Chapter 62: Scrambled Dreams
- myriadOracle [MO] began pestering discoJubilation [DJ] at 16:32 -
MO: Beats?
DJ: yo sera! what's shaking?
MO: Bellia has been captured by an agent from the future and is being taken to Charge himself.
DJ: what? man, why do these things always gotta happen to us? D8
MO: Probably because we are the ones actively working against him.
DJ: well you know what DJ means 8/
DJ: what's the plan, shazam?
MO: I am going to follow them in secret. I suggest you organize a rescue party of some sort.
MO: And do spread the word. You seem to be the only other one of us online at the moment.
DJ: yeah, DJ hasn't heard from blah or the others since they left yesterday 8/
DJ: but you got it sis! DJ will get something brewing for shizzle!
MO: It is appreciated. I will try to keep you posted.
MO: Talk to you later, I hope.
DJ: same! good luck! 8D
- myriadOracle [MO] ceased pestering discoJubilation [DJ] -
"You know, I just thought of something..."
Clive had the look of someone who had put down the 999th piece of a thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle and just noticed that he had no pieces left to place. "How am I going to get you through the gate in the sky?"
"That is quite the predicament," Bellia remarked from her prone position, giving off an air of calmness despite the situation. "Maybe it would be easier without this collar?"
"Charge isn't going to like it if I bring you in unrestrained..." warned Clive.
"Clive," Bellia addressed with a touch of firmness, "if you are my son, you should know that I am not daft. I am fully aware of the ramifications should I resist. Besides, alone I'm in no way a match for him at my current level, and he should know this as well."
Clive bit his lip, considering the possibilities. His stance faltered upon being met with his mother's resolved, almost pleading eyes. "If you're sure about this..." he said, reaching down to undo the collar, "again, I won't argue..."
The collar clicked open, and Bellia felt her nervous system gradually and somewhat painfully reactivating. After a few seconds, she managed to shakily climb to her feet, stretching her limbs.
"Beats is aware of the situation," came Sera's comforting telepathic voice, right on cue. "I will keep them updated on our position and we should hopefully be out of this mess soon."
"Alright then," Clive uttered nervously, spreading his wings, "when you're ready, follow me."
Bellia sighed. She wasn't entirely sure what she was about to get herself into, but there was no doubt in her mind that this dragon was her future offspring. Whatever it'd take to keep him safe and happy, no matter what happened to her in the process, she had no choice but to follow through with it.
"Let's go."
Blahsadfeguie watched as Pi paced around the room. Reed had just helped Astra deposit Hailstorm's original body back into the pod to put it on life support in the hopes that he might wake up eventually, but nobody had any clue when or how that would be.
"Maybe the soulite network is jammed somewhere," Pi guessed. "Or one of the pods is faulty... some of them haven't been used in years, after all..."
Blah shook his head. "Whatever the problem is," he began, "we can't afford to waste any time worrying about it. Pi, you can stay in touch via Hail's tablet." Blah handed the scientist the device that the pony had been using to communicate with everyone. "Let us know if his condition changes."
"What are you planning on doing now?" Pi asked inquisitively.
"Now that I'm back at my full power, and then some," boasted Blah, flexing his armored, draconic arms some more, much to the annoyance of the onlookers, "we can finally take on one of the jewels." He emphasized this by pounding his fists together. "But first, I gotta turn in my kills to Discord. Surely he'll be willing to teach me a thing or two after defeating nearly half of the enemy squad!"
"Discord..." repeated Astra, as though assailed by a flurry of memories. "Isn't he still in Canterlot? How would we get there now?"
"Equestria should have been assimilated into Hail's land by now," Blah recounted. "We just need to take the right portals."
"I'll stay here, if that's alright," Reed spoke up for the first time in such a long while, the sound of his own voice startled him a little. "This is all a bit much to comprehend..."
"Suit yourself," Blah shrugged. "Astra?"
"I have nothing better to do," the girl said, retrieving her scythe.
"Wait!" exclaimed Pi. "Before you go, I have something to give you." She turned around and rushed to a small storage cabinet. Blah tilted his head as she dug through one of the compartments, quickly producing two pendants. Upon each one was a small Soulite crystal, reinforced with bands of steel. "Carry these on your person at all times," she instructed. "If you die, your soul will be absorbed into the crystal and we can make a new body for you. Good as new!"
"Good call," complimented Blah as he slipped the pendant around his neck. Astra did the same after some hesitation, figuring death was probably worse than using this machine.
Pi waved. "Bye, good luck, have fun, be back before dinner!"
The word 'dinner' seemed to trigger a reaction in Astra's stomach. It sounded alarmingly like an angry puppy. Astra clutched her midsection in embarrassment.
"...You wouldn't happen to have anything for the road, would you?" she asked sheepishly.
Pi rubbed her hands together excitedly. "Lucky for you, I do dabble in the art of baking," she mused. "I'll see if I can whip something up for you!"
The golden streets of Prospit were filled to the brim with life and energy. The white-carapaced humanoids, dressed in a variety of colorful robes, pink fur hats and scarves, and the occasional stylish sunglasses, walked the paths bearing faces of hope and cheerfulness. Half of them didn't seem to know where they were going exactly, nor did they seem to care. They were perfectly content with taking in the view of the clouds above, and shooting the breeze with their fellow peace-lovers.
To Hailstorm, it was rather nostalgic, reminding him of an Equestria untouched by the dangers of the multiverse.
Charge seemed unfazed, his hands firmly planted in his pockets.
"...so where are we going, exactly?" Hail finally asked, breaking the silence.
"To see the Queen," Charge stated casually, continuing to face straight ahead.
"Oh," was all Hail could say. He glanced at the Prospitians, some of which were starting to take notice of the two of them and point them out to each other excitedly. It didn't settle right with Hail. The people of this world appeared to place both him and Charge in the same category - figures of importance. Was Charge telling the truth?
Up ahead, a shining castle towered over the other buildings, its majestic spires brushing against the vibrant clouds. It was like something out of a painting. The four guards, upon seeing the human and the alicorn, suddenly straightened up, holding their spears perpendicular to the ground and giving a wide berth. They did not move a muscle as they waited for the duo to pass. Charge gave a half-hearted salute. Hail simply nodded.
The castle itself was quite impressive - grand, opulent halls, legions of disciplined guards, tapestries indicative of a rich history and culture. And to think Hail had thought Canterlot overwhelming.
They had no trouble getting to the throne room; it took little more than a glance for the guards to eagerly let the pair through. There, at the end of a crimson runway, was a huge white figure seated atop an ivory throne. Most of her features were cuboid in shape, at least those not covered by her elegant green robes and back-mounted spiral shell. Adorning her head was a distinctive pink mane, two long antannae like those of an insect, a pair of dark shades, and a bushy steel mustache. On a finger of one of her slightly amorphous arms was a golden ring bearing eight glowing orbs.
Hail wasn't sure what to make of the White Queen. He was used to seeing these features on his enemies, but on a figure of royalty, they just looked excessive and silly. Excessively silly.
"My queen," greeted Charge with a bow. Hail followed suit, though he swore he felt a slight hint of mockery in Charge's demeanor... or that could have been his subconscious having cemented him as the bad guy.
"Please, no need to be so formal," the queen urged. "To be graced by the presence of the Prince and the Rogue, the honor is all mine. What brings you before me today?"
Hail ran through the possibilities in his head. Even the queen had addressed Charge and himself on the same level. If this was a trick, it was a darn good one.
"My companion here is skeptical about the status of the heroes," Charge explained. "And for some reason, he won't take my word for it." He glared back at Hail, one corner of his mouth curled in a subtle smirk hidden from the queen's view. Hail's brow furrowed.
"Charge is not one of us, is he?" Hail asked, all but knowing what the answer would be already.
"I was told there may be some confusion," the queen replied. "Allow me to alleviate it for you." She raised both of her arms. "This kingdom houses four of the eight heroes of this fragmented multiverse," she began. "You, Hailstorm, the Rogue of Life; Seraphina, the Seer of Void; Broshi, the Heir of Rage; and Charge, the Prince of Mind." She ended by gesturing at Charge, who could barely contain his pride.
Eight heroes, Charge being one of them... Hail felt a painful knot form in the pit of his stomach. "And what about the other kingdom? Who are the others...?"
"The moon of Derse is home to the other four," the queen continued. "Astra, the Witch of Time; Bellia, the Maid of Light; Beats, the Bard of Heart; and Reed, the Page of Doom."
Hail stared at the base of the throne, letting all of the information sink in. Someone was missing from the list, but it almost didn't occur to him who. When he realized it, his eyes widened.
"What about... Blahsadfeguie?" he uttered, still fixated on the same spot.
"I beg your pardon?" The White Queen seemed genuinely clueless at the name, as far as Hail could tell.
"What did he call himself..." Hail retraced his memories. "The Knight of Space...?"
"I know of no Knight," the queen denied, "nor of any hero of Space."
"No... that can't be right!" the pony exploded, stomping his front hooves and startling the nearby guards. "Blah has to be one of us... his house is in the game... he's not trying to kill anyone... he's the one who brought us all together!"
"Have you forgotten already?" Charge cut in. "We created him to serve an entirely different purpose. He-"
"What purpose was that?!" Hail immediately fired back, now pointing his horn at Charge threateningly.
"If you'll let me finish..." deflected Charge patiently. "He was never meant to play the game. Just to facilitate it."
"What does that even mean?!" Hail desperately questioned. Even the queen was lost at this point.
"Whoops, we're at that stage again," the Prince backed off. "The part where no explanation I could possibly give will satisfy you... and unfortunately, this time there's nobody I could introduce you to who could remedy that."
Hailstorm was fed up with Charge's attitude. He felt his frustration welling up inside of him. Instinctually, he found himself channeling that feeling foward, into his horn. A turqoise aura began to pulse around it, which burst forth into a blast of pure energy aimed straight at the human.
Charge, keeping unnaturally calm, held up one hand, around which a barrier of purple electricity materialized. The barrier redirected the magic blast, where it tore through part of the castle wall. Hail dropped to his knees, exhausted and disheartened.
"Enough!" cried the White Queen as her guards began to surround the two of them. "There will be no fighting in this castle. I may have nothing to do with these affairs, but I do know that anything that puts two heroes at odds is best dealt with swiftly and gracefully. I suggest you both get some rest and talk it over as soon as you've had the chance to cool off."
The trip to Canterlot was surprisingly short. With the chain complete, Blah was able to find a straightfoward path through the Skaian gates. Though he had flown before, he had never felt quite as much of a rush from it as he did this time. Maybe it had something to do with being a heavily-armored dragon? Astra couldn't help but agree - riding such a creature was, in fact, pretty rad.
As they approached Equestria's capital, they noticed that the force field was still very much present.
"Why are the shields still up?" Blah asked. "The meteors don't hit lands in the Medium..."
"The ogres and basilisks do," Astra replied bluntly.
Blah blinked. "Oh yeah," he answered. "I guess that could still be consider-"
"Look out!"
Blah jolted, swerving just in time out of the way of a projectile of blue light. Blah felt a tug as Astra tightened her grip on his shoulders.
"What in the..." Blah hadn't the time to finish that thought as two more laser-like missiles flew past, one of them grazing his right wing. He faltered, but quickly caught himself. "Are they shooting at us?!"
"You don't exactly look friendly," Astra quipped, nearly choking Blah with one arm firmly wrapped around his neck for dear life. "Take us down before we crash!"
Blah ducked under yet more fire, aiming for the ground a good distance away from their assailants. Astra dove off of his back from 10 feet above ground, somersaulting and landing deftly on her feet. "Stop!" she shouted, waving her arms toward the unicorn guards. "It's us!"
"Hold your fire!" sounded a cry from the distance. The bombardment ceased, allowing Blah to safely land and regain his composure. He counted about six horns still pointed straight at him.
"Lady Astra?" one of the guards called, running up alongside the girl. "Who is this dragon?"
"That's Blahsadfeguie," she replied calmly. Blah waved in an attempt to appear harmless. "It's a long story. We need entrance to the city."
The unicorns exchanged glances, muttering among themselves. "Our sincerest apologies," the commander said with a bow. "We mistook him for one of the enemy. We'll open the shields at once." Two of them turned around and cast a spell on the shield, creating a rectangular passage. One of them glanced at the approaching Blah-dragon and promptly made the doorway bigger.
"Thanks, and maybe consider working on your aim," Blah joked as he lead Astra through.
No sooner than the two had taken their dozenth step within the city limits, Blah nearly bumped into someone. The brownish figure had appeared the moment both of them happened to look toward the castle. Blah jumped. "Hey, watch where you're-"
"Teleporting? Oh, but that would require a really expensive telescope." Discord chuckled to himself as he circled around Blah and Astra playfully, clearly happy to see them. "Nice form, by the way!" he complimented, flicking one of Blah's horns and causing it to jitter as though it were spring-loaded.
"At least someone doesn't immediately see me as a threat," mumbled Blah as he pinched his horn to return it to the proper laws of physics.
"Please tell me he's not unsupervised..." groaned Astra as she eyed Discord carefully.
"H-he's got me."
Blah and Astra directed their attention to a nearby bush, where a yellow and pink lump sat. Fluttershy stood up and walked next to Discord with all the confidence of a rabbit stepping out into a farmer's carrot patch. And then it turns out the farmer has gone to the market.
"Between you and me," Discord whispered to Blah and Astra, "I have to admit she does make a surprisingly good foil."
Astra looked between Discord and Fluttershy. Neither seemed to mind the other's presence - they looked fairly natural together, in fact. It was enough to satisfy her.
"So uh..." Blah resumed. "You saw us coming?"
"From a mile away!" the god of chaos proudly proclaimed, presenting a really expensive-looking telescope. "Judging from your cosmetic upgrade, I take it you've made some progress on our little bargain?"
"In spades!" Blah excitedly exclaimed. "We retook the genetic facility on Moros, and took down three of Charge's subordinates: Sihok, Trank, and Mefirst! ...Again. But for real this time. Probably."
"For honest and for true?" gasped Discord. Blah and Astra nodded. Discord clapped his hands together. "Oh fraptuous day!" he cried as large swaths of confetti burst forth from every clap. "Three down, and we don't have to worry about that annoying rebirth mechanic!"
"Indeed," agreed Blah. "Now, I believe you have something to teach me?"
"Oh yes, of course, of course!" Discord swirled around Blah, his body seeming to get longer with every revolution. "I'd say you're ready for me to give your progression a jump start!" Without skipping a beat, he produced a pair of red and black jumper cables, clipping one onto each of Blah's horns and the opposite ends onto his own. Blah was slightly overwhelmed, but he was willing to go along with it.
Discord pulled out a comically simple remote with a single red button on it, but stopped just short of pressing it. "Oh, hang on," he said. "How many forms have you taken again thus far...?"
"How many forms?" Blah repeated, taken aback.
"Yes, that's what I said!" Discord affirmed. "Have you made it to eight yet? That's how many you need before you can progress."
"Um..." Blah tried to work out what Discord meant exactly. "So like... my original human form..." Discord nodded, egging him on. "...Light Star, Femblah, um... does Sera count?" Discord held a thumbs-up. "Okay, then there was Knight I guess, then Metails, and finally, this one."
Astra raised an eyebrow. "You mean to say Blah changing forms was necessary for his... progression?"
"I counted only seven," Discord announced, ignoring Astra and indicating his left hand which suddenly had eight fingers, all but one extended. "Here, let me fix that for you real fast."
Blah, Astra, and Fluttershy all assumed defensive stances as Discord pointed a finger at Blah in much the same way as he did during their first meeting. None of them could respond in time, however. Blah felt himself vanish from the physical plane for no longer than a moment.
When he reappeared, the first thing he noticed was that he was much smaller. Even Fluttershy was taller than he was now. The second thing he noticed was the giant pink orb floating in front of his face. Blah cautiously poked the orb, and he felt the finger press against his nose. His fingers were also pink, round, and covered in fine leathery scales.
"Discord!" he howled. But all everyone else heard was "Yoshi!"
All too proud of himself, Discord doubled over with laughter. Astra and Fluttershy looked on in mild horror and disappointment.
"Dangit," Blah shouted, flailing his Yoshi fists around, "I was a dragon for all of 2 chapters, and I never got to do anything cool with it!" Astra and Fluttershy looked at each other, unable to understand Blah's frantic ranting and wishing they could find a way to help him somehow.
"Well, this story's going slow enough as it is," Discord defended himself, wiping away a tear. "And yes, I can speak Yoshi."
"Alright, fair enough," Blah sighed. "There's my eighth form, now change me back so we can do the thing."
"But you see, Blahsadfeguie," Discord said, patting the pink Yoshi affectionately, "that would defeat the purpose!"
Blah stared at Discord incredulously. "What," he droned. "What purpose. Your amusement?!"
"My amusement is just a fun side-effect," the troublemaker hand-waved. "When your training is complete, you'll no longer need me, or that fancy genetic equipment!"
Blah raised a finger in protest, but halted when something clicked in his head. The point of these transformations was not to burden or prank Blah with an inferior form. Which, now that he thought about it, wasn't totally inferior anyway. The point was to teach Blah how to invoke this effect on himself! Realizing this, a smile slowly spread across his face.
"Now you're getting it!" Discord happily remarked, translating Blah's expression perfectly.
Fluttershy still seemed totally lost, and Astra looked as though she was onto something but still a good distance away.
"Psst," Discord hissed at the females. "I'm teaching him how to shapeshift."
Fluttershy was in awe. Astra facepalmed, mimicking the impact of the sudden comprehension.
Blah bounced up and down excitedly. Not only was he about to be no longer bound by the whims of happenstance when it came to his current body, but he had just learned that Discord was, in fact, looking out for him all along.
"That's right," continued Discord. "The ability to transcend the laws of space and shape them to your every whim... that is the Super Fist of the Milky Way!"
"Well?" Blah asked, looking up at Discord, whose arms were still held wide for emphasis. "When does the training start?"
"Right now!" Discord assured. "Sorry, had to work in that page break. Dramatic effect and all that."
"Stop," Astra demanded. "At this rate there'll be nothing left of the fourth wall to break."
"Coming from you, Astra, I can see what you mean," chuckled Discord. "All right. Let the training begin!"
"...how long will this take exactly?" Blah asked in a sudden fit of skepticism. "The art of shapeshifting certainly can't be mastered in a day, can it?"
"Blahsadfeguie!" Discord pointed a claw at the pink Yoshi, who scrambled to attention. "Changing one's body is not as difficult as it sounds!" As he spoke, he shrunk himself down into the form of a Discord-colored chipmunk. "You just need to put yourself in your target's shoes!" The Discmunk showed off his high-class athletic sneakers. "Literal or otherwise."
Blah was thoroughly engaged. Fluttershy to a slightly lesser extent. Astra, however, let her mind wander a bit until she suddenly remembered that she hadn't turned her phone back on since the raid.
"Is it really that simple?" questioned Blah, admiring the shoes.
"Well, it does take a lot of concentration at first," Discord clarified, shifting back into his normal self, "but luckily for you, I've prepared a three-step program to guide you through!" He held up a colorful pamphlet with a stylized depiction of himself and Blahshi holding hands and frolicking through a meadow.
The moment Astra booted up her phone, it nearly jumped out of her hands. She struggled to get ahold of it and figure out who needed her this urgently.
Blah apprehensively took the pamphlet and thumbed through it.
'Step one: recall the other forms you've taken so far. Try to remember exactly how they felt, and focus on that. Channel your Hajike and relive the moment!'
Blah closed his eyes and concentrated on the ice dragon form he had been assuming just minutes ago. Discord watched eagerly as Blah remembered how it felt to be full of such power and awesomeness. The sharp claws, the massive wings, the reserve of freezing mist... with these recent memories surfaced and fresh, Blah drew forth his Hajike as he had done many times before.
"Fist of the- no." Blah cleared his throat, holding nothing back. "Super Fist of the Milky Way!" The feeling of power seemed to amplify tenfold. A lime green aura flared around him, sparking occasionally. Discord slipped on a pair of tanning glasses. "Phase... Shift...!"
Plunk. The odd sound created an eerie silence as Blah's aura suddenly cut out completely. Everyone stared. Even Discord looked astonished. Blah opened his eyes, and saw that nothing seemed to have changed; yet he felt relief, as though he had just uncurled from a tight painful ball.
"So, uh..." Discord began. "What's the tyke's name?" He pointed, somewhat apprehensively, at the space behind Blah.
Blah's heart itched as he slowly turned around. There, sitting on the cobblestone behind him, was a pink-spotted Yoshi egg.
He blinked. That had just come out of him. A large egg, about the size of his head, had just emerged from within.
Blah said nothing as he turned again toward Discord, giving him a horrified, almost begging expression.
Discord clapped his hands together in a motion so sudden it was jarring. "Welp, I tried," he exclaimed. "Guess you can't learn a Super Fist by just saying Super in front of the name, go figure!" He threw on a hat and trenchcoat, retrieving a briefcase from nowhere. "Oh well, I really gotta get going now, good luck with that jewel!" An elevator came up out of the ground, and Discord casually stepped into it, waving at the three onlookers.
Astra was the first one to regain her senses. "Wait, Discord," she cried, stepping forward, "you can't just leave h-"
SHOOM. The elevator blasted into the sky like a rocketship.
"Um, Blah...?" Fluttershy approached the half-bemused, half-furious Yoshi, looking between him and the egg. "If you need someone to look after that for you, I could-"
"HYAH!" In one swift motion, Blah twisted around, snatched up the egg, and hurled it as hard as he could at the elevator. It went surprisingly far, but still missed it by a long-shot. Fluttershy watched wide-eyed as the egg fell back down to the city below. Blah then proceeded to stomp the ground violently.
"Don't worry, I'm pretty sure that egg wasn't fertilized?" Astra remarked in a tone that didn't sound pretty sure.