//------------------------------// // The Missing Hope // Story: Humans Assemble! // by Mistershield //------------------------------// Chapter 69- The Missing Hope Shadow Cloud blinked twice, turning his head to look at the scene ahead of him and blinked twice once more. A human with spectacles was holding.. Yes, Twilight Sparkle, he could recognize now, around her neck as they both looked at a gray maned mare being held back by a human with a metal hand. Though, that human was frowning at another human. The mare with a hat was frowning and snorting, pawing the ground in front of a human wearing a hood. An orange creme colored pony was arguing with a mint green unicorn. They had humans at their sides, though one was putting his pants back on. The human had a hand on his hood, pulling it down to not look at the exposed one. At the same time, Princess Celestia blinked twice, looking around at the chaos created. The human children had been rushing over to lawn furniture, kicking it up to set up... A barricade of sorts? The little colts and fillies joined them, huddling to their partners. The solar guide had no idea why they did this, but they looked scared. They had printed the newspaper article, and once this ‘Dan’ found out, they were all so hosed. Wally did not want to be bald like Scootaloo. Princess Luna frowned, her own moral compass still spinning from this. A lot of these humans she had summoned, and some of these were considerably worse than the ones Twilight Sparkle had summoned. She turned to look at the worried Vash, Toph, Jack, possibly the only true innocent humans. They each moved out to join Terra and Vergil to break up the arguing and fighting, as per Distant’s plan. Her own partner kept pushing on her form, trying to get his sabre into her sister’s head. Just, why had Celly allowed this? Eager to help, Spike and the Crystal rulers also moved in. Spike lowered his head a second to pull up his head to unleash his first dragon shout into Nate to hold him back. He was making Rarity and Sweetie Bell worry. Cadence rushed over to Big Mac’s side, who had moved to try and restrain his sister. Armor moved out to help Vergil, who was trying so very hard to stop the squirming Dan. Johnny wanted pie. He really did! Pie made everything better! His mom made the best pies! He moved to sit down on the ground, hugging his staff into his chest. Thinking about his mom made him worry now- He had died, leaving Momma Bravo all alone in the world. He begun to cry manly tears, which was bawling like a baby and sobbing like a little girl, as Prince Blueblood moved a hoof out to rub his back. “Where did you come from?” Snape asked, turning to look at a human wearing a long red cape and hat. “Me? I’m just a guy sent in to check on the cheeky dick waffle that summoned anchovies,” Alucard smiled with a big fang-y grin. “I guess I’ll let it slide, this scene made my day. I’m going for a long walk through the woods now. Come on Pewdiepie, let’s give you some jumpscares.” “Don’t scare me Bro...” So they went off. “Phoenix!” “On no...” Smith moved his left hand up, holding his palm up to block Rainbow Dash. He managed to stop her a bit, the pegasus moving to push her snout into his gloved hand. It was hard through, the (priceline) negotiator found his elbow being bent as her force pushed his arm against his upper body. “Who is Phoenix?” Smith asked, lifting his eyebrows. His normally composed lips frowned a bit to push back the floating creature. “Nix?” Rainbow Dash asked. Although she couldn’t see too well, her sense of smell did work. She could smell coffee and cheeseburger off the man. “Why are you in a black suit?” “Phoenix?” Dan asked, dropping Yamato from his hand. Celestia fought back from bucking Dan off her- The sound of metal clanging on the stone pavement startled her, but so was the sight of Phoenix. They all joined in, turning to look at the human next to Shadow Cloud. Weapons were being pulled away and the arguments had all but ceased. “Is.. That..” Toph moved from the side of her partner, her blind eyes narrowed a bit. The heartbeats matched, though a little rushed rhythm. Luna released her hold on Travis as he also lowered his arms in shock. “But...” “You do realize, how stupid you all look right now? I’m not Phoenix!” Smith took a step back from Rainbow Dash, annoyed by her now. Though- these ponies were thousands times more cuter than changelings. “Who is in charge here?” ______________________________________ A few minutes earlier... Sombra moved to one of the crystals, the one Lex Luthor had obtained. It was green quartz, he had picked it because it resembled kryptonite. Sombra raised his head, channeling his magic into his horn and shot the crystal with a dark beam. A small tear formed in the air, causing it to expand and reveal a map. He waited a second, letting his champions and a few changelings join him. “I have a plan...” Sombra said with a smile. “Taking a page from your Otacon’s book, it will be a parlour trick.” “A trick?” Smith asked, moving to stand around the quartz with the other champions. He was still unsure about the hostage situation. Gilgamesh joined his side, not bothering to hide his frown. “Yes. A... Magic Trick. You make the ponies look at one thing, while you are doing something else. You- Roger Smith, will be the distraction...” _______________________________________ “What do you mean, you’re not Phoenix?!” Dan shouted, jumping off Celestia’s back. Vergil rushed off, growling a bit. He bent down to pick up the Yamato to clean it and then sheath it. The half devil decided to say nothing just yet though- Everyone was still in awe of this ‘Phoenix’ returning from the dead. “Where did you get the black suit?” Rarity asked, thrown off by the stylish black set Smith wore. While not as colorful as the blue suit, Phoenix pulled with look off better than Sephiroth. Rainbow Dash in the meantime, moved her front hooves to wipe her eyes clean so she could see better. “Like I mentioned before,” Roger said for a second to address Dan. “I’m not Phoenix. I’m a negotiator-” “That Mark!” Distant Star called out, lifting his left hoof up. While the whole chaos had been going on, he had shut his eyes to collect the chaos. But when it stopped, he had opened his eyes to look around. He finally good a good look at Smith’s forehead. “Where did you get that?!” “Distant, what’s wrong?!” Snape instantly reacted to his partner’s outburst. “This?” Roger raised his left hand to touch his forehead. “Some Sombra...” He stopped talking, wondering where his negotiation took a weird turn. Still, he was supposed to stall. Armor and Cadence looked at each other, frowning now. “That’s not important. I asked to speak to the leader- Your Princess-” “You are Phoenix!” Rainbow Dash shouted to cut him off. “You can’t fool me! You smell like him, sound like him, you have that goofy haircut, and you even dress like him! Though... I gotta say, I am digging this new look...” “Are you hitting on me?” Roger asked, leaning his head back to wince a bit. Distracted a second, Distant turned around and rushed off to leave the area. Noticing this, Snape took off to follow. As the others slowly gathered around Roger slowly, Twilight and Otacon turned to look at Distant. “Let’s go,” Twilight whispered into Otacon’s left ear. “But Phoenix...” Otacon interjected in a low voice. “Let the others handle it. We need to talk to Discord- Or whatever he calls himself. He seemed disturbed about that mark...” Twilight turned to follow. Otacon frowned once to look over at Roger, but then turned to rush after his partner. Least, this guy took the heat off him. Better go while the getting’s good. And maybe find a toilet. “Who’s this Phoenix guy?” Hoagie turned to look at Applebloom. “All I know is that he’s a lawyer that saved Rainbow Dash.” “Mr. Wright is a scary human if you get him angry,” Applebloom spoke in a whisper. “But he’s one of the smarter and kinder adults. Ah was in a trial with him, and he later saved mah life and the others, almost killing himself. But he’s...” Applebloom stopped herself, not sure how to explain it. “There’s a reason all the humans were upset when they brought his case out. It’s like if one of you KND went missing...” “Really...” Hoagie turned his head to look back at the adults. They were all confused though, none of them talking. “If you’re not Phoenix, then, who are you?” Dan demanded, walking over to him. Unlike the snarl he had before, his face had soften into a mild scowl. “Did you hit your head or get amnesia?” “Are you truly not Phoenix Wright?” Princess Celestia spoke out, walking to join Dan. “No... Are you Celestia? I am Roger Smith, a negotiator for Sombra and the changelings,” Smith admitted finally. This made Rainbow Dash immediately let go of him to have her mouth fall open. “WHAT?!” Dan screamed, his hands falling at his sides. He was not the only one to shout this, as the ponies perked up their ears. Soma turned to look over Dovahkiin a second, who had moved his hood off to stare in shock as well. “Can you please stop shouting?” Roger frowned, lifting his left hand up to cover his ears. “Can we get a little professionalism?” “Let me see your left hand!” Dan demanded. The little human raised his left hand, bringing the King of Hearts up. Unfortunately, he couldn’t make it glow just yet. Seeing this, the others instantly responded. Nate moved his right arm up, exposing the Burning Spirit. Spy moved both of his arms back up to cross his arms and show the Double Phoenix. Not wanting to get left behind, Soma raised his hand to reveal the ‘Soul Skull’ Brand as he was going to call it. Travis turned to look at his bro and also moved to show off his mark. Dovahkiin shut both his eyes to turn away, biting his lower lip. At the rate things were going, he was never going to get his Brand. Applejack, having lost her frown at this point, turned to look at her partner and frown, though this time out of sadness. She forgot about her anger and also shut her eyes. The feeling of being left out was always harsh. For a second, Roger lost his cool. Normally, he was a calm and collected professional. But seeing all those marks made his eyes opened wide in shock. Spy’s firebirds were the trigger to instantly place his right hand to cover the back his left hand. _________________________________ Back with Distant Star... “No.. This is bad, I wasn’t expecting this!” Distant raced through corridors, rushing through the palace to head to the library. “What are you going on about?” Snape asked. He tried to keep up, but the robes he wore made it hard to run. “Discord!” Twilight called out as her hooves echoed against the stone floor. “What’s going on?” “Twilight! Of course!” Distant instantly stopped, turning around to rush off to the purple unicorn. “Teleport us to the library!” “Tell me what’s going on first!” Twilight shouted, huffing a bit as she stopped. Thankful the others stopped, Otacon breathed in and out to hold his knees as he bent down. “Yes, do share please,” Snape added. “That mark is a Dark Brand!” Distant frowned, his red eyes instantly frowning and glowing a bit. “It’s a foul curse!” “What?!” Otacon shouted, finally able to talk. Twilight lowered her head, her head turning left and right, trying to understand. “What’s the difference between that Brand and the one’s the human’s have?” Twilight asked. “Oh, the humans were never supposed to get one!” Distant frowned. “They-” “Oh bloody hell...” Snape muttered under his breath. “Don’t tell me that-” “Damnit,” Otacon guessed. While ignorant of the way of magic, he was still pretty damn smart. “Those Brands are slave marks, aren’t they?” “I think so...” Distant relaxed his frown to look at Otacon. “But not the ones the others posses.” “Star Swirl learned how to revive the dead. But... He knew dark magic was banned,” Twilight started to piece things together. “So he-” “Yes. He changed the spell to make is much less sinister than it seems,” Distant explained. “Sombra, being a dark unicorn, must have used the original spell to summon dark champions. The spell you used was a modification. No Dark Brand means no slavery.” “So, these dark champions are slaves thanks to that Brand?” Snape asked. He was really glad he did not have a Brand at this moment. “I see.” “Are you saying that...” Otacon took a second to think, trying his best not to sound ignorant in front of the magical beings. “That at the time Phoenix vanished, Sombra summoned him?” “But Phoenix isn’t a dark champion!” Twilight protested. “Tell me Twilight, when the Elements of Harmony were Discorded- Where they Dark Elements of Disharmony?” Distant asked with a frown. “Phoenix is Discorded?” Twilight lowered her head. “No...” “But how?” Snape asked. “I explained it earlier. Sometimes, a pony can discord themselves all on their own. Pinkie Pie has done it a few times...” Discord explained, lifting his head to look at Otacon. “You heard on the communicators how I ordered Phoenix to use hope on Rainbow Dash?” “Are you...” Twilight picked up her head, turning to look at Otacon. “Phoenix must have used all of his Hope trying to keep Rainbow Dash alive. But when he realized he was vanishing-” “He lost it all,” Otacon added. “I think this is when he got Discorded,” Distant nodded. “What makes you so sure?” Snape asked, crossing both arms on his chest. “When is a lawyer not a lawyer?” “When he’s negotiating a settlement...” Otacon frowned. That part he was familiar with. “So, he think’s he’s somepony else?” Twilight asked, frowning. Then again, Big Mac thought he was a dog... “So why don’t I-” “It won’t work,” Distant frowned. “There’s no counterspell for Discording, and I can’t Discord someone Discorded,” The unicorn stopped himself, realizing how stupid he sounded. “What are you talking about, Twilight?” Otacon asked. “Some time ago, Discord,” She stopped there to look at Distant with a frown. “Discorded myself and a lot of ponies. While there is no counter spell, you can reverse its effects by remembering your true self through friendship and memories.” “Ah... I understand now. Even Rainbow Dash, Phoenix’s partner- Has only been with him a few days,” Snape reasoned out loud. “So he wouldn’t have many memories of her, or even the rest of the humans.” “You’re correct. It would take someone who has formed lots of memories with Phoenix for him to stand a chance. And even then, it may not work...” Distant frowned to lower his head. “What? Why?” Twilight frowned. This was getting worse and worse! “That’s how you break free when I cause it. But he Discorded himself,” Distant explained to look back at the direction of the library. “Pinkie Pie was able to break free of her own depression thanks to her own realization. We must get to the library though, to try and find out more about the Dark Brand.” ___________________________________ Back with the Villains... “So, Smith will be the sleight of hand,” Luthor raised his eyebrows and nod. Yes, a negotiator would keep the humans distracted. He watched as Sombra made a portal for Smith to use and go to Canterlot. “Then, what will be the trick?” “We need a show to impress the other allies. Also, I said I could make you stronger,” Sombra turned to look at Queen Chrysalis and smile. “But we need a show of power. I also need to asses the powers and abilities of my champions better. I say, let my champions stretch and use their powers and see what they can do. Do you have a target?” “Let’s see... As we speak, Baltimare is currently sealed off from the rest of Equestria thanks to some bombing runs,” Chrysalis said as she thought back. She giggled and turned to look at the humans as her mane fell over her eyes. “With no chance for allies to come in from ground, they would have to come by air or sea.” “Very well. Wesker, Xehanort, Luthor, Kefka...” Sombra moved his head to bring the image of the map on his viewing quartz. “You can go and unleash hell.” Kefka immediately moved his hand up to rub them together in anticipation. Wesker nodded, moving his hands up to adjust his gloves on. It would be nice to see how he stacked up against these ponies. “Luthor will attack the central area. Kefka will attack the sky and any pegasi. Xehanort will attack the residential districts. Wesker, you will attack the sea ports.” “So we will hold the city hostage? What about me?” Gilgamesh frowned. “And me?” Vegeta added. “Gilgamesh, you will stay behind and coordinate the attacks. I can speak into your minds, remember? You are the general. This will also let me see who will make good leaders,” Sombra smiled. “As for the hostage, Vegeta will handle it.” __________________________________ “My hand?” Roger asked. He still had to stall, but... Something inside him want to find out more about these marks. Why did that mask fellow have the same mark as him? Was he really Phoenix? He was starting to doubt himself. “Yes, your hand. Don’t you remember?” Rainbow Dash asked. Did he really get amnesia, like Daring Do had in one of her books? “You have a daughter, Trucy, remember?” “A daughter?” Roger turned his head to look at the pegasus, an image of Dorothy showing up in his head. “Yeah! Hey guys! Help me out!” Rainbow Dash asked, looking back at the humans with Brands. Soma turned his head to look back at his friends, not sure what they could do. “It’s... It’s only natural for living creatures to fight and protect their own...” Dovahkiin struggled to remember the words that day. He turned to look back at Applejack, his gaze softening a bit. “But what makes us human is that we fight for others,” Soma added. He turned to look at Roger and smiled. Those words left a deep impression in his life at that moment. Nate raised his eyebrows, also remembering that moment. “But who do you fight for?” Fluttershy asked with a smile to look up at Soma. “How hard must you fight?” Applejack asked to look at Dovahkiin, small smile on her lips. “That’s the true measure of what human life is worth. We, defence attorneys...” Nate stopped, turning to look at Dan and smile. “Are warriors who are constantly challenged by that question,” Dan added, lifting himself to stand straight. “Even when the battle is over,” Pinkie Pie added, smiling to stand as her fiance’s side. “And the bonds that connect us are severed,” Rainbow Dash added, lifting herself to fly up. “We always return, time and time again...” Roger whispered in a low voice, his eyebrows relaxing. “Why does this sound familiar?” “Phoenix... You said this,” Rainbow Dash said with a smile. She smiled, hope growing in her eyes. She didn’t cared how different he acted. Phoenix was alive! He was back! The other humans and Equestrians stayed quiet, turning to look at each face as they talked. Johnny picked up his head and narrowed his eyes. He would see his momma again! Ralf had the same thought in his head. Toph turned to look Sokka and smile. The teen raised his left hand to his space sword, and then looked back and Toph. She fought hard to bring this back. Merchant blinked once, looking down at Junebug as she moved to sit down and listen. He turned back to look at Smith, wondering what exactly was going on with him. Vergil stood next to Terra, the two taking a second to observe this ‘Phoenix’ for the first time. For a second, Vergil thought he saw a bit of Sparda in him. Terra moved her hands up, glad the other humans relented at the sight of a man’s mere presence brought hope. Cadence and Armor looked at the others, wondering what was going on. Still, those were powerful words. “When did you hear these words?” Rarity asked, looking up at Nate’s grin. “When you went to pick up Sweetie Bell,” Nate chuckled. “You missed one hell of a story.” The Crusaders, Rumble, Dinky, Pipsqueak and their partners picked up their heads. “He’s one of them, ain't he?” Wally asked. “Who?” Scootaloo asked. “He’s a former KND, possibly a squadron or section leader...” Nigel added. “Only adults that were once KND grow up to be somewhat decent.” Snake and Trixie moved more out to the open, joining the others to look at Roger. Trixie shut her eyes, thinking back at the memories of her family. Snake took a second to look for Otacon. Where did he go? Samus also looked around for him. Still, she wished she had a father like that. Big Mac walked over to stand with her sister, finally glad she was smiling again. “I... Came here with a job to do,” Roger quickly turned his head away from the others. “I came here because of a hostage negotiation.” “A what?” Princess Celestia suddenly interjected. “I’m here to negotiate a hostage trade,” Roger said, shutting both his eyes. “Baltimare is under attack.” “Baltimare?! But we just...” Rarity lowered her head, looking left and right. The hope the others had been building suddenly left. Was this really Phoenix? “Baltimare? But if you attack a city... Doesn’t that defeat the point of having a hostage?” Mayor Mare asked. She knew of the other cities, being a mayor she knew the ways rules and how cities handled themselves. “That’s not the hostage though,” Roger said to look down at the pony. “There’s more?” Luna asked, frowning now. “Quickly! We must assemble a rescue-” “Objection!” Roger cried out, his left hand raising up to use his index finger to point at the largest ponies. “Ok- Now that was totally Nix,” Rainbow Dash said, confused as to how she should feel. “Why object?” Dan asked, lifting his left eyebrow up. “The true hostage has just been taken...” _______________________________________ “Did you pass the message through?” Sombra mentally commanded to Roger. “Yes. Does Vegeta have the hostage?” Roger asked in his mind. “Oh yes. As soon as I showed Vegeta his target, he took off. Amazing how fast he can fly...” Sombra added as Vegeta walked back into the cavern. The Saiyan prince held the Crystal Heart under his left arm, and Mr. Sombrero under the other. “The... Crystal Heart?” Chrysalis whispered, her mouth open. All this time, she thought it was a legend. The one thing that could feed her children without the need for ponies. Tears started to flow from her eyes, down her black cheeks. “Is it possible?” Imago spoke, shocked. “I knew it!” King Aurelius exclaimed. This crazy plan to invade Equestria was not stupid! He and his queen gambled their lives on this sacred artifact, and it was finally theirs. “Thanks to this, the changeling troops can eat and get stronger!” Sphragis shouted with glee. “A glorious day indeed my King,” Pharate added with a smile. “What is this thing?” Garble asked, pointing at the black sheep. “Mr. Sombrero!” Sombra exclaimed. He raised his hooves up into the air as the baby black sheep gave out a “Baaa!” and scurried out of Vegeta’s grasp to jump out to land on Sombra’s arms. Master and pet reunited, nuzzling each other. “You’re lucky you’re cute, damn sheep,” Vegeta mumbled. Chapter proofreaded by LyonAzakura. Bonus: “So... that large black soulless hunk of metal is your dad?” Applebloom asked, her left eyebrow raised. “It looks like it. I’m not sure if he’s better this way or not...” Scootaloo said, her head turned to look at her daddy as he chased down Wally. “What was he like before? I mean, he didn’t care you were bald...” Sweetie Bell inquired. “Well...” Scootaloo raised her head in a flashback. “I’m off, Dad,” Scootaloo called out. “No, you’re not, young lady. You come back here. Give your Dad some sug,” Carl said. The pegasus stallion walked over to the door to look down at her. He raised his left hoof to point at his cheek. “Aww, Dad,” Scootaloo blushed. He raised her head to place a kiss on the spot Carl pointed at. “Now, there you go. Remember, don't talk to them guys next door. That Meatwad is a walking cesspool of diseases and whatnot. And that Shake is a total loser. Frylock’s ok,” Carl said with a shrug. “Is that Scootaloo? Is she leaving again?” A female voice called out. “Unicorn! You get back in the kitchen and make me a sandwhich!” Carl yelled out. “Just let me talk to our daughter,” Robot called out. The Robot Unicorn (From Robot Unicorn Attack) walked out of the kitchen as Carl raised a hoof to pinch the spot between his eyes. “You be a good girl now, and make sure to be home in time for dinner.” “He’s like all other dads, really.”