The Silverfox Chronicles

Cross packed his things back into his satchel, leaving the house he had been called to. He was one of the only doctors in Eclipse that did house calls, and he could see why. It was rather stressing to constantly tell a worried father that, yes, that is how a foal is supposed to be birthed.

He left the family with a new baby stallion wrapped in a blanket, and he went straight to the castle. Another reason Cross had been so frustrated: the family had called him in before breakfast had started. He hoped there was still food left.

Plopping in his regular seat, Cross levitated a plate of waffles in front of him. He could see breakfast had just finished, because only Ellar reminded, washing dishes.

"Good morning," Cross murmured.

"I'm not sure about that..." Ellar whispered back.

Looking a bit confused, Cross went back to his food, grateful for lukewarm breakfast.

Cross noticed that Ellar kept looking at him strangely, like he was expecting him to explode or something. Cross shrugged. It was Ellar being Ellar, he reckoned.

Gulping down the rest of his waffles, Cross straightened the buckle on his satchel and set off into the forest. He had been running low on a certain herb that was used a lot. It was very rare, so one could only find it in a specific place in the forest. Luckily, Cross had memorized the journey.

Turn right at the dogwood tree, walk for three minutes, then a left at bush with the pink flowers. Only took about fifteen minutes from the castle, so it was an easy walk.

He crouched beside the small, stout bush, sniffing it to make sure it was in the season of bloom. It was; the bundles of bluish leafs had the perfect smell. He nudged open the flap of his satchel, plucking multiple stacks of leafs and sticking them in. He would organize them later.

Cross closed his good eye, feeling the early morning sun on his face. It was relaxing; and he didn't relax much. His eyelid lowered, and Cross made himself comfortable on the soft forest floor. He didn't have to be anywhere, so why not take a little catnap?

~

"Hey, Brother, can you hand me that brand?" Wysteria asked, eyes glancing over to Hatchet.

The earth pony nodded, taking a break from hammering a piece of iron to grab the symboled rod from the furnace. He no longer flinched when the hot air hit on his face, he had grown out of it long ago.

Wysteria accepted the brand, stamping it on her piece of metalwork.

As she finished up her work, Hatchet watched his sister. With her lavender fur and violet mane, they looked nothing alike. Even their species were different. But Hatchet and Wysteria a pair of close siblings. Ever since the death of their parents, the two were forced to grow up and take control of the business to stay alive. They sold metal pieces and weapons, occasionally taking specific requests.

He had slept over at their shop, instead of his new room in the castle, to help his sister fulfill a particularly difficult project. Normally, he would trust her with hard stuff like that, but this job required another set of hooves magic couldn't substitute.

Wysteria's mechanical wings clattered. She turned her head, blinking her, deep, dark red eyes, which were trademark to the family. "Brother, come look at this!" Her violet curls shifted.

Hatchet gazed at his sister's part, smiling in surprise. She had tackled the most difficult part; the making of a metal frame for a pony-shaped creation. "It looks great." He murmured, examining the fine crafting of the cold metal.

"How's the defenses going?" She asked, no longer looking at him, now focused on polishing the frame.

Hatchet had taken up the challenging of arming the project. So far he had made a fine broadsword, and was working on a long dagger.

Hatchet brandished the half finished knife, giving it a few practice swings in front of his sister. She turned around, watching the spectacle. Wysteria clapped, laughing all the while.

"Awesome!" She giggled, affectionately hitting her brother on the shoulder.

Before Hatchet could reply, a shiver went through his body. It wasn't just a chill, it was a sign. A bad sign. His eyes widened, dropping the half finished dagger.

"Brother!" Wysteria exclaimed, her apron wrinkling as she came to Hatchet's side. "Are you ok?"

Hatchet shook his head, struggling away from her. "I gotta go. I'll finish the knife later. I have to see Embane, now." He grabbed his hatchet, strapping it around his waist. The stallion ran out the door of their little shop, leaving the door wide open.

~

A minute or so before, Cross awoke from his nap. He shook the leaves off his pristine white coat, stretching his legs. He felt refreshed, the sleep lost during his early morning call recovered.

He was about to start walking back to the castle when a strange shimmering on the ground caught his eye. Cross cocked his head, slightly confused. The unicorn cautiously took a few steps toward it, recognizing the the shape the light was making.

It was creating a circle, different lines striking through it in a particular pattern, like a pentagram.

Cross knew danger when he saw it. He turned around, running for possibly his life. Sadly,however, he didn't make it that far.

The circle turned black, spiky tendrils snaking out and gripping Cross by the leg. The older stallion screamed, kicking and trying to bend his neck back far enough to shoot it with magic. The tendril was unstoppable. He felt himself being dragged into the earth, legs and lower body disappearing into some kind of portal. With a final cry for help, Cross was gone, vanished into nothingness without a trace.

~

"Hatchet, what exactly are you telling me?" Embane asked, looking questioning down at the usually frantic earth pony.

Hatchet flicked his short mane. "I'm saying something's wrong. I have no idea what the wrongness is, but something bad is going to happen to the land."

Embane looked unfazed. "Something wrong is always happening." He muttered. "Anyway, how do you know?"

"We earth ponies are good for something, Sir." Hatchet said rather testily. "Just as you magic users can sense your disturbances in the Force, we earth ponies know when something bad is going to happen to the land. Call it a sixth sense, in a sort of way. For example, we would know when an earthquake is going happen, and then we tell the rest of the town so they could get ready." He furrowed his eyebrows. "Did my info-dump make any sense?"

"Ah, yes," Embane mused. "You learn something new everyday." He looked a little more concerned. "But you have no idea what it is, the bad thing?"

"EEEEMMMMBAAAAANNNNEEE!" A crazed voice cried, adding to the sound of hoofs clunking against the marble floors of the castle.

Ellar, Embane figured.

The straggly pegasus came into view, wildly galloping down the stairs. As Embane expected nothing different from him, the seer quickly mis-stepped and came tumbling off the railing, somehow.

Rolling his eyes slightly, the Prince caught Ellar with his magic, sitting him on the floor in front of the two stallions.

Ellar was panting, narrow chest heaving up and down. "Em...Em..." He started.

"Take a deep breath, Ellar." Embane murmured quietly.

Not paying attention to the alicorn's stern advice, Ellar threw himself on Embane's leg, wrapping his hoofs around him.

Giving Hatchet an embarrassed glance, Embane raised his foreleg, attempting to shake him off. The seer surprisingly stayed on, starting to cry.

Embane pried him off with magic, tossing him on the floor.

"ELLAR!" Embane boomed. "Calm down and tell what is wrong!"

His normal large, glazed eyes widened, Ellar shrinking in fear.

"Death..." He whispered. "Doom...Fear.. Equestia is going to die." And with that, his eyes rolled in the back of his head and Ellar fell over in a dead faint.

"Apparently he was feeling the same thing." Hatchet said, eyebrow raised slightly in a smug interest.

Embane put Ellar on his back, shaking his head. "We've to find out more of what he saw. This is important. Let's get to Cross first, he could probably rouse him."

~

"Great job, Infinity." Silverfox said, gazing at the steaming hole left in the piles of boxes.

Two weeks ago, Infinity had come to Silverfox, concerned about his magic ability. The "Mirror Pool" incident had startled him, the unicorn realizing he had to learn to fight or he was going to die if another thing like that happened again. After Silverfox assured him that, yes, they were near constantly screwed on weekly basis, Infinity requested magic lessons. Since then, Silverfox had gleefully enjoyed being a vicious general to her new student. She woke him up, with water of course, at the crack of dawn. Then, they traveled down to the basement of the castle, where she had asked Toxic to prepare a training room. She brought her magic books, leaving out the ones with black magic spells, and set up a study table. Silverfox drilled the most basic offensive spells into Infinity's mind, and she was happy to see that the older stallion was a quick learner. She moved on into a unicorn's most trademark spell: levitation. This training sequence was probably the cruelest; to pass the test, Infinity had to write a paper, move water into a cup drop by drop, and pick up Silverfox and brush her mane. All at one time, with levitation spells. Infinity passed out shortly afterwords, Toxic having to help the mare carrying him back to his room.

"Am I getting better?" Infinity asked, panting slightly. This lesson was shooting magic beams.

Silverfox nodded, shuffling in her chair. She was busy writing a new novel, so far the plot was about an angsty demon slayer trying to avenge her family's deaths.

"You have improved a lot, Infinity." Silverfox murmured, beginning to write again. "You have one final test."

"Really? What is it?" Infinity urged.

"Fight me. Right now. The battleground is this room." Silverfox put her quill down, stalking toward Infinity.

"Silverfox, are you sure you are ready for that?" Toxic said worriedly. "A fight could be a bit too strenuous. Maybe I could fight him."

Ever since Toxic learned he had hurt Silverfox under the influence of the Alicorn Amulet, he had been crushed with guilt and concern. While she was still infirmary-bound, Toxic spent nearly all day by her side. He shakily asked Cross questions about her condition all day, the unicorn doctor getting a bit frustrated with him. Even when she returned to her room, Toxic slept with her every night.

Silverfox scoffed, flipping her bangs. "Toxic, I'm a big mare. I can take care of myself."

The alicorn gave her an anxious glance. "Are you sure."

"Yes." She sighed.

Silverfox flicked her tail in a challenge, flattening her ears against her head. Infinity stared forward, waiting for Silverfox to make the first move.

"You're so kind." She hissed, throwing up her head and casting a spell. A black beam of magic came soaring toward Infinity, the teacher counter attacking with his own purplish-blue magic. The energy met, dying out with a brief explosion. Without warning, Silverfox lit her horn with magic, charging at him. Startled, Infinity rose a shield around him. Silverfox stopped before she collided with it, hooves skidding.

"You know you can move, right? Fights are a lot more fun when there is a lot of psychical activity." Silverfox murmured.

Infinity responded with running to the edge of the training room, challenge flickering in his eyes.

Silverfox closed her eyes, preparing a large spell. Runes crackled in the air, a huge fireball forming in the air. Infinity gasped, and with much more difficulty, performed a spell. Blue runes came along the ground in front of him, a wall of sheer water rising up.

"Good job!" Silverfox cried, throwing her head, releasing the massive fireball. Fire met water with a sizzling hiss, steam filling the room.

The steam cleared, and Infinity stood, unharmed, but shield gone.

"A highly skilled unicorn would have been able to keep the water spell even after I magically nuked it. But you managed to completely canceled out the fire spell I casted, so that's pretty good." Silverfox observed. "I-" Before she could finished the rest of her sentence, Infinity reared back, three beams of magic flying at Silverfox. The unicorn grinned, making a magic blade on her horn. With a fluid motion, she sliced the beams into pieces, the energy dying out before it hit her.

"Hey! That's not fair." Infinity muttered, glasses falling onto his snout.

"All is fair in love and war." Silverfox said in a sing-song fashion, flicking her tail.

"You are enjoying this too much."

"I know."

Infinity mimicked Silverfox's spell, a crackling aura of magic covering the unicorn's horn. He lowered his head, snorting. Silverfox ran at the teacher, their magic-encrusted horns locking. They struggled for a few seconds, both of the physically weak unicorns trying to trump each other. Silverfox suddenly reared back on her forelegs, slamming her body down on Infinity. Infinity smirked and countered, blade vanishing and shooting a magic beam into her side, sending her sliding across the floor.

Toxic cried out in shock, jumping up from his sitting position.

Infinity too looked a bit worried when his temporary teacher didn't stir. Maybe I was too rough on her, he thought.

"I'm fine." Silverfox grunted, pulling herself on her hooves. The grey unicorn gave herself a good shake, dust flying off her fur. She blew some of her mane out of her mouth, approaching Infinity with a subtle smile.

"Congratulations, teacher. You passed."

Infinity's green eyes lit up. "Really?!"

"Yup. You managed to up me a couple times. I pass you for magical combat."

Interrupting Infinity's rather awesome moment, Embane ran into the room, Hatchet following and Ellar slung over his back.

"Father, what happened?" Toxic exclaimed.

"That's what we are trying to figure out. Has anyone seen Cross? We need him to treat Ellar." Embane muttered.

Silverfox rested on the floor, beside Toxic. "Haven't seen him all day. He wasn't even at breakfast."

Infinity straightened his tie and adjusted his glasses. "Ah, sir, I saw him leaving the castle a couple hours ago. Haven't seen him since, though."

Embane groaned. "Alright. I need to find Radar. He's good at finding ponies, right?"

Toxic shuffled his wings. "Radar is doing drills with the other Wingblasts on the palace yard. We spoke at breakfast."

"Thanks, son." He turned to leave, Hatchet nodding at the three ponies. The alicorn made a little "oh!" sound, like he had forgotten something. "What are you three doing in the basement?!" He snapped.

Silverfox shrugged, smirking broadly. "Well, Infinity needed lessons, and you weren't obviously using this space. I feel as I can do as I please with useless rooms."

Embane moaned, adjusting Ellar's position on his back. "Gather your things and follow me. I'll be going through the main room to find Radar. You three can play there."

"In all due respect, sir, I am not a foal. I was socializing with these young ponies because I was receiving valuable training to be a better noble." Infinity murmured, bowing.

"Suck up." Hatchet muttered under his breath.

"Infinity," Embane muttered. "When you are hundreds of years old, everyone is a foal to you."

The Prince turned and walked away, Hatchet and Toxic following. The two remaining ponies trotted with them, behind.

Walking up a flight of stairs, Infinity turned to look at Silverfox.

"About that fight earlier," he murmured. "We're you going easy on me?"

Silverfox laughed darkly. "Of course I was."

"What?!"

She flicked her bangs. "In a way. If this was a real fight, and I felt I was in real danger, I would have stuck a knife between your shoulder blades and called it done."

Infinity stared, confused, glasses shining slightly.

"Infinity, this is your final lesson in combat: be a pragmatist. Fight dirty. There is no honorable fighting in real life. If its you or the enemy, make it the enemy." Silverfox hissed, looking serious.

"I will keep that in mind."

~

Cross wretched open his good eye, trying to figure out where he was.

His surroundings were grim; Cross was in some sort of stone room, a small window far behind him. Outside, the sky was a dark red, some kind of smoke floated about.

Cross attempted to get up, only to fall right back down, coughing. Every breath he took made him feel worse, stomach twisting and lungs aching. He dry heaved, regretting the fact that ponies lacked the ability to vomit. Nausea traveling through his body, Cross rolled on his side, moaning loudly. Laying his cheek against the hard, stone floor, the unicorn gazed through a half-closed eye.

The room was small, a bit claustrophobic, with a cold floor covered in dust and grime. Far in front of him, a opening in the wall led to a long flight of stairs made of dark stone.

I'm obviously not in Eclipse, Cross thought wistfully, stretching out. He felt himself getting chills, which was a very bad sign, Cross didn't need to be down with a fever in an unfamiliar place. His mouth felt a bit dry, so he assumed he was a bit dehydrated as well.

A thought coming to his mind, Cross slowly brought his head over, to keep the nausea down, and checked his shoulder. To his pleasant luck, his medicine satchel was still slung across his body. He desperately wanted to levitate some herbs to chew, but he honestly didn't feel up to it. His energy was sapping startling fast, and using magic seemed akin to running a marathon without breaks. With a pitiful whine, Cross settled with his head laying on his hooves. He closed his good eye, hoping some sleep would sooth his nausea.

A sliding sound rudely awoke Cross from a slumber that hadn't yet came.

He jerked awake, glaring around the room.

Cross's breath caught in his throat as a shadow traveled up the stairs. A large snake head emerged from the darkness, followed by another one.

Cross scrambled back, amiss. He wasn't exactly scared of snakes per-say, just unnerved by them. Especially of one (or maybe two) of that magnitude.

The creature fully pulled itself through the opening, and Cross tried his best to shrink in size.

The snake-like creature was huge, nearly filling the room he was in. Horrifyingly, it had eight heads, all moving and slithering about independently, forked tongues flicking out. Other than this, its body was all snake, scales an off brownish grey.

The biggest of the heads, and with a longer neck, came near Cross, who had pushed himself against the wall.

"Yes..." A clearly female voice hissed from the jaws of the snake's head, drawing out the 's' sound. "My senses were correct; a little pony has come upon our trap. Just one, but one will do. I need to make sure I haven't gotten rusty over the years." Her tail slithered out, petting Cross's dirt-smeared face. The unicorn regained his composure, trying his best to continue to stay calm.

"So straight faced...." She whispered, one of the lesser heads prying its jaws around the straps of Cross's eyepatch. "Let's see we can't have you screaming." As if on cue, one of her heads ripped his eyepatch off, exposing a scarred, empty eye socket. She discarded the leather out the window, leaning down onto the shaking stallion. Her long tail slithered behind him, coiling around his body, holding him down and still. The creature's face was practically on Cross's, and he could smell her breath. It stank of death; death and rotten meat.

"Who are you?" He said sternly.

"My name is Orochi, dear." She purred, and he felt a shudder pass through her chilly coils. "But I would like to know more about you..." She placed her nose between Cross's eyes, and the stallion was dragged into a vision.

~

"Sorry, Embane. Can't find him." Radar murmured, trotting to the still form of Ellar on the ground. The Prince had gotten tired of carrying him, opting to let him lay on the soft grass of the castle courtyard.

Radar settled beside him, nudging the seer. "Pssh, Ellar, wake up." He whispered.

To Toxic's, Silverfox's, Infinity's, Hatchet's, and Embane's surprise, Ellar's eyes fluttered open and he groaned.

"Ra...dar..." He said, blind eyes looking fearful.

Embane pulled forward to question him, but Radar waved him off with a wing. The pegasus wrapped his tan wings around Ellar, looking worriedly at him.

"Ellar, I want you to explain exactly what you saw in your vision, ok?" Radar murmured, being unusually gentle.

Tears filled Ellar's eyes, slipping down his face and wetting his off-white fur. "We're all gonna die! T-The Fearscape is merging with our world!" He sobbed, crying into Radar's chest.

"What?!" Embane screamed, drawing back in shock. He paced back and forth, "No,no,no,no,no! This can't be happening. Ellar, are you sure this is what you saw?!"

"Yes!" Ellar cried hysterically, going into a more furious round of tears on Radar's fur.

Radar pulled Ellar up, the seer leaning on him unsteadily.

"What does this mean, Father?" Toxic asked wearily, sitting at Embane's hooves.

Embane sighed heavily. "If we don't stop this, the world is doomed."

~

Cross found himself in a deep, dark forest, following a younger version of himself. He assumed he was some sort of ghost observer, as he didn't seem to have a psychical body at the time. With curiosity, he closely examined his other self trek through the vines and thick grass.

Quickly, everything came to him.

This was the event that took his eye out.

"Hey, Cross!" A stallion dressed in a dark body suit asked, running up to him. He was soon followed by other similarly dressed ponies, both mares and stallions. "Have you seen any sign of the village yet?"

Before being recruited as a noble, Cross had worked in a foreign army bent on returning peace to the far away forest of Argaren. Ponies there lived in tribes, constantly fighting and hunting each other for sport.

Fresh out of medical school, Cross volunteered to help heal the foals and innocents injured in the fighting, on both sides. It would be a standard, easy mission, except that the Argarians held no respect in the Geneva Convention, so the medic was fair game. In return, this gave Cross the freedom to cut down anyone who stood in his way of the injured.

The younger Cross shook his head, bouncing with a youthful air.

"Haven't yet, but we should be getting close." He flicked a bug off his back with his tail. "But I'm afraid the bugs are gonna get me before I even get to fight, these mosquitos are horrible."

"Don't be so eager to fight, medic." The stallion, named Dusk, murmured, falling into stride beside him. "Just because you can doesn't mean you should. It's hard out there."

The younger stallion stared with arrogant green eyes. "Hard? Psh, it couldn't be that hard. You just knife the enemy in the right place, and boom, you win!"

Dusk sighed, moving around his wings. He turned his head to a mare behind him, "He's gonna take his first fight badly. You can give him some quick therapy afterwards, right, Velvet?" The purplish mare nodded silently.

A rustle in the canopy above them brought the soldiers to alert. Dusk and Velvet drew heavy knifes, locking the hilt in their jaws. Others pulled out full length swords, and one mare had a flail held by magic.

Dusk pushed himself in front of Cross, shoving him onto the ground. Cross gritted his teeth, frustrated.

A shadow leapt out of the tree, landing in the broad branches of another. Soon, they were surrounded by rustles and movement, leaves falling about.

The twang of a bow caught Cross's hearing. Before he could even duck, an arrow struck his neck. Dusk turned on his heels, catching the unicorn. Cross felt something cold traveling through his veins, making him feel sleepy. He tried to mutter something, but his vocal cords failed him. The stallion passed out.

Cross wearily opened his eyes, a bit confused when he noticed his vision seemed a bit odd. He still felt lethargic, he assumed whatever had knocked him out hadn't worn off yet.

He was in some kind of hut, made of thin wood, laying on straw. In his blurred sight, Cross spotted a roundish object some feet before him. Cross doubted its importance and dwelled on the more erring question: Where was he?

Maybe some kind of village, Cross thought, rolling over. His face felt wet, like someone had poured thick, wet water on him.

A mare entered his little hut. He recognize her as Velvet, a unicorn that had served on his team. She was levitating a bowl of liquid and looked quite shocked.

"Oh, Cross." She whispered. "I'm so sorry.... I'm so sorry..."

Still feeling dreary, Cross, confused, asked, "Huh? What happened?"

Velvet sat the bowl before him, pressing his head forward, motioning him to drink. Cross gulped it down heartily. He couldn't remember when he had last drunk.

Immediately, the odd liquid cleared his vision and his head.

Horrified, Cross realized why Velvet had been so distraught.

The roundish object before him was his own heavily bloody eyeball.

"No...no.." He rasped. Cross brought his tongue on the side of his face, confirming his fears. The bitter taste of blood made him gag. "How..?"

Velvet sat down, pinkish eyes clouded with grief. "After you blacked out, the natives attack us. A couple went for you." She bit her lip. "It was too much. We lost. We were lucky that some villagers saw our plight and decided to help. You would have died without it." Shaking her head, Velvet started to cry. "The healer couldn't save your eye. It was too scarred. He said you wouldn't have been able to see out of it, so he just removed it."

Cross nodded dumbly, too traumatized to fully comprehend what had truly just happened.

"Dusk... What happened to Dusk and the others?" Cross looked around the sniffing unicorn. "Are they in the village?"

A new stream of tears flowed down Velvet's lavender cheeks. "They're gone! I-I went to save you, and then Dusk was killed...they cut off his head. They all died so quickly...it was horrible... The other ponies helped me carry you back. They carried away the bodies, too. But I couldn't look. I couldn't pay my respects."

Cross's body slumped against the straw. His remaining eye was vacant, mind overloading from everything that had just happened.

Velvet placed a hoof on his quivering shoulder. "You're going home, Cross. You need some proper medical attention. I'm sorry, but you are in no condition to continue." She nuzzled him. "Someone should come and get you in the morning. Sleep. You need rest."

~

"What is the 'Fearscape'?" Radar asked, curiously fluttering over Embane's shoulder.

Embane turned to address the gathered ponies, a large book levitated in front of him.

"The Fearscape," He started. "Is a complete other dimension. It is an evil place, filled with vile monsters too horrible for Tartarus. A long, long time ago, it merged was merged with our world. Demons roamed the land, slaughtering pony and griffin alike. A Princess rose from the midst, followed by a team of loyal ponies. Assisted by a mythical device, they vanquished the land, completely separating our worlds at the seams. Due to the terror it had wrecked on us, it was dubbed the Fearscape." Embane sighed. "That's about all I know."

"Yeah, buts where's Cross? It's not like him to be missing like that." Radar inquired.

"I'm afraid he might be trapped in it." Embane groaned.

"What?!" Silverfox, Toxic, Infinity, Radar, and Hatchet exclaimed.

"Before the Fearscape fully merges with us, small portals will open up. I believe it's safe to assume he was sucked into it."

"What do we need to do? Go in there and drag his butt out?" Silverfox said bitterly.

Embane smirked. "Why thank you, Silverfox. That's exactly what I need you to do."

"Whaaah?" Infinity cried, looking flustered. He shook his head. "No, no, no! After hearing that description, I'll never go in there!" His glasses fell down his snout. "This isn't what I signed up for! I wanted a job that payed more than a pathetic teacher's salary!"

Hatchet glared. "That's a greedy reason, Infinity."

"A stallion needs to make a living." He huffed.

Embane sighed. "Sorry, Infinity. This is exactly what you signed up for. As a noble, it is your job to protect the kingdom."

Infinity seemed to shrink.

"Hey, I'm not too sure about this either." Silverfox hissed. "I have done a lot of stupid things in my life, but this is suicidal."

Toxic looked shocked. "Silverfox! This is to rescue a friend! Cross saved your life a few weeks ago!"

Silverfox opened her mouth to bark a argument, but was interrupted by Embane.

"Ah, but Silverfox, we actually do need you for this mission." Embane said sternly. Silverfox couldn't help but notice that the tips of the Prince's wings were shaking.

"Prince.." Hatchet said questioningly. "Are you scared?"

"Of course I am scared!" Embane suddenly snapped. "Last time this happened nearly everything was wiped out! I'm freaking out!" The alicorn allowed his legs to visibly quiver.

Silverfox's eyes widened, realizing the sheer horribleness of the situation. Sitting beside Toxic, she bowed her head. "I-I am in, Embane."

"Of course I'm in," Radar said cockily. "This should be a snap. Get in, kill monsters, get Cross, vanquish an eldritch location, go home and be heroes. Lets do this."

"He's kidding." Infinity said, flabbergasted. "He had to be kidding."

Hatchet glared at the unicorn. "Not everyone is a coward, teacher. Embane, count me in too."

Toxic looked courageous. "Naturally I am joining this too! Cross needs to be saved!" He pulsed his hoof in the air.

"No." Embane said bluntly. "You're not."

"What?! Why not?"

"You are my son, Toxic. I could never allow you to go on such a dangerous mission." He glanced sideways. "Goldenbell would have my head."

"Oh, so we are expendable?" Silverfox hissed.

Embane gazed at her, raising his eyebrow. "You are expendable. You are not a noble. You're just Toxic's friend."

Toxic placed a hoof around Silverfox's shoulders. "Please, I can't let her go alone! I'll make myself sick with worry!" He gaged as a pathetic and biologically inaccurate example.

Embane looked crushed. "If...If you must. Just don't take risks. Be careful."

"Oh, can Diamondshine and Catfight come along too?" Toxic exclaimed.

"Yes. We need as many ponies as possible out there. The fighting is going to be hard, can they handle that?"

"Oh yes." Silverfox answered, the memory of her friends breaking necks and laser beaming foes coming to mind.

"Make that seven." Infinity moaned.

"Oh! Oh!" Ellar cried, jumping up. "I wanna go! I wanna go!"

"Ellar, I'm afraid you can't. You are..not as equipped for combat as the others." Embane said, swallowing. "I don't want you to get seriously hurt. Cross will be in no condition to heal you."

Ellar whimpered, shuffling his wings.

Embane tried his best to smile at the seer. "You can stay here, with me and Goldenbell, and fight whatever monsters stray into our world."

The pegasus brightened up a bit.

"Why won't you be going?" Hatchet asked.

"It is my duty as a leader to protect the subjects of Equestria directly. Demons are going to be flowing from portals all over soon. Fighters must be on hand to protect Eclipse." The Prince murmured. He shook his head. "Everyone, gather your supplies and meet me in the basement. Toxic and Silverfox, go get your friends and explain what's happening to them." He said simply, trotting off, carrying the book with him.

~

Some time later, in the basement, the nine ponies, plus Embane met together.

The Prince raised his horn, performing a spell. Ten amulets formed from the air, with gold chains with green stones.

"What do we need necklaces for?" Catfight asked, cocking her head.

Diamondshine stuck a hoof in her mouth. "Shh, that's a fabulous stone. I want it."

Embane waved one of the necklaces in the air.

"In the Fearscape, the air itself is toxic. Exposure causes a pony to become very ill. You need to wear these to be in any condition to fight and move around. I made one for Cross, too, but he should already be feeling the effects. The jade should begin to heal him."

One by one, Embane placed the jade amulets around each ponies's necks, giving the extra one to Radar.

"Radar, Hatchet," the two stallions snapped to attention at the Prince's call. "Since you are the oldest, you are in charge of the mission." He glanced at Silverfox. "Silverfox, step forward."

The grey unicorn looked confused, approaching Embane. The alicorn placed a spell book before her, pointing his hoof at a collection of runes and ancient writings. "Since you are an expert at arcane magic like this, I need you to summon the portal to the Fearscape."

Silverfox read the page, eyes scanning the book. With every word, she grew more and more horrified.

"I can't do this spell."

"What?!" Embane groaned, flaring his wings.

"Embane, I love dark magic and the like, but I have to draw a line. This is hundreds of miles away from the line."

Toxic frowned, "Silverfox, please. You have to do this for us."

Silverfox looked at the eager faces of her colleagues, minus Infinity, and sighed. "Fine. Step back."

Hatchet raised a hoof, throwing a bag forward. "Hold on. I brought some weapons for us."

"You can pass those out later!" Embane snapped, stomping his horn. "We have to hurry! Cross could die, the merging could go fasting than planned!"

Gritting her teeth, Silverfox summoned magic to her horn. Eyes glowing, she repeated the enchant, speaking a language foreign to everyone unknowing to black magic. A circle formed around her, runes imprinting under her. Blackness spread through the circle, transforming it into the portal. Content, Silverfox leapt off the portal, panting.

"It's ready." She whispered, eyes flickering back to normal.

"Good luck, ponies. I am trusting you!" Embane screamed as the nine ponies jumped into the portal.