//------------------------------// // The Pact // Story: Tales of the Battle Foals // by Sirdubya //------------------------------// The foals were back inside the temple, and could hear Zebota chanting in his native language in another room. Clearly, he was performing some kind of ritual with the crystal given to him, and Tidal Wave was the most unnerved since Zebota didn’t at all hide the fact that it somehow involved him. Shrapnel occasionally let out a mellow howl as if to participate. He’d been an amazing asset to the team with his ability to command nature itself, but they forgot that he was a foreigner in many senses of the word, and the haunting incantations he uttered were a firm reminder of the unknown world where he heralded from. “Damn….Uhh…..Mah boy ‘bout to release his mix tape d’ho? I-I bet it’d be bumpin’!” Turf War stammered. “You’re not helping, dude!” Tidal Wave said. His nerves couldn’t decide whether to stiffen, or to jump all over the place. A timberwolf for a pet was odd enough, but hearing his ‘voodoo verses’, as Bullseye called them made Tidal Wave worry that Zebota was planning to sacrifice him to some tree god or something. “Damn, dog. Chill! Shrapnel might bite, mah boy, Zebota don’t. He cool.” Turf War said. “What do you suppose he’s even doing? I must admit I’m rather curious.” Quantum Tech inquired. “Probably something we shouldn’t intrude on, sister.” Greensprout said. Spiral Galaxy gently patted Tidal Wave on the back. “Don’t worry, buddy. Zebota might be a bit hard to understand sometimes, but he’s our friend.” “I-If you insist.” Tidal Wave stammered. As the foals waited patiently for Zebota to complete his ritual, they heard a yawn suddenly resound from the opposing hallway followed by a sniffle. “Ugh…….What’s going on?” It was none other than Air Slash. His raspy voice and sluggish movements were telltale signs that his cold still ailed him. Greensprout trotted up to him and put her hoof on his shoulder. “Air Slash, what are you doing up? We didn’t wake you, did we?” Air Slash took a deep breath under the weight of his ailment. “No… No, Greensprout. You didn’t. I simply felt the urge to stretch my legs is all. I think that medicine you gave me is working wonders already.” “Really?” Greensprout put her hoof on his forehead, and was delighted to feel that his fever had dropped a little. “Oh, that’s wonderful!” she pulled her hoof back. “But you should remember to rest, Air Slash.” Air Slash smiled at the young monk. “I know, but I’m not so ill that I cannot move. I can’t just let my body go stagnant over a mere cold, now can I?” “Well…..I suppose so, but go right to bed as soon as you feel weary, alright?” Greensprout said. “Yes, please, Air Slash. You’ve been such a good boy as of late, so don’t let that pride of yours get the better of you now.” Shroud teased. “Ugh! Sister!” Greensprout reprimanded. Air Slash breathed an annoyed sigh. “Worry not, Greensprout. I’m dangerously used to her sense of sarcasm…” The shadowy filly let out a devious giggle. It was then that the sickly samurai noticed Zebota’s chanting in the background. “What is our friend up to in there?” “Something scary.” Tidal Wave blurted. “Dude…” Fire Fight just shook his head. “Zebota’s doing something with one of those golem crystals that’s supposed to help Tidal Wave.” He then explained the whole scenario with the well in the courtyard and how they thought they could send Tidal Wave into Yodelneigh via the water system that connected from the well to the river leading into the Smokey Mountains. “AND THEN HE’LL USE THE DEAD HYDRA HEADS AS PUPPETS FOR A ROAD SHOW THAT WILL MAKE THE GRIFFONS OF YODELNEIGH FALL IN LOVE WITH NOFFIRGS OF AN OLD SWAMP THAT SUCCUMBED TO AN OIL SPILL!” Crazylocks blurted. Everypony who wasn’t Bullseye or Greensprout just facehooved. Bullseye angrily scrapped her hood against the old floor of the temple while Greensprout maintained her patience and chuckled. “N-Not quite, Crazylocks, but….good guess.” “Argh! Why aren’t you beating her over the head with your staff or something!? That’d at least knock some sense into her!” Bullseye exclaimed. Greensprout glanced at her with a slightly stern expression. “Because I heal what is broken rather than break it further.” She said. Bullseye just huffed and snapped her head away. Zebota then reappeared from the room he occupied along with Shrapnel. In his hoof, he held the crystal given to him, but it was glowing a watery blue. He then looked at Tidal Wave. “Come…” He motioned for them to follow as he and his wooden titan exited out into the courtyard. With some hesitation mixed with curiosity, the foals followed the mystic duo. Fire Fight was sure to cast his heat shield around them. The striped shaman stood beside the frozen well, holding the ritually charged gem in his hoof. The crystal itself seemed to glow more fervently as it neared the water, and its gleam felt….strangely warm. “Fire Fight, may I ask that you melt this ice?” Zebota asked. “S-Sure, Zebota.” Fire Fight said. He still didn’t quite know what he was up to, but nevertheless, he lit his horn and projected a stream of fire that completely dissolved the ice covering the well. “There ya go!” Zebota nodded. “Thank you.” He took the crystal and held it up to his brooch. The foals were expecting him to recite another incantation, but the two gems just seemed to do all the mysticism for him as his hooves were suddenly adorned with shoes of blue light with glyphs and tribal markings decorating their mystical form. It was his next action that mystified them. With his charged hooves, Zebota stepped onto the water and walked atop its surface as though it were solid! His steps left a path of glowing blue glyphs that extended from where he first stepped onto the water to the center of the pool where he stopped. A slightly larger glyph formed when he sat down and looked back at his stunned comrades. “Join me, Tidal Wave.” Everypony was too awestruck to speak for a short moment before Bullseye broke the silence. “Wicked….” Tidal Wave gulped before slowly walking up to the edge of the pool. He reached down to touch the glyph path laid out for him to make sure he actually could touch it, and he could, so with a little less hesitation gripping at his nerves, he walked along the glyphs to where Zebota awaited him. He sat down right across from the zebra and waited for what was to come. Zebota handed him the blue crystal. “Hold this firmly and do not let go.” Tidal Wave took the crystal, and he could almost instantly feel its essence coursing through him. It felt strangely…..welcoming despite his apprehension. “Now then…” Zebota said. Tidal Wave then looked up at him. “I have imbued this jewel with the favor of the spirits of the water, and it seems that they would accept you as their msaidizi.” Tidal Wave cocked his head. “Their…what?” “In my language, it means…..well, what word would it most closely translate to?......Vessel?.....Wielder?.....Perhaps ‘scion’?” Zebota thought aloud. “You get the idea. With this jewel, you would commune with them as I commune with other guardians of nature with this brooch I wear. Ask for their blessings, and perhaps they will give their good graces.” Shrapnel nodded and grunted in an ‘I told you so’ manner. Tidal Wave found himself awestruck, confused and worried simultaneously. “Wh-What? Commune? And….it won’t always work?” he stammered. Zebota calmly nodded. “Yes. Water spirits are fickle, but your body grants you great affinity within their domain. They should be quite willing to heed your calls.” He then started looking around the well. “Can you see them?” Curious, Tidal Wave began looking around, and he was shocked to see that…..something was indeed around them! They didn’t have the most discernable form, but visible congregations of blue magic that looked as though they had cascaded from the aether. They look somewhat equine, but their hind bodies were more hazy and aquatic-looking. Tidal Wave found himself entranced as these beings seemed to dance around them, and he got the odd feeling that it was mostly for him. “Whoa….” He turned to the other Battle Foals. “Are you guys seeing this!?” The foals looked up, down and all around for what he must have been talking about, but it appeared that they couldn’t see them. “See what, partner?” Kickback said. “Is my great-uncle, Captain Food Fighter XXIX there? OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN!!” Crazylocks blurted. “Can it, freak.” Bullseye hissed. Zebota chuckled before glancing back at Tidal Wave. “Should you accept this pact, your bond with these spirits shall be sealed so long as you hold this jewel. But bear in mind that they have souls as well as you do, so you must not command them as though you have enslaved them lest they inflict their wrath upon you.” He warned. “However, I am not too concerned about you, Tidal Wave. Water is where you are most at home, and so long as home is where the heart is, those who we welcome into them are our honored guests. So maintain a good heart, my friend.” He then held out his hoof. “If you agree, then join your jewel and your hoof with mine.” So much was happening for the aquatic colt. For so long, he resented his wings that tied him to the water away from the freedom other pegasi experienced in the vast, open sky. He wanted nothing more than to trade them for real wings, wings that would relieve him of his debilitation. He could join others of his kind including his father in their true state, rulers of the sky…….even the ones that spited him regardless……But Zebota wasn’t wrong about one thing: he loved the ability that his wings already granted him. He was the sole member of his kind that occupied the world of the deep, where…..he already felt truly free. Nopony other than himself could set boundaries in his own world. Nopony could judge him. While he may still have yearned for the vastness of the open sky, he grew to appreciate the mystery and gentle embrace of the world of water. He could tell that the water spirits dancing around him could read his heart; they were drawing closer to him and started what he could only describe as singing to him, and he’d never felt more welcomed in his whole life. Tidal Wave took the hoof that was holding the water crystal and joined with Zebota’s so that they were both holding it. His confidence was boosted by the serene atmosphere that was seemingly made just for him. “I’ll do it.” Zebota creased a satisfied smile. He must have been able to sense Tidal Wave’s resolve. “Very well.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and then his brooch began to glow. “O watoto wa mito mbio, wachezaji wa bahari kubwa, walezi wa bahari ya kina, mimi wamekusanyika nyote hapa katikati hapa kwamba imedaiwa na fangs makubwa ya majira ya baridi ili dhamana zinaweza kughushi. Mtoto huyu mbele yangu inataka ujamaa wako na baraka yako. Jewel tunayoshiriki mikononi mwetu itakuwa chombo kwa njia ambayo mikutano yako utafanyika, na ambapo nyoyo zenu watakuwa ngoma pamoja kwa amani. Mimi ni daraja kwa njia ambayo mkataba huu iwe wazi, hivyo basi mimi kuthibitisha kwamba roho yake ni kuziunga na yako. Yeye hisa nyumbani na wewe katika dunia ya maji, hivyo inaweza kuishi kwa amani kama moja.” His incantation seemed to excite the water spirits around as their dancing became more upbeat, and their singing became more fervent. He then opened his eyes and looked at Tidal Wave. They glowed dimly with the same grass-green hue as his brooch. “Tidal Wave, do you accept this pact? Does your heart dance with the voices of the waves, the rivers, the deepest depths?” he asked in a very priest-like manner. Tidal Wave took a deep breath to reassure himself that he was ready. He could feel the water spirits calling to him like a long-lost friend, and he had no reason to ignore them. “I do!” he declared. “Then….let this new bond be forged.” Zebota said. The water spirits then synchronized their song into a single long note as they poured what must have been water mana into the jewel. It all cascaded into the magically charged crystal like a breathtaking waterfall that captivated the aquatic colt. After it finished, all that was left was the crystal, which now gleamed with a blue light that Tidal Wave could actually feel life from. Zebota then pulled out a small golden frame that was very similar to the one containing his brooch and fit the water crystal into it. He then pulled out a necklace that he adorned the jewel with that Tidal Wave could easily wear without it falling off. “This is yours now, Tidal Wave. Take very good care of it.” He said as he handed it to Tidal Wave, who then put it on. Shrapnel howled as if to celebrate the completed ritual. Tidal Wave nodded. “I will. Thanks, Zebota. Sorry I doubted you….” Zebota led him off of the glyph path and back onto the edge of the pool. “I understand, my friend. One is always nervous when experiencing something new.” All of the other foals just stood there waiting for them with their mouths agape in awe. They certainly couldn’t wait to see what their newest comrade was now capable of. “Heavens to betsy…..” Kickback muttered. “Tidal Wave…..” Spiral Galaxy couldn’t even find the right words to express her amazement even though nothing had been demonstrated, but based on Zebota’s words, she could only infer… “Go on, my friend. Test your new limits.” Zebota said to Tidal Wave. He stepped back so as to give him room to jump into the well. “A-Alright!” Tidal Wave still felt a bit nervous, not knowing what to expect, but he’d feel awful letting his new gift go to waste, so he jumped in. He was only a couple feet under when he could feel a surge of warmth from his crystal. While it startled him, he found himself breathing a little easier when he felt it envelope his body………wait…..HE REALLY WAS BREATHING! UNDERWATER!! He quickly surfaced to tell his friends. “Guys! GUYS! I was breathing down there!” “UNDERWATER!? TRULY!?” Quantum exclaimed. Tidal Wave excitedly nodded. “Yeah! It might be tough navigating these tunnels, but I could totally get to the Smokey Mountains!” “Awesome!” Fire Fight exclaimed. “You still hungry? If you wanna eat something first, I’ll whip something up.” “Nah, I’m good. I can go right now, actually! I…..just hope that I’ll be able to use this thing okay….” Tidal Wave said. “So long as you put your trust in the spirits that now aid you, the waters themselves become your shared domain.” Zebota said. “O-Ok. I’ll come right back if there’s any trouble.” Tidal Wave said. “Good luck, dude!” Spiral said. “Thanks!” Tidal Wave said. He and Spiral fist-bumped. “And remember Turf War’s plan. I’d strongly caution you not to use your real name.” Shroud warned. “Yeah. I think I’ve got this. I’ll be back!” With that, Tidal Wave dove right back into the depths bellow and began his journey. He could feel his new friends, both pony and spirit alike cheering him on….