THE MOMENT
"Honey? Everything okay?" Ziya entered the barn in search of her friend. It was spacious with several stalled unicorns along one side. A blonde-haired teenage girl sat cross-legged in the center of the barn. Her eyes were closed, but she opened them when Ziya called her name. "You said it was important...," she continued as she walked forward and sat next to her friend.
"Yeah," Honey nodded. Her tone was flatter than usual and that sparked worry in Ziya. “I need your help," she said.
"Of course," Ziya nodded eagerly. "Whatever you need." They both knew she meant it. Honey changed Ziya's life for the better since they first met. She introduced Ziya to the multiverse and things she never would have imagined.
"I'm going to need you to be strong.. and to be my friend," Honey said. Her voice wavered with nerves. Despite her seriousness, Ziya couldn't help but giggle lightly.
"I'm already your friend..," she said. But, Honey shook her head.
"I know you are," she said. "And, I know you're not just saying it; but, very soon I'm going to need you to really trust me, no matter what…”
"What's going on?" Ziya asked. Honey being insecure about anything was out of character. At least, for the short amount of time that Ziya had known her.
"A lot...," Honey sighed. Then, she looked up and met Ziya's eyes. "You went to visit Donna Chang; but, you haven't asked me any questions yet...," she said. Ziya nodded.
"It felt like the sort of thing that you would talk about when you were ready," she said. "And, I don't care about your past anyway, no matter how much of it you had."
"Thank you," Honey did flash the faintest of smiles at that; but, it did not last long. She had too much on her mind.
"I don't remember much, and I don't want to remember. Donna knows my past better than me. But, I know enough. And, I know some about the future too," she said.
"The future? Which future?" Ziya asked. "Every Earth has its own timeline, right?" Honey nodded.
"Yes. But, the multiverse as a whole has its own timeline too. No single Muerte can control a timestream that big, but the right ones working together can. They have," she added.
"They... have?" Ziya asked. Honey nodded.
"Do you remember when you met Dirge and Dread?" she asked. Ziya nodded. "They're trying to stop Ms. Sharp from changing the future and asked me for help...," Honey broke eye contact and looked down at the dirt floor. "That's why I joined your Court," she said.
"Does that change something in the future?" Ziya asked. Honey shrugged.
"I don't know if it'll be enough," she said. "But, I learned about my role in everything; and, I know I wasn't in a Court the last time. But... before anything I need to tell you everything. If you don't want me in your Court anymore, I -," Ziya shook her head and interrupted.
"Of course I still want you!" she said. But, Honey continued without meeting her eyes. "Let me tell you first...," she said. Ziya nodded and remained quiet. Honey sighed.
"Have you heard of a group named, The Conquistadors?" she asked. She looked up long enough to see Ziya shake her head, then she focused on the floor again.
"They were the very first Conquerors," she said. "The first Corona, Sirena, Corazon, Diablito and Calavera ever to be Unique Souls. Then, someone decided they were too strong and too evil. But, they were also too powerful to destroy, so they were sealed away; each one on a different Earth." Ziya's mind filled with questions. Who decided they were too strong? How did they get sealed away? But, Honey wasn't having an easy time sharing her story. She knew those questions could wait.
"The Conquistadors are free now. The future depends on whether they succeed this time or fail again. They're planning to try to kill Aury on Friday," Honey said.
"So, we protect him, right?" Ziya asked. She didn't know who 'Aury' was; but, she'd heard his name a few times. He seemed to be well-known in the AlterNet.
"It's a little more complicated than that...," Honey said. "The leader of the Conquistadors is a Corona that is able to control Uniques, even up to the Celestial-tier in some cases," she added. "He can effortlessly control any of the Conquistadors if he wants to."
"Okay...," Ziya said. She was a little bit confused why he would need to control anyone already on his side. "But, aren't they already working with him?"
"Most of them are...," Honey said. "The leader, Coronado, is of course a Corona. He's a black dragon. The Sirena is named Majicka, and she is a mermaid. She can almost control people as well as Coronado; it's not just her emotions like other Sirenas. The same goes for the Diablito, her name is Diavola; she's a demon. And, the Corazón of the group is named Runehart. He's a unicorn. The Calavera was named Goliath; he was a powerful, vicious giant."
"Was?" Ziya asked. The word stood out from the description of the others.
"I think Ms. Sharp is the only one that knows all the details...," Honey said. "Somehow Ms. Sharp took Goliath's soul out of his body and put it into a different one. A body she created herself out of nanos," Ziya was becoming numb to the name 'Ms. Sharp' being associated with outlandish, and fantastical accomplishments.
"By the way...," Honey seemed to change the subject suddenly. "... when I say they were the first Conquerors, I mean, the absolute first ones to ever exist in any universe. If I had to guess...," Honey sighed and looked up to meet Ziya's eyes finally. "...I'd say they were born around 40 to 45 billion years ago....," she said. She stopped speaking after that and let Ziya absorb the information.
Ziya had heard a similar number recently; but, it still took a moment for it to click. Her eyes widened when she realized it.
"Goliath....?" she stared at Honey and whispered the name. The blonde girl nodded.
"Not anymore, but that's my soul," she said. With that revelation out of the way, Honey moved on to the reason she wanted Ziya there.
"I don't know if being part of your Court will protect me from Coronado's influence..," she said. "When he controls your mind, it’s almost impossible to have your own thoughts. But, if I remember that my friend trusts me…,” she shook her head suddenly. “It might not help at all.” Ziya scooted closer to Honey. She grabbed her hand and smiled.
"It totally will," Ziya said. “We've got the power of friendship.”