> Henkō Yurei > by KukriRyuTsukino > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > The Phantom's Birth > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Micah Alexander sighed as he rolled his shoulders, his amber eyes drifting half-lidded as he shook his head, his raven hair messy. He smirked, looking in the mirror as he snapped his collar before turning away, mildly amused as his cousin was almost a dead ringer for a certain staff wielding Edenian. “Kinda impressive how you were able to create that costume from nothing more than a screenshot, Lavender,” he drawled, his Irish accent obvious. Lavender Brown smirked. “Hey, you can't blame me for being hot, especially like this. Though your hair ain't supposed to be messy…. though it does make you look cuter,” she teased, making him roll his eyes. “Just because I'm cosplaying a soul-stealing sorcerer doesn't mean I'd prefer to be a dead ringer for the guy, Jade,” Micah deadpanned. “Besides, pardon the pun, but in the series, the guy's been dead for years, considering MKX is stretched over a quarter century. Though I can say that I don't like how he was written out… it came off as lazy, not to mention that I'd love to kick Shao Khan in the balls for that betrayal,” he said coolly, letting his accent fade slowly until it sounded almost identical to the deep carrying drawl of Cary Hiroyuki. Lavender shivered, making him smirk. “That's just creepy how you can change your voice like that. I've heard you impersonate Ian McKellen, Hugh Jackman in his Logan character, Keith Urban both singing and speaking, Patrick Stewart, and that… uh… what was his name? That guy that did Dracula in Van Helsing?” she said, flicking the polymer staff as she spoke. “Richard Roxburgh, though it's always funny to see people jump when I slip into that exaggerated accent he used for Dracula,” Micah smirked. Lavender rolled her eyes, smirking beneath her facemask. “You're crazy,” she quipped. “Crazy is a perspective, biǎomèi,” he quipped as he turned away towards the door. “Besides, sanity is overrated,” he drawled. He heard the soft clinking of the gypsy coins hanging from Lavender's belt cinched snugly around her shapely hips. His gaze scanned around, spotting a Zero cosplayer. He shrugged a bit, dismissing the guy. His gaze scanned around, spotting people taking photos. A smirk crosses his face as he pauses. “How about we give them a bit of an act… and tease them with a bit of a finisher?” he teased. Lavender smirked. “You have those bracelets we made? The spheres of dry ice with the smaller spheres of water and the green LEDs?” she questioned, getting a playful smirk in reply. “Let’s do it. This is going to be fun,” she quipped, laughing a bit. She saw him unlace the blunted sword from his hip, smirking. They went through the act, trading staff for blunted sword near the end, though when he took her down, she twisted, sprawling on the floor as if dazed before he jerked her up to her feet as she triggered the bracelets and LEDs, green tinted fog billowing out as he caught her around the shoulder and throat before lifting her a few inches off the ground, courtesy of her tensed legs as she gave a brief hop as he pulled his hand away, the dry ice fog thickening as if something were being dragged from her body as the LEDs on the bracelet closest to her was deactivated by the same pressure trigger that had triggered it as he let his hand drag away slowly, the fog trailing behind as the emerald gleam within the fog refracted as he let her pratfall to the floor as he deactivated the bracelet beneath his jacket’s sleeve. As she sprang to her feet, he noticed she’d slipped in the thicker contact lenses that gave the illusion of being blind… or in this case, the illusion that she was ‘dead’. Gasps drew attention from quite a few cosplayers as he grinned, bowing a bit as Lavender did so as well. As she straightened, they gasped more as the lenses had slipped out, into the container for them hidden in a wrist pouch. Micah chuckled, shrugging as the onlookers snapped photos though he had the strangest thought that those rumors of cosplayers going missing and those ‘Displaced’ stories he found rather imaginative could be rather possible. He walked through the various set-ups for items and cosplaying, though he did notice a guy apparently cosplaying the Resident Evil 4 shopkeep, though the cloak was all wrong, a dark navy with some lighter blue runic script he thought might have been Nordic in origin, though he couldn’t tell initially. That Zero cosplayer was near the guy, examining something. He noticed a cloaked male watching them intently before he grimaced slightly, absently letting his gaze drift around cautiously as he heard them haggling over price. His eyes narrowed on the shopkeeper, noticing the kashira of a katana seemingly flickering in and out of existence in a vibrant dark and pale blue glow roughly every half second or so. His gaze slid away from the ‘shopkeeper’ whom he now suspected was anything but a shopkeeper or a cosplayer. He felt a hard shoulder bump before he spotted the man cosplaying as the Betrayer of Hope from the Wheel of Time series. Another name for the character of ‘Ishmael’ was ‘Moridin’... in the Old Tongue it translated as Death. He saw the Zero cosplayer turn away with a satchel that certainly fit the theme of his costume before he blinked, seeing tendrils of golden red flame flickering around the guy before he dropped to one knee, his body apparently dissolving into golden red dust that ignited even as it fell, whirling into a maelstrom before vanishing soundlessly. His gaze snapped up to the navy cloaked shopkeeper who was turning away. He saw his cousin coming from the other end, looking worried, though it was then that he heard the raspy growl. “Careful, boy, or you may stumble onto things left to those who know more than you. Especially if they wish to keep what they do secret to the fools of the world,” he heard as he turned before he saw his cousin hurled into a stand before intense pain surged through his body as he was thrown into the same stand, which collapsed beneath him. His hand slapped onto an amulet, whilst he felt items falling on top of him as he felt Lavender gasp behind him as he felt the chain of a serrated kunai very similar to that of a certain Hellspawn Ninja wrap around his chest as a fan pinned the same shoulder down, also pinning the chain down as he saw the mask of a particular Cryomancer land onto his face. He managed to turn his head to see emerald flames erupting, consuming their way up his body swiftly and with agonizing pain even as every breath ached from the heavily bruised ribs he had from whatever had knocked him aside. Unconsciousness soon engulfed him, though he could feel his cousin's hand gripping his own. > Awakening - Fùhuó > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Equestria ⇀ #1115132120   Micah groaned, his eyes fluttering as his hand tightened before he became aware that he leaned against a home though he recognized nothing around him, though what he immediately noticed was that Lavender had disappeared, though where he was was the second thought that went through his mind. “From the sound of it, there is combat near. Make sure there are no innocents in danger,” he heard a voice mutter in his ear. He blinked, looking around in confusion as he heard Kuai Liang’s voice in his mind. “Fine, Kuai… I dislike the idea of innocents in trouble regardless,” he muttered, not thinking that the Lin Kuei Grandmaster was actually real. “You aren’t losing your mind, child. We are in your mind. I am Princess Kitana,” he heard a melodic voice murmur as he rose shakily to his feet. His eyes narrowed. “Prove it,” he thought challengingly. A soft chuckle sounded as he exhaled softly before snapping his wrist, a gust of bluish light flaring up before dimming as his eyes widened, recognizing instantly Kitana’s trademark fan, making his eyes widen. “Believe me now, child?” he heard Kitana’s voice murmur with amusement. He shrugged in reply, letting the fan drift before flicking it closed as his head snapped up, spotting strange, chitinous creatures darting past, close to a dozen of them, both of the male and female variety. His eyes narrowed fractionally, hearing panicked screams as he could feel something welling up inside him, a strength he had never felt before. His eyes narrowed as he pushed off, catching one of the male chitinous creatures with a flying knee strike to the chest before he drove a backhanded strike into the face of one of the females as he kicked a third, another bulkier male, in the shin just below the knee, taking the leg out from beneath him as he drew his hand back, then thrust it forward, a fireball erupting and detonating between a third male and second female which threw them apart, all of them dazed and nearly unconscious. ------ In Canterlot’s Palace -----   A changeling queen in chitinous black armor and a long mace sneered at the ponies, held tight by her guards before she grimaced. “Who is it fighting my ‘lings? One of yours? An Assassin in Black?” she snarled. The anthropomorphic ponies glanced at each other, confused. “None that we know of. Our guards wear dark navy or gold depending on whether they are Night Guard or Day Guard, not black,” an alabaster furred mare with a chromatic pastel mane in shades of pale heliotrope, light turquoise, very light cobalt blue, and light cerulean. Her grayish magenta eyes narrowed on the dark emerald of the Changeling Queen, who abruptly gasped in pain, shuddering. “Whoever it is is killing them!!! And not in painless manners. Some fall to blades, others to fire spells or ice spells. Ugh!!!” she groaned, gritting her teeth as her horn gained a dull emerald glow.   “Serves them right for invading Canterlot!!” a cyan Pegasus with a polychromatic mane snapped, held by two bulkier Changelings. “It doesn’t matter… once I drain all of you of all of your love… I will be unstoppable… just as I’ve done to dear Shining Armor,” Chrysalis sneered, smirking at the dazed stallion, whom even now had a drunk, dopey look. ----------------  Micah noticed, with a slight frown, a mine shaft several dozen yards away from the large palace he’d found, though many of those ‘Changelings’ were between not only him and the palace, but also him and that mineshaft; he couldn’t explain why he got the strong sense that that area was important. “Allow me to take over for a time, allow you to meet us,” he heard a different voice mutter. “Hanzo Hazashi? Grandmaster of the Shirai Ryu?” he murmured. “The same. I am honored to know you and clearly, the gifts you have gained, you will not abuse,” Hanzo replied. “Fine… Vengeance will be mine!!” Micah muttered, feeling his consciousness pulled back into the depths of his mind as the Shirai Ryu Grandmaster stepped forward, hellfire erupting around him explosively and throwing Changelings every direction. Unnoticed, however, the Grandmaster's armor was quite different from his ‘usual’ outfit. A form coruscating in sapphire, lavender, and emerald flames shot over the ocean within the soulscape. The form impacted the sandy beach and tumbled, the flames of the aura being put out. Micah groaned as he pulled himself to his feet using the lower branches of a nearby peach tree. He heard footfalls before he turned, gasping in mild surprise to see a woman he recognized immediately. “Damn. Always thought you were cute in the games. But seeing the real thing? Ravishing,” Micah complimented. Princess Kitana smirked a bit. “We've seen... in most of your memories, though I must ask. Why did you choose to use Shang Tsung's form?” she commented. Micah shrugged. “I suppose because he's a villain most people hate for his actions and decisions in life, yet at the same time, he's respected by most even if it is a disdainful respect. Personally, I respect the sorcerer, but I don't think I would trust him more than, say, you would,” he said with a chuckle. Kitana laughed at that comment, looking amused. She bowed a bit, smirking. Her gaze slid up, then down his body. “Intriguing. It appears you gained something from each of us passively on top of our unique talents,” she commented with a small teasing smile. “Well, obviously I didn’t gain anyone’s physical beauty, such as yours. So what did I get from you, other than the chance to enjoy being around someone like you?” Micah quipped. “My lifespan, or more precisely, a portion of it. I would guess you could live between eight thousand and eleven thousand years with ease,” came the Edenian Princess’ amused reply. “Well, if I hit ten thousand and look as good as you, I’d probably be in trouble,” Micah teased, gaining a roll of the eyes from the Edenian Princess. “Obviously, your soulscape has taken the form of Shang Tsung’s island and from what I know for sure, Hanzo Hazashi, the Shirai Ryu Grandmaster… ‘Scorpion’... and the Lin Kuei Grandmaster… ‘Sub-Zero’... Kuai Liang… are here. Who else could be here, I do not know. I am certain the old sorcerer himself is here somewhere, however. He will no doubt show himself when he is done primping himself,” Kitana deadpanned. “Yeah, Shang does need to get the curlers out of his mustache… and hair,” Micah laughed. He noticed Kitana’s lips twitching before she joined in the laughter. > A Vengeful Rout > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Equestria ⇀ #1115132120 Canterlot Palace, Entrance Hall ———♠——— Grandmaster Hanzo ‘Scorpion’ Hazashi sneered beneath his armored Menpō mask. The strange creatures were nervous, even scared. He decided not to kill them as it was… pitifully obvious that whomever led them was weak and likely more cowardly. More likely, a taste of power will have gone to their head, making them more arrogant. He could feel their host and ally exploring the soulscape. -- Within the Soulscape | Shang Tsung’s Island -- Micah looked around cautiously. “You said this was a soulscape… so…. I’m guessing I’m merged with the old man on a spiritual level, not just a physical one. Strange… I had found stories and rumors of this sort of thing… people vanishing only to end up somewhere else,” he commented. “Something has you troubled,” Kitana said softly, not making it a question, but a statement. “My cousin, Lavender… was cosplaying as someone you know very well, Kitana. Whoever that guy was… dressed as Ishmael, the Betrayer of Hope, he knocked her into the same stand I was knocked into. I remember your fan pinning my arm and shoulder down alongside Scorpion’s kunai and chain… as well as Sub-Zero’s mask. That would explain why you three were…. Awake… I suppose we could say. Though who else could be here,” Micah replied before he ducked as a familiar razor rimmed hat shot past where his throat had been moments before. “Well, that’s another one… though I have to wonder if Hanzo was right,” he commented wryly as Kung Lao frowned. “Right about what, sorcerer?” the Shaolin monk said warily. “If your biggest weakness was your ego. Hell, between you and Liu… Liu may have the physical talents… but you have your own skills. Not many can wield a razor rimmed hat without a ton of scars on their hands… or missing fingers. Hell, the only one I can remember other than you would be Oddjob… and his hat ended up getting him killed… though who uses a bowler hat with a razor rim? It just didn’t look…. right,” Micah deadpanned. He saw Kung Lao smirk as he returned a more subtle one. “Although stroking one’s ego can be a good distraction,” he thought as he shoved off suddenly, unintentionally mimicking Liu Kang’s flying side kick and catching Kung Lao high in the chest before shoving him backwards into a shoulder roll. “Not bad, sorcerer,” the monk said carefully. “You’re a dumb bastard, ain’tcha? I’m not Shang Tsung. Yeah, I look like him, but I’m not him. Name’s Micah,” Micah replied in a sarcastic tone. Kung Lao blinked, glancing at Kitana, though Micah didn’t miss it. “Then how did you?” he started. “I’ve trained in no less than four different styles of martial arts. Tang Soo Do, specifically of the Mu Du Kwan discipline, Tae Kwon Do, of the Kun Gek Do discipline, Muay Thai, and Judo. The first has the flying side kick as one of its intermediate to advanced skills and one that I’ve practiced for many months, though I will admit that I’ve never fired one off like that before,” Micah said dryly, his tone shifting to sheepish. Kung Lao hummed. “So you do not know of Shaolin Wu Shu,” he commented thoughtfully. “Nope. I know of Shaolin Kung Fu which I’m certain Kuai Liang would know of, but I’m not sure what the other is,” Micah deadpanned, shrugging. “That’s because they are the same, only named differently,” a cold, deep voice said dryly. Dark brown eyes narrowed as the youth spun, instinctively shifting his weight into a stance that made him think of the low Muay Thai stance he’d seen Jackson Briggs favor at times, though it was more focused on the balls of his feet, allowing for greater maneuverability. “He has talent, though it is somewhat unpolished, as if it has not been in recent use,” the Lin Kuei Grandmaster mused thoughtfully. Micah’s gaze was distracted as he spotted a flare of emerald light. “That looked almost like something Ermac might use… or a certain primping sorcerer,” he commented. Kuai noticed Kitana’s lips twitching as if she were trying to not laugh, while Kung Lao looked somewhat confused. He shifted his weight, relaxing slightly before sighing softly. “I’m sure you can guess I know who you all are, though… in my world… none of you exist outside of a video game series… named after a particular tournament you likely know of very well. And I’ll freely admit I do like Cary Hiroyuki’s portrayal of Shang Tsung in the movie they did of it, though in most of the games… Shang was an asshole in need of a foot,” he deadpanned. He heard the Shaolin monk snort in return. “And if you don’t set that ego aside, Lao, I’m going to slap it out of you,” he said dryly before he blinked, startled to see Kuai’s form shattering into ice and blowing away. He did, of course, recognize the exit tactic as one employed from the MK 2011 game from the Tag Kombat. --------------- In the waking realm… Kuai saw Hanzo shift out in a gust of hellfire as he took over, fighting the strange, chitinous creatures which seemed highly vulnerable to his and Hanzo’s skills. His icy blades sheared through the chitinous flesh, exposing dark greenish teal insides, though the blood tended to be a dark green much like that of a Raptor. The Lin Kuei Grandmaster smirked, tilting his head. He focused his chi into a dense sphere that formed between his palms before he weakened one side of the sphere and let it fire out in a jet of freezing air that encased the chitinous creatures in ice enough to halt their movements but not enough to be fatal. He used his Ice Slide to accelerate his movements, using shoulder blocks to knock aside more of the creatures, stunning most of them before a bulkier one tried to crush him into the ground, only succeeding in shattering an ice clone. He split the creature’s skull with a heavy axe, the cryokinetic energy leaking out with the fractured ice and freezing the creature’s head from within. ------------------- Within the Soulscape… Micah blinked, cocking his head in surprise as a maelstrom of hellfire exploded from the ground as Hanzo straightened. “Hell of an entrance there, Master Hazashi. Some might call it theatrical, but… sometimes the theatrical can be just as effective. Kombat is just as much psychological as it is physical and spiritual,” he commented. Hanzo tilted his head with interest. “You are not like the parasite sorcerer. You are much more respectful,” he commented gruffly. “Of course I would be. Unlike Shang, I have damn good reason to respect you all. No doubt he sees you merely as boosts of his own abilities, yet I see you as allies with knowledge that would doubtless be useful to me adjusting to this world. No doubt Kuai is having some fun outside,” Micah quipped, getting a chuckle from the stoic and gruff Shirai Ryu Grandmaster. “From what I can tell, he is,” Hanzo deadpanned. ----------------------- In the waking realm… Kuai smirked as he planted a side kick into the ribs of one of the chitinous creatures before slamming its head into a nearby planter, rendering it unconscious. “Thorax!!” he heard a bulkier one snarl before he was encased in ice before he was slammed into a wall, heavily cracking it. Kuai snorted as he glared at the semi-conscious creature. He hummed softly, sensing that their possessor wished to push himself as pale emerald-teal flames flared before fading, revealing Micah as he rolled his shoulders. “Thank you, Grandmaster Liang,” he murmured as he took a deep breath. He strode down the broad hallway, his eyes narrowing as he spotted more of the chitinous bipeds. “You think you can stop our Queen? We Changelings will enjoy this feast!!” one of the bulkier creatures he now knew to be called Changelings snarled. “You’ll enjoy a feast of what, my fist as I drive it down your throat until it comes out your ass? I’ll be more than happy to let you feast on that, asshole. And from the sound of it, your Queen sounds like a Queen Asshole in need of a boot,” Micah deadpanned, rolling his shoulders as three of them charged at him, leaving the bulkier pair by the broad doors. His hand dipped, coming up with a thin roll of monowire before he blinked, the instinctive movement reminding him of a certain female Special Forces Lieutenant. “Hmmmm, so, Sonya… you’re in there too, eh? Let’s play,” he murmured with amusement. He lightly wound the wire around the punching arm of one Changeling, letting his fingers slip off the wire as he twisted and dropped to a knee, dislocating the elbow as he twisted, plowing his forearm into the Changeling’s face once, twice, thrice before planting a Sparta style kick into his gut just beneath the ribs, driving the wind from the male Changeling. He ducked under the other male’s blow, grabbing his head and falling back, driving the male’s face and chest with an echoing crunch into his raised knee in a Codebreaker before he twisted, kicking the last Changeling, a female, in the gut several quick times before slapping her across the face with a hard roundhouse kick that dropped her senseless to the floor as he spun and regained his footing in a fluid spin before he pushed off in a flying side kick that just missed the bulkier Changeling who sneered before Micah smirked. “You missed, freak,” the Changeling growled. “Really?” Micah retorted, locking an arm around the Changeling’s neck before shoving off the wall and slamming his face into the ground as Micah let his body weight fall atop the creature, bouncing him off the ground before he caught the Changeling, tossing him at his buddy before hurling a fireball at both of them, driving them into the wall hard enough to almost drive them through the wall. He booted both doors open, cocking his head. “What are you?!?” Queen Chrysalis snarled. “Meh, just a wandering sorcerer… who’s about to give you the most unpleasant spanking you’ve ever had,” Micah deadpanned nonchalantly. > First True Kombat -- Queen Chrysalis > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Equestria ⇀ #1115132120 Canterlot Palace, Throne Room --------------------------------------------- “Hah!! What makes you think you can hurt me? My own mother couldn’t spank me after I hit puberty, and you…. You couldn’t even touch me if you tried,” Chrysalis snarled arrogantly, swinging her bladed mace as she scoffed scornfully. “Geez… could you be a little more arrogant with that pole up your ass? Or is it a full sized tree? Meh… who gives a shit? I’m about to pull it out and beat you senseless with it,” Micah said dryly; he was very aware that he had never gone toe-to-toe with anyone seeking to kill him. Though he did admit to himself he loved a good challenge. He noticed the pale grayish white furred woman with a six inch horn sticking out just above the brow of her head and a curly deep amethyst mane and deep cerulean eyes staring at him with a strange look that seemed to be a mix of shock, confusion, and a bit of disdain and fear to it. Translucent green slime that crackled with arcs of bright green electricity held her as well as seven others, two noticeably taller than the others but very noticeably all of them were scuffed up in some way. He noticed a guy with a slightly shorter horn, two toned blue hair and glazed eyes swaying slightly with a dazed look. Micah sneered. “So, what, you’re some sort of empathic vampire? Draining emotions from others and converting it into whatever power you have? Rather sad, as it implies that you either don’t know how to feel emotion… or you fear it. Well… I’ll give you something else to fear,” he said with a slight growl to his voice. The edges of his irises had shifted to a deep crimson-amber tone as he felt a presence he didn’t recognize in his mind. “I doubt that, fool,” she snapped back as she sent an arc of crackling green energy at him from the head of the mace, only for him to duck it as he darted forward low to the ground before somersaulting over the second arc of crackling energy. As he did so, he twisted, snapping his hips up and over as he planted a hand and did a mingled handspring-shoulder roll before driving a heel hard into the shaft of the mace, disarming her before he twisted, shifting his hips to drive an inverted twisting side kick into her chest and shoving her away. “Oh, my,” the amethyst maned mare murmured with surprise, her accent sounding almost mid to northern Atlantic in nature. Not quite as strong as something from New York or Brooklyn, but much like something one might hear from West Virginia or Pennsylvania. Micah swiftly scooped up the mace and spun, throwing it hard into the wall behind him before his gaze flicked back to the egotistical Queen Bitch. What he didn’t see, however, was the alcove the broken wall revealed, holding an Obelisk that seemed to be made of a greenish black stone with veins of silvery metal and a couple of slowly rotating dark purple rings around it that crossed each other. “Funny how, from what I can tell, you had to invade here. What, too weak to try working through diplomacy… or too desperate… or stupid? Hmmm? Which would it be?” Micah said coldly, crossing his arms over his chest. He noticed the odd, twisted horn she had flaring with the same dark green light before she fired a beam of coherent energy at him. He smirked, rolling beneath it before coming up and hurling a low fireball at about knee to mid thigh height. He wasn’t all that surprised when she evaded, though the fireball impacted between both the butterscotch furred pegasus with a soft rose pink mane and the grayish white furred unicorn with the curly amethyst mane. He noticed with interest that the fireball incinerated the slime pinning their hands as it detonated into embers. He shifted his weight, leaning aside from a slashing strike from Chrysalis, giving her two rapid fang palm strikes to the upper and lower abdomen, with his fingers half curled in the Hēihǔquán style before he shifted his weight again, twisting as he caught her underneath the arm, twisting into a hip toss that turned into a slamming throw that left her tumbling a few yards. Chrysalis sneered as she threw several varying roundhouse kicks varying from low to high to mid to mid-high, then low and snapping off a twisting heel kick that caught the strange pony straight in the mouth, throwing him back to the foolish ponies that she’d pinned to the ground. She was mildly startled to hear him laugh. Micah laughed as he sat up, spitting out a mouthful of blood from his split lip as well as from the cut along the inside of his cheek. “So you’re not all talk after all… and not all cowardice. I would think that if you’d asked, these people,” he started. “Ponies, darling, we’re ponies,” the amethyst maned mare said dramatically. “Ponies, then… would have helped you… though now? I rather doubt they’ll feel all that forgiving. From what I can tell… this seems to be… what…. A wedding?” Micah said, getting a nod from the pinned mares. His eyes narrowed as he glared at Chrysalis. “You crashed a wedding? Damn… you really need to get laid, and crashing a wedding is never the way to do that,” he snapped as he spun, a jet of flame incinerating the slime and freeing all seven of the mares, though it was obvious to him that none of them were in fighting condition. “I don’t need a consort… and you certainly wouldn’t be one I’d choose, fool… besides, I doubt you have any love in your body from what I sense,” Chrysalis snarled. Micah chuckled, his eyes closing before reopening, flickering for an instant a dark shade of emerald before flickering a pale purple, noticing the Soul Obelisk for the first time gaining cracks of pale purple flame. “Don’t act like you know me at all, bitch…. In other words… Just Bring It!!” he snapped, his voice gaining a deeper timbre as the Obelisk exploded in a bright fireball of pale lavender flames, tendrils of lavender flame surging towards him, startling Chrysalis as they engulfed him. Micah gritted his teeth, the aura flaring around him before it faded to a brilliant emerald flame before flickering to pale purple. “Let’s do it, Jax,” he muttered, his voice still holding the deeper timbre. ----- Within the Astral Plane ----- “So this is how Liu kept us alive… merging our souls with Obelisks and hiding them away. You think he knew about this?” the chocolate skinned Major of Earthrealm’s Special Forces spoke. Micah shrugged. “Considering that he took over Kronika’s place as God of Time after beating her ass like a throw rug? Wouldn’t surprise me. Not to mention he has Kitana with him… well…. the Kitana from the previous timeline. Wouldn’t surprise me if she took someone’s place as well, probably Cetrion’s place as Goddess of Life and Nature. Pity, since she was more of a sympathetic villain, to me,” he remarked. Jax smirked. “So you seem to have changed, sorcerer,” he deadpanned. “I said the same thing to Kung Lao. I look like Shang Tsung but I’m not him. Hell, if that Ishmael wanna-be didn’t knock me on my ass I wouldn’t be in this situation. Not to mention he dragged my cousin into it. Now… let’s kick the Bug Bitch’s ass,” Micah said with an edge of annoyance. “Alright… I could use something to knock the rust off,” Jax said with a chuckle. “Off your arms or off your skin? I can’t tell,” Micah said cheekily, grinning, making the Major faceplant with the ridiculous joke. “Yeah… that was enough to tell me you ain’t him… that was a joke fit for Cage,” Jax grumbled. “Are you kidding? Cage’s whole life was a joke… and he got damn lucky in catching Sonya’s eye… no idea how he pulled that out of his ass,” Micah deadpanned, getting a laugh from Jax. “Let’s do it… partner,” he offered a hand as he spoke, which Micah took, engulfing them in a pale lavender aura of flames before it winked out. ----- In the --- Waking World... ----- The aura faded, showing the tall, broad shoulders and deep chocolate skin and dark beard of the elder Jax Briggs. “Huh… let’s go,” he snapped as he pushed off, catching Chrysalis hard in the face with a brutal hooking punch that nearly dislocated her jaw from his Dash Punch. He reared back before firing off quick jabs as the arm began to glow red hot, then orange hot, steam visibly coming from the metal before he drove several vicious blows to her abdomen with the same effect happening before he ploughed one punch into her abdomen that caused a gout of deep emerald-teal blood to spurt from her lips as she gained a shocked look from the pain before he clapped both hands over the sides of her head, dazing her further before he pulled out an odd weapon in the form of a single barrel grenade launcher, the blast from it hurling her backwards. ((Essentially Jax’s MK11 Fatal Blow, for those who do not know)) Almost the same moment as Chrysalis’ semi-conscious form tumbled to the ground hard, a younger Unicorn mare with a mulberry coat and a dark violet, dark pink, and purple streaked mane stumbled through the doors, staring in shock as an Alicorn mare with a pale grayish cerise coat, moderate purple eyes, and a messy tri-colored mane of pale gold, pale rose, and moderate violet wearing a rather ragged what Jax supposed might have been a wedding dress at one point. “What… happened?” the younger Unicorn mare panted, gasping at the scene before her as the Alicorn mare darted forward on her hooves, catching the dazed male Unicorn with the two toned blue hair by the shoulders. “We kept her from making a bigger mess… though how we’re going to get rid of her, I don’t know,” Jax deadpanned, shrugging as tendrils of lavender flame flared before he shifted back to his new host and ally. "Wait.... we?!?" the unknown Unicorn mare said with confusion, blinking several times. “Damn… that was a rush… not to mention… oooow…. what a migraine,” Micah said with a small grin before he grimaced, rubbing his temples as his head pounded unmercifully. He stumbled back before he felt arms catch him, the arms of the butterscotch furred Pegasus mare and the grayish white Unicorn mare. He looked up, seeing deep sapphire and soft teal eyes smiling tearfully at him before he felt himself passing out and drifting into unconsciousness. > Recovery and Discoveries > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Equestria ⇀ #1115132120 Royal Infirmary —–—–—–— Micah's eyes fluttered at the feel of warmth as he noticed the mingled scents of lavender, lemongrass, and mint. He could feel the soft plushness of something gliding over his skin in small circles before shifting to long, gently massaging strokes as he sighed softly. From the fact that whoever it was didn't seem to notice, he could guess that he'd been unconscious for an extended period. He felt the warmth of water being poured over his head as he realized that he was in a bathtub and likely not alone in it. His eyes fluttered before opening, realizing that the soft, dim glow was from candles. He blinked a few times, his body feeling stiff, slow, and sluggish. He was mildly shocked to see that he was as bare as the day he was born and the duo he recalled observing were the ones apparently bathing him. He shivered despite the warmth of the bath, noticing that both mares were just as nude as he was. The butterscotch furred Pegasus mare had breasts that were easily F cups, while the amethyst maned Unicorn mare had generous DD breasts. He saw the shy, soft smile on the Pegasus mare's face as he felt the washcloth running over his body, specifically his chest, shoulders, and throat. He hummed softly, seeing her tense as he felt the Unicorn mare's fingers running through his long, shoulder-upper back length hair. “You're finally awake!! It's been almost three days after… what you did to give Twilight time to get to the Palace,” he heard the Pegasus mare murmur in a soft musical voice. “Those… Changelings… were little more than bullies. Only the ones who enjoyed the pain and suffering of others… were put down permanently… the rest of them… I knocked out,” Micah replied tiredly. “Those… ruffians… made a large mess, and whilst many were scared, even terrified, it appears that more often than not, these… Changelings… were thrown into one another, seemingly disrupting their fear tactics. I am Rarity Belle, and this is Fluttershy,” the Unicorn mare said with a musical laugh as he felt her hugging him from behind as Fluttershy hugged him from the front, apparently uncaring of the soap upon their furred bodies. Micah shivered as Rarity hummed, feeling her soft hands roaming his body, not missing the fact that Fluttershy was feeling him up as well. “What are you doing?” he said with a hint of nervousness but noticed a tone underneath it that held arousal. “Rewarding you. You do want to be rewarded, don't you?” Fluttershy murmured in a soft voice as he gasped, feeling her fingers curling around something that was very swiftly and suddenly growing quite stiff as her fingers began to pump up and down the shaft. Micah groaned softly, his eyes fluttering as he heard both mares giggle. He thought he heard Rarity say something about being ‘in heat’ whatever that meant. He did, however, hear Fluttershy whisper about protection. He inhaled, shivering at the feel of their very warm, fuzzy and soft bodies rubbing against him as he felt Rarity's fingers trailing along his inner thigh before her fingers began playing with his balls. “Ooooh, darling. You are quite well endowed, are you not?” Rarity purred as he felt her lips pressing against his shoulder near his throat. He shivered, feeling her nuzzling his shoulder as she kept playing with his balls. His eyes drifted half-lidded as he felt her lips pressing higher and higher along his jawline. He could feel Fluttershy wiping away the soap from his skin, though he got the sense she liked pampering him almost like a pet. He groaned softly as he felt Fluttershy’s fingers still teasing his shaft before he felt both mares pause, their fingers slipping away beneath the water. He let his arm wind around Fluttershy’s back, hearing her squeak in surprise before he pulled her close, her crystalline teal eyes blinking in surprise several times as she looked nervous. “You do know it’s unfair if you wash me… and I don’t get to wash you and Rarity… from my guess, you two have been taking care of me?” Micah murmured softly. “Um.. um… w-with help from some of Princess Celestia’s personal maids, yes,” Fluttershy said softly, her voice shy and unsure. “Then I’ll make sure you’re just as relaxed and pampered as you’ve apparently kept me, though I have to wonder why you seem to feel I should have more… intimate… rewards,” Micah said, pausing uncertainly. “Because you deserve it, darling… though… ah… I…. will… admit…” Rarity said with a broad smirk. “That you’re in heat? Though the fragrances within the water hide it well, I do notice a scent that reminds me of mint ice cream as well as something that smells like orchids and cloves,” he finished, amused as both mares blushed deeply. “You don’t have to be embarrassed. I suppose I instinctively know these things… perhaps a part of me was conscious, noting them, though I have no conscious memory of it,” Micah said gently. “You… would… help us… with our… heat?” Fluttershy said softly. “If that’s what you desire, I’ll help with more than that,” Micah said kindly, letting his fingers drift slowly up and down Fluttershy’s back, amused as she almost purred at the apex, though he did notice that his forearm brushed the broad, angelic wings that were just a shade or two paler than her deep butterscotch fur. “I have to admit, I’m a bit… surprised at how generous you are,” Rarity commented as she helped him lean forward, noticing him grimacing as she did as he gasped as if his body were still sore. “I wish I understood more of what the heck is going on. Last thing I truly, clearly remember was getting knocked on my ass at a convention… with my cousin Lavender… next thing I knew, I was waking up in an alleyway feeling like my head had been used for a basketball in the NBA Finals… and those Changelings running about, sliming people or attacking them… or scaring the shit out of them, otherwise, it’s somewhat blurred,” Micah murmured. “We’ll help you remember… and feel better too,” Fluttershy consoled. She giggled as he groaned, stretching almost instinctively as Rarity began massaging his back with the washcloth after pouring a generous dollop of fur wash upon his skin; it was rather interesting to her, that he had such little fur, yet he seemed to like how they were taking care of him. She blinked, noticing that his hands were gently running up, then down over her sides, giving her chills. She did, however, notice his grin as if he liked her reaction. ----- Lemon Warning ---- Micah sighed softly, feeling the cool soap on his skin before he felt the warm washcloth and warmer hands of Rarity massaging his back. He saw Fluttershy shiver in front of him as he let his fingers slide up and down her sides, admiring how toned her body was. “Both of you are beautiful… very beautiful. Although I have to admit that I’m curious how much you two will shiver when I’m washing you,” he said quietly. He heard a soft purring moan as he felt Rarity lean over his back as he felt something far warmer rubbing against his skin. “Oh, really? How do you know we aren’t washing you… with our bodies? Hmm?” she purred, amused as he groaned softly, though the Element of Generosity saw Fluttershy smirk in a far less shy manner as she let her body sink beneath the foamy bubbles. She felt him tense immediately as he groaned, shuddering. Micah felt the softness rubbing against his stiff shaft as Fluttershy looked up at him before she leaned closer, their lips meeting in a hungry kiss. Rarity smirked as he heard the male’s soft groans as Fluttershy purred and moaned softly, humming, although she couldn’t tell what was happening beneath the water. A small frown crossed her face, thinking. ’His cousin, he claimed, is missing, but where? Clearly not in Canterlot, or people would have seen her, so where?’ she mused as she grabbed a bottle of mane wash before adding a generous dollop to her palm and rubbing it into a lather before running her fingers through his hair, amused as he gasped, leaning back a bit against her as she wriggled so she was sitting behind him, her legs outside of his as he shivered against her. “Are you, perchance, a virgin?” she whispered. Micah shivered at the feel of Rarity rubbing and wiggling against his back as Fluttershy retreated from the kiss with a smoky look as he felt what he was almost sure was her breasts rubbing faster against his shaft. He pushed a hand up as he felt Rarity massaging his scalp as she washed his hair, the bubbles parting to show warm, butterscotch toned breasts and a lightly tanned cock beneath the surface. He heard Fluttershy giggle as she bowed her head, noticing her gaze on his cock before he heard her take a deep breath before her breasts slipped away, replaced by something far hotter and tighter as Fluttershy’s tongue lashed around his head, then slid down the shaft as she dunked her head beneath the water, her soft rose pink mane spreading through the water amongst the bubbles. He froze at her question, squeezing his eyes shut as he felt Fluttershy’s head sliding up, then down quickly, the heat and pressure exquisite as he felt his balls tighten almost immediately before he felt the vibration rush through his shaft as he was almost sure she moaned as she kept her head down as his flow petered out before she resurfaced with a purr and a broad smirk as her saturated mane fell over her face in soaked tendrils of hair before he heard Rarity giggle. “Hmmm, I guess so, though... “ she started to say before Fluttershy planted herself in his lap, her head darting forward and kissing Rarity abruptly, muffling her yelp of surprise before it turned into a throaty moan of arousal before she hummed softly as her fingers curled in his hair, tugging it lightly. He noticed a flicker of cornflower blue as a sprayer levitated as he felt Rarity tilt his head back as she sat back with a hum as Fluttershy smiled slowly, running her fingers through his hair before he closed his eyes as the duo rinsed his hair. He wasn’t quite sure what Fluttershy had been doing, but he didn’t miss that both of the mares were hugging themselves quite close to him. It was then that he became aware of a certain stiffness twitching against his back, making him tilt his head as he glanced back at Rarity, who had the grace to look embarrassed. “You noticed, didn’t you, darling? I apologize if it seems… forward of me, but the hormones that thing produce in me are rather… strong,” Rarity said with a small grimace. He slid forward away from her, leaning a bit forward. “I’ll admit that I’ve never thought much of that… but a hot mare like yourself? And a good warm bath? I kinda doubt it’d be hard to focus on too much discomfort…” Micah quipped. “Especially since you’re going to be quite focused on something else… namely… me,” Fluttershy said softly, her tone soft yet at the same time warm and lustful. She giggled, seeing him shiver at her tone of voice. “Oh? And how would I be focused on you to that point?” Micah said innocently, giving away that he, indeed, had never slept with anyone before. He saw Fluttershy lean closer to him before wrapping her arms around his head and pulling him into her bosom, hugging him close as he gasped at the fragrant scent of her skin; he guessed she and Rarity might already have washed themselves, though he did notice Fluttershy shifting as his stiff cock twitched before it was partially engulfed in heat as she bounced slightly before he became aware of a particular barrier. He felt her lift her hips before plunging down, the barrier tearing away as she gasped, hearing pain and surprised pleasure in her voice. He leaned a bit further forward. “Go ahead, Rarity… before I lose my nerve,” he said softly as he could feel Rarity’s fingers massaging his ass, which surprisingly felt strangely…. pleasant. He could feel her thumbs pumping in and out of his rear hole with one alternating in as the other slipped out, supposedly to relax it as he groaned from the sensations as he instinctively shifted his hips, drawing a purring moan from Fluttershy who kissed him. Fluttershy, admittedly, had until moments before, been a virgin herself, though there was something that drew this... human… to her… something she couldn’t explain… a desire to be near him. She saw him yelp slightly as he shuddered as Rarity moaned as she rocked her hips slowly and gently, though the human seemed to find the sensations startling and new from the way his head dipped from the kiss… fixing with an almost hungry need around one stiff nipple on her chest, drawing a much more noticeable moan from her as she felt something gush forth. “Oh… oh…. My… I think…. Ooooooh,” she moaned, her head tilting back as she held his head to her breast. Rarity moaned as she pumped her hips softly and gently, letting the human adjust to having her marecock shoved up his ass. She pushed a bit deeper, giving soft, gentle thrusts that pushed a bit deeper every few thrusts, drawing soft growls from the human and moans from Fluttershy as she saw the human switch breasts, a bit of milk dribbling from one nipple, her eyes catching sight of it dribbling towards the water. She heard Fluttershy giggle, realizing she’d been caught staring as she blushed a pretty rosy crimson. Micah was a bit surprised that he got milk from Fluttershy’s breast, though she seemed to really enjoy the sensation as his body was getting used to Rarity’s…. meat… deep in his body. He heard Fluttershy giggling as he felt her muscles fluttering around his cock as he started pumping his hips, getting a groan from Rarity and a purring moan from Fluttershy as he felt the marecock pumping deeper, the heat growing rather enjoyable as he drank more milk from Fluttershy’s other breast before pulling back and kissing the butterscotch Pegasus mare right on the lips. From her resulting blush, she hadn’t expected that, nor the milk he’d pushed into her mouth as he started pumping his hips faster, making her whine and moan as he felt her fingers digging into his shoulders as he saw her breasts visibly bouncing as he felt Rarity shudder as he retreated, pushing her deeper into his own body as he deliberately twitched his hips, grinding against her as she moaned and purred as he managed to set a steady, quick pace with both of them, feeling Rarity wrapping her arms against his upper abdomen as he slid almost to the edge of the seat, giving Rarity more room to thrust as he supported Fluttershy with his strength as he pumped his hips steadily and strongly. Her musical moans along with Rarity’s soft pants against the back of his neck had him shivering as his fingers glided over Fluttershy’s body before he felt her hands grip his wrists as he felt her legs wrap around his hips before he heard Rarity give a throaty moan as he felt her thrusts become deeper and far more enjoyable as he rocked his hips faster as she giggled before Fluttershy moaned softly as she shuddered, sitting up and hugging him as he felt her soaked body pressing against him as she started bouncing her hips against his as he felt Rarity rocking and rubbing her body against his back before he felt his balls tighten as Rarity’s marecock rubbing against his prostate was added into intense heat as he felt her filling him up as he felt himself filling Fluttershy up as she cried out in pleasure, shuddering as he felt her clenching and tightening against him. He groaned softly, his eyes drifting half lidded as he shuddered as he heard Fluttershy moaning and panting before she giggled. Rarity laughed softly. “That was very fun,” she murmured breathlessly, slumping against the human’s back as her hands roamed his chest and toned abdomen. “Mmmm, you’re so warm,” she purred as she withdrew her hips, feeling her slide free of his body before she felt him shudder and groan softly. She blinked as she felt him rock his hips, drawing a sudden yelping moan from Fluttershy as she purred. Micah chuckled softly as he started pumping his hips again in gentle thrusts as she moaned, a surprised look crossing her face. “Hmmmm… you deserve more pleasure, as does Miss Rarity,” he murmured with a chuckle. Fluttershy’s eyes crossed as she felt him thrusting gently yet, oh so deeply inside her. She knew, however, that it was unlikely that she would gain a foal from this, though it would make things interesting. She moaned as she came from the gentle rise of intense pleasure before she saw and felt him pull out before she noticed the intrigued look on Rarity’s face. “You do not consider me… strange? For having a marecock?” the Unicorn seamstress remarked curiously. “You mean being a ‘futa mare’? No… I find you no more strange than say, you might find that alabaster furred winged unicorn,” Micah teased, smirking. He saw Rarity’s cheeks darken in a rosy blush as she shivered. He let his gaze drift from her deep azure eyes down her body, admiring it as she had D cup breasts herself, tipped with warm gray nipples that appeared quite tense and tight. He cocked his head, noticing her marecock, a deep rich purplish gray that appeared decidedly horselike, although admittedly he wasn’t certain as he’d never actually raised horses nor had been around them more than once or twice. His cousin, however, was very much into horses and the like as she’d grown up for most of her life on a horse farm. -- Fluttershy POV -- I looked nervously at the human, noticing how his muscles flexed and shifted. I knew the futa mares were uncommon, and supposedly the Princess herself was one. Though Rarity hid it very well, she was sometimes unsure of herself despite her skill in capoeira and akido. I was better at akido and brazilian jiu-jitsu, myself. I saw him smirking as he let his fingers trail up Rarity’s body slowly, clearly admiring her as he seemed to like how toned her body was, much like mine, though in some places she was a bit more… curvy than I was, admittedly. I did know that Rarity did have a pussy, though I doubted the human knew. I let my fingers drift over my slightly swollen belly, feeling the warmth within. I had a talent for sensing life energies, and in my body, I sensed none despite how much he’d filled me up. I blushed at the thought before I heard Rarity gasp before moaning. I blinked, realizing I’d become distracted. I heard the soft slapping sound along with the sloshing of the bathwater before I realized what they were doing. A small giggle escaped me as I leaned back in the water, sighing as I simply enjoyed the warmth. It was almost as good as the Ponyville Spa was, if Rarity were in the mood to speak, I think as I hear her moaning as I crack an eye, seeing her clutching at his shoulders as if hanging on for dear life. That sight made me smirk. “While ‘shy’ may be in my name, it isn’t my nature, well… not always,” I whisper, subtly cracking the Fourth Wall for a moment.