Chapter 8: Improper Introductions
What does a Hero Truly Need?
By: Zelkova48
Chapter 8: Improper Introductions
" *Gasp!* You have a brother? Why didn't you tell us!?" Pinkie chimed in. A bit crossed and confused that she didn't know of Twilight's brother, everypony felt exactly the same way.
"Yes I do and..... Ugh! This is too much! We still have our new friends to help and then this happens!? What about the earlier assassination attempt!?" she let out an exasperated groan "Okay, I have a brother. His name is Shining Armor, he's my bbbff and-"
"Bbbf- what?" Rainbow rudely interrupted her.
"Big brother best friend forever" she replied which caused everypony to go *Oh!* "So he's the captain of the royal guard and-"
"H-h-he's t-t-the c-c-captain!?" Rarity jaw hit the floor.
"Can you guys please let me finish!?" everypony settled down and turned their attention to Twilight "As I was saying..." she stopped to she if anyone had anymore questions, right now, they didn't "As I was saying, I haven't seen him ever since I left for Ponyville a year ago. And now he's getting married to someone I don't even know? Ugh!" she slammed her face on the table "This is too much to take in. We have our new friends to help, then somepony tries to kill the Princesses, now a wedding with my brother's being held!?" she swiftly rose her head and yelled:
"I CAN'T THINK STRAIGHT!"
Everypony in the bakery stopped what they were doing and stared at Twilight, including the heroes. Her outburst caused the room to go deathly silent. She nervously chuckled and slid back into her seat as everypony went back to their chores.
" *Sigh!* What should we do first?" she asked nopony in particular.
"Hey that gives me an idea" Spike hopped onto the table and grabbed the scroll "Why don't we just ask the Princess for help. Besides, you haven't sent in your report about the object yet"
"Huh, that doesn't sound like a bad Idea. I'm sure she'll be willing to help us in the search" Twilight blinked some parchment and her trusty quill and began writing her report "First things first, we help out our new friends before we think about the wedding. Then I can yell at Shining for not telling me in person that he was getting married!" she put so much pressure onto her quill that it almost broke "I mean what kind of older brother just tells his younger sister that he's getting married through a letter!?"
"Uh... Twilight?" Spike tried to get her attention as her friends cowered together at her rising anger.
"Isn't it like some unwritten rule that sibling are suppose tell important, life changing events to each other in person!?" her writing became more violent.
"Twilight?" Spike spoke louder but Twilight continued her rage induced writing undisturbed with gritted teeth.
"And who is this Princess Mi Amore Cadenza!? How come I never heard of her!? What's she princess of anyway!"
"TWILIGHT!"
"Whuah? Spike, what's wrong?" she obliviously asked. Spike pointed at himself and the table that they were sitting at.
"You went into one of your focused writing fit again. You wrote all over the table and me included!" he tried to wipe the ink off of himself and ended up smearing it all over his scaly purple and green body. Twilight blushed, she almost never went into these fits unless she was provoked by some form of primal emotion.
"Heheheheh....sorry about that, I'll be sure you give you a bath after this. At least the letter is done" she reviewed her letter to the princess. It was messy, there were ink blots everywhere and it looked like a pair of angry timberwolves fought on top of it, luckily it was legible.
Dear, Princess Celestia
I am glad you report to you that the object we found in White Tail woods is not something we should be worried over. It isn't some alien artifact nor a random piece of debris or even a malevolent being. It turned out to be a group of ponies! Apparently their unicorn friend botched a spell and sent them into the sky, which might explain the explosion and shaking.
Don't worry they're all safe. Well, most of them. Which leads me to my next point. I have a request to ask of you.
Now this is only one of the few times I would ask you for a favor, but with your recent assassination attempt and the upcoming wedding that suddenly showed up I don't know who to turn to other than you. Alright here goes.
I need your help finding a missing pony, he's the one that didn't fall around Ponyville. We have no Idea where he is, he could be halfway across Equestria! Do you think you can help me? It would mean a lot to our new friends if you do.
Their friend's name is Sven. From their description he is really big, wears blue with some armor pieces and has a oblong helmet. I hope that is enough for you if you choose to help me.
Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle
P.S. I hope the assassin got caught.
P.S.S. Looking forward to the wedding!
P.S.S.S. Shining Armor is sooo gonna get it!
P.S.S.S.S. Sorry about the messy letter, this is all too sudden so I couldn't really focus.
"Uh.... just send the letter Spike. I got too much on my mind to rewrite it now" she rubbed her temples with her hooves.
"Sure thing Twilight" Spike grabbed the scroll and with a quick burst of dragon fire the scroll was sent into the air, and towards Canterlot.
The four chatted it out as they awaited a response from the princesses. As they spoke, Fluttershy and Applejack went came back into the bakery, both had a look of dissatisfaction upon their face. As the six all looked peeked outside the store window they saw that the crowd hadn't left yet. It was like they were waiting for something to happen, just like it always does in Ponyville.
" *Sigh* they just don't wanna leave! They think these new ponies are gonna cause trouble for the town! And tubby out there isn't exactly helping our cause!" She and Fluttershy sat down along with her friends.
"Did anything happen while we were away?" Fluttershy asked.
"We just got invited to a wedding!" Pinkie shouted at the top of her lungs as she jumped up and down with pinkie-level excitement.
"We did? But who's wedding?" Applejack tried to remember if they knew anypony that was about to pop the question to a lucky mare around town.
"Why it's Twilight's brother!" Rarity replied.
"Twilight has a brother? How come I never heard of him?" Applejack looked over at Twilight who just groaned.
"Know what? How about we just wait till we actually go to the wedding so I can introduce you to him? I don't want to have to explain my relationship with him agai-" she was cut off as Spike belched twice, bringing forth two scrolls this time. Twilight picked up the first and read it to her friends. It was about the special roles that they were all going to play during the weddings preparation.
Applejack was in charge of the food. Pinkie was head of the reception. Fluttershy would be in charge of her bird choir for the ceremony. Rarity had the honor of making the brides dress. Rainbow Dash will finish off the festivities with one of her signature sonic rainbooms. And lastly, Twilight will be the one who makes sure that all goes smoothly for her brother's big day. They all cheered about the honor that was bestowed upon them, all but Twilight who was brooding at the thought. She shook her head and began to read the second letter.
Dear Twilight,
I believe I can help you with your new friend's situation, I will see to it personally that they get reacquainted with their lost colleague. I have already scheduled a train for Canterlot to pick you all up tomorrow at the crack of dawn.
My sister and I are looking forward to meeting them
Celestia,
"That was it?" Twilight examined the letter again to check if she missed anything "She doesn't normally write replies this short"
"At least we got our reply, now that means we're going to Canterlot tomorrow!" Pinkie exclaimed with enough energy to power a small nation "Looks like we'll be able to help our friends, prepare for the wedding and meet your brother too!" she squealed in excitement "I gotta get packing! Even though the wedding only a week away, I can barely contain myself!" she somehow pulled out a large luggage bag from the floor and rushed over to her room like a pink blur. The sounds of party supplies being noisily crammed into something could be heard above everypony's head.
"....Sooo" Rainbow Dash broke the silence "Where are they gonna stay tonight?" she pointed to the heroes who were chatting amongst themselves "The whole town is against them, I don't think the local inns gonna let em stay"
"let's just go tell them about Sven and see if they want to stay with any of us for the time being" Twilight suggested. Everpony else nodded in agreement and went over to their new friends. Aiushtha was apparently telling a story about all the times that Meepo hit on someone.
"So when Akasha blew off Meepo, telling him that he was too short, he got his other selves and stacked on top of each other like a totem pole!" everyone stifled a laugh "And then he goes: Am I tall enough for you now baby? He licked his paws and slicked his fur back wiggling his eyebrows at the same time!" they all broke out into a joyous bout of laughter. They all settled down when they notice everypony approaching them.
Twilight explained to them about Sven, the wedding, and Canterlot. Upon hearing this revelation the heroes agreed to accompanying them to the capitol city of Canterlot. Rubick will stay with Twilight at the library, Aiushtha will stay with Fluttershy. Rarity offered to take in Gondar while Rhasta chose to sleep out on the streets. Even though Applejack protested to Rhasta's choice in boarding he simply told them.
"I'm used to sleeping out in the open"
They others respected his wish, but in the back of their mind they were all afraid of what might happen to him. Or worse, what might happen to those that threaten him. Everyone heads off to their respective homes and await for the next day where they will be reunited with a lost friend.
It was marvelous! Spectacular! A testament to one's deep respect to the nature of learning. Books lined every corner of the library that was the inside of a hollow tree. Rubick just laughed aloud at the sight he beheld.
"You live within a library! Now I know for a fact that you're the studious type" he joked which caused Spike to laugh alongside him "This is magnificent! Just magnificent!"
"Pretty great right? You can thank Spike for his amazing re shelving abilities" Twilight watched as Spike glowed with a sense of pride upon hearing her praise.
"Aside from the fact this library is also your home, I have some important matters to discuss with you young Twilight. What I am about to say to you means that I am entrusting you with a great responsibility" Rubick levitated some nearby chairs over to them where he sat down and removed his mask.
"Only you and your friends are allowed to know this. I hope you can understand" The look he had was one of seriousness. Twilight and Spike sat facing towards him, they thought what he was going to say involved Sven. It turned out to be something earth shattering to hear.
"W-w-w-what!? You're from another world!?" Twilight sounded ecstatic upon hearing about this "That's amazing! I can't believe me and my friends are friends with beings from another world!" she giggled uncontrollably "Omigoshomigoshomigosh! I can't believe my new mentor is both a grand magus and a being from a whole other world! This explains so much!"
"Yes it does, doesn't it? Hold on..." Rubick caught one of her words "What's this about being your new mentor?"
"Well..." Twilight grinned nervously.
"Canyoupleasebemysecondmentorandteachmehowtoproperlycontrolmymagic!" the words flew out of her mouth like an out of control freight train. Surprisingly, Rubick caught all of that.
"Hmm...." he tapped on his chin "Didn't you say that this princess of yours is already your mentor? If you already have such an honor as that, why do you need someone like me to teach you?" He twirled his staff around with his telekinesis.
"I can't believe I would ever say this but..." she struggled to get the words out as she swallowed the lump that formed in her throat."I believe you can teach me better!" Rubick dropped his staff midflight.
"Really?" he asked.
"I mean no disrespect towards the princess but..." she sighed "After our duel today, I realized that everything I learned from her so far isn't enough" she bit her tongue upon speaking so poorly of her teacher "I want you to teach me how to better grasp my power! I don't want to lose anyone because I lacked the strength to protect those around me!" her eyes began to flow with tears "I'm afraid Rubick... I need your help..." she pleaded.
Rubick said nothing. He simply picked up his staff and walked towards her. He smiled gently.
"Crying again young Twilight?" he asked as he wiped away the tears ".... The strength to protect others hmm?... Such a pure and noble endeavor...." he knelt down until he was at eye level with her "With great power comes great responsibility young Twilight. Are you sure that you can shoulder this burden?"
".... I'm sure" she replied as she rose her head up with a strengthened resolve. Rubick put his mask back on and laughed heartily.
"Very well then! After all you've done for me and my friends, I most humbly accept your request! It's good to know there are still some mages that are willing to learn magic for noble causes rather than to impress some ladies!" he twirled his staff and blinked everything in the room into position. The chairs went back to their original spot and Twilight was jolted into into the air where she landed on her hooves. Twilight's melancholy disappeared knowing that Rubick will help her master her abilities.
"Are you sure your teacher approves of this? I'd figure she'll be mad if she found out you were learning magic from someone else" Rubick asked. The thought of telling Princess Celestia that someone else was teaching her magic had completely slipped Twilight's mind.
"Uh... How about we keep this our little secret?" she grinned nervously.
"This is either going to end up really well, or catastrophically" Rubick deadpanned "Well, how about we start now? We have a long trip tomorrow, no harm in learning some basics beforehand" he levitated some books over "Before we start, do you have any questions?" he asked.
"I do, you mentioned you were a human, so..." Twilight kept her nervous grin.
"If it has anything to do with me being an omnivore then all I have to say to you is get over it. Gryphons here eat meat, and I believe the diamond dogs around here do as well. You should be glad I'm an herbivore now" he tapped his hoof "Anything else?" Twilight pointed over to Spike.
"Yes, how long is Spike going to stay like that?" The two look over to Spike and saw that he was locked in place with a look of pure amazement on his face. Twilight checked to see if he was still breathing but when she touched him he fell over like a porcelain statue complete with his own clattering sounds.
"I can assure you that he's fine" Rubick explained "He's still suffering from the shock of learning that I'm an outworlder. Just let him sleep it off and he'll be right as rain" Twilight complied and blinked him into his tiny bed where she tucked him in and closed his frozen eyelids for him. She kissed his forehead and closed the blind before wishing him a good night.
"Sleep tight Spike" she cooed "I think you had way too much excitement for one day" she then blinked back into foyer with Rubick.
"Any other questions? How about one that actually involves magic? Aheheheh" he joked.
"Actually, I do. What are we going to learn about?" She put on her metaphorical thinking cap and brought forth her best student behavior.
"Aha! Now that, is a good question!" He levitated over the books to Twilight "We are just going to practice some basic control exercises. Nothing too serious, but I sure you'll pass it with flying colors" Twilight took the books with her own magic and started to spin them around "I want to see if you can simply levitate these books around with minimal effort. Shouldn't be too hard for the element of magic now is it?" Twilight beamed with excitement.
"Are you kidding? This is kid's stuff!" the room lightly glowed with a purple pinkish aura. Suddenly all the books around the room flew off the shelves and stayed afloat in mid air. With grace and precision, the books soared around the room forming all manner of shapes and patterns of various sizes. With one quick spin and a bright flash all the books were back to their own cozy spot among the shelves except for the few that Rubick gave her which was floating around her like Carl's magical essences "How was that for you?" she proudly exclaimed.
"Hmm, not bad. Yes, not too shabby" he took the books from her and stacked them onto the floor "Now try it again without using your horn" he requested. Twilight's pupil shrank to pinpricks, beads of sweat began to form and her heartbeat quickened.
"Y-you're joking right?" she chuckled nervously "I mean I know you can do it but I don't think I can" Rubick set his staff down and walked over to the books. he simply raised his hoof and the books followed suit, he turned around and the books began to dance in mid air with a soft glassy green glow. Rubick spun his hoof around in little circles and copied Twilight's performance with stunning accuracy. The books blinked back to their homes on the shelves again as Rubick picked up his staff. Throughout the entire demonstration, Rubick's horn didn't glow in the slightest.
"See. Simple" he nonchalantly spoke. Twilight's jaw hit the floor with enough impact to shatter a diamond "I've noticed that you use your horn much like the way a novice mage would use a magic wand. You are merely using it as a conduit to channel and control your magic." he brought over the same stack of books and dropped them by Twilight "The lesson here is to learn to sync with the flow of magic, not to control it. When you learn to do that, you'll be able to cast powerful spells and enchantments without use of your horn" Twilight listened to his words diligently as he explained.
"Think of magic not as something that can be grasp like an object. Instead, think of it as a living breathing creature. You must work together in perfect harmony to draw out your latent potential" he pointed at the books.
"First, locate the source of your power"
"Then, harmonize with it, but don't try to catch it. Let it flow naturally through you"
"Lastly, will the spell into the desired form. Your mind and body will follow along with you"
"Do you think you can handle the basics?" he asked as he walked over to a chair and sat down. He looked at Twilight who appeared to be nervous.
"Are you sure this is the basics?" her voice was laced with skepticism "I've never heard of this method to perform magic before. How can magic be a living breathing creature?" Rubick just chuckled and shrugged his shoulders.
"That's for me to know and for you to find out" underneath his mask he was grinning. Twilight let out a sighed and attempted to practice this new form of magic. She looked over the book stack and cleared her mind.
"Okay, I can do this. Harmony is something I'm good at" she performed all the steps that Rubick instructed her on. She closed her eyes and searched her soul for the her element. She felt it flying around like a blue jay in the open sky. Then she tried to harmonize with it. Her mind went from pitch black to a pure white. She could feel the power stirring within her very soul.
*Ba-bump*
She gathered her strength.
*Ba-bump*
She let out a deep breathe.
*Ba-bump*
She brought forth the spell.
Her eyes shot open and she was surprised to see the books floating around. Her smile turned upside down when she noticed her own glow around the books. She peeked up her forehead and saw that her horn was glowing. She had failed the first time.
"Don't worry dear, It's a learning process" he levitated over an interesting book titled "Daring Do and the Manehattan Heist" and began to read "It just takes some practice that's all" he lifted his hoof and flipped to the next page "Just remember dear! Wax on, wax off!" he then let out a great big sigh as he remembered his own trials and tribulations of magic "Ah..... there were so many hungry rabbits running amuck that day. Ah ha ha! Eh he he he he he he he he he! Oh Daring Do, you are such a card!"
For the next few hours, Twilight would be practicing this new unheard of method of channeling magic while Rubick became engrossed within a very interesting book series.
Four hours later, Rubick had already completed the book while Twilight struggled to understand this puzzling skill she desperately wished to attain. Four hours of constant struggling, four hours of failures. Each and every time she thought she lifted the books, she found out that she was using her horn again.
Eventually, night fell upon the small town of Ponyville and everyone needed their rest if they wanted to enjoy the trip tomorrow. Twilight descended to her own bed while Rubick stayed in the guest room.
Twilight may have failed today, but there's always tomorrow.
The sun rose at precisely six o' clock the next morning with a great big *cock-a-doodle-doo!* from the rooster resting atop town hall. Everypony woke up up bright and early to prepare for their trip to Canterlot. Everypony, save for Rhasta, had already shown up at Ponyville station. Rubick and the other heroes were patiently waiting for Rhasta while Twilight was conversing with her friends about the secret they were entrusted with.
"So they're all from another world? That... actually explains a lot." Applejack looked on over to the heroes, it all made sense now why they acted so funny.
"We need to keep this amongst ourselves, Rubick told us this because he trust us," Twilight explained.
"And we all know that giving away secrets is the fastest way to lose a friend's trust." Pinkie politely finished.
"Thank you, Pinkie. Hey, isn't that Rhasta over there?" Everyone looked at the wrapped unicorn to see that there was a large crowd following him.
Most of them appeared to be the same ponies yesterday who badmouthed their arrival in Ponyville, but there was something else. Atop Rhasta's head was little Applebloom, sitting on his back was Sweetie Belle and riding beside him on her little scooter was Scootaloo. While the other ponies behind him were very anxious to see what he would do, the fillies looked like they were having a genuinely great time.
"Well, it looks like you had a fun time yesterday. What happened?" Aiushtha asked. Rhasta pulled Applebloom off of his head and Sweetie Belled hopped off his back.
"It is a bit of a long story." Rhasta patted each of the cutie mark crusaders on the head. "I will tell you later on." He turned around and smiled at the girls.
"I am sorry little ones, I must go look for my friend now," he apologized.
"It's okay mister Rhasta, we understand. Say hi to my cousin in Canterlot for me, will ya? His name's Hayseed Turnip Truck." Little Applebloom then hugged Rhasta and ran off with her friends.
"If you come back to Ponyville, be sure to visit us!" Scootaloo shouted from the distance before joining Sweetie Belle and Applebloom. Before they disappeared upon the horizon line, they all looked back and waved him goodbye. Rhasta waved back as he turned to join the rest of his friends.
The group all quickly boarded the train when the conductor announced their departure. They were glad to have left so quickly because the glares that the crowd gave the heroes put them on edge. As the train steadily made its way to Canterlot, all the heroes and fillies started to chat with each other.
Rhasta told them about the many ways to hide from an angry crowd, Rarity shared some fashion tips with Rubick since his choice in color made her inwardly cringe, and Aiushtha continued her story about Meepo's attempt to score with the female heroes.
As they all shared interesting stories (save for Gondar who mostly kept quiet) with each other, the train eventually screeched to a halt upon reaching Canterlot station. Everyone made their way off onto the platform and took in the beauty that was Canterlot.
Canterlot was a gorgeous city, a masterpiece and shining example of pony architectural work and design. Unlike Ponyville, the streets were much wider and instead of the daily rush, everypony took their time to finish an errand or a chore. There were lavish restaurants and haberdasheries as far as the eye can see. The way of life here also looked more elegant and refined if not a bit stuffy from all the high society ponies walking about.
But there was no greater view than that of Canterlot castle, home of the royal pony sisters. Their castle was built upon the very side of the mountain. The white and gold castle had several eye catching details such as several of the artisan crafted towers and the lush fragrant garden that surrounded the massive structure.
"Canterlot is truly breathtaking isn't it Gondar?" Rubick asked as he looked around the city.
"Yeah, it sure is isn- *sniff* *sniff*"Gondar paused as his heightened sense of smell picked up something pungent wafting throughout the air. It reeked of an odd combination between metal polish and hard soap.
The faint clatter of hooves off in the distance made his ears twitch with suspicion. But it wasn't just ordinary hooves, it sounded like they were covered in metal. Horseshoes, perhaps? The clattering of the metal hooves grew louder and louder, but he simply passed it off as a paranoid diversion.
As they all made it towards the city they were greeted with several glares by rude citizens as they left the station. Just as they were about to enter the city a lone figure stepped in front of them.
The figure had a white coat and a partially obscured blue mane, he also had a complete suit of armor that appeared more decorated than the average guard suits. The guard stared at the ponies with a stoic look, before slowly transitioning to a warm gentle smile.
"Twiley!" the guard shouted. Apparently, the name was directed towards Twilight.
"Twiley?" Everypony asked. Twilight hacked a faux cough as she formed a small smile.
"Uh... yes. That's the nickname my brother calls me." Twilight blushed. All her friends turned to look at the guard who had already removed his helmet. Twilight walked on over and gave him a hug before turning around to introduce him.
"Everypony, this is my older brother, Shining Armor, captain of the Royal Guard." Shining Armor gave his little sister's friends all a polite salute as they all clamored around him, asking him all kinds of question. He happily greeted all of them before he turned to the heroes.
When he did, his warm smile vanished, replaced with an angry scowl. His personality changed from that of an affectionate older brother to a hardened captain of the Royal Guard.
"So... you're the other friends that Twilight mentioned in her letter," he coldly stated.
"Why yes, we are. And might I say that it is an honor to meet a man of your stature, Shining Armor." Rubick offered a hoof in friendship. But in return, all he received was a killer stare. Rubick questioned if he had done anything to offend the captain.
"Yes, it is a pleasure. But all I have to say to you four is... NOW!" Shining Armor shouted without warning.
"What!? What is the meaning of thi- GYAAAAAAAAAH!" Rubick, Aiushtha, and Rhasta could do nothing more as they were all shocked with a bolt of electricity that emanated from the horns of several armored guards that suddenly surrounded them. They all fell to the ground unconscious as their pony friends gasped in horror of what they had just witnessed.
The only one that wasn't caught by the electricity was Gondar. He deftly avoided all the bolts of energy and hopped back onto the platform where a group of thirty elite guards slowly closed in on him. As they slowly closed the distance between him, Gondar assumed a combat position and hissed at his would be captors.
"Hsssssssshh! Who the hell are you guys!? Why did you hurt my friends! You know what? Screw all of you guys!" He hissed again as he readied himself for the fight was was rapidly approaching. "It just. Got. Personal!"
Meanwhile in the open, Twilight and her friends stared in disbelief as their new friends were just viciously attacked by the royal guard.
"Shining, what's going on here!" Twilight yelled.
"Twilight! Stand back! I have this under control!" Shining then gave the order to detain Gondar. "I have to thank you later, Twilight. You did a good job luring these scumbags to Canterlot. Who knew that all it took was for you to get them to trust you so that they could be brought to justice." He smiled. "I'm sure the Princess is very proud of your heroism"
"What!? What are you talking about?" Twilight screamed angrily at her brother. Shining Armor didn't really know why she was so angry. She should be glad that these four ponies were about to be captured.
"What are you so mad about? You just helped capture the assassin's cohorts"
Chapter 8 end
Stats
Page generated in 0.031 seconds
Total duration
948 users online
1,897,310 hits today, 2,139,894 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
2026115 what do you mean when you say "What the hell Rubick is suppose to be?" I just always assumed he was a human, he just looked like one even with all his clothes on.
As for Rhasta, they switched him from being a hill trowie to a hill troll and part... something else still. or at least that's how I remembered his story calling him some sort of trowie. Whatever that meant. Maybe I misread it?
As for ogre magi, I thought about it, it sucked he didn't make the cut. Would've been funny for the mane six to meet a pony that was semi intelligent with unbelievable luck and two heads
2029052
And the plot THICKENS!
I can't believe Gondar was the assassin! I mean WTF? He fell from the sky like the others! And as you narrowed when the events of DOTA2's heroes come, I would say that it's a changeling then. Shining is under control by Chrysalis that's for sure. Also I have to disagree with Kunkka about the chapters being long. Some people such as myself like amazingly long chapters. Also, are you planning to include another heroes? I know why you didn't put Lion in this (He's a witch hunter and he'll kill Twilight in a fingerzap). I say continue good sir!
P.S. : Comment deleted and deported to this chapter as soon as I saw the split being made!
When it comes to Rubick, there's a slight split between what his species is in the Dota 2 Lore community. Generally there's three things that might indicate he's no mere human.
-Some spells he can steal require extensions of his body that would be impossible to perform otherwise. Some of the spells he steals aren't really magic and more of a skill the hero has (Pudge's Hook and Rot, Sand King's body and Tail for Sandstorm and Epicenter, All of Timbersaw's moves, Dragon Knight's Shield Bash, etc.)
-He's pretty damn old. It's hinted he knew Invoker back when Carl was known as the "Arsenal Magus". No one else refers to him as such so it must of been a title Invoker discarded long ago. Only two other heroes refer to him as anything other than Invoker, Dirge (One of the only memories he still has is Carl's real name), and Mirana (It's speculated she saw him in a vision).
-His twitching. A lot of people think that if it's from all of the magic he has, then why doesn't other magical beings such as Invoker and Lion twitch like him?
So then three theories spring up.
-He's still human. Anytime he cast something that requires an extension of his body, he simply mimics a spell that can emulate it, but isn't the skill itself. He also used the Sempiternal Cantrap (The same spell that Invoker used) to gain an immortal lifetime. His twitching is just Rubick being Rubick.
-He was human at one point, but at one point he changed. His magic eventually changed him into something different from human and thus conjure up things that are needed for certain skills. Side effects of not being human anymore allows him a huge lifespan and the twitching.
-He was never human. It's possible he's a construct by his "father" Aghanim. Anytime he needs a specific item for an ability he morphs his body to fit it. He's not a natural life construct and thus is immortal, and his twitching is also a defect of his creation.
I personally think he's still human.
As for the Shadow Shaman, you're correct. He used to be Hill Trowle until Valve changed him to be a Hill Troll, like how Troll Warlord is a Monger Troll. Other small changes is that now Slark is a Slithereen which implies Slithereen aren't so much as a species but more of members of a nation now.
2030034 My assumption about Rubick all came from his backstory in the game. True, there are many species that can be called a magus, but he always seemed human to me. His physical appearance, even when covered up with all those awesome clothing and a mask still showed a human figure with five fingers and some exposed toes from his open sandals. For his age I guess it wold be between 30 and 50 or somewhere in between. As for knowing carl as the arsenal magus I figured he learned about him from ancients tomes and such.
For his twitching, well I never really referred to it as twitching. It's still up in the clouds for me, heck I thought he was just really nervous underneath his combat mask.
As for his spells, I sorta have my own reasoning for that but I'm going to save that part for the later chapters.
But hey, this is just my theory.
"-Screw all of you guys!" he hissed again as he readied himself for the fight was was rapidly approaching "It Just. Got. Personal!"
Ohhhh! Somebody is in deeeeeep shit.