New Home: Day 3
This place feels like old times. Luna thought to herself, changing her first, and only child with Zeke. Or rather Charlie. Genetically they were the same, as where they in the bed. She chuckled, holding her beloved Moon Drop. He was human skinned, but had Zeke’s blond hair. “Someone made a stinker!” She cooed, making her infant son laugh as she cleaned his bottom, and placed the new diaper. “There, all cleaned up.” She said, taking her son into her arms.
Moon Drop giggled, enjoying the affection as his mother took him off to play with his siblings.
Here Toriel, and Celestia sat with the young ones, entertaining them with toys and story books. “How are you holding up sister?” Luna asked.
Celestia sighed. “Better than expected. Not having to raise and lower the sun anymore means I can sleep in for once. No more royal documents to look over, no more annoying nobels to, well, annoy me. It’s just us, the children, and Zeke when he and Trixie return.”
“I feel the same. I still fear for our subjects who survived, but the lesser amount of dream scapes makes this world much simpler to look after it’s dream world.”
“Goodness, you two must have been overworked?” Toriel asked, showing the children a pop up book. “When I was married to my ex husband, I did my share of paperwork, but he primarily dealt with the subjects. I mostly gave ideas and looked after our children.”
“Sounds peaceful.” Celestia said.
“It was. We have all been through a lot, in the past and recently. At least nothing of true importance was lost.” Toriel said, picking up Freddy, one of Fluttershy’s children. “I remember when Asriel was this little. Heh, he used to take off his diaper and run around the house all day.”
The group laughed. Seems even the loss of a home can’t keep one's feelings in despair forever.
Twilight and Moondancer both waited with Freke, the three became quickly eager to test out and advance upon a vast amount of spells. Currently they were trying to see if the Fireball spell and Mega Flare, could combine, creating a stronger, longer lasting explosion. Mega Flare was already stronger than Fireball, but the effect was fast to fade, something Fireball didn’t. Fireball lasted for a little while longer.
Breaking down the two spells and making the connections was putting Twilight and Moondancer into good moods, the two happy to be distracted with promising work rather than mourn over the loss of Daybreak Empire. Freke knew the soul arts, and Twilight knew Equestrian, and Keyblade magic like a second and third language.
At first, Moondancer was a bit hesitant to spend time with Twilight. Even with her marriage to the same man, and legally each other she kept a distance, but this brought back an old flame of trust and friendship. “So, what is we connect the Matrix for Fireballs explosion radius to Megaflare’s matrix for it’s length of time?” Moondancer offered.
“That could solve it, or, it could make the Fireball size explosion last shortly.” Freke said. “Your Equestrian and Keyblade magics are all so fascinating, far more complex than what I have created. But, that complexity makes altering them with spells of other origins rather difficult.”
“Yes.” Twilight agreed. “We were able to best reverse engineer the spells for Keyblade and Equestrian magic easier because the spells where complex in design and nature, but easy to cast. But with your worlds magic, it is easily crafted, but difficult to cast.”
“What if we where to remake FIreballe from scratch using Starswirl's Matrix template?” Moondancer offered.
“...That could work.” Twilight brightened up.
“Remind me, this Starswirl was a grand mage in your world? Correct?” Freke asked.
“Oh yes.” Twilight began. “He created and improved upon countless spells in his lifetime. His most well known but sometimes overlooked achievement is his Matrix Template. It’s a medium for channeling magic, but it has no spell to cast. But, it has been used by even myself to create new spells because it’s blank. It’s like, fill in the blanks.”
“Ah, I see then. So if we take his Matrix Template and remake Fireball to function with it, we can then use it’s new design to fuse it with Megaflare.” Freke concluded.
“Exactly!” Moondancer and Twilight said.
“I have to say, it is great to be discussing magic with such talented mages. I haven’t been this excited about magic since Zeke got me those Demon souls to create new ones.” Freke laughed. “Oh how happy I was to forge my theories into functional spells.”
“I know the feeling.” Twilight sympathized.
“Well, let’s get to it then. Freke you start taking apart Fireball, Twilight you do the same for Megaflare so it’s ready and I’ll draw up the matrix.” Moondancer said, the trio getting to work.
A.K. Yearling was a mare of action, adventure. She’d done a lot working with her husbands scouts, but now that Daybreak wa gone she returned to her roots. Ancient temples and thick forests. Bolitaria was a land returned from the brink of death, the fog that once consumed the most of the world now gone, the lost land returned, but not it’s people. The result was kingdoms, villages, whole cities empty, their treasures ripe for taking and stories waiting to be uncovered.
Yearling was far from her family. She’d grown attached to her fellow wives and worried for their safety, despite knowing it was her safety more in danger than her own. She yet had children with Zeke. Maybe later on, when things were settled and her itch for adventure was calmed, but for now, she needed exploration.
Where she was now was once a town. A town near a castle. It wasn’t that large, or detailed. But the banners and such said it all. Home to royalty, or nobility nonetheless. Entering, the stench of death greeted Yearling. Rotten fruits once fresh for sale, dead sheep, horses and cows for trade and slaughter now lay rotten husks in the streets. Yearling has a list of things she knew from past experience she would need. Dried meets, which in most places here, thankfully, where kept well and eatable. Stored grains, water. These towns where goldmines with these simple essentials.
At Yearling walked the roads, she kept her note book ready. The dark environment brought forth inspiration. Adventurer, and writer. Her own adventures started off as a means for inspiration to write, she did not expect to end up telling the world her own stories, adventures. Now, she would take a break, take in the empty landscape and write and draw out what life here might have once been like. The more Yearling walked this town the more she noticed it’s larger marketplace that the two prior towns of her travels yesterday. The market seemed to stretch from the towns entrance to the castle. A pathway of goods and services for sale, all leading to this old stone building.
She began writing, thinking this town was a trade hub of sorts where traders came to do business on mass. The layout sure aided in her theories backing. Once her short story and sketches where done, she headed on. So much to explore, and too much time. While it was nice to explore, the lack of danger made it a tad boring, at least she had her fantasies, and the stories of those from the Nexus.
Pinkie and Applejack found this buildings kitchen very well stocked and large. Definitely large enough to cook for royalty, and it’s servants. While there wasn’t much Applejack could use for her apple related pastry recipes, Pinkie managed to make due with the flower, grain, and other spices to get the two working on some simple, yet tasty, Raisin bread. “Ah miss ma’ farm…” Applejack sighed.
“I know. I miss the Cakes. Least they and the twins left in a DTL, so I know they are safe.” Pinkie added. “Think Granny Smith and Big Mac-”
“Of course they did.” Applejack said. “They’re stubborn, but not stupid. Pretty sure they high tailed it out of there soon as the Heartless swarmed in.” As convincing as Applejacks bravado was, Pinkie still saw that worry and sorrow in Applejack’s eyes. Her family worked that farm for generations… her parents were buried there. It wasn’t just her home, it was her family roots, so much history… now might be lost.
“At least you know for a fact Applebloom is okay, right?”
“Yeah. Guess that helps. Ya know…”
“What?” Pinkie asked, rolling the dough flat before sprinkling the raisins onto it and mixing them both together.
“I think when Zeke gets his heart and body back, ah’m gonna jump him.”
“Oh, finally ready for foals I see~”
Applejack blushed. She and Zeke have done it already, several times, but each with protection. “Yeah… just feels like with all that’s happened to him, to us, and now with Daybreak… feels like once this war is done and over with we can finally settle down and just live life. No more threats, big bad guys or even heartless.”
Pinkie nodded. “Maybe, when this is all over, we can convince Zeke to let us make a farm on a land just for us.”
Applejack smiled. “Yeah, just the family… heh, guess for ma’ family history is repeating itself huh?”
“Seems so. Sometimes that can be good, so long it’s the right events that get repeated… unlike this war…”
“Pinkie Pie, how is it that sometimes, you can be just so darn wise? While most of the time you’re as silly as silly can be.”
“I dunno, guess it’s just how I am.”
New Home: Day 9
Pureblood was a noble, through and through. Her whole life was elegant parties, dresses, foods. Then the Nobodies came, and like that, none of that mattered. She was cattle to that bastard Bara like the rest of them. Her heart was taken, and for all it mattered, she was dead. Then, Zeke, and Ben saved her. She had a whole new outlook on life. She received her Keyblade, Divewing, she became a scout, and quickly strived through the rankings. She was running one of the guild buildings in Daybreak within three months. Then Pinkie Pie and Rune came to her with the offer of extending their and Zeke’s hands in marriage. It was a strange, unexpected offer, but she ended up accepting, and found happiness in the fellow wives and children around her.
She herself has none, yet. Fear of being a bad parent was her reasoning. So she told herself. After Daybreak fell Pureblood wanted something she did to have meaning, so she managed to become apprentice to both Ed and Baldwin, the two surviving blacksmiths of Boletaria. It was hard work, long work, but worth it. Growing up Pure could appreciate the art and skill that went into smithing a quality blade, but when she was given her Keyblade, Diamond Dust, the magic and power it had. It was humbling, and honorable. WIth their Keyblade Forge, Pureblood wanted to forge new, powerful Keyblades worthy of this coming war, and to rebuild lands when it was all over.
“Pure, how goes that new Keyblade you’ve been working on?” Ed asked.
“Not ready.” Pure replied, fueling the fires of light and darkness more. “It needs to be perfect.”
“You ain’t trying to make a copy of Zeke’s X-blade, are ya?”
“No, but something more special, something that can heal the aftermath.”
“Do you even know what you’re doin?”
“I saved as much Keyblade forging texts from Daybreak as I could before it blew. It has to be enough.”
“And, a little luck I take it?”
“More like a lot Ed. How’s your reforging weapons into Keyblades going?”
“Good, arrows, bows, shields, even armor. So far we’re making a new armor for Zeke. Figure it’s the least we can do.”
“Really?”
“Yup. It’s based on a design he showed us back when he was still cleanin this world out of it’s demons. Baldwin and I are pulling out all our best stock and methods. As is if anyone even tried to hit him in it at the moment their weapon would bounce back at them.”
“I’m sure when it’s done Zeke will love it.” Pure said, giving a smile to Ed as she made the fires of light and dark rise. “He misses his old armor, but Kexez has it, or it’s lost. Either way, this will make him feel better.”