A Rift Between Worlds

by Cinders of War

Chapter 35: Trouble on the Horizon

“Strike three! You’re out!” the umpire yelled.

“Great job, Home Run. What a way to start that match…” Home Run sighed and returned to his team’s dugout, a little sore that he hadn’t even hit the ball once. That pitcher was really something. Sundown had batted first, getting a strikeout as well. Now they were at two of those.

The stadium was crowded with students from both Canterlot High and Mareizona Prep, though the latter school had at least seven times more, seeing as this was their own school’s stadium.

“Hey, cheer up, slugger!” Rainbow Dash wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “We all miss from time to time. This is baseball, not basketball. You can't expect to score every time you're out there, can you?”

“Plus,” Jetstream added, dusting his bat. “The Mareizona Prep Phoenixes are known for their pitching and speed. This is the championships, Homey. Don’t expect it to be anything like the Chicoltgo High Foxes.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Home Run chuckled. It’s been a long time since he’d last been in a championship. This was pretty exciting. “Well, go win it, Jets.”

“You bet’cha!” The ponytailed boy bumped fists with him and the others before heading out to the field with his bat. "Let's show them what good ol' Jetstream is capable of."

“Think he’s gonna make it?” Home Run asked his team as he took his cap off, rubbing at his head.

“Jets?” Lightning Rain folded his arms. “He might be a windbag, but he sure is good at the bat.”

“Well, Home Run missed,” Cold Wind popped her bubblegum and fixed up her pink hair into a short ponytail.

“Three times,” Heavy Wind smiled from his phone, his thumb scrolling through pictures on Neighgag. "And his name literally means he's supposed to be good at the bat."

“Not helping, guys…” Home Run groaned.

The team watched as Jetstream readied himself, giving the Phoenix’s pitcher a wide smile. Pulling his arm back, the pitcher gathered as much power as he could before chucking the ball forward; the little white ball was a blur as Home Run tried to keep an eye on it. Before he knew it, the ball was sailing in the air, flying high as Jetstream rushed for first base.

“Go, Jetstream!” Rainbow yelled at the top of her voice.

“He’s gonna make it!” Shortstop whooped from her seat, almost on the verge of chewing on her fingernails.

“As long as he’s not too greedy…” Lightning continued to keep his eyes on the ball.

And then the other team picked up the ball from the ground, forcing the brown haired boy to stop at second base.

“Nice one!” Cold Wind waved to him and gave him a thumbs up.

“Looks like I’m up,” Lightning stood up and placed his cap atop his head. “Wish me luck.”

“Good luck,” First Base gave him a mock salute as he passed the younger boy.

“Not like you’ll need it,” Shortstop joked with him.

“Oh, trust me,” Lightning Rain turned back once more before heading out of the dugout. “I’ll need it.”

“He doesn’t really, does he?” Shortstop turned to Sundown who was busy watching the field. “I mean, he and Jetstream always play so well.”

“One word. Championships,” Sundown said without turning around. “Any team that’s made it this far will be as good as us, or better. There’re no room for mess ups here. Plus… It’s their home field advantage.”

Lightning Rain readied himself, fingers gripping firmly around his bat. Just as the ball flew, he swung, but wasn’t fast enough.

“Stee-rike one!” the umpire yelled as the catcher held up the ball in his mitt.

“Come on, Lightning!” Jetstream called from second base. “I made it. You better be on one of these bases when I make a run for it!”

“Shut it, Jets!” the silver-blonde haired boy shouted back, trying to keep his concentration.

Swinging again, the second ball whizzed past his bat, stopping in the mitt of the catcher once more.

“Strike two!”

Home Run clenched his fists as he watched, anxiously hoping his friend hits the next one. If he gets his third strike, it would be the Phoenixes turn at the bat, and he didn’t want their turn to end on a zero point score.

Come on, Lightning Rain. You got this… Just hit that ball and run!

“Find anything out about their pitcher, coach?” Cold Wind walked to their teacher, watching from the edge of the dugout.

Coach Whiplash stroked at his thick black moustache before letting out a low hum. “Well, I know his name’s Bullet Drive, and that he’s got a wicked arm. Besides that… Nope. He’s just a really good pitcher. But don’t you worry about Rain there. He knows what he has to do.”

“What do you mean, coach?”

“He’s seen two throws firsthand. He should’ve already analyzed it for the third one.”

“You mean-”

“Bat mode time!” Heavy Wind answered his twin and stowed his phone for the time being, looking up at the field. “Awesome!”

Lightning Rain lifted the bat again, getting his stance and his arms ready. Bullet Drive stood across him, a sly smile forming on his face as he drew his body back, ball clutched tightly in his fingers.

Home Run watched as the Phoenix pitcher launched the ball forward, almost like a cannon, heading straight for the catcher’s mitt as Lightning began adjusting his bat. He angled it up, then down a little, and before Home Run knew it, Lightning had swung, catching the ball right at the head of the bat before catapulting it straight to the crowd of students on the other end.

“Home ruuuuun!” Rainbow Dash got up and thrust both fists into the air.

Lightning and Jetstream quickly got to running, returning back to the dugout not long after, into the arms of their team.

“Great work, you two,” Sundown grabbed both of them around their necks. “That’s what Ah’d like to see! A good hit.”

“Well, this is only the first round!” Jetstream smugly stated. “Good ol’ Jetstream’s gonna make sure he scores a few more for the team.”

“Don’t get cocky, Jets,” Lightning narrowed his eyes. “The last thing we need is you planting your face in the dirt as they tag you out.”

“Don’t worry, LR. I’m not trying to get my face like yours.”

“Say that again, you windbag!” Lightning reached for the other boy, but Sundown quickly pulled them further apart.

“You two, can’t ya just give me a break?”

“We got this, team!” First Base jumped up and punched the air. “We can win!”

“Alright,” Coach Whiplash smiled and clapped Jetstream on the back. “That was good, but don’t get confident. Now, here’s my plan. You ready?”

“Sure am, coach,” Home Run and the others leaned in a circle and listened. This was a good start, his strikeout already out of his memory.

---

Home Run stood on third base, getting his stance ready as Heavy Wind stood at the bat. Rainbow Dash and First Base were behind him on the other bases, all ready to sprint the moment Heavy could hit the ball.

Home Run gave his internet-savvy friend a confident nod. This was it. Once they got past this, game over. They would be moving on to the next round.

You got this one, Heavy. If you do it, I’ll let you tell me another meme. Just one.

Then the Phoenix pitcher threw the ball. The blue haired boy watched as it sailed through the air before being knocked high by Heavy’s bat.

“Way to go!” he heard the captain yell behind him as he took off, sprinting back to the home plate.

Then it was all over. The cheering started as the buzzer went off, signalling the end of the game. Home Run, Rainbow, and First Base all skidded to a stop past the home plate, joining in with the cheering crowds as they swarmed out of the stands towards them.

“We did it, Homey!” Rainbow tackled him from behind and shook him hard.

“Y-yeah, we sure did…” Home Run tried to breathe.

The Canterlot students homed in and picked up Heavy Wind, tossing him high a few times, cheering his name.

“Good on you, brother,” Cold looked up to him and gave him a thumbs up. “Nice hit!”

“Yeah, great work, Heavy!” Rainbow took her cap off and let her rainbow hair loose. “Pretty awesome today.”

Home Run still thought she was really pretty with her hair down, but he knew better than to say it. They were still friends, but nothing more.

“Home Run, your heartbeat’s all spiked again,” his Tenno partner, Vauban, spoke in his head. “You’re not thinking of Rainbow Dash again are you?”

“What? No. Pssssh…” Home Run replied. “Just, uh, tired from the running, that’s all.”

“Logical reasoning, Home Run. Very well. You win this time.”

The baseballer smiled and continued cheering with his friends. Close one there, Home Run.

“Great work, guys!” Applejack pushed through the crowd with the other Rainbooms, congratulating the team. “You’re movin’ to the next one! Hope y’all make it to the end this time.”

“We’ll see,” Rainbow cracked her knuckles. “We’re pretty awesome this time. Right, Home Run? No Crystal Prep’s gonna stop us this season!”

“Well, I wasn’t here the last time, so… okay,” the blue haired boy laughed.

“Come on, team!” Rainbow called the baseball players together. Once they had all gathered, she said, “This year, things’ll be different. We’re better, we’ve got more players, and we work as a team! Wondercolts!”

“Wondercolts!” the others chorused together.

---

The ride home from Mareizona had been long and boring. Home Run lost count of the amount of times he was jostled awake by the bus. He and a few other students began cheering once Canterlot came into view, glad that the trip was almost over.

Once they arrived back in school, Home Run waved goodbye to his friends and headed home on his bike, remembering to grab his bag and homework this time.

“Very good, Home Run,” Vauban said. “This time you won’t have to make a trip back to grab your bag.”

“Told you I’ll get the hang of it,” he smiled and pedaled on at a slow and steady pace, his legs sore from the sprinting.

“Would you like me to take over, Home Run?” Vauban offered. “You seem a little tired.”

“Oh,” Home Run stopped the bike and breathed out. “Sure. Thanks, buddy.”

Without another word, Vauban folded over the boy’s legs, covering them from the knee down in metallic Warframe armor. Taking control, the analytical Tenno pedaled hard, instantly picking up speed as Home Run continued to steer it himself, feeling the wind blast at his face like he was flying through the sky.

“Woo! This is awesome!” Home Run whooped, almost swallowing a fly as he zoomed by the streets, heading towards his home. “How fast can you go, Vauban?”

“If I have calculated it correctly, I may be able to increase my speed by an additional mile per hour.”

Home Run felt his legs begin to move faster as Vauban controlled the pedals, boosting the bike past a string of cars. Home Run watched some of the drivers’ faces widen their eyes as he past them, giving them a smile and a wave as he proceeded on.

He felt like nothing was going to stop him today. To the normal human eyes, he was already achieving the impossible, accelerating past houses and cars, all a blur around him as he headed to his street.

And then his pedals broke.

---

“Hey, dad. Hey mom.”

Home Run walked through the door, holding the two broken pedals in his hand. He had wheeled the bike the rest of the way home, which thankfully, wasn’t much farther.

“Hey, son,” his dad, Homebound, wished from the dining table, drinking from a large mug of coffee. His eyes widened as he saw what Home Run was holding. “Are those your bike pedals?”

“Did you say bike pedals?” he heard his mom, Cold Pack, say from the kitchen. She was a doctor at the residential Canterlot Clinic. “You didn’t break your bike again, did you?”

“Uhhhh…” Home Run smiled to his father. “I… kinda did.”

“Home Run, we always tell you to be more careful…” Cold Pack walked out from the kitchen, carrying a pot of spaghetti. “It’s either this, or hurting yourself.”

“Sorry, mom,” the baseball player replied and gave her a hug after she put the pot on the table. “I try. I always try to be careful.”

“It’s fine, dear,” she said and rubbed his hair. “We know. But we still worry. What if one day, it’s a life threatening injury? What would we do?”

“Let’s not think about it, hon,” Homebound placed a reassuring hand on her arm. “He’s here today, good and safe. I’m glad it’s his bike and not him that’s damaged.”

“Yeah…” Cold Pack pushed a lock of silver hair from her face. “I’m sorry, son. Your father’s right. You’re more important to us than some silly bike.”

“Don’t worry about it, mom,” Home Run smiled as she returned the hug. “And don’t worry about the bike too. I’m pretty sure with the right parts, we’ll be able to fix it.”

“In the meantime, how are you going to get to school?” his father asked as he began dishing out the spaghetti. “I could send you, but I doubt you’d want to show up to CHS in a CPA bus, do you?”

“I wouldn’t mind, dad, but I’m pretty sure the other students would.”

Home Run didn’t quite understand it, but Canterlot High seemed to have an intense problem with Crystal Prep. He’d never seen such a school rivalry before, but he could only guess what had happened between the two schools.

Home Run’s dad had gotten a job as a bus driver for Crystal Prep, but Principal Frost had recommended CHS to him when he was still in Fillydelphia State School, explaining to him that it had a much better environment for the baseball player. His father had told him all about the Crystal Prep students, and how they were all so uptight and competitive. Home Run shuddered at the thought of being among such people, including the need to have to wear a uniform. Home Run almost couldn’t imagine himself in a school blazer.

Urgh. Enough of that. Change topics, Home Run.

“So, parents…” Home Run clapped his hands together. “How about we start on dinner?”

---

After dinner, Home Run had gone back to his room to begin his homework. He finished his English and Algebra in the first hour, but as time began to go by, Home Run soon found himself staring at his research paper, having a lot of difficulty.

“Honestly, Home Run,” Vauban folded out and bent low to get a closer look at the paper. “Mathematics is no trouble for you, but you can’t understand a simple scientific experiment?”

“Hey, this isn’t one of my best subjects, buddy,” Home Run swiped a hand through his blue hair. “Pretty sure you knew that already.”

Vauban left him to work on it, walking over to the boy’s bedside rug, sitting himself down and crossing his legs, eventually levitating up into a silent meditation.

After three more paragraphs, Home Run leaned back in his seat and breathed out, tossing his pen down beside his paper.

“Phew, seriously… This is taking too long. Welp, I think it’s time for a break…” Home Run said as he stretched out his arms and rubbed his neck. “Hey, Vauban? Quick question, actually. Why are you guys still here? I mean, we’ve dealt with all the threats from space. We haven’t had to fight anything in a few weeks now. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I’m trying to get rid of you or anything. I’m just wondering what happens next.”

“Well…”Vauban said from his position, unmoving. “The Lotus has not called us back, so she must think we’re not done yet. Why don’t you ask her instead?”

“Well… maybe another time. I’ve got some homework to get done, right?” Home Run sighed and picked up his pen again.

“Right you are, Home Run, though I have been wondering it myself. Why are we not recalled? If there are no longer any threats, the Lotus recalls us to sleep. This is interesting indeed.”

“Well… Maybe this time she wants you to have your freedom? I mean, I don’t think it’s such a good idea to keep putting you back to sleep like you’re just some kind of weapon.”

“But we are, Home Run. We were made to fight. That is all.”

“Yeah, but… you’ve learnt more since bonding with us. You’re my friend, Vauban, not just some weapon for me to use.”

Vauban stopped his meditation and floated back down to the ground. “We have bonded well over these few months, yes, but in the end, Home Run, we’re nothing more than shells. We may be friends, but we will never be like you. It is impossible.”

Home Run wanted to retort with another answer, but he had no idea what to say. He shrugged and returned to his homework. This would be a question for another time. Perhaps once he actually thought of something good to say.

---

The pod lifted itself upright, slowly bringing its occupant up until it stopped, almost vertical, releasing steam as the front doors began to open. An armor-clad grineer, awakened from his slumber within, began moving his fingers. It had been a while since he’d walked about. Things seemed to have changed, including one of his hands. He realized he was missing all his fingers and his forearm, replaced by a well-sized cannon.

“Welcome back, general,” a mechanical voice said from one of the consoles beside the waking grineer. “How was your sleep.”

The grineer opened his mouth to speak, but it felt as though he had eaten a canister of acid. It was dry and burnt. “I… slept… well. Where. Are. We?”

“Earth,” another voice said from the doorway as a new figure approached him, clad in blue armor. He had huge robotic arms hanging by his sides, and his helmet, unlike the rest of the grineer, was turned upside-down. “You remember this planet, do you not, general?”

“The. Place. Of. Our. Birth…” he breathed and swung his legs off the pod’s table before pushing himself off, his feet landing on the metallic plated floor with a loud clang. “Tenno?”

“Yes, they are down below,” the other grineer replied, placing his huge hands behind his back. “The queens have sent a scouting squad down below to gain intelligence. This time, they have no escape.”

The general’s mouth twisted into an angry growl, the memory of the enemy still on his mind. They had destroyed him, torn him apart. Somehow, he had survived, rebuilt by the scientists. The Tenno should’ve made sure he was dead, because now he was coming for them, and he was going to make them all pay.

Comments

[JMP]

Hey, glad to see this back. And I love the new cover art. Clearly inspired by The War Within poster.

[FrostTheWolf]

And now this saga starts. I wonder what will happen when they get to Nidus.

[Nealend86]

Time for the general who will fill their lungs with their death.

[Amusementist]

WOOOOOOOOOO MORE WARFRAME

[MoonlightRift]

Strong start to the arc, the baseball stuff was actually really compelling