Year 47 BNM
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The Order of Web was one of the older orders of unicorn knights. Rumor has it that the founding principles actually came from giant spider knights of eras past, but perhaps that was only myth and legend. Unfortunately, this age did not translate to reverence. Part of it was probably the fault of their code. Like most knighthoods, the Order of Web upheld its members to embody certain virtues. In this case, those virtues included subtlety and humility. Working in the shadows and avoiding praise and recognition typically had the effect of reducing praise and recognition, funnily enough. As such, the order had relatively low recruitment rates and couldn't afford to be overly picky with newer members.
Their newest member didn't mind too much, though: she preferred to stay out of the limelight if she could, and she wasn't one to turn down an easier recruitment process if it helped her out.
That isn't to say it wasn't still difficult, of course. Prospective knights were required to go out and perform some great feat: defeat monsters, rescue innocents, uphold law and honor, and so on. Fade had only just returned from such a trial, and was still riding the adrenaline wave.
"So, you defeated a wild manticore?" Fade nodded nervously, dropping the severed manticore stinger she had brought as proof.
"It was terrorizing the area. I know for a fact that this manticore had killed innocent ponies. I had to put a stop to it."
The elder knight nodded gravely, inspecting the stinger. He paused when he noticed the damage to her armor; there was a sizable hole in her peytral. His eyes widened. "My dear, are you alright? That is quite a scar, there."
She laughed weakly. "I am fine. As you can see I've returned safe and sound, after all. I can't say the same for my equipment though; the manticore did not go down without a fight."
"Indeed! Worry not, our smiths will be happy to assist you in repairing it, especially when they learn it assisted in the defeat of this beast. And what a beast it was, judging by the size of this trophy! I can say with confidence that you've passed your trial and are more than welcome in our order. You must be weary after your journey. Your chambers have been maintained in your absence. I will take your armor to the smiths so they may begin their work. Please, rest. You've earned it."
She nodded gratefully and sought her room after depositing her armor. The armor had not been the only thing damaged in the battle, but she feared letting on too much. The story involved more than beast and knight, and she did not want her peers and superiors questioning her story. Better to leave it simple and believable.
It took her a little effort, but she eventually found the nameplate indicating her room and stepped inside. It had been a life-changing week. She was full of new questions from her experiences, most of them directed toward herself. Was she doing the right thing? Was this really the direction she should be pointing her life?
There were various portraits scattered about the room. A pile of letters sat on her desk. Under her pillow was a journal that had been left behind. Fade decided to leaf through it, smiling at the crudely drawn knight on the cover. Fade lost herself in old memories.
She had dedicated herself to her chosen path, paying heed to little else. She hadn't had many friends before entering the order. Truthfully, she had very few close friends now. The other knights were like a family, but she was quiet and distant even with them. She was fine with solitude, and rarely opened up to others. Still, Fade could feel the love they all had for each other. The Order of Web would always be there for its own, through thick and thin.
Well, almost always. Her thoughts kept returning to her journey. She had been alone then. They had not been there to help her. If not for a chance encounter with a changeling, everything would have been different.
Several days ago~
A shrieking roar suddenly pierced the forest's tranquil peace. A changeling popped out of the brush it had been foraging through, looking around for the source of the noise. A second roar sounded, ending rather weakly, and the changeling began running toward it. She emerged into a clearing to find two bodies: one dead, and one dying.
The dead creature was a manticore, and a big one at that. It had been run through the heart with a blade, expertly wielded. It had been a quick, clean kill.
The dying one was a pony, a unicorn to be precise. She wore impressive armor and carried a long, steel blade. Well, she had been carrying a long, steel blade, but she had dropped it rather quickly as she collapsed, her horn fizzing out. The changeling ran over to the pony and gasped.
Her armor had been pierced by the manticore's sting, and it seemed the dose of poison she had received to her shoulder was anything but negligible. "You're hurt!" She tried to staunch the bleeding, but her perforated hooves were ill-suited to the task.
The knight, for what else could she be, turned her bleary eyes toward the new voice. "Oh... great... another monsssssster. I'm just to die after slaying the first one, am I? Fantastic."
The changeling ignored her and dragged her upright, half-carrying her out of the clearing. "Come with me. You're lucky: I was just gathering some herbs that should be able to help you."
The changeling brought the knight to her home and did her best to tend to her, wrapping her wound, feeding her, and fighting the poison with her own alchemy. The knight introduced herself, asking the changeling's name in turn, but the changeling explained that she had no given name, as she was only a drone.
The changeling explained that her hive had been destroyed, and that she now lived alone, here in the Leota Forest. The knight felt a kinship with this strange creature, as she also led a more isolated life than most. She told the changeling of herself, of life under the rule of the Unicorn Crown, of what little she knew of the earth pony and pegasus tribes, of her desire to be a force for honor and her decision to join a knighthood, and of her quest to prove herself that had ended with the nearly fatal battle with a manticore.
"Changeling, I must know, why are you helping me? If I had not been poisoned, I likely would have just slain you outright as a monster or abomination. Yet, you wasted no time rushing to my aid, a complete stranger. Why?"
The changeling smiled at her. "Because, changeling or not, you needed my help. And, it was an opportunity to make a new friend, and that is always worth it, especially for changelings."
The Knight stayed with the changeling for a few days, still battling the manticore's poison. During these days she came to consider the changeling a close friend, perhaps her first and only true friend. The changeling in turn was glad that she did not consider her a monster, and was happy for the freely given love.
Fade sighed and set the journal back down. It had pained her to leave her friend, but fate was sometimes cruel and could not be fought so easily. She looked through the pile of letters, looking for anything important that she should remember, and trying to memorize the hornwriting. The journal was a good primer, but anything to be read by other ponies was a higher priority.
It was too bad that the knight had died, but Fade would make the most of it. She would not let the knight's accomplishments go in vain. She would live her life in her stead, and uphold honor and righteousness in her name. Fade looked in the bedside mirror, ensuring her disguise was flawless, before heading out to meet her fellow knights. Her friend may have been solitary, but ponies can change, especially after returning from a harrowing trial.
She recalled her friends final words. "Please... don't let me die, don't let me fade." She had taken the name Fade in honor of that request. Though she couldn't stop her from dying, she could try to immortalize her another way. She could stop her from fading, and leave a memory worth remembering for others.
"I won't let you fade. I promise."
Author's Note
As always, criticisms are encouraged.
