Nix: Identity

CHAPTER SEVEN: THE MOUNTAIN ROARS

The inside of the caves were glistening with crystals, reflecting our features. A few pockets of snow lay here and there. Stalactites hung from the ceiling, their sharp icicle structures pointy and menacing.

I was quiet as we walked through the caves. As we went deeper, it got darker, so I brought out my flashlight and clicked it on. The light reflected brilliantly off the crystal walls, though not enough to completely blind us.

Twilight groaned. “Whoever this pony is, they’re most likely gone already.”

I nodded. “So it seems. I can’t hear them anymore. Still, it might be good to snoop around a bit.”

I led the way, flashlight in hand, Shadow and Twilight behind me, glancing around at the cave and its tunnels. At some point we reached a crossroads. Three tunnels stood before us, all of them dark and mysterious.

“Damn,” Shadow muttered.

I looked down, peering for tracks, and found a faint set. It led down the middle tunnel. I shone the flashlight down the darkness, and suddenly red eyes stared back. A lot of red eyes.

Hundreds of bats suddenly flew out, and I instinctively fell back with Shadow and Twilight. We covered our faces protectively as the mammals flew by us in large droves, screeching. After a few moments, they all had left the tunnel and had travelled outside.

I shakily stood with Twilight and Shadow. We had looks of apprehension on our faces.

“I guess...middle it is,” Twilight said.

We walked through the middle tunnel, careful not to spook any other residents of the cave. We found no other life forms in there, however, and I found myself slightly nervous. While I was not familiar with the cave creatures of Equestria, there normally would be some.

I looked down and shone my light at a slight angle, looking at the rocks and pebbles beneath our feet. Suddenly I stopped. The light reflected something small and thin. I quickly identified it as some sort of wire. The others didn’t notice it, and Shadow was about to step on it.

I shot my hand out and pulled them back. “Hold it,” I said gruffly, pointing my light around. They didn’t protest, looking at me with confusion in their eyes. I gleaned the light at the sides, and found that the wire was part of an intricate chain of wires that rose to the ceiling. They appeared to be knotted to something. I picked up a small pebble and motioned everyone to stand back. I then tossed the pebble lightly onto the wire. There was a pause as silence echoed around us.

I waited.

Then there was the sound of something falling up ahead. I pointed my flashlight forward. A humongous boulder hurtled towards us down the incline, rolling and crushing the floor beneath it.

As it grew closer, I drew Chaos energy around me and focused it into my right fist. I winded my arm back. Just when the boulder was about to hit, I sprung forward, right fist outstretched, knuckles connecting with the hard surface. There was an explosion of light as I blasted out a Chaos Fist, shattering the boulder like it was nothing. It turned to nothing more than rubble, crumbling around me.

I let out a sigh of relief. “Evidently, something’s been busy setting up traps for us.”

Shadow nodded. “There might be more, so we’d better be careful.”

We advanced at a more slower pace, my flashlight acting as a sentry of sorts that would warn us of an potential danger. There were a few more traps, designed to either crush or trap us; luckily, we managed to avoid them just as we did before.

We reached what appeared to be an entrance to a larger cavern. It was completely barren and seemingly devoid of anything remotely remarkable. For some reason, I felt unease from this.

I checked for any traps that might have been visible. I shined my light around the entrance, keen eyes looking for anything. Oddly enough, I found no sign of any sort of rig, which only increased my apprehension.

“Wait here,” I told the others, walking ahead. They didn’t answer, silently watching me.

I physically checked around the entrance, looking under every nook and cranny, every crack, every small fissure, every miniscule detail; and found absolutely nothing. I stood back and scratched the back of my head, confused.

Unsure of what else to do, I walked forward so that I was in the actual entrance.

Then:

SCHOOM!

I started and instinctively dove forward, thinking something was trying to kill me. When I recovered and turned, I let out a brief curse.

A thick, transparent wall of crystal had suddenly fallen between Shadow and Twilight and me. I saw their reflections, their faces in shock, but I couldn’t hear them. The wall must have been thick enough to block sound. They tried to speak to me, but I shook my head, signaling that I couldn’t hear them.

Well, so much for curiosity, I said to them mentally.

Stay put, Jared. I’ll get you out, Shadow replied. He summoned a Chaos Blast and, after motioning for Twilight and me to back off, he blasted the wall with the energy.

Nothing happened; not a single scratch, dent, or change in structure occurred. The wall remained, daunting, and we stared at it in shock.

...damn, I heard Shadow mutter.

Jared! Twilight mentally exclaimed. What should we do?

Just stay there, I answered. I’ll go on ahead, and see if there’s another way out. I’ll maintain mental contact for as long as I can.

She hesitated, but nodded anyway and, although Shadow didn’t want to, made to walk away from the wall.

I breathed slowly, then slowly backed off and turned, running from the wall.

Careful, Jared, Nix cautioned as I reached the end of the tunnel. We don’t know what lies ahead.

I nodded wordlessly, pushing on ahead. I must have been quite some distance from where the wall had come down. The walls were turning into a silt-grey color, and the texture reflected the mineral.The end of the tunnel seemed to glow a faint, fluorescent blue, and my eyes began to adjust to this new source of light. I turned off my flashlight and cautiously approached the light.

I smelt something, something faint. I closed my eyes and paused, letting the scent waft through the air. It smelled metallic and fresh, coppery almost. I opened my eyes and pointed the flashlight down, and nearly gasped at what I saw.

There, on the floor leading to the cavern with the light, was a puddle of red.

Oh, dear God, I muttered.

What? Twilight asked. What is it?

Blood.

I ventured forward, this time more quickly, and soon found myself in the cavern.

It was glowing a bright blue from what appeared to be some sort of blue lava lamp sitting in the corner. A few arches rose up, supporting the ceiling. It looked like a little dwelling, a place where one could hide for a few days. There was a table at the back, next to the lamp.

The bloodstain stretched in a direction, moving behind one of the arches. Its coppery smell filled my nostrils, and I felt myself go slightly nauseous.

I walked behind the arch and my eyes widened.

Jesus...Nix cursed.

A small creature with black skin and transparent wings was laying in front of me. Its pupil-less, blue eyes were dimmed greatly. A black horn, covered in blood, stood out from its head. A pair of fangs, stained yellow, pointed out of its mouth. It was a quadruped, similar in structure as a horse. There were holes in its tail and hooves.

When I approached, it turned its head to look at me but did nothing to stop me. I knelt down and placed a hand in front of it. It breathed slowly, ragged breath escaping its black lips. It was alive, though barely. Blood seeped out of its arms and chest area, coating the floor with metallic scent. I ignored the liquid now spreading across my jeans, only concerned with who this creature was.

“Who are you?” I asked.

No answer.

“Do you have a name?”

No answer.

“What are you doing here?”

No answer.

I checked its pulse. It was slow and faint, much like its breathing. Judging from the wounds, something had attacked it. I inspected one of the hooves. It was broken, meaning that something strong had hit the creature. Based on the way the hoof cracked, it might have been a large rock, either from one of the traps or something else.

“Are you the one I was following?” I asked.

It finally responded with a shake of its head.

“What attacked you?”

It tried to say something, but only managed a gurgle as blood seeped into its throat. It coughed the liquid onto me, but I didn’t bother wiping it away.

“...alright. Don’t move. I’m going to take a look around.”

I thought it nodded, so I stood and walked back around to investigate the room further.

Next to the lava lamp was some sort of table, carved out of a wall. It was obsidian black, its grooves and markings ancient and well-worn. On it lay a small box with an antennae sticking out of it. A radio? I thought, walking over. I played with the dials on the radio, but it wouldn’t turn on. I checked the underside. It didn’t have a compartment for batteries. It must run off of an alternate energy source. I’ll get Tails to check this out. I placed the small radio inside my jacket for safekeeping.

I bent down and inspected under the table. Several crates with unknown markings were there. I shuffled one around, and found that they had some contents in them. My eyes glanced over a trail leading away from the crates. I followed it carefully, ducking back out of the table. I followed it a short distance. It led to the lava lamp.

I furrowed my brow. Why have a trail lead to a lamp?

I bent down to the trail and sniffed. It had a scent similar to gas stations in my universe. I raised an eyebrow at this.

I remembered the oddness of the walls, and walked over to one of them. I placed a hand on the wall. It was cool to the touch, yet oddly smooth and flat. It didn’t seem naturally made. I shined my flashlight on it, and found that the light easily refracted off of it onto the column behind me. Definitely not rock.

I tapped lightly, and an odd sound came out. It wasn’t dull, like how a rock would sound, but somewhat vibrant. Like glass windows having rain beat upon them.

There was a faint outline of something as I shined my flashlight on the wall. The light outlined some sort of cover on the wall. I reached out and grabbed an edge, and pulled down.

It was some sort of tarp placed on the wall. As I pulled it down, the wall turned into transparent glass. A cover-up, I realized. I pulled the tarp completely down and stepped back, throwing the material to the ground. Before me were walls of glass. Behind them were similar crates to under the tables. These crates, however, were opened, and I could see powders of various types inside.

I walked back to the fallen creature. I knelt down to its level. “What is this?” I asked, gesturing to the walls.

“...explosives,” it managed to mutter barely. It had a male voice.

My eyes widened. My mind went into overdrive. Why were there explosives in here? I closed my eyes and began to analyze everything in my mind’s eye. Explosives meant there had to be some sort of trigger. In the case of powders, the trigger could be through the air, or on the ground…

As a liquid! The substance leading to the lamp! That had to be the trigger.

But what kind of trigger was it? How could it be activated?

I picked the creature up gingerly, and his eyes closed and he spoke no more. He was barely breathing. I needed to get out of here.

Jared, did you find anything? Shadow asked.

Shadow, teleport yourself and Twilight out of the mountain.

What? Why—

Before I could answer, something small and sharp whizzed by me. I ducked, avoiding it. I heard the object hit something, and I heard glass crack. I turned and saw an arrow at the ground before a now cracked lava lamp. Instantly I knew what was going to happen.

Did you hear us, Shadow? Nix exclaimed. Get out of here; now!

But—

No time for argument, Twilight! I said. Just go! I’ll be right behind you!

I heard Shadow grunt in affirmation. He then grabbed the alicorn princess and teleported out.

We need an exit, I said to Nix. He voiced his affirmation. I scanned around quickly, looking for some sort of crevice to slip through. My eyes rested on a small hole at the back of the cavern, just big enough for me to fit through upright.

That must be where the one we were following went.

I didn’t have time to hesitate. Already the hot liquid inside the lava lamp seeped down the cracked glass, slowly lowering itself to the substance below. I backed up a bit, then took off, grabbing a bit of Chaos energy and slipping inside the crevice. The liquid touched the substance, and I heard the distinct roar of fire. The fire spread across the flammable substance, eating through the material. It approached the crates under the table, burning away the crate exterior; then there was a flash of light and hellish warmth as an explosion rocked the cavern. The fiery explosion, so hot it was, expanded to the glass walls, melting them. It touched the crates behind the glass, eating them away, igniting the remaining powders. I ran without stopping to look back, as I knew that an unmerciful, deadly, enormous explosion was on my heels. I briefly glanced down at the creature in my arms. He unconsciously formed a frown, somehow knowing that a fiery death was on our backs.

Faster, Jared! Nix urged.

I used the grabbed Chaos energy and boosted to Mach 2, feeling the wind burn against my skin and tears forcefully jump from my eyes. My body groaned as it was subjected to so much force in front and behind, a sandwich between two painful experiences. I accelerated so fast that I felt my clothes ripped, pieces of cloth being consumed by the fire.  I heard myself screaming as I pushed myself to the absolute limits, jumping and ducking under structures, feeling everything burning from fire and cooling from air at the same time. Blisters appeared on my skin, but I ignored them, despite the intense pain. I leapt over crevices and abysses as I tried to find a way out of the mountain, feeling my muscles screech at me in agony. I was barely aware of Nix trying to calm down Twilight and Shadow as they heard me scream.

I found myself thinking to the creature, I don’t know who you are or where you came from, but I willget us out of here, no matter what.

And somehow the creature managed to mentally answer,Hope.

His mind suddenly went weak, and the connection was broken. His one word reverberated through my mind, suddenly deafening every other sound.

Kind of a bad time to start reflecting, Jared, Nix said, noticing me slipping into my thoughts.

Er-right. Sorry.

Even after all this running, the end seemed nowhere in sight. Each turn led me down deeper into darkness. I made a left turn into a tunnel, and found myself running towards a dead end. The explosion still chased after me, determined to engulf me in fire. I couldn’t turn around and run back and search for another way out.

Quick; use the Explosive Gel! Nix advised.

I nodded and slipped a hand in my jacket pocket and pulled out a small gun. It was in the shape of a glue gun, similar to the one Batman used; but I had modified it to have several settings. The gel inside could be remotely detonated up to a twenty meter distance. I had installed settings that would enable me to fire the gel as a concentrated bullet.

I selected this setting and pointed the gun forward, then pressed the trigger. Carbon exploded in the gun, propelling a gel-bullet out. It hit the wall squarely, spreading around in a wide square.

I placed my thumb on the detonator as I approached. I waited one second, two seconds...then pressed down. The gel exploded, smoke rising from the explosion. It had been strong enough to create a hole that I could expand.

There was no time to consider using my psychic powers to widen the gap, as now the fire behind me was biting at my heels. I closed my eyes and accelerated to my max limit, just under Mach 3. I jumped and rolled over so that my shoulder was forward. The fiery explosion pushed me forward, and my shoulder connected with the wall solidly. There was cracking as I broke through, and time seemed to slow down as a flurry of visuals bombarded me. Light collided with the darkness from the mountain; the coldness of the outside clashed with the deadly warmth. I clutched the creature to my body protectively as I battled to roll and land on my feet. I faltered and my breath came in ragged breaths as I landed. Time started to speed up again; I didn’t have time to recover my breath. I had to take off at the same speed, still trying to outrun the explosion. Backward force pushed the explosion even faster, and a missile of fire rocketed towards me.

I neared a crevice. I couldn’t jump over to the other side; it was too far, even for me. I glanced back, and felt my face burn. Only one solution came to mind, and it was by no means comfortable.

I jumped and dove down. I felt the fire burn my back and clothes, and I clenched my teeth. Gravity took hold, and I fell beneath the explosion, plummeting into the darkness, still tightly holding the creature to me.

Not going down! I thought. I rotated in the air, turning back to face the explosion. Its brightness seared my eyes, and I squinted. I reached into my jacket and pulled out my own Grapple Gun. I shot it at a forty-five degree angle up, hoping I had measured the angle right. I heard its metal claw clamp onto the side of the cliff. With another press of the trigger, the line tightened and stiffened. I felt my arm nearly pop out of my socket as I was suddenly stopped from falling. I nearly let go of the creature.

I breathed heavily as cold wind whipped up from the abyss and fire roared above. I heard the mountain rumble; I looked up and gasped. The explosion had not only reduced most of the mountain to nothing, but had triggered an avalanche that was coming our way. There wasn’t time to pull myself up. I closed my eyes and said a small prayer as the avalanche leaped over us and fell. Right before it took us down, I boosted back and slammed myself and the creature to the face of the abyss. Snow roared down in front of us, just barely missing me. The specks of cold that flaked off of the avalanche ice-burned my skin and face, cooling me to the bone. I clenched my teeth even harder, fighting the urge to black out from the intensity of the whole experience.

Eventually the avalanche subsided, and the shaking of the mountain ceased. Now things seemed relatively peaceful, and I found enough sense in myself to activate the grapnel boost and pull us up.

“Argh!” I groaned as I managed to pull myself and the creature back onto the cliffside. I curled up, as my body shook with intense pain and stress. “God...damn…”

The creature said nothing, his eyes closed and breath escaping through tight lips. The cold air swirled around him, and he shivered. Seeing this, I managed to get up to a knee and look at him, sympathy in my tired eyes. I didn’t hesitate; I took off my jacket and wrapped him up with it. While the cold bit at my skin, I felt some warmth in my chest as I saw him visibly relax. Now I had to make the long journey home.

I picked him up and began to walk, wind screaming in my ears and snow freezing my joints. I was cold, so cold, but I kept going. All I saw was white and dull blue and even duller grey; nothing about the landscape seemed different. I walked in silence, and gradually the sounds of the mountain became dull as I grew used to it. My mind narrowed onto the simple goal of getting back to the town; the idea of getting there in once piece did not cross my mind. I needed to get this creature back alive; that’s all that mattered.

Nix might have said something, but I didn’t respond. He too eventually faded away, but I still felt his reassuring presence walk with me through the coldness. I vaguely became aware of other voices in my head, trying to ask me what was going on. They were frantic, concerned with my well-being. Nix said something. I didn’t answer them. I shut out any incoming and outgoing mental communications so as to direct my remaining energy into just walking.

I felt nearly all of my senses die off as I moved. Touch and taste and smell and hearing turned into complacent numbness; all that was left was a simple remnant of my sight, taking in simple colors and features that I barely processed.

Such dullness might have driven me insane at another point; yet still I walked, determination still burning in my heart.

The first warning signs of Jared’s peril came from when he found blood in the cavern. Judging from his sudden silentness, he was busy investigating the scene. The next sign came from when he ordered Shadow and herself out of the caves. Against her wishes, Shadow had teleported them away with Chaos Control all the way back to the town. Sugar Belle, Party Favor, and Night Glider had met them, but were shocked that they arrived alone.

Twilight had managed to calm down somewhat, and had decided to wait in Sugar Belle’s cottage while they waited.

Then the mountain rumbled and groaned, and then a fiery explosion suddenly engulfed the countryside. The entire town shook as the mountain roared in pain. Twilight saw the rocks and boulders suddenly reduced to nothing, saw the snow suddenly evaporate from the peaks.

“NO!” she yelled, bursting out of the door and standing in the middle of the town. “Shadow! We have to get back there!”

Shadow shook his head. “At this rate, there isn’t something left to go back to.”

The princess stomped over and glared at him. “Are you saying that we allow Jared to be buried under all that snow?”

Shadow was silent and looked down. He clenched his fists tightly, saying nothing. The mountain continued to shake for a few more minutes; then it subsided gradually. Eerie silence carried over the mountain and town. Everypony looked at the mountain with unease. The sudden change from nature’s anger to nature’s timidness was surprising to say the least.

...Jared? Shadow mentally called out. He furrowed his brow as a wave of mental static took hold.

Then:

...have to keep going, Nix said, more so to Jared than anyone else.

Twilight gasped. Nix! You’re alive! Can you get Jared to tell us what’s going on?

We’ll be fine...just hold out for us—suddenly the communications went dead as Jared cut off their talk.

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, we won’t be able to hear from him, but at least we know he’s alive.” Shadow nodded his agreement.

“I suppose...we can’t do anything but wait,” Shadow said. He teleported himself and Twilight over to the edge of the town, just outside of the mountain range. Together they waited for the Guardian to returned.

The minutes ticked by, turning from fifteen to thirty to forty-five. The snow continued to fall without end, and soon all that was visible was whiteness. Shadow’s eyes burned as the sun reflected off the snow brightly. He squinted in the harsh light as he waited. Cold air stung his skin, but he paid it no heed.

He felt Twilight’s demeanor change as they waited. Her anxiety began to worsen. No longer was it the cold that made her shake; now her worry lended itself to her degeneration. His stiffness alleviated, and he grabbed her hoof comfortingly. Though he said nothing, he meant to reassure her that everything would be alright.

In the years that the Ultimate Life Form had known the Guardian, he had learned one thing: there was always hope. No matter what happened, you had to believe to the end. That was one of the reasons why Jared and the others hadn’t given up on Shadow completely, even after all the crimes he had committed. Jared saw a bit of his past self in Shadow; someone with so much power but so much confusion, having so much trouble differentiating between what was right and what was wrong. To that end he constantly encouraged Shadow to not confine himself to this definition. He was convinced that the hedgehog had good inside of him; all he needed was the push to use it.

And indeed, he had used it, in redemption for his crimes. After being manipulated by Discord and nearly destroying Ponyville, Shadow had come to his senses and fought on the side of good. They had won, of course, and Shadow was mostly forgiven. It would take some time before all could be pardoned. Shadow didn’t mind this; he believed punishment was necessary, and that you had to accept the consequences of your actions. He was by no means a good person; the bad ought to be punished. Jared described it quite well; I fight on the side of angels, but I am by no means one.

Through all their struggles, Jared had remained hopeful. And gradually, Shadow grew to feel the same way. There was always a way out, always a chance. One simply had to look for it to find it. Now, as he stood here, at the edge of the mountainside, feeling the wind whip up and holding the alicorn close to him, Shadow still remained hopeful that Jared would be fine.

That, of course, didn’t mean he didn’t worry. He may not have shown it, but inside Shadow was fighting not to panic. Worry creeped up on him, and a barrage of fear and anxiety formulated before him. Images came to mind, of Jared frozen in the snow, or being engulfed in ice and hail—

Shadow shook himself. He couldn’t allow himself to imagine these dark situation. He needed to remain hopeful, for Jared’s sake.

And for Twilight’s, he remembered, glancing briefly back at the Princess of Friendship. She stared ahead at the snow, unblinking. Her heart seemed to explode in anxiety as they waited. Poor thing...one should never feel so much worry in her lifetime.

He returned his gaze to the snow falling before them, resuming silence, both in his voice and in his mind.

The minutes ticked up to an hour. Then Twilight saw something in the distance. A dark, hunched over figure was walking towards them, carrying a body in its arms. The body was covered up in some sort of garment. Blood slowly seeped out of the garment, dropping down onto the snow; luckily, it wasn’t a ton of blood. The figure clenched the cloak to the body tightly, trying to close up the wounds. He walked in silence, face down and dark.

As he neared, Twilight and Shadow gasped. His skin was turning blue and his lip was trembling. Snow gathered around his shoulders and neck; his temperature was so low that the snow wasn’t melting on contact. His clothing was soaked completely, and the snow stuck to the cloth. Snow filled his shoes and soaked his pants, making his movements sickeningly slow and stiff.

He shuffled through the snow like he was walking through molasses, staring straight down. He did not take notice of Twilight or Shadow. The creature in his arms did not move nor speak; Twilight was unsure if it was even alive.

They were in so much shock over the appearance of their friend, that it briefly did not occur to them to teleport themselves back to the town. The Guardian suddenly teetered to the side, falling on a knee to recover his balance. He nearly dropped the body in his arms. Twilight and Shadow came closer, and they heard his breathing slow considerably as he forcibly redirected all his energy to saying one word.

“...teleport…”

Instantly Shadow knew what needed to be done. He grabbed Twilight and the Guardian by the arms. The Guardian readjusted his grip on the creature in his grasp.

“Chaos Control!” Shadow commanded. There was a flash of bright light; then they were gone.

They reappeared moments later back in the middle of the town. The other ponies stared in shock. Before them stood four snow covered individuals, two of whom looked near death.

“What are you standing around for?” Sugar Belle suddenly yelled. “Get them to the hospital bay!”

A pair of ponies in nurse outfits rushed over with a stretcher. Shadow and Twilight waved off their offers to help carry them. Jared, on the other hand, gingerly placed the creature onto the stretcher, and motioned the two nurse ponies to take him to someplace warm. After a bit of hesitation, they nodded and rushed off into the town’s hospital.

Now his body groaned against its master. He collapsed onto the ground, totally exhausted. He didn’t feel Shadow and Twilight get him up as cold numbness enveloped him. He didn’t hear their begging for someone to help, didn’t feel Night Glider come up and carry him to the hospital. Darkness peeked out at the edge of his vision before suddenly collapsing into a singularity as he blacked out.