//------------------------------// // Enforced Extremes // Story: Three More Things! // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// Tohru sat nervously on the lower branches of Audrey's form. The plant creature had expanded enough that he and Apple Bloom could both sit within its branches, and the last time Tohru had encountered it at this size he had thought he was going to become plant chow. Admittedly, at the time it was one of the better possible imagined outcomes, but it still made him nervous now. The part that made him oddly overjoyed, however, was that Apple Bloom was sitting on his head. Apparently, this was important for the ritual that was being set up, but Tohru had more important things to focus on at the moment. The adorable pony sitting on his head where she rested perfectly comfortably, for one thing. "Ow!" he cried out as yet another two finger strike from the old wizard struck his temple. "Pay attention!" Uncle snapped out. "You want stop world from ending, yes? Then you listen to Uncle!" Sighing, Tohru nodded, accepting that there were more important things at the moment than how wonderful it felt to have an adorable pony sitting on his head. "One more thing!" Uncle continued as he explained the effects of the ritual. "When chi energies mix to infuse Audrey with power to meet magic beast, minds will mix too. Not conscious thought, since that is more controlled, but subconscious essence. Things that make you who you are will be felt by each other. Do not let it overwhelm you!" Tohru nodded a little worriedly. After all, he wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of opening up the core of his being to someone he knew so little about. Feeling Apple Bloom shivering atop his head, he reached up and stroked her mane with one large finger to relax her. He supposed she had the same concerns. "One more thing!" Uncle continued. "Once ritual complete, push conflict to bay! Creature may have battle advantage because Cthulhu is sea creature, but less things to destroy to complete its ritual." Tohru nodded firmly. This he could accept easily. He was used to fighting, and this just meant the odds weren't entirely on his side this time. Stepping back, Uncle began to chant. "Jiārù yīqǐ shēnghuó...Jiārù yīqǐ shēnghuó...Jiārù yīqǐ shēnghuó..."(1) The circle drawn around the three of them glowed brightly, and Audrey's vines and branches began to close around Tohru and Apple Bloom. Tohru swallowed worriedly as he felt himself being enveloped. Tohru felt his senses fade one by one as his mind opened. He felt the touch of Apple Bloom's consciousness. Her dedication to her family, her determination to master herself, her sense of self-sacrifice, her fun loving side, her youthful energy...he felt it connect to his own inner core. He knew she was perceiving his true nature as well. His dedication to honor and duty, his loyalty and love for his mother, his own inner good, gentle nature...he doubted he'd ever be able to intimidate her genuinely again. And then he felt the mind of the plant. It was almost completely alien to him, perceiving the world in ways his mind simply couldn't comprehend. But as those were pushed aside, he found qualities that oddly resonated with him. Undying loyalty, the iron fist/velvet glove mindset of a gentle giant, the knowledge of an overwhelming power and the determination to control it... It seemed the three of them were more similar than they were different, where it counted. As this realization overwhelmed them all, Tohru's senses returned to him. They were different this time. He saw the world around him cast in green. Words on signs had no meaning, and vehicles were just moving rocks. Buildings were hollow trees with life running around inside them. And the creature was a blight, devouring the magic that gave the world life. Tohru flexed his muscles, finding that he was now composed of vines and branches, shaped to his form but scaled to the size of Audrey at his largest. Bellowing a war cry, he charged the beast, feeling an endless mass of roots grasping the ground as he lunged forward, massive thorny fists slamming into The Blight as the charging tackle carried it straight into the bay. As The Blight crashed into the bay, Tohru could see it drawing strength from the waters, but not the strength it needed to be complete. As it rose again, Tohru leapt. To his surprise, he flew up above The Blight, bringing the clenched plant fists down hard on its crown before lunging forward and opening his bulb head wide, chomping down on The Blight and tearing it open. The Blight roared in agony, and lashed back at them. Its tendrils burned across their joined flesh, a searing agony lancing through them all. Tohru felt Apple Bloom and Audrey starting to withdraw, neither of them accustomed to pain. But he was, and he took the pain in its entirety into his own mind, the agony burning but controlled. Apple Bloom's scream of anger echoed into the sea. The kelp grew at an alarming rate, wrapping around The Blight from beneath and locking it in place as it struggled to break free. Audrey bellowed, lunging in and lashing The Blight with vines, thorns, and fangs. Tohru grasped The Blight and began to tear it apart. He heard Apple Bloom chanting in their shared mind. "Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao...Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao..." Audrey began singing, channeling magic into the spell with his song. "This is the mash...this is the Monster Mash..."(2) Torhu felt a chant of his own rise up in his mind. "...Ōse rareta kodai no waru...Ōse rareta kodai no waru..."(3) The magic gathered in the three of them, from the world and from their own souls...and blasted into The Blight. Everything went white... Tohru groaned as he sat up in the flatbed of a truck, driving back to Dark Hand headquarters. "What...happened?" "You won, big T!" Finn praised excitedly. "You and that pony and plant thing ripped an Elder God a new one!" "It was so awesome!" Ratso cheered happily. "It was the biggest geyser I've ever seen." Chao leaned out the back window of the truck to talk. "After the explosion, the three of you washed up on the shore, carried there by a whole bunch of kelp. No sign of the Talisman, though. So we just loaded you up, and we're heading back to base." Tohru remembered the Talisman bursting out of the shreds of the book. He remembered it being...in his mouth? Then he remembered the spell holding them together failing. He remembered none of them wanting to let go of each other... "So...what was it like?" Chao asked curiously. "Being even larger than life than you normally are, and having a pony and a plant in your head?" Tohru lay back thoughtfully. "It was...an enlightening experience..." (1) According to Google Translate, "Join Life Together". (2) My Mom suggested this song reference for this situation. (3) Japanese, "Begone Ancient Evil".