//------------------------------// // Chp. 23 - Journey's End // Story: Indomitable // by Slendy //------------------------------// "Are you sure you--" "Yes!" I tried to stifle my laugh at Yui's exasperated tone. It was like a child leaving their parents for the first time, only in Yui's case I guess it technically was, and to... possibly fight a powerful wyvern created by rifts in the fabric of space -- Y-yeah, I'm a terrible partner. "Mom, for the--" "Tenth!" I called out, ducking behind a crate to avoid the moon opal as I simultaneously picked up the large crate for the Royal Guard "--Tenth time, I always check and triple check my supplies before I so much as leave to do anything!" She does it can be odd at times. "Besides, if I forget something I'll just come back and get it the next time I'm here, and that I promise." "You better," I sat the crate down behind the train for the ponies, watching her father ruffle her mane. "Otherwise I will hunt you down myself." "And believe me, he'd follow through with something that embarrassing," Violet remarked mockingly to the flat stare of the stallion beside her. She then wrapped Yui up in a tight hug, almost worried to let her go, but that was always apparent with parents, me and Summer had a hard time in the past when it came to leaving for school trips that lasted a week without Mom nearly causing a scene, Dad was... Dad, cringy-cool at the worst of times. "I'm so happy for you, you've become an amazing mare, one I know your Grandfather would be happy for." Yui smiled warmly at that, hugging back. "Thanks, Mom, Dad," Now this was worth the countless near-death experiences. Now I see what Yui meant when she saw myself and Summer reunite, it wasn't a feeling you could ever describe. Yui then stepped back with a wary smile. "Oh, and tell Vega to stop slacking on his paperwork," Yui held a hoof to her chest. "Professionals have standards to uphold." "Says the bat who was going googly-eyes at cave drawings!" I retorted, and her entire back was swung at my face, but it instead flew through the window of the train cart next to me. "You see this! Abusive relationship!" "Bite me!" Yui huffed as her parents watched with amusement as I slit my eyes "Save it for when we're behind closed doors, then we'll see." That got a fiery reaction from her expression as I doubled over with a laugh. For the record, and being completely serious here, we agreed neither of us is ready for anything 'Intimate', more-so I'm unsure of a relationship that far with a body like this, still alot to take into account given how I might be stuck like a Lucario for the rest of my life "Zen, can I speak with you for a moment?" Violet waved her hoof to me, so after ensuring Topaz didn't need me for any heavy lifting, I hopped down the step and walked a good distance away from the suspicious Yui as she talked with Caleb. Now off to the side of the loading train, Violet smiled up at me. "I'm not going to go about the usual routine and just give it to you straight, you and my little girl are together, correct?" I had a feeling one of them knew, but my reaction was a small chuff. "Yep, I see where Yui gets her blunt attitude at times from -- But yeah, we are, why?" I asked, somewhat unsure where she was going with this, could be good could be bad Her expression warmed up, glancing back to Yui as she argued with her Dad about something as he held a cunning smirk, while Yui remained snarky. "I won't bore you with the details, but before me and Caleb were married I suppose the idea of having kids wasn't what I intended; I mean, if you saw who I was back then you'd understand my reluctance," She chuckled, but her smile remained. "Now? Well... to see the panic in Vega's eyes that night... and Yui was gone... I was so scared, that I had done very little to help her, and that by the time I tried to reach out she had already slipped away." I frowned, "I can imagine, I... lost someone close to me, I almost gave up on everything," Those months were hard, but the thought of letting go of everything Rika did for me, that was far worse. "Violet, I... well, words alone aren't enough proof, but Yui is... amazing," I too watched her, everything about her was endearing. "She's smart, tenacious, kind... heh, it's kinda funny but in just the short time I spent with her... I... fell for her without a second thought." Violet giggled beside me, and I scratched the back of my head sheepishly as she motioned for me to kneel, opening me up to a gentle, motherly hug. "You brought my little treasure hunter home, and she's happy, that's all I could ask of you, to keep making her smile," She pulled away, bumping a hoof to my heart while winking. "Don't worry, I find no pleasure in tormenting you with the 'Embarrassing Questions', not my style." "Truly, you are a saint among these Bat-Ponies." I bowed my head graciously while she laughed heartfully, ruffling the top of my head "Yep, I like you!" She stepped back as the last of the supplies were loaded in, all that was left were for the Guards to gather into the train carts, Topaz still listing things off, no longer exhausted given the coffee that floated next to her "Thanks, you're awesome too, but I'll do my best for Yui, count on it." With that, she gave a thankful nod and we returned to the mare in question, her Dad looking satisfied with whatever made Yui grumble incoherently under her hood, adverting her eyes from mine, her aura was a mess that was certain "Alright, everypony get your flanks on board! Next stop the Badlands!" There were a few choruses of child-like groans, enough to make Topaz's horn crackle with an abundance of magic. "Oi! You all bloody signed up for this the moment you strapped a helmet on, deal with it, ladies!" Shaking her head in her hoof she turned to us. "Royal Guard, ain't like it was, honestly." "They have been lacking in recent years, perhaps I should make a few appearances..." Caleb hummed at the thought of torturing the Guards, only for Violet to wack him with her wing, smirking "Oh? So I'm not allowed to have fun too?" Caleb raised his hooves in defense, and I felt a shiver from the sharp gaze of hers. Nope, glad I didn't arrive when they were still in the Guard, I'd be dead on the doorstep. "So, I guess this is goodbye for now?" "Sadly, b-but I promise I'll be back next time, and it won't be another two years." Yui smiled awkwardly under her hood, but she was sad herself, homesick after two years I guess. She then wrapped her hooves around them both. "I love you, Mom, Dad." The reciprocated it as I tried not to smile to noticeably. Caleb spoke first. "As do we, Yui." "To the Moon and back!" Violet smiled, then a while broke them apart. Turning, all of us came to face a strangely familiar pony, he wore a bandana and had a stylish goatee and a peculiar emerald necklace with two snakes on it. With a sly smile, he walked up to Yui hand held out a hoof for her to bump with a bright smile "I didn't think you were the kind to crawl out from the shadows for little ol' me?" Yui smirked, but the mysterious stallion only laughed "As if, that stunt you pulled with that creature got all sorts talkin' 'bout ya, rumors and stories of dangerous monsters, rifts popping here and there with you being there to plug 'em up," His aura was hard to deduce, and the way he spoke kept any clear motive at bay, his eyes then flicked to me and widened with a smile. "Ah, and of course your friend here's made quite the splash himself, shame you won't be stickin' around, but once a hunter always a hunter, no use clippin' wings that were meant to fly." "Hello... Yui, who's this annoyingly familiar guy?" I pointed, then she slid up next to him, looking to her curious parents warily "Hehe, this is Maine, he's the one that taught me the cloak spell and started my magic fiasco, don't worry, he may sound cryptic but he's got a soft spot for me." His hoof pushed her head down "Don't let that go to your head," He reprimed sternly, still smiling. "Shorty here's just another promising associate, and the folks that hang in the dark always stuck their necks out for her when others lacked," Then he dusted himself off, trotting away with a hoof waved back. "Catcha later, hunter, now we both have stories to share." "Well that was something," Topaz murmured next to me, then yelled. "We're going you, idiots, hurry up!" She hopped into the doorway and waved us over "Ah, right, sorry!" I panicked, waving to Yui's parents. "Pleasure meeting you both, look forward to next time -- Hurry up, Yui!" She ran up to me while the train slowly started to pull away, my claw yanking her into my arm while she waved back, hood flapping down "Until next time!" Both gave a final wave to us, and the underground of Blackrock Hollow was soon behind us, the shadow of the mountain passing by as our final trial awaited in the Badlands beyond. No, but seriously, why was that guy so Goddamn familiar!? The subtle rumble and rock of the train kept things mellow for the long journey ahead. No more walking for miles lost or otherwise in this unfamiliar land, now it was a straight arrow to our destination, and what might eerily be our final stop. Too many variables remained, from the lack of concrete evidence to suggest what precisely has torn across the Badlands, be it and Elder Dragon or even a Black Dragon. My brow furrowed while I slumped in my seat, there was also the end, if I do win, will my gamble pay off? Will everyone walk away from this happy? That's my biggest worry and it was nagging at me. A warm sensation then pressed to my side, and without reason, I felt my worries fade, even for the briefest of moments. "Ponies would often say that given our situation that things were moving too fast," I let her speak while my eyes fell to the outside world, the sky slowly cast in colors across the forests and mountains. "In some cases, they'd be right, and maybe it might feel that way... but I don't regret any choice I've made since meeting you, so you shouldn't have to feel that way either." "No... I," Taking in a breath I leveled my uncertain gaze to her's through the faint reflection. "You being here's the only thing keeping me sane, it's not obvious given my-" "-Overly optimistic." She answered for me with a fanged smirk "-demeanor, but," My paws rubbed anxiously together. "I'm scared... for you, these Guards, everything but... what if I make a choice that only brings joy one side and pain on the other? It's not something that can be avoided but I wish it was, childish as that complaint is." Yui moved gently, bringing her head to rest on my side while putting my arm around her, then she booped my nose. "You're right, there's no avoiding that outcome, I mean, heck, look at my decision making," She snorted softly, eyes half-lidded to my reflection. "No matter what happens, even... if we're worlds apart, I'll always be here-" She jabbed my heart. "-dummy, so... don't forget that. Life's bound to hurt even when we don't want it to, what matters is that you don't let it change you for the worst." Eventually, her words broke a chuff from my throat, and I leaned down to rest my head on hers. "Since when did you become a fortune cookie?" Yui's hoof flicked me, sticking her tongue out. "Since when did you worry all the time?" Touche. "Need I remind you we're going to meeting with the monarch my kind pray to and one I've scorned for many unpleasant things between myself and my family in the past," She sighed, shaking a hoof to her forehead. "Sometimes I wonder just how lucky one mare can get." "You make a valid argument, my Treasure Hunter, I will say no more." I put my paw out as a mark of that vow, though a shambly one at best If someone needed us then they'd have tried all for naught as my eyes grew heavy, staring out at the captivating sky, falling asleep with the adorable Bat-Pony in my arms. I sat up, blinking as I realized I was asleep atop the train, and the land was just endless glades, no mountains nor forests to speak of, just a large, open expanse with the sunset casting the sky a series of oranges while a few clouds rolled by. Taking one long blink while flexing my human hands it was clearly a dream, you know, because the fact I was sleeping atop a mute train wasn't obvious. There was no wind nor the rumble of the train, everything was a strange silence. "Ah, so I have found you," That's not Trinity. Shuffling on my butt to spot the voice, it came from a tall, dark mare, her mane was flowing in an unknown breeze, twinkling like stardust in a deep blue ocean. We were both silent, opting to stare into one another's eyes for a moment to spiritual guessing, she wasn't here to harm or threaten me, but instead, a faint curiosity struck "Hello, stranger from my mind." I put a hand up to wave once. She blinked, surprised of course, then bowed her head "Greetings... Zen, is it?" I nodded. With her hoof to her chest, I felt a wave of authority wash over me. "I am Princess Luna, and while we have never met formally I have observed your dreams with interest, particularly due to this form of yours, are you not one of these Pokemon?" I sighed loudly, arms high. "Finally! Someone pronounces it right that isn't Yui!" Clearing my throat at her raised brow I grinned sheepishly. "Right, yes, sorry -- I'm actually a human from another world, the form is what I was given when I arrived here, same with the others. One's my sister, the others are my friends, it's just that I got lucky that I had an ability that allows me to communicate." Luna looked to consider this wealth of knowledge carefully, rubbing a hoof to her chin. "It has been centuries since I've heard of a human appearing in Equestria, for what purpose were you summoned for?" So she was aware? That makes this easier without the whole twenty questions about the human race, that's just a minefield of failures with a hint of political spats "A... well, bare with me here, a Goddess by the name of Trinity summoned me to help seal the rifts that had dramatically increased across Equestria," I replied truthfully, then frowned, a dark shadow overtaking the sky above as my mind wandered to many ideas for what abomination awaited us. "The one in the Badlands... I think it's the source, that's why I'm heading there now to help." Again, surprise and dumbfounded expression crossed the Lunar Princess' features. "She was here, and spoke with you!?" I guess hearing her name wasn't exactly what Luna had intended to find out, but I saw a small, hopeful smile across her muzzle. "If she has summoned you here then this is a sign of hope... this creature has eluded in my sister and I, the longer we searched the more the world outside the Badlands was left... uninhabitable." The Princess sat down, her eyes lost in despair as I was, she looked tired almost while letting out an exasperated sigh. "The closer we come the more I fear our subjects may pay for our incompetence," Her eyes hardened. "How many threats have I done nothing to prevent? How many have come and gone since my banishment I do not know." "Everyone thinks they're the hero of their own story..." A single chuckle escaped me as I sat down next to the Princess, staring out into the horizon's unending curve. "In our eyes, we're the hero of our own lives, but to another, we're a villain, and another we're simply in the background. It's easy to feel guilty for our mistakes, to... lose yourself in grief and the fear of failure again," I cupped my hands. "But that's all... part of the journey to an uncertain end." "...Your words... so much like my sister's... like Trinity's," That brought my eyes to her. "I have only heard her voice once, a time before my banishment, she wouldn't change a fate that was ultimately written by my own hooves, I asked why, and she left me with one sentence, 'Dream, not of what you are but what you want to be'." I chuckled again, "What is it with wise figures and cryptic messages?" That too drew a small laugh from the monarch "They can never just be straight to the point, can they?" She agreed, then eyed me earnestly. "Zen, what is it you know of this manifestation, and... can we defeat it?" Straight back to the point, though now with both our minds at ease this should be easier to handle "I don't know, it feels vaguely familiar, from the drained landscape to the scale charged with energy, I should be able to identify it if I'm there, but the issue is location, where is it hiding?" That brought a small smile to the Princess "Conveniently we may have uncovered its whereabouts, a section across the Badlands has been torn open over time, creating a large maze of valleys and underground caverns bigger than most castles, if anything as large as what the reports have stated would hide anywhere, it would be those valleys," So it tries to hide away in seclusion but why? What does a monster of its size need to hide from...? My eyes snapped open slowly. "...It's not hiding... it's growing," Words like ice whispered from my lips, and the Princess slowly drew her own look of horror under the presumption. "These manifestations aren't all embodiments of the rifts, some have evolved to act more independently and follow the lifestyle of the monster, if this thing has been slowly and methodically stripping the land of energy then hiding away it could very well be trying to evolve exponentially!" "That is a steep claim... but not unreasonable," Luna deflated. "I will await your arrival with haste, I fear a dark omen may be preparing to unleash itself," She stood up, then a grave emotion swelled in her heart as I stood up to level with her. "...What are we dealing with exactly?" I shrugged, "I don't know, nothing I know about monsters is ringing any bells but it's more than likely an Elder Dragon," Her brow raised expectantly. "They're the class of Dragons that by merely existing can cause ecological changes, or are just unexplainable like a lightning horse -- Not the point, then... there's Black Dragons..." "What is the difference?" She almost didn't want the answer by the sounds of it but if it meant preventing deaths it had to be done. With a heavy heart, I replied, dropping my upbeat attitude as I stepped back into the shoes of my apathetic personality, eyes sharper than a blade "Black Dragons are the titles given to ancient monsters capable of annihilating the world," The sun darkened, and the sky lost all color under a dark shadow behind me, Luna was startled, stepping back from the pressing horror looming over my shoulder. A long, serpentine neck and tail swished and battered the train cart. A powerful thresh of its leathery wings turned the skies a dark crimson, a storm overtaking the land. Rigid, black scales lined its body with white spines aged and with a faint sheen from countless, unknown corpses melded to its own body. "If it's a Black Dragon, then Equestria will die." Two eyes filled with scorn and bloodlust faced us, reeling its large head back, the inverted horns and enlarged bottom teeth giving us a clear visage of a harbinger of destruction as a blast of flames lit the world in a fiery inferno. ~---~ That attack snapped me out of my lucid dream, cutting off my first talk with one of the monarchs. I stared out the window again, Yui asleep in my arms as I felt a shudder at the idea of that monster waiting in the dark below. "Even if it's You," Yui snored softly against my side as I smiled faintly. "For her atleast... it's worth it." To Be Continued...