Author's Note

Hi there my loyal readers and writers alike!

Sorry for the long delay again. I’m trying to get my thoughts straight but I deviated and got myself in a rut. Not to worry I got the hard part out of my system, thank you season 1! Sorry if the end seemed rushed, but no matter what I wrote nothing sounded good, so I’m gunning it. despite that I hope you all enjoy!

Fire and Poison

The first strike came swift.

Maud held up her shield to deflect the halberd from The Man Scorpion. The halberd was deflected leaving him open to an attack from his side. Trixie rushed the side and hurled her fireball at him. The fireball flew straight for him, but the massive hulk skidded backwards evading the clumsy fireball.

This attack left Najka open and alone for Sir Alonne to strike. The famed knight rushed forward with his katana poised to strike. Closing the distance, he swung as soon as he was in striking distance. His blade whistled through the air as if cutting it. Najka however was ready for Alonne. She grinned burrowing into the ground leaving a massive dust cloud behind to cover her escape.

SIr Alonne looked around not seeing the scorpioness. He paced around not staying in one place too long. He didn't want to give Najka a chance to sneak on him from below. Although, he ran the risk of it just the same if he moved. It wasn’t long before Najka made her presence known. Her massive twin tails pierced the ground from around Sir Alonne on either side of him. He only had enough time to see one and prepared to defend against it. The stinger of the one tail dove from above him and was parried by his swift hand work and blade, but the other tail stinger pierced him in the back pouring venom into his body.
The knight trembled, even his undead hollowed body was affected by the venom of Najka. There were rumors her poison could affect the undead just as easily if they were alive. It appeared to hold true.

Najka rose from the ground the soot and ash sliding off her body as she loomed over Sir Alonne. She raised her spear ready to kill them off once and for all, but a whip of fire snapped around her spear tip and pulled it to the side before digging into the ground missing Sir Alonne.

Nijka snapped her head towards the source of the fire whip and her eyes landed on Loreane. The wounded firekeeper stood with her fire whip in hand pulling hard to keep the spear at bay. Najka however was far stronger than the soft firekeeper. As if to prove this point, Najka gave Loreane a cocky grin before yanking hard with her spear and sent the smaller human flying overhead. Loreane screamed as she was torn from the earth and sent flying with no control over her body. She felt weightless and powerless as she collided with the wall and fell to the ground winding herself. Her lungs burned as she gasped for air from the impact wondering if she'd suffocate before she had a chance to recover.

Just when the thought passed through her mind the scorpioness charged her leaving Sir Alonne to the crippling poison. Loreane rolled of to the side narrowly dodging the stingers from Najka. Loreane stopped rolling and looked to her back where the stinger was stuck in the ground as Najka tried to pull free. Loreane reversed her dagger and sliced at the stinger cutting it from the stem of Najka’s tail with one blow.

She screeched swingin the now useless tail as green blood spilled from the open wound. She thrashed around like a wild mustang kicking her legs in every direction and stabbing at Loreane with her spear. It was hard to dodge both the massive eight legs and the spear all at the same time, and in the end Loreane was skewered through the gut by Najka’s spear.

Loreane felt a wet warmth as her blood pooled out and was absorbed by her clothes. Slowly she looked down at the mass of red in her stomach. Her hands trembled covered in blood as she tried to hold them over her open wound to prevent herself from bleeding out.

Najka chuckled evilly, ripping the spear from the firekeeper and leaving her to die. She returned her focus on her servant who was struggling against Maud and Trixie. Unlike Najka, the man scorpion wasn’t very flexible and nimble, but he was built like a brick wall. Clumsy as he was he managed to fend off Maud in her slower clunky armor; however, he had little defense against the highly nimble Trixie. The azure unicorn circled around him like a shark stalking its prey in water. She would throw a smoke bomb to distract him while Maud went to strike forcing him to defend against her or meet her club full force. This left him open to Trixie’s spells. A stun spell here, followed by a fireball and for the duration of the battle he was badly burned and damaged. His chitin body was scorched with holes in it exposing the soft green bloody underbelly of his body a blood seeped from his wounds and he slowly became slower from bloodloss and his injuries.

Najka snarled shaking her head at his stupidity then looked back at her fallen foes.

“Useless males,” She said under her breath.

She leapt into the air and latched to the ceiling and crawled over to where the man scorpion was and waited. She watched carefully as Maud circled around with Trixie catching the male off guard and attacking him again like they were doing before. Najaka waited, for Maud to strike. Her servant blocked her attack but was ready to meet Trixie, but he instead got a smoke bomb to his face blinding him as Trixie launched two fireballs at him.

This time however he lost an arm as the two fireballs combined to one and impacted against his left arm, he was covering his face with his left arm from Trixie’s smoke bomb. The fireball melted through his arm and burned his face partially.

Najka the leaped down onto Trixie and grabbed her with one arm and held her spear over Trixie’s throat trying to strangle her. Trixie dropped her sword and kicked as hard as she could trying to free herself. Maud paused her attack to see Trixie whisked away and gave chase.

She completely ignored the man scorpion and ran around him. She took her dragon tooth club in both hooves and charged Najka from under. Najka was so preoccupied with Trixie she didn’t notice the pony run under her, until Maud swung her club shattering one of Najka’s legs in the process.

Najka screamed releasing Trixie from her grip and scurrying away to recover. Maud caught Trixie wedding style and gave the mare a quick kiss to the cheek making them blush.

“Thanks Maud,” Trixie said looking away.

“No problem Trixie.”

Maud put the mare down and swung her club over her shoulder and donned a heroic pose. It made Trixie’s heart race to see Maud like this. The earth pony mare took her shield in her other hoof and stood to face against Najka. Hissing Najka charged Maud who ran to face the evil creature head to head. Maud leapt to the air with speed and agility which Trixie had only seen once before.

It was once when she worked back on the rock farm and Trixie had been working in the mines alone. There was a cave in and Trixie was trapped. Some time later Maud had literally punched her way through the rock and saved Trixie’s life. Trixie remembered what happened next, the boulder. A massive chunk of rock had broken from the ceiling of a large cavern that had been dug out and Maud disintegrated it with her bare hooves and saved Trixie’s life again.

Trixie admired that about Maud. The way she held up against all oppositions she met. Her stoic personality. Her strength. It all made Trixie’s heart flutter at the very thought of it. She watched as Maud tried to hit Najka with her club, but came short every time despite the obvious limp leg Najka had. Their weapons clashed and Maud’s shield resonated with each blow she deflected with it. Neither was making any head way with the other and the man scorpion was just getting ready to join after tending to his injured arm stump. Trixie furrowed her brow and was ready to charge in to help when a cry made her stop.

“GAH!”

Trixie’s thoughts were broken when she heard Loreane cry out in pain. Trixie saw her human friend badly injured and was bleeding out from a massive wound in her gut. Trixie suddenly felt her heart sink at the sight. She ran for Loreane and slid to her side and looked the woman over. There was a pool of blood everywhere. She tried to help her but there was nothing she could do.

“Silver! Silver I need help! Loreane’s been hurt!” Trixie called up to the hole in the ceiling.

Trixie then cradled Loreane’s head in her hooves.

“Don’t worry, help will be here soon Loreane.”

*POV Loreane*

Anger. Pain. Heartbreaking pain. It was all that Loreane could think of as she looked up at Trixie who was holding her. She felt angry, and at the sametime ashamed. She was supposed to be a firekeeper. Nothing more. Yet her purpose changed after Diana’s betrayal and she found herself in Equestria, which as it turned out was her home just far in the future it seemed. The ruins of her old world were still there, to some degree but were slowly being consumed by the earth again. As it has always been.

Right now she was afraid most of all.

Afraid of dying alone. Afraid she would never get to tell Trixie how she truly felt about her. It was weird. She only once fell in love and that life was torn apart when she was betrayed by the very woman she loved. Now, she was with Trixie, a pony who she had fallen for in the short time she was with her. Now this Maud pony shows up and is slowly diverting Trixie’s attention away from her.

Again that nasty creature known as jealousy snaked its way into Loreane’s mind. She didn’t care to admit it but she hated Maud. She didn’t want to lose Trixie to her. Then again, it wasn’t really her fault. No. It was Trixie’s for not being clear.

Loreane couldn't help but think about everything that had happened up until now. All the time they spent together with Babs, and Silver Spoon. The nights they slept together, all the time they spent together for that part. Was it all nothing more than simple friendship? Had Loreane misread all of the signs that Trixie made? Was she in a one sided love relationship, one that Trixie would never return?

The thought scared her that she was alone. Not loved. She glanced over past Trixie to see Maud fighting off both scorpion beasts by herself. Loreane watched as Maud deflected attack after attack and held her club above her head. Suddenly she glowed as her armor swelled over her and she grew a second skin of stone and scales. She felt envious of the earth pony. Perhaps if she was stronger, more powerful, than Trixie would notice her more. Perhaps if she weren’t so soft. She now wished she was a fighter than a firekeeper.

Perhaps that was why Diana left her too. All these thoughts filled Loreane’s mind as the fight continued around her, and Trixie held her in her arms pressing Loreane’s head to her soft chest.

“Don’t worry, Trixie will protect you.”

As the words left her mouth Loreane had a flashback to a time long ago when she once shared a bed with Diana. She remembered that many hollowed undead had broken into the firelink Shrine of Lothric and she almost lost her life. Had Diana not interfered she very well might have died that day. She remembered that was early in her and Diana’s relationship where Loreane truly loved Diana. That night Diana also said the words, “I will protect you.” In those days it made her feel safe to hear those words. Now, she wasn’t so sure. She wasn’t sure about anything anymore.

As she laid there in Trixie’s arms dying, Sir Alonne was up again fighting against Najka and the man scorpion with Maud. The fight was going in their favor for now, but Maud was slowing down and Sir Alonne was still hindered by the poison in his system which was now working in favor of the two scorpions.

Above them Babs watched while Silver Spoon tried to heal the deathly ill sister of Quelaag.

“How much longer is this gonna take, Silver? They’re getting their butts kicked down there!” Babs said impatiently tapping her war chime.

Silver Spoon for her part was rather calm considering the circumstances. She tried to focus on healing the sick firewitch, but it didn’t seem to work no matter what she tried. Finally she just gave up.

“I can’t heal her.”

Babs, Queelara, and Quelaag stared at her.

“What do you mean you give up?” Babs asked.

“Yeah, you said you could heal my mother,” Queelara added. “You said you’d help her.”

“This is beyond what I can do. I’m just a cleric in training I’m no master of this! I just started learning this a few weeks ago, maybe?”

By this point Silver Spoon wasn’t even sure herself when this all started anymore. It was all like one long bad dream that never ended.

“I said I’d try. I’m telling you whatever ails her is nothing I’ve ever come across before.” Silver said desperately. “I’m sorry, but she’s beyond my help.”

“There has to be something you can do!”

“I’m sorry, I can’t. If Loreane were here maybe… but I don’t know what to do.”

Suddenly Babs heard Trixie call to them. Running over to the hole Babs looked down and heard that Loreane was badly injured. Babs looked back from the hole to the others and waved for them to come over. Silver and Queelara both went. Quelaag was going too but her sister took hold of her wrist to stop her. Quelaag looked at her weak sickly sister as she tugged her wrist. Quelaag leaned closer to them so her sister could whisper in her ear. A moment passed and Quelaag nodded. She reached up and pulled her sister's forehead close to press hers together. For a moment she held her sister like this, then she broke away to reach the hole where Babs was roping Silver Spoon down. Queelara was waiting to enter the hole to help but her aunt pulled her to the side and Babs too which made her drop the rope Silver was attached too. Babs thankfully had rappled the filly down enough so she only fell a few feet at best. Her tiny body made the impact less too, but it didn’t stop Silver Spoon from glaring up at the empty hole and shake her hoof angrily at it cursing at Babs.

Silver looked at the fight which was escalating rather badly in favor of the scorpions. Silver crawled low to the ground to not be seen and made her way to Loreane and Trixie. Arriving to her friends Silver noticed Loreane’s wound and gag covering her mouth as if she vomited on the spot. Swallowing hard she bit her cheek and slowly crawled up to them trying not to get blood all over her. Unfortunately she had to step in some to get to them. Silver Cringed feeling the warm blood beneath her as she got closer to Loreane.

“What happened to her?” She asked casting her heal miracle over Loreane.

“She was stabbed by Najka I assumed,” Trixie said looking back as Maud was knocked over by the man scorpion. “Do what you can. I’m going to help the others. Where’s Babs?!”

Trixie yelled her question to Silver as she broke to run at the four fighters throwing another fireball at them and hitting the man scorpion from behind toppling him.

“She’s up with the witches!” Silver yelled after Trixie.

Silver however never took her eyes off Loreane. She is worried for her and the amount of blood she lost would definitely affect her for a few days. It wasn’t long before the magic healed Loreane so she wouldn’t bleed out, but the damage was far from repaired. Silver Spoon had her work cut out for her.

Up above them Quelaag kept Babs and Queelara for a moment to speak with them. She focused mostly on her niece who this was mostly directed too.

“Queelara, you’re a fine fire witch. There is nothing more I can teach you. Your mother is gravely ill and won’t last much longer. She requires humanity to survive.”

“Humanity? What’s that?” Babs asked.

“It’s a rare dark sprite of sorts that comes from the corpses of humans. We don’t know much about it, but it is what can sustain my sister and many others indefinitely. However there needs to be a steady supply, and even if I were to slay thousands I may never encounter one. That’s how rare they are. Their nature is a mystery but their effects are absolute.”

Babs nodded not fully understanding. “So, where do you get it from?”

“Usually, they’re found in dead human corpses.”

“Ah, I see.” Babs said scooting away towards the hole.

Queelag grinned stabbing one of her legs behind Babs to stop her from leaving. Babs squeaked but stayed firmly in place until she was pushed along by the leg closer to Queelag, who turned to her niece.

“Child you will go with them and collect humanity for your mother. Understand?”

“Yes, auntie. I’ll tend to mother. Just please help the others auntie. They can help us.”

Quelaag and Babs looked a the young spideress as she scurried off towards her mother. Quelaag sighed picking up Babs and placed her on her back.

“Don’t think this means I’m helping you past this point.” She huffed jumping down the hole.

“Don’t worry. I know,” Babs said rolling her eyes.

Once down Quelaag made a loud thud as her massive body impacted the earth below her. Babs jumped off her back and ran towards the man scorpion and gave a powerful strong swing to his back. The sound of his spine shattering followed by his howling in pain echoed through the chamber as he fell on the spot unable to move. Babs showed no mercy. She walked around the fallen man scorpion and raised her wartime overhead. She shook it three times making each of her eight bells ring channeling divine power into her hammer and herself. Then with all her might she brought the warchime down on the man scorpions head crushing it in a green blood splatter.

Najka glanced back to see her fallen servant. Angered she used her tail to whip Maud away and charged past Sir Alonne who was now on the ground barely holding on to his consciousness. Babs never saw the trainwreck coming. All she remembered was something stabbing her chest and she was suddenly spinning in the air. The world was a blur to her and all she could think of was the last time she had a peaceful day in Ponyville at Applejack’s farm when she was baking with her cousins and wondered, ‘Did I leave the stove on?’

A moment later she hit the wall head first and got stuck. Her body went limp and she dropped her warchime with her head lodged in the wall.

Silver Spoon gasped seeing Babs stuck in the wall, but didn’t stop working on healing Loreane until she was sure she’d sufficiently healed her enough. However before Silver could finish Loreane got up and wobbly walked over to Babs. She gripped the filly’s waist and tugged her, then she went on to full force. A moment later Bab’s head popped out but was knocked out in a daze. Loreane set her down and raised both her hand in the direction of Najka and Quelaag who were engaged in battle together. Najka spewed out a thick green poisonous mist that started to fill the chamber. Trixie, Maud, and Sir Alonne fled to the edge of the mist while Loreane grabbed Babs and followed them. As they reached the edge of the thick mist both Najka and Quelaag disappeared behind the thick green veil.

Even though they were hidden from sight the two titans in the mist could be heard struggling to get the upper hand on one another. Trixie powered up a fireball and without thinking it she hurled the fireball into the mist. Sir Alonne had only enough time to hit the ground when the flames touched the mist and ignited it. The flames spread across the the misshapen poisonous mist creating a massive wave of fire that heated up the room with a smoldering heat that burned the skin and armor of all near it. This forced everyone to block their faces from the intense heat.

Both Najka and Quelaag’s screeching voices pierced the area as the flames engulfed them. As quickly as the flames came they were gone in a fiery ball of destruction, and left only Quelaag and and severely burned Najka crumpled on the ground. Standing over her Quelaag was charred but otherwise unharmed. Wiping off the loose soot from her body Quelaag stepped forward glaring down at Najka. The scorpioness cringed nursing her injured body struggling to stand Najka tried to scurry away from Quelaag but was quickly run down by the massive spider beast. Quelaag struck Najka in the abdomen with her spear and brought the scorpioness to her knees.

With a wicked grin Quelaag discarded her spear and reached for her side where a hidden hilt was among her smoldering chitin lower body. Taking hold of the hilt she drew a flaming cured and serrated sword and held it at Najka’s neck. Without saying a word Quelaag drew the sword up and with a single precise swing decapitated Najka.

The head of her fallen foe bounced over the ground. It rolled over to the group and stopped at Loreane’s feet. Najka’s eyes were crossed with a look of fear frozen on its features. Loreane scoffed disgusted by it and kicked the head away from herself like it was the worst bile she’d ever seen.

Quelaag and Sir Alonne had a momentary stare down which made everyone near feel uneasy. Until the tension was cut when Quelaag gave a half hearted nod and left. She scurried away heading up to her sister, but stopped just before she entered the hole in the top of the ceiling to her sister's chamber. Quelaag looked down at the group and said, “Thank you.” She then disappeared in the ceiling leaving the others behind.

Babs threw her warchime over her shoulder and dropped it behind her to use as a makeshift pole to lean on. “So, now what?”

Loreane picked up Silver Spoon and rubbed the filly’s head.

“I think we should establish a path for Sir Alonne's troops to head for the Crystal Empire. After that we should continue onwards,” Loreane suggested.

“Agreed, it’ll take time to get my warriors here after finding a safe route. Clearly we can’t go the same way this time,” Sir Alone said gruffly.

Listening in to the conversation Trixie scooted closer to Maud who was standing near a wall and leaning against it with her pet Boulder in her hoof. She was busy polishing him with a silk cloth when she noticed Trixie coming towards her. She put Boulder down next to some pieces of obsidian patting him gently.

“Play nice,” she said dully to him.

Trixie shook her head at Maud and her pet rock. She never understood what she saw in him, but he made Maud happy. Trixie decided not to question it just like she learned never to question Pinkie Pie. It saved her a painful headache later.

“How are you feeling, Little Moon?” Maud asked nudging the unicorn with her elbow.

“Trixie is fine. How are you?”

Maud blinked once.

“I’m fine. Boulder’s been getting heavy lately,” Maud leaned over to whisper in Trixie ear. “I think he’s gaining weight.”

Trixie looked down at the tiny rock which was now snugly against the obsidian. Wasn’t Boulder further away before? She wondered, before looking back at Maud.

“I think he looks fine, Maud.”

Maud glanced down to the tiny pet rock and smiled. She nodded again and hugged Trixie. The unexpected hug made Trixie blush, but she was quick to hug her friend back.

“Trixie’s glad you came to find her. She missed you Maud,” Trixie said.

“I’m glad too, Little Moon.”

From the corner of her eye Loreane stared at Trixie with a cold death glare. Poor Silver Spoon was getting choked by Loreane’s tightening grip. The filly was turning a deep shade of blue as Loreane’s angry grip threatened to strangle the life from her. After a minute Silver Spoon wiggled out of Loreane’s grip and hopped away to freedom.

No longer feeling anything to squeeze Loreane raised a clenched fist like she was thinking about decking Maud’s face. Maybe Trixie’s too. Not willing to stoop that low, she pretended to pinch Maud’s head with her fingers.

Suddenly Trixie abruptly pulled away from Maud and looked at the ceiling. She then felt an intense heat at her side. Looking down her personal pyromancy flame was burning intensely and created a near blinding orange glow. The flames it emitted swirled around Trixie and trickled up to her horn. From there it congested near the tip like a droplet of water would but up towards the sky, and in a fiery ball. The fire turned a pink hue as Trixie’s magic began to pool into the fire at the tip of her horn. Everyone watched in awe of this wondering what it meant.

For Trixie the answer was simple.

Her destiny awaited her somewhere deeper in the swamps. Her horn was calling her back to the swamp. Something powerful. Her magic and pyromancy flame beckoned her to go. There would be no fighting it. It was either she went willingly or she would be dragged there by her magic one way or another. Without saying a word Trixie started to back track when a strong hoof grabbed her shoulder and turned her and faced Maud. Now Maud was almost always a stone face pony to look at so when in rare instances where she had any emotion etched on her dull features was a red flag to any who knew her. There was a look of deep concern on Maud which made Trixie shrink a bit. Everyone else noticed Trixie’s horn and gathered around her with similar concern. Even Loreane who was mad a moment ago was now deeply concerned. She’d never seen such a thing happen not only to a unicorn, but with a pyromancy flame either.

Gathered around the unicorn everyone stared at the display Trixie’s horn was making with mix reactions. Most of them looked worried, but Sir Alonne and Babs didn’t seem worried at all. Loreane knelt down and hugged Trixie and brushed her face into her soft blue fur.

“Trixie, what’s happening to you?” She asked.

“It’s nothing bad, Trixie promises. Trixie’s magic is simply calling to her. Guiding her,” Trixie said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Not noticing the confused looks of the majority of the group Babs sighed and endeavored to explain what was happening to Trixie in detail.

“Ya’lls lookin at Trixie’s horn right?” Babs asked pointing to the horn in question. “Mah cousin told me a story about her friend Rarity who had a similar thing happen to her before she got her cutie mark. When a unicorns horn does this it guides the unicorn to someplace important to them. Ah read up on it, supposedly it leads unicorns to their destiny. Ah, don’t knows if its true, but mah cousin swears to the heavens's it is.”

Everyone watching the filly then looked to Trixie for confirmation. Trixie nodded confirming Babs story was true, but added something else.

“While it is true that a unicorns magic always has a reason for dragging them across the lands there are different degrees in which they happen. For some, like Rarity, the magic is so intense it literally can drag them across the world without giving the unicorn a choice. Sometimes it can happen multiple times, though its rare.

“In Trixie’s case the choice mine whether she goes willingly or not. If Trixie ignores the magics call it will eventually force me to go. Trixie must answer this call. Otherwise Trixie will be dragged through the swamp to her destination, and Trixie want’s the chance to defend herself in case she runs into danger.”

“So, what will you do?” Maud asked pushing Loreane aside.

Loreane glared at the earth pony feeling her blood boil over at the rude attitude she’d just received.

Trixie glanced over at the path that lead to the swamp. She turned causing her cape to flutter as she started to walk on.

“Trixie intends to meet her destiny head on. The rest of you head to the Empire. Trixie will only slow you down.”

Given her explanation the majority of the group understood why Trixie felt she had to go. Unicorn magic was powerful and when it wanted one to go it made them go. The swamp was no place to be dragged around unwillingly that was true. However Maud wasn’t there for the Crystal Empire, she was here for Trixie. Without hesitating she lugged her dragons tooth club over her back to secure it and ran after Trixie. Unwilling to let the ‘dull mare’ be with Trixie alone Loreane followed behind Maud. The others called to her but she told them to go on without them. The other’s simply shrugged and made preperations to get Sir Alone’s troops to the Crystal Empire while Loreane walked briskly next to Maud making sure the mare wouldn’t get near Trixie.

Jealousy gripping her heart the woman glared viciously at Maud. She only got a blank stare in response. She cursed Maud, how dare she be so stoic! When they reached the tunnels that lead from the chamber to the outer walls of the swamp Loreane rubbed Trixie behind the ears. Trixie moaned softly at the gentle touch and kissed Loreane’s hand affectionately. The woman glanced back at Maud, and for just a brief moment she was sure she saw a frown on Maud’s lips. Loreane looked forward grinning to herself accepting this as a win for her against Maud. She wasn’t about to let her Trixie fall for this Maud pony.

Trixie was hers.