Jägerin
Twilight Sparkle opened her eyes and looked at what was surrounding her. She appeared to be in some sort of hospital, although she did not know how she had gotten there. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep in her castle back in Ponyville. And she most certainly wasn’t in Ponyville anymore; this hospital room, if that was even what it was, appeared to be much more lavishly furnished than any room in the Ponyville Hospital.
A young mare lay on the bed that was in the room, teetering on the brink of death. Standing beside her, pity shining in their eyes were her parents. As their daughter’s eyelids fluttered weakly, her mother said, “How much longer do you think she has?”
The unicorn stallion beside her sighed, “Probably not much more than an hour.”
A choking sob escaped the elder mare. “Why did this have to happen to our daughter? How could the world be so cruel?”
Before the father could respond, their daughter spoke softly, “Mom, Dad, please don’t cry.”
“But sweetheart, you’re…” her mother’s voice broke at the end.
“Could you maybe, take me outside? Please?” She was hesitant, yet firm in her request.
It was her father who answered, “I don’t think that would be wise. You need these machines to keep you alive…”
She snorted, “And what is that kind of life even worth? I don’t want to die, lying here in this bed and staring at these same four walls. I’m not asking for much; all I want is to see the moon one last time.”
Both of her parents were silent, unsure of what they should do. Not yet ready to give up on her wish, the young mare added one last, desperate plea. “Please. If you really love me, then you’ll at least let me die happily, won’t you?”
Unable to continue resisting her only daughter, the mother said tentatively, “Couldn’t we do this for her? The bed and the machinery both have wheels. We aren’t far from the back entrance, and it wouldn’t take too much time.”
With a heavy sigh, the stallion replied, “As much as I’m afraid of the risk involved, I think we have to do this. For her.”
The mother nodded in resigned agreement, and each went to grab either the bed or the machinery. As her father began to wheel her bed towards the door, the young mare raised her head, smiled, and said, “Thank you.”
Her father smiled back as he gently pushed the bed out of the room and down the hallway. Twilight followed them, pondering what she had heard in silent astonishment. These two ponies seemed to be quite stupid if they were willing to give in to such a request so easily. At least it none of them could see her. She didn’t know why, but the young alicorn was thankful for this fact. Upon reaching the back entrance the elder mare held open the door while her husband wheeled both the bed and machinery through the open doorway. As soon as they had reached the middle of the moderately sized, open grassy space that was behind the building, their daughter turned her head to look at something within the trees. Once the bed came to a stop she turned her gaze upwards. As she flung away the bedcovers and swung her feet over the edge of the bed, her mother asked in a panicky tone, “What are you doing? You need to stay in bed!”
The young mare shot a disgusted look at her mother as she replied, “You’re being silly Mom. When you have less than a day left to live, you’ll understand why I have to do this.”
Without even waiting for her mother to respond, she got completely off of the bed and stood looking up at the moon. Weakly, with slow, tentative steps she began to walk forward, dragging the machinery keeping her alive alongside her. As she did so, her father called after her, “Be careful! You don’t know what could happen if you strain yourself too much!”
The young mare stopped walking, but didn’t say a word either. She continued to stare at the moon for a few moments before shifting her gaze to the trees once more. As time dragged on, she began to laugh in a voice that was not her own. “Sweetheart?” Her father’s voice was no longer steady. “Are you alright?”
The laughing stopped. “Am I alright? Even if I was actually your fatally ill daughter that question would be idiotic. As things stand, well, I haven’t been alright for years. In fact, I haven’t been alright since I started inhabiting this body.”
Both of her parents exchanged a confused glance with each other and the stallion asked, “How can you not be our daughter? If you aren’t our daughter, then who are you?”
“Who am I?” The voice chuckled darkly. “I am the first and the last. I am life, death, and everything in between. I am, the shadows, the moon, the stars. I am darkness incarnate.” As soon as the voice fell silent, a black smoky substance began to pour out of the young mare’s body and take shape beside her.
“What’s happening?” the elder mare asked in a quavering voice.
Rather than reply with words the stallion merely pulled his wife into a tight hug. While they did so, the black substance condensed into the shape of an all-black wolf with wings, long claws, and sharp teeth. The young mare, whose body this new being had come out of, swayed slightly but managed to remain upright.
The father gasped and shouted, “Who the hell are you?”
The surreal looking wolf chuckled in the same ominous tone of voice before answering. “I am Jägerin. I have been inhabiting your daughter’s body since she was six. By now, her spirit is long gone, dead, if you don’t take my meaning. The only reason her body is still functioning at this point is because I am holding a tiny part of myself within her heart which is keeping it beating.”
The stallion gave a shout of pure rage, and used his magic to form a sword. “How dare you do this to us! What gave you the right to take our daughter from us?” He pulled his sword into a position so that he would be ready to strike at the wolf’s heart.
Rather than be alarmed at such an action, the wolf merely laughed. “You think you’re going to kill me with that little toy of yours? What would that give you? Your daughter would still be dead.”
His magical grip tightening on the sword, the stallion said though gritted teeth, “Revenge. It would give me the satisfaction of knowing that I was the one who put an end to the life of such a monster.”
“Is that really what you want?” The wolf taunted him. “Revenge might feel sweet in the beginning, but what happens when that feeling wears off? You’ll want nothing more than just to have your daughter back. The feeling of revenge will be long gone and you’ll drown in grief.”
The stallion took a step back, his grip on the sword shaking viciously as the wolf swung her piercing gold gaze towards him. She advanced a few steps, all the while playing with his mind. “That grief will crush you, consume your soul until there is nothing left. You will be forced to watch as your very identity is stripped away. All of your hopes and dreams will crumble before your eyes. You will be nothing but a miserable failure.”
Those final words were enough to shatter what little resolve he had left. He let out a choking sob and fell to the ground. Shakily, with the wolf’s eyes locked on him as he did so, the stallion turned the sword to rest just above his heart.
His wife came out of her state of shock at that moment and screamed, “No, please! Don’t do this to yourself!”
His eyes filled with sorrow as he looked at his wife, the stallion’s voice caught in his throat. “I have to. There is nothing left for me here.”
She fell to her knees, sobbing hysterically and begging to no avail. Her eyes wet pools of sorrow she chokes out, “Am I…am I nothing then?”
Unseen by both ponies, the wolf’s eyes glow with fire as she pulls the last part of herself out of the girl’s body. Seconds later a blue arrow flies out from the woods and strikes the stallion in the heart, killing him and forcing him to drop the sword. With the mother’s mortified gaze on her, the wolf’s eyes glow even brighter as she uses her own magic to pull out the machinery that had been attached to the younger mare just as her body crumples to the ground which ensures that she is well and truly dead.
Twilight had watched all of this incredulously. This has to be a dream. Winged wolves don’t exist. I haven’t ever seen them mentioned in any of the books that I’ve read.
At that moment, hooves running at a swift pace can be heard close by, so the wolf rushes into the trees at the same time as a fairly young pegasus mare with a blue mane and tail steps out into the open space. A minute or so later, twelve guards burst into the clearing. Seeing the pegasus mare standing there and looking much calmer than the elder mare, one of the stallions steps up to her and asks, “What’s your name?”
“Syndra,” she replies stiffly.
“Would you mind explaining what’s happened here?” He gestures to the two dead bodies and the sobbing mare as he speaks.
“I was taking a walk through the woods and just as I pass by here, I watch that woman pull out some sort of medical machinery that was attached to that young mare, then place a sword next to the stallion. He was already dead when I got here. Moments before you all arrived, she got into that position. It’s fake.”
Before the stallion can further question Syndra, the mother shouts, “Don’t listen to her! She’s lying! It was the black monster! She killed them all! She took my baby! My baby! She-”
The mother’s ramblings are cut short as another blue arrow flies out from the trees and pierces her heart. Confused, the guards look wildly around as the wolf emerges from the trees, many other unicorns, both mares and stallions, at her side. One of the mares is holding a bow of the same color blue as the arrows that are sticking out of both the mother’s and the father’s hearts. One of the guards notices this and shouts, “The old mare was telling the truth! These are our killers!”
All twelve of the guards pull out their spears and throw them at the large group of ponies surrounding the wolf. Before any of the spears reach them, they turn to dust and fall harmlessly to the ground. The guards stare blankly as the wolf uses her magic to pull all of their swords out of their sheathes and melts them, leaving the guards with no other weapons. After doing so, she gestures with a wing and says, “Alea? Eloen? Leona?”
Three mares step out of the group, each holding a sword. They converge upon the guards and moments later twelve headless bodies lie on the ground. All three mares wipe their blood covered blades on various bodies to clean them. Once they have done so, the wolf nods approvingly, “Good work.”
Behind the group a shout comes from within the trees, “Who are you? How could you do such a thing?”
“Oh?” The wolf turns and saunters toward the source of the shout, a young colt. “Why did we do all of that? Well, I suppose, the best way to put it is that, for us, killing is fun.”
His mouth drops open, “But why them? They hadn’t done anything to you.”
Snarling, the wolf replies, “They stood in my way. As do you.”
The colt’s mouth dropped even further open as he processed what the wolf had said. Chuckling darkly, the wolf leaped forward and fastened her jaws around his neck until she heard a satisfying snap.
Twilight extended a wing to cover her eyes so that she wouldn’t have to look at that poor colt. Even if this was just a dream, although, nightmare would be a much more apt name for it, she couldn’t bear to see something so cruel, so evil.
Dropping the lifeless body and turning to smile triumphantly at her entourage, the wolf’s eyes shone brightly with black magic. As she fires a column of raw power into the sky, the entire group shouts, “Pro umbrae! Nos pro umbrae pugnabimus!”
Before she could see anymore, Twilight felt herself being pulled away and saw her surroundings fading from that clearing into the streets of Ponyville. As she turned slightly to her left, the lavender alicorn saw a dark blue alicorn with a cutie mark of the moon approaching her. “Princess Luna! Was all of that really just a dream? Please tell me that it was. It was absolutely awful!”
The other alicorn shook her head, “I’m sorry Twilight. Everything you just saw really did happen. It was a vision. I sent it to you so that you could see what is coming to take over Equestria.”
Twilight shuddered, “Winged wolves are real? How can they not have ever been written about? How can they use magic? Why-”
Luna raised a wing to halt Twilight’s onslaught of questions. A forlorn look in her eyes, she said, “I don’t know anything about how she could use magic. All I know is that she is the only winged wolf in existence. That is also why there are no books that mention winged wolves because nopony except for Celestia, me, and now you know about her. Celestia and I need you and your friends ready to face her when she comes to Canterlot. Can you be ready to gather your friends and get on a train there as soon as you wake?”
The younger alicorn nodded, “Yes, I will make sure that we get to Canterlot as soon as possible.”
Her horn beginning to glow, Luna replied, “Then go Twilight Sparkle. Awaken, for this storm that is coming may well be the end of Equestria. If that is so, then the world will weep tears of blood and life. Our blood and our lives, not that of the enemy. Remember this, and move as if Jägerin and her followers are already at our gates.”
Not Always Written in Stone
Twilight Sparkle and her friends rushed off of the train as soon as it arrived in Canterlot. Leaving her friends to be led to their suites by the guards, the lavender alicorn galloped through the castle until she reached the throne room. She paused for a moment before throwing open the doors with her magic and walking briskly up to the throne where Princess Celestia was sitting. “You sent a letter telling me to come here as soon as I arrived?”
Celestia rose, “Yes, I did Twilight. While my sister may have showed you something that has happened recently, I wish to give you another perspective. If you are willing, then I would like to show you something from thousands of years ago. Luna and I were still quite young when this occurred.”
“Of course I’ll see whatever it is you wish to show me,” Twilight replied, “Anything that could help us find a way to resist against Jägerin is quite welcome.”
Celestia gestured with a wing, “Then make yourself comfortable. This may take a few hours.”
Once Twilight had sat down beside Celestia’s throne and appeared to be settled, Celestia lit her horn. As magic flowed into Twilight’s mind, her eyes began to droop until she appeared to be asleep even though she was still fairly aware of what was going on in the present all the while viewing the past.
The moon was rising gently in the sky as Jägerin and five other wolves strolled through the woods. However, of the six, even though they were all female, only Jägerin had wings. The first wolf, who had white fur, turned to look at Jägerin and asked, “Are you sure this is a good idea? Going and revealing ourselves to ponies like this?”
Jägerin sighed and said, “Calm down, we’re not even revealing ourselves. All we’re going to do is watch from a distance.”
The white-furred wolf nodded, “Alright, but I still feel like something really bad is going to happen tonight.”
A second wolf with jet black fur rolled her eyes dramatically and said, “Ahrendaaria, you worry too much. I promise nothing bad is going to happen.”
Still in an apprehensive tone, Ahrendaaria said, “I hope you’re right.”
The other three wolves who had been listening intently looked at Jägerin and the black-furred wolf as they exchanged eye-rolls. They walked the rest of the way in silence. As they strode up to the top of the hill, the ponies were just getting started with their ceremony. Since the wolves had decided not to let the ponies see them unless they had absolutely no other choice, they stood just barely within the edge of the forest so that they could easily see what was going on but were also hidden from the ponies’ view.
All six of the wolves watched closely as each of the ponies present grabbed a torch and dipped it into the central fire so that it would ignite. When his or her torch was lit, each pony stepped back to the edge of the clearing. They all placed their torch securely in the ground before they joined hooves with the ponies on either side of them. Every other pony began to sing in a voice so low that the words could not be made out. While their comrades sang, the rest of the ponies moved forward in a slow dance, carefully maneuvering between the torches.
The ponies who were singing let go of the dancers’ hooves and each grabbed a torch. Those who had danced forward turned abruptly around and spun back into their original places whereupon they each grabbed one of the remaining torches. At the exact same time, both groups stopped singing or dancing and everypony touched their torch to another pony’s torch. With a free hoof everypony grabbed another pony’s hoof, once more joining themselves in a complete circle.
For some reason the air seemed to be getting hotter, and the night sky looked like it was getting lighter. As the wolves continued to watch the ponies’ captivating ritual, waiting to see what they would do next, the fir in the torches erupted out of its prison and engulfed every single one of the ponies. The six wolves were blasted by the intense heat even though the wall of flame was quite a few yards in front of where they were standing.
After the wall of fire dropped down lower, the six wolves could see that the sky had become bright orange and appeared to be being licked by raging flames. This raging inferno stemmed from a dragon-like creature that had thick membrane wings, long claws, and long fangs. It had spikes branching backwards from just behind its glowing yellow eyes and a long tail that snaked toward the ground. Upon seeing that all of its prey had been turned to ash, the terrifying creature opened its maw and let loose a roar that was a mixture of fury and triumph. It did not see the wolves, and, instead, flew in the opposite direction, leaving a trail of flames in its wake.
A third wolf with red fur turned to Jägerin and said incredulously, “What was that thing?”
Jägerin shook her head, both in befuddlement and amazement, and said, “I have absolutely no idea. Never before have I even heard stories about a creature like that.”
Ahrendaaria gave all of the other wolves a scathing look and shouted, “I warned you! I knew something bad was going to happen here tonight and none of you listened to me!”
A fourth wolf with bluish-black fur drew herself up indignantly and said coldly, “This would still have happened even if we hadn’t come here tonight! At least now, we know about it as soon as it happened, which better allows us to see if we can get rid of it before it completely annihilates the race of ponies!”
Ahrendaaria floundered speechlessly, unable to find the right words to reply.
The bluish wolf stepped over to Jägerin and whispered in her ear, “Do you think that I was too harsh?”
Jägerin whispered back, “Harsh or not, you said what had to be said. She needs to understand. Don’t worry about it, she’ll be fine soon enough.”
As they watched Ahrendaaria continue to struggle for a reply, Vaervenshalice rested her head against Jägerin’s shoulder and breathed, “I hope you’re right.”
Jägerin said nothing because she too, was wondering if she was right or not. Suddenly, Ahrendaaria found her voice and said, “Vaervenshalice...I...you’re right. What I said was wrong. All I meant was that I had told all of you that I had had a feeling that something bad was going to happen at this ceremony tonight and the combination of you disregarding me when I warned you earlier, and the fact that something serious did happen just made me explode. I should’ve taken more time to choose my words. I’m sorry.”
Vaervenshalice slowly lifted her head off of Jägerin’s shoulder and said, “Of course I understand Ahrendaaria, you’re my sister. You are not the only who was at fault. I was a little too hasty in what I said as well. Let’s just put this whole misunderstanding behind us and focus on dealing with the present situation. Agreed?”
Ahrendaaria smiled, “Agreed.”
A fifth wolf with smoky grey fur said, “I agree that we need to deal with this fire creature, but before we get too involved I think that we should find someplace to get some sleep, then we should try to find out whatever information we can regarding that thing.”
The other five wolves all nodded in agreement. With a last look at the clearing, all six wolves turned and strode back through the forest as they looked for a place to spend the night. Very faintly, a malicious chuckle could be heard from the direction where the creature went. However, none of the wolves drew attention to this fact. The black-furred wolf soon found an alcove amongst a thick group of trees that was a good, sheltered spot for the wolves to be able to sleep. They all took a few moments to get comfortable before, one by one, they drifted off to sleep. Jägerin was the last one left awake, so just before she succumbed to sleep, her eyes glowed with golden light as she cast a fire-proof shield spell around the entire alcove.
When morning comes, Jägerin was woken up by the red-furred wolf prodding her side with a claw. Groggily, she raised her head, groaned, and said, “What is it?”
Wordlessly, the red-furred wolf motioned for Jäagerin to follow her. Slowly and deliberately, Jägerin forced her body to get up off the ground and follow the other wolf a couple hundred yards away from the alcove. Now that they were alone, Jägerin asked again, “What is it Shi’larra?”
Shi’larra said, “I think I may know of a place that holds knowledge as to what that creature from last night is and what it is capable of.”
In incredulous disbelief Jägerin replied, “Okay, that’s great. But, why couldn’t you tell me this when I woke up and in front of our sisters?”
Shi’larra sighed and said, “You see, this place was hidden by magic just before ponies arrived in the world because of all the danger and power it held. Not only was it hidden but extremely powerful defensive spells were placed on it so that no one but those who had built it could get in.”
Jägerin gasped, “You can’t mean to suggest that we go there! We’ll get killed!”
Shi’larra shook her head and stated, “Yes, I do mean it. The place I’m talking about is the Lost Library of the Founders. And, before you ask, yes, I do know where to find it. We can get there easily with your magical power. Now do you see why I had to talk to you before everyone else woke up?”
Dumbstruck, Jägerin replied, “I certainly see why you had to speak to me like this, but it was a pointless endeavor. There is no way we can go to a many millennia old library. The spells that protect it are too strong for me to break and there’s no telling what else lies within that place. I’m sorry Shi’larra, but it’s just not feasible.”
Shi’larra mused, “There’s an old legend that says that it wasn’t only those who built it who could get in. It said that a winged wolf whose fur was as black as the night and whose eyes were pools of golden light yet still embodied the shadows would also be able to unlock the spell. It also said that this wolf would be the first and last of her kind. You fit those exact specifications. You are the only other being who can get in. I’m sure of it.”
Jägerin began to panic, “No, that can’t be! You’re just confused Shi’larra; you have to be. It’s not true. It can’t be true.”
Shi’larra went to stand beside Jägerin and said, “what have you got to lose by going and trying?”
Jägerin sighed, “Nothing.”
Shi’larra looked at her expectantly, so she tossed her head as she said, “Alright, alright! We’ll go and I’ll try, but I wouldn’t get your hopes up. Let’s go tell the others.”
Shi’larra shouted gleefully, “I knew you’d say yes! I can’t wait to see all of that ancient knowledge! Let’s go!”
She bounded off towards the alcove, and, shaking her head in astonishment, Jägerin followed at a more reasonable pace. As she walked back into the alcove, she saw Shi’larra attempting to wake up the black-furred wolf, while the other three wolves looked on in amusement. she strolled over to stand next to the grey-furred wolf and asked, “How long has this been going on Zhuirentel?”
“About five minutes,” Zhuirentel replied.
Jägerin chuckled and turned back to the amusing scene before her just as Shi’larra managed to douse the black wolf with ice cold water. The black wolf leapt off the ground and shouted, “what the hell was that for?”
Shi’larra backed away and said, “Sheesh, Chin’nesstre, calm down! I had to do that in order to get you to wake up. We need to figure out what that creature from last night is, and, in regards to that, I have something to tell all of you.”
Chin’nesstre sighed, “I’m sorry I snapped at you. Just, next time, use something a little less wet to wake me up, alright? Now, why don’t you tell us what you know?”
Shi’larra turned around so she was facing the other four wolves and said, “There is a place that holds all the knowledge we need in order to deal with this creature. Unfortunately, it is extremely dangerous. In addition to whatever monstrous creatures and dark magic lurk within its depths, there are highly powerful defensive spells placed upon it. As you all have probably already figured out, I am talking about the Lost Library of the Founders.”
Vaervenshalice gasped and exclaimed, “That is a preposterous idea Shi’larra! Only those who built it could get into that place. We’d be killed if we tried!”
Shi’larra shook her head and said, “You’re wrong Vaervenshalice. There is one other being who can unlock the spells guarding the library.”
“Oh, and who might this be?” Vaervenshalice scoffed aloofly.
Shi’larra stated, “A winged wolf whose fur was as black as the night and whose eyes were pools of golden light yet still embodied the shadows would also be able to unlock the spell. This wolf would be the first and last of her kind and possess powerful magic.”
Five pair of eyes swiveled towards Jägerin and bore into her relentlessly until she finally said, “I’m not sure if what Shi’larra says is true or not, but I do intend to go to the Lost Library of the Founders with her and try. Before you start to protest, know this: I am fully aware of how dangerous this will be and also, of the possibility that I may die. However, none of that changes that my mind is made up and I shall not reconsider my decision. If you do not wish to come with me and Shi’larra then speak now. Otherwise, we leave immediately.”
None of the wolves raised any objections and Zhuirentel said, “We’re all coming with you. You should know that we stick together no matter what.”
Jägerin smiled, “Thank you, that really means a lot to me.”
Immediately, her eyes glowed with golden light, and shadows enveloped all six wolves. Instantly, they disappeared and reappeared in front of the library. As they turned to look at it, they were all awestruck by the sheer vastness of it. Beside Jägerin, Vaervenshalice gasped, “This place is bigger than most castles!”
Engraved above the doorway are the words: Vítia nostra legatae aeternaliter manserunt. Tears filled Jägerin’s eyes as she remembered why that particular phrase was there. Those were the Founder’s last words after they were brutally and fatally tortured by ponies.Zhuirentel looked over at Jägerin and asked, “Well, aren’t you going to try?”
Wordlessly, she nodded and, with her mind full of thoughts of the deaths of the Founders, her eyes began to glow with golden light as she focused her magic on the defensive spells that were on the library. She squeezed her eyes shut as memories that were not her own began to flood her mind. The more power she used, the more vivid the memories became. She felt it now; the agony rendering her in two. As she fell to the ground, it reached her heart. Piece by piece, she felt it shattering. She cried out in pure anguish. Pain rushed through her entire body, only to disappear a moment later.
She opened her eyes to find herself and the other five wolves were standing in a grandly furnished room with books lining every inch of the walls. Shi’larra bounced over to Jägerin and shouted, “Yes! I knew it was you! I told you that you could get in! Now all we have to do is find the information on that fire-controlling creature.”
Vaervenshalice stepped forward, “We should split up because this place is so big. That way we have a much better chance of finding what we need as soon as possible.”
All of the wolves nodded in agreement and went a separate direction to begin their search. Jägerin turned to go up a staircase and began to walk along the rows of books that were at the top of it, looking for anything that could possibly be of any use. Though she had not yet come across any books that could hold any information on the fire creature, one book caught her eye. As she lifted it off the shelf, she heard a series of clicks coming from the wall behind her. Still holding the book, she turned around to investigate. What she saw caused her to drop the book.
A door had appeared in the wall in place of some of the bookshelves. Painted on the door is a mural depicting the Founders. Tentatively, she nudged the door open and peered inside. Seeing nothing but blackness, she stepped cautiously into the hallway. A few steps in, the door snapped shut behind her. The rational part of her mind was telling her that she should be afraid and to go back out the door, but instead, she continued down the empty corridor, following a vague semi-instinctive feeling.
Soon, the corridor opened into a wide, circular room which had a pedestal in the middle. This pedestal held a small crystal upon its surface which seemed to draw Jägerin in closer every second that she looked at it. Unable to stand it any longer, she threw caution to the winds, strode over to the pedestal, and gazed deep into the crystal. As she watched, the mist inside the crystal began to condense and grow. The larger it got, the brighter the mist would glow. Shielding her eyes from the glow with a wing, Jägerin was forced to back away as the crystal exploded outwards with magic.
When the flow of magic had died down, she uncovered her eyes and her jaw dropped immediately, for, standing before her, were the spirits of Dusque and Dawn, the Founders. Trembling immensely, she forced her body to sink into a deep bow. In a voice that sounded like bells, the spirit of Dawn said, “You need not bow to us. We are family.”
As Jägerin clambered back onto her feet, she said, “I’m sorry. Why have you chosen to reveal yourselves to me like this? I’m no one special.”
Dusque spoke up, “That’s where you’re wrong. You are extremely special which is why we have revealed ourselves.”
Jägerin blinked at them in confusion. Dawn said, “As you know, you are the first and last of your race. Although you are immortal, you will die someday as all living things must. However, it is up to you to create something that will keep both ours and your legacy alive forever. What that something will be is yet to be determined, but we do know that you will be the one to create it. This will be hard to take, but you need to know. Not only will you seal our memories in time itself, but you are also the heir to all of the power Dusque and I ever possessed. You are the Queen of the wolves. If you choose to accept this then we will coronate you with the Obsidian Crown which will also grant you our power. The choice is yours, but it must be made quickly.”
Jägerin pretended to ponder what they had said for a moment even though her mind was already made up. She sighed as she lifted her head to look Dusque and Dawn in the eye as she said, “Though I feel that neither do I deserve this nor am I ready for such a responsibility, I accept the title and all that comes with it. I make this choice not for myself, but for the world as a whole. I owe this to all who have died needlessly, especially the two of you.”
With tears in his Dusque levitated a shiny, black crown that must have been thousands of years old as he says, “For those noble reasons, we, the first wolves, pass on our power to the final heir.”
Both he and Dawn touched a claw to the crown which started to spin and emit a black shadowy mist from the gemstone in its center. As soon as the crown stopped spinning, Dusque and Dawn placed it on Jägerin’s head. She felt a rush of power through her entire body as the crown and all its power united with her. When this stopped, Dawn said, “The ceremony is complete. You are now fully in sync with the Obsidian Crown and the power of the race of wolves as well as the power of shadow. Welcome to our ranks Queen Jägerin.”
Dusque and Dawn both sank into deep bows at Jägerin’s feet. She felt slightly ridiculous as she said, “Rise. That is not necessary. You are the founders of our race. There is no one alive whom you need to bow down before.”
They stood up straight and Dusque said, “This is the last time you will ever see us. Remember that if you ever feel like something is impossible or like you are not good enough then you will prevail and grow stronger from the experience. Above all you must remember that you have the strength to overcome anything. Go out there and show the world that wolves are not a useless race of monsters.”
“We love you,” Dawn added just as their spirits were beginning to fade.
Suddenly overwhelmed, Jägerin cried out, “No wait! Don’t go! I can’t do this! I’m not ready!”
Dawn smiled wryly at Jägerin mere seconds before she and Dusque disappeared. Though she knew that doing so will do no good, Jägerin fell to the ground and started sobbing uncontrollably. As she wept, she tried to collect both her thoughts and her composure. Finally, she could breathe evenly and hold back the majority of her tears, so she pushed herself to stand upright and began to walk back up the corridor to the door through which she had entered what seemed like days ago. She reached the door, and, with a last glance backwards, pulled it open. Surprisingly, Zhuirentel, Ahrendaaria, Shi’larra, Chin’nesstre, and Vaervenshalice were all waiting for her on the other side. Vaervenshalice exclaimed, “Where have you been? Why didn’t you come when Shi’larra summoned us because she had found something? And why in all the seven hells are you wearing a crown?”
With a heavy sigh, Jägerin launched into the events of the past few hours, “Not long after we began searching for the information we need, I discovered the door that you see behind me. I went inside and walked along the corridor until it ended in a circular room. Inside that room was a pedestal that held a magic crystal. Out of this crystal came the spirits of Dusque and Dawn. We talked about how I am destined to preserve both their legacies and mine somehow before I die. This led them to say that I am the last heir of the Obsidian Crown which means that I am the queen of the wolves and that if I chose to accept the crown and title then I would also receive their power. Though I was given the chance to decline, I accepted because I felt I owed it to them as well as to the race of wolves. Dusque and Dawn then went through a ritual which united me with the Obsidian Crown and all of their power. After they formally stated my title, they both bowed deeply to me, so I told them that that was silly of them. Just before they disappeared, they said some motivational things as well as said that I’d never see them again. I lost my composure and wept for a while before I came up here. You are now looking at Queen Jägerin. Final heir and mistress of the Obsidian Crown.”
All five of them stood stock-still, their mouths hanging open in shock until Shi’larra managed to say, “Wow! Dusque and Dawn actually came to you and made you a queen! I knew you had a powerful connection to them but nothing as strong as this. What are you going to do now?”
Jägerin said, “In regards to being Queen, absolutely nothing. However, i do wish to hear what you have found out about the fire creature.”
Shi’larra replied, “Well, it would be easier to take you there so you can read it yourself. I would’ve brought the book, but since it is magically stuck to it’s pedestal, I couldn’t.”
Jägerin gestured with a wing for her to lead the way. Shi’larra turned to the left and started walking out of the room. The other five wolves followed close behind. It was not long before Shi’larra began to lead them up a spiral staircase. Immediately upon entering the room at the top of the staircase, Shi’larra strode purposefully over to a pedestal bearing a large volume entitled Exotic Magical Beasts. She said, “This is the book. The page you want is page eight thousand five hundred sixty-one.”
As Jägerin carefully flipped through the book, she said, “Thank you, Shi’larra. You did a good job finding this book so quickly.”
She blushed just as Jägerin managed to find the correct page. Now she understood how Shi’larra had known that this was the correct book. At the top of the page there was a picture of the exact same creature that they had seen decimate the ponies’ ceremony. Just below the picture there was a small paragraph. Jägerin began to read, “The above creature is a Skrzydlaty Smok. Only one is known to exist. Like many other magical creatures, the Skrzydlaty Smok is immortal. It is a winged reptilian creature with a dragon’s head, the hindquarters of a snake or lizard, four legs, two of which are connected to the wing joints, and a barbed tail. It has the ability to control the natural element of fire and possesses a venomous bite. When the time arises, he shall use fire to destroy the entire world. No known power has been found to have the ability to defeat the Skrzydlaty Smok.”
Jägerin turned to look at her sisters, her eyes wide pools of dismay. Vaervenshalice pressed, “Is that all it says?”
Jägerin looked back and the book and said, “Wait, there’s a caption attached to the picture. It says, ‘Gehénnam - The only Skrzydlaty Smok in existence.’.”
Shi’larra snorted and said in a dryly amused tone, “Gehénnam, how fitting.”
Chin’nesstre stepped forward and stated, “Now is not the time to be getting amused. According to the book not only is this creature immortal, which already makes it very difficult to kill, but there is also no known power that can defeat it. Basically, we and the entire world are doomed.”
“Hold on,” Jägerin said, “I agree that this is not the best time to be trying to make light of a seemingly impossible situation, but that does not mean we can just give up and say that we’re doomed.”
Chin’nesstre protests, “But you said yourself that this is a seemingly impossible situation. If we aren’t doomed, then what are we?”
Jägerin replied, “I’ll tell you what we are. We are a group of sisters who are going to go kick the ass of this Gehénnam and make him rue the day he decided to attempt to destroy the world. Just because a book written a couple thousand years ago says that no known power could defeat him doesn’t mean that that still holds true. For all we know magic could have evolved enough to be able to defeat him now. We won’t know if we don’t try and by the seven hells, that’s exactly what we’re going to do. As the only six living beings who even have a chance of success, we owe it to the world to try. We’ve got to go out there and give it our all. So, are you with me?”
In unison, Zhuirentel, Shi’larra, Vaervenshalice, Ahrendaaria, and Chin’nesstre all shouted, “We’re with you! Let’s do this!”
With a satisfied nod, Jägerin said, “Obviously there is no way to make a plan for this, so we’re all going in blind. Not preferred, but we can make it work. I’m going to need all of you paying extremely close attention to me because plans are going to be made up on the spot. Is that clear?”
All five of the other wolves nodded, and Ahrendaaria asked, “Does this mean that we’re leaving now?”
“Not just yet,” Jägerin said, “I want to try something first. Now that we know the name of the creature, I can look specifically for books about it.”
With that said Jägerin’s eyes glowed as she cast a spell that would search for books that mentioned the Skrzydlaty Smok. After a couple minutes, the spell had finished, and her eyes returned to their normal brightness. She said, “I cast a spell to see if there were any more books that mentioned the Skrzydlaty Smok and, even in this voluminous library, there was absolutely nothing.”
Vaervenshalice said, “That’s unfortunate. However, I do believe that we should be on our way back to where Gehénnam is. It is of the utmost importance that we make our attempt to defeat him as soon as possible, for the world cannot withstand the power of his hellfire for very long.”
“I agree,” Jägerin said with a sigh, “Though I am loathe to leave this sacred place of our ancestors we must try to save the world from destruction. I will transport us back to where we slept last night.”
As soon as she had finished speaking, Jägerin’s eyes glowed brightly, and all six wolves disappeared and instantly reappeared back in the alcove where they had spent the night. “Should we go to sleep now and wait until morning to attack or should we attack now?” Ahrendaaria asked.
Just as Jägerin was opening her mouth to reply, a large pillar of fire shot up from the trees a couple miles away. That event changed her mind, so she said, “Nevermind sleep. We have to go now before Gehénnam kills more innocents.”
Vaervenshalice shouted, “Follow me! I know where he is!”
As they raced after Vaervenshalice, Chin’nesstre asked, “How can you be sure?”
Vaervenshalice yelled back over her shoulder, “Tracking spell!”
Chin’nesstre’s mouth formed an ‘oh’ of understanding, and they ran the rest of the way in silence. Stopping in the trees that bordered the clearing where Gehénnam was, Vaervenshalice said, “Before we go charging in blind, we need some form of a plan.”
She looked pointedly at Jägerin as she spoke. Jägerin nodded and said, “I think the best thing we can do is come at him from all angles and try to use enough powerful spells to subdue him.”
Zhuirentel stepped forward and said, “But we’re hardly powerful at all with magic. It takes a lot out of us to do what you could do in your sleep. There’s no way that that will work.”
Jägerin replied, “It’s the best option we’ve got. I will try to supply as much power as I can without it killing me. Even though your spells may not be very powerful, having spells fired at him from six different directions should confuse Gehénnam. Eventually, he will have to grow tired and we will be able to strike him down. This is the only way we’ve got even the smallest chance of defeating such a powerful creature.”
All of the other five wolves nodded upon hearing this explanation. While her sisters were spreading out around the clearing, Jägerin cast a fire-proof shield spell around each of them as well as herself. Once all six wolves are in position, Jägerin shot a beam of pure power straight up into the air and charged into the clearing. From their respective locations, all five of her sisters did the same, even though their spells were far less powerful. Immediately upon breaking free of the trees, all six wolves began to fire spell after spell at Gehénnam. Roaring furiously, he opened his maw and spewed fire in a circle around the entire clearing to try to incinerate all six of the wolves at once.
All six wolves managed to avoid getting touched by the fire. In contrast, Gehénnam became even more infuriated and began to breathe fire at an even faster rate. Dodging between blasts of flame, Vaervenshalice, Shi’larra, and Jägerin tried to get up close to Gehénnam, but no matter how hard they tried, he always managed to use his barbed tail to keep them at bay. As they retreated, Vaervenshalice shouted, “He’s too strong! The five of us can’t hold out much longer Jägerin!”
“Fall back,” Jägerin shouted in reply, “I’ll finish him on my own!”
Guiltily, Vaervenshalice, Shi’larra, Zhuirentel, Chin’nesstre, and Ahrendaaria all backed away into the trees with mumbled apologies. With a sorrowful glance back at her sisters, Jägerin turned back to face Gehénnam just as he released a jet of fire aimed straight towards her. Without thinking, she shot a jet of water right towards him. to her surprise, it hit him and left a gash in his side.
Understanding flooded Jägerin’s thoughts as she watched him stumble in pain. Because he had such a high level of control over fire, it meant that he was also highly dependent upon fire. Since water quells fire, where he was struck by the water, his internal energy source was temporarily put out. Now that she had not only found, but understood Gehénnam’s weakness, she knew exactly how to defeat him.
Just as he recovered from her previous attack and refocused his attention on her, Jägerin whipped around and dashed to the edge of the clearing to give herself time to prepare her next spells. As Gehénnam rushed towards her, she released a large stream of water in his direction. Still dousing him in water, she reached deep within herself and brought up every bit of the ancient power that she could. Channeling that power into both her eyes and the Obsidian Crown, she began to cast a binding spell upon Gehénnam. He continued to try to fight through the stream of water that she was constantly pouring onto him.
Jägerin could feel her strength draining quickly, and with every shove, the water stream got weaker and Gehénnam gained a little bit of ground. Somehow he managed to spew a large jet of flame directly into the heart of her water stream. Although she tried to hold out, such a strong blow proved to be too much for Jägerin to handle. She collapsed on the ground, but managed to hold onto the last thread of power that was still rushing throughout her body. As Gehénnam loomed over her, just about to release a jet of flame that would instantly kill her, Jägerin’s eyes come to life with a fire of their own, her body filled with more power than she had ever dreamed of attempting to use at once, and shot straight through the body of Gehénnam, killing him.
Jägerin lay motionless on the ground as she let the power fade away. Her eyes drifted shut for a moment, before she forced herself to stand. It might have taken everything out of her to do it, but she had saved the world from incineration at the clutches of hellfire.
Twilight opened her eyes with a jolt. She was in complete shock and awe of what she had just seen. She saved the world? But then, what changed? Why does she want to destroy us now?
