Chapters The cries could be heard in every direction, a familiar sound to the wanderer's ears. He had heard similar pleas countless times before, and would surely hear more once this one had been silenced.
"Help! Hello? Please, help me!" The voice was small, far away and distorted by the twisting patterns of the Abyss. But that was just another deception, no more an indicator of the lost soul's location than the direction that her voice was coming from was. In the darkness, a scream may come from any direction or every direction, may seem to be coming from right next to one's self or appear to be a thousand miles away. Yet that meant absolutely nothing; sound was a misleading sense in the void.
"Please! If you can hear me, I need help! I'm lost and I don't know how to get back!" The shouting had diminished to a whisper, yet the robed figure continued to press on, unswayed by the fact that the voice was now coming from behind him. He could see the trail now, a misty path of lavender light, winding it's way through the shadows; his target was surely waiting at its end. Suddenly the voice was coming from right above him, deafening him to all else that made a sound. There were no words this time, only shouts of terror. Something else had reached her first.
He knew the speed at which he traveled would make no difference, yet he broke into a sprint nonetheless, rushing down the path of purple light that now stretched before him. Finally he could see where it ended: a tiny aura of more heavily concentrated light, little more than a speck in the distance. That was surely the being who was cry out for aid. And, just as he had feared, it wasn't alone. A shadow was slithering toward it, rising and falling from the trail that so easily gave away its victim's position.
His sprint grout him to the place where the two beings waited no faster than walking would have, yet either way he arrived in time to see that the being with the purple aura was dangling through the ground. She was struggling to stay up, arms reached out before h as her legs kicked furiously in an attempt to find some footing. There was none, of course; she was going to fall if he or the beast did not reach her in time. Yet somehow, the Abyss would not allow her to pass through entirely, leaving her with just enough solid ground to hold onto to ensure that the choice of whether or not she fell was still her own. So there she dangled, like a child on a ledge, holding on for dear life as her doom slowly approached on a thousand jagged legs.
The traveler had encountered the types of beasts a before; centipedes at first glance, massive and horrifying. Yet a closer inspection of their bodies had revealed that they were actually just another form coagulation, another creature made up of the countless bodies of its victims. Ribs made up its legs, the bones splitting and reshaping under the massive weight of its metallic exterior. Shields, swords, guns, bars, and any other metal objects it came across became another plate on its disturbing coat of armor. And now it was looking to add this poor soul to its soft, wriggling collection of bodies underneath that exoskeleton. The pilgrim would not allow that.
Stretching out his right arm as he closed in on his prey, a massive silver-grey sword materialized in his hand, conjured forth from the very essence of the void itself. He wore boots clad in the same metal as his sword and other armaments, yet his footfalls were muffled by the void beneath his feet. The chains upon his sleeves and shoulders clinked noisily, but their sound was audible from every direction, leaving the centipede unsure of just where this new din was rising from. Finally, the creature turned itself enough to catch a glimpse of the figure rushing toward it and, upon opening its terrible eight-mandible jaw, released a scream filled with such agony and hate that it remains impossible to transcribe into written words. Thankfully, that shriek did not last long, for it's maw was only open for a few seconds before it was filled quite thoroughly with the wide point of the wanderer's blade.
As the sword sheathed itself in the creature's throat its blade began to glow with an eerie green-white aura as it absorbed the beast's life force and laid to rest the souls trapped within its body. The monster began to fall apart as its hijacked bodies disintegrated. At this sign of victory the traveler let go of the sword's hilt, abandoning the glad within the monster's mouth, and rushed passed it to the place were the young lady dangled over the threshold of the void. To his initial surprise however, it was not a young lady that hung there at all. What he had originally taken for arms from a distance turned out to be a pair of forelegs that ended in hooves. The dark hair thumbing down from her head proved to be a mane, streaked by a single line of pink and another of dark violet. And what he had originally assumed was merely purple clothing turned out to be her own natural coloration.
A horse, yes of course it was, yet not like any kind he had ever seen. It was too small for starters, with eyes on the front of it's face rather than on the sides. And it was those eyes that drew his attention immediately. They dominated the creature's face; huge, round, wide with fright, and pleading wordlessly for his assistance. Yet this little creature was by no means the most bizarre of being he had rescued from the abyssal shadows, and he hesitated for only a second before crouching to help the pony regain its footing.
He grabbed her forelegs and did his best to lift her up above the pitch-black floor. Being a rather skinny man to begin with, and by no means a body builder of any kind, this proved to be a bit more daunting of a task than he had hoped it would be. She was not particularly heavy, but the void did not seem to want to let her go, having already decided that she was meant to fall. Finally he managed to lift her up, bringing her up to the height of his shoulders so that her hind legs touched down on the ground softly. Once he saw that she was able to stand upon the colorless floor beneath them he let her down and exhaled deeply.
She looked up at him, fear still shining in her eyes. "Th-Th-Thank you." She seemed just as confused by his appearance as he was by hers. Part of him had not truly believed that she was going to be able to speak, that the voice he had heard had come from someone else, perhaps this creature's rider. Needless to say he did his best to maintain an air of calmness, less he scare her even more than she already had been.
"I... Uh... Your welcome." He was unsure just how to proceed, but meant to ask if she was alright before he was interrupted by a gurgled screech from the monstrosity that was slowly falling apart behind him. The tiny horse gasped in horror and moved behind him, just as he turned to face the abomination.
The sword was beginning to vanish from the creature's mouth, fading back into the blackness of the void. Such weapons could only maintain a physical form for a short while once drawn, though it was generally more than enough time to vanquish whatever may be threatening its wielder's wellbeing. In this case, it seemed to be slipping from existence just a bit too early. The creature had been mortally wounded, having lost most of its collected souls, but that did not in reduce the threat that it clearly posed. In fact, if anything it was even more dangerous now than before, when it hadn't been fighting for its life. The blades that The Order used were designed to drain the souls out of such monsters, keeping them safe until the knight could return to a physical world and release them; with neither death nor life being able to initiate within the void, this was the only way to free the lost from their horrible fate within these creatures' accumulated bowels.
As the last remnants of the hilt disappeared what was left of the centipedes let loose an anguished cry, announcing its fury to all corners of the Abyss. Staggered by the awful din, Torrent and his new client both fell backward, forced to the ground by the shear force of its scream. The monstrosity began to lurch toward them, dragging itself along with through the use of three long, now-exposed bones that curved out of the gaping hole in its stomach. Closer and closer it came, advancing upon its prey with new-found conviction. It wanted to eat them, yes, but now it also wanted them to suffer. To feel the pain that it had just been subjected to.
The tall one would be first, the one who had impaled and stolen away it's precious innards. He act as a replacement for some of its missing pieces, after he had been properly minced and ground by its gaping maw. Then it would turn its attention back to the one it had followed here to begin with, the small one on four legs that it had snatched through the light. And once it had devoured its original prey, it would... what then? Rest? No, no it was still too week for rest, something bigger might come along and make a meal of it, should it let it's guard down for even a moment. Continue hunting was the obvious answer, but the pain was too great, there was no way that it would be able to hunt effectively in this condition. Perhaps once it had devoured both of these creatures... Yes, surely that would ease its suffering.
A flash of light brought the creature's concentration back on the man before it, a flimsy assortment of weak muscles and organs wrapped in a thin layer of skin; far too scrawny to be of any threat, at least without his sword. The monster which no longer resembled a centipede commenced it's charge, the green light pulsing from the knight's upraised hand barely affecting its now-eyeless form. A it neared the pair the wizard's light died out, cast aside in favor of an equally useless tool: a small, twisted dagger which he grabbed off his belt. He tossed it from hand to hand, flourishing it at the abomination as if to scare it off. The creature stopped its charge just inches from the it's two potential meals, rearing up to a height twice that of the man standing in front of it.
The bones which had been pullings it along we suddenly in the perfect position to be used as slashing devices, their pointed tips and curved shape proving to be excellent traits for weapons designed to slice through skin and muscles. It thrusted one bone forward, forcing the mage to throw up his left hand to create a barrier of light between them. The bone spear impacted upon it and driving him back several feet. He would have tripped over his little counterpart had she not had the sense to dart backward when the attack had started, she was now a safe distance away, shaking with fear and quietly mumbling something to herself as she watched the battle unfold.
The next bone came slashing in from the right, but was deflected by the dagger's long, slithering blade. Whatever material the weapon was made from was clearly stronger than it appeared, the bone ricocheted off of it without leaving so much as a nick in the blade. Two more blows came in, one from the left and another from the right, both deflected by barrier and dagger respectively. But as the man held back those two bone blades the third shot out from the creature's chest, striking him in the gut just below one of the armor plates bound to his robes.
A storm of sparks erupted as the knight was propelled backwards on the bone spike, the dagger flying out of his grip as he was flung. This was it, the man was disarmed and on his back, an easy target for even the most novice of hunters. The monster moved forward, a slight pressure forcing down upon its back. It ignored the weight, likely caused by another portion of the body beneath its thick plates disappearing, taking another chunk of muscle along with it. It had to eat him now, this deterioration had to end it got any worse. It lung forward, aiming a bite at the injured human on the ground before it, hoping to take him in one massive mouthful. Instead, it's head dug into the ground, a painless process as simple as slipping on and off each tier of the Abyss, but an unexpected result none-the-less.
The wizard had moved at the last second, rolling to his right just as the monstrous jaws crashed down upon where he had been crouching. He was almost to his feet again when the beast sent another strike his way, side-swiping him with on of the long, curved bones. It took his legs out from under him and then doubled back on its path to rake across his chest. This time it cut through the metallic fabric of his robes and dug into the soft flesh beneath, spilling blood onto the non-existent floor. The crimson cascade passed through as if it were not even the, falling into the depths of eternity. But something else was pouring from the wound as well, some bright green fluid, as blinding as the light that had radiated from the sorcerer's hands only moments before had been.
But the creature had little time to dwell on what this other substance might have been as the pressure it had felt upon its back quickly turned to blinding pain. Something had dug itself between the plates of armor that coved it's vulnerable body; something sharp that was currently working its way deeper and deeper inside. Whipping itself around, the monstrosity gave another great screech, tossing its massive torso to the ground so that it once more resembled a centipede rather than some sort of grotesque, armored centaur. Confusion flashed through its mind as it beheld it's would-be attacker.
Between the piercing scream of the beast and the force with which it hurled itself to the ground, Torrent had had no way to keep his grip on its smooth carapace. He was flung to the ground before it, now face to face with the creature once more. A spear of red light was protruding from the creature's back, slowly deteriorating the armor around the point of entry. Given a few more moments he would have been able to open a hole large enough to expose the thing's spinal column, the destruction of which would leave it paralyzed and helpless. Now, however, there was little chance of getting the creature to turn around far enough for him to be able to strike at the exposed nerves. The monster was already rising back to its upright position once more, the spear fading slowly as it did. He had hoped his duplicate would by him a bit more time, but the blow it had suffered was undeniably mortal. At least they had gotten this abomination's attention off the pony, it was unlikely that it would ever be able to catch up to her with the head start they had provided, even of it did slay him here and now.
The knight stretched out his right arm and grasped the air about a foot away from him. The sword's handle began to materialize within his grip, the cross-guard and blade soon following. The monster readied its bone razors once more, a downward curving one protruding from the middle of its chest while a horizontally inward curving one flanked it on each side. It spread them wide apart and released another shriek as it charged forward, closing the horizontal bones like a pincer as the vertical one slammed down from above. Torrent managed to evade the lower two and stopped the upper bone with the edge of his sword, holding it above him until he was able to slip out of its trajectory. The lower two opened once more, and slammed shut on the spot he had just been standing. This time he slashed at the one on the right, scratching deep into its ivory exterior. The abomination cried out, but not in surprise this time rather than fury; it had not anticipated the possibility that it's own weapons would fall under attack.
Back and forth they went, trading blow after blow, each consistently blocking the other's attempts to impale them. Finally, the strain of avoiding and parrying three different weapons became too much for the knight, and a single mighty, horizontal slash sent him spinning to the ground. Sparks flew as the bone careened off the plate attached to the chest of his robes. He hit the black, misty floor with such force that it took the wind right out of him. He struggled to regain his feet, but only managed to make it to one knee, almost genuflecting before the beast as it opened its gaping maw one last time. And as it did it let out one last, horrible scream, unlike any of the ones before.
Yet instead of making its move and devouring the wizard, however, the monster continued its long, quaking scream. It's three massive bones shook, opening and closing like a second mouth as it slowly lurched forward. Finally, the screams turned to gurgling choke, still horrible to behold, but far less deafening. The choking soon shifted to a moan as the creature fell forward, forcing the knight to roll to his side to avoid being crushed under its massive weight. That noise finally died as Torrent got to his feet, surveying the body and realizing just what had happened. He looked down upon the beast, now as helpless as its prey had been mere minutes earlier, and jammed the point of the large, dark sword into a space between two of the creature's plates.
As the sword drained the remainder of the lost souls from the monster's body, Torrent made his way down the length of its deteriorating form, pausing only for a moment to retrieve his long, twisted dagger from the creature's spinal cord. He moved quickly to the spot where his little savior stood attempting to awaken his unfortunate duplicate. "It's not going to get back up, I'm afraid," the wizard said, pointing to the leaking remains of his illusion. "No more than he is," this time he thrust a thumb over his shoulder, indicating the beast lying paralyzed behind him. He slid the dagger back into its sheath and kept moving forward, trying not to let the pain of his newly broken rib show upon his face.
"I am eternally grateful for what you just did here, my dear. But tell me... why did you not run when you had the chance?" The little purple creature simply looked up at him, her massive eyes still full of tears. She had thrown the dagger, of that much he was sure; the look of guilt and confusion in her gaze told him all he needed to know on that matter. The "how" aspect of it being thrown was still unclear to him, but that didn't seem nearly as important at that moment.
"You... you saved me. I c-c-couldn't just run. I-I couldn't leave you here. You were dying!" She looked down at the duplicate once more, it's broken form shuttering as it drew breath after agonized breath. "What is it?"
The wizard stood over his creation, looking at it with sad acknowledgement. "It's nothing... Just an illusion, a doppelgänger."
"I've never seen an illusion bleed before. And how was it holding your knife? Or stopping that creature's attacks?"
He could tell his usual answers were never going to be enough to throw this one off the scent. Yet the shame that would come with explaining the truth of the matter to such an innocent creature was more than he intended to bring upon himself. Instead he merely cast his hands over his "illusion" and allowed it to fade back into the Abyss, leaving not a single trace of itself behind. "It is a very powerful form of illusion," he said. "It takes on the caster's physical form s that it can assist more effectively than a simple mirage could. It's more of an ally than it is a simple distraction."
He went to one knee before the pony, meaning to address her face-to-face, and immediately regretted it as the strain of his movements jarred his injured rib. He sucked in a mouthful of air, hissing as the pain wash over his torso. "Are you alright?!" The alarm in the little creature's voice was clear as day.
"You know it's funny," he said as he searched his chest for the broken bone, " I came over here to ask you that exact same question. So, are you?" He found the spot where the fracture had occurred, placed both hands over it, and began pumping the area full of pulsing orange light. His face contorted in pain as the bone slowly reassembled itself, tiny shards and splinters fighting their way back into place. It lasted only a few seconds, but it was still a wholly unpleasant experience.
The pony seemed to be trying her best not to stare as he fought off the urge to cry out during the healing process. Instead, she answered him while looking over his shoulder at the now-transparent sword protruding from the slightly-twitching monstrosity behind him. "I... I think I'm alright. I just... well... I still don't know where I am is the problem." When she saw the light die down and his face return to normal she decided it was safe to look him in the eyes once more without appearing rude. "I don't suppose your could help me there, could you?"
Torrent returned her gaze in kind. "I can do you one better. How would you me to escort you back to where you entered this dreary place from? How about I take you home?" he had barely finished speaking when before her eyes lit up. Clearly she had not expected escaping from such a place to be such a simple endeavor. They rarely ever do... And for good reason I suppose...
"You can really take me back? Really?! Oh yes, yes, YES! Please take me home!" She looked as though she was almost about to cry again. Instead, she began giggling, hopping up and down, and quietly repeating it to herself as if she wanted to ensure that she really had said it out loud. It was not the first time he had seen this sort of reaction from one in her predicament, and it would almost certainly not be the last. "Yes, take me home, please!"
Rising to his feet, it occurred to the wizard that he still had no idea what to call his latest companion. "By the way, do you have name, miss? What should I go about calling you?" He was sure to word the question carefully, as several creatures he had rescued in the past had been left utterly bewildered by the concept of a name.
"Oh my gosh, I completely forgot. Where are my manners! My name is Twilight Sparkle, and it is a pleasure to meet you... um..." She looked at him questioningly, realizing that he had been just as bad at remembering his manners as she had been.
Not eager to get into a discussion on about his origins, the man simply responded by saying "I am called Torrent, Torrent of the Abyss. And the pleasure is all mine, I assure you. Now, how about we get you home? The walk shouldn't be too long, I can practically see where you fell through from here." And with that, the two made their way back toward the minute speck in the distance that marked the rift between worlds. In this case, it would turn out to be a recently enchanted mirror, on the wall of a dark room within a library.
And so we begin... (Twilight)
The BANG was audible for miles around, the entire town shook as the dust settled around the small crater behind the library.
"Ooooh, COME ON! What did I do wrong THAT time? Everything was set up perfectly!" Twilight paced back and forth before the scorched hole in the ground, a noticeable divot forming in the grass where she was walking. They had been at this for hour now but there no headway had been gained. "We traced it out accurately, right? That should be exactly fifty meters. Spike, are you sure you used they right measurements?"
The little dragon was flat on his back a few feet away, still a little dazed from the latest shockwave. He attempted to rise at the sound of his name, but his head was still spinning when he got back on his feet. "I'm... woah... I'm positive! I measured it out five times before you got out here, there must be something else wrong with it... Are you sure this spell even does what that guy said it would? I mean... Do you really think we should just take his word for it? What if this isn't a teleportation spell at all? What if..." he let out an audible GULP partway through his sentence, "...what if this is some kind of trap? I mean, did you notice that Torrent just happened to have disappeared after he told you what he wanted you to do? He probably doesn't want to get eaten by whatever he's having you summon for him back here!"
"It's not a summoning spell, Spike, you can stop worrying about that. And I'm sure there a perfectly good reason why he had to be somewhere else today." Twilight had grown used to this sort of reaction from her little assistant, he had not been particularly subtle with his distaste for her new teacher or his unconventional methods. After their first encounter, Spike had avoided the newcomer every chance he got, going so far as to make up chores that he had to do in other rooms whenever the outsider entered. Still, the lack of results that her instructor's latest "test" was providing her with made it hard for her to deny that there was not something just a little suspicious about this project.
"Maybe we should just call it a day, Twilight. We've been doing this since noon and I'm pretty sure all of Ponyville is convinced the world is ending thanks to all these little earthquakes we're making." He was not far off on that point, the shockwaves had gotten progressively stronger with each attempt they had made. After the last one, Twilight could have sworn she had heard a few trees falling over in the distance. But this she was not about to stop just because she did not full grasp the premise of the new spell. The last thing she wanted was to show anything that her new mentor might take as weakness, less he decide she was not worth his effort after all.
"No! I'm not giving up on this, I WILL make this work. I just need to approach it from a different angle... Spike, set it up again. I'm going to try standing above it this time, maybe if I can see the entire area we'll be covering I'll be able to focus the spell better." She was not sure that she truly believed that, but it was better than proceeding the exact same way she had during the last three tries. Spike ran to the side of the library and came back a moment later with a potted flower, one of over five dozen that had been created during one of Twilight's first lessons with her new teacher.
Twilight teleported herself up onto the balcony overlooking the empty area behind her home, and waited as Spike placed the pot in the center of a small circle Torrent had drawn in the dirt for them before he left. He put the plant down carefully and then bolted away, as if expecting it explode the moment he let go of it.
Twilight surveyed the site one last time: a small dirt circle with her duplicated plant in the center, a dotted line scratched into the ground, traveling exactly fifty meters to the middle of a second, larger circle that was now completely covered over by rippling scorch marks. The target location had originally been flat ground, but the series of attempts taken prior to this had left it as a sunken crater. All in all, everything seemed to be set up according to plan... But then, it had seemed that way every other time too. Maybe I'm just not concentrating hard enough...
"Ok Spike, take cover! I'm going to try this again!" She had just enough time to see the young dragon dart back inside the library before she focused every last bit of her concentration onto the plant. Energy formed around her horn, purple light crackling to life as she put all of her mental strength into the spell. She tilted her head toward the plant on the ground below, and after a matter of seconds it began to glow with the same violet aura. The pot shook violently for a moment before rising into the air. It hovered there briefly as Twilight chose her target. Her eyes were clenched shut from the effort she was putting into the spell, so she searched the ground below her with her mind. Finally she located the crater and, with one last burst of energy, thrust her head skyward and activated spell.
The plant disappeared instantly in small flash of purple and black light. Twilight opened her eyes, and then immediately shut them again in anticipation for the imminent blast of energy that would accompany the pot's return to existence. Yet after a few moments had passed without any massive blowback striking her she opened her eyes once more and looked down at the scorched ground below. Much to her surprise, the pot was sitting in the center of the crater, perfectly intact and unburnt. Still, as she gazed down at the purple, dirt-filled clay pot she could not help but feel a wave of disappointment wash over her.
"Well your certainly making some progress, I see." The voice surprised Twilight enough to make her jump and shriek slightly. She had been completely alone on the balcony just a moment before, and she was sure she would have heard the door had it opened behind her. None the less, there he stood, surveying the situation from beneath his ornately trimmed hood.
"Sir Torrent! When did you get back? I, uh, I didn't hear you come through the door." She was sincerely hoping he wouldn't bring attention to the obvious problem with her spell. Unfortunately, that was apparently too much to hope for.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, Twilight, but... shouldn't there be a flower in that pot?" He looked down at her questioningly, though he likely already knew full-well what had happened. The clay was entirely unharmed, still in just as perfect condition as it had been when it was placed inside the dirt circle. There was soil in it still; she was almost positive that it was just as full as it had been before she cast her spell. Yet the large orange flower that had been growing up from the center of the pot was no where to be seen.
"I really thought I had it that time too... I guess I just wasn't concentrating on the spell hard enough." She suddenly felt ashamed of herself for pride that had initially flowed through her when the spell had not created another explosion. For a split second she had really believed she had mastered it, but what good was a teleportation spell if the things that were sent through didn't always come out whole on the other side. "I'll get it this time around. Let me just go set up another flower pot."
"That won't be necessary, my dear. I think you've got the general idea of this spell fairly well in hand.... well in hoof? Forgive me, I'm still trying to get used to that. What I mean is, you have done all you can with this technique for today, any further effort put into it is only going to succeed in exhausting you." He put his gloved hand on her shoulder, peering down at her from the shadows of his cloak's green and black hood. "You are a supremely talented student, Twilight, far more diligent than any I have had the pleasure of training before. But you are far too hard on yourself."
The wanderer took a few steps forward, put his arms on the balcony's railing, and rested his weight upon them as he gazed out over the clearing behind the library. "That spell is an incredibly advanced form of teleportation, I certainly did not expect you to master it in just one day. Still, that you were able to send that pot through and recover again it at all is impressive; so the fact that it is still perfectly intact and not infused with any bizarre otherworldly substance is nothing short of astounding. Transferring a living thing through the use of the void, however, is something that only years of practice can teach you to do accurately though. As such, I felt plant would be the most expendable living organism to let you practice on."
Twilight walked over to the railing as well, looking up at the strange creature she was taking her lessons from. "If you knew I was just going to fail so many times why did you bother assigning me this spell at all? I'm already pretty good at teleportation, it barely takes any effort for me to do it anymore. But this form is exhausting and, if what you just said is true, dangerous! Why would I possibly want to use it over my normal spells." The question had been weighing on her heavily since earlier that day, when he had avoided answering it before he left. As far as she could see, the only real difference between this spell and her own teleportation magic was this so-called Abyssal version had the potential to cause massive shockwaves if one wasn't careful about how they used it.
"Your own spells are far too weak... Sorry, that came out wrong, I don't mean YOUR spells, specifically. It's this world in general; your people's research into the arcane has only delved so far at this point. It could be generations before your greatest wizards' spells reach the same stage of power that the world I studied in was at. Right now, what you call a teleportation spell is the same thing that my old masters would have referred to, quite pompously, as a 'movement-over-distance trick.' They would then have cast this spell which you were just practicing, and use it to send you halfway across the planet and then use it once more an hour later to pull you back to civilization, after you had had time to think about your ineptitude... It was not a particularly welcoming learning atmosphere, but it did get results.
"That is what this spell does that your magic cannot. There is no limitation on its range, nor any extra effort needed to send something farther than that fifty meters you were practicing with. The exhaustion you felt from that is the exact same amount you would feel if you were to teleport an object to an to a whole different planet, or even an entirely different plane of existence. Yes, it's more dangerous, but the potential uses for it are nearly limitless. Now then, what do you say we get this mess cleaned up." He indicated the large crater, burned grass, and chunks of broken pottery and soil that were spread across the yard below them. "Somehow I doubt this is the sort of sight you want to greet your friends with when they arrive. Now let me see... Where did your little assistant get to?"
They would spend the next few hours leveling the ground back out, clearing shards of clay from the grass, and attempting to bring the scorched plant-life back to its original state. Twilight had wanted everything to be perfect when her friends arrived for the beginning of the festival that night.
With Nightmare Night still a week away, the citizens of Ponyville where busy preparing for a new tradition that had been suggested to precede that most wonderfully terrifying of occasions. The Lunar Festival was intended to be a grand feast, held in the town square the night before their youngest Princess' traditional holiday, but after much debate about just how they would organize the entire event into one night the single feast developed into a five night festival. The focal point of it would be the gradual increase in the fullness of the moon, leading to the massive full moon that would be present on Nightmare Night.
All of Ponyville would be in attendance, many hoping to get a chance to meet Princess Luna in person before her inevitable return at the end of the festival as Nightmare Moon. As such, the whole town was in a frenzy, trying to ensure that everything was perfect for the first night. Catering for the event was being provided by many sources from every corner of the town, but the Cakes and the Apple family were by far under the most pressure. Given the nature of the festival, sweets were a must have; as such, Sugarcube Corner was a veritable hive of activity as pastries, cakes, and all manner of delicious edibles were constantly being cooked up and shipped out of its doors. The orchards that provided the apples for the pies, tarts, and other treats had been worked tirelessly by the entirety Apple family over the past few weeks. Now that the trees had been stripped bare of their fruit, it fell to those same earth ponies to help turn those apples into food for the masses, as well as drag it all down to the town themselves. All together, both families were being pushed to their limits in preparation for the festival, but as the sun began to set they all completed their work and began to make their way to the festival's staging grounds in the center of town.
Applejack left the rest of her family as they headed toward the town square, setting off toward the library instead. Her friends would all be gathering there before the festivities got underway and she didn't intend to miss a minute of it. With the work they had had to put into the preparations she had barely gotten a chance to see any of them all week. As she thought about that it occurred to her that Pinkie Pie had most likely been in the exact same situation, having to spend all week helping the Cakes in any way she could. As such, it was sure to be a fairly lively little reunion they would be having Twilight's.
The library was little more than a silhouette as she neared it, the sun was just beginning to set behind it, encasing the tree-building in a bright orange aura. She heard voiced coming from inside as she neared the door. "Whew! I must be a little later than I thought; sounds like the party started without me!" She knocked at the door, waited a moment, then let her self in, figuring there was no point in making anyone else leave what they were doing just to answer the door.
As she entered the main room of the library she was greater by a volley of warm welcomes. Spike, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash were were all sitting by a small table in the center of the room, they had clearly been laughing about something before she came in. They asked her about the past week, how the preparations had been going, and what sort of things they could expect to see on the menu at the festival that night.
Twilight was curious about the state of Sweet Apple Acres, given the massive harvest that had to be brought in for the feast. "I mean, I know you and Big Macintosh are some of the best apple-buckers around, but that must have really taken a toll on you two."
"Well actually, we had a little help. We sent out some letters earlier in the month and, as it would happen, most of the family turned up to lend a hoof or two with the harvest, not to mention the food preparation. Yessir, we had our own little assembly line going back there; harvesting apples, pounding it dough, cooking up some 'a the most delicious pies and pastries you'll ever taste!"
"Well that's great, I'm sure everypony will love them at tonight's party... Speaking of which, you didn't happen to pass Pinkie Pie on your way here, did you? She still hasn't shown up."
" 'Fraid not, I had kinda thought she'd be one 'a the first ones here. Maybe she met up with Rarity and Fluttershy, they might all be on their way here together."
"Well you might be right about Rarity, but Fluttershy's actually already here."
"I, um, I was just making everyone some tea." Fluttershy stepped slowly out of a door to the right of the table, carefully balancing a tray on her head. She set it down in front of the others, letting them take whichever cup they wanted. "Would you like some too, Applejack? ...oh, uh, also, hi Applejack! It's so very nice to see you." She said it softly, but the joy was clear enough in her expression. An entire week without the whole group getting together even once was a rare event for them; this little return to normalcy was clearly a relief for Fluttershy.
"Well hey there, sugarcube, good to see you too. And yes, actually, I'd love a cup if you don't mind making another."
Fluttershy smiled again, "No trouble at all, it's just going to take a few moments." She turned to toward the door. "Um, Torrent, would you mind starting the fire back up, we need to make a little more tea after all."
Applejack's heart sank at the sound of that request. He... He's still here? No, no, no, no, no! I was sure Twilight would have come to her senses about this by now, what would she let that thing stick around here for? As if drawn by her thoughts, the robed creature appeared in the doorway, taking the now-empty tray back from Fluttershy.
Cloaked and hooded he stood there, a full foot or do taller than any of them. Bipedal and clothed in foreign garb, he appeared very out of place in what was such a familiar environment for her. He reminded her of some monster out of one of Granny Smith's old stories; some kind of ghoul or demon that would snatch away misbehaving fillies who didn't listen to their parents. Yet even that was not right since all of those monsters were scaly monstrosities that hid in the daytime. Yet this one had no fear of the sun, she had seen him outside before. And he had no scales so far as she could tell, nor fur or hair of any kind apart from that on his head; just brown, hairless skin, a thin, pointy grey beard, and whatever hair was hidden beneath that hood of his. Spike had sworn he had had horns and wings when he had emerged from the mirror, carrying Twilight out of whatever horrible plane he had dragged her into, but those were nowhere to be seen now. All in all, she simply could not bring herself to trust him, regardless of what the others said.
"Of course, my dear. Just one more cup, or should we put the whole kettle on again?" His voice did nothing to ease her mistrust. Though his words were kind and gentle, there was a gravelly quality to the way he spoke, as if something were constantly scratching his throat with each breath. It was not always like that, however. In fact, a few times she had heard him speak using a completely different voice, one which matched his face better than this strained, world-weary one, but was far too cold and unfeeling for her taste. He could have, and very well may have, said sometime completely innocent in that voice and it still would have sounded threatening to her.
She had not been expecting this, and the suddenness of the fear in her was more than she could take all at once. She had to leave, if only for a few minutes; just enough to get some fresh air and set put her mind at ease once more. She started backing toward the door. "Uh, I'll be right back, y'all. I, uh... I just remembered something I gotta tell Applebloom to do 'fore it gets too late. Won't be more than a few minutes!" She darted outside before anyone could object.
She only made it a few steps outside the door before she ran into Pinkie Pie and Rarity, walking side by side up to the library. "HEY APPLEJACK!" Pinkie came running up to her, Rarity following behind her at a much more natural pace.
"Hey there Pinkie, how ya doing Rarity?" She tried her best to seem ass calm and collected as they were surely expecting her to be. "Uh, I, uh, I gotta run down to the festival for a second. Everyone else is inside already, I'll catch up with y'all in a few minutes." She hesitated for a moment, trying to find the right way to approach what she was going to say. "Did, um... Did y'all know Torrent was still here?"
Pinkie's eyes widened. "Torrent's still here? As in, HERE here"
"Right inside. Glad I'm not the only one who didn't know, gave me a little bit of a fright when I saw him just now. Creeps you out a little too, don't he?"
Pinkie tilted her head to the side silly, giving Applejack a puzzled look. "Creeps me out? Are you kidding? I've been waiting to see him all week! He promised to bring me back something from his trip into Everfree Forest... You know, he be he found something out there for you too! You should ask him after your done with whatever it is your doing!" And with that she darted inside, eager to get her gift and see all her friends. Rarity, however, was not so eager.
"Don't pay any attention to her, you have it right on the mark. That... thing that followed Twilight home is not to be trusted." She stomped the ground to emphasize her point. "Twilight and the others may not see it yet, but that thing is evil. Why if even half of the things Spike has told me about him are true, I shudder to even think why it is he's staying here. And have you seen the way he's dressed? He's certainly not doing himself any favors as far as making us trust him by keeping his hood on all the time and lurking about in the shadows."
"But that's just it! Th' others do trust him! You saw how excited Pinkie got just now, and Twilight's letting him stay in her home. Her HOME, Rarity!" She paced back and forth as she spoke, trying to make sure she got all the facts right. "Spike still doesn't trust him worth a lick, but I'm almost positive we've lost Rainbow Dash, assuming she's still as obsessed with his stories back when he first showed up. And he's got poor Fluttershy wrapped around his finger; if anyone trusts him as much as Twilight, it's her. So that just leaves the three of us who can see through this little game of his... What do ya think we should do?" She tried not to let her disappointment at that realization show too much in her voice.
"For now, nothing. I know for a fact that Twilight sent Princess Celestia a few letters detailing the situation and that the both Princesses will be present for the festival, at least the final night of it. With any luck, they'll take one look at this monster and send him back to wherever it is he came from. Now, I must get inside before they all start to wonder what happened to me. Just try not to worry too much, there's no way he'll be able to fool the Princesses." And with that, Rarity slowly made her way inside.
Rarity's last few words hung heavily on Applejack's mind as she paced about outside, waiting for enough time to pass to make her story of running to the festival grounds believable. There's no way he'll be able to fool the Princesses. A retort had come to her mind the moment Rarity had said that, yet she could not bring herself to say it at first. Her friend had seemed so sure of her plan, the flaw in it being to obvious for her to see. She couldn't say it while Rarity was still the, but now that she was alone, she couldn't keep the thought contained. There's no way he'll be able to fool the Princesses. "...Chrysalis managed to..."
As she floated above the others, it suddenly became clear to her just how big of an even the festival had turned into. The line to greet the Princesses had stretched across the whole length of the gathering area when they first arrived, about half an hour ago. Now that they were nearly to the front, the line was actually longer than it had been. The entirety of Ponyville, as well as many smaller communities that were situated nearby and a veritable herd of pegasi who had heard about the gathering as far off as Cloudsdale, had turned out and were now all attempting to fit into the increasingly crowded staging ground at once. Rainbow Dash took one last look out over the assembly and then returned to the ground to stand with her friends.
The eight of them would be the standing before the Princesses in a matter of moments and Twilight was desperately attempting to go over how they would address the royal sisters. Thankfully, Rainbow Dash had missed the majority of these needlessly complex instructions; there was little doubt in her mind that the lecture would have put her to sleep right then and there. She beside Pinkie Pie and Torrent just as Twilight was finishing up.
"-t's when we all thank them for gracing us with their presence again, bow, turn, and calmly walk back to our seats. Everyone got it? We need this to go perfectly or we may have a real disaster on our hooves here. Maybe we should just go over it one more time, you know, to make sure everyone knows what their going to do and say?" Her eyes were glancing about the group frantically, the left one twitching occasionally as she nervously awaited an answer.
"We got it, alright? We just go up there, welcome them to the town, just like always, and then say a bunch of things about how nice it is to see them again and how beautiful the moon looks, all without doing anything stupid that might mess it up. I think we can handle it, Twilight..." RD still felt that Twilight was over-complicating the entire situation. Luna and Celestia had both visited the town before, and knew each of them personally now. What was the point of bothering with all the pretense, it seemed very unlikely that the Princesses would be particularly offended if one of them forgot to bow or said something particularly candid. It wouldn't have been the first time.
It was Applejack who responded, rather than Twilight, however. "Uh... Aren't ya forgettin' something, sugar-cube?"
Rainbow Dash genuinely did not know what Applejack was talking about until she noticed her friend's eyes moving off of her and over to her left. As she followed AJ's stare to its destination on the robed figure beside her she suddenly remembered that there was still a long, awkward, potentially dangerous introduction that had to be made. Twilight had put it off for as long as she could, using every excuse she could come up with in her letters following the incident to insist that Celestia wait to meet the creature that had saved her star pupil. Rainbow still was not entirely clear on why Twilight had dreaded this meeting so much, but she couldn't deny that it was surely going to be a bit uncomfortable either way. Twilight's oldest, most cherished guide into the world of magic was about to meet the being that was, to some extent, replacing her in her student's life.
"Oh, uh.... right... That..."
Torrent simply smiled from beneath his cowl. "I feel I must agree with Miss Twilight on this, I have no intention of making a poor first impression... Though I'm afraid I must ask before we get up there, just what have you said about me in these letters you send to the Princess, Twilight?"
"Huh? The letters? Oh, uh, nothing really. Just, you know; I messed up a spell, fell into a different dimension and that a wizard from that brought me back to Equestria. Not really much else, I uh... well... I didn't really want her to know about the Devourer or the fight or anything like that. She might have, you know... worried." The smile on her face was less than convincing from where RD was standing, but she let that go.
"I guess I probably also mentioned in one or two of them that you don't really look like us or anything, as well. You know, just so their prepared when they do finally meet you an-"
"Looks like their ready to meet him right now!" Pinkie was pointing at the wooden dais which now stood completely unoccupied apart from its two guests of honor. They were look toward the group expectantly, both wearing very welcoming smiles. As Pinkie hopped off toward the Princesses, the others followed behind in single file. Twilight fell back to have a few final words with her instructor, but Rainbow was too far ahead to make out what they were saying, just mumbled whispers. It was then that she suddenly became aware of just how deathly quiet the field had become.
She looked around and saw that ever face in the crowd was turned toward the wooden thrones and the bizarre little group that was approaching them. With a nervous gulp, she turned back toward where she was walking and tried her best not to think about the thousands of eyes that were now resting upon her and her friends. They want us to mess up, don't they?! They want to see what happens if we bow at the wrong time or say something stupid that offends the Princesses! Ah geez, please don't mess up, please don't mess up, please don't mess up! Next to her, Pinkie was busy humming to herself through a perfectly calm, composed, smiling face. The juxtaposition of the moment made her feel a little sick inside. How the hay can she be so calm right now?!?!
They all stood there facing the Princesses as Twilight rushed to her place at the front of their little congregation. She bowed, and they all did the same, Torrent lowering his hood and tilting his head downward, as was tradition in one of the worlds he had called home. Silver-grey hair fell in front on his face, hiding his eyes from view just as his hood had.
Celestia glanced at her sister, the younger Princess simply nodding in acknowledgement. "Twilight, my faithful student, rise. Please, all of you, there's no need that tonight." There was a tone of amusement in her voice.
Twilight rose, followed by the others, Torrent replacing his hood as he lifted his head. "Princess Celestia, Princess Luna. It is so good to see you again. It's wonderful that you could both make it to the festival. Sorry that we gave you such short notice, we had no idea how this was going to work out until just earlier this week."
The Princess nodded, still smiling as she turned to her sister. "It was no trouble at all, was it Luna?"
This seemed to snap Princess Luna back to attention. No one had wanted to say anything, but she had been staring intently at the hooded figure standing beside Rainbow and Pinkie. Now, however, she regained her elegant poise and returned to the conversation at hand. "No trouble at all. Thine letter was most heart-warming and this festival most greatly appreciated. We were elated to get the chance to visit Ponyville even earlier this year, and without need of our nightmarish guise. But, pray tell us Twilight Sparkle, there is a new addition to thine group whom we have not been properly introduced to; who is this?" She inclined her head, horn pointing toward Torrent.
"This, oh well, um, this is Tor- that is, Sir Torrent the... uh... Oh what was it..." Rainbow Dash felt a sudden twist of emotions, as if two completely different personalities were warring over how to react to Twilight's awkward position. She felt bad for her friend, and compelled to do something to help, but at the same time she almost wanted to laugh at the irony of the situation. Had it not been Twilight who had just lectured them on the importance of not screwing up this little ceremony? Thankfully, in a soft gust of wind and clinking chains, the dilemma was put to an end without her having to jump in.
Stepping from the line, Torrent moved swiftly to Twilight's side, his cloak billowing out around him and then wrapping back around his slender form. He held a hand out before him, dropped to one knee and bowed his head to the Princesses. "Your Highnesses," he began, awkwardly, a green mist beginning to form below his out-stretched hand. His fingers grasped the air before him, and as he spoke, the emerald sword that had saved Twilight's life in the Abyss began to fade into existence, it's blade buried deep in the ground before him. "I am no one. I am simply a guardian of the lost and frightened." The speech must have been rehearsed, for the words came forth as if he had said them thousands of times before. Yet Rainbow Dash could not see any possible way that he and Twilight could have planned this out ahead of time. "Some have come to calling me a Shepard, as it is what my order was once known as. I have been called wizard, wanderer, and scholar. I was once a student and am now a teacher. I am a singer of songs and a teller of tales. Some, like your pupil here, have taken to addressing me as a knight, though I have no kingdom to serve anymore. I answer to names beyond my ability to count. Sir, shadow, walker, monster, plague, savior, protector, human, creature, and demon. Yet, the word that has stayed in my mind the longest, is torrent. I know not my own name, so that is how I address myself now."
He pulled back his hood, a gesture of respect and reverence in some forgotten world, and let his eyes meet those of the Princesses. "I am Torrent, traveler of the Void.... And I am at your service, your majesties."
Beside him, Twilight seemed to have finally recovered her ability to speak, and quickly interjected before the Princesses could respond to the introduction. "He is the one who saved me when that spell I wrote to you about... failed. I'm sorry I didn't elaborate any further in my letters, but I didn't want you to worry too much.... I'm sorry."
Celestia was gazing down at her student, searching for the right words to say. "Twilight, I-"
"We are most pleased to make thine acquaintance, Sir Torrent! And we thank thee for the safe return of our sister's apprentice." Luna had left the dais and was making her was standing in front of the kneeling figure. She placed a hoof upon his shoulder and said, "Arise, good sir! We would accept thine offer of service, if thou truly means it. There is much that we would like to discuss with thee... After thou hast enjoyed the festivities tonight, of course."
None of them had seen it coming, and the surprise was apparent on all of their faces. Just like that, Twilight's potential teacher had been swept up into Princess Luna's favor. They all stood there, speechless, as Celestia began to question her sister about what had just taken place. Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash were attempting to explain it to themselves.
"Wh-wait... What just happened?"
"Well duuuh, isn't it obvious?"
"Uh, no."
"Oh come on, Rainbow, it's pretty obvious that Luna wants to keep Torrent as her pet!"
"Uhhh, yeah I don't think that's it Pinkie..."
"No need to be jealous, Dashie. You can keep the next thing that Twilight brings back from a different dimension. Oooo! But I want the one after that... Then maybe Fluttershy can have the next one. And, lets see..."
"Gah, Pinkie, your completely missing the point! Luna clearly knows something that the rest of us don't. Why else would she be so eager to get to Torrent like this..."
"Well, why don't we just ask her? She standing right th-"
Luna was gone before either of them even noticed. Celestia, Twilight, and Torrent were talking amongst themselves, and the others were preparing to make their way back to the tables. The feast would be starting at any moment.
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Sun, Shadow, and Everything in Between (Twilight)
"Well, thank you all for the very warm welcome, but I wouldn't want to keep you from enjoying the feast. You may return to your seats." It wasn't until Twilight turned to walk back with her friends, feeling relieved to have escaped their introduction without having truly explain herself to the Princess, that Celestia added, "Except you, Twilight. I feel there a few things we need to discuss before either of us get too comfortable here. Sir Torrent, I trust you don't mind staying for a moment or two as well? It really would be best if all three of us spoke a bit."
As they walked around the back of the thrones, out of eyesight and earshot of the rest of the gathering, Twilight felt that same sinking sensation she had experienced when they had gotten to the front of the line not ten minutes prior. Oh, this isn't good. She knows something's up, that I'm not telling her something! What if she asks about the Void, or whee I learned the spell that opened it? Gah! What if she asks what it was that I was trying to do with a spell like that to begin with?! Oh no, oh no no no no! When they came to a stop, Celestia turned to face them both, the three figures forming a small triangle behind the large wooden dais. Ok Twilight, you can do this. She just wants to make sure you're alright. She's not suspicious about any of it, she doesn't know anything about what happened. The Princess' eyes narrowed as she looked at the two of them, peering down at her student and directly ahead at the newcomer.
"So... I believe an explanation is in order. Twilight, why don't you begin." Twilight's confidence shattered almost immediately. ...She knows... It had seemed too good to be true that they had escaped the questioning when they first arrived; she supposed she should be grateful that the Princess was not making her tell the story in front of everyone that had shown up.
So Twilight began reselling her little tale, including everything she had left out of the letters that she had sent her teacher. She explained how she had been hoping to impress her with some new spells, and how it had led to her discovering the old tome of ancient rituals. Of how she had found one which claimed that, if preformed correctly, it would unlock a path to limitless wisdom, and how it warned that failure would seal the caster away in the darkest void for eternity. She spoke of the mirror she had used for the ritual: how it had burned with arcane power, turned pitch black, and then burst. She spoke of the face that had appeared in its depths, featureless but for the massive pincers that hid its gaping maw, and how the creature's tongue had lashed out and dragged her through the black doorway she had created.
"...but it couldn't keep it's grip on me once we were through the portal, so as soon as I was free I... I ran. Everywhere I looked there was nothing but darkness, and the mirror was gone, so I just ran straight ahead, without thinking about where I was going or how I would get back. From what Torrent has said, I got lucky. Anything could have found me when I opened the portal; the creature that pulled me through was basically a living tank, but it was slow because of all its armor. I didn't have any trouble out-running it, and something about that place made it impossible for me to grow tired, so I just kept running. At least... until I started thinking about where I was. When I realized that the ground I was running on couldn't have actually existed, I just started slipping right through it. I did everything I could to hang on to the last bit that still felt solid, but while I was struggling with that, the monster started catching up to me. If Torrent hadn't shown up when he did... I probably wouldn't be here to tell you all of this right now..."
For a long time Celestia remained silent, her face set in an expression of deep contemplation. Finally, she spoke, her eyes still closed as if she were trying to picture the entire situation as it would have unfolded. "...Why did you try it, Twilight Sparkle? If you read the warning, as you say you did, why would you even attempt such a thing? And please, do not tell me that you wished to impress me; there is more to it than that and you know it."
"I-I just... I'm not sure. I was just trying to... to learn something new? I didn't think that they would actually do all of the things that they claimed, it just seemed... I don't know... ridiculous. The, the book was so old and the spells in it, if you had seen them you wouldn't have believed any of the things they described either! There was one that promised eternal life, and another that could allow travel through time! I mean, spells can't do any of those things... Can they?"
Her eyes were open now, looking both sympathetic and stern at the same time. "No... They cannot. But I'm afraid what you came across are no mere spells. Those rituals are not of this plane; the book itself may have been created by one of our own, but the knowledge found within is alien to this world. Please, do not look at me like that, my student. I know you never intended for any this to happen, but you must understand that this may be far more serous than you realize."
Now Twilight was simply confused. "But, Princess Celestia, I'm fine. I made it back safely, the monster was destroyed, and I can even bring you the book so that you can find somewhere safe to keep it, or so you can destroy it. You know... whichever would work better at this point."
This time it was Torrent whom her eyes fixed in on. "You haven't told her then, I take it."
His gaze was hidden by the hood draped over his head, yet Twilight could sense his eyes upon her for a brief moment before it returned to wherever else it was looking. "The child's mind was troubled enough, I saw no reason to burden it with further nightmares. I have been keeping watch over the portal myself, and working each day to close it further and furth-"
"Wait! The portal is still open?! But, but I thought... I mean... didn't we seal it once we got back through? I thought you told me nothing could come through that way again!"
"Twilight, please, let me explain. Sealing a spell of that magnitude could take years to fully complete, something that I have already resigned myself to. What we did upon reentering your world was only the first step."
Celestia cut in, attempting to set her pupil's mind to ease. "We have faced problems with magic of this nature before. Certainly nothing quite like this, but arcane rituals and their effects have been noted all throughout Equestria's history. This type of magic always leaves some form of residual effects behind... In this case, it is the arcane energy seeping out of that portal below your library. We have always fixed whatever damage the failed attempts have caused; it will be no different this time around."
Now it was Torrent's turn glare, though it was concealed by the metallic cloth draping over his eyes. "Failed attempts? Your majesty, I fear you may have misinterpreted the situation that your student has found herself in. The ritual that she conducted was an incredibly advanced and complex ordeal and, as such, the rules of its outcome are set in stone. That accursed book warned that, should the spell fail, the caster would be doomed to fall endlessly through the void... Yet here she stands."
"Only because you were able to rescue her."
"Not at all. If the spell had failed, she would have been sent plummeting through the darkness while her doorway home sealed itself shut behind her. The fact is, the ritual was a complete success... Which is why it is going to be so difficult to undo." He turned to Twilight. "By opening a door to the Abyss, you have successfully created a way to gain an infinite amount of knowledge, just as the tome promised. It will enable you to traverse the very planes of reality itself, visit any world or any dimension in existence, and staying within it will prolong your life indefinitely.... And all the while you will lose more and more of who you were before you entered that dark and dismal portal... These sorts of things always demand a balance of that nature to occur; incredible power has an incredible price."
"I... I succeeded? This whole time I thought I had done something wrong, miscalculated something somewhere along the line... So... I was right! I do have what it takes to use magic like that! Ancient, otherworldly magic!"
"Some of the strongest in existence, yes..."
"Which is exactly why I must forbid you from attempting anything of this nature again, Twilight Sparkle." The Princess was looking at her with an expression of disappointment now, her student's sudden confidence in her own power finally betraying the real reason she had attempted the ritual to begin with. "These spells are dangerous and unwieldy. If anything were to go even slightly wrong you could tear the entire fabric of reality apart... or you could end up bringing the wrath of the universe down upon yourself...
"I do not wish to restrain you from learning, Twilight, never think for a moment that I do... But nor do I wish to see any harm come to you. It is for that reason that I hereby forbid you from studying any more of these arcane arts. There is still an entire world of potential open to you here in Equestria. You need not be so eager to journey from this land when there is still so much for you to learn here..." Twilight opened her mouth to object, but the Princess quickly put an end to the conversation as she turned and walked away. "I am sorry, my student, this is my word on the matter. Now, go enjoy the festival. Sir Torrent, it was a... pleasure to finally meet you..."
The pair stood there behind the dais for a few moments more. Twilight was thoroughly confused by the mixture of emotions churning about within her. While she was relieved to be done with their little meeting and the lack of punishment involved in it, the idea of giving up her research on the ancient book left her feeling both crestfallen and enraged. Who does she think she is, telling me not to study it! I performed the first ritual perfectly, she should be congratulations me, rewarding me! I shouldn't be here at some stupid festival, I should be back in Canterlot, teaching a class on magic! She's just afraid that if I keep practicing I'll become more powerful than her!
A frozen hand upon her shoulder brought Twilight back to her sense. She whipped her head around, blinking frantically to clear the rage from her eyes. What am I thinking!? The Princess just wants to protect me. She wants to keep something horrible from happening... something that would be my fault. As her vision cleared she found Torrent peering down at her from beneath his hood, the claw of his lifeless left hand gently resting on her shoulder. It was in rivalry cold to the touch, and she had to struggle to keep from shivering under its grasp.
"Are you alright, Twilight? You look to be lost in thought... and not positive thoughts, from what I can see."
"I'm... I'm fine, I just need a moment to take in everything that just happened.... I'm sorry, sir... for all the time you've had to waste on me."
His look changed a pensive stare to one of genuine concern. "Waste? What are you talking about?"
"Well, I mean... All the training that you've been trying to help me with. Now that Princess Celestia has forbidden me from learning anymore otherworldly magic, it's all kind of been for nothing..."
He looked on for a moment more, then finally his gaze lifted off of her as he began to chuckle to the autumn night air. "Hahaha... I see now! A fine attempt, miss Twilight, but don't think you are getting out of your lessons that easily. Your training is not even close to its end yet."
Now it was confusion that swam about in her mind. Were we at two different meeting just now or did he simply ignore everything the Princess said? "Ummm, Torrent, I think Princess Celestia was being pretty serious when she sai-"
"Oh I heard what she said. She doesn't want anything bad to befall you. So, I will be personally overseeing your training from now on. This way, I can ensure that you stay safe while you master these spells. No more leaving you to your own devices, I'm afraid. Too much risk involved there.
"When we returned from your little venture into the Void, I promised you that I would teach you to defend yourself against things like that abomination you encountered. I do not mean to go back on my word. There is an oath that the knights of my order were fond of using, an ancient rite that exemplified their dedication to their cause in the face of uncertainty."
"This was in that world that was sinking into the Void, correct? The one you told us about in your story the other night?"
"The very same, at any moment the balance of that world could have slipped, sending it crashing into the depths of the Abyss... And ultimately that is exactly what happened. Yet never once did the Order falter from its goals. 'Through the shadows we will wander, until our journey is complete. We will see tomorrow come today, and from our path we shall not stray. Bound are we, who hold the lantern, bound are we who bring the light. Through the dark and through the shadows, bound are we who chase the night. To our cause and to each other, to the shadows they will be drawn. So we will be there to defend them, come the darkness or the dawn..."
"...And that means, what exactly?"
He crouched down, bringing himself face to face with his newest student. "Quite simply, it's a long-winded way of saying that, whatever it is that drives us, we will never turn our backs on it until we have seen it through... And now, that driving force is your training. So by that oath, I hereby swear to make a true sorceress of you, come dawn or darkness..."
To Serve the Soul (Rarity)
It was a wonderful feast, by all accounts. The food was terrific, the company outstanding, and the atmosphere one of unbridled enjoyment. With so many present, the tables quickly became too crowded to accommodate everyone, so as the went on and the moon rose its seat of honor in the tenebrous night sky, many of them chose to take the festivities to other portions of the town. As the crowd began to disperse into the streets and find places along the buildings to sit and eat, Rarity became more and more aware of the eyes on her and her friends. Though more likely than not their hoping to get a glimpse at that thing posing as a friend, more than anything else...
The unicorn had had a difficult time keeping her true feelings on the subject to herself over the last week... In fact, most would simply look on her attempt to keep her mistrust of the newcomer a secret a complete and utter failure. She had ultimately ended up telling everyone she could that she was certain he was some sort of monster, come to destroy the town when they were least prepared. It had only been through Spike and Applejack's interference that she had come just short of voicing such opinions to Twilight's face. Thankfully, the three of them were now all on the same page in the matter.
Still, three pairs of eyes were little comfort against the knowledge that such a creature had not only succeeded in invading their home, but had also managed to convince anyone who could have posed a threat to him that he, in fact, posed no threat to them. Of course the majority of the town was curious about the bizarre newcomer, but she doubted that they had read far enough into the situation to see just how terrifying the monster sitting in their presence really was. Ugh, they didn't have any trouble being horrified by Zecora, and compared to Torrent she looks like she could be related to anypony in town... Still, none of the citizens seemed to be quite as eager to walk right up to the cloaked man as the Cutie Mark Crusaders had been. Small miracles I suppose...
She had been so lost in thought that she nearly lost her composure entirely when she realized that the very monster she had just been thinking about was now nowhere to be seen. His place was still set, a cup of cider and a plate of untouched food right in between Pinkie and Rainbow Dash, but his spot on the bench was unmistakably empty. He... he was just here not ten seconds ago. How could I have missed him get up? I don't even see him in the crowd! How far could he have gotten!? She looked to Applejack, but the earthpony was too lost in conversation to have noticed anything. Spike, however, was staring at the empty air between RD and Pinkie Pie in confusion. He looked at Rarity and shrugged, clearly having missed the monster's departure just as she had.
"I-I'll be back in just a moment, girls. I, uh... I simply cannot sit like this any longer. I have a cushion that should do nicely back at the boutique." Her friends barely even acknowledged it, obviously already being used to hearing such things and dismissing them just as quickly. For once, it worked to her advantage. Her home was one of the closest buildings to festival, and it took her only a moment to run inside, don a black hooded cloak which Zecora had left with her to mend earlier that week, and dash out the back door before anyone even realized she was gone. It wasn't until she was almost back to the staging grounds that she finally spotted the dark wanderer, little more than a swirl of black and gray making its way away from the festival. She followed as quickly and quietly as she could, sticking to the shadows cast by the pale moon overhead.
Her pursuit went on longer than she had expected, and it was not until they came to the edge of the Everfree Forest that she truly began to question why she was doing this. What if she was wrong, what if all of this really was just in her head, just her imagination running wild. Twilight trusts him, and the Princesses didn't see any problem with him being here... What if he isn't evil? What if I really am just jumping to conclusions. She looked around at her surroundings and felt like slapping herself for even thinking such a thing. Riiight... If that were true, why would he be sneaking off to the Everfree Forest in the middle of the night like this? Come on Rarity, this is your chance to finally get some kind of proof against him.
She made her way into the forest as carefully as possible, her cloak snagging on a few low shrubs and thorns every now and then. Ohhh... I just finished sewing dreary old thing back up. thats going to be another hour's worth of work now once this is all over. The snapping of a twig under her hoof brought her attention violently back to the situation at hand. She stopped dead in her tracks, praying that the hooded figure before her didn't take notice of the sound. He did, in fact, stop moving for a moment. Her heart sank and she focused every last bit of willpower on not breathing. Thankfully, he returned to his walk after a few moments, giving her time to recollect her composure before continuing her chase.
Ten minutes passed, during which time Rarity completely lost sight of her quarry. She wandered blindly until finally stumbling upon a small clearing, where she nearly gave away her position. For one frantic second she was certain that he had spotted her; how could he not have, considering their proximity. She had somehow managed to emerge less than two feet away from the hooded creature who had seated himself on a large rock and was staring at the ground before him. Two nervous to back away, Rarity remained perfectly still, trying to see what it was that the her target was observing. Slowly, as if some invisible veil were being pulled off of it, the large emerald sword that Torrent had used held before him while addressing the Princesses began to come into view.
The hilt materialized in his hands, the blade reaching all the way down to the ground more than four feet away from where he sat. He began to draw it up to where he sat, carefully grasping the dark green blade so as not to brush his palms against the razor sharp edges. Each time his hand connected with the blade a pulse of bright green light would ripple through metal, as if it were made of water. Finally, when he found the portion of the sword which he had been looking for, he placed his hand upon the flat of the blade and pushed downward. His arm disappeared from view as it plunged into the vastness of the metal's emerald depths. She was unable to look away, petrified by beauty of the sword and mesmerized by the bizarreness of the ritual she was baring witness to.
Finally, Torrent began to draw his arm back out of the sword, pulling at something below its surface slowly and carefully. As his hand came back into view, something else caught Rarity's eye, something both terrible and beautiful all at the same time. A pale orange glow lit up the clearing, permeating from a small crimson sphere resting in Torrent's hand. It seemed to squirm and shift in his grasp, changing from a ball to box to an indescribable shape consisting of loops and ridges before returning to a spherical orb. Torrent was whispering something to it, yet even from her spot only a few feet away, Rarity could make out no familiar words within it.
After several minutes of quiet debate with the tiny light, the cloaked figure moved it to the furthest extent of his reach, muttered a brief prayer, and the orb into the air. It ascended quickly, reached the top of the tree-line, and dispersed into the night sky. A high-pitched screech filled the air for a brief moment before the entire clearing fell silent once more.
She had no idea how long they had remained in that clearing, but Rarity remained long enough to see at least twenty more lights of varying colors be pulled from the depths of the blade and released into the air. It was not until she had finally made up her mind to attempt to sneak away that something finally broke the cycle. Torrent plunged his arm into the sword once more, but this time, as he attempted to draw it back out, something below its surface pulled back. Nearly being thrown from his perch on the rock, the hooded man was forced into a standing position, his arm still buried deep in the metallic pool of his sword. He battled with the thing inside the sword for several minutes before finally gaining the upper hand. He pulled hard upon whatever was struggling under the metal shell of the blade until it was suddenly ripped free, the sword falling into the short grass with a quiet thump.
Another ball of light writhed in the creature's hand, this one smaller but far brighter than any of the others had been. As Torrent began to speak with it, as he had all the others, it began to shy away from his voice, responding in a quiet hissing tongue. The went back and forth for more than ten minutes, the light only beginning to calm within the final minute of their debate. Finally, as the soul seemed to begin to understand what had happened, Torrent brought it close to his own face. The light was bright enough for Rarity to finally get a good look at his expression: a wide and manic looking grin emerging from beneath the all-concealing hood. He gazed down at the little light with eyes that had been dyed black, the pupils red and slitted like those of a snake.
He muttered one last question to the tiny, hissing soul. When it responded in its own miniature voice, he brought it level with his own vision, whispered the same foreign prayer of "Mesqa Lam Ench Aeh," to it, and brought it swiftly to his mouth. Rarity had to focus every last fiber of her being on the task of not screaming at what she had just witnessed. The monster's jaws closed around defenseless sphere of light, a double row of ivory teeth grinding it into nothingness as dropped down to the place where his sword had fallen.
He grabbed the weapon, stabbed it into the ground, and muttered something under his breath to it. The sword began to fade from existence before suddenly disappearing all at once. In its place, a strange distortion took hold, sucking in the air around where the sword had been. The ground which had held the blade still only a moment before was sucked into the void that had been left behind, a small crater acting as the only proof that any dirt had ever been there to begin with. Rarity's eye was drawn away from the sword's exit from this world just long enough to see Torrent walking further into the woods, his cloak now divided into seven shredded ribbons that seemed to reach out at the small plants around he as he passed from sight. She suddenly became very aware of the face that she had no idea where she was or what else might be hiding in the underbrush with her...
...Needless to say, her frenzied dash back into town was one of the most terrifying experiences of life...
Truth, or Something Like It (Spike)
Oh this isn't going to end well....
It was almost noon now, a cool autumn breeze was blowing through the town, and the task at hand was easily the last thing that Spike wanted to think about. As he left the boutique he began to wonder just why it was that he had to be the one to do it. Because she trusts you more than any of us, darling. Rarity had seemed so certain when she had said it, but Spike was far from convinced about the fact when he tried to look back on their conversation.
He had gone to visit Rarity in the hopes of finding out what had happened the night before, when she ran off in the middle of the feast and hadn't returned to the group thereafter. He had worried about it all night, but when Torrent had returned just as they were getting ready to leave the festival Twilight had insisted that they head back to the library and get some sleep. She had assured them all that Rarity probably just went home to do the same, there was no doubt that she had had plenty of work to tire her out over the last few days so she likely just wanted to turn in early that night.
She had gone home alright, and had remained locked in there right up until Spike had come by to check on her. She must have been watching through the window the whole time, as when he went to knock on the door it immediately swung open before his claw could even connect with the wood. She had grabbed him, pulled him inside, and relocked the front door in one fluid motion. It was not what he had been expecting, but he was honestly just happy to have found her at home and unharmed. Not that she didn't seem thoroughly shaken by what had transpired the night before, however.
Their talk had lasted for a good hour and a half, with both of them exchanging theories about what she had actually seen in the forest. Finally, the topic changed what they were going to do about the monster masquerading as Twilight's new houseguest.
"You have to speak with her, she needs to know what we saw."
"What you saw."
"You know what I mean!" She had been frantic to share the information with someone, anyone. From what Spike could see, she would have told just about anyone who had been unlucky enough to have knocked on her door that day. "Spike, I cannot stress this enough! She. Needs. To. Know..."
Under any other situation he would have given anything to have Rarity looking into his eyes as deeply as she had when she said that. Unfortunately, given the circumstances it was more frightening than anything else. "I-uh... I understand. Its just... well... Why does it have to be me? I mean, your the one who saw all of this; couldn't you just tell her exactly what you saw? I might forget part of it or something, leave out something important by mistake."
"Then we'll go over again, until you are certain that you won't forget anything important!" And so they had. Finally, after he had run out of excuses, he simply came right out and told Rarity what was really bothering him.
As she was about to escort him back to the door, he decided to tell her. "I... I don't think this is going to work. Theres no way she's going to believe me, I don't have any credibility on this one!"
She looked at him, utterly confused. "No credibility? What are you talking about?"
"I... uh... well... I may have already, kind of, maybe... accused Torrent of being a monster right to Twilight's face a few times over the last couple weeks." In truth, he had tried to convince her on seven separate occasions, the first being the very moment the pair had stepped back out of the portal where Twilight had first been pulled into the Void. For several moments after stepping into Equestria for the first time, it had not been hooded man that they had all come to recognize as Torrent, but a tall black and red monster seething with dark energy, holding poor Twilight in his massive claws. Two pairs of horns had been jutting from his skull, with two pointed upward like those of a bull and the other two coming down and out around his face like two great tusks. His skin was the same shade as his cloak, and the two seemed to run together to become a single body, with the frayed sections of the shroud writhing about like a group of snakes following him as he walked out of the portal.
Claws, horns, serpent-like cloak, and jet-black skin all quickly gave way to the form of the man they had all seen around Twilight over the last two weeks. Yet first impression tend to last, and the images of that demonic figure carrying his closest friend in its nightmarish, burning claws still haunted Spike's dreams each night. "I just... I don't think she's even going to listen to anything that I have to say on the matter anymore. So... why do I have to be the one to do this again?"
Rarity moved closer, doing her best to comfort him with her proximity. "Because. She trusts you more than any of us, darling."
And that had been the end of it. What could he have said? There was no dissuading her, and the more he though about it, the more he realized she was right. If anyone was going to convince Twilight of the danger she was in, it had to be him. Still, that knowledge alone wasn't enough to ease the stress he was feeling as he entered the library.
He closed the door behind him as quietly as possible, but it wasn't enough to keep Twilight from noticing. "Is that you, Spike? How's Rarity feeling?"
"Oh, uh, she's alright. She was just really tired after last night, otherwise she would have come back to meet up with us." In reality, this was not a lie. The run had tired her out to the point where she had simply collapsed on her couch when she got back home. He still could not think of the right words to use to explain the whole situation to Twilight, though.
"I figured it was something like that. I knew there was no way she would just run off on us like that unless she wasn't feeling well." She came out of the small room she had been reading in to speak with him face to face. Her expression quickly shifted to one of concern when she finally saw him standing there. "Spike? Is... is something wrong? You don't look so good."
"Huh? Oh, uh, well I.... Its just......... TORRENTSANEVILSOULEATINGMONSTERANDRARITYSAWTHEWHOLETHING!" He shot toward the door, hoping to escape before he any of it registered with Twilight. However, as he attempted to open it he found that the exit was sealed tightly, a pale violet aura illuminating the wood, identical to the one he now saw surrounding Twilight's horn.
"Spike, what has gotten into you?!"
"Its true though! Rarity saw everything last night!"
"Saw what? I have no idea what your talking about!"
He was panicking now, with no idea where to begin or what to say he began looking for another way out. Unfortunately, it was at that moment that he felt a warm, tingling sensation running over him as he was lifted into the air by the unicorn's spell. He never had been able to get used to the feeling of magic washing over him, it felt as though there was an army of tiny ants crawling over his scales; not painful, but by no means a comfortable experience. She held him at eye level in front of her, ensuring he had nowhere to go.
"Spike, what is going on? What are you trying to say? I already know you don't like Torrent, that you don't trust him. But do you really think just shouting out accusations and trying to run away isn't going to help your case. Just calm down for a minute and tell me what happened."
"Alright. Your right. Sorry... Ok, so you know how Rarity left early last night? Well, she left because she noticed that Torrent left. She followed him to see where he was goi-"
"-Why would she do that?"
"Because she doesn't trust him, okay!? Uh, sorry... Its, its just that neither of us really trust him much. So she went after him him and he ended up wandering into the Everfree Forest. She followed him through it until he stopped at some little clearing and took out that weird green sword. She said he started pulling these glowing orbs out of it and releasing them into the air... and we're pretty sure they were souls."
"Those were probably the ones that he drained out of the centipede monster he saved me from. Those creatures are just giant coagulations of lost souls, doomed to wander the Void until they're strong enough or smart enough to escape through a portal... like the one I opened..."
"Right, well, he uh..."
"He was releasing them into the air? So he was setting them free, since they can't journey to the afterlife from the Void. That sword must be some kind of vessel that he can carry them around in until he finds a suitable place to set them free!"
"Yes, but-"
"Thats amazing! I mean it was one thing when he explained it in words, but actually being able to see it with your own eyes? That must have been amazing! Did she say what the souls looked like when they dispersed? Or if they said anything? Torrent had mentioned that some of them will have little bits of wisdom to share before they leave depart."
"Twilight, your not listening to me! Yes, he released a bunch of them, and yes I'm sure some of them said something. But your missing the point. After he had let some of them fly off, he ATE ONE!!!"
Twilight looked at him with an expression of severe confusion. "He.... ate one... Ate a soul?... Spike, you realize souls aren't a physical thing, right? They can't just be eaten, Rarity must have misinterpreted what she was seeing."
"But, but, but thats what she said she saw. And what about those monsters in the abyss? I thought you said they grew by EATING souls?!"
"Well, yes, but the Void is a weird place like that. The rules that apply there aren't the same as the ones we have here."
"But I, she...you...." He had known it would end like this. She doesn't see it because she doesn't want to see it. What am I supposed to do?! He was at a loss for words. Nothing he said now would make any difference; they had lost this round. "Fine... If you won't believe me, I'll just have to find some proof!" He attempted to march dramatically out the door, only to find himself still suspended about a foot off the floor by Twilight's spell.
"Spike, please... please don't get carried away with this. Its not that I don't want to believe you... Well, no I guess thats not true. What I meant was: its not you that I don't want to believe; your easily one of my most trusted friends, its just that this all seems so ridiculous that I simply can't believe it without some kind of proof."
Spike opened his mouth to speak, but she quickly cut him off. "Look, if you really believe Rarity saw what she says she did, I'll have a talk with Torrent; see what I can find out about it. But so far he has given me absolutely no reason not to trust him, so I'm not just going to turn around and start accusing him of things like this based on something Rarity thinks she saw in the middle of the night in a dark forest."
She let him down and walked past him, closing the front door soundlessly behind her. Spike wasn't sure what Torrent would tell her. He wasn't even sure that she would actually ask him about it. All he knew was that it wouldn't be something that help their cause in any way.
"Boy Spike, you really blew it on this one. One chance, and you couldn't even convince her that something might be going on behind her back. Great job..."
"Well, the important thing is you tried."
Spike could feel his heart stop beating for a split second, his eyes widening to the point that the door in front of him completely faded from focus. Don't turn around, don't turn around, don't turn around! He began to turn, slowly pivoting to face the main room of the library. No no no no! How could I have been so stupid?! What did I say? How much did I give away just now?! RARITY! I said that she saw everything!
As he turned to face the large circular room, the hooded figure came slowly into view, standing exactly where Twilight had been only a moment before. He was in his normal form, but his cloak was divided into seven strips, just as it had been at the end of Rarity's story. They writhed like tentacles behind him, until one began to reach toward him. He would have run then, or at the very least screamed, but fear had completely immobilized him. So he remained perfectly still and silent as the thin metallic cloth wrapped itself around him, pinning his arms to his side and lifting him into the air beside Torrent.
"Come. Lets have a little chat, you and I..."
A Light in the Shadows (Fluttershy)
The sun was just beginning to set, casting a beautiful orange glow across the cloudless blue sky. Unfortunately, Fluttershy was far to preoccupied with the task at hand to notice the lovely sunset; she was running out of time. This had always been her favorite season: the leaves changing color, the weather shifting from the heat of summer to the crisp coolness of autumn, and of course, all the little animals that would suddenly find themselves in need of a warm, dry place to stay and delicious food to eat.
But as the days grew shorter and the nights colder, her least favorite night of the year drew ever closer. The tradition of Nightmare Night had never sat well with her and its extension from one night into a week-long series of feasts and festivals had done nothing to make it easier for her. Nor had the little scare Twilight had given her the previous year, by bringing that terrifying day's namesake right to her front door, made her any more comfortable with the situation. So she continued with her work, barely noticing the light fading from the sky over head.
Finally, as the last bit of light was beginning to retreat to the west, she finished stomping in the the final nail. "There. That should do it." She stepped back a bit to evaluate her work, looking over each sign carefully to make sure the message came across as clearly as possible. KEEP OUT, one read while another stated NO ONE HOME. A few feet away stood another reading simply TURN BACK. These repeated all the way up to her front door, upon which she had just finished nailing AWAY UNTIL AFTER NIGHTMARE NIGHT. If that didn't keep them away, nothing would.
It wasn't until she turned around to face the little road leading up to her cottage that she realized just how dark it had gotten. Yet for all that the shadows of the night hid, Fluttershy was suddenly sure that she could see something moving toward her, coming up the path. Her fears were confirmed a moment later when a pair of iridescent red eyes flashed out from the darkness, disappearing just as quickly as they had shown up. An involuntary yelp of fear escaped her lips as she started to back up to her front door; her eyes darting this way and that in order to try and spot the creature's movement once more.
Suddenly she saw it, as the first glimmer of moonlight spread across her field of vision. The pale glow of Luna's ethereal charge illuminated the yard just enough to reveal a tall shape moving slowly toward her. Straining her eyes to see it, she could just barely make out the outline of a long cloak swirling about its form. Torrent! For a moment her heart lightened, fear quickly being replaced with a growing sense of relief. Unfortunately, her dread suddenly took hold of her again, erasing any sense of reason that had been present a moment before. Unless its not him... If it was, why hasn't he said anything yet? He's not that far away, surely he sees me standing here. What if its something else hiding under that cloak; some creature out of the forest or... OH NO! What if its something else that escaped from Twilight's portal! Some monster just pretending to be him so no one expects it when it attacks!
All of this proved to be nothing more than groundless paranoia when the figure finally made it past the gate. "Fluttershy, how are you this fine night?" The voice was definitely his, as was curious gaze he gave her upon spotting the multitude of signs around the front door. "...So I take it you are not quite as excited about Friday's festivities as the rest of the town?"
Fluttershy looked around for a moment and blushed. "...Maybe I could take down a few of them... " Her gaze returned to the sorcerer just in time to see him fishing something out of one of the many pockets of his bizarre raiment. The trinket's glow caught her eye immediately, drawing in the entirety of her attention. "What's that?"
"A gift, actually. I was given it a long time ago and it has served me well wherever I have traveled. I thought if anyone would appreciate its beauty, it would be you. Here take a look." He brought it closer so that Fluttershy could inspect it for herself. It was a small amulet, made of some strange metal that she had never seen the like of before: it was silver, but light as a feather, warm to the touch, and intercrossed with dark red veins. The gem at the center of the the circular vessel was a beautifully cut sphere of aquamarine, but it was what was inside the gem that caught her eye. Within pale blue depths of the jewel, a small mass of light swam back and forth, like a fish in a bowl.
She looked up at her friend curiously. "What is it?"
He smiled down at her, his red eyes shifting slowly from her own down to the amulet. "That, my dear, is a soul. My mentor had rescued it from the Abyss a few decades before I ever met him." He saw the sudden terror flash across her face and let his voice fall into a comforting, reassuring tone. "I know what you must be thinking, and don't think it hasn't crossed my mind from time to time as well. But rest assured, this spirit is not trapped by any means. It is free to leave its vessel whenever it is ready."
He sat himself against the front door, with Fluttershy sitting down beside him. "You see, the Void is not a pleasant place to be, as I'm sure you will have realized from the stories I've been telling. When a soul is trapped there, it wants nothing more than to escape; to journey out of that darkness back into a living world. However, once they do leave that dismal setting some of them, not many, mind you, but some, realize that they do not wish to pass on to the afterlife. Either they are afraid of what might await them, or they feel unprepared, or they simply do not wish to leave this glorious world of ours... This one falls into that third category."
The little soul swam about in a constant figure-eight within the gem. Fluttershy followed it with her eyes as she listened to the wanderer speak, mesmerized by his voice and the light's motion. "Do you know who's soul it is?" She could not take her eyes off of the necklace for even a moment.
"A great warrior, from what my teacher said... Though from the stories I heard of, she was actually a doctor, a field medic if you will. She participated in battles, yes, and I am certain that she did a great deal of fighting herself. Yet in all of the stories, it was always her selflessness and her kindness that is highlighted. She was what my own people would have called a 'humanitarian,' though that seems just a bit improper as she was not human... Nor do I know how such a word would translate to your own people. None the less, she was a selfless, caring soul and remains so to this day. One who feels that her work in this life is not yet complete, that there are still many left whom she can help."
He stood up, turning back to her as he held up the amulet. "They called her Kiera Lightwrought, and she was a shepherd of the lost and fearful, the pinnacle of kindness in a world that was ultimately lost to greed, a beacon of light who saved countless lives from the darkness... And I can think of no one better to act as the caretaker of her soul than you, Fluttershy." He held out the necklace toward her, waiting to see what she would next.
To say that the little yellow pony was surprised would have been an understatement. Shocked, stunned, bewildered; any of those would fit better here. She stammered, searching for the words to respond. "C-Ca-Caretaker? Of a ... of a soul? Me?! Oh no, nonononono. I couldn't!" She tried as hard as she could to come up with a reason, yet none came to her. Try as she might, she could not pull her eyes away from the gem in the center of the necklace, nor the golden spirit swimming about within it. As she looked, the glow it gave off began to brighten and pulse. "Why... Why me?"
"Well, for starters, because she chose you." Another pulse of light emitted from the amulet, illuminating the yard. "But, even if she hadn't, you are the one I would have chosen for this task anyway. This amulet is a relic of great power, and it lends its strength to any whom Keira deems worthy to wear it. It helped me through some of my darkest hours, yet now its light barely shimmers for me at all... But you..." Once more a wave of light erupted from the necklace. "...Well, lets just say she seems quite certain that you should be her next keeper. So, what do you say?"
The light was blinding, yet by no means unpleasant. She let it wash over her, the warmth emanating from the jewel cutting through the cool autumn night. "I... I suppose....... Are you sure there isn't anyone else she would rather have?" The brightest burst of light yet came forth from the amulet, dispelling any uncertainty there may have been. "I, uh... I guess not..." She took a step forward, bringing her face to face with the soul of Keira Lightwrought. "I... I will take good care of her, I promise."
A smile crossed Torrent's face, though Fluttershy was too preoccupied by the amulet to notice. He brought the amulet down over her head, rearranging her mane over top of it once it had settled on her shoulders. Almost immediately, the necklace began to shrink. Its chain which could have fit about the width of a tree, yet it quickly became the perfect size for a small, demure embodiment of kindness.
"There... Now, what do you say we catch up with the others. I'm certain they'll be wondering what has become of us, I left to fetch you over an hour ago!" They shared a brief laugh over that as they walked toward the town, yet Fluttershy was only half conscious of what she was even laughing about. The power of her new charge was incredible, the strength and confidence of Keira's souls filling her with foreign thoughts and words. In time, those words would all become clear to her, the voice speaking them would be comforting rather than strange. Yet for now, it was simply a constant stream of incomprehensible images and sounds that would keep her distracted from her usual fears and chagrin.
So she walked on, unbothered by the darkness around them and the dancing shadows she might normally have shrunk away from. All frustrating images and strange words aside, she saw it all as a fine improvement. And maybe now I'll finally be able to enjoy the festival... at least a little...
Shadows Gather: Part 1 (Torrent))
Another night down, three days until this festival ends. Just three more days, then everything will become that much simpler... He looked at the mirror again, his reflection wavering in and out of existence as as the portal fought against him. Three more days, then I can look into closing you more forcefully... The Lunar Festival leading up to Nightmare Night had attracted literally thousands of extra guests to the little town since the first day. As such, he had not dared to attempt anything more ambitious than holding the portal's power in check, fearful of risking all of those souls should something go wrong. Now, however, he was beginning to regret that decision.
You made the right choice. There are too many innocent lives at stake.
The reflection rippled, little waves distorting his face as he gazed into the depths of the Abyss.
Yes, yes, think of all those innocent lives... Innocent lives which will now be caught in the middle of the coming storm... A storm that you have brought on!
Another ripple, this one revealing a brief flash of the darkness beyond the mirror's surface.
Both of you have lost track of what is important here. He should not be sitting here toying with this portal or worrying about the fate of this world. Its not his and their well-being is not his responsibility. Its high time we returned to Melcazan. Surely my new body is ready by now...
Two ripples, three, then a fourth. Each followed by a voice condemning the previous one as a fool. Yet they were all silenced by a massive wave that washed across the entirety of the portal, causing the reflection to vanish all at once.
SOULS! SOULSSOULSSOULSSOULSSOULS!!! THOU ART WASTING TIME, THERE ARE SO MANY HERE, RIPE FOR THE TAKING! LET US FEAST, BROTHER! SOOOOOOOUULLLLSSSSSSSS!!!!!
A boisterous rumble of voices overpowered the monster's influence, forcing it back into the deepest reaches of his mind.
Enough! All of you, be quiet... I know what I am doing, and your constant and incessant blathering is doing nothing but hindering my own thoughts.
Opening his eyes, he gazed deeply into the mirror once more. So long as he was focusing on it, the voices were locked out. Yet whenever his mind wandered from a task, their unrelenting babbling was never far off. So he redoubled his efforts, forcing himself to think of nothing but keeping the portal contained. This will not do... Twilight is progressing with her training quickly enough that we could close the portal tonight if we both focused on it... Yet if either of us were to lose our concentration for even a moment... with so many present... No, we can't take that risk... And yet now waiting seems to be an even worse option...
It had only taken a matter of hours in this world's time for them to amass. He had plunged back into the Void only moments before going to get Fluttershy the night before, just to check on how the repairs appeared from that side. Is that why? Well you could have fooled me... From here it just looked as though you NEEDED to dive back in, as if you were in great need of another taste of that empty, lifeless plane... You were like a fish, desperately flopping about after being pulled from your pond
A surge of raged quieted the voice, sending it flickering into the depths of his consciousness. Still, it was not wrong. No matter how many times he told himself that he had only gone back to assess the damage again, a part of him knew that he had reveled in the feeling of being on that side of the portal once more. So much so, that he had gone back again after the night's festivities had finished... Only this time, what he found had sent him fleeing frantically back to the mirror, crossing back into Equestria in a dire panic.
Where he had found only emptiness a few hours prior, a terrifying sight had awaited him on his second trip through the darkness. An massive assortment of bizarre monstrosities of every shape and size surrounded the doorway, their eyes and eyeless faces shifting toward his position. The magnitude of the situation slowly sunk in as he looked beyond the first group of creatures; the force stretched on for miles, but only the first few lines were made up of the abominations that he had grown so used to facing.
Beyond them stood countless legions of bipedal creatures, armed and armored in blazing metallic attire. Some looked almost human, but most were far too large or twisted in shape. Wings sprouted from many of their backs; leathery sheets of skin supported by cruelly exposed bone. Some were of truly titanic proportions, bound and chained by the others around them. Living siege weapons... These creatures mean to invade!
There was little time for any thought beyond that as the first wave closed in around him, attempting to grab at him with horrible deformed claws. He had made it back through the gate unscathed, but his mind had been sent into a storm of turmoil. They WILL break through if I leave this gate open much longer, its just a matter of WHEN now. But if I should attempt to fully seal it while they strike at it from that side, what's preventing the entirety of this world's structure from opening under our very feet? The rift would be massive enough that they could all walk through it at once.... side by side... And anyone who survived the opening would simply be thrown into their waiting jaws or lost to the Void...
The thought of such an event had plagued the entire night. It was not until the first light of dawn began to shine forth outside that he had realized the second problem. How will we finish her training now? There's no time left on this side... They had been able to make use of the timeless nature of the Void over the past week. In only a few hours of Equestria's time, Twilight had successfully spent well over a month in the Abyss, learning everything that she could from her new teacher. But now that there was an army waiting just beyond the mirror, crossing back over with her was entirely out of the question. Between the two of us we might take out two legions, maybe three before any particularly grievous wounds are suffered... but no matter what it would ultimately end the same. One of us would be injured, the other would rush to assist, and we would both be taken, our souls devoured by whatever those creatures out there are...
Slowly, he rose from his spot in front of the mirror, his cloak swirling about his form. What comfort the garment gave was countered by the shear weight of the cloth. It had once been the living skin of some strange predator who had hunted him through the depths of the Void. No blade seemed able to pierce it, and bullets simply ricochetted off of its hide; yet light, a substance in such short supply in that dark plane, had cut it worse than any blade ever would have. When he had first put it on it attempted to resist him, fighting back against his touch and doing all that it could to strangle its new wearer. Yet now it was just as much a part of his body as any other limb or appendage.
He left the library and made his way toward the forest, the sun beginning to set over head. I should have left sooner... Hopefully she will not have been waiting for too long. Thankfully, she hadn't been; having only arrived a few minutes before he did. She stood there in the clearing they had decided upon, gazing at the oncoming dusk as the sunset began to fade behind the tree-line, her ethereal mane and tail blowing behind her on the soft autumn breeze. She spoke without turning to face him as he approached, clearly aware of his presence regardless of silence with which he walked.
"We are pleased to see the once more...We must admit we were not entirely certain thou would be accompanying us tonight." She turned to him, a small smile on her face, but the same usual sadness in her eyes.
"No? I assure you, I can think of no where I would rather be right now. Besides, I gave you my word that I would be here if you needed me... Yet it does not look to me as though you are in any desperate need of my help just now, if I may say so."
"Not for ourself, no. It is our subjects for whom we would speak with thee... Surely thou hast sensed what is approaching?"
"Worse, actually. I sensed nothing at all until I saw the coming storm with my own eyes. Now the thought of this encroaching evil haunts my mind endlessly. I cannot remember the last time I.... My lady, what is it?"
Luna's concerned and confused expression had forced him to reconsider what he had just told her. "You... You weren't talking about what's waiting beyond Twilight's little portal... were you?"
She shook her head slowly, a look of renewed terror beginning to take shape in her eyes. "We were referring to something on this side, though perhaps the two are connected. Has thou not felt it? The gate Twilight Sparkle created... it has begun to spread. We have followed its progression only briefly, only since e arrived for the first night of the festival, yet we have already discovered a weakness in the structure of our world not half a mile from Ponyville. With what that alone could mean for the town and all living within it, we are reluctant to ask, but... what is is that thou has discovered on the other side?"
He regretted every moment of the story, but he told her what he had seen nonetheless. "I could do little else but run, so I fled back through the mirror and held the gate shut against them for a few hours... It became impassable after just a few minutes, actually, but I did not want to leave it for fear that something might have snuck through. After all of that, I came straight here to speak with you."
"This... This is most troubling. We will need to inform our sister of this development at once! Perhaps she will be able to devise a solution we have not... These monsters cannot be permitted to enter... We will not allow Equestria to experience horror of that endless darkness."
It was only then that he found the courage to finally ask her the question that had been bothering him since their first meeting. "...What was your reason for opening the portal?"
The inquiry seemed to take her by surprise, her answer coming only after a long period of hesitation and thought. "We... There.....hmmm... Truthfully, our reason was no different than Twilight Sparkle's. Our sister has always been better with magic... We simply wished to show her that we could be as good as her, that we could be... more like her... Finding that spell seemed like fate... until the ritual completed..."
She did not need to say any more, Twilight had explained the history of Nightmare Night and what Princess Luna had been turned into so many centuries before. The story had hit far too close to home for his taste; seeing Luna in her current state did little to ease his own mind on the matter. She has seemed so naive and unsure of her self, but there's no denying that she has been through some truly horrifying ordeals. Her sister hides it better, but I can't imagine she is any less burdened by the past... It pained him to see that even a world that was, at least at first glance, as pure and innocent as this was not free of the terrors of the universe.
The two would speak for another hour or so, both hoping to find a bit of comfort from the approaching storm in what the other had to say. Eventually though, there was nothing left to be said, and they began their walk back to town. The third night of the Lunar Festival was now officially upon them. Nightmare Night was just two days away...
The festival was already in full swing when they arrived. Stalls and stands had been set up all around the town square, lanterns hanging from each to fill the entire gathering with flickering orange light. Costumes, pastries, cider, and all manner of seasonal trinkets were being sold throughout the streets of the town, all under the luminous glow of a nearly full moon. After a few moments of searching the crowds he finally spotted his student at one of the food stalls. As he moved closer he realized that the mare behind the counter was one of her friends, the little apple rancher who had been so reluctant to have anything to do with him.
"Torrent! You made it!" Twilight had spotted him as he made his way through the crowded street. Luna had moved promptly to her sister's side in front of the town hall, leaving him to work out for himself where their little group of champions had ended up. Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash were all there, but the other three were nowhere to be seen. He went over to join them, looking over some of the treats on display as they spoke about the day's happenings.
"Oh, before I forget, you haven't seen Spike around lately, have you? I was sure he'd show up to this part of the festival, this is two nights in a row now..." Twilight had been too preoccupied with her training to keep tabs on Spike's routine over the last few days. If she had, she'd certainly have a few more questions for you, don't you think? Hahahahaha! The voice vanished as quickly as it had appeared, but that made it no less annoying... nor any less right.
"I'm afraid I have not." It was not a lie, he truly hadn't seen the little dragon for well over 24 hours. "Is he with Rarity, by any chance? I can't help but notice that she is missing once again... Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, as well; where is everyone?"
"Well, Pinkie and Fluttershy volunteered to take care of a bunch of the town's foals for the next couple nights. They're going to be bringing them around the festival for a little while each night and then bring them all to the schoolhouse until their parents come to pick them up... Rarity though... huh, you know I guess it has been a couple days since she's met up with us..." Twilight's gaze fell upon the boutique down the street.
"Eh, she's probably just busy fixing up costumes and stuff. She did say this was one of her busiest times of the year, didn't she? /i'm sure she'll show up tomorrow." Rainbow Dash had been less than enthusiastic about being around Rarity ever since she had run off during the first night of the festival. Her attitude was not shared by the others, though none of them were entirely sure what to make of the unicorn's absence. "Anyway, Spike's probably just keeping her company or something."
He was about to say something, to agree with her, most likely, but just then something happened that would prevent their conversation from ever actually finishing. A scream, singular at first, and not an uncommon sound for this time of the season. Then another, and another, and another, more voices joining in as the lone cry of fright quickly erupted into an uproarious cacophony. It spread from the outskirts of the town, silencing the chatter going on throughout the rest of the square.
Rainbow Dash was the first to head off toward the epicenter of the commotion, taking off and speeding to the edge of town. The other three followed on the ground, Applejack taking the lead as they sped through the oncoming crowd. It took a few moments to wind their way between all of the frightened guests, but they arrived just in time to see Rainbow Dash tackling a shadowy silhouette off of some terrified mare.
A sudden jolt of terror cut through him as he watched her struggle to keep the creature pinned to the ground. No, no it can't be. That seal could not have been broken from their side. Perhaps this is just some monster from this world... They rushed forward to assist Rainbow, Applejack diving on top of the shadow as it began to squirm free and Twilight binding it to the ground with a spell once they had it immobilized.
"T-T-Torrent? Is... is this thing what I think it is?" Twilight had moved up just close enough to get a good look at the creature's face before suddenly backing away and looking to her teacher instead.
"I.... I'm afraid it is... Rainbow Dash, Applejack, get away from it! I'm doubt this thing is as helpless as its making itself appear." As if to confirm his fears a slender metal spine shot forth from the ground not an inch from where Applejack had been standing only a second prior. He thrust his arm out in a lightning quick motion, two fingers glowing dark green as they pointed at the spike-like tail it had burrowed into the ground when Rainbow Dash speared him off of his prey. Try as it might, the monster could not retract its tail while Torrent's magic held it in place. Still pointing at the creature, he began to move toward it, the crowd simultaneously taking a few steps backwards as the large emerald sword phased into existence in his free hand.
"Raske! Raske te gls ghoeirh!" The creature screeched as the hooded man approached. "Raske meoud rjlh filshileo!?" It continued its pleading hiss as it saw the executioner draw closer, sword in hand. Its head shook violently from side to side as it looked for some escape from the encroaching doom walking slowly towards it, droplets of blood flying from its long, protruding teeth with each shake.
"I'm afraid not. You are a long way from home, yet you still treat this as your hunting grounds." He grasped the sword with both hands and raised it above the creature. "Mesqa Lam Ench Aeh..."
"STOP!"
Kill it! Reap it! Take its soul!!! What is she going to do to stop you? The horses have no use of such prey, the kill is yours! SOULS!!! He had to concentrate harder than usual to drown out the voice this time, staying his hand and keeping the sword at its present height. He did not bother turning to face her, not trusting himself to be able to keep his glaring to a minimum. "Forgive me, my lady, but this creature must be destroyed... and quickly..."
"So you say, and I agree with your judgement on this matter. But first you will question it for me. I can not blame you for wanting to be rid of it, but I would be very interested in finding out exactly how it is that it got here to begin with." Celestia move closer, looking down on the thorny monstrosity before returning her attention to Torrent. "You will ask it how it came to be in this world and if there are others like it."
He hesitated a moment, suddenly realizing just how many eyes were upon him. "...As you say, my lady..." He stuck the point of the sword into the ground beside the creature's chest, crouching down to face the vermin from a closer distance. His voice took on a reverberating hiss, echoing his words three times over each time he spoke. "You will tell me how you entered this world. You will tell me if you came alone or with a group. You will tell me how many of you there are if you were with others."
The creature's expression turned from one of pleading terror to one of great amusement. "Kehus seish skeshsoe fosoe ofj kfsss... Mesq sha kdhifos kdief! Klesssesesseessesesesssesesesessseseesss." Its mocking laughter rattled on and on until, with one final hiss, it attempted to lunge at its interrogator. Twilight's spell, coupled with Torrent's own, held it in place, but did not stop its other three tails from thrusting forth from the ground around the cloaked man; one from his right, another from his left, the last driving straight for his face, all launching upward diagonally to impala him. He had just enough time to tilt his head into a bowing position, the hood falling fully over his face.
Twilight screamed terror, her spelled quickly tightening around the creature and crushing its plated shell. Her fears were revealed to be unfounded, however, as the spike ricochetted off of his hood and the others became trapped in the folds of his cloak. "I will say it again..." The three additional tails began to glow dark green as they were slowly uprooted from the ground. "You will tell how you entered this world." The glow spread across the creature's entire body. "You will tell me if you came alone or with a group." The shadowy vermin was lifted into the air in front of him, its limbs and tails stretched out to their limit. "You will tell me how many of you there are if you were with others."
There was no laughter this time, only a rapid stream confessions, please, and apologies in a near unintelligible language. Its eyes had grown massive, opening as wide as they possibly could as the terror of judgement sunk in; its gaze constantly shifting to Celestia as it spoke. Damn... We were so close, so very close to preventing all of this... "The seal remains unbroken, my lady, the portal has not be reopened... Which, I fear, means that there is a tear somewhere else nearby. This one entered Equestria with five others of its race, it claims they went to hunt in the forest while he went off on his own. He begs for your forgiveness, to be released back into the 'dark fields' as he calls it... back into the Void... I cannot advise you against that course of action enough, I trust Luna has spoken with you as to why already."
"Indeed, she has... Very well, do what you must, then go find those other four. Luna and I will gather our subjects and begin locking down the town. Twilight, you and your friends will accompany Sir Torrent; I think you've all proven to be more than capable in matter. Sir Torrent... I trust you will do everything in your power to keep any harm from coming to my student or her companions."
"No harm will come to them, I assure you."
"Good. Then hurry, time is of the essence. I will not have these abominations running about unchecked."
"Um, Princess Celestia. What... what do we do about the her?" Twilight motioned to a the disturbed grass that the creature had emerged from. The body was barely recognizable as being a pony, yet there was little doubt in any of their minds that it was anything else. Chewed, torn, and thoroughly ravaged by the creature's claws and tails, barely anything remained but bone, tendons, and strips of muscle. The mare Rainbow Dash had saved managed to walk away with only a few minor lacerations; but given another few minutes and she likely would have suffered the same grizzly fate as her companion.
"She-shen-she n-never even had a chance to-to cry out." Applejack and Rainbow Dash were doing their best to comfort the poor little brown pony, but it soon became more a matter of holding her back; she was doing everything she could to get away from them and run to her fallen sister. "It p-p-pulled her down w-while we were walking to the festival. It just, it just came out of nowhere, she never did anything to it!" The shock of her own brush with the creature began to fade as she tried to get a closer look at what remained of its first victim.
"Easy, sugar, ya don't wanna be goin' over there righ' now." Applejack was struggling to keep her back without hurting her.
"Daisy! Why? Why?!" Her words were barely intelligible between her sobs. "She-she was looking forward to tonight! The festival was all she could talk about all day! Oh, Daisy WHY?!?!"
A bright yellow glow fell over the little earth pony as her eyes suddenly began to flutter. Celestia raised her into the air and onto her own back, soothing her into a trance-like state with her magic. "...Stop the others, we'll see to it that the rest of the situation is taken care of..." She turned and carried her traumatized little charge back toward the center of town. The rest of the crowd had dispersed already, driven back by the royal guards into the relative safety of Ponyville's central streets.
"Very well, you three heard your Princess, we have vermin that need hunting... And this one is going to show us just where they're hiding..." The little monstrosity was still elevated several feet off the ground, eye-level with the wanderer as he turned to face it.
"Vesq karin hlshgtji! Mjhhht jhki lgiu!" It's babbling had grown to be too much for him. For just a moment, he felt his control begin to wane as the other voice suddenly pounced upon his conciousness.
"The time for that is past... Besides, I said 'show us' not 'tell us.' ...And you don't need to be alive in order show us anything... "
The sword was overkill, to say the least, yet somehow the creature survived the initial thrust. "R-R-R-Rasssssssskkkkke? Rrraaaassssskke..." It's breathing became labored, the pain in its voice undeniable.
"Mercy? Ah, yes, of course... Like you showed that defenseless little horse, and like you were showing her companion... He drew the sword out a few inches, only to then thrust it in a second time in a sick, twisting motion. This time, a visible stream of gold and white mist began to leak from the creature's wound; slowly absorbing into the bright green blade of the sword. "Yes, I'd be more than happy to show you that kind of mercy. PERHAPS YOU'D LIKE AN ETERNITY'S WORTH OF IT!!! He twisted the blade again, eviscerating flesh, bone, and shell alike.
"Torrent that's enough!" Applejack and Rainbow Dash had back away a few steps, but Twilight stood her ground clearly appalled by what she was seeing.
With every last bit of concentration he could muster he slowly forced the voice back into the recesses of his mind. Fear grasped him, just as it always did whenever that one got the better of him. After everything I've had to face to get here, how is it that you are still the most terrifying thing I have to live with? Why does my greatest fear have to be one thats so close at all times?! This side of him had been the last thing he had wanted Twilight to see, much less her friends. How can I hope to protect her when I can't even trust my own thoughts? I'm not fit to be teaching anyone when I can't stay focused long enough to keep that beast contained.
He let go of the hilt, the blade remaining suspended in the nearly-empty corpse of the souleater. As the last bit of life drained out of it, the sword began to fade. When its shape finally disappeared, a slight distortion filled the air around where it had just been. The air was suddenly sucked inward as reality rushed back in to fill the void left by the sword's exit from this plane, crushing the creature's useless body in its vacuum and disposing of it without a trace. "I'm... I'm sorry you all had to see that. I have never much cared for these creatures, but when one does something like this I sometimes... Well I sometimes lose my composure a bit. I've lost great number of friends to such abominations over the years..."
"It... It's no big deal. That thing was evil, it had to be dealt with... Just... From now on, could you try to take a little less pleasure in it? I can't say as I really care for the things any more than you do, but they still don't deserve to be tortured like that."
"Actually... That bit was necessary. That last twist me parted the creature's memories to me... It's activated by pain. Don't look at me like that, I know how horrible that sounded... but it's just how that form of magic works. As I said, I'm sorry you all had to see it. It won't happen again." He saw no reason to go into the details of how he had learned such a terrible spell, already reading far more uncertainty on her face than he would have preferred already.
"So, uh... Did you find out anything from it?" Rainbow seemed far less effected what had just transpired than any of the others, Torrent included. Reluctantly he allowed the creature's thoughts to fill his head, its dominant soul acting as the catalyst while he worked to decipher what he was seeing.
Suddenly his vision shifted, the world around him becoming red and distorted. Yet there was something else, a new sense which seemed to combine sight and smell into a far sharper means of viewing the world around him. All around him he became aware of trails of smoke floating through the air, each a slightly different shade of white; sharply contrasted by the crimson setting he was now standing in. Four of them, each diverging off into the woods, and one more heading back the way it came... It must be them.
"Torrent? Are you ok?" Twilight's voice was distant and distorted, but with a little effort he could make out the words. He looked back at them, each of his three companions now highlighted and surrounded by thick clouds of blue smoke, with Twilight's taking on a far lighter shade than the others. Touched by the Void.... Perhaps that's what drew this one so close. Though honestly, it could just as easily have been the noise and lights from the festival.
He let the vermin's consciousness slip a bit, reverting one of his eyes back to normal. The smoke trails were still visible, but the redness faded from the world around him, making things a slightly less dizzying. "I'm fine. I can see where they went now, they left trails behind that we should be able to follow. Just don't expect them to make this easy on us. They don't know this world very well yet so they're bound to be moving through it very cautiously. With any luck, they haven't realized that their mortal here, which should give us an advantage over them."
He started to move toward one of the smoke trails, but paused a moment as a thought occurred to him. Their going to need to learn one way or another, otherwise they'll be next to useless when the bigger ones break through... Now's as good a time as any, I suppose. He slipped a black bone dagger out of its place beneath the folds of his robes. Twilight's eyes fixed in upon it immediately; he was pleased to see she recognized it so quickly. I suppose its hard to forget the first weapon you've ever used to end another creature's life... His own had been been a revolver, the last thing his hand had latched onto when he had so unwillingly departed his own world.
"Before we set out though, there's something I need to give you. All of you... Because whether or not you actually end up needing them tonight, I can assure you that you'll be glad you have them in the days to come..." Days coming far quicker than I would like...
Two Minutes to Midnight (Twilight)
The moon was nearing its high point in the dark autumn sky, midnight was drawing closer and closer. Twilight was doing her best to keep up the pace, but it was quickly becoming clear to her that there was no way she could maintain such speeds for very long. This chase had been going on for almost half an hour, yet Applejack was showing no signs of slowing down. They had been galloping all-out since the very moment Rainbow Dash and Torrent had taken to the sky.
As she thought back on it, she started to realize just how much the entire plan went against everything she had ever read about situations like this. You never split up a group to cover more ground; but it's not like Rainbow Dash was just going to sit back and wait for the rest of us once she spotted that little monster. She ducked down, just barely avoiding a branch severed branch as it came flying back toward her head. Little twigs and bits of debris were whipping at her as they passed by, but she just shrugged them off. You never run at top speed right from the start; but I guess pacing yourself would be kind of counter-intuitive during a chase... More brambles and splinters smacked her as she bounded through, trying desperately to keep up with Applejack. And above all, you certainly. Never. EVER. Go running around at top speed through a densely-packed forest with a razor-sharp blade in your mouth!
Of course, Applejack couldn't hear any of it so that did them little good. Not that she would have put the blasted thing down even if she had heard, no more than Twilight would part with her new bracelet. No, not a bracelet. Come on Twilight, he went over this. No matter how pretty and fashionable this thing might be, its still a manacle... a shackle.... whatever, it's a binding, not a piece of jewelry. Applejack and Rainbow's gifts hadn't been nearly as well suited for their current environment as she might have hoped, but she was thankful that hers had at least been small wear. Rainbow Dash had hers safely up in the air above the tree line, but AJ's new sword was clenched between her teeth at ground level, tearing up the underbrush as they passed through it and sending the majority of it flying back toward Twilight.
"Before we set out though, there's something I need to give you. All of you... Because whether or not you actually end up needing them tonight, I can assure you that you'll be glad you have them in the days to come..." She could almost hear him saying it all over again. She thought back to the their little talk at the edge of the forest, just an hour earlier. She could still see Torrent standing there, her black bone dagger clutched tightly in his hand. She thought he had meant to give that to one them, but the dagger had merely been the key to the real treasure he'd had for them all.
He had whispered something in a language completely alien to her ears before bringing the dagger over his head and making a profound zig-zagging sweep downward through the air. It all had seemed very overly-dramatic, until she had realized that the blade had literally gone through the air! The shiny black bone razor disappeared as it tore into the very fabric of the world, ripping it apart in an intricate slash. Stranger still, only a moment later Torrent's hands disappeared as he plunged them into the newly-firmed hole and wrenched the two sides of it open.
It had all happened in a matter of seconds, yet the shear abnormality of what she was seeing made it seem to drag on for hours as she played it back in her mind's eye. "I've horded these away since the deaths of their previous owners. I apologize in advance if they feel a bit awkward... They were never really designed to be used by ponies... Though you're probably a good deal closer to what the makers had in mind than any human thats tried to use them..." With that, he had reached into the gap in reality, grabbed hold of a strangely shaped handle, and pulled out a long, slender straight-sword. It's blade had a deep orange hue to it, but the aura surrounding it was blue as a summer sky. That one he had given to Rainbow Dash, who, after fumbling with the hilt for a few minutes, found that it could, in fact, fit quite nicely between her jaws. Applejack had received her long, red falchion next; the blade was thick and curved, outlined by a deep purple glow.
By that point, Twilight had already guessed at her gift. I can't expect him to give me one as long or heavy as those two, but I'm sure he must have some kind of amazing glowing dagger in there; something filled to the brim with otherworldly energy and lore. Maybe it will have belonged to some great wizard that he met in his travels, or to someone who trained him when he was younger! She was all too familiar with how such stories went, with heirlooms of that caliber constantly passing from one generation to the next. Needless to say, her surprise was none too joyous when her teacher pulled out the shining ebony manacle and locked it around her foreleg, closing the rift as soon as her gift was out.
Even now she could feel the power flowing through the iron cylinder, a comforting heat radiating from it as glowed in the darkness. Suddenly, Applejack came to a halt in front of her, nearly leading to a collision as Twilight skidded to a stop. "Applejack? What is i-"
"Shh............ You hear that?" She listened for a moment, not picking up anything beyond the light rustle of leaves overhead as the breeze brushed through the tree tops. Then, from somewhere behind them, a far louder rustling began, this one along the ground and much much closer than she would have preferred. Something was moving through the underbrush, crunching the dry leaves and snapping a small twig as it came toward them. This thing probably isn't used to having to worry about staying silent while it hunts. There are no leaves or twigs in the Void that would give away its position to its prey. The thought was somehow comforting; in this environment, she and Applejack still had some advantage over it, even in the dark.
The rustling continued, stopping and then picking up as the creature became cautious of its targets. Finally, Twilight could wait no longer. "Alright, we don't have time for this. Come out!" Her horn began to glow as a wave of dark purple light washed over the area, a ripple of energy with her at its epicenter. The plants it passed over began to glow with a similar light, illuminating the space around them. The creature began to shriek in dismay as it was pulled into the air the spell's influence, but its cries were quickly cut off as total paralysis set in. "Gotcha. Ok, Applejack, your up."
"....Applejack? ...Any time now..." After a moment passed without any action from her partner, Twilight turned to see what was wrong, wondering if the earth pony had simply decided against ending the creature's life. What she found instead was not much better. Two more of the creatures had reared up behind them, clearly having been prepared to strike at the ponies backs when they while their attention was on the first stalker. Thankfully the spell had effected them as well, frozen in place and slowly rising into the air as the magic gripped them tighter. That was good, exactly the sort of effect she had hoped the new spell would cause. What caught her off guard, however, was the sight of Applejack suspended in the air in front of them.
The orange pony had turned around as soon as she heard the other two creatures approach them, sword still clenched tightly in her mouth. Now she was hanging in the air, frozen in place along with the rest of the creatures. No! How could I have been so stupid; of course it would effect her too! The spell had been designed to seek out masses of life energy, separating sentient beings and isolating anything with a high concentration of souls within it so that it could be more easily tracked. It was an old art, taught to her by Torrent and to him by the order of abomination hunters he had once been a part of. It made sense that, in place like the Void, it would make finding such creatures incredibly simple. She had assumed that even using it in a place as full of life as the Everfree Forest it would still work, separating the the soul-laden creatures of the Void from the non-sentient plant life. Why then would it effect someone like Applejack, who held only her own soul within her mortal form?
There was no time to think consider what would happen if she was wrong. She couldn't release the spell without freeing the three monstrosities; instead she ran back to Applejack, reared up on her hind legs, and knocked the sword from her mouth. The blade floated a few inches away from its owner before becoming stationary once more. With the vessel no longer in physical contact with her Applejack slowly began to move once more, jerking her head violently to one side as she finished the slash she had been attempting when Twilight's spell froze her.
"Grrrrraaahhh! ...huh, what the... Twilight? Twilight what'd ya do? Where'd ma sword go?" She looked up just enough to glimpse the two creatures floating above her, her sword suspended in front of them. "Gah! And what the hay happened ta them?! They were just about on top a us a second ago!"
"Theres no time to explain, we need to get rid of these things now, before the spell breaks."
"Well sure, but ah'd have a much easier time doin' that if ya'd bring ma sword back down here."
"No! That blade's a vessel for lost souls, and it must be pretty full right now if the spell was able to effect it like that. If you touch it you'll just get frozen in place like these little monsters all did. Now just give me a second, I think I have a spell that can take care of this..." ...I hope...
Twilight closed her eyes as she tried to think back to the training she had done in the Void just a few days before. The spells Torrent had been teaching her always had a greater initial toll on her stamina than her usual spells, and the exact mechanics of each usually required a great deal of concentration to remember. To her surprise, however, the spell she needed shot to the forefront of her mind almost immediately, saving her the trouble of having to recall the exact casting method she would normally need to follow. Alright Twilight, you've got one shot at this, don't screw it up.
Relax, child. You know what you are doing, you are prepared for this.
You're right, your right. I've practiced enough, time to see what these spells can actually do outside of the Vo-AHHHHHHH "-HHHHHHHHHHHHH! Voices! I'm hearing voices! In my head! And their not mine! Oh no, I'm going crazy aren't I, oh I knew all this power was too good to be true! Oh Celestia, why now?!"
"Twilight! Twilight, snap outa it, girl!" Applejack nearly smacked her on the head in an attempt to knock some sense back into her, but stopped herself upon realizing that Twilight's spell was still the only thing holding the beasts around them in place. "Twilight, just calm down! Ya ain't going crazy, its just these gifts! Ah heard some voices when ah was holding my sword, they ain't nothin' dangerous, just part of bein' in physical contact with the dang things."
She's right you know.
Your not helping! Now just shut up and let me concentrate, I'll worry about whether or not I'm going crazy after we're out of this little mess.
Thatagirl
STOP TALKING TO ME!
Focusing on the three abyssal beings she was holding up, Twilight began to channel the energy she had been releasing into the area directly into the her captives. The aura faded from the plants, from the insects on the ground, and finally from the sword hanging in the air, sending it plunging into the dirt. Applejack rushed to pick it back up, clearly concerned that it might disappear into the Abyss like Torrent's if she let it lie there for too long. Finally, feeling no other life caught in her spell but that of the three creatures, she allowed the fullness of the curse to be released.
Bright purple light filled the three airborne monsters, their screams silenced by the paralyzing effects of the spell. The light emanated from them, three little suns illuminating the woods and sending violet rays up through the trees. Slowly, the creatures' shells began to break, giving off a slow, sustained CRACK, like the sound of ice splitting. The cracks grew as more power rushed into the bodies of the flayers, filling them with power Twilight had learned to channel directly from the void. Combined with her own personal brand of energy, an incredibly volatile form of sorcery was working its way through the beasts.
Its time, child. Release them from their collective bonds!
There was no time to retort, and in the end Twilight saw no point in even trying. The voice was being far more helpful and supportive than her own subconscious had ever been to her. Moreover, it was right, any more power and the resulting detonation might be too strong. She did not want to risk hurting Applejack just to see how far she could push her own magical limits. With one last jolt of focus, picturing her three targets clearly in her mind's eye, Twilight thruster her horn skyward. The aura's brightness intensified to a point where it would have been painful to look upon, with the glow surrounding and penetrating the monsters following suit. Then all four sources of light went out simultaneously, the forest falling into a state of unnatural darkness after being filled with such blinding light.
The air stood still, the leaves trembled, all sound ceased to exist. Suddenly a deep rumbling began to permeate the sudden silence, vibrations filling the air and coursing through the ground. Then, with all the devastating glory of a clap of thunder, sound rushed back into the world. The three beasts shattered with one last massive CRACK!!! Their shells burst apart, shrapnel flying everywhere. Several chitinous shards impacted against both Twilight and Applejack, with the trees and underbrush absorbing most of the spread. Yet even as the pieces collided with their targets they merely turned to ash as soon as they made contact, harmlessly poofing away to nothingness.
A sudden flurry of colored lights erupted from the spots where the soulflayers had been suspended only a moment before. They shot up skyward, making a mad dash for the open air above the leafy canopy. But before they could more than a few feet away, something pulled them back down to the ground. They were being drawn back to their rescuers, forcefully guided to Twilight's position, and sucked into her new manacle. All she could do was watch in horror as the thousand tiny souls they had just freed were once more imprisoned, and now upon her own person rather than in the bowls of some abomination from the shadows.
She wanted to ask the voice in her head what had happened, why the souls hadn't passed on like they were supposed to. Unfortunately, her thoughts were interrupted by the clash of metal several yards away. "Gah!" The scream was unmistakable, its owner clearly in pain.
"That sounded like Rainbow Dash! We gotta get over there and help her, are y'all gonna be alright Twilight? Those lights in your bracelet didn't hurt ya none, did they?"
She saw them too.... Then I wasn't just imagining it. Alright, no problem; we'll just go help Rainbow Dash, find Torrent, and then he can fix all of this. Simply as that!
"No, no. I'm fine! Now quick, we can't waste anymore time talking, Rainbow might be in real danger out there!"
Aw you've gotta be kidding me! Why did I think this would be a good idea, I can't see a thing down there! She sped on ahead, hoping that the woods might become a bit less dense up ahead. It didn't. She had been sure splitting off from the others by way of air would give her an advantage over their grounded targets. What she hadn't counted on was the canopy of unfallen leaves that still remained down below her, forming a near-endless canopy over the forest floor. Stupid, stupid, stupid! She would have smacked herself on the head as she thought it were it not for the fear of dropping the long ghostly sword she had clenched between her teeth.
She was just bout to turn back and try to catch up with the rest of the group when something suddenly shot out of the trees below her; a dark shadow cloaked in an explosion of leaves. She heard it as it sped toward her, the sound of leathery wings beating the air as it climbed to her elevation. "You're not going to get far like that! As long as you don't mind slowing down for me I can track those creatures by their scent trails." The wanderer had to shout to make himself heard over the wind at this height.
Wings? He's got wings now? Well that's just great; he's got Twilight beat with magic, he's better with these swords than me and AJ combined, and now he can fly... I figured I at least had air dominance to make me feel a little less inadequate.... Oh well, still no where near as fast as me, haha!
As he drew closer she was able to get a better look at the wings that were holding him up. It appeared as though they were growing directly out of his cloak, the same bizarre metal fabric that comprised the long shroud quilted the bat-like appendages as well. The joints connected to a point just below his shoulders while the wings themselves extended out behind him like two great sails. Huh, did he have those when we scared Scootaloo and her friends? How weird, I can't even remember anymore... Eh, no big deal!
Though the wings were enough to hold Torrent in the air, he seemed to be having a great deal of difficulty maintaining his balance and speed once airborne. "You sure you're up for this, Torrent," RD called out as he approached. The sword fell from her mouth as she spoke, falling a few inches away from her before stopping. The glow surrounding it intensified as the spirit within the blade held it in place beside its new mistress. "Your lookin' a little... tilty. How long can you stay up here for?"
He came a few yards closer before suddenly falling a foot, forcing him to pumping his wings considerably faster before he could regain the height. "Oh I can... keep this up for... as long as I have to..." His breathing became progressively heavier the longer they flew. That was a thankfully short amount of time, as they was able track down the first creature easily enough. They landed in between a tangle of trees; Rainbow Dash alighting skillfully on the forest floor, Torrent crashing through the twisted branches a few feet away from where he had been aiming.
The moment the two touched down, however, the flayer that had been hiding in the underbrush dart off, racing deeper into the Everfree. Dash was was after it in seconds, flying between avoiding branches and tree trunks as she fought to keep the creature within her sight. The little monster was fast, faster than she ever would have believed from looking at it. Its bizarre body shape and the unfamiliarity of its new surroundings should have hindered it far more than it actually did. Charging headlong through the foliage, its six spined tails flailing wildly all around it as they cut down anything that might have slowed it down. She caught up with it, came up on its left, clenched the sword tightly between her teeth, and swung in a vertical arc that spun her entire body in the air.
The effort was wasted, the beast slowed itself just in time to avoid the slash, digging its tails into the ground to act as anchors. Rainbow Dash recovered form her spin just in time to narrowly avoid a fast-approaching tree. Ya put far too much power behind that one, lass! Tone it down a bit and ya might be able ta get a little more accuracy outta yar swings.
"Ugh, I know, I know! I don't need you to correct me on every little thing that goes wrong." The voice had been a nasty shock the first time she heard it, the surprise had caused her to drop the blade mid-flight. She had been even more shocked when the weapon had proceeded to catch itself in midair and scold her for dropping it once she retrieved it. The spirit had been kind enough to introduce itself, taking a bit of the mystery out of the situation, but it still didn't make the whole thing any less weird. "I'll just loop back around and take him on my next pass. No sweat!"
She sped around an upcoming tree, hugging the turn so tightly that less than an inch separated her from the rough, grey bark. However, once she flew back the way she had come, she found herself completely unable to locate the creature again. Oh come on! I lost track of it for a couple seconds and its already managed to get away?
Aye, it certainly would appear that way. Course, it ain't likely that its gotten too far. If I still had a sense of smell I'd probably be able ta tell ya exactly where the little demon's hidin, but just judgin by our surroundings..... I'd say he's buried himself in here. Look where he skidded to a stop, his tails left some deep imprints and they all lead up to an even deeper burrow there!
The hunter was right, as Dash soon discovered. A small hole connected the six little trenches the creature's tails had dug. Small, but certainly big enough for the little abomination to have squeezed itself into. Ok, so... its underground. What are we supposed to do about it. Dash had come to a halt above the hole and was hovering in place a good two feet off the ground.
Well, first of all, don't land! We touch down on the forest floor while that thing's just sittin around waitin for us and before ya can even blink yer gonna be impaled on them tails o' his... Nah, our best bet would be wait and ju-GGAAAAAHHHHH!?!?
The old wolf's thoughts were cut off by a deafening CRACK that filled the night like a clap of clap of thunder. It was followed immediately by a blinding flash of light, so dazzling and intense that it nearly knocked Rainbow right out of the air. The purple inferno blazed through the forest like a wall of violet wind. As it disappeared from sight the night suddenly seemed blacker, the shadows deeper and more sinister. It took Rainbow Dash a good minute or so to get her eyes readjusted to the low lighting, during which time she was left completely unaware of the soft rasping sounds drawing ever closer from the underbrush behind her. With her ears still ringing from the explosive din that had accompanied the light, she never heard the light hissing noise the creature made as it read up, preparing to pounce. It was not until the last possible second, as its merciless, gleaming claws unsheathed and the cold metallic razors of its tails unfurled, that Dash thought to look behind her...
LASS, LOOK OUT!!!
"Gah!" The shock of the freezing metal digging into her skin caused her to cry out. She had seen it, had known it was there, she had even gotten her sword up in time to block the strike it was aiming at her with its long, silvery claws. But just as she had turned to face the creature jumping at her from behind, the one she had followed to this very spot to begin with made its move; striking out from below the ground with its tails. She parried the first one's claws, but as the living steel raked her at her side she cried out, dropping the bright orange sword in the process. It plunged toward the ground, its angle changing slightly as the spirit inside it aimed for the creature below them. The second flayer was on the blade before it ever reached its target, however, wrestling it to the ground with all six tails pinning it in place.
Agony surged into the young pegasus' as the creature dragged her to the ground, its tail-spines digging into her wings and sides in an attempt to keep her from flying off. Fortunately, it failed to subdue her legs, allowing her to deliver a series of fast, thunderous kicks to the monster's armored carapace. The blows thudded off the vermin's shell, but their concussive force drove it back into the dirt it had emerged from, freeing her from several of its steely barbs. Dash fell to the ground, one of its tails still embedded in her left wing, and crawled away from the spot where the other beast was struggling to pin her new sword. Crixoth... He... he said his name.... his name was Crixoth.......... The world was starting to spin, her vision beginning to fade as her mind scrambled to focus on any sane thought that it could hold onto. He was... he was hunter... and he hunted these things... he can take them. Haha... of course he can... He was a knight, after all... A knight like...... like....... like........ "...Torrent... Help!....." She called out desperately in a voice that was little more than a whisper, the last of her strength leaving her as her vision blurred to nothingness.
...Darkness took her...
The world spun, the wind howled, and overhead a massive white moon gazed down upon the scene through tangles of twisted branches. So bright, so beautiful, stunning in its near-full state, a glorious sight to behold. It flew overhead, unburdened by the limits of the mortal plane to which its admirers were bound. And suddenly Rainbow Dash is flying with it, basking in the comfort of its radiant glow. She's above the forest again, the trees rushing past below her like a vast, verdant river. The pain in her wings and her sides is gone, not even an echo of the cold agony remains. She flips and spins, reveling in the freedom of the skies, all the while under the watchful eye of the midnight moon.
"Child. Thou must not fly so far. It will not do for the to be lost here."
The voice was familiar. Soft, soothing... sad. The voice of some who had known great sorrow in their life, and great loneliness match. She knew the voice, but the words made no sense to her. "What are you talking about? I won't get lost, I can see Ponyville from here! And even if I lose sight of it, I can just fly higher and I'll see it eventually. There isn't a cloud in the sky tonight!"
"Beware. Thou must heed our warning. Turn back, return to the ground and find thine way back."
The thought made Dash shiver. "The ground? But its so dark down there, under the trees I mean. There's nothing there but the dark and the cold. I'd rather stay up here where its comfortable and where I can see everything."
"Beware..."
The voice was fading, leaving Rainbow Dash alone as she flew onward. Suddenly the world seemed so much darker. So much colder. She looked up, hoping to be reassured that everything was alright by the peaceful glow of the moon. But the moon was gone. The stars were fading as the shadows grew around her. "P-P-Princess?" She could see her breath puff up in front of her as she came to a hoping stop. "Princess Luna?" No response, nothing but the empty silence of the night.
It was not until the shadows covered the entirety of the sky and the frigid wind had chilled her to her very core that Dash finally heard it. Far away, dulled by the trees, a scream rang out followed by the sounds of battle. A ghastly shriek, an ungodly roar, the terrible scrape of metal against metal. The memories of pain began to rush back into her mind. Its okay, Rainbow Dash. The pain is gone. There's no reason to think about it now. Your past all of that, its naught but a distant memory now. Fly on. Ignore the sounds you hear, warmer sky's await you further on. There's no need to burden yourself any further, your journey is almost done. Your so close now. Just fly a little further and you'll see.
She began to descend, her wings beating slower and slower as she neared the tree line. The voice continued to insist that she just keep flying, the sounds coming from down below seemed to suggest the same. The things she heard emanating from below the beneath the canopy of leaves would be enough to turn any sane creature away. Still she descended, no longer allowing herself to look at the sky. She braced herself, closing her eyes and clenching her teeth as she reached the top of the forest.
Pain flooded back into her body, her legs, her wings, and her sides all flaring with freezing agony. The shrieks were coming from all around her, voices screaming out in pain and terror as some unholy storm descended upon them. They cried out in voices as sharp as knives, their words gibberish in her ears. She couldn't open her eyes, it was still all she could do just to hold on to the world around her as it was. Another voice roared with bloodlust, its own words closer to those that she knew, but still far beyond her mind's ability to comprehend. A soft voice from further away broke through, but was quickly drowned out by the din of battle. Twilight?
Something brushed up against her face, it was cold, but lacked the razor edge she had been dreading when it made contact with her skin. Curiosity got the best of her as the icy appendage quickly withdrew off of her face. She began to open her eyes, but all she could see was darkness. Her left eye closed again of its own accord, but her right eye managed to stay open a bit longer. She blinked away the darkness, struggling to keep her eyelid from closing on her once more. As she battled with her own consciousness Dash slowly became aware of the war being waged around her. No, no that's not quite right. War would imply that both sides were contributing. This was a slaughter, a massacre rather than an actual fight.
Three shadows danced in the foreground of her sight; one tall and distorted, the others long and low to the ground. Screams were echoing through the air; some in a high hissing growl, others in a nearly coherent cacophony that she could just barely make out as normal speech. Behind her, someone was shouting her name, a voice she almost recognized but for the strange tone that the ringing in her ears had given it. Did... Did I hit my head or something? She had had bad injuries before, but nothing had ever knocked her for this much of a loop.
A sudden jolt of pain ripped through her leg, bringing her senses back for a split second and revealing the scene that was unfolding around her. Her sword was stick upright in the ground with its blade buried deep into the soft forest floor, its glow illuminating the area with a deep orange light. Something squirmed at the top of it, but it took her fevered mind a moment to register what she was seeing. Suddenly it came into focus, one of the creatures that had attacked her, now impaled upon the sword's hilt, the handle protruding through its severely cracked shell. Its tails were gone, a thick blue liquid leaking from where they had been attached. She saw a few of them scattered around the ground, but it wasn't until she took in the entire scene that she noticed the last two, their barbed ends buried into the flayer's eyes. It screamed and struggled as it tried to break free, but no amount of effort could set it loose. A slow but steady flow or pale mist was drifting off of its wounds, all of it being drawn toward the source of the roaring voice she heard overpowering every other noise around her.
There, just a few feet away from where she was sitting, two abyssal shadows were locked in combat. The little one had already lost three of its tails, one of them being ripped away before Dash's very eyes as the tall one tore it apart piece by piece. It held the creature with one clawed hand, the bony fingers slowly breaking through the metallic shell of the elongated parasite. Two more tails soon met the same end as the dark figure tore into the its prey. Blue, iridescent blood dripped down the length of the creature's body in small rivulets, adding some much-needed color to the whole scene. A crack rippled through the air followed closely by a screech of unparalleled agony. A moment later the flayer's shell was lying on the ground at its assailant's feet, rent in two by the pressure of his grip and a single sickening strike from his clawed left hand.
"SJEV FUSEIS APPROPRIATE! VESQUEJES SHVU BE FLAYED FDKIEJ MES MALACAE!" He turned his attention to the one impaled upon Rainbow Dash's sword. "PERHAPS YOU GDITDU NIYGHU TU DEM HIU? BECAUSE I THINK SHA JI ARRANGE THAT! Hahahahaha!!!" It dropped the tormented, exposed creature to the ground, allowing another stream of mist to rise off of it and be guided into his mouth. He made a step toward the sword before a voice rang out deeper in the forest, giving him pause.
"No! That one stays alive, you said we need it in one piece. You've had your fun now go! Crawl back into the darkness and plague this world no more with your presence!" She saw Torrent step out of the shadows, sword in hand, and motion for the monster to depart. Just as she was about to call out to him, however, Dash felt a something grab her mane and suddenly she was being pulled backwards.
"Its alright, sugarcube. We're gonna get y'all outa here and back home. Yer gonna be just fine, them scratches ain't nothin to worry about; just stay awake, ya hear me?" The last thing Rainbow Dash remember seeing as Applejack pulled her into the shadows was Twilight striding forward, her horn glowing as she marched toward the wanderer and the demon.
Answers in the Dark (Twilight)
You're certain you want do this, child? He's not likely to be in a talking kind of mood.
Well that's too bad. Because I want some answers and I want them now.
She kept walking, using her magic to pull the black bone dagger from the ground where it was imbedded. A lifeless tail from one of the beasts lay next to it, inches away from where Rainbow Dash had been. The wanderer had likely thrown it when he first arrived on the scene, severing it from the rest of the creature's body to keep it from harming the pegasus any further.
Twilight strode forward, attracting the attention of the dark being that had been so preoccupied with tormenting the soulflayers. It turned to face her, folding its wings behind it and rearing up to its full height, leaving it about a foot taller than the man approaching from behind it. It gazed down at her through pitch black eyes; two seamless ebony orbs peering toward her, her own reflection visible in their pupilless depths. Its face was skeletal in appearance, with a thin layer of grey-black skin stretched across its bony features. Two pairs of horns jutted from the monster's skull, one set extending skyward while the other hooked down past its jaw like tusks.
It moved toward her, its steps shaking the ground as if some massive weight was buried just below its leathery skin. While sufficiently gaunt in appearance, with no girth or true muscle mass to speak of, its every step broke the surface of the ground and sent little fissures running off the footprints it left behind. Already the area was riddled with clawed-shaped holes from where the creature had moved about.
"Please, do not come any closer! Its not safe, you must stay back!" Torrent called out to her in urgency, yet made no move to stop her; keeping a safe distance from the creature despite the fact that his sword was already drawn. "You need to leave, I cannot ensure your safety here!"
"Well that's obvious! What happened here? Why weren't you with Rainbow Dash? She could have been killed you know! If we hadn't gotten here when we had, she might have... she could.... What is this thing anyway?!" The creature had come to a complete stop, turning its head back and forth to follow their conversation. It had clearly lost interest in Twilight being and was now thoroughly distracted by what she and the sorcerer had to say.
"We were separated, she flew ahead to chase after one of the soulflayers, the little beasts we went in after. I wasn't fast enough to stop them from attacking her, but I did my best to keep them off her once she blacked out."
"And am I to assume that that's when this... thing showed up? Did it just happened to come crawling out of the forest to intervene, or did you summon it here in order to help?"
The man hesitated. "Neither... Both? I... I don't.... I can't remember. I was running through the woods and the next thing I knew this abyssal was here assisting me. There wasn't time to question how it got here. I-"
"Do you really think I'm that stupid?" Twilight was slowly putting the pieces together. He's slipping, if I can just push a bit harder I can get the truth out of him. "You were running through the woods? Don't you mean flying over it? Applejack and I both saw you shift your cloak into a pair of wings and follow Dash off into the sky..... But... You wouldn't know about that would you? You weren't there for that part..." Her eyes drifted to the demon standing between them. Just standing there, complacent and unmoving, making no attempt to attack or even threaten either of them. She had grown used to seeing bizarre creatures whenever Torrent had taken her back into the Void to train, they were drawn to those who still possessed their sanity. Yet for all the hundreds of monstrosities they had encountered during their little ventures, none had ever waited so patiently for a conversation to finish before making its move. The pieces were starting to fit together.
"Twilight, I don't understand what yo-"
"Quiet, I'm not here to talk to you..." She turned her attention to the abyssal. "...am I, Torrent?"
A terrible grinding sound emitted from the creature's mouth as it gnashed its teeth into a ghastly grin. "Aeoh fidlho rsugh somewhere, fudhb kri... Unfortunately, he can't suheu kdshot ei eh lehuse. Kehehehehe..." Its laughter was more terrible than the grinding of its teeth, but Twilight bore it, if for no other reason than to see what it would do next.
"Twilight what are you doing, I'm right here! You know me, I'm no monster. Don't you trust me?!"
There was no need to answer, the illusion was meaningless to her. She had seen this charade play out before, though it had been initiated to protect her that first time. Her thoughts returned to the masses of souls she had seen the creature absorbing as it laid waste to the soulflayers only a few moments earlier. "Rarity was right wasn't she? WASN'T SHE?! This whole time you've been some sort of horrible, soul-sucking monster... and I stood up for you! I protected you! How could you... HOW COULD YOU LIE TO ME LIKE THAT?!?!" Her horn surged with magic, but the aura around it was black instead of violet this time. Chains erupted from the ground around her target, wrapping him in their tenebrous grip and holding him in place. The demon she had called her teacher made no attempt to escape from them.
"Twilight this is madness! I am right here, why will you not listen to-"
"Enough!" His arm shot upward from his side with two fingers outstretched, leveling off as it centered on its target, completely unhindered by the heavy chains Twilight had bound around it. A dart of black energy erupted from between his hingers and struck the clone in the chest, blasting out the back of its body in an explosion far bigger than it had made on impact. The hole it left behind could have fit a tree limb through it; florescent green liquid poured from the wound as the "illusion" stumbled forward. "She is not blind, you fool... Begone from this world, your usefulness has run its course..."
The clone staggered to its knees, its voice becoming distorted and distant as the green fluid drained from its chest. "No... no please! I... You promised.... I'm not... ready......... More time... Please!" The second bolt struck its outstretched arm, severing it at the shoulder. A fountain of glowing green blood gushed forth, coating the forest floor in front of the broken body. The being's face displayed no signs of pain, perhaps it was simply was a complex enough construct to feel such things. Just an illusion, like he said he saved me... The thought made the whole scene no less grizzly to behold.
"No one can delay their judgement forever; it is time for you to face yours." Another bolt formed between his fingers. Twilight three all of her concentration into summoning another set of chains, these ones directed entirely at the her teacher's arm in a vein attempt to force it downward. She succeeded in lowering it a few inches, only to have the bindings wrenched from her control as he lifted back to its original position, the effort of it not even being enough to break his focus. The arrow of black energy rocketed forward, smashing into the left side of the dying illusion's face and tearing it clean off. Inside, under what the blast revealed to be an incredibly thin layer of flesh, more green fluid roiled and leaked as a small blue light emerged. An azure orb of glowing energy, the little soul fell from its spot within the disintegrating body and hit the ground with a light, echoing thrum. A moment later, however, it was in the air and moving with lightning speed toward Twilight.
She hesitated, no longer certain of what was happening and suddenly feeling very weak in the shadow of the monster who had been training her. The soul bolted forward, faster than the projectiles that had broken its host body only moments before. Words and curses in a foreign tongue reverberated through the air around it as it flew, painting terrifying images in Twilight's mind as she slowly registered what it was the spirit intended to do with her. She slammed her eyes shut, too horrified of the immanent agony that was about to envelope her body and soul to actually bear witness the collision itself...
...A moment passed, then another. No torturous pain came up to greet her, no searing agony as her body was taken over by a foreign spirit. Just the same cool autumn breeze they had been feeling all night. Yes, the soul's screams of protest were still echoing through the woods, their source only a few feet away, but it was stationary now, no longer speeding toward her in its blind fury. She allow herself to open an eye, still certain that the spirit would be right on top of her the moment she did. It was not.
Several feet from her own location stood her teacher, no longer burdened by his chains, with the renegade soul grasped in one massive claw. While that bestial claw remained, the rest of his body was quickly reverting back to its human form. His horns were retracting back into his skull, his wings folding back into a frayed cloak, and his skin shifting back to its normal chestnut complexion. Last came his eyes, their empty jet-black expanses slowly shrinking as dark shades of red began to fade in from the edges followed by a flood of white. The blackness continued to shrink until it filled nothing but his pupils, leaving his face in a far less fearsome state. So he stood there, devoid of all the demonic features he had displayed only moments prior, aside from the single clawed hand which restrained the enraged soul.
"Such a malicious little thing, aren't you..." The ball of light squirmed and struggled to break free of his grip, but to no avail. Instead it was lifted upward and brought face-to-face with its captor. "...Be grateful that my student was here to keep me in check... otherwise you'd already be well on your way to whatever hell it is that awaits creatures like you..." And with that he brought the spirit to his mouth and devoured it, making short work of the soul as it disappeared behind a row of slightly yellowed teeth. He looked back to find Twilight staring at him, both of her eyes open now and widening in horror at what she just witnessed
"You..." Twilight had to take a moment to catch her breath, trying desperately to regain her composure. "You're going to give me some answers! Right here, right now!"
"Twilight I assure you, I never meant for you to find out like this. I was going to tell you eventually, to show you, but the time wasn't right. You must understa-"
A bolt of violet energy shot forth from her horn, singeing the ground an inch in front of him and bringing an immediate halt to his advance. Twilight wasn't certain that her magic would even be able to effect him after her binding spell had proven so useless, but she had to do something. "You're one of them... one of those monsters from the Void. You pretended you were rescuing me from them, saving me from the darkness like some heroic knight. But this whole time, you were just another one of the abominations you talked so much about fighting..." The bone dagger still floated by her side, suspended by her usual telekinetic powers; but now she moved it in front of her, putting between the two of them like a drawn sword. "You're just another one of those soul-eating monstrosities... and I'm not about to let you just walk out of these woods so you can just roam around the town unchecked."
She was on her back before she even knew what was happening. A shadow had moved on her left, another on her right as she turned to look at the first. Something had wrapped itself about her legs, twisting her in the air and slamming her to the ground. When the world stopped spinning she quickly realized that she was no longer holding the dagger. She felt the ground slide away beneath her as she was dragged forward and brought into the air, the frayed streamers of Torrent's cloak wrapped themselves about her as they brought her up to eye level with the sorcerer. He leaned toward her, his eyes pulsing as their pupils expanded and shrank with rage. "Twilight, you are still my student, and as such I would never wish any harm to come to you... But if you ever, EVER, compare me to one of those beasts again, I do not know that I will be able to contain my anger long enough to find something else to direct it toward..."
The fabric tendrils lowered her to the ground, gently placing her on her own four hooves once more. As she looked up at the being she had been so eager to accept as her new teacher, she could not help but notice a solemn look of sadness wash over his face, however briefly it may have been there. "T-Torrent, I... I didn't mean to insult you like that,nits just that... just, I... you..." Come on Twilight, pull yourself together, you're apologizing to him when you should be demanding some answers. How'd you let him turn this around on you like that?! "You just ATE that spirit, right in front of me. You can't honestly expect me to believe I didn't just see that."
"I did... And I have eaten many before that one as well. But unlike when they are devoured by one of the monsters that stalk the Void, within me they are still themselves; completely conscious, completely uncorrupted, completely free to speak their mind and choose when they are want to be freed." The great emerald sword suddenly materialized next to him, its blade stabbed into the ground so that it stood like a small pillar beside its wielder. "You described me as being like one of the abominations and in many ways I can certainly see where you would draw such parallels... In reality, however, I am little different than this sword; this sword, Applejack and Rainbow Dash's swords, even your manacle. I have become a vessel to carry the souls of others who no longer have bodies of their own.
"Such vessels capture wayward souls that they come across, but they can also free them at any point should they desire it. Once free, so long as we are outside of the Abyss, the spirits will travel on to their final judgement, something that many strive for once their tasks amongst the living are complete. Yet there are some who, perhaps due to their actions in life or simply a fear of what lies beyond, would do anything to put off that judgement. It is souls like that which I devour, giving them an escape from the afterlife that awaits them, at least until such time that they feel they have sufficiently made up for whatever sins they have accumulated during their lives... a task which, I fear, many of them will never truly be able to accomplish."
Its true. I was able to keep myself alive for over four hundred years by constantly eating children and making ritual sacrifices out of any innocents that happened to come across... That sort of thing isn't exactly easy to make up for, no matter how many good deeds and selfless acts of heroism you help accomplish; kehehehehe... The voice emanating from the manacle had troubled Twilight only slightly because of how unfamiliar the sensation of having another presence in her mind had been. That latest bit of information, however, made Twilight truly question whether or not she should beg her teacher to remove the "gift" from her leg.
"That soul, that miserable spirit who attempted to overtake you just now, is one such desperate creature. His sins in life were numerous and continue to haunt him even in his incorporeal form... He has no hope for redemption, I'm afraid. So naturally, when I foolishly threatened him with meeting his final judgement just now, he panicked and made a break for the only salvation he could think of: overshadowing a mortal being."
Twilight shuddered at the thought, the images that the spirit's screams caused her mind to form were still far too clear for her liking. "Yeah, that much I assumed, or at least something like it. But why was he here to begin with? Why did he look like you? And how could you have let those creatures hurt Rainbow Dash like that?!" You monster!
"I..." He hesitated, though Twilight could not tell if it was so he could find the right words or simply to stall until he could formulate a believable lie. "...we were separated. I can fly if the situation demands it, but it was never something I was meant to do. Dash was much more coordinated in the air and, after we landed, sped off after the first soulflayer that we spotted."
"And you just let her go after it? You should have known something like this would happen! You should have told her to wait, she would have listened even if it meant losing the target. You know how much she looks up to you! You could have stopped her!"
"But I didn't... And before you say it, you are right, I am to blame for what befell her. No amount of arguing is going to change that fact. I could have stopped her and I failed to. I realized that a moment after she was already gone... So, I went after her. That's why the other soul was present, I sent it after the second soulflayer in a copy of myself while I went after Rainbow Dash. I arrived first, but when I saw what had happened I... I just.... I lost control. A different side of me took over, its one of the dangers of having so many different souls within one body; it can lead to what's essentially an extreme multiple personality disorder... And I'm afraid some of those other personalities are far less concerned with restraining themselves than I am..." He motioned toward the eviscerated flayer.
Something still bothered Twilight about the whole series of events, though she was glad that she was finally getting answers to some of the things that had been bothering her the most. Alright, so... he is a monster. But, at least he's not evil.... Small miracles, I guess. Suddenly, she remembered what was really troubling her. "That other you said that you told him you needed one of those creatures alive." She looked at the tormented beast impaled on the handle of Rainbow Dash's sword, its legs twitching helplessly as it slowly gave up on its attempts at escaping. "Why? Why do you need it alive? What are you planning on doing with it?"
Torrent stepped toward the ruined creature, examining it from above as he slowly drew the sword from the ground. The soulflayer remained sandwiched between his hand and the cross-guard, fully given up on the prospect of fighting back. "Because there is an army waiting on the other side of that mirror." He raised the sword up, bringing the beast to eye level, speaking as much to it as he was to Twilight. "An army that believes this to be a pure, innocent, and wholly-defenseless world, ripe for the taking...." He turned the sword, inspecting it from every angle as the little monstrosity clung to consciousness. "....We are going to reassure them that that is most certainly not the case. And this little devil is going to be the vessel by which that message is delivered. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to need you to carry those chunks of shell back to the library for me; my hands are a bit full at the moment and I've got something special I'm working on that those will work perfectly with. "
So many more questions nagged at Twilight's mind, but in the end none of them seemed important enough to further delay their return to Ponyville. Besides, she had gotten the answers she needed. Yes, Torrent was soul-sucking monster from another plane of existence; one who was very likely restraining a darker half that would love nothing more to bring an all out war right into Equestria... But at least now she was certain he was on their side. He's a monster... But at least he's our monster...
Her other questions, however, seemed to fade into utter triviality the moment they emerged from the edge of the forest. There, waiting for them as the broke free of the trees and underbrush, was a vast contingent of the Royal Guard. Over thirty pegasi in brilliant blue and gold armor encircled them, several dropping down from above the trees behind them to ensure that they could not retreat back into the woods. A dozen pale unicorns in white hooded cloaks joined the circle, clearly there to combat any unwanted magic that may present itself. And striding toward the group, with all the colors of the rainbow billowing through her ethereal mane, came Princess Celestia herself; her face an emotionless mask as she slowly crossed the field separating Everfree and Ponyville. But racing before her came two other figures, a pair of white unicorns whom the line of guards immediately started moving to make room for.
"Twilee! Get away from that thing right now!" The stallion kept the guards rather than waiting for the wall of pegasi to part. He galloped toward the pair at full speed, skidding to a stop between Twilight and Torrent; his head lowered, horn pointed at the man, never once did he take his eyes off of the wizard during the entire ordeal. An orb of light surrounded the siblings, a magical barrier which cut Twilight off from her teacher as her brother glowered at him in distrust.
The second unicorn waited for the guards to step aside before entering the circle, but upon doing so proved to be no less vindictive. Where Shining Armor had charged in to protect Twilight, this one was clearly here for Torrent and left no mystery as to her intentions upon reaching him. She galloped headlong toward the wanderer, two of the guards racing up from behind to restrain her as it became clear she that wasn't about to stop. Had they been any slower on the uptake she may very well have impaled him on her horn just as easily as he had the creature on Rainbow Dash's sword. As the two full-grown pegasi struggled to hold back the little mare, a scream escaped her mouth. "WHERE IS HE?! WHAT DID YOU DO WITH HIM, YOU MONSTER?! WHERE IS MY SPIKE?!?!"
Author's Note
Merry Christmas one and all, sorry this one went up so late but the technical difficulties are all straightened out and will (hopefully) never be an issue again. Enjoy!
Scales of Eternity (Spike)
The shadows closed in tighter and tighter, the last ray of light narrowed until it was no more than a pinprick in the sky above. He could feel them all around him, creatures hidden in the darkness, their eyes focusing upon him with terrible hunger. It's ok, it's ok. As long as there's still some light they won't come out... Still wish I could see what's out there though... A growl emanated from the vast darkness that lay around him, reverberating off his armor and causing his heart to pound far more rapidly than he would have liked. Uh... Ok, maybe not... Might be better if I don't see what that is...
The light continued to shrink, further depleting his already minuscule sanctuary. The growling became louder, closer, and he was Crain that he could make out the silhouette of something slithering just beyond the veil of shadows. Oh... Why did ever agree to this?! I can't fight that thing; as soon as the light goes out I won't be able to see an inch in front of me! Images came flashing through his mind of what horrors might be waiting for him just beyond the pale ring of light he had been left in. After thinking about the for a few seconds he suddenly wanted to scream and had to fight the growing urge to close his eyes and run. No, NO! That'll only attract more of them... I can't scream and I can't go out there without some kind of plan. Now -gulp- what was it he said about this place? About the things that live here? He concentrated, thinking back on his conversation with the wizard as they had made their way down to the mirror.
That walk had been the longest of Spike's short little life. Torrent had gone from the entryway of the library down to the cavernous basement below, all the while carrying the little dragon with one of the coiling tendrils that his cloak had shifted into. He had tried to fight is way out, but his struggling only made the cloth grip him tighter. Biting and clawing had done little more to help him. The walk to the basement had dragged on for what seemed like hours, the wanderer talking to him the whole way as if it were all perfectly normal. A wide hearth of shadows walked with them, far more than could have been cast from either of their forms. They danced along the walls and trailed behind them as the made their way to the mirror. He hadn't been certain what the sorcerer was planning to do with him exactly. The only thing he was certain of was that he was about to die, whether by the wizard's hand or in the jaws of something beyond the mirror.
Even that had proven to be beyond his ability to predict, however. As they came face to face with the mirror, Torrent's grip had loosened, allowing Spike to slip free. "What do you want with me, huh? What are you going to do?" He had tried to sound brave, but it had all come out in a quivering voice only slightly better than a whimper.
The wizard was a long time in responding, instead merely staring into the swirling unlight that filled the mirror. Finally he turned to the little dragon, who had just begun to realize that the door they had come through was no longer there. "Do with you? No, no Spike, you misunderstand the situation. I'm not going to do anything with you. In fact, I'm going to do something for you." As he turned, Spike saw that the wanderer's hand had turned into a claw, similar to his own except in color and size. He reached down and pulled a long black dagger from beneath his robes, its blade dripping with a bright green fluid that he was unable to determine the source of. Torrent knelt down, made as if to hand over the weapon, and then with one fluid motion, slashed Spike across the chest and replaced the dagger beneath his cloak.
Spike fell backwards with a scream. "GAAAAAAHHH!?" He had laid there for a moment, certain that this was the way it all ended. However, after a minute passed by and death's embrace still ill used him, he sat up and rubbed his chest. As he looked down at the cut, which seemed to have done little more than pierce his soft belly scales, the green liquid that had been on the blade began to pulse within the wound. A second later his scales began stitching themselves back together, leaving nothing but a thin emerald line running diagonally down his chest. "What... What was that? What did you do?"
"I gave you a gift. One that, with a little practice, you might be able to use to repay my kindness some day."
The cut had began to burn, yet still lacked the sharp, seething pain that Spike had been expecting from such a wound.
"Immortality probably means little to a dragon, but the raw power that I've just imbued you with should peak your interest."
All at once the sheer magnitude of the energy being released into his body had forced Spike to the ground, his muscles buckling and convulsing as newfound strength coursed through them. "Wh-Ahhh... Why?" It wasn't pain that had forced him to cringe and squirm, but a feeling he was unable to describe; the feeling of pure, unmitigated power being pumped through his body in a way that nature had never intended. "...why, me...?"
"Why?" He crouched back down to the Spike's level as the little dragon slowly began to stand again. "Because, Spike, you impressed me so much back there with what you tried to do. Coming to tell Twilight what happened, knowing full well what the consequences of your actions might be, took some real courage. Blind, careless, stupid courage, but courage none the less. If I had been your real enemy here I could have destroyed you right then and there, or made you watch as I destroyed everything that you loved, leaving you powerless to stop me... So rather than leave you brave but powerless, I thought I'd even the playing field for you a bit."
He had waited until Spike was back on his feet before he continued. "You were so focused on protecting Twilight that you did not hesitate to put yourself in harm's way in order to warn her about me. That kind of dedication and loyalty must never go unrewarded. For that reason, I am granting you this small fraction of my own power; so that you may continue to protect my student from whatever may threaten her in the future... And, to that end, there's one last thing I have for you..."
The tendrils of the sorcerer's cloak parted, allowing him to draw a small wooden case from the depths of their folds. He held it out for Spike to take, but the little dragon hesitated. "Not that I'm not grateful and all, but... how do I know this isn't some kind of trap? Everything you just said could have easily been a lie."
A smile crossed the wanderer's face for a brief moment. "That's exactly what I'm talking about. I want you to stay suspicious, constantly on the lookout for anything that might prove to be a danger to Twilight and her little friends... And then I want you to use these," he opened the box to reveal a pair of metallic claws and a strange, reptilian helmet, "to tear said danger limb from limb."
Spike had stared at the "rewards" for a good minute or two before he finally realized what was being asked of him. "W-Wait, I just wanted to warn Twilight, I wasn't about to try actually confronting you or anything! I mean, I can't fight or anything like that, I wouldn't know how to even begin using these things!"
"Use them no differently than you would your own claws. These pieces are made from a special type of metal, they will bind to you, grow with you, become a part of you whenever you put them on. The helm was made specifically for you, the claws are old heirlooms from an friend I once had... whose name I'm afraid I can no longer remember..."
Spike looked at the gifts once more, still reluctant to accept them. "Wh-what about the others? Applejack or Rainbow Dash, their bigger than me and a whole lot stronger, you should be arming them, not me. I'm too small to be of any real use in a battle!"
The wanderer sighed, his cloak extended out around him, and the shadowy arms of the cloth pulled Spike closer to him. His voice dropped to little more than a whisper. "They will receive their own armaments when the time is right... All of them. For now, though, you are the one who needs these the most." He grabbed Spikes arm and encased it in one of the cold metal claws. "You are the one who needs to be prepared to protect Twilight." He fastened the second one to the dragon's other arm, the steel became warm and began to mold itself to him. "You are the one who needs to be ready for the approaching storm." The helmet came last, covering his head with a light layer of iron. Through the slitted eyeholes filled with two carefully-cut gemstones he could suddenly see darkness gathering behind the sorcerer, forming into a doorway as the tendrils of his cloak moved to rapidly shape the shadows. "You are going to need to be the one who stands up to the spreading dark... But you are also going to need the most practice of all."
Before he had a chance to object or even register what was happening, Spike had been thrust toward the shadowy door. He tumbled through the darkness, the wanderer following close behind. He had hurtled horizontally along the floor before reaching the doorway, but as he passed through he quickly became conscious of the fact that he was falling vertically. Falling straight down until a dark patch of earth rushed up to meet him.
Before he could impact on the surface, however, one of the wizard's cloak tendrils caught him, holding him in the air by the tail and then gently putting him down. "What is this? Where are we? This... This isn't the Void is it? We didn't even use the mirror, what happened?!"
Torrent lowered itself down, the strips of cloak extending and growing thinner as they brought him down from the wide opening above. "Its not the Void, don't worry. This is essentially my own little pocket dimension, where I keep some of my books, treasures, and other things that I find interesting... That said, its also where I like to train, so there are some things in here best left undisturbed. Beyond that, though, feel free to look around and enjoy the scenery." He wandered over to a small pedestal standing in the middle of the open abyss. Upon it rested a book with a pale, foggy aura emanating off of it. "That is, once you've dealt with... these!"
He brushed his hand over something on one of the pages, though Spike was still to far away to see what it was exactly. The aura grew brighter, the suddenly faded as a three small figures began to emerge form the ground around the pedestal. Standing on three insectile legs, with claws and mandibles clicking loudly in the dim light shining from above, the creatures turned to face Spike, screeched, and charged headlong at him. Taken aback by the sudden danger Spike quickly backed up, turned, and ran... only to bump into the wanderer. Now absent from his spot behind the pedestal, the old knight had somehow made his way behind Spike in the second that it took for him to turn around. "Afraid not, no running from this. Stand and face them, little one. Make them fear you!"
Spike turned around as his attackers, swallowing back a silent scream as the first of the three parasites defended upon him. Suddenly, without thinking about what he was doing, he jabbed forward with both arms, stabbing out with the awkwardly heavy metal claws mounted over his own. His arms suddenly locked as a massive force impacted upon his outstretched limbs. A metallic screech erupted, followed by a more natural sounding shriek of pain. As he allowed himself to open one of his eyes, the outline of one of the creatures came into view, its form impaled upon a foot and a half of steel projecting from his arms.
The blades that made up his weaponized claws had grown while his eyes had been closed, extending to be more than a foot in length, catching the beast a moment before Spike would have been in any actual danger from its own scorpion-like claws. "Excellent, looks like you've given the other two something to think about." The first creature's companions had ceased their charge and were instead cautiously circling the pair, attempting to find the most opportune position to strike from. "Why not take the fight to them before they have a chance to strike at you as one. Their already at a disadvantage in that you can stand in this light and still retain your strength; anything created from that book will be severely weakened by light. Its not just this particular light, either. Even the tiniest spark could strip them of their power for a brief moment or two."
Spike suddenly snapped out of it as the last of the light faded from existence, his little circle of protection disappearing as the opening overhead finally closed. Even the tiniest spark, huh? The other creatures he had been practicing against had been small, weak, and were easily defeated by the powerful strikes his steely claws were capable of delivering, but whatever was waiting in the darkness now, this latest monster he had summoned forth from the book, was clearly bigger and smarter than they had been. Something tells me I'm going to want more than just a spark to deal with this one...
In one split second he was plunged into perfect darkness, his eyes might as well have been closed for all the good they were doing him. The creature stalking him was moving closer, growling deeply as it prepared to descend upon its prey. The little dragon stood perfectly still, unmoving against the approaching, unseen monstrosity. A roar exploded from a few yards away; Spike answered it with a hiss as he drew in breath. Come on, just a little closer.... just a little closer....
An explosive roar buffeted Spike from only a few inches away, even in the perpetual darkness he could almost see a massive set of jaws flashing open before him. And then, with every last bit of breath he had in him, he opened s own jaws and let a torrent of emerald fire erupt from the back of his throat. The jet of flames illuminated the area, revealing outlines of bookshelves, chests, and treasured all standing in an empty region of churning shadow. The green fire caught the creature dead in the face, its papery skin bursting into flame as the heat spread, consuming its face in a viridian inferno. For a moment it still seemed determined to close its monstrous jaws around its tiny assailant, but in a the blink of an eye the dragon was already out of its path and making his way to its exposed underbelly. Razor-sharp claws dug into the large creature's exposed flesh, avoiding the patches of metallic plate that covered its most vital organs.
Spike ran along the parameter of its stomach, one claw constantly buried in the monster's side. He let loose another burst of flame, igniting the surface, super-heating its armor, and filling the freshly-made wounds with bright green light. "Ha! You still want to make a meal of me? Well come on, I'm right here!" The monstrosity twisted its neck around to follow him, but the strain upon its charred form caused a large section of its jaw to fall to the ground. Spike kept running, clawing at the beast and burning away more and more of its defenses. Chunks of flesh and metal were beginning to slough off its bones, revealing the traces of its skeletal frame underneath. Finally, with one last tormented roar, the behemoth fell forward and smoldered out of existence, slowly disintegrating until nothing but a pile of ash remained. The little dragon dug through it for a moment until his claws brushed against an untarnished hunk of metal. He pulled it free of the dust and began to walk back to pedestal where the summoning book sat. As he did, the steel chunk began to reform itself, wrapping around the exposed section of his right arm until it was completely encased in the same flexible metal that his helmet was made of. So that takes care of both arms, both legs, my tail, and the left side of my back and stomach... Just a few more and I should have a full suit. Huh, maybe if I get a few more after that I can make a sword or something out of it... Although, I guess these claws are good enough weapons; they just don't make me feel like much of a knight, is all.
Light returned to the book, a pale aura cast from the words and illustrations, each representing a different creature the author had come in contact with during his travels. "Well, that wasn't so bad once I remembered I could breath fire. I wonder how I could have forgotten something like that in the first place... Oh well! I guess I must have been more scared than I thought! And now I'm talking to myself, so... there's that to think about too." He walked back to the book to select a new opponent, being careful to only choose one which had a picture of said creature next to the words. "That's the last time I pick one without checking what it looks like first. Now lets see here... "
Light was slowly flooding back into the area as the sky opened up once more, as it did every hour or so in the dark little world he had found himself in. He scanned through the words in the book, recognizing none of them as being from any language he had ever seen before. The illustrations depicting the bizarre menagerie that the wanderer had come across in his travels were what was really attracting his attention. "Let's see.... How about... You!" He was just about to pass his hand over the caption below an image of a large spined bear-like creature, activating the spell and summoning the beast from the living soil below the pedestal, when the light shining down from overhead suddenly increased in intensity.
During his entire stay in the darkness the light in the sky had never grown brighter than the light cast off the moon on a clear night. Now, however, it was as if the sun was rising and growing larger ever second. Suddenly a voice echoed through the shadows, seeming to come from every direction at once. "Spike, time's up I'm afraid. Going to have to cut this little exercise short; it would seem your absence hasn't gone quite as unnoticed as we would have liked."
"T-Torrent? Whats going on? Where are you?"
"Up here, Spike. Best hurry, I'm not entirely sure how long their going to let this go on based on my word alone..." His voice was clear and calm, but there was a certain urgency in the words he was saying that immediately put Spike on edge. "Their not likely going to believe the rest of my story until they see you so..."
"But... But I uh... I can't get up there. The portal's in the sky from where I'm standing, remember?"
"Didn't bring down any of the creatures that had wings then, I take it? Alright, not a problem. Give me a moment..."
Wings! Thats what I should have gone for! I'd gladly have given up all this protection on my arms if it meant I could have gotten wings off one of those things... Oh well, next time then... Sure hope there's going to be a next time now...
It took a few minutes before anything happened; suddenly the light shrank and disappeared from the sky. A few minutes later a new doorway opened a few yards away, standing vertically at ground level so that the little dragon could walk through on his own. As he did so, he realized that the light on the other side was not the same as the light the portal overhead had been casting. He emerged into a world shrouded in the hazy shadows of a new morning, the sun just barely starting to rise behind the trees. Before him stood one of the strangest sights he had laid eyes on in a very long time.
Directly in front of him was the wanderer, his cloak divided into tentacle-like appendages a once more, this time holding open a the portal he just stepped through. The sorcerer himself, however, was on his knees surrounded by Princess Celestia's royal guards. Heavy chains bound his arms and legs, their links glowing with dazzling pale blue light. An iron collar sat around his neck, connecting the chains together. An azure sphere surrounded the area where he, the guards, and the portal Spike just stepped out of all stood. As the little dragon looked further inspected his surroundings, it became saw that the sphere was Shining Armor's work, the chains were being formed by a group of cloaked unicorns wearing the royal colors, and that the Princess herself was standing just outside their force field with Twilight and Rarity by her side.
"What... What's going on here?" He had meant to say something more profound, but it was all he could get out before a ghostly set of chains wrapped themselves around him, dragging him to the ground. "Hey!"
"Silence, creature! Wizard, you were told to produce evidence against the accusations, not summon one of your little pet monstrosities!" The guard was a massive stallion, his head completely masked by a blue hooded cloak that draped over a gold helmet. The earth pony's voice shook the very air as it reverberated from within the confines of the gilded facemask. "Explain yourself, demon!"
"I, but, I didn-"
"He means me, Spike, don't worry." Torrent finally stirred beneath the mass of chains, shifting just enough cause them to clink loudly against one another. "Now then, inquisitor, if you would be so kind as to remove my little monstrosity's helm, I think you'll find all the evidence you require... You didn't really think that was face did you?"
One of the pegasi guarding the wizard moved behind Spike and bit down on one of the jagged spines protruding from the center of his helmet. As the cover was lifted off him, Spike suddenly felt the other pieces of metallic armor he had collected detach themselves from his scales.
"SPIKE! YOUR ALIVE! Oh thank goodness! Shining Armor, please, let me through!" As Spike's eyes readjusted after having the gemstones in from too them for so long, he could just barely make out the shape of a pair of unicorns running through the barrier. He could hear Rarity in the lead, rushing to his side as two more figures slowly entered the sphere.
"Guards, unchain him. He's the one we were waiting for, you can see for yourself that this one isn't an illusion." Twilight's voice this time; somehow even more comforting than Rarity's had been in that moment. "Spike, where have you been? What happened to you?"
Slowly the chains began to drop away, their massive weight leaving him uneasy as he tried to stand once more. "I... I'll tell you in a minute. First thing's first though, what happened to all of you?!" He had never seen Twilight so battered or Rarity so impossibly happy to see him. Add to that the fact that Twilight's new teacher was being held down in chains by her old mentor and half her personal guard force, there was no way to deny that something was definitely wrong here. Just how long was i gone for? What did I miss?!
"What do you mean you don't know what happened after that?! You can't just start a story like that, get to the juiciest of the juicy parts, and then end with 'And I don't know what happened after that!'"
"Im sorry, but that was all I got to hear..."
"Pinkie, get down off the table..."
"But! But! But what happened next?!"
"We'll just have ta wait 'til Rarity an' Twilight get back. Ah'm sure one uh them can fill us in on the rest. Til then just drink yer cider and thank Celestia that you weren't out in those woods with us..."
"Rarity and Twilight AND Torrent, you mean."
"Uhh... yeah... Listen, sugarcube; Ah'm not gonna pretend ta understand everything that happened tonight, but something tells me Torrent isn't exactly someone we're gonna wanna hold our breath waiting for."
"Applejack's right... I mean, I think what I told Princess Celestia and the others got him off the hook for murdering me or whatever it was they though he did, but they were still yelling at him and asking him question long after I started nodding off. I mean, one minute he's shouting for them to bring him Luna and then I closed my eyes for all of a minute, maybe, and suddenly I woke up here..."
"Well shoot, sugar, I can fill in that blank for ya. One of the royal guards dropped ya off here a few hours ago. Said Twilight sent him here with ya after ya fell asleep on her back. He didn' go inta a whole lot uh detail, but by the sound of things you kinda passed out and tumbled off uh her during a particularly important part of the questioning... Anyway, we just figured we'd let ya sleep it all off fer a while..."
"So what about that neat armor your wearing? What's it feel like? Is it heavy? I bet its super heavy, isn't it? It almost makes you look like a knight, ya know. Ooooo! Did it come with a sword and a shield? Then you would totally look all knightish!"
"Huh? Oh right, this... I'll be honest, I completely forgot I was still wearing it. I only threw it back on so that the guards wouldn't try to take it away from me or anything back there. Oh and, no, its not heavy at all. Its a little weird really, its essentially just an extra layer of scales when its on me; I don't even notice it. And no, unfortunately, there was no sword or shield... Maybe if I'd had a little more time I could have made one, but really these claw things work just as well... Feel a little more natural too, really."
Pinkie Pie finally climbed down off the table as Applejack set down another tray of refreshments. Cider and apple-fritters, fresh from the oven; leftover stock from the previous night's festivities. Hard ta believe that it was just a few hours ago that we were all eaten this stuff an' celebratin' like it were nothing... Well, it was fun while it lasted...
"Its just not fair... You and Rainbow Dash got swords. Twilight and Fluttershy got jewelry that make them go all crazy-powerful. Spike got his snazzy new armor. Even Rarity got that spooky eyeball thing that Spike was just telling us about, and she doesn't even like him! Torrent called me his 'best friend' and yet whose the only one he didn't give a glowing, possessed, talking present to? Me!"
"Easy girl, don't go wishing fer things yer gonna regret. Those 'presents' are bad news; trust me... Dang things didn' do us a lick uh good out there when push came ta shove..."
"Speak for yourself, this armor is amazing! I wouldn't give it up for anything in the entire wor-... Uhhh... I mean.... I'm sure he has something special for you, Pinkie. Think about it: we only got our gifts because we all just happened to run into him today. Your the only one he didn't get to spend any time with one-on-one so he never had a chance to give it to you... probably..."
The sky was beginning to brighten outside the window as the sun began its arduous ascent. No wind was blowing, no clouds covered the sky. The calm autumn morning seemed to be going out of its way to appear nondescript. Just another day, like any other. No... Not just like any other. This is different. This is Nightmare Night.
The horror of the previous night would be quickly forgotten as that most frightful of holidays rolled in. All around the town one last, mighty effort would be getting underway to prepare Ponyville for the coming festivities. Lights, games, treats, all would be in ample supply, though there would undoubtedly be those too cautious to enjoy them after what they had witnessed the night before.
Try as they might, Celestia's guards had failed to completely lock down the situation before word of the attack reached the ears of Ponyville's busybodies. Even now rumors were almost certainly being spread about monsters lurking in the woods, hungry for the pony flesh and not afraid to take it. The turn out this night would likely be a good deal small than it had been during the nights leading up to it. Probably for the best; the town was never meant ta host so many anyway.
Spike and Pinkie continued to discuss their new "best friend," much to Applejack's displeasure. The monster had invaded their lives, endangered their town, and was even now probably getting away with it through guile and envenomed words. No matter how she looked at it, there was something blatantly evil about the sorcerer; something that simply could not be trusted. It was not until the voice that had been present in her sword appeared that she realized her mind was no longer a safe place for such thoughts, however. You need worry about such things, Applejack. There is no evil in him that is a threat to you or your friends, I can assure you.
"You!"
"Me?"
"Huh? Wh- Oh, no, not you Pinkie Pie. Sorry, Ah... uhh... Ah guess Ah didn't realize Ah said that out loud."
"Oh, no worries! That happens to me all the time!" She went back to her discussion of presents with Spike.
You! What are you doin' in mah head? Ah ain't even near that sword uh yer's!
Well, my apologies if I am intruding, but the two of us share a bond now. Your mind is as open to me as mine is to you.
A sudden flash of images blinded Applejack to the world around her, memories from a hundred different lifetimes flooded her mind until it felt ready to burst.
Gah! Keep yer memories outta mah head!
Again, I'm sorry. But you need to be more open to such things if I'm to be able to assist you in combat. Otherwise I'll be nothing more than a clumsy chunk of steel between your teeth.
His voice was calm, cool, but too calculating for her liking. 'Course he wants me ta trust Torrent, he sounds just like him.
I heard that... But no, you're right. I suppose I cannot expect you to truly trust me if you cannot trust him. You see, Torrent was my student for a brief time, before my world fell to the darkness. When our order found him, he was a broken thing, his mind empty of all but insanity and rage after his time in the Abyss. He was devoid of any emotion, feelings, or personality of any kind; an empty vessel waiting to be filled. His mannerism and personality, he took from me, picking them up as we trained.
That's nice and all, but nothin' you say is gonna make me trust either of you more.
Of course not... So lets focus on that shall we? Why do you distrust him.... us, so much? What have we done to you and your's to earn such misgivings?
What have you done? Look around! Rainbow Dash nearly died last night! And another pony DID!
Because we were caught off guard, all of us. Torrent tried to make right of it by hunting down the killer and your friend got sloppy, while accompanying him. He saved her. And as for this other pony... Did it even have a name?
Fury filled her to the core. "You heartless little monster, a'course she had a name!"
And what was it again?
"It... It!..." Her mind raced, but for the life of her she could not come up with a single memory of the mare who had been so brutally slain the night before. Was... Was she even from Ponyville? Ah don't know if Ah ever seen her before that in mah life...
Yet her death has brought this great mistrust upon you. All because no one had the foresight to go out and safeguard a single individual whom none of you even knew existed beforehand.
There's more than just that!
There always is... Tell me Applejack, and tell me truthfully. When was it that you began to suspect Torrent of being your enemy? Was it before you first saw him or after? Because if it was mere xenophobia that has driven you to fear him, then perhaps the two of you had best talk things over yourselves. I think you'll find you have a lot in common...
And just what is that supposed ta mean?
When you hear my voice, what do you picture? Do you see a man like Torrent? Or perhaps a pony like your own kind? Or maybe I am just some disembodied voice? A shapeless shadow floating through the air? There's no need to answer that, I can already see it in here. The truth is, when I still had a body, it was not unlike that little friend of your's at the table there, the dragon. Albeit, I had no scales, no skin, no covering of any kind really. My muscles and bones were on the outside, giving me what I can only imagine was a simply terrifying appearance to the eyes of one not used to such things...
As such, after rescuing him from the jaws of a far more terrible creature, Torrent recoiled away when I removed my helmet to show him my face. He stabbed out with his own weapon, a flimsy little staff that never would have held back a true enemy, trying to force me away. It took months before I could get him to trust me enough to even look at when speaking. He went so far as to try and kill me once, claiming me to be an unholy monster of the shadows... And now here you are, doing the same to him, though you at least have to good sense to know when you're outmatched. He had to learn that lesson the hard way.
Applejack hesitated, not certain she should believe any of what the voice was saying. ...Why are y'all telling me this? There's something else to this, isn't there? You don't care if I trust him or not; you want me to trust you... But why?
A sigh filled her mind as more images from some far off world flooded in. As I said, there is no evil that you need to beware of in my student... In fact its quite the opposite. Its the good in him that I fear is about to put you and your friends in mortal danger; very, very soon. I need you to be the one to stop that from coming to pass. Take me back to my vessel and I can explain everything... I fear I'm losing my focus the longer I'm within your mind like this.
"Uh, sorry y'all, Ah gotta go check on somethin' out back. Shouldn't take too long. Come get me if Dash wakes up." She walked out of the house and over to the barn. Shutting the large wooden door behind h, she made her way to one of the smaller piles of hay stacked in the corner. As she drew near she felt a great weight lift from her mind. The hay began to glow a ghostly blue as her sword tumbled out from within it. "There... Now talk. What sorta danger are me and my friends in and how the hay do ya expect me ta stop it?"
First fill me in on something. Just what do you know about my student?
"Ah know that he's the reason Twi's been actin' so strange lately..."
What I mean is, what do you actually know about who and what he is? Tell me everything you can think of.
She thought on that for a moment. Over the past week the subject had hung heavily o n her mind, but she had tried not to avoid actually thinking about it before now, too disturbed by the conclusions she might come to.
"Alright, well... he's some kinda wizard or sorcerer or somethin'. Ah've seen him cast spells, change his shape, and create things outta thin air. Ah think he's some sorta knight, from what he said and how Princess Celestia and Princess Luna addressed him. Oh, I forgot you weren't there yet, but they called him 'Sir Torrent' when they talked the other night. Twilight met him in that darkness beyond her mirror, I don't pretend to know much of anything part though, I only heard it secondhand from Twilight afterwards and she even said it was burry in here mind."
Anything else?
"Well... we saw him tear open a hole to another dimension when he pulled you and the other... 'gifts' out for us. And Ah know he's said he's been ta hundreds of other worlds besides ours. He's told us stories about ones he remembers, but Dash could tell ya more about those than Ah can. She couldn't get enough of his stories..." The thought of Rainbow Dash filled her with a sudden rage as she remembered dragging the poor broken pegasus all the way back to town the night before. "Alright that's enough! What does it matter what Ah know about him, just tell me what he's plannin' and how Ah can stop him!"
...Fine. I suppose you understand the important bits, though your missing some major points in there. He was my student for a good ten years before I was finally able to call him my brother. There were ten of us, including Torrent, who set out to defend our order's world the day that it fell to darkness. On that day, the entire world broke through the cracks in reality, cracks not unlike the one your friend Twilight has been tampering with, and crashed headlong into the Abyss. We entered the darkness that day in the hopes of rescuing as many innocent lives as we could... Instead, we all ended up losing our own.
Torrent was the only one of our little company to survive, kept alive by some dark spirit that had made itself at home within him, resorting to any treacherous tactic to ensure that its vessel survived. I don't know where it came from or how long he had carried it with him, but its instincts was strong enough to save him from half a hundred different dangers that would have claimed his life that day.
...If I'm to be perfectly honest about it, there is really very little about Torrent that makes him special. He is not particularly talented with magic nor combat. Were it to for the unholy endurance that his extended time in the Void had left him with, I seriously doubt he would have made it as one of our Order. Its the hundreds of others souls who exist within him that give him his strength, each acting as private repository of knowledge and power for him to tap into. And they only exist in him because the good in him prevents him from allowing true death to come to those around him. He will do anything to protect those he cares about... No matter how horrible the price for himself or the world around him.
"...Ah don't understand. What's this gotta do with us?"
...He... He made a promise to us, the nine members of the company who perished in the fall of our world, when he bound us to the armaments he has given you all as gifts. If he ever found a way, he intended to bring us back into the existence; give us our bodies back which were lost to the Void that day. I fear he has found a way, but in his blind desire to save us, he has not considered all of the possible outcomes of his actions.
"Give y'all yer bodies back? Like, making you new ones then... out of..."
Bones and skin and blood. Corporeal flesh, the same as yours... He has found something in that twice-damned tome that your friend used to open the portal to begin with. Something which promised that it could restore flesh to those who had lost theirs. All it requires is for their soul to be in extended contact with a willing living being... I'm afraid that he intends to use you and your friends to bring us back to life.
He should know better than to trust such a spell, but I fear his senses have been dulled to the meaning behind what the spell promises. If he goes through with it, it is likely that your own bodies will be forfeited in the process. I can not believe that he would risk such a thing, he would not knowingly put any of you in harms way like that... But his ignorance will likely kill you nonetheless, regardless of his actual intentions.
You cannot allow that to come to pass.
Scimitar, longsword, manacle, necklace, eye, claw, claw, helmet. That accounted for eight souls. But Pinkie Pie had yet to receive her gift. "How long before he tries ta bring y'all back ta life?"
I would think he'd be eager to be done with it, so likely as soon as the final soul is distributed. Orance, the youngest of our group, will be the last one. I do not know what item he was bound to, but you seem confident that this Pinkie Pie will be the one to receive his spirit. I trust your judgement on that, and I can't deny that they certainly seem to share some similarities, personality-wise if nothing else... Yes, I think that as soon as she receives Orance's vessel, Torrent will attempt to rebuild our bodies.
"So... So why don't we just confront him about it? If he's as dedicated to y'all as you say he is he'll have to listen to ya!"
I'm afraid my voice is silent to him now, only you can hear me...
"...How do Ah know you ain't just making all this up? That seems pretty convenient that you couldn't just tell him not to use this spell o' his. That you need me to go and sound all crazy trying to stop him because some voice only Ah can hear told me so!"
...Very well. Then just forget we had this little talk. I'll be certain to leave you your privacy from now on. Just remember, you had the chance to stop all of this... Oh, and your little friend is awake, the pegasus. She's been standing behind you in the doorway for the last five minutes or so.
The voice fell silent as Applejack turned to find Rainbow Dash staring at her from the barn door. "Dash! Ah didn't, Ah mean... Your awake! How do ya feel, girl?"
"Uhhh... Well, a little confused considering I just woke up in your house and then found you down here having a heated argument with a piece of metal."
"Oh, you uh... you heard that, huh? Well it uh, it wasn't what it looked like... I'm not crazy..." A growing sense of doubt was spreading through her as she said the words.
"Yeeeah... About that... You said there was some kind of voice only you could hear. That sounds kinda crazy to me." She stepped into the barn, her wings had been bandaged up along with both of her hind legs and a large portion of her sides. "The only reason I even bother bringing it up is because I think I might be going a little crazy too... My sword's been talking to me for the last hour."
"And it told you Torrent's going to try to use us ta bring back all his old companions, right?"
"Huh? No! No, it told me I'd been unconscious for like, six hours! What happened?! The last thing I remember was Princess Luna telling me not to fly over the forest. The next thing I knew, I was covered in bandages and wrapped laying in your bed with that sword hovering next to me telling me I was lucky to be alive!"
And so the task of storytelling passed to Applejack as she recounted the events of the last few hours to her battered friend. They left the barn, Applejack carrying her sword in a sheath she had attached to an old saddle. It was not until they reentered the kitchen that she noticed they had another visitor waiting for them.
"Twilight? What's going on? Where's Rarity? Or the Princess? Or-"
"The library, all of them. And we need to get over there as soon as possible too. Something's happened to the mirror and Princess Celestia wants us all present when they try to fix it. Us, and the Elements..."
"...Well alright then... But there's a few things we gotta talk about on the way..."
Amongst Shadows: Part 1 (Luna)
The cracks were growing at an alarming rate. Several ran along the wall behind the mirror but far more were spading out into the air around it instead, black lines periodically pulsing with with iridescent green energies.
"I don't understand. How could this have happened?"
"It shouldn't have been able to. It just doesn't make sense; we were gone for five... maybe six hours at the most. This sort of deterioration should take weeks to develop. It doesn't just happen on its own..." The knight bashed his fist against the wall in anger, the vibrations shaking the looking-glass slightly.
The princess took a step closer to the mirror, peering deeply into the cracks spreading across the wall upon which it hung. "These cracks... They're weak points I reality on our side, correct? Weakness in the structure of our world itself?" The wanderer nodded. "So why, then, are they growing like this? I thought you said you had set up defenses against the spread of such things."
"Something on the other side must be doing it. I assumed they would attempt to force their way through with shear power; but this... It looks like something is specifically targeting the faults that already exist. Focusing every last bit of strength not on breaking through the mirror, but on widening the minute gaps that already exist; these cracks that you see here... My wards are keeping them from charging head-long through the portal, but if they manage to widen one of these faults, there's very little I can do to stop them. Only the power of this world can repair it..."
He walked to the mirror, gazing into the swirling pool of darkness which obscured his reflection. "The last time I went through there was an army waiting for me. It was a rabble of large, oafish creatures, far to stupid to accomplish something like this. Something that would require this type of precision and organization. Had it not been for their numbers I'd have rid driven them away then and there... Now though..."
The princess picked up on his sudden loss of confidence. "If you cannot stop them from entering our world then it falls to us to do so. Luna and I stand as Equestria's strongest line of defense against such horrors. Open the portal and we will show them that this is not a world to be trifled with."
"Would that it were that simple, your highness, but I simply cannot allow that. The two of you together would certainly be able to turn them back, I do not doubt that. But the are.... ramifications to entering the Abyss. Ones that would put your precious world in far greater danger than this encroaching shadow ever could."
She flinched at that, an unbidden wave of memories suddenly assaulting her mind. Darkness. Darkness as we have never known before. Oh please, sister, do not press this course any further. That wish was in vain though, as she had suspected it would be.
"I will accept whatever consequences may come my way. If there is even a chance that I can protect my citizens from what you claim is approaching, no sacrifice is too gre-"
"Sister, please! Thou does not understand!" The images were so vivid, the memories returning to the forefront of her mind as though they had just happened earlier that night. "If thou should enter that darkness unprepared, it will take hold of thee and never let go! True, we might turn this threat away from our world, but thou would be lost in the process!"
"So be it. If that is what is required to keep our people safe. My life is nothing compared to the billions of innocent souls who would suffer should the dark premonition come to pass. I would gladly gi-"
The wanderer stomped the floor beneath him with a steel-rimmed boot, silencing the guardian of the sun before she could continue. "You are not listening!" Light suddenly faded from the room as his shadow spread across the walls. "What Luna was trying to tell you was that you would be 'lost' to the Void. You wouldn't be dying to give your people a better future, you wouldn't be sacrificing your life in order to protect theirs'.
"You would survive, have all of your powers tainted by the Abyss. And then, once that horrible plane was done having its way with your mind, your body would return to Equestria as an emissary of darkness, the raw energies of the Void itself coursing through your veins and controlling you're very action. All the while your soul sits trapped somewhere in the back of your consciousness, completely aware of what is going on as you utterly destroy the world you swore to protect..."
The wizard's shadow retreated back to its usual place upon the floor behind him, allowing blessed light to fill the room once more, though the mirror continued to drink up any that strayed too close to its swirling depths. "...And once that happens, once your empty shell returns to tear Equestria apart, who will it fall to to stop you? We can defeat these creatures, given enough time to prepare, but trying to fight off a foe strong enough to control the very sun and moon themselves? No, if you enter the Void, all you will accomplish is damning your world to a fate worse than death."
Celestia clenched her teeth, the rebuttal she may have had in mind suddenly useless. Luna moved to her side, hoping to comfort her elder sister. "We will find a way through this, sister. There is still time. The evacuation is already underway and our subjects are proving to be most understanding about the gravity of the situation."
"Its not enough." She had never seen Celestia like this. Her sister had always been the very image of confidence, always in control of the whatever was going on around her. She feels helpless. For the first time in her life, she is facing a crisis which she cannot influence directly.
"On that much we are in agreement. That's why I'm going back in; I intend to find out just what's causing this and do everything in my power to stop it."
"Oh? Did you not just say that the last time you went in there the sheer number of foes sent you scrambling back through the portal? If anything their forces will have only grown in size by now. What makes you think this will end any differently?"
"The fact that this time, I won't be going in alone." He allowed her to chew the statement over as he went back to gazing into the mirror. "You may not be able to cross over, but there are others here who can. Others who have been through the Void before, who are prepared to face it again..."
"...So that's your plan then... That's why you were so insistent that the Elements of Harmony be present. Because you knew if you had asked me to send for Twilight alone I would have seen right through your little game. I would never have asked for her presence had i known this was what you wanted!"
Luna could sit idle no longer. She moved to his side, the elegant princess of the night. Her ethereal mane and tail billowed out behind her as she neared the mirror, as if caught in some heavy wind. "Sister, this was our doing, not Torrent's. He had intended to plunge back into the darkness alone this day, but we begged him to reconsider. We knew thou would never allow Twilight Sparkle to put herself in harms way... so we had to trick you. We are sorry for our deception... But we will not allow thee to put thine own feelings for thine student before the needs of all of Equestria!"
"Twilight is more than capable of handling herself in a dangerous situation; your own tests of her will should have proven that much. Its time to see what all of that courage and wisdom you've imparted on her is really worth."
Celestia remained within the confines of the small chalk circle where she had been standing for the past hour, bound in place by the Void itself. She said nothing, taking in every aspect of the situation that was slowly unfolding around her. It had been by her own command that they had descended to the basement of Twilight's library in order to properly inspect the mirror. The wizard had demanded that the Elements be brought here to help seal the growing cracks, to which she had obliged unquestioningly, sending her guards to gather the Twilight and her friends. Only then had he dared activate the ritual circle upon which she had stood.
The Void acted as the spell's anchor, making it impossible for the princess to leave the designated area. She had struggled for at first, certain that her sister was trapped in it as well. But when Luna left the circle undeterred, the truth of the matter began to dawn upon her. "The two of you planned this all along... But why, Luna? What have I done that would make you resort to such a thing?"
"You misunderstand, sister. This is for thine own good, for thine protection! It is not what thee has done, but what the would have done were thee free to stop Twilight Sparkle. Or worse, attempt to sacrifice thine self, as thou already said was thine plan."
"You will be invisible to their eyes when they arrive, their ears deaf to your words. Should one of them step upon the circle, they will pass through you as if you are not there. And so long as the Void exists, no magic in this or any other world can break the spell. It will disappear when the three of us return back through the mirror. Should the worst happen, the circle is set to fade in a matter of hours, freeing you from its grip... I pray you will not follow us should that come to pass..."
"...You had best pray that you do not return at all, wizard. If anything happens to Twilight in there, I swear I will find whatever is left of you in whatever plane of existence you attempt to escape to and make it wish it could die..."
"Sister! Why can you not understand this is the only way!"
Celestia failed to acknowledge her.
"Sister?..."
Silence. The princess continued to stare into the cracks on the wall. Cursing them with her eyes.
"...Very well sister... Come what may, we promise no harm will come to Twilight Sparkle."
"No harm CAN come to her..." The wanderer was preparing a second ritual, studying an ancient tome suspended before him, cradled by one of the arm-like strands of his cloak. "That manacle she wears will prevent any physical harm from coming to her, so long as I still have a body which can be harmed in her stead."
That tore her attention away from the wall. She was about to say something, perhaps wishing for more details on the subject that had just presented itself through his words. But at that moment, the door above them crashed open as six technicolored mares scrambled down the stairs and into the room which housed the mirror.
Just as he had said, they neither saw nor heard her. The site of her sister in such a helpless, powerless position sent a sudden pang of sorrow through the lunar princess' heart, but she had to ignore. Much and more was depending on her keeping up the act. "At last, we were beginning to worry that our message did not reach thee."
The yellow one bowed as she came to a stop before the princess, the white one as well, but the rest were too preoccupied by the look of the room itself to truly acknowledge her presence at first. A horizontal whirlpool of shadow was slowly spinning its way toward the mirror, sending bizarre patterns of light flowing over the walls and floor. She quickly realized that, aside from Twilight, none of them had actually seen the room like this yet.
Twilight Sparkle herself was the last one down the stairs, accompanied by the orange one. The Element of Magic sat atop her head, glowing dimly as she descended into the strangely lit room. She looked around expectantly, but when her mentor proved to be nowhere in sight she was finally forced to question the situation. "Where's Princess Celestia? We were told she'd be here."
"Apologies, Twilight Sparkle, but our sister had to depart soon after sending for you. Something most urgent has come up just outside of Ponyville which demanded her immediate attention."
The sorcerer was soon by her side once more, the second ritual circle he had been preparing finally finished on the floor beneath the looking glass. "While her power would have been a great asset to us here, I trust whatever it was which arose outside of town is of the utmost importance. With any luck we will not need her for what needs to be done here anyway."
He motioned for Twilight to come closer, a request to which she obliged hesitantly, but loyally. "As you all may know, something is gathering on the other side of this portal, something which wishes to bring about the end of all existence in Equestria. I intend to go in and try to stop it before it gets the chance to break through and combat us in this world... However I cannot hope to achieve victory here alone. As such, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have both graciously offered their assistance in the matter, and promised me that the six of you may offer yours as well."
"Just let me at em! After what those things did to me in the woods I've been itching for some payback! You just say the word and I'm there!"
"If Dashie's going, count me in too! I still can't believe I missed the last little adventure you all ended up going on together!"
The wizard smiled, but beneath the surface Luna could tell there was a sudden sense of dread growing within him. He does not wish for something to happen to them. Its Twilight he cares about, truly, but should anything happen to the others it might ruin her by extension. Were they to attempt to traverse the Void it could spell disaster for us all.
"Your enthusiasm is much appreciated, both of you... But I'm afraid this is and adventure that you simply cannot accompany us on. You see, only those who have been touched by the Void before will be able to make this journey and return safely. As such, we will be going, while the five of you remain here to guard this portal with your lives. Nothing gets in or out of this room until we or Princess Celestia return, understand? Should something go wrong for us in there, she will know what to do."
The six looked at each other, clearly not prepared for this turn of events. "Wait... So, you and Twilight are just going to walk right in there? After everything you said about how dangerous it is right now?"
"Yeah! Ya tried this before and those things drove ya back to our side. What makes ya'll think dragging Twilight along with ya will be enough to change that? If she goes, we all go."
"Out of the question. I'll not risk all your lives so foolishly. None of you have experienced the effects that the Abyss has on your body and mind. And preparing you for such would involve having each of you open your own portal into the Void, just as Twilight did... another course of action which neither I nor the very fabric of this world are prepared to undertake. No, I fear only those who have already traversed the Void will be going."
He turned to face the mirror, the intricate ritual circle on the floor beneath it suddenly blazing with deep red light. "I am sorry there was not more time to prepare you all for this, more time to warn you." The mirror burst to life behind him, its swirling unlight stretching out to fill the entirety of the chalk circle. "Remember, no one but Princess Celestia enters or leaves until we come back. Oh, and Pinkie, remind me that I have something for you when I return. I'm not sure how much of tonight I'll actual remember once I pass back through."
He stepped toward the growing darkness, while Twilight remained with her friends for another moment, reassuring them that she would be back soon. Luna could see her sister, still invisible to the other ponies, glaring intently at the wizard as he approached the mirror. She would like nothing more than to know that he is never coming back...
The thought bright more sorrow to her heart, until from somewhere deep in the recesses of her mind reminded her: We could always ensure that he doesn't. Perhaps then our sister would finally see our worth? It wouldn't take much, he's not as strong as he was last time and his mind is going. Thou knows it, thou sees it. Twould be mercy, truly... And perhaps if we rid this world of him, sister might accept once again. Sister might love us once again...
"ENOUGH!" Her voice shook the room, drawing all attention to her. Even her sister forgot her rage for a moment and turned her head worriedly to the Princess of the
"She's right, now's no time for goodbyes. You'll all see each other again soon, I promise. Now lets go, both of you, time grows short."
"Whats all this 'Both uh ya' talk? Ah though he said only y'all were goin', Twi."
"Well... technically he said only those who have already experienced the Void were going... Princess?"
She was not certain how to respond. The story had always been something that she had meant to burry with the rest of her past. Beyond her sister no one was ever meant to know the truth of the matter. Yet here were all the clues, laid out for anyone smart enough to piece together. Finally, she felt she had to say something.
"Time grows short, Twilight Sparkle, and such things are best discussed when all involved are present. Ask us again when our sister has returned. Perhaps she will know how best to explain... Until then, best thou does not dwell on the matter. We are accompanying thee on this journey, that is all thou needs to know."
"If your both done..." His words were strained as his energy began to drain, his strength waning as he pried apart the barrier wards protecting the portal. "...I'll only be able to hold it open for a moment, we all need to cross together."
Twilight looked back at her friends, her expression frozen in a mask certainty. "Its alright, girls. Nothing's going to happen. I'll be fine. You'll see. I'll be back soon and we'll put this whole thing to rest then."
Luna heard the words, but more importantly she recognized the meaning. She is not speaking to them at all. She is trying to assure herself of these things; to convince herself that everything will turn out fine. The entire situation seemed so familiar, so close to what she had experienced. The only difference now was that the role's were reversed, and now it was her turn to be the one to see through that self-deception. She WILL be fine... As for the rest of them, though...
A massive CRACK split the air, shaking the entire room as the portal was torn open. The darkness flooded in, crashing against the perimeter of the ritual circle like a tidal wave. "We have to go, NOW!"
Without another word the two of them followed the wanderer into the shadowy torrent, swallowed up by its vast emptiness the moment they crossed the chalk lines on the ground.
Goodbye, sister. Perhaps when we return, thou will think better of us...
Amongst Shadows: Part 3 (Luna)
He lied...
A metallic CLANG echoed forth as she slammed her hoof into the creature's chest, its armored plates absorbing the blow.
He said she'd be safe...
The monster hissed as the next blow took her square in the jaw of her mask. Her body spasmed as the concussive force of the kick traveled through her.
He said he'd protect her...
The serpent slipped past her next kick, whipping her tail around to deliver a traumatic blow of her own to the princess' skull. It missed its mark as the alicorn reared, dividing the air harmlessly in front of her.
Why did he not protect here?!
A beam of pale blue light erupted from the tip of the princess' horn, striking the general hard in the chest. The force of the blast drove her down through the darkness, forcing her out of sight and away from the battlefield.
Luna seized the opportunity, turning back toward the place where Twilight had been attacked. The image still hung heavy in her mind. The beast had come out of no where, approaching in silence despite its massive size. Torrent had realized far too late, and she herself had been too busy battling the Barren to have aided in any way.
We could have tried! We could have used some spell, some power. But no! Instead we merely stood by uselessly. We are as much to blame for this as he is.
The knight had made one lasted dash to save his student as the creature's iron fist came hurtling downward. But the moment it connected with Twilight's insignificant body the two of them were both forced below the abyssal floor. The force of the blow would have shattered the little unicorn's spine a hundred times over; whatever protection her manacle had given her, it would not have been enough to stave off the pain from an attack of that magnitude.
Torrent had taken to the air to rush the creature faster than he could have with his ineffective bipedal body. Yet as soon as the monstrosity struck Twilight, the wanderer's own body reacted to the blow. His wings crumpled mid-flight, casting him into a downward summersault. His arms spasmed, his hands involuntarily being thrust open, allowing his sword to fall into the void. The ghostly blades which had surrounded him it hose final moments had continued along their intended trajectory, impacting upon the creature's mass with a volley of satisfying THUDs. Each one dug deep into the beast's flesh before imploding, leaving vast, gaping holes throughout its body.
The creature had fallen victim to massive blood-loss by that point, plummeting through the darkness as consciousness left it. Still, it had accomplished its task, and now only one remained of their little party.
Luna looked around at the remaining forces, a sparse assortment of spearmen and club-wielders. She could take them out easily if she really concentrated, but her mind was still so cluttered with thoughts of the task at hand. Torrent couldn't have died, she knew that much, and the abyss would not allow Twilight's life to slip away either, but that knowledge did little to comfort her. She was far to aware of how terrible a fate could await the young unicorn if her will were to break while she remained in this dark plane.
Besides the fate of her companions the tactics that her true opponent was employing were also keeping her thoroughly preoccupied. Blasting the warrior into the darkness may have bought her some time, but it had also given the creature the perfect opportunity to catch her by surprise. Concealed by the abyss, the general could be anywhere; sneaking up on the sole defender as she worried about her friends.
She waited, scanning the depths of the darkness if or what seemed like hours. Torrent and Twilight still hadn't resurfaced, the general remained hidden, and the few remaining soldiers were advancing on the princess with renewed vigor. She had no choice but to abandon her vigil, turning her attention to the general's underlings. The closest was only a few meters away when she chose to make her move.
The darkness rippled around her as she dove forward, driving her horn through the first warrior she came to and dragging him along as she made her way to the second. Her wings beat hard against the tenebrous air, her hoofbeats filling the emptiness of the Void with the echoes of a thousand galloping steads. The abyss made no attempt to hide her approach as it had with the giant. It knew full well that these creatures were no match for the Princess of the Night. Hidden or not, it made no difference. She was about to send it more than enough bodies to help quell its insatiable appetite for dominance. At least for a little while.
The creature on her horn shrieked as it was driven forward against its will, the bone spike tearing a wider and wider hole in its chest each time the princess moved her head. Blood rushed from the wound, a mess of green and blue liquid that blinded the mare and plastered her face like some grizzly war paint. The sight was enough to turn several of the warrior's fellow soldiers, sending them running off in different directions in a vein attempt to escape the oncoming force of destruction. The first was struck down by the princess' hooves as she overtook him and pounded him into the nonexistent ground as she passed.
The next joined its compatriot upon the Nightmare's horn, skewered as it attempted to flee into the darkness. The third was cut down by a blast black energy that sliced through the shadows to find its target; singeing the two impaled warriors as it fired forth from the princess' horn. A dozen more fell before she finally came to a halt, shaking them off and leaving their bodies to fall helplessly through the abyss. The blood still smeared her helmet, horn, and face, leaving a disturbingly brutal visage where Luna's once-beautiful countenance had been.
Her form continued to shift between that of Nightmare Moon and her younger self, the illusion only adding to the frightening scene her carnage was creating. She turned to find several more soldiers charging toward her, the violence sending them raging into a furious state of blind bloodlust. The ran forward with spear and axe and club waving before them. They came to a jarring halt only a few feet from striking distance. One spear was only a few inches from her face when Luna caught them, holding them tight as she slipped past the outstretched weapons. Her ethereal tail had worked its way beneath the surface of the abyssal floor and bound the warriors as they approached, wrapping them in its ghostly folds as they came into range.
She passed the first one without so much as a glance, then the second, the third, the fourth. When at last came to final warrior at the back of the group, a swordsman with orange skin and a missing ear, she looked down on him with the serpentine eyes of Nightmare Moon. Two voices spoke at once, emanating from the being that had been Luna. "Thou hast threatened our world in the name of thine own gain. Dost thou regret thine decision?"
The creature tried to speak, a grunting, gurgling noise which seemed to come more from its chest than its mouth. He had no idea what the nightmarish horse-demon with his comrade's blood painted across its head, neck, and shoulders had said. He squirmed and wriggled, doing everything he could in a desperate attempt to break free of his captor's grip. The pale blue and black mist of her tail was working its way further and further up his body, threatening to cut off circulation to his limbs entirely. "AIHSU! Aihsu mesq a rulit! Aihsu mesq a rulit!?!?"
Her eyes narrowed. "We haven't the time nor the patience to wait for thou to learn a civilized language. But perhaps thou can answer us eloquently once thou art no longer bound by this savage body."
Her jaws parted, revealing a lining of razor sharp teeth and a pair of fangs which had no business being in the mouth of the peaceful, innocent, plant-eating creatures that the scouts had informed them inhabited this world. The ghostly mist which bound him tightened its grip, bending him backwards as the demon leaned over him, her eyes glowing bright as they glared into his soul. He attempted to brace himself for the pain that the monster's bite would surely inflict, but after a moment of terrified preparation the pain still had not come. She merely stood there with her mouth wide open and her teeth bared. Confusion took hold of the soldier until suddenly he felt it.
It was no bite, her jaws never closed during the process. Instead he felt a part of his mind slip as the monster began to drain the very soul from his body. More horrified than ever, the warrior lost himself to his terror and, in one last effort to break free, began flailing against the demon's tail. With the last of his strength he managed to slip free of her grip, or perhaps she released him, he could not tell. Either way, it was too late. His spirit had slid too far from his body. For a moment he was able to fight, his arms coming up until they almost reached the monster's head. He scratched at the side of her helmet, desperately attempting to find some purchase on the smooth, dark metal.
It was no use. His fingers slid harmlessly down the side of her helm as his arms fell to his side. His body spasmed as his soul was finally pried loose, arms twitching and neck snapping as it twisted rapidly from side to side. Her tail had worked its way about him once more, keeping him suspended as the process came to a close. His last thoughts as he left his body fell to the life he had left behind when the Barren had come to call upon the allegiance of his clan. He thought of his children, of his wives, of the home he would never see again. The thoughts went with him as his empty body fell away, tumbling into the darkness of the Void.
The princess brushed the memories aside, pushing the creature's soul toward an empty place in the back of her own mind. The rest of his little battalion soon joined him. She looked around at the now-empty battlefield; the new souls quickly restoring her strength as she drew upon their energy to make it her own. If that does not draw her out, nothing will.
Unless, of course she simply fled after we blasted her into the shadows. Perhaps she is no longer even in this section of the abyss any longer.
...We will see... Either way, we will not leave until Twilight and Torrent resurface.
If they resurface, thou means...
....We know what we said... "When they resurface, we will be here waiting for them..."
"We'll isn't that sweet of you..." The voice was little more than a whisper. The blow that followed was nothing short of a hurricane as the concussion rang through her skull. She lost her footing and began to fall through the shadow ground, but a mailed fist grabbed her by the foreleg as she fell, hoisting her back to the surface. There she found herself face to metallic face with the Barren once more.
When they had fought the first time Luna had had the upper hand for nearly the entirety of their duel. She had gotten the first hit in and had not relented until the very end when the threat to Twilight's well-being broke her concentration. Now that their roles were reversed, the Princess of the Night suddenly became fully aware of just how powerful this creature truly was. She had lost her blades when when Luna blasted her into the abyss, but her fists proved to be perfectly devastating on their own. The heavy steel covering her hands combined with the rapid succession of blows she was delivering was more than enough to force Luna into submission.
Unable to block the furious onslaught of metallic blows, the alicorn had no choice but to weather as many as she could. She pulled the shadows in around her, attempting to use them to shield herself, but the Barren continued to batter her relentlessly. The strain pulled her focus away from her illusion. As the barrier of darkness formed around her the mirage of Nightmare Moon faded. Luna was left in her own body, reducing her height and and body size, changing the color of her mane, and shrinking her horn back to its normal length.
"Well well, isn't that cute. The demon thought he'd be able to pass off one of this world's little denizens as a dark goddess? I suppose I really must give him points for originality on that... And what a clever little disguise he gave you." Her arm shot out suddenly, breaking through the shadowy shield that the princess had made for herself. Her fingers wrapped around her opponent's throat, the plates of her mail clinking softly as her fist tightened. "...Your kind really must have gotten desperate if this was the best you could come up with."
Another punch connected, this time the general's fist buried itself deep into the princess' stomach. The breath left her instantly as pain rushed in to replace it. "Oh I'm sorry." Another punch followed. "I suppose I should really be going a bit easier on you." Another followed that one. "What with your festival about to start and all." This one connected with her face, causing her head to jerk to one side. "Wouldn't want you to be too exhausted to make an appearance for your loyal followers!"
Two more blows to the stomach took robbed the princess of the last of her strength. Had the creature not been holding her up she was certain that she would have plummeted into the abyss by now. "Just out of curiosity, what was it you were planning on calling this little holiday of yours?" The Barren gazed at her from behind her metal faceplate, reptilian eyes burning with hatred as she prepared to deliver another devastating punch. It landed far harder than Luna had anticipated, leaving her on the verge of unconsciousness. "Something sweet I'm sure. Something fitting of this true form of yours. 'The Frolic Festival' perhaps? No wait, 'Pretty Little Cowards Day!' That's it, isn't it?" She whipped a mailed fist across Luna's face, laughing. "Oh, or maybe it was 'Happy, Innocent, Pathetic Sugar-Coated Rainbow Fanta-"
Her mocking ended as something cold and hard slid through her spine, dividing her ribs and slowly severing her trachea. As it made its way forward it separated the top portion of her lungs from their lower half, causing a pain like nothing she had ever experienced before. A few agonizing seconds later the tip of the wide green blade emerged from her chest, carving its way out of the steel plate as easily as if they had been made of paper.
The voice in her ear seemed to come from every is at once; its tone calm and soothing, it's words dripping with venom. "You were getting close..." She tried to draw in another breath as she felt the hand press against her back, preparing to pull the sword loose at any moment, yet the air did not seem able to find its proper home within her. "...They actually call it..." He drew the blade back, but refused to let it leave her. Instead he began to twist it, turning the point in wide, slow circles. Then, just for good measure, he plunged it back out her chest once more, narrowly missing the hole it had made the first time. "...Nightmare Night..."
Amongst Shadows: Part 4 (Twilight)
Its so peaceful...
The shadows caressed her, wrapping themselves about the little unicorn's body like the gentle arms of a lover. The pain was gone. The sounds of war disappeared. Everything was calm as she laid down in the darkness, allowing the shadows to ease her cares away.
I've never been so comfortable...
The voice in the back of her head had long since fallen silent. The manacle no longer shimmered with its cursed light. He was going to sacrifice us... To save his friends... Well it looks like that puts an end to that plan. She giggled to herself as the abyss stretched on ahead of her.
All around was the still darkness that permeated every inch of the void. Soft, sweet, unmoving shadows relaxed every muscle in her body. Her mind was at ease, her convictions and anger slipping away like water down a drain. She was finally content.
So what if she never saw her friends again. Who cares if she never returned to Ponyville. What difference would it make if she never again was able to gaze upon Equestria. She had nearly sealed its doom with her carelessness. Her friends would understand and carry on without her; she had faith in them. Ponyville would find a new librarian; its not like she ever got many visitors in that old library to begin with. And Equestria. Ha! Who needed it. She had this glorious, beautiful darkness to keep her occupied for the rest of eternity. She could hardly wait to get st-
What?! No! My... My friends! And Torrent and Luna! I can't just abandon them!
But of course that was ridiculous. Her friends were fine, perfectly safe on the other side of the mirror. They were smart and strong, they'd get along just fine without her. And Torrent and Luna had been looking after themselves for thousands of years. They'd be just fine without her.
No! No! I need to get back to Equestria before the invasion! There's still time to stop them if I hurry!
But the more she thought about it the more silly the notion seemed. What could she do against an entire invasion force. Surely Torrent would be able to handle it, especially with Princess Luna and Princess
Celestia! She'll be worried, she'll come looking for me! I need to let her know I'm alright.
...She needed to do no such thing. She simply needed to lay there. To clear her mind and let her body relax. She simply had to enjoy the darkness and allow it to comfort her. To take all of her cares and worries away.
I... I just need... I just need to... Relax...
She laid back down. Her eyes grew heavy as she began to yawn. Sleep would take her soon, and then she would finally know true peace for the first time in her life.
So............peaceful............
She closed her eyes. And that was the end.
Good bye, Equestria... Good night.......
The darkness engulfed her, surrounding her with its comforting embrace. It filled in all around her as she drifted off to sleep. She could feel its soft, loving touch as it ran across her skin, covering every inch her fur, mane, and tail. She could feel it as it traced her outline, the shadows running across her ears, her nose, her tightly closed eyelids. It comforted every fiber of her being as it ran across her mussel and into her mouth... And then she felt it...
Gah! What? What is.... Get off! Get off of me! Let me go!!!
The darkness had filled her mouth, it was the only thing that prevented her from screaming in terror as she suddenly realized where was. She was falling! Not lying down, not sleeping, not being gently embraced by the darkness, but falling through it at speeds she could barely begin to comprehend!
And worst of all, even worse than the shadowy tendril slowly creeping down her throat to strangle her from the inside out, was the one which was working its way through her mind. She could finally feel it, it's cold, lifeless fingers slowly making their way through her memories. She was not certain how long she had been falling, but she sure that the shadows had been crawling through her consciousness for far longer than they should have ever been allowed to. It was not until the tenebrous probe finally found what it was seeking, however, that that fear was confirmed.
In one split second of absolute fear all the doubt and worry and pain that she should have been feeling came rushing back to her as the shadows brushed against her soul. Elated, they made their move, freeing her mind for a moment as they reached out to claim her very essence as their new plaything. It was in that moment, that one fragment of a second where the abyss' grip on her wavered, that she was finally able to focus her thoughts and make her move.
Her eyes began to turn white as she concentrated on the spell, her horn focusing the magic as she channeled it throughout her entire body. Suddenly her entire being began to shimmer with deep violet light. The Void recoiled, attempting to pull back its tendril as the hated glow started to permeate ever corner of its victim's body. What should have been a simple matter of claiming an unconscious soul suddenly became an experience of absolute pain for the unliving monstrosity that was the Abyss.
As the light continued to grow throughout her, Twilight could feel the probe shrinking, fading within her. Ultimately, her power reduced it to absolute nothingness, freeing her from its grip and allowing her time to concentrate on what had happened. She was suddenly fully conscious of the darkness flying past her as she fell. She put out the light, now aware of the devastating effect it could have on any abyssal intruders who dared try to enter her mind.
She focused her considerable brain power on finding some way out of the situation she was now tumbling through. Her first step was to get her fall under control, which she managed to do with considerable difficulty at first. Wings would have been a too much to ask for at this point, she supposed. When she was finally certain that she was facing the right direction, she braced herself, bent her legs, and focused her thoughts on the darkness. Her eyes shut as she prepared herself for an uncomfortable landing.
When the pain she had been waiting for did not come, she cautiously opened one eye to check her surroundings. Surprised, she opened the other one, blinked, and silently rejoiced. She was standing on the shadowy fog of the Void, though when her fall had actually stopped she could not say.
Now... How do I get back up?
She struggled to grasp the idea of what she was attempting, but ultimately her mind proved far too rational to comprehend the bizarre situation she had found herself in. She had trained in the Void with Torrent for what had seemed like years, yet this aspect of the endeavor had never sat well with her. She focused her thoughts and tried once more to step upward back toward where she had fallen from.
Her hoof fell through the air back down to where she was standing, the dark mist swirling around her leg as it connected with the black surface of the abyss. It just doesn't make sense! I can stand on it but I still can't climb it... She tried again and again each attempt met with the same result. She was just about ready to give up when the sound of fabric flapping in the wind filled her ears.
She looked around, the sound seeming to come from every diction at once, but was unable to find its source. A moment later she became distinctly aware of another sound, one which she was certain was being amplified by the dark world around her. It was the smooth, nearly-silent shinking sound of a blade cutting through the air. It wasn't until the last possible second that she realized what was happening. The abyss was twisting the sounds to confuse her. It had not given up on trying to claim its latest prize just yet.
As understanding dawned on her she instinctively jumped backwards, not entirely certain what it was she was expecting to happen. A split second later a massive, green greatsword came plummeting down through the darkness, tumbling blade-first through the spot she had just been standing in. Had she had more time to think she would have caught it with her magic, but in her distracted state she was helpless to do anything but let it fall through the Void and out of sight.
Her near brush with the blade was quickly pushed to the back of her mind as the rest of the situation began to make sense. She had fallen. No, not fallen, someone had pushed her. She had been smashed down into the darkness, pummeled beneath the weight of a giant metallic fist. By rights she should have been dead a hundred times over, yet death held no sway in the Void, so she had gone on living. But her body should still have been shattered by the strike.
She looked down at the manacle on her leg. It's aura had faded to only the faintest of glows and she could no longer hear the voice of the creature whose soul dwelled within it. The old witch's voice had been the stuff of nightmares the first few times it had spoken to her, yet her advice had always proven useful and without her constant chattering Twilight suddenly felt a bit unsure of what to do next.
Her thoughts returned to the blade. My bones should have been reduced to powder by the giant. I guess the manacle must have worked after all... But does that mean Torrent took ALL of the damage from it or did it protect him too? She rather doubted the latter. Years of magical studies had taught her early on that nothing came without a price. Wealth, power, protection, they all required a sacrifice on someone's part. And the fact that the sword had come crashing through the abyss only strengthened her certainty that her teacher had been thoroughly battered by the attack which was meant to kill her.
A few moments later her fears were confirmed once again. The sound of flapping cloths returned, intensified, and then vanished. A split second later something else came falling through the darkness, but she was ready this time. Clearing her mind she focused her power on stopping the momentum that the object had been building up. It came to a halt a few inches above the shadowy ground she was standing upon, a ghostly violet aura encasing it as Twilight gained full control of its movement.
She brought it to rest on the surface of the void, not entirely sure it would remain there. To her surprise, it stayed. She stepped toward the object; long billowing cloth draped over itself in a bundle with bright green runes adorning nearly every inch of it. She suddenly jumped back, horrified as a twisted mass of metal and flesh freed itself from the folds of the cloth. Long, gasping breaths emitted from within as the black steel unclenched, revealing itself to be a hand clawing forth from the rest of the bundle.
What she had hoped was merely her teacher's cloak actually proved to be his entire body, broken and bloody but still held together within the confines of the living metal cape. "Torrent!? How did- Are you... I-I'm so so sorry!" She attempted to open the cloak up a bit more to determine the seriousness of the injuries he had sustained, but it quickly drew itself back over him as small ocean of blood began to escape. "Oh no, no no no no no! This is all my fault! I never shou-"
A sickening CRACK cut her off as something inside the cloak shifted and turned. The exposed hand clenched back into a fist as an agonized scream gurgled forth from beneath the green glow of the runes. Some of the symbols began to fade as more cracking and snapping emanated from the shattered remains of the knight. After a few minutes only the runes adorning the trimmed rims of the cloak remained illuminated. "Swn...... wn't yer...." His voice was faint and strained, each word a struggle.
Rather than speak any more he beckoned he forward, his one good hand urging her closer. Twilight started forward hesitantly, not entire certain what to expect. A pang of fear shot through her as the hand shot out and grabbed her by the head once she was within range, dragging her down to her knees with a strength she was powerless to resist. She tried to cry out but was silenced as her mind was assaulted with images and memories which were not her own.
"Twilight, calm down! Get ahold of yourself, and do it quickly. We don't have much time."
The wanderer's voice was clear as day now, and like so many other sounds in the abyss, seemingly came from all around her.
"How did you.... You're talking normally again. But... but your still breathing so heavily." The wheezing, blood-drenched breaths were constant, leaving her uncertain just how he was able to speak so comfortably all of the sudden.
"I'm not talking, Twilight, I'm thinking. All of this is in your head; my jaw hasn't fully reattached yet so we're just going to have to communicate like this for now. Help me up." The broken bundle of humanity stirred beside her as it attempted to stand.
Surrounding him with her magic and allowing him to lean his considerable weight against her, Twilight was able to get him back of his feet. The cloak was still wound tightly about the majority of his body, completely concealing his head, left arm, and torso from view. "That's good. Now, move back a few steps."
She did not want to leave his side; he was barely standing as it was and, without her there for support, he was bound to collapse to the floor again. It was not until he rushed her with both his hand and mind that she moved back, leaving him standing in a hunched, broken position like some bizarre, unfinished marionette with too few strings to hold it up. He stumbled forward a step, but then managed to catch himself as the huge emerald sword phased into existence in his hand, its blade plunged deep into the ground. He gripped the hilt for support and then reached out for Twilight once more.
She shied away at first, fearing his touch as it had seemed so very similar to that of the abyss itself. Steeling herself, she stepped forward and allowed him to lay his mailed hand upon her once more. Again, the contents of his mind flooded in as his consciousness connected with hers. "Your doing fine, my student. Now I need you to stop worrying. Concentrate on the task at hand and we'll get through this just fine."
"T-Task at hand? Master, I don't even know where we are. How can I concentrate on anything when my mind is still racing from having almost died back there?! And now this! Your in no condition to be moving around, you shouldn't even be able to stand! We have to get you out of here and back to Equestria. I'm sure Princess Luna made it back safely. She and Princess Celestia can fix you up, I'm us of it!"
"I'll be fine. I've suffered far worse injuries than this. As for getting back to your world, how do you propose we do that if you can't get back to the portal? That is the task at hand. I'm getting you out of here. Luna hasn't left the Void yet, but I'm confident that she can look after herself. Th moment your through the mirror Princess Celestia will be released and the two of you can organize a strike from that side of the portal. Luna and I will track them from this side and join you once I've absorbed enough energy from the Void to be back in one piece."
The cloak unfolded, revealing the rest of his broken appearance to her as the metallic cloth formed into a pair of wings. Blood drenched the front of his clothes from neck to waist. In a few spots sharp bone pieces were still protruding through skin and fabric alike. One of his legs had twisted to the side, leaving his foot pointed off in an angle it was never meant to go. His left hand had been broken in half, with the fingers of his claw hanging limp off of severed knuckles, as a thing layer of skin and muscle tissue acted as the only thing holding them on at all. Yet even as she looked she could see the wounds slowly mending themselves.
"I'm going to fly us both up. The moment we reach the mirror, I want you to charge through. I don't care what you see once we're up there or how much help you think you'll be. You NEED to get back immediately."
"I understand, but... What did you mean when you said me returning would release Princess Celestia?"
"Theres no time, we need to go now! She'll explain it to you once your through, I'm sure. Until then, just trust me." And with that he lurched forward and bathed up his student in his, essentially healed, arms. His wings pounded the air beneath them until the pair were soaring upward at a dizzying speed.
They climbed for what seemed like hours, the timelessness of the void twisting their perception as they went. Still, she could sense the knight had some vague idea of where he was going, if nothing else. She could feel the beats growing slower and spaced further apart, leading her to assume they had nearly reached their destination. It was not until the moment that the wanderer's wings stopped moving entirely that she realized what was happening.
"Torrent? TORRENT!?"
The pair fell into a steep downward dive as the wizard fell back into a state of unconsciousness. The oncoming wind beat against her face as she was pulled down, locked in her teacher's arms. It was all she could do not to scream as she attempted to drag him back into the waking world.
With their minds still connected, Twilight began screaming desperately into Torrent's subconscious. Torrent, please, you have to wake up! We're falling! I can't lift you! HELP!!!
The knight's grip began to loosen. For a moment Twilight feared they would be separated and left falling into different regions of the abyss. Then all at once his eyes fluttered open, his grip on her tightened, and his wings unfurled once more. "My apologies, Twilight... That was reckless of me."
"It's fine, its fine!" She tried to sound confident but it came out shaken and unconvincing. It was becoming perfectly clear to her that it would be very hard for things to be less fine. "Is your jaw fixed or are you still thinking all of this?"
"Not yet, I'll fix it after we're out of all this. Once I've had a chance to absorb a bit more of the Void's energies. The last thing I want is to end up passing out again because I was too busy mending a superficial wound."
A light finally appeared above in the sky above them. A blood-red gateway swirling with strange black lights awaited them. The doorway's color had shifted during the course of their battle but it remained open and welcoming as they drew near. "Alright, lets get you back through that gate bef-"
His words were cut off as the sound of metal impacting upon flesh began to ring out through the darkness. "...Is that-"
"Shh!" The knight silenced her as he attempted to locate the source of the sound. "...Twilight, I'm afraid I'll need your assistance just a short bit longer. Hold still." His wings shifted to become a pair of claw-like appendages which grabbed up Twilight and held her just above his shoulder. With his student secure and safe within the grasp of the metallic cloth, the wizard began walking away from the gateway. "I'm going to need you to be my voice. Think you can work the intimidation angle here?"
"It's that snake monster isn't it? The one Princess Luna was fighting?"
"That would be my guess. I'm not entirely certain what we're going to find when come upon them, so be ready for anything. Distract her with your words, frighten her if you can, but just make sure she focuses on us rather than on Luna."
"Got it."
The shadows rushed in to conceal the pair's approach; the abyss clearly pleased with the knowledge that it would be getting at least one more new plaything out of confrontation. The knight's footsteps were deafened, his approach shrouded by the darkness. Even the materialization of his great emerald sword was hidden from sight as he walked toward the source of the noise.
"Before I forget again, let me teach you that one quickly."
Twilight felt a great deal of pressure on her mind as a current of mysterious knowledge flowed in. She was suddenly able to understand the way that her teacher was capable of breaching the boundaries between worlds to pull objects in and out of the Void on a whim. "You made a great deal of progress learning the spell on your own with the flower pots, but there are certain aspects that would have taken you far too long to master without my help."
"Wait! You could have just transferred that knowledge to me at any time? Doesn't that make all the training we did seem a little... pointless? I wasted so much time learning basic level spells that you could have simply placed in my mind to begin with!"
"It's not that simple, and now is hardly the time to discuss it even if it was. For the time being just understand that what I've given you just now would have been useless without your previous training. Even with it this is only an imperfect version of the spell. Fortunately you strike me as a student who is more than capable of figuring out the remaining details on your own. Piece it together with trial and error and you'll master it in a few hours, rather than in the few months it would have otherwise taken. Now look sharp, I can see them just up ahead and...."
He didn't say anything else, his mind had fallen silent as something wicked jumped to the forefront of his consciousness.
"What is it? What did you see?"
"...."
The knights irises began to lose their color, the pupils expanding until they took up the entirety of his eyes. Twilight could feel her master's mind slipping away, but as their connection broke she heard a deep growl from somewhere inside him whisper "Our prey."
The Prisons We Make (Celestia)
The mirror had barely finished rippling from their departure when it suddenly shifted into life once more. As the waves of black light emanating from the tall glass portal grew longer and more frequent until a shape finally appeared within its tenebrous depths. Something was running toward it from the other side. The Princess' hopes soared as the being neared their world, but then immediately skipped a beat as it drew close enough to see clearly.
She had initially hoped that it would be Twilight or Luna returning to Equestria victorious. As it neared the mirror, however, it became clear that the creature was running upon two legs, with a large object clutched in its left hand. What she initially took to be Sir Torrent soon closed the distance enough that its features came into sight, crushing any hopes she had held onto of seeing her student or her sister again.
Orange skin and a skull covered in bony spikes, the beast was charging headlong toward the portal with a studded club dragging against the ground beside it. The other ponies jumped back as they realized what was coming toward them; the one with the multicolored mane jumping in front of the rest of the group the sword that Twilight' monster had given her clutched between her teeth.
The Princess was till helpless within her chalk-outlined prison, powerless to stop the beast or close the portal until Twilight returned or an hour transpired. And with only a few minutes having gone by since the trio's departure, neither solution seemed likely to occur in time. She had struggled against the bindings for a few moments before coming to terms with the fact that she could not hope to contend with the power of an entire plane binding her.
Now though, with this new danger looming just beyond the veil of the mirror, she once again attempted to throw her own significant power against the invisible walls of her prison. That monster will NOT keep me from putting an end to this! Her horn surged with pale golden energy as she plunged her strength into a massive bolt of raw power. The energy erupted with such force that the very air around her head rippled as if attempting to get out of the spell's way. She barely even noticed as the power left her body, being replaced almost immediately by the energies that the containment ritual were giving off.
For a moment her hopes raised as the ball of brilliant gold light collided with the side of hr prison. It remained in place, drilling itself into the now-visible wall, spinning as it tried desperately to break through. Her spirit began to shift as the orb began to dwindle to nothingness as it spun slower and shower against the shadowy barrier. Finally, upon coming to a complete stop, it vanished into nothingness, along with the Princess' latest hope of escape.
She was helpless, unable to act as the monstrosity came closer and closer to the mirror. At the last moment she lunged out with her mind and body, attempting once more to tear down the wall that separated her from her duties as Equesria's guardian. It was, of course, no more successful than her previous tries had been. Try as she might, even her strength could not over come the power being given off by an entire, near-sentient dimension. And so, she was left to watch helplessly as the monster finally reached the mirror, fixed its gaze on the wielders of the Harmony, pause... and fall forward into their world with a loud crash.
The creature began to crawl, unfazed by the fact that its tumble had completely shattered several of its front teeth, strewing their ivory ruins across the floor of the library's basement. It was moving as fast as it could away from the mirror, dragging its unresponsive legs behind it as it clawed forward on its oversized arms. It's club had been forgotten during the its fall.
As it grew closer to the ponies huddled near the stairs a flash of black and purple light shone forth from the mirror. The beast squealed as the skin along its shoulders suddenly began to boil. It's very blood seemed to be on fire just below the surface of its leathery orange hide. A moment later, Rainbow Dash made her move, swinging her head to one side and bringing the devilishly curved blade she held between her teeth around in a wide arc. Giving up on the possibility of escape as the little pegasus swung haphazardly at its chest, the creature attempted to stand and face its original attacker back at the mirror.
Whatever had been hunting it had finally begun to close on the portal as well, coming to the very edge of their world in time to let loose another blast of dim, violet lightning. This one collided with the beast's face, sending him staggering back to the floor. He reached blindly for his club as he clenched one mighty hand over his newly-singed eyes, coming within inches of gripping its handle before a third bolt reduced his right hand to cinder.
The being beyond the mirror sent one final charge through the portal, its body completely obscured as the energy caused the shadows to twist and writhe across the surface of the looking glass. The creature still seemed intent on surviving the onslaught, though little would save it once its hunter crossed into Equestria as well.
I cannot allow that! The first monster had seemed bad enough, but now that it was clear that that one was merely the prey of a far more powerful entity, the Princess' priorities switched. The hunter would likely take little satisfaction in its kill if there was a room full of other targets just waiting to be taken down.
She flung herself against the barrier just as the monster crossed through the mirror. This time, to her shock, the barrier fell apart the moment she touched it; shattering without the slightest bit of resistance. She landed hard on her hooves, skidding to a stop in front of a very confused looking group of Twilight's friends. One of them stammered out her glorious name as the Princess of the Sun suddenly appeared, seemingly from thin air, before them. She would explain to them what had transpired later, once they were out of danger and Twilight was safe beside her once more. For now though, she had an intruder to drive back into its tenebrous home.
It was almost fully through the portal when she chose to make her stand. The monstrosity was like nothing she had ever seen before. Like something out of a nightmare. It seemed to be one with the shadowy mists leaking from the mirror. A forest of writhing tendrils of black fog extended from a six-limbed creature at its center, most of its body concealed by a veil of shadows that seemed to draw in the darkness of the already dimly-lit basement. No face was visible, just a seemingly endless storm of black mist billowing off the frame of its relatively small figure; blowing back toward the mirror as if it were being repealed by the light eliminating from Celestia's majestic form.
She raised herself up to her full height, hoping to strike a bit of fear into this new opponent; her wings spread wide as golden energy surged through her horn. Instead it merely caused the creature to retort with its own form of intimidation. Its front pair of limbs melded into the cloud of black fog that my up its head. Its body body shifted in size and proportion until, for a fleeting moment, it appeared to take on the exact shape of the Princess. The fog even seemed to solidify just enough to take on a form vaguely similar to that of Celestia's face. Then, in the blink of an eye, it was back to its previous appearance as it pulled free of the mirror entirely.
The Princess did not wait to see what it would do next. A binding cone of sunlight shot forth from her horn, reducing the hurricane of billowing fog to an insignificant cloud resting just above the creature's shoulders. It's forward-most limbs, crossed in a defensive position, faded to nothingness as the spell collided with them, their attempt to block the sunlight's advance proving to be a useless gesture.
The monstrosity let out a scream as the Princess pressed her attack. It's tendrils moved frantically to cover its progressively-deteriorating body; enveloping it core in their dark embrace. That availed it little protection against the solar onslaught that Celestia continued to unleash upon it. The beast was small, nearly a foot shorter than the Princess once all the mist was cleared away, but there was an undeniably massive amount of power stored within its relatively tiny form. It was not until the Princess moved in for the kill, however, that it chose to demonstrate said power.
As the Solar Princess approached her target the mirror began to pulse with more of its unholy darkness. The cracks running through the walls started to seep as shadowy mist and fluorescent green light flowed out. Celestia was unperturbed; she meant to end this before it had a chance to get entirely out of hand. "Crawl back into your world this instant, beast! This is your one and only warning. If you attempt to push any further into my kingdom I WILL have no choice but to destroy you where you lay. Now go!" She took another step forward... and immediately regretted the decision.
A sound only comparable to that of a hundred-thousand rusted nails being dragged across a pane of glass burst forth from the creature, freezing the Princess in her place. For the first time in centuries, Celestia felt the cold grip of fear for her own well-being crawl up her spine. She was unable to move once more; the monster's cry numbing her senses and deadening her nerves. Then she noticed the cracks. The minute tears in the very fabric of her world were suddenly growing with a speed the Knight had assured her was impossible. Damn him... May he be lost in there forever for what he's done to this world. For what he's done to Twilight! Tartarus take whatever is left of his wretched soul!
Her curses went unheard, though she was not entirely certain whether she had spoken them at all. The screech of the abyssal monster was drowning out the entire world around her; words and thoughts all came out silent and meaningless. Suddenly the pulsing darkness coming off the mirror began to increase in size, sending vast waves of shadow across the entire room. They passed over the ponies gathered within it harmlessly enough, but each one that struck the monster lying on the basement floor restored a bit more of its foggy visage.
After just a few moments the creature was back on all fours once more, though it two front appendages did not seem to be able to grow back. The storm of darkness that made up its head reignited, surging with infrequent waves of violet lightning. It began to approach the Princess, the screech suddenly fading into what could almost have passed as speech had Celestia been conscious enough to attempt to interpret it. As it were here mind had drifted elsewhere in a desperate attempt to maintain her sanity in the face of such a maddening din.
Her senses returned just in time as one of the ponies who had remained on the stairs threw itself against her side. The little orange earth pony tackled her out of the way just as a tangled pillar of the creature's tendrils smashed down upon the place she had been standing. When the Princess looked up it became clear that the twisted arms themselves had come directly through the ceiling, traveling through the shadows themselves.
"Princess, ya gotta snap outta it!" The little earth pony was trying to help her back up. She was strong, there was no denying that, though her physical aspect of it was only half of what Celestia was taking notice of. This one had charged head-long into the darkness to save her, displaying an amount of courage which bordered on insanity. She suddenly realized just how little she knew of Twilight's friends beyond what she had read in her student's letters. She was quickly becoming fully aware of just how powerful of a team they must make when united.
"Thank you, Applejack. I can take this from here. I need you to get your friends out of here. Can you do that? Make sure they all escape the library safely." She looked back at the creature by the mirror. Rainbow Dash had dove in to distract it and was doing an excellent job of weaving in and out of the grip of its shadowy tentacles. Soon though, the monster would catch on to her flight pattern and rip her to shreds. "This is too dangerous for any of you. Wait for me outside the library. Keep hoping for the best, but prepare the town for the worst. I don't know what else might be moving toward that mirror."
"...Ya sure ya can take 'em, yer Highness?"
Celestia nodded confidently. No words were needed here. The decision had already been made up in her mind. Nothing was about to change it.
"Right... Well alright! DASH! That's enough!" She turned to the others, quickly filling the void of leadership that Twilight had left. "Pinkie, Fluttershy, y'all need ta go round up as many ah the guards as ya can. Get Twi's brother too, if ya can find 'im. Rarity, y'all are gonna stand guard with me and Spike outside the library while Dash gathers up some extra air support."
The four ponies and the little dragon responded as if they had rehearsed it all. The pink earth pony even took a moment to salute Applejack before bouncing up the stairs, a particularly serious expression masking her typically happy face in a thoroughly troubling way. Rainbow Dash was the last to leave, lifting the orange earth pony off the floor as she sped toward the stairs. "Good luck, Princess," the little pegasus called back, encouragingly, as she carried the earth pony upstairs with her.
Celestia forced her attention back to the creature struggling to untangle its tentacles on the opposite side of the room. The little pegasus had managed to thoroughly disorient the beast with her speed, but now that the distraction was gone the monster was able to focus on the Princess once more. It unraveled its tendrils and began to slowly make its way toward Celestia's corner of the room.
"You had your chance..." Her horn began to glow with all the glory of the coming dawn, golden lightning crackling across its surface as she prepared to strike the creature with the same power she had attempted to use against her prison mere minutes ago. The force of such a blast might destroy the room, but being so deep underground she was certain those outside would be safe.
The mirror would survive the blast as well; its power was the Abyss itself and there would be no way to extinguish its existence while that connection remained intact. The thought sickened her. No matter how great her power might be there was still no way for her to rid this place of the portal's evil. Still though... at least it will leave Twilight a door to escape that awful realm through.
The blinding light projecting from her horn as the bolt grew in size reduced the creature to a cowering lump on the floor. It's misty aura began to fade once more, its tendrils shrinking into its back as the illumination intensified. Still it struggled to defend itself, wrapping its tentacles into a barrier in front of it even as the began to deteriorate.
A pointless gesture. You won't survive this... This is for Twilight and for what ever is happening beyond that damned mirror...
The creature let out another scream as the Princess lowered her head to take aim. With its power diminished, this one came without the maddening screech of the Void behind it. Even without it, though, the noise was still more than enough to shake the foundations of the library.
"PPPPRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!"
Her eyes narrowed.
"NNNNNNNNNNNSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!?!?"
The lightning climbed to the apex of her horn, gathering into the ball of sunlight growing at its pointed tip.
"EEEEHHHHEHHHHHHHHHHEEEHHHHHHHH!!!"
She fired.
"SSSSSSSsssssss...." The cry guttered out as the bolt hit its mark. Flying in a drilling motion its punched through the fading barrier of tendrils with little trouble, barely loosing an ounce of its momentum. It impacted on the beast's side as the creature desperately attempted to turn and flee, driving it back into the wall next to the mirror. The explosion was delayed, giving the shot time to apply physical force to its target before unleashing its devastating magical payload.
It was delayed, but inevitable.
In the few seconds that transpired between the bolt's release and its eventual detonation, several things suddenly came to Celestia's attention. One was the realization that the blast would destroy her if she did not act quickly to prevent that. To that end, she extended a shielding spell across her portion of the room, erecting a bulwark which would have rivaled the one which had been containing her such a short time ago. The second issue was one which she was nearly able to convince herself was not true. It had come to the forefront of her mind in that moment that, though the beast had been quick to attack the orange creature which now lay dead in the middle of the room, it had actually been she who initiated this particular battle. It was entirely possible that the monster had reacted entirely in defense, rather than outright aggression.
The final realization was far more troubling to her already-stress-riddled mind. It gnawed at her, keeping her from ignoring its existence and causing those seconds prior to the spell's culmination to drag on for what seemed like hours. She did not want to see it, she even attempted to convince herself she hadn't seen it. It was impossible. Yet no amount of reason or common sense could fully rid her mind of the image.
As the creature had turned to run from the bolt, its hind legs came into full view for the first time since it entered her world. They were not unlike her own, though considerably shorter. The claws of swirling mist protruding from their base seemed oddly out of place, but they were not what drew her eye. What did was significantly higher up, emblazoned upon the beast's hip.
A six pointed star shown out like a pale violet beacon. Its proportions were uneven and skewed in an unsymmetrical style, with a border outlined by a far darker purple glow. Around it, in between several of the star's arms, burned five tiny white symbols, each in the shape of some unintelligible rune of foreign design.
Then it was gone, lost within a torrent a yellow light, white flames, and agony-drenched screams. The monster disappeared into the miniature supernova as the room as quickly engulfed in the explosion. The heat was immeasurable, but lasted for only a few seconds before the burning out entirely.
The blast left the room barren and singed. The stone of the walls, floor, and ceiling were scorched black, hiding the majority of the abyssal cracks which continued to spread across them. The air became dry and arid, making it uncomfortable to take in more that a few quick, shallow breaths at a time. The heat distorted the air and set a thick haze about the entire room, creating a carpet of shimmering mirages across the flame-ravaged floor.
She didn't wait for the dust to settle or the room to cool, there was barely even enough time for her to fully dispel the barrier before she charged toward the wall the beast had been propelled into. The sheer heat in the air and the dryness it brought with it made breathing a struggle, but there was no time to think about that. The mirror still stood, though only in a technical manner. Several inches of the wall it had been hanging on had crumbled away, yet it remains bound to the spot it had been in when the portal had first been opened.
The Princess galloped to the spot just beside the floating looking glass, brushing through the gathering shadows which were slowly beginning to seep through the cracks once more. There, covered by a thin veil of black mist, she found her beloved student.
"Twilight..." Surprise echoed in the Princess' voice, though she had been fully aware that this would be the sight she'd likely find. The itself word was half an acknowledgment of this prior knowledge, and half a prayer that she might somehow be mistaken. Moreover though, it was an apology. "Oh Twilight... Please..."
The little unicorn lay upon her side with her legs sprawled, her mouth agape, and no sign of breath or pulse to be found. Her body seemed essentially unscathed apart from a massive patch of blacked flesh on the side that had absorbed the impact of the bolt. Scorched and cracked, the burn looked as though it may have continued all the way through to the other side.
She would have done anything if it meant sparing her precious Twilight from Death's cold, merciless embrace; yet there was no rational course of action which she could turn to. The burn mark itself was the only thing that kept the Princess from breaking down and attempting something desperate right then and there. While horrible to look upon, something about that grisly testament to the power of the Solar Princess gave her pause.
Before her eyes, the black mist that seemed to be drifting out of Twilight's very coat gathered near the edged of the burn. With each new wave of shadowy energy, the scar faded more and more from sight. The process was slow, agonizingly so for Celestia, but she dared not to interfere with it in any way.
Nearly minutes had gone by when the little unicorn began to shudder and cough, her breath returning to her at last. The wound was still about the size of a grapefruit, but the shadows were mending it diligently. Another half an hour and it would be like nothing had even happened. That was what the Princess hoped, at least. Only time would for sure.
A few minutes passed as Twilight continued to cough and twitch. As her strength returned to her and the shadows faded to nothingness, leaving before the burn could be completely erased. They had stopped its spread, reduced its size, and even turned it to a scar rather than a weeping, bubbling, wound. Yet without the Void to draw power from, their usefulness had run its course. They had restored Twilight to a point where she could survive, given the proper care was provided. Beyond that, there was little else they could do. A few foggy wisps remained, clinging to her mane, her tail, and the corners of her eyes. And even those would only stay with her until sunlight fell upon her once more.
Her eyes fluttered open as she returned to consciousness; the Princess could scarcely imagine what must have gone through her mind as those first glimpses of the scorched room came into focus. There would be confusion, that much was certain, and fear was sure to follow. To that end, Celestia knew it was her duty to ensure that someone be there for her. She would need to be there for her student. She would need to be the lantern which led her from the darkness. Whether that darkness be the Abyss or the one which she herself had brought upon the poor little unicorn.
She laid down softly next to her fallen student, her left wing extending to cover her wounded body. "Twilight, its alright. I'm here. Your safe now." Tears pierced the edges of the Princess' eyes as the lie worked its way from her mouth. Yes Twilight. I'll keep you safe. I'd never do anything to harm you. I'm certain I just found you like this. Surely I'd never be the one who would burn you to ashes just as you thought you'd reached safety! She cursed herself for not being able to see through the Void's illusion from the very beginning. This was all her fault. Nothing would convince her otherwise.
It was four hours until sunset. The stress of the day's proceedings had already taken their toll on the Princess' guilt-ridden mind. And a burdened mind can be a terrifying place.
The little pony shifted beneath her wing. "P...Princess?"
"Yes Twilight. Its me. I'm here."
"Where..... Where am... What happened?"
"It's not important, Twilight."
It's not important.
"All that matters is that your here."
With me...
"That your alright."
You're not dead...
"Nothing's going to hurt you now."
Im done hurting you for now...
"You don't have to worry."
You'll never be safe...
"I'll keep you safe."
From me?
Author's Note
The majority of this chapter was written during BronyCon in a lovely little place called Quills & Sofas. Ironically, it was devoid of both those things, but it was full of a bunch of great writers from the fandom who I both respect and strive to be as compelling as. Writing while surrounded by them, I think a little of my own minor inferiority complex may have shown through in this chapter when writing Celestia's thoughts. As such, my apologies if it gets a little grating at times.
As for the slightly depressing note it ends in... I guess I just needed something to break up all the high spirits and all the con-related fun (Fun!? FUN!!!).
Enjoy!
Equestria' Finest (Pinkie)
"You're sure you're alright to go on, Your Majesty?" The guard peered at the princess' blackened wing, not wanting to let on just how troubling the sight was.
"Its nothing." The Princess of the Sun turned her attention back to the small assembly gathered at the top of the staircase. "I'm entrusting Twilight's safety to the twelve of you. She insist that she's fine, that she should be fighting along with the rest of us. I need you to prevent her from doing that. She is not to leave this library until I return for her.
"Shining Armor, you have command here. I trust your judgement on this matter and I'm certain that if anyone can calm her down, its you. Do whatever it takes to keep her safe. I don't expect any of the creatures to make it this far, but I fear that if they do they may be draw to her. Make sure that nothing enters or leaves this place."
The alabaster unicorn nodded, his gilded helm masking his troubled features. "Of course, Your Highness. Nothing will happen, I promise."
"You will find Spike downstairs with her. He should be able to fill in anything I may have overlooked. Now go!"
The small battalion of guardians saluted and followed Shining Armor down to the library's basement. The little earth pony watched them go with a certain degree of envy. They had a job to do, a concrete mission to carry out. They knew what they were there for and what was expected of them. It was far more than she could say about herself.
Face it, you're only here because you've always been part of the group. They're bringing you along because they're used to you being always being there, but what do you really think your going to be able to contribute?
Her four friends fell in around her as the Princess walked back to where the defenders had gathered. Many volunteers had stepped forward, slightly bolstering the ranks of their patch-work army. Canterlot's royal guard and formal military had been brought in to stand against the approaching storm, acting as the backbone which kept the entire assembly from falling apart. Yet if Twilight's warning held any truth, their force barely accounted for even half the number the enemy was bringing through the portal.
The army was made up primarily of unicorns, with earth ponies nearly matching their numbers. The last portion was made up by pegasi who would be used as scouts until the rest of the assembly reached the battlefield. The force stood around the town square in a great, disorganized sea of bodies. The only significant movement came from the armorers wading through the crowd, passing out hastily forged weaponry to any who needed it.
Spears and lances were in short supply, with the best only going to those trained to use them. The rest were given their choice of moon-razors, small circular blades that had originally been designed for the Princess of the Night's Lunar Guard. The steel crescents were of a size with the head of the pony using it; a razor-sharp blade on one the outside with a dull, flat side that would hook around the sides of wielder's muzzle. A rounded wooden grip was set in the center of the curve for the user to hold between their teeth. A simple shake of the head would be all it would take to inflict deep wounds to anything in the immediate vicinity. As such, most of the soldiers present placed theirs on the ground beside them while they stood idle, not wanting to cause any particularly bloody accidents.
The majority of the "soldiers" were little more than townsfolk who had answered the call to arms in order to help defend their home. Very few among them had even the slightest idea of just what it was that they were about to go up against. Most were finding themselves feeling more and more unprepared for the task as more information on their mission came to light.
Useless or not, she wasn't about to let the herself be the cause of any uncertainty their group might face. She looked around at the others, their faces each shoulder in a fog of sobering seriousness. She refused to be the one to break their spirits even further. Instead she bounced up next to the Princess, turning to face the gathering crowd while hiding any remnants of doubt she might have been harboring behind an infectious grin. "Cheer up, Ponyville! There's nothing to worry about. We'll send these monsters back where they came from and be home in time for all the Nightmare Night fun you can handle!"
The militia went unimpressed, their mouths still set in hard, serious frowns.
"Come on, this'll be a piece of cake! What chance do they really think they stand against all of us?"
A few of the ponies nearby began to mumble their half-hearted agreement. A few chuckled to themselves as the imagined the tide of abominations fleeing back into the darkness at the approach of the impromptu militia. One or two even let themselves smile a little as their minds fit personal meaning into the pink pony's nonsensical statement.
"I mean just think of all the crazy things we've kept the town safe from. This is no different; just another little disaster that, together, we can all help prevent!"
More of the would-be warriors began to let some ungrounded optimism sink in. It was no secret that the town had managed to survive more than its fair share of horrors in the past. Even the soldiers from Canterlot could attest to the overly-confident speaker's message, with many of them having been present for the failed Changeling Invasion that unlikely heroes like her had proved so integral in thwarting.
"I mean, sure there's more of them than there are of us. And sure, they have weapons and magic and who knows what sort of scary abyssal monstrosities with them."
And with that the slowly growing flame of positivity was immediately and brutally extinguished. Smiles were replaced once more with hard looks of cynicism, with genuine fear popping up here and there as well. Seeing the danger in where this was all going, Rarity stepped forward for a moment in a vain attempt to reel in her misguided friend. "Pinkie, darling, this is hardly the time or the place fo-"
"And sure, maybe they did come here for the sole purpose of wiping us out and taking away our home and everything we care about!"
The Princess cringed as the little pink nightmare went on, the words slowly undermining the already faulty sense of hopefulness she had worked so hard to instill over the past few hours. "Pinkie Pie, I think it would be best to just have a bit of silen-"
"And yes, they more than likely plan on eating us once they take over; probably alive, although maybe cooked and seasoned depending on how it is they prepare their food...." She paused for a moment, reorganizing her thoughts as she suddenly realized the kind of tangent her speech had gone off on. "....But that's exactly why they can't possibly win! That's what we're going to be fighting for! We're going to fight for our homes! For everything we love and care about! We're going to fight to protect our families and friends and the whole world!"
The assembled forces continued to stare at her in confusion, many of then still dwelling on the idea that they might end up being cooked and seasoned before the day was over. Still, a few of the veteran members of the Canterlot battalions began to stir; some of the spite leaving their eyes as she spoke of the very ideals that drove them.
"Sure, it will be a hard fight. But look around you! Every last one of you will be fighting that same hard fight together! We'll show these monsters just what happens when you try and take over something that doesn't belong to you!"
A few ragged cheers went up from the back of the crowd. Pinkie was grateful to hear Dash's voice amongst them, instigating a bit of support for her words. She watched as the pegasus stealthily sped over to another portion of the crowd to repeat the process.
"We'll push them back into their weird dimension, and we'll do it together!"
Rainbow Dash got another section cheering before speeding off to the next one.
"We can't lose so long as we're all in this as one!"
More cheering, this time from multiple sections at once. The message was finally starting to hit home as the crowd began to decode Pinkie's ramblings into a rousing, if somewhat vague, battle speech.
"After all, we're fighting for everything that's important to us!"
The crowd cheered in unison this time. Her friends joined in, though their expressions seemed to be more along the lines of surprise than genuine inspiration.
"And everyone knows whoever's defending their home always wins against whoever is trying to eat it!"
The cheers erupted from all sides before dying into a cacophony of confused mumbles as the gathered militia futilely attempted to find some deeper meaning in her closing statement. Pinkie hopped back to her friends, smiling contently at how the rallying proclamation had gone over. As she rejoined the little group, Celestia brought the assembly's attention back to herself.
"Yes, um... Thank you for those words of encouragement, Pinkie Pie... Now then, there is a great deal of distance that we need to cover if we are to have any hope of reaching the enemy before they pose a threat to any civilized part of Equestria. It is time for us to move!
"Air Unit, I'll need you circling overhead while we march. Keep an eye out for anything that may prove hazardous to the main group and keep us informed." The nearby crowd of pegasi saluted their ruler and prepared to take off.
As the winged ponies took to the sky the rest of the army began to lurch forward. It was at least another ten minutes before the army truly started to make any sort of headway, however. Once they were clear of the edge of Ponyville, the Princess leapt into the air; guiding the rest of the militia with a beacon of sunlight emanating from her horn. She sped ahead toward the Everfree Forest with the land-based group galloping full-force as they followed her into the wilderness. Pinkie and her friends had found themselves a spot toward the front edge of the assembly, tucked in just behind a group of unicorns garbed in hooded robes of white, blue, and gold.
The five of them packed in close together as they reached the edge of the woods, passing into the darkness of the forest in a thunderstorm of hoofbeats. The militia trampled through the underbrush as they followed the blazing outline their leader. No matter how thick the canopy became, the raw sunlight that Celestia's horn emitted shone through unobstructed.
Miles faded behind them as they charged onward. Pinkie would have liked to have passed the time talking, perhaps reassuring her friends and herself that everything would work out alright, but her teeth were too tightly gripped around the handle of her moon-razor. The resin sealing the wooden handle filled her mouth with a bitter flavor. She briefly found herself wishing for something to clean the taste from her pallet; candy, cake, soap, anything would have tasted better at this point.
She ignored it, pushing the desire for a better tasting weapon out of her mind as their battalion came to the edge of a ravine. The cliff they found themselves standing on once held the anchor for a rope bridge that spanned the gap; now there was nothing but open air between the two sides. The assemble stopped for a moment as Celestia and her officers attempted to decide how to continue. After a moment of deliberation, the Princess called the squad of hooded unicorns over to her and gave them some new orders. They disappeared into the woods as the rest of the column arrived.
A moment later the ground began to shake violently, as if some massive beast was approaching from just below them. In the blink of an eye a dozen immense oak trees emerged from the top of the forest canopy and flew to the edge of the cliff, suspended by a ghostly blue aura. The uprooted oaks were carefully placed across the gap by the small group of mages and held in place by their magic as the entire assembly crossed.
As the group continued onward Pinkie found herself unable to contain her need to speak any longer. She turned to Applejack as they ran and attempted to ask how long they had been running.
AJ's expression crossed from one of utter confusion to one of mild amusement. "Ya might wanna take that thing outta your mouth first, sugar cube."
" 'ut ah 'lly 'nt 'oo as' oo 'oumin!"
"Well then just wait 'til we stop again and ask me then. We're still gonna hafta' slow down to cross that river at some point in here if we're headin' where ah think we are."
" 'ivuh?"
Rarity answered in her place as Applejack fell behind, momentarily tripped up by an exposed root. "Of course, dear. You do remember when we went after Nightmare Moon, don't you? From what I can tell we're heading back to that dreadful little palace where we found the Elements."
It was another hour before they reached the bank of the river that had once contained a rather flamboyant sea serpent. Pinkie looked around, hoping to find the great reptile waiting for them with some sort of helpful offer. Unfortunately, there was no sign of the creature to be found; leaving them to, once again, rely on the mages and the forest to provide a means of crossing. The column moved hesitantly across the makeshift bridge that the unicorns laid across it as Celestia and the pegasi waited for them to reform on the other side.
Half the group was already across when a disheveled and terrified-looking pegasus came careening over the trees. One of the scouts who had been sent ahead to ensure they would not be taken by surprise, he had flown perhaps a mile out of view before he was forced to return to the main group. As he attempted to land the medical unit surrounded him and tried to calm him down. Celestia landed beside them a moment later.
"Princess! They're there! At the palace, thousands of them! The ground, the air, they're swarming out of every shadow!" He was shaking badly as the unicorns got to work on mending the deep laceration that wound its way across the left side of his body. Magic began to seal the flesh back together seamlessly, yet the sight of the wound itself had sent a fresh wave of doubt through the ranks.
"W-What are we doing?!"
"Yeah, why us? Why are we here? We're not warriors!"
"We didn't ask for any of this!"
"This is suicide!"
"Why should we be the ones risking our lives out here?"
"This wasn't our fault! It... It was Twilight!"
"If it weren't for her none of this ever would have happened!"
The Princess turned at that, a look of utter disgust warping her beautiful face into terrifying visage. She glared at the one who has begun brought her student into the conversation, but was unable to find words to cast his way. Without another word she turned back toward where the injured pegasus had flown in from. She stepped away from the group as her horn lit up once more, glowing with a light of such intensity that it was painful to look up. All around her the grass and undergrowth began to wilt and whither as a sphere of extreme heat enveloped her form. She stopped, looked up, spread her wings, and launched herself skyward; arcing off toward her childhood home just a mile or so away.
In the wake of the Princess's departure, a large portion of the assembly seemed to see the wisdom in the words that had provoked her flight. They had their scapegoat now, they couldn't be less concerned with how the rest of this all played out so long as they had a single pony they could blame for all of it. Pinkie was left feeling what she could only assume was just a fraction of the disgust that the Princess had just experienced. Twilight was her best friend, just as much as Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy; yet somehow she couldn't help but feel that, as her mentor, Celestia may have had just a slightly stronger bond with Twilight than she did.
Unwilling to just sit back as the congregation fell into disarray, Pinkie found herself once more leaping to the front of the group. She jumped up onto an old tree stump and looked down with an ashamed expression upon the ponies arguing below her.
And just what do you think you're going to accomplish here? They already made their choice; they're going to run back home like the little cowards they are while the world gets destroyed around them, perfectly content as they simply blame Twilight for all of it. Celestia couldn't even come up with a way to change their minds about it. She charged off without us, she'd rather fight that entire army on her own than try winning this uphill battle. Time to call it quits, Pinkie.
Quiet you! I've had just about enough of this. You're not real, this is my brain, and I CAN change their minds!... And I will!
"HEY! All of you listen up! Its time for you all to wake up and look at what's happening here! This isn't just some little mishap that will go away if we just ignore it. This is something that concerns all of us, that concerns the whole world! If we're not going to stand up and fight it, then who is? So sure, you can run back to your homes and hide out until its all over if you really want, but just keep in mind that if you do, then it being 'all over' may have a very different meaning than what you might think it does. Now, come on! If you're ready to stand up and fight for the future of Equestria, follow me! Everyone else, run back to Ponyville and hide like the cowards you are... You'll just get in our way, anyway."
The arguing had stopped and dead silence now filled the clearing. The water running in the river was the only source of sound as the small army of ponies looked up at Pinkie on her make-shift platform. She couldn't decode their expressions, but she was happy to see that everyone was remaining right where they were. Not one among them seemed to want to return to Ponyville after all.
Ha! There, see? That got through to them.
"Uhhhh... Sugar cube, y'all really should think about takin' that thing outta yer mouth..."
She froze, her eyes slowly drifting downward as she opened her mouth just the slightest bit. The moon-razor slipped from between her teeth and stuck into the tree stump. She felt a hot wave of embarrassment rising inside her as she started wondering how her speech had sounded to everyone else. She was just about to leap down from the stump when the noise reached her.
It started small and far away, barely more than a whimper on the wind. As she perked her ears back up she suddenly began hearing more and more. Giggles at first, nervous and reluctant. Then, as more of the crowd found themselves seeing the entertaining nature of her mumbled proclamation, it turned to genuine laughter. Even a few of the hooded mages began to chuckle along, though they kept their enjoyment brief as they moved into position around her.
One of the unicorns joined her on the stump as the others encircled them like an honor guard. "Now this young lady's got the right attitude! So eager to get to in there and fight to protect her home that she won't even let go of her blade long enough to speak!" More laughter came from the crowd as the old mage pressed his opening. He reached down and picked up her razor for her, holding the blade in his teeth as she took the handle once more. As he let go, he whispered to her in a hushed voice. "You did good, kid, now just leave the rest to us."
He looked back over the crowd the laughter died out. "Would that we were all more like her; these invaders would be running scared already if they knew an army with that kind of dedication was heading toward them."
Pinkie couldn't help but notice the mist that was suddenly drifting into the clearing, mist that just happened to be the same subtle shade of blue as the aura surrounding the mages' horns.
"Now then, any of you who feel that this isn't your battle or that it just doesn't concern you, feel free to start marching back to Ponyville. Just understand that there'll be a whole mess of work waiting for you when you get there. After all, our victory celebration ain't going to set itself up!" A bit more laughter came from that, though most of the reaction came in the form of cheers to time. "The rest of you, arm up! We've got a world to protect and a Princess waiting for backup; and its this little pony," he nodded to Pinkie Pie, "that's going to lead us in! Miss Pie, I leave it you to guide these fearsome warriors of ours into the fray. Give those bastards a reason to really regret ever coming to Equestria."
More cheers erupted as the spell set in. No one would be heading off to set up their victory party after all. Reinvigorated and under just the slightest influence of mind-altering magic, the entirety of the ground force began to rush forward. The five Element-bearers led the way, with four of them still attempting to fully grasp what they had just witnessed. In the end, they decided it was probably better not to question it. Over the years they had simply come to accept that strange things always tended to unfold around their energetic pink friend. This was just one more instance to add to the list.
Author's Note
This officially marks the end of my seemingly endless exposition. Everything from here until the final chapter will revolve around the Assault on Everfree and every major and minor bit of action that comes along with such a thing. No more history, backstory, or internal monologues unless they further the story in some way. It's been a pleasure writing this for the past year.... Now let's close it out right.
Rainbow in the Dark (Various Perspectives)
The voice had died out by the time the ruins came into view. The whispers of the old blade faded to nothingness as the trees passed by beneath them; the grey stone spire of the ancient palace standing out like a lone buoy amidst a dark green ocean. The wind rushed beneath her wings; cold, harsh, and sinister. It blew through the forest and set the trees swaying, as wind is wont to do. Yet the sterile scent and empty taste which traveled upon this breeze filled the little pegasus with a sudden fear that she had never known from any other force of nature.
Sudden glimpses of red eyes filled her thoughts as sharp, black tendrils whipped at her subconscious. A twinge of pain rippled through her side as she remembered how easily the little monster had overpowered her. And now there's going to hundreds of the. Thousands! She wanted run, to fly back to her home and hide in her bed; safe from the monstrosities that stalked the shadows and haunted her dreams. She was tired of always being the brave one, always being the first one to charge into bad situations. She could slip away now and let someone else take her place. Someone else could lead the charges. Someone else could have the glory. She just wanted to live.
Without a second thought she reached up, with one fluid motion, slammed herself across the face with her hoof. And just who else would step up to the plate, huh? Those slowpokes behind us? All the good fighting will be over before they ever catch up. The other scouts? Those clowns are only here because I'm in front. If I hadn't stepped up they'd still be cowering back on the ground with the rest of 'em! No, its gotta be me and its gotta be now!
The dull orange glow surrounding her sword faded as she came to a halt, still many yards from the Palace of the Two Sisters. After a moment of waiting the other pegasi arrived, several of them panting loudly as their wings beat away gravity's loving embrace. "Alright, listen up! We've got one shot here. These freaks still don't know we're up here and they have no clue that there's an army heading their way. So here's what we're going to do..."
* * * * *
The journey through the portal was as long and agonizing as she remembered it being, if not more so. Seconds had drawn on for decades as the Abyss begrudgingly released her and comrades. As she stepped forward the ground became far more sturdy beneath the metal-rimmed leather of her boots.
Ancient stone bricks replaced the ethereal nothingness that passed for a floor in the Void, her talons clicking softly against it with each step. She lifted her visor and inhaled deeply, taking in a lungful of the freshest air she had tasted in years. At long last their pilgrimage had come to an end. This world was alive, fertile, and young. Her people would thrive here as they once did in the place they had called home so many centuries before.
She emerged fully from the portal; odd strands of darkness trailing from her shoulders and legs as she stepped into the great throne room of the long-abandoned castle. To her left and right more of her kind were breaking free of the Abyss' grasp; the darkness clinging lightly to their tall, thin frames. The soulflayers had come through first, with the savages close behind them. They were already filing out of the castle by the time she and the rest of her race began entering it. As they gathered in the moon-lit gloom of the old palace the next battalion of barbarians began to come howling out of the portal after them.
Her specie's numbers had dwindled to almost nothing in the wake of their migration. World after world had played host to their, and world after world had forcefully rejected them. Yet even with the savage orange races facing the most casualties each time, it was always her people who suffered most. Swift and deadly in the darkness and far more intelligent than their soft-skinned comrades, they lacked only for the shear muscle and tenacity of those others who made up the backbone of this unfortunate army of theirs. In each and every world they visited the new climate had brought pestilence and disease upon them. The barbarians shrugged off such plagues without much notice, yet they became a death sentence for the susceptible masses of her scaly race.
With such loss marking every stop along their journey, her people had nearly given up hope of finding a land to settle in once more. Yet here was a world so very much like the one they ha lost so long ago that the nostalgia threatened to make the high priestess forget the entire reason they were there. One day we will rest peacefully in this world. One day we will reestablish the cities and kingdoms if our past in this new land. Our people culture will live again... but first this land needs to be properly prepared for us.
More and more soldiers stormed forth out of the swirling vortex of the Void. Their numbers were great and their spirit was unbroken; the majority lived only for the rush of conquest these days, and they could all feel this new world longing for them to begin. Its inhabitants would put up little resistance, if the general's scout was to be believed. If they were weak they would flee, if they were smart they would surrender. The bravest among them might try to die with some form of honor left intact, attempting whatever it was that qualified in this world as "fighting back." Yet they would die just the same.
The thoughts of battle faded from her mind as her little battalion made its way out of the castle's entrance. Beyond the heavy oak doors she was met with the sight of dark autumn night in a dense, foreboding forest. All around them trees grew in such twisted and gnarled shapes that they appeared to be writhing their way right out of the soil. Above, a full moon of such monstrous size and brightness that it made it appear to almost be day shone down upon the massive army of their allies.
The beauty of the scene was overwhelming; all of it was far too much like her old home for to have been a coincidence. "Brothersss, sissstersss. Thisss iss it... We're home..." They all looked up as one, staring lovingly at the moon. At one time in their history, the moon might have been revered as a god or a goddess; the stars around it being its guards and the souls of those who had passed on. Their journey through the Void, in the company of lesser races who craved only war and death, had robbed them of such beliefs. Yet here, under Equestria's newly-risen harvest moon, the old ways seemed to be calling them back.
A wave of orange-skinned Gorrets pushed past them; their leader, scoffing at the awe-struck expressions on the reptiles' faces. "No dawdling, scalies. Keep standing around doing nothing like that and you're like to catch your death... and oh what a loss that would be..." The platoon moved on, a few members chuckling under their breath as they passed.
The high priestess cursed them under her breath; her kinsfolk followed suit. They returned their collective gaze to the heavens, but were surprised to find their eyes met with a far different sight than what had been present only a minute before. While the light of the vast full moon was still visible, its venerable form had disappeared from the sky; hidden from view by a thick layer of clouds. The rest of the night sky soon began to fill with similar obstructions, blackening the beautiful star-lit evening.
"The weather isss... ssstrange here, your grace."
The priestess nodded in agreement. "Indeed. Frontsss move much fassster here than I've ever ssseen. But I'm sssertain that iss what keepsss thesse woodsss sso fertile. It'sss likely nothing out of the ordinary for thi-"
A clap of thunder stopped her thought dead in its tracks. The immensity of the blast seemed to put the entire army on edge for a moment, as scouts and commanders alike quickly began looking around to ensure some massive beast had not wandered into their midst. Their fears were quickly put to rest as a the sky began to light up with a rolling wave of lightening. The entire congregation of strategists and soldiers turned to follow the path of the electrical light show with their eyes. It was only once it crackled out of existence at the end of its arc that they realized what a mistake that had been.
The first scream came from a warrior who was completely unharmed. He had fallen to the ground on sheer panic as something brushed passed him in the darkness. The next came from soldier who had found himself short one arm when the lightening died out; his severed limb lay in a pool of purple blood half a yard away. The third came from a pikeman who, unbeknownst to him, had just narrowly avoided a similar fate. His scream was not for himself, but for the comrade he had just seem get beheaded by what could only be described as a-
"C-C-Colors! Pretty colors!? Pretty Color Demon!!!" He ran back to the main group, gripping his long spear tightly in his shaking hands. He and his partner had been on the outer edge of the vast clearing surrounding the ancient castle. They had abandoned their watch for a split second to watch the wave of lightening roll across the sky. But as their gaze returned to the world around them, something small and heavy knocked them aside. A plethora of colors trailed behind it in a blindingly vibrant typhoon on death. While it had done little more than knock the wind out of the pikeman, his partner had fallen to the ground in two pieces; his head rolling away into the underbrush as the demon's tailwind grew stronger. Following the trail of colors, he could see it change direction and immediately strike the next closest pair of watchmen. When neither of them stood back up, he grabbed his spear and rushed back to the front of the castle; screaming of unholy creatures and fragmented light as he ran.
These claims suddenly became the least of the army's worries, however. As a few of the soldiers attempted to calm down the survivor, a nearby tree exploded with a massive CRACK! Burning sap and fiery splinters rained down upon the congregation as a second tree burst in a similar manner on the opposite end of the clearing. Freezing rain began to fall as a third tree was blasted to pieces, knocking several of the nearby warriors to the ground and pelting their shocked comrades with smoldering branches.
Another clap of thunder shook the ground, rocking the ancient castle to its foundations. Bricks and chunks of thousand-year-old mortar began to fall upon the forces still filing out of the portal, smashing skulls and shoulders as the unexpecting masses escaped the Void. Outside, the assembled army was slowly tightening their ranks as bolts of lightning continued to corral them with, blasting more and more trees to pieces with every passing moment. The wind grew to a low gale, whipping the warriors with chilling sheets of rain; sapping their strength and further demoralizing their spirit.
The foot soldier continued to cower before the sudden change in climate, but the officers stood unimpressed. Whips cracked as sever commanders began forcing their troops back into formation; barking orders as they beat them back in place. The high priestess and her clerics watched from the comfort of there people's invisible barriers as rain washed down its sides. She felt a certain satisfaction as she observed the Gorrets scrambling to reassemble; their commander standing like a grimacing statue as his forces rushed to get back in place before he unleashed his own wrath on them.
"Keep grinnin' and your scaly face is libel to get stuck like that, missy." The commander's deep growling voice seemed to come from a great distance away as he spoke without turning to face her. If he said anything else it was quickly drowned out by another booming clap of thunder. His battalion shook in their boots as the ground quaked under the massive clap. The commander remained still as stone, freezing raining and whipping wind colliding with his intimidating form as he stared skyward. The priestess could not see what he was looking at, but the determination he was putting into his vigil discomforted her far more than it should have.
"Rest assured, Hrwankwin, if I'm smiling its simply because I've not seen a natural thunderstorm in well over a hundred years."
He growled beneath his breath, but did not let his annoyance with her manifest into words. "Rest assured, priestess, this is no natural thunderstorm; and if you really think this storm is mere coincidence you're and even greater fool than I thought... There's something up there, and I intend to bring find out what. ARCHERS!"
The orange-skinned warriors around him dropped their spears, and swords, and axes. They unslung the crossbows from their backs, mounted large, forked bolts between the pre-wound arms, and clasped the cold wet stock in their near-frozen hands.
"TAKE AIM, SKYWARD!"
Fifty archers hefted their bulky crossbows toward the clouds, preparing to take revenge on the bitter cold rain that was so viciously assaulting them. Behind them, the commander unslung both of his massive firearms. Taking one in each arm, he lifted them toward the source of the latest blast of thunder. The four huge black cylinders on each of his weapons quickly grew slick with rain as he leveled them out with the cloud layer.
...They held...
The wind continued to whip around them. The foot soldier shivered as the temperature continued to fall. The rain came down harder and harder, obscuring everything within the clearing.
...Nothing...
The rain intensified further, hammering against the heavy armor of the Gorrets and the clear shields of the high priestess and her acolytes. As the rain grew harder the wind began to let up slightly.
"The heavens weep... Make them bleed..."
The commander's growling voice was barely audible over the drumming of the rain, but the thunder from his shots got the message through all the same. Eight balls of fire and fifty forked bolts flew into the sky. After a few moments, the lightning ceased and the thunder quieted.
* * * * *
Just a few more minutes. They can't be more than a few miles away now...
She looked back I've her shoulder, the dark orange sword floating by her side as she hovered just above the cloud line. Below her a layer of black storm clouds roiled and rumbled as thunder rocked the air and lightning scarred the ground. A dozen more pegasi scouts had arrived as they had been waiting and were now hard at work cooking up one of the most turbulent storms they had ever been allowed to create.
Another burst of thunder echoed throughout the forest, shaking every tree below them as it rolled across the sky. Two of the pegasi rushed to a cloud a few yards away from where Dash was floating and kicked it with their hind legs. As it compressed a stream of lightening belted downward into the center of the enemy's ranks; spreading further chaos on the field below.
She looked back over her shoulder to where a trio of weather ponies were busy attempting to corral some of the black, rumbling clouds back into place. The weather patterns of the Everfree Forest had always seemed to have a mind of their own, but with this many pegasi focusing their efforts on a concentrated spot it hadn't proven too difficult to force them into position. One cloud managed to slip away as they were just about to move on to the next portion of the storm.
"Thunderlane, you got one trying to escape behind you!"
The dark gray pegasus glanced backwards and had just started moving toward the runaway cloud when the sky around them suddenly lit up with an unnatural red glow. All four of them had just enough time to look downward as a group scarlet lights sped upward through the storm, growing rapidly in size as they climbed like a fish preparing to leap from a water at some unsuspecting insects floating above.
But before any of the pegasi could make out what was approaching, a flurry of thick iron barbs filled the sky around them. Thunderlane took a pair of the forked bolts to the wing and plummeted through the cloud layer, screaming. Bluebell attempted to fly after him, but was intercepted by one of the glowing red projectiles as it burst from the clouds. The explosion left nothing but ash and red mist behind as it lit up the night sky. Dewdrop looked on in horror for a moment before she too was skewered by the remaining bolts. Pierced through the neck and skull while another bolt pinned one wing to her side, she fell to the ground below without a sound.
The rest of the pegasi who were scattered about the sky began to panic. They broke away from the clouds, trying to escape the range of the jagged projectiles. Rainbow Dash, however, plunged headlong into the clouds, diving toward the ground with with every ounce of speed she could gather. The distance wasn't great enough for sonic speeds to be an option, but she came about as close as she possibly could all the same.
Thunderlane had managed to survive the fall, having wildly flailed about with both his good and injured wing the whole way down. A thick patch of mulberries broke his fall, leaving him dazed disoriented as the nearest group of monstrosities turned their attention to his position. They began moving in as the storm started to disperse; their minds quickly deciding that catching this potential prey was a more pressing matter than the increasingly-infrequent lightening. It was not until they came within a few feet of him that they realized the extent of their mistake.
* * * * *
The high priestess moved in along with the rest of her congregation. They followed close behind the small battalion of Gorret crossbowmen and their commander, careful to keep just enough distance between them the archers' bloodlust would not put her forces in danger. The commander remained unflinchingly quiet as he walked behind the rest of his men, slowly reloading the two massive multi-barreled cannons he had been using. His concentration was a thing to be admired, as thunder crashed overhead and the last few bolts of lightening the storm could muster struck around them.
"You're sssure it came down in thisss direction?"
He said nothing, his hands moving deftly from one barrel to the next as he opened them and filled them with some strange powder from the bags on his belt.
She intended to press him further on the issue, but it proved to be unnecessary. As they reached the edge of the clearing where the clouds had moved away from, one of her acolytes cried out in terror.
"They're dead! All of them! H-How could..."
His sentiments were echoed by several of the other clerics in their group. The closer they came to the tree-line, the thicker the bodies were piled. Though it gave the priestess and her people reason enough to pause, the Gorrets held no such aversion to the situation. They strode forward, unconcerned by the shallow sea of dead soulflayers and other such parasites.
"Found it!" One of the archers dropped his crossbow and grabbed a large, hooked knife from his belt as he sprinted ahead of the rest of the group. His mouth hung open as he let out a deep roar, all the while charging headlong toward a small brambly patch of foliage on the edge of the clearing. Something was kicking wildly within it, clearly caught in the branches of the bush fighting desperately to get loose.
The Gorret's boots pounded the soil as he charged. The thin exoskeleton of a soulflayer crunched softly as he strode over its decapitated corpse, pushing it deeper into the freshly made mud. He roared louder as he drew closer to his prey, confident that none of the others would be able to catch up in time to steal this kill from him. His mouth continued to hang open in a ferocious snarl even as it left his body.
He hadn't looked back, nor had he looked to his sides. He was too focused on the prey in front of him to have noticed the rest of his battalion stop dead in their tracks. He hadn't bothered to acknowledge the fact that the rain had stopped in that one isolated section of the field. He hadn't cared that the wind had switched direction suddenly while he was running. And he certainly hadn't seen the blur that smoothly seperated his head from the rest of his body as it passed.
The priestess had no idea what she had witnessed, all she knew was that the result of it had meant death for the overexcited bowman. She planted her feet in the mud, stretched her arms skyward, and raised her faith to the heavens in the hopes that her gods would aid her once more in defending her people. Her prayer was answered as the collective barriers which surrounded her acolytes combined into one vast dome of invisible energy. She was confident that it would be more than enough to keep out whatever strange projectile had decapitated the charging Gorret.
The creature in the bushes was crying out in a horrible, terrified whinny; like the screams of some helpless horse or donkey who had found its leg broken. She had heard similar sounds during the first part of their journey, when such beasts of burden were still a viable commodity. The road had been long and harsh, and they had lost many good mounts along the way. Eventually, when her people had finally found themselves at the mouth of the abyss, their steeds had been left behind in favor of that dark, empty path.
The thoughts of the past were driven from her mind quickly and harshly as another Gorret was struck down by a projectile all too similar to the first. The blur of light severed the warrior's legs at the knee, sending him flailing to the ground just as he got close to the mulberry bushes. A bright trail of colors tailed the object as it flew, obscuring the air behind it and marking the its bizarre flightpath. A moment later another warrior fell to an identical object, this one closer to the main group than the first two had been.
The commander was sending his men forward one at a time, and each was being cut down closer and closer to his starting point than the one before him. After five more had fallen the priestess determined without, much uncertainty, that the object was the same each time. It was not some projectile being fired from somewhere in the distance, as she had originally assumed. Each time it slew one of the soldiers it did so with a single, horizontal cut, with a spray of blood trailing for just a split second off one side or the other.
"Ssstudentsss, I require your' sight. Aid me!"
The acolytes surrounded her in a small circle, each one standing with his or her clawed hands folded in front of them as they faced their leader. After a moment the eyes of every acolyte in the circle began to shine with bright white light. A moment later, they all fell to the ground in a daze; blind as if they had no eyes at all. The high priestess' eyes, however, suddenly saw enough to make up for all of them.
As the next Gorret ran toward the place where its injured prey lay kicking and screaming, time began to slow. The priestess looked far to the left of the charging warrior and saw the air itself begin to twist and distort as something plowed through it at an unnatural speed. It took a moment for her to make out what the object was as it hurtled toward the unwitting crossbowman, but finally she was able to see it clearly as it came within a few feet of him.
A pegasus: small, blue, and hornless, but otherwise identical to the ones she had once heard ancient myths and legends speak of. It traveled through the air with such speed and agility that, even with the spell bringing time to a near-standstill in her eyes, the creature still seemed to be moving at an almost ordinary pace. Its wings continued to flap as if time were moving regularly, albeit with an intense outline of displaced air flowing from the tip of each feather. A multicolored stream of fragmented light followed the little creature as it flew, tracing an outline of its entire flight pattern as it moved, likely fueled by some bizarre magic native to this world. Gripped in its clenched teeth was a dark orange sword with a particularly cruel looking curve in its blade; a small river of blood streaming from its edges.
The most troubling part of the entire scene, however, was not the pegasus itself, but rather the increasingly clear mach cone which was forming in front of it as it flew. No living creature should have been able to reach speeds of such ridiculous extremes, even if aided by magic. The priestess had seen failed attempts at such things when she was young, when rebellious young mages would attempt to concoct their own, unrestrained spells. At a certain speed any organic being would fall victim to the limitations of its own body, with most being skinned alive by the wind or suffering catastrophic displacement if internal organs. Yet here was some tiny winged horse doing it as if it were nothing even while carrying a blade that had to weigh almost as much as it did.
She stood awestruck as the little pegasus cut down each of the warriors as they stepped forward. One after another they charged the edge of the forest, and one after another they were sliced to pieces by the deadly streak of color. Yet the Gorrets' commander continued sending them in one at a time. His eyes darted back and forth as he stood just outside the barrier, following the darting pegasus as best he could with his unaided vision. It wasn't until only a half-dozen troops remained that he finally made his move.
His guns fully loaded once more, he released the last six soldiers under his command. They stormed toward the bushes without the slightest sense of self-preservation; each carrying a long, hooked knife in one hand and their empty crossbow in the other. They did not try to spread out or serpentine in the slightest as they plowed on ahead, knowing full well that they were likely just seconds away from death. Watching them run, the commander scanned left and right with his guns cocked and ready. The moment he saw the first sign of the deadly rainbow speeding toward his troops he leveled out the barrels and took aim at the last warrior the multicolored monster would strike.
He waited as the creature cut through the first of his troops, then the second and third less than a fraction of a second later. The forth fell just as he pulled the trigger on both guns. All eight barrels erupted with a blinding burst of crimson fire as he braced his massive arms against the recoil. The thunderclap of the shots rumbled across the entire clearing and through the trees. It silenced the storm and brought the attention of every creature therein to his position.
* * * * *
They're getting desperate! Won't be long now. Any second now Celestia's going to come blazing over the trees and the rest of the army will charge in here to back us up. She watched as the final line of orange warriors broke into an all-out charge. The last six soldiers were running with every last once of speed they could muster, closing in on Thunderlane's hiding place just as he was pulling free of the brambles.
One last pass... then back up above the clouds. The moment he can get into the air again, we're outta here. She sped back, closing in on the first of her targets as it neared the tree-line. It would take less than a second to catch him, and only another second after that to cut through the other five.
Adrenaline rushed through her as she rocketed in front of the first warrior, her blade separating his head from his shoulders as easy as if he were made butter. She tilted slightly as she hit the next one, slicing diagonally through its shoulders and upper torso. Her sword continued to feed fuel her with an enhanced combat rush, filling her with a thrill she had only rarely been able to achieve during her most death-defying stunts in the past. So long as she kept cutting down these invaders in such a way, she was confident the feeling would never fade.
That thrill wasn't quite enough to distract her from the sudden blast of thunder that seemed to rock the very air around her as she cut into the second-to-last warrior. She looked back to the spot where the warriors had been coming from and saw a flash of red accompanying the sound. Time seemed to slow as her sword met its final target; she barely noticed the satisfying SHINK of the blade as it cut through armor, flesh, and bone. Her eyes wee transfixed upon the wall of fire and jagged lead heading her way.
There was no time climb out of the way. No where that she could dive to to avoid it. Rolling to either side would only delay the impact by a fraction of a second or bring it about a fraction of a second sooner. Her sword was halfway through the unfortunate invader when she turned her head away, closing her eyes and bracing herself for a pain unlike any she had ever known.
* * * * *
Thunderlane finally managed to free himself from the mulberry bushes, though had he known it would take so much of his energy to do so he would have gladly remained caught within them instead. Scratched and bruised, he stumbled from the brambles with a profoundly dazed expression on his face. His head was pounding, his vision fading in and out as he stood back up. He had taken some pretty hard falls in the past, but never one quite as violent as that, and never in the middle of a forest. The bush may have broken his landing, but all the branches he had hit on the way down had done little to keep his body in one piece. He wasn't sure he'd be able to walk out of Everfree in this condition, much less fly.
He whipped his head around, almost involuntarily, as a clap of thunder erupted from the somewhere behind him. He turned just in time to see something huge and metallic spinning through the air toward a blazing bolt of color that could only have been Rainbow Dash. Just as it stuck in the ground in front of her, a barrage of bright red lights belted off of its surface. Chunks of burning lead flew left and right as they ricocheted off the massive pillar of green steel.
Rainbow Dash sped onward, climbing into the sky just a some great winged beast descended toward the clearing. For a split second, Thunderlane had hoped that perhaps it was Celestia, arriving with the rest of her army and what hope of victory the might still be carrying with them. But the shape was all wrong, this thing was clearly not of their world. And while Celestia would surly arrive in a glorious blaze of sunlight, this beast seemed to be trailing even more darkness behind it. And to top it all off, it was descending from the wrong direction. While the army would be approaching from his end of the clearing, this creature was coming down from the direction of the castle ruins; from a sky which showed no sign of the morning light he had so hoped would be breaking through by now...
The ground shook as the thunder of thousands of tiny hooves cascaded down the hillside toward the clearing. Their ranks stampeded onward, driven by a renewed hope as the face of a vast harvest moon rose behind them. Their Princess was with them now, and in a few short moments she and her sister would reunite, and their armies would join together to remove the source of the fear which was suddenly spreading throughout all of Equestria.
As the neared the barren clearing where the crumbling remains of the Royal Sisters' castle stood, the scale of the battle raging ahead of them quickly became clear. The edge of the forest had begun to stretch as trees were knocked aside or incinerated by the weapons the invaders had brought with them. Fire flew through the air, explosions rocked the earth, and creatures of every shape and size imaginable swarmed the expanding battlefield.
The open area leading up to the castle was full to bursting as an all-out war unfolded between the monstrosities that were pouring out of the Void and the citizens and soldiers of Equestria who had turned up to help turn them back. The sky was alight with sparks and explosions as the two sides clashed mid-flight. Pegasi with brilliant steel blades mounted to their wings and fore-legs dove this way and that, going blow-for-blow with the winged abominations the invaders had brought with them.
On the ground the earth ponies had formed a living wall using spears and pitchforks to help funnel the weaker monsters into small groups all along the battlefield. These creatures were then picked off en mass by the horde of unicorn mages teleporting in and out of the combat zone. The tactic seemed to be working, until the enemy's heavy infantry began filing out of the castle.
It happened all at once, as a small group of purple-skinned pikemen were exitting through the main door of the Princesses' ancient home. A sudden rumbling from within the palace began to rock the entire clearing. A moment later the front of the old castle exploded outward, showering the field with chunks of fractured stonework and centuries-old mortar. As more sections began to crumble around the new opening, three massive creatures lurched out onto the battlefield. They hunched down as they moved out from under the collapsing ceiling, bricks and stone tumbling down their shoulders onto the ground almost forty feet below. As they lumbered out of the ruins they rose to their full height, rivaling that of the castle itself.
The first made it about three steps (what might have amounted to 30 for any normal-sized creature) before it was struck down. The horizon suddenly brightened as the sun rocketed passed to its climax in the night sky. It froze at its zenith, pulsed brightly, and unleashed a beam of light upon the first giant which tore through its chest and sent it tumbling backwards onto the side of the castle. The air around the blast zone reached an unspeakable temperature for a few seconds, incinerating the few pikemen who had survived the collapse of the entryway.
Only a few seconds were able to pass before the great full moon took its place in front of the sun, casting the clearing back into a seemingly unnatural state of twilight. The other two giants stepped around the body of the first, only to be plowed into the ground as a storm of meteor descended upon them from on high. The stones broke through flesh, bone, earth, and brick; reducing the front of the castle and all of its dark inhabitants to a cloud of dust and debris in more second.
"Perhaps I overdid it, sister?"
"Not at all. I would rather see a thousand of our old homes sacrificed than have these monsters take one more step upon our world."
The pair watched from high above as the rubble began to shift. Before anything could rise from the broken stones of the fallen entryway the rest of the palace began to shake. A muffled explosion rocked the field as walls of the ancient structure began to crumble in on themselves; the entire building slowly caving inward. For a brief moment all of the fighting on the field stopped as the warriors on both sides turned to watch the demolition. For a split second hope filled the hearts of the equine soldiers.
Then, all at once, the stones at the far end of the small lake of rubble began to sink. As they fell away the black outline of the portal came clearly into view. More of the rocks began to fall into the Void as its form expanded further and further, engulfing an entire quarter of what had only moments ago been a magnificent, if slightly run-down, royal palace. When it finally stopped growing its massive dome reached above the treetops and spread wide enough to let a small army through, side-by-side.
No longer would their enemies file out one at a time.
The fighting resumed moments later as one of the pegasi hovering over the field dove down and drove a standard-bearing spearman into the dirt. It took less than a second for the clearing to break back out into full-scale warfare once more; both sides brutally pounding away at each other.
More pegasi dive-bombed important targets along the ground as the unicorns marked them. The earth ponies continued to hold their lines, losing fewer and fewer of brethren as they quickly adjusted to the flow of battle. Spears, spiked shields, and crescent blades clashed against the battle-worn tools of the abyssal army. While the invaders may have had a great deal more experience on their side, the Equestrian militia finally began to gain the upper hand as the Princesses and their forces joined the fight. The presence of the portal seemed to force a few to rethink their decisions to join the battle, but most were too preoccupied with the battle to give it much thought.
More of the enemy forces continued to venture forth from the vast darkness, but their procession had diminished to little more than a trickle. Even the ones who made it through immediately found themselves stumbling over the small sea of rubble left in the wake of the castle's destruction; leaving them helpless as nearby unicorns and pegasi picked them off one by one.
Luna and Celestia watched from high above as their army continued to suppress the invaders. While they actively assisted their soldiers with spells from the sky, they were more concerned with the sudden growth of the portal.
"Sister, I fear it may be starting..."
"Indeed. I'm almost afraid to ask but... do you have a plan for closing it, Luna?"
The Princess of the Night looked down at the great black dome with an expression of great annoyance. "There are several paths we might attempt, but I... I have no way of knowing if any will truly help at this point."
Celestia knew she been giving the matter a great deal of thought over the past week. She had lost sleep over it, forgotten to eat, and disappeared for hours each day; all in the hopes of finding some means to counteract the exact situation which was unfolding below them. The darkness was her sister's domain, yet this particular aspect of it had been nothing but a plague for her since it first surfaced. The portal she had made when they were young had hardly been big enough for one terrified, misguided alicorn to fall through; yet it had taken years to properly seal it back up. She shuddered to think what price would be required to close one of this size.
Down below the fighting continued. Twilight's friends had joined the battle prior to the Princesses' arrival and were busy holding the field now that the full assault had begun. Three of the five were making use of the cursed artifacts that Twilight's monster had gifted them with. Disgust filled the Princess' mind as she watched the two glowing blades it down the invaders one after another. This invasion is as much his fault as it is Twilight's; he should be the one stopping it! Instead he's merely setting the board and letting the pieces do as the will. Give them a few magical weapons and leave them to figure out the rest on their own; the coward...
The flow of troops coming out of the portal had ceased entirely. Down on the ground the two ponies carrying the magic swords continued to cut a visceral path through the enemy lines, fueled by an unnatural bloodlust that none of their kind was ever intended to experience. The other two, the yellow pegasus with the glowing amulet and the white unicorn who had accompanied her, were busy tending to the wounded. While the amulet worked its will in stitching up lacerated flesh and broken bones, the unicorn set about the same task using her own, far more natural magic. For that, at least, Celestia was thankful.
It was as she watched the battle unfold down below that the source of her rage finally came into view. A heavy THUD erupted from the base of the portal as a massive severed arm was flung through from the other side. The giant's body fell through seconds later with a gleaming emerald sword impaled through its skull. A few moments of silence passed as the invaders turned to face the portal; most not even attempting to fend off the spears and blades bearing down on them. As they stared into the darkness a haggard groan echoed through the portal and man cloaked in black and green stumbled backwards through it. He fell to one knee on the Equestrian side of the portal; his breathing heavy and his hands clenched tightly around a pair of short shadowy blades.
The knight attempted to rise, perhaps going for the sword he had left protruding from the back of the giant's head. But as he rose his pursuer emerged from the recesses of the Void; leaping forward and plunging down upon him with a great circular blade of pale blue energy. The knight had just enough time to cross his swords and catch the spinning disk between them; slowing its rotation enough to cause its shape to warp and bend.
He flung his arms outward, sending the wispy saw blade hurtling back into the void. Its weirder spun away as his weapon flew behind him; quickly pulling a pair of small silver devices from a hidden pocket in his cloak. They spun about his pointer fingers at blinding speeds as he let the knight regain his footing. The moment Torrent was standing once more the intruder began to let his finger brush the trigger of the twin pistols each time they rotated. Before long the wanderer was back on one knee, desperately attempting to deflect as many of the fiery blue bolts as he could while attempting to ignore the pain burst within him as more and more slipped past his blades.
The new demon said something to the Twilight's, but the Princess was too far away to hear it. What she could hear was the sudden victorious chanting coming form the invading army all across the battlefield. "Sheol! Sheol! Sheol nrah zreth mah!" The returned to the battle, their morale restored, and continued chanting as they began fighting with a new vigor that had been absent in them prior to the arrival of the new figure.
"This is bad. We mustn't let them gain their confidence back, sister, or we'll have lost our one real advantage.... Sister?" Celestia turned to where the Princess of the Night had been hovering just a moment before and found nothing but empty sky. As she switched her gaze back to field of rubble surrounding the portal she was just barely able to trace Luna's outline plunging through the darkening air as she dove toward the dueling demons.
She could not hope to catch up to Luna in time; deciding instead to ensure that her sister hit her target. Celestia's horn lit up and the sun began to pass beyond the silhouette of the moon. As rose to its new position in the sky, a pulse of radiant white light flashed across the battlefield, blinding all those who were not already under the Princess of the Sun's protection. It illuminated the forest, sending the lesser creatures who had come through the portal skittering into the undergrowth for cover. The warriors charging out of the portal found themselves helpless against the burning wave of sunlight; leaving most weaponless as they emptied their hands in order to better cover their eyes. They were promptly struck down by the militia members moving in around them.
Torrent and the newcomer were both left stunned as their vision slowly returned. For the knight it was a welcome, if mildly inconvenient, repose from the barrage of gunfire. For his opponent, it was nearly a death sentence. His vision finally cleared just in time for him to black mass hurtling toward him from above. There was no time for him to avoid it, no time to react in any way.
Celestia watched as her sister plowed the demon into the rubble of their ancient home. The blow connected with his skull, leaving her amazed that his head had not simply flown off in the process. Instead he was knocked off his feet and smashed headlong into the large stone slab they had been standing on. His guns flew from his hands, sliding off the stone and into the gaps between the ruined chunks of castle. Celestia moved to join her sister, Luna continued stomping on the intruder's face and arms and chest, and Torrent slowly got to his feet. All the while the battle raged around them as the warriors of both sides fought on, almost oblivious to what had just happened.
She was only a few years away when the captain arrived; haggard and out of breath as he charged as hard as he could through the confusion of the battle. Celestia suddenly realized the implication his presence would have and, already regretting the decision, changed course at the last moment. Luna can handle herself, and if not her demon is there to protect her. I'll return the moment this is straightened out. They'll be fine... Her heart mind begged to differ, but her heart had already made its decision on the matter.
She flew to the ground, landing a short distance away from where the hard-worn white unicorn was running. As she touched down amongst the crowd of invaders a shockwave rolled forth from the ground beneath her, sending them to their knees. They remained in that position for a second or two, genuflecting involuntarily before the might of the Solar Princess. Then, all at once, their flesh began to darken as they started to catch fire from within. By the time Shining Armor reached her the group of outworldly warriors had been reduce due to little more than piles of plate-mail and ash.
"Princess! I-I... I did.... I couldn't...." The young Prince's words came in harsh, shuttering bursts in between his long-drawn breaths. Before he could say any more the miniature suit of armor seated upon his back began to translate for him.
"Your Highness," spoke the little dragon from beneath his gray metallic plates, "we know you said not to leave the library, but we didn't know what else to do!"
Her mind was hardly able to process what tiny knight was saying. As he spoke she scanned the battlefield, her eyes drifting left to right with growing concern. She had assumed that the presence of Twilight's guardians meant that her little student had become well enough to join the fight. Yet no matter where she looked the clearing was conspicuously devoid of the purple unicorn or her unique brand of magic. "Spike... Where is she?"
"P-Princess? I don't... I don't know how to..."
Her eyes fell to the panting Prince and his diminutive rider. "Where is Twilight?"
"That just it. We thought she'd be here! I don't know how else to say it, she SAID she would be here! Shining got us here as fast as he could, but it still shouldn't have been nearly fast enough for us to have beaten here to the battle!"
They were supposed to watch her, to protect her! They've abandoned her. They ignored your orders, betrayed your trust... Betrayed you! She could feel the tendrils of rage taking hold of her senses. Throughout the entirety of the battle her mind had been elsewhere; with Twilight.
She could have done so much more to change the course of their struggle against these invaders, yet she had been too preoccupied with the fear that something may have been happening to Twilight while she was so far away. Now that that fear seemed to be confirmed, the reality of the carnage unfolding around her suddenly came into focus. All at once, her mind was drawn to the shear scale of what was happening. They want the world... All of Equestria. All of MY world. "Where, exactly, did she go?"
This time it was the Prince who answered, having caught some of his breath and regained a bit of his composure. "The mirror. She said she had to get here, fast. That you needed her, that she had to be here when the fighting started."
The little armor-bound dragon broke in. "So she tried teleporting... It was this spell we had been practicing, something Torrent was teaching her. But she never actually tried it with anything bigger than a otter plant! She cast before we could stop her and it... well, it sort of... It didn't teleport her the way it did the plants, but sent her through the mirror. Not dragging her in, just sort of using it... Like a door."
"We were sure she'd be here when we arrived but... Princess, you haven't seen ANY sing of her yet?"
She would have liked to have told him she had. Perhaps she could have at least acknowledged his question; given him some answer, or even told him she was not sure. But there was no time. By then the anger growing within her had reached its boiling point. Any more words left in her were going to manifest as questions or demands, not answers.
Before the pair could say another word, she turned away from them. Her wings unfolded with a SNAP as galloped away form them; the field of heat following her as she burned through several more lines of foot soldiers before she took off. Her mind was a raging torrent of emotions, yet all that showed on upon her face was a mask of absolute hatred as she propelled herself forward.
Her thoughts spun as the new information the two guardians had brought to her expanded within her mind. She could barely comprehend the words as they all began to run together in her head. Yet one factor the little dragon had brought up stuck in her mind and spurred her onward as she picked up speed. "This spell we had been practicing, something that Torrent had been teaching her." "...Something Torrent had been teaching her..." "...Torrent had been teaching her..."
The demon and his opponent were just beginning to get back to their feet, one attempting to regain his sight while the other desperately warded off the iron-clad blows being delivered by the hooves of the Princess of the Moon. Neither one took note of the sizable living meteor that was hurtling toward them from across the battlefield. Neither one had time to avoid it as she bared down upon their position. Luna, if you know what's good for you, you'll move...
Prequal to a Prologue (optional)
The Abyss... A desolate, empty, endless void that can maintain neither life nor death. Perpetual darkness covers its every inch, blanketing ground, covering the sky, and distorting everything in between. There are no mountains, no hills, no valleys, no inclines or declines of any kind. No obstructions exist within the limitless confines of this pitch black prison. It simply stretches on and on, in every direction, endlessly. A flat, timeless, tenebrous path that leads to no where... and everywhere.
The Abyss is the shadow that exists in between every world that ever has been and ever will be. It separates them, ensuring that no two worlds ever intersect completely. But it also links them, acting as a highway for those who know the secrets to traversing its empty expanse. There are always those who will take great risks to make their own lives easier, as well as those who will take such risks simply to test themselves. Some travel these dark walkways in search of power, while others walk it in the hopes of stopping them. Many, if not most, who find themselves within its endless depths are not there of their own free will. Those who do not know exactly how cross this unlimited void may be lost within it for eternity, falling through what the skilled would use as solid ground, they may wander endlessly through the shadows, unable to escape and unable to die.
The Abyss, the Void, Purgatory, all names for a single location outside of time and space. Nothing can live there, yet that has never stopped those who seek worlds outside their own from utilizing it as a way to gain the knowledge, power, or wealth that one life cannot provide them with. And it is one such man, one pilgrim in this realm of shadows and emptiness, whose journey we will be following here. We will not know his name, his age, or anything of his past with certainty, as it is unlikely that even he knows those things himself. All that matters is that his story be recorded here, and that it entertain you, my dear reader... if only for a moment.
Come Dawn or Darkness
His name has been lost within the vast nothingness that is the Abyss. It happened during his very first journey into that realm; a harrowing tale of adventure and sacrifice, with a touch of romance thrown in for good measure... Unfortunately that is not the tale that you have stumbled upon today. Suffice to say it did not have a happy ending.
His journey concluded with a tremendous fall through the pitch black fog of that realm, a fall which lasted for centuries, though outside of the confines of time there would be little way of knowing that. During his time plummeting through an endless pit of unlight, insanity sank in. His memories began to fade, the darkness claiming every trace of his old life. It took everything he knew of himself when he had still been a normal man from what we might consider a somewhat more hopeful picture of what the Earth could have been before the bombs began to fall. His childhood, his family, even his name, all stripped away as he fell through nothingness and into nothingness.
It was not until the madness had successfully ravaged his mind for well over four hundred years that he finally came to understand the true nature of the empty world he had been cast into. And with that understanding came the knowledge of how to stop his imprisonment within it. His fall came to a graceful halt, his boots touching down on what was now ground as solid as the floor beneath you this very moment. Without hesitation he took a step forward, and it was then that his journey truly began. The black mists swirled around his legs as he walked, his destination unclear and uncertain. After an indeterminable amount of time, he reached that very destination completely by accident, as he was pulled from the void into a world which mirrored his own almost to the letter.
The world he entered was full of humans, men and women who recognized him as one of their own. But it was a world that had taken a different path toward its future, one where mankind's most powerful nations had dedicated themselves to the study of the arcane rather than pursuing scientific supremacy. The greatest sorcerers of this world had managed to pluck him from the Abyss during an attempt to summon forth one of the dark beasts that they were convinced resided within it. Its safe to say that conjuring a human who resonated with the very aura of the void was the last thing they had expected.
They refered to him as a beacon of harnessable energy, a veritable torrent of abyssal power. The phrase stuck in his mind, and so he chose to keep it, in an attempt to fill the one of the holes in his mind left by his centuries of falling. He named himself Torrent of the Abyss, and though the wizards who had now claimed him as their own scoffed at such a pretentious claim, none would attempt to find him a more appropriate one.
He remained in their world for a time, learning all that he could of magic from them as the wizards secretly siphoned the energies of the Abyss from his very being. When he felt that he had gained all the knowledge he could from their plane of existence he attempted to enter the shadows once more, but they would not allow it. Man-kind, in any form, craves power above all else and Torrent had proven to be a seemingly limitless spring of arcane resources. The mages who had welcomed him so openly had intended for him to remain their honored guest forever, but faced with the threat of having the living battery walk away, they chose to make him their prisoner instead. This proved to be... foolish, on their part.
Torrent had resided in the void for too long to be able to exist in a single world for long. He had become a denizen of the Abyss, and it did not easily give up its residents. And so it was that, while being pursued by the citizens of his temporary home, Torrent was reclaimed by the darkness, the Abyss piercing the mages' world in order to drag him back. All those caught within the shadowy maelstrom which sucked him in suffered the same fate that he had once before: a timeless fall through the paths of the void.
It was after his experience with the mages that he began actively seeking new worlds to explore. He limited himself to only spending a few years in any given location, having been pulled forcefully back to the Abyss after just one decade in that first realm. He saw wondrous places and learned a great deal about himself and the nature of the universe. Specifically, he learned that his mere presence was enough to amplify the natural traits and abilities of those around him, as well as the supernatural ones, should they possess any. This, in turn, taught him that no matter where he travelled to, someone would always wish to harness his power for themselves. The Abyss became his only safe haven as more and more worlds furthered his distrust in sentient beings. Until he eventually learned that, even there, he was not safe from grasping hands.
During his journey through the darkness his unending sense of loneliness was occasionally interrupted by by an overwhelming sensation of all primal fear. Yet nothing ever presented itself as a threat to him as he walked between worlds. It was not until he made his return from a disheveled, broken world whose apocalypse had come and gone long before, that he came face to face with one of his stalkers. The creatures who call the Abyss their home are really little more than poor souls who have lost themselves in their journeys from one world to the next. Still, that does little to alleviate the fact that the majority of such creatures actively hunt those who wander the void, devouring them in the hopes of regaining some semblance of the sane mind they abandoned during their own travels. It also does not make these twisted abominations of what were once intelligent beings any less horrible to behold.
The creature that had hunted Torrent in this particular instance was a near indescribable coagulation of oily black tentacles, protruding from three gaping maws on that opened and closed on different parts of its body. The mouths shifted to different points on its body each time they closed, giving it the illusion of having thousands of jaws, with only three ever being open at a single time. It moved slowly, inching forward on a mass of what were once dozens of human legs. This creature seemed to be made of the combined corpses of over thirty different people, all collected together and broken down into some misshapened monstrosity. The tentacles had human hands protruding from them, grasping at the air in front of the creature. Its legs twitched and folded as it slowly rolled toward its prey. It was a thing to be pitied as much as to be feared. Yet all Torrent could do as it approached was slowly back away in horror.
The creature increased its own speed, approaching the traveler with its dozens of arms outstretched from its mouths which opened and closed constantly. Torrent was unable to run from it, nearly frozen by a growing sense of hopelessness that threatened to freeze him in place entirely. He continued to back away, but now the hunter was approaching faster than he was retreating; it would be upon him in a matter of moments. Finally realizing what was at stake, he began using whatever spells and incantations he could call to mind to slow the creature down. Most of his attempts failed to delay the beast, barely hindering its advance in the slightest. A few spells hit their mark and made the creature flinch away before continuing forward after a few seconds. These he proceeded to hurl at the dark mass of limbs and flesh over and over again until he realized that their affect of his pursuer was diminishing with each successful hit.
He knew he could out run it if he were to turn and flee, to simply sprint off and not stop until he found another world to hide in; but he feared that, should he show some sign of competence by exploiting this advantage, the creature hunting him would simply rush toward him while his back was turned. He feared it would simply into some unforeseeable source of speed that it would not bother wasting unless its prey were truly about to escape. So he continued hitting it with everything he had learned in his travels, suddenly wishing that he had trained his body as well as his mind during his journey. One good swing from a sharp or heavy object would sever those tentacles and blunt weapon could easily flatten the fleshy mound that housed the beasts innards. Yet he was unarmed, ill-prepared, and caught thoroughly off-guard when it had appeared.
It was in that moment that he first glimpsed another of his own kind within that shadowy realm; two of them, in fact. The pair stepped out from behind him, as if they had been waiting patiently for this moment for hours. They were clad in strange flowing robes, pale grey and fitted with bits of black metal that shifted colors as they walked. Black, then grey, then pale red to white, the bits of armor bolted to the robes constantly changing with each step. One carried a long, twisted sword, the other had a massive axe propped upon his shoulder. Both stepped into the path of the monstrosity that had been hunting Torrent, causing it to reevaluate its prey and determine if these newcomers were worth the effort of a fight. Before it even got the chance to come to a complete stop the pair were upon it, blades flashing in the darkness as they drove into the fleshy mound that rose before them.
Torrent decided that he had either given the idea of a sword too much credit, or this monster not enough. While he had assumed that he would have been able to cleave it apart in few swings of a normal steel blade, it took over a dozen swings from both of the massive weapons the hunters carried in order to bring the beast down. As the final blow was struck the blades of both the sword and axe began to glow with a sickly green aura. They turned to face the grateful wanderer, the pile of decapitated skin and bone twitching slightly as as the weapons were removed from it. They approach the one they just rescued, imploring as to the nature of his journey in the Abyss, but he has little to say of it. As they converse, the weapons they carried disappear into the shadows, reclaimed by the void that forged them.
They spoke for a long while in that place, with many questions being asked by both parties, yet few ever being answered. In the end, Torrent learned that they were knights of some distant world, a world which had been all but erased from existence, engulfed by the Abyss itself. Now they act as guardians and hunters, gathering the souls of the beasts that hunt weaker travelers, though they went into no details on what the souls were used for. Torrent thought it better not to ask, and instead implored them to take him them when they returned to their world. This they did, hesitantly enough, after he assured them that he possessed knowledge that their people would find useful; knowledge he had obtained during his time with the mages.
Their journey took years, but in the timelessness of the void it was little more than a casual walk to the world that his rescuers had come from. No fatigue plagued them as they walked, nor did any other creatures waylay them on their journey. The hunters arrived as the sun rose within their own world, the traveler close behind them. It was in that world that he would spend the next chapter of his life.
The knights and scholars who protected this world did not provide him with a particularly warm welcome. Suspicion and distrust were all that that poor, mistreated world had to offer for outsiders. Yet over time, the wanderer proved that he could be useful to them; providing the scholars and old masters with the knowledge he had gathered throughout his long travels. He taught the spells and rituals he had learned to those who knew the ways of magic. He even entertained the masses with tales of the worlds he had briefly called his home. And eventually, he was taught the ways of the abyssal knights whose order had saved him so many years before.
During his stay in that dying world, Torrent learned to better understand his own powers. He still had no control over the influence he had over the natural abilities of those around him. That would forever remain something he would struggle to comprehend, involuntarily enhancing the talents of those within his proximity, friend and foe alike. He was gifted with a sword, made of the same strange metal that all the warriors of this world used. As he slowly began to master it, however, he quickly became aware that his grasp understanding of magic and the arcane was slipping away the more skilled he became with the large, clumsy weapon. He eventually settled stopped learning new techniques from the masters-at-arms, in favor of maintaining his own knowledge of the mystic arts.
This world had finally accepted him, finally given him a place where he felt he belonged, felt he could be safe and happy. It was a place that, given the choice, he never would have left. Yet all good things must come to an end in time, and not always the sort of end that one may wish for. In the case of this dying world, the end came in the form of loud, earth-shattering CRACK as the final remnants of its existence gave way, and the shattered remains of what was once a beautiful plane of existence fell head-long into the Abyss. Thousands were lost in the fall, sent hurtling into the darkness without the knowledge of how to escape its lifeless embrace. The few hundred whom had learned the secrets to traversing the everlasting shadows did all in their power to save tho they could find. Some allowed themselves to be swallowed up so that they might reach loved ones who had fallen through the void. Many left to track down those who had clung to fragments of their old world. In the end, the order of knights and hunters, the defenders of those lost in the dark expanse, dispersed, vowing to continue their work, even without a home to return to. They would continue to safe-guard travelers and guide the lost souls who found themselves hurtling through that nightmarish plane. And Torrent, having taken the same oaths and vows as the rest of the Order, followed suit.
Centuries passed. Worlds formed, thrived, recessed, and fell. Countless beings fell victim to the void's cruel snare. Many were rescued, many were not. Yet still he wandered on, not knowing where he was going, slowly forgetting where he had come from. The path before him stretched on like a dream, wavering on the brink of reality with each step he took. He stopped to rest in many different worlds, learning what he could from each and sometimes providing them with knowledge of his own.
Of the numerous souls he had saved from falling through the Abyss' dark reaches, several chose to travel with him. These he taught the vows and lessons he had himself had taken, effectively growing the Order, as he was certain the other knights were doing as well. Most whom he rescued begged to be brought back to their own worlds, and he did his best to fulfill that wish. During this part of his journey, he found that it was often easy to trace someone back to the world they had fallen in from, though he also learned that it was nearly impossible for one to trace that path for themselves; a second party always had to be present, another living soul who could see the strands that connected a person to their home.
Those who chose to join the Order eventually set out on their own, often without the security of true weapons or armor, and never equipped with anything as magnificent as the blades the knights Torrent had once trained with had used. The beings that he rescued from the cold clutch of the Abyss generally wished to thank him for their safe return in some way. As such, he found himself taking rest in many strange and wonderful worlds, exploring and learning from each realm that he brought any lost beings back to.
It was during this time, when safe-guarding those lost in the void was his only purpose in life, that our story takes place. Yes, at long last, this annotated history is at an end, and the real story can begin. And it shall begin right where we started originally: traversing the dark and deceiving path that is the void between worlds.
CMC Exposition Interrupters
The festivities were fully underway as the group walked to the staging grounds in town square. Twilight had been hesitant as to just how they should enter, hoping that the presence of her newest companion would not cause too much of a scene. Fortunately, her initial fears, the ones revolving around mass panic breaking out at the sight of her instructor, were completely unfounded. Instead, some of the crowds merely stared and whispered to each other before going back to what they were doing before spotting that bizarre sight.
She soon found out that this had been Pinkie's doing. Her overly excited friend had apparently spread the word to every citizen she had come in contact with over the last week that Twilight had befriended some weird monster and was bringing him to the festival. What Twilight had assumed was a secret only she, her friends, and the Princesses were aware of was in fact common knowledge throughout all of Ponyville.
Thankfully, the older citizens kept their curiosity to simple stares. Some of the younger festival-goers, however, were not satisfied merely observing at a distance. Three anxious-looking little fillies came running around a corner as the group approached the center of town, hoping to get closer glimpse of the strange creature Twilight had brought, and nearly ended up running headlong into Applejack and Rainbow Dash. The Cutie Mark Crusaders came to a screeching halt only inches away from the group, falling to the ground as they stopped.
"And just what in the hay are you three up to?" Applejack addressed all three of them, but was staring directly at Apple Bloom when she said it.
"Oh, uh, sorry sis. We were, um, we were just looking for, uh-"
"Looking for you guys!" Scootaloo moved in front of her, blocking her from Applejack's glare. "And, well... here you are! So I guess we're all set here, right girls? Let's head back to the festival."
"But I thought we were going to get a closer look at the monster!" Sweetie Bell looked thoroughly confused by the entire chain of events, and was clearly disappointed that they had to leave with their curiosity unsatiated.
Rainbow Dash seemed amused by this response, but Twilight clearly didn't find it funny. "If you mean Torrent, I can assure you he's not a monster. He's just not a pony; he's from a very far-away place, one where everyone looks like he does. If anything, you and I probably seem like monsters to him. So trust me, there's nothing scary to see here."
Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Spike continued on toward the center of town, clearly uninterested in the Crusaders latest bit of mischief. "Don't go too hard on them Twilight," Spike said as he walked past. "Its an easy mistake to make. Anyway, catch up with us when your done, Rarity says she needs to find us all a spot before the good ones are taken."
She let them go, there was little point in doing anything else. "Yeah, you guys go on ahead, we'll meet you there in a minute." As she finished speaking she felt cold metallic cloth brush against her. Her teacher had made his way up from the back of their little group in complete silence, now standing beside her as if he had been the the whole time.
He peered down at the Crusaders from beneath his hood; his long cloak wrapping itself about his body, seemingly of their own accord. "Miss Sparkle is correct, I'm afraid. There's not much to me that would be able to strike fear into anyone's heart. So sorry to disappoint you girls."
The three simply stared up at him, trying to make sense of what it was that they were looking at. Sweetie Bell was the first to speak up, still disappointed by the lack of terror in the air. "So you really aren't monster? Hmph! You guys said we were going to see something scary." She looked at Apple Bloom for a response, but it was Scootaloo who replied first.
"Well, I was just going with what others were saying. Apple Bloom, you told me he was going to be something scary!" Now they were both staring her down.
"Well, I-I didn't know! I was just going' on what Pinkie Pie told me!" This time it was Twilight whose eyes narrowed into a glare, only pointed at Pinkie rather than Apple Bloom. Pinkie merely shrugged and did her best to look as innocent and uninvolved in the situation as possible.
"Well, again, I am very sorry to disappoint you three. Believe me, if I were a monster, I'd be more than happy to try scaring you out of your wits... But, alas, I'm just a harmless, unintimidating, totally-not-a-monster man from a very far away place, like Twilight said..." He began to walk toward the back of the group again, but turned back to look at them one last time. As he did, his eyes began to glow dark red, immediately grabbing the Crusaders' attention. Pinkie stepped away and Rainbow Dash took to the air, both making room for what they knew was about to happen.
A second later, the sky darkened as a sudden gust of wind brought a black cloud over their heads. Lightning crackled down from it as the creature standing before them suddenly sprouted great, bat-like wings. Another flash of lightning, and two pairs of horns suddenly appeared on his head, piercing through his hood. One pair curved out and around his face, while the other pair extended up from the top of his head, their pointed tips nearly touching above his hood. He took one lurching step forward and spread his cloak out around him, revealing long, sharp talons where his hands should have been. Two voices came from the creature beneath the hood, distorted slightly as they fell in and out of synchronization. "Nothing. To be. Afraid. Of... No. Certainly... Not...."
As he took another step forward, placing himself directly behind Twilight, a sudden burst of laughter broke forth from the cloud, ruining the entire mood. "HAHAYou-You should see the looks on your faces right now! Their, hahaha, their priceless HAHAHA!" Rainbow Dash gave the cloud one last good kick, releasing a final flash of lightning. In that blinding burst of lit, Torrent's illusion faded into a haze of black mist around his head, back, and hands, all of which were now their proper size and shape once more. Rainbow Dash pushed the cloud back where she had found it, once more revealing the rise of a bright, nearly-full moon which lit up the evening sky as if it were still day time.
"So was that scary enough for you three?" Twilight had a look of sincere contentment on her face; Rainbow and Pinkie's face were too distorted by their efforts to hold back more laughter to tell what they were feeling. "Will you be able to go and enjoy the festival now without having to try sneaking peaks at my our guest through the entire night?" Her words were serious, but soft. She had only had the evening's best intentions at heart after all.
The three fillies were still huddled together, staring wide-eyed at Torrent's non-glowing eyes underneath his untorn hood. "Nothing to be afraid of at all. Just a little trick I picked up in my travels. We thought you might enjoy a good scare, given the season and all... Was it a bit too much?" his voice was back to normal and a sense of genuine concern hung in his words.
The the continued to stare up at him, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo vaguely nodding their heads at the question. Finally, Sweetie Bell spoke up for the three of them. "Eh, it could have been scarier." The other two switched their gaze to her and simply stared. "...What? I thought he'd be a lot bigger than that. Pinkie SAID he was some kind of monster, I just figured he'd be giant."
They left the Crusaders sitting there with their thoughts and continued on their way toward the festival, Rainbow Dash still laughing to herself as they walked. They came within view of the crowd a moment later; a gathering of nearly everyone in town, all taking their places around a series of long tables. At the head of those was a large wooden dais, below which a line of citizens were making their way up to be graced by the Princesses presence and welcome them to the little town. Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Spike had already had already claimed a line of spots toward the front of one table. They were greeted by another small sea of stares and whispers as they approached the dais. Twilight shrugged it off calmly enough, but inside she was less than confident that this had been a good idea after all.
Amongst Shadows: Part 2 (Torrent)
Oh oh oh, hehehe. One went through, and now come three! Three come through, but one comes back. The Void will claim its little snack!
I said ENOUGH! One of you, silence him before I do it myself!
The voice finally shrank away to a mere whisper in the back of his mind, barely audible above the roar of the gateway around them. Nearly a hundred years had passed, yet they had made almost no progress at all. He looked over his shoulder briefly to catch a glimpse of the room full of ponies they had left behind. The five stood still as statues, the barriers of time holding them in place on their side of the mirror. Yet only a few feet away, the wanderer, his student and the princess had been struggling for the better part if a century to reach the dark realm beyond.
They had tried to speak at first, but their words were drowned out by the screams of the Abyss. They gave up on that and continued their journey in silence until their minds finally snapped under the strain of timelessness. They ran as long as they could, yet each time they looked back the mirror was just as close as it had been before.
Its an illusion, nothing more. We've been through this a thousand times, it is no different now... Yet the knowledge made it no easier to cope with their inevitable lack of progress.
The shadows would eagerly claim the unprepared, swallowing them up in a matter of seconds. But when one entered the Void willingly, with their mind and body guarded against its allure, that dark plane would do everything in its power to break the intruder's will. The three travelers continued on with their bodies undeterred, but with their minds raged a myriad of wars which that ended their very sanity.
Voices, images, doubts and despair all flooded their thoughts as the years crept along. He could never know what his two companions experienced during that time, but the terrors washing over his own mind more than made up for it.
It will pass. It always passes. Once we are through it will be as if this entire journey took no more than a few seconds... The faces of his fallen comrades flashed passed again, each one more gruesomely detailed than the last, flying faster and faster each time they appeared Mesqa Lam Ench Aeh, let it end soon!
It did not. Twenty more years passed before the Abyss finally gave in, accepting that it would not be able to claim these three for itself. And so the doorway fell behind them, and the vast emptiness of the Void rushed forward to greet them head on.
Their minds cleared, the entire experience fading to nothingness as they crossed into the unending darkness. Just another typical crossing. They had all experienced it before, and would all experience it again. Torrent stepped through first, his boots finding support upon the empty shadows that made up the floor.
Yet it was not an empty world of darkness which waited for him as he emerged from the doorway; their luck was no so good as that. There was a split second where the scene surrounding him made no sense to his mind at all. Then, all at once, they were upon him; arms flailing, wings flapping, and blades streaking toward his arms and legs and face.
Two he stopped with his sword as it materialized in his right hand, the third he caught with his left his hand shifted into a claw. The beasts wielding the blades were the same simple-minded brutes who had overwhelmed him the first time, though now only three chose to strike at him at once. He knocked two away with a sweep of the large emerald sword, pulling the third in close with his clawed left hand. His cloak took care of the rest, relieving the creature of its sword and then devouring before devouring the mindless beast in its folds.
One of the streamer-like appendages which split from the cloak constricted itself around the hilt of its meal's sword. As the wanderer moved toward the other two beasts, the cloth tendril whipped out from behind him like the tail of a scorpion, burying the sword into the first creature chest before it could regain its footing. As its blood escaped, its concentration slipped. The Void seized the opportunity to claim another soul for its own. A second after the blade was yanked free, the beast found itself falling through the shadowy ground it had been standing upon.
The third met a similar end, with the wanderer's bright green sword imaging him through the stomach as he tried to attack again. The knight pulled the blade free of its target, bringing the beast's soul with it. Its empty shell of a body fell through the veiled ground a moment later.
This is too easy... Where are the rest of them? There was an entire army here last time... Where is whatever was causing those cracks?
Are you truly so blind as to not see what is going on here, boy? They baited you in here so that you wouldn't be on the other side when they broke through! They've found some other way in, we need to get back now!
The old hag is right;our prey has made a fool of us, we must find them and make them pay for this insult, brother!
Quiet, you! I need to think... This isn't now this was supposed to work... They must have know we would be drawn by the growing of the cracks. If they found another way in it will still take them some time to move the entire army through their new doorway. We have no way of knowing where this other portal of their's opens on to, they could end up anywhere in Equestria. If we find them on this side we will have a better chance of stopping them.
Oh please... There's only one place they're going to go, and you know it. Do you really think they would enter that world and pass up an attack upon your precious little Ponyville? Think about it. If they found another portal, it would have to be one that w opened before now... Since we used the newest doorway, the one your little student made, who would have made the next most recent one?
There was no denying the logic in that, try as he did. The last thing he had wanted was to drag Luna into all this, but she had made it clear early on that she had no intention of allowing sitting idly by while the threat of the Void hung over her world. As such, his focus had shifted from protecting the princess herself, to simply keeping the reasons for her involvement a secret from those around her. A simple task by comparison, yet now he found himself facing the fact that he was about to be forced to fail at that task, as well.
Beyond Celestia and Luna herself, there were few who had known the details of the rise and fall of Nightmare Moon. Over the years rumors and legends had worked their way into the knowledge of the general public. In the end, this had been for the best. If no one knew the truth, who would be tempted to duplicate her actions?
His thoughts were cut short as his two companions appeared behind him, the bridge they had crossed from Equestria to this dark realm beginning to fade as they exited the gateway. Twilight immediately took notice of the extra sword gripped in one of the tails of his cloak. "How many were there? Where's the army that you to,d us about? You couldn't have fought them all off already."
"No... There were only three of them. Some sort of oafish beasts, poorly armed and armored, untrained judging by the way they struck..." That much was true at least. They were clearly not trained in any true combat style, yesterday their attacks had come perfectly in sync. They had seemed weak to him, but that could simply have been because he was back in his own element now, the power of the Abyss revitalizing him once more, filling him with its strength.They had either fought beside one another for years, perfecting that type of attack or, more likely... something paws controlling them... Working them like a bunch of puppets all on the same strings.
His suspicions took hold of his mind, his body moving involuntarily to adapt to the situation. "Both of you get behind me, now. I don't think we're quite done here..." His cloak formed back together into a single piece of metallic cloth, the stolen sword dropping from one of the trailing ends as it melded back together. Twilight caught it mid-fall, the hilt of the weapon glowing with a deep purple aura as she brought it back to float beside her.
A second later the cloak had shifted into a pair of ragged black wings, florescent green veins glowing beneath their leathery surface. The green swirls along his hood began to glow with a similar light, as did those along the gauntlet on his right hand. His left remained in its claw form, hard and black and seething with the foul energies of that dark void between worlds.
He spread his wings wide apart, fanning them out to make himself seem larger than he was. They concealed the student and the princess from view, making him appear alone to any eyes too distracted to see though the cheap illusion. "I don't think any of them saw you yet. If we're lucky, they'll think I came through alone again."
"Don't think who saw us? There's no one out there. Just more darkness..."
You're not wrong about that last bit... The darkness surrounded them with a thick veil, one not easily pierced by normal eyes. But he could still smell the beast in the air, their scent trails blazing orange and red against the blackness of the Void. Thousands of them, all heading off in one direction. A few other groups had moved that way as well, only to double back and surround the area that they knew Twilight's portal must have let out in. They're still here, but they're not going to strike until the three that were standing guard fail to report back.
Suddenly a new scent presented itself, gold in color when he finally spotted its source. "Their leader is still here, along with at least a hundred or so soldiers. Its sent most of its army toward a different portal, the one you opened, Luna. I need you to go back and warn the others. Get any defenders that are fast enough and race to wherever that portal is on Equestria's side. It will be in the exact, location you stood when you performed the ritual. I trust you remember where that is?"
"We do, yes. But we are not about to leave thee and Twilight Sparkle to face a hundred of these creatures alone. If they truly mean to reopen our portal they will pay for their intrusion dearly. The forest defends what belongs to it, and does not welcome outsiders warmly..."
He wanted to make her understand, to make her see that he still wished to protect her. Yet in the end he knew no argument would sway her mind, and telling her flat-out that he was doing this for her own safety would only make her angry. You protected her more than enough the last time you two met. She knows what is best for herself.
She doesn't though! And its not just her I'm worried about. If anything happens to her here that world of hers may never recover.
Her sister is more than capable of carrying on without her, you know that as well as we do. Besides, nothing is going to happen to her. She's far more powerful than you give her credit for. Were this battle in her world you would be taking order from her right now.
But it isn't! She needs to get back to that world before they break through.
You worry so much about this princess you forget your own student! What of her, you really think this little witch of your will be more useful here than the living embodiment of the moon god?
Arggh... For the last time, she not a god! That's not how it works in their world. She shepherd the moon, yes, but she no more a god than you or I am. If she's mortally wounded in here the Void isn't going to think twice about sucking her down through the darkness and making a puppet out of her! The moment her will breaks she's just another target for its corruption. Twilight has my life to draw off of, so long as that manacle is on her leg. Luna though, I have no way to save her if something happens; she needs to go!
She is not a child any longer, Torrent! Oh you helped her once, yes, but that was long ago. She's clearly grown since then and is more than capable of defending herself... You never have been able to let go. Its high time you learned from the past. You can't save everyone... and risks need to be taken for results to be attained... Or did my death teach you nothing?
...Master, I-
A sudden burst of laughter in the distance cut off his thought. "Its starting," he whispered, "if your going to stay then remain behind me. I have an idea... Just be ready to make the first strike, Luna. Twilight, I want you right by my side through this, understand?"
"Got it."
That was all the time they had to talk. A pair of large humanoid creatures lumbered toward them, their hands encased in great iron balls, effectively turning their very arms into massive clubs. Smaller soldiers, identical to the three guards he had slaughtered closed after them, forming a wall behind the two vanguard. They were each about five feet tall, each covered in mismatched scraps of metal armor that may have once been iron or steel before the twisting air of the Void had worked its way into it.
Their skin was orange beneath it, both the giants and the foot soldiers; both sizes apparently being of the same general species. Large, sagging jaws protruding from beneath identical half-helms. Their top jaws were little more than a slab of bone, while their lower jaw was so heavily laden with large, gnashing teeth that the weight of it prevented them from closing their mouths for more than a few seconds at a time. Grey bone spikes protruded from every joint on their body between their shoulders and their knees, forcing them to wear armor which awkwardly fit around them.
Each of the smaller fighters carried a single weapon, most a sword or club. The knight found no signs of sheathes or holsters on their armor, leaving him to assume that they simply carried their weapons everywhere they went. They were primitive warriors, to say the least. Still, the fact that he had never encountered their race before troubled him extensively. They're no natives of the Void, that much is for sure... So why are they here?
The answer, unfortunately, came only moments later as the wall of bodies parted to make way for their leader, the golden scent trail that the wanderer had picked up only a minute earlier. Her voice split the silence like a serpent's hiss, not entirely alien to his ears, yet still more than enough to curdle his blood as he stood before his Equestrian companions.
"So you have arrived at last! Good, good! I trust by now you realize the folly of that course of action?" She moved forward, slithering along on a lower body resembling a great snake's tail. From the waist up she was more human-like, though the likeness was little more than a coincidence. This race he had come across in the past, briefly though it had been. A displaced people, driven into the Abyss by the constant expansion of their world's version of mankind. When he had encountered them, their entire population was returning to said world to reclaim their native land... with the help of some abyssal new allies.
This one was only slightly different in appearance than the millions who had fought him off during that encounter. Where her comrades had been shades of green and red and brown, her scales were a pale white color. Her eyes were black slits upon orbs of emerald red. Golden hair fell down her back from the gap between her massive helm and the plated armor which was augmented to her upper body. More plates covered her tail, lobstered and interlocking slabs of green steel which fit together like puzzle pieces when her muscles contracted. The effect essentially turned her into a suit of impregnable living armor.
Theres only one... What is she doing here? Her people have their world back, did she get left behind?
Its possible. It may simply be that this one enjoys conquest. You remember the strength of their army as it marched through our barricade. We didn't even slow them down. Her kind are naturally-born warriors. Be grateful she's the only one.
Right... Still though, something's not right here. We watched millions of the smash through our defenses and not one of them had that coloring to them. I wonder if she's simply an outcast... One who found some followers in whatever world she ended up in-
Ohhohoho, I know this one! Yes I do, hehehehe! "Her lips are red, Her looks are free, Her locks are yellow as gold! Her skin is white as leprosy! The NIGHTMARE LIFE-IN-DEATH is she! Who thicks man's blood with cold! Hehehehehehehehhe...
I told you to keep him quiet! One of you, silence him this instant! I can't focus with his incessant-
TORRENT, PAY ATTENTION!
The bolt ripped through the upper section of his right wing, a good two inches above where Twilight's head was currently hidden. The pain was intense, but faded after a few seconds as the cloak repaired itself.
"Tsk tsk tsk... I'm sorry, was I boring you?" She reloaded the crossbow mounted to her left arm, an ornate instrument which seemed as though it might snap apart at any moment. Still, if it had enough power behind it to puncture his wings, it would have no trouble cutting through flesh and breaking bone. "I do hope that woke you up. What thoughts were you so engrossed in that you couldn't return my greeting? I gave you my name, where I come from its common curtesy for you to give me your's in turn... Or were you busy trying to remember it? Thats it isn't it; you're so overwhelmed by the situation that you cant even remember your own name? Its alright, I understand."
She raised her arm once more, this time lining it up more carefully. "Perhaps this will help you remember it!" The bolt flew toward his chest this time, spinning and whistling as it tore through the air.
The wanderer released his grip on his sword and smacked the projectile away with his gauntleted right hand. Sparks flew from the metal dart as it deflected off to his left, the green veins running through the gauntlet blazing with florecent light for a split second as the bolt turned off the metal glove.
Now's as good a time as any, boy... Strike some fear into them, then press the attack. Time to put that voice of yours to work.
"...You said we made a mistake in coming here?"
"Oh ho! So you can speak! Well, I'm glad to see you heard some of what I said, at least. It would have been such a shame if all of my precious words had gone to waste just now... And yes, a mistake. I'm certain by now you understand whats happened here? Even now my army is launching an assault upon your pathetic little world through a second gateway. One which has apparently been laying dormant and locked for centuries."
"You lured me here so I wouldn't be present for when your army broke ground... But you don't really believe that I'm this world's only guardian, do you?"
"The only one of any consequence. Why? What terrors would you have me believe await my army on the other side? Trees? Flowers? Rainbows? Or perhaps you think the world's native rulers will rise up against us. Pathetic, pacifistic, grass-eating creatures devoid of weapons or claws, or fangs."
Her words struck hard, leaving him feeling like he'd just had the wind knocked out of him.
How does she.... Damn, we must have missed one! One of the soulflayers must have reported back to her.
You can still save this. After all, she still thinks you are here alone.
That was all it took. The seed was planted, the rest of the plan wrote itself from there. He regained his composure, settling his breath back to a slow, even pace. He laced his voice with another coat of venom, allowing each word to seethe from his lips like a death sentence.
"So you do know them then? Excellent, that will make explaining this all the easier. One of your little soulflayer scouts reported back to you no doubt."
"Hmhmhm... Perhaps they did. Perhaps they did."
"Then surely it explained to you what it witnessed when it crept into town that night. And as such, you must surly know what horrors are ACTUALLY awaiting your forces on the other side of that gateway."
The dark green mask of her large, horned helmet betrayed no emotions of the face beneath it, but the wanderer hoped that his words had caused her to frown behind that steely faceplate.
"She saw a gathering of the creatures who inhabit that world of yours, the colorful little herbivores. She even managed to get a taste of one before you arrived. She said it was delicious, I can't wait to find out for myself!" She laughed, the sound reverberating beneath the heavy metal headpiece.
"Haha, yes... I'm sure you can't. However, I'd advise you to have another little chat with this scout of yours. Because if she failed to inform you of just what that 'gathering' she observed was, there is a serious lack of discipline that you may want to address."
She stopped laughing for a moment. "...She said it was a... a party? No that wasn't it... A feast! It was a feast! A feast with not a single piece of meat present. If such a pathetic offering can even be called a feast. Hahaha..."
He couldn't help but smile at that. "Why, I believe you just hit the nail on the head with that assessment actually, for it was just that: a feast... and an offering."
She simply laughed harder at that. "Oh yes, such a glorious offering it must have been too! Tell me, what sort of creature were they making said offering to? Some giant livestock god?" A few of her soldiers joined in her laughter this time; stiff, choking guffaws which escaped each of them simultaneously. Puppets on a string indeed...
"Now, you see, that's where I think you are missing the real joke. The food wasn't the offering at all... You asked what sort of creature they were offering to? One who has a taste for neither meat nor grass. One far more ancient than you or I or any living being in that world. One who came straight out of this dark abyss we are having our little talk in right now."
He snapped the fingers of his right hand, the metal of the gauntlet emulating the sound as if he had done so barehanded. His sword began to fade, drawing the eyes of many of the guards around the Barren. "You see, thousands of years ago, another portal just happened to have been opened into the Void from this world." He adjusted his gauntlet, shifting it from side to side and flexing his fingers until he seemed satisfied with the results. "And before they knew what they had done... Something came through."
He pulled back his hood for a moment and ran his fingers through his hair from front to back, straightening out the grey mess before replacing his hood again. "The ponies immediately began to revere her as a god, a dark being of unparalleled power. They asked what they could do to please her and she told them... In no uncertain terms...
"So after many generations it became tradition to make an offering to her, once every year. All the ponies celebrate during the night before, holding a great feast to glorify life and all the good things in the world... Because the following night will be the last that many of them will know. The food was not the offering... but the souls of those enjoying it was."
She scoffed at that. "Ha, you really expect me to believe that some primitive denizen of the Void worked its way into that world and is being revered as a god by these spineless creatures? Impossible."
"Oh I beg to disagree. True it took a great deal of sacrifices, but then you would no doubt have noticed that there is no shortage of life in this world. As for the spinelessness of the ponies living under her rule? Well, lets just say they have become her 'favorites' among the species inhabiting that world and, as such, she often showers them with her favor. And now, not only have you succeeded in ruining the holiday dedicated to commemorating her glory, but you have gone so far as to actually attack, kill, and, according to your own confession just now, devour one of her little favorites..."
The shadows behind him began to shift, changing from the typical black of the Void to a bluish mist that trailed out from the darkness in small, pale streams as if caught on some unknown wind.
"If I had to guess, I'd wager your troops have broken through to the other side by now, and are finding out first hand what happens to those who damage our goddess' possessions. The suffering they will endure at the hands of our Dark Queen's servants will be spoken of in stories and songs for centuries to come. Who knows, if the torturers really take their time with the work, some of their victims may even still be alive when their agony becomes the stuff of legend."
She chewed on that bit of information for a moment, going over everything he had just said. Her soldiers stood impatiently by, eagerly awaiting the moment that they would be set loose upon the lone ambassador.
"Torturers you say..."
"The best this world has to offer. I trained several of them myself, so that they would be able to make use of abyssal forms of... tickling. Hahahaha....ahhh... They will make such sweet music from your soldiers' screams." He offered her an assuring smile. She returned a cold glare through the eyeholes in her mask.
"This goddess of yours is a coward. If she has such strength as you claim, why have her minions meet my forces as they cross over? Why not simply do the job herself? Is she just going to hide in whatever pitiful palace she has made for herself? Just wait it all out while her subordinates do all of h-"
A growl echoed forth from all around them, the Void twisting the sound and sending it back from every direction until it sounded as though a hurricane had descended upon their little parley. "...Are you truly so blind? So narrow-minded? ...Very well, let me spell it out of you. Of course she would love to greet your little army when they arrive, but in truth it wasn't them that ruined her festival. They didn't choose to march all the way here on their own, did they? They were just taking orders form someone else... Now, who could that possibly have been?"
The smoke billowed out around him, blue and pale as it drifted toward the forces standing at the ready before them. "Oh, that's right... It was you, wasn't it?" His grin widened as he folded his wings back up. A wall of blue fog burst forth from behind him, concealing him and Twilight from view. A split second later something dark and devilish tore free from the smoke and shot up into the air, fog trailing behind it briefly as it left the confines of the smoke screen. The Barren's head jerked upward as her eyes followed the flying creature, causing every present member of her army to do the same.
The shape disappeared into the darkness of the Abyss as the knight's voice carried on through fog. "What fun would there be in crushing the mindless puppets of one's enemy, when their leader sat back and waited like the coward she was at the back of her army?"
A scream escaped as one of the soldiers in the rear ranks vanished into the black void below them.
"And so my Lady sent me to seek you out."
Another scream as two more were dragged off by some the shadow, two more warriors from the back lines.
"To alert her to your position."
A shriek of agony as a figure in a shroud of blue-black smoke planted her hooves into the spines of two more unwary soldiers.
"To draw you out of whatever corner of the Void you were cowering in."
A warrior only a few feet to the left of the general was suddenly hoisted into the air, dragged into the impenetrable shadows of the sky, and dropped upon several of his comrades a few meters from where he had been standing.
"And to stall you... until she could make her entrance into the Abyss herself."
The general was about to take a step forward, about to draw her blades, about to curse the wanderer and tell him that he and his goddess were the cowards here. All of it was about to happen, when she suddenly noticed a tendril of blue fog running down her shoulder.
"We assume thou now understands the mistakes of thine actions?" The whisper came from directly behind her, barely audible over the wanderer's laughter. The general turned, her hands still on the hilts of her matched dueling blades, yet she could not remove them from their sheathes.
No one was behind her, no goddess, no shrouded figure, even the fog was gone. Yet when she looked at her shoulder there was still a small stream of blue smoke trailing down it and onto her armor. Suddenly she realized her mistake. She craned her neck upwards, her slitted eyes searching the sky frantically. And there, directly above her, with her ethereal mane and tail trailing behind her and her great black wings silently beating the air beneath them, hovered the Queen of Darkness.
"Good, thou does understand... AND IS NO DOUBT PREPARED TO ACCEPT THINE PUNISHMENT!" Her voice boomed like thunder as she dove toward the Barren. Her wings beat the air mercilessly as she picked up speed, finally folding to her sides as she reached the focal point of her dive. Her eyes aglow with pale blue flames, her razor-sharp teeth gleaming like knives as she rocketed toward her foe.
For a brief second true fear flashed in the eyes of the serpentine warrior as she stared the supposed Dark Queen in the face. But at the last second her arm shot up and the crossbow released one of its dire needles at the approaching Nightmare.
She spun, narrowly avoiding the projectile, and collided with the general a fraction of a second later. It broke the Barren's concentration and left her unable to maintain her footing on the Void floor, allowing Luna to drag her through the misty ground with ease, the sheer speed of her descent driving them downward as she locked her front legs around the snake-creature chest. They plunged into the darkness, leaving the battalion leaderless as the blue fog continued to spread.
In the blink of an eye the tables turned. There were more than a hundred of the creatures present, all armed with their single weapon of choice. The moment Nightmare Moon had driven her opponent through the shadows a glowing green bolt brought down the general's nearest soldier. A few others rushed to examine their fallen comrade. One reached out to take the creature's axe, just as the body erupted into a pillar of emerald flames which engulfed them and several other nearby warriors in its spinning mass.
One of the giants roared and made to plunge into the smoke, but his right arm suddenly took on a ghostly purple glow as it swung full force at the second behemoth. The iron ball that covered its fist smashed the second beast dead in the face with a sickening CRACK, leaving it flailing as it fell backwards. Through a truly tenacious show of strength, the creature recovered, only to then attempt to take his vengeance on the first brute.
With the chaos caused by the brawling giants and the tower of spinning green fire distracting many of the simpleminded warriors, several did not even notice as their weapons sprang to life and began hacking, impaling, and bludgeoning their wielder's. The blades, hilts, and handles of each weapon glowed with that same violet aura as they struck out at more and more of the beasts. Bodies began to fall through the tenebrous floor of the Void, unable to die but with no strength left to remain conscious.
Nightmare Moon and the Barren warrior resurfaced for a brief second as the Princess drove her prey back up through the shadowy ground and into the air, one of her front hooves buried deep into the serpent's plated stomach. While unable to break the armor, the force of her strikes were clearly knocking the wind out of her foe, making its impossible for the general to escape as she was viciously propelled through the air.
The soldiers on the ground finally seemed to awaken from their stupor, many of them suddenly charging headlong toward the smoke with weapons raised, roaring cacophonously as they did. A large green sword came whirling out of the mist, dragging a few blue plumes of smoke behind it as it sailed through the air. The blade cut through at least five oncoming warriors before it disappeared, only to reappear seconds later as the wanderer leapt form the smoke with it in his hand once more.
As he dashed forward Twilight sent a barrage of purple bolts hurtling toward the mass of bodies charging at them. They impacted on the armor of most of her targets, only a few stray blasts missing entirely. Two combatants lost a limb each to the hostile magic; an arm and a leg, respectively. Others were driven back a few steps from the force of the blast, but proceeded otherwise undeterred.
"Try something a bit more substantial, Twilight," the wanderer shouted as he spun into a group of four club-wielding brutes. Two lost their heads, another was cut in half horizontally, and the forth had a chunk of his face removed as the spiked cross-guard caught him in the cheekbone.
He had just enough time to watch as his student abandoned her idea of shooting at the beasts and instead began hurling the bodies of their own comrades at them instead. Excellent. No lack of critical thinking skills, even in the heat of battle.
Indeed. Perhaps there is hope for you as a teacher after all... Though it seems to me that this particular student could have done just fine on her own had you not come along. Try taking on a somewhat less gifted student next time and we'll see how differently things turn out...
A club cracked him over the head, sending the wanderer staggering for a moments before he whipped around and eviscerated the attacker with his clawed left hand. You stupid boy, you didn't even try to stop that one! What's gotten into you?!
I thought maybe a good concussion might finally shut you all up... But it looks like some part of that plan didn't quite work out.
Te battle dragged on for at least another half an hour, Twilight and Torrent slowly fighting their way through the oncoming mass of enemies like it was nothing. Without their general controlling them directly the creatures fought in an ugly, ineffective fashion; arms flailing wildly as they attempted use their fists and weapons equally. Their movements were wild and unpredictable, but ultimately too clumsy to prove to be much of a threat. Without their formerly vast numbers there was little to fear from them.
Finally, as their forces were beginning to dwindle down to nothing, the beasts began to get more daring with their attacks. It was at this point, when victory seemed all but certain, that Twilight noticed a pair of warriors rushing up behind her instructor as he fought off a group of spearmen. The two held metal clubs, both emblazoned with bright green symbols and florescent veins like the wanderer's armor.
Torrent never saw them coming, never heard their approach. The spearmen had formed a semicircle around him, each warrior alternating between jabbing at the knight's body and stabbing at his limbs when he attempted to retaliate. He never would have had any idea that the two others were right behind him.
Just as they neared they neared their target Twilight made her move. Both were bringing their clubs up to a striking position when a roar broke out from below them. A they stopped and looked down, the wanderer and the spearmen following suit. A moment later a massive cylinder of purple and black flames erupted from beneath their feet, encasing the entire group in its shadowy form.
The knight shielded his eyes with his left arm, not entirely certain what had happened. What new devilry is this? The flames encompassed them all, licking at the spearmen as they scrambled about in their panic. Suddenly the walls of fire began to close in, the spiraling inferno growing tighter and tighter. One of the warriors was busy jabbing his spear into the flames when he backed up into the blade of the wanderer's sword. The knight gave it a twist, ripping the soul from the poor creature's body and letting the husk fall through the ground. He turned to another who had forgotten him in the confusion; he planted a kick square in the monster's back, sending it falling head-first into the flames.
Thats when he noticed the colors, finally understanding what happening. Twilight! "Twilight," he called out, grinning with pride at the mastery his new student was demonstrating, "if you can hear me out there, close it up a few more feet!"
The walls suddenly grew closer. The flames, while warm to the touch, seemed content with simply passing over him with a light flicker. He reached out and found that he could pass through unharmed. He walked through the fiery wall as the pillar collapsed in on itself, the flames devouring the remaining soldiers as they screamed and scrambled.
He emerged smiling. "Twilight, that was fantastic! When did you learn to con-"
As the last of the flames drifted out of his vision, he saw his student finishing the spell. Her eyes were shut, her teeth were clenched, and her horn was glowing faintly as she began to cut off the flow of magic. However, her immense concentration on the spell had left her blind and deaf to the world around her, so she hadn't noticed when one of the behemoths had come up behind her.
The creature was at least three times Torrent's size, bulky and riddled with unyielding muscle mass. The living siege weapon had strode up behind Twilight easily enough, his footfalls muffled by the ghostly floor of the abyss. By the time the wanderer had made it out of the flames it was too late, though that did not stop him from unfolding his wings and launching himself toward the beast, an arsenal of shadowy blades orbiting around him as he tore through the air toward his student.
Twilight had just enough time to open her eyes before the massive iron ball reached her. Looked at Torrent with an expression of utter confusion as he flew headlong toward her. What have I done?!
Not enough... Hahhahahhahahhaa....
He was still at least two yards away by then. All he could do was watch.
Author's Note
Before anyone says it, NO, that's not what I'm saying actually happened to Luna/Nightmare Moon in this story. Torrent was making up a story to buy some time for Luna to change forms. This was drawing on the idea that he is a captivating story teller and was able to use that skill to divert what could have been a desperate combat situation. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!
