Chapter 36: Atlesian Nights
It was Laywind’s birthday, and as such, the entire family gathered in their apartment… It was a nice little home made from brick, the Equestrians had been staying there for a few weeks now, clearly, Laywind’s family was concerned about needing to feed four new guests, but it turned out to be the other way around, as the Equestrians were the ones buying the Laywinds their groceries… Those bits that Celestia gave Twilight were particularly valuable in Mantle, gold was apparently a rare element, and Twilight now had thousands upon thousands of Lien, those strange cards that the humans and faunus used as currency, and Rarity wouldn’t let the relatively poor family go uncompensated for all the trouble of providing the ponies shelter.
Everyone gathered in the living room, there was a modest cake with eighteen candles atop it. The panda-eared girl sat in her chair, blowing out the candles and handing slices of cake to everyone… It certainly wasn’t as sweet as anything from Equestria, but it was good none the less. Even Pietro was here, a good friend of the family apparently. In the corner, Rarity was sitting with the scientist, “Any news about my sister?” She asked, quietly.
“I’m sorry, I visited Atlas Academy yesterday, but there were no students under those names…”
Rarity looked a little sad, but Pietro said, “Are you sure your siblings went to Atlas?”
“Where else would they have gone, they said they were going to a monster-fighting school…”
“Well, Atlas is only one of four huntsman academies… They could have gone to beacon or haven, it’s unlikely but possible…”
That caught Twilight’s attention, who was still wearing her armour disguised as simple worker’s clothes. “There are other schools?” Spike was on Twilight’s shoulder but hidden under an invisibility spell…
“Well, yes… One in each kingdom,”
“Spike, write this down…” She said, waving her hand and causing Spike to appear… Everyone gasped and looked at the creature on her shoulder, who was pulling out a piece of paper.
“W-What is that thing?” One of Laywind’s siblings said.
“Oh, Spike, he’s… Uhh…” She didn’t want to draw attention to herself, but quickly came up with an explanation, “He’s my semblance, I can summon him to do stuff for me, he’s just an extension of my aura, and not actually alive.” Spike, understanding the need to keep a low profile, didn’t respond, as much as he wanted to.
“That’s a fascinating ability, I’ve never heard of such a semblance before,” Pietro said.
Rarity chimed in, “Pietro, what was that you were saying about the other schools…”
“Ah, yes, there is one in each kingdom, it is possible that they’re in Beacon or Haven…”
“Can you look into those schools, see if any of our siblings are over there?”
“It would be hard, I’d have to visit the CCTS, meaning I’d need to schedule another visit to Atlas, it will take another week or so…”
Twilight frowned, “Can we go see this Atlas Academy ourselves…”
“Perhaps, I’ll talk to the deputy headmaster, unfortunately, Ironwood is busy…”
Raven sat in her tent, cleaning her sword… Her last raid went poorly, the villagers were well-armed and had huntsmen with them… Not all of her tribe made it out alive… The idea of the other planet loomed in her mind. Unfortunately, she had lost track of the aliens just after they first arrived… Well, they are shapeshifters.
What…
Oh, those “aliens”, they’re shapeshifters, looking for a new home after their old one became too dangerous for them, they were enemies of a powerful nation, you see…
W-What is this, why was she thinking these things…
My dear little survivalist, you are not the one thinking these things… I’ve been watching you for a while, and I figured this would be the best way of getting your attention… If I came as a human or faunus, you might just try and kill me…
Who are you, then? How are you doing this… And what do you mean… Raven, for the first time in a long while, was scared… Someone, or something, was talking to her inside her own head…
You know I can hear your thoughts… I prefer the name Discord, but I have many names… The God of Chaos, The Great Serpent, The Trickster, The Fifth Sage, The Lord of Clowns… None you would know of though… I have been absent from this world for a very, very, long time.
G-God?
You already know of my cousins, brothers they were, light and darkness… The voice in Raven’s head chuckled.
Y-Your one of them! How! T-They left Remnant!
They did, one of them is currently on the planet he calls Nikomyre, the other I think is sitting around a black hole, experimenting with the development of life around one of the most hostile of environments… But me, I prefer the planet Equus, but I have a bit of an interest in your world too…
What do you want with my world then… Raven was- She didn’t want this creature to know her thoughts, she tried to clear her mind…
A clever little human you are… I won’t tell you my plan for this world, yet… But you will play an important part in that plan… Most of it is set in motion, in fact, those aliens you saw, the Changelings, are another piece of that plan, and one of the more important pieces too… But, I can’t let you play around with that piece, lest you throw my scheme out of alignment…
W-What are you doing with me then… I don’t like schemers...I don’t like liars and puppeteers, particularly ones that try to tell me what to do.
Well, my plan is far from malevolent, in fact, it will save your little planet from a lot of destruction and devastation, and have effects that will ripple throughout the universe, changing the fate of this galaxy forever… But, explaining myself is not the reason I have come to you… No, no, no… It’s to offer you something, a chance to escape the gaze of our little wicked witch… You want to go to another world, don’t you?
What does sending me and my tribe to another world do for you, I’m not about to make a deal unless I know what I’m getting into…
I will send you, and your tribe, to another planet, a populated planet, where you might be free… And, in doing so, you will cause plenty of chaos on this world, and I get you, a very unpredictable variable, away from my plans for this world… What do you say?
Raven didn’t want to trust this thing- No, no, don’t let it read your mind… Fine, I’ll take the deal, but let me see where you’re sending me, and prove to me that it’s another world…
Very well… With that, Raven’s mind was flooded with images of a snowy landscape, high in the mountains, it was night, and the moon above was full, uncracked, and the sky was a little more purple than the nights on Remnant.
Fine, send me there, but take my tribe first! Raven thought, she instantly supressed her thoughts, she forgot that this being could read her mind, and she wanted to think about it first, but, with a bit of horror, she realized she accidentally took the deal too soon…
Suddenly, there was a blinding flash of light and her entire camp, along with herself, was now sitting in the cold mountainside… Raven opened her eyes, she was still in her tent… Everything was, clearer, cleaner, brighter… She felt a strange pressure on the top of her head, and she felt something swaying behind her. She didn’t feel cold in the least bit, instead, she felt hot, very hot, like she had a furnace inside her like she was burning, but it didn’t hurt… It felt good… She had a sudden craving for salad and fruit and the taste of iron.
She tried to get to her feet, but she stumbled forward, like her center of mass was different, looking down, she saw her- “W-What!” She shouted. She had hooves! Like those of a deer, hard, cloven, and… Red… Her hooves were red, her fur black… She screamed, tried to scrabble to her feet and get out of her tent, to see what became of her tribe… She hobbled over to the tent’s flap, there was plenty of shouts and screams from outside, she almost wanted to go outside as a raven, but she would rather see her tribe in person.
Outside, it was a chaos of all sorts of creatures, but from their clothing, morphed to fit their new forms, and their weapons scattered across the ground, she could tell these were her people… Some were horses, colourful and oddly proportioned horses, some with horns and some with wings… Some looked like giant birds with the bodies of cats, and others were reptilian, with massive bat-wings and scaley bodies. Shay had turned into a giant ape-like dog!
Everyone turned to see who stepped out of the camp, or at least turned as best as they could, many couldn’t stand, and those who could were uneasy on their new legs… A familiar voice spoke up, “R-Raven? What’s happening! W-What are we! What are you!” It came from a… Bird-Horse of some kind, it… No... Her body was covered in pale brown feathers with a mane of two-toned greenish and yellowish hair and pale blue eyes… She wasn’t the same thing as the bird-cat things, she was skinnier, taller, and her back-legs looked more like those of a horse… But it was her clothing and voice that gave her away…
“V-Vernal?” Raven was angry, whatever was talking to her just turned her entire tribe into a pack of aliens! She felt fury building inside her, it seemed to come naturally, and pushed out any other emotions with supernatural speed… She was burning with rage, she was hot, and growing hotter, but it felt nice, her entire body now felt like a furnace, not just her stomach… She swore she saw purplish, bluish, and reddish flames dancing around her…
Everyone took a step back, or at least tried too, except for Vernal, who simply said, “R-Raven, you’re on fire!”
The ponies left the apartment and wandered down the streets of Mantle, with all the asking around for their siblings, none of them really had time to appreciate the city, and even Twilight kept herself under control when she saw a bookstore, but now, tired of asking around and spending weeks searching the city for the CMC, everyone needed a drink… They found their way to a bar and grill, it apparently didn’t serve faunus according to the sign out front, but a simple illusion spell took care of that… They all walked in and took their seats.
“And what can I order for you today,” Asks the bartender.
“Got any apple cider?” Dash perked up.
“Sure, hard or soft?”
“Hard please…” Dash continued.
“Sure thing… What about you?”
Rarity looked deep in thought, she wasn’t the biggest fan of alcohol, but right now, it was certainly welcome, “Some wine please.” She said.
Twilight said, “Milk, please, I don’t like alcohol… Make that chocolate milk…”
Spitfire finished by saying, “I’ll take root beer and an order of…” She glanced at the menu, “I’ll try this ‘fish and chips’ stuff…”
“One root beer, and the fish and chips.” He finished and walked off.
They sat, waiting for their drinks. Rarity pulled out that strange scroll that Discord had given her while they were waiting. “Uhh, are you sure that’s a good idea?” Asked Dash.
“We’ve been searching all over town, and we have yet to find a single clue about where that horrid snake sent my Sweetie…”
“But, do you think he would actually put something useful in there… Odds are it’s a trap…”
Rarity popped the scroll open and clicked the start button, it lit up, and Discord’s voice came through, “Hello, Rarity, if everything is going the way I planned, you’re already in Remnant, in the city of Mantle… Well, congratulations on finally opening up this little trinket, it will self-destruct in a few minutes, but, rest assured that your sister, and all of her little friends, are same and sound, for the time being anyway… She is currently attending Beacon Academy down south in the city of Vale… Well, I’m off to talk to Fluttershy...”
With that, the scroll snapped in half and fell to the floor, sparking and dead… “Well… That was, interesting…” Spitfire said.
“D-Do you think Discord is actually telling the truth?” Twilight said
“Only one way to find out… Where’s this Vale…” Dash said.
“Somewhere to the south, across the ocean,” Twilight muttered.
“What are we waiting for!” Rarity shouted, “My sister could be in danger!”
“Rarity! Discord wouldn’t let the foals be harmed, he isn’t evil… Plus, we need to order a trip on an airship or boat to get there…”
As they discussed what they were going to do next, suddenly, an alarm sounded, a loud shrieking thing. “Grimm attack!” One of the humans shouted. The four ponies shared a look and abandoned their lunch, running out into the street. Twilight let the illusions around her drop, and everyone stared at the four, their faunus parts suddenly visible, particularly Twilight, with alien armour.
They ran out into the street and saw that the wall in the distance was being scaled by a massive horde of wolf-like creatures, accompanied by birds and a giant millipede. The strange creatures were advancing, and they kept coming despite the guards, and their automaton’s attempts to hold them off…
Rainbow Dash was the first to react, unslinging her gun, she took the thing everywhere she went, and flapping her wings, taking off, all while firing her assault rifle into the advancing horde, ripping through them with amazing efficiency, as each shot hit their mark and caused the monsters to dissolve into crimson dust.
The nevermores were quick to turn on the flying foe, and Rainbow soon found herself in a dogfight, firing behind her as the birds chased her down. Meanwhile, with the horde of beowolves advancing, Rarity, her weapon left behind at Pietro’s shop, picked up a nearby metal rod in her telekinesis and launched it toward the monsters… It was long, and guided by magic, it hit its target perfectly, impaling three wolves in a single strike, and with a back-stroke, it returned to Rarity’s hands, she quickly applied a cutting spell, sharpening the rod into a giant spike, and firing it off again, zipping through the horde like a sewing needle through fabric.
That giant millipede was advancing, and the weapons used by the Atlas guards didn’t seem to work on that thing’s tough hide and bone-plates. Twilight ran forward, knocking away the wolves that came at her with blasts of telekinesis or magical beams. The giant grim growled into her face, and she replied, trusting Rarity to hold off the wolves while she raised her arms and lifted the beast into the air with her magic… It was rough, it kept moving and weighed more than she cared to guess, but with a burst of magical force, she launched the thing into the air, and let loose her magical explosion spell… The ball of energy zipped through the air like a purple comet and, in a giant blast of purple magic, the creature was obliterated.
Rainbow zipped through the air, now on the offensive, leaping atop one of the birds and putting a dozen shots through its head, right before flying off in a rainbow streak and zipping past another nevermore, putting a few shots into its side, as she flew across the sky, occasionally flying down and ripping the land-based grimm apart in strafing runs.
Rarity was wielding her giant needle with precision, and stabbed through one of the birds trying to catch Rainbow from behind, before striking downward and impaling a large cat-monster that was trying to climb up the wall.
Twilight was firing bolts of purple lightning that blew the grimm apart, and let loose with an overcharged cutting spell that sliced an entire score of beowolves in half, and even cutting into the wall behind. It was over in a heartbeat, and the last of the monsters were cleaned up by the guards and their machines. One of them muttered, “It’s been a while since we last got an attack that big, why didn’t the fleet help?”
“They’re all heading to Vale, if we still had mantas and dropships on standby, that giant centinel wouldn’t have gotten this close…”
The people filed out of their homes and businesses, cheering for the four, despite their faunus nature, for saving them from the horde. One young man ran forward and said, “T-Thank you so much, I saw the whole thing from my window, the way you lifted that giant grimm into the air was amazing!”
“Oh, umm, thanks…” Twilight said, laughing a bit, but everyone was captivated by her armour, moving around in alien ways, ways that shouldn’t be possible for any physical material…
A pair of guards were staring at the four, “That was amazing, what kind of semblance is that? Who are those faunus girls?”
“I don’t know, huntsmen I’d guess, check their licenses…”
Clover was standing out in the tundra, looking for any sign of the targets… It had been two weeks now, and they had yet to find any sign of the culprits… Marrow and Harriet were following him as he trekked through the snow, Vine and Elm staying behind in the manta. Suddenly, he got a message over the comms… “This is Private-First Class Terra Cel, fifth regiment, Mantle guard, we got unlicensed huntsmen in this area, I have standing orders to send any disturbances your way, apologies if this was an inopportune time…”
“Acknowledged, Private First-Class, we are en route…”
Marrow turned to Clover, “Any leads on who we’re looking for?”
“Perhaps, at the very least, it’s something, a few unlicensed huntsmen, not a big problem if it weren’t for the Vytal Festival and our current mission…”
“I’ll call Elm and Vine…” Hare said.
The sun beat hard down on the desert but in the shadow of the oasis-jungle, sheltered from Celestia’s sun by the tropical mountains and greenery, it was a serene place… Massive sandstone pyramids, and the sound of churning steam engines, seemed to encapsulate the oasis, technology and nature blended in an odd way… Every building was made from heavy sandstone blocks, water wheels churned the rivers, and smoke-stacks rose above the palm-trees, everything decorated with gold inlays, red and blue fabrics, and hundreds of the tall and slender Abyssinians walked through the streets, wearing beautiful and colourful robes with golden jewellery. Small airships flew overhead, brass and gold cogs clicking, propellers whirring…
Half a week ago, a pony chariot showed up and flew right to the top of the largest pyramid… It arrived with metal crates and piles of papers, it left with piles of gold and jewels… The cats below wondering what kind of deal was struck… Now, a few of the royal guards, instead of their ankh-decorated shields and glimmering khopeshes, were now carrying short, spear-like devices, with some kind of dish on the end and with all sorts of levers and buttons, crackling with electricity…
Today, though, smoke was seen on the southern horizons, over the sea, something was approaching and it came with the sound of thunder...
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Raven is a Kirin. I'm still laughing about that. Great fight. Rarity using a metal pole as a needle was awesome.
The Storm King is fucked. Raven as a kirin is hilarious. Heh looks like Ironwood is about to learn about the power wielded by Princess Twilight Sparkle. Though I will say the eventual reunion will be sweet and diabetes inducing
Team Twilight is about to get a visit from Elm and Vine of the Ace Ops
! i wonder how that will play out?
Also; Kirin Raven? that is both awesome and adorable!
Twilight’s crew ARE pretty much unlicensed OP huntsmen.
10064633
RWBY
And here I was hoping for a Sabaton reference. Seven Pillars of Wisdom, specifically.
10064922
I haven't listened to that one yet... Also, you'll be getting a third chapter in a row, since I'm almost done with 37.
hungry games anypony?
Please do, perhaps they would find each other a lot easier that way.
i fully expect Raven to be in a near-constant Nirik state.