Chasing Curses

The environment around me morphed and changed. I was now sitting in a carriage. The same carriage that had crashed outside the city. In the carriage was the stallion who possessed the ring originally and Tine, Brim Stone's daughter. Once I realized what was happing I tuned into their conversation.

"Ms. Stone I realize that you have a fascination with magic, really I do, but this is not something to be trifled with. This item is capable of mass destruction if it made its way into the wrong hoofs."

She spoke. This was was the first time I ever heard her say anything at all.

"Prospecter, with all due respect I understand the magical complexities of this item very well. Why do you think I funded the expedition near appleloosa? For fun perhaps?"

"N-no ma'am, I'm just wanted to give a warnin-"

A loud explosion interrupted the conversation, Tine levitated the small wooden slate down at the front of the carriage to speak with the pegasi at the front. I couldn't hear what she said over the violent shaking of the carriage, from what I could see however she was preparing for impact. She magicked up a green barrier around herself and left the stallion to his fate.

The scene changed, I was in the wrecked carriage. Tine was conscious unlike when I found her. She pulled herself out from under a pile of broken wood while she did that I noticed she was decorated with small cuts and bruises but nothing life-threatening.

Once she was free she peeked her head out of the side door. As soon as she did a ray lighting streaked past her hitting a tree with a resounding crack. She ducked back into the carriage and started frantically searching through one of her bags. With a sigh of relief, she pulled out a small emerald necklace that was decorated with a few small teal stones.

"I did not think I would have to use this so soon."

She started charging some sort of spell and as she did I heard something. Something she, at the time, must not have heard. The sound of something approaching, whatever was attacking her had gotten significantly closer. She finished casting her spell and peeked out again from the carriage.

Though this time the black lightning struck her and broke her newly placed magic barrier. At this moment I turned to look at where the lightning was coming from. Through the wind and snow, I saw a shadow with glowing eyes.

Before the shadow could make another daring attack Tine levitated the necklace onto her neck. The shadow cast something, it's hard to describe due to the weather condition, but whatever it was it connected with Tine. It caused her to fall inside the carriage.

I looked at Tine, she had no obvious injuries but she was unconscious. I glanced through the side door to see the shadow approaching or attempting too. It was being pushed back by an invisible force when it got to a specific distance. It struggled for some time, it kept pushing and being repelled in return by an invisible barrier.

I looked down at the unconscious pony and saw the necklace around her neck pulsing when the shadow got to close. I reached down with one of my shadowy appendages. I guess that's what the vision was trying to get me to do because once I did the vision changed to the church from the previous vision.

(A picture to paint the image a bit better, also it's night time so imagine it with more torchlight then sunlight. I do not own this artwork. This picture was posted on Polycount by TheRealFroman.)

The wood and stone cathedral from before had grown exponentially. Tapestries of the sun were laid among many of the walls that seemed to stay bright even when in the shadows and statues of ponies lined the walls. I was standing in the aisle as I had been before only this time the aisle was much larger and was fashioned with a thin red carpet.

Near the altar was Paleblood reading quietly from a thick brown book with a pair of small spectacles that were similar to Brim Stones. He looked very much the same but there were a few gray hairs in his mane.

The cathedral was silent, there were no ponies or scurrying priests, not even a mouse. The large iron door lit by candlelight creaked open which disrupted the tranquility. Paleblood looked up from his book upon hearing the door. It looked to be one of the stallions that Paleblood had healed in the previous vision, the stallion looked worried and out of breath.

"Father! Father!"

The stallion rushed down the aisle his robe swishing every which way. Once he arrived at the alter he talked in a hoarse tone.

"One of the sol cardinals was cursed while fighting off a lunar ambush. I come to you, father, in hopes you may save his life!"

Paleblood glanced up at the stained glass above the altar. It was in the shape of the sun, the moonlight behind it made orange colors dance on the alter. He looked back at the stallion.

"Show me."

His words were filled with a strong conviction and instilled a sense of ease. He stepped off the altar with a grace that didn't match his large frame. He walked with the stallion as they gracefully maneuvered through the maze of corridors and rooms. Many of the candles in these dark hallways showing their fleeting shadows.

They arrived at a room and entered. The room was filled with small chatter which stopped once the two of them entered the room. Said room was very similar to the Stone servant quarters. This situation is giving me deja vu, have I done this before? My thinking is starting to get hazy, it feels like that the longer that I'm all shadowy the harder it is to think straight.

Paleblood walked up to the pony and stared down at the pony. The pony in question was an earth pony equipped with heavy armor with large sun emblazoned pauldrons.

Paleblood started casting a spell and as he did a force of some kind was drawing me towards him. I resisted as much as I could but the mysterious force eventually won. Once I was close enough I was forcefully shifted into Paleblood's perspective.

Dark orange colored magic had gathered at his horn. He released the magic which came out as a sort of orange ball of twisting magic. Paleblood lowered the ball onto the earth pony, whatever the magic did it healed the magic. He finished casting the spell and I was rocketed out of his body and out of the vision.

I blinked and I was back in my body. Oh thank god, I was getting scared there. Like if I stayed like that any sooner I'd be washed away. I looked down to see a green magic ball spinning furiously over Tine. The magic ball, as it spun, was sucking up some sort of black liquid from Tine's body.

Once I noticed there was no more black stuff I realized I had no idea how to dispel magic. Do I just throw it? I saw a small bucket and underhand tossed the magic, still spinning, magic ball into it. That shit exploded into a bunch of black sludge. None of the crap hit anybody but damn was it big, it'd suck to have to clean that up.

I looked over at Brim Stone to see him slack-jawed. His spectacles were slowly falling off.

"Uh...Mr. Stone?"

"P-p-p-p-purification magic! D-do you understand what you just did!"

"Purification magic, If I had to guess."

"T-that magic was only used by the upper echelon of the solar church, h-how did yo-"

His barrage of questions was interrupted by a sudden newcomer.

"Father when people are sleeping it's better not to lecture them on the occul-"

She leaned up from the bed her mane flopping down in front of one eye. She looked exhausted but better than before. She glanced at me.

"Oh, hello."

Author's Note

I cannot stress enough that I don't own that image.

Also, I know there might be a question about established curse lore. So let's just say it will be discussed more in the next chapter.

Thanks for reading!

If you see any errors please tell me.

I hope you have a good day! 👌