A Harsh Cure

A Harsh Cure

Chapter 3: Determining a Path

It took another hour of slowly trekking through the wastes before the group finally encountered a landmark they could use. The pegasi swooped in from scouting out Cloudsdale, while the griffons swiftly followed after checking out Canterlot.

"We've got half of Cloudsdale still floating up there," Lightning Dust said.

Surprisingly, it was Knight Gilda who reacted first. "Survivors?" she asked. She tapped her talons against the ground impatiently.

"Didn't see anypony," Lightning Dust replied. Her expression darkened further. "Well...we saw something."

Beside Lightning Dust, Flash Sentry nodded. "There's some kind of monstrous...thing flying around Cloudsdale's remains," he said. He glanced away, lips grim and straight. "It didn't resemble a spell fury. Given the identity of the last unique monster we encountered..."

"That would be assuming too much, Sentry," Shining Armor said. "Let's just take note that Cloudsdale must be being used as some kind of outpost." He looked to Knight Gilda and the other griffons. "What about Canterlot?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, your highness," Gustaf said. "But I'm assuming that Canterlot isn't supposed resemble a mountain of gems to make even a dragon blush."

"No," Shining Armor said. "Did you spot some kind of unique monster in there as well?"

"Not visually," Georg rasped. His talons plucked nervously on some beads he was wearing around his neck. "I sensed such a creature through magic. Something has settled in the capital, and has been doing a lot of redecorating. From the taste, you'd think it was some kind of demon magpie. I also confirm what Moon Lance felt earlier. This place is affecting any magic, not just unicorns."

"What of the princesses?" Shining Armor asked. "Any sign of either Princess Celestia or Princess Luna?"

Georg shook his head. "Knight Gilda and Gustaf searched high and low while I magically scanned as thoroughly as possible," he said. "Not even a trace."

Shining Armor cursed under his breath. He had expected this, but he had hoped to have found something by now: a stray group of surviving ponies, one of the royalty, his sister. Especially his sister. The barrenness of the surrounding land was becoming more and more oppressive. As they moved deeper and deeper into Equestria, even the groups of shamblers and furies had stopped appearing. The still, stagnant air seemed to magnify even the smallest sound. Each ragged breath they took, each loose pebble that skittered across the ground, each clink of their armor and weapons, grated on Shining Armor. Equestria, his beautiful homeland, was never this silent and drab. The songs of birds, the lively talk among ponies, the normal hubbub of daily life, always filled the air. Every turn showed vibrant colors and pleasant sights.

"We push onward then," Shining Armor said. "Ponyville will answer some questions."

"It better," Knight Gilda muttered.  She took a gulp from her canteen, and fell in line with the rest of the group as Shining Armor took the lead. Lightning Dust's report seemed to have knocked some wind out of her. Shining Armor thought it was odd when Lightning Dust herself, who was born in Cloudsdale, didn't seem too perturbed. Indeed there was some kind of eager look to her. She had seen something in Cloudsdale, perhaps in that unique monster flying around it.

Ponyville wasn't far off from where they were. Indeed, they could already see where it on the horizon. Shining Armor's eyes narrowed a the side of what would be his sister's force field encapsulating all of Ponyville. Was that a protection spell? Had Twilight managed to save the village at least? He wanted to believe so, even though he knew that Applejack had apparently not enjoyed that protection.

Getting to Ponyville, however, became increasingly difficult. Massive, glowing crevasses made traveling by land nearly impossible. On several occasions, they had to rely on teleportations and their flyers carrying the others across.

"Thanks for being a gigantic, armored slab of steak, Whirlwind," Knight Gilda said as she and the other griffons air-lifted the minotaur across a deep chasm. "I needed the workout!"

"You're welcome, griffon," Whirlwind replied. "I like my drumsticks lean."

That was the last chasm they had to cross before they finally got close enough. For their troubles, they were greeted by the impassive purple walls of Twilight's barrier. Combat Casting held on to his bone-linked necklace and extended a palm towards the force field. "Impressive magical strength," he said. He looked to the others, Shining Armor, Moon Lance, and Georg in particular. "We're not going through this any time soon."

Shining Armor, his horn also glowing as he examined the powerful barrier that encapsulated Ponyville, could only nod. This massive dome had all the signatures of Twilight's spellcasting. But it was off. He had worked with magical shields for most of his life, and he knew more than anypony about stability, strength, and other variables. This one's construction just felt...sick. The size was impressive, without a doubt, but it gave off the presence of a gigantic tumor, a diseased thing feeding on Twilight's magic. It had to go, and further examination already gave him a clue.

"Perhaps not soon," Shining Armor said. "But it's not impossible. This shield is already damaged."

"Aye," Georg said. "I can sense it, like hairline cracks on a fine diamond. The thing is, even a cracked diamond is extremely difficult to break."

"Then we shall add more cracks!" Whirlwind said. "Clearly, we've done something already to weaken this thing. We just need to do more."

Shining Armor concentrated further, forcing himself to look beyond the horrid state of this shield and what it could mean for the seeming source of it. What had been done to damage this thing? The only unique thing the Crystal Empire and its allies had done was...

The answer was obvious of course. He glanced at the others. The casters among the group were quick to recognize it as well, but the rest were only a few moments behind to get a grasp of the situation. "This shield is being powered externally," he said. "If we break its sources, it will weaken enough for an onslaught."

"We already killed one of its sources," Whirlwind said with a grin. "And we already know where two others might be. Things are looking up."

"No, Whirlwind," Shining Armor said. "No, it's not."

"Your highness," Flash Sentry said. "What do we do next? Do we return to the Crystal Empire and regroup?"

Lightning Dust crossed her front hooves across her chest. "Empire troops will take forever to clear a wide enough path to this place! And that's not counting working with our neighbors here. It's already a miracle we even got them to the borders."

Shining Armor shook his head. "We should...but we can't. There's a time element to consider as well." He looked to the shield. "This thing is pulsing, like a very nasty boil about to burst. I don't think we have the option of spending enough time to get our main forces here."

"He's right," Georg said. "The Aerie Lords will squawk forever about how many troops to devote to this endeavor."

"Imperial troops will get mired on the way," Combat added. "And we'd insist on clearing every location. If we want to break this shield down and get to the source of this madness, we can't wait for a full frontal assault."

Flash Sentry looked around worriedly. "Highness, what exactly do you mean by 'burst'?"

Shining Armor's frown deepened. "I don't know," he said. He closed his eyes, trying to piece together some conclusion with all these little fragments of familiar elements in the magical shield before him. All he could focus on was what Twilight had to do with this. Was she trapped somewhere inside that dome, being forcibly drained of her magic to power this thing. Or was she standing at the center of this madness as its willing perpetrator?

"Your highness?" Flash Sentry asked again.

"We can only guess, Sentry," Shining Armor said at last. "That's why we're trying to get to the heart of this. I suspect, however, that the initial magical blast that ruined Equestria is only a herald, the first effect of some kind of spell."

Combat Casting scratched his goatee. "That's an ominous conclusion, your highness," he said.

"The flow of magic since that first explosion hasn't stopped," Shining Armor said. He pawed the ground, and looked a his armored hoof, wrinkling his nose at the lingering magic on the grains of dirt clinging to the metal. "This is all one spell: the blast, the devastation, those monsters pouring out, and this shield. The longer we wait, the more time we give it to complete. I don't want to see what lies at the end of this spell."

"Then let's get moving!" Whirlwind said. He hefted his hammer across his shoulders.

"That flying one doesn't look like it's going to leave Cloudsdale any time soon," Lightning Dust said. "Unless it's stupid enough to let us bait it into charging to where the rest of the group is." She smirked. "Well, if it is Rainbow Dash..."

Knight Gilda glared at Lightning Dust. "Is that why you're so eager?" she asked.

Lightning Dust shrugged. "I wouldn't mind pitting myself against whatever monster Rainbow Dash...or the Element of Kindness. Whichever that monster is."

"It's true that the first unique encounter we faced was Applejack, the Element of Honesty," Georg said. "And that these immense sources of power could be responsible for her unique appearance in comparison to the rank and file of these creatures. But perhaps it's too early to assume that the others followed."

"We'll see then," Lightning Dust said. "I'll bring the flying monster's head, and watch with the rest of you if it transforms into Rainbow Dash's." She flapped her wings as if to take off for Cloudsdale already, but Flash Sentry stood in her way.

"Stop right there, Dust," Flash Sentry said. "We move out when his highness says so."

Lightning Dust snorted. "You sure you have the right cutie mark there, Flash?" she asked. "I think it should show a nose that's a particular color!"

To his credit, Flash Sentry simply frowned, and held his ground.

Shining Armor pondered for a while. He didn't know the extent of Lightning Dust's animosity towards one of his sister's friends, but that was hardly important. It shouldn't be that surprising either that the griffons knew much about Equestria's most powerful sources of magic. It wasn't like Equestria ever bothered to hide it. All the UGA's agents had to do was ask around and they'd eventually know all about the Elements of Harmony and the names of the individuals that currently abandoned them. The more pressing concern however, was whether he should split the party up or concentrate their efforts.

Their time constraints meant that they had to break this dome down as quickly as possible. Defeating multiple sources of what's powering it right away would make things swifter. Especially if it was true that the Elements of Harmony had turned. That would be five.

Shining Armor shut his eyes tightly for a brief moment. No, it was six. By the Crystal Heart, even considering it felt like some small betrayal. Besides, if this was Twilight's shield, she should be inside, unlike the others. She could be better off. Or worse.

The problem was that he may be underestimating these creatures. It took the combined might of him, Cadence, and a number of troops to take down the monster Applejack had become. Separating his flyers would mean leaving a trio of griffons and two pegasi to deal with the flying monster. His ground team would just be him, Moon Lance, Whirlwind, and Combat Casting. A risky proposition. Without backup, a mistake in any of these fights would doom them, and guarantee that this spell would continue with its next phase before.

What a gamble it would be then. Play it safe now, and ensure the survival of his group. Put his trust in their fighting skills, and he might, just might, save somepony within that dome.

The others looked to him. Lightning Dust, Knight Gilda, and Whirlwind, looked the most eager to try. Flash Sentry, Moon Lance, and even Gustaf, didn't share that enthusiasm, but they were loyal soldiers ready to lay down their lives on his decision. Combat Casting and Georg appeared to have their doubts. Understandable. They had a better sense of the powerful magics at work here. Perhaps they were simply being pragmatic. Chances were, there were no more ponies left to save here. Not even the Elements of Harmony. Especially not the Elements of Harmony.

Another moment passed before Shining Armor made his decision. "Get ready," he said. "We're splitting up."