Episode 182: The Path to Ragnarok
Episode 182: The Path to Ragnarok
No blade could have pierced the air of tension that hung like a miasma within the main meeting hall of the Gotei 13’s headquarters. The absence of Captain Commander Scorpan was as a wound, the chair he would occupy at the head of the meeting hall empty. The seven Captains that were present in the room all bore the tension differently. Hurricane looked as if his jaw was fit to break rocks as he glared at the entry doors, as if willing them to open. Thunderhooves stood like an immobile mountain, dark eyes staring at the wall in grim silence. Daring Do paced, unable to stay still, hand ever tapping on the hilt of her Zanpaktou. Starswirl remained composed, but any could see the way he occasionally stroked his beard was sign enough his mind was running a mile a second. Zecora kept her arms calmly folded within the sleeves of her Captain's haori, eyes closed as if in meditation, although the troubled crease of her brow was enough to make it clear she was inwardly far from alright. Cheese Sandwich was near Scorpan’s empty chair, looking at it with a pale face that was set in a saddened cast. Finally, Luna was right by the doors, hands clenched tightly at her side, a bead of sweat slowly making its way down the side of her face.
They had talked little since coming here. They’d given their orders to their respective Divisions to be prepared and on standby in case of an attack on the Seireitei, but there was nothing for them to do about what had already happened.
They’d all felt Scorpan’s reiatsu vanish.
Not long after, Celestia had sent a message ahead via Kido to relay that the Captain Commander had fallen in battle, and that she was returning with the remains of his Zanpaktou. There was nothing to do but wait for her return to hear the details, and until then it was as if someone had dropped a veil of cold silence among the Captains. Although each had their own thoughts churning within their minds, all understood the unprecedented severity of what had happened. With the Captain Commander dead, Soul Society itself was more vulnerable now than it had ever been. Worse, Celestia had not communicated specifically who had killed Scorpan, but all of them had felt the unimaginably powerful reiatsu of a Soul Reaper in battle with him.
None of the Captains were foolish enough to not understand that it had to have been a member of the Zero Division to have done this deed. But the why of it, what was to come next, were gnawing away at the guts of all present.
When finally they sensed Celestia’s reiatsu approach, Luna let out a faint sigh of relief, although one short lived. She also noticed the two other reiatsu with Celestia, and immediately swung open the doors before any of the others could speak. “You’re all back,” she said, as not just Celestia, but Captain Amore and Sweet Cider strode into the room as well. Luna gave them a questioning look, “What about Blueblood?”
“Who cares about that half-baked twerp!?” snarled Hurricane, approaching Celestia, who carried bundled in scraps of her robes the fragments of Scorpan’s blade, “What in the damned hell happened out there!?”
Celestia just shook her head and strode past him, walking right up to the Captain Commander’s chair, where she knelt down and laid out the cloth bundle, which she unwrapped to unveil the charred and snapped remains of the Zanpaktou within.
“I’m sorry,” she told them all, voice already near broken with barely contained sobs, “I couldn’t do anything. By the time I arrived, he was already past the point of saving.”
“Who?” Cheese Sandwich asked, leaning down next to her as the other Captains gathered, “Who did it? Which of Zero Division, and why?”
Celestia stood on briefly shaking legs, but forced them to remain steady as she turned to face them all. “Scorpan called her Glory,” she turned her eyes towards Starswirl, “You are far more familiar with Zero Division’s records. I’ve barely looked at them since the Academy days.”
By and large while all knew of the Zero Division, specifics on their appearance and identities was not at all common knowledge, even among the Captains. Starswirl would have had access to the most information, and given his age, some actual direct familiarity from the days when Soul Society was first founded. Starswirl now sucked in a breath and let it out in a great puff as he stroked his beard even harder.
“Glory, eh? She’s Zero Division’s leader. A direct daughter of the Soul Queen herself. I imagine if anyone had the power to defeat Captain Commander Scorpan, it was going to be her.”
“But why!?” Luna burst out, “Why were they fighting in the first place!?”
“I can shed light on that,” said Amore with such pain and weariness it was as if her words were stone, “Please listen, and I’ll tell all that happened at our summit with Discord’s new Coalition.”
It took some time, but Amore explained all that had happened. The summit itself, and the tenuous meeting between Scorpan and the Quincy King, Sombra. Then Zero Division’s sudden arrival, and the terrible revelations that followed. Hell and it’s true purpose, the Zero Division’s betrayal of the Soul Queen and her Consort, and the deception under which all the Gotei 13 had been laboring under. Then came Scorpan’s defiance, and the battle that followed.
“I don’t know what happened after the Captain Commander and Glory passed through the Senkaimon, but now that I see...” Amore shuddered, nodding at Scorpan’s broken Zanpaktou, “I returned with Captain Sweet Cider as fast as I could, and we encountered Captain Celestia on the way to headquarters. And so we are here, and... he is gone.”
“Hold,” said Thunderhooves, “But what of Captain Blueblood? Where is he?”
Sweet Cider huffed out a humorless chuckle held up a helpless hand, “Yer not gonna believe what that smarmy, spoiled noble up n’ did. Go on Amore, tell ‘em. Ya helped ‘im do it, after all.”
“I... I just couldn’t say no after he begged me so sincerely,” Amore said, hanging her head in shame, “Perhaps I should not have, but what’s done is done.”
“Well don’t keep us waiting, blast it, out with it!” Hurricane demanded, and Amore nodded.
“You see, when Miss Rarity was being pulled into Hell, and it became obvious that despite her friend’s best efforts there was no stopping the inevitable outcome... well...”
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“No! Amore there must be something we can do!” Blueblood cried, watching in horror as far down below where he and Amore stood on the air, down in the crater, Rarity was being dragged ever closer to the Gates of Hell.
His Bankai just didn’t have anywhere near enough power to make a difference, so he had deactivated it, but he remained adamant about doing something. Yet Amore had no idea what could be done. Her own binding Kido had been all but useless on the Kushanada, and by now Amore could tell the individual power of each of those human girls readily surpassed many of the Captain’s, including herself.
“I don’t know, Blueblood. I don’t think there’s anything we can do.”
“I refuse to accept that! That young woman deserves far better from us than to simply give up! I may be the weakest of all Captains, and a sham of a man besides, but I will not just do nothing!” Blueblood said with such heated intensity it was hard not to agree, but Amore still couldn’t see what they were supposed to do.
“I agree with you, but we cannot stop the Gates,” she said, but then a sudden, mad light appeared in Blueblood’s eyes, and he grabbed her arm.
“Then we won’t stop them. If we can’t stop Rarity from being taken to Hell itself, then I will see to it she doesn’t face it alone. I’ll go with her.”
“Are you mad? Even if you tried, you might not get past the Kushanada,” Amore began to say, but Blueblood was already ahead of her.
“Enshroud me in a stealth Kido. I’m not skilled with them, but I know you are. You’re now Captain Luna or Daring Do, but I recall your Academy classes. You have the skill to cloak me.”
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“You’re kidding?” Luna said, “Blueblood, of all people? He did that?”
There was a collective air of understandable disbelief. For each Captain present they all had tales of Blueblood’s narcissistic tendencies, general laziness, and lack of exceptional ability outside of the area of being a pain in the ass. Talented or not, few present had ever considered him as having the qualities of a Captain, even if for one reason or another Scorpan had deigned to promote him to such a position.
To think that he’d willingly step into Hell itself for the sake of another was hard to swallow.
Cheese Sandwich scratched his head and sighed, “Well figure if anything was going to kick that boy’s butt into high gear, it was going to be a woman.”
“So you know for certain that he made it through the Gates?” Daring Do asked, “There aren’t many stealth oriented Kido that’d keep him obscured for long if he couldn’t keep the spell going himself.”
There was no sign of uncertainty on Amore’s waxen features as she responded, “Because I cast the spell, I and I alone could sense it, and I felt him go through the Gates along with Miss Rarity. I know it was a rash choice, for I cannot imagine how he might escape that place with her now, but I couldn’t deny the sincere desire he had to do something for that young woman and I... believe I agreed with him that we still owe those girls a debt that is yet to be repaid.”
“Hmph, I’d be more upset if it was someone with genuine combat prowess, but the loss of Blueblood pales in comparison to the loss of the Captain Commander,” Hurricane said, and Sweet Cider gave him a look as hard as a drawn blade.
“It was reckless o’ the boy, but brave, n’ ya’d better keep yer tone respectful, Hurricane.”
Before Hurricane could shoot back any number of barbed responses, Celestia’s own voice cut through the hall, like a hot flame, “We will not bicker among ourselves, not now of all times. Soul Society cannot afford us to be anything other than focused upon the task of protecting both this realm and the world of the living.”
“Agreed,” said Thunderhooves, voice rumbling, if still stricken with a strong undercurrent of grief, “The Captain Commander would quickly put us in our place if he saw us waver. By the law, he must be given funeral rites, and a successor chosen.”
“I...” Celestia’s mouth tasted like dry mud as she forced herself to speak, now very much understanding the massive weight she was about to place on herself. Cheese Sandwich saw her hesitance, and having known Scorpan’s plans quite well, he already knew what she was trying to say. Coming up next to her, he clapped a hand on her shoulder and put a reassuring if still troubled smile on his face.
“The Old Man put it on you, right? Knew he would.”
She saw that her fellow Captains all wore knowing looks. Even Hurricane, who looked least pleased by the notion, crossed his thickly muscled arms over his chest and gave a dour nod, “No point trying to deny it, Celestia. Everyone here, myself included, knew Captain Commander Scorpan was grooming you to take his place one day. Even if that day is today, under the worst circumstances, and entirely too soon.”
“Hurricane!” Luna snapped, “Do you doubt my sister’s ability?”
“I doubt many things about her, in fact,” Hurricane stated with blunt force and no shame on his face as he looked first to Luna, then Celestia, “I will not soften my words. I accepted Scorpan’s choice to pick you to eventually succeed him, but it is centuries too early for you to take the role of Captain Commander. You, who still fears your own power. You, who remains only halfway a part of our world, and barely understand the Beast Realm whose blood courses through your veins.”
“That is enough, Captain Hurricane,” Amore stated, moving to stand between him and Celestia, “There can be no doubt that Celestia is the Captain Commander’s choice of successor. Her heritage is irrelevant, and in all other ways she has sufficient experience to qualify-”
“No, he’s right,” Celestia said, to several shocked looks, especially from her sister and Hurricane himself.
“What are you saying, sister?” Luna said, and Celestia composed herself as she went back to where Scorpan’s blade lay shattered at the foot of the Captain Commander’s chair. She knelt next to it and laid a hand on the burned hilt.
“Hurricane is not wrong. I still lack the qualities needed to properly take on the role that Scorpan has now left vacant. I have feared my power for a long time, and the lack of control I have over the destruction it can bring. I also fear my bloodline, our bloodline, Lulu. For our entire lives we’ve struggled to control the beasts inside us, without ever confronting the origin of that power.”
She stood and turned to the whole hall, looking at her fellow Captains, “No more. I will take on the responsibility that the Captain Commander has left me. I will command the Gotei 13 to the best of my ability, but to do that I and my sister both must know more of our origins and gain true mastery of our Zanpaktou. The portal to Equestria now runs through the Beast Realm, and sooner or later Sunset Shimmer and her friends must pass through it. Probably sooner. That means the time to act is now. My sister and I must accompany them to the Beast Realm, where we can negotiate a treaty of passage with... our mothers.”
“But no Captain has entered the Beast Realm since the signing of the original non-intervention pact your father negotiated ages ago,” Thuderhooves said, “Even in regards to those human girls going through the portal there was great hesitance to consider sending a diplomatic delegation. We don’t know how the Beast Realm Clans will respond.”
“We will find out,” Celestia promised, “Because we must. Because if I am to assume the mantle of Captain Commander, I must confront and accept all of myself. I can only assume my sister feels the same way?”
Luna certainly looked nervous at the prospect, looking down at her own shadow for a moment before taking a deep breath and looking back up at her sister with a rueful twitch of a smile, “As if there is another choice? Of course I’ll be going with you, Tia.”
“Well, now that that is all settled, I suppose we’ll need to begin preparations for the Captain Commander’s funeral-” Starwswirl began to say, but then all of the Captains froze. Each of them felt it, the sudden, unbelievable massive spike of Hollow reiatsu that crashed down on their senses like a falling moon. There could be absolutely no doubt at all as to what, or who could generate such an immense and pervasive aura of Hollow power.
“Tirek...” Celestia breathed.
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He stood at the exit of his Garganta, which hung high in the sky, and looked down upon the vast, neatly ordered streets and structures of the Seireitei. He saw the rise of mountainous rock upon which the white washed towers and walls of the First Division headquarters were built, with the lonely Sogkyoku Hill protruding from the side like a fang of stone.
He looked at the wall encasing the Seireitei, and beyond its tightly controlled, orderly structure, the seemingly endless sprawl of the Rukongai Districts.
Tirek looked at it all, with the teeming masses of Soul Society scurrying below like worker ants, and a scowl printed itself on his face. His hatred for this place had not waned one whit in thousands of years. Billions of soft, weak souls living out a meek existence, just waiting to die again and reincarnate, so they could be born in a pathetically fragile mortal shell only to die once more and repeat the whole asinine process.
How his brother, or Glory ever considered this to be the ideal world was beyond baffling to him. For all of their talk of the terrible suffering Hollows endured in their endless hunger and struggles, Tirek could not see how this empty existence of eternal “peace” was in any way superior. At least Hollows were honest in their desires, hungers, and passions, and were free to pursue them as long as they had the strength to claim what they wanted through force.
It was an argument as old as time, and one he was quite tired of having. Was he no longer going to have to? He had come here for one reason alone, to confirm what he had felt just a short time ago. It seemed impossible, but with all that was going on, Tirek knew the impossible was indeed not so uncommon anymore. What was worse, the sensation in the pit of his stomach was very much like discomfort and... something else, something he hadn’t felt in a length of an eon.
He waited, alone. Chrysalis had wanted to come, but he’d tossed her right back out of the Garganta and told her to await his return.
He had nothing to fear from these people, especially if what he had felt turned out to be true.
The wait was not a long one. In a rush of wind and a buzzing of faint sound, he was surrounded by ten Captains of the Gotei 13. They formed a wide circle around him, all drawn Zanpaktou, all filling the air with their significant reiatsu.
Yet all combined, his own aura pushed back strongly against theirs, and he was not cowed. Tirek instead glared at them, while turning his scowl into a dark smile, “Such a greeting. At least you fools have the sense to not come at me alone or in small groups.”
“What are you doing here, Hollow?” spat a young buck that Tirek somewhat recognized as... what was his name? Hurricane? The one Torch was eager to fight again.
Tirek turned an eye towards the man, not even bothering to adopt a guarded posture, “That is Lord Tirek to you, boy. And I am here to ask a simple question; where is my brother?”
He sensed the quiver of unease and sorrow that passed through them. That alone was answer enough, and he felt that uncomfortable pit in his stomach grow, but he ignored it as a tall and admittedly beautiful woman with white skin and shimmering, multi-hued hair stepped forward with twin Zanpaktou naked in her hands. Celestia. Yes, he knew her. Chrysalis was fond of this one and her sister. From what Tirek understood, this one had power sufficient to perhaps be a worthy adversary, if she matured into it fully.
“How is it you know anything happened?” she asked, and Tirek scoffed at her.
“My brother and I share a connection older than any which you whelps have with him. The moment something occurred to him, I felt it. Now answer my question, before I wring it from your pretty throat.”
Celestia’s stare of adamant distaste did not wane in the slightest. “Captain Commander Scorpan... has fallen,” she said, barely containing a shimmer of tears in her eyes, but her face was a resolute mask of fury as she faced him, not backing down from his own menacing aura. Good. He liked that. “He was killed by the leader of the Zero Division.”
There was a long pause, then he slowly closed his eyes and nodded, as if it was the answer he was already expecting, “I see.”
Tirek was not prone to acts of extreme sentiment. Indeed there were few in existence who had ever earned his respect, regard, let alone a flicker of genuine care. Yet on that short list, his brother’s name had still sat at the top. Not for any lingering belief that they would ever reconcile their immense differences. No, Tirek had always known he and his brother’s story could only end one way.
He’d just always believed that the ending would be written by their own blades at each other’s throats, not like... like this.
“The fool...” he said, and turned to open a Garganta.
“Is that all you have to say!?” blurted another Captain. This one was orange, female, black hair. Tirek didn’t know her, or care. Just another one of the children his brother had tried to turn into worthy warriors, and failed. He looked at her with all the interest one might a cricket one found annoyingly chirping on the windowsill.
“What more needs to be said?” he replied, shrugging his broad shoulders.
“So you came all the way here to confirm your brother’s death,” said one Tirek did know. Starswirl was young yet in the days of the old wars between the gods, but Tirek was aware he’d been a brilliant mind even then. Grogar often commented that Starswirl was the only one who’s intellect rivaled his own. Starswirl didn’t sound angered or accusing, only calculating as he added, “Not that I am complaining if you merely leave, but I would think that given how long we’ve been your enemy, you’d take this opportunity to attack Soul Society.”
To this, Tirek just barked out a harsh laugh, one that hid the hint of pain underneath that he didn’t want to acknowledge.
“My brother was the only reason I considered you foolish children a remote threat. Sure, you provided decent sport for my Espada to cut their teeth on. You served, just as the Quincy served, as a means to separate wheat from chaff among my ranks. Now that he is... gone, you are quite right. I could demolish this fragile realm with relative ease.”
“Are you so sure about that?” said the loud one, Hurricane, “All of us together may well take you down.”
“He ain’t wrong,” spoke a woman whom Tirek found he rather liked the look of. Tall, muscly, red, with a giant sword. Definitely his type. According to reports, this one was probably the one wearing that silly ‘Kenpachi’ title. Might make her a worthwhile opponent for a bit. She was certainly looking as if she was willing to give him a go, which he appreciated. “If yer here alone, might be we could put a king sized dent in Las Noches here n’ now.”
Tirek turned from the Garganta he’d opened and threw his hands out in a welcoming gesture, looking over the assembled Captains in turn.
“You are all invited to try your luck,” he said with a loud and boisterous laugh, “I am in an exceptionally foul mood, and would welcome the sport. Who knows, you might even win if you’re willing to sacrifice most of your numbers and watch your precious Seireitei burn in the cataclysmic battle it would take to bring me low!”
There was no fabrication to his claim. Where these Captains to come at him with their full force and hold nothing back, it was conceivably possible that as a group they might overwhelm even him. More than half of them would no doubt die in the attempt, and if Tirek responded with his unrestrained might then the Seireitei and Rukongai Districts both would be reduced to ashen craters by the end of it. And Tirek did not fear that result. If he were to die, he had decided long ago it would be in battle against foes with enough strength and personal conviction to make the sacrifices necessary to kill him. He could ask for no better end, even if he did still desire to fulfill his ambition of making Hollows the dominant form of the soul in all realms.
He held himself ready, eyes challenging the Captains to dare come at him with steel bared. He could see them all hesitating, calculating, going through the mental hoops one by one as they weighed the possibility of eliminating one of their worst enemies versus the high price that would need to be paid to see it done.
To his disappointment, none of them attacked. Instead they looked at each other, and then mostly at Celestia. She, in turn, continued to give him a sour glare, but she sheathed her Zanpaktou. Soon after, most of the others did so as well, reluctantly. Only Hurricane and the Kenpachi kept their blades out. Smart, and Tirek did toy with the idea of attacking, just to blow off some steam, but no...
“I see my brother at least instilled a basic survival instinct in all of you,” he said, focusing on Celestia, “Fool that he was.”
“If you are going to begone from this place, then go. I will not stand here and listen to insults to the Captain Commander’s memory,” Celestia said, hurt and anger just barely controlled to a scathing edge. He looked her over for a moment, realizing something as he noted the intensity of her aura.
“Ah, so that’s it. You were his favorite, were you?” he said, and while Celestia opened her mouth to respond, he cut her off, “Let me tell you about my brother, since you will be making the poor attempt to fill his shoes. My brother was a sentimental idiot. An idealistic dreamer. When Glory betrayed us all and slew our Soul Queen, I told him what I witnessed! I spoke no lies, yet he refused to believe me, his own brother, over the fabrication that Glory fed him. He believed her, over me, because I was the supposed abomination who dared embrace the strength and truth of the Hollow way! Meanwhile what did he do? He chose to follow Glory’s way, and built that pathetic tapestry of lies that you call the Soul Society. For thousands of years he trained you little children in war, turned you into his personal army of moronic dreamers, supporting a lie by hunting and ‘purifying’ Hollows.”
He threw his head back and laughed. It was a laugh of pained bitterness, and he was only glad that any wetness he felt in his eyes was evaporated by his spiritual pressure long before he looked back at Celestia’s haunted, hurt features.
“Scorpan led you all in a fanciful dream, and now with his death, the dream dies with him! Glory and her so-called ‘Zero Division’ played you all for fools, and now you can sit in the empty bed of lies you all built. Let it burn, for all I care. My course is as set as it’s ever been. I shall lead my Hollows, the worthy souls, on a path of strength! We will devour all that we must, and gain power unimagined. Then it shall be I who cuts down the Gates of Heaven, razes the very walls of the Soul Palace... and when I cut off the heads of the Zero Division, you all had best hope I’ll be in a good enough mood to be satisfied by that and not come to sweep away the last remnants of Soul Society’s failures before I set the world on a more proper course.”
With those words still ringing in the air, the King of Hueco Mundo finished opening his Garganta and marked back into the void towards his desolate realm, leaving the Captains of the Gotei 13 to look on in muted unease.
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As tough as she wished to present herself as, and indeed as tough as she believed with confidence that she was, Rarity was already having difficulty with just handling the air of Hell. Her mouth was shockingly dry in such a short time, and she craved even a single drop of water to soothe the growing ache in her throat. How for granted she’d taken the simple luxury of being able to go grab a bottle of water or fill a cup from a faucet whenever she pleased. It was only a few hours since she’d crossed the Gates and met her new “friends”, but the growing sensation of thirst and hunger were a keen reminder that in this place there was no means by which to satiate either.
“Not true!”
The contrast between horrific burn tissue and bright pink, grinning face was remarkable on Cozy Glow as she hopped down from the ledge of one of the nearby white blocks of stone she’d been using to scout the route ahead and stared Rarity right in the face.
“P-pardon?” Rarity said, glancing between the odd young girl and her companion. For his part, Sunburst looked on from a ways down a side passage through the labyrinth where he’d been keeping watch for Kushanada, and gave Rarity a knowing yet enigmatic shrug.
Cozy Glow on the other hand stuck out her tongue and pointed at it, her words slurred as she did so, “Yur thunking abut hoo thurfsty yu ur!”
Parsing out the words, Rarity grimaced, but swiftly schooled her face to stone, “How would you know what I’m thinking? Is mind reading a power granted by your stay in Hell?”
“Pfffft! Of course not, silly!” Cozy Glow waved a hand while giving off a slightly manic smile. She poked a finger at Rarity’s chest, the chains around the tiny girl’s arms clinking ever so faintly, “It’s easy to tell. I’ve seen it so many times. These first few days are gonna be super rough on you. You’re one of those people who come from a really nice place, aren’t you? One of those countries with plenty of food, water, electricity, warmth, all that nice stuff you’ve never had to go a serious day without.”
“I... confess I am fortunate to have been born in such a place,” Rarity admitted, “And I suppose it’d be foolish of me to deny that the prospect of dealing with constant thirst and starvation is hardly a pleasant one. But I won’t break from it that easily.”
“That’s what everybody thinks,” Cozy Glow tittered, but then her tone grew more like that of a saddened parent who knew their child was about to have a bad first day at school, hands planted on hips as she shook her head, “The gnawing hasn’t even set in yet. The real agony. Look, you may not get this, but I’m trying to help you when I say...” Cozy Glow’s one good eye when utterly flat, like glass, “Don’t try to tough it out. The harder you try to act tough, the worse it hurts.”
“My apologies, but I’m afraid I don’t do ‘giving up’ very well at all,” Rarity said, knowing she probably sounded stubborn, but she didn’t care, “I have no intention of allowing this place to break me. I’ve felt pain before. I can endure whatever I must to return to my friends.”
With an exaggerated sigh, Cozy Glow hung her head and then threw her hands up with a devil-may-care smile, “Well golly, at least I tried to warn you! Heheh, I actually kind of admire this fresh spirit you’ve got, Rarity. You’re like virgin snow right before two armies rip each other to bloody shreds over it.”
“Cozy, are you done trying to scare her?” Sunburst asked, and Cozy Glow waved him off.
“Oh give me a break, Sunny! I don’t get to have this kind of fun very often, so let me tease the new girl, will you? Besides, I'm giving her honest advice. You know how bad the first week here is for people like her. I want to at least try to mentally prep her before we get to Tartarus.”
“Tartarus?” Rarity said. She’d heard the name not only in regards to its roll in Greek Mythology, but in some of the few times the Twilight from Equestria had visited, Rarity recalled some vague mentions of that same name.
Sunburst looked to Cozy Glow, who gave an ‘after you’ gesture to him in clear indication he ought to explain, so he cleared his throat and approached Rarity. Kneeling down he used a thin, bony finger to point at the stone floor of the confined corridor. Flame built at the tip of that finger in a solid amber orb, and he used it like a miniature blowtorch to etch onto the stone, creating a simple map. First he created a basic disc upon which there were small blocks, and a skeletal gate hanging over it. Rarity watched in silence, doing her best not to stare too hard at him. She’d thus far kept secret the fact that she knew who he was, because she wasn’t certain at all that either he or Cozy Glow were particularly trustworthy yet. Sure, they were helping her for now, but Rarity intended to keep her guard up. Besides, she wasn’t sure how Sunburst might react to hearing about Starlight Glimmer and all she’d been up to since he was brought to Hell.
“This is the First Layer, where all Sinners first appear after being condemned to be in Hell,” he said, and proceeded to carefully control his flames to etch out more layers, one after another. He only added details to the second and third layer, however. The second layer he drew what looked like a lake or ocean with some kind of mountain in the center, while on the third he created what looked like a series of layered plateaus, between which was some kind of cavern system.
“Each Layer has entry Gates, a lot like the ones that dragged you here. Only these Gates are always open, and are placed randomly. They even shift positions from time to time, which is why scouting missions like what me and Cozy Glow do are important, so we Sinners can keep tabs on how to move between the Layers.”
“Are they guarded?” Rarity inquired, and Cozy Glow gave a small whistle.
“Oooh, you’re sharp. Knew I liked you for a reason. Yup, the Gates are guarded, usually by at least one or two Kushanada. Tough to fight, but you can run past them as long as you know how to decoy them off,” Cozy Glow giggled again, “The Kushanada are powerful, but not the brightest.”
“Ahem,” Sunburst coughed, and pointed at the cavern on the Third Layer, “To answer your question, Rarity, Tartarus is the name the Sinners gave to the cave system that runs through the plateaus on the Third Layer. It’s one of the few places in Hell the Kushanada can’t go, and so we built a... well I hesitate to call it a ‘city’, but it’s basically where a lot of Sinners choose to live.”
This made Rarity confused ‘hmph’ and tapped her fingers on her arms, “Wait, I don’t understand. I was under the impression that the Kushanada are what hunt Hell’s occupants continuously, killing them over and over until our souls are broken down from despair. If there is a place they can’t go, doesn’t that defeat the purpose of Hell?”
Cozy gave her such a wide and unsettling smile that it almost caused Rarity to want to back up, but she held the girl’s gaze as Cozy said, “Very sharp, but think about it. Carefully. How big is Tartarus? How many Sinners are in Hell? What is worse than a Kushanada? What could give even more despair than thoughtless, giant, killing machines, hmm?”
Sunburst had gained a somewhat sickened look, his eyes sunken, “I’ll spare you Cozy’s mind game and just flat out say it; Tartarus is a double edged sword. Yes, we’re safe there from Kushanada. But space is limited, resources even more limited, and... well, some say that Hell is other people. In a place were thousands of Sinners gather, it can be just as bad, if not worse, than dealing with the Kushanada.”
“Ooooh it’s such a clever trap!” Cozy Glow exclaimed like someone who’d found a new toy, she even spun and danced around, hugging herself, “So beautiful, the simplicity of it! One place in all of Hell the Kushanada cannot go, so of course all of the Sinners go there, thinking of safety! Hahaha! And then what do they do? Oh, what human nature demands! They turn on each other! Make life miserable for one another! Inevitably some are driven out, prefering to face the Kushanada than to have to deal with their fellow ‘human beings’. Hah, Tartarus is a city of beasts in human skin, and it’s just oh so much fun.”
Rarity looked aghast, her already dry mouth practically turning into a desert, “And we’re going there? Intentionally?”
“It’s not quite as bad as it sounds,” Sunburst said in a less than reassuring voice, “Granted it is chaotic, violent, and basically filled with gangs of Sinners fighting daily turf wars, but there’s a few areas of order there, too. Mostly because of her.”
He nodded at Cozy Glow, and the burned girl held up her head, “Don’t go besmirching me by calling it ‘order’. I just make sure the dumbest morons in the gangs don’t get too uppity with me and mine. If anyone can’t keep up, they get cut loose, you know that.”
“I don’t quite understand. Are you in charge of some kind of gang?” Rarity pressed, to which Cozy Glow snickered deeply, and the chains around her arm quivered, growing small sets of razor blades. The chains rose like snakes around her and flowed in a sudden, sharp dance, and nearby a stone block fell apart into dozens of neatly cut pieces.
“I don’t run a ‘gang’, Rarity, I run the gang. The strongest in Hell. The Legion. I like to go out and play among the Layers, but back home in Tartarus, I’m at the top of the pile of corpses. Lucky you I picked you up, right!? Hah! Of course if you can’t cut the mustard, you’re free to go figure things out for yourself, but if I like you and you prove yourself useful, you’ll find the Legion is as comfy as it gets in Hell.”
She licked brought her chains around her like a cloak and petted them like loyal hounds, “Just don’t get on my bad side. Speaking of which-”
One of her chains moved in a serpent strike that lashed past Rarity and struck a spot on the wall some meters behind her. When it did, the chain seemed to vanish into the air with a breaking noise like glass, and some of the air in front of the wall gained shattered cracks like a mirror. There was a masculine “Urk!” from within, and suddenly the chain dragged backwards, hauling a form out of a pocket area that had been camouflaged like a perfect mirror. This area broke apart into fragments of reishi, and this figure, a man Rarity quickly recognized, was pulled in front of Cozy Glow, who had a dozen other bladed chains poised to spear at the man in moments.
“-some asshole has been tailing us since we picked you up, Rarity. Hello, gorgeous. Want go straight to telling us who you are, or do I get to cut on you for a while first? I’m good, either way.”
“G-get off of me you cretinous, abominable little tart!” shouted Blueblood, trying to reach for his Zanpaktou, “If you hurt Lady Rarity, I swear on my bloodline that you shall pay the price!”
“Oh that’s funny. You hear that Sunny? He’s a Rarity fanboy! Rarity, you know this smooth skinned piece of meat?” asked Cozy Glow, then blinked as at a speed faster than her own chains had moved, a whirlpool of blood had appeared from Rarity’s summoned rose, and a full set of a dozen thin bladed sabers of crimson crystal hovered around her.
“I do,” Rarity said, voice flat, “Now do please let him up gently, because I’d hate to have to do something unmentionable to a child your age. However, I suspect in this place that age is irrelevant, and violence a currency I’ll need to get used to spending more often to get what I want.”
Cozy looked back at her with a sparkle of glee in her eyes as she smiled wide and retracted her chains, hands held up like a kid pulling her hand away from the cookie jar, “Look at you, taking a level in no-bullshitery. And you’re worried about Tartarus? Sounds to me like you’ve got just the right attitude to fit in. So fast on the draw, too.”
Rarity nodded her head in polite acknowledgement, and withdrew her constructs back to the whirlpool, which flowed back into her rose and then vanished once more. She didn’t bother with her army’s gate, as something that huge would have given away their position to the Kushanada. Besides, she just wanted to make a point to Cozy that she wasn’t helpless. She stood and extended a hand down to the haggard looking Blueblood, honestly shocked to see him.
“Captain Blueblood, of all people you are the last I expected to see here,” she said as he took her hand and she pulled him to his feet, “Whatever in the world are you doing here?”
One of his hands still kept close to his Zanpaktou as he gave Sunburst and Cozy Glow looks of exceeding distrust and equal distaste, but he cleared his throat and bowed to Rarity, “My lady, I simply couldn’t bear to stand by as you bravely sacrificed yourself to ensure your friends were not brought to Hell alongside you. I had Captain Amore place a Kido on me to hide my presence and went through the Gates after you. After that I, um, well I kind of lost track of you for a bit when you fled the Kushanada. Fortunately I was able to pick up your faint reiatsu again, and followed it until I found you here with these two... individuals. I decided to wait and listen to determine if you were in danger before acting, but then, well...”
“I smelled your cheap cologne and snatched you right out of your hiding spot,” Cozy used one of her chains to wave at him, “And then bam, here you are, and we’re all caught up.”
“What was that!? My cologne is anything but cheap, you four foot tall trollop!” Blueblood barked, and Cozy Glow threw a rude middle-fingered gesture at him quite inappropriate for an apparent twelve or thirteen year old.
“I’ve literally smelled better at the worst slaughter pits in Hell, buddy. But whatever, if you’re a Soul Reaper, then oh man are you screwed.”
“Screwed?” Blueblood blinked, and Cozy Glow nodded.
“Totally screwed.”
“Screwed how, precisely?” Rarity asked, and Sunburst was the one to answer, and for once he wore an expression not of his customary exhaustion or dour stoicism. No, looking at Blueblood, at his black Soul Reaper robes and white Captain’s haori, there was a hot flame of genuine hate in Sunbrust’s eyes. His voice was still calm and controlled, but Rarity heard the scathing acid in it.
“There isn’t a Sinner here who’s going to see a Soul Reaper as anything but a target of revenge. We’re all here because of them, after all. But that’s not the part that’s going to screw this guy over. Since he came here on his own, instead of being consigned by a Konso ritual, he doesn’t have any chains. He’s not connected to Hell’s spiritual essence.”
Rarity glanced at Blueblood, who wore an uncomprehending look. She didn’t fully understand either, although she had noticed that since her arrival there was a faint weight around her arms and legs. They were all but invisible if she didn’t pay them any mind, but there were a few translucent chains attached to her. They didn’t interfere with her movement, and she couldn’t grasp where they trailed off to. It was as if they simply vanished into thin air after a few feet, but the chains of Hell were firmly upon her, embedded in her very soul.
No such chains were on Blueblood. “I still don’t follow,” she said, “Would not him lacking these chains be a good thing?”
Cozy Glow was the one to speak this time, giggling as she so often seemed to do, “Oh sure, if you had a way out. These chains mean that even if we escape Hell, we’d get dragged back eventually. A lot of Sinners dream of breaking them. But there are benefits to them, as you’ve already seen.” She raised her hand and spun her chains around her in a swift dance, like iron cobras, “The chains connect us Sinners to Hell’s essence. Through our will and hatred, they grant us power. Sunbrust has his flames. I command the chains themselves. Other Sinners get different abilities. But more importantly, the chains are what allow us to regenerate after being ‘killed’. No matter how bad the damage, the chains pump more of Hell’s essence into us, and our bodies regrow. Except Captain Boy here doesn’t have that.”
“So... if I die here,” Blueblood said, piecing it together with a dawning look of gulping worry, “It shall be quite permanent?”
“Yup!” Cozy Glow smiled brightly, like a shark, “And if you die here, don’t think you’ll just pop into the reincarnation cycle, Captain Boy. You’ll be dead dead. Super murdered. Extra overmaximum corpsified. Still glad you jumped into Hell to chase a bit of ass?”
Blueblood took this news with a slow intake of breath, and a look at Rarity that he held for a good long moment before letting said breath out and giving a firm nod, “I am, in fact. There is nowhere I wish to be at this moment other than by Lady Rarity’s side, ensuring she has every opportunity to escape this unjust punishment that has been laid upon her.”
She heard no lie or lack of sincerity in his words, and she wasn’t sure if that was encouraging or mortifying. But she was grateful that he was here, if now also rather concerned. “Thank you, but you did hear what they just said? You must promise me to be extremely careful from now on, Captain Blueblood. I’ll not have your death on my conscience. We will escape this place together.”
“So you do intend to seek escape?” asked Sunburst, eyes narrowing in intense interest, “What makes you think it’s possible?”
“There must be a way,” Rarity said, “If there is a way in, ergo there is a way out, even if that way out is to break through the very Gates that brought us here.”
“People have been trying to get out of here forever,” Cozy Glow said, shrugging, “And just as many have given up. You want to try, have at it, but you won’t get far without support. Look, I don’t give the slightest crap about the Soul Reaper, but you’re a nice find, Rarity. How about you at least come to Tartarus with me and Sunny, see if the Legion is to your liking. Worst comes to worst, you can skedaddle with your boy toy here and do whatever you like, if it turns out you don’t like what I can offer.”
“Are you seriously considering making common cause with people such as this?” Blueblood asked her, and Rarity simply looked back at him with a firmness in her expression that brooked no argument.
“I am. I will do whatever I have to. Will that be a problem?”
“...None, my lady,” he said, settling the matter.
----------
For a time, Sunset Shimmer lost track of herself. She never fully lost consciousness, so she was generally aware of being carried back into Discord’s shop. She remembered catching sight of the city streets before that, of seeing people laying unconscious on the sidewalk or in stores, of crashed cars and police sirens. Had she done that? How much reiatsu had escaped into the city, overwhelming the people.
Yes, battles had taken place around the city before, but none with reiatsu levels akin to what the Zero Division had put out, and she herself had used well beyond her full force against Bowtie, too enraged to think about the consequences. There hadn’t even been any protective wards put up.
Shame hit her as she fell into a brief malaise of painkillers and medication from Discord’s treatment as she was taken into a room she hadn’t seen before. It was a sterile place, with the same square mat floors and wood paneled walls she was used to seeing, but with brighter fluorescent lighting and a number of beds situated along one wall. A set of steel tables and medical equipment filled another wall, and on the end opposite the door she noticed a series of metal tubes connected ceiling to floor amid monitoring equipment. She was set up in one of the beds. Her entire right side was covered in bandages that in turn had talisman with kanji written upon them pinned to her with thin red needles. Her right arm up to the shoulder was encased in a wooden construct of interconnected slates that made it look like a robotic cast. The interior was lined with some kind of soft, organic material, and a thick green fluid was pumped into it via tubes that bathed her whole arm in soothing energy.
Sunset hadn’t kept track of the time, but her friends had stayed with her for awhile, talking softly, although she couldn’t remember what they were saying. The medication put her mind in a thick fog, not quite enough to knock her out, but to make her sense of events more than a tad muddled. Now that she was getting her senses back in order, she coughed past a brick dry mouth and noticed that on a small table next to her bed, there was already a large cup of ice water waiting for her.
Not questioning, she drank it down after managing to get herself sitting upright. Her motions, or the shift in her reiatsu perhaps, must have alerted someone, because Discord entered the room before she was done drinking. He didn’t look too worse for wear, but Sunset didn’t fail to notice the weary set of his shoulders even as he wore one of his customary enigmatic smiles upon seeing her up.
“I’m pleased to see you’re already feeling better,” he said, and Sunset coughed a bit as she finished her water and set the glass aside.
“Better is relative,” she said, hesitant as her chest still clenched in shame, “How is... the city? I saw a lot of people out in the street, on the ground.”
Sympathy and understanding was in his eyes, tempered by steady current in his voice, “No one suffered permanent harm. I’ve had Screwloose and Screwball double checking much of the city to ensure this. As it turns out, our intrepid young Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle were already taking care of the citizenry before things finished up with Zero Division’s little visit.”
“Is that what we’re calling this?” Sunset asked, grateful to hear no innocent civilians were killed, but pretty sure Discord was leaving out any mention of injuries that were suffered. After all, he just said no ‘permanent’ harm was done. That meant plenty of temporary harm had occurred, partially due to her own lack of self control. Still, the anger burned in her, too. The memory of Rarity's face as the Gates of Hell closed was a hot poker in her mind, but Sunset kept a firm grip on that anger for now. “Glory and her flunkies waltzed right into our home, our city, and did as they pleased. We could barely fight back. If Scorpan and that Quincy King weren’t here... wait...”
She looked at Discord, “Do we know what happened to Glory and Scorpan? They vanished in the middle of the fight.”
She was not comforted by the troubled look that clouded Discord’s face for a moment as she asked that. “It’s only been a few hours, and Clover has already departed to check in with Soul Society. Hopefully she’ll be able to contact us soon with an update, but until then we’re in the dark.”
He may not have shared his fears directly with his words, but she could read the tension in his voice and the uncharacteristic uncertainty in the old shopkeeper’s eyes. “What are the odds that Scorpan could have beaten Glory?”
“If I was forced to place a bet on the outcome, I’d be taking quite the risk to place my chips on Scorpan, unfortunately,” Discord said, then he went and turned so he could lean sidelong against the foot of her bed, “That said, it’s not inconceivable that he could have won. Regardless, we won’t know for a time, yet. It was far more important to get you and Ditzy Doo tended to, medically speaking. Oh, and securing our prisoner.”
“Prisoner?”
“Oh yes, credit is due to Third Seat Clover on that count,” Discord said, “Sure, Screwloose and Screwball helped, and Ditzy delivered the final blow, but by all accounts Clover set things up admirably for a servant of the Zero Division to be defeated and taken captive by us. An ‘Attendant’ named Bubbles who serves Minty. She’s being placed in a properly secure cell in my dungeo...er, ‘containment facility’.”
Sunset raised an eyebrow at his air quotes, “You know, you can just admit you’ve got a dungeon. I would neither be surprised, nor judge, for that matter.”
“Oh in that case, yes, I very much have a dungeon. Multi-purpose, very secure, and about as impregnable as I can make any place. Granted this is a Zero Division Attendant, but it should serve to keep her in one spot.”
“Should I even ask what an ‘Attendant’ is? Also is keeping one of the Zero Division’s servants prisoner smart? Won’t they come looking for her?”
Discord nodded, “I imagine Minty will miss Bubbles soon enough, but even if we keep her just a short time, I can likely extract some useful information from her. As to what Attendants are, the name says it all, really. They are special among the souls chosen by Zero Division to personally attend to the needs of their patron, and given additional power to perform their duties. From what I have heard, Bubble’s task was to prevent people from fleeing the shop.”
Sunset rubbed at her head, suppressing a groan, “Great. So we don’t just have the five Big Bads to worry about, but an unknown number of super-powered groupies that serve them? How much worse can this get, Discord? We’ve lost Rarity, Zero Division has proven it can come in and manhandle us anytime they want, we don’t know if Scorpan is alive or dead, and... and I don’t know what we’re going to do about any of it.”
“The first thing you’re going to do is get some rest,” Discord stated simply, “You’re injuries aren’t something to walk off, Sunset Shimmer.”
She could feel that, both physically and spiritually. Even if the pain was kept to a distant, dull roar from the medication and healing fluids of her cast, she still had this gnarled and rough sensation of uneven flesh along her arm. Internally she felt drained, even burned to some degree, even if there was still a warm pulsing from her spiritual core... and also from where she still felt the Hogyoku resting against her chest.
“How bad is it?” she asked, and tried to give off at least a somewhat forced, joking smile, “I didn’t completely ruin my good looks, did I? Should I start shopping for opera masks to wear?”
“Hmph, at least you can joke about it, which I shall take as a positive sign,” Discord replied, pointing with his cane at the covered side of her face, “Luckily the scar tissue is repairable, especially around your face, which was not as bad as your arm. You’ll have some discoloration on the arm and hand, which even my skills won’t be able to fully repair. But you’ll have full function in a few days time, but keep the cast on until then. Handling the black flames to that extent, you could have killed yourself, you know that, yes?”
“I... yeah,” Sunset said, and noticed she didn’t so Hokori no Hikari anywhere, “Where is my Zanpaktou?”
Discord nodded to one of the metal tubes, snapping a finger and causing the tube to open on one side. Inside was a glass window showing that within the tube, Sunset’s Zanpaktou was floating suspended in a field of blue spiritual energies fed in by various tubes.
“You’re fortunate you have such a resilient blade. Bankai are usually rather... temperamental in terms of the damage they can take, but yours is all but designed to withstand punishment. Must be a trait the Zanpaktou spirits share with their wielder,” he smirked at her, “I’m helping Hokori no Hikari recover, but quite frankly you and your sword spirits need to have a long talk with one another. They’re a tad upset with you.”
“I don’t blame them,” Sunset said, “I kind of screwed up back there, didn’t I?”
“I wouldn’t be too hard on yourself,” Discord said, reaching out and patting her good hand. She almost pulled back from the gesture, if only because she wasn’t used to it, but she soon relaxed, letting herself just briefly appreciate the comfort. Discord’s eyes were understanding, if a tad haunted. “I know what you’ve just gone through. What all of your friends have gone through. I’m sorry. Truly sorry. I should have been there to protect her, but I failed Rarity, just as I failed Starlight and Sunburst long ago...”
“No,” she said, grasping his hand now in a gesture of return comfort, “This isn’t your fault. Zero Division did this, and mark my words, they’ll regret it before this is all said and done. I... damnit all, part of me doesn’t want to say this, but I feel like I get Starlight a little better now. How she must have felt back then, when her friend was taken. I... I’m still so angry, Discord.”
“I know,” he said, voice soft as a feather, “And even if you say it is not my fault, I still accept partial responsibility. For Starlight, and for you. These are burdens none of you girls should have been forced to bear, and it remains my failure to prevent it. All I can do now try to help you set it all right, whatever the final cost ends up being.”
“This better not be you setting yourself up to die down the road, because I will kick your ass if you try to sacrifice yourself at any point before this is over, old man,” she said, giving him a very stern look while still managing a smile. He held his hand over his heart with a look of mock mortification.
“Self sacrifice? Me? Perish the thought. There’s a whole world of discovery and creation for me to get to once this business is settled, and I’d hate to miss seeing just what you girls will do with your lives when you’re free of this war.”
That did remind Sunset, so she reached with her good hand into her shirt and withdrew the small gem of the Hogyoku. It was still very much the same pulsing color of deep dark blue and sparkling lights, but within it Sunset could pick out other lights of color dancing about, some she recognized. “On the note of your creations, when I was trying to cut Rarity free, some kind of energy from the chains was absorbed into this. I also felt it absorbing energy from my friends when they pulled me back from Bowtie.”
Discord looked at the Hogyoku with intense curiosity, and held out a hand. Sunset put the gem in his palm, and he held it between thumb and forefinger, examining it closely. “Interesting. The effect on your friends I expected. The Hogyoku is designed to break down barriers between souls and generate the ability for different souls to resonate with each other and gain power from one another. You and your friends are already so in sync in terms of your spirits, the Hogyku is only going to enhance the power that’s already there. But Hell’s very chains responded to you...? Quite unexpected.”
“Uhhh, okay, but is it dangerous? What is having some Hell power in there going to do to me? Or us, for that matter, since my friends are connected to this too?”
“If I knew more of Hell I could probably tell you, but as it stands I’m still studying what information Ditzy Doo brought from Soul Society. That said, it doesn’t feel as if very much energy was absorbed, so it probably won’t be too much of a problem.”
He handed the Hogyoku back to her, and she looked at it with some brief trepidation before shrugging and putting it back to it’s comfy spot nestled in her chest. “Well, if I start growing horns and red skin again, guess I’ll worry about it then. So do I have to keep sitting here in bed for now, or can I at least get to walking around?”
“I would prefer you stay resting for a bit longer, but you should be fine to leave before morning. I’ll let your friends know you’re awake. Twilight is especially eager to speak with all of you.”
“She’s still here?” Sunset said, “I would have thought her and that Sombra guy would’ve gone back to the Quincy’s territory by now.”
“As it happens the Quincy have remained here for the time being,” Discord explained, not sounding completely pleased with the fact, “It seems King Sombra wishes to speak with you as well, although I’m uncertain what about.”
“Heh, well aren’t I popular?” Sunset said with a sigh, “Wonder what he wants?”
Just then a knock came at the door, and without waiting for an answer, Screwball’s head popped in around the edge of the door. “Boss, me and Screwloose are back, and there’s something we found that you might wanna come see!”
Discord frowned, “What is it, precisely?”
“Yeeeeah, this might be something you want to look at, instead,” Screwball replied, “I got no clue what to make of this.”
Sunset watched Discord lean off her bed and begin to head for the door, and despite his words that she ought to stay in bed, she couldn’t help herself. Throwing off the covers, she swung out of the bed and got up on unsteady legs. Her whole right side gave off a twinge of pain that seeped past the medication, but she forced herself to ignore it, “Hold up, I’m coming too.”
Discord looked back at her with a worried and disapproving frown, but seeing her determined eyes, he just nodded and she followed him and Screwball out into the hall. She heard her friends talking a few rooms down the hall, and wanted to go see them, but Screwball was leading Discord in the opposite direction towards the shop front, so Sunset followed. Whatever this was, it didn’t sound dangerous, otherwise Screwball would’ve sounded more scared or freaked out rather than just... confused?
She desperately wanted to see her friends, to work out what to do about Rarity, but first things first.
Screwball led her and Discord right out through the shop’s storefront and into the courtyard entryway. There was still a crater from the battle with Bubbles, not to mention a partially smashed warehouse. Sunset could sense that Discord’s wards that she had destroyed were placed back up, so it made sense that the warehouse, which was within the wards, had drawn no attention from the normal populace outside. To normal human eyes the building would still look intact.
However the damage didn’t draw Sunset’s attention for long, because waiting in the courtyard was Screwloose, who was standing in front of quite the unusual sight.
First, was the dead dragon. Or at least Sunset assumed the dragon was dead, what with all of the wounds, bullet holes, burn marks, and the significant portion of its green scaled chest that was blown out and smoking.
Next to the corpse were a number of individuals that she recognized.
First was Wallflower, who was ashen faced and terrified as she looked between everyone with water filled eyes. Keeping watch on her was Screwloose, who was also eying the other people present with a look of amusement.
Next to her was Bon Bon, wearing a rather nice green suit that Sunset had never seen the girl wear before. Also for some very odd reason Bon Bon had a leather satchel at her side that was filled with... threads and needles? Yet stranger still was the presence of two other girls she vaguely recognized from school. She didn’t know either very well, but it was hard not to recall some of Canterlot High School’s most prominent music prodigies, especially given Sunset and her friends also played music on the regular.
Vinyl Scratch was wearing her usual neon purple, wide shades on her snow white face, all framed by bright multi-hued hair of short cut, wild blues. Like Bon Bon, she had a green suit on, although sporting a red and black plaid skirt and knee high black boots. Sheathed in a leather belt at her side was some kind of odd object that looked like a cross between a pistol and a bright purple metallic horn with a neon musical note etched into the handle, and a “barrel” that appeared to be made out of several stereo speaker mufflers impaled along the barrel’s thin length.
She was standing with hands laced behind her head as she nodded to a beat from headphones, tapping her boots and generally ignoring the girl next to her, who was speaking rather firmly at Screwloose right as Sunset, Discord, and Screwball arrived.
“-we are under no obligation to reveal anything at all without authorization. This is a waste of time, and even if you helped us with the Dragon, that hardly means that...”
This girl trailed off as she saw Discord and Sunset, and she clammed up. She was taller than Vinyl Scratch, with smoky gray skin and long, well maintained black hair. Her eyes were a dark violet, and had a haughty, but intelligent keenness to them. Like Vinyl she wore a green suit with red and black plaid dress, although she wore black stockings and smaller shoes, rather than boots. At her hip was holstered a similar object that had a vague gun-like shape, but this was dark brown wood polished bright and with a “barrel” that was as if someone had taken a cello bow and placed it strings up across the top of the “gun”. Sunset had no idea what Octavia was doing here any more than Vinyl was, and she spent a few seconds just blinking at them and Bon Bon, with Wallflower still crying behind them next to the corpse of the car-sized green dragon.
Discord cleared his throat and said, “Welcome to my shop, ladies. Now does anyone wish to explain to me what is going on?”
Vinyl just shrugged and jabbed a thumb back at Wallflower. Meanwhile Octavia crossed arms firmly beneath her chest and glared, saying, “That is classified.”
Bon Bon then groaned aloud, “Oh for goodness sake! Octavia, we literally have a dead Dragon on our hands, and this place just got nuked by enough spiritual pressure to light up half the planet! We’re a bit beyond ‘classified’ right now!”
“Protocol demands-” Octavia began, but Bon Bon just groaned again and strode past her, planting herself in front of Discord.
“Look, we know something major just went down here, Discord, and as you can probably tell by the ten ton magical reptile sitting dead over there, something else major happened at the same time while you guys were busy dealing with whatever the hell happened here. Now maybe you’ve heard of Wing Bind before or maybe you haven’t. Maybe I’m about to get in a whole buttload of trouble with my superiors for even talking to you. But far as I’m concerned we’re all a little past secrecy. If you’re cool with it, I’d like to compare notes on your situation versus our situation and see if any dots get connected.”
Discord leaned on his cane and looked Bon Bon over with a look that said he wasn’t half as surprised to see her or the other girls here, or even the dragon for that matter, “Yes, I imagine an info swap could prove fruitful. As you suspected, I am aware of your organization, Miss Bon Bon. I didn’t know it had so many agents in town, let alone ingrained in Canterlot High's student body, but as you have noticed, I’ve been rather busy for the past few months with affairs a little outside Wing Bind’s... purview.”
“Uh, hey Bon Bon,” Sunset said, “Is this going to be one of those situations where I find out somebody I knew is somehow connected to some super secret spiritual faction I never heard of before? Because I already went through that with Twilight, so honestly not going to be all super shocked. Just noting I don’t see Lyra here, and you two usually are pretty tight...”
Bon Bon looked away from Sunset for a moment, although she had been giving Sunset’s bandaged up state and odd wooden arm cast a concerned look. “Lyra doesn’t know, if that’s what you were wondering. As for the details, we’ll get to that. First, you okay? You look like you just got put through the wringer. You're literally a walking cartoon cliché with all the mummified bandages right now.”
“I'll live, but things... sucked here,” Sunset admitted, “It’s over for now, but to put it mildly, things got real here today. My friends and I got a lot on our plate. I almost want to just tell you and your pals here to take that dragon somewhere else, maybe dump it in the forest, and come back next week with whatever this is. But, I see Wallflower is with you, and I want to make sure she’s okay. Did she end up as a bystander again?”
“It’s... more complicated than that,” Bon Bon said, and Octavia made a grunting noise like a hose sucking air.
“Bon Bon, we really shouldn’t say more, especially without authorization.”
“I don't know what's going on!” Wallflower suddenly burst out, stumbling to her feet and coming forward, looking at Sunset with hard, gulping breaths, “I don’t know why the dragon came after me!”
“It was after you?” Sunset didn’t hesitate to go up and do her best to give Wallflower comfort with an arm around the shoulders, letting the girl lean on her a bit as she cast a questioning look at Bon Bon, Vinyl, and Octavia.
Vinyl shrugged without a word, just kicking a rock towards the dead dragon, while Octavia bit her lip and muttered, “We cannot confirm that. It did appear as if the Dragon was targeting this girl, but it could have been pure coincidence, or simply the beast being hungry and aiming for what seemed to be easy prey.”
“I don’t buy that,” Bon Bon stated, “The thing was already tracking her by the time you and Vinyl were in position to maintain surveillance on Wallflower, and before we killed it the thing shouted something about ‘Ragnarok’. Not at all normal hunting behavior we’ve seen in the past.”
“Whoa whoa, slow down here,” Sunset said, “So you... Wing Bind people have fought dragons before?”
“Dragons, capital ‘D’, as in the kind that seep in from the Beast Realm, among other things,” Bon Bon replied, “Wing Bind is... well I can’t get into it while standing around here. How about we get this all situated inside?”
“And I still need to contact our superior officer,” Octavia stated bluntly, “She requires an update, and quite frankly ‘Bon Bon’, you’ve pushed the limit already.”
“Fine, contact away, but the cat was already out of the bag when Discord’s people found us,” Bon Bon said, gesturing at Screwball and Screwloose, the latter giving a wave.
Octavia in the meantime had pulled out a small cell phone and was already speaking with someone on it. “Ma’am, it’s agent Philharmonica. Yes, I’m afraid so, ma’am. It was agent Sweetie Drops’ insistence. ...Yes, the target is unharmed. Wait, are you certain, ma’am? I... yes, yes of course, just a moment.”
With an irritable grimace, Octavia handed the phone towards Bon Bon, who took it and cleared her throat, “Ahem, hey ma’am, I-...yeeeeeah, figured with everything that happened there wasn’t much point trying to hide it. Ugh, c’mon ma’am, at least let me sit in on it! I owe Sunset and the gals at least that much. Okay, okay, orders received. We’ll be back soon.”
She tossed the phone back to Octavia and looked to Sunset with an apologetic, downcast sigh, “Our boss has ordered us to get our butts back to base ASAP. We’re to leave Wallflower here in your custody for now, assuming you want her.”
“I do believe we can take care of Miss Wallflower,” Discord stated, “Did your ‘boss’ mention anything else?”
“She’ll be paying you visit later, after things have settled down. I don't know if she'll share any information with you or just make it a courtesy call, but I've been specifically ordered to keep my mouth shut until after she's spoken with all of you,” Bon Bon said, and specifically met Sunset’s eyes with what looked to Sunset to be a feeling of sincere frustration and equal levels of regret, “I’m sorry to do this. I wanted to sit down and explain things. Even if we’ve all had our secrets to keep, I never did like having to keep a mask up while you, Rarity, Rainbow, AJ, Fluttershy, and Pinkie risked your lives day after day. I hate having to keep all of this from Lyra, too. But orders are orders. I hope my boss is willing to be open and share info, because I got a bad feeling that something big is happening and whatever this Ragnarok business is, it’s tied to what just went down with you and... whoever you were fighting today. I’m just sorry I just got ordered to zip it and say nothing more.”
Sunset trusted her gut, which was telling her that Bon Bon’s regret was genuine. She held out a hand, managing a smile despite the twinge of pain from the still healing burns on her face, “Don’t sweat it. Sounds like you kept Wallflower safe, and you’ve clued us in that the Beast Realm has something going on that we’d best keep an eye out for. I appreciate that. Take care of yourself, and hopefully sometime soon we can talk again.”
Bon Bon nodded, and turned around, saying to Octavia and Vinyl, “Okay, let’s get back to base. I’ll set up an invisible screen so we can fly.”
Sunset wasn’t certain precisely what Bon Bon meant until she saw her smoothly reach into her satchel and withdraw a pair of long needles, already laced with thread. With incredibly fast motions Bon Bon began weaving with those threads, and the threads sprung to dancing life, alight with colors as Bon Bon spoke in a manner not unlike invoking Kido.
“Patchworks Spellcode Number Twenty Seven: Veil of Secrecy.”
Dark gray wove a misty curtain around herself, Vinyl Scratch, Octavia, and even the dragon’s corpse. Sunset could still see them, but she noticed there was a glimmer in the air that felt to her senses not unlike a ward. She guessed it would probably keep non-spiritually aware people from seeing those under this ‘veil’. Bon Bon wasn’t done, more threads magically leaping from her satchel\
“Patchworks Spellcode Number Twelve: Corpse Pocket.”
White threads flew into the dragon’s body, wrapping it up like spider silk, and at the same time the body began to shrink, smaller and smaller, until it was no larger than a small doll that Bon Bon pulled to her and slipped into her satchel right before weaving one last spell with her needles and thread.
“Patchworks Spellcode Number Fifteen: Carpet of Winds.”
Blue and purple threads flew before her and swiftly wove together to create a twelve foot long and six foot wide carpet that floated on the air. Bon Bon hopped onto the carpet and it seemed to move to her whim, floating her up in the air.
At the same time Octavia and Vinyl scratch both pulled out those odd gun-like objects, that Sunset also now realized had a vaguely wand feel to them as they both aimed the tips of those wands up above their heads. Both of their voices spoke at the same time, although Sunset noticed she couldn’t really tell if Vinyl was talking or just mouthing the same words Octavia was.
“Pipers Spellcode Number Fourteen: Familiar Call.”
Soft blue balls of light shot upward amid musical notes chiming from their wands; a deep synth beat from Vinyl’s and a rich cello’s hum from Octavia’s. The spheres of energy then burst into rings of blue light that within them contained pentagrams. As if these acted as portals, down from these rings swooped two... creatures? Objects? It was hard to tell, as they both seemed to be organic yet also artificial. Each one was long and thin, like a broom, but with wings and heads, and both somewhat draconic in appearance.
Vinyl hopped upon one that was hot neon purple, with a long snout at it’s head, and four bat-like wings. It’s big, google eyes also bore a pair of purple shades like Vinyl’s own. Meanwhile Octavia sat side saddle on her own ‘Familiar’, which was mahogany brown with a flat, blunt face with big tusks, and had two broad wings shaped like square sails.
Both rode these odd creatures up to join Bon Bon on her carpet, as Sunset looked on. She couldn’t help her curiosity and called up to them, “Can you at least tell me what you guys are?”
Bon Bon twirled her needles and thread back into her satchel with a laugh and started to fly away, but she shouted back, “Witches!”
Soon the trio had flown out of sight and Sunset just shook her head in wonderment, “Witches, eh? Sure, why not? It’s a big, crazy world, after all.”
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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
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So the different divisions of Wing Bind have different methods in using Magic? I like it! BURN THE WITCH didn't go too much in-depth regarding how a Witch's magic differs from Kido, so I love that you've given them such a different "flavor" right off the bat! And wow, I was not expecting Blueblood to follow Rarity into Hell, but I admire his commitment! His critical thinking could probably use some work, but his heart was in the right place at least. And with Celestia's resolve, Tirek's grief, Sunset and Discord's heart-to-heart, and Cozy Glow's breakdown of Hell, this was a fantastic chapter to start easing us into the next phase of the story! Definitely exciting times ahead, and I can't wait to see what you have in store!
This story is awesome don't get me wrong I love the original bleach but I feel like the factions are handled better in this story, especially with the Quincy
See, now Vinyl's magic transforming car/turntable makes sense!
Great chapter, thanks!
Can't wait to see the Beast Realm. Not much is known about from Bleach besides that along Hell, it existed before Soul Kind and its home of Werewolves.
Can't wait to see other people in Hell. Even if Hell is rigged, there would still be plenty of serial killers, rapists and so on. And they have plenty of free time in Hell. Thankfully, Rarity can take care of herself.
Has it been revealed who's Blueblood lieutenant?
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Its a transformer lol
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Hey man, the afterlife in this fic is complicated enough WITHOUT adding the well of all sparks.