//------------------------------// // I Can't Win Them All. // Story: Keys of Harmony // by BioQuillFiction //------------------------------// I spent the good part of the morning next to the fireplace. It was Fluttershy/Butterscotch’s addition and it was nice with the snow in. With not much to do at the moment I was just looking over my papers and figuring out my class schedule and activities to do. “Lets see… prep period till nine…. Two hour block schedules….  A side of disappointment.” I said as I grimaced at the note I made for myself, explaining what i could and could not do in the class. “I swear they are trying to raise a generation of wimps…” As I went over the notes I heard Scoot’s call me. “Mom...Dad? Blech! One of your friends is here… I think?” “One moment Scoots!” I called out as I reorganized my papers, straightened my shirt and slithered on over to the door. Wonder which friend it was, with it still being snowed in and all. Eclipsa slithered down the stairs of her home, and saw something unexpected. Trixie. Well, Zeke, borrowing his reflections Trixie to move and summon the X-blade with. “You… What in the nine floors of heck?” Zeke asked. “Oh, hey Zeke.” Eclipsa said nonchalantly as she slithered on over. “How’s it been cuz?” “Well… Kexez made Trixie like I was.” They said, summoning four different Keyblades floating behind them. “Same abilities so far.” “Oh… well… thats a thing.” He… she said as she summoned her own Keyblades, Oblivion and Oathkeeper looking different than last time. “We upgraded ourselves… in more than one way.” “I know. I didn’t even know it could be repeated. Oh, you got them upgraded? Nice. Well, I came here because X managed to help me figure some things out. First off, where is your Reflections Trixie?” “....Why?” Eclipsa asked. “Because X explained to me what he believed Kexez will be planning, he wants, or rather, needs twenty people or beings with powerful balanced hearts that equal mine, before it became part of my whole living X-blade stick. All of Trixie’s reflections are one of these twenty he needs, but he also needs all their reflections, and while there are a FUCK ton, X did say there are spells he can use to drag them to himself. Knowing him though, he will go after the ones he knows he can gloat at us over. So that includes your Trixie.” Eclipsa signed before closing her eyes and a… really weird feeling coming off her as gray smoke leaked from her eyes. “Give me a moment… narrowing down one mare’s reflection is a pain…..” It was done, thankfully, as the mare in question was located in Vanhoover at the moment. Sadly, Eclipsa also detected Kexez’s experiments roaming the same city. “Because fuck simplicity.” was her only response before summoning and slurping on a smoothie and calming down. “So what’s the issue?” “Oh just Kexez already has some experiments where Trixie is, and the pregnancy not helping my…. Frustrations.” She said before taking another sip and sighing. “Paopu Fruit, oh how I love you.” “...Okay… Not gonna ask, so I guess I’m going Solo for this.” “Oh no you don’t!” She said seriously. “Zeke, we are family for gods sake. You need to stop thinking you can take on everything alone. I’m coming with, if nothing else than to be a recognizable face to Trixie, rather than herself.” “I’m pretty sure she’d recognise my face more than yours?” Zeke chuckled. “Yeah, and freak out that a copy of her is trying to take her somewhere.” Eclipsa said, shaking her head. “Boys… heh… anyways, I’m coming with Zeke.” She said before pulling out a pin and pricking her finger, letting a drop of blood fall to the floor. Zeke watched as a full body clone of Eclipsa grew from the drop of blood. “Okay… You been training under Cript, haven’t you?” The pregnant Eclipsa’s face grew serious, so serious it was unnerving seeing on her face. “Anything to protect my family, and all those who look at me as a guardian. I’ve become so much stronger than the Eclipse that couldn’t even last a single fight, and I haven't lost sight on what I have this power for.” She said, her eyes turning Silver before Zeke’s eyes. “... Who are you and where is the idiot I call my cousin?” “Heh… He grew, and is currently learning the meaning of discipline.” “You? Discipline?” “I know right?” She chuckled. “Well, off we go.” Zeke said, opening a DTL behind them. “You can lead us to Trixie, right?” “Not with a DTL… not anymore.” She said before opening a gray version of a corridor. “Come on, this way.” “...Show off.” Zeke muttered, closing his as they entered the DTG. Once on the other side, the two were atop a skyscraper…. And surrounded by Armored Neoshadows. “Your landing sucks.” Zeke said, summoning two Master Keepers. “Blow me.” Eclipsa said, summoning Oath and Oblivion before forming them into… a X-blade and summoning a shield into her other hand. “I believe that’s more my shtick.” Zeke said, throwing both Master Keepers into Fire Raides, taking out four of the enemies. “Firaga.” Eclipsa said, forming a gray… that was a Firaga? It looked like a mega flare before firing it at a group and quickly slithering in, slashing once at a strangler who tried to escape the blast. “Nice, new spell?” Zeke asked, throwing a slash of light at five more. “Nope, just a Firaga with a little something added.” Eclipsa said, a gray droplet being flicked off his blade and almost taking out the rooftop. “Fuck! You trying to blow up the city! If you don’t cap your power you’ll blow up the whole damn Reflection!” Zeke shouted. “Still learning my own strength! Not my fault that that was a drop in an endless ocean!” She grumbled pouting almost cutely if it wasn't his cousin. The armored enemies were quickly dealt with and this game Eclipsa time to relocate Trixie. “Of course she is in one of the big cities….” “Doubt she has a performance. Maybe she has a place here?” Zeke offered. “My Trixie used to have a place in this same city, her mom lived here. Might be a similar situation?” “Maybe…. Got a lead…. She is praying for anyone to help her….” Eclipsa said, her voice soft and motherly suddenly. “Oh fuck…” “One moment… Here is the address, but dont come in until I tell you.” Eclipsa said seriously before handing Zeke a GPS with a location marked before Her body turned into Pure energy, one that Zeke has never seen before before disappearing. “...The heck? Why leave me out of this?” Zeke asked. Meanwhile, Eclipsa was just outside the apparent apartment Trixie was in. From the outside it looked normal, but Eclipsa knew better. Turning herself invisible, she listened to and for the prair. There was nothing, which was worrying. Using Oath, she tapped the lock on the door, it clicking open immediately as she slowly opened the door. The first room of this place was the Living room/kitchen. The walls were blank, save for some hooks, which held Trixie’s cape and hat respectively. The table held a large bag of bits, a few bills, and a travel map with marked locations. The couch was large, and very old, the TV was the only new looking thing in the apartment, as even the fridge was something out of earth's early years and there was no microwave to be found. ‘Shit… where is she…’ Eclipsa thought as she looked around the apartment, trying to find her. That prair… it needed to be fulfilled The only other area was a small hallway with three doors. Opening the first, it was a simple closet filled with spare fireworks and items for performing acts on stage. The second door was the bathroom. Clean and well stocked. That left the Bedroom… Opening it slowly, Eclipsa saw the inside… and dropped her invisibility… Written above the small bed against the wall, on the wall written in pure darkness was ‘Oh, so close.’ The words mocking her… Pulsating in their form. “Damn him... “ She said, Oath and Oblivion disbanding themselves before Eclipsa could do anything rash. Gray flowed off Eclipsa in waves from how hard she gripped her hands. Meanwhile, with Zeke, they just were standing around. “Seriously, the hell?” They kept pouting, bearly reacting in time to deflect the incoming Keyblades. “Fuck!!” They yelled, DTD’s throwing them out like bullets.  It was a split second action before A smaller DTD appeared below and just in front of Zeke on the ground, And Kexez jumped out, thrusting into Trixie’s heart… a X-blade, it’s design like Star Seeker, with with a framilier cap and cape worn at the blades tip and body. “Kex- F-fUck!” The X-blade flowed into their heart, and Zeke felt it become his, the person it was, the Trixie they were after, merge with his. “Heheh. Come on, I thought you were smarter than that?” Kexez mocked as Zeke lost consciousness.” “Stopga.” was the last thing  Zeke heard, the form of a very pissed Eclipsa standing in a eerily calm manner on top of the roof, X-Blade pointed to the sky. “Now now, you don’t want to be rash here.” Kexez spoke. “The building we are on houses over two hundred ponies, sixty of which are foals. You hit me, and well, I didn’t just send my little worker bees here to fetch her Reflection.” “Mind yourself that Overconfidence does not become your undoing.” Eclipsa said in a dead tone “I’m aware, hehehehe. I’ll be counting on it.” They said, opening a DTD under them, falling into it as it closed once they were all gone. Eclipsa walked over to the still form of Zeke, time still stopped. “It may be Zeke’s fate to gain power, but it isn't Trixie’s.” She said, her eyes glowing before she grabbed the handle of the frozen, fusing X-blade. “I need you to trust me…. It’ll hurt. It’ll be painful. But you will still be your own person, not forced to be another's. Will you allow me?” I asked the keyblade. There wasn’t a response. Eclipsa looking up as the Stop spell was gonna wear off soon. “Forgive me, all of you.” She said before flexing her divine abilities, eyes glowing brightly as she again swore she heard thousands of distant screams. As she grabbed hold of the Trixie X-blade, the screams went from echos in her head… to full on high pitched ones hitting her ears. As she tried to yank it out, suddenly, those hands of fate flew out of Zeke, grabbing Eclipsa and removing her while others began dragging the Trixie X-blade deeper into them. “ENOUGH!” She yelled, startled as a few suddenly combusted, sadly just to be replaced with others. “You will not hold me back! I own my own fate, and I refuse to allow someone to enforce a different fate to an innocent!” She cried, the hands burning at a faster rate, a tug of war of sorts going on between the goddess and fate itself. The more hands Eclipsa burned off the more kept coming, the standstill seeming unbreakable… Until she saw something. Standing behind Zeke, was this…. Silhouette… one of a man, all white with a black shadowy outline. The only feature of them Eclipsa made out, was that smile… that smile… She flinched, the hands taking the chance, and threw her off the building, and the Trixie X-blade finishing entering Zeke. Eclipsa, for her part, focused solely not on Zeke, but on the Silhouette figure smiling at her as she fell off the buildings edge… Time seemed to slow to a still as she looked at them, reading those near invisible lips. “What’s your name?” She read off those lips, the figure laughing as time returned to normal, Eclipsa catching herself on a window pane before reaching too far down the buildings edge. “Damn… damn it.” She said. “Swear!” Confused, Eclipsa looked in the window, seeing a small foal playing with toy blocks in their bedroom looking back at her. Eclipsa smiled and giggled, handing the kid a small pouch with ten bits. “Put that into a swear jar for me, will you?” She said before launching herself straight back up to the roof. Once there, that figure was absent, and Zeke/Trixie was laying on the floor. “Zeke!” She cried out, rushing over before laying their head on her lap. “Come on Cuz… Wake up.” “...Eclipse?” Zeke spoke. “Know any other smartass 4th wall breakers you call family?” Rather than a vocal reply, Zeke slapped her. “Use that spell on me again, and I’ll skin you…” They muttered, falling back into slumber. Zeke HATED the Stop spells with a burning fury. With a chuckle, Eclipsa picked him up and swallowed him. “Time to head home…” Hours later, Zeke awoke inside the belly of his cousin… and punched the inside walls so hard, the bulds hit, and broke down the nearby wall, and gave Eclipsa severe nausea. And obvious stomach cramps. Needless to say, Zeke was out fast. “Fucking hell, bad Enough that was Unum’s number eighty eight fetish... “ They groaned, cleaning off the saliva and stomach juices from their body. Eclipsa was nearby, throwing up still from the stomach pains Zeke caused. “What the -umgh- Fuck man? That stomach heals people. Hell my main body is holding a mare in critical condition in there!” “I hate tight spaces. Kinda runs in the family, getting corners typically ment death for the Ventrals in the past… anyway, so that time unconscious gave time time to have a bit of a headcount, with X’s help.” “Great…. Fuck…. I don’t hate anyone but damn it if Kexez is really making it hard.” “He’s taking advantage that his face is, well, mine, using your good memories of ours as well as him being my body, using that as another card to escape damage since us being apart is a bad thing. He’s using all he can over us to play the game his way… So, you even wanna know how many Trixies were in that Trixie X-blade that’s now literally this body.” “Yes… I… I need to know how many soul I need to work towards saving.” “Well, I lost count at five hundred… but X did a proper count… Literally fucking all of them. He knew who to get and how to go about it, he left one out… to show off.” “No… to demoralize. There is a difference.” Eclipsa said hard. “Either way it worked. He’s showing that even though he is at a disadvantage, he can win… What’s the most fucked up is that that’s my philosophy. Using my own ideals against me… irony sucks…” Eclipsa closed her eyes. “I almost freed them… the Trixies. We were at a standstill… then something distracted me for less than a moment, and we were overwhelmed. It isn’t their fate to be a source of power, yet the fates decided fuck their own rules because they apparently want you to hold more power.” “Any reason given?” “Heh… couldn’t hear them over their screams as thousands of hands burned…. But they were endless…. It was a standstill as I said, a swarm of ants running into the fire… only to eventually smother it.” “Damn. Well, whatever that did, I’ll have to be careful. Not sure how much more juice my attacks will hold now… Why did you make me stay behind?” Eclipsa sighed “Because I don't want you to freak out. Zeke, I am a God, or Goddess, really I have no gender anymore so it doesn't matter what you call it. I didn't want you to freak out about it, ask why I would go that far, or even how I did it.” She said, never once opening her eyes. “I even have a entire planet that worships me, and a few others slowly working up to that. And Entire realm, not reflection, Realm of my own… you really think I would have wanted you to know that? After so long of you having similar strength and hating every second of it?” “....First off, you are an idiot to think I’d reflect that hate on you, secondly, I hate that I became that strong… and now, most likely just got stronger.” “I know… and I’m sorry… I was just… I didn’t to lose a family member over the fact that I wanted to protect everyone.” “That’s admirable. I don’t hate this level of power so long as the right people have it, I just hate that I’m acquiring it… My whole life, I’ve been both feared and respected, put up on a pedestal like a living god, all because of my eye color and my family. I was expected to be the strongest, deadliest criminal my family ever birthed, everything I did came naturally, perfection was… my norm… and I hated it. I wanted to fail, I wanted to… make it all stop. When I got the X-blade, I asked for it as a joke. So, when X told me what having him ment and how much power I truly had… I about snapped. I capped myself, and every battle I lost, against Core, against whoever… When I lost… I was happy, even when Core cut my legs off I was happy. Cause for once… I was weak, nothing special… I hate being special to others… and now, seems fate even finds me special…” Eclipsa cleared her throat to keep from revealing something. “Yeah well… While You are tied to fate, Fate burns around me. Hell, even now I am hearing faint eco’s of screams just from being around you, heh, don't think the hands of fate like me much.” “Somehow that’s not that comforting.” Zeke sighed. “Well, let's rest up a bit, X already gave me the location of someone who Kexez will be after… This time let ME open the portal and make the plans… cause your backfired…” “No plan survives contact, so why have one?” Eclipsa chuckled “Because unlike you, I know how Kexez will operate. That ambush when we came out, tactical training my uncle, you dad, taught me on a trip to China where… er, he um… ‘supplied’ some certain blueprints to them. While there they taught me some ambush techniques, that was on of them. He prepared an ambush for entryways and kept the building Trixie’s place was in field with his hidden ambush to have a card over you, another thing I learned from them.” Eclipsa sighed. “Fine, lets get this over with then. Kexez is really starting to piss me off, pretty hard thing to do without fucking with my people directly.” “Now you know why I rarely did anything.” Zeke said, standing up and drying off the last area of saliva. “Crap, this stuff just gets everywhere. We’ll leave in a few, right now it seems all those Trixies that came from worlds that were… less that a caring Equestria, Kexez also made their weapons Keyblades, and I wanna sort through some… Wait a second, no way in hell!” Zeke said, raising a hand as a handgun appeared… like a Keyblade would. “Keyblade GUNS?! Okay… is it wrong to be less mad at him now?” “Oh yeah, I remember seeing Wolf forge a few of those. New Keyblades are being born more and more as different weapons, sometimes even armor.” Eclipsa said in recognition. “Oh check this out!” Zeke saud, disbanding the key-gun-blade and summoning… a three barreled minigun. “Fuck the hell yes…” “.....Sasha?” Eclipse said in wonder at the very familiar gun, only add trixie designs over it. “Okay, less mad at the D-bag, gonna go see if these need to reload.” “Meh, gives me a chance to show off my gun skills Josh taught me… or more accurately, honed for me.” After a trip to the firing range, Zeke and Eclipsa learned these unique Keyblade Guns do not need to be reloaded, and can even fire off spells as fast as they can fire. Quite the advantage but they lack special abilities and can not change into gliders, which does seem to balance them out from standard Keyblades. Before they left, the two needed to know just how powerful this unified Reflections of Trixies as a single being/living X-blade was. With the help from Rare Berry, Zeke was ready to see just how much lower his power cap had to be. “.... did you just do enough power to wipe out an eighth of reality?” Eclipsa said, her jaw dropped from within the training room.” “Damn it.” Zeke muttered. “My normal cap is even more potent than I thought.” “Damn… at my quarter power… currently… I could only wipe out one reflection…. Holy crap how are you not ranked higher on the leaderboards.” Eclipsa said, shaking her head. “Damn it, I was hoping I’d be able to just go down maybe six or so percents… I’ll have to go even lower than that.” Zeke kept muttering. “What is your normal cap?” Berry asked. “Eight percent.” Zeke sighed. “What the crap?” Eclipse said, paleing just a bit. “I was hoping I’d only have to lower it to two percent… crap, I’ll have to go way under one then.” Zeke sighed, thinking. “If eight percent does that much damage now, one percent might not even be that much of a difference.” “Now now don’t go getting all depressed on me.” Eclipsa chuckled, punching Zekes arm and not even wincing. “Yeah you need to hold back… like a crazy lot, but at least I’m starting to understand you better, so your not alone.” “Eclipse, that was just from the power I get from being a living X-blade, now I have that power as well as the individual power each of the Trixie Reflections got. I might not even be able to use that power if it means I touch something and it’s smashed to atoms. Plus, all of the Trixie’s have magic, strength, durabilities, all different from one another now all stockpiled together, in terms of power this means I might not even need to rely on the X-blade power, but I’ll have to cap how much magic and strength this now body has from what all of them piled into it. Berry, another test?” “Eh, sure.” Berry said, the room fixing itself as a large metallic pillar rose from the floor. “Punch that, room will measure the rest.” Nodding, Zeke walked over, ready to punch before stopping, rather placing a hand on the pillar and pressing. The metal, and room, then were hit with a force that sent it all into the rooms outer pocket dimension. “So, that’s full power.” Zeke said. “How much force was that?” “How much force did the Big bang have?” Berry asked. “And I felt that first hand…. Not fun having your atoms destroyed, remade, and destroyed in a never ending wave of force and heat.” Eclipsa said, a wince at the memory. “Crap, and that was just Physical strength.” Zeke muttered. “Now magical.” Zeke asked, Berry nodding as a cable descended from the self repairing ceiling and attached to Zeke/Trixie’s horn. Zeke channeled magic into it. The glow looked normal, but BErry and Eclipsa knew better. “Hey Berry? Remind me never, ever to touch his mana with so much as a drop of gray.” Eclipsa said, a crushing headache from the simply pure mana radiating off Zeke. “That’s a good idea, according to this the amount of magic Zeke is putting out is a quarter of what Dad can do.” “And gray is the one thing Dad can’t do unless he gets permission from me… holy crapola.” “Actually no. Remember, Dad just needs to have contact with energy to copy and his body begin generating it. It’s why he’s careful around you as you are now.” “....Huh… Explains why he didn't touch anything when my realm was first formed.” Eclipsa said before turning back to Zeke. “He wanted something he can’t do. Besides skateboard.” “Which is funny since he hoverboards really well.” Berry laughed as the test finished. “Alright Zeke, given all this and the Rooms collected data you’d be safe not using any X-blade power, summoning Keyblades is alright, as are Chains of Light, in terms of your/Trixie’s body natural power, a safe three percent will keep you in the area you were before.” “Three… dang. Alright, thanks Berry.” Zeke said. I could feel his power plummet, but knowing what he did was so strong, just what the body can do, no X-blade power included, made Eclipse feel it’s echo still. Then Eclipse felt a pull towards Zeke and smiled, the hands of fate looking at Eclipse with disdain, but Eclipse knowing they can’t stop this. “Zeke, if you want, I can bless you so you can maintain your three percent, even if you get angry and start to lose some of your mental control.” Eclipse grinned. “And because it is and addition, not a subtraction, it will not screw with your fate.” “... Okay, but no thanks. If I don’t learn to keep my own power under control, then I deserve whatever Kexez is thinking.” Zeke said, Eclipsa swore those hands… were laughing. “Come on, the next person might be someone Kexez hasn’t located yet.” Zeke said, beginning to walk out. “Before you go, I figured you might want this.” Berry said, handing Zeke some clothes. “They’re special, if you are in controle, you’ll look like you, if Trixie is, then it will show her body.” “Oh, that’s good. Been a while since I could see my own face in the mirror.” Zeke said, taking them and heading off to change.” Once he was gone, Eclipsa groaned, creating a table of energy just to rest her head in her arms. “The fucking hands laughed…. Of course they did… I would have killed them to if it wasn't for Truth…. Truth…. Why did I say that?” “I’m not sure what you’re talking about.” Berry said. “But, here.” She said, handing Eclipsa… her jacket! “I bought Rarity’s old place and finished it. For one, I made it a tad longer, and keeping all of Rarity’s original magic, I added to it as well.” Eclipsa gently grabbed it from her, rubbing the Orichalcum+ infused, mana infused jacket, tears rolling down her eyes and falling onto the jacket with a slight sound. “Wh-what did you add to it?” She asked, still rubbing the jacket with her thumb. “A special illusion spell, like Zeke’s. It will change to to a degree but in reality it’s just an illusion, you’ll still feel normal, but to others you’ll look normal by that world's standards. I also included something on the left and right arm sleeves. The right arm sleeve has a black line of fabric that, if it begins glowing grey, measures how much grey you are using, and the left arm sleeve is a special computer fabric, hacking not just tech, but weak minded people as well, just in case you need a quick get out of trouble card.” Eclipsa giggled slightly, a soft, sad smile on her face. “Did you make it to fit my female body… even if it grows like it did recently…. Had to swallow myself to talk privately to someone.” “Of course. It will automatically adjust to whichever form your body takes.” Eclipsa then gave her sister a tight hug, snobing slightly. “Her funeral is in a week… Spike’s even coming over from the dragon lands…” “I’ll be there. And hey, the dead aren’t dead forever.” “I know… heh, Reminds me I still need to find the new barriers of the elements in my world.” Eclipsa said, whiping the tears from her eyes before gently putting back on her old friend. “Oh...I’ll happily never get used to the softness of female clothing.” “Heh, a perk totally.” Berry said. Zeke walked in, his face, hair, and eyes all as before, not even Trixie’s massive Bust was there to disrupt the clothes. His clothes consisted of a brown shirt, gray jeans, and a black trench coat. “Never was on for trench coats but hey, this isn’t that bad.” Zeke spoke, in his own voice. “Oh thank god, my own voice too. Almost forgot how I sounded.” “Welcome back to being you Cousin.” Eclipsa said, feeling whole again with her jacket. “Well, let’s get going then.” Zeke saud, summoning a Kingdom Key Keyblade and opening a DTL. “All X was able to temm me about this one is that they’re a highschool student. Let’s be quick and careful.” Zeke said entering as Eclipsa followed. Eclipse was a bit unnerved by the light ‘Looking’ at her with contempt before the exited the otherside. Eclipse looked at herself, shocked to see they looked the same. “Huh, weird, did Berry mess up with her enchantment?” “Maybe this worlds normal is a tad scue?” Zeke offered, pointing as some passing kids, one of which had a Dog’s head, and another a massive tail behind him. “.... That would do it.” Eclipsa shrugged, her hands placed behind her head as she looked like a female, blue haired naga Sora with that posture. “Well, lets get looking.” “Yes, just show off that chest why don’t ya.” Zeke sighed, the Dog head kids now howling. “Alright, now where exactly are we?” Zeke mumbled, looking around. After fixing her posture, Eclipsa slithered over to a gentleman with a body made of various rocks. “Uhm, Excuse me, but me and my friend are kinda lost. We flew in from overseas and kinda got turned around in the city. Could you help a girl out and tell me where we are?” She asked, crossing her arms under her bust to make it more appealing. “Er, uh, s-sure. I assume since you flew in from Overseas you’re here for the UA Sports Festival. The school is a few blocks down the road left of here. Can’t miss it.” He said. Eclipsa Smile before using her tail to get high enough to peck the man's cheek. “Thank you, have a good day!” She said with a smile before turning around and going right back to Zeke, ignoring the now blushing man. “Slut much?” Zeke asked with a grin. “Oh please, just using a few tricks Rarity had time to teach me.” Eclipsa waved off. “Your Rarity didn’t have boobs.” Zeke sighed. “So where are we then?” “Well, I wasn't able to get where, but I did find out that UA, a school of some kind, is apparently having a sport festival so big people fly in from around the world to see it. Our kid must be one of the students.” Eclipsa said. “Even found out where it is.” “In a world like this I take it this Sports Festival must be more like the Super Power Olympics then. Only reason I can think of for people flying in to see it being normal. Alright then, lead the way.” Eclipsa smiled and nodded before turning around and slithering off, following the directions the stone-man gave her. When they arrived they were met with a massive building surrounded by large walls going for miles either way, a single entrance open but the security seemed to be checking for badges. “So, how are we gonna get in?” Zeke asked. “Too public for a DTL and security is checking for badges before we can even enter.” “Well… We could always stopga the place and sneak in.” “No, the Area of effect isn’t that big. Though the Vanish spell should last long enough for us to enter quickly.” “Bitch please I Stopped a world once.” Eclipsa said with a chuckle. “We could also temporarily mind control one, or hell… even a little bit of divine intervention~” “Tempting but Even so, if someone asks for a badge as we enter we’d still be screwed… Hmm… We could steal some, but I’d rather not. Unless your Godliness can make us two fake passes?” “Never hurts to try. I mean, I am quickly having an entire reflection peacefully convert over to me, and bless most of them on the daily, this should be a snitch.’ She said before focusing on her core, past her gray and all her other aculimitive powers, even past Insanity, to her core where her godly powers… and something else she still can’t place her hand on resides. Ignoring that other power, Eclipsa reached in and tried to do a simple wish, for passes to magically appear for those without and have a positive need to enter. Two passes of such appeared in Zeke’s hand. “Oh, well that worked.” He said, putting on on while handing the other to Eclipsa. Once on, the two entered without trouble and made their way to the event Arena. It was massive, respectively. “Crap, if our guy is one of the ones participating, we are looking for a needle in a haystack.” Zeke muttered. “X won’t be sure without being close… Think we’d be able to blend in with them compedaters?” “Maybe, after all from the gosip apparently it is the whole school competing, not just those in what is known as the hero course. We could pretend to be students from one of the minor courses.” “Huh, that can work out. If that’s our goal they likely have a roster of everyone competing, so we’ll likely have to hack ourselves into their school system. I can handle that, I’ll just need a computer with Administrative access.” “And our clothes should blend us in with the students as needed.” Eclipsa nodded before seeing a entrance. “Come on, a computer should be this way. Prepare Vanish.” As they reached the door, they cast Vanish, entering and rushing through the rooms quickly before finding a classroom. E-4, and entering. “Alright, the Teachers Computer should be good enough. You go find us the uniforms they’ll be using for this event.” Zeke said as he began typing. Eclipsa having to admit, even though this was more advanced than normal computers, Zeke was quick to make it open it’s information to him. Meanwhile Eclipsa started to cast a temporary spell to make her body that of a highschool girls, though her bust was still bigger than average it wasn't as big as some of the girls that were practicing out there. She quickly found a couple of uniforms that fit her current size and Zeke’s before tossing one to him. “Here.” “Alright then. One of these lesser classes we should fit in nicely with is Department of Support, there’s a fair amount of students there and there’s five classrooms that teach it, so even though none of them will know us they will figure we’re just from one of the other classes. I kept our names and it seems I had to fill in something called a Quirk, it’s what they call powers here. I went with Snake of you and X-blade for me. Fits and from the others I’ve read, most are self explanatory.” “Got it… I just hope I don’t have to leave Oath and Oblivion out of this. Oblivion will flip once he hears that I did a competition without him.” Eclipsa chuckled. “Well I don’t know, it seems you have to register extra items into the competition, and it’s too late to add anything else.” Zeke said, putting on the uniform over his outfit. “To make our case a bit more believable I added in we are exchange students. School district seems to cover that and it goes over the Principal, so that should give us a bit of extra believability.” “You did add in my coat as a item, right?” Eclipsa asked “Yeah. That’s all I had time for. Since I put in that my ‘quirk’ lets me summon weapons that bypasses the Equipment requirement. Come on, all the other students will be meeting at the Arena, we have to find this kid fast and warn him.” “Right.” Eclipsa said before sprinting down the halls, leaving a after image behind her as she rushes to get to where is needed with Zeke not far behind. Once the two reached the Arena they were lost within the crowd of students, but kept near one another. “So far X feels he’s near, but there’s so many people here. I can’t weed the kid out.” Zeke said. “If he is as powerful as X believes, he should be one of the final ten. We can weed him out… but we will be destroying the fate of this world doing so.” Eclipsa said before grinning. “So no problem with me.” “That’s reassuring.” Zeke rolled his eyes. The event began and it was a race. First a rush outside from the narrow exit outside, then a large around the area dash back inside. “Seems simple but it would weed out those with more fitting or multi functional abilities.” Zeke said. “There’s likely obstacles too. As extra challenge.” Eclipsa nodded before wincing. “Seriously, after this tell me your trick to capping your power. I’ve had to turn off almost everything to not dash ahead of the entire crowd, give the kids a fair shot.” Eclipsa said “That’s your issue. You can’t shut it down, you can only minimize. Think of it like a Microwave cooking something like a frozen dinner. Too little time, the inside stays cold, keeping it on for longer means a fully cooked meal, otherwise known as pull power. I just keep it typically trying to heat up a meal ten seconds at a time, capping my power. Gets really hot.” Eclipsa nodded before turning back on the powers, and just… limiting them all… save for Insanity, as you can’t limit what is you. “That… honestly feels a little better.” Eclipsa said, still in the front along with Zeke, but no longer struggling to hold back. “According to the rules only the first forty two students provide, so a lot get taken out in this event alone. If we finish in the late twenties early thirties we won't stand out, but if I pick up our target then I’m rushing it. This kid has a lot more than a sports festival on the line.” Zeke said, the race about to begin. Eclipsa began in a “Jog”, and by that a speed in which only a handful of the students, most of them being heros from the looks of it, could keep up before slowing down a little to give others a shot. Zeke kept a steady pace, the narry exit being something difficult but not unmanageable. As they ran out the narry exit ways suddenly there was a massive burst of frost and ice. Zeke jumping to the higher walls and escaping the ice grabbing the other students as he leaped across it. “Damn, whichever kid did that is impressive.” “Your telling me.” Eclipsa said, having carved a hole through using subtle ice magic and a lot of brute force. “But I don't think that it was him, plenty of other ice users who can make stronger stuff in other reflections.” “Yeah-” Zeke felt a tug. “The guy’s near. Let’s hurry.” Zeke said, he and Eclipsa rushing, til they were face to face with… giant… robots. “Are you kidding me. How much of a budget does this school have?!” Zeke said, dodging a stomp from one. Eclipsa blurred up one of the bots, wrapping her tail around its neck before wiping it, snapping the head straight off and sending it crashing below. “About 15.72394 billion from the strength of the bots…. Don’t ask how I knew that.” “Damn, money must be no object in this world.” Zeke said, leaping high up, noticing one kid flying along with what looked like a Hawk or Falcon shadow, the kids head also a similar black colored bird. “Eclipsa, that’s him, the one with the bird head and shadow helper.” Zeke said. “We gotta figure out how to take him out.” Eclipsa thought for a moment, still continuing past the robots before snapping with a smile. Suddenly a group of kids that were once lagging behind got a second wind, and the race became hectic, even for the leaders once more. “A little bit of wish fulfilment should help, answering their call for a chance to win this thing.” “Good, that gives enough chaos for us to snatch him real fast. We can drag him to the bushes on the other side of this wall.” “... Fine, bit if he still wants to compete I’m helping him catch back up.” “Fair enough.” Zeke said, taking the chaos as a moment to leap up to the kid, and body slam him. “Gah! What the!?” He yelped, Zeke falling with him across the wall and into the trees, Eclipsa slithering over the walls quickly. While Zeke was unharmed in the fall the kid was a bit dazed. “You alright? Was a high fall but I imagine you’d shake it off.” Zeke said. “Hey, you two okay?” Eclipsa asked, acting like just a concerned student so as not not make the kid feel strange when she offers to help. “Ugh, I guess but the hell was with you knocking me over here?!” The kid yelled at Zeke. “It looked like a accident from where I was. Was it?” Eclipsa asked Zeke, eyes begging for him to play along with her clueless act. “... You’re really gonna act like the clueless bystander when you know the circumstances?” Zeke asked. Eclipsa sighed, rubbing her temples. “You’re a dick, you know that?” She said before turning to the kid. “Hey, sorry about him crashing into you… but we know something that you might want to hear for your own good.” “Hm? WHat do you mean?” He asked. “Who are you people. I know I’ve never seen either of you here at UA before. I’m just a freshman but even I’d recognize someone with a Mutant Querk like yours.” He said to Eclipsa. “Exchange student in the support class. Heh, we just showed up not long ago and suddenly wam, Sports festival. But right now, that's less important.” “... I don’t buy it. I know you’re not freshmen and even if you were exchange students word around the school would have spread already.” Zeke sighed. “I’m Zeke, this is Eclipsa. Look, long story short, you are one of twenty special people a really evil person is hunting.” “Evil enough that…. Well the last person he hit… you won't find them anywhere anymore.” Eclipsa said with a tone of regret. ‘If only I had been better.’ He looked over the two, seeing Eclipsa’s regret and Zeke’s anger. “Well… if that is true, then what are you two? Special forces or something?” “Heh, or something.” Zeke laughed. “So, your name?” “Fumikage Tokoyami.” He said “Listen Tokoyami.” Eclipsa said. “This person will actually look alot like Zeke here, but unlike Zeke, once you see him, you need to find a way to escape, find one of us, something, but whatever you do, avoid fighting him. You. Will. Lose. I bet even the best hero around might lose without a army of people like him backing him up.” “Are you certain of that? And why me? What makes me so special?” “Your Quirk.” Eclipsa said with a sigh. “He is going around, going to everyone who has a powerful, unique quirk, and…. Lets just say I would prefer it if he just killed them. But he doesn't.” Eclipsa said sadly. “And as for if I am certain… I have seen him in action. While he isnt as powerful as someone like you or me, he has power… and worse yet he knows his victims. He tricked me to leaving a friend just so he could do an awful thing to her, giving her a fate that is worse than death.” Eclipse said, not even lying for a moment. “... What was it?” “He took her quirk… no, fuck that. He took her and forced her into a weapon, and fused her with Zeke, who’s quirk makes him a walking weapon.” “Wait, what?” Tokoyami asked. “Yeah.” Zeke said, letting Trixie take over, the change surprising Tokoyami as Zeke changed looks and gender. “Hey.” Trixie waved. “Yup. And Trix, if your mine at least… sorry for not acting fast enough.” Eclipsa says before turning back to Tokoyami. “Believe me now?” “I...But, why me? My quirk is unique, yes, but it’s nothing worth… that.” He stammered. “It’s complicated.” Zeke said, changing back to him. “He’s smart, too smart. He knows compared to us he’s underpowered, outmatched in a fight. So he sneaks, snatching them and using speed and any advantage he can. He’s likely too smart to outsmart, so all we can do is try and keep you out of his reach. So long as he at least don't have one of you twenty, his primary goal can be stopped.” “On that same hand, if you still want to compete, I can get you back up to the top forty two.” “I… I don’t know. Is it even safe. Will be different from Zeke in anyway?” “Hey, if you wanna finish Eclipsa here can rush you back up there and I’ll charge in if anything happens. Okay? We came to keep you safe.” “Besides, It’ll be fun competing. No use trying to worry. Be aware, but don’t let that ruin your day, you hear me?” Eclipsa said, flexing her godly aura to try and calm down the small panic attack the kid was having with a smile. “Well...alright, at least it might calm my nerves.” Tokoyami said. “Alright. Eclipsa, rush him to the group, I’ll just meet you in the seats of the crowd.” Zeke said. “Don't forget to cheer for us!’ Eclipsa said with a giggle before taking Tokoyami and rushing so fast her afterimages had a after image. Zeke entered the gate dead last, not caring as he walked over to the seats. He began observing the Cavalry battle, and then the battle stage. Eclipsa fought some plant student, though it seemed like Eclipse had to try while holding back, but she did eventually win due to her simple defence, though one of her eyes was constantly glowing, it seemed as only Zeke noticed it. When Tokoyami went up against someone named Bakugo, this is when things started getting odd. Mainly Zeke noticed the sunny day began getting cloudy. “Hmm… I feel you’re here Kexez… so what’s with the weather? What’s your game?” As Tokoaymi’s match drew on the clouds got darker. “Hm… why make it darker? What reason is there for that-” Zeke then had a thought. Tokoyami’s helper is, after all a shadow… He looked at the match, Tokoyami’s shadow was indeed larger and getting more aggressive than it was when sunny. “So, it’s docile when in daylight, but the darker it gets, the wilder it gets… clever, can’t intervene yet. He hasn’t shown his hand just yet.” Eclipsa, who sat next to him, grunted as her eyes glowed so bright Zeke was surprised no one was noticing. “Don’t know where he is… but the hands are swarming, It is all I can to keep them off him.” “You may wanna tone down the flashlights before we get called out, or even kicked out.” A short student with purple, ball like hair looked up at Eclipsa and blushed, a small nosebleed trailing down his face. “H-hey, nice red eyes!” He said before saying to himself “Stupid” over and over again as he turned away, not even seeing the glow. “Huh, not even gonna ask.” Zeke said, noticing Tokoyami’s shadow was even wilder now. “Crap, at this rate he won’t be able to control it… Which would make sense. Quick- we have to-” Zeke was saying, suddenly DTD’s appearing everywhere as Heartless and Unversed began flooding everywhere. “Fuck!” He yelled, summoning a Kingdom Key and taking out five. “That bastard!” “I have an idea…” Eclipsa said before summoning more clones of herself, startling the students even more. “Protect everyone. Zeke, with me. I can keep the fates off him for now as he isn't tied to yours just yet, but if we don't act, he will be… and I’m not sure I can stop it when it gets to that.” “Alright, I’ll try and get his shadow under control, you look for Kexez, I can feel him here.” Zeke said, jumping off the edge and racing over to Tokoyami. Another copy of Eclipse ran with him, backing him up while the others took care of the others, surprising all the Heros that they were being upstaged by what seemed like a highschooler. As Zeke and the copy of Eclipsa ran up to Tokoyami, they were met by his Shadow throwing a swing of it’s now car sized hand. “R-Run! I can’t control him when it’s too dark!” Tokoyami yelled. “So, how you wanna handle it?” Zeke asked. “I’m currently keeping the hands away from him, but we need…. We need light. I’ll focus on creating that light with a fire spell, you keep me covered incase Kezex shows up.” She said, lifting up her X-blade and focusing it into a giant as hell mega flare and keeping it on the tip of the blade. As Zeke kept that Shadow of Tokoyami’s at bay, the situation only seemed to grow worse as the DTD’s keep letting out Heartless, overwhelming the pros and aiding students. Even with all of Eclipsa’s copies, it was a lot to deal with. Eclipse hand even started to make copies with the purpose of making copies, hundreds of Eclipse running around, slaying heartless while the one by Zeke kept growing the huge mega flare, making a miniature sun that had started to shine brightly. “I will kill Kezex for this.” She grunted, her eyes never blinking in an attempt to hold back these “hands of fate.” As more kept coming, time seemed to freeze. Eclipsa the only one noticing it. She couldn’t move, no matter how hard she tried… thankfully her eyes kept burning but that only took care of whatever she saw, even as she struggled against the magic. As time, for her at least, kept on, she saw someone enter her field of view. It was a woman, young, fair skin and long blond hair. Her attire was as it it was made from countless loose strings all handing down from her neck down. When she walked into Eclipsa’s field of view, she looked at Eclipsa, and Eclipsa saw her skin was beginning to turn red, vapors coming off her. ‘Who the fuck is this?’ She thought, trying to pull back from the vapors fruitlessly as her eyes kept burning the fates, unblinking despite the need to. The woman walked up to Eclipsa, the vapors and burns growing more so as she got closer. “Such will, such anger.” She spoke, her voice like honey to Eclipsa’s ears. “Shame, you hate me and my work so much. Just remember, despite what I often do, I am neutral in all of this.” ‘You… my eyes burn fate, as well as my very presence… you are fate herself.’ Eclipse thought, recognition in her eyes. She walked over to Zeke, Eclipsa barely keeping her in her field of view. “Zeke Ventral, you and all your Reflections, possibly my greatest works, both the good and bad. So much I wish I could tell you, but not yet… not while he still draws breath.” She said, walking over to Tokoyami now. “Child… this is not what I had crafted for you… but, it’s what is now meant to be.” She said, placing a hand on him. “Forgiveness, a luxury I can never have. But know this, in the end, it will all work out. I can at least say that.” Time began to move again, Fate vanishing as Zeke was rushing towards Tokoyami, a DTD opening under him as a Darkside hand grabbed him. As Zeke was about to slash, the hand pulled Tokoyami in, making the kids head the new target of Zeke’s attack. Zeke disbanded his Keyblade, right before it hit, flying passed Tokoyami as he was dragged into the darkness, and the portal closed, as did the rest. Eclipsa sighed sorrowfully, all the clones disappearing back into the main original clone, each willed with detection and… despair. No hope seen in her crimson red eyes as she sat down, reverting back to her adult self. “It all begins and ends with him… doesn’t it Fate?” she said, laying back as the clouds parted and the sky became clear once more. “Damn it.” Zeke cursed, pounding the ground. “That mother fucker…” “No point in raging about what we could have done Cousin… heh, I guess this was an awakening that no matter how much I defy my own destiny… I guess I can’t change for others what is set in stone.” Eclipsa said with a slightly mad, yet sorrowful chuckle. Zeke grunted, standing up. “Stone can break… just keep punching.” “It may… it may… but what is the price for it? To punch a stone to the point where it breaks for a normal being, they would need to bunch far past the point of irreparable damage… “ Eclipsa sighed. “Zeke, I know I’ve always been a beacon of defiance… but I’ve grown. And if i go with you to the others, or stay, the outcome will be the same, only the means will change… and even fate isn't happy about it if her reaction was anything to go by.” She chuckled. “I bet she herself was hoping that I would have been enough to stop it, no matter the pain she is put under just from being around me.” Eclipsa said, sounding more mad than normal to Zeke, talking about Fate like a person. “So what?! You expect me to just give up?” “No… I wouldn't want that for you, even if my family was on the line.” She said, turning away from him as a small crowd of heros started to make their way over. “I hope you can defy your fate… but I will change nothing… and I won't hold my breath. Will I hope, pray even that you will find a way to reverse what has been done and prevent more? Yes. Do I think it will come to pass….That is something I am still looking for an answer to.” “Hm. You really have changed. Then again, I guess you got other priorities.” “Becoming a responsible parent for once will change you. As well has having million and millions of lives, all looking to you for help, salvation, even just friendship. Half of Daybreak ended up in my reflection, under my jurisdiction. I have a reflection almost exclusively worshiping me by now. I have my family that I care for, and soon I will be a teacher. I am training to save an entire race form a corrupted keyblade wielder, as well as having a suicide mission hanging above my head before this keyblade war even starts. I tamed my insanity and will soon be learning how to work with it, and last but not least I have to deal with the pressure that the moment one being catches wind of me currently, I can say goodbye to everything I have ever cared about before being killed, if not rewritten and coded to be under his command…. So yes, I have grown up.” Eclipsa ranted calmly. “And as much as this will sound rude, The fact that gaining power is your only concern is selfish.” “...Maybe it is. But hey,” Zeke said, turning around into a DTL. “Who’s perfect in this world?” He asked, walking into it and leaving Eclipsa alone. Eclipsa sighed sadly. ‘It needed to be said.’ She thought before turning to the afraid, cautious, confused, and angry crowd before her and Explaining. Explaining that she and Zeke came here to try and prevent Tokoyami’s kidnapping, What she was, though it required some proof she had to show, what the creatures were, weather or not they would see their friend/student/family again. That last one was the hardest No Eclipsa had ever said, and the tears on many of them did little to help. She left for home through a DTG before more cops could show up, a single tear of gray falling down into the floor below as she did so before arriving at her home. The pieces have fallen into place. The game has barely begun, and already our adversaries believe it all fruitless. Tisk tisk, so naive. Now now, let’s remember. We did not begin this game, just to build their perfect weapons. We started it, to make their perfect Heroes. So what is this end result you crave so dearly Vincent? Isn’t it obvious? And Ending of course. I arrived home mentally exhausted, feeling like crap as I just collapsed on the couch. Before snapping and getting rid of this clone body, my focus once again on my original, pregnant self. I layed in bed, looking outside to Luna’s night. “I hope you find what matters to you Zeke… because currently, the example your setting to your kids… its just as bad as I was. Making a similar mistake that I did. Power isnt evil… and I can change fate… but it is your destiny to gain it to Cript levels.” She sighed before singing ”Simple and Clean is the way that your making me feel tonight. It’s hard to let you go.”