It's just an hour or so after school, in the middle of the Bayside theme park. Families are gathered, parents walking around with their children, standing in line for rides, eating cotton candy, funnel cakes, ice cream, and other fairground treats. It's a lively time. It's spring, the start of a new year, and there are many reasons to be happy. For most people.
Amidst all of the crowds, and the merry-go-rounds, roller coasters, bumper cars, and various other amusements is one single little girl. She doesn't have a parent with her. She doesn't have much reason to be happy. The dark, almost scary aura surrounding her makes that very clear.
"It should be right here... my scans indicated..." Fate looks at her device, which most passers-by seem to think is a cosplay prop. "It should be right here! Where is...?"
Then suddenly it appears. It's the tiniest, most subtle thing. A tiny tear in subspace opens up, depositing a small little gem into the air before closing. Upon the gem's surface is the glowing red roman numeral IV. It sparkles dangerously, magical power curling and curving around it. It radiates. It calls.
Fate takes a step back, aiming Bardiche at it. <Sealing Mode>. She starts gathering power... and then stops.
"... why should I hurry? Haste makes waste."
Suddenly a dark magical barrier appears, drawing Fate and the Jewel Seed into a parallel world. A magical copy of the park, minus the non-magical inhabitants. Other magical people will find it simple enough to enter, but the common person doesn't even know it exists.
Once she's sure that the outside world is safe from what she's about to do, Fate reaches towards the Jewel Seed with her hands. She hesitates, mere inches away, and then... grasps.
A torrent of magical energy is unleashed, and Fate is right in the middle of the storm, with her grip tightening around the black gem.
"You will... fulfill... my wish! Listen to me!"
The large barrier is obvious enough to anyone who knows what to look for. The magical torrent is mostly contained at first, but something breaks through, unleashing a beam of dark energy into the real world's sky.
Ertige has been far more hesitant to follow Fate, since she demonstrated her mom's proclivity for punishment. Still, Precia is the more terrifying, and Ertiga wants nothing more than to keep Precia happy for that reason--nevermind that she wants that separately, as well.
So when Fate erects a barrier, Ertiga is ready to follow her into it. Watching, the rat-girl's beady red eyes focus on the young Testarossa's activities. And then she gasps in surprise. "Fate, no!" she whispers quietly. But she's not going to really interrupt. That's not her job.
So instead, Ertiga finds a nice, safe place to hide. And to watch.
Other people have reason to worry, reason to avoid spending their time off from school at amusement parks and other such things. Knowing that a close friend has become more and more distant lately, and that they're taking serious risks with their health, is enough to inspire Rune to focus her efforts on searching Tokyo for more clues about Fate's situation.
It takes the emergence of a barrier to make her aware that there's a situation at hand, head snapping up to view it in the horizon. "That coloring... is that...?" It's too generic to pin it as 'Fate's energy', but it looks sickly and disturbing to Rune. Reason enough to check it out.
After transforming, the princess hurries over to the park. A blast from her wand opens up a hole to let her into the barrier, and she rushes in just after watching that dark ray shoot into the air. It makes her tense, eyes wide and breathing heavy as she keeps on guard... wondering who or what is within while rushing toward the center to find out.
Nicola is going home from school, it's the new year, she's starting to make friends, starting to fit in; and so she's taking her sweet time, exploring a little before going back. It's this wandering that gets her close to the theme park, looking at it wistfully when things happen. "Huh."
<I'm detecting high potency forbidden magics, Nicola.> A little voice emits softly from the pendant Nicola is wearing, it's speaking in a strange and foreign language. The language is somewhat melodic, and it's not from earth.
The girl nods, and responds to it, "Let's take a look. Ruby Rose, set up!" A flash of red, and a moment later she's in a simple, practical outfit, holding a pair of handguns and uses the hole Rune made to push herself into the barrier. "Hi." She says just loud enough to be hard to the older magical girl. "What's going on?" The extra-terrestrial girl has got a clear foreign accent.
Nanoha Takamachi was dragged along to the theme park along with Suzuka and Arisa. She didn't want to go. Too much on her mind. But in actuality, that's the reason she was dragged along. She's been too /quiet/ and /introspective/ as of late.
About Fate. About the two offworlders she met. About the TSAB and all the bad things people had to say about them.
---but Lindy-san seemed okay. Right? Surely-- if there were some bad things, there were good things too- right?
"Nanoha-chan, you really need to cut loose! So--let's go onto the role----"
Then there's a disturbance. And the group looks up wide-eyed. Raising Heart pings.
"Oh--uh, that's.... totally my mom textingokaybye!" she says.
Arisa looks down to Nanoha quickly-- as she's ALREADY RUNNING AROUND THE CORNER. "HEY! NANOHA! DON'T THINK YOU CAN GET AWAY SO EASILY AGAIN!" she yells--- and it's too late. Nanoha's gone faster than a bullet as she gains altitude up and away. as Arisa turns the corner to NO ONE THERE--- Another day ruined with secrets Nanoha can't tell her friends. Whoops.
Regardless, Nanoha is now heading towards the distubance and aiming to sort of move into that barrier quickly. Something bad is going on- she knows that much. What exactly, well!
Perhaps she'll find out in a moment as she moves into the barrier space- her magenta wings on her feet glowing silently. She looks down to Rune and spirals downwards a bit, but she doesn't quite join Rune and anyone heading towards her directly-- yet.
Barriers like Fate's are visible for a long ways. Ayana doesn't so much sense it as see it. "What, now?" she asks with a sigh, then texts her girlfriend: Ikiko, there's a barrier near the Theme Park! I'm going to investigate!
Trusting that Tsukiko would back her up as soon as she could, Ayana henshined swiftly and raced towards the barrier, stepping through far too late to stop Fate from this foolish course of action.
But not too late to spot a beam of dark energy coursing up like a pillar of evil into the sky.
And there, in the midst of it, two pretty yellow twintails.
"Oh, Fate," whimpers Inariko, as she rushes towards her friend.
Mikoto had been out for a quick shopping trip, picking up some simple microwaveables she could eat while she worked on teasing out the secrets of Midchildan magitech. It's been a long week for her, and she's picking out mostly comfort foods, things she's been craving.
Which is why she's so upset when Carnwennan pings for her attention. ((~Barrier detected, Meister. Alert! Strong energy reaction. Signature recognized.~))
And then she has to drop her bag of goodies, because hauling around baggage in a fight just won't do. And this is quite likely to be a fight. She steps around a corner into an alley, henshins, and launches herself into the sky towards the source of the barrier.
Once in the air, she has her Device place a quick phone call. "Hey, Hikari-chan. We've got something screwy going on over by Bayside Park. I'm going in to check it out."
The feline Familiar is, it seems, none to happy with her mistress' decision to risk herself at this hour, but Mikoto is insistent. "Keep an eye on Yoru, okay?"
A theme park! Theme parks are nice! There's just one problem.
Ariel has no money for the themepark.
It is a sad state of affairs, the tiny, pale, foreign girl with her face pressed up against a fence staring inwards, the utterly ''gigantic' dog at her side doing just the same, swishing his tail and trying to figure out just what's so interesting. But between the dazzling lights, music, rides, smiling faces, and smells of food in the afterschool rush of parkgoers, Ariel is practically enthralled.
One day. One day, Ariel, too, shall enjoy a totally human theme park in the waking world as a totally ordinary and completely normal human that isn't out of the ordinary in the least, because she totally isn't. That day isn't today.
One minute, everything is fine and normal. The next minute; one floppy, goat-like ear breaks through the girl's disguise and pricks upwards like a radar. "Huh?"
The Barrier rises. Ariel has NO IDEA IN THE LEAST of what she's looking at. ... Then a few familiar figures- and some unfamiliar ones are heading towards the disturbance.
"... Maybe we should see what's up."
"Ruff." The girl's noble steed replies as she climbs on the dog's back-- and with a good leaping bound, Lucky starts heading right on that way.
The inside of the barrier seems to change. At first it's subtle, just a few twisting visual distortions here and there. Then it accelerates. The sky changes, becoming a too-bright blue. Planted trees begin to spread their roots, and grass spreads all over the ground. The rides are covered by seemingly years of plant growth, rusting and abandoned. At Fate's feet is a pink and white picnic blanket. The torrent of darkness wraps around her... and then subsides. When she opens her eyes, Precia is in front of her.
It's not the real Precia Testarossa. Simple scans will show that it's just a copy, created by the magic of the Jewel Seeds. But it's the Precia that Fate remembers. Loving, sweet, and kind, and most importantly of all...
... she's smiling.
It's a fake. Fate knows that it's a fake, but just this once she'll accept the pretense. All she wants is to relive her memories, right? Nothing wrong with that.
"Mother, will you take me to the park today?" Her voice is sweet and hopeful. The real Precia won't be happy to see her using the Jewel Seed this way, but for the moment Fate doesn't care.
The false Precia nods. "Of course, my sweet Alicia-chan."
"What? No... Mother, my name is Fate." Her tone is sad, even disappointed.
"Don't be silly, Alicia-chan. Do you think I'd forget my own daughter's name?"
Fate's face turns white. She doesn't know what's going on here. Actually, she never did. Her memories were always so confusing, so strange, so...
Why, in her memories, did mother always refer to her as Alicia? That wasn't her name. That was never her name.
Fate frowned. She turns away. "I... I don't understand. What do you want me to be?" She looks down at the Jewel Seed in her hands. Her hand is covered in blood. Why didn't she notice this before?! How long has she been bleeding?! Her eyes widen. Her jaw drops. She turns towards the others, only just now noticing Runealy, Nanoha, Inariko and several others coming at her.
Then suddenly, the fake Precia melts as Fate's back is turned towards her. It becomes a black oozing mass. Red eyes glow from its depths. It turns on Fate, lunging at her, seeping into her, changing her. Whatever Fate's wish was, it's turning out very, very wrong.
Dark pieces of metal grow from Fate's barrier jacket, widening and flattening to become like pieces of armor. A visor forms around Fate's eyes. Spiked pauldrons grow on her shoulders. Soon, she's entirely encased in black, magical armor. Bardiche itself changes, twisting its own form and taking the shape of a glaive. The Jewel Seed, glowing, sets itself upon her crown. The roman numeral IV glows brightly.
"This is what you want, isn't it?" she mutters. "... just a soldier, to carry out your will..."
She aims her glaive at the others. The voice she speaks with is not her own. "None of you should have come. Stay away from the Jewel Seeds."
"Holy shit," says the rat-girl hiding from her high place. "That is so not what I expected."
She watches, enraptured, as the false Precia breaks Fate's heart just as readily as the real one ever could. And it's then that a thought occurs to her.
"Where's Arf?" she asks, squinting thoughtfully.
"Ah!?" Rune snaps a look over-shoulder to Nicola, alarmed by the sudden greeting. "I don't know what's going on! Just that it can't be anything good, if that energy is anything to go by." A closer look is made, focusing on what's in Nicola's hands. "Wonder if you're one of Homura's friends...?"
She presses on after pondering that possibility, then abruptly stops upon spotting the unusual picnic up ahead. Several emotions slam through Rune all at once. Fear and tension are chief among them, as she has a pretty good idea of how powerful Precia is and isn't able to immediately determine that this is just an illusion. A modest urge to fight her regardless also takes hold, and even as fear rushes like a chill through her veins... Runealy takes aim.
Then 'Precia' speaks. 'Alicia'? Odd. Fate openly corrects Precia on it, and Rune becomes visibly confused. Then, her eyes raise in frightened alarm as 'Precia' becomes blackness rolling over Fate, prompting Rune to shout: "Fate, move! Get away from that!" Too late, it seems.
Fate changes... and from Runealy's perspective she looks rather like some kind of 'dark knight.' It's not a good thing to see.
Even as Fate's glaive is pointed their way, Rune consciously aims her wand down and aside; well away from Fate. "I don't want any Jewel Seeds! I'm here for you!"
Inariko comes to a complete halt when the idyllic scene begins. Confused and surprised, she just stops, watches, and listens.
"Alicia?" she asks, mumbling quietly to herself. Who is Alicia?
When Fate turns to see her, she smiles encouragingly ... right up until she smells the blood. And then she sees the blood.
The kitsune's eyes widen in horror as that dark thing flares up and begins to engulf Fate. "No ... no no no no! FATE!"
Throwing caution to the wind, Inariko runs forward at a breakneck speed and calls, "Twilight Step." She crosses the intervening distance to Fate in a blink, and leaps towards Fate worriedly, as if hoping to shield her from the darkness about to overwhelm her.
She's too late.
The fox-girl slams into the energy emitted by Fate's barrier jacket and bounces off, skin hissing from contact with darkness.
"No no no!" she cries quietly. "Fate-chan, snap out of it! This isn't right! You're like me when Riventon flooded me with darkness! Don't let it control you!"
"I don't know a Homura." Nicola answers Runealy immediately, her accent growing ever clearer. It's very foreign, and then Rune calling out Fate's name means she realizes why the girl she's seeing in there feels familiar. "Fate?!" On her feet and shoulders little red wings of magic form, and she takes into the sky. The girl can move, now flying, it's almost impossible to imagine her to stop moving.
"Fate, it's me, Nicola. You saved me, remember?" Yeah, no code names for this girl as she speeds towards Fate. She doesn't know enough to really have a clue about what's going on beyond something wrong with Fate. "Please, snap out of it."
Worried, she does act, pointing both of those guns at Fate, a little gem lighting up, and with a soft chime they announce in unison, <CHAIN BIND> A mid-childan magical circle forms in front of the quickly moving girl, and four magical chains spear outwards, one for each of Fate's limbs. "I don't know what jewel seeds are, please, snap out of it."
Riventon was actually not invited to help with this jewel seed. It's a coincidence he's in the area. But this world - this city - it seems to run on coincidences. He's already headed towards the Jewel Seed, in henshin, as Fate begins to seal it and seal the world in that dark magical barrier.
The erratic readings from the barrier and the Jewel Seed itself, which means that instead of engaging or trying to snag it, he's carefully watching from afar - his presence actually masked by the raw dark energy Fate's channeling. The appearance of the Cute Fox draws his attention - but then the world changes.
He's just as trapped in the illusion as anyone else, but his device continues to feed him data as he looms closer - a combination of concern for fate and raw curiosity that drives him.
Riventon's voice joins the sounds of those who show concern - though in it's own way. "Fate-chan, the power's out of your control - you're stronger than this, I've trained you better than this. Snap out of it." It's an order tinged with what might seem strange to others - that same very real concern. The others move - but Riventon does not. His assistance is limited to imploring her. "Focus."
Tessen isn't close enough to hear 'Precia' address Fate. She's just getting through the Barrier when that happens.
She is close to hear Runeyea and Inariko call the girl in armor 'Fate', though. Which is enough for her.
With a snap, a pair of baroquely-decorated war-fans flip into being in her hands, and she zooms down to settle next to the pink-haired princess. "Is that thing on her helmet what I think it is?"
As if predicting the next logical move, she flicks both fans up, a Belkan spell-glyph forming at her feet, and another in the air before her to shield herself, Rune, and Nicola against the expected assault from Fate.
A Jewel Seed!? And Fate has it.. but.. she isn't sealing it? What is--she--
Oh no.. "FATE! WATCH OUT!" she calls out and it's all Nanoha can do to watch in Horror because she's still far away and racing forward-- when others, like Runealy, are already much closer.
Alica? Her ponderings echo the same as anyone elses. Who's Alicia?
Then she looks over--wait.. Nicola!?
"Nicola!" she calls out. "Rune-chan!" she calls out.
Even Riventon is there, with concern now.
She raises Raising Heart.
"Fate.. whatever you think you need to do-- you're wrong! We're here to help you right now!" she implores. No attack or spell, yet. Others are casting chain binds and trying to hinder Fate- but to keep her from doing what right now?
"That power can't be good! You seen what it does to everything else!"
Oh dear, Ariel's blundered into something far beyond her understanding. Into the Barrier, she arrived for just the tail end of the moment. She misses a lot, but the gist is hard to not catch. A girl with hurt bloody hands overwhelmed with something dark and terrible. Topaz eyes blink at first, then widen in a mix of bewilderment and fright as Fate is overtaken and enveloped dark armor.
Maybe staying back in the park might have been the better idea. It's too late now.
Ariel touches her fingers to the star-shaped pendant at her neck, and in a brief flash of silvery light, the girl is in her armor, no longer in human guise.
You know, of all people to approach and ask what's going on, she has a boatload of choices, and who does she go for? Riventon.
"... Um!" Um is right. He wasn't exactly easy for her to approach and question the first- and last time she had seen him. "Who is that and what's going on?"
The rat familiar, for the moment, is completely ignored. Either because Fate doesn't consider her a threat, or Fate just hasn't noticed her yet. Either way, the strange dark knight's full focus is on those who followed her into the barrier. "Here for me? Why? Do you have something against me? All I want is to make my mother happy. To make her smile again. Is that so wrong?"
Inariko bounds towards her, crashing into her. The armor should be enough to protect Fate, and it certainly is emitting the power levels necessary to deflect something like that, but when the kitsune impacts her she stumbles backwards, clutching her chest and getting into a coughing fit.
"What are you talking about? Flooding you with darkness? I don't remember such a thing. All that matters is the Jewel Seeds. If you're not here to fight, then..."
Four chains come at her. She recognizes the spell. If Fate was fast before, she's a blur now. She moves quickly, one of the chains wrapping around her arm, but the rest of her remains unhindered. "So you are here to fight."
She lifts Bardiche. It changes into the form of an axe. An actual axe, like a halbred, and not the strange facsimile it was before. "The only thing I need to focus on is the defeat of my enemies! If you came to help, then why are you trying to put me in chains?!"
<Photon Lancer>
Golden orbs shoot upwards from the tip of her axe, flying into the air and turning black as they rise. Those who have seen this attack before might be expecting 4-5 orbs at most. Thsi time, there are easily twenty... thirty... fifty... they multiply too fast to count. The head of her axe drops, and suddenly each one of them falls, descending upon the heads of those who have entered the barrier after her. They are not precisely aimed, leaving craters in the grassy ground, knocking trees over, and tearing through the overgrown amusement park rides, sending dark electricity coursing through the metal parts.
"This is none of your business. Go home, and maybe I'll forget you exist!"
It's a good thing that this is all happening inside of a barrier. Maybe not so good for the people in the barrier.
So Nicola isn't getting her equipment from Homura. That's an interesting thing for Rune to realize, but it goes without comment for now because this situation is getting worse and worse from the princess' perspective as Riventon arrives. She starts to aim at him, but reconsiders when she can't tell what exactly he's getting at by talking to Fate. Should this be interrupted?
She's not sure. And so while Riventon remains high on her mind as a pressing threat, Rune opts to focus on the discussion at hand. "Listen to Nanoha! She's completely right!"
Ariel asks for insight. Rune hurriedly looks her way to call out, "That man is an enemy, but that's not important right now! Fate," Rune points her empty hand at the dark-armor-clad figure before them, "needs help, and... ah!?"
She's cut off by Fate's orb barrage. Rune's boot wings light up, their silver glow pulsing to launch her around several of the ball-arcs. Gems on the princess' tiara light up to spit out a stream of tiny emerald sparkles, which shoot down a few more. Yet quantity has a quality all its own, and several spheres eventually manage to overtake her and batter Rune to the ground with a hurt cry!
She eventually encases herself in a sparkling red 'bubble' of energy to deflect the rest of the attack long enough to speak, but is shuddering within the forcefield from the damage already done. "I can't even tell what your mother wants for you! Mine never went around forgetting my name, or cutting loose with attacks that had me still in their area, and she would never have been okay with hurting yourself like this! So please...!"
The orbs break through her shield, but Tessen's quickly replaces it. A hurried look over to her nets a frantic answer, "It might be. I'm not sure, I don't know much about how they work, but it seems to fit how the others acted!"
Nicola fails to bind Fate, and makes things worse. Oops. Rather than put up a shield to protect herself, she quickly moves to take cover behind the one so kindly provided for her by tessen. "Thanks." She says quickly, and then looks around, taking a look to see who is around here. "Nanoha?!" She calls out, recognizing the other girl.
And what Nicola does next should serve as a clue what kind of magic Nicola's derives from, the spell's casting is basic enough, but the device still announces the attack name softly. <SHOOT BULLET: DUAL BULLET F> Two red balls of magic go flying towards Fate, they're fast and auto-guided, locking onto Fate's magic signature with an explosive charge.
"Fate, I don't want to hurt you, but you don't seem to be thinking straight, and I don't know any better way to make you listen." She yells out, and she seems genuine. "If it wasn't for you, I'd be dead now. Please, listen." She rushes closer, she might not be as fast as Fate, but she's very fast.
"If you don't believe me, then go ahead. Hit me, I won't dodge or block." She floats still in the air, daring Fate to take her up on that offer. She looks like she's not sure this is smart.
Inariko stares at the rapidly increasing balls of ridiculous energy as they arc towards her. The fox-girl's eyes widen, and she seems uncertain what to do. It's not until the energy is nearly on top of her that the fox girl moves. She rolls and tucks herself into a ball, twisting and turning until they've all passed.
Panting, Inariko remains on hands and knees. She takes a moment to recover, then darts back in. "FATE!" she calls, begging. "You have to stop!" Rushing in, the kitsune attempts to tackle her friend a second time, hoping to bodily prevent her from doing something she'll regret. "Don't you remember? Ask. Politely! It's what I've always told you! You have to be polite! Even when you're taking things, be polite! To do otherwise makes you the villain!"
Tessen would greet Fate, but that would require her to reveal that she's also Hagane. Which she isn't going to do in front of Riventon. Besides, there are already enough people chatting away.
She holds her hands up, as if supporting the shield with her own body, watching it tremble under the impacts of the Photon Lancer barrage. The reverberations of gold striking blue are actually quite pretty, in a way.
"Okay, Princess, and what's-your-name... I'll cover you two, you do your thing."
She casts a brief glance over at Nanoha and Inariko, but the two are too far for her to extend the shield to cover them against a barrage of that magnitude. Better to let them do the talking, for now.
Riventon shakes his head. "I haven't enchained you at all. I'm here to help you. But you can't give your Mother the Jewel Seeds if you let thier power corrupt your strength." Riventon says. "That's a shortcut to power. People who take shortcuts always fall." he adds, finding himself in the strange position of being aligned against Fate, and therefore, with the 'heroes' as Riventon. So for once, there's no plans to backstab or assault them - at least not until Fate's safe.
"And I really don't need to lose another employee." he adds, but then his eyes go wide as the enhanced Photon Lancer builds up. Riventon steps through the Dusk Zone quickly, trying to move in on Fate, trying to help control her - but he's a little too fast, and he appears out of the Zone while one of the orbs is still in-flight rather than after impact.
The orb impacts him, and sends him careening back into and through a tree, his barrier labcoat flickering with energy as it soaks the impact, but he still looks like hell. He gets up, though, slowly.
Riventon glares at Inariko. "This is nothing like that. This is far more than she can handle. Uncontrolled." he says.
Then he turns to Fate. "If you want to help your mother, you'll get ahold of yourself. Right now, you're going to upset her by losing control of yourself. That's too much energy for you." Riventon is apparently blissfully unaware of Precia's nature. "Even if she is a jerk, if that's your goal, it can't start here." Maybe not entirely unaware.
< Protection. > spouts Raising Heart as Nanoha raises her hand---- as Golden Orbs shoot out and around and she does her best to block.
One explodes against her hand, forcing her downwards. Another one blows up along her other hand, forcing her down even more. The other one hits her square in the face and sends her careening down to the ground with a small billowing smoke cloud.
She steadies herself. "Fate-chan...."
"Mothers...don't treat thier daughters---who they love! Like that! L--love doesn't look! or feel like that, at all!" she calls out.
She bites back. She doesn't want to--- But... "Divine Shooter...."
< Divine Shooter >
Various balls of magenta light encircle her--- before shooting down into an array of beams.
The armored figure reaches out towards Rune as she's battered into the ground... but a dark aura glows around the hand, and it suddenly drops. "Hmph. What does my mother want from me? She wants me to be someone I'm not. She wants me to work tirelessly for her, to no end, like a slave. She wants to frighten me, to intimidate me. Most of all, she wants these Jewel Seeds, and she won't even tell me why! Who would want such awful things?! What use could they possibly have?!"
"Worthless! All of it is worthless! What am I even supposed to do?! There's no point in any of this! It's just pain and suffering for no reason! All to serve some selfish woman who refuses to be happy!"
Fate's device changes again, becoming a glowing scythe, covered in crackling black electricity. "I dove face first into the darkness, just so I could be strong for her. People say the darkness tricks you, but all it's shown me is one inescapable truth. My mother doesn't love me anymore, and she'll never smile for me again."
Nicola comes towards her, and Fate raises her scythe. <DEFENSOR> A yellow sphere surrounds her, and the explosive blasts slam against the shield. It's weakened, and for some reason cracking, but it's not broken. "I don't know who you are or what you're talking about. My mind hasn't been any more clear."
The shield drops as Nicola comes close, and Fate swings her darkened scythe at her. "If you came to fight, then you shouldn't lower your guard!" The blade, if it hits, isn't lethal... but the darkness makes it hurt far more than it ever should.
Ayana, Inariko, comes at her, charging towards her. She doesn't move. "Politeness? Does that really matter so much? Who makes the rules anyways?" She's tackled, and the impact knocks her onto the ground. She rolls as she hits the dirt, finally stopping herself in a kneel, one knee touching the ground. "What does it mean to be a villain, anyways? Isn't that what my mother wants? She says she wants me to be cruel and mean in order to get what I want... no... what she wants me to get. No. What she says she wants... but if she wanted it, she'd be happy when she got it! When has this ever made her happy?!"
The man in the labcoat doesn't attack. "Too much. Probably. All of it is too much. She will never be happy."
Divine Shooter comes her way, and her yellow shield comes up again, but the barrage breaks through, battering her in the armored shoulder, chest, arms, and all over generally. That armor doesn't seem to be protecting her a whole lot. Or maybe the Jewel Seed is just weakening her. However, when she speaks, it's to address what Nanoha said more than what she did.
"Mothers don't treat their daughters that way? If I'm not her daughter, then what am I supposed to be?"
"You know what? I don't care anymore. Whatever it is that she wants... I don't care." She holds Bardiche up high, and it changes again.
<Glaive Mode>
"I give up."
A massive amount of darkness and electricity gather around the tip of the glaive. The gathered power grows, sparkles, distorts, unleashing shockwaves of darkness as the too-blue sky darkens. Rain falls. Lightning strikes the ground. Maybe it hits one of the magical heroes, or maybe it doesn't. Whatever Fate is doing, she clearly isn't aiming. Yet. That power is still gathering, drawn from the Jewel Seed and Fate's own Linker Core, tainted with both the darkness she's been using and the chaotic magic of the Jewel Seed.
"I don't have a 'thing' I'm doing," Rune calls back to Tessen with a tiny worried gasp punctuating those words. "I'm just trying to help her however I can!" She might say more, but Riventon reveals some fascinating things. 'Employee'? He only nets a sudden stare from Runealy upon saying that, but she files it in her mind for later use; it adds an important wrinkle to this situation.
Then Fate voices something even more important. Fate explains a relationship that is virtually alien to Rune, who finds herself standing there in stunned silence while trying to actually envision any of this. The princess can see part of it, she knows the pressures of living up to a powerful and important mother's expectations...
...but the rest of what Fate speaks of is just incomprehensible. Rune tries to apply those ideas to her own mother, and immediately rejects it as impossible. Impossible, but terrifying to consider...
...and now she's much closer to understanding Fate's problems. There are still major gaps in Rune's knowledge, ones she has no concept even exists as she stands shaking from shock - psychological more than anything more literal from Fate's orbs - at this new knowledge.
"There are a lot of things you can be... things you already are." Rune is /trying/ to shout this to Fate, but is so stricken that her voice comes out much weaker. "Give up on /that/, yes, but... try something else. We want you to! Please, stop this, come with us... we'll talk about it..." There was some momentary volume, but Rune's voice wavers at the end.
Regardless, she stands with her wand aimed at nobody at all. She's sticking close to Tessen for now, taking advantage of any defense offered.
"Fate-chan," Inariko replies, as she wraps her arms around the girl. Riding out the storm--riding out all that energy--Inariko explains, "It matters, because who we are is the only thing that lasts. Memories, Fate. When we die, we become memories, and memories live on in the hearts and souls of those we have touched. I want to remember you as my friend; as a polite and happy girl who fought for what she thought was right. It doesn't matter to me what you think is right, it just matters that you're happy. And that you're in control of yourself." A similar message to Riventon's, and yet not the same.
The fox-girl hugs her friend tighter, and a white glow begins to form around her, like the last little rays of twilight on the horizon. "I will help you get what you want, Fate. Not for your momma, but for you. I've always helped, whenever I could. That's not going to stop today. But I can't let you do this to yourself anymore." That glow begins to gain in power, combatting against the darkness within Fate. The fox-girl's tails all begin to float around her as she hugs her friend tightly. The white light begins to engulf Inariko, too, until her fur is nothing but white.
"I care so much about you, Fate-chan," Inariko says. "And I want you to be happy. No matter what it takes. But this," she says, "this darkness is wrong."
"Twilight Restoration!"
The white light explodes into brilliant purity, engulfing Fate and combating directly against the energy that she is gathering. It's as if her Gloom attack has been reversed; no longer draining others and fueling Ayana with dark energy, but instead draining Ayana, and fuelling others with hope and light. Purification of Darkness.
"Never give up your dreams," Inariko whispers, as her grip on Fate falters, and she slips to the ground.
Nicola gets hit. As promised, she doesn't dodge or guard or otherwise defend herself, and thus she falls down to the ground, hitting it hard. Her barrier jacket fades, her device returns back to its form as a little red pendant. She is conscious however, and she looks up at Tessen. "I am Nicola Esprit, Fourth Grader at Seishou Elementary School." Little ruby flecks in her eyes are the only remaining thing that marks her as unusual.
Tessen isn't one for purification magic. She's all about the physical battle. Blasts, blades, and shields are her forte. And right now, she's mostly focussed on shielding Nicola and Runealy from Fate's attacks.
That doesn't mean she hasn't got time to listen, or to comprehend what Fate reveals about her drives. It's an ugly situation. And it's a punch to the gut for her, too, reminding her so much of Ikuto's situation: driven to dark deeds in order to help and protect someone he loves. At least Utau loves him back. If Precia really does feel so poorly for Fate...
She sinks down, briefly, to clasp Nicola's hand, offering the girl a moment's comfort. "We can talk after the fight. You'll be fine."
"Fate-san," she calls out to the blonde, "Trust your friends. Trust the people who do love you and care about you. You know them, don't you? Believe in them, if you can't find anything else to hold on to."
Ertiga narrows her beady red eyes, then shakes her head. "Useless," she murmurs. "Precia-dono won't be pleased," mutters the rat-girl, before she turns and bounds away, passing back through the barrier, on her way to report everything to her mistress.
Fate's gonna be in troooouble.~
Riventon had another plan - an entirely different plan from everyone else. Fate's problem, to his eyes, is that she's so overflowing with negative energy, she can no longer control it. Instead of bending the power to her will, the power is bending her to its will. Much like Hannah, and the blade. Some people just can't handle it.
He continues to surge towards her, and while she's dealing with everyone else, it's Riventon who appears behind her, trying to reach out and grab her, to drain some of that Dark Energy away. To let her regain control. A lot of what she's saying? That'll have to be dealt with later. He knew there was a reason he hated Precia on sight. This just confirms it.
"Fate, if your mother doesn't want you to succeed, to be the best you can be, the strongest you can be - I think we should reconsider the value of her smile and desires." he says. Fortunantly or unfortunantly, Riventon doesn't get to say much more, because Inariko's twilight restoration is unleashed.
And those feelings? Those are not feelings which are necessarily compatible with his current henshin. Riventon has to shift - wether he wants to or not - has to take the limited success of his own plan and shift across the field so he's not in the way, because he can feel it - like he did with Open Heart - the feeling as though he was going to be torn in two.
Nanoha Takamachi manages to dodge the attacks, how is anyone guess. Well, not how. She's gotten up off the ground, so that has a lot to do with it. She listens to those words...
She gives up.
"Just because you've given up doesn't mean we're gonna give up for you!" she says determinedly.
Nanoha can feel something pleasent wash over her, from the Cute Fox's attack, it helps her field that determination on her face harder....
She can't 'cure' darkness-- or purify it, or do what countless other heroes can. But that isn't stopping everyone from doing thier best. Runealy is doing her best. Nicola is doing her best. That fox girl is doing her best---
And even Riventon is there, doing his best.....
Her best...
She doesn't know if she's ready. She really doesn't. She's practiced this in sims a lot, and everytime she sort of drains herself into near unconciousness according to it.
But she needs her best too. Determination grows....
"Fate-chan! Listen to us! But if you won't....."
She draws Raising Heart forward. "Cannon Mode...."
< Cannon Mode >
Raising Heart flourishes out into it's hybrid sealing mode--- and She presses her teeth together....
< Starlight Breaker. >
Pinpoints of light begin to glow--- perhaps energy expended over the course of this battle... along with her own reserves filling up what appears to be a sudden spike in energy gathering- gathering near the tip of Raising Heart--- and she calls out--- finally.
"Starlight BREAKER!"
The massive flow of energy she'd been collecting explodes downwards toward's Fate's location--- a wide, large, powerful beam of destructive energy- magenta in color as Nanoha pours as much as her Linker Core - and her own determination and heart, will allow.
Thank the gods there's a barrier up. Small favors right now, perhaps.
It's a difficult thing. To make a unicorn turn pale. But, even seeing Runealy alive and talking at her gives Ariel something of a beat's pause. There's a very quiet moment in which the child looks as though she's seen a ghost- or maybe she harkens back to that waking nightmare at the North Pole. But it's very brief.@emit
It's a difficult thing. To make a unicorn turn pale. But, even seeing Runealy alive and talking at her gives Ariel something of a beat's pause. There's a very quiet moment in which the child looks as though she's seen a ghost- or maybe she harkens back to that waking nightmare at the North Pole. But it's very brief.
"But..."
But that was clearly concern in his voice.
Ariel does not know Fate. She would know how to reach out to Fate in the least without better context and foreknowledge of the girl's situation. She can glean some vague details at best from what everyone else has to sat, but the unicorn-- amid the relentless onslaught of merciless golden energy spheres, and a building storm can do little.
That speed is just inhuman, there is nothing about anything going on at any point that Ariel- even mounted on Lucky's back, can hope to dodge.
She at least thinks fast.
Even if Riventon is said to be trouble- even if he seemed as much from the last time they had met-... There is one brief instant where Ariel has a chance to act, and she does. There's a quick flash of silver and gold, that tiny horn flickering with a seashell's flutterinf glossy light- in which Ariel interposes herself between a wild jolt of lightning on course for the mage, holding a starlight shield, as he goes for Fate.
The shield does its duty admirably, before erupting in her grasp, launching Ariel end over end with a bleat.
But the last thing she sees before lansing and passing out is so much pink.
"Talk?" Fate hears Runealy's words. She doesn't understand them. "What's the point? I'm in a no-win situation. One of my oldest friends wants to kill her now. I can't even... is the person I'm trying so hard for actually that horrible? What am I even doing with my life?"
Power charges more and more, coursing through Fate's body even as Ayana clings to her. Whatever spell she's preparing, it's crescendo is slowing to a stop. The power is peaking, and about to be unleashed.
"Memories? Then what does it say about me, that my memories are so messed up? They don't make any sense! Why would my mother call me Alicia... Actually, that question doesn't make any sense, does it? As far back as I remember, she called me Alicia, so the real question is... when did she start calling me Fate? And when did I start thinking that was my name?"
Fate turns her head towards Inariko as the white glow brightens. She isn't moving, staying still in order to complete her spell. The light pushes against the darkness, and the darkness pushes back, but the light pushes back even harder. It overwhelms her, and when Inariko uses her self-sacrificing purification attack, Fate is suddenly flooded with light.
Fate's gathered magic is not unaffected. The darkness is pushed out, eradicated, as if someone had gone into a dark room and turned on the light. The sudden absence of the darkness causes the gathered power to collapse.
Fate lets out a loud gasp, as the darkness is suddenly gone, but the chaotic power is still there. Purified, but still dangerous. Inariko falls next to her, and Fate looks down.
Riventon comes up behind her, and Fate still doesn't move. Some of that chaotic power is drained, the power from the Jewel Seed. More than enough to allow him to escape, but it probably doesn't help. Fate's gathering magic, however, is just a bit more manageable.
Fate sees Nanoha's attack, and... for some reason, she pushes Inariko out of the way. Was it because she was worried? Was it because Inariko was in the way? Who can tell? What's easy to tell however, is that in this form, Fate has a lot of physical strength, because she manages to push Inariko far out of the way.
But that means Fate can no longer dodge.
The blast of pink impacts against the dark armor first, and Fate raises her arms to block it. The power she had gathered destabilizes and explodes outward, creating a crater where she stands. Fate was holding powerful magics, but Nanoha is not so easily stopped it seems.
Piece by piece, the armor disintegrates. A pauldron falls off, a glove's fingers are erased, and then the rest of it. The last piece, the visor, turns into dust, and Fate's eyes are opened. She loses her footing, and goes flying backwards, crashing into a grassy hillside, breathing but not entirely conscious.
The Jewel Seed floats where Fate once stood. Its power remains unsealed, dangerous energy radiating outward.
Hopefully no one is crazy enough to do what Fate just did.
These are really good questions Fate is bringing up, and Rune has no immediate answer for some of them. "I don't know what it says, what it means! What you're talking about," her voice picks up intensity and 'speed' as the energy-build nears what sounds like a critical point, "is just so different from anything I've ever seen that I can't really understand it. What I do know is there /is/ a 'winning move' and it's just something you haven't tried yet. Come with us!"
She quiets down, out of time to immediately speak as so many things happen between the cluster around Fate. Power draining, attacks flying, attempts at purification... there's nothing Rune can say during these, taking in the flash and chaos of it all.
In the end, they do more than her words did at the time. They may well have been necessary steps, if ones the princess herself was unwilling to make; taking a swing at one of her most important friends just seems inconceivable to Rune.
Yet when the dark armor fades, she sees a chance to move in and tries to rush for Fate. Wand stowed behind-back, the alien princess is trying to get to the hillside and hopefully pick her up. Rune isn't interested in the Jewel Seed at all... the straight-ahead sprint toward Fate is all she's considering right now.
Inariko is too exhausted to argue as Fate shoves her out of the way. She's not quite so exhausted as to not notice the laser descending on her friend, though. "Fate-chan! No!" she cries out, reaching a hand towards her friend.
But she's too tired; too slow to do anything about it. She watches in horror as Fate is blasted into the ground.
Yet ... she seems okay. Is she okay!?
White fur begins slowly fading back to orange. The kitsune crawls back to hands and knees, then forward onto her feet, slowly moving back towards Fate. Ayana's Henshin requires too much energy to maintain, so she banishes it. It's just the Kitsune, now, walking towards her friend.
Nanoha Takamachi watches as Fate falls and her eyes go wide--- she'd probably be chasing Fate but---
Well she's slowly, slowly, slowly sinking a lot like as if she was on an invisible elevator.
And she feels so tired...
Yeah that was.. more than she could handle it seems.
She at least didn't fall unconcious?
She feels like she /should/.
She sees Runealy go after Fate. Good-- she can't do it right now. She can't even seal the Jewel Seed. Someone else is going to get it tonight- but it won't be her.
She begins to take off away, wordlessly for the moment. She'll probably have things to say when she talk and/or yell again.
Tessen watches it all, the kitsune's purification, Nanoha's massive blaster. It's all quite impressive to the young Knight. At least she's confident of her allies, tonight.
Let's see... Ayana and Princess Pink are taking care of Fate, Riventon's here, and.... wait, Nanoha's leaving?
Well, that won't do. "Sealing Mode," she orders, and Carnwennan complies. She brings the twin fans together, the two weapons joining into a single trident-like staff, and power gathers at its tip.
(("Sealing Mode, Activated.")) The azure bolt leaps out at the Jewel Seed to make her attempt at sealing its power....
The aftermath of Twilight Restoration courses through Riventon like a suckerpunch to his soul. It makes him think of a lot of things. Of chess games. Of birthday parties. Of pool parties. Of things which make his heart ache, and in a special way. In a way that reminds him of his humanity.
And that humanity is the reason why he has to leave. And for a moment, he hates it. He hates the weak part of himself, as he fades into the Dusk Zone. He hates the fact that whatever's going on with Fate, it'll have to be dealt with once he gets himself together. And that feeling is what keeps him together long enough to escape - hate.
Fate lies on the ground, groaning as her eyes open. She looks up, and sees Runealy and Ayana coming towards her. Her arm moves to her side, but she can't push herself up. She lacks the strength, after what just happened.
But she's not helpless. There's a flash of orange, between two magical circles, and Arf is suddenly right next to her. "Fate-chan!" The wolf familiar falls next to her master, and Fate reaches up to her.
"Arf-chan... I don't want to go home anymore... Let's go somewhere else... Let's find a place to hide..."
Tears gather at the edge of the wolfgirl's eyes, and she smiles down at her master. She had been waiting on this for a long time. She wipes her eyes, looks at Runealy and Ayana, and then at the Jewel Seed. Arf has to ask. "What happened here?! What's going on?"
Fate coughs, sitting up with Arf's help. "Cupcake girl... no... no I shouldn't call her that. It's rude." At least some of Inariko's message got through, it seems.
"Nanoha was right. Those things should just be sealed away. I was doing just fine until I touched it... but my heart faltered and I lost control."
Tessen's attempt to seal the Jewel Seed goes unhindered. Nanoha doesn't have the power, and Fate wouldn't touch it even if she did. Tessen may regret having that if Precia finds out, but it's not like anyone present is going to tell the woman.
Fate looks around. Wasn't Takashi here? He's gone now. Well, she feels like she wants to explain herself to him, but that will have to wait.
This situation seems to be improving a little, from Rune's perspective. Riventon is gone. Under very unusual circumstances, and she has to wonder if he may have been more help than hindrance right now, but she's nonetheless glad he's out of the area. Tessen can have the Seed for all the princess cares, and Nanoha's departure seems quite justified. Inariko seems to be heading the same way Rune is, and draws a quick comment along the way as a result: "We might not know each other very well, but it sounds like we want the same thing. I'd like to take Fate somewhere she can be safe. Are you okay with that?"
And then Fate speaks, with Arf nearby - Rune has little idea what to make of the Familiar, not really understanding Arf in the slightest. The conversation she's having with Fate is vitally important to the princess, though. She offers a soft voice and a hand, a physical support if Fate wants it. "You can stay with us, if you want. Surrounded by people who like you, who won't get your name mixed up and use you as a distraction in fights. People who get to smile because of you, and they want you to have that too! There's a guest room already set up for you."
The hand shifts slightly, to physically 'punctuate' this offer: "Will you come with us?"
"Arf!" Ayana says, excitement in the fox-girl's eyes. Her ears perk up, and she gains strength in seeing the wolf. "Arf, Fate's ..." explaining everything. Honestly. That draws a smile from the little fox, though it's sedate. She's exhausted from spending everything to contain that darkness.
When Runealy addresses her, Ayana turns to regard the princess. "I just want her to be safe," she says. "I've seen you with her before; I know you care. So ... so yes, I'm very okay with that. Only," Ayana says quietly, "Can you tell me where I can find you? Where I can find her? She's a good friend, and I miss spending time with her, and with Arf."
Mikoto watches as the Jewel Seed disappears into the gemstone set at the base of her Device's trident-tip. Then she converts the Device back into its war-fan form, though only a single one manifests for now.
"You can trust her," she assures Fate and Arf, pacing closer. "No tricks, no games. A real friend doesn't use people. She helps them. And that's what she wants to do."
The fan in her hand gestures briefly at Runealy. "I know you probably don't trust me. And I'd like to change that. So... here."
There's an old saying about how the rich are different: they have more money. And throwing money at a problem is a classic for Mikoto. "This ought to be enough to let you get by for a while, if you need it." The wad of cash she presses into Fate's hand - if she's allowed that close, at least - is indeed fairly impressive.
"I'd like to talk sometime, but... now isn't good, I get that. Just try living for yourself, for a while, instead of someone who hates you."
Fate looks up at Runealy, and smiles. "After all of that... you'll still help me? You even have a room ready?" She looks at Ayana, and then at Runealy. She reaches up to take the offered hand, standing up with Arf and Runealy's help. She wobbles on her feet, but Arf catches her.
She smiles at Ayana. "Thank you. I know it was hard... for a moment I forgot who everyone was. I can't believe I'd forget my friends. I think that Jewel Seed blinded me."
"... I was worried, because the dark energy was tainting my Linker Core, and I wasn't able to stop it from getting worse. Thank you. I don't know what would've happened to me if you hadn't done that."
Fate frowns, and looks down at the ground. "What I did was dangerous. Rune-chan, you were right, I shouldn't have, but..." There's a moment's hesitation. "... I think I needed it. To see the truth."
Tessen comes up, and offers... money? Fate looks down at it, and then meekly up at Tessen. "Thank you. I'll try to pay you back some day." Considering most of her money comes from Eclipse, accessing it is going to be difficult, so she does feel like she needs it.
"Be careful with that. You saw what happened when I used it. I won't fight you over it. I don't want those anymore, but those things are never not dangerous."
Arf turns to Ayana, wolf ears overhearing what she says. "Hey, I'll make sure she calls you, alright? No matter what, we don't have to lose contact with each other." It's bad enough that Fate is already leaving two other friends behind, after all.