll need to chant this spell together, starting when I tilt my head back. When I raise my hands, go silent and let me complete the spell. To bind him to me, I have to represent Magic, and thus complete the spell."
"With how readily you grasp what you are taught, it fits," Uncle murmured softly as he examined the spell.
Sweetie Belle nodded to Apple Bloom and Scootaloo as she charged her magic into the circle. Apple Bloom poured a potion into the center of the circle as Scootaloo buzzed her wings, conjuring a tiny tornado over the potion. The energies mixed, and a storm cloud took shape glowing orange and red, flashing with black lightning.
Jade tilted her head back, and everyone began to chant. "Chūlái de èmó, shìbì héxié...Chūlái de èmó, shìbì héxié...Chūlái de èmó, shìbì héxié..."(1)
Before everyone's eyes, the storm cloud parted into a window, and Hsi Wu appeared on the other side. Stretching out his arms, he slowly clawed his way out and into the circle. Seeing what was happening, he turned to Jade, nodded...and bowed.
Jade lifted her hands, and the others fell silent. "Tōngguò móshù de huì zuò!"(2)
The entire circle blazed with light, and the window - now a portal - closed behind Hsi Wu as the circle collapsed onto his right arm. Symbols appeared on the back of Uncle and Tohru's right hands matching the Harmony symbols they sat on, surrounded by a binding seal. Matching symbols with their Elements appeared on the right forehoofs of each of the fillies. The full circle with Magic marked in the center appeared on the back of Jade's right hand, pulsing with the mark on Hsi Wu's arm.
Hsi Wu stood up, examining the binding. "Not the traditional Familiar binding," he observed idly. "I'm not familiar with this magic style."
"It's not standard, true," Sweetie Belle agreed. "We didn't really want to bind a friend in de facto magical slavery, even if that was what he agreed to. But the Harmony magic from where we're from had another option. It was listed under Reforming Magic."
"Reforming?" Hsi Wu inquired nervously. "That's...not doing anything to my mind, is it?"
"Nothing like that!" Jade spoke up. "See, Harmony is based in Elements that make friendship work. Honestly, Loyalty, Kindness, Generosity, Laughter, and the Magic Spark that brings different people together. The spell we used binds you to the six of us by those Elements."
Scootaloo showed off the symbol on her hoof. "Each of us can compel you to represent the Element we're linked to you by. For example, I can compel you to act on Loyalty. Apple Bloom can compel you by Honesty, like the circle we had you in when we first met."
"And I am Kindness, so I can compel him to be kind?" Tohru asked in surprise, glancing at the symbol on his hand.
"That's where it gets...kinda vague," Apple Bloom allowed. "Kindness, Laughter, and Generosity have a lot of grey area between them as far as what's one and not th' others, with a lotta overlap."
"The important part is mine," Jade concluded, showing the mark there. "Magic. Which in this case means you can't use your magic in a way that goes against the spirit of my desires, not the letter."
"The spirit, and not the letter?" Hsi Wu asked in surprise.
"Yeah," Jade confirmed. "If it were the letter, I could be ordering you around like a slave. By the spirit, it just means you can't use your magic in a way that would harm my cause...which involves keeping your brothers and sisters from conquering the world."
"And otherwise, I have...more or less complete freedom?" Hsi Wu asked in surprise.
"As long as you don't go beyond the range of the binding," Scootaloo corrected. "Which...basically means you have to be in the same city as Jade at all times."
Hsi Wu turned a grin Jade's way. "I see absolutely no problem with that," he purred playfully, causing Jade to develop a flustered blush.
"No funny business until Jade is 18!" Uncle insisted firmly, though any hostility beyond parental protectiveness was gone from his voice. He'd seen that even in the netherrealm that was his prison, Hsi Wu hadn't removed the pendant Jade had given him.
"Uncle, he's not my-"
"I can wait," Hsi Wu interrupted playfully.
"HSI!"
As the others all laughed, Jackie rushed upstairs. "Uncle, I heard a loud burst of magic and-WAAAUGHH!" He leapt back, patting his chest as he caught sight of Hsi Wu. "Uncle, Sky Demon! Quick, cast the banishment spell!"
"After all the work girls went to summon him?" Uncle asked incredulously.
Jackie blinked in confusion. "What?"
"So 'Seymour's gonna wait till you're grown up, right Jade?" Viper asked as she stepped up beside Jackie.
"WHAT?" Jackie screamed out.
"He's not my-"
"He already said he would!" Sweetie piped up teasingly.
"Good on him," Viper complimented happily.
"So Jackie's the only one I fooled?" Hsi Wu groaned as Jade put her face in her hands to hide her embarrassment. "Seriously?"
(1) Come forth demon, bound to Harmony
(2) By Magic's will be done!
You know I am really enjoying this unique twist and take on a Binding spell. Also, I imagine that it would be far stronger with multiple binding elements. Furthermore...I bet that it would allow for better orders to be follow, with Hsi not being able to subvert orders by only following the letter of his orders.
I also LOVEd all of the teasing on Jade! <3
Really though, keep up the great work and I am VERY curious to see what happens next, ESPECIALLY when Hsi has to fight against his Siblings!
You know, as a White Chi Wizard, one would think Uncle would be far more reluctant about letting Jade hook up with a Demon Sorcerer or helping the girls with a binding ceremony.
Looks like Jackie needs to study a little harder to keep up on the demon hunting front.
Also Hsi will have so much fun if Jade is that easy to fluster, it's adorable.
Guess there's no excuse for Hsi not to get into the spirit of things.
Yes Jade, that's what Hsi said.
I wonder if Jade will possibly be Hsi-ing about her boyfriend's playful teasing almost everyday from now on.
8263453
Ah, but Uncle is a "Good Chi" Wizard, not White Chi. Not sure that even exists...
Anyways, similar to Jade's explanation regarding some of the Elements, the concept of Good has a lot of grey areas that can, will, and does overlap with Bad Chi. Two examples would be doing bad things because you know that, in the end, it will help the good things become more prevalent, and people who believe they are doing good things, but are in fact doing bad things.
Example one is the grey area that applies here, and even then the girls went out of their way to give Hsi Wu as much freedom as they could. However, all of this means nothing to one simple fact.
Good Chi is inexplicably tied to the preservation of free will, among other things. Uncle only agreed to this because Hsi Wu had already agreed to allow the binding. If they were doing so against Hsi Wu's will, Uncle likely would have done everything he could to prevent the binding... Not that I think they would have tried if Hsi Wu didn't want it, but still.
Of course, not having access to Tatsurou's mind, this is nothing more than an educated guess on my part. Still, that makes more sense to me than Uncle allowing slavery.
8263453
He's just happy to have someone who can keep up with those four who's as dedicated to keeping them from killing themselves as he is.
That is "what" happen when everyone is in the plan except him
So um...what's Sunsets element anyway? Wish the show would tell us...we all saw her add to the Harmony Alicorn in Rainbow Rocks.
(and considering it upgraded to THAT ...a rainbow silicone shooting a PURE energy beam... in contrast to firing a regular rainbows 7 color spectrum...it definitely had to be another element added.)
I'm curious because I wonder if her element would pop up in a ritual.
I actually wonder if she will get a story actually o.o
If any of u didn't catch it..I'm a shimmer fan.XD
8263484
I personally think Sunset's Element is Empathy.
Honesty, Loyalty, Laughter, Kindness, and Generosity make friendship work, Magic brings different people together, and Empathy - the ability to see others as they see themselves and understand them - is the glue that holds them together.
8263490
Empathy huh? Always thought it was redemption..til I saw this pic and realized redemption doesn't fit the theme as good...
s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/b0/6f/9f/b06f9f6dd64f3992243d3c6070dde282.jpg
8263490
It would make sense with the power she got, considering most of the others got powers based on their Equestrian counterparts in one way or another. (Rarity and Pinkie's are probably the most different, as Applejack's strength, Dash's speed, Fluttershy talking to animals, and Twilight using telekinesis match up.)
Edit: Now I wonder if rock candy would be more explosive than other sweets in human Pinkie's hands.
I am so happy at the idea of constant Jade teasing.
Honestly, at this point, I don't even think most of the Demon Sorcerers even want to take over the world anymore. They'd probably be happier playing games with the Chans and the CMC, acting the villains and generally being the foils and heels, on the grounds that it's a lot more fun to play around and spark things into motion. Heck, at this point most of them could probably be seen as actors for balance.
Besides, it's no fun taking over the world if you don't have a proper nemesis to actually challenge you.
8263490
That would actually make sense especially since her power is to read the minds of other people.
8263484
Tatsuro is currently writing one about her. Or did you meant Hasbro?
8263512
Meant tatsuro.havnt seen it I guess ....just found it.
Okay. I... did not see that coming.
A Harmony magic based summoning and binding, neat idea.
It'll be interesting seeing how the other demon sorcerers react to this development.
Wish this plot actually happened in the show.
8263609
Tso Lan: Valmont, there has been a development we need to discuss.
Valmont: I am already aware of the… "friendship" Hsi Wu and the young chan girl have developed.
Tso Lan: That's not what I was—
Valmont: And of the second summoning and subsequent binding spells which has effectively caused Hsi to switch sides. As for your next question, a little birdie told me.
Tso Lan: While Hsi Wu's change in allegiances is unfortunate—and must be dealt with eventually—there is a far more pressing matter we must discuss.
Valmont: Which is…?
Tso Lan: Xaio Fung used up the last of my moon dust conditioner and the supply needs to be refilled immediately. And before you ask, it is incredibly difficult to keep hair this long healthy and strong.
Valmont: My dear Bai Tza, do you happen to have anything to say?
Bai Tza: I've found Nightstone's line of hair care products are the best when it comes to keeping your hair shiny and strong. I have a couple of bottles you could borrow.
Valmont: I meant about Hsi Wu.
Bai Tza: I hope he remembers to send me a thank you card.
I’m now imagining Hsi flying Jade around when the Chans go on adventures. It’s adorable.
One thing this story does that I wish MORE crossovers did, is it deviates significantly from canon. This is a very good thing. I've seen crossovers that had events that should have changed things MASSIVELY, but all that happens is a new line or so in any given episode, and the new character doing some of the things other characters did in canon.
Okay, so we have a Bad Day, Aiyah, and One More Thing counter...
Do we need a 'Not My Boyfriend' counter?
8263635
Oh my god, yes! I hate when stories do that.
8263463
I Hsi what you did there.
And Jackie was the only one who didn't Hsi the truth.
"The spirit, and not the letter?" Hsi Wu asked in surprise.
"Yeah," Jade confirmed. "If it were the letter, I could be ordering you around like a slave. By the spirit, it just means you can't use your magic in a way that would harm my cause...which involves keeping your brothers and sisters from conquering the world."
i think you meant latter not letter
I STILL can see a couple of demons showing up and offering the girls a bargain, “Help us transcend Valmont and we help transcend the old man”
LOVED THIS UPDATE! THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
8263787
I could easily see Bai Tza and Tso Lan going to Jade asking for a favor—on the day of Jackie's wedding to Viper—and she goes all "You come to me on the day of my uncle's wedding" on them.
Realistically, what's 7 years to someone who is over 900?
Definitely would be my first question.
Hmmm. That's an interesting way for the magic to work. I'm not sure it will actually work for reforming him, but it will keep him in Jade's presence, and Jade will be a good influence.
Wow. Jade being a good influence. What's the world come to?
8263499 Pop Rocks...
This was hilarious. Especially with Hsi Wu pointing out how Jackie was the only one fooled by his charade.
8263928
Laws of the mortal realm and since he is bound to Jade, she follows the laws and thus Hsi would have to follow them as well. He IS under a "Reformation Spell" so to speak.
8264081
What I was getting at was that for Hsi is that waiting 7 years before he and Jade can begin a relationship is not a very long amount of time for him. And it won't be a problem.
at the with Jackie is jest so funny. I can see things going crazy from here on for him. should I start a betting now???
Don't feel to bad Hsi Wu your skills are just a bit rusty and out of practice is all.
Chapter One Hundred Twenty Seven
"Aiyah!"
Chapter Count: 0
Total Count: 46
"One More Thing!"
Chapter Count: 0
Total Count: 80
You know that Twilight's going to completely dissect that spell when they get back right?
8264225
You'd think there'd be one considering what happened don't you agree.
...I'm probably over thinking this, but with the seals potentially showing new bearers of the elements for this realm (which might well have been foreshadowed already during Shendu's defeat, I need to look back at that), could that mean we'll have a "Harmony Demon" moment similar to what happened in My Little Titan? Not so much the merging into one entity, but having the "Beast" of Harmony appear for an epic smackdown?
Anyway, nice touch in how you brought back His Wu, this time for good! We're currently sitting at 3 demons free, 1 demon in Harmony parole, 1 demon possessed (considering how much leeway Valmont has now, I'm pretty sure that Shendu's the possessed, not the possesser), and 2 demons left to release. I think we've now covered the majority of the "reasonable" demons...unless you've got another trick to show us?
What am I saying, you're Tatsurou, of course you do!
Edit: You did foreshadow it; I just forgot about it...
8264240
I know!
I haven't added anything to the counts in absolute Ages!
Common Tats! This is the third chapter with Uncle as a major feature since the last time I added something. Gimme something to work with here please?
8264268 I have the perfect pic for it
68.media.tumblr.com/e079343499f3139c4162843dae88cbac/tumblr_oehmj48Wn21vhxhx8o1_500.jpg
What happens if Hsi Wu goes out of range?
8263676
that should be a must...
Chapter One Hundred Twenty Seven
"He’s not my boyfriend" (And “Level 3+ on the PP Scale of Laughter” Variations)
Chapter Count: 3
Total Count: 3
8263725
No, I most definitely meant 'letter'. As in 'the letter and spirit of the law'. The law, in this case, being Jade's will.
8264406
Unless it's on a specific order from Jade (such as to retrieve something), he smacks into an invisible dome.
8264458
What about if Jade moves or teleports?
Would he get dragged? Would he smack in to things? Would it be painful?
8264458
oh ok
8264460
Unless she's in distress, the range is based in geography rather than distance (calling it "in the same city" was an exact definition). If she's in distress, Hsi will be actively drawn to her.
If she moves outside the city, he'll be drawn to follow.
If she teleports or is warped through a portal, Hsi will magically follow, ending up exactly where he was relative to her on the other side of the teleport/portal...with a margin of error to account for possible tele-fragging.
8264470
So it's not a barrier physically but mentally. A compulsion to stay close.
8263635
Trope name: "The stations of the canon" - the basic idea being that you need to stick to the familiar sequence of events so you have something to contrast with that readers will know. Not a bad thing when done well - there is logic to only having small changes, or having the canon events play out in the background because the action you're focusing on doesn't directly affect them - but can also lead to things like Theoden taking women and children into Orc-infested territory just so the Battle of Helms Deep can still happen in the movie...