The Storm Queen

by Timeless Lord Slayer

Rating: mature
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Other, Original Character, Tempest Shadow, Sex, Science Fiction, Comedy, Dark Souls, Violence, Grubber, Crossover, Death, Human, Storm King, Drama, Gore
Length: 151154

Where am I? Wait, what? I'm a Queen?! HOW THE FUCK-?!

Lucette Petremol was just looking to have some friendly fun at a costume party. Maybe show up a few people with her amazing cosplay of a character she made up. She wasn't looking to be transported through dimensions into a world of fantasy and make-believe. She also wasn't looking to become a ruler of a country, or be forced to deal with politicians for the rest of her foreseeable future.

Oh, and the Abyss is running rampant, and she's the only Undead around.

Seems Lady Fate decided she was the perfect plaything.

Displaced story. Fair warning.

4/26/2019 HOLY SHIT, THIS GOT FEATURED. Fuck, thank you guys so much!

6/29/2019 FEATURED SOON AS THE NEW CHAPTER WENT UP. I. Am. SO. Happy.

PICTURE IS TEMPORARY, NO LONGER SEARCHING FOR BETTER COVER ART AS SOMEONE IS IN THE PROCESS OF MAKING SOME

Published 2018-01-12 05:30:06 UTC
Last updated 2023-04-13 07:22:38 UTC

2 - Arrival: Coronation of Storms (DEFNITIVE EDIT)

[A woman takes the first step up the stairs.

Her subjects watch on with pride in their hearts.

Her children follow behind her, smiles on their faces.

Royal Lightning flashes time and time again outside.

Reaching the top of the steps, she turns, and grins.

The Queen of Storms takes her throne.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6_722bLF-I)

A day has passed since I killed the Storm King. Tempest Shadow, as I had learned the unicorn was named, quickly told me how the yeti-like creatures that inhabited this island, called simply Storm Creatures, had an ancient custom. The custom was that anyone who killed their ruler automatically had the rights to the throne.

She explained that they believed that it didn't matter how the king was killed, because anyone who could bypass the castle's defenses or it's guards had more than enough strength to be a leader.

It had only been won through direct combat once before, and among their own kind, but again, they didn't care as long as you proved you were strong in one respect or another.

I was still trying to get over the fact that I was in a fantasy land, and that the whole damn thing was actually real. I will admit, the brief time I had alone last night, I was upset. I had quickly realised I was very far from home, and had no idea how to get back.

I wouldn't be able to see Suzy's stupid, goofy smile, or my brother's antics. I was very, very alone. And a bit scared.

I remember lashing out at one of the paintings, and thus burning it with Solar Light in my rage. It was a self-portrait of the Storm King. I didn't care, though. The explanation as to how I did it, both to myself and my new maids - yes, fucking maids - I had to show some care for. But dealing with being out of your own dimension kinda screws with you.

I wasn't really worrying about the king I'd killed, either. In part because he was a tyrant if what I'd heard was any indication, and also because I had killed plenty of sentient beings plenty of times before during my time in the Marines.

Currently, I was trying to keep my modesty as Tempest attempted to get a very loose fitting set of ceremonial armor on me. I was facing the mirror, holding the huge scale mail bra over my bosom. I refused to have the other servants dress me, and, naturally, they argued. So, I had to relent by having just Tempest dress me. It was beyond embarrassing.

I had quickly learned after I disrobed, too, that I was an Awoken from Destiny, with dark blue, almost purple and surprisingly flawless skin, and silver hair, thankfully still in my original style, which was just long enough to cover one of my glowing, golden eyes, but short enough that it didn't reach all the way to my shoulders.

Oh, and I had the Dark Sign. So I was also Undead. Joy.

Anyways, Tempest was busy cutting the straps and making them shorter so the scale mail bra could fit on me without falling off. Thankfully, I didn't have to wear those stereotypical chainmail loincloths, no, I got a full set of chainmail leggings, heavy cotton trousers under them with dark steel knee guards strapped to them.

The scale mail bra was the only bit left to put on. I sighed as I waited for Tempest to finish fixing the straps and looked out the window of the tower.

I am not going to enjoy being out there with nothing but a fucking scale mail bra and pants on. Especially since this island was called the Island of Storms for a reason. There was a thunder storm outside. Every. Day. Which meant rain and cold winds.

I'm going to be freezing my ass off.

My Ghost, whom I have taken to calling Ventus, was at present maintaining my gear for me. I really didn't want to lose that stuff, especially since it had all become real after getting here, so I was glad she was taking care of it.

"You know Your Highness..." Tempest began, trying to create a new latch for one of the straps. "...I don't think I've ever had to do this sort of thing for anyone before."

"And I don't think I've ever been doing this kind of thing before either," I answered.

"Considering what you told me earlier about your life, that makes sense," Tempest replied.

I hadn't told her the truth, or much at all. So, I told her an abridged version, saying that I used to travel and thus dressed myself.

She just figured that meant adventurer, and I was fine with that. What I wasn't fine with was the fact I had needed help with this get-up, since it was so large.

She finally made the latch and began to fasten it to the strap. "Still, how small are your teats if I have to adjust this thing down five whole sizes?"

My cheeks burned with a blush as I elbowed the mare. "I'll have you know I'm pretty decent for my people!"

The mare grunted as I saw her rub her cheek with a hoof before getting back to work. "Sorry, Your Highness. I'll try to remember that you are a completely different race than the indigenous population."

I grunted, still blushing. "You better..." I grumbled. A short while later she finished fastening the latch to the strap and fastened the strap itself to me, making sure it was tight, before stepping back.

"Better?" she asked. I looked at myself, turning this way and that, before giving myself a nod of approval.

"Yeah," I replied.

"Good. Let us get on with the coronation, then," she said, and trotted towards the door, opening it for me. "You first, Your Highness."

I grunted. "Ventus, come on." I called to my Ghost.

"Coming!" she chirped, disappearing in a cloud of blue particles and retreating into me. Still don't know how the hell that works, nor can I say I particularly like the feeling, but I can worry about that later.

With that done, I walked out of my chambers and down the hall, Tempest following behind me. We walked a good while before finally coming to a set of black steel doors, carved with symbols of storms and wild ocean tides. I stopped before them, took a deep breath, and opened them.

Immediately I was met by a cacophony of what I could only imagine was congratulatory roars and raucous cheers in the Storm Creature language. I saw thousands upon thousands of them, male and female, children and adults, all crowding the courtyard and the areas beyond.

I won't lie, I was very hesitant to step out onto the balcony, but I remembered my training, and that right now, these people needed me. So, I stepped out onto the balcony. The cheers and roars grew louder, and I saw guards stamping the butts of their halberds in approval.

"Crowd really loves you, huh partner?" Ventus noted. I grunted.

"Yeah. Sadly," I muttered. She just giggled.

I looked to the side where a small... hedgehog, I think he said, named Grubber stood on the railing, holding the very crown the Storm King once bore. The rain bore down on us hard, and I was right, I was freezing. But I think I was getting goosebumps from more than just the cold. Grubber turned to face the crowd, holding the crown high. A lightning bolt arced across the sky just as he did.

"Today marks the start of a new day! A new future! A future full of promise!" He slowly placed the crown on my head, and the crowd erupted in such a deafening roar of cheers that I swore my ears were ringing from them as well as the thunder and lightning that followed. "Your Storm Queen! Lucette Petremol!" More lightning, more cheers.

I cracked a small grin. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

Just gotta remember to not fuck everything up.

A week after the Friendship Festival, Princess Celestia was having a nice, relaxing day off. The nobles, for once, had nothing to trouble her with, and thus she was allowed a day of peace in the quiet hours of the afternoon. She sat on a plush, top-of-the-line cushion on her balcony as she overlooked the horizon that stretched out before her.

She sighs in content and takes a sip of her favorite jasmine tea.

"Such a perfect day... And to think that I have to spend such lovely days as these listening to those nobles..." she shakes her head and places her teacup down on it's accompanying tray with a soft smile. "The things we do to keep peace."

Suddenly, her chamber doors burst open, and a Royal Guard rushes in. "Your Highness! I bring great news!" he said, rushing over to her and stopping just behind her, saluting sharply. Celestia sighs and turns her head to face him, but her smile returns soon enough.

"And? What is this great news? Is Dragon Lord Ember coming to visit? I did so enjoy having her over last month," Celestia mused. The guard shook his head.

"No, Your Highness. The Storm King has been overthrown, and the lands he once controlled have been turned over to their rightful owners by the new monarch!" the guard reported. Celestia's eyes promptly widened to saucers. She whirled on her guard.

"You're certain?" she asked carefully. He nodded. Celestia broke out in a wide smile. "That truly is great news! Tell me, who is this new monarch?"

"She goes by a few titles, two of which were instated by her. 'The Traveler's Chosen', and 'The Darkslayer'. Of course, her traditional title is The Storm Queen," The guard explained dutifully. "We do not know much about her, only that she came into power three weeks before the Festival, and that she offered the survivors of the Abyssinia Slaughter their lands back, along with many others, in return for trade agreements."

"Such generosity... It's nearly unheard of for the Storm Creatures. Usually they either isolate themselves or try to conquer other lands, but to think that one of them would show such kindness..." Celestia mused, hoof on her chin. Her brows furrowed in thought over her large, amethyst eyes. "Those titles though... They are quite intriguing..." The royal white mare shook her head, placing those thoughts aside for later as she removed her hoof from her chin and turned to the guard. "Alert my sister, and bring her to me, please. I must send some letters."

The guard saluted and galloped off to do just that. Celestia summoned some paper and a quill and started to write.

She had many preparations to go through.

Author's Note

EDIT: Another new intro, one hopefully better than that trashy one from before.

EDIT: Added a better intro, complete with a new, better song.

EDIT: Fixed some grammatical errors and the like. Added an intro, complete with song.

I hope this one didn't bore you all too much. It's just a bit of a two part set-up for the next arc.

Thanks for reading, my lovelies.

-Timeless Celestial

3 - Arrival: Machinations and Preparations (New Edit because I am dumb)

Author's Note

EDIT: Addressed the glaring issue of literally every Royal of Equestria basically abandoning their duties to meet Lucette. Hopefully this edit will make the idea of them all heading over more understandable.

EDIT: Added a new, better intro, complete with a new, better song.

EDIT: Added an intro, complete with a song.

Storm Creature dialect, which I have dubbed, "Skilin" (don't judge me I can't think of anything else) shall from this chapter onwards be shown like this: "~Praise be to the Storm Queen!~"

3 - Arrival: Machinations and Preparations (New Edit because I am dumb)

[A woman takes the first step up the stairs.

Her subjects watch on with pride in their hearts.

Her children follow behind her, smiles on their faces.

Royal Lightning flashes time and time again outside.

Reaching the top of the steps, she turns, and grins.

The Queen of Storms takes her throne.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6_722bLF-I)

It's been a month and a half or so since I began my reign over this small island nation. A very eventful month and a half, too. Mainly due to what I thought was my first week.

"...Come the fuck again?" I asked, right eye twitching and desperately trying to keep my hand from reaching for my holster.

"It has not been a week yet," Tempest repeated, giving me a deadpan stare. Could see the mild amusement there too, the bitch.

"Fryg," began one of the Eye's (basically inner council) Members, Lord Wolf-kin in the native tongue I was still learning. He was a Skili with greying fur and a mask stylized like a wolf's maw, along with a brigandine that somehow managed to also look like a tuxedo and had bangles on his wrists that had yet more wolf heads of silver...which were placed on what might as well have been fucking bucklers since Skili had such large arms. "Have you truly not been apprised of the different calendars we have?"

I gave the Skili a wide, forced smile. "No. Please, do enlighten me."

Another Skili whom I could only describe as a walking talking fortress of shields with tits that would make most anime girls scream in envy spoke up next. "In the Kingdom of Storms, a week is 12 days, a month is 24 weeks, and a year 36 months, in comparison to most other nations." Informed Lady Shield-City.

"...Ah." I raised a single digit as I felt my Arc Light starting to build dangerously in and around me. "A moment, if you please."

I then promptly exited the room and exploded much of the hallway beyond the room with Arc Light.

Very. Very. Eventful.

...Let's move on.

My first order of business was to learn more about our history and a bit of the history of the surrounding nations, as well as the dialect of the Storm Creatures. Of course, that was a lengthy process that could never be finished within three months, let alone one and a half, so I was still learning as I went.

"~Vella gah defger-~”

“~No! No no no no NO!~” cried my tutor before slamming a book on my desk whilst my hands were still on it. “Nohk eeches, Mai Qwehn!” He shouted again with his heavy accent.

I simply tried to ignore the pain in my hands and my shame at having forgotten again that the Skili language did not have an ‘H’ in it’s alphabet, and that my instructor was very, very good at telling when I used one.

It did not help that the book he slammed on my hands was literally nearly 80 pounds.

Whatever Mother created Mothersilk must have been a fat fucking cow.

Because fucking OW.

Moving on!

Ahem.

My second order of business was, well, fucking learning how to rule a damn country. Sure, I'd been in a leadership position in the military, but this? This was a whole 'nother level entirely.

Tempest had to walk me through everything. Courtly etiquette, how even something as simple as what I wore could possibly make me a laughing stock or a disgrace among rulers, and wordplay on a level I'd never even considered before. I could barely keep up. It didn't help that Tempest didn't even have the absolute best idea on said wordplay, as she was always in a right-hand position and never a true ruling position. Furthermore, her wordplay only really extended a little beyond mine.

So, she had to call up an expert on the subject, a resident, very withered looking Storm Creature who once was the right-hand of the Storm Ruler before the previous King - apparently the old King had demoted him and made Tempest his right hand - and hot damn was this Storm Creature strict.

Honestly reminded me of my mom when she was teaching me and my brother calculus. Worse, really.

Fucking Mothersilk.

Regardless, I was overwhelmed as absolute shit. I was mostly just operating on an idea of, 'This is arrogant and cool, rulers do that, right? right,' and went from there. It was...well, it was a process.

And that wasn't even counting my actual plans for the kingdom. I began with relinquishing hold over conquered territories and giving said territories back to the wounded parties, all in exchange for a stable supply of goods once they got their countries up and running again. Naturally, some of the Nobles argued this point. Well, Warrior-Nobles, as they called themselves. I just kinda ignored it. I did not wanna have deep set grudges against any country I was forced to rule, especially with such a huge and sudden change in the Storm Kingdom's power. The deal with the Abyssinians, the talking, anthropomorphic cats, was... Well, hard, to say the least.

For one, The Storm King had razed their cities to the ground, leaving very, very few survivors. Some of the few surviving ones were a smooth talker named Capper, another called Nami, and a small group of orphans the Storm King had let live so they could work as cargo haulers. Naturally, all the rest were also cargo-haulers or some other form of laborer.

Nami was really antagonistic and distrustful of me, and it took a lot of coercion and a promise to pay reparations to get her to come around. It...didn't help that I kept forgetting some kinda basic etiquette for rulers and kept offending her.

The orphans... Well, the orphans I gave a choice to. They could come and live with me, or they could live with Nami. All of them but the runt of the litter, Suki, went with Nami.

Capper really latched onto the idea of restoring his country, but would only do so after I paid his debt. I instead arrested the guy he was indebted to for charges of slavery and slave trafficking. That in turn started a messy affair in the town, Klugetown, where I had to start a campaign against slave trafficking. Still hadn't stopped the trade, but I was damned if I wasn't going to.

Thankfully, this did not result in any real backlash from the various Houses of the Storm Kingdom. None of the Houses actually truly condoned slavery, so I didn’t have to purge any Warrior-Nobles. Yet.

The Lizardmen and Fishmen were given their old territories of Nightmare Cliffs and Basalt Beach respectively, and they seemed just as happy to return for the most part. Some had grown accustomed to Klugetown and thus stayed, however. Why those Fishmen stayed in a desert town I will never know.

The Hippogriffs - which apparently were a race in this world, sentient, at that - well, they wouldn't talk to me, so they were pretty much on hold, but I made sure to tell Tempest that any act of aggression towards them would be considered an act of treason and worthy of an exile. Oddly, no one argued me on that point. Sympathy, maybe? I don't know.

Other than that, I was overseeing the redecoration of the castle and the building of a number of very special facilities. Namely, weapons development, an intelligence department, an R&D building, and finally, a new training ground for an elite group of soldiers I was calling, 'The Darkstriders'. This, thankfully, got the full support of the Warrior-Nobles. Note to self: Storm Creatures like beefing up their military. Anyways, a few more units might be formed soon, but I was still working on that. I was currently walking out towards the city from the castle, which was being reinforced with steel I-Beams and concrete and painted a nice royal purple. Guards flanked me on either side, though I honestly wished they wouldn't. I could take care of myself, after all.

But, Tempest and my teacher had been very clear - no ruler should go without an entourage.

I glanced to where Grubber was instructing a group of workers in the courtyard on where they were to put up the new banners. I smiled as I gazed upon the crest I had worked on for a good portion of a day. It's background was white, and the emblem was a combination of an emblem from Destiny 2 and the Dark Sign. Basically, it was the Storm Surge Emblem in purple in the center of the Dark Sign. Think a diamond with an almost hourglass shape on the inside, two lightning bolts to the lower right and left of the diamond, and a line with two clubs at the top, all surrounded by a burning, circle with a background of black.

I thought it was a pretty cool idea. Anyways, I turned back around and continued my walk to the city proper, my guards following and surrounding me. I passed a number of citizens on the way, some farming what I had learned was called Storm Fruit along with mindless beasts that looked like crocodiles with stony skin, and others just on their way to their own important jobs. Many of the children waved, and the adults bowed. I simply nodded to them before continuing on.

The city, while beautiful, was rather simple. Just stone houses and shops, with the occasional statue thrown in for flair - Skili architecture incorporated a LOT of statues. It was mostly industrial, with smokestacks coming out of every home and shop, making the factories almost tame by comparison.

Glancing to the coast line, I could just make out the giant stone crocodile maws spitting out greater volumes of water than most any dam I'd seen. The Great Drains. Honestly, that was one of the things I was really interested about when it came to the Skili. They were a very honorable and militaristic people, but they knew when to put down their weapons and furthermore, knew how to be creative and smart. And boy, did the Great Drains show that in spades.

They were basically a massive system of drains - hence the name - made to keep the island from flooding due to the eternal storm. According to local myths and religion, one of their Gods, the Mother, blessed them with the knowledge of advanced masonry and stonework, along with engineering and construction. She supposedly also blessed this island with a vast cave system that the Skili made use of to create the Great Drains.

I'd gotten a chance to even see it all up close, thanks to my...new condition.

I shook my head, and returned my focus to the path ahead. Eventually I made it to the main industrial district, where the Storm King kept his factories. I had made plans to improve them and make them more efficient, although I couldn't do much of anything about the fossil fumes. Needed to figure that out soon. Before I'd come along, the factories were typically powered by primitive steam engines, but after I inspected one of the ones in the city, I changed that pretty quick and instated basic AC motors to start with. Granted, only a few actually had them, but, if Ventus got more materials, I could make more. Either way, large scale electrification was slowly taking place within every factory. We were still a ways off from having every factory in the nation powered by electricity, but it was a start.

And don't even get me started on the fact that power plants would be needed in the future.

But back to the matter at hand. This was where I was making one of the weapons I knew I would need if I did have to embroil this country into a war again, and it was also where the weapons development building was going. We already had the bare-bones and infrastructure, now we just needed the equipment, machinery, and other essentials.

Currently, we only had a few rooms ready to go. I walked towards the front gate, nodding to the guards as they let me through, and stepped inside. My own guards followed me as I quickly made it to the testing room, where I soon found Tempest testing out two of our secret weapons, an Obsidian Orb and a fire bomb.

I watched her expertly toss an Obsidian Orb at a target, encasing it in obsidian, and then in the same motion swiftly flipping and lobbing a fire bomb at the same target, causing an explosion that destroyed the obsidian on the target and left it singed.

I clap as I walk further inside. "Good job. You've got some pretty good skill with these despite having only used them a few times."

Tempest wipes some sweat from her brow with a foreleg and turns to me, giving a crisp salute. "Thank you, Your Highness. I think it's because I've practiced with the Obsidian Orbs a lot, and these fire bombs are pretty similar in terms of use."

I nod. "Yeah, I can see that. Still, this is only the beginning. We just need to finish this place up and get more trade lines going, and then we'll really be in business," I said with a toothy grin.

"Yup! We still need a more steady supply of saltpeter and charcoal, as well as purpleheart wood," Ventus added. I nodded again whilst Tempest just gave us a curious look.

"What would we need purpleheart wood for?" she inquired. My grin grew and I just winked at her.

"Style," I said simply, before walking over to the table where most of the fire bombs and Obsidian Orbs were. I inspected them for a bit, trying to determine how to make them less unwieldy. Tempest spoke up again.

"Your Highness, I've been wondering... You said you would restore my horn. When can I expect it to be such?" she asked. I turned my head a bit to look at her. I could see it in her eyes. She was desperate for a horn. I guess magic is more of a big deal to her than I thought. I looked to Ventus, who cleared her metaphorical throat.

"Well, from the little I've been able to gather about unicorn physiology, I should be able to synthesize you a new horn, provided I can get my hands on some bone and nervous tissue," Ventus explained. "A horn from another creature would work, too."

"I'll see what I can do to get that for you," Tempest said with a firm nod of her head. Silence fell between us all again as I hefted the fire bombs. Hmm... We have plenty of metals... Maybe I should start making shrapnel fire bombs. Oooh, or poison shrapnel bombs. We have tons of excrement and fertilizer left over all the time from the few farms around here, I'm sure I could get the farmers to part with some for weapons development, hehehe...

Suddenly, the doors burst open, a messenger coming in with a letter. "~My Queen! My Queen! Urgent news!~" she cried, stopping in front of me and handing me the letter. I read it quickly, thankful I had learned some Equish, and my eyes widened.

"Tempest, initiate Lockdown Level Cyan, then prepare a small fleet of airships to escort the Equestrians here. Oh, and I want you to tell Grubber to double time it on the redecoration of the castle so it's at least presentable," I told Tempest. Tempest saluted.

"Yes, Your Highness," she said, before swiftly trotting off to do just that. I waved the messenger off to go back to her duties, then spared one last look at our weapons. I have to keep these hidden for as long as possible.

With that thought, I quickly walked out as well.

"So what's this Storm Queen like? Is she cool?" asked the cyan Pegasus Rainbow Dash, Bearer of the Element of Loyalty.

"Is she funny? Does she like parties?" asked the pink Earth Pony Pinkie Pie, Bearer of the Element of Laughter.

"I hope she's not scary..." muttered the yellow pegasus Fluttershy, Bearer of the Element of Kindness.

"I wonder what kind of clothes she wears... Oooh, the possibilities!" squeed the white Unicorn Rarity, Bearer of the Element of Generosity.

"Ah'm just hopin' things all work out," said the orange Earth Pony Applejack, Bearer of the Element of Honesty.

"Oooh, I can't wait to learn about their culture! I've never even heard of the Island of Storms, what if they have rare flora or fauna found only on that island? Oh, this is just so exciting!" squealed the purple Alicorn Twilight Sparkle, Bearer of the Element of Magic and Princess of Friendship.

"I'm curious too! I mean, an island surrounded by a near perpetual thunder storm? It's so mysterious!" said the pink unicorn Starlight Glimmer.

"I heard they have a very powerful military. I'd be interested to see how they hold up," mused the white unicorn stallion, Prince Shining Armor.

"Well, I'm sure they have nothing on you, dear," cooed the pink Alicorn Mi Amore Cadenza, Princess of Love, nuzzling her husband.

"I am quite curious about their military as well, Prince Shining Armor. I hope they live up to their tales," Luna concurred, the younger of the two Celestial Sisters looking at the horizon ahead with intrigue.

"This will be the first time in recorded history that outsiders have come so close to the homeland of the Skili. A momentous event to be certain," said the elder of the two Celestial Sisters, Celestia. She too was looking at the horizon with intrigue, but if one looked close enough, they would see a tinge of worry as well. Luna noticed.

"You fear this new ruler may be trouble, don't you, sister?" Luna asked her sister quietly. The others talked amongst themselves, too absorbed in their own conversations to notice. Celestia nodded slowly.

"I do not know why, but I feel as if we should be extra careful with them," Celestia answered slowly and just as quietly. Luna hummed in thought.

"Well, I am not going to second guess you. Your hunches have been right most of the time, even if only to a certain point," Luna conceded after a short time of watching the ground below pass them by, the far off Macintosh Hills rising high, a few of them with snow on their caps and crests. She looked to her sister. "Still...to have all of us leave our lands to meet this new ruler...How scared are you, sister, to want to make such an impression? You even persuaded Cadance and Shining Armor to come. Twilight and the Elements were understandable, and even to an extent us, but...all of us? Are you truly so worried?" Celestia remained silent. Luna frowned, looking back to the landscape. "...I see."

The Equestrian Royal Envoy sailed onward, towards the distant destination of the Island of Storms. They could do nothing now, save hope for the best.

4 - Intermission: The Mirk Stirs... (Edited...Again)

[A woman takes the first step up the stairs.

Her subjects watch on with pride in their hearts.

Her children follow behind her, smiles on their faces.

Royal Lightning flashes time and time again outside.

Reaching the top of the steps, she turns, and grins.

The Queen of Storms takes her throne.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6_722bLF-I)

Deep, deep in the Abysmal Abyss, far into the depths of inky black, was a strange, eerie form. It's single, blood red eye gleamed with malice, and it's mandibles chattered as the singular eye gazed at the expanse of black above. It's eye flickered closed, and it stopped all movement.

For hours it stood still, until finally, it's mandibles started to click and chatter in some alien manner. The chittering and chattering echoed throughout the chasm, growing louder, and louder, until it was near deafening.

In the distant, desolate volcanic Black Skull Island, a certain Changeling Queen heard the chattering, and her crooked horn glowed an eerie black, green, and purple aura, making her grin.

In the far, far north, in the Crystal Empire, a certain curved red horn glowed with the same aura, and whispers from those caged below the Empire's crystal and ice made the aura only glow brighter.

The Dark was amassing once more.

Author's Note

EDIT: Added a new, better intro, complete with a new, better song.

EDIT: Added an intro, complete with a song.

Really short, I know, but I feel this gets the idea across well enough. It was originally longer, but too many things conflicted with what I had in mind, and I rewrote it to this. Besides, this way it keeps things vague, and you all know how I love being vague. I hope it's still a good enough snack for your hungry minds to feast on, though.

Thanks for reading.

-Timeless Celestial

5 - Negotiations and Relations: Guests of Honor (DEFINITIVE EDIT)

[A woman takes the first step up the stairs.

Her subjects watch on with pride in their hearts.

Her children follow behind her, smiles on their faces.

Royal Lightning flashes time and time again outside.

Reaching the top of the steps, she turns, and grins.

The Queen of Storms takes her throne.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6_722bLF-I)

The Equestrian Royal Envoy soon made it past the southern tip of the continent, and to the stretch of chilled waters leading to the Island of Storms. The wind was cold as the waters, and most of the company onboard the lead ship, the Skyward Gypsy, were in the cabins, keeping warm. The other ships, containing the various servants and guard details needed for a visit between two nations and their leaders, kept a ways behind.

All was calm for a good long while, until the captain spotted a number of much larger, visibly more advanced, and armored airships off in the distance. There were at least three, the same number of ships the Equestrians had. Still, the captain alerted the royals, just in case. They came out of their cabins swiftly, the royals and the Elements.

"Princesses, there are three foreign ships heading our way. They do not seem to be hostile, but we do not recognize the colors they fly. What are your orders?" the captain asked. Celestia summoned a spyglass, looking through it. She slowly lowered it from her eye.

"It is certainly a foreign ship. I have never seen such unique crests, but I would imagine those are the Storm Queen's," Celestia mused.

"Can I see?" Twilight asked eagerly. Celestia nodded, handing the spyglass to her. Twilight took a look through it and grew giddy, summoning a quill and notebook, immediately starting to write. "Oooh, our first look at their culture! I wonder what significance those symbols have?" She muttered to herself, mind going a mile minute.

"They certainly have style, though! Look at those engravings on the hull! A mixture of floral patterns and lightning bolts? How exotic!" Rarity cried, entranced by the alien designs. The foreign airships soon halted, and then started to turn back around. The one in the lead started to move forward once more, whilst the other two went slower, but didn't come up to the sides of the Equestrian ships.

"It seems they are escorting us," Luna noted.

"Then let us follow," Celestia replied. The captain nodded, ordering his men to do so, as well sending the same order to the other ships.

"Those hulls... I've never seen such an abundant amount of steel... Where do they get it all?" Shining Armor wondered.

"Maybe their island is abundant in natural metals?" Starlight offered.

"That could be it," Celestia said with a nod. 'Still...to think they would invoke such a show of might right away...This Queen is a dangerous one.'

Slowly, they reached a large thunderstorm, and the Equestrians braced for bad weather. The ride was, to put it lightly, rough.

Rain battered against the ships, drenching the ponies to the bone. The winds forced the crew to run to and fro across the ship, making sure everything stayed together. The thunder was what took the cake, though. It was loud, its succeeding flashes of lightning powerful as they ripped through the skies, more than once threatening to touch the ships of the Envoy.

And yet the escorts were fine. Their ships took no damage, and fared better than their Equestrian counterparts. Twilight silently wondered how the steel lining their hulls did not attract the lightning, but then she saw lightning strike one of the ships, and yet the lightning just seemed to get absorbed into the metal, not spreading throughout the hull or anything. It was a sight that sparked many questions in her mind that just begged to be answered.

Finally, the clouds parted a bit and a large, rocky island came into view, a sprawling city covering it, and a massive castle, larger than even Canterlot Castle, stood just at the base of a mountain. And it was a sight to behold.

A fortress through and through, massive and imposing, but it did hold beauty and majesty. Steel I-Beams supported and reinforced much of it, along with concrete, and the walls were a royal purple that seemed to demand respect.

The beams were painted a solid gold, and the concrete a slate black. Battlements were on nearly every level of the main fortress, layered like terraces and lined with spikes and banners bearing that same crest. And at the very top of the castle was a tower that looked almost like it had a set of bull's horns growing from it, a single balcony jutting out from it and facing them.

Never in all their collective lives had the ponies seen such an imposing and yet majestic castle.

"Woah... That castle looks awesome!" Rainbow cheered.

"It is quite impressive. I pity anypony who has tried to assault it," Luna agreed.

"Oh my word! It's so majestic, and yet so mysterious! Ooh, I simply must find the designer!" Rarity swooned.

"It looks very defensible. I can't see a single flaw in it..." Shining Armor noted, impressed.

They touched down at a massive airstrip, and when they did, they finally got a glimpse of the creatures that inhabited the Island. They were similar to yetis, with white and black fur, large, muscular and beefy physiques, and hunched backs.

Guards lined both edges of the strip, wearing golden masks that hid everything but their eyes, and bearing purple and black plate armor with strange suns on the breastplates.

They held imposing black shields in one hand, edges lined with gold, and halberds just as imposing with gold lining the edge of their black axe blades.

And at the very far end of the strip was a strange biped and a maroon unicorn wearing simple black armor, though she bore a broken horn.

The Equestrians slowly lowered their gangplanks and stepped off of their ships, the guards from the escort marching forth in perfect formation towards the two figures at the end of the strip. Once there, they lined up on either side of them, and all went quiet save for the storm still raging over the island. The Equestrians were, understandably, wary of the imposing creatures, but the Princesses tried their best to not look intimidated. The retinue of servants and guards from the Envoy soon touched down on the strip as well, coming in to surround their regents and officials. Naturally, only the best of the best were chosen, both from the Royal Guard and the retinue of servants, though the former naturally took to the ever present storm a bit better.

The Celestial Sisters held their masks spectacularly, having had thousands of years of practice. The others were muttering a bit fearfully to themselves, and Prince Shining Armor was glancing between the countless guards warily. He did not want to get into a fight here, he knew that much. They wouldn't stand a chance with this many foes around them. They easily outnumbered the guards they had brought.

All the while a certain cloaked biped was trying to keep her friendly smile from turning to a smug grin.

Seems I managed to intimidate them successfully. Good. Now they know that this is my country, and I held power here. If there was one thing I'd learned from my lessons, as well as from my time as a CO, it's that you need to instill at least some fear and respect in those you are leading. The only difference was that that factor applied to almost everything you did when it came to being a ruler. I waited for the ponies to approach me, and kept my friendly smile up as they all stopped in front of me. I looked over them all briefly.

I managed to recognize them all, of course, as Tempest had filled me in on the rulers of Equestria and the Crystal Empire, as well as the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony. It wasn't too much of stretch to remember such things, and I'd had bigger challenges to my memory back during college. Regardless, I also knew their names, as the The Storm King had ordered his forces to investigate them after seeing an explosion of rainbows in the sky. I had expected the guards, as well, but what I didn't expect was the pink unicorn mare with a purple and mint green mane. Hm. I'll have to keep an eye on her, make sure she doesn't get into anything. Unknown elements are never good.

Regardless, I bowed my head a bit to the royals. "Greetings, Princesses. Welcome to the Island of Storms. I am Lucette Petremol, The Storm Queen." I motioned to Tempest. "This is my Advisor and Right Hand, Tempest Shadow." Tempest simply bowed, saying nothing. The diarchs smiled.

"Pleasure to meet you, Queen Petremol. I am Princess Celestia, Ruler of the Day," greeted the white alicorn, who dipped her head in a bow.

"Greetings. I am Princess Luna, Ruler of the Night. Pleasure to meet you," introduced the blue alicorn, who also dipped her head in a bow. A white unicorn stallion in purple and gold barding stepped forth, doing his own bow.

"Prince Shining Armor of the Crystal Empire. It's an honor to meet you," he said formally. A pink alicorn stepped up, smiling wide and bowing her head.

"Princess Mi Amore Cadenza of the Crystal Empire, Princess of Love. You can call me Cadance, though," she said with a warm smile. I returned it. Finally, the purple alicorn walked up.

"U-Um, H-Hello, I'm Princess Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship, it's wonderful to meet you," she stuttered. I chuckled a bit. Both because the ponies believed friendship to be worthy of a title, and because she was kinda cute.

"It's nice to meet you too," I replied. I gestured to the doors behind me. "Why don't we head inside where it's warmer? We can talk while I show you all to your temporary rooms. I'm sure you're all tired from the long voyage." They nodded gratefully, and I opened the doors, walking inside, them following me.

Their guards and my own did much the same, mine walking ahead of us and theirs flanking them.

It wasn't long until those that had been quiet and at the back came up to me. First was a pink Earth Pony with a poofy darker pink mane.

"Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie! Do you like cake? What about cupcakes? Croissants? Cookies? Oh! What's your birthday?" she began, rattling off question after question, without stopping. I blinked, before I decided I might as well humor her.

"I prefer cookies, specifically those with marshmallows. As for my birthday, that's on the first of the sixth month," I answered.

Before she could reply, another mare butted in, this one looking more cultured, with a curled purple mane, white fur, and mascara.

"Darling, wherever did you get such amazing apparel? I've never seen anything so majestic!" she asked in a high-class girl kind of voice. "Oh, where are my manners? I'm Rarity, pleasure to meet you." She smiled up at me.

I actually wanted to answer this one, since I had so much pride in this set of armor. "I got it from a very talented friend. It's honestly my favorite outfit, and the only armor I'll ever wear to battle. Wouldn't trust any other old suit," I said with a genuine smile as we walked, patting my chestplate. "And it's nice to meet you too."

"Oh you simply must introduce me! I'd love to swap ideas with this friend of yours!" Rarity gushed. I frowned at that, turning my gaze forwards and away from her.

"...He's... Well, he's out of reach, right now. Sorry," I said apologetically, trying to keep the tinge of sorrow out of my voice.

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that! I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories," she apologized. I shook my head.

"No, no, it's fine," I assured her.

Celestia spoke up. "So, if I might be so bold, what exactly are you? I can't say I've ever seen a being like you before."

"Well, I'm an Awoken, a race that descends from another called Humans," I explained. "We're a very... Isolated, race, and prefer to keep to our own kind. You could say I'm the black sheep of the herd."

"Humans? You mean... Wait, are you from the other side of the Mirror?!" exclaimed Twilight. I blinked a few times. She's met humans before? There are other humans here?! I'm definitely going to have to look into that later. I almost rushed over to her and questioned her, but restrained myself by taking a deep breath. Now, how to answer...?

Hmmm... Let's play it close to the chest for now.

"Perhaps. Maybe we can discuss the matter further at a later date, and I'll tell you more," I offered. I swear her eyes sparkled as I said that.

"You bear some very curious weapons, Queen Petremol. That blade... I can tell it is forged from the light of my moon. A very rare thing to see indeed. However did you come across it?" Luna asked out of nowhere. And once again, play close to the chest. Remember your lessons, Lucy. Don't reveal all your cards.

"I fought and slayed a pale drake for it about..." I tilted my head from side to side, thinking of a random number. It didn't really matter what number I chose, since I already knew I was basically immortal, what with being a Guardian and an Undead. All it was was a tactic I'd come up with long ago as a kid to make my stories believable. Too bad Mom still figured them out almost every time. "...Oh, what? Five hundred years ago?"

The silence from that statement was deafening. I looked around to see they had all stopped, even Tempest. I kinda forgot that I hadn't told her much about myself yet either.

"...You're an immortal as well?" Celestia asked slowly. I nodded.

"I am. Been alive for about nine hundred and twenty six years," I answered. I was actually only twenty six, but hey, they don't need to know that.

"Remarkable... My Queen, I had no idea you were so long lived..." Tempest uttered slowly in awe.

"And here I thought us Alicorns were the only immortals. This is welcome news indeed," Luna mused, smiling a little. I shrugged. I honestly was still wrestling with the idea of being immortal. It was why I hadn't gone around making friends right off the bat. Didn't want to feel the pain of losing them.

We started walking again as Cadance spoke up, coming up next to me. "So if you've been around that long, why haven't we heard of you? Did you travel a lot?"

"Oooh! Do you have any cool stories?" a blue pegasus mare asked excitedly, flying near me. "Name's Rainbow Dash, by the way. Fastest flier in Equestria!"

"I have a few," I replied with a nod, ignoring her boastful statement. "And yes, I traveled quite a bit." Ventus appeared, startling them all.

"My partner used to be a soldier, but left after some circumstances," she explained. I shot her a glare as her segments spun a bit. Twilight and that pink unicorn immediately rushed over and started to poke and prod Ventus, and I shot her a triumphant smirk as they drowned her in questions.

"Really? In what army?" asked Prince Shining Armor, returning my attention to the main subject. I sighed. Thanks Ventus, now I have to improvise. I swear, she's too oblivious sometimes. Thankfully, we'd reached the guest wing now, so I had a good deflection.

"Why don't I tell you later tomorrow?" I offered, gesturing to the many doors lining each side of the hall. Shining Armor frowned, but nodded.

"Very well," he conceded.

"Just pick a room, and if you need anything, ask the guards. They should be able to get it for you," I told them.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Queen Petremol," Celestia said with a warm smile. I returned it with my own and a nod.

"Of course. What kind of ruler would I be if I wasn't gracious to my guests?" I replied, shooting her a wink. She giggled and her and her sister chose a room and opened the door.

"We will see you tomorrow," Luna said, bowing her head once more before the two diarchs walked into their room and closed the door. The others did much the same, though it took a while to get Princess Twilight and the other mare, whom I learned was named Starlight, away from Ventus.

After they all were in their rooms, I sighed deeply, then I walked down the hall to a different area, one more secluded. I quickly reached it after about fifteen minutes of walking. My personal study.

I had instructed the builders to make a special door for it with an even more special lock, or locks, to be precise. Eight in total, and all of the keys were on my person at all times. Well, more like they were in my inventory, which was in a separate dimension according to Ventus, but my point still stands.

I looked around swiftly but cautiously, making sure no one saw me, and then summoned all eight hexagonal keys. It took me a long time to make these things, especially since my Ghost didn't have access to much of the Hive's tech, much less any other agents of Darkness, but it was well worth it for the added security.

I made sure that everyone under my command knew to never come in here unless I gave express permission, and that wasn't changing any time soon.

I placed each key in each of the rune-laden sockets on the door, and the door let out a quiet hiss and a dim, eerie green glow, before swinging open.

I looked around one more time, then pulled the keys from their sockets and walked inside, the door sealing shut behind me. I gazed around the room, making sure nothing was out of place.

The lights made from luminescent crystals found in the mines around the island illuminated the room. All the beakers, tubes, and basic lab equipment were where they should have been, and the shelves of books were all in their rightful place.

The desk in the center of the room hadn't had any of it's notes shuffled around or anything, so that was good too. I walked over and picked a few of the note sheets up, looking them over.

"Why the fuck did you leak information like that?" I asked, chilling anger practically drooling from my tone while I kept looking at the notes.

"What? It's not like I told them any big secrets," Ventus replied.

"Maybe not, but now I have to make up a new nation just to have an alibi for me being a soldier!" I shot back. "They'll be suspicious, because they'll have never heard of it!" Ventus sighed.

"Okay, okay, fine. I'm sorry," Ventus said. I huffed.

"Just...just don't do it again." I responded. A few seconds of silence passed before I spoke again. "So, what did you manage to discover?" I asked Ventus. She already knew what I meant.

"It's very powerful energy, but I did find a critical weakness," Ventus said, floating in front of one of the sheets of notes.

"And?" I continued, raising a brow.

"Their connections to each other power it all," Ventus explained, turning to me, her segments shifting and spinning a bit. I hummed in thought, hand on my chin.

"So all we'd need to do would be to sever or weaken those connections... Hmm... We'll need to look into ways of doing that, maybe secure some agents among the ponies," I mused. Ventus bobbed herself in way of a nod.

"Pretty much," she summed up.

"Well, let's just keep it in mind for now, at least until we suspect that they're planning to go against us," I decided finally. Ventus nodded again.

"You got it, boss lady," she chirped. I rolled my eyes.

"Let's just get to work on those construction plans for those new ships," I said, grabbing a sheet of fresh paper from one of the drawers on the desk.

This is going to be a long night...

But hopefully, a fruitful one.

"So, what do you think, sister?" Luna asked Celestia as they sat in the confines of their guest room. They had dismissed their own servants for the time being. They needed to be as secretive as possible. Any leaks would be problematic.

"She's quite obviously new to ruling. Most of our questions had a visible impact, and revealed that, at the least, she is not willing to speak of her past," Celestia began, stirring her tea with her magic.

"The fact that she knows of Humans, yet held off on explaining how she did, bears a need to investigate, as well. Maybe we should have Twilight get in contact with Sunset, see what she can find," Luna mused.

Celestia nodded, finding her tea sufficiently mixed and taking a sip before adding, "Her story didn't match up, either. While we may not have explored all of the world, yet, the idea of there being such a powerful nation around, and without our knowledge of it, is suspicious to say the least. She is hiding something."

Luna nodded, looking to the carpeted floor. "Indeed. All in all, there is much mystery around this monarch." She looked towards one of the windows, gazing out into the ever raging storm outside. "With any luck, we will have answers, and soon."

Author's Note

EDIT: Added a bit more meat to the chapter, fleshed it out, tried to make it all more realistic and logical. Hopefully it worked.

EDIT: Added a new, better intro, complete with a new song.

EDIT: Added an intro, complete with a song.

Some of this feels a bit weak to me in terms of justifications, but for the life of me I can't think of how to fix that. Ah well, I'll just hope you guys can give me some pointers.

Thanks for reading.

-Timeless Celestial

7 - Negotiations and Relations: Reviews and Aspirations (Edited... Once More)

[A woman takes the first step up the stairs.

Her subjects watch on with pride in their hearts.

Her children follow behind her, smiles on their faces.

Royal Lightning flashes time and time again outside.

Reaching the top of the steps, she turns, and grins.

The Queen of Storms takes her throne.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6_722bLF-I)

"Princess... Was what she said true?" Twilight asked her mentor as they departed the Island of Storms, it's namesake naught but a dot in the distance. The Elements were gathered around, along with the rulers of the Empire, all of them seated in the cabin of the Skyward Gypsy while Celestia looked out the window, a cup of tea steaming on a plate next to her.

Celestia was silent for a time. Twilight looked around. Nopony was talking. She looked back to her former mentor. Celestia finally sighed and spoke.

"...Yes," she said.

"Why?" Twilight asked.

"Twilight, you are still new to running a country. Sometimes you must make decisions. Hard ones. Ones that can break and ruin friendships," Luna explained, walking up to her sister.

"But are they really the only options? Spying on ponies?" Twilight queried.

"...Sometimes, yes," Celestia said with a deep sigh. She turned to face Twilight. "Twilight, tell me, do you know what happened in the war with Sombra? Or Discord? Or the Griffons or any other race?"

"Well... I know that we didn't know much about them, and that we still don't..." Twilight started. Celestia stopped her there.

"Exactly. So, we had to gather information. By whatever means necessary," Celestia explained. Luna stepped in.

"Much of it was gathered through force, and subterfuge. Such things couldn't be relayed to the public, not without possible sleeper agents to retaliate. Thus, it was kept hidden," Luna continued.

"But if that's true, why is there still little-to-nothing in any history books about any of these events?" Starlight queried.

"Have you all heard of The Purging?" Celestia asked, taking her tea cup and sipping from it slowly.

"Well, yeah, it's one of the darkest times in our history. In the world's history," Rainbow replied. Everyone looked to her. "What? I know stuff too!"

Celestia shook her head with a small smile, before her face returned to it's usual mask. "Do you know what caused it?"

"Wasn't it about some kind of outbreak of an incurable disease?" Rarity ventured. Luna nodded.

"The disease, which we called The Black Cycle, made many go insane and turn into feral states, killing and feeding on souls, turning others into Blighted... Of course, the process was too erratic to define a solid amount of time before it happened, so that furthered our worries," Luna explained.

"Many riots broke out all over the globe, and information, traditions, and many relics of the past were lost, either plundered or destroyed," Celestia continued. She set her tea cup down. "Only after we found the... Source, shall we say, of the outbreak, and sealed it away, did the disease stop spreading. But the scars went deep, and the other races blamed us. Thus, we have not only lost the trust of many of them, but we know less of what goes on in their nations than before because they have all but shunned ponies. Dragons and Griffons in particular."

"We still know little of them. Thankfully, the Dragons and Griffons have had a change of heart after you and your friend's efforts, but the other races? Not so much," Shining Armor continued. The girls went quiet.

Twilight was silent, staring at the oaken floorboards in deep, troubled thought. Now that she was a Princess, did that mean she'd have to dirty her hooves too? That thought and many more raced through her mind, and she found herself glancing back to where the Island of Storms was on the distant horizon. The Storm Queen... She sounded like she'd known that fact for a long time.

"...What would it take to get her to soften up...?" she wondered to herself quietly.

Author's Note

EDIT: Added a new, better intro, complete with a new, more fitting song.

EDIT: Added an intro, complete with a song.

I know this one is a lot shorter than the others, but honestly, I find it impactful enough. In essence, it is hopefully short but sweet to you, my dear readers.

Thank you for reading.

-Timeless Celestial

8 - Intermission: A Child's View and Friends New (Edited... Once Again)

[A woman takes the first step up the stairs.

Her subjects watch on with pride in their hearts.

Her children follow behind her, smiles on their faces.

Royal Lightning flashes time and time again outside.

Reaching the top of the steps, she turns, and grins.

The Queen of Storms takes her throne.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6_722bLF-I)

Suki was playing with one of her toys in her room, just acting like she was the captain of her own airship. She ran around the room, black tail swishing as she played with her airship model in the dull light of the crystal-lit room.

“I’m going to get you! You won’t get away with stealing mommy’s crown!” She cried, acting like she was chasing an invisible foreign ship for the obviously treasonous act of stealing the royal crown.

Suddenly, without warning, it seemed as if the air itself tore open in the middle of the room. This… tear, seemed to have a reddish-purple, eye-filled space inside of it. Of course, there was only a split second to inspect this tear before someone unceremoniously fell out of it, almost as if they'd been tossed, and then the tear closed itself up again. If Suki had been listening closely, she might have almost caught a woman saying ‘Have a nice stay~!’ in the distance before the tear closed.

Suki, startled, jumped up on her bed, scrambling to the edge closest the wall. “Who are you?! How’d you get in?!” She yelped.

The person who had fallen out of the tear seemed to be a young female human. “Hyeeek…!” The girl suddenly shrieked in surprise with a surprisingly quiet voice as she shot to her feet and clumsily backed up to the wall opposite Suki's bed, staring with wide eyes.

“I said who are you?! Don’t make me call the guards! I’ll do it!” Suki threatened, pointing her airship model at the young girl in what she hoped was a menacing way.

This young girl had started trembling and whimpering as she shrunk away, tears forming in the corners of her closed eyes. She seemed to be too terrified to respond. However, before Suki did anything more, a feminine voice spoke up in an almost scolding tone.

“Stop it! You're terrifying Rom!”

This voice was coming from… somewhere Suki couldn't pinpoint. It seemed to be disembodied.

“Wh-Where are you? Show yourself! I mean it!” Suki demanded.

“I wish I could show myself,” the voice shot back, very irritated. “Except that damn hag put me in Rom's head, so I don't have a body anymore.” Suki slowly calmed, although just a bit.

“So… You’re like Ventus, then? A Ghost?” Suki surmised, lowering her airship model.

“No, not a ghost,” the voice answered, also sounding less tense. “It would be more accurate to say that I'm a consciousness that's been forced into someone else's head.”

Suki just looked confused. “What’s a consciousness?”

“E-Eh…?” the voice sounded confused. “U-Um… I'm not really sure how to explain…”

“Y-You s-scared meee…” the girl, which Suki presumed was Rom, suddenly stuttered in a small voice, still teary-eyed and trembling a little. Suki shook her head, jumped off her bed and walked over to Rom.

She offered her a paw up. “Come on, I’m sure mommy can help you. Besides, you haven’t tried to kidnap me like Ventus said others might, so that makes you okay in my book.”

“Kidnap…?” the voice muttered. “It'd be pretty ironic if Rom kidnapped someone…”

“I-I would never kidnap someone…” Rom retorted to the voice. “Because I know how scary it is…”

“Good!” Suki said, helping Rom up to her feet and patting her back. “Come on!” She said, motioning her over to the two double doors.

“O-Okay…” Rom said, timidly following Suki with her hands held close to her own chest, glancing around nervously.

While they walked, Suki took a closer look at Rom. Rom had shoulder-length, light brown hair and deep, yet somehow still soft, blue eyes. Suki judged that she was a few inches over four feet tall. She was wearing a pastel blue coat which doubled as a dress, reaching a little more than halfway down Rom's thighs. The coat had fluffy white cuffs, a white hem at the bottom, a fluffy white collar, and had two small, white pom-pom-like bits on each side of her waist , and two more near the collar on the front. She had a bright pink bag resting against her right hip with a long strap that went across and over her left shoulder.

She was also wearing boots of the same colour as her coat, with fluffy white cuffs, white soles, and two pom-poms dangling from the front of each one. She also had white leggings on under the coat and boots. On her head, she had a round hat whose shape was reminiscent of the top of a muffin. This hat was the same blue as her coat and boots, and had a white trim going all the way along the edge, and a small, pink, sideways hollow rectangle symbol on the front, positioned in the white trim. After thoroughly inspecting Rom's appearance, Suki finally noticed that Rom was trembling and shrinking away from the Storm Creatures littering the halls.

“You don’t have to worry about them. They’re really just big softies,” Suki assured. She walked up to one of them, patting his knee. He reciprocated, patting her on the head before returning to standing rimrod straight. “See? They won’t hurt you.” Rom relaxed just a little.

“O-Okay…” she responded, still a bit nervous.

“Rom, it's okay,” the disembodied voice said, consoling Rom. “You don't need to be so scared.”

The guards tensed at the new voice, but otherwise didn’t move. They only shifted their eyes around, looking for the source of the voice.

“It’s just a friend like Ventus, guys,” Suki explained to them. They visibly relaxed at that.

“Ah, right,” the voice said sheepishly. “Sorry, I'm just so used to being like this that it sometimes slips my mind just how weird a disembodied voice is.”

“Eh, it’s fine. We have a similar problem with Ventus around,” Suki said with a shrug. She looked around. “Hmm… Mommy should be…” She pointed down a hallway. “...That way!” She then marched in the direction she pointed. Rom hurried after Suki, not wanting to be left behind.

The two girls continued in silence for a bit longer. Eventually, the voice broke the silence, trying to hide an irritated tone.

“cough Ah, I don't think you've introduced yourself yet,” the voice said.

“Oh! I’m Suki! Well, technically I’m Suki Petremol, Princess of Storms, but eh, I’m just here because mommy lives here,” Suki said, waving a paw dismissively.

There were a few moments of silence before the voice spoke up again, cracking ever-so-slightly at the beginning.

“Ahem, right then, Suki,” the voice said, trying to maintain some dignity in her tone. “My name is Hayakawa Maiko, but you can just call me Maiko.”

“Okay!” Suki chirped. They padded down a few more hallways until they came to a tall, tall stone door with many interlocking mechanisms and eight hexagonal slots. Each slot was glowing an eerie green, and the center, of which the slots were arranged around, glowed with a symbol none of them recognized, they only found it to be menacing. “This is where mommy usually spends her time.” Suki explained, rapping her paw against it’s surface.

“I… see,” Maiko said, her tone somewhat flat.

“Nnnn…” Rom whimpered a little, barely audible, as she looked at the menacing symbol on the door, feeling a slight sense of foreboding.

“No need to worry, mommy won’t hurt you!” Suki assured, before loudly pounding on the door. “Mommy! Someone is here to see you!” She called. No answer.

“I-Is she maybe… s-somewhere else…?” Rom started to ask. Just then, the door started to open, a light hissing echoing from it - causing Rom to jump with a squeak - before it swung ajar, and a tall, cloaked woman with dark blue, almost purple and flawless skin, silver hair that was long enough to cover part of her face, and shining, golden eyes peeked out.

She looked to Suki first and smiled tiredly. “Hey muffin top, what’s going-” she then noticed Rom and paused. The timid girl was quietly looking up at the imposing figure, frozen in place with eyes wide like saucers. “-...” The woman looked to Suki. “...Friend?” Suki nodded with a fang-filled smile. The woman sighed a little, but her smile returned soon enough. “Alright, just give me a moment to finish up in here, alright?” Suki nodded, keeping her smile as the door closed once more.

Rom then closed her eyes as a slight frown formed on her face. “Just being near that lady made me feel scared…!” she said.

“I… sort of understand what you mean,” Maiko answered. “Her appearance was rather imposing.” Suki giggled.

“That’s just mommy as a leader! She’s a real softie on the inside!” Suki explained. The sounds of many metal objects and such clattering around inside the room filled their ears, but Suki seemed undaunted. Rom glanced towards the door with an expression that was somewhere between nervous and confused. “Mommy’s just playing with her big girl toys, don’t worry!” Suki assured, patting Rom on the back.

A few moments later, the woman emerged from the room again, bags under her eyes, but she kept her smile as she came out and looked down at them. A strange floating eye was next to her head, though it looked less like an eye and more like a weird collection of disks and segments with a single blue eye in the middle.

“So, what’s your name, cutie?” the woman asked Rom, kneeling down to her level.

“R… Rom…” Rom answered timidly, averting her gaze and fidgeting as her cheeks turned a slight pink colour. The woman smiled, though it was hard to tell if it was with warmth or something else.

“Nice to meet you, Rom. I’m Lucette,” she said, ruffling Rom’s hair a bit before standing up. “Why don’t we head to my break room?”

“Oooh, oooh, can I show Rom the Map?” Suki asked, bouncing up and down excitedly. Lucette chuckled.

“Sure, muffin top,” she said with what was obvious now to be a warm smile.

“‘Map’…?” Rom and Maiko both echoed simultaneously. Lucette paused at the extra voice, looking down at Rom.

“Who was that, Rom?” she asked slowly.

Rom faltered easily under the suddenly cautious glare. “Th-That was M-Miss M-M-Maiko…” she managed to stutter out, barely keeping her trembling at bay. Lucette kept up her glare for a moment, before the strange robot near her spoke in a feminine tone.

“Oh leave the poor girl alone, L, you’re scaring her!” the robot chided. Lucette shot the robot a look, before sighing.

“Fine, fine,” she looked back to Rom. “Sorry about that, I’m used to insurgents and the like.” She then started to walk briskly down the hall. “Come on, then.” Suki followed after, bouncing in glee. Rom quickly chased after Suki, not wanting to get left behind.

“Uuuu… Miss Lucette can be really scary…!” she whimpered.

“I think she's being a bit overly suspicious of a kid…” Maiko muttered. The robot suddenly poofed next to Rom in a flash of blue particles, eliciting a startled squeak and a jump from the girl.

“L is just not used to kids like she was in her younger days,” the robot explained quietly. “Mostly when she was at bases in some place called Africa.”

“Africa?” Maiko said, a hint of recognition in her voice. “Lucette was in Africa when she was younger? Wait, Africa…” Maiko suddenly fell silent after a tone of thought entered her voice.

“Surprised you know it. Then again, you are human, so it makes a bit of sense,” the robot mused. “Oh, name’s Ventus by the by.”

“Human?” Maiko spoke up again. “Well, I was human before that hag from before shoved my consciousness into Rom's head, but… Rom's not actually human you know.”

Ventus looked at Rom for a moment, before Lucette called out. “Ventus, come here, please. Don’t need you scaring the kid more than I did.”

“Don’t think that’d be possible, knowing how you always scare people,” Ventus joked as she disappeared from Rom’s side in a poof of blue particles and reappeared by Lucette in the same cloud. Lucette retorted by lightly swatting her. “Ow! Hey!”

“Aw hush it,” she said, before turning back to a set of double, steel doors, which the guards opened to reveal a luxurious room with throw cushions all around a massive wrought iron table seemingly built into the floor, a glowing, mirror like surface on it’s center covered in a grid and colored purple. A number of windows allowed Rom to see a massive storm raging outside, though neither Lucette nor Suki paid it much mind as Suki rushed over to the table and started jumping up and down on one of the cushions.

“Come on! Play it play it play it!” she begged. Lucette rolled her eyes with a small smile, walking over and tapping a part of the grid.

Immediately, a fleet of airships spread across one side of the apparent board and another fleet formed across the other side. Suki jumped with joy.

“Yay! Thanks Mommy!” she cried. Rom went over to look at the board, slightly intrigued now.

“…A strategy game?” Maiko questioned.

“Correct,” Lucette confirmed, nodding. Suki was already engrossed in playing the game, setting her airships up in a certain formation. Lucette smiled at this before motioning Rom over. “Why don’t you play a game with her? I’m sure my muffin top would love it.”

“Oooh! Can you? Can you can you can you? Pleeease Rom?” Suki begged.

“This might actually be fun Rom,” Maiko urged.

“O-Okay…” Rom said, nervously sitting down behind the second fleet of airships. Lucette sat in the middle of the board.

“I’ll judge the match. Three rounds, red pieces can move three spaces in any direction, blue two in horizontal directions, and yellow one in any direction. You must move your airships so that they are at least one space apart before commencing an attack, in which case you will play a minigame of ‘who-fires-first’. First one to either destroy all enemy ships or reach the other side of the board wins,” Lucette explained. She raised a hand, then swung it down, like a flag. “Begin!”

“Awww…” Rom groaned, hanging her head. “I thought we had you…”

Suki giggled. “Well, I have played longer! Mommy actually made this game for me, so I’ve had lots of practice!” She shot a mock glare at Lucette. “Though I still haven’t beaten her myself…”

“It's definitely an interesting strategy game,” Maiko commented.

“It took me the better part of three weeks to get this thing working too,” Lucette said, patting the grid. “Right now, this is the only piece of technology we have at this level. We don’t have anything else but…” Lucette paused, then shook her head. “Nevermind.” She looked to Rom. “So, Rom, might I ask how you got here?”

“Um…” Rom tried to think of what to say. Maiko, however, took up the reigns and spoke up.

“To be honest, we're here against our will,” she began. “And all I know for certain is that the method that was used to throw us here is a form of spatial manipulation.”

“Hmm… I see…” Lucette said slowly, rubbing her chin.

“What’re you talking about?” Suki queried.

“Grown up things, muffin top. Why don’t you play single player a bit while Maiko and I talk?” Lucette suggested. Suki pouted, but nodded, knowing better than to disobey her surrogate mother. Lucette looked back to Rom. “Do you know who dropped you here? Were they wearing a red tailcoat?”

Rom shook her head, at least remembering what the person was wearing. She left the speaking to Maiko though, who seemed to know more about the person.

“No, she wasn't wearing a tailcoat,” Maiko answered. “She had on a somewhat old-fashioned dress, the main colour of which was purple. I also happen to know that hag by name: Yukari Yakumo.”

“Hmm… Well, at least you know who got you,” Lucette mused. She looked out the window for a time. “Well, anyway, you’re welcome to stay until we find a way to get you back, though I can’t promise anything. We aren’t at the level of making portals yet.”

Rom sighed lightly, seemingly relieved to have been offered shelter. “U-Um…” she began, standing up and bowing slightly, bending at the waist while keeping the rest of her body straight. “Th-Thank you for having us…”

Lucette smiled. “Anytime, cutie.”

“Hey, mommy, can I have some Storm Fruit juice?” Suki asked, giving her mother puppy dog eyes. Lucette chuckled, ruffling the tan and black furred head of Suki.

“Sure muffin top,” Lucette clapped loudly, and a guard entered the room, standing at attention. “Mind getting us some Storm Fruit juice from the kitchens?” He saluted and exited the room to do just that.

“‘Storm Fruit’…?” Rom asked.

“You’ve never had it? Ooh it’s so good!” Suki gushed. “It’s sweet yet tangy and it goes all fizzy, too! It tastes almost like grapes, and it’s just sooo good!”

“Ah, I like grape juice…” Rom commented.

“Why don't you try some Storm Fruit juice Rom?” Maiko suggested. “If it tastes similar to grape juice, then you'll probably like it.”

“I’d recommend it, but be warned, it packs a punch,” Lucette said, before the guard came back carrying a tray of three glasses filled with purple liquid not unlike grape soda in appearance, a straw in two of the glasses. The guard offered one to each of them, then left with the tray once he had handed them out. “Well, go on then,” Lucette said, gesturing for Rom to drink.

Rom looked at the juice, noting the similarity to soda before taking a small taste through the straw. Instantly, her face puckered as she squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head side to side a little. Maiko suddenly speaks up, her tone sounding almost like she'd just drank the incredibly sour juice.

“That is--! Really sour--!” she shouted haltingly.

Lucette chuckled. “Tastes a bit like grape Warheads and grape soda, huh?”

“I don't know what you mean by ‘Warheads’,” Maiko responded, some slight bitterness in her voice. “But I do know that this juice is ridiculously sour.”

“Uh-huh…” Rom agreed, nodding her head, her eyes still squeezed shut. Lucette and Suki giggled.

“Heh, lightweight,” Suki teased, taking big gulps of the juice and purring at the taste. Lucette didn’t drink as much, but was similarly unaffected.

“I think you're just abnormally resistant to sour, Suki,” Maiko retorted, a hint of teasing in the background of her tone. “Most kids dislike sour tastes.”

“Uh-huh…” Rom agreed again, putting the glass down.

“Well, I’m tough, so of course I’m resistant!” Suki said, puffing out her furred chest proudly. Lucette smiled.

There was a bit of silence before Maiko spoke back up. “You know, and I'm sorry if I sound rude saying this, but,” she started, grabbing Suki and Lucette's attention. “Suki doesn't resemble you very much Lucette.” Suki frowned, head lowering and ears flattening against her head. Lucette frowned as well.

“Suki is… Well, she was orphaned after the ruler before me razed her country to the ground and thus brought her family’s end. I found her after my first few weeks here with another group of her kind, all orphans,” Lucette walked over to Suki and sat down next to her, petting her a bit to comfort her. “I took her in, and she’s been with me ever since.”

“I see…” Maiko said.

“So, it's like she's adopted…?” Rom asked innocently. Lucette nodded slowly, Suki obviously too shaken to talk about it. She didn’t cry, but she was obviously upset, and with good reason.

“Sorry for bringing up such a delicate subject, Suki…” Maiko said softly. Suki shook her head, slowly shaking off her sorrow.

“It’s… It’s fine, don’t worry about it Maiko,” Suki said with a forced smile.

“Um, so what will we do next…?” Rom asked.

“Well, we could-” Lucette began, before a flash of light blinded them all, and when it receded, a woman in a red, Victorian tailcoat with long black hair tied in a ponytail was on the table.

“Hello again, my dear,” she said sweetly to Lucette. Lucette’s eyes were wide as saucers, before she growled and reached for the gun at her hip. Only to find it wasn’t there, and instead in the woman’s grip. “Tsk tsk, you must remember your manners, my dear. Can’t go shooting everyone you don’t like.”

“You! You little-!” Lucette began, before her mouth was clamped shut by some unseen force.

“Ah ah ah, there are children here, darling,” the coated woman chided. She looked to Rom for a moment, uncaring for how Lucette was fuming and trying to scream at her. The woman grunted. “Ugh, seems that harlot got another one.” She shook her head, a smile returning to her face. “Maiko and Rom, correct? I’m here to show my own Displaced about, well, Displaced, but I might as well tell you two as well, since the harlot isn’t likely to.”

Lucette moved to tackle the woman, but was pinned down by an invisible force. “Manners, dear, remember?” the woman said idly. Suki was shaking with fear at the woman so easily disabling her mother.

Rom was wide-eyed, frozen in place. Maiko was flabbergasted that this woman had been aware of not only her presence, but also her name. “E… Eeeeeeh???” was all Maiko could muster.

“Hmmm, confused, it seems,” the woman noted. She spread her arms out, a cane appearing in one hand, before she did a gentleman’s bow. “I am The Trader. Don’t confuse me with that jerkwad called the Merchant.” She shook her head. “Anyways, I’m here to give you three the spiel about what you are.”

“What we… are…?” Maiko echoed.

“Indeed,” The Trader confirmed, nodding. Lucette seemed to be calming down, even if only because she was getting too exhausted just trying to get unpinned. “You see,” The Trader swept her cane through the air, creating a small picture of two people, one cloaked in shadow, and one looking like a normal person. “Displaced are normal people, whether from Earth or an Earth-like world, who are, as the name suggests, displaced to another world - usually an Equestria of sorts - with new abilities, some of which aren’t so obvious.” The shadowy figure then picked up the normal person and tossed them into a portal, and rubbed its hands together like an evil genius. Rom, who had moved her gaze to the image when it appeared, cocked her head to the side a little, seemingly having trouble understanding the verbal explanation. Maiko, however, spoke up, her voice suggesting that she understood.

“I see…” is all she said.

Lucette slowly calmed more, until she was no longer struggling or making muffled screams of rage. The Trader noticed this, and removed her invisible binds. As soon as she did, Lucette jumped up, clocked her in the face, and sat back down with a grunt.

“That’s for taking me from my home,” she growled. The Trader groaned a bit, but eventually sat back up.

“Fair enough,” she said, rubbing her face. Lucette made to speak, but The Trader stopped her with a hand. “And no, I’m afraid I can’t take you back. Rules of the… Well, trade. If you want back, you’ll have to do it on your own.” The Trader looked to Suki, and around the room briefly. “Besides,” she added with a smirk. “Would you really leave all these people without a leader?” Lucette faltered at that. Ventus appeared, letting her partner ruminate on that thought as she asked a question.

“So what else is there to know about Displaced?” Ventus queried.

“Well, not much, aside from Tokens,” The Trader began.

“‘Tokens’…?” Rom asked, taking the initiative this time.

“Correct,” The Trader nodded. “Tokens are like calling cards for Displaced. If you have a Token of a fellow Displaced, you can use it to summon them to your world.”

“Tokens are essentially summoning tools then,” Maiko paraphrased. “How does a Displaced get a Token of their own then?”

“Simple. Take or make an object that represents you or your character, give it a message, either written or verbal, and then toss it into the Void,” The Trader explained, opening up a portal for them to do so.

“U-Umm… So… Mommy is a Displaced thingy?” Suki asked timidly, a far cry from how she’d been previously. She did not feel comfortable around this new person. The Trader nodded with a smile.

“…I see,” Lucette said slowly. “So I just need to make a Token?” The Trader nodded. "Next question then. How do we know this isn't another trick? How do we know you won't just take us to some place worse for giggles?" Trader sighed, placing a hand to her forehead and shaking her head.

"Come now, my dear, I'm not heartless," Trader started.

"Says the woman who tore me from my old home," Lucette interrupted. Trader cleared her throat.

"AS I was saying, I'm not heartless, and you've already made a trade with me, so I'm bound by certain, well, rules to leave you here," Trader explained. Lucette snorted.

"Sure, sure, and I'm the Queen of England," Lucette retorted. Trader clicked her tongue.

"Classy, aren't you?" she answered.

“Would I be able to make a Token too…?” Rom asked, stepping inbetween the current discussion.

“Correct! Have a cookie, free of charge!” The Trader said, materializing a chocolate chip cookie and handing it to Rom.

“Personally, I wouldn't eat something so dubious,” Maiko commented.

“Well, more for me, then,” The Trader said with a shrug, eating it in one bite. She licked her lips before looking around at the group. “So, any of you three gonna make a Token?”

“Well…” Maiko started. “It's probably a good idea for us to make a Token, Rom. After all, it's good to have more allies.”

“Okay…” Rom consented.

“…I could certainly use some of my own,” Lucette surmised after a long moment of silence. She sighed after another three moments of tense silence. “Alright, I’ll do it.” She opened her palm, Ventus reappearing in it, and said, “Ventus, mind giving me some Relic Iron from our reserves?” Ventus did her version of a nod, and a small lump of rust colored metal appeared in Lucette’s lap. “Okay, now, let’s make this into… A knife, I guess.” Ventus nodded again, and the lump was lifted up by a beam from Ventus’ eye, and it glowed brightly. A few minutes later, with Suki and Rom watching in awe, the glow died down and revealed a simple army knife made of some form of iron. Lucette then gripped it tightly, and arcs of flame surged from her hands into it, giving it a warm, flame like glow. She released it after that.

“Good, now for your message,” Trader instructed. Lucette sighed a bit, rubbing her temple and thinking.

“Mmm…” Lucette looked to the knife, then shrugged, deciding to wing it. “I am The Storm Queen, Master of Light and Walker of Dark. If you need the power of a Storm, simply whistle any tune while holding this knife, and the Storm shall be upon you and your enemies.” Lucette looked up to The Trader. “Will that work?” The Trader nodded, and Lucette tossed it into the portal, where it split into different copies and faded into the black of the Void.

“So, that's what the creation process of a Token looks like…” Maiko commented.

“Indeed,” The Trader said with a nod. She turned to Rom. “So, ready to toss your hat in, so to speak?”

Rom grabbed her hat, clearly opposed to separating from it. “Rom, she didn't mean it literally,” Maiko assured her. “It's a figure of speech.”

“Correct, though, again, anything will do, even a hat, and you’d get it back too,” The Trader informed.

“We’d get it back?” Maiko repeated. “In that case… Rom, how about your pen?” At the shake of Rom's head, Maiko could be heard sighing. “You'd get it back, so it'll be fine.”

Rom paused for a few moments. “O… Okay…” she said, hesitantly taking a pen from her coat pocket. The pen was the same colour as her coat, with a bright pink clip the same colour as her bag. After a moment, Rom decided to take after Lucette's example and poured a small amount of magic into the pen. As she was doing this, Rom began nervously speaking the message.

“I-I'm one of the CPU Candidates of the nation of Lowee…” Rom began before pausing. Maiko then took up the continuation of the message.

“It is the obligation of a CPU as well as a CPU Candidate to help those in need,” Maiko said with purpose. “If you find this pen, then whenever you are in need of assistance, call out for White Sister with this pen in hand, and you will be blessed with her aid.”

“I'll do my best to help…!” Rom finished, before looking to the portal. She hesitated for a few moments, then - after a bit of urging and reassuring from Maiko - she tossed her treasured pen into the Void. She watched with tears forming in her eyes as the pen duplicated and the many duplicates began to fade away in the distance… Then, one of them - the original - was ejected back out of the portal into Rom's lap. After a moment of shock, Rom swiftly picked the pen up and clutched it in her hands, holding it close.

“Wow…” Suki said in awe, no longer scared as she stared at the wonder of the portal. The Trader smiled and closed it.

“Well, unless you all have any further questions, I’ll be taking my leave. I have an appointment with my father, sadly,” The Trader said, moving to the door. “Oh, and just a note, you’re about to get more visitors, my little ruler.” With that, The Trader left through the door.

“More visitors…?” Rom questioned.

“By the way Rommy, what’s a CPU Candidate? And where’s Lowee?” Suki asked curiously.

“I’ll admit to my own curiosity of the subject,” Lucette concurred, happy for a new subject to focus on.

“Um, Lowee is the nation I was born in…” Rom answered.

“To put it simply,” Maiko began. “Lowee is in another world called Gamindustri, and is one of four nations that are each governed by a power known as a CPU. CPU Candidates are the younger, blood-related family of the CPUs, meaning they'll take over governance of the nation once the CPU either perishes or decides to willingly hand off the position.”

“So she’s one of these CPUs? You told me earlier that she isn’t human, and to be fair, neither is Lucette, who's an Awoken, but just what is a CPU?” Ventus chimed in.

“Well,” Maiko said. “Strictly speaking, I guess you could call a CPU something not unlike a Goddess.”

“Woah woah woah woah, hold up, Rommy’s a Goddess?!” Suki screeched.

“…I want proof aside from just your word,” Lucette said after a short while.

“I kinda do too. I have many functions, but being a lie detector is not one of them,” Ventus agreed.

“What do you mean, Mommy?” Suki asked curiously. “I mean, yeah, it’s out of nowhere, but she doesn’t look like she has a reason to lie to us.”

“Call it a… Soldier’s intuition,” Lucette said simply, standing up. “Come on, follow me. We’re going to test you,” Lucette said crisply, walking towards the door. Suki looked between her mother figure and Rom a few times in slight worry.

“You’re not going to hurt her, are you mommy?” Suki asked slowly. Lucette stopped. A pause followed.

“...No. Just a demonstration,” she said after a short time.

“A demonstration, huh?” Maiko repeated. “If we take you at your word that you won't hurt Rom, then we don't have any reason to decline. Of course, we can only properly meet suspicion with suspicion, so I hope you don't mind if I ask Rom to exercise caution.”

“Feel free,” Lucette said simply as she opened the doors. Rom hesitated momentarily before following, sticking close to Suki, who likewise followed.

They walked down many stairwells and through many halls, every surface adding to the idea of power and majesty that the castle held. From the stands of armor and plaques with weapons and shields, to the banners and carpets and rugs lining the walls and floors. All of it demanded respect and recognition.

Rom was looking all over as they walked, awed at the entire experience as a whole.

“This is…” Maiko trailed off, unable to properly finish the thought.

“Mommy likes to let others know who’s in charge,” Suki explained as they walked, Lucette a bit ahead of them.

“I can… tell…” Maiko muttered.

“You should have seen her when she caught Grubber slacking on the job and getting frosting all over one of the trophies, it was really funny!” Suki giggled as they walked, her black tail swishing back and forth.

“That sounds kinda like Blanc after Ram and I prank her…” Rom shares, cracking a tiny smile.

“Yeah? Are they your family?” Suki questioned. At this, Rom looks as if she was suddenly reminded of something before lowering her gaze with a frown.

“Yeah, Blanc and Ram are Rom's sisters,” Maiko supplied. “Ram is Rom's twin, and Blanc is her older sister, as well as the current ruling CPU of Lowee.”

“Oooh, cool!” Suki said, blue eyes seeming to sparkle. “What’s she like? Is she cool and tough? Does she have any cool powers?”

“Blanc is usually very calm and collected, and believe it or not, isn't very good with conversation,” Maiko explained. “She's both smart and strong, so it's obvious that Rom and Ram look up to her as an older sister. One thing that she could probably work on is her temper, though. When you make her angry, ‘calm and collected’ goes right out the window, and she starts cursing like a sailor.” As Maiko answered Suki, Rom just continued to silently stare at the wall, a distant, forlorn expression on her face.

“You okay, Rommy?” Suki asked, now a little worried for her new friend. “I’m sorry if I brought up bad memories…”

Rom didn't seem to hear her, so Maiko answered instead. “It's alright,” she said. “It's just that as a result of what that hag did to me, Rom got separated from her sisters. Back in the other world, we were still in the process of searching for them.”

“Oh…” Suki said sadly, ears flattening a bit against her head. “Well… I’m here for you, if you need me!” She said, perking up a bit. “I’ve been alone for a long time, but I found mommy, and she made everything better! So I’ll do the same for you!” Suki said with a fang-filled grin. Rom turned to look at Suki.

“…Th-Thank you…” she said.

“Anytime!” Suki said, hugging Rom tightly and nuzzling her.

“We’re here-,” Lucette began, before hearing talking coming from the other side and stopping. “That’s weird… I thought Tempest and Grubber were out doing errands…” Lucette muttered to herself, before looking to the two children. “Keep quiet, okay?” She whispered. At their nods, she slowly cracked the door open, allowing her to see five people on the other side, all of them in green, futuristic armour, with the same designs.

The only things to distinguish them individually was what they carried. Weapons to be more specific. One of them was carrying a two-handed Warhammer, one which glowed with strange markings and sigils, almost looking demonic. Another had, from what she could tell, a Sniper, but the design was also futuristic, as if it were a hybrid of a hand-held Railgun. The third one was carrying a Chainsaw. A freaking Chainsaw. And from what she could guess, this one might be the crazier one. He definitely gave off that sort of feeling.

The fourth one was carrying a Chaingun, the only differences being that this one had nine barrels on it, which seemed unusual, and a little overkill. The amount of bullets that beast would be spitting out must be insanely immense. The final one had a sword on his back, and one on his left hip, though it reminded her of a Chainsaw, except in a form of a sword, because of the sawteeth running along the blade. However, for some reason, she felt a little fearful of him. She didn’t understand why such a feeling was coming over her, but it would be best not to piss him off, she reasoned.

“…Okay, what the fuck happened?” The one with the swords asked in confusion and anger.

“Something pulled us off course. As for the reasons why, I don’t know,” The crazy one answered with a shrug. “Although, I don’t think this is Equestria.”

“No kidding. I can feel the bloody cold,” The first spoke, shivering a little.

“I noticed that, too,” The fourth said with a nod. “We may need to be careful, this might be an enemy fortress.”

The second looked at them, but didn’t say anything. Strangely enough, though, the rest of them seemed to nod towards him, as if he did say something.

“Hunter’s right. Let’s stay out of sight and have him look for this place’s leader,” The swordsman stated, though their Sniper, Hunter, walked up to the door the Storm Queen was looking through and opened it up, revealing her and the two girls behind it. “Oh...nevermind.”

Lucette let her hand hover over her holster, but didn’t do much else besides stare into the visor of Hunter, as he was called.

“Hey, isn’t she an Awoken?” The crazy one asked, as they all looked at her.

“She is an Awoken,” The fourth one confirmed.

“...I am. As well as the ruler of this nation,” Lucette said guardedly, eyes shifting between them all. “...I assume you’re all Displaced as well?”

“No shit, woman,” The swordsman answered her. “We were about to return home, until something changed our course and brought us here. Any reason why?” He asked.

Lucette kept her hand near her gun but stood up straight. “No idea, and honestly? Don’t care as long as you don’t fuck up my castle or plans. So if you’d be so kind as to sit and watch, I have a bit of a thing to make sure of.” Lucette stated, walking past them and into the room. She looked back at Suki and Rom. “Come on. Show me what you can do, kiddo.” She gestured to one of the many training dummies dotting one side of the room.

“O-Okay…” Rom answered as she approached a training dummy.

“No reason to hold back Rom,” Maiko advised. “Go for HDD and everything.” Rom nodded once before a brilliant pillar of light sprung up, centered on her. After just a moment, the light vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and when everyone present looked… They did a double take, not sure if they were even looking at the same girl as before.

Rom, though she had the same facial structure as before, as well as the same stature, was now sporting slightly unkempt, pastel blue hair instead of the light brown from before, a large lock of which was longer than the rest, hanging in front of her right shoulder down to the same level as the small of her back. In addition, her eyes had gone from a deep blue to a startling hot pink, and her pupils had been replaced by white power symbols. Her winter attire had also been replaced with what looked like a skintight suit, which was mostly white, with pink accenting.

Then, some white light appeared in her right hand, forming a long, slender shape with some kind of medium-large ornament-like structure on the higher end. Then, the light dissipated with a soft burst to reveal a staff of that exact shape in her hand. She then twirled it a few times as a circular design with many arcane symbols - a magic circle - appeared around her feet.

“Ice Coffin!” Rom announced, her voice a bit louder and more prominent than before, as she firmly brought the butt end of the staff to the ground, holding the staff upright. A massive block of ice - easily over seven feet tall - instantly froze over the dummy, completely encasing it, before shattering, leaving hundreds of ice shards all over the floor of the room, some of which still had fragments of the now-obliterated training dummy frozen within.

“Hmm… I’m starting to see what you mean. Certainly a Candidate, though, not an actual Goddess or whatever you called it,” Lucette mused, observing from a good few paces behind Rom.

“That was awesome Rommy! Do it again! Do it again!” Suki cheered, jumping up and down excitedly next to Rom.

“Oh, cool! She can use ice magic as well!” The crazy one said in excitement.

“That really was amazing,” The first said with a nod.

“What he said,” The fourth one pointed out, as Hunter nodded his head in agreement.

“Hmm…” The swordsman just let out a rumbling hum, nothing more came from him.

“Oh yeah, I also forgot to point out something important,” The crazy one stated.

“And that would be?” The swordsman asked him.

“The Storm Queen herself…” He started, pointing towards her. “Also has the Dark Sign, from Dark Souls.” This alarmed Lucette, as she wondered how he knew she had it. She rounded on him, weapon drawn in a heartbeat.

“Spill. Now,” She growled. “How do you know so much about me?”

She heard him give a little chuckle, and before she realised it, the tables were turned on her as he managed to take her gun and pointed it at her. She was surprised by how fast he was, blinking in surprise.

“You think you’re the only one that has that mark?” He asked her, becoming very serious. “Well, guess what? We’ve come across some others that have the Dark Sign on them as well. So, in all honesty, you’re not that special. None of us are.” He told her, giving her gun back. “As to how I can see it? Well, I don’t suppose you remember Warhammer 40K?”

“...” Lucette shot him a glare, but nodded slowly. “What’s your point?”

“Hey, dumbass,” the swordsman said, gaining her attention. “Does this look familiar?” He asked, taking up the Chainsword from his hip and showing it. And what she saw on it made her eyes widen. The marking on it held the Blood God’s sigil. “Yeah, Khorne gave me this Daemon possessed Chainsword, and his blood to me, as a gift. So guess which one, out of the four, gifted him?”

Grinning like a madman, the crazy one took off his helmet, showing off his styled out silver-white hair, which covered the right side of his face, leaving only his left eye visible, which was Blood red in colour. Moving his hair away on the right, he showed her that his right eye was very different from his left. The white part was all pitch black, the iris was blue, and his slit pupil was purple. “Thanks to this eye, gifted from Tzeentch himself, I can tell certain things that you may hide from plain sight, among other things. As OP as it may sound, you may as well accept the reality that everything throughout the Multiverse can be pretty stupidly OP as fuck, and it doesn’t care about your opinions, because you don’t rule it.”

“...” Lucette stared at him for a solid ten seconds, before sighing deeply and placing her gun away, her other hand meeting her face. “I need a damn cigarette…” she groaned.

“Sorry. Don’t have those on me,” the crazy one said with a shrug, placing his helmet back on.

“It's definitely way too late for this by now,” Maiko said in an exasperated voice. “But I don't think that this kind of language is healthy for a kid to be listening to, Goddess or not.” Lucette just shot a look at Rom - who, by now, had reverted to her previous human appearance in a flash of light similar to before - then Suki.

“Suki knows not to repeat it, as for Rom… You deal with it. She’s not my kid,” Lucette said, walking towards the door. “Suki, why don’t you go play in your room with Rom? I’ll be in the personal tavern.”

Suki nodded. “Okay mommy!” Suki then grabbed Rom by the hand and rushed out of the room, talking excitedly about what she wanted to show the other child.

“Hold up, Storm Queen,” the swordsman said. “If you wanna get shitfaced that bad, here.” Going into one of his pockets, he pulled out a small flask. “This has Dragon Ale in it. An infinite amount. Knock yourself out.” He explained, passing it over to her. “Not to mention, we haven’t exactly told you our names. Well, codenames, to be precise.”

Lucette wordlessly took the flask, taking a big gulp of it, before sighing in relief and wiping her lips. “Mmm, Jesus that’s good shit. I’ll have to contact the dragons to get a steady supply, because what we have here is just grape Warhead wine.” She handed it back. “Come on, might as well pass time with veterans of battle again. Been too fucking long honestly.” She started to walk out of the room without another word.

“Really? You were a Marine before all of this, as well?” The fourth one asked her, as they followed her. “Shit. And I thought I was the only Marine to get Displaced.”

“I was stationed near one of the bases in Africa, CAR, which was built after we made a deal with them in like… I don’t know, 2014. Got to see some sick shit,” Lucette said, walking down the hallway, decorated with armor stands and plaques with weapons, just as before. Guards were stationed at several key points, all of them, the men noted, looking similar to Yetis, only with nearly luminescent blue eyes and hind legs like a cat’s. They all wore royal purple plate armor and wielded greatshields and halberds, both lined with gold.

“Who are these people?” The swordsman asked. “Are they Yetis?”

“They’re my Royal Sentinels. Think of them as the Royal Guard from Equestria, only much better and not so laid back. They’re race is called Skili, though others just call them Storm Creatures,” Lucette explained as they walked.

“Because of the constant raging storm?” The first one guessed.

“Pretty much,” Lucette confirmed with a nod. They finally arrived at a set of purpleheart wood doors, decorated with golden floral patterns. Lucette just shoved them open and stepped inside. “Oi! Tyl! Jo skul la tios!” she cried. The barkeep, a Storm Creature, or Skili, looked to her and immediately went about grabbing some bottles from the shelves, as well as shot glasses, and placing them neatly on the purpleheart wood counter. He wore a simple dress shirt, but nothing else. Lucette walked briskly over to a seat and waited patiently for him to pour her a glass, before slamming it back. She sighed in relief after drinking it. “Ah! Good, starting to feel the burn again.”

“I don’t suppose you’ve met the Equestrians, yet? Have you?” The crazy one asked, as they sat with her. “You seem to have. They weren’t annoying, were they?”

“Those prissy, preachy ass horses? Yeah, met ‘em about two weeks ago, they said they wanted to offer me a seat on some UN style council or some shit, as well as a general alliance. I told them it’d be fine…” She slammed back another drink after pouring herself one. “...After they removed their damn spies from around the Island. Little pony princesses didn’t like it, but agreed. Haven’t gotten any reports of pegasi or the like since then.” She looked into her glass for a bit. “...Though they could be using invisibility spells or some shit.” Lucette grunted, pouring another drink and once more slamming it back.

“Goddammit, Tia.” The swordsman groaned, before taking off his helmet, showing that he, too, had silver-white hair, blood red eyes, and also a lot of scars. “Well, it’s either her, which it most likely is, or Luna. Still, if they do still have spies around here, they’re really fucking with the wrong crowd.” He snorted, before pouring himself some and slamming it back.

“Anyway, how about we introduce ourselves now,” the first one suggested. “I’m Pillar, my full title being ‘The Mountains Pillar’ as the locals called me.” He said, taking off his helmet as well, practically the same colorations, but his hair was combed back, looking professional, with only a couple of scars.

“This one is Hunter, known as ‘The Hunter of Silence’, because he's mute, but is also, literally, an actual hunter,” Pillar explained, pointing towards Hunter who also took his helmet off. “As for his culture, he’s half Native American and half Japanese.”

“I’m Runner, also known as ‘Deaths Runner’, because I’m an insane lunatic,” Runner snickered madly, taking his helmet off and pouring himself some.

“I’m Collateral, also known as ‘Collateral Damage’,” The fourth one said, removing his helmet to show that he’s African American. “I used to be a Sergeant back in the Marine Corp. as a Weapons Specialist. Went on some tours around Afghanistan and Iraq.” He told her with a sigh, pouring himself some and leaning back.

“And I’m Berserker, ‘The Bloody-handed Berserker’, because I punch a lot of stupid shit into a red, gory paste, for all the bullshit they tend to get away with,” The swordsman told her with a grunt.

“Well, good to meet you all,” Lucette said with another grunt as she adjusted herself on the seat. “Full name’s Lucette Petremol, so you can tell I’m part French from the get go.” She took a more relaxed sip of a taller glass after making a gesture with her hand to the barkeep. “Was in the 3rd Marine Corps. Division in CAR and at one point Iraq. Worked as an Intelligence Specialist, so I would often smack other sausage brains and jarheads upside the head for being dipshits.”

“That sounds about right,” Collateral commented with a chuckle, pouring himself another and slamming it back.

“Say, since you’re wanting some Dragon Ale, and want to get it from the source, I should warn you about how most of the Dragons can be...stupidly dangerous. At least, from what we’ve seen from other versions of Equestrias,” Berserker told her. “As for their leaders, they’re known as Dragon Lords. If you see one with a staff, with a red gem sitting on top of it, that’s what a Dragon Lord uses to command the entire Hoard.” He explained.

“Oh I already know. My second in command, Tempest, told me what I needed to know after I shot the previous ruler of this country in the head, and thus became their Queen,” Lucette replied. She took a long gulp of her drink, starting to feel even more of a buzz. “Honestly, been trying for about two months to get her to fuckin’ unwind. Bitch has to be wearing a thong or some shit with how uptight she is.”

“Sounds like a real hardass. No pun intended,” Berserker replied, earning a snicker from Runner.

“No, that’s about right. I may have been here only two months, but I know a toned ass when I see one,” Lucette said shamelessly, chugging the rest of her drink.

“Nothing wrong with that,” Runner shrugged. “Besides, do you have any idea how many women Berserker has on him?” That made Lucette do a spit-take in Runner’s face. “Ah! For fuck sakes, why me!?” Lucette started laughing, even snorting as she did so.

“Ohohoho my God, so he’s one of those players!?” She laughed before raising a glass to Berserker. “Good on ya! To pussy!”

“Uh… To pussy?” Berserker said with uncertainty, clinking his glass to hers. “Honestly, I’m not even trying, and yet they flock towards me. Although there is one that’s dating all five of us. Well, more than one.” He stated, with the others nodding in agreement. “Fucking multiverse man.”

“Huh, well, still, good on y’all!” Lucette said, grinning like a toon. “Now, who’s up for a good ol’ fashioned Marine-Style Drinking contest!?”

“I am!” Runner shouted excitedly.

“Oh boy,” Collateral sighed with a chuckle. “Here we go again.”

“How do you Marines do it?” Berserker asked. Lucette’s grin only grew.

“Oh, this is gonna be good…” she said with a chuckle.

“And this is the knife Mommy gave me after my first week here!” Suki said, presenting an Army Knife made from some kind of black metal. It certainly wasn’t iron, not with it’s weight. And it seemed to react with a glimmer of light whenever Rom got close.

“It looks like a pretty high-quality knife,” Maiko commented as Rom examined the knife, nodding her head a little in response to Suki.

“I know, right? Mommy has all kinds of cool things in her room, too!” Suki chirped, before deflating slightly with a pout. “She won’t let me play with them, though…”

“That's probably because they're dangerous weapons,” Maiko responded. “Probably considerably more dangerous than a measly knife.”

“But I wanna play with them! They’re so cool!” Suki whined.

“Maybe she just doesn't want you to hurt yourself by accident…?” Rom suggested. “Blanc is always worrying about Ram and I…”

Suki continued to pout adorably, now crossing her arms. “Still wanna play with ‘em…”

Maiko audibly sighed. “What's dangerous is dangerous,” she said. “That can't be helped.”

“...Fine…” Suki conceded, though she was still pouting.

“So, what should we do next…?” Rom asked.

“Well, we could go out into the city, or maybe check out the caves below the castle…” Suki mumbled.

“Caves, huh?” Maiko said. “That sounds like it could be interesting.”

“I guess…” Suki said, sighing, before uncrossing her arms and taking her knife back. “We’ll need to be careful. Kraken babies sometimes nest in the lowest parts, though that’s also where all the fun is.”

“That shouldn't be too much trouble,” Maiko responded. “Rom has quite a lot of experience with monsters after all. Isn't that right Rom?” Rom nodded her head.

“Uh-huh… I'd sometimes take hunting quests from the Guild in Lowee with Ram to get stronger…” Rom explained.

“Have you ever fought ones that shoot Soul Spears? Like Hydra?” Suki asked, walking toward the door and securing her knife to a sheath on a previously unseen belt. “Because Kraken’s are that and more.”

“Uh-uh…” Rom answered, shaking her head as she followed Suki.

“Still, Rom's fought all kinds of monsters,” Maiko said. “I have confidence that Rom's strong enough to take them.”

“Well, good, then we’ll have lots of fun!” Suki said with that same eager grin. “Now follow me, we have to be quiet and sneaky, or the guards’ll catch us and bring us to mommy, and she won’t be happy.” Rom glanced at Suki with a nervous expression, but stayed silent. Maiko also didn't say a word. “Oh calm down, we’ll be fine, Rommy,” Suki assured, waving off the girl’s concerns after seeing her expression. “I’ve done this loads of times!” The black siamese cat girl said confidently, keeping up her grin.

“Doesn't mean it's not against the rules…” Maiko muttered under her breath.

“But rules were made to be broken, silly!” Suki giggled, having heard. She opened the doors and peeked out. “Coast’s clear, come on, quick!” Rom quickly followed after Suki, doing her best to step lightly without falling behind. “We’re going to be taking the long route, since it’s night time and the shifts are more tight around now, which means we have to sneak through eight hallways, five stairwells, and then the workroom that leads to the caves.” Rom nodded quickly to convey her understanding.

This was going to be a long stealth mission.

“...I don’t know whether to be appalled or accepting of this,” came Tempest Shadow’s blank reply as she looked on at the scene of Lucette, her boss, having an arm wrestle with Collateral. The tavern itself was somewhat trashed, with one of the Doom Marines hanging up on the chandeliers, laughing deliriously as he mumbled about something. Hunter was completely sober, choosing to instead watch, Berserker nodding off a little bit, while Pillar was on the ground, sleeping away.

“Come on, that all you got big boy?! My grandma is better than you at this shit!” Lucette said defiantly, pushing against Collateral’s hand.

“Alright,” Collateral said with a shrug, slamming her hand down and taking the match. Lucette stared at her own hand in disbelief. She slowly looked back to Collateral.

“You fucking asshole! You were holding out on me!” she growled, though not in actual anger.

“Yeah, I was,” He answered with a nod, chuckling a little. “Hell, if you were arm wrestling against Berserker, he would’ve broken your arm off.”

“That’s true,” Berserker replied with a yawn, looking up to where Runner was hanging. “For old time’s sake…” Pulling out his Pistol, he aimed at the chandelier and charged his shot, shooting it at the chain connected to it and the ceiling, causing Runner and the chandelier to fall down to the ground with an immense crash, making a crater in the floor.

“Owwww… Berserker, you fucker,” Runner groaned, crawling out of the crater.

Tempest just stared for a time, until Lucette noticed her. “Oi! Hard ass! Get over here and drink with us! Unwind that toned plot of yours!” Tempest’s eyes widened and she kept staring. Lucette groaned. “Are you fucking serious? You shut down just because of a comment like that? Fucking dick…” She sighed and walked over, picked the mare up, who flailed a bit, and put her on one of the seats by the counter. “Barkeep! A round of Storm Wine!” The barkeep sighed and nodded, quickly producing the drink.

“Y-Your Highness, I can’t, we have to-” Tempest began, but Lucette stopped her.

“Shut up and drink, maggot,” she said, shoving the glass towards Tempest. Tempest looked to her leader, then the glass, then back and forth, before sighing and taking a sip.

“Fucking skull it, woman,” Berserker told her, which confused her. “Fucking Hell, Lucy was right about you, you need to loosen up. Ah, for fuck sakes, Lucy, did I ever tell you that I managed to get into the Royal Cellar in the Dragon’s Imperial City, and drunk at least half of the damn place?” He asked her, causing both Lucette and Tempest to look at him in shock.

“You drank that much dragon ale…?” Tempest asked slowly, shocked.

“Yeah, that, and I’ve become a Dragon Lord. Well, one of the three Dragon Lords,” Berserker added with a snort. “Although, the Imperial Dragons practically just laughed at that, saying that it was one of the most insane things they’ve ever heard or witnessed. I still got away with it, scott free. No one pressed charges on me.”

“Oh that’s a good one!” Lucette said with a laugh. She calmed down after a bit, and looked to Tempest. “Well? Drink the damn thing ya zut putain!” Tempest frowned, looking back to her drink, before sighing and downing it. She placed the drink down without a fuss, though she was sporting a light blush, and looked to Lucette.

“There, now, can we please get back to-” Tempest began, but was cut off by Runner shoving a bottle in her mouth.

“Not enough! Get some more alcohol poisoning in yer system!” He declared, tipping her head back as she was forced to chug it down. She flailed and thrashed, but Lucette held her down until the bottle was drained. When it was done, she was wobbling a bit and coughing. “There! Better!” Runner exclaimed, chuckling as Tempest tried to stand up straight.

“Jesus, you take two drinks and you’re already stumbling? You ponies are fucking lightweights!” Lucette cried, slapping Tempest on the back, who crumpled, groaning.

“Oooh… Everything is spinning…” she groaned.

“She’s not Irish enough,” Runner stated, making Berserker laugh at that.

“I remember an Irish guy I used to date. Well, till I found out he was micro. Only upside was that he could drink anyone under the table, and had a good personality. But micro dick is a deal breaker, ya know?” Lucette said, waving her hand airily.

“Wow, does that mean us two, as well?” Berserker asked, pointing to himself and Runner. Lucette shrugged.

“Depends on if you got micro dicks,” she said simply, moving towards the counter for another drink. She grabbed another drink and chugged it down, sighing in content as it slid down her throat. “Then again, you guys aren’t my type anyways.”

“You say that now,” Runner retorted, rolling his eyes.

“Ah va te faire foutre, Runny Nose,” Lucette said, waving her hand dismissively as she chugged another drink.

“Leave her be,” Collateral told them.

“Alright,” they both said, drinking some more.

Tempest then suddenly groaned out, “Lady Suki was… Urp… In the caves…” She then passed out. Lucette stopped at that, and then her glass was crushed in her hands. She stood up and stormed towards the door.

“Goddammit! That girl takes too much after me, and I’m not even her biological mom!” she growled, stomping towards the door.

“Uh-oh. Should we follow after her?” Runner asked as Lucette stormed out through the door.

“Might as well,” Berserker sighed, getting up and retrieving his helmet. “C’mon, let’s go!” He said, the other four quickly grabbing their helmets and placing them on, heading outside and going after the Storm Queen, leaving the wasted Tempest on the floor, groaning.

Lucette stormed into Suki’s room, slamming the doors open, the young cat girl sitting on her bed, nervously twiddling her cat-thumbs and looking at the floor. Rom was sitting silently next to her, hands in her lap, hanging her head guiltily.

“What the heck have I told you little missy?! You can’t go into the caves! Not until you’re at least fifteen!” Lucette ranted. Suki wilted a bit.

“S-Sorry Mommy…” she said sadly.

“This is the fifteenth time! Fifteenth! I shouldn’t have to keep telling you!” Lucette raged. She pointed to Rom. “And this time you dragged Rom into this, too!” Lucette crossed her arms, giving Suki a disapproving glare. “I am very disappointed. I taught you to think before you act. You’re both grounded for a week and a half. Maiko, I want you to enforce that even if you get sent back home early. Rom needs to learn this shi-I mean, stuff,” she instructed, before adding in under her breath, “God it’s hard to keep from swearing while drunk…”

“Just swear your head off, woman. My mum used to do that whenever I or my siblings got into trouble,” Berserker stated, earning a groan of annoyance from her.

“I can't believe I'm saying this, but I have to agree with him on this one,” Maiko chimed in. “Whenever Rom and Ram get in trouble from scribbling and doodling in their older sister Blanc's scripts, she always gives them a curse-filled scolding. Rom will know for sure that she's done something wrong if you start cursing.”

“Other than that, though, I think we may need to...build Rom’s confidence up,” Runner suggested. “I mean, she needs to at least try to stand on her own two feet and legs. We just need to teach her how to do so.”

“Yeah, I'm also thinking about more strongly enforcing independence starting now,” Maiko agreed, then adding in a quiet mutter, “I don't know if this is just a coincidence, but I swear these guys are talking more sense now that they're drunk…”

“There’s one problem though,” Berserker said. “No offense, Lucy, but the location we’re in isn’t going to work. Especially the weather, since it’s always fucking stormy around here. We need a change of scenery.” Lucette sighed deeply.

“Well, unless you want to take a five hour trip to the tundra in the south, or an eight hour trip to the main continent, that ain’t happening,” Lucette said, before shooting a final glare at the two children. “Do this again, and I will find a way to contact your guardian, Rom. Suki… Do this again and you’ll lose privileges to the training room, and the Game Board. Understood?” Suki nodded rapidly. “Good.”

“Unless that hag conveniently dropped us somewhere within the same world as before, which I think is very unlikely,” Maiko started, “then you'd better have some form of interdimensional communication if you hope to contact Rom's current guardian figure.”

Lucette just gave Rom a flat look, hoping the meaning would reach Maiko.

“Do you even have a better idea on how to boost her confidence up? Because I’m telling you right now, this place isn’t suitable to do so,” Berserker asked her.

“With how the weather conditions are around here, she’s not ready to tackle it,” Runner stated. “It’ll be like feeding her to a bunch of sharks in hopes she feeds off of them instead.”

“What exactly is it that you're planning to have her do?” Maiko asked, ignoring the bewildered look Rom was giving Runner.

“Well, we’ll have to start off somewhere a little more calmer than this,” Runner pointed out the window, the storm still raging outside. “Somewhere with a lot more green in it, but not with many dangers lurking within. Combat isn’t what we’re pushing her into, yet.” He explained. “We just need to expose her to the environment.”

“Well, we could take her to your world or hers, then,” Lucette suggested.

“Our world is at war, so that’s a no-go,” Collateral informed her.

“And it's the dead of winter in ours,” Maiko added, Rom nodding in confirmation.

“So that means…” Runner started, as everyone in the room turned to face Lucette. Lucette sighed deeply.

“Well, I don’t know then,” Lucette said with a grunt. Ventus appeared in a puff of blue particles.

“L, it’s time for court, we should wrap this up,” she said. Lucette groaned.

“Ugh… Forgot there’s still those damn Warrior-Nobles to deal with here…” Her shoulders sagged a bit, but she turned to the Marines nonetheless. “I gotta get to being a Queen again, so, I guess this is goodbye for now. How do I send you all back?”

“Here,” Berserker said, pulling out an Obsidian stone, with a mark glowing on it. Throwing it to her, she caught it, but was not suspecting what would happen next. She collapsed to her knees, her mind racing through the memories stored inside. Their memories. All of the horrible deeds the Demons of Hell had done, all the many innocent lives lost, tortured, sacrificed, converted. The battles the Doom Marines had fought against the Horde, the many Demons they had slain, even when the odds were stacked against them. And finally, the message within it.

“They are Rage… Brutal and without Mercy… But you, you will be Worse… Rip and Tear, until it is done.”

Once it was done, Lucette started taking in deep breaths, a bit shaken by what she saw. “Fucking hell… Warn a girl before you drop a mental nuke on her, at least…” She said, muttering, “Almost worse than Africa…”

“You’d think so, but that’s not even the worst part of it all. But you don’t need to know that,” Berserker said with a snort. “Anyway, I think we’ve sobered up enough, just say ‘our contract is complete’, and we’ll be on our way.” He told her.

“I’m guessing it’d be the same for Rom?” Lucette asked for clarification.

“I have no idea,” Maiko said honesty. “Either way, you'd probably need a copy of her pen first.”

Conveniently, a pen, the same Rom used as a Token, dropped on Lucette’s head. Lucette blinked, bent over, and picked it up. “Well, that’s done then.” She turned to the Marines. “Our contract is complete. Hit me up if you guys get the time, I need time to wind down every now and then.” She gave a two-fingered salute.

“You got it,” Collateral said with a nod, giving off the same salute back to her, as a portal opened up and they went through it, finally going back to their Universe. Lucette smiled and looked to Rom. She walked over and patted the young girl’s head.

“Try and think more for yourself, okay? Oh, and Maiko, remember she’s still grounded for what she did,” Lucette said, before adding, “Our contract is complete.”

“Mhmm…” Rom answered, her head still down.

“Don't worry, I'll be sure to enforce it somehow,” Maiko assured Lucette as a portal opened next to the bed. “Alright, looks like it's time to go.”

“Okay…” Rom said, standing up. “Bye…!” She waved to Suki. Suki waved back, a small smile on her face.

“Come back and visit soon!” she said with a little of her old cheer.

“I'll try…!” Rom responded, a small smile of her own forming before she turned and went through the portal.

Lucette turned back to Suki and lightly patted her head with a small smile. “You may have messed up, but I want you to know that I don’t hate you, okay? You’re still my adorable little muffin top.”

Suki nodded with a bit more of a cheery smile. “Okay mommy.”

Lucette’s smile grew, before she summoned her mask and turned around, walking towards the doors. She waved goodbye before walking out and closing the doors behind her. It was going to be a long few weeks for them, Suki especially.

But, she looked forward to it. If it meant she learnt a lesson, and was thus one step closer to being as awesome as her mommy, she’d take it.

With a cool, smooth smile.

Author's Note

EDIT: Added a new, better intro, complete with a new, more fitting song.

EDIT: Made some of the parts more believable, and fixed a few grammatical errors. Also, just a note, despite what you may believe from this, Lucette does not trust the Marines anymore than she does an acquaintance. At least, at this point. She's just buzzed enough in this to spill some more secrets is all. Added an intro, complete with a song.

Story's first crossover. I know some of you out there might find this crossover to be kind of unneeded, but to be perfectly honest, I disagree. Yes, it didn't solve a more apparent problem, but it did solve a few. For one, it gave Lucette some much needed friends and time to unwind. For two, it allowed me to show Suki, finally, without having to go the long route. Thirdly, it helped to create more character development, with little to no major changes to the story or it's plot.

So, I'd call it a good crossover in my books, not to mention a fun one. Anyways...

Here's Rom's story, by Maziodyne. Great guy, always worthy of a watch in my books.

The Marines, made by that flaming ball of raging passion, InfernoRage008. Also very worthy of a watch.

Thanks for reading.

-Timeless Celestial

9 - Gears of Nations Turning: New Station and The Pony's Exclamations (Edited... Once more)

[A woman takes the first step up the stairs.

Her subjects watch on with pride in their hearts.

Her children follow behind her, smiles on their faces.

Royal Lightning flashes time and time again outside.

Reaching the top of the steps, she turns, and grins.

The Queen of Storms takes her throne.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6_722bLF-I)

I had called Tempest to my study today for a very special event, one that she had no doubt been looking forward to. The return of her horn. Albeit, I imagine she was hesitant, since I had never allowed anyone into the study. I had cleaned up what I could before her visit, stowing away notes and schematics and blueprints in drawers and any places I could stuff them, and most of the dangerous chemicals I was concocting with the lab equipment was safely put away. I had the horn of a certain farm animal on the desk, the animal itself being a variation of a goat called Weathered Climber. The horn was a jet black, but I'm certain Ventus would be able to make it the right color once she started to repair Tempest's horn.

I looked to the door as Tempest knocked on it, and stood up, walking over to open it. Once it slid open, I gestured for her to enter. I was right, she was hesitant, but also curious, if how she was drinking in every aspect of the room was any indication.

"This is... Well, it's honestly fascinating," Tempest complimented. I shrugged.

"Eh, it's not complete yet. Still got more to add, but thanks," I said, before walking over to the desk. Ventus appeared by my head. "So, ready to get your horn back?" Tempest nodded firmly, but with no less eagerness in the motion. I smiled. "Good, now, the process will be slow, and not to mention painful, since Ventus will be essentially regrowing nerve endings and bone to remake your horn. Are you ready for that?" she nodded again, steel in her sea green eyes.

"Yes, Your Highness. I am fully prepared," she said determinedly. I nodded.

"Good," I turned to Ventus. "Ventus, go ahead and start." Ventus bobbed in a mimic of a nod, before taking the black horn on the desk in her own brand of telekinesis, and breaking it down, storing the material in her banks. It took a good five or ten minutes for her to do this, but when she was done, she turned back to Tempest.

"Ready?" she asked the mare. Tempest nodded again. "Alright, let's do this then." She then shot a beam of light right at the stump of Tempest's horn, and Tempest flinched at the action. Then, she grit her teeth hard as a shape started to build on the stump, growing slowly. The process was very slow, and I knew that was because creating nervous tissue was a very delicate process, even if it was only the endings.

Tempest was trembling now, trying her best to not cry out in pain, but there were tears of that obvious pain in her eyes as her new horn took it's shape. I saw it grow and grow, Ventus carefully creating more and more of it at a steady yet slow pace. Tempest was crying in pain fully now, but she wasn't making any real sounds besides muffled whimpers, like she was biting her tongue.

Finally, after twenty agonizing minutes for the mare, the horn was finished, the glow receded, and Tempest was now sporting a horn equally as majestic as either of the pony princesses, albeit shorter than theirs by just a few centimeters, if I had to guess.

Tempest panted hard, trying to wipe away the tears that had matted her fur and muzzle. "Th...that...bucking...hurt...!" she panted.

"That's bound to happen when you remake nervous tissue, especially while the patient is awake and not sedated," Ventus explained.

"Sadly, we don't have strong enough sedatives yet, so we had to go with what we could," I said with a shrug. I walked over to the maroon mare, patting her shoulder. "But hey, you got a kick ass horn now, so it's worth it, right?"

Tempest glanced up to her horn, slowly reaching a hoof up to touch it in disbelief, but quickly retracted it after her hoof made contact, flinching from the pain.

"Yeah, it's gonna be sore for a few days, so be careful with it, and keep magic casting to a minimum," Ventus told her. Tempest slowly nodded, but smiled wide.

"...Thank you, My Queen. Thank you so much," she said happily. I smiled, patting her shoulder again.

"Of course. Gotta make sure my advisor is taken care of, after all," I replied, before walking over to the desk again. "Or, should I say, advisor and leader of the new Vanguard?" Tempest blinked. Once. twice.

"...What?" she asked slowly, surprised. I chuckled, opening a drawer and pulling out two shortswords, both styled like a certain pair of daggers my brother adored.

Unlike the daggers, these were longer, long enough to be considered shortswords, and they were made of an alloy of titanium and the few bits of Relic Iron that Ventus had in storage from when I was breaking down the armor pieces I had in my inventory. Still don't know why I had armor pieces that were so weak when I got here, but it turned out for the better.

Anyways, the alloy that resulted from it was tough as hell, but lightweight enough that it wouldn't be a problem to swing around easily. Sure, it meant I had no more Relic Iron now, but I could live without it.

Tempest 's eyes were wide as she took the blades in her magical grasp, wincing a bit from the sudden use of magic, but she seemed too engrossed in looking over her new weapons to care. The metal of the blades was a color similar to White Bronze, the hilt wrapped with thick, wet-blue chrome-tanned leather. On one of the blades was the symbol for Void Light, glowing a faint dark purple, and on the other, the Arc Light symbol, glowing a faint electric blue. She marveled over the craftmanship.

"Amazing..." She breathed. I smirked.

"Me and Ventus slaved over those blades for the better part of the past week," I explained. "Even went to the trouble of adding a more special project I've been working on for the past month. Light Runes."

"I'm glad you seem to like it!" Ventus chirped. "Channeling the Light into those was really hard, but as far we can tell, they should work well!"

"It's beautiful, your highness, but why-" Tempest began, before I stopped her with a hand.

"Oh, I'm not done yet. You're getting a final present," I said, before going back to the desk, towards a locked drawer. I unlocked it with a key I pulled from my pocket, then opened it. I then retrieved something I was slaving away on since I first came here and was labeled Queen. A gun. Specifically a flip revolver.

It had a handle made of that same goat's other horn, wrapped with the same wet-blue chrome-tanned leather. The horn, like the other, was black, but that wasn't the real feature. The real feature was the black scaled, saphire-eyed dragon running the length of the barrel, it's wings covering part of the trigger and cascading down either side, and it's tail resting in front of the hammer. It's maw stopped just shy of the end of the barrel. The scales were real, too, taken straight from a baby Alpha Cragadile.

Tempest marveled over this weapon as well as I handed it to her, and with good reason. I put a helluva lot of work into making it both function amazingly well, and look badass. Needed my Second-In-Command to have some intimidating and awesome gear, after all, to compliment me.

"This is... It's beyond words..." she marveled. She slowly looked up to me. "But... What does it do? And why are you giving me this?"

I smiled, patting my own gun on my hip. "Well, first, that weapon is essentially what this one right here is, a gun. It'll easily rip through and pierce any tough hide or plates of armor like they were paper, and, like mine, yours has some perks besides looks."

"We added some perks with smaller but permanently charged Light Runes, like making each round explode, giving you a small speed boost after a kill, and two others that we'll leave for you to find out," Ventus continued.

"As for your second question, I'm promoting you to the Commander-In-Chief of the Vanguard, which is what I'm calling the collection of new elite soldiers, like the Darkstriders, the Lightbearers, and the Legion of the Betwixt," I finished, leaning with one arm against the desk, shooting her a toothy grin.

"B-But those units aren't even close to ready yet! You said so yourself!" Tempest tried to argue. I chuckled.

"Tempest, it's not going to take long at all for me to whip them into shape," I said, before walking over and wrapping an arm around her. "Especially not with you helping out, Vanguard Commander." I winked at her. Tempest was, understandably, shocked. I removed my arm from her. "If you need time, take it. Just know that I'm giving you all this because you have proven yourself to be worthy. You followed my orders with little to no question, followed them to the letter, helped manage all of these new projects, helped me get my feet under me in this place... You've more than earned all this, as well as my respect."

Tempest was silent for a very long time. I just walked back over to the desk and sat down in it's accompanying chair, sipping some of the remaining Storm Fruit juice from a mug I always left in here. A good, solid fifteen minutes passed of her thinking, me occasionally glancing over to her while at the same time going over other notes and schematics.

Finally, she spoke, looking towards me with more determination in her eyes than I'd ever seen. And perhaps a bit of gratefulness. "I accept, and I promise, I won't let you down, Your Highness." I smiled, taking a quick sip before putting the mug down.

"Great to hear. Oh, and Tempest, when it's just you and me, call me Lucy. You've earned that much," I said. She smiled as well.

"You got it, Your-I mean, Lucy," she replied firmly. I kept my smile.

Things were starting to show promise around here.

Meanwhile, in Equestria, news had spread of the alliance and the old tyrant. In Manehattan, ponies were working on shipping goods, both to those around their nation, and the other nations, with the addition of the Island of Storms. They shipped many things, like silks and cloths, precious metals, gems, foods, and much more. The shipping of these goods to the Island was particularly dangerous, what with the perpetual storm and abundance of pirates and bandits. Thus, an eruption of mercenary groups had come to pass. This had also led to a power struggle between these new mercenary groups, and crime thus began to rise.

In Canterlot, the Princesses now had to deal with the press and the nobles both trying to find out why their leaders had done essentially nothing while the old tyrant Storm King conquered lands closer and closer to Equestria all those months ago. Of course, Celestia took the brunt of it, having many a headache after each Day Court. Luna, though, wasn't much better, having to, for once, deal with almost the same daily flow of noble trifles her sister did, as there was just so many worries to tend to.

In Ponyville, The Princess of Friendship was trying to figure out how to make friends with The Storm Queen. She secluded herself in her study most nights, going over notes she'd made when she was there, as well as new ones she drafted, all to figure out how to get the reclusive Queen to open up. Her friends were worried, but she didn't seem to notice. Spike was beginning to wonder if his surrogate sister was obsessed, and the same went for Starlight.

In the Crystal Empire, Cadance and Shining were overseeing the new trade of crystals to the Island of Storms, and Shining was also working on beefing up his military. It was a slow process, as the Guard were lazy and not as proficient at fighting as he'd have liked them to be. Cadance tried to soothe his worries, but he continued his project despite it all.

And deep under Canterlot, a certain stout figure was reading a newspaper he'd... appropriated, from a wayward miner. He leaned back in his stone, segmented chair, a look of hope on his face.

"Could it really be you...?" he wondered idly as he looked at the picture of The Storm Queen shaking the hoof of Princess Celestia.

Much was in motion now. Only time could tell what might happen in the future.

Author's Note

EDIT: Added a new, better intro, complete with a new, more fitting song.

EDIT: Fixed some grammar errors. Added an intro, complete with a song.

Alright, this is one of the three chapters made to set the stage for some of the bigger issues and such in the story's future, so I only hope you all enjoy it. I know I did.

Thanks for reading, my lovelies.

-Timeless Celestial

10 - Gears of Nations Turning: Wills of Fire, Earth, Cold, and Storms (Edited... Yet Once More)

[A woman takes the first step up the stairs.

Her subjects watch on with pride in their hearts.

Her children follow behind her, smiles on their faces.

Royal Lightning flashes time and time again outside.

Reaching the top of the steps, she turns, and grins.

The Queen of Storms takes her throne.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6_722bLF-I)

I was in my room after a long day of dealing with the Warrior-Nobles, sharpening my Moonlight Greatsword and maintaining my weapons. The ever present storm that raged outside battered my windows with rain, creating a cacophony of small pitter patters that echoed throughout not just my room, but the entire castle. I ignored it for the most part, as I'd quickly grown used to it being present at all times. It was more white noise for me than anything nowadays.

I stared into the reflective blue metal surface of my greatsword, idly wondering how anyone made moonlight into metal. Magic, I guess. I grunted at the idea. Still haven't gotten entirely used to the idea of using magic as a legitimate excuse. Guess it's my experiences trying to get me to analyze everything I can. I grunted again, swiping the whetstone across the surface of the blade and making it shimmer faintly. Maybe I'll ask Tempest more about it later. Or ask the ponies for a new trade agreement involving books. I'll have to think on that.

I glanced to the blue, crystal-ridden chime on my desk. It was particularly hard to clean it, what with the crystals, but I managed all the same. I still needed to practice using Sorcery with it. Hadn't tried since I got here. Should work on it before that Festival starts.

After cleaning and sharpening my greatsword and cleaning the chime, I moved onto my favored gun, taking it apart carefully and cleaning as much as I could of it.

My mind wandered as I did this. Suki came to mind quickly. She wasn't grounded anymore, and to my knowledge she hadn't tried anything reckless since Rom and those guys came over, but she was taking her training much more seriously now. I smiled at the thought as I kept cleaning, setting a cleaned piece down on the table once done with it.

I never thought I'd adopt a kid, much less an anthro Siamese cat. Still, I wouldn't trade it for the world. She was one of the few bits of solace I had in this world, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't love her like I would my own child. Hell, far as I was concerned she might as well have been my actual kid.

Again, funny thing to say. Not used to that either, but, again, I've managed. I knew already what Suki saw me as. I wasn't just a parent or savior in her eyes. I was a role model. It was obvious with the way she looked at me, with how she put so much time into her training and learning. If that didn't say it all, then her way of paying close attention whenever I spoke did.

That and the few times I had gone to wake her up myself. She would mumble in her sleep, usually about being as great as me. I stopped my cleaning at that for a second. Honestly still not sure how to feel about her putting me on a pedestal either. I sighed and went back to cleaning.

"You're being more quiet than usual," Ventus noted, idly reading a book that she'd taken from the library. She quickly finished it and turned to look at me. "You okay?"

I grunted, placing another clean piece down. "Just figuring things out still." I said in a noncommittal tone. Ventus sighed.

"Still getting used to the world?" she guessed. I grunted. She sighed again. "Thought so. You know L, you really-"

A knock on the door interrupted her. I looked to it and sighed, placing my gun down and walking to the door, opening it.

"What is it?" I asked the Skili. He bowed his head, before speaking in his native tongue.

"~My Queen, a miner has discovered something of great import! An ancient, holy mine we thought lost to us!~" he explained. I blinked a few times, then sighed.

"~Give me a bit to finish what I was doing, then lead me to this hallowed mine,~" I replied in Skilin. He nodded.

"~As you say, My Queen,~" he responded. I turned back to my room, closed the door, and quickly finished cleaning my gun. After that, I left my room and followed the messenger out of the castle and to the other side of the mountain said castle was at the base of.

It took a long while, but in time, we reached one of the many mines that dotted the Island, and went in. Ventus provided us with some light as we walked, the messenger guiding us along the dark and dank cavern. After a good fifteen minutes or so of walking, we reached a man-made tunnel, made obvious by the beams holding it all up. Many of those beams looked to have been hastily replaced, and I noted that there was a decent pile of debris and rocks nearby.

I deduced that this tunnel had collapsed long ago, and someone had rediscovered it. We kept walking, and in time, I saw the most curious of metals lining the rocky walls. It was a sea green, but it was as reflective as a mirror. Another Skili was just ahead of us, and waved us over.

~Ah! My Queen! Welcome! Welcome to the hallowed Mines of the First Storm Children!~" the Skili swept his large arms out at these words, and I looked around once more at the abundance of ore surrounding us. I looked back to the Skili with the miner's outfit.

"~What, might I ask, is so important about these mines?~" I queried.

"~This is where our ancestors began the production of a metal that is sacred to us, where they found it and tempered the Children of Earth and Sky,~" the miner explained. I looked around as it slowly came back to me. I vaguely remembered Tempest telling me of how the Skili believed that there was a metal that was the product of the Earth and Sky's consummation. A metal that held the power of storms. My eyes gazed over the strange ore around us. So this was Stormwill...

"~I see... Then this is a monumental find indeed,~" I noted. The miner and messenger nodded rapidly.

"~Very much so, My Queen! With your permission, we would like to begin working with it as soon as possible!~" The miner said enthusiastically. I nodded.

"~Granted. I am curious to see what we can do with this metal, so let us not waste this opportunity,~" I replied. The miner grinned widely, before bowing deeply.

"~Thank you, My Queen! You will not be disappointed!~" he said gratefully. I simply nodded, looking to the ore again with multiple ideas flowing through my mind.

This... This could give us a very big leg up against an enemy.

Ember, Dragon Lord of the Draconic Kingdom, was currently flying her way over to Ponyville. She was worried. Spike had sent her a letter detailing Twilight's behavior after a diplomatic trip. Apparently, something big had happened, and Ember intended to get to the bottom of it. She noticed Ponyville's Castle of Friendship in the distance, snorted, and flapped her wings harder, speeding towards the building of crystal.

She quickly arrived and landed at the entrance, dusting herself off. A few ponies started in surprise, but she brushed it off and walked towards the massive golden double doors. She opened them with ease, walking into the lobby of the Castle of Friendship.

"Hello?! Spike?!" she called out, walking around in search of the younger dragon. Ember walked around for a short while, her clawed feet slapping against the crystal floors as she looked for her friend.

The dragon in question, she found just inside the library, trying to talk to a frenzied Twilight.

"Maybe if I try the casual approach...? No, that could be seen as disrespectful..." Twilight was furiously writing notes down on a piece of paper.

"Twilight..." Spike said, trying to garner her attention.

"A formal approach? No, she might find that exhausting..." Twilight continued to mutter. Spike sighed deeply, claw meeting face, before he noticed Ember.

"Oh, hey Ember! Man it's good to see you," Spike greeted with a relieved smile, walking over and hugging the dragoness. Ember tensed at the action, but patted his head all the same.

"Hugs, right..." she said uneasily. Spike released her, a worried frown forming as he looked back to Twilight. "What's up with Twilight?" Ember queried.

"I don't know. She got back from a diplomatic mission a month back and just turned out like this," Spike explained. He sighed. "I don't know what to do. I've tried everything."

"Hmm... Let me try," Ember said, before walking over to Twilight. She stopped right next to her, took a deep breath, and roared as loud as she could, startling the alicorn and Spike.

"What the hay?!" Twilight cried, jumping in surprise and dropping her quill, before seeing Ember there, smirking at her. "Ember? When did you get here? Why are you here?"

"I came because Spike wrote a letter about how worried he was about you, and I decided to do the friendly thing and come over to help out," Ember explained. "I mean, that's what friends do, right?"

"Well, yes, but I'm fine!" Twilight argued.

"Twilight, you haven't slept or eaten much this entire month! You've only been eating daffodil sandwiches and drinking coffee, and I've caught you asleep at your desk dozens of times!" Spike pointed out, crossing his arms and giving her a disapproving look.

"But I have to get her to open up!" Twilight retorted.

"Get who to open up?" Ember queried, eye ridge raised.

"The Storm Queen!" Twilight replied, pouting.

"Storm Queen?" Ember echoed, before a memory came to her. She recalled her father telling tales of how he once flew over an island with a perpetual storm, braved it's weathers, and was beaten in battle by a yeti-like creature calling himself The Storm King. "Could she be his successor...?" Ember wondered to herself.

"You know her?" Spike asked.

"Huh?" Ember snapped out of it. She looked down to Spike. "Oh, um, no, but my dad once told me how he was beaten by a guy calling himself The Storm King. Is this Storm Queen his successor or something?"

"According to her, she uh... Killed him," Twilight said a bit uneasily, before regaining her composure enough to ask, "Why?"

Ember grinned a fang-filled grin. "I think I'd like to meet this Queen. If she killed the guy who beat my dad, I wanna try my hand at whooping her butt."

There was a knock on a heavy maple portal, three in quick succession, then eight, then five in a slower rhythm. The knob jiggled, then turned as a burly grey furred minotaur opened it, staring down at the smaller blue one with a single eye, the other covered by a black, silver embroidered leather eye patch.

"What is it, son?" he asked with a smooth yet resounding voice.

"I have interesting news to report, father," the blue minotaur said simply. The grey one grunted, stepping aside to let the other in.

He walked in, and the two walked towards a heavy mahogany table ringed with iron and covered in papers. Maps, reports, and much more covered it's fine finished surface. They sat down by it, seated across from one another.

"Well? Report," the grey one commanded. The blue one nodded.

"Yes, Father," he cleared his throat. "I was in Ponyville again, using the same profile as before, just checking on my contacts, when I overheard some ponies talking about the death of The Storm King, and the rise of his successor, The Storm Queen."

The grey bull's eye widened. "You're shitting me!"

The blue bull shook his head. "I confirmed it. The Isle of Storms has a new ruler, and word is that she had a strange weapon on her hip. One that we've never heard the likes of. Not only that, but she had a weapon of moonlight, but isn't affiliated with the Princess of the Night."

"...Crap. This is either really good, or really bad," the grey bull mused to himself. He shook his head and stood up. He grabbed his axe from it's place by his desk, and strapped it to his harness. He then turned to the blue bull. "Come on, we should report this to the brass."

The blue bull nodded. With that, they left the room.

"Pink Pony want Yaks to help with party?" came the confused voice of Prince Rutherford.

"Yupperoonies! See, there's this new Queen who's really really grumpy and I thought a good way to fix that was to throw her a big ol' party!" Pinkie explained, bouncing up and down in her usual exuberance. The capital of Yakyakistan was all around them, snow covering most of it, as was to be expected of a kingdom so far north. The Prince, who was sitting on his throne of intricately carved wood with gilded horns larger than his own stretching from the back, was uncertain how to answer Pinkie's request.

"And... Pink Pony want Yaks help because...?" he began. Pinkie smiled wide.

"Because we need to make her feel welcomed by all the countries, and getting you is just the first step!" Pinkie suddenly produced a chart from her mane, and flipped a page, depicting her in a detective outfit talking to a Skili. "See, I found out that the Skili have this huge festival every year, so I thought, 'what if we throw the Queen a party on top of a party?!'" She flipped another page, showing her, the Yaks, the Dragons, the Changelings, the Zebras, the Minotaurs, and the Griffons along with the Skili and a drawing of Lucette, all of them partying. She turned back to Prince Rutherford. "So, whatcha think?"

"Hmm..." Prince Rutherford hummed loudly in contemplation. Suddenly, he broke out in a wide grin and stomped his hoof. "Yaks do it! Yaks help Pink Pony with party! Yak want to meet this Queen!"

Pinkie's smile widened with a squee, and she rushed over and hugged the Yakyakistani Prince. "Yay! Thank you thank you thank you!" He chuckled and hugged her back with twice as much force.

"Yak happy to help!" he replied. Pinkie's face started to turn a shade of blue, but she managed to speak nonetheless.

"Awesome...! Can you... Stop squeezing now?" she said between gasps of air. Prince Rutherford released her, and then they began to plan.

The plans were being set.

"An...ore?" parroted the Forgemaster for the umpteenth time as he looked over the clump of Stormwill I had brought him.

I placed a hand to my temple to rub the headache that was growing there. "Yes, Erecpra. It's an ore. Not a metal ore either, not purely."

"But it has all the properties of metal-"

I cut him off. "It does, but if you take a closer look at it's composition it is not a pure metal ore. There are numerous other minerals in it; aluminum, mica, glass of all things, and so many others I've only heard theories of where I'm from that it is simply mind boggling." I shook my head. "Regardless, it is NOT purely a metal. It's an ore."

The wizened old Skili still seemed confused, staring at the clump of ore in his hand like it was about to shapeshift rapidly like some Changeling on crack.

I let out a low groan. "Just..." I took a breath. "...Okay. You know how the stories of Stormwill always talk about how it was never really safe to extract, shape, or refine it because it could do any manner of things that'd injure you badly?"

Erecpra nodded slowly. "Yes, I recall the old tales."

Oh, look, some actual progress. Lips turning upwards in a hopeful smile, I continued. "Good! The reason for that is the Skili who discovered this stuff didn't realize they were messing with what is basically a naturally forming capacitor, well, supercapacitor, that-"

"A...what?" The Forgemaster tilted his head at me.

GODDAMMIT!!!

Author's Note

EDIT: Added a new, better intro, complete with a new, more fitting song.

EDIT: Fixed some grammar mistakes. Added an intro, complete with a song.

There may be some questions that arise from this chapter and it's contents, but rest assured, they will be answered soon. In the next arc, if I can help it. Speaking of said arc, be prepared for three very long chapters once the final chapter for this arc and the intermission are done. Bit early to talk about it, I know, but hey, I'm excited.

Anyway, thanks for reading.

-Timeless Celestial

11 - Gears of Nations Turning: Armies Near and Far (Edited... Yet again)

[A woman takes the first step up the stairs.

Her subjects watch on with pride in their hearts.

Her children follow behind her, smiles on their faces.

Royal Lightning flashes time and time again outside.

Reaching the top of the steps, she turns, and grins.

The Queen of Storms takes her throne.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6_722bLF-I)

"Alright you pukes, listen up!" I shouted, addressing the mass of armored Skili before me. "Today is your long awaited graduation ceremony! You've been put through hell, forced to train in the worst conditions, but you've pulled through! Now you are all ready to get out there, and show our enemies a hell five times worse than what me and your Commander have put you through!" I looked out across the muddy field as rain poured down on us all.

The first group was the Darkstriders, bearing pure Black Iron (something the old Storm King used commonly) splintmail armor with belts that held pouches full of firebombs and Obsidian Orbs, and all of them were wielding specially made segmented greatbows with quivers of great arrows, as well as estoc's and claws. They also wore heavy obsidian silk cloaks that covered their features along with Black Iron masks. These were the ones made for the more covert operations, trained in espionage and CQB. They were great when it came to infiltrations and taking out high profile targets, but a head-on confrontation would be the end of them. Still, they were just what I needed for any special operations. Especially the few I had in the works.

The second group were my main force, the Lightbearers. They wore full plate armor with sallet helms made to fit them perfectly, aventails being the only bits of visible chainmail on them. The pauldrons were covered with a layer of cragadile scales on top of the metal, and specially made cragadile tassets covered their lower regions along with heavy scalemail. The scalemail and plates were made of the last bits of Spinmetal I had from dismantling the excess weapons and armor I had. It took a long time to figure out how to work with the metal, and even more to teach the smiths, but I managed in the end. The armor was decorated with engravings of fire filled with brass.

The Lightbearers had bucklers made of pure steel, and simple iron ultra greatswords pretty much exactly like the ones from Dark Souls. They also had longbows.

Whilst I knew that using Spinmetal was not the smartest decision; raiding my reserves of a space-age metal and rendering me essentially unable to recreate or make or find more, I wasn't stupid. As such, I'd taken precautions and made plans, such as giving a few samples to smiths and prospectors on the slim chance of trying to find or make more, or such as my plan to try and find a way to produce Glimmer - tiny, glowing blue cubes of programmable matter - and thus hopefully be able to produce potentially limitless amounts of Spinmetal and various other materials.

But I'm getting off topic.

Now, there was my most elite of the Vanguard Legions. The Legion of the Betwixt. They had scalemail armor made from cragadile and kraken scales, the black and grey scales complimenting their name well. The only pure metal pieces of armor on them were their masks and things called heroic cuirass', which were basically those cuirass' with abs and pecks, and these ones were made of Stormwill, our newly acquired metal. The sea green metal reflected the lightning that flashed in the sky. Their masks were also made of Stormwill, and were similar to what the Storm King's old guard used to wear.

These guys had nagamaki's, which were excessively long-handled Japanese swords, and they too were made of Stormwill. Other than that, they had gauntlet shields in the shape of stormclouds, the lightning bolt being what covered the forearm. Also made of Stormwill.

I grinned under my own mask, before looking to Tempest and giving her a nod. She nodded back, then used her magic to unveil the mass of weapons on a table behind us. There were ultra greatswords fashioned after the Pursuer Ultra Greatsword, and to top it off, they were all made of Hadium, which for some reason I had a regenerating amount of. Seriously, I looked at my inventory one day, found over five hundred flakes in it, and took 'em out, only to find the next day that another five hundred had replaced the last bundle. I cannot tell you how much I fangirled after that, nor will I.

There were daggers made of silver that were enchanted by the best (black market) enchanters in Canterlot to be hella durable, and they also had (black market) Fire Rubies in the pommels that would give them a deadly flare for a last resort. Took a lot of work to keep that all secret from the Princesses. Couldn't let them know about my elite soldiers yet. Or the fact I'd dipped into their black market, but I digress.

Then, there were the guns. After a full two months since we found Stormwill, I finally managed to get our mass production of guns going. Granted, it wasn't widespread throughout the kingdom yet, but it was a start. So far, I had just enough to use to teach these new legions how to, well, use them. The Lightbearers were getting .75 caliber handcannons that looked less like assault revolvers and more like, well, literal hand cannons. They were purely steel, and had large magazines and bulky, yet streamlined barrels. Next to them were the symbols for the Lightbearers, their insignia. A leather sash with a mark of the Traveler with a Bonfire in the middle of it.

The Darkstriders got guns that were modeled after one of my favorite fictional guns of all time; Alucard's Jackal. They were black and blocky just like the original, with explosive 13 mm rounds. The only difference was the inscription on them. Instead of 'Jesus Christ is in Heaven Now,' it was, '...I am a painful truth.' Their symbols were on a set of pocket watches made of Black Iron, the symbol being that of the crescent moon from the Darkmoon and the Darkness symbol that popped up every time you died in Destiny.

Finally, the Legion of the Betwixt got the first batch of rifles the factories had made. They were simple Nosler Model 48's, with floral patterns on the stocks, which were made of ash wood. They got Armlets made of steel that had engravings of a scale on them.

I turned back to the groups assembled before us. "When we call your names, come up and take your new badges of station along with your standard issue weapons!" I called out.

One by one we called them up, and as we did and each Skili soldier was given their items, my grin grew.

Phase One of my Rebuilding plan was now complete. Now it was time to give a little show.

One Month Later...

"My Queen! My Queen! A letter from the new regent!" called a Griffon messenger as he burst into the rebuilt throne room of Griffonstone.

Gilda turned her gaze to the messenger, sitting on her golden throne and wearing the crown she'd never wanted. She sighed and rolled her eyes.

"What, you mean that upstart Storm Queen?" Gilda asked.

"Yes, my Queen! She sent us a letter!" the Griffon explained, flying over to hand the scroll to her before flying a respectable distance back and bowing. Gilda read it over quickly, then, her eyes widened. Soon they returned to normal and she gained an eager grin.

"Well well well, seems she wants us to head over with a few champions for the Skili Festival of Fellowship and Strength," Gilda noted.

"Shall I assemble these champions, Your Highness?" the messenger queried. Gilda snorted.

"Pfft, nah, I'll choose 'em myself," she said, standing up from her throne and stretching her wings before grinning."This should be fun."

In the Changeling Province in the Badlands, King Thorax was fretting and pacing back and forth in front of a small group of very well decorated Old Guards. These guards had been Chrysalis' finest, but now they were his. And the recent letter from the Storm Queen had pushed Thorax to choose them to be his three champions. Still, he was worried. He'd only just recently gotten onto the world stage and become a ruler, and he was scared that if he made the wrong move at the festival he'd instigate a war.

"Hey, bro, calm down, you'll wear a hole in the floor," said Thorax's older brother and one of his champions, Pharynx.

"How can I calm down?!" Thorax cried, turning to face his brother. "You've heard what Starlight and the others said, this Queen is all business, what if I accidentally break a sacred rule of her people's? Or if I accidentally insult her? Oooh, this is a bad idea! Maybe I should send a letter back saying I'm sick or-" Pharynx knocked his brother upside the head. "Ow! Hey, that hurt!"

"Calm down bro, just remember what I told you," Pharynx instructed.

"Look tough and be up to snuff?" Thorax asked, rubbing his head. Pharynx nodded.

"That's it. We'll be fine, and if worse comes to worse, just leave it to me, okay?" Pharynx told him.

"Right... Right," Thorax answered, before looking to the distant horizon out the window. "Oooh... I hope things go well..."

"I thank you Your Majesties, for letting us join you and easing our worries," said the Queen of the Zebras, Zendaya. Her boar tusk crown and platinum dzilla neck rings adorning her form along with a tribal cloak of furs. Her chocolate brown eyes seemed aglow with interest and kindness. Her mane was done up in dreadlocks.

"Of course, Queen Zendaya, what are friends for?" Princess Celestia said with a warm smile.

Once again the ponies were on an airship to the Island of Storms, but were joined this time by the Zebras. The pony's champions, consisting of two of the Pillars, Starswirl and Flash Magnus, and Bon Bon, or Sweetie Drops, were also there.

The Crystal Empire had it's own champions, chiefly Shining Armor, who was accompanied by two of his best Crystal Guards.

And the Zebra's champions were down below deck, doing some meditation.

"I'm just glad I get to come with, even though this Island of Storms sounds pretty scary," said Spike, peeking over the edge of the ship.

Starlight came over and pulled him away. "Careful there Spike, don't need you falling off."

"Oh fine," he huffed, crossing his arms. Zendaya giggled.

"Eager, are we? Too bad we have seven days free," she said with a mirthful glint in her eyes.

"I know! I wanna see the place already!" Spike whined.

"You will see it soon enough, young Spike," Luna said with a kind smile. Spike just waddled off, grumbling to himself. The royals watched him go as the others ambled about, talking excitedly amongst themselves.

"So, what do you think this is supposed to be?" Zendaya asked, dropping her rhymes and bringing her voice to a low whisper. Celestia frowned.

"I do not know," she replied in the same low whisper.

"A show of force, mayhaps?" Luna proposed. The other two's frowns deepened.

"Hopefully things won't turn hostile or cold if such is the case," Zendaya said hopefully, looking to the horizon.

"Yes, hopefully," Celestia agreed, her own gaze moving towards the horizon.

The Gears are turning...

Author's Note

EDIT: Added a new, better intro, complete with a new, more fitting song.

EDIT: Fixed some minor grammar errors. Added an intro, complete with a song.

Well, this one gave me a lot to debate about, but I think I'm satisfied with how it turned out. Now for a bit of a reveal. The next four chapters will be crossovers. Yes, I know, there are a lot of risk with doing such a thing, but it's something I've had planned for a long while now, and if need be the crossovers will be edited should something with them be wrong in any way I can find. Just stay with me, 'kay? I promise thing's will turn out okay and this story won't get derailed by crossovers.

Thanks for reading.

-Timeless Celestial

12 - Intermission: Mages, Nerd Talk, and Teasing (Edited... Once more)

[A woman takes the first step up the stairs.

Her subjects watch on with pride in their hearts.

Her children follow behind her, smiles on their faces.

Royal Lightning flashes time and time again outside.

Reaching the top of the steps, she turns, and grins.

The Queen of Storms takes her throne.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6_722bLF-I)

It was a busy day for Lucette, managing the construction of the Festival. She had to make sure the decorations were right, had to once more initiate a Lockdown, this time Level Green, she had to check on her troops that were going to be essential for the opening ceremonies, and she had to get her Champions ready.

After a whole month of preparing, she still had at least three more days (Ventus calculated) before things would be presentable. She groaned as she dragged herself to her personal tavern in the castle, having only gotten a break a half hour ago. Right now she just wanted to rest and get a bit of a buzz in her, something to put a spring in her step, before she went back to the tiresome work of being a leader.

She opened the doors and ordered a Storm Wine after sitting down at the bar, nursing her drink.

There was a gentle hum that slowly increased in volume and before anyone could question as to what it was, there was a short flash and something tumbled along the ground near Lucette’s feet. On the floor appeared to be a strange, glowing bright diamond with metal grids along its edges. At a glance, some could see glowing energy particles seeping around it.

Lucette glanced down at it in mild interest. She took a sip of her drink, put it down, then picked up the gem and looked it over.

The gem glowed softly and soon a voice echoed from within the crystal. “Interesting, only a day and it’s made first contact already,”

Lucette blinked a moment, then stood up, took a long sip of her drink, and asked the crystal, “So, Displaced? Or do you not know about that yet?”

“Displaced? I don’t know what that means, this crystal is merely an experiment in a attempt to get back home since the main Ayleid portal has not reactivated for months,” The voice said, it sounded low but a little roughly suave.

“Hmm… New guy then. And I’m guessing you’re not from Earth, either, more like a similar world,” Lucette surmised. Once more she gulped down some more Storm Wine. “Try and focus on the energy of this Token, and bring yourself here. I’d rather talk to ya face to face.”

The crystal suddenly rose into the air, suddenly shooting a beam of blue energy into the ground. A strange power started pulling and stripping bits of the stone floor and started to form a gate with runes forming around it. That same humming came back again and with a flash, a humanoid, blue robed being stood before Lucette, the covering itself bearing yellow patterns along its sleeves and around the neck area. In the middle of the robe, he wore a leather belt with a book attached to his hip. Within the hood were a pair of glowing and slitted purple eyes, along with a reptilian snout.

Lucette just finished what was in her glass before putting it down. She’d grown used to these kinds of things, things she used to call bullshit. She pointed to the ground.

“You’re either fixing that yourself or paying for it,” she said, making the figure take note of the ruined stone floor, before she continued with, “Anyways, want a drink? We have some very exotic spirits here.”

“No, thank you. But don't worry about your floor,” The lizard said as he lifted his hand, waving it in a circular motion to allow the stones to return from where they were. A blue scaly tail made its presence known when it moved into view as he looked back to her. “My name is Athre’us-Ei, or Magic-Eyes if you cannot pronounce my Argonian name.”

“Argonian...?" She muttered to herself, low enough he couldn't hear. 'Guess he's from an Elder Scrolls world, then.' She shook her head before responding with, "In my old world, I was a Marine, and we usually settled for nicknames in the force, so I’ll just go with calling you Bluey,” Lucette said with a shrug. She raised a hand to the bartender, who, understanding the signal, gave her another drink. She took a long gulp of it before slamming it down. “So, you seem the scholarly type. Maybe you can help me figure out these scrolls I got when I was brought here.” Lucette opened her palm, Ventus appearing in it, before a flash of blue particles heralded the arrival of several scrolls.

One was notably glowing, and the handle was made of pure, magical crystals that glimmered and shined in the dim light of the bar. The papyrus itself was a striking light blue.

Another was also glowing, but bore a golden sheen to it's smooth, paper surface.

The other scrolls were more dull than the glowing one, but looked just as worn. And all of them had scripts and algorithms and equations so alien that Magic-Eyes couldn’t help but be intrigued.

“Of all writing languages I’ve seen in my life, I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Magic-Eyes said as he lowered his hood to reveal more of his lizard-like qualities, especially the short head-fin along his scalp.

“Tell me about it. Not even my second-in-command could figure this shit out,” Lucette agreed. She blinked. “Oh, right, Name’s Lucette Petremol. Storm Queen, ruler of this little island nation.”

“The closest I can compare it to is the Dwemer, but even it wouldn’t translate into anything,” Magic-Eyes said as he stroked along his chin. “So no other clues rather than them appearing with you?”

“Well, they have been studied thoroughly by my old world’s inhabitants, but the closest they could get of a comparison was a very, very old language, near the very beginning of my old race’s existence,” Lucette explained. “Think it was called Elder Futhark or some crap.”

“Not even my records say anything about this script,” Ventus agreed, her segments spinning and whirring as she gave mechanical chirps of thought.

“I’m afraid I cannot be of any use to you without anything else to reference too,” the lizard thought for a moment on the subject. He raised his hand with his finger and index finger extended, and waved it over the scrolls, whispering some kind of made up language under his breath. “Majikku kenshutsu,” he spoke as glowing magic materialised in the palm of his clawed hand. “...They’re definitely magical in properties though. I could disenchant it, but that would cause it to fall apart just to learn what they are.”

“Well, I at least know the basic ideas of what these will give me. Albeit they could give me something more, but this one,” Lucette tapped the crystal scroll. “Should let me learn Crystal Sorceries.” She tapped the golden scroll. “This one will let me use Golden Sorceries.” She gestured to the others. “These ones will just be basic Sorceries.” She took her chime off her belt, which Magic-Eyes noted was covered in crystals and colored a dark blue. “This, will let me cast all of them, including Miracles. Don’t have any tomes for Miracles, though.”

“Like a conduit in a way... I once had students who learned to channel their spells though their staff,” Magic-Eyes commented.

"Well, that’s the thing with my kind of Sorcery. You can’t cast it without a catalyst. Period. Same goes for Pyromancies and Miracles. You need a catalyst,” Lucette said, laying back in her seat and taking another sip of her drink.

“Seems I’ve stumbled upon a whole new array of magic then,” the blue lizard said with interest in his eyes.

“Three, if you count Pyromancies and Miracles, though Miracles aren’t considered magic where I come from,” Lucette explained. “Miracles are…” Lucette furrowed her brow, trying to remember. “...If I recall correctly, Miracles are just that, Miracles. They are entirely dependent on your faith, and you have to memorize the tales associated with the Miracle you want to cast before using it. Basically, they’re the God’s powers, but given to mortals.”

“Much like the blessings of the Nine Divines if you abide by their ways,” Magic-Eyes noted, once more stroking along his scaled chin. “Although their interactions with mortals have been limited other than their shrines. Except that one time in history when Martin Septim became Akatosh’s avatar to take down Mehrune’s Dagon”

“Pretty much, yeah,” Lucette said with a nod. Ventus looked back and forth between them.

“...You guys are talking so much nonsense I can’t tell if I’m in a new world myself,” she commented. Lucette lightly swatted her. “Hey!”

“Aw hush,” Lucette shot back. She turned back to Magic-Eyes. “Well Bluey, whaddya say? Want to head to my Study and check these scrolls out? I have a number of devices that never produced the right results for me, but maybe you can gleam something from them.”

“Lead the way, the results may prove useful for my spellcraft,” Magic-Eyes said. He takes a look around the bar. “Despite this being a different world, it appears it has similar races.”

“That’s common for Displaced. Each of us are sent to an Equestria, no matter what world we originally came from,” Lucette explained, standing up from her seat. She finished her drink after slamming it back, then placed the glass back on the bar counter. She grabbed the scrolls, and then started to walk out of the bar. “Come on. We got a pretty long walk ahead of us. My castle was huge to begin with, but I made more additions, so it’s… well, titanic.”

“You ought to look into getting some portals in order to get around. I have one back in my university that leads to places whenever students need to get to somewhere fast,” Magic-Eyes suggested as he began to follow behind Lucette. Lucette shrugged.

“If I can get the right schematics and people with know-how, sure,” she replied.

Lucette opened the doors and and they started their walk around the massive castle. After a literal hour of walking and climbing stairs, they arrived at her Study, which, Magic-Eyes noted, had a very curious stone door. Lucette turned to him.

“Alright, I know you’re from another world, but if you blab about anything in this room or even just the door, I will not hesitate to punish you. I got a lot to keep secret, don’t need others using this stuff against me or for ill,” Lucette warned him.

“I doubt anypony back where I came can get back here, not unless they know how Ayleid crystals work, thus any information I learn will not be of any use to them,” Magic-Eyes informed.

“As long as you don’t tell any suspicious characters from there or here, then good,” Lucette said with a nod, before she summoned eight hexagonal keys more reminiscent of medallions made of a bone-like, copper material with a hexagonal gem in the middle, and placed them all in their rune-laden slots. The door let out a quiet hiss and a dim, eerie green glow, before sliding open. Lucette walked inside. “Come on, quick.” Magic-Eyes went in without a second thought.

Inside were tables with lab equipment that Magic-Eyes hadn’t seen before, along with shelves of books and a single desk in the center of the room covered in schematics and other such papers. He noted there were at least three different kinds of microscope devices, one that was made of brass and covered in runes, one that was steel and had no real other decoration, and one that had a number of crystals for knobs and lenses. Lucette pushed a button on the wall, and the door closed with a slam. Magic-Eyes also noted there were no windows in the room.

Lucette just walked over to the microscopes with the scrolls, and Magic-Eyes followed behind. She placed the crystal scroll beneath the first microscope, the brass one, and then gestured for him to use it, standing back. Magic-Eyes looked through it to see what Lucette wanted to show.

Immediately his eyes widened as he saw that each runic letter on the scroll was layered with crystal, and, strangely, the runes started to float in his vision, and changed to runes he had just a bit of knowledge about.

“Anything? For me they just changed to other runes I didn’t know shit about,” Lucette asked.

“It appears they can detect the seer and then alter, although on what factors I don’t know.” Magic-Eyes said before attempting to read the runes.

What he read made his interest piqued. They talked about the lattices naturally inlaid in the soul, and how to bring them out and focus them to such a point that they created crystals of obscene magical strength. There was a lot more as well, and just trying to focus on the letters was a great strain on his mind, but he pushed on nonetheless. It continued to elaborate on several spells, all of which he knew nothing of until now.

One detailed how to launch a spear of these Soul Crystals by using both the caster’s own soul, and the ‘natural flow of the fires of life that surround us constantly.' Another detailed how to coat a weapon in Soul Crystals. Yet another spoke of how to create masses of Soul Crystals that could detect enemy life and seek it out like hound dogs. And a final one spoke of utilizing the flows of soul lattices in the body to harden the entire body with Soul Crystals that also heightened the caster’s magical power.

“Fascinating… It’s like a form of enchantment, except channeling it through.. A Soul Gem?” Magic-Eyes theorised based on what he knew of Tamrielic magic. “Its similar to Mysticism in a way as the user can passively charge their enchanted items.”

“Alright, think you can explain what it showed you to me? I’d like to try casting these spells myself,” Lucette asked. Magic-Eye repeated the message that was written on the scroll.

Lucette hummed in thought, a hand on her dark blue chin. “Okay…” she turned to a bookshelf, walking towards it. She pulled on a book, and the sound of inner mechanisms resounded throughout the room, before the bookcase fell into the floor, and a small shooting range was revealed, a trio of dummy’s at the end of said range. Lucette took her chime, then raised it.

An unearthly blue glow took hold of it, and then, a spear of magic and Soul Crystals shot out and raced towards the dummy with a howl of strange magicks. It impacted one of the dummies and left a ring of crystals around the impact point. Lucette grinned widely and jumped for joy.

“Fuck yeah! I’m a certified magician now bitch!” she cheered. She then noted Magic-Eyes was still present and blushed, before coughing into a fist. “A-Ahem, uh… I mean, cool, I can do actual magic now, eheh…”

“Your reaction is much like my student, except with a few words I’ve never heard before. I suggest you don’t get too excited, there is still much you can learn from this form of magic and considering it’s indifference, it would be wise to take it slow or risk a nasty backfire,” Magic-Eyes suggested with a hidden smirk.

“Oh, uh, right,” Lucette said with a timidness unlike her. Ventus noticed.

“Oooh, someone’s embarrassed~,” she teased. Lucette swatted her.

“Sh-Shut up!” she squeaked. She crossed her arms and pouted, looking away. Magic-Eyes blinked at the sudden change in attitude.

“It’s nothing to worry about, most students get excited when they learn a new spell. I was the same way when I was an associate at the Mage’s Guild.” Magic-Eyes placated, growing worried that he’d upset her.

“Mmrmfmfm…” Lucette mumbled, still not looking at him. She was blushing a bit of a bright purple.

“...Are you alright?” Magic-Eyes asked with concern in his voice.

“Yeah… Just… Just don’t go telling people about this, okay?!” she suddenly pointed at him threateningly. “Seriously, I will not go easy on you if you tell people about this!” She was still blushing.

“About your reaction or your magic? Regardless of whichever, my lips are sealed, Chinmoku.” Magic-Eyes said and even went about making a point of it by silencing his own voice with a spell for a few seconds.

She retracted her finger. “Good.” Her blush died down. “Now, you’re a wizard or mage or whatever, right? Maybe you’d like to see stuff about Light?”

Once his spell wore off, he answered her question. “I’m the Arch-Battle Mage of the Arcane University. I’ve mastered Destruction, Restoration and Alteration, however I do not practice Necromancy. The other two schools such as Mysticism and Illusion I have very little use for. As for the mention of Light, are you talking about the Light spell in which allows one to create a source of light?” Magic-Eyes asked.

Lucette shook her head. “Nope. Light, the essence of the Traveler. Light, according to the Speaker, lives in all places and all things.” Lucette opened her palm, and lightning danced in it. “This is Arc Light.” It changed to a raging ball of fire. “Solar Light.” It changed to a vortex of purple energy. “And finally, Void Light.” The vortex disappeared.

“Perhaps not, the first two are pretty much Destruction spells, although I am curious about the Void Light,” Magic-Eyes answered as he motioned his hand in a small arc as he created three balls of Magicka that swirled around his fingertips. From Lucette’s point of view, she saw Frost, Lightning, and Fire.

“Mmm, Arc Light and Solar Light have more functions than you think,” Lucette said before suddenly a staff appeared in her hand, crackling with lightning. She lunged towards the dummies, jumped not once but twice in the air, like there were platforms there that Magic-Eyes knew didn’t exist, and then she lobbed an object at the dummies that attached to them and suddenly exploded with electricity. She then landed with a slam of her staff that caused an explosion of lightning around her. She stood up and the staff disappeared. “Like that. Also, I can change what effects my staff and grenades have and what they can do. For instance, what I have now allows me to regenerate faster when I kill something with that staff.”

“And all of that is just from pure Arc Light,” Ventus finished.

“Hmm, a combination of levitation, shock and fire, except it’s all done within a staff, interesting.” Magic-Eyes mused quietly to himself as his eyes scanned over what he had witnessed, his mind calculating possibilities on how close he could recreate it, although it would not be in the same method. “As for your staff helping you regenerate magic, it reminds me of my enchanted silver axe that can absorb the Magicka of the enemies that I strike.”

“Oh, it doesn’t regenerate my magic or my Light. It regenerates my body. So, I get hurt, or get a nasty cut, I kill something with the staff, and I regenerate faster,” Lucette explained, walking over to him.

“Ah, so it’s enchanted or created with a life absorb spell, except you’re required to kill the target rather than attack it,” Magic-Eyes surmised. Lucette shook her head, approaching him and lightly flicking his snout.

“Not magic. No spells used in it. It’s all just fundamental powers of the universe, similar to magic, but much more primal,” Lucette explained.

“Basically, the Arc Light transfers the energy from her victim into her through pure electricity,” Ventus added. “Or, well, I think. Not even us Guardians or Ghosts know everything about how Light works. That’s work for Warlocks and the Speaker.”

Magic-Eyes snorted in amusement at her words. “It is how my magic works. Magic, also known as the Clever Craft, is the art or ability to alter the world through Magicka. Magic is the manipulation of Magicka in order to directly control reality in some way, however it is a dangerous art and I’ve seen my fair share of students who went missing or got hurt due to not heeding my warnings as I taught them. As for the powers of the universe, I don’t need to explain it in detail as Magicka is the very thing my body lives and breaths, I don’t think I can learn let alone master your form of power since it works differently.”

Lucette grinned. “Well, at the least I can show you Light Runes. Albeit they’re what I had to come up with instead of the mods for, well, advanced as shit firearms, but hey, when you apply ‘em to regular melee weapons? Can’t be beat.” Lucette walked over to a chest near the desk. She flipped the lid and bent over, digging around in it. “Where is it..?” She wondered aloud, before saying, “Ah!” and pulling out a greatsword made of Stormwill. It was simple aside from the Stormwill blade of sea green reflective metal, no decorations, but there was a rune on it that Magic-Eyes took note of. It was a purple, glowing rune of a vortex.

“I was planning on giving this to the winner of the Festival, but I still have to add a bunch more to it, like concealment runes on top of the Void Light Rune so that whoever gets it has a hard time making sense of how the whole thing works,” Lucette explained. She presented it to Magic-Eyes. The Argonian took it in his hands.

“And which Festival would that be?” He asked incase it was any different than where he came from.

“Just the Skili traditional Festival of Fellowship and Strength. I’m inviting the other world leaders here to have their own Champions partake in the event,” Lucette informed, walking back to the chest, closing it's lid before sitting down on it.

“It is a good idea of what you are going for, only the most knowledgeable may be worthy of its power,” Magic-Eyes noted as he gave the blade a slow swing to test its weight. It arced with a bit of lightning at this, along with a vorp of purple energy. The lizard nodded in approval before giving it back to Lucette. With a hand held aloft, purple magic started to swirl around as he concentrated. It took a while but he managed to conjure an axe he left at home. At a glance, it appeared to be silvery with gold trims. “This is my weapon of choice, a Mithril Axe enchanted with the spell I mentioned that helps me absorb Magicka with each strike. I still remember the soul I had trapped in order to create it.”

“Cool,” Lucette said with an appreciative nod. She looked to a clock on the wall and groaned. “Ugh, I gotta get back to managing the set up for the Festival.” She looked to him. “Maybe you could help?”

“I would be honored to see more of this world,” Magic-Eyes said with a smile to reveal sharp teeth.

Lucette grinned. “Sweet! Oh, I should go change first though. Mind waiting here?” she asked. She gestured to her current attire. “While this get-up is awesome and all, I kinda only need to wear casual stuff and a crown. It’s honestly what I prefer.”

“Take your time,” Magic-Eyes replied kindly. As he took a seat, he unstrapped the satchel by his waist and took out a book from it’s bindings. He began reading through it as a way to pass the time. On its front was a flame-like symbol.

Lucette walked out of the room. An hour and a half passed before she came back in, and when she did, Magic-Eye’s eyes widened in shock after he looked up.

Lucette was wearing a simple black tank top with black jean shorts, an iron crown on top of her silvery hair being the last article of clothing. The tank top was tight, not too much, but still tight, and the jean shorts were low, showing a bit of her hips. It was a fair bit more skin then he’d seen on a woman, especially one who was supposedly wearing ‘casual’ clothes, the blue scalie’s tail had pointed straight upward.

“Umm… Why are you staring at me like that?” Lucette asked, quirking her head to the side.

Magic-Eyes realized he was staring and quickly turned his head away. “It’s just I’ve n-never seen this sort of clothing...” the Argonian said. The red hue in his cheeks was easily seen through his dark blue scales. Lucette blinked a few times.

“Uhhh… Okay then,” she shrugged. She motioned him over. “Come on then, Bluey. We got work to do.”

“R-right,” Magic-Eyes said before coughing into his fist, taking a moment to compose himself before making his way over. Lucette smirked up at him, before opening the door and walking out. Magic-Eyes walked with her through the long winding hallways, and was growing increasingly uncomfortable as she walked in front of him, her tight shorts leaving little to his imagination.

She glanced back and noticed his stare once more. “Okay, now you’re being a helluva lot more obvious. I can feel your eyes down there, buddy.” She stopped and turned to face him, hands on her hips. She tapped her foot in wait for an answer or excuse. The Argonian took a step back.

“H-how can I not?” Magic-Eyes said as he raised his clawed hands. “What you’re wearing is something I’ve never seen being worn in Tamriel, to show so..” the lizard quickly cut his voice off before he could say something he’d regret . Lucette just narrowed her glowing golden eyes at him and stalked closer, right up to him and in his face.

She pressed a finger to his chest as she stared him dead in the eyes. “I have one rule. No touchy unless I give express permission. Oh, and if you’re gonna stare, at least try and be more discrete.” With that, she stepped away from him and started to walk away. He could’ve sworn she had a slight sway to her hips as she walked, but a quick glance from her and he immediately looked away again. The Argonian started questioning himself about all of this, for in all of his life, this was the first female he had ever recalled being attracted to, but of course a mental reminder told him that he made magic and his students a main priority and thus didn’t allow himself to have a moment to notice.

Silence fell over them as they walked, and Magic-Eyes was growing more uncomfortable. There were no guards or anything around, just them. The silence was making the uneasiness worse. Thankfully, she spoke up.

“Is it normal for your tail to swish back and forth so much? Kinda reminds me of a dog who’s excited,” she asked, pointing to said swishing tail.

“What a-” Magic-Eyes started to say, but a look at his tail cut him off. He mumbled something under his breath in minor annoyance. He was the Arch-Mage for crying out loud! He shouldn't be so easily excited! Or, that's what he thought. He was now starting to question himself on why he was being so easily swayed by a woman not even of his species! Lucette snorted, interrupting his frenzied thoughts.

“Geez, you’re a real hound dog. How old are you anyway? Thirty? Twenty eight?” she asked as they walked.

“Your second guess was correct…” Magic-Eyes said slightly nervously.

“Well, least you’re not a cradle robber,” she mused. “I’m twenty six, though after my Displacement, age literally means nothing to me. I can’t age, so, I now have a youthful form forever.”

“There’s that word again, where did you learn of this?” Magic-Eyes asked as to give him something to focus on rather than the other distraction.

“What, Displacement? I learned it from my Displacer, a Void Dweller bitch named The Trader. Basically, all Displaced are beings from one world brought to an Equestria with new powers or abilities or forms. Usually all of the above. Of course, you seem to be an exception,” Lucette explained.

“Or a magical accident. It wasn’t my intention to activate that old Ayleid structure. It was the first of it’s kind, I simply couldn’t resist trying to make it work,” Magic-Eyes said when he pointed at the Varla stone that was currently in her short’s pocket. Lucette shrugged.

“For all you know a Void Dweller messed with it and made it send you to your Equestria,” she replied. They kept walking. “Oh, and call me Lucy. I feel like I can trust you to not misuse it.” Honestly, she didn’t know why, she just felt… comfortable around him. Not warm or fuzzy, just… comfortable. Similar to the Marines, yet different, not as raucous or loud. She wasn’t sure how to feel about that idea. She shook her head. ‘Probably nothing.’

They eventually made it outside into the courtyard, and quickly Magic-Eyes felt the soothing caress of heavy rainfall, and the clap of thunder all over. Lucette just strode through it all and across the courtyard without a care. Magic-Eyes did the same as the rain never bothered him anyways. In fact, rain was rather welcoming to his skin.

As they walked out onto the streets, past the farms where Skili were tending the few crops they had, Magic-Eyes saw a stadium made nearly completely of metal in the distance, and banners and decorations hanging around the buildings of the city in the distance, even on the farms that were currently around them.

He noted that there were also countless poles all over that looked like lightning bolts and were made of pure gold. “What do those tribute too?” the blue scaled Argonian asked. Lucette looked to the poles.

“Those? They’re tributes to the Earth and Sky. The tips actually have Stormwill on them, if you look closely. It’s the sea green reflective metal. Skili believe that Stormwill is the product of the Earth and Sky’s consummation, and also that they themselves were born from the very metal. Thus, they make these to present the ‘Children’ to the Father Sky while keeping them rooted to the Mother Earth,” Lucette explained as she kept walking.

“So a religion of some sort,” Magic-Eyes theorized.

“Yup,” Lucette confirmed with a nod. Magic-Eyes took his eyes away from the poles to look back to her and saw that she was, in fact, shivering. She seemed to be hiding it though.

“Would you like some warmth? I could cast a resist spell for you,” Magic-Eyes suggested.

“Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, sure, thanks,” she said, slowing down so she was next to him and thus closer and easier for him to cast a spell on. Using the same closed hand with finger and index finger extended, he started tracing an invisible pattern in the air.

“Rejisuto,” He whispered as blue and white energy started to circle Lucette, causing whatever chill or coldness affecting her to fade away. She felt like she was near a flame that wasn’t really there, and there was no indication other than the gentle blue glow she had on her that a spell had been cast.

“Thanks,” she said with a warm smile up at him. The lizard returned the smile, even if his version of it looked different compared to a human smile.

They quickly made it into the city, where Skili were setting up shops and the like. Eventually, they arrived at the stadium, walking inside it’s iron gates and through the tunnel to the field, where a number of other Skili with construction hats were carrying iron I-Beams and other materials. A Skili walked up to her and spoke in a language Magic-Eyes did not understand. To his surprise, she responded in kind, pointing to an area of the stadium, where the Skili ran off to.

She turned back to him. “Can you go over there and help Tempest and the others set up the light fixtures?” she asked, pointing to where a mare in purple barding was overseeing the placement of glowing crystals. Magic-Eyes nodded before going over to help out with whatever they needed. Admittedly it had been a while since he did normal physical work, unless you counted fighting against Necromancers as a form of work.

Magic-Eyes let out a sigh as the memory of fighting Mannimarco and his undead army came to his mind. Even after slaying the King of Worms, the necromancer came back as a scythe wielding wraith. That battle was the most life threatening he was ever in and he would have become Mannimarco’s thrall if it weren’t for Traven’s sacrifice.

A number of hours passed, throughout all of which Magic-Eyes was wondering how the people of this island told the time if a storm was over them all day and night. He got his answer when Lucette came over and placed her hand on his shoulder.

“Oi, time to head in,” she said, gesturing with a thumb to the entrance they came in from. “That is, unless you need to head back to your world.” He wasn’t sure why, but that thought made him feel the tiniest bit sad inside. The Argonian was silent for a moment not only due to his current emotion, but due to how he had to do some calculations as to how many hours had passed. The blue Argoanian blinked as realization dawned on him.

“...Would it be possible if this world and the other’s flow of time work differently?” Magic-Eyes asked in consideration.

“I think so, yeah. Though, with there being infinite possibilities, they could also be exactly the same. Depends on how close our universes are if my recollection of String Theory is correct,” Lucette affirmed.

“I’ll need to study the difference once I return home, wouldn’t want to stay an hour only to realize a minute or a day has passed in another...” Magic-Eyes mused as he started thinking deeply about it.

Lucette gave him an amused smirk and a raised brow. “So, what, you’re staying Bluey?” She gained a mischievous grin and made a pose where she leaned over and clasped her hands together, squishing her mounds together and making her look like she was begging. She gave him false pleading eyes. “~Does the big ol’ lizard want to snuggle wuggle in bed with little old me~?” this caused Magic-Eyes to tumble backwards in shock.

“W-what… but… we… I..” Magic-Eyes was even stumbling over his own words, never had he witnessed anyone go so suddenly straight forward. She grinned wider and went in for the kill.

She walked over and grabbed his arm, pulling it into the embrace of her soft chest as she turned the pleading in her eyes up to eleven. “~Pweease? Lil’ Lucy is scared of being alone in her big castle in her big Queen sized bed~.”

“Terekineshisu,” A word burst from his mouth, and Lucette found her body glowing with a golden hue and floating. “Now Lucy, l-let’s not go that far...” Magic-Eyes said as he directed his hand to put Lucette down, although keeping her at a fair distance in case she goes for the cute attack again.

Lucette pouted. “Awww! Dammit, I almost broke you!” she crossed her arms. “Well, either way, still got to see your cute reaction.”

“My reaction? Cute??” Magic-Eyes said, flabbergasted. “In an Argonian like myself?” he asked before crossing his arms. “I’m not sure if you’re just playing with me, or you… somehow find some sort of fancy with me.”

“Fancy? Jesus you’re old fashioned,” Lucette laughed a bit before shaking her head. “To answer your question, it’s less ‘fancy’ and more that you’re just interesting. No romantic interest, I just find you interesting and nice to hang with.”

“It must be that harmony magic I’ve heard before...” Magic-Eyes muttered, and then blamed it upon how he was feeling about her. He made a mental note to study it when he returns home to see if there was a way to resist its effects. She interrupted his thoughts.

“Do you got a thing for me?” She asked him. “You sure did blush pretty red when I teased you there~.” She sing-songed. The lizard let out a nervous chuckle.

“I’d r-rather not answer that, it's a confliction at this point and I plan to study why its… there..” Magic-Eyes said before taking a moment to breath, he shook his head to clear his thoughts, although it seemed a bit futile each time he looked at her. He whispered something under his breath and secretly casted the detect spell to see if she might have been using some sort of charm spell or if she was wearing any enchantments that did the same. He found nothing.

She just laughed and giggle snorted. “He-Hahahaha! Oh my God, you literally said you didn’t want to answer but you literally did it anyway!” she slapped her knee. “Fucking hell, the fact that ‘you’re conflicted’ means you just might have feelings for me!” She let out another giggle snort. “Aww shit that’s just adorable!”

“I’m not confirming it!” Magic-Eyes reacted, he quickly glanced around as he didn’t want to create a scene. Sadly, many Skili and even the mare, Tempest, were looking at the two like they were crazy. They had already made a scene. His tail slowly raised and his teeth clenched. “Let’s just go inside already before this gets any worse!” He said in a strained whisper.

Lucette giggled again, before nodding and standing up. “A’ight, lover boy,” she teased before leading the way out of the stadium. The comment almost tempted Magic-Eyes to cast a Frenzy spell on himself so she’d stop, however he held himself back as he didn’t want her to get the wrong impression or lose the truth. He was starting to wish he had studied up on illusion magic better, however.

After a good while of walking, they made it back to the castle. Lucette turned to him and smirked at him, hands on her hips. Then to his shock, she drew closer, pursed her lips, and just when he thought she would kiss him, she bonked him on the head.

“Gotcha!” she teased again, giggling at his massive blush. She then took out the Varla Stone. “Sorry, couldn’t resist. Anyways, just let me know when you want to go home.”

“I c-can do it on my own, thank you, I just-” Magic-Eyes stopped as he focused, trying to find his other Varla stone he owns back to his world, but there appeared to be something interrupting him picking up on its magical signature. “..I may need assistance..”

“That’d be because your Stone here duplicated in the Void. It's essentially your Token now, speaking of which…” she pulled a knife made of a rust-like metal similar to iron, but with a dull orange glow. “...Here’s mine.” She handed it to him. The Argonian took it from her.

“The more you speak of the mystery, the more I question it. Whomever this Trader is, I’d like to have a good word with him or her,” Magic-Eyes said, his flustered state temporarily forgotten.

“Trust me, it’ll just end in a headache. Plus, she literally Displaced me just because I gave her cake in return for my gun. Fucking, cake,” Lucette growled a little, before shaking her head. “Anyways, I’ll just send you home the Displaced way, guaranteed to work.” She cleared her throat. “Magic-Eyes, our contract is complete.” A portal opened up behind him. “See?”

“Ah, so don’t bother trying to understand, much like the enigma known as Pinkie Pie,” Magic-Eyes said with a sigh. “Before I go in, is there any possibility I could make the connection more solid as to allow me to go back anytime I want or is there some greater power beyond my understanding that desires for it to not be done?”

“It’s already pretty solid. As long we don’t add new features to either of our tokens banning one or the other from coming to our respective universes, I can come over anytime just by you whistling a tune at my knife, and I imagine I can do the same for you just by calling you up on this Stone,” Lucette explained, hefting the stone. Magic-Eyes went silent as he gave it some thought. He looked over at his stone and it clicked in his mind in understanding.

“It is a simple form of communication, just don’t try it of its energy and all will be well,” Magic-Eyes explained as he got closer to the portal. “May the time of Akatosh permit us to meet again.” He said. Lucette nodded, before giving him a sly wink and a teasing blowed kiss.

“Bye lover boy~,” she said with a seductive flutter of her eyelashes.

“...You’re never going to let that go,” Magic-Eyes realised as he sighed with a bright blush to his cheeks, before he walked through the portal without another word.

Author's Note

EDIT: Added a new, better intro, complete with a new, more fitting song.

EDIT: Fixed errors that should have been obvious to me earlier.

EDIT: Fixed a bunch of errors and mistakes. Added an intro, complete with a song.

More character development crossover. It might be a bit confusing, but I promise the behaviors that seem erratic will be explained.

Hope you enjoyed. Thanks for reading.

-Timeless Celestial

12.5 - Intermission: A Moment's Respite (DEFINITIVE EDIT)

[A woman takes the first step up the stairs.

Her subjects watch on with pride in their hearts.

Her children follow behind her, smiles on their faces.

Royal Lightning flashes time and time again outside.

Reaching the top of the steps, she turns, and grins.

The Queen of Storms takes her throne.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6_722bLF-I)

Lucette sighed with a small smile as she laid back in her personal bathing chambers, letting the warm, mineral-rich waters soothe her body and soul. She frowned briefly. 'Though from what V's told me, my soul's in jeopardy every day...' She sighed. 'Should've known being Undead would throw a wrench into being a Guardian. Damn nature makes it eat my Light and soul. Can't even regain Light without killing something first and eating it's own soul.' She shook her head. 'Enough, brain. Time for relaxation, not dour moods.' She sighed again, thinking about better things, like new ideas for her country, and slowly returned to a relaxed and happy mood. She looked to the ceiling with her glowing golden eyes and settled herself in for a comfortable rest.

"Ahhh..." she breathed, the steam-filled air further soothing her. "Ya know, V, much as I dislike the pressure of being a ruler, it really has it's perks."

"You mean the huge, spacious indoor baths and walk-in closets?" Ventus supplied, floating a few feet above her Guardian.

"That, and the personal tavern," Lucette added. Ventus rolled her optic.

"You and alcohol," she said with a sigh, shaking herself as if she were shaking her own head.

"Hey, it's good shit girl. You'd love it too if you were able to try it," Lucette shot back.

"I doubt that, L," Ventus retorted. Lucette simply sighed again, sinking further into the bath. Then, out of nowhere, a tiny doll dropped on Ventus, earning an "Ow!" from her, before she looked down at the offending object. It had a dark blue dress, simple black shoes, long blonde hair and blue eyes. "Weird... Where did this come from?"

"You say something, V?" Lucette asked, turning her head slightly.

"No, nothing, just some weird doll that hit me out of nowhere," Ventus answered. Lucette, intrigued, turned around in the bath.

"Yeah? Can I see it?" she asked. Ventus did her version of a nod and grabbed it with her telekinetic beam, handing it over to Lucette, who immediately heard a young girl's voice from it.

“If you are in need of help, don't hesitate to call for me. However, understand that under no circumstances will I ever kill anything. If I can be of assistance, just speak the words 'Daughter of Gensokyo' and I will be there to help in any way I can.”

"A Token, huh...?" Lucette muttered to herself, turning it over in her hands. Her brow furrowed a little. 'Hmm... This kid might be a good candidate for a Champion... If my experiences with Displaced are any indication, she's gotta be at least stronger than most of the contestants who'll be coming...' Her mouth curved slightly into a frown. 'Then again, even if I have received the documents of all the contestants from the other nations, I still don't have a guarantee that this girl is stronger than them... I'll have to-' Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a knocking from the door to the bathing room. She sighed and called out, "Who is it?"

"It's me, mommy!" came the familiar chirpy tones of Suki. Lucette sighed again before she gained a bit of a relaxed smile.

"Well, come in then, muffin top!" Lucette called. Suki opened the door and practically ran to her mother, who chuckled and caught her mid-pounce. "Wanted to see me, huh?"

Suki nodded and nuzzled into her mother's bosom. "Mmhm! I haven't seen you all that much since you started the prep for the Festival!"

Lucette's smile turned a little sad. "Sorry about that, muffin top. You know how it is, though. Mommy does run an entire country."

Suki nodded again and looked up to her mother, giving her her signature grin. "Yeah, but I'm here now, and we can play some games while you're washing up!" Her grin faded and made way for a hopeful smile. "...Right?"

Lucette made a show of thinking about it, putting one hand on her chin. "Hmmm... I don't know..."

"Pleeease?" Suki begged, giving her mother puppy dog eyes, complete with a wobbling lip.

Lucette grinned. "Ah what the heck, sure!" She then raised one of her hands and wiggled her fingers. "Better watch out, sweetie, my hand's moving on it's own!" She then started to tickle her daughter, eliciting delighted and joyful giggles and laughter from Suki.

Ventus watched on, and if she could she would have smiled. Instead, she started snapping pictures. "Heheh... This is too cute...!"

The next hour passed with much fun and laughter in the bathing chamber, a mother and daughter strengthening their bond with innocent playtime.

After Lucette and Suki had finished playing and cleaning themselves in the bathing chamber, Lucette was walking around the stadium which was still being built, looking over everything with a critical eye. Up above, some Skili construction workers were working on the roof of the stadium, primitive versions of electrician tools in their hands as they worked on screens on the roof that would be used later in the Festival.

Lucette watched them for a time, making sure they got it all correct, before walking into a dark tunnel opposite the main tunnel that would serve as the main entrance to the stadium. She walked to the very end, made a right, and came upon a room where several more Skili were at primitive consoles, a few electricians working on some of the newer ones while other Skili were typing code into the ones that worked. A number of images flashed on the console monitors, and after overseeing them for a while, Lucette moved on.

She turned back to where she came and went straight ahead from the right exit of the dark tunnel, leading to a set of stairs that went far, far down, and were quite obviously made for something with much, much larger feet. A set of smaller stairs made for people her and her people's size lay next to the more massive stairs, and she trodded down them, Ventus floating above her.

Eventually, they came upon a spacious room with an absolutely gigantic figure surrounded by cat walks and various steel walkways. Lucette walked around to the back of the figure, where a few Skili were carving something into an opened portion of the giant figure's back, which bore a humongous ruby engraved with runes. The Skili were currently carving more runes onto the ruby.

"How's it coming, Jeil?" Lucette called. A female Skili lifted her visor up and stepped away from the ruby and towards the railing of the catwalk, looking down at her queen.

"Vala tyri, Man Quey!" she replied back.

Lucette smiled widely. "Good to hear!" she turned to Ventus, her smile turning feral and vaguely evil. "Oh, I just know this Festival is going to be a blast!" She giggled evilly to herself.

Author's Note

EDIT: Added a new, better intro, complete with a new, more fitting song.

EDIT: Added an intro, complete with a song.

This chapter is here to further explain and build things for the Festival chapters, as my good friend FTR2017 pointed out that a good portion of the Festival had parts that just weren't explained or built upon enough. So, here you all are!

I hope you all enjoyed the brief family moment between Lucette and Suki as well, I put a good amount of thought behind it. Also, in case any of you were wondering what Jeil said, here you go.

"Quite well, My Queen!"

Thank you all so much for reading!

-Timeless Celestial

13 - Festival: Introduction and Opening Ceremony (Edited...Once Again)

Author's Note

EDIT: Added a new, better intro, complete with a new, more fitting song.

EDIT: Fixed some grammar mistakes. Fixed a few other mistakes. Fixed one final mistake. Added an intro, complete with a song.

This is the first of the chapters of this crossover arc. Myself, InfernoRage008, and Maziodyne slaved away on this particular chapter for quite some time, and at one or more points we had to rewrite it so that their characters didn't mess up the flow of this story overly much. I'd say we did a good job of keeping it that way.

Hopefully you all feel the same.

Sadly, because of the sheer amount of characters to keep track of, a lot of them just didn't make appearances all that often, unless we wanted to make this whole thing 20,000 or more words instead of the current 13,000 or so. This also means quality likely dropped some, so I hope you'll all forgive me and try to push through it.

P.S: Also, sorry for not telling you earlier Inferno, (I kinda got caught up in the writing and forgot this fact) but Lucette and the Doom Marines share a lot of similarities. Glowing eyes, silvery white hair... Really the only thing different is the skin color and scars.

Anyways, thank you all for reading. :twilightsmile:

-Timeless Celestial

13 - Festival: Introduction and Opening Ceremony (Edited...Once Again)

[A woman takes the first step up the stairs.

Her subjects watch on with pride in their hearts.

Her children follow behind her, smiles on their faces.

Royal Lightning flashes time and time again outside.

Reaching the top of the steps, she turns, and grins.

The Queen of Storms takes her throne.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6_722bLF-I)

Lucette had finally gotten the set up done, and was currently waiting at the dock at the castle for the foreign leaders with her usual entourage, the same ones from when the ponies had visited last. Tempest was with her too, but the difference was she now had a horn, the two daggers Lucette had given her at her sides, which she had named Void Slicer and Storm Wind, and her gun on her back. She also had a small pouch with some ammo in it.

She bore armor that was similar to her old set, only dark purple and decorated with her badge of office, and gilded with platinum. It also came with a helmet, namely a barbute, styled similarly to the rest of her armor.

Lucette was in her own set of armor, the very same she’d arrived in. But her mind was elsewhere. Currently, she was giggling silently to herself as she remembered Magic-Eyes, or, as she called him, Bluey. She couldn’t deny she found him cute, as well nice to be around and someone nice to talk to, but she firmly denied having any feelings for him. It was just interest right now, nothing more. Still, she couldn’t help her giggles as she remembered his flustered and blushing face.

Tempest cleared her throat. “Huh?” Lucette looked around swiftly. “Oh, uh, sorry.” Tempest grunted and they went back to standing at attention, waiting for the foreign leaders.

In time, the mass of airships came into view, although one group wasn’t airships, but just dragons flying in. The dragons landed first, the ponies and, Lucette noted, zebras, next, then the changelings, minotaurs, and finally griffons and Yaks. Lucette raised her arms up in a welcoming gesture, and the guards arrayed around her and Tempest stamped the butt of their halberds on the ground in response, chanting. The large group that consisted of the many races on this world slowly walked forward, the ponies being noticeably wary, while the others didn’t seem to be as fazed, though they certainly looked intrigued.

Once they reached Lucette and Tempest, the two bowed deeply.

“Wonderful to see you all came,” Lucette said with a smile as the chanting and stamping stopped and she stood up straight, Tempest doing much the same.

“It’s good to see you again, Your Highness,” Celestia greeted with a smile, bowing as well.

“Indeed. I look forward to this Festival,” Luna concurred.

“Same here,” Cadence echoed.

“As do I,” Lucette answered. She looked to the other world leaders. “Nice to meet you all. It's an honor to finally make your acquaintance.”

“Feeling’s mutual,” said the gruff Emperor of the Minotaurs, Steel Axe VII. His horns were decorated with silver, and he had a jagged crown on his head, along with a harness and golden pauldrons and leggings. His fur was a striking jaded silver. “I’m Steel Axe.” He said, stretching a hand out. Lucette took the hand and shook it firmly, the Emperor returning it with double the force only to be pleasantly surprised when she did the same. He smirked as they let go.

Gilda, Queen of the Griffons, stepped forward. “Pretty good castle you got here. Looks ready for any siege,” she said with a grin. She extended a claw. “Name’s Gilda.”

“Lucette Petremol,” Lucette replied, shaking firmly. They released and Dragon Lord Ember took the stage.

“So, you’re the Storm Queen, eh?” she said, looking her up and down. “Pretty quirky for a Queen.” Lucette’s smile twitched a bit, but she kept her cool.

“Well, happens when you’re the only member of your race that’s made contact with the world,” Lucette answered, extending her hand. Ember grinned, shaking with one hand while holding her scepter in the other.

Thorax came next. “Hi, it’s nice to meet you. I’m uh, Thorax, King of the Changelings,” he greeted meekly, smiling at her just as meekly. Lucette smiled warmly at him.

“Good to meet you too,” she said, and they quickly shook hooves/hands. Finally came Queen Zendaya, who stepped up with a jangle of her golden dzilla.

“I greet you, from one Queen to another, and I hope to see this Festival through, preferably without too much pother,” she said amicably. “I am Queen Zendaya of the Zebra.” Lucette shook her hoof.

“I wish you luck with that, Queen Zendaya. Trust me, you’ll need it,” Lucette replied.

“Heh, we’ll see about that,” Gilda said confidently. Lucette chuckled.

Prince Rutherford of the Yaks stepped forward. “Yaks look forward to Festival! Yaks and Skili friends for thousand moons!” he cried. Lucette chuckled.

“I look forward to it as well, Your Highness,” she said, bowing her head in respect. “Now, allow me to introduce to you all my Second-in-Command, Royal Advisor, and Vanguard Commander, Tempest Shadow,” Lucette said, gesturing to Tempest. Tempest simply bowed again.

“You’ve got some pretty high-end armor there, Commander,” Steel Axe complimented, stroking his chin.

“Thank you, Your Majesty. My Queen made it herself,” Tempest said, bowing her head in respect once more.

“Really now?” he said, curiosity piqued. The others gathered round were now curious as well. They had not heard of a ruler going so far as to make something for their advisor with their own two hands.

“Oh, it’s nothing special, just a hobby of mine,” Lucette said modestly, waving a hand airily. She gestured to the entrance to the castle. “Now, why don’t we get you all situated in your rooms for tonight? You’ve flown far, might as well get some rest before the big day tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Lady Petremol,” Celestia said gratefully. Lucette just smiled.

“Of course, Princess,” Lucette replied. She then lead the large group of royals and their champions through the castle to each of their rooms. Once they were all situated, she and Tempest walked to the lower level of the castle, all the way to the training room, where Lucette then rummaged around in her pockets.

“Are you sure about this, My Que-I mean, Lucy?” Tempest asked her ruler. Lucette nodded.

“Very much so. This’ll show the other nations that they aren’t the only ones with allies,” she said, before taking out a Token that’d fallen on her head in the bath during one of the prep days. It was a tiny doll, with a dark blue dress, simple black shoes, long blonde hair and blue eyes.

When she’d first grabbed it, she’d heard a message from the Token: “If you are in need of help, don't hesitate to call for me. However, understand that under no circumstances will I ever kill anything. If I can be of assistance, just speak the words 'Daughter of Gensokyo' and I will be there to help in any way I can.” Upon hearing this message, due to the impending festival that was on her mind, Lucette had decided to wait to use this Token until the festival to summon a Champion.

“Daughter of Gensokyo!” Lucette called out. A portal opened nearby in the training room, and a single girl came through. This girl seemed to be in her late teens, with shoulder-length brown hair, and stood - by Lucette’s estimation - about 5-foot-7. Her eyes were the first thing to draw Lucette’s attention, as they were two completely different colors from each other: the girl’s left eye was violet, and her right iris was a piercing, blood-red crimson. Her clothing was also very out-of-place, with a mostly white dress that had a blue, lattice-like lightning pattern on the skirt, and a ribbon that changed from blue to red in color at its midpoint wrapped around her waist and tied into a bow on her back.

She didn’t have socks on, her footwear reminding Lucette of ancient Japanese shoes: they were similar to sandals, but made of wooden blocks, one wide, flat one acting as a platform for the foot, with two slats on the underside, oriented perpendicular to the foot, in a way where it would look like a simple cartoon table when viewed from the side. These strange pieces of footwear had sandal-like straps which kept them on the girl’s feet; one had a blue strap, the other a red one. Another thing that drew Lucette’s attention were the two small, white horns that were protruding from the girl’s hair. Finally, there also seemed to be a doll identical to the Token - only bigger, about a foot tall - hanging from the girl’s shoulder. It was giving Lucette a curious look.

“Heya, nice to meet you. I’m Lucette Petremol, Storm Queen. Mind being my Champion in a little day-long tourney?” Lucette queried with a sweet smile. She was quick and to the point.

The girl seemed a bit surprised by Lucette’s forwardness, but quickly recovered, following after the woman’s lead. “Alexandria Kijin, half-Yokai,” the girl replied, with a slight bow as she bent her waist. She then gestured to the doll on her shoulder as she continued, “Shanghai, my partner Fairy. Pleasure to meet you too, Your Highness. If your reason for summoning me is because you need a Champion, then I’d be more than happy to comply.”

“Great to hear, but first, I’ll be needing a quick run through of your abilities. The other guy I’m summoning I already have a good idea of what he can do, but you’re new, so I need to make sure of things,” Lucette explained. She walked over and patted Alexandria on the shoulder absent of Shanghai, grinning. Somehow, the grin made Alexandria nervous. “Got all that, kiddo?”

Alexandria nodded before concisely listing off her abilities. “Natural flight, Lightning Magic, Magnetism Magic, novice-level Ki control, and the ability to turn over - or flip, in layman’s terms - anything for me,” she then made a small gesture with her head towards Shanghai, “Shanghai’s much more of a grab bag; can do a wide variety of things already, and has plenty of room to learn more in the right circumstances.” She then grabbed and gently shook a small pouch on her waist that Lucette had somehow missed before. “I’ve also got a weapon stored here called Die Leaguer, composed of six orbs, which when thrown each cause a fairly drastic effect upon impact, including freezing, burning, exploding, paralyzing, creating a whirlwind, and rotting. Some of those are fairly lethal, so I avoid using them.”

“Hmmm… That’s actually above and beyond what I needed, so, you’ll fit perfectly!” Lucette said cheerfully. Tempest walked up to the two, pulling on Alexandria’s skirt lightly. Alexandria was visibly confused by the action.

“Uh, y-yes…? Did you need something?” she asked the mare a bit awkwardly. Tempest summoned a bandanna with Lucette’s crest on it, one which gave Alexandria pause. It was a ring of fire with a dark circle in the middle, and in the middle of that, a symbol of purple that brought to mind the thought of a storm. The bandanna was a royal purple.

“Put this on, please. It will show that you're part of the Storm Team. It’s enchanted to withstand nearly anything, so don’t worry about it getting ruined,” Tempest explained. Alexandria’s expression changed to one of understanding once Tempest started speaking. She nodded as she responded, taking the bandana.

“Ah, it’s identification,” she said. “Proof that I’m your Champion.” As she said this, she handed the bandana up to Shanghai, who grabbed it before letting go of her shoulder to float in the air, tying it around Alexandria’s right bicep, making sure that the emblem on it faced outward and was wrinkle-free.

“Right, well, now I gotta grab the silent bastard. Try not to say anything untoward to him or his brothers, ‘kay cutie? Don’t want to have to clean your corpse off the floor,” Lucette said in that same sweet voice, Alexandria silently raising an eyebrow. Shanghai looked between Alexandria and Lucette quizicaly, but didn’t say anything. Lucette then took out the Obsidian stone and said, “Oi! Hunter! Need ya over here!”

Soon enough a portal opened, as Hunter, his brothers, and a cloaked female walked through it. Then something unexpected happened, “So, what’s the occasion?” They didn’t know how, but Hunter seemed to have communicated with them with his mind, projecting his thoughts unto them.

“Telepathy…?” Alexandria muttered, wondering to herself. Lucette brushed it off, having dealt with it before.

“Eh, just trying to show the world leaders I ain’t to be messed with. Basically, the Skili have this yearly festival for growing closer through friendly competitions of strength and fighting. I decided that this year I’d make a show of it. Show off some, not all of course, but some of the things I’ve had in the works, but the real kicker will be my Champions. You, Tempest, and this girl here,” Lucette explained. She waved her hand airily. “Nothing big to worry about. Just got all the world leaders here about an hour ago.”

“I’m not just some girl you know,” Alexandria retorted, muttering, but still making sure she was heard. Although Alexandria didn’t seem inclined to further push that issue, Shanghai suddenly spoke up, getting all heated.

“Yeah, Alexandria’s strong you know!” Shanghai announced proudly in Alexandria’s defense. “You shouldn’t take her lightly!” Lucette shot her a flat glare.

“You’ll be a woman in my eyes when you see limbs flying and moms crying over their sons,” she said crisply, getting raised eyebrows out of Alexandria, before turning back to Hunter. “So, you game?”

He nodded his head. “Yes.”

“This should be interesting,” Runner said with a chuckle.

“Hopefully it’s filled with people worth killing,” Berserker snorted out, cracking his neck and knuckles.

“Weeell that’s the thing. Only three Champions are allowed per team, aaand no killing. I mean, if there were, more heads than those in the fields on the stadium would roll,” Lucette informed.

“Three Champions?” Alexandria asked. “Hmmm, now I’m curious about something… Would Shanghai count as a separate Champion or no? I ask because of her interesting circumstances. She’s directly tied to my own life force, completely dependent on it, therefore, even though she’s her own individual, she and I are fundamentally inseparable.”

“Hmmm…” Lucette placed her hand on her chin. “I’d have to make a lot of exceptions, and the Warrior-Nobles’d get pissed, along with likely some of the foreign leaders… But I’ll see what I can do,” Lucette said with a nod to Alexandria.

“Lucy, if their lives are intertwined, technically speaking, they count as just one. No offense,” Berserker said.

Lucette just gave him a deadpan stare. “Berserker, it ain’t me that you gotta convince. It’s the Warrior-Nobles, Dragon Lord Ember, Prince Rutherford, Emperor Steel Axe, and especially Gilda.”

“Actually, I can convince one of them,” He retorted. “Ember. However, I may need to become your...Executioner. Figuratively speaking.” That last sentence intrigued her.

“Well, tell me what you got planned, then. Don’t just sit there holding your verbal piss like a little boy,” she said, hands on her hips as she looked to him.

“It’s simple; I become your Executioner - part time - everybody will keep their mouths shut. But, if any of them speaks out against you, I claim their heads. As for Ember and her Champions, they’ll immediately know that I’m a Dragon Lord as well, one that’s a lot older than her. They can’t do shit, or try anything stupid around here, just one command from me, and they’ll do it.” He explained to her. “Unless, you don’t like this idea. Then we'll have to come up with something to get everyone to listen.”

“Actually, I like it. It’s devious. Though I have to ask, just why would they immediately obey you?” Lucette queried.

“Easy; I become your Wrath, your Will, an extension of sorts. In a sense, it’s just for show...for now,” He answered her.

“Well, I’ve also got something to share,” Alexandria interjected. “Some of them might ask for proof, you know? Not all of them will be immediately willing to believe that Shanghai is dependent on my life force. If they need proof, I know how to give it to them: with an example.”

“Woah woah woah kid, you telling me you want me to let them beat you and her up? Fuck no!” Lucette retorted, swiping her arm in emphasis of the statement. “I’m not gonna just sit by and watch some kid get beat up by bigger people!”

Alexandria grinned. “I’m glad you’re worried about us, but we’ll be fine.”

Shanghai nodded vigorously. “Yeah!” she agreed before floating towards the Doom Marines, spreading her arms. “I even dare you to try and kill me!”

“No,” They all said to her.

“C’mon, just do it!” she pushed. “Trust me, I’ll be fine! Hit me as hard as you want!”

“She’s being completely serious,” Alexandria added. “And she’s also being completely honest. Hit her as hard as you can, she won’t feel a thing.”

“We can tell, and it’s still a bad idea,” Berserker told her. “Unless you want our bat-shit, motherfucking insane brother to find a way to make her feel it.”

Alexandria’s eyebrows went up at this… Out of amusement. “I’d actually like to see your reactions when he does,” she answered cryptically through her huge smile.

“Oh my, would you look at that; a couple of stupid anime twats, wanting their Death Wishes to come true~” Runner sang out creepily.

“Runny Nose you shut the fuck up! You are not going to hurt an innocent, motherfuckingchild!” Lucette roared, getting in his face.

“Woah, L, what-?” Ventus began, but Lucette cut her off.

“Fucking. Shut it. V,” she growled. Lucette pulled out her gun and pointed it right at Runner’s head. “Back. Off. Now.”

Sighing, he quickly whipped out his pistol, pointing it in her face. “Lucy, none of us are innocent.” Runner said coldly, both of their fingers squeezing the triggers slowly.

“Runner I swear to Jesus Christ-” Lucette began, before the sound of a flugel horn sounded out. Then bagpipes. Then very uncoordinated and terrible singing of multiple, familiar voices Lucette had only just met.

And then the doors to the training room exploded with confetti. The foreign leaders, their champions, and the Friendship Council members, along with Spike and Starlight, had burst into the room, singing out of tune and dancing into the room. They all stopped in front of the group in poses.

Silence ensued as the two groups stared at each other. Alexandria was speechless, her train of thought all but eradicated.

Berserker let out a groan of annoyance, before saying, “You useless pricks were fucking terrible.” He told the group that just barged in here, which shocked them beyond belief.

“WHAAAT?!” Roared Steel Axe. “My pose was impeccable I’ll have you know!” He flexed. “Look at these muscles!” He flexed more. “LOOK AT THEM!”

“Ugh, muscles for brains, nobody wants to see that,” Gilda commented. “Besides, my pose was obviously better.”

“Pfft, you wish!” Ember interjected.

“YAK WAS BEST POSER!” Prince Rutherford roared. The four rulers then devolved into petty feuding. Lucette slowly lowered her gun as she watched with a blank, dumbfounded expression. Runner did the same, putting his away.

Alexandria finally managed to shake herself from her stupor, and shot Berserker a glare, as if to say ‘This is all your fault’ before shooting him with a shock of electricity.

“... And what was that supposed to do?” Berserker asked her, unphased by her attack, which left her stunned, as he turned his attention back to the foreign group. “HEY FUCK-ASSES, LISTEN UP!!!!!” He growled, making the entire room shake from his outburst as he got their attention. “YOU BITCHES BARGED IN HERE, WITHOUT PERMISSION, AND THOUGHT THAT PLAYING AND DANCING LIKE A BUNCH OF USELESS POXY CUNTBAGS WAS GONNA IMPRESS THE STORM QUEEN!? NONE OF IT WAS IN SYNC, IT WAS COMPLETELY INCONSISTENT WITH ONE ANOTHER, GOING ALL OVER THE DAMN PLACE, NO RHYTHM, AND IT ALL ADDS UP TO A BAD FIRST IMPRESSION!!!!! YOU DICKS DONE FUCKED UP AND YOU ONLY HAVE YOURSELVES TO BLAME!!!!!” By this point, some of them were shaking in fear by his harshness, while others were angered by his blatant, callous and crude criticism, but Alexandria was slack jawed to see such an outburst from seemingly nowhere. He probably shook the castle.

“...I have no words,” Lucette said slowly, shaking her head.

“Me either,” Ventus concurred.

“Agreed,” Tempest chimed in, nodding.

“I agree with everything my brother said about you lot,” Runner stated, shaking his head along with the other four, in disappointment.

“I wasn't agreeing with his words-” Lucette began, before Celestia came up to her.

“Queen Lucette, we are so sorry, we didn’t know you were having time here with your family,” Celestia apologised.

“What!? But he insulted-!” Ember began but Luna stopped her with a feathered wing in the face.

“But-!” Gilda also tried, but Rainbow did the same to her.

“YAKS WILL NOT ABIDE BY-!” Prince Rutherford started, but Pinkie shoved a pie into his mouth.

“Really, we’re sorry, we’ll leave you alone,” Cadence continued the apology.

“Truly, we’re sorry,” Shining said, before the ponies pushed the others out and closed the doors.

Lucette blinked a number of times before turning to the others. “...Anyone else want to go to the tavern now?”

Alexandria regained her senses before answering. “I’d, uh, prefer not to get drunk on the eve of the competition,” she answered.

“I think it would be best if we do go for a drink. That whole scene might as well have given us a break from all of this nonsense,” Pillar said with a sigh.

“You can enjoy your hangovers then,” Alexandria retorted, rubbing a temple. “I’d rather stay here and get some practice in. Though, a live opponent would help to keep my reflexes sharp…” This last sentence was muttered quietly to herself.

“Do us all a favor, and just shut the fuck up. No one cares at this point,” Berserker groaned. “Let’s just get to the damn tavern already,” He said as Lucette, the Doom Marines and the cloaked woman left the room, not wanting to deal with any more random mumbo-jumbo for one day.

Tempest stayed behind, watching them all go with a sigh. Alexandria shook her head as she idly spoke to Tempest. “Well, we know one of them is participating as a Champion,” she said. “I just hope whichever one it is has enough sense to stay sober tonight. A hungover Champion wouldn't leave a very good impression.”

“Yeah, I hear ya,” Tempest said, sighing again. She looked to Alexandria. “So, you said you wanted a live opponent?”

“Mm,” Alexandria hummed in confirmation, nodding her head. “Back where I'm originally from, I'm rather well-known for having the highest skill in my minute dodging. ‘Hitting me’ was effectively on the same level as urban legends and the like.”

“Oh?” Tempest rose a brow in curiosity.

Alexandria crossed her arms as she tilted her head back, reminiscing. “Yeah,” she started. “Back in Gensokyo, I had one hell of a reputation. I had a clean record. Nobody could ever land a hit on me. Plenty tried, none succeeded.” She then looked to Tempest. “I've been practicing daily too, so I can say with confidence that that's true in the present as well. You're welcome to try if you'd like.”

“Well, I never was one to back down from a challenge,” Tempest said, drawing one of her blades.

“Alright, this'll also give me some good practice against the type of stuff I'll want to expect in the tournament,” Alexandria noted as she turned to face Tempest fully, and prepared for her attacks.

Thus began their practice. However, in the guest rooms, something else was happening…

“So, what do you think so far, Iron Bull?” queried Emperor Steel Axe.

The gray bull with the eyepatch hummed in thought, looking around. “Well boss, the place seems more tight on security than we initially thought. Guards are all over the halls, so the only real way of getting past them would be to go outside using one of the windows.”

“But doing that basically means death, since we’re so high up,” Iron Will, the blue bull, noted.

“Hmm… Let’s just keep an eye out for any opportunities to learn about these guys,” Steel Axe decided. He walked towards the window, gazing out at the stormy island outside. “We’ll find out your secrets soon enough, little miss Storm Queen…”

Lucette was feeling a little nervous. Once she and the others reached the tavern, she had hoped that they could drink that whole scene back in the training room away, but no. Instead, it felt more like she had been dragged into her Commanding Officer’s room for a scolding by her superior, as if she did something wrong. Or being like she was being Court Martialed. Right now, they were all sitting at a table, except for Runner, who said he would "sleep this whole bullshit off." The rest didn’t want to drink with her, sitting in silence with their helmets off. The bartender was a little concerned for his queen, though he was more worried about his tavern being destroyed for good.

The Storm Queen was sitting at the far end of the table, while the rest sat on each side. Berserker sat to her right, with their cloaked friend between him and Lucette, while the other three sat on her left. All of which were staring down at the table, their expressions neutral, save for the cloaked woman. Lucette wanted to say something, anything, to get rid of the tension. But whenever she tried, the words immediately died down.

“... Tell us what happened back in Africa,” Berserker said, as they all looked towards her. “What happened to the children?”

“...” Lucette looked down at her drink, staring at the purple, bubbling concoction like it would help her out of the mess.

“Lucette, if you don’t tell us, we won’t tell you about why Runner acted the way he did,” Berserker told her. “If you do, we’ll understand you a little better.”

“...” Lucette remained silent for a time, before sighing deeply and slamming her drink back. She snapped her fingers and the bartender gave her another. “...I’m too fucking sober for this shit, and we don’t have cigs here either… God fucking dammit…” She shook her head, slamming the drink back again. She motioned for another, and she got one. Finally, she spoke.

“I already told you all where I was stationed, right? CAR?” she began.

“Yes,” Collateral answered before realizing something. “Wait, don’t tell us THAT shit happened…”

“What shit?” Berserker questioned, making him sigh deeply.

“...Children of War,” Collateral told them after a pregnant pause.

“ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS!?” Berserker roared out, smashing his fist on the table in anger. “THAT STUPID SHIT IS STILL GOING ON!?”

“In my Earth, yeah. It was 2014 when I got sent there,” Lucette explained, tone hollow as she looked at her glass, eyes not leaving it.

“Children of War?” Ventus queried, appearing out of nowhere. “What are those? A Clan?”

“Actual kids with guns and bullets, trained to kill our own. It’s a psychological tactic of sorts. I’ve actually seen it on my tours a couple of times, a little boy carrying a rifle, or an RPG, to use on our own,” Collateral explained, which shocked the Ghost immensely.

“WHAT?!” Ventus shouted. She turned her optic to Lucette. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?!”

“Because you’re you,” Lucette said simply. Ventus practically stopped moving at that.

“Wh-What?” Ventus began. Lucette groaned.

“You fuckin’ deaf and dense? It’s simple. You’re too innocent. You’d break if I mentioned even one of the events I had to witness,” Lucette said coldly.

“L… I…” Ventus tried to speak. Lucette sighed.

“Just… Just go to the room for now Ventus,” Lucette told her partner, seeming tired. Ventus looked to the Marines, then Lucette for a long moment. Her optic seemed like it would have cried if it could. Then, without a word, Ventus disappeared in a cloud of blue particles. Lucette slammed her head on the table.

“Fuck...well that explains a lot,” Berserker said with a growl. “I think that might be equally as bad as ours, if not more so… And Runner had to suffer through that, too. Fucking Hellspawn pricks!”

“Runner had faced something similar, though the psychological method behind it may have been a lot more brutal...for the children, at least,” Pillar told Lucette with a sigh. “It was a solo mission, at an Orphanage. He was sent there to check it out. For the most part, it seemed fine, on the outside. But inside, it was too quiet. He found the children, who were alright at first glance, but he couldn’t find the caretakers. When he did though, there wasn’t much left. That was when the trap was sprung.”

“The children were already possessed, but they didn’t know about it. When it happened, it was torture for them, their bodies being forced to change, the pain it brought in every, waking second… Runner was forced to watch it, as there was nothing he could do.” Collateral said, continuing the story. “What’s worse, the children’s souls were still there, bound to their new bodies, ones they no longer controlled, and all they could do was cry and beg for help. Runner didn’t know what to do, and sure as Hell didn’t want to start killing children, so he ran. Or tried to, at least. Apparently the Demons placed a barrier on the Orphanage, preventing him from leaving.” He took in a deep breath, as Lucette’s hand was clenching around her glass, hearing it crack under pressure.

“...Least you weren’t ordered to do what I was ordered to do,” Lucette growled. She was still staring at her glass. “...Killing would have been mercy compared to what I had to do.”

“Maybe. But it didn’t really help that the Devil started to speak through the children, taunting and mocking him through it all. Trying to break him,” Berserker stated, which made Lucette break her glass just from the mere mention of the Devil.

“So the fucker’s real…” Lucette scoffed. “Always thought a bit differently about that…” She sighed, motioning with her hand for him to continue. The glass hadn’t even managed to scratch her gloved hand.

“Yeah. Anyway, Runner was starting to have a mental breakdown from all of it, as that Satanic Fucker kept on speaking. He thought he finally had Runner, but while he did break his mind, it didn’t break the way he wanted it. So Runner went on a rampage, killing all of the possessed children inside the place until there was nothing left but the blood of innocent victims on his hands. And all he could do afterwards was laugh through his tears,” Berserker finished, as Lucette actually started to imagine Runner doing that, laughing out loudly, full of insanity, while his eyes just started to cry out tears of sorrow, guilt, and regret. “Of course, hearing that affected us all, while these three tried their hardest to keep it together, I went on a rampage myself. Out of anger. I leveled an entire section of the Everfree Forest, killing just about any and all in it, whether they be animals, monsters, or Demons. I passed out from it for five days straight.”

“Understandable reaction. Me… Well, after what I did, I quit the Force. Just broke code by punching a commanding officer so hard I broke his jaw, and walked out,” Lucette informed. “Oi, Tyl, ‘nother drink.” She said, motioning to the bartender. The bartender nodded quickly and produced yet another glass. She slammed it back as well, waiting for the Marines’ reactions.

They looked at each other and shrugged. “Eh. You did what you felt you had to do. We can’t hold it against you,” Collateral told her. “Shit. You know, I think Celestia might be right about that ‘family’ thing.” He commented, which confused Lucette, who she blinked at him.

“You’re probably right. I mean, we’ve all seen some really fucked up shit, been through tough shit, and just one of those should have been our ends, but no. Here we all are, alive, talking about the dark shit we’ve gone through and witnessed,” Berserker pointed out, making the Storm Queen think a little bit about his statement.

“...Never thought about it that way. Though I guess I could see you all as brothers. Sort of. I mean, this is only the second day I’ve seen you guys, so I wouldn’t rush it straight to brother material. Already got a little brother anyways,” Lucette replied. She slammed another drink back, then stood up from her chair.

“Take your time, we don’t mind. But, either way, the rest of the World Leaders in our world now see us as family. So we might as well get used to it,” Berserker said with a shrug. “Say, you got anything sour?” He asked her.

“Do you not remember the drinks you got last time you were here?” Lucette asked him with a raised brow and a look that said ‘are you that dumb?’

Before Berserker could retort, everyone's attention was caught by the sound of the door slowly creaking open. When they turned to look, they saw a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl peeking in. She looked exactly like Alexandria's Shanghai… But not doll-sized.

“Ah, it's you guys!” she said, her voice also perfectly matching Shanghai's from earlier. She stepped inside and closed the door behind her, and they noted that she appeared to be about 10, being four and a half feet tall or so. After closing the door, their eyes widened when she took to the air and shrunk down to about a foot in height, causing them to realize that she was Shanghai.

“... And what is it you want?” Berserker asked her.

“Ah, I'm just exploring!” the Fairy answered cheerfully. “Don't worry, I asked Alexandria if I could, and she said it was okay, as long as I don't cause any trouble.”

They all gave her a suspicious look, before turning to Lucette. “Do you believe her?” Berserker asked.

“No,” Lucette said before grunting as she looked to her drink. “Could just be the buzz telling me that, though.”

Shanghai looked almost heartbroken. “Awww… Am I really that hard to trust…?” she asked.

“No. Just using my old instincts,” Lucette replied.

“Same can be said about us, as well,” Berserker added.

“Sounds to me like you're just being meanies…” Shanghai retorted, crossing her arms and pouting adorably. The battle-hardened adults were unaffected, however.

“The world isn’t always nice, and that’s life. I’m surprised it hasn’t chewed your useless ass up and spit you back out like a bad joke,” Berserker shot back. Unfortunately, his words seemed to fall short as Shanghai seemed to become visibly confused by them. “And I rest my case.”

“I don't get what you're talking about,” Shanghai said. By this point, it was becoming more obvious that the Fairy wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, from the lack of using more complex words, as well as her innocent understanding of things.

“Exactly the point. You don’t understand much,” Berserker said with a sigh.

“Anyway, that's not important!” Shanghai suddenly said. “I was just exploring, and thinking maybe I could get some new abilities at the same time.”

“And why should anyone lend you their abilities?” Collateral questioned. Shanghai looked a bit confused by that.

“Eh? But, I don't borrow them,” she answered.

“Either way, give us a reason why should anyone lend you their abilities? You’re not exactly smart, and what if the ability you’ve learned gets the better of you? What if you lose control?”

“You mean,” Shanghai started, her eyes wide like saucers as she brought her hands to her mouth. “There are dangerous abilities too!?”

“No shit, dumbass,” Berserker groaned, shaking his head.

“That would be really bad if I couldn't control my ability to copy abilities then,” the Fairy said to herself. “I guess it's a good thing I can control it.”

“That’s not up to you to decide. It’s up to those you want to copy from to decide,” Berserker retorted.

“Eh?” Shanghai said, sounding both surprised and confused. “I can sometimes catch people by surprise while they're using an ability and take it that way.”

“We don’t trust you, yet. So you’ll have to wait until we deem it so,” he told her.

“Mmmm…! Fine!” Shanghai said, getting fired up. “I'll just have to show you how strong and reliable I am in the, uh, turn-a-mint tomorrow!” With that and a huff, the Fairy turned and left the room, returning to her larger size from before in order to open the door, then slamming it shut behind herself.

Once she was gone, they all turned to face Lucette. “Lucy, have Pillar partake in this tournament, in Hunter’s place,” Berserker said.

Lucette shook her head. “No. He may not talk as much as you guys, which is a plus, but he still talks too much. I need someone silent, someone they can’t read. And, with your guys’ tech, it’s better that it’s the one who is always silent.”

“Actually, we have a problem. Well, more specifically, you still have a problem,” Hunter said through his telepathy. “There are still spies lurking around your kingdom.” That sort of information didn’t sit well with her.

“...What race or races?” Lucette asked slowly, turning to him glacially.

“The Minotaurs. When the World Leaders and them barged into the training room, I quickly read their minds, to make sure they weren’t up to no good. Unfortunately, the Minotaurs have been keeping tabs on you, wanting to learn as much as they can about you. However, they’re wary of you,” Hunter explained.

Lucette stared at Hunter for a time, before sighing deeply. “Well, was hoping to keep my boys out of this shit sooner, but I guess putting their training to the test is better done now than never.” Lucette pulled out, to the Marines’ surprise, a communicator, and tapped a button on it. “Grih lack lo po tol. Esech Vilt Vilyv Orange,” she said in Skilin. She got a quick reply of affirmation, then put it away. “There. My Darkstriders will keep an eye on them. They learned from me, so they know how to stay hidden.”

“... Well, okay then. You won that round,” Berserker said with a chuckle.

“Guess I won’t have to worry about the spies, then,” Hunter said with a nod. “Very well, I’ll still be your Champion for this tournament.”

“Good. Now, I believe we’re done here, or at least I am. So, I’m off to bed. My guards will show you to your rooms,” Lucette said, walking towards the door and opening it. She made a quick two-finger salute to the Marines. “See ya.” She then walked out.

“Later,” they replied, as the guard lead them to their own room. Of course, they found Runner snoring away in it, which confused the guards, because none of them saw him coming this way. Once they were left alone, they closed the door and locked it.

“Well, at least you’d be having fun,” Berserker snorted. “Although, I think it’s safe to assume that we’ll be guarding Lucette, while Guardian keeps an eye on the World Leaders.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Collateral agreed, nodding his head.

“I guess I’ll just blend in with the crowd. At least this way they’ll be none the wiser,” Guardian spoke.

“That might be for the best,” Pillar said. Once they’d discussed things, they decided to go to bed themselves. Save for Guardian, who stayed up and watched over them.

Back in the training room, the mock battle between Tempest and Alexandria was still going strong. Just like Alexandria had promised, Tempest had yet to land even a single blow. However, Tempest noticed that once Shanghai had left to explore, the counterattacks she'd been receiving had abruptly stopped.

Tempest jumped back, spacing herself from Alexandria. “Well… I can see your claim was true,” Tempest noted, panting slightly.

“Of course,” Alexandria answered, looking much less winded. “I'm not one to make baseless claims.”

“You and me both. But what was that magic you were using? I’ve never seen anything like it,” Tempest queried, subtly searching Alexandria for any openings.

“The Lightning Magic and Magnetism Magic is purely hereditary,” Alexandria began explaining, watching Tempest from the corner of her eye. “My ability to turn over anything isn't magic, but is also hereditary.” Alexandria intentionally looked away as she said this last sentence.

Tempest took the seemingly offered opening, jumping up and aiming to slam her front hooves into Alexandria. Alexandria smirked and did a dodge roll under Tempest, the baited mare's eyes widening as Alexandria straightened up and delivered a roundhouse kick to the assailant’s back.

“Here's a tip for combat,” Alexandria said in a somewhat lecturing voice. “Always assume that your opponent is on-guard.”

Tempest just smirked as she stood back up. “Noted,” she said, and Alexandria then noticed a strange, gritty piece of paper on her back. Her eyes widened when Tempest pulled a tannish clay orb out of her satchel. “Best dodge this one.” She then flipped and kicked the orb towards Alexandria.

Alexandria quickly complied, side-stepping the orb, and it sailed past her. She didn't feel like finding out if that clay orb did anything.

She was given further surprise when Tempest blasted the orb with a bolt of magic as it landed behind Alexandria, the orb exploding, along with the slip of paper. Alexandria shouted out in surprise as she was engulfed in the detonation. The smoke cleared quickly to show Alexandria slapping out the last of the flame on her dress. Immediately after this, a very small tear of sorts opened in the air near Alexandria. The two ends were tied shut with red ribbons, and the space inside was a violet-red with many creepy, staring eyes. Tempest was surprised by this, but Alexandria was comparatively several times more shocked. Alexandria's shock multiplied further when a very angry Shanghai came out as the tear closed and disappeared behind the Fairy.

“What are you doing to Alexandria!?” came Shanghai's angry shout.

“Umm… Practicing with her…?” Tempest supplied, unsure how else to respond.

“Well, you hurt her just a second ago!” Shanghai retorted, as Alexandria just stood next to her, speechlessly staring at the Fairy.

“Well, it is practice. There’ll always be some pain. But it’s not like I’m gonna kill her. My Queen would have my head,” Tempest said truthfully.

Finally, Alexandria managed to find her voice. “Shanghai, when did you copy Yukari's gaps!?” she asked incredulously.

“Huh?” Shanghai started, caught a little off-guard. “Oh, I found her just a minute ago while exploring! I knew that no-good troublemaking woman was up to no good, so I snuck up on her and grabbed her to scare her off!” Shanghai then put her hands on her hips, a smug expression plastered on her face. “And it worked! She used one of her tears and left!”

Alexandria turned to Tempest, her face in her hand. “Ugh, I'm really sorry,” she apologized. “Someone I know followed me here. It sounds like she would've started a great deal of trouble if it hadn't been for Shanghai.”

“Umm… I’ve actually met this woman. Sort of. My Queen was the one to interact with who she uh… What was the word? Displaced?” Tempest hummed in thought before nodding her head. “Yeah, I think that was the term.”

Alexandria buried her face in both hands this time. “Yukari…” she groaned. “How many people have you displaced…?”

“I wouldn’t know,” Tempest replied. She looked to a clock on the far wall. “Well, we should go get some rest. It’s late, and we have a big day tomorrow.”

“You're right,” Alexandria agreed. “Come on Shanghai, we should get some rest.” Shanghai nodded in understanding as she followed Alexandria, who was lead to her room by Tempest.

Lucette groaned as she lifted her head from her desk. She looked to the monitor of the white, 3D printer style device in front of her and grunted as she found the two objects laying on it's tray. She slowly got up, wiped the drool from her mouth, and picked them up, placing them in a black bag and zipping it up. She sighed and looked out across her mess of a study with her hands on her hips.

"...Fuck it, I'll clean it when I get back, I need to get ready," she eventually decided, walking out of the room.

Alexandria woke up the following morning, and immediately got out of bed to do a few preparatory stretches. “Alright Shanghai, today's the big day,” she said to her partner Fairy, who was floating in the air in front of her. “Let's show these guys what we're made of.”

“Yeah, we'll show them that we're super strong!” Shanghai agreed, already pumped up.

“... So that’s why,” Runner said, as the others explained to him on what happened. “Well, I suspected it did have something to do with kids. But I thought of it differently, like, she and her squad just watched a bunch of kids get murdered.”

“Yeah, well, now you know,” Berserker said with a sigh.

“And you guys told her about my experience,” Runner said with a shrug. “Just don’t expect me to apologize, even though we’re both supposed to say that to each other. Because, in all honesty, I’m not looking for one, nor to be forgiven. I didn’t ask for it, and neither is she,” Runner stated.

“We’ve figured as much,” Collateral sighed, shaking his head.

“C’mon, let’s go,” Pillar said as they all left the room, going to meet up with Lucette and the others after Hunter finished tying his bandanna to his arm.

Lucette was waiting in the courtyard of the castle for everyone to show up, along with Tempest and six guards in the armor of her Lightbearers, only in truth, they were her Darkstriders, it was just hidden by the heavy armor. She figured that she might as well show off some of her elite soldiers for the walk to the stadium, and when the foreigners arrived, she grinned as she saw their eyes bulge out of their sockets at the massive ultra greatswords they hefted over their shoulders like they were nothing.

“How… How are they even holding those things?! They must weigh over a ton!” Shining Armor cried.

“Are they enchanted or something?” Twilight queried.

Lucette shook her head. “Nope. And actually, they weigh closer to three thousand pounds. About that much, at least.” The group’s jaws dropped, save for the Minotaurs and Dragons.

“Pfft, I bet I could lift one just fine, lemme see,” said Steel Axe, gesturing for one of the soldiers to hand him their weapon. The soldier looked to his queen, and she slowly nodded. He then easily flipped the greatsword in the air, caught it by the handle, and handed it to Steel Axe. Steel Axe grabbed it and tried to lift it, only to nearly collapse from the weight. “What the…?” He grunted, before trying again. Same result. Lucette hid a snicker behind her mask. The rest of the group was less polite, save the Royal Sisters. They were all laughing, especially Gilda and Ember.

“Hahahah! Jeez, you can’t even lift a sword like that? Here, let me try,” Ember said, walking over and taking it from him. To the groups greater entertainment, she also failed to pick it up. “What the-” She growled and tried to lift it, using her wings to help. “-Urgh… Come on!” The group continued to laugh.

While all this was happening, Alexandria entered the courtyard, Shanghai floating close behind. “Oh? And what's so funny?” she asked as she approached.

“Well, Scaly and Horny here have been trying to lift one of the Storm Queen’s soldier’s swords, and they’re failing spectacularly! It’s friggin’ hilarious!” Gilda explained, laughing again.

“Shut up!” the two shot back, once more trying to lift the sword, only together this time.

“Really?” Alexandria responded, seeming like she just had an idea, an amused look coming to her face as she raised an eyebrow. “Here, put the sword down, and I'll show you how it's done.” The group looked to her in surprise.

“You truly believe you can lift it?” Luna queried.

“Even after the Emperor of Minotaurs and Dragonlord couldn’t?” Spike added.

“You could hurt yourself,” Starlight pointed out, a bit worried for the young girl.

"We don't want a member of the Storm Queen's family injuring herself, after all, especially when there's a tournament on the way!" Rainbow agreed.

“I'll be fine,” Alexandria answered. “And I don't ‘believe’ I can lift it, I ‘know’ that I can. Come on, let me show you.”

“Fine. Let’s see what you got, kid,” Steel Axe relented, letting go of the sword. Ember did much the same.

“Alright, now let me show you just how easy it is,” Alexandria said as she approached the sword. However, instead of bending down to pick it up like the group was expecting, she instead looked at it with an intense gaze, one of concentration. After a moment, the sword shifted a little. Then, to the group’s shock, it slowly rose into the air to float upright in front of Alexandria. It then made a few swift test swings. “There, see? Wasn't so hard,” Alexandria said without taking her eyes off it. The group’s jaws dropped in utter shock.

“Is that Telekinesis?” They heard Berserker ask as the Doom Marines were the last to arrive.

“No, it's magnetism,” Alexandria answered shortly, unblinking gaze still fixed to the sword.

“I see,” he said as they saw the shocked looks on the foreigners’ faces.

“I… What…” Steel Axe began, before shaking his head and growling. “Hey! That’s cheating!”

“All I said was that I was going to lift the sword,” Alexandria retorted. “I never said how I would do it.”

“Still cheating!” Ember shot back. Lucette shook her head.

“Your Majesties, please, let’s not waste time on semantics. We have a long day ahead of us,” she placated.

“Grr… Fine…” Steel Axe relented. As he said this, Alexandria spun the sword in midair before breaking her hold on it with a blink, the momentum of the spin giving it a beautiful arc through the air where it's owner caught it and effortlessly twirled it back onto his shoulder.

“Wait, why is your family coming with? Where are your Champions?” Cadance queried.

“Bitch, who are you?” Berserker scoffed, surprising everyone at how casually he said that. He sighed deeply. “Sorry, tried to be funny.” Alexandria spoke up in response to Cadance.

“Actually, you're looking right at the Storm Queen’s Champions,” she said, gesturing to the bandana bearing Lucette's crest that was tied around her right arm, as well as Hunter's.

“As to why we’re coming along, one of us will also be participating in this, as well,” Pillar told them, as he gestured to Hunter. “The rest of us will be with Lucette.”

“So, you’re also going to partake in this festival,” Shining Armor surmised.

“Yes. Who are your Champions?” Berserker asked them. “Because if none of you little pricks could lift an Ultra Greatsword, what are your chances of even lasting long in this tournament, let alone winning it, at all?” That got a rise out of the visitors.

“I have to agree that I'm a bit disappointed,” Alexandria added, before gesturing to Shanghai. “I've started to think that even Shanghai here might be more than enough to sweep through today's tournament.”

“Ha! Fat chance! My Champions have it beat!” Ember said arrogantly. She gestured to three large dragons coming up the road. All were quite bulky with large wings on their backs, and they bore plate armor of the finest steel. One wielded a warhammer, one an axe, and one a giant mace.

“Yaks will win!” Prince Rutherford stated, his champions, simple Yaks with naught but their helmets behind him, three in all.

“Please, as if your puny Champions could beat my Masters of Combat,” Steel Axe scoffed, sweeping a hand out to his three Champions, two bulls and a cow. One of the bulls had grey fur and an eye patch, a leather harness and cotton pants, and a single-bladed greataxe with spikes. The other bull was blue, and familiar to the ponies. He had naught but two caesti as weapons, and wore leather armor. Then there was the cow, who had a greatsword of simple but refined steel resting on her shoulder. She had scale-mail covering her form, as well as protecting her modesty.

“I don’t know, I’m putting money on my own Champions,” Cadance said, nuzzling Shining Armor, who smirked smugly.

“Well, don’t count us out, for we might just win the bout,” Zendaya pointed out, giggling as her Warrior Shamans, garbed in fur cloaks and wielding glaives of bone and fangs, stepped up.

“Heh, you kidding? We got this in the bag,” Pharynx boasted, puffing up his chest as the other two changelings beside him simply stood at attention, Thorax wincing at the proclamation.

“Pfft, nothing beats a good Griffon soldier,” Gilda proclaimed, smirking at Pharynx.

“Who really knows? Honestly though, I’m just looking forward to seeing what your nation has to offer, Your Majesty,” Starswirl said respectfully. Lucette chuckled.

“Well, we’ll have to just wait and see what happens, dear scholar,” she said with a smirk, before turning back to the road. “Come on then, don’t want the citizens to get restless.” Alexandria nodded as she followed the Storm Queen. Shanghai was following Alexandria closely, but was seemingly staring down the other Champions with a look of determination and conviction.

“We're definitely going to win!” the Fairy proclaimed, rather loudly.

The rulers looked at each other, before bursting out laughing. “H-Hey!” Shanghai replied, a bit surprised by the unexpected - to her at least - response. “I mean it you know!” Alexandria glanced at her partner Fairy, as if contemplating something, before turning back around without saying a word several seconds later.

“Ohoho that is just adorable!” Celestia giggled.

“I know, right? Look at her!” Twilight said, pointing to Shanghai. Shanghai was pouting, quite a lot, with her arms crossed. This just served to further accentuate the two ponies’ point.

“Here’s a question; have any of you fuckers killed Demons for a living?” Berserker asked them, making them all stare at him. They weren’t sure if he was joking, or being serious. Although, from the sound of things, and from his previous remarks when they’d first laid eyes on him, he wasn’t one for making jokes. “Well, answer the question. Have any of you killed one or not?” Yep, he was serious, and getting rather impatient.

“You’re bluffing, right?” Shining Armor asked.

“Does it look like I’m bullshitting you, fuck-boy?” Berserker growled at him, making Shining back away. Even the Changelings, no matter how hard they tried to hide it, were starting to fear him, feeling the anger manifesting from his being. It was unlike anything they had felt before.

“U-Uh, Prince Shining Armor, he’s not lying,” Thorax told him, swallowing a lump that formed in his throat. “I think he...and his brothers, have killed Demons before.” Everyone looked towards him in shock and disbelief. During all this, Alexandria had been watching Berserker from the corners of her eyes, though there wasn't any indication of why she would want to be doing so.

“You have? How? Demons existed over three thousand millennia ago!” Twilight cried. Berserker was about to answer, but Lucette made a quick but discrete shushing motion at him. He did what she signaled before replying to Twilight.

“You say that as if the bastards no longer exist,” Berserker said to her, before taking off his helmet and surprising everyone. From his silvery white hair, to his red eyes and the many scars on his face. His eyes seemed to glow a bit from the dimly light of the weather, which made them wary of him. He was just like Lucette, save for the skin color. “If so, you’re all fools for thinking so.” He snorted before putting his helmet back on. “I won’t say much, but trust me; they’re brutal and without mercy. Killing without remorse or pity. Even so, WE were much worse, and they suffered for it.”

“I’m surprised we haven’t heard any word of Demon Slayers like you,” Emperor Steel Axe noted. He leaned down towards Berserker. “How do we know you’re not lying?” He asked, narrowing his eyes.

“You don’t know me, and that’s your problem; you don’t know any of us. And it’s Doom Slayers, not Demon Slayers,” he replied, easily pushing the Emperor away from him, almost making him fall. Steel Axe was surprised by this, not many had the gall to physically push him around in such a manner, nor the strength to do so with such ease. “Besides, you can’t even pick an Ultra Greatsword up. But the girl can, and she didn’t even use her hands to do it. What are your chances against a Demon?” Alexandria visually stifled a laugh at the last few comments.

Steel Axe was growing more upset at this. “How dare you-!” he began, but the gray bull with the eye patch put his hand on his shoulder.

“Let’s just let sleeping dogs lie, alright, Boss?” he said in a voice quite familiar to the Marines. “We can tousle over this stuff during the tourney.” Steel Axe growled, before huffing and crossing his arms.

“Fine, whatever,” he conceded, and Lucette let out a sigh of relief.

“Let’s continue, shall we?” she said.

“Sure,” Berserker said with a snort as they continued on. The Equestrians looked at each other in concern, hoping that this doesn’t end in disaster. They didn’t know what to make of the Storm Queen’s family, but it was clear that they’d been through darker times before.

In time, they made it to the city, and the leaders and Shanghai were in awe as they saw the mass of people on either side of the main road, cheering in their native tongue and even dancing. Lucette smiled as her guards flanked her and Tempest, whilst the world leaders followed behind. She waved to them all as she passed, and they erupted into even louder cheers.

One phrase that rang out the most was, “Skiv Fryg val tuoon!”

The stadium, which they all noted was made entirely of metal and even decorated with statues of Lucette herself, loomed above the cityscape in the distance.

“You've got quite a lot of admirers,” Alexandria noted to Lucette. “Though, I suppose that's to be expected, since you're queen.”

“You sure you ain’t compensating for something?” Berserker questioned, only this time, it was a joke. Lucette turned to him glacially, then punched him in the visor hard.

“I’ll have you know I’m a sexy beast, ass wad!” she cried with a bit of a blush. Alexandria pffft’d into her hand at this.

Berserker was laughing out loudly, taking off his helmet. “Oh, I’m sure you are. The only problem you have is not having a reverse-harem yourself,” he said, smiling a shit-eating, toothy grin, which showed that all his teeth were all razor sharp.

“Oh please, like I’d ever be so shallow as to have a harem,” Lucette said, rolling her eyes as she kept walking.

“Too bad, but alright. Your choice,” Berserker said with a shrug, taking a look at his visor, seeing that it wasn’t damaged in the slightest, before placing it back on. The World Leaders all looked at each other as if to ask what it was they’d just witnessed.

Suddenly, it seemed like Alexandria had a thought about something as she turned to Lucette. “I was wondering, are you married yet?” she asked.

“Me? Nah. I don’t really have any plans to go looking for a guy, and I’ve already got a kid, even if she’s not mine by blood,” Lucette answered as they drew closer to the stadium.

Alexandria grinned widely. “Guess that gives this ‘girl’ one up on you, since I'm already married,” the young-looking Yokai replied, holding in a snicker.

“Seriously? You look like you’re only just eighteen. How impatient was your husband?” Lucette queried.

“Well, he can’t have been any more impatient than Shining was with our wedding,” Cadance said with a giggle.

“Congratulations on that lucky guess with my age,” Alexandria started, also giggling a bit, though it seemed to be more in anticipation. “But my wife and I had been dating for years before we married.”

“Oooh, same gender marriage, now that is interesting,” Cadance said, trotting up next to Alexandria. “You must tell me more.”

“I agree. I’m quite curious myself,” Rarity agreed, walking up to Alexandria’s other side.

“I’m just gonna say I won that battle, because you just proved your lover was impatient,” Lucette replied with a shrug.

“Well, first off, I really have to say that being married to an angel is already quite an interesting experience,” Alexandria began explaining to the two mares, earning audible gasps from the majority of the foreigners.

“An angel?! Like the ones who carried Mother to the Heavens?!” Luna cried.

“But they only appear when an Alicorn is ready to return to the Aether…” Celestia muttered.

“Wow, that’s racist,” Runner commented sarcastically. “Just Alicorns? You pricks can go fuck yourselves, then.” His words made the Alicorns present flinch.

“My wife is a little different from the angels you're probably used to,” Alexandria said, interrupting and trying to divert attention away from Berserker's statement. “She's not the kind of angel who guides the deceased.”

“There are more than one kind of angel, then?” Twilight asked, growing excited as she summoned an ink and quill and some paper. It quickly got drenched by the rain, however, and she pouted. “Oh darn, I’ll have to make mental notes instead…”

“Dumbass,” Berserker said with a snark at her.

Alexandria ignored the Marines as she answered. “Oh, angels are much more complicated than you think,” she explained. “First off, there are two different species of angels: High Angels, and Fallen Angels, each with differing societies and each with their own language. High Angels tend to be more polite and overall well-mannered, with bright, pristine wing colors, while Fallen Angels could be described as more ‘casual’ in their attitudes, and have dark, sometimes even dull wing colors. Though, regardless of what kind of angel, all of them have their own quirks and individualities just like any of us.”

“That’s fascinating! What else can you tell us?” Twilight queried enthusiastically.

“What’s your wife like?” Cadance asked.

“Is she a Fallen Angel or a High Angel?” Rarity continued.

“We are quite curious as well, please, tell us more,” Luna pressed.

Alexandria answered each of their questions one by one, addressing Twilight first. “Well, I find that Fallen Angels tend to get a lot of flak due to their species name,” Alexandria replied. “It makes them sound evil, but they really aren't. Many of them are actually pretty righteous in their own right.” She then addressed Cadance. “As for what my wife is like, I'd say she's somewhat eccentric, and fairly straightforward about things. Coincidentally, she happens to be a Fallen Angel,” she continued, seamlessly transitioning to Rarity's question. “Because of that, she's a lot less reserved with her words compared to most, but I find being able to openly speak your mind to be a good quality.” Alexandria glanced in the direction they were all walking. “Though, as much as I'd like to keep talking about my wife, this conversation will unfortunately have to go on hold for now.”

When she said that, they all looked to find themselves at the entrance to the stadium, it’s large, imposing statues of Lucette with her Moonlight Greatsword stabbed into the ground making them once more a little wary, yet also awestruck. As they started down the tunnel that would lead to the stands, electric blue lights flared to life, crystals powering them.

Lucette pointed to the two tunnels on either side of the main tunnel, both leading inside the walls. “To the right is the rooms for the fairer sex, and the left for the males. You all have forty-five minutes to get ready, after that, Grubber will call you all out to the arena.”

“Alright,” Alexandria answered as she made her way down the right-hand hallway, being followed by Shanghai - who continued to faithfully hover by her shoulder as usual - and Tempest, as well as the cow, Sweetie Drops (aka Bonbon), two of the Changelings, and two of the Warrior Shamans. Hunter and the other males went to the left-hand hallway.

“Where are we going to watch them?” Pillar asked Lucette.

“VIP booth up the stairs at the end of the tunnel,” Lucette stated, gesturing to the steps at the far end of the main tunnel that also split off to either side, with just enough space for people to walk into the arena.

“We don’t have to wait that long, do we?” Berserker asked. “I mean, does this work like a battle royale?”

“One round does, the others, well, you’ll see,” Lucette winked at him, before going towards the steps and making to walk up them.

“Hm, I wonder how many are going to be eliminated?” He questioned, as the World Leaders, Lucette included, went up to the VIP booth and sat down with the Doom Marines. However, the Marines kept to themselves, not wanting to interact with any of them, only speaking to Lucette.

Very quickly, Skili entered the stadium, filling the seats for the audience in mere minutes. More Skili in armor, the Lightbearers, marched into the field where a podium stood. There was a moment or two where nothing further happened. Then, a dimensional tear that would've been familiar to Alexandria or Tempest - creepy eyes and bow-tied ends included - opened behind the podium.

“What in the-?!” Steel Axe cried. The Skili and other World Leaders had much the same reaction. The Lightbearers drew their weapons in an instant, surrounding the tear, while Lucette stood up and walked over to the edge of the VIP booth, gripping the rail. Then, a blonde-haired woman in a white, tiered dress with a purple apron-like rectangle of fabric down the front carrying a parasol with a strikingly similar design to her dress came through, closely followed by a somewhat short individual - who was very clearly female, if her breast size was any indication - with deep violet hair and large, lustrous jet-black wings, wearing a jacket and jeans. This second woman had a doll that looked exactly like Shanghai - but with longer hair - clinging to her shoulder. Immediately after the two women cleared the confines of the opening, said opening closed again, vanishing without a trace.

“What the fu-” Lucette began to say, before an identical tear to the previous one opened under the taller woman's feet, and she sunk into it, the tear vanishing behind her. A split second later, and a new tear opened in the air next to the balcony in front of Lucette, as the woman rose back out of it, before proceeding to use it as a floating seat.

“Hello, Storm Queen,” the woman greeted in a surprisingly cultured tone. “I apologize for crashing your festival, but I would just like for you to hear out my purpose for coming here.”

“Explain then. Quickly, before I call my guards to remove you. I’m in no mood for interlopers and their games,” Lucette said as she glared into the woman's bright violet eyes, recovering quickly from her previous shock as she shifted to a chilling tone.

“I am Yukari Yakumo,” Yukari began, completely and utterly unaffected by Lucette’s demeanor, remaining entirely calm, maybe even a bit lax. “I am here before you today because your scheduled singer is unfortunately sick, and cannot make it.”

“...Goddammit Belli…” Lucette cursed, facepalming. “I even fucking told her to take her pills…” She sighed.

“I also bring good news, however,” Yukari continued, causing Lucette to look back up at her. “As a replacement, I have brought Ayis Filya VII. She also happens to be quite close with one of your Champions, I might add.”

“WHY THE SALATEN WOULD YOU DO THIS YOU HAG?!” cried a very irate female from the podium, eyes shifting nervously between the many guards around her with their large swords pointed at her.

“Oh dear, I may have left out the possibility of you considering us intruders upon arrival from my explanation to her,” Yukari said to Lucette as she glanced back at Ayis, though Yukari's relaxed smile didn't waver in the slightest as she spoke.

“Technically speaking, you still are,” Berserker commented.

Lucette groaned. “Ugh, fine, fine. Can’t really have the ceremony without a singer, or the Warrior-Nobles’d have a field day.” She made a shooing motion at Yukari. “Just… Go inform her, and Alex.”

“Wait, Alex? You mean that woman down there is Alexandria’s wife?!” Rarity cried, hooves to her face. “Oh my stars she’s beautiful!”

“An angel… I never thought I’d see one so soon…” Celestia muttered to herself as she stared at Ayis’ form below.

“WILL SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT THE SALATEN IS GOING ON?!” came Ayis’ voice again.

“That’s your cue,” Lucette said impatiently.

“Yes, yes, pardon me,” Yukari replied, sinking into the gap she was sitting on as it closed behind her. A moment later, and she re-appeared at the podium from another gap, and seemed to speak to Ayis, who gave her a few angry shouts afterward. Following that, Yukari then disappeared into another gap in order to re-appear at the balcony once again. “Now, you will still need to dismiss your troops yourself, as I have no authority over them. Until you tell them otherwise, they will unfortunately continue to see your replacement singer as an unwanted intruder,” Yukari told Lucette, a smile on her face that seemed pleasant at first glance, but contained some subtle undertones that couldn't quite be identified.

“Right, right,” Lucette said, before barking out an order in Skilin. Soon after, the Lightbearers retracted their weapons, and moved back to their positions before the podium. The audience was a roar of cries and shouts of confusion and some parts outrage, but Lucette stopped them with a raised hand as she stepped closer to the edge of the booth. “My subjects!” She called. “It would appear that the assigned singer for our grand ceremony has fallen ill, so, this woman was kind enough to offer us a replacement! Please give our replacement the same respect you’d give the original!” As Lucette spoke, Yukari floated up over the railing, then landed on the floor of the VIP booth to turn around and lean on the railing, crossing her arms on top of it.

The audience slowly calmed, and the air became a fair bit more quiet save for the sound of the ever-present storm in the background. In a short while, a small hedgehog with a white mohawk waddled up to the podium, seeming to speak to the angel for a moment, before said angel stepped aside and crossed her arms. The hedgehog then jumped up on the podium, producing a microphone.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 5, 535th Annual Festival of Fellowship and Strength!” He twirled the microphone in his stubby hand. “I’m your host, Grubber, Her Royal Higness’ Left Hand!” He pointed to Lucette. “Let’s all give three cheers for our great ruler for not only funding this project, but helping to make this very stadium with her own two hands!”

The Skili erupted with three cheers of, “SKIV FRYG VAL TUOON! SKIV FRYG VAL TUOON! SKIV FRYG VAL TUOON!” Lucette just smiled under her mask as she waved to her subjects. In time, the audience settled down once more, and Grubber chuckled to himself.

“Alright, with that done, let’s get this Festival started! Champions, you are free to enter the arena!” he called out. A number of Skili at the entrance, bearing huge tribal drums, started to pound on said drums, sounding almost like thunder themselves. Alexandria was the first to step out from the entrance. She looked up towards the stage, and the first thing she noticed was Ayis standing on it, and her eyes went wide.

“WH-!?” she started, the shock rendering her unable from finishing the word.

“Alex?!” came Ayis’ similar response. The other Champions shot the two a look at this, but Ayis ignored it. Alexandria was about to respond, but then Shanghai tapped her shoulder, grabbing her attention. Alexandria followed the finger that Shanghai was pointing with, until her eyes landed on Yukari, who was waving down at her with a smile from the balcony.

“Ahem! Champions, if you wouldn’t mind standing over there? We have a ceremony to do, ya know!” said Grubber, gesturing to an area behind the podium. The audience let out low chuckles at this. Alexandria blushed slightly, embarrassed that she was holding up the ceremony as she moved to the designated area, muttering an apology. Internally, she cursed Yukari a little for ultimately being the cause of the disturbance. “Alright, now, since our original singer is out,” Grubber acted like he was whispering to the audience, despite still using the microphone, “And this one likely doesn’t know our ancient songs,” he returned to his original position. “We’ll let her choose a song she knows to sing!” He turned to Ayis. “Now, mind comin’ up here and giving it a go?”

Ayis looked to the crowd, then her wife, who gave her a thumbs up, then took a deep breath and stepped up to the podium, taking the microphone from Grubber. She cleared her throat.

“Um… This is an old song, from my uh… Homeland,” she said, before clearing her throat once more and starting to sing. Alexandria recognized it immediately. It was a song she had caught Ayis singing many times before, one she knew held a dear place in her wife’s heart.

“This song…” Alexandria whispered, smiling just the tiniest bit as she listened to Ayis’ beautiful voice sing. The crowd seemed entranced too, along with those in the VIP booth. Even Yukari seemed a bit impressed.

“I have no words…” Luna breathed.

“The pain, the wrath… The tinge of hope… It’s beautiful,” Celestia said with a soft smile.

“I…” Rarity sniffled, dabbing at her tears with a handkerchief held aloft by her magic. “...I would have to agree, Your Majesties.”

“It does fit the story of my nation well,” Lucette agreed, watching on with a smile.

“Reminds me of my dad,” Ember said with her own smile.

"It's kinda scary... But pretty, too," Fluttershy said timidly. The other ponies nodded their agreement.

“Ah...this never gets old.” Berserker said with a chuckle, as he and his brothers smiled in nostalgia underneath their helmets, knowing full well about this song. “It’s…well, it’s been a long time, since we’ve last heard of this.”

“I must say that her singing voice is quite pleasing to the ears,” Yukari commented.

“It is rather unique,” Guardian stated, though she did surprise the World Leaders. “By the way, how long ago was it again?” She asked her Doom Marines.

“Ten thousand years or so, give or take,” Runner answered with a shrug. “However, it was only the instrumental version. There wasn’t a vocal one yet.” This nearly made the visitors fall out of their chairs.

“Where in the world did she come from?!” Thorax cried, stumbling over himself.

“Shouldn’t we call the guards? This seems to be quite a flaw in your security, Your Highness,” Steel Axe taunted. Lucette put on a forced smile.

“Oh, she was there from the beginning. I assure you my guards would and did notice her,” she said. “Now, please, listen to the song.” She put a finger to her lips before turning back to Ayis’ singing. Steel Axe seemed to be more than a bit disgruntled at this, but Zendaya put a hoof on his arm, daring him to make a move. He grit his teeth and snorted, before remaining silent.

“How did you guys not notice her? She was with us the whole time,” Collateral told them. “Seriously, do you need glasses or something?”

“I agree,” Yukari chimed in. “She was one of the first people I noticed in the VIP booth when I arrived. Her attire does seem to stick out the most after all.”

“Indeed. I was there when they barged into the training room, up to this point,” Guardian pointed out.

They all seemed surprised at this, turning to the cloaked woman. The ponies seemed the most shocked, whilst Steel Axe just seemed to look at her with an investigative gaze.

‘Just what is her deal…? I’m pretty sure I would’ve seen her with such a get up…’ He shook his head, turning back to the performance.

The song soon ended, and silence reigned. Ayis looked about, worried she’d done wrong, but then the crowd erupted in loud cheers, and she blushed. She hadn’t had such positive feedback before.

“U-Umm… Thank you…!” she squeaked into the microphone, before flying over to Alexandria in a flurry of black feathers, hiding behind her. Alexandria gave her a smile.

“You did great,” she assured the Fallen Angel.

“Yeah, not sure what you’re being so embarrassed about,” the Shanghai-like Fairy on her shoulder added.

“Alexandria is a lucky girl,” Runner commented with a nod.

“I’ll say. With a beauty like that, not to mention one who’s an angel, she is surely blessed,” Rarity agreed, smiling. She cupped her cheeks with her hooves. “Oooh, I can just imagine how she’d look in a nice dress!”

“Calm down there, Rares, don’t need ya getting too fired up when she’ll just be leaving soon,” Applejack told the fashionista.

“Does she have to?” Berserker asked Yukari. “Can she not stay to see Alexandria fight?”

Yukari gave Berserker a look. “You wound me,” she said, putting her hand to her chest mockingly. “Of course we are staying for the tournament. What better way to cheer on our fighter from Gensokyo than to have her wife there in the audience to give her moral support?”

“Good,” He nodded. “Lucette, should we get this tournament underway?”

“Damned right,” Lucette shot back, before raising a hand and making a signal for Grubber to speed things up.

“Alright, thank you for that wonderful song, Miss Filya!” Grubber said, seeing the signal. “Now… Who’s ready to get this underway?!” The crowd let out a roar of affirmations. “I can’t hear you!” Grubber said, cupping a hand to his ear. Another roar, louder this time. “There we go! Now let’s get this started!”

Another roar of cheers. The tournament, had finally begun.

14 - Festival: Mind and Body (Edited... Again)

Author's Note

EDIT: Added a new, better intro, complete with a new, more fitting song.

EDIT: Added an intro, complete with a song.

This chapter is, quite honestly, not the best I've done, but it's been much too long since this story was updated, so, I decided to post this anyways, and edit it later. I gave it a once over before posting it, but some things might still be out of place. I hope you'll all forgive any mistakes made here, or at least politely point them out so I can fix them or explain them.

Regardless, I only hope you all enjoy this chapter, even if it's to a smaller degree than the other chapters of this story.

Thank you all for reading.

-Timeless Celestial

14 - Festival: Mind and Body (Edited... Again)

[A woman takes the first step up the stairs.

Her subjects watch on with pride in their hearts.

Her children follow behind her, smiles on their faces.

Royal Lightning flashes time and time again outside.

Reaching the top of the steps, she turns, and grins.

The Queen of Storms takes her throne.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6_722bLF-I)

Now that the tournament had started, the Champions were all instructed to move onto nine different colored plates of metal set in the turf at different areas of the stadium floor. On each plate was a symbol of their country’s flag, and a pedestal of iron.

Then, Grubber began to explain things, still on top of the podium in the center of the arena. “First up is the Trial of Warfare! In this round, Champions will have to maneuver through a labyrinth filled to the brim with obstacles and traps, as well as guards!” As Grubber was explaining in more detail, the Champions were talking and muttering to themselves.

“I’m sensing quite a lot of overconfidence from some of the other countries’ Champions,” one of the Changeling Champions, Pupa, said to her two comrades. “I’m not getting any from the Storm Queen’s Champions though…”

“You’re telling me, it’s actually creepy,” Stringy said with a shiver. “Especially that big green armored one. I can’t even pick up a single thing from him.”

At this point, Pharynx seemed to startle a bit, having looked focused a moment ago. “…I think the two-horned one just kicked me out of her mind,” he said, sounding shocked.

“Really!? Pharynx, you can’t do that, we’ll be disqualified!” Stringy hissed at him. “Uh-oh, the big one is looking at us…” She whispered, as Hunter looked their way for a moment, before turning away. However, it left them with a chilling sensation crawling up their spines.

“Please try not to give your brother a bad image,” Pupa scolded Pharynx a bit.

“Sorry, my bad…” Pharynx said, his shoulders drooping a bit. He glanced over at the Storm Queen’s Champions to find Alexandria glaring at him. He shivered slightly, remembering how she seemed to forcefully eject him from her mind a few moments ago.

“I see we have quite the competition, shall we put them out of commission?” one of the Zebras asked his fellows at their home plate.

“Indeed, for victory we do need,” came the reply of his compatriot, a Zebra mare with the same fur cloaks as her companions, only made of jaguar fur instead.

“But let us not harm them too much, we would be disqualified if they were in a crutch,” the other stallion continued.

“Oh hush, I can be soft as a thrush,” the Zebra mare shot back.

“Oh, we know, sister, though you do tend give more than blisters,” the first Zebra stallion replied, the two stallions chuckling as she blushed.

“What do you think, father?” Iron Will asked his father, Iron Bull.

“Hmmm… We have our work cut out for us. Especially since the boss wants us to analyze them for more than just a fight,” Iron Bull replied, stroking his goatee in thought.

“Ugh, can we just fight already?” the cow asked, hefting her greatsword. “I’m getting bored here.”

“We’ll be doing that soon enough, babe,” Iron Bull replied.

“Remember what we practiced, boys,” Shining told his guards as they patiently waited on their home plate. They simply saluted with two replies of, “yes sir!”

“Hmmm… Quite the crew of individuals we have here…” mused Starswirl, stroking his beard somehow with a hoof as he and his team looked out at the other teams from their plate.

“Yeah, but I’ll bet you ten bits we beat ‘em all,” Flash Magnus boasted, puffing up his chest.

“I wouldn’t be so sure, Mr. Magnus. You two have been away from the world stage for a long time,” Sweetie Drops answered.

“Oh please, it’s not like we’ve gotten rusty, right, old friend?” Starswirl asked his good friend, who bumped hooves with him.

“Darn right!” he responded with a grin. Sweetie Drops shook her head with a sigh.

“Stallions…” she muttered.

Over with the dragons, one of them decided to ask a question after looking about their competition. “What do you two think?” he asked his teammates.

“What does it matter? We’ll win this whole thing easily,” another answered with arrogance. “I mean, besides the Griffons and Minotaurs, and possibly Yaks, the others are easy picking. Especially the ‘Storm Queen’s’ Champions.”

“He’s right. Just look at them,” the third one said, pointing towards them. “What hope do they have against us?”

“Even though one of them is covered in the smell of blood,” the first retorted.

“It’s probably some sort of trick,” the third waved dismissively.

“Oh yeah? How do you explain how one of them managed to so easily push the Minotaurs’ Emperor away from himself? Not to mention how thick he smelled of blood and that feeling we sense when we’re in the presence of another Dragon Lord,” the first questioned.

“Let’s not worry about that, focus on the task at hand,” the second reminded, getting them back to the tournament.

“We should be careful about the green one,” one of the Griffons said, being the oldest out of the two younger ones. “If his ill-tempered brother could shove those bigger than him around with ease, I wonder what this one could do.”

“You worry too much, you old fool,” one of the other two scoffed. “We can set a statement here, if we target the weaker ones and get them out of the way. Show the rest of them that we’re not to be messed with.”

“Be that as it may, none of us even knows how these Doom Slayers operate. I mean, this is the first time anyone has heard of such a title,” the other youngling said, sounding more cautious.

“He’s right. And you would do well to heed his words, and mine,” the old veteran remarked, as the first youngling rolled his eyes.

As for the Yaks, well, they were pumped and ready to go, if their shouting and bellowing were of any indication.

“Listen up, please!” Grubber called out, bringing attention to himself again. Everyone turned back to him. “Now, as I said earlier, you’ll all be maneuvering through a labyrinth. Your goal is to reach the center of it, grab a trophy, and bring it back to your home plates, which are what you’re all standing on. Ladies, the trophies, please!” He called out, a group of Skili women coming out with massive, pure steel trophies on their back, nine in all. They placed them around the podium Grubber stood on, and he tapped one. “As you can see, all of these are pretty heavy, so you’ll need to really keep an eye on your trophy bearer!”

One of the Yaks suddenly shouted out. “Yak no see any labyrinth!” he declared.

“Nor do I,” came one of the Zebras.

“You’ll see it soon enough, folks!” Grubber replied with a toothy grin. Steel Axe turned to Lucette.

“And just how is it fair if one of your Champions can so easily lift a thing like that trophy?” he asked with narrowed eyes.

“It’s not something she can do without concentration, based on what we saw her do earlier today, Your Majesty. She would need to be careful to keep it aloft as well as dodge attacks or the like,” Lucette countered. Truthfully, Lucette had only guessed that by watching Alexandria as she used that ability earlier, but she wasn’t about to say so. Steel Axe snorted.

“Hmph. I still don’t like it,” he grumbled.

“If you like, I can make it a rule that she doesn’t get to carry it,” Lucette offered.

Yukari spoke up. “There is no need for that,” she said, drawing the attention of all the World Leaders.

“And why not?” Gilda asked her.

“Because Alexandria would be unable to move on her own power while carrying something like that,” the woman replied simply.

“Oh? And you know this firsthand?” Luna queried, turning to her.

“Oh yes, of course,” Yukari verified with a nod. “We share a homeland after all. I most likely know the most about Alexandria out of everyone in this entire stadium.”

“Aside from her lover, I imagine,” Lucette commented. Yukari gave a strange smile at this, but stayed silent. Lucette turned and smiled at the World Leaders. “So, shall we continue?”

The others looked to each other, and then Lucette.

“Fine, fine. Long as there’s no cheating,” Steel Axe conceded.

“I’d like to have a fair fight, but I’m not going to go branding others liars because of it,” Ember said, sitting back down.

“Still licking your wounds from earlier?” Berserker asked them. “Cry me a fucking river, bitches.”

“Screw you, pal,” Ember shot back.

“Fuck off, you useless scaly twat,” Berserker retorted in kind, though it seemed to have struck a nerve.

“What did you call me?!” Ember cried, standing up and getting ready to pounce the man.

“You heard, dumbass,” he told her. “A useless, scaly twat.”

“I’ll have your head, you assh-!” Ember began, but Spike stopped her.

“Please, Ember, don’t! Do you want to start a war because of something like this?” He queried, giving her pleading eyes. Ember gritted her teeth, looking between him and Berserker a few times, then flopped back down on her chair and grunted, turning her nose up.

“Fine, whatever. Just tell him to be more careful,” she said finally.

“I can say the same to you,” Berserker shot back. “And I do mean it.”

Ember growled, but did nothing else. Back in the arena, Grubber was about to announce the beginning of the match.

“Alright, let’s get this started! Engies in the back, pull those levers!” he cried. Soon after, the ground started to tremble, and the turf around the Champions and their plates started to shift. The ground in front and around them opened up, and thick walls of stone sprung up around them, covering their exits and leaving them each only one path; forward. “Round one, STAAAAAAAAAAAAART!” Grubber cried, pumping a fist.

“I’ll carry the trophy,” Alexandria said quickly as she, Tempest and Hunter immediately started down their path. “I’ll just need one of you to personally escort me back, or we won’t be moving anywhere once I’ve got it.”

“I can do that,” Tempest offered, adjusting her sheathes and saddlebags.

“Thanks,” Alexandria responded. “Shanghai, Hunter, I’ll need you two to guard Tempest and I on the return trip.”

“Leave it to me!” Shanghai answered with conviction. Hunter nodded in response as he took point, leading the group through the winding path. He was cautious as they journeyed through the labyrinth, stopping the group as he checked for traps. He triggered any he found safely and continued on forward, allowing them to come the farthest in shorter time than the other teams. The rest of the Storm Team were keeping quiet so as to not give away their position to anyone nearby, be they guards or other Champions.

Suddenly, a little tube sprung out of one of the walls near Hunter, and a low, hissing green flame peeked out of it, small at first, but eventually, and quite rapidly, it grew in size.

“Get down!” Tempest shouted, knocking Hunter down just as the flame exploded where his head was. However, Hunter rolled over, covering Tempest from the flames. Alexandria had been caught by surprise, and if it wasn’t for Shanghai blocking the nozzle, it would’ve likely done some serious damage to the Yokai. Shanghai remained against the end of the tube until the flames finally stopped. Once they did, Hunter got up and took a defensive stance, looking around to make sure they wouldn’t get ambushed afterwards.

Once he was sure it was all clear, he picked Tempest back up and got a move on, albeit at a slower pace. Not to mention all of the screaming, yelling and cursing from the other Champions that were almost caught by the traps. Which were, in some cases, hilarious at best.

“My beard!” they could hear in the distance, sounding like Starswirl. Shanghai gave a giggle when she heard the cry.

“I had that, thank you very much,” Tempest said with a slight blush and a huff. She turned away from Hunter, trotting down the path.

Alexandria looked to Shanghai, who was completely unscathed from the fire. “Thanks,” she said before following Tempest and Hunter, the faithful Fairy following close behind.

“My Queen placed many traps here herself, and, considering her inventive nature, I can’t say what all of them will be,” Tempest told the others as they walked, scanning every inch of the walls.

“That just means we can’t let our guard down all the more,” Alexandria answered, keeping a keen eye out for more traps so that she’d be able to dodge the next one.

Soon enough they came up to an intersection, hearing hoofsteps coming from both sides. The Storm Queen’s Champions backed up and hid themselves from view, waiting to see who these two groups might be. As it turns out, it was both the Minotaurs and Ponies, coming face to face with each other. Soon Hunter turned invisible, disappearing from his team’s sight as he snuck around the two opposing teams, waiting for his moment to strike, if need be. Shanghai glanced at Alexandria, who gave a nod of confirmation. The Fairy then also turned invisible, coincidentally making her way to the opposite side from where Hunter was.

Starswirl hurled spells at the Minotaurs, Iron Bull dodging them all easily while his son and lover charged the other two. Flash made circles around Iron Will, bashing him every chance he got with his trademark shield. Sweetie Drops fought with the cow, who tried her best to hit the wily agent with her blunted sword.

Tempest did her best to sneak by them, managing to do so by using one of Starswirl’s flashy spells as cover.

And so it was Alexandria’s turn to try sneaking past. Hoping to try and pull off the same tactic as Tempest, she waited until she saw Starswirl readying another spell, then timed a quick dash with its use, barely managing to make it by without being noticed, thanks to the bright flash of the magic.

Of course, after the two made it through the chaos, Hunter started his distractions, messing about with the Ponies as much as possible, he made each action, each errant hit look like an accident. He wasn’t the only one, as Shanghai also tricked the Minotaurs, getting them all riled up as the two groups were found fighting amongst themselves, and then the small Fairy and Hunter regrouped with their team and continued on.

In the VIP booth, Emperor Steel Axe was raging. “You idiots! You missed four of your targets!”

“Oh calm down, it’s not like they’ll hear you over the crowd or the other Champions fumbling about,” Gilda responded dismissively.

“Oh, sure, and your warriors are doing soo much better,” he replied sarcastically, gesturing to how her Champions were still recovering from having their wings paralyzed by dart guns whilst trying to fly above the labyrinth. Gilda growled at him.

“Well, at least they’re getting somewhere and not getting in unnecessary fights,” she shot back.

“This coming from the rebel Queen,” Dash said with a snicker.

“Oh shut it Dash,” Gilda retorted, crossing her arms.

“Go, Gensokyo~!” Yukari cheered lightly from her position leaning on the railing, watching Alexandria make comparatively excellent headway through the labyrinth with her two allies.

“C’mon babe, you’ve got this!” Ayis shouted from next to Yukari, one hand on the railing and the other balled into a fist and raised way up into the air as she leaned as far over the railing as she could. “Show these guys how much they suck!”

“As if it weren’t apparent enough,” Berserker thought to himself. The Doom Marines and Guardian weren’t cheering or saying much, they were just watching how the tournament was unfolding, seeing Hunter and his team making it through most of the traps and competition of other Champions, focusing solely on getting to the objective and making it back.

Of course, it was funny to see them mess around with the other opposing teams, having it shift to many mishaps and muck ups, which in turn lead to in-fighting among the opposing teams. There was even one point where Hunter led the Dragons to a group of guards in such a way that it seemed easy, something of which Ember wasn’t pleased about in the slightest. This gave them the advantage of being the first to reaching the halfway point; obtaining their trophy. Now came their most difficult challenge; treading back to the starting point with it.

As for the Equestrian Princesses, they watched in shock and awe at how the Storm Queen’s Champions had easily made it to their trophy. However, they were also disappointed and embarrassed at how their Champions had fallen to their tricks. They also realised how Lucette’s team used little effort to get by the others. They were patient and tactical, passing through with relative ease.

“Okay, that’s it!” Gilda cried, standing up from her seat and fixing Lucette with an accusing glare. “You’re cheating. You have to be! There’s no freaking way your Champions could get through all that so easily!”

Lucette simply turned to her with a cold smile. “Well, if you feel that way, then please, feel free to denounce me. You can even check the arena yourself if you wish, as well as my Champions. I’m sure you’ll find nothing out of the ordinary. Although I must warn you, my subjects can be quite violent when denied of entertainment for too long,”she kept her cold smile the throughout the entirety of her response.

Yukari glanced over her shoulder at Gilda. “Oh, I can assure you that Alexandria is quite an honest individual,” she said calmly. “I find it very difficult to picture her cheating.”

“Yeah!” Ayis chimed in as she whirled around. “Alex has a lot of integrity! Probably more than you, if you're resorting to petty accusations just because your team’s losing.”

“If you want, though…” Berserker started, jumping into the conversation and standing up from his seat then turning towards Gilda. “Perhaps afterwards, when the tournament is done, and if our team wins, we can fight it out. You, and anyone else that shares your view, can fight against me.” He told them. “Now, sit your feathery, fucking ass down, or else…” Lifting up his right arm, a singular, long, razor-sharp blade protruded out from his wrist, glowing red hot as heat emitted from it. Getting the message on how serious this was turning, Gilda sat back down in her seat, not wanting to provoke any unnecessary acts of aggression as she erupted in a cold sweat. She wasn’t sure what it was about the man and his brothers, but they just seemed to emanate an aura of bloodlust and death, one that scared her, as she had never felt such a presence before.

Once she was seated, Berserker retracted his Wrist Blade and sat down as well, watching the tournament. Gilda, while still a bit angry, did not want to possibly escalate things to a war with the Storm Queen. Her reputation would falter if she let that happen.

“Your brother there seems quite…” Celestia began, but paused, trying to think of a word.

“Irritable?” Luna supplied.

“Kinda antagonistic?” Spike offered.

“I was going to say overprotective,” Celestia finished. Lucette just shrugged.

“Zerk does what he wants, really,” she replied casually.

“Don’t you think you should, ya know, talk to him about it?” Starlight asked.

“No point. I’d just get yelled at. It’s like talking to a brick wall, really. Lovable enough guy though,” Lucette answered.

“Umm… He’s uh… Right here, you know,” Fluttershy pointed out.

“So? Doom Slayer is big… thing, can take care of self,” Prince Rutherford replied. “Now be quiet, Yak is trying to watch!”

“Say what you want of me, it doesn’t matter,” Berserker said to them.

“Well, at least you have some manners,” Ember said with a snort, crossing her arms as she returned to watching the arena intently.

“Amen to that,” Steel Axe agreed.

“Fuck your falsehoods and dead gods,” Berserker snapped back.

The two just glared at him, but soon went back to watching the match, as they had grown accustomed to just ignoring the Marine’s retorts.

Grubber’s voice rang out. “And it’s the Home Team with the first half done! They’ve got a trophy, but can they manage to bring it back?” At this, the Storm Team knew that the other teams would be dead set on stopping them.

Alexandria was focusing extremely intently on keeping the trophy aloft, almost to the point where one might expect to see a vein popping out on her forehead. Like what had been promised at the beginning, she was completely unable to even walk on her own due to having to concentrate so hard.

At this point, Shanghai took it upon herself to grow to more normal human proportions - 4 foot 6 - thinking she'd be more useful that way. She drew her broadsword and held it at the ready as she glanced at Tempest. “You're going to help Alexandria walk, right?”

“Unless you want to do so, yeah,” Tempest replied, offering her tail to Alexandria for her to hold onto. Alexandria seemed to absently grab at the offered tail, missing once before her hand found it and gripped it lightly.

“I'd rather protect her,” Shanghai answered, giving Tempest a nod of thanks. She then turned to Hunter. “Okay, lead the way please.” Nodding his head, Hunter took point again and lead the way back.

However, his pacing was slower, not just because of Alexandria’s situation, though; his steps were silent, his head snapping about as he looked. Soon though, he stopped and he turned to the rest and signaled them to be quiet and listen. Doing as he suggested, they realised that there wasn’t much fighting, in fact, none at all. It was far too quiet.

Suddenly, there was the sound of metal clinking and clanking, along with hoofsteps, just beyond the corner. Voices spoke up, and they recognized them as that of the Minotaurs.

“They should be here. Keep your voices down,” came the quieted voice of Iron Bull.

“Are you sure about that?” Came the voice of the cow.

“Positive,” Iron Bull confirmed. The hoofsteps drew closer.

Looking back, Hunter nodded to Shanghai, wanting her to deal with the Minotaurs. Shanghai looked happy at this, and floated up next to Hunter, waiting for the right moment to strike.

As the Minotaurs started rounding the corner, Shanghai took a deep breath.

Shanghai「Spike Impression」

Just as the Minotaurs noticed the group there, Shanghai exhaled a large stream of green flame at them, completely engulfing all three. They screamed in pain, dropping to the ground and rolling, trying to put the flame out. Only, as the group was passing them by, they noted that their screams of pain sounded more like… laughter? They spared a glance back to see that they actually didn’t seem to be in pain, but were laughing as if being tickled.

Hunter turned to Tempest, pulling out a device and showing it to her, where words started to form, “Lucy is such an evil genius.” He texted her, before patting Shanghai on the head. Shanghai closed her eyes and gave a brilliantly adorable smile at this. Tempest chuckled.

“My Queen does nothing in moderation,” she replied, mirth in her eyes, before glancing about, eyes turning back to her serious demeanor. “But we should move on. It’s likely more will come.”

Nodding in agreement, they got back on track, stopping every few minutes to listen for anyone else trying to trap or ambush them. There were a couple of times where they ran into the guard, but Hunter quickly took care of them, knocking them out and continuing onward.

“What the Tartarus?! Iron Bull you milk drinker, get up and stop laughing like a little girl!” Steel Axe roared, having stomped up to the rails.

“What’s the matter? Upset you’re losing so badly, Horny?” Gilda teased. He rounded on her, pointing a finger at her.

“You stay out of this!” he yelled, before turning back to shout more obscenities at his Champions.

“That floating girl… She acted almost exactly like Spike there,” Twilight noted, ignoring the ranting of the Minotaur Emperor as her eyes were filled with interest while she watched the Storm Queen’s Champions.

“I’ll say,” Spike agreed with a nod. “I give that fire breath a 9 out of 10.”

Back to the Storm Queen’s Champions, they had reached the halfway mark, though they were soon confronted by the Zebra Champions, who jumped in front of their path. Shanghai immediately took a defensive position in front of Alexandria, gripping her weapon.

“Hmhmhm, seems you are in a position where there is no escape from,” said the Warrior-Shamaness, stalking forward and somehow twirling her glaive with her neck, tossing it in the air and catching with a hoof. She pointed the glaive at them. “Be ready for a thrashing, and a crashing.” With that, she lunged forth, her compatriots doing much the same.

Hunter easily sidestepped her attack, before disarming her glaive and tossing it aside. The Zebra mare was shocked by this and before she could react, Hunter instantly knocked her out with a karate chop to the neck, ending their little skirmish quickly.

Tempest tried to keep the other two from her and Alexandria, but they had reach, and her daggers did not. It was taking all she had to deflect and redirect their blows, all while keeping an anchor to Alexandria.

Then, one of the Zebras stopped the assault on Tempest as the other tripled his efforts against the mare. Tempest was more than easily preoccupied with just the one, and she didn't notice as the other circled around. The other Zebra made to attack Alexandria while Tempest was busy, but then Shanghai jumped in and took the full brunt of the strike. Though she staggered slightly from the force of the blow, her face didn't even flinch in the slightest, indicating that she likely felt no pain from it.

“I won't let you hurt her!” Shanghai declared to the wide-eyed Zebra. The Fairy then hefted her broadsword and swung at the Zebra. The Zebra shook off his surprise and brought his own weapon up to block the swing.

Shanghai「Lightning Slash」

Suddenly, electricity sprung to life on the blade of the broadsword mid-swing, and as it connected with the Zebra’s metal weapon, the electricity was conducted through it and into his body, temporarily paralyzing him. “That's what happens when you try and hurt her!”

As for Tempest, she was still fighting off the last Zebra, who was just about to go in for another strike at her, only to get tripped up by Hunter, falling face first on the ground. Before he could get up, Hunter knocked him out too. From there, he gathered all three of them up, found some rope hidden underneath their cloaks, and tied them up. Urgently, Hunter signaled to his team that they needed to get a move on, before they get ambushed again.

Tempest sighed in relief as they tried to rush as much as they could to their home plate. Sadly, the labyrinth had other ideas. Out of nowhere, a brick in the wall swung out and bonked Hunter in the head, knocking him over. Several more came at the others, and Tempest barely managed to dodge hers.

Shanghai used herself as a shield for Alexandria, taking all of the bricks in the stead of the preoccupied Yokai.

Dazed, Hunter got back up on shaking legs, shaking off the dizziness as he tried to get his senses straight. Once he did though, the brick wall came at him again, only this time he punched right at it, completely destroying it so that it wouldn’t bother him again.

He idly expected there to be roars of disapproval for basically breaking the rules, but instead he got a vocal response from the announcer, Grubber.

“Finally, someone uses their head, and it’s one of our very own Champions!” He grinned a fang-filled grin. “Oops, looks like I spilled the beans, folks. Now the match will REALLY heat up!”

Suddenly, the sound of more walls breaking occured, but as that happened, everyone noticed a great increase in the amount of guards, as well as the sounds of some traps firing off randomly. Now it was a real warzone.

“Come on, let's just bust through the walls and get back as quickly as possible!” Shanghai urged.

Nodding his head, Hunter took the lead with Shanghai, punching their way through walls and smashing some guards’ heads against each other. Of course, most were surprised as to how Hunter changed tactics: instead of working around the problems, he was taking it head-on. Even his attacks were fierce and very precise, striking harder at the guards. However, they were starting to adapt to his attacks, using their massive swords to block and push him back, while trying to score a hit on him. This forced Hunter into a difficult situation, as most were coming for him while he tried to defend himself, however possible.

One lucky guard’s massive sword caught him in the gut. While his armor did suffer damage, it still held, but the force was enough to push him further back. Staggered, Hunter fell to his knees and clutched his stomach with one hand, trying to get his breathing under control.

“Hunter!” Tempest cried, only to have to block against a swing from another guard’s ultra greatsword. She grunted at the force, but managed to knock it back and put the guard off balance. She looked to Hunter to find the same guard raising his blade to slam down on Hunter’s head. “Hunter! DODGE!”

Heeding her words, Hunter barely managed to roll out of the way as the massive blade came down, creating a large spider web of cracks and a small crater where the blade sunk into the turf. The guard noticed Hunter dodge, and tried to sweep the flat of the blade towards him to catch him. Seeing this, Hunter made a jump over the attack, and just as the guard was about to make his next move, Hunter rushed him, shoulder charging him before following up with a head-butt, leaving the guard dazed as he staggered backwards.

Suddenly, there was a heavy, metallic clang before a bolt of lightning came in from the sidelines of the fight, hitting home on the guard Hunter was fighting. The smoking guard slumped unconsciously to the ground, and the others turned to look at Alexandria, who had dropped the trophy to make that statement.

“Oooh, and a direct hit from the two-horned girl, with our holy Father’s light, no less!” Grubber chimed with the microphone. The Skili were cheering, greatly enjoying seeing one of their Champions blessing their home with more of their Father’s light. Alexandria quickly made the connection between ‘Storm Queen’ and lightning being held in high regard.

“Run along now, before I smite the rest of you too,” she taunted the other guards. To her surprise, they did so.

“Ohoho, what’s this? The two-horned girl is using this to her advantage! Gold star, girl, gold star!” Grubber cheered, the crowd joining in. Ayis gave a loud whistle of approval as Alexandria picked the trophy back up.

Tempest gazed around, seeing that the other teams had broken down walls just to get their trophies, and were hightailing it to their home plates, struggling with all the guards and traps setting themselves off.

“You didn’t say that was allowed! I call foul! Foul!” Steel Axe cried. Lucette chuckled daintily behind a hand.

“Your Majesty, you did read the rules in the handbooks I sent you all in the morning, did you not?” Lucette asked, smirking at him.

“...Handbook?” He managed to say, blinking a few times.

“Uhhh… Handbook? Was that the thing I tossed in the trash?” Rainbow Dash queried. The Ponies promptly facehooved. The other rulers made similar motions.

“Ugh, I knew I should have grabbed that thing!” Cadance groaned.

“Oh my,” Yukari tutted. “Well, I suppose late is better than never.” She then brandished several copies of the aforementioned handbook, one for each nation.

“Ah, thank you,” Celestia thanked, taking one in her magic. The other Ponies did much the same, with the remaining World Leaders taking theirs as well.

“You’ll find answers on the fourth page,” Lucette told them. They all flipped to said page, and after a moment of reading, their jaws dropped.

“The first round has almost no rules?!” They cried.

Lucette chuckled, nodding. “Yup. Skili tradition is that the Champions aren’t to be told the rules, while their patrons are. The patrons are sworn to secrecy as well. That’s why they normally bring the children up without telling them that simple fact until they’ve become a patron.” Lucette waved her hand airily. “The idea is for the Champions to use their heads and think outside the box. Hence why it’s called the Test of the Mind, or Trial of Warfare, because Skili believe warfare has no rules. Luckily, so do I.”

“That explains why Grubby had it changed up. He just gave them the answer,” Runner stated. “Of course, if it were a war scenario, there’s basically no rules you really have to abide. It’s just your own personal principle that you believe and stand by while on the battlefield.”

“Though, it may be a good thing that none of you read the handbooks beforehand,” Yukari commented. “Perhaps some of you would have forgone the oath to secrecy?”

“Yeah, I get the feeling of a dirty, scampy cheater from at least one of you,” Ayis noted, glaring at the World Leaders, her eyes lingering on Steel Axe for an extra moment. Steel Axe was about to start raging again, but he was interrupted.

“It would seem our brother has devised a plan,” Pillar spoke up, having everyone returning their gazes back to the arena. Hunter and the others gathered around their trophy and picked it up, before turning it on its side, aiming it straight at the wall.

“He and his team are going to use the trophy as a battering ram,” Guardian observed, as all four of them carried the trophy and started rushing on through the walls and made it back first in record time, placing their trophy down on their plate’s pedestal.

“AND IT’S GOOOOOD!! HOME TEAM WINS THE FIRST ROUND!” Grubber shouted, making a victory pose reminiscent of a rocker’s. The audience erupted in loud roars of joy and cheers, Ayis especially, who was whistling her heart out, while the other teams grumbled to themselves or made similarly dissatisfied motions. The Equestrians simply trudged back to their plate, the other teams soon following as the crowd continued to cheer.

“Well… Mission One accomplished, I suppose,” Tempest joked, lightly bumping Alexandria in the leg.

“AAAAAAAHHHHHH, WE DID IT!!” Shanghai shouted with absolute elation, rising a good two feet into the air and pumping her fists back and forth as she exuded pure joy.

“Yeah, we sure did,” Alexandria replied, a mixture of happiness and exasperation on her face.

Hunter was doing some stretches and cracking his neck, before turning to Tempest and texting his question, “There were no rules to begin with, were there?”

“I honestly didn’t know. As was custom, My Queen did not mention the subject, since I was her Champion,” Tempest replied. She looked up to where Lucette was in the booth. “Honestly, I like being on my toes, as she puts it, though.”

“Not knowing the rules, or lack of I guess, would probably promote a lot of thinking and decision making,” Alexandria reasoned. “It's perfect for a Test of the Mind.”

“The old Skili were always pretty advanced in terms of fighting. Even more so now. When the Storm King was around he just sort of ruined it with ideas of matter over mind,” Tempest said, clicking her tongue in distaste at the old King’s name.

“A quick wit can topple a surprising amount of brawn,” Alexandria agreed.

“No kidding,” Hunter texted. “So, any idea on how the next round will work?”

Before Tempest could answer, a flurry of black feathers slammed into Alexandria, causing her to stagger back as Ayis gave her a quick kiss. “I knew you could do it!” the Fallen Angel congratulated her wife as she hugged her close. “I would've been pissed if you lost to those schmucks.”

“Thanks Ayis,” Alexandria responded with a smile.

“Hey, hey, we won because I was a good bodyguard!” Shanghai chimed in, standing next to Ayis, hands on her hips and an angry pout on her face.

“Yeah yeah, you did great too Squirt,” Ayis said, ruffling the Fairy’s hair.

“Who are you calling ‘Squirt’?” Shanghai retorted, crossing her arms and standing just a bit taller to accentuate the fact that she was currently the same height as the Fallen Angel.

“You,” the Shanghai-like Fairy on Ayis’ shoulder answered flatly, giving Shanghai a look of mild annoyance.

“Aw, come on Nyilla, I'm not even shorter than her right now,” Shanghai responded, sounding a bit dejected.

“Your current size is artificial,” Nyilla stated matter-of-factly. “Your true size is much shorter than Ayis.”

Alexandria shook her head. “This could go on forever,” she said. “Why don't you just answer Hunter's question now Tempest? It'll be much faster to ignore these two instead of waiting for them to finish anyway.”

“Well, after a short thirty minute break, we have the Test of the Body, which is a Battle Royale that lasts until all other teams are knocked out or give up,” Tempest explained.

“Hehe, Alex is going to get to kick some ass,” Ayis responded happily. “I can already tell this'll be my favorite round.”

“Of course it will,” Alexandria said, ruffling Ayis’ hair a little as she shook her head.

“Heyyy, you know I don’t like that,” Ayis whined, lightly removing Alexandria’s hand.

“Sorry, I couldn't resist teasing you,” Alexandria told her with a bit of a giggle.

“Will there be rules, or is it going to play out like this one?” Hunter texted his next question.

Tempest nodded. “There will be rules. Grubber will explain them once we’re back out here,” she explained.

“Alright ladies and gentlemen,” Grubber began, interrupting any ongoing conversations. “We’ll be having a short thirty minute break, so go grab some delicious Lightning Candy or…” He licked his lips and shivered in delight, before continuing with, “...spongecake, and we’ll continue soon!” Grubber announced. A fair amount of the audience did just that, while others stayed in their seats and talked amicably.

The Champions were then led to the waiting/locker rooms, Ayis bidding her wife farewell as she flew back up to the VIP booth.

Inside the girl’s rooms, the female Champions were taking this time to clean themselves up from the last round, shedding what clothing they had on and heading to the showers. Alexandria seemed the most embarrassed, being the only one other than the cow who stood upright, and she was also one of the tallest ones there. It was obvious that she was uncomfortable with showing off her body so openly. She showered with her cheeks stuck on a perpetual cherry color, before she eventually made her way to her locker wrapped in a towel.

When she opened it, the hue on her cheeks somehow doubled and her heart dropped. “I swear to Heaven that this is Yukari's doing,” she mumbled as she looked at her change of clothes: denim short-shorts and a royal blue t-shirt that had a little bit of extra generosity to its v-neck. “I'll definitely be having more than just a few words with her after this.” Alexandria reluctantly put the clothing on, looking fairly upset.

“It's okay, you look really pretty Alexandria!” Shanghai assured her, having returned to her normal size. The shirt was a bit tight on Alexandria, causing it to press her breasts - large C-cups - together, putting a bit of cleavage on display. The short-shorts were also a bit tight, hugging her rear and accentuating its curve.

“I'm going to kill that damn Gap Hag,” was all Alexandria responded with, her voice laced with anger that was bordering rage.

“Uh, Pupa?” Stringy called from another aisle of lockers.

“Yes?” Pupa replied, pulling her head from her own locker and closing it.

“Is it just me, or was that horned one getting angry about something?” She questioned.

“Now that you mention it, she is getting angry,” Pupa said with a shudder as she sensed the emotion. “First she was all flustered and embarrassed, and now she's feeling angry. This might not go so well.” All Stringy could do was whine.

“We've got to win at least one of these rounds!” Stringy whined out.

“Calm down. Whining about it won’t help,” Pupa told her off. “We just need to come up with a plan.”

“I’m more interested in how she will do in this weather, she has neither fur nor feather,” said the Zebra Warrior-Shamaness as she stepped into a shower herself, dousing herself off. “It cannot be easy for a creature like her, to be here without any fur.”

“Then why don’t you explain how the Storm Queen can weather through this place?” Pupa queried. “Last time I checked, they’re both the same. No fur, no feathers.”

“Not to mention, you lost to them in a fight in that first round,” Stringy added.

“Please, that was beginner’s luck, I just didn’t duck,” the Shamaness replied. “And besides, there’s no way she’ll last long, she’ll soon enough hear sleep’s song.”

“Talkin’ shit over here?” asked the cow as she came up to them.

“She was,” both of the Changelings replied, pointing towards the Zebra mare. “But what’s your take on the Storm Queen’s Champions?”

“Well, to quote my husband, ‘they were damn good fighters. You have to respect that,’” she answered. “Though he’d probably also be wanting a straight up fight anyway. Always more of a hit first ask questions later - or however that saying goes - kinda guy.” She stepped into her own shower after shedding her armor.

“Fair enough,” Pupa said with a sigh.

The cow looked to where the grumbling Alexandria was sitting, and, after drying off and wrapping a towel around herself, walked over and sat down next to her with a wump!

“So, got a name kid?” she asked, looking down at her.

“I'm not a kid,” Alexandria answered irritably. The cow could almost imagine the vein on the Yokai’s forehead. “And it's Alexandria Kijin.”

“Compared to me, everyone’s a kid. Well, save for those Pony Princesses, but still,” the cow shrugged, jiggling her own pair of breasts a bit. She stuck out a hand to the girl. “Name’s Golden Bladde. That’s two D’s, by the way.” Alexandria looked at the hand for a few moments. Then she sighed and took it.

Golden shook it firmly, before letting go and going silent for a bit. She eventually pulled out a flask from her breasts and took a swig, then spoke again.

“So, why you so embarrassed about your goods?” she asked out of nowhere. “Far as I’m concerned you should be proud of ‘em.”

“Some people are okay with showing off their bodies, some aren't,” Alexandria answered. “I'm one of the latter.”

“Well, not like you’re gonna give anything to ‘em but looks. Plus, from what we saw on the way here and at the stands, the Skili women got us all beat. Doubt their men would be too interested anyway when they’ve got girls like those,” Golden replied, taking another swig. She offered it to Alexandria. “Want some? Helps the nerves.”

“I wouldn't want them interested in me anyway; I'm already taken,” the Yokai answered before glancing at the flask. “What's in it?”

“Sack Milk,” Golden replied, shaking the flask a bit. “Think regular milk from my sister cows, but with a bit of a punch.”

“Is it alcoholic?” Alexandria asked, looking up at Golden.

“Only by .5%. My husband and son drink more than me. The punch comes from a specialty of us Minotaurs; Minotian Spiced Ice,” she shook the flask again. “Come on, it’ll help.” Alexandria looked slightly disappointed.

“I'd prefer sake right about now, but I guess I'll give it a go,” she replied, taking the flask and taking a quick drink from it. Her eyebrow raised a little as she returned the flask. “Not terrible. Not quite the same as sake, but it's alright.”

“Sake? Sounds like some of the alcohol we have back home. Didn’t know your kind knew of it, then again it is pretty popular,” Pupa said, coming up to the two. “You guys swapping liquors?”

“Eh, depends on if you count .5% as liquor. I don’t,” Golden replied. Pupa made a face.

“Eugh, that sounds weak. We brought some liquor with us if you’d rather try that, uh… Alexandria, was it?” Pupa offered.

“Yeah,” the Yokai answered. “You said you had something like sake?”

“Yep. Although, it might taste a little different. There’s a hint of honey mixed with it, so it’ll have a bit of a sweet aftertaste,” Pupa explained.

“Alright, you've caught my interest,” Alexandria replied, before turning to look at Golden. “Not that I didn't like what you had to offer, I just prefer something a bit stronger.”

Golden shrugged. “No skin off my back. Just means more Sack Milk for me!” she said with a grin, taking a longer swig of her drink.

“Here,” Pupa handed a flask over to Alexandria after pulling it from her locker. “It's called Cocoon Silk.”

Alexandria took the Changeling’s flask and took a drink from it. Her eyes lit up. “Mm, now this is nostalgic, but with its own flair at the same time. It's very much like the sake I'm used to, but it's very smooth and quite a bit sweeter. It's very nice.” She took another swig from the flask before returning it. “I think I'll have to look into getting some for myself sometime.”

“Glad you liked it,” Pupa said with a smile.

“Say, what about the big green one?” Stringy asked. “I mean, he’s all alone with the other males, and he is somewhat responsible for leading some of them astray.”

“Hunter?” Alexandria responded. “He's really quiet, and a responsible man from my experience. I don't see any reason to worry.”

“I wonder why he doesn’t talk?” Pupa asked herself quietly, before shaking that thought away. “Anyway, where’s your partner?”

“I have no reason to associate with foreigners unless off-duty or when instructed otherwise,” Tempest replied simply, coming out of the shower with a towel wrapped around her head.

“Come on, lighten up a little,” Alexandria said. “You'd be surprised by what you can learn if you just chat with them.”

“And I meant that other girl,” Pupa corrected.

“Huh? Did you mean me?” Shanghai asked, surprised. She had been floating near Alexandria's shoulder the whole time, idly listening to the conversation.

“Whoa!” Pupa said in shock. “What happened to you?”

“Nothing? This is how I always look,” the Fairy answered in confusion.

“Really? You can change your appearance?” Stringy asked curiously. Shanghai still looked confused.

“Oh!” Alexandria said, figuring out what was going on. “This is their first time seeing you at your natural size Shanghai.”

“That’s her natural size?” Pupa asked, surprised.

“If that’s her true form, then what is she exactly?” Stringy questioned.

“I'm a Fairy!” Shanghai answered proudly.

“Yeah,” Alexandria confirmed. “Fairies can vary in size; anywhere from being able to fit in the palm of my hand to as large as Shanghai was earlier. I actually know a Fairy that's 4 foot 6.”

“Fairies? Kinda reminds me of Breezies, only that they can’t do any of the things these Fairies seem to be able to do,” Pupa commented.

“Really? Could you tell me more about these Breezies?” Alexandria questioned, as Pupa began to explain what she knew of the Breezies. All the while Sweetie Drops was watching quietly, taking mental notes of Alexandria’s behavior and what she said.

Over in the Men's locker room, the males were talking amongst themselves. All but Hunter, that is, as he fixed himself up from the injury he had taken, using a syringe of some sort. Iron Bull noticed this, and, seeing a chance to possibly get some intel, walked over.

“Hey, how’s it going?” he asked, walking over, towel draped over his neck.

Hunter looked up to the bull, and just gave a wobbling flat hand sign, saying ‘So-So’.

“Cool, cool. Say, you got some pretty sweet armor, you in a merc band with those guys from before? I saw that you wear the same armor as them,” Iron Bull asked. The only answer he received wasn’t a very kind one, as Hunter’s eyes narrowed into a glare, one which made the bull back off. He raised his hands in placation. “Woah, woah, easy. Just being friendly. Not looking for a fight, we’ll do plenty of that later today anyways.”

His glare never left him until he entered to take his shower, leaving Iron Bull alone.

“Sheesh, tough crowd,” Iron Bull said, rubbing the back of his neck as he watched Hunter. He sighed, turning away and leaning back on one of the lockers. His son came up to him.

“Any luck?” he asked in a whisper. Iron Bull shook his head.

“Stupid maze and it’s stupid traps,” One of the Dragons grumbled in a different part of the spacious locker room. “Some round that was, carrying a worthless lump of scrap metal back to the start.”

“Hey, relax. We’ll get our chance in the next round,” the other told him, as Hunter walked past all of the males and went to his locker on the far end of the room.

“Yeah, with some pay back,” the first one snorted, as the elder of the two shook his head.

In another part of the room, the Griffons were also talking amongst themselves. “Seriously, why doesn’t that guy say a word?” One of the Griffons questioned, seeing Hunter drying off, tying his hair up and putting his armor back on.

“Who knows, man. But he creeps me out,” another said with a shiver.

“Other than that, it sucked that we couldn’t fly,” the first said with a sigh, before pointing to Hunter. “I mean, that guy and his team used their trophy as a battering ram, breaking through all the walls and they made it back to their point.”

“No shortage of ingenuity,” the third one and eldest one told them. “Because apparently, there were no rules.” With that, the other two groaned and just put their gear back on.

“From what I read, the Skili have that traditional rule of no flying because their skies are so tumultuous that you would just be blown about, eventually breaking something from how rough the winds are,” came the elderly tones of Starswirl, currently reading a tome on the Skili, with several more next to him on the bench. “Thus why they had to develop airships with such metals and density.”

“Okay, that explains a lot of the things we’ve seen from them,” Shining Armor said with a nod as he dried his mane, having just gotten out of the shower.

“Can’t we just break up the clouds, then?” Flash Magnus suggested, pausing in his cleaning of his shield to look at Starswirl. Starswirl shook his head.

“On top of the storm being magical in nature, the Skili would consider removing the clouds an act of war. They believe their land has been blessed by some, ‘Father Sky’, and anyone invading his ‘domain’ without consent, much less breaking parts of it, would be a great insult,” Starswirl explained, flipping a page. “Apparently, that’s why they bring shrines with them on every ship, to ‘respect the Father.’ Fascinating, isn’t it?”

“So, this ‘Father Sky’ is like a deity to them?” Shining asked. “Do they have any others like him?”

“Indeed. A ‘Mother Earth’. They even believe that they were born from the two deity’s consummation,” Starswirl answered.

While they were talking, Hunter used his telepathy to contact Lucette and the others. “The Minotaurs were trying to get me to talk, though that’s physically impossible, they wanted me to tell them about ‘us’. They’re clearly going to get desperate at some point.”

Lucette heard the voice, spared a glance back at Steel Axe, who was busy talking to Gilda, before turning back to the arena and replying, “Keep an eye on them. And if they try anything… harmful, then just snap your fingers to any of the guards. They’ll know what it means, and I’ve instructed them to listen to any basic commands from you guys.”

“Got it. Other than that, some of the other Champions are getting all huffy-puffy about the first round, some are probably going to be playing dirty, while the rest are fine or learning about your people’s history and beliefs. And I must say, it sounds almost identical to one of the religions back home,” Hunter said to her as he watched the Equestrians talk more about the Skili’s culture. “The one with Father Sky and Mother Earth.”

“That does sound familiar,” Berserker chimed in.

“Early religions like the Greeks and Romans had personifications for the earth and sky, yeah. The Skili don’t, though. They just believe they have a joined Champion, one who speaks for them both at the same time. According to the books, it’s been over three thousand years since the last one,” Lucette explained. “Anyway, thanks for the info. Keep me updated.”

“Got it,” Hunter nodded a little bit as he saw the Minotaurs coming out from the showers. He then saw the male Changeling Champion walking up to him.

“So… You don’t talk, do you?” he deduced, looking up at Hunter, who simply shook his head. Pharynx grunted. “Well, guess that’s a good thing. Never liked chatterboxes all that much.” He raised a hoof to Hunter. “Nice to meet you. Name’s Pharynx, Thorax’s brother and Captain of the Watch and Guard.”

Hunter reached out to his hoof and gave it a quick shake. Pharynx gave him a fang-filled grin as he lowered his hoof. “Can’t wait for the next match. Heard it’s gonna be a battle royale.” His grin grew. “My blood is pumping for action. What about you?” Hunter answered with a simple shrug. “Well, guess I’ll see you there anyways. Try and give me a good fight, yeah?” He flashed another grin, before walking off towards the showers.

As for Hunter, he just shook his head. While he admired the younglings’ enthusiasm, Pharynxs’ attitude still held a sense of overconfidence, something of which tends to cost one more so than naught. Just then, Berserker came into the men’s locker room, surprising most of those who saw him, as he walked towards Hunter. Seeing him, Berserker pulled out the sword from his back and handed it over to Hunter, who took it and gave him a strange, alien-looking device.

The Minotaurs were curious as to why they made this exchange, however, before they could ask, Berserker turned to face them, giving them a Death Glare they wouldn’t soon forget. Afterwards, Berserker left the room, not uttering a single word while Hunter placed his brother’s sword on his back.

All three of the Yak Champions were, strangely enough, listening to traditional Yak music, swaying to it. They didn’t seem to have a care in the world. The two Zebra stallions were just meditating, inn the showers, no less.

And then, Grubber’s voice echoed throughout the stadium. “Alright ladies and gents, are you ready for the second round?!” A resounding cheer in affirmation could be heard. “Awesome! Let’s get our contestants out here then! Oh contestaaaaaants~!”

Hearing this, everyone exited the locker rooms and rallied out to the arena, regrouping with their female companions. Alexandria was by far the easiest to pick out, a blazing blush on her cheeks that sort of clashed with the frustrated expression on her face. If anyone cared to follow her death-glare gaze, they would’ve found it drilling right into Yukari’s eyes in the VIP booth. Yukari was simply smiling sweetly in response. Meanwhile, Ayis gave a whistle of approval, which admittedly didn’t help.

Thankfully, there were no lecherous stares from the crowd. The Champions, however…were a bit different. While most didn’t want to stare at her out of decency, one of the younger Griffons was sneaking a few quick glances her way, liking what he saw. Alexandria noticed the Griffon’s ogling, and stalked up to him dangerously. The Changelings could feel a struggle between wrath and restraint wafting off of Alexandria as she approached the offending Griffon.

“Hey buddy,” she started glacially. “Want to know something?” The Griffon didn’t know what to make of this question. Alexandria just continued without really waiting for a response. “I’ve always wondered what someone would look like after running ten thousand volts of lightning down their spine.”

The Griffon paled at that. “…Please have mercy on me.”

“Only if you stop ogling at what’s already taken, you lecherous twat,” Alexandria growled, clearly not in the mood for tolerance.

Getting the message, he looked away, trembling a bit in fear. Alexandria huffed as she stomped back over to Hunter and Tempest. Shanghai also looked much more irritable as she kept shooting glares at the Griffon.

“Alright contestants, please take your positions on your home plates again!” Grubber instructed. Doing as he said, they went to their home plates and stepped up onto them. From there, Grubber began to relay the rules. “Alright, in this round, we have the Trial of Strength!” Grubber twirled the microphone in his claws. “The rules are simple! Your goal is to either knock out the opposing team or make them submit! No killing, no poisoned weapons, and no fatal shots! So if I see any of you aiming to gut someone or chop a head or limb off, you will be immediately disqualified and sent home packing!” Grubber grinned. “Everyone got that?” Alexandria nodded, rubbing her temples. Shanghai was just silently steaming, floating in the air near Alexandria’s shoulder.

Hunter looked at the other Champions, seeing some of them agreeing while others grumbled. Taking out his Datapad, he showed his question to Tempest. “Would we get disqualified for breaking someone’s arm?”

“I believe so, but let me check with Grubber,” Tempest said, before voicing the question to Grubber.

“Ah, thanks Commander!” he replied, before looking back to the contestants. “One other thing, breaking another contestant’s arm or leg is also grounds for disqualification!”

“... I’ll try not to break arms or legs, or any of their bones.” Hunter texted, before putting away the Datapad, making Tempest sigh.

“…Damn it,” Alexandria muttered.

“That man deserves it though,” Shanghai added, still reflecting Alexandria’s mood.

“Well, they don’t say anything about choke holds or the like,” Tempest pointed out. “That can be just as fun, trust me.”

“Did that guy seriously just ask if breaking others’ bones was allowed?” one of the Griffons asked.

“That’s insane, and inhumane,” a Zebra muttered.

“As if he could ever break mine,” a Dragon huffed.

“At least it’s not allowed,” Shining whispered to himself.

“Goddammit. One of my favorite things to do when I’m killing, and it’s not even permitted,” Berserker sighed, shaking his head. “It would’ve been fun to watch.”

“Yeah. And besides, it’s not even gonna kill the wusses,” Runner stated as he leaned back into his seat. “One problem though, you gave Hunter your sword.”

“I know. But he’s not gonna kill them all. He might not even use it,” Berserker waved off. “Still, Lucy, anything interesting going to happen in this round? From what we saw in the last round, there has to be something worthwhile.”

“Oh yes, plenty of straight up combat, with a few changes to terrain every now and then,” Lucette replied, smirking.

“Sounds like my kind of challenge!” Gilda said with her own grin.

“Hey, chicken-shit, all you ever do is fly around and shit on everyone else,” Runner retorted.

“What the buck did you say?!” Gilda cried, glaring at him.

“Sheesh, they can’t even handle a little bit of criticism. Bunch of snowflakes,” Runner said, rolling his eyes, not that they could see it through his helmet.

“I’ll bet you fifty bits that I’d knock you down in ten seconds flat!” Gilda boasted, puffing up her chest.

“Hey! That’s my line, G!” Rainbow said indignantly.

“Friends, please, let’s just watch the show,” Celestia chimed in softly.

“That would be preferable, yes. And Runner, please, try to tone it down,” Lucette lightly scolded, but the only response she got from him was the middle finger. Lucette sighed, shaking her head. ‘I’d rather not have a war on my hands, Runner. Nor would I like to essentially cut you off from this world as a result. Just…tone it down.’ She told him through the telepathic link.

“Alright, fine. You win.” Runner replied, dropping the middle finger and just sighing.

“Grrr… Fine, whatever. But if he does that again I want a one on one match,” Gilda conceded. Lucette raised a brow, then looked to Runner.

“Hey, I don’t mind. I just hope she doesn’t disappoint me,” He said with a shrug.

“Hmph,” Gilda grunted, looking back towards the arena.

“Alright everyone, ready to get the second round underway?!” Grubber called to the audience. A cacophony of cheers in the positive was his answer. “Alright then! Leeeet’s get it oooon!” He once more did a pose, and the ground started to rumble again. His little podium rose up, and a number of poles rose from the turf, surrounding the plates in a square ring. Soon after, the sound of multiple pistons rang out, and metal bars shot out of holes in the poles, connecting each pole to one another, and boxing the contestants in. Grubber’s podium raised until it was a good ten feet in the air, and then the top stretched enough that he could walk around a little. “Ready?” He called, then without warning said, “START!”

Immediately, the contestants rushed for one another.

The Storm Queen’s Champions were forced to split up, as one of the Minotaurs came charging at them. Soon Hunter found himself surrounded by all three of them, as the others were, unfortunately, dealing with their own problems.

“Heh, looks like it’s just us, eh bub? Let’s make it fun, yeah?” Iron Bull said, before swinging his axe hard towards Hunter, his wife doing the same with her own weapon. What they didn’t expect though, was seeing him stopping both of their weapons with his bare hands, which shocked them. “Well that’s… Okay, that was actually a good move. Still…” Iron Will came up behind Hunter, grabbing him and suplexing him hard into the ground.

Surprisingly, Hunter got back up and started pushing back against Iron Will, before stunning him as Hunter kicked him in the guts, sending him backwards as he forced the other two away from him. For the Minotaurs, this wasn’t going as planned.

Meanwhile, Tempest was facing off against the Crystal Ponies and Equestrians, all by herself. She was dodging between magical bolts, sword swipes, shield bashes from Flash Magnus, and dive bombs from the other pegasi like a graceful dancer, not once getting hit.

“Grr… Stay still!” Shining Armor growled out. She landed in front of him, smirked, and bucked him into his fellow Champions.

“I’ll pass, thank you,” she replied wittily.

“Now, Flash!” Star Swirl cried, and the Pegasus soldier nodded before making for another dive bomb on Tempest, shield raised. Tempest’s smirk only grew as she pulled her specially made gun from it’s holster and fired, the bullet knocking the shield out of Flash’s grasp, and as he neared her, unable to stop his approach, she bucked him hard in the barrel, sending him flying into a bolt of magic from Star Swirl, then through it and into the old unicorn. Tempest just chuckled, putting her gun back in it’s holster.

Meanwhile, those in the VIP Booth were shocked along with a good few of the Champions who saw the exchange. “What… What was that?” Celestia queried, turning to Lucette.

“I would like to know as well, I have never seen a weapon with such a yell,” said Zendaya.

“I’m pretty curious too. Never heard of a weapon that spits fire like a dragon,” Ember agreed.

“Is it some form of magic?” Twilight asked, curiosity alight in her amethyst eyes.

“Alchemy?” Cadance continued.

Lucette chuckled, shaking her head. “Closer to alchemy, and nowhere near magic,” she said, before grinning and shooting them a wink, raising a finger to her lips. “Afraid it’s a secret, though.”

Meanwhile, Alexandria had rushed the Griffons, still steaming at what had happened earlier. Without a word, or even a gesture from the Yokai, Shanghai flew ahead of Alexandria, her broadsword drawn. Shanghai very deliberately made for the Griffons’ left side, raising her broadsword.

“Oh crap!” One of them yelped, the very same one that ogled at Alexandria, before jumping out of the way of Shanghai’s attack.

At this, Alexandria raised a hand, making a subtle hand gesture.

Reverse Sign「Turn Over」

Suddenly, Shanghai vanished, instantly appearing to the Griffons’ right instead, her attack continuing uninterrupted, though mirrored as her broadsword began to emit a white haze.

Shanghai「Chill Blade」

Shanghai’s broadsword connected with the lecherous Griffon before he could react, freezing him solid.

“Holy Mother of-!” one of the others began, before he was silenced as a bolt of lightning hit him. It was weakened, so it wasn’t a lethal blow, but it was plenty enough to render him unconscious in one strike.

“Ah crap,” The last, older Griffon said with a groan, realising that he was the last one standing in his team. “This is gonna suck.”

“You bet it is,” Shanghai agreed angrily from behind his head, just before she knocked him out with a strong blow to the connection between his neck and head using the flat of her broadsword.

Back to the Minotaurs, they were having a hard time trying to deal a decisive blow to Hunter. Either he outmatched them, outwitted their plans, or had them almost knocking one another out. They also learned that he was holding back, which agitated them a bit. Iron Will went in for a strike, while Hunter stood there only for the Minotaur to miss him at the last second, disappearing from sight. He didn’t have time to react as Hunter knocked him out from behind with a karate chop, falling to the ground. Both parents were shocked and confused by this, as they couldn’t tell what just happened as Hunter moved away from their son and focused on them.

Their two on one fight soon turned into a five on one fight, however, as the Dragons joined in, alternating between fighting the Minotaurs and Hunter. One of them, the oldest Dragon, took a deep breath before flames rocketed out of his mouth towards the man. Everyone was shocked as they saw the Dragon’s flames consume him, seeing as he did not move to avoid the attack. Once the Dragon relented though, and as the flame and smoke cleared, there was nothing left. Not even a body.

When Ember saw this, she started to feel worried that one of her Champions had, unwittingly, killed one of the Storm Queens’ Champions, while the other World Leaders just glared furiously at her. However, something completely unexpected happened. Behind the older Dragon, coming out from his shadow, was Hunter. Literally. Unscathed and uncharred. This left everyone breathless, save for the Doom Marines, Lucette, Guardian and Yukari.

The rest of the Champions were stunned as they watched, while the Dragons and Minotaurs did not dare to move. Tapping the Dragon’s tail that tried to burn him with his boot, the Dragon stiffened up for a bit, before shakily turning around to face the man he almost killed. Looking down at Hunter, he saw him looking up to him, arms folded and giving him a look of disappointment and annoyance making the Dragon feel like a little hatchling that had done something wrong and was getting a scolding from his father, even if he couldn’t see Hunter’s face.

Unfolding his arms, the Dragon gulped as he waited for whatever punishment he was going to receive from the silent warrior, even if it meant having his life taken in order to preserve the peace. He thought that Hunter was going to draw his brother’s sword, but was wrong as the Dragon saw him taking a fighting stance, his left arm extended out in front of him with his palm open, his right cocked back, fingers extended fully.

“Is he...going to pierce my heart?!” The Dragon thought in a panic, shaking more on the spot as Hunter crouched a bit, readying himself.

Then, he struck, pouncing forward and thrusting his right straight towards his chest. The Dragon flinched and closed his eyes tight, not wanting to see it as the audience gasped. He was waiting for his end to come, and yet it didn’t, so he slowly opened his eyes back up, seeing Hunter’s attack stopped, his fingertips just millimeters away from his chest. He thought that maybe he changed his mind and decided not to kill him, however he saw Hunter slowly curling his fingers into a fist. Then he lowered it to his stomach.

“W-Wait, is he planning on punching me instead!? Then how is he suppose t--?” The Dragon’s train of thought was cut off as Hunter clutched his fist and thrusted it forward, punching the air out of the Dragon’s lungs. But that wasn’t all, as Hunter conjured a Wind Tunnel from his attack, sending the Dragon spiralling off the ring and into a wall. The Dragon fell to the ground with a long winded wheeze. “... Paaaaaiiiiiiiiin~.” Was the last thought he had before blacking out.

All within the stadium stayed silent, as Hunter stood up straight and took in a few deep breaths. The guard soon rushed over to the two remaining Dragon Champions, intent on arresting them, but Hunter raised a hand and stopped them, shaking his head. They were confused as to why, but they saw him draw the sword from his back, watching the Shadows that covered the entire thing. Lifting it high up, Hunter brought the blade down onto the ground, shattering the tiles with the force he put into the swing as it cracked and broke, but not cut. But this also showed the guards that, despite what almost happened, Hunter’s intentions were known; he wanted to finish what the Dragons started.

The two remaining Dragon Champions gulped as they prepared themselves, while the guard nodded to Hunter and moved to retrieve the unconscious Champions, quickly leaving the ring with them. The Minotaurs opted to retreat, moving away from Hunter and the Dragons. None of the other Champions resumed their battles, as all eyes were focused on their fight.

The Dragons made the first move, charging towards him with claws out. Hunter ran forward, sliding underneath their predictable attack and tripped the second Dragon up. Stopping, he turned and charged for the other Dragon, coming up from behind him. The third saw this and went to take a swipe at the Doom Marine, only for him to miss as Hunter jumped over it and swung the sword to his scaly torso, feeling the force behind it as he was sent flying off the ring, wheezing for breath as he clutched his chest.

The second Dragon got up as quick as he could, though Hunter was already on top of him. Surprised, he panicked and took a swipe at the silent warrior, only to have it smacked aside by the flat side of the sword. He tried again with the same result. Soon enough, his hands stung badly no matter where he was swiping or how fast or how hard he threw it, getting them smacked away was wearing him down a bit. Miraculously, he managed to use his tail to separate Hunter from his sword.

The second Dragon thought he had a chance now, only for it to be swiped away from him and crushed. He found himself being beaten around by Hunter, who was using his martial arts as the Dragon had no time to defend himself. With each hit, Hunter was pushing the second Dragon towards the edge of the ring, inflicting great damage unto him as he stopped near the edge, looking at the disoriented Dragon, who was having trouble trying to stay standing. Uppercutting him in the chest, the Dragon flew up and backwards and fell off of the ring, groaning in pain.

All three Dragon Champions were defeated and disqualified.

When that happened, all of the other Champions moved away from the Storm Queen’s and gathered on the other side of the ring, huddling up and whispering amongst each other. Alex and Tempest regrouped with Hunter as he retrieved his brother’s sword.

Alex gave Hunter something of an impressed look. “Nice job there,” she congratulated the silent Marine, who nodded back to her in appreciation.

He then looked back up towards the booth, where his brothers, their Guardian, the World Leaders, and Lucette were. Ember’s head hung low in shame, while the others looked on in stunned awe, or were wanting answers for what had just happened.

Lucette turned glacially to Ember. “So, Your Highness, what shall you do now?” Ember fidgeted a bit.

“...I’ll have to make an example of those three, for starters,” she began slowly. She raised her eyes to Lucette’s glowing ones. “Then, well…” she sighed. “Wow, this is hard.” She shook her head. “I’ll have to make amends. Somehow.”

Lucette hummed, then slowly smiled. “Well, a trade agreement would be a good start. But first, we should make a public apology to my subjects, before they ask for retribution, or worse, war.” Lucette’s cold smile didn’t change, even as Ember’s pupils shrunk at the mention of war. After seeing what this woman had at her disposal, she no longer had any doubts about her strength. In fact, she was scared of it. Especially if one of her brothers was so easily dispatching her best warriors. If he could do so with such ease, she had little reason to believe his sister couldn’t do the same.

“R-R-Right, of course,” Ember said quickly, standing up with Lucette as they addressed the crowd.

“My subjects! I understand your anger at the careless actions and blatant disregard for our sacred customs,” she began, making Ember wince, along with many of the other rulers, even more so when the Skili roared in agreement. Lucette raised a hand to silence them, then continued after they calmed enough. “But I have reason to believe their leader did not plan this! And, even so, rest assured, she will pay for their error.” Ember hung her head. “However, I ask that you please allow her to apologize!” The Skili went quiet, and their many collective eyes were glued to Ember. Ember gulped at this, then quickly bowed her head to them.

“I-I’m terribly sorry for the actions of my subordinates! I’ll make sure to give them their proper punishments once I return to my lands! P-Please forgive them!” she cried, bowing even more deeply. Silence reigned in the stadium, filled only by the sounds of the ever present storm. Ember began to worry she would never be forgiven, and be forced into war, but then, the Skili slowly stomped their feet. Once. Twice. Thrice. Then four times. Finally, they stopped, and Ember looked up at them, then to Lucette, who was smiling.

“Thank you, my subjects! I am in awe of your kindness! Now, let us continue our great tournament with no further interruptions!” Lucette declared. The Skili cheered, if only at a more reserved level, and she waved to them, before sitting back down. “There, problem solved. We can go over the trade agreement later tonight. Sound good?” Ember quickly nodded. Lucette’s smile grew. “Wonderful. Now, sit, please. I won’t deny you your given seat to the show, even if your subordinates did something so careless.” Ember sat down without another word, a chill running down her spine.

Steel Axe watched this with great interest. ‘That was more of a masterful manipulation then I thought… I’m going to have to be a lot more careful here on out…’

‘That was some excellent planning, I must admit,’ Yukari thought to herself, without so much as turning to glance away from the arena. ‘It reminds me of myself, almost.’

After they had all calmed down, Twilight began asking Berserker about the sword Hunter bore, both worried and curious.

“... Will you stop asking questions about what Hunter pulled off?” Berserker groaned in annoyance as Twilight tried to get answers from him and his brothers. “And no, we don’t care if you think it’s Dark Magic. Now just shut the fuck up and sit down.”

‘Well, that could have gone better. But still, it seems that things are looking interesting,’ Guardian thoughtfully commented about the fight between Hunter and the Dragons. ‘Although, now the other Champions are going to try and get rid of them all. They don’t want anymore surprises coming from our team.’

This much was made obvious when they all broke off their huddle and slowly surrounded the Storm Queen’s Champions. Alex braced herself a bit as this happened, getting ready to resume the fight. Hunter quickly backhanded Flash Magnus, who tried to swoop in from behind him. After that he grabbed a hold of the Champion and threw him back at Starswirl, knocking them both back.

Tempest slammed the butt of one of her blades into a Minotaur’s groin, then fired a shot from her gun at one of the Yaks who had tried to charge her, stopping his charge by aiming for the area in front of his stomping hooves and stunning him from the sudden action, causing him to tumble.

Soon enough they got the idea of splitting up, dividing the other Champions as they followed, creating a little more space for each of them. Hunter was up against a couple of Changelings, the Zebra mare from before, and the female Minotaur, Alex and Shanghai were going up against the two Zebra stallions, one Changeling and all three Yaks, while Tempest was left with the one male Minotaur, the Equestrians and the Crystal Champions.

Tempest grunted as she dodged to the best of her ability, being given little time to counterattack. Alex’s opponents were giving her much the same trouble, being a lot faster than she predicted.

“D-Dammit…” she grunted under her breath as she narrowly avoided a coordinated attack from the two Zebras. It was at that moment the Changeling - Pupa - had suddenly gotten behind her without her noticing.

“Hah!” Pupa shouted as she struck Alex in the head, knocking the woman to the ground.

Alex tried to quickly roll over and get up, but was stopped by a Yak putting his foot on her back. “Sorry, but you not getting back up,” he said to her gruffly.

“That’s what you think…” Alex managed to get out. “Sh-Shanghai…! Do something, anything…!”

“You get away from Alexandria!” Shanghai’s rageful shout was immediately followed by a flash of light as she transformed. Her eyes and hair became a vivid yellow, and her dress had changed into a white hoodie and matching sports shorts with yellow circuitry motifs on them, her shoes also having been exchanged for white sneakers accented in yellow. As she spoke again, drawing a pale white-gold rapier, her voice sounded a bit deeper and more mature, matching the fact that her figure had filled out a little. “Otherwise, I won’t hold back!”

“Haha! So you show true colors! Bring it on, then!” the Yak cried, tensing his body for battle.

The Zebra stallions twirled their bone and metal glaives as they pole vaulted into the air with them, aiming to slam their weapons down onto the doll and knock her out with one clean, coordinated move. Pupa, though, helped to pin down Alex.

Shanghai then dashed with a shocking amount of agility, threading between the two Zebras, freezing the blade of her rapier to make it into more of a club, before swiftly slamming the makeshift ice club into the Zebras’ backs in quick succession, adding to their momentum to propel the duo into the ground, face-first. She then rushed Pupa and the Yak holding Alex down. This happened in less than six seconds.

The Yak and Pupa only had enough time for their eyes to widen, before Shanghai reached them, having increased in size to 4’6” without them noticing. She performed a rapid twirl, knocking both Champions to the side with her ice club, before taking a protective stance over Alex, glaring at the opposing Champions with her eyes, which they finally noticed had had the pupils replaced with pure white power button symbols. Alex pushed herself to her feet and stood behind her soul-bound companion.

“Thanks,” she said, while glaring at the opposing Champions along with Shanghai. “Though, I would’ve preferred you to keep these trump card abilities a secret. But, too late for that.”

“What in the world?! How is she so fast?!” cried Cadance in shock from the VIP booth.

“And how did she change so quickly? I didn’t think she could shapeshift!” Twilight wondered.

“Not to mention that shift in personality,” Celestia added, watching closely.

Lucette simply smiled. “Well, that’s my little sisters for you. They’ve always been full of surprises. It runs in my family, honestly.” She giggled daintily behind her hand.

“Oh yes, Shanghai especially has gotten that trait, possibly to more of an extent than anyone else,” Yukari added with a small giggle of her own.

“That...is pretty fucking badass,” Runner commented, with the others nodding their heads in agreement.

The other Champions saw this and stopped their fighting momentarily, stunned by Shanghai’s transformation. It didn’t last long however as they soon got back to it.

Hunter was holding his ground, though he took some hits from the Zebra mare and Cow, while the Changelings were distracting him. This left an opening on him, his armor bearing some cuts and dents in it. With each strike made against him, their confidence grew.

Of course, when the Zebra went in for another attack, Hunter lifted up his left arm to defend against her, to stop her assault. She chuckled at his pitiful attempt to block, but was quite surprised with what happened next. Just when she was about to land a hit, a shield appeared on his arm, but it wasn’t made out of metal. Rather, it was made out of a translucent, blue, energized shield. Deflecting her attack, he moved in on her and bashed his shield in her face, making her fall back.

“Gah! What the Tartarus?!” she cried, falling on her rear and forgoing her rhyming.

Seeing this, the Cow lifted her Greatsword over her head, bringing it down on Hunter. He sidestepped it as the sword slammed down into the ground, missing him. He jumped up and slammed his boots on the blade, embedding it further so she couldn’t lift it back up. She had trouble trying to pull it back out, struggling more as Hunter turned his attention towards the Changelings. They weren’t feeling confident anymore.

“U-Umm… Prince? Maybe we should just give up…” Stringy suggested. Pharynx gulped, then slowly steeled himself and shook his head, trying to renew his drive for battle.

“No. I wanted a good fight, and I’m getting it. No way am I backing down now!” He yelled, charging in after changing into a Maulwurf, newly formed claws raised to strike Hunter down.

Dodging it, Hunter charged forward and leaped, kneeing Pharynx in the guts, causing him to gasp for air before climbing up as Hunter started to bash his sword’s flat end against the Maulwurf’s face. Pharynx tried to shake him off, thrashing about while Hunter held onto him tightly, even leading the beast around and causing havoc among the other Champions he and Tempest were fighting against, creating some commotion.

“Gah! Get off!” Pharynx roared, barreling into the other Champions, who cried out in pain as he did so.

Tempest grinned. “Well, seems you’re more resourceful than I thought, Hunter!” she cried, bucking Shining Armor away after he managed to roll away from Pharynx’s last charge and came out of it with his sword swinging.

By now, the Yaks, two other Zebras and Pupa had tried to get at Alex, but Shanghai had thwarted all of their efforts solo with remarkable speed. “I’ll only say this once,” Shanghai started. “I won’t let you touch Alexandria!” With that, she broke away from Alex and rushed the Yaks.

One began to tense up to sidestep the impending attack, only for Shanghai to swerve sharply around him and strike out at the Yak next to him, the ice on her rapier evaporating near instantly as it was replaced by flame.

Aku no Tsuihō「Agni Slash」

“Gah! What!?” The Yak shouted out in surprise.

“And take this for good measure!” Shanghai then wheeled around and delivered a reverse-roundhouse kick to the Yak, her heel making solid contact with his head, knocking him several feet away, unconscious.

Then, another Yak managed to catch her with his horns in a full-tilt charge. Shanghai turned to the Yak as she slid across the ground, and then grabbed his horns, digging her feet into the arena’s floor as much as she could, pushing back against the charge.

“Wha-!?” The Yak faltered in his shock that the doll seemed to be undeterred by his charge, giving Shanghai an opening to brace herself as she then flipped the Yak over sideways. “Woooah! Yak does not like thiiiis!” He cried as he landed a good few feet away on his back with a loud “Oof!”

Pupa shook her head, not liking how things were looking. She seemed to understand that attacking Shanghai was futile. As the bloodthirsty doll made for the third Yak while the second was struggling to get back up, she took notice that Shanghai had left Alex unattended, the latter seeming to be simply watching. Pupa then had an idea, and took this opportunity to sneak up on the unaware girl. “You fool!” she shouted as she then struck at Alex from behind.

“Wh-!? Ack!” Alex barely had time to react as she was struck in the back of the head and stumbled forward, but what really shocked Pupa was that as Alex bent forward, it revealed to her the sight of Shanghai recoiling as if she had just received the exact same strike. The doll shook her head, which then snapped to look towards the threat that stood behind Alex. At this moment, Pupa seemed to put two and two together.

“So you two are connected! Great! Two birds with one stone!” She said, slamming her warhammer into Alex’s legs.

“Ngah!” Alex cried out as she was floored by the attack, Shanghai having her legs knocked out from under her at the same time, seemingly from out of nowhere. As Shanghai fell, though, she shrank back down to her usual size, and as she reached the ground, what was easily recognizable as one of Yukari’s portals opened up beneath her swallowing her, as she exited from another one in midair next to Pupa a split-second later, rearing to deliver a counterattack.

“Foul! Foul! A VIP is tampering with the match!” Gilda roared as Pupa narrowly dodged the counterattack.

“I beg your pardon?” Yukari asked, actually straightening and turning, a slight frown on her face as she gave Gilda a look. “I’ll have you know, I’ve done nothing but watch this entire time.”

“Then explain that!” Gilda said, gesturing to Shanghai warping away from another of Pupa’s swipes. “We already had enough headaches when the Storm Queen told us she was going to be admitted as a member of the team, and she told us that that girl wouldn’t cause any problems! But here she is, using one of your abilities! Seems pretty fishy to me! Rigged, at that!”

Lucette smiled coldly as she turned to Gilda. “If you have a problem, my dear, especially with one of my family, I suggest you choose your words more carefully. I don’t take slights to my relatives very well.” Lucette’s smile spelled more than just a promise of retribution, but Gilda could see a hint of a warning of war.

Yukari gave Lucette a bit of a dismissive, sidelong wave. “No, no, she has enough reason to believe what she’s seeing is foul,” Yukari began.

“Exac-!” Gilda began triumphantly, pointing to Yukari.

“However,” Yukari cut her off sternly. “That’s only because you’re lacking a key piece of information.”

“Key piece of information?” Steel Axe asked, intrigued.

“Yes, Shanghai’s ability,” Yukari answered. “You don’t know what it truly is.”

“Well, what is it then?” Gilda asked, still accusatory.

“Shanghai has the ability to ‘learn the abilities of others through touch’,” Yukari replied.

“What?!” Twilight yelled, shooting to her hooves. “Really?” At Yukari’s nod, she continued, “That’s amazing! Is it hereditary? A special ability of Her Highness’ species, closely guarded? Tell me, please!”

“It’s nothing so incredible,” Yukari said simply. “It’s something more solely unique to Shanghai herself. Also, to elaborate on her ability, it requires more than simply physical contact. She can’t simply know another’s abilities by touching them, she must see an ability in action while maintaining physical contact with the user in order to learn it for herself. And going further, once she has learned an ability from a given individual in such a fashion, she becomes unable to learn any other abilities from the same individual.”

“So, what, she touched you or something at some point while you were using those creepy portals?” Gilda asked, still seeming somewhat unconvinced as she crossed her arms.

“Oh yes, I was quite shocked the other night when she latched onto me without warning, shouting such ridiculous things like ‘I’ve found you, you troublemaker!’ and ‘I won’t let you get away with playing tricks on people!’,” Yukari answered with a pleasant smile.

“See? Now, if you’re quite done slandering the good name of my family, I’d suggest we return to watching the match,” Lucette said with that same cold smile as she returned her view back to the stadium. Gilda growled, but remained quiet afterwards. Lucette’s smile turned vicious as she watched Grubber gesture to the watch on his wrist with a massive grin, and she nodded back to him, giving him two fingers in response, which only made his grin widen.

“Alright folks, time for the final surprise of this round! Engineers in the back, push those buttons and bring out the glorious stage designed by our lovely Queen!” he yelled into the microphone.

In moments, the ground of the stadium trembled, a giant rod of metal emerging from the earth and raising high into the sky, just behind Grubber’s podium. It was exactly like a lightning rod, and immediately it was struck by dozens of bolts of lightning, and the whole stadium shook as the top started to close, causing the audience to murmur loudly. When it finally closed fully, darkness covered the stadium, only to be replaced by the view of an entirely new sky.

One that filled the audience with an eerie feeling, as it was that of a blood red sky, with a giant moon dominating the scene, only it had strange black scars, like it was actually a machine whose outer layer was peeling or rusting off, and it was surrounded by a ring of fire.

Then, the ground shook, and the arena changed from being surrounded by metal poles, to being surrounded by burned, yet rotting wood, all sticking up like it was from a recently ripped off trunk of a tree. Furthermore, the ground changed to uneven ash, and swords and weapons of all sorts sprouted from the ash.

“We give to you, the Colosseum of Twilight!” Grubber cried, twirling the microphone. “And don’t worry too much folks, this little arena is staying for the last round as well! We have a surprise in store for all of you with that round!” He put his hand on his hip. “Now, with all these weapons around, if your own weapon is broken, feel free to grab a new one from the hundreds around ya!”

As Shanghai worked to fend off the assaults of the Yaks and Pupa from Alex, the two Zebra stallions took the opportunity to confront Alex themselves. However, as they approached, three of the nearby weapons - a symmetrical waraxe, a large spear, and a falchion - began to shake, before pulling free of the ash and flying over to Alex. She grabbed the falchion in her hand as the spear and axe floated in front of her.

“Oh my-!” cried one of them as he narrowly dodged a swipe.

“Hmph, all these metal weapons this arena has…” Alex began, a few more of said weapons joining the axe and spear around her. “…It’s quite the convenient synergy with my magnetism ability!” She then began a vicious assault against the two Zebras, consisting of the eight or so weapons she was managing to manipulate all at once.

“Woah!” yelped the other stallion, a falchion cutting off some of his mohawk as he ducked under the swipe. “Hey-!” he yelped again when he had to jump over a warhammer aimed at his legs. “B-Be careful!” he yelled, sidestepping a spear thrust. “You could actually kill us!”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’m being careful not to kill you,” Alex assured him. “I know that that’s grounds for disqualification. I might lightly injure you at worst though.” She then brought the warhammer in from behind him.

He felt the warhammer slam directly into his rear and was subsequently launched into a pile of wood, breaking it easily and falling face first into the ash. He let out a pathetic high-pitched whine, before falling unconscious. The other Zebra stallion was now alone, and was having trouble fending off the many weapons coming at him, twirling and deflecting with his glaive rapidly and desperately.

However, it wasn’t long until a waraxe knocked his weapon away from him, and he was then quickly knocked to the ground by the butt of a shortsword. As he looked up, he saw all the pointy weapons filling his view, point first, as Alex stood just behind them. He whimpered a little before hearing a sound that made his heart drop.

Vwaan.

The sound of one of those creepy portals sounded behind him. “Boo,” Shanghai said flatly before the makeshift ice club of hers knocked him out cold.

As for Hunter, he had already knocked out Pharynx, the Changeling returning to his original form, as he disappeared from his opponents’ sights. Stringy was shaken up, while Golden Bladde and the Zebra mare kept an eye out for him. They heard noises all around them, the ash making it difficult to see where the silent Marine was. Golden then went over to a spear and picked it up, holding it up to throw at him when she got the chance.

Suddenly, they saw him charging at them, coming out with his sword raised. Quickly, she threw the spear at him, only to see it go through him. Panicking, Golden brought her Greatsword up to defend herself from the attack, but found out that this wasn’t the real Hunter. Rather, it was a mirage of himself, as it passed through her before disappearing from existence like a ghost.

That was more than enough to make Stringy faint from the experience. The two Champions looked down at her unconscious body, before buddying up, back-to-back.

“Think you can detect him with that fancy sense of yours?” Golden asked. The mare shook her head. Golden grunted. “Well, in it for the long haul then, I guess…”

With Shanghai’s sudden departure to help knock out the final Zebra stallion, the attention of Pupa and the Yaks were drawn back to Alex, who still had a falchion in hand, and eight weapons of varying types ringed around her in midair. Alex turned to focus on the four Champions as Shanghai took a position next to her. Alex then made a ‘come at me’ gesture with the blade in her hand.

The Yaks seemed to take affront to this, and charged headlong into battle with her. Pupa took potshots at Alex with her magic, staying back. However, Shanghai simply went out of her way to block the shots, not even so much as flinching from any of them, in an effort to keep Alex undistracted as the Yaks approached.

As said Champions reached Alex, she twirled the eight weapons in front of her like a propeller, deflecting the Yaks’ horns. She then swept the warhammer across the helm of one, causing a low gonging sound from the impact. The unfortunate Yak’s eyes rolled up into his head from the literal ringing in his ears before slumping to the ground, unconscious.

The other Yaks growled at this, one of them catching her weapons with his horns and flinging them around them, then tossing them to the wayside and charging at her again. The other charged with him. Pupa continued to fire beams of magic, but now at Shanghai. To Pupa’s surprise, Shanghai then suddenly just vanished into thin air.

As the two Yaks charged Alex, she dropped the falchion as the warhammer from before flew into her hands, and she vaulted over the first one, simultaneously dodging Pupa’s renewed assault of beams at her in the process, bringing the large hammer down onto the second Yak’s helm as she came back down, knocking him out too.

As Pupa went to fire another magic beam, Shanghai suddenly reappeared right in front of her, catching her off-guard. “Let’s see how you like it!” the doll said to her as she brought her hands together.

Shanghai「Mini Spark」

Then, a mostly-white, rainbow-coloured beam of magic shot from Shanghai’s hands and slammed into Pupa like a truck, knocking her flat on her back. She then pelted Pupa with every single magic beam of Pupa’s that she’d endured earlier. She then drew her rapier again, her makeshift ice club forming over the blade as she lowered down to where Pupa was on the ground. “Well, sleep tight~” she taunted before knocking the Changeling out with a solid blow to the head.

The last Yak looked to all the fallen, then to the two girls before him, and slowly kneeled before them, bowing his head. “...Yak submits. You are strong warriors. Yak cannot win.”

Shanghai and Alex glance at each other. Alex then looks back to the Yak. “I'll accept your surrender then,” she says to him before gesturing to Shanghai to follow, the pair making their way over to Tempest to see if she needed any help.

Tempest was having the time of her life. She had effectively knocked the Crystal Champions out easily after firing blank rounds at them that blinded them, and then threw concussive clay bombs at them that knocked them out with just the blasts.

The only problems remaining for her were the Equestrian Ponies, and it was turning into quite a tough and heated battle, as Starswirl lived up to his reputation by unloading spell after complex spell at her, ranging from time-stops that forced her to quickly figure out the range of, to gravity spells and more. Flash Magnus seemed to have picked up some tricks from a certain Element of Loyalty, performing several flips and aerial maneuvers she was sure she’d seen the Wonderbolts use, all to dodge her bullets. Sweetie Drops was just generally keeping the pressure on her by continuously trying to close the distance between them.

As Alex approached, she quickly took stock of the various troubles plaguing Tempest the most. Deciding on how she could best handle it, she made a snap decision to reveal one of her final tricks as she dropped the warhammer. Receiving silent direction from Alex, Shanghai moved to do something about Starswirl, while Alex leaped up, taking to the air to deal with Flash Magnus.

Flash whirled around to face her. “So, you can fly too? Dang, you and your relatives really are full of surprises!” He grinned. “Well, bring it on!” He shouted, speeding towards her with his shield raised.

Alex smirked at the predictable charge, shifting to the side at the last moment and then toying with the Pegasus with a light jolt to his rear. “You'll need to try a little harder than that, you know! I could dodge the rain if I tried hard enough!”

He yelped and blushed at her action, then turned to her with surprised eyes. “W-Why you!” He once more shot towards her.

Alex rolled her eyes, sighing as her grin faded a little. This time, she decided to vault over Flash as he reached her, giving him a more firm shock this time. Enough that he could feel it, but not enough to KO yet.

He yelped again, then growled. “Okay, no more Mister Nice Guy,” he said, before diving under her, then slamming up to her and making to hit her from below with his shield. He was caught off guard, though, when a bullet from Tempest blew his shield out of his hooves, and so caught off guard by the action was he that he didn’t notice he was still flying towards her until he collided with her rear with a soft ‘pomf’.

Alex shrieked a tiny bit at this, before wheeling on him, having drawn a stone orb of some kind from a pouch at her waist. She then chucked it at him, an excellent fastball pitch. He was too shocked by having accidentally stuffed his face into her derriere to dodge, and as the stone orb collided with him, he was blown away by a whirlwind before the stone orb returned to Alex’s hand.

“PERVERT! THAT’S WHAT YOU GET FOR MOTORBOATING MY BABE’S AWESOME ASS!” came Ayis’ angered voice from the booth. Alex simply blew a lock of her bangs off her face as she scowled at where Flash had landed outside the bounds of the arena, her arms crossed.

Meanwhile, Shanghai had made her way over to Starswirl, and was prepared to confront the wizard. However, he didn’t even look her way, only saying one word.

“Careful,” he said, before a load of magical mines went off around her. He smirked. “I placed many mines around myself. A standard strategy for any competent mage to employ.”

However, his cocky smirk quickly fell as Shanghai emerged from the aftermath of the blasts completely unscathed, a smirk of her own decorating her face. “Careful~” she teased. “Magic doesn't work very well against me.”

He blinked a few times. “Well then,” he turned to face her, and his horn glowed golden before a wave of force shot towards her, ash and weapons billowing up from the wave. “Try this!”

To his surprise, Shanghai mimed a yawn as she let the blast hit her. To his further shock, it seemed to have no effect. “Seemed lacking to me.”

“Urgh, don’t you taunt me!” he roared, firing a massive blast of freezing ice towards her, only for his frustration to rise further as she neither froze nor flinched from the impact. Shanghai then gave him a lazy look as she slowly began to approach him, completely undeterred by any further mines she happened to set off.

“Gah, why won’t you stop?!” he cried, firing spell after spell at her to slow her down.

“I already told you,” Shanghai answered. “Magic doesn't work very well on me. Here, let's just calm down, okay? Maybe a hug will help!” As the doll gets close to the stallion, who's freaking out more and more as time goes on, she reaches her arms forward as if to actually give him a hug as she increases to her 4’6” size.

He tries to back away, only to bump into the wooden walls of the arena, and then his face is covered and smothered by Shanghai’s chest. He flails and sputters immensely.

“Now, just relax… And go to sleep,” Shanghai says… before promptly exploding. As the smoke clears, Shanghai is revealed to have reverted back to her usual form and size, and falls to the ground unconscious, next to Starswirl, who is similarly unconscious.

As for Golden and the Zebra mare, they weren’t faring well. They were lost within the plains of ash, both flinching at the shadows that moved just in their peripheral vision. Hunter had already placed enough fear in them, and so made a grab for the Zebra mare by her hind legs, quickly separating her from Golden, kicking and screaming for her life until silence fell again. Now, Golden felt truly alone, looking around quickly as she made an attempt to leave and try to regroup with whoever was left standing.

When she did, she saw that those who remained weren’t doing any better either.

All that was left of the other Champions was the Equestrian Sweetie Drops, who was trying her best to get a solid hit on Tempest, but now that Tempest had no need to divert her attention, the Earth Pony was finding it to be seemingly impossible.

And then, her eyes lit up when she saw her husband come out of the blue and kick Tempest away. “Hah! Those lessons with the Mist Warriors really paid off!”

Just then, a bright flash of light appeared, blinding those that were caught in it. None could see or hear anything except white. Once it had passed, Golden saw that Sweetie Drops was knocked out, and she found Hunter on her husband’s back, trapping his head in a headlock. Iron Bull tried to shake him off, losing consciousness by the second. And he would have, if it weren’t for Golden saving him, knocking Hunter off his back.

Hunter retreated some distances away from the two, as Iron got his breathing under control. Once he did, they looked towards Hunter, seeing him close to the edge of the arena. Looking at each other, they nodded and charged at him, the Marine holding his ground against them. However, they changed tactics and flanked him from both sides. Golden swung the first strike, where Hunter deflected it with his Energy Shield, but Iron Bull had landed a hit, making him buckle to his knees as Golden came back with another swing, slowly pushing him back towards the edge.

Once they had him where they wanted, they prepared for one final strike to knock him off. But just as they did, Hunter quickly grabbed their heads and smashed them together, stunning them both before he grabbed a hold of the Minotaurs and pulled them off the ring along with himself.

“Look at that, folks! HOME TEAM WINS AGAIN!” Grubber announced, and the crowd let out roaring cheers of excitement and happiness, while the other leaders groaned at their second loss. “Well, after another forty-five minute break, it’ll be time for the long awaited third round, folks! Guards, please take the contestants and bring ‘em to their respective locker rooms and wake ‘em up, yeah?” The guards did as asked, and the audience once more filed out of the arena.

The next round was soon to begin.

15 - Festival: Heart and Soul (Edited... Once Again)

Author's Note

EDIT: Added a new, better intro, complete with a new, more fitting song.

EDIT: Added an intro, complete with a song. Fixed a few errors.

This is the final part of the crossover, folks, so after this, we're back to our usual times with Lucette! I'm gonna be honest, none of this would have turned out nearly as well if I had done this crossover with anyone else. Why? Because I have experience writing with these specific characters with these specific authors. Thus, I know their characters fairly well, especially Maziodyne's Alexandria and Shanghai, seeing as I worked on the story she's from with him.

But enough of my ramblings, you all came to this chapter for a finale to the tournament, and a finale you shall get! So...

Thanks for reading, my lovely readers!

-Timeless Celestial

15 - Festival: Heart and Soul (Edited... Once Again)

[A woman takes the first step up the stairs.

Her subjects watch on with pride in their hearts.

Her children follow behind her, smiles on their faces.

Royal Lightning flashes time and time again outside.

Reaching the top of the steps, she turns, and grins.

The Queen of Storms takes her throne.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6_722bLF-I)

“So, just what exactly does the next round entail?” Ayis asked as she drank some Storm Fruit juice.

“I am quite curious as well. So far, it has been mostly tests that remind me of those a warrior would go through to earn their place,” Luna agreed.

“That does seem to be the general idea,” Celestia concurred, nodding.

“Personally, I don’t really care as long as it’s interesting,” Yukari commented with a slight shrug.

“Is it a one-on-one match?” Pillar asked.

Lucette chuckled, taking a sip of some Storm Wine before answering. “Simple. A test of heart and soul. Fitting, considering the name of the round is ‘The Trial of Spirit.’ It will be as much of a one-on-one as it will be a horror show and a horde survival.” She grinned a feral grin, golden eyes seemingly glowing brighter. “It’s honestly my favorite of all the rounds. Always had a soft spot for horror and the like.”

“So, not only will the Champions be pitted against one another, but they’ll have to be very mindful of neutral enemies coming in waves. I’m starting to like this tournament more,” Berserker commented, before turning to Runner. “Head down to Hunter and assess his armor. Do NOT breathe a word of this match to any of them.”

“Got it,” Runner nodded as he used his Haste Power-up and quickly made his way into the male’s locker room.

“Actually, this round is less of a direct competition than you think," Lucette began, redirecting attention to the conversation. "The Champions will be fighting together. No real exceptions save a few small things. The ones who win will be those who not only score the most kills and thus points, but also get through without breaking mentally or spiritually,” Lucette explained. She took another sip of her wine, swirling the drink in her glass. The other rulers’ eyes narrowed slightly.

“Is this truly part of your people’s tradition, Your Highness?” Twilight asked, worried for her brother. Lucette nodded.

“Very much so. This is how they have chosen the best of their warriors since their beginning days,” she confirmed. The rulers all frowned.

“A test of will of sorts then?” Yukari asked. “I can agree to such methods. After all, a truly powerful warrior must have a strong balance of strength, strategy and will.” Lucette smiled, nodding.

“Exactly. A warrior is only worth as much as his spirit, as well. Even the weakest of warriors can have the ability to continue despite all else, with enough sheer will,” Lucette said sagely.

“You sound like you are speaking from experience,” Steel Axe noted, stroking his chin. Lucette shrugged.

“My past is of no concern to you, I’m sure, Your Majesty,” she said smoothly. He grunted.

“How does the scoring work?” Collateral inquired, redirecting the subject matter from Lucette’s past. Lucette hummed, shifting in her seat.

“Well, you get points for a kill, and more points depending on how efficiently you do so. You also get points for defending others, and, again, the more efficient you are at doing so, the more points you get,” She swirled her drink a bit more in her grasp. “Furthermore, because this is such a huge undertaking for one person to do, the Elders of the Warrior-Noble families will be helping me judge and score the points.” She took a longer sip of her drink, letting out a sigh of pleasure at the taste and familiar burn before she continued. “The truly best way to score points is to simply not panic. Any small sign of it, and you get deducted points.”

“Say, Lucette, seeing as Tempest used her gun...is it possible for me to do the same?” She heard Hunter ask with his Telepathy. “I’m only asking because I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to.”

‘It is, just don’t use the more destructive ones. I’d still like to keep some of our cards hidden from potential enemies.’ Lucette replied back, having grown used to this method of communication quickly enough to not show signs of being distracted.

“Of course. I will provide Overwatch for the rest, as much as possible.” Hunter told her. “I only hope that the others can actually get along with us, considering what happened in the last two matches.” He pointed out to her.

‘I’d imagine they’d resort to working with themselves more often than not. The round does say to work together, but it doesn’t say you're forced to help each other at every opportunity. It just means that you can’t knock each other out or induce a mental episode on your new teammates.’ Lucette answered. ‘Though if you notice them getting ideas, report it immediately to me and I will relay it to the rest of the Elders and they will be disqualified as well.’

“Understood.” Hunter answered. “Does that also mean that I’m prohibited to using explosives; such as Frags and Landmines?”

‘No, those are fine, Tempest has already used equivalents to those. Just don’t use... say, an EMP, or Plasma grenade and the like.’ Lucette responded.

“Right...I may need to equip Alex with a Pistol, for insurance,” Hunter stated. “Without Shanghai, she’s more vulnerable. Shanghai hasn’t come to yet, and I don’t think she will in time.”

“Hmmm…” Lucette stood up and walked to the side of the booth where a guard was. She whispered something in Skilin to him, and he saluted, then walked down the stairs. ‘Dealt with. I’ve asked one of my guards to tell Grubber to relay the news and delay the match for a bit.’ She then walked back over to her seat while Steel Axe continued to watch her with a critical eye.

“Alright then,” Hunter said before cutting off.

“So, I’ve been meaning to ask, Miss Ayis,” Cadance began, before pausing. “Or… Wait, is it Mrs. Filya? Or did you take your wife’s maiden name?”

“Eh, it doesn’t matter a whole lot to me. Call me whichever you feel more comfortable with,” Ayis answered. Cadance nodded.

“Right, well, I’ve been meaning to ask. Where is your side of the family? I’d imagine they’d like to be here too, correct?” Cadance queried.

“They’re all at Triyte’s Bulwark now,” Ayis supplied. The leaders, Lucette included, all turned to Ayis with questioning gazes.

“Umm…and that is…where?” Twilight queried, tilting her head.

“In the literal sense, that’s a complicated question to answer,” Yukari cut in. “However, maybe it can be answered with another question: where would purgatory be?”

“I… Don’t follow,” Cadance said, wracking her brain for ideas. Lucette giggled lightly, now understanding a bit more.

“It’s essentially like the Limbo of the afterlife. Not Tartarus, but not the peaceful side either,” Lucette replied. She looked to Ayis. “So, then you’re family is dead, and in another form of Purgatory?” Ayis nodded, raising her hand to wobble it a bit.

“Yeah, more or less,” she said. The Angel then turned to Cadance. “So, that’s why my family can’t attend: they’re dead.”

“Oh… I’m sorry, I had no idea,” Cadance apologised, frowning.

“Nah, it’s not a big deal,” Ayis reassured the Princess, waving it off.

“Another question, if I may be so bold,” Luna interrupted, clearing her throat. “I’ve not heard of these places before. Could it be that your kind are a dying breed?” Lucette winced and mouthed discreetly to Ayis to make it seem so. Ayis noticed this, and decided that it was best to follow Lucette’s wishes in her own world.

“…I guess you could say that,” Ayis answered. “There aren’t many of my kind around here after all, so it’s easy to see how you’d come to that conclusion.”

“Hm. I see,” Luna turned to face the stadium, then spoke again. “Tell me, do you have children?”

“Ooh, I’m dying to know this,” Celestia said, turning her attention to Ayis with an eager smile.

“Oh yeah, little Yis is my pride and joy,” Ayis confirmed with a wide smile. “I’ve got someone babysitting her for me while I’m here, but I can’t wait to go back to her after all this is said and done.”

“How old’s the little girl? Five? Six?” Lucette asked next. “My own kid’s about ten or so.”

“She’s only about four,” Ayis said. “So, not really old enough to be playing with any of the bigger kids like yours would be.”

“Considering mine plays with knives and the like, I wouldn’t doubt it,” Lucette said with another giggle. “Ya got any nicknames for your cutie?”

“I guess you could say that Yis is sort of similar to a nickname,” Ayis replied thoughtfully, tilting her head back and forth a bit. “Alex usually calls her Vyala instead.”

“Oh? Can I ask what those words mean? Sis hasn’t really explained much about you, to be honest, or your guys’ kid,” Lucette continued.

“Ah, well, ‘yis’ means ‘night’ and ‘vyala’ means ‘splendor’ in my people’s language,” Ayis informed Lucette. “So my kid’s name, Yis Vyala, would be ‘Night’s Splendor’.”

“That’s a beautiful name,” Luna butted in, smiling widely at Ayis. “I take it you have a love for the night, then?”

“Oh yeah, Fallen Angel society and customs are pretty deeply tied with the night,” Ayis responded, nodding.

“How deeply, might I ask?” Luna pressed, still smiling widely. Lucette mouthed for Ayis to make something up.

“Wwwell…” Ayis started, “for starters, one Fallen Angel tradition is to always stay up until at least ten in the evening. On top of that, our Devotion Ceremonies are only ever held late at night.”

“Hmhm! I think I quite like your people!” Luna mused.

“Shanghai is starting to regain consciousness, now,” Hunter informed Lucette, just as Runner returned to the booth.

Lucette smiles, then stands up and walks to the railing and motions to Grubber, who nods and brings the microphone to his mouth again.

“Alright folks, time for the final round, and the hardest one our contestants will face yet! Contestants, please enter the stadium once more!” he cries.

Alexandria was among some of the first to enter, looking much more comfortable now that she’d changed back into her original dress. Shanghai was sticking close by her shoulder as well, looking as chipper as ever. Next came out Hunter, his armor looking brand new, no more scratches or dents, but he was also carrying a new weapon with him. It was long, very strange looking, with something akin to a telescope sitting on top of it, only a lot shorter and smaller. All and all, it was highly advanced in appearance.

Joining with Alex and Shanghai, he kneeled down to the former and presented to Alex his old Pistol and Shanghai his trusted knife. She gives the weapons a look before nodding to Hunter in understanding, taking the Pistol for herself. Meanwhile Shanghai takes up the knife, which almost looks much like a shortsword in the small Fairy’s hands.

“I would like my knife back, afterwards. But Alex, you can keep the Pistol.” He told them telepathically, just as Tempest joined them. Shanghai nodded as she held the knife in one hand, while Alex looked the Pistol over to make sure she knew how to use it. “It has a Charged Shot mode, meaning that you can charge up a powerful shot, but once used, you will have to wait for it to cool down, which only takes it a couple of seconds. The same goes with charging it up.” He informed her, showing how to do so, her seeing it change slightly as it charged up a shot, before disengaging and returning back to normal. “Make sure you aim for the head. It also has unlimited ammo, so you don’t need to reload it.”

While he was teaching her, the other Champions watched in bewilderment and curiosity. Seeing the silent Marine with these sorts of weapons, they were questioning as to where he was hiding them. Was it magic, or something else entirely?

“Does this guy carry an arsenal with him, or what?” One of the griffons questioned with his team.

“Where does he even get these things from?” Stringy asked her companions, who were just as confused as her.

“Now what? We barely managed the last round,” Flash Magnus grumbled, over with his team. “And I’m not looking forward to whatever else he has packing on him.” The others sighed and nodded in agreement.

The World Leaders looked towards the Doom Marines and their Guardian, wanting an answer. All they got was silence, the group completely ignoring them. Steel Axe glared at them suspiciously, the others soon giving up on trying to make them talk, but still wondering what else they could be hiding, seeing as how unwilling they were to answer their questions.

“Alright, ladies and gents, are you ready for some blood pumping, heart-stopping, goosebump giving action!?” Grubber yelled into the microphone. A raucous volley of approving cheers met him in response, and he gained his signature grin. “Then let’s start this puppy! Get ready, for the TRIAL. OF. SPIRIIIIT!!”

More cheers rang out, louder than before, and Lucette chortled to herself as she resumed her feral grin.

“You best get ready, contestants! This is gonna be a wild ride!!” Grubber called, before, out of nowhere, his podium sank into the floor, and him with it, the hole closing up with two metal doors. The crowd went wild as everyone started to chant.

“~SOLO KRAN! SOLO KRAN! SOLO KRAN! SOLO KRAN!~” they chanted, pounding their fists on their seats in a constant rhythm. Then, the howls started, and the crowd went from wild to mad, all while the alien howls picked up in quantity and frequency, as well as pitch. They were coming from the tunnel straight across the stadium from the Champions.

“Heads up you three, I know those howls well, as does the populace, and they aren’t good…” Tempest warned, unsheathing her blades and getting into a stance. Alexandria gave Tempest a look, then a quick nod, preparing the Pistol she’d been given by Hunter. Meanwhile, Shanghai gripped Hunter’s Knife, floating next to Alexandria.

Hunter kneeled down, looking around before asking Tempest. “What can we expect from these beasts?”

“They’re called Cloudbones. They can eject poison from any pores on their bodies, and they can freely use and remake any bones to shoot them at you, or even make new claws and tails,” Tempest explained. Alexandria raised her eyebrows at this.

“Is the poison dangerous at all?” she asked.

“Nothing life threatening, no. It’s a slow acting poison that can mess up your eyes and nose, but it takes about a straight minute of inhaling to get any effects, and they start slow,” Tempest continued. A number of shadows rumbled through the tunnel, all screeching and hollering and moving like a tidal wave. “They’re also the natural predators of Skili.”

“Then, we hunt them,” Hunter stated, looking through his telescope to scan the area. “Should we move to a more suitable position? No need for us to stand here like a bunch of idiots.” He asked her.

Tempest nodded. “Cloudbones are very quick, and their natural claws let them climb the mountains and cliffs around here with ease, so…” She pulled out her gun, cocking it. “We have to beat them with tactics, quick thinking, and quicker reflexes.”

“You got it,” Alexandria said. “If you want reflexes, look no further than me.”

“Well, at least this is sounding like a good fight!” Iron Bull chuckled, readying his axe from further away with the other Champions.

“And it should be rather educational, no?” Star Swirl added, stepping up next to him.

“Sounds like it,” said Shining Armor, slowly trotting over. Tempest spared a look at them all to find most of the other Champions working with each other, but not herself and her team. She snorted and turned back to the tunnel where the Cloudbones were soon to emerge from.

“Seems you were somewhat right after all, Hunter,” she said with a grunt. Alexandria turned to look, then glanced at Shanghai.

“Shanghai, I’m going to put you on defensive duties,” Alexandria explained to the small girl. “I want you to do your best to defend anyone and everyone. Use Hunter’s Knife for self-defense if anything hostile gets too close to you.” Shanghai nodded quickly, moving a little bit more towards the others, waiting for the assault to start.

Soon, the beasts came into full sight, hundreds if not a few thousand of them barreling and funneling into the dim light of the stadium. Shivers went down the spines of nigh every creature in the stadium, for the appearance of the beasts was savage.

They had exoskeletons of grayish bone, but it covered little in the chest areas, where their muscles could clearly be seen trying to break free of their confines. They were like lizards in a sense, but more rabid, more feral, and much more dangerous. The bones on their legs and the spines on their backs held a few holes in them, and their maws dripped and oozed with light, sickly pale blue drool. They had three eyes in their skulls, all glowing with baleful blue light and all of them slitted. They had tails lined with spikes and sharp tips, and their claws were large and looked hard enough to easily pierce and cut stone.

“Interesting,” Hunter commented, before looking back to Tempest. “Where would their weakness be?” He asked her.

“Chest and pectorals,” Tempest said, pointing to one with a blade tip. “The only problem is getting them to open up that weak point.”

“Huh…” Alexandria hummed, thinking about something. “Are the exoskeletons resistant to electricity?”

“Very much so,” Tempest said with a nod, idly firing a shot at a Cloudbone to get its attention. “Now…” She pawed at the ashen ground, grinning. “Let’s get started…!” She then rushed headlong into the battle.

Lucette let out a low chuckle as she saw this from her seat above. ‘She always did have that secret love for battle.’

Back down in the stadium, Hunter was preparing to cause some mayhem. “Let’s mix things up a little,” Hunter said, pulling out a Frag Grenade. “Fire in the hole.” He called in as dry a tone as his telepathy would allow, pulling the pin and throwing it into another pack flanking them, watching it blow up and forcing the Cloudbones to scatter, even killing a couple of them in the process. Seeing this surprised the other Champions and their Leaders, as he started sniping off those who would try to get behind Tempest.

“How-!?” started a Crystal Champion, before shoving a Cloudbone off of himself and smacking another upside the head with a mace, “-the Tartarus-?!” he bucked another in the head, sending it flying with a screech of pain, “-did he do that?!”

“I’d imagine it was like those bombs that-!” Shining Armor sliced one in the chest, but it didn’t go down, only getting back up. “-the Storm Queen’s advisor used!”

Alexandria had gone in and mingled with the other Champions, not caring that they ignored her presence. She fired her Pistol, aiming to hit as many Cloudbones in the opening of their exoskeletons as possible, attempting to draw attention to herself.

Meanwhile, the Yaks were having some trouble with the Cloudbones, earning themselves a good number of cuts and nicks in their hides.

“Rrgh!” grunted one in pain, before flipping around and bucking the offender. Another came for him, but before it could do anything, Shanghai had dashed between the Yak and the Cloudbone in the blink of an eye. The predator slashed with its claws, the attack causing Shanghai to recoil, but the tiny soldier remained resolute as she floated there, obstructing the monster’s advance, holding Hunter’s Knife in her right hand, prepared to strike at it if it tried to get past her again.

“Wha-?!” he looked to Shanghai and growled. “Yak no need help from little girl thing!” He headbutted an errant Cloubone, cracking it’s skull. “Yak say go away!”

“And I say pay attention before these things get the better of you!” Shanghai retorted, frustrated that the Yak didn’t seem to want her help.

The Yak snorted, letting a Cloudbone wrap its tail around him but maneuvering so that it would catch his horn, where he then swung it around using just his head and horn until it crashed into another pack. “Yak said…” he took a breath, then roared out, “GO AWAY!”

Shanghai was silent for a moment as she watched the Cloudbone she’d been standing off with rear up to swipe at her. “…Fine then! I hope you like cuts!” she shouted as she Gapped away, letting the claw attack continue unimpeded, catching the Yak unprepared. The Yak grunted at this, but weathered the storm nonetheless.

“If they don’t appreciate your help, Shanghai, leave them to their fate,” Hunter told her from across the stadium, blowing another head off. Yet another Cloudbone. He’d gained quite a few points by now. “Besides, I think you gain us some points in helping him, even if he was an ungrateful asshat.” Shanghai thought to herself silently for a few moments off to the side, her arms crossed and a frown on her face. Finally, it seemed she decided to give it another go, deciding to be more tolerable of being shooed away. She tried her hardest to interpose herself in between as many attacks she could, no matter how many ungrateful Champions told her to bugger off.

Meanwhile, Alexandria had managed to amass a veritable mini-pack of the Cloudbones, having ticked off quite a lot of them with her pestering from the Pistol. Despite the tens of claws attacking her every few seconds, she didn’t have so much as a scratch on her as she deftly weaved around them all, periodically applying high-voltage shocks to the exposed underbellies whenever she got the chance to do so.

“That girl… I’ve never seen someone move so elegantly and deftly…” Luna breathed from the stands.

“Well, my Devoted is pretty badass, so yeah,” Ayis replied with a grin and a shrug, before leaning over the railings and calling out, “BEAT THEIR ASSES, BABE!” Alexandria managed to find a moment to shoot Ayis a thumbs-up, before shocking a Cloudbone with an intentionally extra-flashy jolt of lightning shortly after, following up with a charged Pistol shot mid-backflip to finish the beast off.

“You know, you seem like a bit of a battle maniac,” Ember spoke up.

“So?” Ayis said, turning to face her.

“You got a problem with that?” Nyilla added from her shoulder.

“Oh, I’m not saying it’s bad! Just kinda… Well, cool,” she responded quickly.

“You sound like you’re starting to respect her, Ember,” Spike noted with a knowing smile. Ember blushed and looked away.

“Sh-Shut it! I just said it was cool, nothing else!” she stuttered. Nyilla smirked a little at this, but didn’t comment.

Back in the stadium, things were heating up. Most of the Champions were getting overwhelmed by the sheer numbers and ferocity of the Cloudbones, and with the Storm Queen’s team, Tempest had encountered a problem.

“Buck!” she cursed, backpedalling rapidly away from a group of the beasts that had released their payload of poison. Seeing this, the others around followed their fellow’s example, and soon the gas was spreading all over the stadium. “Don’t breathe it in!” she cried to her team, covering her mouth with a hoof.

“Damn…!” Alexandria said, taking to the air to try and escape the poison vertically. However, odd to the other Champions, Shanghai didn’t seem to care much, continuing to resolutely defend everyone. She did, however, transform, matching the mood of the match as things heated up. Though it was difficult to see through the gas, Hunter’s Knife changed with her in her hand, becoming a small beam saber with a bright blade that glowed a vivid yellow.

Tempest then cried out in pain as a splinter of bone hit her in the leg. A number of more Cloudbones rushed her, aiming to take her while she was injured.

That was when Shanghai Gapped in front of them, slashing with the Saber Knife to ward them off a little. She looked over at the Griffons, who had also flown above the gas. “Somebody get her out of this gas! I’ll hold these things off!” she then turned back as she took a claw to the stomach, not so much as flinching as she retaliated with a slash then stab to the Cloudbone’s chest cavity, causing it to recoil with a pained screech.

Just before the Cloudbones could come anywhere close to Tempest, shadowy tendrils shot out from the ground, grabbing a hold of them. They struggled to break free as the tendrils started to squeeze around them, slowly crushing them to death. Although, some of them were also being ripped apart in brutal fashion, having their bodies mangled up and twisted about. After that, Tempest felt a tap on her shoulder, urging her to turn to see Hunter. She briefly wondered how he was still standing, unaffected by the poison, until she remembered the suit he was wearing.

“H-How did you…?” she breathed, before biting her lip as the bone in her leg shifted with her movement. “Grgh, damn thing…” She leaned her head down, lifted the injured leg, and swiftly pulled the bone out with a short but moderately high pitched grunt of pain. She looked back to Hunter. “How did you do that?” She asked afterward, as if nothing was wrong.

“It’s complicated. Now, hold still,” he told her, kneeling down and taking out a syringe filled with strange blue liquid. Inserting it into her foreleg, she gave a little hiss as he injected her with the stuff, soon feeling the healing effects as it closed up her wound quickly. “There, you’re good to go. It should also get rid of the poison in your system, as well.”

“Amazing…” Tempest breathed. “It’s like a healing spell, almost,” she then shook her head. “A-anyway, thanks. Let’s get back to it.” Shanghai glanced over at the two as more Cloudbones began to approach the three.

“Get ready, here come some more!” she warned, tightening her grip on the Saber Knife. Alexandria also offered some supporting fire from the air.

Switching weapons, Hunter brought out his Super Shotgun as more Cloudbones rushed at him and Tempest. However, she soon found that Hunter had laid down some traps, some explosive mines going off once the beasts stood on them, thinning and disorienting the pack a little bit. This gave the two enough time to get in close and wreak havoc upon the unfortunate pack, slaughtering them by either shooting them to death, blowing them up into millions of chunky, bloodied and meaty bits, or in Hunter’s case, earning him some Glory-kills. This ranged from him pulling one of their fangs out and stabbing their eyes out, slitting their throats open, snapping their necks, crushing heads underneath his boots, or picking them up and breaking their spines over his knees.

During this, in addition to Alexandria’s covering fire from the air, Shanghai also gave her support by firing high-energy beams of magic into the pack, each one taking a few seconds to charge up. This meant there was a delay of nearly ten seconds between each beam, but any beam that scored a hit on the exposed weak point of a Cloudbone always killed it instantly, and any that hit the exoskeleton left scorch marks, even causing the bone to melt quite a bit, undoubtedly leaving the area weakened.

However, the other teams were doing quite poorly. The gas, when it had hit, had left them disoriented for too long, and while some of the magic users managed to save themselves and a few others, most of the teams were now stumbling as they fought, getting hit many times and barely surviving.

The Crystal Champions and Zebras in particular were not doing well at all, and the Zebras were starting to break down and panic a little. The two guards Shining had assigned as Champions were much the same, though he himself stayed strong.

Star Swirl and his team were doing well, as the mage had summoned a mask for himself and Flash had pulled Sweetie Drops off the ground to avoid the poisonous gas.

The Minotaurs simply made it through by sheer force of will, not backing down even though they were stumbling occasionally and getting hit a few times.

The Yaks, in similar straits, were doing just about as well as their bipedal fellows, only stumbling much more.

Shanghai took notice of the struggling Champions, quickly returning to her original duty as she interposed an attack aimed at one of the Zebras. “I’m sorry for letting myself get distracted like that,” she apologized to the Zebra. “But rest assured that you can all count on me to defend you.” As she said this, she then Gapped to step into an attack meant for a Yak as it stumbled into the path of a claw. Both the Zebra and the Yak were Champions that Shanghai had defended earlier, and both of them had tried to shoo her away at the time.

“You…” one of the Zebras tried to say, before stumbling, a little wobbly on his hooves. “Why would you…?” Shanghai held a hand up to silence the Zebra as she ignored a claw that slashed across her entire torso.

“Just focus and persevere,” she said. “I may be quick, but there’s still only one of me.”

“But I…!” he stumbled again, the Zebra mare near him helping him stand taller. He looked to her, her nodding to him with a resolute frown, before he looked back to the Fairy and slowly nodded.

The long fight progressed slowly after that, the Cloudbones still coming down on them all hard and not letting up. It was like they were as endless as the sky. But then… Then something new began to announce it’s arrival. A strange yet eerie song started to build up from nowhere, and heavy, heavy thudding footsteps shook the earth of the stadium.

Then, the crowd went wild once more, chanting, “~YULO GIG! YULO GIG GIGA!! YULO GIG! YULO GIG GIGA!!~”

Lucette’s grin widened as she reclined in her seat. “And thus, the Reclusive Lord cometh…” she said with a low giggle.

“What are you talking about? What’s going on?” Gilda asked, looking around frantically.

“Oh my, this promises to be interesting,” Yukari commented with a small giggle. “Very interesting…”

Ayis leaned over the railing a little more. “Ooooh, I’m liking where this is going,” she said giddily. “Something’s coming to get its ass kicked by Alex.”

“ …Why am I sitting my ass up here?” Berserker grumbled in annoyance. “I wanna be down there and having some fun, too.” His brothers, Lucette and Guardian laughed a little at his complaint, though most of the others were unnerved by his comment.

Cadance and Twilight looked to Lucette. “What’s going on, your Highness?” Twilight asked, ears splayed down against her head.

“I’m a little worried for Shiny down there…” Cadance voiced.

Lucette’s grin remained feral. “Simple. I made a golem.”

“There must be more to it than that, those thuds foretell of legs that will make many go flat!” Zendaya said.

“There’s definitely more to it, if what we’ve seen already isn’t a good bunch of indications,” Celestia mused, looking to Lucette, who shrugged and kept her grin.

“Trust me, they’ll all be fine. And anyways, this round is meant to test mental fortitude and will, so you have to go hard with the challenge,” the queen said honestly.

“I can’t help but feel you would be very fearsome in a fight yourself,” Luna commented.

“I try,” was Lucette’s simple answer, still bearing her grin.

“Is anybody else not getting pumped by that music though? It sounds so cool!” Gilda gushed.

“Where’s the orchestra for it hiding?” Steel Axe followed up, looking to Lucette.

Lucette once more shrugged. “It’s a mystery.”

Then, the music picked up, and out of one of the tunnels in the stadium, came a massive armored humanoid with an equally massive machete, his skin rotted and coursing with flame and cinders, and a hood of chain upon his head, along with a crown. The Skili erupted into loud cheers as the Giant rushed headlong towards the stadium’s floor, straight for the Champions.

Hunter quickly grabbed a hold of Tempest and moved out of its way, watching it rush past and towards the others.

Shanghai took notice of the approaching behemoth, and quickly went about warning anyone who might not have been paying attention, either due to the remnants of the gas or otherwise.

The Giant roared and slammed its machete down on the ground hard, sending body parts of Cloudbones flying everywhere, and sending contestants flying from the shockwave.

Alexandria was a bit taken aback by this, but quickly rushed back in now that the gas was mostly dissipated in order to offer more direct support. “C’mon, you fatass!” she shouted at the Giant as she fired several shots at it, trying to get its attention.

It groaned and backhanded her with an arm, before making to swipe at the Minotaurs with it’s machete.

Alexandria grunted in pain as she was flung a good several feet back, Shanghai wincing in tandem. However, the Fairy still moved through the pain to interpose the attack, beasting the machete strike perfectly, literally stopping the swipe in its tracks as she used her seemingly nigh-indestructible body as a shield. The Minotaurs were stunned into immobility for a moment, but were shaken free of the stupor as Shanghai shouted at them to not let the opening slip by.

They soon jumped up onto the blade and tried to hack off the Giant’s fingers, but all they managed to do was give it scratches with their weapons.

“What the f-?!” Iron Will started, only for the Giant to grab its blade by the notch with its hand and toss them off his former with a flick. As the Minotaurs sailed through the air and collapsed in a heap a good ways away, he turned to Shanghai and roared, flaming veins glowing brighter with heat.

By now, Alexandria had gotten back up, and she then pegged the Giant in the back of the head with a fully-charged shot from the Pistol, quickly following up with a large bolt of lightning as Shanghai circled around the Giant towards Alexandria. “I think it’s me you want, you damned oaf!” she shouted at him, looking behind the hulking form at the other Champions, trying to signal with her eyes and a slight gesture with her head for them to attack while she held the Giant’s attention. Without waiting to see if they got her meaning, she then returned to pelting the Giant with both lightning and Pistol fire, trying to keep its aggression on her as high as possible.

They didn’t get the meaning, too busy with the Cloudbones to really be able to do anything.

She was successful in angering it, however, as it let out a roar like the howling of mighty winds on a stormy mountain, the flames in its veins glowing hotter and brighter, before the Giant swung its machete at Alexandria, launching an arc of flame at her.

Alexandria dodged the arc of flame, continuing to rain Hell down on the behemoth, along with Shanghai’s supporting fire from next to her, keeping herself as the center of attention.

Tempest watched on in surprise and awe as the duo effectively kept the Giant preoccupied, before having to buck a rampant Cloudbone away. “Damn! That girl’s better than I thought!” she yelled to Hunter over the din of the fighting and the music. She shot a Cloudbone that was gunning for the Zebras in the head, ending it’s life. “With how she’s doing, we might as well call this round ours as well!”

“Don’t be so quick to conclude victory is ours,” Hunter remarked, beheading three Cloudbones’ heads with his brother’s sword. “Fate has a tendency of proving you wrong in your assumptions.” Tempest frowned at his skepticism, but she couldn’t blame him for thinking like that. He was just being cautious and analyzing the situation they were in.

That was when they heard an exceptionally enraged roar from the Giant. It had just gotten hit by a coordinated attack consisting of a full-charge shot from Alexandria and a barrage of very large, sharpened steel fragments from Shanghai.

With this, it seemed to decide enough was enough, and as the music reached a crescendo, it slammed it’s machete down, issuing a concussive wave of flame from its body, greatly burning Alexandria, nearby Cloudbones, and many of the other Champions. Shanghai gave a pained shout as Alexandria was engulfed in the flames.

When the flames cleared, Alexandria was still standing, if just barely. She looked very worn out, and almost like she could just drop at a moment’s notice. Parts of her skin clearly exhibited signs of third degree burning, and her hair was smoldering. As she regained her senses from the last attack, breathing heavily, the Giant roared and brought its machete down on Alexandria. This time, she wasn’t ready for it and failed to dodge, or even so much as make an attempt to do so. The machete slammed down onto her, leaving behind what everyone could only assume was a corpse. As it raised its machete back up, everyone watching had a clear view of Shanghai beginning to drop out of the air, only to explode into dozens of small electrical sparks before hitting the ground.

“Oh my,” Yukari commented, seeming completely unconcerned. “I’m not a doctor, but I believe she may be dead.”

“WHAT?!” Lucette cried in alarm, standing up from her seat. Many of the other leaders did the same. Lucette whirled around to the nearest guard. “Vol late ko grol! Grol grol grol!”

Immediately the guard rushed out, many more making their way to the scene as the audience made their own cries of alarm. The Giant went stock still, and the remaining Cloudbones were corralled.

“I thought you had this under control!” Steel Axe shouted, though inside he was ecstatic. He had found a weakness. “What happened to-!?”

Steel Axe, however, was cut off by the majority of the crowd gasping in shock. Ayis giggled as she spoke up.

“I was wondering how much longer she was going to take!” the Fallen Angel said. All the World Leaders turned to look down into the stadium, where Ayis was pointing. Alexandria’s corpse had been engulfed in electricity, and the sparks that were once Shanghai had begun to gather together again. In a sudden discharge of small bolts, Alexandria’s ‘corpse’ looked good as new, as if it had never even been so much as scratched. A moment later, and the supposed corpse began to push itself up, while Shanghai was reformed from her sparks, no longer transformed.

“You were saying, shit-stains?” Berserker spoke up, where Steel Axe saw his right hand gripping his second, yet strange, sword, the armored man glaring right at him. Looking back at his sword, a certain feeling came over him, one that warned the Bull to not provoke the Storm Queen’s brother.

Lucette was shaking, clenching her fists hard. Just as the other leaders were about to voice their own concerns, she let out a deep breath and spoke. “...My little sister has a lot to answer for.” She said, the words echoing like the lone ring of a pick against stone in an empty mine. “...But this is something I should have expected, and told you all.”

“...You mean that your sister is immortal, like you?” Celestia said after a short pause of looking at the recovered form of Alexandria below. Lucette nodded.

“Wait, you’re immortal?!” Steel Axe yelled in alarm, taking a step back, as if he’d just been punched in the gut. Lucette nodded again, and he went quiet as well as pale.

Lucette looked to the guards scrambling around, sighed, then stepped up to the railing of the booth. She looked out over the startled and surprised masses that were her people, and answered their cries of alarm and shock.

“My good subjects! Our Champion, Alexandria Kijin, has a secret that I did not mention prior!” she took a deep breath, in and out, before continuing. “She is, like me, immortal! I recognize that not being forthright with this information was an oversight on my part, and I will gladly take blame for it! BUT!” She raised a hand. “Is it not true that she displayed great courage by laying down her own life? Is it not true that she and her Fairy protected the other Champions by taking the brunt of the blow?!” The audience slowly calmed down, but still muttered amongst themselves. They all seemed to be in agreement. The leaders were upset at this turn of events, but none could deny it was a brave act. “Then, I believe we know our victors do we not?! For what is a greater act of bravery than dying for a just cause?!” Again, none objected, save a few in a different booth across the stadium, but most of the audience was in agreement.

“H-Hold on, you can’t just-!” Steel Axe began, but Ember and Gilda stopped him, even Prince Rutherford shot him a glare.

“Girly laid life down,” he said firmly. “Yak respect that.”

“Unorthodox as it is, you can’t argue that it was brave as all heck,” Gilda agreed.

“Exactly. Not even my Champions would do such a thing,” Ember admitted.

“B-But…!” Steel Axe looked to the Ponies.

“I’d have to agree with them, I’m afraid, Your Highness,” Luna said. “Much as it would have been nice to know that the girl was immortal, it still holds true that she died to save others. What is braver than that?”

“Indeed. It’s rare to see such bravery, especially nowadays,” Celestia concurred.

“I’m with them, such a thing is quite a gem,” Zendaya said with a nod.

“Unless, of course, you still disagree,” Pillar continued, his grip tightening around his Warhammer as he and his brothers looked towards him. “Then please, why don’t you educate us on the meanings of bravery and sacrifice? That is, if you even know anything.”

Steel Axe faltered, looking among all those around him in the booth. He grit his teeth, before slamming himself down in his seat. “Fine! FINE! Whatever! Just get it over with. I’m tired of this place anyways.”

Lucette smirked under her mask as Grubber returned to the stadium and announced the Storm Champions as the winners, the guards moving the Giant back into it’s tunnel and mopping up any remaining Cloudbones. They also carried the other Champions who were harmed into the infirmary. Lucette turned to face the others in the booth. “Well, why don’t we head down there and mingle with our Champions? I’ll send you all complimentary prizes later in the day. Does that sound agreeable?” They all nodded. “Good.”

With that, the other leaders filed out of the booth and made their way to their own Champions, Cadance and Twilight being particularly concerned for Shining Armor, who they had seen sustain a good number of cuts and likely a few burns from the Giant. Thankfully, the Zebras and the Equestrians did not sustain any burns, but the other Champions did.

“Well, that was unexpected,” Hunter said to Tempest as his brothers and Guardian came over to them. “In a sense, I kind of feel like I didn’t do enough for Alex and Shanghai.”

Lucette, after making her way out of the booth and into the stadium, walked up to them and managed a grin, having heard Hunter’s remark. “Eh, it all went according to plan anyways, so it’s all good.”

“Bullshit,” All of the Doom Marines said to her, having followed.

Lucette winced. “Jeez,” she said, raising a hand to her ear. “Hit me with any more criticism and you might make me go deaf, guys.”

“My Queen, I’d have to agree with them,” Tempest jumped in. “You told me most of your plan, and the latter half of it did not involve-” Lucette shoved a hand over Tempest’s mouth.

“OOOOOkay, who wants a round of drinks? Anyone? I know I need some after this shitshow,” Lucette interrupted, looking between them all. She looked to Alexandria quickly. “Alex, you in? Pretty sure we have some Equestrian stuff from the last few shipments a week ago.”

Alexandria looked thoughtful for a moment, before glancing over at Stringy - one of the Changeling Champions - a little ways away, remembering her sharing something called Cocoon Silk, an alcoholic Changeling beverage that reminded the Yokai of sake, a Japanese rice wine.

“Hmmm… Do you have any sake, or maybe something from the Changelings?” Alexandria asked.

“Think I have some Eastern Equestria Sabre Sake, yeah, why?” Lucette asked. “That your kind of poison?” Alexandria raised an eyebrow at this, a slight smile curving her lips.

“Sure, I guess you could say that,” she answered.

“... Perhaps we should go for a drink or two,” Hunter stated, which surprised the others. “After everything that has happened, I think now would be the best time to crack open a cold one.” Thinking on it, the Doom Marines couldn’t help but agree with their younger brother.

“Okay, Lucy, you win. We’ll drink until tomorrow comes around,” Berserker said to her with a shrug. “Still wanted a turn in that last round. Feels like more of my style of an arena full of fun.” He complained.

Lucette removed her hand from Tempest’s mouth, who shot her a glare, before speaking up. “Well, before that happens, My Queen has to give out the prize.”

“Ugh,” Lucette said, groaning. “Fine, fine, but after the other leaders are gone and the ceremonies are done, you’re taking over for a day. I need a break.”

Tempest shook her head. “You know that isn’t possible, My Queen.”

Lucette sighed, wilting a little. “Yeah, sadly I do.”

“Politics is such bullshit,” Berserker commented disdainfully.

“Bro, you’re not one for that sort of shit anyways. I can’t even imagine you trying to rule an entire country,” Runner remarked, before whispering to himself. “Even though, technically speaking, we’re going to end up becoming Kings, somewhere in the near future…”

“You did a great job out there, Shanghai,” Alexandria said to her Fairy partner, patting her on the head and earning an adorable squeal of happiness. “But, you could’ve maybe kept your skillset a bit more secret, alright?”

“A-Ah… A-Alright, sorry,” Shanghai replied apologetically as Alexandria turned to Lucette, waiting to see what the prize Tempest mentioned was.

“Well, you guys wait here and come up when I call your names,” Lucette said, trodding over to the podium where Grubber was.

“Alright,” Collateral shrugged as they waited.

“I wonder what sort of prize all four of you are getting?” Pillar questioned.

“Oh, I really hope it's something cool!” Shanghai piped up, a sparkle in her eyes, looking hopeful. Alexandria just shakes her head, smiling.

Grubber, after the Champions and leaders had left, save for the home team and Lucette of course, called out to the audience.

“Alrighty folks, it’s been a long and exciting Festival, but now it’s time to crown our winners!” He turned to Lucette, who smirked and snapped her fingers, a group of Skili women in flowing golden robes - all of them like a mixture of tribal clothes and Japanese kimonos - came up to the podium, two of them holding a sleek, finished wooden case, another two holding a likewise black bag, and yet another two holding a black box of wood similar to the long case.

Lucette took the microphone from Grubber, cleared her throat, then spoke. “First, my little sister and her Fairy, Alexandria Kijin and Shanghai! Please step up to the podium!” Alexandria did as told, Shanghai close behind her with a hopeful look in her eyes. The Skili women presented the black bag to them, prompting them to open it. When they did, their eyes widened as they saw what lay inside.

First was the large cloak made of a shimmering material, transparent yet soft and a light purple, with the edges being lined with red silk, and the hood bearing a mask.

Second was a small, Shanghai-sized gun, looking similar to a 1911 WWII Colt, but with a lightning bolt-shaped grip.

“I give to them, the Cloak of Clouds and the Fairy’s Thunder!” Lucette announced, the audience clapping loudly.

Alexandria’s eyes widened. “Oh, wow…” she breathed, awed by the appearance of the cloak. Shanghai was too shocked to speak. Alexandria glanced at Shanghai’s prize, and noted that it was sized specifically for the Fairy. “Say, how did you know to make these things for us on such short notice?” she asked Lucette quietly.

Lucette smiled, the only thing visible with her mask still on. “Me and Ventus made a few handy machines to produce stuff for us when she couldn’t. All I had to do was put the right materials in and shape it all with a stylus on the monitor,” Lucette whispered. She winked at her. “Don’t say I don’t look out for my friends, or those who help me in a pinch.”

“Huh…” was all Alexandria could manage, still a little blown away by the supposedly high-quality rewards. “Well… Thank you very much!”

“Yes! Yes, thank you so, so much!” Shanghai agreed, overflowing with enthusiasm.

Lucette chuckled. “Anytime, girls. Oh, and just so you know, the Cloak can turn you into clouds for a quick moment, and the gun fires bullets with electrically charged rounds.” She smirked. “Enjoy.” She then turned back to the audience and called out another of her Champions. “Next up, my older brother, Hunter!” Hearing his name, he walked up to them, standing before Lucette and kneeling down. “To him, I bequeath the Tempestuous Will!”

Lucette smiled and nodded to the Skili women with the case, who presented it to Hunter. When he opened it up, he found a greatsword made of the reflective yet sea green metal called Stormwill, with dozens of runes engraved into it’s blade, two in particular reminding him of the Destiny symbols for Arc Light and Void Light. The hilt was simple, being wrapped in metal thorns of Black Iron, and with a pommel that looked exactly like a certain Demon’s Skull, albeit miniaturized. Namely, a Titan’s. Lucette smirked at his glance to her.

“I was planning on you coming for a long time. What? You think I wouldn’t reward a friend for helping me out?” she asked rhetorically.

“Not in a million years, thank you,” he replied, nodding his head to her as he stands back up and holds his Greatsword up against his shoulder.

Lucette smiled, patting him on the back. “Have fun with it, big guy. There’s a few surprises on that beauty,” she said, before turning back once more to the audience. “Finally, my advisor and second in command, Tempest!” Tempest trotted up to the podium. “To her, I give her the first in a line of new products from the Windwhirl Offices!” Lucette swept her hand to the box as it was opened. “The Scouter!”

Inside the box was what seemed to be a monocle mixed with a set of goggles, only with glowing blue lenses. Tempest blinked a little as she looked at the goggles, picking them up in her magic and putting them on. Immediately she gasped, as she saw glowing auras around every living thing around her, all in varying colors, sizes, shapes, and more. She noted Shanghai and Alexandria’s auras seemed to be tied together by a strong string, or cord, rather. Berserker’s looked like it was burning, like a sun’s, but a blood red one. Tempest pulled them off and looked to her queen.

“What… Was that?” she asked, shock clear in her tone. Lucette chortled.

“Simple. You just saw the auras and soul-energy of everyone here,” she explained. Tempest’s eyes widened.

“Amazing…” she breathed. Lucette giggled.

“It’s pretty easy to figure out when you’re like me,” she said, before turning back to the microphone. “And that, my dear subjects, concludes the Festival of Fellowship and Strength! Thank you all for coming!”

Lucette waited as the audience eventually filed out of the stadium, before slumping over a bit and turning to the others, her subjects now gone save for a trusted few, like the guards. “Damn, I’m fucking drained…”

“Need us to carry you down to the pub?” Berserker asked her.

“What? No, I’m a grown woman, I don’t need to be fucking carried!” Lucette said quickly, a light blush on her cheeks. “I’m not some kid, ya know!”

“Where I’m standing, you are. Age wise,” he retorted.

Lucette growled and flipped him off. “Ah fuck you, Zerk. I don’t need your shit!” she shot back. She looked to Alexandria and grabbed her by the arm. “Now, come on you lazy shits! Time for us to get shitfaced drunk!”

“Shanghai, my knife, please,” Hunter said to the Fairy.

“Ah right, here,” Shanghai said, handing Hunter his knife. He noted that it was normal again, unlike when she was wielding it while transformed earlier.

“Thank you,” he gave his gratitude to her, placing it back in its hiding spot as they all made their way back to the castle. Of course, he returned Berserker’s sword to him.

That night, was one Lucette would not soon forget. It was filled with many jeers and quite a few jokes, but what happened with Alexandria and Shanghai took the cake. Even though Shanghai didn’t drink a drop, even before Alexandria got buzzed, Shanghai was already tipsy. By the time Alexandria herself was fairly tipsy, Shanghai was completely shitfaced, and she was the life of the party for a good while. She even transformed and did some stripteasing for the Doom Marines.

Speaking of which, while they shielded their eyes from Shanghai’s drunken shenanigans, Berserker and Hunter drank some very special Dragon Ale from one of their flasks. The effects surprised most, as two different specters of Dragons came out from them. For Berserker’s one, it was a big, red, western Dragon, just chilling and smiling at the party-goers, not something anyone was expecting. For Hunter’s, his was a grey, serpent-like, eastern Dragon with Eagle wings, flying around and about in the tavern.

Lucette snatched it from them after seeing the spectacle, but no Dragon specters came about. No, instead, she burped out a small storm cloud, which quickly dissipated as she pounded her chest from the coughing fit it gave her.

Alexandria was unconcerned with anything that was happening, even giggling as she watched Shanghai squeeze her boobs together. She glanced at Berserker and Hunter, before mumbling something about Gods as she continued to grin drunkenly.

That night, they all became closer, even if Lucette didn’t want to admit it in her drunken stupor. Whether she did or not, though, it still held true, as was made obvious the next morning when she awoke with a groan and looked about to find the others all around her, sleeping in various positions.

She grunted as she pulled herself up and off the floor, fixing the hem of her pants, as they had slipped a bit down her hips. She looked over to Shanghai, smiled faintly and grabbed a blanket the bar keep, Tyl, gave her, then wrapped the Fairy in it to cover her modesty.

She did much the same for the others, then pulled out the Tokens she had for them. “Alright guys, our contracts are complete,” she spoke with warmth, watching as portals opened. She gently deposited the two girls into their portal, then looked to the Marines as they snored. “...Ah, fuck it,” she said with a shrug, before grabbing them one by one and roughly tossing them into their own portal. She grabbed a piece of paper from Tyl, wrote a quick note to both parties, tossed them both in their respective portals, and waited as they closed, just in time to see Berserker start to wake up from the other side of the Marine’s portal.

When it closed, she sighed contentedly and looked around the room. “...” She smiled and turned to the doors, and walked out.

When the two sets of Displaced would wake up in their own worlds, they would find notes near them, with these words written on them in cursive, “Have a good one, fam.”

16 - Intermission: Resolutions (Edited... Once Again)

Author's Note

EDIT: Added a new, better intro, complete with a new, more fitting song.

Well my dear readers, this story has finally reached the 100 like mark. Quite honestly, I'm surprised it did. Not unhappy, mind you, but still surprised. But onto why this Author's Note is up here instead of at the bottom...

I'd like to do a special Intermission Chapter after this one in recognition of how far this story has come. But as a special present to all of you, I'm going to let you all decide what the contents of that chapter will be. I have only a few rules.

1) It cannot be set in the far-flung future of the chapter. In other words, it can't be a year or more in the future.

2) It cannot be a crossover chapter. I've already sworn off doing crossovers for this story until at least two arcs after this new chapter.

3) It cannot be a chapter that derails the plot.

I will allow Q&A chapters and just about anything else, as long as it doesn't break any of those rules stated above. Post your ideas on chapters and such below in the comments. Now, onto the namesake of this chapter, yes?

Enjoy, my dear readers. :twilightsmile:

-Timeless Celestial

16 - Intermission: Resolutions (Edited... Once Again)

[A woman takes the first step up the stairs.

Her subjects watch on with pride in their hearts.

Her children follow behind her, smiles on their faces.

Royal Lightning flashes time and time again outside.

Reaching the top of the steps, she turns, and grins.

The Queen of Storms takes her throne.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6_722bLF-I)

Lucette walked out of the tavern and yawned as she stretched a bit, popping her back. “Mmm, God, that felt good…” she muttered. She then blinked as she heard the sound of feathers ruffling, looking to her side to find Ayis and Yukari just by the doors. Lucette blinked again. “Were you guys just… Watching us? The whole time? Since we started drinking and fell asleep?”

“Yep,” Ayis answered, nodding. “I think that was the first time I’ve seen the Squirt drunk. It was pretty funny, actually.”

“It’s embarrassing, that’s what it was,” Nyilla commented from her shoulder, a surly expression plastered on her face.

“Oh come on,” Yukari said with a small chuckle. “I think it was enjoyable to see the little lady let loose a bit.”

“If by let loose you mean literally strip down to her panties,” Lucette replied, sighing and shaking her head. “Much as my drunk self found it funny, now it’s just...weird, especially since she seemed so innocent before.” Lucette shuddered. “Yeah, don’t wanna think about those implications. Seriously, girl is like a 5 year old when small, then a fully grown woman when only 4”6. Too weird.” She shook her head. “Anyways, back to my point, why were you watching us?”

“Because it was interesting?” Yukari offered.

“…Why do I get the feeling you only ever do things for shits and giggles?” Lucette wondered aloud. Yukari simply giggled.

“Probably because she does,” Nyilla said flatly.

“Ah, whatever, it’s fine,” Ayis said, waving a hand dismissively. “I got to see a side of my babe that I don’t see often.”

“What, you mean a giggling fool?” Lucette asked. “Oh, I mean that in a good way, of course, kid’s got a good head on her shoulders.”

“Well, I guess so,” Ayis answered. “I just mean that I actually don’t get to see her drunk very often, if at all.”

“It’s true,” Yukari added. “Even I’ve rarely seen Alexandria drunk.”

“Huh…” Lucette said simply, putting a hand to her chin. She eventually shrugged. “Well, guess that just means I’m one of the people she can loosen up around. That, or the tournament just did that anyways.”

“Well, yeah,” Ayis agreed, rolling her hand around. “That was only the second time she’s died, and she only recently got her immortality, so this was probably her first chance to really let loose.”

“Huh,” Lucette said again. And again, she shrugged. “Well, I’ve got to get to my job again, so I’m gonna have to ask you guys to leave for now.” She extended a gauntleted hand and smiled warmly at the two. “It was nice meeting you two. Maybe we can have a few rounds of drinks ourselves in the future.” Yukari took the hand and shook it, returning the smile.

“That sounds wonderful,” she said. “I’ll definitely consider the offer.” She then let go, Ayis shaking it next.

“Yeah, that might be cool,” the Fallen Angel concurred. “Maybe I’ll be able to fight in a tournament or something next time too.”

“Maybe, or maybe I’ll just invite you and Alex over for a sparring match. Been way too long since I’ve done any fighting, ya know?” Lucette replied, grinning from ear to ear. Ayis’ face lit up a bit.

“Yeah, that’d work too,” she said with barely held enthusiasm. Nyilla just rolled her eyes.

“Oh! And if you ever need a gun, feel free to ask. I’m not afraid to hand ‘em out to friends,” Lucette continued, patting her own gun. “Trust me, the things pack a punch.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Yukari said with a small smile as a Gap opened. “Alright, Ayis, I think it’s time we head back. Best not keep everyone waiting too long.” Ayis just nodded as she turned to the Gap and walked towards it. Before she went through, she paused to turn and wave to Lucette.

Lucette smiled and gave a two-fingered salute in kind. With that, Ayis jumped through the Gap, and Yukari gave one last courteous smile to Lucette before following Ayis, the Gap closing behind the tall, enigmatic woman.

Lucette sighed and lowered her arm, glancing down the hallway that lead to her chambers. "..." She groaned, bringing a gauntleted hand to her forehead. "This is gonna suck..." With a sigh, she began her walk to her chambers to make up with Ventus.

Not long after, she reached the room and paused by the door, hand outstretched to knock. She eventually shook her head and steeled herself, rapping her knuckles upon the purpleheart wood door. There was no response for a short little while, but then, Ventus' voice answered, "Come in," in a reserved tone. Lucette frowned and sighed again, before pushing the door open. She closed it behind her, then looked around her spacious room for her partner. She didn't see her at the four poster bed, nor near the walk-in closet or bathroom. Lucette took a few steps forward.

"V? Where are you?" she called.

"...Over here," came Ventus' despondent reply. Lucette followed the sound of the voice to the balcony, seeing the little Ghost floating near the Black Iron railings. The woman pushed the doors open gently and walked up next to her partner. Silence ensued for a while, the only sound left being that of the ever raging storm. Finally, Ventus spoke. "...L, am I... Am I still useful?"

Lucette's head snapped to her. "What do you mean, V? Of course you're still useful! But you're not some tool, you know that, right?"

Ventus slowly nodded. "Yeah, I know, but... As a Ghost, my entire meaning for existing is to help my Guardian, and..." Ventus trailed off, unable to finish her sentence as she looked away. Lucette frowned deeply, then sighed as she looked out upon her kingdom from above.

"...Look, V, I'm sorry for what I said, it was uncalled for. I just... I just..." Lucette stopped herself, trying to think of what to say, then sighed deeply and continued. "...I just didn't want you to know that stuff about me, not until I was ready. I know that the stuff that's happened at The City back in the Sol System was pretty bad, but..." Lucette clenched her fists tightly. "...They didn't have to go through what I did for half a year. They didn't see the same shit I did. Not even the Hive or Fallen or Vex would've done what those bastards in CAR did. Hell, I doubt even the Cabal would've done that shit." Lucette looked to Ventus to find her staring right at her. "The place you came from, the place you knew before we came here... It's nowhere close to the hell I was in back in my home."

"But you still should've told me!" Ventus argued, floating a little closer as her optic somehow expressed anger and pain. "Even if it hurt you a lot, even if it meant things wouldn't be the same, you still should have told me! That's what partners do, right?! They're supposed to trust each other!" Lucette simply stared at Ventus as she slowly broke down, letting herself descend a fair bit. "...Am I just not close enough for you to trust anymore...?" Ventus asked in a shaky tone, optic lowering to the concrete as rain pounded down on the two of them. Lucette's frown deepened as she looked at her Ghost.

Her partner.

Finally, with a sigh, she gently grabbed the small robot and lifted her to her own face. "...It's not your fault, V," she began soflty, the Ghost slowly looking up at her. "...I...I've just never really been the same since I came back from CAR. I only ever talked to my brother or my friend Suzy. And even then, I never told them about what happened." Lucette let out a self-derisive snort. "Hell, I even managed to avoid telling the entire story to the Doomies!" Lucette slowly brought her face closer to the little Ghost. "...But, from now on, I'll start being more forthcoming. Starting with you." Lucette managed a kind smile. "That sound good?"

Ventus made a sound not unlike a sniffle, though how she was able to do so was unknown. Then, she bobbed - her version of a nod - in agreement. "Yeah... I'd like that. A lot."

Lucette's smile grew. "Alright, from now on, ask me anything, and I'll do my best to answer it, okay?"

Once more, Ventus bobbed, then gave her Guardian a hopeful look. "Can we uh... Can you tell me more about your Earth now, then?"

Lucette nodded. "You got it."

And thus, the duo spent the rest of the night revisiting the past.

After Lucette had talked to the other world leaders and set up a trade agreement with Ember (Mostly for more gems, but also coal and many high-end metals), as well as given out the consolation prizes, they had all left for their home countries, leaving Lucette to her own devices for the rest of the day.

Thus, Lucette stood in the Castle Training Room, watching from afar as her daughter, Suki, practiced her marksmanship skills. She was using two airsoft versions of Remington M95 derringers, shooting at paper targets in the shooting range area of the Training Room. The idea of airsoft guns had been something Lucette suggested rather quickly, explaining that it could help support the gun trade in general, and it had c aught on like wildfire in the Storm Kingdom, the city of Black Mountain especially.

Lucette smiled as she saw her daughter swiftly reload her guns after each shot was fired, though, as expected, she still had a long way to go before she reached her mother's level.

This much was evident by how Suki would occasionally hit just beyond the bullseye, and Lucette was taking note of it in her mind. After a short span of time, Lucette walked over and stood behind Suki. As Suki took aim once more, Lucette spoke up. "Remember, muffin top, minimum movements. Don't pause to wipe the sweat from your head, or bend your knees. Just do the most necessary actions."

"Yes mommy!" Suki replied dutifully, following her mother's instructions. She raised her guns up for another few shots.

"Face flat, sweetie," Lucette instructed. Suki nodded, adjusting her head. Then, she squeezed the triggers, firing four rounds at the targets across the range, hitting one on both ends of it's shoulders, piercing the paper easily. Lucette smiled and lightly ruffled Suki's furry head. "Good job, muffin top." Suki beamed and nuzzled into her touch, purring a little. Lucette's smile only grew as she continued to ruffle the young one's cute head. Eventually, she removed her hand. "Alright, time for melee weapons." Suki nodded with a beaming smile, rushing over to a weapon rack where she grabbed an oak shotel and Firangi before rushing back over to her mother and getting in a ready stance.

Lucette chuckled at this. "You really do love those swords, huh muffin top?"

Suki nodded enthusiastically. "Ya huh! I really like the curvy one, it's silly!" she informed, lifting the shotel up a bit and spinning it a little. She gave the Firangi a test swing. "And this one's just cool!"

Lucette sighed and shook her head with a smile before looking back up to her daughter. "You need to choose your weapons based on your fighting style too, sweetie, don't forget that, okay?" Suki nodded once more.

"Okay mommy! I got it!" she replied. Lucette smiled, before getting into her own stance.

"Alright muffin top, show me what you got!" Lucette urged, making a 'bring it on' gesture. Suki then gained a grin not unlike her mother's in it's ferocity, then dashed in, and once she reached her mother, she twirled around and lashed out with her shotel, aiming to catch her mother's leg and sweep it out from under her.

Lucette stopped the attack by lightly kicking the offending weapon away, sending it flying out of Suki's hand and across the range. Suki, undeterred, made to slice upwards with her Firangi, but Lucette simply grabbed it with her hand, then yanked it out of her daughter's grasp. Suki was determined however, and pounced onto her mother, ineffectively punching her chest as she fell backwards.

Lucette laughed at this and let herself fall, wrapping her daughter in her arms as she did. Suki cried out in alarm, and then Lucette gained her signature grin. Suki's eyes widened, recognizing the look in her mommy's eyes. "W-Wait-!" she tried to shout, but it was too late, for Lucette had begun to mercilessly tickle her daughter, the young Siamese cat squealing and flailing as she was tickled, laughing and giggling as her mother tickled her. "N-No-hohoho-! Mommy sto-o-o-o-op-! Hee hee hee hee- Ha ha ha ha ha!" She flailed more. "I-I-I-heehee-hahaha-! I give! I give!" After a good ten minutes Lucette stopped tickling her daughter, smiling warmly down at her with her glowing golden eyes.

She then lightly poked Suki's nose. "You went too flashy, sweetie, and you were too predictable. You need to be faster, too," Lucette told her daughter. "Or else you get more tickles~." She raised her hands again, wriggling her fingers. Suki pushed them away and slowly recaught her breath as she pouted.

"That's...not fair! You're too good, mommy!" Suki argued.

Lucette let out a short laugh before responding. "Muffin top, if you wanna train, you have to have the best teacher." She pointed to herself with a thumb and smirked. "And who's the best teacher here?"

Suki kept her pout and looked away, but conceded with, "You..." She then turned back to her mother. "But can't you go a little easier?"

Lucette kept her smirk. "Suki, that was easy," Lucette explained. She booped her nose again. "And I'm not lowering the difficulty, because otherwise you won't learn and adapt."

Suki sighed before losing her pout. "Fine..." she perked up. "Can I have some Storm Candy now? Pleeease?" She pleaded, giving her mother puppy dog eyes. Lucette rolled her eyes.

"Alright, you little rascal," she conceded, ruffling her furry head again. Suki purred and nuzzled up against her mother's hand.

"Thanks mommy," she chirped.

The Awoken smiled. "Anytime, muffin top."

Three hours later, Lucette was in the War Room with Tempest, Grubber, and the Nyxian Master of the Darkstriders, or, in other words, the head honcho of the Darkstriders. What made him special was his unique bloodline, being part of the Warrior-Noble House of Skilvfig, or, "Stormcloud." This House held the hereditary ability to spew black fog, and it was his particular mastery of this ability that granted him his position, among other things. His House was based in the city of Black Mountain, and as such held quite a bit of sway with its court.

Lucette was looking over a map of the known world with a critical eye as her advisor explained the progress on the spy network and it's missions.

"We've managed to successfully get a team on the ground in The Undiscovered West, and while we have been receiving consistent reports, there hasn't been any sign of the Kingdom of the Centaurs and Gargoyles, or the Thestrals," Tempest began, pointing to the landmass to the west of Equestria. She then pointed to a series of islands off the coast of the Bug Bear Territories. "The Minotian Isles have been successfully infiltrated, and Team Walker, Team Toland, and Team Yor Kaathe have sent in their first set of reports." She nodded to the Nyxian Master, who produced a small stack of papers and handed them to Lucette.

Lucette looked them over, eyes narrowing as she flipped through them. "Hmm, good, good, seems those charms we got from the Equestrian blackmarket worked well..." She placed the papers to the side and looked back to Tempest. "Anything else?"

Tempest nodded, pointing to the easternmost of the eastern continents, of which there were three. "The Saddle Arabians refused the invitation to the Festival, but after news spread from the participant countries to the rest of the world, they became interested in us. They've invited us over to their capital."

"Oooh, I heard they have the best sour candies!" Grubber interrupted. Everyone present shot him a look, and he shrunk back. "Oh, uh, eheh, sorry..."

"Anyways..." Lucette said, looking over the vast deserts of Saddle Arabia. She stared at the area on the map for a few seconds in contemplation before continuing, "...Send the Aspect Master of the Betwixt and a team of her choosing. She will be our delegate to the Saddle Arabians."

Tempest saluted, and the meeting continued, filled with dozens more reports and the like. An hour later, a messenger came in with a letter. After taking it from him and reading it over after he excused himself, Tempest spoke up. "What does it say, My Queen?"

Lucette lowered the scroll from her face, a grim look on her pretty visage. "...I've been invited to the next meeting of the International Council..."

The Following Day...

"Dammit!!!" cursed Minotian Emperor Steel Axe, slamming a fist onto an ornate table and breaking it in half. His three Champions stood at the door to his chambers in the capital city of the Minotian Isles, Minos. "That damned harlot! She rigged that entire tournament, she had to!" He reared his fist back once more, "Grrrah!" and slammed it into the nearest wall, cracks spider webbing through the white terracotta wall. His Champions remained silent as their monarch continued to rage across his chambers, the sounds of his anger-fueled destruction echoing throughout the room.

By the end of his near thirty minute rampage, his four-poster bed was in pieces, his lounging couch was cut in half by his signature greataxe, a number of the stained glass windows across the room had been shattered, the stuffed head of a Cirein had been tossed across the room and currently had it's maw filled with most of the wall it had impacted, and Iron Will was sweating up a storm while his mother and father simply watched on, the father having taken to reclining against the door frame, and the mother once more partaking of her favorite drink; Sack Milk.

Steel Axe stomped over to his balcony, reaching the railing and gazing hatefully out at the watery horizon with his burning emerald eyes. He ground his teeth as he continued to glare.

"Mark my words, you upstart, freakish bitch..." he growled out. "I'll find out ALL of your secrets... And when I do..." He gripped the railings tightly with his muscled hands. "...I'll use them to bring that pretty castle of yours down on your head!"

17 - Intermission: Behind Closed Doors, They Rise in Scores (Edited)

[A woman takes the first step up the stairs.

Her subjects watch on with pride in their hearts.

Her children follow behind her, smiles on their faces.

Royal Lightning flashes time and time again outside.

Reaching the top of the steps, she turns, and grins.

The Queen of Storms takes her throne.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6_722bLF-I)

"I can't believe we lost so badly!" Shining Armor cried for the umpteenth time. Him, his wife, his sister and her friends, as well as the diarchs were all in Canterlot, relaxing after the Festival they attended just a few days prior, their trip back taking at least a week to be completed. And, as they had been since they arrived back in their familiar setting, they were mulling over and discussing all of which they had seen and witnessed at the Festival the Storm Queen had hosted.

"It is quite disheartening to know even our best could not do much in the Festival," Luna agreed, taking a bite of her salad.

"And you're certain nothing fishy was going on, AJ?" Rainbow asked, turning to her farmer friend.

Applejack sighed deeply. "Like Ah said before, she weren't lying, but she certainly weren't being, uh..."

"Forthcoming?" Twilight supplied.

Applejack pointed a hoof at her. "Yeah, that."

"I find the most frightening thing to be her apparent military might," Celestia started, finally speaking after having been silently drinking her tea for so long. She had not spoken much since they returned and settled back in.

"It was pretty scary..." Fluttershy admitted.

"Yeah, and her brothers were really mean and rude. But Runny was kinda fun, too, when he wasn't being creepy," Pinkie pointed out.

"True, but still, Aunty's right. The Storm Queen has some frightening resources behind her," Cadance added. She shuddered. "And honestly, after just a while of sitting near her as we all watched, I got a little scared."

"I can see that. She was quite imposing, wasn't she Spikey?" Rarity asked the drake sitting near her.

"Yeah, she was. But she seemed kinda cool, too," Spike admitted.

"I'd stick with imposing, myself," Starlight added, taking a sip from her mug of cocoa. "Honestly though, the whole place was imposing. The buildings, the soldiers, the people, it's like it was made to say, 'fear my power' or something."

Luna nodded. "That is not uncommon for rulers. Back in my days, I would frequently visit grand gothic cathedrals or castles."

"Her might is still true, however. She has levels of technology we've never seen, weapons we've never seen, strong, elite soldiers, and a terrifying family tree to boot," Celestia said as she took a long, drawn-out sip of her tea. "There's also the matter that she herself was a soldier, and from a foreign nation we have not heard of, much like the supposed kingdom in the West." Luna looked to her sister with a tinge of worry in her eyes.

"What do you think we should do, Princess?" Shining asked.

"..." Celestia stared at the tea she held in her magical grasp, as if the amber liquid within the cup would hold the answers she needed. Eventually, she sighed and put the cup down before looking to her nephew in-law. "We hasten our plans to integrate her into the Council. From there..." She sighed again and looked to one of the windows above. "...We hope to keep peace."

A cold, lonesome song played in the tavern in the capital of Yakyakistan. Many of the Yaks present simply quietly drank their alcohol as the skilled yovidaphone player played the song. Prince Rutherford himself was even present this time, in his own private booth at the back of the tavern, watching with a sad smile.

All the Yaks present, in fact, were listening with a sad smile on their faces. For this was a sacred song to their people, a song of honorable defeat. Prince Rutherford took a gulp of his expensive ale, letting the buzz fill him as his mind filled with memories of his youth.

He recalled how his father died to save the kingdom from Wendigoes, the spirits of icy hate most ponies save two still thought long gone. He recalled how valiantly his father died, and how he managed to drive the spirits off by unleashing the power of his ancestral helm, the Helm of Yickslur, forcing the spirits to bend their knees to him. The death tolls were staggering enough, however, that most Yaks considered it a defeat.

This very event had happened throughout the generations, for the magic of the Helm lasted for only so long. Thus, over the years, this song had been written.

Rutherford watched the Yovidaphone player for a while longer before finishing what was left of the Whitened Beard Ale in his mug. As he placed the mug down on his table, his smile only grew into something more daring, more competitive.

"Yak will fight you again, Queen..." He vowed. "And Yak will win!"

"You colossal idiots!" Ember raged, wings flared in anger as she snarled at the three dragons before her throne. She stomped up to one, nostrils flaring as she poked him in the chest. "I could have had an awesome fight with the Queen, and you asshats went and ruined it for me!" She sucker-punched him, making him double over as he tried to get his breath back. She turned her fiery gaze on the other two, who were more than nervous if their profusely sweating bodies and shaking was any indication. "There was one. ONE! Major rule you had to follow, but you fucking broke it!" Ember let out a jet of white hot flames at the two other drakes, who dove for cover. As the flames cleared and the hole in the stone wall dripped molten rock, she growled.

"Now, because of you idiots, I'm going to be the laughing stock of the Council!" She held her head in her hands. "Aaaah! I had to do that embarrassing apology and everything just so she wouldn't declare war!" She looked up at the two dragons again, and grabbed her scepter, pointing it at them. "You're all going to pay for that." She snarled, the scepter's namesake gem glowing ominously.

A flash of red light and three howls of pain saw the three running out of the cavern with crimson, magical flames on their backs and tails. Ember sighed deeply as she lowered her scepter and slowly walked over to her throne, sitting in it and slumping in it.

"Ughh... What the Tartarus do I do now...?"

"Grrah!" yelled Pharynx, lashing out at a dummy with a strong hoof. "Rrrah!" He did the same with his other hoof. "Take this!" He cried, spinning around and bucking it hard, breaking it in half. He panted for a bit before noticing the other soldiers around him were staring at him. "Well? Get back to training, wimps!"

They immediately did so, practicing their attacks whilst transformed, and whilst in their normal state. Meanwhile Pharynx simply summoned another dummy for himself, horn glowing once more to transform into something monstrous before he was interrupted.

"Hey bro-," came the voice of Thorax.

"Gah!" Pharynx cried, magic surging and shooting at a random dummy, transforming it into a teddy bear and causing the soldier about to punch it to fall over. Pharynx groaned as he turned to his brother. "I told you not to bother me when I'm in the middle of training!"

Thorax chuckled nervously. "Heheh... Sorry Pharynx," he said, rubbing the back of his head.

Pharynx sighed. "So? What did you want?"

"Weell... I uh... I gave your proposal some thought, and uh...After talking to Princess Celestia and Luna, I thought I might as well go through with it," Thorax decided. Pharynx blinked a few times before a large grin split his face.

"Awesome! So you'll petition the Queen for some of her guns at the next Council meeting?" he asked excitedly. Thorax nodded, and Pharynx pumped a hoof. "Sweet! Can't wait to have one of my own!" He wrapped Thorax in a one-armed hug. "Thanks a lot, bro!"

Thorax smiled lightly. "Anytime, bro. Anytime."

"Has there been any reply from the Storm Queen yet?" Gilda asked her advisor.

"No, My Queen," the grizzled old griffon replied.

Gilda groaned. "Ugh, the one time I wish I had teleportation." She sighed, resting a cheek on her claws. "How hard can it be to get through a magical storm, anyway? I just wanted to have a one-on-one with her, maybe ask her if I could get one of those 'gun' things..." She groaned again before looking once more to her advisor. "We sent an official petition for guns too, right?" He nodded. "And no reply yet on that either?" He shook his head. Gilda groaned once more, slumping into her throne.

Suddenly, a scroll appeared in a wave of magical fire, and Gilda deftly caught it. She read it over, and as she did, she could only frown more. When she finished, she tossed it to the ground. "Aw come on! 'Wait until the Council meeting', pfft, screw that noise!"

"My Queen, I'm afraid that if she does not want to negotiate now, then we can only do as she says and wait," her advisor advised.

"Yeah, no," Gilda said, hopping off her throne before looking back at her advisor. "Come on Blue, we're heading to R&D." She looked ahead once more. "If the Storm Queen won't give us guns, we'll just make our own." She smirked. "Ours'll be better anyways."

A certain horn, housed within a glass case in the bowels of the Crystal Empire's castle, was once more emitting a dark, sickening magical glow. It had been doing this for months, but none had noticed. Today, they noticed. Today, they heard voices, whispers in the backs of their minds. It made the guards eyes shift from side to side, corner to corner, in increasing worry and even fear. And then, suddenly, the horn turned black, and disappeared, along with the voices and whispers. The guards noticed far too late.

Sombra's horn was gone, and the mad king with it.

Chrysalis, after months of scouring the depths of Black Skull Island, after months of digging with a makeshift shovel, had found what her master sought, and what she was to procure. After knocking down a wall, the basalt rocks fell to reveal a massive chamber ringed with lava and lava waterfalls, the collective heat forcing Chrysalis to cast a spell to hold back her sweat and keep her cool. But inside the ring of lava, was her true prize.

For what laid there, all covered and nestled in sealed stone sarcophagi, were the remnants of the Blighted Horde, the rotting, soul-hungering, immortal army she would groom into a fighting force. Chrysalis grinned a fang-filled grin as her horn glowed, and started to sing as she unlocked the seals on them all, the Blighted, ones of every race, slowly rising. Her horn glowed again, and their rotted eyesockets glowed an eerie green as they joined in her song.

The whole Island now hummed with Darkness, and the world...

Was next.

Author's Note

EDIT: Added a new, better intro, complete with a new, more fitting song.

Welp, this took me longer to do than I wanted, but that's nothing new, now is it? Anyways, here it is, folks, the chapter I promised you, the chapter many of you wanted. Hope you like the ending, but just as a note...

There won't be a war for a few arcs.

Let me explain a bit on why. See, Black Skull Island, if you look on the MLP Map, seems to be volcanic. So, likely no trees. That means, Chryssy and her army can't make boats to get around. So, they have to wait.

For what? Well, you'll see. :raritywink: I can't explain everything, after all, gotta keep that lovely mystery~

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and thank you all so very much for the likes, faves, views, and of course, reads. I hope to continue pleasing you all with my tales.

-Timeless Celestial

18 - World Stage: Reception (Edited... Again)

[A woman takes the first step up the stairs.

Her subjects watch on with pride in their hearts.

Her children follow behind her, smiles on their faces.

Royal Lightning flashes time and time again outside.

Reaching the top of the steps, she turns, and grins.

The Queen of Storms takes her throne.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6_722bLF-I)

"Now presenting the regent of the Storm Kingdom, The Traveler's Chosen, The Darkslayer, Storm Queen Lucette Petremol!" cried a pony in a fancy suit as me and Suki walked into the grand hall/ballroom of Canterlot Castle. "And accompanying her, Storm Princess Suki Petremol!"

Suki was a little bit shy with all the new people around, holding onto my pant leg as we walked. I could understand it, honestly. With all these people, all of such differing races and with so many in such imposing garbs? Yeah, that's intimidating for any kid her age. I reached down and patted her head.

"Don't worry, muffin top," I whispered. "Mommy's right here."

She simply nodded, but didn't let go of me. I sighed and smiled, then looked out across the vast expanse of creatures around us, talking to one another. Some of them were holding goblets and wine glasses, or were just chatting amongst themselves.

Honestly, I was less scared and more fascinated by the fact that there were so many mythical creatures here. I knew about most of them from the brief descriptions my Darkstriders and Tempest had given me, but it was another thing to actually see them in the flesh.

After a bit of looking around, me and Suki found a nice little table away from the ballroom floor and tucked ourselves into it's chairs, Suki jumping up on my lap without my consent. I was going to scold her for it, but one look at how tightly she clutched my chestplate and I crumpled and simply started petting her.

I then turned my attention to the crowd again as she slowly calmed, taking note of the various groups and sizing them up. To my surprise and delight, the Abyssinians were here, and I gave the two rulers a wave. Nami simply turned her head away, whilst Capper waved back before he was forced to return to talking to some other diplomat, a Deer by the looks of it.

I continued my scanning of the crowd. As expected of an International Council, this place seemed to have every leader from every nation from every race. Deers, Reindeers, Saddle Arabians, Yaks, Thestrals, Minotaurs, Abyssinians, Ponies, Crystal Ponies, Dragons, Griffons, Changelings, Zebras, Donkeys, heck, even Diamond Dogs, Sirens, Gremlins, and the Hippogriffs, Nyx's, and Buffalos and recently inducted Kirin.

I soon noted that the entire collection of leaders would look at me and Suki every now and then, then return to their conversations. Hippogriff Queen Novo and the Minotaur Emperor were less discreet, however. I didn't have much chance to think more about it before two Kirin approached us, one tall like Celestia with a blue lion's tail and mane, beige fur and lighter beige scales across her back and snout, and a small crown around a very red and unique horn. The other was smaller, likely a male but still too feminine for me to really tell.

He had dark red fur, deep brown scales, a blue mane and tail like the tall one, and a similarly red horn and a small crown as well.

They stepped up to us and smiled, the taller one speaking first. "Hello there. You seem to be a new face to this gathering as well. Might I ask what your name is, and, perhaps, what you are?"

I smiled, Suki still in my lap and holding onto me. "I am Lucette Petremol, the Queen of Storms. I'm an Awoken." I patted Suki's head. "This is my daughter, Suki Petremol. Say hi, sweetie."

Suki slowly turned her head to them and waved, giving them a brief, "H-Hi..."

The male Kirin walked up to her and extended a hoof. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Dusk Burn, Rain Shine's son."

Suki hesitantly grabbed his hoof and shook it, me and the other Kirin smiling at the interaction before we looked back to each other. "So, might I have your name?" I asked.

"Rain Shine. It's nice to meet you," she said with a small smile.

I nodded. "Same to you."

Me and Rain Shine chatted for a little while, and soon enough the other leaders came around as well and talked to me. Suki remained hesitant to talk to anyone, but I managed to get her talking with Dusk Burn eventually. We talked for what I assumed was hours, going from topic to topic easily and seamlessly. Rain Shine seemed like a pretty sensible and just leader, albeit not the most experienced in some matters. Still, she was a good conversationalist, despite what she told me about her species rendering themselves mute not too long ago. Dusk Burn was polite and amiable, qualities that soon brought Suki out of her timidity.

Suddenly, the crowd grew quiet, and we all looked to the far end of the room where I noticed the four Princesses and Shining Armor all standing. Celestia spoke up after each conversation settled.

"Friends, colleagues, it is an honor to have you all here again. Seeing everyone united in friendship here warms my heart," she began, and her sister continued.

"However, as you all may have noticed, we have some newcomers to our group," Luna said.

"Please welcome Storm Queen Lucette Petremol, her daughter, and Rain Shine, Chieftain of the Kirin, accompanied by her son!" Cadance announced. A round of applause followed as me, Suki, and Rain Shine and her son simply smiled and waved. Though Suki didn't wave on account of the attention that had been focused on her, instead retreating further into my chest.

As the applause died down, Celestia spoke again. "Please treat them as you would any of us, and let us all celebrate our unity!"

More applause followed, and I simply smiled. Soon after the applause died down again, more diplomats and leaders approached me, and the long day of politicking began.

Me and Suki retreated to our reserved room after everything was said and done for the day, Suki in my arms and falling asleep. I was honestly pretty worn out myself, so I walked her over to the bed and laid her in it as well as tucked her in.

Then, she yawned and pulled the covers over herself and looked up at me with her big, blue eyes. "Mommy... Can you sing me a lullaby?" she asked tiredly.

I paused at this. I hadn't sung a lullaby before, not since... I pushed that thought away, then sighed and pulled a chair over to the side of the bed as I put on a tired smile. "Sure, muffin top." I said.

Suki smiled, snuggling herself further into the pillows and sheets before looking to me expectantly. I took a moment to remember the words, then took a deep breath, and sung the song my mother had taught me so long ago. Suki's eyes slowly closed as she listened to the song's first few verses. I could hear other instruments joining in, like those that were in the original song, but I ignored it and continued, bringing a hand up to stroke her face gently, my precious daughter pressing her face into my touch.

As the song continued, I could feel old memories welling up, but I suppressed them and the coming tears as I kept singing. Soon enough, Suki fell asleep, her soft breathing bringing a smile to my face as I continued the song until it's end, still stroking her face.

By it's end, I kissed the top of her head, then relaxed into my chair and looked up at the ceiling. "...Je T'aime, toujour... Mother..."

The next few days were hectic as all get-out. It was certainly good in some respects, what with the dozens of trade agreements, alliances, travel agreements, loads of tariffs on all manners of things, and worst of all, tourism. Tourism and travel agreements were by far the biggest headaches for me. Why? Because I didn't want anyone getting into my country that was a soldier or spy, whether retired or not. Heck, I didn't want regular civilians getting in without a lot of checks and tests. There was just too much in development, too many things that tourists and prying eyes could see. Sadly, that meant a fair amount of arguments and debates when it came to the other world leaders.

The other nations did not like how secretive I was.

Then again, as long as they didn't send spies or soldiers my way, I couldn't give two shits. I told them over and over that civilians were fine as long as they went through the checks, but soldiers and spies, even retired ones, had to go through even more rigorous checks before entering my country and territories. A lot of them tried to push the issue, and some tried to threaten me with embargoes and the like if I didn't lessen the requirements to get into my country, but again, I didn't give two shits.

Of course, that didn't mean the experience wasn't draining.

By the end of it all, I was beat, but I had gotten a lot of trade agreements that I had needed, as well as made good connections. Thankfully, the entire event had only one more week to go, and this last week was specifically set aside for my entry into the International Council's Circle.

Thus, I was now walking down the halls, escorts on either side of me as I was led to the chambers that were reserved for the Circle meetings. My thoughts raced as we walked, preparing myself for the inevitable. There was a lot that could go wrong here if I didn't step carefully, especially with Steel Axe and the Princesses. Steel Axe would definitely cause a scene, and if I tried anything sneaky the Princesses would catch it if I wasn't careful. There was also the other members, too. I didn't know some of them as well as I would've liked, so I'd have to rely on what Tempest had shown me and what I'd learned from written accounts.

Sadly, my thoughts were interrupted as we reached the doors to the chambers, the guards letting me pass and opening the doors.

Ready or not, I guess...

Author's Note

EDIT: Added a new, better intro, complete with a new, more fitting song.

Well folks, here it is, the beginning of the World Stage Arc. I hope you all like it! Admittedly it was going to be shorter than this current version, but I decided to make it longer, so, here we are. It may be a bit fast, I know, but honestly I'm not entirely certain how to add more to it...:twilightsheepish:

Anyways, I thank you all for sticking with me and reading my story. I hope to keep entertaining you all with my tales. :twilightsmile:

-Timeless Celestial

19 - World Stage: Politics (Edited... Yet Again)

[A woman takes the first step up the stairs.

Her subjects watch on with pride in their hearts.

Her children follow behind her, smiles on their faces.

Royal Lightning flashes time and time again outside.

Reaching the top of the steps, she turns, and grins.

The Queen of Storms takes her throne.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6_722bLF-I)

When I walked into the Council Chambers, all conversations stopped, and all eyes were on me. I simply smiled at this as I scanned the room. Steel Axe, Zendaya, Thorax, Ember, Gilda, and all the Royals of Equestria were sitting at a large, circular table made of marble, and the seat of each member had banners over their backs, each with their country's colors on them. There were even sets of golden statues of each country's leaders lining the walls of the circular room, each one lined up to the seat of their respective leader at the table. The domed ceiling followed the same theme, being made up of stained glass and cordoned off into sections, with each section detailing some scene from the past of each country.

As I made my way towards the table, I saw that while there was an empty seat for me, it was right between the Royal Sisters. And not in an orderly manner, either. It also didn't have my banner on it.

I rolled my eyes at this, but continued nonetheless and sat down in the chair. As soon as I did, Steel Axe growled.

"Remind me again why we're holding this meeting?" He asked, arms crossed.

I quirked a brow at this, but kept my smirk. Celestia answered his question before I could give him a subtle insult, sadly. "I already told you earlier, Emperor Steel Axe," she started, sounding tired as she rubbed a temple with one of her golden-shod hooves. "We're holding this meeting to decide whether or not to bring the Storm Queen into the Council."

"And I told you my decision was no," he shot back with a scowl.

"Well, that's your decision," Ember replied, bringing my attention to her. She was filing her claws, completely focused on them. I smirked as she shot a brief glare at Steel Axe. "Maybe we want to throw our hats into the ring too."

"W-Well, I'm for it," said Twilight shakily. I raised a brow under my mask and looked to her, as did many others. She wilted under the gazes. "U-Um, well, I mean, as the Princess of Friendship, I just w-want us all to get along, a-a-and as a leader, I respect her, um, power and stuff, so..." She sunk lower into her chair as Steel Axe glared at her fiercely.

I smiled. "Well, thank you for the compliment, Princess," I said, leaning back in my chair and crossing my legs.

She perked up a bit, giving me a weak yet happy smile.

"U-Um, well, I'm okay with it too!" Thorax piped up, putting his hooves on the table. He too, wilted when Steel Axe glared at him.

Luna rolled her eyes at Steel Axe's actions, but smiled and looked around at the others. "And the rest of you?"

"I think it'd be interesting at least," Gilda mused, yawning into her claw. My smirk grew as she continued. "It gets super boring just listening to the same people arguing all the time at these meetings, so having a newbie might spice things up," She finished, resting her cheek on her claw as she gazed in boredom at us all.

"Well, Queen Gilda, if there's one thing I can admit to being good at, it's making things interesting," I admitted. Gilda chuckled.

"What, you mean that horrible excuse for a tournament? Where you clearly cheated us all?!" Steel Axe roared, then stood up and slammed his fists on the table, cracking it. I simply raised my brow and angled my chin at him, urging him to continue. He growled and pointed at me. "This woman has been playing us all! Don't you idiots see that?!"

Zendaya sighed deeply, putting a hoof to her head. "A set of ploys to make us all but toys?" She shook her head and glared at the Minotaur. "My dear Emperor, is that not every ruler?" He grit his teeth and made to retort, but she raised a hoof to stop him as she continued. "I see no ill intent in her, no sign of twist or turn," she looked to me and smiled. "Though I can see how she does purr."

I giggled and winked at her, and she winked back. I like her, she's got some sass.

"I have to agree with Zendaya here," started Cadance. She looked to me. "I'm pretty good at sensing emotions, even if it's not as good as Thorax and his people, but..." She smiled at me. "...I can tell she loves her people. Her daughter, too." She looked to the others. "She's happy because this will solidify her people's place, protect them." She glanced back at me, still wearing that smile while a mischievous glint shone in her amethyst eyes. "Right?"

I chuckled and held my hands up in a, 'well, you got me,' motion. "Guilty as charged, Princess." I said with a smirk. Seems that charmed anklet is working, because she didn't sense how happy I am just at being in control in here. I giggled.

Neither did Thorax, by the looks of it. Thank you, black market.

Steel Axe ground his teeth loudly at all this. Celestia glanced around at all of us, smiled, then asked her question. "So, then we all agree?"

Zendaya nodded, smiling as well. Gilda gave a thumbs up. Thorax smiled nervously and nodded also. Celestia looked to Ember, who grinned and also gave a thumbs up. Celestia looked to her fellow Princesses, and all of them smiled and nodded. The solar diarch then clapped a hoof on the table as she held her own smile.

"Then with a majority voting in favor," Celestia looked to me, smiling that smile she always does. "I believe congratulations are in order, as well as a welcome to the Inner Council, Queen Petremol."

I smirked and stuck out a hand. She put her hoof in it, and we shook. "I thank you all for your generosity."

Celestia giggled. "Think nothing of it." We released our hold on each other, and then settled ourselves again. "Now, I believe we have a few more important things to discuss, now that Queen Petremol has been accepted into our little group."

I looked to Steel Axe to see bulging, pulsing veins all over his face, him clenching his fists and gritting his teeth so hard that he was actually getting close to busting a blood vessel by the looks of it. We were all looking at him now, in fact, waiting for his outburst. However, he didn't say a word, he just kept glaring at me and growling lowly. Eventually, he slammed himself heavily back into his seat, crossing his arms afterwards.

With a heavy scowl, he uttered darkly, "Yeah, we do. First, I ain't doing any trade with the Storm Nation." I rolled my eyes at this, thankful no one could see it.

'Not too big of a deal, since my spies are still all over your nation, getting what I need from it anyways.' I thought with a smirk still etched on my lips.

"I'm not opening any travel routes, either," he finished with a snort.

"Well, I'm trading with her," Ember announced. A pause, before she added, "Well, we're all trading with her already, but I mean I'm opening trade fully with her." She grinned at me. "Heck, I'd love it if we could open travel routes and tourism, too."

"Same here," Gilda added, raising a claw lazily in acknowledgement.

"Me too," Thorax included, smiling.

"And I as well. Full trade and travel routes sound swell," Zendaya mused, a twinkle in her silver eyes.

I hummed at this, crossing my arms over my chest. "Well, the open trade I'm more than fine with," I started, watching as their grins grew, "But I have a few rules in terms of tourism." They all immediately frowned.

"Like what?" Celestia queried, a sharpness to her tone. I shrugged it off. I've dealt with worse.

"Well, for one, I don't want any soldiers, spies, or military of any sort, retired or not, in any of my territories," I began. All of them seemed a bit upset at this, so I continued. "Pure military sorts I really don't want in my territories, period, but retired ones I'm okay with...so long as they go through the proper checks first. Oh, and cameras and the like will be forbidden around industrial areas as well as military checkpoints, facilities, and the like."

Their frowns turned up to eleven. Gilda and Ember were actually scowling. Steel Axe, however, was smirking.

"Got something to hide, Queen Petremol?" he asked smugly.

I shrugged, leaning back in my chair. "Don't we all?" I retorted, before swiftly adding, "I simply don't want to take chances with my security." I glanced to Celestia, then Luna, before continuing with, "After all, I've had quite my fill of spies."

"So, what, you're scared we're gonna pull something?" Gilda asked. She glared at me and leaned forward, claws on the marble table while her eyes gleamed dangerously. "With what you just said, how do we know you aren't going to?"

"Yeah, sounds like you're being really protective of something. Got some weapons in the works?" Ember accused.

"Sounds like it to me," Steel Axe agreed with a nod.

"I thought we had gotten past this, Queen Petremol. We agreed some time ago we would not have any spies in or around your lands," Luna pointed out.

Cadance and Twilight, along with Thorax, seemed to be unsure how to jump in. Zendaya seemed to just be eyeing me up.

"Well, Princess, that is true, but that's in the case of your people. I need to make it clear with everyone else here," I explained. I looked to Ember. "As for those accusations of weapons, even if I did have some in the works, I don't plan on training them on any of you." I leaned forward, placing my hands on the table and steepling my fingers. "Not unless you decide to turn your own on me, at least." I looked to Gilda, then Steel Axe. "I will say this, my people will always come first. If that means I must restrict things to this level for their safety, then so be it."

They all frowned, and I caught Thorax, Cadance, and Twilight wincing out of the corner of my eye. Otherwise, things were silent. Eventually, Ember snorted out a plume of smoke, then spoke. "Alright, fine. I can get where you're coming from, at least. But, in exchange for all this security bull crap, I want something too." She smirked and leaned forward. "I want a chance to fight you. One on one."

I blinked at this. "...What?"

The others seemed just as shocked.

"A fight," Ember repeated, smirk still on her face. "I know the old Storm King beat my dad in a fight a while back, and you beat the Storm King, so you gotta be good, right?" She leaned back, crossing her arms. "I wanna see just how good you are. A fight seems like a small price to pay compared to these big demands and rules you've set."

I blinked a few more times at this. I honestly didn't know what to say.

"Well, if you're going that route, then I want something too if we're doing this," Gilda started. I looked to her. She grinned cockily. "I want some weapons."

I frowned. "I'll have to decline that one right out the gate, I'm afraid."

Gilda groaned, throwing her head back. "Uuugh! Come ooon! That's so frickin' lame!"

I shook my head firmly. "I'm sorry, but my decision is final. However..." I looked to Ember. "...I'm willing to fight the Dragon Lord if it means my terms will be met."

Ember smiled widely as she slammed a fist on the table. "Awesome! You got a deal!"

"Come on! That's not fair at all!" Gilda whined. "It's not like I'm gonna use 'em on you, ya know! I just want some to play around with!"

I shook my head again. "No deal."

Gilda threw her claws up in the air. "Oh come on!"

"There is no point in arguing this, I'm afraid," Zendaya interrupted. "On this matter, her mind is made."

I nodded. "Correct. Thank you, Queen Zendaya."

Gilda groaned again, but slumped in her seat and conceded with, "Fine, whatever..." as she crossed her arms.

Steel Axe seemed a bit unhappy again, but he didn't say anything.

"W-Well, with that out of the way, I have something I'd like to ask as well," Thorax asked meekly. I looked to him expectantly, motioning for him to continue. "Um, well, I know you won't budge on weapons deals, but... Could I, um, at the least get one of those guns for my brother?" After a short pause, he added, "Please?"

I stared at him, then pulled back and leaned into my chair again. I put a hand on my chin, thinking it over. 'The Changelings really aren't smart enough to even reach Equestria's level of tech, or, hell, even culture. They've mostly just copied Equestria with lackluster results so far, so giving them at least one gun shouldn't be too big of a deal. Heck, the Changelings don't even have any official scholars among them. No researchers either, if what my spies have reported is true...' I looked back at Thorax, seeing the plea in his eyes. 'If I recall, he has a daughter named Ocellus at that School of Friendship. She's not an official scholar, or a researcher, but she is very inquisitive. She's one of the few who might try to understand the gun if I give it out. And I know that if I give him one, I'll have to explain how to clean it and how it works.' I grunted. 'I have a few choices here. I can give him the gun, let him have his fun with it and just keep an eye on what they do with the knowledge and tech, or I can decline.' I hummed. 'Or...' I smirked. Yeah, that'll work.

"I'll allow it, on one condition," I started. Thorax smiled widely.

"Name it!" he said excitedly.

"You'll owe me a favor," I said simply, relaxing in my chair. "Nothing more, nothing less."

He blinked a few times. "That's all?" He asked, tilting his head. I nodded, and he smiled wide. "Then it's a deal!"

I smiled myself. "Good to hear. In that case, tell your brother he'll receive a gun in a matter of weeks." I'll have to talk to Viviya too, now... Oh well.

"You got it!" He said with a cheerful nod and smile.

"I'd like to ask about the Sea of Clouds," Zendaya started, dropping her rhymes. "I was wondering if we could speak of borders. Specifically, my borders with it."

Celestia hummed. "Hmm, that is a concern for me, as well."

"Oh, that's something I wanted to talk about too!" Thorax added.

"Oh?" I asked simply, raising a brow.

"Well, in my case, I simply want to set up a guard there," Celestia explained. "Along with a few trade and travel routes."

"As do I," Zendaya said with a nod.

I hummed, then looked to Thorax. "And you, King Thorax?"

"Oh! Um, well, I kinda need to expand a little, since we're growing more, and I was wondering if we could use one of the mountain ranges under the sea to use for that..." His ears lowered. "Is that okay?"

I hummed again. 'While I'm not that keen on people being so close to some of my facilities, this does actually help me keep an eye on them, too. At a much closer distance, too.' I decided to allow this. "Well, the Sea of Clouds is rather vast, so I can't say I have any problem with giving some of the land up, so long as you keep with the previously stated rules."

"I-I can do that!" Thorax said, seeming relieved. "Thank you!"

I waved it off. "Think nothing of it." I looked to Zendaya and then Celestia. "As for your requests, I don't mind, as long as you follow the same rules."

"Well, much as we wish you'd lessen those restrictions," Celestia began, looking to Zendaya, who smiled and nodded. She looked back to me. "We're willing to compromise on that."

I smiled. "Good to hear."

"Um, I have a request too!" Twilight piped up. I raised a brow and looked to her. She wilted a bit. "U-Um, well, I heard that you had some schools in the Sea of Clouds, a-a-and I was wondering if, um..." She sank into her seat a bit. "...if me and my student could, maybe come and look around...?" She asked quietly.

I hummed at this. She'd learn a lot by going to any of the schools there, but, maybe, just maybe, I could use this to my advantage. "Well, I wouldn't be entirely averse to it," I started, and she perked up, sparkles in her eyes. "However, since you seem so keen on visiting my schools, I feel it's only fair I get to do the same with your own esteemed one, yes?" I smiled. "Who knows, I might even enroll my daughter there."

Twilight's eyes were shining brightly at this prospect. "I accept!" She cupped her cheeks in her hooves and squealed. "Oooh, this'll be so much fun!!"

I chuckled at this.

"Well, Auntie, is that about it?" Cadance asked Celestia.

Celestia nodded. "Just about. All we have left is to go over the finer details of the agreements."

"Alright. I kinda need to talk to Queen Petremol about some of the taxes for our crystal trade, anyways," she admitted, smiling radiantly.

I sighed at this, but managed to keep up my smile.

Well, at least things worked out in the end. Though these next few hours are gonna be hell on my brain...

"We are now proud to announce Storm Queen Lucette Petremol as the eleventh member of the Inner International Council!" cried Luna to the crowd of leaders and nobles below us.

I was dead tired. We spent the last five, almost six hours going over the nitty gritty details of the agreements. Thankfully Ventus helped a lot, namely with the calculations and taxes, but god damn did I want coffee. All they gave me was some shitty tea that supposedly helped with sleep, but the stuff didn't have a lick of caffeine in it and didn't do a thing for me.

Thankfully I managed to get through it all, and now all I had to do was get through this ceremony. As Luna and Celestia went over the traditional lines for the ceremony, I looked to where Suki was in the crowd, talking with the Kirins. I was glad Rain Shine was kind enough to watch over her while I was busy, because Suki would've gotten into trouble otherwise.

I looked to the vaulted ceiling as Celestia and Luna finished the lines and ushered me forward to greet the crowd. With a deep breath, I stepped forward and up to the railing and waved at the crowd, practicing my royal smile.

...I get the feeling I'm gonna have to deal with a few more hours of greeting the newly arrived nobles after this.

....God dammit, I'm tired.

Author's Note

EDIT: Added a new, better intro, complete with a new, more fitting song.

EDIT: Fixed a mistake I should have noticed before.

Well, it's finally here, folks. I know it may seem a little lack luster right now, but I promise I'll go over it with a finer brush and polish it later. Right now, I have a lot to do and little time to do it.

Hope you enjoyed it at least somewhat, folks! Thanks for reading!

-Timeless Celestial

20 - World Stage: Private Matters (DEFINITIVE EDIT)

[A woman takes the first step up the stairs.

Her subjects watch on with pride in their hearts.

Her children follow behind her, smiles on their faces.

Royal Lightning flashes time and time again outside.

Reaching the top of the steps, she turns, and grins.

The Queen of Storms takes her throne.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6_722bLF-I)

"Ahhh..." I sighed, leaning back in my chair. A hot cup of holy black coffee was in my hands, and I was relishing every sip of it. "This is bliss..."

"You're weird, mommy," Suki pointed out, drinking apple juice on the side of the table opposite from me. She made an adorable pout at me as she held her cup of apple juice in her paws.

I chuckled. "Well, you're not wrong, sweetie." I lifted my cup. "But believe it or not, you'll be just as weird as me someday. You may even start to like coffee like me."

Suki's pout intensified, and I swear my heart hurt from the sheer cuteness. "Nuh uh! Coffee is yucky!"

I laughed, put my cup down, and reached over to pat my daughter's head. "Sure, muffin top. Sure."

I leaned back and picked my cup back up, looking out to the horizon. We were on the balcony that our room thankfully had, which meant we had a great view of the countryside of Equestria, since we were on the side of a mountain face. I hummed a bit as I swallowed down some more of the precious nectar of the gods. 'Spies still haven't been able to figure out how the ponies got this whole damn city to sit on the mountain like this. Too many guards near the base to do so.' I took another swig as my thought process continued. 'Might have to look into strengthening our efforts...' I hummed again. 'Speaking of spies, I wonder if my eyes in Griffonia have found out anything else about Gilda's gun project...'

The sound of heavy footfalls interrupted my thoughts, even more so when a gravelly, brutish voice called from the balcony door. "Queen Petremol?"

I turned my head to find what I could only describe as a bipedal husky standing by the balcony door frame, garbed in ornate steel plate mail, likely ceremonial if the carvings, etches, and inset gems were any indication. He also had a crown on his head, one made entirely out of diamond with pickaxes as the 'teeth' of it. The crown honestly looked more like a helmet than an actual crown to me, though.

The husky bowed his head a little before continuing where he left off. "Pardon me for barging in unannounced. I had been meaning to catch you earlier, but certain obligations kept me busy." He raised his head, silvery grey fur and molten ruby eyes staring back at me. "I am Emperor Droolius Caesar of the Diamond Dog Empire. A pleasure." He smiled, then noticed Suki. "Ah, is this the young Storm Princess?"

I put my cup down again as I put on a gentle smile, trying my hardest to not laugh at the obvious and terrible pun that was his name.

Whilst I had only just heard of Caesar's rise to power, I knew about the old line of Emperor's he had succeeded. Back when I'd been researching nations and their leaders, the Diamond Dogs had been a big interest. They were isolationists by nature, yet many of their own had left for the more primal ways of their kind. Above all, though, they were expert miners, and were said to be the best metalsmiths of the world. Whilst my own people were hailed as the best engineers and architects, the Diamond Dogs had long held the title of best blacksmiths.

But, after my arrival here, we were now overcoming them. Tales had already been spreading of the unique metals my new Legions used, and the Dogs were envious. Black Iron had also always been a long-kept secret and treasure of my people, with it's ability to resist magic, and those that knew of it, like the Dogs, naturally sought it out. Couple that with my research into using Glimmer to create even more perfect materials, and we had quite the set of treats to dangle in front of not just Caesar, but any nation.

All of that I could use to my advantage, based on what he wished to talk about.

"That is correct. She's my pride and joy." Suki blushed at this and buried her face in her paws. I chuckled at this, as did...*Ahem* Caesar. I looked back to Caesar. "So, what is so urgent that you'd feel the need to contact me while I'm enjoying some quiet time?"

Caesar replied swiftly. "Well, I was hoping we could talk about the notion of trading some schematics or the like for arms and armor. You see, my people are currently still somewhat scattered, and we need something to give us an edge over the Tribals." He rolled a paw around. "Naturally, we would give you a hefty sum of the riches of the earth in compensation."

I hummed at this, cupping my own chin. I did not feel like giving any more guns out. It was too risky having that many available to other nations, so, what should I do? I didn't have an answer for a short while, but thankfully Caesar was a patient one, and I found a solution. I looked up at Caesar. "Well, I'm afraid I am not comfortable with giving you what you ask," I started, but continued before he could retort or complain, "But, I am willing to give you aid via troops. I'm certain having our forces work together will help to instill bonds of camaraderie, am I wrong? After that, we can talk about the trading of arms and armor, and further reinforce the ties between our nations."

Caesar frowned, giving me a hard look. "A military alliance, then? Is that what you propose?"

I nodded. "Indeed. However, I must say that the idea of giving you our advanced technology does stir my interest...almost as much as it does my interest in your super metals."

His furry brows furrowed. "Those are in limited supply, and high in demand. I cannot-"

"Of course, if we are to have a military alliance instead, I would ask for the same compensation of super metals. Say...five hundred pounds? In return for this generosity, I can also supply you with the best equipment and materials my people have on offer, minus any firearms, of course," I continued.

I could see him bite his lip. He was tempted.

"Hm, I see you are still uncertain. In that case, how would a good faith shipment of Black Iron, on top of all that, sit with you?" I pressed, leaning back in my chair.

"Mommy!" Suki gasped.

I raised a finger to her. "Not now, dear. Mommy's working."

Caesar stared me down for a long while, took a breath, then raised a paw. "This alliance is set, then." I grasped the paw firmly and shook it. As we released our grips, he bowed again. "Thank you for this, Queen Petremol. I look forward to deepening the bonds of friendship between our nations. I will return later, so that we may put this down in writing. Unfortunately, I must take my leave now. I wish you both a good day." With that, he left.

I sighed deeply as he did so, then looked back to Suki. "Sorry about that, muffin top. I know this was supposed to be an 'us' day."

She smiled brightly and shook her adorable head, cup once again held in both her paws. "It's okay mommy! I like watching you work!"

I gained my own smile. "Trying to be like dear old mom?" At her enthusiastic nod, I laughed. After swiftly calming down, I continued. "Never change, sweetie. Never change."

She smiled, but slowly frowned. "Still, Mommy...should you really have given him Black Iron? Teacher always said that our Iron was one of our national treasures..."

I smiled, patting her head. "Don't worry, muffin top. Mommy will deal with any trouble that rises from this. Besides..." I looked out into the distance, towards the Badlands Mountains. "...I have a plan."

It had been three weeks since the Council meeting, and it was a rather eventful time. I had arranged for the fight between me and Ember to happen on the eve of the pony version of Christmas, and thankfully she agreed. It lined up with a certain plan I had to figure more out about the Elements, so I was glad Ember agreed to the terms. In addition, I had sent three small fireteams from each of my Vanguard's divisions to Caesar's lands, with one of my Regime Lieutenants of the Lightbearer's division to lead them. We had also cemented our alliance with a written treaty, and the shipment of Black Iron had been sent, with trade lines being made for the other agreed upon materials and equipment.

Based on the letter I received from the Regime Lieutenant four days ago, things had gone off without a hitch.

Now, admittedly, the Warrior-Nobles had risen a stink about giving up so much, and many of the Elders were furious that I was allowing an alliance between us and their rivals. I was still weaving through that mess, but with the trust of Tempest and the rest of my Circle, I was certain we'd get through it.

A fair amount of tourists had flocked to my territories as well, from all the nations in the world no less, and I would be lying if I said it hadn't caused me a headache. Already I had gotten complaint after complaint after complaint about the strict rules and laws that I had placed, and I had also received a good number of reports of minotaurs and, more interestingly, griffons, trying to get sneak peeks of some of my government facilities. A quick boot and ban from the country settled those, but I made sure to send fines and strongly worded warnings to their leaders as per the arrangements at the Council meeting.

Not only that, but I had a spy watch each and every one of the bastards who broke my rules. I was not happy about those developments. Especially since I was currently putting my factories into overdrive to try and outfit all the infantry in my army. Already I had had to set up twenty extra factories in the Sea of Clouds, and that wasn't easy since the material used to make the smoke from the stacks blend in with the rest of the clouds was hard to come by. Not only that, but I had gotten a few...well, I wasn't sure whether to call them complaints or concerns, but either way I had gotten letters from all four princesses and the Abyssinians on my continuous and rapid growth of military power.

To soothe the princesses, I told them I would meet with them on Hearth's Warming to discuss the matter further. To soothe the Abyssinians, I told them the increase of forces and technology was to more easily protect them and my close allies, which prompted them to invite me over to sign a treaty. That took an entire five days to do, and when I got back home Suki was a mess. Apparently she had been worried I was gonna try and adopt another kid. That was one day I didn't mind using up with her.

Right now I was on my personal airship, or, at least, one of them. My real personal airship was still at the Isle of Storms. Regardless, I was on the bow of the airship, a secondary Command Ship with more flare than care. In other words, it was more for showing off than for actual use. As such, I called it, "The Arrogance."

...I paused as I remembered how V said it fit me so well, and then sighed.

"Something wrong, Your Highness?" asked the bubblegum pink mare next to me, looking up to me with concern.

I waved it off, smile returning. "I'm quite fine, don't worry. Just thinking."

"Burdens of the crown?" Starlight asked, raising a brow. I shrugged, smile still on my face.

"As always. Politicking is politicking," I replied smoothly. I looked back to the cabin, where a certain Princess was fawning over all the delicate instruments still. "Though I feel like your teacher has less of a liking for it than me."

Starlight followed my eyes, then sighed and shook her head. "Yeah, that's Twilight for you." She looked back to me. "Though hearing someone say they actually like it is kinda surprising. Not even the Royal Sisters have said they like it." She blinked, then waved her hooves frantically. "I-I-I mean, not that I'd know, we aren't really best friends or anything, but, ya know, I've just never heard them say it."

I chuckled at this. "No need to get flustered, it's fine." I looked to the horizon, where countless clouds turned to golden mist under the sun's rays, painting a picturesque view. "Truth be told I didn't like this title at first. I can't say I still do, not entirely, but..." I smiled and looked back to Starlight. "...I can say getting to boss others around is fun." I winked at her, and she giggled.

Heh, she's easier to bait than I thought.

"~Land ho, My Queen! Land ho!~" cried the captain from the cabin. I smirked, and it only grew when Twilight popped into existence next to me and Starlight, the violet mare shaking with what I knew was excitement.

On the horizon, hovering among the clouds just like the Castle In the Sky, was Cloudbreaker College, it's silver pillars, terraces and towers shining and gleaming like a freshly polished blade. The main campus drew eyes no matter what time of day it was, what with the statues lining it's circumference that told a tale. I liked to think of it as a scene from a play immortalized in silver. It was hard to tell from the current distance, but I recalled how it was basically telling the history of the college, at least in summary. The entire landmass was being held in place just above the clouds by magical crystals I had learned were called 'Cloudbreaker Crystals,' which was the namesake of the college. The massive black crystals hanging under the clouds and barely poking out at the edges of the landmass reminded me of one of those contrast art pieces I'd seen back home. As we drew closer, we could make out more.

I gained a more genuine smile as I saw the statues making up the wall of the main campus showing me mining Cloudbreaker Crystals, then on the opposite side of the gates of the campus it showed me holding the Crystal I found up, with a lot of Skili all bowing down to me. It was a fair bit too exaggerated, but about as close as you could get to what happened, sadly.

We saw some other things, though, things that drew Twilight's attention more than the campus walls. Specifically, some outdoor lessons.

The lessons covered basic things about electricity and steam power, and some advanced things, as shown by the Tesla Coils and steam engine. I looked to my two esteemed guests, meaning to ask them what they thought of the college, but currently, the Element Bearer of Magic was too engrossed in nerding out over the stuff going on in the courtyard to pay attention to anything else but the lessons and the tech. Starlight, her student, was marveling over the architecture.

I decided their enraptured expressions was enough of an answer.

"Oh my gosh! Starlight, look!" Case in point, Twilight was fascinated by the fact so little of the tech here was magical. "There's not a single charging, focus, or runic crystal on any of those machines! I can't feel any magic from them at all!"

"Is that class learning about steam engines?" Starlight asked, sparkles in her eyes. We soon touched down by the end of the airway, where I walked alongside the two down the ramp and into the courtyard, with two of my Legionaries standing on either side of the three of us.

I had purposefully and personally let the staff at the school know of this visit, and the result was that while it may seem like everything taught here was advanced (which it was), it was nothing terribly important to my plans or my nation's tech. In fact, all of the lessons today were fabrications, thought up by me and Ventus before Twilight and her protege came.

Of course, some lessons were about things they already knew, like steam engines and the minor electronics, but they were just to keep the other fabrications' appearances stable. We even went a step further and allowed the instructors to go more in depth with the lessons about household appliances and items, like refrigerators and microwaves.

And these two mares were buying it all, hook, line, and sinker. I kept my genial smile on as we walked the courtyard's grounds, all the staff and students bowing to me as we passed before getting back to their lessons.

"This is amazing..." Starlight breathed as we walked. I looked to her to find her eyes wide and full of wonder. "I've never seen a school like this, especially one this beautiful! It's like a piece of art!"

"Contrast art, to be specific," I pointed out.

"It's a marvel of architectural engineering," Twilight agreed. My smile grew.

"I'll pass that onto the architects," I replied. I looked to the side and hummed happily before gesturing to said side. "If you'll look over there, you'll see the young, budding architects in the architecture class taking their time with design concepts."

The two mares eyes were instantly drawn to the sight of numerous young Skili drawing design concepts whilst their teacher, a wizened old Skili with a beard reaching down to his ankles walked along the rows of his students seats, wearing the lead, er, graphite, out of their pencils on pieces of paper.

"They teach architecture here too?" Twilight asked, looking up at me.

I nodded. "Correct. It's one of the ways we honor the builders of the school, and it is part of our culture."

I saw Twilight's eyes sparkle as she started to nerd out again. "That's amazing! Most ponies have to go to separate schools entirely to do that! Not even Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns does that!"

"And your school teaches exclusively friendship, if I'm correct?" I queried as we continued walking.

Twilight nodded. "Yeah, but..." She bit her lip and looked around. "I'm not so sure mine is up to snuff compared to yours..."

Starlight wrapped a foreleg around her teacher's neck. "Don't be like that, Twilight. Your school is awesome, just like this one."

I nodded, though inside I was laughing. After all, having a school built for the purpose of teaching friendship was not only funny, but sad. "She's right. If what I've heard of it is true, it's a sight to behold."

Twilight blushed. "R-Really?"

I put on my best smile. "Really."

Her blush grew a little and she tried to look small. "Th-thanks..."

I chuckled. "No need for thanks when I'm only telling you the truth." I chuckled on the inside for that one too.

Eventually, we made it to the entrance, where the massive doors were situated. The doors were made of ebony wood, to further add to the contrast between it and the silver of the rest of the complex. They were thick, and decorated with Black Iron plates which held ornate engravings that looked more at home at a fantasy dwarven fort than a school. They basically had a lot of pictures of old Skili men's faces and Skili building the school.

After my guards pushed them open, we walked in, and the tour began in earnest. We went from the advanced physics class (which threw Twilight and Starlight for a loop, as most of it was way different than their magical physics) to the mundane woodworking class and quite a bit inbetween, and after all was said and done I had guided them back to the runway, where their own ship had come to pick them up.

"This was really fun," Starlight said with a happy smile on her face. I shook her hoof.

"It certainly was," I replied with my own smile.

"I had a really great time too. Maybe we can do this again sometime?' Twilight asked, looking up to me with a hopeful smile.

My smile grew. Bingo. "I see no reason to say no," I winked at her. "Especially for a friend."

Her eyes widened for a moment, before her smile went huge, and I swore I heard a 'squee.' "Great! I'll talk to you later, then?" At my nod, she beamed and turned around, bouncing happily onto her ship. Starlight waved goodbye as she walked aboard as well, and I waved back.

As they slowly took off and rose into the air and away from the school, I couldn't help my grin nor the phrase that came out of my mouth. "Suckers..."

Pharynx could not be happier.

He had woken up this morning to the news that a Skili had arrived, heavy, metal case in hand. When he rushed out of his room, forgetting his breakfast and hurrying to the entrance to the Hive, his mind swam with all sorts of ideas of how his gun would look, the kind of chaos he could create with it. He'd been waiting anxiously for three weeks since his brother came back from Canterlot with the news that his gun was going to be made, that all he had to do was send the Storm Queen a letter with specifics on the design and he would get his weapon of mayhem. Each day he'd wake up and ask his brother if he'd received word yet, and each day he'd pace around his room, or lie about patrolling the grounds just to watch the entrance for the delivery boy or girl.

And now, as he stood there in the sand outside the Hive, case at his hooves, he was shaking with excitement. Slowly, carefully, he undid the latch on the case, opening it up to reveal his prize. What he found made him smile so wide that a very audible 'squee' emanated from him, though he'd never admit it.

A jet-black, cannon like gun rested in the thick, white foam of the black case, it's frame wrapped in glowing blue engravings of vines tipped with green, similarly glowing roses. He lifted it with his magic, feeling the heft of the weapon. With a manic grin sure to make Discord jealous, he aimed the gun towards a cactus and pulled the trigger.

With a crackle and roar of echoing thunder, a blue ball of condensed lightning shot out and impacted the cactus, flash-cooking it and soon making it's base crack, then fall over. Pharynx hugged the cannon to himself like it was some stuffed toy.

Pharynx, could not be happier.

And neither could Lucette.

Suki stood at the front entrance to the world-famous, sprawling School of Friendship, it's colors matching it's headmare's coat in nearly every way. The young feline looked up to her mother, shifting her weight a little as she frowned.

"Do I really have to go, Mommy...?" she asked.

Lucette smiled, kneeling down to her daughter's eye level and putting a hand on the top of her head. "Don't worry, muffin top. You'll be just fine."

"But..." Suki started, but Lucette interrupted her.

"But nothing, sweetie," Lucette rubbed one of her daughter's ears. "This is good for you, hon. You need some friends." She caressed the young Abyssinian's face. "And if you need me, remember, all you have to do is give me a ring with this," she held up the little button on the feline's backpack strap. "Okay?" Suki kept her frown, gaze turning towards the cobbled stone of the path beneath her. Lucette raised the girl's chin with her finger. "Come on now, muffin top. You can do this." Lucette smirked. "Where's the little girl who sneaks past hundreds of trained guards just to 'play' with some krakens?"

Suki sighed. "Okay, Mommy..." She conceded.

Lucette's smirk turned back to it's caring smile as she patted her daughter's head. "That's my girl."

Lucette stood up, watching as Suki made her way up the path and up the stairs to the front doors. Suki looked back at her mother for a brief moment, then turned back to the doors and pushed them open, letting them close behind her shortly after.

Lucette let out a deep breath she didn't know she'd been holding in. "...V." She said simply.

Ventus appeared. "What's up?"

Lucette went quiet for a short moment, before answering, "Tell Regime Commander Frista to keep an eye on the school and to report directly to me or Tempest if something or someone hurts Suki."

Ventus giggled. "You really have grown attached to her, haven't you?"

"...Just shut up and do it," Lucette said, a tinge of deep blue dusting her cheeks as she whirled around and walked away from the school.

Ventus simply giggled again.

Author's Note

EDIT: Changed the conversation between Caesar and Lucette to be less static and far more believable, added more details, and other minor edits.

EDIT: Added a new, better intro, complete with a new, more fitting song.

Well, I'm out of my funk, and pushing onwards! I made a promise to myself during 2018, and I plan to keep it. What that promise entails is something you all will have to find out.

Now, I know what you're all thinking. "Why would you have Lucette give Pharnyx a gun that shoots lightning?" Simple. Skili are highly resistant to electricity. So, even if he did turn it on them, it'd be nearly useless since Skili are resistant. And considering how Changelings are in this little 'verse of mine, as well as the other plans Lucette has in motion, if he tries to reverse engineer it, well...

...Her previously mentioned spies will be ready~ :pinkiecrazy:

Anyways, thanks for reading, guys. It means a lot to me, to have some extra support from you all, especially at a time like this. So, thank you all. Truly. :twilightsmile:

Also, if you all could give a look to my new stories Cursed Fire and Within Everhoof, I'd be one happy man. I have a Patreon now, too, so if you could check that out I'd be even more happy!

Thanks for reading!

-Timeless Celestial

21 - Intermission: Holiday Cheer (ACTUAL DEFINITIVE EDIT)

Author's Note

EDIT: Fixed the obvious mistake with the earlier correction to the Skili calendar system. Damn it, Timeless, can't you count right?

EDIT: Added more details on The Arrogance, it's weapon systems, and the Skili calendar system.

EDIT: Added a new, better into, complete with a new, more fitting song.

Alright, I know this is hella late for a Christmas chapter, but I made a promise and dammit, I'mma keep it! So, here you all are. Keep in mind this was written up in the wee hours of the early morning, so a lot of it is probably supbar if not lower than that, but honestly? I'm tired, and need sleep, so I'll work on editing it when I wake up.

Goodnight, and merry late Christmas everyone!

P.S: Hope the scene with Tempest was good enough for you, Dark Sun. If not, I'll work on adding more meat to it when I wake up.

21 - Intermission: Holiday Cheer (ACTUAL DEFINITIVE EDIT)

[A woman takes the first step up the stairs.

Her subjects watch on with pride in their hearts.

Her children follow behind her, smiles on their faces.

Royal Lightning flashes time and time again outside.

Reaching the top of the steps, she turns, and grins.

The Queen of Storms takes her throne.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6_722bLF-I)

My ship, "The Arrogance," landed just beside the so-called 'Castle of Friendship' just as the snow began to fall, the pegasi weather teams I'd heard so much about managing the clouds like Mother Nature's very own workers. Suki and I had seen this before, though for me it was still a strange sight, admittedly enough so that it was a challenge to keep my left eyebrow from twitching.

As me and my muffin top descended the ramp of the ship, I took idle notice of how the Royal Guards of Equestria were lined up, making a path to the Diarchs who were waiting at the end. A lot of the guards they brought seemed to be having trouble keeping their eyes off the ship's new features. Namely, it's new array of turrets. It now had crude but fully functioning lasers for my men to man, as well as rocket launchers that looked similar to gatling guns and some bulky turrets I called 'Lobbers,' on account of how they 'lobbed' a grenade that detonated twice and stuck where it landed. Once on impact, then again after the turret operator pressed a button on said turret.

Naturally, most of them had designs that made them look like the maws of various monsters I came up with off the top of my head. Dragons, wolves, sea serpents, Dark Young, ya know, the usual.

The lasers were honestly the easiest thing to make, as the magical crystals and materials of this world made making any kind of laser weapon easy so long as you had the coin and time to find the stuff. The wiring and electronics inside were about the hardest part of it, but that was it. There were numerous crystals and minerals and metals in this world that resisted heat so much better than what we had back on Earth, so overheating wasn't too much of an issue. In essence, using magic, I had succeeded in making a scientific wonder. The only real problem was that the crystals used for the laser turrets were fragile, and had to be replaced almost as often as the charge packs.

The hull was also heavily plated with Stormwill and other metals, for protection, naturally. And, naturally, it was decorated lavishly, with designs of me essentially leading an army of my people into battle on either side of said hull. To add to that, the entire hull of it save for the middle was shaped like a Cloudbone, complete with a maw and all.

The envelope itself was also lavish as could be, and reinforced further with even more Stormwill. Add to that how this ship used to be the original Storm King's, and you had layers of refined purple silks and fabrics beneath that reinforced surface.

All in all, it was the most expensive ship in my armada currently.

Unfortunately, that was the extent of what I could afford currently. It would take far more than the year I'd been here for any of this tech to be widespread in my nation.

Still, seeing how they were all trying not to stare at the fruits of my nation's labors made me smirk. So, with confidence in my stride, I made my way towards the Diarchs, Suki following behind me with her chest puffed out, which only made the puffy, deep blue winter coat she wore add to her cuteness factor.

In no time at all we reached the Princesses, and I dipped my head a little in greeting. I saw Suki do the same out of the corner of my eye.

"Good to see you again, Princess Luna, Princess Celestia," I began, straightening up and exchanging my smirk for a disarming smile. "I trust you've both been well?"

Celestia nodded, a smile on her own face. "We have." She looked to Suki, smile widening as she saw her. She looked to me. "How have you two been?"

Suki once more puffed out her chest and put her hands on her hips. "It's been great! Mommy's been teaching me a lot, and it's really fun!"

I smiled and patted her head. "And you've been progressing nicely." Suki giggled happily, tail swishing behind her.

"I see," Luna said, a smile on her muzzle as well as she looked at my daughter. She looked towards me, keeping her smile. "It's good to see a mother and daughter with such a strong relationship."

I chuckled, removing my hand from my muffin top's head. "Thank you." I smiled again. "So, shall we be off? I believe you said the party and accompanied meeting would be in the castle, yes?"

Luna and Celestia nodded. "Correct," Luna affirmed. She looked to my ship, then returned her gaze to meet mine. "Would you like for us to have somepony help anchor and secure your ship?"

I shook my head. "Thank you for the kind offer, but no, my people can handle it."

"Very well. In that case, please follow us," Luna said as she and her sister began to trot towards the castle entrance.

I nodded, and me and Suki trailed closely behind them. It was early in the evening, the eve of what the ponies called Hearth's Warming. Oddly, it was an entire month earlier - at least by my calculations - than Christmas, and five days before the Skili Festival of Blood-Kin. The calendars each nation held, from what I'd read up on, were typically very different, with even a few nations - like the Dragons - not having calendars at all. Some nations shared the same calendar as Equestria, however, but The Storm Kingdom did not.

The Storm Kingdom's calendar was honestly almost like a mixture of the U.S.'s calendar and the Chinese calendar, except in some places it extended far more than either. It was honestly still weird to me that their version of valentines day came over 7 months after their version of Christmas, and that their weeks were not seven days long, but 12, but, I'd learned to live with it.

My boots crunched in the packed snow beneath me, followed by Suki's own boots and the sisters, filling in the emptiness of silence as we walked.

In no time at all we reached the doors to the castle, the sisters opening them and walking inside, us following suit. The hallways, I noted, had flecks of mint green pudding all over them, making me quirk a brow.

"Might I ask why there's pudding everywhere?" I queried, turning my gaze back to the sisters.

Celestia and Luna looked at each other. "It's...a long story." Luna said simply.

Suki scooped a bit of it up and popped some in her mouth, humming in pleasure. "This stuff is pretty good, Mommy!"

I hummed myself. "Hm, well, maybe I'll see about asking the chefs here for the recipe, then. I'm sure Yuula would love to have a crack at it."

Suki beamed up at me. "Really?!"

I smiled and nodded. "Of course, muffin top."

"Yay!" Suki cheered, pumping a fist, er, paw.

"Actually, Twilight was the one who made the pudding, so if you wish to have some yourself, I would try asking her," Celestia informed. "Just remember to be careful with the recipe, else you'll end up with a mess like, well, all this." She gestured to the pudding that was everywhere.

"I...see..." I said slowly. 'Must be a magical recipe, or something.' I shrugged it off. 'Well, I suppose that just means it'll taste magical, then.'

As we continued forwards, I could hear laughter further in the crystalline castle, a testament to the acoustics this place had. 'Would make it pretty hard for an assassin to not get noticed in this place...' I shook off those thoughts, focusing on the hall ahead of me.

We stopped at another set of golden doors, the laughter and loud chatting easily heard through the heavy gold. "Everypony is waiting in here." Celestia said. "Just...try to ignore Discord and the giant Winterchilla."

'Discord I've heard plenty about, but the hell is a Winterchilla?' After ruminating on this, I decided to just roll with it and nodded in understanding. With that, Celestia opened the door, and all noise stopped.

My eyes went wide at the massive, four armed and two legged, white furred mouse thing, casually licking up a bowl of green pudding. My hand shot to my gun, getting ready to fight, only for a chimera-like creature to appear in front of me in a burst of white light.

"Now now now, don't go shooting up the present I worked so hard to give my dear friend Fluttershy, Queeny," he said, crossing his arms and giving me a reproaching glare with his yellow and red eyes.

I frowned. "Discord, I presume?"

He gained a toothy grin and performed a sloppy bow. "At your service."

My smile twitched at the corners. "...You're lucky I like Q, otherwise I'd have shot you on the spot for calling me Queeny."

Discord's eyes widened briefly, before he laughed uproariously, even falling on his back and kicking his mismatched legs. It took a while for him to calm down, and he didn't seem to mind at all that everyone was staring at him. He wiped a tear away from his eye. "Oh, sorry about that, it's just been so long since anyone of your like has recognized me." His face contorted into a toothy grin once more. "Don't worry though, your secret is safe with me." He raised a claw and literally zipped up his mouth, then held his arms out as if to say, 'See?'

I grunted. "As long as you understand, then fine." I looked to everyone else, seeing the Elements and Spike, as well as the mouse creature, which I assumed was the Winterchilla. They were all staring at us, along with the Princesses. I coughed into my fist, removing my other hand from Crimson. "Sorry about the commotion, everyone. Please, put what just happened out of your minds, and let us go on with the holiday."

Thankfully, they did so. Fluttershy came up to us. "I'm so sorry about Discord, he has a bad habit of annoying others." She turned to glare at Discord. "We'll talk about this when we get back, buster." Discord smiled and shrugged, seeming unconcerned.

I waved it off. "It's fine, really." I looked to Suki. "Why don't you go hang out with Spike, muffin top?"

"Okay, Mommy," she said. She started to walk away, but stopped, turning back to me and Discord. "Don't mess with my Mommy next time, got it, meany?" she warned, before turning back and walking up to a bewildered Spike.

I chuckled as Discord frowned and the others watched my daughter.

"You've raised...quite a child, Queen Petremol," Luna started.

I nodded. "She's my pride and joy."

"She seems to take after you a lot, as well," Discord noted, having unzipped his lips.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "And what are you implying?"

He raised his hands. "Oh nothing, nothing at all."

I frowned, but before I could retort Twilight came over with a bowl of pudding. "Here, take this and come join us by the fire." I looked to the bowl in her hooves, then to Discord, before sighing and once more donning my smile.

"Thank you, Princess Twilight," I said gratefully, taking the bowl.

After that, I joined in the festivities, simply staying quiet unless addressed and observing everyone as I ate. And I'll admit, the pudding was pretty damn good, so I might have had more than one bowl. Still, the party was good enough, as well, I suppose.

For a knock-off of Christmas, at least.

After every pony had left, it was just me and the Royals in the little lounge room. Cadance and Shining Armor had put Flurry to bed earlier, and thus had a bit of time before she woke, albeit only a bit. Babies are still babies, I guess, no matter the world or species.'

I was seated in one of the lounge chairs, legs crossed and hands clasped together. Suki was in the other room with Spike, so I had some time as well. "So, you all had questions regarding my nation's growth in military power and technology, yes?"

"We do," Celestia said with a nod, seated in her own chair along with the others.

"Then please, ask away," I said, sweeping a hand out as if to say, 'get on with it.'

"To start, then, why are you encouraging growth?" Cadance asked.

"Because I plan to be ready for any assault," I said simply.

"Surely that can't be all," Luna added. "I mean, if you're expecting an assault, just who do you think is going to do the assaulting?"

I smiled. "I'm not a naive ruler, Princess Luna. I've lived in the battlefield, both political and otherwise." Even though I've only been on the political battlefield for a few months.' "I know that national leaders care more for their own than others," I leaned back, smile still firmly on my face. "So, to answer your question, I'm not expecting an assault from anyone. I'm preparing for an assault from everyone."

This seemed to either stun them, or, in the case of Shining Armor and the sisters, make them frown. Said sisters were now looking at each other, as if having some telepathic communication between. After what I could only assume was some mental deliberation, they turned to look at me.

"Allow us to rephrase our question, then," Celestia started. She narrowed her eyes. "Do you plan on attacking anyone?"

I shook my head. "As I said during the Council meeting, I plan to attack no one," My smirk returned full force. "Unless of course someone plans to attack me."

"How can we trust you, then, when you have so many restrictions and rules and laws and even tariffs when it comes to any military or governmental division in your country?" Shining Armor asked, crossing his forelegs over his chest.

"Have I attacked anyone yet?" I asked. He went silent, as did the others. "Despite the might I've shown you all, I haven't attacked anyone. I'd say that speaks pretty well for my intentions." Again, they were silent. My smirk once again shifted to a smile. "Anything else you'd all like to ask?" No response, save for frowns and begrudging looks. "Then we're done here, I'd say." With that, I stood up from the chair and made my way to the door. I paused mid-stride, then turned and looked back at them with that same smile on my face. "Have a Happy Hearth's Warming, everypony~." With that, I left the room, the door slamming shut with finality.

I sighed as I sat outside in the snow on the steps of the entrance to the Castle of Friendship, waiting for Ember to show up. It was nearly daybreak, and she said she'd be here by then, yet I hadn't seen any sign of her at all. I grunted. Probably the falling snow's fault.

And, sadly, it was worse back home on the Storm Isles. When me and Suki had left the main island was already covered in at least a foot of snow, and steadily growing in height and depth. Thankfully, I planned ahead and had Ember come here while I was around, since if she had to go to the Storm Isles, she'd be too cold to fight me. Good thing I'm used to the cold, and have this armor to help keep me warm.

Eventually, I saw a speck in the sky, slowly growing bigger as it drew near. After squinting at it for a few seconds, I sighed in relief as I could make out Ember's figure. A few short minutes later and she touched down with a pomf as the snow shot up from her hard landing.

She swiftly righted herself, and grinned as she saw me. "Hey! Good to see you're here!" She said, a fang-filled grin on her lips as she waved. She walked up to me and I stood up, getting off the stairs to greet her. As we met each other halfway, she grinned up at me. "Ready to go all out?"

I smiled as well. "Depends. Think you can take me?"

She gave a snort in response. "You bet I can!" She flared her wings, getting into a ready stance.

I smirked and got into my own. "So, what're the rules?" I asked.

"No lethal shots, and go until the other gives up or can't continue. Aside from that, anything goes," Ember replied.

My smirk turned into a grin. "A'ight. Bring it on then, Ember!"

"With pleasure!" She roared, before charging at me, claws prepared to swipe.

I countered her easily by grabbing her wrists, before I picked her up and spun her around numerous times before tossing her. She growled as she righted herself with her wings, flapping them a few times to do so and continuing to flap to keep herself aloft. She circled me for a time, sizing me up.

Then, with a grin, she rushed me, took a deep breath, and shot a stream of fire out of her maw as she drew near. In response, I back flipped, ending the flip with a kick to her chin which closed her mouth forcefully, causing her to falter and grab said mouth. She growled as I smirked at her, before I made a 'come on' gesture with my hand.

"Alright, you asked for it..." With that, she once more charged me, only she stopped part way and flipped in the air, slapping me with her tail and making me stagger. She then followed up with another burst of fire breath, but I retorted with a slam of my fists onto the top of her head, making her fall to the snow below. I stared down at her.

"Not bad," I complimented, before picking her up by the tail. "But now it's my turn." I said with a grin.

"W-woah, wait-!" she tried to say, but I interrupted her by slamming her over my head and into the snow like some berserker or barbarian. I did it a number of times, each slam improving my gratitude to Ventus for helping me find a way to level up. Turned out all I needed was a Bonfire.

Quality builds really are quality.

After slamming her into the snow over ten times, Ember looked pretty beat up, so I dropped her and crossed my arms, looking down at her.

"Ya give up?" I asked.

She slowly and weakly nodded, trying to stand up but failing. I smiled and gave her a hand, which she took, and then pulled her up. I patted her back. "You did good. If I hadn't trained before hand, I probably wouldn't have won so easily."

She rubbed the back of her neck, groaning a little. "Must've been some training. I haven't had a beat down like that in ages."

I chuckled. "Thanks."

"Mommy, that was amazing!" cried Suki, rushing up to me out of nowhere. I grunted as she pounced on me, hugging my torso. "You were so cool! I've never seen anyone fight a dragon and win, especially a dragon lord!"

I laughed, ruffling the fur on her head. "Thanks, muffin top." I looked to the doors of the Castle, seeing Spike, the Elements, and the Royals all there, watching us. I smiled. Guess they saw everything. "Enjoy the show?"

"I know I did! That was bucking cool how you just flailed her around like that!" Rainbow gushed.

"I think you did pretty good too, Ember," Spike complimented.

Ember grunted, turning her head away. "If you call getting whooped good, then sure."

"Don't be like that, you did great," He said, walking up and giving her a hug. Ember stiffened a little, but eventually hugged back.

"Right, right, hugs and stuff..." she said.

I chuckled and let go of her, picking Suki up and hoisting her above my head, letting her sit on my shoulders. "Well, I think it's about time I leave now. It's been great, everyone."

"We'll have to fight again soon," Ember said, having released Spike. She grinned again. "No way I'll lose next time."

I smirked, raising a fist to her. "Bring it on."

She bumped her own fist to mine, and I looked back to the others.

"Come back soon!" Pinkie chirped, bouncing and waving at the same time.

"Don't be a stranger, okay?" Applejack said.

"And don't forget to write!" Twilight added.

"Be safe, too!" Rarity chimed in.

I nodded and waved, before turning back down the path and towards "The Arrogance." I looked up at my darling daughter as I walked. "Did you have a good time, sweetie?"

She nodded vigorously. "Yeah! Spike showed me some comics, and he showed me how to play a guitar!"

I smiled. "Yeah? Maybe you can show me when we get back, then."

"Okay!" Suki chirped.

With that, we soon boarded the ship and were soon taking off, headed for home.

It was the day of the Festival of Blood-Kin, the Skili equivalent of Christmas, and Tempest was currently in the training room, practicing her magic as she had been since her Queen had restored her horn. At first, the focusing of her magic was shoddy, though Ventus had said that would likely be a constant thing for a while, so it was expected. However, over time, her focus slowly became sharper, until she could cast complex spells without faltering and with contemptuous ease to boot.

As of now, Tempest was trying one of those spells. Namely, one she had devised herself after her Queen allowed her to view one of her scrolls of Sorcery. Tempest named this spell of hers, 'The Fire Spear.'

Her horn glowed blue for a long span of time, then it eventually became wreathed in crackling flame. After this development, a blazing lance of fire appeared in the air before her, and she launched it at the nearest target, causing it to explode in an inferno and turn to ash.

Tempest wiped some sweat from her brow, summoning a bottle of water to herself and chugging it down. After doing so, she sighed and looked at the numerous piles of ash around the room that had once been targets and even dummies.

After counting them all up in her head, she nodded to herself. "One hundred and fifty ought to be good enough for today's session..." She mused. With that, she took another chug from her bottle, drained it, then disintegrated it and made her way out of the room. As she exited and made her way through the halls that gave Canterlot Castle's own confusing twists and turns a run for their money, she pondered. 'Lucy has been fairly active in helping with preparing for the festivities. Especially with the supply of materials for all the smiths in the kingdom...' Guards saluted her as she passed, but she kept her gaze straight ahead as she continued to think.

'She's certainly gained the favor of the smiths now, even if she had before with those guns. Though I must admit I worry for our coffers...' She hummed, horn flaring as she summoned a large, opaque green bottle with a ribbon tied to it. 'I wonder if she'll like my present...' She frowned, shook her head, and banished the bottle back to her pocket dimension.

After a fair bit of walking, she reached her Queen's chambers. One of the guards stationed at it opened the door slightly, peeking his head in, and informed the regent of Tempest's arrival. Soon after, the guard turned back to Tempest and nodded.

"My Queen?" Tempest began as she peeked her own head in the door.

"Come in," replied Lucette's voice.

Tempest pushed the door open, seeing Lucette at her mirror, brushing her short white hair whilst Ventus floated nearby.

"Are you ready?" Tempest queried.

Lucette put her brush down, giving herself a once over, before looking to Tempest and nodding. "I'd say I am, yeah."

"Then let's get going. The ceremony's going to start soon," Tempest urged, turning on a dime and marching out the door. Lucette giggled.

"Always so uptight," she remarked before standing up and following after putting her mask on. Ventus floated over, and the three made their way through the castle, towards Suki's room. The walk there was silent, filled only by the sounds of hooves and boots on cold, tiled flooring. When they arrived at the doors, Lucette was the one to knock. "Sweetie, it's time! Are you ready?" Lucette called.

Immediately the door swung open, Suki in front of them and practically bursting with energy. She wore the same winter coat she had worn during Hearth's Warming Eve, the puffy blue coat making her look like a blueberry flavored marshmallow. In one paw was a small, wrapped box. "You bet I am! Oooh, I can't wait!" Suki grabbed her mothers hand, zooming ahead, or, rather, trying to, but Lucette held firm and didn't budge.

"Hold on, muffin top. I know you're excited, but there's no reason to run," Lucette intoned gently, though her smile betrayed her amusement.

Suki pouted, ears lowering. "Okay, fine..."

Lucette giggled and patted her daughter's head. "Come on." She said.

With that, all four of them - plus some guards whom Tempest grabbed to be their escort - made their way through the halls and corridors, down stairs and more until they reached the front gate of the castle, where the guards opened them and let the group out into the harsh snowstorm of the Isles. Lucette was glad she had a mask on along with her armor, otherwise she wouldn't last in this cold, much less be able to see.

She looked over to Tempest to see her surrounded in a golden glow. Lucette clicked her tongue. 'Fucking magic.' She mentally swore, but shook it off. "Well, let's get going, shall we?" With nods from the others, they all made their way through the snowy streets and down into the city, which had recently been renamed in Lucette's honor to Petre City. In fact, the entire main island had been renamed to Petre Isle, as well. Lucette made no attempt to hide her smile when they passed under the sign that labeled the city as such.

As they walked the city's streets, they could just make out the sea-green glow of a massive bonfire in the main square. The color, they knew, was due to the fact that Skili had been forced to use certain chemicals to make their fires burn even during the torrential storms of rain and snow they always had. Regardless, being able to make out the obvious gathering site, the group hurried towards it, Lucette waving to her subjects as they bowed before her, and Suki simply skipping along beside her. A number of Skili were at stores, namely blacksmiths and the newly made gunsmith shops, all taking advantage of the yearly half-off discount the Festival provided.

In time, they made it to the bonfire, and Lucette and Suki couldn't help their awe as they gazed upon the twenty foot tall blazing inferno situated in the middle of the square. Countless Skili were arrayed around it, but when they saw Lucette and company, they made way for her.

"It's so big, and bright..." Suki breathed.

"It's certainly amazing," Ventus agreed.

"I'll say," Lucette concurred, nodding. She looked to the countless subjects around her, remembering that, as ruler, she was supposed to be the first to indulge in and initiate the traditions. The heads of the Warrior-Noble families were present as well, watching carefully. 'Guess I should get to it, then...' She surmised. She turned to the fire, opening her palm and turning it up. A flash of blue particles heralded the arrival of a small, dead fox, it's limp form hanging over the edges of her palm. 'Can't believe I'm actually paying tribute to two different gods right now... Mom'd probably go after me for this, but...'

She took a breath, and began with, "In the name of Our Father, and the name of Our Mother, I now pray," she raised the fox's cadaver. "With this offering I bid you both, bless us with your guidance, bless us with your power, and bless us with your grace. In the Hallowed Couple's name, amen!" With that, she tossed the fox into the fire.

Suki approached the bonfire and followed her mother's example, tossing in a dead rabbit. Tempest tossed in a fish, and with that action, Lucette turned to the crowd and cried, "I now declare the Festival of Blood-Kin officially launched!"

With a resounding roar of approval, the Skili did as their ruler had done, and tossed in various corpses, feeding the fire with tributes of flesh and blood and hide. Tempest turned to Lucette, who was watching her people with a smile.

"My Queen?" she asked.

"Hm?" Lucette inquired, looking down at her.

Tempest squirmed a little, but eventually spoke up. "W-Well, this is my gift, to you," she said, summoning the bottle and handing it to Lucette, apprehension in her sea-green eyes.

Lucette's eyes widened as she slowly took the bottle from Tempest's grasp. "Is this...grape wine?"

Tempest nodded. "Remember that time off I requested three weeks back?" Lucette nodded slowly, cradling the bottle in her hands as if it were her child. "I used that time to reconnect with my family. They run a vineyard, and typically make a lot of grape wine. When I was leaving, they gave me that bottle, and I thought it'd make a good gift for you, since you're such a drinker."

Lucette smiled. "Thanks, Tempest. Really."

"I'm relieved you like it, My Queen," Tempest replied, now visibly relaxed.

Lucette then felt a tugging on her cloak, and looked down to see Suki there, her little gift box raised for her mother to take.

"For you, Mommy," she said, smiling broadly.

Lucette smiled, sending the grape wine to her inventory/subspace pocket before picking up the box gingerly and opening it. Inside was a platinum pendant with a moonstone as the centerpiece. The gem seemed to shine with a light of it's own in the light of the roaring bonfire, even containing Lucette's sigil inside it. Lucette smiled and leaned down, giving her daughter a kiss on the top of her head.

"Thank you, muffin top. I love it," she said, putting it around her neck. She looked to Ventus. "V, mind pulling out their presents?"

Ventus bobbed. "You got it, boss!"

In a flash of blue light, two items appeared. For Suki, it was a Firangi Sword - her favored melee weapon - with one half made of Black Iron, and the other Celestial Gold, the very metal used to craft the armor of the Royal Guards of Equestria. The cross-guard was made of titanium, with a grip wrapped in white paracord and white dyed leather, and a Cloudbone fang making up the pommel. Suki gasped, then beamed up at her mother as she took the blade in her paws, bouncing and skipping around in glee.

"Thank you so much Mommy! This is awesome!" She hugged her mother's leg. "I love you!"

Lucette giggled and patted the young Abyssinian's head. "I love you too, Suki." She then looked to Tempest, seeing her staring in awe at the anklet of a black, crystal tempest which she now held aloft in her magical grasp.

"This...This anklet, it's amazing, I can easily feel the magic in it..." she breathed.

"I got it from a merchant who visited from Saddle Arabia a while back. Supposedly, it can absorb the magic in spells and make it your own," Lucette explained.

Tempest looked up at her queen, mouth agape, before slowly smiling. "Thank you, My Queen. Truly. I'll use it well."

Lucette smiled. "I know you will." The Awoken looked to the skies above, nothing but joy in her heart, replacing the stressed, frantic mess she had been when this all started just a year ago. She had lost her old family, but now...

...Now, she had a new one.

23 - The Dancers And The Crashers: The Fall Of Iron (Edited...Once Again)

Author's Note

EDIT: Hope you all enjoy this look at the plutocratic nation of Saddle Arabia, as well as another look at Queen Novo! P.S. Sorry to any who know Arabic if the last names or first names or names in general either don't make sense or aren't spelled correctly, I'm going off of what the Web tells me, as I don't have many books on the subject of Arabia.

EDIT: Okay, implemented some of the things you guys pointed out, just wanted to make something clear, though. The assassins are hired, meaning mercenaries. Mercenaries are very, very rarely ever associated officially with whomever's country they belong to. Just a thought for the future. :raritywink:

P.S.: There's two references hidden in the chapter now! Try to find them, and I'll give you a cameo in one of the future chapters!

Well, here's the second fan-voted chapter, folks. It took a bit longer than I wanted, and it was originally going to be longer, but I decided against it in the long run after my first writing ended up with this in the 6,000 word range. I don't typically like making chapters that long, always feels like I added too much detail when they're in that range.

Sorry in advance, J-90, I know you were looking for spies, and not assassination, but I figured that;

A) This situation was a bit overdue and

B) I've been wanting to start the scenarios that come after this for yoinks now.

Plus, it's close enough to spies, if you ask me. Still, sorry for not fully granting your wish.

Now, a quick warning to you all, this chapter is where the sex tag starts to finally creep in more. Emphasis on creep. As in, it's coming slowly. So, NO REAL SEX...for now. I'll try to keep the sexual references light, though, for those who don't like that sorta thing.

Now, without further ado, I bring you...

...The Fall Of Iron!

23 - The Dancers And The Crashers: The Fall Of Iron (Edited...Once Again)

[A woman takes the first step up the stairs.

Her subjects watch on with pride in their hearts.

Her children follow behind her, smiles on their faces.

Royal Lightning flashes time and time again outside.

Reaching the top of the steps, she turns, and grins.

The Queen of Storms takes her throne.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6_722bLF-I)

As I looked out the window of my airship, "The Arrogance", I couldn't help but giggle to myself. The plan was set. Based on the reports my spies had given me, Steel Axe was as gullible as I had figured him to be.

See, I'd been having my spies plant false info into the hands of his own spies. What kind of info, you ask? Simple. Info detailing an old ruin that might contain a god killing weapon. I'd known since the Festival he was looking for some way to at least put me under his boot, and, being my momma's girl, I was gonna show him that I didn't serve anyone. Mom taught me above all else to never yield, to never let others get in the way of my goals, and I was damned if I was gonna stop now.

But back to the matter at hand. My spies had left a false trail to an abandoned ruin, complete with a false weapon that was, supposedly, able to kill immortals like me. It had taken a bit of fancy footwork, so to speak, but it was done, and if the reports I'd gotten were true - and I'd checked twice to be certain just in case - Steel Axe had followed the trail hook, line, and sinker.

I'd toyed with him this whole time, thwarting every plot he made to try and get info on me and my people. He was angry. I scoffed, shaking my head. No, I won't sugarcoat it. He was fuckin' pissed. And now, all that rage had blinded him, and he thought he could kill me. I giggled again at the thought. He really was a child.

I sighed as I leaned back against my chair, finding myself repeating the mantra mom had beat into my head dozens of times over.

"Eliminate your enemies before they ever become a problem," I recited. Another giggle escaped me, this time softer. That woman was really something else. My smile faltered as memories of her surfaced, but I shook my head hard again to set my mind back on track. Currently, I was on my way to Applewood, specifically to watch one of the newest movies a hit producer had made.

In reality, it was just where I wanted to kill the would-be assassin or assassins. A public display would spread horror and awareness among the innocent ponies of Steel Axe's actions, and the Princesses, who would normally be the ones to play devil's advocate, would be left with little choice but to condemn Steel Axe for his actions.

I sighed, a smile firmly on my face. I love it when a plan comes together.

Looking out the window again allowed me to see the famous Applewood sign. My smile grew, and I looked to Ventus. "Show time, partner."

"W-W-Welcome to th-th-the Applewood Theatre, Your M-M-M-M-Majesty!" the poor, brown usher stallion stuttered. I giggled behind a hand. Such a cute reaction.

Idly, I let my eyes roam over his form. I've never really been that into bestiality, but after being here for at least three quarters of a year, and with little true relief, I will admit I was having...trouble, with wandering thoughts. And some of the creatures of this world kinda... intrigued me a little.

I refuse to go into huge detail, but, some of them were thoughts about whether or not ponies were...well, as 'gifted' as their cousins back home. My eyes slowly wandered downward, to below the belt.

"U-U-U-Um, Your Majesty?" the stallion queried, breaking me out of my thoughts. Shit! And he was blushing. Double shit! I tried to quell my unique body's reactions and cleared my throat.

"A-Apologies, usher, I was lost in thought," I lied. My eyes darted downward again, and I coughed into my fist immediately. 'Reminder to self, ponies don't wear pants.' I strode forward swiftly, making my way past him and towards the front doors of the theatre. "Thank you for the warm welcome!" I blurted out, trying to hide my blushing face. Ventus appeared, and I swear her optic was giving me a knowing look. I swatted her.

"Don't even start," I threatened. She simply chuckled and dematerialized. Cunt.

"U-Um, your show will be in stage eight!" the stallion called. I simply gave him a quick thank you and rushed inside the theatre's confines, my guards following silently.

'Goddammit, I really need to get laid. Been way too fucking long.' My face was burning, and I knew it. 'For fuck's sake, I was thinking of fucking a tiny horse!' I shook my head rapidly. 'Fucking new body and weird ass new hormones...'

I glanced to my guards. Couldn't see their reactions, but I swear, if they were smiling behind those masks, I'd be putting them through hell for the next two weeks.

Thankfully, I had a new distraction. My HUD, finally, had registered enemies on it's radar. Five at least, each surrounded in crowds. The various ponies gathered here to watch the blockbuster film were adequate cover, but my HUD didn't lie. Glancing about, I saw a good few individuals who were watching me, all wearing heavy and concealing clothes. And, considering that most were either ponies or griffons, with one minotaur, races that normally don't wear many clothes, I could tell who my targets were.

Discreetly, I motioned for my guards to ready themselves. And not a moment too soon, either, as out of nowhere a blast of magic made it's way for me. Sidestepping it, I had enough time to look behind me to see it's effects on a hapless bystander. They were frozen in place. 'Paralysis, huh? Not bad.' A scream tore through the gathered crowds, and all the ponies scattered. 'Not good enough, though, if they're attacking out in the open so brazenly like this. They must be really confident.' I smirked. 'Like child's play.' Soon after the shot, four of the five cloaked assassins charged.

My guards swiftly sprang into action, unsheathing their nagamaki's and bisecting the unicorn and pegasus with practiced, unified movements. I cracked a grin at that, glad my Legionnaires were so on point. I then casually stepped back as the griffon rushed me, trying to cut me down with her wing blades, only for me to whip out Crimson and blow her head clean off.

A glint from in front of me told me the minotaur had prepped the weapon, and I kept my smile as he approached, a grin on his own face.

"Nothing you can do against this!" He declared, before he pulled the trigger, and golden flames consumed me. "Ha ha ha ha! Take that! This is for Emperor Steel Axe! For my brothers! For my sisters! My country!" He continued laughing, stepping forward with the gait of a lion closing in on it's feast.

And then, I laughed. "Hahahahahahahahaha!" I laughed long, and I laughed hard. When the poor bull stopped the onslaught of flames, staring at me with wide eyes and a gaping mouth, I couldn't help but laugh even more, holding my gut. "Hehehe, hahahahaha! Oh my God! Your face is priceless!"

"W-What...are you?" he asked, stepping back, dropping the fake flamethrower.

My laughter slowly stopped, and I raised Crimson up. With a smirk, I said, "I'm the Queen," before squeezing the trigger.

Steel Axe grinned down at the minotaur before him. A messenger had finally arrived from Equestria. His assassins had succeeded, no doubt.

"My Emperor, I bring..." The bull gulped, shaking visibly as he knelt before his ruler.

Steel Axe growled. "Spit it out already," he ordered tersely.

The bull gulped once more, then produced a small, round, metal ball from his coat pocket. He held it out to the Emperor, and bowed his head lower. "...a message from the Queen of Storms."

Immediately a vein bulged out on Steel Axe's forehead, the bull gritting his teeth and gripping the arms of his throne hard enough that one would swear they heard the cracking of stone. "So, the whore lives..." He took a deep, shuddering breath, then gestured for the messenger to continue. "Continue."

A third gulp from the messenger. "Y-Yes, sire," he replied, before reluctantly pressing the button on the top of the ball. Immediately, a hologram of Lucette appeared, smiling that same smile she always wore.

"Hello there, Emperor Steel Axe. As you no doubt can tell, I live," Her smile grew. "And I killed your hired swords myself." She polished her nails on the side of her armor. "Barely worth the trouble. Complete waste of money, if you ask me." She looked back to the Emperor, who had gained five new bulging veins on his head as he listened. The guards and all present in the throne room tensed, giving their Emperor wary looks. "In light of your attempt at assassination, I am willing to talk this through in the emergency Council meeting this week. However," Steel Axe swore he saw a glint from her golden eyes behind her signature mask, despite the fact the hologram was one solid color. "I wanted to leave you with a little present. Enjoy~." With a giggle and dainty wave, she disappeared, and a tune began to play.

That day, Steel Axe was labeled the Crimson Emperor, for he killed all in the room in his rage.

"This is bad," Celestia muttered. That was the sixth time she'd said that today, and with good reason. Just three days ago, The Storm Queen had visited the Applewood Theatre and had been set upon by assassins in the open. Celestia paced in her study, her sister at the nearby table, staring at her cup of chamomile tea.

Luna sighed. "We are aware, sister." She stirred her tea idly with a spoon held aloft in her magic, brows furrowed. Eventually, she stopped stirring. "It was inevitable for Steel Axe to lash out, this much we knew, but I will admit, this is..."

"Bad. Very, very bad," Celestia finished. She stopped mid-pace, flopping onto her plot and cradling her head in her hooves. "With the amount of military strength that she has, there's no questioning what she'd do if we don't offer some sort of recompense!"

"If this were the old days, I'd suggest offering the head of the nobles whom the unicorn and pegasus assassins belonged to," Luna began, before shaking her head as she took a delicate sip of her tea and then put it back down.

"You know we can't do that now, Luna," Celestia groaned, still cradling her head.

Luna sighed but nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. A shame. I feel she might actually forgive us if we did that." She looked away from her immaculate silver tea cup to her sister. "What was the name of the house those two belonged to, again?"

Celestia sighed, removing her hooves from her head and slumping to the floor in a heap. "House Star, I believe." Celestia groaned again, flipping over and letting a forehoof rest over her eyes. "But they're not the only problem now."

Luna nodded, looking back to her tea. "Indeed. We now have citizens to calm, and a Council meeting to attend later this week."

The Solar Diarch let her hoof drop, her face the very picture of exhaustion. "Why must everything with that Queen be a whirlwind...?"

"She is like a whirlwind..." breathed Platinum Record, laying back in his throne. His name being as it was, it was strange to see one such as him in the throne of a Trader King of Saddle Arabia, but the stallion had risen through his poverty much more quickly than any could anticipate, and thus much more quickly to the status of Trader King.

"Truly. Yet she is oddly more refined in her movements, exotic, too, if what I've seen in the tabloids is true," mused Broadmane Shaitan, stroking his chin. He licked his lips. "Perhaps I should visit her in person..."

A pegasus mare scoffed. "Oh please, spare us your fetishes, Broadmane. Besides, I doubt she'd even give you the time of day." Aaliyah Aida, the first and only Trader Queen, lived up to her namesake. She bore supple flanks and curves that would give the Sisters a run for their money, a model-like figure that even Fleur De Lis had acknowledged, and wings that many pegasi stallions and even some mares would die to be wrapped up in. Her enchanting blue fur and green eyes helped, as well.

She had risen to her current level through much careful maneuvering, and was famous for owning most of the taverns, inns, and even a good few brothels in the Saddle Arabian Kingdom. Her information network, as a result, was nigh impeccable. And, as a result, she knew more of the Storm Queen than most of her colleagues. "Her delegate seems to have enough trouble keeping herself from cutting you down on the spot every time you make a move on her." She gave the stallion a glare. "Honestly, give it a rest for once, you old fool."

"Oh like you don't know the feeling," argued Adil Akeem, crossing his hooves over his red furred chest, his wings folded behind him. He owned most of the smithies and forges in the kingdom, and thus owned most of the weapon and arms trade. "You sit in your own personal brothel when you're not busy, after all, taking your pick of your special litter."

Aaliyah growled. "You best curb that tongue of yours, before I cut it for you!"

"Both of you shut it," intoned Alif Bassam, the debatably most reasonable and level-headed of the five. He owned many of the mines in the kingdom, as well as the silk farms, and as such controlled those trades and their affiliated subjects. He gestured to the messenger prostrated at the front of the golden doors. "We should get back to the matter at hand. That being, how we should respond."

"We've tried inviting her for a diplomatic visit a number of times," Platinum spoke up, rubbing his forehead with a hoof plated in his namesake. "And yet each time she has told us not only that she has," he raised his hooves to make air quotes. "'More pressing issues' but that we should defer all questions to her delegate."

"That's essentially saying she doesn't find us worthy of her time," Adil grumbled.

Aaliyah rolled her eyes. "That's exactly what she's saying."

Broadmane grunted. "All we can truly do is try to hasten our efforts to get her here, then."

They all collectively sighed and unanimously uttered, "Whirlwind indeed..."

There was an urge to jump in.

There always was with her kind, being tied to both sea and air. And, being the queen of her kind, standing on the docks that lead out into her domain, it was entirely understandable. She frowned, brows furrowing as she gazed off into the distant sea. She could just make out The Great Iceberg Barrier, where enemies just as if not more hated than the Skili lived; Sirens.

And beyond that was the Storm Isles. The isles full of a culture who worshipped the sky yet did not fly true in it, who worshipped the earth yet did not live in it. She scoffed.

"Ridiculous. How they ever got that religion, I shall never know," She shook her head, looking to the moon above. "That woman, though..." She sighed. 'I can't get a read on her at all...' Her frown deepened, and her gaze turned somber. "Terminus...I don't know how I can keep my promise, with your killer dead, but..." She turned around, and started to walk away from the dock. Her final words were heavy in more ways than one. "...I will keep it."

24 - The Dancers And The Crashers: A New Glow (Edited)

Author's Note

EDIT: Can't believe I forgot to add this stuff, but regardless, there was supposed to be a total of five runes, yet I originally posted this with four. That has been fixed. Other than that, the edits are very minor.

This chapter was voted for by FTR2017. Hope you like it, my dear friend. And now, an ominous message...

She's growing.

24 - The Dancers And The Crashers: A New Glow (Edited)

[A woman takes the first step up the stairs.

Her subjects watch on with pride in their hearts.

Her children follow behind her, smiles on their faces.

Royal Lightning flashes time and time again outside.

Reaching the top of the steps, she turns, and grins.

The Queen of Storms takes her throne.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6_722bLF-I)

The chatter of Tartarus had grown, of late. It's newest inmate had been busy. As she'd wanted, now nigh every creature, every fiend, every demon, was a friend of sorts to her. She knew their names. Some simple, some wicked, some that should never be spoken aloud.

And with all this, grew her influence. Her power. Cozy now had some of the strongest of fiends and devils at her beck and call. They had taught her much, as well. Some had taught her blood magic. Her old pen pal had taught her how to manipulate and steal magic, even without a horn. Others had taught her ancient ritual magic, as well as rune magic.

Her power had grown.

And Cerberus was none the wiser. He took no special note of the chatter, of the new markings upon Cozy's cell walls. He thought all was well. He thought only of when next his own friends would visit. The yellow one had been particularly nice, he mused, panting.

Night soon fell in the wicked realm, and Cerberus soon slept. Cozy Glow was trying out a new set of runes, ones her 'friends' had warned against. She rolled her eyes at the thought, and kept drawing with her bloody feather.

The first was one of the strangest, yet simplest. A strange rune that supposedly meant, 'door'. The next, and just as simple, if not more so, meant, 'dead person'. She'd not heard the term 'person' before, and it garnered a quirk of an eyebrow from her when she first read it's meaning. The third rune, she'd learned, meant 'Archon'. Another word she'd never heard before. Yet another rune apparently meant 'Matron'.

'These runes are really weird,' she mused to herself, then shook her head and shrugged.

Seeing the first rune glow green, the second orange, the third blue, and the last a dull brown, she smiled to herself, and then went with the final step. Dipping the quill of her feather back into the small, weeping cut on her foreleg, she wrote the one phrase in a language she'd been told not even her new friends would ever write. 'Summon.' It glowed an eerie reddish gold, before suddenly, throughout the realm of Tartarus, a new chatter formed. One that silenced all others.

Whipping her head around, Cozy became both confused and slightly worried. Her friends had never been silenced so easily before. Looking to her neighbor and old pen pal, she saw him staring at her in utter horror.

"What have you done?!" he whisper-yelled.

Cozy Glow tilted her head. "What's the big deal? They're just magic runes."

Tirek simply sat there and shook as the chattering grew louder. Cozy rolled her eyes, before she felt an unnatural chill down her spine, making her shiver. Then, all light in the realm was gone. Not even the magical torches burned. All was black. Cozy took a step back, the sound of her hoof meeting the metal of her cage echoing.

She gulped. "H-Hello?"

A solitary, blood red light appeared in the new abyss. She heard bone meet stone, the chattering increasing in volume again.

"H-Hello? Who's there?" She tried again.

The light went out, and she was in the dark again. Alone. She whipped her head around, ears perked and alert. Nothing.

Then, she felt hard and cold claws run through her mane, and she went stock still. "Hello...friend..."

25 - Intermission: Growth (SEMI-FINAL EDIT)

Author's Note

EDIT: This chapter has undergone some minor changes, but major ones may be made in the near future.

Well, this is a bit of a dump instead of what I imagine you all were looking for, but I felt it was needed. Oh, and by the by, there's a secret reference hidden in this chapter. Not too well, in my eyes, but I can't honestly think of a better way to hide it.

Still, if any of you gets it, then guess what?

I'll post a new, special chapter that'll reveal just a bit more about the main villain. While yes, I had plans to do so anyway, if one or more of you gets the reference, I'll hasten my efforts on making the villain's background a little less shadowy, so to speak.

Sound good? Good! Hope you all enjoy this one!

Here's a hint to the reference; it's a quote from a funny little guy.

25 - Intermission: Growth (SEMI-FINAL EDIT)

[A woman takes the first step up the stairs.

Her subjects watch on with pride in their hearts.

Her children follow behind her, smiles on their faces.

Royal Lightning flashes time and time again outside.

Reaching the top of the steps, she turns, and grins.

The Queen of Storms takes her throne.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6_722bLF-I)

The next month was a long one, filled with preparations, research, experiments, and their results. One of those experiments was how we could use the Glimmer I had in my inventory to either make Engrams or make Perks, including Exotic ones. This experiment had been helped greatly by mine and Ventus' study of the Light Runes we'd made so long ago and the process by which the few weapons and gear I had left in my inventory were made.

The result? We had finally learned how to not only encode matter, but decode it, thus how to make Engrams, as well as how to make Exotic Perks. This also meant we knew how to program matter, to an extent, and thus Glimmer wasn't a problem so long as we made a few mines for it. The only thing we needed to know was the code found in the material's essence, and we could make it.

Sadly, power supply for the mining equipment was an issue. While, yes, some cities had factories, and thus generators to power them, the equipment me and Ventus had for the Glimmer mining needed more power than what our generators could make. Thus, I'd sent out more miners to either find more Stormwill, or, find a special, glowing green ore.

Regardless, this was still a massive boon in multiple ways, because it meant that we had a potential sustainable source of material to make high-end weapons and armor. It also meant that we no longer had to waste a bunch of metals, woods, or other materials to make regular old guns or even special ammunition, like explosive rounds, as we could now simply add a Perk to the gun that made each round explosive.

And, it meant that I now had the option to start selling guns to everyone else, as they had been wanting. The whole reason I'd refused so many times before was because I didn't have a reliable way of beating anyone who had guns themselves, but now I did.

And I had a perfect plan for it.

I would start by selling guns to other nations, but in calibers that would do shit-for-dick against my troops and their armor. Not only that, I would make sure they were all slow to reload, so bolt action rifles or single action revolvers, or even just give them frikkin' flintlocks or eokas and the like if I could sell them on the idea. I figured I would give the Ponies and Changelings the smallest calibers, and the Griffons slightly larger ones. The other races I was still puzzling out.

Of course, with all this influx of new tech, new jobs were made, like my version of Cryptarchs, whom I called Antiquates. They were the ones who made gear for anyone with the coin and rights. Another was those who made and maintained the equipment the Antiquates used, the technicians, if you will.

Both of them were jobs not allowed to be taken by anyone who was not a born and bred civilian of the Storm Kingdom, nor were the Antiquates allowed to even show their works to tourists. Of course, since it had only been a month, all of them were still VERY new to working with this level of tech. Hell, everyone in the Storm Kingdom was, with everything I'd been introducing. We'd advanced so much and so quickly it was staggering, not just to my people but even me.

Black Mountain, Steelhome, Thunderhill, and Petre City were currently the most modern cities in the kingdom, with Petre City and Black Mountain being chiefest among them. Black Mountain was understandable, as the artisans and craftsmen and engineers there were among the best in the whole world. They took to it all with enthusiasm, and that was saying something.

Petre City, the capital of which I resided, also made sense. It was kind of needed for all the advanced shit in the castle, as well as the stadium.

And it'd been absolute hell trying to keep the flow of information as constricted as possible about all this new tech. The absolute last thing I wanted or needed was the other nations finding out. Even more so them getting their hands...claws, hooves, whatever, on the tech itself.

This new influx of jobs, though, while normally considered good for any nation, did not sit too well with those working in the factories or as usual smiths. So, to combat this, I made a public speech, declaring that those who worked in the gun factories would be allowed to make guns for a wider range of customers, namely, the world at large. The same went for the regular smiths. Naturally, this blew a helluva lot of my cover, but still, keeping the information restricted anyway never hurt. Plus, a public speech was the only way I could think of to combat the discontent efficiently.

I made sure, however, in a speech within the castle, away from prying eyes, that they followed new rules when making products for other races; namely, the sheer obsolescence of guns sold to other nations. I had to spend almost a whole week talking to them all after that, letting them know that this was for the good of the nation.

Some of them were obviously a little upset that they had to make such inferior weaponry, but I couldn't really do anything about that. So, I simply did my best to assure them that they would still get business from the usual customers. I even tried to sell them on how fun it could be to make outdated weaponry like that, that there was a certain charm to it. Those who remained upset, I kept a close eye on.

Naturally, with all this change, the press was on my ass like a pervert with wandering hands. I had to go through so many conferences it wasn't even funny, and it didn't help that I was trying to keep most of the changes a secret.

Like, for instance, the revamping of the gear for my troops, especially the infantry, as well the new Legion I was making. Sure, the new tech itself I was trying to keep as secret as possible, but I especially wanted to keep everything about my new Legion a secret.

This new Legion was one I had taken to calling the Amaranthine Guard. They were given not only the best gear of all the Vanguard Legions, but the best training. While the Betwixt had been trained in Systema and given high-grade gear, the Amaranthine Guard was to be given training in Systema, Sambo like the Darkstriders, Boxing like the Lightbearers, and Kendo, Bojustu, Kyudo, and Arnis, along with the most top-tier gear I could provide. Not only that, but I would be teaching them Soul Arts.

Considering how Tempest didn't know most of the martial arts I did, and considering the changes needed thanks to how Skili bodies were as well the sheer number of martial arts and Soul Arts to teach them, the process was slow and costly. But I was damned if I was gonna stop now.

Besides, I had a few plans to increase my wealth to help pay for it all. The sale of guns was one such plan, but I had others. What were they, you ask? None o' ya fuckin' business. So fuck right along.

I let out a deep sigh as I glanced from the many papers at my desk to the storm outside. It was just starting to become spring here, though one could hardly tell thanks to the storm. Looking back to the many papers stacked on either side of my desk, I sighed again, slumping a little in my chair. 'I'm glad I don't have to do paperwork for the Steel Axe fiasco, but sadly I do still have to do paperwork, the bane of any existence.' Reluctantly, I set to writing with my pen again, thankful that I'd invented these early on.

After Steel Axe tried to assassinate me like I knew he would, the Council meeting came around, and suffice to say none of the other members were happy with him. His response was as simple as I'd expected; he accused me and blamed me for everything, even tried to kill me. My response was just as simple, and doubly fun. As soon as he rushed me, I grabbed his horns and ripped them right off.

You can imagine how the other Council members responded.

At the time, I didn't care though, as it simply meant I could capitalize on it. So, while the big guy was on the ground, bleeding from the head, I told them all my demands.

I wanted to exile Steel Axe to the Frozen North, and wanted control of the Minotian lands. To my delight, they didn't object, though they all certainly looked uneasy about it.

Then there was the situation with Dimondia, the Empire of the Diamond Dogs. According to the Regime Lieutenant, the fight with the Tribals had reached a stalemate. Apparently the Tribals had found a new collection of metals that made them a near match for my troops, and if the reports were right, then they were metals found both in Destiny, and Dark Souls, like Titanite and Relic Iron. Not even the super metals the Imperial Dogs had - and were now trading with me - stood much of a chance. With Relic Iron being a space-age metal, this was understandable. Titanite was also understandable, since Titanite in the games was said to be formed from the body of the old God of Smithing, which meant it was on the level of Gods.

And that was if the gear these Tribals used didn't have enchanments. If they did, like I feared, I would need to start heading the efforts myself just to make sure the materials became mine and mine alone, and so that those that used them were wiped out.

Needless to say, I was planning on visiting Dimondia very soon.

And that brings us to the now. Currently, I was drafting up a few new laws pertaining to the new technology and jobs. Naturally, it was a complex affair, especially since I had to make certain there were as few loopholes as possible. The last thing I wanted was someone misusing Glimmer to make counterfeit guns or drugs, or some other bullshit. And I never was very well versed in laws to begin with, much less lawmaking. Being a ruler for only a year didn't help.

It was times like these that I prayed the Skili ways of discipline stayed strong.

...And that I could double check with my inner council so that I knew for sure these laws would be airtight. Hopefully I can get that scheduled in.

As I wrote word after word on the page before me, my mind wandered. A while back, I'd tried to reach Magic-Eyes, but, to my dismay, it didn't work. In fact, after I tried using his Token, it disintegrated. I only learned a week after the fact from Trader that that meant his universe was gone.

I won't deny that I was unhappy about that. He was the first guy I'd been interested in since coming here. Didn't help that I forgot more and more about him as the days went on. Hell, I only remembered his name now, nothing else.

I shook my head again. Thinking about it wouldn't help things now. With a frown and another sigh, I got back to work.

After finishing about two dozen more sheets of paper, I leaned back in my chair, then stretched, sighing happily at the satisfying pops that resulted from the action. I looked to the side of my desk, where a picture frame of me and Suki lay, and smiled. Gently, I picked it up, softly placing a hand on it's surface and keeping my smile as I looked into the bright eyes of my daughter in the picture.

I chuckled. "I'm willing to bet you'll be a great Queen, muffin top." I said softly. "After all, when you're old enough, you'll be the one ruling the Minotian lands, not Kilgra." I shook my head, and placed the frame back where it belonged. "Back to work, then..."

As I did so, I idly wondered what bounties the Minotian Empire would provide. Based on what my spies had told me, they had a few flora and fauna that no other nation had. I grinned.

Well, they were mine now. I'd see in time.

26 - The Storm Princess: Suki's Struggle (Edited)

Author's Note

NEW INTRO - ONLY FOR THIS ARC

WARNING: This chapter contains some dark bullying and child on child violence. You have been warned.

Hope you guys like it, and that it's not too revealing or telling!

Enjoy the new chapter! Sorry it took so long to post...

26 - The Storm Princess: Suki's Struggle (Edited)

A Princess grits her teeth.

She tries to block out the rage.

Her own.

Her mother's.

She tries to block out the guilt. The regret. The shame.

She clenches her paws, almost drawing blood.

Whipping her head up, she wipes her tears, and steps up.

She would be great.

"...and after that, I turned around, and bucked the big guy in the face!" Rainbow finished, demonstrating her maneuver.

Sighing, I rested my cheek on my paw. 'This is so boring...I don't get how everyone else doesn't see that.' I frowned. 'Mommy's stories are a million times better.'

Despite my boredom, Miss Dash was still going on and on, this time about another fight. I groaned as everyone 'ooh'ed and 'awe'd at a certain part. I really wanted class to be over. This whole School was boring, and a waste of time. The only creatures here who made it not boring were Gallus, Sandbar, Ocellus, Smolder, Yona, and Silverstream.

'Mommy said I needed this, but I don't see why. There's nothing for me to learn here, and I don't even really like most of the creatures here. They're all kinda stupid, too.' My complaints continued throughout the rest of the class, but I still managed to look like I was as interested in the story as everyone else; a skill I'd picked up pretty quickly after being enrolled.

The bell soon rang, and I let out a breath. "Thank goodness..."

"Alright, squirts, I'll tell you all more of my awesomeness later, so get outta here!" Miss Dash told us, shooing us off.

'Way ahead of you,' I thought to myself. 'Finally, I can get away from this boring stuff and do some training!' I giggled to myself, picking up my textbook in my paws, pulling my backpack on, and walking out of the room with everyone else.

When I got out, Smold came up beside me. "Hey, Stormy," she said, offering her fist.

I grinned and bumped my paw against her fist. "Sup, Smold?"

She shrugged, flying alongside me as I walked, claws behind her head. "Nothing much," She grinned. "Just itchin' to get back home and try out these new 'gun' things." She looked to me. "Gotta say, your mom's a lot better than my own folks. I mean, heck, she beat the Dragon Lord!"

I couldn't help how my grin grew, or how my chest puffed out. "Yup! Mommy's pretty freakin' awesome!" I jabbed a claw at myself. "And I'm gonna be just as awesome as her, just you watch!"

Smold grinned herself. "Yeah, well, when that day comes, I'mma beat you into the ground."

I laughed. "Keep dreamin' chump! I'm going to be the one to beat you into the ground!"

Smold kept her grin. "Oh, gettin' cocky, huh? From what I remember, I've got two wins over you."

My tail poofed up at this and I growled. "Yeah, so? I'll beat you this time, you just watch!"

Smold chuckled, then flew up in front of me and raised her fist again. "See you in an hour in the courtyard, then?"

I bumped my paw against her fist once more. "You bet your scaly butt!"

Smold laughed, then flapped her wings and lifted off. "A'ight, see you then, Stormy!" With that, she flew off down the hall, and disappeared to the right.

I clenched my paw. "I'm going to win this time...for sure! I promise, Mommy!" I swore, marching off proudly to my dorm room.

"Oh, good, just who we were looking for," said a voice from behind me all of a sudden. I knew that voice.

I whirled around and growled, showing off my fangs. "Golden Axe. Leave me alone, you meanie!"

Golden Axe rolled her red eyes, moving some of her hair out of her face. She lived up to her name, that much I knew from her stupid golden fur. Mine was a million times better, though.

She'd been messing with me ever since Mommy enrolled me here, but she always did it when no one was around so creatures wouldn't know. I grit my teeth. She was smarter than her stupid Daddy, that was for sure. Had to be, since she memorized my guard's break times.

I squeezed my textbook to my side. 'She's always gotten the drop on me...but this time, I won't lose! I'll beat her up and prove I'm just as good as Mommy!' "What do you want, Golden Axe?" I asked.

Golden Axe grinned. It was wicked, like always. I hated it. I wanted to wipe it off her stupid face every time I saw it. Two fancily dressed, twin unicorn colts were at her sides. I didn't recognize them, but they didn't look nice, either. They were sneering at me, too.

Golden Axe finally answered my question with, "Revenge."

The next thing I knew, my breath left me, and I slammed into the nearest wall, dropping my textbook. As I was trying to get my breath back, Golden Axe stepped up to me and snorted.

"For the daughter of that big shot Queen bitch, you'd think you'd put up more of a fight," she said, stomping on my textbook.

"Y-You...let me go!" I snarled, thrashing, but when I looked down, I could see my whole body was covered in unicorn magic. I looked to the two colts, who were grinning at me like they'd won. I tried to move my hand towards the button on my backpack's strap, but my arms were pinned. "I'll...I'll get you all! Just you wait! I'll get out of this and-!"

My breath left me again as Golden Axe punched me in the gut. "Shut it. This isn't about you." Golden Axe adjusted her glasses. "Only reason I ever came for you was to show your 'mommy' who's in charge here." She snarled, raising a hand up which suddenly lit up into- I gulped. That...was a pretty big fire. "You've been an absolute pain though, won't lie. You've hid everything I've done well. Too well." She lowered her hand near my head, and I thrashed harder as I felt the searing heat draw closer. Tears were in my eyes. "Time I give you something you can't hide." Without any other words, she grabbed the top of my head with her flaming hand.

I couldn't help the scream I let out. I thrashed. I tried to kick. I...I cried.

They only laughed. All three of them laughed.

I could feel my fur burning off, feel the fire burn the skin underneath. It hurt. It hurt so much. I wanted it to stop, but that meanie, that...that bitch just kept going, even when I cried for her to stop.

Then...

"What the kry'g is going on here?!" I looked to the side to see my body guard. Golden Axe let go of me, but not fast enough, because in an instant my guard was right behind her, lifting her up by the hand and snarling into her face. "Golden Axe. Former Minotian Princess. Seems Our Queen will need to have quite a few words with you." She snapped her head to the colts, who were shaking in their suits. "Release your magic. Now." They did so, and I dropped to the floor in a heap, trying and failing to stop my sobs.

I felt pathetic. I was pathetic. I couldn't protect myself. Not the first time. Not any of the times after. And now? I curled up on myself. I couldn't do anything...

"I-I'm sorry, Mommy..." I sobbed.

I didn't pay attention to much of anything after that. Even after Frista scooped me up and took care of my head and those...monsters, I didn't really do anything. I just sat there and cried.

Not like I've ever done anything else...

27 - The Storm Princess: Suki's Test (TRUE DEFINITIVE EDIT)

A Princess grits her teeth.

She tries to block out the rage.

Her own.

Her mother's.

She tries to block out the guilt. The regret. The shame.

She clenches her paws, almost drawing blood.

Whipping her head up, she wipes her tears, and steps up.

She would be great.

The doors to Twilight's office were swiftly kicked off their hinges, and Lucette stormed inside. Literally. Arc energy was sparking all over her form, and specifically her eyes. Lucette stomped up to Twilight's desk, the mare frozen in fear and pale as a ghost who just saw a Ghostbuster.

"So, Princess," Lucette spat, her tone a stark and cold contrast to the obvious rage her body was showing. "What's this about some little shithead bullying my daughter?"

Twilight gulped, looking to Spike, then Starlight. Lucette slammed a fist down on the desk, easily cracking it.

"Don't look away from me," Lucette snapped. "I want an answer, and by God I'm getting one, whether I have to use torture or otherwise." Lucette jabbed a finger at the purple alicorn. "I told you when I enrolled Suki that if anything happened to my baby girl, there would be a lot more than Hell or Tartarus to pay." She jabbed a finger at Suki, the young cat girl bearing a long strand of burned fur on the top of her head. "And your students didn't even just bully her, did they?"

"W-W-Well-" Twilight tried to say, but Lucette interrupted her.

"No." She said coldly, fists clenching. "They went and fucking burned her!" She glared at Twilight, eyes alight with Arc energy and giving the mare the impression of being beneath the imposing gaze of an angry Goddess. "So, you're going to tell me why I shouldn't retort to this in full force. Capiche?"

This time, not just Twilight gulped, but Starlight and Spike. "W-Well, um, Lady Luc-" Starlight began, but Lucette's immediate snapping of her head to her made her squeak, shrinking back when she saw the Awoken's eyes flare with Arc Light.

"Queen Lucette. With this stunt, the entire staff of this school lost the right to be on any sort of friendly terms with me," Lucette said, tone cold as the rain in the very storms of her lands.

Starlight nodded rapidly. "R-Right, sorry, Queen Lucette! If you, um, wouldn't mind taking a seat, we'll explain everything, w-we promise!" She looked to Spike, then Twilight. "Right guys? Ehehe..."

"Right! Of course!" Spike replied, joining in on the laughter.

"Definitely!" Twilight added, also joining in.

Lucette stood up fully, eyes clouding over and face set in what would likely be a permanent frown. "Be. Quiet. This is far from a laughing matter."

"Yes, ma'am, sorry ma'am!" they all chorused.

Twilight's heart beat in her chest like a drum as Lucette sat down in the chair next to Suki. 'Holy buck...she's more intimidating than even Princess Celestia...' She placed a hoof to her chest, trying to calm her frantic heart. 'My heart feels like it's going to beat out of my chest...!'

Lucette's growl drew her out of her thoughts. "I asked for an explanation, Princess. So speak. Now."

Suki's gaze remained locked on her lap as Twilight cleared her throat a few times. "E-Eheh, r-right, sorry, Your Majesty." She shook her head, wings twitching behind her. Once more she cleared her throat. "Suki was, erm," she tried to search for the right words. "...approached, by three of our students, one who you might know, the Minotaur Princess, Golden Axe, and the other two were twin brothers of House Star. From what Suki told us, they pinned her to the wall with their magic, and Golden Axe, um..."

Lucette growled lowly. "Let me guess, she wanted to make an example of my daughter? To warn me?"

Twilight looked to Spike and Starlight, then back to Lucette and slowly nodded. "F-From what she told us, yes."

"And how, pray tell, did she burn my daughter?" Lucette asked, tone still as cold as could be.

"Based on what Golden Axe told us, it was Ancient Minotian Pyromancy," Twilight explained.

Lucette went silent for a long, long time and closed her eyes, the two mares and dragon fidgeting in place as Lucette silently seethed with rage. Suki, whilst she wasn't fidgeting, was locked up, eyes glued to her lap and ears seemingly pinned to her head. Finally, Lucette reopened her eyes.

"I will be having a talk with these three," she said simply. It wasn't a request. It was a statement.

"With all due respect, um, Queen Lucette, w-we can't allow you to-" Twilight started.

"With all due respect, Princess," Lucette spat. "Golden Axe is officially under my jurisdiction, as she is a member of my nation now, and these two noble brats..." Lucette gnashed her teeth. "...well, they better learn how to fucking skate, and quick." Before they could ask what Lucette meant, she continued with a harsh glare at Twilight. "I want those three little shits in front of me by tomorrow. If they aren't here at 0500, then they're gonna experience field day on top of what I like to call 'The Pitt'." Lucette chuckled. "Oh who am I kidding, they're experiencing both either way." She rapped her fingers against her arms. "But first..." She looked to Suki, eyes softening and the crackle of Arc energy dissipating. "...How long has this been going on, muffin top?" Suki tensed, continuing to stare at her lap. Lucette frowned. "Muffin top, it's okay, you can tell me anything."

Suki bit her lip, and opened her mouth to speak, but stopped short. "I..."

Twilight and the others frowned as well, and made to speak too, but Lucette silenced the three with a harsh glare that said, 'My family. Our problem. Not yours.'

Lucette gently placed a hand on the young Princess' head. "Suki, please, it's okay to tell me." She reassured.

"..." Suki trembled, and a few tears dropped unbidden from her eyes. "...since I enrolled..."

Silence reigned in the room for a few seconds, each one feeling to the ponies like a countdown to their very ends, and broken only by the sniffling and sobs Suki was trying to hide.

Slowly, Lucette wrapped her arms around the girl as tightly as she could without hurting her, hugging her to her chest, where she finally sobbed openly. Lucette rubbed her back soothingly, but the deep frown on her face told it all. Soon, she turned eyes colder than Helheim itself to Twilight as she stood up from her seat. Those eyes were colder than the phantom of death.

"I want the staff present by 0500 tomorrow as well. The full staff. I don't care if you have to drag them all here, because if they aren't present..." Lucette's eyes stormed with Arc Light. "...this school won't be standing for very long."

Without any other words, Lucette stormed off, crying daughter in her embrace.

The situation was dire. They all knew that quite well. It was so dire, in fact, that all those of royal blood in Equestria had teleported to Twilight's Castle for an emergency meeting.

Naturally, the air was more tense than could be described.

And, naturally, it was too tense for the youngest Princess.

"This is bad, this is so, so bad!" Twilight said as she paced, mane frayed in many places.

"Very, very bad," Celestia agreed, also pacing.

Like mentor like student, it would seem.

"I'd have to agree," Luna said, rubbing her forehead with a hoof. She, along with Cadance and Shining Armor, were seated around a small table. "What we just did is the political equivalent of angering an Ursa Major."

"And said Ursa Major has near complete control over the new gun trade," Shining Armor pitched in, frowning with his forelegs crossed over his barrel. "Our troops barely know how to use them, and we don't have many, either. If she decided to cut off that trade, we'd lose one of our only weapons against her."

Cadance's muzzle was set in a deep frown. "Not to mention that she has a powerful magical advisor."

"One who's just as mad at us as the Queen is!" Twilight cried. The tense silence continued at that utterance, broken only by the clippity clop of pacing hooves as all else in the room pondered how to avoid an imminent war with said Ursa Major.

"A tribute might settle things," Luna eventually proposed.

"We're beyond tributes at this point," Shining said after another, briefer moment of quiet, before adding in a rare moment of solemn clarity, "What we need to decide now is what demands we can and can't give in to. Because we know she'll have demands after this."

Twilight groaned, sitting down bodily as she massaged her forehead with a hoof. "She's already demanded that the school staff as well as the problem students be brought before her at 5 AM tomorrow. She also threatened the school itself if I didn't meet those demands."

Luna sighed. "Anything else?"

Twilight shook her head.

Luna stared down at the table in front of her, frowning as she did. "Considering her current temperament, I wouldn't put it out of the realm of possibility for her to demand reparations, as well."

"From the school, us, or the families?" Cadance queried.

"All of the above," Luna answered.

"And Tempest already told us house arrest is not out of the realm of demands either," Celestia groaned, falling to her plot. "Reparations I'd be fine with, but house arrest is a whole other headache."

"Then there's the threat of having the school torn down," Shining Armor reminded, rubbing his chin with a hoof.

"Or worse, war," Cadance pointed out, mixing some sugar into her tea with an absent minded use of magic. She barely realized she'd already placed half the tin of cubes into her tea already, her eyes focused on the table.

Luna sighed deeply, closing her eyes and letting out a breath before she looked up. "So, what do we say?"

They all paused to think, then sighed. "We'll have to go with just about every demand at this point. But I think we can make a good argument for keeping the School standing, and hopefully we can keep her from declaring war outright," Cadance mused.

Twilight let out a breath. "I hope so..."

"I don't give a shit, Tempest! So what if the other nations get all pissy? Those brats fucking burned my daughter's head!"

"Forcing the Minotian Princess to do such exercises is a stretch enough for your power, but the two noble children? There's no way you can-"

"I . DON'T. CARE!" A clap of thunder was heard at the final utterance. "IF I CAN'T PUNISH THEM PHYSICALLY, THEN YOU BETTER BELIEVE I AM MAKING THEIR FAMILIES AND THIS SCHOOL PAY DEARLY!"

"That, at least, is within your rights. But asking for the very horns of two unicorn colts, even if they are teens, is far too much-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP TEMPEST!"

Suki sat on the bed in her dorm room, paws in her lap and ears lowered as she listened to her mother argue with Tempest. This had been going on for the past hour, ever since Tempest had come over. She'd apparently been with Lucette on the way here, but had gone to talk with the other Princesses in Lucette's stead so that Lucette herself could talk to Twilight.

Suki didn't care. All she could think about was how badly she'd failed her mother. At how weak she was. She was still crying, and she hated it, but she couldn't stop the tears anymore. Part of her wished her mother would stop yelling...but another part of her didn't want to risk seeing a disappointed Lucette. She just wanted to be alone.

Sadly, fate had other plans. Suki soon heard the doors to her dorm room open again, along with the sounds of her mother's and Tempest's boots coming closer. The two of them slowly sat down next to Suki, Lucette wrapping her arms around her and gently pulling her head down into her lap. Suki didn't bother resisting.

Using her thumb, Lucette gently wiped her daughter's tears away. "Shh, muffin top, shh...you're safe, okay?"

"I-I-It's not about m-m-me being safe..." Suki managed to get out, turning her head away.

Frowning, Lucette asked, "What do you mean, muffin top?"

Suki bit her lip. She didn't want to say it. She really didn't. It'd be like admitting defeat. But slowly, agonizingly, she did. "...I-I-I failed, Mo-Mo-Mommy..." Suki's tears trailed down her cheeks at a new, feverish pace. She hated it, so she buried her face in her mother's stomach. "I-I-I tried to st-stay strong, to...to b-b-be like you, b-but I-! I-!" Suki lost it, simply throwing herself into sobbing and crying. Memories of her past, before Lucette, of begging on the streets when not at the orphanage, came up, and the sobbing only intensified.

"Oh, Suki..." Lucette said, pulling her closer.

Tempest simply watched on as mother consoled daughter, unsure how to help, and still unsure if her own relationship with the two was now strained thanks to the previous argument. Eventually, however, she placed a hoof on the girl's shoulder.

"You don't need to be exactly like your mother, Suki," Tempest assured gently.

Lucette nodded, much to Tempest's relief. "Especially if it means hiding your problems from others." Suki's head shot up at that, staring at her mother with wide, teary eyes. "Frista told us how she and the nurse found bruises and the like all over your body." Lucette frowned. "Why would you hide that from us, honey?"

Suki looked away, shame written all over her face as tears continued to dribble down it. "...I just..." She looked to Lucette. "I just want to be strong...strong like you! You're always so confident, and everything you do is awesome and you made it look so easy that..." Suki's gaze dropped to the bed. "...that I thought I could do it too."

Lucette opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. 'I knew she saw me as role model as well as a mom, but...damn. How could I not have seen this sooner?'

Lucette stayed silent for a moment longer, mulling over her words. Then came her own memories. Memories of the times she'd seen Suki so hard at work, or when Ventus had, and how she would swear about not going back to the old ways... '...I never asked her about that. How caught up in my work was I if I couldn't remember that much? God, Mom would kill me... But I'm tempted to lash out at myself for leaving my daughter to deal with that pain alone!' She eventually sighed and shook her head, placing a hand on Suki's shoulder. "You can do it, hun. But you need to know that even people like me need help every once in a while. So, naturally, that goes for you, too. You can't do everything on your own, not forever. Sometimes you need to rely on others." Lucette gave the feline a smile, jabbing a thumb at herself. "Heck, half the reason I'm so confident is because I've got such an adorable, loving daughter like you." The Awoken used a thumb to wipe the rest of Suki's errant tears. "So, next time you need help, tell us, okay?"

Suki's eyes fell to the bed. "..." Slowly, she looked up, stifling a sniffle. "O-Okay."

Her mother paused a moment, looking at this, then took a breath. "Suki...are you worried I'll disown you if you don't do well?"

The Siamese feline's body locked up. Tempest shared a look with Lucette, before both looked down at the girl.

Tempest spoke first. "I have some experience with that life, you know."

Suki blinked, looking up in shock at Tempest. "Y-You have?"

"I left my home, though, instead of it...well..." she shook her head. "But I know the pain all the same. Of having to show strength all the time." She nodded to Lucette. "Your mom knows it too, just in a different way."

Suki's teary eyes whipped to her mother, wide and surprised. Lucette sighed, gaining a faraway luster to her eyes, despite the glow in them dimming. "Yeah. I do. Like I said, half the reason I'm so confident is because I've got you." She looked to the purple unicorn mare. "Tempest and Ventus too." She met her daughter's gaze. "The other half is because the responsibility I have, among...other, things, motivates me to stay strong."

Suki blinked a number of times as she looked down at the floor, confused and still sad, but obviously mulling things over. Ventus appeared, flashing a holograph of a digital clock, and Lucette cursed under her breath.

The Awoken patted the girl's shoulder. "...We have to go settle everything, so stay here, okay?"

Suki nodded, and Tempest, Ventus and Lucette left the room, the latter pausing to look back for a moment, before eventually leaving and closing the door.

Silence fell upon the dorm room, Suki laying on her bed, alone with her own thoughts. Such thoughts, of course, turned dark. "...Even if everything's settled...I'll still be weak..." Suki muttered, ears lowering.

"Geez, is that what you think?" came a familiar, tomboyish voice from behind her. Suki jumped, turning to the sound to find Smolder hovering outside the now open window. Suki hurriedly rubbed at her eyes and sat up, but Smolder snorted and stopped her with, "Oh knock it off. You don't need to play tough with me."

Suki turned wide and confused eyes to the young dragoness, Smolder flying through the window and into the room to sit right next to the feline. "Trust me, if there's anything I've learned in my time here, it's to learn to admit you're not top dog." Smolder poked Suki with a claw. "Especially around friends."

Suki looked away, clutching her arm. "But..."

Smolder rolled her eyes. "There's no 'but' about it, Stormy." Smolder turned to face the Abyssinian fully. "And besides, even if you aren't top dog, you're still better than that stuck up bitch Golden Axe. Along with her new pony friends."

Suki frowned. "But...I lost to them. And her! So many times, a-and I lost to you a bunch, and-!"

Smolder growled. "Okay, first off, you only lost to them because Golden Axe is better at hand to hand and ambush tactics. Second, you've only lost to me ten times out of, what, sixty times? Maybe more?" The orange dragoness shot her friend a look. "So quit whining about how much you've lost," she leaned forward, "and start figuring out how you can win."

Suki paused at that. "How can I win though?" She looked to the carpet beneath them. "Golden Axe is stronger than me, she knows magic, and she's smarter..."

"Yeah, no," Smolder said simply. She rolled a claw around. "Sure, Golden Axe has more muscles than you, and she knows magic, but smarter? No. And to top it all off, Golden Axe is cheap. She fights cheap, she looks cheap, and she thinks cheap. You? You're a bazillion times better than her."

Suki looked away again, a light blush on her cheeks. "Th-Thanks, but..." She looked back to the dragoness. "Do you really think so?"

Smolder scoffed, giving the feline a grin. "Think so? Hah!" Slugging the girl in the shoulder, she continued, "I know so."

Slowly, Suki smiled, and her tears stopped flowing. Wiping the remnants away, she looked to her friend. "Thanks, Smold. I needed that."

Smolder chuckled, wrapping an arm around the Abyssinian. "Anytime, Stormy." Suki's smile grew, and they both laughed. Letting go of her, Smolder asked, "So, what're you gonna do now?"

Suki looked to the carpet in thought for a few moments, then looked back to Smolder and smirked. "I have a few ideas."

"You want to what?!" Twilight cried, spitting out her tea.

"I want to have a fight with Golden Axe," Suki repeated.

"No way! I can't allow-!" Twilight started, but a raised hand from Lucette stopped her.

Lucette looked to her daughter, an unreadable look on her face. "Why do you want to fight Golden Axe, Suki?"

"I need to do it," the girl said simply.

"Why in the name of the Gods would you need to fight her, child?" Celestia asked, a bewildered look on her face as her teacup levitated in her magical grasp.

"To prove something to myself," the young feline replied resolutely.

The royals all looked to one another. Eventually, the Ponies looked to Lucette, and Lucette in turn looked to her daughter. "I'm willing to allow it. But the brat will still be punished afterwards." Lucette looked back to the Princesses. "What do you say, Your Highnesses?"

The Ponies all frowned. "Personally, I'm against the idea," Celestia began.

"Pitting children against each other, even if it is at the request of one of them is..." Luna trailed off, unsure how to continue.

"Barbaric? Immoral?" Shining Armor supplied.

"Yes, those," Luna agreed, pointing to the stallion. Lucette and Suki both frowned.

"I'd suggest you all watch your words. If I recall, this all happened because of a mistake of your institution," Lucette said coldly. They all flinched, and Suki nodded.

"Even if we allowed this, if you got hurt again..." Cadance began again after a short while, then shuddered. "I'd hate to think about what happens after."

"As I said, I will allow it. I will also, of course, make sure it does not get out of hand," Lucette interjected. She nodded to Tempest. "As will my Right-Hand." Tempest nodded stiffly in agreement, and Lucette turned her eyes towards Twilight. "So, Princess? What is your answer?"

Twilight opened and closed her mouth multiple times, before letting out a deep groan. "I'm gonna hate this, but..." She sighed, then looked to Suki and Smolder. "...I will...allow this."

Smolder clapped her friend on the back, and Suki smiled. "Thank you, everyone." She dipped her head in a bow. "I'll remember this."

Smolder chuckled, slamming her fist into her palm. "Now we just gotta wait until tomorrow!"

Suki giggled. "Yup!" She looked to her mother, then. "Mommy, I wanted to ask something else. Could I have my training swords?"

It was the next morning, and, as stated, the staff, as well as the problem students, were arrayed in the courtyard before Lucette, Suki, Tempest, and Twilight and the other Royals. As the staff consisted mainly of Twilight's friends, whom had seen firsthand how terrible and powerful and terribly powerful Lucette was - along with learning of the situation - they were, understandably, concerned and nervous.

The two sons of House Star were in similar straits, looking up fearfully at the Awoken Queen. Golden Axe, for her part, stared up defiantly, uncaring for the similarly harsh glare that was sent her way from said Queen.

"Good morning, everyone," Lucette began, though the look in her eyes said that this was anything but a good morning. "As you all know, a few days ago, there was an incident with my daughter at this very school." Lucette placed a hand on Suki's head. A head that still bore a burn scar. "My daughter was burned by one of this institution's students. Naturally, I cannot allow this to stand. And, naturally, as you are all either the staff or those involved, you must be punished." Lucette swept her gaze across the group, eyes critical and cold. "From here on out, ten percent of any wages you make while working in this school will go towards reparations to myself and my daughter."

The Elements winced.

"However, I have not failed to recognize that this fault also lies on the guard I assigned to my daughter whilst she was here. As such, she will also be taking a pay cut," Lucette looked briefly to Frista, who only bowed her head deeply as she saluted next to the Elements. The woman turned her gaze towards the three children in front of her. "As for the three of you involved directly in this incident, you will be put under house arrest, and your families will pay reparations as well. In terms of the one 'royal', her personal assets will be seized along with any that were promised to her. For House Star, the entire family will not be allowed to be within 500 feet of Storm Kingdom borders and any stipends they get from the Equestrian Diarchy will instead be forwarded to me until the reparation is paid off." Lucette fixed her gaze on Golden Axe, whose own glare had grown stronger, whilst the unicorn colts had shrunk in on themselves. "However, there is one final thing that will be taking place." Lucette stepped aside, and Suki stepped up, oaken shotel and firangi in sheathes on a belt on her waist. "The Minotian Princess will duel my daughter. If she wins, or if she loses, nothing about her situation will change." Lucette shifted a smirk to the young cow. "You will either abide by this, or you will face a longer house arrest sentence."

Golden Axe growled. "You want me to fight your stupid, shitty little daughter?" Golden Axe snorted. "Fine by me."

Lucette didn't reply with anything more than a harsh glare, as did many of the others around them. Suki only hardened her gaze and pointed to a section of the courtyard that was mostly grass.

"Let's fight over there," She said simply, walking towards that direction without any other words.

Golden Axe followed, and those in the courtyard watched on as they took positions. The Ponies all watched on with wary eyes, occasionally glancing to Lucette and Tempest in fear and wariness, whilst the Queen and her Right-Hand kept their eyes on the match.

Ventus appeared, floating over and projecting a red light on the middle of the field below. "Ready...?" The light turned green. "Go!"

Golden Axe charged ahead immediately, fueled by anger as she aimed to gore her Abyssinian foe with her horns. Suki, for her part, simply waited, breathing deeply and slowly. Just as she predicted, Golden Axe canceled her bull rush partway and turned it into a savage uppercut, which Suki, in response, deftly hooked onto with her oaken shotel and slammed into the grass below.

Golden Axe let out a gasp of pain as she fell stomach first to the ground, having committed too much into her strike and paid for it. Suki, capitalizing on the pause, slammed her firangi into the young princess' back, then grabbed her horns with her shotel and lifted her back up.

Dazed, but at the least aware she was standing again, Golden Axe grabbed the shotel and threw it off, following this up with a sloppy haymaker to Suki's cheek.

Suki cried out in pain at the blow, falling to the dirt from the sheer force. Golden Axe made to stomp on her belly with a hoof, but Suki rolled away just in time, the Minotian Princess trying and failing multiple times to stomp on the Storm Princess until said princess rolled to her paws and got back into a ready stance.

Golden Axe growled, steam coming out of her nostrils. "I swear, you're pissing me off almost as much as your shitty mom does!"

"Good to hear," Suki shot back, baring her fangs.

Golden Axe snorted, then raised a hand, which immediately lit aflame. "Let's see how you handle this!" She roared, before lobbing a fireball at Suki.

Expertly, the feline used her inborn grace and days of patient practice and rolled under the fireball, coming out of it to land a thrust to Golden Axe's stomach with her firangi, effectively knocking all wind out of the other princess' stomach and causing her to crumple to the ground.

Suki swiftly flashed her shotel to Golden Axe's neck. "You beat me every time because I'm still weak with paw-to-paw. Bet it's not so fun now that I'm using my preferred weapons, huh, meanie?"

Golden Axe growled weakly, coughing even as she shoved the wooden blade away. "Fuck...*cough cough* you..."

Suki shrugged, then hooked her shotel around the cow's horns again and slammed her into the grass again. "I don't play that card game." She retorted wittily, before sheathing her weapons and walking towards her mother.

Golden Axe growled, slowly pushing herself up. "You...won't get away with this..." She vowed, pointing to Suki and Lucette. "You two...are gonna pay...for what you did to my dad...to my country!"

Lucette turned to Frista. "Frista, please take the Minotian Princess back to her home in the Minotian Isles. Also, inform the people of Minotia that their Princess has lost all rights to her house after her sentence is over."

"You bitch!" Golden Axe snarled, getting up and making to charge Lucette, only for Frista to rush over and grab Golden Axe, who thrashed in the hold.

Lucette looked out across those gathered before her. "That will be all. You can all go about your days now. Just remember..." Lucette's eyes flashed with Solar Light, making her look almost like a hellish demon. "If anything happens to my daughter again, this school will not survive." Lucette turned around, grabbing Suki's paw. "Good day."

As the Storm Queen, her daughter, Ghost, bodyguard and Right-Hand left the courtyard, the Ponies could only think of how lucky they were, letting out breaths of relief as the doors closed.

They had just barely avoided a war. What if next time they didn't? They all shivered. One thing was for certain. They couldn't afford to make the Storm Kingdom angry again. And, in Twilight's mind, she felt this was all the more reason to make the Storm Kingdom a friend and ally. Because if they didn't not only would the School of Friendship not survive...

...Equestria might not survive.

Author's Note

Heya, guys! Sorry it's been such a while since this updated, but I needed time to think more on how the story was going as a whole, and what better way to do that than to write other stories for a bit, ya know?

So, saying that, I'm gonna start giving chapters from here on out more thought, as, from what I can tell, everything feels just a little bit too thin on detail. Never a good thing to have on a story based around politics, that's for sure. So, expect longer chapters from this story from here on out.

Of course, this also means that it will take longer to get chapters out, but, hey, whatcha gonna do?

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Heaven knows I enjoyed writing it.

Thanks for reading!

-Timeless Lord Slayer

28 - The Storm Princess: Suki's Aftermath (EDITED)

Author's Note

Alright guys. From this chapter onwards, there are likely to be a bit of spoilers for three stories; Skull, The Cursebringer and The Undying Angel, along with a bit from The Grey Warden of Equestria. And sadly, all of them are behind in terms of updates. I'll try to keep them small, but basically what this means is that, from here on out, I'll be trying to update this story less and Skull's and Mara's stories more so it's all caught up. Show Stopper should be working on his own in good time, albeit he has a long ways yet. Dude's a planner like no other.

Sorry in advance!

-Timeless Lord Slayer

28 - The Storm Princess: Suki's Aftermath (EDITED)

A Princess grits her teeth.

She tries to block out the rage.

Her own.

Her mother's.

She tries to block out the guilt. The regret. The shame.

She clenches her paws, almost drawing blood.

Whipping her head up, she wipes her tears, and steps up.

She would be great.

"So, Golden Axe," Lucette began coldly, taking a sip of water from an immaculate jade cup. "What made you think you'd get away from this scot-free?"

Golden simply glared up at the Awoken with eyes of hatred from her bed.

Lucette clicked her tongue as she set the cup down on a small round table she'd had the servants set up, barely two feet in diameter. "You know, the move you made reminds me a lot of your father." Golden Axe snarled, but Lucette continued. "Poorly planned, full of spite, and with little to no real idea of the consequences."

"You have no right to speak of my father that way," Golden Axe hissed, clenching her fists.

"Hm," Lucette crossed one leg over the other, observing the young cow like one would a piece of antique cutlery. "You know, to be honest, I've not that much use for your nation. Not when it has so little faith in me." Cutlery that was still. Just. Cutlery. "I've half a mind to expunge all of it's citizens and start letting my own people take over, instead of simply making it a vassal state."

Golden Axe's eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't."

Lucette raised a brow. "And why not?" She stood up from the chair. "Yes, your flora and fauna fascinate me, yes, the land itself is valuable, and yes, expelling all the Minotaurs and leaving them without homes would surely make me hated by the world's peoples, but still, why should I care?" She turned around and raised one hand, palm up. "For one, the land does not need it's original people to prosper, nor do it's flora and fauna. For another, my nation can handle anything the others throw at us should they try to play the blame game. So, why wouldn't I?"

Golden Axe grit her teeth. "You're lying."

"I've no reason to lie right now, little girl. But, if you don't believe me..." Lucette snapped her fingers, and a scroll materialized with a flash of blue code. She unfurled it with a snap of her wrist, then turned around so Golden Axe could see. Golden Axe's eyes widened, and she paled.

"Th-This is..." she began, trembling.

"An official order from me, commanding my troops to grab every Minotaur in the Minotian Isles and send them packing," Lucette finished for her, smirking. The Royal Seal was on it and everything.

"You...You monster..." Golden Axe said shakily.

Lucette chuckled darkly. "You, however, will be sent somewhere else. Specifically, the small, remote prison island your father oh-so loved to send convicts to."

Golden Axe's features turned a bright shade of white.

Lucette laughed, throwing her head back. "Oh come now, you really think this wouldn't happen after you essentially assaulted one of your new rulers?" She shook her head. "How hopelessly naïve." She rolled the scroll back up, then started to strut out of the Minotian Princess' room. "Enjoy your new life of incarceration!" Lucette sing-songed as she opened the door, which closed soon after.

Golden Axe could only stare blankly at the wall of her room, despair all over her features.

Lucette sighed deeply as she sunk into her personal suite's chair. Ventus appeared above her head.

"That really took a lot out of you, huh?" she surmised, floating around her Guardian's head.

Lucette nodded. "Much as I wanted to do that, it still took a lot to lie about the Royal Order." A hand went to her forehead, massaging it. "It's gonna be even more annoying to get her to that island without her seeing any of her people."

"And even more to get said people to like you after this," Ventus added 'helpfully'. "Or for you to like yourself."

Lucette groaned. "Ugh, don't remind me."

Ventus giggled. "Well, as a side note, your 'brothers' apparently attended a huge wedding."

Lucette blinked, then looked up at her Ghost. "How'd you find that out?"

"I connected myself to their Token," Ventus explained, before shaking herself. "Not a pleasant experience. Ended up just having their Displacer appear and chatted with her."

"And why did you try to connect to their Token in the first place?" Lucette queried, raising a brow.

"I...wanted to see if I could find the universe the Traveler is from. Try and reach it to get more info on, well, myself and all that comes from said universe," Ventus admitted sheepishly, looking away.

Lucette sighed. "Riiight... And who's wedding was this?"

"Some guy named Skull, and a girl named Angel," Ventus informed.

Lucette frowned. "Huh."

"The guys also managed to make friends with them. Had some history with Skull's...cousins, I think?" Ventus shook herself. "Anyways, the bunch of them had helped out his cousins, so Skull basically named them 'honorary brothers'."

Lucette blinked. "Huh. Well, guess that means I technically have new in-laws."

Ventus gave her Guardian a look. "How the heck does that work?"

The Queen waved her off. "Ah just let me have my weird ways, ya weird drone."

"Hey!"

A pause as they stared at each other, before they both laughed loudly.

"So the Storm Princess called for a duel with her assailant and harasser, and beat her singlehandedly?" Broadmane asked, looking up from the scroll in his hoof to the servant before him.

"Yes, Your Highness," the servant replied, still kneeling before him.

The stallion shivered. "...Something tells me I'm going to need my...special, concubine, tonight."

"My Lord?" the servant queried, looking up in confusion.

"Nothing! You heard nothing!"

"No, but we certainly did," Aaliyah giggled behind a hoof. "Sounds like you have some especially deplorable fetishes, potbelly." The Saddle Arabian Trader Queen snarked.

"Indeed. Maybe we should give you a new title," Platinum said with a smirk.

"'The Whipped King'!" Adil barked out with a laugh, followed by the other Saddle Arabian rulers laughing with him.

"Sh-Shut iiiiiit!" Broadmane roared, cheeks aflame with embarrassment.

29.01 - Week Of The Intimate: Day 1 (EDITED)

Author's Note

EDIT: Fixed an error with the title.

Yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo, folks! So, here it is, the long awaited romance arc! And it's got a LOOOOOOOOOOT of twists. Hopefully they won't make you all flip out and call me a hack, because I put all my heart and soul into making these chapters. This one is right up there, too.

Anyways, I know what you're thinking, 'where's 28?' Well, it's gonna be postponed until two, or at least one, other story gets more up to date. Details about 28 will leak, as well as about that story it's linked to (no, tis not a crossover chapter, don't worry) but otherwise, things will be silent on terms of the 28th chapter.

Also, this is a crossover with "I Dream". Check it out, it's just been rewritten and already has seven new chapters up!

いいえ、私は彼女と一緒に出荷するつもりはありません。私は彼女の希望のオタクファンボーイだからです。私は、デュオが思ったよりもよく合っていることを見つけて、それで行きました。

Whoever guesses/figures out that code wins a cookie!

Ciao!

-Timeless

29.01 - Week Of The Intimate: Day 1 (EDITED)

A Queen of Marble, standing tall and proud.

A King of Plaster, cracked and dried.

Rain poured, hard and loud.

The King crumbled, but he'd already died.

The Queen stood tall, but her Marble lied.

The Rain poured, hard and loud.

Something was...different. I could hear things better. Feel things better. I could feel heavy wind, heavy rain, hear the crack and boom of thunder. I could feel that I was quickly getting soaking wet, as well.

I could also hear...cheering?

That’s...very weird. Last thing I remember is being on a mountaintop, in Heaven. Did God suddenly change my personal Heaven, or something?

I opened my eyes, seeing quickly that my glasses were coated in raindrops. I wiped them away with a grunt, sitting up and pulling my cloak over me and looking around.

“Where…?” My eyes immediately widened.

I was in familiar territory. But...also not. I didn’t know exactly why, but there was a sinking feeling in my gut as I stood up on the apparent street.

Said street was made of cobblestone, but also not. It was more like someone had made countless lightning bolt symbols on random stones and tossed them into the mix when they were making the street. In consistent and frequent intervals, there were also what I assumed to be sewer drains.

“Oi! Git outta the street, you idiot!” a voice called to me over the din of the storm, somehow easily heard despite it. I looked to the source and saw...a Storm Creature. The pit in my stomach grew as I quickly got out of the street and onto the sidewalk as a carriage came barreling by, followed swiftly by a cart. Almost all of them were metal, but obviously not automated.

I looked around. Numerous semi-modern looking buildings created a strange cityscape, as while many of them looked modern, they also looked like someone just went completely nuts with trying to make the walls or entire building a statue.

One building looked like it was just a glorified lightning rod holder, showing a Storm Creature holding up two massive lightning rods, but, I could just notice that there were power lines swaying under its arms, up towards it’s head, and into its mane, where I noticed a lot of lights and windows between or built into what looked like braids on the statues' mane.

Many other buildings were similar, and a lot more looked to be under construction still. Hell, further out across the cityscape, I could just barely make out a platform for...something, wasn’t sure what at this distance.

I looked back to the source of the cheering. There was a massive stadium just a few hundred feet in front of me, massive statues all around it.

I noticed the flags all around then.

‘Fight The Storm Queen! Win her Hand!’ was written in English, and some other script.

“...Fuck.”

Lucette sighed as she sheathed her Moonlight Greatsword, looking down at the Skili passed out below her. “This is the 8th suitor today… Jeez…”

She was in the arena where she had held the Festival of Strength and Fellowship, her people all in the stands and the Warrior Nobles in their own special seats in them.

Contrary to what one might believe, said Nobles were not cheering. In fact, only the common folk were cheering, give or take a few hundred.

The reason for this was simple. It was the Week of the Intimate, the Skili equivalent of Hearts and Hooves Day, or Valentines Day. However, unlike those holidays, this one lasted one whole week, and was traditionally one where Skili would duel the fairer sex to win their hand in marriage. Naturally, this was not the only way to get married in the Storm Kingdom, but it was one of the most common.

And, naturally, Lucette was a target, for many of the Warrior-Nobles, the common folk, and even her own soldiers, all vying for her hand in marriage. In the case of the Nobles, it was to secure closer ties with the Crown. In the case of the soldiers, it was because they admired her and her strength, and many a Skili admired a strong female. And for the case of the common folk, it was one or the other, if not both.

However, the Warrior-Nobles were silent, solely because their last champion had failed to best her.

“This is getting ridiculous…” Lucette muttered, watching as some medics took the challenger/suitor away. ‘I mean, I could just deny every proposal, but the problem with that is that it would hurt my reputation. And the last thing I want is for my people to see me as a coward.’ She sighed, rubbing her neck as the rain fell on her masked face. ‘It was fun at first, even if it was ultimately to win my hand, but now? Now it’s just getting old. And uncomfortable.’

She looked up to the giant digital clock across the arena and groaned. “Ugh, still not afternoon.” She looked behind her. “Who’s next?” she called.

“I wasn’t looking to join, let go of me plea- Whoa!” She paused as she saw the gates close behind a strange man in a far-too-soaked white linen cloak. She knew immediately he was a Displaced. Humans didn’t frequent Equus - or Durkz, as her people called the world - save for maybe that mysterious Mirror World that she still needed to question Twilight about.

She shook her head. ’Regardless, he’s got a Dark Souls weapon. I’d recognize the Bluemoon Greatsword anywhere. Dark Souls 2 mainer, maybe?’ She hummed, turning around to face the man fully. ’I should be careful. It could have been infused for all I know. Or have other tricks. That katana as well...very ornate. Ornate, however, usually means less function.’ “Don’t see much else on him, either… A lot of pouches, though, could hold some tricks.”

“You could be right,” Ventus mused in her comms. “His swords definitely feel...off, too. Like a mixture of Light and Dark are in ‘em. And something else.”

“Noted.” Lucette raised her voice more as the man stared at her. “What’s your name, kid?” She called.

The man continued to stare for a bit, before slumping heavily and trudging over through the mud.

"Goddammit, was trying to walk away, but no no, they see one guy with weapons and they pull him in, thinking he's a contender!" She heard him grumble under his breath as he approached. “Call me Hamin!” he shot back. “Mind if I ask a few things?” he asked as he drew closer. She tilted her chin up at him, to let him know she was listening. “Can we do this fight without any extra gear? No armor, just clothes, and no weapons, just fists?” He started to shrug off his stuff.

Those in the crowd started to murmur loudly.

Lucette hummed, then grinned. “Sure, kid.” With that, she called out, “Close the roof!” Soon after, the roof started to close, and when it did, only then did she dismiss her armor, standing now in a simple yet tight jumpsuit of royal purple.

The man sighed. “Also, I’d...like to ask that my stuff be treated with respect. I...have things in these pouches that are close to the heart.”

Lucette hummed again. ’Intriguing kid.’ She narrowed her eyes at him briefly. ’How old is he, anyway? Looks at least to be in his early twenties. Not terribly fit, but at least he doesn’t have chub weighing him down from what I can tell. Tunics too tight to NOT get a clear view of his torso, honestly.’ Lucette nodded slowly. “Very well.” She looked to the referee nearby. “You. See to it those items are stored safely away.” The referee nodded, soon calling others to take the items into storage lockers further in the coliseum.

Lucette cracked her knuckles as the referee came back. “So, ready, kid?”

He did the same, cracking his knuckles, with the addition of his neck...and a few other stretches. After he was done, he got in a stance that honestly threw Lucette for a loop. One fist hovered over the other, which was pulled back, almost like he was channeling energy into it, but she saw and felt nothing. Furthermore, his stance was wide, but not terribly firm.

The referee blew a whistle, and Lucette charged.

She started with a haymaker to the face, but he dodged just barely and went to slam his fist into her gut. In response, she twirled out of the way, the motion being accompanied by her leg snapping up for a kick to his side.

It landed, and he fell to the ground, took a deep breath as he did, and rolled out of it just as Lucette made to slam both fists into his head. He blocked it barely with his own fists, but clearly underestimated her strength and fell flat on his face in the mud.

Some in the crowd began to laugh at this, but they stopped immediately when the man slowly picked himself back up, spat out some mud, wiped off his glasses and took a stance again.

Lucette smiled. “Good. You have some endurance.”

“I do now,” he replied evenly, despite how he was panting. This time, he rushed her, but instead of coming in with a punch or a kick, he grabbed her by the shoulder and made to toss her to the side.

She retorted with a jab to his elbow, making him cry out in pain, before she then followed up with a jab to his other elbow. Both of his arms went limp, but he remained standing as he backpedaled a bit.

“You have some spirit, too. Not afraid to try and fight dirty, either. Though, I guess grabs aren’t exactly dirty,” she mused, crossing her arms as she looked at him.

That was when she noticed glowing lines appear on his skin. “I’m...more...spirit...than anything,” he said, before he loosely slapped his hands to the mud, instantly creating frost that froze Lucette to the floor.

Lucette’s eyes widened, and she struggled to pull her feet out. While she did, he forced through the pain, through the numbness of his arms, and raised one up, faster than she expected, and closed his eyes. She could see him channeling his magic.

’Shit! I don’t have a catalyst to cast spells, and I still haven’t learned Pyromancy!’ she leaned down to try punching the iced portion around her feet, but by the time she did, he’d finished channeling whatever magic he was using, and opened his eyes.

“Freezing Tornado,” he breathed, and more ice shot out of his hands in a swirling, small but sizable, literal tornado of ice.

The tornado swept up mud on it’s path, freezing it solid and flinging it across the coliseum, but most importantly, it washed over Lucette and froze everything but her head solid.

The referee, and the crowd, went stock still, jaws open wide.

Then, Grubber came out, and cried, “THE QUEEN LOSTH! A CONSTHORT IS CHOTHEN!!!”

Hamin walked slowly towards Lucette over the ice, carefully, as the crowd went wild. She was staring with wide eyes, vacant. He placed a hand on her frozen shoulder, his hand slowly heating her up with a burst of what seemed to be fire magic.

“You pegged me for a pure fighter, didn’t you?” He said, smiling lightly.

Lucette sighed, closing her own eyes. “Y-Yeah. Could y-y-you hurry up? I’m f-f-f-fucking freezing my ti-ti-ti-tits off.”

Hamin nodded, closed his eyes, and took a breath, and suddenly the ice began melting much faster, the transfer between hot and cold literally making her steam.

She sighed in relief at this, but Hamin spoke again. “You could’ve used your Super, couldn’t you?”

Lucette blinked, eyes wide. “How’d you even know I’m a Guardian?”

“The armor, among other things,” Hamin explained, letting go of her.

She blinked, staring at him a bit, then sighed. “Fair enough. As for why I didn’t use my Super… I…” She shook her head. “I’ll...tell you another time. Right now…” She looked up at the crowd, cheering and roaring and pounding their seats. “...Right now, WE have to deal with the fact that you just became my consort, and possible fiancé, due to ancient law.”

Hamin stared up at the crowd, unblinking. “...I am full of so much hate right now.” He said with a sigh, hanging his head and putting his face in one hand.

“Sorry,” Lucette apologized, squirming a little.

He glanced at her, then lowered his hand and started to walk back to the entrance. “Come get me when you’re done pleasing your crowd.”

Lucette frowned a bit more. “...Why do I feel like the dick here…?”

Roughly an hour later - I really hate the press sometimes - I made it to the locker room, two guards with me on either side. I told them to wait by the door, and walked over to the kid- man who sat in plain sight of said door.

I took a breath, then smiled down at him. Mask on. “Ready to go?”

He nodded slowly, getting up wordlessly, and I led him out and towards the carriage. It was something I used to rarely use, but Tempest insisted I start using it more, and the Warrior-Nobles WERE starting to get pissier about it, so I decided to call it in.

The two guards opened the doors for us, and as he climbed in and I made to, I stopped one of them. “You two pull us. We need to speak privately,” I told him.

The guard gave me an uneasy look, but nodded, and I climbed in, him closing the door soon after. Silence filled the carriage as we both felt the two guards start to pull us along. Much as I disliked the idea of being pulled by actual living, thinking, speaking creatures, I knew we both needed the time to talk. A lot was on both of our minds, obviously.

It made me glad that this carriage was soundproofed magically. Though hopefully no rumors got out about us two fucking early before the...sixth? Ninth night of this holiday?

"Tenth." Ventus told me.

Tenth night of this holiday. Christ. I shuddered.

“You ran out of Light to fill in the gap that your Darksign made, didn’t you?” he said out of nowhere, voice even.

My blood ran cold instantly at those words. All my instincts told me something was seriously wrong. That something was different. That HE was different. My eyes narrowed at him, even as I made to pull the ‘safety’ pin on the carriage.

“How do you know that...?” I asked slowly. He didn’t respond, staring straight at the upholstered floor. I snarled. “Alright, kid you have two options. Either you tell me, or I burn all the Light I have left to turn you to ash. I can easily take a detour after to recharge.” I was bluffing and I knew it, but if he was what I thought he was, it was either I try, or I lose everything again.

He stayed silent for a split second longer, then sighed, laying back against his seat. “I wrote your story.”

Dead silence. I wasn’t even sure I heard him right. I wasn’t sure I wanted to have heard him right. I felt sick, like someone had just told me about the 'thong incident' all over again back in the Marines.

I searched his face.

He didn’t look away from me.

Slowly, my anger boiled up to the surface as I realized he was telling the truth. I instantly willed Crimson to my hand, pointing it dead in his face, barely a centimeter from his nose.

“You. WROTE. My story?” I asked slowly, carefully, making sure he heard every word as my barrel remained right in between in his eyes.

He slowly nodded. “I did. Go ahead, kill me. I’d honestly welcome the change.”

I growled. “You’re assuming you’ll go to Heaven,” I said, cocking the hammer.

“I’m hoping. But I personally think I deserve Hell,” he said with a straight face. Still not lying. My anger was reaching a boiling point, and now that I knew he wasn't a Void Dweller, well, shit was far, FAR better in my eyes. I felt my eye twitch as I realized I finally KNEW where to really vent all my old anger.

I started to squeeze the trigger, but Ventus appeared, and nudged the barrel down gently. “L. Calm down, please, he-”

“THIS BASTARD THOUGHT IT WOULD BE FUNNY TO WRITE A FUCKING STORY WHERE AN INNOCENT WOMAN WAS TAKEN FROM EVERYTHING SHE KNEW!! HE DESERVES ALL OF HELL’S NINE CIRCLES AND MORE!!” I roared.

“HE COULDN’T HAVE KNOWN, L! HE’S JUST AS INNOCENT!” Ventus shot back, zapping me. I growled as I dropped Crimson thanks to the zap.

“YOU FUCKING TRAITOR! I TRUSTE-!” V zapped me again. “GAH! FUCKING STOP THA- FUCK!” She zapped me again, and again. I struggled to swat her as she kept zapping me, tears streaming from my eyes. “I JUST WANTED TO HAVE A NORMAL LIFE AFTER C.A.R! WHY WAS THAT SO FUCKING MUCH TO FUCKING ASK?!?!” I ranted. I raved, still swinging at V, but she dodged each time. I knew I hit the bastard a few times too, but he just took it. I knew I drew blood, too, right across the cheek, and he just took it. Like it didn't even matter!

Tears welled up in my eyes as I continued to vent absolutely everything that I'd kept in for a whole year.

In the end, I was sobbing on the floor, V hovering over my head as I cried. I cried for the mother I’d lost. I cried for the brother I’d lost. For the aunt I’d lost. For the innocence that had been stripped from me in C.A.R., even. For the world that had been ripped from me.

For the first time in a year, I cried...

...for home.

I came to to find myself in bed, like nothing had happened. Everything was the same. Same silk sheets, same massive bedroom...and not my old house. Not everything was good, then. Though... I curled up a bit. Conflict welled up in me. Not everything was good? I had a kingdom, and a loving daughter! I had a new family! But...at the same time, the one I'd lost hovered in my mind like a helicopter parent.

I shook my head rapidly, then began looking around for that...bastard. Nothing. Didn't hear the shower running, or see any opened or ajar doors. Just...silence. “V-V?” I croaked.

Ventus appeared over my head, floating down to look at my face. “Hamin covered you up with his cloak. Told the guards you fell asleep and brought you here. After that… I don’t know. Didn’t go looking for him, but he’s not in the room. He just left. Didn’t say anything.”

“N-Nothing? Not even a f-fucking sorry?” I growled, trying to steady my voice as I tore off what I now knew was his stupid ass cloak.

I could feel V frown. “He did. Under his breath. A lot. Sat by your bed for a bit, too, but...left, anyway.”

I grit my teeth. “Fucking...coward.”

“You did try to kill him,” V pointed out.

“And he was ready to accept it,” I snapped back.

“Still, if you kill him now? That’s gonna ruin your rep like hell,” Ventus stated.

I turned away from her, crossing my arms over my chest. “So I kill him myself, silently.”

“L.”

“What?” I groused, not looking back.

A pause. Then, she sighed. “Look, I get you’re mad - and don’t throw that ‘you don’t’ at me, because you know I do - but he DIDN’T. And COULDN’T. Know. Maybe he guessed or hoped about it someday like some geeky fanboy in his mom’s basement, but he DIDN’T. KNOW.”

I didn’t say anything.

“L, it’s either you get over this and try to get along with him, or, we flat out boot him,” Ventus began. “And I know you wanna boot him, but think, please. Really think about this. Because you can’t go blaming someone for something like this. In other cases, maybe, but this? Not in the least.”

With that, I heard V disappear.

I just stood there, glaring at the wall as tears welled up again. I looked to my wardrobe, made a step forward to try and put on better clothes but... I grit my teeth.

I didn’t care right now.

I needed to go vent. Fuck facades right now.

’You shouldn’t be out here too much longer, Master.' Blue told me.

“Fuck off,” I said tiredly, uncaring for the rain seeping into my bones. Uncaring for the chill, for the shivers, for how I couldn’t see. Uncaring for how much more wet my back and ass would be from the rain.

I just didn’t care.

’You are uncertain, o’ bearer mine.’ Faith noted.

“Shut up and just...let me be,” I groused, staring up at the eternally stormy sky.

Thankfully, my two blades shut up. Later, I’d have to figure out how they could read my mind when they were locked in the room the guards insisted I take. Before coming here I'd been stopped by the maids, who cleaned me up and directed me to the dining room for food.

I didn't want to eat. Didn't feel like it back then. But I ate anyway. I didn't want to make others worry, either. After eating more than I wanted to thanks to my hunger, I came out here after hours of wandering.

I ignored how the guards were staring at me from the sides of the courtyard as well. It didn’t matter right now. I’d ruined a poor woman’s life. More than hers, too, if I was Displaced like this foretold. But the most worrying part? The part that really sucked?

I wasn’t sure I could help. Not in any large way. Not in any GOOD way, even. I tried to think about where I left off with my stories, especially Lucette’s, but...my mind just couldn’t think of anything. With Lucette’s, I only remembered who the big bad was, that he or she was gathering forces, and that shit would hit the fan, but slowly.

I didn’t remember anything really current. I only really remember Lucette’s past. If I wrote this whole scenario, even, I couldn’t remember. I snorted at that, raising a finger up to the sky.

“Fuck you, me,” I said, turning it back to me afterwards.

I honestly wasn’t sure whether to flip the sky off or myself entirely, so both is what felt best. I shook my head.

I wasn’t getting anywhere.

Point is, I couldn’t help, and now I was either going to be booted out of the castle and this world forever, or forced into a relationship.

That would be a trainwreck on both sides. It’d be like medieval days all over again. I knew neither of us would enjoy that. And I didn’t want that, for either of us.

Now, I would admit, Lucette was far hotter than I envisioned her, but beyond that? I had no real feelings for her. She was my type, sure, but no feelings. No locomotion in the heart drive.

I sighed deeply, closing my eyes.

“How can I help her? I don’t know anything anymore, just things about her,” I paused. “Actually, now that I think about it, I remember what happened to her family, and where they a-” I stopped mid-sentence.

I blinked. Wait. I sat up swiftly. “I know where her family is!” I shot up from my feet, zooming off towards the inner castle.

The door to the Royal Bar slammed open. “Lucette!” Hamin cried.

A bottle landed near his head. “Fuck off,” Lucette growled, having not even looked back to throw said bottle. Her head was lying on the bar table, the Royal Bartender simply remaining quiet as always.

He knew whose money he was getting. He wasn’t going to involve himself, and much less, he’d learned far before now that just being quiet was best.

Especially when he saw a storm cloud like this coming.

Hamin pushed past the obvious tension in the room and walked up to the Queen. “Lucette, listen, I-!”

“Shut up, you pencil-pusher,” Lucette snapped, punching him in the face.

Hamin let out a grunt of pain. Despite it breaking his glasses, and drawing blood from his nose, Hamin only stumbled back, took a deep breath, muttered something under said breath, placed his now cracked glasses down, and slowly sat next to the Awoken.

“...I know what happened to your family.”

The room got more silent than anyone could guess it could, like Death herself had started to lean in to listen, and the room quieted just from the fright of her.

But it was much more likely to be because of the woman now glaring at Hamin with one, baleful golden eye through her silver bangs.

“Lemme guess…” She began, narrowing said eye at him. “They’re all dead.”

Hamin shook his head slowly. “No.”

The silence became much more pregnant at that. Lucette stared at him, eye slightly wide. Slowly, she sat up, turned around on her stool to face him fully, and leaned in. “You better not be lyin’.” She warned. She was still glaring.

“They’re all alive. ALL of them,” Hamin explained calmly despite the bleeding in his nose making him slightly nasally.

Lucette continued to glare. “...V.”

Ventus appeared, then lit up her optic over Hamin. “Say that again.”

“They’re all alive. All of them,” He stated once more.

Lucette looked to her Ghost. Said Ghost slowly nodded, almost shakily.

Lucette’s eyes started to moisten, but she kept her voice from trembling. “Wh-What-” Almost. “-What exactly do you mean by, ‘all’ of them?”

Hamin kept his face straight. “All of them. Your brother. Your aunt. Even your parents. They’re all alive.”

Lucette tried to fight the tears. “Y-You ain’t…” She sniffled as some escaped unbidden. “...y-you ain’t just messing with m-me?”

Hamin shook his head slowly, a small smile playing on his face. A genuine, comforting smile. “I wrote stories for all of them. All of you. I don’t remember anything beyond the plots, and certain other points.”

Lucette hiccuped. “S-So-?”

He nodded, placing a hand on hers and squeezing it comfortingly. “I remember enough to know that I never planned for any of you to die horribly. I planned for you to rebuild your family.”

Lucette bit her lip, eyes welling up with more tears, before she suddenly lunged him, making them fall off the stools as she cried into his chest, blubbering all the while.

She didn't say she was sorry. Only thank you.

Hamin simply held her and let her vent.

She needed it.

29.02 - Week Of The Intimate: Day 2 (EDITED)

A Queen of Marble, standing tall and proud.

A King of Plaster, cracked and dried.

Rain poured, hard and loud.

The King crumbled, but he'd already died.

The Queen stood tall, but her marble lied.

The Rain poured, hard and loud.

The next day was only marginally better. Lucette fell asleep in Hamin’s arms again, and he’d been forced to carry the inebriated woman back to her room again. He felt a bit better about himself now, having helped, if only slightly, but he still didn’t feel right.

As such, he was sitting in his guest suite, frowning as he laid on the bed, unable to sleep. The decorations were just as lavish, if not more, than those of the Canterlot suite he’d been given before.

He clenched his fists at that.

’That’s not an all-too pleasant thought. Nor is knowing that fact.’

He sighed, looking at the pouches on the nightstand near his king-sized bed. “...And neither is the fact I remember what happened before I came here now...”

He placed a hand over his heart. He didn’t feel it’s beat.

Yet he still felt it sink to his stomach at that thought and realization.

He almost sat up, almost got up, to go look in the mirror across the room, to see his new scars, the ones that would stay with him for years to come...but stopped himself short.

Slowly, he sighed, took off his clothes sans boxers, and settled in for a restless night.

The next morning he awoke to the sound of knocking at his door. Groaning, and thankfully not terribly groggy, he sat up in the bed. “Who is it?”

“Storm Queen Lucette Petremol,” came the rough voice of the guard outside his door.

Hamin let out a sigh. ’Well, at least this is a chance to help her past this more.’

Swiftly pulling the sheets up to cover himself completely, he looked to the door. “Do come in, then,” he said in his best polite voice.

The door opened, and Lucette walked in. She was in her usual armor again, full regalia and all. As the door closed behind her, she walked up to him and sat on the bed. Silence ensued for a time, neither wanting to say anything. Eventually, though, he spoke up. “Still angry?”

“...Yes,” she said slowly.

Hamin shrugged. “Well, it’s understandable. I am me.” He adjusted himself so he was sitting more straight. “But I’m not the important one here. You are. You’re the wounded party, and, you obviously want to talk about everything again. Right?”

Lucette nodded slowly. “I…” She bit her lip, then looked at him. “...You really weren’t lying about them being alive, right?”

Hamin nodded, placing his hands in his lap. “I made an oath to stop lying years ago.”

She grunted. “Reassuring, aren’t you?”

Hamin sighed deeply. “Sorry. I tend to be passive aggressive to a fault, because of being a pathological liar. Getting out of that rut has been hard, but at the very least all I do is tell useless lies now. Making very, very random stuff up, for instance. Like, say,” he rolled a hand around. “That I ate cat for dinner. Stuff like that.”

Lucette took a breath again. “You’re making your case worse, you know.”

Hamin opened his mouth, then closed it and sighed again. “Sorry. I tend to do that too.” He shook his head. “So, with that said, let’s try something more extreme. I promise I didn’t lie about them being alive. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” He then did his best effort at the motions as he said the words.

Lucette gave him a look. “Did...you recite the same words a weird baker girl says? Word for word? That’s creepy, dude.”

Hamin slumped his shoulders. “Please don’t tell me you haven’t actually heard of a Pinkie Promise…”

Lucette stared at him for a moment, then let out a short titter of laughter. “No no, I’m messing with you. I know of it, at least. I heard reports among my spies that it does work, too.” She shook her head a bit. “Still not sure I want to mess with that baker in a real fight.”

Hamin chuckled. “Me either. The stories they have about her online have become creepypastas.”

Lucette blinked under her mask. “...Duly noted.” She shook her head once again. “Getting back on topic...do you...know where my family is?”

Hamin nodded. “Lambert is under Canterlot. In the mines. I don’t recall much else about his situation, though. My memory on my stories is still hazy,” He cleared his throat, coughing into his fist. “Lynette is across the Mirror, dealing with her own foe; teenagers and press, and another Displaced of my creation, along with some corporation. Your mother, Laurette...she’s also across the Mirror, and with your aunt.” He shook his head sadly. “Your father is in another world/universe entirely. His story had no big, scary plans, and honestly I don't even remember the plot of it. But he is alive, and is a well respected scholar from what I recall.”

Lucette smiled thinly, looking away. He knew that was more than a sad smile, but still less than a happy smile. He didn’t need to know her intimately or her expressions to know that.

“Sounds like him alright,” she said, fists clenching.

Hamin sighed a bit at this. “You can punch me again if you want. I honestly don’t care anymore.”

Lucette growled. “Stop that.”

Hamin blinked owlishly, then tilted his head. “Stop...what?”

“Stop just brushing off this shit!” She snapped, swiping a hand out and slapping him. He slowly put a hand to his cheek as he stared at her in shock. She dismissed her mask, tears in her eyes and anger shining in them. “You keep freely opening yourself up to be punished, but at the same time that makes the whole thing seem null and void! Stop asking for punishment and actually try to make it up! Be a man for God’s sake!”

Hamin’s eyes widened at this. “I…” He rubbed his reddened cheek, completely unsure how to respond. Memories of a certain girl flew back to his mind, and he turned his head away immediately, furiously rubbing at the tears that appeared and shaking himself. “I...I’m sorry-”

“And stop apologizing! Are you seriously stupid enough to think a fucking apology will solve every goddamn problem?!” Hamin simply stared at her. She growled. “Either man up and work to actually make me trust you, or get the fuck out of my castle.”

Hamin opened and closed his mouth a few times, throat suddenly dry. “A-And,” He cleared his throat. “How should I make you trust me?”

“...” She stared at him for a moment, then groaned, shaking her head. “God you’re a fucking idiot. Dense as all hell.” She looked back up at him. “Just...I dunno, help me find my family, or help me with my kids or their work, or help ME with my work, for a bit.”

Hamin slowly nodded. “R-Right. S-” He stopped and caught himself. “Okay.”

Lucette sighed deeply. “Just...try to actually think more about making things up to people, instead of beating yourself up and apologizing for everything. There’s steps to things, dude.”

He nodded again. “Got it. I’ll...try my best to remember that.”

She nodded. “Good.” She stood up and resummoned her mask. “Come to my study when you’re ready. You can start helping me there. One of the guards can lead you if you ask.” Without any other words, she left the room.

Hamin stared at where she’d gone for a spell, then turned his gaze to the sheets. He gripped them tightly. “...How sad and pathetic does one have to be to not realize such a basic and obvious tenet of social interaction?” He intoned himself coldly. He continued to glare at the sheets for a time, before closing his eyes and shaking his head. “No. I can’t afford to fall into self-hate right now. It won’t help.” He sighed deeply, getting out of the bed and walking towards the shower, grabbing the clothes the maids had left on the dresser and taking them in with him. “Hopefully I can get new glasses, at least…” He mumbled to himself as he closed the door behind him and started to strip down.

Hamin knocked on the sealed stone door, aglow with green runes. “Hello? Lucette?” He called, as the guard walked back to his post and down the hall. He was dressed in a tight-fitting doublette of deep steel gray, with swirls of gold and blue on the front, and a set of black tights. Honestly not his first choice of clothes, but, it was what he was given, and he had to make do.

The door soon opened segment by segment. “Oookay,” he muttered as he walked in, the door resealing itself behind him, segment by segment. He looked around the room.

The room was circular, with bookshelves lining the walls, and black marble tiled flooring. Lucette was at a desk in the center of the room, going through a book, Ventus hovering over her, her shell twinkling like a starry night.

“Find me a book on polymorphing,” Lucette ordered, still reading the book in front of her.

Hamin frowned, sighed, but nodded. “A’ight.” He walked over to one of the shelves, searching it for a good moment. After a while, he found a book titled ‘Polymorphing: A Minor Science’ and walked to Lucette, handing it to her. She took it without looking at him, then opened it up.

“Thanks,” She said curtly.

Hamin stood there for a moment, watching her as she read, then sighed and looked around again. He noticed there were other tables and desks around the room, all with various equipment, notes and schematics on them.

He looked back to her. “So...what did you need help with?”

Lucette frowned, then sighed. “I’m trying to figure out ways to polymorph my spies so they can sneak around better, similar to Changelings.”

“But, Changelings guard that secret rather tightly,” Ventus added. “They’ve barely even shared it with their closest allies.”

Hamin frowned, crossing his arms. “And with most of them still used to being a nation of spies themselves, you’re not sure you want to fight them in that kind warfare, right?”

Lucette nodded. “I learned enough in my time here to know that while King Thorax is a bit of a softhearted idiot, and that he’s spreading that to his people, there’s still far more of them that know the horrors of espionage.” She put her book down, sighing.

Hamin rubbed his light beard. “Are you sure polymorphing’s the way to go, then?”

Lucette tilted her head at him. “Why wouldn’t it be? If we can meet and beat them on their grounds, we win a victory that tells them to fear us.”

Hamin nodded slowly. “Yes, but there are other ways to instill that kind of fear in them.”

They both looked at him curiously, Lucette narrowing her eyes at him. “How so?”

Hamin smirked. “What if you could disrupt their special magic?”

“You mean like how the ponies do?” Ventus queried.

Hamin nodded. “Exactly. Think about it, you basically already have a way to hide your troops - the Chameleon spell,” Lucette’s eyes widened at this. “But,” he raised a finger. “You also have Vow of Silence, a dark Miracle that removes all magic in the area for a time. If you can either teach your troops that, or, barring it, infuse the spell into something that your troops can then use like a tool, then you could theoretically dispel any Changelings disguises.”

Lucette rubbed her chin as she mulled this over. “How did I not think of that?”

“You’ve been more focused on technology and weapons than tools for our spies,” Ventus explained. “Still,” she looked to Hamin. “We’ve only managed to understand the spell scrolls. The Miracles are another thing entirely. Contrary to what L knows from the games, they aren’t in Braille. They’re in some weird language similar to Elder Futhark.”

Hamin nodded. “The language of Dark Souls. Thankfully,” he pulled out his book. “I have something that might help. Do you have the Miracle tomes?”

Lucette opened her palm, and one of the tomes appeared in her hand, which she gave to Hamin. Hamin hummed, rubbing his chin. He flipped the book open, placing it on the table. “Really is similar to Elder Futhark. Huh…” He then opened his book, and flipped through it for a while. After a minute or two, he found something. “Ah! Here we go! It’s a made up language that mixes Elder Futhark with a few others, like Hebrew, Arabic, and the like. Miyazaki explained it after releasing a game a few years after his other creations, Dark Souls 3 and Sekiro, even published the personal alphabet they used to write it. It became pretty popular among other game development companies.”

He pointed to one of the words on the Miracle tome. “This word is ‘Golden’ and this one is…” He studied the page of his book with the alphabet for a moment. “‘Sleeping’. Hm.” He looked to Lucette. “If you’re okay with it, I’d like to see the other Miracle tomes. In a few days I should be able to translate them all.”

Lucette shared a look with her Ghost, then slowly looked back to Hamin. “Alright...sure.” Hamin smiled as she summoned the other tomes for him, all of them falling on the table with a heavy thud. However, just as he was going back to translating, Lucette spoke up. “Still… If the other nations find out my troops are using dark magic or even magic remotely related to souls, I could be denounced and condemned.”

Hamin frowned, looking up from the pages. “Well, I wouldn’t mind helping you smooth things over if they do question it all. I can’t promise I’ll be too much help when it comes to the dark magic part, but soul magic? I’m pretty sure I can make them see reason on that front at least.”

Lucette smiled thinly at this, then looked to his book. “One more thing...how does that book of yours have knowledge on Earth? Is it just some history book you managed to get when you were Displaced?”

Hamin winced. “Kiiind of. It has a lot more than history, really. Philosophies, mythologies, technologies, the works.” He looked down at it, frowning as he hefted it slightly. “The weirdest thing is that I swear it’s gotten bigger.”

Ventus and Lucette shared a look. “Could...we take a look at it sometime?”

Hamin shrugged. “Sure. So long as you keep it from less virtuous and righteous eyes.”

Lucette’s eyes and Ventus’ optic glowed brighter than normal, and Lucette grinned. “Sweet.”

Then, suddenly, a low rumbling growl. Not that of thunder, Lucette knew, as one couldn’t hear the thunder this deep inside the castle.

She smirked as she looked to the lightly blushing man looking pointedly away from her and her Ghost.

“I’ll summon someone to fetch us some food,” she said, standing up from her chair.

“Thanks…” Hamin said, coughing into a fist.

“Any preferences?” She asked, still smirking.

“Something non-acidic, sugary, spicy or salty,” he replied.

Lucette blinked. “That’s...very specific.”

“Picky, aren’t you?” Ventus noted.

Hamin winced. “Even with G.E.R.D., yes.”

Lucette shared a look with her Ghost, sighed, then shook her head with a smile and walked towards the door. “I’ll make sure they know that.”

29.03 - Week Of The Intimate: Day 3 (EDITED)

Author's Note

Here's the long-awaited third chapter in this arc, folks! Hopefully it's to your liking. I got some help with it by my good friend, Illua, so go give her some love too!

Thank you all for your patience, and above all, for reading!

Ta ta~!

-Timeless Lord Slayer

29.03 - Week Of The Intimate: Day 3 (EDITED)

A Queen of Marble, standing tall and proud.

A King of Plaster, cracked and dried.

Rain poured, hard and loud.

The King crumbled, but he'd already died.

The Queen stood tall, but her marble lied.

The Rain poured, hard and loud.

Lucette knocked on the door for the third time. “Hello?”

No response.

She sighed deeply, shaking her head. ’Heavy sleeper, it seems.’

“Would you like one of us to go and waken him, Your Highness?” one of the guards by Hamin’s door asked.

Lucette shook her head. “No. I will do so myself.”

The two guards’ eyes widened. “But Your Highness, such a thing is beneath y-”

Lucette raised a hand. “At ease, guardsman. Just stand watch by the door.”

The two guards shared a look, then slowly nodded. “As you wish, Your Majesty.” They both replied, bowing their heads.

Lucette nodded primly, then opened the door, closing it behind her. She searched the room a moment, noting Hamin was not in his bed. Then, she looked to the desk on the opposite side of the room by the window and blinked.

The man was surrounded by the Miracle Tomes she’d given him, about three of them open on the desk with sheets of paper scattered across their pages and the desk, and his own tome open beneath his sleeping face.

Lucette sighed, shaking her head as she walked over to the man slumbering on his desk.

Ventus appeared over her shoulder, zipping over to him first and looking over his work. “Wow, he got a lot done in just one day.”

Lucette stopped by the man, picking up one of the papers, humming a little as she looked over his work. “He certainly did.” She said with a gentle nod, noting how there were well over twenty pieces of paper all over the desk. The handwriting was childish. Legible, but childish, and laden with crossed out mistakes and hybrid cursive. Lucette gave a soft, amused snort at the eagerness and earnesty. “It’s almost hard to believe the guy who ruined my life would work this hard for me.”

Ventus looked to her Guardian at this. “L…”

“What?” Lucette asked, not meeting the look.

“I know you’re still mad, but...he didn’t know, L. He couldn’t have. Even if he thought it was possible, he had no true way of knowing for sure. He’s…” Ventus paused.

Lucette shot her Ghost a sharp look. “He’s what?”

Ventus took a breath, despite not having the lungs to do so. “...He’s innocent.”

Lucette, despite her own feelings, didn’t growl for once. Instead, she looked back to the man still asleep in his chair, breathing softly. His plain yet oddly cute face, his lightly tousled mop of brown hair… She looked to the numerous notes and translations he’d made, the work he’d put in to help her. She slowly frowned, looking back to the paper in her hands.

“Just give him a chance. That’s all I’m asking,” Ventus pushed.

Lucette looked to her Ghost, then back to Hamin, and after a short time, she sighed. “...Alright. I’ll give him a test today, then.”

I slowly woke up, groaning at the sore feeling in my back, neck, and hips. “Ugh…” Opening my eyes, I noted I had actually fallen asleep at my desk. I sighed. “Well, guess that’s something to cross off in the future; first time passing out from exhaustion.”

“Funny,” came a voice behind me. Her voice. “Considering how hard you worked, I figured passing out was a normal thing for you.”

I frowned, then let out a breath and shook my head, turning to face Lucette, who was seated on my bed. “No, most times I just...automatically know I can’t fight the exhaustion and put myself to bed.” I looked back to the work I’d completed, rubbing my head. “Still...wish I’d gotten more done…”

It was then I noticed something atop one of the Miracle tomes I’d been translating. Glasses. Different from my old ones. Still of a black metal frame, and still simple, but with lightning bolts on the limbs. I smiled gently, picking them up and slipping them on. They were far better than my old ones, less blurry. Seems they’d scanned me at some point to make them. Something I’d have to make up to them for sure.

I looked to Lucette. “Thanks for the replacement glasses. I appreciate it.”

Lucette shrugged. “I did break them, and you were probably straining your eyes enough with what you’ve been working on for me. It makes us even.”

Ventus popped up near my head. “She had me synthesize them for you.”

My smile grew, looking to the Ghost, then her Guardian. “Well,” I began, standing up from my chair. “Let me make it uneven again, then.”

Instantly Lucette frowned. “Tread carefully, kid.” She warned.

I chuckled. “Not in that way, silly.” I walked over to the window. “I just figured you might like to escape things for a bit. Get outside.”

Lucette seemed to stare at me at that. I couldn’t tell if her eyes were wide or narrowed, though, as she had her mask on. After a short time, she shook her head.

“...Funny, I was about to suggest the same thing before you said that,” she finally replied, seeming to recover.

Ventus spoke up. “We were thinking of going to the Festival in town, the one for the holiday.”

I hummed, rubbing my chin as I looked up at the ceiling in thought. “While that does sound fun…” I looked back to Lucette. “...I doubt you actually wanna be surrounded by your people and thus more expectations, right?” I waved a hand airily. “I mean, it’d be even worse considering the holiday and what the public probably thinks our relationship is currently.”

Lucette opened her mouth a few times, but no words came out. Did I break her?

I was shocked. I had fully expected him to just go along with my idea. Or for him to be embarrassed when he realized it was basically a date. But to suggest the idea first, and to be so, so…

...So sensitive, that...that honestly threw me for a loop. He’d actually suggested something that I’ve never truly been able to do since I got here, something I honestly missed. He’d broken my test, right at the start of the hook for it!

“So…? You up for a bit of camping?” He asked after a bit, seeming to give me a concerned look.

I blinked, then shook my head rapidly, trying to dismiss the light heat I felt in my cheeks.

“I couldn’t, I mean, I have to oversee things and-”

“I’m sure Tempest can handle things for a day or two,” He interrupted, smiling widely. Warmly. What was with this guy?

I frowned, narrowing my eyes at him. “...Okay, what’s your game here?”

He tilted his head. I grit my teeth. Why was it so cute?!

“I just want to give you a break, an escape. You deserve it, after all.”

My frown deepened, and I studied his face for a span of time. His eyes were innocent, and...wait, were his eyes always such a striking greenish-gold? I shook my head forcefully again, looking away immediately as my cheeks burned.

What the fuck is going on here?!? Why am I getting so attracted to this guy? He ruined my life! And now I’m actually thinking of going on a camping date with him?

...

...It really has been a while since I’ve actually gone camping, though. Even longer than how long it’s been since I’ve been given some real time to myself. I haven’t gone camping since…

...since before mom died.

I rubbed my arm, looking away. “Fine...I’ll go…” I mumbled.

Hamin smiled at these words. “Great! I’ll just need to go and wash up and prepare, and we can go,” He paused. “Well, I suppose we have to let Tempest know as well so...hm.” He shrugged. “How about we meet at the castle gates when we both do what we need to do?”

I slowly nodded. “Okay,” I said, before taking a breath and standing up from the bed. “I’ll see you then.”

Hamin nodded, still smiling. “Indeed you will.” With that, I left the room as he headed for his bathroom.

This is going to be very embarrassing when I tell Tempest…

I arrived at the edge of the castle gates with some mild difficulty. Tempest had initially been entirely against the idea of me going out camping in the wilds of the island, and even after I’d convinced her it was to...test, Hamin, even if I had to call it bonding, the guards themselves made it harder.

I had to order them to not follow me on so many occasions I was now more actively watching my radar, despite this being my own fucking castle and my own fucking guards.

But regardless, I’d reached the castle gates to find Hamin there with an apparent backpack on on top of all his pouches and equipment.

He smiled as he noticed me. “Ah! Good, you’re here! Now, I admit I don’t know the island that well, or, well, at all, really, but I think I recall there being an old forest near here, right? Why don’t we head there?”

I frowned, but slowly nodded. “Alright.”

His smile grew. “Great!” He turned around then, starting to walk towards the gates. I followed hesitantly after, nodding to the guards to open said gates. As they did, we walked out. Pretty soon we were on the paved road, and we made a turn to the right onto the far less traveled mountain path leading towards the forest.

As we walked, I decided to bring up a question that was on my mind. “Why exactly have you been so concerned about me, anyway?” I looked away. “I mean, you don’t even know me.” I frowned. “At least, not personally.”

Hamin shrugged, not looking back at me. “It’s normal to worry for those I care about.”

I looked back to him with confused eyes. “Why the fuck would you care about me?”

“I just do. I actually care about everyone I meet. Even those I don’t,” He shrugged. “Don’t and never really have needed a reason.” He hummed. “As for the concern itself, well, let’s see, I hurt you pretty deeply, I basically forced you into an arranged marriage with me when I really should have just let you win that fight instead of fighting back at all, and I made you cry several times and turn to drinking.”

I narrowed my eyes. “So...you’re just doing this out of a sense of duty, then.”

Hamin shrugged again. “Selfishness, actually. I just want to see you happy, instead of sad and angry.” He straightened his backpack. “Especially if it’s because of me. I’ve never been one to let things go, you see.”

“Even grudges?” Ventus piped in.

Here he paused, and I smirked. I found a chink after all.

He eventually sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he continued to walk. “...Not always, no. I can certainly be vindictive, and a know-it-all, always pushing others to my line of thinking…” He sighed wearily. “I’m not ever gonna lie and say I’m a good man. But I will always say I’m trying to improve.” He looked back at us. “But this trip isn’t about me. This is about you. You two I should say. Neither of you have gotten much time to yourselves, right? Too busy with Suki, or the whole rulership thing, right?”

I shared a look with Ventus. “Yeah, but-”

“Then don’t even spare me any mind. All I’ll be doing is the same as you, enjoying peace and quiet in the wild,” Hamin said with a goofy grin on his face.

It didn’t match his eyes, but I didn’t comment further. Besides, it’s not like I had much reason to care about him, anyway. If he was going to give me a chance to be alone, then I’d take it.

Even if I admitted he was cute - which I don’t! - he didn’t really mean anything to me.

“He’s helping you find your family, and he’s translated those tomes,” Ventus whispered to me. “Give him a chance, L.”

I looked towards my partner, matching her gaze, eye to optic. Eventually, I sighed, relaxing, but only a tad. We were still in view of my people. “I already said I would.” I muttered back.

Ventus didn’t reply. Sighing, I turned my gaze back to the man who, despite everything that had been thrown at him, was still smiling like a court jester who just got told that every day was April Fool’s day.

I could tell he was conflicted from how strained his smile was, though, no matter how hard he hid it. It...honestly made me feel a bit bad, for once.

As we came upon the sight of the grand forest ahead of us after cresting a small rise in the path, my frown grew. I know I was right to be angry but… I shook my head. Later. For now, I’d settle for small talk.

“So, any particular plans for our little trip?” I asked as we neared the forest’s entrance.

Hamin hummed, tapping his chin, a greatly exaggerated motion, and despite how unnatural it seemed on him, it also seemed natural at the same time. It was odd.

“Find a good place to make camp, set up, explore a bit, chat,” He shrugged. “The usual carefree camping trip.”

I blinked. “No hunting?”

He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “I honestly doubt I’d handle a hunt on these Isles well without dying or puking my guts out.” He patted his backpack. “S’why I brought food with me.”

I grunted. “Great, so you’re a pacifist.”

Hamin frowned. “I wouldn’t word it that way. I know for a fact I can be vindictive to an almost unhealthy degree, but, well, blood and me just...don’t mix well. Even if it’s my own blood.” He chuckled. “I mean, before I came here, as you might have noticed, I was pretty banged up.” I slowly nodded. “The glass, the blood, the vomit…the fights-” He started to continue, then shook his head rapidly but briefly. “Sorry, just… I’d rather not relive those memories just yet.”

I frowned, then nodded slowly. “Alright.”

The rest of the walk was uneventful and quiet, with Hamin going back to smiling widely, even humming a tune as he walked.

That smile still didn’t reach his eyes.

We found a good campsite easily enough, setting up a firepit quickly, and with some teamwork, the tents as well. I’ve honestly never been that good at setting up tents, so it was a welcome gesture for Lucette to offer her help.

She still didn’t look happy about doing all this, and honestly I wasn’t completely sure why she even agreed in the first place. Guilt, or empathy, maybe? I didn’t know. But I at least wanted to try and make her more comfortable, more relaxed, as some kind of repayment.

Besides, it’d only been two days since I came here. It took time to get over the kind of bomb I dropped.

Currently I was sitting on the grass, letting the rain hit my bare face. I’d be cold from being so soaked, I knew, but right now… It felt good. Like a release. Lucette was lighting the firepit with a special blaze the Skili apparently used when camping on this island, one that burned even in the presence of water.

I didn’t really understand it when she gave me the explanation, but all I got from it was that it was like an electrical fire, of sorts. How it wasn’t dangerous to use if that was true I have no fucking idea. I don’t recall writing anything like that into her story, at least.

I frowned. That was still taking some getting used to. Knowing that my own Displaced were real, and the knowledge that I did not remember as much of them as I should.

I looked up at the canopy as the smell of woodsmoke and some unknown chemical filled the crisp, cool air. So many thoughts raced by as the smell grew stronger, I honestly lost track of time. Had to hold back...a lot, at some points. Realizations of what I did wrong in our previous conversations, what I could have done better, flitted to and fro along with maddened laughter. It was familiar, and I didn't know why.

“I appreciate you doing this for me,” came Lucette’s voice, bringing my attention to her. She was knelt next to the sea green fire, her back facing me.

I shrugged, stuffing the tremors easily under the guise of me being cold. “It was as much for you as it was for me.” I paused, blinking. “Er, as much for me as it is for you, I mean.”

She didn’t respond for a moment, but soon looked back to me. She was smiling. It was a small smile, but I could tell it was genuine. Not only that but it just...looked good on her. It wasn’t the cocky smirk I saw on her at the stadium, just a small, meaningful smile.

“You’re staring,” Ventus pointed out, coming between us. I felt heat rush to my cheeks, immediately looking away.

“Sorry! Wasn’t my intent!” I apologized.

Ventus giggled, but Lucette waved it off. “It’s fine. Still, though...why’d you really bring us out here?”

I looked back to her, frowning. “Like I said, I wanted to give you a moment of pea-”

She raised a hand. “I got that already, but there’s obviously something else to it. So spill.”

I opened my mouth to retort, then stopped short. I looked back up to the canopy. “...I guess I just wanted an escape myself.” I chuckled. I knew how hollow it sounded. “Two birds with one stone, ya know?”

“If you wanted an escape, why did you invite me? Why make it seem like a favor?” She pressed.

I sighed, taking my glasses off and rubbing some rain from the lenses. “Because helping you was the first thing that came to my mind. I just came second; after the fact, if you will.”

“That’s…”

“Different? Sad? Pathetic?” I shrugged. “Trust me, I’m well aware.” I put my glasses back on, looking to her with the best smile I could give. “But if my suffering means I get to see others like you smile? I’ll do it as many times as it takes.”

“...Your smile doesn’t match your eyes.” She said.

I blinked, tilting my head. “What do you mean?” I smirked. “What, you mean it doesn’t match the colo-”

“Your eyes are too dead,” she interrupted. I stopped cold at that. She turned to face me fully, frowning. I couldn’t tell if it was concern, but I doubted it was. “Why are you forcing yourself so much? You know, no one will take comfort in your reassurances if you aren’t sincere.”

I felt rage flare up in my heart at that. “I am being sincere! I wouldn’t do this for the-”

“-Hell of it? I think you do. You get a rush from seeing others smile. Anything to help fill the void. Am I wrong?”

I grit my teeth, then stood up swiftly. “You don’t know me.” I began, feeling a chill creep up my body. I barely noticed. “So don’t EVER act like you do. You don’t even want to get to know me. So drop the act, drop the investigation, and leave my personal feelings out of this.” I started to storm off, barely hearing the whirling winds behind me.

All I felt…was an ever present cold.

“That was...very quick,” I noted, blinking as I watched Hamin storm off into the woods. Ventus smacked into the side of my head. “Ow! Hey, what was that for?” I said, rubbing the side of my head.

“Why’d you go and piss him off?!” Ventus hissed.

I frowned. “I wanted to know his intentions. Or at least to get him to open up to me. If I’m going to do so myself, he’s gotta follow suit, ya know?”

Ventus sighed deeply. “Yeah, well, maybe you should learn some tact.”

I looked towards the direction the strange man had left. “I honestly didn’t mean to piss him off. I didn’t think that would.” My frown grew. “Still though…” I looked to Ventus. “How am I supposed to relax if my host doesn’t?”

Ventus sighed again. “Fine, I guess that’s fair. But still, you didn’t have to go and call him insincere.”

I opened my mouth to retort, then stopped short. “...I guess not, yeah.” I sighed. “Might not have been the right choice of words. It’s just…” I ran a hand through my hair, taking off my mask. “...I dunno, it just felt like there was more to this than he was letting on, and it bugged me.”

Ventus looked up at the sky. “...You always did prefer getting to the heart of the issue.” She snorted, despite not having a nose. “Sure took a while for Longbeard to beat it out of you.”

I gained a small smile. “It’s more like I just learned when to do so and when not to.” There was a pause in our conversation. We knew why. “...Do you think we should go after him?”

“...Probably not. He seemed pretty unstable.”

“...Alright.”

’Master, you must calm yourself.’

“Well fucking excuse me, but I’ve had little time to actually get any reprieve!” I snapped, stomping through the underbrush. “I have barely anything to calm me down out here, much less distract me! Back home I had loads of options!” I raised a digit. “I could play any number of games,” I raised a second digit. “Read any number of stories,” A third. “Write with my friends,” A fourth. “Watch a movie or a video, the possibilities for distraction were endless!” I threw the hand up.

’Yet back home, you wished for something more meaningful, did you not? Was true direction not your goal, o’ bearer mine?’

I grit my teeth, slamming a fist into a nearby tree. “Yes, but that’s not the point! My mind’s running a mile a minute because I have nothing to shut it up!”

’And what is running through your mind now, O’ Master?’

“You already know, don’t you? There’s no point in saying it!”

’Humor me.’

I growled. “Ya know what, fine!” I forcefully let myself fall on my ass in the wet and muddy grass. “Let’s start with how the moment I was dropped into this universe and the last one I’ve been prosecuted and under heavy suspicion, with not even one person seeming to try and consider MY side of things, or to even give me the benefit of the doubt!” I swept a hand back to where I’d left Lucette and her Ghost. “Case in point, even after all I’ve done SHE still doesn’t trust me! The fuck does it take to get trust in return around here?!”

’Bearer, have you been giving her that same trust?’

I stopped at that for a moment, then growled, crossing my arms. “Why should I trust her? Why should I trust anyone?”

’Do you want to be alone for the rest of your life? Do you want her to trust you? If not, then by all means, continue to be untrusting. But one who does not trust others cannot so easily be a means of support when they do not bear their heart as well.’

I scowled, not saying anything. Slowly, though, my anger cooled. “Fine, I can see that at least. But…” I bit my lip as the rain poured down on me. “...After what happened with Steven, I...I don’t know if I can trust anyone again.”

’Can you not try? Did you not still give trust to your friends? Or was that all a show as well?’

“...” I sighed deeply. “Fine.” I pulled myself up, then looked down at my messy clothes and clicked my tongue. “Gonna have to address that at some point. Ugh.” I started to trudge back towards camp. “Here’s hoping she’ll take my explanation…”

I still felt unstable. My mind was running a mile a minute still, and I was nervous. Anxious, really. But I needed to at least TRY and salvage the situation. Even if I only exacerbated the issue, I needed to try.

Much as I didn’t want to.

Much as I was scared to.

I took a deep breath. If I was going to spill the beans, I’d need to calm myself down, even if only a little. I let out the breath, counted to three, then repeated the age-old steps as I tried to focus on a scene I’d only dreamed of.

The sound of wet boots slurping and squelching as they moved through mud alerted me to the return of Hamin. Looking up from the rabbit I had on the fire, I saw him walk over and slowly sit down across the fire from me.

“...Are you ok-” I began.

“No, but…” he let out a deep, heated breath after interrupting me. “...I just need to get some things off my chest.”

I frowned, facing him fully and moving some hair from my face. “Okay…?”

Leaning forward, Hamin wrung his hands together, his eyes locked onto the fire. "First, I need to explain...and apologize, for earlier. It's been...a tough few days for me too. Like you, I lost my home, my family, and everything I knew and cared about." His eyes grew distant as he stared into the fire. A pause filled the air, punctuated only by the patter of rain and the booming of thunder. A false smile started to crack on his face.

I hadn't thought of his feelings before. I didn't even want to, at first, admittedly. I hadn't even bothered to ask him how he was doing. Sure, I was mad at him. It felt like he deserved it to a degree, but now... All I can see is the lost child in him.

"I always craved adventure. Purpose... Meaning." He leaned back and looked to the sky, those cloudy, distant eyes blinking against the stray droplets, despite the glasses over them. "I never saw my life on Earth as meaningful, really. I had no way of changing things, for myself or anyone... I wanted that ability." A quiet chuckle tinged with regret escaped his pursed lips. "I got my wish. However, I wasn't prepared for what that really meant, or cost."

He raised his hands up, looking over the scarred digits like they weren’t his. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to go home again, or if it will be the same as I left it." His hypothetical question brought his gaze back to the emerald flame, his eyes glistening as the smile spread wider. It was like he was almost trying to keep the smile up in order to not scare me, to not worry me, even despite what he was saying. "So much of my life is just...missing. Gone! I don't even remember my own fucking age! ‘Beyond 21 years’ is all that it extends to!" His hands shook as his smile started to crack more and more. He began to chuckle lowly.

"Even my damn name is lost to the void!" A hollow bark escaped him, as his voice slowly broke with emotion. "Hamin is just what I gave myself! I had a name I wanted to pass on, but I can't because I don't even fucking remember it!" The frantic chuckles picked up in earnest, as tears began flowing down his cheeks. Broken laughter ensued. No words were said, but I could tell he wanted to say more.

I knew what was wrong then. He was a broken man. He had been keeping up this elaborate façade this whole time, maybe even longer, just to keep himself sane. Even after being Displaced, he was desperately trying to cling to this false identity. Even after who knows what else he has experienced that shattered him further.

I turned to Ventus, who could only shake her optic at me. Neither of us knew how to help a man brushing the edge of a psychotic breakdown. Thankfully, he slowly pieced himself together enough to finish his original thoughts.

"S-Sorry..." carefully wiping tears away, he swallowed hard to clear his tight throat. "A-Anyways, I just wanted to let you know that I’m sorry if I seemed insincere in my actions. I am sincere, it’s just… I’ve had trouble trusting others for a while now, so that might be what was missing.”

Me and Ventus shared a look again, and she slowly motioned herself towards him. I sighed deeply, sinking a bit into myself.

“I guess I should share as well, since I got you so worked up in an effort to get you to do so,” I frowned, trying - despite not really wanting to - to think of points in time where I was at my lowest. Eventually, I recalled one that I felt comfortable sharing. “There was a time where I was...a bit too hotheaded. Back when I first joined the Marines. We had been shipped to Afghanistan, and one of my buddies from bootcamp was put in the squad with me.” I leaned back, thinking back to that much simpler time.

“Most of our missions in Afghanistan went simple, but one thing stayed the same; I jumped headfirst into enemy lines, and defied my superior, my best friend, everytime,” I sighed, looking up at the stormy skies that I now called home. Skies so different from that sunbaked land. “Countless ambushes, incursions, and more...and throughout all of them we came out on top. I always thought it was because I broke the enemy flawlessly each time.” I closed my eyes as I began to remember the final mission I shared with her. With Artoria, and Albert.

“...I was proven wrong when we were sent to take down a fort. Our chinook was damaged while we were in-route, the hydraulic line shot, so we were forced to land. One of us, my other friend, Albert, fell out of the open ramp after losing grip. We decided as a team to go back and at least retrieve his body, so that his family could mourn properly.” I turned the rabbit over on the spit. “We barely managed to land safely in the hotspot. When we did, we came under heavy fire from all sides. I tried to call air support, but got no response. We were likely being jammed,” I tossed a stick into the fire.

“I broke off, to break enemy lines and take out a bunker for us to at least get some reprieve, but that left our flank, and my whole team, unprotected. It only emboldened them to surround our unprotected flank, and because of that, we were overwhelmed and forced to retreat…” I clenched my fist. “...Artoria was shot twice in the chest, and she collapsed. I…” I swallowed thickly as I recalled her face. “...We all thought she’d died, so… after one of our other guys suffered a blow to the arm after getting knocked off his feet by an RPG when firing a belt-fed, we retreated, and were forced to leave her body behind.” Ventus came up next to me, and I waved her off with an, ‘I’m fine.’

“Then, right as we had gotten to a good place for an emergency extraction, off the hill, Artoria’s radio lit up again. She updated us that she was facing over two dozen insurgents. We...we tried to talk to her, to get her stand down, or retreat, or something, she...she didn’t respond,” I took a heavy, shaky breath. “We managed to get an AC-130 in to lay down heavy suppressing fire, and...after we got back to base, we saw footage from a drone of her last stand…” I grit my teeth. “She was braver than I could’ve been. My bravery...was that of a fool’s. I was so sure that because of my lineage and my extended training, that nothing and no one could beat me. I was so wrong.” I looked to the rabbit, watching it’s flesh burn in the emerald blaze.

’Something I’m starting to understand much more now. If I can’t win a fight against someone as obviously inept as Hamin here without my Light, then what good am I?’

“That’s...wow. I’m…” He started, interrupting my thoughts.

I looked up to him with a small, sad smile. “Surprised?”

“Yeah, in more ways than one,” he replied, frowning as he looked into the flames.

“Why’s that?” I asked, quirking a brow.

“Because...I don’t even remember that part of your past. Like, I don’t recall EVER writing that,” he replied, looking back up at me.

I blinked. “Huh. Forgot that you wrote my story for once.” I giggled. “Well, guess that just means you aren’t a know-it-all like I thought you’d be.” I smirked as I saw him gain a hot blush.

“That’s, uh… I...don’t know how to take that,” he said, rubbing the back of his head.

I shrugged. “Take it however you want.” I looked to the rabbit, smiled, and took it off the spit. “Food’s done.” Dividing the portion in half, I gave one to him. “Bon appétit.”

He took it, still blushing. “Uh, thanks.”

I giggled. He’s cuter than I thought.

"Still, though..." He began as he took the rabbit, staring at it in his hands. He looked up to me. "You shouldn't put yourself down like that."

I blinked, looking up from my own cut of rabbit. "What do you mean?"

He pointed his rabbit at me. "Sure, you might've been hotheaded, sure you might still be even now," I frowned, but he continued. "But you should focus instead on how you can improve, not on just the mistake itself."

I blinked a few more times, looking down at the ground. "I...hadn't thought of it like that before."

He shrugged, and I heard him take a bite of the hare as he spoke. He was surprisingly coherent even with a piece still in his mouth. "If it helps, when I was writing your story, you were always a role model of sorts to me. A model of what victory was like."

I couldn't help the heat that rushed to my cheeks at that. "Th-Thanks."

He simply nodded. "Anytime."

As we ate in relative silence, I realized something. Maybe this guy...wasn't as bad as I first thought.

29.04 - Week Of The Intimate: Day 4

Author's Note

Edited and proofread by Illua. Give her some love!

Hey hey hey, folks! Been a hot minute, huh? Sorry the wait's have been so long, but worry not, the chapters are finally arriving! Come sometime next week I'll even be cranking out a chapter for Shadow of Rage, so keep your peepers peeled, a'ight?

Hope you all enjoy this chapter, and thanks in advance for taking time to read it! I wish you all a good day and a peaceful night!

Ciao!

-Timeless

29.04 - Week Of The Intimate: Day 4

A Queen of Marble, standing tall and proud.

A King of Plaster, cracked and dried.

Rain poured, hard and loud.

The King crumbled, but he'd already died.

The Queen stood tall, but her marble lied.

The Rain poured, hard and loud.

I blearily opened my eyes at the feeling of arms wrapped firmly around me. Looking over myself, I noted that Hamin was apparently a snuggler, as he was curled up against me, arms wrapped around my waist. With a bit of a blush, I looked up just in time for a flash to briefly blind me, and growled as I spied Ventus hovering above us cheekily.

“That’s definitely going in the archive~” she purred.

I growled as I wrenched myself from the man, sitting up and swatting her.

“Worth it!” she cried as she was hit.

Huffing, I got out of the bedroll and started to pull on my regular clothes. As I did, I thought back to how he’d reacted when we’d had to go to bed earlier. He’d blushed, stuttered, and been adorable overall...and absolutely refused to strip down himself. As such, he was still sleeping in his tunic and pants.

I knew it was because he didn't bring any clothes with him - he'd said as much - but it was still a weird move. Granted, I didn't really strip down myself, and had instead changed into a set of pajamas, but still. I sighed as I looked down at him while pulling my own pants up.

“You’re gonna have to wash those clothes, idiot…” I told his sleeping form. Naturally, he didn’t hear me, and simply flopped onto my bedroll, curling up even more. I sighed. “Weirdo.”

Ventus floated over. “But a cute one.”

I snorted, but didn’t deny it. I got dressed mostly in silence after that, Ventus not bothering to retort to my choice of keeping quiet, thankfully. After pulling my clothes on along with my armor, I glanced back at Hamin’s still sleeping form.

“...” I couldn’t help the small smile I gained as I looked upon his face. A lot of people looked peaceful when asleep, but him? He looked like he’d gone to Elysium. Considering how close he was to a psychotic breakdown yesterday, it was really surprising.

The fact that he kept up such a facade of happiness despite all that… I won’t deny I admired it a little bit. That kind of strength was rare.

Removing my gaze from him, I walked out of the tent. I could feel the beginnings of my Darksign eating away at my soul itself, now that my Light was almost completely used up. Looking at my HUD’s radar, I searched for the first bit of wildlife I could find.

I could continue my day with him later. Right now, my Undead nature called to me.

I groaned as I woke up to the smell of fresh, unknown meat cooking. Blearily opening my eyes, I looked towards the flap of the tent where the glow of the fire was coming from. Groaning again, I slowly pulled myself up and grabbed my glasses from the side where I’d left them. Putting them on, I got up, yawned and stretched, then walked out of the tent.

“Bonjour,” Lucette greeted, hefting a leg of some kind of animal in one hand and biting into it.

I nodded to her. “Good morning to you too.” I looked to the cut up meat that was to the side, already cooked and neatly placed on a makeshift rack. “I take it you didn’t want to waste the new meat you got?” I asked as I looked her way.

She nodded. “Correct.”

An awkward lull filled the air between us, so I decided to join her by the main fire. She didn’t say anything as she continued to eat, so I simply stared into the sea-green flames for a while longer.

“...Sorry I kept you up all of yesterday. I know you really needed to get some souls, it just...slipped my mind, ya know?” I eventually began.

Lucette shrugged. “I would’ve been fine, but I appreciate the sentiment.” Another pause. “...Hey, um…”

“Hm?” I hummed curiously, turning my head back to her.

“...” I noticed a subtle blush on her cheeks, and I couldn’t deny how adorable it was as she squirmed a bit. “...Thanks for following through.”

I blinked, tilting my head at her. Oddly, her blush grew. “Following through on what?” Her blush intensified yet again as she looked away.

“For helping me, and improving things, and, um...for caring for me, even after all I did,” she replied.

I blinked a few more times, then gained a smile as I looked back to the fire. “You’re welcome.” I chuckled. “Gotta say though, you’re pretty damn cute when you’re admitting these kinds of things.”

“Wh-! Sh-Shut up, asshole!” she squeaked, punching me in the arm.

I laughed at this, rubbing my arm. “And that just makes you more cute!”

Ventus giggled as she appeared between us. “He’s got a point, L. Even I can’t deny how cute you are.”

“I am not cute! I’m hot and sexy!” Lucette huffed as she crossed her arms and looked away from us. I shared a knowing look with Ventus, before we both laughed. “S-Stop laughing! This isn’t funny! I was trying to be serious!”

After a bit more laughing, we both calmed down as I smiled at Lucette. “Sorry, sorry. Teasing is one of my habits, too.”

The Awoken woman simply grumbled to herself, garnering another chuckle from me. Eventually, though, she sighed and shook her head.

“Well, whatever. I guess I deserve it after teasing you so much last night about not strippin’ down,” she conceded.

I shrugged. “Perhaps.” I looked up into the dark, stormy skies. “...I still find it amazing you can tell the time around here. Or that any of the inhabitants of this Isle can.”

Ventus shot me a look. “Didn’t you write about that?”

I rolled my eyes, but shook my head nonetheless. “If I ever explained why the inhabitants still can, I don’t recall. I can guess the reason you two can; you’ve got HUD and stuff, but the only explanation I can think of based on pure guesswork is that Skili are just...attuned, to it all after all these years.”

Lucette nodded. “That’s about right, yeah.” She smirked. “For someone who claims to not remember, you seem to have figured it out just fine.”

I shrugged. “Lucky guess. That, or my intuition.” I looked back down to Lucette. “So, since you don’t seem keen on packing up and heading back yet, and I don’t particularly either, what say we chat about the ideas I had when I was translating those tomes, along with what I found in ‘em?”

Lucette turned herself to face me fully, gesturing for me to go on. “I’m all ears.”

I nodded, smiling. “Well, from what I could translate, there were at least four Miracles. Might be more still, but that’s what I managed to get through in one night.”

Lucette blinked. “Really? Only four?”

“Seems kinda shocking considering the twenty or so pages that were on your desk,” Ventus added in.

“Well, if you recall, Miracles are performed not only with Faith, but by memorizing tales of the gods. Most of those twenty pages were those tales, in their entirety. Reading just one of them was like reading a poem from Homer’s Odyssey all over again,” I replied, laying back on my hands.

Lucette nodded slowly, brow furrowing. “Yeah, think I recall something like that.” She licked her lips a bit. “So...what do these four Miracles do, then?”

“Right, well,” I took off my glasses, rubbing the rain drops off of the lenses carefully as I spoke. “The first one I told you about in your study/lab; Golden Sleeping. That one essentially is a total cure-all. It heals your body and your mind but, the takeaway is that it takes a lot of time and puts you under a healing coma, essentially, even if the injury is only physical. If the injury is mental and physical, or if there’s significant trauma, it can take years for the Miracle to finish. So it’s basically a Miracle you should only use when your safety is already guaranteed.”

Lucette frowned, stroking her chin. “Huh...that could be useful, even with that kind of drawback…”

“It’d be especially useful if we could teach it to our troops. It’d make it so that we wouldn’t need to spend money and resources on medicines or doctors,” Ventus pointed out.

I nodded. “Exactly. Now, the second Miracle was called, uh…” I paused a moment, trying to recall the name, before snapping my fingers as I finally did so. “...right, Saint’s Bastion. That one basically lets you create a tower shield that you can wield for as long as you pour power into the Miracle. It can deflect any spell.”

Lucette whistled. “That could also be good, especially if you need a quick defense.”

I snapped a finger in her direction. “My thoughts exactly." I lowered my finger. "Third Miracle was Heaven’s Gaze.”

“Sounds pretty epic. What’s that one do?” Ventus queried, shell shifting.

“Gives the caster a birds eye view of their location. So it’s literally the ability to see things from the heavens,” I explained.

Lucette hummed. “That’d be pretty good for any scouting…”

“That’s what I thought too,” I said, nodding again.

“And what about the fourth Miracle?” Ventus asked, blinking her optic at me.

“Sun’s Wroth. It channels and condenses the energy from the sun itself and calls down a ray of sunlight on whoever or whatever you’re aiming at.”

“...Fuck. That’s just...insane,” Lucette cursed.

I chuckled. “It’s likely to help lessen any heat you get from the other nations about the whole Soul Arts thing, too,” I pointed out.

Ventus hummed. “That’s a good point. With the Sun being Celestia’s whole thing, it could score us some brownie points.”

Lucette snorted. “As if I’d want brownie points.” She waved it off. “Call it appeasement, ‘cause that’s what it actually would be.”

I chuckled again. “Gotta admire that confidence of yours.”

The Awoken smirked. “Well duh, I’m that amazing.”

I rolled my eyes, but a smile was still firmly on my face. “I won’t deny that.”

She giggled. “Glad you agree.”

There was a bit of a pause in our conversation after that. Yet, despite my personal fears that she found it awkward, to me it felt...comfortable. It was a very welcome feeling.

More than that, though, I felt...warm. Even with the rain pouring down on us, I felt...warm. The fire was heating me up, sure, but...this warmth felt different. It was like some warm blanket had wrapped around my heart.

I’d never felt anything like it before. Not since…

...since her.

I couldn’t help how I started to shake, so to hide it, I stood up, dusting myself off. “We should probably head back now. No doubt Tempest is in need of a rescue.”

Lucette grunted. “Yeah, probably.” She sighed, but got up nonetheless. We packed up camp in relative silence, which I was thankful for.

I wasn’t sure I could handle a conversation without my voice dying in my throat.

29.05 - Week of The Intimate: Day 5 (EDITED)

A Queen of Marble, standing tall and proud.

A King of Plaster, cracked and dried.

Rain poured, hard and loud.

The King crumbled, but he'd already died.

The Queen stood tall, but her marble lied.

The Rain poured, hard and loud.

One thought.

One thought had ruined my entire mood after the pleasant morning in the woods with Lucette. One thought that brought any responses to questioning short and sweet. One thought…

...that had scared me for years.

Should I enter a relationship?

After what happened with...her, that thought scared me on a level that I was still delving into. And now, knowing that the bridge to me and Lucette had been more or less fixed, or was at least in the process of being fixed, and knowing that if we continued on this path, we would be in a relationship?

That TERRIFIED me. The fact that I still wasn’t sure why, after all these years, terrified me even more.

I could guess, I could postulate, but I didn’t want to. Panic clouded my mind. Sure, on the outside, I was just silent and stone-faced, but inside… I couldn’t be any worse.

Sadly, I hadn’t eaten since yesterday, and the servants insisted I eat in the dining hall with Lucette. Thus, I was forced to endure an awkward breakfast with the Awoken. Yes, I liked Lucette, yes, things had been mostly mended but… I couldn’t shake my fears.

I was just glad her daughter was busy with lessons. I didn’t want a child of all people to see me at my worst; it was bad enough that her mother might see it.

Stabbing my fork into my plate of scrambled eggs and rice from Bloodriver, I brought the bite to my mouth and chomped down, trying to simply ignore...everything, I guess. Lucette, the numerous guards in the room, the servants waiting on us…

...sadly, Lucette had other ideas.

“Are you okay, Hamin?” She asked, sounding, for once, actually concerned.

I paused mid-chew. I wanted to tell her. To vent, to scream, to cry...but the worry, the doubt, the sheer fear kept me from it. So, I simply nodded, and went back to my meal.

She frowned. “You’ve been quiet since we got back yesterday. What happened?”

I shrugged, and with a good deal of shame, told a half-truth. “I’m bipolar. Mood swings are normal.”

’Stop it already, please.’ I mentally pleaded, trying to stifle the urge to cover my head.

’Don’t you want her to keep trying?’ Another voice in my head asked me.

’Yes!’

‘No!’ two voices, both mine and not, spoke simultaneously.

“So something is wrong?” She pressed.

I cursed, looking away and putting my fork down as the war in my head continued.

There was a tense silence between us for a moment, filled only with the countless voices within me screaming and arguing, before Lucette spoke again. “Guards.” All the Guards present in the room saluted, creating a cacophonous sound of shifting armor. I was barely paying attention to the sound, though, a far louder cacophony echoing in my soul. “Leave us.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” they all echoed, before marching out of the hall one by one.

When they were gone, Lucette resumed her questioning. “Hamin, I...realize I haven’t been the most hospitable to you since you came here, and that you may not want to talk to me, but-”

“Don’t,” I said suddenly. I clutched my arms. “...Don’t give me hope.”

Another pause. “...Hope for what?”

I felt my skin break out in goosebumps, and closed my eyes as I almost whispered my answer. “...Don’t give me hope of being loved.”

’No more no more no more no more, stop it stop it stop it!’ Images came to the forefront of my mind. Long black hair. Ruby red eyes, pale skin- STOP IT!!

Lucette’s voice barely brought me back to reality. “...We aren’t exactly at the point where I’d say I love you, Hamin, but still-”

“Then just...stop.” I swallowed thickly, instantly realizing the unintentionally but not wholly unwelcome dual meaning that phrase could take. "Better yet, don’t just stop, just...just send me back,” I said finally, after a short pause, nails biting into my arms. I started to shake with emotion I didn’t want. The very emotions that were boiling inside me all this time, barely held back.

I heard her get up slowly from her chair and walk over to me. “Hamin, please, just tell me what’s wro-”

“J-Just stay away!” I cried, scrambling out of my seat and away from her approach.

I saw the worry in her eyes. The concern. It scared me, and I hated it. Too much. I knew the servants were watching, too. My eyes shifted between them all as my breathing picked up. Too much. It was all too much.

“...You had someone before, didn’t you?” She said eventually, gaze softening. I froze, my breath leaving me for a moment.

’How does she know?’

’Isn’t it obvious?’

’It shouldn’t be! These problems are my own, they’re not supposed to be broadcasted!’

“She hurt you, didn’t she?”

I forced myself to look away. To not look into those entrancing golden eyes of hers. To not be tempted by her, or her beauty, or her intelligence, like SHE once did. I felt tears start to form, clutched my head to try and keep the voices out, the images, the pain, the heartache, all of it.

I heard her step closer.

“I said stay AWAY!!!” I Shouted.

My ears were ringing and wet, and my vision was spotty at best. I could barely make out any voices, much less my own as I just managed to ascertain the shape of Ventus floating over me.

After a moment, a blue light surrounded me, and my vision returned along with my hearing, though I still had one hell of a headache. Groaning, I sat up slowly.

“Did he just...Shout?” I breathed, rubbing my ear and staring at the door where Hamin had left.

Not long after his outburst, the guards rushed in, weapons drawn.

“Your Highness! Are you all right? What happened? Where is-” one of the guards started to rattle off questions, but I raised a hand to him. I did not need an even bigger headache from the guards trying to interpose themselves in this whole debacle.

“Save your questions, guardsman,” I said as I stood up and brushed myself off. “This is a personal matter, do not worry yourself over it.” I looked to where Hamin had left. “Return to your posts. I must see to something.”

“But Your Highness-”

I turned a harsh look to the guard. “Guardsman. Do not make me repeat myself.” ’Especially when I’m still grasping the situation myself.’

“...Yes, Your Highness,” the Guard relented.

“Good.” With that, I made my way after Hamin, walking out of the dining hall.

Ventus’ voice sounded in my comms. ”You wanna at least explain to me what the fuck that was?”

I frowned. “Something I wasn’t expecting. I suppose I should have though, considering Displaced and their natures.”

”That explained literally nothing, L.”

I sighed. “Look, I’ll explain when we get to Hamin, okay? Hell, he might be able to explain it better.”

”Fine, fine. But don’t keep me in the dark much longer. You made a promise.”

I only nodded, but made no other reply. I knew she understood well enough.

Considering the expanse of the castle’s halls, it took a while to reach Hamin’s room. And in that time I reflected, mulling over what had happened. Somehow, this fear, if not trauma, had been triggered yesterday. And based on his lack of reactions yesterday and his sudden outburst today, that fear had been building steadily.

The question was, was he afraid of relationships, or attachments in general? His words suggested it was relationships, but if so, why did it only start now and not far earlier? He should have known right away after the explanation earlier in the week that the end result of this was either that we would be married or that he would leave. Did he just focus on helping me and plan on jumping ship after?

I groaned and rubbed the side of my head. I just couldn’t figure it out. I could understand having fears about relationships, and I knew it first hand, but at the same time, it was never to the degree of outright trauma like he had shown.

Too many questions, not enough answers.

My biggest worry, though, was how to overcome this. I would admit I wasn’t interested interested in him, but I did feel he deserved a chance for all the help he’d given, or at the very least he deserved to be repaid for his kindness and patience with me.

But how the fuck was I supposed to help a guy who held back a psychotic break every waking minute?

I could feel a headache coming on from the thought. “Guess I’ll have to play by ear…” I muttered.

I eventually reached Hamin’s room, and when I did I saw that Hamin had dismissed his Guard. Sighing deeply, I knocked on the door.

No response. I decided a minor blitzkrieg on his privacy wouldn’t be too bad of a risk. I could always apologize later, and right now he obviously needed some kind of comfort. Opening the door, I found the man at his desk, head in his hands.

I approached warily. “Hamin…?”

“Go away. Please. Please please please please please go away. Take the pain away-” He continued muttering like a broken record, and I stood and watched with sad eyes.

Was this what he had been reduced to? Just at the thought of a relationship? I felt my anger begin to build for whatever bitch could do this to him. I may not love the guy, but he didn’t deserve this kind of pain. Not when he'd tried to help me despite everything.

Slowly, I walked around to the side of his chair.

“Hamin?” I asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He flinched, then smacked my hand away. “Don’t touch me!”

I frowned, then took a breath...and punched him in the jaw, sending him sprawling. He cried in pain, looking up in shock at me.

“That wake you up?” I asked, giving him a worried frown.

He placed a hand where I’d hit him, still staring at me. I saw tears build in his eyes just before he forced himself to look away.

“It’s not fair…” He sniffled.

“What isn’t?”

“Why...why do I have to be such an aberrant case? Why do I have to feel this...this pain? Why can’t I be normal? Why can’t I be happy? Why…” He clenched his fists tightly.

I knelt down to him. “Hamin… Why are you so scared?”

He took several deep breaths. None of them seemed to be working as tears flowed freely from his face. “I can’t lose anyone else, can’t can’t can’t can’t can’t, don’t wanna be alone-”

I grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him into a tight hug. “Easy, easy… You’re not alone. Easy. Take it slow.”

He didn’t take it slow at all. The moment I hugged him he broke entirely. Sobbing and wailing and crying out every feeling, every fear that had surfaced. He buried himself into me, his tears staining my regalia.

I tried to be as reassuring as I could, squashing down any concerns he brought up. Eventually, he pulled away, sniffling and looking away, as if in shame.

“S-S-Sorry, I know this is….awkward, a-a-and pathetic-” I grabbed him by the shoulders, giving him a firm look.

“Even if it was, I wouldn’t fault you for it,” I told him gently. “No one would.” I didn't know what he might've done in the past, admittedly, but I could question him on that later.

He still didn’t look at me. “E-Everyone says that at first-”

“Hamin,” I began, “I may not know you well, but one thing I know for certain is that at the very least you are empathetic to a fault. Despite every threat I made, despite every punch I threw, every insult, you continued to try and help me.” I gained a small smile. “Even though you were conflicted from...whatever happened to you.”

He didn’t respond and kept averting his gaze, only sniffling a few times, but the light blush on his cheeks told me he was at least touched and a bit embarrassed.

However, soon enough, he looked back at me, wiping a few final tears. “Th-Thanks.” He took a shaky breath, then seemed to try and steel himself. “I...I guess I should tell you why I...reacted, like I have.”

I shook my head slowly. “Not right away. This obviously is a pretty big bit of trauma for you-”

He stopped me there, eyes suddenly full of steel. “No. No...it needs to be said. I almost hurt you again because of it.” I blinked, but I remained silent at this, watching him as he slowly took a few breaths. After he was done, he began. “I...I’ve had a history of trust issues. It started at first with my family, and their lack of integrity, to put it lightly. Then, there was the first real fracture...the day I lost a girl I considered a sister, even if not by blood. She had trust issues herself, and...I’d been lying to her fairly majorly for most of our relationship. Namely, that I had a physical girlfriend living with me. I’d act like her in some conversations online, even.”

I frowned. “She found out, I take it?”

He shook his head. “I told her myself, when the guilt got to be too much. Because she’d put so much trust in me, just telling the truth on that one lie broke the camel’s back, and she cut herself off from me.”

“And this girlfriend?” Ventus asked after materializing near my head.

He bit his lip, gaze dropping to the floor. “...She was real. Sort of. A spirit, I guess you could call her. One that had no chance of materializing, and thus...had no chance of doing anything but giving me visions or talking in my head.” He clenched his fists. “...She promised to try and materialize so many times...and every time she never did. So…” He started to shake. “...So I broke it off.”

I stared at him for a short while, surprised that anyone could even fall for a spirit, or that his Earth actually had such things. But at this rate, I didn’t question it. The multiverse was very, very strange, after all. At the same time… I couldn’t even imagine what it was like to be led on like that, even if it was by a spirit.

I clenched my fists.

...No. That was a lie. I knew the feeling all too well. Still, this did not explain why he called it a lie.

"Why do you call it a lie, then?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped short. Looked down at his knees, his hands. "...I...don't know." His hands shook more. He didn't sound like he was lying. He sounded genuinely confused. Conflicted.

Reaching out, I took his hand in mine. He looked to me in surprise as I gave him a smile. “You’re not alone in that. I…” I took a steadying breath. “...I’ve had some similar situations myself, being led on by dickish assholes. So I know the pain, even if only in part.” I squeezed his hand. “So if you don’t want to talk about her anymore, then tell me, and we’ll stop.”

He stared at me for a time, and finally gained a smile. “...Thanks.”

“That said,” Ventus began. “If you two continue getting closer and go through with this whole thing, you’ll both have to get past your traumas.”

We both looked away from each other at that. I wouldn't call it a trauma, V. Just...a problem.

“...Well,” I began slowly, licking my dry lips. “I’m...not sure how all this will really go, yet, but…” I looked back to him. “I’m willing to give it a shot.”

He rubbed his arm, blushing a little. I smiled. It was kinda cute.

“If you are, then… I wouldn’t be opposed to it.”

Ventus bobbed in lieu of a nod. “Good, good. But if you’re going after my Guardian, you’re effectively going for me too, got it, dude?”

We both gave her wide eyed stares.

“What? Just because I’m a Ghost doesn’t mean I’m not interested in romance and stuff,” Ventus said with a huff. “Also, uh, you two gonna keep holding hands, or…?”

I blushed hotly, releasing his hand immediately and standing up. Ventus laughed and I looked away firmly, trying to hide my burning cheeks.

This wasn’t going to be easy, was it?

Author's Note

Edited and proofread by the lovely Illua! Give her some love!

NOTE/DISCLAIMER: As many of you know, Hamin is a sort of self-insert. However, this portion is one of the points where I changed things up, made him different from me. Take it as you will.

NOTE: Sorry for any scare a bit ago, I hit Save on the chapter before finishing the edit, eheh... ^^:

29.06 - Week of The Intimate: Day 6

Author's Note

Proofread by Show Stopper and Lotus Moon, go check them out, yeah?

So. First update on this story in 2 years.

Let's just get to the good news. There's another chapter after this that's been in the works arguably as long as this one - can't say I feel 100% confident in either still to be honest, but I hope you all enjoy this one and the next when I finally finish it.

I'll try and get it out quicker than I did this one.

Other stories are still being worked on, but currently this and Pale Eagle are my priority. Aside from that, I'm afraid I don't have any more news.

Hope you all enjoy.

29.06 - Week of The Intimate: Day 6

A Queen of Marble, standing tall and proud.

A King of Plaster, cracked and dried.

Rain poured, hard and loud.

The King crumbled, but he'd already died.

The Queen stood tall, but her marble lied.

The Rain poured, hard and loud.

My brows remained furrowed as I signed another financial document. Whilst the finances and other paperwork were a cause to stay focused, my mind kept wandering to yesterday’s conversation with Hamin.

There was a lot to unpack, based not only on what he said, but the implications. When he had fully broken down in my arms, he’d said a lot of things. Things that, honestly, made me worry for him, and especially for how he would even fare when he got back to his world.

And on that topic, now that I thought about it, his clothes and body were torn to absolute shit when I first saw him. I’d kinda not noticed at first, though I don’t know how. The glass shards in his clothes, the small scars on his face and more, the strange tears at the knees of his pants…

...just what had he gone through back in his world?

Then, of course, there was what he’d said when he was in my arms.

‘Not wanting to be alone, not wanting to lose anyone else, fear of never being good enough, fear of unintentionally hurting someone, obvious self-hate…’ I let out a sigh and leaned back in my chair for a moment.

“I’m not a doctor like Dad or Lam were, but,” I looked up to my ceiling. “That all sounds like abandonment issues, and possibly worse…” I looked out of my window. “...just how much pain has that guy gone through? And for how long? He said he was at least over 21, but…” I sighed, shook my head, and looked back to my paperwork. “Wish I could at least go and talk to him about it, try and repay his kindness.” I looked to the four stacks of said paperwork on either side of my desk. “I’m gonna be here a while, though.”

I couldn’t get my mind off what had happened. It was practically impossible. The very strange confusion really didn’t help. Why was it strange? Because despite my mind having been running as fast as the Roadrunner from Looney Tunes, I wasn’t openly panicking again or even really feeling like doing so. I just felt an...odd sense of calm. Like a literal calm in a storm.

And that’s where the confusion came in. It didn’t make sense to me that I wasn’t panicking again.

But...every time I thought back to how Lucette held me, listened to me, and comforted me, to how what she did just...soothed me so much, the calm just came back.

Hell, I’d even been smiling this whole time.

I hadn’t felt this way in...I wasn’t even sure. But it felt like a long time. And I knew it was a rare feeling. But whilst the confusion irritated me, I just...genuinely felt happy at the same time. Or maybe it was more excitement?

I shook my head as I stared out my chamber window. It was always hard to differentiate when I was in this state of mind. A frown briefly crossed my lips. Always hard to differentiate emotions in general, honestly, when these subjects come up. I shook my head. It might honestly be both happiness and excitement, for all I knew, regardless.

The weird thing about it was that I could swear there had been five times in my whole life I’d felt like this, felt this calm kind of happiness and excitement, not counting now. And yet, while I could remember the other two times, the third, fourth, and fifth just...felt hazy. I knew I’d felt the same feelings, on top of one of the two times in my whole life I actually truly believed I felt romantic feelings for another, but… I couldn’t remember who the third person was who had caused those feelings, nor the fourth or fifth, or even really the situation. It was disorienting to say the least, and certainly didn’t help with my confusion. All I remembered were names.

Yet despite all this, despite all my questions, I still felt happy somehow. I even felt like trying to explore the castle a bit, maybe see if I could help out somewhere, to at least try and pay Lucette back for the kindness she and Ventus showed yesterday.

Slowly, I got up from my seat at the windowsill, and moved to the exit of my room in the castle.

And for once, I was more certain than ever that I wasn’t even wearing a mask.

“Mmmm…” I scratched the top of my head, now sporting a bit of actual hair after the burn healed fully. Not even just fur, either. I had a full head of hair now, which Mommy said was because of the stuff they used to help my fur grow back and my scar heal up. It wasn’t white, but dark brown, though, which made me a bit sad. Still not sure what it was Mommy and Venty used, though. I only remember a bright blue light, and that was it.

Right now though I was wondering how to make one of those carrier ships Mommy had been talking about. I’d drawn up a design for one, but then I couldn’t figure out how the ‘carrieri’ part Mommy mentioned would even work.

Carriers were ships that had a lot of little ‘flight craft’ that it could hold and that one or two people could fly, and Mommy had been testing some ‘hang gliders’ for messengers and stuff, so I was trying to figure out how to make an actual carrier that could use all those.

I wasn’t sure what to do about the ‘hang gliders’ though when Venty explained them to me. We had some types that worked, but they didn’t go very far for very long without some wind to help them. The storms around here were all that helped. Then there was the fact that they didn’t have any weapons.

If the carrier couldn’t rely on it’s main mode of protection and attack, then it wasn’t a carrier. So I needed to figure out the details.

But when I looked down at the second design I drew for the hang glider, I didn’t know what to add for a weapon or a reliable way for it to fly farther and longer. Weapons weren’t really my, well, thing. That was Mommy’s thing. I liked fighting and I knew how to use some stuff, but, well… I didn’t really know all the fancy science and stuff behind ‘em.

From what Mommy told me, I was just a ‘naturel’.

I let a smile play on my muzzle at that thought and giggled. “I guess I was the one who came up with those new guns on Mommy’s capital ship. And most of the ship too, hehe…” I looked back to the design. “Still though…what kind of engine or weapon would work for something this small and light?”

“Oh, hey,” said a new voice. I shot up, eyes wide as I looked to the entrance and saw…was that…

“You’re…that new guy who’s trying to get with Mommy!” I snarled. “Sneaking up on me isn’t-”

“Nice? Smart?” The man shrugged, smiling. “Not really, no. Sorry.” He chuckled…nervously?

I blinked. He was throwing out all kinds of weird signals. I mean, Mommy was mad at him from what I heard from the servants, even if they were cozying up recently…

He walked over, inspecting my designs. “Jeezum, just as good as I thought.”

I felt my fur stand on end and swiped the papers from his sight. “What would you know?” I hissed.

He raised his hands in placation. “Sorry, didn’t mean any offense. They are good designs, honest.”

“Hmph. How would you know?” I turned away from him.

“I don’t, you’re right.” He paused briefly. “I’m not an expert on blueprinting and shipwrighting. But to me, they look amazing.”

I frowned, peeking at him. “...Why are you here?”

“Was wandering around to be honest.” He admitted, scratching his head. “Trying to find something to do or help out with.”

I snorted. “And what could you help out with?”

“Not much, but I want to at least try.” I blinked, turning my head to look at him.

“...You’re being serious.”

“Yeah.” He nodded, simply and…honestly. Just like my teachers were talking about.

“...fine.” Turning around fully, I walked up and offered the blueprint to him, trying to ignore the flush in my cheeks.

“Thanks,” was his reply, before he gently pushed it back towards me. “But like I said, I don’t know anything about actual design work. I’m more of a big picture guy.” He slowly sat down on the hard floor, gesturing to me. “Why don’t you tell me about it? I wanna know what you think.”

I blinked slowly and frowned a bit. This was not what I was expecting. I thought he would have given up, or tried to tell me what to do or what would be best, but…he didn’t. It was…different from Mommy that way. But in a good way.

Before I knew what I was doing, I was sitting down in front of him, telling him all about my design and my worries and problems with it.

“...so the frame is the heaviest part of the craft to allow them to withstand hits from common to rare grade magical weapons and similarly leveled magical attacks?”

I nodded. “Yeah! That’s why they’re made out of Stormwill!”

“Which can also be used for passive recharging of the engines if you can get the kinetic or magical energy transferred into electrical to then transfer it to the engines or engine,” he mused, looking at my design in a new light with his hand cupping his chin.

I gave a more enthusiastic nod. “Yeah!”

He stroked his chin a bit. “That’s pretty fuc-” stopping short, he continued, “pretty ingenious, Suki. Nice job.”

I beamed up at him. “Thanks, Mr. Hamin!” Looking back to the design, I felt myself pout. “But with how heavy Stormwill is, it’d take a lot to get them off the ground…”

He nodded. “Right. It’s at least heavier than iron is, and iron is heavy enough when made into something of that size.”

I nodded. “Exactly. I dunno what to do about it…” I could feel my ears droop at how I’d come so far only to fail again.

Mr. Hamin hummed. “And the other issue you’re having is the weapons, with the last issue being the engine itself, right?”

I gave another nod, tucking my tail in a bit.

“Hmm…well, in terms of weapons I’m not too sure, but in terms of engines I have an idea.” Looking up at him, I saw him smiling kindly, but reassuringly too. “To be more accurate though, you have an idea.” He pointed to the little scrawlings I made on the bit of the unfinished design for the engine. “An electric engine.”

I blinked, tilting my head. “But…how would that even work?”

“Let’s see, shall we?” Pulling a book from a holster at his hip - which was kinda nerdy - he flipped through it. “First though, Stormwill is actually a naturally forming supercapacitor, right?”

Blinking again, I nodded. “When it’s unrefined, yeah. Stays that way if you refine it right.” Or at least that’s what Mommy told me. It still kinda went over my head a bit.

“And you guys found a way to do so, right?” He flipped through more pages, brow furrowing.

I gave another nod. “Yeah. Mommy and Ventus rediscovered the old methods for it.”

“Do you know how?” He asked, stopping on one page and looking back to me.

I shook my head. “Venty tried to explain it but I didn’t really get it.”

He chewed his lip. “Mm. We’ll have to get specifics from them probably then, but,” he turned the book so it faced me, my eyes almost popping out at the schematics it had on the page.

“Woah…” I looked up at him. “I thought you said you didn’t know anything about this stuff!”

“I don’t. I didn’t write this book. It’s kind of just…magical, for lack of a better word. Fills itself in,” he replied.

“Cooool~” I breathed, tail swishing behind me. “Can I see?”

Squealing as he handed it to me, I drunk in the sight of the schematics. “Eeeheehee! Wait… Hm, it’s all in English?” I looked back to Mr. Hamin. “You really are from Mommy’s country then!”

“Did she introduce that here? Is that why there’s so many signs and posters with English and Skilin?”

I nodded, going back to scanning the design of the engines on the book. “Mhm! We’re, uh, multi-linguist now!”

“Huh. When did that happen?”

“It’s kinda been happening. Still is, I think. I don’t get to leave the castle too much, but we have some books that are still just all Skilin.” Shrugging, I flipped to the next page.

“Huh. Neat.”

The next page was a headache, though. “...Mmm? Mmm…” I looked up. “Mr. Hamin, what’s gasoline?”

Hamin rubbed the back of his neck. “Ehh…hm. You know coal?”

I rolled my eyes. “Duh. We use it for airship engines when we run out of magic stuff to do it.”

He nodded. “Right. Well, gasoline is made from oil, but specifically petroleum, which is like, uhhh...think of petroleum as like or similar to coal but liquid, and more viscous. Gasoline is made by refining that,” he explained.

“...huh.” I looked back to the book. “So…we just need to make watery coal, then?”

“Not exactly,” I looked back to find him waving a hand around. “Petroleum is like coal in that it’s formed from, well, dead things. Fossils and such.” Smiling, he continued. “But you’re going for an electric engine, right?”

I looked to my design, and back to the book. “Mmm… Yeah, but if this is what a regular jet engine looks like, I’m gonna need to redo my designs…”

He stood up. “How’s about I grab you the needed materials, then?”

“That…” I looked to my papers, measuring tools, and drawing tools. Most of the paper was gone, used up and thrown in a pile of old wadded up mistakes. The sketching stuff was kinda in need of replacing or sharpening too. “...that’d be a good idea.” I beamed up at him. “Thanks!”

“No problem.” He replied, beaming back.

I watched him go for a bit, thinking about how Mommy and him might get along. She was really angry at him before, but the maids were saying they seemed to be doing better recently. Still, though…was he good enough for her? He was really nice, but…

“Hey, wait!”

He stopped, turning back. “Hm?” Walking back over, he asked. “What’s up?”

“Do you like Mommy?” I asked, scanning his face for any mean or bad intentions.

But he just…stared. Went still and stiff, even a bit paler. Wait, was he…shaking?

“...I…think I do, yes.” Snapping out of it, I looked up to find him just…frowning, biting his lip or chewing his cheek, just constantly shifting expression. Was he that conflicted?

“You make it sound like you kinda don’t. Why?” Putting the book down, I turned to him fully, giving him a serious look I’d seen Mommy use a lot.

“...I don’t know.” His tone changed, but it sounded…panicked, and unsure. “She’s nice, pretty, smart, strong, sassy, firm when need be and motherly in other cases…but I don’t know.” He took a breath and shook his head. “I’m gonna go get those papers and stuff, a’ight? I need to think on this before I can give you a proper answer.”

I frowned, but nodded a bit. “Okay…but get back here soon or I’ll call a guard, got it?”

He chuckled and nodded, giving a mock salute. “You got it, kid.”

His chuckle didn’t sound right.

I don’t know.

It had hit me like I’d gotten slapped with an iron maiden and trapped inside.

I don’t know.

That was all that filled my head at this point as I walked down the halls, aimless as I was consumed by my own head. I could hear other voices yelling at me, trying to get through. I couldn’t make out what was said. My mind was filled with only a howling wind, and I sat in the eye of that hurricane.

Alone. Confused. Scared.

Traumatized.

And I remembered why even more now.

Lost friends. Lost brothers. Sisters. Uncles. Lost loves. Betrayal.

A hiss. A bite of the lip as the memories came back a second time.

Two who were like Lighthouses to me, helping me to find my path in the storm over and over. The ones who brought me here had coined that title for them; Lighthouse. I couldn’t refute it.

I just wished I realized that for most sailors, Lighthouses aren’t touched. They only guide to safe harbors.

And sometimes safe harbors can't be found after you find the first.

I could feel a tightness in both my temples easing off ever so slightly only to heat up when one of my ‘roommates’ spoke, rare as it was for them to do so.

“Still hate those bastards.” The voice wasn’t my own. It was warped. I didn’t disagree with the statement it made. They took them from me, after all. From everyone they cared for. "Those bastards playing for the throne of gods..."

I barely fought the urge that was given. Barely cared when I felt my nails dig into my skin, or my teeth gritting so hard that they creaked. I only stopped when I realized how the 'Lighthouses' would react if they saw me. I knew they wouldn’t want me to be angry, even if it was understandable.

The tension released in my hands, coming away as just more marks on my slowly scarring appendages. I looked only briefly at them in self-disappointment at how I couldn’t even follow-through with that. The tension hadn't left, though. Just transferred.

Shaking my head forcefully, I steadied my breathing away from the shallowness and desperation, and forced myself to remember the question. To think on it. To focus.

It took time. It always did.

It's why I was glad the hall was mostly empty right now.

When I’d collected my thoughts and my roommate had retreated, I was still confused.

I looked up at the ceiling, getting lost in the metallic mosaics, but more lost in my own head.

Lucette was beautiful. Sexy, alluring, strong, sassy, motherly, funny, smart… Everything I’d want in a woman. I felt comfortable around her, if anxious at times. But I just…wasn’t sure what to call what I felt for her besides care, or affection, or comfort. I could tell there was more, but I just… I wasn't sure if it was love. Not right now anyway.

Then I remembered what Ventus had said yesterday.

Ventus was intriguing, she was cute in a way, smart, funny…oddly motherly too, or maybe sisterly was the better term. I didn’t know. They both intrigued me. Shit, that sounded possessive, didn’t it?

Groaning and shaking my head a bit more forcefully, I put my thoughts back on course. And then derailed again. It wasn’t right to think of them as possessions. I knew that. So why did I use that kind of term? Did I already want th- Want to be with them?

…Maybe I am drawn to them, then.

I took a turn down a corridor as I pondered, noting how the guards were watching this corridor, yet oddly not the one I came from.

I didn’t bother them, just kept walking ahead, thinking.

...Was I drawn to them because they had kept me around even after my shit? Was I drawn to them because this was the safest place I felt like being? Or just because I wanted to repay them, to help them?

I didn’t know. The thought of being in love again scared me too. But...it excited me as well, which felt...odd?

More questions were raised and risen, but one question rose above them all.

“How do I tell them just how broken I am?” I glanced at the reflective surface of a well-polished shield hanging from a plaque. “How do I tell them anything when I don't even know myself?" I stopped in front of it, extending the glance to a mirrored stare.

"...How do I tell them that I'm a psychotic monster?"

The laughter of a madman echoed in my head as I forced myself to look away and move on.

It wasn't my voice. But I knew the madness was, even if split.

These were new feelings for me.

Not for my Guardian, obviously, but for me? A Ghost? You can bet they are as surely as you can bet a million Glimmer that the Traveler is a soccer ball. Seriously, I saw City kids do that a LOT.

But love was…new, to me. Or at least, love for someone other than my Guardian. And even that was gaining new nuances. Had been since L told me about her past.

This new guy, though… I don’t know. There was something about him. An earnest heat in his eyes, but sheltered in cold.

As me and L went through the halls of Castle Way Too Big, I wondered how this would even go. I wasn’t going to pull out - pun intended - but I didn’t know love. Maybe that was why I was excited.

I always liked learning new things, and love was…something I hadn’t gotten to learn, really.

Neither of us loved the guy yet. Or at least, I didn't think we did. The prospect of doing so got me excited, though. However, what really excited me, was the idea of finding out his real goals.

I let out a chirping giggle.

I looked to L. She was worried for him. Was trying to be earnest, to try and make this work. But she had her misgivings and worries still. I did too. It’s part of what made it exciting. I don’t think I loved him yet. But after the effort he’s put in to help us…it wouldn’t have been right to not at least return the favor. Keep him calm until we knew he was safe.

Issue was he didn’t talk to us much after yesterday. Not that it could really be blamed, though. He was in tears. And snot.

...I didn’t even get to ask what that weird magic he’d used was.

“You’re staring.” I blinked my optic.

“Oh. Oh!” Shaking myself, I let my segments shift to a tilt. “Is…that a problem though? I don’t remember it being one.”

“It is when I know you have something on your mind,” she returned.

“And you don’t have the same thing on yours? We are going to the same place after all.”

She faltered, then conceded. Heh, one more point to me. “...What do you think we should do?”

I paused at this. “Well, he’s helped us figure out your family is alive, their rough locations, he’s helped translate the tomes-”

“-that doesn’t mean we can trust him, though.” L interjected.

“...I thought you let go of that?”

She gave me a look. “Did you?” I faltered a bit, segments lowering. “Thought so.”

“...still, he has earned something, don’t you think?”

“...Yeah. But we have too. We deserve some answers. Especially with the commitment we’ve made,” she looked away at this. I couldn’t help the giggle I gave.

“You too, huh?” I teased.

“...Let’s just hurry to his room,” L managed, picking up her pace.

“That wasn’t a nooooooo~” I sing-songed as I did the same, floating after her.

It didn’t take long to reach his room, and even less to dismiss the guards. When we walked in, though, we didn’t see him anywhere. Not at his bed, his desk, we even checked his bathroom and found nothing but the usual amenities for VIPs.

“Ugh. Where could he have even fucking gone?” L groused from the side of his bed.

I didn’t have an answer to that myself, so I started searching drawers. “Huh?” First one I found had a small journal with a pen holding a page like a bookmark. The journal itself was made of the usual leathers you could find around here, which is to say, one of the only leathers that you could find in all of Durkz without getting arrested by literally any social justice worker; Kraken Hide.

Did the maids give this to him? Maybe he asked for it?

Whatever it was, didn't give any answers or clues when I scanned it.

Looking back to L, I asked, “Do you think this’d have anything?”

I flinched back at her look. “V. As curious as I am, I’m not going to rummage in his personal shit. He can tell me that stuff himself. Rummaging is for spies.”

“And if he's one?” I replied as I placed the tome back before flying over to her.

"Weren't you the one telling me to trust him?"

"I'm just curious," I replied, glancing back to the nightstand.

“You always have been. Moreso since I told you everything that happened to me.” She chuckled as I nuzzled her. “Aside from the gory bits.”

The shudder that passed through my frame only made her chuckle again. “Jerk. Not funny.”

“I know.” Was her simple response as she sighed.

We lapsed into silence for a bit after that.

“...Where do you think he went?” I asked eventually.

L kept silent a bit longer, then heaved a breath and stood up from his bed. “Let’s go find out. I’m betting the guards saw something.”

“...Why did we not do that sooner?”

“...Let’s just go ask.” She couldn’t hide that blush quick enough.

“Heh. Cute.”

“I will crush you.”

“Kinky~.”

“Guardsman. Have you seen our guest?” Fifth guard I’ve asked now. God, I’ve got too many corridors in this castle still. Note to self; learn how to Blink so the floors without transportation aren’t a bitch to get through.

“Where did he go?” V followed up as I was mid-thought.

The guard pointed down the hall. “He just came back to the Princess’ Training Hall not twenty minutes ago, Your Highness.”

I snapped my head to the doors directly at the end of the hall. “...Suki’s? Why?”

“You did tell him to help out where he could,” Ventus pointed out as she came to my ear.

“I didn’t think he’d actually do it and you know that!” I hissed back. Clearing my throat, I turned to the guardsman again. “Thank you, guardsman. As you were.”

A crisp salute was their reply as I made my way down the hall.

Why would he help Suki? What COULD he help her with? I swear, if he made her cry or hurt her-

“Good! Hahaha! Good one, kid!”

…That was his voice. And HE was the one in pain, based on the coughing I heard after.

What the fuck is going on in there?!?

Picking up my pace, I shoved the doors open to find…Suki was helping him to his feet. They were covered in sweat and mild bruises.

Hamin offered her a hand after he got up, and she gave him a high-five. “Told you, it’s all about prediction and practice.” He said, grinning like a fool.

“Helps that you're easy to read!” My baby girl shot back with her own grin. He laughed.

“Ha! Not wrong there!”

Good to see he knows his weaknesses- not the time brain!

“What the hell is going on here?” I demanded, glaring fiercely at Hamin.

“Uhhh,” he held up his hands, even flinched.

“What did you do to my daughter?” I hissed, eyes narrowing.

“He didn’t do nothing Mommy!” Suki defended, rushing over to me. “He’s actually been helping me lots!” She giggled. Giggled. “He’s pretty funny too!”

“Ehehe…” Nervous laughter emanated from him at that.

I looked back to my muffintop. “You sure, Suki? He didn’t do anything?” I gestured to the bruises she had. “Because those suggest otherwise.” Gave a fresh glare to the bastard for that one. Another flinch. Good.

“Mommy stop! He was just teaching me paw-to-paw!” My muffintop pressed, placing a paw on my side.

Snorting, I quirked a brow. “What could he teach you that I couldn’t?”

“I mean, you haven’t taught her any hand-to hand/paw-to-paw, L. You’ve literally been too busy to and focused on weapons more than anything,” Ventus pointed out.

“Whose side are you on?! Last I checked you were MY Ghost!” I snarled, whirling on Ventus.

“L.”

“Nng…” Gritting my teeth, I turned to the culprit. “You. Did you hurt my daughter? Did you manipulate her?”

He stared at me a moment, but spoke quickly.“No. I didn’t hurt her aside from some bruises during training. Tried to go easy but, well, she’s got her mother’s competitive streak." He rubbed the back of his head. " And as for manipulating her…no. Just...no.” I studied him a moment and tensed when he sighed and took a step forward. “I understand that you don’t trust me still. That none of you do. I won’t lie and say that I’m a good guy because I’m not. I’m not a good guy or a great guy. But I want to be, and all I want to do, all I’ve ever wanted to do, is to help people however I can.” He was shaking. Trembling. But what from?

I looked to Suki, and she nodded up at me. My lips turned into a frown as I thought long and hard. She didn’t look hurt, and she did seem to genuinely like him, even if somewhat. “...You don’t remember anything weird at all when he came in here?” I asked finally, glancing to the top of her head briefly, then her arms.

She shook her head, and I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding before looking to Hamin. “...Alright. I’ll believe you. But we’re talking more, and we’re doing it now.” I turned on my heel, marching out the door with a simple, “Come on.”

We walked the halls mostly in silence, a silence which was filled only with Ventus glaring at me and mine and his boots as we traversed the castle.

I wasn’t going to lie. I felt guilty and ashamed for reacting like I did when the evidence was clear as day that he hadn’t done anything wrong. Everything he’d done so far had been in an effort to help me, and while he was literally doing the stuff I suggested he do, the fact he did it still showed he wanted to help.

There was also how I knew my daughter and her instincts. Sure, most kids know when someone is bad; it’s the kernel of truth in that old saying. But Suki’s was unnaturally sharp. And if she trusted him after one visit from him, there was a good chance he was good.

I just wish Ventus would stop glaring at me and making my guilt worse.

I know he was just genuinely helping her, alright? Stop glaring at me!

Ignoring my inner cries, she continued glaring.

"I'm sorry." Two words from him broke me from my thoughts.

"What?" Ventus too, since we both stopped to turn and look at him.

He looked like some kind of kicked puppy, averting his gaze as he rubbed his neck.

"Why? You didn't do anything wrong," Ventus pointed out.

No kidding; that's what I should be doing!

"Nah, but I feel like I fucked up my...explanation? Apology? Sincerity?" He frowned then sighed and groaned as he rubbed his face. "Sorry."

"...you're doing the apology shit too much again." I said, sighing myself as tension slowly left my body. "But I see what you mean." I looked around. "This isn't the place for this kind of talk though. Come on."

He looked around himself as I made a half-turn to walk again. "Oh. Right. Guards."

They saluted. He chuckled. "G'day Ironmates." He saluted back sloppily.

"How can you joke at a time like this? With this atmosphere?" Ventus asked as we moved on, the guards not responding to his joke.

"I mean, it lightened things didn't it?" He replied, seeming hopeful.

"Yes and no. More like it's confusing," I stated.

A very brief pause followed and was soon broken.

"Soo, like this castle and it's corridors then?" He swept a hand out. "Seriously this feels like the actual labyrinth from Pan's Labyrinth."

"Pfft," I couldn't help my smile at that one.

"Hey, gotcha to laugh! Lookit that!" He crowed with an all too obvious grin.

I waved it off. "Fuck you."

"Ehhhmmn…" he stopped short at that.

Ventus giggled. "Damn, that blush though."

"Uh, uhm, so! We there yet? How much further?" He said hurriedly.

"That eager to get to our room?" Ventus teased.

"UUUUUUUHHHHHMM-"

"Ventus, please," I groaned, rubbing my face.

Bitch only giggled again. "Sorry L~" And sing-songed. Bitch.

Thankfully we did reach my room soon after that along with some awkward silence from Mr. Horny Teenager behind us.

Once the doors closed, I turned to face him. "Right, so, sorry about how I acted, I have some trauma attached to that kinda stuff that I am NOT gonna talk about, but it wasn't right of me to do that to you when you were just being honest and teaching my daughter. So I'm sorry."

He blinked and scratched his cheek. "Well, that was quick and forced." His eyes widened. "I mean like a bad pill, er, gum, er, uh, herb! Not that it was fake! Sorry!"

I sighed and groaned. "You're not wrong, so don't worry about it and shut up." Walking over to my desk and sitting down, I gestured to him. "Now, we have some questions."

He nodded, smiling for some reason, though it faded quick.

"Why are you still here? Why didn't you leave? And when we went camping, what was going on?" I gestured to him. "You said that day was about me, but when you do that shit you typically make a separate campsite from the other person, or at least a separate tent, or you arrange to get them time off to do the camping themself."

He rubbed the back of his neck with a nervous, pensive expression. "I...kinda realized that after saying that. Just...didn't want to suddenly whip around an' say 'hey, yeah, I'm dipping, you have fun though!'" He looked me in the eyes, briefly. "I'd already committed to the action, ya know? Wouldn'ta felt right to either of us if I just fucked off in the middle."

I paused, blinking at him. "...and it took you that long to realize that? When you'd had time in the shower and as you were packing to realize that?"

"That is kinda weird, dude," Ventus agreed.

He winced. "I'm kinda socially inept. Socially anxious too." Heaving a breath, he looked towards my bed, though it was more like he was looking past it. "As soon as expectations come into the picture I start to panic; don't matter if they're my own or not. If they affect someone else or their perception of me I panic and get anxious." He shrugged, turning his eyes back to us. "I just kinda learned to push myself. Not sure when, just...did."

"But pushing yourself exacerbates that anxiety," Ventus surmised.

He nodded, and a bit quickly. Eagerness?

"Exactly! I literally have to be in a certain mindset to push it away, and sudden interruptions or stressors make it worse!" He said with increasing...hope?

I shook my head, placing my hand firmly on my desk. "We're getting off topic. Why are you still here? Why haven't you left? Why do you want to help us?"

"..." he looked down at his feet, pensive all over again. Was it really that hard to answer?

I paused. Okay, I guess it was so I had no room to judge. Still, he thinks more deeply than I thought he would.

"...I don't know. I just...want to help." Clutching some object under his shirt, he continued. "I want to help, and I want to stay. To try and fix my mistake or make something out of it, but...I don't have anywhere to go, either."

It took a bit to bite back my own remark at his ‘mistake’ comment, but I did so all the same. It could be addressed later.

Raising a brow, I asked, "Not even your own Equestria?"

"You on the run or something back home?" Ventus queried.

His gaze deadened, but he chuckled all the same. "Don't have a home. Not anymore."

I blinked. "Oh." Licking my suddenly dry lips, I put my hands in my lap and looked to V. She shook herself slowly, then turned to Hamin. Bitch, leaving this on me.

"What ah, what happened?" I asked gently after a moment.

Or at least tried to.

The huff of laughter he shot out made it seem like I'd poked a bear with a stick in the gut to tickle it.

"Woke up from the Void after who-knows-how-long torture, got to scare some kids and Fluttershy and interrupt a school when I very much so didn't want to or have the desire to go back to ANY school," he slowly lowered himself to sit on the floor, gesturing to us for some reason as he continued, grunting like an old man as he sat.

"Got sent to Twily who had managed to become a super tyrant - like student like mentor; at least in some dimensions - 'cause she tried to mindrape me and look at my whole naked mental body, understandably got mad and scared and didn't want to be under her heel, hoof, whatever, and ran away." He started listing events off on his fingers.

"Maimed two guards on accident with a Blue Moon Greatsword that is apparently more powerful than the Moon Greatsword and can fucking talk, yaaaay by the way, ran through Canterlot like a fucking coward, collapsed under a bridge puking my guts out and having a LOOOOT of issues, got up, kept running, found a Skyrim Dragon, was forced to ride it back to Canterlot, ya know, where I was leaving, to save it from a Dragon's Dogma Dragon, got fucked hard by it's 'fuck you strength', broke my fucking legs, died, went to Heaven, woke up here AFTER Heaven put me to sleep." He looked up at me with the most broken, trauma ridden smile I'd seen since the camping trip.

Wait, THAT was why his clothes were so fucked up?! I thought he'd just been summoned in the middle of a fight or something!

While I wrestled with that, I noticed the rest of his expression.

His eyes held back tears so fiercely it was like they were some great treasure or great shame, and his body would shake uncontrollably before he seemed to force it into rigidity, then try to relax, and shake all over again.

He was conflicted to a T. Fighting himself.

No. He was EATING himself, at this point, holding all that in. There was obviously more he wanted to say, too.

But he'd answered the question, best to leave this subject for now.

"...Okay. Let's move on, then."

"Please," he agreed, chuckling shakily and sniffling despite the lack of tears.

I looked to Ventus, but she'd already zipped over to nuzzle the side of his face.

"H-heh, weird, tickles, but c-cute too," he said, chuckling more.

"Shut up and cry, idiot. We can continue after you're not freaking us out with how much you hold in," she told him. "Seriously, you're worrying us enough."

He laughed. Then bit his lip, which wobbled. Clutched his head as he took deep breaths while the first tears streamed down. V just settled on his head, rubbing her segments on him soothingly.

He kept laughing. And he kept crying. His face shifted from angry to happy to despondent and broken and then stayed there, like he'd made up his mind or something.

Slowly, I stood up and walked over myself, making to hug him, then settling for rubbing his shoulder. He all but launched himself into my torso, crying and weeping and sobbing like all the world had broken and shattered.

Funny thing was, I felt like for him, it really had. And I knew that feeling wasn't wrong. He'd lost his home, and what could have been a new one became hell instead.

Didn't I have a nervous breakdown after coming here at first? At the responsibility that had been put on me? The weight of expectation?

I didn't bother refuting those thoughts as I rubbed his back. I knew they were right.

The only difference was he had been making masks and walls to himself as well as others.

I tried to ignore the snot and, eugh, drool, he was leaving. I couldn't ignore how he pulled away swiftly, then pulled at his hair, pounding his head into the floor.

"Hamin?" Me and Ventus chorused, worried.

"E-reh?" He blinked, went coldly still as he sniffled and hiccuped back sobs, before shaking himself firmly as he sat back up, still suppressing sobs as he hurriedly wiped his eyes. "S-ssss-sorry, I just, um, I,"

"Are you that afraid of crying?" Ventus asked softly as she looked down at him. "'Cause you sure gave me a fright doing that with me on your head."

His eyes widened. "I..I, I um," Two more sniffles as he looked away, chuckling right as he held back a sob. "I uh, g-guess so, y-yeah, eheh.."

"Don't," she said.

I picked up what she was saying. "Don't fight that shit dumbass. You are literally driving yourself insane doing so."

Another chuckle. Sheepish. "Eh-eheh, I um, too late for that…" he wiped his face again, then took off his glasses to help as he sniffled more.

"...True." I sighed, scooting over to him. "Why don't you tell us more about that, then?" At his look, I added, "You got us all curious and worried with how much shit you seem to be carrying, and we wanna trust you, so least you could do is oblige." I shot back with a teasing smirk, trying to cheer him up a bit.

It seemed to work.

"Eh-heh, y-yeah, um, y-y-yeah, I guess you're right." He still looked hesitant, though. "You um, d-didn't I have to- er, um, didn't y-you have more questions though?"

I nodded, as did V.

"Yeah. That's why we're asking for more info. We wanna get to know you, dude. You already heard her spill her beans, after all," Ventus told him.

A pensive, hesitant look came to his face. He was scared, but wanted to open up. I could tell that much from how he rubbed his arm.

"I...okay," he finally acquiesced.

I nodded. "Good." Smiling, I stood up. "First though, I need to change my clothes."

He blinked, and his eyes widened with panic. "Oh shit, I dirtied them! I'm so sorry! Fuck, let me, um," he cupped his chin swiftly, taking on a look of intense thought.

"What?" I chortled. "You're not doing anything, dude. This is my problem; they're my clothes. You're not getting any peeks."

"I-I could at least compensate you for the inconvenience!" He offered.

"You're not getting a peek." I said firmly before shrugging. "I've got maids anyway, don't need to pay 'em personally, it comes out of the treasury."

He flushed. "I'm not trying to peek! Just, I want to fix my mistake!"

"Dude, you're fine, we can deal. We're the ones who want to comfort you after all," Ventus assured as she floated off his head. "Just try not to bang your head with me on it next time, yeah?"

He frowned, but nodded all the same. "Y-Yeah, I getcha. Um, sorry for that by the way."

"It's fine. Didn't hurt anyway," She reassured before she followed me to my walk-in closet.

As the door closed behind us, I followed after my Guardian deeper into the spacious walk-in closet.

“What do you think we should do?” I asked L as she moved down the lines of the clothes racks.

“I don’t know,” she hissed, rubbing the top of her head. “There’s so fucking much he’s got to say, and I’m still trying to figure out what part of marrying ME is a mistake!”

I winced at that. “Oof. Yeah, he screwed the pooch there. I mean, you, a mistake? That’s rich coming from him.”

She snorted as she stopped by a row of blouses and started looking through them. “No kidding.”

Floating over to her side, I added, “Which is why I think he meant something else.”

L shot me an intense questioning look. “Like fucking what?”

“Well, think about it. He was scared shitless about SOMETHING love related yesterday, and it obviously was tied to you, right?” Seeing her expression shift into something softer, I gave a giggle. “See? He’s nuts about you, but based on how he was saying he wanted to ‘fix his mistake’ he probably thinks he’s still fucked something up when it comes to you.” I gave her a nudge with my Shell. “Any ideas what that might be?” I asked sarcastically.

From the look on her face, she did. “...Christ.”

“And you never apologized for all that, either,” I pointed out. Oh, if I could smirk right now…

“What? Of course I did!” L shot back indignantly.

I sighed, shaking my Shell. “L, you told him a snippet of your life and admitted you were wrong but practically nothing else. The admission was kinda backhanded too.”

My Guardian blinked, before her eyes widened. “...Oh. Fuck.” She groaned, burying her head in one hand. “Fuck you’re right.”

“I tend to be.”

“Fuck off and fuck you.”

“Mm, nah.” Nudging her again, I asked, “So, wanna head out there and fix YOUR mistake, after we get your clothing situation fixed?”

“What about his psychosis?”

I shrugged my segments. “Eh, we can deal with that when we get there. Pretty sure he just needs a hand and a shoulder.”

“...how do you even know that? Why are you so casual about this?”

“I come from Sol, L. Shit was fucked there before I was born or made.”

She peeked a challenging eye out at me from her hand. “You don’t like gore.”

I shook my Shell in the affirmative. “Nope. Still don’t. But I’ve seen more Guardians and Cityfolk break than I care to remember.” Giving her a look of my own, I poured all my usual snark into my voice. “Besides, I’ve heard your life story. Doubt his is gonna be much worse in comparison, much less any harder to figure out.”

“God, you’re a know-it-all,” she snorted out. I saw the smile though.

“Best around,” I shot back. “Might as well call me your teacher. Oh wait! I AM your teacher!”

That got a genuine laugh out of her. Too bad I wasn’t kidding.

Not that it was actually bad, heheh.

I didn’t really know what to do. My mind kept shifting back to what they’d said, what they’d done…and what I’d done, and what I’d said. In the notebook of my heart, I wrote down all the things I’d said and done wrong.

I’d made the conversation about me.

I’d diverted their focus by being a wimp and gaslighting myself and thus them.

I’d worried them unnecessarily.

I’d shown how broken I am, how insane I am, how unstable and worthless and pointless to be around I really am.

‘You did~,’ a voice I knew all too well cooed in response. I clapped my hands over my ears at it, telling, screaming for it to shut up. The words never left my lips. They only increased the noise.

And through all of that was so many other voices fighting back. So many I wasn’t sure if any of them were mine, only that some were ones I knew. The pressure on my temples became like a migraine, and I swore I felt and heard it hiss as if it was a pot that was boiling over.

I started pacing as the voices began to come through more clearly.

“You’re fine, Nono! Calm down! They just want to understand you!”

“Calm the fuck down, kid! Giving me an aneurysm here! AND burns!”

“Young Champion, you are fine. Overreacting, but fine. Breathe, be still.”

“Shut up!” I hissed as quietly as I could, eyes flicking to where Lucette and Ventus had gone. “Shut up and I’ll be able to!” I continued with gritted teeth and pursed lips.

More voices. Too numerous to make out still, all ones I didn’t recognize yet felt familiar all the same.

Trying to breath barely worked; it just came out as slow, shallow rasps that quickened as laughter echoed in my mind along with the storm of voices.

Two other voices. Both I knew, but they felt so distant, like relatives I’d just met.

“Bearer, ease, ease, remember thy path, O’ bearer mine.”

“Master, we are here, calm, remember whom you are.”

Trying still to control my breathing and failing, I rasped out, “Blue…? Faith…?”

Images flashed in my mind. My blades back in my room, and two bright and shining women, Noella, Acies, Nyl, the Dragon’s laughter along with the madman’s as I clutched my necklace-

“Shut. Up.” I said, gritting my teeth. The voices faltered, and I stood straighter. I didn’t know where this came from. I only knew it shut them up, and that my hand felt warmer. “I’m not dealing with all of you right now. I told you to shut up, and you go and keep. Fucking. Talking. There’s too many of you for me to hear my fucking self, so shut up and let ME think.”

I hadn’t noticed that I’d paced over to Lucette’s mirror. Not until I saw the flash of three figures in it. One red, one pink, one gold and flaming. The pink one just nodded, smiled sadly, and disappeared. Red one just snorted and walked away. Gold one just smiled, nodded, and did the same.

The wave of…whatever that was, seemed to leave rather quick as I had to fight to stay standing, but…

“...at the fucking least that bullshit is over.” Frowning and wiping at my oddly slick brow, I blinked at the swathe of sweat that came off. “...What?” Another blink. “...Why the fuck is it so hot in here suddenly? And why are my Will Lines glowing so fucking much?”

They were fucking bright as a neon light! And since when in the hell were they so fucking blue?! I let my hand fall as I heaved a breath. “Ugh. I’m way too fucked in the head.”

A giggle in my head told me at least someone agreed.

I was halfway through rolling my eyes when Lucette and Ventus came back into the room.

I whirled around quickly. “Hey! What took you two so long?” Inside I was screaming at how insensitive, corny, and BAD that sounded.

So I just grinned through it.

“...What happened now?” Lucette said with a sigh.

I scratched my cheek sheepishly. “Um…” I looked back to the mirror. “Can we um…address that in a moment? I…don’t even really know myself.”

“Considering we brought you in here to ask questions and learn shit about you, no.” She and Ventus moved over to their bed, er, her bed, I guess, since I don’t think Ventus sleeps, but still.

I rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly.

“So…what’s with the light show?” Ventus asked. “I mean, not that it isn’t kinda hot, but still.”

I blinked, and felt my cheeks heat up. “Oh shit! Um, eheh, I’m…a descendant of an Archon, so-”

“Archon? You mean like a Fallen priest?” Ventus was suddenly in my face. “You have eliksni blood?!”

“That would be…very interesting,” Lucette concurred. “But let’s let him finish, V.”

“Oh, heh, right, sorry,” Ventus thankfully gave me some distance, though not before I noticed she somehow smelled like fresh rain?

Weird, but also kind of alluring.

Getting my thoughts back on track, I continued where I left off. “Not exactly. An Archon in this case is a superhuman being from the Fable series. Masters of melee, ranged, and magical combat to the point they pretty much ruled the entire world at one point.” I tapped my Will Lines. “This is just tattoos that manifest…seemingly whenever I’m high in emotion, which apparently translates to magical power or mana or Willpower or what have you.” I scratched the back of my head again. “I don’t really know that much aside from the fact that the only Archon descendants known to have Will Lines were those descended from the First or those from more Will-focused Archons. Which admittedly makes no sense since I was Displaced, but yeah.”

Lucette blinked. “You really ramble don’t you.”

“It’s cute, huh?” Ventus said out of nowhere.

I could only nervously laugh and look away. “Ha, heh, uhm, thanks, I guess.”

“...Okay, I will admit that was cute.” Lucette added in.

“Eheheheh, um, right, thanks, so, uh, any other questions?” I hurriedly asked, trying to ignore the heat in my cheeks and how much they hurt.

Idly, I wondered why I wasn’t panicking, but that thought was pushed down and seemingly beat to death. Image and all.

Seeing them both giggle was not helping, but thankfully they moved on. “Right, fine. Seriously though, you need to learn to take compliments.” Lucette told me.

“I’ll take the mercy of them not being directed my way, I think, eheh. Dunno how to handle ‘em really if that wasn’t already obvious,” I admitted, scratching the side of my cheek.

“Almost painfully. But yeah, let’s move on,” Ventus cleared her non-existent throat. “Are these Will Lines actual tattoos that act as your focus or catalyst?”

I shrugged. “I don’t really know. All I do know is that I’ve never had tattoos before and when I came here, ‘i’m panicking, oh shit now I’m glowing!’ ya know?”

“You glow when you’re panicked?” Lucette queried, eyes wide. “That doesn’t seem very conducive to a fight.”

I could feel the color drain from my face at her response, but I doubled down all the same even as I looked away. “Yeah… Yeah, I do. High, er, highly emotional state, ya know?”

“Were you panicking earlier then? Again?” Ventus asked next, her optic looking concerned.

My gaze soon locked onto the armoire near the mirror, but it was unfocused. “...Yeah.”

“Why?” Lucette questioned.

“...” I could feel the tremors start, but the odd, infuriating, desperate and familiar desire to spit out what came to mind. What memories sprung forth. “...I…have social anxiety along with psychosis. Been pill-less for years, too, but…” I frowned, sighing as I suddenly started to feel the weight of the bags under my eyes, and an urge to yawn that was never strong enough to let it come out as anything but forced. “...don’t remember how many. Trying to remember is like looking at a storm of black and white scribbles and squiggles and white noise and it just…” I winced. “...It creates some pain in my temples slowly but steadily.”

“...You really are an amnesiac aren’t you?” Ventus said slowly, sadly. I hated it, but I craved it too. That understanding. I just couldn’t bring myself to look into her eye.

Lucette broke the brief but lead-dense silence. “...Do you even remember your family?”

“...” I smiled at that. I knew it was fake, and hollow. Or at least it felt that way to me. “...To a degree,” I said with a shaky breath I tried to steady. It didn’t work, and I knew it when I faced them. “I like to say I had two, honestly. My friends/nakama/nakamatic family, and my blood relatives.” I shook my head slowly. “But most of what I remember is early stuff. I just don’t know how early. Only that it feels early. Dates and times were always hard to keep track of, now…” I gave a huff of laughter. Rueful. “...might as well be impossible.”

I looked up at the ceiling above them. Above us. “...Names and faces. Voices, to an extent.” My smile grew, and I felt the waterworks just start to form. I shook my head gently to force them back. “...their smiles are what I remember and miss most. Whether it was in their voices or their faces, I miss them all dearly.”

“...Mind if hug you?” Lucette asked gently as she stood up.

I chuckled, feeling more water try and fill my eyes, so I closed them, kept my smile, and shook my head. “I’m too broken to care right now.” I clutched my arm. Didn’t know why. “Please.” Didn’t know why I said that either, or where it came from.

The fact they both came and embraced me in what ways they could, once again, set a warmth aflame in my chest and my face. There was more where they were embracing me. Didn’t know why. Only that I wanted to drink in as much of it as I could…

…but after I tightened it for what felt like a few long minutes and knew they’d tell me to let it out, I started to pull away, sniffling despite the tears not even being out yet. I took off the glasses they gave me and wiped them anyway.

“Uh,” a sniffle. “Heh, thanks, for that. I-I um, really needed that.”

“We can tell,” Ventus said softly.

“No shit Sherlock,” Lucette quipped, getting a small laugh out of me. The small genuine smile she gave…it made my chest feel light. I didn’t want to entertain why. Not now. Not yet.

Ventus jerked herself over to the bed. “Come on, crybaby, let’s go sit down, yeah?”

I chuckled, for once taking it in stride. It didn’t even register as an insult to me as I followed them to the bed. “Just no death by snu-snu, okay?” I joked back.

Ventus laughed uproariously. “Hah! Damn, is that how you bounce back so quick?!”

I chuckled again as I sat down slowly, looking to Lucette to see her with a small, seemingly uncomfortable smile. “Uh, heh, um, sorry, didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I’ll uh, stop with those kinda jokes.”

Ventus shrugged her segments. “Eh, L’s just body-shy. Plus we are on her bed.”

Lucette groaned as she sat next to me, though a tad farther away. Not that I minded or didn’t understand.

“Let’s just move on,” as Ventus giggled, Lucette started to ask a load of questions, with Ventus joining in more than not too. It ranged from what that vocal magic I used was, (which I explained was a Dragon Shout) to what a Dragonborn was for Ventus’ reference, all the way to my weapons and other subjects I was also dreading.

“So, earlier you said you tried to fight a dragon from Dragon’s Dogma. What’s that game about?” Lucette queried, now holding a cup of coffee she’d gotten from the tray elevator that was in her room, apparently something she had for occasions where she did not want to leave her room.

Sipping a glass of ice cold water made from, according to Ventus, imported Kirin Ashen Jade, I drew out the sip for a few seconds before making my reply, but my eyes were focused solely on the glass as I did. “It’s an old game. I tried it once, didn’t like it, then tried it again years later and fell in love.” I gave a chuckle, memories filling my mind. I knew they were just me distracting myself from what had happened to myself. Sucks they didn’t fully work anyway. “You could think of it as like a mixture of Dark Souls, Monster Hunter, and some sort of Final Fantasy, not sure which.”

Taking another sip - the last in the glass I noted, - I continued. “The game starts with you literally getting your heart torn out and eaten by a parentheses Dragon, who curses you with agelessness and immunity to disease but leaves you alone otherwise. Entire goal is to kill it. Or at least it’s supposed to seem that way at the start.” I chuckled, turning the glass around in my hands now. “It’s called Dragon’s Dogma for a reason after all. Had to be a twist.”

At their silence, I knew they probably understood what happened.

Lucette’s question confirmed it. “So…you lost your heart?”

“...yeah. Still feel it kinda. In a phantom pain kinda way, but without the pain.”

“...and you said you went to Heaven?” Ventus asked next.

Their voices both sounded… I don’t know. Just sad, I guess. Worried, maybe. There were too many voices in my head to shut up.

My grip on the glass tightened a bit as I heard Lucette put her cup down. “...seemed to. Didn’t see God or Jesus or the pearly gates, though. Next thing I know I’m waking up in your streets, getting drenched instead of snowed on.”

“Snowed on?” they chorused.

“...Yeah.” I scratched one arm with the fingers I could spare to lift from the glass. “Could we move to another subject? Please?”

Lucette nodded slowly. “Yeah. Yeah, that’s fine.”

“Thank you.” I paused a moment. “What about you two?” I looked to Lucette, then Ventus.

“Us?” they chorused.

“Yeah. What’s your two’s stories?” I said, nodding.

Lucette fixed me with a raised brow and an overall displeased or maybe unamused look. “You already know, don’t you?”

I winced. Okay, forgot that I wrote them for a moment there. Still though… as much as I furrowed my brow in thought, all I got was a growing headache and white noise as I tried to think about it. “Ugh…” Clasping a hand gently to my head, I let out a groan. “Yeah, no dice. Ugh, hate headaches…”

“He did say he didn’t know about your old friend,” Ventus pointed out.

“I mean, I remember Sally,” I weakly added.

Lucette sighed. “Right. Sorry, then.” Ventus cleared her ‘throat’, and Lucette grunted. “I know, V, I know.” Heaving a breath, Lucette fixed her gaze on me. I tried to avoid her eyes at first, to not be transfixed by their glow, but gave in when I realized not returning the gaze would just fuck me over.

And God damn were they gorgeous…

“I’m sorry I treated you like that the first few days. It was…overdramatic of me, and I should have tried to trust you more. I’m sorry,” she apologized, meeting my gaze still, as if daring me to look away.

I tried my best not to, but once I looked into them the first time, it wasn’t like it was hard to do so with how they drew you in.

“...Thank you,” I said eventually, rubbing the back of my head and finally averting my gaze, chest feeling lighter yet tighter than ever. “It means alot, but…it’s not like you didn’t have good reason.” I gave a chuckle. Still hollow. “I did still write terrible things into your life. Story or not, hobby or not, I’m not forgiving myself for that sin.”

“...Hamin,” Ventus began, floating over to the front of my face.

“Yeah?” I asked gently, smiling too easily. And got a zap for my trouble. “Gah!”

“Don’t do that. You’re ruining the point of the apology.”

I blinked, memories flashing into my head. “...Oh.”

“And you’re bringing us down.”

“...Oh.”

“Mhm.”

“...Thanks for that.”

“Anytime. Just ask.”

I chuckled. “Not sure I wanna ask to get zapped.” I looked to Lucette, who was smiling, but… I couldn’t tell the context of it. I dipped my head to her regardless. “Sorry. And…thank you.”

She waved it off. “It’s fine.” Grabbing her coffee and taking a long draught, she asked, “So you wanted our stories, right?”

I nodded, raising my head.

“Well,” she leaned back a little, crossing one leg over another. Her face shifted a bit. Still uncomfortable maybe? “What do you want to hear?”

“Anything you’re comfortable with,” I replied quickly. “Likes, dislikes, anecdotes, funny moments…”

She rolled her eyes, smiling. “Digging in that barrel, aren’t you?”

I chuckled, looking away. “You are really pretty, gorgeous really, and you interest me- aaaaaaaaaaaaaand I’m shutting up now!” I did just that, firmly clamping my lips closed as my cheeks fucking BURNED and my heart beat so hard and fast I shook a little. Gah and why did I fucking say ‘interest me’ like some fucking mob boss or villain looking at a product?! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA SOCIAL ANXIETYYYYY!!!

“Holy fuck that’s cute, L,” Ventus said out of nowhere.

I could HEAR the car crash in my head as my thoughts froze like the men marching through the Alps in the Punic Wars. …Bad analogy, brain.

“Oh my Traveler he’s still going,” Ventus giggled.

“Ehm, right, so!” Chuckling to hide my nervousness and knowing I was failing, I asked, “Likes? Dislikes? How do you fe-”

She was just staring at me with a raised brow. And her cheek resting on her hand. Aaaand an amused smile.

“..Uhm…Aroo?”

Both of them laughed at that. “Oh my God did you just make a damn puppy noise?!” Lucette cackled.

“Sh-Shut up!” Falling back on the bed and groaning as I covered my face, I was forced to listen to the torment that is others laughing at your speech impediment. Odd thing was I just felt embarrassed and not humiliated.

“I’m not even gonna deny it now; you are damn cute.” Lucette chuckled. I groaned again.

“Right?!” Ventus concurred like a harpy of lov-DON’T FINISH THAT! DO NOT FINISH THAT BRAIN!

‘Awww…but it’s such a cute analogy Nono!’

All but repeating that one ‘shush’ scene from a movie I barely remember the name of, I looked back up to find Lucette and Ventus just smiling at me.

“Please stop…m’ fucking heart can’t take it.” I covered my face again, but let one hand drop limply to the side. “Too many beautiful women and gorgeous eyes.” I felt like that accent I used was familiar, but trying to remember made the headache start, so I stopped quick. Hate headaches.

“Well, with all the flattery you’re giving, I’d say you’ve earned a reprieve from this lesson,” Ventus said imperially.

I rolled my eyes under my hand but couldn’t help my smile. “What are you, a teacher?”

“Damn straight.”

“Pfft.”

“Anyway,” Lucette started up again, holding back some remaining giggles. “If you want our story, then I’ll start small.”

I sighed but kept my smile. “Fair. Ya do gotta keep that advantage with your teasing.”

“Indeed I do.” Continuing, she recrossed her legs, briefly gaining a ponderous look. “Mm… How about a boot camp story?”

I grinned. “Fuck the hell yes.”

She chuckled. “People always say that.”

“Don’t downplay it, you know these kinds of stories are ballin’.” I shot back.

The snicker she gave could have lit up the room more than her Light, I swear. “‘Ballin’? What era did you even come from, dude?”

“1999 and proud the fuck of it,” I said, still grinning as I sat up, looking at her eagerly. “Now lay that story out, girl!”

That got a laugh from them both, which surprised me because when I looked back at it in my head it could be seen as an innuendo. But Lucette didn’t look uncomfortable with it anymore.

She was just looking at me like I was a dork. But I didn’t mind, oddly.

“R-Right, heh, well,” trying to stifle her giggles, Lucette cleared her throat. “So, you know my mom and my aunt, right?”

I nodded. “I remember a bit about ‘em, yeah.”

She nodded in return. “Well, when I was in boot camp, I got sent to Parris Island, like all female Marine recruits. My aunt was the CO in charge of the fort, but in her typical fashion, I didn’t get a special greeting when I came in.”

Tilting my head, I asked, “What did you get then?”

“Soon as I got settled in with the usual one sided yelling matches and all, I was pulled aside by my DI and given a coffee mug,” Lucette said, smiling like a devil.

“Coffee mug?” I queried, starting to grin again myself.

“She told me to head to the Brigadier General’s office, and to fill the mug however I could without getting caught,” her grin grew.

I blinked. “Why would being caught be an issue? Is coffee not allowed for recruits?”

Lucette shrugged. “Depends on where you go, but for me that wasn’t the issue. The issue was that it was lights out. If I got caught, I’d get one hell of a punishment.”

Covering my mouth from the laughter I was trying to hold in, I managed to get out, “Jeesh, you’re aunt’s sadistic!”

Ventus giggled. “She got to the office, but snagged other stuff to put in the coffee on the way.”

“And I took it all from the officer’s mess,” Lucette said smugly.

“HA! Bet they were pissed!” I laughed.

“Ohhh yeah.” The wide, reminiscent smile she wore felt so…fitting, for some reason. Like she was freeing herself talking about this. It made me happy that I’d asked something like this for once. “When I got into Aunt Lyn’s office,” she continued, “I found her just standing with a stopwatch in the middle of the room, and all she said when she saw me come in was, ‘Skull it down, then go back and make another for me. You were two seconds late.’”

“PFFFT!” I had to fight to keep my laughter fully controlled at this point. Shaking my head as I let out very (non) manly giggles, I replied, "That’s fucking hilarious!” Falling back on the bed again, I looked to her. “Your Aunt sounds fucking awesome, Lucette.”

“She really was,” was her reply. Uh oh. That sounded more morose.

“Is,” I corrected quickly, sitting up again. “She’s alive, Lucette.”

“I know.” She said simply. She didn’t look my way.

“L…” Ventus said worriedly.

I racked my brains for any ideas of how to turn the mood around at her tone. But everything I could think of sounded either patronizing to me or commanding. Neither would work, and I hated using that kind of language in the first place.

‘Young Champion, she is simply doubtful. Would you not be skeptical if someone told you one of your relatives was alive instead of dead?’

‘...Yeah. Yeah, fair.’

‘Be at ease. She still has hope.’

‘We both know hope needs more than just words.’

Slowly, and carefully, I came up closer to Lucette. “I’m here if you need to talk, you know.”

“Heh. That’s a first.” She shook her head. “Barely anyone around here most days I can just ‘talk’ to.”

“I offered as soon as I became your Ghost,” Ventus pointed out. “And I’m still here for you.”

“...Yeah.” Reaching up a fist, I saw her smile as Ventus bumped herself against it, like a makeshift fistbump. She looked to me. "Thanks. You're alright."

"Thank you. And sorry that I brought up something painful," I said rubbing the back of my head with shame.

She only rolled her eyes. "Shut up with that crap already. You're like a broken record."

"Start being a complete one," Ventus finished for her.

"...I'll...try." I said, uncertainty welling up in me. Self-esteem was never my strong suit.

'That is why you will fail.'

For once, that voice was easier to ignore, seeing Lucette's smile and Ventus' bright optic.

"You're eyes are unfocused. Something up?" Lucette asked.

"You're looking pensive," Ventus noted.

I winced, looking at my knees.

"And now you're moreso."

"Eheh…" I chuckled without mirth. I wasn't sure how to tell them. Back home it always scared me, telling others about the voices. I told very few because of it.

The memories of some were harder to recall. Caused some pain. But...I remembered the feelings. Small flashes came with them. My Dad. My sister.

An old brother.

The fear and anxiety from those moments came rushing back. I had to fight to keep from holding my head, to keep from shaking.

Ventus hovering into my view halted my thoughts.

"Oi. What's going on in that head of yours, Ham?" She pressed.

"I...I uhm...have…" I started. The urge to be honest came with. "I...have spirits in my head."

A blink of her optic.

"What?" Came Lucette's surprise.

The anxiety that came from that alone was like a spike of nitrogen to my veins, chilling from the inside as I shook again.

The urges that came became harder to fight.

"...that's why your scans were different!" Ventus crowed.

"Huh?" I blinked. That...wasn't what I expected to hear.

"You mean when you said he had something like the Dark and Light in him?" Lucette asked.

"Wh-whuh?" I looked between them both.

"Exactly! I scanned for the wrong shit! He had sterile neutrons instead of neutrinos in the air around him, but positive protons and electrons just kept counteracting like the Light would!" Ventus started to get more excited.

"Right, but what does that mean in terms of spirits?" Lucette asked.

"You know how magic around here manipulates electrons to manipulate other portions of atoms?" Ventus asked, segments whirring.

Lucette nodded. "Yeah, why?"

I was lost. So fucking lost. But I didn't want to interrupt or bother them.

They went on for a bit, talking about something they seemed to have talked about before. Honestly I was starting to lighten up again, seeing them talk so animatedly. Ventus kept whirring her segments too. It was cute honestly.

"...one particle or another, sometimes even quantum or subatomic! But the nuclei is always hidden!" Ventus finished proudly.

"Huh. Good to know," Lucette said, nodding. "Back on track though, what does that mean for him?"

"He radiates that shit, L! Like a fucking Devil Splicer Archon!" Ventus announced.

"...Shit."

"Um…" I started weakly, thinking the conversation was turning to me, but scared I was wrong.

"Right, sorry. You have spirits in your head, right? How many?" Lucette asked.

"Um...I…" I stopped short, right hand twitching, then left. "A...lot."

"That would explain why my Mark burns around you so much," Lucette mused, brow furrowing.

Seeing their silence, and wanting to give some kind of answer, something remotely solid in the rocky ship that was me, I added hastily, "Th-there's...f-four."

It wasn't untrue. But it also was at the same time.

I still hated it.

"Only four?" They chorused.

"I…" I looked away. Opened my mouth. Nothing came out. Not even a breath. I then realized I couldn't breathe in.

Then, darkness, and I was somewhere else.

Watching from somewhere else. Somewhere wet and warm but rocky and moving. Waves. Ocean sounds? Sunlight?

The weird 'viewports' above me let me hear a voice I'd normally hear in my head.

"There's waaaaaaay too many in him, that's for sure," I said.

Nono was a bit too scared about this. I mean yeah I understood but like, still, ya know? Boi got too much dump in his thinktruck.

Looking to the two hot/cute mommas in front of me/him/us, I giggled at their reactions. "Eheh, hiiii~. I'm Noella, Nono's lustful little Succubus. Well, Concubus really, but eh."

"...How the fuck do you get that range with his vocal chords? You sound exactly like a hooker from California, or those slutty anime girls!" Lucette said in shock.

"Aww," I giggled. "Cute~ Thanks for the compliment~."

"How many of you are in there with him?" Ventus asked, zippin' up to me. Eeee! So cute! Look at how excited she is! I wanna nuzzle her! I AM gonna nuzzle her!

"W-woah, hey, knock that off!" Ventus protested.

Pouting, I pulled my, er, his-our cheek away. "Awww...fine…"

"Eye color is different too. How?" Lucette wondered.

"Much as I love 20 Questions, Lucy, lemme answer the first, yeah?" Looking to Ventus, I cleared my throat, er, his, er, ah whatever. "I'm one of technically over 3,000. There's four of us that are more active, me being one of 'em, but the other 3,658 are normally locked muuuuuuch deeper."

Heheh! They got so quiet! Heheheh! He is pretty amazing~!

"That many…?" Lucette breathed.

I jerked, a certain rage flowing through. "Ohp! Nyl's wanting through! One sec!"

This was not what I expected. And it was...a bit creepy, not gonna lie. Seeing Hamin's body do that neck twitch and wince and go through an eye color change again made it worse.

But overall, I was more concerned about Hamin himself.

"Kid's a fuckin' dumbass," growled who I assumed was now 'Nil'. Sad name for a spirit. Or at least anime. His eyes, or Hamin's, or-whatever, were a deep purple.

"Why is that?" I asked, raising a brow. Granted, he wasn't wrong.

His voice sounded like a demon's, pure and simple. How Hamin's vocal chords handled this I do not know.

Nil snorted. "Because he listens and falls for my shitty progenitor's tricks and lies and traps like a dumbass."

"Your progenitor?" Ventus queried. "What's he called?"

"Friykte. Other names for him we have, and others people in the wide omni gave him. But what he's called don't matter. What does is he's a lying, conniving, thieving, prick," the sheer anger coming off of him felt like waves of actual heat, and the way those tattoos were glowing implied some magic was reacting to this guy's own emotions.

"Huh. How do you spell that?" Ventus continued unabated. I didn't know if she was trying to act tough, or was just too curious to care. I suspected both.

"Fuckin'...ugh," heaving an angry breath that sounded more like breathing actual steam, he seemed to mellow a bit. "F-R-I-Y-K-T-E. Short anagram. Can also mean friction. My name is with a Y and not an I. Got all that? Good. Now shut up and fuck off. I'm giving things back to the kid."

Well, he's a dick.

When Hamin twitched and opened his eyes again, they were back to their usual green and gold.

"Ugh…" groaning, he rubbed his neck, then his temple. "Hate that…" He had his voice. Good.

"Hamin. What the fuck was that?" I asked firmly.

He winced again. "I…" a breath. "...sorry I worried you."

"Those were your spirit buddies?" Ventus asked.

Crossing my arms, I gave him a look. "Last seemed like a dick." Softening my gaze at his wince, I asked, "You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine!"

I blinked at his snappy reply.

He all but backpedaled at it. "I-I...sorry, I...I just…" he shut his eyes tight, looking away as he even clenched his lips, like he was trying to not bite them.

There was a brief silence before Ventus broke it.

"You care for them," She deduced, looking at him sadly.

He stiffened, but eventually nodded and relaxed a bit.

"Why?" I asked. It didn't make any sense. After what he said about that last girl, and how that last spirit acted, it just didn't add up.

...unless he was that scared of being alone. Just like he said that night. Fuck.

"Nyl is...Nyl's abrasive, b-but he's a good guy, ya know? Like, um, um…" he snapped his fingers, but hurriedly, panicked. "Like Red from That 70's Show, but really, really vengeful. L-Like, um, he thinks if someone wrongs me or others I care for, that that means they deserve to be treated like enemies in a crusade from the same, um, era."

Well that's telling.

"So he treats you well?" I pressed, but not too much or too hard.

He blinked. "I mean, y-yeah. He's rough, and prone to violence, but most he does with me is punch me if I'm being an idiot."

My gaze hardened. "Punch you?"

"How?" Ventus queried, voice going to a cold neutral.

"W-Well, I mean, he doesn't- uh, trying to find the right words, umm…" he was darting his eyes around. Was he being abused? Or something else?

"It's like those rough anime emo characters. The tsundere guys, ya know? Um, like, um, um, Guts, or uh, Garfiel from Re:Zero," he finally got out.

"Uh huh," I nodded. "Can you bring him back out?"

"I…" he looked...sad, now. No, not just sad. Defeated? Slowly, though, he nodded. "...yeah." He took a breath. "Just, um...don't freak out. It's...harder to pull them out by force."

Thankfully, only two twitches and Nyl was back out. "Whaddya want, bitch?" Nyl groused. "Because if you're not gonna trust the kid still after all the honesty he's fuckin' given ya, then shove it right in your fucking cooch."

My eye twitched as I swiftly pulled Crimson out of my holster and leveled it at his face. "Say that again?"

"L." Ventus reprimanded me.

"...fine," I relented, lowering Crimson. "Speak, then, asshole."

"Hmph. That anger certainly is hot, give ya that. But if you're wanting honesty? You already got it. I. Don't. Lie." He snarled, some flames actually issuing from Hamin's mouth as he spoke. The flames stopped, and Hamin's body relaxed a tad. "Prank? Sure. But I don't fucking lie. Hated seeing that enough with my progenitor."

His tone was angry. Nothing but. But he was right. I couldn't feel any dishonesty from him. A look to Ventus showed she didn't either when she shook her Shell.

"...fine then." I motioned for him to leave. "Bring Hamin back then. I'm done with you."

"Hmph. Could at least say 'please and thank you'. Damn ungrateful-" twitches, winces, and Hamin was back. "-augh, yeah," rubbing his neck, he groaned as he grit his teeth. "Mmg, not letting you finish that Nyl."

Pulling him in for a hug, I sighed. "You need to find him a fucking behavior management school, dude."

Hamin was limp in my arms, but chuckled all the same. I pulled him a tad tighter to me. "You okay?"

"...I just…" he yawned loudly. "Ah, um, shit, sorry, uhm," another yawn.

Sighing, I pulled back a bit, nodding my head to the bed. "Get in."

He stared at me with wide eyes. "I...wh-what? Are you sure?"

"Either get in now before I change my mind or sleep on the couch. Now make your choice," I said firmly.

"Heh. Like we're married already," Ventus teased.

That got a blush from him.

"I uhm, uhm, ah, I'll ah, g-get in then." Looking to the bed, he started to get in, then stopped. "Um, I um, are you sure?" He looked back to it. "I mean, I don't have any pajamas on me and-"

"Just get in, dude," I said, rolling my eyes and sighing. "Long as you don't get grabby without permission you're fine. Just clean your clothes when you get up." I gave him a look. "I may not do my own laundry here, but I am not sleeping with you in used clothes more than I have to."

He nodded swiftly. "R-right, um, thanks." A blink. "Er, thank you!"

Is he trying to sound more sincere? Yeesh, dude. Sighing again, I started to move for my closet again. "Just get in, Hamin. I'm going to go get ready."

"I call dibs on head!" Ventus chirped.

The fact he blushed more from that almost made me forget we were going to sleep together tonight.

1 - Arrival: A Party and A Regicide (Edited...Yet Once More)

[A woman takes the first step up the stairs.

Her subjects watch on with pride in their hearts.

Her children follow behind her, smiles on their faces.

Royal Lightning flashes time and time again outside.

Reaching the top of the steps, she turns, and grins.

The Queen of Storms takes her throne.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6_722bLF-I)

I walked up to the front door of my friend Suzy's house. It was a bit of a long walk, since Suzy was loaded and thus owned a mansion. It was three stories, with an attic and a basement, and, as per usual, her parents were out on a business trip. Which meant a party. A costume party, to be exact.

Now, Suzy being a whore both attention-wise and sexual-wise, she loved to throw parties like this. She invited tons of people, who invited their friends, who invited their friends, and so on and so forth. It was typical, really. This was just the first time she'd thrown a costume party, and thus a good deal more people had come, namely gamers and geeks.

Now, Suzy, thankfully, wasn't a bitch. She was a whore, but she wasn't a bitch, and didn't discriminate against others or judge them based on their social lives or preferences or anything like that. She actually had a pretty stern rule for each party, which was, 'No discrimination, or I'll strip you and toss you out in the cold for the entire night'. She'd done it plenty of times, too. Enough that people knew not to disobey her.

Anyways, point is, she didn't discriminate, and that's one of the reasons we were such good friends. I was a complete geek and gamer girl, but a bit of a closet one - old military lifestyle and family - and she accepted that. Hell, she was an anime geek, and that was how we met. It was at RTX and she was dressed as Yang, because, ya know, she was trying to show off her rocking bod, and I happened to walk in on her giving a dude a ride to marshmallow heaven in a bathroom.

Regardless, me and her were close. We'd been friends for five long years, and while she did get on my nerves sometimes with her continuous nagging about joining her on a sexcapade, I still liked her.

But back to the matter at hand. Right now I was walking up the driveway through the front lawn in my custom costume. It was a mix of my two favorite games in the whole world, Dark Souls and Destiny. I was wearing the Gensym Knight Cloak, complete with it's deceptively simple pure white silk and faded design of a circle with angular sun-like design. Along with that was the Crown of the Dark Sun serving as my mask, it's gold, seven pointed face resembling the sun that was it's namesake.

Then there was the Iron Truage Grips and Boots which covered my legs and arms, both colored purple with gold, tree-like engravings. My chestpiece was similar to the pointed chestplate of the Floating Vest and was colored similarly white, only with a distinct symbol on it no Souls fan could ever forget, the sun with a charming face, the Crest of the Warriors of Sunlight.

Along with those came my favorite weapons, the infamous Hand Cannon Crimson, a Crystal Chime, and the Moonlight Greatsword. Crimson was a revolver that was as bulky as an Assault Revolver, but instead of the bloodied and spiked look the original sported, this one bore the Silver Bullet Ornament, meaning it was covered in so many engravings and silver plates it looked like an actual piece of artwork from a museum. The iconic Moonlight Greatsword was a gigantic blade of deep, sea green, ever aglow with dim light. Sadly, as that was an effect I couldn't replicate, I settled for just making it look shiny as fuck. The hilt was pretty ornate, being made of gold (though there was no way I could pay to make it real gold) with a ruby inset in the guard. Finally came the Crystal Chime, a small, bell-like thing made of blue metal, and covered in similarly blue crystals. I can't tell you how annoying it was trying to make those very crystals. I had to settle for making each one piece by piece and gluing them on. It was hell.

I'd even gone full-in with makeup on my face, painting it a pale blue like an Awoken (though there was no chance in hell I was doing that everywhere else, that'd be a goddamn nightmare). The pure white dye to my short, edgy bob hair style was thankfully far easier than the damn makeup.

But, it was all totally worth it.

I was very proud of my getup. It took me an entire year of saving up money, but it was so worth it. Only thing missing was a Ghost, but it's not like I could just buy a damn drone with my current salary, much less a custom one made to look like a Ghost. No, I just had to make due with what I had. I could have tried making one or having my brother do so, but there wasn't enough time either.

Anyways, I eventually made it to the front doors, passing by a number of people on the front lawn who were either having mini orgies on the grass or... Well, just stumbling around drunk. Or both. I shook my head at their antics and opened the ornate mahogany doors, walking inside the lobby of the mansion and immediately being assaulted with the scent of drugs, alcohol, and sex. Mostly sex, though, but I'd grown used to it after my time with Suzy.

I looked around the luxurious interior of the mansion. There was a couple making out intensely on one of the couches nearby, and a group of three having intercourse on yet another couch. I took a moment to think about how ruined both of those Victorian couches would be in the end before going about my search for Suzy. I passed a number of people in many costumes, from the kinky nurse, student, and cat outfits to actual cosplays, and most if not all of them were either drunk, high, or having sex.

Once more, I ignored it all and made my way upstairs. I eventually found Suzy in her room in the midst of an orgy herself, and I sighed deeply. I will never get over how shameless this girl is. It's honestly a miracle she hasn't gotten pregnant yet. I slowly closed the doors to her room, seeing as she was way too occupied with being penetrated in all her holes on her queen sized four poster bed.

I decided I might as well wait until she finishes, and went down to the kitchens to grab something to eat. Maybe a drink, too. After passing many more inhibitionless people in the guise of characters from different media, I reached the kitchens and walked towards the counter where a cake was, one of many. I grabbed a slice of double chocolate cake, and turned around only to be greeted by a woman with straight black hair, a mask, and a red, Vicotrian tail coat and fair skin seemingly smiling at me. I won't lie, I jumped a little.

"Jeez!" I cried, nearly dropping my cake. The woman chuckled. How the hell did I not hear her?!

"Sorry about that dear," she said, her voice sounded smooth, and Arabian. That certainly didn't match her look. She eyed my slice of cake. "Mmm... That's a nice slice of cake you got there." Her eyes flicked to me, and scanned my form briefly. She felt... Off.

"Um... Yeah, it is. Can I help you?" I asked politely.

"I think you can. See, I'm quite hungry, but have nothing to give anyone in return for food. And I don't like having debts. So, maybe we can come to a..." for the briefest moment, I could have sworn her golden eyes glowed, "...trade agreement?"

I fidgeted a bit. "Umm... What do you have in mind?" I queried uneasily.

"Oh, nothing too big, it's simple really. You give me that slice of cake, and I'll give you..." She pulled something out of her coat pocket that made my eyes bulge. It was a Ghost. With the motherfucking Cosmos Shell. And it acted just like the one in-game. As in, the stars and nebulae were shifting.

Call it greed or wonder, but I couldn't help but immediately give her the cake and snatch the Ghost. "Holy shit... Where in the hell did you get this?!" I asked as I looked to her. She smirked under her mask.

"Oh... A trader has her ways..." She said simply, before I felt a sudden, massive migraine coming on. "Hehehe... Always good to make a fair trade..." My vision went blurry, and I stumbled, the Ghost falling out of my hands as I fell to the floor.

My vision went from blurry to dim, my eyelids suddenly feeling heavy.

"Eyes up, Guardian..."

I woke up in a void, falling fast. My first reaction was, of course, screaming. And then more screaming as I felt something seemingly grab my arms and legs, and start to peel off my skin. Bit by excruciating bit. Then came my muscles, and after that they did the same with my bones, peeling away layer after layer with that same, torturing pace.

I briefly wondered why I hadn't passed out or straight up died already from the immense pain, but that ended when I suddenly felt everything grow back. Painfully. And none of it even felt exactly the same.

Then it got to my eyes, and I screamed so hard and loud I wondered why my throat hadn't gone out. The void of black didn't care as my eyes felt like they were being burned layer by layer, and then reformed from the ground up.

Then came the branding on my shoulder blade. Though that was tame in comparison to everything else.

Finally, after all that, I passed out.

I slammed hard into a stone floor, and screamed again. I flailed around, and didn't even register the sounds of yelling and shouting around me as I continued to scream. My vision was blurry, and I remember feeling a strong hand pull me up by the scruff of the neck. I screamed even louder and flailed harder, hitting whatever had me in it's grip in what I assumed to be the chin.

I heard a cry of pain as it released me, and I fell back to the floor. Slowly, I started to calm down. My vision cleared a bit and my eyes nearly popped out of my skull at the sight before me. There, on a polished, black marble floor covered by a light blue carpet was what I could only assume was a yeti of sorts. It had the fur and face for it, though it had cloven hooves and three fingered claws, along with bull-like horns. That, and it had polished black armor with a light blue symbol on it, and a crown.

It glared at me with it's two piercing blue eyes, and to my further shock, it spoke.

"You would dare to hurt me? The Storm King?!" it, or rather he, if the voice was anything to go by, growled. I took a few seconds to let my brain reboot itself. And then more to realize I had a HUD as well, just like in Destiny 2. Apparently this yeti-thing took insult to my silence. "Well?! You better get on your knees and beg for forgiveness, because nobody hurts The Storm King without repercussion!"

I noticed a number of guards similar to him in appearance around us, halberds now pointing at me. They also wore armor in a similar style to his.

"Uhh... Guardian, you might want to get ready to fight... Like, now," said a robotic, female voice. Turning my head sharply, I saw the Ghost I had traded my cake for floating there, glancing worriedly between the apparent guards and their angry king. I was about to do another double take and mental reboot, but after looking around once more and seeing my predicament, I decided I'd rather not be executed or imprisoned just because I couldn't respond quick enough.

With that made up, I shot to my feet, grabbed my hand cannon from it's holster at my hip, and aimed it at the king. He laughed.

"Ha! What is a stupid little thing like that gonna do? 'Cause it sure doesn't scare me-!" he began, before I fired two consecutive shots, one for either of his shoulders, punching a hole straight through the pauldrons and his flesh and making him scream in pain.

With that, the guards rushed to impale me, and I jumped above them instinctively. I landed atop the halberds, and jumped off, landing behind them. I aimed for the king again. He growled at me.

"How dare you-!" he began, before I decided to put a bullet between his eyes. His eyes lost their life, and he fell over, dead. I turned to the guards, ready to continue the fight for my life and survival, only for them to do nothing but stare at where their king's body lay, oozing blood. I blinked a few times.

"Umm..." my Ghost tried lamely.

Then, suddenly, they all erupted in howls and cheers, stomping the butt of their halberds into the floor repeatedly. I blinked a few more times, until an honest to God unicorn, with a dark purplish coat of fur and magenta mane, complete with a broken horn and armor, busted the doors to the throne room open.

"Your Excellency, are you alri-?!" she began, before noticing the dead king's body, then me, then the cheering guards. "What in Tartarus happened here?!" She roared. The guards turned to her and seemed to speak to her in their own language, though I didn't really understand it since it sounded like a bunch of snarls, grumbles and grunts. Her eyes widened, but quickly she recomposed herself and stalked over towards me, armored hooves clip-clopping on the black marble floor. I hesitantly aimed my gun at her, and she stopped a good few feet in front of me. "Tell me, creature, why did you kill our king?"

I blinked again. I am thoroughly confused. Shouldn't I have been cuffed by now? I mean, I killed their king! And yet this unicorn is just casually asking me why I killed him? Do they not care?

"Umm..." I began helpfully. I looked to my Ghost, then to her. "...Self-defense?" She stared me down with that cold gaze of hers for a few seconds before seeming to shrug.

"Well, can't say I blame you. He was a total plothole. Tyrant, at that. But..." she glanced to his body then back to me. "...I did have a deal with him, and now it is forfeit. Unless you can offer me my horn as well, I suggest you leave. Quickly."

"..." I blinked a number of more times. This is honestly the weirdest situation I have ever been in. I looked to my Ghost.

"Umm... I might be able to do so, if given time and a rundown on your kind's anatomy," she said. The mare, I guess, turned to look at her with slightly widened eyes before they once more returned to their calm and steely nature.

"Well, then welcome to the Island of Storms..." She turned to me and bowed her head. "My Queen."

"...WHAT?!"

Author's Note

EDIT: Added a better description of Lucette's get up in lieu of the old links. Thanks for the heads up, Jest!

EDIT: Added another new intro, because the old one felt wrong to me.

EDIT: Added a better intro, complete with a more fitting song.

EDIT: Added links for each piece of Lucette's gear, even her Ghost. Added an intro, complete with song./u]

Well, here's an idea I came up with just last night. I'm hoping this story gives you all an interesting ride, though I won't hold out too much. Gotta make room for mistakes, after all.

I'm jumping into the (for me) uncharted territory of political and courtly intrigue. Here's hoping I do it well enough that you all find it at least mildly interesting.

Thanks for reading.

-Timeless Celestial

6 - Negotiations and Relations: Talks (Edited... Once Again)

[A woman takes the first step up the stairs.

Her subjects watch on with pride in their hearts.

Her children follow behind her, smiles on their faces.

Royal Lightning flashes time and time again outside.

Reaching the top of the steps, she turns, and grins.

The Queen of Storms takes her throne.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6_722bLF-I)

I yawned loudly as I walked down the halls of my castle. I was up practically all night with Ventus working on making ships. Specifically, a new kind of airship, one I was calling, The Pilgrim. It was going to essentially be the first of a series of battleships, one that would employ our first cannons. We had already made a set of four, but we still needed a more steady supply of charcoal and saltpeter in order to make more gunpowder and continue to do so, especially enough to put in such large bags for the cannons. Still, this new airship line would certainly deter any who saw it from attacking us.

I hoped so, at least. I continued walking, my destination being the dining hall. Of course, I made sure to wash up, especially since I fell asleep at my desk in the study and had been drooling on the papers and myself. Ventus had decided to be an ass and just tape me as I mumbled and drooled in my sleep.

I'll have to get back at her for that sometime. Anyways, I soon made it to the dining hall, the guards, as always, opening them for me. I walked in to find that my guests, the Equestrians, were all in their own seats on the fifty foot long, thirteen foot wide dining table.

The tables and chairs were all made from solid iron, the backs of them emblazoned with my crest. They weren't the most comfy, but it's not like we had an abundance of cloth to make cushions.

Something I was hoping to remedy with these talks, along with quite a bit more.

I took my seat at the head of the table, this chair sporting a taller back and more elaborate etchings of storms and the like.

"Good morning, everyone. Sleep well?" I asked genially.

"We did, thank you," Celestia said with a smile.

"It was hard to perform our duties, though, what with so many storm clouds obscuring our view," Luna added. "We had to resort to our magical senses and instincts to make sure the celestial bodies were in the correct positions."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Although there is little anyone can do about it. After all, the storms are the product of an ancient spell, and divine spells are always hard to break," I explained with a small shrug.

"Really? That's fascinating!" Twilight said with a smile that foretold an eagerness to learn.

"I have to agree. I can't say I've ever heard of any spells that can do that," Luna concurred.

"Well, maybe I can regale you with the tale once we get our food. Grubber!" I called out, and the stocky little hedgehog rushed from the kitchen doors, his white mohawk bouncing as he waddled as fast as he could to me.

"Whatcha ya need, boss?" He asked with a salute.

"Could you get the servers out here? We need to give our guests a proper Skili feast," I requested. He nodded.

"You got it!" He then waddled off into the kitchen. I smiled and turned back to the others.

"So, I imagine you all have a few questions," I began. They all nodded. "Well, ask away."

"Well, first, Ah think we still have some introducing to do," said the orange mare with a tip of her stetson. "Name's Applejack." She pointed to the buttery yellow pegasus mare next to her. "That's Fluttershy. She's a bit... Well, shy." I smiled.

"Nice to meet you two," I said genially. "So, questions?"

"I have one that's been on my mind since we got here, actually," Shining Armor began. I raised a brow and motioned him to continue. "What exactly is that strange weapon on your hip? It looks so..." he paused, trying to find the words.

"Dangerous? Threatening?" Cadance supplied. He nodded.

"Yes, thank you honey. It looks threatening, despite being so small," he finished. I paused. Shit, didn't think they actually noticed. I'd even moved the holster to my backside, so my cloak would cover it. How to deal with this...

Screw it, I'll just keep playing close to the chest.

"Let's just say it's a weapon that you never want to be on the receiving end of," I said, patting it.

"But what does it do?" The prince pressed. I sighed and gave him a look.

"You don't want to find out. Now please, let's just change the subject," I responded.

"But-!" he tried to say, but his spouse stopped him with a hoof on his withers and a look.

"Just leave it be, Shiny. She obviously doesn't want to tell us yet," she said softly. He looked to her, then sighed and nodded.

"Fine..." he conceded.

"Next question?" I queried, looking to the others.

"Yesterday, your...partner said you were a soldier. What army were you enlisted in?" Luna asked. I sighed, trying to think of a proper answer. After a few seconds of pondering, I came up with something.

"I was a Master Sergeant of The Reef, past the channel separating the Bug Bear Territory, Minotian Isles, and the Yaket Range. I was a part of the 3rd Pilgrim Corps. Division," I explained, idly tapping my foot as I waited for the servers.

"Fascinating... I'd no idea there was a nation that far to the north..." Celestia said, hoof to her chin. She put her hoof back down and looked to me. "Is there any chance you could introduce us to the leader of The Reef?"

I shook my head sadly. "No, I'm afraid not."

"Why? Did something happen?" Twilight questioned.

"I'd rather not talk about it," I said despondently, now staring at the table as I rapped my fingers against it. Thankfully, they didn't push further, and the servers finally came out and took our orders.

They avoided the meat, and instead went for the Storm Fruit dishes mixed into a salad. We didn't have much in the way of plants here, so the few greens we did have were reserved for special occasions like this.

They seemed to really like the Storm Fruit, too.

"This is soo good!" Pinkie said, digging into her food of diced Storm Fruit and cabbage like an animal.

"I have never had a fruit with such a unique flavor before..." Luna mused as she took a bite of her own diced Storm Fruit and greens. She puckered her lips each time she ate of the Storm Fruit, but quickly got used to it.

"It has a strong taste of grapes, but it's just so...so fizzy and sourrrrr!" Twilight said, pausing each time she ate the Storm Fruit to try and get used to the taste, taking big bites and humming in content afterwards.

"My thoughts exactly, dear! It's like grape wine, but stronger and, well, fizzy and sour!" Rarity concurred.

"This is almost as good as Zap Apples!" Applejack noted, likewise enjoying the flavor.

"Amen to that sister!" cried Rainbow Dash, who was eating her food ravenously. Guess she can really hold her sour foods.

"Well, I think I know one thing that we'll definitely be asking for more of," Celestia mused as she delicately lifted a bite of Storm Fruit to her mouth and hummed in content at the flavor.

"Oh yeah, you totally gotta let us bring some of this stuff back!" the pink unicorn, Starlight, agreed with a nod.

"I like it too..." Fluttershy said softly with a gentle smile.

"I wouldn't mind having some at the Empire either. It would definitely give us some more variety," Cadance concurred.

I chuckled as I tucked into my own food of Cragadile Steak and fried Kraken. The food they have here was certainly exotic, especially to me, but it was definitely good. I never thought I'd ever be able to say I'd eaten a kraken, after all.

After a short while, we all finished our plates, the ponies talking amongst themselves, until I tapped my glass of Storm Fruit Juice with a fork. They all turned to me.

"So, onto the main reason for your visit," I said, clearing my throat. I immediately took note of Celestia's metaphorical mask dominating her face. Tempest had described it as cold and hard, like stone, but I preferred steel.

"Yes, that would be good," she replied. I steepled my fingers together.

"In your letter, you said you wanted to make an alliance, correct?" I asked. She nodded.

"Indeed. We wanted to make sure that relations between our nations did not sour simply because of the late Storm King's influence," Luna informed.

"You also mentioned bringing me into the International Council of World Leaders," I continued. Celestia nodded this time.

"Correct," she affirmed. I closed my eyes in thought. This would certainly garner a good reputation for me, but it could also embroil the country in a war that we really have no part in. On the other hand, the Equestrians would be obligated to help us with any war we became embroiled in...

"...Very well, I accept your offer," I said finally. They all smiled and Celestia opened her mouth to speak, but I stopped her with a hand. "But I want a trade agreement and a promise that you will stay out of any personal matters that arise in my nation." Celestia frowned, and all the others looked towards me.

"Wha... Why would y' assume we'd just step into yer affairs?" Applejack said, stomping a hoof.

"Yeah! It's not like we'd disrespect your privacy!" said Rainbow.

The other Elements voiced similar concerns, though Twilight seemed to be hesitant.

"Aunty isn't one to nose into the affairs of others, why would you assume so?" Cadance asked. I noted Shining Armor, Celestia, and Luna were all very quiet. The others noticed this.

"Shiny?" Cadance asked her husband worriedly.

"Princess...?" Twilight began.

"...Where are you going with this?" Celestia said finally. I snapped my fingers, and Tempest trotted over from her position near the main doors.

"Tempest, please recount the times we found several spies from the Equestrians in or around our lands," I told her, and before the others could so much as widen their eyes, she nodded and started, clearing her throat.

"Scout Report #1. Twilight Age: Year 22nd, 7th Month, Day 30. Pegasi were seen in Storm Queen Airspace, seemingly doing reconnaissance. Could not track down in time to question before they were well beyond Macintosh Hills," Twilight, Cadance, and the Elements looked at the Sisters with wariness. "Scout Report #2. Twilight Age: Year 22nd, 8th Month, Day 3. Unicorns wearing insignia of the Diarchy were sighted at Klugetown, questioning residents and even going so far as to bribe them for information." Celestia and Luna tensed, along with Shining Armor. All the while the others were looking increasingly worried. "Scout Report #3. Twili-."

Shining Armor slammed his hoof on the table, startling everyone but me and Tempest. "What the hay would you expect?!" He roared. I simply quirked a brow. "No more than a month or two ago half the bucking world was owned by the Storm King, and now we hear someone has overthrown him?! What do you expect from us? We had every right to be suspicious!"

"Captain Armor!" Luna shouted. Shining faltered. "That is enough. You have proven your point." He grit his teeth but nodded and sat back in his seat. She turned to look at me. "What is your point here?"

"Simple," I began, before tapping the table with a finger. "Keep your spies away from my lands, unless I give express permission. Otherwise... Well, crimes for espionage won't be taken lightly, to put it simply."

Celestia looked to her sister briefly, the others still taking in the news. Finally, they turned back to me. "Very well. We apologize for offending you, Your Highness." They bowed their heads, and I just nodded.

"Good, now, onto what I'm looking for in terms of goods..."

Author's Note

EDIT: Added a new, better intro, complete with a new, more fitting song.

EDIT: Changed a few small things to better fit the future chapters, and fixed a few remaining grammatical errors. Added an intro, complete with a song.

A little close to two thousand words, but it'll have to do. I hope I did well enough with the talks and conversations, well enough that you guys at the least found it mildly interesting instead of flat.

Anyways, thanks for reading.

-Timeless Celestial

22 - The Dancers And The Crashers: Another Queen's View (Edited... Again)

Author's Note

EDIT: Added a new, better intro, complete with a new, more fitting song.

This chapter's idea was proposed by J-90, so, hope you like it, dude!

It's a fair bit shorter than I would like, but I honestly can't think of how to make it any longer without ruining the quality. Hopefully this is still good enough for you and everyone else.

Anyways, thanks for reading!

-Timeless Celestial

22 - The Dancers And The Crashers: Another Queen's View (Edited... Again)

[A woman takes the first step up the stairs.

Her subjects watch on with pride in their hearts.

Her children follow behind her, smiles on their faces.

Royal Lightning flashes time and time again outside.

Reaching the top of the steps, she turns, and grins.

The Queen of Storms takes her throne.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6_722bLF-I)

Queen Novo looked out the window of the throne room, seeing the vast sea stretching out before her sight. The sea that she and her people owned. The sky above was theirs, as well. She grit her teeth. Until the Storm King came along, her and her people were free.

For years the Hippogriffs and Seaponies were hunted, forced into the shadows. For years Queen Novo had to sit idly by as the other nations, her allies did nothing to help her.

And now, after four whole years, the Storm King's reign was over, his grasp on her people and her lands gone, just like that. And now the new regent of the Storm Kingdom expected her to forget the years of fear and pain.

Queen Novo's claws clenched the fabric of her throne's arms, squeezing hard, as if they were the hearts of her most hated enemies. 'Even the Sisters expect me to forget the past!' She sighed, took a deep breath, and looked back to the Skili messenger in front of her throne.

As said messenger continued to read the scroll in her claws, Queen Novo recalled the many times she'd seen her subjects leave the safety of Seaquestria, and never return. She recalled the times her daughter, Skystar, would beg to go out into the world to explore, and the times the girl would run and lock herself in her room when she refused. The memory of Mount Aris burning, the hellish gleam of the flames lighting up the dim night sky, all of it was still fresh in her mind.

Queen Novo glared at the messenger, as if trying to burn them alive with just her gaze. A nudge to her shoulder brought her out of her hateful thoughts however, and she looked to her daughter, who was seated at the throne next to her. Skystar gave her mother a pleading gaze, eyes large and watery. Queen Novo grit her teeth again, but after staring into her daughters arctic eyes, she ever so slowly calmed.

Novo looked back to the messenger and waited for them to finish the now 68th proposal of friendship. "Tell your Queen I will...consider, the idea."

Silence filled the room at her words, the Hippgriff guards staring at their ruler with wide eyes. The Skili simply bowed deeply, her strange, golden mask covering her features. Queen Novo idly wondered if she was smiling, like she'd seen the Storm Queen do so very often.

"I will relay your message, Your Majesty," the messenger said, before standing up straight.

Queen Novo nodded, then waved them off. "Then go already, and make it snappy."

The Skili nodded, and exited the room soon thereafter. Skystar placed a claw on her mother's own, squeezing it affectionately.

"You made the right decision, Mom," she said softly.

Novo simply looked away and back out of the window. "...We'll see about that," was all she said.

Later that night, Queen Novo was on her balcony, watching the nightlife below unfold. The air was filled with the chirps of insects and a few frogs over by the Harmonizing Heights, but they were of little concern to the monarch. Instead, her focus was on that of her subjects, some of whom were stumbling in their gaits, likely on their way home after having too much to drink at one of the taverns. Some were soldiers, patrolling the streets for any criminal or illegal activity. Some were in pairs, walking down the streets whilst staring into each other's eyes, warmth obvious in their gazes.

Queen Novo felt a sharp pang of cold in her heart at that. Her frown was deep, and full of sorrowful weight that she couldn't hold back. And as one tear escaped her eyes unbidden, soon more tears did join. She tried to stifle her sobs, to hold back the pain, but the more she tried, the more the pain pushed back, until she slumped over on the rails of her balcony, sobbing.

Luna's moon was of little comfort to Novo as she sobbed into the night, venting her sorrows and pain to the world, despite knowing she would receive little to comfort her.

All she had left was her daughter.

She hadn't told Skystar even once what had happened. How could she? Skystar was young, and innocent. The young Hippogriff did not need that sort of pain on her shoulders. Each time the young princess asked, Novo would change the subject.

When her tears finally started to dry up, she wiped at her eyes with the back of her foreleg to further dry them. Soon after, she pulled herself off the railing and looked to the solitary statue in the town square, just a few hundred feet below her balcony. The heroic pose, majestic wings and crown all served only to give her another lance of cold pain to the heart. Despite being so far from it, she could easily recall the words on it's plaque.

"Here lies the late King Terminus, who fought valiantly against the Storm King and his tyranny. May his sacrifice never be forgotten, remembered always by our people, and may he rest forever in peace."

Queen Novo grit her teeth as she recalled the words so easily. She recalled the siege once more. The roar of the fires, the screams of the innocent, and the one who stood with and for his people against the tyrant. With pain in her heart and tears brimming once more in her eyes, she looked to the starry sky above and uttered...

"...I won't forget, dear. I'll keep our promise..." With that, she strode off the balcony and back into her room, the balcony doors closing with a silent finality.