//------------------------------//
// Earthen Resolve. 
// Story: Equestrian Eeveelution. 
// by Symphonicdysonince 
//------------------------------//

[Third]

Apple Bloom sat outside the room, nervously checking over her reagents. She was sure she had enough, and Runic said that the University would provide the circle, so she just needed to wait for them to be ready for her.

She knew that they would be surprised with her choice of summon.  Most stop at the second tier of the family Apple Bloom had chosen. Those are nice and mostly docile, even helpful. Quick to spring to action when a command is given, often going beyond what is expected. How could such sweet helpful creatures become their third tier? 

Large, strong and stubborn, few summoners dare even attempt summoning one of these. Once they've decided they want to go somewhere, they will go there, even if something is in the way. Benches, market stalls, houses, if it's in the way, it's soon to be trash. The book she found this recipe in even had a story where one trampled a battalion of guardsponies because it wanted to sleep in the palace. And when it decides to dig in, nothing can make it move. Not high tide, not a raging lightingstorm, not even an earthquake.

Not even said battalion of guards.

Apple Bloom gave a weak giggle. She nervously stared at her bag. This is a crazy idea. She thought to herself. Insane! It just don' plum make sense! Her hoof tightened around the bag. So of course I'll do it! I'm a Cutie Mark Crusader, and I've done crazier than this before! She nodded, envisioning the summon in her head. It would be big.

And wide.

And Big.

And sturdy.

Bigger then Big Mac!

... Better check this one more time.

The door popped open before the filly could re-reopen her bag. Runic poked his head out, gave her a smile and leaned down to be on eye level with the farm filly.

"You ready?" He murmured.

"Not really." Apple Bloom admitted. "But I ain't gettin' any readier, so..."

Runic snorted. "Ah, yes. I was just the same for my first bonding." He glared at Porter. "Someone found my Displacia very humorous. Anyways," he readdressed the filly, "remember, we have an ice elemental ready like you asked."

Hopefully I won't need to use the back up. Apple Bloom nodded.

Runic led her back into the dreaded auditorium. Gone were the chairs and desks, the rising steps lowered into the floor to make a single smooth surface. Shutters that had been closed and hidden the last two days were now open, allowing Steel Circle to observe the ritual, a large polar bear like summon standing behind her. After a few more words of encouragement, Runic had Porter pop him in beside Steel.

He landed upside-down and two feet left from where he wanted, but he was on the safe side of the glass.

Nodding to Runic as he untangled himself, Steel tapped a hoof against a small crystal. "You may begin when ready." Her voice crackled beside Apple Bloom.

Taking a deep breath, Apple Bloom pushed her nerve to the side with the exhale, and began to place the items around the large circle. Several piles of wood bark from the many trees of Sweet Apple Acres found themselves placed beside the finest sands Twilight had managed to get for the Crusaders. Apple seeds, hazelnuts, acorns and pine cones that had been crushed with sandstone, limestone, chert, and greywacke pebbles, supplied by Pinkie, were carefully poured into piles in the appropriate spots. Shavings of blue ice, carefully preserved, were scattered separately amongst the piles. The Circle itself dominated the floor. Obviously, it was there for summons like the one she had planned.

With the reagents in place, the circle unbroken, and her empty bag kicked off to side so that it was out of the way, Apple Bloom nodded. With a final sigh, she closed her eyes, and began to chant.

"Hypzl, Nbhykphu vm aol Nshkl.
Hypzl, Jopskl vm aol Tvbuahpuz
huk Wyvnluf vm aol Ayllz.
Hypzl, Nylha Ilhza vm Dvvk huk Lhyao.

Ollk tf jhss, huk ollk tf jvtthukz.
P jhss fvb mvyao av sluk tl aof hpk.
P jhss bwvu fvb, hz h Svyk jhssz bwvu aolpy Chzzhs.

P ipuk fvb av tf dpss dpao Aybl Pjl,
zv aoha tf jvtthukz dpss il buiyvrlu.
P sluk zbjjvy dpao Fnnkyhzps,
zv aoha fvb thf ulcly mhss.
P npma fvb dpao aol zaylunao vm aol Dvysk'z Olhya,
zv aoha fvb thf jvtwslal fvby ahzrz.

Jvtl av tl, Zwpypa vm aol Jvuapulua!"

The harsh words rolled off her tongue with practiced ease. As the last guttural tone crossed her lips, Apple Bloom opened her eyes, only to squint them in the harsh light of the summoning. With a thundering crash of displaced air, the light vanished, revealing the summon in its place.

Four thick brown legs with grey, rock-like toes supported a truly massive body, jutting out from an impressively thick shell. In fact, for the longest time, Apple Bloom could only focus on the mainly green shell, with the off center trio of stony spires, balanced by the tree growing on its other side from the thick loam coating the top of the shell. A flat, hexagonal stone plate dominated the shell above the creature's head.

The head itself, when Apple Bloom could focus on it, had two large grey spikes growing from its cheeks. Brown flesh could be seen in front of its black-ringed, red eyes, although the head was mostly encased in thick green carapace. The plate of carapace at the very tip of the creatures upper jaw was black, while the plate attached to the lower jaw was jagged, giving the summon an overall fearsome look.

Great, I've summoned the Dodaitose. Apple Bloom gulped. Now what?

Runic nervously glanced at Steel. He knew that look. That hardened glare, that stern set of her jaw. Steel was impressed, and ready to call off the ritual right at that moment. Only by the fact that this little filly had done something so unexpected, so daring, that stopped Steel from sending in her summon to stop this ritual.

Apple Bloom began trotting from side to side. If what she remembered from the tomes was right, then this was a male Torterra, which were slightly bigger then their female counterparts. Though the Torterra never moved, his eyes tracked the filly's every move. Stopping, Apple Bloom cleared her throat. "Ahem. Please step out of the circle." She pointed a hoof to her side.

The Torterra just yawned and lay down to rest.

"I said, step out of the circle." The filly gritted her teeth.

<<:Make me.:>> He seemed to drawl.

"Do It!" Apple Bloom growled. "Now."

<<:Why?:>> He snorted. <<:I can't bring myself to care for your orders. You aren't worth my time.:>> He closed his eyes and fell asleep, ignoring the filly.

Apple Bloom's eye twitched at this. She knew that these summons' stubbornness often overrode the ritual's compulsion element. She knew that she would have a better chance of asking the trees back home to tap dance than getting this Torterra to move.

But she was an Apple, moon sent it! And Apples knew a thing or two about stubbornness themselves.

"Move it!" Apple bloom roared, rearing up, and bringing her own head down onto the Torterra's, hoping to glare it right in the eyes.

There was a meaty thump as the two skulls met. With a soft "Oh", Apple Bloom slumped to the floor, rolling back off the reawakened Torterra's head.

Apple Bloom wasn't sure how long she lay there, staring up at the ceiling. Everything looked kind of fuzzy, drifting in and out of focus. A shadow fell over her, a green and brown blob taking up most of her vision. She lazily turned her head towards where she remembered the center of the room was, and let out a dazed chuckle.

"Heh." She smiled at the Torterra that was starting to come back into focus. "Got ya t'move."

The Torterra blinked, before looking down at its own feet, and saw that he was straddling the circle's edge. <<:Huh. So ya did.:>> Carefully scooping Apple bloom up with his head, he shuffled so that the little filly could recover from her self-inflicted headache on his back.

Back in the observation booth, Steel leaned over to Runic. "Cast the spell. I want to know if she was successful, or if this caring behavior is part of the compulsion."

"R-right." Runic's horn began to glow as his aura gently brushed the forms in the other room. He held his breath as the spell worked its way to completion. the light around his horn faded as he let the breath out in an explosive sigh. "I don't know how she did it, but it's done."

"Fascinating." Steel murmured. She pressed the crystal again. "Well done, Apple Bloom. Now all you have to do is name him, and the bond will be complete. Don't worry about what to call him, the name will come to you." She removed her hoof, turning back to Runic. "I don't know where Twilight Sparkle found these fillies, but, if the other two are anything like this one, then we can expect great things from them."

"Absolutely." Runic agreed. "I mean, I heard about the fire, but this is something else."

"Runic." Steel arched an eyebrow at the stallion. "I don't think anypony has been able to bond with a Dodaitose before. I will be looking into that later." She turned to leave by a hidden door. "I look forward to tomorrow."

Meanwhile, Apple Bloom's head slowly stopped hurting. As it did so, a word floated to the front of her mind. "I think I'm gonin' to call ya Triphyle." She felt her summon rumble his agreement. "Glad ya like it. I hope ya like apple trees, 'cuz I live an' work on a farm. Can't wait to see Big Mac's face when he meets ya." She finished with a chuckle. Finally, she felt well enough to stand. "Well, first thing's first, let's introduce ya to... my... friends... " She looked down to the broad back of Triphyle, before glancing back at the observation room.

"Mister Gears? I kinda forgot about the door..."