The title of this says it all really. I'll save my usual pre-post rant for post-post, so I don't risk spoiling this... although, to be fair, if you don't see where this is coming from, you need to be shot. After me, naturally.
Not-Quite-Drunken-Silly (Although I wish it was... because then I could blame alchohol)
The Second Special: Mindfuckery 101 (point three... and a half)
It wasn't often Blacky went into the canyon, there wasn't much there that appealed to the small Eevee kit. But, nevertheless, he found himself walking down the opening between the great rock cliffs. The Charmander in front of him, his uncle, had been rather vague about why they were there, but Blacky went along anyway, assured repeatedly that it would be worth it. So he went along with it, after all, there had to be a good reason for leaving home and coming to an abandoned gorge.
The orange lizard was headed for a large rock resting in the middle of the canyon, propped up against a lone small tree. Blacky moved around him, leaping onto the platform and trying to read his Uncle's eyes. There was a faint glimmer of something he couldn't read, but that was soon buried under his amusment.
"Uncle Flametooth, why are we here?" He tilted his head, watching as the lizard folded his eyes, smirking slightly as though hiding a secret.
"If I told you, it would spoil your father's surprise."
"If you tell me, I'll still act surprised!"
"Oh no, no, that wouldn't do." Flametooth pulled back, placing a paw over his chest in mock shock, "I couldn't."
"Please?"
"Nope. It's between you and daddy, I can't interferre." The smirk widened slightly, revealing the tip of a pointed fang.
"Aww..." Blacky's ears drooped slightly.
"You wait here, on this rock, and I'll go get him, 'kay?"
"...Okay."
"Won't be long, kid."
He turned and started to walk off, stopping only after the kit called after him.
"Will I like the surprise?"
"Oh, Blacky," Flametooth glanced over his shoulder for a moment, his tail flame crackling and reflecting in his shining eyes, "it'll be to die for."
---
Up above the crevice, a herd of Stantler and Tauros grazed on the grassy plains, some of the younger ones playing or sunning themselves, all completely unaware of what watched them from in the shadows of a few boulders.
"Ugh," Alpha groaned, watching the herd with a piecing gaze, his eyes glazed over slightly, "I'm so hungry... can't we just pick off one?"
"No!" The Espeon beside him growled, smacking him over the head with her paw.
"Come on, Esteria, can't we just take down one of the older, sick ones?"
"No we cannot," she ordered, eyes flashing for a moment as she glared at the dusty Ninetails, "we wait for the signal from Flametooth."
The Poochyena beside the two made a small growling sound, staring up towards another outcropping on the other side of the canyon. There, the telltale flicker of a tail flame. Esteria smiled, twin tails hissing through the air with a whiplike crack.
"We're up." Her eyes glowed purple, piercing the shadows with their sinister aura.
"About time," Alpha sighed, his nine tails fanning out behind him as he took aim, spheres of blue fire forming on his tailtips.
The Stantler didn't see it coming. Seemingly out of no where, nine Will-O-Wisp blasted through the air, racing straight for the herd even as a psybeam fired itself at them, while a small dark type raced for the closest Tauros, his howl filling the air, echoed by several more as other creatures came out of the shadows, Arcanines, Ninetails, Mightyena, they all bore down on the ambushed herd, who reacted just like Flametooth wanted them to. They fled into the gorge with the pack snapping at their heels.
---
"Bored... bored... bored..." Blacky muttered, flopped down on the rock, "what's taking Flametooth so long?" There was nothing to do, he was beginning to wonder if he should have asked if Eevee could have come too, at least then he could talk and play with her... but, no, he had to stay where he was or he wouldn't get his surprise. His ears flicked up as a Kelcon phased into view, climbing down from its hiding place in the tree. Watching it go by, not even giving him a glance, gave Blacky an idea. He pushed himself upright, tried to look as imposing as he could, suck in a breath and...
"Rawr!"
The lizard didn't even react, so Blacky tried again. Still nothing, it just kept walking off. He narrowed his eyes, focused, sucked in a third breath... and this time his roar echoed off the canyon walls, loud and fierce, the Kelcon's eyes widened and it shot for the rock wall, turning invisible as it started climbing. Blacky cheered to himself, before pausing, cocking his ears. The echo was still there, it should have stopped... he noticed a round pebble rolling along the ground, as though propelled with some strange force, following it with his eyes. He spotted the movement out of the corner of his eye, his ears finally picking up the real cause of the echo, causing him to look up.
His eyes widened, he spluttered for air, fur spiking up at the sight of an entire herd racing down the canyon's entrance, straight at him. His shock was so great it was a few seconds before he reacted, giving the herd that little extra time to stampede closer. Blacky gulped, turned away, and ran like all hell was after him, feeling their thunderous hooves pounding the stone ground, gaining closer and closer... And then they were on him.
---
"Sire," the brown feathered bird perched on a rock spoke up, looking out over the great plains. Flame rolled his eyes, brushing down his front.
"Scout, we've been over this, use my name. Not sire, not sarge, or any other stupid nickname."
"The herd are on the move."
"Hmm?" The Charmander looked back, noticing the massive dust kicked up in the great herd's wake, "that's odd..."
"Sire!" Another voice piped up, Flametooth pulling himself up the clan's rock and staring up at his brother, oddly urgent in his tone...
"Okay, yes, your name is similar to mine, but you don't have to call me that either."
"Stampede!" The other lizard panted for breath... "in the gorge..."
"I can see that from here."
"Blacky's down there!"
Flame stopped in his tracks, staring down at his brother, before his eyes widened as his gaze rose to the stampede's dust. "What!?"
"We have to get down there!" The Pidgey piped up, getting a glare from both Charmander, Flame venting smoke in his agitation as he practically vaulted off of 'Pride Rock' with Scout and Flametooth on his tail the entire time. Instead of heading towards the plains, Flame was heading for a small cavern. He was going for a shortcut.
Mew looked up from his painting as a fireball practically incinerated the vines that acted as his door, he would have reacted further had that not been a common occurence... Although, it was rare that he saw Flame ready to slaughter, and even rarer to see him with fear in his eyes.
"Yes?"
"Teleport us to the canyon, now!" He growled.
"Why?" Mew did like to know the reasons for why he should waste valuble energy teleporting people around the place.
"Now!" Flame grabbed the psychic, hauling him into the air, "right this instant; Or I will sodomize you with your shamen stick!"
It was a good enough reason for Mew, he glowed pink for a second before a glowing portal formed in the air, showing the rocky crevice. Flame took one glance before dropping the cat, racing through the window, the warped hole in reality rippling like water as he passed through. Scout bowed apolegically before flying through after, Flametooth last.
"Find Scarlet, tell her that Blacky's trapped in a stampede." He muttered, before the window closed, the fur on Mew's shoulders spiking up in a sudden sense of dread...
And Mew had never been wrong yet... But there was always a first time. As he flew out his door, trying to pinpoint Scarlet's aura, he was hoping that this would be that first time.
---
Blacky had to fight to stop himself screaming, darting left and right, almost completely randomly, hooves slamming into the stone all around him. The noise, the dust, the blind panic, he couldn't think, he didn't know what to do... he could only run, run and pray that his father wouldn't be long... Then, a tree! he shot forwards, narrowly avoiding a Stantler landing on him as it fell, leaping up onto the bark. Now he was safe from being trampled, but the shockwaves from the stampede were shaking the deadwood, he wrapped his paws around it and held on like his life depended on it. And, if the horns of the animals just passing beneath him were any indication, it probably was.
Scout flew through the canyon, his eyes straining to see through the dust, but he was able to spot the white patches of fur on the Eevee as he was bucked around on the tree, shooting through the murky dustscreen. "Blacky!"
"Scout!" He practically screamed, almost losing his grip as the deadwood shook, having to scramble to keep his grip, "help me!"
"Hold on, your father is on his way!" Scout turned back, shooting back up the cliff-face, aiming for the twin flickering fires of the Charmander as they skidded down onto a ledge just above the dust storm.
Flame's eyes widened at the sight of the stampede, it was massive... it was like every damn Stantler and Tauros were pouring through the canyon, and Blacky was somewhere in there!
"Sire," Scout slowed to a hover, guesturing with a wing, "there, on that tree!"
"Blacky!" Flame spotted the kit, now hanging solely from his forepaws, struggling to prevent himself from falling... there was no sign of the stampede ending anytime soon, there was no time to wait...
The Charmander leapt off the ledge, sliding down the rockface, leaping into the stampede with naught a second thought, racing up the stream of hooves and horns, straight for that single kit. Flametooth watched, his expression guarded and impassive, while Scout flustered.
"We have to do something!" The Pidgey squawked, hovering next to the Charmander, "I know, help! I'll go get help!" He turned away, to shoot up above the canyon and back for Pride Rock. Unfortunately, turning away meant that he didn't see Flametooth's claws take on a metallic glint before the Metal Claw swatted him out of the air, forcing him to collide with solid rock and fall to the ground. With that distraction taken care of, Flametooth returned to watching his cursed brother fighting through the stampede.
He was level with that tree, but those stupid Stantler were running between him and Blacky, there was no gap to get through. Flame swore at the top of his voice, but he couldn't be heard over the thunder of the massive herd's flight. So he took the only option he had, he ran even further forwards, spotting a gap and skidding through it, coming within inches of having his head split open by a hoof, but he was through, turned back and headed back for Blacky, he was right in front of Flame, dangling from that tree, only mere feet away...
Then a Stantler came out of no where and knocked Flame flying, the lizard vanishing back into the crowd. Blacky screamed out, especially as the deadwood's base started to crack and tilt him even closer to the horns of the herd. Dazed for only a moment, Flame growled as that piercing cry cut through the air. He had no chance of getting to Blacky, unless...
Flametooth paced back and forth along the ledge, cocking an eyescale at the sudden white light that burst out from somewhere in the stampede's mist. That was unexpected, he would never have thought Flame would ever do such a thing, but the newfound Charmeleon roared, streams of fire forcing a hole in the great crowd, letting him stand and pile straight back in, still fixated on that one tiny Eevee kit. Flametooth smirked, even as he noticed a Tauros running straight for the deadwood, on a collision course.
Blacky screamed again as the great creature hit, shattering the tree and flinging him up into the air. For one split second, the Eevee caught sight of his uncle's eyes glinting in the light of his tail flame, but then he started to fall, fall straight back into the stampede. The Eevee was pleasently surprised, almost escatic, when Flame managed to vault onto a Stantler's back, using the creature as a spring board to launch himself forwards, catching the kit in his arms and managing to land in a gap in the sea of horns and hooves.
"Dad!"
"Hold on..." He growled, setting off again, trying to spot a way out, they had to escape and fast, he didn't know how much longer his luck would last...
A Stantler slammed into his side as it tripped, forcing him to trip, throwing Blacky forwards and back onto the ground. The kit rolled to a halt, looking back for any sign of the fire lizard, anything, but all there was were Stantler, all racing towards him. One straight for him... Flame blasted one out of the way, scooping up Blacky and shooting off once more as another fell to be trampled by its comrades. If they fell, or delayed in escaping, there would be no mercy from the herd... he had to get them out, now.
There, up ahead, a ledge, out of reach of the herd, perfect! Flame took the shot, flinging himself forwards and managing to place Blacky in safe's way... However, as the Charmeleon was scrambling up himself, a Stantler's horns caught him in the side and knocked him back into the crowd.
"Dad!" Blacky screamed, his black eyes darting left and right, trying, trying as hard as he could, to find the sight of that tail flame, the sight of scales... anything... anything at all...
Flame roared as he flung himself back out of the stampede, Blacky's eyes widening even as the kit cheered, turning to climb to safety to meet his father at the top. The Charmeleon was pulling himself up a pure rockface, claws scrambling for grip. And, up on the ledge above, waiting, was Flametooth.
"Brother..." Flame panted, not quite able to make it up the smooth cliff-face, his claws slowly losing their grip and causing him to slide back down to the herd. "Help me!"
Flametooth's claws glinted their metalic glow once more as he reached down, Flame wincing at the vice-like grip, almost crushing his wrists as he stared up at his brother, not quite understanding the look in those eyes.
"Long live the king," Flametooth grinned, mocking the Charmeleon before pulling his brothers claws away from the rock, hurling him back to the stampede.
However, Flametooth was not expecting his brother to yank off the Nido-horn tied around his neck, while falling, and hurl it at him. The Charmander pulled his head back, but not fast enough to escape unscathed, the point managed to tear open his cheek, just miss his eye, and slice open the flesh above it. So, in the end, the final blow went in favour of Flame.
"Damnit, that's going to leave a mark..."
---
Just after the horn was thrown, Blacky heard the cursing, turning back just in time to see his father fall. His ears drooped, he pulled back his head, and he screamed, as loud as he could. A hollow, piercing howl, cutting through the noise of the waning stampede... As it slowed, he practically shot back down into the canyon, back into the dust storm, looking left, right, everywhere...
"Dad! Where are you?!" He yelled, there was no answer... and then... he spotted red scales. But no tail flame...
That was wrong... but it had to be only a little problem, like a cold... he padded closer, Flame didn't move...
"Dad? Please... get up..." nothing, no reply, or anything... "Dad... comeon..." he nudged the lizard, still nothing. Tears were starting to well up in his eyes now, "get up..."
And still Flame didn't move, not even his chest moving with a breath... everything was still. Blacky slumped to the floor, he couldn't find it in him to stand, all he could do was lay there, head resting against his fallen father's chest. He couldn't do anything else... maybe if he closed his eyes and dozed off, Flame would wake up...
He was so distracted he didn't notice as Flametooth approached, the Charmander leaning down and watching the tiny Eevee with that same smirk on his face that he had been using when he had led Blacky to the canyon.
"Oh dear, look at what you've done now..." he muttered, Blacky turning to look up at him with tears in his eyes.
"He w-won't wake up..."
"He's dead..." Flametooth had to bite back a chuckle as the Eevee sobbed, continuing instead, "and it's all your fault."
"W-what?"
"You were here, you couldn't get out on your own, daddy had to save you, and it cost him his life."
"B-but... I didn't..."
"What would your mother think? What would Nala think?" Flametooth prodded, using Blacky's pet name for his Eevee friend.
"I..." he fell silent, tears streaming down his face.
"Run, Blacky." The Charmander leant down, his nose practically touching that of his 'nephew' "run and never come back."
"But..."
"Run!"
Blacky turned and ran. He didn't know what else to do, it was his fault... he had no other choice. From the dust behind Flametooth, out stepped the Espeon, Ninetails and Poochyena. Flametooth folded his arms, not even looking back to acknowledge their presence before he spoke. Two words, all the orders the three needed.
"Kill him."
---
Blacky heard their familier calls as the three gave chase, glancing back only once to see blue fire shining through the dust storm, the sight giving him a little extra boost of speed. He had to get away... he had to, Flame wasn't able to save him anymore, he had to do it alone... Something inside of him seemed to give him yet more speed and stamina, slowing the three demons' advantage over him, they were not gaining as much ground as they wanted, Will-O-Wisp and Psybeams not landing anywhere close to him.
And then even as he skidded down a side path, skimming through the canyon away from where the herd had fled, hoping to get away that way, despite the Poochyena managing to follow him almost perfectly. He just kept running. Even as he saw the massive field of thorns up ahead, he was small, they were nothing. He shot down the path, under the layer of spikey thorns. And he never stopped.
Alpha skidded to a halt on the ledge leading to the thorns, there was no way in hell he'd be able to follow through that... then Esteria collided with his back, pushing him right to the edge. He closed his eyes, before Poochie hit, throwing him down into the thorns. And promptly found the whole thing funny, laughing his merry head off as Alpha yelled, leaping back onto not-pointy ground, tails filled with the damned plants.
"I should curse you!"
"The kid got away..." Esteria ignored the Ninetails, looking out over the fields, "but, if he comes back, he's dead."
"You better believe it..." Alpha grumbled, starting to pull out thorns from his first tail before turning to yell over the field, "You hear that, Blacky!? You come back, we'll kill ya'!"
---
Everyone was gathered on Pride Rock, having all heard the news... Even the normally recluse Scarlet was sitting there, watching the path up to their home, waiting... She stood at the sight of a tail flame, before noticing the lack of a second... Flametooth walked around the corner, wiping his eyes with a paw... and the other, clutching the Nidoran Horn...
"No." Scarlet muttered, "not possible."
"Flame is dead..." Flametooth looked about ready to breakdown, "He tried to get Blacky... they were trampled before I could get there."
"No!" Eevee, tears pouring from her eyes, yelled. Bhe couldn't believe that... Blacky couldn't be gone, no. It wasn't true, it had to be wrong. It just had to be.
"They're dead, both dead. I'm sorry, Scarlet," Flametooth gave a slight bow to the stunned lizard before turning to Eevee, "Nala... I'm so sorry."
"...Now what... we need a leader?" A Flareon piped up, even as she fought back her own tears.
"I-I am of royal bloodline, am I not?" Flametooth stuttered slightly, letting a tear roll down his cheek, "I shall take up my brother's mantle."
"Aye..." Scarlet muttered, "I couldn't do it without him... you're welcome to it."
"I shall." And, as he bowed, his mouth hidden behind his arms, Flametooth smiled. Perfect.
---
A flock of Spearow flew around a new appearence in their wasteland, a small brown and white furball lay on the baked ground, immobile. They had been watching it ever since it arrived, it had collapsed on the floor two hours earlier and hadn't moved since. Some of them flew closer, it was small, so it couldn't have lasted long.
They never expected a volley of seeds, and a jet of water, to come out of no where and knock those gutsy few away from the target. And that volley was followed by another, this time the jet of water propelling a rock that brained the closest buzzard.
"Go on, skit, you feathered gits!" A Treecko yelled, dashing towards them with a Wartortle right behind him. The Spearow fled, not prepared to deal with food that fought back, much less food that ambushed them.
"What is it, Jack?" The turtle spoke, looking down at the small bundle of fur.
"I have no idea..." Jack muttered as he walked around the curled up creature, finding what he hoped was its head and slowly pulling it away from where it was curled up against its stomach. He dropped it in shock, "gack, an Eevee!"
"...huh?" Blacky opened his eyes.
"Please don't eat me, eat him!" Jack pointed at his parter.
"Wha'?"
Five minutes later, Blacky set in the shade of a lone boulder, trying to explain what he was doing out in the wasteland. He couldn't go into details, he just couldn't bring himself to. "I... just left..."
"Outcasted huh?" Jack thought over it for a moment, "us too, me and Squirt here."
"You could stay with us," the turtle offered, until the Treecko grabbed him by the ear and tugged him away.
"Why would we want an Eevee?! They're dangerous," Jack muttered the moment they were out of earshot.
"But, if he's on our side, when he gets bigger..."
"If he's on our side, we'll have a fully grown Eon! Of course, I'm a genius!" Jack clapped his paws together, a grin on his face.
"Sure you are..." Squirt rolled his eyes as they walked back to Blacky.
"Okay, kid, yeah, you can stay with us." Jack insisted, ruffling the Eevee's ears as he did so.
"B-but... I'm an outcast... I have to stay away..."
"Hey, kid, lighten up a little." Jack sighed.
"Hakuna Matata." Squirt added.
"Hakuna what?" Blacky stared, not knowing the phrase, and was trying to figure out why those two were so weird...
"Hakuna Matata, it's our motto!" Jack grinned.
"It means 'no worries'" Squirt explained while Jack sucked in a breath of air... and started to sing.
"Hakuna Matata, what a wonderful phrase!"
---
And I'll end it there.
"WHAT! I'm finally get my break in this crap and you stop there?!"
Yes, yes I am.
Anyway, Jack's pissy fit aside. Yeah, this scene was in my head and I had to get it out... and, Rizu, damn her cursed heart, decided to prod me and convince me to call it an NQDS special. Ah well, the whole ANI/Lion King thing started out innocently enough... when I brought up how Hakuna Matata would work as HC's theme song in place of the Beer Song she currently has up on the site.
Then it sorta got worse from there.
It really did.
However, it has a redeeming feature. Which is quite simple. Imagine, with visuals and sound, Blacky singing "I can't wait to be king"
Now all the angsty shit I just wrote seems nice and happy.
Hence why I saved this for the end.
Anyway, the script is blatantly 'borrowed' and adapted from Disney's "The Lion King"
Obviously you all knew that after the second paragraph. I'm only saying that so I don't get sued by Disney. Not that they care, seeing as they suck now and all.
Anyhoo, I doubt there'll be a 'sequal' to this, seeing as I expect to die for the gorge scene.
Ah well, I had a good run.
-Buwaro
