Episode 220: Risky Maneuvers

When Applejack made her decision, she didn’t waste any time second guessing herself. She knew they didn’t have the luxury of waiting around, let alone allowing themselves to be sitting ducks in this cave while their enemies knew exactly where they were. Applejack didn’t have the sports know-how of Rainbow Dash, but she did know that it was a mistake to let the other side keep the momentum and set the pace. It clawed at her to see Rainbow Dash and Sunset Shimmer both still laying there like cold fish on the cold stone floor of the cave the group had taken shelter in. Sure, Clover assured her, as did Simurgh, that the pair would be on the mend, but something in Applejack’s heart told her that neither one was going to be waking up soon enough.

So it was with a heavy sigh but a hardened face that she marched up to the group milling about, whispering among themselves. Cadence and Shining Armor were all but huddled with Asena and Simurgh, the giant wolf blending into the darker shadows of the cave while the colorful blue and green avian Beast Realmer looked almost comical trying to bend over and whisper quietly to the two small, human Quincy.

“We got to move.”

All heads rose to look at Applejack as she spoke, mixtures of surprise and concern on most faces. Spike, hidden in the sleek armor of his Gunwolf had been standing like a sentinel over Sunset and Dash, while Clover had been quietly maintaining her healing Kido in a soft glow of light over the pair. The mech’s head buzzed as it turned to Applejack, Clover opening one of her eyes while not breaking her focus.

“Yes, we know that,” said Shining Armor, “We were trying to work out where, and how to best do so with our two sleeping beauties here.”

Cadence coughed, nudging him with an elbow, “I was thinking it might be best to remain here until they recover, personally. I don’t want to risk either Rainbow Dash worsening her injury, or our whole group being vulnerable if we have to move them both.”

Applejack picked up the tension between the pair, raising one of her eyebrows as she watched Shining Armor awkwardly scratch his head and meet Cadence’s firm gaze, “I understand what you’re saying, but if we stay put, they’re at even more risk of those draugr that attacked make another move. Or if whoever is controlling them shows up.”

“Honey, we’re two Sternritter, an experienced Soul Reaper officer, two capable Beast Realmers, and Applejack who is a pretty powerful fighter at this point.”

“Hey!” shouted Spike’s voice from within the Gunwolf, “You forgetting someone?”

Cadence smiled with disarming embarrassment, nodding, “Of course you too, Spike. Still getting a little used to the fact that you’re armed to the teeth, now. Twilight really did an incredible job with that robotic suit of yours.”

The Gunwolf’s head rose as if in response to Spike holding his own head up pridefully. Asena, looking towards Applejack, gave a soft rumble in her throat that was partially filled with a query as the wolfess spoke, “I sense you have a heart aflame with purpose, young Applejack. What is it you propose.”

“No proposin’ nothin’, just layin’ it out that both Shinin’ and Cadence got the right o’ things. Can’t stay put, but can’t let ourselves git attacked while carryin’ two unconscious friends. So what’s needed her is a distraction, right?”

She’d thought this through several times, and while she knew she wasn’t considered the sharpest farm tool in comparison to brainiacs like Twilight or other model students like Fluttershy or Rarity, Applejack liked to think she had a decent head on her shoulders. More importantly, she was practical enough to know that the answer she’d come to, even if it was far from ideal or perfect, was the best one available. Sometimes you just had to grit your teeth and get the job done, even if you ended up in the mud to do it. She saw confusion ripple through the others, mostly Shining Armor and Cadence both sharing questioning looks with one another, but it was Clover who spoke up first. The Soul Reaper hadn’t ceased tending to Rainbow Dash and Sunset, but now she had both eyes open, looking right at Applejack with naked worry.

“Are you seriously intending what I think you are, Applejack? If you are, I don’t know if I can agree, and pretty sure Sunset and Rainbow Dash would be, um, rather angry if they knew I’d let you do what I think you’re planning to do.”

Applejack let out a raw chuckle of dark mirth as she flexed one of her arms and crackled a knuckle. She’d dismissed her Fullbring earlier to let her spiritual pressure recharge, but now she let the armor flow in waves of liquid gold light back across her body, encasing her from the neck down in form fitting metallic radiance. “I’m sure they’ll have an earful fer me, but ain’t their decision ta make, what with ‘em both bein’ out cold. Don’t fret, Clover, if they give ya guff, tell ‘em that I’ll box their ears fer puttin’ blame where it don’t belong.”

“Hold on, hold on,” Shining Armor held up a hand, “First of all, what are you talking about? Second of all, what are you talking about? Mind cluing us in on the plan here, Applejack?”

“Is it not obvious?” said Simurgh, giving no hint in her own still expression whether she approved or not, “She intends to use herself as bait to lure away the Nereid.”

“That’s suicide,” said Shining Armor with point-blank bluntness, and Applejack shrugged.

Wasn’t like she hadn’t considered that, but she didn’t think she was being too foolhardy, here. “I’ll grant ya, this ain’t my brightest plan, but we ain’t rife with options here. Ya’ll gotta move, ‘fore even more o’ Jormungandr’s minions start flocking ta this area. Git to that Dwarven fortress over yonder. Hopefully Dash n’ Sunset will wake up soon, but in the meantime I ain’t ‘bout ta let a trio of fish flunkies ambush us on the move. Better I give ‘em somethin’ ta sink their teeth into that they won’t resist, buy ya’ll time to git in the clear.”

“Applejack, not to interrupt your moment of cool, but did you consider you might, you know, get killed by a three on one with those weirdos?” asked Spike, the Gunwolf rising and padding over to her, “At least let me come with you to even the odds.”

“Let somebody come with you,” Cadence corrected, “Spike is right, taking on three enemies at once, all of whom seemed to be your equal in strength, is far too much.”

Applejack had already carefully thought through this line of questioning and she shook her head, adjusting her stetson with a determined hand, “Nothin’ doin’. We split it up too much n’ the convoy transportin’ Dash n’ Sunset will become the more temptin’ target. Only way this works is if the person doin’ the distraction is alone. Too good a target ta pass up, a lone enemy, even if them three will know it’s bait. Any o’ you come with me, n’ maybe they’ll ignore the bait ta go after the weakened main group. So it’s got ta be just me.”

"Then why must it be you?" said Cadence, "Surely Simurgh or Asena might know better ways to evade natives of their own Realm?"

Simurgh's long tail feathers ruffled, her avian head cocking to one side towards the cavern exit as if to more carefully examine the large forest of conical stone formations, "I am reluctant to admit it, but neither I nor Asena would fare well against even one Neried. We are not Einherjar. I am a diplomat. A potent diplomat, but war is not my trade."

A rough bark of a laugh left Asena, "Understatement is your gift, my feathered comrade. I am certainly more of a warrior that you."

"And so humble as well," Simurgh drawled, but Asena didn't even pause to quip back, her own attention on Cadence.

"But Simurgh does speak truth. I am a warrior, as my High Chieftess demands of even her envoys and heralds such as myself. Yet I lack the power of a chosen Einherjar. I am willing to be the decoy, but my odds of escape or survival would be... unfavorable. An Einherjar is akin to the Captains of the Soul Reapers, whereas Simurgh and I would be more akin to their Lieutenants. Whereas from what I've witnessed of young Applejack and her friends..."

She turned to Applejack, opening her jaws in what might have been a small grin of respect. "You are brave, and powerful. I see the bear is a spirit that suits you. I will assume you have a plan for your survival, rather than being a foolish cub overestimating herself to a gristly demise?”

“Hah, don’t mince words much, do ya Asena? I got a plan. O’ sorts,” Applejack admitted. It wasn’t a detailed or great plan, but it was a plan, “Once I lead ‘em astray, I’ll be playin’ tag with them three guppies ‘till I can sense you lot are good n’ gone. Won’t be stickin’ put to let them pin me inta a full three-on-one. More like I’ll be runnin’ an’ gunnin’ to keep ‘em after me, but only trading blows with one at a time. Hopefully. Once I’ve led ‘em far enough away, then I put all I got inta collapsin’ part o’ the celin’ an’ lose them gals in the confusion.”

"That's relying on a lot of assumptions, Applejack," said Shining Armor. The young Quincy man was clenching his hands, his eyes flickering between Cadence and the farm girl, a storm of torn indecision flowing from his eyes alone, "I might be a better choice... but..."

Before he could go much further on that thought process, Applejack pointed a finger up against his chest, her voice firm, but she was also trying to work up an encouraging, confident energy to it, "Look, this ain't meant ta put ya down, Shinin', but I think at this point I might be a' bit stonger than you r' Cadence. More importantly, yer way better suited ta a defensive fight, an' you can cloak the group ta a degree with them fancy Quincy techniques. I'm trustin' ya to protect the group while I'm drawin' the main enemy away. Ain't gonna ferget we might have other enemies out there, right? An', on top o' that, Cadence is expectin'. It's better ya stay by her, right?"

He grunted, looking unwilling to admit the logic if Applejack's words out loud. Cadence placed a gentle hand on his arm, calming him, then she looked at Applejack, "We understand, Applejack. I don't like that you're having to take this risk, but I can tell we can't really talk you out of this, either."

There was a soft sigh from Clover, “Agreed. I wish we might talk you out of this, but I know you well enough by now to understand we can't. At least it’s not a completely terrible plan, but there’s a lot of ways it can go wrong. What if their master, Ofridir shows up?”

Applejack’s eyes narrowed, her heart rate increasing with a hint of fury that was directed at no one save the thought of whoever this Ofridir was and the way he was abusing the dead for his own goals, “Honestly won’t mind if he does. Might be I’ll show that fella a’ thing or two ‘bout how ta respect the dead.”

“Now that is the kind of foolish cub-like behavior Asena was talking about,” Simurgh chided, “Ofridir is not to be underestimated. His is an Einherjar for good reason. I will not claim you cannot defeat him, but to face him while also dealing with three draugr as deadly as the Neired would be the end of many a great warrior, let alone a young Midgardian like yourself. You are powerful, Applejack, I’d be blind to deny that, but if Ofridir appears before you... please, run.”

“I’m liking this plan less and less,” said Shining Armor, “But I also know I can’t stop you. You’re not a Quincy, so I’ve got zero authority to order you around. Be damn sure I would if you were one of us. So it sounds like all we can do is make sure we get to that fortress fast, so you don’t have to put yourself at risk for too long.”

“I don’t like it either, Shining, but I agree,” replied Cadence, approaching Applejack and putting a hand on her shoulder, “You’ll promise us you’ll be careful? Don’t take any risks you don’t have to. Well, no more than you already are.”

“That’s the idea,” Applejack said, and reached up a hand to hold Cadence’s, with a slightly stronger grip, “Now what were ya doin’ just now?”

“Ah...hahah... old habits die hard,” Cadence said, letting the small blue slip of light that was a reishi tracer dangle from her finger, “Do you object to letting me put this tracer on you? If something goes wrong, it will let us find you again.”

“Don’t bother me, just don’t go bein’ all sneaky ‘bout it,” Applejack said, allowing Cadence to finish placing the small dot of light onto her shoulder, where it vanished a moment later, “Weird little trick.”

“Its useful, I can assure you. If you get separated from us, I can show you how to sense my link to the tracer so you can find your way back to the group,” Cadence said, pulsing a line of reishi through the tracer, “Feel that?”

Applejack closed her eyes and focused for a moment, sensing the tiny spark of energy from the tracer and the smallest echo of pressure that flitted like a strand of spider silk to Cadence’s hand, “Yeah... I feel it. So I can just follow this an’ make my way ta wherever yer at, no matter where I end up havin’ ta run to?”

“For a fairly large distance, yes,” said Cadence, stepping back.

“Then guess I’d better git goin’, ‘fore I let any o’ you talk me outta this,” Applejack said, turning and making quick strides from the cavern mouth and out to the enfolding embrace of the stalactite and stalagmite forest beyond. She heard steps behind her, glancing back to see Spike and Clover there, watching her as Simurgh and Asena gently went about picking up Rainbow Dash and Sunset Shimmer’s unconscious forms, while Shining Armor and Cadence took up protective positions on either side of the group.

“Good luck, ya’ll,” she said, jets of gold power emitting from the boots of her armor as she took to the air.

“Kick butt,” said Spike.

“Fight well, noble warrior,” barked Asena, resting Rainbow Dash on her back. Beside the towering azure furred wolf, Simurgh nestled Sunset onto her own back between her wings, and looked up at Applejack.

“Remember, if Ofridir appears, do not fight him.”

Applejack found her mouth unable to form the words of any comforting lie she might give the bird. It just wasn’t in her to be anything but honest about her intentions, “I can’t make no promises, but ya’ll can be sure I don’t plan on dyin’ out there.”

She didn’t wait a moment longer, gold light blasting from her boots and the palms of her gauntlets and she turned and rocketed away, nimbly navigating between the thick pillars of stone that formed the vast forest. Her goal was to fly directly away from the route the others would take to reach the huge cavern wall and the glittering lights of the Dwarven stronghold that even now could be seen, even many miles away. As long as she kept her wits about her, she felt like she could do this. She had to.

And a part of her almost wanted Ofridir to show her his ugly much, so she could punch it right off his shoulders.

“Now just what are you doing, my golden firebrand?” Adagio wondered aloud, the fine claws at the end of her fingers slowly gouging pale lines down the stalagmite she stood on the risen base of. All three of the Nereid could see the blazing beacon that was soaring across the darkened cavern forest, just as clear as the burning intensity of the reiatsu stemming from the light’s owner.

Below Adagio, honing the edge of her blade with a thumb, Aria watched the flying comet of distant light and gave off a mirthless chuckle, “Obvious distraction. Bet you the rest of their band is on the move while blondie tries to hold our attention. As if we’d fall for that...” She glanced up at Adagio, who didn’t immediately reply, “We’re not falling for it, right?”

Adagio licked her lips, her right hand aching as she gripped the haft of her scythe with tightening fingers, remembering the impactful reverberation when her weapon had clashed with the golden girl’s lance. The eldest Nereid’s breath quickened a little, “Why not? If she’s offering herself up as bait to be plucked, I see no reason not to oblige her.”

“Aside from the whole its obviously meant to keep us from going after the main group?” Aria said with rising incredulity, and her sour expression did not improve when in a trail of mist, Sonata appeared behind her and clapped Aria on the back with a wet slap.

“Aw, who cares about the lame ones who are running away? I wanna chase the bright, shiny girl! She’s big, strong, and it’ll be a lot more fun to play with her! The eager, willing ones are always better fighters.”

“Ofridir told us to hunt the Midgardians,” Aria said, although there wasn’t a great deal of resistance in her tone, just a vague irritation, wich Adagio seized upon as she leapt down in front of Aria, flashing a thin smile of needle fangs. Aria tilted her chin up, chest out, more than willing to challenge and confront her sister for really any reason, or no reason at all. Adagio obliged, getting into Aria’s space as the two glared eye to eye.

“Ofridir, the rotten goat sucker, only told us to track them and use our best judgment in engaging them,” Adagio said, “He didn’t specify how we should go about it. Not even if we should immediately contact him once they were found. So, as far as I’m concerned, we get to play this how we want to. I, for one, like the idea of picking off one of the Midgardian’s intrepid company, since she’s so willingly offering herself up on a platter. Neither of you have to join me, of course. I can probably handle her on my own.”

Aria snorted, hard, not breaking gaze with Adagio, “Felt to me during that skirmish that she had enough power to match you, sister. No, if we’re doing this, foolish as I think it is, we’re going at this headstrong idiot all at once and taking her down.” She glared back at Sonata, “Fast. So no playing games.”

Sonata made a childish noise, puffing out her cheeks, “The whole point is to play games. Why do you have to take the fun out of everything, Aria?”

“Don’t be difficult, Sonata. Aria is right,” Adagio said, expertly cutting Aria just enough slack to secure her sister’s agreement, now that the mater was properly settled, “Much as I’d enjoy proving her wrong and that this Midgardianis no match for me in a duel, we’re not here to play things honorably. If this girl wants to delve into the deep ocean, we must show her that teeth lurk in its depths. We can deal with the rest of them at any time, and we may even get to show them their dear friend’s body.”

Rainbow Dash was surrounded by moisture and cloying dank foliage. Everywhere she turned, wet leaves slapped her face, or thick vines tripped her feet. The ground itself was slick with old leaves that crackled under her steps, and her nose was nearly choked by the earthen smells of the jungle that surrounded her. The girl’s mind felt fuzzy, her memories of the past hour or so muddled and unclear as the dark walls of twisted greenery around her. How had she gotten here? Where was here? Rainbow Dash felt a dull, cold ache in her chest, her lungs drawing breath but only with a deep scraping sensation that had her coughing every other time she breathed in and out. Sometimes she thought she could taste the copper taint of blood at the back of her throat.

Had she injured herself? She vaguely recalled some kind of fight. Applejack, and Wallflower, and Spike... had they been there? Where were they? Where was Sunset? There should have been caves. A gargantuan cave, so vast it was a continent unto itself. But no, she was in a jungle, dark and dense, only the smallest silver bands of sunlight filtering down to light her stumbling path.

She didn’t know for how long she walked. Minutes? Hours? Her legs and feet grew wearier, but time itself felt distorted. Did she even have a destination in mind? An inward frustration grew in Rainbow Dash, a sweltering irritation at herself. Where was she going? Her friends needed her, didn’t they? Had they left her? No, of course not. She was too awesome to leave behind, and they’d never do that. Even if she ended up holding them back, somehow. Which she wasn’t, right? She was Rainbow Dash! She kicked ass!

No way she was the weakest link. She’d completed her Fullbring first. She’d been in every major fight alongside her friends since the start.

Sunset took down Platinum. Applejack faced down her mother. Rarity beat Blueblood, and even dead took down that Sternritter jerk. Pinkie Pie messed up Grogar’s plans for that weird Seed planted in AJ’s dad, and AJ herself helped save him. Sunset took on Gaia, dueled Tirek, one v one’d Jormungandr. Then there’s Fluttershy, beating Gilda, making friends with that Smooze dude. Man, my friends are all amazing. Racking up wins left and right. And I... um... I beat Fancy Pants? And I guess my mom? But I didn’t really win that fight... what... what have I done to help, exactly?

She shook her head, trying to think clearly. She must have gotten some major wins and helped out her friends at some point. But for some reason rather than clear imagery of her awesomeness filling her mind, she could only see herself coughing up blood from ice shredding into her lungs, and Applejack’s frightened, worried eyes. Rainbow Dash didn’t want to make any of her friends look that way, least of all AJ, her best friend.

Rainbow Dash halted as she noticed she’d reached a rocky clearing bisected by a thick, burbling stream. Mist rose around the jungle floor, giving her uneasy flashbacks to a laughing mad girl with a pale blue face. Rainbow hugged herself, and then felt her blood chill as she heard the jungle growth to her left rustle. She spun to look, but saw nothing.

Then another rustle, behind her to her right. Spinning again, Rainbow saw nothing but the mist clouded jungle growth, but suddenly she felt as if she wasn’t alone. Something was watching her. Circling her. She backed up towards the stream, eyes heating with anger to hide her fear, “H-Hey! Whoever or whatever you are, back off! I’m warning you, I’m in a crap mood, and you don’t wanna mess with me!”

As she felt her heels touch the cold wet water of the street, Dash heard a reverberating growl scrape the air with such hungry ferocity it made her hair nearly stand on end. She drew upon her spirit energy, electricity crackling over her body in a cobalt flash. The dark blue chest piece of armor flowed over her, sprouting its twin set of spread metallic wing blades, rainbow light flowing between them. Her hand raised to the gem on her chest, withdrawing the long blue shaft of her dual lighting spear, the blades flaring to sparking life. Normally summoning her Fullbring made her feel a rush of adrenaline and strength, giving her a sense of security and strength. Yet for some reason, right there, in that immense, confusing, mist shrouded jungle where light barely touched, she still felt small and vulnerable.

She hated that feeling. Even outside of the present context, she’d never liked feeling out of her depth or weak. Rainbow had always adopted a raw, bombastic energy to fight that feeling, going all out on anything she chose to do. And, as she made more friends who seemed drawn to that part of her, Rainbow Dash made of point of never showing fear or weakness if she could help it. Even if it was there. Even if some part of her felt like she was falling behind her friends, or worse, the weak link who’d get one of them killed.

What do you mean ‘one of them’? Rarity is already dead. You weren’t there to save her. Too weak and too slow to be there in time to make a difference. Who’s going to be next? Applejack?

She was breathing in a ragged, shallow fashion, eyes darting about as sweat poured down her face. Where was the growling coming from? It felt as if it was echoing from every shadow of the jungle at once. Why was she so scared!? She was Rainbow Dash! She had to be better than this!

With a yell that was more fear than rage, she swept her spear in front of her, letting bolts of lightning fork off with thunderous blasts into the dense jungle surrounding her. Somehow the bolts, which should have felt powerful, looked as if they dissipated into the darkness with minimal effect on the monolithic jungle beyond. Worse, while the growling stopped, so did everything else. The jungle’s vibrant noises all went dead silent, cloaking Dash in a terrifying stillness that made her skin prick up with icy goosebumps.

Then she heard the softest noise, barely more than a scrap of something sharp over stone, and she whirled around. Across the stream, perched high on a moss covered rock, was a humongous shadow. She blinked. No, not a shadow. It’s fur was black as shadow, and it blended into the jungle’s murk so naturally it may as well have been near invisible. It was marked, however, by its shining magenta eyes, nearly crimson, as deep a color as her own. Its fine, lithe body rippled with toned muscle under its sleek coat, and a long rope of a tail danced behind it. Sharp claws long as knives dug into the stone of the rock, and a mouth opened with fangs bright as ivory.

It was a panther, a massive one, and it looked at Rainbow Dash with a gaze of hunger and challenge that made her heart feel like it was about to freeze in place.

To Rainbow Dash there was nothing lamer than running from a challenge. A dull, screaming instinct somewhere in the back of her mind was telling her to raise her weapon and fight. But for reasons she couldn’t identify, images of doubt that had been creeping through her mind like termites gnawing away at strong foundations, fear spread through her as the panther issued forth that terrible growl once more.

Rainbow Dash turned and ran, tearing away into the gloom of the jungle that was the panther’s domain. And, with a sinuous spring it its muscles, the panther leaped after her, giving chase.

“Is she really going to be okay?” Spike asked Clover. She was kneeling on Asena’s back, balanced on her knees as she continued to pour healing energy from a maintained Kido onto Rainbow Dash. The girl had seemed to Clover that she was recovering from the injury one of the Nereid had dealt her, but now Dash’s skin shone with a sheen of sweat and a fever had broken out within her. Clover wasn’t sure why, save perhaps something in the ice crystals Sonata had used had unbalanced Rainbow Dash’s own reiryuku.

“I... think so,” she said, “The fever is mild, at least. As long as I keep healing her, she should recover.”

Spike was piloting the Gunwolf, keeping pace with Asena as the burly wolfess lead them swiftly through the encompassing forest of stone pillars and small cavern tributaries. They were maintaining a quick pace, but still had to ensure that Rainbow Dash and Sunset Shimmer didn’t fall off. Wallflower was staying next to Sunset, keeping a hold on her as Simurgh flew overhead, while Cadence and Shining Armor stayed on either flank of the group, bows out and eyes keenly watching in case the Nereid ignored Applejack’s distraction.

“Her spirit is strong,” said Asena, smoothly leaping from rock to rock, “But I sense her Anima stirring. It is in conflict with her.”

“Is that normal?” asked Clover, “Is Anima supposed to do that?”

“It depends on one’s Inner Beast,” replied the wolf, smoothly rising with several powerful bounds to reach the top of a tall outcropping of stone that poked out at an awkward angle from a stalagmite as thick as a skyscraper. Ahead of them the forest was thinning out and Clover could see a dip into a long tundra-like expanse of stone covered in thick bracken, twisted thorn and bramble bushes, and dotted by glowing formations of multi-colored crystals. This went on for what looked like dozens of miles, heading north curving slightly west towards a distant gorge, and further beyond that, the glittering walls of the Allhammer Clan’s main stronghold, Mattugeirr, which loomed tall even while still so far away. It was even possible to see the flickering lights of the giant elevator platforms going up and down Svartalfheim's soaring cavern wall, like distant fireflies.

“It is uncommon, but if one’s Inner Beast is at odds with one’s own present spirit, a fight for dominance can ensue,” said Asena, panting slightly as she licked her jaws, “Rare, for most of us who dwell here are in tune with ourselves. Young Rainbow Dash, being a Midgardian, may find her Inner Beast will see her as prey, rather than a reflection of itself. It may be others among you who are not Beasts will face similar trials.”

Clover didn’t like the sound of that, glancing down at Rainbow Dash who started to stir uncomfortably in her disturbed sleep. “Well what happens if her Inner Beast, um, wins this conflict?”

Asena went quiet, until Spike spoke up, with a surprising note of command, “Asena! Tell us! What happens?”

“It isn’t something many Beast Realmers like to speak of, but on the rare instance one is consumed by one’s own Inner Beast, a terrible thing is born. A creature consumed by its own hunger and most violent, territorial instincts. We call such poor creatures the Frenzied. There is naught to do with such lost souls save put them down as fast as possible, for all they will do is hunt and kill without their hunger ever being slacked.”

Clover was put into a stunned silence, but Spike was quite a bit louder, barking, “You think maybe you could’ve brought this up sooner!?”

From above, Simurgh’s calm voice rained down, “To what end, young lord? Whether the Midgardians face their Inner Beasts or not, it is a fight that foreknowledge of would change little. Besides, we saw how well Sunset Shimmer has done. That gives us heart that the other young ladies will fare well in their own battles, should they arise. Have faith in Rainbow Dash. I believe she will not succumb to Frenzy.”

“Is there anything we can do to help?” asked Wallflower, still holding Sunset steady on Simurgh’s back. “I mean, you both know all about Anima, so maybe you know a way to give Rainbow Dash some kind of edge?”

Asena made a grunting noise of thought, springing down the rocky outcropping and down the long slope towards the tundra of thick brambles. “Anima can be made stronger or weaker through synergy. Two Anima users of compatible types can link their strengths together, just as those of opposing types can weaken their opposition. Were either I or Simurgh users of a compatible Anima type, we could lend our strength to Rainbow Dash. Sadly, I am a Hide user, and Simurgh uses Wing, neither of which mesh well with Fang.”

Spike made a whining noise, “We got to do something. Maybe... maybe if I can tap into my Anima, it’d be Fang? I mean, what kind of Anima did Fenrir have in the past?”

“Howl,” said Asena, but quickly added, “But that does not mean yours will also be Howl, when it awakens. You are reborn, my lord. Your Anima, too, should be reborn. But, there is no way to make it be that of Fang. You will only know for sure when it awakens. And it can’t be... or at least it shouldn’t be forced.”

“Hold up, you say that like there is a way to force it,” pressed Spike, moving the Gunwolf to stand in Asena’s way, making her stop in her tracks. Simurgh circled overhead then gently landed, her avian eyes giving Spike a look of trepidation.

“My young lord, it is very dangerous to try and force one’s Anima to awaken. Is it possible? Yes. But to do so risks the very Frenzy that Rainbow Dash is currently fighting against. I don’t think-”

Spike popped the hatch to the Gunwolf’s cockpit, jumping out and glaring up at Simurgh. For such a small dog, he was able to put a hefty dose of arresting intensity in his gaze, making himself seem much larger than he was. “Look, I don’t care about the details! If one of Twilight’s friends is in trouble, and there’s a way for me to do something about it, then you better believe I’m going to. Now do I got to pull rank on you two or what? You keep calling me your ‘lord’ or whatever. So if I order you to force my Anima awake, can you do it or not!?”

Shining Armor and Cadence both looked at him, Cadence stepping up and reaching up a hand to touch his paw, “Spike, listen to me. I understand you want to help, but do you really think putting yourself at risk like that will actually help Rainbow Dash? Would she want you to do something like this? Would Twilight?”

“Grrrr, c’mon Cadence, don’t try to hit me with puppy dog eyes. That’s totally unfair. I’m the only one allowed to do that. And sure, I know they wouldn’t want me to do it, but... that’s still what friends do, risking stuff for each other. Applejack is risking it all right now, too. Why should I do any less?”

“Look buddy,” said Shining Armor, “I get what you’re saying. It’s damn brave. Also, not sure we could actually stop you if you were determined to do it. So how about a compromise? We wait and give Rainbow Dash a chance to deal with... whatever’s going on inside her, on her own, first. If it looks like she really is about to get all Frenzied, then you can go ham on trying to help. That work?”

Spike frowned, paws twitching, and he eyed Asena and Simurgh, “Would it? If we wait, would it be too late to help her if things go bad?”

Simurgh rubbed her beak with her wing, trilling lightly, “I... believe it to be possible. Difficult, but possible, if you are sure enough to take the risk.”

“I am.”

“So be it, my lord,” said Asena, who resumed moving, “But we had best remain on the move. Rainbow Dash faces her challenge, but all is for naught if we do not make use of the time Applejack is presently purchasing us with her own courageous actions.”

The first strike came from above, faster than Applejack had ever expected. Like streaking through the confines of a dense metropolis, the thick pillars of stalagmites and stalactites formed pathways around her and also formed blind spots. She’d been flying at full speed, the intense jets of gold energy blasting from her armor propelling her at what she’d hoped was a difficult pace to tag. She knew she was among the slowest members of her circle of friends, and certainly so compared to the likes of Rainbow Dash, but she knew she was moving far faster than what even hypersonic missiles could achieve.

But either the Nereid were faster than that, or had anticipated Applejack’s course and through some esoteric power of their Anima had gotten ahead of her. Either way, Applejack’s first clue that they’d caught up with her was the blindingly fast streak of orange fury that was Adagio coming in from above, slicing right through a twenty meter thick trunk of stone with a single swing of her water encased scythe. The deadly blade, enshrouded with the high pitched whir or insanely pressurized water, went right for Applejack’s neck.

Applejack twisted her body, jets of power firing off to spin her like a top, and she dragged her massive drill lance laterally across her path. Sparks flew, sharp pain bit her shoulder, and warm blood coated her arm as Adagio’s scythe deflected along the lance’s length but still cut a rough gouge on Applejack’s upper left arm. The sheer sharpness of the water coated scythe was shocking to Applejack, the way it tore her armor so cleanly. Not to let the pain blind her, she retaliated with a forceful knee, rocket-like jets cracking the air as she drove the armored leg up into Adagio’s unbalanced body right into the Nereid's gut.

Impact force alone sent the snarling woman flying sideways into another pillar of stone, shattering through it in a flying explosion of rock shards. Before Applejack could feel a flicker of momentary satisfaction, mist was already coiling up from below, thick and cold fog trying to encase her with frightful speed as Sonata’s dreadful giggles pranced through the air. Not wanting to screw around, and wise to the way Sonata’s Anima worked at this point, Applejack sped forward, spinning herself around as she flew and opening the tip of her drill lance as her finger held down the firing trigger in the weapon's grip. Fast bolts of golden power fired out, blasting holes through the mist, dispersing much, but not all of it.

Applejack swore under her breath, seeing the remaining tendrils of fog forming into thin shards of ice that speared towards her with sickening speed. Burning jets of power from her back, Applejack flew forward, trying to duck through them, feeling the sharp chill stabbing at her as near misses still left cold layers of frost on her armor. Sonata flowed out of one of the mist tendrils, the pale blue Nereid's face a wide grin of needle fangs as her wave pattern daggers flashed in her hands. “Miss us already, goldilocks! We missed you, too!”

A grimace plastered across Applejack’s face as she deftly swung her lance, twisting the long weapon in a complex motion as she parried aside the deadly barrage of dagger strikes. Sonata was a wild and bending blur of thrusts and slices, so quick that Applejack wouldn’t have kept up with the pace if she wasn’t also still flying at full speed across the air, twisting and banking like a corkscrew to try to throw the Nereid off. Sonata had mist trailing from her body like a cloak, the moisture forming into needle thin spouts of water that stitched their way at Applejack like lethal rain.

She had to aim her left arm forward at the rain, even as the first sharp needle drops of water impacted her armor and bored holes into it. Nozzles flared open all over her arm and palm, blinding gold energy forming as Applejack blasted a thick and radiant beam that was wide enough to not only catch Sonata, but most of a trail of stalactites behind her in a long, molten line.

“Whoopsie!” Sonata chuckled, flaring down from the beam of light with one of her arms sporting charred flesh and smoke wafting around her bruised body, yet the Nereid was still grinning, “You pack a lot of heat, my juicy apple! I wish I had you all to myself!”

With a clenching sense of danger gripping her senses, Applejack felt Adagio’s next attack. The elder Nereid leaped from pillar to pillar in a confusing pattern of motion clearly meant to throw off Applejack’s defense. She could see Adagio’s face was a focused mask of concentration, starkly contrasted to Sonata’s wild glee. Coming at an angle from below, Adagio pulled back her scythe, and Applejack felt the strange pulsation of the Nereid’s reiatsu as Anima flowed over her in a watery blue deluge of aura. The encasing band of water around the scythe blade suddenly grew in size, quadrupling the very length of the scythe’s shaft and curved blade in an instant and causing the air to quiver visibly with power as Adagio sliced in a vertical curve aimed to bi-sect Applejack.

The power of the blow was such that Applejack had no choice but to spin up the drills of her lance, pouring power into them to make the drills gleam and swirl with twisting cones of energy. She barely managed to thrust the tip forward in time to catch the edge of the blurring water scythe. Rather than clash, laws of physics took over and the immense impact blasted back both Adagio and Applejack like two hockey pucks colliding in mid-air. She felt herself slam into the conical tip of a stalagmite, ripping the ten meter thick stone spike apart as she tumbled through it. She lost sight of Adagio, but heard the rough impact of a body on stone and assumed the Nereid must have struck another pillar as well. Applejack grunted in pain. At this point such impacts didn’t do much damage to her, but her already bloody arm wound ached harder now as she got control of her fall and rose up on jets of energy from her boots.

This wasn’t going quite as well as she’d hoped. Her intent had been to keep flying. Keep running. Make the Nereid chase her. But they were too fast, too well prepared, and worse the three knew each other’s powers and abilities and could work together well. Perhaps Applejack hadn’t thought this through as much as she’d believed? But no point worrying over it now that she was in the thick of it. Two Nereid had appeared, which if Rainbow Dash’s anime shows were anything to go by, that meant the third was due to make a move right about-

A stalagmite thirty feet behind her became little more than a flying cloud of chunks as a shimmering whale that looked like an oversized orca formed of pulsating Anima came barreling towards Applejack at high speed. The flying whale had a gaping mouth wide enough to swallow the girl whole, and she spun just in time to wedge her drill lance vertically in that chomping mouth, the massive momentum of the ghostly orca slamming her downward at ridiculous speed. Applejack found herself being crushed into the ground, rock shattering in all directions in a deep furrow as she was plowed along through the cavern floor.

Growling through the pain, her eyes flared with inner green light, and on instinct she clenched her hands around her lance, the brown bear fur now growing along her arms and phantom bear claws taking shape as she followed the urge to rip upwards. Dragging the claw of her left hand up the length of the lance and into the bottom of the flying orca’s mouth, she saw talons of stone shape around her hand and impaled ethereal whale flesh. Then, like a summoned quake, a tremor exploded over the whale, ripping its face to ectoplasmic chunks.

Applejack was halted at the bottom of a torn ravine of rock in the ground, and barely had time to react as Aria, who had been riding atop the whale she’s summoned with her Anima, flipped forward and struck down with her hefty cutlass. The blow struck across the armor of Applejack’s chest, denting it and knocking breath and blood from Applejack’s lips. Rather than retreat, Applejack dug her heels in and gold jets burst from large nozzles on her armor’s back and she flung herself forward, battering and thrusting with her spinning gold drill lance. Aria responded with strong footwork, bending her body to evade for several pitched seconds, each of Applejack’s strikes creating concussive force winds that tore through the stone forest.

Again, following a hint of instinct in her gut, Applejack stomped her right foot, and a luminous green bear claw formed, shattering the earth and forming a quake that rocked through Aria in a vibration that rattled the Nereid’s teeth. Applejack took the opening and thrust her lance, gold light blasting forward to hammer Aria in the gut. Aria, at the last millisecond, gestured with her free hand and a shield formed of an ethereal blue conch shell coated her arm. It exploded on impact with the drill, but still kept Aria from taking too much damage as she was thrown back in a spinning rag doll motion that left her smacking into the base of a nearby pillar of stone that cracked and fell to the side.

Breathing hard, Applejack turned with the intent to start flying away again, but the mist of Sonata swirled down, forming a dome around her. The younger Nereid appeared, still burned but giggling, while Adagio leaped down from the top of the mist dome to land next to Aria, who was already getting back up and wiping blood from her lips.

Applejack faced all three Nereid, surrounded by the mist that could freeze to ice or become deadly water jets in an instant, and facing three opponents any one of which would be an evenly matched foe. Wraith-like emerald green bear talons still formed around her left hand and right foot, and her heart was hammering in her chest, her mind roaring with feral anger that was making it hard to think straight.

Her Anima was almost helping, but she didn’t have enough control to even be sure what it was doing. Meanwhile she was up against opponents who were far more experienced with their abilities than her. But, she still had plenty of energy to spare, despite a few injuries, and her Fullbring was as potent as ever. For having her three to one, all three Nereid had taken some hits, and if running wasn’t going to work, then Applejack licked her lips with the determination that she would put her all into taking down at least one before going down herself.

“Hmph, honor where honor is due, I suppose,” spoke up Adagio with a viciously intense grin as she spun her scythe lazily in front of her, “You’ve fended my sisters and I off fairly well, for a Midgardian dirt farmer.”

“Apple farmer, thank ya very much!” Applejack said, and Adagio gave a half-mocking bow of her head.

“Apologies. Was never much for produce. Especially now, what with being an undead soul.”

“We talking now?” Sonata whined, “Shouldn’t we be fighting?”

“It’s call a ‘lull’, Sonata,” Aria yawned, “You know, take a moment to catch your breath, trade insults with your enemy. It’s all part of the dance.”

“I like faster dances.”

“Well, maybe that’s part of the reason we lost to Ofridir. Every think of that?” sniped Aria, “You rushed in and got overwhelmed too early in the fight, leaving me and Adagio to pick up the slack.”

Sonata bristled, the crest of a fin under her tangled blue hair rising like a rattlesnake’s tail, “I don’t remember it that way at all.”

Time being the commodity of greatest value at the moment, Applejack was rather grateful of their willingness to banter, and it did leave an opening to move the topic herself to something she wanted to know about concerning these three. “Hold up a’ sec, gals. Got a question fer ya’ll. None o’ you are servin’ this Ofridir fella o’ yer own free well, are ya?”

This got all three Nereid staring at her, which wasn’t entirely what Applejack wanted, if they decided that the ‘lull’ was over. But Adagio got a sour look and spat to the side, and gestured at her face, one clawed finger pointing at her luminous blue eyes, “These are the eyes of a draugr, girl. No, I don’t serve that foul smelling goat willingly. None of us do.”

“I don’t really care,” said Sonata, raising her hand.

“We’re not voting, Sonata,” Aria groaned, shaking her head, “The Midgard girl is just clarifying if we’re loyal to him or not.”

“Ooooooh...” Sonata blinked. Then blinked again. On the third blink she finally said, “No, not really. I’d kill him if I could. Not because I don’t like him, but I just kind of do that in general, and he’s a fun fight. You are too, blondie, so can we get back to that now, pleeeease?”

Applejack let out a slow sigh, “Figured you gals might want ta be free. Was hopin’ maybe we might work somethin’ out, like me takin’ down yer boss so whatever power he’s usin’ on ya to do his biddin’ goes poof.”

“Wouldn’t that be a simpler, nicer world?” Adagio mused, the aura of her Anima rising around her, a tight blue sheen of violently churning blue that flowed into her scythe, spinning the water around its edge even faster, “‘But sadly, while there’s wiggle room in our orders, a draugr still has to obey their master, and much as I’d rather bury my scythe in him, Ofridir has told us to kill or capture you lot. With you in front of us, the compulsion is too great to ignore for very long.”

“Besides,” chimed in Aria, cutting with her blade and using her own Anima to conjure forth a small school of floating bull sharks, “If Ofridir dies, we’re back to being corpses. Adagio here is the only one who’s eager to get back to being dead.”

“Yeah, I like moving, fighting, playing,” Sonata said, the air growing colder as the mists began to close in, “Which means you gotta bleed and either give up, or die.”

“Well, ain’t gonna be doin’ either, so...” Applejack began to raise her lance, but just then she felt something in her chest shift. Like some unseen bulk of urgency, a pull. Instinct again. Anima. She didn’t fight it, remembering Asena and Simurgh’s lessons. Anima was instinct, something feral in every living thing’s soul, waiting to wake up. Hers was talking to her, or rather communicating in impulse and animal intuition. She just had to stop thinking with her human head and listen to that animal within.

Earth is strong, cavernous. A home, a den, easy to defend from a pack of wolves in one direction. Down. Beneath.

She stamped her foot again, a small quake building up in the ground. She... she could feel it. The earth. The stone. So much more than what it looked like on the surface. She had been trying to run by flying up, but there was another direction she could go. She could sense it, almost see it, the caverns beneath the stone. As the Nereid advanced on Applejack, she inverted her drill lance and spun it up to full force, and shoved it down hard at her feet. The impact was enough to break stone in a crater all around her for a dozen paces, but more importantly it opened up into the cavern that had been hidden underneath them all, and Applejack and the three very surprised Nereid fell down into the dark.

The noise was faint, echoes that boomed like the memory of distant thunder. The party was now fully into the thicket and bracken, surrounded by dark black branches from dry bushes coated in thorns. Crystal spires rose in flowing colors amid the brush, each one made of layers of varied colors that coated everything in uneven shades. Some of the crystal formations rose taller than a telephone pole, while many others were shorter than a person, but they were all over the place.

Asena crunched through the thorns and brambles with minimal discomfort, Simurgh still flying overhead with Wallflower and Sunset on her back. Spike raised the Gunwolf’s head back in the direction Applejack had gone, his mech’s sensors giving back readings on thee energy fluctuations of the distant battle.

“She’s still fighting... and I don’t think she’s managing to get away,” he murmured, his tail low in dismay. He felt a sharp gnaw of regret in his heart. He was a loyal guy, and it hadn’t set well leaving Applejack to risk it all to be the decoy. Even now, Spike wanted to make the Gunwolf go full bore flying back to help her... but now he had Rainbow Dash to worry about, too!

She was still out, murmuring uneasily in whatever dream or nightmare she was having as she struggled with her Inner Beast. Clover was holding Rainbow Dash’s head on her lap now, using a cool strip of cloth from her own robes to water down and place on Dash’s forehead as she kept up the soft glow of her healing Kido spell. Clover was sweating almost as much as Rainbow was, pouring her all into keeping the healing spell going.

“It’ll be okay, buddy,” said Shining Armor, nudging the Gunwolf as the young man balanced readily on his own small discs of reishi to leap across the tops of the thorn and bracken that grasped at them, “I can sense Applejack’s reiatsu is still strong. She’s got a lot of gas left in her tank.”

“How can you be so calm?” Spike asked, “I want to freak out over here.”

Shining Armor briefly glanced at Cadence, who was a few dozen meters away covering the group’s other flank, “Got plenty of advice from someone way better at it than me. Also, been in tough spots a lot since I made Sternritter.” His eyes darkened briefly, “Not the first time I’ve had to focus on what was in front of me while someone else took the heavier risks. That’s part of a soldier’s life. Now that you’re in it, Spike, you’ll have to learn to deal, even if it's hard.”

“Not a soldier. Just want to do right by Twilight and her friends from now on and pull my weight,” said Spike, glad that Shining Armor couldn’t see into the Gunwolf’s cockpit to see the doubt plastered all over his canine features.

“Well, all I can tell you is that I’m impressed,” said Shining Armor, “I mean, wasn’t exactly all that long ago you were literally just... you know, my little sister’s cute pet doggo. No offense intended but when you got hit by that magic that let you start talking I still kind of just thought of you as Twilight’s pet. Which wasn’t fair of me. You’ve stepped up way more than some people would. You’re even willing to risk your neck with this Anima business to help Rainbow Dash.”

“You say that like it’s something special, when far as I’m concerned this is the bare minimum of what I should be doing. Wish I could do more...” Spike said, paws shaking a little on the Gunwolf’s controls, “I..” his mind went back to when Twilight had awoken in bed after the bitter battle at Las Noches, and how all he could do was try in vain to comfort her as she processed her mother’s death. “I want to be able to do more.”

Shining Armor looked at him, or rather the Gunwolf, for a moment, then looked once more at Cadence, “I know what you mean. A part of me feels like I should warn you to be careful, to pace yourself, try not to do too much, but... nobody who feels the way you do wants to hear that. So instead I’ll just say I’m behind you. Do what you got to do, Spike.”

Spike nodded, the smooth head of the Gunwolf mimicking the motion. He moved over to Asena, looking up to Clover, “She doing better or worse?”

Clover managed a weak smile, wiping a bit of sweat from her brow, “I wish I could tell you. She’s not worsening, far as I can discern, but... she certainly isn’t getting better, either.”

“The struggle stretches out,” intoned Asena, “It may be that she will need your help after all, my lord. I fear for you both, but admire your courage and loyalty to your chosen pack. I feel more confident that with a heart as full of bravery as yours, you will survive the awakening of your own Anima.”

“I still feel it is too much of a risk,” said Simurgh from above, “Especially because we cannot be certain at all that young lord Spike will even awaken an appropriate Anima to lend Rainbow Dash aid.”

“What kind does she need?” asked Wallflower, peeking over Simurgh’s back down at Dash, “Does she have to receive the exact same kind? B-because, um, I mean... maybe Hel could...?”

Simurgh looked thoughtful, “That may work. As I recall from the tales, the Anima Hel once used was of the Venom type, which is quite compatible with Fang type. Having Fang would be better, but Venom could do in a pinch. Most Anima types have two compatible types besides their own that can link with them. For Fang it is Venom and Howl.”

“So that’s about a one third chance Spike would get a power that could help Rainbow Dash,” Shining Armor put in, “Not the worst odds in the world, but far from a sure thing.”

On the very heels of that statement, Rainbow Dash’s breathing started to get faster and more ragged, as if she were suddenly running a marathon. Clover looked around at the group with urgent eyes, “Her reiatsu just started to heavily fluctuate.”

“Then it seems we must take action, if we are to do anything at all,” Asena said, stopping between a cluster of crystal growths that were mostly shades of red and purple, coating everything in such a manner that it looked like everyone was either covered in blood or bruises. “Young lord Spike, stand before me. There is not ceremony or ritual to what we must do, but you must prepare yourself as best you can.”

Spike brought the Gunwolf forward, popped the cockpit hatch, and all but threw himself out to land in front of the hulking she-wolf, who gazed down at him with a very serious look. Spike just met her gaze and held himself as tall as his diminutive stature allowed, “Okay, uhhh... I guess I’m prepared. What do I do?”

Simurgh landed nearby, perching atop one of the crystal spires, “Endure. Endure the pain, and hold on to your sense of self.”

“Sounds easy enough. How much pain are we talking?”

“It is not a thing to take lightly, my lord,” said Asena, “To force Anima to awaken is only done in dire need, and usually only in the young. You are young, at least, your Anima may not overwhelm you, but the pain will be... intense. Are you certain this is what you wish to do?”

“Yes, do it,” he said, taking a deep breath, “But when you say intense, can you put that on a scale of 1 to 10?”

Rather than answer with words, Asena wrapped coils of sharp, blade-like Anima of deepest red around her front right paw, and touched the tip to Spike’s chest, right above his heart. Then, in a hot rush like getting slammed in the face with a molten anvil, Spike’s world exploded into searing light.

Author's Note

No Applejack, you're doing it wrong! You're supposed to take two more people with you so you can all break up into a series of one on one fights against the bad guys! What do you think you are, a shonen protagonist? ...Oh, wait, you are. Carry on then. 1v3 to your heart's content. Rainbow Dash is in the meantime having another shonen tradition of internal mental battling. Sunset's taken most of those sequences up until now. Got to spread it out a bit more among the team. Even Spike's about to get in on that action.

As always thank you, folks, for reading and hope you enjoyed the chapter. I appreciate any an all comments, questions, or critiques you may have for me. 'Till next time!