Episode 201: Push Forward
Episode 201: Push Forward
Agreeing to aid the Diamond Dogs in their plight had taken little discussion, once the entire group was brought up to speed. Simurgh expressed nothing short of shock that the Dwarven Clans would get that blatantly aggressive at all after so many generations of an otherwise simmering status quo of back and forth skirmishes and raids that was tantamount to tradition at this point. Yet the claim Proudfang had made concerning a new Jarl for Clan Allhammer struck a chord with Simurgh, and that evening in camp the tall and graceful bird preened her wings with a contemplative look as she confided to Sunset and the others.
“I knew Jarl Gagansmelt for a long time. His Clan’s orichalcum is prized by High Chieftain Quetzalcoatl in the Golden City. I’ve negotiated those very mines in times past while the Jarl took me on tours of the Allhammer’s operations. He was a very careful, cautious, and above all honorable man. I cannot imagine he’d ever have approved of taking the Clans to all out war with the Diamond Dogs. I have... and even more difficult time imagining him dying in such a fashion.”
“Ain’t gonna lie, that whole story sounds mighty fishy ta me,” said Applejack, sitting on a large mushroom cap next to Rainbow Dash, who was groaning, head bent over between her legs, having more or less recovered from her own mushroom escapade.
“Foul play is not out of the question, but we are in no position to investigate, let alone prove whether the young Jarl Brogensmasher had a hand in his father’s death,” said Asena, to which Simurgh reluctantly nodded her head.
“Much as I do not wish to agree with my blunt companion, she speaks truly. We’ve neither the time nor the means to conduct an investigation, although rest assured once we are back in Alfheim I shall be delivering a most thorough report to my High Chieftain concerning this matter. Right now, we must concern ourselves with simply defeating Brogensmasher in an open challenge to thwart his war against the Diamond Dogs.”
“I could take him...” Rainbow Dash said, raising her hand, if not her head as she groaned again, “Soon as I’m done puking up all this... bad mushroom juice...”
Applejack patted her on the back again, face lit up with an admonishing but fond smile, “Now what’ve we learned, Dash? Not ta eat up random shrooms, right?”
“Bite me. But yeah, not touching anything around here again without our local gals given it the all clear,” Rainbow said, nodding at Simurgh and Asena with a weak grin, to which Asena returned a toothy smirk.
“It is good to temper boldness with wisdom, young Lady Dash. As for your offer to duel Brogensmasher, it is appreciated, especially considering the likelihood of this expanding into a Trial of Arms.”
“Come again?” asked Shining Armor, who was seated by the campfire eating next to Cadence, both Quincy partaking of the stew that had been refreshed with ingredients offered up by the Diamond Dogs. At this point everyone was hungry enough that the meat on offer in the form of various insects was even being accepted with little trepidation. Wallflower was eating as well, which Sunset was glad to see. The girl’s mood seemed at least a little brighter, if still fairly withdrawn.
The only one not in immediate attendance was Clover, who’d just a few minutes earlier told Sunset she was staying near the lake to work on something with the Diamond Dogs’ help. Sunset was deathly curious what that ‘something’ was, and suspected it had to do with the scroll case that Clover had been keeping close this whole time. As soon as this meeting was over with, Sunset intended to go check in on Clover to find out what her friend was up to. Then, time permitting, she wanted to commune with Hokori no Hikari.
Mind focused back on the present, Sunset crossed her arms and echoed Shining Armor’s sentiments, “Yeah, what is a Trial of Arms and how is that any different than the challenge we already plan to give Brogensmasher?”
Asena laid herself down and actually wagged her tail, as if relishing the prospect of what she was talking of, the campfire glinting in her eyes with particular intensity, “Just as one challenged to an honorable duel can name a champion to fight in their name, those of high station who command many forces can declare a Trial of Arms. This is because a challenge to a ruler is considered a challenge to all of his subjects, so all are considered as having the right to defend their own honor. This results in a contest of multiple champions facing one another in equal, one-on-one duels until one side no longer has champions left to fight.”
Rainbow Dash and Spike both perked up, nearly blurting at the same time, “Tournament arc?”
“Wut?” Applejack said, blinking, and looking between the two as if they’d spoken in code. Rainbow Dash turned to her and Sunset could all but see the girl vibrating with energy.
“Asena literally just described a tournament. Like, Dwarf dude picks his best, and we get to smack them around in an arena, one v one.”
“An’ why’re ya two lookin’ all excited like that’s a good thing?” Applejack said, wrinkling her nose and pursing her lips at the whole idea, “Sounds like a massive waste o’ time when it could all git settled by just takin’ down that one guy we need ta wallop.”
“I just like the idea of being able to put the Gunwolf through some more practice use,” Spike said, patting the mech’s arm. He was sitting out of it, but stayed close to the machine like it was his own doghouse, although Sunset gauged the main reason was that Spike was going through a lot right now and the Gunwolf was a direct reminder of Twilight, and hence it was a comfort. Like a big, metal, gun toting safety blanket.
“I’m pretty much in the same mindset,” Rainbow said, finally looking a little better with her pale blue features regaining a bit of darker color as her excitement pushed back the residual illness of the mushrooms, “I mean, I’ve always wanted to fight in a big tournament with super-cool powers, and this whole crazy spirit war hasn’t had a single one of those! I mean, how cool would it have been if the Quincy, Soul Reapers, and Hollows could’ve settled all their bullcrap with a huge Spirit Tournament!?”
“Ignoring the fact that the outcome would have been completely unenforceable?” Cadence said, raising a quizzical eyebrow, “Or that, quite frankly, nobody would trust one another enough to even show up for such a dubious event?”
“Pfft...Pfft I say,” Rainbow replied, grumbling. Shining Armor coughed out a laugh, shaking his head.
“Might have been fun, but yeah, I somehow don’t see any of my fellow Sternritter being up to the idea, except for maybe a handful like Lightning Dust or Rutherford. Moot notion at this point anyway, what with our supposed truce in place.”
“Supposed?” Sunset asked, frowning deeply at him, “Is that just you being pessimistic or is there something you’re not telling us?”
Shining Armor shook his head, eyes showing a gray shade of exhaustion that lay hidden behind his otherwise focused and professional demeanor, “Oh, don’t read into it too much. I know that if His Majesty... Sombra, agreed to a truce, he’ll honor it, and ensure the rest of us do as well. Any who oppose him wouldn’t get far in doing so. That said, there will be resistance, mark my words on that. Not every Sternritter, not every Quincy, is going to drop generations of hatred and distrust right off the bat.”
“Even with the Zero Division breathin’ down our necks an’ it outright beyond any question that all o’ this spirit war nonsense is mostly their own damn fault?” Applejack said, and this time Cadence answered, her voice carrying a quiet calm as she touched her fiancé's arm.
“I doubt any will question the need to face the Zero Division. Shining is merely saying that, once that’s all said and done, peace between all of us won’t be an easy task. Still, I’m hopeful. I’ve long respected Celestia and Luna, and I know I am not the only Quincy who is tired of fighting. Surely there are Soul Reapers who feel the same way. It is harder to say, for Hollows, but I’m willing to give peace a chance...” her hand strayed to her stomach, a gentle gesture filled with a world of love and worry both, “I don’t want my child growing up having to deal with the same burdens I have, so I’ll fight for peace, even against other Quincy, if that is what needs to be done.”
“...Okay, yeah, point taken,” Rainbow Dash said, rubbing her head as if to clear out fuzz, then cast a sidelong look at Sunset, “Total side note, but if you’ve started sporting those spiffy new feathers, doesn’t that mean the rest of us will start doing the same, soon? I thought we had, like, a few more days or something?”
Sunset ran a hand through her hair, feeling the growths of several feathers gleaming bright and rose red in her hair, like incandescent flames. “I, uh, really don’t know. I’m not sure why I’m showing the sings first... although I have a theory or two.”
“Do tell,” Simurgh said, “I’m quite curious as to your swift changes, myself. Especially given that you appear to be taking on aspects of a phoenix.”
“Before I talk theory, could you tell me if there’s something special about phoenix in the Beast Realm? I mean, Brawnwyn, that Diamond Dog we first met, all but seemed to leap through the roof when she saw my feathers,” Sunset said, still recalling vividly the bright and near joyful look on the golden furred Diamond Dog’s face.
“Ah, how to explain?” Simurgh rubbed her beak with a wing, “Phoenix are among the rarest of the Tribe of Sky’s inhabitants. So rare that it is said to cross paths with one is to be blessed with true fortune. There are even legends that when a phoenix is born in the Beast Realm, the Fates themselves must re-spin their tapestry of threads to account for the great changes a phoenix will bring to the lives of those that cross its path. Such is the phoenix’s fabled power, to alter Fate.”
“Whoa...” Spike stated with innocent clarity, “That all true, or just, like, stories and stuff?”
Asena looked at Simurgh with a bit of a half-bark, half-snort, and said, “Sky Tribe does love its flowery exaggerations and talk of Fate. To be a bit more grounded, phoenix are wonderfully powerful birds with innate magic for healing and renewal, often naturally bringing health to the land and those around them. And yes, they are quite rare. I believe there are only around a dozen or so in all the Beast Realm, so Sunset is quite fortunate if she is taking on their shape. If it turns out we do not get you out of the Beast Realm before you change permanently, you can at least feel assured you’ll have a truly magnificent new form to enjoy.”
“Ehhh, think I’ll pass, if I can help it,” Sunset said, “Anyway, as to my guess as to why I’m changing first, I got two ideas. One, I’m from Equestria, and given its a world more naturally attuned to magic, maybe that makes me more susceptible to Anima, which is also part magic. I mean, I half expected to start turning unicorn again, anyway. As for the other idea...” she patted her chest, where the Hogyoku still lay firmly and safely tucked away. She barely noticed its presence anymore, although she did always check to make sure it wasn’t doing anything weird.
She’d checked it not long after leaving the Diamond Dog caverns, just to be sure, but the odd gem ball certainly didn’t look any different than normal... save for the tiniest hint of an orange spark in its depths. That she attributed to whatever it had absorbed from the Hell Gate. But it certainly occurred to her it might also be absorbing Anima from the Beast Realm itself.
“Let’s just say Discord gave me something that affects the spirit energy and magic that my friends and I share. It connects us to each other and other forms of energy. It might be the reason I’m changing faster. Might not be long before Rainbow Dash and Applejack start to change too, considering we’re connected.”
“Riiight, the Hogyowhatever,” Rainbow Dash said, “I usually forget that thing exists.”
“We oughta be keepin’ a closer eye on it,” Applejack said, “Might be the only thing we got ta counter Starlight Glimmer’s. Lands sake, who knows how much more powerful she’s gotten with all o’ this time ta traipse around Equestria like she owns the place.”
“No way Princess Celestia, Luna, or Twilight would let Starlight have an easy time of that,” Sunset said with conviction, but her heart felt a wave of constriction just thinking about it. “I just hope we get there soon.”
“Speaking of getting to places, how far to this Allhammer Clan’s hangout? It’s not the fortress we saw near that big rock pillar, is it?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“No, that’s one of the smaller Clan holdfasts,” Asena said, “The Allhammer Clan's stronghold, Mattugeirr, is further north and west of that. At proper speed, we can reach there in perhaps one or two days, depending on delays we encounter.”
“Such as?” Sunset asked.
“Thus far we’ve been fortunate that the only local creatures we’ve encountered can sense our party is too dangerous to risk attacking, one ornery draugr aside. We may not stay that fortunate, the further on we go. There is also the simple fact that Mattugeirr is so deep in Dwarven territory its unlikely we’ll get to it without being detected, hence we may have a confrontation with Dwarven forces before we even get in sight of the citadel.”
“Are we... sure we even want to do this?” Wallflower asked suddenly, flinching a little as all eyes turned towards her. She hunched in on herself a bit, but after a moment gathered her nerve and went on to say, “I’m not against it, exactly, but we’re just kind of taking the Diamond Dogs at their word, aren’t we? What if we’re not getting the whole story?”
“It’s not a bad point to bring up,” Shining Armor said, “We really don’t know anything about the situation we’re stepping into, and it’s not impossible that we could just be getting ourselves used here.”
“I feel like it’d be pretty easy to confirm with our own eyes what’s really going on once we get further into the Dwarves’ territory,” said Sunset, “I mean, I get what you’re saying, Wallflower, Shining Armor, and trust me after everything that’s happened I don’t want to make the mistake of jumping the gun or letting myself get cocky. That said, from what I understand we have to go that direction anyway to get out of Svartalfheim. We may as well take a look at what’s up with this war, and if it looks like the Dwarves, or at least this Jarl Brogensmasher, is up to no good... we proceed with plan ‘kick his butt’. Make sense to everyone?”
“Hell yeah,” Rainbow Dash said.
“No complaints from me,” added Applejack.
General agreement gradually rang out from the rest, and even Wallflower looked as if she was less nervous after listening to Sunset. Without a sun to gauge time with it was mostly a matter of one’s internal clock to work out how close to late evening it was, and most were certainly getting tired, so not long after the conversation wound down most everyone started settling in to get some sleep. Asena agreed to take first watch, perching herself on one of the larger nearby boulders to keep and eye out for any approaching dangers.
Sunset took this opportunity to go check on Clover, making her way back to the lake in little to no time with a few Flash Steps.
Once at the large pool of dark water, she saw no sign of that draugr, Rutgur, which was just as well. She wasn’t really sure what to make of the undead catfish monster, and when she’d asked Asena about them what she’d learned left her a tad weirded out. The fact that some Anima skills could be used to manipulate souls into a state between passing on to the next life and this present one while also binding them to service left her with a singularly strong feeling of distaste. From what Asena explained it wasn’t all that common an ability, at least not anymore. Apparently in the ancient times, closer to the wars between gods, it was a more widespread, although primarily used by the denizens of Niflheim and Muspelheim. A lot of the draugr still around were leftover from those times. Without a source of Anima from the one they served, a draugr was inanimate. Left that way long enough without a means of preservation, they’d eventually pass on naturally. Some draugr apparently didn’t desire this and hence sought out someone to serve, hopefully through some equitable arrangement. That was seemingly the case with Rutgur and the Diamond Dogs of Proudfang’s Clan, with Brawnwyn providing Anima to him in exchange for the draugr acting as a guard for the Clan’s hiding spot.
It just emphasized to her how not like home this place was.
Finding Clover wasn’t hard. The young Soul Reaper wasn’t concealing herself. She was on top of the ridge across the lake from the Diamond Dog caverns, and as Sunset approached, appearing on the ridge with a simple Flash Step, she paused to observe what Clover was doing.
That scroll case lay on the ground in front of Clover, who was sitting on her knees in a pose of calm concentration as she held an unfurled parchment in front of her. The parchment was a darkened brown that gave it a feeling of ancient age, like a relic more than a mere piece of paper. It was hard for Sunset to see, but she could barely make out the darker black ink of the symbols upon the parchment. Her eyes began to hurt as she saw the symbols shift, move, like drops of paint swirling in water.
Clover was chanting under her breath, and now Sunset could see her friend was sweating profusely, and her body was outlined with a faint white gleam of reiatsu as if Clover was focusing her spiritual power in preparation to fight.
Sunset chanced a step closer, speaking quietly, “Clover...?”
Clover did not respond, her eyes locked on the parchment, almost glazed as if not seeing anything around her. Her mouth kept whispering an indistinct chant that Sunset could not make out. Slowly the outline of white spiritual aura around Clover grew, and was drawn towards the parchment the way mist or smoke might be drawn into a suction fan. The symbols on the parchment moved even faster, swirling and mixing and sharpening a hundred times over per second.
Sunset now felt the air around her changing, growing thicker somehow, and she felt a sudden sense of danger crawl along her spine and her hand went instinctively to her Zanpaktou’s hilt. However the moment she touched Hokori no Hikari, she felt a jolt of sensation from her Zanpaktou and sensed the spirts in her blade informing her of a single thing; don’t interfere.
Don’t interfere? With what? What was Clover doing?
The pressure in the air grew by magnitudes, until Sunset felt as if she was being pressed beneath a mountain. She could withstand it, but this reiatsu, for that’s what it felt like this was, held a cloying and suffocating intensity to it. It wasn’t Clover’s, was it? Not entirely, no. She looked at Clover and the parchment and realized this reiatsu was somehow being formed from both Clover and the scroll... or rather something lurking inside the scroll.
Whatever it was, it was drinking in Clover’s spiritual energy and somehow adding it to it’s own, mixing it in the way a painter mixes colors on an easel.
Strain was blooming across Clover’s features, and Sunset noticed her friend’s breath started to become irregular. Clover’s hands trembled, fingers curling as if grasping at something unseen. The reiatsu surrounding Clover fluctuated with sudden, violent turmoil. Sunset felt her blood chill as she saw the abrupt appearance of wounds on Clover’s body, claw marks slowly and shallowly tearing over her arms and side.
Instinct was telling her to do something about this, but Hokori no Hikari remained steadily providing a sense that interference would be an ill-advised action. Choosing to trust her Zanpaktou, Sunset forced herself to remain still and watch, although she resolved to step in if it looked as if Clover’s life was in genuine danger. The wounds at least were small and mostly superficial, but there was now no mistaking the expression of pain and difficult concentration trembling on Clover’s face.
Then, with shockingly immediacy, everything stopped. There was a small burst of reiatsu, a wave of white aura that rolled off of Clover and the parchment, then Clover fell back with a gasp and the parchment dropped to the ground, inert.
“Clover!” Sunset said, unable to stay still any longer and quickly going to the other girl’s side, kneeling down to help Clover sit up, “Are you alright?”
“Ooooh...ow... that hurt...” Clover muttered, eyes a tad unfocused as she blinked. It took Clover a few seconds to seem to realize she was resting on her back in Sunset’s arms, upon which her eyes flickered uncomfortably around as she sat up a bit faster than might appear normal, scooting away while swaying a bit, as if dizzy. “I’m... okay. I think. D-did you come looking for me?”
“Well, yeah,” Sunset admitted, standing up slowly and peering at Clover, then at the parchment and scroll case. She noticed now the case had another scroll in it as well, or rather some kind of rolled up scroll tube with a smaller wooden case next to it, painted over with kanji she didn’t recognize. “Mind if I ask what you’re doing? Look kinda... intense.”
It was a tad odd to see Clover so clearly embarrassed, the girl shifting and scrambling to pick up and roll up the older parchment before reverently putting it back in the case next to the other scroll tube. She held her wounded arms, flinching a bit at the blood, “I suppose I should have said something. I was hoping I might be able to do this on my own without anyone noticing, but pretty clear that was just me being foolish about this. I don’t know why I feel so self conscious about it. At the same time, its not like there’s much any of you can do to help me. This is a challenge I have to overcome on my own.”
“That really doesn’t explain anything,” Sunset said, but her voice was soft and understanding as she took a seat next to Clover, glancing at the scrolls again before saying, “If its secret Soul Reaper stuff, I’m not about to pry too hard. Its just that this looked a bit dangerous, is all.”
Clover gulped, face still plastered with sweat, “That’s because it is. Give me a moment to collect myself, and I’ll tell you.”
Sunset was plenty patient in this case, and waited as Clover took some calming breaths and applied some healing Kido to her wounds. Once Clover was more settled, she gestured at the scrolls, “You’ve learned how to cast Kido yourself, so you have some familiarity with how the spells function. You’re also aware that Kido could roughly be translated to ‘Demon Arts’. This moniker is not entirely without purpose. Just as a Zanpaktou has its individual spirit, in essence a Kido spell is represented by its own spirit, or ‘demon’, that symbolizes the spell’s core. For lower ranked spells, up to level eighty, any Soul Reaper can be taught to invoke that spirit and give it shape through their own reiatsu, creating the spell from their own spirit energy. However, spells higher than level eighty are different. To learn spells of that power, one must confront the ‘demon’ that symbolizes that spell directly in order to obtain its power and invoke the spell. It is not unlike how one must confront and subdue one’s own Zanpaktou to achieve Bankai...”
“Damn, that is intense,” Sunset said, understanding now why Clover had never so much as brought up the idea of teaching Sunset any higher level Kido spells. Thinking back to the battle with Gaia Everfree, she recalled Clover using a powerful Bakudo-class Kido in that range, “You’ve done this before?”
Clover nodded slowly, face a little pale, “Learning that spell was one of the hardest things I did during the time of Puddinghead’s training me. And because I succeeded, he seems to think I’m capable of more. You see, the higher level the Kido, the stronger the demon spirit that must be suppressed. The essence of the Kido spell and its associated demon is engraved on the scroll, and when I fuse my spirit energy with it, I am drawn to its Inner World. We fight. Fortunately it is not to the death, but... well, losing isn’t pleasant,” she rubbed her arms. The wounds were gone now, but the tears in her Soul Reaper robes remained.
“What level spell is this?” Sunset asked.
“It is the Ninety Seventh Way of Hado,” Clover said, “And I must master it, if I’m to be able to fulfill my new duties. That, and this other scroll. An entirely different kind of test.”
She picked up the scroll tube and the smaller case next to it. Opening the tube, she pulled out a scroll that was... blank? No, not blank, Sunset realized as she saw the borders of the clean white parchment were inked with symbols, like the ornate frame of a picture. laying the scroll out and opening the case, Clover revealed a well of dark ink and an ornate brush, its wood handle bleached white and carved with kanji.
“I’m a bit confused here. A test for what? What new duties?” Sunset asked.
Clover took a deep breath, “I’d not had time to tell you yet, have I? When I arrived, you were already fighting Jormungandr, and we’ve been busy with the journey in front of us since then. Before I returned from Soul Society I was informed that Captain Celestia would be assuming the new role of Captain Commander.”
That news didn’t surprise Sunset too much. Ever since knowing that Scorpan had fallen to Glory, a difficult notion to process on its own, she’d figured that the only Captain who could have taken up the reigns of leadership would have been Celestia. Granted, Sunset knew she might have been biased, but she couldn’t see anyone else doing the job. Maybe that Cheese Sandwich guy? But she didn’t know him well enough to figure if he’d do as good a job as Celestia herself.
And Clover’s words then struck Sunset as she read between the lines. “The Thirteenth Division would need a new Captain...”
Clover nodded, now staring at the mostly blank scroll parchment tin front of her, “And I’ve been selected for the role. I believe Puddinghead gave me these scrolls as a test to ensure I’d be up to the task. Or perhaps this is his way of encouraging me? I don’t know, I only know that I have to try and live up to the expectations now placed on me. But... hah... a Captain without her Zanpaktou would seem a pretty poor one, even if I manage to master these scrolls.”
Sunset didn’t know what to think, but she did know she wanted to support Clover and could tell her friend was crushing herself under these new supposed expectations. She reached out and grasped Clover’s shoulder with a firm hand, “Hey, leading isn’t all about power. You’ve helped us since day one, and never faltered when a lot of others might’ve broken or run. I think you’ll make for one badass Captain, Clover. As for these Kido scrolls, I’m sure it’ll be tough, sure as heck looked tough as an outside observer. But I’ve seen you pull through against tough odds. You’ve got this. Now, what’s the deal with the blank one here?”
Clover’s face was still for a moment before a small smile appeared, not as whole hearted as Sunset would’ve liked to see, but at least it was there. Clover indicated the ink and brush, “To be considered a true Kido master it isn’t enough to simply learn the higher level spells. Genuine mastery only comes when one is capable of forging ones own Kido spell, utilizing the techniques set down not only by Puddinghead, but his direct mentor... Medley, of the Zero Division.”
“Seriously? She’s the one who created Kido?”
“According to Soul Reaper legend, yes, the Demon Arts were created by her. Including the methodology of forging original spells, which is an even greater challenge than subduing the demon spirits of the higher level spells.”
Sunset rubbed the back of her head, “So, wait, I thought Kido spells basically just went from one to ninety nine, of both Hado and Bakudo types. I mean, I remember Discord and Ditzy did use some that weren’t numbered...”
“You’re correct. Officially there are only the ninety nine spells of the two types of Kido, if one does not count the healing spells of the Way of Kaido. However, that is not to say that custom Kido do not exist. It is merely that the process of creating one is most difficult, and rarely ever done. If I succeed, I will be among the few who possesses such a personalized spell. Even Puddinghead, to my knowledge, has only crafted a handful of personal spells of his own.”
“How does it work?” Sunset said, leaning forward a bit. She couldn’t help herself. She was still, at heart, a student of magic. She wanted to know how things worked, and for a moment all of the pressure and dangers of the situations they were in faded away as she just sat next to Clover to listen and learn.
“Strictly speaking, it isn’t complicated,” Clover said, picking up the brush, “With this specially crafted brush and ink, I pour my spirit energy into the parchment as I write the kanji I wish to associate with my spell. I must hold in my mind and soul a perfect image of the effects I wish the spell to have. Then, not unlike an Asauchi absorbing spirit energy to transform itself into a Soul Reaper’s personal Zanpaktou, the scroll will absorb my own energy to give rise to the spirit demon that will encompass the essence of my spell. Then, just like with a higher level spell, I must confront and subdue the very spirit demon I create. And unlike the confrontation with the numbered demon of the old parchment, my fight with the spirit I create will be far more... potentially lethal.”
Sunset went quiet for a few seconds, thinking back to her battle with Hokori to achieve Bankai. Hokori hadn’t held back, and could have easily killed Sunset had she made the slightest error. Heck, more than once she thought that Hikari appearing when she did may well have saved her butt.
“So it’s a lot more like Bankai, in that your spell’s demon spirit is going to seriously try to kill you, not just kick you around like the other one did?”
Clover gave a solemn nod, “Precisely. It hurts to fail, but I can survive and try again with the Ninety Seventh Hado. But the spell I make here, on this parchment...? Whatever it ends up being, it will fight as viciously as a wild animal, until I tame it, or it kills me. Which certainly makes it difficult to decide what kind of spell to craft, for the stronger and more complex a spell I try to create, the more powerful the demon spirit will be.”
She spoke without any sugar coating of the facts, voice almost clinical, but Sunset could detect the undercurrents of doubt clashing against her calm, akin to waves crashing upon a rocky shore. Clover was frightened of what she felt she needed to do, but was resolved to do it. Sunset felt the warmth of admiration mixed with the muggy rime of unease. A part of her wanted to tell Clover to hold off on this whole Kido spell business. To put it aside until things were calmer.
As if things would ever be calmer. They were stuck in the bowels of the Beast Realm, with a genocidal mad dragon of monumental power chasing them for the purpose of completing a scheme to literally murder the world for pseudo-philosophical reasons. And that was just the current problem they faced, never mind the greater issue of a whole cabal of the world’s former most powerful gods orchestrating an equally insane plan to crush the souls of anyone who didn’t pass their standards and then use them for some ritual to resurrect their fallen deific brethren.
Life hadn’t been normal or ‘calm’ for awhile, and didn’t look like it was going to be again anytime in the near future. So as much as a part of her was terrified for Clover and the danger her friend was trying to put herself in, Sunset had to admit that if Clover could pull this off it’d be a heck of a boon for future fights.
Besides, the much larger part of Sunset, larger than any of her fears, was a firm faith and belief in the strength of those she chose to call friend. Clover had been with them since the beginning of all of this. Even when outmatched or out of her depth, the seemingly mild-mannered Soul Reaper had never faltered or run away. She’d grown, bit by bit, into someone Sunset believed could readily handle the responsibilities of being a Captain of the Gotei 13, and stand beside her and her other friends against all the dangers of the battles yet to come.
So Sunset swallowed her fears and showed Clover a confident smile, “Knowing you, whatever spell you come up with is going to be an awesome one. And the demon spirit that springs out of it? You’ll be able to take it.”
A small laugh escaped Clover, “I’d better, since I’d hate to prove you wrong after such encouragement. I do have a solid idea of the spell I wish to create. I’m merely fine tuning the specifics in my head. As I said, I must have a very clear picture of it in my mind before I begin writing the scroll. I was hoping I’d have it prepared by tomorrow evening. That’s why this night I was trying my luck with the Ninety Seventh Hado.”
Sunset cast a glance at the old parchment in question, “You plan on giving it another go? Everyone else is already going to bed. Chances are we’ve got an early start, tomorrow.”
Clover considered the scroll for a moment, lips pursed, eyes narrowed, “No, not tonight. I think, perhaps, if I succeed with the creation of my Kido, that may provide insight on taming the demon spirit of the Ninety Seventh Kido. My life may not be on the line with the Ninety Seventh, but the drain in attempting to face it is considerable. I’ll save my strength for tomorrow, for the creation ritual. I... I would not say no, if you, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack wished to be present for it. Having my friends around may help me focus.”
Sunset’s smile deepened, “I know they’d be honored to be there. We’ll be right behind you for this, Clover, every step.”
Sunset stood and offered Clover a hand up, which Clover accepted after putting away the scrolls. With that, they returned together to the camp, where rest awaited, and what would promise to be another long and potentially dangerous day in the depths of Svartalfheim.
----------
Platinum was beyond nervous.
Her instincts, honed over her long career as Captain of the Sixth Division, were directly tied into her exceptionally sharp spiritual senses, among the best the Gotei 13 had once had with the possible exceptions of Daring Do, Luna, or Celestia. It had always been a bit up in the air whose senses were strongest, as it was such a difficult metric to properly measure. Sometimes, depending on the strength and nature of the reiatsu, sensing it would be exceptionally difficult even from a close range.
Other types of reiatsu could be sensed from many miles, even continents away. Reiatsu like Captain Commander Scorpan’s could practically be felt from anywhere on a planetary body.
Right now Platinum was focused almost entirely upon this dread sense in her chest that had begun not so long ago, and had not removed its claws from her. She was in the lower tunnels of the Changeling hive, trying to follow Chrysalis’ trail, uncertain where her partner had gotten off to. By now it was obvious the Relic they sought was not in the vault of the hive or anywhere else easily accessed, but clearly Chrysalis must have felt something to have vanished like this.
Of course it was possible the former Changeling Queen had gone rogue, but Platinum didn’t think that was the case. It would be rather risky to pull anything like that while still in the middle of what constituted as enemy territory, and Chrysalis was bereft of any allies besides Platinum and Starlight’s other still-loyal followers. Or perhaps that was Platinum’s own wishful thinking? Had she really been changed so much by the experiences of the past few weeks in this world as to think she’d somehow made a... friend, with the disillusioned and destitute Changeling Queen? If not a friend, Platinum had at least sensed a kindred soul, or sorts. Someone who had lost nearly everyone of value, cast adrift of the moors that had once been the bedrock of their life. Children, whom no longer fully viewed their mother figures in the light they once had.
Sentimentality. Platinum had burned much of her own life for the sack of her love for her son. A son she knew would never truly look at her the same way again, even if he’d grown more open and communicative of late. Perhaps she was wrong to think she’d also formed some manner of bond with Firefly and Chrysalis?
She banished that thought with a shake of her head. True or not, she had to focus on the practicalities of the mission at hand. She hadn’t found where Chrysalis had gone, yet, but she had detected a trace of Chrysalis' spiritual pressure, still gradually growing since bonding with her Bakkoto. The Bakkoto itself, as distasteful a tool as it seemed to Platinum, was not difficult to feel out and track.
It was because she’d been so focused on following that trail that she’d suddenly sensed something else. Something distant, but coldly powerful. Also, something terribly familiar. It was why Platinum felt cold sweat break out on her unicorn features.
Chrysalis. My world’s Chrysalis. This is her reiatsu... so distant, but I’m feeling it so sharply. Only a battle would cause such a massive rise in spiritual pressure. But who is she fighting? And given the direction and distance it must be in the Bone Dry Desert, all but on top of our hidden base. What is happening over there!?
Even more concerning was that she wasn’t just sensing the Second Espada’s chillingly potent reiatsu. It was all but a single torch compared to the overall maelstrom, but she’d sensed Firefly’s, and that of the Regai of Zecora, alongside a wave of lower intensity Hollow reiatsu that was all-too familiar to Platinum. She’d fought in many battles against hordes of Hollows and knew this sickeningly dark foreboding of spirit pressure, the kind of front that could only be generated by a vast quantity of Hollows about to go on the warpath.
Far more Hollows than she, Firefly, or Starlight Glimmer had ever given Chrysalis permission to bring to Equestria.
Which was why Platinum felt the sickening drop in her gut at the realization that, in all likelihood, the Second Espada had just dropped any pretense to being on “their side” and was now operating entirely on her own twisted whims and volition. Worse, Platinum could readily calculate and predict what this meant. Chrysalis would not have made a move this bold without support, knowing how powerful Equestria’s own defenders were.
It was horrifically likely that, before long, Tirek himself, and all of the remaining Espada, would join in on the invasion.
Given the reiatsu she was sensing, it seemed likely that Firefly and the Reigai were putting up a fight against the invasion, but how effective would they be? Firefly was strong, for a human Fullbringer, but the Second Espada was on a whole higher tier of ability by comparison. And while Platinum sensed the spiritual pressure of Zecora’s Regai, her own Reigai, and Starswirl's, were mysteriously absent. Had her Reigai and Starswirl’s already been killed? Starswirl’s Reigai unnerved Platinum, and she didn’t really trust him. He may not have even chosen to fight, and instead fled on his own, using the Hollow attack as an opportunity to go rogue himself. As for Platinum’s Reigai, she had a hard time imagining her “younger” self fleeing. Her Reigai had her more youthful vigor and sense of honor, so in all likelihood she would have been the first to face the Second Espada, and the absence of the Reigai’s spiritual pressure likely meant...
Platinum shook her head, choosing not to dwell on the thought and instead focus on what this all meant. It was now all the more important for Equestria’s Chrysalis to find her Relic. Knowing how much Hollow Chrysalis hated her Equestrian counterpart, Platinum didn’t need to rub too many brain cells together to understand how probable it was that the bloodthirsty Espada would be making her way here as soon as she worked out where Equestria’s Chrysalis was.
Platinum knew that by herself she’d be no match for the Second Espada. Even if Equestria’s Chrysalis found her Relic, there was no guarantee it would provide enough power to make up the difference. Furthermore, Hollow Chrysalis’ daughter, Ocellus, was with Platinum’s son! Had that little psycho known her mother was about to go on a rampage? Had that been why she’d...
Platinum’s eye twitched. Had Ocellus intentionally gotten Pipsqueak away from Hitsuyo-Aku to... protect him? Or to guarantee she had leverage on Platinum once the cat was out of the bag?
Too many possibilities now gnawed at Platinum’s gut. But she hadn’t gotten this far by being indecisive. Whether the plan ended up being to run, fight, or try to make common cause with the Equestrians, Platinum had no intention of abandoning this world’s Chrysalis to face her monstrous Hollow counterpart alone. So Platinum continued her search of the lower tunnels, following that faint trace of Chrysalis’ reiatsu until she found the off shoot corridor with the strange door that looked as if it had been cut open by some insanely sharp blade.
Beyond the door lay darkness and a steep slope. Faint tracks in the dust covered floor showed multiple groupings of small hooves. Chrysalis in her young Changeling disguise, and several others, presumably other Changeling children. Was this where Chrysalis sensed her Relic to be located? And why bring a bunch of kids with her?
Platinum took a deep breath and began to follow, hoping that they had time before Hollow Chrysalis finished fighting and began to search for them. She feared for Firefly’s safety, and to a much lesser degree the Reigai and Trixie, but there was nothing she could do for any of them right now. She just hoped they had the sense to run, rather than fight the near invulnerable Second Espada to the death... because Platinum was quite certain it wouldn’t be Chrysalis’ death, against almost any opponent short of the likes of Captain Commander Scorpan.
----------
With the near total lack of foliage in the Badlands, rocks and boulders provided the only real cover for Ocellus and Pipsqueak to use as they stealthily made their way across the landscape north of the hive, searching for wherever the Pharynx and Thorax of Equestria had gotten off to. Ocellus was relying more on Pipsqueak's senses at this point than her own, as he’d inherited some of his mother’s talent in that regard and was surprisingly well trained at it. One of the few genuine Soul Reaper techniques his mother had taught him when they’d still lived in the Seireitei was how to carefully fine tune his spirit senses. In order to protect himself from any who might break into their home to seek to kidnap the only son of one of the Four Noble Families, his mother had told him.
Not once had he ever had to actually deal with a possible kidnapper, but he was still grateful for the lessons. It was an awkward memory now, those simpler times of being taught and cared for by her. He still didn’t truly know how to feel, and any time he thought too much of it, he could feel the Hollow energy inside him roil and bubble like heated water in a kettle. Ocellus tapped his back, giving him a knowing grin.
“Just let it steam a bit, then simmer down,” she said, and Pipsqueak nodded, taking deep breaths as his inner Hollow quieted. Without Ocellus, he wondered if he’d ever manage to get a handle on it. It felt so odd to owe a Hollow so much.
“Sorry,” he said, “I was thinking of mom again.”
“Heheh, I do like that about you. I think most kids would’ve forgiven her by now, what with the whole saving your life thing, but you still kind of hold a grudge. It’s cute.”
“I am not holding a grudge. I am speaking to her. I care about her. I just... remain somewhat miffed over the whole upending of my life and abandoning all we’ve ever known or cared about... even if it was to save my life, yes.”
He cleared his throat and put a finger to his lips, “Now let us drop the subject. We’re not being very stealthy like this.”
Ocellus bobbed her head and whispered, “Got any sign of them on those expertly trained Soul Reaper senses of yours?”
In response he paused behind an oblong boulder with her crouched behind him and closed his eyes in focus. He’d long since worked out how to pick out magical signatures from spiritual ones, and thankfully the Badlands seemed like a region largely devoid of either. This meant what magic was being used stood out greatly amid the otherwise blank background. The hive was a veritable beacon of magic from all the Changelings living in it. And that beacon acted as a good counterpoint to any other magic to be detected in the area.
This meant finding the two blazing signatures that must have belonged to Thorax and Pharynx was quiet easy, and he opened his eyes to nod and gesture north and a bit eastward, “This way.”
He led Ocellus further on as they crept along the dry landscape. There were several small dips or rises, but otherwise much of the Badlands was fairly flat, with barely anything to constitute a proper hill or ridge. There was the occasional rocky spire or cluster of larger boulders to break up the monotony, and it was near a noticeably curved rock spire that the pair finally found their quarry.
Hiding behind a tall, flat boulder that lay on its side, the two peered over the top to look at where Thorax and Pharynx were standing face to face with one another, barely a pace spanning between them. Both male Changelings were surrounded by intense auras of shimmering emerald flame, the clear sign of their species’ inherent magic. Both were holding their right forehooves against one another’s chests, eyes closed in concentration. Pipsqueak could feel the raw surge of magic from both of them, quite a bit greater than he could recall feeling, even from his mother’s unicorn form.
It was difficult to gauge the power of magic versus the strength of spiritual pressure. The two energies never did quite align evenly with one another. Yet in general Pipsqueak felt that the sensation of heated power coming off the pair reminded him a lot of when he’d watched Captain Thunderhooves spar with Captain Hurricane many years ago during an exhibition for one of the noble family’s festivals.
“Huh, wonder what my brothers from another mother are up to?” Ocellus pondered, licking her lips, “Well, your mom did tell us to spy on them, so what do you think? This some kind of Changeling training meditation?”
Pipsqueak frowned, “How would I know? To me it looks as if they’re just standing there, touching each other’s chests. Its not particularly menacing.”
“If this turns out to be some weird Changeling kink... then man, why didn’t I bring a camera?” Ocellus snickered, and Pipsqueak gave her an exasperated look and then turned his attention back to Thorax and Pharynx.
Although the two were a fair distance away, it was still possible to hear Thorax speaking loud and clear, “I think we’ve almost got it, brother. This will work.”
Pharynx’s huffing grunt mirrored the darker colored Changeling’s grumpy expression, “Still not sure I like this, but I’m also stuck agreeing. Pulling it off here, where its quiet, and we can take our time with it is one thing. Doing it in the middle of a fight? Whole different story there.”
“We don’t have a lot of options, Pharynx,” replied Thorax, still channeling his magic into his brother, and Pharynx doing the same to him, “We have to get strong enough so that when those monsters hit us or our friends again, we can make a difference. This is the best way I’ve discovered to do it, and its a way that we never could have pulled off if we were still doing things the old way.”
“I know, I know, I did change, remember? Don’t gotta keep harping on me about how the new way is better. I’m all for it, now, even if I do think you’re still a bit too much of a softie on everyone. We could use some real discipline around here.”
“Heh, want to take a turn as King?” Thorax queried with a smirk, and Pharynx rolled his gem-like eyes.
“Don’t even tempt me. I might have a thousand ideas on how to handle security better than you do, but I’d bash my head in out of pure boredom if I had to do half of the diplomatic crap you do with the ponies. I am not sitting in on a six hour meeting with Celestia or Luna on trade relations. Nope. No way. You have fun with that, brother.”
“It actually is kind of fun,” Thorax said with a wide smile, “They serve these really tasty coffee cakes and tea, and Celestia has a lot of nifty ideas on new arts and crafts that can be imported in exchange for some of the rarer miners that can be found in the Badland’s outskirts, so I... and you’re making a gag face.”
“To clearly indicate my level of interest,” Pharynx replied flatly, and with that took his hoof away from Thorax’s chest. The intense aura of emerald magic around the pair slowly faded away as he looked at his own hoof, “Anyway, I think we can give this a go for real, next time. Let’s just hope we can, you know, pull apart, afterward.”
“We should be able to. I mean, I’m almost completely sure we can” Thorax said, his smile faltering a bit as he laughed nervously.
“You are not inspiring confidence, brother. We’re close, but I don’t plan on spending a lifetime being that close, so you’d better be sure we can go back to normal once we do this.”
“I am. Mostly. Call it ninety five percent sure,” Thorax said, wagging his hoof in a shaky gesture.
“Ugh, fine, it’ll have to be enough,” came the surly reply from Pharynx, and there was a brief pause between the pair as Pharynx’s posture turned pensive as he looked at his brother with a pensive twitch in his gossamer wings, “So, about what Princess Celestia told you...”
Thorax visibly flinched, and sucked in a sharp breath before letting it out slowly, “I thought I’d be more scared, or something, when she finally reared her head again. Weird thing is, Pharynx? It's more like I’m eager. I’ve hated not knowing when she might appear and try something. Her being out of sight meant she might be lurking in every shadow, and that doesn’t just weigh on me, it weighs on everyone. The whole hive. Jumping at her damn shadow...”
Thorax kicked a nearby small rock, sighing, “We might have broken free of her, but I feel like we’ll never really be our own people until we know for sure that Chrysalis is truly no longer a threat. That’s she’s gone for good. And knowing she’s out there, working with the same group that has her awful counterpart in it? It means sooner or later we’ll get a chance to banish that shadow once and for all.”
“If I’m gonna be honest here, I’m way more worried about the Hollow version,” Pharynx admitted with a shallow shrug, “But I get what you mean. Sooner or later, we’ll be face to face with her again. Wanted to make sure your head was going to be screwed on straight, when it happens.”
“Here’s hoping,” Thorax replied, shaking his head as if trying to clear a fog, “We’d better get back. It's nearly dark.”
By this point there wasn’t even much twilight left in the sky, with the stars already visible high above and moon starting to make its transition into night. Ocellus and Pipsqueak hunkered down behind their flat boulder as the two Changelings took to the air and started to fly back towards the hive. Pipsqueak scratched his mane of thick brown hair, thinking, “That wasn’t as informative as I imagine my mother was hoping spying on them would be, but I suppose we did learn they are practicing some manner of magical ritual to increase their power.”
Ocellus sat next to him, yawning as she leaned into his shoulder a bit, “Kinda looked to me like they were trying to combine their power. Couldn’t you feel the way it was all wiggling together like chocolate melting into peanut butter?”
“I... have never even tried mixing chocolate and peanut butter,” Pipsqueak stated, then blinked, “In fact I don’t think I’ve ever tried peanut butter.”
“How is it you lived your whole life as literally one of the richest of rich kids in Soul Society, but you haven’t actually, you know, lived?” Ocellus asked, “It’s way sad. I grew up in a place that barely has water in it, but I’ve still had a damn Reese's Pieces before. Your mom totally shortchanged your childhood.”
“Somewhat late to lament the fact,” Pipsqueak said, “Now let’s follow those two back to the hive and sneak back in before someone spots us and wonders what two unicorn children are doing wandering around the Badlands at night.”
He stood and scanned the sky to look for Thorax and Pharynx in order to more easily follow them back towards the hive... and paused when he realized that during his brief conversation with Ocellus that both Changelings had mysteriously vanished from the sky. He looked left and right, eyes narrowed at the horizon. Where had they gone?
Pipsqueak then focused his spiritual senses, figuring he ought to be able to at least track their magic if they were still relatively close. And they were close.
Right on top of them, in fact.
“Ahem. That is, in fact, exactly what I was wondering, young colt,” said Thorax as he transformed from the tiny beetle he’d turned into to sneak up on the pair and assumed his natural form, “As I can’t imagine why two young ponies would be spying on me or my brother.”
“Personally I’d go so far to venture,” said Pharynx as he also transformed from the shape of a similarly small if different horned beetle to regain his true form, flanking Pipsqueak and Ocellus with his brother, “That neither of you are what you appear to be. But that’s fine, you can start answering questions and we’ll get to the truth soon enough.”
----------
“Stop!” ‘Vespid’ said with as loud a hiss she could muster without actually shouting, “Don’t move, Spinneret!”
Spinneret’s bright orange chitin marked her well in the gloom of the twisting hall, neon green wings buzzing furiously as she halted in place. She was just at the gap in the hall that led to a split off, one opening winding delicately to the left while the other corridor cut a harsh right angle to the right and further down. The only light was from faintly pulsating green gems set in various parts of the clearly carved walls.
Ocellus and Fuller were right behind ‘Vespid’, Chrysalis keeping herself in the middle of the group since they entered this maze of tunnels and chambers. Spinneret had boldly insisted on taking the lead, and Chrysalis hadn’t countermanded that, mostly because she wanted to avoid being asked about how she knew which way to go and it was easier to let Spinneret thing the directions were her idea.
“W-what do you see? Is a trap about to spring and incinerate, impale, melt, crush, and/or electrocute me?” Spinneret asked, voice trembling a little in fear, but mostly excitement. Chrysalis had to wonder if the kid really grasped how dangerous the situation they were in was.
Chrysalis suppressed a groan and took several careful steps forward. As she did so she changed form, emerald flame flowing over her until he body was that of a tall, lanky simian creature with stark white fur, arctic blue eyes, and curled blue horns. In the shape of a lanky, female Yeti, she took a deep breath and aimed her mouth past Spinneret and breathed a cloud of misty ice fog. The replicated power of the Yeti would have been far stronger if Chrysalis made use of her true level of magic, but she held it back enough to appear to be at the appropriate level a Changeling child would be capable of. Which was still enough to freeze the thin wires strung up along the left side passage. The wires glinted dangerously, invisible until ice crystals froze over them.
“Diced, as it turns out,” Chrysalis stated to Spinneret, “You would have been diced.”
“Yikes,” Spinneret said, slowly floating to the ground and licking her lips “Nasty trick.”
“No worse than what we’ve seen so far,” Chrysalis said, to which Fuller shuddered.
“That’s the fourth trap so far,’ Fuller said past clenched teeth, “First the spikes-”
“I totally spotted those first, easy,” said Spinneret.
“-then the trap doors in the walls that shot out spinning blades-”
“All we had to do was duck down! The penitent Changeling will pass!” his sister insisted.
Fuller growled, forging on, “-then we nearly fell into the pit of what I’m quite sure was acid!”
“Pfft,” Spinneret stuck out her tongue, “We would’ve known if it was acid or not if you’d let me touch it. Pit traps are lame. We can fly right over them!”
Ocellus put a comforting hoof on Fuller’s head, “For the record, I’m on your side. Vespid, Spinneret, I know you’re both eager to keep finding out what’s own here, but its clear this place is too dangerous. We should go back and tell King Thorax about what we’ve found.”
“Geeze, Ocellus, don’t be such a worry worm! We’ve done just fine so far, and just think of what kind of neat stuff we might find down here,” said Spinneret, wings fluttering, eyes glistening, “Who’d go through the trouble of making all these traps if there wasn’t treasure to guard?”
“Even if that were true, it's not like we need treasure,” Ocellus pointed out, “The survival of the hive is what’s important, and if there’s treasure down here, then adult Changelings, trained Changelings, can find it. King Thorax wouldn’t want us putting ourselves in danger for some measly treasure.”
“She’s right,” Chrysalis said, feeling a bit like scrubbing her tongue to have to agree with any statement that gave Thorax any level of credit, but facts were facts. Now that she was here, and it was clear that the Relic was close, and protected, she wasn’t sure there was any use in having these children with her. At best, they might take a trap in her place, but at this point Chrysalis felt confident she could spot traps well enough, and these three would probably start to get in her way more than be of use to her.
It had nothing at all to do with some tiny twinge of thought that she didn’t want them in any further danger. Because that clearly wasn’t the case.
She, still in Yeti form, breathed again on the wires to freeze them to the point of breaking into bits of useless metal fragments. She then turned back into her ‘Vespid’ form and looked at the other three children, “There’s no sense in all of us risking our necks for uncertain rewards. Which is why I’ll go on alone while you three return and inform... King,” she struggled not to throw up a little, “Thorax of what we’ve found.”
“What!? No way!” Spinneret's wings gave off an angry buzz and her eyes gleamed fiercely as she stomped a hoof, “I’m not scared! And I’m the oldest one here, so I’m practically an adult. I’m not about to turn wing and crawl away like a scaredy scarab! Especially if you’re planning to keep going, Vespid! What if something happened to you? You’d be alone, with no one around to help! The hive sticks together! That’s the rule, now!”
It was always the rule, Chrysalis thought bitterly, Only it didn’t seem to apply to me when all of you turned on me. I’ve been alone, with no one to help me...
She squashed that bitter thought. It didn’t matter anymore. It wasn’t as if these children had any choice in what their parents did, and Chrysalis, for all that ugly bitterness, had to admit she wasn’t as alone as she’d been not so long ago. For whatever reason, those like Platinum seemed to almost enjoy being around her.
Fuller listened to his sister’s words with a heavily reserved look, the fear written clearly in his eyes as he darted a look back the way they’d come. “I don’t any of us getting hurt. Vespid, maybe you should come back with us?”
“Why do you want to keep going?” Ocellus asked instead, head tilting in curiosity, “I mean, it's clearly going to keep getting more dangerous the further on you go. This isn’t just some game we’re playing anymore, or just having fun exploring. I agree that there must be something valuable down here to be worth going through the trouble of designing traps to protect it, but...”
Intelligence and careful thought burned in Ocellus’ eyes, and Chrysalis found herself both feeling a small hint of admiration and also a sensation of danger as she watched the young Changeling’s mind work. Cogs were turning, and Ocellus was starting to things up. There wasn’t any true suspicion in her eyes yet, but Chrysalis could tell Ocellus was sensing something amiss with ‘Vespid’ and the situation in general.
Hiding the lie in truth, Chrysalis knew, was the basis of any good deception.
“Look,” she said, straining her tone of sincerity, “I’ll level with you guys. I know there’s something important down here. Not just treasure, but some kind of... Relic.”
“A Relic? Huh?” Spinneret scrunched her nose in confusion, and Ocellus raised a hoof to her chin.
“Yes,” Chrysalis spoke in a hushed tone, as if she was sharing a secret. Which she was, just not all of it, “Listen, not long ago I started getting weird headaches. Like this pain in my brain, but one that pulls me in a direction. I had no idea what it was about, until I overheard the King talking about a meeting he had with the Equestrian Princesses. I don’t know the whole story, but it sounds like really powerful magical artifacts called Relics are somehow activating all over the world, and each one is tied to someone that's an ‘inheritor’ of that Relic. And one of the signs of being an Inheritor are these headaches.”
“Hold up, didn’t he ask the hive just the other day about whether anyone in the hive was having weird headaches?” asked Fuller, eyes widening.
“Oh yeah,” Spinneret said, rubbing her head, “Man, now I kind of wish I had them, if it meant I got to have some really cool magic artifact.”
“Hmm...” Ocellus was still rubbing her chin, “I see. But, Vespid, if you’re having these headaches, why didn’t you tell the King?”
“Because I wasn't sure,” Chrysalis replied, perhaps a bit too hastily, “Not until we found the door to this place. That’s when my headaches got really sharp and focused. I’m still feeling it, Ocellus. It’s drawing me further into this maze. It’s how I can figure which way to go without getting lost.”
“But I’ve been the one choosing which way to go!” said Spinneret, to which Chrysalis heave out a groan.
“Because I’ve been ‘suggesting’ the right directions to you. Didn’t you notice?”
“Uhhhh...nope, not really.”
After a moment of deadpan staring at Spinneret's wide, uncaring grin, Chrysalis turned to Ocellus, “Anyway, that’s the reason i want to keep going. I can feel my Relic down here, so very, very close. I don’t even know if any other Changeling can claim it, except me, so there’s no point in having King Thorax or anyone else come down here. Still, I’m the only one who needs to risk life and limb here. The three of you have been a big help, but it’s safer if you all go back, and I keep going.”
Every word was true, even if it was all couched in the big lie that was ‘Vespid’. But Chrysalis very much did want to just go collect her Relic herself, and there was no reason, even a valid selfish reason, to drag these children along with her. She may have been a terrible Queen, but even she didn’t see any point in throwing the hive’s young ones into any more of this trap gauntlet. It wasn’t compassion, or... love. It was just practicality. These bumbling kids would probably screw something up for her or ruin her chance to get the Relic. She just needed them out of the way. Not safe. Out of the way. Huge difference.
She stared at Ocellus, wiling the young Changeling to believe her words.
After a moment, Ocellus turned to Fuller and Spinneret, speaking softly, “Okay, you two had better head back.”
“Nuh-uh, no way, you’re not the boss of me!” Spinneret said emphatically, but Ocellus just spoke once more in that focused, soft tone.
“I’m not, but that’s not important. This is about hive safety. King Thorax needs to know, and that means somebody has to go tell him. Fuller wants to go, but we can’t have someone go alone, just in case, so you need to go with him to protect your brother.”
Spinneret made a face, but glanced at Fuller, who nodded multiple times before saying, “I really am not having fun, Spin. This is scary, and I’m not too ashamed to admit it. I want to go back.”
There was a genuine note of fear in his voice, and that, more than anything, cracked the hard exterior of Spinneret's expression as she looked at her brother with fresh worry and understanding, “Okay, okay... I get it, bro. We’ll go back. But, Ocellus, you’re making it sound like you’re planning to stay.”
This made Chrysalis frown, because she’d picked up on that too, “Indeed, you talk as if you’re not going with them.”
“That’s because I’m not,” Ocellus declared with a slightly abashed smile, lowering her head a bit, “I mean, all three of us don’t need to be there to tell King Thorax. And much as I don’t share Spinneret's eagerness for charging headlong into danger, she did have one good point to make, Vespid. You can’t go on alone. If you get hurt, you’ll need a friend around to help you out of danger. So I’m sticking close to you, until we find this Relic of yours.”
“I do not agree to this,” Chrysalis stated with flat vehemence, almost flaring her wings, almost taking on her commanding, queenly pose to tell this silly drone that she couldn’t follow her into such a dangerous situation! “You need to go back, too! I comma...insist!”
“Insist all you want, but I’m coming,” Ocellus replied, somehow managing to look timid and resolved as a rock at the same time. It was infuriating to Chrysalis.
“I could always make you go with them,” Chrysalis said, to which Ocellus stared back at her, eyes unblinking.
“You could. But I don’t think you will. You want to find that Relic, and wasting time arguing with me doesn’t get you any closer to it. Besides, you know I’m right about it being safer with a friend along to help in case of trouble.”
Every part of Chrysalis wanted to whack this weirdly insistent little Changeling over the head and have the other two drag her away, but the sad fact was that Ocellus was right. They were wasting time, and if Ocellus really was so damn set on coming along... well, whatever happened to her was her own fault at that point. Chrysalis wasn’t going to shed a tear if the silly girl got herself hurt.
With a withering sigh, she nodded and said, “Fine, have it your way.”
She turned away and started to stalk down the left side corridor, feeling the pointed pain in her skull that drew her along towards the Relic, somewhere deeper into the dark maze of traps. Behind her she heard Fuller and Spinneret exchange quick farewells with Ocellus.
“Please be careful,” Fuller said, hugging Ocellus, “Please, please, please don’t get killed by some dumb trap.”
“Yeah, it’d be exceedingly lame to lose one of you two to some dumb, falling rock, or poison dart, or face melting flame pit,” Spinneret added.
“I’ll be careful, I promise,” Ocellus said, “And I’ll make sure Vespid is, too.”
“You’d better,” Spinneret said, and with that she and her brother started back the direction they had come from, vanishing into the shifting dark of the corridor behind them.
It didn’t take Ocellus long to catch up to Chrysalis, the new hall they were walking own curving even more to the left after a few dozen paces, and then leading down at a sharp angle to a fresh set of delicately carved stairs. Ocellus didn’t say anything, allowing Chrysalis to take the lead, which was all well and good because Chrysalis didn’t need any distracting talk while she focused on keeping an eye out for more traps.
Yet she felt Ocellus' eyes on her, staring, questioning, thinking.
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So what are you going to do if you reach the 1,000 chapter limit and the story still isn’t complete?
Aw yeah, gonna be some DBZ Fusion Dance happening soon. Let's just hope it is the temporary Fusion Dance and not the Potara.
11776601
Friendship Souls 2: The Sequel that Isn't Actually a Sequel But Just Continuing This Insanely Long Story.
11776636
Hey got any advice for someone, who wants to try to make a long story like yours
Oh, Anima is going to be even more useful for Sunset than I thought. She'll probably be able to use her phoenix regeneration to mitigate the drawback of using her black supermurder flames.
11776601
Aw, I wouldn't worry so much about that happening. This is a Bleach crossover, not One Piece!
Fusion Haaaaaaa
Hah, Tournament Arc. Leave it to Anime lovers to lampshade the incoming trope. Tournaments would be good to satiate more restless members of every group. Surprisingly, I think plenty of Arrancars could placated with food and entertainment. Hollow World is such a bore, and a hobby can do wonders for mental health.
Place your bets, was it an accident, Brogensmasher , or maybe an unknown party?
Could she? After her fight with Smooze? Unless you know something, Shining?
She makes a good point. Heh. Wonder if someone has recognized Wallflower/Hel. She's not probably that personally known in Svartalfheim, but someone would notice her power. Besides her Fafnir's sister so big names would definitely know her. Maybe it's her uncanny ability to blend into the background.
Always thought she excels at (and probably created) Hakuda (aka unarmed combat), when she's not using her Zanpakutō. IIRC, it would make Medly = Kido, Bowtie = Zanpakutō, and Minty = Healing arts, leaving Glory and Blossom. Not that we know much about him, but wouldn't it make more sense if Blossom was the one that created Kidos?
Frankly, I'm not sure about Chrysalis with a conscience. She's a fun villain because she's a sociopath who retchs at a mere thought about genuine friendship.
Deadly
Kaido or Kido?
11776792
Hmm, kinda hard to say because one of the main reasons Friendship Souls is so long is I'm drawing on source material that's pretty long as well. Both Bleach and MLP have a lot of characters and lore to draw upon, and I had the intention from the start to expand on both of those lores. So the story is pretty huge almost by necessity, to cover all the ground I want to cover. If you have an interes in writing a story that is lengthy, I think it mostly comes down to a combination of having a story with a wide scope, and then being persistent and consistent on covering that wide scope with enough detail that no one element feels too shallow. If your story has nations or factions, take the time to explore those nations or factions and the characters therein. Now keep in mind long story have a big drawback in terms of pacing. Delving into side-characters or the inner workings of a large faction can seriously run the risk of grinding the overall plot to a halt, and if I'm being honest I'm in no way certain I've managed to avoid that with Friendship Souls. Still, if a long story is your objective, that's my general advice. Wide scope, then cover detail within the scope, but just be aware that you need to balance that with moving the plot along as best you can. Hope that helps.
11777137
I may be misremembering, so I'll go back and check and make corrections if needed, but I think in my had I have it that Medley is the expert on Hakuda and Kido, Bowtie is the forger of Zanpaktou, Minty created the healing Kido (also known as "Kaido", more formally), and that I didn't mention what Blossom and Glory are responsible for. Minor spoilers, Blossom is the creator of the many, many types of wards the Soul Society uses, and Glory is responsible for the creation of all of Soul Society's organization and societal structure, including formalizing the Central 46, the Gotei 13, and the Noble Families. But again, its possible I might've written something that contradicts this and totally spaced it.
11777221
Thanks for the advice
11777221
Nothing to contradict. Just turns out Medley is an Ace in lots of things. Spells, combat and powerful ability, she really is dangerous.