Author's Notes. Well this is weird, I somehow managed to write a whole chapter in just seven days. That doesn't happen very often anymore. I highly doubt I will be able to replicate this twice (as I have a lot of other things to do) but I will look into getting in something the week after next. Now on to answering some reviews.
To Vibrant Sound: Great! I aim to please. Also, don't worry too much about the googling of stuff. I really just throw all those references in to give an expansive sense to the multiverse. The Catalyst Corps has been around a bit, they have seen a lot. But in case you never did get around to looking up the to main references... Urthwyte the Mighty is a Badger Lord of Salamandastron (a massive volcanic fortress by the sea) in the Redwall dimension. He was renowned for his skill in armor making (almost as much one of his predecessors, the Badger Lord Boar the Fighter, who crafted the legendary sword of Martin the Warrior, the fourth greatest weapon in all of reality) and is attributed in crafting the armor of the High Rhulain, Tiria. You can read up more about her on a wikia, or in the A Mending Soul Guide, as she was a former council member of Rerenhaw. Zerahypt is some random "video game" that a friend of mine plays quite a bit. I put the term "video game" in quotes because it is less of a game and more of a "explorable universe simulator". It's not too well-done, but the thing was crafted in the Unity Game Engine, so I have respect for it.
To SuperVegito33: Good to see you excited! I am pleased to announce that they make an appearance in this chapter as well. I wasn't going to originally have them in here, but I am scrambling to reorganize everyone's story snippets so it sort of just dropped in here. After all is said and done I am thinking I will pair the stories of Summer and Lyric with the story of Starlight Amber, and the stories of the Catalyst Corps with the stories of the Inquisitors. It is a work in progress.
To Salvadorian Moose: Yeah, spellcheck can be a pain. The best way to overcome such adversity is to become so good at spelling yourself that spellcheck becomes nothing but an unused relic of a long forgotten past. Don't let the machines guide you so! After all, if you rely so heavily on such things, how will you spell properly when Skynet takes over?
To Guest: Thank you! I will!
To Ethansethbridges2001: I am glad to see that my story has done some good! Nothing makes me happier than seeing my story inspire other writers.
To FocusedStream: Yes! Things are finally starting to speed up! I hope to have a couple action-packed chapters soon. Keep on the edge of your seat, for more is coming!
Right, I think that is all I have for the moment. Enjoy the latest chapter!
Dimension: My Little Pony
Planet: Equestria Earth
Specific Location: The Southern Jungles, Stallion Empire
Time: Three days after Lyric and Summer ventured into the jungle.
Images flashed. Memories? Dreams? Nightmares. Summer couldn't tell. She felt the faint sensation of being dragged through the dirt and underbrush, but she had no idea if what she was feeling was real or imagined. She heard a voice to her left. Mattimeo? No, it couldn't be, could it? If this wasn't a dream then it couldn't be from her old Dimensional Lord friend. How about Lyric? No, that wasn't possible either. This voice was different. Something fundamentally wrong was going on. Summer groaned slightly as she felt the feeling of being dragged coming to a stop. Of course she still wasn't sure if anything she was experiencing was real, but the pain of her burned flesh grinding through the mossy earth was real enough.
"P-please… just five more minutes…" whined Summer.
A hard rod struck her across the muzzle, bringing her feverish, hallucinogenic "daydream" to an end. Summer started and her faded eyes snapped open. Her brain organized itself just in time for her to feel each of her limbs being strapped to four posts, suspending her in the air in the spread-eagled position, belly-up. The four posts were driven deep into the ground it seemed, and surrounded by a large cage of thick wooden sticks bound by jungle vines that creaked nearby as she struggled.
"W-what…?" gasped Summer, utterly confused by where she was. "Where am I? Where's Lyric?"
The rod that had struck previously slammed one of its blunt ends into her pelvis, causing her to cry out in pain, stemming the tide of questions. As the filly caught her breath, the position of the weilder slowly became clear, and it was standing right by her. It had to be an Agrinian, painted in fierce war paint, decorated with rotting bones, and adorned with crumbling skulls. She had heard the tales, and the sensations that had been described in said tales matched perfectly with the smells and sounds that reached her now. The savage grinned "savagely" while swinging the rod a hairsbreadth from Summer's blank eyeball. Her ears flattened as she felt the stick pass a mere hairsbreadth in front of her.
Summer's heart was racing and her breath was coming in short, ragged gasps, but this did not keep her from drawing up her fighting courage from the depths of her chest. She bared her teeth at the savage and snapped, "What the hell do you want from me?"
The Agrinian kept on grinning; it seemed he had no idea what she had just said.
"Didn't you just hear what I said?" growled Summer, trying her hardest to suppress her body from trembling from pure terror. Her voice wavered a little. "Are you too dumb to understand the common tongue? You've probably never even—"
The savage abruptly pressed the blunt end of the rod against Summer's throat, cutting off her air supply, preventing her from running her mouth off more. After a dozen seconds, the savage pulled the rod away. He lightly tapped her on the tip of her muzzle to get her attention. Summer glared at him. With the end of the rod, the Agrinian motioned for her to look out of the cage, directly to her right. Summer just kept glaring. She could sense what he wanted her to do, but she decided to refuse doing it all the same. The Agrinian blinked, staring deep into her blind eyes. He then leaned in close and roughly grabbed her face, forcing her face to the right. In a second the odors of blood, decay, and rotting and cooking flesh struck her nostrils. The aroma of cannibalism and savagery struck her so hard that Summer could not help but cry out in horror. The Agrinian grinned, almost complacently. Summer clamped her jaws shut to prevent any more crying, but her ragged breathing had sped up tenfold.
"You're not getting any more satisfaction from my pain, monster," she hissed, forcing those words out from between her teeth, doing her best to deter the savage by putting on a strong front. "My friend will save me. And if not… Well, don't expect me to scream when you cut my body open while I'm still conscious."
Summer's stomach seized up as she felt the savage approach her, coming closer and closer. She quivered as the monster's fetid breath inundated almost every single one of her senses. Even her blind eyes began to sting. She shook her head. "You're… You're not scaring me." She was, however, quite scared. But she was not about to show it. Never.
She heard a chuckle, a sadistic chuckle that made her skin tingle. It was almost as if the savage understood her defiance, and he was savoring it for when the time came for him to chop her up and toss her body parts into a stew.
There was a pause, and then the sound of hooves retreating. Then the sound of the cage's door slamming shut. Summer held her breath, using her advanced senses to track her captor. The hoofsteps continued to fade, and soon Summer judged that by the softness of the steps that the savage was out of the earshot of a normal pony. Summer took in a deep breath, and then began to cry quietly.
"Oh Lyric… Where are you? Are you even alive?"
Dimension: My Little Pony
Planet: Equestria Earth
Specific Location: The Southern Jungles, Stallion Empire
Time: Three days after Lyric and Summer ventured into the jungle.
"Oh Summer… Where are you? Are you even alive?"
Lyric sighed loud and long, doing his best not to break down like a like foal who has twisted a hoof. He wanted to cry. He had failed to protect Summer, the only thing that mattered to him anymore. He had utterly failed. A small whimper escaped his lips. He looked to his twisted fake limb, which was still firmly trapped beneath the boulder. Lyric gave his limb an experimental tug. However, like the last score of times he tried, the thing did not budge.
"Someone… Anyone… Please help me," mumbled Lyric. He lay on the ground, doing his best to not simply give into oblivion. "I just… need… some… help."
It was over, there was nothing he could do to protect the one thing that was more important than his own life. He had failed. He had absolutely, utterly…
"You look like you're in a spot of bother, mate. Need any help?"
Lyric's eyes snapped open, and he shot up straight. Well, he shot up as straight as he could, as one of his hind legs was completely trapped beneath a boulder. He looked about wildly. A tall Earth Pony, with a dark brown coat, black mane, and soft hazel eyes was standing some ways off to his left, looking at him curiously. He was armed with a pistol and a viscous-looking spear, but he did not look in any way hostile towards Lyric… Which was quite a rarity.
Lyric blinked. "W-what?"
The pony smiled. "Do you need any help? Come on, I haven't got all day."
Lyric rubbed the back of his head, wondering if he had struck it and was, consequently, hallucinating. Ponies in the realm of the Stallion Empire never asked if others were in need. Ever. What was this? Nonetheless, despite his utter confusion, he could not help but stutter out, in his stupor: "Y-y-yes… Yes. Thank you."
The pony nodded and trotted up to Lyric. He looked him up and down, gauging the situation.
"Here's the problem: The boulder is in a sort of indentation here, making it impossible for it to just roll back. Tell you what, I'll put the butt of my spear here and use it as a lever. Just put up your free hind leg here and push like your life depended on it… which it technically does, mate. I'll give you some leverage and I want you to nudge the thing off to the right. Give me a second…"
The strange pony rammed the end of his spear into a corner where the boulder met the soft earth. He wrenched his tool back and forth for a moment, making sure it was securely lodged in there. He then leapt upon the spear shaft and grunted as he leaned back, using his spear as a lever. The rock creaked and shifted. Lyric slammed his free hind leg into it and shoved it away from him with all his might. The boulder grumbled and groaned as it reluctantly rolled away from his flattened mechanical leg. Lyric gasped and scrambled away. When he was clear from the boulder he leapt up, only to collapse again. The pony was beside him in a moment.
"You okay there kid?"
Lyric nodded his head, breathing heavily. "I'm fine. Just… Just give me a…"
Lyric's eyes suddenly widened in pure horror. "Summer! She's in trouble! I need to help her!"
Lyric shot up again, but this time was held down by the stranger. "Slow down there, mate! Nothing good ever came from rushing around like that. Tell me: Who is Summer? Why is she in trouble?"
"Summer… Summer is my friend," replied Lyric, shaking his head despondently. "I… I went off to try and find a safe place, but I was trapped beneath that thing. Agrinian savages came… They didn't see me, but the saw the trail that my damaged mechanical leg made. The followed it. That trail leads back to Summer."
The stranger furrowed his brow worriedly. "That's no good, mate. Come on, let's get going."
Lyric's stomach did a somersault of fear. "W-where?"
"We don't have much time if we want to free your friend. We have a hoof-full to do."
Lyric shook his head vigorously to clear it. He still could not believe that he was not dreaming. "Really? But… But you have to obligation to me. Why in the world would you ever show compassion in such a land as this?"
The stranger could not help but grin. "I could ask you the same thing. It's been years since I've heard someone refer to their travelling companion as 'friend,' mate. That says a lot about your relationship with her. I can see the pure panic in your eyes. I know you cannot live without this 'Summer,' and so the only correct recourse is to free your friend."
"No one from this land has ever offered unconditional help."
"I'm not from this land. Let's get a move-on, kid. Try not to fall over yourself."
Lyric nodded dumbly, letting the rather odd pony help him up and drag him away from the boulder that had trapped him for an entire day.
"What's our first move?" Lyric gasped as his rescuer lay him down.
"First," started the pony, "We need to get this mechanical leg fixed up. You're not going anywhere when it's smashed up like a walnut shell. I know a little about mechanical things. I hope I can at least patch it up."
The pony's voice trailed off as he pulled some tools and strips of metal from his pack. He lined the twisted, melted, burned, and frayed structure of Lyric's fake leg with the strips of iron and twisted them all in place. This make-shift support prevented the whole thing from buckling in from Lyric's weight. It was awkward and ungainly, like a heavy peg leg, but it allowed Lyric to move without constantly falling over, nonetheless.
"Thanks. Now, please, what do I call you?" said Lyric, staring earnestly at this stranger who had done so much over such a short time.
"Family back home calls me Bragurn… But my mates call me Brag. Just call me that, kid. It'll do."
Lyric nodded decisively as Brag helped him to all fours. "Brag it is. Thank you for everything, Brag."
"Don't thank me yet. We still have a pony's hide to save."
Lyric began to shiver, almost uncontrollably, now that the thought of the danger his friend was in returned in full force. Brag bumped his shoulder, rather sternly, with one of his front hooves. "Don't go all jelly on me, kid. We have quite a ways to go. Now take me to the place that your friend was hiding in before you left to find fresh cover."
The two ponies began to trot away, following the barely-noticeable trail in the dirt that Lyric's previously damaged fake leg had left.
"So," Brag suddenly started as the duo trotted away, "How in the name of the Emperor did you – a mere colt! – get this deep into such treacherous territory?"
Despite his panicked and terrified state, Lyric did manage a small smile. "That's not the half of it. Summer and I started our adventures together in the Northern Mountains."
Brag's face flickered for an instant, registering surprise. "You don't say, mate? That's quite a ways away. How did two foals survive alone for such a long time?"
"It wasn't easy, but we managed. Mostly we just stayed out of sight. We weren't half bad at it either. We never needed help from any other pony… until now." Lyric's voice trailed off as his statement trailed off into a sigh of despair.
Brag slapped Lyric heartily on the back, almost causing the colt to buckle. "Don't worry your old head! I've already said I will help you get your little 'filly-friend' out of this mess. I see the trail ending up ahead. Was that bush your hiding place?"
Lyric nodded wordlessly, trotting up to the place slowly, his hooves heavy with foreboding. He pushed aside the thick brush to expose the spot the two had been hiding after the fire geyser event. His stomach plummeted. Both Summer and their supplies had vanished. The filly had indeed been captured by the Agrinians. "She's gone."
Brag's eyes narrowed. "Damn cannibals. Right mate, we just need to figure out where they took your friend now. Which direction did you two come from before coming to rest here?"
Lyric pointed in a direction that was a couple degrees north of northwest. "There."
Brag stroked his scarred muzzle, his hazel eyes clouding with thought. "Hmmmmmm… I scouted out an Agrinian camp just north of here. Come to think of it, it must be the closest of the savage camps in this area. I bet you an apple to an acorn that your filly-friend is holed up in that filthy place."
"You think… You think she'll still be alive?"
"A good chance she's still alive. The Agrinians don't eat their prey immediately. They defile and torture them first. Your girl pretty?"
"Most beautiful mare I have ever seen… and ever will see."
"Well then, that cuts the margin of time we have to rescue her in half. We can't make a move to save her while there is daylight, but the moment the sun has just set upon the western horizon we will need to make a move. Now…"
Brag stepped away and turned in a circle, his seasoned eyes scouring the horizon. He stopped and pointed to a large tree that was framed in sunlight through a hole in the extremely thick canopy. "That place should give us a good vantage point. We won't be able to really see what is going on at the camp, but we will be able to tell whether or not those dumb savages have started fires or not."
Brag set off towards the target vantage point, with Lyric seconds behind him.
"I'm s-sorry to bother you, Brag, but you said that you were helping us because you 'weren't from here.' Where are you from then? And why is that enough for you to put your life on the line to help to foals you have never even met?"
Brag didn't even break his stride as he glanced back at Lyric, who had just spoken. He grinned. "I'm actually from Equestria originally. Part of the Explorer's Guild, you see. A couple years ago I had been commissioned to explore the mostly unexplored northern-side ranges of the Stallion Empire's east coast. However, before I could even get to my headquarters to start my exploring my flight to HQ was disrupted… When my plane exploded over the Northern Mountains."
Lyric almost tripped over himself. "W-what…?"
Brag glanced at Lyric. "Yeah, that's right. Something from above us struck the plane and blew it to smithereens. Odd, right? I was sucked out of the plane in an instant. Thought I was a goner for sure, but I ended up sliding down a snowy mountainside with naught but a couple of fractured limbs. It was a disaster, I don't think any of the other poor blokes survived."
Lyric blinked. "I would agree… Except for one thing: Summer is a survivor of that very same accident."
Brag glanced back at Lyric for a second time. His face flickered again, registering a millisecond of shock. "You don't say?"
Nodding readily, Lyric continued. "Yeah! Grand Pegasus flight X67319 was it?"
"You're as right as rain, mate. Now that is strange. How did your friend survive the incident?"
"Erm… Well, you know what a Dimensional Traveler is, right?"
"Course I do, mate. I'm from flipping Equestria. We're the central hub for those freaks. Why?"
"Summer is related to one, I think. She was surrounded with a shield of pure energy why I found her. However she doesn't seem to be able to control whatever powers she has… or had. She has been unable to do anything relating to Dimensional Traveler abilities for over a year now."
"That's a shame, I was about to say if she could control her powers then all we would have to do is watch as she obliterates their camp. I guess it's still up to us then. Ah! Here it is. Better start climbing, kid."
Brag reached into his pack and produced two sets of climbing spikes. He strapped them onto Lyric's front and back legs before doing the same to himself. Brag shoved Lyric up the tree before beginning to scale the mountain of wood and foliage himself. Lyric almost fell at least a dozen times before he got a hang of scaling the tree. In a couple minutes the duo were clearing the canopy of the rainforest.
"Well, this isn't so bad…" Lyric breathed. Then he looked down. An acute bout of vertigo struck the colt upside the head, causing his joints to buckle. He seized the nearest tree branch tightly and held on with all his might.
Brag just laughed. "You better get used to it as fast as possible, mate! It's about to get worse!"
Brag balanced expertly on a branch and rummaged through his pack again. He pulled out a metallic crossbow. After a couple additional minutes of rummaging he produced a bolt attached to a long wire.
"Waitwaitwaitwait," said Lyric in disbelief. "Are we… zip-lining?"
"That we are," replied Brag. "See that gap in the canopy below? We're going to zip-line straight onto into the trees above the camp."
"Then what?"
"Listen close, mate. I have a plan."
Dimension: Looking for Group
Planet: Earth
Specific Location: Nestorep
Time: A couple years after Richard did some stuff. Three days after Summer and Lyric ventured into the Southern Jungles.
"I think we have everything we need for this venture," murmured Anima, setting down a crate full of bio-electronic components. "How is the ship?"
Xavier patted a large, beat-up interdimensional ship. It was rough but with sleek curves, and the wings curved back like scythes. The engines were glowing with energy, and were pivoting as Batusi tested out the controls. "It's like new! Well, if by new you mean at least a hundred thousand billion years old, then yeah. But look on the bright side, this ship was once of the Barius Empire! They knew how to build these things like no other!"
Tenebris looked up from checking a cold fusion energy pack to stare at Xavier.
Xavier blinked. "Yeah, I was lying. I have no idea. Does anyone have a Dimensional Lord's number? What's the funny one's name again? Doxia or something? Let's give him a call!"
Anima shrugged ignoring the latter half of Xavier's babbling. "It'll have to do at the moment. All we need have this thing do is to get us into the Skylock dimension… If it doesn't disintegrate when we activate it that is."
"Right. Great. Awesome," sighed Xavier. "Can someone remind me why we are risking getting ourselves vaporized when we can just use out Dimensional Traveler powers to make a single dimensional jump? Heck, we could be travelling the land and exploding demons as we speak if it were not for attempting to prep this hunk of junk."
Tenebris motioned for Xavier to approach him. He then opened a portal to the Skylock dimension. The portal sizzled and sparked as it tore a hole in time and space, bridging the infinite gap between their dimension and the targeted dimension.
Xavier motioned wildly to the hole in reality. "See? Look at that! This is exactly why we don't need a ship!"
Anima picked up a scrap of metal that was lying on the ground. He hurled it at the portal. The metal struck the portal and suddenly melted into slag. The slag proceeded to evaporate. The vapor then proceeded to cease existing.
Xavier motioned wildly to the hole in reality again. "See? Look at that! This is exactly why we do need a ship!"
"Batusi almost found that out the hard way earlier today," stated Tenebris, grinning as he slammed the portal shut. "It looks to me to be some sort of portal-blocking effect… Like a Phantom Device."
"My thoughts exactly," agreed Anima, walking over to stand beside Tenebris. "I am thinking the demons set up some crude projectors that shored up its end of the Imagination Energy continuum with Dimensional Energy. Basically anyone who tries to pass through using normal portals gets their very molecular makeup wiped from existence."
"… And that is why we are going to use an interdimensional ship." Tenebris continued. "Ship portals do not operate like our portals. The ships will simply drop us in by punching through the interdimensional walls between universes; not by using the labyrinthine continuum. We will not be effected... Probably... Maybe... If I squint my eyes."
At this moment Batusi exited the interdimensional ship. "The Barius Empire knew a thing or two about ship durability, I think. This thing is still functioning. Do we have everything we need?"
"Energy packs, weapons, the works," replied Anima, using his control over gravity to levitate crates into the ship's interior.
Tenebris nodded. "It seems the overly long wait is over, Xavier. Time for us to complete our mission."
The four teammates walked into the ship and settled down in the pilot's cockpit. Tenebris took the controls, and Xavier sat as co-pilot. In a minute a shudder racked the frame of the ship as the engines leapt to life. Silently the sleek, phantom-like ship rose above the treetops of the Nestorep forest and glided into the sky faster than a rocket. In an instant they were breaking free of the planet's orbit and drifting into free space.
"We're clear for a dimensional jump," stated Xavier, staring hard at a screen, trying to figure out why it was flashing red instead of the usual blue.
Tenebris nodded. "On it. Anima, input the coordinates for the Skylock dimension. Batusi, prep the drive for the jump. Let's get this puppy on its way."
The four of them set about quickly, ensuring everything was in order before they tried to make the jump.
"Coordinates set," stated Anima.
"Drive prepped and ready," stated Batusi.
"Red thingy is now flashing blue," stated Xavier.
Tenebris rubbed the back of his neck. "This probably will work. Hold on everyone. I'm beginning the jump in three… two… one…"
The Dimensional Traveler hit the jump button. The ship jerked and shook heavily as the drive blew a small hole in the fabric of dimensions. A red-hot portal ripped through space-time, distorting passing light and warping time. Still shuddering, the ship began to glide through the portal into the Skylock universe, without being accosted.
"Yeah, hey… Tenebris? The blue thingy is flashing red again," Xavier mentioned, looking closely at the screen that represented the structural integrity of the portal.
Tenebris glanced over at it and blanched. "Oh, that's not good. Guys? It looks like the jump drive was faulty. There is an energy loop in the system, and it is building in intensity every second."
"Sooooo… That's not good?" asked Xavier.
Tenebris shook his head, doing his best to stay calm. "Yeah. I guess this ship was more damaged than we had previously thought. We are in sooooo much trouble. Right, we need to stay calm. Anima? Suggestions?"
Anima's fingers flew across the holographic screen in front of him, running diagnostics as he desperately tried to think of a solution. "Ummmm… Er… Well, I know that we are running on a timer now. We won't be able to clear the portal and shut it off in time. By the time this whole ship makes it through the drive will simply explode, and probably vaporize us and a good portion of this planetary system… That would kill the Cale'anon and maybe even the Richard of this universe… that would cause this whole dimension to collapse upon itself. Trillions dead. I suggest we just shut the portal off now."
"Now?" exclaimed Batusi, "Need I point out that we are kind of only half-way through?"
"That is our only option," replied Anima, "It's either that or risk being vaporized. I will wield the hole in the ship that closing the portal will make shut the moment the drive is powered down and the hole in the dimension closes. Tenebris?"
Tenebris blinked, doing his best to weigh his choices. "If we sever this ship in two we will be utterly out of control and basically defenseless. I cannot have that. Batusi, you know quite a bit about the core elements of interdimensional travel, are there any other options…?"
"Too late! Time's up! Let's do this!" cried Xavier, suddenly slamming a fist on a button on the front terminal, deactivating the drive. The portal slammed shut, severing the ship in two, tossing the front half of the crippled vehicle, defenseless, into the Skylock dimension.
"Xavier!" shouted Batusi, "We could have thought of another plan!"
"Yeah, I would agree… If the front terminal thingy hadn't read '0.001 seconds left'!" Xavier snorted.
The front half of the ship listed away from the scene of the disaster, suddenly drifting to the right as it was caught in the gravitational pull of a nearby planet… the target planet. In less than an hour the ship was getting caught up in flames as it entered the atmosphere, set on a doomed crash course. Unfortunately for the Catalyst Corps, the shields responsible for protecting the ship had been disabled when the ship had been cut in half… and so the entire ship was beginning to disintegrate through the entry.
"You know… This could be our shortest mission ever if you think about it," stated Xavier as the windshield melted.
Author's Notes. As I stated earlier: Action is on it's way! What will the Catalyst Corps do, now that they are stranded on an enemy planet, with no means of escape? Will they even make it to the surface at all? Find out in some other chapter when I finally get around to making it! Speaking of constructing chapters, I have an important question: Would you guys prefer that I start making more chapters for my story "The Salient Link" or for my story "Still Mountains, Silent Valleys"? I've been thinking about it, and I have found myself split with the decision. I really enjoy both of them, but I cannot take the time to work on this story and two others. I believe I can only take the time to focus on two different stories. So, aside from "A Mending Soul" which other story would you prefer that I work on? Let me know in a review! If you leave me a review, I will give you a interdimensional jump drive that is NOT faulty. Imagine the possibilities: Endless jumping between alternate dimensions! Endless exploration of the multiverse! The only problem I can see with such a reward is finding the "on" button. I mean... It will be invisible after all.