Chapter Twenty: Going Home
{Twilight’s POV}
I woke up next to Alduin’s bed, to see his body had disappeared.
I ran down stairs.
“Gale! GALE!” I stopped and saw Gale. “Gale! Alduin’s body is gone!”
“Well, there’s a good reason for that.” He gestured behind him, and then I saw him. It, was Alduin, alive and well.
“A-Alduin?” He nodded.
“Hello, Twilight.” I couldn’t believe it.
“ALDUIN!” I ran up to him with tears in my eyes and hugged him. He hugged me back as I started to cry tears of joy. “I-I thought that you were gone, that I’d lost you forever.” He hugged me closer.
“I’m sorry to have made you sad. I promise, I’ll never leave you alone again.” I smiled and just kept hugging him.
“Hey, why don’t you two reunite with a kiss?” I turned and glared at Gale. A woman standing beside him smacked him upside the head.
“Don’t ruin the moment,” she chastised. I smiled.
“You know what? He’s right.” I turned and kissed Alduin, catching him completely off guard. I wiggled out of his grasp, he fell back, and I giggled. His face was priceless.
“Wow, that actually worked.” I turned and giggled again. The looks on Gale’s and the mysterious woman’s face were also priceless.
The woman smirked. “Well, at least this ‘Twilight’ has a sense of humor. Most have sticks stuck too far up their own culs to be able to joke like that.”
“I wouldn’t really say it was a joke.”
“WHAT HAVE I BEGUN?!” Gale’s face went from shock to horrified wonder. That made me laugh even more. The twins un-fused from Alduin and ran to hug me.
“We saved Dad!” I hugged them.
“Well that must have been some adventure. What happened?” Plague and Amnesia then spent a couple minutes telling me about what happened, but there seemed to be a few details missing about what happened to the Dovahkiin and his partner. Oh well.
“My, you two were very brave.”
“Thanks Mom!” I took me a second to realize what they said. I had a look of pure confusion, with a drop of sweat running down the side of my head.
“Huh?”
“Well, with the way you kissed Dad, it’s bound to happen right?”
“How about we take this one step at a time, okay?” I turned to see Alduin coming towards us.
“Okay.” I sighed. These two certainly had quite the imagination.
“Well, with that over, I believe I promised to teach you some Shouts, Kat?”The woman, now identified as Kat, nodded.
“I suppose so. I’m not so sure I deserve it, since I didn’t really do all that much to help you. I could have, but then it would have been a lot less fun.” She smirked after saying that.
“Well I said I would and I’m a dragon of my word. Come on, I’ll teach you outside so we can practice freely. Plague, Amnesia, you two can come to learn some Shouts as well.”
“Yay!” The twins and Kat followed Alduin outside, which gave me time to set up a party. I went to the land-line and called Pinkie.
“Hello Pinkie? Yeah it’s me, Twilight. I need you to set up a party.”
{Third POV}
“Alright, so what’s this you’re teaching?”
Alduin turned to Kat.
“Well, like I told you before, I’m going to teach you how to Shout.” Alduin sat down crossed legged, and motioned for Kat and the twins to do the same. “Now, before I begin, what do you know about Shouts?”
“That apparently they rely on the Draconian language.” Kat shrugged. Alduin nodded.
“Well yes that’s true, but they’re a lot more than that. Shouts, also known as Thu’um, are an extension of the ancient dragon language. They are words, that become power. It is The Way Of The Voice. To use Shouts, you must not only speak a word, but mean it. When you use a shout, you use three words. For example, the shout Unrelenting Force uses the words Fus, Ro, and Dah. In english, they are Force, Balance, and Push. When you speak these words with truth, with so much truth that the world itself will change to make it so, you have used a Shout. That is what it means to use The Way Of The Voice. To speak so that even the world itself believes you. Now, you have already learned one shout. By learning one, you have the ability to learn them all. Now, look at these words.” Alduin looked at the ground with intensity.
“Yol, Toor, Shul.” He spoke the words softly, but meaningfully. Strange symbols appeared on the grass in front of Kat and the twins.
“Now, I want you all to breath in deep, and try to understand the words. But don’t just understand what they say, understand what they mean. What they stand for. What they truly are.” Kat and the twins nodded, closed their eyes, breathed in deep, and attempted to understand the words. After a few moments, they all started hearing words in their heads. Whispers of thousands of words. Then, three words burned into their minds.
‘Yol. Toor. Shul.’
All three of them opened their eyes with smiles on their faces. Alduin returned the smile.
“Good good. You all learn fast.”
“Heh, that’s what Paco used to tell me when I was first learning this stuff,” Kat reminisced. Alduin chuckled.
“Well it was the truth. Now, speak the words, with meaning. With truth!” Kat and the twins looked to the sky.
“YOL TOOR SHUL!” Streams of fire came out of their mouths. The first one, Plague’s, was green. The second one, Kat’s, was a warm orange. The last one, Amnesia’s, was purple. The flames shot into the air, causing a couple birds to fly off in a panic. Once the flames were done, all three looked back to Alduin.
“Good, very good. Now, try this.” Alduin once again looked to the ground with intensity.
“Fo, Krah, Diin.” Once again Alduin spoke softly. More strange symbols appeared on the grass. Kat and the twins once again closed their eyes, breathed in deep, and focused. The whispers came once again, and then three words burned into their minds.
‘Fo. Krah. Diin.’
They opened their eyes, and spoke the words to the sky.
“FO KRAH DIIN!” Frost breaths came out of their mouths, all being an icy blue. Alduin smiled.
“None of you disappoint.” Alduin was about to teach them more, but Gale interrupted.
“Hey! Can you guys come in for a sec? We need your help with something!” Alduin nodded and they all got up. They walked into the house, which was pitch black, somehow.
“Gale? How can we help if we can’t see?” Suddenly the lights turned on.
“SURPRISE!” There was a bunch of people in the living room. Alduin saw Twilight and her friends, Gale, hell he even saw some of his students. There was a banner near the ceiling that said: “WELCOME BACK TO THE LAND OF THE LIVING ALDUIN!” Underneath that one was a banner that said: “THANKS FOR HELPING GETTING ALDUIN BACK, KAT!” Alduin laughed.
“Wow,” Kat laughed. “This really wasn’t necessary. I didn’t do much at all, honest.” Pinkie was suddenly in front of her.
“So what? Even if it was only a little bit of help, you still helped. AND FOR THAT WE THANK YOU!”
Kat laughed, her smile almost gleaming. “Just… wow. I can’t say I’ve ever had quite a reception.” A portal opened in the ceiling, and Marx came out.
“FREE OTHERWORLDLY CANDY FOR EVERYONE!” There was a sudden down pour of candy from the portal. Marx laughed along with Pinkie as candy covered the floor. Alduin picked up the candy, and took a closer look at it. It was from Equestria.
Kat graciously declined the candy, not being much of a sweets person. “I’ll pass, thank you.”
“Alright then.” Marx said. “But, I do need to thank you. I’m a skeleton of victories, and though you didn’t do much, I still thank you with this.” He gave her a weird looking, rainbow colored gem.
“A gem? Why Marx, I didn’t think you were so forward~,” Kat said with a wink. “Sorry hon, but I’m taken.” She giggled.
“Oh, you with the jokes,” Marx laughed. “That gem’s not for show though. If you hold it close to your heart, you ki will become stronger for a short time, as well as your control over gravity.”
“Is it a one time use thing, or what?” she asked, examining the gem without taking it.
“You can use it multiple times, but after every use it needs 24 hours to recharge. Also, it only lasts for an hour.”
She made a weird face at that. “Doesn’t sound all that great. No offense or anything, it just doesn’t sound like something I would ever need.” Marx put a an arm over her shoulder and gestured to the air.
“Okay, imagine being able to find, go to, and attack and beat the merchant in about ten seconds.” Kat nodded. Marx pointed to the gem. “With that you can do it in five.”
“Eh, again no offense, but that’s kinda lame. And I don’t hold any ill will against the Merchant. I’ve just been asked time and again if I would stand against him. If anything I’m grateful… save for what happened about ten years ago, but that’s in the past for now.” Marx cocked an eyebrow. A portal opened up and he dropped the gem in it.
“You’ll find that gem in your house. I’m not one to let people refuse my gifts. Besides, I know one day you’ll probably need that, maybe.”
“If you say so, and it’s not my house. It’s Typhon’s, I just live there. I kinda don’t have a home, actually.”
“If you leave that gem there it will follow you.” Marx then opened another portal and hoped through.
“He’s a pushy kinda guy, ain’t he?” Kat quipped after the Displacer made his leave. Gale walked up to her.
“Nah, he just finds it rude when someone refuses a gift. He may be insane, but he’s helpful.”
“Well, I didn’t mean to offend. I’m just not really used to having such treatment,” Kat admitted with a blush. “I’m not really the ‘hero’ type so this… this is a little different. I’m not sure whether it’s a good different or a bad one.”
“I wouldn’t know, but Alduin might. He did destroy someone else’s Canterlot once.”
“Been there, done that,” Kat muttered. “I’m sorry, I’m just being a downer here. I just… I need some air.” Kat flew off into the air, disappearing into the clouds above. She floated there, just, thinking. After a little while, the twins came into the clouds. Plague had green dragon horns, green dragon wings, and a green dragon tail. His teeth and nails were sharp. Amnesia was the same, but her horns, wings, and tail were purple.
“Hey, you okay Kat?”
“Yeah… I guess. It’s just… seeing that Twilight and Pinkie so happy about me… makes me want to go home,” she said forlornly.
“Well, we can ask Marx to send you home.”
“I can’t go home,” she said simply. “I’ve been exiled.” The twins gasped. They looked at each other, then nodded. They turned all black, and parts of them came off their horns. They turned back to normal, parts of their horns missing. They held out the black blob to her.
“Here.”
“What’s this?”
“It’s a symbiote extension. With this, Cancer can extend herself all around your body, and change you to look however you want. You can look like a pony, a minotaur, a griffin, whatever you like.”
“Well, I can already do that, but I suppose the extra boost to Cancer would give us a bit more of a fighting edge.” Cancer slid down her owner’s arm, waiting for the gift.
“[color=9426af]Well, can beings with a sort of sixth sense or something like that still see you with the disguise?”
“You tell me,” Kat smirked, tapping her jacket. In a blinding flash of green light, Kat disappeared, being replaced with a pony floating in mid air. “Well?” The twins closed their eyes, and nodded.
“Yes, your aura makes it obvious. Even a basic sensing spell could tell that it’s you.”
Kat pouted. “They would have to know me to be able to tell,” she complained. “I know for a fact that I am one hundred percent pony in this state.”
“Your aura’s still the same. And it doesn’t matter if they know you or not, a displaced aura is much different than any kind of pony’s aura, or any other creature ponies know of. That’s actually one of the reasons ponies start out hostile towards displaced. They may not know it but the incredibly strange aura makes them subconsciously aggressive, that is unless they know it’s friendly.”
“Never done that before,” she refuted. “I went five years in another world filled with ponies and barely any of them were hostile to me. There’s very little you’ll find constant in the multiverse. So I hope you’ll remember that.”
“They still felt it, but since they saw that you were another pony amongst the crowd, they didn’t know it was because of you they felt this way. But anyways, this extension will prevent that aura from showing. You’ll be even better disguised.”
Kat sighed, knowing there was no point in arguing facts with other worldly beings. “Alright alright. I don’t agree with what you think is fact, but I’ll still take the help. May come in handy for worlds where ponies do have such instincts.”
“Yeah, and also, it does this.” Amnesia poked it, and it began to shudder. It then became a perfect copy of her, and bowed. “If it becomes necessary, it can become a copy of you and run off, distracting the danger and allowing you to get away. It’ll come back once it gets away from the danger.”
“Huh, neat. Lay it on me.”
“Okay, this might feel weird.” The fake Kat became a black blob once more, and it leaped at Kat. As it started to fuse with here, she felt an extra consciousness enter her mind and disappear into Cancer.
“Well, that was painless thankfully. Thank you for the gift. I think… I think I might be ready to try the party again.”
“Okay! Oh and also, if Cancer starts arguing with herself, or has a wired second voice from time to time, don’t worry. That’s just the extension. We had to give it a consciousness so it could do what it needs to do.”
“ALRIGHT! LET’S GET DAD TO SING!” Kat chuckled at the symbiotes’ enthusiasm.
“Again, thank you both. And don’t worry about Cancer, my little girl will integrate the new powers in no time. Now let’s get back down there before Pinkie starts to think I ditched her party.” The twins nodded, and they all flew back to the house. The party had moved outside, and they all landed near Twilight. Plague whispered something into Twilights ear, and she nodded. Twilight found Vinyl Scratch, whispered her the same thing, and Vinyl nodded. After a few moments, she drove her car into the back, parked it, transformed it into its stage mode, and tossed Twilight a mike. Twilight caught and tapped the mike to get everyone’s attention. After everyone quieted, she smiled.
“How’s everyone liking the party?” Everyone cheered and Twilight laughed. “Alright, well how about we have Alduin sing again?” Everyone went nuts at this. Alduin then walked up right next to Twilight and grabbed the mic.
“So you all want another, eh?” everyone cheered. “Well then I’ll give one! Gale! Epidemic! Get up here! And someone pass me my guitar!” Everyone cheered. The twins formed Epidemic, and Gale got his drums. Rainbow Dash brought Alduin his guitar, and Sunset gave Epidemic his. They grabbed their instruments, and got ready.
“All right boys, just follow my lead you’ll get it.” Then the song started.
Once the song was over, everybody cheered. Alduin set his instrument down, and motioned for Kat to come on stage.
“Who me? Nah nah, I don’t know about that.”
Gale rolled his eyes.
“Oh come on.” He ran up to her, picked her up bridal style, ran back to the stage, and then set her down.
“Okay, one, never do that again. And two, I’m not exactly sure what you want me to sing. I doubt we’re into the same kind of music.”
“You’re not singing.”
Kat turned to Alduin. Alduin turned to the group in front of them. “Hello everyone! This, is Kat. She helped in returning my soul.” Everyone cheered at this.
“Oh boy,” Kat gulped. “Cheering, not good with cheering,” she muttered to herself, trying to look small. Gale however, wouldn’t let that happen.
“Stage fright?”
“I’m not civilian friendly. Pep talk a bunch of soldiers, no problem. Actual non-combatants… I try to avoid them at all costs.”
“Here, try this. Every Time you have to talk to a crowd of people, imagine them in military outfits.”
“I am not a child who needs a pep talk,” she hissed under her breath. “I would just rather not do this, and if you keep making me you’ll find out why your kind literally bows to me.”
“One, it’s not a pep talk, it’s advice. I remember one guy that I had to imagine was a totally different pony to keep myself from killing him, as well as many others.” Gale muttered that last part. “And two, we’re doing this so you get the thanks you deserve.”
“But I… I just… I really don’t think I should,” she mumbled.
“Hey don’t worry about it. Look, my mind is connected to the void better than most. Sometimes, little tidbits of conversations come through the void. Do you know who’s name I heard a lot? I heard yours. People thank you, or just talking about you. You get thanked, but personally, Alduin and I never thought it was enough. That’s the real reason why we’re giving you all of this thanks. Not just for what you did here, but what you’ve done elsewhere.”
“I… I uh... “ Kat really wasn’t sure what to do. Her emotions were feeling really rather conflicted and really just wanted to disappear and hide like normal. “I really don’t want to do this. I’m happy for the praise, but… I don’t want it. I don’t want to be praised for going out there and doing what needs to be done. And for the other stuff I’ve done, praise is the last thing people should be doing.”
“Oh yeah? Look around.” Kat looked around and was shocked. They were in the void.
“Okay, what is with your weird world?! Seriously, it’s like you’re living in your own little bubble of weirdness!”
“That kind of happens when your displacer is happy to help. A portal opened beneath us, and you didn’t even notice. But let me tell you one thing. Those things you did in the past, where most of them against the ponies?”
“Well, yeah… innocent ponies,” Kat admitted shamefully. “They never did anything wrong but they paid for my own mistakes.” Gale just chuckled.
“Trust me Kat, no one’s innocent. There’s innocence to certain degrees, but no one is entirely innocent. Anyways, those mistakes, were in the past. I know it’s tough love, but let me tell you one thing, move on. It may be hard, but if you forgive yourself, and move on, you’ll finally be able to accept the thanks that is given to you.”
Kat thought on that for a moment, looking out and the vastness before her. This wasn’t the first to have told her this, and his words rang with a truth… but Kat still shook her head. “No. I don’t walk the road of forgiveness. I don’t want to be forgiven for what I’ve done, as that will make it seem ok. My past isn’t okay and I will not brush it off as mistakes I’ve made. I’m sorry, but you can keep your praise and everyone else’s. It doesn’t mean anything to me.” Gale grabbed her shoulders.
“Hey, I never said that you could just brush off your mistakes, and I never said that others should just forgive you for your past. I’m telling you to forgive yourself, to live with your mistakes so they don’t happen again. If you never forgive yourself, then who’s to say you won’t just accidently make those mistakes again. Who’s to say that someone else won’t make those mistakes. If you forgive yourself, then you can forgive others, and help prevent others from making your mistakes. I’m not saying to just brush off your past. I’m saying that you should live with them, with the knowledge on how to prevent them from happening again.” Kat slowly removed his hands from her shoulders.
“Thank you for that… but I have my path. I know what I’ve done and I know I can keep others from making the same mistakes I did. That does not mean nor equal forgiveness. The citizens of Equestria will never forgive me, so neither should I. I will bear that burden and make others better because of it. Thank you for your words, but I think it’s time I should leave. This place just isn’t for me.” Gale nodded.
“Alright, leave if you wish, but just know this. If you’re ever in trouble, or just need someone to talk to, you can count on me, or Alduin.” Gale held out his hand. In it, was a blue orb. “This, is my token. Call me, whenever you want to, or need to, and I’ll be there.” Kat took it and placed it inside a strange book.
“I’m sorry things got so out of hand between us. There are just certain things that I must do to keep me going. Regret is one of those things.”
“Hey, no problem. I once had problems that I too, wouldn’t forgive myself for. Hell, I still do. I guess that means we’re in the same boat.” She smiled before beginning to float into the Void.
“Trust me when I say if we are in the same boat, may Dieu protect your soul.” Before he could respond, she took off faster than he thought she ever could into the vastness around them.
‘Goodbye Kat, Queen of Gravity. I hope one day we can meet again. And no matter how much you deny it, I think you needed that talk. After all, I too, have messed up. More than you, or anyone else, could ever know.’ With that thought, Gale took off into the void, and back to his own home.