//------------------------------// // Episode 136: Ascendant // Story: Equestria Girls: Friendship Souls // by thatguyvex //------------------------------// Episode 136: Ascendant  As a woman who put quite a bit of effort into her plans, be they big or small, Adagio had learned two deeply intertwined lessons. One, no plan, no matter how thoroughly made, is guaranteed to go off without a hitch. This naturally led to lesson two, always have several backup plans for the inevitability of the unexpected.  This resulted in her being prepared when her plan to simply bring Ember to Torch met with the unexpected; Torch and his entire horde coming to her. Adagio wasn’t sure if Torch had simply somehow caught wind of Ember’s spiritual pressure returning to Las Noches, or if perhaps Thorax, as a practical joke, had informed Torch of Ember’s return after he’d departed Adagio’s territory. Regardless of the how, Adagio now found her territory neck deep in a very rambunctious and rowdy gathering of Arrancar, led by the humongous Torch, who were eager to reunite with their beloved second-in-command and celebrate her return in such a manner that Adagio feared the property damage it might leave behind. Fortunately she had anticipated needing to handle such a gathering, and hence had had Usagi send a few gathering parties out to collect a suitable amount of alcohol from the living world, and hunt up enough lesser Hollows to constitute a decent banquet. Even so, she wasn’t certain how long her provisions would last, given Torch’s hordes’ appetite.  But it was worth it, she reflected. Ember needed some joviality to lift her spirits.  When Adagio had gone to the chambers Ember had been resting in to take her out to see her father, Adagio had instantly picked up on her friend’s unsteady state. She’d been sitting in that room, holding her Zanpaktou across her lap as she stared at the wall, and Adagio hadn’t much liked the frustrated look in Ember’s eyes or the sagged slump in her shoulders. Adagio, making a point to radiate enough confidence for both of them, had sauntered over to stand in front of Ember with one hand resting upon her hip. “You do hear your father outside, right? If you stay in here, he’s liable to tear down the walls to come in and get you, and I will see to it you help in the reconstruction if that happens,” Adagio said, half probing, half jokingly. She wasn’t about to force Ember into a discussion she didn’t want to have, but she did need to get her outside before Torch literally ‘torched’ the place down. “I know, I know!” Ember said, heaving out a growling sight as she stood up, looking more angry at herself than anything else, “I just... it’s hard facing him now.” “Why not?” Adagio asked, upon which both of them could hear the distant but distinct bellow of Torch’s voice outside. ”Emmmmbeerr! My little firebrand! I know you’re in there! Come out so I can give you a proper hugging!” Ember blanched, face paling, “Because he gets like that! Normally he doesn’t treat me too differently from the rest of the horde, but the second I get into trouble he starts acting like I’m a child again! It’s even worse this time because... because I lost a fight and got myself captured.” “It was a Captain-class Soul Reaper, Ember,” Adagio reminded her, “And I lost that fight, too.” Ember shot her a rueful look, half smiling, half showing her fangs, “Yeah, but at least you got a rematch, and then beat her.” Ember paused, shifting her eyes away from Adagio, “I didn’t get a chance yet to thank you for getting me out of there, either. So, thank you Adagio. I mean that. I had no reason to expect anyone would come after me, and if you hadn’t I’d still be getting humiliated, poked and prodded at, by those damned Soul Reapers.” Ember was trying very hard not to show it but Adagio could see the faint shaking in the other Arrancar’s hands, and faint fear and tremble in her eyes. No matter the specifics of her treatment by the Soul Reapers, whether the research had been gentle or not, the fact remained Ember had been captured and used as a test subject against her will. Adagio knew exactly what being pinned to a table to be examined while rendered helpless felt like; the anger and humiliation it spurred. Whatever alliances Adagio tried to form with Soul Reapers in the future, she knew she’d have to play it carefully where Ember was concerned, because she doubted Ember would ever come close to trusting Soul Reapers down the road.  All she could do was offer Ember the kind of encouragement a girl of her particular temperament would most appreciate.  “You survived. That’s all that matters,” she said, moving so that Ember couldn’t look away from her authoritative gaze, “That’s what your father cares about. Is his affection going to be embarrassing? Certainly. But show him and the others of your horde that you’re not damaged by your time with the Soul Reapers. Show them you’re stronger than ever by hugging your father back harder than he does you, then drink him and the rest of them under the tables. I certainly had Usagi gather enough drinks to drown Las Noches if it comes to it.” “Hmph,” Ember choked out a partial laugh, “You’d need an ocean to put a dent in my father’s constitution, but I appreciate the effort. Hmm, Usagi... that the purple haired chick who showed me to this room?” “That would be her,” Adagio confirmed with a nod, “She’s been more than useful in keeping things orderly around here.” “I noticed the place was more crowded than last I saw it,” Ember said, “Looks like someone is getting popular.” Adagio smiled and flipped her hair, “I wouldn’t be much of an Espada without gathering a horde of my own. Di Roy and Gaw work well as enforcers, while Dumbbell and his crew make for good errand runners, but I need a larger body of vassals to ensure I have some weight to throw around when needed.” Ember gave Adagio a long, appraising look, then slowly the tension eased out of her and Ember looked a bit more like her old self, “I’m glad to see it. Amazed, really. To think that mere Adjuchas I stumbled across would so quickly become Las Noches rising star. You’re definitely something special, Adagio. Just...” Adagio raised an eyebrow, “Just?” A serious note entered Ember’s voice, “Keep your eyes peeled. You’ve risen too far, too fast, to not be a target. I’d bet you anything that Guto is going to make a move on you, soon. Be prepared for it. And for the fact that he’s probably scared enough of you to not fight fair.” All Adagio could do was give Ember a thin smile like the grin of a bird of prey, a smile she’d given plenty of times when she felt the thrill of an oncoming challenge. “Oh trust me, Ember, I’m already well ahead of you on that front. Now come, let’s go see your father.” And so they had, Adagio marching out of the recently upgraded steel doors that she’d had built to act as the main entrance and exit to the interior of her territory along Las Noche’s wall. Usagi had been there already, doing her level best to calm down an exuberant and exceedingly pushy Torch. It generated a small burst of laughter from Adagio that she’d quickly hidden behind her mouth. Usagi wasn’t a short woman, but she still looked like a mere toddler next to Torch’s prodigious size and girth. Yet the plucky Arrancar had seen fit to bar his path, albeit with a look of stark exasperation and near terror, given Torch could have easily punted her across the inner fortress like a purple-haired football. Usagi reminded Adagio a little bit of Sonata. They had similar builds, although Usagi favored leaving her light violet hair falling long and unbound down to nearly her knees. That ridiculous mask fragment in the shape of a bunny skull sat near perfectly atop her head. Adagio’s most recent vassal favored loose garments that exposed plenty of skin, taking after Adagio’s own preferred manner of dress, although while Adagio’s were more designed for ease of movement in a fight, Usagi’s were more designed to be tantalizing. Usagi wasn’t a fighter and knew it, so focused on using other charms to get by. Even her ‘Zanpaktou’ wasn’t particularly threatening, coming in the shape of a weirdly ornate golden staff with a heart shape at one end.  “Oh thank Tirek! Lady Adagio!” Usagi cried upon seeing her Espada approaching with Ember, “I’m so very glad to see you! I’ve been telling this walking mountain that he can’t fit inside our halls and to just be patient for your arrival, but has he been listening to the single word I say?” “I’ve been listening to you chirp plenty, rabbit, which is why there’s even still a door here and not a hole cut through with my axe! Now move aside or get stepped on, I’ve got a daughter to hug! Ember, hahah, there you are! C’mere!” Torch hadn’t been joking. His prodigious bulk stomped forward, forcing Usagi to yelp and dive out of the way, lest she be trampled by the exuberance Fifth Espada. Behind him came a mass of other Arrancar warriors of his horde, chanting Ember’s name and making wild, whooping noises as they crowded forward, forcing Usagi to hop and scramble further to avoid the rowdy charge. Adagio wisely stepped aside, patting Ember on the shoulder and whispering, “Good luck.” Ember shot her a rueful look before being swept up in several tons of hugging father arms. While Ember was busy being introduced to crushing pressures from the embrace of a loving parent, surrounded by hollering members of her horde, Adagio went over to Usagi and helped the frazzled woman up. Usagi was dusting sand off of her slinky dress and looked at Adagio with a mixture of deep gratitude and apologetic exasperation, “Thank  you, my lady. I didn’t know how much longer I could keep that terrifying man pacified. He really was about to knock down the doors with his axe! And we just had them installed, too!” “It’s alright, Usagi. You did very well,” Adagio said, “Why don’t you go take a breather while I handle things here for a bit? Oh, and once you’ve composed yourself, see what we have to set out for refreshments for our guests. They may be here for a spell.” “Oh my, entertaining this many? We’ll go through our stock in no time. At least we did gather up quite a bit beforehand, so we should be good, I think. I’ll get right on it, my lady.” Usagi wasted no time in heading off to do as Adagio bid her, and Adagio nodded to herself in satisfaction. While not much of a battle asset, Usagi was worth her weight in gold in other areas.  When Ember got enough breath to get a word in edgewise, she managed to push her father back just enough to say, “I’m glad to be back, father, but how about some of this embarrassing gratitude get sent Adagio’s way? She’s the one who set up my rescue, after all?” “As if I’d forget!” Torch said, ceasing to hug Ember only to place her on his shoulder, which she went cherry faced over but didn’t object as Torch stomped over to Adagio and grinned down at her, setting his axe head-first on the ground to lean on. Adagio looked up at him, offering a welcoming smile. “Well, Lord Torch, I do believe this is the first time you’ve given my territory an official visit. Stay and you and yours can make yourselves comfortable. I’ll even provide the food and drinks.” “Hah! You’re something else, you know that?” Torch rumbled with a jovial belly laugh, “A part of me wasn’t sure you could actually pull off getting my girl back from the clutches of those damned Soul Reapers, but here you stand, and so does Ember. You’re a woman of your word, Adagio Dazzle, and don’t you think for a second I’ll be forgetting what you’ve done for me this day. And you’re damned right I’ll take you up on sticking around for a bit. This calls for a proper feast of celebration! Don’t worry, I won’t empty out your own stores. I’ll send some of the boys to grab some goods from our own territory, and your people and mine can throw ourselves a proper revelry!” It hadn’t taken long for Torch to make good on that, with the entire area along the wall of Adagio’s territory turning into something akin to a wild, unfettered tempest of feasting Arrancar who were all rapidly getting to various levels of intoxication. This meant plenty of play fighting, dancing, and minor destruction of property, but Adagio knew repairs wouldn’t take long. She was glad for having had the pool made nearby, and considered the fact that it could probably do with an expansion, if she was going to host groups this large in the future.  While she partook in some of the drinking, she made a point to not let it get beyond a slight buzz. She had things that still needed doing, and plans that needed sorting out. Amid the partying, she’d encouraged her own people to get involved and have some fun too, but Di Roy and Gaw both had duties she needed them to attend to as well. The Seed needed guarding, for one. It was tucked away safely in a hidden location that Adagio had prepared, not far from what was becoming a makeshift study and lab. Gaw wasn’t all that eager to be amid the crowd, so she volunteered to play watchdog on the Seed until further notice. Di Roy, after getting his share of food and drink, was then sent to Lament’s tower to check in with Roka and Fenice. Adagio didn’t want any trouble starting there until she was certain of Lament’s condition. His power was vastly reduced, but the permanency of this power loss was not yet determined.  She was concerned how the other Espada would react upon learning of Lament’s condition, and wasn’t sure it could even be kept a secret for long. Grogar may well have already reported it to Tirek. In fact, she was intending to go see Tirek soon as well. She’d need to make her own report of events at the Everfree Forest.  She’d been ruminating upon her next course of action, sitting amid a circle consisting of Torch, Ember, and several of what she assumed were Torch’s more trusted warriors. She felt a jostle on her shoulder and looked to see Torch poking at her. He was polishing off an entire metal keg of beer and tossed it aside with a loud belch, then gave her a half serious look. “You got that scheming look in your eyes, Adagio. Starting to get a feel for how you think, but you’d best just relax a spell. Lord Tirek will call for you when he’s good and ready. No point bothering thinking too much about it until then.” “Hmph, I’m that transparent to you now? Either I’m losing my touch or you’re more observant than I gave you credit for,” she replied with a joking smirk, and he laughed. “Hahah! I didn’t get to be where I am just by being stronger and tougher than a bunch of other ruthless bastards! I mean, sure, that’s most of it, but I learned to use my noggin’ a bit along the way,” Torch lowered his head, his joviality momentarily passing as he lowered his voice to go along with a faintly concerned look, “I know Lament went and helped you out during all that fighting. Also noticed he went and slinked away to his tower without a word. Not weird by itself, but usually I can sense his reiatsu when this close to his territory. Something happened I oughta know about?” Adagio paused, thinking. Torch was part of her alliance formed between herself, him, and Lament. Torch did deserve to know. By this point the tale of the battles at Everfree had already been told between her and Ember, but Adagio had left out the bit concerning the Seed that Grogar had extracted from Lament. She didn’t intend to hide it forever, since she had plans for that Seed, but she hadn’t wanted to advertise it either until the right moment. Trust was still very hard for her, but she’d already accepted trusting Thorax, and Torch had been an ally well before that.  “It’s a little complicated,” she whispered back to him, “Grogar did something to Lament that has weakened him considerably.” “Grrr,” Torch let out a low growl, “That goaty bastard... tell me his number is coming up soon. I owe him for his past treachery, and now it sounds like he’s done something similar to Lament.” “Oh, he’ll be getting his in due time. An opportunity may be coming soon, but I can’t afford to jump the gun on that until I know for sure I can get him in a position he can’t weasel out of,” Adagio assured Torch, “For now I have to still play this carefully, especially with Lament weakened.” “Just how weakened are we talking here?”  “It’s hard to say,” Adagio replied cautiously, “But enough to have me worried. Until I can learn more about his condition and recovery prospects, I can’t rely on him for anything concerning combat or intimidation. I’ll need to cover for him until he has a chance to regain his strength.” Torch nodded, his expression grim and faintly predatory. It was only natural. Hollows had an instinct to prey on weakness, but Torch’s more noble nature was stronger, or perhaps just his hate for Grogar and his gratitude towards Adagio and Lament for their role in bringing Ember back, “That’ll be rough. Ain’t gonna lie, I’m tempted to snatch the Fourth position myself, if Lament can’t hold it. Don’t forget, I wasn’t always the Fifth, and it’s stung losing my old post for so long. Hell, Adagio, you could become the Fifth after I became Fourth.” Adagio shook her head, “Those numbers only matter so much to me, Torch. Lament is too useful an ally to turn on.” “Oh, I know, and I wasn’t planning on it, but I’m reminding you that other Espada are going to smell blood in the water, and some of them ain’t so happy about being reduced in rank when you claimed your place. Guto will make a move in a hot second, if he catches wind of Lament being weak.” Adagio had already considered that fact, and how best to counter it. Di Roy was acting as her early warning in case anything did happen before she could head off that particular problem. Unfortunately her own forces were still nowhere near up to the task of outright confrontation with Guto’s. Most of her people were the weakest of Arrancar society, joining Adagio out of the promise that she would treat them much better than any other Espada would deign too. This secured a certain amount of loyalty, but came with the downside that she knew her newest vassals were not up to fighting the warriors of other Espada. Even now, in a relatively amiable environment like partying with Torch’s people, Adagio could sense a certain uneasiness among her own.  Her own vassals were easy to pick out amid the crowd for two reasons. One was that instead of the conventional all white clothing Arrancar favored, Adagio had opted to allow her people to incorporate more conventional modern dress into their outfits, courtesy of Dumbbell and his friends’ raids upon living world clothing shops. They still wore some white here and there, but otherwise Adagio’s people tended to enjoy a more modern punk fashion, with the exception of some like Usagi who still preferred more traditional Hollow white.  The other thing that made them easy to spot was how they were almost one and all being a tad skittish around Torch’s warriors. Copious amounts of alcohol was loosening some of them up, but otherwise it was like watching a bunch of high school freshman trying to appear composed at a college party.  I need to strengthen all of them. Even if I challenge Guto directly myself, his forces might still do serious damage to my own, regardless of whether or not I win against Guto himself. Taking a long sip of her own drink, Adagio said slowly to Torch, “I can handle Guto, but his horde as a whole is another matter. Torch, what say you to some joint training exercises between your people and mine?” “Hah, looking to improve the fortitude of some of these shrimps you’ve collected? I can see why,” he snorted, steam billowing from his nostrils as he downed another half a keg of beer, “You’ve really taken the dregs under your wing. You realize it ain’t just about training, right? Some of these scrubs are just weak by nature, no matter how much you try to pump them up. Still, my people could use a way to let off steam, and yours definitely need the exercise. What did you have in mind?” “I’ve been clearing out some of the submerged portions of the Forest of Gillians,” Adagio said, “And converting it into a proper training ground. Hidden from view. We’ll have our people work in small teams, there, focusing on boosting raw reiatsu. Our stronger warriors will work on joint hunting expeditions, focusing on taking down Gillian and even Adjuchas. Kills will be distributed to the weakest so they can feed and gain power.” Torch frowned, “Usually that’s bad form. The one doing the kill should get to consume it. You’re saying give the nice kills to the weakest. Some of my people ain’t gonna like that.” “This is about efficiency, Torch. I’ve already scouted out good hunting grounds while... pursuing other matters. Matters I’ll also need your assistance on, soon.” Adagio had been beyond busy, with not just setting up her territory, or planning how to strengthen her vassals. She’d been pursuing new potential allies in the deep deserts of Hueco Mundo. There were Privaron Espada out there whom she sought to contact, but even she wasn’t mad enough to try it in certain cases without backup. Torch was an old Arrancar, and likely well known. If it was learned that even he was on board with potentially turning on Tirek himself, that might be enough to convince some of the Privaron. Adagio had leads on a couple of territories she intended to visit, as long as she could ensure her own people and territory were secure in Las Noches while she did so. Torch seemed to grasp where she was going with this and gave a hefty nod, “Hmm, you’re really going to go for it, aren’t you? You’ve got quite the pair on you, Adagio.” “Gee, thank you for noticing,” Adagio said with a languid smile, and Torch waved her off. “Pfft! You know what I mean. Look, I’ve supported you so far out of respect for that raw, ambitious chutzpah of yours. But that’s over and done with.” “Oh?” Adagio raised a cautious eyebrow, but Troch just grinned at her and nodded towards where Ember was laughing and chatting with several other Arrancar. “Now I’m doing it because you’ve given me back something I could  never replace. This has gone way beyond respect, Adagio. Maybe you did it knowing it’d earn this kind of loyalty from me, but damned if I don’t care if it was manipulation or not. You being a manipulative bitch is part of why you do so well here, and far as I’m concerned, it makes you even more of a worthy ally. So you really want to go all the way to challenging the throne itself, I’ve got your back.” He followed this with a dark chuckle, “Although, truth be told, I think we’d both get crushed by Tirek in a heartbeat if we tried it now.” “Obviously,” said Adagio, “Which is why we’re not doing it now. Not until I find a way for us to close the gap between us and him, and eliminate most if not all of those who’d side with him.” Torch’s eyes gleamed, “But I see it in your eyes that you’ve got a few ideas, and that the day ain’t that far away, either.” “No,” Adagio said, licking her lips eagerly, “Hopefully not that far at all.” ---------- “Where do you think you’re going?”  Thorax spun around with a devil-may-care smile of mock innocence on his face as he watched his brother march towards him down the darkened corridor. They were within the depths of their mother’s lair, not far from Pharynx’s living chambers where Thorax had dropped in to see how his brother was faring on his recovery. The damage done from Grogar’s prototype siren gem had largely healed, and Pharynx cut an imposing figure as his head nearly brushed the cavernous ceiling of the circular, dark tunnel. “Don’t give me that damned grin, Thorax. I asked where you were going? Mother isn’t back from the damn pony world, yet, so you’re still her stand in.” “Oh I know, but don’t worry about that. Tirek isn’t demanding my presence, yet, and I have business to take care of. Toddles.” Pharynx wasn’t faster than Thorax, but he could still move with incredibly fluid grace for a man of his bulk, and Thorax felt his brother’s powerful hand clasp down on his shoulder before he was done turning around. “No. No ‘toddles’. You’ve been gone for more than a day, and none of the drones have reported seeing you, in your natural form or Mother’s, walking around Las Noches. Where have you been?” “Oh, you know, doing this and that. Enjoying a few lovely strolls in the living world. Mostly my own business, unless you plan on trying to beat answers out of me, brother?” Pharynx let out a frustrated, deep bellied grunt and after matching stares with Thorax for a few moments, reluctantly let go. “Damn it, brother, why? Why play these games? Ocellus is gone off to that weird other realm, and you’re being dodgier than ever. I don’t like it. Why am I the one one left out of the loop? Even Mother won’t tell me what she’s really planning to do in this ‘Equestria’ place! All I’m told to do is sit here and hold the fort.” There was a forced amount of grumbling, growly toughness to Pharnyx’s tone that Thorax could instantly see through. His brother was confused, hurt, and apparently a tad lonely without Ocellus and Thorax both around. He sighed a bit, feeling a rising sympathy. “I suppose you have been given the short end of the stick. It actually is a relief to know you’re here to keep watch over our home, brother, so don’t think you’re unappreciated. Mother does whatever she feels like, when she feels like it, and that’s a trait I inherited from her in spades. Ocellus too, in her way. You’re the one stuck with the sense of responsibility.” “Hmph, much to my everlasting detriment, it seems,” Pharynx said, crossing his thick arms over an equally burly chest, “I know you’ve got some kind of scheme going on. I found Greta.” That caught Thorax off guard. His brother rarely got one over on him, so he had to take a second to get his thoughts in order before replying with a half hearted shrug, “Ah, so you did. Was she where I left her?” “You mean drugged out of her mind and stuffed into one of the old pantries down below? Yes,” Pharynx said with his brow creasing in a deep glower, “And I had to spend hours rousing her from whatever you fed her. Took longer to convince her not to report to Guto what had happened, given I doubt she wants the Sixth tangling with our Mother in the first place. But why did you drug her at all, I wonder? Replacing her, I imagine, but what I learned from her was that she was just assigned to do a simple recon mission to Canterlot City with Gilda and Adagio.” “Yes... that is all true,” Thorax said, offering nothing more, and Pharynx’s eyes narrowed. “So what were you doing there, replacing Greta?” “Observing.” “Observing?” “Rubberbabybuggybubers.” “...I’m not repeating that.” “Drat, that usually works on you.” “Are you going to give me any answers?” Pharynx said, his exasperation exploding out with a burst of frustrated reiatsu that briefly buffeted the hall with wind pressure. It wasn’t a show of intimidation, merely his brother’s emotions spilling out. Understandably, in Thorax’s view, which made it all the harder to keep the truth from him. Perhaps he should throw Pharynx a bone here?  Adagio had taken a leap of faith, trusting him to be a long term ally. He couldn’t imagine that had been easy for her. Sometimes a little risk was worth it, and Pharynx was family.  “If you want an answer, then fine, I’ll give you one. There’s someone I’m going to see. Someone I owe some long overdue answers to, herself.” “Herself?” Pharynx’s chiseled, square features scrunched up in thought, “Who? You’ve got an awfully serious look on your face for this to be about any of the dozens of dalliances you’ve had.” “This is nothing like that,” Thorax said, “This is... Luna.” Pharynx twitched like an electrical shock had run through him. His hand almost instinctively reached for his Zanpaktou, only halting itself a few inches short as he realized he had no one to draw it on. He shook his head dazedly and stared hard at Thorax, “You’re joking.” “Afraid not, brother,” Thorax said, adopting his careless smile once more, “Ran into her during the festivities in the living world, and without going into details I managed to strike an arrangement with her. To meet her, alone, at our old hidey hole.” “You’re insane,” Pharynx said after a silent moment, “She’ll kill you.” “I have confidence she won’t. Or at least she’ll hear me out first, before trying.” “Thorax, you led her into Mother’s web. Mother nearly had full control over her before that blasted sister was able to rescue her. Pretty sure you mentally and emotionally scarred that woman for life.” “First of all, that’s all a slight exaggeration,” Thorax said, regret and embarrassment filling him in equal measures, “And second of all, I didn’t know you cared so much about what happened to her.” “I don’t,” Pharynx hissed, “She’s a Soul Reaper, you moron! I’d have been fine with Mother’s plan succeeding and us having a Soul Reaper officer under our sway! What I’m trying to say is that it’s insane to expect her to give two rat’s turds about anything you might have to say on the matter. I’m willing to bet the only reason she agreed to any deal was to get you alone somewhere so she could finish you off! Argh, you utter dolt! Why would you even try something like this!? It makes no sense...”  His brother blinked, then peered closely at Thorax, with those piercing eyes that he sometimes got when Thorax was trying to pull a fast one on him and he had an uncommon burst of awareness. “Thorax, tell me you don’t still have feelings for her.” “Not... as such,” Thorax replied, forcing himself to meet his brother’s searching gaze, “I hold no delusions about how either I or Luna feel. This isn’t about rekindling anything, or hoping even for reconciliation. I just... I owe her the truth. That’s it.” “And what truth is that?” Pharynx asked. Thorax dropped any pretenses, his voice calm and quiet, “That I didn’t know what Mother intended. Not fully. That when I brought her here, I honestly thought... ugh, look, these words are for her, brother, not you.” “Do you honestly believe she’ll want to hear any of them?” Pharynx pressed, “What good could hearing excuses from you do her? Or even an apology, as pointless as that is? Don’t be a sentimental fool. She’ll bear her scythes at you, probably before you’re even done speaking. No, this is madness. I can’t let you go.” It was Thorax’s turn to let his reiatsu spill out. Not a lot, just enough to firmly remind Pharynx that between the two of him, he was still the stronger, if not by a whole lot. “Give it a go if you think you can, but we both know how that fight turns out. As for Luna, perhaps she will turn her scythes on me, and she has a right to make that choice. Maybe me and her will only be able to end things with the song of our swords instead of our hearts. But however it turns out, I’m going, alone.” “Damn you, don’t be so stubborn! What will Mother think of this?” “I couldn’t possibly care less what she thinks of it. Feel free to tell her yourself when she gets back, whenever that will be. But it will surely be long after I’ve already had my rendezvous, and since you can’t track my Garganta, guess what? You can’t follow me, either.” Thorax turned around then and began to walk away, waving over his shoulder, “I’ll tell Luna you said ‘hi’.” “Wait, Thorax! At least let me go with you, dammit!” “No can do, brother,” Thorax said, voice slick with sympathy for his brother’s position, but unwilling to alter course, “You’ll just have to accept your place as our home’s watchdog a little longer. I’ll do my best to return alive and hopefully with all my sexy limbs intact.” With that, Thorax made a gesture and tore open a Garganta portal, stepping through it without breaking stride. He closed it right behind him, right in his protesting brother’s face. Once that was done, Thorax whispered one last apology to Pharynx before he started to cross the darkness of the Precipice Realm. He had some time, yet, before the agreed upon meeting time with Luna, and he had some preparations to make beforehand.  ---------- The throne room of the Espada was not entirely full. The most obvious absentee was Smooze, who’s present whereabouts remained a mystery to most in attendance. Adagio had gotten Gaw’s report on Smooze being discovered in the Everfree Forest, but beyond that only knew that Gilda had been involved in the incident that sparked the battles that had taken place. A lot of what Adagio claimed to know or not would depend on what Gilda said, first, and sadly she hadn’t had much opportunity to speak with the Tenth Espada after returning to Las Noches. The other two absent members of the Espada were Lament, who remained in his tower, and Chrysalis, who Tirek had simply stated was ‘indisposed’. Adagio wasn’t too surprised by that. Thorax had hinted that he had things to take care of and that he would trust Adagio to handle things without him impersonating his mother during the meeting. She was confident she could steer a beneficial course through the upcoming quagmire, but it would’ve been useful to have Chrysalis' disguised Thorax putting in the occasional word of support.  The mood in the chamber was a tense one. Plenty of word had spread that a major battle had taken place, which strictly speaking was not what Tirek’s orders had intended. The next few minutes would do much to determine if Tirek was pleased or irritated with the results of the “reconnaissance” mission that had somehow turned into a full scale battle between multiple Espada, Soul Reaper Captains, and Quincy Sternritter.  For Adagio it was a matter initially of who was called upon to speak first. Of course she had suspicions that Grogar may have already told his side of events, but she was confident Gilda hadn’t, at least. Mostly because Gilda still looked rather nervous, sitting upon her throne. She was trying to hide it with an air of bravado, but Adagio saw through it to the tight manner in which Gilda gripped her throne’s arms and kept shooting uneasy glances towards Tirek. Calm down, girl, Adagio thought towards Gilda, I may not like you, but you can be useful enough that I’d rather you not get yourself killed just yet. Then again she did still have to worry about herself, first and foremost.  “So it seems-'' Tirek began in an echoing baritone, his chin resting upon one idle fist as he loomed high upon his throne, “-that some of my Espada have had what one might politely dub a ‘misadventure’. Somehow what was meant to be a simple task of observing the defensive forces our enemies have placed around Canterlot City escalated to all out battle. I’d be more irritated with this turn of events if it didn’t clearly yield some interesting results.” Hydia let out a highly amused cackle, her body jiggling as she laughed in her throne, “Hahaha! This has got to be what they call the fire of youth, eh!? Our newbie Espadas just couldn’t help wanting to get their blades wet. Can we really blame them, Lord Tirek? I want to hear from Groggykins how it all went down.” Grogar shot the toadish woman a withering look, then turned his attention to Tirek and affected a smoothly inviting tone, “While I was not present for every element of what transpired, I can certainly give a very complete overview, given I had more than a few observation devices active to record events.” Adagio did well at keeping her face purely neutral. She ought to have known the bastard would have set up something like that. He did so seem to love his damned ‘observation devices’. How much more had he seen or heard through them, she wondered?  Tirek, without missing a beat, gave an approving nod to Grogar, “I’m sure such recordings will make this all the more entertaining, but I’ll have Gilda and Adagio give their own reports. I presume you can augment their stories with some impressive visuals?” “Of course, my lord,” Grogar said, and snapped his fingers. Apparently having been waiting for their cue, the doors to the throne chamber swung open and a group of Grogar’s twisted servant Arrancar waddled in, bearing upon their shoulders a large device. Adagio recognized the projector as being of the same design that Grogar had used to observe the battle at Las Noches, although this one was a little larger. Grogar’s servants deposited the device in the center of the chamber, then swiftly departed while Grogar withdrew a remote to operate it with.  “Now,” Grogar said, “I do believe we should start at the beginning of hostilities. Everything up until that point was rather non-consequential.” That, and he probably didn’t have any data prior to that point, Adagio imagined. It didn’t matter much. The only event of note had been Gilda’s failed attempt to kill Sunset Shimmer, and Adagio doubted Gilda was eager to tout that particular failure in front of her peers.  With the device projecting a flat image like a television screen, Grogar was able to provide visuals of the beginning of the battle. Or rather, the confrontation between herself, Grogar, Celestia, Luna, and Sunset Shimmer. Which meant he must not have had any video of Gilda inciting the fight in the first place due to discovering Smooze. Naturally that became the very first question of the hour, although it was Catrina who asked it, not Tirek. The Third Espada instantly leaned forward with an intense curiosity, fixing Gilda with deep, unblinking eyes. “Do you mean to tell us that you found that disgusting blob, and your first instinct was to try and finish the job the Quincy started?” Gilda grit her teeth, trying to hide how intimidated she may have felt while being stared down by the Third Espada, but she managed to jut out her chin and adopt a strong tone, “So what!? If he lost to the Quincy then what good is he to us? Might as well put him out of his misery, right? Though I could take out or capture one of those magic girls that Lord Tirek wanted nabbed, too, so seemed like a two-birds-one-stone kind of deal to me. I had both Greta and Gaw with me, so we had a numbers advantage, too!” “A numbers advantage that didn’t seem to do you any good,” Catrina noted, “Did you succeed in either goal? Killing Smooze or capturing one of the magic-possessing humans?” Gilda was silent for a second, before a harsh glare from Tirek caused her to sweat and hastily answer, “N-not exactly.” “You mean you lost?” Catrina pressed, to which Guto shot in with a snort. “You mean like you lost to that fire-wielding Sternritter? We’ve all faced a few setbacks lately, Catrina. Well, most of us have. I happened to defeat the last foe I faced,” Guto said, and to emphasize his point he raised his right hand and gave a tug to the golden chained leash he held.  Adagio had been trying not to look directly at her, but Guto had brought with him what he referred to as his ‘pet’. The leash was bound to a golden collar around the throat of a woman kneeling down before Guto’s throne. Fleur De Lis had a look like that of a caged panther. The light of fierce defiance was still in her eyes, but it was buried under a bone deep weariness, dark circles shadowing those eyes that gave the room around her nothing but venomous contempt. But the collar around her neck burned with Guto’s reiatsu and upon the tug of the leash she made a strangled noise and grimaced deeply. Her Quincy uniform was long gone, replaced with what Adagio might have generously called an ‘outfit’,  but was mostly just thin straps of white cloth covering just enough for a ghost of modesty, which did nothing to hide the purpling bruises or red lash marks that marked Fleur’s body. Adagio’s stomach roiled, but she said nothing. Guto and Fleur were an issue to be dealt with in it’s own time, which was not now. Catrina, for her part, couldn’t have rolled her eyes harder, “Yes, yes, we’re all very impressed, Guto. The only way you can keep a woman around you is with chains. As for Gilda, I want to know how she is here before us with neither a captured human or a single dead foe to her name.” “A story worth hearing,” Adagio said, “But only so we might better understand our opposition, Lady Catrina. Instead of insinuating that Gilda is weak, instead understand that our foes are strong. Keep in mind, neither I nor Grogar succeeded in killing any of our opponents either, and while I did defeat my own, I must confess she escaped my captivity before I could return to Las Noches with her.” “Admitting failure, Adagio Dazzle?” Tirek asked, and she faced him without flinching, meeting his eyes head on. “Admitting only to the facts. I defeated Captain Luna of the Gotei 13 in a head on duel, and attempted to take her captive. Sadly, she escaped my grasp afterward, but other circumstances demanded my attention so I considered it a matter of prioritizing our mission goals. You desired information more than anything else, yes? Well, given I faced Luna’s Bankai directly, I believe that information alone is rather valuable.” She was gambling a bit on what Grogar’s devices did or did not see, but since it didn’t look as if he’d acquired video of Gilda’s initial attack on Smooze, it stood to reason he didn’t have much data on anything he hadn’t been close to. She suspected he’d had his devices primarily following him, and when the battles had gotten chaotic enough, he hadn’t had time to redirect them.  Her hypothesis looked to be correct, because Grogar’s face turned a tad sour as he said, “Sadly I must accept Adagio’s word on that, for I was unable to catch more than a few images of her battle with Luna.” The screen flickered to a few images, first showing the initial stages of Adagio’s fight with the Second Division Captain, leading up until the moment Adagio released her Zanpaktou and Luna responded with Bankai. But Luna’s Bankai had created such a thick shadow from the outside that Grogar’s devices couldn’t penetrate. Adagio made a little smile of victory on the inside, for that meant she alone could describe the full extent of Luna’s Bankai to her fellow Espada. Even with Luna escaping afterward, the prestige of such a battle and coming out on top was undeniable.  The next half hour or so was spent recounting their respective battles; Adagio’s against Luna, Gilda’s against Fluttershy and Rarity, and Grogar’s against Celestia. Grogar supplemented the tellings with what images his data could provide, but that mostly detailed his encounter with Celestia. Adagio had to begrudgingly admit to being impressed with her hated enemy, at least. Grogar’s tactics against a clearly superior opponent had been thorough, even brilliant in places. It pained her to realize it, but if Grogar hadn’t been present for the events at Everfree Forest, then things would have gone south for her very quickly, for Celestia was a foe far too powerful for her to readily deal with. It stole a bit of her own thunder in facing down Luna that Grogar had, against higher odds, removed the stronger threat from the board.  Not that the other Espada weren’t suitably impressed by her own feats. While Hydia was busy lavishing Grogar with praise for facing one of the Gotei 13’s strongest, Catrina was watching Adagio with a greater hint of respect, and Guto a healthier dose of wariness. Before now Adagio’s power was undeniable, but her skill in battle may still have been in question in Guto’s mind. Knowing she could face someone of Luna’s experience and not only survive, but win, was probably giving the current Seventh Espada pause in his own plans concerning how he wanted to deal with her. Good, that would buy her time. However the focus soon turned upon Gilda, for there were certainly several elements of her battle that was causing a snag for the poor Tenth. “So she just... let you live?” Guto said incredulously, “She had you broken and beaten, then allowed you to leave of your own accord?” ‘She’ of course being Fluttershy. Adagio couldn’t help feeling a little surprised herself. Not that Flutteshy had spared Gilda. That seemed an obvious given. But rather that Fluttershy had won handily upon reaching the final evolution of her powers. Until then Adagio still hadn’t quite grasped how strong Sunset’s friends had become. She’d known Sunset had gotten strong, but largely thought of those other girls as secondary factors.  She was now re-evaluating that assumption.  Gilda, for her part, tensed in her throne, muscles bunching up as her hands gripped the throne’s arms tighter. Her face was a mixed swarm of frustration, shame, and deeper, more complex feelings as she stared back at Guto, “Guess she didn’t have the stomach for killing. That’s her problem, not mine. I took the loss like a damned adult and focused on the mission.” “It’s a testament to the potency of magic that these mere human children have evolved their Hollow-born Fullbring powers to such a degree that they can best even Espada-worthy Arrancar warriors,” Grogar stated in a clinical tone, “Gilda may be the weakest of us, but let us not entirely discount her strength. Arrancar are a superior species inherently, and the Espada the greatest ten specimens of the breed. Besting even the Tenth is a feat, and one only achievable through this unique blending of magic and spirit forces that exist in those human girls. Hence why capturing one has always been a worthy secondary goal... although no longer entirely necessary thanks to my own independent research.” Here it comes, Adagio thought, readying herself. This was going to likely be the most key point of this meeting, and one she couldn’t afford to let Grogar take all the momentum on. Tirek settled his unblinking dark eyes upon Grogar, “From your tone I take it you have something to reveal to us? You have that ‘research obsessed’ glint in your eyes, so out with it. Did that project you mentioned to me before I sent you out bear fruit?” “Oh yes, Lord Tirek, most enticingly potent fruit. So much so that someone decided to hold onto it for me in hopes she could steal what rightfully belongs to me,” Grogar said while turning a paper-thin smile towards Adagio. The images upon his device’s screen flickered to a video of another battle. This time, unlike other instances, he had quite a full level of detail on this exchange, and Adagio frowned as she watched the fight play out. He must have decided this took priority over other conflicts. That’s another reason he doesn't have more video of me or Gilda. He sent his devices to watch this fight instead. The video and audio for Lament’s struggle against Captain Sweet Cider was as detailed as Grogar’s fight with Celestia had been. Including getting a fair bit of revealing audio detail concerning Lament’s true identity and his relationship with Sweet Cider and Applejack.  “Hah!” Catrina burst out with a shocked laugh, “I can’t believe it. Our very own dour madman, the husband of a Soul Reaper Captain!? And their Kenpachi no less!? Oh that is just... just so deliciously tragic. No wonder he’s such a sourpuss.”  “Does this not compromise his loyalty?” Guto demanded, “We can’t possibly trust Lament’s intentions any longer, if he holds a connection this deep with the enemy.” Adagio was about to cut in, but Torch spoke before she could, the first time he’d spoken since the meeting began. The sizable Fifth Espada raised his axe and smashed the pommel of it so hard into the floor next to his throne that the entire chamber rumbled with the force of a small earthquake. The boom echoed for a moment, then Torch’s voice matched that echo with his own deep voice. “So his woman is a Soul Reaper? What of it!? Jealous, Guto, that he need not keep the women in his life on a leash? Lament crossed blades with his wife without hesitation, and he did it to aid Adagio in defeating our enemies and rescuing my daughter from their clutches! I’ll hear no word spoken against him, unless they want to meet the edge of my axe!” Guto’s mouth curled in a low snarl, “Do not be blinded by your daughter’s return. If Lament turns upon us, he could leak all manner of vital information to our foes.” “How?” Adagio cut in, “Lament knows little that the Soul Reapers likely don’t already know, or did you forget that Captain Luna infiltrated Las Noches while we were busy with the Quincy? Furthermore, has it not entered your slow mind that this supposed compromised loyalty may swing both ways?” Suspicion flared in Guto’s eyes, then Tirek spoke in a clipped, interested tone, “What do you mean, Dazzle?” She smiled in a knowing way, “Considering that Soul Society has done little to retain Captain Sweet Cider’s own loyalty, and I have it on good authority she is a woman far more concerned with family than anything else, it’s entirely possible she could be made into an asset for us. I suggest we encourage Lament to establish connections with his family, both human and Soul Reaper. This could prove an opportunity to sway a Soul Reaper Captain in our favor, or at least make her hesitate to engage us as long as Lament remains in our camp.” ‘Tirek stroked his chin, “Hmm... perhaps, but only if Lament remains a viable Espada.” The way he said it told Adagio that Tirek likely knew beforehand that Grogar’s experiment with the Seed had not only been ready to bear fruit, but could compromise Lament’s power. How much he knew, specifically, remained to be seen, but the answers would come soon enough as Grogar’s footage continued on to show the culmination of removing the Seed for Lament.  Grogar rather quickly cleared his throat in a loud manner as Pinkie Pie showed up and clicked the ‘off’ button on his remote, “And then the pink girl showed up but that’s not important to show.” Adagio couldn’t help herself, “I disagree, Grogar. Pinkie Pie showed a distinct evolution of her powers, much like the other human girls allied with Sunset Shimmer. I’m sure everyone here would benefit from witnessing the extent of Pinkie Pie’s abilities.” “I...disagree,” Grogar said, past grit teeth, to which Torch grinned widely. “Don’t be stingy, Grogar. Let us see your battle with the pink one. I’m sure it’ll be one worthy of an Espada.” “Do it, Grogar,” Tirek commanded, “I’d like to see precisely how those children have grown.” Grogar’s sour look intensified but he silently complied, glowering as his device proceeded to show the recording of his fight with Pinkie Pie. Stunned silence soon grew to varying degrees of laughter or confusion from the other Espada. Catrina was grinning like a cat, unable to stop her guffaws. Hydia initially looked more shocked, and then her broad joweles jiggled with acidic rage at Pinkie Pie making a fool of Grogar. Adagio made a mental note to maybe warn Pinkie that Hydia might have decided to view her as a target, now that Pinkie had humiliated Grogar. Guto looked a tad sickened but also amused by the display, while Tirek showed little of what was going through his mind. When the recording ended with Adagio’s arrival to steal the Seed, however, Tirek looked at her. “Where is the Seed, now?” Adagio was careful in her answer, “In my territory, safely under guard.” Grogar was fast to say, “And I demand it be returned to me! It’s the result of my research! My artificial siren gem worked perfectly, and the Seed will in turn provide me the most benefit from its use! You wouldn’t even know how to properly absorb its power.” She turned an icy look towards him, her voice filled with iron, “No. I took the Seed, therefore it belongs to me. Is this not a fundamental rule among us Espada? Among Hollowkind itself? You have only what you can hold onto with force, with power. If you want your Seed back, Grogar, I cordially invite you to come and try and take it back from me. You can have it, if you survive my trident.” “My my my, she has learned fast, hasn’t she?” said Catrina, turning a coy smile at Grogar, “What will you do, Ninth? Challenge the Sixth for your prize? That would be the way of things, wouldn’t it?” “Perhaps he wouldn’t need to do it alone,” said Guto in a dangerous tone, turning a sharp look towards Grogar, “Share a portion of the Seed’s power with me, and I’ll gladly help you teach this upstart a lesson!” “Not if I have anything to say about it!” Torch roared, standing up from his throne and hefting his axe, “Try to gang up on Adagio, and you won’t be facing her alone, Guto!” “Two on two are odds I’d accept,” Adagio said, but she also kept her voice calm and confident as she added, “But I don’t object to facing any challenge that comes my way for the Seed. I claim it as mine, so anyone who wants it will need to pry it from me, whatever alliance or tricks they wish to use for the purpose. I welcome the attempt. I’ll crush it completely.” “Arrogant woman,” Guto growled, but he was eyeing Torch cautiously, no doubt weighing the risks of fighting both Torch and Adagio at the same time, even with Grogar as a potential ally. He must have concluded the risk as too great, for he looked down with a dark rage in his eyes, but one that was suppressed.  Grogar’s frustration was palpable, and he looked at Tirek, but the First Espada showed no signs of supporting either side. He watched with impassive, but keen interest. He wouldn’t stop his Espada from sorting out their own disputes, violently or otherwise. That was part of the nature of Las Noches, after all. But it was clear he was not going to just order Adagio to hand the Seed back over to Grogar either, and Grogar’s options for getting it back were both limited and risky.  Adagio saw Grogar give up, and his look of impotent rage pleased her to no end. But Grogar gave her a look of pure venom. “Very well then, keep it. You lack the intellect to use it. And what of Lament? He is so weak now he can hardly keep claim to his position among us, can he? Perhaps it is time for a new Fourth.” “Oh? You think you could hold that position?” Cantrina said, waving her hand, “Don’t be ridiculous, Grogar. Torch could challenge, yes, perhaps Adagio or Guto if they wanted to, but that would become quite the three way battle.” “A part of me would like to reclaim my position as the Fourth,” Torch admitted, “But we do not yet know if Lament can recover his strength, and we need our forces as strong as possible. I’ll wait, and if anyone lower on the totem pole wishes to go for him, they still need to surpass me first. What say you, Adagio, Guto? Do either if you wish to challenge me for the Fifth throne?” “I’ll pass,” Adagio said, then added with a wink, “For now.” Guto made a drawn out ‘Tch’ sound, then sank in his throne, “Aren’t you two such a tightly knit pair? I tire of this topic. Since it seems you and Grogar left after you stole that Seed, do we even know what happened afterward in that forest?” As if she’d been waiting for her chance, Gilda spoke up, “We sure as hell do! You see, I still remembered what Lord Tirek sent us there for, so I stuck around to keep watch and gather any information I could, so I saw what happened, even better than Grogar’s dumb devices could.” “Well done,” Adagio commended Gilda, which seemed to catch Gilda off guard. “Uh...thanks?” “Do tell us,” Tirek said, “What did you see, Gilda? Perhaps it wasn’t a total mistake to make you the Tenth.” Gilda gulped, and then started to speak of what she saw. While Adagio had known about the gigantic tree that had formed and had felt the immense Hollow power that had seemed to originate from the tree, Gilda had indeed seen much, much more. Even Adagio leaned forward in interest as Gilda described, in some detail, the titanic final battle that had taken place in Everfree Forest. She was impressed, not only with Gilda’s resourcefulness in obtaining this information, but with Sunset Shimmer and her friends, who managed to confront what sounded like a truly immense foe and emerge victorious.  But what she didn’t expect was the reaction from some of the other Espada, Catrina breathing out in a surprised gasp, “It can’t be! She’s alive!? After what Chrysalis did to her!?” “Even I have to admit to being surprised by this,” Grogar said, still looking irritated over losing the Seed to Adagio, but his intellect focusing on the new information before them, “The Queen of Thorns herself, emerging from oblivion after all this time. It seems Chrysalis didn’t kill her, after all.” Tirek had sat up in his throne, seemingly roused to give this matter serious attention, with his black and yellow eyes blazing bright, “It is surprising. And fortuitous. Gaia Everfree was a potent member of our ranks, once, and if what Gilda says is true she retains much of that power.” “But she was beaten by those mere humans,” Guto said, “How powerful can she really be?” “Don’t be a fool,” Adagio spat, “Have you not paid attention to anything!? Sunset Shimmer and her allies are not to be underestimated! At this point each one of them is likely as powerful as a Soul Reaper Captain. How many of us could face six Captains at once? Seven, if you count Twilight Sparkle, who is probably more than strong enough to warrant her rank of Sternritter among the Quincy. Yet Gaia Everfree faced all of them at once, and nearly defeated them.” “Hmm, did she survive her defeat?” Tirek asked Gilda, “Did you remain to see what occurred after the battle?”   At that point Gilda gained a stiff hesitance, her features veiling with a cold aura of fear. But Adagio sensed it wasn’t fear of Tirek, of displeasing him by not having more information. No, Gilda’s eyes had a distant look of fear like someone who’d witnessed a natural disaster. Tirek’s eyes focused upon her like spears as he said, “Do not make me repeat myself, Tenth.” “Y-yes, Lord Tirek. I saw. Um... although I’m not sure what I saw.” Gilda went through it, bit by hesitant bit, and every Espada in the room focused upon her as her words sunk in. Initially there was rapt interest in what occurred with the tree. A portal beneath it, going out of control? Then Gaia Everfree somehow controlled the explosion of energies, resulting in a smaller but stable portal beneath a much reduced tree? That was fascinating, but that didn’t explain Gilda’s haunted fear.  No, that came with the description of the woman who had appeared to Sunset and the girls, and the confrontation with the arrival of Discord. Adagio had no idea who this woman was that Gilda described, but Gilda painted a dire picture. “I can’t even fathom what kind of power this chick was using,” Gilda said, unable to suppress a shudder, “I felt it only for a second and it...” “Go on, Gilda,” Tirek said, and she closed her eyes. “It was on par with yours, Lord Tirek. Her reiatsu. I’ve only ever felt anything like it when you were testing me and Adagio.” Grogar’s voice was deadpan, “So they’ve started to take action. After all this time.” Tirek nodded his face suddenly grave as a smoking volcano, “Yes, so it seems.” Adagio frowned, “Just who is this woman?” “By the description it sounds like Medley of the Zero Division,” Tirek said, letting out a dry, unamused chuckle, “You would not know of them, Adagio Dazzle. They are the true source of the Soul Society, and the Gotei 13’s existence. They are the pinnacle of the rot at the head of our reality, and the ones who seek to keep us Hollows struggling in the sands of Hueco Mundo. More than the Quincy, even, they are our truest foes. And yes, each one holds power to rival my own, or the Quincy King’s for that matter.” “I see...” Adagio Dazzle took a slow breath through her nose. Sounded like just one more set of enemies she’d have to contend with, in time. But it did affirm to her the importance of pursuing her alliance with Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer. Multiple foes on Tirek’s level was a horrifying thought, although there was one good piece of news in it. If she could beat Tirek, that meant she’d reached the power ceiling. He’d said the Zero Division were as powerful as he was, not stronger. So if she could overcome him, then that represented the pinnacle. If she could just find the strength to reach that final plateau, to ascend to that last height, then she could finally be free to create the life she desired for herself and her followers. She might even be able to finally... relax a little, and one day see her sisters again. “Should we be worried that Medley interfered with those girls but didn’t destroy them?” asked Catrina, “It strikes me as strange that she’d take those pendants but not simply kill them. What even were those pendants?” “No doubt manifestations of their magic,” Grogar said, his voice hungry, “A shame Medley took them. I’d have liked to have obtained one to study. I suspect they are batteries of power akin to the manifestations those girls used before.’ While Thorax had described the portal to her, Adagio hadn’t known the details of how it had formed or what had occurred immediately after it. She recalled Thorax’s prediction regarding what Tirek would do, so she looked at him to warily measure his reactions. He had the contemplative look of a true king, but she saw the eagerness burning in his slowly widening grin. “Yes, magic,” he said, “A source of great power, and with Zero Division taking direct action perhaps it's time we do the same. Gilda, you said that portal appeared to go to the Beast Realm, but you sensed an additional portal beyond it?” “I didn’t risk getting close, but I think so,” she confirmed uneasily, “That portal puts out a lot of weird feeling energy, and I definitely felt more of it on the other side.” “If that portal formed from the one that lead to Equestria then it stands to reason that even if it partially exists in the Beast Realm, a portion of it would still connect to that realm of magic,” said Grogar, his own eagerness returning to his voice, “I left enough observation devices behind in the forest that I could send a few to examine the portal. We must confirm where it goes, and if a further portal to Equestria exists beyond it.” “Do it,” Tirek said, “I want to know for certain, but if a bridge has opened to, heh, ‘Equestria’, then this is an opportunity I do not intend to waste.” “You intend to invade?” Torch said, “Through the Beast Realm?” “Why not?” Tirek said with a shrug, “I hold no fear of the beasts, and they’d do well to stay out of my way. If there is a portal to Equestria we can use, then use it we shall. Consuming the power of that realm, especially with Grogar’s artificial siren gems to augment our ability to absorb that power, would grant us a decisive edge over our enemies. You’d better believe I won’t ignore such a chance.” “What of Las Noches defenses?” Guto said, sitting straighter in his throne but a hesitant frown on his brow as he considered his own holdings, “If we all charge through to this other world then who would remain to defend our own territory?” “We shall work upon a plan,” Tirek said, making a circular waving off gesture with one hand, “I’ll not leave us defenseless here, but mark my words, my Espada, we will not ignore the opportunity in front of us! Equestria is open and ripe for the taking, and we shall do exactly that, and soon. Grogar, send your devices to scout the portal. Adagio, go play with your Seed, and while you’re at it work on seeing what we may do with Lament and his ‘family situation’. Hydia, I dislike that Smooze remains missing. Prepare your Fraccion to search for him. I’ll either have him returned, or destroyed, one or the other. Guto, Torch, muster your hordes for extended patrols outside Las Noches. I want to know of any Quincy or Soul Reaper forces that may be watching us. Catrina, come with me to my chambers. If anyone is to be left here to guard this place, it will be you, and I require to discuss that plan... at length.” Catrina’s face went briefly stiff, but then she smiled and nodded, “Of course.” Adagio raised an eyebrow. She supposed while Chrysalis was away, the cat would play? Perhaps Tirek was just bored with Chrysalis around. She wondered how much of Tirek’s eagerness to go to Equestria actually involved the fact that Chrysalis was currently there, and he was concerned over what schemes she was playing at, there? Either way, the Espada had their orders from their ruler, and so they departed from that meeting to go enact them. She had to speak with Lament, then get to work on figuring out just how to actually use the Seed she’d stolen from Grogar.  Oh, and then figure out how to keep Tirek from turning her home world, in which her sisters currently resided, into a dead wasteland with all it’s magic and souls consumed by Hollow hordes. ---------- Talking with Lament had proven difficult, as the man had been asleep when she’d arrived at his tower, and neither Roka or Fenice would let Adagio wake him. Which was fine. Fine. Whatever. It wasn’t as if she didn’t have a limited amount of time to work out her plans, and ensure Lament could still function as a part of said plans.  At least Di Roy gave her the all clear thus far on the tower. No sign at all of Guto’s people attempting anything yet, although that alone did make Adagio suspicious. He’d shown a willingness to work with Grogar to get at her, so she couldn’t discount that both of them might now be preparing to make a move against her. She really needed to get Lament back on his feet. The easiest way to do that would be to figure out how to return the Seed’s power to him, or at least a portion of it. She was still very tempted to keep a portion of its power for herself. She just needed to know the how of it. Eating it seemed the most obvious answer, but she wasn’t about to risk that without confirming that would work. And she wanted Roka’s help with that. Fortunately Roka had no objections to aiding Adagio, especially if it might help her father. With Fenice and Di Roy left to guard the tower, Roka had returned with Adagio to her territory. There, they’d gone to find Gaw steadfastly guarding the doorway to the makeshift lab Adagio had set up. “Lab” was admittedly a generous term. Adagio was not proficient in the scientific method. That said, she was adept in magical research and had learned at least some level of magic theory when she’d trained long ago to use her siren song for darker purposes. Her old mentor had taught her much, and Adagio adapted that knowledge for researching spirit energies.  Ever since Dumbbell an his friends ha retrieved Grogar’s research information and Adagio had set up a terminal to study it she’d moved everything into this small lab so she could work in peace. The lab wasn’t much to look at. It was just a small, circular chamber set off from the main rooms down a secondary corridor in her territory. It had a few tables and chairs, mostly with notebooks and lamps. There was a main desk where she’d set up the computer terminal for studying Grogar’s files, and it was here she sat now, with Roka looming over her shoulder. On the screen was a file titled ‘Seed Experiment’, which showed various diagrams of the Seed itself and how it grew within a host. Strangely, there was a side attachment to a different file that Adagio hadn’t looked at yet, although it’s name drew her curiosity; Segunda Etapa.  “I have no idea what half of this means, but given you’re far more experienced with reishi and medical matters, I thought you’d understand it better than I,” Adagio told Roka as she gestured at the screen, “Can you make anything out of this?” “Just a moment,” Roka said, peering at the screen. Adagio waited patiently as Roka’s eyes flicked back an forth over the data, and slowly the woman gave a faint smile.  “Does that smile mean something good?” Adagio asked. “Well, you’re lucky you came and got me to look at this. This Seed condenses spirit energy in a considerably potent if a little volatile package. You can just, well, eat it, but if you do so all at once, it’d likely cause a painful overload. Think of it like trying to swallow a whole gallon of milk all at once. Better to take it in small gulps, basically. Spread the meal out over time.” “Hah, it’s that simple is it?” Adagio said, smiling in satisfaction, “That goat faced, shriveled old man made it sound more complicated. Hmph, but then maybe he doesn’t know just how many of his files my boys took. Probably thought I’d get overeager and just chow down on it. Well, more fool, him.” “What do you plan to do with the Seed?” Roka asked, the real question being far more obvious with the concern in her eyes. Adagio met Roka’s gaze evenly, feeling she owed her the truth, with no BS. “Ideally I’d like to take some of it’s power for myself, Roka. I need to strengthen myself, and I can’t afford to take my time with that. However, I will not ignore all that your father has done for me. If he’ll have it, I’ll give the majority of the Seed to him.” “That’s what he thought you’d say,” Roka said, and Adagio gave her a questioning look. Roka smiled softly, nodding her head. “I spoke with my father before he went to sleep. He knew you’d want to give him some of the Seed, to try and restore his power. He told me to inform you to not bother.” “Wait, Roka, he must know how vulnerable he is right now, and in turn that makes all of you vulnerable,” Adagio said. “He does, and the message he told me to give you was that he trusts our family’s safety to you. I think he believes he’ll regain some of his owns strength in due time, but that you need the power of this Seed far more than he does.” “And you agree?” Adagio asked. “Perhaps I do,” Roka said, looking at Adagio with a look that uncomfortably trusting, to the point Adagio couldn’t quite meet that gaze. She wasn’t used to having others look at her with quite that level of trust. She had set out to be friends with Fenice and Roka, or at least make them useful allies. Perhaps that relationship truly had progressed further than even she had imagined. Ember, Fenice, Roka, Di Roy, and Gaw... did she really consider the allies or vassals alone anymore?  She was not one to rely purely on sugary concepts like friendship, but perhaps as long as she had the power and cunning to back it up, it wasn’t so bad to just admit that it was nice to have a few people she could view as friends.  “Your vote of confidence is appreciated, I suppose. As is your father’s. Fine, then. I’ll keep the Seed, but that said I think I know exactly what I want to do with it. Roka, you just double check these files and make sure you understand the method in which this thing is meant to be consumed. Then, would it be alright if we use Lament’s tower for something?” ---------- “So what do you think this weird impromptu dinner is all about?” Di Roy asked Gaw. Gaw scratched at her face with the short claws on her feet, yawned, and looked with hungry eyes at the spread of food on the table in front of the. “Don’t care. Hungry. No need for reason to eat.” They were in the dining hall in Lament’s tower, a vast room with a vaulted ceiling. Usually it was jam packed with the orphaned Arrancar children under Lament’s protection, but the kids had eaten earlier and were now playing on the tower’s ground floor. The dining room as now given over to Adagio and her closest allies. Di Roy, Gaw, Roka, Fenice, and Ember all sat around one end of the long, dark wooden table.  Ember looked a bit confused as to why she was here, but she hadn’t denied Adago’s invitation, and Torch had been more than wiling to provide a bit of extra security in form of some of his horde keeping an eye on both the tower and Adagio’s territory. She felt a little bad about excluding Usagi from this, but Usagi was still too new, and wasn’t an active combatant. “Well, looks like everyone is almost here,” Adagio said, then looked up as she sensed the reiatsu signatures of the last guests. They’d been out hunting, so it’d taken them a bit longer to show up. The door to the dining room opened and Dumbbell, Score, and Hoops entered, all looking rather weirded out by the sudden dinner invitation. “Hey there, Lady Adagio,” Dumbbell down, bowing, with his two pals doing the same, if somewhat awkwardly, “Just wanted to tell you, the joint hunting expedition with Torch’s horde went really well. Got a serious good haul of Hollows in, so our people will be well fed for awhile.” “Excellent news,” Adagio said, gesturing to her right, “All three of you, please sit. With you here, we can now begin.” They did so, and once everyone was seated, Adagio gestured at the portions of food on the table, a combination of lesser Hollow flesh and more normal food from the human world, including drinks that Adagio had picked out to each of her vassal’s tastes. “All of you, enjoy the meal, and thank you for coming. Do start eating.” Gaw didn’t need a second bidding, and tore into her own food with vigorous abandon. Di Roy followed suit, as did the others, but Di Roy gave Adagio an odd sidelong look as he munched away. “Okay boss lady, you’re kinda freaking me out. What’s the deal?” Adagio smiled in a deeply conspiratorial yet somehow genuine manner, “Can I not simply show my appreciation for those who have helped me get so far?” “You got to admit, it’s a bit over the top, coming from you,” Fenice said, focusing on her entirely human based meal of corndogs and curly fries, “Seriously, how did you even learn that corndogs are my favorite food?” “She merely asked me, sister,” Roka said, having come to serve several silver, covered trays to everyone, save for Fenice for some reason. “Adagio actually helped cook, believe it or not” “And what’s so unbelievable about that?” Adagio said, “I’ll have you know that neither of my siren sisters were ever good at cooking. Sonata would burn down the kitchen if I let her in there. I made a point of learning, so I could make sure we, or at least I, ate a halfway decent meal. Ahem, but that is neither here nor there.” “What’s with the trays?” Hoops asked, and Adagio’s smile deepened. “Desert. For after the meal, of course.” The meal proceeded from there, with the group making small talk, and Adagio watching with a growing sense of warm satisfaction flowing from her eyes. Gaw and Di Roy fought over the last leg of lesser Hollow, Gaw biting at Di Roy’s hand to secure her prize. Roka asked Dumbbell about the hunting expedition, and the start of the training exercise with Torch’s warriors. Ember and Fenice got to chatting about things they could bring in from the human world to make entertainment easier in Las Noches’ bland halls. The calm vibe of a normal meal permeated the dining room for a comfortable half hour, until all were stuffed full. Then Adagio poured herself a glass of wine and raised it, “I want to toast to all of you. Not long ago I came to this realm at my lowest point. A prisoner, bereft of the only people in my life I cared about. Then, one by one, I met all of you.” She looked at Ember, “Some of us started off simply using each other.” Sh looked at Dumbbell, Hoops, and Score, “Some of us began as enemies.” She looked at Di Roy and Gaw, “Some of us didn’t know if we could trust each other at first.” She looked at Fenice and Roka, “And some of us took time to learn to trust each other.” Adagio Dazzle raised her glass, “A toast, to all of you, who are now as important to me as any friend or family member I’ve ever had... and I have never had many. I would not be here, who I am, without you.” “Damn straight, boss lady,” Di Roy said, raising his own mug of beer, “To freakin’ Lady Adagio, the best Espada around!” They drank, and Adagio lowered her empty glass, “And because all of you are important to me, I realize that I will go no further without your continued help. I am a woman of vast ambitions. Each of you know I intend to reach the greatest heights this realm has to offer. I aim even to surpass Tirek himself. And I will not do so alone. So...” She gestured for them to remove the coverings of the ‘desert’ trays, and did so with her own at the same moment the others did. Upon the uncovered trays were well cut cubes of shining red, jeweling like substance. The Seed, carved up by Roka’s expert threads, into bite sized chunks that would allow its power to be consumed safely. Adagio had divided the Seed into even piles for all present, including herself. “I bid you all, my dear, irreplaceable friends and loyal vassals, to eat. Eat and grow powerful with me, together. Let us ascend, together, and take from this world everything our hearts desire.”