Dust: An Equestrian Tail

"Though it may appear that Dust has fallen here today, a force of good is not so easily extinguished. Sen-Mithrarin was born of the dust, a current caught in the winds of change, a harbinger of storms yet to come..."

Fidget had been flying for days, exactly how many she was too exhausted to know, what she did know was she couldn't stop, not even for a second, or else she might lose sight of her quarry; the Blade of Ahrah, as well as it's dusty trail.

"Where are you going?" She asked herself, her usual high-pitched voice now slow and groggy through tiredness. She had tried to call out to the sentient blade on several occasions but it was either ignoring her or couldn't hear her.

Thanks to her recent quest that had taken her all over, and under, the land of Falana Fidget deduced that the blade and the strange dust storm that enveloped it were headed towards the Blackmoor Mountains, even if the reason why escaped her but she didn't much care where she was going as long as it meant she could see Dust again.

The memory of that day at the Everdawn Basin still plagued her, but it was also what motivated her the most; she hadn't yet made up her mind as to whether she wanted to bite Dust's face off for not escaping when he could or apologise to him for not trying hard enough to save him but she knew she defiantly wanted to do one of those things and so she followed Dust, or at least what she assumed was Dust, and Ahrah to wherever they were going until something happened.

"Until something happens... until something... something... " Fidget kept repeating, willing for a change, hoping that there was a way to fix every- something happened! Without warning the blade and it's cloudy escort violently changed course and started heading south towards the Glade at a much faster speed.

"Hey! Not so fast!" Fidget shouted and then took of after it flapping her bat-like wings with renewed vigour, "you're not losing me that easy!"

For a full hour Fidget kept up her pursuit until just as suddenly the blade stopped dead and the cloud of dust began to glow faintly.

"Whoa!" Fidget yelled as she almost collided with the floating blade. She let out a long sigh. "Phew... Now, do you care explaining what THAT was all about?" she demanded of the sword, with her arms crossed, but was met with only silence. "Hey? You in there? Hello!" Fidget began rapping her tiny paws on the hilt of the sword, expecting it to say something but again there was no response. "Well this is rude! First you fly of willy-nilly half way across Falana, not even giving me a heads-up, and now you're not even going to tell me why! And where is that light coming from!?" Fidget yelled in anger and shielded her large green eyes as the cloud's glow became much brighter.

Fidget's ears twitched as she heard a strange voice coming from Ahrah, but it was not it's usual voice; this was a woman's voice but it was too quiet to make out what it was saying. Fidget moved her paws away from her eyes to see what was happening and was meet with a bright light all around her that forced her to squint. "Who's that? What's going on here!?" Fidget was getting scared, she had never seen anything like this before, and now that the only thing that might have explained it all to her was speaking in an entirely different voice as well as ignoring her completely she broke down and started crying in frustration. "I JUST WANT DUST BACK!" She cried out in anguish, with tears streaming down her cheeks, as she tightly hugged the blade's hilt and kept her eyes shut when out of nowhere a heavy breeze picked up and steadily grew more and more fierce. Fidget could hear strikes of lightning and felt the tremendous force of the wind all around her, but did not look up or release her grip but she didn't know who much longer she could hold on.

Finally through a combination of exhaustion, shock and grief Fidget started to drift out of consciousness. Her last thought was that her best, and only, friend was dead and it was all her fault...

~~~~~~

When Fidget finally opened her eyes she was in a forest. Moonlight was leaking through gaps in the clouds and canopy above her and she could hear the sounds of animals darting through the undergrowth around her.

"Uggghh... My head..."- she began to massage her temples- "what was that? It felt like going through a teleporter... a really BIG teleporter..."

Fidget slowly got to her feet and took in her surroundings, noticing a large cave nearby and a few odd looking blue flowers. "Well if that WAS a teleporter where did it send me? This place looks like any other forest. Hey, Ahrah, do you know where we are?" she asked turning around, expecting the see the sword nearby, and came face to face with an angry looking creature. Fidget had never seen an animal that looked like this one before; it looked like a giant lizard aside from a few alterations, the major ones being the two muscular wings on it's back, not to mention the smoke pouring from the creature's nostrils.

"What do you think you're doing here?" it demanded of her in a deep and gruff voice.

"I... ah... I was... umm..." Fidget mumbled, unable to do much else through sheer terror.

"Speak up!" it roared at her, giving Fidget a good look at the razor sharp teeth that filled it's mouth.

"I don't know!" she squealed in fear and raised her paws over her head, "please don't eat me!"

"I hadn't planed to, but now that you've given me the idea..." it growled with a smirk and advanced towards the terrified Fidget.

"No! Please!"

"Leave her alone," a new voice said in a calm tone but with enough bite that it could not be mistaken for anything other that a threat. Or at least it was a new voice to the beast, for Fidget it was a voice she had been longing to hear. She turned and saw him standing there, the same as he always was, as if nothing had happened; the same pale blue robe and his signature satgat that covered his face with his pointy ears poking through the top of it and his bushy tail held rigidly out behind him, with the blade of Ahrah in his hand, pointed straight at the creature.

"Dust?..." Fidget whispered to herself in disbelief

"And who are you!?" the oversized reptile roared.

"I am no one you want to upset, so I suggest you back away from my friend." That earned a short deep laugh from the beast.

"What do you think you can do against me you puny thing? If I wished I could crush you in an instant!"

"Try it." This time there was venom in his voice. It was no longer a threat but a challenge, a fact that everyone present picked up on.

"Fine!" the monster snarled in anger "let's see what you're made of, runt!"

Suddenly a torrent of flame erupted from the creature's mouth, but Dust was fast and agile enough to easily avoid it and close the distance on the monster. When the creature noticed it's attack was not hitting anything but some rocks it stopped and scanned the area for it's prey when a swarm of strange glowing projectiles enveloped and struck it's entire head, mimicking the feeling of being shoved into a wasp's nest but on a grater scale, and when the swarm finally dispersed a streak of pain racked the creature's snout as Dust flew by and lashed out with Ahrah. The beast, getting frustrated, took to the air but was halted when lightning struck almost every inch of its body and momentarily grounded him, but the smallest moment was enough. Dust moved like water, quickly striking the beast then leaping away from it's swipes and landing more blows on it's opposite side.

"No more!" the creature pleaded as it slumped to the ground and covered it's eyes "I surrender!" It then looked up when it heard the sound of it's attacker approaching.

"You surrender?" he asked, his voice still in the same calm yet terrifying tone.

"Yes!"

"What if that isn't good enough?"

The creature looked up in confusion and saw a sword pointed straight at him. "I... what?"

Fidget also spoke up "Dust? what are you saying?"

"I'm saying this monster doesn't get to surrender. It was going to kill you! And now it grovels for it's life and expects me to grant it!?" Dust yelled at his companion.

"We beat him Dust! He's not going to bother us anymore! Let's just leave!" she yelled back, getting scared at her friend's words.

"No. I'm going to make sure this thing doesn't hurt anyone ever again." Dust growled, then raised the Blade of Ahrah high above his head but just before he brought it slicing down on his mark a new voice interjected, this one coming from the sword itself.

"Dust, you know what is forcing you do this. Do not give in to Cassius' will. Jin is better than this, and so are you." The blade spoke with a voice that hinted at it's great knowledge and wisdom, but also as a friend.

"I..." Dust stammered before lowering the sword to his side. "You are right. Let's go. And you," he pointed to the downed creature, "if I ever catch you again-"

"You won't!" It interrupted, hastily "I'll leave Equestria for good! I swear I'll never hurt another living soul! Thank you!" it blurted and then took to the sky and flew far out of sight in the blink of an eye.

"Equestria? What-" Dust began to question until Fidget butted in.

"Not so fast mister! You are going to explain what is going on, right NOW!" she yelled, hovering directly in front of Dust's face. For a minuet or so the only sound to be heard was the wind in the trees and the crickets in the undergrowth. Both Dust and Fidget stared into each other's eyes, Fidget as though she was about to explode in fury and Dust as though he wanted to say a million things at once, but neither they nor Ahrah said a word.

Fidget had enough of the silence, "Well if that's-" Dust then silenced her with a strong hug that pressed her head hard into his neck and pinned her wings to her back. "...Dust... I can't breath..." she rasped weakly as she felt the air being pushed out of her.

"Sorry," Dust mumbled, releasing his grip, "I just..." Fidget looked into the face of her dearest friend and saw tears swelling in his eyes.

"Hey now," she cooed, patting Dust on the shoulder, "don't you start crying, otherwise you'll get Ahrah choked up and trust me that is something you do not want to see." The blade let out a small chuckle at that

"I will admit, I am happy to see us all reunited," it commented.

"I'm sorry for what I put you through," Dust said, releasing Fidget from his grasp.

"You mean you knew I was following you all that time?" Fidget asked, a puzzled look on her face.

"Sort of," he replied, also looking confused, "it was like I was in a dream; I saw things all around me, images of places or people, some I recognised but most I didn't," he explained, "but I could always see you in the distance," he ended with a smile, that earned a similar one from Fidget.

"You were in a place between worlds," Ahrah clarified, "I will explain more soon, but first I think it would be wise to leave the area," it continued with a touch of concern.

"Is something wrong, Ahrah?" Dust asked.

"There is a presence in this forest, a strong one." Dust could tell by it's tone that Ahrah was keeping something back

"Ahrah?"

"It is evil, Dust. Very evil."

"Exactly how evil are we talking?" Fidget asked, visibly shaking in fear

"It is darker than anything else I have come across. Which is why I suggest we leave sooner, rather than later."

"Very well, but when we can I want some answers," Dust stated.

"Hmm... lost in a strange new place, a lot of questions and an overbearing sense of bigger things to come... why do I feel like I've done this before?" Fidget mused, sarcastically, eliciting a smirk from Dust as the group started to move off.

~~~~~~

"Do you have any idea where you're going?" A irritated Fidget asked Dust after almost two hours of aimless wandering.

"This way," An equally irritated Dust replied, "You know if you just flew above the canopy you might be able to spot some signs of civilization."

Fidget crossed her arms in defiance. "No. You know how I feel about heights, Dust."

"Aren't you also afraid of the dark?" Dust replied with a smirk. Until now Fidget had done well in ignoring how frightening the forest was but after Dust's statement the realization hit her hard.

"I hate you," she mumbled before flying up through the trees, trying to ignore the shadows they cast all around her. Once she broke the tree line Fidget scanned the horizon looking for anything that might suggest a settlement.

"Do you see anything?!" Dust's voice yelled from somewhere below her.

"Yes! A very big forest that goes on forever!" she called back.

"You know what I meant! Is there a village somewhere?!"

"If there was I would have said so!"

"There must be something!"

"Well there isn't! All  I can see up here is trees!"

"Look harder!"

"How about you come up here and look?! I'm telling you there's nothi- wait..."

"Fidget?!"

"I can see lights!"

"Excellent! Where?!"

"To the west!" Fidget then began to fly back towards Dust, and the more comforting lower altitude, "but it'll take us a while to get there."

"At least we have a heading," Ahrah spoke once Fidget returned.

"Well let's go then!" Fidget chirped while flapping in the direction of the lights before Dust called to her.

"Uhh, Fidget? That's east..."

"Oh... That's what I meant to say..."

A smirk found it's way onto Dust's face again. "Riiiiight, of course it was."

Fidget glared at her companion."Shut up," she mumbled before carrying on.

"Should we tell her that was the direction we were already going?" a wry sounding Ahrah asked Dust, once Fidget was out of ear shot

"I'm sure she already knows."

After more trekking Ahrah suddenly spoke up, "Dust, hold!"

"What is it, Ahrah?"

"Is it monsters?" Fidget yelped, "please say it isn't monsters!"

"Someone is trying to get my attention..." The blade replied, then whispered to itself almost in disbelief, "... someone familiar."

"I don't see anyone," Dust mussed, glancing around.

"I'm not surprised," Ahrah said, a little amused as Dust's naivety, "whoever this person is they are reaching out to me through some kind of magic."

"Are you sure it isn't that dark evil thingy from before?" Fidget questioned, sounding nervous.

"Very sure," Ahrah assured her, "this person could not be more opposite from that presence."

"Where are they?" Dust probed

"Not far from us, further down our path. Should I try to respond?"

"Yes, the more allies we have here the better."

"Good idea," Fidget piped, "It's always nice to have friends... especially in dark scary forests."

"You've got me," Dust reminded her.

"Can you use magic?" Fidget asked him, rhetorically.

"That's what you're here for, I can't be spending time in battle firing off lightning and the such."

"You also can't spend time out of battle not being sarcastic apparently."

"Sorry to interrupt," Ahrah spoke, not sounding sorry at all, "but this... caller is heading towards us as we speak, if we continue we should meet them soon."

"Well let's not keep them waiting," Dust responded before taking off into the undergrowth.

She was waiting for them in a small clearing when they found her. Her presence literally illuminated the area as if she carried a piece of sunlight.  "Ahrah, my old friend it has been far too long."

"Indeed it has, Princess Celestia."