I've had the story bouncing around in my head for a while now. It was slowly driving me nuts and kept pestering to write it. So, I'm caving. My imagination is often getting the better of me. Bah.
The halls of Pandemonium, a hell-hole from the world that Firion and that man who called himself the Emperor, were a brunette's sudden surroundings when he awoke. He was not sure how he got here. The last thing he remembered was scouting the terrain with a fellow warrior to make sure Chaos' forces did not invade Cosmos' territory. While he and his companion were walking, suddenly, semi-familiar sigils appeared at his feet, there was a flash of white, and then, everything was dark.
He ducked behind a wall and narrowly avoided a white pearl which Squall, the brunette, recognized as a Holy spell. The damn spell was fast and accurate. Even if you could dodge it, it would eventually find you. Fortunately, it was better cast in a more open area. Squall was using the terrain to his advantage. His Blasting Zone could also cut through the walls of Pandemonium and still connect with his target. Despite all of his advantages, he was playing on the defensive. His opponent had no upper hand or advantage in battle; rather, it was his opponent itself that caused Squall to hesitate.
"Warrior of Cosmos…" droned the warrior he was facing in a monotone voice. Drained of all emotion, personality, freedom, was one of the few people Squall considered a friend, Bartz, the most free-spirited person he had ever met. To see him reduced to nothing more than an emotionless puppet… it was disgusting. It was painful. It was wrong. "Destroy," Bartz continued in his emotionless rambling as he pulled out his magically copied version of a vaguely familiar, red cannon. The cannon formed a huge energy blade that would make Cloud and Garland's swords jealous, and Bartz swung it down in a giant swipe using his whole body to swing the blade. Normally, Bartz would not just mimic the attack, but the battle cry along with it. However, he remained silent save for the few moments of his monotone mantra. The energy blade just missed Squall as he dodged backwards, looking for a new pillar to take cover behind.
Looking back to his friend, he looked into Bartz's eyes. The once bright, caramel-brown eyes that the light took delight in dancing around in were now gray and hollow, devoid of his once playful spirit. Squall was sickened to his core as Bartz flailed wildly on the strings of his puppeteer, helpless but to obey every string's tug and pull. Next thing Squall knew, Bartz had pulled out Paladin Cecil's spear-like weapon and charged it with Holy energy, then flung it at him in a crescent-like projectile.
"Mateus, you are a fool."
"You dare speak to me in such a manner, Golbez?" the blond man in golden armor spat with an added stamp of his staff on the ground, his normally calm demeanor shattered when his name was used in such a disrespectful nature.
The man in black armor merely swept his hand, as if brushing off the last remark. He made note of his current company: The Emperor, the space-time witch, Ultimecia, the former knight of Cornelia, Garland, and the warlock of the Void, Exdeath. All were watching the unfolding battle between two of Cosmos' chosen warriors in the Emperor's throne room, the Emperor and Ultimecia especially amused by the battle. "I am merely stating a fact, your Highness."
"And, what makes you say that, Golbez?" asked the silver-haired sorceress, now genuinely curious.
He crossed his arms and sternly looked at the man who believed himself a God. "You foolishly believe that you can control the Wind. And, you believe the Lion will not set it free. For that, you are a fool. When your plans fall apart, you will experience a Storm unlike any seen before." And with that, he faded out, teleporting to parts unknown.
The Emperor simply scoffed at the departing man. "I am the Emperor! I can and will control all! Land, sea, sky… even the Elements and the Divine shall be under my rule!"
With that, Garland took his massive sword in hand and made to depart. "And just where are you going, Garland? Not to partake in the battle, I hope," noted the Emperor, who knew of Garland's love of battle.
Garland stopped walking and turned his head back, his glowing, yellow eyes seemingly glaring at the man who dared think he was greater than Chaos. "No. This battle… it is a farce. Neither fighter is giving it their all; such battles do not amuse me." Garland knew their true power was far greater than what he was seeing. He had seen them spar from time-to-time. The brunette with the circlet was always so jovial in those battles, as if he was playing a game. The brunette with the scar would often scold the other over not being serious enough. While they still held back during those sparring sessions, their level of strength was far greater than the display he was witnessing now.
"Do not think of freeing the Wanderer, Garland," warned the "man" in sky blue armor, the warlock known as Exdeath, "lest you wish to be cast into the Rift to rot for eternity."
Garland slammed his sword into the ground in protest. "You mistake me for the sentimental fool that is Golbez? No, but I do believe what he said is true. Your 'oh-so-glorious' plan shall backfire… and, when it does, I will be there at the end of the Storm to fight the Wind itself!" With one last, proud laugh, Garland faded out, leaving the Emperor fuming.
"Bartz! Snap out of this!" pleaded Squall as he raised his Gunblade, the Revolver, over his head to block a vicious assault from a copy of Cloud's Buster Sword and a copy of his own Revolver. He was on one knee blocking blow after blow from the massive weapons in Bartz's desperate attempt to break Squall's guard. Soon, the constant beating stopped, and Bartz shifted to pressing the weight of the two weapons down on Squall's. Squall's arms were getting tired, he wasn't used to such a vicious assault, least of all from the man he considered a friend. Then, he started to hear a new sound chime against his sword. It was vaguely familiar. It was the sound of water hitting a metallic surface. "Water?" Squall thought. "Where…? -?" He stopped himself before he mentally asked the question since he could see the answer. Bartz, despite being a shell of his former-self, was crying. A steady stream of tears flowed down his otherwise emotionless face and dripped onto Squall's sword, emitting metallic notes upon their touchdown. That was, perhaps, the last straw. Despite Bartz's mind being restrained to the point that his body was little more than a marionette dancing whimsically for its master, he was aware enough to know he was fighting his friend, and it was tearing him up inside.
Suddenly, in a room behind him, a white crystal in the shape of a bell with a wing had formed. No one was quite sure what they were, but they had a strange power. The seemed to infuse the one who gathered it, not with strength, but with memories… Memories of a time when they were stronger… And those memories provided them with that lost strength. They called them EX Cores, and if there was one thing he knew, he knew Bartz could not get his hands on it. Doing so would probably mean Squall would lose, and he may lose Bartz to them forever... And he himself may become a slave to them as well. Gathering up as much strength as he could, his blade began to glow with a blue energy. He pushed Bartz off of him, causing Bartz to stumble back, and the weapons to disappear. Squall made a mad dash for the core. He had a head start, but the injuries were starting to catch up to him, and Bartz was quickly on his tail. Squall extended his hand to reach the core, as did Bartz, but, he wasn't sure who was the first to get it, since all he could see was white…
"Rain?" That was the first thing Squall became aware of once he came-to. As he opened his eyes, he noticed he was lying in a field of grass and flowers. The flowers themselves were familiar, though he wasn't completely sure why. As he attempted to stand on his two feet, he quickly fell back over on his back. At first, he wondered why, until he noticed his hands weren't hands… They were, in fact, paws - rather large paws, to be exact – the paws of a lion. Rolling over to stand on his new paws, he surveyed the landscape. This field of grass and flowers extended as far as his eyes could see in all directions. He began to walk, slowly at first while he adjusted to his new form, then at a brisk pace once he felt he got walking on four feet down.
Everything about this place was weird… almost surreal. First off, the rain despite it pouring heavily did not seem to get anything wet. He was walking in it for what seemed like hours to him, but he was completely dry. And the flowers, no matter how far he walked, the landscape was pretty much the same with no sign of changing at all on the horizon. The animals that existed in this space were also just as bizarre. Besides himself, he saw a chocobo, a monkey, a swan, a few wolves, a turtle with a beard (Squall couldn't believe it when he saw it), a dragon, and a freaking plesiosaurus (which didn't even make sense considering the lack of water). But perhaps the strangest, and most chilling, thing about this place was, no matter how long he walked, no matter how hard it rained, there was no wind. It was as if the wind itself could not blow… like something was holding it back.
Squall screamed- er- roared in frustration. His friend was suffering, and now he was somewhere where the laws of the universe meant nothing. He was a lion, and the wind was dead. Seemingly in response to Squall's frustration, he felt for the first time in this horrible place the wind. It was weak, but he could feel it against his face all the same. That was when he heard it.
"Squall…"
The lion looked around for the source of the voice. There was no one there… It was almost as if the Wind itself spoke to him… The Wind that spoke in a familiar voice…
"Bartz?" Squall called back, though it came out as a lion's roar. Still, it seemed that his voiced reached Bartz, and he understood. Suddenly, the rain stopped, not just pouring, but in midair. The Wind picked up slightly as it seemed to gather the frozen rain, loose flower petals, and discarded chocobo down and began to twist itself into a loose shape, a shape Squall recognized. The clouds parted slightly to let some sunlight through small gaps. The raindrops caught in the wind shimmered at just the right angle to help form the illusion of Bartz, the man Squall came to call a friend.
The illusion of Bartz smiled, but illusion or no, Squall could tell that it was forced. "Hey, Squall..." Bartz's voice trailed off, well, more like the voice of the wind did since the sound came from all around Squall, like he wanted to say something more but couldn't bring himself to say it.
Squall, now sitting and starring at the ethereal form of his friend, took this as a cue to "speak." "Where are we?" he asked, though, again, it was nothing more than a lion's call.
Bartz, still clearly having understood him, began to ponder for a moment before he could come up with an answer. "I think… we're on some spiritual plane speaking to each other."
"Spiritual plane? Well, I suppose that explains a lot." Squall thought. Squall opened his mouth to "speak" again, until he noticed the look on Bartz's "face," one of conflicted pain. Clearly, Bartz wanted to say something but wasn't sure what… Only that, whatever it was, couldn't be good.
"S-Squall…" he began. "I-…" He clenched his "fist" in frustration. "… End me."
Squall couldn't believe what he heard. "'End you'? You can't possibly mean-," Seeing the look of grief on Bartz "face", he knew that Bartz did, in fact, ask Squall to kill him. "B-Bartz! I couldn't!"
Bartz's shimmering form began to cry, though, instead of tears, it began to rain again, however, this time, Squall was getting wet. It was as if the Elements themselves were responding to Bartz's emotions. "Squall, I ask you because you're my friend… I don't want to fight you… Not like this. It's killing me inside, watching myself fight you like a monster and being totally powerless to stop it. If I killed you or Zidane… I… I wouldn't be able to live with myself. And, the others… They'd cut me down and mark me a traitor. You'd send me off peacefully, at least."
"BARTZ, SHUT UP!" Squall roared, now standing on all fours. The bizarre menagerie that littered the landscape fled as fast as they could for non-existent cover. The rain stopped as Bartz looked at his now-feline companion's face. "How could you, of all people, loose hope? They may have imprisoned your mind, they may have control over your body, but your spirit yet remains free! Speaking like this should be proof enough of that!" Squall gripped the land with his claws, fighting hard against the tears that began to well up in his own eyes. "Bartz, I swear on my pride as a Lion, I will save you!"
Bartz looked at his friend in shock, studying his face, starring into the icy, blue eyes of the lion that stood before him. He knew that look. That was the look of a determined man, a man who would risk it all to accomplish his task or die trying. But, such men were stubborn, and would not die easily. Bartz, for the first time in this strange plane of existence, smiled a genuine smile, and the world around them responded in kind. The clouds began to part to let the sun shine down on the land, and the flowers turned upwards toward the heaven to soak up the rays. A sense of relief washed over him, and his spirits and hopes were renewed. "I'll hold you to it." But, just as quickly as he smiled, it vanished as his mood became somber once more. "However, if you are unable… Please-."
"It won't come to that. You have my word," Squall interrupted. The land then began to fade; apparently their time in this strange place of existence was coming to an end.
"I have kept him alive, Cosmos…" spoke Golbez to the sky. "It is now up to them." He walked off into the distance, his part in this story now over. "Shall the Lion release the Wind, or will the Wind strike it down and remain in servitude to Man? That, now, is left in Fate's hands."
When Squall became aware of his surroundings again, he noticed that he was back in Pandemonium, back in his human body, back fighting with the brainwashed Bartz. Soon, he noticed that he had new injuries that caused pain to radiate throughout his being. The next thing he noticed was his Gunblade. Instead of the usual Revolver, it was now the Lionheart. It seemed his body was still fighting while the two of them talked. Looking at Bartz, he noticed three things. One, Bartz was also in his EX Mode as evidenced by the stars over his head and the red cape. Two, Bartz had various injuries as well probably inflicted while they were having their little chat. And three, Bartz was still crying over what his body was doing without his consent.
Squall panted heavily. He wasn't sure how much longer this power up would last… or how much longer his legs could support his weight. Squall was fighting a losing battle; his injuries were making him sluggish. Bartz's injuries didn't seem to faze him at all, probably due to the one controlling his body. Squall needed to at least knock him out before he attempted to remove whatever spell had gripped his friend so firmly. He pulled the trigger on his Gunblade, causing the blade to glow in a blue energy as it propelled him forward at high speed at Bartz. Bartz, however, gracefully dodged out of the way. Squall was now defenseless as Bartz lined himself up behind Squall and summoned blue octahedrons for one of Bartz's most powerful attacks, the Goblin Punch. Squall felt the invisible fists pound into his back and screamed in pain.
"Yes! YES!" cried the Emperor in delight at his perfectly executed blow. "Finish him! Use your greatest attack! The Spellblade-Dualwield-Rapid Fire! I shall show those lowly gods the power I now control by taking out one of Cosmos's more powerful pawns!" He smiled a twisted smile as he could practically see his plans coming to fruition – a world where he ruled all worlds. The gods, life, death, the Elements… they would be his to command.
Bartz, adhering to his master's wishes, began his greatest attack. The world shattered to reveal the EX dimension – a strange place where the one who is cast into it is defenseless against the onslaught of the one who sent them there. Squall could only watch in horror as Bartz summoned the various weapons of his companions and enchanted them with magic. Taking two weapons in hand, Bartz slashed Squall through – once, twice, three times, then four. Squall couldn't take much more, but he knew Bartz attack wasn't quite done yet. The cloned weapons then combined into Bartz's greatest and personal weapon – a sword so strong, he resolved to use it only as the final blow to his strongest attack. A red sword known as the Brave Blade, a blade that is as strong as the wielder's courage, was a force of raw power in Bartz's hands. Squall closed his eyes and waited for the final and deathly blow, ashamed of himself for being unable to keep his promise. Bartz charged with sword in hand and sliced through Squall's body… Or so Squall thought. He felt the gust of air that the sword was swung against his body, but he didn't feel the steel carve through his flesh. It was almost as if the sword itself wasn't there. The EX dimension spat him and Bartz back out, and Bartz reverted to normal. Squall stumbled to his feet, unsure of what just happened. The way that Bartz just stood there was a sign that his master was also unsure of why Squall survived that attack.
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" the Emperor fumed. His perfect pawn did not resist him, but yet, Squall survived his greatest attack.
"As I said before, Mateus, you are a fool." The voice came before Golbez fully materialized in the Emperor's throne room. "You stripped Bartz of his personality and his emotions. That was your undoing."
The Emperor scoffed at Golbez's remark, ignoring the fact that Golbez again addressed him by name and not title. "In doing so, I created a pawn that serves me with absolute loyalty. A pawn that knows not pain, remorse, fear… He is my ultimate tool to use against the gods."
Golbez simply pointed at him with his black, clawed gauntlet. "And that is precisely why you are a fool. In stripping Bartz of those things, you stripped him of what makes him strong. His remorse makes him value life all the more. His pain makes him push himself harder, so that he won't experience it anymore. His fear simply makes his courage and determination all the more tempered. In stripping him of those things, his sword, the Brave Blade, is nothing more than a stick – no, not even that. A stick still exists in the physical plane and can inflict damage, though minor. His Brave Blade now is nothing more than the illusion of a sword. With no emotions to fuel the blade, it is nothing but a trick of the light. You have been outdone by your own machinations. Now, you shall suffer the consequences."
"What are you prattling on about, worm?" spat the Emperor. "Bartz is still under my control! I shall dispose of Squall, then dispose of the now worthless pawn. I see no fault to my plan."
"Hmph, still the fool. The Lion is about to end this," he said, sweeping a clawed gauntlet to the "screen" where the various villains were watching the battle unfold. Much to the Emperor's horror, Golbez was right. Squall charged his sword with energy, effectively tripling its size and slicing the energy-blade down.
"MOVE, YOU WORM! MOVE!" ordered the Emperor, but the call came too late as the blade cut through Bartz.
Squall then opened the EX dimension himself and sent Bartz into it. As he began to charge his blade with energy for his attack, the Renzokuken, he noticed something strange about Bartz. He could, for the first time, see strange thorny, vine-like strings holding his body in various places like a helpless marionette on its control bar. Squall narrowed his gaze, and focused his many slashes on the strings that bound his helpless friend, first the arms, than the legs, the torso, the head, and finally, charging up his greatest attack, he aimed for the thickest vine-like string that connected to the back of his neck and snapped it in two, adding in a "Mission Accomplished," at the end.
With the attack over, the EX dimension faded as did his power up. His Lionheart reverted to the Revolver, and Bartz flopped over in an unconscious mass. Squall ran over to his friend and picked up his head. He patted the side of his cheek lightly in an attempt to wake him up in hopes that he was back to normal.
Bartz stirred and slowly opened his eyes. The eyes of the playful spirit were again shining at full force, much to Squall's relief. Still half-out of it, Bartz smiled at Squall. "Hey," he responded lightly.
"Good morning," Squall greeted in return. Squall got back to his feet and offered a hand to Bartz, which Bartz gladly took and got back on his own feet. Though, the two practically fell over, their collective injuries fast catching up with them. The only thing keeping them on their feet was, in fact, each other.
Bartz whistled and scratched the back of his head surveying the remains of various columns and walls. "Boy, we go all out, don't we?"
Squall just chuckled and shook his head. "Come on. Let's get out of here," he said as the two stumbled toward the exit.
"GOLBEZ! WHAT DID YOU DO?" The Emperor was now furious. The area crackled electrically in response to the Emperor's fury.
"I did nothing, save keep the Lion alive while he was having a little chat with the Wind," he said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Everything else was their doing."
The grip on the Emperor's staff tightened. He slammed it hard on the ground and turned his attention to Exdeath. "SEND ALL OF YOUR AVAILABLE FORCES TO PANDEMONIUM! DO NOT LET THEM ESCAPE ALIVE!"
Exdeath chuckled in amusement at the Emperor's anger. "Very well. I shall mobilize the Manikins." With that, he teleported out and headed to the Rift to gather his forces.
Golbez merely scoffed at the Emperor. "No matter how high a wall you build, nothing shall save you from the coming Storm."
Bartz and Squall were now fighting off wave after wave of Manikins that suddenly appeared as they tried to make their way back to Cosmos' territory. Despite their injuries and their overwhelming numbers, the duo were not only fending them off, but gaining ground. Exdeath, a warlock that commanded a force that solely existed to return everything to a state of nothingness, was struck dumbfounded by the demons his hoards faced. Exdeath thought that he knew not fear, for what was there to fear if the power to destroy the world was at your fingertips? That was, until he watched those two reduce his almighty army to crystalline rubble in a matter of hours. Their direction from heading to friendly territory shifted to face the Manikin hoards head on. They were coming for him, which Exdeath knew. The question was, were they going to stop at him?
"Ugh, this is getting boring, Squall," moaned Bartz as he sliced another crystalline figure in two with the energy sword. The scarlet pink Manikin in the shape of a young woman exhaled its last, garbled cried, and shattered into pieces, only for another Manikin quickly took its place, one that seemed to have the form of Firion, the weapons master. "They just keep coming!"
"Deal with it, Bartz," scolded Squall, as he formed a ring of magical explosives around himself and detonated them. Various Manikins in numerous colors wailed in unison and shattered. "We can't let a force like this slip into Cosmos's territory."
Bartz sighed in agreement. "Yeah, yeah, I know." He quickly turned to Squall after he unleashed an eruption of dark fire at the army, burning a small column of Manikins in its wake. "That makes 589… You?"
"637," Squall responded.
"Aw, what? When'd you get ahead of me! I was sure I had at least 50 on you!" he said as he let loose a Flare after a Holy barrage.
"When were you ahead of me? I distinctly remember having a good lead on you this entire time!" he answered while crashing his energy-infused super-blade down on a line of Manikins. In the heat of battle, the two forgot about their injury-ridden bodies and worked off of each other's strengths. The two truly were a force not to be taken lightly.
Off in the distance, Garland saw that the two finally made it to the Rift where Exdeath was commanding his army. Next to him, Golbez's form shimmered into sight. Garland laughed a triumphant laugh. "You were right, Golbez. This is truly a fight to behold!" He tightened the grip on his massive sword. "My blood boils!"
"Patience, Garland," Golbez began, "You shall have your fight soon enough." Golbez's gaze tightened on the unstoppable duo. "For now, this is not your battle."
"I am well aware of that, Golbez. I am merely reveling in the festival of chaos the pawns of harmony have wrought upon the land."
"Exdeath!" Bartz began.
"Show yourself!" Squall finished.
The halls echoed with the condescending laughter of the warlock. "So, you have finally arrived, pawns of Cosmos," he mocked as he teleported into the middle of the room. "Tired and injured from your many battles, you come to me to cast you into the Void for all eternity. I shall gladly oblige."
"Again with the 'Void' thing," Squall sighed as he shrugged. "You seriously need a girlfriend."
"What about the Cloud of Darkness? They're both going on about how 'grand and glorious' the Void is."
"I dunno, I was thinking Ultimecia. That would get that witch off of my back…"
Bartz snickered at the comment. "And here I thought you didn't have a sense of humor, Squallard-."
"YOU DARE MOCK ME IN MY OWN CASTLE?" boomed the warlock. He summoned his sword and telepathically slashed at the two, intent to cleave them in half.
"Uh-oh, I think we made him mad, Squall," Bartz teased.
"At least he's not a temper-tantrum throwing Momma's boy."
Bartz burst into laughter at that remark. It felt good to Squall hearing Bartz laugh, especially after the whirlwind of a day they just had. The two artfully dodged Exdeath's sword and double teamed on his shields. Exdeath was helpless against the onslaught, like a tree caught in a fierce windstorm; his once sturdy trunk was broken in half and was reduced to nothing more than firewood.
He began to fade into darkness as he watched the two ready to move on. With his remaining strength, he called to them. "I assume by now you know who cast that spell on your companion." The two stopped and turned to face the fading chosen of Chaos. Exdeath gave one of his amused laughs that seemed to echo in and of itself. "So, you are clueless to his identity. Very well, Warriors of Cosmos. I shall tell you his name." The two were unsure as to why Exdeath was suddenly being helpful, but they didn't question it further. "Emperor Mateus, the man who believes himself a God!" Exdeath was back on his feet, laughing madly as he faded from existence, pleased with himself of the continued path of destruction the two would continue to carve.
Bartz turned to look at Squall's face. He could see it in his eyes – a fury that no amount of talk would calm, not that Bartz blamed him. Bartz himself wasn't one much for revenge, but there were only so many things a person could take before they are pushed well beyond their breaking point. The two shot each other a glance and, in an instant, knew what the other was thinking. They were going to have an audience with the Emperor; they were going to teach him a painful lesson that the Wind will bow to no Man.
I think that's a good place to end it. Boy, I did not expect this story to be this long. Whoops.
Anyways, I really loved the duo that was Squall and Bartz in Dissidia. The two were so opposite in personality; it created such an interesting relationship between the two. Squall was like the caring older brother (despite being younger), and Bartz was the playful younger sibling that often got himself and his older brother in trouble. But, despite the bickering, the two really care for each other and would come to each other's aid at the drop of a hat. I also kinda pictured the duo being like Fai D. Flowright (Bartz) and Kurogane (Squall), one extremely talented, but lazy, magician and one extremely serious and stoic swordsman who is constantly exasperated by the games of his magical companion but knows that it's all an act to hide his real power. I also like to think that Bartz is probably one of the strongest Warriors of Cosmos, but his attitude prevents him from unleashing his full strength, and he would rather just play games, which is why he's not as highly "ranked" as some of the others.