//------------------------------//
// Ch. 26 Use the Fox..."May the fox be with you." 
// Story: Cold Fire 
// by Arcanum -Phantasy 
//------------------------------//

What...the hell have I signed up for?
That was the only thing rattling around in my head as I stared dumbly at Sid.
When I dragged myself out of bed this morning for my lessons, I was expecting the usual bullshit. You know; running laps, lifting weights, sparing matches, et cetera. Turns out, Sid wanted to mix things up a bit for this lesson. Now, instead of standing in the sandy wasteland around the quarry, we were in the middle of a small dark cave full of lit candles and a few incense burners.
"I swear to god Sid, if we're about to summon C'thullu or something, I'm gonna shove all nine of my tails so far up your ass you'll be able to taste them," I said flatly.
He laughed at that and said, "Nah, that's next week."
"Right," I deadpanned. "So, what the fuck are we doing then?"
He gave me a crooked smile and said, "Today, I'm going to help you unlock your status moves."
That got my attention real fucking fast. 
Up until I figured out how to use Protect, I didn't even know I had status moves. Since then, I've been literally and metaphorically banging my head against a wall trying to figure out how to activate them. Why didn't I think to ask Sid how to do it? Because I have a beer-battered chicken patty for a fucking brain.
"It's about fucking time!" smirked. "So, what, we do some satanic ritual to unlock them or something?"
"No," he frowned. "That's after we summon C'thullu. Quit trying to jump ahead in class."
I snorted at that, while he dropped the frown and laughed. Still smiling, he walked into the center of the lit cave and gestured for me to follow. When I did, we both sat down on our haunches, me making sure not to knock anything over with my tails as I waited for Sid to get this thing started. After a few minutes of nothing happening, he ditched his smile, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. 
That got me a little nervous.
Sid's a pretty chill dude, all laughs and jokes most of the time, but when he gets serious, you know shits about to get real. Back on Earth, I only saw him get like this a handful of times and each time, someone got seriously fucked in one way or another. Someone tried to hurt one of his coworkers? Dude ended up in the hospital the next day eating things through a straw. Try to use a legal loophole to mess with his sister? Dude loses his entire company through over a dozen other even more brutal legal loopholes. You need help getting out of a shit situation? He'll lose sleep trying to help you crawl the hell out of it. Put simply, he's not a bad guy unless you make him into one. It's one of the reasons we're such good friends and it...fucked me up so much when he disappeared.
"I think you know how our moves work, right?" he asked, snapping me out of my dark thoughts.
"I guess," I shrugged. "I tap into my, uh, well, I call it a core, and then just take it from there."
""Core" huh?" he said, letting a small crooked smile show up. "I guess that's a good name for it. Now, does your core feel different depending on what move you use?"
I thought about that for a minute, then nodded.
"How so?" he pressed.
"Well, when I use Flamethrower or Flame Charge, I feel this warm rush of power, but when I use Zen Headbutt or Extrasensory I get this weird tingle running through me."
"What about Hex?"
I shivered and said, "Like some kind of cold oil is running down my back. I really don't like using that move."
"Yeah, Ghost-Type moves feel really weird at first," he frowned looking at one of his claws. "You'll get use to it after a while."
Before I could call bullshit on that, he raised his claw and a dark purple energy flowed out of it. It just kind of wafted off it like some kind of eerie smoke, the energy focused around his nails adding an extra two inches and looked like glowing purple glass. He casually waved it around himself for a few seconds, then flicked it off like it was no big deal before he set his paw back down onto the ground.
"Show off," I snorted. 
His smile got a little more cocky before he got serious again.
"If I were to guess, you can feel that these different energies make up different parts of your core, right?"
I nodded.
"Eight parts, Right?"
I nodded again, wondering where he was going with this.
"Is Protect one of those parts?"
I was about to nod, but stopped part way through.
Now that I thought about it, Protect didn't follow the usual pattern. Every time I used it, I would always feel this weird tingle in the back of my mind. Then I'd feel this...blank kind of energy go from there to my core before the shield popped up. 
I told this to Sid, and with a knowing smile, he asked, "What do you think that means?"
I glowered at him.
Even when the fucker wants to teach me something, he has to be all mysterious about it.
Fucking edge lord.
Come on dude. It's not rocket science. I know you can figure this out.
Isn't that your job?
Up my pay and maybe I'll do better.
Grumbling to myself, I closed my eyes and tried to figure out what Sid was getting at here.
Okay, so I use my core to make moves. No shit, but Protect doesn't do it the same way the rest of my moves do. What the hell does that mean? Is it because it's a different kind of move? Nah, if that was the case, then the same thing would happen when I use my physical or special moves. Hell, Protect doesn't even have a core piece! So where the hell is it "stored"?
Hanging onto that thought, I tried to use Protect. The same tingle in the back of my mind, string of energy gong down to my corn, and then I could see a faint green light behind my eyelids. I held onto that connection, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. I raised a brow when a thought started to come to me. Curious, I focused on the tingle and tried to see if I could mess with it.
A sharp pain shot through my head and broke my concentration.
"Fucking shit!" I barked, rubbing a side of my head.
"Did you figure it out?" Sid asked.
"Yeah," I grimaced, still rubbing my head. "There are two cores, aren't there."
He nodded.
"Physical and Special moves are tied to our magic cores in our chests. I don't know if that's how it is for every Pokémon, but that seems to be the case for us. Sis and I think it's because our bodies use that particular energy for direct self-defense."
"Don't things like Will-o-Wisp or Toxic count?" I asked, finally managing to rub out my headache.
"Not really," he frowned. "They're more like hinderances or afflictions we can put on others or ourselves."
"Huh?" I blinked.
He chuckled, then said, "Think of them like Blessings and Curses in D&D. When you use something like Toxic on someone, you're basically putting a curse on them to make them sick. When you use something like Sword Dance, you're putting a blessing onto yourself to make you stronger. You basically project a thought or wish onto someone or yourself."
I think I get it," I mused, putting a paw to my chin. "Basically, my normal moves are like attack spells and my Status Moves are support spells."
"Exactly," Sid smiled, pointing at me. "Since they play by different rules, Status moves get a separate core."
"And cuz their based on my mind, its in my head," I added with a smile.
"And the last horse crosses the finish line," he chuckled.
"Fuck you," I snorted, giving him the finger with my tails.
"It also means we need to use a different method to help you unlock them," he frowned.
"Figures," I sighed, letting my tails fall back into place around the candles. "So, what do we need to do?"
"You need to fall deep into you're own mind and bond with the energies needed to use the moves," he nodded. "The incense and candles should help, but his is still going to take a lot of work on your part."
I gave the things around us a leery glance.
The last time something like this happened, I got my ass kicked by some freaky shadow version of myself. Obviously, not the best day of my life, even if Autumn and I got a little closer after that. I mean, sure, I'm not tripping balls right now, so this probably isn't the same shit as the stuff from Breezy Forest, but I wasn't exactly eager to take a hit of any ganja even a little bit close to that. 
"Does this stuff...work?" I asked, nervously.
"It's had some results," he smirked. "Right, Wallflower?"
I blinked dumbly at him for a second, then let out a yelp when Wallflower just... popped into existence next to him. And I can remember her now? What the fuck? Anyway, she nodded at him then put some cups of tea down between us. I floated my cup up to my lips as she took a seat next to Sid. She gave me a small smile, I blinked and....what was I going on about agai- HOLY FUCK WHEN DID WALLFLOWER GET HERE?!
"Okay, how is she doing that?" I demanded pointing a paw at the mare.
Sid chuckled, then said, "Turns out, pony magic works a lot like our moves. While Wallflower can't use any "attacks" she's got a real knack for Status Moves. Including one that can temporarily cancel abilities."
"No way," I gaped. "That's awesome! Do you have a name for it?"
He gave Wallflower a small nudge.
Blushing and fidgeting where she sat, she said, "W-We like to call it Blink. B-B-Because I kind of...blink back into creature's memories."
I nodded, all the while thinking, If these two aren't a couple by the end of the week, I'll eat my own tails.
The end of the week? Ha! I'm betting two days tops!
"Now," Sid smiled, brining me back to the present. "Let's see what kind of Status Moves you know."
I smirked back at him and said, "Bring it."
He nodded at me, closed his eyes, and said, "Close your eyes, empty your mind, and let the mist do its work.
I gulped, then did as I was told. 
At first, I didn't feel any different, but after a few minutes my head started to feel kind of foggy. Thankfully, it wasn't like the fog from the forest. That shit felt like someone forced a chloroform rag into my face. This felt like I was getting a deep tissue massage in a hot tub. I don't think I've ever felt so....relaxed before. As I started to drift away, a groggy thought ran around in my head.
Let's hope I don't get a bad trip from this.


***


A heavy stillness filled he clearing, deep gashes, dark burns, and flecks of frost taking the place of grass at its heart. Several trees that formed it perimeter were in similar conditions, some of them cut clean in half, burned down to the heart wood, or encased in ice. Dahlia and Autumn stood at its heart, both staring each other down with cold glares. Amber magic surrounded Autumn's horn while Dahlia crouched low with her tails spread wide. Using her peripherals, Autumn took note of all of every subtle twitch her opponent made without breaking eye-contact. At the same time, she mulled over her combat options.
Options that came into play a second later when Dahlia sent an Extrasensory her way.
A wall of fire burst out of the ground just in time to intercept the strike before the Kirin followed up with a burning charge through it. Dahlia canceled it with a Protect before firing off a Freeze Dry at pointblank range. Autumn's body burst into flames, assuming her NIrik form just in time to counter the freezing blast. With a snarl, she threw a flaming hoof at the Ninetales, only to hit empty air when she jumped back a step. Dahlia then followed up with spin and slammed a whole flurry of Iron Tails into Autumn's left side. A weed ago, such a blow would've sent her flying, but now, all it did was force an angry growl out of her as she held her ground. Dahlia smirked at that, as she jumped back to put some distance between the Nirik and herself.  Refusing to lose her advantage, Autumn roared as she charged, blue and pink flames swirling around her tail like a small tempest. The second she was in range, she turned to slam her flaming tail into Dahlia's side. The NInetales did the same, only her tails were surrounded by swirling pools of water. A loud hissing bang filled the space as the two attacks collided, a thick fog filling the battle-torn clearing.
Dahlia broke away from the cross counter, her smirk growing a bit as she dashed deeper into the fog.
Alight Hot Stuff. What are you gonna do now?
Pushing her senses to their limits, she prepped a Freeze Dry and waited. 
A new stillness filled the clearing, now coated in an alien atmosphere by the fog. Dahlia's ear twitched at the snap of a twig, the crunch of dirt, but she didn't dwell to much on them. She knew the Kirin's steps were light, that in spite of her bulky frame, the creature had a delicate grace to her movements. If any steps could be heard, she would've already moved on before Dahlia had a chance to attack. That knowledge filled her both with frustration and excitement in equal measure, the Ninetales more than eager to see what her student had in store for her.
That answer to that mystery came in the form of a narrow beam of amber magic coming at her from her right. She Dropped the energy she was using for Freeze Dry and used Protect at the last possible second. The beam pressed into the shield, the Ninetales' paws digging slow grooves into the uneven ground beneath her.
"Not bad, Hot Stuff," Dahlia grunted behind a grin. "But what are ya gonna do about this?"
She canceled the shield, side-stepped at the last second, and conjured a ball of pink energy just above her head. A second later, a large beam of shining energy fired out of it towards the source of Autumn's Heat Ray, blasting a clear path through the fog as it went. Through that gap, Dahlia saw Autumn duck under her attack at the last second, now in her Kirin form with magic coating her horn.
Seeing her cover literally blown away, the Kirin returned fire with a flurry of Firebombs. Dahlia knocked them aside with an Aqua Tail and charged towards her, Zen Headbutt at the ready as she quickly closed the gap between them. With a determined fire in her eyes, Autumn met her teacher's attack with a Flame Tempest before she forced her to the other end of the battlefield with a Levitation spell. Dahlia rolled back to her feet the second she hit the dirt and sent an Extrasensory Autumn's way. The Kirin wasted no time casting a new Firewall spell , before shifting into her Nirik form again. With a furious roar, she cast Berserk Comet and rocketed towards her target like a blue and pink burning missile. A black aura surrounded Dahlia and as the same burning energy shot through her that her opponent wielded, she rushed to meet her at the middle of the field. A thundering burst of sound tore through the air when they made contact, heads pressed against each other in a brutal deadlock. The Nirik roared with barely contained fury while the Ninetales sported a near manic smile as they tried to overpower each other. Neither refused to budge, one eager to see how far the other had come while the other tried to push further past her limits. Eventually, limits beat pride as both of their attacks faded away, Autumn's Nirik form going along with her Berserk Comet and both combatants fell to their haunches.
Panting and drenched in sweat in spite of the chilled fog surrounding them, the two fighters traded weary smiles.
"I...hate that spell," Autumn panted, chuckling tiredly.
"Hey...the fact...I have to....use it...Is a good sign," Dahlia chuckled, wiping sweat out of her face. "It means you're getting stronger."
"What was...it called...again?" she frowned, wiping her brow.
"Foul Play," the Ninetales smiled.
"Should be called "Cheating"," she snorted.
Dahlia laughed at that.
"It's only cheating if there are rules," the Ninetales smirked.
"Agreed, Soul Sister," a familiar female voice said from within the fog.
The pair flinched, then turned their heads towards the voice's source. As if on cue, Treehugger stepped through the mist, a long metal staff strapped to her back. While she held her usual dreamy smile, the mare gave of a grim aura that put the pair on edge. Autumn cringed back slightly from it, while a cold glare was the only sign that Dahlia was in any way affected. 
"What do you want?" Dahlia coldly asked.
"Be at ease Soul Sisters," she nodded, taking a seat five feet away from the pair. "I didn't come here for a fight. I came to help."
"Funny, cuz that aura of yours says something else," she growled.
"I know," she sighed, reaching into her mane. "I'm afraid that I needed to step out of retirement on the way here.
As she said that, she pulled a dried blue leaf out of her mane. Without a word, she reluctantly slid it into her mouth and chewed. The second she did so, the harsh aura around her started to fade away, the zen that normally surrounded the mare quickly taking its place.
Autumn breathed easy now that the oppressive aura was gone, but Dahlia remained on edge, blue eyes glaring a hole into the green mare.
"What do you mean, 'step out of retirement'?" she growled.
Treehugger sighed, her eyes becoming distant as she stared up at the foggy early morning sky.
"Long ago, an orphaned filly wandered a desert, both of her parents taken by a raging sand worm. Death crept on her like a shadow, waiting for her to make the same mistakes as her parents and be taken by the sands. When such a fate started to close in on her, a group of Minotaur travelers found her. They gave her a home, food, water, and a new family to call her own. Because their life was dangerous, they taught her their tribe's arts of war, gifting her with a staff that could bring down even the mightiest of monsters if it deemed her worthy. Through bitter work she earned that power and received a new gift from her new grandfather as a result; eyes that can see into the hearts of others. In time, the filly became a mare and left her new family to see the world, slaying what monsters dared to harm those too weak to defend themselves along the way. She made friends, she made enemies, but in the end, she lived with no regrets. With no more monsters left to fight, she hung her staff and followed her wandering spirit all across the land, never needing to dirty her hooves with the blood of monsters."
When her eyes regained their focus, she leveled an unreadable expression at the two creatures before her and coldly added, "Until now."
Both of them stared at her in confused worry for a moment, before realization set in and burning anger took its place.
"Where is she?" Dahlia spat.
"I'm not sure," Treehugger sighed. "Every time I find her camp, it turns out to be one of her fakes."
"So she's scouting things out," Dahlia snorted. "Figures."
"Wait, she can make fakes?" Autumn gaped. "That's some seriously high level magic!"
"Not the way she does it," Dahlia smirked. "Their pretty brittle, especially against fighting and fairy type moves. A few good hits and they fall apart like glass. Plus, she has to use some of her life energy to make them, so she can't make a lot of them at once."
"They can still make illusions though," Treehugger frowned. "Best not to let your head get too big Soul Sister."
"I know that much, Heart Eyes," the Ninetales snorted, waving off Treehugger's comment. "I'm not a fancy magical monster hunter, but this is a monster I'm a bit more familiar with."
"And sister Autumn?" the mare asked, raising a brow.
She gave the Kirin a scrutinizing look, then smirked as she said, "A bit rough around the edges, but I think she could hold her own pretty well."
"There is a massive difference between a fight to grow and a fight to kill," Treehugger frowned.
"No shit," Dahlia deadpanned. "That's exactly what I've been teaching her."
"Then, if she met somecreature with murderous intent, she'd be cool?"
Before either of them could respond, Treehugger looked right at Autumn. The Earth pony's eyes widened, their pupils turning yellow and glowing with an eery light. An arctic chill shot down to Autumn's very soul, the eyes of the mare seeming more like the eyes of a raging demon from the fires of the abyss. She was frozen, to scared to breathe under the intensity of Treehugger's gaze. Then, just as suddenly as it came, the terror vanished and Treehugger's eyes returned to normal.
Autumn gasped, hunching over where she sat with eyes wide with terror, breaths coming in and out of her in rattled pants.
"Fucking bitch!" Dahlia roared, jumping to her feet and rushing between the two Equestrians. "Warn us before you do something like that!"
"I'm sorry," Treehugger frowned. "But this just proves my point. She may be strong enough to fight Sandra, but if she can't handle the beast's murderous intent, she won't stand a chance."
"So, what do you suggest?" Dahlia demanded, her anger slightly dimmed. 
"Let her spar with me," the mare softly smiled. 
"And have you scare the piss out of her again?" the Ninetales barked.
"I can control my intent better than most," Treehugger stated. "I can gradually ease her into tolerating it, just like my master did to me."
Dahlia glared back at the mare, her logic at war with her heart on the matter put before her. She knew that Autumn needed this to have any kind of chance against Sandra, but the thought of putting one of her friends through that kind of terror didn't sit well with her at all. The fact that her own master put her through an exercise similar to what Treehugger was suggesting only further muddied the waters. It made her stronger, sure, but it also felt like she lost a part of herself at some point along the way. 
A shaky, yet firm hoof on her shoulder snapped her out of her mental tug-o-war. She turned her head towards its owner and was met with a pair of determined amber eyes. While partially doused with fear, she new what the fire she saw in those eyes meant. Like it or not, Autumn had already made her choice on the matter, a fact that Dahlia new better than to fight against.
"fine," she sighed, then glared at Treehugger as she added, "But I've gotta be present for this. Last thing I need is Autumn turning into a vegetable because I wasn't there to stop you from fucking with her head!"
"Cool," Treehugger smiled. "We'll start tomorrow. I'll meet the two of you here at around six in the morning."
"W-Will do," Autumn stammered, a stiff smile gracing her lips.
With a nod and a smile, Treehugger made her leave, the mare slipping out of sight behind a tree  the moment she crossed the tree line. Dahlia and Autumn watched her go with warring emotions, both of their minds moving in several different directions at once. Eventually, Dahlia let out a frustrated cry and stomped in the direction of Ponyville.
"Where are you going?" Autumn cried, shakily running after her friend. 
"A bar," Dahlia barked. "I need a fucking drink."
"Isn't it kind of early?" the Kirin asked, trotting  at the Ninetales' left.
"With a morning like this?" she flatly asked. "Not even close."