//------------------------------// // A Day In The Life of Rumble // Story: Balance // by BioQuillFiction //------------------------------// School, the one thing I didn’t miss about life before the Nobodies showed up. All my combat and gym classes are done with for the year, it’s just the academics left really. I sighed, lifting my head up off my desk to look at the board. Mama Toriel was my math teacher to boot, so it was embarrassing as well as boring when the lessons started. The bell rang, and everyone got ready to leave. “Remember class.” Mama, er, Mrs. Toriel spoke. “Tomorrow will be a half day, for the field trip to the newly rebuilt area’s of Daybreak outside the Empire borders. So get your cameras ready.” Everyone left, but I stayed behind. “How far back into Equestria have they rebuilt?” I ask Mama Toriel. “They just reached what used to be Manehattan, They managed to make a small town just outside, there’s a hospital they rebuilt , and there are still plenty of canned and preserved food goods that can be eaten. Majority is sent here, but more than enough is there. I think there’s also farms?” “Cool, so are we just gonna look at the stuff?” “Actually, your father figured this would be a good opportunity to help rebuild, so you’ll all team up into groups of three try to rebuild, scavenge, or clean up the mess.” “Cool, I think I’ll scavenge.” I left, heading for my last class then I can finally go home. If I rebuild I could make a house someone could live in… then again, those survival/building games I’ve played before didn’t end well… Scavenging seems more my ally, run or fly around everywhere looking for things to help rebuild, or something that’s needed. Cleaning is just boring… Scavenge it is without question. “Hey Rumble!” I heard Scoot’s voice from behind. Sure enough, she was there when I turned around. “You get the science homework done last night? I kinda… forgot to do mine…” She said with a nervous grin. “What did you do?” “... ate candy with Dinky…” “That’s a pile larger than her doorway!” “I never said I ate it all with her! … just a… three handfuls…” I rolled my eyes. “Fine. We have the same class, so just copy before Ma- Mrs. Sparkle takes it.” She looked at me. “Why are you so embarrassed to call them our moms at school?” “... I just don’t like it…” “You saw, WAY too many bad school comedies back when.” We made it to class, and Scoot’s started copeing as fast as she could. She was about halfway done when Mrs. Sparkle spoke. “So class, as you know you are heading to the currently ruins of Manehattan. The city itself was an amazing place before, but as you see it now is nothing but a shadow of what it was. The current areas that have been searched are marked with the spray paint image of a crown, those marked for exploration are marked with a spray paint keyhole, and obviously those out of reach of current exploration have no markings.” A student raised their hand. “Yes Kathy?” “How exactly are we gonna help rebuild?” She asked. Kathy was a well enough fighter, though, she lacked in magic and her grades were as bad as mine at times. “Well, Cid and I have modified the use of Gummi ship building tech, to be used to make, repair, and help design buildings for those of you that want to rebuild a building. For the scavengers, you’ll be heading with assigned recon men to explore areas marked for exploration, but you as a group will pick where to explore. Lastly, the cleaners will be gathering all broken items, such as furniture, and other things as such, to scrap and separate into metal to melt down, and parts that can still be used.” Scoot’s handed me my homework from under our large desk.. “Thanks.” She whispered. “Lastly class, Recent news have reported that strange things have been seen by the ones sent to rebuild and explore. We are certain they aren't Heartless, but I feel the need to remind you all, keep your Keyblades out. Even if you don’t run into anything, the area is dangerous. If it’s the… Nobodies, stay in your group. Unlike Heartless, they tend to have a mind, and can use it. Now that that’s over with, time to hand in your homework from last night.” Dinner time, not the end of the day, but my favorite part of it. Mama Care and Luna made meatloaf with large helpings of mashed potatoes and refried beans. “So are you kids excited for the trip to the construction sites?” Mama Chrysalis asked. “Yeah!” Dinky replied. “I’m gonna rebuild a building.” “I plan on scavenging.” Button said. “I wanna try and find something either really creepy or really cool.” “Be safe while there Button.” Mama Care said. “Yes mom.” “What are you gonna do Diamond Tiara?” Dad asked. “I think I’ll do clean up. I’ve been getting into macgyver, and I kinda wanna build something out of a bunch of junk.” She replied… Still can’t believe that’s the same girl who used to bully us in school. “I’ll be with Tiara.” Snails said. “I think my clumsiness will help break the stuff apart.” “That’s… one way to go at it.” Mama Celestia said… never in a million years did I think I’d ever call the princess of the sun and moon mom… “Scootaloo?” “Gonna scavenge, like Button. Maybe we can team up Button?” Scoot’s said. “That would be a good idea.” Button replied. “Rumble?” He asked me. “Rumble told me he wanted to be a scavenger after class.” Mam Toriel said. “What about you three, Chara, Asriel, Frisk?” “We’re gonna rebuild buildings.” Frisk said. “I wanna build a house.” “I wanna rebuild a theater, you know, so the workers can relax after work.” Asirel said. “I wanna rebuild a restaurant.” Chara said. “It’s in groups, why not try and mix those together?” I ask. “That could work.” Chara said. “It would look cool!” Frisk replied. My conversation with my parents were never like this, we did talk, but we watched TV also, so our attention was focused elsewhere… I miss my moms at times… Like Celestia and Luna, they were sisters, but both had bad luck with relationships. Then Mama Flitter had a relationship that ended… because she got pregnant with me… She didn’t hate me, she and aunty Cloudchaser both raised me, they both became my moms… Whoever my biological dad was can rot as a Heartless… I wonder if they’d go for joining Zeke like Toriel did? They were desperate enough back then, and when they come back that likely won’t have changed. Everyone in class was riding our gliders to the site. Took about an hour, and two fifteen minute breaks after we cleared to frozen north, but we made it to the site. The area was a mix of rebuilding, and destroying. Guess they want it to look as good as new when everyone returns. Everyone landed and I met up with Scoot’s and Button. “So how long are we gonna wait til we scavenge?” I ask. “Gesh Rumble, we just got here. Wait a few minutes.” Scoot’s replied. “What’s the hurry anyway Rumble?” Button asked. “At first it was just to find cool stuff, but I wanna find what’s the workers have been seeing.” I answered, gaining a surprised look from the two. “Don’t tell me you aren’t wondering what it might be?” “I’ll admit, it is weird, but why do you wanna find it so bad?” “To be like dad. He saved our whole world, well, what was left of it, and is leading the rebuilding, and freed Mama Toriels people. I just think, even if we aren't his kids by blood, we have a right to follow in his example. This thing could be bad, and hurt the workers.” “And you think we’d have a chance against it?” Scoot’s replied sarcastically. “We held our own against those swarms of Nobodies before, this is probably just one thing, so it will be easy compared to that fight.” Button and Scootaloo looked at each other. “Well, training simulations have been feeling easier with every win…” Button said. “And Fighting whatever this is might be cool… and I could test out that new move I learned…” Scootaloo added. “Then it’s settled. We’ll act excited, and try to ditch the guy we’re placed with. Once that’s done, we head off to the yet-to-be-explored area’s, and try to find it. If it doesn’t show within an hour, we can go back.” I stated. “Fine, but if we get in trouble with moms and dad, it’s every kid for themselves.” We were assigned to a recon man and he had us walking through the buildings marked to explore. We quickly split up, and each ran in different directions. It was easy to lose him, and we all met up far passed the marked buildings. “Too easy.” I said. “One hour Rumble, let’s get going.” Scoot’s said. We explored several buildings, found a few cool things, but nothing seemed to be around here. The hour was almost up, and we only found a few trinkets. “Maybe it was just some wild animal they were seeing?” Button suggested. “I guess… I was hoping it was a monster or something we could fight.” I whined. We were ready to leave, just making it to the doorway of the lobby of some old public gym when… “So fuzzy animals like to play warrior?” We all turned around, a man was there. His hair was short and a shining silver color, his eyes were a fierce yellow. He wore a black leather vest over a white t-shirt with a picture of a black crow on it, and navy jeans. He also wore fingerless black gloves with metal studs on the knuckles. We all summoned our Keyblades. “Who are you?” I demanded. “Call me Crow, so I take it you brats are some kinda Keyblade wielders in training?” Well… it works for dad. I threw my Keyblade, making it into a Reflect Raid. He blocked it the first time, but the attack still was going, he didn’t block it the eight more times it went before it returned to me. “That’s about right.” I state with a grin. The man, Crow, felt across his face… he had a small cut. He laughed. “Finally, those Foreteller weaklings didn’t even touch me last time.” He summoned some kinda sword that looked like a bat wing, with a blue eye where the handle and blade meet. The fight began, and he was better with that sword than I thought. Whatever we didn’t dodge we blocked, and he did the same. The whole match seemed almost even, and we were three against him! Damn, we might be in trouble. “Eat this!” Scoot’s said. She was floating in the air and her body looked like electricity was pulsating from her. She waved her Keyblade around and balls of electricity shot out it’s tip, all going towards Crow, some hitting. Crow was knocked back, but managed to still stand. “Well that’s new. Never seen a Thunderstorm shotlock before.” He floated in mid air now. “Try a Dark Volley.” Projectiles of darkness were shot from the tip of his sword. Thankfully we cast a Reflera in time, and the magic shield kept them from hitting us. “That all you got?!” I yelled as he dropped down on the ground. There was a haze, and I was thrown against a wall. “Rumble!” Button yelled. “You three are fun.” Crow said. “Sadly I think my ride is arriving.” A portal opened behind him… it was silver. A person in a chrome hooded coat walked out of it. “Did you gather the data?” The hooded person asked. “I got it, now let’s get out of here, that heart hurts from here.” Was he handicaped this whole time!? “Chow brats.” Crow and the person walked through the portal and it vanished. “Damn it.” I said, hitting the wall behind me. “He was on a handi cap from the crystal heart… and we still barely matched him… You think he works for Core?” Scootaloo and Button helped me up. “Whatever he was doing here, we gotta tell dad. The heart either is losing range, or can’t protect as well further away from the empire.” Scoot’s said. “Great… we’re gonna be grounded, aren't we?” We all held our heads down… this hasn’t been a good day.