Episode 87: Planting the Seeds
Episode 87: Planting the Seeds
It was rare for Grogar to leave his laboratory stronghold for any reason that wasn’t required for his plans. He wasn’t exactly what anyone would describe as the social type, and unless it involved his work he was disinclined to visit another Espada’s holdings. Unfortunately this time Chrysalis was involved, and he had to bite the proverbial bullet and obey her summons. One does not simply refuse the Second Espada after all, especially not the lowly Ninth.
He scoffed under his breath as he walked his gnarled, thin form down a long and regally carved bridge of marble stone, shot through with faint traces of bioluminescent, green resin. His new position was due to Adagio’s fresh appointment to the Espada’s ranks, and he could appreciate the irony of his own creation surpassing him. At least in terms of simple numbers.
If Adagio truly thought herself superior to him, now, she would be in for an unpleasant surprise, but Grogar was not intending to show his hand just yet. There was still work to do, and Adagio had a part still to play, even if she only suspected it. She was no fool. Grogar had admired that of her since day one. Adagio was intelligent and cautious, but also knew when to the risk was right to strike. It’d served her well, and hence served Grogar well, thus far.
Her usefulness would soon be at an end, however. Regardless of whether or not Chrysalis considered her to be amusing. Such a caustic ‘ally’ Chrysalis was. Her unpredictability was a draining and wearisome trait, but her influence over Tirek could not be denied. Chrysalis was powerful, and useful, and ruthless enough to turn upon Grogar in an instant if he ceased to be useful himself. But those were all fairly standard factors for dealing with his fellow Hollow. What set Chrysalis apart was her appreciation for Grogar’s work. Tirek merely saw the surface of what Grogar offered. Trinkets and toys for Tirek’s war effort. Chrysalis saw the greater goal of Hollow evolution at the heart of Grogar’s work.
It made being called out to her abode a tolerable annoyance, where with any other Espada besides Tirek himself Grogar may have forced them to come to him.
The bridge lay across a rare and unusual chasm within Las Noches’ interior, where the sands parted into a deep, dark canyon where waterfalls of white sand still fell. Suspended in the center of this chasm was a floating palace structure of twisted and bent ivory structures, like a diseased chunk of sea coral. Several different bridges connected the palace to the rest of Las Noches, but otherwise the structure appeared to hang in the air by itself. If one looked upon the walls of the chasm one could see a honeycomb of cave openings and smaller coral structures built along the depths, going down where Grogar knew the chasm connected to the Warrens.
Small dark forms could be seen flitting about between cave entrances, or lounging about the coral structures. Chrysalis did boast quite the sizable horde, and even the losses from the recent battle had done little to reduce just how many ‘children’ comprised the Second Espada’s swarm.
What a fascinating specimen she was. If it wouldn’t result in his destruction Grogar would have loved to have put Chrysalis under a microscope centuries ago. While all Hollows of their level of power developed unique abilities, Chrysalis was an unusual creature. Her regenerative powers were noteworthy, but one could argue Smooze was nearly her equal in that area. Grogar would argue Smooze didn’t regenerate so much as merely shed damaged parts of himself until only his core remained. Where that ‘core’ was now Grogar couldn’t guess. Another noteworthy trait was Chrysalis’ ability to transform her body and even reiatsu signature to appear as another. Grogar had rarely seen other Hollows display such an ability, and it seemed the stronger of Chrysalis’ children, such as Thorax, were allowed to inherit that power of transformation. Then there was Chrysalis’ unique reproductive capabilities to consider.
Any Arrancar female was capable of reproducing, technically, but the fertility rate was so abysmal that it could take a hundred years for even a determined individual in Las Noches to have a child.
Chrysalis could literally create an army from herself, and had unprecedented control over the traits her children inherited.
Such mutability and control over inherited traits could also allow a means of directing the flow of Hollow evolution, hence Grogar’s keen interest in working with Chrysalis. He sought a means to push Hollow’s to a higher stage of evolution, and Chrysalis possessed a means through which such evolution could be directed as she pleased. All that was missing was a catalyst to speed the process up, and allow what would could take thousands of years to occur significantly faster.
Like, for example, the speed at which Adagio had evolved from a mere Aduchas into an Arrancar powerful enough to claim a place among the Espada.
Grogar had thought those girls possessing unusual powers from Equestria were the key worth studying, but as it turned out Adagio had been the real prize. Or rather, the function behind her siren gem and its capacity for absorbing power both magical and spiritual. It wouldn’t be long before he’d perfected a means of duplicating that power.
There was no traditional ‘gate’ or the like into Chrysalis’ palace, just a large archway the bridge led to, guarded by tall, musclebound Arrancar of onyx skin who held dark, reflectionless eyes that watched Grogar pass in utter silence. Drones, given the least mental freedom, but no less deadly for it. It was impossible not to see the physical resemblance to Tirek in their sculpted features and thick muscles. Grogar wondered if Chrysalis preferred them so uniform or if that was just a coincidence? Grogar liked his own servants better, with their own unique deformities that were useful in different circumstances. Too much uniformity only led to stagnation, but he supposed Chrysalis saved the unique traits for more favored children.
“Oh hey, it’s Geezer Grogar!”
Speaking of which... Grogar suppressed a long suffering sigh and set his face in a flat, unfriendly stare as a young Arrancar girl with a small, pink mohawk came bounding up to him as he passed the archway into the palace.
“Hello Ocellus. I’m here to see your mother. She summoned me.” Grogar said, tight jawed.
A coy gleam lit up Ocellus’ eyes as she peered up at Grogar, “That so? You’re way older than her usual type.”
Grogar managed not to roll his eyes, “This is a matter of business. Do you know where she is or not?”
“Yeah, yeah. Man, you’ve got no sense of humor, you know that? It wouldn’t kill you to crack a smile every now and then. Mom’s down below. I’ll show you the way.”
“Unnecessary. I know the path.”
“Maybe you do, but I’m bored, and you can’t touch me otherwise mom’d take your head off and use it as a wine goblet, so looks like you’re stuck with me,” Ocellus said in an entirely too cheerful voice. Grogar briefly debated the value in attempting to argue the point with the exuberant little brat, but he had infinitely better things to do with his time, so he decided it best just to suffer her presence and nodded at her to lead the way.
Ocellus literally started to skip down the hall, Grogar following several paces behind as they moved through the palace’s winding passages. Everything within the interior had a curving, organic look to it, as if the ivory walls had been carved to resemble the interior of some vast beast’s body. The deeper they went, the more the white stone was replaced with smooth, translucent globs of emerald resin, casting a faint green glow across the otherwise dark hallways. Chambers sprouted off at random directions and places, giving the interior a truly labyrinthine feel. The stronger of Chrysalis’ brood made their homes in such chambers, and if the sounds coming from many of them were any indication the majority of Chrysalis’ children shared her sense of decadence and hedonism.
“So what are you and mom scheming about these days?” asked Ocellus, “It’s got something to do with that freaky red gem you had big brother Pharynx using during the Quincy scuffle, doesn’t it?”
Grogar remained silent, leaving Ocellus to either go quiet herself, or continue speculating aloud. She went with the later.
“I don’t know what it did to him, but it sure seemed to hurt him when it went haywire. He’s better now, but for a few days he was pretty out of it. I’m not used to seeing Pharynx like that.”
Almost idly Ocellus drew her kukri shaped Zanpaktou and started spinning it in her hand, “I don’t really appreciate my brothers being used like test hamsters, you know? Makes a dutiful little sister think all kinds of violent thoughts.”
This time Grogar did roll his eyes, “Complain to your mother if you take issue with how she allocates duties to your siblings.”
“Maybe I’d rather blame you?”
He paused, halting in the middle of a three way juncture. Ocellus paused too, her hand still idly spinning her blade with casual ease. Grogar looked at her flatly, his voice equally deadpan.
“Your feelings are irrelevant, child. Your mother’s protection does not extend as far as you think. Attack me if you will, but rest assured that if you do, I have no shortage of experiments that I’d like to perform on an offspring of Chrysalis, and none of them require I administer any anesthesia.”
Truthfully he wasn’t certain how accurate his threat actually was. Chrysalis could be strange about her children. Drones would be sent in droves to be expended for any goal Chrysalis desired with no second thought given, but for the more unique offspring such as Thorax or Ocellus it was a different story. Still, he was an Espada, and was not about to be intimidated by some half-pint girl with brother issues. So while he may have had his doubts, none of that was in his voice, and he saw a unsteady light of fear enter Ocellus’ eyes at his threat.
He did have a reputation, after all, and the girl knew it.
With a stubborn snort she sheathed her Zanpaktou back into the sash around her waist and said, “Yeah, yeah, I get it. You’re scary mad scientist man. I’ll still cut you if you screw with my brothers again.”
“Duly noted. Now either continue walking or find another adult to pester.”
She made a face at him, but resumed leading him through the palace, this time much more silently, which suited Grogar just fine. They reached a large room at the center of the palace which consisted of a huge ring around a vast pit, one that led straight down into the depths of the chasm with a spiraling series of stone platforms. This was the way down into the real home of Chrysalis. The palace was little more than a flashy front, where favored drones and offspring like Ocellus were allowed to live.
Chrysalis herself kept her personal chambers in the depths below.
Grogar started down the stone platforms without a thought, following Ocellus who flitted down the platforms with practiced ease. Given the separation of space between each platform they couldn’t be considered stairs, but for an Arrancar that was hardly an obstacle. Down they went, until shadows swallowed them. Then further down still, until the sides of the chasm showed clear tunnel openings into the Warrens.
It was here that a green glow softly reached upward, revealing at the bottom of the chasm a primal structure of carved resin emanating its sickly emerald light. Its shape was hard to define, like a wasp’s nest that was tortured into the jagged and rough appearance of a pyramid. Its angles were all wrong, however, and it wasn’t easy to look at, as if the eyes tried to slide off the structure.
Even Ocellus didn’t look straight at the pyramid as they landed in front of its yawning entrance. Grogar didn’t hesitate, striding within, with Ocellus following slowly behind.
The inside was hollow, revealing a vast area with multiple raised tiers of stone along the walls, all sharing the bioluminescent glow of the putrid green resin that formed the building. In neatly ordered rows on each tier and upon the ground floor were scores upon scores of pale green eggs. Most had shells so thin and translucent Grogar could see the shadowed shapes of the unborn drones within. The drones were always hatched from these eggs, he knew that much about Chrysalis’ means of reproduction. Stronger and more independent than the ones made straight from her blood, but nowhere near as potent as those like Thorax, these were the mainstay of Chrysalis’ horde. Grogar knew from observations and study that just one coupling was generally enough for Chrysalis to produce around a dozen of these eggs, give or take.
She and Tirek must have been busy this past week or so.
Suspended from multiple thick strands of resin on the ceiling, hanging down from the very center of the pyramid was a huge spherical structure roughly the size of a large house. Its exterior was carved with windows and balconies, including several entryways, so indeed the house comparison was apt. This was Chrysalis’ personal chambers, where she spent most of her time when not engaged in pursuing one scheme or another.
As Grogar and Ocellus approached, a figure emerged onto one of the balconies and hopped down to meet them, striking a graceful bow.
“Always a pleasure to see you get out of the old laboratory and stretch those aging legs of yours,” said Thorax with a smooth, buttery smile, “I trust my sister hasn’t been too much of a bother?”
“I threatened to cut him,” Ocellus said, and Thorax laughed warmly and ruffled her hair.
“So the picture of a perfect young Arrancar. Run along, Ocellus, and go check on Pharynx for me. Bring him something to eat, would you? The big lug has been refusing to practice any sensible self-care.”
Ocellus glanced between Thorax and Grogar, “You’re not coming?”
“No, I’m afraid I and Grogar here both have business to discuss with mother. You’d be bored stiff by it.”
“Okay, fine, I’m going. You all enjoy... whatever it is you’re doing,” Ocellus said and left with clear reluctance.
After she was gone, Grogar eyed Thorax and said, “You shouldn’t encourage her.”
Thorax put a slim hand to his bare chest, blinking his eyes innocently, “Whatever do you mean?”
“Her self-preservation sense is woefully underdeveloped due to your encouraging such behavior. It will get her in trouble, someday.”
“Why Grogar, I didn’t know you cared.”
“I don’t. I merely detest wasted potential, and you seem to make a game of encouraging waste wherever you go.”
Thorax's smile was razor sharp, “Someone has to keep things light hearted around here, otherwise I fear Las Noches would explode in a pyre of repressed angst and fragile egos.”
Grogar just snorted at that and proceeded to leap up to the nearest balcony to Chrysalis’ abode, Thorax only half a step behind him. Entering through an open doorway, Grogar came upon a ludicrously lavish chamber. The ‘furniture’ was formed from sculpted molds of the green resin, taking the shape of smoothly organic seats, tables, and a large bulbous bed, all of it draped in silks and thick pillows.
Chrysalis was across the chamber, where a portion of the wall was carved out to contain rows of books. Grogar was mildly surprised to see Chrysalis with her nose in one of the thick tomes, but upon seeing him and Thorax enter she shelved it with one fluid motion and turned to face them with a knowing smile.
“Prompt as always, Grogar. I’ve always appreciated that you don’t waste my time.”
“It is my time I try not to waste, which happens to mean I don’t waste others much, either. At least not my allies. In that vein, I presume the reason for my being here is to discuss the results of testing the prototype?”
There was a subtle, cold shift in Chrysalis’ smile. Her voice mirrored this, turning an octave lower, “Your ‘toy’ nearly cost me one of my more dear and competent children.”
“I hear Pharynx remains in good health, despite the malfunction of the gem,” Grogar said with an air of calm dismissal. He was not interested in being rattled by Chrysalis any more than by her children. He smoothly walked over and planted himself in one of the luminous, organic chairs dotting the room, eyeing Chrysalis flatly as he did so.
Thorax mirrored his motion, but took a chair opposite him, making the motion somehow look indulgent as he leaned back, one arm thrown over the back of the chair in a lazy pose. “If I hadn’t acted as fast as I had, that device would have exploded right on top of my brother. I don’t call that a mere ‘malfunction’.”
“Thorax dear,” Chrysalis said with a syrupy voice, “Allow Grogar to explain himself.”
Grogar chuckled in a sound like crunching sandpaper and folded his thin arms across his chest, “Explain what? A prototype device had an predictable overload when hit with an unpredictably high surge of energy. Prior to that point the gem was performing exactly as I had intended. Indeed, even the overload was not unexpected. You did command Adagio to slay Squirk, after all. We knew the gem would get hit with a high level of energy. I merely wasn’t certain how much until it happened.”
Thorax’s eyes narrowed, but he kept silent and glanced back at his mother, who in turn walked forward to stand between him and Grogar. Her motions betrayed no hint of whether she was angry with Grogar, or simply toying with him. For all Grogar knew it was both.
“So you knew it would explode like it did?” she asked, and he shrugged.
“I’d calculated a less than thirty percent chance of the possibility. An acceptable range of risk, given the benefits of such a field test. Before you continue to throw hints of displeasure with me, perhaps you’d like to hear what those benefits have been?”
“Do tell. I like to know what benefits come with risks to my children’s well being,” Chrysalis said smoothly, eyes unblinking as a spider’s.
“Risks you accepted before the test, but that’s no matter now. Here,” Grogar reached into the inner pocket of his white vestments and withdrew a freshly made replica of Adagio’s siren gem. The smooth red crystal glittered and reflected the green bioluminescent light around it.
“That field test has allowed me to refine my process and create an even more potent gem that I estimate will be nearly eighty percent more efficient and durable than the previous prototype. The readings i obtained from Pharynx’s test gave me all the data necessary to further adjust its crystalline matrix. Once I finish the newly designed housing device, I believe this new gem will allow an Arrancar using it to absorb even more power, faster and more effectively, from those they kill.”
That had essentially been the point of the field test. Pharynx was Chrysalis’ strongest soldier, and he’d killed plenty of Quincy during the battle. Each kill had allowed the gem to absorb just a little more power from the reiatsu of the slain, although Quincy souls were always rather mysteriously absent after ‘death’. Furthermore, Grogar had linked the prototype device to Adagio, using the same link that allowed him to remote view her senses. That meant that when Adagio had killed Squirk, the surge of power that she’d absorbed from the former Ninth Espada had also reached through the link and into the device connected to Pharynx. Hence the overload.
Chrysalis listened to his words with only the barest of nods, “And I suppose you’d like assistance with testing this new prototype as well?”
“Ideally. I’m confident of my projections for the new gems capabilities, but testing is always preferred to ensure the projections match the actual data. As powerful as these gems are, they still aren’t capable of obtaining our true goal. Not yet.”
“I don’t suppose either of you wish to clue me in on what that goal is?” asked Thorax, earning a sharp look from Chrysalis. He flinched, but held her gaze, “I only ask because ultimately, mother, you know I’m the only one you can trust to continue the needed masquerade of your presence here, when you inevitably head out back to Equestria. I assume that since we haven’t torn apart and devoured Grogar here that we’re giving him another chance to impress us with these toy gems of his. That means you need me to oversee the next ‘test’, yes? So perhaps it might be best that I understand why we need these gems in the first place?”
Chrysalis’ laugh was laced with an unpleasantly thorny quality, “My dear Thorax, I do so love to see that you’ve grown confident enough to demand things of me. You know what you need to know, nothing more.”
“...As you wish, mother.”
“Good. Now, as for testing this new gem, I don’t suppose Pharynx is in any condition for such a task,” Chrysalis said, tapping her chin in thought, “I’ll not risk Thorax either. His skills are needed here.”
“You’re departing back to play with that Soul Reaper child in the land of magic?” Grogar asked.
“Starlight Glimmer is no mere distraction. Her plans coincide with our own, and quite frankly I find Equestria a delightfully enticing target, even if dear little Starlight is determined to keep me on a tight leash over there.”
“You should take Ocellus,” said Thorax, “I think she’d rather enjoy seeing that realm, and I doubt your Soul Reaper friend could object to just one extra Hollow tagging along with you as a ‘handmaiden’ or some such excuse.”
“Hmm... that’s not an unpalatable idea,” Chrysalis said musingly, “Yes, I think Ocellus might have fun over there. Besides, that boy of Platinum's could use a playmate.”
Grogar cleared his throat rather loudly, and Chrysalis regarded him sidelong, “Oh don’t be a curmudgeon.”
“I’m not. I would prefer we focus on more immediate matters than you playing around in the land of ponies. If Pharynx and Thorax will not be testing my gem, then who will?”
Chrysalis’ smile thinned out to a keen edge, her voice dead serious.
“Why... you will.”
----------
“You’re worried about her.”
The words were phrased in such a way that Sunset knew they were more statement than question, but Clover still left enough of a questioning tone in her voice that it was a clear invitation to talk, if Sunset wanted to. She and Clover were at her apartment, Clover sitting in the kitchen by the door to Sunset’s room while Sunset herself was over in the adjoining living area, sprawled out on the couch in her soul body. Chappy was off for a night on the town. In order to keep the energetic Mod Soul under some level of control Sunset had agreed to let her use Sunset’s body once a week, under the strict understanding that if there was even a hint of shenanigans like before that Chappy was going to enjoy a new career as a permanent paperweight sitting on Sunset’s desk. So far Chappy had been well behaved, but Sunset still felt a nervous itch every time she let Chappy take her body out like this. Still, no reason to hold onto her body either when she was going to Discord’s to train. There was still a little time before they’d be due at Discord’s for that evening’s training session, and after a late lunch with Twilight, Sunset had decided to return to apartment to unwind and sort some things out in her head.
Clover had already been there, waiting for her, clearly anxious to hear how Twilight was. Sunset hadn’t even been sure how to respond to Clover’s queries. Partially because she wasn’t sure how much Twilight really wanted her to say to Clover, and partially because she wasn’t sure herself just how ‘okay’ Twilight professed to be.
“I guess I am,” Sunset said, shifting on the couch so she could face Clover better, “It’s hard to put my finger on. She went through a lot, obviously. Battles where she saw people die, you know?”
Clover nodded slowly, her features not unsympathetic, “That’s hard on anyone, especially for the first time. Twilight hadn’t even the benefit of being used to fighting Hollows like you and the other girls were getting. She’s had to deal with a lot in a short span of time. It’d be more worrying if she seemed totally fine.”
“But that’s just it, she’s trying so hard to act like everything’s okay, and it clearly isn’t,” Sunset said, frustration heating her voice as she sat up on the couch, throwing a hand out, “Like at lunch today, we were at the sushi place I used to work at, and Twilight was sitting there and we were eating and chatting, practically like normal. Then a mother and couple of kids come in the front door, all laughing and normal everyday smiles, and I swear Twilight gets this look like she’s just been stabbed in the gut. Of course we all ask her what’s wrong, but she just blinks, shakes her head like she’s in a daze, and just brushes off the question. Changes the subject like nothing happened.”
“What do you think might be the cause?” asked Clover, eyes thoughtful, “I admit I haven’t known her very long, so I don’t really know for sure what might count as ‘normal’ for her. This could just be`a case of fairly regular post-battle trauma. It’s not uncommon among young Soul Reapers, still fresh out of the Academy. But it sounds to me like you’re saying you think this is something deeper, and more specifically wrong?”
Sunset threw her hands up in a helpless gesture, leaning back on the couch and letting out a rough sigh of consternation, “I can’t say for sure, but that's the thing...I guess you could say I just feel like she’s hurting. Way worse than she’s letting on. More than what would make sense, even for having gone through the fights she has. It bothers me. Before I met you, Twilight was my newest friend, and dammit I wanted to make her feel as accepted as possible here. Now I feel like there’s this huge distance between us, keeping me from helping her with whatever it is that’s hurting her. It’s driving me nuts.”
“I can see that,” Clover said, propping her elbows on the kitchen table and plopping her chin there as she took on a look of deep thought, “What were the Elements your friends had, again?”
“Huh?”
“The Elements. You know, the Harmony ones that derive from the magic of your homeworld?”
“Oh, uh, well there’s Loyalty, which is Rainbow Dash’s thing. Honesty is AJ. Pinkie’s got Laughter, obviously. Fluttershy, Kindness. Then Rarity’s got Generosity. Which leaves Magic as Princess Twilight’s, and maybe it might be tied to this world’s Twilight as well. I haven’t been able to conduct any tests on that front. Why do you ask?”
“Well I was just wondering,” Clover said while eyeing Sunset curiously, “What’s your Element?”
The question caught Sunset off guard, her own eyes just staring back dumbly at Clover for a second. Then she smiled with a light chuckle, “I don’t have one. I mean, it's clear the other girls are tied to them, but I’m not.”
“But you’ve been at the center of several instances of that Harmony magic, haven’t you? I know I wasn’t there, but I’ve read the reports from Captain Celestia. You literally turned into a glowing, angelic being of magic when you faced Twilight’s own uncontrolled magical form. How could you do that and not be tied to one of those Elements? Or tied to an Element you don’t know about?”
“Look, Clover, you’re reading way too much into what happened, okay?” Sunset said, getting oddly nervous. She wasn’t sure why, but talking about this left her feeling embarrassed and on edge. Maybe because somewhere, deep down, she’d been asking herself the same question, but had no way to find an answer. “I was just a... a channel for the power of my friends. That’s all. And there’s only the six Elements of Harmony. If there was a seventh, it’d have been found long before I came along. Besides, what would I be, the Element of Pride? Doesn’t sound quite right.”
“I was thinking more the Element of Unity, personally. You’ve got this talent for bringing people together. Speculation aside, the reason I ask is because it occurred to me that these Elements are all about ‘Harmony’ from what I understand, and if someone in your circle of friends is in a state of ‘disharmony’ wouldn’t that weaken all of you? Maybe that’s why you’re feeling so out of sorts about Twilight?”
“I think that’s looking for too complicated an explanation where a simpler answer is that I’m just worried about my friend,” Sunset said, shaking her head. It was a nice thought to think she had a deeper connection to the Elements that was cluing her in to some sort of issue with Twilight, but far more likely it was just that Sunset was just concerned, and possibly letting those concerns run wild without need. Yes it was clear something was eating at Twilight, but it didn’t have to be anything more complicated than just dealing with the fallout of experiencing a bloody battle.
“I imagine you’re right,” said Clover, but she still didn’t look convinced, and her eyes had a fascinated gleam in them, “I’m probably overthinking it, but then again I don’t really know that much about how the magic from your world works, Sunset. I was thinking that since we’re spending so much time training Kido together, maybe you’d teach me a bit about Equestrian magic?”
Sunset wasn’t opposed to the notion. It was true that she and Clover had been spending more time together, mutually working on refining their skill in the Soul Reaper art of Kido. Their skill levels were pretty far apart, still, with Clover being both talented with Kido and having a lot more experience with it than Sunset had, but Sunset’s drive to improve alongside the grueling training schedule she’d given herself was certainly help close that gap. On top of that, Clover was a patient and helpful instructor. It was easy to see why she’d spent so much time subbing for instructors at the Soul Reaper Academy. Seemed fair to repay the favor by sharing what knowledge Sunset could on Equestrian magic.
“I’d be happy to, although since you’re not a unicorn the best I can do is just explain magical theory and lore,” Sunset said, and Clover just smiled with an enthusiastic nod.
“That’s fine, I’m curious to learn what I can, even if its just the theories if not the practice. Besides, hasn’t it occurred to you that if I come with you and the girls to go after Starlight Glimmer in Equestria, I might end up as a unicorn while I’m over there? Might be handy to already have a foundation of spell knowledge if I end up with the appropriate anatomy to use it.”
That... was an exceedingly good point, and suddenly Sunset found herself imagining what Clover might look like as a unicorn. It was a surprisingly cute mental image, and Sunset found herself laughing, much to Clover’s chagrin.
“Hey, what’s so funny? I think I’d make an elegant looking unicorn.”
“I’m sure you would, I was just laughing because I remember how embarrassed you got over me changing my clothes. You do realize as a unicorn you’d probably be walking around naked most the time?”
With a startled look Clover quickly said, “I-I’d still have my Soul Reaper robes, wouldn’t i?”
“Which probably wouldn’t cover your rear.”
“How did this conversation turn towards that!?”
Sunset, stifling her chuckles, just held up a placating hand, “However it did, I needed the laugh. I’m so wound up over Twilight that I think I just needed a random change of subject to let the tension out.”
“Well, always glad to help a friend, although now I’m not so sure I’m eager to go to Equestria if it means I’m stuck showing my butt off to everyone I pass by,” Clover muttered, “How do you ponies deal with that?”
“What can I say? Our cultural norms are different. I’ve come to accept the benefits of pants, but just an FYI warning, when summer hits in full I’m probably going to have a much looser dress code in my own apartment, so knock before coming in unless you want an eyeful,” Sunset warned, and Clover reddened.
“Consider me warned. You know we probably should get going soon, if we’re going to get to Discord’s on time. I’d hate to actually make someone of Puddinghead’s prestige wait on me, especially since he’s doing me such a favor by coming out to the living world to teach me.”
“Fair enough, let’s get going then,” Sunset said, hopping off the couch and stretching, “I’m curious to see what your world’s Puddinghead is like.”
“I’m not sure why you’re so curious. Is he different according to Equestrian history?” Clover asked with wide-eyed honesty as she joined Sunset in heading out the front doors of the apartment and into a pleasantly warm spring evening.
“Eh... let’s just say that he’s considered to be somepony with a... unique personality, as far as Equestria’s history goes,” Sunset said, not wanting to pop Clover’s mental image of this supposed Kido ‘genius’. It was entirely possible Puddinghead was some kind of incredible Kido master in this world. Far be it for Sunset to pre-judge until she met the man herself.
As they hit the sidewalk and started to make their way to Discord’s shop, Sunset did found she felt a little better, having talked with Clover. She knew her other friends all shared similar worries about Twilight, but it was somehow a bit easier talking with Clover about it, possibly because Clover was a new enough addition to their group that Sunset felt like she could provide a fresher perspective on things. Besides, Sunset also felt a bit guilty that Clover was being kept out of the loop concerning why Twilight was here. Until Sunset had a chance to talk to Celestia directly she didn’t want to put Clover on the spot by talking about the situation with this Ember person. It wasn’t that Sunset wanted to keep it a secret, it would just put Clover in a tough spot if she knew about things and was asked to keep it a secret from her superiors too, at least until Sunset could explain things to Celestia.
Assuming she should do that. Should she do that? There was a kernel of doubt inside her on that front. She wanted to trust Celestia, to believe that the Soul Reaper Captain was someone who was firmly on the right side of things and was reasonable enough that she would at least hear Sunset out. After all, it made sense to see Ember freed, didn’t it?
Unless what if they really did need to experiment on an Arrancar to reopen the portal to Equestria? What if that turned out to be the only way to get there and stop Starlight?
Could Sunset afford to put all of Equestria at risk for the sake of one Hollow?
She had to clear her head and really think things through. There could be alternatives she hadn’t considered yet. On top of that her friends might also have ideas of their own. She needed to talk to them, and also get Celestia’s take on things. It was too soon to panic yet over a choice she might not have to make.
----------
When most people thought of forests the image was often of a relatively defined and limited area where trees grew freely and there might be some local wildlife. It wasn’t possible to really appreciate the shear size of some forests until one experienced them for oneself, and realized just how many countless square miles of untamed wilderness is actually still left in some parts of even the developed world.
The Everfree Forest was such a place. Mile upon mile of untouched, dense forest carpeted the landscape around Canterlot City, surrounding the mountain chain that spread both north and east of the city. Getting lost in that forest would be exceedingly easy for a normal person who wasn’t prepared, which was why ranger stations were situated with fair regularity around the forest’s borders and at key points within its interior. There were several locations specifically owned by private groups or families, leading to the occasional dirt road that spread through the extensive forest, leading to small cabins or the like.
The largest collection of buildings sitting upon the sea of wilderness was Camp Everfree, and the only real road leading into the Everfree Forest lead straight to the pristine campsite situated upon the shore of a sparkling clear lake.
Gloriosa had fallen in love with the camp, even as a kid, and hadn’t thought twice about taking over running the camp from her parents after they passed. Few things mattered to her more than preserving this wonderful place, and the idea of losing it was a thorn in her mind, ever pressing inward.
“Are you sure about what you saw, sis?” Timber Spruce asked. They were both standing on the end of the dock leading out into the lake, Gloriosa staring across the waters towards the opposite bank where she’d encountered the strangers who’d come out of the portal.
“Yes, Timber, I’m sure,” she said, eyebrow twitching in slight irritation, “Whoever they are, they’re connected to those... those monsters I’ve been seeing. Something is happening, and I mean to make sure it doesn’t affect the camp. We’re going to have a lot of guests soon, and I can’t afford anything to go wrong.”
Her brother gave her a pensive look, scratching the back of his head of twin shaded, pine green hair. He was younger than her by a few years, but tall and athletic, with skin somewhere between orange and tan. Few people knew the Everfree Forest as well as Gloriosa did, but she had to admit that her brother wasn’t far behind her, and if anyone could help her find problems in the forest, it was him. Really she didn’t have anyone else in her life she trusted. Or interacted much with, for that matter.
“Sis, I’m trying to see things from your point of view here, and I know you’re serious about what you’ve been seeing, but have you considered... talking to someone about the things you’ve been seeing?” Timber Spruce said in a halting and delicate tone. Gloriosa shot a sidelong look at him.
“I’m not crazy, Timber.”
“I know that, I’m not talking about a shrink. I’ve seen what those gems can do, so I know something way beyond normal is happening to you, but it is real. But there’s got to be someone who knows something about all of this! Somebody you can get help from.”
Gloriosa put her hands on her hips and faced her brother, “Who, Timber? Who’d know anything about this? It’s not as if I can just go the police. Or try looking things up at the library.”
With a frustrated sigh her brother put a hand to his head and looked away from her. Gloriosa felt a stab of guilt for her short tone with him. Her brother really was just worrying about her, and the camp. But it was frustrating that she could see the masked monsters and black robed people, but he couldn’t. It was even more frustrating that she didn’t understand what was happening around her camp, or where these mystical gems had come from.
“All I’m saying sis is that there has to be an explanation for what’s happening, and that until we figure that out maybe we, uh... shouldn’t have a bunch of high school kids coming out here?”
Her eyes flashed with stubborn light as she said firmly, “You know we can’t afford to turn away paying guests, Timber. The school’s already given me a deposit.”
“But if you think things are going to be dangerous-”
“We’re not turning the school down, and that’s final,” she said, and had the presence of mind to wince a bit at his hurt look. She quickly softened her tone and put a hand on his shoulder, “It’ll be okay, Timber. Trust me, I got this. I just need your help to keep things... normal around here, okay? The students will be here next weekend, and I want to make sure their time at Camp Everfree is as fun and memorable as possible. Whatever those strange creatures and people are doing out in our forest, I’ll make sure it doesn’t touch the camp. You focus on just being the best camp counselor you can be. I can’t count on you to do that, right?”
He still looked worried, but he did offer her a brief smile, “Of course you can. I’m serious, though, we should at least try to find out if something like this has happened before. You don’t mind if I do a bit of checking on my own, do you?”
“I suppose it can’t hurt, but what do you plan to do?”
“I’ll go into the city, maybe check the city archives. Has to be a record of it, if anything like this has happened before,” he paused, looking hesitant before adding, “Have you thought maybe this is connected to... you know... the legend?”
Gloriosa's eyebrow shot up, “You mean Gaia Everfree.”
“Yeah,” Timber said, clearly embarrassed, “I mean, you listened to those old stories as much as I did growing up, so you can’t tell me there isn’t at least a little similarity. She was a forest spirit with crazy nature powers, right? Those gems give you power over plants. Gaia was described as a pale being with black and yellow eyes and a barely human appearance. Isn’t that kinda similar to these masked creatures you’ve been seeing? Or at least a bit like those people you saw earlier today?”
She couldn’t discount what Timber was saying, not entirely. The legend of Gaia Everfree was such an old story, and one she’d heard about so much from her grandparents and parents, that Gloriosa had all but forgotten it. Yet Timber was correct that the gems did give her a connection to nature that was eerily similar to what the supposed forest spirit possessed. She also could see what he meant concerning the tales of Gaia Everfree’s appearance. She was usually described as something more primordial than person, with only a vague human appearance, a pale face with black pits for eyes, containing only small yellow pinpricks for pupils.
If one imagined the pale face as a pale mask instead, the similarity to the masked creatures she’d been seeing was almost spot on.
Rubbing her chin thoughtfully, she said, “Okay, go to the city and see what you can learn, just make sure you’re back before it gets dark. Those monsters seem to mostly come out at night.”
“Mostly,” he said, affecting a child-like, feminine tone, and she elbowed him with a smirk.
“Ha ha. Now get going, and keep your cell phone on you, in case anything happens.”
“Fine, fine. What will you be doing while I’m gone?”
Gloriosa’s eyes glanced back across the lake towards the opposite shore, narrowing dangerously, “Planting a few seeds...”
----------
A sense of surreal disconnect marked Adagio’s return to Canterlot City. She passed the streets filled with evening crowds of people enjoying the warm weather as they went about their daily business, and couldn’t have felt more apart from the scenery around her. Which was just as well that these humans couldn’t see or sense her. She really didn’t belong here anymore, assuming she ever did.
I’d always wanted to escape this world. In a way, I suppose I have.
She wasn’t moving too openly, and instead was using side alleys and crossing through buildings when she needed to. Being able to phase through solid mater in the living world was a handy trait, and one that Adagio found came as naturally as most of her Hollow abilities. She was making it a point to keep out of sight in case there were any Soul Reapers nearby. Adagio was making use of her Pesquisa to continuously sense around for any errant spiritual pressures, while also forcing her own reiatsu to as low a level as she could manage.
She knew it was risky coming into the city, but she needed to get the lay of the land, and didn’t want to leave this task to any of her subordinates, or Roka for that matter. Di Roy and Gaw would almost certainly get into trouble on their own, and Roka wasn’t familiar with the city at all. Best to let those three hold down the fort at the cave in the Everfree Forest they found. Di Roy and Gaw could check the forest to make sure the area around that Camp Everfree place was clear. That would keep them busy and out of trouble until Adagio returned.
She had a vague notion of where Sunset Shimmer lived, but the apartment looked empty when Adagio went by. That probably meant she was at Discord’s shop. Adagio considered checking out the high school, but that was too risky. No doubt there’d be a concentration of Soul Reapers there, watching the portal if nothing else. On top of that the last thing Adagio needed right now was to run into Celestia or her damn sister.
It was only a matter of time before Gilda would likely make a move, and Adagio would have to follow suit. She wanted as much information on the situation in town as possible before then.
So far her exploration had revealed that there was an unusual amount of stray Hollows of the lesser variety that kept cropping up around the city. Even as she moved between buildings in the downtown area she spotted at least half a dozen such strays, and had to duck into a small mini-mart to avoid being spotted as a familiar cloaked figure leaped from rooftop to rooftop, dispatching the strays with relative ease using an oblong cannon.
The regular human populace didn’t notice a thing, of course, and Screwloose went about her patrol, none the wiser that Adagio had been present and watching.
Hm, there’s one of Discord’s flunkies. The other one is probably out patrolling as well. I’d better be careful, otherwise-
“What’cha doing hiding behind the ice cream freezer, Adagio?”
“What the-!?” Adagio nearly swung her trident in a full arc before holding it just a scant centimeter from Screwball’s grinning face. The young, short pink girl with swirly eyes and even swirlier hair just ignored the trident that nearly took her head off and looked Adagio up and down without breaking her smile.
“Wowie, you’ve changed a lot. Or is it that you haven’t changed at all? You look the same, only more scantily dressed, and with a hole in your chest. Oh, right, Hollow. I heard about that. So sad. So what’re you doing sneaking around? Afraid the Soul Reapers’ll get you?”
Adagio didn’t immediately answer, focusing her Pesqusia upon Screwball with a deep frown. She just barely sensed the girl’s reiatsu, so heavily suppressed and cloaked it was a wonder she could sense even that much. Had the girl always been this good at keeping herself hidden? Then again, the last time Adagio was around either of Discord’s servants she hadn’t been in much of a position to know.
Taking a calming breath and composing herself, Adagio withdrew her trident and said, “As a matter of fact, yes, I’d rather avoid dealing with any Soul Reaper entanglements. I was on my way to your master’s shop and was trying to do so quietly, without raising any alarm. How did you spot me?”
“Oh don’t be silly, spotting things is what I do best. I always like to watch Screwloose’s back when she’s patrolling. Even with her out here busting Hollows, there’s always more of them. Weird, huh? You know anything about that?”
As a matter of fact, Adagio did. One of the perks of being an Espada meant she was in on most of Tirek’s strategic planning sessions. The increased Hollow activity wasn’t random. The lesser Hollows were being herded towards the world of the living, pushed out into numerous population centers, including Canterlot City. Tirek was trying to increase the pressure on both the Soul Reapers and Quincy in preparation for a larger move, although he hadn’t explained what that move would be.
Still, given he’d sent Adagio and Gilda to test Canterlot City’s defenses, among other things, she had her suspicions.
Her expression revealed none of her thoughts as she said in a flat tone, “If I do, its not something I’d be telling you. I do need to talk to your master, however, so perhaps you’d be willing to take me there? I was planning to just knock on his ward, but if you let me in that would make things easier.”
“Hmm,” Screwball tapped her chin, spinning around in place like a bored child, “It’s usually more fun to follow Screwloose as she blows things up. But there’s some neat people back at the shop too, so sure, I can take you there and watch the show unfold.”
“Wait, what people?” Adagio asked.
“Oh, you know, Soul Reapers. They’re usually so boring, but one of them is a real funny guy who really knows how to make things explode. I bet you’d like him. C’mon, let’s go.”
“On second thought, I can wait until Discord doesn’t have guests around...” Adagio sighed. Great, Soul Reapers visiting Discord. She could wait until they left, she supposed, but who knew how long that would take? She had quite a few questions for Discord, but they could wait for another time, she supposed. She eyed Screwball carefully. Could she trust this kid not to go blabbing about meeting her?
Briefly Adagio considered the possibility of silencing Screwball swiftly and decisively. One quick thrust of the trident, right through the heart, should be simple enough.
On the other hand, she did still need to stay on Discord’s good side, and indiscriminate murder was more her fellow Espada’s ballpark than her own. It wasn’t like Adagio cared if Screwball told Discord about her presence, just as long as it wasn’t brought up to any of the actual Soul Reapers still serving Soul Society.
Screwball was either far more perceptive than she looked, or could literally read minds, because the girl gave Adagio a devilish little smile and giggled, “Oh, you were thinking some rather nasty thoughts just now weren’t you? Don’t worry, I’m no tattle-tale.”
“I appreciate it. It’s fine if you let Discord know, but don’t tell anyone else.”
Screwball put a finger to her lips, “It’s fun keeping secrets. Discord does it all the time.”
I’ll just bet he does, Adagio thought, but kept it to herself and let Screwball skip on out of the store to continue following Screwloose on the woman’s patrol.
With that bit of distraction out of the way Adagio considered her next move. It was lucky she’d met Screwball, considering without it she’d have blundered right up to Discord’s shop and revealed herself to the Soul Reapers there. She could try back tomorrow. In the meantime her only other objective was to get in touch with Twilight and let her know that Adagio had arrived early, and that there was going to be a wrench tossed into their plans in the form of Gilda’s imminent arrival, plus the task Adagio herself had been given by Tirek.
Adagio dared not approach Twilight’s manor as it was likely well monitored and guarded by Quincy forces, but in case of an emergency Twilight had provided Adagio a means to contact her the last time they met for an information exchange. Slipping through the wall at the back of the mini-mart, Adagio stood in a darkened alley and pulled out a small device that had been slipped into the sash around her waist. It looked like a small, white plastic earbud that Adagio easily slipped into her right ear, pressing the small button on it. The communication device was built by Twilight, and designed to send an encoded signal to a similar device Twilight owned. It only had a short range, so it was only useful for situations where they were both in the same general area, such as the city, but more importantly it would be very difficult for anyone to pick up or trace its signal, allowing Adagio and Twilight to communicate without risk.
It took a minute for Twilight to respond, and when she did she sounded a tad breathless, “Adagio?”
“Who else would it be?” Adagio said with a snort, “Why do you sound out of breath?”
“Sorry, was working on an experiment when you called. Kind of draining to be doing multiple teleports in a row.”
“Are you clear to talk?”
“I am now. If you’re using the communicator, you must be in the city now. You were supposed to wait until I contacted you after confirming Ember’s location.”
“Plans have changed,” Adagio said, “Tirek seems to think his two shiny new Espada need further tests to prove our competence, so he’s sent me and Gilda here to probe the city’s defenses. We’re expected to get exact numbers on the Soul Reaper and Quincy presence.”
“That doesn’t sound too difficult, actually. As long as you maintain a low profile and just observe-”
“This is Gilda we’re talking about, Twilight. You fought her. Did she strike as as the ‘low profile’ type?”
Twilight made a ‘hmm’ noise over the line, “That’s an unfortunately good point. But she’s only the Tenth Espada now, and I’ve already beaten her once before. How much damage can she do?”
“Depends on how many Arrancar warriors Guto’s lent her to cause trouble with,” replied Adagio tersely, her voice deadly serious, “Also don’t underestimate Gilda just because you lucked out once in a fight with her. You had help, and she hadn’t used her Resseurccion. She’s not a lightweight.”
“I know that, but still, if she attacks she’s going to be facing at least one Soul Reaper Captain, that being Celestia, and from what I’ve heard there may be another Soul Reaper bigwig in town. On top of that, I’m not the only Sternritter here. Sombra sent Soarin’ to back me up in case I needed it.”
“Which might not help us as much as you think, when you consider that if you and this Soarin’ fellow decide to engage Gilda, there’s no telling if the Soul Reapers will attack you as well. Furthermore we can’t afford for you to get entangled fighting Gilda when what we need to do is find Ember and get her out from under the Soul Reaper’s noses. Going to be hard to do that if you’re busy fighting Gilda. Worse, it's going to look suspicious for me if Gilda makes a move and I don’t lift a finger to help her. Questions might be asked about what I was doing while she’s getting thrashed.”
A series of more grumbles and assorted ‘thinking’ noises emanated from Twilight’s end of the line, with her finally saying, “How long do we have before you think Gilda will do something stupid?”
“Depends on whether or not anyone with her has half a brain and can talk Gilda into trying to be stealthy, first. Even then, I’d say we have a week, at most. Way less if we’re unlucky. The only thing working in our favor is that Tirek didn’t give us a strict time frame to do this, so Gilda probably needs to puff up her courage before making a move.”
“Time’s short, either way,” Twilight said, “As soon as I can confirm where Ember is, we’ll need to act. Sunset and the girls have agreed to help.”
Adagio’s face gained a rough grimace, “I’m sure they have. Did you explain to them how much more complicated that could make things?”
“I did. You want to guess how they responded?”
“Love and friendship saves the day, right? Ugh, there’s no talking sense to that group. We’ll just have to plan around them. Suppose I ought to talk to Sunset...”
“You sound like you don’t want to,” Twilight pointed out, not really asking a question, but leaving her statement open for Adagio to elaborate. Adagio didn’t really feel like doing that. A part of her wanted to meet Sunset Shimmer again, if only to smugly show off how much stronger Adagio had become after saving those girls and her sisters from Grogar. At the same time she was uneasy about meeting Sunset, because before everything had happened with Grogar, Sunset had been reaching out to Adagio, trying to form something vaguely resembling a friendship. Adagio wasn’t sure she needed that conversation starting up again.
She had some mixed up, tangled feelings concerning Sunset Shimmer. It could prove distracting. But if Sunset and those other girls were determined to stick their noses into this business with Ember, it was inevitable that they’d have to meet up. Maybe it’d be better just to get that conversation over with, rather than wait for it to crop up at an awkward moment.
“I’ll get around to it. For now just find Ember. We’ll work out the rest after that.”
----------
The school had emptied of loud, rambunctious teenagers hours ago, and even late club and sports activities had long since ended for the day. Still, Celestia felt the need to do a thorough sweep of the school to make sure there were no stragglers around before she returned to her office. Once there, she went to her desk and sat down, casually reaching over to the bottom right drawer, where hidden underneath several stacks of disused old paperwork would be her trove of ‘exotic’ manga.
“Am I interrupting?”
Celestia didn’t jump, but she did close her eyes and let out a long sigh before turning around with a bright smile, not at all tinged with a hint of razor sharp consternation.
“Lulu! What an expected surprise! You’re not interrupting anything at all. I was just about to get some paperwork done.”
Luna finished stepping out of the shadow that had been clinging to one of the room’s corners and smirked at her sister. “Paperwork? Is that the euphemism you prefer?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m a respectable school principal who is dutiful in her work and certainly doesn’t take breaks at the end of her day to enjoy any light reading of questionable erotica. Anything you’ve heard to the contrary is lies and slander.”
The two looked at each other seriously for a moment, but only for a moment before both broke out into a short fit of laughter. Celestia stood and went over to embrace her sister, hugging Luna warmly. “It’s good to see you made it back safely, Luna.”
“Hueco Mundo holds few surprises for me anymore, sister.”
“Still, I read the reports. The fighting there was intense, even by the standards we’re used to. Its fortunate you weren’t caught. Really, Luna, sneaking into Las Noches was incredibly risky.”
Luna shrugged, breaking the embrace and going over to lean one hip against Celestia’s desk, “A calculated and necessary risk. We needed a test subject for Starswirl’s work. I acquired one.” A small, sardonic and bitter smile touched her lips as she raised a hand and traced a finger along the new scar she wore over one eye now. “Not the target I was originally after, but better than nothing. I also ran into a familiar face.”
Celestia frowned at the scar. She knew her sister wouldn’t have it on any gigai she wore, so the students would’t have anything to question. For the moment ‘Vice Principal’ Luna was on vacation anyway.
“I’m surprised you’ve kept the scar. It’d be easy to remove.”
“Oh no, I intend to keep this as a reminder for the time being. At least until I face the one who gave it to me again.”
“Do you really hold a grudge against Adagio Dazzle for trying to protect her comrade?”
Luna shook her head, “Not at all. This isn’t a grudge, Tia. It’s simply that I know Adagio Dazzle will be coming for the girl we took, and I intend to respect her as a warrior. I won’t remove the scar she gave me until we settle our match properly. It’s as simple as that.”
“Are you so sure she’ll be coming?” asked Celestia, taking her seat at the desk once more. “Without even knowing where her comrade was taken?”
Luna gave off a dismissive huff, “Adagio is no fool. It takes no great mind to guess she might come here, seeking that very information if nothing else. I’d be shocked if she wasn’t already in or near the city.”
Celestia couldn’t think of anything that would gainsay Luna’s speculation, and she fond herself rubbing her chin in thought. “Is that why you came back?”
“Captain Commander Scorpan agrees with my assessment and allowed me to be temporarily stationed here once more, at least until the experiments get off the ground,” Luna said, “Starswirl came through the Senkaimon with me, and is waiting for you with the prisoner.”
Celestia stood up quickly, “Then we don’t have time to waste. We need to finish moving the research site tonight.”
“Have you told the girls yet?” Luna asked pointedly.
“I was going to tomorrow morning, after we’d finished arranging everything,” Celestia replied quietly, “If I’m being honest with you, Luna, I’m not sure how well they’ll react.”
“Why would they have a problem with it? They want the portal to Equestria opened as much as we do.”
Celestia offered a kind if somewhat saddened smile to her sister, “You forget, they don’t have the long history we do with the Hollows. When they look at the prisoner they’re not going to see a twisted, wayward soul like we’ve been trained to our whole lives. They’ll see a girl, just like themselves. Do you honestly believe, knowing those girls like we do, that they won’t have objections?”
Luna’s eyes grew thoughtful, but also hard, “Hmm, you may be right, but I don’t see any other way for us to proceed with finding a way through the portal. Sometimes unpleasant things are necessary to achieve a greater good, and perhaps it's time those girls learned that particular lesson.”
“Maybe...” Celestia said, but in her mind and heart she didn’t believe it was going to be quite so simple.
----------
Tingling across her senses, Twilight wove the magic through the Hexenfaust, following the gentle (and sometimes not so gentle) nudges from Midnight in her mind that showed her the correct ways to interweave the magical forces coursing through her. There was a growing strain and pain within her as well, like a rubber band being stretched tight. She’d been at this for several hours after returning to the manor after her get together with her friends, and Twilight wasn’t certain if it was the strain of continuous magic use or just her disquiet mind that was causing her so much trouble.
“Readings are steady but I’m getting a lot of fluctuation within the reishi particles in your vicinity, Twilight,” said Sunny Flare. She was standing at a small fold-out table situated out in the field behind Twilight’s family manor, a computer set up on it that was in turn hooked up to a set of large, dish-shaped devices that Twilight had constructed to provide readings for this particular test.
Nearby the other girls were watching the experiment, all of them standing a good distance away for safety reasons. Well, most of them were standing. Indigo Zap was sitting in a wheelchair, her two prosthetic plastic and metal legs not up to the challenge of regular movement yet. The stray thought only made it harder for Twilight to focus, and Midnight spoke harshly in her mind.
If you can’t get it out of your head, then we might as well stop now. Your magic is tied to your emotions, and if your emotions are jumping all over the place then the spell won’t come together.
Twilight’s face hardened into an iron cast and she forcibly pushed down her guilt, instead letting the magic and her desire to make it work surge upwards, gripping onto the flame of anger ot help fuel her focus, and Midnight’s voice changed to an approving coo.
Better. Its easy when you’re fresh and rested, but it gets harder when you’ve been doing this for hours. The more magic you use, the more emotional investment is demanded to keep it focused and controlled.
“Readings are growing steady. You alright out there, Twilight?” asked Sunny Flare.
“I’m fine! Keep an eye on the readings and pay particular attention to the distribution of reishi when I teleport. I’m going to commence the firing test. Sugarcoat, are the target scanners ready?”
“They are. Fire away, Twilight,” said Sugarcoat, holding a portable version of the larger dish shaped scanners, aiming it at a series of targets set up about fifty yards away.
Twilight nodded firmly and lifted her bow, channeling magic and reishi through it to form a blazing teal arrow. She let the arrow lose, and at the same moment focused upon weaving the magic of the spell around the arrow. There was a static flash and sizzling pop of violet colored magic, and the arrow teleported. It appeared above one of the targets, losing none of its momentum as its trajectory was instantly altered and it slammed down onto one of the targets. The pain increased in Twilight’s head as she strained to continue weaving the spell energy flowing through her, firing more arrows.
Several more flashes of eldritch light filled the field, darkened with late evening, and one by one half a dozen arrows were teleported to different locations, smashing apart circular targets in small explosion of teal flame.
Sweat running down her face, Twilight gasped and leaned down, hands on her knees.
“How... how are the readings?
Sugarcoat checked her scanner, face unreadable behind her visor, “We’re sitting around forty eight percent stability between the reishi particles and the magic particles. Seems like we can’t push it much higher than fifty percent or so, even when you’re fresh.”
“The way the two energy signatures are interacting here suggests to me that we’re dealing with some kind of friction between the two,” Sunny Flare put in, hands flying over the keyboard on her computer, “I mean, there’s a lot of waste energy flaring off of each spell you cast. Not sure what causes it.”
“Okay, one more set...” Twilight said, getting her breathing under control with a few deep breaths, but Sugarcoat spoke up.
“Its almost fully dark, Twilight. I doubt we’ll get any better readings for today. Why don’t we pack it in and go over the data inside?”
Twilight frowned, but after a moment’s consideration, seeing that the other girls looked fairly tired, she nodded in agreement. They’d all been up since before first light that morning, so perhaps it was time to take a break. After getting that call from Adagio she could use some time to think things over anyway.
“Alright, we’ll resume this tomorrow morning.”
As her fellow Quincy let out varying degrees of sighs of relief, Lemon Zest grinning and quickly delving into talking about what they’d have for dinner, Twilight sensed a presence approaching and looked over just in time to see her family’s butler, Robert, appear a respectful distance away, bowing.
“Madam Twilight,” he said, nodding his head to her. Robert was an elderly man with well groomed, snowy white hair, and a well trimmed moustache that reminded Twilight of a certain chicken fast-food chain’s founder. He wore simple glasses and a black butler’s outfit, a uniform that she’d never seen the man out of in all the years she’d known him. Robert had been her family’s butler since as far back as Twilight could remember, which made a certain sense, given she’d also recently learned that Robert directly served her father. Twilight had kept her inquiries impersonal, but now that she was a Sternritter, she’d had access to files she couldn’t obtain otherwise. Apparently Robert had once been a Sternritter as well, but had abdicated the position after making use of the Letzt Stil transformation in defense of her father during a battle long ago. Since this was prior to the development of Vollstandig, the use of Letzt Stil had burned out Robert’s Quincy powers. Now he was just a butler, with only a small fragment of leftover of his original Quincy abilities.
His capacity to just appear out of nowhere Twilight was willing to attribute to Robert merely being good at his job as a butler, which seemed to entail always being in the right place at the right time to serve the family’s needs.
“Robert, what is it?” she asked, holding up a hand for her friends to keep going into the mansion and not wait up for her.
“I was asked to deliver you a message, Madam. It arrived just minutes ago from the Rich Foundation.”
Twilight’s eyebrows shot up as she accepted the letter Robert held out, and he went on to say, “Both myself and Sir Soarin have examined the envelope to ensure no trickery is afoot.”
A good thing, too, as Twilight reached for the envelope with a pensive hand. The Rich Foundation? As in the Rich family. Filthy Rich, and his wife Spoiled Rich. Twilight gulped. The investigation into the identity of the assassin trying to take her life had not yet yielded anything conclusive, but it had been progressing. The list of individuals who’d made use of the disposal facility for the uniform she’d tagged with the tracer was now known to her, and those individuals were being monitored.
Including Filthy Rich and Spoiled Rich. That, in and of itself, was not proof of anything. The fact Spoiled Rich was the soldat in charge of Twilight’s platoon was suspicious, but not conclusive, especially considering Spoiled Rich did have several other soldats that could confirm she’d been engaged fighting Arrancar warriors during the time Twilight had been fighting the assassin. Filthy Rich also had a similar alibi, confirming he’d spent the entire time maintaining the front line bastion he’d created with his Mason Schrift. So there was nothing pinning proof to either of them, but both were being watched.
But what could they want with her? If they were the ones trying to kill her, this couldn’t be good. If they weren’t, it was a distraction from her research she didn’t need. Taking a deep breath, she opened the envelope and examined the contents.
As she scanned the words on the letter within, she found herself asking, “Camp Everfree? What’s that?”
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I'm suprised adigio is not asking about where her sisters are since the last time she saw them was in Canterlot city.
And it is kind of funny how adigio is working with sunset who is the only member of the girls that can KILL her.
Also you should have someone knock twilight off her high horse. Just because she got a unique power does not make her super strong. She is still a novice.
Wasn't the former Segunda Espada, Chrysalis' predecessor, known as the queen of thorns?
9481144
Anyone strong enough can kill a hollow, it takes a Shinigami to PURIFY them.
9481146
But she IS super strong. It was kinda the focus of her training arc. Even before she got her Schrift she could shoot holes in people by accident (and did).
It's also hard to be on a high horse when wallowing in the pits of depression.
9481151
Agreed.
Possible plan to save Ember
The possible monkey in the wrench to the whole scenario is Gloriosa Daisy in Gaia Everfree form. Twilight may have to deal with her as she did in the movie, hoping it's a lot harder here though.
On that subject, it was already a safe guess but this chapter all but guarantees Gaia Everfree was the "Queen of Thorns". Still wonder where she actually is 'cause there's no point in having it be a mystery if she's dead already?
Thorax (and by extension Pharynx) seriously must be a lot more powerful than they've shown if Thorax has the nerve to talk to Chrysalis like that. Definitely Espada level at a minimum.
Wonder how Grogar is going to go about testing the new prototype while making sure it doesn't kill him if it malfunctions?
Another enjoyable chapter. Well done.
Robert? Is this reference to Ultra Fast Pony? The one true Quincy, The King Lord High Commander Darkflame Steelwings, the Magnificent Aka Lord Robert? Not really, but its funny to think about.
So, does anyone else wonder where is the rest of The Young Six?
The greater good they say. I have seen that excuse used to justify several horrible deeds, and I still think its a bullshit excuse. Sunset and the others need to liberate Ember at all cost, she was born an arrancar, she was not twisted by evil disires after her death, and its things like that that will just fuel the flames of this war.
You will keep posting after season 9 ends, I hope.
Camp Everfree! I've been waiting for this.
And I can't wait to see how the girls will get through the big awkward Ember mess. It's going to be tricky, for sure.
I'm looking forwards to next time.
Oh snap time for some tension to rise!
Ocellus paused to, her hand still idly spinning her blade
It’s shape was hard to define
Grogar just snored at that and proceeded to leap up
She really didn’t belong her anymore, assuming she ever did
because the girl gae Adagio a devilish little smile and giggled
very difficult for anyone to pick up or trace it’s signal
I know that, but still, if she attacks she’s going to be facing at least one Soul Reaper Captain in Celestia
1. Too.
2. Its.
3. Snorted.
4. Here.
5. Gave.
6. Its.
7. Canterlot. Don't think any other Captain would be in Celestia, if you catch my drift.
Welp, Camp Everfree just but into Twilight's radar, too.
I love moments where the easy-going Thorax show he is worried or furious.
Can i say again how much i love Espada Chrysalis' relation with her family ?
It's no lie that Gaia Everfree looks like a hollow
Gaia Everfree = Queen of thorns?