//------------------------------// // It's All In The Technique // Story: Blooming Talent // by Griffin Productions //------------------------------// Piccolo sat in meditation on the tile-laden floor of the Lookout; his large cape flowing with the wind as he calmed his mind. The situation was looking bleaker by the second, and every moment they spent here was a moment Equestria could've used their help. He had tried to form a plan or some strategy to be able to not only save those that would still be living in the magical dimension, but even be able to revive all the ponies who were no doubt seeing their lives flash before their eyes one last time. Each idea he had thought up, however, either was nulled by another fact, or was too convoluted and farfetched to attempt. Damn those Eternal Dragons and their laws. As he continued to think, he thought of one last option; but he wasn't sure if he himself could do it. It would require-- "Piccolo!" The voice of Trunks interrupted his thoughts. The namekian's eyes sprang open, and found their sights on the purple-haired half-saiyan, who was running over to him excitedly. He looked rater pleased. "Did Buu find a way to open a space-time rift without being angry?" Piccolo asked him, standing up. "Yes!" He replied, a smile wide across his face. "It's kind of silly, but...well, just come watch." Piccolo,his curiosity now piqued, followed Trunks over to where the pudgy pink majin was happily humming a tune to himself whilst swaying from side-to-side. He saw the two approach and gave a big wave. "We show Piccolo now, Trunks? Show Piccolo what Buu do?" "That's right, Buu." Trunks encouraged. "Let's show Piccolo the voodoo that Buu do." The pink majin nodded and dropped into a ready stance; his tongue hanging out of his upwardly curved mouth in concentration. Trunks gave a shout and entered into Super Saiyan form; his golden hair flowing upwards. Once he was transformed, he began to toss several ki blasts around Buu. As the attacks neared the majin, he raised his antenna and commanded that all of that energy be turned into chocolate. The will was done, and each of Trunks' blasts was turned into harmless, delicious looking chocolate balls which Buu proceeded to inhale quite literally. After a few moments, Buu's squinty eyes went wide for a second, and he did a short little dance while giving childlike laughs. After a few moments of this display, he started doing some strange things. He first dipped forward, putting his stubby right leg out behind him,then instantly, with unbelievable grace, he spun around at high speed. As suddenly as he started, Buu stopped spinning, and looked over his shoulder in quick succession three times. Just as Piccolo thought this ridiculous display was over, Buu thrust him self forward, and then thrust himself back like a ragdoll and coming to a halt on his right foot. He stood up on both feet again, and stretched them to impossible lengths as his rotund body began to do sort of orbit around where his feet were firmly planted. After the second rotation, all sanity was thrown out the window as Buu bounced on his backside, and his body began to morph and contort in several different shapes and sizes that Piccolo could barely follow. Buu finally formed himself back, and with a happy little smile he puffed a little breath into the air in front of him, and like a zipper to a jacket, the air opened up, revealing some other world on the other side. Through the wormhole, Piccolo saw a quant looking cottage with several animals running about it both inside and out; a forest not too far away from where it sat. He almost questioned if this was the correct dimension, but then a pony came flying into the view; she had a very lengthy pink mane and tail, and her fur was a much brighter yellow than Apple Bloom's. He noticed the three pink butterflies on her flank, and watched as she was thrown into the cottage, caving in one of the wooden walls a bit before slumping down, giving a short cry of pain. Piccolo started to hastily move in to see what he could do, but the portal shut suddenly, and Piccolo looked angrily at the majin now sitting down, huffing and puffing. Piccolo calmed own seeing this, realizing Buu had not intentionally shut it. "He's only able to keep it open a short while, huh?" Trunks nodded. "Yeah. When we first started this, he could only do it for three seconds. We're making progress." Piccolo nodded, and tried to stop imagining what awful things were now happening to that yellow pegasus he had just seen. * * * Apple Bloom, Goten, and Goku all sat cross-legged in a circle amongst the whiteness of the Time Chamber. The two young ones watched as Goku demonstrated how to calmly and subtly bring forth power without releasing it all at once. He looked calm and at peace as he meditated, and they could both feel his power increasing every moment, but no outward signs showed as such. Apple Bloom blinked when she thought she saw Goku's hair turn red for a second before going back to black. He opened his eyes and motioned for them to try it. Goten and Apple Bloom closed their eyes and focused on raising their power levels without making it noticeable. This was definitely much easier said than done, as Apple Bloom started to open up each gate she had keeping her massive power in check. She let go of too much energy at once though, and her aura flashed with the bright white of her power. "Horseapples..." She muttered. "Hey, don't feel bad, you'll get it." Goten assured her, giving her a reassuring look. She smiled back at him, and closed her eyes again, giving it another go. * * * "How dare you?!" Pinkie Pie cried out after witnessing Fluttershy being kicked far overhead by the changeling biped. Sapphic descended to the ground, and tossed Rainbow Dash's wingless form to the ground; the bone splinters sticking out of where her glorious feathered appendages used to be. He had caught her during another headbutt attempt, and rather than hold his aching stomach, he had grabbed her by her outstretched wings, and tore them clean off, effectively putting an end to her being much of a bother. Rainbow Dash tried to stand up, he stepped on her back as she did so, and started to grind her into the dirt as she screamed in pain; her spine was heard audibly cracking under his pressure. The pink party pony wasted little time in getting him off her now handicapped friend as she rocked his torso with several hard strikes that were obviously meant to break solid rock. Sapphic's chest carapace was on the verge of breaking, an he slapped the pink earth pony in the face, before grabbing her mane and flinging her up and back down hard into the gravel. To his surprise, she jumped right back up, and bit down on his hand. He lifted her up and tried to shake her off his limb, but her jaw was locked like a vice. Before he decided he would just blast her off, he was attacked from behind by a magical blast from Twilight; the raw magic energy searing his clear wings off. He yelled in anger, and threw a ki blast in her direction, which she dodged, and counter attacked upon with another spell, this one of higher intensity. Pinkie let go of him as the beam struck Sapphic,sending him bouncing across the ground and into the Carousel Boutique; the walls he struck against collapsing instantly as he fund himself covered in fabrics and threads. As he stood up, getting the materials off him, he saw the white unicorn Rarity standing in the opening he had involuntarily created. "I think I just got a new idea for a piece." She said, a little darker than usual. Needles and spools of thick thread and wire began to float in her magical aura, and Sapphic blinked as Rarity's power level slightly increased. "And you look like a simply smashing new mannequin, darling."