The once chaotic streets of Ponyville now bustled with a concerted effort to mend and cleanse, a determined dance of repair and resilience. Shiso's gaze swept over the industrious townsfolk, her respect for their tenacity simmering within her. The tap on her shoulder was a jolt, snapping her head around to confront Rainbow Dash's piercing gaze. "Hey, you still owe us some answers, and we've got a lot of questions! So start talking!" Shiso met the challenge with silence, choosing to turn on her heel and retreat into the sanctuary of the library.
Inside, she found refuge against the solid spine of a bookcase, her arms a barricade over her chest as she appraised the expectant faces before her.
"Very well. Go ahead, and make the questions substantial this time, please?" Her eyes momentarily landed on Pinkie Pie, who was lost in her own silent disco, oblivious to the weight of the words exchanged.
Rainbow Dash, never one to mince words, stepped forward, her voice echoing with defiance. "Alright, how about the reason you came here in the first place?! Or, what you plan on doing here?!" A smirk teased the corners of Shiso's mouth, a flicker of amusement at the challenge.
"You don't trust me. I understand, I'm an unknown. It's only natural to be distrustful. But believe me when I say that I'm not here to cause trouble. The reason I came here was to determine why one of Lord Frieza's subordinates went dark. As for what I plan on doing, well, that's a bit harder to answer." Shiso's gaze drifted to the floorboards below as if the answer might be etched there. "At first, I was only supposed to confirm or deny whether Dryce had died, or gone rogue. However, now that I've seen that my brother is both alive and free of Frieza's iron grip, I can finally set about coming up with a plan." Applejack's eyes narrowed her squint a tangible thread of suspicion.
"Just a sec, ya'll keep bringin' up this 'Freeza' character. Would'ya mind fillin' us in on who that is, and why ya seem to get so fired up when ya say his name?" Applejack's voice was a lasso, attempting to pull the truth closer. Shiso's frown deepened, the shadows of her face growing darker with the bitter taste of the name.
"Imagine the most cruel, evil, despicable, murderous, cold-hearted being you can think of. Now multiply them by ten. You still wouldn't come close to the evil that is Frieza. He is the epitome of 'tyrant', if not the definition of the word. He's destroyed whole planets for the sake of profit, enslaved whole species, and forced my own species to serve him as conquerors. He is the reason that marauders and pirates look over their shoulders when they hear of him. He rules most of the known galaxy and by extension your planet. He's evil incarnate, and he knows it. Hell, he's proud of it. He cackles when he's told about it. I've been trying to find a way to topple his empire for years."
"He's also the reason our planet is an asteroid field." The words tumbled from Bage's lips, his voice a mix of gravel and pain, as he stirred from his repose, his arm a casual prop upon his knee. "So, you can add 'backstabber' to that list of titles." His rise to stand before her, a tower of familial rivalry, drew a reluctant smile from her as he playfully teased her stature. "So much for being the big sister, huh?" His quick reflexes caught her playful punch, drawing them into a reluctant yet heartfelt hug. Shiso's body tensed, her elite composure a fortress she refused to let crumble, despite the urge to dissolve into the embrace.
"SO, now that we can sit and talk; It's about time you came looking for me. I thought you might've forgotten about me, what with your 'elite' status." The smirk that danced on Bage's face was a provocation she felt in her clenched fist. "Hehe, relax I'm just kidding. I can see your sense of humour hasn't changed a bit in 12 years." Their reunion was a dance of old patterns, a jab to the gut, a wheezing chuckle, and the warmth of words unspoken for too long.
"I missed you too, idiot. Now, we have things to discuss. For example, you being the legendary Super Saiyan, among other things." Bage's reliance on the bookshelf to stand was a silent testament to their shared fatigue. "Now, I think you should know what exactly we need to do to face Frieza, and how we're going to go about doing that. If you've achieved the legend, that's just a bonus. And I can rub it in the Prince's face at the same time." The air left Bage's lungs in a deflated sigh.
"Oh, seriously? The PRINCE survived? I was hoping he got vaporized along with the planet!" His frustration found an outlet in the wooden spine of a bookshelf, the crack of splintering wood echoing through the room. Twilight's reaction was a symphony of distress and swift reprimand, her magic a flurry of repair and her dictionary a blunt instrument of discipline.
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, YOU BRAINLESS SIMIAN?! THE LIBRARY IS NOT YOUR PERSONAL PUNCHING BAG!" Her scream was a crescendo of indignation, but Bage's laughter was a river breaking its banks, memories flooding the room with echoes of their past.
Rainbow Dash's hooves pounded on the table, her resolve a drumbeat of determination. "Hold on, if you two are gonna train to fight this Freezer guy then I want in." Her challenge was met with Bage's arched eyebrow, a silent question of her tenacity.
"Seriously? With how often you nap every day, I doubt you could keep up with a saiyan training schedule." His grin was a blade, sharp and ready. "We'll be up at the crack of dawn, every day."
"So? I can keep up, no problem."
"Ok, but if I catch you napping during a training session, I'll treat you like one of the guard recruits in Canterot. I'll knock you off your bed, banging on a trash can lid. Then you'll be doing wing-ups till I say stop." Her scoff was a banner of defiance, unfurled and waving.
"Is that all? Please, I do wing-ups to pass the time when I'm bored, is that the worst you can do?" Bage's smirk was a shadow, a harbinger of the challenge to come.
"You'll be doing them with me sitting on your back, counting each one. Still think it'll be easy?" The colour drained from Rainbow Dash's face as quickly as laughter seized Bage, his gales of mirth a storm that swept through the library.
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For two gruelling years, the forest had become their arena, the earth their stage. Under the dense canopy of Whitetail Woods, Shiso and Rainbow Dash sparred with a ferocity that matched the untamed wilderness around them. They moved in a dance of discipline, their bodies bending and snapping with each controlled movement and ki blast, a symphony of power orchestrated by Bage's watchful eye.
Day by day, the sun bore witness to Rainbow Dash's transformation, her body learning the intricate language of ki control, her hooves striking with precision honed by countless hours of repetition. Meanwhile, Shiso was relentless, pushing her limits with a silent determination that spoke louder than words, her gaze often lingering on the pegasus whose spirit was as wild as the wind.
Bage, ever the mentor, had found solace in the solitude of the woods, his own training a solitary pursuit of perfection. The golden aura of the Super Saiyan enveloped him like a second skin, no longer a fleeting power but an enduring flame, burning steadily within him. His strength had become a quiet rumble beneath the surface, a titan in repose.
And so, as twilight painted the sky with hues of fatigue, the trio found themselves in a rare moment of stillness. Bage's back rested against the coarse bark of an ancient tree, the sweat on his brow glistening like morning dew. "WOOOO, I'm beat! I haven't trained this hard since Chrysalis!" he exclaimed, his voice echoing the exhilaration of their shared exertion.
A few paces away, Rainbow Dash sprawled on the forest floor, her chest heaving, each breath a testament to the day's labours. The pegasus's mane lay tousled, streaks of colour amidst the fallen leaves, a vibrant contrast to the earthy tones of their arena.
Shiso watched them both, a half-smile playing on his lips, her eyes betraying a warmth that belied her stoicism. The way her gaze softened when it met Rainbow Dash's struggling form spoke volumes, revealing an unspoken bond that had grown roots in the fertile ground of their camaraderie. "She's certainly grown in power, far more than I had anticipated she would."
Bage's back pressed against the rough bark, his frame sliding down to a poised crouch as he pushed off from the tree, his muscles protesting with a low grunt. "Yeah, but endurance isn't just about power," he said, standing tall in the clearing, the soft rustle of leaves underfoot. His eyes, fierce with the reflection of a warrior's pride, flickered with an undercurrent of worry. "It's about resilience, the ability to recover and keep moving forward." His gaze pierced the encroaching dusk, searching the horizon for an answer to the question that hung heavy in the air. "We've pushed ourselves pretty hard, but do you think it's enough to face Frieza?"
Rainbow Dash's form rose from the forest floor, her movements deliberate, a testament to the resolve that sculpted every muscle. She stood defiant, the outline of her figure sharp against the softening light leaves tumbling from her mane as she cast them aside with a flick of her head. "Heck yeah, I do! Frieza doesn't stand a chance!" Her voice was a clarion call, echoing through the trees with a timbre of iron will and barely contained zeal. She swept her hoof across her sinewy flank, a visible symbol of her physical transformation. "I feel like I could take on the world, no, the universe!"
Shiso's silhouette was motionless, a contemplative statue amidst the whispering forest. Her nod was slow, and deliberate, as she crossed her arms, embracing the wisdom that cocooned her thoughts. "Wisdom in battle is often the deciding factor," she mused, her voice a low hum in the symphony of the wild. "Strength of body is nothing without strength of mind. Rainbow, you have honed one, but not the other."
The clearing seemed to hold its breath as Bage unfurled his stance, rising like a phoenix from the ashes of contemplation. Around him, an almost imperceptible aura shimmered, a silent salute to his approval. "That's true, if you can't think straight in a fight, you aren't going to win. I made a whole bunch of mistakes against Chrysalis, and others suffered for it." he intoned, his gaze sweeping across the serene woods that cradled their memories and sharpened their spirits.
In the heavy silence that followed, the world above them stirred, as if waking from a dream. A celestial tapestry unfurled across the canvas of the sky, painting the night with strokes of otherworldly luminescence. They lifted their eyes heavenward, witnessing the rebirth of magic that had slumbered for a thousand years, the aurora a whisper of ancient prophecies coming to life.
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In The Frozen North, the air itself seemed to hum with raw energy as a massive burst of ancient magic erupted from the snow-covered landscape. The Crystal Empire, with its gleaming towers and radiant spires, materialized from the veil of time, its reappearance after 1,100 years of absence a spectacle of awe and wonder. The air crackled with power, the very atmosphere alive with the resurgence of a legend long believed to be lost to the annals of history.
Amidst the swirling snow and the howling winds of the intense blizzard that enveloped the empire, a soft, sinister laughter echoed, chilling and barely perceptible. The laugh belonged to an unidentified presence, one whose delight went unheard over the vast, empty expanse of the white landscape. It was a sound drowned out by the elements, yet it held the promise of dark intentions and a lurking menace for the world just awakened.
Bage Power Level: 75,000
Shiso Power Level: 36,500
Rainbow Dash Power Level: 29,500