Episode 211: Assembling Forces
Episode 211: Assembling Forces
Upon the expansive dome of faded white stone that was Las Noches’ rooftop, towers rose, the largest dominating the center to a ridiculous height. Adagio continued to wonder why the fortress had been built to such a truly befuddling scale, for so much of the space within the towers or Las Noches itself wasn’t hardly used. Still, that thought was far from the forefront of her mind as she observed those standing around her.
Seven Espada. Herself, Catrina, Hard Nail, and Grogar all still bearing scuffs of their fight in the depths of Chrysalis’ lair, with Catrina especially nursing her missing eye with what Adagio admitted was a tastefully chosen silk red eyepatch with gold trim. Fetching, if only the woman wasn’t wearing a death scowl that was aimed right at Hard Nail. Hydia was to Grogar’s left, barely standing, pale as a sheet, and breathing heavily. It still shocked Adagio to no end that the heavyset Espada’s condition was the result of a near death-match with Pinkie Pie, of all individuals.
And Guto was absent, slain. Technically by Gilda’s hand, but word passed like wildfire in a place like Las Noches and all knew it was mostly the work of Fluttershy that had done him in, with Gilda finalizing her ex-Espada’s downfall and absorbing his strength. Gilda, for her part, looked rather fantastic for as haggard as her eyes appeared. Adagio could feel the freshly consumed Hollow power surging inside the towering muscle woman, and she couldn’t help but give Gilda an acknowledging smile, as if to encourage Gilda to hold her head a little higher.
Gilda still looked dour, regardless. Well, Adagio had to admit that it had been a rough day on her, triumphant or not. Indeed, it had been a long day and looked to be getting longer still. She didn’t know for certain why Tirek had called them all to meet on the roof of Las Noches’ main tower, rather than the throne room. The man stood at the head of the rough circle the Espada formed, and he looked weirdly pleased with himself for a man who’d just lost a potent subordinate.
Adagio had planned for the possibility that Guto might fall during the execution of Twilight’s extraction of Fleur De Lis, but she knew the situation was dodgy. She had expected Tirek to look more annoyed, but instead he observed them all with an almost eager energy, as if he was pumped up by the chaos in his household rather than bothered by it.
“My Espada,” Tirek began, “You all have had a busy day. I see that the prospect of invasion has everyone’s blood up. Good!”
He spoke with a jocular, uplifted tone, yet there was an edge in his eyes that still had Adagio tense. Catrina, hissing, threw an accusatory finger at Hard Nail and Adagio, “Good!? My Lord Tirek, these traitorous dogs infiltrated the Second Espada’s sanctum and disrupted the very equipment Grogar has set up to allow for our invasion of Equestria! They turned upon us and clearly have no intention of fighting earnestly against our enemies! They should be killed outright for this betrayal, not to mention...” her hands, twitching, hovered over her eyepatch, “Marring my exquisite features!”
“Oh come on, Catrina,” Adagio said, brazen as her usual chosen course of armor, “The eyepatch becomes you. Scarlet is an excellent color choice. I commend your taste, even if I must criticize your battle skills. If you’d been faster, perhaps Hard Nail would not have landed such a telling blow?”
“F-Faster?” Catrina blurted, her remaining eye nearly bugging out, “Faster!? You arrogant, garbage tongued, bottom-feeder! I’ll tear your smug lips from your subpar face and feed them to my Bushwoolies!”
“You would need to get past me, first, for that to happen,” Hard Nail stated with simple, icy calm, his hand never far from the hilt of his Zanpaktou over his shoulder, “If you try, you will learn what life is like as a blind woman.”
Catrina’s retort was silenced by a thick, booming laugh from Tirek and a burst of so much raw, overwhelmingly powerful reiatsu that every single other Arrancar present shuddered under it. The Primera Espada looked somehow both immensely jovial and threatening at the same time, a hint of a livid heat appearing in his eyes but briefly before being smothered by his flash of a smile, “Enough threats, my Espada. Channel this aggression towards conquest. I already know Adagio’s motivations. Heh, I also know ‘Hard Nail’ is loyal to her in a way I cannot expect him to have towards myself.”
“Apologies for questioning your judgment, then, Lord Tirek, but why allow these two to still stand among us?” glowered Grogar, “I surmised you suspected their divided loyalties, but if you are saying you all but know them to be against us-”
“You fail to understand, Grogar,” stated Tirek with blunt amusement, his thick arms crossing over his slab of a chest, “You have always failed to understand. I don’t care who is or is not loyal to me, otherwise I would have disposed of you or Chrysalis long ago. I care who is strong. Adagio has survived every hurdle against her and earned the loyalty of a man whom you all feared as unapproachable. She stands here because it is the place she has earned. All stand before me only because of what they have earned, you included.”
Grogar’s face churned with the volatile mixture of disgust, dissatisfaction, and a grudge held far longer than anything he felt for Adagio, his eyes focused on Tirek’s even as he bowed his head in acquiescence, “As you say. I merely point out that, strong or not, do you trust them to be of use to us in Equestria?”
“No,” Tirek said with a dark chuckle, looking at Adagio, “But all will serve their purpose, with a little incentive.”
Adagio had anticipated that Tirek would rather coerce her than outright kill her. His motive always seemed to be to encourage those of power to seek to unseat him, so short of outright attacking him she suspected he wouldn’t just destroy her out of hand. She had doubted he’d ignore her actions entirely, and guessed he’d use her own people as a lever against her, perhaps holding her territory hostage at worst. This was why she’d been making plans for evacuating her people into Hueco Mundo’s deep deserts, utilizing the old fortress of the destroyed Storm King as a hiding place in case she needed to get her vassals somewhere outside Tirek’s immediate reach.
His next words were not what she anticipated, however, as he flicked his sharp yellow eyes between herself and Hard Nail.
“You both are killers at heart, even if you try to have standards. I can respect that. I don’t require your forces to slaughter the Equestrians or do battle with that realm’s defenders. Instead, I think you both have plenty of motivation to want to keep your own safe... and as it happens, I know Hard Nail’s family is in danger.”
“What?” came Hard Nail’s razor whisper, a dark miasma creeping along his skin. Adagio at first thought Tirek was threatening Hard Nail’s family, which was as surefire a way to provoke the man as any there was, but Tirek showed no hint of fear, only a certain assurance of control as he spoke.
“It is not I that threatens them, but our mutual enemies. The Zero Division.”
“They’re moving... against the human world?” said Catrina with some incredulity, “Why would they care about some human family, even if they are related to an Espada?”
“It is the whole of that city that the Zero Division is interested in, and that family is tied to more than just our dear Fourth Espada,” said Tirek, eyes never leaving Hard Nail’s, “And I know them well enough to know they are not done with Discord and those girls’ Coalition. Since I want the Zero Division gone more than anyone else, here is the deal, Adagio, Hard Nail... when we assault Equestria... don’t interfere. Whatever plans you had to do so, drop them. In exchange, I’ll give you free reign while I and the other Espada are gone to do as you will here in Las Noches, which includes teaming up with your little Coalition buddies or even the Quincy for all I care, just so long as you kill off at least one of the Zero Division in the process.”
For a slow moment of almost vertigo-like shock, Adagio just stared silently. She’d expected and planned for some forceful manner of brutish threats that she’d need to counter, or even a continuation of Tirek’s blasé attitude concerning the ever more clear fact that she was opposed to his invasion of Equestria.
Instead he’d taken her hard work and preparation to oppose him, both in forging an alliance of forces and empowering her own personal strength, and twisted it right towards being aimed at an explosively powerful mutual enemy that she couldn’t even come with with a rational reason to deny the need to fight! How long had he planned to do this!? He couldn’t have known that the Zero Division would have gone after the Coalition before... but then again he wouldn’t have had to, would he? He would have known from the get-go that Sunset and her friends were playing with magic, because it was on Tirek’s orders that Grogar had targeted them in the first place. It wouldn’t have taken much to surmise that eventually, if those girls kept getting stronger that the Zero Division would catch wind of it.
She’d been gathering power all this time, and Tirek let her, knowing full well that when the time came he could point her and her allies at the Zero Division, getting her out of the way while he took his loyalists to Equestria. And the worst part was that she had no counter to this, because he was completely right. If the Zero Division was a threat to Hard Nail’s family, he wasn’t going anywhere. If Adagio was left behind, she couldn’t and wouldn’t risk abandoning her own vassals to an uncertain fate, and so she’d be bound to work with the Coalition to defend Canterlot City, lest Zero Division just steam roll Las Noches at their leisure.
Hell, he even let Sunset and her misfit friends build a goddamn embassy here in Las Noches to provide additional pretext for her to work with them and make Zero Division target Las Noches as well as Canterlot City!
A laugh escaped her lips. Not really an amused one, just one that bespoke of her honest surprise as she shook her head, the long trails of her cloud-like mane of orange and yellow streaked hair bouncing. Her mind raced, already altering plans on the fly, “So is it just to be me and Hard Nail left behind? We may need additional support if we’re expected to deal with this Zero Division boogey-men that seem to have you so stirred up, Lord Tirek. Perhaps Torch should remain as well?”
At least if she had her full roster of allies, she might be able to organize a bulwark against Tirek’s return, although she sincerely hoped that the Equestrians would hand him and the other Espada their overconfident asses to them. She didn’t want to remain behind, for she’d had plans to deal with Grogar during the chaos of the invasion. Perhaps that could still work...? There was more than one pathway to Equestria, after all.
Tirek looked to Torch, a meaningful exchange that did not fly over Adagio’s head as the immense Fifth Espada gave off a grumble and looked at her with an expression that was half-apology, half-affirmation, “I’ll be going with Tirek, Adagio. When Las Noches marches to war, my place is at the forefront. But I’ll be leaving my daughter behind, with a contingent of my finest, with orders to follow your lead as acting lord of Las Noches in Tirek’s absence.”
“He was quite insistent he be allowed to leave some troops to support you, given you rescued his daughter and he owes you,” Tirek said with a shrug of his burly shoulders, “I don’t particularly mind that. A few absent Arrancar aren’t going to make much difference in our assault on Equestria, but Torch’s might is not something I’m spending anywhere other than on the frontlines.”
“I could remain behind, too,” said Gilda, which earned a hard look from Tirek, to which Gilda swiftly straightened her back and spoke with haste, “With Guto gone, a third of his warriors left with Greta, and the remainder I’m going to need time to reorganize under my control. We’re not likely to be as much use in a full scale war, but helping Adagio with defense would be simple enough. We can’t assume the Quincy or Soul Reapers will remain inactive while you’re gone with the bulk of our powerful fighters, Lord Tirek.”
“Hmm,” Tirek made a low noise in his throat, “Guto’s warriors were finely trained and I’m not about to leave behind too many of my forces. Request denied, Gilda. Get your people in order by tomorrow. You either have what it takes to lead, or you don’t. If not, I’ll find another to take your place.”
Gilda clamped her mouth shut, face red, and glanced side-long at Adagio, but said no more as she bowed to Tirek. Adagio was grateful she had tried, at least, but it was best not to push things. Besides, her original plan accounted for Torch and Gilda being with her in Equestria for when she planed to spring her trap on Grogar. She would have to find a way to work with this complication of being ordered to remain behind.
“Speaking of replacements,” said Hydia, giving off a nasty, phlegmy cough, “With Guto dusted, we need another Espada. Where’d that Greta girl he was grooming for Gilda’s position run off to?”
Gilda bristled at Hydia’s tone, “She didn’t ‘run off’. She went to go clear her head. She... was loyal to Guto. Him being gone leaves her with some baggage to sort out. Those among Guto’s warriors who weren’t willing to bend the knee to me right away went with her into the desert. She’ll be back, I’m sure.”
“If the question is concerning a new Espada,” spoke a sudden, richly confident tone, and one Adagio hadn’t expected at this meeting, “Then allow me to present myself as your candidate.”
All eyes turned towards the smoothly striding man entering their circle, looking rather refreshed in the brief time he’d had to recover from the ordeal Adagio had rescued him from. Thorax’s green hair was lustrous to the point that she was certain he’d managed to get ahold of a shower, and if her nose wasn’t deceiving her, he’d used a scented shampoo that was... from her own stock!?
“When did you raid my bathroom?” she whispered at him as he came up beside her with a cheeky grin. He was wearing a fresh white shirt, left open in front to show off his bare chest. She had to begrudgingly admit the man cleaned up well.
“I haven’t the foggiest what you mean, my dear Adagio. I keep a very well stocked room of my own amenities. Although I did get the idea for my recent change in hair products from hearing mention from one of your vassals that you use a particular brand, so I went and got some of my own.”
“We’re not interested in your hygiene,” huffed Catrina, tapping her foot, “Since when do Chrysalis’ spawn aspire to our ranks? Don’t you need permission from ‘mommy dearest’ to do anything, like think for yourselves?”
“Alas, I seem to have come down with a terrible case of independent thinking,” said Thorax, dramatically holding a hand to his forehead, “The condition may be terminal.”
“Knowing your mother, it may well be,” retorted Catrina, eyeing him up and down, “Are you strong enough? I was under the impression your brother was the more potent sibling.”
“Oh, Pharynx has his skillset, and I have mine. We are equals, and you all know well enough that our power is more than sufficient to don a number among the Espada,” said Thorax with a dismissive wave of his hand. He then flashed a smile at Gilda, who glared back. She hadn’t forgotten what he’d done to Greta, and the strain that had put on her relationship with her long time friend.
“I won’t contest a high position, either. Gilda absorbed Guto’s power upon his defeat. While of course that doesn’t mean she cleanly absorbed all of it, I think we can all safely say she no longer belongs as the lowest ranked of the Espada. I shall happily take that position myself, for I wouldn’t dream of trying to contest higher until I’ve gotten my feet wet, as it were.”
Tirek snorted, looking at Thorax with the kind of measuring gaze of pointed judgment that was very much of a father towards an estranged son. “A true Arrancar would fight for the highest position possible.”
“Perhaps in due time, Lord Tirek, but you’ve an invasion to plan, and any more disorder in the ranks would be poorly timed indeed,” Thorax replied smoothly, meeting Tirek’s disapproving gaze with his own measured words of honeyed reason, “I don’t presume, of course, to take the pleasure of combat away from anyone. Me and Gilda could always duel it out, but then perhaps she wants to fight Grogar, or Hydia?”
“For once the spawn of Chrysalis talks sense,” said Grogar, “We don’t have time for squabbling over numbers. Besides, once we gorge ourselves on Equestrian magic, the entire dynamic of our rankings may become quite... fluid.”
“Good point,” Catrina said, smoothing out her silken toga, and giving Hard Nail and Adagio both a nasty glare, “And those who stay behind won’t get to enjoy the benefits of the power gained from consuming magic and souls alike.”
“Hmph, so be it,” said Tirek, “Thorax, you shall be the Tenth Espada. Gilda, take the Ninth. That puts Hydia and Grogar back at their previous rankings of Seventh and Eighth. With only Adagio and Hard Nail remaining behind to work our defenses, it shall be eight Espada and our hordes and auxiliary Hollows drawn from Hueco Mundo that shall launch our invasion of Equestria. Grogar, how long until that gate device of yours is fully operational?”
Grogar glanced at Adagio, “The damage done was not extensive, but irritating nonetheless. If I rush it, twenty four hours. Maybe Thirty.”
“Good,” Tirek said, “And your bio-weapons?”
“Limited, after my main lab was destroyed, but you will have a small but strong contingent of them to wreak havoc where you see fit, Lord Tirek,” Grogar said, and Adagio suppressed a shudder, recalling with unpleasant vividness the modified mutant Arrancar that Grogar had made. How many other Hollows had he managed to make, and would make before another full day was done?
If she could get away with going back down into the Warrens to smash those secondary labs, she would.
“Very well,” said Tirek, sounding pleased with the situation, “Then with one last bit of preparation, we will have all we need.”
He gazed out meaningfully at the endless stretches of bone pale dunes, face lit by a self-satisfied smile, the look of a man who felt completely in charge of his own destiny. Adagio even felt it in Tirek’s flowing aura of reiatsu, his spiritual pressure seeming to light up like a howling beacon so strong and scorching that it took all of her will not to step back from him. To her small satisfaction, she did see Grogar glaring at Tirek’s back with barely contained jealousy and hate.
It was clear this flare of glaring spiritual pressure was no mere display for fun, but some manner of specific signal, for in the distance, several miles from Las Noche’s walls but still close enough for any with decent senses and enhanced vision to see clearly, the dark slits of Garganta portals were opening up. Dozens... then hundreds.
“Summoning more hordes of lesser Hollows, Gillians, and Adjuchas?” queried Torch, sounding a bit surprised, “Thought we’d already gathered a decent sized host for this invasion.”
“Hah, something like that,” Tirek said, “I like to surprise even my own Espada, on occasion. I didn’t even tell Chrysalis every element of my plan. She’s doing her work as our chaotic vanguard, and you Espada will be my hammer, but I am not making the mistake of underestimating this realm of magic known as Equestria. No, this invasion will be no half-hearted affair. No retreat. No negotiation. Their magic will be devoured, their souls made our food, our into Hollows themselves. To that end, I have ceased to ignore our neighbors in Hueco Mundo’s far flung realms. Their so-called ‘independence’ was acceptable when less was at stake, but Zero Division must fall, and so I made a point of tracking down these wayward Hollow warlords and... made them offers they couldn’t refuse.”
Adagio felt her shoulders go stiff, her hands clench, and did her best to relax as to not show her nerves as she realized what he meant.
From those many Garganta portals armies of Hollows were marching forth, in distinctly separate groupings. Thick wailing flowed from one horde, as if every Hollow form the lowest animalistic beast-like Hollow to their hulking Gillian superiors were letting forth unearthly wailing that sounded nothing like the normal Hollow howls she was used to. This band was headed by a giant brute of an Adjuchas Hollow that was shaped like a three headed, dark skinned elephant, its body covered in thick plates of bone armor and bearing trunks that looked as if they ended in venomous barbs. Riding that elephant Hollow was a tall, humanoid Hollow in midnight purple armor and wearing a ragged black cape. His face was covered by a visor bearing helmet, obscuring even his eyes, but bone white hair streaked with purple fell long down his back, interspersed by spine-like segments of bone.
Next that that wailing army was another one, this one more regimented, if only because so many of the lesser Hollows were kept in tight blocks that were whipped into place by their Adjuchas-class brethren, who all wore uniformed armor of bright bronze bolted onto the various beastly shapes of their bodies. This army was distinctly odd for alongside its blocks of corralled lesser Hollows, the sky teamed with a veritable swarm of flying Hollows, far more so than any other group present. That immense horde of flying Hollows was led by a small cluster of Arrancar. At the head of these Arrancar was a female, humanoid shaped Hollow who's lithe form was covered in a tight fitting suit of white cloth and segmented bone, and in her clawed hands carried a big crescent sickle mounted on a spear shaft. A smooth skull mask bearing thin horns curved backwards covered her pale face, and bright silver hair fell in moonlight strands down her back. Wide wings like that of a bat's, the membranes black as tar but with the bone portions stark white, spread from this Hollow's back as she flew ahead of her airborne host.
While not Arrancar, the spiritual pressure of these two Hollows was unmistakably potent. Vasto Lorde-class, both.
Neither army nor the Hollows leading them were ones Adagio had met, but she knew them from the information on Privaron Espada and other Hollow lords she’d obtained from her vassal’s encounter with the Storm King, alongside the group from the other world. She’d poured over that information many times and it had led her to discovering Erebus and Bray’s locations, but others more thoroughly hidden had been beyond her reach. By description, she recognized these two Vasto Lordes, however, and apparently Tirek had known where they were and had little trouble finding them, or persuading them, despite their desire for independence.
“You’ve managed to muster Naraka and Gehenna’s forces,” Torch mused, “I doubt either of those two were eager to be collared. Shadow Lock and Sable Spirit are not fond of you.”
“No more so than Bray,” Tirek said, indicating the third army emerging from the vast array of Garganta. It was this sight that had most made Adagio’s blood chill, if only because it meant she now had to worry about what had become of Di Roy.
Bray’s army was smaller than the other two, consisting of a tightly packed group of Arrancar and Adjuchas-class Hollows who mostly wore tattered dark robes. The back of this host consisted of an unusual row of Arrancar who were far more disciplined and kept a tight knit circle around a tall carried palanquin of stone, bone, and silken black cloth. Riding the carried palanquin was a hunched figure completely covered in further dark robes, bearing a mask of some broken, equine creature. A faint green glow of unearthly death hung over this figure and his small host, and Adagio grit her teeth.
She hadn’t liked Bray even when making a deal with him to support her against Tirek. She had expected some manner of treachery, but not for Tirek to just outright coerce him and two other Hollow warlords to join the invasion force like this!
Yet, as much as this revelation irked her, she noticed it was just these three.
Erebus wasn’t emerging with any of his forces from the Garganta. Nor were any of the other Privaron or Vasto Lordes that Adagio had not yet found, like Ahuizotl.
So even Tirek’s reach had limits, at least.
But the forces now gathered against Equestria had risen, and Adagio was in less of a position than ever to do anything about it! But she would. That much she swore to herself, gazing out across the assembled army of Hollows, standing among the very warlords who would be orchestrating the invasion of her home world. Perhaps Equestria itself she cared little for anymore, but she had two sisters there that she wasn’t about to abandon to this, and ambitions to fulfill that meant that one way or another she was going to thwart this invasion and end at least one of its leaders. Grogar was hers to finish off, after all.
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The return to Discord’s shop had been punctuated by a nearly anti-climatic set of awkwardly swift goodbyes said to Twilight and her fellow Quincy. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie had come upon them at the embassy in Las Noches in a fearful state, all of them shaken by a run-in with Tirek himself. Twilight had told them of Tirek’s demand for a meeting with Sombra, and wore tension on her shoulders like a thick mantle.
“I don’t know what he wants, or if Sombra will even agree, but it worries me,” she had said, looking at her friends with her artificial arm clasping her organic one in nervous grasp, “It could be some kind of trap.”
“I don’t even see why His Majesty would agree to meet with our worst enemy,” Sugarcoat had commented, “I mean, worst in the traditional sense. Zero Division is worse still, but I seriously doubt that means we can trust that monster, Tirek.”
“If what we learned from Adagio is true, he’s about to invade Equestria,” said Fluttershy, her voice breathy and quiet. She was still utterly exhausted from her fight with Guto. Her injuries still bled in some cases, and in truth Pinkie Pie wasn’t much better off after tangling with Hydia.
Discord had not been present to greet them when they had returned, and neither had Ditzy Doo. Instead it seemed Gaia Everfree was manning the shop and monitoring things in the city, and had more or less dragged Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie to the shop’s medical room, trailing Twilight’s group and Smooze. Now Fluttershy laid down in one of the room’s large, comfortable beds, letting Gaia treat her wounds with a combination of Glorrissa’s first-aid know-how from running Camp Everfree, and Gaia’s knowledge of spiritual treatment which was sufficient to make use of Discord’s variously available esoteric medicines.
“If my memory of Tirek is clear, and he has not overtly changed much in the centuries since I was of the Espada,” said Gaia, tightening bandages laced with spiritually enriched salves around Fluttershy’s worst cuts, “Tirek will not lay any traps for your Quincy King. He can be more devious than one might think, but against a worthy rival, he’d prefer to win in a direct fight. It may even be he intends to challenge your King to a final duel... you know, settle matters before going to Equestria so he has less to worry about the Quincy hitting Las Noches while he’s gone. But I doubt it.”
“Why?” asked Twilight, “You’re right. If there was any time for Tirek to try and finish things with Sombra, it’d be now, wouldn’t it?”
“If his eye is on Equestria, then he may not intend to waste his energy on your King,” Gaia said, then, nodding in satisfaction at the dressings on Fluttershy, she moved on to checking Pinkie Pie, who was not laying down in bed but rather sat with a droop on a nearby stool, “He may simply want to talk.”
“That is so freakin’ weird to imagine,” Indigo Zap said, “The two big head honchos themselves just... chatting. Are you supposed to be there for this, Twi?”
“Tirek didn’t mention it, but if I can convince Sombra to agree to it, I want to be there,” Twilight said, her eyes downcast, “But I promise to get back as soon as I feasibly can. What happened with Sunset, Spike, everyone... we have to do something.”
Gaia had already brought them all up to date on the incident that had occurred, and it was a looming weight on the shoulders of those whose friends were now cast adrift in a realm none of them had been to. Fluttershy reached out to hold Twilight’s hand in a comforting grip, even if it was just the artificial one that felt cool to the touch.
“I’m sure Spike is okay.”
Twilight managed a very small smile while adjusting her glasses with her other hand, “He has the Gunwolf with him. I designed it to the best defense I could give him. I just... really wish Sunset had waited until we got back before messing with a mysterious magical object from Equestria.”
“Heheh, yeah, we all oughta know better than to poke the magical sparklies by now,” chuckled Pinkie Pie, coughing, “Ew... I can still smell some of Hydia’s stank on me.”
Gaia shook her head, one hand on her hip as she checked Pinkie’s eyes with a penlight, “You’re beyond lucky to be breathing after being exposed to her toxins. I can’t imagine what drinking that damn brew did to you, even if you used it as an antidote. Hmm...”
“What’s the prognosis, doc?” asked Pinkie Pie, “Are we gonna make it?”
“Oh hush, you’ll live. I think. My only concern is... well...” She looked between Pinkie and Fluttershy, tapping her fingers on her hip, “Both of you have residual Hollow reishi in your systems. Pinkie from drinking some of Hydia’s blood along with the concoction to cure her poison, and Fluttershy I suspect from linking her soul to Gilda and Guto.”
“Is that bad?” asked Twilight with alarm, giving her friends a protective look.
“I can’t say,” Gaia replied with blunt honesty, “As Fullbringers you both have Hollow energy inside you already, heavily boosted and mutated by magic, nevermind any additional effects your exposure to that Hogyoku that Discord made. For now just focus on recovery, and let me know immediately if you feel any strange sensations or changes in your reiatsu.”
Pinkie Pie’s nose twitched for a brief moment before she let out an explosive, snot-ridden sneeze. Twilight’s team of Quincy all took steps back, Sour Sweet pointing, “Please tell me she isn’t contagious.”
“I didn’t sense any lingering contagions,” said Gaia, going to a cabinet and hauling out a rather alarmingly large amount of bottles, clay jugs, and tubs of weird glowing liquid with smudged labels, “But just in case I’ll have you take a few of these. I don’t know where Discord learned medicine, but the man has the worst categorization system I’ve ever seen.”
She started handing Pinkie Pie cup-fulls of the odd liquids, some of which foamed or smoked. Pinkie drank without question, and while everyone was looking on to see if the girl would keel over, the door opened and Cinch strode in, all smug and exuding an air of impatience. Her throat was still bruised from being manhandled by Tirek, but one wouldn’t think the woman had been scared to death just a few short hours ago by the way she looked at Twilight and crossed her arms imperiously, “What are we doing still wasting time here? We need to return to the Silburn immediately.”
In the background, out in the hall, Fleur De Lis was seen with a plate of food from the kitchen, scarfing down big, meaty sandwiches as if the woman hadn’t had a proper meal in weeks. Which was entirely accurate. Fleur’s eyes were still darting around with a hint of fearful suspicion, as if she still half expected this all to prove to be some sort of hallucination brought on by the desperation for escape.
“Yeeash, lighten up, lady,” said Lemon Zest, “Twilight’s just making sure her friends are all in proper order before we skedaddle out of here. What’s the rush? The castle ain’t going anywhere.”
“In case it has escaped the thought processes if you children, we just rescued a high-profile prisoner from the depths of our mortal enemy’s home territory, killing one of their top commanders in the process-”
“Correction, there, Cinch,” said Sugarcoat, “Fluttershy killed Guto. No ‘we’ in that event, so show a little respect.”
Fluttershy flinched, “That’s fine. I don’t take credit for it, anyway. Gilda did what she had to do, I was just there to... help.”
The air got awkwardly silent for a moment before Cinch wrinkled her nose and turned around, “Regardless, we need to return and get Fleur debriefed. I would imagine, Twilight, that you wouldn’t want to dawdle in informing His Majesty of our success, or of Tirek’s interest in a meeting.”
Twilight drew in a sigh and nodded, “It is true that time is critical. Not just Sunset, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Spike are marooned in the Beast Realm. Two of our own are there as well, and I imagine Sombra will want to mount an expedition to get back Cadence and my brother as soon as possible.”
Cinch said nothing to this, just looked over her shoulder at Twilight briefly before striding out through the hall. Fleur paused as she went by, still eating, gulping her food down before glancing with uncertainty at Twilight, “I really feel as if I’ve missed a lot.”
“I’ll try to explain as much as I can once we’ve returned... home,” Twilight said, then looked to Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, “I have to go, now. Please, don’t do anything rash like running off after Sunset and the others until I get back in touch. I promise I’ll get Sombra to agree to help, and I’ll be back with reinforcements, and we can go to the Beast Realm together.”
“Heya, that’d be swell, and trust me,” Pinkie Pie’s nose spasmed again before she sneezed once more, soaking her sleeve in snot, “I’m not going anywhere in a hurry.”
“We’ll wait for you,” Fluttershy said, “But we’re definitely going after them.”
Twilight nodded, and briefly hugged Fluttershy, and after a bit of hesitation at all the snot, she gave Pinkie a hug as well, “I”ll be back soon. Promise.”
With that, Twilight had led her Quincy out, to return to her family estate and from there, transport themselves to the Silburn, a feat that normally would have required a long flight via a Quincy made jet, but Twilight’s magic allowed for a teleportation spell to do the job in moments. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were both left to process everything that had happened, with Pinkie Pie’s body generating a small pink mist that formed into Pinkamena’s face.
“So is it just me or is it way too quiet, here?” said Pinkamena, “I didn’t sniff out any of the usual suspects hanging around here. What gives, Gaia?”
“I’d been meaning to ask the same thing,” Fluttershy said, her eyes briefly flashing with concentration, “You’re the only one who’s reiatsu I can sense here. Well, besides Smooze and ourselves, now.”
Smooze had gone to rest after she’d helped alleviate some of his pain. Even the brief excursion to Las Noches had put a strain on him. Certainly he was getting stronger, but he still had plenty of recovery left to go. Discord had set up a little chamber, just for Smooze, with a unique cylinder-shaped bed for him to literally ooze into for resting.
Gaia, looking exasperated as she handed Pinkie Pie some tissues for another sneeze, said, “Discord and Ditzy Doo decided that now was the time to put our junior members of the Coalition through some kind of ‘special’ training. Took a lot of people, my brother included for some reason, through a portal to the mountains. Apparently he and Ditzy are going to split the groups up between adults and our younger volunteers and put them to the test.”
Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie looked at each other.
“You thinking what I’m thinking?” Pinkie asked, and Pinkamena’s face floating next to her whispered to Fluttershy, “I doubt it, because she’s thinking about how hungry she is after watching Fleur eat, and wants to bake up some cupcakes.”
“N-no!” Pinkie Pie said, “Not just that. I have plenty of room in this noggin’ of mine for more than one thought.”
“I know. I live in here,” Pinkamena replied, “I’ve got room to spare.”
Pinkie Pie blew a raspberry at her other self and grabbed the strand of pink mist that formed Pinkamena’s head, yanking her back into Pinkie’s head with a playful shove, “Go watch true crime videos or something. Me and Fluttershy are talking.”
Pinkamena laughed as she went back inside Pinkie’s skull, and Pinkie giggled, then sneezed, then giggled again, “I forgot what we were talking about.”
“Discord and Ditzy’s training,” Fluttershy replied with a hint of nostalgia, “Do you remember that, Pinkie?”
“Heheh! How could I forget it! Ditzy made a big ol’ coliseum place drenched in Hollow spirit juice and made us fight her! It was all like, ZIP, ZAM, POW! She was sooooooo strong back then!” Pinkie tapped a finger to her temple, “I mean, I guess she still is, too! But back then that’s when I upgraded Pinkamena and turned myself into a hammer! Hehehe, good times, good times.”
“I hope that she and Discord will take it easy on everyone,” Fluttershy said, “Especially if they took the kids to train.”
“They did,” said Gaia, “Those two little sisters of Rarity and Applejack, plus that Bount friend of theirs, and the two Quincy girls they seem to hang out with nowadays. The elder Bounts are there, too, plus Screwball, Screwloose, and even Chappy. Pretty much anyone and everyone that had a lick of spiritual potential. Your parents, Applejack’s brother, and even one of the witches that were around yesterday.”
Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy both blinked at that.
“Wonder why one of them went along?” mused Pinkie, laying back splayed on her bed with a groan, “Man, I can hardly keep anything straight anymore. Maybe I should start having Mena take notes.”
“Already do,” Mena said, briefly popping out again, “Someone has to be responsible around here, and apparently I’ve somehow become that. I blame you entirely for this.”
“So, I suppose all we can do for now is rest and wait,” said Fluttershy, “And sincerely hope nobody gets hurt.”
-----------
“Oh my God, she killed Sweetie Belle! Nooooooo!” Scootaloo let out a dramatic yell as she cradled Sweetie Belle’s body, which was very much still alive, just limb with eyes swirling in a dazed fugue from the direct impact she took from Ditzy Doo’s kick, which had bounced the girl halfway across the colosseum ground like a small pin-ball.
“The Earth is tilting too much for me to go to school today, Rarity, can I stay home?” Sweetie Belle mumbled incoherently. Meanwhile Applebloom, shouting some kind of undulating warcry that she likely heard from a movie, tried to tag Ditzy Do with a snap of her apple-red whip.
Ditzy’s form barely seemed to move as it flicked around the whips metallic tip, which cracked a large gouge in the ground, her hands behind her back as she eyed Applebloom up and down, “Good form.” Another whip crack, Applebloom’s arms blazing in motion as she tried to keep striking, the red whip a crimson blur. “Fierce reiatsu.” Ditzy slipped past the flurry of attacks to appear right in front of Applebloom, planting a knee in the girl’s chest, “But you need to learn to sense my intent to attack and respond to it without needing to see me move.”
The force of the blow sent Applebloom reeling back, feet dragging through the dirt, but the tough little farmgirl didn’t drop. She clutched her gut where Ditzy’s knee had struck, but kept her other hand moving as she deftly swung her Fullbring whip in a new pattern, circling it like a lasso. The metal tip began to burn with red heat, the circular motion forming what looked like a circular ring of red as she lashed the lasso at Ditzy, spreading it out around the woman and closing the lasso ring in an attempt to give Ditzy no room to dodge.
Well, no room if one didn’t account for the vertical. Ditzy leaped right over the closing lasso and flipped through the air, bringing her heel down in a streaking kick that cracked the air as Applebloom’s eyes shot wide and the girl dove for safety. The impact of Ditzy’s heel on the ground created a secondary shockwave that caught Applebloom mid-dive and sent her rolling like a kicked can.
By now Sweetie Belle had regained her senses and raised herself up on wobbling feet, steadied by Scootaloo’s hand. Sweetie’s eyes stopped swirling and she looked around, “Oh great, I dropped my wand! Where’d it go?”
“Here,” Ditzy said, flicking a wrist and producing it, “You dropped it when I pummeled you a second ago. Got to learn to keep a hold of your weapon, even when taking the hits, kid. A real enemy isn’t going to give it back.”
She tossed Sweetie Belle the wand, which the girl caught and then puffed out her cheeks in a huffing glare, “Well how am I supposed to do that when you’re treating me like a piñata!? We’re just kids for crying out loud!”
“Uh, we did kinda beg her to train us, didn’t we?” asked Scootaloo, “Feel like this is partially on us.”
“That’s besides the point! She could try taking it easy on us a little, until we get the hang of this,” Sweetie Belle said, then yelped as Ditzy appeared behind them, causing Sweetie to jump away and Scootaloo to spin about, raising her arms defensively.
“Alerion! Dive bomb!” Scootaloo shouted, barely managing to flip away from a very slow, lazy kick from Ditzy.
The Doll of avian shaped stone had been circling, cracked in a few places from taking blows from Ditzy early on in the training. Now he came at his creator’s call, folding rock wings and diving like a beak nosed comet onto Ditzy’s position. He spread his wings at the last second, leveling out and raking the area with his huge stone talons, ripping apart large gouges in the ground as he flew by. Ditzy, however, had already vanished with a Flash Step and appeared on the Doll’s back, kicking down with one foot with enough force to bend the Doll out of the air and send him crashing into the floor until his head got embedded into the earth like an ostrich hiding its head in the sand.
Ditzy sighed and hopped off Alerion, dusting herself off, “Funny thing is that I am taking it easy on you girls. Way easier than I did with your big sisters and their friends.”
“Seriously? This is you taking it easy?” Sweetie Belle said, pointing her wand at the ground and making a sweeping gesture. The beam of light from the wand’s tip absorbed large chunks of the earth and then Sweetie Belle aimed the wand at Ditzy, expelling the absorbed rock and dirt in a compressed projectile not unlike a makeshift cannonball.
Ditzy barely moved, kicking up with a heel to smack the shot out of the air, barely ruffling her hair in the process as she checked her nails, “Yeah, way easier. By this point I was already masked up and charging a full blown Cero to throw in their faces. So far all I’ve done is bat you little mice around like a playful kitten.”
Applebloom, wiping blood from her face due to a bloody nose she’d gotten from just the shockwave she’d been hit by, and gave the woman a fierce glower as she snapped her whip, “Well don’t go treatin’ us all lightly just ‘cause we’re kids, ya hear?”
“Uh, no, do treat us lightly, because we’re kids,” said Sweetie Belle, “I’m as for training as you girls are, but I don’t see how getting beaten senseless is teaching us anything. Did any of this help Rarity or the others?”
“Your sister and her friends were in a different situation than you are,” Ditzy said, moving off to the side to look around at the tall stone walls of the coliseum she’d summoned upon the slopes of the mountain. It was a lovely day out, with a fine, cool breeze, and enough summer sun to make the higher elevation still feel pleasantly warm. The stands around the colosseum were partially occupied, with Silver Spoon, Diamond Tiara, Big Mac, Timber Spruce, Chappy, and Ditzy’s daughter, Derpy, all in attendance.
Derpy and Chappy were side by side, having formed an impromptu cheerleading section that shouted encouragement to the girls getting smacked around by Ditzy. Silver Spoon remained near Diamond Tiara, who had been glumply observing proceedings with a look of someone whose mind was not in the present. Of all of them, Timber Spruce looked the least like he knew why he was there, sitting next to Big Mac and glancing around with an uneasy fidget of his hands. Big Mac, for his part, had his eyes locked on the arena, arms crossed, deep green eyes laser focused on his little sister. The young man had an intensity around him, despite the way he sat stock still, like a dog getting ready to break out into a run.
Ditzy looked at those in the stands as if searching for something, nodded to herself, and turned back to the three girls she was training, “When I trained Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, Rainbow, and Fluttershy, we knew we had little time to screw around. They were dead set on rescuing Celestia and Luna, which would mean tackling Soul Society itself. The only way to ensure they got their Fullbrings to the next level was to agitate the Hollow reiryuku inside them using this specialized Kido forged arena and put them in a life or death struggle. I had to go hard on them, push them to the point of breaking, and make them fight as if I meant to kill them.”
“So what are we doing, then?” asked Scootaloo as she went over to Alerion and began helping tug her Doll’s head out of the ground, a somewhat comical sight given the size discrepancy between her and the giant stone bird.
Ditzy took a moment to choose her words, “The goal is still to help you girls get to the next stage of your Fullbrings. That’s why I’m using this arena. It may also help some of you who haven’t awakened to Fullbring yet, like Big Mac over there. Even the Quincy girls might benefit their powers from training under a field of Hollow reiatsu, which is opposed to Quincy reiatsu. Like exercising with weights on. But, unlike with your seniors, I’m not training you in an emergency situation to fight things way beyond your power. The simple truth is that in the fights to come against Zero Division, none of you are going to be allowed anywhere near that. Its so far beyond you that no amount of training is going to help.”
“What’s the point o’ trainin’ at all if we’re not gonna be able ta help?” said Applebloom, kicking the ground.
“You’ll be able to help, just not with those fights,” Ditzy said, “You’re training for the future that’s beyond them. Discy and I? We’re passing lessons and skills on to you because you younger folk might have to pick up the mantle years to come from now. No bullshit, kids, not from me... there’s a real chance in the battles coming up that some of us going in against Zero Division won’t be coming back. But assuming we win? Whoever’s left is going to need help putting the pieces back together of whatever’s left of the spirit realm. That’ll mean younger kids like you will need to grow up, and have the power to make that difference. That’s why I’m training you, so you can carry that weight if and when the time comes for it to be your turn to take center stage.”
“That’s...um... kinda heavy...” Sweetie Belle said, head hanging as she cradled her Fullbring wand and looked at it as if unsure she still wanted it.
“I noticed you only talked about you training us kids,” said Scootaloo, “So what’s about Discord? He’s off somewhere down the mountain training my Aunts, and even his two employees and that weird witch girl, Bon Bon. If we’re the ones training for being all awesome in the future, what are they training for?”
“...To hopefully not die in the actual fighting,” Ditzy said with a sort of dry, humorless chuckle, “But seriously, Discord just wants to get some fresh air, I’m thinking, and this was as good an excuse as any. Now, why don’t you three take twenty or so minutes to catch your breath? Then we’ll do another round.”
With a swift snap of her fingers, Ditzy caused the ten bronze braziers that encircled the walls of the coliseum to reduce the amount of blood red flame they were producing. The overall glow of saturating ruby light faded, and each of the three young girls let out relived breaths as the bathing of Hollow spirit energy lifted. It agitated their Fullbrings, making them stronger, but harder to control.
Sweetie Belle sank to her knees and patted her wand like she was comforting a pet, “There, there, we’ll get her next time. Oh, Rarity, I hope you’re doing better than I am.”
“Yer sis is tough,” said Applebloom, coiling up her whip and strolling over to help Sweetie Belle up with a friendly hand, “Probably already whipped a bunch o’ fellas down there inta fanner her with palm leaves.”
“You think they got those in Hell?”
“Well, Hellish palm leaves. So, I dunno, maybe they’re red, or on fire?” Applebloom ran a hand through her hair, “Eh, sorry, just talkin’ ta talk, I guess.”
“I appreciate it,” Sweetie Belle said, meaning it. Nearby Scootaloo was looking over Alerion at the damage he’d suffered, and both the other girls saw their Bount friend lay a hand on the leg of the hulking Doll. A faint wispy glow of smoke-like spirit energy flowed from Scottaloo’s palm and into Alerion, the Doll giving a rumbling noise like a gravel-born purr as the cracks on his body repaired themselves.
“Huh, didn’t know ya could do that, Scoots,” said Applebloom, to which Scootaloo gave a bashful grin.
“A Bount has to be able to take care of their Doll, and I’m really not doing anything special. Just sharing some spirit energy with him.”
“It's hardly necessary, tiny master,” groused Alerion, preening his stone wings with his beak, which produced a horrific scraping noise that made everyone present but Scootaloo cringe slightly, “The gray one barely touched me.”
Ditzy Doo managed to look offended, while still smiling with a bit of feline fang showing, “Should I stop pulling my punches, then?”
The giant stone bird froze briefly, muttering, “...no...” under his breath.
The gurgle of hunger sounded like a trumpet, and it wasn’t even clear whose stomach was the offender, but it was Applebloom who said to Ditzy, “Don’t suppose ya packed us a’ lunch or somethin’?”
Hearing the mention of food, like a whisper on the wind, made Chappy’s nose twitch and the Mod Soul leaped up, waving an arm, “Oh, oh! Food, yes, please! Watching you guys get beat up is making me really hungry!”
“What!? How does that work?” asked Sweetie Belle, “We’re the ones doing all the work!”
“Well, I was going to bring in some of you bench warmers next, anyway,” said Ditzy, eyeing those in the stands, “That means you, Chappy, plus you little Miss Quincy.”
Silver Spoon nodded, and Diamond Tiara gave her friend a hesitant look and then shifted in her seat, “Um... does that mean me, too?”
“Diamond, you can barely get a bow formed right now,” said Silver Spoon, not unkindly, but with a frank tone, “You just focus on watching and getting used to sensing spiritual pressure. You’re way off from being able to benefit from this kind of training.”
“No, it’s a good idea, actually,” said Ditzy, “She wants to join in, she can.”
A storm cloud of a frown crossed Silver Spoon’s face, and Diamond Tiara bit her lower lip for a second before standing up, “I’ll try. I really don’t want to just sit here.”
“Can I jump in, too, mom?” spoke up Derpy, to which Ditzy gave her daughter an encouraging grin.
“Of course, muffin. Just don’t expect me to take it easy on you.”
“I know! It’ll be just like when you taught me self-defense. Only now, with explosions!” Derpy said, eyes shining as she dug around in a backpack she’d brought alone and set at her feet, withdrawing a package of muffins, “And I brought snacks, for anybody who wants them.”
“Yeeeeesss! Muffin best friend forever,” Chappy said, mouth watering as she hovered over Derpy’s shoulder like a salivating slasher-movie villain.
“Hmm, better make that twenty minute break a full-blown lunch break,” Ditzy said, flipping her hair and vanishing, re-appearing in an blink on top of the arena wall on the opposite side of the group, where she shouted, “I left some wrapped sandwiches and water bottles in a cooler down by the gully. I’ll go grab it. You all just chill here.”
She blinked out in a millisecond, nobody present remotely skilled enough to actually follow the speed of her Flash Step. Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle all clambered up onto the coliseum stands and gathered with the others around Derpy, who happily handed out muffins. Everyone ate in a brief silence, soon broken by Big Mac, who looked at his sister’s still slightly bleeding nose and gave a hefty sigh.
“Ya ain’t hurt too much, sis?” he asked, and Applebloom’s face reddened as she tried to wipe away more of the blood on the sleeve of her sporty, beige outdoor shirt.
“Tch, it's nothin’, Big Mac. Ditzy is being pretty gentle with us.”
“So she says,” grumbled Sweetie Belle around a mouthful of muffin, “My ears are still ringing. We can’t even touch her.”
“She’s a legend,” Silver Spoon stated, adjusting her glasses, “I mean, for us Quincy she was a kind of boogeyman, back in the day. More my grandparents' time, when she was the active Captain of the Second Division. She, uh, took down a lot of Quincy. One horror story talks about how the old Sternritter B, the Bomb, tried to take her down by using his own troops to lure her into a trap. Tried to blow her up along with his own men with a giant explosion, but she was so fast that she escaped a blast big enough to destroy an entire valley, even while standing at ground zero. Took out the Bomb in the same instant, despite him standing miles away. Took his head clean off.”
“Okay, ew, but also kinda awesome,” Scootaloo said, and shivered, “But also, ew.”
“It's war,” Silver Spoon replied, “The tale just became a way to remind cadets to not underestimate Soul Reapers. Besides, I think the B’s successor is way better. The Bastion is a better soldier and has a better power. Doesn’t waste troops on useless traps, for one.”
“It's freaky that you had to grow up with that kind of stuff,” Timber Spruce said, eyeing Silver Spoon with a sympathetic glint, “I mean, you’re still a kid. Kids shouldn’t have to deal with any of this.”
“We didn’t really have the luxury of doing otherwise,” Silver Spoon said without any apparent offense taken, “Quincy power is passed through bloodline, and training usually needs to start early to get good enough to match enemies that have way more time on their hands to train than we do. People like Twilight and Diamond are outliers, only finding out about their heritage until later on.”
“Yeah... lucky me,” Diamond Tiara said, looking down at her clothing with a deep wrinkle in her brow. She and Silver Spoon weren’t wearing their typical school clothes, but instead had on simplified versions of the white Quincy uniform, lacking the caps, mantles, and rank patches, and just consisting of button jackets and long pants, with plain black boots.
“Are ya... well, are ya sure ya really wanna train with us?” asked Applebloom, “Don’t gotta push yerself, ya know? Ya heard Ditzy, we’re not gonna be doin’ the fightn’ ourselves, an’ this is more fer way down the road.”
Diamond Tiara was quiet for a moment, then looked up at Applebloom with a pain roiling in her eyes that was quickly pushed down by a fierce look that was close to the old Diamond Tiara of cocky, overbearing attitude, “Thanks, but no thanks. I’m not a fence sitter, or a wimp. And I want to get a grip on who I am. I need to understand what made my parents who they are, and why... everything got so messed up.”
A strange look came over Silver Spoon as she adjusted her glasses again, as if hiding her eyes, “None of what happened is your fault, Diamond, so don’t push yourself too hard, okay? Learning to use your inherited Quincy power is good if you’re doing it for yourself, but it won’t... change anything, either.”
“I know that,” Diamond Tiara said, all but vibrating with unreleased frustration, “But I have to do something with myself or I’m going to go crazy. Daddy won’t even tell me precisely what happened with mother! Just that she did something bad and they’re separating, and it’s all tied up in this weird Quincy business! I don’t understand, and nobody will tell me anything, even you, Spoon.”
“I...” Silver Spoon looked away, “I don’t know that much more than you, and what I do know I’m not allowed to say. It’s not just a family matter, it’s a matter of Quincy law.”
“Which is more important than our friendship?”
“No, but it’s not my place to tell you, Diamond, even if I want to.”
“Fine,” Diamond Tiara said, stamping her feet and looking at her hands before clenching them hard, “I’ll do things the hard way and wring the truth from Daddy. He’s never been able to say no to me for very long, anyway.”
The atmosphere hung heavy as most of the others present had no idea precisely what the two young Quincy were talking about. All Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo knew was what Diamond Tiara herself had just stated, that something had gone wrong between her parents. Whatever the trouble was, it was well beyond their knowledge, and certainly if anyone like Discord was in the know, they were keeping as quiet about it as Diamond Tiara’s father.
“Well, uh, look,” said Applebloom, offering Diamond Tiara a hand, “Since ya need ta blow off some steam, why don’t we team up fer the next round on Ditzy? I don’t know nuthin’ much ‘bout Quincy, so ya could show me yer moves.”
Diamond Tiara looked at the farmgirl’s hand for a moment before reluctantly taking it for a firm shake, “Hmph, moves? So far all I can do is form an itty-bitty bow. I can barely do that much for long. I don’t really get this ‘reishi’ thing at all.”
“I keep telling you that you’re doing amazingly well, considering you’ve only been training for a short time,” said Silver Spoon, “It took me months to form a basic bow, and you’ve learned to do it in days. Don’t sell yourself short.”
“So if we’re doing teams, does that mean me and Derpy, the big red hunk, and the walking plank of wood are all gonna be on a team?” asked Chappy with innocent eyes, pointing at those she’d mentioned, to varying degrees of enthusiasm in the reactions.
“Plank of wood?” Timber Spruce muttered, “Just because I’m named after a tree doesn’t mean I’m wooden.”
Big Mac just stared, scratching the back of his head and looking behind him as if Chappy might be referring to some other ‘red hunk’, and then silently pointing at himself as if to confirm what she meant.
Derpy clapped her hands with a beaming grin, “Oh, we could be team DBTC... okay that doesn’t sound like anything. Maybe team TCDB? No, I just sound like I’m having a seizure when I say that. Geeze, our names don’t make any kind of snappy acronym, do they?”
“I’m pretty sure we don’t need a team name,” Timber Spruce said, “I’m not even sure if I’m going to be fighting. I mean, what am I going to do? Throw rocks? Use harsh language?”
“Orrrrr,” Chappy said, whipping out a big, hefty branch from which none could discern where, and handed it to him, “You could hit things with a stick. Maybe it’ll be your Fullbring, The Big Stick!”
Timber Spruce gave Chappy an unenthused look and tossed the stick over his shoulder, “At least you didn’t go low-brow and call it the Hard Wood.”
“Oooooh that would’ve been so much better!” Chappy said in clear appreciation.
“Tiny master, I find our comrades for this venture to be odd and of dubious competency,” stated Alerion, “So far only the red headed one and glasses wearer display any hunter instinct.”
“Chill, Alerion, chill. We’re doing this training to get all that competency stuff down,” replied Scootaloo, and nodded towards Big Mac and Timber Spruce, “Even those of us who don’t got powers.”
“Hey Big Mac, ya feelin’ anything at all yet from this hear arena being all Hollowfied n’ such?” asked Applebloom, “Nothin’ popping out in yer senses that feels like a’ Fullbring?”
The broad shouldered young man shrugged, “Eenope.”
“Does feeling itchy count?” asked Timber Spruce, “Because that’s about all I’ve gotten out of this.”
“For a nascent Fullbring like Big Mac it will take a directly desperate or traumatic event to really spark the power,” said Ditzy all of a sudden, having appeared directly behind the boys. Big Mac went pale but didn’t quite yelp, while Timber Spruce did a full on leap into the other man’s arms, shrieking. After a blushing moment of embarrassment Timber Spruce hopped right back out of Big Mac’s arms and glared at Ditzy.
“Do you enjoy sneaking up on people like that?”
“Yes,” said Ditzy with a cattish grin, setting down the cooler she’d brought, “I made a whole military career out of it in the Gotei 13, until Starlight Glimmer had her conniption fit and infected with me with Hollow spirit energy, forcing me and Discord to go into exile. Fun times, that.”
She popped open the cooler to reveal stacks of wrapped sandwiches and canned soda, juice, and bottles of water. The hungry young folk assaulted the display of refreshment with the voracious fury of a pack of wolves, and for a few minutes Ditzy just watched them eat like a happy mother keeping an eye on her young. Sitting down, she spoke softly as they ate.
“I wouldn’t worry too much about developing your powers, yet. Big Mac, your family has a lot of raw talent in it, and trust me, if Applebloom is anything to go by, you’ll come into your own when the time is right.”
“Mmm,” Big Mac made a noncommittal noise around some food, “Be nice ta not watch from the sidelines. Want ta be there for my family. Still, farm needs someone workin’ it, while my sisters are off bein’ heroes.”
“Aww, Big Mac...” Applebloom smiled at her brother.
Timber Spruce ate slowly, looking out of the arena and down the mountainside at the wild forests beyond, eyes distant, “I’d just like to know my sister is going to be... herself again, eventually. I don’t know how to deal with this Gaia Everfree thing. She keeps trying to act like everything is okay and nothing’s changed, but it has. She has. It’s like half the time I’m looking at a stranger instead of Gloriossa.”
“Won’t sugarcoat it for you, she’ll probably never go back to exactly how she was,” said Ditzy, “There’s never been someone like her. Two souls blended together like that... even Discy can’t quite make heads or tails of her. But I do know she loves you just as much as before. Even when you’re not around, she’s talking about you, and how to keep you safe. That’s still your sister, whatever else she’s become.”
Timber Spruce didn’t stop gazing out at the seemingly endless mountain forests, “Huh... so what about me? Do I stay the same, or change? I joke about ‘itching’, but I felt it when you had this place churning out Hollow energy. Like a burr in my soul. Something writhing around.”
Ditzy leaned forward, eyeing him critically, “I think you’re like me. Or you could be. Discy and I kind of assumed Vaizards needed a Soul Reaper base soul mixed with Hollow reishi, but that’s just because Soul Reapers are the only ones who got that kind of blend. Might be a normal human with enough Hollowness mixed in results in the same thing. Not the same deal as a Fullbringer, at least. I promise you, I’ll help you get a handle on it if you’re willing, or if not, help you suppress it. Just got to decide which way you want to jump.”
“...I’m not a plank of wood,” he said, frowning, “If there’s something I can do to make myself useful, I’m doing it.”
“Then sounds to me like I’ve got a full roster of trainees for round-two of training!” said Ditzy, hopping up and leaping into the arena, “Finish up eating, kiddos, and then get your butts down here. I’m kicking things up a notch, and I want all of you coming at me this time, even if you got to throw rocks or attack me with sticks.”
Timber Spruce blanched, rolling his eyes at Chappy’s smug grin at him, and he went to go retrieve The Big Stick.
----------
Wallflower was exhausted. Whatever changes may have been wrought on her body by the awakening of Hel within her, it didn’t include boundless endurance or the ability to ignore hunger and thirst forever. Even so she kept her complaints to herself, waiting patiently for when the party finished relocating their camp. The frighteningly intense Quincy fellow, Shining Armor, insisted on them moving several times, and at a breakneck pace, to find a new and sufficiently well hidden site to set up for the night. Sunset Shimmer’s radiant display had apparently left most of the group concerned with being tracked down by the ones after Wallflower, which only served to make the girl feel worse.
All of this trouble over her, and she could do nothing about it. Not even understand or control her own memories.
She’d been keeping her mouth shut on the matter, but memories were surfacing ever more frequently in her mind, none of them making much sense to her. What was truly strange was that it felt like some of them didn’t belong to her or Hel. Snippets of a life among winged, horned equines, and a war of god-like proportions fought between them. It was all jumbled with more clear memories of Hel’s life, which were no less frightening and filled with battle and conflict. Pain, too. Wallflower shivered to recall even a fraction of those memories, bits and pieces of monstrous torture and the rot of dead roots, dripping poison into her.
“Hey, you in there, Wallflower?”
She gave a brief start, blinking blearily from her half-asleep state. Rainbow Dash stood over her, looking down at her with eyes that seemed to glow in the dark. Had the girl’s eyes gone cat-like as well? Wallflower shook the mental image off and cleared her dry throat, “Y-yeah. Is...um... Sunset awake?”
“Nah, still out like a sack of hot potatoes,” Dash said, glancing over her shoulder. The group had pitched camp in a cave that was quite a distance down from the cliffs they’d been on earlier. The cave was situated amid a field of tall stalagmites, some as thick as buildings, which ran with small streams of clear water. The air hissed and chirped with the sounds of hundreds of different insects, some of which Wallflower had seen and knew to be large as full grown bears.
Asena and Simurgh insisted they were safe, however, and that as long as they stayed hidden there shouldn’t be any problems with the locals. The Dwarven fortress that was their ultimate destination wasn’t even very far from this location, perhaps another ten miles. If they wanted to, they could get there early next morning... assuming Sunset woke up.
“Is she going to be okay?” Wallflower asked, to which Rainbow sported an encouraging smirk.
“What, Sunset? Totally! Take more than a little inner turmoil to keep her down for long. Clover says she’s just taking a long nap to recover because that whole inner conflict shebang drained her spiritual batteries or whatever. Anyway, grub is still inbound, but figured you might want to know that after checking around to make sure all is safe, we’ve decided to take turns getting cleaned up at the nearby stream. Imagined you might want in.”
With all that had happened, Wallflower had barely paid her physical condition much mind, but with the matter being brought up, she was smelling rather pungent. A quick clean up in some nice, cool water wouldn’t be terrible.
“I appreciate it. Um, did everyone else already go, or...?”
“Me and AJ were waiting up to see if you wanted to come. Clover is tending to Sunset, the Quincy couple already went... together, I might add,” Rainbow Dash waggled her eyebrows with a meaningful grin, but dropped it after Wallflower just stared at her blankly, “Right, anyway, Spike doesn’t seem to care, and our two resident Beast Realmers are the ones scrounging our food this time. So, ready to go?”
Wallflower stood, slightly shaky on her feet. “Guess so.”
“Love that enthusiasm,” Dash said, with only a light glaze of sarcasm as she gave Wallflower a pat on the back and led her from the cave, where Spike was fiddling around inside the Gunwolf’s cockpit. The small dog popped his head up at their approach, but upon seeing them just gave a quick wave before ducking right back in. Wallflower could hear soft beeps and other computerized noises from in there, and Spike muttering something, but she thought it best not to bother him with any questions on what he was doing.
At the mouth of the cave, Sunset Shimmer was laid out on a bed of collected moss and blue, bioluminescent fronds. Clover sat crossed legged next to Sunset, one eye ever on the girl while the other focused on the scrolls laid out in front of her.
“Going to give those things another go tonight?” asked Rainbow Dash, and Clover gave a heavy nod, a frown bunching up her gray brow.
“I can’t afford to put it off. One way or another, I have to master these Kido. Hopefully I can at least manage with one of them before we arrive at the fortress tomorrow. If Sunset isn’t awake by then, every one of us will need to be at our best.”
“You seriously think she won't?” Dash said, unable ot hide a little hint of nervous shock in her voice.
“I hope she will, but what happened is unusual and outside of my experience as a Soul Reaper,” Clover said, casting a look filled with several conflicting emotions at the unconscious Sunset, “I don’t think she’s in danger, but recovering from a drain this heavy usually requires spiritually enriched food and water we don’t have. Sunset will still recover on her own, but its hard to guess how long that will take.”
“Crap... well, no reason to worry, right? She’s super tough, our Sunset,” Rainbow Dash said, her lengths of many-hued hair bristling slightly like an agitated cat as she stalked away, “We just carry for a bit until she’s awake, that’s all. C’mon, Wallflower.”
Wallflower spared Sunset and Clover one last look before hurrying along after Rainbow Dash. Fortunately the stream, or rather streams, weren’t far. Less than fifty paces from the cavern mouth the ground sloped down a bit between clusters of stalagmites that bent ina curving S-shape, between which flowed three streams that intersected at one point to form a nice, clear pool of water at the base of one of the larger stalagmites. Applejack was already there waiting for them, giving a wave at their approach.
“Howdy. Glad ya came out, Wallflower. Now, ain’t nothin’ too shy-like ‘tween me n’ Dash, but if yer the type that’s a bit skittish at the idea of bathin’ ‘round others, I hauled over these here boulders fer ya.”
The girl indicated a set of rather huge stone rocks, each taller than Applejack, that had been arranged in a line to cut off one third of the pool and create a little private area. Wallflower was briefly surprised, until her brain reminded her that Applejack was probably strong enough to casually juggle boulders ten times this size without breaking a sweat. With a gulp and a nod, she said, “T-thank you, I appreciate it. But...um... you two are gonna... together?”
Applejack shrugged with a comfortable smile, “Me n’ Dash have been hangin’ out since we was little, an’ nothin’ too outta the ordinary here fer us. Ain’t nothin’ to it, so don’t go gettin’ no ideas.”
“Wasn’t! I wasn’t, really!” Wallflower said, so hastily and with such a beat red face that even the most slow minded of people would have guessed she very much was thinking there was something between the other two girls. “I’ll, uh, just go behind my rocks now and... yeeeeah...”
She heard Dash give a light chuckle as she went around the side of the arranged boulders, hearing the girl say, “You know, AJ, with how many people put me and you together, I sometimes think we oughta date for a week, just to mess with them a little bit.”
“Don’t rightly see how that’d be ‘messing’ with ‘em, Dash. Don’t bother me none that folk talk, anyhows. Its high school. Everybody’s shippin’ with everybody else. Heck, there’s folks that say me n’ Rarity got a thing goin’ on, an’ I’ve heard them two idjits Snips n’ Snails gossipin’ that you n’ Pinkie Pie were together, once.”
“Me and Pinkie!? Seriously?” There was a pause. By now Wallflower could hear the other two girls splashing a bit as they bathed, and she’d gotten to work cleaning herself off as well. There was no soap to be had, but at this point even just splashing clean, cold water on herself felt like a godsend of luxury.
“Huh...” Dash said after a few moments.
“What?” asked Applejack.
“You know, I could see it with me and Pinkie. We both got energetic vibes, and love to party and pull pranks. It could work.”
“I dunno, feels like the kind o’ thing that’d burn out quick, like you enjoy yer fun, Dash, but ya also like yer naps an’ downtime. Pinkie don’t ever stop, so can ya imagine havin’ ta keep up with her twenty-four-seven? Nah, I’m thinking whatever gal or fella goes fer her has ta have the same amount o’ raw energy.”
“Heh, you’re probably right. Hmm, but you and Rarity, huh? That I could see?”
“Pfhwa!? What’re ya on ‘bout!? I like Rares a’ lot, sure. Weren’t always the case, what wit her bein’ all high falootin’ all the time, but we all know there’s a’ lot more ta her than the fancy schmancyiness. Don’t mean I’m fittin’ her fer a bridal gown.”
“Geeze AJ, lighten up, I’m just joshing you and shooting the breeze. Don’t got to go all red in the face when I talk about Rarity.”
“I ain’t red in the face, goshdarnnit! Stop laughin’! Awww, I oughta-!”
The splashing intensified, as did the two girl’s laughter. Wallflower listened, feeling strangely alone and jealous. The ease of the other two’s friendship, the simple comfortable way they could talk to each other about anything, and just the simple warmth and connectivity of the pair. Wallflower looked at her hands, clear water spilling between her fingers.
What even was she? Not a human, or even a person of her own. A pile of disjointed memories, with little next to nothing to call her own, not even something as simple as genuine friends she could rely on and who could rely on her.
She was so lost in this dour thoughts that it took her a second to realize there was a face looking back at her from the water that wasn’t her own reflection. With a gasp of sudden terror, she jumped back as a person burst up from the water... a tall, blue skinned woman with aquatic features that made her look uncomfortably inhuman as she gazed at Wallflower with eyes glowing with icy blue light. The girl’s skin was dotted with scales, and through the short, wild mess of two-toned blue hair she had, a small fish fin extended like a crest. She was wearing sheer white robes and furry, leather boots. The girl grinned with sharp teeth, spinning elegantly thin kris knives in her hands as she giggled.
“Lookie lookie who I found!”
A chapter that's mostly focused on checking in with other elements of the story, with Las Noches getting its final pieces in place for invasion. Next chapter will switch back to Equestria, most likely, although we'll still be picking up with the Beast Realm party, too.
As always thanks for reading, folks, and I appreciate any and all comments, questions, or critiques you may have for me! 'Till next time!
Edit: Thanks to MSei95 for reminding me that Shadow Lock and Sable Spirit were originally described as Vasto Lordes, rather than Arrancar Privaron Espada. Went ahead and corrected that. 
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ooh wait it looks like Wallflower also has Alicorn memories alongside Hel's. Intresting tibbet and suggestions about souls and comsology to be sure.
I wonder if being in Equestria would protect from whatever Zero Division has in planning. They've shown little interest in Equestria, and it might out of reach for their Doom Laser or whatever like that.
On good news, maybe presence of Gilda will make things less bloody. Or not, I imagine she might be a bit clumsy at being a good guy. Less with Torch, the guy likes a good invasion. Especially if there's someone to fight.
Gotta hand it to Tirek, he doesn't underestimate potential opponents. And funnily enough, Guto's death would suit him if he wants to work with Bray. Cool to see Independent Espada!
Yeah, Scoot's gonna need some combative skills or she's gonna spend every battle playing Pokemon.
Now I know it's probably the Nereid, but what if it's Cassie?
Love those conversations.
I'm very upset that after 200 chapter we still know very little about Hilda.
A mid-week chapter? Neat.
LMAO. Really, this who section had a bunch of nice jokes to break up the far harsher bits in Las Noches prior. Adagio isn't used to being outmaneuvered to this degree.
Meanwhile, I can already predict an entire scene thanks to all the foreshadowing you're planting. At some point Big Mac will encounter one of the Zero Division in Canterlot City, awaken his fullbring to still get slapped down like nothing, only to be saved by his father in a heartfelt reunion.
The Niads are here prepare for trouble
A little filling chapter to keep everything together, good, wonderful as always :D.
11910931
Nah, Hilda doesn't show up until the triple crossover multiverse event in the sequel story to Friendship Souls. (...which while this may be a joke, that sounds almost plausible given I've already established multiverse connections are canon in this story)
I appreciate having this chapter really follow up on a lot of the side characters before we move on to the big stuff.
More hollow power huh. Wonder what kinda effects that will have. Can't imagine it will just do nothing
Understatement of the century that. That's gonna be a hell of an explanation.
That's pretty grim. She's not wrong though. The world will continue after the war and it will need defenders.
Seems Sunset is out of commission for a bit. Hopefully not to long. The girls got a challenge to win.
Well looks like s*** hitting the fan at Mark 10 and I am love it😆