Can't believe my eyes
How can you be so blind
Is the heart of stone nowhere but fear inside
Chapter 22: Shattered Whispers
---
My wings weren't cooperating. I had to run. I needed to get away from that hand. It was coming closer. I couldn't let it grab me, not again. Never again!
But my legs felt like they were trying to swim through molasses. I risked turning my head to see the ever-approaching hand. That was a mistake. It had cut the distance that was between us in half. Now it was almost right on top of me.
I turned back around to face forwards but I couldn't see the end of the road. Now there was another hand getting closer from the front. This one was gloved and had long finger nails. I wanted to escape but there was no going back or forwards. My legs stopped working and I was suspended in the air.
Simultaneously, both hands grabbed me. I could feel the chilling sensation of losing my soul. I let out a few grunts in pain. I was blinded briefly. When I could see again, the Nightmare and Sode no Shirayuki stood in front of me.
"San-no-Mai," the two of them whispered, "Shirafune."
I let out a scream as a long, white blade came toward my face.
---
"Ahhhhhh!" I yelled as I sat up. I breathed heavily with a cold sweat. My heart only slowed down slightly upon realizing that I was in Fluttershy's cottage. That was a horrible nightmare.
The hand of David, I thought, and the hand of Muramasa. What does it mean? Muramasa was a Zanpaktou capable of breaking the bonds between Soul Reapers and their Zanpaktou. Why was his hand in my dream?
It may mean that our fears are closing in, replied Shirayuki's mind, I can only hope that we are ready for what is to come.
"Yeah," I muttered aloud, "Me too."
"Tundra?" I heard Fluttershy call as she flew up the stairs, "Are you okay? I heard screaming."
"It's... it's nothing, Fluttershy," I told her waving a hoof dismissively, "Just a bad dream."
"Goodness! You're sweating like crazy," breathed the yellow Pegasus at one decibel, "You wait here. I'll go get you some water." She flew down the stairs without another word.
"Y-yeah, okay," I muttered at a volume that was barely louder than Fluttershy's normal volume. As much as I didn't want to admit it, I was worried. I needed a moment away from the thought of being overcome by madmen. I could only think of one person that I could immediately share my troubles with. After dropping off the bed, I held out a hoof and summoned my Zanpaktou. I laid it down in front of me before assuming a sitting position and closing my eyes.
---
"Sode no Shirayuki," I said in the gray abyss, "I am deeply troubled."
"Yes, I can sense that much," affirmed the pale woman spirit, "You have fear in your heart, but I cannot determine why this is the case."
"It has something to do with David," added Shirayuki, "I just know it."
"I am not so certain that he is the only source of your concern," pondered Sode no Shirayuki, "There is something else, something that is interfering with your trust."
"That dream about Muramasa," I muttered before asking, "What if I become too reliant on you and he uses that strong bond of trust against me in the future?"
"In that case," said the Zanpaktou spirit, "you should train your mind and heart to lock out foreign spiritual presences."
"But how do I do that?" asked the white alicorn, "I couldn't resist foreign control when David used it on me the first time. How can I train my heart to do so now?"
Sode no Shirayuki seemed to pause while she was thinking. She then said, "I believe a good start would be to familiarize yourself with yourself."
"Huh?" I asked while raising an eyebrow in confusion.
"Lady Tundra, get in the habit of fighting your own battles," said the woman, "Lady Shirayuki, get in the habit of living your life and not just fighting all the time."
Shirayuki blinked a couple of times before asking, "And you think this will help us learn to lock our hearts?"
"If you can complete yourself," said the Zanpaktou spirit, "then there won't be anything that the enemy can easily take away from you."
"Well, all right then," I said slowly, "I'll at least try."
"Thank you for your advice, Sode no Shirayuki," thanked the white alicorn. The spirit nodded as my presence left the gray abyss.
---
I opened my eyes and reached out to put my katana away. It disappeared in its usual fashion.
Well, you heard her, other me, I thought.
Give me a minute, pleaded Shirayuki. At this point, Fluttershy returned with a glass full of water.
"Here you go," she said softly. I reached out with my magic and floated the glass towards me. The water only felt more refreshing from the thin layer of ice that I always accumulate on magically held objects. I gulped the water down rapidly and by the time I moved the glass away to take a breath, the water was gone.
"Thank you," I said as I returned the glass.
"Oh, no problem," said Fluttershy, "Do you... um, that is... I mean, if you're willing to..."
"Want to go visit Rainbow Dash?" I finished her question, "Yes, I'd like that."
"Um, yes, great," stumbled Fluttershy over her words, "Let's go do that, I mean if you're ready."
"Absolutely," I said as I stood up. Fluttershy went ahead and walked down the stairs.
Ready now, Shirayuki? I asked in mind.
Yes, I am, she responded. I felt a comfortable chill as her white coat and evergreen armor took their places on my body.
"Let's go," said Shirayuki as she ventured forth and... promptly tripped and tumbled down the stairs. I felt the numerous bumps she felt against the wood. When she finally stopped somersaulting at the bottom, I mentally face hoofed.
Apparently, this is going to take some getting used to, I thought. The white alicorn ignored my thoughts as she stood up and shook her head to remove the dizziness. With a bit of a mental nudge, I directed her to the front door.
"Um, Tundra?" asked Fluttershy who was standing just outside, "Why are you in that form? I-is something dangerous nearby?"
"Huh?" blinked Shirayuki before waving a hoof dismissively saying, "Oh! No, I'm just trying something different today."
"Well, all right then," said the yellow Pegasus. I could tell she wasn't fully convinced, but she started trotting along the path anyway. My other half followed on foot.
---
Arriving at the hospital, I was only half surprised to see the doors open. What exited was a forcibly pushed Rainbow Dash in a wheelchair. I was fairly certain that Ponyville had socialized medicine. You got your tax bits' worth of care and that was it. The wheelchair, however, seemed a bit unnecessary as Rainbow Dash immediately flapped her wings and kicked the chair away the first chance she got.
"Rainbow Dash!" softly exclaimed Fluttershy, "What'd the doctor say?"
"He said to take it easy," answered Rainbow Dash before waving a hoof dismissively, "Like any pony knows what that really means."
"Yes, a doctor's message can be a bit vague at times," commented Shirayuki. It was then that Rainbow Dash noticed my taller, armored form.
"Hey, Tundra, what's with the get up?" she asked, "Is there another one of those monsters around that needs a good smack down?"
My other half shook her head, "No, I'm just trying something new." Dash turned to look at Fluttershy as if she would know better.
"That's what she told me as well," shrugged Fluttershy.
"Meh, all right," Dash finally shrugged, "Personally, I think you look cooler in your other colors, but whatever."
Do I really look that bad? thought Shirayuki as she frowned.
Nah, you just don't look that good, I mentally smirked. I sensed her slightly roll her eyes at my joke.
"Well, I'm going to get going now," said Rainbow as she did a few limb stretches, "I've got to make sure they didn't put a certain some pony in charge of weather while I was out."
"Um, okay," muttered Fluttershy, "Bye, Rainbow Dash."
"Safe travels!" wished Shirayuki. With that said, the bearer of Loyalty left in her trademark, seven-colored trail. Fluttershy and I stood there for another few moments.
"I should probably get going too," commented Shirayuki, "I assume Twilight will be expecting my routine check-in."
"O-okay," stammered Fluttershy before softly saying, "See you later, Tundra." My other half nodded as the Pegasus and I went our separate ways. This time, Shirayuki decided to take to the skies and fly over to the library. I'd gotten used to flying after doing it for so long. Still, I couldn't help but feel a bit acrophobic as we sailed over the houses.
I'm glad Shirayuki had a stronger stomach than I did.
---
The skies seemed to darken as Shirayuki arrived at the library's front door. Perhaps the Pegasi had decided to release a thunderstorm to make up for the number of days a light shower could have been applied. The rain had yet to start falling, though, so the snowy alicorn hurriedly knocked on the door. It opened just a few seconds later.
"Hello, oh!" said Twilight as she looked at me with startled eyes, "Shirayuki! Is there something dangerous nearby?"
My other half was about to answer that question when a sudden, strong pressure vibrated throughout my body. The feeling was soon joined by loud, deep roars. Adding these factors in, Shirayuki quickly amended her intended answer.
"Yes, yes there is," she stated in a calm voice, though her eyes were wide open. Without another word, she and Twilight quickly ran over to where the pressure felt like it was coming from. It wasn't a pretty sight.
Oh, you've gotta be crapping me, I thought rhetorically. The thing was taller than 5 stacked houses, walked in giant white high heels, and looked like it was wearing a full-body cloak of pure blackness. It's giant masked face was the largest of any Hollow in existence. To top it all off, it was crushing several houses that it happened to brush its foot against.
A Menos Grande?! was my second rhetorical thought, Ugh, all right, Shirayuki. It's my turn.
Are you certain? asked the other mind, I should probably handle this.
No, I replied, Sode no Shirayuki said that fighting my own battles would help train my heart to lock out foreign spiritual pressure. It makes sense that my trials should be the hardest.
Shirayuki let out an audible sigh before thinking, Very well. In an invisible flash, she summoned forth the katana.
"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" she declared. My Zanpaktou entered its Shikai form while my body regained its shorter, default form.
"Here we go!" I determinedly said. I flapped my wings and flew up to get closer to the Hollow's vision height.
---
Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle stood on the ground visibly shaking from the power she could sense from the giant monster. Fear had a grip on her emotion, but she wasn't going to let this stop her from trying to fight. Assuming the bipedal stance of Clover the Clever, Twilight brought her front hooves together before pulling one hoof back. The familiar Quincy bow and arrow formed out of the spirit particles that resembled bluish-white light. She took aim at the giant black body of the enemy she now faced.
In the next instant, the arrow left her grasp with a distinct whistling noise. It flew for several meters, covering the distance between her and the monster. The arrow made contact with the body, but it had little immediate effect other than making the creature roar louder in its unbearable voice. Twilight needed a different angle, a different vantage point.
With just a quick thought, Twilight started taking a step. She disappeared immediately from the position she was standing at. Her Hierenkyaku technique brought her to one of the rooftops that was still intact. She reached back a bit further with her arrow-holding hoof this time. Her aim lined up with the giant's face. Another arrow was released in its whistling noise.
---
The sound of another arrow caught my attention. I briefly looked at a rooftop that Twilight had somehow gotten to. I guess she teleported or something. That arrow made contact with the Menos' mask, but it didn't leave much in the way of visible damage. It seemed to open its mouth to roar again, only for a giant red sphere to start gathering red light at the mouth's opening.
"A Cero!" I exclaimed. The sphere released into a wide beam. I watched, knowing full well that at my position, I couldn't easily deflect the beam from where Twilight was. I held my mouth open in a horrified, silent gasp.
"Santen Kesshun! I reject!" shouted a bubbly, yet serious voice. An orange, triangular shield appeared in front of Twilight and managed to repel almost all of the Cero attack, except the wind it caused. In any case, Pinkie Pie showed up just a second later next to Twilight. I turned my attention back to the Menos and held my Zanpaktou in a horizontal position with the tip facing the enemy.
"Tsugi-no-mai," I said as four channels of snow and ice flowed into the sword itself, "Hakuren!" A large blast of ice was projected from Sode no Shirayuki. A few seconds later, the Menos' entire face was covered and frozen. But an enemy of this magnitude would need something more to ultimately finish it. As I kept flapping my wings to stay airborne, I held up my free hoof and began an incantation.
Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel.
With light, divide this into six!
Bakudo 61: Rikujokoro!
With the incantation boosting its power, the Kido summoned six large, rectangular bars of yellow light. These bars encased around the Hollow's body where the waist would be. The ice from earlier managed to thaw out, but now I had a moment's reprieve where the enemy couldn't move.
"You ready to do this?" asked an excited Pinkie Pie that was somehow floating at my elevation. I wasn't going to make the mistake of asking her how she did that.
"Yeah!" was my simple reply in addition to a firm nod. Keeping my free hoof facing the Menos, I prepared another Kido.
Mask of flesh and blood, universe soar.
The one crowned with man's name.
Carve a twin lotus on a wall of pale blue flames
And await the blazing fires to reach the distant heavens!
Hado 73: Soren Sokatsui!
"Koten Zanshun! I reject!" shouted Pinkie Pie. My large burst of blue fires aimed for the same target as Tsubaki's offensive shield. I have to say that the explosions from the impact were pretty satisfying to watch. As the Menos let loose one final roar, it was swallowed up by the burning shadows and ceased to exist.
"Whoo-hoo!" shouted Pinkie as she jumped on her patch of thin air, "Hoof bump!" I let a smile cross my face as I obliged to Equestria's rendition of the high five. I think I even let out a lighthearted chuckle.
Our brief celebratory dance was interrupted by some all too familiar moans. Pinkie and I both held our eyes wide as new spiritual pressures shook the entire atmosphere. As I looked on, more Hollows of the same type emerged from nowhere and stood atop the collapsed debris that the first Menos had made.
David, I hate you so much right now, I thought with grinding teeth.
Let me take this fight, insisted Shirayuki.
No! Not yet, was my reply. Still, I felt myself trembling at the sight of this Menos army. I wasn't sure how many this rag-tag team of three ponies could actually take on.
---
"Bankai!" The white unicorn released her upside down katana and let it drop to the ground. It sank into the ground with a white ripple effect. An aisle made of giant blades of the same type emerged from the ground as the air briefly took on a dark blue hue.
"Scatter, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi!" called Rarity. The giant swords broke apart into millions of tiny blades in the shape of the petals of cherry blossoms. These blades circled around like a hurricane as they sliced and diced the bodies of two of the Menos. The Hollows faded into the shadows soon afterward.
---
"Roar, Zabimaru!" The segmented, spiked blade extended in a curved direction. It cut right through the neck area of one of the giant masked monsters. The Hollow let out a pained howl as it faded in a burst of shadows. The segmented blade shortened and returned to its master. Applejack held the dull side of her Zanpaktou against her shoulder to admire the sight.
---
"Split and deviate, Ruri'iro Kujaku!" Azure vines sprouted and grew from the yellow filly's blade. They soon surrounded the larger enemy. Emerald colored energy began to flow into the vines. As it did so, buds grew all along the branches and soon blossomed. The giant monster dissolved quickly into nothing but shadows. After that, the tendrils returned to sword form as Apple Bloom munched on one of the blossoms.
---
"Growl, Haineko!" shouted Sweetie Belle as her blade turned into gray ashes. The ashes started cutting through the cloak of one of the bone-faced monsters.
"Shadow Blade!" declared Scootaloo. A circle of dark energy swords rushed at the enemy's face at light speed. This monster didn't get to howl in pain as it disappeared from the physical realm. The teamwork of these two fillies accomplished what one alone could not. They gave each other an affirmative nod before continuing on their way.
---
"Getsuga Tenshou!" cried Rainbow Dash. A wave of blue energy left her giant blade. The wave cut straight through one of the masks of the giant creeps. The giant didn't stand a chance. It faded into the shadows as Rainbow Dash rushed away in flight.
---
"Koten Zanshun! I reject!" Pinkie Pie's offensive shield bounced off the face of another Menos Grande. However, it failed to leave any lasting damage.
Come on, thought Twilight Sparkle from her vantage point, I can't just fire off one arrow at a time. I need... A brief image flashed in her mind's eye. The aged Clover the Clever could be seen firing several arrows at once. Returning to the present, Twilight was gifted with her ancestor's blessing. She brought her aiming hoof back and held it firmly.
"Licht Regen!" cried the bearer of Magic. Instead of her usual single arrow of light, several light arrows seemed to stream from that one bow shot and converged on the target that Pinkie Pie had started attacking. As the stream of arrows ceased, so to did that Menos' existence.
---
The various explosions and attacks caught my attention as I looked around this section of Ponyville. It wasn't a rag-tag team of three ponies anymore. All of us were stronger as one. I shouldn't have doubted for one second. My friends were always there for each other and I was there for them. That's why I wouldn't fight alone anymore.
All right, Shirayuki, I directed my thought, Take this one. I sensed a mental nod from her as my body took on its whiter hue. Interestingly, my Zanpaktou Sode no Shirayuki also looked a bit brighter now as a new found strength surged through my entire being.
"So-me-no-Mai," said Shirayuki, "Tsukishiro!" A giant pillar of ice sprung up from the ground and surrounded this last Menos in front of me. After the pillar reached the skies, it cracked and crumbled along with the Hollow that was in it. Shirayuki closed her eyes and sighed in relief.
The Menos Grande threat was vanquished at last.
---
"Aw, yeah!" whooped Rainbow Dash, "Who's bad?"
"We're bad!" answered Pinkie Pie, "Wait, we can't be bad. We're the good ponies." She immediately took her own expression literally and held a confused look on her face.
"We kicked some beast flank!" declared Applejack.
"Yes, we certainly overturned ruffian heinie," agreed Rarity in a slightly more sophisticated manner.
"Cutie Mark Crusaders: Monster Slayers!" declared all three of the fillies before looking at their flanks, "Aw."
"Sorry I wasn't much help," lamented Twilight.
"What are you talking about, Twilight?" I turned to face her, "At the end there, you were firing off whole volleys of Reishi arrows. Combining your attack with Pinkie's took out that one Menos spectacularly."
"Huh," she stopped and thought before affirming, "Yeah, I guess you're right."
"Hey, wait a minute!" commented Rainbow Dash, "We're missing some pony!"
All nine of us stopped the congratulatory conversation to look around the group. There was indeed a pony missing.
"Where's Fluttershy?" asked Apple Bloom for the whole gang.
"Oh, I just remembered!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie. The rest of us turned to look at her expectantly.
"Rainbow Dash and Tundra, you need to head over to Fluttershy's cottage right away!" she continued.
"Wait, why us?" I asked.
"Duh, because you two are mentioned after the next divider," she answered as if her logic was obvious.
"Divider?" echoed Rainbow Dash while raising an eyebrow.
"Rule one of Pinkie Pie," said Twilight as if prepared for just this moment, "Do not question Pinkie Pie."
"Good rule," I commented, "Come on, Dash. Let's go."
"Heh, just see if you can keep up!" she declared boldly as she flew off leaving her multicolored trail behind.
"Don't count me out just yet," I muttered as I gave my flash step a workout. To the outside observer, it probably looked like I vanished leaving nothing but a hoof print on the ground I was standing on a second ago.
---
The two combatants had seen better days. One of them had less piercings the other day. The other fighter had days that she could breathe more easily. There was almost no point to this battle. What one of the warriors considered their purpose, others would ridicule and point out the unreasonableness of such a goal. However, Fluttershy was above senseless ridicule.
"Gilda, please stop," she said in a firm yet gentle motherly tone, "My Wabisuke has already cut your weapon eight times now. You can't continue fighting like this."
The heavy breathing gryphon countered, "Shut... up. You don't... know... anything." Try as she might, Gilda couldn't raise her gauntlet armed talon from the ground. It felt so heavy.
That wasn't to say that Fluttershy had gone unscathed. Earlier in the conflict, Gilda had managed to strike with Suzumebachi in two different spots. One black butterfly-shaped Homonka marked Fluttershy's side just behind her wing. The second Homonka rested on her cheek just under her eye. In spite of this, she was in no more danger of dying in this fight than she was to begin with.
"Fluttershy!" yelled a voice from above. In a rush of wind, Rainbow Dash stood next to Fluttershy and looked angrily at the opponent. Another gust seemed to bring another friend to Fluttershy's other side.
---
No, I didn't get there before Rainbow Dash. I had to flash step at least twelve times in addition to two galloping sprints. What could I say? It takes a lot to keep up with a pony that can fly up to Mach 5 speeds normally. But I digress.
I was staring at the one who would dare to attack Fluttershy while her friends were fighting off monsters. Gilda the Gryphon looked like she was breathing really hard and her arm looked stuck to the ground at a very uncomfortable angle. Noticing the Zanpaktou in Fluttershy's possession, it didn't take me three seconds to figure out what had happened. Wabisuke's Shikai power doubles the weight of whatever it touches. Just a few touches would make the average weapon impossible to lift and virtually useless.
Of course, facts and figures weren't going to make a certain gryphon give up the fight she started. She was a predator by nature and she had her sights locked on her prey. She let out the lion's roar in her as a crushing yellow aura radiated from her soul. Despite all the weight, Gilda raised her Suzumebachi gauntlet and lunged forward.
"You're dead!" she yelled. I was all set to summon my own Zanpaktou to parry her. But somebody beat me to the punch.
"Flash and burst!" called an unseen voice. Before I knew what was going on, small particles of light circled around the gryphon and engulfed her completely. Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and I held up a hoof each to prevent ourselves from going blind. Another figure jumped in front of us as the light began to fade.
"Saigyoku Nijigasumi," muttered the figure. Well, that narrowed down the possibilities in my mind of who this could be. When the bright dome of light finally shrank down to almost nothing, I could see a very thoroughly cut up gryphon. Gilda's weapon returned to sword form before vanishing completely. If she was breathing hard before, she was really having trouble doing that now with the new bleeding areas.
In spite of her injuries, her wings had miraculously avoided taking any severe damage. Gilda used these still intact wings to fly away. I assumed she would just head wherever home was. But then again, that's what I assumed the last time I saw her. So who really knew where she was going this time?
I turned my attention back to our hero of the hour. Did I even have to say it? It was the Great and Powerful Trixie, minus the fancy, purple cape. I was about to ask her something but as she turned to face us, she lifted her nose up and vanished with the flash step sound effect.
"Did that just happen?" I asked rhetorically.
"What just happened?" asked Fluttershy at whisper volume.
"I don't believe it," muttered Rainbow Dash.
"What don't you believe?" asked Pinkie Pie. I practically jumped out of my skin falling onto my side.
"Where the heck did you come from?" I asked in a startled shout.
"Well, when my mom and my dad loved each other very much..." she began.
"Never mind!" I said at the same, loud volume. During my brief exchange of words with Pinkie Pie, the rest of the gang galloped onto the scene and regrouped.
"Fluttershy! Are you all right?" exclaimed Twilight.
"What happened?" asked Applejack.
"Trixie just saved us from Gilda," stated Rainbow Dash.
To this Applejack chuckled, "Very funny," until she saw Rainbow's deadpan expression and said, "Oh wait, you're serious."
"What does this mean?" piped in Apple Bloom.
"I don't know, kid," I said as I looked up at the stars, "I don't know."
---
"Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu."