//------------------------------// // Interlude: Behind the Curtain Part 2 // Story: Calming Sigh-- with a Breath of Fire // by Laze Around //------------------------------// As Myria entered a dark chamber inside the Obelisk, another figure joined her as she walked. They approached a large machine, a device that Myria had confiscated from the remnants of St. Eva’s sect. Much as she abhorred its original purpose, she could not deny its usefulness for one such as her. The figure beside her scowled, looking at the machine with disgust. Myria took notice of the expression and addressed them before she activated the machine. “Are you well?” she asked. Concern was apparent in her voice as she looked at the other person. “You know that you needn’t be by my side at all times. A year is not enough for you to recover fully, and with the facility as it is, the only other way for you to regain your lost strength is by bed rest.” “I’m fine.” the person said. “I know I’m still not fit to fight, but I’m strong enough to walk on my own. Besides,” sharp, purple, eyes shifted from the machine and over to her. “I’m curious about what those two bastards found.” Myria couldn’t help but sigh sadly from those disdainful words. She knew that there was no way of curving that anger, especially given the person’s history with the stallion brothers. “I suppose it’s only right for you to know of your kin.” she said. “But please, Teepo, let go of your hate.” Sharp eyes narrowed, and his arms rose to cross over his chest. Teepo, one of the few remaining Brood to have access to their power, stood beside the goddess with a nigh permanent scowl on his face. “It will destroy you someday.” Myria warned. “If you cannot, then turn you fury onto me, the one to commanded them separate you from your brothers.” His eyes did not soften, nor did the fires in them dim. Though those smoldering orbs were directed at her, a part of Myria could tell that there no anger towards herself personally. That fury was only reserved for two. Teepo’s face and posture did not show it, but he was still recovering from being brought back to life. It was not because of his potential to ascend that Myria returned him to the land of the living, nor was it because she had plans for him in the future. No, it was simpler than that. After spending years with him inside the lonely Station, she had begun to care for the moody and impulsive child. Like the Displaced Brood in Equestria, Myria had lived for so long in solitude. But unlike him, she had no one. No one to talk to, no one to interact with, nobody to care for… All she had was her hate for her former clan. But after her final change, she had learned how lonely her life had been. She had only taken Teepo to her Station to make sure that he did not interfere with Ryu’s growth. She did not expect to become so attached after allowing him to live in the artificial outdoors in one of Obelisk’s gigantic chambers. “Do you really have to be the one to do this?" Teepo grunted as his eyes turned to the machine, clicking his tongue as he did. "You know those two would make great batteries if you only want to restart the Obelisk’s system.” That had been her plan. That had always been Myria’s intentions whenever she entered that particular room. The Obelisk was a massive structure, not unlike that of a small island. It has its own internal source of energy, as well as a system that would make it habitable for almost any sapient species. In its current state, however, where most of its systems were offline and where different sections were in danger of collapsing, she needed to power up one part of the Obelisk to restart the undamaged maintenance drones to fix it all. Myria sighed and shook her head, knowing exactly what the spiteful dragon had in mind for volunteering Balio and Sunder. “Teepo, you know why.” Because the machine would kill those two if they were ever linked to it, where the device would syphon their souls from their body and transform it into energy for the Obelisk. For Myria, however, she was an Endless with a soul as big as the ocean. Balio and Sunder, on the other hand, were only mortals with souls as big as a puddle compared to hers. Teepo shrugged. “Well, it was worth a try.” Myria simply ignored the jest, dark as it was. Teepo had become very cynical as time went by, especially after hearing her story with her clan. Add to that the history of the Dragon Clan and the multiple misfortunes that plagued them in each generation. Ever since Ladon left, the dragons had been steadily falling into ruin. “About the Brood, then.” Teepo began. “What did they find?” Myria waved her hand over the machine, where a hatch unlocked at her command. “Someone with extremely potent magic,” she answered. “As well as a face almost identical to the Ryu that we both know.” Teepo’s eyes narrowed, but his eyes glinted with interest. “Though they didn’t say his name, the fact that Balio and Sunder managed to taunt him into a fight using, from what I gathered, information only the Ryu that we know would react to tells us something about his identity.” The Brood hummed in thought. “A fourth one, then.” he muttered. “Perhaps…” Myria replied. She herself wasn’t sure if this was really the Fourth one, but she wasn’t ruling out the possibility just yet. “Does this one have the potential as well?” Teepo asked. Ever since he had given in to his desire to be with Ryu and Rei, the family that he had come to crave, he had lost his chance for ascension. He could still tap into some powers of Infinity, a gift given to him by Myria like how Ladon did for the First Ryu. But it would never be as powerful as friend’s or his two predecessors. Teepo could use it to turn into his own variant of the [Kaiser] for an indefinite amount of time, but unlike his kin he had full control over it. Myria shook her head. “I do not know if this one carries the potential, but the possibility is quite high.” She had noticed how symbolic the name Ryu had been. In every generation or so, a Chosen One would always rise, baring the name. Their faces were also almost the same, like a twin displaced in time. Myria suspected that the Life Stream had something to do with it. If it could intertwine the fates of people, then maybe it could bind their souls to the world as well. The goddess frowned at that thought. “Those two fought him, right?” Teepo asked, referring to Balio and Sunder. “But from what you said, they didn’t win.” “No.” Myria shook her head. “They lost, and are now even reluctant to face him again. I do not know what this Brood did to them, but it must have left its mark.” The young dragon beside her smirked at hearing that. Anyone to put those two horses in their place was okay in his book. “I’d like to meet this Brood myself.” he said. “Once I recover enough, I’ll personally head down into this new world and introduce myself. Who knows, maybe this one will be willing to join us.” Myria watched as Teepo turned and walked away, sighing sadly as the young man faded into the darkness. “One can only hope.” Turning back to her task, Myria approached the St. Eva’s machine and sat in its modified hatch. She could feel it begin the process of draining her soul, but unlike the people that it was used on, the goddess’ soul grew back faster than it could syphon. With nothing else to do but wait, Myria allowed her mind to wander back into the past. The time when she asked for Teepo to try and talk to Ryu about his quest. She did not order, nor did she demand it. She simply asked Teepo to talk with Ryu and nothing else. Her charge already knew what his fellow dragon wanted, but it seemed that Teepo also had something in mind for Ryu and his friends. He wanted his family back, but at the same time he didn’t want to leave the Obelisk and Myria. It warmed her heart that he became just as attached as she was. Teepo had come a long way since his separation with his adopted family, though she did wish that he would be more inclined to use less violence to things that he disliked. His magic grew leaps and bounds, rivaling even the most powerful mages of their world in less than a decade. Though she did contribute to his growth. She became his Master, and Teepo her Apprentice. The bond that they shared served to be a great boon to his magical reserves, along with his Intelligence and Strength. Teepo could perform great magic with ease, and his affinity to the [Shadow] gene granted him the ability to trap his enemies within their own minds. He could create nightmares from his own imagination, which have proven lethal to those not strong enough to combat them. Another advantage of having Myria as his Master was that she had the resources to grant him a few more benefits. One of these is to gather the crystallized remains of the Brood. Similar to Ryu, Teepo could also gain the powers of the deceased dragons and acquire their genes. Though he was not compatible with all of them, he still managed to infuse himself with some. [Flame], [Shadow], [Force], [Eldritch], [Trance], and the gene that Myria awakened herself inside him: [Infinity]. Teepo’s own [Infinity] gene was not as powerful as Ryu’s. It wasn’t awakened by the father of the Dragon Clan, thus losing some of its potency. But still, it was powerful by its own right. Then came Teepo’s confrontation, and then his fall. She had watched it all, from start to finish. She saw how Ryu was so set in his quest and was too sure that Myria was evil. She saw how Teepo trapped them all in a dream and tested his kin’s mettle against a nightmare of his own creation. She saw how Ryu overcame the monster and came out stronger because of it. Then came the clash and her Apprentice’s fall. She could have stopped it. She could have saved Teepo. She had already raised her hand, prepared to intervene if necessary. But she hesitated. She waited for Teepo to admit his loss and escort Ryu and his friends to her. But he didn’t. He pushed on and fought Ryu, against his clansman’s many dragon forms. She should have known that Teepo’s stubbornness wouldn’t let him give up. She should have known… But still she couldn’t save him. Or perhaps it was because she hadn’t intended to save him at all. Just before the final blow was delivered, a wave of emotions rose inside her. They were Malice, Hate and Glee. When she had managed to push those feelings down, it was already too late. Teepo was dead and the two that he saw as his brothers were mourning over his body The young dragon that she had taken care of, taught, and cared for was dead. Along with his passing came a realization for Myria. She still absolutely abhorred the Dragon Clan, no matter how much she says, acts, or thinks otherwise. Her hate for them ran deep. Far, far too deep for even Teepo’s companionship to heal. It was a part of her as much she was an Endless. There was no denying it, no escaping it. If there was an actual excuse to kill a Brood then she would take it, no matter how much her own heart bled for it. Her hate had been carved directly on her soul. Her only solace was the fact that it did not extend to those who could not transform anymore, such as the dying people in Dragnier. Still, she wanted to change that. She needed to change that hate. When Ryu and his friends finally reached her, she tried to convince Ryu to give up his powers and stay in the Obelisk to protect the world from it. There was a chance that he could master it, but the risk would be too great. Myria told herself that this was for the best and that this was for the sake of the world. But that was a lie. She wanted to convince herself that she no longer hated the Brood and also fill the emptiness in her heart after she saw Teepo perish. She wanted a replacement. Even if she kept denying it to herself, what she wanted was for someone to take Teepo’s place in the Obelisk. But Ryu had refused. Shock and Desperation overcame Myria when Ryu swung his sword at her. Then hate and fury rose in the depths of her heart. Her thoughts were overwhelmed by the desire to kill. She wanted to kill Ryu, to kill the Brood. To kill her clansman. A thousand year old grudge can never be forgotten. Her malice had overwritten everything in her mind, making up excuses after excuses as to why Ryu refused. All of those thoughts were painted by her negative feelings for the clan. She accused Ryu of being mad with power, that he didn’t want to relinquish it so that he could use it for his selfish desires. There was no way of reasoning with her. They fought inside the Obelisk, a battle that shook the flying fortress itself. Myria had transformed into a monstrous being, with a face of a beautiful woman and a body of a monster. She fought without hesitation, and nearly destroyed the fortress herself. Ryu and his friends fought hard against her, using everything they’ve learned in their journey. Some of them almost lost their lives, even. But in the end, the dragon and his allies won. Ryu had used all of his transformations against Myria, somehow matching the odds against the goddess. He used everything he had… except one. Not once did he release the [Infinity] gene. But even with that handicap, Myria still lost. Perhaps it had been a sign, or perhaps she had been unconsciously holding back. It didn’t matter however as Ryu and his friends stood victorious and Myria was left inside a collapsing structure. It was only thanks to Deis that she was still alive, arriving in the aftermath. The older Endless kept the fortress from collapsing using her magic and convinced Myria to live. She urged her to slip the Obelisk outside of the dimension and travel the Void for a new life. It took a while, and Myria even received a slap for it, but the decision was still made. She used whatever strength she had left and pushed the fortress outside of the dimension and kept on pushing until they were far away from that reality. And not even a few seconds after that, they both felt a resonance call out to them. The shock of the resonance almost made Deis’ concentration falter, but she pushed herself as hard as she could to keep the Obelisk from falling apart. Myria then did everything she could to keep it in one piece, directing every maintenance bots to areas with the highest risks. She lost a lot of her technology in the process, and drained the Obelisk almost dry of power, but the fortress remained standing. Neither sisters even needed to talk about their next plans. They already knew what they wanted. There was a resonance in the Void, something that called out to both of them. It was a member of the Dragon Clan, a Brood. But unlike the rest of the dragons, this one felt familiar like a person they’ve already met. Every time they felt the resonance, they had been shocked at how it became stronger and stronger each time. After three years in the Void they finally found the source of it. Time did not flow the same to those not anchored to a world, thus they didn't know the reason for the Brood's rapid growth from their perspective. Now all they were doing was waiting to gain back their strengths. After that, they would enter the world and find the Brood. If not that, then an Endless. Back inside Equestria, in the Canterlot gardens, Ryu was once again looking around and looking for signs of his battle with Nicko and his brother. It surprised him still that there was almost nothing. The only evidence he had was Discord roaming free again. Speaking of the Spirit of Chaos… Ryu pushed his wheelchair in front of the Spirit’s statue. After solidifying a bit of his magic to make a stick, he started poking the statue’s foot. “Stop that!” the statue suddenly said, raising its foot away from the stick. “You’re going to blow my cover. I’m very ticklish, you know.” “Just checking to see if you were still in the area.” said the Brood, leaning forward to continue poking the stone foot. “Other than this statue of yours, there’s nothing for me to use to contact you.” Discord was shifting his leg on his pedestal, trying to dodge Ryu’s magic stick that seemed to extend whenever the Brood wished for it. “What do you want, then? Make it quick, I can see sun-butt looking from the balcony.” He stepped on the stick to stop it, but it broke and shattered as he did. Then a new stick formed in Ryu’s hand, where he started using that to poke at Discord again. “Don’t move then and just let me poke your foot.” Though he said poke, he swatted one of the statue’s toes before actually starting to poke. “Besides, she shouldn’t be able to see from all the way here. This spot’s blocked by a tree.” “Ow!” “She’ll just think that I’m trying to antagonize your petrified self if she gets curious.” “I don’t like this plan. Ow!” Discord really didn’t. After a whole minute, Ryu still didn’t say what he wanted and kept on abusing Discord’s foot. A few passing ponies watched the dragon antagonise the statue before moving on in a hurry, hoping that he didn’t switch his focus on them instead. Discord was clenching his jaw as his eyes roamed the gardens to see any ponies nearby. His foot was also starting to get sore. “Well?” “I’m thinking.” Ryu muttered. “This isn’t a very easy decision, you know.” “Well hurry it up! That foot you’re poking isn’t very ticklish anymore. It’s starting to hurt!” Ryu blinked and looked up at him for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. “Okay then.” He switched to poking the other foot instead. “NNNNNNGGGG!!!!” “Relax.” Ryu snorted, throwing the stick behind him. “I’m done thinking.” Discord’s eye twitched. “I need a favor.” said the Brood. “I have half a mind to refuse you outright without hearing the reason right now.” “A part of me also would like that.” Ryu shrugged. “It’s why I’m pissing you off.” “Honesty. Blech…” the spirit drawled, moving his abused foot and twitching his toes to alleviate some of its pain. “It must be a big decision if you’re hesitating.” Usually Ryu would have already made up his mind once he comes up to someone. For him to still be undecided when he’s already in front of them was quite odd. “It is.” Ryu admitted. “I’ve been thinking about the Genes and the Displaced in general.” Discord stopped moving and held his statue’s pose, but his stone eyes rolled downwards to look at the local Displaced. “Oh? What have you come up with?” The dragon sighed as he leaned back to his wheelchair, propping his chin up with his right arm. “I need to train again.” It took a moment for Discord to make the connections, but when he did he almost started laughing on the spot. “Pfft! Train? Wa-Wait, you mean like a training montage or like one of those hero comic books?” “Shonen manga.” he corrected. “And yes, just like those characters.” Discord froze before he couldn’t stop himself anymore. “PFFAHA--!” Ryu quickly deployed a field of [Silence] around him and the statue, having predicted the spirit’s response already. He waited until the statue’s eyes stopped glowing in mirth before he dispelled the field. Ryu glared, almost baring his teeth. “I’m serious.” Discord was panting, though luckily he managed to stop himself from moving an inch as another guard passed. His eyes were the only signs to know that he wasn’t as sealed as he seemed. “Oohhh. Does our little protagonist need a power up? Maybe a new finishing move?” “Yes.” Ryu deadpanned. The spirit sighed in disappointment at hearing the lack of response from his teasing. “It’s no fun when you agree.” “I’m serious.” the dragon hissed, sitting up straight in his chair. “What I know just won’t cut it. I have a feeling that whatever skills and spells I know, they know them as well. Do you have any idea how many variations I’ve created from them? How many new skills I’ve developed by combining two or more of what I know?” “I was still sealed when you started your previous training quest.” Discord said with a careless shrug. “I have no idea what you’ve been doing while I was trapped in that uncomfortable stone prison.” “Let me give you an example, then.” Ryu said, breathing out heavily. He leaned back into his chair and tried to temper his rising temper. “[Aura] and [Sacrifice].” Discord paused, looking at the Brood oddly. “...I don’t know what the other one does, but from its name I can tell that it’s not pretty.” Ryu waved his hand dismissively before he started to explain. “[Sacrifice] converts the life of the user and turns it into an unstable form of energy.” he created a [Magic Ball] the size of a marble at the tip of his finger. The spell then started to shrink and began to tremble uncontrollably as it hovered. “It will then detonate and obliterate everything within a certain distance depending on how much life force was converted.” With a flick of his finger, the spell was tossed over a nearby bush and began a sort of vaccum effect. Not a moment later the bush was ripped apart by an explosion coming from its center. It was only thanks to Ryu’s [Silence] spell that stopped it from being heard by anyone in the area. “Yeah…” Discord drawled, looking at the torn leaves and twigs around the small crater of the blast. “Not pretty at all.” Ryu nodded and continued his explanation, looking at the result of the destruction as well. “With [Aura] however I don’t need to convert my own life to do it, instead I just have to use the energy sustaining the magic construct. The original purpose of [Aura] was to use magic to punch through a target with brute force, but with the aspects of [Sacrifice] I can convert that concentrated force into a concussive blast with a range of thirty meters in diameter.” he turned to Discord, eyes sharp and with a frown on his face. “And do you know how many [Aura] I can make with my vast magic reserves, Discord?” “... a lot?” “A Lot.” Ryu repeated, his tone falling lower from the weight of his own words. “I’ve developed similar skills because I didn’t want to rely of my dragon forms.” Like [Mind Sword] and its many variants: Transforming the magic that makes up the sword into a certain element, then maybe add a certain debuffing psychic skill in its core for added effect. There’s also [Leech Power], where Ryu could transform the magic leeching gem into a gigantic bomb before or after it gathers enough magic in the air. The other Variant of that method would be creating smaller [Leech Power] gems and throwing them like hand grenades. There were also the [Magic Ball], [Sirocco] and [Shadowwalk] variants. The last skill in particular was really useful for ambushes and assassinations. Ryu really had to watch out for that one since even he could spam that broken move as long as he had magic to burn. They both waited until the rounding guards passed by to talk again. In the meantime it gave them a moment to gather their thoughts. Ryu’s mind went back to his friends and family, along with the upcoming Dragon Migration. A lot of things have happened and the event had almost slipped his mind. He was wondering if he’ll still be able to participate. Discord’s mind was more to the Displaced and the Genes, of their effect on Equestria as a whole. “I guess I can see why you need new skills and techniques.” Discord said finally. “It would catch those Genes of yours by surprise if you used something new on them.” Ryu shook his head and sighed despondently. “Unfortunately I can’t use them too much or they’ll learn it as well.” He raised his hand and tapped his head. “I’ve developed a mind that automatically tries to break down every skill, spell, and techniques that I see to try and recreate it.” Discord’s statue grimaced as his mind conjured up what that meant. “Something that I seem to notice from every so called ‘Hero’ that I’ve seen or heard of.” “Adaptability, Diversity, Ingenuity and Mastery." Ryu shrugged. "Four things I found that were very crucial in winning a fight, especially against an enemy or enemies that have a great deal of advantages over you.” The statue’s eyes glinted as they peered at the Brood. “I imagine killing a dragon isn’t easy?” The man scowled, his mind going back to the first five dragons that he had killed over a thousand years ago: the Elder and his four sons. “I’ll give credit where credit is due. Big and dumb the dragons in this world may be, they’re still hard to put down unless caught by surprise.” The statue hummed in thought. “How sure are you that nothing will happen until you’re strong enough?” “I’m not.” Ryu reached out towards the statue and placed his Token by its foot. Discord’s eyes showed some hint of curiosity at the sight of it, but said nothing. “That’s why I’ll have you as my backup plan. I’ll need you to call me back here when the Genes are on the move. Not just them, though, but also the ones I know are lurking just outside of the dimension.” “I knew that you didn’t need me to warn you about them. After all…” the statue’s claw moved for a moment, making a gesture towards Ryu and the wheelchair he was on. “As long as you understand.” Ryu shrugged, making no comment over his current state. “Will you do this for me, Discord?” The Spirit of Chaos chuckled, the Token by his foot disappearing and suddenly appearing within his claws. “It’s really hard to say no when you’re asking so nicely. But shouldn’t you be giving this to your pony family instead of me?” Ryu nodded. “I’m still giving Applejack a Token, but I know that she won’t use it until the worst possible moment where it’s almost too late. She worries too much about me fighting against the Genes and a Goddess.” “Ah, family…” Discord drawled. “Doesn’t it just make you all queasy inside?” Ryu rolled his eyes and turned his wheelchair around, grabbing it with his telekinesis and driving it away from the statue. “Goodbye, Discord.” “Goodbye, Brooder.” he muttered. “Hopefully, like in all those comic books you get stronger without getting a new trauma.” he began tossing the Token up and down his palm. “With barely any guidelines to follow anymore who knows what’ll be in store for you.” The power in the Obelisk slowly began to return. The maintenance bots have also started going back online after they were taken priority to recharge. Teepo continued to walk silently through the halls, his body feeling heavy and sluggish but tried to not let it show. He hated how slow he was recovering, but with the healing chambers still offline he had no other choice. He passed by some of Myria’s experiments as he walked. He only gave them a brief glance in their tanks before ignoring them, having already gotten used to the sight of genetically altered monsters. Teepo didn’t care for Myria’s hobby. She has hers and he had his. She liked making new lives and he liked killing them. There were a few tanks, however, that drew his attention fully. He stopped and stared at them for a moment before smirking and making his way over. He gazed past the glass and chemicals, and looked at their unconscious forms. Teepo couldn’t help but chuckle as he crossed his arms. “I don’t know which of us fared better when the Obelisk almost collapsed, but at least it isn’t me that’s still in a coma after three years.” He raised his hand and gently rapped the glass. “How are you today, Ryu?” Blue hair swayed inside the tank of healing chemicals. An unconscious teen floated inside its confines, unaware of the world around him. Beside him were four more tanks, each filled with his friends. The Wyndian Princess, Nina, was to his right. The Genius Engineer, Momo, was beyond that. The Worent Thief, Rei, was to his left. The Sapling of the Yggdrasil, Peko, was beyond that. In front of all five of them was the Petrified Body of Garr, one of Myria’s Guardians. Teepo grinned as he leaned closer to Ryu’s sleeping face. “Fighting Myria just a few days after beating me wasn’t a smart move, brother.” It really wasn’t. Though they had magic to mend their physical wounds, there was still the fresh scar left after killing Teepo. Not to mention the emotions that they must have felt after fighting all the familiar monsters outside Myria’s chamber, the ones that they’ve all fought in their journey as the most memorable ones. It may have been true that they defeated Myria, but that didn’t mean that they did it without anyone heavily wounded or exhausted. When the Obelisk began to collapse, Ryu and his friends didn’t make it to the elevator to bring them down from the Station. Everything had happened too quick, and it was only thanks to the maintenance bots that found them that they were still alive. Teepo was thankful that there were some Chrysm in the Obelisk to power the tanks of Ryu and Rei. They and their friends were completely separated from the entire system of the Obelisk, to make sure that their life support weren’t cut off whenever the Station ran out of power. Teepo smile and turned around, walking away to rest his body back in his room. He may not have been able to convince Ryu to stay with Myria, but they were no longer in their dimension. It’s not like they have any choice now. Soon they’ll wake up and Teepo will have his family back. And if their friends had any problems with that… well, it’s not like he cared of what they think.