_____*Ponyville, 10:21 PM*_____
Lyaroa walked the quiet streets of Ponyville, it reminded her of Earth in a way, they both had their beautiful nights, but seeing the lamps lit and the starry night, it reminded her of earth, and of her home.
Earth's nightlife was cold and sometimes cruel, but it had its moments, times when you could just slow down and enjoy the sights, the neon and the clear sky, it was one of Lyaroa's favorite things......then you have her home's nightlife, it was quiet outside, but it was vibrant inside, there was a time when she would just get lost in the maze that her home became years ago.
Lyaroa was interrupted when she heard footsteps behind her, she stopped and turned around, she saw Golden walking alone, he seemed preoccupied, she decided not to question it and kept on walking.
A little bit later, she looked up and saw a bird fly across the sky, she chuckled. "Mind if I ask something?" Golden asked.
Lyaroa stopped and faced Golden. "Sure thing." She asked.
Golden walked up and crossed his arms. "What's stopping you from recovering quickly like last time?" He asked.
Lyaroa shook her head and walked away for a moment. "Like I explained to Roxie, if I overcharge again, I won't be able to use my powers again for almost a year......and I for one am not about to leave everyone defenseless against something they can't handle, because someone was in a hurry." She looked at Golden. "You want him back?......then be patient, you aren't the only one who wants him back." She said before vanishing.
Golden looked up at the moon and sighed, he shook his head and continued on his walk, and as he started walking, he felt a tremendous amount of power suddenly surface, he breathed heavily and gulped, eyes wide in shock and awe, he faced in the direction it was in and saw.......nothing, he swallowed and let out a sigh of relief, he then turned to walk away, and he quickly decided to run.
Golden could be considered a coward, he preferred the term 'survivalist' personally, and when a power that dwarfed his own randomly shows up, he's gonna run. 'Hopefully I wasn't the only to feel that.' He thought hopefully.
_____*unknown*_____
I opened my eyes to the familiar town, I blink and rub my eyes. 'Why am I outside?.....and why is it night?' I ask myself, that flash happened so suddenly, I don't know why that happened, but I had my suspicions as to who did it, and why, I look up at the moon and see that it was a clear night and that it was a haIf moon, I sigh and get moving slowly through the town.
A cold wind suddenly blows past my ears and I look around, paranoia forcing me to look, seeing nothing, I continue moving through the town, looking to find a familiar building to take cover from the coming storm, I could see the clouds slowly moving in from the distance, and clouds like those always have rain.
I eventually find a familiar sight, it was a giant house that seemed to be made of sweets, and because I won't resort to breaking in, I decided to take cover under the overhang, I carefully positioned myself under the overhang and closed my eyes. 'Alright, let's see what tomorrow brings.'
_____*the next day, 9:30 AM*_____
I open my eyes and look around, thankfully, I was still in the same place as before, and there was nobody around, I blink and get moving, I head out to the streets and head towards a place I know, as I get out on the streets, I saw that everyone gave a strange glare, I said nothing about it and continued moving, as I did, I eventually spotted some familiar faces, I head over and stop nearby and chuckle. "Hey guys." I say.
The blonde mare looks at me and gives me a strange look. "Hey kid, how are you?" She asks.
I shrug and looked around a little. "Well let's see, i got a headache, slightly nauseous, and feel like crap half the time, I'm great!" I say before heading off with a grin.
As i headed off again, I see another familiar face walking around, I head over to say hello. "Hey sis!" I say.
The Pegasus mare turned to face me with a confused look on her face, she blinked and looked at me catiously. "Uh.....who are you?" She asked.
I chuckle and shake my head. "Very funny Dash......so where's Minutte?" I ask.
Dash raised an eyebrow at me. "Look kid, you have me confused with someone else." She said before flying off.
I blink and look up at her as she flies away, I rub my eyes and continued moving, I look around at everyone more carefully than before, and I soon come to the conclusion that something was wrong, I eventually get knocked down as someone walks into my wheelchair.
Yea, I have a wheelchair, it's hard to believe, and some days I try to get out of it only to collapse to the ground helplessly, but as I land I grit my teeth and look at who knocked me over. "What's the big idea?" I ask, I then see who it is, a female Changeling without a disguise, I was on the ground with wide eyes until the changeling walked over to me. "I'm so sorry! let me help you up." She offered.
I don't deny her assistance, but I was curious as to why nobody was doing anything. "Why aren't you disguised?....are you insane?" I ask.
The Changeling blinked and then she did something odd......she laughed, not loudly, but quietly. "Why would I have to disguise?.....I'm alright." She wondered.
I shake my head and stare at her in disbelief, as though she truly lost her mind, I then notice her traveling companions, a young unicorn filly and a changeling baby, I was dumbfounded. "Are you alright kid?" The Changeling asked.
I nod and focus on her, finding my voice. "I've been through worse......thank you though, I need to get going." I say.
The Changeling let's me go, but I hear a voice. "Sorry for knocking you down!" Said the voice of the filly, as was obvious by the differentiating tone.
As I move, I slowly start putting the pieces together, I was not back home, I was somewhere.....different, the whole world was different, the air was clean, my friends were happy even without me, not that it mattered.
The only upside of this was that the voice in my head was gone, and my mind was clear.......if you can call that an upside.
I kept on going, I eventually reached the familiar building, and saw that it was completely wrecked, my heart fell and I slowly wheeled up to the building, I set a hoof on it and feel the rotted wood, I closed my eyes and sighed, I opened them, looked around for anyone watching and then went further inside, seeing nothing at all in the decayed structure.
There was a sense of sadness in the house, that much was certain, I look up and see the bright blue sky, I close my eyes and chuckle sadly. "I'm not in my universe, am I?" I ask.
"No your not." Said a female voice, I turned around to see a tall white wolf with cyan eyes standing upright. "Who are you?" I ask.
"I should be the one asking that.......but seeing as I'm polite, my name is Lyaroa, a Sentinel." She replied.
I stretch my good wing out and then fold it. "I'm Storm Blitz, but everyone just calls me Storm, or Psycho, if you want to be clever." I reply.
_____*Ponyville*_____
Lyaroa crossed her arms as she looked at the young Pegasus, he didn't belong here, that much was certain, but he was damaged incredibly, he had bandages covering him, and they were covered in blood, what fur she could make out was a discolored dark blood red, his hair was black, changing to molten red, to dark red, to a faint gray, his left eye was forest green, while his right was dark blood red, his one wing was completely destroyed, as though a boulder landed on it, and he had a harness around him that held a dagger.
"You look like shit." She said.
"Fuck you." Storm replied easily.
Lyaroa smirked. "At least you aren't meek, that should make everything simpler." She said, soon face palming after realizing that she sounded like a creep.
Storm didn't reply to that, instead he rolled his eyes and moved himself towards the exit. "Yea right, like I'll let you do anything to me." He replied.
Lyaroa shook her head. "You want to go home?....I'm your best bet World Jumper." She stated.
Storm's left ear twitched and he faced her. "World Jumper?" He asked.
"A being who hops across worlds willy nilly, ergo, a world jumper." Lyaroa answered.
Storm huffed and left the building, he looked at Lyaroa. "Can you actually get me home?.....or are you just luring me to a false sense of security?" He asked.
Lyaroa left the building and looked down at him. "I can get you home, I just need a few days." She replied.
Storm looked at her for a few moments, he then started moving. "Ok then!....lets get going Liar." He said.
Lyaroa raised an eyebrow and teleported next to him. "Liar?" She asked.
Storm grinned. "Your name's Lyaroa correct?" After seeing her nod, he chuckled. "Then what does the first bit sound like eh?" He asked.
Lyaroa sighed and just followed the kid. "Very funny, let's just go, the last thing I need is anyone talking to you." She said.
Storm whistled and looked up at the sky. "Little late." He replied.
Lyaroa looked at him. "Why?" She asked.
Storm shrugged. "I talked to Dash and Applejack, along with a Changeling and her kid." He answered truthfully.
Lyaroa paused and then shook her head. "Ok, rephrase, I don't need you talking to anyone ELSE." She said.
_____*Later that day.*_____
I looked around as i wheeled myself into the building, i then looked at Lyaroa who headed for the stairs. "Got any beer?" I ask curiously.
Lyaroa stops and looks at me strangely, she then shakes her head. "We have nobody here who drinks it, along with an eight or nine year old.......I'm not leaving beer around for a....." She looks at me. "Eleven year old to find." She said before going upstairs.
I grunt and wheel myself over to the couch, I spot a large pile of books in the corner and head over, I grab one and look at the title, I sigh as I rub my eyes and grab another, hoping to find something interesting to read.
To be honest, I'm fine with any kind of book, unless it's a book about sex or anatomy, then no.....I'll live without it, though personally, I prefer adventure or mystery, even horror books.
I hear a door open and I look to see a large golden bear walking around carrying a stick, the bear notices me and blinks, he then goes upstairs in silence.
I curse my crippled legs and head back to the couch, I'm not normally so frustrated with injuries and such, but not being able to go up some stairs was annoying as hell.
I hear a door close upstairs and i shake my head, I don't pry into other people's conversations on a daily basis, unless I need too, besides, it doesn't take much thinking to know what they are talking about, I manage to sit myself down and I sigh in relief, the chair was terribly uncomfortable, but it was better than nothing.
I simply sat there with my eyes closed for what felt like forever, eventually, I hear movement on the stairs, I open my eyes and look to them, it was the bear and Lyaroa, they didn't seem to amused, in fact, they seemed rather angry. "Let me guess, the bear wants me gone?" I ask.
The bear huffs and walks over to the chair across from me, while Lyaroa walks over and sits on a futon that was in the corner. "He does, and so do I, we have enough trouble without you thrown in the mix." She says.
I clutch my side with my right hoof and let my other hoof rest, I chuckle softly and look at the bear. "Not my fault to be honest, last thing I remember is lying down and going to sleep." I replied.
Lyaroa stood up and put her right hand over her eyes, I look at the bear and blink. "So what about you?....I get the Sentinel, but you I don't understand at all." I admit before slowly returning to my chair.
The bear didn't react at first, but he eventually rested his right hand on his right leg. "Need help?" He asked.
I shook my head. "Nope, I'm alright." I reply as I carefully position myself to get on the chair.
Lyaora eventually walked back over and sat on the couch, she looked at me and spoke. "Now, before I send you back there are three things I want you to keep in mind." She started.
"First, it'll take a few days to get enough power back so I can send you home, second, I will need you to describe your world as best you can, thirdly, you are not to interfere or antagonize the locals." Lyaroa said calmly.
I grin as I get myself situated on the chair. "Yes ma'am!" I say mockingly with a fake salute, I chuckle at my joke and rest my arms at my sides. "But in all seriousness, I'm not the most patient person, but I can wait, I don't exactly care about my world so I can tell you about it, and as for the last, good luck with that, I'm no good with keeping the peace, I'm more the kill first talk later kind." I say before wheeling around the couch. "Do you at least have water?" I ask.
Lyaroa snapped her fingers and a glass of water appeared on the table. "Just show restraint from the former." She replied.
I roll my eyes and as I head to the table, I suddenly stop and I harden my expression, I quickly dive to the couch from the chair. "DUCK!" I shout, I had felt a dark presence approach rapidly and acted on instinct.
The others didn't pick up on it however, so when all of the windows exploded and fire spread throughout the building, they were quite shocked.
I grunt as I force myself through the pain that shot through me, I manage to force myself to look up as I hear heavy footsteps. "Oh no." I mutter.
_____*Ponyville, Lyaroa's house.*______
Lyaroa thanked her own thought process as she didn't need to breath, she heard Storm and Golden coughing because of the smoke, she looked around, the walls were incinerated and everything was burning, she heard heavy footsteps moving around the building, she growled and threw a small amount of power out to reveal the sources.
What she saw was unknown to her, which was rare for her, the creatures were heavily armored in ebony colored plate, their skin was varying, there were four of them, one had faded red skin, one had dark blue skin, one was pitch black, while the last was brown, she instinctively reached for Soul and Spirit, but she remembered they were gone.
Lyaroa looked around as all four of the creatures circled her and the others, they never lost focus however. "By our masters will, we sentence you to death!" They declared.
Golden managed to get his breathing under control just in time to dodge a very large axe, he slammed into a wall and soon was introduced to the recieving end of a war hammer. 'Ok, now I know what people go through when I hit them.' He lost all breath, and was thrown across the room.
Lyaroa dodged an attack from a greatsword and quickly threw a kick at the creatures head, her foot impacted, but she was surprised to see that the creature was unfazed, she then felt herself become immobilized and thrown up to the ceiling and thrown back down, just to be impaled by the greatsword.
Storm growled and looked to the nearest creature, he reached for his blade but the creatures soon took notice, he cursed under his breath and he closed his eyes as they slowly approached.
As he went to open his eyes, he heard even more fire flooding in and hearing a very pissed off voice. "I LEAVE YOU IN CHARGE FOR ONE DAY AND YOU ARE ALREADY UNDER ATTACK!" Said the voice,
Storm immediately sheathed his dagger, not willing to be on the recieving end of whatever was causing the creatures to flee, as was evident by the lack of footsteps.
He felt himself be picked up and moved, more like thrown, from the burning building, he grunted as he landed hard on the ground.
Lyaroa quickly grabbed Golden and teleported the damaged bear out, followed by Roxanne.
_____*Storm's POV*_____
I finally reopen my eyes and take a quick breath, I look to the house and see that it was engulfed in fire, I clutch my side and manage to get myself in a position to look around better without my wheelchair.
I see a new face, it was definitely the source of the female voice from earlier, she was a fox with white fur and faded red patches, I look to the bear and see that he was hurt very badly, I let out a deep breath and speak. "Someone should do something for the bear." I suggest.
Lyaroa nodded in agreement and sets the bear down and begins healing him slowly, she looks at me curiously. "How come you didn't do anything?....I know you have power, so why didn't you use it?" She demanded.
"Because I'm not exactly mobile as you may have realized." I respond.
The fox looks at me and then at Lyaroa. "Who's the kid?" She asked.
Lyaroa looked down at the bear and shrugged. "I don't know everything, but his name is Storm, a world jumper that I need to keep around until I can send him back." She explained.
As the two converse about what to do now, I notice that the bear seemed to have been stabilized, I let out a sigh of relief and I hear a question come out, one I hear all the time. "What were those things anyway?" The fox asked.
Lyaroa shakes her head and stands up. "I don't know, my power isn't strong enough yet to read them completely, but they are strong." She said.
I chuckle and look at them. "They're demons, sent from Tartarus itself, why they attacked I'm not sure, but I know that much." I answer.
The fox looks at me with a skeptical stare. "How do you know that?" She asked.
"I fought demons before, and trust me, they all have weaknesses, for all their strengths, they are actually vulnerable, take those four losers for example, the Magic wielder is useless in melee combat." I answer.
Lyaroa even looks curious, but she remains calm and focuses on what's important. "Alright, how do you kill a demon?" She asked.
I sigh and look at her in annoyance. "You know, I would love to talk your ears off about this, but could one of you get me off the ground before I break my legs trying to stand up out of habit?" I ask.
Lyaroa snaps her fingers and I am suddenly in the air, suspended by a magic bubble, I roll my eyes. "Close enough I guess." I mumble.
"Wouldn't it be easier for me to he-"
"No." I cut the Sentinel off mid sentence. "If I am miraculously able to walk again back in my world, everyone's going to ask how, and I would rather not lie, so no, do not heal my legs or wing, I will manage." I say firmly.
The fox looks at the bear who stirred to life, she walks over and kneels down. "You alright Gold?" She asked.
"Who's Gold?" I ask.
Lyaroa points at the bear. "His full name is Golden Freddy, we just call him Golden." She replied.
The fox then stands and looks at me. "I'm Roxanne, now, if you don't mind, I would like to put this fire out." She said.
I hold up a hoof and grin. "Allow me." I say.
I closed my eyes and I feel a tingle, I open my eyes up to reveal black irises, causing Lyaroa to blink in confusion.
______*Ponyville.*______
Lyaroa was somewhat confused, she had seen plenty of Sentinel's change their eyes color before, but this was different for a mortal, the only other people she saw do this was Fang, Golden and Roxanne, but that was because of their particular powers.
So when this kid of age eleven does this, and when black flames suddenly engulfed the building, only to disappear two seconds later, leaving no other fire behind, she got annoyed. "How did you do that?" She asked.
Storm shrugged with a grin. "I've been able to do that for a few years now, but it's not my favorite power." He replied as he floated.
Lyaroa looked at Roxanne and then at Storm, who's eyes had returned to their original color. "That wasn't my question." She said.
Storm shook his head. "And I didn't answer, so what?" He replied.
_____*a few hours later.*_____
Storm was now situated back in his wheelchair, thankfully it wasn't too badly damaged, so it was still usable, he said he would tell them what he knew of demons, if only to get home faster.
Once they were all caught up with recent events, not revealing the past, but mostly listening to Storm's explanation of demons, apparently he had fought them many times, and almost died quite a bit, but this time he claimed to know how to kill them. "If we find the one who ordered the attack, we kill him, and they stop, usually these demons don't hold grudges, so we would then be in the clear for waiting this out so I can go home." Storm said.
Lyaroa looked at Storm. "And how do you propose we find them?" She asked.
Storm looked at Golden. "He has psychic powers, he can track them if he has a piece of them on him.....like skin or blood, these demons are more likely to retreat, regroup, and attack again, than plan it all out." He said.
Golden stared at Storm catiously. "What makes you think I have psychic powers?" He asked.
Storm shrugged. "I see a lot of stuff, but most obvious is the constant mental block you have on your mind, it's a homing beacon of the stuff." He replied.
Lyaroa stood up and began pacing. "So from what you told us, demons mostly follow orders, but they stick to Tartarus or those who make special bargains right?" She said.
Storm nodded. "Yes." He replied.
Lyaroa rubbed her chin. "Then why did they attack us?.....there's nothing here for them to gain." She wondered.
Storm rolled to the window and looked up at the sun. "You must have something here that they wanted, or someone else hired them to do it, other than that, I got nothing." He then grinned and looked back at the three. "I'll help you beat these demons, and find out why they attacked, all I need from you is a ride home, sound fair?" He offered.
Lyaroa closed her eyes and spoke to Roxanne and Golden through telepathy. "What do you think?.....should we accept his help?"" She asked.
Roxanne's voice responded. "If what you told me was true, and Fang is in Hell, we might need the kid to help break him out, at least until you can send him home." She replied.
Golden decided to be the logical one again. "I think we should be careful, we obviously can't trust him, and he doesn't trust us, after all, I think he's the kind of person who hates being lied too." He added.
Lyaroa opened her eyes and saw that Storm had returned to looking outside. "Fine, I'll accept your help in fighting these demons, but you can't fight in that wheelchair." She pointed out.
Storm smirked as he turned around. "Yea, but I have knowledge on a lot of demons, that counts for something." He countered as he wheeled himself over.
_____*later that day.*_____
I wheel myself over to the window and as I reach it, I close my eyes, when I open them, I see that it was a cloudy night, I chuckle and rub my right leg a little, I felt a small amount of pain, but it soon dispersed.
I draw my dagger and look at it, I sigh as I realize which one it is. "Not this one." I mutter worriedly.
I manage to hear very faint footsteps behind me and I flip around to a new face, a young Pegasus filly with pink fur and a blue mane and tail, she approached me and she looked at me curiously. "Your Storm right?" She asked.
I nod. "Yes, and you?" I ask.
"Firefly." She replies.
I wheel myself over to the couch and shake my head. "Look kid, I don't know how you know me, but I'm not exactly in a chatty mood." I look at her. "Do us both a favor, forget I exist." I say before wheeling myself to the corner and closing my eyes.
Firefly sighed and walked over to the stairs. "Goodnight." She said quietly.
I sigh and focus on getting some sleep. "Whatever." I mutter.
____*unknown.*_____
I look around and see a field of bloody grass and snow, littered around the field were corpses of ponies and Griffins, I look around and I then grin out of sadistic joy, I hear a cough and I walk over, I draw my dagger and approach the source, when I find who it was, it was a Griffin soldier, I gain a sadistic grin and kneel down to the dying soldier.
"You will never rule our lands!" The soldiers snaps loudly.
I say nothing as I plunge my dagger deep into his lung, I chuckle as I brutalize the Griffin, and I feel......happy.
____*Lyaroa's house, 10:10 AM*_____
I open my eyes and begin moving, I see the Sentinel in the kitchen and I go inside. "Liar." I say blankly.
Lyaroa looks at me. "You mumble in your sleep, you know that right?.....kept me awake all damn night." She said.
I shrug. "Like I care." I say before leaving, I head to the living room and sit there.
Lyaroa walks out and crosses her arms. "You going to fight demons on an empty stomach?" She asked.
I look at her with an iron gaze. "I went a week without food or water, I can handle a few days against some lousy demons." I reply before heading to the window.
Lyaroa looks at me with a look of......pity? I know she doesn't know I can see it, but I can, she turns around and heads back to the kitchen. 'The sooner we kill these demons, the better.' I tell myself.
____*Later that day.*____
Roxanne walked into the house and saw that the others were waiting, Golden and Storm we're focused, while Lyaroa was waiting impatiently. "Sorry I'm late." She said easily.
Storm chuckled. "Goodbyes taking all day?" He asked.
Roxanne shook her head and looked at Lyaroa. "We got anything?" She asked.
Lyaroa nodded. "We tracked the demons down to a warehouse in Manehatten, all we need to do is go there and kill them." She said.
Golden rolled his eyes and he tested the weight of his staff. "Yea, because that worked out great yesterday." He said sarcastically.
"To be fair Golden, you got blindsided immediately and I'm in a wheelchair." Storm said.
Lyaroa sighed. "Are we ready to go or not?" She asked.
After seeing the nods from Golden and Roxanne, she looked at Storm. "What?.....why is everyone looking at me?" He asked.
"You ready?" She asked.
Storm deadpanned, he pointed to the chair. "Yes, let's all wait for the guy in the wheelchair to be re-
Lyaroa snapped her fingers.
_____*Manehatten warehouse.*_____
"-ady." Storm stopped himself and looked around. "Ok, apparently we have teleportation." He noted.
Lyaroa looked around, the warehouse was very very dark, and heavy footsteps were everywhere. "Ok, odd, so Storm, any ideas?" Lyaroa asked as red eyes appeared throughout the darkness.
As Lyaroa looked at Storm for advice......he shrugged. "I have no idea." He said.
Lyaroa immediately fell flat on her face. "You are an idiot." She mumbled.
"I know." Storm replied, he blinked and he suddenly chuckled. "There are a lot of demons here....but we should be alright." He said as he prepared to move, as in, he turned.
Roxanne looked at Lyaroa. "Are you positive that bringing a cripple was a good idea?" She asked.
Lyaroa cracked her knuckles and grinned. "Time to find out." She said.
As if on cue, a few of the eyes vanished into the darkness, and they heard heavy breathing all around.
Golden released a powerful psychic pulse with his staff, it reverberated across the room and he could see the demons, if only briefly, he grumbled as his psychic vision soon vanished along with the pulse.
The demons circled the group, their shadows concealing them from all sight, Lyaroa would not risk using more power, so she did nothing as she stood around carefully looking around, so when a strike came from seemingly nowhere, she fell to the ground and quickly got back up. "Ok, that's cheating." She muttered.
The demons continued doing this, striking from the shadows, and retreating soon after, they didn't target Storm as much for some reason, but that was fine by him.
Roxanne however, had no issue with using her power, so she charged some fire, and looked to the others. "Get down!" She called out.
Storm just looked at her. "Your kidding right?" He asked, but when he saw the fire, he sighed. "Of course your not." He said as the fox released the nova.
The demons cringed as the white flame illuminated the surrounding area, revealing them to all.
Storm blinked and looked around. "Um Guy's....." He watched as what appeared to be dozens upon dozens of demons swarmed in. "We've got a small issue." He warned.
Roxanne and the others closed in as more showed up around them, the demons were of all shapes and sizes, from demons that looked like hounds, to demons with blades for hands, they were all there.
Storm then heard a dark chuckling, coming from what he guessed was the entrance, he looked and saw the four demons from before, but in the middle, he saw a familiar face, he growled and faced the new demon.
The others noticed this and turned to face it, the new demon was tall and stood upright on two feet, it had two horns that protruded from its forehead, then bent down towards its shoulders, it also had two long and slick arms, not very muscular, it also had two wings in its back, as it approached, it did so with a savage grin, the demon clapped its hands slowly. "Bravo Sentinel, you do live up to your reputation of tracking, I thought it would have taken you a few more hours at most." It said in praise.
It then gestured to the small army. "But really?.....charging headfirst into an army of demons in the condition your in?.....you aren't that smart after all." It then mocked.
Lyaroa growled and went to approach, but she then noticed something odd......Storm had drawn his dagger and was clutching it tightly, he also had a feral snarl plain on his face. 'They must have a history back in his world.' "Storm, do you know this guy?" She asked.
Storm looked up at her. "His name is Gerkla, an archdemon that doesn't have much physical prowess, but he's a master of deception, magic and strategy, but that's not all he has." He then looked at Gerkla.
The demon laughed and then held his hand up. "I'm surprised, I didn't think a child would have knowledge of me, oh well.......kill them all!" He ordered.
At once, the small army attacked ferociously, Golden quickly sent a shockwave out, knocking any of the unaware demons down, he then began to swing his staff in a whirlwind motion, attempting to fend them off.
Roxanne threw up a wall of white flame around Storm while throwing fireballs around at the demons, and with Lyaroa pummeling the demons that got close, it was easier to keep them away.
Storm growled as the fire blocked his path, he managed to kill the stray demon that approached him by stabbing them in the head, but he wanted to get out into the fight, and he knew all Gerkla had to do, was sit back.
And Storm was right, as the fight went on, opportunities to fight were shrinking, as there were so many of them, the wall of Fire around Storm had vanished, only to be replaced by a powerful Crystal barrier. "Are you serious right now?" He complained.
Roxanne grinned and fired a beam of fire to the horde of demons, only for a hellhound to bite her and get killed by Lyaroa, with her arm injured, Roxanne had to fall back, she could still throw the occasional fireball, but the hellhound did something that made her less able to do so.
Lyaroa was not faring any better, with her powers drained, it was difficult to fight without wasting what little she had.
Golden was by far the worst off, more and more demons had been able to land strikes, and he was slowing down, even with his psychic renewal. 'We need to do something, and fast.' He thought.
Storm could not see anything past the barrier, and he knew that keeping this up was taking its toll on Roxanne, he could hear the walls rumble as he looked around. "This might be a good time to let me out." He pointed out.
Little did Storm know that Roxanne was unable to hear him over the sound of demons and fire, she barely dodged another demonic sword as she backed up again.
And in just a few moments, they were all forced to stand back to back, Gerkla laughed as the demons closed in for the kill, he blinked just as they began their lunge.
....and when he opened his eyes, three rows of demons were killed. "What?" He muttered.
Lyaroa had closed her eyes at that moment, and she opened them and saw a welcome sight. "What kept you?" She asked.
Roxanne fell to the ground and looked up. "Your late." She said.
Golden sighed as his wounds healed. "What happened this time?" He asked.
Standing back to back, was a dragon, and a Night Wolf. "Sorry, I had to piss." Shade said.
Emerald looked around. "And I was held up, apologies." He replied.
Lyaroa knelt down to tend to Roxanne's wound, can you take it from here?" She wondered teasingly.
Shade grinned and threw a disintegration blast out, killing three more quickly. "No problem." He said.
Emerald breathed a cone of fire, and incenerated the non flame resistant demons. "This will be quick." He said as he drew his halberd.
Gerkla pondered this situation intently, he then looked at the four demons. "We shall withdraw for now, we must examine this further." He said before vanishing.
Three of the four demons followed suit, but the sword wielder thought for a moment before following, an idea striking him.
With Emerald and Shade assisting, the rest of the demons fell swiftly, soon enough, nothing was remaining in the warehouse except for the six.
And inside the barrier, Storm sighed and once he heard quiet, he looked around. "What happened? did we win?" He asked.
When Lyaroa made sure Roxanne wasn't dying, she looked at the barrier that she made before it crumbled from being dispelled. 'When did she learn to so that?' She wondered.
Storm looked extremely annoyed as he looked around. "Oh that's just fantastic!......we get a chance to kill that demon!.....and you throw it away!......GAH!" He then proceeded to wheel around angrily.
Shade watched as Storm threw his tantrum. "What's his problem?" He wondered.
Lyaroa stood up and looked at Shade. "I honestly don't know, but from the looks of it." She paused and looked at Storm, who was now clutching his dagger tightly. "It seemed like he knew the archdemon." She said.
Storm sighed and tried to calm down as Lyaroa approached. "Yea I knew the bastard........back home, I killed him." He said as he wheeled over to the others. "The most important thing you all need to know about Gerkla, he is a coward, but he's a smart coward." He pointed out.
Roxanne chuckled. "Didn't seem like it to me." She said.
Storm rested his left arm on the wheelchairs arm. "Then why did he massacre my kind a thousand years ago?" He asked.
Golden walked over. "I don't know about you, but there are tons of Pegasi out there." He said.
Storm huffed and wheeled away. "Back in my world, Gerkla manipulated the races of Equis to hunt down and murder my kind, driving us to extinction, except one.....Karo Fral, my ancestor." He then looked at the others. "You see, my kind are the only ones who can kill him, so even if you cut him apart or disintegrated him, he would just come right back." He explained.
_____*later that day.*_____
As everyone reconvened and rested, Storm approached Roxanne. "Question, what happened to your arm?" He asked.
Roxanne flexed it to test how much it hurt, she grunted at a slight amount of pain. "One of those hellhounds bit me." She said.
Storm wheeled over and examined the wound. "It will sound ridiculous, but the fastest way to get hellhound venom out, is to pour saltwater on it." He said.
Roxanne looked at him angrily at the mention of venom. "And you didn't tell me that hellhounds had venom why?" She asked with pure hostility.
Storm shrugged. "I thought you knew." He said. "Don't worry, all it does is make you more susceptible to mood swings, if your into that, fine by me." He said as he moved away.
Roxanne held her hand up and went to throw a fireball at the kid, but she then decided against it. "Lyaroa, can you get me some saltwater?" She asked.
Lyaroa popped around the corner and looked at Roxanne. "We've been drinking it for months Roxanne, you know that." She said.
Roxanne's eye twitched and she threw the fireball at Lyaroa. "JUST GO SHUT THAT KID UP!" She yelled.
Lyaroa promptly ran off. 'Moving on......I hope she's not like like at night because she will probably decapitate me.......again.' She thought as she walked off.
______*The next day, 4:21 PM*______
I wheeled myself towards the table that everyone was gathering around, we had a fix on Gerkla, he was hiding out in a cave system that used to be a mine, I don't remember the towns name, but it was a good hiding place as nobody lived there anymore.
I looked around and decided to pay attention. "Ok, obviously there is going to be only one entrance to this place, so the best thing to do is go in carefully, Golden will go in first with me following close behind, followed by Storm then Shade, with Emerald following him then Roxanne at the back." Lyaroa explained.
"After we're inside, we need to find Gerkla, however possible, and once we find him, we will subdue him long enough for Storm to kill him, then we'll be free to continue." She followed up.
Storm looked at Lyaroa. "Why would need to continue?.....once he's dead, we have nothing that's going to come after us, because of that, it's a waiting game so you can send me home......unless you have another motive?" He wondered.
Roxanne looked at Storm. "How about you mind your own business kid?" She asked with hostility.
Storm rolled his eyes as everyone else seemed shocked at the attitude. "And.....mood swing." He said.
Roxanne suddenly blinked and looked around with a calm expression. "So, are we going to do this?" She asked calmly.
Storm looked at Lyaroa. "She didn't take the saltwater......did she?" He asked.
Lyaroa looked at Roxanne who was holding her arm carefully. "Nope." She replied.
_____*at the mine entrance, 6:10 PM.*______
The group approached the entrance to the mine carefully, they weren't surprised to find guards, and once they were killed, they quickly entered the mine in formation, once they were inside, the entrance collapsed, blocking out all light, and Roxanne had to give them light with her fire.
They soon started their slow decent into the mine, ever wary as they heard the dark groaning and growling of demons and other dark creatures.
"Everyone be careful, we don't know what's down here yet, so be on your guard." Emerald said.
Storm kept pace as best he could as he wheeled himself along, his wheels squeaking eerily through the mine. "Not like I have a choice bud." He said sarcastically.
Golden tried his tactic of using psychic pulses to lead them, but something was interfering. "It's hard to get a good fix, soemthings messing with my powers." He said quietly.
"Demons have a natural resistance to Psychic energy, and they also emit a small amount of dark energy that disrupts those powers." Storm expalained as they moved.
Lyaroa kept looking around as they moved, ever watchful of the stone walls and ceiling, it was dark even with Roxanne's flame, so they had to move slowly.
Shade however had the easiest time seeing in the mine, he had recently developed night vision, but it was weak, so it only let him see slightly better in the dark.
They soon came to a large area with a barricade blocking the path, it had a rusted padlock on it and was easily broken, so as Emerald went to break the lock off, Storm spoke. "Hold it." He whispered.
Emerald looked at him. "Why?" He asked.
Storm wheeled up and placed a hoof on the lock, he soon sighed and looked at the drake. "This lock is enchanted to send a signal to its creator when destroyed, we'll just have to go over it." He said.
As Golden and Emerald crossed over, Shade crossed over carefully but a loud rumbling soon shook the mine violently, Lyaroa looked around and saw a small path off tho the side. "We'll go this way, you three keep going that way." She said.
Golden nodded and began walking, taking the lead as Emerald and Shade followed.
Storm shook his head and followed Lyaroa. "This is a bad idea." He muttered.
Lyaroa led Roxanne and Storm through the mine tunnel, it was difficult to see with all of the shadows everywhere, even with night vision, but they eventually found a lit room, it was small but it had a single torch, as soon as they approached it, the torch went out and they were in the dark once again. "Typical." Roxanne said before igniting the torch.
Storm looked around carefully, searching for any sign of treachery. "We should keep moving, every second we waste is another one that Gerkla can use against us." He said.
Lyaroa nodded. "Agreed, let's go." She said.
_____*the others.*_____
Shade was walking up front with Emerald following him, Golden was in the rear keeping an eye on things, they hadn't seen any demons yet, but they were very cautious about everything at this point.
So when they entered a room that didn't belong in a mine, as it was completely shaped, it had walls and symbols on the floors, the ceiling was completely smooth with some jagged spikes around the floor. "If this isn't a demons room, I will shit." Golden stated as they entered.
As the trio reached the center of the room, dark spikes appeared around the exits and they were sealed by demonic magic, afterwards multiple demons entered the room through portals, they were tall, had powerful physique and wielded swords of red iron.
After the trio was thoroughly surrounded by them, one last portal opened and a four legged demon appeared, he had two long arms and wielded a mace with a shield, he had dark brown skin and two horns that went down to his shoulders, it was armored heavily and had a gaze that made you feel uneasy. "You were fools to come here, though not as much as the others." It said in a deep voice.
The trio readied themselves for combat, as did the demons. "I will make you this one time offer......surrender the Sentinel, and you will go unharmed." The demon said.
Emerald was the first to speak. "We decline your offer demon, I will not lose what little honor I have left and betray a friend and ally." He declared firmly.
Golden was a little puzzled at this. 'That's odd, Emerald always called Lyaroa an acquaintance, never a friend, what's stranger, he never speaks first, never, I guess he doesn't approve of the idea of selling out an ally.' He thought before focusing on the demons.
The demon was silent for a time, he then readied itself for battle. "Very well, soldiers of Tartarus!....kill them all!" He ordered with a roar.
Shade fired off a quick disintegration blast as the demons began to charge, but that did not slow them down, they apparently did not care if one of their own died, so they charged and soon reached them, and it soon became clear that it was a losing battle.
Golden was still having difficulty fighting the demons, with their natural resistance to psychic energies, and the unnatural aura they had that disrupted it, he was severely limited in what he could do, he could barely even heal himself with how many demons were around, so he resorted to his staff to protect him.
Emerald wasn't having so much difficulty on his end, he was able to use some arcane magic to blast the demons away, while using his halberd to finish off any who neared, but even so, he knew that it wouldn't be long before they were overwhelmed.
And he was correct, for as Shade disintegrated multiple demons with a nova, the larger demon had charged up and swung its mace, hitting him directly in the chest, causing him to fly into a wall and crash into the floor.
Golden turned to face the large demon as it turned towards him, he threw a powerful psychic shockwave at it, but it did little as the demon merely brushed it off. "Pitiful." It said before slowly approaching, swinging it's made as it drew closer.
Golden tried to dodge as best he could, but with the demons disrupting him, he wasn't able to restore his energy as fast, thankfully, the larger demon was killing any lesser demon that happened to be nearby when it swung.
Emerald slammed his halberd down and sent a pulse through the floor, making the nearby demons stumble, he then spun his weapon swiftly, causing a small twister to form around him, causing the demons to be thrown around as tried to attack.
Shade grunted as he tried to get up, it felt like all of his bones were broken, he held himself up with his hands as he tried to get to his feet. "That was unpleasant." He muttered.
As he rose to his feet, he saw a few demons charge at him immediately, he had no time to dodge, so he panicked and hastily threw out a disintegration nova, he grunted and collapsed to his knees, he breathes heavily as he looked forward, he saw that Emerald was holding his own, but Golden was being pushed back inch by inch, he gritted his teeth and rose up once again, and once more, multiple demons from the small army charged at him, he cursed under his breath and dodged their initial attack. 'I can't get a break.' He complained.
Soon, one of the minor demons managed to hit Shade, knocking him down, it and the other demons, then started to impale Shade over and over any way they could.
Shade did everything to avoid screaming, but he got an idea and did something he didn't do very often, he stopped breathing and fell over limp, making no sound as he faked his death. 'At least I can't die, but man this hurts.' He thought as the demons inspected him for a brief moment, they then ran off to join the others in battle.
Golden was faring no better, he was losing ground quickly, especially since the large demon was summoning spike walls to pin him down, and soon, he was cornered, with no way out, he decided to make a stand, he braced himself and stood off against the demon.
The demon soon began marching toward Golden, it raised its mace and swung down, Golden blocked the strike but was not ready as the demon charged with its shield out, using it as a ram, the demon pinned Golden to the wall, it then backed up as Golden dropped his staff when he landed.
Golden growled as he looked up at the demon. "You will regret this demon." He stated.
The demon raised its mace. "I've heard that before." It countered before swinging.
Emerald then heard a slam followed by an anguished scream, he repulsed the demons away and looked towards the source, he froze at the image.
The large demon held Shade in one hand, and Golden in the other, and they were both torn up beyond belief. "The bear lives, so if you wish to spare him, surrender now." The demon said.
Emerald looked around and saw that the demons had regrouped and we're ready for battle. 'I could fight, but that would mean losing both Golden and Shade, if they aren't already dead.'
Soon enough however, Emerald made a call, he dropped his halberd and the demons took him. 'Its up to you guys.' He thought as he was taken away.
_____*by the others*_____
Roxanne kept the trio's path lit up as they moved, they hadn't encountered anything so far, but this only set Storm on edge even more than before. "I don't like this.....it's quiet, too quiet." Lyaroa mentioned silently.
"I know that feeling, trust me, it's the quiet moments you want to avoid in these situations." Storm replied quietly.
Roxanne suddenly stopped as they neared a fork in the path. "Ok guys, left or right?" She asked.
Storm closed his eyes as Lyaroa looked between the paths.
Roxanne waited as she extinguished the torch and set in down, she then heard Storm's chair move, she lit the area up with her fire and saw him watching the left path with his eyes shut. "What are you doing?" She asked.
Storm held up a hoof and then opened his eyes, he looked at Roxanne. "Right." He said.
Lyaroa shrugged. "Right is right after all." She said.
Storm rolled his eyes. "As if that ever works." He muttered.
Roxanne led the way along the right hand path, she looked around carefully as they walked through the old mine paths, some of the old wooden supports and mine carts creaked and squeaked respectively, giving the place that eerie feeling, she heard a rock falling on the ground somewhere in the caverns, but she couldn't place its location.
Lyaroa however was focusing on the surrounding area, she looked around as they progressed, she was trying hard to avoid using her powers, as to let them recover more.
Storm however had no issue using his powers, he scanned the area fervently while keeping himself alert of anything that evaded his gaze.
Eventually, they made it to an area that didn't belong to a mine, it was dark, with red steel on the walls and a sword stuck in the floor, there was only two ways out, the way they entered, and a door on the opposite end. "I really don't like this." Storm said.
Lyaroa looked up and then at the sword. "Neither do I, but still, it's obvious as to what we need to do." She said as she walked up.
The trio approached the center of the room, and as they neared the blade stuck in the floor, Roxanne felt a feeling of unease as she stared at the blade. "Hey Lyaroa, does this blade look familiar?" She asked.
Lyaroa approached the sword and examined it, it was definitely similar to Spirit in design, but it was not him, the steel was dark red, with a special dark green iron that radiated power, she reached out and grabbed it, she immediately felt a dark presence fill the room. "Yea, that makes sense, obvious trap, so you spring it." Storm mocked.
Lyaroa forced the sword out of the floor and the room filled with demons, she braced herself for a fight and held the sword in her right hand. "Alright, let's see what you can do." She said.
As the demons charged the group, Lyaroa felt a dark presence emanate from the blade, it was strong and fierce, but not unstoppable, she swung it at the first demon that neared, and the blade unleashed a torrent of shadowy power and killing every single demon nearby, she grinned. "Sweet." She said as she began to fight the rest.
Storm for the most part, simply shoved a dagger into any demon that was stupid enough to get close, while Roxanne pummeled the demons attacking her.
Lyaroa soon discovered another ability that the sword had, it could leave a mark of shadow on its victim that exploded either in a few moments, or when told telepathically.
Eventually, the demons stopped, as the trio was able to continue.
They walked through the door and Storm looked at the sword. "You sure you want to keep that?.....if I know Gerkla, and I do, he would use it as a trap." He pointed out.
Lyaroa shrugged. "Then I'll deal with it as I go." She said.
_____*five minutes later*_____
The trio had to go in a massive loop from that point, having to backtrack all the time, just to grab the key for a door five rooms ago, only to get another key for the room they got the first one from.
"What is with bad guys and annoying puzzles?" Roxanne asked.
Storm wheeled along behind her as they moved. "It's a stalling tactic, it's surprisingly effective." He explained as he went up the ramp for the umpteenth time.
Roxanne approached the locked door and turned the key, a satisfying click was heard and the door opened, what was on the other side however, was quite surprising.
When they saw was probably the closest you could get to hell on earth, there must have been miles upon miles and demons and their dark structures, along with the screams of agony to help support it.
They quickly hid behind a broken wall and Lyaroa looked out to the hordes of demons, thankfully, the door behind them vanished without a sound, and none of the demons noticed. "And you didn't know that all of this was here?" Roxanne asked.
Lyaora looked at her. "As strange as it may be to you Roxie, I didn't happen to notice an army of demons building a magical kingdom, forgive me if I was preoccupied." She replied out of irritation.
Storm waited and looked around with the others, he spotted a few walls with climbing space with no demons guarding it, but he was crippled and could not climb it, there was a path that had few bumps, but it was littered with demons, the only path that made sense to go through was one that made many bumps and few demons, but it looked like it led to the rooftops. "Which way?" He asked.
Lyaroa pointed up at the wall. "We climb." She said.
Storm looked at her. "In case you forgot, I can't climb.....so how am I getting up there?" He asked.
Lyaroa grinned.
______*a few moments later.*______
I grumble as I climb up the walls with my new hands, yes hands, the Sentinel had decided to turn me into a young human for a while, at least that's what she called this species, to help balance out my broken legs, sadly, she didn't think to bring my wheelchair, so afterwards, I'm doomed. 'Ok, note to self.....burn her alive after this.' I thought as i climbed up.
The form she gave me wasn't that bad If it means anything, it wasn't exactly off, I'm still male, at least I believe i am, sorta pale skin, black hair and no real muscle, at least she didn't give me glasses or contacts, not that I would use them, and no.......I am not naked, I have something called pants on, they are a very dark blue, with a matching t-shirt, at least that is what she says they're called, how should I know? I'm not even a teen.
She at least had the common decency to give me a belt for my dagger, it would not be good if I lost it.
Finally we reach the top, after a few failed attempts due to my lack of knowledge of movement as a biped.
I look down at the demon city and I sigh. "Haven't been here in a while." I mutter.
I notice Roxanne looking at me and I look at her. "Do you have a question?" I ask calmly.
Roxanne stood up and looked down at me. "How much more do you know about this place?.....when were you last here?" She questioned.
I stand and stretch a little, trying to get used to my new body. "A few years ago, me and some others came down here looking for something, we found it, but we didn't get out with it, mostly due to a Succubus named Jil'gra." I answered.
Lyaroa looked up at the ceiling. "Wonder how they behave?" She muttered in deep thought.
I shrug. "I wouldn't test it, regardless, we should keep moving, don't know when this place will fill up." I said before walking off.
We quickly made our way through the demonic city, only stopping to hide or kill some isolated demons, I still hadn't had a chance to act, but i knew that sooner or later I would have to do something.
As we approached a nearby building to hide in, a patrol turned the corner, and we quickly hid to avoid detection.
Not one of us made a sound, me and Roxanne did not breathe, and Lyaroa kept completely still, and just as the patrol passed by, I felt an all too familiar feeling in my head, I grunt and clutch my head as I heard a terrible screech in my mind. 'Damnit!......not now!' I said to myself.
The patrol apparently heard my grunts of pain and looked towards us, they spotted us quickly and one of them shouted. "INTRUDERS!"
Apparently, Tartarus itself woke up, as a massive roar was heard throughout the city and the patrol engaged.
Thankfully, Lyaroa and Roxanne were able to quickly dispatch the guards before grabbing me in my paralyzed state and running off.
I managed to force myself to stand on my own and joined the others in running, I didn't need to see to know that a massive army of demons was behind us, I managed to throw up a wall of fire, but I was forced to extinguish it when I felt tremendous pain in my head, I hold the scream in as I bared my teeth.
We eventually reached a giant colosseum, we tried to go around, but the two paths to either side were soon blocked by demons, having no choice, we ran inside the colosseum as fast as we could.
Of course it was a trap, but we had no choice at all, either run into the trap, or die, and me?....I love putting on a show.
We were chased all the way to the center of the colosseum, and just as we made it into the arena itself, we were trapped inside a large barrier. "Well, at least we get a front row seat." I say as demons teleport Into the stands, filling the colosseum quickly.
"How can you make jokes at a time like this?" Lyaroa asked.
Storm shrugged. "Because I am completely insane." I reply.
Soon enough, a powerful presence made itself known, and sure enough, it was Gerkla, he grinned as he clapped slowly, he looked around at the other demons. "Let's all give the big heroes a round of applause for their cowardice!" He taunted.
The demons and roared and laughed In agreement.
Gerkla laughed himself and then looked at the group. "Well come on then 'heroes' let's give the crowd a show!" He challenged as he began to cast magic.
"He did this to me before." I whisper. "He'll use portals first to summon minor demons to his side while channeling an invincibility shield, but the demons he summons have a nasty feedback, so killing them near him will disrupt his shield." I explain.
Lyaroa draws her new blade and readies herself. "Might as well use this." She said to herself.
I don't trust the blade, nor do I trust Lyaroa and Roxanne, but right now I need them, so I'll deal with it, so long as my new body holds long enough, I should be able to kill.....
My eyes widened as realization came to me, when Lyaroa gave me this body, she changed my species, so until the form wears off, I can't kill Gerkla, I grit my teeth and draw my dagger. 'Fucking wonderful, I can't do anything until I lose this body, and even then....' My thoughts trail off as a familiar pain returns, I clutch my head as i fight it off. 'Of all times to deal with this shit.' I complain mentally before returning to a combat stance.
_____*a few moments later.*______
Roxanne ignited her claws and prepared for the moment the barrier dropped, Gerkla had quickly summoned a mass of lesser demons to guard him while he started to chant in an unknown dialect.
She looked over at the others and noticed that Storm was clutching his head for a brief second, she thought it was strange but didn't bother to ask.
She watched as the barrier lowered and the demons charged towards them mindlessly.
The demons were small and easily killed, but they were many, they were brown and only a few feet high, but they had a very feral grasp of magic, as they were simply throwing it around wildly.
Storm, no longer hampered by the lack of a wheelchair, was now mowing down demons, it wasn't very fast, but it was steady, and the help was welcome.
Lyaroa was testing the sword out to its fullest, she used its shadow magic to mark tons of demons, and then blew them up with its other magic, all the while using the shockwaves to eliminate swarms of demons, she also discovered that the shockwave was far more draining then the exploding marks, so she made a note to only use it when necessary.
Roxanne threw a wave of fire out to the growing horde, but even though it killed many, more came regardless, and in greater number.
It soon became obvious this was a losing battle, but the three weren't going to just give up.
Gerkla soon laughed and spoke again. "You can continue your pointless struggle as much as you like, but more will come to end your lives until the deed is done......now watch, and behold the true might of a son of Tartarus!" He declared as dark magic exploded around the room, and pillars of flame arose from the ground beneath them.
The explosions quickly proved to be a nuisance, as they seemed to empower the lesser demons while knocking them around, only Storm seemed to be able to dodge them with minimal effort.
Storm blinked and his eyes changed to black, he soon disengaged and focused his gaze, soon enough, a wall of black flame around in front of him and he sent it forward, but just as it went to make contact with the demons, the pain returned and he clutched his head again to fend off the pain, his eyes reverted to their previous colors and the fire vanished. 'Not now damnit!' He told himself firmly before killing a lesser demons who tried to jump him from behind.
"You are nothing compared to us foolish mortals!.....we are endless!" Gerkla boasted.
Storm's reactions were slowing as well, he wasn't as fast as before and was taking hits for once, he grunted as the demons punched and burned him, and he knew the cause. 'This body is slipping away, I'm going to revert soon.' With one last ditch effort, Storm blinked and summoned another wall of fire, only this one was massive, he sent it towards Gerkla and he felt the pain return, he forced his way past it and he looked at Lyaroa. "Undo the spell!" He shouted.
Lyaroa quickly reverted Storm back to his original body, he was now a Pegasus again with all of the damage he had before.
Storm fell to the ground due to his useless legs and he heard Gerkla scream in frustration.
"Very well mortals!" Gerkla angrily said. "You came here to kill me?.....well then you shall have your chance!" He said as he dropped his shield.
Gerkla grinned. "But first, before you begin your useless attack, let me show you the fruits of your recklessness!" He channeled more magic and three large spires of rock shot up from the ground.
Lyaroa and Roxanne both paused and saw what the demon meant, chained to the pillars were Golden, Emerald and Shade, they looked like they were torn apart, only Emerald looked to be alive however, but he was still severely injured.
"You led your allies, your.....friends, to this place, and this is the result." Gerkla chuckled darkly. "You know nothing of our power, this place shall be the death of you!" He said before empowering himself with very powerful magic.
Storm looked to Gerkla and grit his teeth. "This isn't good." He muttered.
Gerkla had grown a few feet after the empowerment, he had more mass to him as in he wasn't a weakling in physical combat anymore, he had a confident smirk on his face as he stared down at the trio. "Die mongrels!" He shouted as he threw a powerful wave of lightning and fire out.
"Demons of Tartarus, show these mortals how to fight!" He ordered, the demons soon jumped into the arena to fight, all too eager for battle.
Lyaroa quickly used the swords power to detonate multiple demons before they landed, but there were still many of them.
Gerkla slammed his fist on the ground and large golems arose. "Kill them all." He ordered.
Lyaroa was immediately attacked by multiple teleporting demons, while Roxanne had to deal with spellcasters.
Storm however was busy trying to avoid demons, he resorted to a black fire shield as the pain in his head grew, he felt powerful footsteps approach and he just barely looked up before getting kicked across the room, he impacted on the hard wall and he coughed up blood.
Roxanne managed to incinerate some of the sorcerers before being attacked by many armed demons, they had almost every weapon imaginable, but even that didn't stop her, she managed to stay one step ahead by igniting herself and nimbly striking and evading attacks.
Lyaroa had killed enough demons around her so that she could look away for a moment, she saw that Roxanne was holding her own, but she also saw Storm being overwhelmed by a horde of demons and Gerkla,
She managed to break off from her fight, she ran towards Storm but she did kill a few on the way, including some Roxanne was fighting. "Thanks!" The fox said before returning to the fight.
Storm felt incredible pain as a giant foot stepped on him, he could barely hear the battle through the pain, but he could make out Gerkla's evil chuckle. "How pathetic, why those fools brought you here escapes me, your death would speed along their demise, but I will take great pleasure in watching you suffer in endless agony before you die." He stated.
Lyaroa quickly marked all of the demons around Storm, including Gerkla, she then ordered the sword to detonate the marks, and they did......everything there was engulfed in a shadowy explosion, she then began to fight off more demons that neared.
She swung her new blade and cleaved a demon in two, but when she went to strike another, she was flung through the air like a rag doll by a powerful blow to her side.
Storm flinched in pain as he forced himself to get up, while he couldn't stand, he was able to go prone.
Gerkla huffed. "Foolish creature, do you not know who I am!?" He said sternly. "I am Gerkla!......I cannot die to anything but one race, and they were exterminated by my hand long ago!" He declared proudly.
Roxanne incinerated every demon that was surrounding her, she then fell back to Lyaroa. "I could use some help here." She said to her Nightmare half.
'It wouldn't matter love, you heard him, only one race can kill him, and they are gone, besides, I still need time to recover from healing your wounds all the time.' The Nightmare replied.
Gerkla opened another portal and even more demons emerged, he laughed loudly at the situation. "A pity the other wolf did not survive, it would have been most enjoyable, forcing him to watch you die!" He said before approaching.
Storm growled and he looked directly at Gerkla, who seemed to have forgotten him. "Don't you dare get any closer to them!" He shouted fiercely.
Gerkla chuckled and looked at Storm. "Or what?....what could a lowly Pegasus do to the might of a true son of Tartarus?" He asked mockingly. before continuing his approach.
Storm screamed in pain as he felt his legs break. "You will pay for your crimes Gerkla!" He declared.
Lyaroa watched as the other demons marched toward her and Roxanne, seeming to forget Storm, she then marked the area around Storm and readied herself for a fight.
Roxanne did the same, she threw up a crystal guardian to protect Storm and she ignited her arms again.
Gerkla smirked. "You waste your time, nothing you do will save you now!" He declared before channeling magic into his hand as the demons attacked.
Storm screamed even more as he felt his arms breaking along with his wings, he even felt his spine breaking as well, his screams however, slowly changed to that of a roar.
As Storm screamed in agony, Lyaroa and Roxanne defended themselves from the brutal onslaught of demons, they would also have to dodge the occasional blast of dark magic from Gerkla, and they knew that if he hit them, it would be over.
Storm shut his eyes and screamed even more, he then opened his eyes and they were now feral, he looked right at Gerkla. "Times up!" He shouted out before he roared in pain.
Gerkla stopped firing for a moment and looked over at Storm, his eyes widened as he teleported to the center of the arena. "Impossible!" He said in fear.
The demons also stopped their attack and looked at what frightened their leader, they also backed up warily, they then started to flee from the arena.
Lyaroa looked over at Storm and saw how much he had changed.
His fur was much, much thicker, his wings were completely gone, he was now on all fours, and now growled loudly, his teeth were incredibly strong and sharp, his hooves were now claws that looked as though they would tear steel to ribbons, and his eyes were completely feral, as though nothing remained of who he was.
Storm took a stance and howled, it was haunting, it was as though the screams of the dead and the roar of a demon were mixed together, they sent a chill right up Lyaroa's spine.
Gerkla got a grip on reality and braced for combat. "No matter, I know exactly how to kill a Werewolf!" He declared as he channeled an immense amount of power into a magical blast, he then threw the blast when it was ready. "Wretched beast!" He shouted.
Storm looked at the blast and did not move, he made no expression except that of rage, when the blast impacted, Gerkla laughed. "So much for your secret weapon!" He laughed even more, but then he heard it......a roar, one that froze the demon lord in fear.
The roar sounded as though it came from a dragon, along with a wolf's howl, and that of a banshees screeching.
Gerkla looked at the site of the explosion, and Storm remained.......completely unharmed, he then charged at Gerkla swiftly.
"Minions!.....to me!" Grekla shouted as he opened some portals.
To the demons dismay, Storms claws ignited in black flame and he ripped the new demons apart in mere moments, leaving Gerkla alone once more.
Gerkla wasnt going to go down without a fight however, so he threw a punch at Storm but the werewolf simply dodged and tore up his arm, he tried to crush him under his foot again, but the wolf simply bit down hard, going right through Gerkla's armor.
With a scream, Gerkla recoiled and did the only sensible thing, he tried to flee, but Storm wasn't going to allow that.
The demon lord was no longer boasting, nor was he talking, the only thing he was doing was trying to evade Storm, but it didn't work.
For as Gerkla went to run, Storm lept onto his back and began to swipe at his spine, it didn't take long for Gerkla to become paralyzed from the loss of his spine as Storm ripped it out, so Storm approached the demons head and looked at him with a primal rage.
Gerkla did only one thing, he spat on Storm. "Abomination." He uttered.
Storm's jaws then found their way to Gerkla's neck, severing his head from his torso instantly.
Lyaroa and Roxanne could only stand there in shock of what just happened, eventually however, Lyaroa went to speak. "Storm, are you there?" She asked.
Storm looked at Lyaroa and Roxanne for a moment or two, then slowly approached the pair, when he reached, he smelled them for a few moments before walking away for a little, he then urged them to follow.
Roxanne and Lyaroa followed Storm carefully, not willing to be on the receiving end of the wolf's rampage, any demons they encountered now fled on sight.
They didn't stop until they reached what appeared to be an enormous prison complex, and there at the entrance, Storm changed once more, only this time, he didn't revert entirely, his body remained mostly the same, the only difference now was that he looked to be in control, he then looked at them and blinked, revealing one discolored dark blood red eye, and one forest green eye. "Lyaroa, go and free your friends, the demons wouldn't dare attack any of us, Roxanne, let's get what you guys came for." He said calmly.
As Lyaroa went to go get the others, Roxanne followed Storm Into the prison. "What makes you think we want something from a prison?" She asked.
Storm looked at her. "Your smell, you feel regret about something, all of you do, and that who or whatever is here, you want it back, I'm many things, but never a liar." He answered.
Roxanne watched as the guards opened the doors for them fearfully. "Do they always act this way?" She asked.
Storm looked around. "No, it's an ancient tradition for demons, the one who kills their master becomes the new master, but I'm not a demon, so it only applies as long as I'm in Tartarus, the moment I leave, the strongest and most cunning fight for leadership." He answered.
Finally, when they reached a secluded hallway, Roxanne spoke again. "Your a werewolf." She stated.
Storm stopped for a moment before continuing his walk. "Yes, that's why I say 'my kind' instead of Pegasi." He replied.
"So what's it like?" She asked.
Storm shrugged. "If you don't mind agonizing pain three days a month, it's fine." He said.
"I thought it was only the full moon?" She asked.
"The full moon and the surrounding days, though I'm much stronger on a full moon." He replied.
Just as Roxanne went to speak, Storm turned a corner and led her to a massive cell block overlooking the rest of hell. "Go ahead and find your friend, I'll wait here." He said.
_____*meanwhile*_____
Lyaroa used her power to lower her friends to the ground safely and she mended the serious wounds, she heard a groan from Shade and she headed over to him. "You alright buddy?" She asked.
Shade soon opened his eyes and slowly sat up, he got his breathing under control and looked at Lyaroa. "Good to see you Lyaroa, thanks for the help, we were overwhelmed immediately." He said.
Lyaroa patted the Night Wolf's shoulder. "It's alright, I'm sure you did your best." She said before tending to the others.
Shade sighed and held his arm which still stung. "Where's Roxanne and the kid?" He asked.
Lyaroa helped Golden to sit up as he was having trouble. "They're going to find and free Fang, Gerkla is dead." She replied.
Golden grumbled. "Those damned demons keep blocking my powers, thank you for the help." He said.
Emerald grunted as he sat up. "There were too many of them, it's a miracle that we yet live." He added.
Lyaroa looked in the direction of the prison. 'Hope you guys find him.' She thought as she went about helping her friends recover.
______*Meanwhile*_______
Roxanne was searching every single cell for Fang, but to no avail so far, she had already searched the first level and was starting on the second.
The only sounds coming from the cells were the inmates that said common things like they should not be here, but one comment made her angry, she first heard a whistle and then a voice. "Hey there baby, what brings you here?" Said a male prisoner that was trying to be clever.
Roxanne smirked and looked at him and ignited him, incinerating him instantly. "Anyone else have a smart ass comment!?" She asked loudly.
A voice from above answered her. "Yea! how about you come up here and kiss my ass!" Shouted the voice.
Roxanne shook her head and began searching the cells one by one, after a few minutes, she made it to the fifth level, not seeing Fang she continued.
As she rushed up she heard the prisoners complain and talk. "Hey babe? where you going?" One particular voice asked, Roxanne quickly went down and incinerated him.
She eventually made it to the twentieth level, it only took her half an hour, which is incredible considering how long it takes to get from here to there in the cell block, she then began searching the cells, and when she came up to the tenth cell she looked inside to see a small red centaur in the corner......and a very familiar face. "Fang?" She asked.
The wolf on the cot looked ragged and tired, he was also completely underfed as was obvious by the lack of muscle or life in him, but it was undeniably Fang, he looked over at her and shook his head with a chuckle. "Rox, haven't seen you in a while." He said.
Roxanne smiled. "Same here old man." She replied.
Fang smiled softly and approached the bars. "Well uh, this is awkward, so where have you been?" He asked.
Roxanne sighed and held her head for a moment. "For a while I was mourning, then I moved on, it wasn't until a month ago that Lyaroa said that she was able to track you." She said.
Fang nodded. "Yea, hell has a nasty way of messing with magic." He replied.
Roxanne looked at the centaur. "Who's he?" She asked.
"Tirek, a magic stealer, I don't pay him any mind." He answered easily.
Roxanne looked at the cell doors lock, she then conjured a key out of crystal and opened it. "Let's get you home Fang." She said.
Fang nodded, he then looked at Tirek who was still waiting in the corner silently. "Yea, I'm done with this place." He said before exiting the cell.
Roxanne then locked the cell and led Fang to the exit, he was shaky with his walk, so she helped him out "How's Lyaroa?" He asked.
"She's fine, she feels horrible for what happened to you, but she's handling herself quite well, we're also together now, so that's a thing." She said.
Fang looked at her with a grin. "Cougar bait." He said.
Roxanne shook her head. "Not really, she actually explained how the aging system for a sentinel works, apparently she's only In her early twenties." She replied,
Fang rolled his eyes. "Well then if it's all the same to you, I'd rather forget what happened in Dalcorus." He said.
Roxanne nodded. "It wasn't all bad Fang." She said.
Fang laughed quietly then clutched his throat. "Hurts to laugh.......besides, that was just you and Lyaroa who got any form of benefit from that hell." He said.
Roxanne sighed and continued to carry Fang to the exit. "Then you will be glad to hear this next part......Emerald is teaching Spike and Spark everything he knows about dragons, and even how to control their natural greed." She said.
Fang smirked. "Good for them, more than I could teach them." He replied quietly.
They eventually reached the exit where Storm was waiting for them, along with some new corpses. "About damn time Roxanne, I was getting bored." He said.
Roxanne huffed and allowed Fang to rest up against the wall, she then looked at Storm. "Can he just leave Tartarus?.....or do we need to do something?" She asked.
Storm shrugged as his body reverted back to that of a Pegasus. "Not sure, this hell is different than mine, but if it's similar enough, he should be able to." He answered.
Fang looked at Storm and then at Roxanne. "Who's he?" He asked.
"Fang, this is Storm, he helped us rescue you." Roxanne said.
Storm did a mock salute and looked at Roxanne. "Welp, I need you to carry me, can't push it further today." He said.
Roxanne rolled her eyes and picked Storm up on her back, she then approached Fang. "Can you walk?" She asked.
Fang nodded and slowly stood up. "I should be alright, can't fight, but it's enough." He answered.
_____*A few minutes later*_____
With nothing between them and the colosseum, it wasn't long before Roxanne spotted the others. "Hey guys!.....look what I found!" She called.
Lyaroa, Golden, Emerald and Shade all looked and seen Fang, he looked like crap, but he was there, they all ran over eagerly. "You look like shit." Golden said.
Fang chuckled, he nodded as well. "Very funny Goldie." He said.
"I'm fine too, by the way." Storm said, sounding annoyed, but not truly, he just wanted to say it.
Lyaroa walked up to Fang and blinked, her eyes slightly watering. "Fang......" She said quietly.
Fang smiled softly and he was soon forced into a bear hug from the Sentinel, he was honestly surprised at this. "I'm so sorry." Lyaroa said quietly, her voice muffled by Fang's fur. "I don't expect any forgiveness." She cried.
Fang could only return the hug, he then patted the Sentinel's head. "You've already been forgiven, it isn't your fault I died, I made a choice, and i wouldn't change it for anything."
Fang then grinned deviously. "Besides, when did I ever regret a choice I made?" He pulled her away from the hug and poked her forehead with two fingers. "Let's get the hell out of hell." He said.
Storm, watching the spectacle as everyone laughed, clearly just happy to have their friend back, even he had to admit it. 'It must be nice having friends who will literally go to hell for you.' He thought before tapping Roxanne's side. "Can we get out of here now?" He asked out of annoyance.
After that, everyone started walking, except Storm, they made their way to the wall they climbed and and headed down, Emerald and Shade just jumped off, seeing as they wouldn't suffer any permanent damage from the fall.
Storm just looked at his broken wing and sighed. "I cannot wait for this thing to heal." He said to himself.
"If you were part of this world, I would heal it just to shut you up, but you've made your point clear." Lyaroa said.
They soon reached the entrance of hell, and once they got Storm into his wheelchair, they started to go back to the mine, Golden leading Fang along the way.
Lyaroa looked back at Tartarus, she honestly never wanted to see this place again, so as she left, she did something special, she formed a large mass of rock and sealed the entrance, and all of the others, and on these seals were powerful wards that could never be broken. 'No more will enter that accursed place.' She thought.
Lyaroa then looked at her new sword, it truly did remind her of Spirit, but it was not him, this voice was far too malevolent, she sighed and sheathed it, giving it a name that she would remember. 'Guardian, The Sentinel's Rage.' She called it.
It was an easier journey this time, with Roxanne lighting the path and their knowledge of the path, it was only ten minutes until they exited the mines.
When everyone was outside, Lyaroa took a deep breath, inhaling fresh air once again. "Ahhh." She sighed. "Alright, is everyone ready to go home?" She asked.
Storm gave her a deadpanned glare. "Eh hem." He cleared his throat.
Lyaroa shook her head. "Oh boy......except for Storm?" She asked again.
Once everyone was ready, Lyaroa snapped her fingers and they were all teleported to her house.
______*Lyaroa's house, 11:22 PM*_______
"That is convenient." Storm said before heading to the couch.
Much to Storm's annoyance, Emerald and Shade quickly took the couches, while Golden stole the chair, he looked at Lyaroa. "Got a spare bed?.....because I am not sleeping in a wheelchair." He asked.
Lyaroa nodded and had him follow her to one of the spare rooms.
Roxanne rubbed her eyes as Fang looked around, seeing the place again must have brought back memories. "How does it feel to be home Fang?" She asked.
Fang sighed and looked at Roxanne. "This was never my home Roxanne, I mainly moved here for Spark's sake, and besides, I never felt like this was my home." He replied.
Roxanne patted Fang on the shoulder. "Look, why don't you go and get some actual sleep?.....you deserve it, then in the morning you can eat, afterwards, just do what you want, you've earned it." She said.
Fang looked at her. "Then I have one question, can I get something to eat right now? Not to be rude, but something to eat would be fantastic." He asked.
"Sorry, but the food stores seal up after the kids go to bed, they kept stealing food so I put a ward up." Lyaroa said as she walked in.
Fang sighed. "Alright, guess I'll go find a guest room to sleep in." He said.
Lyaroa stopped him by grabbed his arm. "Actually, your room is the same as it was, so you can sleep there." She said.
Fang nodded silently and headed for his old room.
Roxanne walked over to the stairs and sat down. "He seems alright, all things considered." She said.
Lyaroa walked over and sat next to her, she patted the Fox's back. "He's been through a lot, I think Tartarus is very cruel to traitors, not that I consider him one, but he did betray us." She said.
Roxanne put her hands together and closed her eyes. "Let's hope he gets better." She said.
Golden nodded as he reclined in his chair. "I agree, but we shouldn't overwhelm him, he needs time to sort things out, figure out what he wants to do with his life." He said calmly.
After that, Roxanne and Lyaroa headed upstairs to go to bed, Golden closed his eyes to get some rest.
_____*in the guest room*_____
Storm sighed as he looked out at the night sky, he was reminded of the last time someone showed him kindness by inviting him into their home, but that was years ago, and he was a very different person now, he clutched his dagger and wheeled over to the bed.
Storm got himself off the wheelchair on on the bed, and that alone took a few minutes, he sighed and looked out the window, he then looked at his dagger with a longing expression, he then sighed and put it down on the bedside table, he then went under the covers and closed his eyes. "I'll keep my promise, that will never change." He said to himself quietly.
_____*The next day, 7:19 AM*______
Fang opened his eyes with a groan, he then slowly got out of the bed and stretched, then he left the room and headed for the bathroom, to his annoyance, the one near him was taken, he grumbled and walked to the living room, he sat down at the counter and looked around.
Emerald was reading in the corner while Shade headed into the kitchen, Wheately was moving around muttering about a schedule while Roxanne came downstairs and headed for the kitchen while saying good morning to everyone.
Fang noticed a big difference though, the decor was definitely different, the walls were now a relaxing shade of blue while the ceiling retained its dark brown color, the floor was covered by a carpet that was tan in color, as opposed to the original green, all in all, the place felt more like a home now then before.
In the kitchen Roxanne and Shade were cooking breakfast, while Wheately helped with recipes and ingredients, Fang looked and saw that the bathroom was now free, he then took this opportunity to go when Golden left.
Golden sat down in the chair and pulled out a copy of the newspaper, he seemed to be intrigued by something written within.
A minute later, Fang left the bathroom and he headed for the couch, he laid down on it with his eyes shut. "I'm just resting." He said.
Golden huffed. "Right." He replied sarcastically.
Soon enough, someone was walking down the stairs, Golden looked up and saw Lyaroa walking down wearing a white bathrobe of all things......and she wasn't even wet so that made it even stranger.
"Morning Lyaroa." Golden said.
"Morning Golden." The Sentinel replied.
"Why are you-"
"It's comfortable." Lyaroa said, cutting Golden off entirely.
Fang just chuckled. "Guess she told you." He joked.
As Lyaroa sat down, she looked at Fang. "How are you doing Fang?" She asked.
Fang looked at her. "Better now that I've actually slept and had a decent place to shit in." He replied.
"Bucket?" The Sentinel asked hopefully.
Fang shook his head. "Not even a bucket." He answered.
Lyaroa Inwardly threw up at the disgusting image, she didn't show it though.
A few moments later, Roxanne peeked around the corner and looked at Lyaroa. "Hey Lyaroa, can you wake the kids up?" She asked.
Lyaroa looked confused, she held her arms out in confusion. "Why me?" She asked.
Roxanne grinned. "Because I had to do it for the past week......so can you please wake the kids up......dear?" She asked, with emphasis on the last one.
Lyaroa shivered and stood up. "Ok Roxie." She said nervously.
Fang raised an eyebrow. "Your going to wake the kids up while dressed like that?" He asked.
Lyaroa snapped her fingers and she was now wearing black pants with a dark red shirt, she then walked to the kids rooms up the stairs.
Fang then looked at Golden and Emerald. "Am I missing something here?" He asked.
Emerald nodded with a grin. "Yes......you are." He replied.
Golden sighed. "Basically, whenever Roxanne uses the word, 'dear' when talking to Lyaroa, she is serious, Lyaroa maybe ignored her one time when she said that." He explained.
Fang looked directly at Golden. "What happened?" He asked.
Golden shrugged. "Not sure, Roxanne kicked everyone out and gave us money for the fair, when we came back with the kids a few hours later, Roxanne was calm as could be while Lyaroa slept, they will not talk about it though." He explained.
Fang said nothing as he covered himself up with a blanket.
Soon enough, Lyaroa walked back down with Firefly and Spark, the kids were groggy from just waking up, so when they sat down on the couch, they were confused to find that they were higher than before.
"Hey sis, is the couch bumpy for you?" Spark asked.
Firefly yawned. "Is it moving for you?" She asked.
Spark yawned and looked down, he saw the blanket and the bumps all over it, he shrugged, thinking it was probably Golden.
But when he looked over and saw Golden reading the paper, he thought it was Shade pulling a joke, but he heard Shade talking in the kitchen just now. "Thanks Wheately." The Night Wolf said.
"No problem." The core replied.
Spark then looked at Lyaroa. "Hey uh, mom, is something wrong with the couch.
Lyaroa looked and stifled a laugh, she shook her head. "Nnope." She said, imitating Big Mac.
Spark then rubbed his eyes and his vision cleared, he then looked down and saw a blanket, he pulled some of it off and saw a face he was NOT expecting. "Dad?" He asked.
Fang groaned and rolled over, sending the kids off the couch, after hearing the thuds and the sudden yelps, he opened his eyes and saw the kids. "Hey Spark, hey Firefly, you seem surprised?" He asked groggily.
Spark and Firefly immediately jumped up on the couch and assaulted Fang with questions and words. "I never thought you'd be back!" Spark said happily.
"Oh oh oh, where were you?.......did you visit any fun places?" Firefly asked.
As the kids barraged Fang with questions, the wolf could only laugh softly at the situation. "Ok kids, give the old man some room." Golden said teasingly.
Fang managed to get up once they got off the couch, when he did so, Spark immediately saw something wrong with his father. "What happened to you?" He asked.
Fang rubbed his head. "Simply put, stuck in a dark cave without food or liquid, haven't seen light in a while." He answered as he sat up.
Firefly blinked and tilted your head. "Did you visit Dark's cave and forget where to find the food and water?" She asked.
Fang shook his head. "Na, they would have found me long ago if that was the case, but I do remember it being a cave." He said, he wasn't lying, but he didn't have the heart to tell them the truth.
Soon enough, squeaking was heard in the nearby hall, Fang looked over along with Golden and Lyaroa, they saw Storm, and he looked different, his fur was white, his mane and tail were white, darkening to black from left to right, and his eyes were purple. "What time is it?" The Pegasus asked as he rubbed his eyes.
"Seven thirty." Emerald replied.
"What happened to you this time wheels?" Golden asked.
Storm blinked as gave the bear the stink eye for the nickname. "For your information bear, the chair is a temporary thing, so laugh it up while you can, secondly, what are you talking about?" He asked.
Lyaroa tapped her fur. "You look different." She then looked towards the kitchen. "Shade!.....did you play a prank with the dye again?" She asked.
Shade popped around the corner. "No, because you threw it all at me and turned me into a moving rainbow late time remember?" He replied before going back into the kitchen.
Storm then looked at his hoof and sighed. "Damnit." He muttered. "Where's the bathroom?" He asked.
Lyaroa pointed down the hall. "To the left." She said.
Storm then turned. "Don't let me stop your everyday lives, just act like I'm not here." He said.
Golden shrugged. "Fine by me." He said, he then watched as the newspaper vanished and he felt an evil glare coming from in front of him. "Danger." He stated.
Golden looked up and saw Lyaroa looking down at him, she flicked his forehead and sighed. "Knock it off." She said.
"Of course 'mother'." He said sarcastically before grabbing his paper.
Lyaroa shook her head and sat back down, she then looked at Fang. "If your curious about the new kid, let me give you the short version, he's in our world by means unknown and i have to send him back when I can." She explained.
Fang shrugged. "That's none of my business, I'll leave you to it." He said.
It was a few minutes later that they managed to get breakfast out, nothing special, just eggs, bacon for meat eaters, and potatoes for everyone who wanted them.
Storm eventually came back out, he was mostly back to his usual look except for his eyes, he found a spot next to a wall and closed his eyes.
Roxanne had finished getting everything out when she noticed Storm in the corner, she looked at Lyaroa. "Why don't you offer him some food, we do owe him that after all.' She said telepathically.
Lyaroa looked at Storm. "Hey bud, come over and eat, you'll need the energy." She said.
Storm opened his eyes and sighed. "If you insist." He muttered as he wheeled himself over.
As they started to dish out the food, Firefly looked at Storm with a question in mind. "Why did your eyes change color?" She asked.
'Careful kid, that boy has lots of power in him.' Her older half warned.
'So do I.' She countered.
Storm chuckled. "It depends, I've changed their color so much, it doesn't faze me anymore, I just prefer to keep them at their original color." He answered.
Firefly seemed intrigued. "Oh? How do you do it?" She asked.
Storm rolled his eyes. "Like this." His eyes then began to change color to a brilliant sapphire to a humble blue, then brown, then black, white, red, green, pink, yellow, orange, blind and even rainbow, he then stopped on their usual discolored dark blood red and forest green and shook his head. "Oh well, you get the idea." He said.
Firefly smiled. "That's a neat power." She said.
Storm shrugged. "Eh, it's alright, I just don't see any reason to use it." He replied.
Once everyone started eating, conversation was minimal, and the only words passed around were small talk.
Fang wasn't rushing to eat, he took his time seeing as there was no need to rush.
Storm ate slowly, not because he wasn't in a hurry, but because he wasn't feeling hungry, but he wasn't about to not eat, he knew better.
A few minutes later, when everyone was done eating, Lyaroa helped Emerald get things put away, Storm wheeled himself over to the window and looked outside, it was still slow outside but there were people, he then turned around and headed for the guest room.
Fang was in the kitchen, he then opened the refrigerator and pulled out two bottles of water, he then downed one bottle in a few moments, and walked to the living room and placed it on a table for later. "So, now that you've eaten, how are you feeling?" Roxanne asked.
Fang chuckled. "Better, I need to exercise more to get back in shape, but other than that? I'm fine." He replied.
Roxanne sat down on a couch and looked at Emerald. "You feeling ok?....you guys got pretty messed up." She asked.
Emerald nodded. "Shade will obviously live, it'll take some time for him to heal, Golden should be ok because of his ability to heal himself, and me?.....I'm a dragon, it takes more than that to hurt me." He said.
Spark apparently overheard the conversation. "More than what?" He asked.
"We fell, really badly, but we'll be alright." Emerald said.
Spark didn't seem to buy it, but it did make sense, he did notice tons of bruises on Shade and a few on Golden. "Will your scales be alright?" He asked his mentor.
Emerald nodded. "They will be, don't worry Spark, if any are damaged I'll make sure to heal them." He replied.
_____*later that day, 2:10 PM*_____
Lyaroa walked to the library, she heard from Firefly who heard from Skitter that Twilight had something to tell her, she was curious so when she arrived at the library, she opened the door and walked inside.
"Twilight, I'm here!" She shouted.
She heard unfamiliar shuffling coming from upstairs, she raised an eyebrow at this but did not move. "You alright up there?" She asked.
Soon enough the familiar purple Alicorn teleported in......... 'Wait.' Lyaroa's brain shut down upon seeing the wings, she could have sworn she had heard the old windows error sound for a moment.
Once her brain rebooted, Lyaroa shook her head and looked at Twilght, who was struggling with her new wings. "Um Twilight." She said.
Twilight forced the wings to stay folded but they simply shot right out again. "One moment." She said, aggravation clear in her voice.
Lyaroa's right eye twitched and she snapped her fingers, making Twilight's wings hover just above her. "Can we please talk about why your an Alicorn?" She asked.
Twilight looked kinda panicked upon seeing her wings floating above her, but she calmed herself down and looked at Lyaroa. "Shortly after Princess Celestia had us reform Discord, she sent me a spell that even Starswirll the Bearded couldn't complete, I used it and the Elements switched themselves around, it took me all day but I eventually got them all back where they belonged, and then these appeared, along with Celestia who explained it to me." She explained.
Lyaroa twitched, she took a deep breath and let it out. "Ok, firstly, you did what with Discord?" She asked.
Twilight groaned and began pacing. "Princess Celestia came to Ponyville and asked Fluttershy to reform Discord, so he could use his powers for a better purpose, but she made sure to protect the Elements with a special spell so Discord couldn't hide them again, just in case, she did manage to reform him after a while." She explained.
Lyaroa shook her head. "I made Discord for a reason.....and she goes and does this?.....oh boy." She muttered.
Twilight then looked at her wings. "As for why I'm an Alicorn, I basically told you all of it, Fluttershy tried to be Pinkie, Gwen tried to be Fluttershy, Rarity tried to be Gwen, Applejack tried to be Rarity, and Pinkie tried to be Applejack." She explained.
"So i was trying to sort it all out, and eventually I managed to show them what they were, not who the spell made them, afterwards, Celestia explained that I had ascended to an Alicorn Princess by proving myself through my actions, and now I'm stuck with those." She pointed at her wings.
Lyaroa snapped her fingers and Twilights wings returned to her. "Ok, this is what I think you should do." Lyaroa started. "Go to Gwen, and ask her to teach you how to fly." She said before vanishing.
_____*The moon.*_____
Lyaroa waited a few moments and then screamed in frustration and anger. "THAT STUPID.....SUN LOVING.......PIECE OF.....GAH!" She slammed her fist down on the moon and caused a small amount of it to break off, she was glad it was a barren planets moon and not Equis's or she would accidentally have blown up Appleloosa judging by the angle.
Lyaroa stood up and decided that enough was enough. 'Well, I'm done waiting for my powers to recover, by the time they get halfway something else will happen.' She then changed into her Sentinel body, casting aside her wolf body for a moment, she returned to her Sentinel form, the one she hated, it's color hadn't changed, the only thing that changed was size, she was easily seven foot five, her body was made of a material that the Sentinel's called Void plate, it was indestructible to all but the weapons of a Sentinel, or that of the void itself.
Something to note about a Sentinel, their bodies change dependent on their personality, Lyaroa's was that of her wolf body, the only difference being that her claws were that of a feline instead of a canine and her eyes were human.
She felt all of her power return in seconds, she then returned to her wolf body and teleported to Canterlot.
______*The royal castle.*______
Lyaroa teleported in front of Celestia and Luna's thrones, she crosses her arms and she called upon Soul and Spirit by recreating them with her power. "Am I interrupting you children?" She said calmly.
Celestia looked to the nobles and guards in the room. "Leave us." She ordered.
Lyaroa waited for everyone to leave before talking. "I thought I made my point clear Celestia, you were to abandon Twilight's Ascension." She reminded.
Celestia sighed and stepped down from her throne. "I have, the Elements of Harmony are in the tree, and I stopped leading Twilight towards her Ascension, if you are here because Twilight is an Alicorn, that was of her own doing, I sent her that spell to see if she could complete it, instead she confused the Elements, I had no hoof in this Lyaroa, and I know you know I am not lying." She said.
Luna then stepped down. "All of Equestria is celebrating young Twilight becoming their newest Princess, will you be the one to end their happiness?" She asked.
Lyaroa sighed and let her arms rest at her sides. "Very well, she will remain an Alicorn, however, she must be made aware of the origins, and then I will have to empower her, that much must happen, otherwise she may lose control." She said.
Celestia walked to a window and looked out towards the kingdom. "I will send word to Cadence to come to Canterlot, as well as Twilight Sparkle." She then looked at Lyaroa. "That is if you still hold tradition in high regard." She added.
Lyaroa nodded. "The Ascension requires all immortals to be present, Discord will have to be here as well, as he was for yours and Luna's Ascensions, take your time, there is no rush, not this time." She stated before leaving, walking to the door.
She stopped and turned to face the sisters. "I hope you realize this Celestia, but one day, I may not be here." She then turned around. "Then who will clean up your mess?" She said before vanishing.
"Are you sure of this sister?.....the ascension is a hard road, one that young Twilight may not be able to cross on her own." Luna asked.
Celestia looked at her sister and smiled. "Twilight is very powerful and very wise in her own right, even without Alicorn magic, I have every confidence that she can do this." She replied.
_____*Ponyville, 4:29 PM*_____
Storm wheeled himself along with Firefly, right now they were just out for some air, well, Storm was, Firefly just tagged along with Spark.
Eventually, Firefly managed to lead him to the hills outside the town, where she met up with the Crusaders, and the filly from the other day, she ran over and said hello to them all, Storm simply watched from a distance.
Firefly then looked over and saw him watching. "Hey Storm!....come on over!" Firefly said.
Storm shook his head. "I'm fine, I think I'll just stay here." He replied.
Firefly rolled her eyes and flew up behind him. "Ok then, I'll bring you over." She stated.
Storm went to say something but all he could manage was this. "As if your giving me a choice." He complained.
The young unicorn walked up and held her hoof out. "My name is Solar, sorry for knocking you over the other day." She said apologetically.
Storm shook her hoof. "It's alright." He replied.
Scootaloo then walked over and noticed his wing, she cringed at the sight of it. "Uh, sorry about your wing." She said.
Storm shrugged. "It'll heal, I barely feel it anyway." He said.
Scootaloo then went to ask him another question. "So what's it like to fly for you?" She asked.
"Boring." He deadpanned.
Scootaloo seemed shocked at that answer. "There's no way!.....flying is like, the coolest thing ever." She argued.
Storm blinked. "Guess it's depends on the person, but for me, flight is boring, there is nothing to do." He said.
It went on like that for a while, Storm would get asked a question, and he would answer, but then Spark asked a question. "Mind if I ask where you are from?" He asked.
Storm looked at the dragon. "Cloudsdale, orphan from birth, no I am not troubled by it." He replied.
Firefly still looked concerned. "Still, that's rough, no one should go through that." She said.
Storm actually chuckled. "Actually, I loved it, my adoptive father was awesome, and i got to learn quite a bit." He replied.
Afterwards, the group decided to stop asking questions, and they moved on to something more common, Crusading.
Storm looked at Scootaloo with a deadpanned expression. "You cannot be serious." He said.
Scootaloo looked at him. "What's wrong with my idea?" She asked.
Storm sighed. "Firstly, i don't think you can get a mark from jumping from a thirty foot tree, that would be dumb, secondly, I can't climb, my legs don't work and you can't fly, and as much I hate to admit it, I would rather not break my bones from that kind of jump." He stated.
Spark rubbed his eyes. "Also, I'm pretty sure it would be difficult to explain a bunch of injured kids, so no." He added.
Storm groaned as the group began to form new ideas. "I don't want to go through this again." He muttered to himself.
______*the next day, Ponyville park, 3:10 PM*______
Storm was feeding the birds when he heard a familiar voice. "Mind if join you?" Said Firefly, she seemed kinda down. "What's wrong Pink?" He asked.
Firefly sighed and sat down on the bench next to Storm. "Moms taking me to go see the Sisterhoof social, I want to compete, but I don't have a sister." She said. [1]
Storm looked at her. "That's why your down?" He asked.
Firefly nodded. "Yea, everyone gets to go because they have one." She replied.
Storm chuckled. "The rule is that two females have to compete, you can easily ask Scootaloo or Solar." He suggested.
"They're not competing, guess I'm on my own." She sighed.
Storm shook his head. "You know, if it were me, I would try to find a way around it, instead of feeling down about it." He said as he continued feeding the birds.
Firefly then perked up and looked at Storm. "Wait, what did you say?" She asked, listening closely.
Storm looked at her. "Find a way around the issue and work with it." He answered.
Firefly then gasped and gave Storm a hug. "Your a genius!" She said before getting off the bench.
"Na, I'm completely insane." He argued before returning to feeding the birds.
______*The big day*______
Firefly took a deep breath and looked to the stands, she saw Storm watching from the sidelines and waved to him, to her surprise he actually waved back.
She looked up at her 'big sister' and whispered. "Are you ok with this?" She asked.
The pony was a Pegasus, her fur was light purple and she had a dark blue mane, her eyes were blue as well the cutie mark was that of a Bee with its stinger out. "Sure thing, now let's have some fun ok?" She replied.
Firefly nodded, the pony was actually her older half, all they did was alter her color a little bit and change her cutie mark.
Firefly grinned as the announcer, aka Pinkie Pie, started the race.
She had fun the entire time, the mud jump, the pie eating, the obstacles, and throughout all of it, she was grinning, except when there was mud in the way, then she sealed her mouth shut.
They didn't win at the end, that went to Applejack and Apple Bloom, but they did come a close third to Rarity and Sweetie Belle, who had a surprising amount of speed, and resilience to muddy hair in Rarity's case.
Firefly looked over at Storm and saw that he was busy chuckling, she could only grin as she walked off.
_____*The next week, Lyaroa's house, 10:00 AM*______
They were ready, they were finally ready to send Storm home, and everyone gathered to see him off, especially Firefly, she refused to miss it.
Storm was relieved in a weird way, he was finally going home!.....and why was he excited? "Why am I excited again?" He asked.
Lyaroa had cleared out the center of the training courtyard and was busy homing in on Storm's world. "Because you get to go home to your friends and family?" She suggested.
Storm thought on it a minute, he then shook his head. "Na.....that can't be it." He surprised everyone with that statement.
"You can't be serious!" Firefly said, running in front of him. "You don't mean to say, that you don't miss anyone on the other side?" She asked.
Storm shrugged. "Can't say that I do." He said flatly.
As Lyaroa locked on to Storm's world, she stood and looked at him. "Just one more moment, and your home." She said.
Storm looked around at everyone and then grinned. "GOTCHA!" He shouted, startling everyone, he then laughed at their expense.
Firefly growled after that and slapped him. "Your a jerk." She said.
Storm could only grin wider. "Thanks!....I have no issues with that!" He said happily.
Firefly raised an eyebrow. "You like being insulted?" She asked.
Storm chuckled and looked at her. "What did I tell you the one day?....I'm completely insane!" He replied.
Roxanne then walked up and grabbed the handles on the back of the chair as the portal opened. "You ready?" She asked.
Storm shrugged. "Ready as i'll ever be." He replied.
Firefly then walked up and tapped Roxanne's leg. "Can I do it?" She whispered.
Roxanne paused for a moment, she then nodded and backed off, knowing how strongly her daughter had bonded with Storm this past week, she figured it best.
Firefly walked Storm up to the portal, she then let go of the handles. "You could stay you know, I would love to have you around." She said quietly.
Storm shook his head. "While I would like to forget everything back home......I do have family over there, it's hell, but it's MY hell." He looked at the Pegasus. "Here." He handed Firefly a broken claw with a chain. "That's mine, i gave it a small charm, it'll let you remember any moment from your life, and only you will see it." He looked back at Fang. "You better not go back there, you hear me?....I am not coming back to help you out." He warned jokingly.
Lyaroa shook her head. "Sentinel." Storm said.
She looked down at the boy. "Thank you, for everything." He said.
Firefly patted Storm on the shoulder as she grabbed the handles again. "Think we'll see each other again?" She asked.
Storm grinned. "Maybe Pink, maybe." He said.
Firefly then started to push the wheelchair through the portal, as Storm vanished through the portal, she let a small tear out. "Goodbye." She whispered.
_____*One night, 9:33 AM*_____
Firefly opened her eyes and sat up, she looked over at the broken claw that Storm gave her, she smiled and grabbed it, she walked over to the window and looked up at the stars.
Luna had done wonderfully tonight, the night sky was spectacular, no clouds, and the moon shown bright, it was full currently and this only reminded Firefly of him. 'I am a werewolf by the way, I can control the change, but it isn't perfect.'
Firefly chuckled at the memory, she clutched the claw and she looked around the sky.
She saw one constellation that made her smile, she saw the stars make the shape of a wolf, it was her favorite constellation because of a saying she heard from Spark. "The strength of the wolf is the pack." She liked it for that very reason.
In their own way, every family is a pack, they can hate eachother as much as they want......but they will fight to protect each other, just like her family.
She set the claw on her table and went back to bed, she smiled as she closed her eyes. "Na, I'm completely insane!" She laughed silently at the words before drifting off to sleep.