Crown of the Hive

Armored footsteps rang out, accompanied by the clanking of thick metal plates; doing poorly to fill the vacant streets of the peculiar township in place of the variety of sounds that normally must have filled them.

Or was city a more accurate term, seeing as it had its own castle and resident royalty if the words from the striped Firekeeper could be believed?

Jogging in a steady pace down the street, weapon and shield always at the ready, she let this question idly roam through her mind while she scanned her surroundings with attentive eyes.

When was the last time she had been able to think with such clarity or had been able to ask herself such questions for that matter?

Trying as she might, the answer eluded her like the fog in the early hours of the morning.

Fog.

The thought of fog brought an entirely different memory up from the deeper parts of her mind.

A gate, deep down in the innermost parts of an ancient ruin but instead of solid wings of steel and timber, gray fog was hindering anyone to see what lay behind it.

A metal clad hand reaching out to touch the fog, slowly merging into it.

An altar of sorts, weakly illuminated by the flames of numerous candles set into a mighty mural behind it.

The smell of decay.

Wrath, ancient and endless.

Shaking her head, she commanded her thoughts back to the here and now.

She was still unsure on exactly how she came to be "here". Where ever this "here" was, it probably was not Drangleic for she had, on her whole, at times gruesome journey never had encountered people like she did here.

Of course there had been the beast-like Lion Warriors deep in the heart of the Shaded Woods or beings like Ornifex the Crow-Woman and the more grotesque creatures like the double torsoed, frog headed monster that had ambushed her in the belly of the old ship that brought her to the lost Bastille. But nothing like these... horse people? Could one call them that? Sure enough their faces and specially the hooves instead of feet and the pointed ears on their heads seemed like someone had taken them from an actual horse and put them on a human. Well, maybe the faces seemed more like a mixture of horse and men but nontheless.

That line of thought brought back another series of entirely unpleasant and downright nauseating memories from the time she had spent plodding through Aldia´s mansion. Just the faintest thought about all the wretched abominations there was enough to send cold shudders down her spine again.

Something clinked against her boot, a warm, soft sound. Looking down, she spied something in the dirt of the road. Bending down and picking the thing up out of an deeply ingrained habit, she found that it was a golden coin. The surface was almost immaculate and it felt solid as she turned it around between her fingers, not nearly as brittle as those old copper coins people ground to dust between their fingers for good luck. Curiously enough, the stylized depiction of a sun and a moon covered the two sides of the coin. Shrugging, she pocketed the coin for later. For now she had a more urgend matter at hand, namely to find this Rarity and get her back to that gaudy crystalline castle as she has promised this Rainbow Dash.

To look for a building like a Merry-Go-Round, she said but what in the name of the Sun is a Merry-Go-Round?<<

Falling into a slow trot again she cursed herself. This was not the first time something like this had happened, just this time, it was no old, demented woman or a talking cat that send her to look for something she had no idea what exactly it was but a winged horse woman.

Doesn´t matter, she also told me to run towards these ear shattering screams. Should be easier than finding a Giant in a corn field... only, these screams will probably attract every Hollow in ears range. Heh, not a bad thing though. More souls and maybe some nice things to loot too.<<

Another shrill scream cut through the air, this time closer, much closer. It sounded almost like it came from behind the next corner but there were also the unmistakable noises of steel hitting stone and wood.

Rounding the corner, she found herself looking at a truly weird building that absolutely fit the description of "gaudy" this Rainbow Dash gave her. It looked like someone had baked a gigantic cake and then put a lot of ribbons and sculptures of actual horses with thick poles running straight through them, holding them in place all over it.

But what really made her muscles tense and a hungry smile grace her lips where the eight or nine Hollows trying to break into the building, wailing away at the door and the barricaded windows with their fists, more or less broken swords and the odd wood axe. None of the Hollows wore armor but from painful experience she knew very well than even such pitiful opponents where more than able to overwhelm and kill and single much better equipped fighter when they came in droves.

At least when one did not knew how to even the odds in one’s own favor. Grinning under her helmet, she reached into her Duffle Bag and pulled a simple, round vase slightly bigger than her own fist out of the enchanted bag. With a silent war cry she threw the Firebomb straight into the midst of the distracted Hollows, not waiting for the devastating explosion to occur before she charged in, lightning dancing along the blade of her halberd.

°°°

She could hear them. The things outside the boutique. Their fingernails, scraped to the bone as they scratched and scrabbled at her doors and walls, along with the clang of steel and iron. It was all she could do to keep from crying out in pain at the sharp, burning sting in her leg.

But she couldn't give in to despair, not now. Her little sister looked to her for comfort and solidarity. Rarity couldn't lose heart. Not here.

The doors would hold for now, and the windows were long since boarded. All Rarity could do was pray somepony would save them from certain doom.

"Rarity?" Sweetie Belle asked, her voice subdued, trembling, so unlike the joy that normally accompanied it.

"Yes, dear?" Rarity fought through the pain to offer a small smile, as if the simple gesture would make things better.

The small filly, eyes trailed down her calf, where an open gash bled freely, staining her sister's normally immaculate ivory coat. "Your leg..."

"It's fine, Sweetie Belle. I just need..." She gasped as her leg unintentionally bumped a coffee table and the stream of blood increased. "Here. Help me."

Sweetie helped her to a nearby table where Rarity summoned a bolt of cloth, pins and scissors. She fashioned a number of strips into a makeshift bandage, snug and taut against her wound and though the clot stained red with blood it would help her body heal and knit the injury.

"I'm scared," Sweetie muttered, and Rarity pulled her into an embrace.

"Hush now, darling. It'll all be okay. You'll see. Somepony will come. Our friends, a gallant knight or somepony else. They'll drive the monsters away." Lies, she told herself, but it did seem to help her sister a bit. The foul creatures had wreaked havoc in Ponyville. The residents had been driven from their homes, either to escape in the wilderness or seek refuge in Twilights castle or another city.

She remembered how the creatures appeared as if by magic, with no warning on the unprepared town. The screams, the smoke, the chaos and the horror they sowed, so unlike anything beyond her wildest imaginations and now, now who was left to help them?

They'd followed them here, to the boutique. Hardly an impenetrable fortress itself. At the very least the monsters did not seem to possess a high measure of intelligence, or else she and Sweetie would have been long dead. Rartity hoped they stupid things would either forget about them or grow bored but the creatures were nothing if not relentless.

For an hour, the longest hour she'd ever waited, where mere seconds seem to stretch into eternity, the creatures had amassed at her doors, and any wanderers had been attracted by the sound of their ilk, causing the horde to grow.

Rarity had seen firsthand what they were capable of. Mindless husks that killed indiscriminately, stallion, mare and foal, it did not matter to them. She'd witnessed how they cut down the townsfolk, friends and acquaintances she'd known throughout most of her life. She remembered the hacked ponies, cut to pieces, dismembered, opened from groin to chest, their insides spilled out and many other atrocities the creatures sowed in their relentless march.

She shivered at the thought what they would do if, no, once they got through. At the very least she hoped beyond hope that Sweetie, that darling little filly who now clung to her in the same manner as her infant years, that she would be granted the mercy of a quick death.

"Come on, Sweetie. We can't stay here." With her little sister supporting her, the duo made their way upstairs. It was slow going but it offered some measure of comfort to Rarity. They locked themselves in the master bedroom and Rarity wasted no time barricading the door with her armoire, an expensive thing gifted to her by Fancy Pants to commemorate the opening of her Canterlot Boutique, now scraped and torn, used as a makeshift shield.

Sweetie Belle wasted no time burying herself in the silken sheets of Rarity's bed, as if hoping the monsters would go away. Futile as the gesture was, Rarity joined her soon enough, comforted by the warm embrace of Sweetie Belle. If only, she thought, if only she could have lived a full, happy life

°°°

The Hollows proved as clumsy as she'd expected, two went down by the explosion alone and before the remaining ones could get their bearings, she'd already speared one through the neck, a swift practiced motion severed the head completely. Two more swings, the clashing of steel on flesh and two more hollows now lay armless. A stab through their still hearts and out their backs finished them off, swarms of souls rising from their bodies and converging into her own.

But the Hollows now recovered from her surprise attack and turned their sights on this new enemy. They spread out and attempted to swarm from all angles, brandishing their weapons and howled, an unearthly sound that would normally cow and inspire fear on their victims, but to the Bearer of the Curse, were little more than irritants. She had slayed bigger and more terrifying enemies like the lost white Knights of Heide or the hulking Undead of the Huntsman´s Cope.

With a broad, sweeping motion of her halberd, the Bearer swung the weapon low, knocking the Hollows off their hooves and into the ground. She felled three more as they lay helpless and cut a path before they could right themselves. She sneered, hoping for a better fight and tossed yet another Firebomb at the clustered Hollows. Their wails of pain proved satisfactory and as the last of them withered away to nothing, the Bearer nodded in approval and turned her attention to the boutique.

The door lay open, charred and in tatters. It seemed her first Firebomb had weakened it enough, but had the Hollows made their way through? She gripped her halberd tight and hurried through, wondering if she hadn't been too late.

°°°

Sweetie Belle's breaths came short and quick and Rarity was not too far behind. The creatures had broken through and the two sisters listened with growing dread as they shambled and stumbled upstairs. The sound of breaking furniture, ripped cloth and crushed glass could be heard, but in their wake, a slew of unexpected sounds emerged as well. An explosion, the roaring of flames and the very familiar sound of metal cleaving through flesh and bone.

Rarity could have even sworn that a number of the creatures had backed away from the boutique and though the ones downstairs were still very much alive, their howls and the pattering of their hooves were greatly diminished. In fact, save for the few monsters clustered outside her bedroom, she could not hear any more.

This could only mean one thing. "Help! Save us! We are upstairs, please!"

The creatures' efforts doubled at hearing her voice with several heavily damaged blades starting to punch through the wood of the door, but amidst their renewed struggles, Rarity heard the very distinct sound of metal clad hooves pounding on wood. Her spirits lifted and her heart soared as she heard the creatures turn towards this new target. She hoped with all her might they would not fell this brave soul.

But she needn't worry. After a short struggle outside, she heard the clanging and slashing of steel and the thumping of flesh on the ground and all went quiet. The metal clad hoofsteps clanged anew, taking careful, measured steps closer to her bedroom. She heard the knob turn in vain, the door was locked. Then, to her great surprise, Rarity heard three heavy knocks against the remains of her bedrooms door.

"H-hello? Who is there?" Rarity called out, still holding her darling sister close but straightening her posture on the bed visibly. After receiving no immediate answer she asked again "Hello? Are you a member of the Guard? For Celestia´s sake, say something."

Carefully the seamstress slipped off the bed, making one hesitant step towards the door.

"Rarity? What happened? Are we safe now?" Sweetie asked from behind her big sister.

A new series of knocks could be heard.

Making another step towards the door, Rarity tried to use the new holes in her door to catch a peek at whoever was on the other side. "Applejack, dear, is that you?" Rarity asked. Of course it could have been that some of her friends had come to their rescue, the Unicorn told herself but why would they not answer her calls? "Rainbow Dash? If this is you and your idea of a joke than so help me, I swear that I will dye your coat a new color in your sleep!"

Something silver flashed behind the holes in the wood, accompanied by the shifting of heavy metal plates.

More knocking, this time growing insistent.

"Yes, just give me a moment to unblock the door darling." Rarity told her mysterious savior before addressing Sweetie Belle in a more hushed tone and ordering her to take cover behind the bed, just in case. Nodding satisfied that the young Unicorn followed her order, Rarity looked around and picked up the broken leg from her make-up chair. She highly doubted that she could do much damage with the not even forty centimeter long piece of wood but by the Sisters, if whoever was behind that door would try anything improper, they would feel the fury of a Belle!

With quite some effort, Rarity levitated the heavy armoire, the strained wood groaning under its weight and eased it away from the door, just enough so that she could peek at whomever lay behind. Shambling over, gripping the length of wood like a sword at the ready, she drew a deep breath and opened the door.

The sight before her took her breath away. An armored figure clad in resplendent steel that shone like silver. Eyes measured her from behind the helm, cool and collected. The would-be weapon fell from her grasp as she opened the door wider, taking in her savior's full features. Even though she could only guess but deep inside her, Rarity knew that behind that t shaped visor must surely lie the chiseled and noble features of a true noble soul, a real Prince Charming. An exquisite looking, spear like weapon leaned against broad shoulders that just begged to be leaned against during a romantic moonlit stroll and a kite shield with an exotic crest was securely held in the other hand. Surely the crest of a minor Canterlot noble, Rarity was sure of that. Maybe the crest of the last son of a defamed family, who had set out to regain his and his families honor with a noble and perilous quest and this quest now had lead this mysterious silver knight to Ponyville and right to her doorstep where Fate saw it fit that he saved her and Sweetie Belle. Feeling her cheeks warm up, Rarity fought down the imminent urge to throw herself at her savior.

After all, a true lady did not threw herself. At most, she swooned and fainted, to be caught by strong yet gentle arms.

"Ehrm, Rarity, I think your nose is bleeding again." Sweetie Belles voice chased away the rosy clouds of Rarity´s daydreaming.

With a small yelp, Rarity´s hand shot up to her snout, actually feeling the slightest trace of sticky liquid. Thankfully her savior did not seemed to have taken notice of this shameful slip so Rarity was at least able to save that shred of dignity.

"Wow mister, your armor looks gorgeous. Are you from a special branch of the Guard?" Sweetie asked, gazing at the stranger with wide eyes. "Or are you like one of those lonesome knights in these books Rarity tries to hide under her bed?"

The silver knight ever so slightly cocked it´s head to the side.

"Ähem, Sweetie, dear, we will have words about this later." Rarity felt her cheeks flush as her little sister mumbled some sort of apology. "Anyhow, allow me to introduce myself. I am Rarity Belle and this," she gestured to the form of her younger sister who was again gazing in wonder at the armored form of the knight "Is my younger sister Sweetie Belle. You have my unending gratitude for saving both our lives good Sir. Any moment longer and those horrid creatures might have gotten us."

Remaining silent, the silver knight said nothing but performed a small but perfect curtsey.

Rarity quirked an eyebrow. Curtsies were normally done by ladies and fair maidens, not gallant knights. She dismissed it quickly enough. "Might I have your name, my prin... I-I mean, my good sir?"

Her savior did not respond. Instead, his gaze trailed down her figure and Rarity had to fight an incoming blush, thinking she was being appraised. She was so filled with euphoria and hormones that, had Sweetie Belle not been there, she'd all but allow her savior to take her right then and there atop the hardwood floor.

She followed his gaze to the trail of dried blood making its way down her leg and suddenly became all too aware of the dull, throbbing pain in her calf. The sight made her dizzy and she stumbled, unintentionally latching on to the knight, who held her in a firm, but careful grip.

"I'd forgotten about that. Oh, Celestia does it hurt," she breathed. The knight shifted his helmet, eyes meeting hers, laced with concern. Before Rarity could say another word, her savior bent and easily and deftly as picking a rose, carried her off her hooves. The mare was startled for but a second before she eagerly wrapped her arms around his neck, losing herself with what fantasies and imaginations a romantic such as herself was prone to.

"Awwww sis, that is not fair." Sweetie Belle mewled half annoyed as her older sister once again was lost in her little fantasy world but in all truth, Sweetie found herself just a tiny bit jealous of being cradled like that in the strong arms of a gallant knight.

Ignoring Rarity´s theatrics, the silent knight regarded her with a curious look from the depths of his helmet before he set his shield down and began, Rarity still supported by one arm, to rummage through a pile of old fabric.

Sweetie watched in curiosity as the knight took a long, old shawl, brought it through the two handles of the shield and managed to tie the ends together with a knot. Then the knight took the shield and walked over to Sweetie Belle who watched in wide eyed wonderment as the knight used the improvised sling to hang the shield over her back. It was a bit heavy at first but not terribly uncomfortable.

Still wondering what the knight was up to, Sweetie watched him turn around and go down on one knee, turning his head halfway around to her. It took a few moment before Sweetie fully understood but as the knight gestured with his head, she finally followed the invitation and climbed onto the armored back, wrapping her legs as far as she could around the knights waist while her hands found a surprising firm grasp on the armors shoulder sections.

°°°

The Bearer watched with bemusement at the scene that unfolded before her. She really should show the mare that she was not a male like she so obviously believed, yet she found herself curiously amused by her antics. With both sisters secured, she made her way out the boutique to reunite the ponies with their friends and hopefully, make her way closer to this Twilight Sparkle she was meant to seek out, hoping the Princess could shed a bit more light on this strangest of situations.