12 years before the return of Nightmare Moon, Princess Celestia encounters a being from beyond the stars. Despite the less than formal first impression, Celestia decides to take him in to her care. How will Equestria fare with its new resident?
Bage, a young saiyan warrior is sent off Planet Vegeta moments before it's destruction. However, his pods original course is altered, and he crash lands an Planet Equis, over a decade before The 1000th Summer Sun Celebration. Princess Celestia believes she can help the young saiyan by taking him under her wing, and teaching him alongside her student, Twilight, hoping that the two can learn the magic of friendship together. However, Bage accidentally draws the attention of dark forces to the planet, forces that could very well threaten the balance of harmony itself. Will he be able to learn how to get along with Twilight, and defend Equis? Or will Equestria be decimated under the will of the tyrannical Lord Frieza?
Prologue, Friezas Fear, Planet Vegetas End! A Last-Minute Escape, A Child's Fate Unkown!
Prologue, Friezas Fear, Planet Vegetas End! A Last-Minute Escape, A Child's Fate Unkown!
Planet Vegeta, Age 737 Planet Vegetas Lower Living District.
A lone saiyan male rushed through the streets of the living district, pushing other saiyans out of his way, in an attempt to reach his mate Mizuna and his son Bage, when he returned from his most recent mission off planet. However, this will not be a happy reunion, as the saiyan, whose name was Totoma, had just received dire news. He was told by his training partner, Bardock, that the tyrannical emperor Lord Frieza was planning to destroy their planet and its inhabitants. He burst through the door to his abode, sweat beading on his forehead, to the shock of his mate, who was just greeting their son. "Totoma, what has gotten into you?! You almost made me blast you!" Mizuna snapped at her mate, annoyed at the sudden arrival.
Totoma disregarded this, however, and merely grabbed Mizuna's shoulders in a panic. "Mizuna listen to me, we have to get Bage off the planet, now!" Totoma shouted, grabbing his spare scouter and handing it to his son, who stared at his father in confusion.
"What? But I just got back on the planet. Lord Frieza ordered all saiyans-" Bage was cut off by his mother, who merely regarded Totoma with a look of indigence.
"Why? What could be so important, that we have to send our son off planet after he just got back?" Mizuna questioned, clearly against this sudden behavior from her mate.
"Look, I only just found out myself, OK?! I just met Bardock a few minutes ago, and he told me that Frieza had him and his squad killed! He only survived by hiding under their corpses, and he tried to warn everyone that Frieza was going to destroy the planet, but they just laughed when he told them! He warned me that we should head off-world, and I intend to listen if only to get Bage off the planet," Totoma explained hurriedly.
Mizuna stared in shock, coming to terms with the information she had just been given. Meanwhile, Totoma started to gather supplies for his son. Mizuna finally snapped back to reality, grabbing Totomas arm, and pulling him to face her. "DESTROY PLANET VEGETA?! HAVE YOU LOST IT?! YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE PROOF THAT FRIEZA WANTS TO DESTROY THE PLANET!" Mizuna shouts at the top of her lungs, tears welling up in her eyes. Totoma couldn't meet those amber eyes, only grimacing as the weight of the information came back on him again in full force. Bage could only stare in worried confusion, as his parents stood there, one being forced to bear the severity of the situation, and the other unable to cope with it. Mizuna finally moved, rushing over to Bage and embracing him, tears flowing down her cheeks. Bage flushed since he wasn't used to such blatant acts of affection from his mother.
"Mom, cut it out. This is weird," Bage muttered, trying to wiggle out of his mother's embrace. It was a fruitless effort though, as his mother squeezed all the tighter.
"Bage, listen to me. If your father is right about this, then a lot will be resting on YOUR shoulders, alright? Don't forget, you are a proud saiyan warrior, and to hell with anyone who would stand in your way," Mizuna said, voice wavering as she held back tears. Totoma finished gathering the small amount of supplies he felt were necessary, and he turned to his son, pulling him into a one-armed embrace.
"Bage, I'm not as good at affection as your mother is, but just know that I'm proud of you son. You'll do great things, I'm sure of it. Before you go, I want you to have my spare scouter. It's one of the latest models a low-class saiyan can get their hands on. Treat it well. Now, come on," Totoma gestured for both of them to follow, as he headed out to the pod dock.
Planet Vegeta was a bustling hub of activity, as more saiyans had arrived in the past few minutes. Totoma had a harder time pushing through the crowd than he did before, and he could see Frieza's ship entering the lower atmosphere. It was almost time. The pod deck was unguarded, which wasn't unusual given the circumstances. Totoma activated a pod and punched in a random set of coordinates, that would take his son far away from the planet and its inevitable fate. Bage could only stare in confusion, and a small amount of trepidation as he had recognized the ship in the sky as Friezas.
"Father, what's going on? Why would Lord Frieza want to destroy the planet anyway?" Bage questioned his father, desperately trying to make sense of the situation. Totoma didn't answer his son's queries, only continued to set up the pod, before grabbing it and heading out.
"Totoma, is this really happening? Is Frieza actually going to destroy the planet? Haven't we served him loyally? Why is he doing this?" Mizuna asked, fear now evident on her face. Totoma looked towards her, unsure of how to explain. He decided on a straightforward explanation.
"He's afraid of the Super saiyan. He thinks that one day, we'll rise up and overthrow him with the might of the super saiyan," He explained, setting the pod down on the ground on the outskirts of the living district. It was far enough out that no one would notice and perfect for them to launch the pod without the Frieza force noticing.
"Get in Bage. I'll explain what's going to happen. I've melted the transmitter in that scouter, so they can't hear us," Totoma directed his son. Bage climbed into the pod, still holding the scouter his father had given him. He looked to his mother, hoping for her to say that this wasn't true, their planet wasn't going to be destroyed. Unfortunately, he never got that, as Mizuna rounded on Totoma.
"You mean this is all over some silly legend?! Frieza is wiping us out over some STUPID LEGEND?! It's just some fairy tale told to young saiyan children, to give them something to strive for!" Mizuna shouted, in disbelief that the almighty Frieza was frightened by a campfire tale. Totoma didn't answer her, instead handing the bag of supplies to Bage.
"Son, if this ends up being a false alarm, I'll come to find you alright? But if this is happening, and Frieza goes through with this, then there's one thing I want you to know. You will be one of the last remaining saiyans, and as such you should never stop fighting until you're strong enough to kill that bastard one day. I know you'll do great things, and whatever happens, just know I'll always be proud of you," Totoma said as the pod closed and began its take-off sequence. Bage got one last look at his parents before the pod blasted off, shooting into the upper atmosphere.
As he left Planet Vegeta's orbit, he saw a massive ball of energy hanging over Frieza's ship, before it descended towards the surface, impacting and sending a shockwave across the planet. Moments later, a massive lance of energy erupted out the other side, and the planet detonated. Bage's face morphed into one of horror as his home was obliterated right in front of him. The shockwave from the explosion reached the pod in seconds, knocking it off course into deep space. The coordinates set by his father were scrambled, and during the violent shaking of the pod, Bage hit his head on the roof and was knocked unconscious. Meanwhile, the pod shot into deep space, its destination unknown.
Unknown Craft, Planet Vegeta outer system.
3 figures watch as Planet Vegeta is destroyed, via a set of screens, two of which zoom in on a saiyan caught in the blast. "That's the guy, right there, Bardock. He doesn't look so threatening to me," one of the figures calls out, snickering. A second figure crosses their arms, smirking.
"Anyway, he's space dust now. And there goes the whole monkey farm. Now, this is live entertainment," The second figure states, before noticing a pair of pods leave the planet. "Huh? What's this? Someone's getting away. Magnify the image."
"Right. I'm on it, Salza," a third figure says, zeroing in on the two pods.
"I want an interior view as well." Salza orders, watching as the screens change to show two saiyans, one an infant, the other around 12 years old.
"That's it! Got it!" The figure at the console calls out.
"Where do they think they're going?" Salza asks, scowling.
"It looks like one is heading towards a planet called Earth. The other, strange, I can't get a lock. Intercept course on the first one?" The third figure asks.
"Yes, I want them killed." Salza demands, before a fourth figure interrupts.
"Belay that order," the figure says, hovering over to the screens.
"Yes sire!" the figure at the console resetting the course.
"But, sire, there's two saiyans escaping!" Salza states, and the leader cuts him off with a raise of his hand.
"Frieza's the one in charge of this quadrant. Let him clean up his own mess. I've got 7 planets to destroy by the end of the day. Why should I allow myself to get behind schedule just to cover his mistake? Besides, it's just a couple of Saiyan children. They're no threat to us. Ah, look at that smug expression. What foolishness. He's so pleased with himself that he's blinded by his arrogant pride. That could be King Vegeta on one of those space pods for all he knows. You've got a lot to learn, brother. Let's get out of here," The figure orders, the craft turning and speeding off.
BAGE CURRENT POWER LEVEL: 2500
Chapter ONE: Crash Landing! A New Home? Or a Disguised Prison? Celestia Meets a Saiyan Warrior!
Chapter ONE: Crash Landing! A New Home? Or a Disguised Prison? Celestia Meets a Saiyan Warrior!
Planet Equis, Age 737; Celestial year 1788 Mount Canterhorn overlook
In a glistening white city perched on a mountainside, a lone figure gazes at the moon, a look of guilt and sadness upon her face as she sees the craters on its surface forming the shape of a unicorn mare. "Nearly 1000 years, and I still can't rest easy at night knowing you're still gone because of my ignorance, and hubris," The figure spoke, standing, and turning to head back into her bed chambers, removing the crown from atop her head. "I wish I could go back, and do things differently, maybe you would still be by my side," she muttered, solemnly, gazing into the jewel affixed into her crown. A mare stared back at her in the reflection, reminding her of what she had lost.
"I can only hope that, in time, my student will be ready to-" She was cut off, as a sudden rumbling caused the room, no, the entire city of Canterlot to shake. A deafening roar caused windows across the castle to shake in their frames, some shattering due to the strain. Immediately, she raced back out to her balcony in search of the source of this sudden thunderous noise. "What in Faust's name?!" she cried, barely able to hear herself speak over the cacophonous sound. She looked to the sky in time to see a massive fireball racing towards Canterlot, as it zoomed by her balcony, missing it by mere inches. She could feel the intense heat, it having been enough to melt the marble of her railing.
She watched it fly towards the base of Mount Canterhorn, crashing with a loud THOOOM. 'A meteor, so soon after speaking of my sister? Could this be a sign that she's listening?' Celestia thought to herself. She decided to fly down and investigate, in case it caused any damage to the area. Upon reaching the crater, she noticed that the meteor had pinged off the side of the mountain, and landed a short distance away, the crater glowing a faint orange from the heat of atmospheric entry. 'Strange, this object looks metallic, this is no ordinary piece of space debris, I should be cautious.' She thought to herself.
Her role as Alicorn of the Sun meant that the heat was no issue, and feeling like a pleasant bath, as she approached the object. Suddenly, the object emitted a hiss as a cloud of steam burst forth, the front raising. 'This is no meteor, this is some sort of strange craft!' She inched closer but was forced to dodge out of the way as an orb of light shot from the craft, and whizzed by her head, impacting the side of the mountain and detonating. Immediately raising a shield to protect herself, another orb impacted her shield, detonating and causing cracks to form. 'Such power, enough to damage my shield! There's someone in this craft!' she jumped into the air, spreading her wings and firing a beam at the craft, but it was smacked away by a figure jumping out of the smoke!
"I've got to admit, you might be the strangest creature I've seen so far, and strong too. You might be a decent challenge!" The creature announced as the dust settled. A sudden beeping came from the figure as its left eye lit up, flashing with an odd yellow light.
POWER LEVEL:2370 "2,370? Pretty high for an animal, but maybe you can provide some entertainment until I can figure out what planet I'm on," The figure called out, "FURY LANCER!" A beam of energy shooting from its outstretched palm. Celestia could barely react in time, the beam nearly piercing her left wing. She proceeded to fire a beam back, but the figure dodged it with no issue.
"I am no animal, creature. I am Princess Celestia, Ruler of Equestria, and I do not appreciate being attacked and insulted, stand down at once!" She proclaimed. She didn't want to harm the creature, but she would defend herself and Canterlot. The figure just stared up at her, its expression unreadable, before it laughed, doubling over. Despite this blatant disrespect, she could tell by the sound of its voice that it was young, perhaps only 13, and male if she had to guess.
"Oh man, that's funny. 'Stand down at once!' she says. Honestly, I'm surprised you can even speak, let alone dodge that blast, but I tell you what, if you can land a single hit on me, I'll 'stand down' How's that sound?" The figure proclaimed. Celestia pondered this ultimatum, deciding that if she could minimize the damage to the area, she could find a diplomatic solution to this situation, and salvage first contact.
"Very well, but I should warn you, I am far more powerful than you might realize. I did not become ruler by being weak, and I-" She suddenly felt a searing pain in her chest as a blast hit her square in the chest, and she screamed in agony. She hit the ground and used her magic to rip off her now mangled chest plate. Had she not been an alicorn, the blast may have killed her.
"You should work on talking less, and focus on the fight you're in. I held back on that blast, otherwise, you'd be a corpse right now. Maybe if you were paying attention, you could have avoided that," The figure stated, standing over her. She stared up at him, barely able to contain the tears pooling in her eyes from the pain. She hadn't been injured like that in some time, and her chestplate enchantments hadn't even stood a chance against the blast. Almost as if it hadn't been magic, but some sort of pure energy. She struggled to stand, as that blast had done more damage than she first thought.
"Y-Your power is incredible, but I am not beaten. I will not let you harm my subjects," She spoke through clenched teeth. If she fell to this creature, her subjects would be powerless to stop him, and even if she could best him, her wounds would leave her hospitalized, and unable to do even minor tasks. She would have to rely on her centuries of experience, hoping she could outsmart him.
"You can barely stand, let alone continue to fight. Just accept that you're beaten, and I might just-" He was cut off as a blast of light erupted from her horn, blinding him. "AGH, my eyes! How did you-" A blast suddenly hit him in the shoulder from behind, knocking him to the ground, before a pair of manacles appeared on his wrists and ankles, restraining him.
"You might be more powerful than I am, but I have more experience with combat. I have ruled for centuries and faced countless foes. You are certainly the most unique opponent I've faced, but per your challenge, you will stand down," she declared, her tone carrying an air of authority, and spoke of years of wisdom. This was no animal, but a ruler. He stared up at her, weighing his options, and attempted to break the bindings around his wrists, but they held strong. "Those are enchanted to be unbreakable. Only I can remove them. Now, do you yield?" She asked, and he felt compelled to nod. His pride was wounded, after falling for such a cheap trick, and he knew that he could easily just kill her, but figured if he did he'd have an entire country hunting him down.
His options were limited, either surrender and leave his fate to this, Celestia, or he could resist, and most likely just be imprisoned and/or killed. Neither option was preferable, but he didn't have much choice in the matter. Suddenly, his stomach chose that moment to voice its hunger, much to his chagrin. Celestia raised an eyebrow and then got an idea. "Creature, if you yield, you have my word that I shall not have you imprisoned, and I can provide you sustenance in my castle, is this agreeable?" She queried and awaited his response. He looked to the side as if mulling it over, before reluctantly nodding. After all, a free meal wasn't something to be refused, especially considering he hadn't eaten since before returning to Planet Vegeta, his father had rushed him off the planet before his mother could make dinner. If this princess was willing to feed him, maybe he could spare her, for now.
He had to admit, the castle was quite impressive. Then again, he had never seen King Vegetas' palace back home, so he had nothing to compare it to. The stained glass windows he saw on the way to the dining room weren't all that interesting to him, aside from one that depicted a creature terrorizing several of what he could only imagine were natives of the planet. Celestia had removed his restraints after they had entered the castle and told the guards that he was a guest and not a threat. He couldn't help but think that this was a security risk.
After all, he had nearly killed her with just a single blast, and his scouter read out that the highest power level amongst the guards was a mere 300. How could a ruler employ such weaklings to defend her, if she overpowered them nearly 10 fold? He scowled, wondering how they had survived this long with such an incompetent ruler. A monarch shouldn't be so naive when it comes to an outside force. He was pulled from his thoughts by a series of food carts being brought in from a side door, and several servants lining up next to the table dividing up the platters along the length of it.
He noticed there wasn't much variety in the food, most of it being vegetable-based, although there were a couple of meat-based dishes that looked good. "Please, indulge yourself. I do not know how long it has been since you last ate," The princess said as she waved her wing to gesture to the many platters. He immediately dove into the meat dishes, eating with reckless abandon. Celestia's eyes widened, having never seen such a display of ravenous consumption, not even from griffon warriors.
"I see you are quite famished, and prefer a meat-based diet. I'm glad I had some prepared," She remarked in awe, as plate after plate of food disappeared before her eyes. He nodded, pausing for only a moment to catch his breath, before resuming his feast. Celestia signaled to the cooks to prepare some more meat dishes, before grabbing herself an apple from one of the plates of fruit. "By the way, I've neglected to ask your name, or even what you are. I can't exactly keep calling you creature, Mr...?" She probed, figuring she could learn more about him, to better understand how he came to be on her planet. He stopped his gluttonous eating, swallowing a massive chunk of meat, and gazing at her with narrowed eyes.
"Name's Bage, I'm a saiyan," He stated, before taking another bite off of a hunk of meat. Celestia racked her brain, trying to remember if she had heard of anything called a 'saiyan' before, but came up blank. This was truly an extraterrestrial being, and one that was quite powerful, their altercation proving that. She felt as if he hadn't been trying during that fight, as her beam had barely left a mark on his strange armor. Upon closer inspection, she had never seen armor quite like it, the material looked like some sort of ceramic, or perhaps even a type of foreign metal.
If her armorers could replicate the material, her guards could withstand attacks that would shatter stone, with no injuries. "While we're on the topic, what exactly are you, Your Majesty?" Bage asked suddenly, without even looking up from his food. The tone caught her off guard, she was so used to ponies being afraid to speak their mind to her, that the gruff nonchalance was surprising. She took a moment to compose herself, before replying, stating, "I am a pony, an alicorn, to be specific. I am one of the four pony races that live in Equestria. On that note, where do you hail from?" She replied, curiously. This was good, he was trading her information about himself, in exchange for information from her.
If she could discern where he was from, she could- "Pfft, like I would just come out and say that right off the bat. Besides, what good would it do you, when you don't have a way of getting there?" He spat a piece of gristle as he said this, prompting her to sigh. Or maybe he wouldn't. She wasn't surprised, if the roles were reversed she would hardly give up the location of her homeland that easily. So he didn't trust her, just as she did not trust him. No matter, with enough time, she could learn more about him, and these 'saiyans'. Clearly, they were a warrior race, as even one as young as Bage seems proficient in combat.
"I suppose it wouldn't do me any good, being as you came from off-planet. On another note, how old are you? I presume you must be quite young, but I'm not exactly certain," she inquired, his stature signified youth, yet looks could always be deceiving. He didn't answer at first, continuing to take bite after bite of food, with no signs of slowing. Her eyes panned across the table, realizing that in the few minutes they had been speaking, he had piled up nearly 2 dozen dishes, and was already starting on a third stack. His appetite was incredible, he had to have eaten nearly his entire body weight in food, yet showed no signs of getting full.
"I'm about 10, maybe 11, haven't checked in a while. How old are you, 70?" Bage muttered through a mouthful of meat, an act that would've disgusted her, had she not seen a minotaur victory banquet, some 400 years ago. She had been cleaning potatoes out of her mane for weeks afterward.
"You flatter me, but I am well over 3,000 years old," she said this with an air of nonchalance, expecting him to be in awe, or even disbelief.
However, her expectations were shattered when he simply shrugged and said "Cool," before continuing to eat. Her jaw dropped, she had figured he would at least try and ask her if she was serious, or even joking, but he had just accepted it at face value. If Luna had been in her place she most likely would have blasted him where he sat. She sat down on her haunches, as she pondered this saiyan, wondering what his life could have been like if he took such a proclamation with nary a second hesitation. Her pondering was ended when he suddenly gave a mighty belch and reclined in his seat. "Ah, man that was just what I needed, your cooks have some talent," Bage sighed, rubbing his stomach.
He had cleaned off every platter of meat on the table, a feat even most griffins would have had trouble achieving. She blinked, before realizing he would need somewhere to stay. It was almost time for her to raise the sun, after all. She frowned when she realized she had been up all night. She'd have to cancel day court. 'A tragedy for all' she mused with a small smirk. "Hey, by the way, where can I get some sleep? Getting knocked out isn't the same as getting a decent rest, after all," Bage disclaimed, catching Celestias' attention.
"Knocked out? When were you knocked out, and by whom?" she asked with some concern. Alien or not, she still had an urge to help others, kindness having been one of her elements. This was met with a yawn, as he simply turned and walked off, stretching his arms behind his back.
He looked back at her and announced, "After I left my planet, I got jostled by some turbulence, and got knocked senseless. No big deal." Celestia had no idea how to approach that. He seemed to have no issues, such as signs of a concussion, nor did he seem to be in pain. Additionally, he didn't seem too bothered, so perhaps this was normal for him
Celestia had managed to catch up with Bage fairly quickly, thanks to her longer legs, however, he was still rather fast for someone of his size, being nearly eye-level with her snout. He had to be nearly 17 and a half hooves tall, almost as tall as her, at 18.75 hooves tall. She supposed that this was normal for his race, but with no other members of his race to compare, she couldn't know for sure. He seemed to be curiously looking about, admiring the many tapestries of the castle halls. "You seem interested in the castle's artwork, would you like me to tell you about them?" Celestia asked, but Bage shook his head.
"Nah, not really, I'm just trying to avoid more pointless conversation. You're kind of boring, like a grandma trying to relate to her grandkids," Bage stated, lacking any and all tact. Celestia was shocked, insulted even. How did he make it this far in life if he went around insulting his elders like that?
"GRANDMA?! YOU HAVE SOME NERVE, TALKING TO ME LIKE THAT! ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THAT-" She felt something clamp her muzzle shut, looking down her muzzle to see a hand.
"Calm down, I was joking, jeez. You're gonna wake up the whole castle, screaming like that - " Bage rebuked, taking his hand off her muzzle " - besides, you're the one who said you're over 3,000 years old. You should consider acting your age." With that he put his arms behind his head, and walked into one of the open rooms, throwing the maid that had been cleaning it out onto her flank, along with her cleaning supplies. The door slammed shut, and the lock clicked into place.
The maid looked at Celestia, and asked, "Your majesty, is that a visiting dignitary?" shakily picking up her cleaning supplies.
Celestia felt her eye twitch, and turned toward the poor maid. "Yes, and a rude one at that. Now, if you would be so kind, could you please draw me a quick bath in my washroom? I believe a quick soak will help me calm down." Celestia rubbed her muzzle with a hoof.
The maid curtsied, "Of course your majesty, right away." The maid then rushed off to the royal washroom. Celestia watched her go, and sighed. This was turning into a very sour day.
Celestia Current Power Level; Night: 2370
Bage Current Power Level: 2500
Chapter TWO (Edited): A New Dawn, A Fresh Start! Bage Meets Celestias Student, and an Irritating member of Royalty! Celestia Gets More Than She Bargains For! The Might of an Oozaru!
A New Dawn, A Fresh Start! Bage Meets Celestia's Student and an Irritating member of Royalty! Celestia Gets More Than She Bargains For! The Might of an Oozaru!
Canterlot Royal bedroom, Celestia's private chambers.
Celestia cracked her eyes open several hours later. Her connection to the sun told her that it was just past noon. Luckily, she had raised the sun before collapsing onto her poster bed. She was about to clamber out of bed when a knocking at her chamber door made her groan. "I swear if this is Blueblood complaining about another servant, I'm going to wring his neck," she grumbled, half-heartedly placing her crown atop her head. She shuffled to the door and opened it, surprised to see Raven standing there.
"Ah, Your Majesty, good afternoon. You missed breakfast and I was wondering if perhaps you were up late again, stargazing," Raven remarked from behind her parchment. "There's... some creature waiting for you in the dining room. Apparently, you two are, for lack of a better word 'acquainted'?" Raven asked, as she looked up and nearly dropped her quill in surprise. "Your Majesty, you look terrible! I told you, you need to stop staying up till odd hours of the night!" She exclaimed, using her magic to try and smooth out Celestia's mane.
"Believe me, I had no choice in the matter," Celestia snarked, scowling. She began making her way towards the dining hall, Raven trailing behind while still fussing over her dishevelled appearance. As she drew closer to the dining hall, she heard raised voices echoing down the corridor, and facehooved. "Oh lovely, they've already met," Celestia mumbled, already identifying the voice of Blueblood.
"GUARDS, COME QUICKLY! THERE'S A WILD ANIMAL IN THE DINING HALL!" Blueblood's voice rang out, followed by an equally as loud reply from her newest... guest.
"WILD ANIMAL?! I'LL SHOW YOU A WILD ANIMAL, HOW'S ABOUT YOU LOOK IN THE MIRROR YOU POMPOUS SHIT-FOR-BRAINS!" came Bage's gruff reply, the volume nearly rivalling that of the Royal Canterlot Voice. Celestia nearly barked with laughter but composed herself. She gripped the doors with her magic and ripped them open, to reveal a rather comical sight. Bage had Blueblood lifted by his shirt collar, and Blueblood had a gravy boat held in his magic pouring onto Bage's head, the savoury liquid running through his hair and dribbling down his armour.
As amusing as the sight was, she was not in the mood, and shouted in the RCV, "THAT IS ENOUGH, BOTH OF YOU! I'M IN NO MOOD TO DEAL WITH SUCH INANE BEHAVIOR! BAGE PUT HIM DOWN; BLUEBLOOD, LEAVE US!" Bage immediately dropped the prince, making him land face-first into a gravy puddle. Blueblood proceeded to cough and splutter, trying to blow gravy out of his nose
"Oh, look what you've done, you overgrown ape! I'm filthy, and this was my best dress shirt!" Blueblood whined, trying desperately to wipe the gravy off his shirt. Bage simply snorted and walked over to the table, sitting down and grabbing a plate of hay bacon.
"Maybe next time you won't try and throw me out of a window, and call me 'filth' you spoiled runt. All I was doing was eating breakfast," Bage disclaimed, before taking a bite of bacon and nearly choking. "Blech, what the hell is this? It tastes like dirt!" Bage spat, throwing the platter across the room, which proceeded to smack Blueblood in the face.
"OOW! Aunty, PLEASE, do something about this wretched creature! I shall not stand for this abuse!" Blueblood bemoaned, rubbing his muzzle with a hoof. Celestia felt a blood vessel pulse in her forehead and growled. She grabbed Blueblood in her magic, and shoved out the door of the dining hall, slamming it behind him. Afterwards, she turned to Bage, and simply glared at him, as if daring him to say something else.
Bage simply stared back, before turning to the table and grabbing a breakfast sausage, biting into it and giving Celestia a deadpan look. "What? He started it, and besides he probably deserved it," he claimed, shrugging. Celestia felt her mane start to catch fire, and took a couple deep breaths to calm down. This was truly a sour day, and she felt it would only get worse from there.
Celestia sat on her throne, massaging her temples. How did this day go so wrong? It's like Discord had broken free, and unleashed the worst prank imaginable, purely to torment her. Luckily, today was when she would meet with Twilight to discuss her studies, and hopefully regain some semblance of control over the day. As if on cue, the doors to the throne room opened and her student walked in with her nose in a book, as per usual. Celestia smiled and was about to greet her student before the doors slammed open again and Bage walked in. "Hey Princess, do you know where I can get some training? I don't want to get soft hanging around a bunch of weak ponies," he called out, startling Twilight so much she dropped her book.
"Bage, I'm certain you can make use of the royal guards training area, but I'm currently meeting with my student," Celestia remarked, gesturing to the now stock still Twilight. Bage looked at her quizzically, as if sizing her up. Twilight on the other hand merely stared back, a look of fear mixed with curiosity evident on her face. Bage stepped closer and knelt to look Twilight dead in the eye, making her squeak in fear.
"Wh-What a-are you?" Twilight managed to choke out, her need to sate her curiosity, overpowering her fear. Bage didn't respond, simply staring. Eventually, Twilight inched closer, stepping around him, to get a better look at his armor. "I've... never seen clothing like this before. It's like... rubbery and pliable, but firm," she noted poking at it with a hoof. She glanced up at his hair and attempted to part it with her magic, but it simply bounced back into place. "Your hair looks strange like it defies gravity. Not like the princess's mane, it's different."
Bage scoffed, before standing up and crossing his arms. "Great, a nerd. Just what I need," he jabbed, closing his eyes. He turned to walk out of the room but felt something grab his leg. He looked down, but there was nothing there.
"W-wait! You didn't didn't answer my question!" she cried, trotting up to him. That's when she noticed his tail, wrapped around his waist like a belt. "Is that a belt? What's it made of?" she asked, grabbing it with her magic. The effect was immediate, Bage going stiff, before collapsing to his knees.
"Hey, let go you br-brat!" Bage tried to pull his tail away, but his muscles wouldn't obey. He was completely subdued, and by a child no less. He fumed, desperately trying to wrest his tail from whatever force she had grabbed him with, but no luck.
"Wait, this is attached to you. Is this a tail?" She began rattling off question after question, asking about everything from his tail, to his fur, and hundreds of other things. He was getting pissed off, but he was powerless until she let go of his tail.
Bage couldn't believe he was being held in place by some brat as if he were a common pet. "Damnit, just let go, you little runt!'' He hissed through clenched teeth.
"Perhaps your species evolved from primates, but then why would you still have your tail? Maybe you travel by climbing across treetops, but that wouldn't explain the need for armour." Twilight rambled, and finally, Bage had enough, and let his aura explode.
"I SAID LET GO DAMNIT!" He yelled, blasting Twilight back with the force of his energy. Celestia grabbed her and glared at Bage as he sped off, slamming through the doors to the throne room. Celestia sighed, knowing that trying to talk to him would only result in a shouting match. She felt Twilight move in her grasp and looked down, expecting to see her shaking in fear, but instead saw her vigorously scribbling on some parchment. It appeared that Bages' outburst, rather than scare her, had piqued her intellectual curiosity.
She smiled softly and had an idea. 'If I push the two of them to be friends, perhaps I can solve two problems at once' - she thought to herself - 'and help Bage settle into Equestria all the easier.'
Celestia found Bage pummeling several training dummies in the combat arena, noting the shattered guard armour surrounding the area. She cleared her throat to get his attention, though if he heard her, he didn't show it. "Bage, I have a proposal for you, if you're interested," she called out to him, and he responded with a grunt. "I would like to have a sparring match with you, and should I best you, I'd like to take you under my tutelage," she told him, knowing that he wouldn't resist a chance to beat her for last time.
"Heh, really? Alright fine, but if I win I want you to build a proper training area. This one sucks, and these combat dummies are too fragile," he turned to her as he said this, tapping the strange-looking glass on his head, which started beeping.
POWER LEVEL: 24,700
Bage's eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open. "WH-WHAT?! 24,700?! H-How? You weren't that strong before, what the hell did you do?" He shouted, fear growing apparent in his eyes. Celestia merely smiled before using her magic to don her armour, summoning it with her magic.
She looked at him with a slight grin, actually getting excited for a battle for the first time in centuries. "You seem surprised, did you not notice the sun high in the sky? My power is tied to it after all," she stated as if merely noting the weather. Bage grits his teeth but shakes his head, getting into a battle stance.
"SO WHAT! It's just a cheap trick, just like that little light show you did last night!" He exclaimed and charged a ki blast. "You can't beat a saiyan warrior with cheap tricks! I'll show you just how strong I am!" He told her. She raised an eyebrow but decided to take his word for it. It's not like he could pull out any tricks of his own.
"How about we take this away from Canterlot, so as not to cause too much collateral damage?" She asked, to which he smirked.
"What's wrong, don't want your subjects to see you get your ass handed to you?" He goaded. She simply smiled and shook her head.
"Oh, I assure you, that is not the case. Also, I do not have an ass, donkey slavery was outlawed some 600 years ago," She stated, prompting him to tilt his head in confusion.
"The hell is a donkey? Never mind, yeah let's go," He dispelled his blast and took to the air, Celestia following behind whilst using her magic to lift a sphere containing Twilight. They travelled a fair distance from Canterlot, heading out to the Badlands. As they landed, Celestia couldn't help but take note of the odd choice of destination.
"Pray tell, why exactly did you lead us here? I doubt you are very resistant to the heat of a desert," She asked, setting the sphere of magic down. Bage simply chuckled and gestured to the barren land around them.
"If we're gonna do this, I'd rather not destroy the one place I can reliably get food. Besides, you're not afraid of a little heat, are you?" He taunted, but she didn't rise to take his bait.
"Hardly, I merely thought that an area like the forest would do better, considering your monkey heritage," she jabbed, and he scowled before quickly smirking and taking off his scouter.
"Oh, believe me, I'll show you just how much of a 'monkey' I am," He muttered, before placing the scouter into a pocket in his armour. Celestia found his word choice strange but chose not to comment.
"Wait, do you not need that device to sense power? Why did you remove it?" She asked, before noticing another ball of ki in hand, and felt his power drop sharply.
"Don't worry about that, you should worry about yourself!" He shouted before tossing the ball into the air. "POWER BALL, EXPAND!" He shouted, causing her to look up at the orb as it grew to nearly 5x its size.
"What is that, how is that going to help you?" Celestia demanded, confused as to why he would use the attack to create a ball of light in the sky.
Bage didn't respond, he simply chuckled. "Just watch, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, one not one many others get to enjoy." He told her as he looked up at the ball of light. The effect was immediate, his body going stiff as he started to grunt. Celestia felt his power shoot up, to a level she hadn't felt since King Sombra had been banished.
Celestia watched as his body began to bulk up, and fur began to spread across his body. His face bulged outward, and his teeth grew razor-sharp. "What is this? What have you done?!" she cried out, but he didn't respond. He simply continued to grow reaching nearly 88 hooves tall. She looked on in horror as the saiyan had turned into a monster. His only response was to roar, and stomp towards her. She quickly moved out of the way, grabbing the sphere containing Twilight and moving it to safety. 'This is impossible, how could he grow to such a colossal size? He nearly dwarfs the castle!' She thought to herself.
The giant ape roared and moved to grab her, but she dodged out of the way. "How did you hide such a powerful transformation from me?" She yelled, but he merely roared in response. 'So he's completely mindless in this state, I won't be able to talk him down.' She thought, trying to come up with a plan. He was rather slow and unrefined in this state, showing he did not use it often enough to truly control it. Perhaps she could use that to her advantage.
The Oozaru, driven by a primal rage, launched into a barrage of attacks. Its fists, large as boulders, swung with devastating force, each blow a thunderous declaration of its power. The ground shook with its every step, sending fissures racing through the cracked earth as it attempted to squash Celestia like an insignificant bug.
The ape roared as it swatted at her, but she stayed just outside its range. 'I could try to blind him again, but I would have to get close.' She fired a beam of magic at him, and it did manage to pierce his armour, but if it actually hurt, he didn't acknowledge it. She fired several more beams, each one striking different parts of his body. Flying up, she conjured a shield and flew straight at him. The ape looked up in time to get smacked in the face by the shield before a burst of white blinded him. He roared in pain, rubbing his eyes, while Celestia thought of a plan to take him down.
'He seems almost impervious to damage, how am I supposed to... - ' She looked up to the massive glowing orb that Bage had thrown, ' -wait, what if that's the key? It caused him to grow into this beast! Perhaps if I destroy it, or obscure it, he'll detransform. I'll have to be quick though.' She quickly flew around behind him, and grabbed his massive tail with her magic, making the ape roar out in discomfort.
Summoning her magic, Celestia cast a series of dazzling flares, not as weapons but as diversions. The flares burst into brilliant light, a constellation designed to blind and confuse. For a moment, the Oozaru's assault faltered, its roars turning to growls of frustration as it swiped at the blinding lights.
Seizing this moment of disorientation, Celestia took to the skies. Her magic coalesced into a focused beam, a lance of pure energy aimed not at Bage, but at the Power Ball. With a word of power, she unleashed the spell. The beam shot forth, a streak of light that pierced the sky, striking the Power Ball with a resounding crack. In an instant, the ball disintegrated, its light extinguished.
Without its source of power, the Oozaru's roars turned to howls of confusion. The towering figure shrank rapidly, the monstrous form receding as Bage was forcibly returned to his Saiyan self. The transformation reversed, leaving him weakened, disoriented, on his knees in the dust of the Badlands.
"Aggh, How? How could you beat my oozaru form?! This doesn't make any sense!" he screamed, beating the ground with his fist. Celestia smirked, before lifting him with her magic.
"Make sense? What fun is there in making sense? Besides, It's simple, I simply have more experience with combat than you do," she snarked, lifting Twilight's bubble with her magic. Somehow, throughout the entire fight, she had continued to furiously scribble on her notepad, having found the entire battle to be incredibly fascinating
"This is amazing! I've never seen Princess Celestia fight before and against such a large opponent!" Twilight gushed, and Celestia simply giggled.
"I'm glad you found the experience enlightening, my dear student. Now, let us return to Canterlot so Bage can recover from his 'ass being handed to him'," Celestia joked, causing Bage to grit his teeth and growl. Unbeknownst to the group, they were being watched. A pair of blue eyes appeared on a nearby rock, before a blast of emerald flame consumed it, leaving a small lizard in its place. The lizard crawled into a nearby crevice and disappeared.
Lord Frieza stared out at the void that had previously been occupied by Planet Vegeta. He smirked, before chuckling at the memory of the foolish monkey that had attempted to stand up to him. "Ooooh, Ho, Ho, Ho, of all the planets I've ever destroyed, that one will always hold a special place in my heart! Oh, how I wish I could've seen the looks on their faces, as I destroyed everything they've ever known!" He heard the door open behind him and turned to see Zarbon and Dodoria walk in.
"Lord Frieza, I have some news. It seems that some pods managed to make it off of Planet Vegeta before it was destroyed. Two to be exact," Zarbon stated, Dodria grumbling in response.
"Can't believe some of 'em managed to scamper off. Now they're prolly gonna start breedin'," Dodoria muttered, crossing their arms and pouting. Frieza merely chuckled at this, too Zarbons confusion.
"Oh really? Tell me Zarbon, did you detect any high power levels from either pod?" Frieza asked, too which Zarbon shook his head. "Then I don't see the issue! So a few monkeys managed to survive, so what?" Frieza remarked, turning back to the window. "After that little display, any monkey that thinks they can stand up to me is either stupid or suicidal. Though considering they're average intelligence, I'm inclined to assume the former," He joked, chuckling to himself.
"Well yeah, but what if they get strong enough to challenge you? What about that, 'Super Saiyan' we heard about?" Dodoria remarked, to which Fireza responded with another laugh.
"Well Dodoria, if you're so frightened by the two whole sayains that managed to escape, you're more than welcome to track them down. I feel it would be a waste of time. With no king and no orders, they're liable to just kill each other like the savages they are, or be killed off by the populace of whatever planet they land on. It's better to just ignore them. They're hardly worth the trouble," Frieza states while grabbing himself a glass of wine.
"As you say, Lord Frieza. I still don't like it, but I guess if they were an issue, they wouldn't've run with their tails 'tween their legs," Dodoria relented, looking to Zarbon, who merely shrugged.
"Of course, they aren't an issue, It would take far more than just two monkeys to threaten my rule. Now, let us head back to Frieza planet 79, I'm famished,"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bage lay in a hospital bed, wrapped in bandages and feeling hurt not just from his wounds, but his pride. He'd been beaten not just once, but twice, by a namby-pamby pony princess! The humiliation is what hurt the most. His father would have killed him if he were there, calling him a disgrace to the saiyan race. Although, now that he thought about it, he was having trouble remembering his father, like the memory was blurry. 'Hmmm, maybe that knock to the head did more than I thought,' Bage mused, not noticing that Celestia had walked in.
"Greetings, Bage. Or should I say, my student?" Celestia said with a sly smile. Twilight giggled from beside her, having lost all trepidation around the saiyan. Bage could only scowl, the bandages wrapped around him preventing any real movement. He wasn't even sure why he needed them, it's not like he was injured. At the same time, Bage noticed that Twilight wasn't alone, there was another kid next to her. This one was orange, with a firey mane. She regarded him with a look of curiosity, mixed with annoyance, like she had been dragged from something to go look at a zoo exhibit.
"This is what you called me for? A beat-up, hairless ape? What a waste of time," the new pony sneered, Bage decided to call her Flare, until he learned her name. He liked her attitude though, reminding him of his sister, Shiso. She hadn't returned to Planet Vegeta, having been on a personal mission for the king. 'Lucky her, miss elite saiyan, with her power level of 12,000.' Bage thought, pouting.
"How's about I shave you, see how you look?" Bage goaded, hoping she took the bait. She did, much to his amusement. She went red in the face, and he almost thought he saw steam come from her ears.
"WHAT?! HOW DARE YOU? DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHO I AM?!" she shouted, stomping right up to his bed, and poking him in the ribs. Bage simply laughed, loving the reaction.
"Aw, what's wrong? Did I hurt yer wittle feewings? HAH, you remind me of my sister," Bage told her, catching Celestia's attention.
"Sister? You have a sibling? How many more of your race are there?" Celestia asked, to which Bages' smile fell, and he looked to the side. Celestia realized she had touched upon a sensitive subject, and was about to retract the questions when Bage spoke up again.
"Don't know, a couple, maybe a dozen or so. Most of us were wiped out when our planet was destroyed." Bage began picking at the bandages wrapped around his chest, not looking at any of them. Celestia felt her jaw drop and realized they may be sheltering one of the last members of a soon-to-be-extinct race. Now she knew why he was so abrasive, and combative. He had most likely watched his people die. She felt her heart weigh heavy with sorrow.
"I'm sorry to hear that, I suppose you have nowhere to go then?" She probed, to which Bage gave a half-hearted nod, turning away.
"Who cares? So his planet is gone, boohoo," Flare said, and Celestia glared at her.
"SUNSET! APOLOGIZE IMMEDIATELY!" She shouted, causing Sunset to wilt. So that was her name, Sunset, well he was close.
"He started it," she said, looking down at the ground. Celestia knew bringing Sunset along had been a bad idea, but before she could chastise her further Bage laughed.
"Ah don't worry about it princess, if she wanted to hurt my feelings she'll have to try harder than that. I've heard better comebacks from a saibaman, and they can't even speak properly," Bage said, much to Celestia's chagrin.
"That's kind of you to say Bage, but Sunset needs to learn to get along with others, being as the three of you will be learning together," Celestia told him, making him scowl.
"What the hay is a 'saibaman', some kind of pet?" Sunset asked, Twilight also looking at him with curiosity.
Bage shook his head, shifting his posture a bit. "Nah, they're basically plant people, we grow 'em for training. More often than not they get blown to pieces," Bage explained, causing Twilight to stare in shock, and even Sunset recoiled at the way he so carelessly spoke of killing the creatures.
"Wait, you 'grow them'? Like crops?" Sunset asked, and Bage nodded. "And you just kill them, for training?" She continued, and Bage nodded again.
"How do you think we train new saiyans for battle? Teach them their ABCs?" He joked. Celestia grimaced but figured this was just another aspect of his culture that came with being a warrior race. At the same time, the thought of cultivating an entire race simply for destruction didn't sit right with her. Shaking her head, she simply stood by as Sunset and Twilight bombarded him with questions, such as what his planet was like, how old his race was, and so forth.
Bage, for the matter, was less than cooperative, giving short one or two-word answers, much to Twilight's annoyance. Sunset, on the other hoof, found it amusing. It seems she enjoyed having someone to banter with who could actually keep up with her insults. At the same time, she saw the smile on Bage's face as he retaliated her insults with jabs of his own. It seems she had found a kindred spirit for Sunset, even if he was a different species. She could only hope that Sunset would tone down her attitude by having someplace to vent it.
The Badlands, Changeling Hive. Chrysalis' throne room
Queen Chrysalis sat listening to the latest report from one of her drones, resisting the urge to yawn. It was the same old issues, time after time. A tunnel collapse, A Tatzlworm sighting, and love stores dropping by the day. She wished one of them would bring her something new. She jumped when the door to her throne room opened, and one of her scouts walked in, looking both worried and afraid. She waved at the drone speaking to her, signalling it to leave. She looked to the scout, who simply shook where it stood. She glared down at the scout, waiting impatiently. "Well? Speak!" She ordered, causing the scout to jump.
"M-my Queen, I bring news of the ponies, they have a new development," the scout reported, making Chrysalis raise her eyebrow.
"Really now, and what is this new 'development' S-5931?" She asked, leaning forward.
"I was able to bear witness to a battle between the Sun Princess, and a strange creature. It was able to grow to a massive size and actually gave the Princess some difficulty. After she bested it, I saw her capture the creature after it returned to normal, and take it back to Canterlot." S-5931 bowed to her and awaited her response. She pondered this information and checked the scout's memory through the hivemind to confirm. Chrysalis saw the opportunity in this and smiled.
"Well done, S-5931. This new information is invaluable, you've earned an extra love ration for this," She commended.
"Thank you, My Queen. I live to serve," S-5931 said, and Chrysalis sent him away. She replayed the memory of the battle, noting the ball of energy the creature launched, hearing him, she gathered it was male from the sound of its voice, calling out 'Power ball expand'. The size was incredible, dwarfing most other creatures, and nearly rivaling an Ursa Minor. If she could get that creature on her side, she could easily conquer the entirety of Equestria, and the thought made her grin.
'If that creature is capable of giving Celestia a hard time, he would make for a very dangerous enemy, but a very valuable ally,' She mused, and ordered her spies in Canterlot to keep a close eye on this "Bage". She already had a plan forming in her mind and gave a malicious chuckle.
Celestia (High Noon) Power LEVEL: 25,000
Celestia (Early Evening)Power Level: 15,300
Bage Power Level: 2,600
Bage (OoZaru)Power Leve: 24,000
Bage (Battle Damaged) Power Level: 1,900
Twilight (Preteen) Power Level: 350
Sunset (Teen)Power Level: 930
Queen Chrysalis Power Level: ?????
Chapter THREE: Bage Learning Friendship? A Kinship is Born!
Bage found himself in a dark void, barely able to see 2 feet in any direction. As he strained to see anything, he heard a dark, cruel laugh behind him. He spun around, but couldn't find the source of the laugh, almost like it came from all around him. "Well, you are certainly a strange one. And powerful too, a warrior to be sure, I respect thee," the voice echoed through the void, yet almost felt right in his ear.
"Where the hell am I? And who are you calling strange?" Bage called out, his voice also echoing. The voice merely laughed in response, and it pissed him off. "Stop toying with me, damn it!" he yelled, firing a blast off in a random direction. The light from the blast illuminated a small area around it as it shot off, but it was quickly consumed by the darkness.
"This darkness is all-consuming, creature. Your magic will do thee no good," It spoke, and Bage could see strange figures appear in the darkness, then again it could just be his mind playing tricks on him. "You may call me, Nightmare Moon. I am the rightful ruler of Equestria, my throne was stolen by my sister. I am sure you have heard of her?" The Nightmare asked.
"Sure, but what does that have to do with me? Don't tell me you want my help, 'cause I'm not gonna help someone who won't even look me in the eyes," Bage shouted, prompting the darkness to shift.
"Such an attitude, but I can understand the distrust. As for why you cannot see me, my power is weak, my true form is sealed away. I could only reach out to you due to your connection to my moon. Your 'Oozaru' form requires a full moon, correct?" Nightmare Moon asked, to which Bage nodded. "Well, I can allow you to transform anytime you wish, once I return to the throne. I shall bring about night eternal, and you can stand by my side. A warrior for a Queen, What say thee?" Bage considered the offer, it was tempting. He wouldn't have to play along with Celestia and her student plan. But then he thought of his father and remembered that he was a saiyan warrior, not some lapdog for a pony boogeyman.
"So you want me to help you beat your sister, just so you can take back the throne, and doom the planet to freeze? If you were such a good ruler, why haven't I heard of you? No deal, miss doom and gloom," He told her, and he felt the darkness constrict. Like she was trying to strangle him, but didn't have the appendages necessary.
"Tch, so you would decline my offer, in favor of HER? And here I thought you to understand conquest, but you are poisoned by the sun's touch. Very well, saiyan, but know this, when I break free from my imprisonment, you will not see mercy from me. I shall make your death painful." Nightmare Moon's voice faded into the void, and his vision went pitch black. His eyes flew open and he shot up in bed, panting.
"What the hell, was that? Great, now I'm having nightmares, this place sucks." He grumbled, flopping back down. He looked up when the door opened, and Celestia walked in, with that motherly smile that he was very quickly finding irritating. "What do you want Princess? Unless you're here to tell me I can leave this bed, I'm not in the mood to talk," he groaned, but Celestia said nothing, simply closing the door behind her, and locking it. Bage thought this was odd, as locking the door seemed unnecessary. Suddenly, Celestia burst into green flames, startling him. In her place was a small, black bug-looking pony, simply staring at him with its big greenish-blue eyes. "Alright, that's new. I get the feeling you aren't Celestia," he said, as the bug pony approached his bed.
The bug pony opened its mouth, and emitted a strange sound, like a chitter and a hiss mixed into one sound. At the look of confusion Bage gave, the bug lit on fire again, this time looking like a guard. "There, can you understand me now?" The bug-guard-pony asked, and Bage nodded, still horribly confused.
"What in the name of Ginyu's jockstrap are you? And can I punch you? All the guards here are just really punchable." Bage said, and the bug guard shook its - his - head.
"Listen, I've been told to keep an eye on you, by order of my queen. You are Bage, correct?" The buguard asked. Bage nodded. "Good, and to answer your question, I'm a changeling. A race of insectoid equines that can change their form at will. I must ask that you keep our existence a secret, as the Equestrians are very hateful towards our kind." the changeling explained, Bage giving a slow nod in response.
"So, why exactly are you being asked to watch me? You aren't working for that Nightmare Moon bitch, are you? Cause I don't like her," Bage said, still reeling from the nightmare a few moments ago, in more ways than one. The guardling tilted its head, before shrugging it off.
"Uh, no. We have a hive out in the badlands, where one of our scouts witnessed you face off against the Sun Princess. It caught the queen's attention when the scout reported in," the changeling explained, making Bage's eyes widen in realization at the thought that these 'changelings' had possibly been watching from right in plain sight, and Celestia didn't even realize. "We felt that your power would benefit the hive. As such, Queen Chrysalis has decided to make contact with you and keep tabs on your activities. Before you go thinking we'll be following you around, don't worry. We're very good at maintaining secrecy, " the guard said, making Bage snort in derision. "Do you find something amusing about what I said?" Bage nodded, making the changeling frown.
"So, you say you're good at maintaining secrecy, but then you just waltz in here, looking like Celestia, don't check to make sure we're alone, and just reveal your true self to me without taking the time to see if I'm trustworthy? Right, real good at secrecy," Bage chuckled, causing the changeling to grimace.
"Okay, perhaps I was a bit careless, but if you weren't trustworthy, why did you not immediately shout for a guard?" The changeling asked, and Bage simply stared at him, before snorting again.
"Well, that's because the guards don't like me. They say I'm 'a threat to Canterlot's security' or something like that. Besides, I'm stronger than all the guards so they don't need to stand close by. Speaking of which, how did you get through the guards to get here?" Bage asked, but the changeling turned towards the door and flinched.
"I can not stay any longer the Sun Princess draws near. I trust you won't betray my presence," it hissed before lighting up with emerald fire and disappearing. True to the bugs' word, the real Princess Celestia walked through the door not a second later, and looked at him strangely.
"Bage, why was this door locked? It must remain open at all times, in the event of an emergency," Celestia chided him, and Bage just rolled his eyes.
"Maybe because I wanted some privacy. Is that a crime now? Besides, I don't need to sit in this bed any longer," Bage told her, taking off his bandages. Celestia raised an eyebrow at this and watched as he jumped up, and started stretching his limbs and cracking different joints. "Oh yeah, that feels better. Now, didn't you say something about being a student? If we're gonna do this I'd rather get it out of the way now," Bage said, slipping his armor back on.
Celestia shook her head and gestured for him to follow. "Now Bage, this is not just a one-and-done sort of lesson. I'm going to be teaching you alongside Sunset and Twilight to learn one of Equestrias' greatest virtues; Friendship. I can tell you are quite like Sunset in that you feel you don't need to make friends, but I assure you that it is important to make at least one friend," Celestia explained, causing Bage to groan.
"Seriously? What makes you think I want to sit around all day and learn 'friendship' when I can spend that time doing something that I can benefit from? Like training, or fighting, or training?" Bage said while counting on his fingers.
"Bage, you said training twice." Celestia pointed out.
Bage just stared at her. "Yeah, and?" He countered, and Celestia deadpanned, facehooving. They continued in silence, passing by several doors, before coming to a large open doorway, through which were a bunch of bookshelves.
"Welcome to the Canterlot Royal Library, this is where I shall be teaching you and Twilight most often," Celestia spoke and pointed to Twilight sitting at a table a short distance away.
"Wait, I have to read? Ugh, just kill me and be done with it. By the way, why didn't you mention Sunset in that? Isn't she your student too?" Bage mentioned, and Celestia nodded.
"Yes, she is. Unfortunately, however, she has been rather obstinate when it comes to learning alongside Twilight. She fights me at every turn when I try to help her open up. I had thought that having you here would make her change her mind since you two seemed to connect just a bit, but clearly, I was wrong," Celestia lamented with a sad look on her face. Bage plopped down into a chair, which immediately broke under his weight. He frowned and just crossed his legs, staring at the massive stack of books next to Twilight.
"So, you must really like to read, huh?" Bage grabbed a book from the stack as he asked this, and realized an issue. "Um, what kind of language is this, anyway? I can't make sense of it," he said, turning the book around in his hands.
"You mean you can't read? That's embarrassing," Twilight jabbed, causing Bage to grit his teeth.
"I can read just fine! Your books are just written in symbols and nonsense!" He shouted. Celestia grabbed another book, and cast a quick spell on it, handing it to Bage.
"Try this one, it might seem more legible. If not, we may have to teach you our written language," Celestia noted, and Bage studied the cover for a minute, before shaking his head.
"I can read a few words here and there, but most of it is still scribbles and symbols," He tossed the book over his shoulder as he said this, before standing up. "Maybe you can just tell me what I need to know, I'm not the scholarly type," Bage told her, and heard Celestia sigh.
"Bage, I'm far too busy ruling Equestria every day to sit and tell you everything you need to know. Then again, I'm also too busy to teach you how to read our language. Perhaps I could get Sunset to help teach you, being as she decided not to show up." Celestia muttered, both to herself and to him.
Right at that moment, as if summoned, Sunset walked in with a cup held in her magic, a frown spread across her face. "I'm here, I just slept in. I swear, it's like you raise the sun earlier and earlier just to mess with me." Sunset grumbled before shooting a glare at Celestia.
"Ah, good to see you join us, Sunset. Fashionably late as usual. You're aware that coffee is not allowed in the library, correct?" Celestia asked disapprovingly. Sunset just yawned and nodded. "Haaaaa... Sunset, I have a task for you. Bage is unfamiliar with our written language and needs someone to teach him. Would you be willing to do this?" Celestia asked, knowing Sunset wasn't nearly awake enough to comprehend the request, and would probably agree without thinking. Sure enough, Sunset nodded without looking up, before her eyes widened.
"Wait, What? NO! I-" Sunset tried to protest, but it was too late.
"Sorry, can't hear you, I have to start day court, Good Luck!" Celestia called as she galloped out the door. Sunset stared after in shock, mouth gaping and eye twitching.
"Huh, so teach what's the game plan?" Bage asked, trying not to burst out laughing. Sunset simply growled, before grabbing his ear in her magic. "OW, HEY WHAT GIVES?!" he screamed in pain.
"Come on, monkey boy. Let's just get this over with." Sunset spat, practically dragging him out of the library.
"OWW, LET GO! COME ON, THIS IS SO NOT FAIR, THAT HURTS!" Bage yelled through the pain. Twilight didn't even look up from her book.
"Wouldn't wanna be him, yeesh," Twilight remarked, grabbing another book from her stack.
Bage massaged his ear, glaring at Sunset, who glared back. Being dragged across the castle did little for Bages' mood, and Sunset wasn't in the best mood herself. "Let's get one thing straight, I don't want to to teach you, I don't want to do anything with you," Sunset told him, stamping her hoof. "If I could ditch you in the garden maze, I would, but I feel like you would just run to Celestia about it."
Bage snorted, "Really? What do you think I am, some coddled child? If you can't do this just say so, and I'll leave," He told her, making her sneer.
"I CAN do this, I just don't want to. If you don't want to do this, just leave," she shot back, and he smirked.
"That sounds like quitter talk. I don't give up when it comes to a challenge, no matter what it is," he declared, and Sunset raised an eyebrow.
"Challenge? This isn't a challenge, it's teaching you how to read. Not surprising given your monkey nature," she jabbed, and Bage chuckled.
"I can read just fine, your books just don't make sense to me," He told her, crossing his arms.
"If you can read, why did Celestia say you can't? I think you're just embarrassed to admit you're illiterate. Aw, the poor monkey can't figure out words," Sunset joked, smirking.
"Big words for a little pony. Did you come up with that yourself? How original," Bage snarked, rolling his eyes.
Sunset grit her teeth, glaring at him. 'Why does nothing bother him? Anypony else would have run off by now. Then again he isn't a pony.' she thought.
"It's a wonder how Celestia keeps you around, considering you don't seem to give a shit. Maybe your talents would be better suited towards something of your caliber, like heating up homes in the winter with your hair, Hot Head," Bage cracked, causing Sunset to splutter.
"Hot Head?! Listen you dirty ape, before Twilight showed up I was Celestias' prized pupil. I've been under her tutelage since before you even got here!" She shouted, and Bage snickered.
"Keyword being 'was', now you've been thrown to the wayside and it hurts, doesn't it? Knowing that you were passed over by a kid almost half your age?" He asked with a grin, and that was it. Sunset screamed, picked him up with her magic, and tossed him out her window. Bage quickly righted himself midair, shaking glass shards out of his hair. He looked over at the window, and saw Sunset looking dumbfounded.
"You... can fly? How? You don't even have wings!" She pointed out, and Bage smirked.
"I could teach you, if you want. In return you show me how to read your confusing writing. Deal?" he proposed, and Sunset mulled it over, before nodding reluctantly.
"Fine, but I'm not going slow for you," She declared, and Bage hovered back through the window.
Bage found that despite Sunsets' attitude she was a very good teacher, and he had picked up how to read Equestrian rather quickly. He, on the other hand, had a hard time teaching her how to tap into her energy, and she wasn't very cooperative with the learning process.
"What's the point in learning how to use my 'energy' when I can just use my magic?" Sunset muttered, rubbing her temples with her hooves.
"Because you can't fly with magic, at least not as far as I know. If you can't do this, there's no shame in quitting," Bage told her, knowing she'd get upset and try to prove him wrong.
"I can do, anything, monkey boy. I'm not quitting," She snapped, and concentrated on her 'center of being' as he called it, to try and focus her energy.
"You're just gonna hurt yourself like that. You can't pull it out, you have to draw it out. It's not like magic, where it just flows and you can manipulate it at will. It's your lifeforce, if you're not in tune with it, you can't access it," Bage explained, and she growled in frustration.
"You're not helping! This is just pointless! How did you learn how to do this so easily?" She asked, and he shook his head.
"Saiyans have an innate ability to access their energy. Some saiyan children can shoot off energy bolts right out of the incubation tank. For me, It took a little while, and some instruction from my dad. It's just a learning curve that you have to try and get over. Once it clicks it's easy," Bage told her, and Sunset tried again, this time letting her mind go blank, and relaxing her muscles. She felt... something, like a warmth in her stomach. It was like a ball of heat in her gut, and she focused on it. She reached out to it, and felt something form on her hoof.
"Hey, you did it! Nice work!" Bage said, and she opened her eyes. In her hoof was a ball of light, about the size of an orange.
"It feels so weird, like water. So what do I do with it?" She bounced the ball back and forth between her hooves, and Bage grabbed it. "HEY!" she shouted but Bage held his hand up.
"You shouldn't go playing with it, this thing could seriously wreck anything it touches. You're about as strong as an average Saibaman right now, so this ball could probably blow a hole in the castle wall." he scolded, and Sunset frowned.
"You mean those things you blow up, and use for training?" She pointed out, and Bage nodded.
"They can be pretty strong for a saiyan fresh out of the incubation tank. You'd fit right in on Planet Vegeta though, trust me. Well, not totally but attitude wise, definitely." he chimed, and Sunset just huffed.
"You keep mentioning an incubation tank, what is that?" She asked curiously.
"Oh, that's what saiyan babies are put into so that their mothers can still go out on missions. It helped keep as many saiyans working for Frieza as possible, since down time was frowned upon," Bage explained, dispelling the energy ball as he said this.
"Wait, so you aren't born normally? You just get put into a tank, and grown like some lab experiment?" Sunset imagined that kind of thing happening in Equestria, and shuddered.
"Well, yeah. How else would you do it?" Bage countered, and Sunset blinked. He was either messing with her, or he really was that clueless. "Nevermind, now that you've got the energy part down, you can work on the other aspects. Flight for example, or even strength and tanking damage," he listed, the strength part catching her attention.
"You can use this to get stronger? Like, powerful?" She asked, Bage simply demonstrating by picking up a bookshelf with one hand.
"Yeah, see? You still have to train to get to this level, but you can amplify your power by a lot." Bage put the bookshelf back down with a thud, and turned back to Sunset, who was smiling excitedly.
"Train me," She demanded, surprising him. Bage crossed his arms, and stared her down. She stared back, waiting. The stare-off continued for a bit, before Bage shrugged.
"Ok, just don't be surprised when you get tossed around." He turned and walked off, leaving Sunset perplexed and irritated. She galloped after him, grumbling to herself.
Bage strolled into the forge and waved at the smithy. The old earth pony blacksmith gave a nod in return, before going back to striking a fresh blade. Bage grabbed a pair of coveralls and goggles, and walked over to the anvil. Sunset watched, bewildered, as Bage talked with the blacksmith, though she couldn't hear what was being said. She saw the blacksmith nod and point towards a corner, and Bage gave him a thumbs up. He grabbed what looked like a chestplate, and walked back over to her. "Alright, I've been waiting for this. Lets go." Bage strapped the chestplate over his armor, and she noticed him visibly buckle when he did so.
"What is that, training gear?" She questioned, noticing he was walking slower now. Bage didn't answer, checking all the fasteners on the plate, before jumping a couple inches off the ground. The stone cracked when he landed.
"Weighted training gear, yeah. This is something I saw on a planet I was sent to a long time ago, and I wanted to try it. Now we can train properly without me being too strong for you. Give me a day or two to get used to this, and then we can train, ok?" He told her, and walked off.
"Great, now what am I going to do for two days?" She mumbled. "I need to stop talking to myself." Sunset face-hooved, and started walking back to her room.
Bage (Weighted Gear) Power Level: 1,000
Sunset (Ki Awakened) Power Level: 1,000
Chapter FOUR: Sunsets Training Begins, Bage Finds a True Rival!
Bage walked into the training area to see Sunset waiting for him, a training sword held aloft in her magic. He scoffed and shook his head, he had a lot to teach her. "You won't need that, this isn't sword training. I like the can-do attitude though," He called out, but Sunset didn't respond. As he got closer, he saw she was asleep. "Tch, you really fit the bill with a name like Sunset." Bage joked, grabbing the sword from her magic, and tossing it to the side. The sword clattered against the floor, and Sunset snapped awake.
"Huh, what? Oh, about time you got here," Sunset muttered, yawning. Bage rolled his eyes, knowing she was probably only here for a few minutes.
"It's barely past sunrise, but ok. I'm guessing you're ready to get started?" Bage asked, setting up some training dummies.
"Yeah, where's your sword? How are you going to train me if you're unarmed?" Sunset grabbed the sword from earlier, and Bage just chuckled and shot a beam from his finger, blasting the sword to splinters.
"That's how. Were you even paying attention yesterday? That and actual fighting," Bage told her. Sunset stared in shock at the remains of the training sword, and realized what he meant when he said 'Seriously wreck anything it touches'. If he could do that with a small blast, what could he do if he got really mad? She had only just managed to make a ball of energy, and he could turn a wooden sword to smithereens. "By the way you have more than enough energy to do that, you just need to hone it." Bage didn't even glance back at her, still moving the dummies around.
"I do? What makes you so certain? All you've seen me do is make a ball," Sunset remarked, and Bage pulled something out of his pocket.
"This is a scouter, it lets me read out a being's power level. Here, I'll show you." Bage placed the scouter onto the right side of his head and tapped it. It let a series of beeps and lit up with a bunch of flashing lights.
Power Level: 1000
"About 1,000, pretty high, and about what I'd expected. You'd be nearly half as strong as Celestia at about midnight. Not bad, considering you just learned energy control. But you've got a lot to learn." Bage took the scouter off and put it back in his pocket.
"Like flight? That's what I'm really interested in, the rest is just icing," Sunset waved her hoof, making Bage raise an eyebrow.
"Icing, huh? Hate to break it to you, but we aren't stopping at just flight. You've got me looking forward to sparring with someone who can actually keep up, even if I'm wearing weighted gear. We're going all out, and this place is probably gonna get wrecked," Bage countered, grinning. Sunset stared at him, trying not to show her trepidation. She hadn't planned on this turning into a full thing.
"What do you mean by 'all out' exactly?" Sunset chuckled nervously, tapping her hooves together.
"Exactly what it sounds like; I'm teaching you how to fight, how to use your energy for blasts and beams, how to fly using your energy, and we're gonna get strong at the same time. Hope you're ready to take some punches and dish 'em out too." Bage kicked a large box toward her, and it slid to a stop in front of her. She opened it and saw a set of armor that looked like his. "I had the blacksmith make a set for you, though it's not as durable. I don't exactly know what my armor is made of, so I couldn't tell him." Sunset looked the armor over, noting that it was designed for a quadruped, but the design was identical to Bages' own. "Go ahead and put it on, you'll need it," Bage commented. Sunset picked the armor up and noted it was in multiple parts, one for her chest and barrel and sections for her legs that clipped onto it, as well as hoof boots.
"I need all this for training? Seems a bit excessive," Sunset noted, to which Bage walked over to a dummy, drew his fist back, and punched it. The dummy exploded all over the training area, with bits of straw landing all over the weapon rack. Sunset stared in shock at the display of force, and Bage turned towards her.
"That was me holding back, still think you don't need that armor?" He asked, and Sunset shook her head frantically. "Good, now suit up, we're burning daylight."
'He's going to kill me. I made a huge mistake' she thought. Bage picked a piece of straw out of his hair and flicked it away.
"I can tell from that look that you're having second thoughts, but trust me, that won't happen to you. That armor is meant to withstand a blast from Celestia, and your power level and mine are about equal. You'll be fine, I promise," Bage assured her. Sunset quickly put the armor on, finding that it was surprisingly comfortable, and stretchy. "How's the fit? I didn't know what to tell him for your measurements, so he went with just a standard unicorn mare guard, I guess he was pretty close," Bage explained while leaning on a support beam. Sunset patted the chest of the armor, not even able to feel the minor pressure from her hoof.
"Why don't the other guards have this? It seems like it should be standard," She wondered out loud and Bage just shrugged.
"Couldn't tell ya, but it might be because it's not good against blades. They go right through," Bage told her, making Sunset glad he wasn't using a sword. "Now, let's get started. Go ahead and focus on your energy, and imagine it flaring out like a fire." Sunset closed her eyes and focused, trying to draw that warmth she felt yesterday. She felt something envelop her body, pulsing erratically. "Alright, you're doing great. Keep that up, but don't force it. Relax, you're too tense, you have to let your energy do the work." Bage watched as Sunset's aura pulsed and flared, but it steadily calmed down. After a few seconds, it died down, before disappearing. Sunset dropped to her knees, panting, and Bage walked over and helped her up.
"Huff, why is that, huff, so hard? How do you, huff, do it so easily?" Sunset gasped, sitting down again. Bage sat down next to her and crossed his arms.
"You have to remember, I've been doing this since I was three. I've got experience that you don't. But you're new to this, and the progress you've made is amazing. Most saiyans would have an easier time of this since we can just access our energy with only a little training, so don't beat yourself up over it." Bage patted her back, nearly knocking her to the ground. "Sorry."
Sunset shook her head and stood up again. "It's fine, I didn't even feel it." Sunset's eyes widened. "Oh wow, this armor IS pretty good." Bage nodded, patting his own armor.
"See? Told ya. This stuff is great for fighting hand to hand, or hand to hoof I guess," Bage said standing up. "Now let's continue. Try again, but this time don't tense up. You'll never get the hang of this by brute forcing it." Sunset tried to focus on her energy again, but this time she let her muscles relax. This time she felt the energy flare out again with much less force, like a gentle candle flame rather than a blazing wildfire. She opened her eyes and saw a pulsing white energy surrounding her body. "I think I did it. It still feels like I'm burning energy, but it's not exhausting." She waved her hoof around, watching the energy move with it.
"You've got it. Now, focus on lifting off the ground. It's a little scary at first, but once you're used to it, you can focus on moving around in the air." Bage demonstrated by lifting off the ground with his own aura. Sunset jumped, trying to do the same thing but fell back to the ground. "No, that's wrong. Let your energy do the work. It will provide the lift, you just need to focus," Bage crossed his arms and set back down on the ground. She tried again, imagining she was lifting off like a pegasus, and nearly felt her heart stop when her hooves stopped touching the ground. She looked down and saw she was a foot up in the air, Bage smiling at her. "Alright, good. Don't panic, you'll just crash and get hurt. Stay up as long as you can." Sunset nodded, wobbling as she focused on staying in the air.
"It's like being caught in a wind storm. It's so freeing, this must be what pegasi feel like all the time." She turned to look at her flank and nearly flipped over.
"Careful! Just because you aren't up that high doesn't mean you can't hurt yourself, stay focused," Bage chastised, frowning. Sunset glared at him but kept still, trying to maintain her lift. Eventually, her energy died down, and she fell back to the ground where Bage caught her.
"I didn't need you to catch me, I could have landed on my own." She jumped out of his arms, sneering.
"From a foot off the ground, maybe not. Next time I'll just let you faceplant, so how you feel then." He snarked back, smirking. Sunset just waves him off, frowning. "One more thing, and don't take this the wrong way, but you might want to cut your mane short." Sunset looked at her mane, blinking. "It can get in the way when you're flying, and it can be a liability when you're in the heat of-" Sunset stomped a hoof and growled.
"Shut the hell up about my mane! What makes you think you know anything about mane style anyway!" She turned and galloped off, leaving Bage confused.
"O-K, guess we're done then." Bage shrugged and walked out of the training area, bewildered.
Bage waited in the training area the next morning, practicing some punches and kicks in the air, when he heard hooves clopping down the hall. He looked over and saw Sunset walking in, her mane cut short. "I see you went with my advice. I don't know why you made such a big deal about it yesterday," Bage remarked. Sunset just grimaced, glaring at him.
"Just shut up, lets get back to what we were doing yesterday." Sunset floated a cup over to him, which he grabbed.
"What's this?" He sniffed the cup, smelling something rich and pungent.
"Coffee, the staple of every night owl and late night worker." Sunset sipped from her own cup, while Bage simply stared at his. He tentatively took a small sip, recoiling from the taste, but decided it wasn't bad, simply unexpected. "Lets focus on me learning how to fly. Also, I did some reading last night. According to the Japonese, the energy your so used to using is called 'KI' or life energy."
Bage blinked, before shrugging. "That does help save time, instead of saying energy. Looks like books are good for something other than kindling." Bage downed his cup of coffee, and belched. Sunset wrinkled her nose at that, but stayed quiet. "So, you were doing good yesterday, and you managed to stay up for a decent bit of time. So I'd say we can work on maneuvering through the air, and after that, forming ki blasts and other abilities." Bage formed a ball of energy in his palm. "You remember how to do that, right?" Bage watched her make a similar ball of ki over her hoof, and sip her coffee. "Perfect, now go ahead and lift off from the ground, using your ki to push yourself in any direction." Bage lifted off and demonstrated by moving backwards toward a wall, then moving forward again.
Sunset flared her aura, lifting off like yesterday, though she still wobbled a bit. Willing herself to move forward, she shot towards Bage at high speed, causing him to hold his hands out to catch her. "WOAH! Jeez how do you control your speed?" She looked up and saw she was right in Bages' face, and frowned. "Let. Go." She pulled away from him, and flew backward, crashing into the weapon rack and sending swords and spears everywhere. "Ow, seriously how do I move without rocketing around in any direction?" Bage crossed his arms and sighed.
"You're not letting it do the work, you're forcing it. Just limit how much ki you use, and you can move slower." Bage touched back down, cracking his neck.
"Yeah, that doesn't explain anything. How do I 'let it do the work' when I don't know what I'm doing?" Sunset was getting frustrated, and Bage saw that he'd have to take a different approach to teaching her.
"Look, it's more simple than you're making it. How about this, how do you breath?" Bage asked. Sunset stared at him, unamused.
"That's even less than unhelpful!" She yelled, and Bage shook his head.
"You just do, you don't think about it. It's something your body does, this is the same. If you think too hard about it, the ki has too much force, and you go flying. Just relax, and let the ki do the work." He explained, and Sunset tried again, this time letting her muscles go slack. Her body moved forward slowly, she tried to reverse, and shot toward the wall again. "RELAX!" She stopped, her back touching the wall gently.
"I did it. I actually did it!" She pumped her hoof in the air, and Bage snickered.
"Congratulations, you managed to do what most others can manage at the age of 6," Bage chuckled, making Sunset grit her teeth. "But still, good job. Now, try and go higher." Sunset looked down at the ground, then looked back at Bage.
"I'm plenty high up thank you!" She yelled. Bage just stared up at her, before lifting off the ground and flying toward her.
"If you don't cut that mental tether to the ground, you're going to limit yourself in every way, and you'll never be able to do this." He grabbed her by the forelegs and dragged her upward.
"HEY, LET GO!" Sunset tried to pull away, but he kept his grip tight.
"Not if you're going to chicken out when you've made so much progress." Bage continued to go higher and higher, the training area growing smaller in her sight.
"W-Wait, I don't like heights! Can we go back down, please?" Sunset pleaded, but Bage ignored her, letting her hooves go and watching her float there.
"You wanted to fly, so here you go." Bage took a deep breath in, enjoying the freedom that came from being so high up. Sunset looked down at the tiny spot that was Canterlot and let out a small squeak. Her pupils shrank to pinpricks, and she latched onto Bage. "Guh, HEY! What gives?" Sunset stared downward, shaking. "Look, if you want to go back down, you'll have to relax and do it yourself." Bage pried her off and pushed her away, as she struggled to steady herself. "HEY! You need to RELAX, and let your ki carry you back down. If you fall, I'll make sure you don't turn into paste on the ground," Bage explained. Sunset gulped, trying to calm her nerves.
"You didn't tell me you were going to fly me up several miles into the air," Sunset whimpered, trembling.
"About 170, actually. High enough that the air is cool, but not too thin. Since I arrived here, I've been flying up this high just to think. It's an old habit I have, helps me clear my head." Bage stared out at the horizon, admiring the expanse of Equestria. "This place is pretty peaceful, not something I'm used to. It's been a long time since I was able to take a break from conquering planets. Ever since I was 6 I've been sent from planet to planet, killing it's inhabitants, blasting the surface until there's nothing left of the race that called it home. Just so Frieza can sell it. So many dead, and for what? A couple thousand credits? I've never thought about it before, I can't believe I was a pawn for him for so long. Then to top it all off, as payment for our servitude he blows up our planet, and kills every saiyan on it." Bage closed his eyes, frowning. Sunset stared at him, unsure how to respond. Bage opened his eyes, looking at her.
Sunset stared off into the distance where Bage was looking, barely able to see the beginning of the Frozen North. She realized she wasn't panicky anymore, and her ki had calmed down. "I think I'm calm enough now, we can probably head back down." She felt herself start to drop, and almost panicked again. She took a deep breath, and let her muscles relax. He had a point, it was pretty peaceful up here. "I can see why you do this, it's like gravity isn't even a factor," she remarked. Bage laughed, and dropped his aura, freefalling back to the ground. She started after him, watching as he become a small dot. 'Idiot.' She quickened her pace, flying back down. She finally managed to make it back to the training area, where Bage was waiting next to a cart of food.
"Hey, I had some food brought out, since its about lunchtime." Bage was already digging into a massive plate of... some mind of meat.
"Thanks, I guess." Sunset lifted the platter off, seeing a rather nice looking garden salad, with shredded arugula. "Hm, my favorite. How'd you know?" She looked up at him, and he swallowed.
"Celestia told me." He went back to eating. She turned back to the salad, grabbing a fork and digging in. Neither noticed they were being watched, as a guard shifted into the from of a maid, and ducked out of sight.
Chrysalis looked over the interaction between Bage and Sunset Shimmer, a grin forming on her lips. "Wingless flight, energy based attacks. This Bage truly is a marvel. It seems that Celestia's student has also taken an interest in him, for the same reason. We'll have to keep an eye on her as well." She motioned toward a drone, who bowed and relayed the message to the scout who was assigned to the task. "These things he's teaching her, could we replicate it?" She asked the drone. The drone gave a quick nod.
"With time, we can teach the warrior lings how to harness this 'KI' for our own purposes." The drone stated, and Chrysalis smirked.
"Good. If we can master these techniques, we can push our invasion up ahead of schedule. Equestria will be ours for the taking, and not even Celestia could stand up to our might!" She shouted, her changelings cheering over the hivemind. "We shall become the most powerful force in the world, a true superpower! We will feast upon the love of Equestria, and any other nation on Equis. With this 'KI' we could even take on the mighty Minotaurs of Minos, or the Griffin Empire in Griffonstone! Our armies will be unstoppable, unmatched, and our love shortage will be at an end!" She announced, the roar of the hivemind echoing in her mind. "Prepare yourself, Celestia. For soon, the Changeling Hive shall rise and claim this world for our own. And it will all start with Bage. MHMHHAHAHAHAHA!"
Bage (Weighted Armor) Power Level:1,000
Sunset (Ki Training)Power LEvel:1,100
Chapter FIVE: Time Passes, an Army Grows in The Shadows! The Threat of Chrysalis!
Time Passes, an Army Grows in The Shadows! The Threat of Chrysalis!
Three years have passed, during which Bage has made a great deal of progress in learning friendship. Thanks to Celestia's teachings, he was able to get a better handle on his anger issues, and his attitude had cooled somewhat. His training with Sunset had given her a significant grasp of ki control, and she had even created some techniques of her own. The two also did some more research into the Japonese ki history, learning of a way to sense ki even from long distances, without the use of a scouter. Their power had risen considerably, and Bage had nearly reached the level that Celestia stood at during the height of the day. This peace wouldn't last, however, as a changeling spy had been discovered amongst the guard ranks, triggering a security crackdown. The changeling was interrogated and it revealed the plans for an invasion, Prompting Celestia to take drastic action. The guards were given rudimentary training in battle and ki control by Bage and Sunset, to ensure that Canterlot wouldn't be left defenseless. With the danger of Chrysalis looming on the horizon, Bage and Sunset double their training, in order to face the evil Queen. The Invasion Arc begins, now.
A series of shockwaves echoed across Canterlot, as Bage and Sunset sparred in the air above the city. A massive golden shield stretched over the entirety of Canterlot, courtesy of Celestia, as a precaution against the growing threat. Bage traded blows with Sunset, relishing in the thrill of wondering who would come out on top. Despite the efforts of both, their power was practically dead even. "Come on, Sunset, don't tell me you've been slacking. You haven't landed a single good attack." Bage aimed a kick at her head, but met air as her after image faded. He spun around, but met a hoof right to the chin.
"You were saying?" Sunset mocked, smirking. Bage rubbed his chin, grinning.
"Ok, I deserved that one, but don't think you'll get another." Bage ducked as another kick was sent his way, countering by punching Sunset in the gut. She coughed as the wind was driven out of her, but retaliated with a punch of her own. Bage grabbed her hoof, and spun her around before sending her flying. Sunset stopped her momentums by kicking off from roof, before shooting back up to meet Bages' punch with one of her own.
"If you didn't boast so much, maybe you'd have an edge." Sunset flipped around to dodge an axe kick, before delivering a spin kick right to Bages' solar plexus. While Bage was doubled over, she started flying around him, picking up speed as a reddish-gold ring appeared. "RING OF FIRE!" Bage looked up in time to see the ring close around him, locking his arms to his sides.
"Augh, this is new. When'd you come up with this?" Bage asked whilst struggling to break free. Sunset just smirked, crossing her forelegs.
"I don't just train with YOU. I take time to practice on my own, usually while you're in the dining hall stuffing your face. I came up with it a few days ago, as a way to restrain an opponent." Sunset explained, as Bage pushed against the ring.
"Fair enough, but it'll take a lot more than this to hold me. HAAAAAAA!" Bage roared as his ki flared, shattering the ring. Sunset just glared, rolling her eyes.
"Figures, but hey it was worth a shot." Sunset blocked a kick with a foreleg, before spinning backward and landing a brutal high kick on Bages chin.
"GAH, why always the chin with you? I'm gonna lose a tooth at this rate." Bage rubbed his chin, grimacing. Sunset responded by launching a punch to the side of his head, followed by an uppercut to his chin.
"DAAH, why the chin?! Seriously, it's like you have a vendetta against my chin or something." Bage pouted, his chin throbbing. He made two ki blasts in his palms and fired them off at Sunset, who dipped down in midair to dodge them.
"I'd say 'nice try' but you pretty much telegraphed that." Sunset noticed Bage point behind her, and she turned to see the blasts coming back towards her. "WOAH!" she darted to the left, and the blasts followed her. 'Homing blasts? Guess I'm not the only one who came up with some new tricks.' She thought as she tried to avoid getting knocked out of the sky.
No matter what, the blasts remained right on her tail. She turned and shot a beam at one of the blasts, making it explode in mid air. The other shot forward, and she knocked it away with a hoof, causing it to explode against the shield. She sensed something behind her, dodging out of the way of a roundhouse, and turned to get a punch right in muzzle. She went flying back, crashing against the shield, before being struck by a another ki blast. She fell out of the sky, crashing into the ground below. Bage flew down, watching Sunset pick herself up. "You've really improved. At this rate, you could probably take on the whole changeling army by yourself," Bage commented, helping her to her hooves. She slapped his hand away, growling.
"I don't need your help, I can get up just fine." She snapped, dusting her armor off. Bage just sighed, shaking his head.
"You know, if you didn't get upset every time you lost, you'd probably be able to learn a few things. I've been doing this since I was 6, remember?" Bage crossed his arms, frowning. Sunset's anger issues were a common point of contention, both between the two of them, as well as between herself and Celestia. Despite multiple attempts to get her to work on dealing with them, she always blew them off, typically while yelling at him, or Celestia, or both of them at once. "I seriously think your anger is going to get you into trouble one of these days. If you let your anger dictate your actions, you'll just end up-" Sunset cut him off with a punch to his gut, causing him to clutch his stomach.
"OK, I get it. You've blabbed on about that for months now. I'm gonna go get something to eat. I'll see you tomorrow," She grumbled as she walked off. Bage stared after her, and sighed.
"One of these days that anger is going to end up getting you killed," Bage muttered softly, making to follow her, when a voice called his name.
"HEY, BAGE! DO YOU HAVE A MINUTE?"
Bage turned and saw the royal guard captain trotting towards him. "Captain Swift Blade, nice to see you! What'd you need?" Bage reached out his hand, the captain grabbing it and giving it a shake.
"That changeling we've got in lock-up, it wants to talk to you. Said it had something for your ears only," Swift Blade handed him an amulet, glowing with Celestia's magic. "That will let you into the dungeons, otherwise you'd have to go through the guards search and scan routine."
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Bage was lead down into the bowels of the castle, deeper than he had ever been before, coming upon the entrance to the dungeons. Swift Blade did a quick rhythmic knock, and a series of clicks sounded from the other side, the door swinging open. "Captain Swift Blade, good to see you sir." The guards on the other side saluted. One of the guards at the corner of the hall walked over, saluting and showing his own amulet. "Sir, Private Shining Armor reporting, Sir." Swift Blade saluted, turning toward Private Armor.
"It's good to meet you, Private. You're the new recruit, right? Brother of the princesses personal student, that correct?" Swift Blade asked, Private Armor giving a stiff nod. "Relax, colt, you're acting like a board. I ain't gonna bite your head off. Bage, meet our newest recruit, he was top of his group during hell week." Shining looked up at Bage, his eyes going wide.
"This is the guy that's been teaching the guard all those techniques?! He's huge!" Shining exclaimed, causing Bage to chuckle.
"Yeah, blame my dad for that. He was a mountain. Nice to meet you. You know, three years ago the whole guard unit said I was a threat to Equestrian security, now I'm helping teach 'em how to fight. Funny how that works." Bage joked, causing the guards behind him to sweat nervously.
"Yeah well, can you blame us? An alien crashes down on Equis, picks a fight with the princess, and waltzes in like he owns the place. We didn't know what to think." Swift Blade swatted Bages' back with a wing, chuckling.
"The captain at the time, I think his name was Iron Wall, tried to petition to Celestia that she send me to the moon, where I belong." Bage said, giving Swift Blade an unamused look. The captain gave a weak laugh, before coughing.
"Anyway, I need to take Bage to see the prisoner," Swift Blade stated.
"Of course sir, we just need to see his amulet."
Bage pulled out the amulet that Swift had given him, showing to Private Armor, who nodded. "Right this way." Shining led the two of them down the hall, to a door flanked by guards on both sides. The door glowed with powerful runes, almost pulsing with power.
"I don't think your door is secure enough, it's not on fire," Bage joked, but it was met with confused stares. "Never mind."
"Those runes were placed by Princess Celestia herself, they're plenty secure." Shining told him, and Bage just facepalmed.
"Yeah, I was kidding. Just open the damn door." Bage could tell this wasn't going to be pleasant. The door shimmered as the enchantments were suspended, letting the door swing open. Bage made to walk through it, but Shining stopped him.
"You can't go in alone. For your protection, you need to have a guard with you," Shining stated, and Bage simply flared his aura, raising an eyebrow.
"I think I'll be fine. I can battle Celestia to a standstill, one changeling is nothing." Bage killed his aura before walking through the door, feeling a buzzing behind his eyes as the door closed. 'That must be the enchantments kicking in.' He noticed the room was empty, and felt out for any ki signatures, his eyes drawn to an extra pillow on the bed. "Cut the act, I can sense your energy. That trick won't work on me." The pillow morphed into a changeling, the bug giving him a dirty look. It let a series of clicks and chirps, before shaking its head and turning into a pegasus mare.
"I forget that you can not understand me, given the results of our last interaction." The changeling sat down on the chair next to it's bed.
"So you were the bug that talked to me in the infirmary, I guess you were serious about watching me. Why'd you call me here, anyway?" Bage leaned against the wall, but kept his guard up.
"I wish to ask you what side you would wish to fight on in the coming war. And yes, this will be war. We have been learning from your teachings of the student of the sun, your knowledge of combat and 'ki' have been quite informative." The changeling said in a near monotone. Bage kept his face neutral, but that admission surprised him. They had been learning from him, which meant that they probably knew everything he could do.
'That could be a problem, if they've been practicing actual combat, and ki control, this wont be an invasion, it'll be a slaughter in Chrysalis' favor,' Bage thought. "If you've been training in ki control, why would you need me? It sounds like you've got all the knowledge you need, so I'm not sure what you mean. Not to mention, what makes you think I'd abandon Equestria when they need me?" Bage questioned, and the changeling just smiled.
"The Queen sees you as a powerful warrior, and a prospective ally. If you side with her, she will reward you greatly. You need only turn your back on the Sun Princess." The changeling placed it's hooves together, staring him down. Bage sneered, and placed his hands on the table.
"If you think I'd just turn traitor for a bunch of disgusting insects, then you don't know me at all." Bage said quietly, his voice carrying an air of danger. The changeling stared back, with a sneer of it's own.
"Then you resign yourself to death, alongside the ponies. The Queen shall deal with you personally. She has been watching through my eyes, and is insulted that you would reject her generous offer. She does not take kindly to such blatant disrespect. This will be the last time we speak, saiyan." Bage was about to ask what it meant by that, when the changelings eyes went dark and it dropped to the floor, convulsing.
"What the hell?! HEY I NEED SOME HELP IN HERE!" Bage yelled, the doors enchantments dropping as it opened and two guards jumped into the room. The changelings body began to desiccate, and it let out a final gasp, before going still.
One of the guards checked the body, and shook their head. "Dead, it's like all the life was sucked out of it. Never seen anything like it."
Swift Blade looked at Bage, "What the buck happened in here?"
Bage just shrugged, crossing his arms. "It said, 'this will be the last time we speak' then it just keeled over and started shaking." Swift Blade looked at the corpse, shaking his head.
"Get that thing out of here, and then have someone deep clean this cell. Bage, follow me." Swift Blade walked out of the room. Bage took one last look at the body, before turning to follow. As they walked down the hall, Swift Blade directed him into a side room, and closed the door, clicking the lock into place. "You mind explaining what that thing meant, when it said 'last interaction' Bage?" Swift Blade leveled a glare at him. Bage just stared back, and didn't answer. "Did you, or did you not, know of that changelings' existence before we captured it two weeks ago?" When Bage remained silent, Swift Blade pounded his hooves on the table, his face morphed into a look of fury. "ANSWER ME!" Bage sighed, sitting down and putting his feet up on the table.
"Yeah, but bear in mind I had only been here for a week at the time. How was I supposed to know how much of a threat it would be? Whatever enemies Equestria had at the time were a mystery to me, so tone down your attitude, or I'll show you mine. And trust me, you don't want that, Captain Swift Blade. So lets keep this cordial, ok?" Bage returned Swift Blades look with a glare of his own, which was enough to quench the captains rage.
"Fine, but this discussion isn't over. On a lighter note, I'm glad you didn't turn traitor on us, I have a feeling fighting you would be suicide." Swift Blade ran a hoof through his mane, frowning.
"Please, if I had been serious about conquering this place when I first got here, I could have killed Celestia, then played Jenga with the corpses of the guards and a good majority of the rest the populace. Just learned about that game, by the way. Great way to kill an hour or two." Bage chuckled, and Swift Blade felt the blood drain from his face.
"You, uh, meant that as a joke, right?" Swift Blade asked nervously, but Bage just smiled. "It WAS a joke, right?" Bage stood up and walked to the door unlocking it and stepping out.
"Come on, Swift. We've got a guard unit to train, and I want to be done by lunchtime." Bage called over his shoulder. Swift Blade galloped after him, sweating.
"YOU MEANT THAT AS A JOKE, RIGHT BAGE?!" His question was met with a laugh.
Bage and Captain Swift Blade stood before a group of 20 guard recruits, all of which looked incredibly nervous. All except for one, that is. Private Shining Armor stood in the middle of the first row of five, stoic and professional. 'This is going to be fun' Bage thought, grinning. "Alright, listen up. I'm sure you all remember the hell you went through for guard training, and thought to yourselves 'this is the worst thing I've ever been put through'. Well, I hate to break it to you, but this will be much worse. When it comes to training under a saiyan, you will experience a level of hell that will make what you've been through seem like your 5th birthday party. I will push you to the brink, and pull you back, just to push you there again. You will feel like you're about to die, and wish you were. You will not enjoy this, but it will be over quicker than you think." Bage explained, his voice slightly raised. "To start, open the crates that you were told to stand next to." A series of creaks and the sounds of nails being pulled free from wood echoed throughout the training area. "The armor you see inside is modeled after my own, with the materials being as close as possible to my own, since the material has yet to be identified to exist on Equis. It is also weighted, to increase the difficulty of training, as well as to help increase your power once you remove it after this training is over." One of the guards cleared his throat, drawing Bages' attention to him.
"Um, how much does it weigh, exactly?" The guard flinched when Bage responded with a chuckle.
"Given the limits of what I've seen, each pony race has a different weight threshold that they can carry. For earth ponies, the armor is 50 kilos. For pegasi, 20 kilos, and for unicorns, 25 kilos." The guards jaws dropped. They were used to heavy loads, but that much was insane.
"Trust me, if you think that's bad, just know that my own armor is 200 kilos, so don't think I'm just trying to kill you." One of the guards in the back fainted, the realization that their instructor could carry well over 400 pounds being too much to handle. "One of you help him up, in the mean time, the rest of you go ahead and put that armor on. Over time, as you get used to the weight, I'll swap it out for heavier and heavier amounts, up to what I'm wearing right now, until your almost ready to collapse. If you can train with that much weight and manage to land a strike on me, you're ready." Despite this insane training regimen, Shining Armor still looked stoic, ready for anything. "As for you, Shining, you're going to set an example for the rest of this unit, by taking on double the weight of an average unicorn, to show the rest of these sissies how easy it is." Bage grinned as Shining's stone mask finally broke, as his jaw nearly hit the floor.
"WAIT WHAT?! How is that fair?" Shining took a step back as Bage got right up close to his face.
"Because you looked too calm about this. Besides, I just want to mess with you, since I'm friends with your sister." Bage whispered in his ear. Shining just gaped like a fish out of water, as the rest of the guard laughed. "As for the rest of you, 20 push ups in that gear. You need to get used to that weight. Best get geared up Shining, or you'll fall behind." Bage told him with a laugh. Shining just grimaced as he struggled to pull the 50 kilo armor out of the crate.
"Say, Bage, don't you think that this is a bit too much? I mean, this kind of training might work for you, but I don't think it will work for ponies." Swift Blade pointed out, but Bage just waved him off.
"If they can handle this, they can handle anything the changelings' might throw at them. Besides, this kind of training is perfect for helping increase their mobility," Bage explained. He turned back to the recruits, while Swift Blade was left pondering what he meant by that.
"Shining, why is your armor not on yet? The rest of the unit has already started their pushups!" Bage walked over to Shining, who was still struggling to lift the armor out of his crate.
"Gkc, sir, I th-think this might -Ngh- be too h-heavy for me!" His horn flared as he strained to lift the armor. Bage just shook his head, walking over and lifting the armor out of the crate as if it was a basket off eggs.
"Don't call me sir, it sounds weird. Here, I'll suit you up, but you'll have to learn how to take it off yourself." Bage placed the armor on over Shining's' head, and strapped it into place. The moment he let go, Shining felt as if his knees were going to snap. "Now, 20 push ups lets go." Shining got down and tried to do a pushup, but couldn't even budge. "Come on, Shining! Are you really going to let the changelings win? When they invade, they're going to abduct everyone they can, doing who knows what too them." Shining squeezed his eyes shut, the weight was just too much. "They'll take Twilight too you know. Will you be able to live with yourself, knowing she was captured because you were too weak to stop them?! Come on, try harder!" Shining imagined Twilight, screaming for his help as she was carted of by those bugs, and his eyes shot open.
"N-No, I'll protect her, I have to!" With a newfound strength, Shining pushed himself up off the ground, shakily. He felt as if the weight was lessened, and with a renewed vigor, started cranking out push ups one after another, his muscles burning.
"That's more like it, Shining! Keep it up." Bage looked up at Swift Blade, giving him a wink, as he lifted Shining's armor just enough for him to do his pushups. Swift Blade just shook his head, a small smile on his face.
"15... 16... 17... 18... 19... 20!" Shining grunted, as he collapsed. Bage patted his shoulder, letting him rest.
"Good job colt, you did it. Half an hour after everyone else finished, but still." Bage muttered sarcastically. Shining didn't respond, still exhausted from the push ups. "Ok, I think that was a good warm up, now lets do some light sparring!" A resounding THUD echoed across the training area as all 19 guards still standing collapsed. "HAHAHA! I'm kidding, don't worry. We'll pick this up tomorrow, so go ahead and take that armor off and go get something to eat, Shining I'll help you up in a moment." Bage turned toward Swift Blade, chuckling. "What do you think Swift, have they got what it takes?" Swift looked over the recruits, all of them panting and struggling to stay standing.
"Yeah, they'll be kicking changeling flank in no time. I'm glad you weren't around when I was a recruit, I don't think I'd have made it past the first week." Swift joked.
"Trust me, if I had been here when you were a recruit, the last thing on my mind would have been teaching." Bage walked over and lifted Shining to his hooves, and unstrapped his armor, as he gave a sigh of relief.
"How do you walk around with so much weight, every day?" Shining asked, as he watched Bage place the armor back into the crate, and mark it with Shining's initials.
"It's simple. From what I've been able to figure out, your planet is smaller than mine was. The smaller size means weaker gravity. I'd say your planets gravity is just under half of what I'm used to." Bage explained.
"So you're just used to it from birth?" Shining stood up and shakily walked over to lean on a support beam.
"Not really, no. I was in a sort of birth pod. When my body was strong enough to experience the stronger gravity, I was able to train and get used to it. It's how saiyans are so powerful. Stronger gravity means more intense training. More intense training means a higher power level. But even if you aren't a saiyan, this is still good training. If you can move at your normal pace while wearing 50 kilos, you can move even faster without it." Bage explained, "It's really just about pushing your limits, and reaching a new level of strength."
"Pushing your limits, huh? If wearing heavy armor helps make you powerful, I'm not surprised you and Sunset can do so much damage to each other during your training sessions." Shining got up and walked over to the entrance of the training area.
"Oh, Sunset doesn't wear weighted gear. That power is all her, If she did wear weighted gear, she wouldn't be equal to me in terms of strength. I had to wear this just to get down to her level. I've just gotten so used to it I never take it off." Bage tapped the chestplate he was wearing with a knuckle.
"She got to that level purely by her own skill? Geez, no wonder she's Celestias' student. It makes sense you two are a couple." Shining said, confusing Bage.
"Wait, couple? What do you mean? We're training partners." Bage looked down at him, his eyebrow raised.
"Well, you two are always training together, and you seemed pretty close, so I just assumed you two were... you know..." Shining waved his hoof, hoping Bage would pick up on it.
"I know... what?" Now it was Shining's turn to be confused.
"Well, dating, you know? Romantically involved? Mates?" Bages' eyes went wide, his face going cherry red.
"WOAH, WHAT?! Where the hell did you get that idea? We aren't like that! We aren't even the same species! I'm pretty sure that Sunset would kill you if she heard you say that. Trust me, things aren't like that between us." Bage went a little green just thinking about it. Doing something like that with Sunset, it didn't sit right in his mind.
"Ok, don't blow a gasket on me. It was just a misunderstanding, I guess. To be fair though, it wouldn't be unusual for a pony to date outside their species, just putting it out there," Shining said quickly, as Bage leveled a glare at him.
"Just remember Shining, I can always make your training a thousand times more difficult from now on. Watch what you say." Bage gave him a quick nudge with his knee, before turning into the dining hall.
"Heh, right. I feel like I'm going to regret that tomorrow morning," He muttered before heading back towards the guard barracks.
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The next morning brought a new type of training; Invasion Drills. The entirety of Canterlot was put on high alert, to simulate the event of an invasion as best as possible. A select few guards were tasked to imitate possible changeling invaders, and the rest of the guards were tasked with figuring out who among them were 'changelings' and capture them. The drill was mostly successful, with nine out of ten 'changelings' captured and restrained. Bage found the whole process tedious, considering most of the guards couldn't act worth a damn, the only one that could was Blown Cover, a recently enlisted recruit that was a master of taking on false identities.
He had even managed to fool Swift Blade, who knew nearly every guard by their looks. "Alright colts, job well done. These drills are gonna be done every other day, same time, until we can properly identify when somepony is acting strangely every single time. I want you all to pick up on even the smallest minute detail that could be off; their nightly routine, bathroom habits, dietary habits, the whole kit and caboodle." Swift Blade paced back and forth in front of the line of guards, eyeing them all up with a look of scrutiny. Some of the guards grimace at the mention of 'bathroom habits', something Swift picked up on. "Oh, don't give me those looks. We know next to nothing about these invasive pests. The more we know about each other, the better we can detect when something is off. Camaraderie is our best defense right now. If we know each other like the backs of our hooves, we can sniff out any deceptive bugs trying to work their way through our ranks. They'll try anything they can to break us apart from the inside."
Bage noticed something out of the corner of his eye, a flash of green from the end of the line up. He glanced over, but saw nothing out of the ordinary, aside from a pegasus guard shuffling back into position. 'Wait, why was he out of position?' He walked over to the guard, staring him down. The guard glanced up at him, sweating. "Hot day today? It seems pretty cool out to me. Then again, I guess that armor does you no favors. What's your name, anyway?" Bage interrogated, as the guard began to shake.
"Oh, um. I'm... Steel Wing. Private Steel Wing, sir." The guard gave a quick salute, and Bage narrowed his eyes. In a flash of movement, Bage had the guard by the throat, and slammed him against the wall.
"BAGE, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?! PUT HIM DOWN!" Swift Blade shouted, but Bage ignored him.
"No can do. This isn't one of ours." Bage pressed the guard against the wall, as he struggled to break free. "If he was a pegasus, he would be lighter. You can't change your weight, can you?" The guard began to violently pound his hooves against Bages' arms, choking. "I'll let you go if you drop that disguise, or else you're probably gonna die." The guard stared into Bages' eyes, and a green glow appeared over it's head, the disguise burning away as the changeling hissed at him. A wet CRACK echoed through the hall as Bage broke the changelings neck, and it fell limp. "Ok, I lied. But I wasn't really gonna let you go anyway." Bage dropped the changeling to floor with a soft FFTHUMP as it flumped over.
"H-how the hell did you know? That energy sensing thing?" Swift asked, but Bage shook his head.
"Nah, I can't sense the difference between these guys and a pony. He just jumped into the line while your back was turned, and I saw the flash of green when he took that form," Bage explained. The other guards stared at the corpse on the floor, shocked and a little disgusted. "Well, is that enough of a reason for you all to listen to Swift? They'll try anything to infiltrate, and you won't be able to tell the difference." Bage picked the changeling up, tossed it into the air, and fired a blast at it, vaporizing the corpse and leaving no trace. "Something tells me this won't be the last time this happens either." Bage stared at the cloud of smoke from his blast, wondering what the changeling queen could be planning.
Chrysalis grit her teeth as she felt one of her changelings suddenly go silent, their screams still echoing in her mind. It had happened so quickly, and she knew that her changelings wouldn't stand a chance against the saiyan. "It seems that I'll have to take care of him myself. His power is immense, well beyond anything I've seen before. He's only become more powerful in these past few years."
Chrysalis looked out over the rudimentary training area, as her changelings all sparred with each other in order to train for the coming invasion. "How many more of my children will die at his hands? Would he spare any of them? Or are we really just vermin in his eyes? To think, that a creature from beyond Equis could hold such power, such strength." She walked back to her throne, her rage boiling at the thought of the wretched saiyan.
"When we meet in battle, Bage, I shall give no mercy. Your broken body will be hung over my throne like a trophy. I'll make you watch as those you sought to protect are drained of their love, until they're nothing but used up husks!" Her shout echoed through the throne room. The invasion of Canterlot was drawing closer, and she would make sure that Bage was the first to be broken by her will.
Bage (weighted Gear) Power Level: 17000
Sunset Power Level:17000
Chapter SIX: Growing Tension Between Rivals, And A Brawl Threatens Canterlot! Sunset Finally Snaps!
Growing Tension Between Rivals, And A Brawl Threatens Canterlot! Sunset Finally Snaps!
Of all the things Bage could've expected that morning, getting the cold shoulder wasn't one of them. Sunset wasn't even willing to train with him, and his normal quips and friendly jabs were met with a stony glare and silence. As if that wasn't enough, his and Shining's little discussion yesterday had spawned slanderous rumors about the two of them. All of them painted him in a rather bad light. Despite that, he knew they were just rumors, so he ignored them. Sunset, on the other hand, refused to even speak to him, and he couldn't figure out why. Even Celestia seemed reluctant to speak about the matter.
'Ok, seriously, this is getting ridiculous. Why is everyone acting like I'm suddenly the worst thing on the planet?' Bage thought as he headed to the training area. Sunset was already there waiting, but the look she threw his way made it obvious she wasn't happy about being there. "You look pissed. What, did they run out of coffee?" Sunset didn't answer, just sneering and looking off to the side. "Are you still giving me the silent treatment? What did I even do?" Sunset huffed and walked off, leaving Bage confused, and a little agitated.
At this point, his entire day was thrown off, so he figured he'd figure things out from the only pony he knew that was willing to get involved in gossip; Cadance. Canterlot's newest crowned princess, and one who was more than willing to engage in rumor spreading. He didn't know her very well, but she would be his best bet to find out what the hell was going on. The only issue was finding her. Sensing her ki, it felt like she was in the southern part of the castle.
'Bingo. Now to get to the bottom of this.' He took to the air, and flew around to the south end of the castle, seeing her trotting through the garden with a couple of unicorns he didn't recognize. Landing a short distance away, he walked up to the group. "Honestly, of all the ponies to go dating a non-equestrian, Sunset is the last I'd expect. Not to mention, he's not even from this planet, I can't even imagine how the relationship would even work." The group was in a rather lengthy gossip session about Sunset, and it didn't take much to connect the dots on the rest. He cleared his throat, causing the group to jump "Oh, um, Bage! What a surprise, we were just-" one of the unicorns started to say, but a quick look shut her down.
"You two, leave. Cadance, you and I need to talk. ALONE." Bage pointed towards the castle, while the two other ponies quickly trotted off.
"Oh, of course! What's this about?" Cadance gave a nervous smile but quickly wilted under Bage's stern glare.
"Look, I don't give a shit what you say about anyone else in this city, but leave me and Sunset out of it, you hear me?" Bage stared her dead in the eyes as she quickly nodded and made to leave, but Bage sped in front of her. "I'm not finished. Who the hell started that rumor, and where can I find them? Cause I need to pay them a, what do you call it?"
"A visit?" Cadance offered.
"A beating, yeah. I need to go pay them a beating." Bage stared at a statue across the way, that looked a little familiar. "Now tell me who started it." Cadance gulped, unsure what to say. "Well? I don't have all day."
"I don't know for sure! I heard it from my friends, and they heard it from some of the more influential nobles! That's all I know, I swear!" Cadance spouted quickly, causing Bage to groan.
"Great, and it's always a pain to try and figure out the nobles' BS." Bage crossed his arms, hovering off the ground.
"Well, maybe I could help you? I mean, I haven't been here for very long, but I've already had a bunch of nobles trying to suck up to me. It's kind of annoying, to be honest." Bage glanced at her but didn't reply. "I can ask around and find out who started this whole gossip web for you. It might take a few days, but I promise I'll do what I can to try and quell all of this."
Bage glanced at her again and sighed. "Fine, but you'd better find out who caused all of this, or we're gonna find out how good your magic is when you're plummeting to the ground at 32ft per second squared." Cadance was a little shocked at that.
"Ok, one, I have wings, I can just fly. Two, how do you know that equation?" Cadance asked. Bage lifted two fingers and shot a ki ring at her, which closed around her barrel and pinned her wings down.
"First, if you can't use your wings, how can you fly? Second, just cause I'm always sparring and training doesn't mean I'm an idiot. Celestia is pretty insistent on me reading, so I have to read something at least before I can do what I enjoy doing. I've picked up quite a bit on a couple of subjects. Don't get me wrong, it's still boring, but I at least try and retain most of it." Bage looked over at the statue again, walking over to it. "This statue, what do you know about it?" Bage asked but got no answer. He looked back and noticed Cadance was gone. "Of course."
He looked back at the statue, and read the plaque. "This statue represents Discord or disharmony amongst pony kind. Commonly referred to as the Spirit of Chaos, Discord was responsible for the dark time known as the Chaotic Age. It's this period in Equis' history that the most dangerous and wicked creatures to ever exist were created, and still roam Equestria today. A few examples include manticores, chimeras, and changelings. Hmm, so you're the reason we're in this mess. It makes sense that all this started with you. If you were still around I'd turn you into an ornate rug." Bage turned to walk away, but a cold chill went up his spine as the wind suddenly changed. It almost felt like someone had laughed in his ear.
With Sunset avoiding him, Bage was forced to find other ways to occupy his time. Training by himself could only get him so far, and there wasn't anyone else aside from Celestia that was strong enough to train with. "This is bullshit. When I find out who started this shit, they're gonna forget how to eat solid food." As he passed the throne room, he caught part of a conversation, and stopped to listen.
"...all I'm saying is that perhaps you should keep an eye on him auntie. I know how you feel about Sunset, and that 'monkey' is a bad influence on her. Teaching her all those violent techniques, it's no wonder she has anger issues. Not to mention him trying to court her, he's just a brute that doesn't belong here."
"I understand, nephew. However I firmly believe that this is all a misunderstanding. His training with Sunset is actually a boon in disguise, as the two of them may be the only ones who can stand up the the threat of the changeling queen. If he is attempting to court Sunset, then I shall have a word with him, but with no evidence there is no reason for me to get involved. Sunset is old enough to make her own decisions after all."
Figures, they were talking about him, and it seems he had found the culprit behind the gossip; Blueblood. He sensed the prince heading toward the door and sped around the corner. The doors to the throne room opened fully and he heard the clopping of hooves coming toward the corner he had hid around. As Blueblood came into view, he grabbed him and put a hand over his mouth, pulling him close. "Well, lookie what I caught. A spoiled little brat talking smack. Wonder what I should do with him?" Bage asked as Blueblood struggled in his grip. His horn lit, but Bage grabbed it to stop his magic. "So you're the one that started all these little whispers about me and Sunset. I guess you saved me a long search, little prince. How's about I show you how I feel about all this?" He squeezed Bluebloods horn, tilting his hand to the side as if to break it off. Blueblood screamed through Bages hand, his eyes looking about frantically. "I've always wanted to snap you in half like a twig, but your nose is always planted firmly in Celestias ass all the time, so I could never get you alone. Thanks for making my job a little easier." Just as he was about to jerk his hand down, a golden glow pulled Blueblood out of his grip.
"BAGE! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING TO HIM?!" Celestia shouted, as Blueblood ran around her and down the hall.
"Teaching." Bage crossed his arms, his expression falling flat.
"And what, exactly, were you 'teaching' him?" Celestia inquired, a disapproving frown on her face.
"I was going to teach him what happens when you spread false rumors about people. You know, a little lesson in keeping his spoiled mouth shut." Bage returned Celestias frown with one of his own.
"If you have a problem with him, you talk to me. You do not threaten him with violence. If I had not walked out here when I did, you would have crippled him for life." Celestia scolded.
"Please, as if you would punish him properly. Everytime someone complains about him, you just sweep it under the rug. Maybe if he actually got proper punishment, he wouldn't be so insufferable." Bage leaned against a pillar, and Celestia sighed.
"Bage, I understand that Blueblood can be... IS... a spoiled brat, but breaking his horn off is not the way to teach him anything. It will only make things worse. On another note, I had Cadance tell me something distressing as well. Did you threaten her in the garden?" Celestia asked, and when Bage didn't respond, she shook her head. "I figured as much. Bage, I cannot have you threatening my niece and nephew whenever they so much as say something you don't like. They are my family, and they're important to me."
"I'm gonna be honest, I wouldn't've given a shit if they were only talking about me, but when they started talking about me and Sunset, that's when I decided to do something. What the hell did she do to have them talking behind her back?" Bage countered, to which Celestia looked away.
"Sunset has never been on good terms with the nobility, but she is more than capable of handling such issues on her own." Bage snorted at that, looking her in the eye.
"Oh, is that right? Then explain why she's been giving me the silent treatment and avoiding me? She's been acting like I'm the spawn of King Cold, and she won't even train with me. I'm pretty sure Blueblood is the cause of it all too."
"I'm sure he is, but petty violence will only cause those rumors to worsen, and If Sunset is upset with you, then perhaps you should try and talk to her instead of-" Celestia was cut off by a shout from down the hall.
"BAAAGE!" Sunset's voice rang out from down the hall.
"What was that you were saying, Celestia?" Bage asked before a red and gold streak slammed into him, and sent him flying out a stained glass window. Celestia sighed, covering her eyes with a wing.
"I never liked that window anyway, but I have a feeling that it's only the beginning." Celestia heard a BOOM from outside, as a another window spontaneously shattered.
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Bage covered his face as best he could from the flurry of blows Sunset was hitting him with, but she was relentlessly hitting him anywhere she could. "Grh, I assume you're still, Ngh, upset?" His question was answered by a hoof to the face, and he felt his nose crack. Sunset spun in midair and bucked him in the stomach, sending him flying into the shield.
"DOES THAT ANSWER YOU'RE QUESTION, YOU MONKEY-BRAINED DUMBASS?! MY ENTIRE DAY HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT TERRIBLE THANKS TO YOUR LITTLE 'CONVERSATION' WITH SHINING ARMOR YESTERDAY!" Sunset screamed, firing a barrage of ki blasts at him. The blast struck all around him, as smoke burned his eyes and throat, making him cough. "YOU AND HE MANAGED TO SINGLEHOOVEDLY RUIN MY REPUTATION IN AS LITTLE AS TWELVE HOURS! I'M A CELESTIA-DAMNED LAUGHING STOCK THANKS TO YOU!" Another ki blast struck him in the stomach, giving no time to retaliate. She sped forward an dug a hoof into his gut, making him cough up bile. Bage managed to dip to the right to avoid another blow, but took another hit to the face, sending him spiraling to the ground.
"Rrgh, in my defense, I didn't start that conversation. That was Shining ArmAUGH-" A kick to the chest cut him off, sending him backwards into a wall.
"SHUT UP! I DON'T CARE WHO STARTED IT, YOU'RE THE REASON IT'S HAPPENING! I CAN'T EVEN LEAVE MY ROOM, WITHOUT PONIES WHISPERING ABOUT ME!" Bage pulled himself out of the wall, finally getting a good look at her expression. Sunset was practically engulfed in flames, her eyes were glowing white, and her teeth bared. His eyes went wide, and his only thought was 'Crap'. She stomped forward, and pinned him against the wall by the throat, the flames covering her body burning his throat. "EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENED SO FAR HAS BEEN YOUR FAULT! THIS INVASION, THE LOCKDOWN, EVERYTHING!" She threw him away from her, and he crashed into a stallions cabbage cart.
'Ok, she's really fuckin pissed. Where did she even get this much power form, anyway?' Bage thought to himself as he tried to come up with plan. He dodged out of the way of a kick, and met a ki blast to the face. 'Ah, damnit! She's obviously got speed on her side, but she's also furious. That should make her sloppy, but then again her default emotion lately has been anger, so maybe not.' He jumped back to avoid another kick, and barely managed to avoid a ki blast, which blew up a newspaper stand, sending the poor stand owner running for his life. 'Fuck, I have to end this soon or she's gonna reduce Canterlot to a smoldering fire pit!' He caught a punch thrown his way, and grabbed Sunset's other hoof as she went for another punch. "Sunset, calm down! You're gonna start killing ponies if you keep this up! I'm sorry about the rumors, but I've been doing my best to try and stop them! Now just stop throwing a fit and KRGH-" Sunset's back hooves came up and bucked him in the face, breaking his nose and sending blood pouring down his face and dribbling onto his armor.
"DON'T FUCKING TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! DO YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW MANY TIMES I'VE HAD A ONE ON ONE LESSON WITH CELESTIA SINCE YOU GOT HERE?! ZERO! AT LEAST WHEN IT WAS JUST TWILIGHT I COULD GET MAYBE TWO LESSONS A WEEK, BUT NOW I RARELY SO MUCH AS SEE HER! I WAS HER PERSONAL STUDENT BEFORE TWILIGHT, AND NOW THAT TITLE DOESN'T MEAN SHIT TO ANYPONY! CELESTIA JUST STARTED TEACHING TWILIGHT OUT OF NOWHERE, AND THEN YOU SHOWED UP, AND NOW SHE HAS THREE PERSONAL STUDENTS!" Bage did his best to stop his bleeding nose, as Sunset continued to scream, the flames covering her body growing hotter and beginning to melt the stone beneath her. "I DON'T EVEN MEAN ANYTHING TO HER ANYMORE, AND THEN THE THING I'VE BEEN WORKING MY ENTIRE LIFE TOWARDS, GETS GRANTED TO SOME NOPONY PEGASUS FROM SOME BACKWATER TOWN IN NOWHERE EQUESTRIA, AND I'M THROWN TO THE WAYSIDE LIKE A FORGOTTEN FUCKING TOY!"
Bage took this all in, and realized that in his entire time in Canterlot, he had seen Celestia talk to Sunset maybe once. No wonder she was pissed, she really had been playing second fiddle to him and Twilight. To top it all off, these rumors had pretty much dragged her name through the mud, and it was his fault. 'Huh, guess those friendship lessons are gonna come into play after all.' He looked up at her, just as a hoof came flying into his face, clocking him in the jaw and knocking him backwards.
"SO DON'T TRY AND TELL ME TO 'CALM DOWN', I'M GOING TO SHOW EVERYONE THAT I'M STILL ON TOP, AND NO ONE, NOT YOU OR CELSTIA OR CADANCE OR EVEN TWILIGHT CAN MATCH UP TO ME!" Sunset started to charge a giant ball of energy, holding it over her head.
Bage stared up in horror as a memory flashed through his mind, of a massive ball of energy crashed into his planet, and the resulting destruction. "Sunset, stop! This isn't going to fix anything, you're gonna destroy the whole city!" Sunset didn't respond, continuing to pump more ki into the ball, as it grew to nearly double the size. 'I can't talk her down, she isn't thinking straight! Sorry Celestia, but I'm going to have to settle this the saiyan way.' Bage unhooked his weighted chestplate, tossing it to the ground and powering up.
He placed his hands together, palms facing outward, as he started to charge his own ki. "Sorry about this Sunset, but you aren't giving me much leeway here." Just as Sunset threw the ki ball, he fired his own attack at it. "VEXATION CANNON!" A beam of energy shot out and held the ball in place, as the whole city shook from the power struggle. "SUNSET, PLEASE! STOP THIS, AND JUST TALK TO ME!" Bage shouted, trying to snap her out of her enraged state. Sunset shrieked in frustration and shot more ki into the ball, pushing his attack back. He grit his teeth, trying to hold the attack at bay, but even without his weighted gear, he wasn't able to push it back. 'Is she really so pissed off that she doesn't care what happens to Canterlot?! I can't, hold it back, much longer!' Sunset's attack was getting bigger and bigger, now nearly dwarfing the castle. Loose stones and debris were being pulled towards the ki ball, disintegrating upon contact. He felt someone behind him and risked a look. "CELESTIA? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING OUT HERE?" He shouted over the rumbling of the city. Celestia didn't answer, simply flaring her wings out and charging her horn. He noticed the sun move across the sky, settling right over head. High noon, the height of Celestias power.
"SUNSET, THIS HAS GONE ON LONG ENOUGH! I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO DESTROY CANTERLOT JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE UPSET!" The Royal Canterlot Voice dwarfed the intense cacophony of noise, and Sunset grunted in surprise. Celestia fired a beam at the ki ball, nearly rivaling Bages own, and the attack was finally pushed back. Sunset struggled to regain her edge, but the combined beam was too much. The ball shattered as the beams shot upward, barely missing Sunset as she moved out of the way. Bage took the opportunity to fly up and fire a few ki rings that wrapped around Sunset's horn, hooves, and barrel, restraining her. He grabbed her, and flew down to the ground, keeping her held tightly as she struggled. She tried to get away as Celestia lit her horn, and touched it Sunset's forhead, putting her to sleep and quenching the flames that enveloped her.
"Is she..?" Bage started to ask, and Celestia nodded.
"She is merely in a magic induced sleep. She will awaken in time. For now, though, it is best if we let her cool down. You and I need to have a discussion." Celestia teleported the three of them to her private chambers, and Bage laid Sunset down on the bed. "First, I appreciate your attempt to minimize the damage, however little it mattered toward the end of that. However, that does not change the fact the she nearly destroyed Canterlot, and killed nearly everypony in the city. If I hadn't helped when I did, things could have taken a very dark turn." Bage looked down, his nose still throbbing.
"I've tried to get her to reign in her anger issues, but she always shrugs me off. This whole mess with Blueblood spreading rumors is probably what pushed her over the edge." Bage reset his nose with a wet crck and a wince. Celestia looked over at Sunset, noting her peaceful expression despite the tragedy she nearly caused.
"I'm aware of those rumors, and I was hoping to talk to you about that. I assume there are no such feelings between the two of you?" Celestia glanced at him, and he shook his head.
"Believe me, no, I don't see her that way. She isn't even a saiyan, so it wouldn't work anyway." Celestia raised an eyebrow at this.
"Interesting, so you're not concerned with relationships unless your partner is of the same species?"
"Well, yeah. If you can't have a kid, what's the point?" Bage shrugged his shoulders.
"Your stance on the matter is purely of a need to produce offspring? That's a rather dour look on the matter. How do saiyans find companionship?" Celestia asked.
"Well, usually it's started by a female saiyan, typically one that has a high power level. She singles out a male saiyan, and challenges him to a fight. If she wins, she finds another saiyan to challenge until she finds one that can beat her. If she loses, she declares that saiyan her mate, since he could provide a strong saiyan child that will grow up to be a proud warrior. Other than that there isn't really any, courting. It's mostly strength that denotes good genes." Bage explained, picking at the blood that was now dried on his face.
"I see, so you would choose Sunset as a potential mate if she were a saiyan, since you beat her, right?" Bage frowned, shaking his head.
"Look, I get what you're saying, but I was never really interested in that sort of thing. Especially not now, since there wouldn't be much of a point. Sunset and I don't click that way. That's mostly why I was about to shove Bluebloods horn up his-" Celestia cleared her throat to stop him.
"I understand, Bage. I merely asked as Sunset's guardian. I wouldn't be a very good one if I wasn't worried about whether or not she was trying to date. If there is no such connection between you two, then I won't bring it up again. Sunset was never interested in such matters either, despite my urgings otherwise. I figured if she found someone that shared her fiery attitude, she would learn to direct her rage elsewhere." Bage narrowed his eyes at that.
"Wait, so this entire time, you were trying to set us up? Not cool Celestia, that's just... creepy." Bage turned a little green as a result, and Celestia just smiled.
"That was never my intention. I merely wanted Sunset to finally make a friend, instead of sheltering herself away in her room, and ignoring the world. Twilight is much the same way, something I hope to change in the future. Regardless, you've done much in the way of helping Sunset break out of her introverted ways, so I'm grateful."
"Yeah, sure. This probably would've never happened if she hadn't tossed me out a window, but glad I could help, I guess." Bage turned and walked out of the room, as Celestia looked towards Sunset's sleeping form. Then she registered what he said and jerked her head toward him.
"Wait, she did what?"
-----------------------
The damage done to Canterlot was severe, nearly every window had shattered, and most of the buildings had either collapsed inward, or been violently ripped apart by the power struggle. Bage flew over the city, seeing the destruction Sunset had caused, all because she had been mad at him. 'What if Celestia hadn't shown up? Or if her power hadn't been enough to stop Sunset?' Things could've gone a lot worse, and he wasn't sure if Sunset could tap into that power again.
He was nearly powerless against her, even when he was pushing himself to his limit. He looked around the city, watching as cleanup crews were already working to clear away debris. 'I helped cause this. I'm just as responsible as Sunset. Ponies could've died, all because I couldn't talk her down. If I don't help her get her anger under control, this could happen again.' Bage touched down at the spot where he'd been before, and noticed that the weighted gear had melted into uselessness. 'That heat was so intense that it was able to melt lead. Just how much power has Sunset been holding back? And what will happen if she snaps again?' Bage stood there, his mind racing with conflicted thoughts. Wondering if Sunset would've cared, if she had actually killed someone.
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Queen Chrysalis watched with a look comprised of a mix of horror, and awe, at the sheer power displayed by Celestia's student. She was incredibly lucky a few of her changelings were still alive in Canterlot. "This is what that mare is capable of? There was enough power in that blast to turn a forest into glass, yet Celestia and Bage were able to overcome it!" She sent a quick probe through the hivemind, asking all her warriors how their training was going.
She received a large amount of responses back, most of which were positive. "Good, my army is nearly ready. A few more days and the invasion can commence. Although, perhaps my own training is rather lacking. I'll have to have some of the more well-trained warriors to help me reach the level necessary to stand up to Bage. I refuse to be bested by him, or Sunset Shimmer. Their power is becoming worrisome, this invasion hinges on their defeat." She wouldn't let herself fail, not with such dire stakes. She couldn't fail, or her hive was doomed either way.
Bage Power level: 25,000
Sunset (Rage Flare) Power Level: 26,500
Chapter SEVEN: Bage Discovers a Long Lost Truth. The Dust Settles and Chrysalis Arrives!
Bage Discovers a Long Lost Truth. The Dust Settles and Chrysalis Arrives!
Canterlot lay in ruin as countless ponies, both noble and not, attempted to pick up the pieces of their destroyed homes. After Sunset's cataclysmic outburst a few days prior, she had been expressly forbidden from training, with Bage or otherwise. A new form of restraint had been created with the help of a Japonese ki master, with the sole purpose of suppressing ki energy, which Bage had tested. The restraint, once it was proven to function as intended, was forcibly placed onto Sunset to limit her power. Despite Celestia's attempts to prevent this, the nobility of Canterlot had spoken out in favor of it, and it was only thanks to his aid in stopping her that Bage didn't suffer the same punishment as Sunset.
With the threat of invasion just around the corner, the damage done to Canterlot couldn't be fixed in time. Bage, on the other hand, was still in a sort of shock due to the events. Without Sunset to train with, he was at a bit of a loss on what to do with himself. The guards couldn't train, since Sunset had blown up the training area. Celestia was trying her best to do damage control, and Twilight wasn't one for conversation, let alone training.
So he decided to occupy his time in another way; exploring the castle. He had never really taken the time to explore it before, so what better way to pass the time than to see what he could find? Truth be told, the castle was quite a bit bigger than he originally thought, but if he got lost he could always sense Celestia's ki. As he walked through the halls in the northern wing of the castle, he noticed a door that appeared to have been forgotten. It was decorated with a crescent moon motif and was a dark blue color.
It was locked, naturally, but a quick yank of the lock and it came off in his hands. He pushed the door open and saw the stark contrast between the bright, warm colors of the rest of the castle, instead being decorated with blacks and blues. It was also cold, his breath forming clouds in front of him. The halls on this side were covered in cobwebs and dust, and the tapestries and artwork showed clear signs of neglect. "Woah, how long has this been here? Did Celestia just abandon this part of the castle?"
He looked around, noting that most of the statues and suits of armor had been covered with dark blue sheets. As he walked through the dusty hall, he saw a large door at the end of the hall, again decorated with a crescent moon motif. This door hadn't been locked, but it was stiff and difficult to open. With some effort, he forced the door open and heard a crash on the other side, and stepped into the room. He saw a bookshelf had tipped over, clearly having been shoved in front of the entryway.
This room was the most well-cared-for part of the castle, free of the dust and cobwebs that coated the rest of the halls. A large four-poster bed sat against the opposite wall, with a large ornate dresser that had several books and scrolls adorning it a few feet away. As he walked over to it, he noticed a large painting hung on the wall next to the door, depicting Celestia sitting next to another alicorn, with a blue coat and starry mane. On the mare's flank was a crescent moon cutie mark on an inky black splotch. "Who could that be? Did Celestia have a... sister?"
"Yes."
Bage nearly jumped through the roof at the voice behind him, turning to see Celestia sitting at the dresser, though she hadn't been there a second ago. "Where the hell did you come from?! Also, what?" Celestia didn't look up, continuing to study a scroll on the dresser.
"Her name was Luna. We ruled side by side, over a millennia ago. We were close, or so I thought." Celestia muttered, placing the scroll down.
"What happened? And why was this place locked and hidden?" Bage asked as Celestia rose from the floor.
"Locked, yes. Hidden? Hardly. It is freely accessible to any of the staff, should they wish. They simply don't." Bage grew confused at that.
"Wait, they don't? Why not? This place has clearly seen better days, and it looks like this room is cared for, at least." Bage gestured to the lack of dust, and Celestia gave a small chuckle.
"You can thank me for that. I visit this room every day, clearing out the dust, making sure everything is cleaned up, and organized." She pointed at the bookshelf on the floor, and Bage flushed with embarrassment.
"Oh, heh, sorry." Bage went to pick the shelf up, but Celestia simply lit her horn and picked it up in her magic, replacing it against the wall and putting the books back in order.
"Think nothing of it, they have spells protecting them from damage. This entire room has preservation spells on it, to ensure that it stays pristine. They protect from the ravages of time and age. I... seem to be the only one that has set hoof in here since Luna did, nearly one thousand years ago. Until today, that is. Was it simply exploration that brought you here? Or curiosity?" Celestia asked.
"Um, both I guess. I was bored, and decided to wander a bit." Celestia nodded, satisfied with the answer.
"I thought as such. The spells I placed on this room alerted me to an intrusion. I had hoped that perhaps one of my staff had finally decided to look about the place, yet imagine my surprise when I found you here instead?" Bage looked at the painting again.
"So, where is she now?" Celestia's smile faded, as she regarded the painting.
"She... is away." Was all she said, falling silent. Bage blinked, not expecting her to just brush the question off.
"Away? What do you mean? Does her 'being away' have anything to do with the pattern on the moon?" Celestia flinched, which was more than enough for him. "I figured. Look, I'm not an idiot, but I also know about losing family. So, tell me what happened to her. Tell me about Luna." Celestia sighed, her wings falling to the floor.
"I... I can't. I want to, but..."
"It hurts. She's not dead, I can gather that much. So, does she have anything to do with 'Nightmare Moon'?" Another flinch. "They're the same... aren't they? That's what happened. So Luna got, corrupted, and you had to deal with her."
"Please, Bage, just stop. Yes, Nightmare Moon is what Luna... became. It is one of my greatest regrets and my deepest pain. I failed her, and lost her because of it." Bage could see tears rolling down Celestia's cheeks and knew he had prodded too far.
"Sorry, I know it must be a touchy subject for you. But I can't help but be curious. I've never heard about Luna in any of the books in the library, and I only know about Nightmare Moon from a nightmare I had a while back." Celestia's head shot up, her eyes going wide.
"Nightmare? When was this?" Bage looked over, scratching his head.
"Oh, about a week after I got here, I think. Why?"
"What was it about? Did she say anything to you? Anything at all?"
"Yeah, she was asking me to help her when she returned. I told her to screw off, but after that she got pissy and I woke up. I just thought it was a normal nightmare at the time." Celestia let out a breath, her shoulders sagging.
"I see. Apologies, I had hoped that after nearly a millennium she had perhaps let go of her anger, but clearly not. You should consider yourself lucky. She may be weak after such a long time, but she could still plant suggestions in your mind."
"Suggestions? Like what?" Celestia didn't answer, instead teleporting the two to the hall, next to the first door.
"Perhaps it would be best if you visited Sunset, I'm sure she could benefit from seeing a friend, considering the circumstances." With that Celestia vanished, presumably teleporting off to the throne room.
"You know, I don't think she understands that Sunset tried to kill me first. Everyone else in Canterlot would've just been collateral," Bage muttered.
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The state of the hall outside Sunset's room was... tense to say the least. At least ten highly trained guards were posted outside her door, all of which had magic suppression devices on standby. As he walked around the corner, all of the guards immediately jumped to attention, pointing various weapons and ki blasts at him. "Woah! Stand down, I'm here to visit Sunset, on Celestia's orders." The guards all relaxed a bit, but he could see they were still tense.
"Sorry Bage, it's just... you know... with everything that's happened lately it's like we can't trust anyone. You can go ahead in, but I doubt she'll want to talk." Lieutenant Spear Strike, the lead guard assigned to Sunset's guard detail, stepped aside from the door.
"If she doesn't, it wouldn't be much different from how she acted leading up to trying to kill me." Bage waited as one of the guards unlocked the door, and let him in. As Bage walked in, he noticed Sunset doing push-ups, with her back to the door. The ki suppressor affixed to her head glowing with an ethereal energy, made him feel even worse about the situation. "Hey Sunset, how's it going?" Bage mentally slapped himself, 'How's it going?! Come on, Bage! Think before you speak!' Sunset didn't respond, just continuing to do her pushups. 'Ok, she didn't bite my head off, so that's good.'
"Celestia sent you to talk to me, huh? Tch, figures. Why would she want to see me herself, after I tried to destroy everything? I'm surprised you're here, honestly. Then again you aren't the type to get scared off, so it makes sense." Sunset stood up, and when she turned to face him, the look on her face made him flinch. She looked, crushed. Like she was beaten down by the world and tossed in the garbage. "Yeah, I know. I look like shit, thanks to this stupid thing." She tapped the ki suppressor. Bage stood there trying to come up with something to say, but nothing came up. "I'm guessing you want an apology, like every other snooty stuck-up noble?" Bage snapped out of his trance and shook his head.
"No, I'm... I just came to talk. But now that I'm here I just... feel horrible. You don't deserve this, you were just pissed off. Now you're getting treated like some high-security prisoner. If anything, I'm the one who should apologize." Sunset raised an eyebrow and snorted.
"For what? Defending Canterlot? Or the whole shitshow that led up to it? Nice bruise by the way." Bage touched the purple splotch around his nose, wincing.
"Yeah, that's not the worst thing I've dealt with, trust me. I once took a ki spear to the shoulder. It still hurts sometimes." Bage looked back at the door, noticing it was still open. "I think I can talk to a friend without you guys listening in! Could we have some privacy please?" The door quickly shut, and Bage turned back to Sunset. Bage lowered his voice, crouching down to look Sunset in the eyes. "Look, I have a plan to get you out of this, without even a slap on the wrist, and make you seem like a victim in all this. All you have to do is play along, you in?" Sunset gave him a look of uncertainty, and Bage rolled his eyes. "Just trust me. I don't care about the opinions of the nobles, and I know you sure as hell don't. So if we can get you off the hook, and spit in their faces, that seems like a damn good deal, right?" Sunset looked away, before chuckling.
"I do like pissing the nobles off, what did you have in mind?" Sunset asked with a small smirk. Bage just grinned, before pointing his hand at a corner of the room and fired off a series of ki rings, before a series of hisses and chirps sounded from the dark. A changeling thumped to the floor, struggling against the rings. "Holy shit, how'd you-"
"I sensed it the moment I walked in." Bage picked the changeling up off the floor, looking it in the eyes. "I know you can understand me, so listen up. I want you to take her form, exactly as she is right now. If you do, I'll make sure your queen survives her little invasion attempt. If you refuse, I'll break you in half. What's it going to be?" The changeling's eyes twitched before it slumped and nodded. Its form immediately changed to that of Sunset, and Bage pulled the ki restraint off of Sunset and placed it onto the changeling. "Good choice. Now, for part two. Sunset, hide. Sunling, take her place." Sunset ducked into her wardrobe and the changeling sat down where she had been. "Alright, now, let the show begin. GUARDS, WE HAVE A CHANGELING IMPOSTER!" The door slammed open, and the guards filed into the room. "This isn't Sunset, it's a changeling imposter!" Spear Strike fired a spell at the changeling, dispelling its disguise and knocking it out. The ki restraint fell to the floor, rolling to a stop at Strikes hoof.
"If that was a changeling, then where's Sunset?" A guard asked, and a thump from the wardrobe answered him. The door slid open and Sunset fell out, unconscious. The guard rushed over to check on her, looking her over for injuries. "She looks fine, but she must've been in there a while. Does that mean the changeling is the one who tried to destroy Canterlot?!" Bage looked at the changeling and nodded.
"Clearly, I mean why would Sunset try to blow up Canterlot? It was obviously a ploy by the changeling queen to try and take us all out. Sunset's innocent." Bage glared down at the changeling, sneering.
"How'd you figure it out?" Bage shook his head at the question.
"Easy, she didn't insult me when I walked in. Sunset always calls me some insult or another when she sees me, so I knew something was off. It's why I asked for some privacy. If the door was open, it would've tried to run when I found it out."
"Incredible. If that's true, then Sunset would be cleared of all charges. We should get the princess to-" The sound of a teleport signified Celestia's arrival.
"No need, I heard everything. I had my doubts about Sunset's actions, so I sent Bage to talk to her, knowing that if anyone could catch the changeling, it would be him. Well done, Bage." Bage blinked, wondering how Celestia figured out what he was doing so quickly.
"Oh, yeah, no problem. I knew that the whole time." Bage rubbed the back of his neck, grinning.
"Now, guards, leave us and take the changeling to a cell. I wish to speak to these two alone." The guards all filed out levitating the changeling out the door. Celestia shut the door with her magic and looked toward Bage. "So, care to explain?"
"Explain what? I wasn't gonna let Sunset sit in here with that thing on her head, especially since I'm the reason she freaked out in the first place. And, there just happened to be a changeling in here, so I took advantage." Celestia gave a small smile and looked toward Sunset, who was doing her best to avoid eye contact.
"Sunset, I hope you understand what Bage has done for you. If this venture goes well, you won't be seen as a villain by the nobility. You have a very good friend in Bage, something I hope you won't take for granted." Sunset did her best to look neutral, but Bage could see the corners of her mouth turn up. "Now, it's best if we help this little ruse carry some weight, so I will be altering Sunset's memory of the past week, to make it seem like she was being held captive. That way, any attempts to question her will gain answers that will seem truthful."
Bage watched as Celestia lit her horn, touching it to Sunset's own. 'I wonder if this'll come back to bite me, considering Sunset won't have learned anything. But then again, being treated like a monster by all of Canterlot is probably punishment enough.' Just as Celestia finished her work, a raid siren began to sound, echoing through the halls of the castle. "A drill? Didn't we just have one a few days ago?" Bage walked out into the hall and looked out the window. His eyes went wide when he saw a massive black formation above the shield surrounding Canterlot, with several small detonations appearing on the outside. "Crap, I guess we're out of time. CELESTIA WE'VE GOT BUGS!" Celestia ran to the window, noticing the army hovering in the sky.
"We have to start the evacuation. Bage, If the shield falls, it will be up to you and Sunset to protect Canterlot. Do not let the changelings interfere with the evacuation efforts!" Celestia took off down the hall, leaving Bage and a still woozy Sunset behind.
"YOU SAY THAT LIKE WE'RE GONNA LOSE!" Bage called after her, before turning to Sunset. "I hope you're ready to fight, I'm not sure how long the shield will hold for." Sunset wobbled a bit, still out of sorts from the memory alteration.
"Yeah, I can... fight... maybe." Bage grabbed her before she could collapse, and she fell unconscious.
"Solo it is then. Let's hope I can manage by myself. It's just an army, no big deal." Bage jumped out the window and flew up to the shield, where the changeling army was giving its all to break through. "HELLO CHANGELINGS! So, I know you're here to invade, but if you all form a single file line I will be happy to kick your flanks in the order they arrive. After which I can send your queen running with her tail between her legs, sound good?!" The changelings all stared at him, before the massive swarm parted, revealing a larger, more regal-looking changeling. "Well, you must be the queen. Good day 'Your majesty', I'd tip my hat to you if I had one." Her Majesty didn't appreciate that, as she fired her own blast at the shield, causing it to crack before shattering, the shield slowly falling apart and dissolving. "Aw, what's wrong Queen? Did I touch a royal nerve?" The queen simply smirked, buzzing closer to him.
"Hardly, I simply wished to speak without an obstacle in my way. You must be the saiyan that has caused me so much grief. It's a displeasure to meet you, dumbass."
"Bage."
"Dumbass. I am Queen Chrysalis, Ruler of the changelings, and I have come to take Canterlot and make it my new hive. After that, I shall claim the rest of Equestria. But first, to deal with my opposition." Chrysalis charged a blast and fired it at Bage, who just barely dodged. "As I'm sure you recall, my infiltrator told you that I would deal with you personally. However, I am afraid I must go against that, as a Queen should not sully herself with those who are beneath her. Instead, my personal warriors shall deal with you. Pharynx, Arista, break him and bring me the body." With that, Chrysalis disappeared back into the swarm, and two massive changelings took her place.
"Well holy shit, you two didn't miss many meals growing up, did ya?" Bage asked, cracking his knuckles. The largest of the two came forward and took the form of a guard.
"Watch your tongue, saiyan. We are the queen's most devoted warriors, and we will not take disrespect from the likes of you! I am Pharynx, Queen Chrysalis' most powerful warrior." Pharynx moved to the side as the other changeling, Arista, moved forward as well, this one taking the form of a pegasus mare.
"Once we break you, the queen will make an example of you in front of all of Canterlot, to make sure none of these pathetic ponies try and stand up to her." Bage covered his mouth as he yawned, causing the two to sneer.
"Yeah, yeah, could we get on with it? I'm not interested in your babbling." The two changelings sneered and rushed at Bage. "That's more like it." Bage caught a punch from Pharynx and dodged a kick from Arista before launching back, caught himself in midair, and launched a pair of blasts at them. Pharynx simply batted the blast aside, whereas Arista ducked under it. 'Ok, Pharynx is more of a brute force fighter, using his strength to tank attacks. Arista, on the other hand, is more calculated and tactical. An experienced fighter, I'll have to deal with them afterward. First, Pharynx.' Bage sped toward Pharynx, aiming a kick at his head, but Pharynx caught the kick and flung him toward the ground. Bage spun and kicked off the ground, launching back up into a punch to Pharynx's midsection. The changeling grimaced, kicking Bage away and firing a blast at him.
"You can't win against me, I've been taught all of your techniques, and I've adapted my fighting style to counter them. The Queen will have your heaDRGH!" Bage cut him off with a kick to the mouth, before axe-kicking him to the ground. Bage zipped to the right as Arista came flying at him from behind, their left front log morphed into a blade.
"Hey, no fair! I can't pull blades out of my body!" Arista turned and growled at him.
"Stand still and you will!"
Bage dodged and ducked as Arista viciously yet strategically swung the blade at him, aiming for his vital areas. He sensed Pharynx charging at him from behind, and dropped out of the sky and let him run right into Arista, sending the both of them down to the ground. They got into a brief argument in changeling speak, before launching at Bage again. 'They aren't gonna fall for that again, but maybe I can turn this around in my favor.' Arista swung their blade at his head, as Pharynx kicked at the same time. He ducked and Arista sliced into Pharynx's leg, making him roar in pain.
"YOU STUPID GRUB! WATCH WHERE YOU SWING THAT THING, OR BY THE HIVE MOTHERS I'LL BREAK IT OFF AND SHOVE IT DOWN YOUR THROAT!" Pharynx roared, whilst Arista screamed back at him.
"IF YOU'D JUST STAY OUT OF MY WAY, YOU WOULDN'T'VE GOTTEN HIT, YOU BRAINLESS NYMPH!" Bage took the opportunity to charge a Fury Lancer and threw it at Arista's back. Arista turned in time to take the attack right through the chest, sending a spray of green blood all over Pharynx. As Arista plummeted to the ground, Pharynx spat a glob of green goo after them, sneering,
"Good riddance, you miserable failure. I'll deal with the saiyan on my own." Pharynx launched at Bage, throwing a punch. Bage met it with one of his own, exchanging blows with the large changeling. "As much as it pains me to admit, you're strength and power is impressive. If you were a changeling, you would have made a great warrior!" Pharynx swung around with a kick but hit air.
"Same to you. You'd've made a great saiyan if you weren't a filthy bug." Bage laughed at the look of fury on Pharynx's face before he landed a punch to his jaw.
"GRgh, and now you disappoint me. You return an admission of respect with a petty insult! It's no wonder your species is on the brink of extinction." Bage's smile fell.
"How did you find out about that?" Pharynx snickered, wiping some blood from the corner of his mouth.
"We've been gathering intel from all around Canterlot for years, saiyan! You just happened to be an unplanned variable in The Queen's grand scheme. When she saw you're immense power out in the Badlands, she just had to learn more about you. And what a valuable source of information you've been: Ki control, fighting techniques, even that 'Oozaru' form you used against the princess. We've been listening in on everything, even your little heart-to-heart with Sunset Shimmer. You've been a most valuable unknowing ally, since without you this invasion would've been another 15 years off, at least. Our success today is all thanks to you, saiyan." Bage remained stone-faced throughout Pharynx's little speech, remaining silent even as Pharynx laughed. "What's wrong, saiyan? Upset that this entire ordeal is because of you? Realizing that Canterlot, and Equestria as a whole, are doomed because of you?! Hahahaha, you truly are just a dumb monkKAHHG!" Bage landed a kick right to his face, sending him hurtling to the ground, before speeding behind him and dropkicked him into a wall. Bage held his hands out, charging his ki as Pharynx dug himself out of the wall.
"OUTRAGE BARRAGE!" A rapid-fire rain of ki blasts rocketed towards Pharynx, who did his best to dodge. Yet, the number of blasts were increasing, and Pharynx was taking more and more hits. He heard a sound behind him, and turned to see Bage with his hands outstretched, a massive sphere of energy coalescing in his palms. "VEXATION CANNON!" Pharynx tried to catch the blast, but the sheer force pushed him upwards, into the sky above Canterlot.
As he felt his hooves start to disintegrate, he smiled and accepted his fate. 'It was an honor to serve you, My Queen.' Pharynx sent his final message through the hivemind, as the blast consumed him, leaving no trace.
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Chrysalis screamed out with rage and grief as she felt Pharynx vanish from the hivemind, his final message making the pain all the more deep. Tears streamed down her face as she trembled with pure fury. "I'LL KILL HIM! I'LL MAKE HIS LAST MOMENTS PURE AGONY AS I IGNORE HIS CRIES FOR MERCY! HE'LL PAY FOR IT IN BLOOD!" Chrysalis shot off toward Arista's last location in search of Bage.
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Bage panted lightly as he watch the blast disappear into the distance. "Now for Her Royal Pestfulness, She should be here right... about... now." A burst of green fire landed right in front of him, sending up a massive cloud of dust. He could see the look of resentment and pure rage on her face. "So, have I touched a royal nerve now? Or am I still 'beneath you' your Majesty?" Bage smirked as he saw her practically vibrate with anger.
"I'm going to gut you with my horn, AND MAKE THRONE DECORATIONS OUT OF YOUR SKELETAL SYSTEM, YOU WORTHLESS DETESTABLE APE!" Chrysalis roared as she charged him. Bage raced forward to meet her, smashing his arm against her foreleg, his other hand catching her opposite hoof as it went for his face. "Hear me, Bage, your efforts are for naught! My army will take Canterlot, and we shall feast on the bountiful love that these pathetic ponies hold. You're going to die knowing that you were powerless to stop us, watching as we capture every single pony in Canterlot as you breathe your last, wretched breath, bleeding out amongst the ruins of this desolate city!" She blasted him in the face with her horn before kicking him away, sending him through a wall into a destroyed home. "Perhaps when I finish with you, I'll treat myself to Celestia's student. I'm sure her love will be a delicious meal that will help me recuperate from our little scuffle. I might even take your form just to add more salt to the wound. How does that sound, Bage?!" Chrysalis blasted the wall apart but found nothing except rubble. Before she could turn around, a foot struck her in the cheek, launching her through the opposite wall.
"Looking for someone? Looks like you were pretty picky with what you learned since you obviously neglected to learn how to sense ki." Bage tilted his head to the side to avoid a beam as Chrysalis launched herself at him.
"DIE!" Chrysalis jabbed her horn at him, but he grabbed it.
"Uh oh, I got your horn! You want to play a game?" Chrysalis just screeched. "OK, cool. It's called 'Changeling-go-round' Get ready." Bage started spinning around rapidly, lifting off the ground.
"Hey, wait, let go! I'm going to be sick!" Chrysalis tried to pull her horn free, but the centripetal force was too much. Just as she was about to vomit, Bage let go and sent her flying.
"Alright, now to think of a plan."
Chrysalis crashed into the castle's front gate, with the sound of screeching wrenching metal deafening her. As she pulled herself free from the twisted remains of the gate, she could only think of one thing to say. "I'M GOING TO RIP YOU'RE STILL-BEATING HEART OUT AND USE IT TO ADORN MY CROWN! BAAAAAAAAAGE!" Her scream carried across Canterlot and caused a nearby building to collapse inward.
Bage Power Level: 28000
Pharynx Power Level: 27500
Arista Power Level: 27000
Queen Chrysalis Power Level: 28100
Chapter EIGHT: The Battle Heats Up, and Chrysalis Does the Unthinkable!
The Battle heats up, and Chrysalis Does the Unthinkable!
'This is bullshit, how many of these fucken mosquitoes are there?!' Bage did his best to deflect punches and kicks from nearly every angle as changelings practically swarmed him. Shortly after flinging Chrysalis like a shot put, a massive cloud of the pests had descended on him, giving him no time to breathe. 'Alright, that's it.' Bage roared as his ki exploded, sending changelings flying in all directions. "I knew I should have stocked up on bug spray," Bage muttered, sensing something behind him. He turned and pointed a ki blast but saw something he hadn't expected. A changeling, surrendering. "Ok, that's a new one." The changeling trembled with its eyes squeezed shut. A flare of green and the changeling took the form of a young stallion.
"W-w-wait! I don't want to fight you, please! I-I-I'm not like the others!" Bage raised an eyebrow, not sure whether to believe it or not. "I'm serious, I didn't even want to be here, let alone fight!" Now Bage was truly stumped. "My name is Thorax, I'm a scout. I wasn't even supposed to be involved in this, but the queen ordered all of us to attack Canterlot. Right now I want to leave, and forget all this!" Bage stared at the changeling in front of him, weighing his options. He had never been a good judge of character, but something was telling him to let this one go. He lowered his hand, dispelling the blast he charged.
"Leave. If I see you again, I won't let you go a second time." Thorax gasped but nodded, quickly taking off into the dust and smoke. Bage watched him go before turning to sense for Chrysalis. 'Where the hell could she be? It's not like she would give up. Something's not right. What could she be HUH?!' Bage could barely react in time as a green bolt of energy nearly pierced his shoulder. As he tried to dodge, the bolt shot through his forearm. "GAAAH!" He clutched the wound, using his ki to sear the wound closed.
"That is only a taste of what is in store for you, ape! You'll be begging for death before long!" Bage grit his teeth in pain, looking up to see Chrysalis strutting toward him. "I've only just begun to fight, and my power is limitless! You are nothing!" Bage just grimaced, glaring at her. "What's wrong, ape? Run out of quips? Cat got your tongue? NO MORE WORDS TO FAIL?!" Bage said nothing, keeping his glare fixed on her. "YOU THINK THAT SINCE YOU'RE SOME POWERFUL ALIEN MONKEY, THAT YOU'RE BETTER THAN ME!? QUEEN CHRYSALIS!? WELL YOU'RE NOT! I OWN YOU! I OWN THIS CITY! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A PITIFUL, MEWLING LITTLE MONKEY! AND I REFUSE TO BE BEATEN BY AN ANIMAL!" Chrysalis charged a blast and launched it at Bage. He batted it back at her with his good arm, causing it to explode in her face. With a screech she charged at him, leveling her horn intent on goring him. Bage jumped to the left and grabbed her horn with his free hand, sending her sprawling.
"Has anyone ever told you your voice is really grating on the ears? Or is your entire hive too afraid to tell you?" Chrysalis screamed with frustration as she was marehandled for the second time. "Like seriously, how can anyone stand listening to you for more than five minutes?" She responded by jumping off the ground and kicking him in the stomach. As he doubled over, she fired a blast at him, then grabbed him in a telekinetic hold.
"SHUT UP, YOU MISERABLE HAIRLESS GORILLA! I WILL NOT BE DISRESPECTED BY A LOWLY CREATURE SUCH AS YOU!" Bage struggled against her magic trying to break free, but she slammed him into the ground, driving the wind from his body. "I AM A QUEEN! I AM THE RULER OF THE CHANGELINGS! I DESERVE RESPECT, AND YOU WILL GIVE IT!" She lifted him and slammed him through a wall, tightening her hold and localizing it around his throat. "YOU WILL NOT BEAT ME! ACCEPT YOUR DEATH, SAIYAN!" Bage could feel her magic growing tighter and tighter, his lungs burning. In a desperate attempt to free himself, he fired a beam from his finger at her. It pierced right through her left eye, shooting through the side of her eye socket. "GYAAAAAAHA!" Her magic cut out and Bage fell to the ground, gasping and wheezing. He fired a blast at her hooves, creating a cloud of dust, and he took off.
"Fucking hell, she's a psychopath! I need to think of a plan. I can tell she's just slightly more powerful than me, I need a slight boost to tip the scales." Bage looked around, trying to think of a way to overcome the queen. That's when he saw a group of guards fighting off a couple of changelings. 'Hmmm, maybe.' He ran over and blasted the two changelings away. "Hey, are you guys alright?" The guards nodded, panting.
"Yeah, thanks Bage. We owe you one." Bage smiled.
"Perfect, I could use some help, if you're up for it?" The guard looked up, confused.
"You? Need help? With what?"
"First, are either of you too proficient in healing spells?" The two unicorns of the group looked at each other, one nodding.
"Yeah, why? Did you find an injured pony?" Bage shook his head.
"No, but this is going to sound crazy, but I need one of you to blast me through the chest enough almost to kill me. Then you heal me." The guards went silent, completely caught off guard.
"Uh, what?"
"Look, I don't have time to explain, I just need you to do it, ok?" The guards were a little uneasy, but Bage just held his hands up. "I know how it sounds, but trust me, it's a saiyan thing, I'll be fine." The guards looked at each other but reluctantly nodded. One walked up, charging a blast, and held it up to Bage's chest, below his heart. Bage gave a thumbs up, and the guard gulped, before firing the blast. It went right through Bage's chest, spraying blood and viscera across the ground. "MMMPUAGH!" Bage collapsed to his knees, as the other unicorn raced up and started the healing spell, the hole slowly closing. Bage felt his lungs and flesh reknit, and a surge of energy flowed through him. "UGH, that sucked, but I think it did the trick. When we make it through this, I'll explain everything. Just don't become changeling food!" Bage shot off into the air, leaving three confused and very traumatized guards.
Bage (Zenkai) Power Level: 30000
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Chrysalis had screamed until her throat was raw, clutching her destroyed, bleeding eye. "DAMN THAT WRETCH! THERE IS NO PUNISHMENT CONCEIVABLE THAT COULD POSSIBLY BE PAINFUL ENOUGH TO PROPERLY CONVEY MY RAGE TOWARD THAT SON OF A TATZLWORM!" Blood poured down her face, her ruined eye practically on fire. She looked around with her one good eye, realizing he must have fled while she was distracted. "Tch, the coward. Half blinding me and then running. So much for 'saiyan pride', he couldn't even stand and fight me properly."
"Do you make it a habit to talk about people behind their backs? Or is that just part of being a changeling?"
Chrysalis spun around and looked up, seeing Bage hovering over her, a small grin on his face and not a mark on him. "GRRR, do you think you're being cute?!" Chrysalis growled. Bage's grin grew wider.
"Bitch, I'm adorable. Unlike you. No wonder you have to drain the love from others by force, I doubt any stallion would go for something like you." Chrysalis fired a blast at him, but he just swatted it aside.
"Pathetic little worm, fight me properly!" Bage just chuckled.
"Ok, as long as you don't go throwing another fit over some bullshit." He sped down and kicked her in the jaw before grabbing her and flinging her down a side street. "Just so you know, I'm taking this seriously now. Don't get pissed off 'cause you aren't hitting as hard anymore." Chrysalis picked herself up off the ground, her good eye practically boring a hole through him. She fired a blast at him, but he tilted his head to the side to avoid it. "By the way, I can tell you've never been in a real fight before, or at least it's been a while. You have no technique, and you rely too much on your magic, throw a punch or something." Bage walked toward her, batting aside blasts and beams both magic and ki. Chrysalis was seething, as she tried to think of a plan or a strategy. "You don't know what to do, do you?" Bage asked her. Chrysalis looked at him hovering in front of her with his arms crossed, an aggravating look of pity on his face. "Your swarm is severely undertrained, you have no real fighting technique, and I'm guessing whatever plan you had is quickly falling apart. My advice? Call this invasion off, and leave. I'll even let you go. All you need to do is train yourself up, and come back when you're stronger. Cause at this point, you're boring me." That did it. Chrysalis nearly cracked a tooth with how hard she clenched her jaw in anger. She screamed at him and shot up into the air.
"BORING YOU, AM I?! WELL THEN, LET'S SEE HOW YOU LIKE IT WHEN I TURN THE TABLES!" She roared out over the ruins of Canterlot. A green aura exploded outward, and almost a thousand green beams shot toward her from all across Canterlot. Bage looked out at the swarm of changelings, noticing they had all stopped in midair. Some of them had even plummeted out of the sky, a couple landing nearby. They were convulsing, as their bodies began to desiccate. His eyes widened when he realized what she was doing. She was draining her army to get stronger.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! YOU'RE KILLING THEM!" Bage yelled at her, but she just cackled.
"OF COURSE, YOU FOOL! MY CHILDREN ARE ALL WILLING TO SACRIFICE THEMSELVES TO ENSURE VICTORY! THEY SHALL BE REMEMBERED FOR AGES TO COME, UNLIKE YOU! I WHALL USE THIS POWER TO KILL YOU, AND TAKE CANTERLOT!" Chrysalis screamed down at him, as he stared in horror.
"ARE YOU SO DESPERATE TO WIN THAT YOU WOULD COMMIT GENOCIDE OF YOU'RE OWN HIVE, YOU MONSTER?! THIS IS INSANE, IT'S PSYHOTIC!" Bage screamed, but she ignored him. He could feel her power skyrocketing, growing by the second. He felt rooted in place, watching as she killed off her entire army just to overcome him. With a scream, she flared her power out, sending shockwaves across Canterlot. He covered his face with his arms, grunting as he fought to stay on his feet. He had no time to react when she raced down and punched him in the gut, causing him to gag, before she bucked him through the wall of the castle. Crashing through several walls, he landed in a hallway after smashing through a suit of armor, sending the pieces scattered everywhere. As he tried to stand, another kick to the side of his head sent him flying down the hall, ricocheting off a pillar and smashing into a wall. A pair of hooves hoisted him off the ground and threw him across the hall into another pillar, before kicking him through it into a statue.
"THIS IS MORE LIKE IT! STANDING ON TOP, AS I RIGHTFULLY SHOULD! ACCEPT YOUR PLACE, AS A LESSER BEING! I, QUEEN CHRYSALIS, AM BETTER THAN YOU!" Bage cracked his eyes open, looking up at her. Her one eye was glowing a bright green, glaring down at him. She wore a crazed, twisted smile, her power crackling and sparking. "AM I STILL BORING YOU, BAGE?! AM I STILL UNDERTRAINED?!" - She picked him up in her magic and punched him in the face - "AM I STILL RELYING TOO MUCH ON MAGIC?! AM I?!" She grabbed his arm and twisted it sharply. A sickening CRACK rang through the hall and Bage screamed. Her magic squeezed around his chest, and he felt his ribs crack. "KNOW WHERE YOU STAND AGAINST ME, SAIYAN! YOU'RE BEATEN, AND BROKEN, AND THIS CITY LIES IN RUIN! I WIN, AND THERE'S NOPONY WHO CAN SAVE-" A blast suddenly shot down the hall and exploded against her side. "WHO DARES INTERRUPT ME?!" Bage fell to the ground, crying out as he landed on his broken arm.
"The only one who can knock that idiot around is me, cockroach. Take a number." Another ki blast flew at Chrysalis, but this time she knocked it aside. Bage risked a look and gave a silent thanks to whatever deity was in charge of the universe. "Bage, how the hell did you let this overgrown tick get one over on you?" She asked. Bage lifted himself on one elbow.
"She cheated. Drained her army 'cause she was losing." Sunset snorted, powering up.
"And you let her? I'm starting to think you are stupider than I thought. Let me roast this bug, then we can talk." Sunset started walking toward Chrysalis, a cocky smile on her face.
"Sunset, don't!" But he was a second too slow, as Chrysalis sped down the hall quicker than he could blink, knocking Sunset down the hall. She caught herself before she could crash into to wall, and just barely caught the queen's hoof. "She's way too strong for you-" He almost collapsed from the pain of injuries "-right now, let me handle this!" Sunset blasted the queen in the face, kicking her away.
"Sure, let the guy with a broken arm handle this. Did you hit your head in all this too?" Sunset called out, blocking a series of blows from Chrysalis.
"Look, I have a plan, alright? If we can keep her busy long enough, I can think of a way to beat her!" Sunset missed a punch and Chrysalis took the opportunity to kick her down the hall, sending her crashing into Bage with a yelp.
"OK, I don't think I can keep her busy. Any other ideas?" Sunset asked. Bage gasped as she got off his arm.
"She can't sense energy. Can you do a healing spell?" Bage reset his broken arm and fired a blast down the hall, where it exploded in a bright flash of light.
"GYAH! YOU BASTARD!"
"I mean, kind of? I'm not an expert in it, but I can probably heal a bone." Bage grabbed her, and nearly dragged her down the hall, as Chrysalis rubbed her eye trying to get her sight back. "Where the hell is Princess Celestia, by the way? It'd be nice if she were here to help!" Bage ducked into a supply closet, slamming the door behind them.
"Given that I didn't see any ponies out there aside from guards, I'm guessing she was heading evacuation efforts. Besides, even she wouldn't stand a chance against Chrysalis right now."
Sunset was a little surprised at that. 'Celestia wouldn't stand a chance? How strong did that bug get?' She lit her horn and cast a healing spell on Bage. He felt his arm pop back into place and groaned. "She really did a number on you. You won't be at 100%, but at least you'll be able to fight." Bage nodded, stretching his arm. His ribs still felt sore, but his arm seemed fine.
"Listen, she isn't as strong as she was a little bit ago. It's like her body is burning through all of that energy. She didn't get a strength boost, she got a temporary power-up. If we can whittle her down, she'll be right back at square one." Sunset nodded, sensing Chrysalis blast the castle apart looking for them.
"Jeez, she's loud. How can anyone stand listening to her for more than five minutes?" Bage laughed.
"That's what I said! Alright, are you ready to get our asses handed to us?" Bage looked at Sunset, lifting a fist. She nodded reluctantly, bumping her hoof against it. "Great. Let's do this, and hope we don't die."
Chrysalis (Army Absorbed) Power Level: 60000
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Chrysalis finally managed to clear her vision, rubbing her good eye, and cursed when she saw that Bage and Sunset had managed to escape. She had them right where she wanted them, and they had slipped away. "Where could they have gone off to? COME OUT AND FACE ME, YOU WEAKLINGS! I DON'T CARE IF I HAVE TO RIP THIS CASTLE APART, I WILL FIND YOU!" She blasted the wall next to her, seeing an empty storage closet. "EVEN IF I HAVE TO BLAST OPEN EVERY ROOM, YOU'LL BE IN ONE OF THEM! Although you could make it easy on me. I mean, come on, this place has a lot of rooms, and I don't have all day!" She gripped a door in her magic and ripped it off its hinges, flinging the door away. A cleaning station, but no Bage.
"HEADS UP!
"What? AAH!" A boot connected with the side of her head, sending her skidding across the floor.
"I said head up. Not my fault you're stupid." Bage touched down, watching Chrysalis pick herself up. She growled at his voice, that irritatingly arrogant tone like knives in her ears.
"Tell me, do you have any idea what SHUTTING UP MEANS?!" She yelled, firing a beam at him. He jumped to the side to avoid it, chuckling.
"Funny, I could ask you the same thing. I know, let's ask your hive! Oh... wait, you drained them of everything they had, killing them all. You psychotic bitch." He sneered at her, sending her a glare to rival her own. "You know, if your only goal was to feed your subjects, I might've still had a semblance of respect for you." He dodged another blast as he said this, much to her aggravation. "But then you went and killed your whole invasion force, so now, I don't respect you. I hate you. You pretty much showed me you don't care about your people. You only care about power, and you'd sacrifice whatever is necessary to get it." Chrysalis stomped a hoof and screeched at him.
"SILENCE! YOU KNOW NOTHING OF MY KIND, AND KNOW NOTHING OF ME! I HAVE NUMEROUS CLUTCHES OF EGGS AND NYMPHS WAITING BACK AT MY HIVE, WAITING FOR THE BOUNTIFUL HAUL OF LOVE FROM THIS INVASION! I CARE FOR MY HIVE FAR MORE THAN YOU COULD POSSIBLY KNOW!" She yelled, but he simply shook his head.
"But you called on your entire hive to take part in the invasion, leaving no one to watch over those eggs or nymphs. They're defenseless, and if you die here, who's going to help them? You don't care, and you probably never did. A good ruler wouldn't've done what you did. A good ruler would've called this invasion off when they saw they were outmatched. YOU threw a tantrum and committed genocide of your own kind. Even if you left a small group to watch over them, if something comes along that they can't defend against, they're doomed. And it's your fault." Chrysalis screamed at him, firing a massive beam of energy from her horn, engulfing him and blasting through the walls of the castle. He went flying out the wall on the opposite end of the hall, his armor a shattered mess, and he landed near the remains of the train station. "GAH, Fuck! She's still too strong to fight head-on. What the hell else can I do?" He picked himself up, wincing, and got knocked back down as Chrysalis landed a punch to his jaw.
"You can die, ape! You've been a thorn in my side all day, and it's nearly time that I remove you!" She stepped on his arm, the same one she had broken before. "But I'm going to do it slowly and painfully. So you can suffer through every-" She pressed down and broke his forearm "-last-" She did the same to his other arm, causing him to scream "-moment-" She snapped his upper arm "-as I break every bone-" She did the same to his other arm, relishing his screams "-in your body-" she began to break his ribs, one by one "-until you're a crippled, bleeding, pitiful little monkey-" she finished with his ribs, and began breaking the fingers on his right hand "-begging for mercy-" she stomped down on his left hand, grinding it into the pavement "-and only when you have no bones left to break, will you have my permission to die." She lifted her hoof, preparing to stomp down again when a yellow blur slammed into her side, sending her flying.
"Will you stop getting your bones broken? I can't spend all my time patching you up, monkey boy." She hoisted him up in her magic and teleported away, making Chrysalis scream with rage.
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Sunset reappeared in the royal library, setting Bage down on the floor. "Thanks, Sunset." He whimpered, his eyes squeezed shut.
"Yeah, whatever. I'm only doing this cause you saved my flank from that changeling. I'd still be a hostage if you hadn't come along." Bage glanced at her before remembering that Celestia had altered her memories, making her believe she had been kidnapped by a changeling.
"Yeah, I know. But, good news, she's getting weaker by the minute. IF we can play keep away from her, and by that I mean, one of us keeps her occupied while the other jumps in at the last second to intervene, we should wear her down and I can send her packing." Bage explained as Sunset set to work healing his numerous broken bones.
"You mean kill her, right?" Sunset asked while concentrating on healing his ribs. Bage didn't answer, his jaw clenched to avoid crying out in pain. "RIGHT?"
"I'm not going to kill her Sunset, as much as I want to. I've done enough killing, both today and throughout my whole life." Sunset just scoffed, muttering to herself. "On the bright side, every time she kicks my ass, I get a bit stronger." Sunset snorted, glancing at him.
"Oh cool, then that means you can keep playing punching bag, while I stay back and save your ass." Bage's eyes widened as he realized this.
"Damn it, why me?"
"Because, idiot, you don't have magic to heal me if I get beaten to a pulp. Now get back out there and make sure she doesn't blow up what's left of Canterlot." She slapped him in the head with a book and pointed out the door.
"Alright, alright, jeez."
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"WHY DO THEY KEEP RUNNING AWAY?! COWARDS, COME OUT AND FACE ME! I AM SICK AND TIRED OF BEING IGNORED!" She ripped a lamppost out of the ground and hurled it like a javelin.
"I wish we could ignore you." Chrysalis spun around, sending a barrage of ki blasts at him. He deflected them, before sending a blast of his own back at her. She flew at it, raising a shield to stop it and charging straight into him. He brought his hands up and placed them against the shield, being pushed along by the force.
"HOW DO YOU KEEP GETTING BACK UP?! THAT LITTLE UNICORN IS HELPING YOU ISN'T SHE?! I'LL JUST HAVE TO BREAK HER AS WELL!" Bage sneered at that, punching the shield and shattering it, then driving his fist right into her face.
"Over my dead body, bug!" He grabbed her front legs and flung her at the ground, firing a barrage of ki blasts at her. She tried to retaliate with her own blasts, but Bage appeared right next to her and hit her with a double axe handle, sending her crashing into the street below. Right as she tried to get up, he smashed his foot into her back, forcing her back down. "What's the matter? Not hitting as hard as before?" She growled, her hoof morphing into a blade as she tried to slice at him. He grabbed her leg just beneath the blade, breaking it and kicking her backward. She didn't even have time to scream as he kicked her in the jaw, following up with a spin kick to the neck that sent her into a pile of rubble. As she dug herself out of the debris, she regarded him with fear in her eyes, finally seeing that she was truly outmatched. "That look in your eye says it all. You've finally realized the mistake you've made. When was the last time you truly feared for your life, Chrysalis? 600 years? 700? I know you're a lot older than you look, so tell me. How long has it been since you've truly feared something?" With every word Bage took a step closer, the look in his eyes being one of resignation. She tried desperately to scramble backward, sending rocks and wood fragments scattering. Bage flew forward and grabbed her, lifting her into the air. "I know what you're thinking; 'He's gonna kill me', well stop thinking it. I'm not going to kill you because then your hive would be truly defenseless. So I'm giving you one single chance: Leave, or I WILL kill you." He tossed her down, watching the tears well up in her fear-filled eyes.
"Th-this isn't over, Bage. I-I'll get stronger, and I'll make you pay. Y-you'll regret leaving me alive!" She took to the air, wings buzzing as she flew off, disappearing into a plume of smoke. Bage watched her go, feeling a trickle of blood run down his chin from a split lip.
"We'll see," Bage muttered, turning toward the remains of the castle.
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"OW, OW, OW, SUNSET KNOCK IT OFF!" Bage tried to cover his head as Sunset beat over the head with a thick encyclopedia.
"NO! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU JUST LET HER LEAVE LIKE THAT! SHE DESTROYED WHAT LITTLE OF CANTERLOT WAS STILL INTACT, AND TRIED TO KILL YOU THREE TIMES, YOU STUPID MORON!" Sunset chastised him, hitting him with the encyclopedia with each word. Celestia watched on with an amused look, chuckling. She grabbed the book from Sunset before she could cause Bage any more brain damage, and placed it back onto its shelf.
"Now, now, Sunset. It shows a great level of control on Bage's part, not ending Chrysalis's life. Perhaps it's for the best, either way. I truly hope that she takes this chance to change her ways," Celestia proclaimed, pretending not to notice the eye roll that Sunset gave her. The library had been repurposed into a rudimentary hospital due to the extensive damage done to the actual hospital, and the castle's medical wing. Bage was laid up on a hospital cot, covered in bandages. It turns out that multiple healing spells don't exactly match up to proper medical treatment.
"So the invading enemy that nearly destroyed Canterlot gets off scot-free, and we get to pick up the pieces? I don't believe it." Sunset limped back over to her cot, a cast covering her right front leg. "Wake me up when things make sense again." She rolled over and faced the wall, ignoring both of them.
"Speaking of which, what's the extent of the damage?" Bage asked, wincing at the look on Celestia's face. "Oooh, that bad huh? I tried my best to not blow up anything that hadn't already been blown to bits. Chrysalis, on the other hand..." He trailed off, letting her fill in the blank.
"I understand, Bage. Despite the damages done to Canterlot's already decimated infrastructure, you and Sunset both were instrumental in defending Canterlot. You have my sincerest gratitude." Bage chuckled, brushing off the praise. Sunset grunted from her cot but said nothing. "On the other hoof, I do have one other thing to discuss with you. Captain, bring him in." A pair of guards walked into the library, dragging a cloaked pony between them.
"Hey Swift Blade, haven't seen you in a while." The captain took his helmet off, showing it wasn't Swift Blade, but Shining Armor.
"Not quite. Sorry Bage, but Captain Swift Blade sadly lost his life during the invasion. And with every other guard of high rank being crippled by their injuries, or dead, I was made Captain by order of succession." Bage took the revelation like a kick to the chest, not sure how to respond. "But that's not the point of discussion here, this is." Shining ripped the cloak off, revealing a changeling that Bage recognized. Celestia noticed his change in expression.
"Bage, this changeling informed us that you spared its life during the invasion. Is this true?"
Following the near destruction of the city at the hooves of Queen Chrysalis, the ponies of Canterlot were left shaken and in mourning. Many ponies had lost friends and family, some having been killed and others... missing. With reconstruction efforts underway, a fragile peace had fallen over the city. Within the castle, however, Bage was held under scrutiny for both allowing Chrysalis to escape and for sparing a changeling.
"I'll ask you again, Bage. This changeling informed us that you spared its life during the invasion. Is this true?" Shining asked, leveling his gaze at the saiyan. Bage gulped, looking to Celestia, and nodded. "So not only did you spare this changeling, but you also allowed their queen to just fly free. Not caring if she came back and finished the job. Do you have any idea what you've done?!" Shining demanded, stomping his hoof to punctuate his sentence. Thorax stared at the floor, trying to make himself seem as small as possible. Bage glared at Shining Armor, sitting up and sliding off the cot to his feet. He walked over to Shining, staring down at him.
"I don't like your tone, Captain. What, exactly, do you think I should have done?" Shining glared back up at him, snorting. "Care to elaborate? I think you should have captured the queen, and called the guards to capture this one." Shining gestured to Thorax. Bage glanced at Thorax, noting how terrified he looked. Bage chuckled, closing his eyes.
"Oh, you're right I'm sorry. I should have gotten the three whole guards I saw during the entire invasion. I don't recall seeing a single guard back me up while I fought both Chrysalis AND her entire army. In fact, I don't even recall seeing you, Captain Shining Armor. You might have gotten an expedited promotion to Guard Captain, but that doesn't make you a captain, and I don't recognize your authority. All I see is a colt playing soldier. So don't try and take that tone with me, private. And don't forget who trained you. Unless you want to fight me and see how you measure up?" Bage cracked his knuckles, the popping sounds echoing through the library.
Shining's eyes widened and he took a step back, his primal instinct to run nearly overtaking his training. He looked into Bage's eyes and saw the glint of a predator. He grimaced, trying to maintain eye contact. After a few seconds, he faltered and looked away. "Fine, but he's your responsibility, not mine." Shining scowled and left, leaving Thorax behind. Thorax shook and tried to crawl into a ball, jumping when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, it's alright. I'm not gonna blast ya." Thorax looked up at Bage, seeing a gentle smile. "Sorry about the rest of your, uh, what was the rest of the hive to you?" Bage asked. Thorax blinked before taking the same pony form as before.
"They were... siblings, I guess. But I only thought of one of them as a brother." Thorax muttered, shifting to his hooves.
"Which one?"
"Pharynx, one of the personal warriors you... killed." Bage was immediately hit with a wave of guilt. He stammered, trying to come up with an apology, but Thorax simply patted his leg. "It's OK. He was always telling me he wanted to die against a warrior who could match his skill and power. I don't hold it against you, especially since you were defending your home. Although I don't know what I'm going to do now since I doubt Chrysalis would allow me back into the hive." Celestia cleared her throat.
"Then perhaps you may stay here. As long as you swear not to cause trouble and remain in the castle where Bage can keep an eye on you, then I am willing to pardon you of the charge that arises from the invasion." Thorax's jaw nearly hit the floor. Bage was pretty surprised as well.
"W-well, I don't want to cause any issues. And I'm sure Bage wouldn't want to have me hanging around him all the time." Bage flopped back down onto his cot, grunting in pain.
"Nah, don't worry. I already deal with Sunset daily, so you won't OW, FUCK!" Sunset chose that moment to throw a book at Bage's head, smacking him in the ear. "Jeez, your aim with those is top-notch!" Bage exclaimed, rubbing his ear. Sunset just glared at him before laying back down. "Anyway, I don't mind you hanging around as long as you don't mind being a training partner. FOR WHEN SUNSET'S BUSY!" He added quickly as she readied another book to throw. "Other than that, you've got nothing to worry about. Unlike stick-up-the-ass Shining Armor, I won't condemn an entire species based on the actions of their leader. Because I know that Chrysalis was the main instigator of this invasion." Thorax regarded Bage for a moment and sensed that his emotions were genuine.
"A-alright. But I'm not much of a fighter, so I don't know how well I'll do with training. I didn't even get that much done before the invasion. The Qu- I mean, Chrysalis, didn't see us scouts as much more than battle fodder. Expendable meat shields, honestly." Bage frowned at that, finding a new reason to hate the psychotic queen.
"Well, don't you worry. Changeling or not, I think you're a good, uh, I'll just go with pony." Bage shrugged, not sure how to go about referring to Thorax.
"Pony is fine, I'll be in a pony form most of the time anyway." Bage gave him a thumbs up, which confused him.
"Sounds good. As long as I don't have to call you a bug. I feel like that's a bit offensive," Bage chuckled.
"Then it's settled. You shall remain in Canterlot, under Bage's supervision. What should we call you?" Celestia asked. Thorax thought for a moment, before coming up with a perfect name. His form flared, and a pair of wings appeared on his back.
"Free Breeze. Fitting, right?" He asked. Bage smiled and nodded.
With the repairs to Canterlot underway and the changeling threat dealt with, Celestia breathed a sigh of relief. She looked to the sky, beginning the process of reigning in the day, and bringing about the night. As Luna's moon rose above the horizon, she couldn't help but worry about what the next few years would bring and hoped that Twilight would be the final piece she needed to save her sister. The 1000th Summer Sun Celebration was drawing ever closer, and with it, the return of Nightmare Moon.
Totoma and Mizuna - Bage's Deceased Saiyan Parents
Background: Totoma and Mizuna were once proud Saiyan warriors on Planet Vegeta, known for their strength and resilience. Unfortunately, their lives were cut short during the tragic destruction of their home planet. They were determined to ensure Bage's survival and managed to send him away just in time, entrusting his fate to the cosmos.
Appearance: Totoma, a tall and muscular Saiyan, had spiky, coal-black hair that mirrored Bage's. His eyes were sharp and focused, reflecting the warrior spirit within. Mizuna, on the other hand, had a more streamlined and agile build, with shoulder-length hair that cascaded in onyx waves. Her eyes were equally intense, betraying the fire that burned within her Saiyan soul.
Personality: Totoma embodied the typical Saiyan pride, reveling in the thrill of battle and the pursuit of strength. He had a fierce determination to protect his family, which ultimately led to his decision to send Bage away to safety. Mizuna was a more strategic thinker, balancing Saiyan pride with a sense of caution. Together, they formed a formidable team, complementing each other's strengths and weaknesses.
Abilities: Totoma excelled in hand-to-hand combat and was known for his exceptional physical strength. Mizuna, on the other hand, was a skilled martial artist, specializing in agility and precision strikes. Both were proficient in energy-based attacks, utilizing a combination of ki blasts and powerful techniques that showcased their Saiyan prowess.
Motivation: Their primary motivation was the survival and well-being of their son, Bage. They believed in the potential for change within the Saiyan race, hoping that Bage could be a beacon of a new era where strength was used for justice rather than conquest. Their sacrifice was a testament to their love for their child and their desire for him to grow into a warrior with a sense of responsibility.
Legacy: Bage carries the legacy of his parents, their fighting spirit, and their hope for a better future. He often reflects on their teachings, incorporating their lessons into his own sense of justice. The memory of Totoma and Mizuna serves as a constant reminder of the responsibilities that come with strength and the importance of using it for the greater good.
While Bage may not have witnessed his parents' heroic deeds, their legacy lives on through him, shaping the Saiyan warrior he has become.
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Name: Bage
Race: Saiyan
Appearance: Bage is a formidable Saiyan warrior with a commanding presence. Standing at 6 feet tall, his well-defined, muscular frame reflects years of intense training and battles. His spiky, jet-black shoulder-length hair stands in stark contrast to his sharp, obsidian eyes that exude a determined intensity. Bage's Saiyan battle armor, customized for maximum flexibility and durability, bears the scars and marks of countless encounters.
Personality: Bage possesses a rare combination of Saiyan pride and a sense of justice while showing rare compassion for those he knows don't stand a chance against him unless they show no sense of remorse. Fierce in battle, he relishes the thrill of combat and continually seeks to push his limits. Despite his warrior nature, Bage shows a protective and caring side towards those he considers allies. His determination to become stronger is fueled not just by the Saiyan's desire for power but also by a genuine commitment to defending those unable to protect themselves.
Background: Born on Planet Vegeta, Bage narrowly escaped its destruction as a child. Raised by the wise and benevolent Princess Celestia, Bage's early years were filled with a more peaceful approach to fighting, although he still made sure to train, honing his combat skills and unlocking the dormant potential within him. His upbringing led him to form an unlikely friendship and rivalry with Celestia's personal student, Sunset Shimmer, with whom he was able to hone his skills and grow his power.
Abilities: Bage is a brute force fighter, proficient in various heavy-handed combat techniques and energy-based attacks.
Signature Moves:
Fury Lancer:
Execution: Fury Lancer is a technique that demonstrates Bage's precision and control over his Ki. To initiate this attack, Bage focuses his energy into the palm of his hand, condensing it into a concentrated, elongated javelin-like form.
Throwing Motion: With a swift and fluid motion, Bage hurls the Fury Lancer at his opponent. The projectile travels with remarkable speed and accuracy, making it difficult for adversaries to evade. The lancer leaves a shimmering trail of golden-red energy in its wake, showcasing the intensity of the Ki manipulation involved.
Piercing Impact: Upon impact, the Fury Lancer can pierce through energy shields and armor, dealing significant damage to the target. Its concentrated nature allows it to puncture defenses, making it an effective tool against heavily armored opponents or those attempting to maintain a defensive stance.
Versatility: Bage can manipulate the trajectory of the Fury Lancer mid-flight, adapting to the movements of his adversary. This adaptability adds an element of unpredictability to the attack, catching opponents off guard.
Vexation Cannon:
Charging Phase: Vexation Cannon is a technique that showcases Bage's ability to unleash devastating energy blasts. To execute this move, Bage crosses his hands in an X pattern, signaling the initiation of the charging phase. During this period, he gathers Ki from both hands, intensifying the energy between them.
Charging Aura: As Bage accumulates energy, an aura of crackling electricity envelops his crossed hands, emitting a low, ominous hum. The air around him shimmers with the building intensity of the Vexation Cannon.
Release: Upon reaching peak charge, Bage thrusts his crossed hands forward, releasing a colossal beam of energy. The Vexation Cannon is characterized by its immense size and power, capable of penetrating through multiple layers of obstacles and overwhelming opponents with its sheer force.
Explosive Impact: The impact of the Vexation Cannon creates a concussive force, causing a powerful shockwave that can knock back adversaries and disrupt the battlefield. Its destructive potential makes it a formidable long-range attack, especially useful when facing multiple opponents.
Wrath Bomber:
Energy Aggregation: Wrath Bomber is a technique that involves the creation of a massive ball of energy. Bage focuses his Ki into a concentrated sphere, gradually expanding it to achieve maximum destructive potential.
Visual Intensity: The Wrath Bomber radiates with a brilliant, fiery glow, showcasing the raw power contained within. The luminosity of the energy sphere intensifies as Bage continues to pour his Ki into it.
Finishing Move: Typically reserved as a finishing move, Bage hurls the Wrath Bomber towards his opponent with precision. The sheer size and density of the energy ball make it challenging for adversaries to avoid, and its impending impact carries the weight of impending devastation.
Weakening Strong Opponents: In strategic battles, Bage may deploy the Wrath Bomber to weaken a stronger opponent before engaging in closer combat. The explosive aftermath of the technique leaves adversaries vulnerable, creating an opportunity for Bage to capitalize on their weakened state.
Bage's mastery of these techniques showcases his versatility in combat, blending precision, power, and strategy to overcome a variety of opponents in the ongoing quest for justice and strength. Motivation: Bage's primary goal is to protect the innocent and maintain peace across Equestria. His experiences have shaped him into a Saiyan warrior with a sense of responsibility, using his strength to make a positive impact rather than succumbing to the destructive tendencies associated with his race. Bage constantly seeks new challenges, striving to unlock the full potential of his Saiyan heritage while forging bonds with diverse allies on his quest for justice.
Sunset Shimmer, Princess Celestia's once wayward student, underwent a transformative period of extensive training with the Saiyan warrior Bage. This training not only refined her physical prowess but also introduced her to the mystical world of Ki manipulation. As a result, Sunset's appearance and combat style have evolved dramatically.
Appearance:
Enhanced Physique: Sunset's body has undergone a significant transformation, exhibiting enhanced strength, agility, and endurance.
Auras and Glows: A faint reddish-golden aura envelops her when tapping into her Ki, intensifying during moments of heightened focus or combat.
Modified Attire: Her traditional Equestrian attire has been modified for greater flexibility, allowing for a wider range of movements. The colors of her outfit now shimmer with a subtle golden hue.
Eyes and Hair: Sunset's eyes now reflect a fiery determination, with a glint of newfound confidence. Her hair, retaining its vibrant color, seems to dance with an inner flame when in combat, though it's now cut short.
Signature Moves:
Ring of Fire:
Extended Functionality:
Variable Size Control: Sunset has mastered the ability to control the size of the Ring of Fire, allowing her to adapt its circumference based on the size and strength of her opponent. This versatility adds a strategic layer to the technique, making it effective against both larger and smaller adversaries.
Enhanced Binding Energy: The fiery energy composing the ring possesses a binding quality, making it even more difficult for the trapped opponent to break free. Attempting to escape intensifies the searing energy, causing additional damage to those caught within.
Combination Attacks: Sunset can seamlessly transition from the Ring of Fire into other techniques. For example, she might follow up with a Solar Flare Burst or a precise melee strike while her opponent is momentarily immobilized within the ring.
Remote Activation: Sunset has honed her control over the Ring of Fire to the point where she can activate and deactivate it at will. This newfound control allows for strategic timing, catching opponents off guard by trapping them in the fiery vortex when they least expect it.
Solar Flare Burst:
Advanced Techniques:
Focused Emission: Sunset can concentrate the Solar Flare Burst into a more focused beam, allowing for precision targeting of specific opponents or distant targets. This adaptation makes the technique effective in both close-quarters combat and ranged engagements.
Delayed Activation: Sunset has developed the ability to delay the release of the burst after gathering the Ki. This tactical feature enables her to disorient opponents who may anticipate the attack, creating opportunities for strategic repositioning or surprise assaults.
Blind Follow-Up Attacks: Building on the disorientation caused by the initial burst, Sunset can seamlessly follow up with a series of rapid and unpredictable strikes. This not only maximizes the confusion caused by the Solar Flare Burst but also capitalizes on the momentary vulnerability of her opponents.
Adaptive Intensity: Sunset can modulate the intensity of the burst based on her assessment of the situation. In situations where blinding opponents is crucial, she releases a full-powered burst. However, in scenarios where precision and subtlety are required, she can emit a less intense but still effective burst of solar energy.Mastery through Experience: Sunset's continuous training and battle experience have elevated the effectiveness of both the Ring of Fire and Solar Flare Burst techniques. She seamlessly integrates them into her combat repertoire, using them strategically to gain the upper hand in the ever-evolving dynamics of battle. As Sunset continues to refine and innovate her techniques, these Ki-based abilities remain formidable assets in her arsenal.
Solar Eruption:
Preparation: Sunset Shimmer's Solar Eruption is a technique of cataclysmic proportions, requiring an intense build-up of Ki. To initiate this devastating attack, Sunset ascends into the air, positioning herself at a higher vantage point to maximize the destructive potential.
Energy Gathering: As Sunset focuses her energy, a swirling vortex of golden-red Ki materializes above her. The sheer magnitude of the gathering energy creates an awe-inspiring spectacle, with crackling arcs of power dancing around the epicenter. The air resonates with an escalating hum, forewarning of the impending release.
Devastating Power: Upon reaching the zenith of energy accumulation, Sunset unleashes the Solar Eruption. A colossal burst of radiant energy descends from the concentrated point above her, cascading in all directions like a celestial waterfall. The unleashed power has the potential to incinerate everything in its path, leaving behind nothing but scorched earth.
Range and Impact: The Solar Eruption is not a focused beam but rather an expansive blast of destruction. Its radius can extend for miles, engulfing the surrounding landscape in a torrent of intense energy. The force of the eruption is comparable to a volcanic explosion, with shockwaves capable of shattering mountains and reshaping the terrain.
Catastrophic Consequences: The aftermath of the Solar Eruption is nothing short of catastrophic. The ground within the affected radius is left charred and smoldering, with residual energy lingering in the air. The devastation is so profound that even powerful beings would hesitate to face the full force of this unleashed power.
Drawbacks:
Exhaustion: The execution of Solar Eruption demands an immense drain on Sunset's own energy reserves. Following its use, she experiences a profound fatigue, requiring a significant recovery period. Precision Challenge: The sheer scale of the technique makes it challenging to target specific opponents. Using it recklessly in populated areas could result in unintended collateral damage.Last Resort: Solar Eruption is a technique reserved for extreme circumstances, a last resort when Sunset Shimmer is pushed beyond her limits or when facing an adversary of insurmountable power. Its very existence serves as a testament to the untapped depths of Sunset's potential and the price that comes with harnessing such overwhelming forces. Ki-Enhanced Combat:
Flight Mastery: Sunset can now effortlessly soar through the air, changing direction swiftly during combat. Ki-Infused Strikes: Her punches and kicks are imbued with Ki, delivering more powerful and precise blows. Energy Sensing: Sunset has developed the ability to sense the energy of other beings, allowing her to anticipate attacks and movements. Solar Plexus Strike:
Technique: A swift and precise spin kick targeting the opponent's solar plexus. Effect: This targeted strike momentarily incapacitates the opponent, leaving them vulnerable to follow-up attacks. Ki Shield:
Defensive Technique: Sunset can generate a protective shield of Ki to deflect incoming energy blasts or physical attacks. Adaptability: The shield's size and strength can be adjusted based on Sunset's concentration and the nature of the threat. Sunset Shimmer's journey with Bage has not only enhanced her physical abilities but also unlocked a new realm of possibilities through the mastery of Ki. As she continues to refine her techniques, Sunset stands as a formidable warrior, blending her Equestrian magic with the extraordinary skills learned from her Saiyan rival.
Transformation: Rage Flare
Sunset Shimmer's Rage Flare is a manifestation of her inner turmoil and unleashed fury. This transformation represents a surge of intense emotion that taps into the deepest recesses of her power, pushing her abilities far beyond their normal limits.
Physical Transformation:
Fiery Aura: As Sunset undergoes the Rage Flare transformation, her body is engulfed in an intense, flickering, and volatile aura of fiery energy. This aura radiates an otherworldly glow, illuminating her surroundings with a mixture of red, gold, and orange hues. Eyes of Flames: Sunset's eyes undergo a striking transformation, glowing with an intense, fiery radiance. The pupils vanish, giving her an otherworldly and focused gaze that reflects the untamed power coursing through her. Hair Ignition: Sunset's hair, normally vibrant and flowing, becomes animated with flames. It retains its original color but takes on a dynamic, flame-like movement that reacts to her heightened emotions and movements.
Enhanced Physical Attributes:
Heightened Strength: Sunset's physical strength undergoes a significant boost, allowing her to deliver devastating blows with unparalleled force. Supersonic Speed: In the Rage Flare state, Sunset moves with exceptional speed, leaving afterimages in her wake. This newfound agility enables her to outmaneuver opponents with ease. Enhanced Endurance: Sunset becomes more resilient, able to endure attacks that would incapacitate others. The transformation grants her a temporary immunity to fatigue and pain.
Ki Amplification:
Ki Overflow: The Rage Flare state unlocks a reservoir of Ki that surges through Sunset's body, amplifying her existing powers to extraordinary levels. Destructive Energy Output: Sunset can channel this heightened Ki into her attacks, causing them to become more potent and destructive. Even basic strikes can carry the force of a concentrated energy blast.
Psychological Impact:
Unbridled Wrath: Sunset's mindset shifts during the Rage Flare transformation. She becomes more aggressive, instinct-driven, and less restrained by conventional moral considerations. This unrestrained fury can be a double-edged sword, making her a formidable force but also potentially clouding her judgment. Emotional Resonance: The Rage Flare transformation is triggered by intense emotions, such as anger, frustration, or desperation. It is not easily controlled and requires a profound emotional stimulus to activate.Limitations:
Temporal Nature: The Rage Flare transformation is a temporary state, and its duration is directly tied to the intensity of Sunset's emotions. Once the emotional catalyst subsides, Sunset reverts to her normal state, often drained and fatigued.Emotional Turmoil: The transformation's power is directly proportional to Sunset's emotional state. Unchecked anger and rage can lead to loss of control, making it crucial for Sunset to maintain focus to avoid unintended consequences.
Sunset Shimmer's Rage Flare transformation is a testament to the volatile fusion of emotions and power within her. It is a double-edged sword, providing immense strength while demanding a careful balance between harnessing the fury within and preventing it from consuming her entirely.
Appearance: Shiso, the estranged elite-class sister of Bage, cuts a striking figure with her Saiyan heritage evident in every aspect. Standing at 5 feet 8 inches, she possesses a lean and agile physique, her lithe frame belying the immense power that simmers within. Shiso's wild, Black hair cascades down her back in untamed waves, and her piercing obsidian eyes exude a mix of mystery and intensity. Unlike her brother, she prefers a more unassuming attire, adorned in form-fitting armor that allows for swift and stealthy movements.
Personality: Shiso's upbringing has molded her into a Saiyan with a complex personality. Estranged from her brother at a young age, she developed a fiercely independent spirit and a guarded demeanor. Skilled in the art of stealth and espionage, Shiso is adept at reading situations and adapting to them quickly. Despite her seemingly aloof exterior, a burning sense of loyalty lies beneath the surface, and she is willing to do whatever it takes to protect those she cares about.
Background: Shiso's path diverged from her brother's, being employed by mercenaries sometime after the destruction of Planet Vegeta, she delved into a life of shadowy dealings. Trained in the arts of subterfuge and assassination, Shiso's Saiyan heritage became a weapon in the hands of those who sought to exploit her innate abilities. However, her resilient spirit and latent Saiyan strength allowed her to break off from her employers and forge her own path, leading her on a journey of self-discovery.
Abilities: Shiso's combat style is a stark contrast to her brother's straightforward approach. She excels in stealth and agility, relying on quick movements and precise strikes. While lacking the raw power of Bage, Shiso compensates with cunning tactics and a diverse skill set.
Techniques:
Stealth Ki Manipulation:
Invisibility Technique: Shiso's Stealth Ki Manipulation goes beyond mere suppression; she can virtually render her ki signature undetectable. This advanced technique allows her to become invisible to those relying on energy sensing. Shiso's mastery of this skill enables her to move silently and unnoticed, making her an exceptional covert operative and infiltrator.
Subtle Presence: Even in close proximity, opponents struggle to discern Shiso's presence. Her ability to dampen her ki extends to her movements, making her steps nearly soundless. This skill, combined with her natural agility, allows Shiso to traverse environments unnoticed, giving her a significant advantage in stealth-based operations.
Dynamic Concealment: Shiso can modulate the intensity of her ki suppression dynamically. Whether she wants to completely disappear from an opponent's radar or maintain a faint presence, she adapts her Stealth Ki Manipulation to the specific needs of the situation, demonstrating a high level of control over her energy output.
Nightshade Burst:
Dark Energy Infusion: Nightshade Burst involves the concentration of dark energy within Shiso's limbs. This energy, distinct from regular ki, possesses a disorienting and corrosive quality, making it particularly effective in causing additional damage upon impact.
Enhanced Striking Power: When Shiso delivers a strike, the dark energy bursts forth, extending the reach and impact of her attack. The sudden release of this energy catches opponents off guard, not only inflicting physical damage but also disrupting their senses, leaving them momentarily vulnerable.
Versatility in Combat: Nightshade Burst is a versatile technique that Shiso can apply to various forms of combat. Whether she prefers hand-to-hand combat or employs swift kicks, the dark energy burst adds an unpredictable element to her attacks, creating openings for follow-up maneuvers.
Focused Energy Control:
Precision Strikes: Shiso's Focused Energy Control allows her to channel and condense her ki with remarkable precision. During combat, she can concentrate her energy into specific body parts, such as her fists or feet, enhancing the impact of her strikes without wasting excess energy.
Pinpoint Accuracy: This technique enables Shiso to strike with pinpoint accuracy, targeting vital points on her opponent's body. The controlled release of energy ensures that the force is directed precisely where she intends, maximizing damage and minimizing unnecessary dispersion of power.
Silent Fury Synergy: The Focused Energy Control technique seamlessly integrates with Shiso's Silent Fury technique, where she combines precise strikes with rapid, almost imperceptible movements. This synergy enhances her overall combat effectiveness, making her a formidable adversary with unparalleled accuracy and speed.
Shiso's mastery of these techniques showcases not only her proficiency in ki manipulation but also her adaptability in various combat scenarios, solidifying her position as a skilled and elusive warrior capable of striking from the shadows with deadly precision.
Signature Moves:
Shadow Step:
Execution: Shiso's mastery over stealth is epitomized by the Shadow Step technique. She seamlessly melds with the shadows, becoming virtually invisible to the naked eye. With a thought, she can traverse the shadows and emerge behind her unsuspecting opponent. Visual Effect: As Shiso enters the shadows, her form dissolves into a shadowy mist, leaving no discernible trace. Reappearing is just as swift, as her silhouette coalesces back into solid form. Strategic Utility: Shadow Step is not limited to offensive maneuvers. Shiso employs it for evasive actions, strategic repositioning, or escaping from dire situations. The surprise factor is often key to its effectiveness.
Silent Fury:
Execution: Silent Fury is a showcase of Shiso's exceptional agility and precision. It involves a rapid series of strikes, each meticulously aimed at exploiting the smallest vulnerabilities in her opponent's defenses. The strikes are executed with such speed and finesse that they produce minimal sound, hence the name. Visual Effect: Shiso moves like a phantom during Silent Fury, her movements fluid and barely perceptible. The strikes are delivered with economy of motion, maximizing efficiency while minimizing the chances of detection. Targeted Strikes: Silent Fury isn't about overwhelming opponents with brute force. Instead, Shiso targets pressure points, joints, and vital areas with surgical precision. The goal is to incapacitate or weaken her adversary while conserving energy for prolonged engagements. Adaptability: Silent Fury is versatile, adaptable to various combat situations. Whether facing a single formidable opponent or a group of adversaries, Shiso can modify the sequence of strikes to suit the circumstances.
Umbral Displacement:
Nature: Umbral Displacement is an advanced technique that combines elements of both Shadow Step and Silent Fury. Shiso exploits her mastery of shadows to displace herself within the darkness, making her movements almost impossible to predict. Visual Distortion: As Shiso engages Umbral Displacement, the surrounding shadows seem to ripple and distort, creating illusions that confound her opponent's perception. This distortion makes it challenging to anticipate the angle and timing of her attacks. Psychological Impact: The unpredictable nature of Umbral Displacement not only confuses opponents but also instills a sense of unease. Facing Shiso becomes an unsettling experience as she seems to exist simultaneously in multiple places within the shadows.
Shiso's techniques embody the art of stealth and precision, making her a formidable adversary in any confrontation. Her seamless integration of shadows into her combat style grants her unparalleled mobility and unpredictability, making her a master of subterfuge on the battlefield.
Motivation: Shiso's past has instilled in her a deep-seated desire for independence and a distrust of authority. Despite her estrangement from her brother, the memory of their shared Saiyan heritage lingers, influencing her moral compass. Shiso seeks to navigate the shadows, using her skills to dismantle criminal organizations and bring justice to those who exploit the vulnerable. Her journey is a quest for redemption, a way to redefine her Saiyan legacy and forge her own path in a universe filled with challenges and uncertainties.
Chapter Nine: Nightmare Moon Cometh, The Celebration is Nigh! Twilight And Bage are off to Ponyville!
Nightmare Moon Cometh, The Celebration is Nigh! Twilight And Bage are off to Ponyville!
Nine years have passed since the near destruction of Canterlot at the hooves of Queen Chrysalis. The city was mourning, with many ponies losing friends and family during the invasion. Reconstruction efforts were underway, bringing a fragile peace. Within the castle, Bage faced scrutiny for sparing a changeling's life and allowing Queen Chrysalis to escape. Shining Armor confronted Bage, criticizing his decisions. A tense exchange ensued, with Bage challenging Shining's authority and asserting that he had faced the threat alone. Thorax, the spared changeling, was left in Bage's care. Despite initial tension, Bage and Thorax formed an unexpected bond. Celestia offered Thorax a chance to stay in Canterlot under Bage's supervision, pardoning him for his involvement in the invasion. As the years passed, Canterlot underwent repairs, and the changeling threat was nearly forgotten. Celestia, however, couldn't shake her worries about the upcoming 1000th Summer Sun Celebration and the return of Nightmare Moon. The fate of Luna rested on Twilight's shoulders, and the uncertainty of the future loomed over Canterlot. On the day of the Summer Sun Celebration, Celestia decides to send Bage and Twilight to Ponyville, hoping that Bage can make new friends and Twilight can embrace friendship.
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"Wait, you're sending me where?" Bage asked, confusion evident on his face.
"I'm sending you to Ponyville along with Twilight. You're aware of the threat of Nightmare Moon, and now so is she. However, she can't face her alone, and she needs friends. I'm entrusting her safety and well-being to you, and you must help her finally make a friend. At least one, however difficult that may be for her. Not to mention, you could also do with making a few new friends as well, somepony outside of Free Breeze and Sunset. But if she cannot make friends before Nightmare Moon returns, you may have to fight my sister to keep her at bay while Twilight finds the elements. Just... promise me you won't kill her if it indeed comes to that." Celestia stared with pleading eyes, breathing a sigh of relief when he gave a stiff nod.
"Alright, I'll see what I can do. But if things do escalate, I can't make any promises about Luna. If she gets hurt, it's her own fault, got it?" Bage countered, Celestia nodding. "OK, so when is she leaving? I can fly along behind her if she takes a chariot." Celestia motioned over to a chariot pulled by two pegasi guards.
"She will leave in an hour once she gets ready." Bage rolled his eyes, glancing back at Thorax, still in his Free Breeze form. He was absent-mindedly scraping the ground with a hoof, trying not to draw attention to himself. Bage shook his head, a mirthful smile on his face.
"Yeah, it's just, I don't know what I'm supposed to do while you're gone." Bage reached down and ruffled his mane, chuckling.
"Aw, don't look so down. I'm just going along to help with the celebration, and then I'll be back by tomorrow. You won't even notice I'm gone." Bage gave him a quick punch to the shoulder, being careful not to hit him too hard. Thorax rubbed the spot anyway. "Besides, you'll have Sunset to talk to. I'm still surprised you managed to get on her good side so fast. That took me years to do." Bage ducked as an apple went flying at his head. "HA! YOU MISSED ME!" He yelled before taking a watermelon to the face. "SPFFFT! How did you get so much fruit?" He wiped watermelon mush out of his eyes and looked over, seeing Sunset hoofing a bag of bits to a mare that he presumed was the fruit stand owner, smirking at him. "Yeah yeah, whatever. When I get back I'm gonna hit you back twice as hard." Sunset's smug grin just deepened, and Bage scoffed, smirking. "You'll be okay Breeze, don't worry about it. So long as you mind yourself, and don't get on any of the noble's bad sides." Thorax gave a little nod but didn't respond. After what felt like forever, Twilight finally showed up with Spike riding along on her back. Despite having met Spike previously, Bage had never really talked to him. 'Hmm, guess this is a good opportunity to get to know him a little better.' Bage mused, walking over and leaning on the chariot.
"Come on Twilight, the princess is just trying to get you to socialize. Staying cooped up in your tower isn't good for you, and this is a really good chance for you to make some friends. Aside from me and Bage, of course," Spike told her, but it seemed that Twilight found the premise less than ideal. Bage cleared his throat, making the both of them jump. "OH, uh, hey Bage! What are you doing here?" Spike asked. Twilight just groaned, half-heartedly waving a hoof at him.
"Apparently, Celestia has the same idea for me, since she's making me tag along with you two. Something along the lines of "Help Twilight socialize, and both of you need to make new friends" and whatnot." Bage rolled his eyes, an action that Twilight mirrored.
"So she wants you to make some friends as well? At least you'll have an easier time than me," Twilight muttered, mostly to herself but Bage managed to catch it.
"Right, the six-foot-tall, bulging muscled saiyan will have a better time making friends with ponies than Princess Celestia's student, good one, Twilight." Twilight groaned and stepped into the chariot.
"Are you coming or not?" She gestured to the chariot with a raised eyebrow. Bage shook his head.
"Nah, I'll just fly along next to it. Besides, I'd be too heavy for those guys to pull along anyway." As he said this, the pegasi breathed a sigh of relief, wiping nervous sweat from their brows. "I'll be just outside the chariot if you need me, though."
The trip to Ponyville was uneventful, with Twilight staring down at the ground passing underneath, and Spike reading out the letter from Celestia detailing what they would have to do upon arrival. Bage amused himself by firing tiny ki blasts toward the ground, enough to cause tiny detonations, but not powerful to devastate the landscape. He was pulled from this though, when Twilight called out to him. "Hey, Bage! You wouldn't happen to know about Nightmare Moon, would you?" Bage looked over at her, knowing that if he said yes then she would no doubt freak out, so he decided to go with the safe route of 'maybe, why?'.
"I might've read something about it. Why, did she spook you in your dreams or something?" He chuckled, while Twilight just glared at him.
"No, I was just hoping that somepony would be willing to help me with this." Bage smirked at that.
"Well, that's your first mistake since I'm not a pony. Why are you so obsessed with that old legend, anyway? It's not like she's gonna pop out of the moon and turn you into a Twi-puddle with her 'nightmare magic' so what's the big deal?" Twilight groaned in frustration, her already sour mood spoiling even further.
"Because she's going to return during the celebration and thrust Equestria into eternal night Bage! How is that not something to worry about?!" Twilight said in exasperation. Before Bage could respond, Spike called out to both of them.
"Hey, we're here! Let's go and greet to locals!" He jumped out of the chariot as it landed, running into the town proper.
"Well, let's follow the drake and meet some ponies. I'm sure this will go, I want to say 'great' but... you know." Bage touched down and waltzed into Ponyville, Twilight begrudgingly following along behind.
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Ponyville was a much different place than Canterlot, giving off a quaint rustic charm, and friendly atmosphere that Bage found to be quite inviting. He decided that if he was going to make a good impression, it would be best to make the first move. He walked up to a shockingly pink pony and cleared his throat. "Hey, what's going on? I'm-" He didn't get the chance to finish as the pony immediately jumped a foot off the ground with a loud gasp, before zipping off. "-Bage. Well, that went, awful." Twilight shared his look of confusion.
"Oh Twilight, we should meet some ponies, this will go well!" Twilight snarked, glaring up at him.
"Look, to be fair all I did was say 'what's going on'. I didn't even give her my name. Do you think it's because I'm like a giant to them? I swear, that one didn't even come up to my thigh." Bage rubbed the back of his neck, grinning bashfully.
"Let's just start with the first thing on the list, which is 'Food: handled by Applejack Apple.' We need to head to Sweet Apple Acres." Bage recognized the surname 'Apple' since Celestia had a large number of apples from the Apple family shipped to Canterlot.
"I think I know about the Apple family, they're the biggest supplier of apples to the entirety of Equestria. I think they founded this place, too," Bage remarked as they made their way to the farm. As they walked onto the property, they heard an exclamation of 'YEEHAW!', and an Earth pony wearing a brown cowpoke hat raced by, spinning around and delivering a swift kick to an apple tree. The force of the kick was enough to dislodge every apple from it, sending them plummeting into carefully placed baskets around the base of the tree. "Impressive. Wonder if I could do that."
"Howdy there, uh, big feller! Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres, mah name's Applejack, what can I do ya for?" Bage cleared his throat and held a hand out.
"My name's Bage, we're here to check on the food catering for the celebration tomorrow. This is Twilight Sparkle, Celestia's personal student, and the one overseeing the preparation." Applejack grabbed Bage's hand and tried to give it a good forceful shake, but he responded with a touch of his strength and nearly lifted her off the ground. "Oh, uh, sorry." Applejack whistled, shaking her hoof.
"Ya'll have got a heck of a grip there. First time I've met somepo- er uh, somecreature that could give me a run fer my bits. Shoot, you'd prolly give Big McIntosh a hard time. If'n it's food yer here ta see, we gots a whole selection, ya wanna try some?" Twilight tried to politely decline, but Bage put a hand on her head and pushed her back.
"You bet! I haven't had anything all day, and I'm starved!" Applejack smiled at that, before pulling a triangle out from under her hat and giving it a ring.
"SOUPS' ON EVERY PONY!" The ground trembled as a veritable mob of ponies raced in from all over the farm. "This here's Apple Fritter. Apple Bumpkin. Red Gala. Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Caramel Apple, Apple Strudel, Apple Tart, Baked Apples, Apple Brioche, Apple Cinnamon Crisp... [deep breath] Big McIntosh, Apple Bloom and Granny Smith. Up'n'attem, Granny Smith, we got guests." A frail-looking old mare sitting on the porch snorted awake, looking around bewilderedly.
"Wha? Soups' on already? Alrighty then, imma comin'." Bage was honestly surprised that a pony could look that old but decided to keep his mouth shut. What followed was a culinary smorgasbord of different apple-based baked goods, ranging from typical apple pie, to even apple dumplings, which Bage hadn't thought was possible. After nearly an hour of non-stop apple-based food, the Apple family finally let them go.
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Bage rubbed his stomach contentedly, having gotten into an eating challenge with Big McIntosh. Twilight groaned as she waddled along, her stomach distended from the amount of food she had eaten.
"UUGh, I never want to eat an apple ever again. I feel like I'm going to explode." Bage just laughed, putting his arms behind his head.
"Yeah, you may've gone overboard, but at least the food was good, right Spike?" Spike burped but didn't respond. "Anyway, what's next on the list?" Spike pulled out the list and looked over it.
"Next up is Weather: handled by Rainbow Dash. She should be around here somewhere." Bage looked up at the sky, seeing numerous clouds dotting it.
"Well she isn't doing her job, is she? Hell, I could clear these clouds in five seconds." Bage sensed something rapidly approaching from behind him, and sidestepped, just in time for a rainbow blur to speed by and smash right into Twilight, sending her into a mud puddle.
"Hehe, sorry about that. Let me help you." The mare sped off, before coming back with a large raincloud, jumping in it like a trampoline and causing Twilight to get soaked to the bone. "Oops, guess I overdid it. Here, let me take care of that." She started flying around Twilight rapidly forming a massive cyclone of rainbow as the water was vacuumed away. "There you go, my patented Rain-Blow Dry! No no. Don't thank me. You're quite welcome." She looked at Twilight's tangled mane and immediately fell over laughing, Spike joining in as well. Bage gave a small snort but resisted the urge to laugh. Twilight gave a huff of annoyance, looking down at the pegasus.
"The one and only! Why, you heard of me?" Bage rolled his eyes. 'This one reminds me of The King's brat, Prince Vegeta, except without the threats of violence' Bage glanced down at Rainbow Dash, who had finally noticed him standing there, her eyes wide with awe, and a little trepidation. "Woah, you're huge! What the hay are you?" Bage smirked.
"Name's Bage, I'm a Saiyan. Don't suppose you know about that foiled invasion of Canterlot about nine or so years ago, do you? Yeah, I stopped that, by myself might I add." Rainbow Dash's eyes lit up, while Twilight muttered under her breath something that sounded like 'Oh please'.
"Wait, you mean the Changeling invasion?! You stopped that whole army by yourself?! With no help?! You're that Bage?!" Bage rubbed his chest-plate with his knuckles, a smug look on his face.
"Oh yeah, I sent those bugs packing like the overgrown flies they were. And the queen was all like 'Oh no, please mister Saiyan, spare me' and I, as the gracious and caring warrior I am, said 'Only if I never see you again, bug brain' and she went running. So, you know, no biggie." Rainbow Dash squealed with excitement.
"DUDE, that's awesome! You're almost as cool as the Wonderbolts! No, I take that back, you're just as cool as the Wonderbolts! I've been wanting to meet you ever since I heard about that, could you teach me a couple of moves?! Like shooting lasers, or blasts, or-" Bage put his hands up to try and stop her fan-gasming.
"Woah, slow down there. That stuff took me years to learn, I don't think I could teach you before we have to head back to Canterlot. Besides, I couldn't train somebody who can't even keep the sky clear for the day." Rainbow Dash went pale.
"O-oh, right, the clouds. I can clear those in like, ten seconds, flat. Watch me!" She sped off, zipping around the sky and busting clouds with a speed that Bage found to be pretty impressive. She touched back down, kicking up a cloud of dust. "See, ten seconds flat. Pretty impressive right? I mean, you're probably way faster than that, but I'm sure it was still impressive, right?!" Bage kept his face neutral, crossing his arms.
"Well, actually, it wasn't ten seconds." Rainbow Dash looked crushed, her jaw dropping open. "It was actually closer to nine seconds, give or take a few milliseconds." He followed that up with a smile, as Rainbow Dash's eyes practically went pitch black with how large her pupils dilated. She gave another squeal, before passing out. "Well, that's weather taken care of. What's next?" Spike pulled out the list and dragged his finger down to the next item.
"Decorations: handled by Rarity. She should be in the town hall."
"Well then let's go, maybe we can get your mane fixed on the way? It looks like a massive glob of grape cotton candy." Twilight just glared but followed along next to him.
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Upon entering the town hall, Bage noticed the numerous decorations adorning the walls, with a snow-white unicorn standing at the other end of the hall, sorting ribbons.
"Beautiful," Spike murmured. Bage nodded in agreement, looking about the hall.
"Yeah, the decorations are pretty nice, I guess."
"Not the decorations, her!" He pointed towards the unicorn, and Bage just rolled his eyes.
"Oh, I see. Isn't she a bit too old for you, pint size?" Spike ignored him, meticulously combing his spines and buffing his scales.
"How do I look, Bage? Presentable?" Bage just chuckled.
"Yeah, Spike, you look great. I'm sure she'll fall head over hooves for you."
Twilight shook her head, approaching the mare. "Good afternoon, I-" The mare interrupted her with a hoof.
"Just a moment, please! I'm 'in the zone', as it were. Oh, yes! Sparkle always does the trick, does it not? Why, Rarity, you are a talent. Now, um, how can I help yo-WahOH! Oh my stars, darling! Whatever happened to your coiffure?!" The mare cried as she noticed Twilight's mane.
"Oh, my mane? Well, um, I had a run-in with Rainbow Dash." Rarity's expression immediately changed to one of understanding.
"Ah, say no more, darling. I'm more than familiar with... her..." She trailed off as she noticed Bage, and she shrunk back into herself.
"Uh, hi?" Rarity screamed, and rushed behind a curtain, peeking out to stare at him. "Well, that's rude. Do you scream at everyone who looks differently than you?" She stepped back out, looking sheepish.
"AHmm, yes, my apologies, you just... uh... caught me off guard. I don't suppose you're with this mare here?-" Bage nodded. "-Ah, I see. Well then, I suppose it wouldn't do to be so rude. I suppose introductions are in order?"
"I'm Bage, this is Twilight Sparkle, the Princess's personal student. We came here from Canterlot to check on the preparations for the celebration tomorrow. You're in charge of decorations, right?" Rarity nodded, gesturing to her work.
"Why, yes of course. As you can see, things are taken care of on that front, but you simply must let me take care of your manes, it's the least I can do." Rarity dragged Twilight out the door. Bage simply grinned and followed, with Spike hovering along with hearts in his eyes.
Twilight's day so far had gone from bad to worse, and now she was sitting in front of a set of mirrors, as Rarity had been adamant about providing her something to wear. At least, until she had become preoccupied with Bage's untameable hair. A metallic SNAP rang out as another pair of hair-trimming scissors was sacrificed in the pursuit of tackling the black mountain that was Bage's mop. "Oh for the love of Celestia, darling, when was the last time you had your hair taken care of? It's practically a rat's nest!" Rarity managed to extricate the poor comb that had been nearly consumed, whilst Bage simply sat there frowning. "Not to mention I've broken four pairs of my best trimmers on these, devilish locks."
"I've never done anything with it. It's just, like that. A saiyans hair remains unchanged from the day he's born, with the exception of beards, and moustaches." He somehow managed to say that with an accent, which Twilight found strange, but not as strange as the guitar riff that played out of nowhere. Although she could have sworn she saw a flash of pink out the window.
"You know, now I can't stop thinking about Bage with a mustache," Spike muttered, rubbing his upper lip as he said this.
"I refuse to give up, darling, not until I TAME. THIS. MANE!" Bage got up just as Rarity dived in with a pair of hedge clippers, causing her to fall over.
"Yeah, sorry but we really have to go, important Canterlot business and all, so have a good day!" Bage grabbed Twilight and Spike and sped out the door as fast as he could. Rarity felt her eye twitch, and she resisted the urge to scream.
"Ok, what's next on the list? And please tell me it's something that doesn't involve that mare!" Spike didn't answer, still daydreaming about Rarity. Bage knocked him on the head. "Focus, you love sick puppy, next thing on the list!"
"Oh boy, I can tell by her name that this is gonna be difficult." As they rounded the next patch of trees, they heard what sounded like birds all chirping in harmony. Or at least, mostly. "One of those birds is off rhythm, by at least two beats. Clearly, he hasn't been practicing." Twilight just looked at him with bemusement, before they saw a pale yellow pegasus conducting the birds.
"Oh my. Um, stop please, everyone, umm. Excuse me, sir? I mean no offense, but your rhythm is just a teeny-tiny bit off. Now, follow me, please. A-one, a-two, a-one two three-"
"Hello!" The pegasus jumped in fright and the sudden noise scared off all the birds. Bage looked down at Twilight incredulously, and she just gave a sheepish grin. "I'm so sorry, I wasn't trying to scare your birds away, I just wanted to check up on how the music was going, and it sounded beautiful" The pegasus looked down at the ground, avoiding eye contact. "Um... I'm Twilight Sparkle... what's your name?" The mare hid behind her mane.
"Um... I'm Fluttershy."
"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that." Twilight leaned in closer, causing Fluttershy to scoot backward.
"Um... My name is Fluttershy."
"One more time?" Twilight leaned in even closer, and Fluttershy nearly fell backward.
"She said her name was Fluttershy, Twilight. And you're clearly scaring her." Twilight noticed that Fluttershy was covering her eyes with her hooves, doing her best to shrink down as small as possible.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Well, um, it looks like your birds are back, so I guess everything's in order. Keep up the good work!" Twilight looked back at Spike. "Well, I guess that's taken care of." Fluttershy noticed Spike and shot up.
"A BABY DRAGON!" The birds flew off again, as Fluttershy flew over to Spike. "I've never met a baby dragon before! Oh, he's so cute!" Spike grinned.
"Well, now who's popular?" Spike asked smugly, looking at Bage. Fluttershy gasped in amazement.
"Oh my, he talks?! I didn't know dragons could talk, this is incredible. I don't know what to say!" Twilight cleared her throat.
"Well, we should be going, we have a lot to do." Fluttershy flew in front of her.
"Wait, at least tell me his name?" Twilight was about to speak up, but Spike beat her to it.
"I'm Spike!"
"Oh, hi Spike. This is so exciting! What do dragons like to talk about?" Spike rubbed his chin.
"Well, what do you wanna know?" Fluttershy let a 'squee'.
"Oh, absolutely everything!" Bage and Twilight shared a groan.
"This is gonna take awhile," Bage muttered, crossing his arms.
Chapter Ten: The Prophecy Holds True, The Mare in The Moon Arrives! Bage tries to Fight the Nightmare!
Chapter Ten: The Prophecy Holds True, The Mare in The Moon Arrives! Bage tries to Fight the Nightmare!
"...And that's the story of my entire life! Well, up until today. Do you want to hear about today?" Bage let out an audible groan. How could a dragon come up with such a long-winded tale when he had never done anything noteworthy?
"Oh, yes, I would love to hear about today!" Bage resisted the urge to fly off and blow up a mountain. Fluttershy's intense interest in Spike's life was exacerbating the situation. If he had to endure one more discussion about the drake, he felt he might reach a breaking point and unleash his frustration by causing significant damage to a building. Luckily, their arrival at the library was the perfect distraction from the continued conversation.
"Oh, it looks like we're here! Sorry, but we should really get settled in. We've been walking around for a while, so we're really tired. Isn't that right, Twilight?" Twilight eagerly nodded, showing she too was desperate to get away.
"Yep, very tired. So if you'd excuse us, we'll see you later." Fluttershy looked a little hurt, but she waved goodbye all the same.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause you any trouble." Fluttershy apologized while shrinking back into her mane.
'Oh damn it, now I feel bad,' Bage thought to himself. He hadn't meant to make her feel bad. "Look, it's not that you're causing us trouble, it's just that we've had a long day and we're irritable. So, I'm sorry." Fluttershy seemed to perk up at that, peeking out from her mane.
"Oh, I understand. It's actually time for me to go home and feed my animals. But, um, do you think I could talk to Spike some more, later?" Bage was about to say 'no' but looking into her eyes made him feel even worse, so he just nodded. Fluttershy smiled, producing another 'squee' sound, and trotted off.
"Well, that could've gone better, how about we head inside and-" Twilight started, but Bage grabbed her shoulder.
"Hold on. There's a whole bunch of energy signatures in there. Let me head in first." Bage crouched down, since the door frame barely reached his chest, and opened the door. The inside was dark, and sounds of shuffling could be heard. He crouched-walked through the doorway, with Twilight following close behind. Upon standing up fully, the lights flicked on, and a near-deafening shout of "SURPRISE!" made him jump. It looked like almost everypony in Ponyville was crammed into the library, and they were all staring at him with mixed looks. Some were curious, and others were a little afraid. "Uh, hi?" Immediately, his vision was filled with a wall of pink, and two bright blue orbs filled his vision.
"Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie, and I threw this party just for you! Were you surprised? Were ya? Were ya? Huh huh huh?" Bage drew a blank for an answer, so just went with something simple.
"Uh?"
"I'll take that as a yes! See, I saw you and Twilight land partway into the last chapter, and then you came up to me and said "Hey, what's going on?" and I was like GHUUUUUH, and then I ran off 'cause I knew you were new since I'd remember meeting a saiyan, and then you got here and you were like "There's a bunch of energy signatures in there" and I thought that you were gonna ruin the surprise, but then you didn't and I was like 'PHEW' and now we're here! SOOOOO, welcome to your 'Welcome to Ponyville' party!" Pinkie took a big breath and zoomed off, leaving Bage in a state of shock.
"Wait, how'd you know I was a saiyan? What do you mean by 'chapter'? What... how... huh?" Bage spluttered, and Rainbow Dash flew up to him.
"Aw, don't think about it too much, she's just Pinkie Pie. It's best to just go with it. Here, have some punch!" She pushed a cup into his hands, while he felt his brain melt. After that, the party went along smoothly, at least until Twilight poured herself a cup of hot sauce. He realized that the ponies of Ponyville were pretty used to partying until the odd hours of the night since none of them seemed to be tired after nearly six hours of straight dancing.
Twilight had retreated to the upstairs bedroom, presumably for a bit of peace. Bage, on the other hand, got to know the ponies they had met that day. Rainbow Dash seemed to be pretty eager to get to know him, asking him to show her ki blasts and such. Rarity was intrigued by his armor, asking what it was made of and who designed it. Considering the nature of it, Bage simply said it was alien armor and left it at that. He couldn't really hold a conversation with Pinkie for very long, since she made his brain hurt. Applejack was impressed by how strong he was, asking if he'd be willing to help out on the farm when he had the chance. All in all, he found Ponyville to be a welcome change from the stuffiness and uptight nobility of Canterlot. He might ask Celestia if they could stay in Ponyville if things went well with Nightmare Moon, that is. Eventually, it was time for the celebration, and everyone began to head to the town hall.
Bage kept his eyes on the moon, noticing four stars converging behind it, and with a flash the image of the Mare in the Moon vanished. Bage felt his heart drop into his stomach. 'Shit, that's not good. We're out of time, and Twilight is still her reclusive, friendless self. It looks like I'm going to have to kick an Alicorn's ass and try not to kill Luna in the process' Bage began formulating a plan, as he walked into town hall. He sensed Celestia's energy and felt it up in Canterlot, as well as a second darker energy. 'So, she bee-lined it for Celestia, then? Figures she'd want her sister out of commission, before focusing on the rest of Equestria.' Suddenly, Celestia's energy vanished, and Bage felt his anger rise to the surface. He looked to the moon, to see another mare image, this one taking on a more colorful tone. 'Ok, so she's not dead, Nightmare Moon just went for the turnabout is fair play routine. Looks like I've got my work cut out for me.' He felt Nightmare's energy rapidly approaching Ponyville and braced himself for her appearance.
'Wait, what about Sunset?' Bage focused on Sunset's energy, and grit his teeth. Her energy was extremely low, meaning she had tried to fight Nightmare Moon on her own. He fought the urge to race to Canterlot, knowing that if he left, Ponyville would be defenseless. 'Sorry hot-head, but you'll be fine for a while.' Bage focused on the mayor, giving a little speech and welcoming the princess, but when the curtain opened, no Celestia. He tightened his grip on his arms, knowing what was about to happen. With a sudden surge of dark energy, a cloud of blue smoke converged on the balcony, condensing into a pitch-black alicorn, with a mane of stardust. 'Hello, dark and broody.'
Bage Power Level: 37,500
"Oh, my beloved subjects. It's been so long since I've seen your precious little sun-loving faces. To think, you would task one of your strongest to defend your precious Celestia, and to no avail." She spit Celestia's name like it was poison. Rainbow Dash shot off the ground, pointing an accusatory hoof at the Nightmare.
"What did you do with our Princess?!" Applejack grabbed onto Rainbow's tail, just barely holding her in place. Nightmare Moon chuckled and flared her wings out.
"What, am I not royal enough for you? Does this crown mean nothing to you all?! Did you not see the signs? Do you not know who I am?!" Bage decided that now was a good enough time as any, and lifted off the ground.
"Yeah, I did. I've been waiting for this day for a while. Remember me?" Nightmare glared at him before a look of recognition washed across her features.
"YOU. The Saiyan who dared reject my offer. So you wish to challenge me then?" Bage cracked his knuckles, grinning.
"Challenge you? No, I'm gonna kick your ass back up to the moon, emo." Nightmare Moon paused at that, unsure what an 'emo' was, but shook her head regardless.
"Very well then, Saiyan. Show me your power, and we shall see if you are stronger than the unicorn who fought me in Canterlot." Bage flared his ki outward, smirking.
"Oh yeah, that reminds me. I'm gonna kick your ass ten times harder for what you did to her. When I'm done with you, a millennium on the moon is gonna seem like a pleasant vacation." Bage looked down at Twilight, jerking his head toward the library. "Hey, go find out about the Elements! I'll keep darkside here busy!" She nodded and raced off, being tailed by Applejack and the others. Rainbow stayed behind for a bit, looking up at him.
"Show her who's boss, Bage!" She knocked her hooves together and sped off.
"I take it you and the unicorn that fought me are close? Perhaps I should have brought her with me then, to show you what happens to those who defy me." Bage rolled his eyes, cracking his neck.
Nightmare Moon Power Level (Full Moon; Midnight): 38000
"Just shut up and fight me already!" He punctuated his statement with a ki blast, sending Nightmare Moon to the ground. "I know your type, you'll just start talking about your power and your actions as if that's gonna intimidate me." A beam of magic shot toward him, forcing him to dodge.
"A cheap blow, attacking me before I was ready! Have you no pride?!" She demanded. Bage laughed, shaking his head.
"Lady, you have no idea of what saiyan pride is like. Now show me what you can do." Nightmare scowled, baring her fangs.
"Your arrogance will be your undoing, saiyan!" She flared her wings and shot toward him with a speed he hadn't expected, knocking him through the wall of the town hall. He crashed into the ground outside, rolling to the left to avoid a pair of hooves slamming into him. He jumped to his feet, catching a hoof thrown at his face. "You shall now face the full power of the night! I will not be bested by an ape!"
Bage grabbed her leg and threw her over his shoulder, and started channeling energy into his hands. 'I'm glad I figured out how to do this. Maybe I can damage her enough to get her to retreat.' Right as he thought this, however, he saw Nightmare Moon dissipate into smoke, which zoomed off into the distance, toward the forest. "OH COME ON, I WAS JUST GETTING INTO THAT!" He watched the cloud disappear, frowning. "That was such bullshit. Get me all pumped for a fight, then just leave, villains suck." He flew off toward the library, before noticing Twilight and the others racing toward the forest, and facepalmed. He stopped and changed course, knowing that they'd probably need help.
Bage touched down behind the group, catching the tail end of a conversation. "Cause everypony whose gone in, has never come out!" Rainbow Dash waved her hooves around, clearly trying to instill a sense of unease.
"Right, like a forest is going to be that much trouble." The group turned to look at him.
"Oh, Bage, thank goodness you're alright. What were you thinking, challenging Nightmare Moon like that?!" Rarity exclaimed as if chastising him. Bage just scoffed, waving her off.
"Please, as if she could do anything to me that would actually hurt. I'm fine, and she didn't even stand her ground. She ran off just as things were getting good." Bage pouted, "I was just getting warmed up too."
"So she's a chicken then? Maybe she saw how strong you were and got scared!" Rainbow Dash burst out laughing, reveling in her own humor. As they headed deeper into the forest, Bage felt a tremor in the ground. Just as he realized what was going on, the ground gave way beneath them. He jumped up off the ground, and immediately jumped into action, grabbing Pinkie Pie and Rarity before they could slip over the edge. He noticed Applejack grab ahold of Twilight, and trusted her to keep her safe. As he landed in the chasm below, he saw Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash safely float Twilight down, while Applejack parkoured across the rocky outcrops.
"Well, that happened. YOU RAN OFF FROM OUR FIGHT TO COLLAPSE A CLIFF, YOU BAD DREAM BITCH?!" Bage yelled out into the woods.
"Bage! Language!" Bage looked down at Rarity.
"What?"
"I said, LANGUAGE!" Bage continued to stare at her, confusion evident on her face.
"No, I get that. What do you mean?" Rarity just gaped at him, surprised.
"You just swore! And in the presence of mares, no less! Have you no shame?!" Bage held back a snort of derision.
"Oh, that. I swear all the time, what's the big deal? Celestia doesn't seem to mind. Even Twilight's used to it by now." Twilight responded with a nod, and Rarity was even more surprised.
"You mean to tell me that you swear even in front of royalty?! Are you truly so barbaric that you would spew your dirty words in Princess Celestia's presence?!" Bage just nodded, which caused Rarity to faint.
"I don't know what her problem is, I've been swearing around Celestia since we first met. She seems to find it a welcome change from the stuffy nobles treating her like she's some sort of almighty goddess. Now if we're about done, we should keep going." Bage picked Rarity up and set her on his shoulder, and they set off. It wasn't long until they came across another issue; a manticore. Bage could tell that fighting this thing wouldn't be right, being that he would probably kill it with even a weak punch, so he let the others handle it. He was surprised, though, when Fluttershy was the one to overcome it. Apparently, it had gotten a thorn in its paw, somehow. "How'd you know what was wrong?" Fluttershy just smiled.
"I didn't. Sometimes you just need to show a little kindness." Bage pondered that, as Rarity began to stir on his shoulder.
"Oooh, what happened?" Bage set her down in front of him.
"You found out I swear like a Frieza force soldier and fainted. Then Fluttershy managed to tame a manticore. No biggie."
"Oh, I see." Suddenly it seemed like all the light just vanished, leaving them in near pitch-black darkness. "OK, never mind." Bage produced a ball of ki in his palm, using it to try and light up the area, but it didn't help beyond a foot or two in front of him.
"I think I stepped in somethin'," Applejack muttered, and Fluttershy screeched. "It's just mud."
"Not what she screamed at, Applejack." The trees around them had taken on nightmarish faces, seeming to growl and swipe at them. "Really? She's attacking us with trees? What next, a depressed sea serpent?" As the rest of the group were screaming in terror, Pinkie Pie took a different approach.
"Snrk HAHAHAHAH!" She was laughing at the trees.
"Oh good, she's gone nuts." Twilight and the others stared in confusion as Pinkie Pie collapsed into a fit of laughter.
"Don't you all see? ♬ When I was a little filly and the sun was going down..." Bage groaned.
"Please tell me she isn't..." Bage muttered.
"The darkness and the shadows, they would always make me frown..."
Rarity rubbed her brow, "She is."
"♬ I'd hide under my pillow From what I thought I saw But Granny Pie said that wasn't the way To deal with fears at all,"
Of all the things Bage thought he'd have to deal with, a song wasn't even on the list. "Then what is the way?"
" ♬ She said, "Pinkie, you gotta stand up tall Learn to face your fears You'll see that they can't hurt you Just laugh to make them disappear. HA HA HA!"
"Oh yeah, great plan," Bage muttered until he saw Pinkie literally cause a tree to go back to normal... by laughing at it. "Oh for the love of..."
" ♬ So, giggle at the ghostly Guffaw at the grossly Crack up at the creepy Whoop it up with the weepy Chortle at the kooky Snortle at the spooky, And tell that big dumb scary face to take a hike and leave you alone and if he thinks he can scare you then he's got another thing coming and the very idea of such a thing just makes you wanna... hahahaha... heh... Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaauuuugh!" The rest of the group joined in on the laughter, and Bage had to admit, the whole situation was a little funny.
-------------------------------------
"OH COME ON, I WAS KIDDING!" The group found themselves stranded on the other side of a surging river, the raging water caused by a sea serpent thrashing around in misery.
"Oh, of all the horrid things that could happen, this is truly the WORST!" Another thrash of the serpent's tail sent a colossal surge of water over the group, drenching them to the bone. Bage spewed a stream of water out of his mouth and surged his ki to dry himself off. The others didn't have such a luxury.
"Hey, uh, serpent guy? What's all the fuss about?" The serpent craned his neck down to look at them, before pointing to his facial hair.
"Well, I was just relaxing here on the river bank, when suddenly this cloud of mist shot by, and ripped half of my mustache off! Now I look simply horrendous! OHHOHO!" Bage felt his eye twitch.
"Seriously, that's what all the fuss is about?" Rarity stared at him in horror.
"Why, of course, it is. How can you be so insensitive? Oh, just look at him. Such lovely luminescent scales." The serpent nodded, waving his hands around.
"Oh I know"
"And your expertly coiffed mane!"
"OH, yes I know!"
"Your fabulous manicure."
"Oh absolutely!"
"All ruined without your beautiful mustache. This simply won't do!" She walked up and actually ripped off one of the serpent's scales, causing him to yelp, before sheering off her tail and using her magic to affix it to the stub of a mustache on his face. "There, now it looks better than ever!" The serpent admired his reflection in the water and shrieked with joy.
"OH MY, It looks simply incredible! OH, how could I thank you!" Twilight had an idea.
"Could you help us cross the river?"
"Oh of course, here." The serpent used his long body to make a series of steps across the river, waving them a grateful goodbye.
"Rarity, you're tail!" Fluttershy pointed out, but she shrugged it off. Bage could see the pain in her eyes though.
"Oh, it's quite alright, darling. It will grow back in time, besides, short tails are in this season!" Bage rolled his eyes.
"The mustache would have grown back too, you know?" Rarity just scoffed.
"And how would we have gotten across, then?" Bage simply lifted off the ground.
"Three of us can fly, and I'm strong enough to have lifted all of you to the other side." Rarity seemed to deflate at that.
"oh."
After a few minutes of walking, they came across a broken rope bridge, over a chasm. On the other side stood a castle that looked like it had seen better days. "There it is! The ruins that hold the Elements of Harmony! We made it!" Twilight charged forward, despite the others telling her to wait, and she nearly fell into the chasm if Bage hadn't rushed forward to catch her.
"You sure have a knack for almost plummeting to your death, you know that?" Pinkie Pie peered down into the chasm, seeing that the bottom was obscured by fog.
"Now what?" Rainbow Dash spread her wings.
"Duh." She flew off to the other side, dipping down to grab the other end of the rope bridge. Bage just shook his head. 'Once again, we could have just flown over.' He looked up to see Rainbow Dash being approached by a group of ponies he was certain weren't there a minute ago, and judging by the energy he felt, they were just extensions of Nightmare Moon's magic.
He couldn't hear their conversation from the other side of the chasm, which he found odd since he normally had pretty decent hearing. Without warning the fog thickened, shrouding the other side from view. "Oh crap." He realized he couldn't sense Rainbow's energy anymore, and he assumed the worst. Just as he was about to charge over and intervene, Rainbow flew through the fog and tied the bridge off.
"See? I'd never leave my friends hangin'," She said as she landed, and struck a pose. Bage let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He decided to just fly over the chasm, since he didn't trust the bridge to support his weight, especially with his weighted gear.
"Uhm, why didn't you just use the bridge?" Rainbow asked, and Bage just smirked.
"I'll show you, by taking off this chestplate." He proceeded to unhook it and set it down on the ground. "Now try and lift that." Rainbow Dash grabbed the shoulder pads of the armor and strained, not even budging it.
"JEEZ, what's this stuff made of? Lead?!" As she huffed and groaned, Applejack came up to investigate.
"Oh come on, now, don't tell me yer havin' trouble with that? Let me show ya," Applejack offered, and she grabbed the armor. She strained to try and move it, nearly going red in the face as the plate resisted her every attempt. "HOOboy, this thing's heavier than a lead rockslide. How d'ya walk around in this thing, Bage?" He walked over and hoisted it up, slipping it back on like it was a bag of feathers.
"I train in this thing, I don't even notice it anymore." Bage just grinned at the looks on their faces.
"If you three are done, could we search for the Elements now?" Twilight's annoyed voice called out from inside the castle.
"Yeah, yeah, calm down, I was just making a point." As they made their way into the castle proper, Bage couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. He hadn't sensed Nightmare Moon in a good while, and now he couldn't even sense any energy outside the castle either, as if something was blocking his senses. He looked around cautiously, prepared for anything. He kept a close eye on Twilight and the others as well, ready for Nightmare Moon to pop out at any moment.
"Look, the Elements! We've found them!" Twilight raced up to an intricate-looking structure, resembling a solar system of orbiting planets around a larger orb.
"Hey wait, there's only five, wasn't there supposed to be six?" Rainbow asked.
"The book said: when the five are present, a spark will cause the sixth Element to be revealed." Twilight walked around the structure, inspecting the orbs.
"Now what in the hay is that supposed to mean?" Applejack asked out loud, and Twilight shrugged. Bage cleared his throat as he flew over to the structure, and proceeded to flick Twilight's horn. She grinned sheepishly and levitated the orbs off of their pedestals.
"I have an idea, but I'm not sure it will work. Stand back, everyone. I don't know what will happen." Bage watched as she charged her horn, straining to push as much magic into the stone orbs as possible.
"Come on now, ya'll. Give her some space to concentrate. You too, Bage." He snorted but hovered back a bit. As Twilight's horn took on a near-blinding glow, a massive swirling vortex opened up above her, sucking her and the Elements into it. Bage shot forward and flew into the vortex just as it closed, flying out into another room.
"Oh, great. Now where are we?" A menacing laugh echoed throughout the room, as Nightmare Moon's ethereal mist condensed into a cloud, and she appeared.
"You are in the astronomy tower, a place I spent much of my time in, back before my banishment. And now it shall be your grave, saiyan." Bage scowled at the dark alicorn in front of him, cracking his knuckles.
"Sweet, now I can finish what I started. Make a break for the Elements, Twilight. I'll keep her busy." Nightmare Moon cackled, and she charged toward him. He met her halfway, bracing his arm up against her horn. As they fought for dominance, Twilight made her way around, hunkering down near the Elements. "You know, Celestia told me about Luna. Told me how she got like this. She even asked me not to go too hard on you. It seems like she still cares about the sister still in there. The one you corrupted and made into a monster. I wonder if she can hear me." Nightmare Moon growled, struggling to push back against Bage's strength.
"Arrogant little whelp. Celestia is blinded by her naivety, foolishly believing that she can save her precious sister. Luna is gone, consumed by the darkness in her own heart! There is only the Nightmare now, and I shall bring about night eternal!" Bage frowned slightly, not wanting to believe that.
"I'm not so sure that's true. If Luna really was gone, why did you spare Celestia, instead of just killing her? Was it just to give her a taste of what you went through? Or was it that you just couldn't bring yourself to kill her, because Luna still cares about her sister, even after a thousand years?" Nightmare Moon gave a guttural shriek, blasting Bage back into a pillar. He looked up to see her charging at him and he dipped to the side before she could impale him. "Listen to me! You don't have to do this, I know Luna is still in there. And she should know that eternal night is a death sentence for the entire planet! You'd doom everyone and everything to a slow, cold extinction!" Bage grabbed Nightmare Moon, looking into her eyes and searching for some semblance of understanding. He saw a faint glimmer, almost imperceptible. A glimmer of regret, and shame. "I can help you if you'd just let me! Please, just let me help you." He could see her struggling, almost as if Luna and the Nightmare were battling each other. Unfortunately, it didn't last long, as she glared up at him with rage.
"You cannot sway me with words, saiyan. I will win, and the night will last forever! Even if I have to grind your corpse into dust!" She jumped toward him with unimaginable speed, and he couldn't move in time. He felt a sudden extreme pain in his chest, as her horn stabbed into him, narrowly missing his lung.
Chapter Eleven: The Elements are Awakened, The Nightmare is Purged! A New Threat Approaches from Deep Space!
Chapter Eleven: The Elements are Awakened, The Nightmare is Purged! A New Threat Approaches from Deep Space!
The impact sent shockwaves through Bage's body as he gasped for air, the pain in his chest intensifying. Nightmare Moon withdrew her horn, leaving him stumbling backward, blood staining his saiyan armor. Despite the pain, Bage gritted his teeth and refused to give in. As he struggled to stand, Nightmare Moon circled him, her eyes filled with a mixture of triumph and malice. "Your defiance means nothing, saiyan. The eternal night is inevitable, and you are nothing more than a fleeting obstacle." Bage's mind raced, searching for a way to reach Luna buried within Nightmare Moon. He couldn't fight her head-on; Not with such a grievous wound. Instead, he needed to buy time for Twilight to activate the elements.
"I won't let you win," Bage growled, determination burning in his eyes. "Luna, I know you can hear me! You have to fight the Nightmare's influence! Eternal night isn't the answer, it will just make ponies despise it more!"
Nightmare Moon laughed mockingly, her voice echoing through the darkened chamber. "Pathetic. Your words are meaningless, saiyan. Luna is lost, and you will be the first to witness the eternal night." Bage coughed, the pain in his chest worsening with every passing moment. It was becoming harder to breathe, but he couldn't let Twilight and the others down. "With you out of my way, and Celestia dealt with, there is nothing that stands in my way!" Bage glanced over at Twilight and saw that she was panting in exertion. Her magic wasn't enough to activate the elements. They needed something else, or rather, somepony else. Just as he came to that realization, Nightmare Moon looked over and saw the lack of progress Twilight had made. "HMhmhm, It seems that you lack a certain spark, filly. How foolish of you to think that you could stop ME! I am Nightmare Moon, the true queen of the Night!" As she said this, she teleported over to the elements and brought her front hooves crashing down, shattering the stone orbs right in front of Twilight. As she stared in horror and despair at the destroyed elements, Nightmare Moon let out a wicked cackle. "Your precious Elements are gone! I have won, and the Night will last forever! MUAHAHAHA!" Bage grit his teeth in frustration, bringing himself to a standing position, and he heard the voices of Twilight's friends approaching the tower, a grin spreading across his features.
"That's where you're wrong, Nightmare! The elements aren't gone, they're just a bit late to the party!" Bage called out, causing Twilight to bring her head up, and she heard the voices of her friends calling out to her, giving her hope and reassurance. Her eyes went wide, and a rainbow sheen flashed across them.
"He's right, Nightmare Moon! The elements aren't gone, they were right here the whole time! Applejack, who reassured me when I was in doubt, represents the spirit of... honesty! Fluttershy, who tamed the manticore with her compassion, represents the spirit of... kindness! Pinkie Pie, who banished fear by giggling in the face of danger, represents the spirit of... laughter! Rarity, who calmed a sorrowful serpent with a meaningful gift represents the spirit of... generosity! And Rainbow Dash, who could not abandon her friends for her own heart's desire represents the spirit of... loyalty! The spirits of these five ponies got us through every challenge you threw at us." As Twilight called out each of her friends' names, the shards of the broken elements flew up and formed gold necklaces, latching around each of their necks.
Nightmare Moon stared in shock before a twisted scowl twisted her features. "NO! I WILL NOT BE SENT BACK! ESPECIALLY NOT BY A FILLY AND HER PATHETIC FRIENDS!" She lit her horn preparing to launch a devastating spell at Twilight. Bage pushed himself forward, despite his wound, and grabbed hold of Nightmare's horn, canceling the magic. "WHAT?! LET GO OF ME, YOU WRETCH!"
Bage just grinned, wrapping his other arm around her and pinning her wings in place. "Not a chance, I won't let you hurt them." Nightmare struggled against his grip, growling and trying to kick him, but the angle was too awkward.
"You FOOL! You'll be banished along with me! We'll be stuck on the moon forever!" Bage just grinned, chuckling.
"Somehow I doubt that. Twilight wouldn't banish me, no matter how much I aggravate her." Nightmare Moon stared in a panic at the charging elements, trying desperately to free herself.
"They still don't have the sixth Element! The spark didn't work!" Twilight shook her head, a glow appearing above her head.
"But it did! A different kind of spark. I felt it the very moment I realized how happy I was to hear my friends, to see them, how much I cared about them. The spark ignited inside me when I realized that all of them were my friends! You see, Nightmare Moon, when those Elements are ignited by the... the spark that resides in the heart of us all, it creates the sixth element: the element of... magic!" In a burst of light, a tiara with a six-pointed star gem flashed into existence, settling onto Twilight's head. Nightmare Moon redoubled her efforts to break free from Bage's grip, thrashing and screaming. As the elements unleashed a massive rainbow beam, she could only watch in horror at her rapidly approaching defeat.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" As the beam crashed down on top of them, Bage felt a burning sensation flow through his body, and his mind. He felt the wound in his chest heal, and it seemed like a weight lifted off of his shoulders. A voice seemed to whisper in his ear, barely audible over the roar of the elements.
"You are worthy, young saiyan. May your power continue to aid in protecting Equestria. We give you the blessing of Harmony." He couldn't quite hear what the voice was saying, but as the burning was replaced by a gentle warmth, he lost consciousness.
Bage woke up later, feeling groggy on the uncomfortable stone floor of the old castle. Sitting up, he noticed Twilight and her friends also waking up with groans. Looking down, he saw an unconscious alicorn with a crescent moon cutie mark on her flank against an inky black backdrop."Luna." She was lying there with her mane no longer resembling a night sky but instead laying flat and slightly disheveled, now a light blue color. He looked outside and saw that the sun had risen, so he sensed for Celestia's energy. 'It looks like she's back in Canterlot, probably checking up on Sunset.' Celestia's energy suddenly moved, to right outside the castle. A blinding, brilliant light flooded the room as Celestia appeared, drifting down through the collapsed roof.
"Princess Celestia!" Twilight ran up to her mentor, wrapping her in a hug. Celestia gave a warm, yet tired smile.
"Well done, Twilight. I knew you could do it." Bage got to his feet, walking up to Celestia. "I should also extend the same gratitude to you, Bage. Thank you fo-?" Celestia was cut off as Bage pulled her into a one-armed hug, his cheeks flushing as he struggled to keep his face neutral. "Well, this is unexpected, you're normally not one for such displays of affection." Bage pulled away, crossing his arms and turning around.
"Well, it's just... I felt your energy disappear before Nightmare Moon showed up, and I thought you were dead. SO I'm just, you know, relieved. That you aren't dead. So, yeah." Bage felt his cheeks heat up even more as Twilight and her friends started laughing. "HEY SHUT UP! SHE PRACTICALLY RAISED ME SINCE I WAS 12, OF COURSE, I WAS GOING TO BE CONCERNED!" Bage yelled, but the laughter continued. Celestia smiled, before turning her attention to the other individual in the room.
"Luna, my dearest sister. It's been a thousand years since I've seen you last. I believe we are long overdue to rekindle our friendship." Luna stirred, her eyes cracking open. When she saw Celestia, she scrambled to her hooves, keeping herself low to the ground. "Please, Luna, do not be afraid of me. I want only to make amends." Luna looked up at Celestia, seeing the kind and gentle smile, and pleading eyes. She threw herself at Celestia, tears streaming down her face. "I'm so sorry big sister, please forgive me!" Luna wept into Celestia's fur, as the two sisters enjoyed their very tearful reunion. Twilight walked up to Bage, clearing her throat.
"Bage, I have a question. When we were first traveling to Ponyville, I asked you if you had heard of Nightmare Moon, and you told me you'd read a little about it. But when you were fighting her just now, you called her 'Luna' as if you already knew who she was before. So how did you know she was Luna before we did? And more importantly, how did you find out about her?" Bage didn't respond at first, choosing instead to continue to watch Celestia and Luna as they consoled each other. "BAGE!" He jerked his head around, seeing Twilight's annoyed face, and he sighed.
"Look, when we get back to Canterlot, I'll show you, but right now isn't the best time. Just, trust me." Twilight frowned but didn't press further. Celestia stood up, helping Luna to her hooves.
"I think it's best if we head back to Ponyville. The Everfree isn't the best place to be, even during the day." Bage suddenly felt a weight on his neck, and he craned his head around to see that Pinkie Pie had hopped onto his shoulders.
"How did you...?"
"You know what this calls for?! A PARTY!" Bage cringed as she practically shouted right in his ear.
"AAGH! PINKIE!" Pinkie grinned sheepishly.
"EHehe, sorry Bage."
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Bage was honestly surprised with how quickly Pinkie Pie could throw together a party. Even more so when he saw that she had a banner already made that said 'Welcome back to Equestria, Princess Luna!'. "How did you have that made already? You just found out her name a little bit ago." Pinkie just laughed.
"Silly Bage, I just read ahead!" Bage felt another headache coming on and decided to just stop questioning her. "That's probably for the best, Bage."
"Ok, how the hell?!"
Meanwhile, Twilight was standing off to the side, looking down at the ground and frowning. Celestia noticed this, walking up to her student and sitting down next to her. "What's the matter Twilight? Are you not happy to return to Canterlot to continue your studies?" Twilight looked up at her.
"That's the thing, though, now that I know what it's like to have friends, I have to leave them." Bage raised an eyebrow at that.
"Didn't you have a couple of unicorns that hung out with you in Canterlot?" Celestia gave him a look, that basically said 'Now isn't the time', and wrapped her wing around Twilight.
"Then we shall remedy that, right now. Spike, take a note: I, Princess Celestia, hereby decree that the unicorn Twilight Sparkle shall take on a new mission for Equestria. She must continue to study the magic of friendship. She must report to me her findings from her new home in Ponyville." Twilight's face lit up.
"Oh, thank you so much Princess! I'll make sure to study harder than I ever have!" Bage rolled his eyes and smiled.
"Don't think I forgot about you, Bage. In addition, Bage shall also stay in Ponyville, as well as report to me his own findings." Bage's face fell.
"Oh, come on! I told Sunset and Tho- Free Breeze that I'd be back today! Besides, I still need to get Sunset back for throwing that watermelon at me!" Celestia gave a small smile, but her eyes told a different story: 'You're staying in Ponyville with Twilight, even if I have to magically restrain you, and confine you to this town's borders.' Bage opened his mouth to argue, but a voice in his head told him it wasn't a good idea, so he closed it and crossed his arms.
"Then it's settled. I hope you both enjoy your stay in Ponyville. Now, if you'll excuse me, Luna and I must return to Canterlot so she can get settled in." Bage watched as the both of them boarded a chariot, and left.
"Isn't this exciting? Are you excited cause I'm excited I've never been so excited, well, except for the time that I went GHUH but I mean really-" Bage clamped Pinkie's mouth shut with his hand.
"Not now Pinkie. I need to pay a quick visit." Pinkie pulled her mouth free, taking a deep breath.
"You mean you have to go see Sunset?" Bage just gave her a look and took off for Canterlot.
"Yep, I thought so. Boy, is she gonna be mad." Rainbow Dash gave her a confused look.
"Pinkie who are you talking to?"
"Oh, no one important. OOh, that reminds me, I've gotta go replenish my emergency party supplies! This one cleaned me out!" She sped off, leaving a pink dust trail.
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Bage landed in Canterlot just before Celestia and Luna's chariot touched down. Just as he was about to check on Sunset's well-being, something crashed into him, sending him sprawling on the ground. Looking up, he found Thorax on top of him, looking both worried and embarrassed. Sunset followed closely behind, glaring at Bage, but there was a hint of relief in her expression.
"Good to see you're not six feet under, Hot Head," Bage said, getting up with Thorax still clinging to him. He walked over to Sunset. "I wanted to beat Celestia here because I know she's going to be tight-lipped about everything. She's got me and Twilight stationed in Ponyville for who knows how long. Blame Twilight for that. Anyway, I need you to keep an eye on things here, just in case stuff goes down when I'm not around. I'll drop by for training every now and then. By the way, I sensed you tried to take on Nightmare Moon solo. How'd that play out?" Sunset gestured to her injuries.
"How do you think, numbskull?"
"Yeah, figured. I hope you made it difficult for her, though." Sunset chuckled, giving a half-smile.
"Somewhat. She pulled a magic trick and got a cheap shot in. And you? How did you fare against her? The sun's back, so I'm guessing not too shabby." Bage gave a nervous laugh, rubbing his neck.
"Yeah, about that. She stabbed me in the chest with her horn, then got blasted by the elements of harmony. I mostly just threw her through a building," Bage muttered. Sunset shook her head and swatted his arm.
"You moron. How did she manage that?"
"She cheated and caught me off guard. But it's fine; I held her in place while the elements did their thing. They're the reason I'm not leaking right now."
Sunset raised an eyebrow. "Elements of Harmony, huh? I thought those were just an old mare's tale."
Bage nodded. "Apparently not. Twilight and her friends are the bearers of the Elements. Sounds like a fairy tale ending, doesn't it?"
Sunset smirked. "Bage, you live in a world of magic-talking ponies. Everything is a fairytale. So, you're leaving me in charge of Canterlot's safety? Big shoes to fill, Mr. Saiyan. How do I know you're not just dodging responsibility to chill in Ponyville?"
Bage scratched his head. "Well, it's not really my call; Celestia was pretty insistent. Plus, Twilight's stuck in Ponyville too. Celestia wants us to 'report on our findings about friendship.' I can't wriggle out of it. Think you can handle things here?"
Sunset rolled her eyes. "I'm not a rookie. I've got it covered. But you owe me, Monkey Boy. I won't let you escape to Ponyville and forget about me. We're meeting up for training at least once a week, deal?"
Bage grinned. "Deal. But for now, I'm counting on you. I'll be back for updates and training. Take care of Canterlot, Sunset."
As Bage turned to leave, he glanced down at Thorax, still clinging to him. "You know, you could let go now. I'm not vanishing into thin air."
Thorax blushed and quickly released Bage. "Sorry about that. I just... I was really worried."
Sunset smirked. "Worried about Bage? I don't think you should be concerned; he can handle himself. For now, I think I need to step up my training routine."
"You better. I don't want to come back to Canterlot and find you slacking off," Bage remarked.
Sunset glared at him, but there was a friendly smile beneath it. "You act like I'm a recluse like Twilight." Bage shot her a knowing look.
"Before we started training, you were practically nocturnal and more of a hermit than Twilight. You made her look like a social butterfly." Sunset flushed red, slapping Bage's arm, which made him laugh. "Alright, I've gotta get back to Ponyville before Celestia gives me a lecture. Just remember, I'm a quick flight away if you ever want to spar." With a wave, he took off just before the royal chariot landed nearby.
"I swear, if he wasn't so lovable, I'd roast him," Sunset said, turning to Thorax, who was miming speechless surprise. "So, what was that about? You latched onto him like your life depended on it."
"Oh, that? Well, after Nightmare Moon said she was headed to Ponyville, I was worried Bage might get hurt. So when he showed up unscathed, I was just relieved to see him," Thorax explained.
"Really? He's not exactly a pushover. Like I said, he can take care of himself. Even a stab to the chest couldn't kill him," Sunset replied, raising an eyebrow. Thorax smiled but didn't say anything.
"I know, but he's the only one who gave me a chance, not just calling me a monster because of what I am. He spared me during the invasion and even stood up for me to the captain of the guard!" Sunset patted Thorax on the shoulder, laughing.
"Yeah, if Bage has anything, it's guts. Guts to tell Shining Armor off, guts to spare Chrysalis. I'm surprised he's still alive, to be honest." Sunset sat down as Celestia's personal chariot touched down a distance away. "Did Celestia bring someone back with her?" As Celestia stepped out of the chariot, she helped another pony out, another alicorn. "Oh great, now there's three?" Celestia led the second alicorn over to where Sunset was sitting, giving her a warm smile.
"Sunset, good to see you up and about. I'd like you to meet my sister, Luna." Sunset's eyes nearly popped out of her skull.
"Wait, wait, sister? Since when did you have a sister?" Celestia's smile grew a little wider.
"Oh, I figured Bage would have told you. Luna is who Nightmare Moon was before her banishment a thousand years ago." Celestia said as if it was obvious. Sunset's eye twitched.
"BAAAAAAAAGE!"
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As Bage touched down in Ponyville, he noticed that Pinkie's party was still in full swing, but he was about ready to collapse, so he opted to head to the library to finally get some sleep after what had to have been the world's longest night. Although, he couldn't help but feel that he was forgetting something. "Eh, it probably wasn't important. Besides, I'm way too tired to worry about anything else right now." With the sun inching its way across the horizon, and the threat of Nightmare Moon behind him, Bage had a feeling he wouldn't have anything else to worry about for a while.
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Deep Space, Planet Chortis orbit
Frieza sighed with boredom, as he looked out upon his latest conquest. The Chortisans had been quite the troublesome bunch for some time, but with Zarbon and Dodoria sent to take care of things, they had quickly fallen in line. His only problem now was dealing with the aftermath, and that was never an enjoyable experience. "If only something new could present itself. It could even be a new uncharted planet for all I care, just as long as something breaks this monotony." He heard the door behind him hiss open, and he turned to see one of his saiyans enter. "AH, Shiso, thank goodness. I've been needing some entertainment. I hope you have something good for me?" Shiso did her best not to scowl, kneeling before the petulant tyrant.
"Yes, Lord Frieza, we've got one of our deep space scans back, and it seems we've discovered a new planet. I felt you might want to look into it personally." Shiso held out a datapad, her mind filling with all the ways she could make him feel as much pain as possible. Frieza 'hmmm'ed and 'huh'ed as he read the scan report.
"I hardly see how this is worthy of my attention, this planet has a barely registerable power signature. I'll send Dryce to deal with it, I'm sure he would enjoy the time away from the mines." Shiso glanced up at Frieza, seeing his back was turned.
"Dryce, Lord Frieza? Do you need me to go with him, to keep him in line? You know how he gets if he has free reign." Frieza gave a dry chuckle.
"OH HO HO, no Shiso, this is isn't a matter that requires your expertise. Dryce will do fine on his own. And if he goes out of control and blows up the planet, it's no big loss. For now, I have a different mission for you. I want you to head to one of my outposts, on the farther side of the galaxy. Recently our method of communication with it has gone dark, so I want you to investigate the matter. Your skills should prove perfect for this." Shiso furrowed her brow, wanting to protest but knowing it was pointless.
"Yes, Lord Frieza, I'll head out right away." She stood up and turned to leave when Frieza called out to her.
"Oh, by the way, I had a question to ask of you. Do you happen to know of a saiyan called, 'Bage'?" Shiso's eyes went wide.
"Yes, he's my brother. Why do you ask?" Frieza waved his hand.
"Oh, no particular reason, it's just, that a space pod that was seen leaving Planet Vegeta had an occupant whose power level closely matched his, so I wanted to make you aware, that he may have escaped the asteroid that killed your people. If you impress me on this mission, I will let you go out and search for him, as a gesture of goodwill. A reward, of sorts." Frieza gave another dry chuckle.
"Yes, Lord Frieza, I understand." Shiso walked briskly out of the room, her mind running wild. 'Bage is alive? I still have a family member out there?' If Bage was alive, and she could find him, she might have a shot at killing that bastard Frieza, and she could finally tell the prince where he could shove his ego. "All I need to do is find you, Bage. I just hope you remember me."
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Dryce's scouter beeped with an incoming call. "A mission to a new planet, you say? And free reign to do as I please? You spoil me, Lord Frieza. Yes, of course, I'll leave right away. I'll deliver that planet to you, ready for reselling. You can count on me." Dryce cut the call off and muted his scouter. He mimed throwing up and relayed a few orders to the soldiers under his command, the scarce few that Frieza had given him. "Prep the ship for takeoff, we have some fun to get to." Dryce gave a sadistic grin, revealing his razor-sharp, bloodstained teeth. "And fresh meat to tear into." He gave a dark, sadistic laugh as he made his way to his ship, his mind alight with all the things he was going to do when he got to his destination.
Interlude: Frieza Outpost 739! Shiso Encounters the Crusher Corps!
Interlude: Frieza Outpost 739! Shiso Encounters the Crusher Corps!
Shiso (Age 27) Power Level: 15,000
The trip to the outpost proved to be the longest Shiso had ever been through, thoughts of Bage buzzing around in her head. 'IF he was still alive, why hasn't he tried to come and find me? Is he trying to hide from Frieza? Does he think I'm dead too, and he's laying low? I just wish he had tried to contact me at some point.' Shiso was pulled from her musings by a sudden call on her scouter; from a communication tower on the planet's surface. "Attention, pod occupant. This outpost is off-limits. Turn around or you'll be blasted into space debris." Shiso couldn't help but smirk at the gruff voices' attempt at a threat.
"I'm here by order of Lord Frieza, so unless you want him to show up personally, I'd suggest you let me land." A scuffle came from the other end of the line, and a different voice spoke up. This voice was still gruff, but it had a more formal tone.
"Really now, Lord Frieza sent you to check up on this worthless dirtball? I have to say, I'm surprised he cares so much since the other few planets we took over seemed to fly right under his radar. Alright then, feel free to land. I'd very much like to meet you and test your might." With that, the call cut off, as Shiso's pod entered the planet's upper atmosphere.
As she flew through the exosphere, she noticed something peculiar, a tree of titanic proportions growing from the planet's crust. 'What the hell? How could a tree that big grow to that size, when it would need more nutrients than the planet can provide? Somethings going on here, and it's not good.' She did a quick scan of the planet, noting that the energy levels were nearly depleted entirely. 'That confirms it, that tree is so large it's almost completely drained the planet's energy. There's no way it's natural, whoever planted it knew what it would do.' Her pod streaked through the lower atmosphere, before landing in a large patch of the tree's massive roots. 'Now, let's see where that communication tower is.' Shiso did a quick scan for power levels and detected a fair few a good distance away, but they were rapidly approaching. 'Hmm, five in total, power levels ranging from 7,600 to 13,000, I'll need to be careful.'
Five figures of varying heights landed in front of her, and she studied their features. The tallest of them was a massive lumbering being, with reddish-orange skin and a scar going across his chin. Standing next to him was a cyborg, its pupilless yellow eyes seeming to stare right through her, and its red flesh almost looked to be melting. The second tallest of them seemed to be the most normal-looking, wearing greyish-black battle armor, and pink leg warmers. 'Odd choice in color, in my opinion.' Shiso thought to herself, as she directed her attention to the two shortest figures. Her eyes widened slightly as she recognized their species, having seen a passage on them in an old data entry. 'Beenz? I thought they were extinct, I guess they're the last ones.' Their lavender skin reminded her of Captain Ginyu, but the lack of horns ruled him out as being related. "Alright, what's your deal? Why did you decide to take over this outpost, and what's with the tree?"
The tallest one grinned, chuckling. "Our deal is that we are going from planet to planet, wiping out any opposition, and planting seeds from the Tree of Might. A massive species of tree that can drain a planet's energy and produce fruit that imbues that power onto anyone who eats it. We seek to gain enough power to take on Frieza and claim his galactic empire for our own, in the name of Mighty Turles. I am Amond, and we are The Crusher Corps, I am its second in command. These four, are Daiz, Cacao, Rasin, and Lakasei." Shiso raised an eyebrow at that.
"Turles? I feel like that name is familiar. Either way, I highly doubt eating your fruits and veggies is gonna let you take on Frieza. Do you even know what his power level is? It's pretty high, I'll tell you that much." Shiso noted that his power level was 9,100, the second highest of them.
"It won't matter once we consume enough fruit from the tree, then we'll be unstoppable. Even King Cold will tremble before us. But now, we give you an ultimatum." Shiso scoffed at that.
"Oh boy, gotta love those." The guy in the leg warmers scowled, stepping forward to try and attack, but the cyborg grabbed his shoulder. "It's a good thing your robo-boy toy is here to hold you back, otherwise you might get hurt, twinkle toes," Shiso mocked, chuckling. The cyborg glared at her but pulled its ally back.
"Mock us if you wish, but your end will be unchanged," Its metallic voice grated, sending shivers up Shiso's spine. "Turles wishes to offer you a place amongst us, a member of The Crusher Corps. Should you accept, you will gain power from the Fruit of Might, and your power will increase exponentially. Refuse, and you will be disposed of." She could hear the menace in its voice when it said that, but she wasn't about to take a power handout from an overgrown sapling.
"Thanks for the offer, but I'll have to decline. A true Saiyan grows stronger on their own merits, not by gorging themselves on fruit." Amond grinned at that.
"I had hoped you'd decline, it makes it so much more fun. Daiz and Cacao will make you see reason." The guy in the leg warmers and the cyborg stepped forward. "Now don't rough her up too badly, Turles wishes to have a go at her."
"What a shame, I was hoping to bury her here, she would make a good source of nutrients for the tree," Daiz remarked. In a flash, the both of them shot forward, Shiso catching Daiz's fist, spinning around to put him in the path of Cacao's blow, which punched right through him. As he screamed in agony, she kicked him into the cyborg, before going into Shadow Step and disappearing. She watched from the shadows as they searched for her, scouters beeping and turning up nothing. "What the hell was that? Where did she go?" As the group looked around, Shiso devised a plan of attack.
'How do I go about dispatching all of them, without giving them time to react?' Shiso smiled as her plan clicked into place, and she moved into position. "It's like she vanished! What kind of technique was that? She's just gone!" Rasin and Lakasei were looking around wildly, trying to find even a hint of where the Saiyan had gone too when the very air around them seemed to distort. "What the...?" The shadows among the roots of the tree were rippling, creating shapes that seemed to move in their periphery.
"Stop playing tricks and fight us face to face! I didn't know saiyans were cowards!" Rasin shouted, his voice wavering with unease. He could hear faint whispers coming from the surrounding shadows, and he could feel eyes on the back of his head, yet when he whirled around, there was nothing there. Without warning, a series of blows struck his body all over, sending him into a patch of shadow. He barely had time to scream before the shadows consumed him.
Lakasei spun around to see his brother gone, only a cracked scouter remaining. "Rasin? Where'd you get off to?" He grabbed the scouter up off the ground, noting the damaged glass. He tapped a button on his own scouter, opening up communications with Amond. "Something isn't right here, Rasin just vanished! Keep your guard up!" Instead of Amond's gruff voice answering him, all he heard was static, interlaced with a soft cackling. "What's wrong with this stupid thing, it's on the fritz!" He nearly bit his tongue when a heavy blow struck him in the back of the head, followed by a series of sharp strikes that rattled his body. Just as he was about to scream for help, something grabbed his foot and dragged him into the shadows, leaving nothing but a broken piece of armor.
"Grh, that Saiyan bitch messed with the wrong Kabochan, when I get my hands on her, she'll wish she was dead!" He clutched the bleeding wound in his chest, thankful that it wasn't fatal, but it was certainly agonizing. He looked up to see that the area had grown dark, almost pitch black. "What the hell is going on? Amond, are you seeing this?" When he got no reply, he looked around, seeing that Amond was gone, it was only himself and Cacao.
"My sensors are malfunctioning, they seem to be giving false readings. Perhaps we should remain vigilant?" Diaz nodded, attempting to stand but falling back down from the pain.
"I'm in no condition to fight, so you'll have to keep the both of us alive. If you see that saiyan, blast her." Diaz grit his teeth in pain, clenching his eyes shut.
"Affirmative. Unless of course she has already dealt with the others, and we are being watched as we speak." Diaz opened his eyes at that comment.
"What the hell are you on about, how the hell could she-?" Cacao was gone, a sheared-off piece of metal lying on the ground a short distance away. "Shit, Cacao! Where the hell are you?" As he searched around, he saw glimpses of something moving amongst the shadows, figures dashing left and right, as well as flashes of light. An energy blast shot out of the shadows, soaring by his head, and the sound of shattering metal made his eyes widen. With a crash, Cacao's body flew out and landed in front of him, his limbs having been torn off. "Cacao?" He stumbled toward his comrade, flipping his body over and seeing that a massive hole had been ripped open in his chest. "Fucking hell, what did she do to you?" He felt a hand grip his shoulder, but when he turned to look, there was nothing there. "Come out here and fight me face to face, you saiyan cunt! Only a fucking coward hides in the shadows!" A flash of light went by his face, and he felt something warm trickle down his chest. He grabbed his neck and saw blood. His eyes went wide as he found himself unable to breathe. A hand shot out of his chest, coated in shadows.
"Didn't anyone ever tell you that foul language is hurtful? Your mother would be ashamed." Before he could turn to look, another hand grabbed his chin, and the last thing he heard was a sickening CRACK and his vision went dark.
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Amond felt like his skin was crawling, as the very air around him seemed to distort. Despite the feeling of unease, he kept his resolve, glancing around for any sign of his allies, or the saiyan. "You'll have to come out at some point, saiyan. I'm not so easily unnerved, so your tricks won't work on me." The shadows twisted and roiled like space had come alive, and the darkness seemed to thicken into a figure, as Shiso stepped out into his view.
"Looks like you're the last one, since I made such quick work of the others." The area became lighter as the shadows receded. Amond looked around, seeing Diaz and Cacao lying dead a short distance away. Rasin and Lakasei were nowhere to be found.
"So it seems. Cacao is surprising, being that his power level was the highest of the five of us. You're no slouch, that much is certain. And your abilities are impressive, my scouter didn't even detect you dispatching the others. The offer is still open, by the way. You could join The Crusher Corps, get out from under Frieza's bootheel, and make your own name for yourself. What do you say, Saiyan?" Amond's smirk grew as he watched her facial expression as she pondered the offer. His smirk didn't last, though.
"No, like I said before, a true saiyan gets stronger of their own accord, not by cheating with some fruit." Shiso dropped into a fighting stance, as Amond's scowl deepened.
"You disappoint me, your power could be a great addition to our cause. But if you wish to settle this violently, I'm more than happy to oblige." Amond dropped into his own fighting stance, waiting for her to make the first move. He was caught off guard by a kick to the side of his head, followed by a series of rapid-fire strikes that sent racks of pain across his body. Before he could figure out what the hell had just happened, a hand appeared in his face, before a blast of dark energy became the last thing he saw.
Turles frowned as all five power signatures vanished, but his interest was peaked. "So, she managed to take out all five of them? And so quickly too, I'm impressed. Perhaps once I beat her into submission, she can prove to be a new second in command. Not to mention, it's been some time since I've seen a saiyan female." His mind raced with depraved thoughts, his grin growing wider. "How fortunate that she survived Planet Vegeta's destruction." He observed the way she killed Amond with ruthless efficiency, giving him no time to react. "I'm going to enjoy this." An alarm began blaring, as a red light flashed.
Shiso found the communications tower quickly enough, seeing that a good majority of the outer structure was destroyed. 'Jeez, they didn't spare much effort to keep things intact. I guess all they cared about was planting their tree.' She blasted a hole through the roof of the tower, landing inside and being assaulted by the sound of an alarm blaring. "So much for the element of surprise."
"Quite right, not that surprise would have helped you anyway." Shiso whirled around, throwing a punch at the owner of the voice, but it was caught easily. "Careful now, you wouldn't want to get hurt, would you? You've already shown that you prefer stealth attacks to a more direct approach." She used Night Shade Burst to wrest her hand from his grip, slipping into the shadows. "Another disappearing act? Honestly, you call yourself a saiyan? I'd expect such tactics from a Yardratian." Shiso watched her opponent from the shadows, noticing that he seemed unaffected by her Umbral Displacement.
'So he's hardier than the others. Great, that doesn't leave me much in the way of options.' Turles simply stood there, glancing back and forth in anticipation of when and where she would reappear. 'He looks like Bardock, but as far as I know, he didn't have any siblings. Seems like a pretty weird coincidence, hell I almost thought he was Kakarot.' She looked up just in time to see a blast fly at her, speeding off to the left to avoid it.
"Just because I can't sense you, doesn't mean I can't hit you. I'll get a lucky hit in eventually, or you'll slip up. Either way, you can't win. The Tree of Might grants me power beyond your reasoning, and it's more than enough to deal with you. But I'm in a good mood, so I'll give you a choice. Come out and swear loyalty to me, and I'll let you live. You can even bear me a strong offspring, a proud warrior to help rebuild the saiyan race! What do you say?" Shiso felt bile rise in her throat at that, the thought sickening her.
"No wonder you only hang out with trees, no one else can stand you. As if I'd degrade myself to procreate with you. I'm an elite, not some low-class saiyan harlot." Another blast flew at her, and she dodged out of the way. Turles scowled as his temper flared.
"You would really pass up the chance to provide new saiyan blood, based on old class standing?! There are no other saiyans alive, aside from a small handful. Who else would you possibly go for, aside from the Prince?" He felt a series of strikes batter his body, his armor cracking. He looked up to see a boot coated in dark energy before it collided with his face. He flew out the observation window, out into the destroyed entrance area, his face burning. "YOU BLASTED LITTLE STRUMPET! I'LL MAKE THIS PLANET YOUR GRAVE!" He powered up, looking around to see where she could have gone too before another series of strikes shattered his armor, leaving dark burning splotches all across his torso. 'Damnit, how is she doing so much damage to me?! Her power level is lower than mine!' Shiso seemed to know what he was thinking.
"You see, the thing about power levels is, they don't matter if you can catch your opponent off guard. I'm not gonna die here 'cause I have someone I need to find." Another series of blows sent him hurtling to the ground, his back feeling like it was on fire. He tried to get up, but a crushing blow to his back sent him back into the dirt. A strange numbing sensation spread throughout his lower body.
"What the hell did you do to me?! Why can't I feel my legs?" Turles tried to keep his fear from seeping into his voice, but the environment seemed to twist and contort around him.
"I severed your spinal cord, paralyzing you from the waist down. Not that it'll matter in a few moments. Thanks to that tree you planted, this planet is no longer of any use to Frieza, so I'll have to get rid of it. I'm sure he won't mind. Now if you'll excuse me, I really have to be going." He heard a burst of ki as she shot off into the distance, and he struggled to pick himself up to follow. He turned himself as best he could to see a pod launch of in the distance, before a giant purple ball of energy crashed into the planet's surface, creating tremors as the planet's core destabilized. He grinned as he felt the planet begin to shake, as the ground cracked under him, lava bursting out all over.
Shiso watched from a safe distance as the planet detonated, destroying the tree. She put a call through to Frieza. "The planet's gone, Lord Frieza. It was damaged beyond salvaging by a group of mercenaries led by a rouge saiyan, so I destroyed it." She heard him sigh on the other end.
"Well, I suppose it can't be helped. That outpost had outlived it's usefulness anyway. Make your way back, Shiso, and do be quick about it."
"Right away, Lord Frieza." Shiso punched in the coordinates for Frieza Planet 17, as the residual shockwave from the planet's detonation expanded outward, and she used it as a method of propulsion to launch her pod at a greater speed. She smiled as she thought about finding Bage, and finally speaking to a member of her family after nearly 13 years.
Chapter Twelve: An Invasion Force Arrives, by Order of Frieza! Bage Meets a Powerful Foe, Dryce! The Tragic Loss of a Friend Triggers The Wrath of The Super Saiyan!
Chapter Twelve: An Invasion Force Arrives, by Order of Frieza! Bage Meets a Powerful Foe, Dryce! The Tragic Loss of a Friend Triggers The Wrath of The Super Saiyan!
Ponyville, Golden Oaks Library
The dawn painted Ponyville in hues of gold, and the once-looming menace of Nightmare Moon a week prior had faded into the background. Yet, for Bage, a new adversary emerged from the shadows—boredom. In a town that whispered tranquility near the enigmatic Everfree forest, he found himself yearning for excitement. Even the camaraderie of newfound friends failed to dispel the monotony.
"Oh, for the love of Frieza, Twilight! Can't we do something? Anything would beat watching you read," Bage groaned, his head colliding with a bookshelf in frustration.
Twilight sighed, closing her tome of 'Starswirl's Guide to Advanced Thaumaturgy' and casting a glance at him. "If you're so bored, why not lend a hoof to Applejack? She could use some help on the farm. It might even toughen you up a bit," she suggested, capturing his attention.
"Hey, you're onto something. I'll get Dash involved, and turn it into a competition! Thanks, Nerd Pone!" Bage exclaimed, zooming out the door as Twilight chuckled to herself and resumed reading.
Through Ponyville's streets, Bage maneuvered with agility, weaving through residents on a mission. He ascended to a cloud and plucked Rainbow Dash from her nap.
"What the—Hey! Bage, what's gotten into you?" she snapped, struggling to grasp their breakneck speed.
"I've got a training idea, a competition. Are you in?" Bage asked, and Rainbow scoffed.
"Always up for a challenge, but seriously, could you let me go?" she pleaded, and he released his grip, dropping her.
"Sorry, I'm just restless. Ever since Nightmare Moon, I've been stuck in a boredom spiral. The library was driving me nuts, and Twilight wasn't helping," Bage grumbled, and Rainbow rolled her eyes.
"I get it. That whole Nightmare Moon thing was a rollercoaster, and now it's like, 'What's next?'" Rainbow mused, twirling around Bage. Despite his quirks, she enjoyed his company. He matched her speed, faced down changelings, and even turned Queen Chrysalis into a punching bag. Sure, there were attitude issues, but she could handle that.
"Yeah, exactly! It's maddening to have nothing to do. Wouldn't be so bad if I had a way to train," Bage muttered, arms crossed. "If only Celestia could drop everything and spar with me. Luna's still recovering from her banishment, too."
Rainbow Dash stayed silent, unable to relate to the latter part. "Where are we going, anyway?" she asked, and Bage pointed towards Sweet Apple Acres. "Applejack's farm? How's that considered training?"
Bage smirked, nudging her dangerously close to the ground. "It's simple. Whoever does the most work gets lunch paid for by the loser. And if that's not enticing enough, I've got a stipend from the crown for technically beating the mare in the moon. Some ancient challenge from one of Blueblood's ancestors. Celestia never nullified it. The winner takes it, along with a free lunch. Are you in?" he challenged, and Rainbow narrowed her eyes.
"YOU'RE ON! You're paying for the whole menu at The Haystack!" she shouted, speeding off towards the farm.
"Oh no you don't!" Bage called out, a mischievous grin on his face as he raced after her.
Bage (suppressed; weighted gear) Power level: 39,000
"I can't believe you managed to beat me by a single bushel. You better not pig out for lunch tomorrow," Rainbow Dash warned, causing Bage to laugh.
"Don't worry, I won't make you foot the bill. I only said that to lure you into my little training gambit. And I gotta say, it paid off. Your strength feels a lot higher now," Bage declared, causing Rainbow Dash to arch an intrigued eyebrow.
"Really? Well, I suppose you'd be the expert. What's it like, sensing energy anyway?" she inquired, as Bage furrowed his brow in contemplation.
"It's akin to standing by a blazing campfire, feeling its warmth. Only, you can sense that warmth from a great distance. For instance, I can feel Celestia and Luna up in Canterlot. Celestia's power is waning with the setting sun, while Luna is growing stronger simultaneously," Bage elucidated, gesturing towards the castle. "I can even sense Fluttershy in her cottage, and—" Bage abruptly halted, his complexion paling, eyes widening. "Oh, this is not good," he muttered before abruptly turning on his heels and streaking towards Canterlot.
"Hey, wait up!" Rainbow Dash called, taking flight in pursuit.
'That power, it's immense. No doubt about it, that's Frieza,' Bage thought, his senses detecting the overwhelming power descending upon the planet's atmosphere.
"Bage, what's happening? I've never seen anypony go pale that fast, except for Shy. Is something wrong?" Dash questioned, struggling to keep pace.
"There's a crisis. I need to alert Celestia. Head back to Ponyville and gather Twilight and the others. We might need the Elements again," he instructed, his tone resolute and grave.
'Then again, I'm not sure the Elements will even make a dent against Frieza.' Bage glanced skyward, spotting the ship as it descended. It appeared smaller than he remembered. Maybe this wasn't Frieza's ship at all; it could be one of his underlings. 'I hope Sunset can safeguard Canterlot. She's nearly as strong as I am with my weighted gear.' He accelerated towards Canterlot, eyes fixed on the ship as it loomed ominously in his field of vision.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Sunset danced with lethal grace, swiftly evading a guard's punch and toppling him with a forceful kick. Bage's absence left her with only guards to spar against, their feeble attempts at resistance providing little challenge. Mid-strike, she sensed an ominous power approaching Canterlot, causing her to pause. "Who in the hell is that? Certainly not Bage, unless he's undergone a power surge from battling Nightmare Moon," she mused.
Her attention shifted toward the source of the immense energy, blocking a punch from a pegasus guard without missing a beat. Tossing him into an unsuspecting unicorn, Sunset focused on the approaching force. "This can't be good. I've never felt anything like this. It's like Bage, but not quite," she muttered, glancing toward Ponyville where Bage's presence manifested. As if on cue, he streaked overhead toward the throne room, leaving Sunset in puzzled determination. "Speak of the devil."
Bage sprinted through the castle's halls, effortlessly sidestepping servants and redirecting Blueblood into a suit of armor. "No time for laughter," he quipped, colliding with Sunset as he turned a corner. "Forgot how hard your armor is," she groaned, rubbing her horn.
"I forgot how sharp your horn is," Bage retorted, helping her up. "Did you sense that power heading this way?"
Sunset nodded. "Yeah, and I'm guessing you did too?"
Bage confirmed, "I need you to ensure Canterlot survives. If it's who I think it is, he's not alone. Frieza might not handle things personally, but he brings his lackeys."
"But their energy seems pitiful, aside from the big one," Sunset scoffed. Bage's grim expression told a different story.
"The citizens aren't that powerful, so protect the city. I'll face Frieza and buy time for Twilight and the others to gather the elements," Bage instructed, eyes fixed on the throne room. "Can you warn Celestia?"
"Of course, but if you're in trouble, I'm coming to help," Sunset declared, playfully punching Bage's arm.
Bage chuckled, "Sure, be my 'mare in shining armor,' Bacon Head." With that, he darted down the hall.
"Jerk. Just wait till this is over," Sunset muttered, galloping toward the throne room.
As he headed back to Ponyville, Bage observed a ship landing between Canterlot and the town. Soldiers spilled out, prompting him to accelerate. A soldier greeted him, waving him over. "Hey, a Saiyan! I'm not sure how you beat us here, but I'm glad you did. You wanna help us take out some of the populace?"
Bage clenched his fists, advancing. "Yeah, sure, I'll help," he replied, only to abruptly strike the soldier down. "I'll help kick your ass."
Another soldier protested, "Aren't saiyans supposed to serve Lord Frieza?" Bage's glare silenced him, a lethal blast following suit. Facing the ship, he demanded, "Frieza! Get out here!"
A menacing silhouette materialized from the darkness, disdain etched across its features. "As if I would degrade myself to compare to that bastard," he scoffed. With the advent of sunlight, the figure's distinct features became apparent—cyan skin adorned with black armor, a red scouter and piercing red irises beneath a pronounced scar that traversed his left eye. Lacking horns but possessing a robust muscular build, he introduced himself with a chilling declaration, "I am Dryce, and I am here to lay waste to this world, starting with you." accompanied by a sinister grin that revealed bloodstained teeth. "It's only polite to inform you of the one who will seal your fate, considering you won't live long enough to regret your mistaking me with Frieza."
Dryce Power Level:126000
"Then get ready, cause I'm about to kick your ass all the way back to Frieza's feet!" Bage declared with a steely resolve. He lunged at Dryce, fists cutting through the air in a whirlwind of impending violence. Yet, the adversary proved elusive, slipping through the attack like a phantom.
Before Bage could fathom the evasion, a thunderous blow crashed into his side, sending him hurtling toward the unforgiving ground. The earth trembled as he created a massive furrow upon impact. Springing to his feet, he barely managed to lift a defense before another punishing punch sent him careening into the side of Mount Canterhorn. Dryce, relentless, delivered a follow-up kick that embedded Bage even deeper into the unyielding rock.
Gasping for breath, Bage wrestled himself from the grasp of the mountain, determination etched on his bruised face. Power surged within him as he clashed with Dryce once more, fists meeting in a clash of titans.
"You wield some tricks, Saiyan, but my patience wears thin," Dryce proclaimed with a sinister resolve. "I'm here for a purpose — to conquer this planet, and no one will prevent me from doing so."
The air crackled with tension as Dryce sealed his declaration with a brutal knee to Bage's gut, followed by a savage elbow that brought the warrior crashing to the ground.
Spitting out bile, Bage rose, his spirit unbroken. "I'm far from finished; I haven't even begun to exert myself," he growled defiantly.
Dryce laughed scornfully, crossing his arms in arrogant mockery. "Is that so, Saiyan? Then show me the extent of your power when you truly put forth an effort."
In response, Bage swiftly discarded his weighted armor, the impact creating a small crater upon its dismissal. With a primal roar, his energy surged, causing Dryce's scouter to go haywire in the face of the escalating maelstrom. The battlefield quivered with the impending clash of two forces on the brink of cataclysm.
Power Level: 45,000
Dryce's eyebrow arched with incredulity. "Well, 45,000, the Saiyan wasn't lying. Too bad it's not enough." He deftly evaded a punch, sidestepped a kick. Bage unleashed a flurry of blows, each one met by Dryce's agile evasion. "I have to say, I'm rather disappointed so far. I expected something a little more exciting. Oh well." Dryce's foot crashed into Bage's chest, halting him abruptly.
"AHHUGH!" Bage felt the sickening crack of a rib, the blow threatening to plunge him into unconsciousness.
"Come now, Saiyan. Give me something good, something amusing. I'm getting bored here." Impatience etched Dryce's face as he tapped a finger on his arm.
Bage growled, his thoughts racing. 'What the hell do I do?! I've got nothing left to throw at him! Wait, maybe I can buy some time by blowing up his scouter. That way I can think of a plan.' A beam streaked toward Dryce's head, shattering the scouter. 'Bingo.' Smoke veiled Bage's movements as he vanished within.
"Hmmm? Oh, you were aiming for my scouter. I don't see how that-" Dryce's words cut off as Bage unleashed an explosion, shrouding the battlefield. "Oh, you clever dick!"
Rising from the ground, Bage concealed himself in a cloud. 'Alright, think. What can I do to stall this guy until Twilight gets the Elements?' An idea sparked. 'The Wrath Bomber, that's it!' Interlocking his fingers, Bage began charging his Ki. 'Let's hope this works.'
Dryce scanned for the elusive Saiyan. "Come out, Saiyan, my patience grows thin. I'd rather not have to start blowing up rocks and buildings to find you!" His fists clenched. "Fine, then I guess I can just start killing off the populace. At least that will be entertaining."
"WRATH BOMBER!"
"What?" Dryce looked up to witness a colossal ball of energy hurtling towards him. "HOW THE HELL DID YOU-" The explosion engulfed him. "Take that, you stupid, scar-faced jerk!" Bage gloated as the smoke dispersed, revealing Dryce, injured but far from defeated.
The air crackled with tension as Dryce lunged at Bage with a ferocious energy blade slash. 'Oh, crap!'
"I'LL KILL YOU, YOU SAIYAN BASTARD!" Dryce screamed, aiming for Bage's neck. Bage strained to catch the energy blade, their struggle echoing across the devastated area.
"YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST KILL ME SO EASILY, WITH SUCH A DIRTY TRICK?! I'LL MAKE SURE THERE ISN'T EVEN ENOUGH OF YOU TO BURY ON THIS BARREN ROCK WHEN I'M DONE!" Dryce's threat reverberated through the air.
A sudden hoof to Dryce's face sent him hurtling, as Sunset intervened. "Not if I have anything to say about it. The only one kicking his ass is me," she declared, drawing Bage's attention.
Bage, catching his breath, teased, "What happened to making sure Canterlot was safe? Don't tell me you got bored."
Sunset grinned, "Please, those soldiers didn't last 5 minutes, but you almost got a little too much off the top there." She frowned at Dryce. "Is that him? Frieza?"
"No, some guy called Dryce. Apparently, Frieza had him as a lackey this whole time and sent him to take care of conquering this planet," Bage clarified.
"Second-rate minion, then. Got it," Sunset quipped, powering up for battle.
Bage stopped her. "Hold on, he's way too strong for you alone. Let's take him on together." Their hands met in agreement.
Dryce, recovering from Sunset's blow, protested, "What is this, some sort of joke?! I'm not amused!"
Sunset smirked, shedding her weighted armor. "Trust me, if this were a joke, you'd be at the center."
"Oh, you think you're CUTE?!" Dryce shrieked, his eye twitching.
Sunset powered up, confidently retorting, "Bitch, I'm adorable." The battlefield crackled with energy as the trio prepared for a showdown.
"That's a matter of opinion, Fire Flank." Bage dodged Dryce's attack, swiftly countering with a punch to the side of Dryce's head.
"Oh, fuck off, Bage! You're just jealous because you look like a shaved gorilla!" Sunset taunted, gracefully evading a punch from Dryce.
"Then what does that make you, Celestia's failed pet project?" Bage retorted, countering Dryce's attempted kick with a powerful knee to the gut.
"Failed pet project? You were more of a pet than I was!" Sunset shot back, retaliating with a series of energy blasts that created a smoke cloud for cover.
"Whatever, you're still mad that Twilight got chosen as the Bearer of Magic over you." Bage turned towards Sunset, grinning amidst the chaos.
"You shut your mouth, I easily could have done what she did if you hadn't distracted me!" Sunset yelled over the commotion.
"Distracted you?! You asked me to train you, how the hell was that distracting you?!" Bage yelled back.
"I could've been twice the magic user she was, if you hadn't shown off that you coul-" Suddenly, a piercing beam cut through Sunset's chest, silencing her. "Wha, agh..." Her aura vanished, and she crumpled to the ground.
"SUNSET!" Bage screamed, rushing to catch her. As she landed in his arms, her lifeless eyes stared up at him. Shock paralyzed him. It had happened so quickly; he hadn't even noticed Dryce firing the beam.
"Oh, was she important to you? Please tell me she was. I just love it when I kill important people!" Dryce reveled in the sorrow on Bage's face. Tearfully, Bage dropped Sunset's body to the ground, standing up. "You killed my best friend. You're going to pay for that!" Bage's aura flared outward, pulsing and flashing a golden glow.
Infused with grief and rage, Bage unleashed a torrent of energy, his power level skyrocketing. The battleground trembled with the intensity of the impending clash between the grief-stricken warrior and the sadistic invader
Twilight, having received the Elements, handed them to her friends as the ground rumbled. Dark clouds formed, yellow lightning striking outside Ponyville. "What is that? Is that Bage?" she wondered, gazing toward the golden glow, as a veritable wind storm sent anything that wasn't tied down, scattering all over.
"If that's Bage, I reckon he's mighty upset," Applejack remarked, holding her hat to her head.
"I'll go check it out!" Rainbow Dash took off.
"Rainbow Dash, wait! We need to... and she's gone." Twilight shook her head, watching the rainbow contrail.
Rainbow flew over the ship parked outside Ponyville, witnessing Bage standing over somepony while a strange alien laughed nearby. Landing, she saw Bage trembling, fury etched on his face. 'Woah, I'm glad I've never made him mad.' Glancing at the pony on the ground, she was shocked to see a pool of blood. 'Is that pony, dead? Oh dear Celestia, no!' She looked back at Bage, whose aura flashed between white and yellow.
Dryce cackled madly, reveling in the chaos. "Oh, how touching! The hero in a fit of rage! Let's see how long you can keep up the act!" He said in a mocking tone, his energy blade gleaming ominously.
"You're going to PAAAAAAAAAY!" Bage's scream reverberated as his aura exploded, cracking the ground beneath him, hair turning golden, eyes glowing teal. The force pushed Rainbow Dash back. Getting to her hooves, she saw Bage staring right at her. "Rainbow, grab Sunset, get to Ponyville, and tell Twilight to have the Elements ready." Bage's voice was steely and dangerous.
"Wait, you want me to grab a dead pony? Gross, I'm not-" Bage shot a blast at her hooves, making her jump.
"THIS ISN'T UP FOR DISCUSSION! GRAB SUNSET AND GET TO PONYVILLE, NOW!" He screamed, and Rainbow rushed over, grabbed Sunset, and flew off. Bage glared at Dryce, his teeth clenched, and his fist raised. "I won't let you kill anyone else! This ends now!"
Dryce stared at the golden haired saiyan in front of him, his laughter from earlier having quickly died off. "You, what happened to you?! You're different, what the hell are you?!" Dryce demanded, but Bage stayed silent, staring him down. "WELL? ANSWER ME! YOU DID SOMETHING, YOU CHANGED! WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Bage still did not answer, continuing to glare, fists clenched and teeth bared. Bage took a step toward him, then another, his aura flickering wildly.
In the distance, Rainbow Dash sped towards Ponyville, cradling Sunset's lifeless body. The weight of the unicorns limp form spurred her to push her limits, breaking the sound barrier in her haste. She burst through the clouds above Ponyville, catching the attention of the gathered ponies.
Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy turned their attention to Rainbow Dash as she landed dramatically. Twilight saw the body Rainbow was carrying, her eyes going wide. "Is that... Sunset? What's happening? Where's Bage? Who did this?!" Twilight asked, concern etched on her face.
Rainbow gently laid Sunset's body on the ground. "Bage is... he changed. Like, he's all glowey, and he's peeved! We need the Elements, now!"
Twilight nodded, a determined look on her face. "Alright, lets go help our friend!"
Back at the battlefield, Bage and Dryce were locked in a fierce struggle. Bage's golden aura clashed with Dryce's dark energy. Every punch, kick, and blast sent shockwaves rippling through the air. The ground beneath them cracked and heaved as their powers clashed.
"You're just a pawn, a tool for destruction," Bage spat, pushing against Dryce's blade.
Dryce chuckled sinisterly. "And yet, here I am, bringing chaos to your pitiful world. Who's the real tool now, Saiyan?"
Bage's eyes blazed with intensity as he mustered all his strength. "I won't let you destroy everything I care about!"
As the battle raged on, Twilight and her friends, now adorned with the Elements of Harmony, teleported to the battlefield. The air crackled with magic as they confronted the chaos unfolding before them.
"Bage, we're here for you!" Twilight called out, her voice carrying a mixture of determination and concern.
Bage glanced back at his friends, a flicker of gratitude in his eyes. "I can't let him harm anyone else. Get ready, because this ends now!" With a renewed surge of power, Bage charged back into the fray, the Elements of Harmony glowing brightly in the background.
The battlefield became a maelstrom of energy, as the forces of good and evil clashed in a desperate struggle. The fate of Ponyville, and perhaps the entire planet, hung in the balance.
Lord Frieza Command Ship, Deep Space on route to Planet Rudan
"Lord Frieza, Dryce's signal is gone. Should we change course and investigate?" Appule asked, looking toward the hover chair.
"Hardly. If he blundered into his demise, it's his own imbecilic fault. And if he's gone rogue, we'll deal with him in due time. Right now, our focus remains on the crucial matter. Stay on course for Planet Rudan; the sooner we conclude this, the better," Frieza dismissed Appule's concerns with a wave, tapping the armrest of his chair. "After all, what's the worst that could unfold on such a primitive world?"
"Well, Lord Frieza, from the snippets we gathered over the connection, it appears he encountered a Saiyan," Appule revealed, causing the shattering sound of glass to resonate through the ship's bridge. Frieza had clenched his wine glass so fiercely that it shattered.
"A... Saiyan, Appule? Are you absolutely certain? No mistakes?" Frieza's voice quivered with anger. Appule gulped, desperately searching for a way to navigate this perilous situation.
"Y-yes, Lord Frieza. We didn't catch a name, but his power reading was around 45,000, and YIPE!" Appule's heart skipped a beat as a beam narrowly missed his head, the sound of destruction ringing in his ears.
"THERE ARE NO SAIYANS WITH SUCH A HIGH POWER LEVEL. YOUR EQUIPMENT MUST BE FAULTY. UTTER THAT LIE AGAIN, AND NEXT TIME, I WON'T MISS!" Frieza bellowed, draining the color from Appule's face.
"Yes, Lord Frieza," Appule whimpered, hastily retreating from the room. Frieza turned back to the window, fixing his gaze on a small green dot in the distance—the imminent destination, Planet Rudan.
"Perhaps I should have dispatched his handler; she could have kept him in check with that remote of hers. Oh well, hindsight is 20/20." Frieza snapped his fingers, summoning a soldier to bring him another glass, which was promptly filled with wine.
CRACK. "MHMHahaha." A statue in the Canterlot gardens began to glow with a menacing, chaotic energy. "A death, in Equestria? How bizarre, you're starting to slip up Celestia. Looks like I'm SLATED for an early release. Get ready, readers, because we're all due for some chaos, MHMHAHAHAH."
"You killed her, you came here to kill everyone. I don't care if Frieza ordered it, you're still going to pay!" Bage spat, his nails digging into his palms so hard that they bled. Dryce raised his hands to fire a Kaizer Beam, but Bage sped forward and grabbed his hands.
"GAH, let go of me you bastard!" Dryce struggled to pull away, but Bages' grip was too strong. He squeezed, and Dryce felt his wrists crack. "AAHH, please, I'm sorry, just don't kill me!" Bage grabbed the collar around his neck, lifting him into the air, the collar straining under the weight.
"What makes you think you can just talk your way out of this? What makes you think I'll just forgive you?!" Bage yelled, the collar beginning to buckle. "You killed Sunset right in front of me, while her guard was down! Do you have no pride, no honor?!" One of the collars connectors snapped, and the rest failed soon after. Dryce fell back to the ground, the collar that had held him captive for so long landing in front him. But he could only stare in fear at the figure in front of him. Bage lifted a hand, charging a Fury Lancer. "I'm going to kill you, just like you killed her. Like you were planning to do to the rest of the planet!" Just before he could fire, a voice cried out.
"BAGE, STOP! YOU BEAT HIM, PLEASE STOP!" Twilight and her friends galloped toward him, wearing the Elements of Harmony. "Bage, please, don't do this!"
"WHY NOT? WHY SHOULD I LET HIM LIVE?!? HE KILLED HER, HE WAS GOING TO KILL EVERYONE, WHY SHOULD HE GET ANY MERCY?!" Bage roared, making Twilight flinch and Fluttershy duck behind Applejack.
"Because you're not a killer, Bage. I've known you for 12 years, and I've seen you change. This isn't you." Twilight reached a hoof toward him, but he just growled.
"I've killed plenty, Twilight. This is no different. Those soldiers, every planet I helped conquer under Frieza, I would've killed Celestia if she hadn't tricked me when we first met. SO TELL ME HOW YOU KNOW I'M NOT A KILLER?!"
"Because you didn't kill Celestia. You didn't kill me. Those soldiers were threatening Ponyville, and Equestria as a whole. That's how I know." Twilight stepped closer to Bage, trying to grab his hand. Bage glared at her, his hand twitching. Suddenly, he rushed forward grabbing Dryce's hand right as he fired a death beam, sending it off course and missing Twilight by a hairsbreadths'.
Bage picked Dryce up and hurled him at the side of Mount Canterhorn, his body crashing into the hole Bage had made before. "STOP TRYING TO PLAY MEDIATOR, TWILIGHT! HAVE THE ELEMNTS READY, AND MAYBE THERE'LL BE ENOUGH LEFT OF HIM TO PETRIFY!" Bage screamed, and flew at Dryce kicking him into the air.
Twilight stood stock still, panting. She had been a mere moment away from death, and Bage had saved her. "Twilight, darling, are you alright?" Rarity placed a hoof on her shoulder in concern, but Twilight shook her head.
"He, th-that alien, he, almost k-killed me. I a-almost, d-died." Twilight stuttered, her eyes wide and unfocused. A series of sonic booms shook the ground beneath them, sending shockwaves that shattered windows across Ponyville and Canterlot.
Bage was going all out, sending punch after kick against Dryce's body, ping-ponging him back and forth across the sky. Everytime he'd get a moment to compose himself, another punch struck him in the jaw, or a kick sent him spiraling through the air. 'This is what he meant when he said he wasn't trying! Is this the legend Frieza was so afraid of? The Super Saiyan?' Dryce thought as he was knocked this way and that, hardly able to even defend himself.
A flurry of punches rattled his body, breaking ribs and forcing him to cough up blood. 'I need to think of something. I need to stop this, or he'll kill me!' Dryce remembered something he heard a long time ago, before he was enslaved by Frieza, a rumor about wish orbs. His one eye that wasn't swollen shut widened. "WAIT, I know how you can get your friend back!" Dryce yelled, and a punch stopped just short of his face. Bage glared at him, silently demanding he continue. "I heard something, before I was sent here, about a set of wish orbs. They can grant any wish! If you let me live I can tell you where they are, a-and I can even take you there!"
Bages' eyes narrowed, and he lowered his fist. "Do you honestly think I'm going to believe that?" He asked, crossing his arms.
"N-No its true! They were created by a race called Namekians! If we leave now, we could probably get to their planet in 8 months time, I swear!" Dryce was desperate at this point, waving his hands wildly. Bage stared him down, debating over whether or not to trust him.
"Fine, but if you're telling the truth, which I doubt, you have to do one thing." Bage watched as Dryce's eye lit up.
"Of course, anything!" Dryce said eagerly. Bage pointed down towards Twilight and the others.
"You're going to get blasted by the Elements, and if there's even a shred of decency in you, you'll be purified. If there isn't, you'll be left as a statue, and I'll turn you into rubble, got it?!" Bage spat, his eyes flashing dangerously. Dryce weighed his options, and figured if he was petrified at least he wouldn't feel himself get shattered.
"Sure, you've got it, whatever I need to do." He agreed, and Bage grabbed him and flew down toward the group on the ground.
"Alright, Twilight, do it," Bage ordered. Twilight snapped out of her trance and lit her horn, the rest of the Elements activating. A massive beam of prismatic harmonic energy shot up and then down toward the the two of them. The beam struck and Dryce felt as if every atom of his body were on fire, his mind being compressed, his skin crawling. But after a few moments, he felt his mind growing clearer, and the pain of his injuries faded. The light died down, and he opened his eyes, seeing that the destruction that had littered the landscape was gone. His wounds had been healed. "Tch, looks like you got lucky. Count your blessings, cause you aren't out of the woods yet." Bage told him, causing Dryce to flinch.
"Now settle down there, Bage, If the Elements ain't turned him to dust, I reckon he's good to go." Applejack said, trying to calm Bage down and prevent another fight from breaking out. Bage looked at her with a glare, Applejack giving one of her own. Eventually, Bage caved and turned away, grunting.
Dryce let out a sigh he hadn't realized he'd been holding. His mind felt so, clear, so free. Like he could truly think for the first time. He looked at Bage, and saw that his injuries were also healed, his armor repaired. But his glare remained, directed right at him, his golden aura flaring wildly. "If you were telling the truth, then lets go, and if you try to betray me, not even the Elements will be able to save you when I'm done." Bage threatened, causing Dryce to shrink back.
"Bage, what about... Sunset? Shouldn't we hold a funeral?" Fluttershy mumbled, stepping out from behind Applejack. Bage looked toward her, and his glare softened.
"If what he said is true, we won't need to. I'm going to bring her back." Bage told her, his voice lowering. "Lets go, Dryce." Bage spat his name like it were something foul, shoving him toward the ship. As they walked to the ship, however, a flash of light made the ship turn into a massive rubber duck, the landscape becoming a checkerboard, and the sun and moon moving erratically. "What the ♐︎◆︎♍︎🙵?! Why can't I say ♐︎◆︎♍︎🙵?" Bage clapped his hands over his mouth as a massive lock and chain latched it shut. He tried to tug on it, but it wouldn't budge.
"NOW, NOW. No profanity whilst I'm around. There are young fillies present after all." A deep, menacing voice rang out across the landscape, as the sun and moon came together to form two giant eyes, with yellow sclera and red pupils. The Elements of Harmony vanished off of Twilight and the others, as the voice laughed hysterically. With a flash, a creature that Bage recognized instantly from a stained glass window that he saw over a decade ago, appeared before them, cackling. "Oh, you should the looks on your faces. They're hilarious!" The creature doubled over, literally forming two of himself, as they laughed in unison. "OH, dear me, I haven't laughed that hard in ages. I think it's time we liven things up around here, what do you say?" Bage growled, launching himself at the creature. It simply zipped open its front, letting Bage fly through, and zipped it back again. A pocket watch popped out of it's ear, ticked for a few seconds, before a hole opened in midair, and Bage tumbled out.
"Seriously, what the ♒︎♏︎●︎●︎?" Bage barked, and the lock reappeared, clicking into place.
"Settle down now, Bage. If you keep up that potty mouth, that lock will take longer to come off." The creature patted Bage's head, his Super Saiyan form dissipating as he reverted to his base form. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm in charge now, so no foul language. This is my chance to bring about a whole new era, of chaos. MHMHAHAHAHAHA!"
Bage (Super Saiyan)POWER Level: 2,250,000
Dryce POWER Level: 126,000
Discord Power level: 🗐︎🗄︎⌛︎📄︎🖲︎⌛︎🗏︎🖰︎🗏︎⌛︎📄︎⌛︎🖰︎🖮︎
"Not yet, it's much too soon to let that cat out of the bag."
Chapter Thirteen: A World in Chaos! Discord's Twisted Games begin!
Chapter Thirteen: A World in Chaos! Discord's Twisted Games Begin!
"OOOH, I like that title! It gives off a nice little 'What's it mean?' kind of vibe!" Discord chuckled, snapped his fingers, and conjured a floating 'Foreshadowing' sign. Bage grit his teeth, wanting to knock the smug look off of Discord's ugly muzzle, but he knew it wouldn't do any good. Discord was simply too fast for him to hit; it would be like Rainbow Dash trying to race her own shadow.
"Oh come now, Bage, wipe that look off your face. I know what's going through that little brain of yours. You want to sock me one, give me a big shiner-" Discord made his eye turn purple, giving off a light glow "-just so you can take out some of your anger. But I'm afraid you'll have to wait for that. You see, I've been waiting for this for over a thousand years, and I'm not going to let a little chimp with anger issues get in the way of me finally getting to let loose. If you want to beat me, you'll have to play along just like the others." Bage could feel his anger boiling over, imagining all the ways he could turn Discord into a puddle.
"Oh, believe me, I'm gonna do a lot more than that. I don't have time to deal with your bull-" Bage grimaced, biting back the intended word when he noticed Discord's coy smile "-honkey right now. As I'm sure you're aware, I just lost someone close to me, and I'm not in the mood to play around." Discord grinned, his eyes lighting up with mischievous intent. His mind raced with ideas, each one more hilarious than the last.
"Oh yes, I'm more than aware. It's actually why I'm free in the first place. The last time there was a death in Equestria, the Windigos were still around. See, I couldn't help but overhear your little discussion with 'Dryce' here, and I'm intrigued by these 'wish orbs,' and I want to see them for myself. The power to grant any wish is quite impressive, something I could have done if the sisters hadn't ruined my fun." A cartoony image of Celestia and Luna wearing 'Party Pooper' t-shirts popped into existence, as a tiny crayon rainbow blasted the cartoon Discord, turning him to stone. Twilight and the others looked at each other, confused but on edge. Dryce, meanwhile, wasn't sure what to make of any of it. He cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention.
"Sorry, but how exactly did you overhear our conversation, when you were nowhere near us?" Discord wrapped around Dryce's body, resting his elbow on Dryce's head.
"Now that, my dear frost demon, is a trade secret. In a way you can understand, I am Discord, spirit of chaos and disharmony, so I can essentially do whatever I please. That includes-" Bage shot a blast at Discord's head, which he avoided by sucking his head into his body, but it did interrupt him.
"Turning the very fabric of reality into his own personal ball of yarn. I read all about you, and I asked Celestia about you as well. You terrorized Equestria over a thousand years ago, and you enjoy causing ponies suffering for your own twisted amusement." Discord popped his head back out, frowning.
"Yes, I suppose that sums it up beautifully, although it's rude to interrupt people. If your parents were still alive I'm sure they'd be disappointed in you." Bage about popped a blood vessel at that, the urge to turn Discord into a pretzel becoming harder to ignore. "As I was saying, yes, I can play with reality like a foal with a rubber ball. But I can also mess with time, space, gravity, and all the other laws of physics, whenever reality needs to tap out." Discord snapped his fingers, making a wrestling ring appear, as another Discord had an animated instance of the word 'reality' in a chokehold, as it tapped frantically to ask for mercy. Another snap caused it to disappear. "I can't pull reality apart too much, or might not spring back. Time and space, on the other hand, are much more hardy. Gravity is even more so. I can do as I please with gravity, and it hardly minds! As for your question, I simply dropped a line." He pulled a line down from a passing cotton candy cloud, as it gave off little sparks of electricity, traveling along a winding path to another Discord, pulling wires and plugging them into other points on a large wall of wires. "Aaah, the days of operators. Simply plop in a bit, and you can call anyone in the multiverse. Very handy, they were. Of course, they had an upcharge of five bits for anything past dimension █████████-Alpha. Thankfully I never had to make a call that far, mostly because that dimension sucks." Discord unwrapped himself from around Dryce, flying over to Bage and resting on his hair. "As for you, Mr. Saiyan, I have to say I do enjoy the chaos you've caused simply by being here. You cause chaos without even trying. Very impressive, if I do say so myself. And I do!" Bage swung at Discord, and to his credit, he managed to hit him, but Discord simply shattered into a flock of butter-flies, those being flies made of butter.
"Do you have a mute button? I would really love to smash it into dust if it means shutting you up. What are you even planning, anyway?!" Discord rolled his eyes, before teleporting next to a display board.
"Well, if you must know. I USED to have a mute button, but I sold it for a golden backscratcher. As for your second question, I suppose I've kept you all waiting long enough. To put it simply, I've teleported the elements of harmony to a remote location, and if you want to find them and defeat me, you'll have to pass a series of trials. Trials that I've perfectly crafted to push your core values to their limits. Dryce will be exempt, of course, since he was just hit by the elements, and therefore I couldn't do anything to him even if I wanted to. The rest of you, however, will have to participate. The rules are simple-" Discord snapped his fingers, causing Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy to lose their wings, and Twilight and Rarity to lose their horns. Bage also felt as if all of his energy had been drained from his body, and he fell to his hands and knees "-Flying and magic are banned, as well as ki abilities. No cheating allowed, unless it's done by me. In addition, all of you must play, or you lose. And I win. Does everyone understand?" Bage growled as he struggled to push himself to his feet, undoing his weighted armor and clenching his fists. "Perfect! Now, just as a show of good faith, should you all win and find the elements, I'll help you start your journey to Namek. After all, I'm not heartless. If there's nothing else, LET THE TRIALS BEGIN!" Discord snapped his fingers, causing the entire group to be transported to another area. Bage looked around and saw that they were in a massive room with doors all around them, 6 in total.
Bage (Power Drained) Power Level: 250
Discord lowered himself down on a small platform, holding a large lollipop with a wire attached to it, running up to a large speaker. "Fillies, and gentle-saiyan, welcome to the Trials of the Six! Behind these doors are a series of challenges, meant to test your very selves, the harmonic principles that make you who you are! Only one of you can enter each door, except for Bage. You may choose which of your 'friends' you wish to accompany. However, you can only choose one, and once you enter their door, you can't leave until they finish their trials. Understand?" Bage scowled but nodded. "Wonderful! With that, please go through the doors adorned with your cutie marks. Bage, choose who you shall accompany. Farewell, and good luck! You'll need it." Discord snapped his fingers and disappeared, leaving the group alone.
"When I get ahold of him, and I can actually hit him, I'm going to make him beg to be turned to stone," Bage spat as he cracked his knuckles, the popping sounds reverberating throughout the room. "I guess I'll head with you Twilight, you're the de facto leader of our little group." Twilight nodded, but Rainbow Dash scoffed.
"Hey, what about us?" She stamped her hoof in protest.
"What about you? It doesn't matter who I go with, I'm too weak to be of any help. The only one I'm stronger than is Fluttershy, and that's only just barely." Bage reached into his pocket and pulled out his scouter, placing it on. "It's been a while since I've used this, haven't really needed to." He hit the button to turn it on, and it let out a series of beeps.
Scouter Online
Detecting Power Levels
6 Power Levels Detected
"Cool, it still works. Let's see, what's everyone's power level?" He panned it over each of them, scanning their power level.
Rainbow Dash Power Level: 450
Applejack Power Level: 620
Rarity Power Level: 255
Fluttershy Power Level: 175
Twilight Power Level: 920
Pinkie Pie Power Level: Error
"Huh, Pinkie Pie just gave an error message. I guess I shouldn't be surprised," Bage muttered, tapping the button a few more times, but getting the same reading.
"So what's that thing say about our power levels? I bet I'm the strongest." Rainbow Dash rubbed her chest, smirking.
"Actually, you're the third strongest, after Applejack, at 450." Rainbow deflated at that.
"Aw come on."
"Applejack is at 620, Twilight is the strongest at 920."
"WHAT?! The egghead is stronger than me? No fair, she doesn't even work out!" Bage shook his head.
"Your power level isn't determined by raw strength. It's determined by your innate power. Twilight is the highest due to her latent magical abilities. If it makes you feel any better, you're the highest of any pegasus I've seen." She perked up a little at that. "Rarity is at 255, and Fluttershy is at 175. That's actually around the average for unicorns and pegasi." Twilight tilted her head at that.
"If those are the average for unicorns and pegasi, what's the average for earth ponies?"
"300, give or take. I haven't had the opportunity to scan many earth ponies, so I don't have much to go off of," Bage replied. "Anyway, we should get going, the sooner we get this done, the better. As they all walked to their doors, Bage looked back at the room, just barely seeing something duck out of sight behind a pillar. Just as he was about to run out and confront whatever it was, the door closed. 'What the hell was that?'
---------------------------------------------
Trial of Honesty: Applejack
As the door creaked shut behind her, Applejack found herself standing in an expansive apple orchard that seemed to stretch endlessly. The vast landscape mirrored Sweet Apple Acres, only on an unprecedented scale. Rows of apple trees extended as far as the eye could see, each one an exact duplicate of the next. Applejack trotted through the seemingly endless orchard, marveling at the eerie uniformity of every tree, from the placement of apples to the intricacies of their leaves and even the texture of the bark.
"This just ain't natural. Each tree should be unique!" Applejack mused aloud, her brow furrowing as she examined the flawless apples that lay scattered on the ground after a swift buck to one of the trees. They were impeccable, lacking any imperfections or blemishes that usually marked the fruit she was accustomed to harvesting. A sense of unease settled over her. "I'm gettin' a bad feelin' 'bout this place, it's all wrong."
"Oh, as if you could do better?!" a voice retorted from behind. Startled, Applejack spun around to find an exact replica of herself, stetson and all, except completely devoid of color. "I'll have ya know I planted every single one of these trees, by mahself. No help at all, and it only took me an hour, hour and a half tops."
Applejack's ear twitched, a telltale sign that her honed instincts for honesty were tingling. "Really, ya'll planted all of these here trees, by yerself, with no help? In an hour? I don't believe ya."
The Apple clone scoffed and kicked her hoof, creating a small cloud of dust. "You callin' me a liar?! I've never lied in my whole life, not once."
Another itch, another lie. "Now I know that's a lie. Heck, I've told a few lies of mah own, I ain't proud of 'em, but I still told 'em." Appleclone laughed, shaking her head.
"Well, I guess I'm just a better wielder of honesty than, miss fibber!" The persistent itch intensified with every word, as if the very air was tainted with deceit. "In fact, I figure that iffin I were to walk out there, our friends wouldn't even notice the difference. Matter of fact, how do I know YOU ain't the clone? Everypony knows the real Applejack wouldn't lie, not once in her whole life. Maybe you should stay here, with all yer fake apple trees, and yer lies." Applejack stamped her hoof in frustration.
"Now hold on there, I ain't no liar, and I'm the real Applejack. Yer the fake here!"
"There's another lie. Ya'll just said you told a few lies, so you are a liar. Now yer just lyin' to yerself." Unbeknownst to Applejack, Discord was watching from above, puppeteering the fake Applejack while using his magic to corrupt the real Applejack.
The frustration within Applejack intensified with every word her doppelganger spoke. The itching had become unbearable, spreading from her ear to every inch of her body. It was an itch she couldn't scratch, a maddening discomfort that crawled beneath her skin. "I AIN'T NO LIAR! YER THE ONE SPEWIN' ALL THE LIES!"
"And now yer yellin'? That's a sign of a liar, caught in a lie. Just fess up now, 'fore ya go gettin' yerself any deeper." The itching reached its peak, tormenting her from hooves to muzzle, a relentless reminder of her internal struggle.
"No, I ain't a liar, I ain't!" The itching only intensified, and Applejack mentally begged for respite. "I swear I ain't a liar, please just make it stop!"
"Iffin ya want it to stop, just admit yer lyin' and it'll all be over." Applejack looked up, her skin crawling.
"Ya promise?" Applejack nodded. "Alright, fine. I'm... a liar. I've been lyin' this whole time." Discord grinned.
"And just what exactly have you lied about?" Applejack felt the itching receding.
"Everything, I didn't plant all those trees, and I didn't do it by mahself. I ain't even real, I'm just a fake, and I don't deserve to bear Honesty." A wave of grey covered Applejack's body as Discord's magic took effect, washing away every aspect of herself that made her honest. The clone dissipated, leaving Applejack alone, tears streaming down her face in the desolate orchard that seemed to echo with the weight of her revelation.
Pinkie Pie entered the room with boundless excitement, her eyes widening at the vibrant display of balloons and festive decorations that adorned the space. The door closed behind her, muffling the sounds of the outside world, and she couldn't help but marvel at the spectacle laid out before her.
"OOOOH, look at all the balloons, and the party decorations! What's the occasion?" Pinkie exclaimed, her voice resonating with pure enthusiasm. However, the response she received was a huff from behind. Turning around, she spotted a figure seated at a distant table – a grey version of herself, with hair hanging down like a heavy curtain, concealing her face.
"Hi me! Why so gloomy? You're at a party, you can't be sad at a party!" Pinkie cheerfully addressed her gloomy counterpart, who glanced at her but remained silent. Undeterred, she continued, "Come on, turn that frown upside down! Look at all the balloons, and the streamers, and the cake!" Pinkie pointed towards a colossal cake with layers covered in decadent chocolate buttercream frosting. "Doesn't it look amazing?" Pinkie Pie wiped the drool off her face, gazing at herself.
"No," came the despondent reply.
"No? What do you mean 'no'? This place is great!" Pinkie expressed her surprise, but Sad Pinkie Pie shook her head and pointed to a list on the table. Curious, Pinkie leaned over to read it, discovering a list of invitees with x's marked next to each name – her friends' names at the top.
"I invited all our friends, and all of Ponyville, but nopony showed up," Sad Pinkie revealed, casting a shadow over the festive atmosphere. Pinkie frowned in response.
"Oh, I'm sure they had good reasons. They're all busy, and they can't drop everything for a party all the time," Pinkie reassured, though a small nagging feeling lingered in the back of her mind, elusive yet persistent. "Besides, the next time you throw a party, they'll all show up, and say how sorry they were that they missed this party, and then they'll party even harder!"
"This is the fifth time I've thrown a party like this, and nopony showed up at any of them. They all said they would, but then they didn't," Sad Pinkie sighed, resting her head on the table and absentmindedly drawing circles with her hoof. "Nopony wants to come to my parties anymore, so that means they don't want to be my friends anymore." Pinkie sat down next to herself, the nagging feeling intensifying.
"That's not true! Everypony loves your parties! Just because a few didn't work out, doesn't mean you should give up!" Pinkie cried, attempting to push aside the growing discomfort. "We spread laughter to everypony in Ponyville, it's our special talent!" Yet, with each word, the nagging feeling spiked.
"Then where are your friends, if everypony loves your parties? Some friends they are," Sad Pinkie muttered. Pinkie could feel the nagging feeling escalating, her head filling with an inexplicable heaviness, not the sugary lightness she was accustomed to. "It seems like they abandoned you, just like they abandoned me."
"They didn't abandon me! They had to go and do their own trials, just like I'm doing!"
"Are they? Or is that just what they told you, to get you to go away?" Sad Pinkie lifted her head, revealing a viewing window where her head had been. Pinkie peeked inside to witness her friends, minus herself, talking and laughing without her.
"I can't believe Pinkie actually fell for that! Trials of the Six? Come on, it's so obvious that was fake!" Rainbow Dash laughed, setting off a chain reaction of amusement around the table.
"Darn tootin'! Pinkie's never been too bright, but I figured she'd'a figured it out quicker than this!" Rarity struggled to contain her laughter.
"Oh, the poor dear is probably still wandering around that room, looking for us! I wish I could see it!" Fluttershy giggled quietly.
"I can actually get a word in edgewise, since she isn't here. I never liked how loud her parties were. It's nice to not have to get dragged away from my animals, off to some party she's thrown together, for some reason or another." Twilight gasped for breath, joining in the laughter.
"She didn't even question it when Discord teleported us. Even a unicorn foal could've seen that was an illusion!" Bage howled with laughter, drowning out the other five.
"That pink dope is probably stuck in a cake somewhere anyway, she won't even notice we ditched her! Good riddance!" Bage barked, holding his chest.
As the illusionary image faded, Pinkie felt as if every word was stabbing her heart, twisting and tearing. Tears streamed down her face as the nagging feeling had grown into a roar. "They... really just ditched me? This was all a trick? But I thought... I..." With the sound of a balloon deflating, Pinkie's hair fell flat, a wave of grey washing over her, drowning out the laughter that she had held so dear.
"Aww, poor Pinkie Pie. And here I thought Laughter made you happy?" Pinkie looked up, seeing a balloon with a face on it staring at her.
"Not anymore." She plopped her head down onto the table, soaking the list of names with her tears.
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Trial of Generosity: Rarity
As the door behind her clicked shut, Rarity took the time to admire her surroundings. It was a lavish and well-decorated parlor, with a number of ponyquins adorned with half-finished dresses and suits. "These look quite inspired; I wonder why they've been abandoned. Surely there's somepony here that I can ask." She walked by the ponyquins and saw a door slightly ajar, the sounds of a sewing machine echoing from within. She pushed the door open, looking around for the source of the sound. "Hello? Is there anyone there?" A low mumbling was coming from a hunched figure, as they frantically pushed a strip of fabric through the sewing machine.
"It has to be perfect, have to make it perfect; it's not perfect. They think they can take it all from me; I'll show them, I'll show them all. It's mine, mine I tell you, all mine, nopony else's, mine." Rarity cautiously approached the figure, reaching a hoof out to tap them on the shoulder. The figure froze before turning to look at her. Rarity gasped when she saw that under the figure's ratty and patchy cloak... was her. Her once glorious mane had become disheveled and grey, and her eyes had bags beneath them. "What do you want?! You want to steal my designs? Steal my work?! Well, you can't; it's my work, MINE! YOU HEAR ME?!" Rarity fell back, the sheer intensity of the glare her duplicate was giving her freezing her in place.
"Steal your designs? Why would I do that?"
"Don't play coy with me, you gussied-up harlot! You thought you could come in here, steal my designs, and pass them off as your own? With your cheap mane do, and your cheap makeup? Well, I don't think so. These designs are mine, those dresses and suits are mine, everything is mine! Back off if you know what's good for you!" Rarity could only gape at the harsh words her double had thrown at her.
"Gussied-up harlot? Cheap mane do? Cheap makeup? I can't believe somepony that looks like me could be so... so... greedy and heartless! Your designs aren't even that good! They look trashy and half-finished!" Rarity felt a tightness in her chest, not quite painful, but it was just enough to be noticeable.
"Oh, you would say that! The last good design you made were those cheap costumes you made, and those only looked good after you added a heap of tacky gemstones!"
"TACKY?! WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO JUDGE ANY OF MY DESIGNS?! YOU'RE JUST A HALF-BAKED REPLICA OF ME, YOU STRUMPET!" The tightness intensified, like a vice around her heart. It was starting to become painful.
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A STRUMPET?! At least I don't look like a whorse putting out on a street corner!"
"YOU KNOW WHAT? MAYBE I WILL STEAL YOUR DESIGNS! I MIGHT ACTUALLY PRODUCE SOMETHING WORTH LOOKING AT, AND MAKE AN ACTUAL PROFIT!" The tightness became an iron-like grip as the faux Rarity burst into a grey cloud, enveloping her and seeping into her coat and skin, turning her mane the same shade of grey.
"Yes, that's what I'll do. I'll just take these designs and improve them. Make them perfect and show everypony just how talented I am. Then they'll shower me with their bits just for a chance to gaze upon my work!" Discord rested on a ceiling beam, chuckling quietly to himself as he watched the pieces fall into place. The enigmatic chaos master reveled in the unfolding drama, knowing that the real fun was about to begin.
Chapter Fourteen: Bage's Temper Flares, As Discord Works His Twisted Magic! Seeing Double, Bage Fights a Familiar Opponent!
Chapter Fourteen: Bage's Temper Flares, As Discord Works His Twisted Magic! Seeing Double, Bage Fights a Familiar Opponent!
Trial of Kindness: Fluttershy
Fluttershy squeaked as the door closed behind her with a resounding click, casting a furtive glance around the rather posh tearoom that unfolded before her. The atmosphere exuded an air of delicate refinement, disrupted only by the unexpected sight of Discord perched at a table, nonchalantly cradling a teacup in his talons.
"AAH, Hello Fluttershy, I was waiting for you to show up. Tea?" Discord's voice rang out in a peculiar blend of casual greeting and mischievous anticipation. Fluttershy couldn't help but tremble at the sight of the draconequus, though the thought of a soothing cup of tea provided a tempting reprieve.
"Oh, um, sure, I guess. But, why are you here?" Fluttershy inquired hesitantly, her eyes fixated on Discord. In response, Discord emitted a light chuckle, conjuring a whimsical display of magic to have the teapot levitate and pour a steaming concoction into another cup.
"Well, I wanted to handle this trial personally. You see, your friends have already completed their trials, leaving you as the last one. I'm also aware of certain other timelines and saw that this approach hadn't been tried yet. So tell me Fluttershy, what do you think of your friends? Are you aware that they've all deemed you a lost cause? They all left their respective trials, and when they didn't see you, they just left. It's rather surprising, considering you all are supposed to be 'friends,' isn't it?" Despite the unsettling revelation, Fluttershy managed to muster a small smile, catching Discord off guard.
"Oh, not at all. I know they have their own things to take care of, so I wouldn't want them to stay outside waiting for me." Discord frowned, scratching the side of his head as if grappling with the unexpected resilience before him.
"Well, surely that makes you a little upset? I mean, they left you to fend for yourself! How can you still be so understanding when they didn't even wait to see if you were alright?" Discord prodded, a tinge of frustration entering his voice. However, Fluttershy continued to smile serenely, sipping her tea as if the chaos around her was merely inconsequential background noise.
"Oh, well it's simple really. I know that my friends care about me, and I'm sure that they're worried about me. But they also know that I'll be out soon enough, so I'm not worried." Discord, feeling a hint of frustration, maintained his composure, determined to unravel Fluttershy's unyielding tranquillity.
"Oh, yes I'm sure, but what if I told you that they were saying that you're weak and helpless, surely that would make you upset, right?" Fluttershy shook her head with unwavering conviction.
"Oh not at all, I AM weak and helpless, and I appreciate their understanding." Discord, unable to contain his exasperation any longer, let out a sound akin to a teakettle whistle, snapping his claws to dispel both the tea and the table in a display of chaotic impatience.
"OH FOR THE LOVE OF CHAOS! WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE YOU ANGRY?! I'VE HAD IT, YOU'VE BEEN KIND FOR FAR TOO LONG, MY DEAR. TIME FOR A BIT OF CRUELTY!" Discord declared vehemently, knocking her on the head with his lion paw, causing a wave of grey to cascade across her body. "Now that that's taken care of, I have a Saiyan to corrupt, so I bid you Au Revoir!" With a snap, he disappeared, leaving Fluttershy dazed and, surprisingly, more than a little angry at the wasted tea.
"Oh sure, invite me to tea and just leave, some host you are," she muttered under her breath. "You didn't even leave me any tea!" She shouted, before muttering several curses under her breath that were so vulgar, they can't be written out.
Rainbow Dash marched assertively through the heavy door into the trial chamber, barely flinching as it closed behind her with a resonating bang. The atmosphere within was saturated with the vibrant energy of posters and memorabilia, a kaleidoscope of Bage and The Wonderbolts frozen in various dynamic poses. Her eyes widened at the spectacle. "Woah, this place is like a fan meet gone wild! Wish I could take some of this with me," she remarked, her gaze dancing across the walls adorned with cherished memories.
As Rainbow Dash ventured further into the room, her enthusiasm was momentarily overshadowed by the realization that she was not alone. Unbeknownst to her, someone had been silently observing her from across the chamber, a fact she had yet to discover.
"Go ahead and take what you want, that's why it's there," a familiar voice sounded, and Rainbow turned to see Bage sitting at a table, arms crossed and that signature cocky grin etched across his face. "Then again, maybe you shouldn't. After all, this stuff is for real fans, not posers." The unexpected remark caught Rainbow off guard, and she couldn't help but feel a twinge of surprise.
"Poser? What do you mean by 'poser'? I'm SO a true Wonderbolt fan!" Rainbow retorted, standing her ground. Bage snorted dismissively, rising from his seat and closing the distance between them. However, as he approached, Rainbow couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about him. 'Why does Bage look a little duller than usual? Like his armour is just...grey.'
"Just Wonderbolts, huh? What about me? You were all excited to meet me when I first got to Ponyville, at least, after I introduced myself," Bage continued, his tone challenging. Rainbow couldn't quite put her hoof on it, but there was an unsettling shift in the air.
The tension escalated as Bage's words cut through her, questioning her dedication and competence. She could sense a tingling sensation in her chest, urging her to escape, but she pressed it down, determined to face the accusations head-on.
"Hey, what do you know?! We've only known each other for, like, a week and a half! I'm SO Wonderbolts material! I bet I could be a great training partner for you if you trained me," Rainbow Dash asserted, refusing to back down. Bage, however, scowled and narrowed his eyes, intensifying the discomfort.
"Better than Sunset? You think I would just forget about her, and start training you when her body isn't even cold yet?" Rainbow Dash felt the tingling get worse, spreading to her legs, her mind telling her to just run and forget the whole situation. "It's a real shame that you got picked for loyalty when you can't even stay loyal to your job, or your friends. The friends you just abandoned when they needed you." The tingling became a pulsing feeling, resonating from her core, all throughout her body.
"That's not true! We all had our own trials to do! If anything, they abandoned me!" she countered, desperation creeping into her voice. Bage's dark mocking laugh echoed in the hall, and Rainbow felt her skin crawling as if every word he spoke was tearing her apart.
"Really? You would just throw all of us under the cart like that? Some bearer of loyalty you are. You didn't even try to take responsibility, you just jumped to blaming them for leaving you, instead of the other way around. I can't believe you, Rainbow. To think I used to respect you." The verbal assault continued, and Rainbow's skin felt as if it were crawling with unease, each word driving her closer to the edge.
"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP! YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW ME!" she screamed, her pleas drowned out by Bage's laughter, which only grew louder, resonating through the vast hall. Her vision spun, posters transforming into disapproving glares, casting doubt on her every action. "STOP IT, STOP JUDGING ME! I'D NEVER ABANDON ANYPONY!"
"Any 'pony,' Rainbow? What about me? Or Spike? Do WE not count? You would just abandon us in favour of your own kind?" Bage's words sliced through her like a knife, and Rainbow, overwhelmed, ran to the door, which opened as she approached. Bage's laughter reached a deafening crescendo before being abruptly silenced by the closing door. Desperate, she sought refuge behind a rock, covering her ears as a wave of grey washed over her, transforming her vibrant mane into a dull and depressing greyscale.
Trials of Magic and Pride: Twilight Sparkle and Bage
Bage was pulled from his thoughts when Twilight tapped him on the leg, turning to see something he didn't expect. The Elements of Harmony, placed onto individual pedestals, with barriers surrounding them. "Well, that was easy. Let's grab 'em and get out of here." Bage walked up to the pedestals, reaching out for Magic, but as soon as he touched the barrier, a bolt of black lightning shot out and struck him in the chest, sending him flying. He crashed into the wall, sliding down to the ground in a heap. "AGH, that hurt like ♒︎♏︎●︎●︎! What the ♐︎◆︎♍︎🙵was that?"
"A deterrent, idiot." Bage was caught off guard by the familiarity of the voice, looking up to see a copy of himself.
"What the shit? Twilight, are you seeing this too?" Twilight nodded, stepping back.
"I can't believe I could be so weak. You got your ass handed to you by Celestia; you couldn't stop Sunset when she flipped her lid; got beaten within an inch of your life by Chrysalis; got stabbed by Nightmare Moon, and now look at you, weak and powerless to Discord's whims. You're a disgrace to the Saiyan race, and a waste of Saiyan blood!" Bage pushed himself to his feet, his anger boiling. "And to make matters worse, you couldn't even stop Dryce from killing Sunset. Some friend you are. You pitiful, worthless Saiyan wretch." Bage roared, launching himself at his doppelganger, and engaging in a punch exchange.
"I know you're just Discord's little puppet, so let me tell you something. When I get ahold of you, I'm going to rip your limbs off, and organize them by creature!" The doppelganger laughed, catching both of Bage's fists before throwing him across the room, firing a blast after him.
"Big words for someone who can't even muster a ki blast. I'm going to enjoy making you wish you were dead. Maybe when you see Sunset again, she can call you a worthless waste of space too. Then I'll head up to Canterlot and finish off what Chrysalis started, by blowing it to kingdom come. Then I can break Thorax in half." Bage could feel his rage growing with every word, his ki struggling to breach through the wall that Discord had put up. He wanted to blast this fake into dust.
"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" Bage grabbed a chunk of broken stone, hurling it at his duplicate, but he just batted it aside.
"HAHAHA! Is that the best you can do?! Throw rocks and scream?! Our parents would be so disappointed." Bage felt his ki bubbling beneath his skin, so close to breaking free, but he just couldn't get it out. He finally decided to push it as far as he could and concentrated on forcing his ki to burst forth. He clenched his eyes shut, feeling the walls start to crack, the energy pulsating within him like a turbulent storm about to be unleashed. The room quivered with the intensity of the impending explosion, and Bage's doppelganger took a defensive stance, realizing he might have underestimated the real Saiyan within.
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Discord's eyes widened as he felt Bage fighting against his magic. "Hmm, what's this?" The room had started to tremble, the whole dimension was shaking. "Oh no, that's not good at all."
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"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Bage let his ki explode, finally breaking through as his hair erupted into a brilliant gold glow, his aura exploding as his rage finally broke. The ground beneath Bage exploded into rubble as the room shook. His doppelganger took a step back, his mocking fading from his lips as he stared in shock at the display before him. Bage opened his eyes, staring into his duplicate's own eyes. "I'm going to break you."
Bage's golden aura flickered and crackled with unrestrained power as he lunged at his doppelganger, slamming his fist into the clone's face. The two Saiyans collided in a flurry of blows, each strike echoing through the chamber. Bage's doppelganger smirked, attempting to counter with a swift kick, but Bage dodged and retaliated with a powerful uppercut.
The room became a battleground, with the sound of their blows creating a cacophony that resonated through the dimensions. Bage and his doppelganger traded punches and kicks, each move calculated and met with equal force. Sparks flew as their fists clashed, the air crackling with energy.
The doppelganger, realizing the threat he faced, tapped into his own Saiyan strength, retaliating with a barrage of rapid punches. Bage skillfully blocked and parried, his movements fueled by a mixture of anger and determination. The two warriors danced through the chaos, an intricate display of martial prowess.
"You think this power surge will save you?" taunted the doppelganger, attempting to land a devastating blow. Bage narrowly evaded, countering with a roundhouse kick that sent his duplicate reeling. The golden glow around Bage intensified, signaling the escalation of the battle.
Bage's fists left trails of energy as he continued his assault. The doppelganger, now on the defensive, struggled to keep up. With a roar, Bage unleashed a rapid barrage of energy-infused punches, forcing his clone back. The room quaked with the sheer force of their clash.
The doppelganger, refusing to be outdone, gathered his energy and fired a concentrated energy blast. Bage dodged and retaliated with a powerful blast of his own, the collision creating an explosion that sent shockwaves through the space.
As the smoke cleared, both Saiyans glared at each other, panting and battered but unwilling to yield. The intensity of their battle reached a new peak as they prepared for the next round of combat. The room crackled with residual energy, and the air was thick with the anticipation of the showdown between two beings sharing the same face but harboring vastly different fates. The aftermath of the explosive clash left the room filled with swirling dust and residual energy, obscuring the two Saiyans from each other's sight. Fake-Bage, breathing heavily, strained his senses to locate the real Bage within the haze. The tension in the air was palpable as both warriors prepared for the next round.
Suddenly, a golden silhouette emerged from the dissipating smoke. It was Bage, his aura now burning even brighter. He charged forward, a streak of golden light, closing the distance between him and Fake-Bage in an instant. The imposter, though momentarily disoriented, quickly regained his composure and met Bage's renewed assault head-on.
Their punches and kicks created shockwaves that reverberated through the room, shattering what remained of the already battered surroundings. The golden glow surrounding Bage intensified with each strike, his power reaching new heights. Fake-Bage, despite his best efforts, found himself struggling to keep up with the real Saiyan's newfound strength.
Bage's rage-fueled determination seemed boundless. He flipped backward, avoiding a sweeping kick from Fake-Bage, only to counter with a barrage of energy blasts. The chamber was illuminated with flashes of brilliant light as the attacks whizzed through the air.
The imposter, realizing the gravity of the situation, attempted to match Bage's energy output. However, the real Saiyan had tapped into an untapped reservoir of power, and Fake-Bage found himself overwhelmed. Bage seized the opportunity and landed a powerful blow to his doppelganger's midsection, causing him to stagger backward.
With a primal roar, Bage unleashed a concentrated energy beam, sending it hurtling toward Fake-Bage. The clone attempted to dodge, but the attack struck true, creating a massive explosion that engulfed the room. The shockwave rippled through the dimensions, causing the very fabric of the space to quiver.
As the smoke cleared once more, Bage stood amidst the debris, his golden aura slowly subsiding. Fake-Bage lay defeated, the arrogance wiped from his face. The room, now in ruins, echoed with the aftermath of their fierce confrontation. Bage, breathing heavily, stared at his fallen duplicate with a mix of exhaustion and triumph. The clone erupted into a cloud of grey smoke, dissipating in the wind from Bage's aura. The walls crumbled into dust, leaving him and Twilight standing in a room with all their friends. "Now what?" A cruel, mocking laughter filled the room, as Discord appeared, holding the Elements in his claws. Twilight and Rarity's horns reappeared, as did Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash's wings.
"Now, dear Bage is when I must inform you that you lost. See, you just broke the no magic, no ki rule. Which means we're all in for a big ole storm of CHAOS! MHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Bullshit! Do you remember what I said nine years ago in front of your statue? I need an ornate rug, and you fit the bill, asshole!" He launched himself at Discord, who simply rolled his eyes and stepped aside, letting Bage go flying. Bage turned and flew at Discord again, aiming for a punch to his smug face. Rainbow Dash took the opportunity to fly off, as everyone else was focused on the spectacle.
"Really, you're going to try that again? Don't you remember what happened last time?" Discord lifted his paw and caught Bage's fist effortlessly, tossing him backward. "And here I thought you were smarter than this, but I guess I was wrong.
The clash between Bage and Discord sent shockwaves throughout the room, causing reality to warp and twist. The room itself seemed to groan under the strain of their conflict. Bage, fueled by an overwhelming surge of power, continued his relentless assault on Discord. Each punch carried the weight of years of frustration and determination, aiming to shatter the god of chaos.
Discord, however, remained unfazed. With a casual flick of his paw, he deftly deflected Bage's attacks, his form warping and contorting in response to the chaos surrounding them. "You really think you can defeat me, Bage? You're just a Saiyan with delusions of grandeur."
Undeterred, Bage roared, unleashing a torrent of ki blasts that streaked through the air toward Discord. But the chaotic deity merely chuckled, snapping his fingers and turning the ki blasts into confetti that scattered harmlessly around the room.
"Come on, girls, let's show Discord what the Elements can do!" Twilight called out as she scooped up the elements with her newly returned magic. Her friends didn't move, though, remaining in place, Fluttershy even glaring at her. "Girls? What are you doing, we have to stop Discord!"
"What's the point? We've already lost," Pinkie muttered, running her hoof along the floor.
"Yeah, we already beat Discord anyhow, see?" Applejack pointed off in the distance, before pulling her hat over her eyes.
"I bet you're only saying that so you can pick my pocket when my back is turned! Well, not a chance, missy!" Rarity grabbed the elements out of Twilight's grasp with her own magic, stuffing them into her cloak.
"By the way, dum dum, Rainbow Dash is gone. How are we supposed to use the elements without her? And you're supposedly the smart one, gimme a break," Fluttershy spat, lying down with her back to everyone.
"But Bage needs our help! He's fighting Discord all by himself!" Twilight pointed to the battle happening up above, as Discord was easily countering every single one of Bage's attacks. Bage was pushing himself to his limit, but he couldn't even make Discord sweat.
"You know, It's been aeons since I actually lowered myself to physical confrontation. I forgot how droll it was, especially since you aren't even close to matching me." Bage growled, panting as sweat dripped down his face.
"I'm going to enjoy making you regret that statement." Discord smirked, waving his hand at Bage to say 'By all means, try'. The intensity of the confrontation escalated as Bage, determined and fueled by a surge of adrenaline, summoned every ounce of power within him. His attacks became more strategic, aiming not just to overpower Discord but to exploit any vulnerability.
Meanwhile, the room continued to distort, the clash between Bage and Discord causing reality itself to bend and twist. The very fabric of the space around them seemed to protest, creating an eerie symphony of groans and ripples.
Twilight, despite the discouragement from her friends, refused to give up. She tried reasoning with them, arguing that they had faced challenges before and emerged victorious. Yet, her pleas fell on deaf ears as her friends remained resolute in their apathy. "Girls, please! Don't you remember why we're here? You can't just let him win now that we're so close!" Still, her friends continued to ignore her, Fluttershy even flying off. Twilight couldn't believe that her friends weren't even going to try. "Fine then! If you all aren't going to care... then I guess I won't either." Twilight hung her head, a wave of grey washing over her coat. Discord shuddered, looking down to see that Twilight had finally fallen to his chaotic influence.
"YES! Finally, I win!" Discord snapped his talons, freezing Bage in place, as he laughed maniacally. "You know, I thought this would be much harder, but it turns out I didn't even have to try! Twilight just gave up, and you know what that means?" Bage's eyes widened as he looked down, seeing Twilight walking away from her friends, who were all sitting there letting her leave.
"No, Twilight wouldn't just give up. What did you do?!" Discord wiped his eye, catching his breath.
"You mean you haven't figured it out? This whole 'Trials' business was meant to split the bearers up, so I could break their spirits individually! And it worked like a charm! Now I'm sure you would love to try and pound my face into gravel, but I'm missing some wonderful chaos, so tata!" Discord snapped his talons again, teleporting all of them to Ponyville town square, which had been warped and twisted by Discord's chaotic magic. "Au Revoir, ponies! AHHAHAHAHAHAHA!" In a flash of light Discord teleported away, his laughter continuing to echo throughout Ponyville.
"AAAARGH! This is such bullshit! I couldn't do anything against him, and now he gets to walk away all smug and uptight! It's like the universe hates me!" Bage took out his frustration by blasting a cotton candy cloud, sending pink sugary mush everywhere.
"Do you think about anything other than fighting and violence?! Get a grip, you overgrown chimp," Fluttershy spat, glaring at him.
"Fuck off, Shy! You're only saying that because Discord used his magic on you. Twilight, what the hell happened?! It's not like you too just give up, so what's up?" Twilight didn't look up, keeping her head down low. "RRGH, FINE! Be that way! If you aren't gonna try and stop Discord, then I'll just figure it out on my own!" Bage took to the air, rocketing off in search of the only other being on the planet that could keep up with him now that Sunset was gone; Dryce.
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Dryce was at a loss for what to do. On one hand, he couldn't return to Frieza, but on the other hand, he couldn't exactly stay on the planet. After all, he didn't need a ship to leave, since he could survive the vacuum of space. Just as he was pondering what to do, a sound akin to a sonic roar echoed around him, followed by a crash as something landed behind him. He turned to look as Bage walked toward him, disdain evident on his face as he glared at Dryce. "Alright, I'm gonna make one thing clear; I hate you. SO much so in fact, that it physically pains me to ask this. But, are you up for a training session? I need to get a serious boost in order to fight Discord, and you're the only one on the planet strong enough to give me a decent challenge. How about it?" Dryce was surprised, to say the least. Not even three hours before, he had nearly been killed by this saiyan, now he wanted to train with him?
"I've never trained a day in my life, how would I be able to help you?" Dryce asked, crossing his arms. "Besides, you seemed rather eager to kill me before. Now that you have a threat you can't beat, you're ready to use me as a punching bag. How do I know this isn't just a ploy to kill me, for what I did to your 'friend'?" Bage growled, his aura flashing gold as he turned Super Saiyan.
"Because I swore not to kill you so long as you take me to Namek. That still stands, and Discord is an obstacle to that, so I need to beat him to a bloody pulp before I can do shit to you. Keep in mind, though, that I don't need you in one piece to get to Namek, I just need you alive. Consider that an incentive to help me." Dryce was anything but stupid, he knew that he wouldn't be able to beat Bage while he was in Super Saiyan, but at the same time, getting stronger would help him take on Frieza.
"Alright, but we'll need some way to speed up the process. If my ship was still here, I'd say we can use the gravity controls to our advantage," Dryce said, prompting Bage to raise an eyebrow.
"Gravity training? Yeah, that would speed things up a bit. The only problem is Discord sent that to who knows where." A party horn went off in Bage's ear, prompting him to lash out behind him. With a laugh, Discord popped into existence.
"Oh, were you looking for your ship? Hmmm, I suppose I could bring that back, in exchange for something." Discord snapped his claws, making a tiny version of Dryce's ship appear next to him. Bage scowled, knowing that trusting Discord would only lead to a headache. "I propose a little wager. If you win, I bring the ship back, no strings attached. If I win, I get to take your power, and this time, you won't get it back. What do you say?" Bage growled, clenching his fists so tightly his palms started to bleed.
"Is everything a game for you, you walking talking taxidermy project? Fine, but you better not rig things in your favour." Discord held up his hands in a defensive manner.
"You have my word, that I will not rig this in my favour. The wager is simple; Twilight and her friends are still under my influence, but I wish to give you the chance to break them free of it. After all, what's the point of thrusting Equestria into chaos without the thrill of a possible defeat? If you can restore them to their normal, glech, 'harmonious' selves, I will keep up my original end of the deal, and help you get to Namek. Fail, and I get your power and you become my personal court jester. What do you say, Bage?"
"I say you're full of shit, but I suppose I have no choice in the matter. Fine, but I'm still going to kick your ass when this is over."
"Perfect! So, Celestia is already doing her part, you just have to make sure she snaps back to her senses. You have until technical sunrise to complete your task, and I say technical since I have the sun and moon doing cartwheels with each other." Discord teleported the three of them to Ponyville, where things had gotten progressively worse. Houses were floating around on islands of land ripped straight out of the ground, and the dirt roads were forming loops and spirals.
"This seems like something a six-year-old would draw up for art class. Did you spend a thousand years in that statue twiddling your fucking thumbs?" Bage spat, Discord sticking his tongue out at him.
"Oh, like you could do better. Anyway, who do you wish to start with?" Bage ran through his options, realizing that Twilight would be the best option.
"Twilight. Her magic is gonna be helpful. Besides, I know her a bit better." Discord chuckled but teleported them to Twilight. She was sitting in her bedroom, reading from a pile of books. "Twilight put your books down, we need to stop this jackass, and I need your magic."
"Hey, I could easily make this more difficult for you. Watch your tongue." Twilight looked up from her book, eyes widening.
"But our friends are all being jerks, how are we supposed to help them?" Bage picked Twilight up, setting her on his shoulder.
"Well first, we need to get you back to normal. And I think I know who can help." As Bage walked toward the door, he noticed a bloodstained sheet on the ground. He already knew who was under it, grimacing at the memory. 'The sooner we finish this, the better. I'll bring you back Sunset, I promise.' He nodded at Discord, who teleported the group away.
Canterlot Castle was in complete disarray, with statues and suits of armour chasing the staff around and fighting with the guards. Celestia was powerless to stop the chaotic disruptions, and she could only hope that Twilight and her friends could stop Discord. Her hopes were dashed, however, when Discord himself flashed into existence in front of her, with Bage carrying Twilight on her shoulder. Another creature she had never seen before was standing just behind him, gazing around at the throne room. "Bage, what's going on? Why is Discord with you? And who is this?" Bage set Twilight down, crossing his arms.
"In order, I think you already know what's going on; He's being difficult; This is Dryce, the alien asshole that killed Sunset." Celestia's eyes widened, sadness crashing down upon her at the news that Sunset was gone. "Yeah, I know. I would've killed him, but Twilight talked me out of it. Then he showed up." Bage pointed at Discord, who waved.
"Yes, it's been so long, Celestia. Did you miss me? I missed you... or at least I would have if you hadn't stuck me in stone for a thousand years," Discord mused, filing his talons as a sign appeared over his head, reading 'Chaos rules, Celestia drools'.
"Shut up, patchwork. Celestia, we need to get Twilight back to normal. We were hoping you might be able to help." Bage pointed up at Twilight sitting on his shoulder, her coat greyed by Discord's magic.
Celestia took a deep breath, suppressing her grief over Sunset's loss for the moment. She focused on the urgent matter at hoof. "I'll do whatever I can to help, but I need more information. Discord, what have you done to Twilight?"
Discord chuckled, his chaotic energy emanating as he twirled his mismatched moustache, which he hadn't had before. "Oh, just a little touch of my special magic. I thought it would be amusing to see how the Elements cope with a dash of chaos. Don't worry; it's reversible. I could tell you how to reverse it, but where's the fun in that?"
Bage growled, clearly frustrated with Discord's nonchalant attitude. "Cut the nonsense, Discord. We need her back to normal, now."
Celestia nodded in agreement. "I'll do my best, but I'll need your cooperation, Discord. This is no time for your usual games."
Discord rolled his eyes dramatically. "Oh, fine, be the spoilsport. But what's in it for me?"
"Besides saving Equestria from descending into chaos?" Bage retorted, his patience wearing thin.
Celestia stepped forward, her expression stern. "If you help us restore Twilight, I will consider showing leniency, and grant you a less permanent method of punishment. However, we need to focus on the task at hoof."
Discord snapped his talons, and Twilight floated down from Bage's shoulder to the floor, still stuck in a state of disarray. "Well, it's a delicate process. I need your magical expertise to counteract my chaotic touch. It's a delicate dance, you know."
Bage grunted, clearly unhappy with the arrangement, but Celestia raised a hoof to silence him. "Very well, Discord. But let me make one thing clear – if you try anything funny, if you betray us in any way, there will be consequences. Understood?"
Discord sighed dramatically. "Oh, you're no fun, Celestia. But understood, understood. Let the magical restoration begin!"
Celestia sighed as she channeled her magic, attempting to unravel the chaotic threads Discord had woven around Twilight. The mischievous spirit floated nearby, wearing a smug grin that hinted at the chaos to come. "Discord, this is no time for games. We need clear answers if we're to fix what you've done to Twilight."
Discord twirled his moustache, feigning innocence. "Games, my dear Celestia? Perish the thought! I'm merely adding a touch of mystery to keep things interesting. After all, straightforward solutions are dreadfully dull."
Bage clenched his teeth, clearly struggling to contain his frustration. "Enough with the theatrics, Discord. Just tell us how to fix her."
Discord raised a clawed finger, adopting an exaggerated pondering expression. "Ah, the solution lies in the stars, my dear ponies. Seek the constellation that guides lost souls, and you might find the key to untangle this magical mess."
Bage exchanged a perplexed glance with Celestia, unsure of how to interpret Discord's cryptic riddle. "Stars and constellations? What's that supposed to mean?"
Dryce tilted his head, unaffected by the chaotic atmosphere. "I've encountered beings like Discord before. They enjoy toying with those they perceive as lesser beings. We must decipher his riddles if we wish to save your friend."
Celestia nodded in agreement. "He's right. Discord thrives on chaos and confusion. If we can understand the riddle, we might find a way to reverse his magic. Let's focus on the stars and constellations. Perhaps the constellation he refers to is 'The Soulweaver'. From what I can recall, The Soulweaver constellation is said to guide lost souls through the magical realms and holds the key to balancing chaotic energies. It is a celestial pattern of stars that appears only once in a millennium during a specific cosmic alignment." Bage latched onto that part, his mind forming ideas on how to bring Sunset back. Discord didn't confirm or deny Celestia's claim, merely grinning smugly. "I recall the last time that the constellation was visible, was shortly before Discord's imprisonment. Unfortunately, that was nearly twelve hundred years ago." Bage immediately fell back into his scowl, knowing that it was too good to be true.
"If it only appears once in a thousand years, and the last time was twelve hundred years ago, then that means we have to wait almost eight hundred years to see it again! How does that help us, you walking talking taxidermy mistake?! If you would just give Dryce his ship back, we wouldn't have to be doing this shit right now, and I could be on my way to Namek to bring my friend back to life, and you could do whatever the hell you want here! This isn't evil, it's just fucking annoying, and I'm done trying to fix it! Good luck with your, 'rare constellation' bullcrap, I'm gonna go find my pod and finish what I was originally going to do, which is to go bring my friend back to life." Celestia and Twilight watched as Bage stomped out into the hall, before taking off and smashing through a stained glass window, ironically enough the one that depicted Discord.
"Well, someone's in a sour mood. Those insults were entirely uncalled for," Discord muttered, prompting Celestia to sigh. She had a feeling there was more to Bage's temper than just his own natural temper, and that Discord was at the root of it.
Chapter Fourteen Point Five: Shiso Arrives On Equis And Is Treated To An Incredible Sight!
Chapter Fourteen Point Five: Shiso Arrives On Equis And Is Treated To An Incredible Sight!
Shiso's pod hummed as it flew through space toward the planet that Dryce was last reported on. His signal going dark was a bad sign, considering his pension for psychotic, destructive antics. 'I swear if he managed to get himself killed, I'll bring him back to life and kill him again.' She noted that the planet was just ahead, the blue and green orb steadily growing in her ship's viewport. Strangely, the planet's star was... orbiting the planet instead of the other way around. "What the...?" As she entered the planet's atmosphere, she felt a strange energy wash over her. It was almost like a calming wave of warmth, reminding her of the rare times on Planet Vegeta when she didn't have to worry about heading out on missions. 'What the hell was that?'
She passed over a large expanse of land before crashing down in front of a large forest. As her pod hissed open, her scouter began going off with dozens of power signatures. 'Hmmm, they all seem to range from 120 to 300, pretty high, but not unusual.' Suddenly, her scouter picked up a set of three power levels, well above what she was used to seeing. 'One is at 45,000, another at almost 40,000, and one at 126,000. Looks like Dryce has either gotten some powerful help, or some of these inhabitants are more powerful than I thought.' She took off, entering Shadow Step to mask her presence. As she approached, she saw Dryce's ship, with the corpses of his soldiers scattered around it. 'Looks like someone took care of the fodder. What's the point of bringing the soldiers if they don't even make it off the ship?' She landed a short distance away, looking up to see three figures hovering in the sky. Two of them seemed engaged in conversation as they batted Dryce around like a ping-pong ball. 'Don't they realize they need to pay attention to the battle? Or are they so sure of themselves that they don't care?' As she watched, they appeared to get into an argument, shouting back and forth, although she couldn't quite make out their words.
Just as she was about to mentally chastise them, a death beam fired out of the smoke cloud and pierced through the pony's chest. Her scouter read off that she died instantly, her power level registering at zero. She plummeted to the ground, with the other figure racing down to catch them. As Shiso edged closer, a flicker of recognition pierced her calculated detachment. The figure cradling the fallen pony – it was unmistakable. 'Bage...' she thought, her heart skipping a beat. Her brother, here, in the midst of this chaos. It had been years since she last saw him, years since their paths had diverged so drastically.
For a moment, Shiso's resolve wavered. The sight of her brother, overwhelmed by grief and rage, stirred old memories, echoes of a past they once shared. But the battlefield was no place for sentimentality, and she quickly steeled herself. She couldn't afford to be swayed by emotions, not when so much was at stake. Despite the turmoil inside her, Shiso knew she had to remain unseen. Revealing herself to Bage now could compromise her mission and could lead to questions she wasn't ready to answer. 'Not yet,' she thought, 'not like this.'
She watched from the shadows, her scouter quietly analyzing the situation. Her mind raced with questions. What had brought Bage here? Whose side was he on? And most importantly, how could this unforeseen variable be woven into her plans? Shiso's training took over. She remained a ghost, an observer, her presence unknown to all. She noted the power levels, the strategies employed, and the weaknesses exposed in the heat of battle. Every detail was a piece of the puzzle, every action a clue to understanding the larger picture. As Bage's grief turned to fury, Shiso felt a twinge of something akin to sympathy. She knew all too well the burning desire for vengeance, the way it could consume one's being. But where Bage's emotions were raw and exposed, Shiso's were buried deep, controlled and channelled into a focused purpose.
'I can wait,' she resolved. 'In the shadows, I'll learn what I must. And when the time is right, I'll reveal myself. On my terms.' For now, Shiso was content to be an enigma, a hidden player in a game that was far from over. Her eyes never left her brother, the connection a silent, unacknowledged bond in the midst of chaos. As she watched, her scouter began going haywire. It was registering Bage's power level rising rapidly, reaching into the sextuple digits.
Shiso, cloaked in the shadows, felt a chill run down her spine as Bage's aura erupted into a brilliant golden glow. Her eyes widened in disbelief, her breath catching in her throat. 'It can't be...' she thought, her mind racing. She had heard the legends, the tales whispered among warriors, of a transformation so powerful it was almost mythical; –the Super Saiyan. As Bage's hair shimmered like spun gold and his eyes turned a piercing teal, a sense of shock gripped Shiso. Her brother, whom she had known as strong yet bound by mortal constraints, had transcended. He had become the embodiment of a legend, a warrior of untold power and fury. 'He did it... Bage actually did it,' she realized a mix of pride and fear intertwining within her.
Her scouter, struggling to keep up, finally stopped at a number she had never thought possible: 2,250,000. Shiso tore it off, staring in awe and respect for her long-lost sibling. This was beyond data, beyond analysis. This was the realm of legends coming to life. At that moment, Shiso's strategic mind was overrun by a torrent of emotions. The sight of her brother, now a Super Saiyan, battling with such raw, unbridled power forced her to reassess everything she knew about him, about their potential, and about her own place in this unfolding saga.
'He has reached the pinnacle of our people's dreams,' she thought, her heart pounding in her chest. 'The legend of the Super Saiyan, alive in my brother.' The realization filled her with awe and a tinge of fear. What did this mean for her own path, for their shared destiny? As Dryce stood there, struck with the sight of the Super Saiyan before him and Bage glaring at him in response, the earth itself seemed to tremble under the weight of his power. Shiso remained motionless, hidden, yet profoundly shaken. This was no longer just a battle; it was a turning point in the history of their people, a moment that would be etched in the annals of time. And she, a silent witness to her brother's ascension, felt both small and exhilarated in the face of such monumental power. Everything had changed. The game had new rules, and Shiso knew that her next move would have to be calculated with this astonishing revelation in mind. The Super Saiyan was not just a legend. It was real, and it was her brother.
Shiso, concealed in the shadows, observed the scene with a mix of fascination and unease. Bage's fury, a fearsome display of power and raw emotion, captivated her. The Super Saiyan he had become was a formidable force, his wrath tangible in the air. Yet, the intervention of Twilight and her friends, their pleas for mercy, introduced a dissonance to Shiso's understanding of her brother. This Bage was not the ruthless warrior she remembered; he was altered, softened by the influence of Equestria. The moment Bage intercepted Dryce's death beam to save Twilight marked a significant shift in Shiso's perception. This act of protection contradicted the ruthless nature of the Saiyan warrior she knew. It was clear that Bage's time on this planet had profoundly affected him, prompting a change that Shiso found both intriguing and unsettling.
As the brutal confrontation between Bage and Dryce intensified, Shiso's attention was sharply drawn to Dryce's mention of the wish orbs. Intrigued by the potential of such artefacts, she considered the implications. The prospect of orbs that could grant any wish was tempting, yet trusting Dryce seemed fraught with risk. Shiso watched intently as Bage pondered over Dryce's offer, ultimately laying down an ultimatum. Her brother's decision, balanced between scepticism and strategy, seemed sound, but it left Shiso wary of Dryce's true intentions. The spectacle of the Elements of Harmony in action was unlike anything Shiso had witnessed. The transformative energy that enveloped Dryce leaving him apparently changed and healed, was both mesmerizing and alarming. Shiso remained sceptical of such a sudden transformation. Could the Elements truly reform a being so completely, or was this merely another ruse?
As the situation evolved, Shiso realized her period of mere observation was over. The day's events – Bage's display of Super Saiyan power, the revelation of the wish orbs, and the mysterious influence of the Elements of Harmony – had significantly altered the landscape. Her plans and strategies needed to adapt to these new variables. Shiso's resolve hardened as she contemplated her next move. The revelation of the wish orbs was an opportunity too significant to ignore. Meanwhile, her brother, despite his transformation, remained a crucial element in her calculations. The beings of Equestria, with their unique and powerful magic, had proven themselves forces to be reckoned with. Retreating further into the shadows, Shiso's mind raced with plans and contingencies. The game had indeed changed, and she needed to adapt her strategies accordingly. Her gaze lingered on Bage one last time, filled with a mixture of admiration and strategic calculation. The Super Saiyan, her brother, had become both an ally and a critical factor in her grand design. As she prepared to make her presence known, Shiso knew that timing and tact would be essential. The path ahead was fraught with uncertainty, but she was ready to navigate the complexities of this new, unpredictable world.
Shiso watched, her expression unreadable, as the bizarre events unfolded. The sudden transformation of the landscape and the appearance of the peculiar creature with its reality-bending powers were unlike anything she had encountered before. Her Saiyan instincts were telling her to fight, to assert dominance, but her tactical mind urged caution. This creature, capable of effortlessly neutralizing Bage's Super Saiyan form and manipulating their environment, was a variable she had not anticipated. As Bage lunged at the creature, only to be effortlessly outmanoeuvred, Shiso's eyes narrowed. It was clear that brute force would not be effective against this new adversary. She needed to understand this creature, its capabilities, and, most importantly, its intentions.
The creature's reference to a new era of chaos sent a shiver down her spine. Shiso was no stranger to destruction and disorder, but the chaos this being proposed seemed whimsical and unpredictable, far removed from the structured conquests and battles she was accustomed to. This unpredictability made the creature especially dangerous. Shiso remained concealed, her mind racing. She had to adapt quickly. Her initial plan to reveal herself and confront Bage and Dryce had to be put on hold. This creature, revelling in its chaotic display, was the immediate threat. Understanding and outmanoeuvring were her priorities now.
She watched as Bage's Super Saiyan form dissipated, his frustration evident. Shiso felt a pang of sympathy for her brother. Despite their differences, she knew the feeling of powerlessness, of being at the mercy of forces beyond one's control. It was a humbling experience for any warrior, especially a Saiyan. As the creature continued its taunting, Shiso contemplated her next move. Direct confrontation was futile. She needed a different approach, one that relied more on cunning and strategy than on sheer strength. She could use this creature's love of chaos against it or find a way to negotiate or trick it. Her Saiyan pride bristled at the thought of resorting to such tactics, but survival and success were her primary concerns.
Her eyes darted across the altered landscape, analyzing every detail, every shift. There had to be a weakness, a pattern, something she could exploit. She knew she had to act fast. The longer this creature was in control, the more unpredictable the situation would become. Shiso took a deep breath, steadying her nerves. This was a new kind of battle, one that required more than just physical strength and fighting skills. It was a battle of wits and patience, a challenge she was ready to face. With a final glance at Bage, struggling against his restraints, she began to formulate her plan. In this world of chaos, Shiso would be the unseen strategist, the shadow moving against an unpredictable foe. Shiso remained hidden, her eyes scanning the chaos unfolding before her. Discord's whimsical yet menacing antics were unlike anything she had encountered in her warrior's life. The creature's ability to warp reality and manipulate the very fabric of existence was beyond her understanding. Yet, as a strategist, she knew that every opponent, no matter how powerful, had a weakness. The challenge was identifying it.
She watched Bage's frustration and anger grow, his Saiyan pride clashing with the futility of his efforts against Discord's reality-warping powers. Shiso understood his rage; Saiyans were not beings accustomed to feeling powerless. Yet, here, Bage's immense strength was rendered ineffective, his usual methods of combat useless.
Discord's announcement of the trials intrigued Shiso. It was a classic tactic of manipulation and control, a way to assert dominance while providing an illusion of choice and fairness. The removal of their powers – Bage's ki abilities, the ponies' magic and flight – levelled the playing field in a way that was advantageous to Discord. Shiso knew that to overcome this, they needed to rely on more than just physical strength or magical abilities. This was a test of wits, resilience, and perhaps unity.
As the group was teleported to the massive room with doors, Shiso contemplated her involvement. Remaining hidden had its advantages, allowing her to observe and plan without being a direct target. However, she also recognized that this might be an opportunity to align herself with Bage and the others, even if temporarily, to overcome a common enemy. Her brother's alliance with the ponies was an unexpected variable, but it had its strategic merits.
Shiso's mind raced with possibilities. Each trial set by Discord would likely be designed to disorient, confuse, and divide. The key to overcoming them would be to anticipate the unexpected and find unity in their diverse strengths. As a warrior, Shiso was trained to adapt and overcome, but this situation required a different kind of adaptability, one that was more cerebral and less physical.
She decided to maintain her hidden vantage point for now, observing the group's dynamics and Discord's methods. Understanding the nature of these trials and how the group responded would provide valuable insights into how best to intervene. Shiso was a warrior, but in this game of chaos, she needed to be a tactician first and foremost.
Her eyes remained fixed on the scene, her mind working through strategies and contingencies. This was no ordinary battle, but Shiso was no typical warrior. In a world turned upside down by a being of chaos, she would find a way to navigate the madness. For now, she watched, waited, and planned, ready to step into the fray when the moment was right.
Shiso, still concealed in the shadows, analyzed the chaotic unravelling of events. She had witnessed battles and conflicts across many worlds, but nothing like this surreal distortion of reality and psyche. Discord's manipulation of the group's emotions and perceptions was a masterful, albeit disturbing, display of control. Shiso understood that this was not just a battle of physical might but a psychological war against an opponent who revelled in chaos.
As Bage's frustration reached a boiling point, Shiso could empathize with his sense of helplessness. Discord's ability to warp reality made conventional fighting techniques irrelevant. Bage's anger was understandable, but it also played into Discord's hands. His emotional reactions were precisely what Discord wanted: a way to destabilize and control the situation further. Shiso observed Twilight and her friends, noting how Discord had cleverly fractured their unity. The group's despondency and in-fighting were symptoms of Discord's influence, a tactic designed to weaken them individually and collectively. It was a classic divide-and-conquer strategy executed with chaotic precision.
As Bage stormed off in search of Dryce, Shiso contemplated her next move. Intervening directly against Discord seemed futile; her strength and combat skills were likely as ineffective as Bage's had been. However, there might be another way to approach this. Discord thrived on chaos and unpredictability, but he also seemed to crave attention and acknowledgement of his power. Perhaps there was a way to use his ego and need for validation against him. Shiso decided to follow Bage discreetly. Aligning with him could be advantageous, especially since Dryce might have insights or knowledge that could be useful against Discord. Moreover, Bage's frustration and rage, while understandable, needed to be channelled more constructively. If they were to stand any chance against Discord, they needed a plan that went beyond brute force.
As she moved silently, keeping a low profile, Shiso's mind worked through various scenarios. Discord's strength was his control over reality, but perhaps his weakness lay in his overconfidence and his need to be the centre of attention. If they could find a way to exploit that, to turn his own game against him, they might have a chance. For now, Shiso remained a silent observer, a strategist in the shadows. The battle against Discord was not just a fight; it was a chess game of cosmic proportions. And in such a game, every move, every decision, mattered.
Shiso watched from her hidden vantage as Bage and Dryce reluctantly agreed to train together. It was a pragmatic decision, born of necessity rather than any genuine camaraderie. Shiso understood the dynamics of such alliances; they were fragile and often short-lived, but they could be effective.
Her attention shifted as Discord appeared, proposing his wager to Bage. Shiso's understanding of Discord's nature deepened with every word he spoke. He was a being who thrived on the game, on the chaos of uncertainty and the thrill of potential defeat. His proposition, a challenge to free Twilight and her friends from his influence, was another layer in his twisted game. As Discord teleported Bage, Dryce, and himself, Shiso felt a flicker of frustration. She had hoped to observe and possibly intervene, but now she was left behind, cut off from the unfolding events. However, Shiso was not one to dwell on setbacks. Instead, she focused on planning her next move.
First, she needed to locate the group. Discord's chaotic magic had transformed Ponyville into a surreal landscape, a task that would be challenging but not impossible. Her Saiyan senses would be vital in navigating this altered reality. Shiso emerged from her hiding place, her eyes scanning the bizarre surroundings. Houses floated on islands of land, and the roads twisted into impossible shapes. It was a scene straight out of a child's imagination, a testament to Discord's power and his capricious nature.
Moving swiftly and quietly, Shiso began her search. She kept her senses alert for any signs of Bage, Dryce, or Discord. In this chaotic world, stealth and caution were her allies. She knew that a direct confrontation with Discord would be futile; her strength, like Bage's, was of little use against his reality-warping abilities. As she navigated the twisted landscape, Shiso contemplated Discord's challenge. Freeing Twilight and her friends from his influence would be no easy task. It required understanding the nature of his control and finding a way to counteract it. Shiso knew that this was more than just a physical battle; it was a psychological one, a battle of wills and intellect.
Her mind raced with strategies and possibilities. Perhaps the key to breaking Discord's influence lay in understanding the bonds between Twilight and her friends. Discord had fractured their unity, but maybe there was a way to use their shared history, their connection, to counteract his chaos. Shiso continued her search, her eyes and ears open for any clue that would lead her to Bage and the others. In this world of chaos, she remained a silent observer, a strategist planning her next move. The game was far from over, and Shiso was ready to play her part.
Chapter Fifteen: Bage Reunites with his Long Lost Sibling, and she Rekindles his Saiyan Pride! A New Form is Born!
Chapter Fifteen: Bage Reunites with his Long Lost Sibling, and she Rekindles his Saiyan Pride! A New Form is Born!
Bage rocketed across the sky, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts, the most pressing being his urgent need to reach Namek. He retrieved the remote for his Saiyan pod, a tool he hadn’t used in over a dozen years. Pressing the button, he was struck by a wave of nostalgia. ‘Leaving Equestria, even briefly, feels like leaving a part of myself behind,’ he reflected, landing in a remote area near Ponyville to await his pod.
His thoughts turned to the menace of Discord. ‘If he’s wreaking havoc here, I need to be stronger. There has to be a way to train under intense gravity elsewhere.’ He looked up, hearing the familiar hum of his pod as it descended, landing softly in the distance. “Finally,” he said, striding determinedly toward it.
Suddenly, a prickle at the back of his neck halted Bage. It was an eerie feeling of being watched, a sensation carved into his very being through years of relentless combat. His senses, honed to near perfection, were attuned to even the subtlest whisper of danger. He stood motionless, his eyes scanning the twilight-draped meadows of Ponyville. The tall grass swayed gently in the evening breeze, casting elongated shadows that seemed to dance at the edge of his vision. His body was a coiled spring, ready to unleash at the faintest provocation.
Bage’s voice, steady yet resonant, broke the eerie silence. “I’m going to give you one chance to show yourself,” he declared, the words echoing through the stillness like a challenge to the unknown. “Otherwise, I’m levelling this whole area and searching the wreckage for you.” His declaration hung in the air, a stark reminder of the deadly prowess that lay beneath his calm exterior. He waited, every muscle tensed, his mind racing through possible scenarios.
The atmosphere shifted palpably, the shadows at the edge of the meadow seeming to converge and solidify. From this dark amalgamation emerged a figure, ethereal and almost ghostly at first. Bage’s heart skipped a beat as the figure stepped into the faint light of the crescent moon. Recognition dawned on him like a slow, painful revelation. His eyes widened, and for a moment, his usual ironclad composure faltered.
“Shiso?” he whispered, his voice tinged with a cocktail of disbelief and dawning horror. The figure before him was unmistakably his sister – the same piercing gaze that had once challenged and comforted him, the same proud tilt of the head that he remembered from their youth. But how? Shiso was a chapter of his past he had closed, a tapestry woven with threads of joy and searing pain.
A torrent of memories flooded Bage’s mind, unbidden and overwhelming. He saw them as children, training under the harsh tutelage of their father, their laughter echoing in the vast expanses of his mind. He remembered the day she had left, the morning mist clinging to her silhouette as she vanished into the unknown, leaving a void in his life that he had struggled to fill.
Standing there, under the watchful eye of the Equestrian moon, Bage’s mind grappled with the impossibility of the moment. Was this indeed Shiso, flesh and blood, or some cruel illusion conjured by his own longing? The years had changed them both, but the essence of their connection – that unspoken bond of shared blood and shared battles – lingered in the air between them, tangible and unyielding.
The figure stepped forward, emerging fully from the shadows, her features now starkly visible in the dim lunar light. The silence that stretched between them was heavy with unasked questions and myriad emotions, a silent conversation between two souls inexorably linked by fate and blood.
“Shiso,” Bage repeated, his voice now a mix of wariness and a faint, inexplicable hope. “Is it really you?”
Princess Celestia, her eyes reflecting the turmoil of a heart burdened by duty and care, watched Bage disappear into the evening sky, his departure leaving a wake of unresolved anger and unspoken fears. She then turned, her majestic presence filling the throne room, to confront a scene of dire urgency. Twilight Sparkle lay ensnared in the tendrils of Discord’s magic, her form a tableau of the chaos that Discord revelled in. And there he was, Discord, the embodiment of caprice, floating with an air of nonchalant malevolence, delighting in the discord he had sown.
Celestia’s voice, laced with the weight of aeons, broke the heavy air. “Discord, this ends now. Undo the chaos you’ve woven around Twilight,” she commanded, her tone an unwavering beacon in the encroaching shadows of uncertainty. Her horn, aglow with the ancient and pure magic of her lineage, cast a luminescent aura, a stark contrast to the chaotic darkness that shrouded Twilight.
Discord, lounging in the air as if on an invisible chaise, let out a melodious yet mocking laugh. “Dear Celestia, ever the stoic ruler. Can’t you see? This delightful little pandemonium is an art form, not to be undone on a mere whim.”
As Celestia’s magic enveloped Twilight, it was like watching the dawn break through a storm-ravaged night. She fought to unravel the knotted threads of chaos, her brow furrowed in intense focus. “This is no mere whim, Discord. Your reckless whimsy brings real harm,” she asserted, her voice a blend of steely resolve and deep-seated concern.
Discord, with a twirl of his finger, replied in a tone dripping with feigned innocence and sarcasm. “Harm? Oh, such a harsh word. I prefer to think of it as... a spontaneous rearrangement. After all, isn’t chaos the true essence of magic? Unpredictable, untamed, and ultimately, undeniable.”
The throne room became a battleground of opposing forces. Celestia’s magic, a radiant force of order and harmony, clashed against the maelstrom of Discord’s chaotic energies. The air crackled with the tension of this cosmic dance, a testament to the struggle unfolding.
Undeterred, Celestia’s voice rose above the fray, tinged with a mix of pleading and authority. “Your defiance only prolongs Twilight’s suffering. Let her go, Discord. Choose benevolence over mischief for once.”
Discord, stroking his beard in mock contemplation, responded with theatrical gravity, “Oh, but why spoil the climax of our little drama? Isn’t the uncertainty what gives life its flavour?”
Twilight’s form, encased in a shroud of swirling greys, flickered with staccato bursts of her true colours, struggling to emerge. Celestia, the weariness of her immortal vigil evident, continued her relentless effort. “I will not stand by while you use my student as a pawn in your games,” she declared, her voice a testament to an unyielding spirit.
Floating above, Discord observed with a mix of amusement and intrigue. “Oh, Celestia, always so serious. But proceed; let’s see if the vaunted power of harmony can truly overcome the allure of chaos.”
With a resolute surge, Celestia’s horn blazed brighter than the stars, casting a celestial light that filled the room. The chaotic energy around Twilight began to dissolve like shadows fleeing the dawn. Twilight’s body shuddered, then relaxed, her colours returning to their natural state as she inhaled a deep, life-affirming breath.
Celestia rushed to her side, her magic enveloping Twilight in a gentle embrace. “Twilight, speak to me,” she urged her voice a soft whisper laden with concern.
Twilight’s eyes fluttered open, confusion and relief mingling in their depths. “Princess Celestia? What... what happened?”
“You were trapped in Discord’s spell, but you’re safe now,” Celestia reassured her, her smile a warm beacon in the aftermath of the storm.
Discord, hovering with a nonchalant air, interjected, “Safe, perhaps for the moment. But remember, my dear, chaos is always around the corner, waiting for its time to shine.”
Celestia, her gaze stern and unwavering, admonished him. “Your fascination with chaos, Discord, has once again crossed boundaries. Beware, for some lines are not meant to be crossed.”
The word “Shiso” hung in the air, tinged with disbelief and caution. Bage’s eyes, once narrow slits of suspicion, softened as he studied the figure before him. Shadows from the surrounding trees played over her features, but the familiar fierceness in her eyes cut through the dimness.
Shiso stepped forward, her movement graceful yet precise, a predator’s elegance in her stride. Moonlight fell upon her face, revealing a visage that bore the marks of time and battle, undeniably the sister Bage once knew. Her armour, a sleek blend of metal and fabric, spoke of countless battles, a silent testament to her journey since their paths had diverged.
Bage’s gaze lingered on her hand, noting a subtle tremble she couldn’t entirely hide. “What are you doing here, Shiso? After all these years?” His voice mixed curiosity with a yearning for a past long gone echoing through the crisp night air.
Shiso’s eyes briefly swept over the scorched earth and remnants of battle. “I followed a trail,” she began, her voice steady but her eyes betraying a storm of emotions. “A mission of my own.” She paused, her gaze returning to Bage. “But to find you here, in the midst of this chaos, it’s...”
Bage, arms folded, watched her intently, trying to decipher the enigma she presented. “A mission? Are you here for the wish orbs?” His question, sharp with scepticism, cut through the night.
Shiso shook her head, a decisive gesture. “No, Bage. It’s not about the orbs.” She took a measured step closer, the space between them charged with unspoken words and memories. “I’m here for Dryce,” she admitted, her eyes seeking his, conveying a truth only a shared past could understand.
Bage’s expression shifted a mix of surprise and understanding dawning in his eyes. “Dryce?” he echoed, his voice reflecting a blend of pride and defiance.
“Not just him,” Shiso added softly, her warrior’s stance contrasting with the gentleness in her voice. “You’ve changed, influenced by this world, by these beings.” Her words weren’t an accusation but an observation tinged with a hint of curiosity.
A heavy silence settled between them, laden with the weight of their shared history. Bage looked up at the serene night sky, stark against his inner turmoil. “Equestria has changed me, yes,” he acknowledged his voice a hushed murmur against the night. “But at my core, I’m still a Saiyan, Shiso. I still fight.”
Understanding the depth of his inner conflict, Shiso took another step, narrowing the gap between them. “I know,” she whispered. “But we need to talk. There are bigger threats than we imagined. Threats that might require us to unite.”
Bage’s eyes flickered with a storm of thoughts. “Unite? After everything?” Scepticism mingled with the realization of the inevitable.
Shiso extended her hand, not as a warrior but as a sister seeking reconciliation. Her eyes, once as hard as steel, now held a softness, a vulnerability Bage hadn’t seen in years. “I’m not the same person I was, Bage. And neither are you,” she said, her voice imbued with hope. “We have a chance to fight for something greater than our own pride.”
Bage’s eyes moved from her extended hand to her face, reading the sincerity etched in her features. Slowly, he reached out, his hand grasping hers, a symbol of tentative trust. “Alright, Shiso,” he said, his voice now firm and resolute. “Let’s talk.”
Discord’s grin, usually as steady as the ticking of a clock, faltered for a heartbeat. In that fleeting moment, his eyes, usually dancing with mischief, deepened into ancient, stormy seas, swirling with unspoken thoughts. But like a mirage dissipating under the desert sun, this rare glimpse into his soul vanished, swallowed by his usual playful demeanour.
"Boundaries, dear Celestia," he drawled, his voice smooth as silk, rich with undertones of a thousand untold stories. "They are mere sketches on the ephemeral canvas of time, washed away by the relentless waves of creativity." He paused, his gaze lingering on Celestia with an enigmatic twinkle. "But for now, I shall gracefully step aside." A flourish of his hand, more theatrical than necessary, and a sly, conspiratorial wink at Twilight was his parting gesture. In a kaleidoscope of swirling colours, he vanished, leaving behind a fading echo of his laughter as if it bounced off the walls of the throne room.
In his absence, the air itself seemed to sigh in relief. The oppressive, electric charge of his magic faded, and the room lightened as if a heavy velvet curtain had been lifted, allowing the space to breathe once more.
Celestia’s face, a mask of regal composure, softened into motherly affection as she turned to Twilight. Her eyes, pools of timeless wisdom, reflected the deep understanding of the universe. "Twilight, understand that Discord is as boundless and unpredictable as the stars. Yet, within his whirlwind of chaos, there's a seed of creation, as delicate and beautiful as a spider's web bejewelled with morning dew."
Twilight's eyes, usually sparkling with youthful curiosity, now mirrored the gravity of her thoughts. They locked onto Celestia's. "I understand, Princess. The line between harmony and discord, creation and destruction, is much thinner than I ever thought."
Celestia nodded, her smile as gentle as the caress of a summer breeze. "Chaos, like magic, is a dance of possibilities, its outcome as whimsical as a feather caught in the wind."
As evening draped the room in a cloak of soft shadows and muted light, Twilight's stance grew firm, her eyes kindling with newfound determination. "Your words have guided me, Princess. I must reunite with my friends. With the Elements of Harmony, we can counterbalance the scales. Discord, in his chaotic way, has underscored the power of togetherness in overcoming turmoil."
Twilight's conviction seemed to emanate from her, a palpable force mirroring the surge of magic within her. "I must gather my friends. Together, we embody the Elements of Harmony. We will stand united against chaos."
Celestia's smile grew, her eyes twinkling with pride. "Go, Twilight. Your strength lies in the bonds you share. The Elements are more than gems; they are symbols of friendship, of unity in diversity."
Twilight nodded, her eyes unwavering. "Thank you, Princess. We'll face the chaos as one."
With a surge of magic, Twilight's form glowed, her figure blurring and then sharpening as she prepared to teleport. Her departure left a shimmering afterimage, a testament to her resolve.
Celestia remained in the dimming throne room, a solitary sentinel in the encroaching shadows, her heart buoyed by hope.
Outside, the stars twinkled in the vast canvas of the night sky, a silent chorus echoing the enduring dance between light and darkness, order and chaos – a balance that Twilight and her friends were now entrusted to maintain.
Twilight Sparkle's arrival shattered the night's calm, her silhouette emerging as if woven from the very fabric of the cosmos. Around her, a whirlpool of starlit magic ebbed away, leaving her standing in stark contrast against the inky blackness. Her eyes, twin embers of violet, burned with an intense blend of determination and concern. They locked onto Shiso's with a silent ferocity, igniting the air between them with palpable, electric tension.
Bage, caught off-guard by this sudden intrusion, hastened to bridge the gap. His figure, usually a bastion of confidence, now seemed diminished, his shoulders curling inwards ever so slightly—a quiet testament to a sorrow he carried like an unseen shroud. "Wait a sec," he interjected, his voice a steady murmur against the brewing storm. "Twilight, this is Shiso. She's not here to stir trouble. We were discussing... about boosting my Saiyan strength."
In Twilight's gaze, the initial spark of confrontation flickered, mellowing into a wary vigilance. Her stance relaxed subtly, a shadow of readiness still poised in her muscles, but her shoulders softened, easing as she considered Bage's words.
"Bage, we've got bigger problems," she replied, her voice weaving firmness with threads of empathy. "Our friends are caught in Discord's snare. That's our priority, above everything."
Shiso stood unflinching, her warrior's demeanour unwavering yet touched with a hint of understanding. "The urgency of your mission is unmistakable," she acknowledged, her voice a harmonious blend of respect and firm resolve. "I can delay guiding your training. The plight of your friends cannot wait."
Above them, the moon cast its serene glow, painting their faces in a tapestry of light and shadow. Twilight's features were sculpted with a resolute frown, Shiso's carved with stoic acceptance, and Bage's draped in the veil of his quiet sorrow. Bage's eyes, typically ablaze with a fighter's zeal, now mirrored a sea of emotions—determination mingling with the echoes of loss. "Right," he whispered, his voice laden with the weight of unvoiced grief. "Our friends are the priority. Shiso, your expertise will be invaluable, but it must wait. We face this chaos head-on."
Together under the celestial canopy, their silhouettes stood as three pillars of fortitude, each carrying their own silent battles yet unified in their cause. The resolve to confront the looming challenges bound them in an unspoken pact forged amidst the spectre of adversity. Their path was strewn with hurdles, yet their combined determination, honed by personal trials and united by a shared goal, promised a resilience robust enough to brave the uncertainties ahead.
The air was thick with the remnants of Discord's chaos, the once vibrant lands of Equestria now draped in a veil of uncertainty. Twilight Sparkle, alongside her steadfast companions Bage and Shiso, treaded softly through the recovering world, their hearts set on a singular, noble goal – to heal the wounds inflicted upon their dearest friends by Discord's devious manipulations.
Applejack's Veil of Doubt
In the once comforting embrace of Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack stood isolated, her silhouette a stark contrast against the rows of apple trees. The orchard, a testament to her unwavering dedication and honesty, now seemed to whisper doubts with every rustle of its leaves. The steadfast clarity that normally resided in her eyes was overshadowed by a swirling mist of uncertainty, turning her gaze into a tumultuous sea of confusion.
"Applejack, you're the bedrock of honesty," Twilight said, her voice a steady beacon amidst the storm of doubt.
Applejack's reply was a soft, troubled murmur as if each word was a stone weighed down by mistrust. "Honesty? I'm like a tree unsure of its roots, Twilight. My words feel foreign like I'm speaking someone else's truth," she confessed, her eyes flickering with the turmoil of questioning her own core.
"But you are Applejack. Your honesty is our compass," Twilight reassured her, her spell cascading like a gentle river, washing away the debris of doubt and confusion. Slowly, the fog in Applejack's eyes began to lift, revealing once more the unshakable bedrock of honesty that had always been her foundation.
Pinkie Pie's Diminished Light
The vibrant walls of Sugarcube Corner, usually a bastion of joy and laughter, now seemed to absorb light, mirroring the dimmed spirit of Pinkie Pie. She sat, a lone figure amidst the silent remnants of what should have been a jubilant celebration. The effervescent spark that was Pinkie's hallmark had fizzled out, leaving in its wake a sombre shadow, a reflection of joy lost to unseen sorrows.
"Pinkie, you bring so much joy and laughter. Don't let this illusion take that away from you," Twilight urged, her spell casting a soft, nurturing light in the gloomy room.
Pinkie Pie's voice was a whisper, barely audible over the stillness, a stark departure from her usual bubbly and enthusiastic chatter. "Joy? Laughter? They seem like strangers now, Twilight. My heart feels like it's wrapped in grey," she murmured, her eyes gazing into the distance, lost in a fog of forgotten happiness.
"Because, Pinkie, your laughter is a gift that keeps growing, even through the tough times," Twilight reassured, her magic weaving gently through the tapestry of Pinkie's memories, rekindling the warm, glowing embers of joy and exuberance. Gradually, as if responding to an invisible sun, the room began to brighten, reflecting the slow yet unmistakable return of Pinkie's infectious, irrepressible spirit. A small but genuine smile began to dance across her face, a herald of the returning light within her.
Rarity's Greed-Stricken State
In the opulent quarters of Rarity's boutique, once a haven of generosity and beauty, a stark transformation had taken root. The air was heavy, laden with a sense of grasping, clinging possession. Rarity, once the very embodiment of sharing and caring, was now enveloped in a shroud of avarice, her graceful hands clutching at her creations as if they were lifelines.
"Rarity, your heart is an endless well of generosity," Twilight spoke, her magic emanating a soft radiance amidst the shadows of greed.
Rarity's eyes, usually sparkling with warm, inviting light, now flickered with the cold flame of possessiveness. "Generosity? Why should I part with these treasures? They are mine, every thread, every gem!" she declared, her voice sharp, echoing off the walls lined with her hoarded works.
Twilight, her voice a beacon of hope in the gathering darkness, replied, "True beauty shines brightest when shared." Her spell, gentle yet persistent, washed over Rarity like a soothing balm. Slowly, the icy grip of greed began to melt, unveiling the warm, generous spirit of Rarity, like sunlight breaking through a winter frost.
Fluttershy's Transformed Nature
In the usually serene abode of Fluttershy, an air of tension now lingered. Where soft whispers and gentle coos once filled the space, there was now a sharpness, an edge that seemed out of place. Fluttershy, known for her gentle heart and soothing voice, stood rigid, her eyes hardened with an unfamiliar defiance.
"Fluttershy, kindness is your essence," Twilight said, her spell casting a tender glow in the dim room.
Fluttershy's response came as a cold gust, chilling the warm air. "Kindness? It's nothing but a cloak for the weak. I've had enough of being pushed around, being the delicate flower," she spat out, her words striking like thorns.
Twilight, undeterred by the harshness, persisted gently. "Your heart is a garden of compassion." The spell, like a patient gardener, began to untangle the weeds of bitterness, revealing the delicate petals of the real Fluttershy, waiting to bloom once again.
Rainbow Dash's Shattered Confidence
The sky was a canvas of turmoil, echoing the inner storm of Rainbow Dash. She was adrift among the brooding clouds, her once brilliant spectrum of colours dimmed to a muted blur. The fierce determination and bold confidence that usually shone in her eyes were now shadows, replaced by a haunting doubt that clung to her like the clouds she flew through.
"Rainbow Dash, you're the most loyal friend anyone could have," Twilight's voice pierced through the howling winds, her magic stretching out like a lifeline of radiant hope.
Rainbow Dash's laugh, once a clarion call of joy and assurance, now sounded brittle and fragile. "Loyal? Look at me, Twilight. I'm a feather lost in the wind, a failure who couldn't even stand strong when it mattered most," she uttered, her voice breaking, mirroring the crackling lightning above.
"You're the anchor in our storms, Rainbow," Twilight persisted, her magic enveloping Rainbow Dash, weaving through her memories like golden threads, stitching the fragments of her shattered confidence. Gradually, the storm in Rainbow Dash's eyes began to wane, revealing the resurgence of her indomitable spirit and reigniting the fiery determination that had always been her true essence.
As each friend rekindled their true essence, the Elements of Harmony glowed with a renewed vigour, a testament to the unbreakable bonds of friendship. Twilight, Bage, and Shiso, weary yet resolute, shared a triumphant glance. Together, they had traversed the labyrinth of chaos, emerging not just victorious but stronger and more united than ever before.
As they navigated the chaos-warped landscape, each member of Twilight's group carried a resolve as tangible as the distorted earth beneath their feet. Shiso moved with a dancer's grace, her eyes alight with a fiery determination that belied her calm exterior. Beside her, Bage's presence was a quiet storm, his gaze absorbing the tumultuous world around them, a silent testament to his inner strength.
The world itself seemed to bend in mockery of their mission. The ground writhed like a living entity under their steps, trees twisted into grotesque parodies of nature, all paying homage to the master of chaos, Discord.
At the heart of this surreal domain, Discord loomed, his form flickering between the bizarre and the bizarrely humorous, an embodiment of the chaos he wielded so whimsically.
He greeted them with a theatrical bow, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Ah, the Elements of Harmony, graced by the stoic Bage. Oh, and a new face as well, what an unexpected delight. And who might this one be, hmmm?"
Twilight ignored his question as she stepped forward, her eyes burning with an intensity that rivalled the chaotic energy around them. "We're here to end this, Discord. Your reign of chaos stops now."
Shiso's hand clenched involuntarily, her knuckles whitening. She exchanged a brief, solid glance with Bage, an unspoken pact of unity and strength.
Discord smirked, conjuring a glass of chocolate milk and draining the glass around it. "Awww, you're all serious now, are you? Well, if you want to play the 'grown-up' then I suppose I'll indulge you. Go ahead, use your little elements, see if I care.
As the group rallied around Twilight, the Elements of Harmony ignited with a brilliance that pierced the chaotic gloom. Their light wove a tapestry of hope and determination in the air, a stark contrast to the discordant landscape.
But then, the unexpected unfolded. The magic, a river of radiant energy, took an abrupt turn, swirling towards Bage with an almost sentient purpose. His eyes widened, a mix of surprise and instinctual understanding dawning within them.
"What's...happening to me?" Bage's voice was a murmur lost in the whirlwind of power engulfing him.
Twilight spun around, her expression etched with concern. "Bage!"
The transformation began. Bage's body became the epicentre of brilliant light, his features etching into a visage of focused power. This was not just the awakening of a Super Saiyan; it was something more profound, more harmonious.
In a realm beyond their physical world, Bage stood in a space of ethereal tranquillity, facing an entity that radiated immense power and serenity. A figure that looked shockingly like Twilight stood before him, speaking with a voice that resonated with the wisdom of age, "Bage, last bastion of the Saiyan race, we have chosen you. Embrace the Harmonic Saiyan transformation, a fusion of your Super Saiyan strength and the essence of Harmony. Use it to restore balance, to conquer chaos. Seal Discord's influence away, and restore Harmony."
Back in the physical world, Bage reemerged from the transformation, his eyes now pools of tranquil resolve, glowing with the fusion of Saiyan might and Harmonic energy. He was not just a warrior; he was the embodiment of a new hope, a Harmonic Saiyan, ready to face Discord with a power born from the very essence of balance itself.
Discord was flummoxed. He stared at the blinding light before him, confused as to what exactly had happened. "Now that's not right. This didn't happen before, they're supposed to target me. What did you do, little Storm?" Discord levelled his gaze off into the distance, seemingly asking a question to the universe itself. The light faded, revealing Bage in a new form, his eyes resonating with harmonic energy, and his hair a vivid prismatic spectacle. He stared up at Discord, not with hatred or rage, but with a look of fierce determination.
"Twilight's right, this ends here. You're going back in stone, draconequus." Bage clenched his fist to punctuate his sentence, and Discord was taken aback.
"Hold on, no, no, no. This isn't how things are supposed to go. I'm supposed to make a few more quips, taunt the bearers, and then they use the elements on me. You were supposed to leave, Saiyan. Isn't that what you were doing?" Discord spat, glaring down at him. Bage smirked, cracking his neck, then his knuckles.
"Change of plans, you walking talking taxidermy patchwork." Bage lifted up off the ground, his aura flaring up as he got into a fighting stance. "I'm gonna turn you into a pretzel. Maybe then your statue will be a little more interesting." Discord snarled, his claws crackling with chaotic lightning.
"So that's how you want to play things then; Fine. If you wish for a battle, ape, I will give you a battle. I have been around for aeons, you little pest. You are nothing more than a grain of sand in my hourglass." Discord snapped his claws, undoing the chaos he had spread across Equestria. Another snap, and the plateau of land they had been standing on ripped up out of the ground, rising into the air. "I went easy on you before, but don't expect such a luxury this time." Bage's face set with a look of excitement.
"So in other words, you're actually gonna try. Good, I can't wait to see you realize what you're up against," Bage remarked, grinning at the look Discord sent his way.
The battlefield, a twisted canvas of Discord's making, pulsed with the raw energy of their standoff. Bage, his form radiant with Harmonic Saiyan power, faced Discord with an unwavering gaze. The air around them crackled, heavy with the scent of ozone and the unspoken promises of an epic clash.
"You've stepped up your game," Discord remarked, eyeing Bage with a mix of amusement and newfound respect. "Quite the performance compared to our last encounter. But alas, it's merely a fleeting spark against the eternal flame of chaos."
Bage's aura flared, a prism of light against the dark whimsy of Discord's realm. "I'm not the same Saiyan you toyed with before. This time, you're facing a storm."
Their battle was a dance of power and cunning. Bage's movements were a blur, each strike a comet streaking across the sky. Discord, embodying the capricious nature of chaos, twisted reality with a flick of his wrist, his form distorting, evading Bage's fierce assaults.
"Is this your grand strategy? Repeating old tactics?" Discord taunted, effortlessly catching Bage's fist, his own form shimmering like a mirage. "I would've expected more creativity from a Saiyan warrior."
Bage, undeterred, spun out of Discord's grasp, landing with feline agility. "Creativity isn't just in the attack. It's in the persistence, the adaptation. You'll see."
Discord responded with a smirk, snapping his talons, and a wave of chaotic energy flared around Twilight and her friends, threatening to break through their newly reforged bonds.
The appearance of Twilight and her friends painted a stark contrast. The vibrant colours of their resolve suddenly dulled under Discord's influence, their bonds showing cracks of despair.
Discord, revelling in the discordant symphony he had orchestrated, snapped his fingers. The sound echoed a sinister note that froze Bage in his tracks. "It's about more than brute force, Bage. It's about breaking the will. And right now, I'm the maestro of both."
Twilight's voice, infused with urgency and determination, pierced the oppressive atmosphere. "We can't let him win. We've overcome too much to falter now!"
Her words, like sparks in the darkness, began to ignite a flicker of resistance within her friends. Applejack shook her head as if waking from a deep slumber, her eyes clearing. "Twilight's right. We ain't the sort to lay down and give up!"
Rarity, her expression shifting from confusion to resolve, straightened up, her voice firm. "Indeed! We're made of sterner stuff than he assumes. We mustn't succumb to this... this charade!"
Fluttershy, typically meek, found a surge of courage. Her voice, though still gentle, carried a new-found strength. "We have to try. For Equestria, for our friends."
Pinkie Pie's bounce returned, her usual vibrancy pushing through the haze of despair. "Yeah! We're the Elements of Harmony, and we're gonna harmonize the heck outta this chaos!"
Rainbow Dash, who had been hovering in indecision, zoomed down to join her friends, a determined scowl on her face. "I'm not letting that weirdo win. Let's show him what we're really made of!"
As each of them shook off the remnants of Discord's influence, their colours brightened, the grey wash of apathy dispelling to reveal their true selves. They stood united, a solid front of resilience and friendship against the chaotic storm.
Meanwhile, in the heart of the battle, Bage, fueled by the renewed spirit of his allies, renewed his struggle against Discord's binding magic. His resolve, strengthened by the visible defiance of Twilight and her friends, shone through the constraints that held him.
Discord, sensing the shift in the air, frowned. "What's this? Are your little friends finding their spines again? No matter. It changes nothing."
But it did change everything. The Elements of Harmony, rekindled by the bond of friendship and the refusal to yield, glowed anew. They were more than symbols; they were the manifestation of a power that even Discord couldn't dismiss.
The battle raged on, now not just a clash between Bage and Discord, but a war of wills, a testament to the enduring power of hope and unity in the face of overwhelming darkness.
Back in the heart of the battle, Bage, his muscles straining against the invisible force binding him, glared defiantly at Discord. "You might have clouded their hope, but mine burns bright. Your reign ends today."
Bage's eyes, burning with a fusion of Saiyan strength and Harmonic energy, bore into Discord. His body, held in stasis, was a statue of resistance, every sinew screaming defiance.
"No, this isn't the end," Bage's voice was a low growl, a rumble of thunder against the cackling wind of Discord's laughter. "I'll shatter your illusions."
The standoff between them was more than a clash of power; it was the embodiment of an age-old struggle between order and chaos. The fractured plateau beneath their feet, a mosaic of upheaval and defiance, stood as a testament to their titanic battle.
As Bage strained against the constraints of Discord's magic, the air around them shimmered with the intensity of their wills. Equestria's fate hung in the balance, a delicate scale tipping between the harmony of light and the discord of darkness. The Elements, flaring with Twilight's proclamation, surged with a new strength. Bage felt his power explode, and he struggled even harder against Discord's bindings. "You see Discord? You can't break their spirits again. Not when they're together! And you want to know something else you can't break?" Discord gave a look of indignation, sneering.
"Enlighten me. Give me your 'sudden revelation'." Bage grinned, his aura flaring brightly.
"It's something I've carried with me since I left Planet Vegeta. Something you have no chance of breaking! MY SAIYAN... PRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDE!!!" Bage's aura exploded, shattering both his binds and the illusions Discord had created, and it sent Discord reeling back. He stared in shock at the saiyan before him, the harmonic aura burning him.
"Wha- What is this?! This isn't possible!! I'm the Lord of Chaos, an unmatched force! How can you stand against me like this?! You couldn't even land a single blow against me before, now you can effortlessly shatter my magic?!" Discord shouted, his paw and claw clenched. Bage didn't answer, his hands coming together in front of his chest, as he charged an attack. Discord snapped his talons, but nothing happened. He looked back up as Bage's energy charged, realizing that he was stuck, unable to escape this.
"It's over Discord. You've lost! HARMONIC- VEXATION- CANNOOON!!!!" The massive beam of energy, normally a piercing red, now encompassed the different colours of the Elements: Red, Orange, Pink, Green, Blue, and Purple. The different colors split into six beams, before swirling around each other like a massive drill.
"NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Discord screamed out in anger and pain as the attack struck, completely enveloping him. He felt his body beginning to stiffen, as stone crawled up his body, he glared toward Bage, even though his vision was obscured by the massive beam. "WELL PLAYED, SAIYAN! PERHAPS THIS DEFEAT CALLS FOR A BIT OF INTROSPECTION! I'LL SEE YOU AGAIN IN THE FUTURE, I'M SURE!" He shouted over the cacophony of the attack, yet Bage didn't hear him. The stone covered Discord's head, and the beam dispersed. The chaos had been reversed, as the sun shone upon the restored landscape.
Bage breathed a sigh of relief, his Harmonic form dissipating. He fell to his knees, the past twenty-four hours having been an utter nightmare. He felt a hand on his shoulder, looking up to see his sister. "Well done. I knew that saiyan pride was still in there somewhere." Bage smirked, his gaze revealing just how tired he was.
"Yeah, but I just realized, I haven't taken a break in almost a day. I think I need to take a nap and get something to eat. Not necessarily in that order." He chuckled as he fell forward, passing out almost immediately. Shiso gave a wry smile, understanding the feeling of pushing oneself to the brink of exhaustion. A voice calling out to her pulled her from her thoughts.
"HEY! Now that we're out of that crisis, do you mind telling us who exactly you are, and how you know Bage?" Rainbow Dash asked, scowling as she got up into Shiso's face. Shiso, to her credit, didn't react. She simply took a step back, composed herself, and cleared her throat.
"Very well, I suppose I owe you that much. I am Shiso, Bage's sister, as well as one of the last remaining saiyans. I was a member of Frieza's elite forces, but after finding out Bage is still alive, I defected, coming here to find him." It wasn't entirely a lie, but they needn't know that. "I suppose you all are his 'friends'? It seemed that she wasn't quiet enough as the pink one seemed to hear, raising an eyebrow, but she didn't say anything. "And you all are?" Twilight nodded at her friends, taking a small step forward. She used her magic to pull the boldone backwards, before clearing her throat.
"Well, you and I have already been... acquainted, but these are my friends. Pinkie Pie-" The pink one rapidly flailed her leg around in the air "-Applejack-" The one with the strange headwear tilted her head towards her "-Rarity-" Shiso had a flashback of Frieza looking at this one; Rarity gave a small bow "-Fluttershy-" 'The timid one of the group' Shiso thought; she shrunk back behind Applejack with a whimper "-and the one who tried to intimidate you is Rainbow Dash." The bold winged one from before gave an 'I'm watching you' gesture, before crossing her arms with a scowl.
"Interesting. So I take it you all are the reason my brother has, for lack of a better word, changed? The last time I saw him, he had just turned 12, before I was assigned to 'Prince' Vegeta's squad. The arrogant bastard." Twilight raised an eyebrow, a look of confusion crossing her face.
"Wait, 'Prince' Vegeta? I thought your planet was called Vegeta?" Shiso gave a small smirk.
"Yes."
"Yes, what?"
"The planet, The King, and his son, The Prince."
"All three are named after the same guy?"
"Yes."
"Whose bright idea was that?" Shiso smirked, she was enjoying this little back-and-forth.
"Vegeta's." Twilight's face went blank.
"Which one?"
"The King."
"OK, we're done, with, that. For now, let's just get Bage back to the library so he can rest, and we can all get better acquainted with each other."
In the farthest reaches of Equestria, deep in the icy wastes of the Frozen North, the frigid snowstorm seemed to slow, swirling around an unseen force, as if something still occupied the space. The air hummed with an ancient energy for a moment, before dissipating.
Shiso placed Bage down on the couch, leaving his legs to hang off the end, and she turned toward Twilight and her friends. "Alright, ask me anything you wish to know, and I'll do my best to answer." Twilight's eyes widened, her intellectual curiosity being peaked. Before she could finish, Pinkie Pie stepped in front of her, waving her foreleg.
"OOH, OOH, OOH! PICK ME! PICK ME! PICK ME!" Pinkie jumped up and down rapidly, her body practically vibrating in place. "What's your and Bage's birthdays?!" Shiso was taken aback by that, having never really thought about it.
"I... don't know. I never really put much thought into it." Pinkie froze, her eyes almost bulging out of their sockets.
"YOU DON'T KNOW?!! How could you not know your own birthday?!! What is your planet like, if you don't know anyone's birthday?!" Shiso had been exposed to a lot of things in her life. Mercenaries; Tyrants; Pirates; even a giant tree; But this... pony... had left her at a loss for words.
"I... um... I... don't..." Shiso felt like her brain was boiling, completely unable to comprehend the pony before her. Rainbow Dash saw the struggle on Shiso's face, flying up to her.
"Hey, don't overthink it too much. She's just Pinkie Pie." Rainbow patted her shoulder, snapping Shiso out of her stupor.
"Right. So, I offer you the chance to ask me anything... and you chose that? Over anything else?" Pinkie Pie gave a slow, offset blink, before nodding. "Right, any other questions?" Applejack cleared her throat, giving Shiso an intense look.
"If'n yer gonna answer any questions we got, so here's my question: What, exactly, happened to yer planet? And why did, whoever it was, decide that your people needed to get wiped out? It seems like the saiyans weren't exactly the best race of folks." Twilight nodded, readying her quill and notepad.
"I was curious about that too, being as Bage never went into great detail about it, aside from that it was destroyed." Shiso looked down at the ground, unsure of how to answer.
"Well, I'm not entirely sure. I was off planet at the time, and I only found out a few hours later from Frieza, and he told me that a large asteroid destroyed Planet Vegeta. I'm sure Bage would know more though. He was supposedly on planet before it happened." Shiso heard a snort behind her, turning to look. Bage was still sound asleep, but he seemed to be suffering an unpleasant dream. His face was contorted as if he was watching something distressing. "I was hoping to learn what happened myself."
Bage found himself in a void, not too dissimilar to when he was contacted by Nightmare Moon, but this one was different. The darkness surrounding him was less an oppressive force and more of a gentle shroud. "It's about time you came to visit, monkey-boy." Bage froze, recognizing both the voice and the insult. He turned, his eyes widening as he saw her. Sunset, looking no worse for wear, stood there staring at him with a look of boredom mixed with amusement. "Before you get all misty-eyed, this isn't real, it's just a dream." Before Bage could say anything, another voice made itself known.
"Indeed, Bage the Saiyan. Welcome to the dream realm, we are sure you may recognize us?" He saw the shadows next to Sunset condensed, forming the figure of Princess Luna.
"Yeah, kind of. Princess Luna, right? I don't think we met properly before," Bage mused. Bage's gaze shifted from Sunset to Luna, his mind racing with thoughts of what to say to Sunset, and what to ask of Luna. Luna's ethereal presence seemed to soften the edges of the void, her midnight blue mane flowing like a river of stars. She smiled gently, a knowing look in her eyes.
"In this realm, we are not bound by the physical world's limitations," Luna began, her voice echoing softly. "Here, thoughts and emotions manifest as tangible entities. It's a place of reflection, healing, and sometimes, a bridge for farewells."
Bage's eyes lingered on Sunset, a mixture of longing and sorrow welling within him. He swallowed hard, trying to anchor himself in the surreal reality of the dream.
Sunset stepped forward, her form shimmering slightly. "Don't look at me like that, Bage. I'm not really here, you know that. This is your mind's way of coping." Her voice, though teasing, carried an undertone of sadness.
Luna moved closer, her form casting a calming glow in the void. "Grief is like a shadow, Bage. It can envelop you, but remember, shadows are born from light. Sunset's memory, the light of your shared moments, that's the source. Embrace it, and you will find your way through the darkness."
Bage listened, his heart heavy yet strangely comforted. He glanced at Sunset, then back at Luna. "But how do I let go? How do I move on without forgetting her?"
Luna's gaze was soft but firm. "To move forward is not to forget, but to carry the love and lessons learned forward with you. In each step you take, in every decision you make, her influence remains a part of who you are."
As she spoke, the void around them began to brighten, stars twinkling into existence, painting a tapestry of cosmic beauty. Bage felt a warmth spreading through him, a sense of peace he hadn't felt in a long time.
Sunset's form began to fade, her smirk tender yet melancholic. "You've got a lot of living to do, monkey-boy. Make it count."
Bage nodded, trying not to let his tears spill over. As he watched Sunset disappear, he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Luna, her expression filled with compassion.
"Remember, Bage, the dream realm is always here, a sanctuary for your heart and mind. But the waking world awaits, with new challenges and joys to discover. You are never alone."
With those words, the void slowly dissolved, the stars fading like distant memories. Bage felt himself being pulled back to consciousness, Luna's final words echoing in his mind. As he opened his eyes to the waking world, he knew he was ready to face it, carrying Sunset's memory as a beacon of hope and strength.
Interlude: Chaos Sealed Away as Equestria Breathes a Sigh of Relief! Shiso Gives Some Well-Deserved Answers!
Interlude: Chaos Sealed Away as Equestria Breathes a Sigh of Relief! Shiso Gives Some Well-Deserved Answers!
The once chaotic streets of Ponyville now bustled with a concerted effort to mend and cleanse, a determined dance of repair and resilience. Shiso's gaze swept over the industrious townsfolk, her respect for their tenacity simmering within her. The tap on her shoulder was a jolt, snapping her head around to confront Rainbow Dash's piercing gaze. "Hey, you still owe us some answers, and we've got a lot of questions! So start talking!" Shiso met the challenge with silence, choosing to turn on her heel and retreat into the sanctuary of the library.
Inside, she found refuge against the solid spine of a bookcase, her arms a barricade over her chest as she appraised the expectant faces before her.
"Very well. Go ahead, and make the questions substantial this time, please?" Her eyes momentarily landed on Pinkie Pie, who was lost in her own silent disco, oblivious to the weight of the words exchanged.
Rainbow Dash, never one to mince words, stepped forward, her voice echoing with defiance. "Alright, how about the reason you came here in the first place?! Or, what you plan on doing here?!" A smirk teased the corners of Shiso's mouth, a flicker of amusement at the challenge.
"You don't trust me. I understand, I'm an unknown. It's only natural to be distrustful. But believe me when I say that I'm not here to cause trouble. The reason I came here was to determine why one of Lord Frieza's subordinates went dark. As for what I plan on doing, well, that's a bit harder to answer." Shiso's gaze drifted to the floorboards below as if the answer might be etched there. "At first, I was only supposed to confirm or deny whether Dryce had died, or gone rogue. However, now that I've seen that my brother is both alive and free of Frieza's iron grip, I can finally set about coming up with a plan." Applejack's eyes narrowed her squint a tangible thread of suspicion.
"Just a sec, ya'll keep bringin' up this 'Freeza' character. Would'ya mind fillin' us in on who that is, and why ya seem to get so fired up when ya say his name?" Applejack's voice was a lasso, attempting to pull the truth closer. Shiso's frown deepened, the shadows of her face growing darker with the bitter taste of the name.
"Imagine the most cruel, evil, despicable, murderous, cold-hearted being you can think of. Now multiply them by ten. You still wouldn't come close to the evil that is Frieza. He is the epitome of 'tyrant', if not the definition of the word. He's destroyed whole planets for the sake of profit, enslaved whole species, and forced my own species to serve him as conquerors. He is the reason that marauders and pirates look over their shoulders when they hear of him. He rules most of the known galaxy and by extension your planet. He's evil incarnate, and he knows it. Hell, he's proud of it. He cackles when he's told about it. I've been trying to find a way to topple his empire for years."
"He's also the reason our planet is an asteroid field." The words tumbled from Bage's lips, his voice a mix of gravel and pain, as he stirred from his repose, his arm a casual prop upon his knee. "So, you can add 'backstabber' to that list of titles." His rise to stand before her, a tower of familial rivalry, drew a reluctant smile from her as he playfully teased her stature. "So much for being the big sister, huh?" His quick reflexes caught her playful punch, drawing them into a reluctant yet heartfelt hug. Shiso's body tensed, her elite composure a fortress she refused to let crumble, despite the urge to dissolve into the embrace.
"SO, now that we can sit and talk; It's about time you came looking for me. I thought you might've forgotten about me, what with your 'elite' status." The smirk that danced on Bage's face was a provocation she felt in her clenched fist. "Hehe, relax I'm just kidding. I can see your sense of humour hasn't changed a bit in 12 years." Their reunion was a dance of old patterns, a jab to the gut, a wheezing chuckle, and the warmth of words unspoken for too long.
"I missed you too, idiot. Now, we have things to discuss. For example, you being the legendary Super Saiyan, among other things." Bage's reliance on the bookshelf to stand was a silent testament to their shared fatigue. "Now, I think you should know what exactly we need to do to face Frieza, and how we're going to go about doing that. If you've achieved the legend, that's just a bonus. And I can rub it in the Prince's face at the same time." The air left Bage's lungs in a deflated sigh.
"Oh, seriously? The PRINCE survived? I was hoping he got vaporized along with the planet!" His frustration found an outlet in the wooden spine of a bookshelf, the crack of splintering wood echoing through the room. Twilight's reaction was a symphony of distress and swift reprimand, her magic a flurry of repair and her dictionary a blunt instrument of discipline.
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, YOU BRAINLESS SIMIAN?! THE LIBRARY IS NOT YOUR PERSONAL PUNCHING BAG!" Her scream was a crescendo of indignation, but Bage's laughter was a river breaking its banks, memories flooding the room with echoes of their past.
Rainbow Dash's hooves pounded on the table, her resolve a drumbeat of determination. "Hold on, if you two are gonna train to fight this Freezer guy then I want in." Her challenge was met with Bage's arched eyebrow, a silent question of her tenacity.
"Seriously? With how often you nap every day, I doubt you could keep up with a saiyan training schedule." His grin was a blade, sharp and ready. "We'll be up at the crack of dawn, every day."
"So? I can keep up, no problem."
"Ok, but if I catch you napping during a training session, I'll treat you like one of the guard recruits in Canterot. I'll knock you off your bed, banging on a trash can lid. Then you'll be doing wing-ups till I say stop." Her scoff was a banner of defiance, unfurled and waving.
"Is that all? Please, I do wing-ups to pass the time when I'm bored, is that the worst you can do?" Bage's smirk was a shadow, a harbinger of the challenge to come.
"You'll be doing them with me sitting on your back, counting each one. Still think it'll be easy?" The colour drained from Rainbow Dash's face as quickly as laughter seized Bage, his gales of mirth a storm that swept through the library.
For two gruelling years, the forest had become their arena, the earth their stage. Under the dense canopy of Whitetail Woods, Shiso and Rainbow Dash sparred with a ferocity that matched the untamed wilderness around them. They moved in a dance of discipline, their bodies bending and snapping with each controlled movement and ki blast, a symphony of power orchestrated by Bage's watchful eye.
Day by day, the sun bore witness to Rainbow Dash's transformation, her body learning the intricate language of ki control, her hooves striking with precision honed by countless hours of repetition. Meanwhile, Shiso was relentless, pushing her limits with a silent determination that spoke louder than words, her gaze often lingering on the pegasus whose spirit was as wild as the wind.
Bage, ever the mentor, had found solace in the solitude of the woods, his own training a solitary pursuit of perfection. The golden aura of the Super Saiyan enveloped him like a second skin, no longer a fleeting power but an enduring flame, burning steadily within him. His strength had become a quiet rumble beneath the surface, a titan in repose.
And so, as twilight painted the sky with hues of fatigue, the trio found themselves in a rare moment of stillness. Bage's back rested against the coarse bark of an ancient tree, the sweat on his brow glistening like morning dew. "WOOOO, I'm beat! I haven't trained this hard since Chrysalis!" he exclaimed, his voice echoing the exhilaration of their shared exertion.
A few paces away, Rainbow Dash sprawled on the forest floor, her chest heaving, each breath a testament to the day's labours. The pegasus's mane lay tousled, streaks of colour amidst the fallen leaves, a vibrant contrast to the earthy tones of their arena.
Shiso watched them both, a half-smile playing on his lips, her eyes betraying a warmth that belied her stoicism. The way her gaze softened when it met Rainbow Dash's struggling form spoke volumes, revealing an unspoken bond that had grown roots in the fertile ground of their camaraderie. "She's certainly grown in power, far more than I had anticipated she would."
Bage's back pressed against the rough bark, his frame sliding down to a poised crouch as he pushed off from the tree, his muscles protesting with a low grunt. "Yeah, but endurance isn't just about power," he said, standing tall in the clearing, the soft rustle of leaves underfoot. His eyes, fierce with the reflection of a warrior's pride, flickered with an undercurrent of worry. "It's about resilience, the ability to recover and keep moving forward." His gaze pierced the encroaching dusk, searching the horizon for an answer to the question that hung heavy in the air. "We've pushed ourselves pretty hard, but do you think it's enough to face Frieza?"
Rainbow Dash's form rose from the forest floor, her movements deliberate, a testament to the resolve that sculpted every muscle. She stood defiant, the outline of her figure sharp against the softening light leaves tumbling from her mane as she cast them aside with a flick of her head. "Heck yeah, I do! Frieza doesn't stand a chance!" Her voice was a clarion call, echoing through the trees with a timbre of iron will and barely contained zeal. She swept her hoof across her sinewy flank, a visible symbol of her physical transformation. "I feel like I could take on the world, no, the universe!"
Shiso's silhouette was motionless, a contemplative statue amidst the whispering forest. Her nod was slow, and deliberate, as she crossed her arms, embracing the wisdom that cocooned her thoughts. "Wisdom in battle is often the deciding factor," she mused, her voice a low hum in the symphony of the wild. "Strength of body is nothing without strength of mind. Rainbow, you have honed one, but not the other."
The clearing seemed to hold its breath as Bage unfurled his stance, rising like a phoenix from the ashes of contemplation. Around him, an almost imperceptible aura shimmered, a silent salute to his approval. "That's true, if you can't think straight in a fight, you aren't going to win. I made a whole bunch of mistakes against Chrysalis, and others suffered for it." he intoned, his gaze sweeping across the serene woods that cradled their memories and sharpened their spirits.
In the heavy silence that followed, the world above them stirred, as if waking from a dream. A celestial tapestry unfurled across the canvas of the sky, painting the night with strokes of otherworldly luminescence. They lifted their eyes heavenward, witnessing the rebirth of magic that had slumbered for a thousand years, the aurora a whisper of ancient prophecies coming to life.
In The Frozen North, the air itself seemed to hum with raw energy as a massive burst of ancient magic erupted from the snow-covered landscape. The Crystal Empire, with its gleaming towers and radiant spires, materialized from the veil of time, its reappearance after 1,100 years of absence a spectacle of awe and wonder. The air crackled with power, the very atmosphere alive with the resurgence of a legend long believed to be lost to the annals of history.
Amidst the swirling snow and the howling winds of the intense blizzard that enveloped the empire, a soft, sinister laughter echoed, chilling and barely perceptible. The laugh belonged to an unidentified presence, one whose delight went unheard over the vast, empty expanse of the white landscape. It was a sound drowned out by the elements, yet it held the promise of dark intentions and a lurking menace for the world just awakened.
