terrible and beautiful

[makesdestruction]

Something moves, and sound pierces its rest. 

It is much longer before the pieces can be understood.

Metal screams. There is a noise like a panicked heartbeat, thud-thud-thud-thud-thud, and the downward press of sunlight on sleeping skin.

"Discov...!"



"...event...can't believe this is..."



"...did it! Operation successful!"




Something rumbles and hums.

"The draining process has begun."




Scattering, clicking. Chirping noises in the darkness.

"You're going to secure our future. The future of Team Flare! The future of the beauty that's left!"



This shouldn't be, this sensation of weakness. That was when it fell, when it dragged the lives of the creatures that tried to destroy it down with it, and let itself rest. (It cannot remember what those creatures were, or why, but not all of the sounds it hears are unfamiliar.)

And then it all stops.

Sunlight warms almost-skin again, and it stirs.



In the gardens, there's something that looks almost like a giant egg. Going near it leaves your chest heavy, and the shadows around it seem impossibly dark, even when the 'shell' pulses with light.

Feels like...something is listening.

Ｙ

It waits until the weight of sunlight fades.

A sharp crack splits the air.

As it turns out, this thing was not an egg at all. A creature itself moves-twists-shifts into being.



Yveltal's wings unfold, stretching wide, wide, wide, blocking out the sun the moon the stars--

--and then it collapses, drafts of air alone shattering branches and tearing petals from their flowers.

It's so exhausted, it nearly doesn't get up again. The life that was drained from it hasn't returned.

Black protrusions like claws on its wings and tail draw furrows in the earth, sinking in deep. It needs to fix this before it dies again.

The area around every spike darkens in spreading circles, grass and flowers and bushes withering unnaturally fast, flickering light--red lines being drawn beneath its body.

With several more wingbeats, Yveltal rises into the air--it even makes a few lengths of its body away from its 'nest' before slamming down to earth once more. 

Repeat action; repeat results, and it seems these plants aren't enough.

With the jerky and uncertain movements of something that belongs in the air, Yveltal starts dragging itself along the ground. It needs something with more life inside, or it might not even be able to shift back into its cocoon.

It's not going to try to kill anything, but...it's not going to let anyone get away. 

Comments

dawn

[sassifist]

It's a very strange sight, this... egg? It's vaguely egg-like, anyway, but Frisk can't say for sure. They've seen a number of oddities on their journey, but still, this sticks out. They wander closer because curiosity's a curse. There's a heaviness in their chest. This is probably a terrible idea. Papyrus isn't even with them right now.

But, welp, it's not like they haven't faced deadly situations before. And isn't it too early to wimp out?


If it gets too bad, they can flee. It'll be fine. Everything is fine. Just like it always is.

[makesdestruction]

The world is silent. The birds have fled the area. They don't trust this new thing.

The grass bends beneath Frisk's feet. The dark egg flares once. Acknowledgement.

Something else is here, something living. It isn't been left to rest again.

[sassifist]

Huh. That's trippy. Though the birds leaving is alarming, their intrigue prompts them to stay. To approach. The flare catches their eye.

"Uh... anyone in there?" Probably a dumb question, but can it talk?

[makesdestruction]

Legendaries are strange. Even the Darkest have Psychic abilities.

There's a taste and scent of something burning--wood and grass, shifting to something else, something that belongs here even less: the reek of gasoline.

But when they inhale, the gardens still smell like grass and flowers.

[sassifist]

That's... unsettling. One moment, gas and fire, the next, flowers and grass? They should probably bail. This doesn't bode well.

And yet, this only piques their curiosity even more.

"What's going on?"

They don't know if they'll get a response, or if this thing'll even understand, but the words slip without much thought.

[makesdestruction]

What's going on? A sentiment it would echo, if it were awake enough to manage.

The dawn's light casts strange shadows over the leathery maybe-egg, and it pulses again, a few in a row, faster.

In Frisk's eyes, shadow reaches out, over, filling the sky with a flash of stars that are blocked out by plumes of smoke. There's the sound of men screaming in unison, and then another laughing, and then silence.

[panaceaa]

Drawn by the sound, and made equally wary by the sudden loudness of it, Guardian approaches.

They are very careful to watch from a distance at first, out of sight, watching, observing, though all they see of the situation is the creature crawling -- which is to say, Guardian sees enough. They don't need to be aware of its apparent life-draining abilities to be cautious.

Though maybe if they were, they wouldn't be walking out into the open, hand hovering over the place where their now-dismantled rifle would usually sit on their waist.

Guardian makes note of the circles of dead things that've been left in its wake, however, and is very careful in maintaining a good distance between them. If this were Guardian's home, they wouldn't hesitate to start attacking it immediately. But...this isn't their home, and they know by now that judging by appearance in a place like this isn't very wise. Maybe...it's sapient?

"Can you understand me?" they try. "Do you need help?"

[makesdestruction]

Yvetal turns and peers. It's still long enough in the neck that it's quite a ways down.

One of those. The not-[Pokémon], the things that take [Pokémon] and tear lives and lands apart. The ones with the cries that stole Yveltal from its mountain resting place.

It remembers the metal they wear isn't a natural hide, so it won't be fast. There's no sharp metal thing in its hands, and it doesn't have a team around it, or at least not yet. Metal-wearing things don't waste time in calling more to overwhelm through sheer numbers.

No wasting time on a screeching answer; it starts dragging itself in Guardian's direction instead, wingtips hooking and shoving badly-placed trees out of its way.

[panaceaa]

Well, shit.

If there's one thing in Guardian's favor, it's that they are fast. They backpedal on reflex, drifting backwards once, twice, putting almost a dozen feet between them in the span of just a few seconds.

Too bad it's not sustainable. They have to stop almost immediately, resorting to a quick walk to avoid triggering a coughing fit from the activity. They're not going to sit and wait for Yvetal to come to them, but if it doesn't stop in its perusal, there's little doubt it will catch up one way or another.

Which is why Guardian has to keep trying other methods.

"Peace!" How do you project harmlessness again? Hands out, palms up, held out from their body and leaving themself open, showing they're not a threat. Or that they're trying not to be one, at least.

[makesdestruction]

A dozen feet would be nothing if it were in the air--even now, Yveltal's body length and height is greater than that.

Its voice is more suited for screeching cries that travel far, but now it croons as well as it can. If the metal-wearing thing doesn't attack, then there won't be a problem. This thing doesn't even have much life energy as it is, but Yveltal needs all that it can get, and this one has far more than the plants around it.

And the metallic hide might interfere. Yveltal lacks the power of lightning, one of its weaknesses.

Continuing across the gardens, it swipes a wing forward to try knocking its 'opponent' down.

[panaceaa]

They fall.

Maybe it's because of the noise the creature makes, sounding almost mournful enough to give them pause. Maybe they're simply too slow. But Guardian doesn't see the sweeping movement until it's too late, and they fall hard regardless. (Well, shit, 2: electric boogaloo.)

Yveltal doesn't have much to worry about in the way of being attacked. Guardian doesn't even think about drawing their sword;
there's no way they could possibly win a fight against something this big. What can you do.

They are, in all honesty, prepared to die. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[makesdestruction]

Yveltal wastes no time in covering Guardian with a wing and yanking them closer, claws squealing over armor and tucking them beneath beneath its chest. A vulnerable position that doesn't matter when the opposing party is unarmed and lacks attacks. A potential punch won't do much even in its current fragile state.

In the space of its chest between its wings, there's a blinding glow. It can't miss when its target is right beneath it, right?

Pitch black and deep red tangle together into a roaring beam of Oblivion Wing straight down, blasting the ground and killing the plants that remain.

[panaceaa]

WELL.

SHIT.

They'd been expecting the claws, the movement, but -- to be drawn closer underneath, the glow, all of it; Guardian kicks at the thing in a blind panic, a move that seems to be ineffectual against something much greater than them. It's a familiar feeling. One they don't like.

The beam hits them, and it certainly feels a lot like dying.

It's tangible, almost, the feeling of their life slipping between their fingers, and it doesn't take very long at all for the impact to hit. They start to cough. And they can't stop, and they can taste blood, which doesn't stop either, making it near impossible to breathe.

If they can't get out from underneath this thing soon, they might suffocate even if Yveltal isn't trying to kill them.

[makesdestruction]

The kick makes it growl and arch its back. It doesn't need stomach bruises on top of the rest of its exhaustion, stupid thing.

Yveltal isn't satisfied with what it gets, but that's what it was expecting. Life drained from a creature without much in the first place isn't going to do much beyond taking the edge off.

Fortunately for Guardian, Oblivion Wing is only a single attack, not a many-turn Leech. When it hears the metal thing making panicked strangled sounds, it pushes itself up by the wings and peers under itself. What are they trying to do now?

[panaceaa]

Guardian is not a snack that smiles back. They're barely even a snack, it looks like, and this is a fact that would give Guardian some measure of petty satisfaction if they knew what was even going on, exactly. As it is, they're glad to be given even just a little room to move.

All they do (all they can do) is tear off their helmet, turning onto their side and coughing still. But at least they can cough out. And not, like, suffocate on their own blood. Again.

They're not even paying attention to Yveltal at this point. Sorry, buddy. Too busy coughing up pink onto the grass.

[makesdestruction]

It's enough to leave it shuffling back. Pink? Psychic color, usually. But...that looks like...Poison.

Yveltal needs that even less than it needs bruises. It drags itself to the side, out of range, and continues to watch the metal-wearing thing. Poison, sickness. It's hard to make sick, like any Legendary, but in its current state the risk isn't worth it.

Eventually, though, it reaches out towards the helmet, scuffing it to knock against Guardian's back.

[panaceaa]

Guardian does notice when Yveltal moves. They just ride out the last of the coughing fit, though, relief crashing through them in waves as it stutters until they're finally able to breathe uninterrupted. No dying today, it seems. Even still, they spend several moments unmoving. Things like this take a minute to recover from.

And then they stiffen when their helmet hits their back, because there's only one way it could've done that. They look at Yveltal over their shoulder. There's pink all over the lower half of their face.

It's not really....doing anything.

Their voice is hoarse. "So are you gonna kill me or what?"

[makesdestruction]

Castle translation isn't quite working for it yet, but it's pretty sure the thing is asking a question. Pity it isn't sure what it might be.

Yveltal lowers itself until it's resting on the ground, legs tucked beneath its torso. That energy boost was definitely not enough for another flight attempt.

Its neck and head still stretch high above, and it pushes its beaklike snout a little nearer. Still not near enough for that maybe-poison to be in its range, however.

[panaceaa]

Well, that suits Guardian just fine. They sit up, somewhat laboriously, in a way that has them facing Yveltal as they do, and they barely even deliberate before tearing a section off the end of their cape. They can just fix it later. Probably.

...They realize they should probably be more concerned about this giant creature that's still very very close to them, considering, but they find they're more preoccupied just wiping their blood off their face.

Priorities.

They eye Yveltal as it moves, though, for all they don't bother moving themself. "I'll take that to mean you're still undecided." It'd seemed to have made up its mind when it...blasted them with whatever that was. Shouldn't... yeah, that should've been something that killed them. Felt like it almost did, but. Hm.

Their hud had been hanging back, as it's programmed to do during a battle, but sensing the lack of commotion, it moves forward to hover just a couple feet above Guardian's shoulder. They're not expecting it to move again though, to the middle point between them and Yveltal, only to ping at the creature inquisitively. Which, well- maybe Guardian should have expected that. It's a curious AI.

(They're wary about Yveltal snapping the bot up, though. That's something they're much less sure about being just able to fix.)

[makesdestruction]

Yveltal watches Guardian clean up. So probably not a willing attack--yes, sickness, or had been poison. Not a Poison-type [Pokémon] in an unusual shape, as crossed its mind. Some [Pokémon] wore metal, too, didn't they? The ones that the others would climb on, at least.

The hud gets a lowered head and a noise back. It's too loud to be called a chirp, but it's closer to that than a full-on scream or roar.

This thing has no life energy and it isn't on wheels, but it's moving. How?

Dusk

[justletmewin]

The sharp crack causes Asriel to freeze. He thought he saw something like a giant egg in the garden today, but whenever he tried to go near it, a heavy weight seized him by the chest as though it wanted to drag him through the earth. Apparently it hatched? Everything is dark, and next thing he knew, the goat child was standing in a stained patch of earth with nothing but the crunch of dead plants.

All the flowers he worked so hard on... ashes in the blink of an eye. But he's too shocked to register the loss--not when there's a giant midnight-black crimson bird (???) crawling on the ground sucking the vitality of each blade of grass near it. What was that thing? Something like when he absorbed the Six Souls as Flowey? Could it speak? With the odd way it was moving... was it hurt?

"H-Hello?"

SRY ASRIEL ;;

[makesdestruction]

Yveltal's head swivels towards the other living thing. Another [Pokémon], like itself? Something like that. Small, weak--except it does not feel weak. The life emanating from the white-furred [Pokémon] is...something else. A strong little thing.

It deviates from its original path and hopes it doesn't want to fight. With how frozen it is, it might not be able to.

It would be better if it could fly, but that's the entire problem. With a titanic movement, it rears up the best it can--a core of light in its red chest flares a bright white--

--a massive beam of black and crimson shoots towards Asriel, or where Yveltal believes Asriel is. Aiming on the ground is as awkward as moving across it.

[justletmewin]

Asriel's eyes widened as he's caught in the blast--it's like every particle of himself burst into flames. By all means, he should've disintegrated on the spot. Instead, he's standing there petrified, fur singed and body trembling. His clothes remained intact but scorched, grayed and spotted with soot.

Perhaps Boss Monsters were blessed with enough HP to take a blow like this. Whatever this creature's intent, it wasn't a human so there's a chance it couldn't be capable of taking him down in one hit. But the fact is, he's still a child, and he shouldn't be strong enough to take something so destructive and powerful. Right?

A sign something is very, very wrong.

Exactly how much LV did he still have? Had it ever been reset? Or worse, had it been regained while he was Hyperdeath again? In all honesty, the possibilities frightened him more than what Yveltal did.

[makesdestruction]

Yveltal screams victoriously at successful strike--and this tiny [Pokémon] is powerful. Much energy drawn, even without any apparent type advantage, and the tiny white thing hasn't done more than flinch.

It slams back down, rattling the leaves of every tree nearby, disintegrating the husks of plants left on the ground. It's been less than a minute, but it's already apparently forgotten Asriel was ever there--massive blue eyes are laser-focused back on the sky. Was that boost enough? Can Yveltal fly again?

With another shriek, it tries--it tries--

It gets higher this time, higher than the trees, only to twist into a dive and slam into the castle's inner walls. Gravel and stone rain down, and it cries its dismay. How weak is it now?

[justletmewin]

The effect Yveltal had on Asriel's body was immediate--despite being fine earlier, he felt as though he hadn't slept in ages. He staggers and collapses on his knees, dizzy as he attempts to force himself back up. His inner Flowey hisses at him to get the hell out of dodge ("Unless getting incinerated again is what you want."), but his legs drag like iron balls and chains. He looks around for someone, anyone...

He had planned on retreating to the castle, but what with Yveltal plummeting there... so much for that.

[makesdestruction]

Yveltal screams again and slams its claws into the stone once it shoves rocks and gets upright, dragging its body up the stone wall itself, clinging to it like some sort of massive bat in a cave. Now its tail--clawed as well--is hanging over the nearest entrance, sinking in and blocking it as well as leaving huge cracks in an already-unstable door.

It twists its head around, glaring accusingly down at Asriel, like it's his fault it's not strong enough now.

I don't even know what the timeline is anymore.

[voidster]

There's something else glowing out there, and it's in the gardens, not hidden behind a door. He and his twin are not far off, and both immediately feel the same dread. Strange lights didn't end well last time, did they?

Perhaps this time, going to investigate will do some good. Prevent someone else from finding themselves in trouble. What else is there to be done? He's not one to run away and leave it for someone else... however exhausting the thought of 'oh, no, not again' happens to be.

And so both of them are approaching, one slow step at a time.

it broke

[makesdestruction]

Yveltal slows its movements.

What is this? More [Pokémon] it can't remember, and they're coming closer. Will they fight? Will they win?

It makes a noise like a raven's croak and lowers its head, blue eyes piercing the dark. There's something odd about these things' existences. They are not Ghosts. They are something else, and they feel impossibly weak.

It lowers its head further--it doesn't understand its senses.

[voidster]

They're not stopping. No fear here for themselves, only impossible weariness. And uselessness. They stay close to each other, close enough to hold hands. Two skeletons walking out of the darkness, wearing clothes that fit and flow like skin. One has no face. The one that does seems to be the 'leader', stepping forward to make a hand motion at it. It's certainly more normal looking than Judgement...

[Hello?]

[makesdestruction]

It watches the movements with sharp eyes. The faceless one looks like a Ghost. They both look like Ghosts, but those have more than these.

Yveltal twitches, watching the hands. There's no understanding here--that looks like the start of an attack.

Smoothly, it ducks down and jabs its face forward, trying to knock those hands back to his sides.

[voidster]

Good aim. It's convenient he isn't a proper monster, otherwise that may have hurt. He lowers his hands, getting the hint.

If it is a hint. Is this an animal after all? Or just a person that enjoys petting, like dog monsters do? Although they can communicate...

[makesdestruction]

It hit, he flinched, and it's their turn again. Yveltal can't afford a battle, and so it won't waste time.

With a scream that echoes through all the gardens, Yveltal arches its whole body up. A pale white glow comes from where a human's SOUL might be.

A draining black-red beam thunders down at Gaster hard. It needs--it needs----it needs------

The opposing Yveltal's d͡e͟͝f͠͠e̶̷n̵̨se̵ ̨̛w̴̛é̡ń̵͡t͢͞ d͏̷̵̢ǫ̷w̢͡ņ͠͏̶͢!̡͢ ̢̧͡͡T̷̨͞҉̀h͘͏́̀͜e̸͜ ́͘͜͠͠o҉̧p҉̧̧p҉̷̶̡͞ò̶̴s̕͡͝ì̢̨͢ń̀̕ģ́̕̕ ́͝͞Y̴̸̕͠v̕͟͝͡͡e̡̧̡̕͡l̕͟͝t͘͜à̴̧҉l̴͘͟͞'͞͏͢ş̡̕͢ ̴͟͞a͢͜͏̀t̶̵̡̕t̴͏͡͝à̢̨̛c̷̷̡͞k̷̀͘͘ ̡̛͜͟͠r̶̨͠͡o̴̡͜s̡e̴̵̢͜!̴̨̕͢͡ ͠͠T̡͢͟͡h̷̨̛͠͝ę̴̷̛͝ ͠͠͠o̷҉͟͢p̸̛͡͡҉p̴̴̕͜͝o͘͢ś̡͞i̵n҉̀͜g͏̴͘͝ █▐█▄▄█ ██▄ ▄▐

lmk if this makes no sense (cw slight suicidal ideation)

[voidster]

If one is going 66 miles an hour eastwards, then one is also going -66 miles an hour westwards. If one has 66 thousand 'health points', that's perfectly normal. And that also means there must be an opposite direction to go in, doesn't it?

So if one does that... one might wind up like these 'ghosts'. Shapeless masses of something similar to dough, squeezed into a skeleton-shaped mold by magic and willpower, somehow venturing into this 'other' direction when all others should be dead and dust. Something is being transferred into Yveltal from the lead 'ghost', but what is it?

It's a puzzling sensation for him. He can faintly feel a sense of something changing, and he can't put his finger on what it is. Well. Not enough of a reason to step out of the beam. Nothing would be, really. Best see if this is dangerous--it doesn't matter what happens to him, as long as people can be warned later. If they can't be explicitly told, because he hasn't survived (unlikely)... his remains or disappearance will be a clue, at least.

No more letting children be harmed.

He gestures, again. [What is this?]

gaster plz

[makesdestruction]

What is this?

The attack relents. After all, it's only one. One turn, one attack, one draining until the next, and Yveltal gets 75% of something.

It feels no stronger. It feels no weaker. And apparently, Yveltal's opponent feels the same.

It stares down at him, bemused, and then drags its way nearer. Did it...somehow miss? The grass around him is dead.

Yveltal towers and, one more time, attacks.

ur not my real mom

[voidster]

So it is. He could see it withering, out of the corner of his eye, and... it's horrifying. It eats life? It can't eat his, for he doesn't really have any, apparently. That comes as no surprise.

But.

It drains the life from things. And here he is, too slow to rush away and warn everyone, too magically-weak to fight it. Useless. Helpless. Doomed to watch people suffer as usual. The thought terrifies him, it always does, every damn time.

All he can do is try to reason with it, if it's anything more than an animal. Easier said than done, when you can't speak (and you've never seen an animal, only people in strange shapes). He reaches out a hand slowly, as it approaches a little closer.

[makesdestruction]

Yveltal doesn't have much of a concept of math, but--six. Six. Six what? Six somethings, many six somethings, objects sounds feelings? Taken things. Many, many sixes, surrounding this [Pokémon].

A distorted almost-caw rings out, and again. Again. It doesn't matter if Gaster gets close enough to touch, Oblivion Wing after Oblivion Wing after Oblivion Wing hit him on his trek to it.

Him and all of his opposite-sixes.