2-2 Pull Your Strings
To say W was on a high note would not do her mood justice. She had her ups and downs, sure, but a working bathroom with a hot shower? Now we're talking. She sighed again in bliss against the hot pellets that struck her bare skin, the sweat purged from her body while bathing in the fact she could take a shower again. Something so simple brought her joy, that, and another key point to her day.
*Knock-Knock*
"Aoi, are you still alive in there?" Hearing her real name threw her off her high for a moment, turning to the door out the corner of her eye with a smirk and tiny blush.
"Best day ever, what's up?" She knew why he was asking but she was feeling dangerous.
"...you've been in there for twenty minutes," His blunt tone only made her giggle.
"Hey, I'm not complaining, door's unlocked," He'd either had to wait or come in with her, no other opinions were present in her mind. "Shame too, this is really good."
His groan rattled through the door. "...you're impossible, come on, Aoi~"
"Hm Hm Hmm... Hm H-Hm Hm Hmm...~" W soon slipped back into her trance, cleaning her horns delicately.
Not long after, steam exited the bathroom to the room and from it W emerged with a towel around her body, stretching her arms with a content sigh, hair tied back for once while she dried off. To the left where the bed was Sora had quickly turned away after gawking like a fish for too long. Displaying her fanged grin W strolled up to sit behind him, resting her chin on his shoulder. "You know you've already seen all there is to see, Fly-Boy," She then faked surprise, gasping with a hand on her chest, posing as her towel pulled against her body to the eye unable to resist peeking around his braids. "Or is the sight of me in nothing but a towel too sexy for you, hmm?"
Sora sighed, lowering his head. "You really are impossible," His smile said otherwise before grabbing his own stuff folded by his lap. This forced him to turn and see W looking over her things with a rare eased smile tugging on her lips, tail moving side-to-side in tandem with her mood. Deciding to even the odds he quickly flicked her tail, causing a sharp, girlish yelp to exit her lips.
"Just get changed, not unless you want to explain to Cinder and Astra where we've been," That caught her for a moment, along with that stupid smile of his. "A-and yes." The door shut before he could gauge her reaction but judging by the small flop to the bed it clearly worked.
While strolling back to the medical center Sora and W walked in silence, primarily because neither really knew 'what' to say to their companions. They got drunk, said some cheesy things, kissed a little too much, and woke up in the same bed together completely nude. Kinda hard to put that into words without it sounded scandalous or awkward. For W, she basically had the time of her life and now was stuck wondering what they were now. Friends with benefits? Partners? Lovers? It was all a mixture she hadn't the mental capacity to fathom yet. For Sora it was more or less the same, one thing was clear though.
"I woke up with a beautiful girl in my arms!" "I woke up with a handsome guy holding me!"
Both looked in different directions, gradually, Sora managed to find some unspeakable confidence as they turned a corner. "S-so um... a-about last night..."
"No idea what we are, huh?" Like telepathy, she had read his mind. One nod and she brought her gaze around completely, folding her hands behind her head. "I mean... I dunno, it's weird - n-not you, hell, t-that was... wow." Using the same words he described her musical skills wasn't helping. Exhaling slowly, she kept her heart in check. "I know it wasn't what either of us expected, I get that, so... why not stick with... p-partners..." Her head was low, obscured under her bangs.
"What?" He didn't catch it, only seeing the bashful girl staring back through her locks, playing with one of her antennae.
"...Partners... u-us, u-until I dunno, something..." Explaining her feelings wasn't her forte, it all comes and goes like a fight. Everything explodes from the start and W loses herself in that moment. "I-I don't want to ruin what's already here, you know?"
Sora actually nodded along, playing with the hem of his coat's sleeves. "I get it, s-so long as you're fine with... me?"
Like before, W smiled lightly and bumped her hip to his. "Wouldn't have done it if I didn't, dummy." His own smile returned, standing at a comfortable space beside W until they could see their allies up ahead. To his right, W cracked her knuckles, adjusting her bag against her back. "Now then, let's finally see this so-called, Dealer?"
"And hope we get some answers." That was music to their ears.
The group now followed Cinder who trekked up a steep slope shrouded in mist. Wherever Gambit was only Cinder knew where, and it just so happened to be hidden in and around the foggiest point in Hollow Shades. W carefully stepped forward, shadowing Cinder's movements with discomfort for the uneven terrain. "You sure this Gambit guy lives in some random woods in a random part of Equestria?"
"Would you rather I tell you it was in a volcano, lass?" He hummed but she could tell he found her discomfort amusing, seeing as she just flipped him off. "Hmph, follow and we will reach the 'Mouth'."
"That sounds scary..." Astra murmured, sticking close to W while using her semblance to navigate the fog. "My aura can't see very far, something... is blocking me?"
"That's never good," Sora murmured in W's ear but she remained silent, keeping tabs on the armored Hollow ahead. She wasn't sure, like most things today, how she should feel. Excited, pensive, it was all swarming her mind. Her answers were so close and yet she feared - no - was terrified something would impede her further, something would happen and prevent this final step from achievement. "W?"
"..." Not a word and she sped up to find that Cinder had stopped, hoof out to keep W stationary, making her impatience show. "Why are we stopping, sparkles?"
"Less you want to fall-" He curved his hoof downward, clearing the fog with a small burst of flames, revealing the sudden end of the cobblestone road. "-then please, keep walking."
"Oh..." She felt a little embarrassed and stepped back.
"Guess I'm up," Sora cracked his knuckles, wings emerging from the dark like shards of glass. "I... don't know how heavy that armor is though," His curious gaze fell to Cinder who merely pulled back a few steps, wiggling his armor before lunging over the edge, vanishing into the mist. Sora just stood there, dumbfounded. "Or that, that works too."
"Yeah, I'm taking the elevator down, thanks," W quickly wrapped her arms around his neck comfortably while Astra hopped onto his shoulders. With the girls secure, Sora hesitantly fell off the edge into a freefall state, using his wings to glide at a gentle pace, the weight of two extra bodies more than enough of a counterbalance to fall steadily. "Weeeeee..." W cooed jokingly with Astra giggling in Sora's ear.
"Always find some way to make a situation less terrifying, huh?" He smiled at her winking face as his wings kept the trio illuminated in the dark.
"You love it." That he did but wouldn't say otherwise.
Down and down into the dark below the less bioluminescent plants grew. Only a dark maw that devoured the light except for a small gathering of embers emanating from the bottom and the light of Sora's wings. "Here," With his right hand around W's waist, he could touch her jacket, focusing a little the red highlights of her coat became a bright cherry red, offering up more light to their surroundings. "Brace yourselves."
With a short warning the trio grunted once Sora met the base of the Mouth, Cinder awaiting them by a small bonfire that was resting at the bottom of the cavern. It took a second for W's head to click, pulling away from Sora to inspect the volcanic shoot above. "So you literally killed yourself, that's hardcore,"
"Whichever bonfire is closest is where I will rekindle, it... is not always preferable to kill myself but it can provide its advantages," Cinder murmured, shaking his head. "Onward, Gambit is not far."
"Might want to stay up here, Astra." Sora offered, feeling her hooves coil around his shoulders tightly with a nod. "Lead the way, Cinder."
And with that their journey continued through the dark, damp cavern in search of Gambit. Cinder used his coiled sword as a torch, W with her jacket and Sora with his wings. Last, Astra felt around the many caves and passages for a soul. So far her Seer ability couldn't even sense her own hooves, it was almost blinding. "I can't see anything, sorry..."
"Don't worry about it, place can't go on forever," W shrugged, tail whipping the side of Cinder's armor. "You left a bonfire but not a landmark, seriously?"
"It was not my intention to ever come back here, my mistake," Cinder snorted before turning back to the cave ahead
He suddenly crashed into Sora and W as the darkness became illuminated by a set of large, golden eyes staring back at them, practically the size as W with a massive, jack o' lantern grin on its onyx face. "Nice work, travelers, you did it! Five stars! High-Fives all around! Congrats on finally slipping past that slimy little Merchant's eye." It... He, cackled, face shrinking down to rest on... something, standing just over six feet tall.
Smiling, the creature wore a black suit, with a fur lining for his cuffs and collar, a golden tie, a white shirt, and a top hat with two cards strapped into the side with velvet fabric, both an ace of hearts and spades. It also wore crimson, fingerless gloves to allow a set of sharp, white claws to pierce through.
"It's good to see you again, Old Hollow, Cinder, Kaid -- whatever your name is, it seems fate has sent you in for an appointment, fantastic!" His smile couldn't possibly get any bigger. Stomping down he looked to sit on nothing as the darkness dissolved, and light returned the second he sat down on a large, black ash seat embroiled with etchings and a fabric cover.
"W-Who, what... what are you?" W gaped, Sora just nodding behind her shoulder with Astra, weapons somehow gone with a simple click of its fingers. "H-hey, the hell did you-"
"Tsk-Tsk-Tsk, I'd rather not be shot within my domain, thank you." He put quite austerely
The large chamber was tall and rounded at the top like an observatory, rows of books lined the walls entirely, containing jars and artifacts here-and-there. A large, gold chandelier swung up above holding onto some wax candles. Four paths created an intersection where we stood, leading off into large, black-iron doors. The floor between the paths were littered with riches and all sorts of random items, weapons, armor, relics, and even copies of W's weapons!
"How did you..." Sora murmured as the large entity leaned forward, extending a clawed hand to W with a mischievous chuckle
"Allow me to reintroduce myself to the newcomers," He sat back up again, hand raised high to his... emporium? "My name is Gambit, The Omniscient Nightmare."
It took W a second to catch her breath, sucking in a lungful once she reached slowly for his awaiting hand, shaking the icy appendage with a shiver. "Hehe, sorry, my hands get cold often, Aoi was it?" Again, another who knew her name before he waved his hand around the crowd. "W the Mercenary. Kaid the Soul of Cinder. Sora the Aasimar. And last, little Lumi the Silver-Eyed Warrior."
"'Lumi'?" She echoed, everyone's eyes now on the silver pair darting around the room behind W's legs. "But my name..."
"Was lost due to a temporal shift, quite unfortunate, you may never retain all your memories again - well, your name is your choice I suppose," Gambit rambled, clicking his tongue. "Out of all of you, she is a victim of this... Merchant's little game," Even Gambit couldn't withhold his disdain while contemplating the creature behind W's entire life becoming a series of chaotic events.
"I'm... Astra," The filly stated firmly, no longer hiding behind W's legs for a moment, the silverette watching her stand proudly. "Astra is my name, I know it is." If W let it her face might have broken its neutral state for a warm smile at the girl's insistence on maintaining the temporary name she had grown accustomed to.
Gambit's smile never fell, merely his head tilted side-to-side. "What a bundle of defiance in something so small - you've done well to raise her, mercenary, gold star to you both," He joked, cracking his neck. "Well, that heartwarming sight aside like with all that travel my halls, what is it you wish to know, travelers?"
This question seemed to piqued Gambit into leaning unnervingly closer to W in particular. She looked around expectantly, eyes landing on Cinder who motioned silently. "This was your path, you have the right to ask."
"We're all after the same thing regardless," Sora assured the woman who pondered on her next words carefully.
"Ah-Ah-Ah, I don't operate for free," Gambit put his dark hand forward with a cunning leer, a smile twisting artfully.
"U-um, is this valuable?" Astra quickly scampered forward with the crystal in her possession next to W, offering it up to the mercenary who plucked it with her tail, flicking it into her hand. Upon inspection, Gambit's eyes widened, taking a small shuffle back at the sight of the mineral. Was he afraid of it?
"Hrm... Midnite, and raw too, very rare even by my standards..." He seemed lost for a moment before clicking his fingers, taking it from W to levitate it close to his hand. "Hehe, you kids are either brave... or far more foolish than you think," Tossing it into a small box he quickly discarded the mineral. "Alright! A rare ore in exchange for my services, by all means, ask away little Aoi - oh, and choose your words carefully, no backtracking."
"This is it..." W looked at her hands then closed them tightly with a glare, facing the Nightmare that wore an almost expectant face constantly. "I... Gambit, tell us... who is the Merchant?" The air was taut, not a soul breathed, not even Astra who failed to even snatch a glimpse at Gambit's soul, or simply, there was too much to bear on the surface alone.
...
...
...
Gambit chuckled darkly, his eyes expanding so wide that gold completely encompassed the room and all that resided within reach of his gaze. "Very well, let us take a trip down memory lane..."
Gambit's voice faded away, and when W looked, not a soul was in sight, only a while void of which she was its only occupant.
"What the... hey, kid, Sora... Cinder?" She blinked, finding nothing except a gust of wind carrying gold dust past her hair.
Sora saw the same, and a scene began to form. It was a world like Equestria, a kingdom so large it spanned the meadows and reached toward the clouds. The hustle and bustle distant from his ears while standing upon a dirt road winding toward the kingdom bathed in sunlight.
"
Lost in a distant world stood a kingdom, grand and expanding, faced with darkness its people had no warning of."
Cinder stood in solemn silence, seeing a figure materialize past his form, taking in the radiance of the kingdom with a timid stature.
"One lone wanderer came to this land from another, given a task of which only he could perform."
Lumi's eyes widened alone. The man looked to be within his twenties, his face still held a tiny bit of fat but otherwise was quite charming. His hair a dusky grey and scruffy with the kindest jade eyes. His clothing wasn't of this magical world, wearing scruffy trousers with a white handkerchief between his belt and white dress shirt, a pair of dark green farmer gloves, tools attached to his belt.
"His name was Robin."
The scene changed, warping W within a throne of a castle. Before her stood the timid boy under her scornful eye. He stood before both the King and his guard's captain, a young girl with long, braided blonde hair and a stern expression to pair nicely with her emerald eyes that watched the outsider stand with a seal etched into his right palm.
"He came from a world he could not speak of, saying he was lost, only know that he must do something that will help the kingdom and its people. The King listened to the boy's woes, taking advice from those he trusted and consulted with, then, he gave his decree to the boy without a home or a direction of which to follow."
"I have listened to you, do not kneel to me, child," The King raised his hand to see the boy's face shoot up with surprise at his informal behavior. "If what you say is to be believed, if that seal upon your hand is what I believe to be a sign then I shall grant you a choice, do you accept?"
"I... y-yes, I do!" He said it without thinking, unable to think of another way around his situation.
The King smiled slightly, "Very forward, hmm... my choice is simple; You may leave to live within my kingdom's walls should the task grow to much for you," He paused, allowing him to digest his words. "Or, if you are to help my people stem the flow of this corruption you are to work under my Captain and follow her every command, so long as it is not inhumane."
"What?" She and Robin blurted out. The King raised his hand to silence them both.
"Now, what is your answer?" He waited. Cinder stood by Robin, analyzing how his form shook subtly under the eyes of the people, his gaze traveled, never leaving either the Captain or the King.
That same flurry of gold motes passed by Sora, causing him to stumble into another sight that was very reminiscent of his time with the Royal Guard. He stood in a training yard, weapons and equipment left scattered while Robin was forced to defend relentlessly against the Captain's vicious assault. One strong swing was forced back by the seal on his palm, a small force blast of magic that gave him the edge he needed to attack with his wooden sword. Sadly, Sora winced as her own shield dug into his stomach, dropping the young man like a sack of bricks.
"How can you possibly save this realm? You can barely stand yourself," She huffed, shaking her disappointed eyes away from him. "I spent years learning, training, fighting for this kingdom... don't think of this as some game your magic can win-" She turned back to him with a frown. "-sometimes, magic can only take you so far."
"I-I know that," He hacked, wiping the spit from his cheek while grasping his training equipment again. He was covered in bruises from their sparring but managed to stand regardless, that alone drew her gaze again over her shoulder. "But I... was chosen, I don't know why but I... I have to try," Cinder observed his sloppy footwork, he was bound to lose consciousness soon. Yet he pressed forward. "I-If I fail... then it was all for n-nothing, my choices were... f-for nothing..."
Astra winced behind her bangs only to find he had not landed face-first in the dirt, instead, the Captain kept him raised against her arms, herself staring down at his sweaty face with an aura swirling in shame, anger, and... admiration. "You are a fool..." Lifting him onto her back, she discarded the buckler and sword and slowly aided in taking him back into the castle.
"The days grew longer, and so did the Captain and Robin's training, both in the art of swordplay and mastery over his magic, Seal, the manifested power to absorb energy."
Sora leaned against a weapon rack, analyzing their fight closely. Robin drew his shield up to block the Captain's thrust, diverting the sword to his left with the buckler while copying her action. Seeing this she wrapped around to his left, curving her sword around in a horizontal arc, feeling the wooden blade batter off the buckler as she turned to guard. His foot somehow snuck behind her own, tripping her until his sword was poised at her chest, the pair panting.
"Copying me are we?" She hummed, seeing him smile bashfully.
"Learned from the best." Lowering his sword he reached out with a hand, hers grasping it with a tiny smile.
The world twisted and became something new in W's eyes. Darkness thundered in the black storms above, purple streaks of plasma discharged and scorched the earth atop a ruined keep. Robin stood with the Captain back-to-back against hordes of twisted abominations made from inky, purplish-black substances. A mage fought up high with an archer, the pair raining hell upon the horde across a bridge while an assassin carved her way through the dark forces like a bladed whirlwind.
"Their journey across Anima became long and hard, facing the creatures spawned from the great devourer of the world, the Collapse Dragon, Kranon. Allies were formed, pacts made with the most unlikely of characters. And a brotherhood was forged in the events that unfolded."
The gold veil fell by Astra's hooves, revealing a massive war against a jagged world twisted by black rock and rivers of molten purple slag. An entire kingdom laid siege on the world. Bolts of various magic and arts were showered upon the enemy's seemingly endless hordes. Many were large, eyeless serpents. Some were small grunts like the knights, their weapons fused to their flesh and bone. Casters hid among the ridges, faces shrouded by large hats, magic gathered by their fingers, concealed by their robes. Worst were the large, flaming creatures with burning mauls caged by chains as they slammed them into the earth, splaying molten fire everywhere.
"While the forces of man raged against an inevitable end. While the world tore itself apart, ruptures splitting the sky, Robin stood before the centerpiece of its annihilation, those he trusted and confided in standing by his sides."
A great shadow loomed over a new scene in Cinder's visor. He tilted his head and saw what could possibly shroud the world in darkness. From a large tear in reality spawned a massive beast, its body serpent in form, coated in metallic, dark purple scales and jagged plating curved along its sides, strange, sapphire crystals protruded as opals along its vertebrae. The head was a maw of teeth into a void, large forward-facing horns curved to guard its face, a single, glowing vortex for an eye glowering at the ants beneath its mighty wings. The membrane of the segmented bone structure formed of pure energy.
The battle was horribly one-sided. Kranon stripped holes through the world, carving through their defenses, their magic, and their traps all but naught against something completely impervious to damage. Kranon would cast streams of energy upon Robin's team, igniting the world an amethyst blaze. With tremendous speed his body uprooted the crust of Anima, so much so W thought she would fall into the ravines formed by its mere presence.
As Robin's allies fought bravely with all their might, he took his stand with a great deal of effort, blood dripping down his face while the Captain tried to hold him back weakly. "W-wait, if you do this... y-you could... I..." Her eyes were practically begging him not to yet his arm pulled away gently, smiling over his shoulder with a fearful but brave face.
"If I didn't, what kind of fool would that make me?" Giving a small wink he turned and rushed for the slithering dragon, wings beating with enough strength to ward of a sudden payload of magic from afar. Turning right, Robin gasped as well as Astra who spotted the sight of the Kingdom's armies gathered along the edge of the crater, distracting Kranon for Robin to move in undetected.
Charging the beast, Robin dove past Sora who followed the man's actions. The tail swept round, forcing Robin to leap, bracing the pain in his side as the tail brushed a small wave of flames. Turning quickly, Kranon spotted him and brought its head around, a large beam of energy spurted forth as a powerful blast, again, forcing him to retreat as the area he once occupied was blown away in the ensuing explosion. The sheer force knocked him away and into the face of a barrier erected by the mage of his party, the injured sorcerer grinning. "Get back in there!"
*Boosh!*
Another hail of elements and arrows riddled Kranon's head as it carved through another rupture, forcing the dragon to lower its mouth and snarl at the discomfort as it unleashed another barrage of lasers from its wings. Not wasting a second, Robin rushed up the dragon's back, swinging himself around while conjuring several hardlight platforms under him.
Swinging around to the cracked fissure in the monstrous dragon's chest he brought his hands forward, the seal on his right glowing brightly as he plunged his palms into the burning wound, screaming in pain. "Rrrraaaaa!" Kranon thrashed from the discomfort but was unable to pry the boy from his chest, feeling his power fluctuate, attacks flaring wildly in agony under the sudden pull toward Robin's hands.
"In one bold action, a simple farmhand slew a monster of unfathomable power, purging Anima of its scourge, of a plague that would have ravaged a world and beyond."
Light obstructed the world, blinding W who was met with a new form of illumination. Gone was the chaos and death that scarred a beautiful world, instead, she stood atop the castle walls overlooking the kingdom. Fireworks staining the sky in an aroura of colors. The mage sat on a crate alongside the assassin, the girl playing with a knife in her hand. The archer swung his feet over the wall walk, bottle in hand.
For Robin and the Captain, they sat together overlooking the kingdom embroiled in jubilation, her head on his shoulder, their hands intertwined. Astra sat there, staring at the two closely. An all too familiar feeling resonating between them. The breathtaking sight soon dissolved under Gambit's choice words.
"However... a world stagnant by peace cannot last, nor can chaos remain unopposed..."
When Cinder focused again, he lowered his head. The kingdom, in one single frame, was burning. The skies filled with rain; Fires refusing to die out through the shattered windows of the castle. Inside, so many laid dead by Robin's feet, blood-soaked into carpets and torn tapestry. What turned W's stomach was the sight of the Captain, blood pooling under her while she sat in Robin's arms, her eyes beginning to grow hazy and unfocused. His own orbs filled with tears, unable to withhold their weight.
"Please, answer me...!" He snapped up at the sky piercing through the collapsed ceiling. "Why... why can't I save them!? Why am I even here!?" Nothing, not even a breeze. "Answer me!!" Lowering his head in distraught before a misty-eyed Astra. "It's all my fault... I-I should've told..." Her hand reached up to flick his nose weakly, and through it all she pulled back a warm smile, blood dripping down the corner of her mouth.
"You a-always were a-a fool," She teased, her hand fell to her stomach. "If this was to be fate th-e-en... I-I'm gl-lad... I c-could share it... w-wi-ith you-u..."
"Where love once bloomed only despair and grief remained to consume him. The last of a kingdom of corpses."
The world changed, somewhere among ruins a forest Robin stood, face hardened with resolve while painting strange markings into the stone brick floor. Each was encircling another ring, creating a series of layers to a ritual none could decipher. W observed closely, watching how each stroke of the brush was careful and deliberate until the man stood at the center, his seal glowing a dark purple.
"He stole the power of Rupture from the Collapse Dragon, twisted its strength into his own, to cast himself upon another world of his choosing; If the one that sent him far from his home, refused to answer his pleas would not heed others like him, then he must be stopped."
"Come forth great veil of nothingness, blanket me in your ascendance and grant me a needle through time, scatter my essence upon a world's chosen consumed by selfish desires, let me peer into their sins and set them free." The cryptic chant caused a reaction under Astra's hooves, the seals brimming with magic, turning and expanding into a large gash in the ground before Robin, the runes peeled from the stone to form a cone of dark wind. His face lit up with joy. "Y-yes, I did it! Hahaha..." Reaching down to his belt, he patted the sword strapped to his side. "I can't fix this, Jack, but I can stop it from happening again, I swear."
Stepping through the gateway, the gold motes reworked reality around Sora, himself strolling forward to find that the world was unlike Equestria or Anima, instead, he overlooked a city skyline drenched in a downpour. Atop one of the largest buildings in the skyline he gasped, seeing that Robin held another person by the face, the seal glowing sharply in the artificial light of a billboard as the man's energy was drained, reducing him to nothing more than a pile of dust.
"He searched the Realms of other Displaced, targeting those that have taken their powers for their own benefit, ruining the worlds they were meant to protect. By his hand alone, his infamy grew, and utilizing the Displaced as tethers he conjured great spells to collapse the tainted spots among the worlds in Ruptures, leaving no trace of his involved behind, say for a few ruins and craters."
With each transition, the worlds changed constantly around Cinder. Ones similar to Equestria, others were that of pirates or in the vast existence of space. Every sight was worse than the last. Armies lay defeated and broken, their so-called 'Champions' drained of their powers until they were nothing more than dust and bones. The essence of their existence infused into black obelisks to channel Ruptures into the battlegrounds, leaving destruction behind to cover the rift that closed soon after, Robin's presence no longer sensed among the worlds he 'Purged'.
"The hero that saved Anima had died, all that remained was a husk yearning to devour more."
When the world faded, W spun around to find that she was back in Gambit's Emporium alongside her friends. All shared her look of bewilderment and fright. And sat on his throne was Gambit, twirling the same knife the assassin once held. His smile everlasting. "Had a nice dream, little travelers?"
The air was still with the weight of what was told, the dark tale spun with such elegance was far too ironic. Gambit sat and took in all he could feel, the worries and signs of relief, heavy depressions of blue lifted from shoulders, and others applied in gradual deposits like a wave against the coast. Questions gave rise to frustration and discord, but one shadowed his own methods, analyzing the room with solemn eyes.
"He was like us and... he felt so lost," Sora's face was hurt, not only because of how he would be used to destroy Equestria, his home but how the Merchant, the real one abandoned Robin to simply suffer without a sign at all. "He turned against them and... killed so many people."
"He has lost his way, fallen to darkness." Cinder muttered, understanding the Merchant's pain but not once feeling an ounce of sympathy
"It doesn't make sense," W's voice was low when she raised her head, ember eyes scorching with emotion. "Why all this? Why use us? Last I checked he turned Equestria against me, he threatened this world with the Abyss and a freakin' necromancer! Why!?"
Gambit smiled, leaning back in his chair with a huff. "Weren't you listening? I'm hurt, I put alot of effort into those visuals," Mockingly his smile fixed to his face, rotating his hand slowly. "You asked me, and I quote perfectly, 'Who is the Merchant?'" His impersonation of W's pitch was scarily accurate that her finger curled back into her palm.
"As I said, he lost his way," Cinder spoke up, stepping forward along the edge of the catwalk. "His intentions were true to his word but all of those powers he took, and the resulting use of Rupture corrupted him, Robin was consumed."
It then dawned on Astra, gasping. "Kranon... h-he's still alive!" The startling discovery caused a chill to enter the chamber, Gambit himself muffling a laugh behind his smile.
"Kranon is what the Realms call a 'Vex' very tricky creatures given they were all locked away; The Seal drained his power but his consciousness remains," Gambit spun another vision, this time between himself and those present in a haze of gold. Gambit's vision depicted Robin's hollow face and the dark shadow that caged his body with a single, glaring eye over his shoulder.
"The fool believed he destroyed Kranon, instead it bided its time, using the grief and isolation that consumed the farmhand and the power he stole from Displaced to grow and fester until there was nothing left but Kranon." He dispelled the smog, leaving only his cheek creased against his fist. "Oh, I wonder though, you stand here squirming in your booties, to what causes this strife, hmm?"
"He's not a Merchant, then... then how did we get here?" Sora couldn't wrap his head around it. Sure, it had been a few years but he was certain that Displacement cannot occur without a Merchant, my the constructs of fiction anyhow. The longer Sora considered the methods or possibility that Kranon used Robin's ability to siphon strength into another he came to a harrowing conclusion. "No..."
"What is it, Fly-Boy?" W pressed only for his eyes to pierce through her head and toward the culprit behind her. She turned, her own orbs wide, antenna standing on end.
"Hehehe... I never said I was a saint, didn't you warn them, Hollow?" Gambit mused like a child pulling a prank, eyes curved like crescents at their reactions.
"Gambit is a dealer, he doesn't care for sides only his own," Cinder confirmed their theories. "So, that would lead us to assume your wares were given to us by his hand?"
"Correct," Gambit clicked his tongue, wiggling his fingers between a pair of cards left unseen as he spoke, ignoring W's hateful glare while she stood in Astra's line of sight protectively. "Don't you get it, travelers? This is all a big game of chess. You are the players against Kranon and his pawns, you've made moves accordingly, however, the part I play isn't so meaningless as player one or two, no-no," His eyes glowed bright, a symbol like two diamonds around his left eye reacting the same way. "I'm the one who will decide which side will win."
W wanted to run, coming here despite the answers she had received, the very calling as to why she endured so much heartache, only to find out Gambit was the source of it all. If the Mer - no, if Kranon never found Gambit, herself, Sora, Astra, Cinder, they'd be where they belonged, home and safe. Or three of them would be. Her eyes quickly glanced to Astra then back at Gambit's, as if he knew what she was thinking. What didn't he know scared her most of all.
"I dislike Vex, well, bar two exceptions," His finger rose to hold their questions. "Now, I will give to you two things in return for such a rewarding game - to really even the odds against such a foe. One; what his intentions are with you and this colorful world of ponies. And Two; where you can find him."
"Really?" Astra spoke up, causing the Nightmare to giggle himself.
"Why, of course, I'm not above offering the losing side a little edge if I feel generous, isn't that one of the Elements that govern this world?" His grin never faltered, snapping his fingers to cause a screen to appear, revealing the base of a mountain, and the ragged figure of Robin's possessed body strolling inside with numerous Infected. "He's located under Canterlot, possibly to prep the kingdom for the wildest of parties no doubt,"
Another deliberate crack of his digits and the screen shifted to that of a chalk diagram of W, Sora, and Cinder. The three of them with dotted lines leading toward a strange, three-horned contraption with Kranon at the center. "With the decades he's spent gathering energy from Displaced, not only has he ascertained enough power to perfect this little project of his, now he holds a large fraction of temporal energy left behind from Displaced upon traveling between worlds, you three are the 'Tethers'."
"I don't like how that sounds..." W muttered.
"I wouldn't - hehe, you see, you three will provide a foundation, a lure of sorts for a great calamity, the likes of which not even the mighty Discord could possibly imagine! With this, Kranon will summon forth a disaster that will tear this world apart by forcing another Realm's laws upon Equestria's, that tension will grow and expand before it simply... snaps!" He hissed, breaking the chalkboard sharply to startled the group. "If he does this, Robin will be erased from time in the aftermath, no Robin means no one ever trapped Kranon, he will be free from his fleshy prison, his real form reborn."
And like that, all was laid bare. Silence, no comments, no more questions remained. Only silence and shock at what was to come, what... they were to Kranon, merely objects whose sole purpose were to die alongside the world that either hated or trusted them, the results didn't matter in the end. The real threat was the very being that sent them to a faraway land in the first place.
Sensing the gloomy atmosphere, Gambit cleared his throat, leaning back on his chair. "Well, since we're within my own space we have time to contemplate the inevitable fates of worlds before I can whisk you all on your merry way, whatever that may be, so... take your time," He waved his arms wide, then snapped a finger forward with a glare. "But no touching my merchandise, clear?" Three nodded, W just... walked away.
"Hey, W-"
"Just leave me alone," Her words cut across Sora's sharply, head low with each step she took to the farthest corner of the Emporium. Her tail curled around her waist as she walked, no longer feeling anything.
"Hey, Aoi, what're your choices?" Looking up from her documentations, she leaned back against the wall with a window facing the outside world. Her eyes were aloof and distant.
"Dunno, maybe a college or just a job at that cafe, I'm fine with either really." She shrugged, turning to look at her closest friends. "And what? You're actually trying for that apprenticeship at that fancy game development studio?"
Her friend smiled, patting his chest confidently. "Duh, I've been coding mods for years, this stuff's made for me, and if I can make some more money on the side, win-win, right?"
"Always the optimist." Aoi rolled her eyes, turned to place her left cheek against her palm, facing her female friend. "What's your master plan then?"
"College, if I can clear that on to Uni, hopefully," She smiled nervously. "I'm a little anxious though, it's alot of coursework and strange hours compared to school."
"I hear ya," Looking back at her reflection, what exactly were her plans aside from some part-time job to keep her free time? Was that all she needed or was that her way of skipping out on real-world issues? For the longest time, Aoi kept staring off into space, wondering what she was really good at, to begin with.
Blinking, W stared back at her aloof expression against a small grave shield with a green crystal in its center. That had been the first time she ever wondered why she didn't stick with her college like her friend, why didn't she apply to an apprenticeship she liked, or why she stuck with some part-time job at a cafe? And now, what was she anymore? A mercenary? A tether? A... monster?
"When I came to this world-" She flinched at Cinder's voice, never bothering to look up from her spot on the catwalk edge. "-the sight of a creature on two legs, bound in black metal that burned hotter than a dragon's flame scared so many. And many more wanted me dead, I was a monster unlike any seen before. I could carve rows of enemies down with a single swing, scorch the land where I walked... I was an indomitable force of nature."
"If all you're going to do is lecture me, visit a school or something," Even her retorts were empty. "What the hell am I?"
"You are a Displaced, like us." Cinder spoke gently
"Is that all? Am I just some useless pawn, is that it?" Her eyes were wide, disbelieving her reflection.
"You are not." Cinder countered.
"How would you know!?" She snapped back, eyes shaking with fright, fist curled up tightly. "You didn't have the world turned against you on day one!? I did, forced to live day after day in some fucking ruins in a forest scavaging for food while everyone called me a monster, hated me for no reason!" W glare through his visor. "Sure, you were treated badly but they listened eventually while no one ever listened to me! Aoi was nothing, W is nothing here too, so what the hell am I!?"
Weeks of torment came crashing to the surface, spat back in Cinder's face like the many times he too felt the pressure cave in, to see it repeat before his eyes was an experience he had never felt before, and understood far too well. Raising his hoof, W flinched once it landed on her head, ruffling her unkempt locks gingerly. "W or Aoi, they are just names, whichever you come to associate with, regardless of their pasts, retain the choice to do better, to find their purpose; Your life is yours to choose, a tether, a beast, a nobody, or even my friend."
The words lifted her head again, a sorrowful look plastering her features but this was understandable, she was lost and terrified behind the confidence she wore like a badge, hiding her burdens. Looking down at her reflection again, W could see Aoi staring back at her, the same stupid girl that gave up once things got too tough. That made her scowl, picking herself up, discarding her ragged cloak while clenching her fists, bring her right across her own cheek.
W stumbled into her own left cross, crashing against one of the shelves before delivering a final gut punch to herself, collapsing with a cough while wiping her lips dry of spit. For a moment she let the spike to adrenaline jumpstart her body with a tingling sensation down to her tail, it was almost blissful, "Hah... hah... my choice, huh?" Slowly she rose again, dusting off her jacket before yanking the strap of her duffle bag off the ground, slinging it over her shoulder. "Then fine, Sparkles."
The pair strolled over to where Gambit sat patiently, Sora and Astra watching W worryingly from the small marks on her face, with her sharp smile she patted Sora's back. "Why the long face, Fly-Boy, we've got a dumbass kingdom to save, and a boatload of thank you letters to receive when we do!" In passing she ruffled Astra's mane, hearing her hum with delight at the playful tickle behind the ears. "Hey, Gambit, we're ready to go."
He was busy flicking through cards, grinning away at her confident approach. "Had little heart-to-heart?" Looking around quickly he snapped his fingers, the floor in front of her splitting wide open with a vortex similar in nature to the Stepping Stone. "This will drop you off outside the caves, happy travels, I'll be watching from the edge of my seat, little travelers."
"W?" Stopping an inch before the rim she spun around to Sora, feeling his hand rest on her bicep. "Once we go through we'll have not just Canterlot but all of the Royal Guard in the area, if they catch you, then..." She always found his worry endearing, especially on his stupid freckled face.
Flicking one of his aqua-tinted braids she stuck her tongue out, folding her arms over her chest. "I'd like to see 'em try, peace!" With a skip she fell backward, her weapons reappearing as three more shadowed fell after her inside the gravity-defying wormhole.
"-again with - Ow!" W grunted, face firmly planted into the grass until she propped herself up on her elbows. "Ack!" Cinder landed atop her, leaving her breathless while her eyes became wide, white circles. "Ack!" Sora added himself atop Cinder, W's soul escaping between her lips until Astra flopped atop them all safely.
"My head..." Sora spoke dizzily, flopping to one side with Astra, Cinder grunting on the opposite end.
"My back..." W croaked, peeling herself from the small dirt outline of her body, clutching her chest. "I think I just lost a cup size, and my lungs..." Paler than normal W observed as the rift closed above them, leaving only the chirping of birds and clanking of metal further up the hillside. "Astra, go take a look, Im'ma come back to ya once I stop seeing two suns..." With that, W fell back into the grass.
Since the rest were currently recovering from the trip, the whitette nodded and tugged her scarf over her muzzle, skittering up the hill to investigate the sounds. Using her semblance she could sense a dozen ponies ahead of her, all flushed against the mountainside with equipment and tents. Blinking she hid behind a rock to observe, spotting the familiar shiny armor they wore. Many patrolled small ledges with other tunnels but none were inside strangely enough.
It didn't take long for Astra to return, motioning up the hill. "Guards everywhere, I think they're scared to go inside."
W just stared off into space for a second, her mind suddenly became very muddled with... images, like flashes of a life before her gaze. Sora also noticed this, tapping her shoulder. "W?" His worry shook her quickly, a strained smile on her lips.
"Ah, sorry I just... wow, feel like a whole freakin' world slammed into my head," It was faint but now those images were starting to fade. She shrugged off whatever the name 'Horus' was before clicking her fingers. "Right, well Astra, that's where we're heading," W surmised, patting the filly's head. "Right, with that we just need to find a way past dozens of... erm, well, I was going to say 'trained guards' but after the last time I crossed paths with them I'm beginning to doubt that," Rubbing her chin, Sora smiled away while patting the armored pony next to them. "Huh?"
"Cinder, think you can do me a solid?" The Hollow lifted his head toward the Prince, and unbeknownst to them, a sly smile formed.
"Excuse me, may I inquire as to whom is in charge here?" Cinder spoke boldly, startling several tense guards from their posts. One who stood by a desk, a map detailing the layout of the early cave systems on display. The pony turned nervously, eyes wide.
"L-Lord Cinder! I, um, i-it's an honor, sir," The guard saluted Cinder who reciprocated the action. If he were being honest, that always made him feel awkward, the customs of the Guard were so formal it was suffocating, yet with the Night Guard, he felt at ease.
"Is it any wonder Lily suggested the post for me," He chuffed to himself. "No need for formalities, lad, I have recently been informed of some troubling development under Canterlot, am I to assume the issue resides before us?"
While keeping the guard and a few of his men distracted. W led Sora and Astra between the rocks, shuffling past the disorganized guards no longer solely focused on their posts and more of the intimidating presence of Cinder. Out the corner of Cinder's eye, he gave a subtle nod of his head to W who flashed him a toothy grin.
"Um, yes sir, but s-sorry, the orders from Princess Celestia were to restrict access to any outsiders, t-that would have to include you, sir." It was obvious Cinder's appearance constantly intimidated newer recruits, it was a double-edged sword in most cases. However, it works in Cinder's favor for situations such as these.
"I understand, no need to look so shaken, lad," He patted the guard's shoulder. "You are committed to a fine job, however, if such a threat were to cause the unwanted deaths of your comrades I would feel equally as responsible."
The pony shook his head. "N-no, this wouldn't be your fault, sir-"
"I know, and yet, it was those same actions that led to... unfortunate circumstances in my past, had I gone against my commanding officer's word, maybe things... would be different," Cinder sucked in a long breath, calming himself before the green guard. "Please, allow me to provide my own investigations, should any consequences come of this I shall take the fall."
"But sir..." He looked hesitant then scratched his mane. "Ah... I really hated these orders too - okay, okay... here," His magic levitated over another copy of the cave network. "This is the most we've managed to map out, it should be a good place to start, a-and sir, please be careful."
Cinder chuckled lightly at his words, "You are a fine guard, lad, you have my word, now, let us pretend I was never here." With that, the Hollow turned for the entrance his allies entered, now with a map and a clearance to his name. Under his breastplate, his hoof tapped a space where something clanked against his armor. "I shall not fail them this time."
The entry was promising, many long and winding paths diverted from the centralized cavern, a stream of water entering a pond in the center. This wasn't as difficult as W expected since they had a Seer with them. "Astra, where exactly are we going?" W inquired, the Sarkaz stopping before three dark entrances with her tail scratching her forehead, visible confusion on her face. "I didn't major in geography."
"Hmm... I think this way? No-no, this... way, huh?" The little pony kept bringing her hoof back and forth, then frowned. "There's something like Mr. Gambit's home, it's making everything fuzzy but this way feels stronger." Her hoof stopped on the left tunnel.
The group immediately strolled down the tunnel, carelessly wandering into the dark as the group jogged up beside her, using Sora's illuminated swords and Cinder's embers to navigate. W jumped over a crack in the ground, the void staring back. "How far down do these tunnels go?"
"I think most ponies believe they could go on forever, saying that the ones that mined for resources eventually dug too deep," Sora answered, shaking his head. "I don't want to know what could be further down."
W put her arm up. Through a hole in the wall a large, oval room shifted on its own, the clank of metal shambling by with bright crystals lighting the way. Turning around, Astra pointed to a second tunnel instead. Soon they stood inside a larger cavern than before, several tunnels spanning the walls. They stopped, giving the filly time to tune out the world and search the earth further.
Cinder paused a moment, assessing his sword before inverting it within his magic, then, with a small chime five crystal balls surfaced around his head, casting a brighter shade of light onto the cavern walls. "That would work far better,"
Once light basked the cavern that's when W realized how... smooth the texture of the walls and floor were. The formation of rock below looked to have been molded and recently, most was blackened until halfway up the walls like something had torched the cavern and a single tunnel ahead lost in the dark. "This looks like a magma tunnel but... it's new?" Something about this made her feel queezy.
Sora's face suddenly lost all color, eyes the size of pins while W's brow rose upon turning away from her investigation.
"What?"
Through the dark of one of the caverns was a growing pulse of amethyst light, and it was crackling. Time crawled as she turned to inspect the dark, like observing an angular fish's bobble waving in the void. Whatever it was glowed brighter with each inch W's posture shifted. W wasn't fast enough to move before a barrier of tiger light encompassed her from the piercing blast, though the shockwave more than sent her flying on her ass.
Sora rushed to cover Astra, helping the filly move away from a set of claws that tore through the dark, tearing a layer of rock off the ground. Standing in the center of them all was the gnarled form of the Forsaken as its crossbow recharged, leveling its crooked arm to Cinder's staff as several Farron Darts battered the creature's form only for its own bolt to shatter the crystals, blowing the wall behind Cinder apart.
"Kill... them all." It hissed, blocking Sora's twin slants with just its forearm, batting the winged human away while firing another Arts blast to cut off his assault. Forsaken evaded a grenade blast while posing its crossbow high, ignoring the knives and crystals that tore against its marred flesh while its roar shook the caverns. "Disappear...!"
"Brace yourselves!" Cinder proclaimed, retreating in time before the flash of purple shattered the ceiling above, webbing the cavern while the world groaned in protest. Large boulders broke free, smashing through the floor, dislodging more of the caves structural integrity.
"Sora, Astra!" W couldn't see straight, a large slab of slate dividing her view entirely, flinging the mercenary back once the ground under her slid backward. Before long the floor caved in, the Forsaken along with them and tons of debris.
To Be Continued...
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That is how you write a Good villian backstory!!!
10864191
Glad you like it given the fact I made up his backstory not long before this reveal but hey if the shoe fits...
It's still pretty good, way to go all in. Not many Displaced writers give that much effort.
10866041
Thanks, and yeah like even though I had to make a story from nothing I wanted to put as best of an effort as possible, so far it seems to have worked as intended
10866095
Oh it has
10866101
^_^
So the merchant wasn't The Merchant, I knew something was off with him!
God job on the twist, I didn't even see it coming.
10871125
Ta~da, I really liked writing his backstory alongside his possessed body, sorta the usual trope for Displaced with a dark turnabout. Happy you liked it too ^_^