//------------------------------// // Ch. 48 Paper Moon // Story: The Gaps in F r i e n d s h i p // by Arcanum -Phantasy //------------------------------// Four Archwraiths stared at a oneway portal with slacked jaws and wide eyes as the fiery hared girl it displayed wandered clumsily through a massive scorched chamber. Lily was more than aware that Sunset was not a typical girl, but to see her display such a massive amount of power so easily was still rather jarring. However, her shock didn't last long as she compared the power displayed to what Hearths Warming had thrown at her in the past. While it was still impressive, the little fire show didn't hold a candle to the power her hated rival consistently brought to the table. A smile slowly grew on her face as she continued to watch her prey struggle. "Interesting," she mused. "Perhaps this won't be quite as easy as I thought it would be." "Mom?" the CMC asked in unison, turning to face the elder Archwraith. "Listen well my children," she smiled. "In this world, there are people whole wield powers comparable to us. Though they are in much smaller numbers now than they used to be, they still exist. What you just saw was an example of one such person." Oh! We knew that," Sweetie smiled. "But we've never seen Sunset do anything like that before." "Really?" Lily asked, perplexed. "Do tell my dear. What kind of powers have Sunset displayed so far?" "Not that many," Applebloom shrugged. "Normally, she needs our fake sisters to sing with her to do anything cool." "Yeah!" Scootaloo chimed in, staring at her sisters. "Remember the time they made that giant magic Alicorn? That was epic!" "I see," Lily hummed. "Interesting. All the same, this will be the most important lesson I can teach you my dears." "What?" the three girls asked. "Gather information, then break them from the inside out." *** Lyra walked with purpose, one hand resting on the wall to her left as she watched out for any kind of potential threats. If any of her time spent playing RPGs and dungeon crawlers had taught her anything, it was that places like these were always loaded with traps or monsters. Her pony ears twitched as she walked, a part of her taking note of how weird they felt as she tried to pick up any noises that would tell her whether or not she was being stalked. Stay calm Lyra, she thought, taking a deep breath to level out her nerves. This is what you've been training for. As the Element of Magic, you need to be strong for your friends. You've got this. Remember what Magic taught you. "I can do this," she said, a confident frown decorating her face as she walked. Slowly, her horn started to tingle as a new type of energy started to fill the halls. She paused, a cold chill shooting down her spine as the sickly feeling of the tainted energy washed over her like toxic waste. Shame filled her along with fear as she stayed like that, paralyzed as she stared into the dimly lit abyss down the hall. She audibly gulped as she forced her legs to move. I-I have to do this, she thought, her gate stiff as she felt the tainted energy grow around her with each step. I-I'm the Element of Magic! I have to be brave! M-My friends- She froze as she came to a sudden realization; her friends were in this dungeon too. She was sure that each of them were going through the same things. Strangely, that thought was comforting to her in a way. While she would've been much happier if they were all safe at home, the knowledge that she wasn't alone in this maze gave her a bit more strength to move forward with. She knew that her friends would be okay. She could see the magic that surrounded them grow massively over the past week. In a lot of ways, she felt really sorry for anyone that got in Sunset's way, what with how the girl's magic had grown. "I won't be the odd one out here," she huffed, her stride becoming more like a march as she made her way through the tainted hallway. "I'm not some helpless girl stuck sitting on the sidelines anymore." As she said that, a glowing transparent card appeared in each of her hands, one white and the other pitch black. "Come on Lily," she smiled. "Show me what you've got, cuz I'm not holding anything back." *** Lily raised a brow as she watched Lyra through her portal, the girl's sudden shift in personality secondary in her list of concerns as she studied the girl's hands. While the one in her right hand repulsed her, the one in her left felt eerily similar to her own power in terms of structure. "What can you three tell me about this one?" she asked, pointing at the card shark. "That's Lyra," Applebloom said. "She's one of the biggest nerds in school, always goin' on about Magic the Gatherin' or what not. Why?" "Has she ever shown any kind of power before now?" she asked, still staring at the girl on the other side of the portal. "Nope!" Scootaloo frowned, shaking her head. "Maybe going through the portal gave her magic." "That can happen?" Lily asked, staring wide eyed at her children. "Yep!" Sweetie chirped. "That's how we got ours!" Lily brought a hand to her chin in thought as she took this information in. If this so called portal could grant that kind of power, then there may be some benefits in visiting this "other world" after all. "I see," she hummed, temporarily shelving the thought for later. "Let's see just what kind of powers this "Lyra" has, shall we?" "Is she getting close to one of the seeds?" Sweetie asked as she looked into the portal. "Yes," Lily purred. "And this one is far more powerful than the one Sunset destroyed." "That's good," Applebloom said with a relieved sigh. "Cuz Ah really want ta' eat her. She smells really tasty." "I know, right?" Scootaloo beamed, licking her lips as she stared through the portal. "She must've been through a lot to have so much negativity inside her." Lily nodded and leaned back in her seat. Now then, what kind of power do you house little Lyra? *** Toxic energy coated the walls as Lyra walked, its slimy influence making her feel sick with each step. She knew she was closing in on something awful, but the light tingling of her magic in her hands gave her the courage needed to move forward. That and rage as she remembered that the creature here was the reason Sunset suffered for so long. Memories of the time she spent with the girl flashed to the front of her mind and how she was when she helped Derpy take her stuff out of her previous "home". The dead look in her eyes and empty view of the world brought her back to how she used to be after her Grandmother's death prior to meeting Bonbon. She could see the dark pit that Sunset had found herself in because she'd been there herself. For that reason, she found herself forming a kind of bond with the girl that only they could understand properly. It was the reason she told Sunset about the kind of person she was in the past and showed her how things were for her in the present. Her grip on her magic cards tightened as she felt the taint in the air intensify. Where she felt fear before, anger and determination took its place as she rounded a corner. At the end of a long hallway stood a brightly lit room in the distance. Her stride quickened as she moved towards the light with purpose in every step in spite of the noxious energy that surrounded her. When she crossed the threshold into the chamber, she was greeted by a sight that made her take a step back. The chamber was massive with a floor and ceiling covered with brightly glowing flowers. At its heart sat a being wearing thick black gothic armor in an equally elaborate black throne. Surrounding them were a dozen figures wearing a similar type armor, most of them holding a lither figure while the rest held the build of knights from the age of antiquity. All of them were armed, some with a short sword and buckler, a few with a pair of short swords, and two of them with a broad sword each. The seated figure stared at Lyra with its head propped up on its closed right fist on its armrest, its face hidden behind their helmet's faceplate. Lyra glared defiantly at the figure as she retook her lost step, her horn tingling as she tapped into more of her magic in preparation to strike. "Are you Lily?" she asked coldly. For a long moment, the figure said nothing, the dark energy coming off of it the only thing telling Lyra that she wasn't talking to a statue. In a cold feminine voice, the figure said, "No. A worthless fool such as you is not worthy of my mistress' time. I am Algantha, the mistress' prime seed and the one who shall end your worthless life." Lyra blinked, then smiled as she said, "So you're a mini boss. Good. I was worried I wouldn't get a chance to test out my magic on anything before the final boss showed up." "Are you mocking me, child?" Algantha asked, straightening her posture in her throne. "Sort of," she shrugged. "Don't get me wrong. You look like a pretty cool mini boss, but I've seen a lot of cooler ones that totally sucked in the past. It's always the worst part in games, ya know?" "You think this is a game?" the seed intoned, her hands griping the armrests of her throne tightly. "Everything in life is when you think about it," Lyra chuckled. "The difference is, some of the games out there have higher stakes then others. If you get a job you want, you won that game. Get a failing grade on a test, you lost. Right here, right now? I'm playing a game that I can't afford to lose." As she said that, she raised her hand and pointed her glowing white card at the seed with a determined frown on her lips. "And I don't intend to." "Fool," Algantha grumbled, then pointed at a lithe solder armed with a pair of blades. "End her." The solder nodded, drew its blades, and charged at Lyra. The teen grinned and dropped the card she was pointing at Algantha. "Come to my side." https://youtu.be/VEC0gZvMVAI In a flash, a figure appeared between Lyra and the incoming solder. The being was made entirely out white energy, its form identical to a white knight of legend complete with sword and a gleaming shield that held back the solder's blades. The knight let out a faint grunt as he pushed the soldier back with his shield and took a swipe at it with his own sword. The solder quickly brought its blades together to block the attack and was knocked back further for its trouble. Algantha let out a frustrated growl as she slammed her hand onto her armrest before she pointed at another solder, this one armed with a sword and buckler. "Bring me her head!" she growled. The soldier nodded, drew its weapon, and charged towards the teen. Lyra just grinned at the incoming attacker and threw her black card, again ordering something to her side. The card exploded in a black flash of light and was replaced by a shadowy equivalent of the knight she previously summoned. The black knight met the solder with its blade, the force of the swing sending the smaller opponent flying back fifty feet before it skidded to a stop in the flower covered dirt. Algantha took in the sight with shock, the expression safely hidden behind her face mask as she watched her servant stagger back to their feet. "What kind of power is this?" she demanded, rising to her feet. "Like it?" Lyra grinned. "Its called Summoning Magic. I create a world in my mind and I can pull creatures from that world into this one! Pretty useful, huh?" "Indeed," Algantha nodded reluctantly. "But it will not do you any good. I've encountered others with similar abilities in the past and they all suffered the same weakness in the end." "And that is?" Lyra frowned. "Kill the head, the body will follow," she said coldly before bellowing, "END HER!" With that, all of Algantha's servants drew their weapons and charged. Lyra glared at the incoming forces, called ten more cards into her hands, and threw them at her attackers. "Come to my side everyone!" she cried. "Let's show her what we're made of!" Multiple flashes filled the room as a swarm of glowing blue birds darted towards the incoming soldiers. At first, they ignored the incoming swarm, but that quickly changed when the bird's wings cut deep gashes into their armor. The dual-wielders of the group struck out at the birds while the ones armed with thicker armor forced their way past the assault to get towards their target. With her first two guardians distracted, Lyra called another card into her hand, this one a deep forest green as the first enemy closed in on her. With a flick of the wrist, the card flew towards the enemy and with a brief flash of light turned into a glowing green tiger with long blades coming out of its head and forelegs. The solder had just enough time to put its arms up to shield its face before the mighty beast pinned it to the ground and sank its footlong fangs into its neck. Another flick of the wrist saw three hulking red minotaurs spawning into the battlefield, each wielding heavy battle axes bearing the same colors as they charged to meet the rest of Algantha's advancing forces. What came next was a battle of attrition as Algantha's forces clashed with Lyra's summons. The battles were far from one-sided though, as Lyra watched her guardians take just as much damage as they dealt to the seed's forces. For every soldier her birds cut, the soldier's put down a least one bird. The soldier her blade tiger took down quickly knocked the beast off and was currently trying to return the favor with surprising precision, while its allies matched her minotaurs just as evenly. The seed took in the sight with pride, knowing that it was only a matter of time before her solders broke past her enemy's defenses. While Lyra's power initially caught her off guard, it did little against the seed's prolonged experience. Out of all of her mistress' seeds, she was the oldest and most capable. Only one being was capable of getting past her and it was painfully aware that the young girls standing before her was not Hearths Warming. The girl reeked of inexperience, her skin tone not the only green thing about her as she watched her command her forces. While she was not certain of the full extent of this "world" the girl had crafted in her mind, it was very apparent that it was not inhabited by anything of any real threat to her. She opened her mouth to voice those very same thoughts, only to pause as one of the girl's Minotaurs pinned its target under its hoof and brought its blade down onto its target's head. A proud smirk spread across Lyra's face as she stared at her opponent just seconds before three of her birds tore a solder to shreds. A growl made it past Algantha's faceplate as she added more of her power to her remaining forces. In a flash, several of Lyra's birds died and a few soldiers slipped through to aid their allies. Now a minotaur was added to the body count as a soldier plunged their blade into the monster's chest when it was distracted. Lyra called another card to her hand and threw it into the battlefield, adding a bright green centaur to the fight that crushed two more of Algantha's solders under its hooves. The seed seethed as she watched Lyra's knights finally end their opponent's lives before moving on to support their own forces. As she watched her servants fall one by one, the seed's rage continued to grow. How could this be happening? How could she be losing to a mere tactical novice? As her last soldier fell, her body trembled with fury as she stared at her grinning enemy. "Don't look at me like that," she seethed, black energy wafting from her like a foul smoke. "Do you think that you can still win? Fool! I WILL SHOW YOU THE GAP BETWEEN US!" As she said that, her armor cracked, then shattered as a massive burst of black vaporous energy swirled around her, hiding her from view as it raged. Black tendrils shot out of the storm and grabbed the bodies of the fallen solders before they pulled them into the raging tempest of power. A furious beastly roar echoed off of the walls as the cloud suddenly parted, revealing the horror that was Algantha to the world. The beast resembled an emaciated gargoyle, her ash gray frame gaunt and aged with ram like horns coming out of her head. Her wide, bat-like wings had small holes doted all throughout them like the tattered remains of a pirate's sails as they spread wide on her back in challenge along with a bony whip-like tail lashing out behind her. The monster stared at her with hate-filled glowing red eyes as it raised a hand. "Foolish mortal," she seethed. "Did you think those soldiers were my servants? They were a part of me the whole time, mere fractions of myself that I can call upon at any time to regain my true power. Know my fury and know despair!" As she said that, a sword made of the same dark energy from before formed in her raised hand. With one swing, a wave of dark energy passed through the room, each of Lyra's summons disintegrating on contact as it moved. Lyra's eyes widened as the wave approached her, only for a relieved smile to take its place as her two knights grabbed her and threw her over the attack. As she watched them die, a determined frown formed on her face. It was time to end this. She called a card into her hand and summoned a glowing red dragon, the creature gently placing her on its back as it rose higher into the air. "Not bad!" Lyra called. "No seriously! I didn't see that one coming! Do you have any other tricks you feel like showing off?!" "Damned fool!" Algantha snarled. "What need have I of petty tricks when my raw power is more than enough to end you!" The seed spread her wings and flew towards her, shadow blade at the ready as she rapidly closed the gap. Lyra smiled as, much to Algantha's shock, she jumped off of her dragon towards the monster. The seed grinned as she prepared to swing her sword and put this battle to its end, only to pause as she saw how calm the girl seemed. A trickling of understanding filled her when she saw a black and white card glowing in the girl's hand. She swung, but just before the blade made contact, Lyra said something that made the seed raise a brow. "We are one." A blinding black and white light filled the room, forcing the seed to shield her eyes with her free hand. A sharp pain ran through her left wing, forcing an agonized scream out of her as she fell back to the ground. Cursing, she dragged herself to her knees and examined the damaged appendage. There was not appendage. She stared in shock as where her lift wing should've been, there was only empty air and black blood. The sound of someone landing on the ground behind her made her turn to face the source of the sound with a savage growl only to freeze as she took her in in finer detail. Instead of her usual mint complexion the entire left half of her body was pitch black, her left arm sporting a clawed gauntlet that seemed to suck all of the light out of the air around it. Her right side was pure white with a gleaming gold and silver sword gripped tightly in her right hand that shined like a star. A pair of feathery wings flapped gently from her back, their colors matching the side they were positioned on as they too took or gave light to the room. Algantha growled, staggering to her feet as she stared her enemy down. Lyra smiled gently as she pointed her blade at the seed, her silent challenge registering to her enraged enemy as she did the same. "Do you think this changes anything?" Algantha snarled. "Fool. All this means is that there are less things to keep me from taking your head!" The two stared each other down for a few seconds before they charged. A thunderous boom filled the room as their blades met, before Lyra's tore clean through Algantha's like wet paper. Shock appeared on the seed's face before the shining blade ripped into her, countless deep gashes marring her body in the blink of an eye. She fell to her knees, black blood trickling from her many wounds as she stared up at her opponent. It was then that she saw her downfall as her power was devoured by the gauntlet on the girl's left hand. As Lyra pointed her left hand at her, the seed lowered her head in resignation as she waited for her fate. Lyra stared coldly down at the seed and with a sigh she said, "Checkmate." A blast of dark magic exploded out of her palm and consumed the seed, her body rabidly deteriorating as the destructive magic washed over her like a wave. When the energy passed, the only evidence that Algantha ever existed was a crater in the ground under Lyra's palm. Lyra gave the battlefield a slow look over before letting a deep sigh pass her lips and she returned to normal. "Looks like I won," she chuckled bitterly. "Thanks for the warm up, Algantha. I'll remember you when this is all over." With that, she banished her dragon and made her way towards the chamber's exit, a dead silence settling into the air as she took her leave.