Chapter 84- Bonds
Auron and Sokka stood on some cliffs, overlooking the secluded beach. Auron stood in front of Sokka, watching the teen show off the swordsmanship learned to this point. The samurai was quiet, sunglasses hiding his eyes from view. The red clad teacher and the blue clad student each stood out against the dark rocks. The water tribesmen held his black space sword in both hands, doing the exercises his old master showed him. When was the last time he had a chance to practice by the sea?
“I see, I think I understand now,” Sokka spoke and he shifted into a stance that required him to stand on one leg. “I can read Equish because of my likelink bond with Derpy.”
“I believe that is what the Doctor find out,” Auron nodded. While a different stance, Auron was not here to teach his ward fencing.
“And each day I’m alive, I’m stealing a day away from Derpy’s life. That still doesn’t sit well with me,” Sokka frowned. But he didn’t make the rules. He barely tolerated the mystical because of Aang and Derpy.
“In return, Derpy also gains something from you. I’m afraid though, I have no idea what it is,” Auron admitted, shrugging his shoulders. “But it’s something only you posses. Something unique.”
“So finding this unique thing...” Sokka raised his eyebrows. “Will it hurt her?”
“No. But we need to find your-” Auron took a moment to wonder if Sokka even had a grid to level up. “Sense of style. This unique quality is what I need to find and develop.” Auron stopped talking, moving his hand out to grasp his sword and draw it out. “You lack something very important compared to the others.”
“What? Powers? A Brand?”
“No. A special move. Even regular humans can fight monsters and titans, often without magic. But if we can find your unique style, I can teach you how to break your limits.” Auron raised his sword up behind himself, holding on to the hilt with both hands. Gray haze of wind begun to collect and gather around the samurai. He swung out forward, spinning a bit to release the attack. A hurricane formed, flying across the sky. Sokka took a step back, watching the gray torrent of wind formed and roared. Auron then finished his overdrive by taking his gourd and throwing it at the hurricane. Upon impact, the gray wind turned into a swirl column of flames.
“Can I do that?” Sokka asked, mouth open a bit.
“Who knows?” Auron answered, moving his sword back on his shoulder. “But I teach you what I can, fellow undead.”
“Wait, you’re dead?!”
Auron raised his left hand up to his lips, turning to look at Tidus and the others coming to collect them. Sokka narrowed his eyes and nodded. This explained why he could read, but also wondered what the other humans could share with ponies.
He wondered what Dan could possibly give Pinkie, and shuddered.
_________________________________
My name is Roger Smith, and I come from Paradigm City- The city of amnesia. Normally, I conduct myself in the most professional manner possible. I do provide a much needed service as a negotiator, after all. But now, I find my limits severely tested.
“This is a lot to take in,” Roger mused as he raised a gloved hand to rub his eyes.
“I understand this is a *cough* most difficult situation to understand, much less able to perform,” Guo Hai spoke. Currently, the two were sitting on a veranda in Canterlot Castle over tea.
“That is the understatement of the century,” Roger sighed as he lowered his hand. “You want me to be become a negotiator for two mystical and magical races. You want me to befriend a warrior I’ve never met, while also work for the seemingly evil side.” He stopped there, moving his hand to take a cup of tea. “Be a political prisoner and participate in wargames. I lack my usual tools and supplies in a foreign country that is not even from my dimension. All while you kidnapped me?”
“You will be compensated.” Mr. Hai moved a napkin to cough into it.
“You know, I think I would join the Changelings side for free,” Roger glared behind his tea.
“I realize the manner you were-”
“RUN PAWNS!”
“What the...?” Roger and Hai raised both of their eyebrows to look at the direction of a large chimeric creatures throwing bon bons and other confectionaries at Fleur de Lys and the two spa ponies.
“No! Not the trans fat!”
“Chocolate will ruin our complections!”
“I’m on a diet!”
“Ahahahahaha!” Discord shouted as the chased after the ponies. “Discord is back, baby!”
“Get back here, Discord!” Snape and Princess Celestia chased after the draconequus.
“I think I would prefer the changelings now,” Hai added.
“I hate Canterlot. Tis a silly place.”
“I think we need to start leaving now,” Princess Luna joined the two in the veranda. “We will take flying chariots.”
______________________________________
“Hrnn...” Twilight Sparkle raised her head up from the book she had been reading. The unicorn took a second to shake her head, trying to shake the cobwebs in her head. Why had she not slept in bed? What time was it? Why had Spike not woken her up? Opening and closing her mouth a bit to get the taste of book out of her mouth, Twilight turned to look outside her second-story window.
“Oh my gosh!” Twilight exclaimed out loud. The sun was already in the mid morning position!
“Spike! Spike!” She quickly turned her head to the sides, looking around bewildered. “Are you ok?” Her first thought was to worry over Spike. While the unicorn had been without her assistant for days, this was the first time since they split up to have a quiet moment. The unicorn hoped to go over things properly. Especially now, since she had spent all night reading over the human book, The Book of Champions.
“What’s wrong, Twilight?” Spike called out from downstairs.
“Oh! I’m so relieved!” The element of magic quickly moved to her mirror and brush her mane. Once she looked presentable, she moved to head down the stairs and look for her wayward dragon. “For a moment, I was worried something happened to Ponyville again. Why didn’t you wake me up?”
“Not now, Twilight...” Spike sighed, moving to sit down on a pillow.
“Spike!” The unicorn suddenly frowned, moving to walk over to him. “What has gotten into you? We still need to have a checklist for the wargame plans.”
“I’m...” The dragon moved a small claw to cover his eyes a bit. The bangs in his eyes seemed to indicate he had not slept well. “I’m-” He sighed, moving the claw down. “I know. But I’m really not in the mood to talk to you.”
“Spike?” Twilight raised her left eyebrow. “What-”
“Twilight...” Spike moved his claw back over his eyes to sigh. He stood up again, turning to walk away from her a bit. “You have a mom and dad, right?”
“My parents?” Twilight furrowed her brow, not understanding what was going on now. “What does-”
“I don’t have any!” Spike suddenly shouted out, lowering his claw. His eyes snapped opened quickly, but his face twisted into a snarl. “All I ever had was you, Princess Celestia, and occasionally meet with your family when I was really tiny!”
“But why are you bringing this up?” Twilight took a few steps back, never seeing Spike like this. She suddenly thought back to what changed in these last few days with him. Did he miss-
“I miss Dovahkiin! I miss Phoenix! I miss Jack the most!” Spike called out, moving both claws to point at her family photo on the wall. “These last few days I finally had a family. I know I have you all, but you are all girls.” Spike calmed down moving to sit back in the ground. “But Dovahkiin called me little brother. Phoenix was like an uncle, and Jack...”
“Was like a father?” Twilight asked in a low voice as she moved back to him. She had no idea how much Spike needed a positive male role model in his life. All the other dragons Spike met in his life were jerks.
“Yeah. He always kept me at his side. Jack always made sure I was learning like you Twilight- But he also made sure I was never forgotten or tossed aside.” Spike lowered his head to face the ground. “I get it. I’m small and young. I shouldn’t be put in danger. But he treated me like family and as an equal. And the other adults too. Phoenix made sure I was in the group hug. He put me to bed too. And Dovah actually taught me actual “dragon” language.”
“Absence does makes the heart grow fonder,” Twilight smiled a bit. “Do you think this is all my fault?”
“No,” Spike picked his head to look at her, “Least not all of it. And I know they all have to go back. Will I go back to being Spike, the only dragon in Ponyville?” The dragon raised both claws to point back at the photo. “I’m not asking a lot...”
“You will still have us though,” Twilight moved her hooves out to hug him.
“How would you be, without your dad or brother in your life? Without Otacon?” Spike asked, shutting his eyes to drift off to sleep in her hug. Twilight frowned a bit, closing her eyes halfway to look down at Spike. It looks like Otacon was not the only one she had to make amends with.
____________________________________
“Our loyal subjects!” Princess Cadence called out. “We thank you for coming for this most urgent announcement.” Prince Armor stood at her side, shaking his head to the sides. As luck turns out -nopony- even the guards, spotted how Vegeta had stolen the Crystal Heart. Nopony even noticed it missing until they arrived to inspect the chamber it was kept in.
Since it was late when they arrived back home, they decided it was best to tell them the news now. He watched the crystal ponies looking up at them both. They murmured a bit, though most of them happy. They had no idea what was coming. Those poor fools.
“The Crystal Heart has been stolen-”
“What?”
“Sombra’s back?!”
“The heart is missing?!”
“How did this happen?!”
“We should’ve never trusted this new princess!”
Armor winced, moving a hoof out to hold his wife close at the outburst. But it was to be expected.
“Hush!” The librarian pony called out. “Please, Princess, tell us what happened!”
“We do not know who stole the Heart, but I fear Sombra was involved,” Cadence stepped out from her husband’s embrace to look back down from their tower. She waited for the ponies to calm down so she could continue. The look of fear in their faces though, was starting to turn the ponies’ crystal shine back to dull. “But there is good news! We are now negotiating a way to get the Heart back.”
The ponies started to feel a bit of relief, keeping them from losing it completely, the murmurs started to die down, the ponies looking back and waiting for more news.
“Rest assured, Sombra did not enter the kingdom again. But he has aligned himself with changelings and humans,” Armor stepped out, taking his turn to address the crowd.
“Changelings?”
“Humans?”
“Are these the ones from the Gabby Gums-”
Armor raised a hoof to cover his eyes. They even got that lousy school paper this far north? “No. These are different humans.”
“Then, are all humans evil? Why would they take our heart?” Librarian called out.
“It’s a political hostage now. This theft has now escalated into a feud between nations,” Cadence frowned and shook her head to the sides. “But we will align ourselves with the good humans Princess Celestia called forth.”
“But-”
“Listen! Do we want changelings to have the Crystal Heart?” Armor called out once more. He waited for a lot of them to think it over. “These other humans are truly evil, we have witnessed their terror first hoof. The humans in the article are good, though they are not portrayed this way.”
“Will... Will they ever be here? Even your half devil-human Prince?”
Unable to give an answer, Armor turned to look at Cadence and frowned. This was not Vergil’s or Terra’s fault, and it seemed wrong not to have their personal knights here. “Not now. We will have to see if we can retrieve the Crystal Heart. I realize this is much to understand, but we have no choice. We will not ally ourselves to the changelings or Sombra. We stand no chance to get the Heart back on our own.”
“So this is... The half-devil you know against the devil you don’t,” The librarian frowned
“I see what you did,” Cadence said, frowning a bit. “But what choice do we have?”
The crystal ponies turned to look at each other, reluctantly agreeing with the plan. They started to disperse quietly. Armor hoped they would’ve said something. At least them leaving threats or angry would have the crystal ponies consensus or feelings. But their subjects leaving without saying anything, only left questions in their mind. Were they decent rulers? Did they deserve their trust? Would things remain the same?
_________________________________
“Let us go, Sombra,” Queen Chrysalis said. “The meeting will take place in a neutral location, the city known as Rainbow Falls.”
“Why must I come?” Sombra asked. “I took it this was an event between you and Celestia.”
“Celestia posses the ruler of Crystal Ponies, Luna, and who knows what other allies. We must also show our allies,” Chrysalis explained. “Garble himself is already on route with his envoy.”
“The spy we sent to notify Otacon should arrive today,” Aurelius nodded. “I will stay here and coordinate with him and the others. You must go with my Queen in my stead.”
“I was wondering where the dragon whelp went to,” Xehanort mused. “I assume we will go by train?”
“We have no choice. I’ve never been there, so I cannot teleport us.” Sombra turned to look at Xehanort. “Only you will come, I presume Smith will be there to conduct negotiations.”
“I see. Will the others be able to see what we see through the crystals?”
“I do not think we will be allowed to use magic during this summit,” Chrysalis frowned. “But we will see. If we are to make it in time, we must go now.”
Gilgamesh and the other Dark Brands watched quietly as Sombra took Xehanort away. If they were going to make a move, it was now while Sombra was gone.
Chapter proofreaded by LyonAzakura.
Bonus:
What if Humans Assemble took place during season 4?
Bonus montage, go!
Princess Twilight Sparkle-
“Frosting...” Pinkie Pie had her mouth open, tongue spilling forth to drool.
“Gross, you are engaged to that?” Virgil asked Dan.
“Frosting on Dan...”
Both Vergil and Dan opened their eyes wide to look at Pinkie.
“Is... Is Pinkie drooling from two different places?” Travis asked, left eyebrow raised in disgust.
Princess Twilight Sparkle, 2-
“What the heck is this thing?” Twilight asked as she held the Twilycane.
“I think it’s cute,” Otacon smiled. “But don’t expect a wing and horn job.”
*Poomf*
“Twilight, you haven’t had wings that long and you are already getting those?” Rainbow asked. Twilight smiled sheepishly, blushing hard as she tried to fight her wings down with her cane.
Castle-Mania
Phoenix and Dovahkiin shut their eyes a bit, looking at how Applejack and Rainbow Dash were covered in bees.
“Phoenix is best human!” RD said, not wanting to yell out and startle the bees.
“Dovah is best human!” AJ frowned, also trying not to rile up the bees.
“Phoenix!”
“Dovahkiin!”
“Nix is the ace attorney!”
“Dovah is THE Dragonborn!”
The two humans looked back and forth as they argued, until a pony in a beekeeper suit walked over to them.
“Knock it off! I need my bees! My human partner misses them,” the beekeeper pony said. They all turned to look to at Nicholas Cage.
“What? I’m not going to say it,” Cage frowned.
“Say what?” Nix asked.
“Not the bees!” Nicholas stopped himself and sighed, lifting a hand to cover his eyes.
Daring Don’t
“Wait, you’re Daring DO?!” Nathan shouted, hands on his head. “All this time I’ve been asking myself who you were, and this is what I get?”
“Stupid fans-”
“I am not a fan, you crazy mare!” Nathan shouted. “Do you know what is going to happen?! If all of your fans that read your adventures know it’s true, the little fillies and mares are going to copy you, thinking they can do it!”
“You know, I would defend A.K. Yearling,” Indiana Jones sighed, “but he’s right. At least I take my adventures and became a professor.”
“Uh,” Ahuizotl and his cats looked around. “Is this a bad time?”
Indiana took his pistol out from his side holster and shot the blue creature dead. “I don’t have time for this...”
Flight to the Finish
Wally held a bat in his hands, lifting it up and down over an unconscious Diamond Tiara. The filly sported a welt on her head and a cracked tiara. Silver Spoon was tied up in rope and gagged, Nigel whistling to himself as he tied her up to the a tree. Hoagie coordinated a better routine for the Crusaders, stealing the coaching job from Rainbow Dash.
Power Ponies
“Wait, we are super heroes?” Jack asked, looking down at his new attire. “Why am I wearing a mask?”
“Uh... Shouldn’t I get a power ring or something?” Nathan asked as there was a horn sticking out from the middle of his forehead.
“Hm,” Phoenix looked down at his magatama and rainbolt medallion, wondering which one to use.
“Surprising, this is not so different from my homeland,” Dovahkiin raised his eyebrows. He was dressed what was assumed to be a ‘cowboy’.
“Why is Soma not a superhero?!” Fluttershy asked as she got mad. She transformed into Flutterhulk, leaving Soma to look up at her. She licked her lips to look down at her champion.
“Dude- run,” Otacon warned.
Bats!
“Alright Soma, when Fluttershy comes in, you-”
“You know, I’m the lord of vampires. Sorta. I can ever transform into a bat. You could’ve just asked me to talk to the fruit bats.”
“Look, Fluttershy is transforming again!” Rainbow Dash pointed up, revealing Fluttershy’s ears growing more pointy as her fangs grew as well.
*POOMF*
“What the-” Twilight turned to look back at Soma. The teen’s Flying Humanoid soul activated, the ethereal wings stretched out. Soma took to the air, snatching Flutterbat from the air to land on the ground.
“Stay out of Fluttershy’s shed!” Soma shouted over his shoulder, taking off with a very happy Flutterbat.
Rarity Takes Manehatten
“Oh this competition will be so-”
Rarity was interrupted as the human champions fought back Jason Vorhees.
“All we are missing is Freddy Krueger for the reunion,” Ash frowned.
Apple Pinkie Pie
“To think, we might be related to Pinkie!” Applebloom shouted and jumped up and down. “A new sister!”
“Uh,” Granny Smith frowned. “Y’all realize that if Pinkie is related tah us, and she marries Dan...”
“We’ll be relahted to Dan...” Big Macintosh’s eyes suddenly opened wide. He took the parchment that Pinkie found and ran off.
“Burn the witch!” Applebloom shouted, fear in her eyes.
“Kill it with fire!” Applejack shouted.
Rainbow Falls
“Oh noooo....” Sokka said, walking up to Rainbow Dash. She was tied up as Sokka approached her inside a dark room. “You are not taking this from Derpy. Lie to everyone and everypony because you can’t make up your mind?”
“Look, I’m sorry!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “Not the Cactus Juice!”
“It’ll quench ya!”
Three’s a Crowd
“Are you really sick?” Snape asked, sitting next to Discord in his chariot.
“No, well- not physically,” Discord grinned.
“So you made all of this up to troll them?” The wizard pointed at how Otacon, Twilight, Terra, and Cadence were all fighting the worm.
“I’ve seen enough hentai to know where this is going!” Otacon shouted.