//------------------------------// // 10- Good and bad news // Story: Remnants of chaos // by L Morning Star //------------------------------// If I had to describe where I was, I would be white, there was simply no word that described it better, everything around me was that color, there was no ground, no sky, no gravity, in fact, I couldn't feel anything. I have no idea where I was or how I got there, my mind is a bit foggy. I don't think I'm dead, but that wasn't necessarily a good thing. I know this because this place seems too similar to another place I had already been to, one I hoped I would never have to return to. It reminded me of the darkness I passed through just before Discord summoned me. I was scared… or rather, I wanted to be. I knew I should be crying or even begging some random god, but to my surprise, I didn't feel the need, it was like I couldn't feel those emotions in this place. Curiously, that was what made this place most disturbing… apparently, that was the most I could feel. "Hello?" … Unanswered "What the hell is going on?" I was getting impatient, I didn't even know what else to do other than curl up and cry. Uselessly, I said a prayer while remembering the good times before I got here, my family, my friends annoyed with their stupid pranks, and although it may seem strange the time I spent with Spike and Pax, maybe it was brief, but I had a lot of fun, especially After everything I had to go through, being with them was a great respite I would like to thank all of them. “I am conflicted” “AHH” That voice came from nowhere, or rather, from everywhere at once, and his voice was… impossible to identify, it felt like ten people or more were speaking at once in perfect synchronicity. “I've never been in a situation like this before.” Although I did notice that most of the voices were female and even somewhat familiar. “I don't know what's going on” It was the only thing I could think of. “You are not what I expected.” “And that's good, isn't it?” It was a legitimate question, and for all I knew, this guy could be another Discord “I'm not like him” I remain silent… So... I can read minds. Cool, I'm dead “I haven't decided how to judge you yet.” Well... that's a relief. “I don't understand, you are a creature of chaos, and you undoubtedly produce a lot of it.” Suddenly a memory of a Halloween night came to mind when one of my friends jumped in front of me with a deformed pig mask, making me jump out of fear It would have been a great joke if it weren't for the fact that I was walking up the stairs, fell down more than ten steps, and ended up with my arm in a cast. However, I couldn't stop laughing, especially since I finally had an excuse to use my new pinball gun against them “You are a problematic being, and you can cause great harm to those around you, but… you do not do it with bad intentions” Well, I admit that our jokes get out of hand sometimes, but I have never wished harm on anyone in my life... seriously I mean “What did you expect?” “Chaos without control or measure… in that case, what I would have to ask you would be clear” I swallowed audibly while controlling the impulse to ask him the stupid question. “But you're different, and that's why I'm not doing it.” I couldn't help but sigh at that. “Don't think I'm going to leave it so easy for you” He said with a scolding “You still have to pay for all the lives you took in Canterlot” Only I cringed. He's right, I can't keep pretending that nothing happened, it doesn't matter that Discord bears most of the blame, I must accept my punishment too “You… are making it difficult.” “What's supposed to happen now?” "What is your goal?" “I… want… to find a home” WOW, what the hell? I was just going to say I wanted some peace “Here we speak with honesty, no matter who you are or your intentions, you cannot speak with lies” This place becomes more uncomfortable by the minute “What are you willing to do to get it?” “Nothing really, aren't those things supposed to come on their own or something?” I said with a shrug “You are… tragically simple” I don't know how I'm supposed to respond to that. “…” I'll risk saying what I was thinking, it was hard to tell without having a face to look at. "I have decided on your punishment, I have reviewed your memories, and I know that more of yours are gathering. It is true that you harbor no bad intentions, but the same cannot be said for all those summoned. I will give you the mission to find them and make sure" that none of them will ever harm another inhabitant of this world." “Uh sure” I was going to go there anyway, and I wouldn't let another Canterlot happen. “Very good, but I'm afraid you're not up to the task.” Ouch, that hurt me. “That's why I'll make sure you are, although I made some additional arrangements, I found some pretty interesting things about your body while I was checking your mind” Before I could even cross my mind, what I wanted to say felt like a bowler hat was stuck in my stomach and inflated like a party balloon. I felt like I was going to explode. “And you will also be tasked with an additional mission, take care of Celestia, she has been through a lot and deserves a rest.” Once again, I didn't have time to think about what he told me as I felt my body finally give in to the pressure, although, to my surprise, it wasn't painful, even as I felt my bones, muscles, and organs break and change along with everything else. But it wasn't enough, they were still filling me. I felt like I was going to explode, and my instinct told me that this time it wouldn't be something pretty. “GRAAAA” I couldn't take it anymore, I wanted it to stop. I was going to burst if I continued. In my desperation, not knowing what to do, I tried to hit myself against the ground, and to my surprise, it worked. “BOOOOOM” Just not how I expected “AH!” I stood up with an impressive jump that not only raised me about a meter in the air but also left me in the perfect position to fall face first into the ground. “Well… great way to start the day” I looked around and immediately got confused, I was in a wooden room, and the bed I was in was actually a hammock “So it wasn't a dream, well… shit.” Slowly, I stood up, which was difficult because, for some reason, it felt like the ground was unstable. “Wait, how am I standing?” It seemed only now that my brain had finished waking up completely, because only now did I notice the distance that separated me from the ground, in addition to the enormous red claws that were now coming out of my hands. To confirm my suspicions, I moved one of them to the back of my head, where I immediately felt a large amount of hair that I did not hesitate to pull hard “Ouch! I mean YEEEEES” Finally! I really thought it would take me years to evolve, I wasn't exaggerating with that as far as I knew. Pokemon could only grow through evolution, so it wouldn't be strange if it took them years or decades. “Until you wake up!” "AH!” I looked around, but I couldn't find anyone, I was alone “Will you guys stop doing that?! And where the hell are you?” “The window” I was able to recognize Pax's voice, which, although it calmed me down, also made me alert. As soon as I reached the window and stuck my head out, I was stunned. From the window, you could see a desert with sand dunes as far as the eye could see, but that was not what impressed me, it was the fact that we were flying. Without thinking much about it, I looked up to understand what I was up to. And I only became more confused How the hell is this thing floating?! What I saw didn't make sense, it was a damn ship! Tied to a gigantic balloon. It seemed that whoever invented this was trying to make a ridiculous imitation of an airship "Down here!" His shout finally brought me out of my thoughts to look at where Pax was and freeze again. “Is this some kind of joke or what?” I asked. Pax was in some kind of hammock made of ropes tied to the ship while she swung slightly “What did you expect? There is not enough space on the boat for me” Pro point "Where we are?" "In a transport called 'The Obscurantism' I know I have a bad name, but the important thing here is that it belongs to the empire of storms” I froze. How long did I sleep? How did we end up here? As if he could read my mind, he responded “They found us thanks to that light show you did earlier, it turns out they have been quite active at the border. Curious, right?” Certainly, we had already suspected that we were not the only summoned ones who arrived at the empire, but the fact that it seems that they were waiting for us practically confirms it. "Light show?" I asked for "You do not remember? Think, now that you're a Zoroark, what's the most striking thing you can think of? The answer evaded me for a few seconds, but it didn't last long, and the air left my lungs as realization hit me. "You can not be serious!" I looked at him in disbelief. “Well yeah, haha, she hurt like hell!” My growing excitement came to an abrupt halt when I finally noticed how beaten up my friend was. He had many dents and blackened spots, the glass on his chest was broken, and his arms looked like crumpled paper. “Don't worry, it wasn't you.” He seems to notice my gaze. “Or at least not completely.” He told me while he rubbed his arms. “Was the alicorn tough?” I asked, remembering that my own fight didn't go as I expected. “Quite… but I'd like to talk to you about that... later.” Taking the hint, I looked back at the top of the ship, where the crew was now watching us. They looked like yetis for the most part, but there was some variety when they saw how I looked at them. They immediately looked away and returned to their work, whatever it was. “And Spike?” “On the deck, working, and believe me when I tell you that if it weren't for the captain, he wouldn't have left you.” That was... cute “In that case, I think I should go too, rest, and sleep well.” “As if I could!” And I closed the window It's probably not very ethical to mock his inability to carry out essential bodily functions that would normally prevent a living being from going crazy or dying, but... forget it, I feel terrible, I'll apologize later. Putting those ideas out of my head, I left my cabin and walked down one of the corridors. … I got lost I have never been so disappointed in myself, the ship wasn't even that big “Hey, excuse me” I said to a yeti that was standing guard in one of the hallways “How do you get to the deck?” He looked me up and down and spoke with surprising nervousness for someone with such a bulky body. “Y-You must follow the path to the right, the-the second door leads to a staircase.” Then they were hiding behind a door. Well, I don't feel so bad anymore "Thank you very much" “It was a pleasure, my... uh, my beautiful lady” I was petrified as he gave me a seemingly gentlemanly bow in his attempt to impress, although it only managed to disorient me more. My body went into automatic mode, following the indicated path, while existential doubts invaded me. Because I? When I was Zorua I thought I had achieved a neutral point between man and woman, but it seems that is not possible with this face, it seems that I always wear makeup As if it wasn't bad enough that you can't remember your parents' faces or your own identity, not being able to even know my original fucking gender complicates everything. And almost as if it were a cruel joke, having the ability to alter my body as I please only makes it more confusing, Zoroark shouldn't even have the ability to permanently alter itself, as far as I know. It's like the creator couldn't make up his mind or just didn't bother to think it through and said, 'Fuck it, I'd better give you this pointless ability and save myself the trouble.' Before I could continue sinking on my personal journey to dementia, I collided with a trapdoor at the bottom of the stairs. They were pushed open, and I still don't have a good handle on my new strength. The sudden crash of the hatches caught the attention of the crew, and I stood in place, not knowing what to do. After the most uncomfortable five seconds of my life, my eyes flashed slightly, and I transformed into Pachirisu only with darker colors, making me practically imperceptible in the flying ship, apparently painted entirely in black. Some were very surprised to see how I disappeared, but I just walked by, hoping not to attract too much attention. I had been searching for a good while, I think about half an hour, and somehow managed to get to what looked like the loading area when the ground decided that it had had enough of me and that it was best to split up. I tried to protest, to make him see that we should be together, but those firm, rough hands didn't listen to reason. They lifted me up, what from my small vantage point seemed to be several meters, which left me quite dizzy and somewhat confused. “Easy, little one, come here.” I stopped my attempts to get away as soon as I heard the voice and turned around. Don't fuck with me! It was Spike, only... different. Even though she was small, I noticed that she had grown a little again, in addition to her physique. How long did I sleep? Apparently, he had been given a protein shake, steroids and pure testosterone, leaving behind the image of the small, tender and chubby dragon that he had met so recently. He was now a predator It had grown a little again, not only in size but also in its claws, fangs and spike, which were more striking and sharper. His physique was not far behind, he gained a decent amount of muscle, and his scales seemed more robust, although he was still thinner than anything else. "Are you hungry? "Let's go eat" he said while he sat on a somewhat secluded box and placed me on one of his legs. I came to wonder if I had simply confused him, but somehow his voice and demeanor remained the same, contrasting in an almost comical way. I was so shocked by the shock that when I came to, he was already disbursing his lunch, and it smelled good… I'm not proud, but as soon as I smelled the meat, I realized how hungry I was. Evolution requires energy, and I was probably in bed for a long time. I wanted something solid, and the easiest way to get it was to stay silent… Do not judge me The thing seemed to be just some dried meat and a gray mace in a bowl, but Spike was smart and seemed to get a couple of things. As surreptitiously as he could, which wasn't much, he pulled out a tomato and a rock of salt. Do I really steal them? We lost pretty much everything when Chrysalis captured us, so I don't blame him, but I'm still surprised he would do something like that. My surprise faded into the background when Spike used his fire to heat the meat until it was crispy and the smell became more intense until it made me drool, but he didn't stop, he gently and evenly heated the tomato to the point where the shell came off on its own, and he then proceeded to crush it and mix it with the gray mace while scraping the rock salt with one of his claws. The result was a sad attempt at making ketchup, but the thing tasted so good that nothing he did could make it taste worse. Slowly, he began to eat, giving me occasional pieces and scratching my head with a goofy smile on his face. It was insulting, without a doubt. Do I regret it? Nope Despite everything, we had a nice time... or it was until someone decided to kick the cellar door. The invader was apparently a mare with armor considerably taller than the standard, dark red, almost purple fur, which combined quite well with her tail and mane, which seemed to be a Mohawk that were a lighter and more intense red. It took me a few more seconds to realize that it was a unicorn. There wasn't much left, but there were fragments on its forehead of what was once its horn. Spike tensed at the figure that had arrived uninvited and gave an audible gulp before straightening up, or rather, he tried to, as in his haste I apparently forgot that I was in his lap and almost crashed to the ground. Miraculously, he caught me, but the sudden movement while trying not to spill his food cost him his balance and knocked him to the ground, leaving a good mark on his buttocks on the wooden floor. The pony that came in saw it all… Spike just smiled awkwardly as he scratched the back of his neck. “I'm sorry, Captain.” The 'captain' maintained her serious countenance, quite impressive for someone who, in her same situation, would have already collapsed from laughter. “I understand that your physique gives you problems, but you must stop breaking things, or you will go back to cleaning the latrines. Am I clear?” From Spike's displeased expression, that seemed like a good enough threat. "Understood, Captain” Spike said firmly. “Very good” Despite her serious appearance, the captain seemed genuinely happy and even a little smug, perhaps because she was scolding a fucking dragon, and it was afraid of her. I imagine that would make anyone arrogant. “Also,” I added as he put his big eyes on me. “I was informed of your partner's awakening.” "Oh really?!" Spike shouted excitedly, squeezing me, to which the captain looked at him in surprise. Evidently he didn't earn that rank for nothing, he must have asked about my abilities before, and now that he sees a strange animal, too passive to be wild, it doesn't take long to connect the dots. Unfortunately, Spike didn't seem to be as observant. “Yes, but before you do anything, remember to bring the rope that we requested, we are only a few hours away from reaching our meeting point” "Understood, Captain Tempest!” Spike replied briskly. “It better be” The captain turned and headed toward the same door she entered through, but a second before crossing it, she turned toward us, or rather, toward me “By the way” The remains of her horn and the remains of his forehead began to spark, and a moment later a bolt of electricity shot out in my direction. It wasn't painful or anything, but electricity, while nothing more than neutral against the sinister type, its nature makes it quite easy to disorient the target of the attack... And that was just what happened to me In a second, my illusion faded, and I returned to normal... in the most embarrassing position possible Before, Spike had his hands around me, but with the abrupt change in size, he now had them on my hips while I sat with him between my legs. … … “I don't want any delays, BAM!” The captain slammed the door so hard that the sound of the impact brought us out of our moment of discomfort, which will haunt me until the day I die. In an attempt to separate myself as quickly as possible, I again used too much force, which resulted in a repeat of my awakening that same day After my bounce off the ceiling and floor in the span of a second, right after the awkward situation we had found ourselves in, I just wanted the dirt to swallow me up, and I had no doubt that Spike was on the same path. “Zora!” Or not I speak as if none of the last moments had happened, and instead I had entered through the same door through which the captain left. He helped me up, or rather, he threw me into the air and tried to break me in half with a hug, from which I immediately tried to separate myself. “Ah, I'm sorry.” Spike loosened his grip and carefully put me back on the ground, waiting for me to regain my balance. “God… I need a drink” I've never been a huge fan of alcohol, but I'll be damned if I couldn't use being drunk right now. “Oh, here you go” Spike gave me his canteen. ... I kept looking at him for a while with my eyes blank, to which he looked at me confused without understanding In the end, not wanting to refuse his help, I simply accepted and took a big sip. How can he look so intimidating and be so innocent? If it weren't for his physique, anyone would say that he is a... child... “Spike” My sudden stillness seemed to catch his attention. “How old are you?” He seemed taken aback by the sudden question, but he still responded with a shrug, "I am-" “GRAAA” He wasn't given the chance to finish when an imposing roar echoed throughout the place while I felt all my fur stand on end and a tingling ran through my entire spine. My breath stopped, that shit is strong! I don't know if it was some Pokémon skill or mere survival instinct, but I knew that whatever that thing was would kill me with the same ease with which it walks, and I would be like a piece of gum that had the misfortune of stepping on it. Annoying? Yes. Does it affect you in any way? Not even joking "The ropes!" Spike, oblivious to my sudden change in status and seemingly lacking any survival instinct, grabbed some ropes as thick as a bodybuilder's arm and moved to the stairs. Without much time to think about it, apart from the sudden fear that now invaded me, demanding that I not be alone, I decided to follow him. Due to my sudden need to tiptoe around, checking every corner, I didn't reach him until we reached the deck, where, to my surprise, nothing was happening. No alarms ringing, no crew preparing for battle, everything is normal “Get away from me, you underdeveloped lizard!” Except for that That was undoubtedly Pax's voice “The more you move, the harder it will be” And another one that I didn't recognize was chilling and had enough power to make me vibrate to the bones "That's the idea!" The ship was beginning to become unstable, which I assumed was due to Pax's panicked state. Pushing aside my growing fear, I ran to the edge and looked down I immediately regretted it. “The fucking devoured of darkness!” I screamed between screams and stutters when I saw the imposing scaled figure with eight limbs, enormous size, four wings, a blackened body, and a body adorned by crystals full of corrupted energy. That damn dragon was scary enough when you saw it through a screen, but here, oh dear god, I was definitely not helped by the fact that I played that damn game and read the manga, so I knew exactly what it was capable of. If the condemned man yawned very loudly, he disintegrated us, it was that easy. The dragon tried to reach one of the ropes that held the giant robot. “If you don't get off, they won't be able to land.” “I understand that, I just ask that they go down a little more!” Pax pulled at the ropes, holding on to them and wrapping them around his arms as if his life depended on it, because it probably did. “You act like a child, and it's not that high.” “It's almost 100 meters!” “You are ten feet tall, and you are made of metal, you are not going to break” “Easy to say when you have wings!” The dragon, already quite irritated, crossed his arms while a perverse smile crossed his face as he inhaled audibly. Pax shook his head as he instinctively covered himself with his arms. “No, please no, Mercy!” His requests fell on deaf ears when the dragon exhaled similarly to the way a child blows out his birthday candles, only instead of a light breeze, flames hotter than a volcano came out What a bastard “Oh shit, I'll be avengeeeeed! BOOOOM!” By reflex, all of us who were watching the spectacle let out a moan of pain, accompanied by the deafening impact. “Pax!” It didn't take long for Spike to show his concern “Are you okay?!” “Like glass… one you threw from 100 meters high” His voice barely reached us, but the fact that he was talking and moving showed that he was not as bad as he seemed “I want to die.” Believe “Hey you” My thoughts were interrupted when a slightly older yeti approached me and tossed me a bunch of rope “Take this to the bow mooring lines and then go under the aft deck to help with the secondary and tertiary anchor” I didn't even have time to process what he said before he left to continue barking orders at another unfortunate crew member. Meanwhile, I was debating how to explain to him that I can barely tie my shoelaces, plus I didn't even know where on the ship he was supposed to be. Where I am right now, or how to get to the stern, whatever that was … This was going to be a long landing… and possibly bumpy “CRACK” The wood creaked at the sudden contact with the ground, that already sounded bad, and this boat is not supposed to come into contact with the ground at any time... my fault It turns out that they had to release quite a bit of cargo to be able to transport Pax when they found us, so once we released him, they had to let out a lot more hot air or whatever they were using to float us The loss of two of our four anchors definitely didn't help (My fault). Some idiot adjusted it incorrectly, and the other one was poorly positioned, unbalancing the boat during landing and forcing us to cut it. … My fault In the end, Pax had to help us by pulling the ropes that we had left, which made everything much slower and more unstable. It was already night when we were finally allowed to get off the ship, and the group we were supposed to meet had already set up camp, but the only ones awake were a few guards Spike was about to fall asleep standing up, so he went to sleep first while I enjoyed the view without the almost omnipresent light obstruction in my previous world. “Hello, do you mind?” Accompanied by slight tremors that announced his arrival, Pax apparently decided to accompany me. “Treat yourself,” I said, and he sat a few meters away. “So… Do you think there are others?” He asked doubtfully as he pointed to the multiple tents. “It's the safest thing” I said with a shrug. “It's unlikely that Dragon is the only summoned that the Storm Kingdom has ever found, I mean, they found us pretty quickly, and we hadn't even reached the border.” I looked again. To the tents “It makes you think, right? How many ended up in this situation? What shapes will they have? What will they think of all this? And, above all, what-” “Boo, you're right, it's late, it's time to sleep!” My monologue revealing my impatience to meet more humans was interrupted by an exaggerated and unnecessary yawn from Pax. “If I'm boring you, you can leave, besides, I've already slept for almost a week, from what they told me, I don't have-” “But of course you can, what kind of friend would I be if I refused?! Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you!” He interrupted me again and spoke at an unnecessarily high volume. He stood up and transformed, it was different from the other times I saw him do it, the metal collided with force and resonated like a bell was being struck. When finished, the driver's door opened slightly to close it again, and he repeated telling me to get in At this point, I had already gotten the hint. I turned to look at the guards, who were looking surprised at us, While I was wondering, What is Pax doing? I simply faked a yawn far more believably than any robot would hope to achieve and entered its truck form, closing the door immediately. “So, are you going to tell me what all that theater was for, or will I have to... guess...?” My questions died before my mind finished formulating them, I just didn't know what to say to what I had in front of me. Pax responded unusually fearful, like a child whose mother tells him 'Come calmly, I'm not going to do anything to you' That's when you know things are going to get ugly. “I thought just going and getting into a truck in the middle of the night would raise suspicions.” “No shit Sherlock, you're right... If only it were the earth! You're the only truck here, and what kind of robot needs to sleep? Piece of, GRRR, That's even more eye-catching!” Was he an idiot? He's idiot! Why am I wondering if it's clear?! I wasn't processing the news well, I was grunting and making unintelligible words, and I think I was hyperventilating, or it was a heart attack, I don't know. I tried to get out, but the door wouldn't open. “Zora, I'm going to need you to calm down, please” the idiot Pax asked me as if it were something simple. “Don't give me that shit now, how am I going to calm down?!” In front of me, not even a meter away, was an unusually large pony, mostly pink, although disheveled and with black spots running all over its body, including its large wings, one of which was twisted unnaturally. Of course, a pair of horns could not be missed coming from the center of its forehead and from one side that is not at all symmetrical... … “Why does it have two horns?” Somehow that was what caught my attention the most at that moment, the comical nature of the image helped calm my nerves... just a little “It's not a horn... it's a bump. When they burned the ropes, we fell VERY hard” He emphasized that, and I couldn't help but make a pained expression as I imagined how he's going to feel when he wakes up. “I… I don't understand... How? Hey, why? I just... what the fuck?!” Ultimately, I wasn't taking the news well, but in a sudden flash of intelligence, Pax decided to continue the conversation, distracting me from my growing panic. “It was your explosion” That worked "What?" “After my fight, she was not in the best physical or mental condition to protect herself, so I had two options: either I left her to her fate and let her pulse beat her, or I protected her with my body, took my decision and the next thing I know, I'm being towed by a flying ship" Having finished listening to Pax's explanation and not wanting to continue looking at the demigod or at least something close to that, I rested my head on the dashboard, scratching hard in an attempt to disperse some of the frustration. After I don't know how long, I was finally able to compose myself enough to continue the conversation. “Thank you.” I finally said that, despite the problematic nature of the matter, the last thing I wanted was to increase my number of victims. That also reminded me that this pony wasn't the only one, but something told me that the others were fine, the light that enveloped them vanished my attacks as soon as they formed, and besides... there was that feeling... nothing happened to them, that's what I was sure of "It's okay, I also felt it was my duty to protect her." It felt good to have someone who understood me. Spike is good company, but he has no idea what it's like to be used as a living weapon and be happy with that. Even though the very idea goes against your entire being "Well, friend, I think this answers the question.” "Which?" “If there is any chance that Equestria would leave us alone?” I said this as she picked up a rather crooked tiara from the ground Revered as gods of similar strength and royalty, that was something all of her kind had in common, and Pax was just realizing we had one kidnapped. “They will chase us to the end of the world for this” he stated when realization finally hit him. “Eyup”