Times Forgotten

Yesterday was a nightmare, yet today would be worse, I imagined. The violet colored warrior named Einherjar had captured Red and I, and is forcing us to go with him--or it--to an unspecified location. The Violet Knight had the two of us bound in magic from our necks, with no possible way of escaping. Not to mention, Red had her spear confiscated.

I'm not as well versed in the art of magic, but I knew for a fact that Einherjar was incredibly gifted. That may or may not have to do with the fact that he--or it--is an alicorn.

He didn't speak much throughout the day, but when he did, his voice sounded mechanical and somewhat warbled, constantly changing pitch. That may have been the reason why Red mostly referred to him as "it"; I couldn't tell if it was a he or she because of that voice. The armor didn't help define gender whatsoever. It's tail must have been tucked underneath the suit, since it wasn't visible. And since the Knight's armor covered every inch of his body, there was no way to tell what color he--or she--was.

Once nighttime approached, The Knight made the decision to make camp inside a dismantled pillar. Large quantities of rebar and debris hung over the three of us like a half open trap, just barely closing in on us. For the fire, Einherjar ignited random flammable material he gathered from inside the pillar. Red and I were positioned a few feet from where he stood, keeping the fire lit, never unbinding us from his magic.

"Hey." I tried to get his attention. "Why are you doing this?"

No answer. Not even bothering to glance back.

"Why are you doing this?" I repeated myself, hoping to get a response.

Once again, nothing. He continued tending the fire with his magic and paying no attention to anything I said.

"Answer me--!"

"Vagabond, stop it!" Red intervened, "It's useless; he isn't going to listen to anything we say. He'll ignore whatever useless sentence comes out of our traps."

"All right. Since the purple tin can refuses to answer my questions, how bout I ask you one: what did he mean by 'the Princess'? Is there something else I should know?"

Red gave me a grimace before replying, "Very well. I am a Princess."

That explains the crown on her cutie mark.

"Okay then. So why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"I wasn't sure if I could trust you, Vagabond. Not to mention it be rather bothersome for me to talk about my father's kingdom and the like. Plus, I didn't want you to address me as 'Your Highness', or 'milady'."

"Either way, you should have told me sooner."

Red frowned after I said that. "Even if I did, what good would it do? It wouldn't change anything."

"Well, it doesn't matter now."

As we quarreled, Einherjar sat down next to the fire, staring absentmindedly. He just sat there... staring. Whether or not he really was listening in on us, was up in the air.

"You also said that The Knight was out to murder you," I pointed out, "and yet we're still alive."

"I've heard many stories that he's ordered to kill ponies by his employers, being a mercenary and all. I heard the many tales of the ponies he slaughtered. Naturally, I assumed that he--"

"--Would try to kill you?" I finished her sentence. "I was thinking the same thing, until he bound us with magic. It's likely he wasn't sent to kill you or me, otherwise he would have have long since been dead by now."

"Of course. If he isn't out to kill us, he's more than likely delivering us to his employer... whoever they may be."

Looking back at the armored pony, he had been shuffling through my bag it would seem, taking out what items were inside. Granted, there weren't as many items, but still. I began grinding my teeth as he continued pulling out its contents one by one, stacking them in a specific order meticulously. Why he did it was beyond me.

The Knight got up from organizing my inventory, levitated the thermos, and walked up to us. He opened the lid of the thermos, and held it towards my muzzle.

"Drink." He ordered me.

"What?" I was suspicious of the gesture, "You're not gonna dehydrate us or anything?"

"My employer wanted the Princess alive; therefore, both of you must be kept in good health. There is no sense in killing either of you."

"Why? Who is your employer, and where are you taking us?"

"His orders stated to keep that information classified. However, he didn't tell me not to disclose the location of our transaction, but I think it is pretty obvious he wouldn't want that. Rest assured, I refuse to explain any more details."

My attention turned to the emblem on his flank: the six pointed star. The same emblem that was marked on that tree. The same tree I slept under... and perhaps the same place I was struck.

"That emblem..." I built the courage to ask, "Do you know what it means?"

The Knight was silent for a moment. "It is my cutie mark. Why?"

"Your cutie mark. Do you know anything about a forest? With dark magic?"

Einherjar began breathing heavily, as if I egged him on. Like he knew something.

"Do you know anything about dark magic? Because if so: why was it in the forest? Is there some sort of dark force behind it?"

"Vagabond, stop!" Red shouted, "Just take a drink."

"Why was I left for dead? Why did you try to kill me back then?"

"Are you deaf?! Vagabond please!"

"Why did you try to kill me? Tell me. Tell me!"

Red Yarrow only groaned in anger from my constant asking. I had to--no... I needed to know."

"ANSWER ME!!!"

It was at that moment, that The Knight had enough. He swiped his hoof, clipping my muzzle and sending me flying several feet from where I once sat. My head throbbed with immediate pain, like I slammed head first into a wall. The armored pony then surrounded himself in his aura, and vanished... Only to reappear next to me, forcefully pinning me down with both his hooves. At least he didn't point his gun at me, otherwise I would have been killed.

"I said, drink." He levitated the thermos towards me.

"No! Not un--"

The Knight slammed his hoof on my neck, choking me. "Drink... now!"

All I could do was gag; I couldn't speak. So instead of trying to speak, I did my best to nod my head to acquiesce. Because of the helmet I couldn't read The Knight's expression, but he lifted his hoof from my neck as if my gesture was adequate enough. I gasped loudly, sucking in as much air as I could.

"Alright." I coughed as I took the thermos from him.

"Save enough for the Princess." He explained as I took a few gulps, "She needs it just as much as you do."

"Why didn't you just give it to her first then?" I argued.

Just as I was about to say something else, Einherjar snatched the thermos with his levitation spell.

"No more questions. I've had enough."

The next morning, we set out east into the desert. However... we were flying this time. Einherjar flew with me on his back, while Red Yarrow had flown behind us, still tethered by his magic. I wasn't tethered this time, but that was because I couldn't fly, hence the reason I was carried. Thankfully, The Knight was scrupulous enough not to let me dangle by his magic... and that's a lot coming from him.

The feeling of being on another's back was not unfamiliar, since Red carried me on her back when my legs couldn't work. However, it was nowhere near as comfortable. The Knight's armor was chafing my legs and my belly as we flew, feeling as though I rode on the back of a flying cheese grater. The Knight had Red's spear holstered at his side as we flew.

Below us was the aforementioned desert, hundreds of feet down. Needless to say I wasn't used to heights... or flying for that matter. Several plateaus, mounds of countless debris, and even more mammoth sized bones and rib cages like the ones I saw long while back; all laid out in this place. There were also what looked like trenches from what I could see, and tons of enormous mortars.

This had to have been a battlefield at one point. When did all of this happen?

Viewing such a sight reminded me of what that green inn keeper said: the kingdom of Canterlot fell into ruins somehow. And anypony who would know is likely very old or pretty much dead. This couldn't have been Canterlot--obviously--but whether or not this place had remnants of it, remained unknown. Because I was up so high, it was difficult to have seen any sign of dead soldiers, or anything else of significance. It could be that the ponies who were alive buried their dead, if this really was a war zone. And since it was impossible for me to tell how long this place has been here; when the battle took place, and what happened there, there was no chance to find answers at all.

I thought about asking The Knight if he knew anything, but then again, would he? Since he kept information about himself confidential, he would be disinclined to share anything he knew.

I looked back to see how Red was faring. Despite being tethered, she did not have trouble keeping with us. Judging by her expression, she wasn't thrilled about her current situation, and neither was I. I hated seeing her in this predicament, just as much I hated being on The Knight's uncomfortable back--as well as everything else that happened thus far.

Hopefully we'll land soon; this guy's armor is murder on my coat!

Right when I started shifting my body around for comfort, I noticed something unsettling: Some of these places looked eerily familiar. For example, the mile long stream up ahead looked suspiciously like the one Boomer and I stopped at. Even more surprising was viewing what looked like the same dead willows surrounded by grassy plants, that drooped just above the stream. It was so similar to where I was not to long ago... and then it dawned on me. It was the same place! The same place where Boomer and I was attacked by those giant weasels.

We're heading back the way I came?! You've got to be kidding me!!!

I was pretty infuriated that we were backtracking. While it did make me curious about where we were going, I was not pleased with the fact that a contract killer had us both tied up in magical tethers, and then forced to go with him to earn some bits for his bounty--that's what I got of it at least. Whoever paid him to do this has something to do with Red Yarrow, and wanted her alive for whatever reason. I got that she's a Princess but who would pay an armored mercenary to track her down?

Now that the stream has been passed, it wouldn't be long until Glanchester would be in sight. I still remembered the day I came to that town and at the ponies that lived there--very few, but I still remembered them. The only ones I could remember were those two guards, the now deceased manager, as well as that old mare on that crooked bench... I don't know why I remembered her but I do. And of course that masked pony who tried to kill me--kind of hard to forget him.

It's bad enough I got kidnapped by this purple piece of metal. The last thing I want is to meet that masked guy again.

I looked down to see if Glanchester was right below us, and sure enough, it was. The dilapidated town was in the same state in which I left it. At the speed of which Einherjar flown, we passed the town within a few seconds giving me very little time to observe. Though I was thankful we didn't land there, it made me more anxious to think of where he was taking us. He then veered right, which made me even more hesitant.

"Vagabond!" Red shouted.

"Yes?" I shouted back.

"How are you holding up?"

"Fine, I guess. What about you?"

"Well, considering I'm tethered by magic while being dragged by The Knight, not to mention we are about to face whatever fate awaits the both of us... Honestly, I'm having a great time!"

It was clear she was being sarcastic... and might have been as afraid as I was.

I built up the courage to ask The Knight, "Are we getting close?"

At first it seemed Einherjar would never answer, but then replied, "Indeed.", and nothing more.

Laconic fellow, isn't he?

Einherjar's elevation lowered, which mean't we were landing. As we were almost at ground level, I noticed nopony was around--it seemed that way at least. We landed on a small patch of dead grass surrounded by piles of animal bones. The bones themselves likely came from a number of animals and not just one type; strewn about like some sort of macabre graveyard.

The Knight lifted me off his back, and reattached the tether. I thought about making a run for it as he did so, but what good would that do me? None. None whatsoever.

"Well, I don't see anypony." I whispered to myself. "Where are your employers?"

"They should be here." He said, irritated. Whether it was his employers being late or what I said, was beyond me.

Red seemed relieved by this as I was. "Hmm... I suppose they are either late, or we are early." She pointed out.

The Knight was noticeably impatient, pacing incessantly and grumbling in a mechanical tone. It seemed rather indignant of such a strong and fierce figure, but then again I knew very little about him.

Something I had not realized was that there were several holes next to some of the bones. They are more than likely to be the homes of those "squirrels". It was at that moment I was reminded of Boomer, who would have chased them around until he got his meal, just as any dog would.

I wonder if he's still alive out there.

Every time I looked up at the sky it remained the same, still gray and overcast. A few of the clouds looming over the landscape appeared a darker shade of gray, which could indicate an oncoming storm. It was bad enough that we had to sit out in the open, but if it was about to rain with no knowledge of shelter anywhere, then we'd have a less than stellar time.

The wind sent a chill through my coat, further evidence for rain. However, the wind had an icy bite to it, something I haven't felt since I first woke up in that snowy forest. I shivered from both the sudden cold, and the feeling of wariness that followed.

"Do you feel that?" Red asked anxiously.

"Yes. I do." I answered simply, "And I don't like it."

When I looked to Einherjar, he had stopped pacing and gazed at the dark clouds looming overhead. Even whilst in his armor, I could sense the perturbation he felt as the sudden rumble of thunder rolled. The wind picked up vehemently behind me, like an unnatural force of malcontent. Red and The Knight also took notice of it. The three of us grew increasingly afraid of what may come, afraid of the worst possible outcome.

And as it would seem... it came true. Across the graveyard came ten black-hooded cloaked figures appearing out of the blue, all of whom were unicorns, horns engulfed in dark magic. It seemed as though this a part of the plan, that they were the employers The Knight spoke of. However, The Knight was making a very subtle but frequent blowing sound, which could be him hyperventilating. In other words, they couldn't have been the employers.

As I looked around, I realized that their faces were covered with white masks. Not unlike the masked pony.

This must be the cult Red talked about. I thought with a sense of absolute dread.

Rain slowly sprinkled the land, drenching the soil beneath our hooves. The wind was colder than ever before, like a blizzard. I shivered violently from the cold. Red shivered as well, breathing steam from her muzzle. The ten cloaked figures encircled the three of us, closing in with their horns alight with dark aura--the same aura from the masked pony who chased me... the same aura that surrounded the trees in the forest.

One of them, however, approached us further than the others. It could be that he was their leader, but I couldn't tell.

"So it was true..." He spoke in a very deep voice, "...He still lives."

"W-who are you?" I dared to ask.

"Since you have failed to eliminate him the first time," He then turned to his fellow members, "You shall finish what was unfinished."

They lifted their gazes towards me as they repeated in unison: "We will finish what was unfinished."

The magic from their horns intensified the further they closed in. I didn't have my knife--since it melted--so I had no way of defending myself. Then again, a knife could only do so much. I backed up slowly as they lurked, unsure how I would get out of this.

I relied so much on my knife, I have become a coward... again.

When I looked over at Red--no longer tethered--she unfastened her spear from The Knight, who tried knocking her back but failed. Red tugged the spear from The Knight's grasp, as the cloaked ponies were about to fire. I could not stand to waste anymore time so I decided to aid her in getting the spear. I tried hard to levitate the spear away from him, but he used the same spell and tugged just as hard. As for why he didn't just let us have it continued to baffle me.

Our efforts would have been wasted if not for a promising sound: a blood curdling scream. All of us paused from our game of Tug-O-War, and turned our heads to the noise. Evidently, cloaked ponies were being killed left and right by quick, deadly blasts of magic. The perpetrator behind the deaths was almost unseen, as the screams became numerous.

"What is happening?!" Their leader bellowed.

As it turned out, the assassin was one of the cloaked ponies, blasting away and killing almost everypony in sight. When turned back, Red managed to give Einherjar the slip, retrieving her spear from him. Tucking her spear beneath her wing, she charged furiously towards the remaining cult members. There were three remaining, including the lead pony. One tried to blast her, but missed as she evaded the blast. She leaped into the air, and thrust her spear with her wing into him, crying out in agony. Blood spattered on the sand, as the pony fell to his demise.

Two more.

When I looked towards The Knight, he was already aiming his gun at them, soon firing a countless barrage of bullets. One of them got shot in the shoulder, crying out for help. The leader heard his plea, and shielded him by casting a spell to create a pulsating barrier surrounding the two of them. Einherjar then used a teleportation spell to get closer. A radiant white aura surrounded his armored horn. It glowed brighter by the second, until a small white blast shot out, shattering the barrier like it was glass. The blast's impact was powerful enough to knock them back several feet into the air.

Upon collapsing, the leader exclaimed, "What? No! That's not possible!!"

Einherjar only chuckled at him as he walked up to his fallen body. He pinned him down once he got close enough, machine gun poised and ready to end the downed cultist's life.

"Now... y--"

Before The Knight could finish, the cloaked assassin who saved us threw a large rock at his head. Einherjar fell to the ground with a tremendous, metallic thud. The impact seemed to instantly knock him out in the process, though I was certain he had been. Apparently the blow was enough to knock his helmet off, too.

The assassin then sprinted towards the two cultists, his horn engulfed in a bright green aura. I couldn't see his face though, for his back faced me every time. The two of them quivered in front of him. The 'moon-obsessed' cult, humbled by one of their own.

"Traitor!" The leader said fearfully, "How c--?"

The cloaked pony then mercilessly pinned his own hoof down on him, and fired. The black blast engulfed both of them, and vanished. The cultist's cloaks came loose, leaving their exposed coats in the open. They screamed in agony as their bodies started to dry up and crack, creating long gashes across their bodies. Their masks came off as well, exposing their now drying, cracked muzzles. They continued to writhe well after the cloaked pony raised his hoof.

Within seconds they were nothing but dust, blowing in the cold wind. The dark clouds dissolved as the rain stopped falling. I wondered whether or not the rain was created through a spell; it stopped as soon as they died.

Naturally, I was stunned and confused by what transpired. Why would a cultist betray his own brethren? I pondered this for a short while, until Red brought me back to reality.

"Vagabond!" She panted, "Are you alright?"

"Uh... yeah." I was a little distracted by what occurred.

"Thank heavens. I was unsure of how we would survive that debacle."

"That was a good time." A voice exclaimed all of a sudden.

It was the cloaked pony who spoke as he walked up to us, keeping his head low to hide his face.

"I was wondering when you guys would show up. Do you have any idea how long I had to wait for you three to get here? A very long while."

Puzzled, I raised a brow and asked, "Who the hay are you?"

"Not important right now," He diverted, "what is important however is that we high-tail it outta here. There's more of them out there."

"But, didn't you just kill their leader?" Red asked.

"Not quite."

Red and I exchanged worried glances before turning back to him.

"Then let's not waste precious time!" Red declared.

"That's great, but first..." The cloaked pony went over to the unconscious body of Einherjar, and attempted to lift him up, only to fail in doing so. "...help me with this."

"What?!" I said exasperatedly, "You want us to drag him with us?"

"Yes."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "This guy kidnapped us for money, why should we help him?"

The cloaked pony only snickered at this, "I believe you mean 'why should we help her'."

He ushered me closer as curiosity overtook me. He lifted The Knight's head to reveal what the helmet hid behind it. And he was right--Einherjar was a mare.

"Oh my gosh." I exclaimed aloud.

Her fur was very, very light purple in color, based on seeing her face. Her mane was three tones of purple it seemed, with bangs covering her forehead. The only thing it didn't cover was her horn.

"Come on buddy," The cloaked pony insisted, "let's get her outta here."

Dusk. Hours passed after the ordeal, and the cloaked pony and I still dragged the unconscious Knight across the sand. The weight of the armor made it especially difficult to move her, requiring the both of us--and eventually Red--to work together. Every time I asked him questions about why we we're doing it, he always reply with "Not now", or some other iteration. Other than that, I kept silent.

It's surprising how this mare could stay asleep for so long, considering how long we've dragged her. I wasn't sure of what might happen if she suddenly woke up in the middle of all this; how would I explain it if she did?

The cloaked pony kept his hood down to cover his face, even as we dragged her. Essentially I became suspicious of this behavior, allowing me to believe there's more to this pony than I thought.

"How can she be this heavy?" I groaned, gritting my teeth. I had to break the silence somehow.

"That armor is made out of a dense metal alloy," The cloaked stallion explained, "forged to be tough enough to stop bullets. With metal like that, what did you expect it to be, weightless?"

"W-well no. Obviously not."

"On the plus side, suits like these are highly coveted, so they are exceedingly rare to find."

"Why covet them?"

"Eh, some ponies consider them to be relics of the past. Probably used in wars. Seems fitting for a hell like this." He added snidely.

Now for a more important question:

"Where are you taking us exactly?" I asked earnestly.

The pony slightly turned his head towards me--still covering his face--and replied, "There's a little hideout I have, that'll keep you hidden for the time being."

Beyond the horizon was a shallow canyon, with a long stream flowing through it. Mounds of boulders piled over the walls of the canyon like there had been an avalanche. This place was smaller than the ravine Red and I passed through though, and it was much wider. Whether this was the final stop or a scenic route, was unknown to me at the time. I wondered how we would be safe here; there were no places to hide! Nothing but boulders and the stream--which probably wasn't very deep.

Once we got closer, the cloaked pony told us quietly, "I know what you're thinking: 'where's your hideout?' Well, don't worry. I'll show ya."

He then tugged The Knight to the left, leading us to the cluster of boulders. I looked at him questioningly as he did so.

"The hay're you looking at?" He asked.

"You're leading us to a cluster of giant rocks." I told him flatly.

"Not quite."

A pulsating sound emitted from his horn, followed by a louder version of the sound. I looked to the rocks and was dumbfounded by what happened in front of my eyes: a small camp revealed itself out of thin air. My jaw dropped as it became visible instantaneously, my eyes were wider than saucers after that.

"WHAT THE...?!" I was too shocked to finish my sentence.

"I know, right? Didn't expect that, did ya?" He chuckled.

"A cloaking spell? How clever of you." Red commented.

The camp by itself was rather interesting in design, with a wide red canopy hanging over it. A fire pit was built in the center, along with a large assortment of random appliances surrounded it. No fire had been lit though. A box with a red cross was among the random items, likely to be a medical kit.

"Come on," He ushered, "let's prop her up in here."

Steadily, the cloaked pony and I dragged The Knight into the camp, and propped her up against a tall thin boulder. It took a minute and half to do so, but we accomplished our task well enough. Other than breathing, she never moved from her spot. The way she slept against the stone made her look like a guarding statue or something.

Now sounded like a good time to ask the same question again. "Alright, now that we got her here, explain to me: why are we doing this? Why are we letting her live?"

The cloaked pony snorted, bemused by what I said. "You mean other than it being the right thing to do? Wow, I guess we all have skewed priorities here."

"That's besides the point! Why let her live, after everything she put us through?"

"For one, the rock knocked her noggin, so she's probably gonna have amnesia or something by the time she wakes up. With that said, it's likely you guys can use that to your advantage if you wish... Given your 'standards'."

Is he seriously questioning my morals?!

"MY standards?" I challenged him, "You betrayed your own brethren so how does that make you any different?"

The cloaked pony seemed to have reflected on this before answering, "I was assigned to kill you back at Glanchester. I almost did. But then I had the idea to disguise myself. It was then that you showed me genuine kindness, and even though I was told to kill you, I couldn't help but disobey my orders."

Red and I were equally confused. None of us knew what he was talking about.

"You were in Glanchester to kill him?" Red asked, "What for?"

"Long story."

"And what do you mean by 'disguise yourself'?" I demanded.

It was then that the cloaked pony lifted his head, and removed his hood. What revealed was a disheveled mess of mane at nape length, and a scarred muzzle and face. A long scar went along his left eye, which was cloudy. His right eye was brown in color, still intact. I noticed that he had something around his neck, what looked like...

A collar?!

He lifted the tag of the collar with his hoof and said, "For a long time, I got pretty used to being a dog."

My mouth gaped from shock. "B-Boomer?!"