//------------------------------// // Contest of Speed // Story: A New World, A New Way: Requiem from the Lostbelt // by Metroid Prime //------------------------------// Johnathan and his team sat within the Guard precinct as they all played a game of Phase 10 “I can tell that Echo almost has a full set,” Heat stated. “How could you possibly tell that?” Howl said. “She has picked up three cards from the deck and put 3 different cards back. Not to mention when I put a 2 down she grabbed it.” “Well then that means she at least has 4 of a kind, and since she is at Phase 10 she needs a set of 5 and a set of 3.” “Yeah and for all we know we she could go out next turn!” “Well Heat what do you intend to do about it? Do you have a skip card?” “If I did would I be so worried?” “Maybe she is just feigning innocence,” Echo said. “Okay guys settle down,” Johnathan said. “Even if she does go out she is still tied with Heat for the most amount of points. She still needs to clear out in order to win the game.” “Alright then, let’s see if she has a full set.” Johnathan pulled a card from the deck and put another one back, it was then Heat’s turn as he pulled a card and looked at his hand. “What are you smiling about,” Echo said to Heat. “Nothing, I didn’t smile.” “Yes, you did, your beak curved upward for a moment.” “I swear I didn’t smile!” “You little worm you have a skip card don’t you!” “I can neither confirm nor deny that I do.” “Alright then put your card down and let me go.” ‘And let you complete your set? I don’t think so.” “So you do have a skip card!” Heat was about to retort when the door to the break room flung open. “Johnathan, guys!” said a pony cop. “Officer Clip Clop, what’s wrong?” “Guess who just left a note on our doorstep.” “....Is it who I think it is?” “You guessed it.” The blue Earth pony handed the Lucario a distinct card the was instantly recognizable to the team. “Another one of Fox’s calling cards, let us see who she’s trying to rob this time,” Echo said. Johnathan opened the card and read it, but once he was done, he raised an eyebrow. “What is it?” “She’s not robbing anyone.” “What?” Everyone said. “Listen to this. ‘If you want to apprehend a member of Chaldea, follow the spider’s web at the East side of the Baltimare forest’.” “You think it might be a trap?” Clip Clop said. Johnathan thought for a moment. “Fox is many things. But she has never lied as far as I know. Sure she is a master of deception and misdirection. But she has never verbally lied to anyone.” “But if she has found someone from Chaldea, why does she need our help in capturing them?” Heat asked. “Perhaps she knows not to underestimate Chaldea. That or this could be another one of her plans to make the police clean up her mess. We all know how often that happens.” “Ture, but if Fox really has found something or someone related to Chaldea, we can’t ignore it considering the threat they pose.” “So, should I gather the force?” Clip Clop said. “...Yes, tell the Cheif about this and see how many officers he can lend. The rest of you get ready, we move out in 5 mins.” Rainbow Dash flew through the sky as Cloudsdale grew larger and closer with each passing second. Being the self-proclaimed fastest flyer in Equestria, the pegasus was only rivaled in terms of speed by the Eon Legendary Pokemon. Everyone knew that Rainbow had always wanted to be part of the Wonderbolts. And now she was an official Cadet in the reserve forces. While this basically meant she wasn’t on active duty, this did give her more time to spend with her friends, which at the end of the day mattered more than any Wonderbolts membership. That being said, any chance she could perform duties in the name of Equestria’s greatest flying force, she would immediately drop everything she was doing(or not doing) and go to help. “I wonder what they’ve been doing up there? I bet they already beat and captured several servants and locked them up. I’d expect nothing less from the awesomeness that is the Wonderbolts.” Rainbow Dash eventually reached the cloud-built floating metropolis in the sky. While part of her wanted to stroll through her old stomping grounds, she knew that could wait. After asking several ponies around, she was pointed in the direction of the Cloudsdale Ley Line. Upon arriving there, she smiled as she found the Pegasai she was looking for. “Hey Spitfire!” The fiery pegasus ears perked up as she turned around, she then waved as Rainbow approached her. “Cadet Rainbow Dash, how’s it going?” “Oh you know me, it’s always going good.” “So what brings you here?” “Well, I came to collect a report for Princess Celestia about how your watch on the Ley Line is going.” “Really, Princess Celestia sent you personally?” “Yeah, isn’t that great!” “Hmmm, no offense Rainbow, but do you have a written statement to back that up?” Rainbow’s demeanor immediately became awkward. “Uhhhhh.” “Hehe, I’m just pulling your leg cadet.” “Wait really? You’ll give it to me?” “Yeah, I trust you. Plus I know for a fact that you’re friends with Princess Twilight, so I know it will get into the right hooves.” “Oh that’s great, so how long is it gonna take to get all the paperwork?” “Actually, I won’t be able to give it to you until tonight.” “Huh? Why?” “Walk with me to the office I’ll tell you on the way.” Rainbow Dash trotted alongside Spitfire as they passed the Ley Line and the other Wonderbolts. “The way it works is that we file a full report every day at midnight. That way we have a complete report of the day to hand in at the end of the shift.” “But you guys are just looking for servants, right? What else is there to report?” “It’s not just servant sightings. We have unicorns up here monitoring the flow of magic and recording any spikes in activity. Any surges no matter small may be signs of a servant about to be summoned. So if we can correlate that data with other observations around the country, we could make predictions on when and where a servant might be summoned.” “Oh, I think I get it, kinda.” Both Wonderbolts entered a small building allotted to the Wonderbolts as Spitfire took a seat behind her desk. “Just stay with us for the time being and I hand you the report at 12:00 midnight.” “Okay.” “In the meantime, how about you take over Fleetloots shift, this would count as being on duty as a Wonderbolt and count towards your experience.” “Would I! Count me in!” “Alright, then, now get out their cadet.” Johnathan, his team, and several other officers all walked through the forest as they followed a string of webbing. Finding the web at first wasn’t hard, as whoever made it was kind enough to make a large arrow pointing them in the right direction. “Shouldn’t we move a little faster?” Howl said. “Running makes a lot of noise,” Johnathan replied. “If fox really has found someone from Chaldea, I imagine we would want the element of surprise on our side.” “Huh, makes sense.” The platoon of guards made their way through the forest until they came to a clearing, where the trail of web ended. “Is this where Fox wants to meet us?” Heat said. “Who knows, keep an eye out. If she is here I imagine she’ll show herself soon.” “Indeed I will.” Everyone turned, some with their weapons drawn as they looked for the owner of the voice. Jonathan then saw a shadow step out of the trees. “Fox.” “Johnathan.” The former human noticed that she did not refer to him as “Johnny-boy” like she usually did, nor did she have that confident smug tone in her voice. “What’s going on, where is this Chaldean you said you found?” Fox turned and looked down the path that leads out of the forest. “Down the road, if you hurry they still might be there.” Johnathan was a bit confused by her behavior but wasted no time acting. “Everyone go down the road, see if you can find anything. I’ll catch up.” The guards did as they were told and started running, only Johnathan’s Pokemon looked back for a moment as the two rivals stared at each other. “Also, on the off chance that they’re not there allow me to give a description. The thing you should be looking for is a giant ACP or something, So far I encountered 6 Chaldean, but there may be more inside their car. They were all caucasian with two of them having grey hair, their names are Kadoc and Anastasia. Another pair was a brunette who had a servant dressed in white with wings and a spear. That last two were a boy and girl, one had black hair and didn’t look remarkable, but the other had a big shield and was covered in some kind of exoskeleton.” “Is that all?” “Yeah. Well, I’d best get going,” Fox said. “Fox wait.” The Zoroark stopped but did not turn around. “You called us here but you’re not going to help us?” “No,” “I’m not buying it, I know you Fox. This kind of thing is exactly what you would involve yourself in. You may be a thief, but you also do a lot of good. Enough to make me question whether or not I should arrest you every time I get the chance.” For a moment unbeknownst to Johnathan, a smile tugged at Alice’s face before fading. “What’s wrong Fox, did something happen out there?” “Heh, nothing gets past you doesn’t it? Then again I shouldn’t be surprised given how long I have known you.” This time Fox turned around to face Johnathan. “You have a good team Johnny-boy. Who knows, one day they may be good enough to catch me.” The Lucario nearly let out a chuckle, he never thought he would hear her admit something like that. “But remember this, never let anything happen to them. No teammate is worth the mission, the number one priority of a leader is to keep their team safe, no matter the cost. Always remember that.” And with that, Fox turned back around and disappeared into the forest. Leaving a somewhat concerned Johnathan to wonder just what happened before they arrived. Rainbow Dash walked into Spitfire’s office as the day literally came to an end. Sure enough, it was 12:00 which meant that the Element of Loyalty could now grab what she came for. “Ah, Rainbow Dash. I trust nothing happened on your watch?” “No sir, everything was normal. Unfortunately.” “Is that disappointment I hear, were you actually looking forward to fighting a servant.” “Maybe.” “I wouldn’t go looking for trouble if I were you. From what I’ve heard, these servants are too powerful for a single pony to fight alone.” “Well, these servants have never met me.” “Still, don’t go rushing into things. That’s the fastest way soldiers can get killed in fights.” Rainbow Dash said nothing, only gave a little pout. “Anyway here’s the report from the last week, can I trust you to get it to the Princesses?” “Trust me? Do you even have to ask that question?” Spitfire chuckled as Rainbow Dash was about to grab the report. But then Soarin burst into the room. “Spitfire, Rainbow Dash, you gotta come out now!” “Soarin what’s going on?” “I think a servant is being summoned.” At that moment, Rainbow forgot about the report and rushed outside, followed by Soarin and Spitfire. The pegasi joined the other Wonderbolts as they stood around the glowing Ley Line. Everyone watched as magical energy coalesced and reacted to the summoning circle which appeared on the cloudy surface. There was a flash of light that blinded everyone before dying down. When everyone could finally see again, they beheld the servant that had appeared. He was a human male in his late teens, or perhaps early twenties. He had green spiky hair and caucasian skin. His clothing was mostly black except for the armor on his shoulders and legs. The final distinctive thing about him was the orange scarf that blew in the wind. Rainbow Dash looked at him as the servant observed his surroundings. When they locked eyes, all he did was smirk. That was enough to make the hot-headed pegasus charge at him if not for Spitfire acting first. “Unknown servant, we are the Wonderbolts. And in the name of Equestria and its Princesses, we order you to stand down!” The servant closed his eyes. “Heh, you're the lot they sent to kill me? Wow...” He opened them with a fierce gaze. “I’m insulted!” Everyone was taken about by his declarative dismissal. Rainbow Dash in particular was now more incensed. “Who do you think you are bub!?” “Rainbow, stand down,” Spitfire said. Although it was clear to the Wonderbolt captain that she was not paying her any attention. “Oh that’s right, I guess you wouldn’t know. Listen up you little horses cause I’ll only say this once!” The servant summoned a spear which he rested on his shoulder. “My name is Achilles, son of the Argonaut Peleus and the Goddess Thetis. Hero of the Trojan War and the fastest hero you will ever meet. I am of the Rider class, summoned here in service of humanity.” “Fastest hero you’ll ever meet?” Achilles looked back at Rainbow who just itching to tackle him. “Sorry dude, but the fastest hero in the world is me. So why don’t you just surrender now and I’ll save you the trouble of embarrassing you in a fight.” Achilles let out a hearty laugh at her claim. “I like you pony, you got spunk. But since you clearly haven’t met me before I’ll give you one last warning to leave now before I have to put you in a hospital.” “Fat chance, you may wanna reconsider before you take on me and the rest of the Wonderbolts.” “Is that what you call yourselves? Hmph, very well. I’ll tell you what, since you guys are beneath my level, I won’t kill you. I’ll just let you live with the honor of having to survive an encounter with a hero of my caliber.” Rainbow Dash had reached her limit. The sheer arrogance and smugness of this guy had completely pissed her off! “Alright, I’ve had enough of this guy!” “Rainbow wait!” Rainbow flew in at Achilles at blinding speed, any normal pony would have to slow down time in order to perceive the moment Rainbow lunged at the servant. But then something else happened. There was a flash of green light, followed by what sounded like someone breaking the sound barrier. The next thing she knew, Rainbow Dash found herself on her back, as well as the entire Wonderbolt detachment. The cyan pegasus in her wildest dreams did not expect what had just happened to her. While someone being as fast as she was no longer unthinkable thanks to Latias, she never thought someone could take down that many ponies in the span of time that he did. “Well, I think that proves it. “Y-you.” “Well, I think I’ll just be going now, later.” Achilles ran until he came to the edge of the clouds and jumped off it. Rainbow Dash as well as several others got up and rushed just in time to see Achilles perform another impossibility. The servant put his fingers in his mouth and whistled. The sky split open as a green comet came into existence, the light faded away to reveal a chariot of fine craftsmanship. But what really shocked the onlookers was what was pulling the chariot. Rather than pegasus who should be the only flying equines capable of making such a vehicle soar through the sky, it was instead pulled by three fully grown non-winged horses. Achilles grabbed onto the reins as the light engulfed the chariot again and it began to fly at incredible speeds into the distance. “T-that’s impossible! A normal horse can’t make a chariot fly!” Soarin said. “Well clearly it is possible Soarin,” Spitfire said. “Now pick your jaw up and contact Canterlot, tell them a servant was summoned in Cloudsdale. Rainbow Dash, I know this guy is fast, but see if you can-” Spitfire turned only to see that the cyan pegasus was gone. She then looked off into the sky to see a rainbow-colored trail following the green comet. Spitfire could only let out a sigh. Rainbow Dash meanwhile had only one thought as she chased the servant. “I don’t care if this guy’s chariot is pulled by Hippocampie, I am the only fastest flyer in the sky!” Rainbow Dash soared after the Heroic Spirit, nearly match his speed as she began to catch up. Soon Achilles looked back and saw the pegasus gaining on him. “You’re not getting away!” Rainbow Dash shouted. But the Greek hero could not hear her over the wind turbulence. That doesn’t mean he did not sense her determination as she closed the distance between them. “Well well, your fast, I’ll give you credit for that. Let’s just see how fast you can go.” Achilles whipped his reins and his three horses shifted into high gear as they ran faster and faster through the air. Eventually, Rainbow Dash began to fall behind as Achilles was traveling faster than her wings could go, his image became smaller and smaller and... No. Rainbow’s mind began to race as fast as her. No way. Rainbow Dash hated several things in her life, one of which was losing, especially in a race. Losing to others in different athletic games, she could swallow and move on eventually. But if there was one thing Rainbow Dash prided herself on the most was her undisputed title as the fastest flier in Equestria. You’re not… So she would be damned if there was someone faster than her. getting… Especially. away… If that person was someone who threatened to hurt Equestria or any of her friends. from me!!! Air and drag became visible around Rainbow Dash as a Mach cone began to form around her. She had already broken the sound barrier, but she needed to go faster. Soon the Mach cone became narrower, sharper until multicolored light began to form around it. The cone and pegasus soon broke the final barrier and the color spectrum. A rainbow shockwave ripped across the night sky, awakening some who were asleep. For the fourth time in her life... Rainbow Dash performed a Sonic Rainboom. Her speeds instantly jumped from Mach 5 to Mach 10. Rainbow became a blinding multicolored light in the sky as she instantly closed the gap between her and Achilles. The servant heard the Rainboom, but barely had time to react before he felt something kick him off his chariot and sent him tumbling through the air until he hit the ground. Achilles picked his head up from the crater as he rubbed it. While the attack really didn’t hurt him thanks to his divine protections, he was still a little dazed and confused. “What the hell was that?” The Rider soon got his answer when a panting Rainbow Dash touched down right in from of him. “Told you you weren’t getting away.” The pegasus said in a huff. “So that was you,” Achilles said as he got up. “Alright seems that you have a trick or two up your sleeve.” “It’s called a Sonic Rainboom. It’s the reason why I am the fastest flyer in the world, and don’t you forget it!” “Oh, so you were offended that I might challenge that claim?” “Well, not anymore, I beat you.” “Hmph,” Achilles swung his spear on his shoulders.”You didn’t beat me, you just knocked me off my chariot. I’m still standing ready to fight.” “First of all, I did beat you. Secondly, I just delivered a Rainboom kick to your back, how are you still standing?” “Heh, maybe your Sonic Rainboom isn’t as great as you thought.” Rainbow’s eyes blazed with anger at the remark. She was a little bit mad her Rainboom didn’t take out this guy in one shot. Now he was needling her about it. This guy and his friends were here to kill and destroy everything she held dear and he was standing here mocking her!? “Oh yeah!? How about this!” In a quick move, Rainbow delivered a blinding kick to Achilles’s jaw. This only made him turn his head and did nothing more. “Is that all you got?” Achilles whacked her with the butt of his spear, sending Rainbow rolling across the grass and leaving her with a bruise on her side. “Ouch.” Rainbow Dash winced in pain as she got up and started back at the Rider with rage. “I will admit, that Sonic Rainboom of yours might make you a bit faster than me. But there is one category you clearly fall behind in while I accel at.” Achilles leveled his spear at her. “The fighting prowess of a warrior.” Rainbow Dash reared up, ready to pounce. “I’ll show you a fight!” The cyan pegasus lunged at the servant, intending to finish this quickly and thoroughly. But, as if the servant perceived everything in slow motion, Achilles sidestepped her and delivered a chop to back. Sending her to the ground and knocking the wind out of her. “You’re a fast flyer, but my reaction time is faster than yours,” Ahclles stated this as if it was a matter of fact. Rainbow Dash coughed. Then tried to buck the servant, only to hit air. Achilles grabbed the still off ground legs and threw the pegasus across the grass again. But Rainbow Dash was not done, if anything, the fact that this guy was seemingly toying with her was infuriating. “RAAAGGGGHH!” Rainbow threw herself at the servant, again and again. She kept missing most of her hits, and ones that did connect were of no effect, and only because he allowed it. Eventually, Rainbow Dash was worn out, breathing and sweating drops into the ground. Achilles went over and crouched to get to her level. “Here’s the thing, even if you were fast enough to hit me, it wouldn’t matter. You can’t hurt me.” Rainbow glanced at him. “What,” *huff* “Are you talking about?” “I have divine protection covering my entire body. My skin is completely invulnerable to people like you, you have no way of making me bleed.” “Bull” *huff* “Crap” “Here.” Achilles dug his spear into the ground and puffed out his chest. “I’ll let you get a few hits on me.” Rainbow Dash looked at him, still breathing, still hurting in several places. A smart rational person would assess the situation and would have realized by now that nothing they were doing was hurting this guy. No matter how fast or strong they were. Unfortunately for the brash and hotheaded Rainbow Dash, being rational and smart was not one of her notable traits. In a howl of rage, Rainbow Dash laid in on the servant with everything she had left. Punching and kicking him in his legs, chest, and face until her body failed her and she collapsed on the ground, completely spent. “I’ll admit, you did well for a small pony. Most people can’t even keep up with me. But in terms of warrior prowess, you’ve got a long way to go.” Achilles whistled and his horse-drawn chariot appeared by his side again. “Get strong, and maybe, just maybe, you’ll be good enough to fight some other weaker servant.” With one whip of his reins, Achilles sped off into the night sky. He was not even out of Rainbow Dash’s view until the exhaustion caused her consciousness to leave her. Jonathan finally caught up to the group and beheld the scene that was before him. The area at the edge of the forest was covered in webs, ice, and small craters of dirt. Aside from that, tire tread imprints ran from where he had met Fox up to this point. The tracks then trailed off into the distance where surely the grass would reshape itself and make it harder to find the vehicle. Turning to the other Guards he said, “Alright tell me what you all have found so far?” “Nothing of note Officer Trace. Just a fresh scene of a recently concluded skirmish.” “Hmm, still, take notes and photos of whatever is necessary. Once we’re done let’s get back to town.” “Right.” After several more minutes of investigation, Johnathan and the rest of the Gaurd Officers went back to Baltimare. Upon entering the precinct, the Lucario gave his report to the Gaurd Chief. “And so Sir, while we were not able to find much less capture any member of Chaldea, the Phantom Theif Fox was able to give a description of what we are looking for.” “I see, explain. “The Chaldean fugitives are apparently traveling in a large armored vehicle?” “Armored vehicle, can you be more descriptive?” “It resembles an APC or Armored Personnel Carrier. It’s a human vehicle from our world. Back on Earth, we had these things called cars. Think of them as metal carriages that moved under their own power.” “Interesting.” “An APC is like a car only bigger and with more armor. While cars were mostly used by civilians, APCs were used by the human military to transport troops and soldiers. And while we don’t know exactly what it looks like, we should look out for something that is close to the description.” “Noted. Now did Fox say anything about the Chaldeans themselves?” “Only that she encountered and fought 6 of them, 2 males and one female.” Jonathan then repeated the description of the humans to the chief that Fox gave him. “Alright, I’ll send a report to Canterlot who will relay the information to the rest of the force around Equestria. While this may not be too much information, it is the first sighting of Chaldea we have gotten so far, plus we now have an idea of what we need to look out for. You did good Officer Trace.” “I cannot take all the credit, Sir. If it were not for the Phantom Theif Fox, we would have never have learned of this information.” “You’re actually thanking her? Hmmm, well I guess she deserves that much. Although I have to wonder.” “Sir?” “It’s just my opinion since I have never met her myself but, given her reputation of outwitting Officers wherever she goes, I’m surprised she was not able to beat Chaldea.” “Well sir, Fox is an expert at evading capture and misdirection. Fighting in an actual no-holds-barred battle is not her level of expertise. Fox is not one to fight in a Prolonged Pokemon battle even back on Earth. Her pattern is always going in, taking what she wants, and then escaping. None of her Pokemon excel at battle. In fact, that Sceptile from the PLA that recently joined her is probably the best fighter on her team.” “Still, if we assume that Chaldea managed to beat her of all people. Then these fugitives are as powerful and dangerous as the Princesses make them out to be. We must be very cautious about this Officer Trace.” Jonathan’s thoughts turned to the look on Fox’s face when he met her earlier. Wondering just what happened to her and her team before he arrived. “Yes Sir, we should be very careful.” Rainbow Dash woke up in a sweat as she inhaled sharply. “Woah Woah calm down there sugarcube!” Rainbow looked to see Applejack, as well as her friends all gathered around her. It was then that she realized that she was in the hospital, and given how many times she had injured herself flying, she knew that it wasn’t the Ponyville General Hospital. “Are you alright Rainbow?” Rarity asked. “Wha- What happened? Where am I? Where is Achilles?” “You’re in the Canterlot Royal Hospital,” Fluttershy said. “And, who is Achilles?” “The servant I was fighting, where did he go?” “We don’t know Rainbow,” Twilight said. “Spitfire and the Wonderbolts found you about 30 miles north of Cloudsdale. You were all bruised and beat up so they brought you back to Canterlot which was close by. Princess Celestia contacted us about what happened and we all came here as fast as we could.” “Oh. Heh. Thanks guys.” “You're welcome. From what the doctors say, nothing is broken, but you need to stay in bed for two days.” “Ugh, two days? Might as well be two months, or two years!” “I thought you might say that,” Twilight said with a smirk as she opened a backpack she brought with her and took out a book. “Which is why I brought this!” Rainbow Dash eyed the book and immediately knew what it was. “The newest Daring Do book! Gimme!” “Ah ah ah!” Twilight held the book back. “First we need you to tell us everything that happened to you. Spitfire told us about how you flew after “Achilles” was it? Anyway, what happened?” “Well after that guy showed up and proclaimed himself the fastest hero in the world, I took that personally.” “Of course you did,” Applejack said with a sigh. “The guy then took off in his chariot, so obviously I chased after him. Not just to take him down, but to prove that I am the fastest hero AND flyer in the world.” “And did you win?” “Well, sorta. I did a Sonic Rainboom which knocked him off his chariot. But after that I basically got my butt handed to me in an actual hooffight.” “Well, that’s what you get for trying to take on a servant all by yourself. Celestia herself told us how dangerous they are. Your lucky he didn’t kill you.” “Hey, I bet I could have won if not for the guys’ impenetrable skin. “Achilles. Impenetrable skin?” Twilight said in her thinking voice. “Hold on a sec.” Reaching into her backpack again, Twilight then pulled out the Earth Conceptual Compendium. After flipping through several pages, she came upon what she was looking for. “Aha! Here it is, Achilles, the hero of the Trojan War. It says here that Achilles was the greatest warrior who fought on the side of the Greeks against the Trojans during a great war.” “What was the war about?” Applejack said. “Apparently, the Prince of Troy whose name is Paris, kidnapped a woman named Helen to be his wife. But since Helen was the princess of a city in Greece. They weren’t too happy about it.” “He kidnaped her!? My what a brute!” Rarity exclaimed. “It’s more complicated than that. From what the myth says. The Greek Goddess of Love Aphrodite brainwashed Helen into falling in love with Paris as a gift to him.” “So the Goddess of Love just brainwashed a poor lady into being someone’s wife!? How horrible!” “I agree. If Cadence ever found out about this, I bet she would march up to this goddess and give her a lecture on how love works. But that will never happen.” “Uh, we’re getting off-topic here.” “Oh sorry Rainbow Dash, it’s just that these myths are so interesting. Anyway, it says here that Achilles was gifted three horses to pull his chariot. One was a normal horse, while two were divine horses gifted to him by the Greek sea God Posideon.” “Yeah, those horses can also fly through the air from what ive seen.” “None winged horses that can fly? Interesting.” “Does that book say anything about his how his skin is impenetrable?” “Let’s see, oh yeah here. Achilles as a baby was dipped in the River Styx, a river that runs through the underworld to make his skin unbreakable by his mother. Although another account claims that he was bathed in Holy Fire.” “Okay, one who throws their baby in a fire? And two, how did he survive that?” Applejack said. “It doesn’t say, although Achilles is actually a demigod like Karna, so that may be the reason. Or maybe the Holy Fire was magical and wouldn’t hurt him. Anyway, while this guy may seem invincible, he does have one weakness.” “Really, what is it?” “His heel. If someone strikes his right heel hard enough then Achilles will lose his invincibility.” “Alright, now that I know his weak spot, I can win next time I see him,” Rainbow clapped her hooves. “You’re going down Achilles!” “Don’t get too cocky Rainbow Dash, even without his unbreakable skin, this Achilles guy is still a powerful and skilled warrior from what it seems.” “What, you’re saying I can’t take him?” Twilight stared at her determined but stubborn friend. “Yes, Rainbow Dash I am. Look there are just some foes that you cannot fight.” “But Twilight-” “No buts Rainbow! I don’t care if he insulted you by claiming he was the fastest. And while I can understand why your pride would be wounded by losing to him in a fight, it just is what it is. While both you and this Achilles are heroes, there is a major difference: You Rainbow Dash are a flyer and a daredevil from time to time, Achilles is a warrior who fought in many battles and defeated many powerful fighters. What combat skills can you boast of Rainbow?” “Hey, I can put up a good fight. Remember when the Changelings invaded Canterlot I think I kicked the flank of more bugs than you guys.” “While one could argue that you are the best fighter among us Rainbow, the fact is that Achilles is beyond you in terms of power and skill. You can’t take him down alone, in fact, I’d leave it up to the Legendary Pokemon to deal with him.” Rainbow Dash wanted to argue the point more. Her pride would not allow someone like Achilles to just show up and beat her like she was nothing. She was not nothing, she was Rainbow Dash, Element of Loyalty, a Wonderbolt! And yet, even she had to face reality sometimes. Most of the enemies she faced were ones she didn’t defeat on her own. When it came to guys like Nightmare Moon, Discord, and King Sombra, she had her friends there to help her and support her. “Alright, I promise I won’t go after Achilles.” Twilight smiled as she realized her words worked. “Thank you, Rainbow.” There was a knock on the door and in stepped a large Luxray. “Hey Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, how you girls doing?” “Oh hello, Seth, how ya been, hows Fritter?” “She’s doing fine, the fires didn’t do that much damage to her home or the fields. Although she is working to replace some of the trees she lost.” “That’s great to hear, if she ever needs anything tell her she can call me.” “Will do. Anyway, actually Princess Celestia sent me here to get Twilight.” “Oh, what does the Princess need me for?” “She wants to discuss something with you me and Arceus. Apparently, Chaldea has arrived in Equestria. Upon hearing the news from Seth, Twilight left her friends and went with him to the castle. They eventually made it to the Throne room, and inside were Celestia and Luna, as well as Arceus and Mewtwo. “Princess Twilight and Seth Crescent glad you both could make it,” Arceus said. “Likewise Lord Arceus,” Seth responded. “So what’s the news?” Celestia cleared her throat. “Well, a report came in from Baltimare saying that Phantom Thief Fox had an encounter with Chaldea.” “Fox found Chaldea? I’m...actually not that surprised.” “Indeed,” Princess Luna stated. A statement from the Officer who was here during the Heist of the Crown Jewels, Officer Johnathan Trace, says that Fox had an encounter of some kind with Chaldea. Unfortunately, she was not able to apprehend a single member.” “A shame,” Mewtwo said. “We would only need but one to find the rest. It would take but a single mind probe to gleam the location of their base of operations.” Celestia eyes Mewtwo with concern. “Speaking of bases, Jonathan also stated that the Chaldeans are apparently traveling in a large armored vehicle, I believed he described it as an APC?” “An Armored Personnel Carrier, I’m familiar with the term,” Seth said. “Is that all?” Arceus said. “Other than the descriptions of 6 humans, that is all Fox was able to glean from her scuffle with them.” “I see,” Arceus sighed. “I suppose that will have to do.” The Pokemon god’s eyes glowed as well as the report that Celestia held in her magical grasp, taking the descriptions that were on it. “I shall use this information to conduct a search to the best of my ability. Good day to you all.” Then in a golden flash, the deity was gone. “Wow, he certainly was in a hurry,” Twilight said. “Lord Arceus has been restless ever since this whole thing began,” Mewtwo stated. “He will stop at nothing until Chaldea is found and is made no longer a threat to the Pokemon and people of this world. Heh, those humans have no idea what is coming for them.” And with that, Mewtwo also teleported away. “Hmph, I don’t know who I should be worried for most,” Celestia said. “The Chaldeans or Arceus.” “You’re concerned about the humans who wish to destroy us?” Luna said. “From what we understand, these humans are not evil or malicious Luna, they do not take pleasure in what they do. I’m sure that if they wanted they would find another way to save their world without destroying ours.” “You have never met these Chaldeans before sister, how can you be so sure of their feelings?” “I don’t. But I will say this, I do not like the idea of Arceus finding Chaldea before we do.” “What do you mean?” Twilight asked. “Twilight, I’m sure it’s obvious to you as well as others that Arceus has a very low opinion of humans, almost to the point of hatred, or as the humans would call it, being misanthropic. I can’t imagine he would treat them fairly or impartially.” “Okay I know the Arceus doesn’t like humans, but he wouldn't do anything too terrible to them would he?” “I’m not sure, but I would feel a lot better if they were in our custody than his. It’s obvious he has bais considering that the worst of humanity drove him into leaving his home. We on the other hand had experienced the good members of the human race that he brought with him.” Celestia looked at Seth as she said this who smiled back at her. “We must find Chaldea as quickly as possible before Arceus does.” “The question is, what are they planning to do now that they are here in Equestria?” “Well from the information that we know,” Seth said. “They plan to destroy this Lostbelt, and the best way to do so is by cutting down our Tree of Emptiness. Which according to Harmony, is the very thing that keeps a Lostbelt alive." Twilight nodded in agreement. “So the question is, where is our Tree of Emptiness?” Princess Celestia looked toward a stained glass window, one which depicted the founding of Equestria. “Only Harmony knows.” The Shadow Border drove along the fields of grass under the night sky, eventually coming to a stop and the southern foot of Canterlot Mountain. Once Goredolf put the Border in park, Kadoc was the first to ask the obvious question. “So, what now?” “A good question,” Kirschtaria said. “Holmes, what do you make of our current situation?” “Well, even though we managed to escape that encounter with this “Phantom Thief Fox”, I think we should be lucky that we did.” “Lucky?” “While it may not seem apparent at first, that Pokemon and her group are more dangerous and skilled at first glance. To simply put, they no doubt had us on the defensive for the entire time and only continued to gain ground.” The group only needed a moment to agree with the detective's assessment. “I agree with Holmes,” Da Vinci said. “Most of those guys may not look tough or as skillful in a fight as we are. But they more than made up for it with deception and not giving us a moment to breathe. And while the likelihood of them breaching the Border was very low, it was never zero.” “Plus defeating us was apparently not their intended objective, in all likelihood they were stalling us so more backup would arrive,” Kirschtaria said. “It's a good thing Anastasia managed to drive them off,” Kadoc said with pride. “Yeah about that,” Da Vinci said as she turned to the Russian servant. “What exactly did you do?” Anastasia did not even hesitate to answer. “I threatened to kill their spider unless they left.” Most of the room then went silent. “Really?” Mash said in a surprised voice. “Yes, I wanted to see if they valued the life of their pet more than their mission to apprehend us.” Ritsuka then found his voice. “Okay but, you didn’t really hurt it right?” “I may have rendered several of its appendages in need of amputations. Why?” Ritsuka then sighed and was about to speak up before Sherlock beat him to it. “Miss Anastasia, while torturing and blackmail are not exactly methods I or some of us would not employ, I have a feeling that it may not have been the best solution.” “Hey, she got us out of that situation right. Who cares if those Pokemon hold a grudge?” “While the possibility of running into them is low like Da Vinci, said it’s never zero. They found us once so the possibility exists they might find us again. You also have to remember that we are still enemies of this world. In the last two Lostbelts, we managed to get off on the right foot with our first encounters with the inhabitants. From beginning to end they understood that we were not bad people even though we were here to destroy them. Even the Yaga understood that in their finale moments.” Ritsuka and a few others turned their thoughts to a certain Yaga who swore to never forgive them for the crime of showing him a better world existed. “Now it’s clear that will no longer be the case. This Fox in all likelihood now sees us as villains who are willing to torture and maim. She will likely tell others about this and as a result, the people of the Lostbelt will search and come at us with more determination and vindication. To simply put, we are now the evil here.” Before the conversation could continue, all of a sudden, there was beeping the control console. “What is it?” Kirschtaria said. “One of our long-distance drones has found several servant signatures!” Da Vinci said. “Really?” “Yeah, according to these readings, numerous spirit origins have been spotted in a canyon southwest of here.” “Are they friendly?” “Who knows, but there is nothing the data says that indicates they are Lostbelt servants. We’ll just have to go there and see for ourselves.” “Well, then what are we waiting for let’s go!” Goredolf exclaimed. “The more help the merrier!” The Shadow Border once again began moving, heading Southwest towards their intended destination, avoiding Ponyville and going around the Everfree Forest, Eventually, they came upon the area that was known to the natives as Ghastly Gorge. After a few more minutes of driving, they came upon a spot on the edge of the canyon. Mash, Ritsuka, and Kirschtaria got out to get a look at the surroundings. “They should be around here,” Mash said. “Then where are they?” Ritsuka said. “Right here,” a voice responded. The trio turned with their guard up to see someone step out of the bushes. It was a man who appeared to be of eastern descent, his shirtless chest showed off his detailed tattoos while he wore gauntlets on his arms and some form of clothing on his legs. He had black hair in a ponytail and had brown eyes. Of course, having survived Shinjuku, Ritsuka knew who he was. “You’re Yan Qing!” “That’s right, and you guys must be from Chaldea. Glad you could make it! We’ve been expecting you.” Then, nine more servants came out of spirit form. All of them of various classes. Ritsuka and Kirschtaria recognizing all of them. “Is this everyone?” “A naw, you should see the hideout. We got maybe a dozen more back there.” “A dozen!?” “Come one I’ll show you.” The trio looked at each other and smiled before following the servant. Things were finally looking up in this Lostbelt for Chaldea.