Disclaimer: I do not own any of the material appearing in this story. The OC's belong to their respective owners.
"Rrrgh!" Sothis was thrown to the ground in their lair.
"I've heard rumors that you were alive, I just never expected to actually see you alive and well." Thales said.
"Well, so sorry to disappoint you." Sothis glared.
"You're going to serve us well. With you here, our revival for Nemesis will be realized."
"Let me guess, you're going to kill me and take all my bones for weapons again?"
"As amusing as watching Byleth use your spine as her main weapon of choice, no. We are not going to do that. We will use your magic to revive him."
"So that's your game… my magic to revive him?"
"Indeed."
"Hmm… hmhmhmhmhm… hahahahaha!" Sothis laughed.
"What's so funny?"
"You really think kidnapping a goddess is going to help you? Please, the Church of Seiros is going to have a field day when they find out where I am and you are going to fail."
Thales smirked. "Your confidence in them is amusing. I wonder how you will feel if they fail before your eyes." He said and walked off.
Sothis smirked back. "I realize I could probably use my magic to break out of here, but I'm going to assert dominance over your wrinkled ass by not using it."
Thales stopped walking, turning his head to Sothis who was giving him a smug look. "Hmph. We'll see who asserts dominance, goddess." He said and walked off.
Sothis chuckled. "Let the game of wits commence."
At Garreg Mach…
"Sothis is what?!" Seteth yelled.
"Yes. Mother has been captured." Rhea growled. "Not only that, but Edelgard has turned against us."
"N-now hold on a moment. I'm sure Edelgard has a good reason-"
"She has no reason! She sided with Those Who Slither in the Dark! Byleth has been injured by her… and I'm going to stop at nothing until their headquarters crumble to dust!"
"I realize this is serious, but if you would take the time to breathe, we'll figure something out. Going in blindly won't do us any good."
"And how do you know that!" Rhea growled.
"Rhea, you've been acting rashly ever since Sothis took over. In retrospect, it was definitely a good thing."
"She took over MY job! How the hell was I supposed to take it?"
"She did you a favor. With how rashly you act about beheading those who go against the church, someone had to step in and try to make you see that the power went to your head."
"My head?! What in mother's name are you-"
"You've been this way for centuries. Over time, you became someone you weren't. Because of that, you've made a lot of enemies."
"Everyone has enemies. Why would I be any different!"
"The way you act irrationally sometimes… it has me and Flayn worried about you. Seiros, please… just think clearly for once. There was a good reason why Sothis took over. You were on a self destructive path and you were turning the church into a hostile environment for those who didn't think too highly of it. Even if someone questioned the church's ways, even if innocent, you'd have their heads. Think about why Captain Jeralt had left after the twins were born."
"Captain Jeralt was a fool and so was my mother for coming back just to kick me off the throne! If you will excuse me, Seteth, I've got to prepare for battle." Rhea walked off.
Seteth sighed. "Rhea… if only you could see how much of a fool you turned out to be."
In the infirmary…
"There we go, that should do it." Manuela said, having put bandages over Byleth's wounds. "Now, if you want to drink away the pain, you know where to find me." She winked and walked off.
"How do you feel?" Ruby asked as she, Xena, Dorothea and Bereto were in the room.
"Mmm, well, the stinging pain stopped, so that's good." Byleth folded her arms. "I don't get it… why would Edelgard do something like this?"
"That's what we're all wondering… this does't make sense." Dorothea shook her head. "I mean, El had plans to become emperor, and I know you accompanied her, but this…" She folded her arms. "Ugh, El… would you go and do something this… dumb? Stupid? I can't think straight…"
"Has she been acting weird lately? Surely that would give us an answer." Xena said.
"Hmm…" Bereto closed his eyes. "…Ah!" He pounded his fist into his palm.
"Hmm?" Dorothea turned her head. "You got something?"
"Several weeks ago, I overheard her talking with Hubert over Those Who Slither. She mentioned that the cult had been kidnapping folks from Remnant to experiment on them… she told me the "Flame Emperor" told her, but now that we know Edelgard's the Flame Emperor-"
"Wait, time out!" Ruby exclaimed. "Did you just say the cult had been kidnapping people from Remnant?!"
"What do you mean by experimenting?!" Xena asked.
"…Oh no, not again." Byleth groaned as they turned to her. "I remember Edelgard telling us both that the cult experimented on her and her siblings with artificial crest stones. She was the only survivor, but in turn, it put her on a time limit. Because of the experiment, it greatly shortened her life… her and Lysithea. However, thanks to the Miracle Cure that was used to destroy the Phazon, it got rid of Edelgard's and Lysithea's disease, hence why they went back to being brunettes."
"We wondered why those two were the only ones with white hair…" Xena said. "Now we know it wasn't just natural hair color in this world or a rare hair dye they found."
"Would they have hair dye in this world's time period?"
Who knows, but we know this time period is being introduced to technology from Remnant.
"Ya know, it's sad that they can figure out technology faster than Rosie…"
Cut her some slack, dude. She's ancient.
"Ha! Fair."
"If they're experimenting on the people of Remnant… we got more things to worry about." Byleth said as she looked to her sibling. "Has she said anything else?"
"Well, she wasn't sure what to do. She was so… frustrated. I gave her some advice. First it was "follow your heart" and then it was "ask for help", because, hell, even emperors need help every once in a while."
"She certainly asked the wrong crowd!" Dorothea grumbled. "Seriously, she and I have been close and I've definitely thanked her for hooking me up with the hottest teacher in Garreg Mach… I've helped her out with some things and she goes and does THIS pegasus shit? Uuuugh…"
"Hmm… I wouldn't necessarily count her out." Byleth said. "I know Edelgard and I know she's smarter than this. Hell, I've seen her and Sothis bond… so if anything, I've a feeling she asked Sothis for help. I do feel a bit hurt she didn't come to me for help."
"Or me!" Dorothea chimed in.
"Well… it's not her fault you two were out on a date." Bereto said, causing both to blush.
"Um… fair…" Dorothea mumbled.
"You know, at this point, I'm gonna be surprised if they hadn't had sex yet."
Saaaaame. Xena snickered.
"A-anyway… those two might have a plan." Byleth said. "What that plan is, I'm not sure but I'm preeeetty sure it got sidelined when Thales kidnapped Sothis."
"Unless… hear me out… Sothis getting kidnapped was part of the plan." Ruby said as they all turned to her. "Well, we don't know what their goal is, so what if she thought "I'm gonna let myself get kidnapped" just to get intel while pretending to be the damsel in distress?"
"…That sounds a little far-fetched." Xena said. "But… it's a possibility. Is that your faunus instinct talking?"
"Nah, not really."
"Faunus instinct?" Bereto asked.
"Yeah, she can turn into a Zinogre now. Well, a humanoid one to be exact." Xena said. "She now has side effects to where she gained Faunus traits."
"Hmm… I think it'd be more "Zinogre traits" instead of Faunus. Because if she had Faunus traits, she'd have ears or a tail if she went back to human form." Byleth pointed out.
"Ooooh, right… good point…" Ruby blushed sheepishly.
"So… what now?" Dorothea asked.
"Simple. We have a well known tactician on our side. I'm sure Robin has something planned for something like this." Byleth smiled.
"…I have nothing to go off here." Robin said, looking at a blank white board as the Shepherds and Phantom Thieves were in a meeting room. "Based on the technology from what Futaba had uncovered… we can only do so much. Do you have a name for the place yet?"
"According to what I'm uncovering…" Futaba typed on her computer. "Shambhala."
"That's helpful… except we have no idea where the hell it's at." Chrom said.
"I suppose we'll have to do some reconnaissance to find it…" Frederick suggested.
"It's not like it'll be easy to spot…" Lucina shook her head. "I have a feeling it'll be well hidden to the point you can't just find it in the air."
"That's what I'm afraid of." Makoto said.
"Unless it's hidden in plain sight?" Ryuji asked.
"I doubt it." Morgana said.
"Hmm…" Chrom rubbed his chin in thought. "Maybe our prisoner might know something." They turned their attention to Metodey who was held up against the wall.
"Pffft, please, why would I tell you people? No amount of hexing will get me to squeal!" Metodey smirked. "Besides, Those Who Slither have already captured Sothis… and I have a feeling they'll come for me!"
"Yeah right. Considering your performance, I'd say you're as useful as a paper weight. I'm talking a really miniscule, insignificant paper weight that will not hold a piece of paper when the wind blows." Tharja mocked.
There was a knock on the door, all of them turning their heads. "Come in." Robin said as the door opened up to reveal Marth.
"Oh good, I was hoping this was the right room." Marth said as he turned his head. "They're in here!" He told the others as he walked in, and joining him were Caeda, Roy, Lyn, Ike, Ryoma, Sakura, Hinoka, Takumi, Xander, Elise, Camilla, Leo, Kamui, Celica and Alm.
"That's a bit overkill…" Ryuji said.
"We need all the help we can get anyway." Haru said as Robin shook Marth's hand.
"Nice of you to join us." Robin said.
"We got here as soon as we could." Marth responded.
"So, what's the situation?" Ryoma asked. "All we heard was that Byleth, and by extension, Garreg Mach and Fodlan needs our help."
"Well, you see, it all started with Sothis calling us up so we can check out the Holy Tomb together. We go in there and then this group led by the Flame Emperor stormed in and went to gather the Crest Stones. Byleth and her brother fight the Flame Emperor. I've asked Akira here to unmask the Flame Emperor when his guard was down… only to our surprise was when the Flame Emperor turned out to be Edelgard."
"Edelgard?" Caeda asked. "Why would she do that?"
"That's what we're all wondering." Robin explained. "Then Dimitri loses it and nearly kills Edelgard but Sothis puts a stop to him… and then that's when our new friend Thales comes into play, apparently he belongs to a cult named Those Who Slither in the Dark."
"Those Who Slither in the Dark?" Leo chuckled. "Ha… truly, they've reached the maximum potential of their imagination."
"Mmm… I feel like underestimating them is dangerous." Celica said. "Just because their name is silly doesn't mean they're not easy to deal with."
"I'm with Celica. Disregarding them because of their name might leave us all in a world of hurt." Alm said.
"I agree, but they could've gone with something else." Roy mumbled with Takumi and Leo agreeing.
"Once Thales makes himself known, he kidnaps Sothis and escapes with Edelgard, Byleth is currently getting treated, Rhea is on the war path and… here we are." Robin finished.
"Hmm…" Xander put his hand to his chin. "It seems to reason that there's a different side to the story here. I don't know Edelgard that well, but I believe she has a reason why she sided with the enemy."
"Ha! She has very good reason!" Metodey said. "She, along with the Agarthans, will destroy Fodlan and bring a new era!"
"…Oh, you're still here? I forgot you existed." Tharja said.
"You captured a prisoner?" Ike asked.
"Thought he might be useful after I hexed him, yet he's rather dull." Tharja explained. "Every time he opens his mouth, I remember that he's still a thing."
"Have you figured out where their hideout could be?" Camilla asked.
"Nope." Chrom shook his head. "We're coming up blank."
"Maybe we could get a pegasi's eye view!" Caeda suggested. "That way, we can see where their base is at."
"Dude!" Ryuji whispered to Makoto. "Not only does Ilia and Rhea sound like you, but Caeda has your voice too!"
"Don't forget Xena." Akira whispered.
"…I don't hear it. I seriously don't know what you're talking about." Makoto shook her head. "…That said, I've noticed Sothis sounds like Morgana."
"Oh please, we sound nothing alike!" Morgana insisted.
"What's with them?" Alm whispered, causing Kamui, Roy and Celica to shrug.
"Ha! Try as you like, there's no way you are ever going to find Shambhala! Face it, you're not going to get a peep out of me, Garreg Mach is going to fail and Fodlan will be changed forever. The Agarthans have been waiting for thousands of years for this moment!"
"…Dear Naga, you're still here?" Tharja asked in boredom. "Ugh, can someone take care of this irrelevant piece of trash for me?"
"Ha! As I said, you're not getting a peep out of me." Metodey said confidently. "If the skank can't do it, then no one will!"
"Hmm…" Camilia rubbed her chin in thought before pounding her fist into her palm. "Ah! I know how we can get him to talk. I'll take him to one of my torture dungeons. Five minutes is all that I need~"
"Torture dungeons?!" The Phantom Thieves yelled.
"T-Torture dungeons…?" Metodey whimpered.
"Torture dungeons~?" Tharja asked with a gleefully malicious glimmer in her eyes with a sadistic smirk. "Show me~"
"Will do~!" Camilla smiled as Tharja picked Metodey up and put him over her shoulder.
"W-wait.. It sounded like you were going to hand me over to someone else!"
"I changed my mind. People do that. You're gonna experience the same in a few moments." Tharja walked out of the room with Camilla, the two of them having a spring in their step.
"I thought you said she got rid of those!" Hinoka whispered.
"Got rid of those who she demanded answers from, I mean." Xander whispered back, causing Hinoka to sweatdrop.
"…That's not frightening at all." Lyn said. "Robin, what do you see in that wife of yours?"
"Why get in the way of her work?" Robin chuckled.
So you enable it… what… Lyn thought.
"Yeeeeah, I think it's best if those two handled it." Kamui said with the Hoshidans and Nohrians agreeing.
"So… let's see what we can come up with." Marth said.
Meanwhile…
"I'm worried about him." Seryu said. "The more angrier he gets, the more it's reminding me of myself." She sighed. "I mean, you've seen how I've gotten with Jacques, especially after I found out that he's still alive."
"Yes, but you left him alone the second time." Sheele said.
"Mmm… yeah, but I feel as if this won't be the same situation." Seryu said as they walked into the dining area. "I mean, if anything… I feel as if Dimitri might be heading down a similar dark path that I've-" She turned her head to see Umber cooking. "…I've… been through…"
"Hmm?" Sheele turned her attention. "Oh! Is that Umber?"
"Hmhmhmhmhm~" Umber hummed. "Man, I can't wait to surprise the girls…"
"Umber?"
"Hmm?" Umber turned his head to see Seryu staring at him. "Oh hey! Nice to see you again!" He smiled warmly. "You know, I was worried that you wouldn't make it out but hey, I'm glad that you-" He was quickly interrupted when Seryu hugged him. "Oh!"
BGM: Friends in My Heart (Kingdom Hearts II)
"I… can't believe I'm going to say this to a human, but… thank you."
"You're welcome. So uh… I was wondering if the two of us could be friends? …Seryu?"
"I don't deserve it..."
"Huh?"
"I don't deserve to be friends with humans… after everything I've done to them… I… I don't think I'm worthy to be friends with any human at all."
"W-wait!"
"I'm sorry!"
Umber said nothing but smiled again. "I take it that's a yes now?" He chuckled, wrapping his arms around her as she nodded. "Thought so."
"Aww…" Sheele smiled.
Umber chuckled, pulling away. "Ya know, I probably ought to take you Mantine surfing sometime."
"…What surfing?"
"Mantine surfing! It's all the rage in Alola. Heck, I take my girlfriends and Marnie all the time, the latter especially if she's feeling down."
"That's grea-… girlfriends? As in plural?"
"Yup!" Umber looked behind her. "And there they are!" He walked over to Xena who was curiously checking the food out.
"…His girlfriends are the two in one?" Seryu asked.
"Yup." Sheele nodded.
"Oh… for a second there, I thought he was a player." Seryu laughed as Umber put his hands behind Xena.
"Guess who~!"
"Oh hey handsome~" Xena flirted.
End BGM
Back with the FE gang…
"We're baaaaack~!" Camilla said as she walked in with Tharja and a very mortified Metodey who wouldn't stop shaking like a leaf.
"I have been inspired." Tharja smiled.
"Told you it'd take five minutes." Camilla said.
"Did you get any info out?" Robin asked.
"We have. The dear sang like a canary~"
"Someone kill me… I don't want to live anymore…" Metodey shuddered as he was in a fetal position the moment Tharja put him down. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAH! THE SUFFERING WON'T GO AWAY!"
"…What did you do to him?" Lyn asked.
"I think it's best if it was left to your imagination." Tharja smiled, which was enough to send shivers down everyone's spines who weren't familiar with Camilla's and Tharja's… antics.
"I swear, I'll never understand these two…" Caeda said.
"I've imagined worse." Ike said.
"So! What did you get out of him?" Kamui asked nonchalantly.
"Shambhala is located deep underground in the Adrestian Empire, just south of Garreg Mach." Camilla explained. "The entrance is in the easternmost mountains of Hyrm, which is in the empire."
"Good. Now let's go relay this to Byleth." Robin said.
"What should we do with him?" Elise asked, referring to Metodey.
"Leave him here. The shock will set in soon and it'll kill him." Tharja said.
"Okie dokie~!" Elise smiled as they walked off.
With the Blue Lions…
"Is he okay?" Yang asked.
"No, he's… he's not himself." Ilia responded, watching Dimitri writing on a chalkboard on how to kill Edelgard. She sighed. "I'm gonna be honest… I tend to worry about him."
"We all do. Some days are better than others… this is not one of those days." Mercedes said.
"Sooooo… I've been meaning to ask-"
"I'm an actual Blue Lion. I was only going to be honorary like you but… Annette had other ideas." Ilia chuckled.
"Come ooooon! Where's the fun in being honorary?" Annette winked. "If I wasn't gonna recruit ya, it'd just be a matter of time before the other half of Blue Lizards would pull you in!"
Ilia snickered. "Good point."
"I'm already attending Beacon… there ain't no way I'm attending both schools." Yang said.
"Beacon won't let ya?" Annette asked.
"I'm sure Ozpin would be chill with it, buuuuut… come on. Double the amount of school work? No thank you, don't need that kind of stress!"
"That's fair." Annette nodded.
"Even if I'm honorary, I'm still part of the Golden Deer family." Yang grinned.
"Ooooh, so Claude is family now~?" Mercedes teased. "That was fast~"
"Wh-" Yang blushed a deep red. "MERCIE!"
"You walked into that one, bombshell." Ilia shook her head.
"So! How's the little guy?" Annette asked.
"Hmm? Oh, Apollo's doing well… it's just…" Yang threw out her Pokeball as Apollo stayed there motionless.
"Peeew…." Apollo said calmly.
"After he evolved… he's just… less energetic and hyper like he used to be. It's got me worried. I took him to a Pokecenter, they said he's healthy. Umber was saying Nebby used to be the same way… I dunno… I'm not totally buying it."
"Hmm…" Annette poked the Cosmoem gently, to which Apollo moved a little, a small blush on his face. "Well, at least he's responsive!"
"I know… but where's my energetic little guy? Ugh, it's worrying me…"
BGM: Funny Footsteps (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
"If anything, I rubbed off on him." Hilda walked up. "I totally taught him the ways of being lazy!"
Lysithea punched her in the arm. "No, you didn't."
"Explain this then! He's not bouncing off the walls or on anyone's shoulders… I totally get that." Hilda smiled. "Haaa, what a joy it is to be lazy."
"Says the girl who fought in the Phazon war." Lysithea said. "…And the stuff that went on in the Beanbean Kingdom."
"Against my will!" Hilda added, causing Lysithea to roll her eyes.
"If anything, I'd say Apollo is just concentrating and gathering up energy. That's my hypothesis."
"Why does your hypothesis have to be so boring?" Hilda groaned.
"He's probably just hungry!" Raphael said as he walked up. "If he's not eating well enough, that could explain why he isn't moving."
"No, I've been feeding him…"
"Oh. Well, maybe he's just in a food coma."
"Aha! That accounts for laziness!" Hilda grinned.
"He's not lazy!" Lysithea told her with a hint of frustration.
"Hmm…" Ilia knelt down, closing her eyes. "I'm sensing a lot of energy being developed as we speak… but it's weak." She opened her eyes and gently pushed him out of the shade. "…Okay, now I'm sensing a lot of energy."
"What?" Yang tilted her head.
"Perks of being a mage. You get to sense energy around you." Ilia explained. "Along with my Faunus traits… yeah, I'm sensing him completely healthy. He's fine. He's still growing."
"I suggested she become a Pegasus Knight, but Mercie thought of something else. Thought she'd be perfect as a Myrmidon… but the thing is, Weiss is already like that so I was like "Come on, Mercie. We gotta have her be unique!" So we thought about it and lo and behold… a Faunus Mage. Ta-dah~!"
"I can assure you, Yang. Apollo is healthy as can be. I'm sensing that he's close to changing into something great. How close… I'm not entirely sure." Ilia said.
"Mmm… I'm still not convinced."
"Ah, I wouldn't worry about it." Claude walked by. "I'm sure the kid's fine. He's probably just not wanting to use much energy so he could evolve quicker."
"Soooooo, laziness." Hilda said.
"He's not lazy!" Lysithea exclaimed in dismay.
End BGM
"So." Claude turned his head. "How's the boar?"
"He's… not well." Ingrid walked out with Dedue.
"His Highness is going through a rough spot… and no matter how many times I try to talk him out of it, he won't budge."
"Your Highness, maybe you should reconsider. Edelgard probably-"
"-Did this for her own benefit! She's a monster and I WILL gut her when I see her again!"
"Seeing the Flame Emperor at the Tragedy of Duscur was enough to anger him… and seeing him, or in this case, her, time and time again was enough to rekindle that flame. Seeing who actually was the Flame Emperor pushed him over the edge."
"The Tragedy of Duscur was a dark time… especially for me." Ingrid said. "Because of the tragedy and my fiance's death, I… began to despise the people of Duscur for it. However, talking it out with Dedue… snapped me out of that funk." She explained and turned her head. "I just hope Dimitri won't destroy himself…"
"That's what worries me the most." Ilia sighed.
With Byleth…
"Byleth!" Robin called out to her.
"Hmm?" She, along with Bereto, Dorothea and Ruby, turned their heads to see him. "Oh hey Robin, you figured something…" They spotted the others behind him. "…Out?" The four of them sweatdropped.
"As much as I'm happy to see everyone… isn't this a bit… overkill?" Ruby asked.
"Well, considering what we're up against, she could use the help." Ryoma said.
"Mmm… guys, this is my fight." Byleth said. "I'm… not comfortable with the other Outworlders helping me out. You guys are great, but… can we keep it to a minimum? We already got some huntresses and the Phantom Thieves here-"
"We know about Those Who Slither kidnapping people from Remnant." Camilla said. "Our prisoner sang like a canary."
"Oh! Did Tharja's hexing finally pay off?" Dorothea asked, to which Camilla gave her a smile that was enough to unnerve her. "…It… paid off… right?" She paled a few seconds later. "Oh goddess…"
"Oh, we got value alright. That was never in question~" Camilla said.
"That doesn't make me feel better!" Dorothea groaned.
"He was pathetic anyway." Tharja shrugged it off.
Marth walked over to Byleth. "Look, I know this is your fight, but from what we've heard from Those Who Slither kidnapping and experimenting from Remnant… what's to stop them from experimenting from other worlds? We have to stop this now before it get worse. If we don't… then all the worlds will be in trouble."
Byleth closed her eyes. "We can't have that, can we…" She said and then opened her eyes with determination. "Alright… let's do this then."
"Great." Robin walked up. "We know of the location of where they're at."
"You do? Where are they?"
A few minutes later…
"Alright!" Byleth said. "We're going to Shambhala!"
"Shambhala? I'm not sure where that's at." Ruby said.
"It's in the Adrestian Empire. It's south of here." Byleth explained. "It's a long walk too."
"Not unless we have transportation!" Morgana said, as he transformed.
"…The cat turned into a bu- OKAY." Seryu said in disbelief.
"Ah, definitely reminds me of how Weiss handled that kind of thing…" Yang smiled.
"I think Seryu's handling it better." Ruby chuckled.
"Good point." Yang snickered.
"Alright, I got the GPS installed. So things are ready to go!" Ann smiled.
"…Is that what you put on my dashboard, Lady Ann?" Morgana wondered.
"Alright, anyone wanna head inside, be our guest!" Ryuji said.
"Who's driving?" Yusuke asked.
"Haru." Xena responded, causing the other Phantom Thieves to pale. "…What? What's wrong?"
"Y'all are acting like she's a horrible driver!"
"I advise some of us should stay here." Xander said. "That way, should something happen when you are gone, we'll be ready."
"Plus we ought to keep an eye on Dimitri and Rhea. I've a feeling taking those two would be ill advised." Ryoma added.
"Sounds good." Byleth nodded. "Let's go."
"You have my Wyvern, right?" Yang asked.
"Yeah, I've been taking care of him." Claude smiled, to where Yang whistled, where right on cue, her Wyvern flew over as Yang hopped on.
"Alright, Rygor, let's fly!" Yang smirked, and then watching Akechi hop into Morgana along with Ashe, Hilda, Lysithea, Ilia, Mercedes, Annette, Petra, Bernadetta, Sylvain and Ferdinand all went inside. "Oh… those poor souls."
"Alright, that should be good enough." Akechi said. "You ready?" He asked, but then noticed Haru's mood changing. "…Haru…?"
Haru smirked like a madwoman. "I have the need… for speed!"
BGM: Ready to Roll (Jet Black Stare)
"You realize we're not in a fighter jet, ri-" Haru floored it. "-IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!"
"…Didn't one of us tell Akechi that Haru practically Mario Karts it?" Makoto asked.
"I… think we did." Akira sweatdropped.
"Let's not worry about that. Let's get after them!" Caeda said as they all took off, where Umber called out Nebby as Xena teleported on top as they flew off together.
"Good luck you guys." Leo said, watching the party take off. "Now then, let's go over the plan in case things go south."
"Agreed." Ryoma nodded.
Shambhala Squad: Ruby, Yang, Phantom Thieves, Xena/Yagami, Umber, Marth, Caeda, Roy, Robin, Lucina, Tharja, Kamui, Hinoka, Sakura, Camilla, Elise
Black Eagles: Byleth, Dorothea, Petra, Bernadetta, Sylvain, Ferdinand
Golden Deer: Claude, Hilda, Lysithea, Leonie
Blue Lions: Ilia, Mercedes, Annette, Ashe
End BGM
Once they had gotten there, Haru swerved and hit the brakes. "You have arrived at your destination." The GPS said.
"We're here~!" Haru smiled as Akechi opened up the door and ran off to throw up in a bush while everyone else opened up the back door and everyone fell on top of each other.
Unfortunately for Ferdinand, he was the first one to fall out.
"That's the last time I take the express way…" Ilia groaned.
"Is this what they mean by "sickness by motion"?" Petra asked, rubbing her head.
"…Next time, I'm taking the Observatory. Hope Rosalina doesn't mind…" Hilda sighed.
"Ugh, I feel the sweets I had are protesting in my stomach…" Lysithea groaned.
"I'd like to get off… that was dreadful." Bernadetta sighed.
"Can all of you get off of me…" Ferdinand said muffled as they got off of him.
"Sheesh, I can see why Linhardt wanted to stay…" Sylvain mumbled.
"I remember the first time I've see Haru drive… I was surprised everyone was still alive." Yang said.
"AND YOU DIDN'T WARN US?!" Hilda yelled.
"By the time the back doors closed, it was too late." Yang shrugged.
"Glad I just went by horseback." Leonie shook her head.
Sucks to be them. Xena, Yagami and Umber thought together.
"I'm surprised we were all able to keep up with Haru." Caeda said. "Even if most of us were airborne."
"Aerodynamics?" Ruby shrugged.
"You okay back there, Akechi?" Akira asked.
"…I think my life was just shortened immensely!" Akechi said, completely pale as a ghost.
"He'll be fine." Ryuji said.
"So, this is the entrance to Shambhala…" Byleth said, readying her sword once more. However, her grip was a little weaker, considering she'll be fighting one of her own students. The one that looked up to her the most…
Marth put a hand on Byleth's shoulder. "You alright?"
"Y-yeah… I should be."
"It's okay if you feel doubt." Caeda said. "You're fighting one of your own students and it's not a friendly spar. We'll be right with you."
"Thanks." Byleth nodded, and with a deep breath, she retightened her grip. "Let's go."
They would all head down into Shambhala, and as they did, they would find something that would absolutely floor all of them.
An underground technologically advanced -for the time period- city. "Uuuuh… we are in ancient times, right?" Yang asked.
"Wow… you don't see this often. Not in our world, specifically." Claude said.
"Huh… what do ya know." Roy said. "Talk about impressive."
"Where did they get this technology?" Ruby wondered.
"If I had to guess, they probably stole some of it from Remnant. There's no way it could be from our world." Byleth said.
"Either way, we have to take this place down or else Those Who Slither will burn everything to the ground." Sylvain said.
"Hang on a second…" Makoto said. "This place feels empty… shouldn't it be crawling with guards?"
"They're probably waiting for an ambush." Yusuke said. "That building over there… I have a feeling Sothis is in there."
"It's too easy. It's definitely a trap." Sakura said.
"I agree." Elise nodded.
"Well, that's what we do best. We spring the trap." Hinoka said.
"Yeah, but I'm… concerned." Kamui said as they cautiously walked ahead.
As they walked ahead with weapons drawn, they would hear footsteps to see Edelgard approaching.
BGM: Tension (Persona 5)
"I never expected you to come here so quickly. I should've known one of you had a tracker to track us down."
"Edelgard!" Dorothea yelled. "What the hell is the meaning of all this?"
Edelgard turned her head, seeming to be ashamed of what she had done. "I wish I could explain… but now is not the time."
"It seems to us that you're alone and guarding Sothis. However, I've a feeling you're prepared." Akira said.
"Indeed. Hubert."
Hubert appeared near Edelgard, smirking and snapping his fingers as dark figures emerged from darkness, including a few Titanus's. "If you're looking for Thales and his men, they're not here."
"What do you mean by that?" Leonie asked.
Claude grimaced. "I've got a bad feeling…"
"It's none of your concern. It'd be in your best interest if you were to leave at once." Edelgard said. "I do not wish to hurt all of you."
"Yeah, well… you should've thought of that until you pulled this stunt!" Ferdinand called her out.
Great… he's here. Edelgard thought with a groan.
"Leave now or you will be destroyed." Hubert said, but none dared to move. "Very well, have at them!"
"Futaba, you said you were going to invite the Blue Bomber? Do it NOW!" Ann yelled as Futaba swiftly pressed a button on her laptop and then put it away as a few dark bandits rushed toward the group… until a blue beam of light came crashing down on the ground, followed by two metal blades slicing through them.
End BGM
BGM: Central Highway (Super Smash Bros Ultimate)
"Got it covered!" Futaba smiled as Mega Man stood proudly.
"Alright, let's rock." Mega Man said as he charged up his Mega Buster and nonchalantly shooting a Dark Myrmidon that was about to flank him.
"…What the hell are we standing around here for? He can't have all the fun!" Hinoka said.
Roy's sword lit ablaze. "You got that right!" He said, charging ahead and swiftly annihilating foes left and right with his blade as Marth and Lucina jumped in to join him, with Caeda, Hinoka and Camilla flying around to take care of them while Kamui proceeded to take care of the archers that were aiming for the three.
Edelgard clenched her fists. "My teacher! I propose we have a do over."
Byleth nodded. "Right." She said as she walked down.
Hubert turned to Edelgard. "Lady Edelgard, are you sure this is wise?"
"…It's the only way." Edelgard said sadly. "Why don't you go fight Tharja?"
Hubert would see Dorothea approaching. "…How about I fight the girlfriend."
"Fair enough." Edelgard nodded as the two approached.
"I'll take care of Hubert. I can't stand that emo haircut anymore." Dorothea said.
"Alright." Byleth nodded as Dorothea walked to the right as Hubert would join her. Both of them said nothing as fire wrapped around Dorothea's hands and darkness wrapping around Hubert's hands. Dorothea frowned while Hubert smirked as the two unleashed their magic onto each other.
End BGM
Edelgard readied Amyr. "My teacher… I never thought the day would come that the two of us would be enemies."
"Neither did I… I helped you become the woman that you are now. I trained you… I went with you to see you become the new emperor… and this is what it boils down to?" Byleth asked. "You were the top of the class! You were one of my top students! I praised you all the time for your hard and valiant effort! …Was that all for naught?"
A tear ran down Edelgard's cheek. "If only you knew…"
A few tears ran down Byleth's cheeks. "Forgive me for what I have to do…"
Edelgard nodded, readying Amyr. "I'm sorry, my teacher…"
BGM: Eclipse of the Moon (Hyrule Warriors)
Tears of Fire - Edelgard
Byleth and Edelgard stared down at each other, not one of them wishing to move… until Edelgard rushed ahead at her. Byleth readied herself as Edelgard swung Amyr down but Byleth blocked and then countered. Byleth would then deliver swift swings from her blade.
Edelgard took a few hits, her arm getting a few nicks as she winced as Edelgard swiftly retaliated by swinging as hard as she could. Byleth jumped back, switching to her Areadbhar model and swinging it, but Edelgard ducked and swung Amyr, but to her surprise, Byleth switched to her own Amyr and clashed with hers.
Both of them looked at each other in the eyes until Byleth parried her away and then delivered a powerful blow that struck Edelgard through the stomach. "Aaagh!" Edelgard cried as she fell on both knees, looking at Byleth with tears in her eyes. "I… I wanted to walk with you…"
Byleth readied to seal the deal… yet she couldn't bring herself to kill her. Damn… I need to incapaciate her, not have her bleed out. She thought as she closed her eyes and rewound time to the exact moment.
Both of them looked at each other in the eyes. Wait… that sudden sense of deja vu is back! Edelgard thought and right as Byleth parried her, she quickly acted and swung her leg to trip Byleth up.
"Ah!" She yelped. How did she…? It's probably nothing! Byleth thought as she caught herself with her arms and sprang back up, only to narrowly dodge Amyr swung at her chest. Byleth jumped back and brought out Failnaught, firing a few arrows at her, attempting to take out her legs but Edelgard rolled out of the way and ran toward her, slashing her with Amyr but Byleth ducked and shoved Failnaught into her gut and then smacked her in the head.
Edelgard shook it off and then swung Amyr down but Byleth jumped back and fired at her shoulder, but she miscalculated by a few degrees and impaled the side of her neck. Shit! Byleth thought as Edelgard fell on her knees, holding onto her neck.
Byleth closed her eyes, rewinding time once more as she shoved Failnaught into Edelgard's stomach. Mmmph! …That feeling is so familiar… She thought. Wait… how do I know she's going to fire an arrow in my neck? She wondered as Byleth attempted to smack her in the head, but Edelgard grabbed Failnaught and yanked it out of Byleth's hand.
What?! Byleth thought in disbelief.
Could my Maiden powers have made me more aware of what's going on? I wonder… Edelgard thought, aiming Failnaught and firing at Byleth, but the latter dodged as she readied to swing her sword, but Edelgard swiftly fired a point blank shot at her gut.
"Aaagh!" Byleth yelped, wincing as Edelgard aimed Failnaught at her head. She would notice Byleth closing her eyes.
Is she accepting surrender?
I need to prevent her from taking Failnaught away!
End BGM
Time rewound as Edelgard grabbed Failnaught, but Byleth grabbed a hold of Failnaught and kicked Edelgard in the knee to knock her down and let her go. "Mmmph!" Edelgard winced. Wait… she closes her eyes and I feel like I'm living the same moment over and ove-… oh my goddess. That's it! …I just need to test this theory out a little more.
BGM: Eclipse of the Moon - Hyrule Warriors (GaMetal)
Byleth quickly jumped back and fired an arrow, but Edelgard ducked as the arrow whizzed past her. She ducked?! That was meant for her shoulder! She thought as Edelgard rushed in and swung Amyr right as Byleth fired an arrow. Amyr was swung up and knocked Failnaught up and fired the arrow at the ceiling. Edelgard quickly swung Amyr at Byleth, striking her in the midsection that caused Byleth to wince and ripped her shirt open as Byleth switched to Sword of the Creator and swung in retaliation, which, due to the stinging sensation, was enough to impale Edelgard in the chest.
Crap! Byleth thought and rewound time again.
Every time she closes her eyes… Edelgard switched to her fist and slugged Byleth in the gut. Byleth retaliated by slashing her but Edelgard blocked with Amyr and spun around, swinging Amyr as Byleth blocked with the Sword of the Creator, as she quickly parried the attack, knocking Amyr off of her as it went up in the air as Byleth slashed her down… and then Amyr came down and struck Edelgard in the chest.
Edelgard winced, coughing out blood as she saw Byleth closing her eyes as Edelgard found herself swinging Amyr at Byleth. I'm back to a few moments before I'm mortally wounded… she's rewinding time so I wouldn't get killed. What kind of power is this? How many times has she done it to me… or to anyone else?
Edelgard let out a growl, holding desperately to Amyr as she then tossed Amyr to the side. "Where did you get this power?" Edelgard demanded, running to Byleth as she swung her fist at her.
"Huh?!" Byleth weaved her head as Edelgard slugged her in the gut as Byleth hunched over as she used an uppercut in retaliation, but would uppercut her throat by accident, hard enough for it to rupture as she started gasping and choking on her own blood. In frustration, Byleth would use her Divine Pulse again… but as she did, Edelgard slugged her in the face. "Nnngh!"
"Every time I see you close those eyes, I'm living the moment before I'm mortally wounded! That last one was when you ruptured my throat! Tell me… when did you get the power to rewind time!"
How does she…?! Byleth thought in surprise as Edelgard grabbed her wrist and twisted it to make her drop the Sword of the Creator. Byleth responded by punching her in the head but Edelgard ducked and delivered strong punches to Byleth's gut. Byleth let out a grunt and then responded by several hooks but Edelgard weaved her head and then ducked, throwing a right hook right into Byleth's liver.
"Aaaagh!" Byleth cried as she got woozy and fell on both knees. Her vision blurred as she tried to Divine Pulse her way out… but before she did, Edelgard backhanded the back of her neck to knock her out.
End BGM
"My teacher… you have some explaining to do." Edelgard said, picking her up and putting the unconscious woman on her shoulder.
"Huh?" Dorothea turned her head and saw what had happened. "Byleth…? BYLETH!" She screamed as everyone turned their heads to see what happened.
"She… she lost?!" Yang exclaimed.
"No way… how did she…?" Ruby wondered.
"That's… that's not possible. We went over our strategy while on our way here!" Robin said.
Edelgard had her back turned to everyone. "Hubert. Raise your hand up." She requested as Hubert nodded as Hubert raised his hand up and darkness formed around it… and then aura secretly shot out of Edelgard's eyes as earth and fire rose up from the ground and pushed everyone out of Shambhala.
"When will you reveal your Maiden powers?" Hubert asked.
"When the time is right. Right now… I need answers." Edelgard said as she walked into the building with Hubert behind her.
Meanwhile, at Garreg Mach…
"Raaaagh!" Rhea cried, on both knees as Garreg Mach was on fire, everyone was distracted by the beasts that Thales had brought. He let out a smirk.
"So this is the power of the Immaculate One? I'm not impressed... hmhmhmhmhm... it was unwise for them to split up."
Ibuki: ...Oh. My. Gods.
Ooooh yeah, it's getting wild.