//------------------------------// // Chapter 11: Duel at High Moon. // Story: My Little Fantasy // by GuyWhoWritesThings //------------------------------// Chapter 11: Duel at High Moon. "And who do you think you are, cowpony?" The one holding my sword snarled, waving the weapon threateningly in one hand. Getting a better look at them now, they're wearing vests and look not entirely dissimilar to some kind of hound. I let one of the green Materia on my bangle glow, and a streak of lightning comes from the sky, striking the area between myself and these hound-people and causing them to flinch back a step. "I think I'm the guy you're going to give that sword to if you don't want to get hurt." Their leader guffaws. Not the reaction I was banking on, I admit. "We come all this way, and some funny guy in a hat wants us to give up our booty?" He holds the sword up so that I can see the side of the blade, the Materia along it glinting in the moonlight. "Ain't gonna happen!" I open my left palm, forming a fireball, something I've gotten quite good at doing. "I'd reconsider if I were you." The cronies look taken aback slightly by my display, but the stupid lead dog simply grins. "You think you're all fancy with your tricks, don't you?" Then my eyes go wide as one of the Materia along the sword's blade also glows green. "Well, you're not the only one with fancy tricks at this rodeo, cowpony!" I chuck the fireball at them and dodge to the side, ending up inside an alley as a stream of acid spurts in my direction, sizzling along the sand of the Appleloosan street. This... is going to make things difficult. If I'm lucky, the stupid mutt hasn't figured out how to use all the Materia on that blade yet. I grip my trusty pipe, hearing the approaching footsteps of the gang. Hopefully that sheriff didn't get himself melted. Deciding I need tactics over brawn, I run along the alley and behind the buildings. "Come on out, big boy!" I can hear the leader jeer, alongside the clanging of barrels being knocked over as they search my previous location. "If you want this here sword, come and take it, because we're not leaving without those gems of yours!" Bloody hell. I need to figure out a way to split them up. I could group them up and try using Time... but if it doesn't work for some reason, or one of the Materia on the sword can block it, then I would be really dead really fast, so that's out. "Bud! Toto! Any sign of him?" The leader calls out to his gang. I've successfully made my way around behind the group, peering at their backs from around a building. The sheriff is also missing, but I can't tell what's become of him. All I can see besides my pursuers are the burn mark from my fireball and the smouldering trail of the acid. Well, besides three of my pursuers, that is - only the one with my sword and two others are visible in the streets. The rest must be searching for me in nearby alleys or on adjacent streets. "Nothin' yet, Beethoven!" One that sounds like he's in a nearby alley responds. "Well keep searching!" Beethoven orders. "We ain't leaving this town without those gems of his!" I decide to make my move, bursting from my hiding spot back into the street while there's an opening. Wordlessly, I hold up my hand and concentrate on the Materia, 'Ice'. With the chill of the desert night, it doesn't take long for me to make the magic do what I need it to, forming ice around the ankles and legs of Beethoven. "He's nearby!" The leader barks, beginning to use the sword to smack at the ice and try to free himself. His lackeys begin turning their heads, eventually spotting me with a snarl. I raise my hand again, preparing to give them all a nice shock, but a weight barrels into my side, and I can hear the snarling teeth as I turn to face the mutt that tackled me. Definitely hounds. I grab his maw with my left hand, trying to keep him from sinking his teeth in as I begin smacking him away with the pipe. It takes a few good hits but I finally get him to slacken his grip enough that I can kick him off. I don't have time to see if I've knocked him out or not though, as I can hear the two who were accompanying Beethoven almost on me. I duck into another alley, but... dead end. I can see the lumbering forms of my two pursuers enter and block my escape, and more yelling behind them. The rest must have gone to try and free their leader from his icy entanglement. "Will you brutes keep it down out there?!" I hear Trixie yell from the building I got us a room at. Why did she have to wake up now? "The Highly-Inebriated and Slightly-Hung-Over Trixie is trying to sleep!" I can hear a snarl of 'Shut up!' from Beethoven and a far more terrified scream from Trixie, followed by the sounds of goop and sizzling. Throwing caution to the wind, I cast the Time spell, catching both approaching dogs and freezing them in place as I rush forward. I smash one into the side of one of the buildings with my pipe, kicking the other in the stomach and sending his still-frozen form out into the main road as I barrel out of the alley. I turn to where Trixie and I are staying, only to see the window melting away from green, goopy acid. Shit. Hopefully she dodged that, somehow. I take stock of the rest of the situation, seeing Beethoven and two of his lackeys still smacking at the ice around his ankles - but the final lackey is engaged in a tussle with sheriff Silverstar. Looks like he didn't run away after all. As much as I want to check on Trixie, right now there's only one priority - getting that sword. I tap the Time Materia again, finally getting the hang of how to utilize the different spells on-command as I lunge forward with over twice my usual speed. The two on his sides barely have time to register my charge as I shoulder-ram into Beethoven, breaking him free of his icy leg shackles myself with an audible crunching sound as we both barrel to the ground. I grab at the sword with my left hand, prompting him to grip it with both of his, not letting go as he lunges his face forward, trying to sink into me with his razor-sharp teeth. Thinking quickly, I do the first thing that comes to mind and jam one end of the pipe into his open mouth, leaning down on it and applying pressure. He bites down on it, trying to stop me, but he soon realizes his jaw isn't strong enough to hold back my full weight and lets go of the sword, gripping the pipe with either hand in a desperate attempt to stop me crushing the back of his throat with it. And that's the only opening I need. I grip the sword with my left hand, no longer having any competition, and kick down into his gut, leaving the pipe behind as I bounce back to my feet. Taking quick stock, I can see why there was such a loud crunching sound, as his legs splay at rather unnatural looking angles on the ground. I file him as no longer being a threat as I grip the sword with two hands and turn to face the remaining dogs. The one I pipe-beat is still lying on the ground. Okay, definitely knocked out. The one that Silverstar was fighting is also dropped. Right now he's running from the two that were trying to free Beethoven, while the other two are on their feet but still looking bewildered. So, only four left, and Silverstar is still in the fight. Should be simple enough. Not wanting to accidentally risk hitting Silverstar with magic, I tap the Time Materia again and rush forward, swinging the blunt side of my newly acquired blade into one of the dogs' face. I don't want to kill them, after all. It's not like they're monsters, just criminals. The one I hit stumbles, his buddy seeing the end result of my swing and snarling at me instead of Silverstar. The remaining two seem to have regained their wits and join them, snarling at me as the sheriff pony takes a stance by my side. "Thanks fer da help, pardn'r." "Don't thank me till we're done." I narrow my eyes on the dogs, hefting the heavy blade in both my hands and pointing it at them. "If you four know what's good for you, you'll pick up your buddies and scram." I'm beginning to get fatigued from constantly using the Time spells, but there's not much I can do about that right now. Hopefully, I can just intimidate the rest into leaving. Instead, all I get are more snarls. "After what you did to Beethoven, punk?" One taunts as their paws open, showing their sharp claws that glint in the moonlight. "You're gonna be lucky if you ever scram from this town." I step back and dig my foot in, still not wanting to get lethal on these guys but not seeing any alternatives. Thankfully, I don't need to decide as a barrel comes flying in from the side of my vision and nails all four of them, shattering and smacking them into the front of a building. "And that is for disturbing the sleep of The Great and Exhausted Trixie!" I turn, and see that she must be good at making stage-left exits, since there's not even a singe on her cape or hat. "So you're not a puddle of pony ooze! That's good!" I call over to get her attention, since her eyes are solely focused on the mangy mutts she just barreled over. "Dusk! Trixie wondered where you ran off to!" She slowly saunters over to us, as if she didn't pound down three towns worth of cider less than a few hours ago. She looks around, seeing the mess of burnt sand, remnants of acidic goop, and remaining dogs scattered around everywhere, then looks at me with a raised eyebrow. "Care to explain what's going on out here?" I look to the group of four dogs again, only to see them getting back on their feet. By the digging of hooves I hear, I assume Silverstar also sees them. "Just a little animal control." I don't look back, so I don't really now how well that quip went over. The dogs lunge at me with a sudden second wind, and I quickly raise my left arm to meet them, casting the 'Barrier' spell and causing them to bounce off, hitting the ground. "Last chance, mutts." I feel a bit shaky on my feet, but I try my best not to show it as they claw back up again. "Either y'all mosey into my lockup," Silverstar steps forward and narrows his eyes, "or, we can rough ya up and mosey y'all into it ourselves after we knock you out." They back away a step, then lunge again, this time all four directly at me, clearly wanting to do this the hard way. I put up the Barrier a second time, but as the third one smashes into it, it shatters, and the momentum of the fourth one sends them all crashing right into me. I keep a tight grip on my new-found sword with my right hand as we tumble to the ground, a distinct lack of claws tearing into my flesh. It seems their smack into me was just as unexpected for them as it is for me. They don't get a chance to recover and go on the offensive, though - the load quickly lightens as Silverstar bucks two of them off me, and Trixie uses her magic to hurl the remains of that barrel at the other two and bludgeon them unconscious before unceremoniously tossing them aside. "You okay, mister?" The sheriff asks, looking down at me now that the dogs are taken care of. Trixie is giving me an equally concerned look. I raise a hand into the air and give them a thumbs up, before realizing they probably don't know what that gesture means. "Yeah... I'm good. Just gotta rest a bit." Trixie puts on one of her big-ass, shit-eating grins and rises up to two hooves now that she knows I'm not about to be dead. "See, it's a good thing The Great and Powerful Trixie was here! You would both have been kibbles 'n bits without her!" "Uh... lady?" The sheriff looks at her, raising an eyebrow. "What? Trixie took care of four diamond dogs in one attack! Well, partially took care of! My slightly-less-Great-and-Powerful assistant may be strong, but you both together only took care of three!" She flourishes her cape, and I can't help but sigh despite my fatigue. "That means that it is quite objectively a victory for The Grrreat and Powerful Trrrrrixie!" He looks at me, and I give him the best shrug I can while lying in the dirt. "Well, look lady..., Ah'm quite sorry about before. Thanks to you and your... 'assistant' here for lending me a pair of hooves." "As long as you know that Trixie is not what the rumors would lead you to believe she is!" She replies with a definitive 'hmph!'. Then, her eyes widen and she stomps her hooves excitedly onto the ground. "Ohh! Now Trixie has a new story to tell in her stage shows as well! One that's actually true!" Both the sheriff and I give her a look. "...Not that... any of Trixie's stories aren't true... of course... heh." "Riiight." The sheriff knows not to press this one, smart man. "Ah'm gonna get my deputy back up and have him help me drag these boys to the jailhouse. Y'all have a nice night, and thanks again." He tips his hat to us both before heading off, dragging one of the unconscious 'diamond dogs' or whatever toward his jailhouse. Hopefully he collects the entire set before they wake back up. I plant the blade of my new sword into the ground, using it for leverage to slowly rise back to my feet. My head's still spinning a bit from having to use so much magic in one go. Seems like Time and Barrier take a lot of effort to maintain. Once I feel steady, I pull out my new weapon and show it to Trixie, her eyes immediately darting toward the Materia. "Guess there was a new family heirloom for me in Appleloosa after all." "All Trixie knows is that you are definitely showing her how to use some of those pretty gems of yours now that you have over twenty of them!" She stomps her hoof and throws her head into the air. After a few steps, she looks back at me. "...You look sick." "I'm fine." I assure her, spinning the bronze-colored sword in my arm. Much more natural feeling than the pipe. It takes me a moment to find a good angle to fit it into its sheathe with the poncho on, though. I'll need to reposition that later. "I just need to rest." "Good! Because Trixie is not a fan of awaking before dawn, no matter how pretty Princess Luna makes the night sky." She yawns. How the hell is she acting like she doesn't feel a damn thing from all that booze she drank less than six hours ago? "Come, Dusk, we shall return to the room. Trixie prefers her windows open at night anyway." "That's a bit more than just the window open, you know..." She shrugs. "It just means better airflow." That's... one way to look at it, I guess. Always focus on the good things in life, or something like that, I assume? Sleep comes far more easily the second time around, and as I enter my dreaming state I find myself back in the pale green light of the Lifestream. It feels like my dreams always bring me here, when I can remember having them. This time, though, it's different. Things are... clearer, at least, in my head. Is it because I have the sword again? I hadn't noticed anything while awake, but it did feel... familiar. Natural. And now connections are quickly being made in my brain. First Class, the highest rank in the elite military group, SOLDIER. My rank. SOLDIER, whose members are infused with power drawn from the planet - its Lifestream, like what I find myself in now - after its been condensed into a form known as Mako. This results in the distinct, waving sky-blue eyes, as well as a level of heightened physical ability. Mako can also be condensed into another form, which can be used by most people to do feats of 'magic' - that is, Materia. Materia, which draws on the wisdom of the Lifestream to manipulate the nature around it, resulting in phenomenon like fire, lightning, ice manifestations, time manipulation, and a myriad of other effects. The Lifestream itself is essentially the 'blood' of the planet - the life-force of every living thing, along with their memories, knowledge, and emotions. This is what the Materia draws on, the 'wisdom of the planet'. So, for Materia to function, it- ... Something's definitely not right. I can see it as I glance around the Lifestream. A shadow, a small, wispy shadow, hugging the 'ground', trying to stay out of sight. A shadow that reeks of rot. The soft green glow of the Lifestream makes hiding its movements difficult though, and I'm able to catch the faint glimpses of its form, as long as I know where to look. Following the shadow as it glides around, I eventually see it again. Not it, as in the shadow - but it, as in the massive shade I saw last time I was here. The one that's similar to a foulander or a guard hound. I've lost track of that other shadow entirely - but this one seems far more important. Maybe they're the same thing? I can't really tell. The shadow opens a pair of massive, pure white eyes, and stares at me, as if peering into my soul, and I take a step back. I reach behind me for a weapon, and this time the hilt is there. Of course its there - I just got it back. I pull the weapon around in front of me... but its not the same sword I retrieved from the dogs. This one is larger, with a single-sided blade, and only two slots for Materia. Two very empty slots for Materia. It looks ornate, yet old, with many small cracks along the blade, as if its been in service a few years too many. It makes a comfortable, familiar clinking sound as I hold it two-handed in front of me, staring down whatever this... thing is, that should definitely not be here. We eye each other for seconds... minutes... hours? It's hard to even tell. But, eventually, it charges me, head lowered. I don't hesitate. What would he say if I hesitated against something like this? I bring the heavy blade in my hands along for a sweeping horizontal slice as the shade leaps into the air, clean over my head. I quickly turn, brandishing the blade for a swing behind me, but its too fast - its already cleared the length of the blade, despite this being the kind of weapon meant to take down chocobo cavalries. It leaps again, and dives into the Lifestream, just like last time, and... its gone. I clutch the weapon in my hands, panting heavily. That... thing, whatever it is. I need to figure out what its deal is. It's still hard to tell whether its causing these dreams and their flashes of memory, or trying to stop them. I keep the blade held out in front of me, battle ready as I close my eyes, intending to rest my reeling brain for a second. When I re-open my eyes, I'm back in the room Trixie and I are staying in, leaning against the door the way I fell asleep, the wall across from me still completely missing. The only thing that's different is that I'm holding the sword I recovered from those dogs in front of me the same way I had been holding the one in my dream. I take a look around, seeing if I actually swung the damn thing in my sleep... but I don't see anything that appears to have suffered damage via a giant sword, so I'm guessing I didn't. I can remember the dream vividly though. The details about SOLDIER, Mako, Materia, and the Lifestream... the creeping shadow... and the large shade, the one that's never the one I expect it to be. What the hell is going on? I wipe the sweat from my brow and peer out the window, the glints of sunrise very slowly making themselves known on the horizon. Trixie rolls over in her sleep, pulling the blanket over her face with a hoof to avoid the coming sunlight. I put the sword back in its sheathe and tip my cowboy hat down, shifting myself ever so slightly to try and avoid their rays as well as I head back to what's, this time, a dream-free sleep.