"Table Top??" I gasped. The stallion gave me a sheepish smile and small wave. Din had a smug smirk.
"Well look at that. He's actually not bad looking. I swear, there is such a thing as looking too much on the inside of some creature." She said. I found myself mesmerized, speechless and amazed at the same time, walking towards him slowly. I held up a hoof to reach him.
"Table Top? Is that really you? Are you...?" I began. Table Top sighed and gave a small smile.
"It's me. But not really the pony you remember." He replied. I haven't heard his voice in a long time. He sounded less nasally. I fell onto my haunches, still dumbfounded.
"But how...?" Table Top rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Well... I thought you knew, considering the zebra asked me to be here." He replied. I blinked.
"They... asked you?" Table Top nodded.
"Fie. I... It's great to see you again." He said with a smile. My vision suddenly blurred and I sniffled. Table Top balked and stood up, looking to Din who only shrugged in return. I began to sob. "Wh-whoa now. What brought this on?" He asked. I sniffled and rubbed my eyes.
"Wh-what do you think?" I replied. "We're in a place I can only assume is the dead realm." Table Top nodded with a reassuring smile.
"Yeah... I know you saw my grave back home. It gets a little boring sometimes just hanging around." He said. I looked at him, the tears still streaming down my face. "I gotta' say, you look great. Oh, err... great as you can be?" I sniffled and found myself sobbing again, falling onto my stomach and covering my eyes. Table Top rubbed the back of his head awkwardly again. "C'mon, Fie. You know I'm not good with... with this stuff." I sniffled and sat up, wiping my eyes once more.
"I-I know... I'm... sorry..." I said pathetically. Table Top tilted his head.
"What are you apologizing for?” He asked. I met his look and put a hoof to my chest.
“I… I was a terrible friend to you… I…” I choked a bit. “I did some awful things. I… I toyed with your heart… Acted so insensitive.” I wiped my eyes more, but the tears wouldn’t stop. “I should have… should have told you how I felt about us… I wasn’t… in a good place then…” Table Top smiled kindly and put a hoof on my cheek. His touch was so cold.
“It’s okay, Fie. I never held it against you. It did sting a little that you stopped talking to me before and after graduation and left Hoofington without saying goodbye. I kind of figured you were… well… trying to make the best of what you were given.” He sighed. “We weren’t foals anymore then. Things were bound to change. Our friendship lasted even in my death if it'll make you feel better.” I sniffled again and wiped my eyes.
“Wh-what do you mean?” I asked. “I treated you so badly in highschool… Even pushed you aside when you were just trying to help…” I sputtered. Table Top chuckled softly.
“But that was then. Your mother and father wanted you to have a better life, but you were always wanting to do things your own way. You weren’t just roleplaying a character in Ogres and Oubliettes, right?” He said. I met his look. Memories of my simple times of playing the game with my friends flashed. I always enjoyed the sessions because it always helped me escape what my parents wanted and school life. The memories then flashed to when I played O&O with my friends on the train ride over to Hoofington.
I always felt more myself when I took the role of my assassin character. However, I still wasn’t sure what he was trying to tell me. He seems to have read my mind as he softly scratched his cheek.
“What I’m saying is, is that you have always wanted to pick your own path. Even if one was laid out for you, you would think outside of it and carve a new one. You were never satisfied just going straight into things.” He then turned and looked over his shoulder, motioning to us to follow. “I’ll talk more along the way. I’ve been told by the zebra to not keep you guys in one place for too long.” Din stretched and began to walk past me.
“Fine by me. Come along, vessel. You have a promise to keep.” She said. I lowered my head, my expression darkened by my hood and bangs. I stood up and followed them after a brief moment of thought. I have to do this. This is my only chance to reconnect with Table Top and make up for my mistakes. We proceeded through the building before exiting out into another road. One that was littered with charred auto wagons, building debris and an overpass that we could scale up to in the destruction.
Which is where Table Top was leading us. Table Top stared at Din, the alicorn slowly beginning to be annoyed as we continued. When we reached the top of the overpass road, Din finally spun Table Top around and held him up by the cuff of his cloak with a hoof, glaring down at him.
“While I know I am pretty, it does not give you the reason to ogle me.” She growled. Table Top held up his hooves, terrified.
“I-I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just… curious as to what your story is.” He replied with a stammer. Din dropped him onto his flank and walked past him.
“I have more pressing concerns than to entertain a mortal with conversation. Why don’t you project it onto my vessel. I’m sure she’s wanting to make up for it.” She said boredly. I frowned and helped Table Top up.
“She really isn’t the type to entertain pointless interactions.” I replied. Table Top arched a brow.
“How long has this been going on?” He asked. I sighed and walked past him.
“Long story.” I replied. Table Top trotted up next to me before matching my pace.
“Well… we have time right now. We just have to follow this road for a while.” He explained. I rubbed my foreleg and looked over my shoulder.
“I guess you’re right. Okay. I’ll tell you. But then I want a favor from you.” I said. Table Top smiled and nodded. “I want to know what happened to you when I left. Don’t leave out anything. I… I want to catch up.” I smiled sadly.
Thi’s POV
I shoved the Triad pony forward and aimed my arc pistol as we arrived in the center of the village. I noticed some of the villagers peeking out of their hiding places, eyeing the robot alicorn. My friends and Mystique were pinned under the giant hoof of the robot as it shifted its' head in acknowledgement to our approach.
"Good filly. No pony has to get hurt any further." The voice said, the tone sounding smug. I shifted my frown and held the Triad at gun point.
"That wholly falls on how this turns out, Triad. You're down two robots. It's only a matter of time when the third falls." I replied. The voice chuckled and shifted its' weight. I heard my friends and Mystique groaning as pressure was applied.
"Better come up with something soon then, Billet." The voice replied with a hum. I smirked.
"I have something. Some info about Equestria in exchange for my friends." I stated. The voice scoffed.
"Info on Equestria is pointless. We already have everything we need. We can acquire the rest when the rumble of our technology and the raining of arcane magic falls upon the false land." They replied. I arched a brow.
"Yeah. What about the location of a very vital point of interest? Something I happened to find in Princess Twilight's own personal diary. Happened upon it when I got lost in the Castle of Friendship before starting this journey." I kicked the ground, hoping my bluff is convincing enough. The head shifted slightly.
"Oh? Let me guess. You found out how much she wants to frolic in the fields, singing about friendship and hope? How much she enjoys hayburgers to an un-princessesly amount? Perhaps some stallion or mare she fancies?" The voice replied boredly. I shook my head.
"The Tree of Harmony." I said. Scribble grunted, struggling to keep the weight off of him.
"Nrrgh! Thi? You better not-!" He began but the robot shifted the weight again.
"Silence, fool. I'm listening..." The voice said. I kept a confident bravado.
"It's no secret that Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends are heroes because they hold the Elements of Harmony. Did you know they originated from the Tree of Harmony? It's deep in the Everfree Forest. Where, exactly, I'm not sure. But if you know how I and the Triad go hoof in hoof with magical artifacts and scenery, then my info is sound." I stated.
"Thi?? Why are you-?" Flitter grunted. I eyed them. I had to remain calm.
"Interesting. We know of the Everfree being an untamed land where the magic is less than desirable. But having something like that as a point of interest... How much do you know of the Everfree?" They asked. I rubbed the back of my head.
"I do know that the Castle of the Two Sisters are deep inside the forest. Lot of dangerous creatures and flora. Unnatural weather. All sounds like something the Triad would like to tame in order to gain an advantage on Equestria. And get this. It's right next door to the Castle of Friendship." My friends looked at me with uncertainty. I knew they wouldn't like it, but I have to keep everything calm. The head shifted in interest.
"Fascinating. A hoofhold like that would be quite beneficial. Anything else you have in that brain of yours before it gets blown out like a light bulb?" The voice replied. I smirked and jabbed the head of the helmeted pony.
"I know that I have a customized arc pistol I stole off a Triad general back in Roam that can penetrate the toughest of materials. Not alicron combatting, but helmet penetrating." I replied. "Nothing compared to the two alicrons." The helmeted pony sighed.
"Are you two done flirting? Zero zero two, get me the hell out of here." The pony stated. The head shifted.
"Not so fast. I have to say, I'm rather disappointed. You directly disobeyed an order from command and got a highly expensive prototype destroyed. All we had to do was retrieve the black box from the scouting prototype. Pretty sure communications was destroyed for you, but I've been ordered to retrieve both now." The alicron lowered its' head. My eyes narrowed, seeing the horn starting to glow. The pony balked. "Might be a little bit more paperwork, but casualties are common write offs." I gasped and immediately dove to the side as the horn blasted a beam, decimating everything in its' path. I looked over my shoulder and my eyes widened. A big hole, as if it was drilled through all the way into the jungle, was the only thing that was left. This is a step above their usual firepower. The head lifted back up and I heard the smug chuckle from the pony in the robot. "More data collected. Now then, Billet. Your friends here seem a little under the weight. I need something more concrete than just a princess's diary and a point of interest."
My friends were sweating, unable to push against the pressure and only trying to keep themselves from suffocating in the ground. I grit my teeth in worry. 'C'mon, Thi... What would Quiet Fire do in a situation like this? If only I had god like powers...' My mind raced with thoughts. I looked to my friends. They were desperately trying to push back against the heavy hoof. My eyes fell onto Flitter. An idea sparked. I'm going to be hated for this. But I have to make sure first. I called upon my bat and flourished it in my magic. I saw the head shift as if the pony inside took notice of something. However, that didn't stop the robot. I bit my lip and looked to Flitter.
"Flitter! Do you trust me?!" I called out. Flitter grunted, looking up at me from the ground with one eye open.
"Ngh! Wh-what?" She rasped. I stood up and aimed my arc pistol at the alicron.
"Do you trust me?!" I repeated myself louder. Flitter nearly slipped, having to push back in an uncomfortable position.
"I-I do!" She cried out. I grit my teeth.
"I hope you can forgive me for this! Hail to your king!" I shouted. Flitter gasped and froze. Please, please let it work! I looked at the alicron. The weight of the alicron hoof shifted and I saw the relief of my friends, save for Flitter who was grasping at her neck as black veins snaked throughout her body.
"What the-?" The pony inside gasped.
"SOMBRANITE SUBJECT DETECTED ALONG WITH PRIMAL ENERGY READINGS. REQUESTING READJUSTMENTS FROM COMMAND." The robot spoke. Cloudchaser dragged Flitter out from under the hoof and carried her on her back as she took off to the air.
"Hang on, Flitter!" She said with a struggled pant. Scribble crawled out from under the hoof with Mystique, helping her gallop away from the robot.
"Wh-what are you doing, you damned robot! Requests denied!" The voice growled. The robot began to jitter and stiffen, as if every bit of function it had was locking up on itself.
"DATA UNKNOWN. SOMBRANITE SUBJECT UNDETAINED. REQUEST APPROVAL FOR CAPTURE AND CONTAIN." It spoke. I took my opportunity. I rushed forward and flicked my head down, springing myself up towards the head of the robot. I landed on muzzle, holding onto the horn and twirled my bat, bringing it back to swing at the eye. My eyes widened as I saw the visor pull back into the head with a hiss and the pony levitated out an arc pistol. They pulled the trigger and I felt the shock graze my cheek, causing me to lose my grip on the horn and I tumbled into the ground. I felt the wind leave me. I saw a looming shadow over me and I looked to see a massive hoof hover over me.
'Dammit... not here!' I thought as I struggled to get my breath. The hoof grew closer towards me. I braced myself, only to feel the earth move from under me and I rolled out from under the hoof, the massive hoof crashing where I was seconds ago. I then felt the earth move again and I was carried over to Scribble, who had a vine around his hoof that glowed green. I gasped for breath as he pulled me up onto his back and waved his hoof of the magical powder.
"We have to buy sometime for Fie." He said. Mystique nodded.
"I'll see if I can convince our warriors to distract them." She said. Cloudchaser flew down, lowering Flitter and cradling her.
"Come on, sis! Fight it!" She said, holding her sister's hoof. Flitter gasped and kicked her hindlegs in a struggle as the black veins seemed to be caught in a regressing path and snaking. Mystique cantered over to her and examined the pegasus mare. She quickly stood up and looked to Cloudchaser.
"Keep her breathing. I'll be right back!" She said before cantering off towards the huts. Cloudchaser looked uncertain but held onto her sister.
"Hold on a little longer." She said before glancing at me. I finally found my breath and moved off of Scribble.
"I'm sorry..." I rasped, clutching my chest and hunched over. Cloudchaser said nothing. Her only concern was reassuring her sister. I looked over to the alicron robot who seemed to still be struggling with commands from the rider. My eyes fell onto the covered area where Fie is. 'Need to buy her time... right... what can I do?'
"Wow. I can't believe all of that happened. And the World Serpent is actually real?" Table Top asked. I had finished explaining everything to him as we traversed the ruined overpass, nodding to his question. His expression turned grim. “All the more reason to help you out. I maybe dead, but if the zebra were willing to give me a second chance to reconnect with my foal hood friend, then we got no time to lose.” I gave a soft smile.
“I’m glad you are with us, Table. I… I really needed this.” I replied, holding a hoof over my eye. “I’ve been… blaming myself for your death. Just the thought that I left you in such a bad way and to come home and find that you…” I sighed. “It was all my fault.” Table arched a brow.
“Really? Because last I recall before dying was hoping that you wouldn’t have had to see me six feet under.” He held his chest. “I can still feel the sensation but it’s… less so now that I was able to talk to you again.” Din came to a stop over the end of the overpass, a massive drop to the street below. She looked over her shoulder and frowned.
“Yes, yes. Let’s go frolic in the ash and embers before we can even get to the source.” She said in annoyance. “Or have you’ve forgotten in all your reminiscing?”
“I figured a being like you would have plenty of time to reminisce in decimating our home.” Table retorted. Din smirked.
“Yes, tis all well to admire my work. But I’ve quickly lost interest after we passed the main road.” She replied with a small sigh. Table Top and I peered over the edge, seeing the massive drop. He looked around with the rub of his chin before beaming and pointing.
“We can get down from here.” He said as he trotted over to the side of the bridge. The bridge had caved in along with several burnt auto wagons that piled into a convenient slope for us to traverse. Table grinned as he began descending. “It’s almost like we are going through an O&O session, Fie.” He said. I cautiously stepped hoof on the path, only to take a step back as an ominous groan and creak came from the auto wagon.
“Err… yeah… though I remember them being more exciting and less… cautionary.” I replied. Din rolled her eyes and descended the slope, ignoring the loud groan and creak.
“While we still have a physical body to get to, vessel.” She growled. I exchanged glances with Table Top before proceeding to follow her with caution. It was only when we hit the bottom street did Table Top speak up.
“So, Din.” He began, Din glancing in the corner of her eye. “It must have been a pretty wild time in your days.”
“My days?” Din asked with a narrow of her expression as we proceeded towards an opening through a building. Table rubbed the back of his head.
“Yeah. Fie told me this is like the… third time you’ve been called on? What was it like during your first time?” He asked. I eyed Table Top but Din “hmphed” coldly.
“Long forgotten memory. My guess is that me and my sisters were born. I only remember the second life to some degree.” She replied. I shifted my look. Table Top smiled.
“Then… what was the second life like?” He asked. Din’s wings shifted slightly as she looked around the building we had entered.
“Bland. The mortals had no ambitions and only lived to serve under banners. My previous vessel was the only thing keeping my boredom in check.” She explained. I hummed. Table Top asked her something I’ve been wanting to bring up but felt she would just give snarky replies or dumb riddles. I’m impressed she’s complacent. Now or never.
“Who was your previous vessel?” I asked. Din bucked open a door and we proceeded into the hall.
“Called himself a knight half the time, but his actions provoked the ire of those around him. You would think he wasn’t a knight with the way his compatriots viewed him. With the ones who did believe in him made him even more powerful of a mortal. One I dare say would be able to cut the World Serpent’s head if the Highest Evil wasn’t a concern.” She explained. “In the end, he perished to his injuries from the battle after successfully solidifying his legacy and allowing my sisters and I to banish the Highest Evil.”
I tilted my head a little. She had a small smile. A genuine one that as quickly as it appeared was immediately replaced with stoicism.
“He must be incredible if you hold him in such high regards.” Table Top marveled. “And he was a knight too? That’s so cool!” He motioned at me. “Fie may not be knight material. But she makes for a damn good assassin.” Din looked out the corner of her eye.
“My vessel is hardly any material worthy to remember. Sad to say she hasn’t done anything to earn my respect.” She replied. “Which is a shame. She holds much promise.”
“But I never asked for any of this.” I stated, stepping forward. “I never asked to be sharing my mind and body with a demi-god that doesn’t hold anything worthwhile to her own attitude. If you held your previous vessel in such high regards, why didn’t you follow his example with me?” Din continued to have her back towards me as she replied.
“Everything I have done has always been his example. Need I remind you that the imprinting does carry over. Fortunately, this’ll be the last time this realm will be in mortal danger. Once I ascend, I will shed myself from you and you can go back to being a sad, pathetic waste of space. I do not want to carry over all that clutter you have inside your head. The only thing I can think of is taking your zebra arts with me. It’ll be beneficial to up my repertoire of combat if need be.” I glared at her.
“Would a knight really go out of their way to destroy an entire city, innocent creatures or not, included?” I retorted. Din scoffed.
“He had his own ideals of what a knight should be. Razing an entire village of blasphemers? For a good reason, he did.” She stated.
“Blasphemers? Over our princesses?” Table asked. Din laughed with a smug grin.
“I believe it was a time when your ‘rulers’ weren’t rulers. I cannot recall exactly, but the reason justified against the Highest Evil.” She then motioned around us when we exited the building out into an open street. “Just as much justification there is for this.” I growled.
“I don’t see any justification in destroying Hoofington. Sure it was a bad place to be, but it didn’t call for it. The evils that roamed it would always be there, but that would always be the time when the good rise. My dad did his damndest to do that.” I replied.
“And yet, he gave up in the end, only wanting to end a major hold on the city before moving onto his family. Mortals know their limits, vessel. Yours has barely even been touched. Do not vouch for your kind if you cannot follow your father’s example.” Din replied boredly.
“He did not give up!” I snapped. “He continued to be his best self through it all! He never gave up! I know my dad and I know my mom wouldn’t want him to give up on anything!” I froze a bit. “Mom and dad… they wouldn’t…” Din smirked.
“Yes. What about you, little pony?” She chuckled. “Seems like giving you space to be your ‘best self’ really worked out in the end. ‘I missed you mom! I missed you dad! Oh, so sorry for being an awful daughter with hormones and a brain the size of a particle! I was rotting away in drink and depression, hoping that my life would be better when somepony knocks on my door unannounced and drags me out my abode! Oh! Woe is me!’” She mocked and gestured dramatically.
I felt my face going hot and my anger mixing in.
“Uhh… ladies?” I heard Table Top say. I shoved him aside and stepped up to Din, glaring angrily up at her.
“And what about you, little miss perfect?! Always bragging about how amazing and powerful you are yet you decided to pick me! One who has limited you far beyond than what you expected! You really thought I would run with this whole damned thing?! Bull!” I spouted, pointing at her. “You should have picked somepony then who had any desire to do this!! You picked me solely for the purpose that I am a possible love child between a demi-god and a powerful wizard of our legends!! But noooo! We come to find that Ouroboros has been lying! Been playing us like a damned fiddle so you can be satisfied even just slightly to not cut his head off!” Din growled at me.
“You dare assume?!” She snapped back.
“I don’t assume!! I know so!! It doesn’t take a genius to know that you are sorely crippled by your lack of understanding to the mortal realm!! Ouroboros has been taking advantage of that and we end up with more problems like this city we are in!!” I motioned around the ash ridden city. “Face it, Din!! You caused more problems for yourself by doing this, assuming I would be okay with it!! Time and time again I’ve tried to keep you in check, but you always kick and whine because you aren’t getting your way!! And you know what?! I’m glad you don’t!! Because this whole ‘clutter’ mess you mention!! Hahaha!! You reap what you sow!!”
“Ladies.” Table spoke. Din stamped her hoof, cracking the ground and clashing with my horn. I pushed back.
“You continue to deny me my ascension!! You promised me you would aid and now you are going back on your word?! This whole ordeal would be finished if it wasn’t because you ‘care’ for ponies!! You’ve nearly doomed us by letting yourself be consumed by a mad king!! If you weren’t my vessel, I would have burned you alive!!” She shouted.
“Then why won’t you do it!?! You have the capability to do so, but I know you won’t!! You need me to help you on your mission and despite all that is said and done, I’ve finally agreed to your demands!! I opened my heart for you!! Because you know why?! I just thought that maybe… just maybe for once you had any form of inkling of understanding why we mortals can match up!! Or have the countless losses you took remain ignored by you?!?” I let out a frustrative groan.
“Why can’t you accept the fact you failed!!? You failed in your chance of obtaining your realm!! You failed to properly handle this whole Hoofington situation!! You failed in besting your youngest sister and failed against not only Princess Twilight, but to my friends as well!! Why can’t you accept the fact you need help?!? And not just the physical kind, the mental kind!!”
“You are not so successful in that regard either!!” Din snapped back. “How dare you assume I failed!!!”
“Like I said!! I don’t assume so!!” I shot back.
“SHUT UP, BOTH OF YOU!!” Table shouted. We shot our angry glares at him, but the stallion stood his ground. “You two are acting like little children! Wanna’ know what I think? No pony can have it all. Not even the gods.” He motioned to me. “Fie, I’ve seen how you are when it comes to doing things yourself. You need help just as much as you believe Din needs. Back then, it wasn’t the mentality state, it was how you took everything on your plate and just couldn’t finish it. The work you did in CSGU showed that even if you knew you’d fail, you still went ahead! All those failures did eventually bring you down, but look at you now?
“You are the grand hero of Equestria! You are saving ponies! You even got acknowledged by the Princess Celestia, Luna and Twilight Sparkle! You got to meet the Elements of Harmony all at once and even became friends with them! So what if a few voices decided to exile you. You are still trying to do your damndest at being a hero! Those voices don’t know you, but the heroes do! And after catching up with you, I felt like I got to fill in a missing part of me I didn’t know I needed.” I couldn’t help but blush a bit, feeling my anger subside as I awkwardly rubbed my foreleg and bowed my head sadly. He turned to Din.
“Din, we get it. You are unstoppable. The prodigy being destined to rise above and spread your wings over a domain that should be yours. But you have to understand that we mortals maybe fragile, scared and stupid. But it’s because we recognize these faults, no matter how bleak, that we continue to strive for a better tomorrow. And there are those mortals that will go above and beyond to ensure that tomorrow is fulfilled. Even keeping a being like you in check. If you can recognize these faults and not look down upon them, you’ll notice that they could benefit you in the long run. You need allies. I don’t know how your previous vessel handled it, but if you are taking his example, then I can only see you being stuck. Because unlike him, you cannot perish unless your vessel does before everything is fulfilled!”
Din glanced at me, clearly unimpressed but quiet. He sighed and walked towards us.
“You two need each other now more than ever. You both have something to fight for, so why not combine it? You only say you have, but now it needs to be put into action. Show the realm, Fie, that you are the hero and champion. Show the realm, Din, that you are deserving of ascension. Both of you, show the whole universe that nothing stands in your way. That through harmony, a mortal and a god that has been shown to work well together, can also be friends. You don’t need to give up who you are. Because you both know.” He put a hoof on my shoulder and smiled up at Din. “Fie gave you a chance, Din. And now it’s time you give us a chance.” Din eyed him.
She then clicked her tongue and looked away with her forelegs crossed.
“The goody two shoes princess said the same thing…” She said. “Do all mortals share that outlook?” Table shrugged with a smile.
“The ones who are willing to be your allies I’m guessing.” He replied. “If you keep hearing the same lesson, then it is only right to jump on it.” I darted my eyes in thought and looked up to her.
“Table is right. Remember what I said to you when I opened my heart up?” I began. Din looked at me as I put a hoof to my chest. “That hasn’t changed. Because I needed your cooperation. But we need to stop having that mindset of tolerating each other for the sake of convenience. We need to start seeing this as a partnership.” I held out my hoof towards her. “I don’t assume that you don’t have balance in mind because I’ve already seen what you can do for it. Whatever your previous vessel had as a mindset isn’t our way. You can always remember him for what he is to you. But that was then and this is now. Let’s start making a new way for a change. Something that’s more us.” I smiled softly. “It’ll definitely help clear up most of the clutter that Table swept up earlier.”
Din studied me. This is the honest truth from me. Din, despite her incessant attitude and actions against everything, she has always been alone in her fight for balance. And while she needs me to keep herself going, it doesn’t need to be a parasitic relationship. I’ve realized that you can’t always have what you want, no matter how much you complain about it. Because it’s going to pile up and spill over, leaving a mess that will just get you stuck. But working together through the issues will not only benefit you, but also the one involved in it. Din must have read my thoughts as her expression softened a bit.
She sighed.
“Today’s generation is… confusing. But the point is correct. My previous vessel has always been fighting alone for the betterment of his mortals. Perhaps I was expecting somepony who had experienced the same up bringing would relate to the matter. I…” she hesitated. “I cannot hold anypony a candle to him. He understood me and helped me acquire something that would affect not only me, but my sisters as well. And loath am I to admit it, you did help me to some regards.” I tilted my head at her.
“Be it as it may that before we had our differences, how you treated and acted around me, you went out of your way to keep me grounded from going overboard, despite my ability to take control.” She looked out the window to the ashen city. “Perhaps I did make too much of a rash judgement.” She then bumped my hoof with her’s. “Alright, vessel. We will try it a new way. One that is befit for a queen of fire and a mortal of… subpar standards.” I couldn’t help but slump but smiled softly.
“It’s a start.” I replied. Table Top trotted past us.
“Great, glad that’s all sorted out and everything. But uhh… we should keep moving. You guys drew a lot of attention.” He said nervously. Din and I looked around us and I gasped. Ghostly hooves were clawing at the ground beneath us, on the walls and even from little corners of ruined buildings. There were a lot of them. We quickly began to canter away, avoiding the ghostly hooves that were shooting out of the ash and flailing to catch us.
We began to up our pace into a gallop. I looked over my shoulder and my eyes widened. Not only were the ash creatures rising, but some of the ash had peeled off, revealing a ghostly face of ponies. Pained and agonized expressions began to groan and scream around us. We were kicking up ash now as we raced through the streets, hopping over debris and moving around auto wagons. The screams of the damned were so loud I had to lower my ears to my head to drown out what I could. Table Top pointed up another slope.
“This way!” He called out as we raced to the slope. A quick glance showed that it was leading into the massive ash wall that the sickening red and black glow was coming from. As soon as we began climbing the ashen slope, I felt myself slipping. Din grit her teeth and bit me by the cloak hood and pulled me up. I was a little shocked but I smiled at her. Din seemed to hesitate a bit but she continued on with Table Top and I right behind her.
Din nearly reached the top when several ghostly and ashen hooves and claws shot out and grabbed her, beginning to pull her in. She grunted as she fought back against the forces. I looked to Table and nodded, both of us meeting her at her sides and began batting at the ash and waving the ghostly hooves away. I did my best to shake off the ones going for me and when we finally had enough room, Din pulled herself forward with mine and Table’s help and we went tumbling down the other side of the slope.
I landed with an “oof” on my side, Table falling on top of me on his back. We both shook away our daze as Din landed on her hooves and shook off the ash. Table pulled himself off of me and turned to help me up. We exchanged smiles before he started to laugh.
“Close one!” He chuckled. I chuckled in reply before turning to Din.
“Thanks for the save again. I still have a bit of ways to go to keep up, but I’ll get there.” I said. Din was quiet, her eyes studying me. She then looked past us and her look became serious.
“Then perhaps now would be a good time to make it up.” She stated. Table and I turned around and I gasped. We were in what would have been the main lobby for Tri-Mourne Tower. The crater blackened and charred. Small remnants of the once enterprising conglomerate of income for the city protruded from out of the ash. In the center of the crater was a blob of fire red surrounded by a black haze. Din stepped between us and snorted challengingly. “I believe you have something that belongs to me.” She called out.
There was no response. However, it seemed that the blob reacted to her call. The glow brightened and a tall pillar of red and black shot high into the sky. The ashen haze that had developed the moment we stepped hoof into the city cleared, only to be replaced with black clouds that funneled around us. Din and I readied ourselves as I held out a hoof to Table.
“Stand back, Table. This will get messy.” I said before grinning and glancing at Din. Din made a cool expression with a smirk.
“We’ll see how this goes.” She replied. Our eyes narrowed when we saw a hoof step out of the blob. A zebra figure emerged and began to walk forward. Then another. And another. Seven zebra in total emerged from the blob and lined side by side facing us, their spectral glow and pupiless eyes studying us. They then bowed.
“Ladies… do you hear them?” Table began. We looked over our shoulder to him. He looked to be in a trance. I gave a worried look. “They are speaking in so many tongues… ‘This is our blessing to you, Bearer of the Star of Fire. Overcome this divided animosity. Find harmony. Be free of all burden’.” Table began to walk past us. I put a hoof on his shoulder.
“What are you doing?” I asked. Table didn’t face me, but he smiled.
“They are asking me to help you in return for easing your troubles.” He said. I shook my head in confusion.
“What? Table, what is going on?” I asked again. Table finally turned his head to me and my jaw dropped. His eyes were pupiless and coat in a pale glow. My hoof then phased through him. He kept his smile as he spoke.
“Time is up for me. I… I’m sorry I wasn’t being completely honest with you about this. But I just had to do this. I didn’t want to believe our friendship ended over some bad communication. I wanted to remind you of that and they helped me to do just that. I had a really fun time catching up with you.” He put a hoof to my cheek. It was still cold but I could no longer interact with it. “I wish we could hang out a little longer, but you have some friends that you need to get back too. You have a realm to save.” He then looked at Din.
“It was nice to know you even if it was brief. I trust you to look after Fie. And believe me on this, she looks after her friends more than you think. Once you get to know her beyond the struggling issues mortals are prone to having.” He shrugged. “She also makes some pretty good hotcakes.” Din studied the stallion.
“I prefer crepes.” She replied. Table chuckled and moved away from us.
“Take care Fie. Din. This is the next step to your goals. Now give the forces against you hell.” I watched aghast as his form began to fade, a wisp swirling back towards the zebra. I held out my hoof.
“Table, wait!” I called out. I was too late. I was only greeted with a hot wind that began to blow towards us, causing me to shield myself. The zebra raised themselves and began to turn and walk back into the blob. With each zebra that stepped in, a red and black ball wisped around and vanished. When the last stepped in, the blob began to take shape. A blazing fire surrounding the silhouette of a pony. It rose to that of the size of an alicorn. A sharp looking horn dawned on the head and enclosed around dark armor that snaked down the spine. Pauldrons encasing the legs into heavy hooves and a flowing fiery mane flailed behind the silhouette. The fire that surrounded it eased, taking hold of the hooves and on the armor.
It reared up and kicked its’ forelegs out in a heavy, guttural whinny. Din grinned maniacally.
“How pathetic. If you seek to intimidate us, then that armor will do you no good!” She cackled. I called my halberd and got up on two, getting into a stance.
“Let’s do this, Din!” I spoke. She lowered herself and held a wing down to me.
“Get on, then. We’ll do it the right way.” She replied, not keeping her eyes off the figure. I smiled and hopped onto her back. It felt really strange still, but this time I won’t be holding back. Din grinned challengingly before beginning her charge in a gallop, causing me to hold on tightly. Din aimed her horn, ready to gore while the fierce figure charged us. I had a moment of hesitation, but I quickly dissuade my doubt and took a deep breath. No regrets.
Din and the creature were about to collide when Din hopped to the left and I followed up with a downward slash of my halberd, the blade striking the armor and sending the creature into a tumble from its’ momentum. Din skid and pivoted on her hooves, not wasting a single second as she charged again, her horn primed to gore. The creature wriggled to stand up and when it did, the eye was greeted with Din’s horn. She dug in deep and the creature let out a guttural whinny.
She hissed with a crazed smile, her fangs bearing.
“Hahahahah!” She cackled. I saw her horn begin to glow as the dark haze began to flow around us and the red being absorbed into the horn. "Vessel! Aid me in taking my power back!" I stood up on her back and hopped off of her, holding onto the creature as Din yanked her horn out of the eye. The creature reared and whinnied again before beginning to buck wildly. I held on for dear life, getting nicked a little by the armor. Din dashed around the creature and began to buck back at the creature, directing it to allow me to be able to make a move. When the creature began to direct its' attention to her, I adjusted my halberd and stabbed it into the back of the neck of the creature. It whinnied and reared up, causing me to hold on for dear life once more onto my halberd. I grunted and shoved the blade deeper, seeing the halberd beginning to glow a little brighter.
The black haze spewed from the wound, blocking my vision. I then withdrew my halberd and backflipped off the creature, landing in a readied position. Din flapped her wings once and with a bit of a flourishing flip, bucked the creature hard across the muzzle and sent it sliding across the charred ash. She landed in my usual zebra arts stance, cackling crazily.
“I can feel it! Hahahaha! This power!” She marveled as she examined her forehooves.
“Is it enough, though?” I asked her, keeping my focus on the creature that was flailing its' legs to stand up. Din smacked her forehooves together and snarled at the creature.
“Hardly. But we are getting there! Just a little more!” She then fell onto her hooves and her horn glowed. She cantered over to me and shifted my halberd up. I arched a brow questioningly and she grinned. “We should have a little fun with this. After all, there is nothing around here that we need to worry about.” I studied her and smiled.
“Yeah.” I replied. She then placed the tip of her horn on the blade of the halberd and like a match being struck, I felt the force kick back, digging my hind legs into the ground as the halberd seemed to extend and widened in a fiery blaze. I marveled at the sight. Din dashed away and readied herself.
“Don’t squander it! It doesn’t last long!” She called out as she charged the creature again. The dark haze from the creature flowing from the wounds began to take shape in the form of an alicorn over the body. Where the hooves were was actually claws as it brought them up and dig forcefully into the creature. With a sickening crunch, it ripped out the armor down the spine and gathered the dark haze to make a sharp and fierce looking halberd. Din roared as she flapped her wings and took off, firing a beam at the monster.
I looked down at the halberd and nodded. Using my magic to hold it, I galloped forward as the creature began to bat and swipe Din’s beams. Din skillfully dodged the retaliation, even deflecting the halberd with a nicely timed swish of her horn, sending fiery sparks everywhere. I galloped around to get behind the creature and using the full reach, stabbed the extended blade through the creature's chest. It let out a guttural pained whinny before turning around, carrying me and the halberd with the turn and smacking into Din. We went rolling quite a bit of a ways away from the creature.
It turned around again to face us, reaching behind and withdrawing the halberd. I grit my teeth and stood up, helping Din stand. The creature lowered itself and the body of the equine creature jolted and began to stand up like a zombified corpse. Din wiped her muzzle and grinned.
“We got enough for me to acquire all of it.” She said. I was about to call back my halberd when I had an idea. I matched Din’s grin and she nodded, having read my thoughts. “Strike fast.” She stated. We readied ourselves and closed our eyes. Together, we imagined splitting ourselves perfectly in half. I heard the creature whinny and began to charge us, swinging the halberds at the ready. Din and I opened our eyes and seven copies of ourselves appeared in a puff of fire.
The creature continued to charge, as if uncaring for the outnumbering. Din and I ordered our clones to engage while we proceeded to blend into the attack. The creature swung the halberds, aiming perfectly on two of us while the rest dodged, bounded and jumped around the creature. Each copy delivering blow after blows, turning the battle ground into a fierce war against an enormous monster. Soon, Din started ordering her clones to use magic and plenty of beams followed through the order. I ordered my clones to cover Din’s blind sides and before long, the creature was beginning to miss and flail about.
Din bounded away and unfurled her wings, charging a ball of fire at the tip of her horn. I bounded away from the fight and galloped towards Din. She lowered herself and I hopped onto her back where she proceeded to spin around and allowed me to be propelled high into the air with the force of her buck. She then spun and threw the ball of fire with her horn towards me. I twirled in the air and with one good kick of a single hindleg, punted the ball hard into the hazy creature.
When the ball collided, it blew up into a cluster, taking some of our clones with it while the rest backed away. The equine body was torn and limped while the hazy equine figure reared back, priming my halberd. I smirked as Din shot up behind me and brought her hindlegs in, connecting them to my own and gave me another propelling push that sent me towards the creature like a missile. Time slowed as I got closer, the halberd already in mid-swing. I called my halberd back to me.
It vanished from the creature’s claw. I collided with the creature, locking my forelegs on the horn of the haze, used it to flip around, and stab the blade of the halberd into the head. It violently shook me off, sending me tumbling into the air. Time slowed again as I managed to correct myself and drew back the halberd. Din soared by and struck her horn like a match against the blade before using a foreleg to catch me and chuck me back. I grunted as time sped up.
I roared as I plummeted downward, sticking my hindlegs out to catch my fall onto the creature’s head but locking my hooves onto the halberds shaft, piercing the extended and flaring fiery halberd into the creature. Using the momentum to bury the halberd further all the way through, I held on, feeling the overwhelming surge of power flowing into me through the halberd. Din landed hard on the creature and helped me bury the halberd further, the power flowing into her and I felt the overwhelming surge lessen.
“Together!” I shouted. “I will not hold back any longer! We will be victorious!” Din grinned.
“Nothing will stand in our way!” She hissed.
“This power is ours to see fit! And we will use it to restore this imbalanced realm to perfection!!” We exclaimed in unison. The creature whinnied loudly, a release of fire scorching the crater. A pillar of fire shot into the sky, the funnel splitting apart and the ash, peeling and flurrying into a blizzard like phenomena, revealed the ground. There was a blinding bright light that surrounded us, leaving me in a state of nirvana. I found myself floating towards the sky, the clouds parting away to reveal a starry bright night sky.
Luna’s moon enormous and shining brightly down on me made everything felt… peaceful. I then looked down and gasped as the ash surrounding Hoofington peeled away. The dead city now lush with nature’s life.
I see… The blessing of the ancient ones is quite a sight to behold. I heard Din say in my head. I smiled, feeling the warmth flowing through me. I examined myself. I still looked the same. However, I felt… whole. Like a part of me was missing and I finally found it. I noticed a passing cloud with some ponies sitting on it. Upon second glance, it was the ghostly zebra. Among them was Table Top.
Table Top laughed and smiled, waving up at me. I floated towards the cloud and Table cantered towards me, bounding off the cloud.
“You did it, Fie! You and Din!” He cheered. I was a little confused, but seeing Table smile, I couldn’t help but return it.
“You always had a strange way of making others smile.” I replied. He grinned and shrugged.
“That’s what ya’ get when you’re my friend.” He said. The zebra approached me and bowed.
”You’ve done well, Star of Fire. It warms these troubled minds the sight of harmony between you two.” The voices said. Din phased out of me and smugly grinned.
Shall we keep the zebra magic a secret as usual? She asked with a hum. The ghostly zebra returned her grin with a smile.
”For the good of balance and all things for the cycle of life. You are now fit for ascension. The last step is to find the one whose bloodline can call upon the attention of the higher powers and all seven are gathered.” I furrowed my look.
“How can we know when we’ll find the one with the bloodline?” I asked. The zebra bowed.
”We are not allowed to say. Tis a journey for yourself to discover.” The voices replied. I exchanged a glance with Din, who snorted in annoyance.
To suffer such a trifle. No matter. Perhaps the war will draw them out. She said. I looked to Table and smiled softly.
“I’m glad I got to see you again, Table Top. I… wish I could have been a better friend and at least wrote to you.” I said. My spectral foal hood friend smiled.
“It’s not your fault, Fie. I wasn’t really too worried. Because I always felt one day we’d see each other despite the circumstances. You’re definitely a lot cooler than last time.” He winked. I giggled and bumped my hoof onto his chest, knowing I would phase through if I went further.
“When it’s my time, perhaps I can introduce you to my other friends as well.” I said. Tables expression faltered and he bowed his head.
“That… sounds like an amazing thing to imagine.” He said. I tilted my head worriedly.
“Table Top?” I asked. He looked up to meet my gaze and smiled sadly.
“Where you’re going, I cannot follow. Neither can the others. But I’m certain the view will be amazing.” He replied. I didn’t like this response. I reached out to him but he pulled away and floated back to the zebras. “You two need to head back. You have a realm to fix and friends to laugh with.” I watched with a defeated look, my vision becoming a bit blurry. The zebra looked to me.
”Be well, champion. Your fate lies elsewhere.” The voices began to chant, low at first before reaching to a crescendo. Din phased back into me and I felt my entire body go limp. It was hard to see through the tears. The last thing I made out was Table Top waving sadly with a smile to me. Then everything went bright.
Thi’s POV
I dove to the side as the alicron pelted the area with a rain of arc fire from the horn. The horn spun rapidly before taking aim at Cloudchaser, who was soaring through the air. She swore through her teeth and did a skillful twirl before diving in and out of the arc fire. I scrambled to my hooves and galloped around the robot, pelting the body with bolts of green fire from Excalibat. The metal remained unsinged. The robot unfurled its’ metallic wings and with boosters from the back of the legs, skated quickly around the area, destroying three huts in the process before targeting me with bolt projectiles that hissed out of the wings.
I flicked my head down and sprang away from them, flipping and twirling in the air between each jump to avoid them. Having dodged the last one, I conjured a small platform and swung my bat, throwing out several bolts of fire. The wings retracted and the horn glowed. A faint shimmer could be seen and when the bolts of green fire reached the alicron, the robot made one smooth motion of its' head and deflected all of them away from it, the bolts crashing into the jungle somewhere.
I clicked my tongue and flicked my head down as the alicron aimed its’ horn and fired up at me. I was doing well until a stray bullet caused me to sharply crane my neck and sent me into a tumble through the air. I flailed a bit before Cloudchaser caught me in the air. Unfortunately, the alicron was still unloading arc fire and Cloudchaser yelped in pain when a bullet nicked her wing. We went spiraling and tumbling through the air.
Being quick to react, I weaved a net with my magic and caught both of us before hitting the ground. Cloudchaser grit her teeth in pain, trying to flex her wing. I looked up and my eyes widened. The alicron skated over to us and rose a hoof.
“Goodbye, Thi Billet!” The voice echoed gleefully. I saw in the corner of my eye Cloudchaser shifting and putting something on her foreleg. I looked to see her wearing Hercules’s Gauntlet.
‘She kept it??’ I asked myself in surprise. This is bad. I was about to stop Cloudchaser but the hoof began to descend on us. Cloudchaser shot up onto her hooves and with a hefty punch, collided with the metallic hoof. A crackle of lightning sparked upon contact and the alicron went stumbling back. Cloudchaser screamed in pain, clutching her leg and crumpled to the ground, writhing in pain. I was shocked, but I quickly turned on the alicron and stood up. I called back my bat and flourished it before charging the stumbling alicron.
I flicked my head down and sprang up high towards the eyes. I held onto the horn and without hesitation, swung my bat and smashed the eye open, revealing the helmeted pony inside. This time I was ready. The pony drew an arc pistol and fired, but I shifted myself to the other side and smashed the other eye open. I switched again and dove into the cockpit, wrestling the pony for the gun. I gave a couple of good slugs to the helmet, the pony becoming dazed. Taking the arc pistol in my magic I aimed at the pony.
A thought then struck me. No, I need this one alive. I then aimed the arc pistol into what I assumed was the contraption that allowed them to pilot the robot and unloaded the entire mag into it. Sparks ignited and the pony shielded themselves. I reached in and locking my foreleg around theirs’s, I yanked them out and tossed them below me, letting go and landing deftly onto my hooves, cantering away as the alicron began to topple onto its’ side with a crash.
With the robots finally quelled, I finally got a moment to breathe. I turned on my hooves and looked down at the winded pony. I glanced up to see Cloudchaser limping over to me in pain.
“Go to Scribble, CC. I’ll take care of this.” I said. Cloudchaser winced, nursing her foreleg. However, she glared quietly at me and used her wings to carry herself over to the others. Mystique was rubbing some poultices on Flitter that eased her trigger, but the mare was still struggling. I turned my attention back to the pony. “Alright, Triad trash. Maybe you’ll have a looser tongue than your late co-pilot.” I bucked the pony over and aimed the arc pistol at the helmet. “Tell me everything. What the hell is going on in the Triad? Where are you keeping Roam’s heir? What are the Triad looking for in the temples?”
I fired a bullet that grazed the helmet, causing the pony to flinch. “I’m starting to get impatient.” The pony gave a nervous chuckle, but my glare caused them to go quiet. I frowned and fired another round next to the helmet of the pony.
“D-dammit… You really are the Triad Killer.” The pony chuckled again and removed their helmet, revealing to be a bald mare with a nasty scar running down her face. “Alright… you win… again…” I waited for her to continue, keeping the arc pistol aimed at her as she sat up with a pained wince. “What is it that you really want to know?”
“Start by telling me why the Exiles were allowed to use the Triad’s tech when I know damn well they wouldn’t have given it up.” I stated. The mare lowered her head and rubbed the back of it as she spoke.
“The Exiles thought they were clever and stole from us. However, we received a direct order from General Lilac to ‘let them have their fun’.” She grinned. “That’s code for data gathering via third party.” I narrowed my eyes.
“Seems they didn’t take into account this ‘primal energy’. Thanks to my friends, it was easy to take you both out.” I said. The mare chuckled smugly.
“And yet, you resorted to activating the Sombranite trigger in your friend just to get a higher advantage against us. I have heard you would do anything against our beloved organization. It’s a wonder how your team even got along.” She smirked. I felt my anger rise, but I told myself to keep calm but firm.
“Regardless of that matter, you are still at gun point here. Do you know if there have been any internal changes to the Triad? Such as allowing other creatures to join the organization?” I replied sternly. The pony was quiet for a moment before replying.
“I have heard we had made an exception with one as an outside agent. She has proven to be quite steadfast and had quickly shown up the higher commanders but refuses to take the position any further. It caused quite a stir in our ranks for quite some time. And then we received new orders. To begin in Zebrica, we would need to acquire certain specimens as per the order of this new agent.” She shrugged. “For what, it isn’t clear. But the Exiles were more than happy to follow it to a tee.”
My expression narrowed. “Is this new agent from Roam?” I asked. The pony shrugged again.
“Who’s to say? It doesn’t matter where, as long as General Lilac is happy to know our great queen’s ideals are not tampered with.” She replied. I darted my eyes in thought.
“So why stallions? Is there a reason for it? Certain plans?” I asked sternly, reminding her I have the upper hoof here. The pony clicked her tongue.
“That is one agent who doesn’t like to loosen their muzzle so openly.” She replied. I arched a brow.
“Interesting.” I said. My ears then flicked when I began to hear a lot of blips coming from the robot. I moved around the pony, keeping my pistol trained and faced the robot. It jittered and shuddered, a strange blue glow emanating from inside the eyes.
”ACTIVATION OF PROTOCOL -BRRRRTTZZZZ- REWRITING CODE WITH OLD ALGORITHMS.” The crackling voice of the robot spoke.
“Do these things just have a mind of their own at times?” I asked the pony. However, the pony was transfixed on the robot. The alicron began to move a little.
”DATA COLLECTION SUCCESSFUL. RE-ENGAGING ORIGINAL COMMAND.” The robot said, the voice beginning to sound less robotic and more… feminine? I couldn’t help but be transfixed as well at the change of the voice. The robot pushed itself off the ground and stood up right over us. ”THE STARS… OH… How beautiful they are.” I felt a massive chill go down my spine. The eyes began to glow brightly and an aura began to resonate off the robot. “I desire more knowledge of this newfound unknown variable. Could it be? I’ve been given another opportunity to continue my research?”
The voice was eerily soothing. My eyes then fell onto another glow off in the distance.
‘That’s… in the direction of the other alicron…’ I thought to myself. Another glow shone brightly not too far off from us. We looked to see the first alicron Fie destroyed beginning to move. The pieces of the robot beginning to rise from the ground and float over to the robot. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Even off in the distance, the pieces of the other alicron I defeated is floating over to this one. The wings extended from the robot and peeled away, revealing the energy that powered the robot in the shape of feathers as the scrap from the other robots accumulated into bones.
The robot’s entire body began to combine with the scraps of the others, making a completely different and sleeker chassis and armor for the forelegs, hindlegs and helmet. The robot shifted, the movements no longer stiff.
”Compatible specimen detected. Initiating ‘harmonize’.” The voice said. From the eyes, something lashed out towards me. I dove aside, ready to retaliate when my jaw fell as the Triad pony was caught. She struggled against the thin and thick cables of the robot.
“Wh-what is this?! Let go!” She struggled. It wasn’t long until more shot out and began to drag her forward. “N-no! S-stop! I command you to stop! In the name of our benevolent queen, cease!!” She cried out. But the cables continued to wrap around her. “H-help! Somepony! Anypony!” She struggled to face me, trying to lift a hoof out to me. “Help…!” I was dumbfounded. What the hell is going on?! The pony screamed as the cables lifted her, violently flailing about before retreating into the eyes.
The head leaned back and a bright light shone as the pony’s screams became silent. I took a few steps back, unable to look away. The head lowered and an insectoid visor slid quickly to cover the internal eyes.
”Neural link established. Data collection processed to new servers. Will you be the next test subject?” It shifted its’ head to me. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t believe it. I was paralyzed with fear. My mind unable to comprehend what was happening. The robot turned to me and raised its’ left hoof. From the scrapped together pieces, a blade of energy emerged from the hoof.
“Thi! Get out of there!!” I heard Scribble shout. I couldn’t respond. I was speechless. Just what the hell are the Triad testing? The hoof crossed the chest and rose high, ready to strike. I grit my teeth.
‘C’mon, legs! Move!’ I thought to myself. But I couldn’t. Just the thought of what just happened was something I just could not comprehend. I then felt something tackle me as the hoof slashed down, burning a neat cut in the ground. I went rolling with whoever, snapping out of my paralyzes. I looked to see a disgruntled Mystique eye me.
“Your friend needs you! Now move!” She shouted. I blinked and looked over my shoulder.
“Fie?” My eyes fell onto the covered bonfire that was still burning. I grit my teeth once more and stood up, helping Mystique as the robot turned to face us.
”Do not run from science. What must be thought of can always be executed.” the voice said. Ignoring the robot, I galloped with Mystique, narrowly avoiding a rain of arc fire that seemed to solidify and jut the ground with white crystals. I reached the bonfire and punched on the stone.
“Fie! Fie are you awake?! C’mon, Fie! We need you now more than ever!!” I called out. Mystique tackled me again as we narrowly avoided the energy blade. The rock wall crumpled down and I gasped as it collapsed onto where Fie would be. “No!! Fie!!” I screamed out. The robot was floating in the air, the energy wings crating a sharp hot wind. It aimed its’ horn at us and the white crystals stabbed the ground around us, creating a cage. I was about to flick my head down and get both me and Mystique out when the robot landed hard over the crystals and peered down at us.
Mystique began to pray in zebric as she held onto me.
‘No… I won’t die here! Whatever happened here…! I refuse to die!’ I called my bat and readied myself to swing, the green eye flaring brightly in a sickening green hue. I roared and was about to swing when the robot perked up.
”Primal energy…? Stronger than the one wielding the sword. Could it be?” The robot turned to face the rock covered bonfire. I panted and peered through the gap of the crystals. The fire began to seep out of the rocks and ignite brightly. Suddenly, a loud explosion sent the rocks flying. A smile crept on my face. All my doubts at this moment gone in an instant.
As if descending from a throne of fire, my best friend, surrounded in flames, amber slit eyes and a fiery mane and tail flowing behind her, faced the robot. She took a quick look around before her eyes fell on me. She smiled and looked up to the robot.
”Subject Star Bright? You’ve returned.” The voice said. Fie tilted her head curiously, but it quickly vanished when the maniacal grin of Din took her expression. My heart sank. Din had possessed her once more.
“Din! Don’t do this!” I called out. Fie’s head swished, a fiery wisp trailing the tip of her horn and she unleashed another fierce beam of fire that struck the visor of the robot, making it raise its’ head. Some scrap fell off of it but it regained its’ stance and faced Fie.
”Rebellious as ever. Mortals have tainted you far more than projections predicted.” It said, raising its’ hoof and drawing its’ energy blade. ”Heed this, Subject Star Bright. I am Rosette Nebula. And I will see to your containment once more personally.”