Three More Things!

by Tatsurou


Enforced Cooperation

Sweetie Belle stared out the window of the antique shop, staring as a massive black creature that her mind somehow classified as half-dragon, half-squid, and half-human - despite her mathematical side telling her that was too many halves - and she somehow knew that she was only aware of the merest fraction of what the creature could really be. Even as she watched it uproot a lamppost to use like a golf club on a Volkswagen to send it flying into the bay, she felt a shudder race from the depths of her soul as she saw the destruction make the creature grow. "U-Uncle?" she called out, fear stealing the strength from her voice.

"Sweetie?" Uncle called out worriedly, approaching her. "What is scaring you-" His eyes widened as he caught sight of the creature. "AIYAH!"

"Uncle?" Scootaloo called out, running down the stairs. "Something's wrong with Cumulo. He can't support me, and-" She screeched to a halt as she caught sight of the creature. Letting out a shriek of terror, she dove into the nearest vase to hide. Uncle didn't even have it in him to chide her about it being yet another rare Ming vase.

The wind warp upstairs burst with light before collapsing as Jade and Apple Bloom tumbled through it, Audrey III catching them before they could injure themselves on landing. "That's not good..." Apple Bloom muttered worriedly.

"Uncle!" Jade called out, getting to her feet quickly and running downstairs. "The Rat Talisman fell into a Lovecraft book and turned into Cthulhu! What do we do?"

"...we die," Uncle offered morosely. Noticing the girls all staring at him, he shook his head sadly. "Chi magic cannot stand against Old Ones. Old One is manifest in physical world. All is doomed. If we die by our own hands, our souls will still be part of the natural cycle. If we die to that..." He didn't say anymore.

"CHANS!"

That bellow caught the attention of all those in the shop. Looking to the side, they saw Tohru lowering his hands from his face, having shouted to get their attention.


Having got the attention of the old man and the girls, Tohru stepped back, deciding to let Ratso explain things to them. He was the most good-natured of the group, and the least rattled by what was going on.

Ratso took to it quite well. "Hey. Long story short, our boss wants us to work with you to stop the fake-Cthulhu from destroying enough to become the real one." He frowned, scratching his chin. "I...think I got that right. Something about mind magic, spirit magic, and body magic...I didn't really get it-"

"Aiyah!" Uncle gasped out happily. "Facsimile is not yet complete Old One! It is still a summoning ritual, and rituals can be stopped!"

"Then you know how to stop it?" Tohru demanded eagerly, only to pull back from a sharp pain at his temple. "Ow..." He rubbed his head as Uncle pulled his hand back.

"Of course not! Uncle is wizard, not miracle worker!" Uncle pointed to his chi lab. "We must do research!"

"Do we have time?" Scootaloo asked worriedly. "How big is that thing going to have to get before...well, before?"

Tohru glanced at the Talisman tracking statuette in his hands, noticing how the erratic illumination continued, a reaction to the energies of the Rat Talisman going haywire. "An hour at the most."

"We need more time than that!" Sweetie Belle squeaked out, terrified.

"Good thing I grabbed this then, huh?" Jade asked, pulling out the Rabbit Talisman.

"That only increase speed, not comprehension!" Uncle chided. "One more thing! Uncle too old to use Talismans willy-nilly. Must save chi for whatever stops magic beast from becoming Old One!"

"Oh..." Jade drooped sorrowfully.

"What if you used the Talisman on the shop?" Ratso asked curiously. "Or the library? Couldn't you, I dunno, make the room faster relative to the rest of the world, and give yourself more time?"

Uncle rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm...is worth a shot." Taking the Talisman, he slammed it into the door of his chi library. The Talisman flared brightly, and he stepped inside, teapot in hand. The door closed behind him with the sound of a hermetic seal and an ominous click of the doorknob.

Twenty minutes later, Uncle staggered out, a sheaf of papers in his hands and a harried look on his face. "Aiyah..." he gasped out tiredly as the Talisman fell off the door.

"You okay, Uncle?" Jade asked worriedly as she caught the Talisman. "You've been in there for twenty minutes-"

"Five days," Uncle corrected. "At least, that is what I experienced..." He staggered into his chair. "But...Uncle found solution."

Tohru sat down nearby. "Go on."

"We need to match power of false Old One," Uncle explained. "We need to make being that is equal parts body, mind, and spirit, with enough power to meet creature on even footing."

"Uh, it's about the size of a building now," Finn pointed out, looking out the window. "Where are we gonna find that much power?"

Smiling, Uncle pointed at Tohru.

"M-me?" Tohru stammered out, stunned, his face actual losing its usual fierce scowl and becoming far less threatening. "I'm strong, but-"

"You have much chi inside you!" Uncle insisted. "More than enough for what we need." He handed the sheaf of papers to Sweetie Belle and Jade. "Set up ritual outside. Apple Bloom, fetch Audrey." The girls scampered to obey.

"So, what's the plan then?" Scootaloo asked. "Feed Tohru to Audrey so he's got enough energy to go toe to toe with Not-Old-Enough One out there?"

"Almost," Uncle corrected. "Apple Bloom will act as medium so Tohru's chi can feed directly into Audrey, allowing them to fight together as a giant. Enough damage to facsimile will destroy it."

Tohru and Apple Bloom's eyes both widened as they heard this pronouncement.