//------------------------------// // Twenty-four // Story: Freedom Through Harmony: Book II // by Electricut //------------------------------// Twenty-four I swung in with a wide, sweeping strike with my right-hand disc, and the hit was parried. He rolled away from my next attack, an overhead strike with my left disc. I saw him roll behind me and spring to his feet, and swung my right disc back around, only to be blocked again. He knows how to hold his ground, I’ll give him that. He back-flipped up to the top of the slope, and he slid foot-first back down towards me. He held his sword aloft and spun it above him. I could only dodge out of the way, not expecting an attack like that. If he was going to start getting crafty with his attacks, I would have to play it smarter than I was, or he would overpower me. He rolled to his feet again, then charged recklessly at me, bearing down from one side with both hands. I blocked with both discs, but he flipped his blade around to slice at my other side, his first attack a farce. I blocked this subsequent attack with one arm, but he was able to grab my other arm before I could retaliate. He used the rest of his momentum and brought his knee into my stomach, sending me reeling back. I toppled forward, but caught myself and rolled back to my feet. I dusted myself off quickly, then began circling around him, contemplating my next move. I’ve still got one leg up on him. I thought, then charged a fire spell on my weapons and threw one straight at him. He was able to dodge, but the second one was right behind the first, and it cut across the length of his arm. While he was in shock from the burning slash I had given him, I rushed forward in an attempt to knock him to the ground. He didn’t stay disoriented for long enough. My first punch was blocked by his arm, and ducked under the next one. I felt a sting on my leg, and realized that he had sliced at me, enough to cut through my pants and draw blood. Grimacing, I hopped back, and caught my battle discs as they spun back to me. Thanks, Scootaloo. I wouldn’t have lasted against him unarmed. I locked eyes with my opponent, trying to read his body movements as I had been taught, daring him to make the next move. He did. I raised my weapons to block as he leapt forward, but I soon realized I was expecting an attack from the wrong place. His sky-blue wings erupted from his back in midair, and he sailed clean over me and landed at the peak to the cliff side, a dark, angelic silhouette against the night skyline, still raining with shooting stars. He dove at me, but I rushed forward at the same time, slamming the edges of my battle discs against his sword. It became a test of strength, a test I knew I was sure to fail. I began to sweat, holding in place as best I could, but I had to leap backward before he broke through. I bit my lip, knowing I’d have to adopt a new tactic. I gripped my battle discs and ran in a wide arc around my opponent, coming to rest at the top of the cliff. Rainbow Dash turned along with me, keeping his front facing me at all times. I threw my arms out, and began charging a powerful lightning spell on my battle discs. All thought of his wellbeing was out of my mind; I was in full combat mode, kill or be killed. I saw him attempt to dodge, but he wasn’t escaping from my sights. Without other option, he thrust his sword forward, seemingly oblivious to his wound, and began spinning it before him. Soon, a wind spell just as potent-looking as my lightning one was charging before me. His wings also twitched slightly, anticipating a quick escape. I waited until my discs were crackling with energy. Just as I let loose to fire, Rainbow Dash did the same, and the blue and green energies collided between us. Sparks of energy shot out from the midpoint, and neither could slip past the other. It’s just a matter of who can keep their spell going longer. I’m pretty sure I’m the better mage here, but he’s not bad himself. I hope I can keep this up… My palms began to shake and sweat, but I just gripped the discs tighter. If my spell gave out first, I would be sent toppling over the cliff. And unlike him, I had no way of effectively dodging. I grit my teeth, ready for the worst, but not willing to give in. Finally, my magic gave out, but luckily, so did his. He was in as rough shape as I was. We stood with our shoulders pointed at one another, both trying to make ourselves a smaller target, panting from exhaustion. Once I had caught my breath, I decided to speak, to propose we stop fighting. Before I got the chance, I became aware of a slight hissing to my left, but it ended as soon as it began. I cast Rainbow Dash a confused glance, and jumped slightly when a large object flew in from the left and embedded itself in the ground between us. It was a pale-blue, double headed battleax. A very familiar one. “Now will you two stupid kids quit fighting?! I’ve been trying to get your attention for ages!” I turned to my left, and saw exactly who I was hoping to see. The Order cloak shrouded her face, but it was the same frame belonging to Spitfire. I could sense her look at me. “Scratch... what happened?” I laughed, a weight taken off my shoulders. I remembered what she had told me: that she knew of me already. “Number Three. You have no idea how happy I am to see you.” “I wish I could say the same, kid.” she responded. “What is happening, that you’re here? You must have come from a couple years’ time from now, with how old you are now. Scratch, what made you come to this time? What’s happening? And where’s Four?” I felt a weight in my stomach. I didn’t want to be the one to deliver this news, but she deserved to know. “... I’m so sorry, Spitfire. He’s dead.” I probably could have delivered the news more softly. “What...?” She croaked out. “Four’s... dead? How did this happen...?” She was audibly upset. “You’ll like this even less.” I said, trying my best to continue gently. It wasn’t easy though. I was remembering his death myself, and I was angry. “But I don’t mind saying it was Number Two that did it.” “No!” She cried in anguish. “That can’t be... Two, Four... no... guys...” It seemed like she was close to tears. I regretted being so frank about it, but after my battle with Rainbow Dash, my nerves were shot. As though prompted by my thoughts, Rainbow Dash spoke up again. “Spitfire...?” “Oh, way to go, Scratch!” She said, channeling her anguish into anger. “You blew my cover right in front of... Who even is this guy?! Scratch, you’re doing a pretty crappy job of honoring Four’s name here!” That stung. “Sorry.” was all I could think to say for a few seconds. “This is Rainbow Dash. I got bored waiting, and didn’t feel like trying to shake him, so he got me talking. Then we fought for a bit. I didn’t spill anything important.” “Except my name.” She retorted bitterly. Sighing, she reached up and removed her hood, and brilliant flame-orange hair spilled out elegantly over her shoulders. It continued well past that, billowing all the way down past her waist, but it was fairly well-kempt. The meteor shower was beginning to die down by now, but the falling lights still illuminated her bronze eyes, moist with unshed tears. “Start talking, Scratch.” Spitfire ordered. “What is happening? What could possibly motivate Two to kill him...? Has he betrayed The Order?” I chuckled harshly. “No, he’s not betrayed The Order. If anything, he’s one of the few who’s stayed completely loyal to them. Spitfire, there’s a load of stuff you don’t understand yet, but the bare-bones of it is that The Order isn’t what it used to be. I’ve... I’ve gathered what it used to be like, don’t get me wrong, and I understand your position; but it’s gone straight to hell, Spitfire. Surely you’ve seen the beginnings of it already. Well, six years from now it’s absolutely fallen apart.” Spitfire ran a hand through her hair, trying to compose herself. She remained silent, and I continued: “I came because I needed to do one of two things: make sure Six was taken care of before he gets to my guys, or make sure you were on our side. My team just can’t keep going like this... But now that I’ve caught up with you, I think we’ll be okay.” Spitfire sighed, before looking me dead in the eye. It wasn’t a threatening look though; in that gaze, I didn’t have trouble believing that she knew me, that Doc and I had been a part of her life, too. “Six too? ... No, yeah, that I can see... Alright. What can I do from this time?” “There’s a lot I need to fill you in on, and it wouldn’t be smart to hang around here the whole time. More people will show up before long. Let’s meet again... At base B, three days from now?” As I spoke, I reached down and put the faded Order cloak over my shoulders, then retrieved the Time Tables. “Three days? Sounds good. See you then. And... I’m sorry for Four’s death too. For you.” I didn’t respond. The symbols representing my destination glowed before me. “Wait...” Rainbow Dash spoke up, drawing my attention. “Tell me one thing before you go. This conflict you talked about... What should we do? Are we in any danger? Can it be stopped?” “No.” I responded simply. “It cannot be stopped. This was going to happen sooner or later. But don’t worry about it. Your uncle Scratch has this under control. Just do what comes natural to you, and focus on your own conflict coming up. You’ll know what you have to do when the time to act comes.” I nodded once to Spitfire, and touched the symbol before me. A short trip through the time stream later, and I arrived at Base B, exactly as Doc and I had left it. The same place Doc had sent me upon death, but eight years later. Everything was covered in a fine layer of dust, all untouched. Before letting my emotions get to me again, I moved to the front door, and began to wait. Several minutes passed, but soon a dark portal opened, and Spitfire stepped out, hooded once again. I welcomed her inside, and closed the door behind her. “Start talking.” she said simply. “Start with Doc. What happened?” I sighed and began. “You told me to come and get you on our side. Future you, I mean.” She nodded. I sighed and picked up from the beginning. “Doc and I traveled around a lot. Helped people who needed help. One day, he told me that a group called the Order was causing trouble, and we had to stop them. We stayed in Daein for a while, spying on dealings between one of the Order agents and the princess. But we got caught by Number Two. It… it seemed like Doc had seen it coming. He sent me to safety, but I… I watched him get run through. “Since then, I’ve found myself a team, but we’re aimless. An old friend of mine, Raphael; a girl we met on his island, Dinky; and another group from Equestria, who call themselves the Crusaders. The former princess Luna and current princes Sweetie Belle are among them. We ran into Two again, but he seemed to be missing one of his swords. Seven also appeared before us, but disappeared just as quickly. I think she went back to harm one of my other friends, Octavia, but I couldn’t find her again.” Spitfire nodded, an upset look on her face. I remembered Doc saying that the two of them, and Two, were once close friends. “I’ve made a decision, Scratch. I don’t know how much I will be able to help personally, but I’m going to give you all the information I can about the Order. At the very least, those at the top need to be stopped.” I nodded eagerly. Soon, my group would no longer be in the dark against our enemy. “Number One is Lord Discord. He’s stronger than you can believe, but not unstoppable. You would be able to do it if you removed all obstacles first. I don’t know his origins though. No one knows where he came from.” “I might.” I added. “Some of the members of my group, myself included, have been having dreams. Seeing chapters of someone else’s story. When we piece them all together, we may learn something that will tell us about Discord, and how we can stop him.” Spitfire nodded hesitantly, not quite understanding, but accepting my words. “If you’ve got a lead, hurry and use it. The Order won’t be waiting for you. Anyway, I guess I’ll just start from the top… Number Two… He was a close friend of mine, and the Doctor’s, and the Goddess. He’s from a lost race, the Children of Water, one of the last of his kind. He fit right in with me and Doc- a wayward Timelord and a fireball of a girl. Doc’s guardian, a guy called Strider, gathered the four of us together. One day, Strider disappeared, along with that strange robot of his. Shortly after, Discord appeared, and things went right to hell. The Goddess was terrified of him, poor thing. She had good reason. He brought with him Lucius Number Five, and shortly afterward, we found Number Six, Quicksilver. “Minuet, Number Seven, was next. Girl fit right in. Discord couldn’t have picked a more fitting apprentice. After that were Number Eight, Lenora and her baby brother, Alex. Doc apprenticed Lenora, and when Alex became old enough to enter the Order as Number Twelve, I apprenticed him. Tug and Max were soon to follow, numbers Nine and Ten. Lucius trained Max, and Quicksilver and Tug were supposed to train together, but they mostly ended up beating the daylights out of each other. Last to enlist was Gilda, Number Eleven, who trained oh-so-diligently under Two.” “Does Number Two not have a name?” I asked. “Not one that I’m going to dignify him with.” Spitfire replied coldly. “He used to mean the world to me. Not anymore.” I nodded. I understood well enough what she meant. “Doc leaving was the first real act of rebellion against the Order. By the looks of it, it wasn’t the last, either. He left a lot behind… but now I see that what he did was necessary. He took you away from the Order, kept them from corrupting you. Even if it meant leaving the Goddess…” “Where did I come from…?” I asked. “He took me away from them, but when did I get there?” Spitfire shrugged vaguely. “Couldn’t tell you, really. I have my guesses, but I think that’s something you’ll need to ask the Goddess when you meet her. I have a good feeling you will before this is over.” She sighed, sat back in her chair, and put her face in her hands. “I just… don’t understand where it all went wrong…” I put a hand on her shoulder. “Discord is a monster. His influence has led to a lot of broken people and relationships. Even Celestia was broken in the first place by him. When he is stopped… the world might start to heal.” Spitfire nodded, then reached forward and wrapped me a in a loose embrace. Somewhat surprised, I hugged her back. “You’re the Doctor’s kid, all right… Keep going strong, Scratch. You’ll find a way to get us through this.” All I could do was nod again. I wasn’t so sure of that, myself. But if she and Doc both believed I could, I could only try my best to do what I could. We separated, and she stepped outside into the night. Before stepping through a dark portal and away from that place, she turned back to face me. “I’ll see you in six years. Get your friends together, at the exit to wherever we met in your past.” I nodded, and after she disappeared, I pulled out the Time Tables and warped back to Ivoire, six years in the future. I startled some of the others upon appearing again. I looked around, and saw exactly what I was looking for. We were already standing at the docks. There was a boat tied up there that wasn’t present when I left, and an Order cloak standing at the bow. “What happened?” Dinky asked first. “Did it work?” “See for yourself.” I stated, walking towards the boat. “This vessel is ours, courtesy of Spitfire.” I stepped aboard, and nodded to her. “Good to see you again.” “Especially since I had to come here the long way.” she said. “So, do we have a destination? And will you be coming with us?” I asked. She shook her head. “I won’t be able to join you just yet, no. I’ve got more business to attend to. But I do have a destination for you. Head to Desert Isle. You’ll find some people there that should be able to help you find your way forward.” With that, she stepped through a portal of darkness once again, leaving us now with a vessel and a destination.