On a Wing and a Spellcard (Con't. from Everfree)

[shiftyPotentate]

A bit relieved Gilda wasn't mad at her for running into her (again), Fluttershy watched the argument. Her heart sank. Even she, who'd bore the brunt of Gilda's rage before, could not stand to watch her be ostracized again. She'd done nothing wrong this time and deserved a second chance.

And even though she called everyone lame, it was probably more of a defensive comeback than an outlashing insult.

One advantage of being really quiet is no one tended to notice her at times. She took the opportunity to slip outside unnoticed, flying after Gilda, though from a safe distance. It wasn't right to treat her this way.

[ShadesofGrey18]

Marisa walked outside. She had noticed Sanae and Michael leaving the house and she knew exactly where it was going. As Alice followed her out, Marisa muttered, "Every damn time... those two are always at each other's throats, I swear..."

Soarin' flew beside the witch and asked, "What do you mean by that? She seemed nice enough to me."

Marisa replied, "Flyboy, that's probably because she wasn't near him. Those two have... very different views. Sanae doesn't like Youkai like Alice, Patchy, or Meiling. Mike wants humans and Youkai to live at least semi-peacefully... within reason, of course; the two races keep each other in balance."

Alice said, "They're probably starting to fight already..."

As the group walked outside, Michael and Sanae were exchanging words... before the inevitable fight.

Michael said, exasperatedly, "Sanae, do we have to do this?"

She shot back, "What do you think? You're in my way, so I have to get you out of it. Then I'll finish what I was going to do before you interfered!"

Michael sighed. "Very well..." He waved his hand in front of his face, and Synced with another with a flash. When he opened his eyes, one of his blue eyes had turned red, and a very unusual-looking umbrella appeared in his hands.

Sanae's response was to burst out laughing. "You're going to fight using that weak umbrella's power?!"

As a song started to play, Michael said, "I'm not fighting with a 'weak umbrella's power', I'm fighting with Kogasa's power. You might be... surprised."



Michael leaped into the air and Sanae followed, launching semi-seeking snake bullets. He grazed them and countered, spinning the umbrella and firing waves or bullets. When Sanae started moving with the waves, he quickly spun the umbrella the other way, reversing the waves' direction.

Sanae managed to just avoid the shots. She thought to herself, 'I will not be beaten by that weak Youkai's power!' and activated a Spellcard. "Esoterica! Nine Syllable Stabs!" As a wave of smaller bullets rushed towards Michael, Sanae moved her hands into different seals, shouting "Rin! Pyo! To! Sha! Kai! Jin! Retsu! Zai! Zen!" As she called it, lasers formed a grid around the battlefield.

Michael did know a spot that was somewhat-safe, so he moved there, still spinning the umbrella. Michael then activated a borrowed Spellcard of his own. "Umbrella Sign: Parasol Star Memories!" As large circular objects moved around the battlefield and were broken by Sanae's attack, they created several large bullets that flew around. Michael spun the umbrella, launching bullets in waves at Sanae. Eventually, her Spellcard was broken and his timed out.

Michael stuck his tongue out from the side of his mouth like Kogasa did and said, "Had enough, Sanae?"

Her response was another Spellcard attack. "Sea Opening: Moses' Miracle!" Michael quickly moved to the area in front of her as the sides of the battlefield were engulfed by danmaku "water" and Sanae launched knife danmaku in a wide spread at him.

He grazed his way around, firing bullets where he could and taking a couple hits. Eventually, though, Sanae's Spellcard timed out.

She said, "Give up now! You won't win!"

He shot back, "Sanae, I wouldn't win against Reimu, I'm pretty sure. You? I'd say my chances are at least a little better."

That made her mad; she absolutely hated being compared to Reimu. She screamed in rage and activated another Spellcard... her last one set for the match. "Snake Sign! Orochi of Ancient Times!" A large semi-real snake appeared and launched towards Michael. He didn't have much time to even react before it "swallowed" him.

Sanae landed on the ground and jumped, saying "That's what you get!" ...She didn't notice Michael right behind her, winding up a smack with the umbrella. He swung the umbrella while closed, smacking her right on the butt with the tool. She shrieked and turned, looking right at Michael's tongue-sticking-out face. "I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" ...Even though Spellcard rules prevented the deaths of combatants, she said it to get her point across.

She swung her gohei and launched several star patterns at him, which he jumped over, landing on the other side. He activated a Spellcard. "Rainbow Sign! Over the Rainbow!"

As he spun the umbrella and a nearly-solid rainbow of danmaku got close, Sanae shrieked and tried to activate a Spellcard. ...But she had used up her last one in her rage. As the danmaku hit her, a shattering sound denoted the end of the match. Sanae was laying on the ground, defeated.

Michael Desynced with Kogasa, breathing harder and sweating a bit from the strain.

[Felix Falora]

Satori and Patchouli had actually pulled themselves to see what was going on since it was a danmaku battle. They wanted to make sure doubly so that no one really got hurt. What they got was a surprise as Michael proceeded to practically curbstomp Sanae using the powers of a Stage 2 Boss. In Kogasa's defense, she was also the midboss for the Extra Stage, but either way, she had potentially been beaten by Sanae either way in some universe, so it went to say that this Sanae was not the one, hopefully not the one anyway, who managed to beat Kogasa. And since the bosses were generally judged by their first appearance, like Patchouli was still judged a Stage 4 Boss in her debut defending Flandre, they were impressed that the powers of a "weakling" were so well matched. "Impressive. Dare I say you use those cards better then Kogasa herself," Patchouli replied.

"Not that this fight mattered much. The one you wanted to punish, Sanae, got away. Though... she's not really that bad." Satori crossed her arms lightly. "It's all a facade. Mind you I'm still not sure how I can read the minds of these animals, but... she's just someone who doesn't know herself and is subject to believing that the way she is acting now is the best way to act, even though she is also aware it's not. I believe the best way to put it is she feels she has to be tough, despite the fact she finds herself weak, so she plays the part." Then she shrugged. "Though I'm not asking you to forgive her for the crimes she committed, as I saw those too, but what I am saying is she's already suffered for them, so is the extra punishment necessary?"

(Satori = Was this out of character? Honestly, Touhou personalities are never really canon when you think about it...)

[DM: Dersite Merchant]

Spike had generally reserved himself to the kitchen, cleaning up after the pie baking and eating. He did not, after all, want to get involved with that seriously tense and personal situation. However, he was not one to pass up a peek out the window to watch a sudden big danmaku battle.

He didn't really know who Michael was syncing up with to get that equipment, but who knew someone who carried around a silly umbrella like that could kick butt so well? Unless it was just the way Mike used their powers; Spike really had no way of knowing for sure.

[ShadesofGrey18]

(Felix, I think it's alright.)

Sanae slowly pulled herself up to a standing position. She shot Michael a look absolutely dripping with venom and flew off, heading off towards the City. She would later return to her temporary home near Bonsai Village.

Marisa and Alice smiled; neither of them cared for Sanae much and they very much enjoyed watching the match.

Michael said to Patchouli, "...Honestly, I'm pretty sure Kogasa holds back. A lot. Her power is basically the same thing Pinkie does... basically, whatever she wants so long as it's surprising... I think she's Fourth Wall aware, too; I got the weird feeling of being watched from somewhere while Synced with her... were she to go all-out, she'd be almost as strong as Yukari, I think."

Soarin' was sitting on the ground, jaw comically dropped and eyes wide. He hadn't seen a Danmaku match before. Marisa waved her hand in front of his face. "Yo, Flyboy, you there? ...Hellooooooo, Dimensional Island to Soarin', come in!"

Michael said, "...Where did Gilda go, anyway?"

Alice said, "She hardly seemed like a bad person... er, Griffon... to me. Just lonely..." Alice thought about her life before she and Marisa met again during the Perfect Cherry Blossom Incident.

[Felix Falora]

Pinkie shrugged. "She was a real jerk back at Ponyville. I thought a party would make her feel better, but unfortunately Dash's attempt at being funny backfired... so she kinda just got even more grouchy and left!"

The wingless Rainbow sighed. "I'll go get her," she said.

Pinkie gasped. "But what if there really ARE scary monsters out there?!"

"I'll be fine," she said. "I need to speak to Gilda. Considering what happened to her where I came from, I want to make sure of something." With that, the wingless Rainbow went off into the forest.

[DM: Dersite Merchant]

"You sure she'll be OK out there?"

Spike had returned, all this dishes to distract him already cleaned and the source of the tension gone anyway. Nonetheless, he was still very concerned.

"What if she does run into some kinda monster out there?" He shook his head adding, "And I don't mean like mindless savage beasts... There isn't a chance that..." With a gulp, he wondered aloud, "_{...there's someone out there even nearly as bad as that evil clown guy last week...is there...?}"

[shiftyPotentate]

She was lost. That was sure.

Darn it, she thought to herself. She ended up finding her way completely out of the forest. Gilda was nowhere in sight, the skies were completely clear. Well, all except for a purplish portal up in the air. A rather large one, even.

Fluttershy sighed and looked down, beginning to turn around to go back. She felt guilty that she'd let Gilda go by, and that she'd have to return in failure. Fortunately (or not) for her, she would not be returning right away. From the portal came a large roar. It seemed to echo through the very fabric of reality, and in fact it conjured up storm clouds in the large expansive field.

The roar also shook Fluttershy to her very core, more than a roar ordinarily would. She hunkered down low, looking up at the portal.

From it, a gigantic dragon emerged, flying through the air, seeming to breathe ice. At the sight of the dragon, Fluttershy's eyes went wide, as terror filled her. The one kind of mythical creature she was absolutely afraid of. And this one looked bigger and meaner than the red one she'd talked sternly to before. That dragon had simply been lazy and selfish. This one looked evil.

The pegasus covered her eyes and whimpered, shivering. The dragon spotted the bright yellow lump down on the ground, arcing downward to land in front of her. It roared once more, and Fluttershy felt a wave of pressure fly past her, though she managed to hold her ground thanks to her curled up posture.

She peeked out from her legs, praying silently that Rainbow, Applejack, Celestia, anypony would rescue her. She even began to cry softly.

The dragon, seeing this, hesitated. What was this strange horse creature doing?

And then, he tensed up, and keeled over backwards, unmoving, and landing with a loud whump.

Fluttershy stood back up, now curious. "Um... Mr. Dragon?" she asked, edging closer and nudging his scaly tail with a hoof. "Are you... all right?"

The dragon began to burn away, skin and muscle eroding quickly from his bones, and Fluttershy jumped a bit. As the dragon perished, a strong wind-like effect surrounded Fluttershy, as some essence rushed from the dragon straight into the little yellow pegasus. Her eyes glowed white, and her whole body a faint blue. Knowledge and memories rushed into her, as everything the dragon was flooded her being. She nearly fell over in surprise, but just as suddenly as it started, the whole thing stopped.

Nothing more was left of the dragon but a large skeleton, some leftover scales, and treasures that had been stuck to his sensitive underbelly. A whispering in Fluttershy's head seemed to echo. Mostly incoherent words in a foreign language, but one syllable of the language stood out among the others, as well as its inherent meaning.

Fus. Force.

Overwhelmed with sensations, Fluttershy soon fainted, laying beside the deceased dragon, tired and confused. Unconsciousness claimed her, granting sanctuary from the din of the language.

[ShadesofGrey18]

Michael had heard the roar. It unnerved him greatly. Then, he thought for a minute. Where was Fluttershy? He looked over to the forest, remembered that Gilda had gone out there, and his mind put the pieces together. "Oh no..." He took off into the forest, calling out for the pale yellow pegasus. "Fluttershy?! Fluttershy, where are you?!"

Alice had heard the faintest... something at the edge of her hearing thanks to her Youkai characteristics, but couldn't identify the noise. "Hm... curious..."

Marisa hadn't heard anything. "What? What's curious, Alice?"

The puppeteer responded, "I'm not certain, but whatever it is, it seems to have gotten Michael incredibly panicked..."

[Felix Falora]

Farther off in the forest, before the attack, two figures wandered about. One, holding a sword out in his hand, sheathed it. Garbed in plate armor reminiscent of a Christian Crusader (honestly, that's what the Knights of the Nine armor looks like to me), he turned to his compatriot, a woman who looked more modern and battle hardened. "The patrols are complete Alice. We have not seen any portals within the forest."

"Roland, these scanners were built with the intent of picking up any rifts and particles within space-time. There's a strong reading here and..." Alice's words were cut short when a loud roar pierced through the trees. Looking up, her eyes widened. "What was that?!"

Roland looked in the direction of the shout. "It came from this way. Let's move!" Thus the two defenders began to make their way through the trees, Roland with his sword and shield drawn while Alice held nothing in her hands, a firm believer in improvising. By the time they made it, however, the beast... had already been slain. The dragon bones were there, Roland easily able to identify them, and right next to them was an unconscious yellow pegasus. Alice cringed seeing her, but Roland was more fascinated with the corpse.

"A dragon's bones... yet that is impossible. We heard the roar just a few minutes ago, but it is already bones."

"Who's the 'My Little Pony' horse there?" Alice asked. Roland, of course, did not know who Fluttershy was, but upon seeing her next to the dragon's bones, he put two and two together.

"There is a legend passed down by the Nords that I've heard in tavern talk. The coming of dragons in their land, Skyrim, is a sign of the apocalypse. Yet, amongst them, one would carry the power to absorb the spirits of the dragons, melting their flesh from their bodies and turning them into naught but bones, and using their power to wield the mighty language of the dragons. They call him Dovahkiin, the Dragonborne, and it is said that the great Talos Septim was Dovahkiin before he ascended to become a Divine."

"So your former emperor was a dragonslayer before a god. What of it?"

"It is possible that... this little creature may be...?"

"You must be kidding. She doesn't look like she could harm a fly; how could she be a slayer of dragons?"

"The mightiest warriors are sometimes those who hold a pacifistic lifestyle. Let us take her back to headquarters." Despite the fact that equines weighed more then humans easily, Roland was still somehow able to pick her up without fault. "We'll nurse her back to health there and question her about it. Tech may also be able to identify her."

"Fine... I'll humor you, Roland, but this better be worth it."

[DM: Dersite Merchant]

Just as the subject of Fluttershy was breached, a distant roar could be heard somewhere in the woods and Michael took off running in that direction. Strangely enough, there was something...oddly familiar about that roar to Spike.

It was clear Michael was off to find Fluttershy, wherever she'd wandered off to. While the others talked among themselves, the young dragon slipped inconspicuously out the door and snuck after the human as quickly yet quietly as he could.

[shiftyPotentate]

Fluttershy drifted in and out of consciousness. Her wings had hung limp at her sides, as she was carried. At one point while she was conscious, she drew them back up to her sides, and her muscles kept them there from then, despite her lack of control.

When she finally came to (though still mostly out of it), all she felt was the warmth of something close to her, and arms wrapped around her. She instinctively drew closer to the warmth, barely conscious, scared, and confused. The poor pegasus had no idea the destiny she'd just stumbled upon.

[ShadesofGrey18]

Michael tore through the underbrush, slicing some branches in his way with his sword. "Dammit, dammit, dammit! I'll be damned if I let you guys get hurt on my watch..."

Before long, he reached the area where Fluttershy had been previously. He saw the dragon's skeleton, stripped almost clean, and thought to himself, 'Well, that explains the noise I heard... but what happened to it?' Then he looked and saw hoof prints that vanished. "...Oh no..."

He frantically looked around, trying to find a clue that would lead to the pale yellow pegasus' whereabouts... but had no luck. His power unintionally amplified his voice; the others surely would've been able to hear him.

"Fluttershy? Fluttershy? FLUTTERSHYYYY!"

[Felix Falora]

Gilda heard the yelling, but didn't think anything of it. When the bush began to shuffle, however, she looked ready to strike. It wasn't until Rainbow Dash, the wingless one she had seen, came out that she dropped her guard. "Rainbow...?"

"Gilda... I found you."

Gilda didn't know what to say. Didn't Rainbow just bitch her out? But that one had wings. Rainbow, kinda knowing what Gilda was thinking, nodded lightly. "Gilda, I'm obviously not the Rainbow you know... well, in a way I am, but... we... we need to talk... about why you saw me and... the other me."

"What's there to talk about?" Gilda turned her back on Rainbow. "You still ditched me, remember?"

"I did... but things in my world have changed. Like you can see I don't exactly have wings anymore."

"... ... ..." Gilda once again turned, facing Rainbow now, and sat down. "I'm listening."

Rainbow thus came and sat down next to her old friend, sort of moving close to her. "I never thought I'd see you again."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because you died."

Gilda looked shocked. "What do you mean I died?"

"She killed you... the one who took my wings... in my world."

"Took your wings?" Gilda was softening up as concern for her old friend began to enter her. "Who took your wings?"

"Pinkie Pie."

Gilda's eyes widened. "Your dweeb friend killed me and cut your wings off?!"

"She would've killed me too if it weren't for... Applejack."

"Who?"

"The friend with the cowboy hat. She didn't say much at the party, but she saw how you acted."

"But... your dweeb friend was in there. I don't get it."

"That's the winged Rainbow's friend... mine is dead. Just like you..." Rainbow then snuggled closer to Gilda, causing the griffon to blush lightly. "I missed you."

"R-Really?"

"Yeah. I never thought about it before, but after I learned you were dead, I realized that I'd never get a chance to find out why you did what you did. And then I realized others could do a lot worse. I wished I could make it up to you... explain to you why I integrated myself into Ponyville instead of remaining a wild flier like I was when we were friends. I don't have the pride my counterpart has... that was all taken from me when I lost my wings, but..."

Gilda, in an act of pure instinct, caught the former pegasus off guard by wrapping her wings around Rainbow. Her defenses had fallen, revealing the more fragile self hidden behind the bad girl visage. "Don't worry about it. None of it freakin' matters anymore. It's... it's ok now. We might not be able to go back to the old days, but... but we can start new... a clean slate."

[DM: Dersite Merchant]

"Whoa..."

If Michael was finished screaming his lungs out already, he might have heard the quite tone of a familiar young boy's voice. Spike was a bit too stunned to remember he was tailing Mike without his knowledge and stood staring blankly at the bare bones of what was once an adult of his own race.

"What happened to that guy...?" he asked seemingly no one in particular, his gaze never leaving the giant skeleton.