Broken Howls and Tattered Leaves

I winced every time Adam's iron fingers plunged into Terra's bark with dull thuds. I had offered to help him up with some vines, but he was far too heavy and they broke before he even lifted himself up. I had went on ahead and landed on a web covered branch that noted the beginning of the horror that was to come.

'So, Underbrush. What exactly are we doing up here anyways?  What's got you so scared?' Adam asked as he pulled himself up and plunged his fingers into Terra once more.

You don't w-wanna know... I stopped and shuddered, Just...no. I was having flashbacks to my first encounter with Amalorg, and my subsequent vivisection. Adam pulled himself up onto the branch next to me, seemingly unsure if it would hold his weight and asked.

'Just tell me.  I can guarantee that I've seen worse.  And anyways, how am I suppose to help if you wont tell me what were up against?'

Oh yeah? And just what have you seen... i said with confidence. I highly doubted that there was anything worse than giant zombie spiders.

'Well... so far I've seen  the four horsemen, I've died several hundred times, had every one of my organs removed in such a way that I was conscientious and alive throughout the entire procedure, and I also brought back Hades' daughter after her curfew had passed.  And that's just the tip of the iceberg.' Adam said nonchalantly. I was stunned.

Wait... FOUR horsemen? As in the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? I said it before and I'll say it again. This guy had connections that even I couldn't even imagine. Well, have you s-seen a Giant Zombie Spider?

'No, the Four Horsemen of jolly good times.  Of course Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse!  And about giant zombie spiders?  Well I've fought giants, zombies, spiders, zombie spiders, giant zombies, and giant spiders.  A  giant zombie spider would just be saving time in my books.'

I-i see... I said slowly. I took one last swing and landed amongst several web coated branches. I started to shudder. W-we're h-here... j-just a l-little f-further... I was scared out of my mind. I wanted to run back to the forest floor and see if I could indeed piddle myself now, but I had to be strong. Terra asked me to help get the Seed and damn me to Tartarus if I wimp out now. The tiny spider drones were starting to swarm towards me, the source of the disturbance in the webbing, and I backed up a single step as Adam finished his ascent.

Adam only looked at me, then proceeded to crash through the spiders and the webbing like they were those paper doors they had in Japan. 'You coming?' He asked, pausing to see if I was following.

I watched as Adam walked through the tiny spiders, either crushing them under his iron boots or they bounced off of his plates. I started to follow him and replied. 'Y-yeah... sure.'

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][Meanwhile][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

Cora glanced at her sister and smiled.  She was sitting on a large rock her sister had gotten for her, but even now her small form was starting to char the rock.

"Teeeeerrraaaaa~" Cora called out in a singsong voice. Terra shook her head and looked at her sister with a slightly worried look. "Oh don't be so fussy.  Adam won't let anything happen to Twig."

"It isn't that I don't trust Adam to keep Twigleaf safe." Terra sighed, "It is that I hope that he at least tries to stay out of the fighting. He is quite dedicated to anything I ask of him. I am worried that he will do something brash."

Cora giggled. "I doubt he'll be much into the fighting.  He's terrified of spiders.  You should've seen him after we... rescued... him from one."

"And I am to blame for his fear of arachnids. I had sent him after the Seed a few days ago and Amalorg nearly killed him. He had fallen all the way from my canopy in pieces..." Terra looked towards the ground and sighed.

Cora leaned towards her sister and gave her a hug. "And he's willing to go up anyways." she murmured into Terra's ear, "That certainly says something about him." Cora leaned back and gave Terra a huge grin. "And if he breaks, you can just fix him again!"

Terra smiled and embraced her sister. "Thank you big sister. I am glad you are back from your slumber." she said, ending the hug with a smile. "Just what woke you up after all this time?"

"I suppose hunger would be the easiest way of describing it.  Most knowlage of me is lost, and my creations are... gone now.  I have very few who even remember me, belief in me is quickly disappearing..." Terra gave Cora a warm smile.

"Then we shall have to change that now, won't we?" She said with a wink. Cora let out a girlish giggle.

"Oh, you."

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][Back To Adam and Twigleaf][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

Adam was really tearing up the webbing with only his body. Nothing seemed to phase him as he continued forwards, blazing a whole new path. He turned to face me, he was covered from head to toe in sticky webs, and he said.

'Hey Barkbrains, are you sure you don't want to go first?'

No thanks. I think you got it. I replied. I was learning to ignore the names, mostly because I knew he meant no harm in them.

'Suit yourself.' He said as he continued to push through. He would occasionally toss a spider towards me and get me to scrabble away from it before I realized that I was much bigger than it and flicked it out of the way. He finally pushed one final time and we both entered a large hollow dome that I immediately recognized. 'So... where to next?'

I was shaking violently at this point, even if I had a determined look on my face. 'W-we're here...'

'So, if were here... where are all the spiders?' Adam asked. I almost facepawed after he said that.

As if on cue, Amalorg slowly descended from the top of the dome. "Why hast thou interrupted my slumberrrrr...." She said, her voice was scratchy, like nails on a chalkboard scratchy. It looked down at me with it's non blind eyes. Of which there were only 3 left. "Yoooooouuuuu.... Hast thou returned to take that which is rightfully mine!?" She screeched, causing me to scramble behind Adam.

I-it d-doesn't b-belong t-t-t-t-t-to y-you... I said, trembling. It was like I was staring into the face of death yet again. I could still remember the pain of her fangs scratching my soul and my body being ripped to pieces. It b-belongs t-t-t-to Terra... I was actually almost tempted to say something like 'Say hello to my bigger friend...' but my chattering teeth wouldn't allow me to.

Adam pounded his fist into his opposing palm as if he remembered something. 'Armalorg! High Priestess Armalorg, the Spider Goddess' Emissary!  How did you screw up badly enough top end up like this?'

Amalorg hissed as she recognized the voice coming from the golem. "Yoooooouuuuuu..... yoooou did this toooo meeeee! With myyy faaaaiillure tooo defeeeeaaaat yoooouu, myyy goooodeeesssss cuuuurrsssseeeed meee tooo thiiiis foooorrrmmmm!" She screeched swiping a long leg at Adam. "I WIIIIIILLL HAAAAAVEEEE MYYY REEEVEEENGEEE!"

'Aww, I missed you too.' He said, grabbing the large appendage. 'Let me give you a HUG.' Adam wrapped his arms tighter, and her leg started to buckle.

Amalorg screeched in pain as she drew her injured leg to her bulky form. Small Drone spiders flowed from the wound like blood as they bandaged the wound with webs.

L-look out! I cried as Amalorg shot a large stream of sticky webbing at Adam. I lept up and tackled Adam out of the way, only to be hit by the webbing. The webbing slammed into me and propelled me into the trunk of the tree. The webbing felt tingly, like a thousand needles were piercing my wooden form. I could feel my body slowly numb and become useless as Drones swarmed over me and into my body. They were diggin around in my chest and emerged with my soul stone.I watched in horror as they started to bring it back to Amalorg. "Leeeeeet uuuussss ssssseeee yyyoooooooouuuu beeeaaaat mmmeeeee nnoooooww thaaaat I haaave a hoooosssstaaaageeee...." She said with her vile voice.

Adam gave me a blank look, not like there was much emotion that could be shown, but you get my drift.

'Soul stone?' I nodded in response. This wasn't going to end well.

'Hmm, I'll have to ask Cora about that...  Anyways, what makes you think that having a hostage would work?'

"Hhhheeeee iiissssss yyyyooooouuuurrrrr fffrrrriiiieeeeennnndddd. Yyyyyyoooouuuu wwwwoooouuuullllddddnnnnn'ttttt hhhuuuurrrrttt yyyoooouuuurrrr ffffrrriiiieennnddd..." she said, practically spitting venom at Adam.

'Are you sure about that?  I only met him a few hours ago tops.' He said to Amalorg before turning to me. or rather my still active body. 'Don't worry Twig, I'll avenge you.' Did he just... He did. He called me by my name instead of a lame nickname.

I shook violently. 'Just make it hurt... A lot.'

'I'll gladly honor that last request.' He said nodding before taking a few steps towards Amalorg. Something white flashed between me and Adam and I found my self flying, my connection to my body slowly fading. That is an odd experience. You know how people would describe a soul being sucked from a body like a berry through a straw? Yeah, it felt a lot like that.

I now had a sort of 360 awareness and I felt Keet there just above me, grasping me in his shaking claw. W-what? I thought you left! I said, happy that he was there, but still kinda mad that he had disappeared. I was also mad at myself for not noticing that he had disappeared.

"You really didn't think I would leave ya to die, did ya?" He said, he was just as scared as I was as we flew through the webbed tunnel that Adam had created. I smiled, or at least as much as a rock could.

I guess not...

He grinned at me and flew out of the now slowly closing hole where the drones were fixing the web. "Hold on!" He said. I grimaced. just how the hell was I going to hold on! He was holding me! Keet closed his eyes as he barely slipped through the hole and dispersed a few drones while he was at it. He breathed a sigh of relief as we entered open airspace. "Now we are even, yeah?" he said as he slowly glided towards the ground. The feeling of flight is something hard to describe. I knew I wasn't the one flying, but having my very essence exposed to the air felt exhilarating. I could feel each and every gust of wind as Keet brought his wings down, and I could feel the gentle breeze that wafted through the jungle, bringing a light scent of fruits and the undergrowth to my form.

My musings were interrupted by a large, grey form falling by us, almost making Keet drop me. I almost could feel a familiar presence fly past us towards Adam, but it was probably the wind.

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][Meanwhile][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

Cora looked at her sister.  Terra was wincing slightly.

"What's wrong?"

Terra winced again. "Nothing it's just that- ugh -Adam's not being as courteous as he could be."

Cora patted her sister's hoof. "That's just how he is.  You don't expect him to climb up with those flimsy vines, do you?"

"Well I suppose not..."

Cora leaned back on her rock, which by now was almost completely burnt through. "Well, I suppose that now's a good a time as any." Terra smiled at her sister.

"Yes, I do suppose now would be a good time to start. We wouldn't want you to burn your way back to the core, now would we?" She lowered her horn towards Cora, the wind itself was wrapping around Terra's form and the tip of her horn glowed in a majestic green light. "Come sister, let us become one once more. Even if it is only for a moment."

Cora reached up a hand, covered in a dark red glow, and gently touched a finger to the tip of Terra's horn.  The lights merged, turning the color of rich loam, and enveloped the sisters.  Their eyes began to glow a bright white, and when Terra pushed the pure energy into her sister, the glow slowly subsided, until it had completely dissipated.  Cora glowed red for a moment, then it was finished.

"It is done, my sister." Terra panted.  She slightly exhausted, as she had given Cora a little more than what was agreed upon.

"Thank you, sis." Cora gave her sister a hug.

Adam landed with a dull thud and created a small crater nearby Terra and Coralis.

"Oooh, that looked like it hurt." Keet said.

I don't think he can feel much of anything Keet. I replied as we alighted next to Terra. Keet set me down almost halfway between Terra and Adam. Well. That could have gone better.

Adam pulled himself out of the small crater he made and pointed an accusing finger at Terra. 'I blame you for this.'

Terra smirked at him. "Then let us call it even for gouging out my flesh during your climb.  Besides that, where you successful in your mission?"

He started to casually toss the Seed of Gaia from hand to hand. 'What do you think?'

Terra breathed an audible sigh of relief. "Thank you Adam. Can you bring it over here?" She asked pointing to a small stone that looked more like a pedestal. "Just place it on the stone."

Adam only took a few steps towards Terra before the Seed started to glow. I watched entranced as it floated softly out of his ferrous hand and levitated towards me. I felt a sort of familiar warmth emanating from the Seed. It was comforting and encouraging. The Seed floated in front of my soul stone for a second and then slowly melded with it. It was an odd feeling. It was warm and comforting at first, but then quickly turned into a raging inferno. My soul burned and bristled with unbridled power. I felt the power pull plant matter from all around me, reforming my body around my glowing soul stone. My eyes started to burn and glow as my mind blanked out...

WHEW! That is it for this crossover. It was interesting to say the least. Sorry it took so long, but my life has been odd lately and I have been finding it hard to concentrate on writing. Well, mostly copypasta for this crossover XD. But yeah, if you haven't already, go check out Eathlome's story An Iron Pawn. It be some great shiznit in there. As some of you may know, I also have a Tumblr for Twiggy and anyone he meets along the way. You can find it HERE! Now you must wait for a bit as I start up the next arc! The Journey to Canterlot!