-Equus, Airship Mauled, Jaded-
“So Tamale, Pepper and Kayamba Paca are here…” I stated as soon as I got off the airship known as the Ardent Survivor and was met with three walls of fluff hugging me, they just got off the train and decided to pile on me. “Nice to see you too, we just got off a rather nice vacation.”
“Awe, I love alapacas!” So says Princess Cadence the Princess of Love, the alpacas soon let me go and flying glomped her into the ground and she hugged them back. “So affectionate!”
“Yeah, except when they are not, alpacas are a class eleven level when they are top level Fluffmancers and vaguely angry.” Yeah, I can see where Shining was coming from, Paprika was terrifying not because she could literally hug you to death, but her magical talents in wool manipulation could be downright lethal as they are bizarre when ultimately pushed.
“Ugh, I’m going to leave before I get jumped by the alpaca, see you in therapy Jaded!” Twilight grumbled as she started to walk away.
“What, you’re not sticking around for mother’s cooking? She did say she’d give everyone a free meal upon conclusion of our vacation.” I saw Twilight freeze and I glanced at Fizzle with Silvers on her back as she trotted up to me.
“Yeah, Twilight, do you really want to leave that fast?” Spike said innocently while waggling his eyebrows in our direction.
“You’re lucky your mother is one of the most cherished and beloved witches in the world Jaded La Perm… also that you’re on retainer as Canterlot’s leading security testing expert.” A suffering Twilight stated with drooping wings as I smiled at her affectionately. “I’ll even admit that Palicoast was pretty good vacation spot, much better than Klugetown at least, but only if you’re telling the truth about a free meal at the Witch’s Fare.”
“Why, would my daughter ever lie to you?” Kuril, mom, yes I would lie to Twilight Sparkle if it was necessary. After a moment mom snorted and cracked up laughing burying her face into her pointy hat. “Yeah… don’t answer that… couldn’t even keep a straight face on that for even a minute, I know my tomcat of a kitten is a hellion of a sun priest.”
“Mom---...“ I drew out in a whine, I could be completely trustworthy… sometimes… I’m a chaotic good rogue/priestess hybrid at the very least!
“I still wonder why the sun let’s someone like you continue be a priestess of it.” That, Twilight, is like asking why my once upon a time would-be assassin Blade Bright, mom’s favorite cooking assistant, was a moon priestess and living under the same roof as me.
It just works.
“Hey mom, what do you have in the line of protein enriched grilled bird seed?” Gallus asked, finally accepting his doom in being a crazy cat mother’s child.
“Coming right up Gallus!” Kuril stated. “Blade, break out the flamethrower, the pancake and crepe making sledgehammer and fifty rashers of fish jerky stat!"
-Aurora, Northern Aurora/Ignis Bridge, thirty minutes into the siege, Shanty-
“Why can’t we just be destroying this bridge again?” I asked as I slapped a Raboot in the head to daze them and then I be kicking her where the sun don’t shine with my left hind leg and she went down in agony. I be quickly latching my magical hooves onto her ears and throwing her into the throng of Pokémon at the northern end of the bridge barely being held back by the Buizels, they were putting in a lot of work.
I followed that up by gathering a large ball of water above my head from the rain and be lobbing it after the Raboot to cause a massive splash that be taking out a few Darumaka and Tepigs.
“There are many reasons we shouldn’t destroy the bridge, there are several reasons that we currently can’t destroy the bridge, also it would be a very bad idea to let them try and destroy it as well!” Quetal was using his Acrobatics move to zip about like crazy and he be leaving those illusions of himself behind, still hadn’t quite figured out how he be doing that. I be knowing Pokémon be using their energy for it… could I be replicating with magic somehow? It would be being awesome to do that technique. “We destroy the bridge, Pugilis to the north might do the same and we’d be isolating them to Fontaine, who could easily seal or hold them off as well. Heck, Pugilis might even invade and Ignis wouldn’t be able to fight back considering the condition it currently is in. Mind you Ignis really needs imports right now and it hasn’t been getting in any for a while from merchants because of the civil war and if this bridge falls because we have to bring it down around us, then we’d likely be consigning everyone in Ignis to starving to death. They have to be running dry of reserves by now given how long this civil war has been going on for, they really didn’t have big reserves to begin with mind you. We will need this bridge open to help everyone by moving supplies if they are this desperate. Their kingdom is signing their own death warrants at this rate, as this is no longer a ‘civil’ war! Why do you think they are fighting so hard to get all the supplies you stole after they raided Greenleaf when it would have been better had they not involved the other kingdoms in their in-fighting?!”
Quetal’s voice rose above the din of the fighting as he stood tall, his claws gleaming in the rain and his fur dripping wet with splatters of blood and water. He was breathing roughly after swiping away several Pokémon in a violent display of movement that left several Pokémon lying weakly on the bridge and possibly bleeding out.
“…” One of the Fire Types that had been heading towards Quetal stopped and looked away with something akin to guilt, before looking back at the Fire Pokémon putting pressure on us, then looked back to Quetal and Aurora across the bridge with a frown as we dealt with other Fire Pokemon.
It was a reddish orange Fox with six wilting tails and after moment they started whimpering as their stomach gurgled. He began crying, then ran to jump of the bridge and started to swim away from the battle.
“Good call from that Vulpix… hope they make it out alright and find something to eat soon.” Quetal finally stated with a dim sounding voice as a few other fire types would rather brave the river then be being berated by their big pig commander currently leading these forces against us. “Their moral is just that low that they’d rather take their chances with the water, might not even be long before they start turning on themselves if this keeps up. It’s harsh, but the kingdom is going to collapse in on itself if to complete destruction if Aurora isn’t open to the idea of propping them up after the fact if we hold them off… If we just give them their supplies back then they are just going to continue spiraling into a pyrrhic victory, which would be a nasty stereotype they are playing to being Fire Types. I understand the logistics going on here all too well… the weaker Pokémon here aren’t actually receiving their fair share of food, but that’s not to say they aren’t being compensated. I’m sure they are being paid, but when their money doesn’t have anywhere to go and they quite literally burned any goodwill they had in the other kingdoms… this is not going to end well for them no matter how you slice it Shanty.”
Bad if you be doing, bad if you don’t… that is being a horrible way to set things up.
“Didn’t some of you be telling me that if a Charmander’s tail goes out it’ll die?” I pulled my cane from my back, hopped back and swept the legs out from under a charging Ponyta. I hooked it by the neck once I had downed it and then started the slow process of building up a spin to launch them bodily back into the crowd beyond the Buizel. “I’d rather not be slicing into these guys after hearing all that.”
“Yeah, I don’t like it either, but what else can we do?!” Teddy ‘Griz’ Teddiursa slammed his glowing fist forward and sent a Pignite, the bidpedal next evolution form of Tepig bowling through a number of other Pokemon.
“Yeah…” Quetal didn’t comment on the Charmander being helped onto the distant shore to the east, he was too busy fighting for survival, Aurora and possible more. He may be called a trickster for his fighting skills, but he seemed to be being altruistic to me.
The Vulpix had pulled the Charmander from the water and its tail was weak, but still burning as the Vulpix breathed some flames onto it to strengthen it. The two were helped by other Fire Type Pokemon quickly deserting from the fight, with his words alone Quetal just made at least four units flee off the side of the bridge and swim a good distance downstream to the east. They didn’t be looking to good coming from the water.
“Cowards!” Yelled the big pig currently behind an entire army and not doing anything to help the fight on his side of things aside from yell at his people to do more and I be seeing him stuffing some snacks into his mouth behind their backs. Where did he be keeping that snack sack? It certainly wasn’t being on him when I robbed his tent blind, deaf and dumb. “Do any more of you want to run, then I’ll make an example of you myself!”
“Fear is a pretty good motivator for him maybe, but you’d attract more Butterfree with honey.” Quetal stated calmly while glaring at the guy.
“The proverb is no less true now, we just need to outlast them, we can even talk a few Pokémon into fighting on our side for access to food and healthcare.” Foo the Kubfu be lashing out with a Low Kick to topple a Ponyta and then be launching a glow fist into its face as it fell towards him.
The whinnying sound of the poor fire pony as they be sent flipping backwards made me feel somewhat bad about what we be doing here.
“Yeah, but they likely wouldn’t trust us to have their best interests at heart.” Panda stated as he rough up a few Scorbunny with several rapid fire paw thrusts.
“Maybe I can do it, I’m sure I can convince some of them to stop fighting!” Torchic stated as she came running forward with a satchel on her back, she hadn’t been an active part of the battle up to this point and had been staying a little bit behind the front line looking indecisive with herself.
“Yeah, but you won’t get all of them with that Emboar threatening them, we’d also need someone to break through hundreds of Pokémon. Whoever does that is definitely going to be quickly surrounded on all sides, who would be dumb enough to put themselves in that position?” Even Smolder could only be taking so much when surrounded on all sides.
“Smolder, we’re dumb enough to do that.” I told her flatly, given we did be doing it before. “Also don’t run off yet Torchic stay back a bit.”
Maybe one of us could get to Big Pig and drag him directly into a fight, with him distracted I’m betting a lot of Fire Types would easily be leaving the fight. I be glancing at Favela as she sent an entire wave of Pokémon back with a wave.
That be giving me an idea…
“Smolder, Quetal, Favela, I be having an idea, but we be needing some cover to discuss it!” If we were going to deal with Big Pig, then we’d be needing a solid plan to spearhead through the horde of Pokémon between us and him. “We need to pull it off before the Buizel be being too tired to fight, we being under a lot of pressure.”
“Ice Type bear will do that for you.” Cubby slammed out several Brine attacks from his large snot bubble, which was still being quite gross to me… yet it was so cool. “Jiri’s Battle Bears, to the front… put the Buizel behind us, give them time to rest.”
Without a single word between them all five of the bears of Jiri’s unit pushed back every aggressive ground bound Pokémon, each using their own attack in unison with ridiculously good results given the timing of their attacks was being perfect. They started forward together as a true full unit working in concert with one another without a word other than the grim looks on their faces.
“Thanks!” I be calling out to them and then we be backing to the southern end of the bridge. Hopefully out of the range of the Zubats which were being slammed with lightning and Rauco’s unit who were avoiding lightning to the best of their abilities.
“Okay, what’s the plan Shanty?” Quetal was going to be listening to me despite him acting like a leader for the last day or so.
“Favela can be generating a wave to push a lot of Fire Types out of our way and we rush the big pig.” Though there be a slight issue.
“Favela can’t be putting out enough force to be getting us all the way through that!” Yes, but we be needing to try Favela.
“Not without me at least… you need a force of nature to pierce through their forces… you’re looking at her.” We all be turning to Jiri, holding onto a fresh Spear and a badly dented shield that a member of the Dutiful Ducks Battalion once wielded. “You’re about to see why my bounces are truly horrible, Favela you do your attack and then wait for me to clear you a road!”
“Are you being alright?” I tilted my head at her.
“I’m healthy enough… besides I’m quite sure some of those Fire Type will get a reminder that I’m quite stubborn.” The brown rabbit be having quite a mean streak for her size.
“I have a lot of reasons to greatly protest this action Jiri, just want to remind you that what becomes of you after this is going to be your fault entirely.” Chan stated as she was escorted up the bridge by Teeth’s unit who kept the Zubat at bay with bolts of lightning, they be really throwing a lot of blue bats at us in the last twenty four hours. “That said… Life Dew!”
Chan be firing a blast of energy into the sky and the rain started sparkling as it fell on the Buizel, Bears and us any injuries we might be having were disappearing really quick. Any exhaustion I may have been feeling suddenly fell away as the rain began washing it away instead of adding onto it.
“Ugh… so much energy into that… use every last drop of that for a good cause Jiri and please come back alive so I can throttle you!” Then Chan turned about and marched back the way she be coming with Teeth’s unit slowly moving backwards.
“Whoa… she knows Life Dew?! I feel kind of great, but I’m not going to lie to you guys. Move healing can only do so much for my battered body…” Jiri motioned us forward with her fresh spear. “That said, let’s go beat an ugly pig with an ‘even uglier stick’!”
Once we be getting behind the Buizel the bears fell back and looked a little upset that Jiri was being here with us.
“Bears back up, Favela ready a push and I’ll follow it up. Buizels if you can assist a Surf attack, then that would be great.” Jiri crouched down shield on her right arm held forward and the spear in her left pointed off to the side as she crouched and I could be seeing the muscles tensing in her body.
As the Buizel took to holding back the absolute hoard of Fire Pokémon with blasts of water and ramming into them at blazingly fast speeds of jetting water. Favela be building up water for an attack it wouldn’t be being hard for her to get it off… what was I sitting here for, I can be helping her with that!
Moving forward I started to gather a large amount of water above me head with both my hooves held to the sky and all the rain water bent inwards into a swirling vortex above my head as I flexed my magic. My connection to water has been as strange as my hooves allowing me to cling to even the slipperiest surface.
Waving my hooves about I be gathering water and water started spouting and building up under Favela’s hooves. When the wave started raising her of the ground, I split the ball of water I be controlling into two parts behind me and then swept them forward while leaping onto the moving water.
I be riding the wave with Favela and watching as the Buizel bursts out of the way of the tsunami as it slammed home and spread out a lot of Fire Pokémon opening a large bulge in their offensive.
“Let’s Bounce!” Jiri feet left the ground and she basically be disappearing, a large swath of Fire Pokemon be parting like the sea when a cannonball be skimming over it.
“Go, go, go!” Favela stated and start moving forward, Quetal, Smolder and I followed her as Jiri plowed a way straight to the Big Pig in the back.
Too many of the Fire Pokémon were confused by the sudden force of Jiri’s passing to be stopping us.
-Torchic-
“Whoa… so… awesome… excuse me, but please stop! Do all of you have that much pride that you can’t simply just ask for help?!” I shouted at the Pokémon, one in particular a Cyndaquil came up to me and whispered something.
I quickly passed him an apple and he nodded, he roasted it a bit and it steamed in the light rain from the ongoing Rain Dance, but the smell was unmistakable delicious.
“Listen to us, we can turn things around before it’s too late!” The Cyndaquil wasn’t attacked by the Buizel and he started to make a speech. “Aren’t all of you tired of living in fear of Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu? Please stop and maybe we can still work things out before we destroy ourselves, I kind of just want to get into the Ignis militia. At least they have their heads on straight unlike the rebels or Hideyoshi’s loyalists, news flash they are just as hungry and bedraggled as we are!”
He waved the apple about then calmly took a small chunk out of it with his claw, ate it, then passed the apple to a Scorbunny that stopped trying to fight the bears.
After a moment the Scorbunny tore a small chunk out of the apple… and then pass it on. Slowly the tide of was slowing down and now watching Dong Zhuo’s safe place behind all of them being invaded.
-Jiri-
I managed to stop myself by planting the spear in the ground, I left a huge ditch in my wake as I came to a stop starring at one of the problems that attacked Aurora. It’s not the people of Ignis we should be fighting, it’s both the feudal lord Dong Zhuo and the guy called Lu Bu that apparently terrifies everyone in this kingdom.
I wrenched the spear from the ground and glared at him.
“Hmph… so you managed to get to me, I will not go down so easily!” Dong Zhuo stated as he inhaled and fired a blast of scalding hot water, I was already flipping over the horizontal moving beam of painful steaming jets. His Scald attack was soon halted before he could bring it back to me. “Agh!”
A small ball of water slamming into the left side of his face rocking him slightly, he quickly turned to attack Shanty… so what were his other three moves?
With a bit of focus I watched Dong’s movements and then managed to control my leap well enough to end up in front of Shanty.
Dong stomped the ground and several large stones shot up and he slapped them forward with his left arm, I was sent sprawling by the attack. Said attack was a move called Smack Down, rock type, very dangerous to flying types. He definitely has four moves and not more or else his attacks would be diluted and my shield actually took the brunt of that.
I watched as he dodge Shanty’s slashing attacks and Favela was building up for another Surf attack, I also noted Quetal was looking to the north… for what? Did he feel or know something that we didn’t.
-Shanty-
“Fiery Sweep!” As the boar announced this, I immediately leapt over the attack that seemed to be very familiar. That sweep attack was being exactly like Panda King’s Flame-Fu move!
Hmm… that be three moves… what be his fourth? I dodged around the rocks he fired at me and slapped him with my cane weapon a few times and then leapt over a fiery sweep of his leg and slammed my cane down on his skull.
After a bit of being dazed he went into a Fiery Sweep and when I be seeing his smile mid jump I be quickly letting off a Riptide to be blasting myself backwards and away from him.
A purple cloud erupted in a farting noise, surrounding him and he be getting hit by my Riptide attack and he just be hiding in the purple cloud.
“Watch out for that move Shanty, Smog is a poisonous!” Favela answered as she sent a wave at the Fire Pokémon that tried to come our way.
“I be thanking you for the heads up Favela!” As I said this spraying jet of white be coming at me from the poisonous fog. “Ay!”
I created a temporary barrier with my pirate shout and took control of the scalding water and steam with the time I be buying myself, I swirled the boiled steaming liquid surround myself in a protective bubble with the sweeping motions of my hooves to circle it around me.
It be pushing back the purple fog away from me and when it be clearing up I grab at whatever vapor I could with my hooves and compressed it into a swirling ball of force.
“White Squall!” I threw it at big pig’s face when I had a clear shot and he screamed as his face was scalded by a concentrated portion of his own water attack.
“Why isn’t anyone helping me deal with these pathetic nuisances…” There was an answer for that Big Pig, I be thinking they no longer be seeing you as danger if I can be fighting you easily. That and I see apple chunks being passed around by Torchic and a fire quilled thing.
“Think you can hit him with some good blasts of water if we gave you and Favela some time?” Smolder be asked, the lightning artillery from Aurora’s side be dying down and when I be looking the Fire Type Pokémon no longer be attacking the bridge. The Buizels still be standing at the ready though in case anyone tried to be crossing the bridge.
“I be thinking we can be doing something in that vein, yes.” I stated as we had to duck or dodge some rather inaccurately slung rocks. I just had to ask him. “How long has it been since you’ve actually fought anyone or trained in the skills of self-defense?”
“That’s none of your business!” Probably not much as he immediately going into farting more purple smog to use as cover.
Wait… isn’t smog or fog made of…
I slashed my hoof forward and then dodged to the side as the fog was pushed away revealing several stones be aiming for me and Favela. Favela did a stylish twirl under the fast flying stone that went at her.
“Hey pay more attention to us!” Quetal started blasting stars at the big pig and he be actually taking the attack pretty well and then he farted again and ducked into the smog.
“Smolder… gas…” Hoping my flat expression was understood Smolder, as I started to gather up water with Favela for our combined attack.
“Oh right!” Smolder exhaled a fireball into the smog and Big Pig be getting caught up in his own gas exploding violently sending him flying back quite a bit.
He not be using that steam water or smog attack again since we have hard counters to that, he be stuck with rock throwing and sweeping with his legs or arms if we get close.
“If I had my flail or tyrant blade you wouldn’t be having it nearly this easy!” Roared as Big Pig as he slammed his left foot into the ground like a sumo wrestler and be firing tons more stone our way, but Smolder, Quetal and even Jiri be intercepted and blocking the attack.
Jiri be protecting Favela with her shield, Smolder just be tanking the attack or Quetal be counter firing small exploded stars into the rocks with his Swift attack.
“Come on, do you think me beaten?!” Most likely yes, because…
“Combo move, Rip-Surf!” Favela and I be stating. Favela be starting a wave and then I be turning that wave into a huge flying projectile. Maybe I can be learning to do flying cutting attacks now? Still had to figure out the mechanics of getting my cutting arcs to travel away from my hooves.
“Agh…” The Big Pig be getting knocked down harshly.
“Do you be giving up already?” In answer to my joyful boasting the Big Pig got up and prepared to come at us again only to stop and grin.
“Why is it always swirling clouds…” Smolder asked mysteriously, then I be looking up and seeing a lightning storm approaching.
(Warning violent death incoming! A majority of this story is still not about death, but I think the warning is warranted here.)
“You’re done for now! Lu Bu is here and he’ll deal with all of…” Streak in the form of a beam ripped into Big Pig’s back and out his chest to pin him against the ground. He didn’t be looking too happy and that be looking like a barely survivable injury. “The…. the… God Force, Sky Piercer? Lu… Bu… w-wh-why? I… like… father.”
A large red flaming horse with a unicorn horn came galloping up to him, on its back was a large black and grey feathered bird with a mostly green feathered lower torso around the legs and belly. The big bird look like he had what looked to be a permanent constant scowl on his beak beneath a mask of bloody feathers that had to long feathers extending from the top of his head.
“Lu Bu, everyone scatter, every Pokémon for themselves!” A Fire Type Pokémon shouted as all the Fire Types started to evacuate the area in any direction but the bridge or Lu Bu.
The Aurora units stayed where they were and were shivering at the power Lu Bu exuded by existing.
-Ocellus-
My breathing started to quicken as I felt it, it wasn’t just malice, it was mixed with pure madness, and absurd amount of power and…. no… oh no… that wasn’t good!
Where was Pom when we needed her?!
I whimpered and curled up on myself and Dodo carefully picked me up with his new mechanical wings and carried me to the tents further to the south and warbled Chan before leaving me to her and started returning to the two siege engines looking determined.
-Shanty-
Lu Bu, who I be assuming to be the rider, be placing the bow on his back as his mount approached a struggling Dong Zhuo. He got off the back of the violent looking Pokémon and slowly stalked toward Big Pig.
He be grabbed the shaft that was sticking out of Dong Zhuo’s back.
“I tire of your utter incompetence Dong Zhuo.” Lu Bu be stating coldly. “You are not a leader worth following and like the lord you had me betray… it is time now that I betray you at your weakest. You are pathetic, letting your skills and strengths go to waste while playing at being a warlord. You’re no stronger than a Pignite… no… you’re not even a match for a rowdy, lowly, Tepig.”
“That… is one really large and exceptionally jacked Unfezant. I believe he is going to be quite…” Favela continued on as Dong Zhuo struggling to get up, the bird slammed his right talons into Big Pigs back and clenched them causing him a lot of pain his left wing reached forward and yanked the arrow out of his back to reveal… the arrow was being a halberd?!
Big Pig’s screams make me wince and I be taking a few steps away and then my eyes widened at what Lu Bu did next.
“AUGGHHHH!” With a single swing, I watched as the top half of a torso be falling away from that slash of an absurdly sharp blade.
Lu Bu leaned down and dug his beak into the lower torso, tore the liver from and be chunking it down in his beak and swallowing it.
“Unpleasant.” Favela finally finished shivering and backing away while trying to look so much like a bush she could pass herself off as.
“Those of you who stand in the way of my destiny of facing Arceus after decimating the kingdoms of Ransei. Prepare yourself, for you face ‘The Flying General’ of peerless might… Lu Bu!” He announced and I be shivering, gulping and then... I be steeling my nerves as he twirled his weapon and pointed it at us held in his left wing with a demented look in his eyes and on his red covered beak.
The red large evolved Ponyta be moving up next to Lu Bu and be snorting loudly, they be dragging a hoof along the ground and ready to charge at us. There was a feeling of the Alicorn sized pony being as dangerous as what Lu Bu be currently representing just by being present.
I stared him right in the eyes, I wasn't going to be dying anytime before I become a pirate captain of my own ship.