70. Prydain: Dire
We raced along the rolling plains for the forest while my two mates rested on my back. Vinyl was exhausted from leading apparently and her small party was just as varied and insane as she was. Truthfully it was an attractive quality since I was insane already to begin with.
Octavia was finally calm once again. Apparently being best friends accounted for a lot amongst these two. I would have to get the story from the two of them someday. Prim and proper and wild and vibrant were a strangely common pairing amongst friends.
The partners that Taran found within the fortress were some of the oddest people I've met in a very long time and we were friends with a mercenary who held dirt from every country in the world he had been to. The young lady by the name of Eilonwy gushed slightly at the appearance of Spitfire and Sunshower. Apparently pegasi and unicorns were not seen in this world which made me cringe slightly. We were an anomaly but all the better for us to surprise whomever here was after us.
The other one Fflewddur Fflam was an enigma to me. He called himself a bard but everytime he did the harp he played broke. It would magically fix itself but that in of itself was a strange sight. The other problem was the manner in which he carried himself. There was a sense of nobility in his actions which Octavia made certain to remind me of.
Needless to say I was not looking forward to leading such a big group of ponies and people. It didn't help when I noticed the small dog man Gurgi was standing near Fresh Coat and Redheart. He was trying to make himself seem smaller as we rushed towards the others.
“We have to keep moving in case someone decides to come after us. I'll bet Pete might try against us.”
“We dealt with him. He tried to fight us but we sent him and his heartless flunkies packing.” Spitfire informed us taking a few celebratory flaps to show off that pride.
“We should still get out of her anyways. Where though?” Octavia wondered aloud making certain that the snoring Vinyl wasn't too distracting.
“I have an idea. We could find the path of the fairies. It should give us some time to gather our strength.” Eilonwy spoke up gaining the attention of all of us.
“Works for me. Any different ideas to go off of?”
Octavia, Spitfire and Sunshower all shook their heads at me. Fflewddur said nothing either merely following her lead. Taran seemed to be lost in thought but didn't voice an opinion. Getting agreement from the majority we followed through on our next path.
“Where were you!? Things went nuts while you were gone!” Fresh Coat called out as I waited for everypony to rush into the forest past her.
“Going for a leisurely stroll through the castle courtyard. Too many jerks walking about though. Everyone wanted to pick a fight.”
“Same here. Only we were trying to nap for a bit.” Fresh Coat chuckled as I trotted past her to which she quickly followed by my side. Vinyl and her were nearly face to face.
We quickly trotted into the forest clearing making certain to cover our tracks. Fresh Coat did an admirable job using her telekinesis to smash the dirt and flatten it once again hiding our trail. It was a small thing but it made me feel a bit better that we had a small hiding spot from the Horned King’s forces… which seemed to be growing in size by the minute given how many heartless had appeared both for us and for the girls who had remained in the tent.
“You know something weird happened when you guys were gone.” Sunshower spoke up while we took a short break within a hidden copse in the trees. It was a small enough glade where we could all relax after all the trouble we had been through.
While the humanoid partners of ours rested nearby stretching out and napping I remained awake and on watch. Octavia was watching over Vinyl who was still exhausted and snoring. Spitfire and Sunshower were sparring outside the copse of trees keeping their battle to keyblades. Redheart seemed to be working on a small book of notes. From what I could see the notes were detailing the anatomy of our human companions. My eyes quickly refocused on Fresh Coat.
“What happened? Was it good weird or bad weird?”
“Uh… good weird probably. See when we were fighting that Pete guy we felt this magic welling up inside us. When we were at a decent point we just got in sync with one another and released all that magic at once.” Fresh Coat explained using her hoof to emphasize some of her explanations.
“Oh… you did a limit break.”
My nonchalant tone surprised her… and got those who were awake to actually surround me. I was certain that it had been explained already.
“You don't remember from what Yen Sid spoke of? When your bonds of the heart are strong you can call forth power through those bonds. These are known as limit breaks.”
“Uh… when did he talk about that?” Octavia looked at the others trying to remember.
“Was it before or after he talked about the balance of the world?” Fresh Coat pondered.
“Maybe it was after we spoke about the Nobodies?” Redheart offered but was still completely flummoxed about this talk.
“I'm sure he spoke about it when we were training. We spent three days there. It has been a while so I wouldn't fault anyone for forgetting.”
The three still seemed unsure… and it was unlikely we never spoke of this. Those days spent training were very intense and it didn't help that they had trained within what I affectionately dubbed the time bubble with Merlin. As it was even if they didn't remember this was a good callback to that moment.
“Ugh… how come we didn't have one of those limit thingies with Kida or Ori? We were close weren't we?” Vinyl groaned as she stood back up on her hooves.
“Sleeping till noon again Vinyl? We do have things to do.” Octavia playfully chided her still tired friend.
“Yeah yeah… buck you too Tavi. What'd I miss?” Vinyl coughed and spat something off to the side as she kept smacking her lips from all the sleeping she had done.
“We escaped and we’re heading somewhere else right now. Also discussing those abilities you all showcased when we escaped as well.”
“Oh right. That thing… I was sort of listening but you called it a limit break right?” Vinyl questioned me joining the other four.
“Yup. Basically close bonds of the heart make strong magic happen. It's how magic works most of the time. When I talked with Merlin he basically made it clear that any spellcraft comes from a few sources. There's emotion based spells which come in handy with elementalists, those who specialize in elemental spells. There's clarity of mind which influences healing spells. I know that there's a keyword based system where knowing a chant or phrase activates spell work. There are more but we should really keep going to this secret route.”
“What secret route?” Vinyl frowned seeing that she missed out on something.
“A route for the fae. The girl you saved mentioned it.”
Vinyl looked over at Eilonwy who was resting against a tree while Taran, Fflewddur and Gurgi rested against another. She caught herself smiling and lowered her shades. Tavi always had a tendency of taking them off her whenever she passed out. Sighing she waited with us till everyone woke from their rest.
Creeper slowly trudged up the stairs. Since the incident within the fortress he had been called up to meet with his master. The Horned King hated to be kept waiting but Creeper knew what was to happen to him. Everytime failure occurred he would be horribly strangled until he turned a bright shade of purple. Instead of zooming up the stairs Creeper meandered as long as possible. While it wasn't a sure thing that he would be strangled the anticipation of it happening made him break out into a cold sweat.
“Oh no, oh no, oh no…” Creeper muttered over and over as each step got him closer to his painful resolution.
As soon as he reached the top of the staircase he gingerly opened the door. Standing at the edge of one of the parapets was his lord and master looking over the ruins of the courtyard in bemused disgust.
“Creeper… get over here.” Horned King growled out… his voice dripping with vainly hidden contempt which was stressed with the utterance of his name.
“Yes sire… you see… it's just… we underestimated the weird shaped horses… heh heh…” Creeper groveled with each step knowing that he was grasping at excuses. Before he could offer anymore excuses the bony hand of the king swooped down and grappled the diminutive green goblin in a tight embrace. With that one hand Creeper was lifted off the ground to look deeply into the red dead eyes of his master and the anger that leaked from them.
“You blithering idiot! You were supposed to keep them until we could find the Black Cauldron but now they've escaped! I should throttle the life out of you and leave your worthless corpse for the gwythaints!” Horned King roared as the two wyverns atop their perch licked their chops at the offering of meat.
“Si-sire… please… wait…” Creeper choked out before being thrown to the ground.
“What Creeper? What do you possibly have that will keep your life from being torn limb from limb.” Horned King took a step towards the goblin who was still regaining his breath.
“I used the heartless… to keep track of them. Their path leads them towards the swamps of Morva.” Creeper tried to appease his monarch.
“So the witches had the Cauldron then… of course… perhaps you can survive Creeper. Gather the troops… do not capture those fools. Let them succeed. There's no need to worry about it.” Horned King relaxed taking stock of the courtyard which the heartless managed to restore.
“Whoa… what happened here!?” Pete gasped as he stepped into the room through a portal of darkness.
“And where were you? You bumbling oaf… as you can see those horses you spoke of broke my home. Where were you!?” Horned King yelled as he stomped up to Pete making him cower from his glowing red eyes.
“Uh… fighting the horses and making them leave their camp so they wouldn't stick around one place…” Pete offered trying his best to keep those eyes from staring into his.
“Seems you actually accomplished something.” Horned King glared at Pete not wanting to allow the buffoon too much credit.
Pete remained silent. He was actually trying to capture them but his gut had told him to say that it was something different. While it was never always right it had its moments. With a nervous grin he found purchase again as speaking.
“Speaking of accomplishments… Maleficent seemed to want to talk to you about your own magical prowess. If it would be convenient I was to escort you to meet with the other guys of this troupe.” Pete twiddled his fingers mostly because this guy was scary and did not sit well on his emotion.
“Fine… Creeper… remember what I have told you. Failure will be met with consequences.” Horned King rounded on his servant once more who began groveling at his feet begging for forgiveness.
“Uh… just put this here thing on and you can enter the portal no sweat.” Pete offered a cloak which the Horned King wrapped around his shoulder. With a snap of his fingers Pete opened the portal and the two entered it.
“So… this is the way towards the Cauldron and the path of the fae right?”
“Yes quite. It should give us safe passage while the Horned King’s forces are still unorganized.” Eilonwy offered. I think her dealing with a small thestral pony was getting to the young lady. She had already cuddled each and everyone of us at least twice already. Fresh Coat, Sunshower and Redheart didn't mind. Spitfire started flying out of reach though. Octavia and Vinyl politely declined more than one cuddle. I was too intimidating apparently so she hadn't tried to cuddle me though her hands would reach out trying to only to be pulled back on impulse.
“So why were you two down there in the dungeons anyways?” Vinyl spoke up. She was rested enough from the nap she had on my back that she was now trotting circles around everypony.
“I thought I told you already madame?” Fflewddur questioned.
“Yeah but tell them in your own words.” Vinyl clarified making the old bard sigh.
“Fair enough. I was traveling through the land and ran afoul of the wrong people. They took me for a spy and immediately captured me for trespassing around their land. One thing led to another and I was tied up in that contraption ready to be branded for something.” Fflewddur explained tapping his fingers against his harp which prompted the ponies to look at the harp. It didn't break this time and calmed them down. We turned to Eilonwy after we were satisfied with his answer.
“Oh me? Yes it's because I'm a princess. A princess from a lesser noble family but apparently I was important enough to be a bargaining chip. Fortunately, they are all a bit stupid so I managed to escape my bonds and hide away from the guards in the catacombs beneath the castle. Did a good job of keeping me hidden.” Eilonwy answered which was surprising. All the mares aside from Vinyl were a bit more surprised at the presence of a princess.
“You're a princess!” Five voices called out not including Vinyl’s.
“Uh… yes?” Eilonwy cringed slightly before looking in my direction.
“Our country is ruled by a princess who has magic capable of moving the sun and another who can move the moon. Suffice to say princesses are important in our world.”
“Wow… that sounds… impossible.” Eilonwy gasped.
“Is that why most of your fighters are women?” Taran whispered in my ear.
“Yes but they are highly capable as you can see.” I whispered back making sure to give him a look to keep him from saying anything more than that. He seemed to understand that saying anything out loud like that would give him a really bad time.
“Do you mean to say that our sun and moon are…” Fflewddur started only for me to hold my wing up.
“Let's just say that we come from a realm of magic that has different rules.”
“Yeah… really different. We actually don't have any humans where we are from.” Redheart informed them. I was worried that was too explicit.
“Ah so a magic spell that opened a dimensional portal then.” Eilonwy filled in the gap which abated my worry from growing any further.
“Something like that.” Spitfire added on clearly taking cues from my facial expressions.
“Sounds exciting~!” Taran yelled out as he fell down a long tunnel in the ground forcing me after him… though not alone.
“Gurgi save master!” Gurgi called out and dove into the tunnel… whether from bravery or wanting to keep out of sight was hard to say. The rest followed after a moment hesitation.
“Damn it… underground again…” Spitfire grumbled.
“I know, right?” Sunshowered added as she slid down as well.
“Tavi… underground seems like the big thing right? So… does that mean my wubs are mainstream now?” Vinyl questioned as she slid down next.
“Sweet Celestia I hope not…” Octavia muttered following after her friend.
“Fresh… are we crazy for just randomly going wherever we want without a care in the world?” Redheart stopped before the tunnel.
“At this point, does it matter? We are pretty tough and I'm pretty sure we've all grown as ponies. Though I will admit that I've been a bit more… adventurous since we started.” Fresh Coat admitted jumping in first followed my Redheart.
“We shan't be left behind. Come along my dear!” Fflewddur flew down the tunnel and Eilonwy sighed before following after.
The twisting tunnel kept us sliding for quite a while. It wasn't steep nor as wild as I expected. It was just really goddamn long. Eventually we were deposited out in front of a load of structures made from twigs, leaves and spider webs. Several glowing lights started to blink out and I was about to stop them… when several pony plots landed atop of me. Taran had swiveled out of the way at the last second with Hen Wen who was keeping close to her keeper.
“Y'know… this feels like this is going to just be a thing from now on, isn't it?”
The giggles and apologies sounded out like usual and I quickly stretched my back out. Eilonwy and Fflewddur were the last to meet us… and they managed to slow down enough not to fall on me. The weirdness of pony physics as I called it still baffled me. Rule of funny was in effect and physical comedy was one of the high demand pieces. That was something I stowed away for future thoughts.
“I think this is it… “ Eilonwy muttered as she released her bauble back into the air. The sudden light brought more light out of hiding. Suddenly we were surrounded by several dozen fairies all of different shapes and colors.
“Breezies? I didn't know they were here.” Redheart muttered in my ear.
“Breezies? No they are fairies. Breezies are still equine in shape aren't they?”
I knew somewhat from the knowledge of the show but I needed to seem unaware of the future. It was a weird tightrope to walk and I didn't much care to deal with it all the time. Still, I toughed it out like a trooper regardless since getting frustrated about things wasn't going to help me out here.
“Are they? I've only heard of breezies from Fluttershy so I wasn't sure what they look like.” Redheart admitted… which I returned with a shrug.
Before we could speak any further a small yellow glowing fairy descended from on high. From what I could see he wore a fanciful red robe and large red hat with white trim. Beneath the robe was a blue dress shirt as he flapped his wings about before coming up to us.
“Fair travelers… be ye friend or foe?” The fairy called out.
“Friend. We seek passage to the swamps of Morva.” Taran spoke up seeming to showcase a bit more confidence in his demeanor.
“The swamps!? No one lives there but the witches. Traveler you must reconsider. The path there is fraught with the Horned King’s forces and the new darkness which plagues the land.” The fairy warned. “Take it from I, King Eidilleg, that it is a fool's errand to travel within those areas.”
“We still need to go. We might have a way to stop the Horned King.” Taran answered causing a large stir amongst the fae.
“They have a way!?”
“Impossible!”
“What if it's true!?”
I noticed that the entire population was in an uproar at the possibility of being free. That made me worried… but grateful he didn't put a definite answer that we didn't have yet. The obvious way to stop this would be to destroy the Black Cauldron. Though given it was a magical artifact… I doubted we could deal with it so easily.
“Hm… a way to stop it for good? Doli! Doli! Get out here!” King Eidilleg called out amongst his people gaining the attention of a cantankerous old fairy who looked ready to beat him over the head for bothering him.
“What is it you ijit!? Can't an old man get any sleep around here?” Doli grumbled before turning an eye to all of us. “Who let in the mutant horses and humans?”
There were a few glares directed at him but he didn't seem to care. The king frowned slightly but picked himself up to deliver the news.
“We may have found a way to destroy the Black Cauldron but I need you to lead these adventurers into the swamps.” The king stated keeping his tone even.
“I'm sure they do.” Doli deadpanned clearly not trusting our word on the matter.
“Please assist us.” Eilonwy added turning on her charm which Doli rolled his eyes to.
“Fine… let's get a move on then. I want to be back home before long.” Doli grumbled as he started to fly towards a specific tunnel.
I turned to my herd only to note that they were utterly fascinated by the fae. Everypony was examining them closely making me wonder whether they could handle leaving or not. A whistle from the king caused all the fae to disappear leaving six stunned mares gawking at where they were. I coughed to gain their attention gathering six highly embarrassed ponies twirling their hooves in the dirt.
“Come on… we have a lead now.”
I didn't call them out on their behavior. If both sides were going to be like that then it was fine. Vinyl was still full of energy and joined at my side. For some reason she had been gung ho for a while now. She had taken the lead and it seemed to have stuck with her for some reason.
“C'mon you ijits! We got a while through the tunnels and I can't have you lot slowing down until we reach the swamps. Fools errand if’n you ask me. Those witches are a nasty bunch turning folks into frogs and what not.” Doli explained loud enough for all of us to hear.
“What do you know of them?”
“Whatzat? I know enough to stay away from them. They're powerful and stuff but they also don't care much for anyone. They're on no one's side but their own and they enjoy making bargains for things. You better have something good cause they don't give things for free.” Doli growled out the warning in his voice clear as crystal.
“Wait they don't care about joining anyone?” Vinyl called out.
“No. They live their lives in the swamp and they're powerful enough to give anyone a run for their money. Only thing is is that they don't want to deal with the Horned King anymore than the other kingdoms around here. His dark magic is dang near lethal to everyone.” Doli stated quickly clearly annoyed at the prospect of answering questions. “Now if’n you don't mind let's get moving already. Long way to go.”
The Horned King stepped out of the portal into a large castle hall. Off to the side was a large dark purple dragon whose scales seemed to shine like obsidian when he took a step forward. Near him was a diminutive man with a giant N on his forehead.
“You must be the new one… “ The dragon spoke. His tone cold… dread inducing and full of contempt.
“Easy there Malefor. Any ally is a good sight to see for our respective sides. No need to judge him on sight alone.” The small man called out though he hadn't looked up from the device he was examining.
“Perhaps you should raise your head Cortex before you open your mouth.” Malefor growled out causing the scientist to glare at him.
“I resent that. How bad could it - whoa! I mean… nice to meet you.” Cortex nearly screamed managing to get himself under control before he did a stupid… again.
“Charmed I'm sure.” Horned King deadpanned as Pete stepped up behind him.
“Welcome Horned King. I take it you had a safe trip?” Maleficent’s voice rang out as she floated down from on high.
“Quite… your stooge has proven useful in what he does.” Horned King answered taking a few uneven steps up to the table that everyone was at. “Is this all your have?”
“No dear king. These allies are of the few to join. The others are busy with their own conquests. I merely… coordinate them to better suit the goals on conquering everything. Those miserable rabble that count themselves amongst the masses deserve to be nowhere else… but under our boot.” Maleficent giggled as her fingers tapped against the crystal ball on her staff. “It is also surprising that Pete has done a good job. Are you certain?”
“Yes. He did something I wanted that I didn't even ask him to do. It was useful. Now enough prattling about those times. What is your concern that you need me here?” Horned King tapped his bony fingers against the table. Cortex was a bit unnerved at the sight but kept it together while Malefor looked away uninterested in the turn of events.
“Quick to business I see. I called you here because it seems you are having trouble with your keyblade interlopers.” Maleficent softly mentioned as she sat at what was most likely the head of the table.
“Trivial. They shan't be a problem for much longer. It seems the heartless have given me a bit more power. A strange one popped out of the darkness and seemed to have joined my ranks easily. It shall deal with them in due time.” Horned King waved off the concern though he suspected that it was mostly feigned to get on his good side.
“Maybe. Though I wish to give you a gift. A just in case something goes wrong.” Maleficent stated pulling out a large crystal ball from her robe.
“And this is?” Horned King looked over the dubious object.
“Insurance.” Maleficent growled out with a smirk on her face.
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It will turn him into a heartless or something, I bet. She doesn't give gifts without strings on them.
GEICO. Saving people money, no matter how evil.
9039574
That’s true.
9039893
Oh you. /wags finger at you accusingly and in joking matter.
9039574
9040089
Theorize time. Keep the guesses a coming.
If it does turn him into a heartless The it can do that in a number of ways. Force his heart to take in more darkness than it can handle. amplify his dark emotions so he willingly becomes a heartless to beat his enemies. Or even making a darkness explosion that kills him but creates a heartless from his death.
On the other hand it may be a way to remove him before he blabs her plans to spite her. It may kill him in a number of ways. It may remove his memories. the tamest way is to seal his mouth shut via magic.
the scariest thing is that I can see her doing all of these things in a heartbeat. Makes me wonder how Pate has lasted so long as her lackey.