//------------------------------// // Chapter 10 // Story: The Price of Power // by kingrulerword //------------------------------// **********Laputa********** “And this is our training room.” I led Starswirl, Starlight, and Gilda on an official tour of the castle. The Valkyries had been shown around when we first got there. I had immediately put them to work. I was waiting for Phase 2 to begin before I put the rest of the group to work and it was finally time. “So, I guess we’ll be spending a lot of time in here,” Gilda said looking around. “Not quite,” I replied. “We’re going to be working in a more specialized room. Trust me, it’s gonna blow your mind.” “Whatever,” Gilda grumbled. “Moving along.” I brought the small group through the rest of the castle working my way down into the first of the subterranean levels. “This is the magic lab,” I said walking into a large, brightly lit room. It was filled with various machines and storage cabinets. “All of the machines are the latest and greatest in magic research. And we have every item you could possibly stocked. And if we don’t have what you need, I will get it.” “Holy bucking Faust,” Starlight whispered. “Is this what heaven looks like?” “No,” Starswirl said looking around. “Heaven has more pegasus mares in fishnet stockings. But this is a close second.” “I have no words.Starswirl, you and I are going to have a long talk later,” I said facepalming. “Great,” he said. “Then we can talk about this other-worldly magic of yours.” “Now that you two know where you are working,” I said moving on, “It’s time to know what you’re working on.” I summoned a glass flask filled with a golden glowing liquid. Starswirl felt it immediately. “Is that….” he trailed off. I grinned. “It is. This is pure, undiluted alicorn blood.” All of the eyes in the room went wide. “Where did you get that?” Starlight exclaimed. “It was… generously donated to us by Celestia,” I replied. “The fight… the waiting…. it was all for this wasn’t it?” Starlight asked. “I wouldn’t say it was ALL for this. But yeah. The fight was so I could get some of her blood.” “Forget how you got it,” Starswirl said. “What do you want us to do with it?” I summoned a kunai and another flask. I cut my hand and filled the empty flask with my blood. When the flask was full I corked it and bandaged up my hand. Starlight was squeamish about my self-injury but stopped herself from gagging. I held up the two flasks. “I want you to bind these two together. Create a hybrid with access to my magic and Celestia’s.” Starswirl took the bottles in his magic and pulled them closer for inspection. He cast a spell on his eyes and glared at the contents. “It is possible,” he said after some deliberation. “That’s what I like to hear. I’ll leave you to it,” I turned to leave. “C’mon Gilda.” Gilda and I walked further down the stairs in silence. It felt like she wanted to say something but was holding herself back. We walked for another few minutes before Gilda gathered up the courage to speak. “You’re like this big, badass monster, right? I mean you even beat an alicorn,” she said hesitantly. I grinned. “I guess you could say that. Why?” She stopped walking. I turned to look at her; she was shifting nervously while looking at the ground. “Why me? You could get anyone to join you. Why choose me?” I looked at her. I could see her insecurities all over her face. The doubt of her self-worth, the abandonment issues, and the rage all flashed across her expressions. I walked up to her and cupped her face in my hand. I pulled her gaze to mine so that we were looking in each other’s eyes. “I chose you because I can see something that no one you’ve ever met before can. I can see your potential for greatness.” I activated my sharingan. “These eyes don’t miss anything.” Gilda switched back to her cocky, confident self. “Of course you do. After all I am that awesome.” A kind smile briefly flashed across her beak before being replaced by a panicked expression. “Don’t tell anyone about what just happened.” “I seem to have a memory gap about the past few minutes,” I said, winking. Gilda blushed. “Whatever, dweeb.” She pushed past me and walked down the stairs. I just followed behind her smiling. I love easily manipulated insecurities. Not that I lied to her. I really could see her potential. I just didn’t tell her the whole truth about why she was necessary. Gilda and I got to the bottom of the stairs and walked into a large bright room. The walls were pure white and it was completely empty. The room itself was easily the size of a football stadium. “This is where we’ll be doing most of our training,” I said. “Why here,” Gilda asked. “There’s nothing in here.” “I had this room specially built,” I explained. “In here, no magic gets in or out. I can almost completely let loose. That and I can change the gravity which also changes them way time flows… Long story short this place is perfect for just about everything.” Gilda looked around and focused her gaze on me. “What now?” “Now,” I said assuming my stance, “come at me with everything you’ve got.” “What?” “In order to best train you, I need to see where you are now. So bring it.” Gilda smirked, all trace of her earlier insecurity gone. “Fine,” she said flaring her wings. “But remember: you asked for this!” Gilda leapt into the the air and immediately became a brown blur. She flew around building up speed before coming directly at me from the front. I raised my arms to block when she accelerated and sped around, hitting me from behind. I was impressed as I flew through the air. Such control over her speed must have taken intense practice. However, I needed to see the full extent of her abilities. I landed on my feet and turned around to face her. She smirked. “Is that it then? Is that all you’ve got?” I taunted. Gilda’s smirk disappeared and she let out a cry like an eagle. She took off again, faster this time. I couldn’t keep up with her anymore. I activated my sharingan and the difference was like night and day. I could see every movement she made. To me it looked as if she was moving in slow motion. I would find time later to contemplate how overpowered the sharingan was but for now, I needed to push Gilda to her limits. She flew directly at me, talons out. I moved towards her with a kunai in both hands. She swung at me and we exchanged blows at close combat. None of her hits landed and I could see her getting more frustrated and sloppy. I refrained from cutting her deeply. I only cut places that would hurt and bleed without causing too much damage. After getting a few more hits in, I knocked Gilda back with Susanoo’s hand. She looked at me completely stunned. “What in Tartarus was that?” Gilda yelled. “One of the many aces I keep up my sleeve,” I replied. “Are you done now?” Using the sharingan, I could see Gilda’s natural magic was low which meant her stamina was about to run out. Gilda was breathing heavily and looking like she was going to fall over. Out of nowhere she had a burst of natural magic and flew faster than she had before. Gilda was putting all of her strength into a last ditch attack. An attack that was stronger than everything else she done so far. This was a good sign. As Gilda got close I formed the top half of Susanoo. The impact from crashing into Susanoo at her top speed made a lot of painful sounding crunching noises. None of which came from Susanoo. I looked down at an unconscious Gilda. “Oops. That probably could have gone better,” I said as I gently picked her up. I began the walking up the stairs to take her to her room to recover. On the way up the long staircase, I passed by the lab and stuck my head in. Starlight and Starswirl were in the middle of a very intense debate and didn’t notice my presence. I left them to their work and kept going up the stairs. Walking by the training room, I saw Aoife working out. I walked over to her. “Lord Mephisto,” she said, “What can I do for you?” “Gather the Valkyries and meet me in the conference room,” I said. “It’s time to plan your first mission.” Aoife’s eyes lit up at the news. “Of course, sir.” Yes, I had a conference room. Don’t look at me like that. Anyway, I carried Gilda up to her room and lay her on her bed. She groaned in pain and I winced. Using Susanoo was definitely overkill. On the bright side, I now had baseline to work with. Got to look at the glass half-full. I walked through the castle and into the conference room. All of the Valkyries were sitting around a large table looking nervous. “Greetings Valkyries,” I said. “I trust you are all enjoying your stay in the castle?” I was met with few nods and sounds of agreement. “Now I know you’ve all been wondering when I’ll give you something to do. After all I didn’t recruit you for a vacation. The good news is: I have a mission for you.” This little tidbit perked all of the griffons up and their eagerness reflected in their wagging tails. “As you all know, there is currently a summit of world leaders in Canterlot. Representatives from all over Equus will be in the city for a week each with their own personal guard. Security for the castle will be on high alert and any attempts to break in will be nearly impossible.” “So what’s the plan then?” One of the Valkyries, Andraste, asked. “We’re going to break into the castle,” I said calmly. My response was not well received. “You’re talking about a suicide mission!” Andraste cried out. “What do you even hope to gain from this?” Merlin asked. “Enough!” Aoife said. “We are Valkyries! We follow orders! If Lord Mephisto orders us to jump we don’t ask why we say ‘how high’. I’m sure he isn’t sending us in blind. Now be silent so we can get through this.” The panic settled down and the room became quiet. “Thank you, Aoife,” I continued. “She’s right. You are the best group of operatives in the world and losing even one of you would be an unacceptable loss.” This seemed to ease some of the Valkyries worries. “However, I know nothing about this current generation’s skills. And the best way to test you out is to send you into a live mission. Besides, it’s not like we’re executing this mission tomorrow. I never jump into a situation. We will prepare thoroughly so that there is no doubt of success.” The Valkyries looked nervously at each other and then back to me. “Alright sir, we are behind you 100%. What would you have us do?” “Here’s the plan.” **********Canterlot Castle 3rd POV********** Celestia sat on her throne with her sister on one side and her niece on the other. She had returned to Canterlot to find Luna had things well under control. She had used the guards to clean up the damage from Sasuke’s attack and the castle staff were preparing rooms for the dignitaries that would soon arrive. Cadence on the other hand was not acting like herself. Ever since her encounter with Sasuke, she had been distracted. She seemed to be lost in thought and not paying attention to her surroundings. Not only that, but it was rumored among the staff that she had been heard arguing with her fiance about the human. It seemed they disagreed on how much of a threat Sasuke really was. Celestia wished she could have had more time to help them work through their troubles and talk to Cadence about what Sasuke said to her but a princess’s work is never done. Especially when foreign dignitaries were visiting her castle. A young servant quickly trotted into the throne room and approached the throne. “My princesses,” The young mare said as she bowed. “They have arrived.” “Very good,” Celestia said taking a deep breath. “Send them in.” The mare nodded and quickly exited the throne room. Luna turned to her fellow princesses. “Are you sure young Cadence is ready for this? She seems odd of late.” “Hmm? What?” Cadence was pulled out of her thoughts by her name but had heard nothing else. “Like us she is a princess of Equestria and this is a part of her duties,” Celestia said, defending her niece. “However, Cadence please try to stay with us.” “Sorry,” the pink alicorn said meekly. Trumpets blew catching the attention of the alicorns. A squire cleared his throat and then spoke. “Introducing the representative from the Griffon Republic: Chancellor Boudicca.” A female griffon walked into the throne room flanked by two soldiers. The center griffon had brilliant golden fur and carried herself with regal authority. “Princess Celestia, Princess Cadence it is always a pleasure to see you,” the chancellor said warmly. “And it is an honor to finally meet you as well Princess Luna.” Luna and Cadence nodded. “Chancellor Boudicca it is good to see you as well, old friend,” Celestia replied. Chancellor Boudicca sat in one of the lavish seats that had been prepared in a circle in the throne room. The squire cleared his throat again. “Introducing the representative from the Zebrafican tribes, Councilor Kalifa.” Like the griffons, three zebras walked into the throne room. Two soldiers flanked the Councilor who had a more approachable aura than the griffon chancellor. “Princesses it is an honor to be hosted in your castle. I pray that this summit goes well and that we may come to a quick agreement,” the councilor said. Celestia smiled. The zebras were always so kind and had always been a great ally to Equestria. “The honor is all ours, Councillor, thank you for coming,” Celestia said. The councillor took his seat as the squire got ready to speak again. “Introducing the representative from the Dragon Lands: In place of the Great Elder Dragon, the Elder Dragon, Raze.” A sapphire blue dragon quickly moved into the throne room and went straight to the throne. The large dragon stood in front of Luna and eyed her suspiciously. Luna wilted under the dragon’s gaze and then the dragon picked her up. “Oh my little Luna!” Raze cried out, cuddling the alicorn. “Why didn’t you visit me? You had me worried sick!” Luna squirmed in the dragon’s grasp. “Let go of me! I’m not a little foal anymore, mother!” “Don’t you talk back to me missy,” the dragon said without letting go. “I don’t care if you are an all-powerful alicorn princess. You’ll always be my little hatching.” Raze eventually relented and put Luna down. Cadence was snickering at having witnessed her aunt be treated like a foal. Celestia had kept her composure. “It is always a pleasure to see you Raze,” Celestia said. “You as well Little Celly,” Raze replied kindly. “And who is this adorable little pony?” “This is my niece Princess Cadence,” Celestia said. “Cadence, this is Raze, acting leader of the dragons.” “Nice to meet you,” Cadence said extending a hoof. Raze picked her up much like she had done Luna and cuddled her. “Oh, the pleasure is all mine, pretty pony,” Raze said. It was Luna’s turn to laugh as Cadence struggled in the dragon’s strong grip. Raze put Cadence down and then took a position in the circle. The squire took a moment to compose himself before his next announcement. “Introducing the representative from Minos: Warrior King Steel Sword.” A large blue minotaur covered in scars swaggered into the throne room. He carried two swords on his back and had armor that covered half of his chest. Two smaller minotaurs with large swords followed him. “Greetings pony princesses,” the minotaur said. “I trust all is well.” “Greetings King Steel,” Celestia said. “It is nothing we can’t handle.” The Warrior King nodded and took his seat. The squire looked uncomfortable as he got ready to announce the next dignitary. However he maintained his professionalism. “Introducing the representative from the Changeling Hive: in place of Queen Mirage, her eldest daughters, Princess Glamour, Princess Mesmer, and Princess Flitter.” The three changeling princesses walked into the throne room quietly. Princess Glamour had a black carapace with a long blue mane, tail, and wings. Princess Mesmer looked the same as her older sister only red and with a shorter horn and mane. Princess Flitter was black with yellow as her secondary color and had wings similar to a butterfly. Princess Glamour walked in the center with her two younger sisters flanking her. The changeling princesses walked up to the throne and bowed. Luna and Celestia were excited. It had been centuries since they had seen their best friends. “Well met, Celestia, Luna,” Glamour said. “It has been far too long since our last meeting. How fares Equestria.” Celestia smiled at her childhood friend. “Like you don’t already know. How are your younger sisters?” The changeling princess grinned. “It is always best to hear it from the source rather than through the grapevine. And they are fine. Well except for Chrysalis. You know how she gets when she doesn’t get chosen for things like this.” She led her sisters over to their seats. Luna could sympathize with the youngest changeling princess. She knew what it felt like to be unappreciated and in the shadow of an older sibling. To feel like she had to prove her worth. Celestia surveyed the room. Everyone was accounted for. She motioned to the squire and he bowed and left. The doors to the throne room closed behind him and a table materialized in the center of the floor. “Now that we are all here,” Celestia said. “This world summit can begin. Chancellor Boudicca, if you would.” “Thank you, Princess,” the griffon said, standing up. “Now you all know why I have called you here. There is a threat to the safety of all of our nation's greater than any we have ever faced before. There is a creature that will lay waste to our countries and kill indiscriminately without hesitation. A creature of such immense power it rivals the strength of an alicorn. A creature with a heart so dark it can and has used foals as hostages and leverage. A creature with magic so strange that no one even knows the full extent of its abilities. I’m talking of course, about the human Sasuke Uchiha.” Several of the other dignitaries reacted to the name but no one said anything. “He has escaped his imprisonment and once again threatens the safety of our world. He must be stopped at all costs.” **********Laputa 1st POV********** After going over the details of the plan with the Valkyries, I had sent them to get all of the preparations ready. My two science ponies were still hard at work in the lab and Gilda was still unconscious. That left me with nothing to do for a while. I thought I would use my free time effectively and come up with some more missions for the Valkyries. I knew before some of my larger plans could be put into motion they would require a bit more setup. I sat down at the desk in my room and began putting my thoughts on paper. I also had a few more projects I would need to talk to my techie ponies about. Hopefully they would be up to the task. I was in the middle of brainstorming some code names when there was a knock on my door. “Come in,” I said. Gilda walked in, limping. “Hey buddy,” I said softly. “How are you feeling?” “My everything hurts,” she grumbled at me. “But I’m more than tough enough to handle it.” “That’s keeping a positive attitude,” I cheered. Gilda just glared at me. “Don’t worry, I’ve got the perfect thing for you.” I walked over to the injured griffon and we teleported together. We appeared in a cave in front of a glowing, pink pool. “Where are we?” Gilda asked. “Underneath the castle,” I explained. “I’m about to show you why I had it built here.” I walked over to the pool and pointed to it. “Get in.” Gilda looked at the pool and then looked at me. “Are you insane? Why would I get into some creepy glowing water?” “Because its not water?” “And that makes it better?” “Doesn’t it?” Gilda glared at me again before walking towards the pool. “I swear if this does something weird to me, I’m going to claw your stupid eyes out.” I smiled at her. “Just trust me.” She climbed into the glowing liquid and a bright light enveloped her. “What the - aaaaahhhhhhhhhh.” Gilda visibly relaxed as the pool did its work. “This feels great! What is it?” “Raw, concentrated magic,” I responded. “One of only ten magic pools in existence.” “Tell what that means in non-dweeb,” she said. “It means that we have access to an unlimited supply of primal magic. One of the effects, as you can feel, is complete regeneration. There’s a pipe I had installed that actually pumps this stuff into the lab. But to get here you have to teleport.” “Awesome, I guess. So what else does it do?” “While it regenerates your body, it also strengthens it. And the power boost is permanent. Only drawback is if you try to get in while you’re not injured it puts too much magic in your system and you break apart on an atomic level.” “That sounds bad.” “It is. So get out when you feel better.” Gilda sat in the magic pool, enjoying it for a while before climbing out. “This is pretty cool but how are you sure that the pony princesses won’t find it?” I smiled. “They can’t. The strange thing is, if you try to sense them magically, they imitate the magic they come into contact with. You have to find them the hard way. Or not use Equestrian magic.” I gently touched Gilda’s head and teleported back into the castle with her. All around us the Valkyries were getting things ready for the mission. “Gilda, I want you to go the the training room and test out your new strength,” I told her. She nodded and flew off.I teleported into the stadium room. I needed a better name for that place. I pulled out a scroll and summoned a pack of timberwolves. Upon seeing me they all glomped me and licked me with their wooden tongues. “All right, all right,” I said pushing them away. “I missed you guys too.” “No contact for over a thousand years,” a deep feminine feminine voice said, “we thought you were dead.” I turned my head to see the alpha of the pack, a large timberwolf that towered over the others. “I’m sorry Moro,” I said. “The ponies imprisoned me in stone. But I’m free now and ready to fulfill our deal.” Moro bristled and growled at the mention of Celestia’s name but calmed down when when I mentioned our deal. “So much life lost while you were gone,” she said sadly. “Our forest has been getting smaller. With each year the ponies take a little more of our home.” “I know,” I said. “But I’m back now. I’ll put an end to it.” The timberwolf smiled.(Yes timberwolves can smile) “Zap apple season is coming soon. With your help, we have hope this time. We will once be able to live free of fear.” “I won’t let them hurt you any more,” I said holding Moro’s head in my arms. “The timberwolves will be a proud race once more. I’m going to attack Canterlot again ready yourselves for a hard fought battle.” With that the timberwolves released the summoning technique. I knew Applejack harvested the zap apples but I didn’t know she harvested them all! The pain those poor timberwolves must be feeling. I can’t believe Celestia reneged on a deal. This would have to be addressed.