The aftermath of what was supposed to be the final battle to save an enslaved world, had always been said to be a time of celebration and healing. A time to revel in newfound freedom, and forget any other hardships. But, after the sudden appearance of two new enemies, and the loss of a friend, it was anything but.
After returning to the camp, and informing the people of Sombra’s defeat, the entire populace decided almost instantly that they wanted to throw a party in their honor, cheering Pinkie up greatly. Unfortunately, Twilight declined for the group, and told them that they had to leave as soon as possible, much to Pinkie’s disappointment. Before leaving however, Yukalai gifted the group with several more items similar to the ethers from before, but with various effects. Offering a quick thanks, the group headed back to where they crashed.
After almost forcing Pinkie to summon the ship, the group of slightly depressed girls all piled into the cockpit, and sat into their respective seats. Their presence caused the interface to come online automatically.
“Only 5 of the six Wielders of Harmony detected,” said Maud.
Dash responded by growling under her breath. “Yeah...we know!”
‘Should I run a scan for the remaining members?’
Twilight’s head jerked up in surprise, and hope welled in her chest. “You can do that?” she whispered.
“Yes, Pinkie’s keyblade has Shia marked, I can locate her through that connection.”
“Then, if we can find her…...Pinkie can summon her back to us!”
“Ummm,” said Pinkie as she rose her hand nervously, “actually she has to be within a 1 mile range for that to work. Sorry”
This caused Twilight to deflate some. “Oh…..well we can still…..”
‘Search signal: Blocked. Location: Unknown.’ interrupted the monotone interface.
-SLAM- Everyone turned to the sound of Dash slamming her fist onto the console in frustration. “Well fat lot of good that did us. We wasted time, and we still don’t know where Shy is! Thanks for nothing!” she exclaimed.
“It’s not Maud’s fault…..” Pinkie muttered.
Silence is all that followed, tense silence filled with uncertainty and frustration. Each one reflected back on the same events trying to figure out what went wrong. Rarity was the first to voice almost everyones thoughts.
“What, happened back there?” she asked.
“SOME BASTARD TOOK SHIA!” snapped Dash, “He tossed us around like freaking ragdolls, and he took our friend!” Dash looked back down at her feet, her eyes full of hurt and self loathing. “It’s my fault. I should've been faster, I shoulda stopped him.”
“You tried your hardest, we all did,” said Twilight, trying to comfort her friend, even though she felt the exact same way.
“Our attacks didn't even hurt him none,” sulked AJ, leaned back in her chair, arms crossed.
“OHH,” exclaimed Pinkie, “I bet he was like a super high level!” said Pinkie, characteristically trying to lighten the mood.
“Did you see the way he moved?” Rarity began “He stopped Jacqueline's attack cold, he reacted fast enough to block Rachelle’s strikes, and he wasn't even affected by our Limit. Not to mention that, but at the end, his face, it looked just like-”
“NO! Don’t say it! It couldn't have been him, there's no way,” interrupted Dash as she slammed her fist on the console a second time.
“We can’t deny what we all saw, Rachelle, he was there, clear as day,” argued Rarity.
“Yea. He even looked the exact same,” added AJ
“No! You shut up!” In the blink of an eye, she leaped over, grabbed AJ by the collar, and glared straight into her forest green eyes. “What kind of friend are you? You just see a random dragon, and say that it’s Spike?”
“What were you looking at, you were right in his face. Of course that was him. His voice, his eyes, it was all him,” she argued.
“Oh, so you’re saying that all half dragons look and act the same? Have you even seen another one? How can you be so racist?!” she yelled.
AJ gave looked at her dumbfounded. “You know that’s not what Ahm sayin!” she yelled back.
“Well it sounds like you think that our friend beat up and kidnapped Shia! Is that what you think!”
“Girls!” Both turned to face Rarity’s disapproving glare, then looked around to see a similar look on Twilight’s face and a sad looking one on Pinkie’s.
Twilight started first, “AJ, I don’t think that it’s Spike either, there’s no way that he would act that way. You should know, he would never kidnap a girl, and he would never attack his friends, ever!”
“I want to agree with Twilight, I really do,” Rarity began, “but something, deep inside, is telling me that it was our Spike. As much as I want to believe that it wasn't, I can’t help but side with Jacqueline.
Dash looked stunned for a second before bringing her anger back full force, this time directed at Rarity. “What? How could you even-”
“Personally, I've never met him, but I do wish to believe, by the way that you've all spoken of him, that he is a good person.”
Everyone froze in recognition of the new voice that came from nowhere. They turned just in time to see a holographic screen appear in the front of the ship, showing a visage of Master Luna herself, who actually looked slightly irritated.
“Master!” exclaimed Twilight. Looking down, she noticed that Pinkie had a slightly guilty looking face. “D-did you call Master Luna on us?”
“I don’t like it when my friends fight,” she muttered “I panicked okay!” cried Pinkie.
“Yes, she called me during my chess game with Tia, which I WAS WINNING!” she screamed out behind her.
From somewhere down the hall, a feminine voice replied, “In your dreams, Lulu!”
Luna growled, and muttered under her breath before she turned back, and stared down at her students. “So, you know what I was doing, how goes your trip,” she asked as she took a look around the room, and stopped on the empty seat. “Where is Shia Flutter?”
Everyone present either looked down in shame, or fidgeted nervously in their chairs. None of them wanting to admit that they had all been bested by one man. Twilight, as the de-facto leader, eventually stepped up to explain what went down.
~~~
“.......and then he left,” finished Twilight.
Luna stood motionless, eyes closed in deep thought for a time before she opened them, and announced her thoughts.
“From your physical descriptions of him in the past, we would say that it was indeed Spike who attacked you, but from his actions, we are hesitant to actually say that.”
Everyone’s expressions went through various stages, from relief to frustration, to downright anger. Luna, seeing this, decided to continue before another argument broke out.
“Therefore, we offer this advice, keep traveling, and keep gathering information, for we do not know why he has taken her, but we do not believe that she is in any mortal danger. If he truly meant what he said, then you will see this man again. Although, to be honest, we pray that you do not,” she finished, muttering the last part more to herself.
“If we do see him again, I’m gonna kick his ass, and make him tell us where Shy is!” exclaimed Dash.
“I would also like to know why Spike would attack us,” muttered Rarity, while AJ nodded in agreement.
Dash heard her, and turned back to the farm girl and fashionista. “What’s wrong with you two!?”
“Rachelle, they are entitled to their opinion, if they wish to believe that the man was Spike, then they can. The same way that you are allowed to believe that it wasn't. Do not be angry at them, because we have no proof of either possibility.
Dash only grumbled as she sat herself back into her proper seat.
“Now, let us not worry about such things at the moment, as there is nothing that we can do. Where do you all intend to head to next?”
“We don’t know, we have to arrive at a world first before the computer can even put a name to it. We actually chose this world at random,” answered Twilight.
“I see, well then, may I suggest a personal favorite of mine?”
“Oh, of course. Where is it? What’s it called?” exclaimed Twilight. Her mind ran wild with the possibilities. Her masters favorite world? It could be anything, and that made her very excited.
“Yes, it’s a very nice world, and it has some very interesting characters. Oh, and one of my best friends lives there!” she said excitedly, momentarily losing her mentor-like composure.
Twilight and Pinkie were both mirroring her excitement. Pinkie literally jumping in her seat, and Twilight’s eyes sparkling in curiosity. She always did want to know more about her Master, but she had always been too nervous to ask. She promised herself that she would ask her sister about it the very second that they met, but she supposed that asking her best friend would be the next best thing.
Luna gave the coordinates to Maud, and she quickly calculated their destination. According to Luna, Dash would absolutely love it, and Rarity would probably fall for the man who lived there. This captured both of their interests instantly. All arguments forgotten, everyone strapped themselves in, and prepared to leave.
“Girls, one more thing.” Everyone looked back up to meet the on-screen gaze of there master. She looked hesitant, and more than a little worried. “If you ever need my assistance, do not ever hesitate to call me in order to assist you in locating your friends. Your test continues for now, but if he captures another one of you, I WILL step in.”
“We will, we promise.”
“Of course”
“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!”
“Don’t worry, we’ll find him, kick that bastards ass, and bring Spike and Shia home safely.”
“Don’t y’all worry nun, he got the drop on us the first time, but it won’t happen again, ya hear.”
Luna sent the group a gentle smile. “I hope so, be safe.” With that, her image vanished, and the screens light faded to nothing, signifying that the call had ended.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fire.
That was all Shia could see, was fire, erupting from the ground, enveloping the man whom she had only just met. He was so nice, why did he have to be so mean, and why did he have to live in a big creepy castle. He clearly didn't want to fight, he had even surrendered to them……. so why was he on fire?
His screams echoed throughout the room, causing Shia to shed tears for him as she looked away. She couldn't stand to hear any creature cry out in such pain, and it tore her up to not be able to do anything about it.
Finally, the fire ended, and Shia saw her chance. With surprising speed, she leapt toward the injured soul. Purposely ignoring her friend’s warnings. She was going to help him, she knew that he wasn't a bad person, no matter what her friends thought. I wasn't going to let him die!
Just as she got close to him, something attacked her, and the world went black.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Ugh…” Shy groaned. She could feel something soft, jabbing her cheek. Instantly, she knew that it was Angel Bunny, as that was how he had always woken her up. She slowly opened her eyes, and affirmed what she knew. As his blurry image solidified, she noticed that he looked different than usual, he looked scared. His eyes had tears in them, his fur was ruffled and unclean, and a few red patches spoiled his normally pure white appearance. This caused Shia to panic, what was wrong? Why did he look so hurt? Shia tried to move but found that she couldn't. Not because she was restrained, but rather, because she had absolutely no energy no move anything.
Looking around, she could see that she was in a bed, under a blanket, in a pure white room. Literally, everything was white, the door, the mirror, the walls, the dresser, even the bed that she was currently lying in. She found herself almost drawn toward the only source of non-white color. A black cloaked figure that leaned against the doorway, looking right at her. His black robe a clear contrast to the color around him, and his hood dark enough to completely hide his features.
She didn't know why, but she felt very scared.
Angel seemed to have noticed him as well, and hissed as if he were a cat. He moved toward Shia, as if to protect her from this unfamiliar foe.
“Looks like he still doesn't like me.” said the figure, “He attacked me, you know. The moment we arrived, he attacked me like a rabid dog.”
Shia managed to muster up a little of her strength to talk. “Wh-where are we? Wha-where are my friends.”
“They will join you here soon, I was just about to go collect another one. Wouldn't want you to be lonely here now would I.”
“Wha-what do you mean,” she said, her voice trembling in fear.
“Just as I said, when collecting toys, you always have to have a full set,” he replied with a voice filled with contempt.
This sparked a bit of anger in Shia. She disliked it when someone talked bad about her friends, and she could hate any meanie who would try and hurt them. “Why would you say something like that? Why would you call us toys?”
“Please,” he scoffed, “you’re all nothing but the playthings of some lonely witch. Made with stolen memories, and fake powers. I’m going to fix that, and take back what she’s stolen.”
This stunned Shy, why would he think that? How could he think that. None of her friends had ever stolen anything. Well, there were times when Pinkie or Dash would take an extra piece of food, but they would never steal anything importance. Shia began to tear up at the sheer hatred that this man radiated. “H-how could you say such things. We haven't done anything to you.”
“Is that what you think? Is that what she’s taught you to believe? Well even if you yourself don’t know, it won’t change what you’ve done to us.
Us? Who’s ‘Us’?
“Regardless, I’m going to find the rest of her toys, and take them one by one. Then, when she’s all alone, I’m going to kill Twilight Sparkle.”
This caused Shia’s eyes to widen in fear, then shrink in anger. She mustered all of her strength and directed it toward summoning her keyblade. Only to find that she couldn't. With all her effort, she couldn't get her weapon to respond.
The man only watched her struggle, and sighed. “Stop, you’ll only hurt yourself, this room was designed to debilitate and weaken the powers of the keyblade and its holder, you won’t be able to use it in here, or in any of the other rooms.”
Sensing that his words rang true, she decided to calmed down, and take a long look at the man before her. Now that she was calm, she could feel something, looking back at angel, she could tell what that something was.
“You’re probably wondering why I’m not affected. Well, I grew up in this room so-”
“You’re lying.”
This caught him by surprise. “Wha-what? You don’t believe-”
“No, not that.” Shy looked at him with her large, naturally sympathetic eyes. “I don’t believe that you would hurt Twilight.”
“And, why wouldn't I?”
“You said that Angel attacked you? Why didn't you kill him?”
“Why didn't I…….”
“You’re not a meanie, I don’t really understand it, but I just know that you wouldn't do such an evil thing.”
His head now lowered, the man began to mutter to himself. “You think I’m evil? I’m not evil. You’re the evil ones.”
Without warning, the man swiftly summoned his black keyblade, and slammed it into the wall next to him, breaking out a large chunk, and causing Shia to turn away in fear. “I’m just trying to take back what’s mine! She’s the evil one, not me, and I will make her pay for what she’s done to us!” he screamed before swiftly leaving the room and slamming the door.
After recovering from her fear, she looked back towards where the man once stood. Even as Angel tried to comfort her, Shy only continued to stare at where he stood. And, even against the complete whiteness of the room, she could see the tears drops on the floor.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Did you enjoy your little talk?” said the green haired women as her companion walked into the room. She wore the same coat as him, the only difference being that she had her hood down. Revealing her dark emerald eyes, and black skinned complexion. She stood in the center of the room next to a giant glass orb that held a foggy image.
“.......”
“She didn't make you cry did she?” she said, clearly teasing him.
“Sh-shut up!” he exclaimed, a hint of embarrassment seeping into his voice.
Suddenly, her mood turned serious. “So, did you get anything?”
“Only glimpses, and feelings, like fragments, but it’s working, we just need to get the rest of them. Do you know where they are?
She only shrugged and turned back to the orb, still foggy and unreadable. “No, I had them for a while, but then they took off, and I lost them somehow. It looks like they're going to a specific world, but something’s blocking my vision, something, or someone.”
“Dammit, Chrysalis, you had one job!”
“You have one job too y'know”
“Yea, but I can’t do that job until you do yours.”
“Hmm, true, so I’ll just get right on that. Why don’t you take a break for now, go to that world you like so much. Radiant Gardens, was it?”
The man crossed his arms, and took some time to think. Eventually, he nodded in agreement. “It has been awhile since I last saw the Crusaders, I hope they haven't hurt themselves again.”
He suddenly felt something wrap around him, it only took him a split-second before he realized that she was hugging him.
“Thats the spirit, go have fun! I promise that I’ll find them.”
“Uh….ok then, hurry up,” he said as he briefly hugged her back before tearing himself away, and walking back toward the door.
“Oh, and Spike!” she called out just as he reached the doorway. He turned back to see her looking at him with caring sympathetic eyes. “Be careful.”
“Yea, yea, I’m almost 17 now, you don’t have to keep looking after me.” he said as he walked through the doorway, and vanished into thin air.
“Well I have to,” she said as she turned back to the orb. The smile on her face turning from sympathetic to nefarious in an instant. “I am your big sister after all.”