Dusknoir Having To Visibly Hold Onto Every Ounce Of Patience In His Body Because Ribbons And Aimilios

stars...

∞!!!

Yippee!! I’m gonna do two because my 40 hour playlist shuffled two good ones while I was driving home from my friend’s house (and because I want to)

I actually just heard this song for the first time yesterday! It Here’s my favorite lyrics from it:

And my head is underwater

Though I'm six feet under

But I have to Breathe

I have to shout it out

I'll take a seat

Try to figure it out

But its ridiculously draining me

There's something is awaiting me

And I can't seem to grab ahold

Of what it is

This song just makes me feel really happy. I haven’t really talked about it much here but I’m aromantic and asexual, so I’ve never experienced romantic love before. The Reckoning does such a good job portraying the joy that comes with that love for me, so it really hits hard whenever I hear it (Also it very much reminds me of Travail Shipping so it gets bonus points :D). Here’s the lyrics I’d say are my favorites:

Change ain't so sudden

It just hides as it's coming

Is this change or fruition

Of some hope and ambition?

Is this all repercussions?

Was this grown out of something

That we cursed, that we prayed for

That we knew we could wait for?

Tried dabbling into animation for the first time. ^^ It was an experience tried to do this, and quite a bit I've learned from it as a result, both in and outside working on it. :)

In Which Twig Speaks to an Old Friend

“I’m sorry.”

Twig’s brows furrowed and she glanced about, but she couldn’t find anything unusual in the warm light of day. Sitting in her garden, feeling the warm sun upon her scales, she closed her eyes and listened a moment longer, but the voice didn’t return.

“Twig?”

Her eyes jolted open, and Twig’s wide-eyed gaze turned upon her friend. Celebi shook her head, a knowing smile on her face, and continued running a long fine brush over Twig’s claws.

“I was asking,” Celebi said slowly, “what you think of this colour?”

Twig huffed a quiet laugh. “It’s a bit late, isn’t it?”

“Not for me,” Celebi answered with a wink.

Celebi drifted backwards, her arms crossed proudly, and chin tilted in a smirk. Twig raised her claws and couldn’t help but smile. She’d been sceptical when Celebi suggested they paint her claws, but it had come out rather nicely. They had debated over it for some time, quickly deciding red would be unsettling, and that a shade of black which matched Ark wasn’t quite right, either. Instead, they’d settled on an opalescent sort of nail polish, one that shimmered in the light, making her claws nearly sparkle like a gemstone. Twig couldn’t help but think it was a bit much, but seeing Celebi’s eagerness and promises of how good it would look, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse.

“Thanks, Celebi.”

“It’s my pleasure, dear! As soon as it’s dry, get started.”

“On what?” Twig asked, her head tilting.

Celebi dramatically flicked her head and settled on the ground in front of Twig, facing away from her.

“On painting my wings, of course!”

Twig recoiled, a snort escaping her. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Twig, darling, all my ideas are good ideas.”

“What about when you-”

“Don’t!” Celebi screamed, jumping away, and whipping around. “Don’t you dare say it!”

Twig doubled over in laughter, clenching at her gut. “You turned Grovyle back into a Treecko because you were startled! I didn’t think that was possible.”

Celebi rolled her eyes, arms crossed. “Turning time back on someone like that does take an inordinate amount of energy, but it’s not impossible! Though, it was a while before I had enough energy to change him back again.”

Finally bringing her laughter under control, Twig carefully wiped a stray tear from her eye, her nostrils burning with the scent of the nail polish. “No, I meant, I didn’t think you could be surprised.”

“Oh, well, a little surprise is nice sometimes.”

Twig nodded and the two fell into a comfortable silence, watching the clouds drift by, though Twig shivered when a breeze flowed through the garden, and the long shadows cast by the clouds were a little chilly.

There was something else odd too, but she couldn’t quite place it. In the shadows at the edge of her vision, something danced, just out of reach. It wasn’t the comforting noise that Ark’s shadow carried; it was quiet, practically whispering in ear, and though familiar, it felt completely different than Ark’s presence.

“It’s been nice,” Celebi said, shattering the silence like glass. “Spending more time together. Twig, I love you. Don’t you forget it.”

Smiling, Twig swallowed past the lump in her throat and allowed herself a moment to let the weight of it sink in, like a ball of warmth in her chest, and suddenly the day didn’t seem as cold. “I love you, too.”

“Enough to paint my wings?”

Laughter burst forth and Twig shook her head. “I’m still not sure this is a-”

“Oh, it’ll be fine, just a light coating to make me extra sparkly!”

The day dragged on, peaceful and slow. Celebi left and eventually, Ark returned from whatever he’d been doing, a new blanket for Twig bundled in his arms. After sharing a meal, Ark had tied the blanket around her neck like a cape and pronounced her his ‘super wife!’

She had called him a dork, helped with the dishes, and they’d settled on the couch, Twig leaning into Ark’s embrace and talking excitedly about her day. Ark listened with rapt attention, offering the occasional comment or groan at Celebi’s antics, and when Twig had nothing left to say, Ark shared his adventures from the day, and it was simple, and cozy, and perfect.

So, the days passed, Twig’s garden flourished, and her sketchbook was filled to bursting; she would have to get a new one soon. Still, every now and then, Twig would hear things on the wind, mumbled apologies, and earnest declarations. Yet, whenever she looked, no one was there.

Though, was it possibly she simply wasn’t looking hard enough? Perhaps, she already knew what she might find. Maybe the idea scared her, and honestly, who could blame her? Well, she could blame herself. After all, hearing voices, jumping at shadows, being afraid of nothing at all, was just silly. It was ridiculous, completely illogical, something she might’ve done in the past, but no more.

Yet, that thought made Twig freeze.

Immediately her mind began to race, telling her she was being absurd, that she was worrying over nothing, how if she kept up like this, she would only make herself a burden upon those she loved.

Like trains gone off the rails, her thoughts raced wildly, unable to stop and just barely avoiding crashing into each other. Any longer and there would be a collision and everything would go wrong and she-

Her eyes widened, and looking down, Twig found herself running a gentle claw over the proposal band Ark had given her. Taking a deep breath, she felt the band beneath her hand, and everything seemed to slow, just a little bit.

 Moving into her room, Twig pulled her journal from where she’d left it, settled on the edge of her bed, and flicked to an old entry. The paper was crinkled, and somewhat water stained. In the weeks after she had fallen apart, Twig had often flicked back to this entry, detailing the few memories she had retained from those days. The entry spoke of her friends’ warmth, and how loved she’d felt. It spoke of something, sharp and bloodied, being dislodged from her chest, the remaining hole filled with something gentler.

Looking back on it all, she almost couldn’t believe it had really happened. It felt so distant, almost as if it had happened to another person.

“I’m sorry.”

Stiffening at the voice, Twig turned slowly, and standing by the edge of the shadows was a small human girl, with frizzy hair, patchy clothes, and toes that stuck through the holes worn in her shoes.

Something in her chest lurched, but Twig’s mind had finally gone quiet.

The girl clutched at the hem of her shirt; her knuckles turned white. “I’m sorry. I didn’t do a good job of keeping us safe.”

Her eyes going wide, Twig slipped off the bedside. “You’re… me?”

“I’m sorry.”

After a moment, Twig took a deep breath, feeling her heart rattle in her chest. “Hey, can, can you look at me?”

Another sniffle, and the girl shook her head.

Twig scooted closer, and, slowly reaching out, took the girl’s hands in her own.

“Y-you don’t have to be afraid,” Twig whispered, her voice on the verge of breaking. “We’re okay now.”

Slowly, the girl looked up, her mouth hanging open and eyes wide, as if she couldn’t believe Twig’s words.

Twig nodded, biting her lip. “Yeah, we’re safe. We’ve got people who love us.”

The girl looked away and took a hesitant step back into the shadows. “But what if we’re just being a pain? Aren’t, aren’t we a burden?”

A broken cry slipped past Twig’s lips, and she shook her head. “Thank you, for trying so hard to look after us, but you don’t need to anymore.”

“But, what if-”

Twig clenched her eyes shut and pulled the girl in tight, wrapping her in a hug. “Would you hold a burden like this?”

For a moment, the girl was still, then her arms wrapped around Twig’s torso and her hands scrabbled at Twig’s shoulders. The girl wept loudly, snot dribbling from her nose, and amidst her tears, Twig heard three words.

“You’re so warm.”

When Twig finally opened her eyes, the girl was gone, and Ark was practically breaking down the door. He’d only been gone a few hours, what could’ve happened to reduce Twig to a snivelling mess on the floor during that time? He couldn’t guess, and he didn’t need to.

Wrapping her in a blanket, Ark carried her to the bed, fetched her a glass of water, and then crawled in beside her. Instantly, she latched onto him, tears still flowing, and told him all about it. He rubbed gently at her back, whispering quiet reassurances.

It hurt, yet in that moment, all was right with the world.

@sincerely-sofie

Here's a piece I wrote about my PMD Explorers of Sky OCs based on a scene from the game that really stuck with me. I wanted to explore how the reveal in the dark future would play out with my renditions of the characters, and I had a lot of fun with it! I'll definitely do more stuff like this in the future.

An Untimely Reunion

“The passage of time should be just up ahead! Let’s hurry along now.”

Clay, Leo, and Grovyle followed Celebi into the clearing. Sure enough, the passage was just across the way. Grovyle took a deep breath. He was exhausted, but there was no time to rest. When Dusknior had taken him back to the dark future, he thought for sure that he had failed his mission. Now he had a second chance, and there was no way he was going to let it slip.

“So this will really send us back home?” Leo asked. “Can we finally go back to our time?”

“Yes,” Grovyle responded. “The passage of time will allow all three of us to return to the past. I used it when I came to your time originally.”

“That’s right!” Celebi added, nodding. “And I’m the only one with the power to open it! Isn’t that fun?”

Clay let out a long sigh of relief. “Thank goodness. I was worried we’d never see our friends at the guild again. They must be worried sick about us right now.”

As the group approached the passage, Grovyle took one last look around. If everything goes as planned once returning to the past, this will be the last time he sees the dark future. He turned his gaze to Celebi. He knew she could fend for herself, but he couldn’t help feeling a tinge of sadness about leaving her alone here yet again. 

“You’re sure you’ll be ok here on your own?” he asked her.

“Yes of course, Grovyle dear! How many times do I need to tell you that I can’t ever be caught?”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” a familiar voice sneered.

Grovyle felt a crushing wave of dread come over him. He looked back towards the passage of time to find Dusknior waiting in front of it. He had a smug grin on his face.

“You…” Grovyle muttered.

“You’ve grown careless, Grovyle. I already knew you’d be coming here, but you were also unexpectedly easy to follow. You’re usually cautious enough to not let that happen.” He chuckled. “That sudden change will spell your demise. Now Sableye! Seize them!” 

Grovyle groaned. “Shit, we’re surrounded. Looks like we were followed. I’m sorry everyone, but we’re going to have to force our way through to get out of this.”

“That’s fine,” Clay said, readying himself. “Team Sunspark has faced far more difficult battles than this before.”

Dusknior smirked at them. “Oh, you lot won’t be going anywhere. NOW, MASTER DIALGA!”

The ground trembled beneath them. The group looked on in horror as the enraged legend slowly appeared on the mountain in front of them. Clay turned to Grovyle, who wore a distraught look on his face. “Is that-?”

“Yes. This is Primal Dialga,” Grovyle said through gritted teeth. “Dammit. It looks like this might be the end for us.”

Leo looked at him, shocked. “But we can’t give up! Not when we’re so close!”

“Don’t you get it? Primal Dialga is just far too powerful for us to face in our exhausted state. There’s simply nothing else we can do.”

“I see you finally grasp the gravity of your situation,” Dusknior sneered. “The dark future will never be changed. How does it feel knowing that you failed the one thing you devoted your entire life to?”

“I might have failed, but the cause isn’t lost. You seem to have forgotten that I didn’t go to the past alone. My partner is still there, and I have faith that he’ll succeed. I may fall here, but you haven’t won!”

“So you’re still desperately grasping to hope then. If you don’t mind, would you be so kind as to share the name of this beloved partner of yours?”

“Stop toying with me,” Grovyle growled. “You know who Clay is, and you know I’ll never forgive you for what you tried to do to him.”

Clay jerked his head towards Grovyle. Did he hear that right? “Did- did you just say his name was Clay?” he asked. “Because MY name is Clay.”

Grovyle scoffed at him. “Must be some sort of twisted coincidence. I wish you could have met my Clay. You two probably would have gotten along. Not that it matters now.”

Dusknior chuckled. “Oh, I can assure you that the similarities extend well past sharing a name. You see, our good friend Clay here used to be a human! He washed up on the beach one day as shinx with no memories of his past.”

Grovyle’s eyes widened. “Wha- What are you trying to say?”

“And it gets even better! Clay also happens to possess a very special ability. When he touches certain things, he sometimes has visions of events from the past or the future. Does a power like that sound familiar to you?” 

Grovyle’s heart dropped. “The dimensional scream? No… there’s no way. It can’t be true. You’re lying.” He turned to Clay and grabbed his sholders. “Please Clay… please tell me he’s lying.”

Clay looked back at him, terrified. “I’m so sorry Grovyle, but everything he said is true. As hard as it might be to believe, I really was a human. It’s the only thing about my past that I’m certain about. And I don’t know why, but I also can use the dimensional scream. It’s helped Leo and I complete tons of rescue and explorations. I told Dusknior about this in the past before we were taken here.”

“It’s true,” Leo added. “His dimensional scream has helped us locate main outlaws and points of interest during our guild work.”

Grovyle’s heart dropped. Tears began welling up in his eyes. He slowly turned back to Dusknior. His voice trembled as he spoke. “No… This is really?”

“Do you finally get it Grovyle? CLAY is your partner! He’s even wearing the same scarf YOU gave him; I don’t even know how someone as perceptive as you could miss that! I found him before you in the past and took advantage of his amnesia to convince him to fight against you. It made capturing you two laughably easy. The unwavering faith in him you so foolishly clung to won’t matter. The timeline will not be changed, and I’ll eliminate both of you here to guarantee it!”

Celebi went pale. “What? There’s simply no way. I could sense that the temporal distortion around you was stronger than Grovyle and Leo, but I thought nothing of it. To think you were Clay the whole time…” She trailed off.

.  

Clay didn’t know what to think or how to feel. He felt a rush of tears beginning to form. He was from the future? And Grovyle was his partner? But he had spent the past few months desperately trying to take down Grovyle! Was he really just being used all this time? The thought of it infuriated him. He glared at Dusknior through his wet eyes. “So thats it then? Was I nothing more than a pawn to you?”

Dusknior gave him a dejected look. “Trust me Clay, it wasn’t anything personal. I took no joy in this. You clearly had no knowledge of your previous mission, but I couldn’t risk your memories and motivation returning. I HAD to make sure the future remained intact. Taking advantage of your memory loss was the only way for me to guarantee that.”

“HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?” Clay screamed. “None of this was personal? Bullshit! Everything you’ve ever said to me was just a lie! You turned me against my own family! You made me HATE him! You nearly made us KILL each other! And now you have the nerve to say you DIDN’T want to do it? Pfft. Yeah, sure. Ok. I hope it was worth it then. I hope your life is better once Leo and I are dead and gone, because apparently killing us is the only thing that will let you sleep at night.” He took a shaky breath before adding, “You’re the most pathetic pokemon to ever walk this earth.”

Leo thought he saw Dusknior cringe at Clay’s last comment. “What? Is he actually upset by this?” He quickly shook the thought. Right now he had to focus on finding a way out of this. Surely there was something they could do. “Wait. We just need to get past these sableye and we’d be able to make a run for it. Could Celebi send us forward in time to achieve that?”  He slightly nudged her to get her attention. “Yes dear?” she asked.

He leaned closer to her and whispered, “You can travel through time right? That’s how the passage of time works, I’m assuming. Are you able to send us slightly into the future?”

“I can, but not by much. Especially with Dialga here. His command over time is significantly stronger than mine, so he could interfere with anything I try to do.”

“That’s fine. It only needs to be a few seconds. Just enough to let us get past these sableye.”

“Oh, that’ll be quite easy. A few seconds is nothing.”

“Good. Just wait until the moment right before they attack us. I’ll let Clay and Grovyle know.”

He turned back towards Clay, who was an absolute mess. He was still sobbing, and his front paws were soaked from trying to wipe away his tears. It killed him to see Clay like this. He had never really even seen him sad before, so to see him crying this much was heartbreaking. He wasn’t sure if he would ever forgive Dusknoir for doing this to him. He kneeled down next to him .“Clay? Hey Clay listen–”

Clay looked up at him. “Leo?” he said quietly, voice breaking. “I’m so sorry. I’m so so sorry. You’re here because of me and my past. It’s my fault we’re going to die. If you weren’t–”

Leo cut him off. “Look at me Clay. None of this is happening because of you. Dusknoir said it himself. But we don’t have the luxury to think about that right now. I know how difficult this is for you, but you have to keep fighting. After all, we’re both still here! Team Sunspark hasn’t been defeated yet!”

Clay’s eyes widened. He sniffled and wiped away his tears again. “You- you’re right,” he croaked. “I think I’ll manage for now. But Grovyle…”

They both looked over towards him, where he stood frozen in place.

—

Grovyle' stood frozen in place's thoughts were racing. His vision was blurred. His ears were ringing. His heart was pounding. He could barely breathe. 

“This is my fault,” he thought. “I did this to him. I’m the reason why he went to the past. I’m the reason why he lost his memory. I hurt him. I hurt his friends, and I didn’t care. I didn’t even bother to learn anything about him. And now he’s going to die because of me. The future won’t even be changed. ”

“Grovyle…” a quiet voice called out.

“Clay?” He turned his head to make out a familiar figure. A young human boy with dark, messy hair stood there. He had bright green eyes and a blue scarf wrapped around his neck. It was Clay. “What- how did–”

Clay’s voice called out again. “Grovyle!”

He blinked hard and rubbed his eyes, only to find that Clay was gone. In his place stood a shinx with the same eyes and scarf. “That’s right. This is what Clay looks like now. It’s because of me. It’s because I couldn’t–” 

“GROVYLE!!!” Clay screamed. Grovyle jolted back to reality, regaining his senses. He looked around wildly. They were still cornered by the sableye, and Dusknior remained a few meters behind them. The passage of time was still out of reach. He looked back over to Clay. His eyes were filled with tears, and his whole body was trembling. His fur was sparking with electricity. Grovyle opened his mouth to speak, but he could barely get any words out. 

“Clay,” he stammered. “I- I’m sorry. I couldn’t- this is my–”

“Grovyle please!” Clay cried, voice cracking. “I understand how you feel! This hurts for me too! More than you could imagine. But we can’t think about that right now!” He gestured towards the passage of time. “We can still escape! Despite everything, we’re all still alive! You haven’t lost me yet! So please… I’m begging you! Keep fighting! Don’t give up hope!”

“But what could we possibly do? We’re outnumbered, and we’re up against a legendary. With our injuries we don’t stand a chance.”

Leo put a hand on his shoulder. “We don’t need to win! We just need to escape. And we have a plan to do it! Just wait for my signal, and be ready to run for it.”

“Hey!” Dusknior shouted at them. “Done saying your goodbyes? Good. Now Sableye, finish them off. Be sure to kill them this time.”

“YES SIR, MASTER DUSKNIOR!” the sableye cheered. They flared their claws and leapt at the group. Just before they struck, Leo called out: “NOW CELEBI!”

Suddenly, the four of them disappeared. “WHAT?! This can’t be” Dusknior screamed. “Reveal them, Master Dialga! They cannot be allowed to escape!”

The legend let out a monstrous roar. The air began to ripple a few meters in front of the passage of time. A moment later, Clay, Leo, Grovyle and Celebi reappeared.

“SIEZE THEM SABELEYE! DO NOT LET THEM ESCAPE!” Dusknoir screamed.

Celebi winced. “I’m sorry, but it looks like this is as far as I can take you.”

“This is enough! We can make it from here!” Leo responded.

Grovyle hesitated for an instant.”But what about you, Celebi? I can’t just leave you! Not when-”

“Grovyle, we have to leave now! This is our only chance!” Clay yelled. “Celebi said she’d be fine, so we have to trust her!”

“He’s right,” she said. “Go on now dears! Change the future for all of us!”

Grovyle took one last look at her before turning towards the passage of time. With tears still in his eyes, he nodded at Clay and Leo. The three of them sprinted in, leaving the future of darkness in their past.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed :D

Team Scarlet warmup sketches!

Nia sketches!

Tysm for the kind words!! Twig and Kip are both characters I see a lot of myself in, so I’m really happy that I was able to convey everything I wanted to well. I’m glad you liked it 🥹

Hey! Here's a little thing I wrote for @sincerely-sofie 's The Present is a Gift AU with her characters Twig and Kip. I wanted to get it out sooner, but alas life happened and I was unable to work on it as much as a wanted to. This is also the first time I've done any sort of creative writing in years, so hopefully it isn't too bad. Anyways, here it is! I hope you like it :)

The Sunrise

It was dawn when Kip woke up. It was rather early and he was still tired, but he rolled out of bed to go check on Twig. He knew she probably wanted her space, but he couldn’t help worrying about her more than usual after the previous few days’ events. He yawned and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, then quietly cracked open the door of Twig’s room. His heart skipped a beat when he saw that she wasn’t there. He rubbed his eyes again to make sure he was seeing right. Yup. Twig wasn’t there. Feeling panic begin to set in, Kip took a moment to breath and recollect himself.

“Calm down, there’s NO need to be freaking out about this,” he thought. “Twig likes going on walks when she needs to clear her head, or if she wants to be alone to think on something. She’s probably just doing that. She’s been through a ton the past few days, so it makes sense that she would want to do that. She’ll probably be back here soon.”

Despite knowing that, Kip decided to make a quick check outside anyway. He was already pretty awake after the initial shock of Twig’s absence, and taking a look couldn’t hurt. Maybe he could watch the sunrise while he was out there. He hadn’t done that in a while, and it would be a good way to unwind for a bit after the stress of the past week.

Apparently Twig had the same idea, because she was already sitting near the edge of the cliff looking off into the distance. She was visibly ok, and even seemed less tense than she had been recently. Despite this, Kip felt the need to make sure she was actually fine. He knew too well how Twig feels the need to hide anything that ails her from everyone no matter how serious it is, so it was going to take more than just visual evidence to convince him.

“How’ve you been holding up?” Kip asked as he approached. Twig jumped a little and spun her head around, relaxing again once she realized it was just him.

“Jeez dude, you scared me! Did you have to sneak up on me like that?”

“Oh no, I didn’t mean to startle you!” Kip responded. He hurried over to where Twig was and sat down next to her. “I just wanted to check up on how you were doing. I saw you weren’t in you room and I-”

Twig cut him off. “Relax man, I’m just giving you a hard time.” She gave him a playful punch to the arm. “And, umm. I’ve definitely been better. I think I’ve cried more than enough for an entire lifetime over the past few days. Maybe even two lifetimes. I didn’t even know fire types were capable of producing that much water.”

Kip chuckled at that. “Yeah, but it needed to happen, you know. That’s what you get for being silly and stupid and somehow convincing yourself that none of us like you.”

Twig sighed. “I know, I know, you’re right. It doesn’t mean I have to like it though. It’s physically AND mentally exhausting.”

“I feel you there. I feel worn out, and I haven’t cried anywhere near as much as you!”

“Yup. I totally have you beat.”

Kip gave her a baffled look. “Are you seriously bragging about how you’ve cried more than me?”

“I sure am. I gotta take my wins when I can get ‘em.”

He burst out laughing at that. “Well, if your jokes are anything to go off of, I’d say you’re holding up pretty well. Seems to me like the funny Twig I know and love is finally starting to come back. I guess I was worried about nothing.”

Twig shrugged. “I guess.” 

Neither one of them said anything else for a while. They sat in silence and watched the sun slowly climb higher on the horizon. It was one of the sunrises with lots of pink mixed in with the oranges and yellows; the kind that Twig loved the most. The sea below them glistened like gemstones, with rolling waves that shimmered in the bright light. Kip had almost forgotten how beautiful the sunrise was at Sharpedo Bluff. Sure, he could watch the sunrise when he was away on his expedition, but they just weren’t the same there as they were here. Besides, he was with Twig now, which made it even better.  

Kip smiled. “I missed this,” he murmured.

“Missed what?” Twig asked.

“This. Watching the sunrise with you. Going on walks. Just talking. You know, enjoying the little things in life with you.”

“Dude, you know you can still do those things without me right?”

“I guess, but they wouldn’t be the same. You’re what makes them special.”

They were both quiet for a bit. Twig was first to speak again. “Dang, I really messed up a lot of stuff with my dumb thoughts then. Sorry about that.”

“How many times do I have to tell you to stop apologizing for that!?” Kip responded. “None of us blame you for any of that stuff. If anything, it’s MY fault for not doing anything sooner despite seeing through all of your terrible lies. Besides, it’s in the past now. All we can do is focus on what we can do now, in the present.”

“I guess you’re right.” she said. “You know dude, if you really wanted to hang out with me THAT badly, you could’ve just asked.”

“Ok, noted. You’d better be prepared for lots of requests then if that’s what it’s gonna take.” Kip glanced over at Twig. Her expression was a bit troubled, as if she was contemplating something he had said. Seeing that, he nudged her and spoke again. 

“You know I meant it right? What I said before.” 

Twig turned her head to look at him. “What? The part about how me being there somehow makes things better?”

“Yeah, that one. I want to make sure that sticks with you, because you seem to be quick to forget it. You’re an amazing person. I know it’s hard for you to see it right now, but we all really do care for you more than you could imagine. And it doesn’t matter how long it takes you to convince yourself of all that, because all of us are happy to remind you as many times as it takes. Nothing you think or say or do will ever change that.”

Twig’s eyes started watering at that. “Seriously dude,” she croaked. “I was just complaining about how I was tired of crying. Did you really have to go and make me-”

Kip pulled her into a hug, cutting her off. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me Twig. You always will be. Please don’t ever forget that.”

They stayed like that for a while. Kip held Twig there for as long as she needed to cry. After a bit, Twig slowly pulled away and took a moment to wipe the tears out of her eyes and regain her composure. 

“You good now?” Kip asked her.

“Yeah, I think so. I think I actually feel a bit better than before, funny enough.” She shifted her gaze back to the horizon, where the sun had climbed a bit higher over the ocean. They sat there quietly, simply enjoying each other’s presence. For the first time in a while, it seemed as if everything was truly at peace. 

Twig eventually broke the silence. “You know what? I missed this a lot too. This is nice.”

“Yeah,” Kip said, nodding in agreement. “This is nice.”

Empathy

A fic about the Riolu post from yesterday. Had a lot of fun with this one, so thinking about a part 2. Let me know if you want it! (Fic under the cut!)

The final light of day was leeching from the sky, taking it's warmth with it, and Charizard savoured that last feeling of heat on her scales. Reaching for the sky, she flew higher and higher, chasing the sun, but it slipped from her grasp, and with a peaceful smile, she stopped flapping her mighty wings, and fell.

The wind rushed by her, the flame on her tail flaring, and slowly, she twisted, opened her wings and caught the breeze, gliding down towards their log cabin, high in the mountains.

The garden was coming along nicely, but the weeds kept creeping in. She'd have to flambe the soil and strip away all the excess moisture. It was a good thing she'd picked up those new seeds today.

The seeds! Oh, Sarah, you-

Her eyes growing wide, she breezed in to land, quickly rifling through the satchel slung over her shoulder. Thankfully, it was all still there, though his present was a little smooshed after her stunt. Muttering under her breath, Sarah tried to mould it back into shape, but with limited success.

Deciding it was good enough, she stomped up the front steps and threw the door open. "I'm home!" Met with only resounding silence, she peered down the hall, and wandered into the kitchen. "Blue, you here?"

"Hello."

Sarah jumped, smacking her head on the roof and stumbling into the countertop as she landed awkwardly. "Don't do that!"

"Sorry, are you alright?" Blue's expression was carefully neutral and she knew he was only asking to be polite.

She snorted, if only he'd laughed at her fright, that would've been better than this apparent indifference. That said, one of these day he was going to give her a heart attack, then he really wouldn't be laughing.

"'M fine,' she grumbled, rubbing her head and glaring at the rafters. "We need to raise the roof. It was fine when I was a Charmeleon but this is just getting ridiculous."

"I'll get started on it tomorrow."

Raising her brows, she looked the Riolu up and down. "I'm not sure you're really equipped for the job."

"Okay, you can do it, and I'll get to work on some bigger furniture." He jumped onto a stool, and the extra height meant his eyeline was level with the base of her neck, as if accentuating his point.

"Please, I'm really sick of the chairs giving way under me." She poked at her round belly, her wings drooping.

His head tilting, Blue pointed at satchel still hanging from her shoulder. "Did you get the blankets?"

"The blankets?" Her face clearing, she dropped her head into her hands. "The blankets!"

Blue nodded patiently, as if completely unsurprised. "You know, the sole thing you went to town for."

"Hey, that wasn't the only reason!"

Blue merely rose his brows in an unspoken question.

Her face flushing, Sarah dug into the satchel, pulling out his gift and sliding it across the countertop. "I also went to get this."

Slowly, Blue took it, turning it over in his hands. "It's a Glaceon plushie?"

The tail was a different colour from the rest of it, the crystal on it's head was lopsided and one of the ears was missing. The stuffing had been pushed forwards, so it had a massive head and spindly legs, but it was indeed a Glaceon plushie.

She crossed her arms, puffed her chest and, raising her head, tried, and failed, to keep the smile from her face. "Yep! Just like the one you had as a kid, remember, you told me?"

"You remembered?"

"Of course! So, what do you think?"

Glancing at the monstrosity in his hands, Blue nodded and placed it aside. "It's very sweet, thank you. Getting back on topic, did you purposely forget the blankets so I'd have to sleep next to you to keep warm?"

Her face fell and her arms dropped limply to her sides. "Seriously?"

Blue shrugged. "I wouldn't put it past you."

Muttering under her breath, Sarah stormed from the house, slamming the door shut behind her. Blue's head tilted as he watched her through the window, disappearing amongst the trees. Eventually, he shrugged and began working on dinner, occasionally glancing at the deformed Glaceon, smiling at him from where it sat abandoned.

As the night dragged on, and stars appeared in the sky, Blue waited, sitting at the table with a steaming bowl of stew before him. By the time Sarah returned, the meal was cold and she silently reheated it. They ate together, only exchanging a few words, before promptly going to bed.

Once upon a time, they'd had two small nests, now she barely fit in the one large one. So, after she'd climbed onto the bed of moss and soft grass, Blue jumped in, curling against her side. She laid her tail over his chest and partially covered him with a wing. There, his eyes closed and mind quiet, head resting against her side, he could hear her heartbeat; it was his favourite sound.

It was his own little cocoon, and he'd never felt so safe. Well, apart from when they'd first met. Even now he remembered it clearly, despite, or perhaps because of, how miserable it had been.

He'd woken up in this strange world, in a new body, with nothing but amnesia, and an aching sense of loss. Cautiously, he'd wandered into town, scared and amazed by everything around him. Then, as someone bumped into him, it all came crashing down.

With that first contact he'd felt something strange, a flash of colour and a trickle of emotions that weren't his. Curiously, he reached for the light, and grabbed it, but it slipped through his fingers and poured outwards. In an instant, he'd been able to feel it all, the townsfolk's every emotion. Happiness, love, excitement, loneliness, anxiety, grief.

He'd dropped to his knees, clutching at his head and screaming brokenly. It was as if he'd been dropped into the ocean's depths, endless black on every side, the pressure was crushing him. Please, please, make it stop.

That was when she appeared, a little Charmander, swinging her tail with reckless abandon, she slammed him in the head, knocking him unconscious.

When he came to, they were in the forest, and it was quiet. Sarah was sitting nearby, a mix of concern and guilt clear on her face. She went to apologise, but he felt it before she could get the words out.

He started sobbing, and she hovered just out of reach, her arms waving frantically. Eventually, she settled for sitting beside him, rubbing his back. Feeling her concern and warmth, Blue had cried until he had nothing left, until he was empty. She became the only person he could touch, and they retreated to the mountains. After that, he never reached for the light again, but at night, curled against her side, he thought he could feel just a piece of it. In the rough edge of her scales, in the warmth of her tail, in the beat of her heart, he could know a fragment of everything he was missing out on.

So, he couldn't help but frown when Sarah groaned and pulled herself from the nest.

"Follow me, now," she demanded, voice thick with sleep.

Blue whined, but did as he was told, following her out into the cold night. The mountain air raced through his fur, sending shivers down his spine, and the stars sparkled radiantly in the heavens above.

She lowered herself and gestured with her head. "Climb on."

Fiddling with his hands, Blue took a half-step back. "Why?"

"If I drop you I'll never hear the end of it. This way, it's not totally my fault."

"Yeah, that's a really poor reason to-ugh!"

Rolling her eyes, Sarah snatched his shoulders, pulled him close and launched into the air. Beating her mighty wings, she climbed higher into the air, catching a gale and riding it upwards. Blue wanted to scream but settled for latching onto her arms, eyes shut tight.

Sarah yelled over the roar of the wind, "do you trust me?"

"Absolutely not!"

She smirked. "Wrong answer."

Gripping him tighter, she spun, dove, and rose, her tail tracing their path through the sky.

His ears pinned back, Blue screamed, "thank you for nothing, you useless reptile!"

Laughing to herself, Sarah pulled him away from her chest and flew a loop-de-loop, dropping him in the roll and catching him on her back when she was right way up again.

Blue yelped and wrapped his arms around her neck, his quiet whimpers torn away by the wind.

Sarah levelled out and glided above the mountain range, unable to keep the smile from her face."I'm not landing till you open your eyes."

"This is cruel and unusual punishment!"

"And it will continue until you open your eyes!"

Gripping her neck tighter, Blue slowly opened his eyes and immediately shut them again. The mountains raced by far below, their tree covered slopes bathed in moonlight.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Look up, dummy."

Turning his gaze to the heavens, Blue opened his eyes once more, and it took his breath away. Above them, countless stars shimmered, an ocean of jewels against a sea of black.

"It's... beautiful."

"Duh," Sarah said, chuckling. "I could stay up here forever, but I could never reach the stars. Though, if they reached out their hand, I would take it in an instant."

Leaning over, Blue glanced around, and couldn't help but notice the starlight glinting off her amber eyes, and she smiled back at him.

"If they could hear me, I would tell them, that they don't have to be afraid. That they don't have to keep hiding. They could come down from the sky, and I would hold them close, and listen to it all. Even if their spark faded, I would still love them."

There, amidst that sprawling sky, with all those glittering stars, there was only one piece of light Blue cared about. Closing his eyes, he reached out, and grabbed it. In that instant, it was like seeing her for the first time, all over again. She was filled with laughter, and worry, but there was something new as well, something that hadn't been there before.

Instantly, tears sprung to his eyes and Blue began to bawl, his cries seeping out into the night like ghostly howls. He could never have imagined he was so loved.

Reunion of hero and an old friend.