//------------------------------// // A Second Faced Mechon // Story: Ponyblade Chronicles // by ZeroChill //------------------------------// Shulk, Reyn, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Sharla and Rainbow Dash walked out into the vast plains. Twilight Sparkle shifted her head to her left and right side, eyeing both of her friends that she found. She softly smiled. “Rainbow, out of the three of us, you have the most experience with this place. Is there anything we need to watch out for?” She asked. Rainbow Dash shrugged her shoulders. “Not too many things you should be worried about in this area of the Plains except for the Territorial Rotbart. If you go around the Sky Stage, Villera Hill, Raguel Lake and Windy Caves, then you will encounter some nasty monsters. Though the Villera Hill and Raguel Lake are fine to walk around, the Sky Stage and Windy Caves really are a host to some terrifying monsters.” Reyn looked around the group, noticing the talking going on behind him. In a few seconds, his eyes widened slightly. “Shulk, I just realized that we have six people in our group that are all capable of fighting.” “It is getting somewhat big. I’m not even sure if everyone would be able to fight and gain proper experience.” Shulk admitted. “But… we just need to be able to shift around our parties and we should be fine.” “Yeah, as long as everyone gets a turn, then-“Rainbow Dash began saying until a nearby bush rustled immensely. Two Leg Timberwolves and a bipedal birdlike creature with a spear popped out of it, growling immensely at the group. “It’s a group of Timberwolves and a Tirkin!” Shulk shouted, pulling out his Monado. “Huh, never expected to see a Tirkin being intelligent enough to use tools.” Twilight Sparkle noted, extending the laser of her horn. “Can I join in on the fun?” Cockily smiling, Rainbow Dash asked. “I don’t see why not. It should give you some idea of how we work as a group.” Twilight Sparkle responded. At trigger response, Rainbow Dash flew towards the three enemies at instant speed. “Cross Wing!” She shouted, sweeping her wings at a diagonal angle against a Tirkin. A giant white ‘X’ appeared in the air. Rainbow Dash stepped past the Tirkin, where the ‘X’ disappeared and the Tirkin was assaulted by two slashes. Twilight Sparkle looked at the results with her jaw visibly dropped. “When did Rainbow learn that?!” She shouted. Rainbow Dash looked behind her and saw two Timberwolves staring her down. One of the Timberwolves leapt towards her with its claws extended. “Counter Clone!” On declaration, Rainbow Das became enshrouded in an orange aura. The strike of the Timberwolf seemingly missed, striking what appeared to be an illusion of Rainbow Dash. In an instant, she retaliated with a strong left hook that struck its jaw and caused it to fly. “Holy cow!” Twilight Sparkle uttered in sheer amazement. “Great Bionis!” Shulk said, speechless at what he witnessed. Rainbow Dash looked towards the lone Timberwolf next to her and smiled nonchalantly. The Timberwolf ran away from the area. “And never come back!” Rainbow Dash shouted. She turned around, seeing stunned expressions from Twilight Sparkle and Applejack. “Did I break you two?” “You just… those moves looked unreal!” Applejack exclaimed. “They are pretty great, aren’t they? It’s kind of weird how I woke up knowing how to do these moves, though.” Rainbow Dash softly admitted. “Ah didn’t know how to do my moves back in Equestria, but this hammer feels like second nature to me, and I’ve been busting monsters ever since.” Smiling, Applejack stated. “Though I’ve been proficient with magic, I’ve been using much more combat-oriented magic. I think that it’s because of the ether we are exposed to in this world that is allowing us to use these new abilities. I wonder what other abilities we have.” Twilight Sparkle reasoned. “Well, there are skill trees.” Shulk answered. “Skill trees contain your core beliefs. The more you stick with your core beliefs, the more skills you can gain. But, you can only stay with one core belief at a time.” “That information might have been good to know when we began this journey, Shulk.” Twilight Sparkle stated with a hint of annoyance in her voice. “You read the manual. I’d assume that you would have knowledge on them.” Shulk reasoned. Twilight Sparkle opened her mouth and raised her front hoof, but lowered it. “I think we should just go find Juju. We’ve spent too much time on that topic.” “Right. We have to leave towards the area Sharla told us about.” Shulk stated. The group ran down towards the grassy hills where a large lake stood down the cliff side. A bridge appeared in sight. “The bridge!” Reyn called out, sprinting towards a wide bridge that connected two land masses. Underneath the rock formation, a group of Mechon stood on recon. They eyed the group running towards them. Their eyes flashed, their claws whirred with life and they marched towards the group. “Mechon?!” Reyn shouted, extending out his guarder. “That’s the Mechon?! These things weren’t here when I came across this area!” Rainbow Dash called out. Shulk pulled out his Monado, extending it. The symbol for Enchant appeared on his blade. “You’ll need me if you want to even damage the Mechon, Rainbow Dash.” Sharla glanced over towards Reyn and put her hand up. “Hold on there, big boy. Why don’t you let me take this one? I’ve been craving a fight with these Mechon for a very long time. Longer than you can imagine.” “Fine.” Reyn said, sheathing back his guarder. Sharla pulled out a large rifle and pointed it towards the Mechon. Shulk swung the Monado, encasing the entire area in a hazy aura. Rainbow Dash and Sharla felt a burst of energy within them. Sharla aimed her rifle at the nearest Mechon. Holding it with two hands, she pulled the trigger and blasted the Mechon away. On cue, Shulk and Rainbow Dash dashed towards the Mechon. “Shadow Eye!” Shulk announced, posing defensively. A dark blue haze came upon him, drawing the attention of the Mechon away from him. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash bucked a nearby Mechon in the chest and launched it back. A scout-type Mechon, whose focus was on her, charged its laser. A series of laser bolts fired at her, causing her eyes to shoot open in pain. “Back Slash!” Shulk shouted, getting behind the scout-type Mechon and slashing its back. The Mechon burst in orange flares. Sharla, seeing the bipedal Mechon by itself, aimed her rifle towards it. “Thunder Bullet!” She shouted, shooting two rounds of pure electricity towards its direction. The Mechon fell onto the ground. Sharla quickly ran over towards Rainbow Dash, whose right shoulder was charred slightly. “Does it hurt, Rainbow?” She asked. “I’ve suffered worse. It’s just a little bu-“Rainbow Dash began confidently saying when a shock of nerves ran down her legs, prompting a shrill yelp from her. “Easy with the touching, Sharla!” She vehemently stated. “Sorry, Rainbow, but I have to give a thorough examination of the wound in order to develop the best possible treatment for it. Any misdiagnosis on my part and giving you the wrong treatment can prove to be fatal in the worst case scenario.” Sharla reasoned. Rainbow Dash pouted and softly lied down on the ground, allowing Sharla to look through her wound more carefully. “Alright, Rainbow.” Sharla began saying. She lifted her gun into the air. “Heal Round!” Calling out the words, a blue light shot out of Sharla’s rifle and covered Rainbow Dash. The light knitted back her skin and fur as if the injury never happened. She smiled. “I always forget how good of a medic you are sometimes, Sharla.” She happily stated. “With all what my Colony went through, I need to be prepared for every single medical emergency.” Sharla replied. “Since the Mechon are here, and Juju is beyond the bridge, then that means that…” With these words entering in her head, she dashed towards the bridge at breakneck speed. “Sharla, wait!” Twilight Sparkle shouted, sprouting her wings and flying towards her. “Twi!” Reyn said with a similar intensity, running towards the two. “Come on, everyone! We have to follow those three!” Applejack ordered. Sharla, Reyn and Twilight Sparkle crossed the bridge and passed several ape-like monsters with black hair and orange hair. Eventually, the walls of the canyon narrowed in on them, splitting the path in two. “Sharla! Hold up!” Twilight Sparkle shouted loudly. Sharla looked back, seeing a worried Twilight Sparkle and a sweaty Reyn running right behind her. “What’s the big deal, Sharla? You acted as if the world would have ended.” Reyn asked in annoyed worry. “Sorry… But, if those Mechon are there and Juju went to Colony 6 by himself, then that means that he is in graver danger than I could imagine. The more time we take up, the less confident I feel about his well-being.” Sharla explained. “You are right to be worried, Sharla. Juju is your younger brother, and I can’t even begin to imagine if my brother were…” Twilight Sparkle paused herself there, choking the rest of her words down. “The problem is that you can’t face the Mechon by yourself. We all need each other so that we can stand a chance against them.” Sharla let out an exasperated sigh. “As much as I hate it, you have a point. My brother is in danger right now, but what chance would I have if I cannot even deal so much as a scrap of damage to the Mechon? It was foolish of me to run off by myself.” The group of three smiled. Reyn pat Sharla on her shoulder. “Reyn! Twilght! Sharla!” Shulk called out. Shulk, Applejack and Rainbow Dash ran towards Reyn, Twilight Sparkle and Sharla. They stopped in place. “Shulk! You didn’t happen to run into those Gogols near the edge of the cliff into the lake, did you?” Reyn asked in a concerned tone. “Thankfully, they were busy with other things.” Shulk responded. He looked up ahead and saw the two paths. “Which path would be the best past for us to take?” Sharla turned around and looked towards the left and right paths. “The left path leads to the Windy Caves. Though it leads to the upper level, it is filled with powerful monsters like what Rainbow Dash is saying. The right path is more tranquil and shorter, so it is the ideal path for us to take.” She said. “Then it’s the right path we are taking.” Twilight Sparkle announced, walking down towards it with the rest of the group following her. After a small hike up the beaten, but verdant trail, the group reached the plateau of the higher plains; a green and brown bowl of vegetation and crags were nestled within the flat mountains. The sky appeared to be much closer than anyone had imagined. The sounds of several waterfalls crashed against the water basins below, leaving rainbows in their wake. Shulk looked out into the distance and saw a spiral pillar with a notable plateau on top of it. He gasped to himself. “That’s the place where the vision happens.” He whispered silently to himself, looking over towards Sharla. “I can’t let that vision take place.” “Mumbling to yourself again, Shulk? Does it have to do with that vision from earlier?” Reyn asked. “That place definitely relates to my vision. We have to get there as quickly as possible.” Shulk replied, running towards the spiral. “Hey, wait up!” Twilight Sparkle shouted, running after him. “Consarnit! Can’t we have a single moment where we aren’t chasing after one of our own?” Applejack questioned loudly, running after Shulk and Twilight Sparkle. “Yeah… it looks like we have to catch them again.” Rolling her eyes and sighing, Rainbow Dash stated. Juju hurriedly sprinted and crawled upon the top of the spiral, avoiding metallic tentacles gunning at him. His eyes were bloodshot and his breaths cycled dangerously. Running away, his foot collided with a small stone, causing him to fall onto the ground face first. He looked back with a wide-eyes and an open mouth, seeing the Mechon tendrils open menacingly. The tendrils lunging forward, Juju shut his eyes and put his hands on top of his head. In the darkness of it all, the sound of a laser slashing against metal struck his eardrums. Slowly opening his eyes, Juju looked up to his savior; Shulk stood tall with his Monado activated. Right behind him, Twilight Sparkle hurriedly climbed the spiral. The ring on her horn unscrewed, unsheathing the lavender laser that is her Monado. “Twilight! Shulk!” Applejack screamed out, running to the top of the area. She looked around, seeing an octopus-shaped Mechon and Juju lying on the ground. “So that’s the creature in your vision, Shulk?” “Indeed. We have to finish it off right now!” Nodding, Shulk ordered. “Hold on! I’m joining in this fight, whether you want me to or not.” Sharla shouted, running up the spiral with Reyn and Rainbow Dash. “If this is the Mechon that hurt my little brother, I will pay it back in death!” Shulk bit his bottom lip in response to Sharla’s words. He paused in position for a few seconds, uttering a frustrated hum. “Alright. You have just as much claim to this monstrosity as any of us do.” Sharla let out a smirk and cocked her rifle. “You are mine!” She said. Shulk’s Monado flashed to the Enchant symbol. He swung it, filling Sharla and Twilight Sparkle with its power. Sharla aimed at the nearest tentacle, shooting it down. Twilight Sparkle aimed her horn at the Mechon, charging her Magic Spark and shooting the energy at it. Shulk hopped towards a cluster of tentacles, holding his blade to his side. “Stream Edge!” He shouted, unleashing a wide shockwave striking all of the tentacles in its path. “Metal Blast!” Sharla stated, firing a shiny bullet at the Mechon. “We’re doing an awesome job so far.” The battle against the tentacles gradually increased in hectic action; Twilight Sparkle slashed and stabbed at the tentacles with her Monado, Sharla unleashed rounds of Thunder Bullet against the enemies and Shulk evaded any tentacles, retaliating with powerful slashes. Unbeknownst to Sharla, three Mechon tendrils snuck up behind her while she was firing at the tentacles in front of her. Shulk paused in his fight and looked back at her. A shocked gasp escaped his mouth. “Sharla! Behind you!” He shouted. Sharla stopped firing and turned around. As she did, the tentacles snared at her feet, tossing her in the air. The tendrils opened their fangs like a hungry flytrap. Sharla screamed, catching the attention of Twilight Sparkle. “Sharla!” Twilight Sparkle shouted. Grasping the hilt of the Monado tightly, Shulk’s eyebrows curved in anger. Suddenly, the Monado became wreathed in dark blue electricity and a ‘疾’ appeared within its ring. Sharla was covered within a dark blue aura. Seeing the tentacles jetting after her, she dodged them with amazing aerial reflexes and ran down the tentacles, shooting the heads off with her rifle in the process. “This is… a new power!” Shulk stated hopefully. Twilight Sparkle eyed the symbol on the Monado and she too felt a burst of energy within her hooves. “Shulk! With that new power, we can finish off the enemy!” She exclaimed. “You’re right. We will be untouchable with this new power.” Shulk stated, running after the Mechon. A Mechon tendril gunned after Twilight Sparkle. Looking back in time, Twilight Sparkle jumped and performed an aileron roll at light speed. Looking back towards the Mechon, her horn flared up with in a hazy purple light. “Lightning Burst!” She shouted, unleashing a torrent of electricity towards her aggressor and shorting it out. One of the tentacles fired a series of blue lasers at Twilight Sparkle. Quickly, Sharla aimed her rifle towards her. “Shield Bullet!” At the declaration of these words, Twilight Sparkle was enveloped within a blue barrier. A majority of the shots were absorbed by it, but a few managed to pierce through the shield, striking Twilight Sparkle. She grunted slightly. “Twilight!” Shulk shouted. He raised his Monado into the air. The blade filled with a soothing light. “Light Heal!” Twilight Sparkle became enveloped in the light, and she felt her wounds disappearing. “Thanks, Shulk.” She gratefully stated. “Don’t thank me yet. Let’s finish off this Mechon with a Chain Attack!” Shulk shouted, redirecting his attention to the main body. Time stood still as the energy around Shulk, Twilight Sparkle and Sharla’s rings around them exploded. “Air Slash!” Shulk shouted, jumping into the air and slashing the side of the Mechon, causing its feet to lose balance. “Magic Cannon!” Twilight Sparkle exclaimed, firing a green bolt of ether from her horn. The Mechon promptly toppled onto the ground. “My turn!” Sharla shouted. “Thunder Bullet!” Two rounds of electricity shot forth from her rifle, striking the Mechon towards its head. “Shulk, finish it off now!” The laser of Shulk’s Monado extended past its normal size. Crackling with purple energy, Shulk held it skyward. “Monado Buster!” Shulk exclaimed, slamming the laser into the Mechon, utterly destroying it. Juju’s mouth curved into a relieved smile. He stood up from the ground, ignorant of the large shadow looming over him. Taking a few steps forward, a bronze-colored faced Mechon with a giant hammer in its right hand dropped near him. “Juju!” Rainbow Dash shouted. Juju turned around slightly, and his eyes widened fearfully. Being grabbed by the faced Mechon’s left hand, he screamed. Rainbow Dash flew towards the faced Mechon and dived towards it with her hind legs. A simple clank rung out, causing her to fly back onto the ground. “You pile of junk! Let him go!” Reyn exclaimed, running towards the faced Mechon with quickened feet. “Reyn! I’m watching your back.” Shulk stated, running towards the faced Mechon. The faced Mechon glanced towards Reyn with its red eyes. From the sky dropped two spider-type Mechon. Shulk slashed one of the spider Mechon and Reyn held off another one with his guarder. “Cheers, Shulk!” Reyn stated, holding back the Mechon as Shulk ran towards the faced Mechon. Several more spider-type Mechon appeared on the scene. Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked towards each other, and then glanced towards Twilight Sparkle. “Go help Shulk, Twi. We’ll take care of these Mechon!” Applejack announced. “We got your backs. So go save Juju!” Rainbow Dash stated. Twilight Sparkle nodded and ran after the faced Mechon. The faced Mechon, seeing Shulk and Twilight Sparkle run after him, grasped its hammer tightly. “You little!” It stated in a male, robotic Cockney accent, swinging its hammer towards the duo. Shulk and Twilight Sparkle ducked underneath the strike. Shulk swung his Monado against the metal, but it harmlessly bounced off of it. The faced Mechon roared loudly and lifted its foot above Shulk. “Shulk!” Twilight Sparkle called out, shoving Shulk out of the way of the shadow. The faced Mechon stomped onto the ground with no result. Shulk ran around the faced Mechon with a frustrated stare directed towards it. “Why? Why can’t I use the Monado?!” He shouted. “It’s only the ones that have faces. But…” In the midst of his thoughts, the faced Mechon swung its hammer. Shulk narrowly dodged the blow. “I can still see what it can do! Just like before!” “Shulk, we can worry about that later. We have to save Juju right now!” Twilight Sparkle shouted, firing bursts of magic from her horn. The faced Mechon lifted its right arm, providing a shield from the blasts of magic directed towards him. “Nice tricks you got there, pipsqueaks! Darting around the place. That’s the Monado’s power? Won’t matter, you both are still flesh and blood, and I reckon you two are nearly done!” It stated, swinging its hammer down into the ground where Shulk and Twilight Sparkle previously were. A sentry-type Mechon wandered behind the two. Applejack and Reyn smacked it with their weapons and tossed it away. “Behind you!” The faced Mechon jeered, several more spider-type Mechon dropping onto the ground. “You leave these Mechon to Reyn and me. You can depend on us!” Applejack assured, smashing her hammer down onto the Mechon. “Don’t lose your focus, Shulk. You too, Twi. Take it out!” Reyn stated, jumping into the air and stabbing against one of the nearby Mechon. “Got it!” “Roger!” Shulk and Twilight Sparkle ran towards the faced Mechon with their Monados extended. The faced Mechon thrust a punch towards their direction, only to be blocked by their Monados. With the two on their knees, the faced Mechon lifted its hammer into the air. A round was shot into the stalk of the hammer, causing an explosion that knocked the faced Mechon off-balanced. “Now!” Sharla stated, holding her rifle in a battle-ready position. “Right!” Rainbow Dash stated, flying towards the faced Mechon with her hind leg reared for a round house. With a single clash, she flipped back onto the ground. “It’s not working! Our attacks are useless against it!” Annoyed, she stated. The faced Mechon appeared as if it made a smile and then jumped into the air. “That was fun for a while, but now I’m bored!” It stated, using the height to smash its hammer down onto the ground. The wind from the initial strike on the ground knocked the group away. Juju eyed the group with anxiety. “Sharla!” He screamed, seeing Sharla knocked over the edge. Sharla barely managed to grab onto the edge. She hung for her life. Shulk and Twilight Sparkle retained their stances, but suddenly became distracted when the faced Mechon’s giant arm struck on the ground to the right. The faced Mechon lifted its hammer towards the two. “Time to finish you two off!” Shulk and Twilight Sparkle stood there, unable to move an inch. “Shulk! Twi! Look out!” Reyn shouted. With the faced Mechon having the two trapped with the hammer of impending doom, the red lines of its body flashed in a blue color for the moment. The faced Mechon, for some reason, dropped its position and began turning around. “Looks like my time here’s up. It’s your lucky day, little boy and little filly. But that luck won’t last forever.” It stated, uttering cocky laugher and presenting a struggling Juju. “I’ll keep hold of this brat. He’ll make a fine addition with that yellow filly wearing a red bow I found nosing around the area. If you want him and the filly back, you’d better come to Colony 6. But, you have to be quick. I’m feeling hungry!” Hearing the words of the faced Mechon, Applejack couldn’t help but let out a shocked gasp. “It has Applebloom!” She shouted. “You! You’re gonna pay!” Reyn exclaimed angrily, eliciting another bout of crazed laughter from the faced Mechon. “I can’t wait to grind you all into dust!” The faced Mechon stated, hovering above the ground. “Sharla! Sharla!” Juju shouted in panic, swinging his right arm wildly in a faint hope that he would reach Sharla. “No!” Twilight Sparkle’s wings unfolded. She took towards the air and fired magical blasts towards the faced Mechon’s direction. The faced Mechon turned back and saw the alicorn take flight against it. It swung its right arm towards her direction, launching her back towards the spiral. Twilight Sparkle cried out. The rest of the Mechon flew up with the faced Mechon. Rainbow Dash flew towards Sharla and grasped her hand with her hooves. Making it safely onto the platform, Sharla looked up into the sky. “Juju…” Twilight Sparkle, who was launched into the platform, stood up on her back and rubbed her forehead. An incandescent stare was directed into the sky. Applejack clenched her teeth and stomped on the ground with her right front hoof. Her anger can be felt by everyone in the area. “Applebloom! I swear if that thing does anything, anything to hurt you, I swear by my name as an Apple that I will kill it in unspeakable ways!”