Dragon Ball Z: Magic's New Life

by Blackdrag-rose

Namek: Arrival

Even with the improved engines that Twilight had designed, and her father's was one of the first ones to be upgraded due to his position, it took them a month to reach the portion of the universe that Namek rested in, something that made all of them nervous when they considered how much time Twilight had left. Alirinn had given them the bad news not long after they watched the Saiyans fight on Earth, when one was infected by the Warrior's Bane it usually left them with a year left to live, but, with all of the energy Twilight had used to topple Moloch, half of that had been burned away, at the very least. By his estimates they had less than half a year to find a way to cure her of the poison, though he also informed them that reaching this point normally came with a secondary phase of symptoms that weakened the host's body even more, as it often left them too weak to do anything and, in rare cases, the infected would cough up blood, though coughing was one of the minor symptoms. To ensure she didn't expand too much energy, and used only what she needed to, Frieza asked Twilight if there was a way for her to make some sort of hoverbed or something for herself, and the month trip gave her the time to make such a thing, complete with scanners for Alirinn to do his medical work.

During that time, however, Twilight could feel her condition worsening, just as Alirinn described, as there were days where she felt sluggish and other days were the poison filled her with energy, all to trick her into thinking she was fine so she'd burn more of her power. One thing she noticed was that during her sluggish days it also affected her mind, another way for the poison to trick the infected into making terrible decisions, as it meant she was slower to react to what she was doing and Zarbon had caught her using magic while her parents were discussing something. Twilight was sure that the poison was the work of some god that loved to see mortals suffer, after everything she had learned since being stabbed by Moloch, and it made her angry when she found that she was just shortening her lifespan every time she did something stupid, after being told what not to do. After the first few instances Towa decided to stick near her, as Twilight was losing precious time each time the poison tricked her mind into doing something stupid, so this was their best way to make sure she kept as much of her remaining lifespan as she could.

During the trip Zarbon and Dodoria noticed something they usually didn't see, their Lord decided to forgo the device he used whenever he visited a planet and opted to walk as he tended to Twilight's well-being, whenever he wasn't busy with making sure everything in the ship worked or speaking with his family. What surprised them, and secretly delighted both of them, was the fact that he actually cared about her, as there were times where they worried that he saw her as a pawn in his various schemes, but this erased those worries and filled them with hope for the future. What really surprised them was the fact that Lord Frieza was actually talking with Cooler like he was a brother and not some nuisance that he wanted nothing to do with, as Cooler asked if there was anything he could do to help Twilight and their boss informed him that, at the time, he didn't need help and that he'd call if things changed. Of course both of them knew that he'd call Ginyu before that happened, and Cooler understood that as well, though it was surprising to see both brothers talk without cursing the other out or saying any of their usual remarks, a custom they were used to long before Twilight entered their lives.

Twilight had been a good influence on all of them, both Frieza and his family and Towa, and it was easy to see why they would be so eager to make sure she survived this without anything terrible happening to her, something that caused the pair to put forth their best effort to make sure that reality happened.

As such, when they finally spotted their destination from the control room, everyone rejoiced for a time as they realized that part of their mission was successful, the journey was over, though Zarbon was quick to remind them that this was only the start of this operation. Now that Namek was in sight they had to do a scan of the planet and locate the locations of the Dragon Balls that would allow them to heal Twilight, though what they discovered was that there were a number of settlements scattered across the planet. Of course none of them were surprised when Twilight and her parents came to the command room, though it was more due to Twilight being interested in Namek, finding that it had three suns and had to be tidally locked with no day/night cycle, meaning, with all her research, that they'd find the Namekians in the part of the planet that was on the sunny side. Zarbon confirmed that with part of the scans the soldiers had run, though it would be some time before they had an idea as to where the Namekians were actually living, causing Frieza to sigh as he gave the command for them to head down to a clear area that they could land in and make their base in.

While they flew down to the planet's surface Towa noticed that the energy of the Namekians, or what she could tell right now, wasn't anything to be excited about, though there were two figures they would have to check on at some point, as they appeared to be the strongest of them all, or at least she was sure of that fact.

"Some of us will be heading to the nearest Namekian village, while the rest of you will stay here and monitor the situation accordingly." Frieza stated, as he knew that if Vegeta survived his battle on Earth there was a chance that he'd come to this planet to find the Dragon Balls, all so he could wish for immortality no doubt, so he was planning on ensuring they had a window of sort to catch him before he arrived, "Zarbon, Dodoria, you two are coming with us as well... I'm not expecting any trouble, but, given our situation, it is better to be safe than sorry."

His right and left hands saluted him as they headed for the exit as well, finding that Frieza was no longer opting to use his own hoverchair, rather he was walking on his own, for the first time in a very long time by their reckoning, before finding that it had been replaced by a hoverbed of Twilight's design. Sure enough the weakened princess was resting on it, where Alirinn was tending to her vitals and doing his best to counter the Warrior's Bane that was coursing through her veins right now, with Towa standing nearby and Frieza stopped to make sure she was fine. Clearly part of him didn't want to take her out into the field once more, not after what happened on Griea V, but, at the same time, he was worried that the Namekians might not listen to him if he didn't present convincing evidence about his desire to have a wish granted. He was only taking her for that reason, to help convince the Namekians that he was telling the truth, because he really didn't want to endanger Twilight's remaining lifespan anymore than necessary, which they understood after everything they had seen so far.

Once everyone was ready to go, as they had assembled a group of at least fifteen soldiers, not counting Zarbon, Dodoria, or his family of three, Frieza departed from the ship with all the haste he could muster before he and the others lifted into the air and headed in the direction of the closest reading. What he discovered was that Namek was quite peaceful, with very few trees and vegetation, making one wonder what in the world the Namekians ate since it didn't seem like food was grown on this planet, but he knew someone was thinking about it despite her condition. Twilight quickly theorized that they survived mostly on water, so a planet like this, that was mostly water with scattered islands that could form an archipelago, seemed to be the best thing for the Namekians as a whole, and if they were growing anything it was likely to help improve the rest of their planet. Frieza and Towa had to admit that it was refreshing to see the brilliant side of Twilight, since they hated seeing her so weak that she couldn't do anything but sleep and try to recover her energy, and such a thing pushed them forward, causing them to focus on the task at hand as they tracked down the Namekians.

Luck was on their side as they discovered a small settlement of about ten green skinned figures, like the one that Nappa had fought before Goku punished him and Vegeta killed him, who lived in white round houses with small spikes on top and a few of them seemed to be working in a nearby field, causing them to land on the outskirts without delay.

"Please pardon our intrusion," Frieza said, as the Namekians had turned the moment he and his group had landed, which saved them a bit of time since there was no telling when the Warrior's Bane would act up again, though as the rest of his group landed he did notice that some of the locals were afraid, "but we mean you no harm. We heard about your Dragon Balls, especially the vast power that they possess, and have come to collect them so we can grant a very specific wish, as my daughter was poisoned not long ago and it's eating her from the inside out... we're here to cure her, as the method to cure her poison was destroyed by the people of the planet she had been poisoned on."

"How do you know of the Dragon Balls?" one of the Namekians, their leader based on how the others acted, inquired, as if they were worried about evildoers coming to abuse the power that was contained inside all of the magical spheres that granted wishes, though Frieza knew that if Twilight hadn't been struck by some incurable poison he'd likely be looking for immortality for himself.

"During a scouting mission to a faraway planet, one of our soldiers encountered a Namekian and learned that the planet had it's own set of the spheres." Towa replied, which wasn't a total lie, as Vegeta and Nappa had been sent to do one thing and had managed to disobey them in some manner, even though her husband was willing to forgive Vegeta since he had, in the end, given him the key to saving Twilight's life, "Unfortunately the Namekian in question was killed during a battle and his Dragon Balls were rendered inert, hence why we came here, looking for the original set so that we can cure our daughter of the poison that's coursing through her veins."

"I see. I'm sorry to hear that another Namekian has fallen, and that your daughter is sick, but we cannot hand the Dragon Ball over to such evil people." the Elder stated, though as those words left his mouth he considered the people in front of him, finding that while most had a faint bit of light inside them, like a small flame, it was smothered by the darkness that was their evil nature, before locating one that was different from the others, "There is one among you, however, that is far less evil than the others, who carries a beacon of light inside them... I cannot give the Dragon Ball to any of you, but, if the one with good in them stepped forward to complete a trial of combat, I might hand it over."

"One with 'light' in them? Who could that..." Frieza started to inquire, though in that moment he and Towa instantly figured it out, something that filled them with utter dread when they stopped to consider what the Namekian was asking, because such a thing meant cutting down on the amount of time someone special to them had, "No..."

"You are referring to me, right?" Twilight asked, where she shifted on her hoverbed for a moment as Alirinn made sure she was able to climb off of it without too much happening, allowing the Elder and the other Namekians to see that she was, as Frieza said, weakened from the poison that was coursing through her veins, before she touched down and glanced at all of them for a moment, "So, who do I have to fight for the right to claim the Dragon Ball?"

The Elder explained that, since this was a trial of combat, all she had to do was best the clan's greatest warrior to claim the Dragon Ball, along with the fact that there were six villages in total, six clans to be exact, so all they had to do was fight all six of the warrior Namekians to earn the right to claim each sphere. Of course some clans had multiple warriors and they would pick the strongest of them all as her challenger, causing Twilight to nod her head as she listened to him, though he made it clear that killing wasn't allowed and would force her to forfeit her right to the wish granting orbs. He also had her fight the warrior, a younger Namekian who was likely twenty years old, since he looked like an adult and not an Elder, who wore an open purple vest, no shirt, and the white pants that seemed common for some of his people to wear, over on a nearby island, so they didn't wreck the entire village. With all of the rules in mind Twilight and her foe crossed over to the area in question as her father, mother, and the rest of the group stood near the Elder, allowing them and the remainder of the villagers to watch the battle that was about to take place.

The pair stared at each other as Twilight shifted her stance, allowing her foe the time to do the same, where she quickly found that he was sizing her up, just as she was doing to determine the best course of action, despite the fact that using her power was far too dangerous given her situation. In the next moment she made the first move, as it seemed that her foe was actually waiting for her to do so, where she swung her fist at him to test the water, finding that he dodged her first attack and backed away a little, allowing him to continue studying her movements before attacking. Towa and Frieza were able to notice the vast change in her fighting style instantly, the poison had forced her to slow down, as if she was weighed down by something heavy, while at the same time it was no doubt sapping her strength now that she was fighting. It was the worse case scenario for them, obtaining the Dragon Balls while cutting down on the amount of time Twilight had left before the poison claimed her, but they trusted their daughter as she carefully attacked her foe, finding that some of her attacks did catch the Namekian off guard.

In the following moments, however, the Namekian spotted an opening and delivered a powerful uppercut into Twilight's chest, something that was mostly absorbed by her armor, but the rest of it caused her to cough up some blood, much to the surprise of everyone watching them.

"By the Grand Elder, I'm so sorry!" the Namekian said, as he wasn't expecting his attack to do such a thing to her, though at the same time it told the Elder that Frieza and Towa were telling the truth, their daughter was sick and both of them were worried that serious damage had been done to her just now.

"Not... your fault... it's... the poison." Twilight replied, where she staggered back for a moment, cursing the poison again as she realized that she could have avoided that attack with ease had her body been in perfect condition, before shifting her stance once more, showing her foe that she was ready to continue.

This time around Twilight pushed herself more than she should have, going on the offensive without delay and surprising the Namekian in the process as she punched him in the gut, causing him to bend low for a moment, before delivering a blow to the back that knocked him down.

"That's enough." the Elder said, as while he would normally let the battle play out, to prove the desire of the one who was seeking the Dragon Balls, he did notice the strain that it was putting on the young warrior and knew that if it went on for too long they'd be doing more harm than good, "I will retrieve the Dragon Ball so you can be on your way."

"My thanks." Frieza replied, because while he could have just ordered the Namekians to be killed, instead of forcing his poisoned daughter to fight and reduce her already weakened lifespan, he had to admit that this forged good bonds with the locals, as they might be more willing to aid their quest now, before he turned towards Alirinn, "How is she?"

"The armor tanked most of the damage, but she's lost more of her lifespan... at least a week is gone, maybe two at most, based on what I can tell." Alirinn stated, once more reminding them that he was the only one here with any knowledge of the symptoms and signs of the Warrior's Bane poison, that he was able to tell what was going on in no time, though at the same time Frieza wasn't about to question why he bothered to learn about it since the herb had been destroyed, since it was helping him save Twilight's life.

As Frieza thought about that he realized that with six trials that they needed to overcome, counting this one, that meant Twilight was going to lose a month and a half of her remaining life, which was already down to five months thanks to the flight that brought them here, while if the two weeks option was accurate she'd lose three months. It was maddening to even consider, asking the very person who was sick to make her condition worse just so they could get the Dragon Balls, but even as he considered that he noticed something, Twilight had a faint smile on her face, as if she felt that the risk was well worth it. Such a thing pained him more than he was willing to admit, as they were literally playing with fire right now, because the Elder of this village had stopped the battle before it went on for much longer and there was no telling if the other five would follow suit, so they might lose even more time if they were stronger than this warrior. They could lose a lot more time if the other Elders let the battles go on for longer than this one, which worried both him and Towa far more than they were willing to admit, but he kept his thoughts to himself for a moment as the Elder brought out a large sphere that was twice the size of his head.

The orange sphere had to be the Dragon Ball, which seemed more clear than he thought it would be and it had seven little stars inside it, where the Elder indicated that there were seven in total and the last one required no trial, causing Frieza to take it, as they were one step closer to fulfilling their mission and he hoped Vegeta would remain off world until Twilight was healed.

Comments

[Theresa]

I doubt they will go that far especially if they hear the story about how twilight trial was cut short because it wasn't fair to her to fight like that. Namekians are decent people from what I could see and live closer to the world they live on than humans and don't know much about other species of people. Only one ever went to the dark side and considering he was a child who lost his people and his home and waited forever for someone to come for him.

[Moonlight_Mist]

Trial of Combat
Trial of Strength
Trial of Will
Trial of Wit
Trial of Heart
Trial of Spirit
Trial of Truth

...Just a thought. In this hypothetical set-up, the Trial of Truth is the Grand Elder reading the mind of the one who seeks his Dragon Ball like he did to Krillin.

[Midnight Moon]

11416787
... huh. Not a bad idea.

[Blackdrag-rose]

11416787 I must agree with Midnight, it sounds like a neat idea. Plus, it really sounds like something the Namekians would do to verify if one is worthy to obtain a Dragon Ball.

[Theresa]

11416963
Me too as least she has a better chance of living.

[Theresa]

11411508
He can't be 100% bad because he does love twilight. Love can do almost anything.

[Blackdrag-rose]

11417675 Indeed. The Warrior's Bane poison is incredibly deadly, especially since most of those who are inflicted with it die before even realizing that they've been poisoned... Twilight got lucky she was forced out of her Rage Form. With an idea like Moonlight's in mind Twilight won't have to worry about losing too much of her remaining lifespan, since she won't have to do too much fighting.

[Theresa]

11400465
Gohan mom was always more interested in his brains and goku never got his warrior instincts going when Gohan was a kid. Piccolo had to that and from then the boy was a warrior.

[Skulljack17]

At least they didn't end up on Fake Namek. That might have ended...poorly, for the duo on that world.

[Killjoy1221]

What will likely happen is Goku will come by after Vegeta kills everyone and steals the Dragon Balls, find Twilight in her weakend state, then find a way to cure her so he can fight her.

[Black--Soul]

Damn, at what Powerlevel is Twilight locked now?
Yamcha? Krillin? Raditz? Nappa? Vegeta?

There is light in Twilight, how ironic princess of darkness returning to her universe and getting her memories restored will have a interesting change in her. Probably something between a benevolent dictatorship and a anti-hero.

What happened to Spike and Ember?

11416769
Good point, the smartest think Frieza can do is play the good guy being the nessesary evil.
Further giving the planet full protection for exchange of it being used to win the DragonBall wishes.
11416787
Very poetic and it dounds very fitting ♡
11539503
DBZ Abridged comes to mind
11659278
Goku motivation towards helping, so he can fight them afterwards... neat