//------------------------------// // CH20: Twilight's Resolve // Story: Kingdom Hearts F.I.M: Rise of The Elements // by Spirit Shift //------------------------------// “Well, well, well, look what we have here,” Dash teased. “Shut up,” Lady huffed. After collecting all three pieces of the key stone, the group rode the newly unlocked elevator up a few dozen levels. While riding, the girls commented on some of the rooms that they hadn't seen before. Dante explained to them that they were now out of the basement and rising above ground level. He pointed out several areas that they passed where he fought strong demons and got his other devil arms. He basically recounted the story of what happened just before they met, all the way from him eating pizza in his shop, to fighting Cerberus, guardian of the gates to hell. Exiting the elevator, the group moved on through several hallways until they came to the dungeon with several scattered waterfalls. With two wrecking balls hanging from the ceiling and no other way out, they were at a loss about what to do. Eventually, Twilight managed to decipher some text hidden on the walls. Basically, it said to knock the balls together. This sent Dash off on an angry rant about the sheer stupidity of that particular puzzle. All she could talk about for the next thirty minutes was something along the lines of: “Who just builds an awesome tower like this, but right in the middle of it, decides to include puzzles in it! Not just regular puzzles, nooooo! Seriously, what kind of guy, demon or not, just up and says, ‘hey, let’s have the adventurer smack some balls against each other to get to the next room!” Everyone else was saved from this rant due to the earplug spell that Twilight thankfully spread across the group. At some point, Dash tired herself out and the group made their way to the tower library. Before Twilight could have a bookgasm, Rainbow noticed the injured panting woman in the corner. “Lady is that you? Oh my gosh you’re wound!” Lady looked down to see blood seeping through the bandages that Twilight had given her. “Don’t worry about it.” Lady’s head fell and she once more began to try to catch her breath. Smirking, Dante strode forward, ignoring Twilight’s protests. “What’s wrong, you tired? Take a load off, I’ll handle this.” Lady stood up, and pointer her handgun at him. “No, you stay here!” Dante quickly reached out and redirected her gun, causing it to shoot him in the stomach. Even though he was the one shot, he was the only one in the room not to flinch. For once, he was in no mood for games. “I told you, you can’t do it. You’re injured and hurt! Don’t you get it? This isn't a human’s job.” “Wait, then what does that make us!?” Dash exclaimed. “No, you’re the one who doesn't get it! It has nothing to do with being human or demon,” she yanked her gun out of his grip and began jabbing him in the chest with it. “It’s about fixing my mistake. I’m drivin by my inability to forgive him! My soul is screaming, demanding his death. That’s what keeps me going, this is my family matter.” Lady turned around and grabbed her missile launcher. Strapping it to her back, she walked passed Dante and to the far exit. “You should stay out of it.” “Hey, I’m in this too. My brother started this mess and I’m pretty pissed at him." Dante Pulled out his twin black and white pistols, aiming them both right at her. “So I’m not gonna just stand back and watch as a babe gets herself killed right in front of me. Now, either get outta my way, or they’ll be some consequences.” “Dante, I thought you said you don’t shoot humans?” Pinkie asked curiously. “Yeah, and rather than watching her get killed you would just do it yourself,” Rarity added. AJ followed “Yeah that seems kinda messed up” “Oh trust me, I won’t kill her, she just won’t be walking her way up the rest of this tower,” he snarked. “Fine with me,” Lady began, aiming her launcher straight at Dante, “I wasn't planning on leaving any demons alive anyway. Not. Even. One.” Lady shot her launcher directly at Dante, it exploded on contact, causing the girls to cover their heads from the scattered burnt books flying out. Almost instantly the smoke cleared and Twilight’s peaked out from behind a glowing purple field. She looked pissed. “Twi, wha-” “Dante, girls, go on ahead, I need to talk to Lady,” she demanded. “Like hell we will, I’m not leavin’ you behind,” Dash replied. “Darn tootin’” AJ said, brandishing her new gauntlets. “Please, Twilight pleaded. “Just go. I got this. I promise.” Rarity looked at her seriously, studying her resolve. “Alright, everyone, let us move on.” Dante put away his handguns. “Fine with me, I’m not all that into shooting babes anyway.” AJ hesitantly walked past her, patting her on her shoulder as she went by. “Twi, you sure bout this?” Twilight nodded but said nothing. Reluctantly, everyone moved passed Lady on the way out. Some of them giving her the stink eye, but Lady easily shrugged it off. As Dante passed Lady he whispered, “I’ll take care of him.” To which she just scoffed. Eventually, the only two left in the library were Lady and Twilight. “I suppose this is alright," said Lady, readjusting her cannon. "I get to rest up while they wear themselves out. Then I’ll take all three of them down at once.” “Don’t you realize who you sound like right now?” Twilight asked, her once fiery glare now turning into to one of pity. Lady took a step forward in anger, “If you’re comparing me to that demon, Arkham, you’re wrong!” “But you just repeated his lines, verbatim. How could anybody not?” “Though his blood runs through my veins I refuse to acknowledge any resemblance to that monster. You should feel the same!” Twilight continued to plead with her. “But, you’re acting just like him. You said it yourself, just now. You’re only mission is life is death-” “His death!” Lady yelled.          “No, the death of every single demon. You were willing to kill Dante, and he was just trying to help you!” Lady waved her arm dismissively, “Demons couldn't possibly understand what’s happening. In fact, why do you even hang out with him?” “Because he’s my friend now, he saved us when we first got here.” Lady scoffed and shook her head, “That’s right, I almost forgot. You’re just like me before everything. Your other friend is a demon, so you’re used to hanging around them.” “Spike is NOT a demon." Twilight insisted. "He’s a kind soul who’s just fallen off-track.” “That’s a laugh! Look at what he’s done." Lady moved and motioned around the ruined library as if it represented her point. "He leaves for dead on your dying world, he shows back up, kills your so called friend, and now he’s out for your head. How can you still call him a ‘kind soul’ much less your friend.” “No,” She calmly shook her head, summoning Magical Element. “He’s not a friend. He’s my brother, and I won't let you distract me from that fact anymore.” “You’re blind!” Lady yelled. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks and shoot her cannon at Twilight. “And you see nothing but red!” Twilight dodged the explosion and called forth her magic. She summoned several magic missiles behind her and shot them in retaliation. “At least what I see is the truth!” Tethering herself to a nearby column, she yanked herself out of the way of Twilight’s attack. Once at a safe distance, she pulled out both of her hand guns and shot repeatedly. “How can you put so much faith in someone who’ll only bring you pain!” Twilight blocked the bullets with a small shield. “Because I’m willing to believe in the good that I know still exists within him!” Seeing that her bullets weren't doing anything, Lady continued shooting with one gun, while using her now free hand to pull the cord from a grenade before lobbing it directly at Twilight. “Then you’re even more stupid than I thought!” Twilight contained the grenade in a bubble of magic, thus containing the explosion. Unfortunately, she failed to notice the other four that Lady had thrown the second she contained the first. Quickly, she teleported out of the way, but the second she reappeared, she saw lady lunging at her with the bayonet at the end of her launcher. Twilight blocked the attack and they came face to face. “Who are you to tell me how to deal with my family?” Twilight growled.  “I’m someone who’s seen your future. " Lady hissed. "If you keep on this way, you’ll end up just like me. Lunging after his throat just as he did your’s.” Twilight shook her head a pushed Lady back slightly. “That’s a future that will never come to pass. I will find Spike, and I’ll find out what’s been done to him.” “You’re a fool. Nothing has been done. He’s probably just realized his true nature." Lady put all of her strength forward and forced Twilight back further and further. "A weak, mindless, creature, who knows nothing but death and destruction!” Twilight grit her teeth and her eyes began to glow white with powerful magic. “You, Take, That, BACK!” She exploded with raw magical energy, completely shoving Lady away from her. A bright shimmering, wavy violet field began emanating from body, lighting up the entire library and spreading wind and books everywhere. Lady quickly picked herself up and gaped at the scene before her. Regaining her composure Lady looked on with determined eyes. “Fine then. Prove it to me! Prove that you can make me understand you’re resolve!” Bayonet pointed downward, Lady shoved her launcher into the ground. On the launcher facing Twilight, was a large hatch. Lady pressed a button and the latch opened, scattering dozens of small heat seeking missiles, all aimed at Twilight. Twilight didn't flinch as the missiles came at her. However, just as they came within explosion distance, they were shoved away by the sheer force of the energy coming from Twilight’s body. Sent directly back toward Lady. She managed to dodge some of them but the forces from the explosions caught her anyway, slamming her harshly back against the wall. The fight was over. Twilight’s magic died down and her eyes returned to normal. She fell to her knees, she felt emotionally exhausted, but physically empowered. She shook her head and looked down at her hands. New thoughts began racing through her mind. “What in the worlds was that? I’ve never done anything like that before, but it felt amazing! A new skill? Some powerful magic? Is this what Master Luna sent us here to learn?” The sound of Lady moaning brought her out her her thoughts. Slowly, she got up and walked over to the injured and beaten women. “H-how can you have so much blind faith in him?” Lady coughed. Twilight briefly thought back to the time when she asked those same words. “Because of you, I nearly forgot what having faith meant. But thanks to a certain stubborn friend of mine, I remembered before it was too late. I don’t know what’s happened to him, or even whether or not he even was the real Spike,” she smiled confidently. “But I am Twilight Sparkle, Spike Dracos’ older sister and only family. It’s my job to slap him around when he get’s in trouble, and trust in the good that I know he still has.” Lady looked up at the kind smile that was on her opponent's face. The shimmering field from before was back, but this time, it was fainter, softer, and barely noticeable. Apparently, it was infectious, because soon she found herself smiling as well. “Whatever you say, just don’t come running back to me when you’re wrong about all that.” Twilight held out her hand to help her up. “Don’t worry, I won’t be.” Lady shook her head. “Just leave me here, Dante was right, I’m to injured to move on, even more so now. Go on ahead, tell Dante to kick my father’s ass when they meet,” she sighed, making herself comfortable on the ground. Twilight nodded and turned to leave. As she left, Lady looked up at the sky, thinking of happier times when her father would take her out to the park and play, before he was tainted by demon influence. “Family…. huh?” ~~~ Twilight barely made it out of the room before something barreled into her chest, causing her to stumble back a bit. Looking down she saw the familiar strands of her friend’s naturally multicolored hair. “Dash? I thought I told you to-” she stopped when she heard the faint sniffing sounds coming from her. She also felt a particular wetness on her shirt where her friend’s head was parked. “Took you long enough…” she whispered, the words slightly muffled by Twilight’s outfit. Twilight smiled widely before returning the hug that her friend so rarely gave out. “Sorry.” You must have felt so alone.