#those ss...that held landing...those spins!

[eggplantgifs]

Kaoruko Wada: How Does a Moment Last Forever » 2024 JGP Czech Republic

[aliceaddellheidde]

Fatum

A/N: This is for @the-ss-horniest-book-club  Lucky in love. March 6 - Dominance

WORDS: 1562

WARNINGS: swearing, death, violence

PAIRING: Bucky Barnes x reader (eventually) {Soulmates AU}

DISCLAIMERS: Endgame happened, but only Thanos and his peasants died. English isn´t my first language so sorry for mistakes.

Moi, Rai and Parca are genderless & are using they/their pronouns.

This is soulmates au. When you get tattoo, your soulmate gets it as well on same spot. It glows when you touch.

Bucky and reader have dominance fight on mission and everything goes wrong.

This is multi-chapters story. 4/19

Gif from here

Divider by @rainbowkisses31

Two weeks ago Steve sent Sam to monitoring Hydra facility in Nepal. It was unusual country for them and they were found by lucky accident by Stark´s satellite. Since then your team was preparing for big mission. Right now you were at gym, punching boxing bag after morning run with super soldiers and shooting with Natasha. Your body hurt and screamed for a break, but you were stubborn. Not even Bucky was able to stop you. After two hours of boxing you moved to gymnastics because you wanted to be both – strong and flexible. Steve found you hardly balancing on beam and took you to your room. You were hitting his back and murmuring something but once your head touched the pillow, you were sleeping.

Next day you asked Natasha and Clint to help you with your flexibility. They were great teachers. Although you were afraid for your neck and spine a little bit. They twisted you in all different positions and you swore that all your joints cracked. One thing was evil tho. Natasha tried to teach you how to fight like ballerina. But walking on your toes was impossible. You saw how Steve was watching her, his soulmate, in awe when he came to tell you the news.

„Sam said they are moving some freights from mountains to Military Barrack near the airport.  I´m afraid they already got Nepali army´s trust. Hopefully not and it´s the only place where they are operating. That's all for now.” He left and you went outside with Clint to train archery.

Team was ready at the end of the week. You were sitting in conference room next to Bucky, who wasn't in good mood lately. Steve walked in with Pepper and put map on interactive whiteboard. „Their positions are here, here and here.” he was showing red points on the map. Sam said they have mostly weapons, but he saw some barrels with chemicals probably. We interrogated people from last mission of Y/N and Bucky. They were talking about experiments on humans. That's why you will have best gas masks we have. Our mission is clear. Stop their transmissions, confiscate their tech, weapons, secure dangerous material, catch them and make sure everything is ready to be demolished. You will work in pairs. Nat and Clint, Wanda and Tony and Y/N and Bucky. We already identified few of soldiers of Hydra and Nepal. You have permission to shoot Hydra´s men but only disarm Nepali. We don’t want international conflict. You will use brand new contact lenses. They will tell you who is who and other stuff. Departure in ten minutes. Good luck.” He then took Nat in the corner of the room and wash whispering something to her.

You landed after 14 hours flight near Lamjung Kailas. „Gosh, I hate snow.” Bucky growled as he stepped out. You had extra layer of thermal clothes and you still shivered. You could see which way to go thanks to special lens in your eye. Bucky was few steps ahead. Snow creaked under your heavy boots, but apart from that, there was no other sound. Until you came near your destination. There were four soldiers, two of Hydra, two of Nepal. You shot Hydra, Bucky took down Nepali in hand-to-hand combat. You got in with their card and found yourself in huge tunnel. „You think they don’t know about us?” you whisper-asked Bucky. „They don’t or it´s a trap.” You nod as you both moved cautiously forward. 500 metres later you found another door with only one guard. Behind those door was real life threatening situation. Once you stepped into round hall, you were under firing from all directions. Thanks to Tony and his nano-tech suits they couldn’t hurt you. You proceeded onward, easily eliminating enemies, until they were all unable to harm you. „Sam, we are in. All clear for now.” He turned to you. „We should split up. Check whole Hell hole.” „It´s safer to stay together.” you argued. „Yes, but then it will takes longer. You saw Sam pics. This place is huge. And you would slow me down.” „Excuse me?!” „We need to focus on mission and you are too distracting.” „Geez, that's really nice way to say I sucks.” you rolled your eyes. „You on the right. I´m taking left. We are meeting here. Clear?” „Fuck you.”

You were walking for almost hour and only finished one floor. „Buck, I´m moving on next floor.” you whispered. As an answer you heard grunts, profanities and painful whining. You assumed he was fighting some guards and with raised gun stepped up on floor 2. It was darker and you had creepy feeling that someone or something was watching you. Your imagination was active on 100% and you got scared from your own shadow as shivers and cold sweat ran down your spine.

Just when you were about to open the door of room, voice spoke on your right side. „Rōka! Yahām̐ timī kē garirahēkō?” <Stop! What are you doing here?> You turned that way and saw Nepali soldiers with guns aimed at you. „Shit.” You ran to them and effectively disarmed them. But more came from the other side, so you had to run up the stairs. „Floor 3!” you screamed for Bucky and was almost hit by a bullet directed on your head. You shot Hydra agents, threw electric disks on Nepali and run the hell out of there.

You found yourself in room with computers and hid behind one of the desk. What you didn't know was that Parca had different idea. Behind you, silently as a mouse, woke up androids. Only when one of them caught you under neck and threw you on the other side of the room you realised another danger. Your back was hurting and head was spinning yet you managed to decapitate three of them and use electric disks on other two. Then you had to run away. But when you went back into corridor you were again under fire. „F.R.I.D.A.Y. mode Actiorione.” Two more arms appeared from your waist, ready to fight. You fired few missiles at the enemy and whole floor shook. „Floor four!” Bucky screamed in your ear and you wanted to use stairs but more soldiers were rushing up to you. „There are too many of them Buck. I´m trapped!” „Hold on, I´m coming.” You couldn’t answer because you were running in hope to find stairs or elevator. Although there was no way out of this. You took deep breath and threw grenade on your left and turned face to face with coming soldiers from your right. You bravely struck back their attack until none were threatening any more and ran away, when suddenly you were flying and your body collided with hard wall and then, after few meters fall, with floor.

„Y/N!” You heard Bucky´s voice but was unable to move. You saw him fighting with big monster. It looked like Hulk. You tried stand up but was shot by strong electric shock in your lower back. Your left elbow met something for sure because pain stopped and thud was heard next to you. With shaky body you aimed at Bucky's opponent and shoot it in the head. It made only small scratch. Worse was that now it was glaring at you. Floor shook as it landed in front of you and you built your shield. It was hitting non-stop and you felt yourself falling into unconsciousness. Your defence halted and seconds later huge fist met your weakened frame and sent you to the wall behind you. Last thing you saw was Bucky jumping from floor four with machete and stabbing it deep into monster´s back.

„What were you thinking?!” Rai were screaming at Parca and they were hiding behind the column. „I thought they will have some action together. Fighting crime together might help their relationship. Or not?” Parca looked at Moi for help but she was literally in flames. „I'm not talking to you until you make this right.” And with that they walked away. „I'm sorry. I didn't meant to hurt you or them.” Parca said and disappeared in silver mist. Rai went to calm Rai down before she would cause some bad decisions.

„Sam, I need help immediately!” Bucky shouted as he was holding his position next to you. „We are on the way. Are you still under attack?” „Yes. And Y/N is hurt badly. She needs a doctor. Hurry up.” He shot five soldiers and ten more appeared. He cursed and shot them as well. How many are there still? To his surprise only one came out and Bucky shot him too. He had few seconds to breath before androids encircled him. He held his machete and cut one of them in half. Thanks Wakanda.

„Need help?” Sam joked and cut two androids as he was landing. „Shut up. Where are the others?” „On the way. And Wanda is putting stuff in Quinjets. What happened here?” „We were outnumbered. And they had monster big as Hulk.” He pointed to dead body. „Whoa. What the fuck?” „Exactly. Take Y/N to safety. I´m  gonna fetch some junk from this Hell hole.” Sam nodded and Bucky went back to floor four. Laboratories.

You woke up for brief moment. There was beeping and then dark again.

[sashas4t]

Russian Nationals: Ladies

Argh. The most stressful competition of the season really was very stressful. There was some triumphs and some disappointments but overall, the Russian ladies again proved that the Russian lady field is insanely deep. Also, while the 3A were very overscored, I would say everybody else’s score was tolerable, and some were even underscored. Please stop trying to push forward the idea that at RusNats all skaters are overscored and that level 4s, 9s in PCS and +5 GOEs are handed out like candy, that’s completely untrue. 

1. Anna Shcherbakova

Wow!!!! Anna’s jumps really were the best they’ve ever been. Her quads had attack, speed and power, and her triples were completed with wonderful quality.  Her lutz edge is getting increasingly worrying, but on the other hand, her 4Lz might be the most consistent quad in Russian ladies or men! A lot of people said her short was the best she’s ever performed it but I have to disagree. The beginning was just wonderful, elegant, yet eerie in the best possible way. The spins were on point and her 3Lz+3Lo combo might be the best one I’ve seen from her ever, but the step sequence was very off. Perhaps the choreography was changed, but the positions that were supposed to be on musical accents (like the one where she jumps and then pushes her hands forward) were before the music. It looked like Anya didn’t expect it either, since she held the aforementioned position a lot longer than she usually does. I’ve rambled about how nothing is on musical accents in Anya’s free so I’ll avoid that topic today. Her first 4Lz+3T combination was truly magical. Definitely the best one I’ve seen her do. The 4Lz just flew! I thought the second 4Lz was borderline UR, but the 4F is looking pretty good. She’ll definitely get it in time for Euros or Worlds. The score... yeah. Um, I would’ve given her performance 170-172 max. I love Anya to death, but in the performance aspect I know she can do better. The jumps were very impressive though.

2. Alena Kostornaia

Just WOWWWWWW. Her triple axels are just a thing of beauty. They fly across the ice, and cover HUGE distance. They’ve really gotten insanely better from Finlandia and it’s only been two months! Her short was a masterpiece and while I would’ve given it 86-87 points, I honestly don’t even mind the fact she got almost 90. She’s that good. Not only do her triple axels fly, her 3F+3T combination covers literally half of the rink. And it gets so much height! Alyona’s jumps do not only have height, distance and a slight delay of rotation, they are always fully rotated. I did not see a single jump that was even questionable in the sense of URs. The SP was a delight, and the FS was so entertaining! The 2A and 3F+3T were very shaky, and she should’ve gotten lower GOEs for those two elements but the rest of the program was glorious. As cheesy as the FS is, it’s really grown on me! Alyona performs it so well! I feel like she was also kind of overscored here, but the FS score was at least within reason. I’ve heard she’s going for 4S, and I really hope she can get it clean and landed soon. 

3. Alexandra Trusova

Today was not her day but you know what? It’s okay! Everyone has off days, even queens like Sasha. She had clean practices so I know she’s 100% capable of performing clean and I know she will work hard to get a clean four quad program by Worlds. She has such amazing potential and even if the first three quads didn’t work, the 4T+1Eu+3S was a thing of absolute beauty. The height! The distance! The flow! The extension on the 4T! She’s still the quad queen no doubt! Also the 3Lz+3Lo was beautiful! Sasha’s been struggling on that jump for quite a while, but I still think her 3Lz+3Lo is the best one there’s ever been. There’s ease, effortlessness, flow, height, distance and the rippon on the lutz is sublime. Her performance wasn’t really there today too, but her step sequence in the SP showed improvement from the GP stages. Speaking of the SP, I love how Sasha didn’t let the dress bother her and she did the best 3Lz+3T I’ve seen her do despite the black dress getting suck. I’m glad she didn’t go for 3A, but I know she’ll get the 3A once and for all soon. With Sasha’s work ethic and her sportsmanship she’ll bounce back in no time. I love how everyone is saying Sasha is done for when she landed the best quad of the night (no hate to Anya, but like, technique is an objective thing). 

4. Elizaveta Tuktamysheva

The SP was really good, but the FS... what happened? I feel like Liza is getting better artistically. She moves faster, with more poise and her step sequence is actually really good. I’m glad she’s taking risks with the 4T, since her 4T is really just textbook, and it’s a shame it didn’t work here. Despite the 3A not working here either, I’m glad Liza pulled through and performed some wonderful combinations in the back half. I really respect Liza though, she clearly loves figure skating and she’s working hard to catch up. Her quads are textbook, and her 3As are effortless. When people started to say her 3A had too longer of a setup she decided to add difficult transitions in. When people noticed her flip edge getting to be flat, she worked hard on getting it back inside. Today wasn’t a good day for Liza, but a fourth place finish at RusNats is very good nonetheless.

5. Kseniia Sinitsyna

OH YES!!! Redemption skate!!!!! Even with the hard fall on her 3Lz in the SP, her performance as still stunning and her step sequence was just sublime. I used to dislike this program since it was almost too creative for me, but with Kseniia’s wonderful interpretation I’ve really come to appreciate her SP and now it’s one of my favorites. Kseniia has all the goods, good SS, good musicality and artistry, good spins, and good jumps. I believe that she can achieve great things! The FS was just amazing. Everything was landed, and landed with great quality and confidence. The step sequence was delivered patiently, but that’s good. A common mistake juniors make is they rush, but not Kseniia. She follows the music and the rhythm and never rushes. Her spins... literal perfection. Especially the layback... like how can it be so fast, yet so centered and so flexible? GIVE HER TWO GP ASSIGNMENTS RUSFED!

6. Anna Frolova

Wow!!!!! While I liked Anna at her JGP assignments, I often crossed her out as a big competitor since she was always so inconsistent... but NOT TODAY! Two clean programs! I really like her SP, but I don’t know how to feel about her costume change. I feel like her old costume (the one for her FS now) fits the music more. Anna’s SP requires, elegance, patience and poise, and Anna delivers all three in her delicate performance. I really love the music, especially in the step sequence. Her jumps are textbook (minus the shaky lutz edge) and her landings are beautiful. Her FS is borderline boring honestly, and I hope she gets some better choreo next season since she has so much potential. With two great skates here, I hope RusFed gives her at least one GP. Also, did she change coaches to Davydov? 

7. Anastasia Guliakova

Anastasia is really out here trying to seal Alina’s title of Most Used Warhorses in one season. But honestly I don’t mind since her interpretation of Carmen is rather good, and I love the music to Swan Lake. Anastasia’s SP was quite a nice surprise for me, since I didn’t really like her programs prior. She had a very different approach to Carmen in comparison to Alina, and her’s had much more power and attack. My favorite moment in her SP has to be the beautiful 3Lz with the spread eagle exit out right on the music! What can I tell you? I’m a sucker for movements on musical accents! Her FS was less surprising, but her jumps were quite good today! She pulled herself through the entire program! I’m glad that even though she entered as second alternate she gave performances worthy of GP assignments!

9. Sofia Samodurova

Argh. Sonya is as charming and wonderful as she was last season, but I guess she’s been demoted. The judging panel really went all out on her URs and PCS. Her performances are still enjoyable and full of charisma, but I do feel like she was a little hesitant in her SP. The step sequence didn’t have quite as much energy as it should have had. 

10. Anastasiia Gubanova

Whoever choreographed Nastya’s programs this season clearly either hates Nastya or has no idea about how artistic Nastya is. When you have someone who is as passionate and emotional on ice as Nastya, you can’t give her such boring music and choreography. The SP is pretty good, and Nastya is able to perform it well enough for me to like it, but the FS is just.... I can see Nastya trying her best to make it work, but the music is so boring and monotone that it’s impossible. Her jumps are still kind of scary at takeoff, and the UR issues seem to be getting worse. I hope Turenko works on the URs and gets a better choreographer, but Nastya is one of the most artistic skaters ever, and we need to see her showcase that ability.

12. Serafima Sakhanovich

I really like her programs this season. There’s nothing too flashy, but they are classy and elegant and Sima performs them well. I don’t know how I missed this before, but Sima’s flying camel spin is SO GOOD! +5s across the board for me! It’s fast, but also crazy centered and the positions are really pleasing. Really, it’s CRAZY fast. Shame about the jumps. You all know I love elements on musical accents so it’s no wonder I love Sima’s Ina Bauer to death. Argh! So beautiful!

13. Stanislava Konstantinova

The SP was really great. The Stasya that could hold her own against Liza, Zhenya etc. was back. I have to say, Stasya has wonderful artistry. She skates with maturity, elegance and poise. She can hold some really wonderful lines since she’s so tall, and she’s quite expressive as well. There were small problems in her SP, but as a whole, it was pretty good. This SP is definitely her best SP so far. The music is beautiful, the choreography is very good, and the costume is stunning, and when Stasya performs it well, it’s truly a delight. The FS... it’s also a pretty good program, but when will Stasya perform it well? But hey, at least she skated a good SP, that’s the second time this season!

14. Elizaveta Nugumanova

I love Liza’s SP! So much! She has so much charisma and personality, and it’s all expressed perfectly in her SP. If she could get the jumps rotated she would just be unstoppable. Her spins are so underrated too, they’re fast, centered and flexible. I love the step sequence so much, mostly because there are so many elements on musical accents, and also because Liza performs with such joy and charm. Like how can you not love it? Strangely enough, even though Nutcracker Pas de Deux is one of my favorite pieces of music of all time, I don’t really like Liza’s FS. She performs great, and her good posture and almost balletic skating style is beautiful, but the fact that the choreographer doesn’t utilize the many musical accents in the back half of the program pains me. Liza is so flexible and can easily hold a beautiful spiral to a crescendo in the music, and yet she only does one second spirals that have no correlation to the music. Why?

WD. Evgenia Medvedeva

Despite boot problems, Zhenya still skated a wonderful SP that really showed how strong she was. Her SP is really a thing of beauty, both in terms of choreography and in terms of how Zhenya performs it. The combination was definitely UR, but everything was else was great! Especially the step sequence! Zhenya is really one of the most artistic skaters out there. While I’m sad she withdrew it was a good thing to do. Better withdrawing than risking injury right? 

[aweebwrites]

Winds of Change

Possessed!Kai AU

(So an awesome anon suggested I try my hand with this au and while I wanted angst, it became more of what the show would look like if he was. *Shrugs*

Edit: Finally tracked down the source of this au @sensei-twinkles here you go! And since you wanted to check it out: @textsfromninjagoblog)

_________

“Oh? You boys are back early.” Misako says as she handed over their first customer's order.

“Yeah, we are. Turns out handing out fliers wasn't so bad.” Jay says with a smirk, thinking back to the big show they pulled off with all of their powers.

“You could say, it was even fun.” Zane added as Lloyd and Cole grinned at each other.

“I'm glad to hear that.” Wu says as he came out from the back. “But why is Lloyd's uniform ripped?” He pointed out and all of them looked to the rip on the sleeve of his t-shirt.

“Uh, you see…” Lloyd says nervously, recalling how he got the rip when he all but crashed into the side of a building while flipping on the back of his elemental dragon.

“He's the green ninja Sensei! Everyone totally mobbed him and that's how he got the tear!” Cole yelled, thinking quickly.

“I see. No need to yell.” Wu says, setting the bag of tea leaves down on the counter. “By the way, have any of you seen Kai?” He asked them.

“No. He isn't back yet?” Lloyd asked, worried.

He took the call to the museum for him and while the others were sure he just didn't want to go around handing out fliers, Lloyd knew he was thinking about how much he had to deal with already and he appreciated it. But if something happened to Kai because of him… Lloyd looked outside along with the others once a strong gust of warm air blew in. That's strange…

Outside, 'Kai’ arrived, flipping back his black hood.

“Hey look! Kai's back!” Jay yelled, gaining the others’ attention and that all walked out as Wu frowned.

“I've felt that wind once before…” Wu whispered, as he looked outside. “That's not Kai.”

“Step aside.” 'Kai’ says, his voice sounding morphed with another's.

“Kai, what's going on with you?” Lloyd asked, confused in the sudden change of his friend.

“I want a word with your master, green ninja.” His voice was dripping with contempt at those two words. “I'll settle the score with you afterwards.” He says, shooting Lloyd a glare as he stepped forward.

“Woah. Is Kai allergic to something? His voice sounds weird.” Jay says with a frown as Lloyd stood, confused.

“What's gotten into him?” Cole asked, confused as Zane scanned him.

“I sense some kind of foreign entity has taken over his body.” Zane told them, startling the group. “So the question isn't what, but who's gotten into him.” He says as they looked back to 'Kai’.

“Let Kai go!” Lloyd yelled, stepping forward, wanting to attack but afraid he'll hurt Kai.

‘Kai’ only laughed, his hair going black as green shadows appeared around his eyes.

“Or what? Green ninja? You'll hurt us?” 'Kai’ says mockingly, the warm winds picking up a little.

“How are we supposed to fight a friend?” Cole asked, looking to Lloyd who sadly didn't have the answer.

If they attack, they risk hurting Kai but if they don't…

“Let us show you!” 'Kai’ yelled, charging forward before jumping into the air before blasting them back with a hot gust of wind.

They all yelled as they flew back, grunting once they hit the ground.

“We have to fight back!” Zane yelled ss they got to their feet again, 'Kai’ laughing at them mid air.

“But we can't hurt Kai!” Lloyd protested.

“Well he sure can hurt us!” Jay yelled, rubbing his shoulder he fell on.

“Then we measure our powers then!” Cole says and they all nodded.

Lloyd gathered his green energy, making sure it wasn't powerful enough to seriously hurt before launching it at him with a yell. ‘Kai’ batted the attack aside with a gust of wind.

“Ha! Is that all you've got Lloyd? So weak!” 'Kai’ yelled, flying closer.

“Ice!” Zane yelled, seeing the opportunity.

“Fire!” 'Kai’ yelled, meeting his blast head on with a laugh. “You’re nothing but an over glorified ice box pretending to be human!” He says with a smirk and Zane's eyes widened before 'Kai’ easily overpowered him, making Zane yell out as he was thrown back by the intensity of his now green fire.

“Woah! How'd he get so strong?!” Cole yelled as they looked at him wide eyed.

“With endless wind to fan our flame, we are invincible!” 'Kai’ laughed at them. “As if any of you pathetic so called ‘ninja’ could defeat us to begin with! We have always been the strongest!” He yelled then conjured a fire tornado once they all ran towards him.

Cole, Jay and Zane yelled, running away from the roaring whirlwind of fire chasing them.

“Run as must as you like! You can't outrun your uselessness!” 'Kai’ yelled after them.

He grunted once Lloyd used his distraction to attack, hitting him head on.

“I'm sorry it had to come to this Kai!” Lloyd yelled, gathering more of his green energy as he got up.

“You're the one who will be sorry!” 'Kai’ roared, blasting a massage fireball at him, startling him.

“Lloyd!” Zane yelled before creating a huge wall of ice before him to spare him from getting burnt.

The wall still shattered and sent him flying however.

“You should have never been the green ninja! It should have been us!” 'Kai’ yelled as a massive tornado of fire whirled around him.

'No! Focus on the staff! The green ninja can be dealt with later!’

'How about you get the hell out of my body!’

'Kai’ gripped his head as both spirits warred inside the sole vessel.

“He's distracted! Now's our chance!” Cole yelled, rushing towards him as the tornado weakened. “Ninja go!” He yelled, activating his spinjitsu and rushing towards him.

“Not light enough on your feet twinkle toes!” 'Kai’ yelled, sending him flying with a hot gust of wind that had him sweating once he landed.

“Take this!” Jay yelled, sending out a bolt of lightning but 'Kai’ only side stepped it.

“Don't touch have a relationship go cry in a corner about?” 'Kai’ says annoyed and Jay gasped.

“That's where you're wrong! I don't have a relationship!” Jay yelled confidently before deflating a moment after. “Now I've gone and made myself sad.” He whispered then yelled once he narrowly dodged a fireball.

'My friends will stop you!’

'Friends? With all the jealousy you hold inside you, I wouldn't call them something so strong…’

'Why don't you just get-! Ugh!’

“Enough!” 'Kai’ yelled, sounding less like their Kai and very much annoyed. “I will not be distracted by you useless ninja!” He growled then reached a hand out towards the nearby windmill, making it spin out of control and off of its stand.

He then held it up using his wind before smashing it down on them. Lloyd barely managed to block it with his energy to protect the others.

“Woah!” Cole yelled, finding himself high in the air before grunting once he hit the ground hard.

He ducked out of the way of Jay's lightning and sent flying back with a huge gust of wind.

“Out of my way! All of you!” He yelled, before creating a whirlwind and throwing it at them, making them all yell as they were sucked up into it before thrown apart suddenly.

'Kai’ then cracked his neck before walking the teashop, his wind throwing the doors open.

Nya gasped at seeing her brother possessed as he was.

“Kai…” She whispered and he looked away from her, looking for Wu. “Get out of my brother!” She yelled from behind the counter.

“Go stock some shelves, pretty girl.” 'Kai’ sneered.

“I'll take you on anytime, coward!” Nya growled, slamming her hand on the counter.

“Stay back Nya, it's me he wants.” Wu told her, holding her back after running out from the back.

“Oh, not you old man. But your father's staff.” 'Kai told him with a smirk.

“I see you've found the Allied Armor Morro, yet you haven't summoned your friends.” Wu says, holding his father's staff defensively and Morro laughed.

“Your pathetic students haven't given me reason to.” 'Kai’ says, his voice an even mix between the two in this vessel.

“Hey, hey, hey! No one calls me pathetic!” Jay yelled from the outside, panting but was ignored.

“You should have quit being a Sensei while you were ahead. After all, what's a Sensei who can't even learn from his mistakes? Kai and I, I've discovered, are a lot alike.” 'Kai’ says, taking a threatening step forward. "Just like I, he was lead to believe he could have been the green ninja! Only for you to hand over the title to your weak, spineless excuse for a nephew!” He yelled, turning around and slamming the doors shut, blasting back the ninja creeping up on him with an intense gust of wind as he did, knocking over jars and vials inside the shop as well.

“You want the staff?” Wu says, regaining his attention as he hopped up on the counter. “Try to take it.” He challenged and Morro growled then yelled as he launched himself at his former Sensei, slamming him into the counter and breaking it in two as he pushed then pulled at the staff, yanking them both up.

They both tugged and pushed at the staff around the room until Morro had Wu pressed high up against a cupboard of teapots. Wu tried to push back but Morro was much stronger.

“You've gotten old. You used to be a great Sensei. Now you're just a petty shopkeeper.” Morro sneered.

“With age, comes wisdom.” Wu told him with narrowed eyes before yelling as he hopped up, pressing his feet against the shelving of teapots and pushing so he flipped over him.

He landed on his back however, dropping the staff mid air before sitting up to see a pattern on the staff print out onto the spilled sugar, making him gasp.

“A secret message engraved on the staff.” He whispered.

“The staff of the First Spinjitsu Master.” Morro says as he got up.

He then used his wind to pick up the staff and lifted it over Wu's head, out of his reach before grabbing it. He laughed as he twirled it, oblivious to Nya seeking behind him- only to yell once she turned the cupboard over on him.

“Sorry Kai! But you can't have the staff!” Nya says as Wu caught the staff he let go.

“Yes. Now we leave.” Wu says and he and nya out.

Morro growled, gathering fire in his hand from under the bookshelf to attack them.

“No!” Kai yelled, pulling his hand back, gaining control of himself.

“Pathetic ninja!” Morro yelled, regaining control again.

Now he was mad.

“Give. Me. The staff!” He yelled, his wind throwing off the cupboard off of him.

Meanwhile, Cole, Zane and Jay looked down from the Bounty to see Lloyd about to face Morro on his own.

“Is he crazy?!” Jay yelled, watching anxiously as Morro ran out with a gust of wind, tackling Lloyd.

“Foolish Lloyd! Why would you try to take us on by yourself?!” 'Kai’ yelled holding up Lloyd by the collar of his t-shirt. “What? You think you can defeat us?! If it weren't for us, you would be nothing! You are nothing!” He yelled at him and Lloyd stood strong under the weight of his insults.

“Because Kai is my friend! And friends look out for each other.” Lloyd says firmly, lifting his chin stubbornly as he began to push back against Kai's hands on him. “I know you're in there Kai! Fight! Fight him!” He yelled then ducked under his hands and held him in a choke hold.

“Fight Kai!” Lloyd yelled, struggling to hold him.

“The staff! It's getting away!” Morro got out, fighting harder against Kai as he tried to claw his way towards control. “Let go of me!” He yelled, trying to pull away from him.

“No! Not until you let go of Kai!” Lloyd yelled, grunting as she struggled still to hold him.

“L-Lloyd…” Lloyd gasped once he heard Kai's untainted voice.

“Kai!” Lloyd yelled, relieved.

“Help… Me…” Kai gritted out as Morro kept trying to drag him back under.

“Don't worry Kai, We'll-” Lloyd was cut off by the anchor of the Bounty sweeping him off his feet and away from Kai, hooked into the back of his clothes. “Wait! Let me go!” He yelled up at them as Morro regained control.

“I saw Kai! You have to put me down!” He yelled, trying to squirm free.

“You won't get away that easily!” Morro yelled before using his wind to pull the Bounty back towards him as Zane and Cole helped Lloyd up on deck.

“We have to go back!” Lloyd yelled as he ran into the bridge.

“Sorry Lloyd, but that's what I'm trying to avoid! We can't help Kai right n- Oh no!” Nya yelled once they both slid away from the steering wheel, Morro grunting from the ground as he continued to pull them in.

“Give me your hand!” Lloyd yelled, taking it and tossed her towards the wheel.

She grunted as she struggled but managed to reach the lever.

“I got it!” She yelled then flipped it, allowing the Bounty to blast out of his grip and towards safety.

“Nooooo!” Morro yelled from the ground, watching them escape.

He refuses to let them escape! What can this pathetic ninja do!

‘Pathetic?! If I am then so are you! You said it yourself Morro! We're alike!’

'Silence you ignorant fool! I've had enough of your chatter! Besides, we all know just how much like me you really are!’

'No…’

‘You hate that Lloyd has become the green ninja when we were the obvious choice! We are stronger! More powerful and more deserving than that brat! And when this all comes to an end, WE will be the Green Ninja as we always should have been!’

'Kai’ chuckled evily as he summoned their elemental dragon, a fierce animal with toxic green flames. There will be a green ninja alright. He took off, after the ship. And it will be them!

___________

(So! This is it! Just for reference guys, 'Kai’ is a mix of both Morro and Kai being in control and Morro is just Morro. Their mixed inner monologue looks like Christmas decor lol. But! Onto an in-depth look, Morro is really struggling to simultaneously keep possession of Kai and to keep completely aware. He of course won't show that at all since Kai might exploit it for his escape. The thing with their toxic bond is that the more one of them breaks free to sink back into the possession, the harder the next escape will be and the more frequently they will end up being merged. It's like pull-ups: it's easy at first then it becomes harder and harder until you simply can't pull yourself up anymore. I've rambled enough. I hope you like it!)

[theguineapig3]

Ta-dah! This is my Secret Santa gift for @adeerli as part of the @voltron-ss ! You were very vague with your requests, but when I checked your blog, I got the feeling you’d appreciate some Allurance. I hope I was able to do the pair justice, and that you enjoy this and all the gifts you receive this holiday! ♡

“Kaltenecker Intolerant” Pairing: Allura/Lance Words: 1738 Request Prompts: “humor,” “fluff,” “romantic cliches”

Frightened away from milk after learning about its “strange origins,” Allura and Coran swear off milkshakes for good. But Lance can’t bear to see his precious princess denied the creamy goodness of her favorite cold treat, and he’s determined to find a solution. In a castle full of magical weapons and alien technology, how hard could it be to find a decent milk substitute…?

Allura arrived at the castle’s kitchen unsure of what to expect. She’d received an invitation delivered by the mice, but there was no indication of who had sent it. Her first thought was Pidge, but no, she was busy spending time with her brother. Considering the location, her second thought was Hunk, but he was busy helping Coran repair some of the communication lines at the helm. Shiro, meanwhile, had requested use of the training room for the whole morning. That only left…

“Princess! You made it!”

Lance’s voice called across the kitchen before Allura had even made it through the door. The mice scrambled around her feet and climbed up onto the counter, already beginning to inspect the ingredients that were laid out. Allura looked first at lance, and then at the array of items he’d gathered.

“…Lance? What’s going on? Do you require my assistance with something?”

“I will need your assistance-” Lance began, grinning and holding up one of the cups, “-drinking the milkshakes that we’re gonna make!”

Allura was ready to turn around and leave immediately, but the sight of one of the mice climbing over the top of the open blender while the others played with the buttons distracted her. She swooped in and plucked the wandering mouse off the top of the blender before the other could find the “on” button and send the blades spinning. “I-I…” she began, re-placing the lid, “…have no interest in milkshakes, thank you. We’ve been through this already, and nothing you’ve said thus far has convinced me-”

“Hear me out this time!” Lance interrupted, scooping up the other three mice and letting them climb onto his shoulder. “The reason I asked you to help me is so that you could see how it’s made. If you don’t want to drink Kaltenecker’s milk, we’ll just have to make it out of something else. And Hunk showed me-”

Lance stopped to pick up the large sack that was sitting beside the counter. It was obviously heavier than he’d expected, the way he struggled and heaved, finally shoving it onto the countertop and stopping to catch his breath.

“-th-this… ugh…”

Allura stepped forward and untied the top of the bag. She peered inside, almost afraid of what she’d find, but her eyes lit up as she caught sight of the familiar contents.

“Talaxian drupe nuts! Where did you get these?”

“They were given to us as a gift when we rescued the Medachi people from the Galra,” Lance replied. “Hunk said that they’re similar to nuts we have back on Earth. When people on Earth can’t drink cow’s milk, they go for a substitute like coconut milk or soy milk, or…” His voice began to trail off, and he shook his head. “Anyway, I thought that if we found another way to make milk, you and Coran could enjoy milkshakes again. Hunk left me with a recipe. How about it? Do you wanna try?”

Allura looked back and forth between the nuts and Lance for a few seconds, not sure what to focus on. “Lance, you… you didn’t have to go to all this trouble.”

“What trouble? We already had the nuts on hand. Plus, one of my little sisters was lactose intolerant. I know how tough it is to watch people enjoy things like milkshakes and ice cream while you get left out. I want to do this for you.”

The sincerity of his words took Allura by surprise. She allowed herself to smile, feeling her cheeks heat up a little. “…thank you, Lance. Perhaps I will try this new type of milk. I’m curious to see how you can transform those nuts into a drink, after all.”

Lance broke into a big smile and started rolling up his sleeves. “Then what are we waiting for?! Let’s get started! You measure out two cups of water, and I’ll-”

“Cups?”

“Er… I think that would be about thirty Altean nonons. Just go with that.” Lance waved one hand as he fumbled through the cabinets. “Hunk left some nuts to soak overnight for me, so I’ll get those.”

Allura frowned and looked down at the dry bag of nuts, still having trouble imagining them as a drink. Still, she measured out the correct amount of water and set it aside. Lance returned with a bowl of nuts and started pouring them into the blender. They looked far different from the ones in the bag, having been shelled and soaked long enough that the brown outer film was starting to break away. Lance made a motion to the cup of water, and Allura nodded, pouring it in over the top of the nuts.

“Now we need to blend this together, and-” Lance started, and the mice responded by dashing across the counter to the base of the blender. The big one examined the set of buttons, his eyes lighting up as he saw the big, red one. He punched it and the blender whirred to life- sending water and soggy bits of drupe nuts flying around the kitchen. Allura gasped and Lance let out a shriek before reaching fo the machine, coughing “-t-turn it off, turn it off!”

Another mouse found its way to the buttons and hit the power button again. The noise stopped and the room calmed down enough that they could observe the mess it had made.

The weight of the nuts had kept most of the large parts in the bottom of the blender. However, tiny bits of Talaxian drupe nuts had flown as far as the water had, landing all over the counter, the floor, the wall… and, of course, the two cooks.

All of the mice came forward, bowing apologetically. “They say they’re very sorry,” Allura translated. “They’ll wait for all the instructions next time before pressing any buttons.”

Lance laughed and reached his hand down so that the mice could scurry up his arm. “Don’t worry about it, little buddies. Who among us can resist a big, fancy array of buttons when it’s right in front of us?”

The mice squeaked happily in response, settling on his shoulder. Allura put a hand over her mouth to hide her smile as she watched them, but Lance was perceptive, and she knew she couldn’t keep her expression from him. He looked over at her and his expression changed as though he’d noticed something odd. She removed her hand to ask him what was wrong, but before she could get a word out, he’d stepped closer and reached a hand out toward her.

“Lance?”

“Sorry, you’ve got a little-” Lance began, but cut off as he pulled a little piece of drupe nut out of her hair and held it up for her to see. “-there.”

“Oh! Thank you.” Allura’s smile returned, and she herself noticed how many pieces had lodged themselves in Lance’s hair. Surely she hadn’t gotten off so easily. “Is that it?”

“Yeah, I don’t see anymore. Why?”

“Just because you have so many…” Allura began and let her voice trail off as she decided to return the favor instead. She closed the gap between them and started picking pieces of the chopped nuts out of Lance’s hair one by one. Once finished, she ran her free hand through his hair to make sure there was nothing she’d missed. It was strange; while human hair looked similar to that of Alteans, the texture was completely different. Human hair was so much smoother and softer, the strands flowing individually rather than together. Lance’s hair always shined brighter than the other paladins’, and while Allura chalked it up the genetic variation, a comment from Pidge about Lance’s “beauty routine” made her wonder just how much effort he put into caring for it… Caught up in her thoughts, she forgot about her surroundings until she heard a hoarse squeaking sound and stepped back. “Was that one of the mice?”

Lance’s face had turned a bright shade of red, and he stammered his answer. “Y-yeah, sorry. The mice.”

A couple of the mice snickered to themselves, but if they had any disagreements, they didn’t voice them to Allura.

“H-here. We didn’t lose too many of the nuts, so we can replace the water and start over.” Lance got back to work with the ingredients immediately, not looking at Allura at all. She wondered if maybe she’d offended him by touching his precious hair and began to apologize.

“I’m sorry if I messed up your hair. I didn’t mean to cause any trouble to your, uh, beauty routine.”

“My what?” Lance looked up, the red in his cheeks disappearing. “Who calls it that? Have you been talking to Pidge again? Tell her that my personal hygiene is perfectly normal and that she’s the slob who can’t be bothered to take a shower more than once a week-!” He cut himself off and shook his head. “I mean, don’t worry about it. You didn’t mess up my hair. I was just surprised that you touched me, is all. It was… kinda nice.”

Allura let out a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness. Please do tell me if I overstep my boundaries.”

“With you, Princess? I have no boundaries.” Lance grinned at her and winked, though when she didn’t respond, he blushed again and started to stammer. “Er, I mean… yes, I will. You do the same, okay? And, uh, while I’m working with the blender, why don’t you and the mice go get the cheesecloth that Hunk keeps in the corner cabinet. We’ll use it to strain the mixture once it’s blended.”

At the word “cheese,” the mice perked up and dashed down Lance’s arm and onto the counter. Allura followed them, but she stopped momentarily and turned back to Lance to get one more comment in before he started up the blender.

“Thank you again for all this. It means a lot that you’d go to all this trouble just for me to have milkshakes again.”

“Well, it’s not a milkshake yet. We’ve still got some work to do. But… of course, Princess. You know I’d do anything for you.”

The last part sounded like one of those grandiose promises that he would’ve made in one of his “charming” monologues that so annoyed her. But this time he’d said it so casually and matter-of-factly that… well, Allura couldn’t help but believe him.

And that made the promised treats even sweeter.

[ashadowcalledkei]

Now that I’ve had some time to get things done, here’s the next chapter of TLtN!  See, not a long wait at all.  It’s also the return of chapter art.  Admittedly I just decided to draw this one super fast because I could, but there will be nicer, proper art on the next one.

To Last the Night

Sequel to Whispers in the Dark

Pairings: None Characters: Grillby, Dogaressa, Dogamy, Sans and Papyrus (background),  W̵̧͟͠.̸̡̀͝ ̴͝D̷͘͜.̷́̀̕ ̴̷̨͜G̸҉a̢͜ś҉̴͘t҉͘e̛͏ŕ̶̷͡ ̵̶̸͘͜

Warnings:  extreme bodyhorror, temporary character death (ish), implied torture of underage characters, general dark themes, zalgo text (I tried to keep it minimal)

Notes: Baby Blasters AU belongs to the wonderful @spacegate​​, I just love writing awful angst for it.

Read on AO3 here (chapters go up on tumblr first)

Chapter 12

The trio raced through the ruined lab and up the steps.  Even after the slick, black trail dried up, the scent of rotting magic guided them through the house and out the broken front door.  The caverns of Hotland were dim as always, lit only by the glow of red hot magma flowing below.  Grillby was afraid that the dark shape of the doctor might blend in too well for them to make him out, but Dogaressa and Dogamy held no such fears.  Their sharp senses guided them.  They would not allow their prey to escape.  

They sprinted through the cave, away from the red glow of lava and deeper into the twisting darkness of the subterranean kingdom.  The unnatural creature the doctor had become was fast, faster than them to be sure, but without his portals he couldn't outrun them forever.  Not when the dogs had his scent.  Before long the stone ceiling above them began to change its slope, the craggy walls edging closer together, and Grillby knew that their quarry had made a fatal error.  

He caught sight of a blur of movement up ahead, a shadow darting through the darkness.  The dogs ran faster, panting as they pushed themselves to go ever faster.  Grillby couldn't quite keep up, but it didn't matter much.  The passage they were in was becoming tight.  Sounds echoed, bouncing off the unforgiving walls of a sealed exit.  They had the man cornered now.  

With Grillby hanging back to guard the exit, arms extended and hands ablaze, Dogaressa and Dogamy advanced on their cornered target.  He was hunched awkwardly, pressed back against the uneven stones of the cave's far wall.  There was no way out, not even for him, unless he was willing to release his prize.  The dogs stalked forward as one, each holding their weapons out in a show of force that anyone would be foolish not to take seriously.  

“I don't know what you did to those kids,” Dogamy snarled, “but you're gonna pay for it.”

Dogaressa bared her teeth at the man.  “Give back what you stole, and I might be willing to make this quick.”

“M͍̞ ̖͔̥̻̹i͍̣͕ ̟n͎ ̸̞e͉̹̟̫͝.͉̙͎ ”

The entire cavern seemed to freeze in a stunned silence broken only by the distorted hiss of static that lingered around the thing that was once a monster.  

“Did he just … talk?” Dogamy questioned, his gaze darting between Dogaressa, Grillby, and the doctor as if he couldn't believe what his sensitive ears had just heard.  

“T͝ ͟h ͏e y   ͏á ҉r̷ ͞e̶ ̡ m ̛i̷ ̸n҉ ͜e͘ ,” the man said, the words drawn out and mangled but no less present.  And the more he spoke, the more clear the sounds became.  He slowly straightened his long form, rising up to tower over Grillby and the dogs.  His torso was stretched thin and gaunt, morphing into one long band of pure darkness.  The edges of his mouth quirked upwards in manic glee as he forced the otherworldly sounds that came from it to form something intelligible.  “M ́i ̴n͜ e.̕ T ̛a ̴k ̢en f r̶o͝ ̶m ͡ m̡e. ͟ ͜Ss̕s̶sò I ͏ t̛ ҉oo k̸ t̷h͟ em ͞ ͏b a ̴ck͏.͘ ”

“You killed them!” Dogaressa screamed, her own voice cracking under the strain.

“T͏h̸ ȩ y ̕w̸ e̡re̕ … p ͟a͞ ͏s̛s̶t̀  ss ҉a ͏ve ing. ̷ ̴Ţa̧ i ͘nt ed͡. ”

“Like you are?” the guardswoman asked, the subtle growl of her question sharper than any curse.

The man laughed, bubbling and terrible.  “I͟ ͝ ͘a͞m ҉ ̛ss̨s͟ t͟r҉o n̢ǵ ́e͠r.̨ ̨ ͜Į ͝ śss͜s̡ ur͝ ͏vi ve̢. Th ey ̶ w ̢ou̧l͡ ̨d͏   fa ̵ll̛. ”

“They haven't fallen yet.”  Grillby said, the memory of two small, butchered souls driving him towards a new sense of defiance that felt strange and welcome to him.  “You did your best to dust them but it didn't work.”

The man tilted his head slowly, his too wide mouth twisting into an ugly frown.  The fragments he clutched shuddered, pushing against his all too yielding hand.  “Th͏ ey ̡ ̷a̧ re͢  ͝l̸ ͡o ͜c͢k e̵d͞. ̵S̷ss͟ta ͝śss͢i͠ s̸ss͢ss. ͝ I͠t w ͞iļl n o͜t ͜ la ss̷s̴t.̢ ”  Again he smiled, what passed for his shoulders shaking as he let out a hissing laugh.  “Y͝o̧u ̧c ̴an̡ ̕ķee p̛ ẁh at ͞is̶s ̡ĺe ̸f̕t.  Th̨ ̡ey҉   a̛ ̛rȩ ̀u̵ss ̵l͟e͢ssss ̷ ͏to̕ m͞ ́e ̕ n͠o̵w͜. ”

In a sudden blur of motion that took them all by surprise, Dogaressa threw herself towards the man.  She roared like a wild animal and swung her battleaxe, its blade shining orange in the dancing glow of Grillby's firelight.  The metal cut deep, burying itself halfway into the column of the man's torso before finally coming to a stop.  The doctor gasped, cracked, empty eye sockets widening in surprise.  He looked down at the weapon protruding from his body as if unable to fully comprehend its presence there.  Then, with a vicious snarl, Dogaressa yanked the axe blade free.  Inky gore splattered from the open wound, spraying everything around them, but it did not phase the guardswoman.  She swung again, driving the weapon back into the same spot with practiced precision.  His body nearly chopped in half, the doctor howled as he topped backwards.  The sound he made was a mangled, piercing shriek that made both dogs and even Grillby wince in pain to hear.  Yet Dogaressa did not retreat.  She hefted her massive weapon and brought it down once more.  The blade tore through the man's arm, severing it with a single blow.  

The disembodied hand writhed like a dying insect, spasming and oozing as it lost any semblance of functional form.  And as it did, it lost its grip on the two crystal fragments.  The shards floated upwards, idly spinning around one another.  Dogamy ran forward, snatching up the pair.  When the doctor reached for them, his other arm stretching out towards them as he cried out with a static-ruined moan, the guardsman swung his own battleaxe in a one handed chop that severed the remaining semi-solid limb at the wrist.  He backed away quickly, his weapon held in front of him like a shield, as Dogaressa stood her ground.  

The wreck of a monster struggled to push himself up with what remained of one arm.  Inky sludge dripped from the ragged wound in his torso, each droplet leaving a long tail of shining black behind it.  The more drops that fell, the more strands of blackness connected the two halves of his severed body.  Faster and faster they fell, knitting the wound together, until the man was once more able to slide himself upwards.  Long, oozing tendrils snaked from where his shoulders should be, rushing down to the cavern floor where they slithered towards the pale shapes of his hands.  His cracked eye sockets were half melted, but still they stared at the trio with a wide, unhinged madness.  

“M͘͜ ̶i ̨͘͜ǹ ͝e̵̶ ,” he hissed, more distorted than before.  “T ̷h͘ ̡ơ s e ͜ a̕ r̨ e̴ ̡ ̡m ̷i҉ ͞n ͜e͟!͢ ̶Ǵ i҉ v ̷e ͜t ͢h ̸e҉ ͠m͠ ̶̀̋ B̆ ̑ͨͨ̊ͩA͑͜ ̴͒̏C̷ͧ ͗̉͒͢Kͬͪͨ̚͝!̒ ”

A piercing blast of static made the trio stagger backwards, hands pressed tight over their ears.  Shaking her head to try and banish the ringing left behind by the sudden sonic onslaught, Dogaressa growled and readied herself for another attack.  The man reached for her, but she dodged, ducking underneath an unnaturally long arm and bringing her axe around to strike at where his legs should have been.  Though each hit she managed to land was strong, cleaving easily through the dark muck, the wounds never lasted for long.  And what's worse, now that he was aware of her intentions, her opponent was smart enough not to underestimate her.  The doctor moved with frightening speed and unnatural fluidity.  Though he had no weapon and employed no traditional magic, at least none that could be seen, his distorted scream and grasping, lengthened fingers were an undeniable threat.   Grillby had been so transfixed by the display that he didn't notice Dogamy approaching until the other canine suddenly blocked his view.  

“I have to help her,” the guardsman said, the look in his eyes betraying the fear he did not want to show.  

Grillby nodded and held out his hands for the fragments.  They drifted into his palms with no resistance and hovered there, dancing just above his fiery skin, their magic shining with a gentle, blue glow.  Up close he could see how the light shifted, getting brighter and dimmer in a steady pulsing rhythm.  He carefully closed his hands over the pair trapping them between his palms.  They did not struggle against him.  Their power hummed in his grasp, warm and alive.  He knew what he had to do.

“Be safe,” Grillby said, waiting only long enough to see his friend return to the battle before he was up and running.  Behind him, static roared over the sounds of angry barking and the resonating clang of metal on stone, but he did not turn back to see it.  All his focus was on the winding pathway before him and the shining gems of magic he cradled in his palms.  

There were many places he could have gone.  He could break into one of the other houses.  Perhaps hide in a different cavern.  He could even board the Riverperson's boat and go anywhere from Snowdin to Asgore's throne room.  But instead he found himself headed right for the ruined lab they'd only just left.  He didn't know what he was doing, not really.  It was only a hunch, or perhaps wishful thinking, but he knew he had to try.  These weren't just fragments of the boys' magic, they were pieces of their souls.  He was sure of it now.  Even if this desperate act proved to be futile, he had to return these stolen pieces of the children he'd failed to protect.  

Grillby dragged the metal tables closer together.  He quickly untied the straps that had held the boys down, burning through the ones that would not release so easily.  For a moment he was frozen in place, staring down at the pair.  They were too quiet.  Too still.  Too fragile.  He held his free hand out over them and channeled his magic, summoning their souls.  Just like when they'd first found the pair, at first there was no answer.  His call to battle went unheeded, as if the vessels before him were truly empty.  But then there was a faint spark of something intangible and a feeble pulse of magic began to shine from within them.  Grillby looked away as the mangled souls faded into view.  The sight was just as ghastly as it had been before.  In fact, it was exactly as it had been.  The souls he saw now were unchanged, neither healing nor deteriorating from their disfigured state.  It defied everything he knew about the nature of souls and magic, but he had no time to question it now.  

With some coaxing, Grillby managed to separate the two crystalline shards.  They would not be moved too far apart, but so long as he kept his hands close enough together they were at least willing to cease their hypnotic spin.  He carefully closed his hands over them and reached out with his own soul, trying to summon something from within them the same way he'd summoned what was left of the souls he was so certain they'd been stole from.  Blue magic answered him in tiny pulses.  Dark and light.  Honest and patient.  He blinked away the ashy tears that gathered in his eyes.  

Slowly, he opened his hands and guided the two crystals towards the souls that shared their magic.  They followed his movements, drifting down willingly until they had each settled in the open hollows of the two souls.  The shards fit perfectly.  Grillby waited, his flames burning low and quiet, for some kind of sign.  But there was no flash of light or grand pulse of power.  He scooped Papyrus's soul into his hands, not daring pull it any further away from him, and carefully pressed the ragged edges together.  The little soul was cold and still.  Desperate, Grillby sent some of his own magic into it.  A familiar warmth to drive the cold away.  

“Please,” he whispered as he cupped the fragile soul in his hands, “please.”  

The soul's light, dim and dull, slowly began to brighten.  Deep blues and hints of orange, so very like his own yet somehow different, flashed beneath a blanket of white as ragged edges of conjured flesh began to merge.  Grillby held on, watching in astonished relief as the soul slowly reformed itself.  And then, at last, he felt a pulse of magic beneath his fingers.  First one, then another and another until it settled itself into a rhythm that could almost be called normal.  

Grillby was reluctant to let go, still hovering close even after he'd released the child's restored soul until he was sure that fragile pulse wasn't about to stop.  But once he was as certain as he could be, he quickly turned his attention to Sans.  Repeating the process, he held the other child's soul together and carefully poured his own energy into it until it too began to glow and pulse.  This time the rhythm faltered, skipping and shuddering in a way that frightened him, but each time it failed, it started up again on its own.  The elemental couldn't explain it, but in that moment he was just grateful that there was any sign of life in that soul at all.  They had been so broken, ripped to pieces and robbed of some precious piece of themselves.  But now they were whole.  Shining.  Alive.  

As he stared in amazement at the pale glow of Sans's newly restored soul, he noticed something odd.  The dark magic that had poisoned him and his brother was still wrapped tight around it, causing the surface to warp discolor, but there were white streaks where that stain had been cleared away.  Streaks that looked an awful lot like fingers.  Grillby reached down again, placing his hands around Sans's soul, and found that the marks were a match.  In the places he'd touched with his fire magic, the poison had been burned away.  And it wasn't just Sans, Papyrus's soul had similar clear patches on it as well.  All this time he'd been trying to find some way to help them, some cure for the unknown magic poisoning them, and it had been with him all along.  

Grillby released his summoning hold on the pair, letting their souls sink into their unconscious bodies.  Then he settled a hand on each of them, palms resting lightly against their chests.  Almost anything could burn, and bone was no exception, but it took a lot more to char bone than it did to burn most other things.  The heat he'd channeled into their souls hadn't been nearly enough to cause that kind of damage.  He could do this, theoretically at least.  He just had to be careful about it.

The elemental's own soul glowed brightly, lighting up his core with all the bright tones of flame.  It called to two souls mirrored in blue, not with a summons but with a plea.  And they responded.  The notes were faint, their song buried beneath a smothering blanket of shadow, but no less present.  Time and care had formed a connection between them, and it was through that bond that Grillby sent not only the heat of his fire magic but also its light.  

He sent his power into them.  His strength.  His love.  It surged a brilliant white, shining from inside their bones.  A dark smoke rose from the pair as the tainted magic inside them began to burn, permeating the space with an acrid stench.  Their small bodies grew warm beneath his touch.  Then the warmth shifted into heat and he had to pull back some of his power.  Too much and they would burn.  Not enough and the corruption would keep its deadly hold on them.  Grillby focused on the brightness of his own magic,  the potential in it and in him to bring not just destruction but warmth and light as well.  He channeled that light, filling the children he'd thought he lost with a brilliant luminescence strong enough to push back the darkness.  

And white lights flickered to life in dark eye sockets.  

[ask-princess-slaughter-shy]

Princess Slaughter Shy 2 (Page 1)

An original My Little Pony Creepypasta by Zaine McCartney

       Blood dripped off the glass sword and splashed on the ground leaving behind a crimson drop trail leading all the way down Luna’s hallway, down the stairs, and into the main hall. The first guard Fluttershy encountered on the main level was the guard she shoved her sword to. It nicked his neck but that’s all it did, thankfully. Fluttershy slowed her steps and kept her eyes closed as she walked past him. “Wash this until it shines then return it to my quarters.”

     “Yes, ma’am.” He replied sounding a bit nervous.

     This detected nervousness irritated Fluttershy and made her stop dead in her tracks. She turned around and stared directly at him with fury in her eyes. “I’d appreciate it if you guards would stop acting like pussies and grow a set! You will treat me with the same praise and confidence you did with the other four bastard princesses.”

     “Ss…” His voice cracked which made him clear his throat and adjust his posture and brought on a look of confidence. “Sorry.”

     She whirled back around and started back down the hall only to be stopped by yet another guard. “Your highness! Please, wait up!” He sounded more calm and collected than the previous guard which impressed her tremendously.

     “What?” She turned to face him as he came up on her.

     “It is crucial we discuss the laws of the land.” He told her as he struggled to catch his breath.

     “Laws of the land?” She echoed in question.

     “Yeah, you know, changing day to night and visa versa. Luna and Celestia were usually the ones who did that and without them the day cannot come nor end.” He exclaimed in a dark tone of voice.

     She began to walk ahead, “come with me.” He walked behind her. She lead him to the mouth of the castle that opened up to the outside, the warm orange colors washing over her body like gentle waves, the cool evening breeze rustling up her mane. She took in a deep breath and released it with a smile and looked to the orange sky. “Look at how beautiful this scenery is. Why would I want to ruin it with a bright blue sky or even a dark black sky full of blinding lights? Sunsets are perfect. They’re a mix of so many warm vibrant colors that paint the sky in ways only artists wish they could capture. Where not even the most professional photographers can capture their true beauty. What more to praise that beauty then let it stay present forever? Plus it’s the perfect temperature as well. It’s not too hot or too cold. There’s no sun to blind you yet it’s not too dark to where you can’t see.”            

     He nodded slowly as he tried to understand her view on the matter. “It is nice. But, your highness, we need the day and night to tell us when to wake or when to sleep. When to get off work or scho-“

     She shook her head. “We don’t need a day cycle to tell us that, that’s what clocks are for. They always tell us what time it is and whether it’s am or pm.” She explained with a soft tone almost unnatural for her new personality. “Think about it, do we REALLY need the days to change?”

     “When you put it like that it does seem a lot more peaceful to have things just like this.” He gave a genuine smile and took in all the beauty of the sunset for what it truly was. Magic.

     She beamed with pride and opened her wings up a bit to let the wind brush through their feathers. “So, is that all you needed to discuss?”

     “Ah, no.” He used his magic to pull a scroll from his saddlebag and read it. “There’s a scheduled execution at the prison in the Crystal Empire and they need a Royal to give them the command.” He paused as a couple crime-scene clean up crewmembers walked past carrying buckets of blood and internal organs. There was still heavy cleanup happening in Luna’s room where Sunset Shimmer had a… misfortunate accident. The guard had to fight back a strong urge gag as he read off the rest of the letter. “A-And since there’s currently only one Royal in Equestria that means it’s only up to you to be there. But they will understand if you decline the offer they’ll just keep the prisoner in lock up until you do decide to attend. They’d be honored to have you, though.”

     “Who exactly is it being executed?” She asked.

     “That would be a miss Pinkie Pie. Her crimes were that of poisoning the late Princess Mi Amore Cadneza to death with cupcakes laced with rat poison.”  

     A wide grin spread from ear to ear on her ash-yellow face and a delighted giggle began to bellow out of her. “I would be the one honored to attend. And if I may, could I be the one to deal out the execution personally?”

     “You are the law of Equestria. You can do whatever you wish, I’m sure they won’t mind.”

     “Excellent. Let’s go.”

     “Now?”

     “Yes now. Why? Is there a problem?”

     “Err, no?” He looked to the side and whistled for the chariot drivers. They came over immediately chariot in tow and helped Fluttershy onto it. Then they set off for the Crystal Empire’s prison that held the pony she once called her “friend”.

     Their physical appearances changed almost instantaneously when they entered the boarder into the Crystal Empire. Their once normal bodies shimmering like literal diamonds, crystals, and every other rare gem you could possibly imagine. Even without the Crystal Princess the citizens and landscape and infrastructure were still crystalized, but that was probably more of the legendary Crystal Heart’s doing. As long as it still spins the city doesn’t need its Princess. The prison wasn’t as fancy in design as the rest of the scenery. It looked nearly identical to the Ponyville prison except the walls were made of dull black crystal that was cold to the touch. The prison itself was fairly small only being able to hold about seven inmates. Luckily Pinkie Pie was the only criminal this city had to worry about being locked in here, all the other cells were completely empty. The bars on the cells were made out of normal iron just painted black. Fluttershy, who was accompanied by two Crystal Empire guards, came up to Pinkie’s cell. The only source of light the prison had were that of what the sun provided through the barred windows each cell had. The one parallel to Pinkie’s cell shone in on her only illumination a small fraction of her body. She was pressed up against the wall facing away from the bars and weeping silently to her self.

     “Pinkie Pie.” Fluttershy’s voice carried in a cold singsong tone.

     Upon hearing the all too familiar voice Pinkie looked back at her in shock and a hint of terror. “F-Fluttershy?” Her voice was horridly shaky.

     “That’s Princess Slaughter Shy to you now.” She sternly corrected.

     “Oh y-yes, my mistake… Please forgive me.” Pinkie apologized sounding even more terrified. She had quickly gotten up and rushed over to the bars where she made a pathetic attempt to bow in respect of the Princess before her. “Why…why are you here?” She asked upon getting back up.

     “A little birdie told me that today is your execution day. I wanted to see you before you died.” She gave a fake sympathetic smile that was turned into a fit of maniacle laughter. Enlightened tears brimmed her turquoise eyes that she proceeded to wipe away with her hoof. “Who am I kidding? No, I wanted to be the one who personally brought forth your execution.” Her face pushed right up against the bars while her mouth curved an evil smirk, “and you’re going to love what I have planned for you.” Her last sentence was like a slap in the face to Pinkie for it was a quote she used to use for ponies she threw parties for.

     More tears full of disbelief trickled down Pinkie’s still damp cheeks. “But… I didn’t DO anything!” She protested in a panic, her heart was beating right out of her chest you could even hear it.

     “You didn’t?” Fluttershy asked in a sarcastic tone. “But aren’t you the one who poisoned Princess Cadence? Weren’t you the one who sent her the box with those unfortunate pastires? Your name was on it how could it not of been you?”

     “I was framed!” She was becoming a bit furious and shot a surprise hateful glare at Fluttershy. “I was framed by you. Everypony knows it was you who killed them all, even a moron could’ve figured you also did in Cadence. How is any of this fair? How is it the innocent get executed when everyone knows they’re innocent yet they still choose to believe a psychopath like you?!” She began to heavy breathe after she finished her rant.

     Fluttershy just gave a light chuckle and pulled her face away from the bars. “Because I’m the self proclaimed Princess of Equestria now, and what I say goes. But I do want to commend you for being a lot smarter than you lead on to be, I’m very impressed. I admit one hundred percent I am responsible for every death brought on to the former Princesses, plus a few unfortunate citizens here and there, but get real. What can anypony really do about it now? Everyone knows that if they dare try to come at me they aren’t going to win, they will lose with the most grave of consequences.” She looked back at the two guards with a crazed smile, which made them cower down a little bit. “I’m the law now and I cannot be punished for any crimes I have or will commit.” She looked back to Pinkie, “and my law says YOU will be executed today via gilohtene.

     Pinkie placed her hooves to her throat, the color completely drained from her body, her once poofy dark pink mane deflating and becoming straight and flat. This is something that’s a common occurance when she becomes completely and totally downhearted.

     The two male guards exchanged concerned looks at one another. “She confessed to killing the Crystal Princess. Shouldn’t we involve Shining Armor in this? I’m sure he could do something about this-“ He cut his self off when he noticed the multicolored Alicorn giving him a sinister glare knowing immediatlely she’d heard him. He gulped and looked down timidly.

     “It’d be wise of you not to invite your precious Shining Armor to this party.” She warned with a hiss in her voice. “You’re luck I don’t fucking kill you right here and now for that tongue of treason you own. In fact, schedule a former meeting with me and your former Prince after the execution. I need to speak with him about this land.”

     The guard gave a modest nod. “Yes, ma’am.” Then sped off out of the prison.

     She glared hard at the other guard before speaking. “Hurry and prep her and the giohtene for the execution. I want to get this done and over with as soon as possible. Come find me in the town square where I’ll be inviting all the town’s folk to bare witness to the execution.”

     He gave a firm nod and went to get things ready. Fluttershy gave Pinkie one last malicious grin and batted her pink dyed eyelids at her. “Better gussy yourself up, you’ll want to look your best for Death.” She cackled and skipped on out of the prison humming the tune of Children of the Night. Pinkie’s legs wobbled and she lost her balance, falling to the ground in loud weeps.

     The multicolored Alicorn guided herself through the empty crystal city and stopped when she found the main television/radio broadcasting building. “Perfect.” She chimed to herself and walked inside. She was instantly greeted by a pink mare with ruby-red hair and a tail to match, her eyes were a shimmering two toned red and gold reminding her of Apple Bloom’s eyes. Her cutie mark was an elegant lilac flower made up entirely of stained glass.

     The mare bowed before her once she made it to her with a bright smile on her face. “Your highness, it is such an honor to have your presence in our office! How ever may I help you?”

     “Is there any way I could possibly override all broadcasting stations, both televised and radio? I want to get an emergency message out to everypony in this city.” Said Fluttershy.

     “Of course.” She lead her to a recording booth and motioned her over to the camera. She grabbed a headset with a microphone attached to it and adjusted it onto Fluttershy’s head. “There. Now, just wait until the little red light on the camera flicks on then start talking.” Her enthusiasm was very contagious it even made Fluttershy give an unscripted smile.

     Fluttershy nodded and watched for the red light, a fierce sense of pride in her stance. “Good ever lasting evening, my subjects.” She began once the light turned on. “Your beloved Princess has taken the time out of her busy schedule to visit your lovely city and be the one to personally draw out the execution of the bastard pony that brought the destruction of you beloved Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. And with a heavy heart I will be sure to bring justice to you all and the widowed Prince, Shining Armor. I cannot wait to see you all there in exactly half an hour. Keep in mind the invitation is not optional.” Her last sentence lingered like a horrid smell as the camera and microphone switched off.

     The pink earth pony trotted into the booth with the still same gitty smile she bore when they first met. “That was perfect, you’re a natural for the camera.”

     “Thanks.” She replied awkwardly. She looked around the room trying to figure out what else to say or do.

     “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

     She tilted her head to one side and looked into her eyes. “What is your name?”

     “Lilac Luster.”

     “That’s a very pretty name.”

     “Thanks.” She beamed when hearing the compliment.

     Fluttershy exited the room abruptly leaving Lilac feeling a bit confused and unsure of what to do next. She trailed a few steps behind the Princess just watching and waiting for another cue to help her. She stopped completely when Fluttershy exited the building without a single word. She stared at the door and waved an awkward goodbye to no one and quickly went back to managing different stations.

     Fluttershy walked silently through the vacant streets. She looked back and forth trying to peak into homes to see if anypony was even in them, but all the drapes were drawn closed making it next to impossible to see in. A sudden cold wind blew over her body making the fur on the back of her neck stand on edge. She stopped and looked around feeling panic overwhelm her heart. Her eyes zipped back and forth so fast it actually made it so she couldn’t see straight anymore. She shook her head to try and compose herself and when her vision finally came back into focus she let out a sudden shriek when her pink hair tapped her nose. Her cheeks lit up with embarrassment and she gave a little giggle. “Relax, Princess. Why are you getting so worked up? There’s nothing to worry about.”

     “Just keep telling yourself that.” Said the familiar voice of a mare from behind.

     Fluttershy whirled around with the look of complete horror on her face. She even let out a second more shrilled scream. Princess Entity was only two feet in front of her. “Wh-What are you doing here?” She was actually nervous about the Princess of Death’s presence. “No one has died.”

     “Not yet. I thought I’d come early for the execution. Though it’s a death that shouldn’t be happening.” She had a look of disgust towards her.

     Fluttershy’s face morphed into mockery at the Death Princess. “And what are you going to do about it? I’m the law of the land and what I say goes. And last I checked it’s against your nature to meddle in the affairs of the living.”

     “You’re right, I can’t. And I wasn’t planning on doing anything, anyway. The only thing I can do is give my input on the subject at hand but knowing you you aren’t going to listen to any of it, so I’m not going to bother wasting my breath.” She walked a ways past Fluttershy.

     “It must be frustrating, knowing you could do so much more if you weren’t cursed by Celestia and Luna. To know you could do so much to stop my tyranny if you were fully mortal. It’s ultimately their fault you have this “curse” being the Princess of Death. You’re nothing but a laughable excuse of a Royal. So were your adopted mothers.”

     Entity stopped, her horn lighting up with red electricity, her body was trembling and a low growl was emanating from her vocals. She let out a frustrated scream and hurled a large electrical orb at the other Princess.

     The orb startled Fluttershy and had her wrapping her wings around her body in an attempt to shield her from the blast that never came. The orb passed right through her and blinked out like a dying star. She unraveled her wings and blinked twice slowly understanding what just happened and then burst into a fit of laughter. “You couldn’t kill me no matter how bad you want to! It’s your curse, you cannot meddle in the affair of the living, in my affairs with death and destruction.”

     A few tears rolled down Entity’s cheeks as she recollected herself and walked away. “Forgive me… my mothers…” she muttered to herself.

     “Bunch of pathetic Princesses.” Fluttershy continued to giggle all the way down to town-square. She looked on in awe at the shimmering crystal gilotene. Her hooves carried her swiftly over to it and she circled around it multiple times getting a good look at every inch of it. The frame was carved from diamond encrusted black cobblestone with a rainbow-tinted blade poised at the top of the frame. The rope that held the blade in place was white with tiny rainbow gems woven in the strands. “I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.” She commented.

     “I’m glad you like it, Princess.” Said a dark yellow and white guard she met at the prison earlier.

     She turned to him. “Where’s the convict?”

     He pointed over to a prison chariot that rolled up to the square. He and the other guard she’d met earlier in the prison as well opened the door to the cage and led Pinkie Pie over and prepped her on the gilotene. She cried out in protest and tried to in desperation to break free of the restraining leather cuffs being placed around her hooves and hooking them up beneath the bascule.

[caranelguild]

Caran El, Drame 7

Caran El & Co. waste none of the night and promptly bring the SS Snake-slayer above the edge of the shard and land on a bare patch of rock on the fringe of a deep, dark wood. Unable to convince Bjort to remain belowdecks as the rest explore, Groá swings her around her shoulders and disembarks. Bellemere, Rhedyn, and Arawn take point and slip between the giant northern evergreens searching for any signs of traversial craft or a camp.

The fog sits heavy and thick on the forest floor; Arawn on the right wing encounters a stony beach overlooking the traverse, and from it the fog pours like slow liquid. The company avoids the beach and moves on. Rhedyn, on the left wing, is next to discover something---off in the darkness, she is sure she can see the half-defined, ghostly shapes of faces and bodies. She whistles the others’ attentions and moves to investigate. What our adventurers discover are the forms of bodies beneath the bark of dozens of trees. Faces, forms, as if the skin of the evergreens had grown over them. As our adventurers move away, they get the feeling that this grove is somehow sacrosanct.

Not long after, Rhedyn notices firelight flickering off treetrunks somewhere in the depths of the woods. She, Bellemere, and Arawn move towards the light, and discover a trio of watchmen with torches. Unfortunately, the watchmen discover them simultaneously; though Bellemere is quick and stealthy enough to avoid notice. The watchmen advance on the discovered two, who fail to hide. Rhedyn is attacked and cries out; trailing behind, Auni and Groá hear her and crash through the brush to assist.

Upon the arrival of further invaders, the watchmen give out a cry of “Fear! Fire! Foes!” (in the Myradin language, of course), and shortly the fracas is expanded by dozens upon dozens of Myradin men half-dressed and angry at being wakened.

Initial plans of escape are proximately abandoned by Groá and Auni’s dedication to violence, which means our entire crew is soon surrounded by Myradin waiting their turns to swing a weapon at a stranger. Groá and Auni are deepest in; Rhedyn, arcing fire around her and Arawn, keeps the circle from closing in around her and the Myradin biomancer; Bellemere is quick enough to dart back from the charge to hide in the dark. Rhedyn lights a trio of attackers on fire; one of the charred men, staggering up from his Stop! Drop! and Roll! maneuver, is hammered from behind by Arawn, who snaps his neck. Groá spins around, her hammer’s circuit driving her assailants temporarily back. Auni is knocked to the ground and pummeled to half-consciousness; only Arawn’s biomancy from afar, stiffening the bodies of those who pile on him, save him from being immediately carted off. A Myradin man sprints through the crowd at Bellemere’s hiding place; deftly leaps over his attack from the shadows and turns. Bellemere attacks.

Bellemere’s opponent, outmatched, cries out some story to stay Bellemere’s fists, but is unsuccessful. Bellemere knocks him out. Looking over his shoulder and seeing his friends, sans Arawn who has at this time joined him in the darkness, beset on all sides by a flood of attackers, snatches up the unconscious man---whose desperate claims held too much coincidence to risk abandoning altogether---and sprints off after Arawn for the SSss.

Groá is battered on all sides and falls beneath a wave of opponents. Auni, having struggled to his feet, fails to hold new assailants at bay. Rhedyn furiously battles, but adversaries in her face draw her attention away from her wall of fire and she is eventually surrounded. The bodies of four attackers at her feet, she falls to their swords and flails, wounded and unconscious.