//------------------------------// // In Life, We Find Ourselves. // Story: Phantasm // by Debonair //------------------------------// "Thank the gods, I knew you weren't dead." Chrys laid on top of me and squeezed tight. I decided to string her along just for now. "But why didn't the ambrosia work?" "It doesn't heal mental trauma, everything we just went through didn't happen." Nina interrupted. "But it felt so real," Manny countered. "Because you thought it was." Juan said as he helped me to my feet. "We were deadmen walking as soon as Death left. " I actually am, but now isn't the time for that. "We need to keep moving." I had to get used to my body again, it was like being reborn. "But you need to rest." Nina Started to argue but she saw the determination in my eyes and backed away. "So shall we be off?" I smile and turn around and start walking. "Oy Vamanos!" "You've fooled me again," Chrys walked next to me, happily keeping pace. "It's my job," I chuckled but I didn't feel the same. "I'm starting to wonder." "What do you mean?" "Something feels off inside, like I actually died." "You did," Juan saw right through my charade. "How could you tell?" "Even a blind man can see, that something's changed." "Really, he looks fine to me." Manny questioned. "Alright we'll set up camp here, I'll explain everything in a campfire story." Chrys slid her finger over her hand setting the ground ablaze, in green as we sat down. "But first Juan I'm sorry." "For what?" "Killing your son." "He wasn't much of a son, of course I wasn't that much of a father." "I know how he feels," I did the exact same thing. "But you can still make ammends." "Maybe you're right Allegro," "I am," I took a deep breath. "About twenty years ago, my father vanished, leaving me in an orphanage. I was always cheating death, coming out of the most violent situations virtually unscathed. I only had one friend and that was my cousin Eli, he had a lucky streak too, the only survivor of the car crash that made him end up at the orphanage. Over the next five years we grew inseparable, best of friends, family. Then Tulio adopted me, I felt bad that I had to leave but Tulio told me that he had arranged for his adoption. Over the years Tulio taught me how to fight, how to fend for myself. One day I killed three innocent children, I felt so guilty I let the police catch me and be executed." "By lethal injection." Juan interrupted. "It only made you tired." "Yeah, I woke up an hour later in the crematorium, where I met Death, who thought I was dead." "So he threw you in here so I could finish the job?" Chrys was impressed. "I'm flattered he thinks I'm that powerful." "Actually he told me to steer clear of you," "Aw, that's so sweet of you to stay anyway." Nina was definately growing into a woman. "Well, she didn't really give me a choice," My head turned to Chrys. "Did you?" "No I guess I didn't." She shook her head and smiled. "Now tomorrow we'll be entering the city. first we need to make our guises flawless. Juan since you can't shapeshift like us you'll have to stay here." "You want me to sit here with my thumbs up my ass?" "No, the target, will need to be hidden, and while we infiltrate, you will situate, I.E. make her comfortable." "And you think a heartless beast can comfort a horse." "Oh don't beat yourself up, you're a valuable asset," "And you didn't want to bring him." "What can I say, man's best friend has a certain charm." "So about our target." "She looks like this." She turned back into the pink one from before and her voice lost that buzzing. "The plan is to capture Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, and take her place." "My Love Song?" "Yes I know her name sounds weird, but she has a special magic, much like ours but one fatal flaw. She can give love away, mostly because of her birthright. The crystal kingdom, it is said that they had the most powerful artifact, the crystal heart." "What does the crystal heart do?" Nina seemed as interested as I was in this ancient mythology. "It's said that the crystal heart channels emotion, if love and happiness are put through it the entire world of Equestria, feels the same." "Why don't we just go after this crystal heart?" I posed. "It seems like if we get the heart, you could be the most powerful in the world." "If I could I would, but it disappeared about one thousand years ago, along with the entire kingdom." "So we're going after the princess hoping to gain power, and then if the crystal kingdom appears we go affter the Corazon." "Presicely." "You've really thought out this world domination thing haven't you?" "That's what seperates me from Discord, Sombra, and Nightmare Moon, they never had a plan B, Discord didn't even have a plan A." She was beside herself. "Plus I've taken the Elements of Harmony into account." "Elements of Harmony?" "The backbone of society, so to speak. Honesty, Kindness, Generosity, Laughter, Loyalty, and Magic. Each of these are in all of the ponies, but each one is prominant in one of six special cases, and only work when each is present, and each is adorned in the respective atrifact." "So they're like, power rangers." I tried not to laugh at ponies in spandex. "Sounds like it." Juan kept a straight face. "So what's the plan?" "The first phase, is infiltration and intelligence gathering. Nina and Manuel will sneak into the archives, i will relay your findings to the others via our telepathic link. Mari, you will follow the Princesses of the Sun and Night, I'll need everything you can get about their movements and ways of thinking. You dear, will infiltrate the royal guard, and keep the captain busy, learn everything you can. I'll need to know everything about him, " "Is he the secondary target?" "Yes, then on to the second phase, We will need to bait and switch, and bring her back here. Manuel and Nina you will then make your way into the Element Room. Then Anton will tell Armour about a threat on the city. causing him to erect a protective shield around the entire kindom oof Canterlot. Thus dividing his attention, then I will slowly syphon his energy therefore weakening the shield for phase three." "And phase three? "Full scale invasion." Her logic was sound and well backed. "What were to happen if someone saw through the disguise." I asked as I took my Red Pegasus masque. "I would personally see to it that they are dealt with." "If one of us were to fail our tasks." "I have full confidence, and I can walk you through the task using our link." "If Armour doesn't believe me." "You can convince him, you have a leg up on him, anything I find relevant will be sent to each of you." "Well we have a big day ahead of us, so let's get some sleep." "But first a refresher course, do not say everybody it's everypony, and in order to survive you must stay in one form, if they see you change you'll be taken to the Princess of the Sun and surely interigated. Her mind reading is by no means painless." "If you're the Queen why do we even need to do this incognito crap?" Juan blinked his blind eyes. "I'm not their Queen, that's why we need to do all this Incognito Crap." "Don't get snappy with me Puta." His voice took on his signiature feral growl. "Don't even think of letting her out of your sight." She huffed and the fire was out like a light. "Stupid dog," Chrys growled as she curled up next to me on the cold cave floor. "Bitch!" "Shut Up!" I shouted as I curled around her. "Both of you," Both of us soon fell asleep curled around each other's warm fuzzy bodies. The dreams had become livid, my other self was sitting at a table with my father. I made my way to them. "So we're dead." My other self leaned back in his chair. "Antonio you should have run." "I couldn't!" "What did you have to lose?" "Mi Familia." "Family," My father backed away. "Is something worth losing your life over?" "I'd say so." "What's next?" "We'll see each other in person very soon. I hope you have made me proud by then." "Well dramatics aside, you're dead and we've been drafted, but Death didn't give you a weapon. Makes you think don't it." "The Scythe?" "Not an option it wasn't yours and it's very picky about who it lets use it. It's useless to you, the box was just the first lock, the second lock only opens when the right key is there." "So we are weaponless, and powerless?" "Far from it," Father for once had a smile. "You'll find out later." The walls of the dream faded as my eyes opened and I felt Chrys' weight on my shoulders. "Good morning," She was still the pink one, but I didn't care. "Did you sleep well?" "Did you?" "Of course," Her demeanor had changed, she was happy. "We better get moving." She lifted herself off of me and let me up. "Wouldn't want to be late." This new side of her was quite a refreshing change of pace, but I was still fond of the one I met before.