We left for Canterlot less than two days ago, the trip was going quite well. The weather was nice, the birds and the flying pokèmon were getting along nicely. All in all the journey was mostly uneventful. The only thing worthy of note was when we encountered a herd of Ponyta and Rapidash, nothing dangerous but Trixie will now think twice before starting a conversation with other horse like Pokèmon… her hat will that's for sure.
I couldn't help it but giggle when I thought again about that episode. “If you are thinking about what Trixie is thinking you are thinking then Trixie will make you pull this wagon, Anne.” Trixie said sternly.
“No ma'am, just thinking about...uh…”
“Weird berry names!” Thomas shouted saving me from the magician’s ire.
“Yes, that! Absolutely! Leppa Berry hehehe…” I awkwardly confirmed.
“Trixie will just pretend to believe you.” She said.
“Alright… thanks. Hey, I feel something…” there was a strange feeling of malice in the air, but I couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from.
“Over us in the sky!” I heard Thomas shout. I looked up and saw a flock of flying pokèmon, starly and staravia made up most of the floc, but some Pidgey were scattered in the group as well.
“We must have entered their territory they see us as a threat. Trixie get ready for trouble.” I shouted from the roof of the cart.
The cart stopped, and Trixie sighed. “When shouldn't Trixie expect trouble?”
“Incoming!” I shouted, the starly we're now bombarding us using Aerial Ace and peck which fortunately we all avoided, that didn't make them any less motivated, they flew high in the air ready to bombard us again.
When one of them approached me I immediately took it into my telekinesis and swatted it away from us, They were flying too fast for Thomas to catch him in his telekinesis, so he relied more on his fists for the job.
All in all, though he was fairing very well.
THOMAS POV
I punched and dodged the incoming enemies, as well as I could, there was a lot of them, and the big birds were still up in the air watching the battle closely. They weren't hard to swat away. Fortunately, they were very light, they did have with number though. More than once I had to duck down to avoid an incoming mass of Starly, then out of the blue, a Staravia started to call for the others causing them to retreat.
The Staravia glared at me, and I couldn't help it but shudder at the sight. Then fast as lightning, it attacked, it hit me square in the chest with immense force, not to the extreme the Snorlax had done, but a close second. I stumbled and rolled on the cart almost falling off of the edge. Immediately I tried to stand up and narrowly avoided a nasty peck thrown my way.
Anne apparently noticed and started to bombard the Staravia with her psychic bombs, meanwhile I couldn't do anything until it came down again to get me. “Anne, can you slow it down so I can punch it?” I shouted.
“Maybe! Let me just…” she trailed off creating an aura around the Pokèmon in mid-air, the Staravia descended once more, but this time it was slower.
“Take this oversized chicken!” I shouted while punching it square in the face, throwing it to the ground motionless.
“Hey! Let Trixie go!” Trixie shouted. I searched for her and saw a big Staraptor taking her in the air in his talons. Trixie was squirming in his grasp but couldn't do very much unless she wanted to plummet down.
“Trixie!” Anne shouted charging another psychic bomb, the move was interrupted by another Staravia crashing into her side, throwing her from the roof.
“Anne!” I shouted and sprinted to her location. I saw her under the Staravia narrowingly evading his beak while trying to push it away, I jumped down from the roof and directly on the bird. Then I grabbed it by its neck and started to choke it. Anne used this at her advantage and focused enough to blast the bird with her bombs.
I threw the unconscious Staravia away and checked Anne. “How are you? Anything broken?” I frantically asked.
“I'm fine… I think.” She said, while she tried to get up she flinched and screamed.
“Anne!” I said pulling her up from the ground.
“I think I broke my leg in the fall.” She said.
“Alright, I'll bring you inside now and then I'm going to beat that Staraptor and save Trixie.” I said.
“What? No you can't, not alone!” She shouted.
“But I need to. You are in no condition to fight.” I said sternly.
“What about the rest of the flock?” She asked looking around.
“They escaped, they followed their leader away towards the waterfalls on the mountain side.” I explained.
“ Damn it.” She said almost tearing up. Then she calmed down while I entered the cabin. “Fine, I'll stay here but you better return with Trixie AND some roasted chicken!” She shouted enraged.
I carried her to her bed and delicately dropped her on the mattress. “I'm no medic but I know that you need a splinter of some kind.” I said I looked around the room to search for a suitable object for the job and found the leg of a chair to be the perfect size for her. Well not perfect but close enough.
I used a rope from Trixie's chest in her cabin to secure the splinter and rushed to the door, before I closed it though I said. “I'll be back.” In my most convincing Terminator voice.
ANNE POV
“I'll be back.”
“Pft. Dork.”
THOMAS POV
I started to run towards the waterfalls where I saw the flock going. I didn't encounter any more flying type pokémon along the road but I sure encountered a lot of Bug and Earth pokémon the majority avoided me so I didn't mind them too much. A little Pichu though started to follow me and mimicked my motions, cute.
In any case I had to leave him while I started to climb the mountain to reach the source of the waterfall.
“Sorry little guy. I have to go up there and you can't come with me. It will be dangerous.” I told him not really expecting anything from him but…
He nodded and jumped away happily while waving at me. I waved back and soon found myself against a worthy foe, the side of a mountain.
“Alright Thomas, you can do this!” I said and started to climb.
In half an hour I finally reached the waterfalls. I huffed and puffed while regaining my breath, it wasn't that hard to climb but still... The waterfalls apparently led up to a cave with a river in it. I promptly followed it and searched for Trixie, my journey took me to another branch of the river. There was a waterfall inside the cave and then the river split in two, I continued to follow the river and exited the cave.
In front of me there was a closed area with an open sky, there were a lot of pillars made of white marble filled with nests, on one pillar far bigger than the others, I found Trixie. She was fine for what I could see but unconscious.
The area was traversed by the river which zig zagged through the pillars and reached a little lake in the middle. To reach the actual ground tough I would have to jump approximately 5 meters, not a big deal but still frightening now that I was so short.
I couldn't jump of course so I found a way down by climbing yet again, strangely the Starly weren't there, which was good but very suspicious.
Which wasn't good.
I reached the base of the biggest pillar and started, again! To climb. Not really funny, the rock was almost polished and finding any kind of support was a nightmare. Long story short I reached the top of the pillar and ran towards Trixie.
I couldn't see from where I exited the cave but there was blood on the other side of her head, blasted Staraptor must have dropped her on a rock and fell unconscious, fortunately she was still breathing.
“Trixie…”
A sudden pain shot out from my back and I rolled on the ground painfully. I looked around and saw the same Staraptor gazing at me with his eyes.
“You stupid birdbrain! I will make sure to swat you around like a piñata for what you did to Trixie!” I threatened boiling with anger.
The Staraptor wasn't intimidated at all though and swiftly his wings became white and I found myself facing a direct Gust to the face. I barely dodged and just got hit by loose pebbles but I couldn't rest just yet.
I tried to summon my psychic powers to grab him but he acted quickly and immediately flew against me hitting me with his wing, which was covered in metal.
‘Dammit… Steel Wing.’ I suddenly thought before an incredible pain encompassed me from the midsection. I fell on the ground almost unconscious, when I looked up again I saw the Staraptor preparing another Steel Wing, if I didn't do anything I would have died.
My hand grabbed the nearest rock and I rolled to the side slashing at the Staraptor underbelly with it. Some blood poured but nothing serious, the pokémon screeched in pain and immediately looked pissed.
I clutched my hands on the rock and stood up glaring at the offending bird. “Trixie is not your dinner!” I shouted.
A barrage of flapping and chirping immediately drew my attention behind me and I saw the entire flock starting to descend on Trixie.
“NO!” I shouted and threw myself over Trixie swatting away the Starly with my rock. They hit me over and over but I couldn't give up. It was too important.
My rock started to glow in a purplish light.
'Don't touch her!’ I angrily thought.
“STAY AWAY FROM HER!” I snapped slashing in front of me, immediately a blade of pure energy shot out from the rock and slashed a third of the flock which dropped down on the ground with a lot of cuts and bruises.
The rest of them seeing that I was still a threat started to attack more viciously and I retailed with even more psychic blades.
“T-Thomas?” I heard Trixie say weakly.
“Trixie! Find a shelter or do a magic but get out of here!” I shouted to her while battling more and more opponents, even the ones I downed early were back again.
“What's happening where am I?” She asked confused and dazzled. She tried to stand up but failed and dropped down with a heartbroken whine.
“Stand down Trixie I'll take care of them. Can you turn invisible or something?” I suggested.
My answer was a groan of pain. “I'll take that as a no.”
“Alright you birds I didn't want to do this but you leave me no choice, I don't care what they will think of me I WILL KILL YOU if that's what you need to stay down! I'll do anything to protect them both!” I shouted and immediately a bright light blinded me.
I felt stronger, my pains were gone, my bruises and cuts healed. I looked in front of me still with my rock in my hands and roared with all my might slashing horizontally against the entire flock. A mighty psychic blade exited from my rock slicing the air in front of it and ultimately it sliced through the bodies of the majority of the pokémon.
Many hit the ground with a sickening splash but I didn't care, they drove me to that. The others seeing their friends demise left and flew away. The Staraptor though.
He was angry.
He shot out in the air and started to drop on me, his body was blazing with a bluish flame, I recognized the attack, I was ready to dodge but behind me Trixie was still in no condition to do so. So I stood my ground, and tanked the hit.
The Brave Bird hit like a train and almost knocked me unconscious there and there. But I endured and survived the move, because I knew that the backslash was going to happen.
As expected the Staraptor flinched in pain from the move and I seized the opportunity, I jumped and slashed horizontally pointing down over the pokémon, unfortunately he managed to sidestep quickly and avoided the hit.
I wasn't finished though immediately after I landed I slashed again and this time I hit him in the side, I didn't cut him strangely. The blade exploded on contact with him instead but he painfully landed against a near rock pile and knocked it over.
I remained there waiting for him to return, but he didn't. So I walked back and went to Trixie's side. “Hey Trixie? You ok? Can you walk?” I asked concerned, also I noted that the gash on her left side was gone.
“Yes, I-Trixie is fine. Thank you, I- LOOK OUT!” She shouted, immediately spun around and barely deflected an incoming air slash with my rock.
“He is still alive! Keep yourself down Trixie I don't want you to hurt yourself again.” I said.
“Oh no! You will not treat me as some useless foal! Trixie will fight and will help you defeat this brute that foalnapped me!” She shouted angry, determined. I couldn't say no to that now could I?
“Fine, but look out here he comes again!” The Staraptor wasted no time and was immediately up in the air throwing air slashes at us from a distance. Trixie used various rocks and threw them at him with little effect.
“Don't you have anything stronger?” I asked.
“Trixie is a street magician not a battle mage!”
The Staraptor was tired of us and flew in the air once again charging brave bird. I couldn't take another hit like that, I needed a plan.
“Trixie can you grab him?” I asked.
“I don't know! Why?!” She asked visibly worried and looking straight at the incoming flaming bird projectile.
“Slow him down a bit and I will end this! Can you do it?”
“I'll try!”
Her horn sparkled with her pinkish aura and immediately engulfed the incoming Pokémon, the Staraptor slowed down a bit, but not enough.
“Come on Trixie! Show this pigeon why you are Great and Powerful!” I cheered.
“Slow down you insolent bird!” She shouted scrunching her nose and clenching her teeth. The aura doubled in size and the Staraptor slowed down even more, he was still fast but at least he wasn't a truck flying at me anymore.
'Perfect!’ I charged head on, I was face to face with the Staraptor. Both of use were staring each other down. I grabbed my rock with both my hands, and then it crumbled and pulverized. I was dumbstruck.
'No! Not now!’ I thought in a mix of rage and desperation. I didn't have any time to dodge now, I couldn't grab another rock and I couldn't absolutely take this hit again. So I slashed with my arm instead, a white light engulfed it and immediately a far larger and thicker blade shoot out from it cutting through the incoming attack.
The Staraptor stopped glowing and slowed down to a crawl then, he fell on the ground in free fall. When he slammed against the ground he… he was cut in two right down the middle. I killed him.
“Is it…?” Trixie asked in trembling voice. Both for the strain of using that much magic and the adrenaline finally leaving her system. Or probably because of the bloody proof of my crime on the ground.
“Yes.” I answered. “I killed it. I had to.” I said.
“You don't have to justify it from me.” Trixie said. “You did what you had to. I'm sorry it came down to this. If I was stronger maybe…” She started.
I stopped her. “No. It wasn't your fault nor anybody else's. The Staraptor attacked us, we had to defend ourselves. I think I imagined it with too much naivety, sometimes you have to do things you don't want to do.” I said tired.
“Let's go back. We can rest, and tomorrow we will reach Canterlot.” She said, I almost glanced back to the body before her hoof firmly stopped me. “Stop. Don't look. It's over.” She said, soothingly and calmly.
“Yeah it is.” I answered in a breath. “The way back is right there, but we have to climb. Are you up for that?” I asked changing the subject.
“Trixie is more than capable of a little hiking.” She said reverting to her old voice and mannerism.