The Calm Before The Storm

Sam trudged through the bushes, mentally cursing as he made his way past the thick brambles. The stubborn bush grabbed at his clothes causing him to contemplate using his sword to cut through them. Deciding against using his weapon in such a manner, he pulled his leg out of the bush causing him to tumble backwards. He casually used the momentum to roll back onto his feet before sighing.

The sound of a breaking branch pulled him from his passive stance. His hand rested at the hilt of his katana as he scanned the brush for any sign of company. His ears strained to hear any other sound before picking up on a low feral growl behind him. Turning around, his gaze centred on a particular glow coming from the brush. His eyes narrowed as he found the source of the glow.

A pair of glowing green eyes burned in the darkness of the forest, watching as the Felpier drew his sword. Sam felt a wave a calm pass over him as he prepared to defend himself. Suddenly, more green eyes stared at him as he found himself completely surrounded by the glowing orbs. The clearing was filled with the sound of wolves snarling as Sam turned to face the first creature that stepped out of the thick foliage.

He stared at the creature in front of him trying to discern what it was. Its body was made of various pieces of wood shaped in the form of a large wolf. Glowing green eyes stared intently at Sam, who took a step back as more of the creature’s brethren emerged from the bushes. Putrid green breath flowed through the splintered teeth as the monster’s leaf like tongue grazed one its fangs. The lead monster raised its head and emitted a deafening howl. The other monsters followed suit, causing the howl to become a deafening symphony of deadly intent. Sam raised his sword as the first wolf launched itself at him.

Sam ducked under the beast and quickly slashed at it with his sword. The blade caught the wolf just below its throat and tore a deep gash along the beast’s side. A whine came from the beast as it collapsed to the ground. Sam looked down to see a line of amber run down his blade as he readied himself against the rest of the pack. Drool lined the mouths of the beasts as they disregarded the cries of their injured companion. They readied to attack, but were caught off guard when Sam rushed to strike first.

He sped forward and angled his sword towards the first wolf. He felt a slight resistance as the blade entered the opened maw and sheared the wooden head in half. Sap spurted onto Sam as the top portion of the wolfs head flew up into the air. Another swipe of his word cut the next beast through the midsection severing it in half. Sam felt the surge of adrenaline as the wolves backed away from him. Two wolves launched themselves at different angle towards Sam as he regained his breath. His sword caught the first one as it lunged for his throat but was dragged down by the weight as Sam tried to remove it from the body. He felt a burning sensation as the wolf’s claws raked his side, leaving a tear in his uniform. He placed his hand on the wound and felt a wet spot as his blood seeped from the claw mark. His mind raced as the wolves looked at him with hunger in their eyes.

Felpiers were known for their speed and agility, but neither would help his current situation. His energy fading quickly as the bleeding intensified with each passing moment. His vision swam as the green orbs grew closer and closer, waiting for the moment when he would be too weak to retaliate. One dove for his arm and pinned it as he tried to stab at his attacker. Another grasped his leg and pulled on him, causing him to fall to the ground. He looked up as the pack leader loomed over him, its fetid breath stung his nostrils as it reared back to deliver the final blow. Sam closed his eyes as he waited for the end to come.

Instead, a loud roar caused his eyes to shoot open. He looked to see that the wolves had begun to slink away as a large shadow loomed over him. He turned to see the large yellow body of a lion as it reared its head and released another bellowing roar. The wolves slinked off of Sam who got to his feet, swaying as feebly attempted to lift his sword. The taste of iron filled his mouth while his vision blurred . He fell backwards as the monster lowered itself and a blob of yellow and pink made its way towards him. Two large blue orb on the same field of yellow filled his vision as the darkness began to swallow his consciousness.

So this is the face of the angel of death. Sam thought as his consciousness faded. He felt a sense of peace as he pictured the figures face. We meet at last

*****

Sam opened his eyes as he woke with a start. He hissed as pain flared where he had been clawed. As his hand felt the area, he noticed that his midsection had been covered in white bandages slightly soiled by his sweat. He felt a pounding on his leg as he rose from the small bed. A small rabbit who was busy thumping his foot on Sam’s lap as narrowed his eyes at the wounded warrior. Seeing that Sam was fully awake, the rabbit hopped down from the bed and scurried out of the room.

Sam looked around the room as he heard the sounds of someone talking downstairs. The room was lightly furnished and had a comforting warmth to it. A rather low ceiling hung above him as he stumbled over to the window. From his vantage point, he could see the countless number of birdhouses and animal burrows that littered the area. A small grunt of pain escaped from his lips as he slowly left the window and found his weapon leaning against the nightstand. His shirt was draped over a chair, a few patches sewn over the old tears. He quickly clothed himself before a noise made him spin while drawing his blade. His eyes widened as he saw the creature cowering before him as he pointed the blade at its throat. Slowly, he withdrew the blade as he regarded the strange creature before him.

A butter yellow pony  with a large pink mane cowered in the corner of the room. It used its long pink mane as a sort of curtain blocking Sam from viewing its face  A movement caught his eyes and he stared incredulously at the wings that graced the pony’s side. He marveled at their structure as he sheathed his sword and took a step away. Suddenly, the pain in his side flared again, causing him to drop to his knees with a gasp. To his surprise, the fear that had been so dominating in the pony’s eyes was replaced with concern as it dashed to his side and propped him against the bed. Sam felt the soft fur of her as his arm  was positioned over its small body. The pony said something causing Sam’s ears to twitch as he tried to comprehend her words. Nothing the pony said made any sense to him. There were a few words that he could understand like “town” and “twilight,” but the rest was a mix of strange neighs and squeaks.

With a final check of his bandages, the pony that Sam assumed to be female, led him down the stairs. Passing the large crowd of woodland creatures, he felt the pony push him forward with a gentle nudge of her head. She spoke again while pointing towards the door with her forelimb. Sam did as he was told without complaint. The pony’s voices felt oddly comforting. It possessed a motherly tone that put Sam’s mind on ease as he opened the door.

The sun blinded him as he ducked under the doorway. Adjusting to the brightness, he found himself listening to the sounds birds singing. He smiled as the calm and cool breeze of the morning washed over him and ruffled the fur on his ears and tail. A glance at  the yellow mare showed her pointing towards a path that led to a town off in the distance. Nodding he slowly followed his saviour as she began to trot towards the town. Even though he didn’t feel any hostility from this creature, he still kept a steady hand next to his blade.

*****

Dante looked out the window and felt his heart drop as he saw the crowd of ponies gathered in front of the town hall. Moe was muttering a few curses under his breath as he peered out of the windows.

“What do we do?” Moe asked as he tightened his grip around his bow. Dante had left his weapons back in the Library and felt lost without the weight of the sword and staff in his hands. He looked out the window to see the same unicorn step out from the crowd next to a mint green one who pointed to the window before clapping happily. Without the cover of darkness, he could see the shape of the pony more clearly as she looked towards his position.

Her mane was a dark shade of purple with a lighter streak running down its length. On her back leg was a peculiar symbol of a purple star that drew Dante’s eye. He saw that all the ponies had images gracing their bodies and silently wondered what such a thing could mean. He shook his head and cast aside his wandering thoughts as the purple mare levitated a large megaphone in front of her.

“Please come out, we only want to talk!”

“What’s she saying?” Moe asked as he looked out the window. Dante gave him a confused look before he looked back at the shifting crowd.

“She says they want to talk,” he replied as he scanned the rooftops. Ponies with wings seemed to be patrolling the roof tops, preventing the two from making an escape. “Can’t you understand them?”

“No, I only get a few words here and there but most of it’s a different language. I wish I had one of Coppa’s speaking stones.”

“It would certainly make things easier,” Dante said as he noticed a pair of figures coming towards the crowd. His heart froze when he saw the shape of Sam walking down the street. He grasped Moe and turned him to face directly at the approaching felpier. “At least we know where Sam is.”

Their joy was interrupted as the crowd surged around Sam who had placed a hand on his sword as though one of them might charge at him. Dante and Moe readied themselves as they slowly opened the windows as the attention was turned towards Sam. A sudden flash of light blinded them as a large pony descended from the sky in a blaze of white light. Dante stared in awe as the tall pony stepped forward, spreading out her large wings. The crown that topped her shifting ethereal mane told him all he needed to know about the pony’s status. Even from this distance, he could feel the power emanating from the monarch as she regarded the purple mare.

*****

Twilight gulped nervously as she bowed to the princess who regarded her with a warm expression. As she rose, her gaze shifted to the creature that Fluttershy had brought into Ponyville. Its feline ears had flattened as it readied itself to draw its sword. The fur on its tail stood on end as it cautiously regarded the massive crowd. Its face was a mix of fear, confusion, and pain as Celestia slowly approached it. Twilight glanced at the creatures midsection as she noticed the bandages slightly hidden by its clothes.

“Princess, be careful,” Twilight said as she looked at the frightened Fluttershy. Celestia looked at her student before she lowered her head and pointed her long horn towards the creature as a golden glow surrounded it. The creature started to draw its blade as it regarded the Princess. It yelped as the golden aura surrounded the sword and removed it from the hand on its grip.

“Twilight, all will be fine. We mustn’t overreact,” Celestia said as she examined the blade while simultaneously lifting the creature in the air. “I will talk to them so that they don’t misread our intent-”

The princess was cut off as a wall of flames cut them off from the rest of the crowd. Twilight turned to see the two other creatures drop down from the town hall. The horned one had one arm completely engulfed in flame as it looked at the princess with a furrowed brow. The other one was crouching and was pointing its drawn bow at the princess as it regarded the situation.

“Let him go!” Dante said as he flames on his arms intensified. Twilight looked at the princess who nodded and released her hold on the sword and creature. It landed on its feet before vaulting over Twilight to grab its sword, removing it from its sheath as it landed with a graceful flourish. Dante just stared at the frightened ponies as the flames on his arm began to fade. “I don’t know what you want with us, but we just want to go home.”

Celestia slowly approached the three as they lowered their weapons. The tension seemed to ease as she smiled at the three and bowed her head. The wall of flames died out as Dante ceased the flow of magic coming out of his arm and motioned for Sam and Moe to put away their weapons. Sam sheathed his sword while Moe placed his bow on the ground. The three lowered themselves as Celestia stood in front of them with her wings extended in a welcoming manner. Small tendrils of yellow light escaped from her horn grazing the bowed heads of the three. Sam and Moe gasped as the energy attached itself to them. The crowd watched as their bodies took in the magic while Dante remained as he was. Celestia took a step back as she regarded the three before she decided to address their concerns.

“Do not worry, I have merely granted you the ability to speak and understand our language,” Celestia said as she bowed to them. They returned the gesture in kind as sighs of relief escaped their bodies. “My name is Princess Celestia, allow me to be the first to welcome you to the land of Equestria. You must have many questions.”

“Yes we do Princess, but we were hoping to find our friend first,” Moe said as he bowed to the Princess, “we seem to have lost him recently.”

“There are more of you?”

“Yes, we are a party of four,” Dante said as he bowed also while ignoring a gasp from the pink mare nearby. Celestia smiled at the formality of the three. Her smile turned to a frown as she felt a sudden danger approaching the town. “His name is Coppa. He’s not that tall and is covered in brown fur. We were hoping to find him before he got himself into trouble.”

A sudden roar broke the calm as dozens of heads turned to see a brown blur flying through the air and come crashing down into a house. Screams came from the crowd as the giant form of the Bullywug stepped into sight, knocking over carts and signposts as it unleashed a hungry croak.

“It seems he’s found us,” Dante said as they readied themselves while Coppa removed himself from the wreckage of a house. “We’ll handle this! Please tell everyone to get out of here.”

*****

Coppa’s day had gone from good to bad, and now to even worse as he saw his friends and the Bullywug facing off. He pushed a large piece of wall off his body as he grasped the handle of his axe. He jumped down from the wreckage and ran up to his friends as they prepared to face the gargantuan creature.

“I hope that filly is okay,” he said to himself as he took his position beside his friends. The bullywug croaked as its tongue shot out and crashed into the town hall, causing the second tier to sway precariously. He looked at the serious expressions of his friends as the tongue snapped back towards the humanoid amphibian. “Well, it looks like the whole gang is back.”

“Coppa, why is it that wherever we bring you, something tries to kill us?” Moe asked as he shot an arrow that sunk into the pock marked flesh of the Bullywug. “Where the hell have you been anyway?”

“It’s a funny story actually. I’ll tell you it while we finish this guy off,” Coppa replied as he charged the monster. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a familiar brown pony and a rainbow coloured streak. A purple unicorn appeared from thin air with Dante’s sword and staff in a Magenta coloured aura before tossing them to the waiting Diablon. He grinned as he dashed forward, raising his axe before he swung it down towards the Bullywugs bloated belly. “Looks like I missed out on introductions.”