Death Dealer

Hive

A week had come and past, with no sign of Gath returning. Gilda sat alone in the den, the animal furs that served as her bed wrapped around her as she attempted to fully awaken. She was used to waking up alone by now, Gath was always an early riser, but the nights were what was difficult. Gilda hated being lonely, that being part of the reason she decided to accompany Trixie in the first place.

Gilda cast her eyes around the dimly lit room, the candles that burned in the corners were nearing the end of their life, and would soon have to be replaced. Gilda rose to replace them, and after doing so clicked her tongue in annoyance.

"Damn, there goes the last of our candles. Gonna' have to make a run into town for that." Gilda sighed.

Though she ventured out of the forest to visit Rainbow Dash, and to do work here and there when she was needed, she stayed away from the town. Though she hated the loneliness, she hated even more the looks people cast her, whether it was fear or disgust.

Gilda's stomach then emitted a churning growl, and the woman looked down at herself and laughed. She began rummaging through her pack for dried meats and the such, and pulled out a strip of smoked venison. As she munched on the snack she pulled up the coin pouch she had been collecting her earnings into. She had in the past week accumulated quite a stash.

"Hmm, maybe I'll treat myself to dinner tonight..." Gilda mumbled as she scooped up a handful of bits and let them slide through her fingers and back into the bulging pouch.

Gilda rose to her feet and dressed herself, before heading out of the den, a smaller leather bit pouch attached to her belt, a precaution against thieves, though she doubted Ponyville had any. As she cleared the edge of the forest she made her way to the road, descending from her flight and deciding to enjoy a walk for the rest of the way.

She passed a few townsfolk who averted their eyes as they passed her. Gilda sneered each time she saw them cringe, and this only caused them to lower their heads even more and hurry past her. Gilda missed Gath even more now, he was the only one who looked at her with neither fear nor hatred other than Rainbow.

As she made her way into town and towards the candle shop, Gilda noticed a familiar face in the marketplace. It was the pink haired girl with the yellow wings who went to flight camp with Dash and her. Fluttershy was her name Gilda remembered, a close friend of Dash's now. But she seemed to be having some trouble with the merchant she was talking to.

Gilda approached the smaller winged girl and listened from a short distance as to what was going on.

"I don't care what you heard I was selling it for, the price now is eight bits!" The merchant exclaimed in an angry tone.

"B-but that isn't very nice... You just rose the price because you saw me coming." Fluttershy said in a quiet but firm voice. Gilda was impressed by the fact she was deciding to stand up for herself.

"Like I said, if you want it so bad just pay the price for it." The merchant said as he turned his nose into the air.

"Now you listen here mister, just because you think you can push someone over and charge what you want doesn't mean you should. I will not just accept this kind of treatment from you, even if you did get away with it before." Fluttershy said in a frustrated, but still gentle voice.

"Oh yeah, and what are you going to do about it? I'm the only one who sells the exotic bird seed you use in this town." The merchant said with a smug smile.

Gilda had had enough of this guy's attitude toward one of Dash's friends. She walked up behind the timid girl, towering over her, and stared down at the merchant. She caught his eye, and she grinned wickedly as she saw his pupils shrink as she cracked her knuckled. Fluttershy turned around slowly and squeaked at the sight of Gilda.

"This creep causing you any trouble?" Gilda asked as she reached over the market stall and grasped the front of the man's tunic.

"W-wait, Gilda! Don't hurt him." Fluttershy said in a distressed tone.

"Why not?" Gilda said, looking away from the merchant and down at the pink haired girl.

Fluttershy fidgeted there under Gilda's gaze for a moment before meeting her eyes and giving an answer, "Because its not nice."

Gilda's jaw hung open slightly as she held a shocked expression at Fluttershy's words. Tension hung in the air as Gilda still held the merchant slightly off of the ground, and people were beginning to stare. Gilda suddenly burst into laughter and dropped the merchant who's knees buckled when his weight was put on them.

"Fine, do things your way." Gilda said with a chuckle as she turned to walk away and resume her errand. She looked back over her shoulder at the merchant who was picking himself up off the ground and dusting himself off, "You heard her, play nice."

The merchant nodded eagerly at Gilda, and the muscular woman made her way to the store with a smile on her face.

As Gilda left the store, a satchel full of candles in her possession, she made her way towards the direction of the Everfree Forest. She was given a fairly good price on these as well, she still had a fair amount of coin left in her small leather pouch.

"Um, Gilda..." Fluttershy's quiet voice called form behind Gilda.

Gilda turned around and gave the smaller girl an inquisitive look.

"Thank you for standing up for me. I have been working on being more assertive, but he has always been a stubborn one." Fluttershy said fidgeting with her hands on the front of her dress.

Gilda hummed to herself as she inspected the timid girl who Dash called a friend. This only seemed to make Fluttershy fidget even more however. Gilda let out a sigh and softened her features as she looked down at the smaller girl.

"No problem, I didn't like the way he was treating one of Dash's friends is all." Gilda said waving a hand dismissively.

"I really want to thank you though, you look so lonely when you come into town and all... So I was wondering if you would join me for dinner as a way of me saying thanks tonight." Fluttershy said, covering one eye with her hair.

"Geeze, Fluttershy I don't want you to go out of your way or anything-" Gilda started but was cut off at the end.

"Nonsense, I would be happy to have you over. You can even tell Gath to visit if he wants to, I haven't seen him since he was hurt." Fluttershy said with a smile.

Gilda clenched her jaw shut, she almost opened her mouth to tell the smaller girl that Gath had left to do something and still had not returned. Though she was not asked to keep it a secret, she suspected that she was not meant to go spreading word across the town.

"Ehh, sure I'll show up. But I can't promise Gath will make it, I'll ask him though." Gilda assured Fluttershy.

The pink haired girl smiled at this, "See you at six tonight then Gilda."

Gilda waved as she and the pink haired girl parted ways and she left the road and took flight into the forest, "At least that takes care of dinner plans for the night..."

Captain Shining Armor of the Royal Canterlot Guard marched with a detachment of his men towards where he had received reports of a disturbance in the local countryside. Normally the stalwart captain would not have had to accompany his men, but the mad mage and the witch that had the country in a state of emergency were suspected to be involved.

"What did the report say again?" Shining Armor asked his lieutenant.

"We received a magically sent message from the guards in a local town that Discord was spotted luring away men and women from the town with his magic sir." The soldier replied.

Shining Armor frowned at the notion of having to face off against Discord, but he could not just let this report go unchecked. In the event that his detachment engaged in combat with Discord or Chrysalis, he was to send a magical message to Celestia and do his best to hold them off until backup arrived.

"Is that the town there?" Shining Armor asked as he made it to the top of a hill and gazed down at a quiet little village.

"Yes sir." A soldier confirmed.

"And then they disappeared into the woodlands over there to the south of the village?" Shining Armor asked.

"If the reports are correct then yes." Shining's lieutenant answered.

"Shall we inspect the town then sir?" A soldier inquired to his captain.

"No, if it is true that Discord was in the area then he would have placed a spell over the populace by now. Anything they say can't be trusted. If he is here we were lucky that the guards sent the report the moment anything happened." The young captain of the guard said as he lead his men towards the forest.

As they breached the treeline they could feel that something was wrong. The air hung heavy with dark magics, and there was no sound from the local wildlife. As they ventured further in, weapons drawn, they noticed that the few animals they saw stared at them in unmoving silence, as if waiting for something to happen.

"Sir, I don't like this..." The lieutenant mumbled.

"Something is definitely wrong here. But we haven't seen any evid-" Shining halted mid sentence and raised a fist to halt his men.

The soldiers all tensed and readied their weapons, the sound of their metal armor shifting was the only noise they could hear, but Shining had definitely heard something from the distance. The young captain could almost feel something approaching him, a feeling of danger approaching.

The detachment slowly moved onward, Shining Armor leading them in a more southern direction, following where the feeling in his gut was coming from. As they advanced they began to notice parts of the forest changing. The trees as they went seemed to become less and less lively, until all of the trees were dead and twisted. The forest floor as well was different, the normally lush green undergrowth was gone, and blackened dirt was all they tread upon.

"Oh no..." Shining mumbled.

"Sir?" The lieutenant asked.

"Chrysalis has started another hive of changelings..." Shining said, his face growing pale.

"Then we need to send for backup!" A soldier whispered urgently.

The other men began nodding in agreement with this.

"No, we need to stop this before she can raise another army." Shining said in a resolute voice.

Before any complaints could be voiced Shining Armor pressed on, approaching ever closer to where he knew the underground tunnel would no doubt be. It was not long before they spotted it either, but something was off.

"Why isn't it guarded?" Shining mumbled to himself.

"Maybe their defenses were drawn away?" The lieutenant offered.

"What could lure away an entire defensive force and cause them to not even leave a single man?" Shining said with incredulity at the notion.

A high pitched screech filled the air, causing the men to jump and look around frantically. Shining Armor was the only one not to jump, and he stared off into the forest at the direction the scream came from. Shining readied his sword and shield and took off, his men following him after only a moments delay.

They came upon the scene of two dozen of the black chitinous creatures known as changelings dragging men and women through the forest. Shining ducked behind a large tree as did his men so as to not be seen.

"They didn't leave do defend, they left to get more food!" Shining hissed in anger.

"Sir were outnumbered here..." A soldier said in a shaky voice.

"Doesn't matter, we need to stop them now before it gets even more out of hand." Shining said with a frown.

The captain of the guard opened a locket that hung around his neck, inside was two pictures, one of his wife, and one of his little sister, the two beings he loved most in the world. It was for their safety that he had to do this, to make sure that Equestria was a safer place for them.

"Get ready men..." Shining said in a low voice as the changelings made their way ever closer to where the soldiers hid.

"Charge!" Shining yelled as he and his men jumped out from the cover of the trees.

The element of surprise however seemed lost, as the black creatures hissed in glee at the sight of the soldiers, they knew they were coming and were ready. Silver blades clashed with ebony ones, as the fight started. The soldiers were slowly pushed back from the ferocity with which the changelings harnessed. One by one Shining Armor's men fell around him, and he was being forced against a tree as the heavy blows knocked him back. These changelings were stronger than normal ones somehow, as if they were being enhanced by something.

Shining found himself surrounded, black blades poised at him as he stood with his back against the tree.

"We caught quite the prize here..." A changeling said in a raspy voice.

"We will be rewarded well by the queen..." Another said.

Shinning gritted his teeth at the thought of being under Chrysalis's spell once again. He would rather die here than be subject to that again. Shining readied himself for one last clash of blades.

An inhuman scream split the air causing Shining and the changelings that surrounded him to freeze. The changelings turned their heads and began to hiss at something that Shining could not see from behind them. Shining then heard the sound of something splitting open, and saw a spray of green blood burst into the air. He briefly wondered if one of his men had feigned death and had surprised one of these enhanced changelings. That was, until he saw a glimpse of what was killing the black creatures.

The man was a giant, clad in black chain mail that hung low to the ground in the front and back as a loincloth would. Around his waist and over his chain mail was a large thick belt with metal plates holding emblems of skulls. Around his shoulders and draping down his back was a tattered black cloak made of what appeared to be a giant wolf pelt. His hands and feet were armored in black plate graves and gauntlets that were decorated with skulls and spikes. He was wielding an ancient looking bearded axe in one hand that was covered in green blood, and on his other arm was strapped a kite shield that held the emblem of a falcon. The most memorable feature of the man however was the dark metal horned helmet that obscured his face, only revealing his chin and glowing red eyes.

"Gath..." Shining armor mumbled the name he had heard the princesses speak of. He was only briefly told of the giant of a man who wore the magical artifact Discord and Chrysalis were after, but he recognized the description in the mere glance he was given as the giant man pressed on, deflecting strikes with his shield as he decapitated changelings left and right.

Shining looked between the commotion Gath was causing, to the changelings that were now distracted, and magically charged his sword with a fire spell before cutting into one of the changelings and removing himself from being surrounded. Shining Armor then deflected a blade as the creatures that had him surrounded turned their attention once more onto him.

Gath smashed his shield into the head of one of the changelings that was slashing at Shining, causing the black creatures head to cave in. Gath then spun around to face the changeling behind him, and lopped off its head with a horizontal blow. A black blade bounced off his helmet, and Gath brought his knee up and delivered a crushing kick to the chest of the changeling.

Shining Armor thrust his sword into the chest of a changeling, but lost his grip as another kicked him in the chest. The captain of the guard tumbled to the ground and attempted to rise, but was forced down as a black boot stomped on his chest. Shining grunted in pain and stared at the sword that was poised over him in the air. Shining cringed as he awaited the blades descent, but a large metal fist collided into the back of the changeling's head.

Gath then strode over the prone body of the changeling he just knocked off the guard captain and raised a foot into the air. The changeling looked up with groggy eyes at the boot above its head, and gave a scream as the boot came down and caused its skull to explode. Shining Armor cringed as he was splattered with green blood.

The captain of the guard stared at the giant of a man who walked over to the villagers who were being dragged were at and began untying them. Though the villagers showed fear at his appearance, they gave him thankful looks as he freed them.

After freeing the last of the villagers he strode back over the captain of the guard who was just standing up from the shock.

"Take them home, I will deal with the remnants here." Gath said looking down at the smaller man.

Shining Armor merely nodded as he watched Gath walk off in the direction of the changeling nest.