The Sorcerer of Everlasting Summer

The liquid darkness circling overhead dips into a dome that encompasses the campsite, dimming out the only light source provided to Gojo. It’s a small matter. Even in this dimly lit area, that blot of cursed energy in the distance was practically sticking out like a sore thumb to him. Clasping his hands together, Gojo shifted, the space distorting and warping around him as the ground beneath him swayed. In the next instance, he was next to a tree, staring at a chameleon curse perched on a tree branch.

The curse seemed to be looking for where Gojo teleported off to, glancing left and right to try to get an accurate reading of his whereabouts. Gojo floated over unbeknownst to the curse and swiped it off the branch.

“Eep!” The curse shrieked,

The sorcerer brought the thing closer to his face, examining it. This is weird; it isn’t squirming. In fact, it’s acting relatively calm for a low grade. The curse’s eyes glaze over Gojo’s features, trailing down his body and to their surroundings.

The white-haired human hummed, tilting his head a bit before an idea popped into his head. It was worth a shot, he thought.

Tightening the grip he had on the little fella, he inched his face closer.

“I know you’re still alive…” Gojo rumbled. In response, the curse’s eyes begin to widen, causing Gojo to crack a smile. “You can run, hide, or change your face, but the world won’t protect you from me… And now that I’m free, I will find you.”

Finishing what he wanted to say, the man crushed the chameleon in hand, purple blood splattering everywhere before its remains vapourised into the air. Good, this is good! This confirms his suspicion that body hopper is still alive. And it pretty much aligns with what he saw back at the beach with Sombra’s troops and that bunch of curses.

Flicking his hand for a bit to get rid of the stinky purple mess he made, he turns his heels and heads back in the direction of the camp. Whistling to himself from the satisfaction of a filling meal and a satisfied night as he released the curtain over him.

It was a blazing midday, one where it wouldn’t be wise to trek through the desert without proper preparation. And yet, there they were, a human, hippogriff, and changeling, walking through the dusty hills with ribbons of sand formations scattered about.

The sun was particularly ruthless this time of day, and it was evident by the amount of sweat dripping from Silverstream’s face. Dusty skulls lay scattered all across the fields; insects Gojo had never seen before crawled out of one of its sockets and dug beneath a rock the skull was leaning on. Gross.

Gojo and the two lumbered forward, huffing with each step.

“We-“ Silverstream huffed, tongue drying out. “Should be reaching Klugetown!”

“Why does the walk feel longer on the way back!?” Ocellus asked herself.

“I’m burnt…” Gojo commented, touching his delicate hand with the arm still carrying their luggage.

“W-wait!” Ocellus stopped, straining her eyes with a forehoof to her brows to act as shade. “I think I see it!”

Trudging over the dune along the cobblestone road, broken remains of ships decorate the empty spaces, guiding their eyes up to the marvellous, multi-mangled machinery and not-so-intricately stacked town of Klugetown. Billows of smoke rise from pipes sticking out of towers of scrap metal, and the air is so polluted that even the ultra finer details almost seem to be a blur for the sorcerer. Well, the keyword being almost.

Going along the cobblestone road, Gojo and the gang upped their pace a little. But two enormous gates and twin watch towers stopped them from entering the rusted city.

“Hey, Silverstream.” Ocellus perked,
“Yes?” She replied, staring at the metal gates.

“Was this gate always here?”

“I don’t think so, no.”

“Identify yourselves,” Came a robotic voice from one of the watch towers. Drawing their attention, the trio looked to the source of the sound. A mind-controlled troop of Sombra’s army peeked out of the cover. “In the name of his majesty.”

Right as Gojo was about to open his big fat mouth, Silverstream stepped forward, whispering. “I got this!”
Coughing into her talons, she patted Gojo on the leg and approached the tower, projecting her voice to ensure the soldier could hear her.

“Hello! We’re passing travellers from afar and wish to trade our goods! Oh, and long live his majesty!” Silverstream exclaimed with the most merchant voice she could muster before executing a bow in a show of good faith.

“Where do you come from?” The guard questioned.

“We just made it out of the forest back there,”

“You mean the forest leading to Mount Aris?”
“Uh, yeah.” When those words of confirmation left her lips, the troop’s horn flared to life.
“We lost contact with the squad patrolling Mount Aris. It is your group’s doing it, is it?”

A bead of nervous sweat dripped down Silverstream’s forehead. Glancing over to Ocellus, she meekly returned the gaze while looking for a way to get them out of the situation.

“Aha,” Silverstream faked a laugh. But it looked as though she was talking to the wall. “I don’t suppose you’ll turn a blind eye to this?”

The guard’s horn grew brighter.

In a flash, the guard fired off a concentrated blast of magic at the trio. Silverstream and Ocellus braced themselves for the impact, shutting their eyes and holding their bodies tight. But the explosion never came. Cracking an eye open, Silverstream checked her surroundings, only to see Gojo standing in front of her, his tall stature shielding her from the attack as it seemed to hover harmlessly in front of his face.

“Wha-?” Ocellus blurted out.

“Interesting,” Gojo analysed, “A mixture of Positive and Cursed Energies, this is a first.” Raising a hand up to the glowing ball of magic, he tickled it with the tip of his fingers before slapping the thing away. The projectile landed several feet away out of range and exploded harmlessly in the open sand fields. “My turn~!”

Bring the same hand that tickled the soldier’s attack high up, the space around his palm warped and bent. In the next instance, a gravitational pull sucked the two guards stationed on the watch tower into the air above the gate. The speed at which they were pulled caused them to come crashing into one another; the sound of armour metal clanged together, and their bodies tightened around each other’s limbs.

Intensifying the attraction, the metal gates were pulled and sucked in as well, folding and bending around the two guards; the sound of high-pitched metal whirling and moaning filled the air, and, not long after, a giant ball of junk metal floated in the middle of the path—small shards of metal and rusted steel orbit around it. The gate breaking seemed to trigger some alarm if the sound of blaring sirens and flashing red lights weren’t any indication.

Bringing the giant floating ball to himself, Gojo palmed the rusted surface, exploding it forward and decimating it through the various barricades and blocks set up for inspection. It crashed into the side of a building, rolling slightly before coming to a stop.

“Are… they alright?” Ocellus asked.

“Probably,” Gojo shrugged. “C’mon, let’s go.”

As they walked into Klugetown, the trio received stares from residents couped up in their homes and windows. Eyes wander all across their bodies, though not one goes unnoticed by Gojo.

“Halt!” Yelled a soldier’s voice up ahead, charging in with a sword. “In the name of-“
Gojo backhands the troop, sending him into the nearby building.

“Stop!” Came a more feminine voice from behind, leaping in with an axe-

Gojo backhands her into the building opposite her colleague, immediately sending her into a deep nap.

Walking deeper and deeper until they reach what Gojo could only assume to be the town square, with a giant fountain with a large open space and whatnot. More guards flooded in from every angle, some blocking the streets, others perched atop buildings behind cover, and some troops even appeared to be town residents. One in particular, a bipedal hog, pushed through the crowd with a spear. His head brandishing a mind-controlling helmet.

“You are surrounded!” The hog said, “Surrender or die!”

“Where’s your leader at!?” Gojo demanded,

“Last warning!” The hog threatens.

“Listen here, Piggy!” Gojo mocked, pointing a daring finger at him, “Either you bring’em out here, or I’m blasting every one of your pals to smithereens. The choice is yours. Well, I’m still gonna blast all of ya, but hurry up!”

The tips of his fingers begin to glow red, and the air spins around the focus as Gojo releases a blast of divergence at the gathered crowd of soldiers. The attack blasts the group in an explosive warning and scatters their flying bodies around the plaza.

“Need a bigger demonstration?” The sorcerer smirked.

Suddenly, a faded silhouette marking an opening space grew darker and darker until a blur dropped from the skies in an explosive rumble that even shook the earth. The mysterious figure got up, the low-lying dust clouds dissipating to show a very built cyan pony clad in black armour with a standardised mind-controlled helmet. He had a red cape and a crest of the Crystal Empire engraved onto his shoulder guard while his mane and beard poked through the protective gear. To top it all off, he carried what looked to be a weaponised black and red shovel on his back.

He was heavily decked out from top to bottom.

“That would be me.” The pony spoke, eyes gleaming purple.

“So you’re the leader running things around here?” Gojo asked, plopping down the barrel before taking a step forward. Only to be stopped by a talon and hoof grabbing his leg.

“D-don’t!” Ocellus warned, “It’s Rockhoof!”

“Uh-huh,” Gojo nodded, “Who’s that?”

“A pillar of old!” Silverstream answered. “He was a hero who saved Equestria in the past! H-he’s strong! And fast! Too fast even for you!”

“Hey, don’t worry!” Gojo patted their heads, pointing a thumb at himself with his trademark smile. “I’m the strongest!”

Right as Gojo said this, Rockhoof charged forward at blinding speeds with his shovel in his mouth. “For his majesty!” Rockhoof roared.

Bringing the shovel back, Rockhoof unleashed a gargantuan swing onto the sorcerer. The shovel connected with an earth-shattering hit, quaking the ground they stood on. The dust quickly settled, revealing Gojo was no longer where he was. Rather, he was sitting on Rockhoof’s back with a leg over the other.

Gojo leaned onto his hand, the same arm resting atop his thigh. “Where’re you aiming that~?”

Rockhoof spun the shovel and rolled it around his neck, forcing Gojo to hop off as the shovel landed squarely on the ground beside Rockhoof. Picking it back up, Rockhoof flung the weapon at Gojo while making a break for it at the human.

Catching the shovel midair with his bare hand, he forced the weapon into the ground, his hand still on the handle and using it like a walking cane. Pivoting on his heel, his body rolled out of Rockhoof’s way as Gojo danced around the earth pony. Making a fool out of him in front of hundreds of watching eyes.

“Hey.” Gojo quipped, leaning back into Rockhoof’s ear. “My travel buddies are watching, so I’m gonna show off a little, yeah?”
Rockhoof spun back, swinging his hindleg in a low sweep. But Gojo was already gone, standing several feet behind him. Rockhoof gave chase, leaping into the air with several somersaults to gain further speed before dropping back down like a meteor, extending his hindleg in a devasting axe kick.

Gojo didn’t move. In fact, he seemed to welcome Rockhoof with open arms. All window of opportunity to dodge was erased as Gojo continued to stand there, Rockhoof’s leg diving closer and closer to his face. Right at the moment when Rockhoof’s hoof would’ve connected squarely onto Gojo’s forehead, the sorcerer adjusted his positioning ever so slightly in such a way that Rockhoof’s attack missed him entirely. Causing the pony to continue falling down onto the handle of the shovel Gojo held onto.

Rockhoof’s crotch made contact first as he landed on the handle with an earth-shattering boom! The pony’s body jolted a bit, staying mechanically still. The sound of pain whimpers could be heard while a tear streaked down the edges of the helmet. Gojo smirked, leaning in closer.

“What’s wrong?” He teased, “Something broke?”

Pulling the shovel and, in turn, the support keeping Rockhoof upright from underneath him, the large pony begins to fall back onto the ground briefly. Tossing the weapon away in quick succession, Gojo brought his hand into a fist, launching the knuckle straight into Rockhoof’s gut with the attraction of Blue.

The fist dug deep into the underbelly of the pillar. Gojo swore he could feel something even breaking as Rockhoof was sent careening backwards. The poor pony was sent through several buildings, tearing through metal walls before coming to a stop at the end of the street. The only indication that he was there was a new billow pillar of smoke emitting from the crash site.

Ocellus and Silverstream looked on with slacked jaws, and so did the foot soldiers on the battlefield. All of their eyes were wide in disbelief. Turning over to the sorcerer, Gojo smirked, throwing a peace sign and a thumbs up their way. His nonchalance fully threw them for a loop.

“Told ya I’m the strongest!” Gojo boasted with his singsong voice.