A Few Good Ponies

Leaves rustled under her hooves as Twilight walked through the forest, Screech following not far behind. She was exhausted to say the least. This wasn't the first time one of her spells had gone wrong, but this fact didn't make it any less frustrating for her. She was supposed to be the element of magic, yet she had messed up once again and scattered the group to who only knew where in hostile territory.

Seeing that Twilight was clearly upset, Screech reached out to lightly stroke her shoulder with a tentacle.

"Ah!" She yelped, jumping into the air with a start.

"Sorry." Screech whispered, concern clearly visible in his expressive green eyes.

"It's okay." Twilight responded with a sigh. "This place has me on edge. There's a place near my home called the Everfree Forest that reminds me of this place. Somehow this place is even more off putting though. At least the Everfree was full of life. Animals. The silence here is just....creepy."

"You blame yourself for what happened?" Screech asked.

Twilight sighed despondently. "Yes. I shouldn't have messed up that spell. I mean, I'm the element of magic for bucks sake!"

Screech's eyes widened at that. "You're saying there are new e...element bearers, and you're one of them?"

"Yes. At least I was. A few years ago we had to return the elements to the tree of harmony. Without them it was dying. Losing its ability to protect Equestria from all kinds of threats."

"I had no idea. I had only heard of element bearers in legend. As isolated as my race is, we do not often hear of what's going on in the world around us."

Twilight held up a hoof, halting the conversation. Her ears flicked forward as she heard  the sound of shouting and commotion nearby. Whatever was going on was obscured by the towering tree trunks and dense thickets that filled her vision. She dashed forward, branches snagging her mane and coat. After several minutes of struggling she was met with a terrifying spectacle. A disheveled Lightning Strike was backing away from an enraged Sunrise. In his mouth he held a  dark sword. His face was a mess of bruises and cuts, and a large gash on one of his forelegs was gushing blood, matting his fur and staining the ground beneath him with crimson droplets.  Whenever he closed the distance he would lash out at the terrified pegasus, trying to strike her down with vicious slashes as she desperately avoided them.

Twilight lit her horn and sent a blast of magic at the unicorn, sending him tumbling to the ground. The sword flew out of his grasp, flipping through the air before impaling itself nearly to the hilt in a tree.

Lightning seized this opportunity to run to Twilight's side. As she did Sunrise clumsily got back on his hooves and disappeared into the undergrowth.

"Sunrise!" Twilight yelled, but it was too late. He was gone. Turning to her side her attention was drawn to the panting pegasus. Swaying on her hooves as she struggled not to collapse where she stood. Screech reached out with a pair of tentacles, wrapping them around Lightning's barrel to help her stand. As he did, Twilight reached out with her magic, filling Lightning with an icy sensation as her wounds were healed, cuts knitting themselves back together and fading. Gradually her breathing slowed back to normal and she was able to regain her footing.

"What happened?" Asked a concerned Twilight.

"I'm not sure." Replied Lightning. "I ran into Sunrise about an hour ago. He had just killed one of Multis's minions with that." She said, nodding her head at the sword sticking out of the tree. "He was upset, but I was able to calm him down and we decided to try to make our way back to the ship. He began acting....strange, then just now he tried to kill me!"

"Hmmm." Twilight hummed thoughtfully, walking over to the blade in the tree. She closed her eyes, reaching out with her magic to scan it. After a few moments her eyes snapped open and she backed away from the tree.

"Whatever that is, it is heavily imbued with Tartarian magic. As soon as Sunrise touched it, it must have overpowered the cure and poisoned his mind. Fortunately Multis shouldn't be able to control him directly, but I fear the influence may be enough to corrupt him permanently unless something is done. I hope taking it from him stopped its spread, but it will need to be reversed."

"Have to find him. I think I can help." Screech chimed in.

"Agreed." Twilight replied. "His injuries alone looked very bad. I don't think we have much time."

With that the three ponies headed out, following the bloodstained trail that Sunrise had left.

************

Several things flashed through Sunrise's mind as he ran. Obey. Kill or be killed, it's your life or theirs. The shadows  seemed to lengthen as he ran.  His vision swam, and his head pounded. Dark shapes seemed to descend toward him, before merging into the shadows and disappearing.

Sunrises's gallop quickly slowed as his wounded foreleg caused him to limp awkwardly.

"Keep going." A voice whispered in the back of his mind. "Worse things then death await you if they catch you."

Sunrise picked up his pace once more. His breath came in ragged pants and gasps as he pushed himself beyond the limits of any sane pony. A twig snapping to his left caused his eyes to widen as he imagined dark forms reaching out from the trees to grab him.

"They're....*pant*....my friends. They only want to help." He argued to himself.

"No." The voice replied. "You're one of us now. They see you as nothing more than a monster. A murderer."

Sunrise continued to run, foam coated his muzzle, and his sides heaved with each breath.

"Sunrise stop!" A voice yelled from behind him.

He ignored it as he pressed on. At this point he could see little more than vague images to guide him. He slammed into a tree, getting thrown to the ground before rolling back to his hooves and continuing. He only made it a few more strides before his front hooves met nothing but air, and he was sent tumbling down an embankment, bouncing off rocks. One snagged his rear hoof, his momentum barely slowed and a *snap* was heard as it came loose. He rolled several more times before he came to a stop at the bottom.

Barely conscious and on his side, he lifted his head, looking over to see his right hind leg bent at an unnatural 90 degree angle at the joint. His head fell back down as he lost the strength to hold it up, barely able to keep his eyes open. As he lay there he heard the sound of approaching hoofsteps and concerned voices.

Suddenly a familiar face filled his vision.

"Sunrise!" Sobbed a tear stained Lightning Strike. Her mane was a tangled mess of twigs and leaves protruding from the top of her scratched and dented helmet. She reached out and stroked his muzzle with a forehoof, causing him to flinch.

"Over here, I found him!" She yelled.

Seconds later Twilight was at her side. She had a quick conversation with Lightning before looking down at him.

"You're not going to like this, but it's the only way to help you." Twilight whispered to him, before nodding her head at someone behind him.

*******

Sunrise felt something wrap around his uninjured hind leg, and then around the broken one. He winced as they were gently pulled together, causing the joint to pop as it was forced back into place. Something else wrapped around his middle, holding him firmly, but not painfully so. He felt himself being pulled backward and soon felt a warm sensation on his rear hooves. He began to struggle weakly as he felt something warm and wet around his rear legs that began to slowly move up his body. After a few moments he felt himself being lifted up as the sensation moved up to his chest. The sight of his two concerned companions was replaced by that of the darkening sky, mostly obscured by a dense patchwork of leafy branches. A few stars were visible, and the horizon was bathed in a brilliant palette of oranges and reds.

Soon that warm, wet sensation reached his neck, pulsing around him as he was pulled downwards. His vision was rimmed by darkened pink walls. Something slick dripped onto his face, and his vision was filled with darkness as his view of the sky was closed off. Now blind, all he could do was squirm around in the tight confines. His rear half had stopped moving, and he was slowly pulled into a curled up position as the rest of him caught up. There was a wet *pop* and the pressure around his head disappeared as he found himself in a space that was still very cramped, but nowhere near as tight as where he just was. He felt his coat matted with something wet as he pressed his hooves against the soft walls that seemed to hug him. Unable to hold his eyes open any longer, he lost consciousness.

************

Lightning walked over to Screech. His engorged belly shifted slightly from movement within. A couple of lumps were visible briefly against the taught skin before fading, and the movement ceased. She pressed a hoof against his stomach, able to vaguely feel the shape of Sunshine's form within.

"Is he going to be okay?" She asked.

"Think so. Only time will tell." Screech replied.

Leaning forward, she placed her lips against his belly and gave it a quick kiss. "Rest well Sunshine. We're going to need you."