Chapter Four: Companionship

Sleep was becoming more of a curse than a blessing. When I slept that night, after the horrible ordeal, another nightmare crept into my mind. Unlike last time this one was a little more coherent... but it was far worse. All I remembered seeing were eerie, wispy looking ponies. They weren't white like stupid bed sheet ghosts; the apparitions were like smoke, flowing in the breeze. There had been a small number of them as well. Their faces however were scarred and torn. Black empty voids replaced their eyes, their lips ripped open, rotted teeth had shown from their mouths.

What are you?! I shouted in my mind.

For whatever reason, it seemed as though they heard me. All empty eyes were on me, as if I was something of interest to them. I couldn't see myself, the only thing I could do was look at the wispy ponies. Slowly but surely, they started to come to me. I shook violently with terror, unsure of what they were going to do next. My breathing was loud which made me feel even more helpless if they could hear me. When I turned around...

"They were among the living." A sensual voice whispered in my ear.

The pony who said that was no doubt female. She too was like the others, except she didn't look dead, nor did was she the same color. She was dark purple in color, with enormous black wings. She had a horn as well, jagged and sharp. Her face looked more alive than the others, which made me even more frightened. Her mane was long and even fringes covered the top of her forehead. She was alluring to say the least.

Who are you? I asked, still couldn't speak outside my mind.

"I am the reason you exist." She told me plainly.

What? What do you mean?!

A ghastly moan flooded my ears as the mare grinned widely. I turn back and one of the ghost-like ponies appeared right before me. It's maw gaped open as it struck me, swallowing me whole.

"Ah!" I exclaimed, jolting up from the ground where I laid.

Thankfully I was back in reality... not that it was any better. After the events from last night, all the ponies who were held captive now slept freely on the ground outside of their prison; a dilapidated shack of sorts. Everypony else had slept close to a large, circular stone fire pit. Bodies of rugged stallions were strewn about, hordes of flies buzzed around the bloody corpses. Their odor was worse. Taking a small whiff of air was enough to make me very queasy. Somehow, the other ponies didn't seem to mind the stench much, since none of them gagged in their sleep.

It's weird how anypony can withstand such a smell. Who knows, maybe they're used to it?

My coat was rather sandy from sleeping on the ground, small particles and dust falling as I got myself on my hooves. At the time I thought I was the only one awake. I looked towards the pit--which was covered in ash--and noticed the yellow stallion from before had slept next to it. However, just as I was about to come near him, I felt a hoof land on my shoulder. Startled, I jumped and turned to see the scarlet maned mare from yesterday; Red Yarrow. Her eyes seemed redder in color than I previously remembered. The spear she used was strapped to her back.

"Is everything alright, good sir?" She asked, sounding somewhat concerned.

"Uh... yeah," I lied, "yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You seem rather on edge."

"I'm just... disturbed, about last night."

"I can understand that. Those miscreants are undoubtedly unhinged! Fortunately, I managed to uncover one of their hideouts, and was able to save the innocent victims inside."

I should probably find out more.

"May I ask how you found it?"

She made a curious face when I asked her. "In an odd sort of occurrence, a gorgeous border collie was the one who led me to this place."

"You mean Boomer?" I was surprised and excited to hear that.

"The dog had a collar on when I saw him. He had a rope tied to it, which looked bitten off."

"It is him!"

She smiled a little, "I figured he had to be yours. He must have figured out how to free himself, same as you."

"Do you know where he is?" As elated as I was, I was also worried for Boomer's sake.

"Hmm..." Red pondered, "...I'm not sure. I haven't seen him since last night."

"Oh, great."

If only he had been here right now.

A few of the ponies began to wake from their slumber. The yellow stallion was one of the first few who awoke, I noticed. The wretched sound of gagging and vomiting both filled ears and turned my stomach. Ponies were complaining audibly about the horrible stench of death. The yellow stallion came up to the two of us holding his nostrils. He didn't seem to take the smell of rotting corpses the same way as Red could... somehow.

"Ugh! This stench is worse than the smell of my grandmother's wart!" The stallion exclaimed, "But, at least we're all free."

"Yes. And now that you have rested, you can all go home now." Red told him kindly.

"Thank you for yer kindness, Miss Yarrow. Oh, and you too... whatever your name is."

"No problem." I said politely.

"What is your name, good sir?"

"I don't remember at the top o my head," The yellow stallion explained, "but most ponies just call me by 'Dandelion'."

"Well, Dandelion, I trust you know most of these ponies here?" Red asked him.

"Some but not everypony. A few of us came from the same town, not far from here."

My eyes widened when he said that. "There's a town close by?"

"Of course. It's west of here; three miles if I'm not mistaken."

"Fantastic!" Red Yarrow said quickly, "What is the name of this town of yours?"

"Farvein, ma'am."

There was a bit of silence from Red when he told her the name. "I see." After that she turned away, heading over towards a tree stump.

Dandelion furrowed his brow when he saw her walk away. "Huh. But anyways, I better get these ponies outta here. Another whiff of this smell would kill me!"

"It was nice meeting you, Dandelion." I said my farewell.

Without another word, Dandelion was heading off to lead the other ponies away from the horrible camp. I figured it would be best to head over to Red Yarrow to talk to her a bit more. Once I got over to her, her red eyes gazed down to the ground, as if she had been upset over something.

"So, um..." I had difficulty finding the right words, "...Miss Red Yarrow. Do you th--"

"--Think it would be a good idea to follow them to their town?" She interrupted, not bothering to look up.

"How--?"

"--Did I know that? isn't it rather obvious? If anything, I find it very predictable of you to ask such a thing."

Dang, she's good!

"Well? Should we go with them or...?"

She shot an irritated glance at me. "Of course not! Do you have ANY idea how insane it is to go to Farvein?!"

I backed off for a second, surprised to hear her lash out like a whip. "Honestly... no."

Her gaze softened a little as she sighed. "Forgive me. That was uncalled for."

"It's alright. I didn't mean to upset you in any way."

"You don't have to apologize. Farvein is just... a town I prefer not to set hoof on, that's all."

"Okay then."

"Might I ask for your name, sir?"

"I... don't... I don't remember. But, you can just call me by 'Vagabond'."

Red stared long and hard before she spoke again. "I apologize in advance for asking this, but do you by any chance have amnesia?"

"Yes." I answered simply.

"Then that would also mean you have forgotten your past and who you were, right?"

"Right."

Red took a short breath before she spoke once more. "Anyway, I think I ought to be on my way. Another sniff of this odor and I'll pass out."

She stood up from the dead trunk and began walking off. I couldn't help but notice the cutie mark on her flank; a crown above red flowering plants. It was peculiar to me that a crown was part of her mark, which could mean just about anything. I didn't really have anywhere else to go, so I just followed her anyway. Whether that was a good idea or not was not known to me, but I did so regardless.

"Wait." I called out.

She turned to face me. "What is it now?"

"Though I'm not entirely sure where you're headed, may I come with you?"

"Why? Name your reason." Her brow raised suspiciously.

"Honestly, I have nowhere else to go. Plus, I need to find somepony who knows something about dark magic."

"Dark magic? For what goal, might I ask?"

"When I first awoke, I was in a snowy forest. In that forest I saw tightly packed trees covered in a dark aura, I think. I need to find somepony who knows about dark magic, and won't kill me."

By the look in her red eyes, she was probably trying to process what she heard. As she was thinking, I took a look at her spear again. The shaft was a dark red in color and the blade itself must have been made of steel.

"Other than the dark aura, what else did you see in that forest?" She eventually asked.

"Well, the tree I woke up under had a symbol on it; a six pointed star with smaller stars surrounding it."

"Hmm... and somepony with dark magic was trying to kill you? What did he look like?"

"He wore a cloak, armor, and a white mask."

She stared at me with wide eyes, not even blinking. She didn't take her gaze off of me for a second.

"Um... Red Yarrow?"

"Say no more. Come."

An hour had past since Red and I last left the encampment. We had been passing through a narrow ravine, while a very small stream flowed under our hooves. It was too shallow for fish to swim but perhaps deep enough for even smaller creatures.

I have to stop worrying so much about parasites! What am I, a germophobe?

Before we entered, she told me the ravine was once an open plain until years and years of natural disasters demolished it. It seemed hard to believe, but considering how little I remembered about the world I had to take what I can get. Red hasn't said much since she explained the ravine to me, so I thought it would be best to "break the ice" so to speak.

"So, Red, where are we going exactly?"

"I'll tell you more when we get close to it."

"Are we close?"

"No. Otherwise, I would have told more about it."

"Ah."

"However... I can tell you more about this masked figure."

"Ooh, really? Who was he?"

"While I don't personally know this masked figure, but based on your description earlier he must be one of those 'moon-obsessed-cult' members."

I furrowed my brow upon hearing that. "Er, what?"

"There exists an organization of ponies who worship the moon, and lust the night. They wear white masks with crescent moons on them to show their obedience to the moon, and dark armor and cloaks to embrace their undying love for the night."

"What the flying feather is that kind of nonsense?!" I exclaimed.

"Shush!" She hissed, "Not so loud! We don't want to cause a possible rock avalanche, now do we?"

It didn't take long for me to ponder about it. "No. Of course not. Do continue."

"Thank you. Needless to say, they are avid about the moon and the night. Most of their members are unicorns; all of whom practice many kinds of magic, including dark magic."

"Do you know who or what started it?" I asked as we stopped to sit.

"I believe it had something to do with a princess, but I'm not entirely sure if my memory serves correctly."

"A princess? Like an alicorn?"

"Yes." She said incredulously, as if she was surprised, "Long ago--if I remember correctly--there were once two princesses who ruled over the land, which they called Equestria. However, so--"

"Something bad happened, which left the world in ruin." I interrupted.

"Exactly. Unfortunately, not everypony remembers what happened, even I myself know nothing about the events of the past. Especially since I was not born at the time."

I used my magic to levitate the thermos from my bag, to take a sip of water. My lips felt rather dry as I sipped water from the container. I had not realized just how dry my throat was until I drank.

"Are there any books containing information about the past?" I inquired, "Surely somepony ought to have at least wrote a history book."

"Huh. You have a point." She admitted, "Although I'm certain history books are possible to contain vital evidence about the past, their availability however... that is another story."

"What do you mean?" I continued asking, taking a few more sips here and there.

"Well, because they contain great information, they would more than likely be horded. Sadly, I'm very sure that any library close by would not carry that kind of book within it's inventory. If you ask me, it would be a fruitless venture."

"You may be right. Still... there could be a book out there."

"But the likelihood of anypony finding said book, is inconceivably small."

Since the both of us had sat down, I decided to eat one of the sandwiches from my bag. As I got one out, I noticed that the bag was getting lighter, which meant that there were fewer food rations. I knew it was not a good sign. Considering the world's current state, finding decent food will be as great a challenge as surviving. I savored every bite I could to make it last. As I ate, Red Yarrow scooted closer to me.

"May I?" She asked, holding out a hoof.

Since I had company with me, I couldn't be too selfish, so I gave her one of the sandwiches.

"Is there a reason it looks like a cat?"

"They used to belong to a friend of mine." I answered her question.

At least, I think he's a friend.

As she was chewing her food, thoughts of the symbol came back.

"So, Red Yarrow," I began asking, "do you know what the symbol; the six pointed star means?"

"To be honest, I have not the slightest idea." She answered truthfully, "However, it is possible that there is some sort of reason behind it. I've never seen a six pointed star, surrounded by smaller stars, used as an insignia."

"I'm sure there is a very good reason behind that symbol. If anything, it could probably lead me to the answers I'm looking for." I said with confidence.

Red continued eating her sandwich. "This sandwich... it needs more zest; it's rather bland!"

Wow. You just had to criticize a sandwich.

Once I finished my sandwich I was ready to keep moving, as for Red... she was apparently a quicker eater than me. I made sure my bag was fastened tight, so that it's contents aren't likely to fall out. Red had been waiting for me to finish what I was doing, so when I was finished she started off and I followed her away from where we sat.

I began noticing the walls' surface was rather rough and rugged, with some areas above having a few large holes. The holes themselves seemed cavernous in depth, as if they were a cave entrance or something. Either that or they're just empty holes. Just ahead of me, Red started to fly upwards at impressive speeds; darting left to right frantically. I was slowly becoming anxious as she kept checking all of the holes in the ravine's walls.

What's she doing? Is there something wrong? Maybe I should...

"Hey, Red!" I called out to her. "What're y--"

Before I could finish, she dashed towards me, shoving a hoof over my mouth. It almost felt like a punch when she did so.

"Shh!" She shushed, "Don't shout! You could get us both killed!"

"Whuu?" I muffled.

"The large holes... there are quarray eels lurking in them; small ones, thankfully."

"Whuuu?!"

"Shh! Regardless of their size, we don't want to set them off. If are to prevent ourselves from obtaining injuries or worse, we need to give them a wide berth. That means avoiding the holes entirely and not making any sudden loud noises. Understood?"

Instead of muffling, I nodded my head. She took her hoof away from my mouth at that instant. She slowed her pace and was being exceptionally careful of her hoofsteps, so therefore I did the same... or at least tried. I did my best to sneak quietly over to Red, who was looking at me like I was some kind of idiot. One hoof over the other as slowly and quietly as possible. Red's glare notified me that she's had enough, and it was at this point where I figured I should just trot faster.

Once again, I am an absolute dunce.

As I approached Red, she appeared frightened; her eyes were wide and she stood motionless. Needless to say, I was rather confused. And worried. Very worried now that Red had her spear out. In spite of this, I continued trotting... until I heard a rather discomforting Hiiiiiiisssssss. I wanted to turn around to see what was behind me, but I was somehow unable to move. Red Yarrow dashed upward, spear tucked beside her. An unnerving shriek; shrill and incredibly loud, sounded off as Red took to the sky.

"RUN, VAGABOND!!!" She screamed.

I ran like frigging lightning when she said that. Fishy odor wafted behind me as I avoided the creature. Once I was out of the beast's range, I--for whatever reason--thought it was a good idea to get a glimpse at the creature. The eel was burgundy in color with a purple underbelly. It's jaws were large as it tried to snap at Red. It's teeth were sharp and stained with a dark ruddy color--possibly blood. Red flew around, trying to jab at the enormous eel with her spear.

How the hay can she wield a spear like that?! I asked myself, She's flying in the air, her spear is at her side, how is she even capable of stabbing it?!

In spite of questioning her abilities, I knew it would be unconscionable to leave her behind to fight that thing. Instead of running further away, I did what any reasonable stallion would do in a situation like this: charge straight into the enemy! It sounded mad at first, but it's better to be a mad stallion than a total wuss.

"What are you doing?! I told you to run!!" She yelled as she fought.

"I WON'T leave you here to die!" I shouted in protest.

I took out my knife to do its job. Thankfully the creature was too preoccupied with Red, to notice me. I jabbed at it's body frequently, causing wounds on the rubbery creature's body. It squealed every time I struck it. Then I heard a less fortunate sound: Red Yarrow had been knocked back. I looked up to see her falling back to the ground. On the other hoof, the eel took notice of me and attempted to strike at me, snaggletoothed jaws gaping to gobble me up.

Oh, crap!

By rolling to one side, I narrowly avoided the eel's toothy maw. While I did avoid it's jaws, the most alarming noise bombarded my eardrums: several shrieking eels! It sounded as if there were over twenty of them, and that was more than enough evidence to get the hay out of here. I ran over to Red's collapsed body on the ground, obviously not dead, but still not capable of fighting off twenty frigging quarray eels.

"Vagabond, we have to get out of here!" She said, wincing in pain from her fall.

"Yeah, I couldn't agree more." I replied whilst helping her up.

Red was notably injured, yet didn't seem to have trouble standing. Her left wing appeared to be sprained, seeing how she was wincing in pain. It was clear she wouldn't be flying any time soon, which was horrible when you have a horde of giant eels after you. Red didn't think twice about dashing forward first, before I was able to process our predicament. Without further thought, I began galloping as fast as I could to keep up with her. The moment reminded me of when Oak and I were being chased by armored stallions a while back... but with giant eels instead.

While Red seemed strong for running as fast as she was, her face showed otherwise. She was, without question, afraid. It became clear there was more to this mare than I first thought her to be. A mare, capable enough to take on a gang of psychos, was fearing for her life when confronted by giant eels.

Granted, I don't blame her.

"There! The exit!" She informed me.

"Great! Let's just hope those things stop chasing us soon!" I replied fearfully.

The eels were gaining on us at first, but then... the worst thing started to happen. The rock walls began to crumble, possibly from the numerous amount of noise in the area. The ground shook as well, almost tripping both of us. The shrieks became more frightened as rocks continued to fall, shaking the ground upon impact.

The crevice was just up ahead as more rocks continued to fall, making the both of us wonder whether or not we'd make it out alive. Galloping faster, the sounds of the eels began to fade which in turn made me feel a little better--if it wasn't for the falling rocks. Red came out first, but before I was able to leave something hit my back, which felt as though a hammer struck down upon it. I couldn't move. Rocks continue to fall around me.

"RED!!!" I shouted in desperation.

I wish I knew why, but somehow... I blacked out.

"...gabond?..." A familiar voice echoed. "...are you okay?"

My head was pounding fiercely, but I managed to mutter a simple: "Yeah..."

"Oh." Red sighed, "Thank heavens!"

It seemed that Red had saved me from the plummeting rocks, and had gotten me to safety. I had a bit of trouble moving however, for my back legs were not working somehow. No matter how hard I tried, my back legs wouldn't move. It was at this point I knew that I was unable to walk. I was breathing faster than usual, and I was trembling.

"No. No. No. This isn't happening." I began to panic, "This isn't happening! This is terrible!"

"What? What is so terrible?" Red Yarrow asked, confused. "Oh, for Celestia's sake tell me!"

"I can't move my legs, Red! I can't move them!"

"Oh. Oh, dear. This is an unforeseeable predicament!"

"Now what am I gonna do?! I'm practically immobile! How am I going to live like this?"

Red gave a skeptical look at me; like I was being over-dramatic. Then again... yeah, I was being a bit of a drama queen. She turned me over to one side as I still laid on the ground. By watching her face, I was able to notice the face she made upon seeing my backside; a face showing concern, but there was something else there too.

"It looks as though you have sustained an bruising injury from your lower back." She investigated.

Yeah, tell me something I don't know. I sarcastically said in my mind. I wasn't going to let it come out though.

"However... it won't be permanent."

"What?" I perked upwards, shocked by the revelation.

"Thankfully there is a healing spell that fix this. Unfortunately, I am not a unicorn, so I cannot perform the spell. But, the town we're headed to has a professional doctor that knows the spell; he can remedy this paralyzation problem of yours."

He better...