Paradise Lost: Daughter of Gensokyo

by Maziodyne

Chapter 14: Kill the Invasion

Alexandria had already gotten up and gone to Sweet Apple Acres. She'd promised Applejack that she would help replant the trees, and had been forced to put it off for a few days due to circumstances, however she was finally available to help, and so she went to do just that first thing in the morning. When she got there, she saw that quite a lot of trees had already been replanted. Despite that, there were many more that still needed to be replaced.

Alexandria did a scan of the orchard from the air to find Applejack quickly. She did find her quickly, but was surprised by a very familiar figure next to her. Alexandria made her descent down to help Applejack… and to ask Medicine what she was doing here.

“Medicine?” Alexandria asked the doll in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

Medicine stood upright and turned around to look at Alexandria. “Oh, Alex! I'm here helping to replant the trees. I… feel really bad about destroying them to be honest, so I just wanted to do what I could to help make up for what I did, you know?”

Alexandria was silent for a few moments before a grin spread across her face. “That sounds like a good choice. We'll need all the help we can get; there are a lot of trees to plant, so the more the merrier.”

The trio spent the majority of the morning planting saplings into the ground, and once it was almost noon the three split up to go and grab some lunch.

Alexandria had decided to grab some food from her favourite cafe, but while walking down the street, she tripped on something and barely managed to remain standing. She decided to investigate the ground to see what she had tripped on. After a few moments, she realized that six of the stones in the street's cobble were sticking up. She also noted that all six were perfect spheres, and all the exact same size.

“These stones are really odd…” Alexandria said to herself. She thought for a few moments and decided to pull them out of the street so that nobody else would trip on them by accident. After she pulled the first one out, the other five instantly dislodged themselves, and all six floated in a ring behind her. “What…?” she said, looking over her shoulder. She then noticed that all six of the spheres had strange markings, each one having a different symbol. “Maybe they're magical in some way…?” she wondered to herself out loud. “I could bring them to Marisa and ask her about it… but first I'll need to do something about these,” she said, looking at the spheres. “They're kind of unsightly. I'll see if Princess Twilight can do something about this.” With that, Alexandria made her way to Twilight's Castle.

Alexandria quickly found Twilight in the library as usual. She approached the princess, clearing her throat loudly to announce her presence. Twilight looked up at Alexandria, and after a moment her eyes widened when she noticed the six spheres behind her.

“Alexandria,” Twilight began, “what are those?”

“I have no idea,” Alexandria answered honestly. “All I know is that I found them embedded in the street, and they started floating like this when I pulled one loose. I can't seem to put them away at all, so I was wondering if you could give me something to put them in? They're pretty unsightly as you can see.”

“Well…” Twilight started, turning around. “I made a magic pouch which was designed to carry a lot of things without taking up much space, which it pulls off perfectly. Unfortunately, the weight of all its contents doesn't get dampened in the slightest, so I can't use it to carry books with me like I planned to. I don't have any use for it, so as long as those spheres don't weigh very much, then the magic pouch should work perfectly for you.” Right after she finished saying this, Twilight turned back around and handed a small pouch to Alexandria.

Alexandria hung the pouch to the right of her waist, and then grabbed each sphere and placed them inside one by one. The size of the pouch didn't increase in the slightest as Alexandria put the spheres inside, remaining completely deflated as if it were empty. The weight of the six spheres thankfully wasn't very much, so it didn't hinder Alexandria's movement at all. “Perfect,” she said to Twilight. “Thanks Princess Twilight.”

“Don't worry about it,” Twilight answered. “Though I might want to study those spheres in the near future, so come by sometime if that's okay with you.”

“I'll keep that in mind,” Alexandria answered.

Just as Alexandria turned to leave, what seemed to be a portal with a turquoise border appeared in the library. Through the portal was a small desert town… and it seemed as if it was nighttime.

“Appleloosa…?” Twilight muttered to herself in confusion as three figures came through the portal.

“My love, where are we?” asked a short, small angel with golden wings, short brown hair, snow white skin, and a long, white, strange corset with coat tails that went down to her knees and very long sleeves that went down past her hands. It had gold trim and pink laces tying the corset together.

Alexandria, Shanghai and Twilight all blinked in bewilderment at the sight of what seemed to be a literal angel in front of them, unsure of what to say. The angel noticed this, looking to them.

“...Is that… A demon?” the angel asked, frowning at Alexandria.

It took Alexandria a moment to realize what the angel said. “Oh, er, no, I'm not a demon,” she said to the angel. The angel sighed in relief, relaxing.

The young man with his arm around a soft purple-pink mare with a purple and turquoise mane, a small white dragon with dark gray feathers clinging to her back. “Oh, that was no fun,” the man said, rubbing the messy brown hair from his eyes despite the bit of honey blonde that stuck up into the air over his left eye. He raised his green gaze… until it landed on Alexandria. “John?”

“Uh, sort of,” Alexandria answered, caught by surprise. “I'm Alexandria Kijin, though John has given me his memories… I'm guessing you knew him?”

“Yeah, we were friends,” the man answered, getting to his feet, something black and scaley dragging on the ground under his brown, fur lined coat. “It's me, Hikan- I mean, Jeremy, but I go by Hikan no-” The man named Hikan's explanation cut short as he was suddenly slammed from behind, hitting a bookshelf as a huge mass of black chitin pinned him by the back of his neck, his boots hanging three feet over the ground.

“Hikan!” the mare shouted, the portal closing as she lifted her hand to prepare a magic blast. But the angel reached him before the mare even could, and, summoning a halberd, rushed over and thrusted the end of it, the spear, through the creature's throat in one swift, fluid movement. She glared up at the creature.

“Farewell, filin,” she growled, before swiftly moving the halberd through its neck and cutting the head off, which fell and rolled to the floor in front of Alexandria.

Alexandria quickly used her foot to roll the head away from her, wanting nothing to do with it. “What in Hakugyokurou was that?” she asked.

The mare's eyes went to the Yokai before they widened as they landed on Twilight. In a flash of light, the pink unicorn was in front of her, grabbing onto her wrists in fright. “Twilight-Changelings-Coming-Entire hive-!” She said frantically, her hands moving through the air as she tried to explain.

Alexandria's eyes widened. “There's a whole hive of those Changeling things coming here!?”

“That's not good at all,” Twilight said. “But… why would they suddenly invade like this?” Twilight's brows furrowed in thought for a few moments before she shook her head and looked at Alexandria. “Alexandria, I'd like to ask you to help defend against the invasion. Try and enlist the help of your friends if possible.”

“Right,” Alexandria said to Twilight with a quick nod. Twilight then turned to the others as Alexandria rushed out of the room.

“I want all of you to go and help as well, alright?” she said to the three of them.

“That sounds fine to me. Helping the innocent and weak is a High Angel's calling, after all,” the angel said, pulling the body of the Changeling off of Hikan after making the halberd disappear.

Hikan rolled over and rubbed his head before nodding. “Will do,” he affirmed as he got shakily to his feet. “Besides, if I remember John, he's a pacifist mostly. Starlight, you should probably stay here and catch up Twilight while you get your strength back.”

“Pfft, what are you talking about? I'm fine,” Starlight said, waving a hand at him before she tried to step towards them… only to lose her balance and fall towards the floor. The angel forced back a snicker as she did this.

Twilight grabbed Starlight's arms from behind and pulled her back upright. “No, Starlight, you are definitely not fine. You're going to stay here and rest.” After a moment, Twilight added, “and since when did you want to be on the front lines of a battle?”

Starlight groaned as the little dragon on her shoulder looked at her worriedly. “It's a long story, Twi…,” she answered as Hikan started on his way out of the library, following after Alexandria.

The angel looked to Starlight, then Hikan, and followed him, not wanting to spend time with Starlight.

Hikan made it outside just in time to watch Alexandria take to the air and fly in the direction of the Carousel Boutique. The angel approached Hikan, looking up and seeing Alexandria fly off.

“Do you think her and these, 'others', will be enough, my love?” she queried.

Hikan was quiet for a second as he watched Alexandria fly. “...I sure hope so…,” he answered before he took off his coat, letting his black and orange wings unfurl as he tied it around his waist. He took a few nervous glances at them before running forward and jumping into the air, his take off more than a little clumsy as he followed after the Yokai. The High angel giggled at this and followed after him, taking flight as well.

Once at the Carousel Boutique, Alexandria went inside and made a beeline for Alice. Alice looked up from what she was doing and, when she saw how serious Alexandria looked, put everything down. “Alex?” she asked, slightly concerned.

“Alice, I need you to help me, please,” Alexandria said to Alice, urgency clear in her voice.

“Alright, with what?” Alice asked.

“Defending against invading forces,” Alexandria answered. “C'mon, we need more help,” Alexandria continued, motioning Alice to follow, who complied and followed Alexandria outside. Not long after the two walked outside, a blur of motion slammed into the ground with a thud and an, “ACK!” Hikan lay on the ground unmoving, his draconic wings twitching here or there.

Alexandria approached Hikan. “You okay there Hikan?” she asked him, concern in her voice. The High Angel landed gracefully next to Hikan, giggling a bit at his landing.

“Maybe I should teach you how to fly some time, my love,” the angel said, helping Hikan up.

Alexandria looked at the angel. “I don't think I've gotten your name yet,” she said. “Do you mind sharing?”

“Oh, excuse me for my bad manners,” the angel said, turning to face Alexandria and doing a curtsy. “Arela Biore, Lady of House Biore and High Angel. Nice to meet you, Miss…?”

“Alexandria Kijin, half-human half-Yokai,” Alexandria answered. She then turned to Alice. “And this is my first, and best, friend.”

“Alice Margatroid, Magician and expert doll maker,” Alice said with a curtsy of her own. “I figure the man's name is Hikan?”

“That would in fact be me,” the man in question answered, rubbing his neck. “Hikan Kanshi, master assassin of the Revolutionary Army's special unit, Night Raid.”

“And my darling Devoted,” Arela said, hugging his arm with a smile.

“'Devoted',” Alexandria repeated. “What exactly would that mean?”

“It is like what you humans would call marriage, only different in that it lasts even after death, as well as a few other things,” Arela explained.

“Alright, I understand,” Alexandria answered. “Anyway, if you can get your flying under control, Hikan, we need to go around and get as much help as we can before the Changelings get here,” Alexandria went on to say.

“Aha, aha, aha,” Hikan fake laughed, letting his wings fold and unfurl a few times. “I can keep up just fine… just need to work on the landing….” Arela giggled.

“You're adorable when you're trying to be tough, my love,” Arela said, kissing Hikan's cheek, having to stand up on her toes, but she did it nonetheless.

“Alright, if you can keep up, then do so,” Alexandria said. “I plan on doing my best to protect this place, so I'm going to leave you behind to gather my friends quicker if you can't keep up.” With that, Alexandria took flight again, with Alice quickly following suit, the two heading off towards the Everfree Forest.

Hikan mumbled something, glancing at Arela for a second before performing his awkward running take off once more, though it wasn't as bad as the first. Arela giggled again as she followed after. As she did, she corrected her Devoted on his wing position and much more so that he could more easily fly without wobbling or crashing.

Alexandria and Alice then made a dive under the foliage a little bit further ahead. Once they'd landed on the forest floor, they found themselves in front of Marisa's house. Alexandria knocked on the door, which was quickly answered by Cirno. “Alexandria, are you here for more practice?” she asked.

“Not this time, Cirno,” Alexandria answered. “I need both you and Marisa to come help me with something. Make sure to tell Marisa that it's extremely urgent, alright?”

“Yeah, sure, hang on,” Cirno said before turning and rushing into the house. Cirno could be heard shouting “Marisa!” from inside. A loud rustling sounded out as more than a few leaves fell out of the trees followed by frustrated grunts and growls.

“Damn trees and their damn limbs and their damn- grrr- ow! Damn it!” Alexandria put her hand over her face and just shook her head at this. Arela giggled as she came down with Hikan, who was covered in leaves and foliage, Arela giggling at him all the while.

“I told you to use your wings to slow down, my love,” she said with a small laugh as she picked off the leaves and thistles and the like from Hikan's clothes.

“Yeah, I tried that and ended up getting them stuck on the tree branches,” the assassin muttered, picking out a few twigs from his hair before giving a sigh. “Sorry, just… sorry.”

“Maybe you should have tried decelerating before you reached the canopy?” Alexandria suggested, slight frustration in her voice.

Hikan shot a look towards Alex, giving a little frown. “Gee, thanks, I'll remember that next time I fly into a forest at god knows how fast,” he replied, his tone gruff and aggravated.

Alexandria had a rather pissed look on her face, as she grated her teeth slightly with her eyes squeezed shut, and her hands balled into fists. She suddenly raised one of her arms quickly.

Frustration「Flip」

In a split second, Hikan found himself flipped upside down. The man's eyes widened before he grew a scowl on his face, his lips curling into a snarl. His arm flicked out, a cannon forming before a small, concussive blast flipped him back over.

“Are we really doing this now!?” Hikan shouted, stepping up to Alexandria. Arela growled, speeding over to Alexandria in a flurry of motion and gold feathers, halberd summoned and tip pointed at her throat.

“Explain, fala,” she said threateningly. “Lest I show your friends your headless corpse.”

Alice looked like she was ready to attack at a moment's notice. Alexandria put her hands up. “Alright, calm down. It was a harmless gesture. Just a release of frustration. I meant him no harm.” As Alexandria explained this, Shanghai had stood up and was looking at the halberd with worried eyes.

Hikan's eyes flicked from Alex to Shanghai for several seconds before he straightened up and let out a long, hot breath. “We don't have time to let out our frustrations,” he said, his cold tone far from the heat in his green eyes. “If you need to release your frustrations so badly, wait for the coming battle. Don't waste your energy fighting the people that are supposed to be your friends.”

Alexandria sighed. “Okay, I understand. I'll try to keep my emotions under control,” she said.

“What in Hakugyokurou's goin' on out here?” came a voice from the house. Standing in the doorway was Marisa, broomstick in hand. Cirno was standing to the side behind her, looking out from under her arm.

The assassin's eyes drifted from one of Alex's friends to the next, finally stopping on Alexandria herself. “What kind of a team are you putting together?” He asked, confusion clear on his face and in his voice. Arela slowly removed her halberd from Alexandria's throat, but kept her glare on the woman.

Alexandria put her hands back down with a sigh of relief. Shanghai also relaxed. “I'm putting together a team of people that are stronger than they look,” Alexandria responded. “They're all people that I know I can trust to help when it's needed.” She then turned to the two girls in the doorway. “C'mon, I need you two to come with me. There's an impending invasion on its way, and I'm gathering everyone to help defend against it.”

“Sounds like an incident,” Marisa said. “Alright, I'll help.”

“I don't really get a lot of what you said,” Cirno added, “but if it'll help, then I, Cirno, the strongest, will go with you!”

Arela looked at the other two women and grunted before walking back over to Hikan and leaning into him as she hugged his arm, halberd having disappeared. Hikan wrapped his other arm around her momentarily before he looked at Alex. “If you say they can handle it, then let's skip the convincing and keep moving. Juno's forces aren't going to waste time in Appleloosa.”

“Of course,” Alexandria said. “Alright, we've got one more stop to make.” After saying that, Alexandria took back to the air, leaving through the forest canopy with Alice, Cirno and Marisa following her.

“Come, my love, let us not tarry,” Arela said, spreading her golden wings.

Hikan nodded, letting his wings fold out as he looked to the trees… before he paused and let his wings contract. “...Y'know, maybe you should go first,” he said. “Maybe I can learn something from watching you.” Arela giggled, reaching up and kissing his cheek.

“Very well, my love,” she said, before flapping her wings and lifting off the ground, then maneuvering through the canopy expertly. Hikan's eyes watched her every movement to the tiniest detail before he started to run after her, jumping up and rebounding off and up the trees until he reached the highest branch that would support him before tensing up and jumping into the air, wings taking his weight as they grabbed the air.

As the two exited the forest canopy, they found Marisa sitting sideways on her broomstick in a casual and somewhat carefree manner, having lagged behind the others, her intentions becoming clear as she spoke out to the two. “I haven't seen you two before,” she said, her speech casual. “I'm Marisa Kirisame, just a normal magician. Mind tellin' me who you are?” Arela turned to the woman and performed a curtsy midair.

“Arela Biore,” Arela greeted.

“Hikan KaAHnshi,” Hikan answered, wobbling mid flight as he tried to multitask. It didn't work.

Marisa swooped down swiftly and steadied Hikan. “Careful,” she said in a serious tone. “Make sure you understand your limits, and don't cross 'em. If you can't talk and fly at the same time, then don't.” Arela flew over, giving her Devoted another kiss on the cheek.

“Indeed, my love. I can teach you more as we go,” she told him with a warm smile.

Hikan nodded his head, refocusing on flying but giving one last murmur. “Pushing my limits is how I've survived….”

“Well, if you push your limits too often, you'll just break yourself,” Marisa answered. “So I'd suggest takin' it a bit easier.” Marisa's serious expression was then replaced with a small grin. “Anyway, it was nice meetin' you and all, but I'm gonna catch up with the others now.” With that, Marisa accelerated and made for the others, who were making for a large field of sunflowers up ahead. Arela followed after her, gold wings flapping as she did. Hikan did his best to keep up.

Arela noted a parasol down in the field below, and, having not seen one in millennia, smiled wide.

“Is that a parasol? I love those! Who's is it?” Arela asked Alice, pointing to it.

Alice glanced down where Arela was pointing. “That's Yuuka's parasol,” she said. “Yuuka is incredibly strong, but wouldn't help us if we asked. She only cares about maintaining her field of sunflowers.” Arela frowned at this.

“Oh… Alright then,” Arela said as they kept flying.

“Don't damage any of her flowers either,” Marisa chimed in. “You'll barely have enough time to regret it. Trust me on this.” Arela nodded.

“Noted,” she said.

As the group kept going, they surpassed the far edge of the sunflower field, which gave way to an equally as impressive field of Lily-of-the-Valley flowers. Alexandria angled down a bit, making a descent towards a figure with blonde hair and a red dress: Medicine.

“Ah, I should have known…” Alice mumbled to herself.

Hikan's eyes narrow at that as they began to descend. “Should've known what?” He asked.

“Should have known that Alex would ask Medicine Melancholy to help,” Alice answered. “Her and I…” Alice paused for a moment, trying to think of how to put it. “We don't get along very well. At all, really.”

Alexandria suddenly butted in. “Sorry, but the two of you are going to have to put aside your differences for now. Protecting Ponyville should take precedence over that stuff, okay?” Alice just grumbled to herself under her breath.

Hikan chuckled a bit before flying a bit closer to Arela. “Almost sounds like you and Starlight,” he muttered just loud enough for her to hear past his mischievous smile.

“Hmph, just because I do not like that fala doesn't mean I wouldn't be able to fight alongside her,” Arela said, turning her nose up at the mention of Starlight.

“What's that word mean?” Marisa asked. “You know, fala.” Arela blinked.

“Oh, apologies, I forget that you humans don't know about angel customs and culture,” Arela cleared her throat. “Fala, is the angel word for horned beings, typically translating to 'horned child stealer', but there is more to it.”

Alexandria twitched almost imperceptibly in response to the implications that the word was derogatory. She then decelerated as they approached Medicine. “Medicine,” Alexandria started, “I'd like to ask you to help me with something important. Do you think-”

Medicine turned around as Alexandria was speaking, but then cut her off when she noticed Alice. “You,” she said. “No, I refuse to work together with her. There's no way in Hakugyokurou that I'd ever help that damned doll maker.”

“Medicine,” Alexandria said, her tone having a hint of frustration, “I don't care about that right now. You're going to need to put that conflict aside for now, unless you want to risk everyone living here dying.”

“Is that supposed to be a threat?” Medicine asked. “Because I don't think I like your damn ton-”

“Um, um…!” Shanghai cut her off suddenly, her voice sounding urgent. “The sky behind us looks all black. Isn't that a bad thing?” Everyone quickly turned to see that the sky to the South had what appeared to be a huge, pitch-black cloud. And it was approaching rather quickly.

“Changelings,” Hikan murmured, his scowl forming. He turned to Alexandria and Medicine. “We're out of time. Those bastards will be on top of Ponyville in no time, and they will kill everyone here.”

“So that's what you meant,” Medicine said. “Fine. For now, I guess I can tolerate being on the same side as Alice. No guarantees that I'll be anywhere near her while fighting though.”

“That's fine,” Alexandria said. “As long as you help us.” Alexandria then turned toward the incoming swarm of Changelings. “Alright then, you ready Shanghai?” she asked, looking to Shanghai.

“You should know by now that I'm always ready to help you Alexandria,” Shanghai answered.

“Alright then, let's go,” Alexandria said, flying off towards the swarm, the help she had enlisted following her. Arela followed as well, having not landed to avoid stepping on the flowers, and took off after Alexandria. Hikan was the last to follow, but the sound of mechanical whirring soon changed that as his clawed gauntlets formed, spreading over his arms and back where the armor formed twin boosters.

The assassin sped up to get next to Alexandria. “I really hope your friends are up to this,” he said, glancing at her. “We need every ounce of power and every tool we have to win this.”

Alexandria glanced back at Hikan. “Like I said before, they're all more powerful than they might look,” she said. “It would be better if I could have gotten Patchouli and Yuuka to help, but Patchouli wouldn't necessarily be up to the task, and Yuuka couldn't care less, as long as the Changelings don't ruin her garden.”

Hikan gave a little huff of laughter. “If that be the case, someone should probably warn the Changelings,” he said. “They'll beeline right for the garden.”

Alexandria was silent for several moments. Finally, she said, “nobody say a word about Yuuka's garden to the Changelings. Let them walk into their own doom if they want to.”

Alice gave Alexandria a look. “That's… really evil, Alex. Are you feeling alright?”

“If this is going to be as much trouble as Hikan says it will be, then we're going to need to take out as many Changelings as possible, with as little effort as possible, by any means necessary. That includes allowing them to piss off Yuuka. If we're lucky, it might even spur Yuuka into giving us her assistance,” Alexandria explained.

“'War is for not the righteous, but the survival of many,'” Arela suddenly quoted.

“And only the strong survive,” Hikan added, his tone becoming a little deeper from earlier as his scowl seemed to burrow into his face.

Alexandria looked at Arela. “I agree with that quote. Sometimes, you need to get your hands a little dirty when the odds are ag-URK!” Alexandria was suddenly cut off when a Changeling broke from the swarm and rushed her, slamming into her. The impact caused one of the gray spheres from earlier to fall from the pouch at her waist. Caught by surprise, Alexandria panicked and grabbed the first thing her eyes fell on: the sphere. She then used it to bludgeon the Changeling.

ZZZZZT!

Upon colliding with the Changeling, the sphere released an electric discharge that paralyzed the insect. The Changeling then proceeded to plummet towards the ground, unable to move.

“Wha…?” Alexandria said in confusion, looking at the sphere in her hand.

“Alex!” Hikan called, flying towards her with a worried look. “Are you- where the hell did you get that?” Hikan's voice shifted from worried to slightly aggressive in seconds.

Alexandria looked at Hikan in surprise. “It was embedded in the street next to five others like it,” she said. “They were all sticking up, and I tripped on one, so I pulled them out so nobody else would trip on them. Why do you seem so agitated over this sphere?”

Hikan grit his teeth quietly for a moment before he let his eyes go back to the fast approaching swarm. “Nevermind, I'll tell you later,” he answered, keeping his eyes off her. “Just one question. Are you in excruciating pain right now?”

“Ummm, no?” Alexandria answered, incredibly confused. “What kind of question is that?”

“The kind that could kill you if you don't tell the truth,” the assassin answered darkly. “If you're really not in pain, I'd recommend taking them all out of your pouch. They work better when used with mental commands.”

“Do you really think I would lie about something so serious?” Alexandria asked, starting to sound a little frustrated as she pulled the remaining spheres out and let them float in a ring behind her.

“To be fair, we haven't known you more than an hour or two,” Arela pointed out.

“And I've known too many fighters that would lie about their pain so they wouldn't get pulled off the front line,” Hikan finished, glancing at Alexandria only to quickly look away as anger flashed through his eyes.

“Well, if using these put me in excruciating pain, then the first thing I would do is stop using them. The second thing I would do is fall back to recover. I'm not an idiot,” Alexandria shot back.

“Very well. For now, let us argue after the battle is finished and these cretins are gone,” Arela said, speeding ahead of them all in a flurry of golden feathers, halberd in hand and blinding golden glow encompassing her as she flew.

“Crash course,” Hikan said to Alexandria, flicking his claws out. “Don't let those things touch anyone you care about or they will die.” With that, he rushed forward, boosters blazing as he rushed forward with a roar.

“Good to know,” Alexandria said before turning to Shanghai. “Alright Shanghai, we're going to need as much power as possible. How about you activate that HDD you inherited now?” Shanghai nodded before being engulfed by a ball of light several moments later, the light dissipating after a few more seconds. The Shanghai that was left behind had vivid yellow hair instead of platinum blonde, and vivid yellow eyes instead of blue, her eyes also having power symbols in the middles. Her clothes had changed from her old-fashioned blue dress and black dress shoes to much more modern attire: a white zip-up hoodie with yellow cuffs, hem, collar and a loose yellow circuitry lattice, white shorts with yellow leg cuffs, and white sneakers with yellow accenting. She had also become a bit more… mature in the chest area, and the zipper of her hoodie was unzipped a little, revealing a small bit of cleavage.

“Alright, let's squash some bugs,” she said, her voice a bit deeper, sounding more mature. She admittedly also sounded as if she were somewhat more competent than before.

Arela landed in the town square of Ponyville, halberd raised and gleaming, pure gold armor on, making her look bulkier than normal, and adding a good bit to her height. She looked up at the swarm and roared her challenge.

“Come at me, you simpletons! I, Arela Biore, shall give you a swift trip to Triyte's Wastes!” Arela challenged, twirling her halberd threateningly. A number of Changelings landed in front of her, surrounding her fully and hissing and chattering in their tongue. Arela smirked at this. When one lunged at her, she cleaved its head off with one fell swoop, then swung at it, knocking the head into the horde around her. “Come on! I know a wrinkly old Dwarf who could fight better than that!”

With that, the Changelings around her swarmed her, aiming to overwhelm her with numbers. But she simply whirled her halberd, hacking into them all like a saw blade, and leaving a pile of limbs and bodies all around her. Those that remained looked at their dead comrades in shock.

“You… You bitch!” a Changeling in armor yelled, charging her. Arela simply thrusted into his chest as he charged, impaling him. She then raised him up, and flung him across the street.

“Who's next?” she asked, voice echoing from within her armor.

Meanwhile, up in the sky, Alexandria was experimenting with the other five spheres to see what they could do. She had already determined one that caused whatever it hit to rapidly decay, and had decided to avoid using that one. She grabbed the next one and flung it at a scout that tried to rush at her. Upon contact, the scout was frozen solid, the icy insect falling out of the sky and shattering into a million pieces on the street next to Arela. Shanghai was nearby, fighting on her own, zapping Changelings with small lightning bolts. Alexandria's friends were also doing their part in their own ways: Alice was commandeering a small army of dolls that looked much like Shanghai before she transformed; Marisa was frying the bugs with small lasers; Cirno was freezing the insects, causing a pseudo-hailstorm of the 'Lingsicles on the street below; Medicine was producing clouds of poison. The entire group of them was making moderate progress against the Changelings.

Hikan rushed past Alexandria, his arms out as he dragged a pair of soldiers through the sky. He stopped abruptly, throwing them forward before disappearing and reappearing behind them, swirling through the air as his blade like arm-wings flashed, separating limb from body with no trouble. The man came to a stop and quickly flipped through the air as a scout tried to impale him with its sharp claws. He twisted and raised his leg before slamming it down on the Changeling’s head, a sickening squelch sounding through the air as the body shot towards the ground. Righting himself, the hunter raised his arm quickly, the barrel of his arm cannon stopping another soldier short. The Changeling's eyes widened in fear, looking between the weapon and the suddenly smirking man before its world was filled by an orange light.

Arela was literally tearing the Changelings on the ground to pieces, each movement like a flowing note in a song, each kill a symphony in an opera, and no matter how many times they surrounded her, she always tore them limb from limb, pushing them back. By now a hefty amount of corpses littered the street, Changeling blood running through the cracks in the cobbles like rainwater. Frozen Changelings fell from the skies like hail thanks to Cirno. Then, out of nowhere, a massive Changeling slammed down in front of her.

Arela grinned as she motioned it forwards in challenge, and it roared ferally as it met said challenge, stampeding for her, aiming to make her into angel paste. Arela started to make a number of arcane gestures none of those present had seen before, and all of a sudden, she sped towards the brute in a blur of motion, golden feathers being the only trace of her movement. She impaled the brute with her halberd, then did the same again, and again, and again, making it a pincushion, and then, she disappeared and reappeared behind it, and uttered a phrase full of holy power.

“Angel's Call,” she said simply, and the brute's body exploded with golden light, showering all the other changelings around her with spears of light from that very explosion.

Alexandria threw the next sphere, which collided with a soldier… and made a resounding KABOOM! This caught the attention of everyone nearby for several moments, Changeling or otherwise.

Taking the distraction, Hikan flashed forward, boosters blazing as he held his blade arm wings out. He slashed through countless Changelings without resistance before green light filled the side of his vision. The hunter acted quickly, wrapping himself in his wings and spinning as green fire slammed into him from three directions, the same number of soldiers flying towards him.The cocoon of wings suddenly stopped in midair, the soldiers coming to hover in front of it as the green flames of their magic engulfed the assassin. Moments stretched on before the flames finally stopped, leaving the orange sails blackened and smoking.

“...Did we get it?” One of the Changelings questioned in a skittering voice. A small click sounded out and the other two went wide eyed as the head of the speaker exploded, followed by two more clicks. The other two lost their heads as well and three more bodies fell to meet the ground as three wil-o'-wisps floated back to the unraveling hunter.

Arela looked up at the swarm still in the sky, before zooming up to meet them. Once in front of them, she decided to break out one of the innate skills her teachers had taught her, and that had been passed down from High Angel to High Angel. She spread her wings wide, made a number of complex arcane gestures, then uttered a prayer.

“Oh Lord of Holy Light, let thine disciple grant unto these fiends thine unshattering resolve to squash and make evildoers repent…” she opened her eyes and suddenly a light emerged from her wings, her eyes glowed, and a halo appeared around her head.

“Light's Might!” she roared, and a stream of pure lightning and thunder ripped through the swarm, taking out a good portion of it. It was still intact, but they were more than a little shocked at the attack, even more so were her companions. Arela was panting hard, sweat lining her brow as she glided back down to the earth.

Alexandria shook her head to regain her composure and used this distraction as an opportunity to target one of the stronger Changelings. She grabbed the next sphere and threw it at a soldier, which was engulfed in flames upon the sphere impacting it.

Hikan, seeing Arela's attack, got his own idea and zoomed high into the sky, straight up and through the center of the swarm. The orange sails of his arm wings glowed dangerously before he spun, twin waves of energy tearing through the Changelings before his boosters fired up once more, pushing him through the remaining layers until he burst out of the other side above them.

“This is gonna hurt,” Hikan muttered to himself before twisting to face downwards at the army as the top layer began to rush towards him. “Ace of Clubs, Meteor Falling.” Dorkifu's energy channels burned with amber light as armor formed over his legs, boots, and the edges of his back wings. Cannons took shape over his wings and wrists as the boosters suddenly jerked up, pointing their own guns at the coming hoard. He held his hands out to either side, hollowed barrels having formed in his palms and the bottom of his now taloned feet, the energy of Dorkifu glowing white before a loud boom shook the sky. White lasers rained down from the sky as every one of his weapons fired off at once, the burning energy slamming into the Changeling forces.

This kept up for several minutes before the firing ceased, the young man slumping forward and beginning to fall as his armor retracted. He was nearing unconsciousness when something lit up in turquoise swallowed him.

A quartet of soldiers rushed Alexandria at once, so she grabbed the last sphere and threw it at one of the middle ones. Upon impact, all four of the Changelings were flung away by a whirlwind. “Good to know everything these can do,” Alexandria commented to herself. “These might actually come in handy.”

Arela panted a bit, slowly getting her breathing under control. When she did, she stood back up and readied herself to fight more. A Changeling rushed at her from behind, but she could hear its approach and simply slammed the butt of her halberd into its gut, then spun around and knocked it aside. More came at her from the sides, shooting magic beams at her, but they just glanced off of her armor.

“W-What are you?!” one of them cried, taking a step back. She appeared in front of the Changeling, impaling it with her halberd.

“Your end,” she said simply as she flung them into the other, then used her wings to propel herself forward and then slam her halberd through both of their guts, killing the one beneath the one she flung.

The battle raged, the Changelings doing everything they could to get to the citizens of Ponyville, only to be stopped by the heroes. Suddenly, the insectoids fell back, ceasing their assault as they all regrouped… which was the last thing they should have done. At the other end of Ponyville, a light sparked at the top of Twilight's castle, only barely noticeable… before a huge beam of turquoise magic ripped through the air and slammed into the swarm. Bodies that weren't incinerated dropped to the ground as burning husks, the survivors scrambling to get as far from the blast as possible. After a second or two more, the beam died away, leaving the Changeling forces far more than crippled.

Now that the Changelings no longer posed a threat, Alexandria returned the spheres to the pouch, and Shanghai reverted back to her usual form, taking her place on Alexandria's shoulder again. Arela was finishing off the few remaining Changelings, and when she had finished, she looked around for Hikan.

“My love? Where are you?” she asked, searching for her Devoted.

“I think I saw him fall into a turquoise ring just before that big beam attack happened,” Alice said.

“That beam…” Marisa said, shaking her head. “It put my own Master Spark to shame.”

“Turquoise ring?” Arela wondered, before she remembered how her and Hikan had gotten here and growled. She spread her wings and shot towards the castle, set on keeping Starlight from trying anything funny with her Devoted. Her armor disappeared as she flew to the castle.

Alexandria decided to follow so she could make sure Hikan was okay. She'd need to head over and find Twilight so she could report that the invasion had been thwarted anyway. The other girls with her followed.

That's when another portal opened up and Arela found herself suddenly flying into Hikan. The assassin tumbled to the ground backwards, letting out an “Oomph!” as the air rushed from his lungs. “Ooooo… did you really miss me that much?” He questioned through a pained voice. Alexandria and the others came through the portal as well, finally making a landing onto solid ground.

“What kind of Angel would I be if I didn't?” Arela said, nuzzling him. “That fala didn't try anything, did she?” Alexandria winced slightly at the mention of the derogatory term.

“'Course not,” the hunter answered, wrapping his arms around Arela before grunting in pain. “Okay, my everything still hurts….”

“Guess it's a good thing I managed that spell then,” Starlight said, appearing in a flash of light, Cataclysm on her shoulder and the Staff of Secrets in her hand. “Not bad for a fala, huh?”

“It's fala, there is a lilt to it, a harmony. Though I suppose I can't expect a younger race to understand my people's language,” Arela shot back before nuzzling Hikan more.

Starlight let out a huff. “Whatever,” she muttered… she suddenly let out a tired breath and deflated onto her backside. “Got… more than… you did…,” she panted, the little Nil Dragon coming over her shoulder to sit in her lap, looking up at her worriedly.

“Are you okay?” Alexandria asked her.

Starlight looked up at Alexandria and gave a weak smile that didn't last long. “Just… tired,” she answered breathily. “Jumping Hikan here from there, that blast, and then jumping the rest of you here before teleporting… that's more magic than I think I've ever done at one time….”

“Well, you make sure to rest up then,” Marisa said. “And maybe try talkin' a bit less, save your energy,” she added.

“That would certainly bring me peace,” Arela remarked.

Starlight glared at the angel for a moment before letting out a breath and slumping a bit, closing her eyes. As much as she didn't want to, she was going to have to let Arela win this one.

“I'm going to go and tell Princess Twilight that we've thwarted the Changeling invasion,” Alexandria said.

“Sounds like a plan,” Hikan grunted, sitting up slowly and with more than a few grimaces. “I think it's time for a well deserved na-” The castle rumbled and shook as a boom sounded through Ponyville, cutting the man off.

Alexandria stopped short in the doorway of the room. “That could not have been a good noise,” she commented after a moment, turning back around and heading back towards the others.

“And just when we thought it was over…,” Hikan muttered, getting to his feet. Arela got off of him, summoning her halberd once more.

“We can handle it, I'm sure,” Arela said confidently.

“Let's hope so,” Starlight replied, getting to her hooves and levitating Cataclysm off of her. Her armor and sword appeared in a flurry of portals before the small Nil Dragon jumped back up onto her shoulder.

Alexandria walked over to the portal that was still open from when they all entered. “Convenient that you forgot to close this, huh?” she said before jumping through the portal to hover in midair on the other side. Alexandria's four friends did the same. Arela followed them all outside as well, armor returning to her form. Hikan and Starlight were last behind. And what they saw made them stop.

A huge brute walked down the road of Ponyville, dragging a soldier by its head as the smaller Changeling thrashed, kicked and clawed to get away. On the other side of the brute walked another soldier, but he was different. He was taller, and his horn was longer and more intricate, black robes with green accents were covering his armor.

“Juno,” Hikan's sudden growl was feral and full of anger, surprising at least Starlight.

“Why's that one bug strugglin' like that?” Marisa asked. “It doesn't look very happy.”

“Insubordination, most likely. Or they did not meet expectations,” Arela suggested.

“Go home, Juno,” Hikan called out, swooping down to the ground a small ways in front of the Changelings. “Your forces are in tatters and you can't beat all of us with just yourself, a brute, and an unwilling soldier.”

The Changelings came to a halt, staring at the assassin, the brute shaking the soldier roughly, drawing out a pained feminine cry from the smaller insectoid. “...I finally get to meet you in the flesh and you insult me?” The robed Changeling, Juno, questioned in a multi-toned and regal voice.

“There's eight of us, and technically two of you,” Alice pointed out as the rest of the group caught up with Hikan. “That soldier probably won't fight, and a few of us are capable of killing a brute fairly easily without assistance. If I were you, I'd make the smart choice and retreat.”

“I don't know, I rather enjoyed meting out punishment to these sinners,” Arela mused.

Juno looked to each of them… and smirked. “You think I would defile my hands on the likes of you?” He questioned, stepping forward to stand in front of the other two, the soldier's eyes following him with fear. “In all reality… you'll only be facing one of us.”

Hikan's eyes narrowed, a chill running over his spine at the breeder's tone. “What's that supposed to mean…?” He questioned, almost nervous about the answer.

Juno chuckled before looking up at the hunter once more. “You've been in the mind of one of our scouts,” he purred, still wearing his smile. “You should know that breeders are the second most powerful class in the Changeling race… but do you know how a breeder is created?”

As the hunter and Starlight shared a look of confusion, Juno continued. “A breeder is a fusion of two Changelings. The process is quite bloody and painful… especially for the submissive one. Only queens and other breeders can perform the ceremony, but a queen usually keeps her breeders at bay by ripping the knowledge from their minds… but I'm the mistake. Breeders are usually fused from two of the same class, but I am two. Soldier and drone, fighter and mage. I stole the information back, and now you shall suffer that knowledge!” With that, the robed Changeling spun around and threw his arms into the air, a ring of green fire surrounding the three Changelings.

Shanghai sensed that something really bad was happening, and decided to lunge for the robed Changeling to try and stop him. However, her lunge was stopped by a barrier, and she recoiled back, getting flung at Alexandria. Alexandria's eyes widened, and she put her hands up, catching Shanghai just before the Fairy slammed into her face. “Shanghai, are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Shanghai answered, taking flight. “Thank you for catching me Alexandria.” Shanghai then retook her position on Alexandria's shoulder, though she still eyed the Changelings worriedly.

“A barrier…” Arela noted, eyeing it carefully. Her eyes seemed to shimmer as she looked it over, before she frowned and looked to her Devoted. “Maybe your Spirit Weapon could break through?”

Hikan cast a glance at her before shrugging. “Worth a shot,” he replied before he swung his hand out, focusing on his inner power. He felt it surge forward and through his arm and out of his hand… forming a hot pink scythe. “...What the actual hell?”

“Hikan!” Starlight's shout rocked the hunter back to attention.

“Right!” He shouted before rocketing forward and slamming the scythe into the barrier. The magical shield and weapon sparked against one another, the assassin gritting his teeth before the buildup of force exploded, knocking Hikan back. The man landed with a hard thud before he slid the rest of the way to stop at the group's feet, his scythe fading away. “....Owwww….”

Alexandria and her friends decided that the display they just witnessed was enough to tell them not to mess with the barrier. None of them made any move to attack. Not even Cirno. Arela rushed over to Hikan, making sure he was alright.

“My love, are you okay?” she asked worriedly.

“...No…” Hikan admitted, his tongue coming between his lips where it met the blood from the gash found there. “...That hurt. A lot… and I've been punched by a giant suit of mech armor…”

“Here, let me heal you, my love. Everything will be alright,” she said, bringing her hands to his chest and uttering a few words. “Healing Light.” A golden glow covered his form, and he was back in tip-top shape.

Hikan gave a bit of a groan as he sat up. “Thanks, Arie,” he said, looking up at her… before a scream drew the group's attention back to the swirling circle of flame.

“Master, plea-”

“Shut up, filth!” Juno shouted, a crunching thud and second cry sounding out as he kicked the groveling changeling back towards the brute that stood behind it.

The soldier sniffled as it looked up at Juno, holding a hand to their stomach where green ichor started to seep through the new cracks in her chitin. “Please… I don't want to die….”

“Ohhh,” Juno said giving her a sympathetic look that matched his tone as he stepped up to her and crouched down in front of her and put a finger under her chin. “You're not going to die… just suffer.” The Changeling's eyes went wide as green whips of energy suddenly wrapped around her and started pulling her towards the waiting brute.

The soldier screamed, cried and thrashed as she was dragged backwards and forced into contact with the much larger Changeling's chest. Upon contact, more green flames leapt forth from the areas of contact, the soldier screaming out in pain as the brute gave a roar into the sky. The soldier continued to scream, plead, and struggle until her voice was silenced as her head was consumed by the flames, her reaching hand being the last thing to disappear. The brute began to grow in size and change until the large shoulder armor was spiked, its claws much bigger and the armor on its torso, arms, legs, and head growing harder and giving a metallic sheen. The last thing to change was its horn, the appendage growing larger to the point that it almost looked like an enormous blade.

Alexandria pulled the paralyzing sphere out of her pouch, preparing for battle with the huge breeder, all the comrades she'd gathered also getting into battle stances. Shanghai looked at Alexandria. “Don't transform yet,” Alexandria told her. “I don't want you tiring yourself too soon.” Shanghai just nodded at this, looking back to the massive insectoid.

“Let us not harm the poor creature too much, we may be able to convert them to our side,” Arela told the others, readying her halberd and getting in her own stance, wings spread.

“For once we're in agreement,” Starlight muttered as she placed a blunting spell on her sword. She stared for a moment before her eyes went wide. “Hikan, can you-”

“Yes,” Hikan interrupted, a hard, analytical look in his eyes as he watched the flames slowly die down. “But I'm going to need it to stand still and we can not do any worse damage than blunt or stunning. Which means,” he took out his tristaff, flicking it expertly until it clicked into staff form and tossed it to Arela. “It's best if we stay away from sharp, pointy things.” Arela gave it a once over when she caught it before nodding, dispersing her halberd.

Marisa blinked. “So, what'll we do?” she asked Hikan. “Punch or kick or somethin'? Our Danmaku attacks can't really be made blunt.”

“Try to subdue them, and hold back your power,” Arela suggested as she circled the breeder slowly.

“Heh, loser,” Medicine taunted Marisa. “I don't know what you're going to do, but I can just use paralyzing poison.” Marisa just glared at the doll.

“Just keep it still long enough for me to get in deep,” Hikan said, before he took a deep breath. “Ace of Hearts, Master of Things.” Dorkifu once again whirred to life, armor forming over his torso, forearms, and head. On his shoulders and wrists grew mounds of armor, the will-o'-wisps coming out of the ends part way as an orange visor formed over his eyes before the energy channels of his armor began to brighten from orange to white.

Arela nodded, before rushing over to the breeder and slamming the tristaff into the back of it's head. When it made to swat at her, she propelled herself back and away from it with her wings.

Alexandria then flung the sphere at it, and the ensuing zap of electricity stopped it in place for several moments.

As it broke free from the paralysis, Medicine rushed up to it and shot a large cloud of poison towards the breeder's head.

The breeder roared and large wings shot from its back, launching it into the air and blowing away Medicine's cloud before its horn glowed in green flame, igniting its claws before sweeping out two waves of fiery magic at the group. It turned to charge Arela only to stop and lift a claw to guard against the concussive magic blast Starlight shot at it.

Arela rushed into the fray once more, landing strike after strike with the tristaff, leaving a number of bruises on the chitin.

Alexandria and her group dodged the two flaming waves, finding it beyond simple compared to what they were used to. After that, Alexandria took the whirlwind sphere out of her pouch and threw it, hoping to ground the enemy. However, the breeder was beginning to wisen up, creating a small barrier of magic which reflected the sphere back at Alexandria, who then caught it, nothing happening. The barrier disappeared after it had reflected the sphere away. Alexandria stopped to think of a new tactic she could use in order to hit the breeder.

Marisa hadn't been attacking up to this point, unsure of what to do. She glanced at Cirno… and then came to a realization. She went over to Cirno. “Hey, Cirno,” she said, grabbing the Fairy's attention. “I have an idea. I'm gonna shoot bullets at you, and then I want you to freeze 'em, okay?”

Cirno nodded with a smile. “Okay, that's easy,” she answered.

Marisa then backed up and shot a few star-shaped objects at Cirno, who then proceeded to freeze them solid. “Now hit those at the bug,” Marisa said.

“Here, let me,” Alice said, coming over. She had several dolls that she was commandeering hit the frozen stars, launching them at the insectoid. They slammed into the breeder, shattering from the force of impact.

“Hah!” Marisa laughed. “Alright, let's keep it up,” she said, receiving nods from the other two.

The breeder gave a roar, lifting a claw and catching Starlight's now blunt sword as she tried to get in close alongside Arela. The unicorn's eyes widened as the enormous Changeling lifted her up by the sword. “Oh, shi-” Starlight's exclamation was cut off as the monster used her as a battering ram and threw her into Arela before turning its furious gaze onto the group that had shot it.

Demonstrating the speed that only comes from a brute breeder, the beast lunged forward far faster than anticipated. Before it could reach them, a blur shot in from their side and Hikan leaped into the air, twisting until he brought his leg down in a flying axe kick, slamming it into the ground. The hunter hit the ground just as the massive body rebounded off the earth, spinning and delivering a powerful roundhouse that sent the breeder skidding across the ground. It came to a stop several yards away before it started getting back to its feet, a feral hiss issuing from its maw.

As the beast finished standing up, Alexandria had a thought. She looked at Shanghai. “I'd like you to go around behind the Changeling,” Alexandria said. “I'm going to throw something to you, and I want you to hit it into the Changeling's back, okay?” Shanghai nodded, flying around the huge breeder, unnoticed due to her tiny size in comparison to the hulking insectoid. Alexandria then gripped the paralyzing sphere, before lobbing it at a high angle. The sphere sailed through the air, arcing over the Changeling's head, all the way to the waiting Fairy, who then rammed the sphere with her shoulder, sending it into the target's back, causing a shock of electricity that held it in place.

Arela quickly pushed Starlight off of her, before using her wings to propel herself forward towards the breeder, smacking it in the head so hard that it tumbled over.

The Changeling started to push itself back to its feet only to be slammed back into the ground, the earth shaking as Hikan used the breeder as a springboard. “Starlight, Arela, keep it pinned!” The assassin shouted as he sailed into the air, twisting as he aimed his wrist at the beast's back. The sound of a zipline ripped through the air as tendrils shot from the will-o'-wisp mounted on his arm, wrapping around the neck, waist, and shoulders of the Changeling before yanking him back down to slam into its back once more, leveling it and cracking the terrain underneath it.

“Roger!” Starlight answered, rushing to one of its sides and letting her magic start to wrap around its arm, torso, and leg to hold that side in place.

Arela nodded, uttering a prayer in a foreign language, before shouting, “Astral Bind!” and a number of golden ropes wrapped around the breeder's other side.

The breeder roared and started to try and pull out of the restrictions, Hikan's teeth grinding together as more tendrils came out of the other will-o'-wisps before the twelve shot forward and stabbed into the Changeling's back, tossing out green blood that splattered the ground and anyone close by. The Changeling roared out in pain, the dual tone of its voice splitting as the more feminine part screamed out.

The beast continued to thrash and fight as its body started to disintegrate, lifeblood pooling out beneath it. Hikan just stood his ground as best he could as the wisps' tendrils continued to writhe. Seconds rolled by like an eternity before, with a surprised shout and the sound of cracking chitin, Hikan fell, disappearing from view. The beast let out one more scream of pain, the higher pitch having died off long before, before it gave one last throw and laid still.

“My love!” Arela cried, spell breaking as she searched for her Devoted. “My love, where are you?”

Cirno went up to the motionless body and slammed her shoulder against it. The degraded chitin gave way to the force of Cirno's shoulder, and she fell inside of the beast as the carcass crumbled, burying her.

“Cirno!” Marisa shouted, running over to the crumbled carcass. As she made it over, part of the rubble started shaking, before Cirno's head popped up out of it, covered in Changeling bits and green insect blood.

“Grooooooss…” Cirno said, shaking the bits off.

“I have to agree,” a muffled voice replied before a concussive blast a little ways behind Cirno uncovered Hikan covered in the same squishy insect bits as he supported the unconscious soldier with his other arm and lap. Arela tackled him in a hug when she saw him, nuzzling him.

“Don't scare me like that! You had me worried!” Arela said.

Hikan gave a pained hiss before he gave a little chuckle and hugged her with his free arm. “Sorry, Arie,” he answered with short breath. “The bastard came apart a lot easier than I anticipated.”

Marisa helped Cirno out of the remains. Cirno's dress was soaked with insect blood and her whole body was covered in the little insect bits. “I'm gonna make you wash when we get home,” Marisa said.

“You don't have to tell me twice,” Cirno said. “This is just nasty.”

“Oh…” Arela looked at her wings, now covered in insect blood, while her armor was knee deep in the crumbling corpse. “I believe I shall require bathing as well… My wings will need special attention, too.”

Hikan chuckled again before he lifted his hand and spread and closed his fingers, watching the green slime string out between them like webbing. “Yeah, I think we're all going to need to clean up after this one,” he muttered before an almost soundless yelp drew his attention back to the Changeling he was supporting. “Help me get her out of here.”

“I'd rather not get my clothes or my dolls dirty with that stuff,” Alice said.

Alexandria looked at Alice and sighed. She then went to give Hikan a hand. The assassin lifted the Changeling gently out of the mess, holding her out to the Yokai. Alexandria attempted to lift the soldier, with little success. “Alice, Medicine, do you think you could-”

“Sorry.”

“Not happening.”

Alexandria closed her eyes and sighed again. She braced herself to try again… But then the soldier was suddenly levitated up into the air.

“I apologize for my tardiness,” came a woman's voice from nearby.

Everyone turned to look. The woman had long, dark purple hair and eyes that were a vivid purple colour. She was wearing a pale purple gown and cap, and she had red and blue tags tied like bows in her hair.

“Patchouli!” Alice said in surprise.

“'Tardiness' is an understatement,” Marisa said, annoyed. “All the fightin's done already.”

“But you still managed to attain victory, even without my aid, yes?” Patchouli answered, gently lowering the unconscious Changeling to the ground.

“Um, guys?” Hikan's eyes turned as he tried to swipe off the goo from his shirt, his eyes narrowing at Starlight's worried tone. They only widened back when he saw Starlight in Juno's hold, one arm around her neck and torso to hold her in place as he held two claws in front of her eyes, poised to sink into the soft flesh.

“Excuse me,” an icy cold voice that sent a chill down everyone's spine - including Juno's - said from just behind Juno. “But I would suggest that you keep a tighter leash on your beasts next time…” Behind Juno was a woman with shoulder-length green hair and red eyes. She was wearing a white blouse under a red plaid vest, as well as a red plaid skirt… And she was also holding a very familiar pale purple parasol. “They trampled my sunflowers. They're all dead now. I'm feeling generous right now, however, so instead of killing you, I'll simply show you the way out of town… Painfully.” As she said that final word, Yuuka grabbed Juno's arm, very forcefully, causing him to drop Starlight. Patchouli's magic caught Starlight before she hit the ground, and Starlight was safely deposited next to the others. Yuuka then closed her parasol, and let go of the breeder's arm. She then took the handle of her parasol in both hands and reared it back like a bat. “Don't ever show your face around here again, or I will kill you,” she growled before swinging her parasol with all her might. There was a crunch as it connected with the Changeling, and he was sent flying towards the distance, out of sight. “Hmph,” Yuuka said, opening her parasol again and resting it over her shoulder before she turned and walked away.

Hikan stared and blinked at the retreating figure, eyes wide. “Alex… who was that…?”

“I assume that was the Yuuka the others warned us of, my love,” Arela told him.

“Yeah, that was Yuuka alright,” Alexandria said.

“You got front-row seats to a display of her wrath,” Marisa chimed in. “And lucky for you, you weren't on the receivin' end.” Marisa then looked off in the direction Juno had disappeared in. “I actually feel kinda sorry for the poor sap,” she said.

“I am honestly in awe of her right now. She reminds me of the Northern Lion,” Arela said, watching as Yuuka left.

Starlight stared after her for a moment before a bright flash had her appear next to the green haired Yokai. “Hey…” she said.

“Yes…?” Yuuka asked dismissively, stopping to look at Starlight from the corner of her eye.

“Thank you,” the unicorn said. “Really.”

“I didn't do it for you,” Yuuka said looking away and continuing to walk. “That fool allowed his subordinates to ruin my flowers. You had nothing to do with it, so I simply removed you from the cross fire.”

Starlight was a little off-put by the Yokai's coldness, but all the same turned to watch her as she left. “Whether you meant it or not, you did save me,” she said before she turned around and started back towards the others.

“Yuuka doesn't care about your life,” Marisa said to Starlight as she came back. “If you went and damaged one of her flowers right now, she wouldn't hesitate to kill you on the spot.”

“That sounds…lonely,” Arela noted. “All by herself with nothing but flowers… It reminds me of my lord.”

“Yuuka is an odd individual,” Patchouli said. “Alone with nothing more than flowers is just how she likes things.” Arela frowned, but slowly nodded.

Starlight was quiet for a moment before she opened her mouth only to be interrupted by a groan. Hikan looked towards the Changeling on the ground, his hands going to his pockets. “...What are we going to do with her?” He asked.

“I assume she is not an enemy?” Patchouli asked.

Hikan was quiet for a moment, eyes flashing through hundreds of emotions. Frowning, Starlight stepped next to him and put a hand on his arm. “...What did you see?” She asked softly, looking at him with worried eyes.

Hikan took in a deep breath and looked up at her. “...Everything,” he answered quietly before going over and scooping the Changeling up. “We should get her some medical attention and somewhere soft to rest while we figure something out….”

“I can offer a place to rest,” Patchouli said.

“I could bring some stuff over to Patchouli's to make a soft surface,” Alice added. There was silence for a few moments.

“Anyone here a doctor?” Marisa asked. She received various forms of 'no' from Alexandria and the rest of her friends. Marisa then looked at Hikan, Starlight and Arela. “How about you? Any of you know anythin' about medical practice?”

“I do. All High Angels are required to study medicinal practices from a young age, and I was one of the top students in my class,” Arela said.

“Then I guess we have a plan,” the hunter said, wincing as the Changeling pressed into his sore arm. “Lead on, Miss Patchouli.”

“Yes, of course,” Patchouli said, turning and leading the way to her library. Alexandria followed as well. Alice went off towards the Carousel Boutique, Medicine left to go and do her own thing, and Marisa and Cirno left to wash up.

As the group approached Patchouli's home, Starlight and Hikan couldn't help but give confused looks. “...Didn't Tirek… destroy the Golden Oaks…?” Starlight questioned. “I distinctly remember Twilight tearing up over that once…”

“I'm unaware of how the original one was destroyed, however I had the residents here aid me in drawing blueprints for it, and then with some enlisted help, I had it rebuilt,” Patchouli answered. “It is now my home, however it still functions as a library. I openly admit that I feel right at home surrounded by books.”

“Sounds like Grimly. He practically lives in Erevale's Archives,” Arela noted.

“An archive…” Patchouli said. “I would be interested in reading the books there one day.” Patchouli then opened the door and let the four in.

“Well, I'm certain my lord wouldn't mind showing you the Archives at some point. There are many tomes from Lleiya's old days that I'm sure would interest you. The fala here can attest to that,” Arela pointed out, jerking a thumb at Starlight, Alexandria wincing at the word again.

“I'm not even going to dignify that with a response,” Starlight said, turning her nose away from the angel.

Hikan sighed and rolled his eyes before he stepped up beside Patchouli. “This could take a while,” he muttered. “Where do you want me to lay her?”

“We will first need to wait for the doll maker to bring the cushioning,” Patchouli said. “However, if you are alright with placing her on a solid, wooden surface, then any of the library tables will do.”

Hikan nodded and went over to the tables and laid her down gently… before promptly falling out backwards. Arela rushed over to him, catching him before he fell to the floor.

“My love? My love!” Arela cried. When he didn't respond, she placed her ear to his chest, and breathed a sigh of relief when she heard his heartbeat. “Oh thank the Lightbringer…” She said as she held him close.

“Looks like he's exhausted,” Alexandria said. “He'll need somewhere to rest as well from the looks of things.”

“He could be out for a while,” Starlight warned, coming over to stand nearby. “The last time he used Hearts, he needed three hours of rest before he was ready to go again.”

“If you're talking about that Ace of Hearts he used earlier,” Alexandria responded, “then he'll probably need quite a bit more than three hours of rest, since he also used an Ace of Clubs before that.”

“Thank goodness he's alright,” Arela said, brushing a few strands of hair from his face.

“Hmmm…” Patchouli said. “Marisa is currently housing Cirno, and the doll maker is living at the Carousel Boutique, so I'll allow him to rest here as well.”

Starlight shifted her hoof for a moment before speaking up. “I wouldn't want to crowd you,” she said to Patchouli. “I've still got my room in Twilight's castle so I should probably get going.”

“I see,” Patchouli said. “Farewell then.”

“See you,” Alexandria said as her and Shanghai both waved to Starlight.

Starlight gave a small smile and wave before her eyes fell on Arela and Hikan, her smile fading. “...Arela….” Arela raised her head.

“What?” she asked evenly.

Starlight gave an annoyed look before she took a small breath, her look of worry returning. “Take care of him,” she said before leaving the library.

“Could you not have given her a farewell?” Patchouli asked Arela after several moments. Arela said nothing for a moment as she watched Hikan sleep.

“...I suppose I could have tried to be more civil,” Arela conceded.

The library doors then opened again as Alice came in carrying an arm full of clothing. “I've got the bedding,” she called out. Patchouli simply shook her head with a frown.

“Here, let me help you,” Alexandria said. Patchouli lifted the soldier magically as Alexandria and Alice spread the clothing over the tabletop. Once it was in place, the Changeling was lowered back down to rest on the cushioning.

“There we go,” Alice said. “I'll be going now, since it's getting late out. See you tomorrow.”

“Bye Alice,” Alexandria said. After Alice left, Alexandria was silent for a few moments. “I know that I'm already staying somewhere, but…” she looked over at Hikan for a few seconds before looking to Patchouli. “I'd like to stay here and make sure Hikan's okay, if that's alright with you Patchouli.”

“Yes, that's fine,” Patchouli said. “I rarely use my bed, so as long as you don't make too much of a commotion, I have no issue with you staying here.”

“Thanks Patchouli,” Alexandria said. She then turned to Arela. “C'mon Arela, let's get Hikan to Patchouli's bed.”

Arela slowly nodded, picking Hikan's torso up. Alexandria grabbed Hikan's legs and the two brought him to Patchouli's bed, setting him in it. Alexandria looked at Hikan for a few moments. “I sure hope he's alright,” she said. “He appears to have pushed himself rather hard today.”

Arela nodded. “My love is known for that,” she said, moving a few strands of hair away from his face. She smiled as she did this.

“I see,” Alexandria said in response, giving a small smile. She then went over to a chair that was nearby and sat in it. “Anyway, I'm going to get some sleep. I'm sure Hikan will be feeling better in the morning.” She then yawned and stretched as Shanghai floated down from her shoulder and lied down in her lap. Alexandria then sat back in the chair and closed her eyes, leaning her head forward a bit. “Goodnight,” she said.

“Good night,” Arela replied. After a few minutes, Arela decided to take a bath, and went looking for it. When she did and had finished cleaning herself, she climbed into bed with Hikan and cuddled up next to him, kissing his cheek as her wings wrapped around him.

End of Chapter 14

Author's Note:

Hoo boy, here it is, chapter 14. I know the wait was really damn long, but it should be worth it, since this chapter is a crossover with my good buddy Pyro Mance's story, Paradise Lost: Kill the Memory. On top of that, the crossover lasts two chapters, so his characters will still be here in the next chapter.

Speaking of the next chapter, chapter 15 was also completed in conjunction with this one, which is part of the reason why this took so long.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the crossover!