Equinox

Smoke stopped rising after a few hours, but that hadn’t stopped her. Mariel had climbed down the precipice as fast as her legs could run and once in leveled terrain she’d sprung in a galloping frenzy. Mariel had a slim complexión, but even with Takai at her back she was able to travel over fifteen miles at full speed before the kitsune made her stop. Takai had already told her to rest, to save strength, but the mare was stubborn as herself, and if he hadn’t been pushed to resort to acupuncture to stop her on her tracks she would probably suffered a cardiac arrest.

     Lest to that say how she sotpped wasn’t pretty.

“You know these kind of things are because I doubted to bring you along” commented Takai as he cleaned his mask from the dirt and grass in the river’s marsh. “Because sometime I knew we would go down to this.”

“You brought me along?” Mariel asked back from her lying place, disbelieved. “Nice way to speak to the one mare who’s cared for you!”

“I never say anything about that!” he replied. “I’m just saying that you’re taking things too heartened, that’s all. We could have helped those mares back in the campsite, but instead you didn’t doubted in dumping them to their own fortune! Ittai, we don’t even know if we’re going to get out of here alive!”

“Who says I’m expecting to get out of here alive…” she muttered.

“STOP THAT!” he turned to her, his fox face still bare, showing the irritation those words had caused him. “Look, you have enough reasons as me to hate him, I understand, really, but to die in the way to the last battle is a vengeance not worthwhile.”

     Mariel quiet for a few moments, then snorted.

“Kitsune philosophy?”

“Common sense. Something you hosu seem to lack a lot.”

“Figures…” she sighed. “Still. You made me stop, you won. Why don’t you unparalize me?”

“So you can beat me until I pretend to be dead? Don’t think I haven’t learn anything since that Breezes-savage brutalized me! She was lucky I didn't have my sword, otherwise-”

“Ahem…” she called him back. “Mittens and Chilly Breezes didn’t know you, and Jingle Jangle either. Would you like to be handled by a complete stranger? …And besides I've told you many times over that mares are the dominant gender in pony society, so what you did was really out of hand.”

“Females ruling a society. HA! No wonder why you hosu have so much trouble-” he stopped when he saw Mariel’s facial expression. “…As a personal opinion of course. A very personal one-”

“Don’t push it, just… Let it be” she shook her head. “I’ll forget you said that.”

“Well, thank you” he said as he got out of the water.

“You’re welcome” she answered, still serious. “Now about my legs…”

“Ah, don’t you think that I am getting you to your Kitsune-beating mood!” he sat beside her and pulled a paper folded package. “We will just wait until you can walk again. Besides I haven’t eaten yet” he teared the paper and took out a rice cake, which he didn’t loose time in start devouring. “Want some?”

Twenty Minutes Later…

     I hate mares. Those words repeated inside him like an anthem. I really hate them…

     Mariel had regained her strength in the time the kitsune had anticipated, and it all seemed good… That was until he was beaten up by her in a manner that made Breezes hits look like caresses. Now, he was sure, his ribs would hurt for the rest of the day, and he would be coughing dirt for the rest of the week. The kitsune rose his mask to spit again. The taste of blood in his mouth was such that he found it strange that he hadn’t loose any teeth.

     He would need weeks to heal himself, not to speak of his quest, but on the bright side, Mariel had calmed down, and now had paced herself from a full continued gallop to an intermittent trot, which for the moment he was glad for, but was the most unpleasant for all of his bruises bumping up.

“Oh, Bodhisattva…” he groaned when he touched his lower back, where Mariel had landed a kick with her full strength, and demonstrated in the process that she didn’t need to be larger to have such force.

“I told you to unparalize me. If you’d have complied this would have never happened” she replied below him. “Besides, I already apologized for that.”

“Ah, you hosu are crazy…” he sighed in defeat. “But I guess it’s my fault for not noticing before.”

     He couldn’t see her face, but in that moment he was sure that Mariel struck a half smile.

“Apology accepted.”

“Anyway, didn’t we have an Oni to hunt down?”

     Mariel snorted amusingly, but deep within Takai could tell how much of a killjoy his commentary was to her.

“And now you want to end this quickly?”

“Let’s stay focused” he shrugged. “I don’t want to end up being taken by surprise by that thing” A shiver went down his back at the thought of it. “I just… Wouldn’t like being turned. Can’t even imagine how it must feel.”

“Trust me, we won’t” she assured him with a serious tone.

     Another shiver, this time more powerful.

“Okay, if you say so…”

“I do” she sentenced. “Let’s go.”

     It didn’t took more than an hour to get to the place. The sun had risen almost to the point of zenith and there was no more smoke in the sky. Mariel and Takai didn’t had to struggle before finding a way into their destination. As soon as the earth started to show the natural slope of the mountain side, a finely craved dirt road appeared before them. Almost as if it were pointing the direction. Mariel didn’t hesitate to follow it, this time starting to accelerate unconsciously because of her expectation. Takai had dedicated his time mostly to calm himself, he was true when he said that he didn’t wanted to face Ryakudatsu unprepared, but in the face of the circumstances, he couldn’t deny that he felt nervous. In normal circumstances, he would have resorted to meditation, as his master had taught him, but Mariel apparently wasn’t of the same idea, and before he could notice they were already standing before it. Then in that sole moment his inner peace went away. There was nothing relieving about that place.

     The site was a town, or at least used to be before the sole reason they were there wrecked the whole place. A great building raised at its centre, reached by four separare roads upon which houses and other constructs piled in relative order, at least if somepony were still alive there. At both sides of a main street, collapsed roofs and the remains of what used to be a fire, now turned into a pile of carbonized logs, emitted a light white smoke, no longer being able to feed from the dirt of the road. Around, on the outer structures, over the ground, and even still on some standing tables, the signs of occupation displayed told of a recent conflict. Even though the destruction had taken away most of its buildings, the place still had the distinctive features of a Histling colony.

     Everything was quiet, not even nature herself daring to show up. Birds and other wildlife sounds had fled or rather died out, leaving behind the noise of crackling wood and the stench of past fear. Nothing remained save for a mute note, the unrecognizable tone of the absence of life. And that was that, there were nothing else that indicated the loss of lives, or even the existence of blood, that would otherwise indicate at least if there had been casualties.

     Takai watched the devastation of the place awestruck but said nothing. In the presence of such a scene there was nothing to say. Everything was all too wrong… And all too familiar.

“Takai” Mariel broke the silence, letting him off of her back. “Stay alert.”

     The kitsune landed a few steps away, wincing from the pain of using his legs to support his body agin. He glared back at Mariel, but the mare had already moved on. He puffed.

     Seriously, what’s up with her?

     He’d have to find out later. For now there were more urgent matters. Mariel hadn’t let Takai down for nothing, and as soon as he deemed the task of comprehending the female of pony species impossible for the hundredth time he ventured further with his companion, who already had taken a little advantage on her own.

     Mariel was not oblivious to the state of things around, he could tell, but by looking at her, Takai couldn’t make if she was deliberately ignoring the town as she made her way to the hall, or just was lost in her thoughts. Either way she didn’t seem to be moved in the conventional way of the word by what she was seeing, but mirroring it instead, like some kind of reflecting surface that concealed what was truly happening inside her.

     It’s not strange to think, he said to himself. After all, she has been through this before.

“Takai” she called him.

     As the kitsune had pondered about his friend, Mariel had continued exploring, and now was at the center to the town, facing the large wooden doors of the hall. The only ones that were completely closed, now that he thought. Before another thing happened, he was already at her side.

“What do you think this means?”

“I don’t know” she said, still staring at the wooden planks. In her semblance there was something that he couldn’t recognize for its futility. Remembrance? Takai couldn’t continue analyzing her because she had already turned to him, her horn glowing as purple as the handle of the door. “Let’s get this over with.”

     The handle began to rise and the door crackled when the pressure began to pull it out, as if its hinges had never been oiled. Takai tried to remain collected, but his hand had already taken the hilt of his sword, and were readying to unsheathe it. The door began to move. At his side, Mariel was focused on trying to displace the object, but in her eyes, the tension of jumping inside with her sword out was almost tangible. The gap became wither, and through it the sunlight was beginning to creep inside. Takai remained in his place even though his eyes desired to get inside there.

     From within the hall, a distinctive stench reached his nose, and even Mariel’s for the wince that crossed through her face. The kitsune fought the impulse of covering his nose for not being prepared to kill whatever could peek its ugly head from that aperture. The smell was terrible, but all the more too familiar. It was a stink of rotten things with a touch of iron. Almost as if it were bl-

     Something ripped his attention from the entrance. Suddenly, a loud noise of something falling reached his ears and raised the fur of his hindhead. Next thing that happened, the kitsune had turned and unshaded his sword, seeing how the blade gleamed with the high sun. Mariel must had heard it too, because not a moment after she was already beside him, sword drawn as well.

“What happened?” she asked as her sight shifted from one corner to another.

“I heard something” Takai placed facing backwards to Mariel’s rear and both started to scan their surroundings. “You think-?”

“No” she whispered. “They’d have already attacked us by now.”

“Okay” his eyes turned to somewhere in the road, just from where they’d come from. “And Ryakudatsu?”

     Takai strained his ears, and in another second he heard it again. There was something coming from there. With care, he pointed his guard towards where the road turned into a downward slope, pending from anything that may peek over there as if he could shoot it from where he was. At his side, Mariel had assumed guard stance towards the same direction.

“I guess we’ll find out…” she muttered through the hilt of her sword.

     A second passed, and then another one. Time marched inexorably as they waited, and the hands on Takai’s katana fastened their grip. He was in a high guard that he’d seen in a painting, and in his face, through his mask, his factions were as hard as stone. The sounds of the road started to clarify. He didn’t wanted to show, but something inside him was worried. Ryakudatsu was an Oni, an unholy demon from Diyu, and he… Well, he’d never been the best of fighters, not to say the most cunning of priests. Even when he was an apprentice he had to be put down several times because of his clumsiness! And here he was now, facing with one of the Seven Torments of Indar. The sounds of the road started to become almost discernible. Whatever was below it would appear at any moment. Takai’s hands fastened so tight around the handle, that he was impressed he didn’t break it. There was no way out of it. He would have to fight.

     Oh I hate karma so much…

“Mariel?” the voice that unexpectedly emerged from out of sight made both of them jump.

     Mariel instantly shut off her horn, which was glowing with a dangerous light, wincing from frustration and anger as she did, and Katai lost his balance and tripped backwards, almost cutting his friend, who instantly glared back at him. Takai outlined an ‘I’m sorry’ face, but then remembered he had a mask.

     This day’s been just perfect, hasn’t it! He thought with contempt as he got up again. He was about to speak but Mariel had seized her advantage.

“Who goes there?” she spoke back, more like a threat. “Show yourself!”

     There was no response from the other side, and for a moment tension began to rise again, but luckily it wouldn’t return as it was a moment ago. Just when she showed her head over the cover of the hill Takai thanked and cursed at the same time when he recognized the forms of Mittens and Chilly Breezes walking toward them as the last was being aided by Jingle Jangle.

“So, this is where you ran off” pouted Breezes. “You could at least let us know that you were going to leave before dropping us in the middle of nowhere!”

“What is this place?” asked Breezes as she stared at the deplorable state of the town. “What happened here-?”

     She stopped when she found herself face to face with Mariel, who more than a grateful expression was striking a spear like glare at her. Just like a mother who’s found her fillies doing something they weren’t supposed to. Takai didn’t know what to expect, but in the presence of that look, even him backed away a little.

“I-” Mittens began, but never finished.

“I told you we would be back!” Mariel exclaimed sternly. “Why did you followed us?”

     Mittens was about to answer, but appeared to have second thoughts against that heavy look. Takai didn’t know why, but something inside him just yelled to his conscience to interfere. Before things went out of hand.

“How did you get here so fast?” he asked loud enough for his voice to break through the two mares. “I mean, it took us several hours to get here, and you should have moved faster than Mariel at full speed.”

     Mariel in that moment broke away and redirected her gaze at him, who in that instant didn’t wish for anything else rather than for the mare to have mercy on him, but on Mittens’s side, her stare wasn’t reprovingly, but grateful.

“We took a boat!” put in Jingle.

“The goblins left an escape boat hidden in the cliff foot” continued Breezes. “We just took it and followed the stream. The rest was easy.”

“See?” carried Mittens. “There’s a perfectly reasonable explanation as to how we got here!”

     But that didn’t move Mariel.

“You didn’t answer my question” she pressed, more threatening. “Why did you followed us?”

     Mittens gave another step back when her furious sight set on her, and in their respective places all the witnesses became tenser. Takai would have liked to avoid these kinds of situations, but now it seemed that there wasn’t anything he could do to this. He just hoped that Mittens would have something clever to say.

     But she didn’t say anything. She just deviated her gaze as if she were a scolded filly, which seemed only to enrage Mariel further.

“Do you even realize what you’ve done?” she carried on. “This is no game or adventure affair. By coming here you’ve put yourself and your companions at risk! Do you sincerely think that’s worthwhile!?”

“No” she whispered, barely audible for Takai’s ears, lest to say the presents’. “We… Just wanted to know-”

“Know what? How much can you last before you all die!? How responsible do you think is that?” she almost screamed. “I told you before, and I’ll tell you again. This is not of your business, SO STAY AWAY FROM THIS!!!”

     Her last words resonated even to the sides to the mountains, and if they didn’t caused a landslide it was because of the grace of the Housemaster herself. Takai had taken a step back at her reaction as if her voice were a physical form of pushing them away, and for what he could see in the others, they weren’t any better. Jingle looked as if she was about to cry, and Breezes wasn’t too far behind. For as comical as he thought of it somehow the seriousness of the situation placated it that instant.

     Mariel hadn’t moved, and like an executioner, she seemed to hear a sentence to carry out against Mittens, who was so shocked as if she’d struck her with a magic bolt. But Mariel, thankfully, was no felon, or at least not in that way, and instead of cinder her with an almighty blast, she just sighed instead.

“I guess the damage’s already done…” she shook her head disappointingly, then turned to Mittens. “Do you want to know what are we doing here?” she asked, but not without that grave tone. Mittens didn’t say anything, but nodded with the same air of severity, like trying to assert her decision. Mariel hold her gaze at her for another second and then turned away. “Fine” she headed back to the great hall, though that scent of graveness was still on her. “Follow me then.”

     Mittens doubted to comply, but after a change of looks with Breezes and Takai she went after her. Mariel made her way to the great building, where the doors were still in the verge of opening, and stood before the place in silence until Mittens got to her. Takai got himself behind the two of them, but he could see the questioning look in Mittens’s eyes towards Mariel. He was about to get there, but the stern gaze of the other mare made him change his mind. He wondered what could be inside that Mariel wanted to show her, until he remembered the smell of iron, then he turned back to the other two, who looked curious.

“Don’t get near” he said to Jingle. “For your own sake.”

     Jingle looked back at him with confusion, but Breezes, who seemed to get it faster, gave him an understanding look. Takai nodded slightly to confirm and then went on his way. He didn’t take more than ten seconds to reach them, but by then Mariel had made her point. The unicorn had opened the door and both mares had just stepped inside. Takai stopped at the entrance when the stench invaded his nose once again, and even gave a few steps back in utter horror when the sight of what was inside peeked the corner of his eyes.

     The structure hadn’t been exempted from damage, like he’d thought. A great whole in the roof was showing in the room. The sunlight was at a perfect angle to enter the place and illuminate the interior, which only augmented the balefulness of the scene. The sight was such that even for a moment Takai couldn’t control his impulse to run away. In the floor, the walls and even the beams of the roof that were still standing, things hanged or lied inert, lightly rocking with the mountain winds. Pieces of things, so shattered that they were no longer recognizable, that used to be alive…

     Takai had already expected this to happen, but this time he had to recognize that his objective’s malice had reached a new level. This wasn’t at all like he used to kill. This was far more cruel, and far more horrifying. Perhaps he’d learned the value of pony souls, or that he wasn’t in Indar anymore. Whatever it was it seemed that he had changed his ways, and that only served to terrify him all the more.

     The kitsune fell to his knees and joined his hands in praying sing.

“Holy Bodhisattva give me strength” he repeated over and over with zealous fervor.

     But if that was the reaction on him, what the sight of death caused in Mittens made his own look as futile as a simple shrug. The mare, as soon as she realized completely what had happened, opened her eyes wide, in her face the tangible sign that the darkness that had taken away her thoughts made it turn pale. Her ears, otherwise risen, suddenly became low and remained there, showing how much she was being overcame. Mariel reacted as well, but not with as much intensity. The mare just lowered her head in sadness and grief, and didn’t move any forward, not even when her horrified companion run passed her, tears of desolation flowing free through her eyes.

     Mittens ran away from the great hall, and passed Takai galloping so fast that he thought for a moment that she weren’t the same pony.

“Mittens, what is it?” called her Breezes, not so far away. “What did you see?“

     Mittens stopped on her tracks and stared blankly at her friend and the filly. There was a feral fear on her features. Instead of saying anything Mittens turned away and ran off to the first place where she could peek out of sight. Next thing that happened the pony emptied her stomach of her breakfast.

“Now you understand?” Mariel appeared from inside the door, shutting it close at her back. “You need to leave or else all of you will be in danger.”

“How…” Mittens panted from her hiding place. “Why?”

“I told you you were a good mare” Mariel made her way to her. “But sometimes being good is not enough.”

“I can’t believe he did this” muttered Takai as he stood up. “He is getting out of his way to feed.”

“And that’s not the end of the problem” Mariel noted. “These Histlings are stubborn fools. They heard the warnings and yet they insisted on founding colonies here. All because of their greed, and now they may be one of the causes to put all of Ponyland in an unprecedented danger!”

“Seems like you’re sympathizing with him” commented Takai grimly.

“I’m only pointing the facts!” she snapped. “Now he has strength again, and more of those things to follow him to conquest.”

“Hey wait a second. This may not be a lost situation yet. How many yokais do you think that he could have gotten from here?”

     Mariel took a quick look around, trying to calculate the number of inhabitants of the place.

“Fifty” she said afterwards. “At least.”

     Takai gave thanks for his mask, because when he heard it his expression dropped.

“I think you’re right then” he pointed. “This is bad…”

“Uhm, excuse me?” put in Breezes. “What risk to Ponyland are you referring to?”

“What are you talking about?” asked Jingle too, trying to hide her fear.

“Haven’t you seen enough already?” Mariel turned to them, still angered. “Why do you still insist on putting your lives in danger?”

     Breezes was about to reply when Mittens spoke for her.

“If that thing did this” she cleaned a trace of muck from her mouth. “If it’s after Ponyland then it’s not your problem alone, but for all ponies as well.”

“Yeah, don’t you think that we’re gonna surrender the fate of our homeland to you two” continued Breezes. “Specially not since you’ve shown us your attention so much. Let us introduce you to the Snow Pony hospitality. Perhaps that guy can use some of it too.”

     Takai smiled at this. More hands, or hooves for that matter, wouldn’t be bad in this mission, but Mariel’s reprovatory expression didn’t change.

“If you really want to come” she began. “Then you’re dumber than I thought.”

     There was no contestation. Both mares remained firm in their resolution, just as Mariel to dismiss them. Takai was readying to argue in their when something else caught his eye… Or rather his ear.

“Hello?” the voice invaded the scene from the distance like an arrow shoot agains their position. The three mares turned at unison to the source, but couldn’t see nothing as the owner of the call was behind a set of houses. The call repeated again. “Is anyone here? Please answer me…” the last part seemed like accompanied by a light whine that denoted crying.

     Takai had taken his hand to the sword hilt again, but when the stranger spoke again he’d let go of it. Not so far away, Mariel had shared an indecipherable look with Mittens and Chilly Breezes, trying perhaps to clarify their course of action. Takai didn’t have to wait long to know that the answer appeared in the three’s faces and the party swiftly moved away.

     Takai followed them as fast as his feet could go, at least faster than Breezes, who couldn’t run, and again, in less than a minute Mariel and Mittens had already turned around the great hall and were looking at the adjacent main street of the town. Takai didn’t got there in time, so he was confused not to hear anything afterwards. It was only until he reached them that he saw what they were seeing.

     In the middle of the road, just at the outskirts of the town, the single form of a filly was staring at them, trembling as she did. Mariel and Mittens were looking at her with disengagement, a feeling of uncertainty in their features that denoted their doubts wether or not to speak to her.

     Mittens gave the first step. She started to walk to her, even though the little one seemed startled at her pace. The filly looked as if she were about to run, but in the end she decided not to. She just stared blankly to her as she came closer. Mariel had started to narrow too, but she wasn’t as daring as the Snow ranger, and was walking with more care.

     The filly stood her ground, looking more confused than anything. Like if she were wondering if they were real. Takai had also started to walk behind Mariel, and now that he could see her up close he could advert. There were burning signs all over her fur, and in her skin bruises and welts had gathered on her body. The poor creature had surely been to Diyu and back. Much like the two that had started this adventure.

     But Takai would have to think about that in other moment. As soon as Mittens and Mariel were just a couple of yards away the filly began to bounce dangerously, and before either of the two could speak the filly collapsed.

     Mittens instantly rushed forward to get her, but it was Mariel, who swept for her, the one that reach the little one before she touch the ground.

“Hey, hey…” she whispered in a calming manner as she shook her lightly to make her snap. “It’s okay. You’re safe now.”

     The filly remained still for a while, and it almost made Takai think that she was gone, but after a minute or two she opened her eyes.

“Please” the filly pleaded. Her voice was a whisper almost without mass. Tears started to fall from her eyes. “My town… You have to go. We’re under attack!”

“Under attack?” asked Mittens. “From who?”

     The filly turned to the mare, and once more fear began to take hold of her features. She looked as if she were about to faint again.

“Take your time” insisted Mariel, tranquilizing her with light strokes to her mane. “Can you get us to your town?” the filly nodded. “Good” she stood up, letting her on her hooves gently. “Then let’s not waste time anymore.”

“The devil” suddenly said the filly with a broken voice. “The devil is attacking our town.”

     Mittens turned confused, but Mariel’s eyes opened withe. Inside them, the flame that had carried her over miles without resting had revived, and even if Takai was supposed to remain collected, inside his guts, the power of those words made his fingers grasp the hilt of his sword and this time ready themselves for unsheathing it. He didn’t even had to ask his companion to know what was inside her mind. At last vengeance was at hand.

“Ryakudatsu…”