Author's Notes. Well, hello everyone! Once again I must apologize for being gone for such a long time! However, with school coming to a close I can finally take a step back and reorganize my priorities. I will point out, though, that I have really no idea if the pace of chapter-posting will pick up significantly. Updates will come in more than once a month, of course, but I do not know if I can ever go back to posting once a week. That was impressive, I will admit. Good times. Anyways, let's go answer some reviews.
To Russet Burbanks: You know nothing, Jon Snow. Except for Harold's power lever. It seems like everyone knew the power level. Do you all have scouters lying about? Well, I decided that you were definitely right, and made sure Doxia acknowledged your accurate predictions of Harold's energy levels.
Combee77: Sorry for taking such a long time to reply! I should have just sent you a PM, but I kind of forget. I do that sometimes. There is this saying, "History is written by the victors." It speaks for itself; however, no matter how great your victory is in a war, you will need evidence to ultimately prove you had the moral high ground. Naturally, said evidence can be falsified. The Stallion Empire is being clever by lying a false paper trail that points to them standing on that high ground. An ultimatum is just a piece of paper. It can be changed easily in an aftermath, and they are counting on that.
To madmanwithafork: It looks like someone else has a scouter as well. I'm going to have to look for one of those. It's probably hidden away in that massive pile of invisible merchandise I keep lying around to give out to you guys.
To Xavier Raptom: And you are correct! Give this man a trophy. I thought Nathan Prescott deserved a little shake-down from the Inquisitors for being such a loser. However, now that Max has gone and changed history by staring at a photo... I may have to rework a couple sub-plots. Way to go, Square Enix.
Right! I think that's all for now! Enjoy the chapter!
Dimension: Rerenhaw
Planet: Rerenhaw
Specific Location: The Rerenhaw Council Room
Time: Over a year after Lyric lost a leg
"The Inquisitors should be here any minute now," said Doxia, looking at his wrist as if a wristwatch was there (which it wasn't).
A minute later the massive double doors to the council room slid open, and Blue, Dark, and Sunflower strolled in.
"What do you all want?" snapped Dark. Doxia rolled his eyes inside his helmet. Dark had made it very clear that he respected no one but the second age council members… so basically he hated everyone but Doxia and Firestar.
"Is there a good reason for recalling us from our previous mission?" asked Blue, his voice as emotionless as Mattimeo's.
Doxia nodded. "We are going to reassign you to the hunt for Harold Dellor."
Sunflower glanced at his two teammates. "Is he back on the radar?"
Mattimeo sighed. He telepathically activated a holoscreen, it immediately projected the two dead bodies of Lynx and Corvus, and the words "I WANT THE INQUISITORS HUNTING ME AGAIN" carved above them.
Blue cocked his head to one side. "Harold killed these Dimensional Lords?"
"It seems his power levels are over 9000," replied Doxia, "However, it is not the deaths of Lynx and Corvus that we are worried about. We all have lived too long. Nonetheless we must not ignore the fact that this is an act of violence. Harold must pay for what he has done… Even if we must do exactly what we want him to do in order for us to make him pay."
"It is indeed a trap, I would like to think," said Sunflower.
"Well… Not for you and me, really," muttered Dark, glancing at Blue, foreboding shimmering through the void of his abyss-black visor. It was true. Harold had made it very clear: he wanted only for Blue to die.
Blue, however, did not seemed worried. "We will do as you say, council. If Harold is looking for a fight, that is what he will get. However, the cold sting of a blade does not seem as prevalent when you are on a hill, preparing for it as opposed to truly meeting its edge face-to-face."
"Do you have a course of action, mapped out?" asked Sunflower.
"Indeed we do," said Mattimeo, "Despite the fact that Harold can alter the very form of Imagination Energy, the changes are very... unique. They are artificial. Like the snow from the sky and the snow from the machine, they are different… and we can tell. Harold has left a telltale marking in the Alethrion dimension. You will investigate there."
"… And if we find him?" asked Sunflower.
Mattimeo glanced at Dark, prompting him to speak. Dark chuckled, and nodded.
"We kill him. We've fought worse… Much, MUCH worse."
Dimension: My Little Pony
Planet: Equestria Earth
Specific Location: The Southern Jungles, Stallion Empire
Time: Two days after Lyric and Summer set out into the Southern Jungles
"According to this map, the tree crossing is over here," said Lyric, squinting at the map as he used his Unicorn magic to levitate the large scrap of paper in front of his muzzle.
Summer leaned in to take a peek at it with her blind eyes. "Don't forget the rainbow bridge further south. Also you are holding the map upside-down."
Lyric actually flipped it over to double-check, but then shoved Summer lightly the moment he realized she was joking. "Tell you what," he snorted playfully, "I'll let you navigate, and I'll wander around with my eyes closed."
"Good idea!" chortled Summer, "And I'll make sure to play the part and limp around like a dazed duck!"
"Hey! It's not my fault that one screw on my metal kneecap came loose!" exclaimed Lyric, almost indignantly, "I'll fix it as soon as we find a safe place to take a break!"
Summer chuckled lightly. Lyric had been on edge ever since they had entered the jungle. She knew very well he was extremely worried about her safety; her being blind in a massive jungle fireswamp inhabited by cannibals and all. She leaned in close and squished her cheek up close to his, giving him a side-nuzzle.
"Calm down Lyric, I told you I would be able to tell if we were nearing any fire geysers. The earth deep beneath us shifts and rumbles as sulfurous gas pushes through the soft dirt. I also will be able to alert you when the Agrinians are near. Nothing can escape my senses. Take a deep breath and focus on leading me through this place. I've got your back, partner.
Summer smiled slightly as she sensed Lyric's heartbeat rate slowing down to regular parameters.
"Thanks Summer," said Lyric, "I needed that. We should almost be near the gorge."
A dozen minutes later Lyric began to grin in relief as he saw a rapid descent of earth from beyond the jungle tree line. A minute later the duo had made it out into a huge linear clearing of trees, where a large gorge spit the jungle in two. Lyric took a moment to describe the scene to his blind companion in hushed tones.
"It's almost like the earth has fallen away into space. You can't see the bottom, thanks to the angle of the sun. The ground stretches forward like a blanket only to drop sharply into shadowed nothingness. This jagged drop stretches on to the left and to the right for as far as the eye can see. The only way to overcome this obstacle is to take the massive… jungle… tree… bridge…"
Lyric's voice trailed away as he looked to his right. There it was. A massive bridge made of the decrepit trunk of a Kapok tree spanned the gorge. Green foliage and aquamarine moss clung to the rotting wood, and long vines swathed the fallen tree in bold strings of olive. After taking in a breath of awe, Lyric proceeded to relay this glorious sight to Summer. Summer's ears flicked back and forth in appreciation as she drank in the new description.
"Lead me over to it," she sighed, "I want to feel it!"
Lyric took Summer gently by the hoof and lead her to the downed tree. Summer ran a hoof through the clumps of thick moss and along the soft surface of the rotten wood. She sighed appreciatively as she breathed in the fresh smell of earth and foliage. She followed this up by tapping the bridge. Her eyes brightened as her actions informed her of something unseen.
"What is it?" asked Lyric, his ears pricking up with hope.
"This tree is definitely safe to cross," Summer reported. "The outside may seem rotten and overrun, but the core is solid and strong. Help me up please!"
Summer scrabbled at the rotting clumps of greenery on the natural wooden bridge as Lyric pushed her backside upwards with his head, taking great care to keep his horn far away from her. Giving on last, magically-assisted push, Lyric managed to get his best friend on top of the sideways Kapok tree. Summer then assisted Lyric in climbing up. With one last heave, Summer tossed Lyric onto the tree bridge. The two collapsed on top of each other, breathing heavily.
"What did you have for breakfast this morning? Bricks?" gasped Summer, not making any effort to push Lyric off from where he lay on top of her.
"Same thing as you, missy," snorted Lyric, also not making any effort to move. "Oat meal and bread!"
"That's right… I accidentally switched out your loaf of bread with a loaf-shaped rock. Sorry!" giggled Summer.
"That's not true! I could tell!' cried Lyric, almost as if he believed her. Summer began to laugh, her voice like silver bells chiming out on a midsummer day.
Lyric shifted around so that he was lying on top of her, muzzle-to-muzzle. However, despite his best attempts to be a bit grumpy, one look at his companion's face sent him spiraling into his own fit of giggles. A moment passed as the two let out their mirth. Lyric then rolled off of Summer, letting her breath more freely. After another moment Lyric got up and looked about warily, to make sure their laughing had not attracted any unwanted attention. Nothing. Nodding, Lyric gently took Summer's hoof and helped her up.
"Well thank you kind sir!" cried Summer. Her face beamed, reminiscing of the days of snow and ice when the brave and stout Lyric would practically carry her through the massive piles of unforgiving snow in the deadly northern mountains.
"My pleasure, dear lady!' exclaimed Lyric. The two set out across the bridge without a second thought. Summer had said the bridge was safe, and it indeed was, for there was not a single creak or shudder as the duo made it from point A to point B across the expansive natural bridge of wood and greenery.
A minute later and the two were hopping down from horizontal-lying treetop of the great Kapok tree. However, the moment Summer hit the foliage-infested earth her face turned from carefree to apprehensive. Lyric noticed in a flash.
"What is it?" he asked?
"I smell a hint of sulfur," Summer reported, "I think there are fire geysers close by."
"We'll tread carefully," replied Lyric, immediately feeling very protective of his companion, "Stay close."
Summer nodded and trotted up to stand beside him, coat brushing coat. The duo then trotted into the thick forest once more. A minute passed by as they cantered through the massive trees, whose green-and-brown foliage blocked out the sun like a dark, dank blanket of wet wool. Another minute passed… then another… then another…
Lyric shook as his head as he suddenly found out that he had been unintentionally held his breath for the last couple minutes. He glanced at Summer and said, "Is the earth trembling yet?"
Summer shook her head. "Nothing. The smell of brimstone has died away a bit as well. Its hanging over the ground, but it is not thick enough for me to think that there has been any activity from this area for a long, long time. Well… I hope so at least."
"Your word is good enough for me," said Lyric. He stopped trotting, winced, and then sat down. "What do you say we take a break?"
Summer glanced about, almost worriedly. "I… I suppose," she said. "I don't hear anything…"
"Good," sighed Lyric. "My mechanical leg is killing me. I need to tighten a couple things."
Lyric then proceeded to scrabble with several iron bolts and steel pegs as he fixed up his crooked fake limb. He readjusted a spring here… and then gear there.
"Umm… Summer? Could you pass me the oil?" asked Lyric, struggling with an especially stubborn wingnut.
Summer nodded and deftly reached into her saddlepack. She found the oil in an instant by memory and pulled it out. She was about to hand it to him when she suddenly froze. Her ears flattened.
Lyric raised an eyebrow, half-worried. "Summer? Is there something wrong?"
"The earth… it's moving…" murmured Summer, her stomach beginning to churn as she realized what was going on. "FIRE GEYSERS! RUN!"
Lyric leapt up seized on of Summer's hooves. In a flash they began to streak through the jungle trees. A second later the earth erupted into flames. Massive gouts of flame, brimstone, and magma bubbled up from deep within the earth and shot high into the air, scorching the trees and lighting leaves afire.
"I… thought… the… place… looked… safe…!" gasped Lyric. He suddenly swerved to shove Summer aside. A giant explosion ripped through the earth, decimating the area that Summer had been galloping upon an instant earlier. Summer had been pushed far away enough that she was only singed by the blast… but now they were separated.
"Lyric? Lyric?! LYRIC?!" screamed Summer when it dawned upon her that her guide was no longer with her. The sulfurous fumes clogged her nostrils and the rumbling of fiery geysers deafened her ears.
Lyric gasped when he too realized his best friend had been separated from him. He came to a skidding stop and did a roundabout turn. Glancing around in a panicked state, it took him a second to locate Summer.
"SUMMER!" yelled Lyric, "Hang in there! I've got you!"
Lyric started to dash forward when a fire geyser erupted in front of him. Lyric reared up and collapsed upon his back, barely avoiding being roasted alive. However, before the dust began to settle the earth beneath Lyric began to shiver and shake as fire rippled from deep within the earth to the sky. Gasping for breath, Lyric rolled out of the way quickly… but not quick enough. The fire geyser erupted skyward… and took the whole of Lyric's fake leg with it. Though he felt no pain from losing his mechanical appendage Lyric screamed from shock nonetheless as half of it was charred, burn, and smelted.
"LYRIC?!" yelled Summer, "Are you okay?!"
She would have said more, but the earth beneath her began to ripple, forcing Summer to scrabble away as yet another fire geyser vomited molten rock and fire upwards. She whimpered as the burns that already covered her body were singed yet again.
"I'm… I'm… I'm… I'm fine!" gasped Lyric. He was trembling from head to hoof from shock. "Just… Just stay there! I'll get to you!"
Lyric stumbled up and dragged himself over to where Summer was. Fortunately for them, the fireswamp had calmed down somewhat, and so the geysers were only erupting every other second, and none of them were close enough to pose a serious threat aside from bathing the burned bodies of the two travelers with shimmering heat waves. Lyric reached out and snatched one of Summer's hooves. The two crawled to all fours and stumbled away as the fire geysers began to fire with doubled intensity. The two kept crawling until the geysers were naught but a faint rumbling in the wind. The two collapsed deep within a large mass of low-hanging flora.
"Is… this… place… safe?" choked Lyric.
Summer could only nod her head. Though she had been wrong initially, Lyric trusted her completely. Summer groaned as the true pain of the burns that covered her began to take a toll on her body. She snuggled up close to Lyric and passed straight out. Though the feeling of skin-upon-skin was excruciatingly painful with the burns, Lyric tolerated. However, Lyric could not pass out. Though darkness ate at the age of his vision, Summer struggled to keep conscious so that he could keep a lookout on his surroundings. He knew that if he passed out, even in the cover of the flora, someone (or something) could find them and potentially murder them in their sleep.
This was perhaps the wisest decision he ever made, for as the sun went from midnoon to sundown the faintest movements could be heard, rustling through the undergrowth. Lyric looked over to Summer. She was still unconscious and barely breathing. Barely breathing himself, Lyric squinted through the foliage. His heart almost stopped as a red-streaked hoof slammed down an inch in front of his face, just beyond the shadows of his cover. Lyric moved barely, letting his eyes peer upwards to the owner of the red hoof. A vicious-looking pony, decorated in rotting skulls, bleached bones, and disgusting warpaint, stood above him, peering into the darkness beyond the blood-red horizon.
The savage sniffed, his dark eyes scouring everywhere… but the bush he was practically standing upon. Rather convenient, if one thinks about it. The savage uttered some things in an ugly, guttural, unrecognizable language and then slipped off. Lyric couldn't even muster the strength to breath out a sigh of relief. However, now that he knew the area had been searched, logic dictated that the same place would not be searched again any time soon. In short, he and Summer were safe… for now.
Letting out something between a strangled sigh and a sob, Lyric passed out, the pain of his burns overcoming his mind.
It wasn't until some droplets of early-morning dew falling from low-hanging foliage soothed his burns that Lyric regained consciousness. Wincing in pain, Lyric attempted to climb to all fours. However, it took over a dozen tries before his strength overcame the burning sensations, allowing him to scramble up. Lyric almost immediately spat up bile as his head swam and stomach churned. He held it in, though, and was able to get his bearings. The sun was just peeking through the high canopy of the jungle, casting light upon the east side of the massive, archaic trees. It was just after dawn. It took another moment for Lyric to locate south, the direction they were heading. Sighing in relief over the fact that they at least knew what direction they needed to head. Lyric glanced at his mechanical leg. He pulled a face as he saw the state it was in: half of the mass of springs, cogs, and pistons was missing. Blackened ends, twisted wires, scorched bolts, and bent gears marked the place that Fire Geyser had claimed the leg. Lyric shook his head mournfully, but did not dwell on the loss for too long. The mechanical leg could be replaced, and he knew that. Lyric then glanced over at Summer, an infinitely more valuable thing. The poor Pegasus was still out cold, whimpering in her sleep as the burns scorched deep into her skin plagued her dreams. Lyric bit his lip as a dilemma became rather apparent: he needed to scout out their next step in order to determine that the surroundings were not hostile and in order to relocate the path they had been cast from… but he was also quite loath to leave his best friend behind in such a state.
After at least a minute of mentally fighting, Lyric decided on the former of the two choices. Shaking his head, Lyric dragged himself off, soldered wires from his fake leg dragging lightly through the earth. The jungles closed in as Lyric stumbled away, and the sky darkened as the canopy thickened. Breathing heavily, Lyric stopped a moment to take a breather. After a minute he shoved himself upright again and stumbled away, limping an additional fifteen minutes. He then stopped to take yet another breather.
"This is going to take much longer than I thought," muttered Lyric, wincing as his burnt flesh brushed against the rough bark of the massive jungle tree he leaned against. "I think I might need to…"
Lyric suddenly stopped talking as he felt the earth beneath him give way. It shifted slightly to the right, undoubtedly collapsing the tunnel of some underground-dwelling beast. It was not too great of a shift, but it was enough to send the dark purple Unicorn into a stumble. He tumbled over a couple of large, moss covered stones before he came to a stop in a large pile of dank undergrowth, jarred and bruised.
Lyric swore quietly before trying to get up. However, he suddenly found that he could not. The shifting earth from the collapsing of the small tunnel had led to a larger landslide that had ended up moving the stones Lyric had fallen over as well… onto his good back leg. It was not painful or crippling… but he was stuck nonetheless. Lyric swore again as he tried to wrench his leg out, but to no avail. Fortunately, Lyric did not immediately begin to panic. He knew that Summer was safe in the cover she had collapsed in, so all that he needed to do now was find a way out of this minor mess. Lyric attempted to lift the stone off of him with his magic… that failed. Lyric then attempted use a large stick nearby as a lever to lift away the stones… the stick snapped. Grumbling, Lyric lay down and looked at the dark, sky-blocking canopy far above his head. Then he heard it: the rustling of branches. Of course, one could simply cast this sound aside, as it was natural for jungle such as this one to rustle and whisper… but in Lyric's heart he knew that something wrong was about to happen. Pressing himself close to the earth, Lyric quickly went about pushing loam and dead leaves over his body. He then lay still, waiting for whatever evil awaited for him to come.
A minute later the evil did come… in the form of the savages that he had seen not a day earlier. In fact, from the warpaint that covered its body, Lyric was fairly sure the barbarian searching about his vicinity now was the same one that had been attempting to sniff out his whereabouts earlier. Narrowing his eyes, Lyric pressed his body even closer to the wet and mossy earth. The savage growled some things as he searched about, looking through the spot that Lyric had stumbled through when he created the pothole.
Fear began to rise in Lyric's throat like bile as the savage got closer and closer to his actual location… when the savage stopped. He leaned in close to inspect the earth several meters away from Lyric… and then shouted something in the unknown language Lyric had heard earlier. The savage was joined by a couple other savages, one male and one female. The three, all decked out in their fierce and morbid finery, dashed away as fast as the wind. It took Lyric a minute to figure out what had just happened, and when he did his heart froze in pure horror. The group of barbarians had found the trail created by the ruined mess of his damaged mechanical leg.
That trailed led directly back to Summer.
Author's Notes. I will admit that it took me many, many weeks to figure out where to go with Lyric, Summer, Starlight Amber, and the Inquisitors. In my rush to reach the impressive revelations that were lying in wait at the end of the first part of season 2, I forgot to plan ahead. Thus, I suddenly found myself without a plan (or a backup plan, or a backup-backup plan - I never go anywhere without those). And so I spent a really long time working out the next steps. I did it though, and at this time I will say that I am really pleased with the newest adventure I have crafted for Lyric and Summer. I hope you enjoy it as well.
Speaking of crafting adventures, I have an announcement: I am bringing in some Dimensional Travelers! Aside from Jefferson and Gene, there hasn't really been any new or old Dimensional Traveler people showing up in a story is based all around them. A travesty that must be rectified. In the next couple chapters I will be working towards introducing the newest team that will have a part to play in the latter half of this season. I will not say so much now, but keep an eye on the "A Mending Soul Guide". It will be receiving some new additions soon.
And now don't forget to drop a review! Oh, here is a good question to ask: in the past, who was your favorite Dimensional Traveler? Why? Let me know! If you do, I will give you an Amiibo of said favorite traveler. Seriously, how awesome would that be? I am sure it would be a little more awesome... if they weren't invisible. But what can I do? Making invisible things is a gift of mine... Kind of like underwater basket weaving. I will see you all later.