The Golden Trail

Starlight let out a contented sigh, basking in the peaceful silence of Twilight's castle. While she found it daunting at first, the massive crystal halls and rooms slowly shifted from a cold monument of power into place of peace. Especially when she found one of the castle's four titanic libraries. Cut off from the noise of the outside world, she sat in her favorite oak seat at a round dark green crystal table. On it was an open romance novel that Rarity recommended for her a few weeks ago. A bemused smile sat on her muzzle as she read, the whole story about as corny and predictable to her as could be. Next to the corny book was a now half-empty glass of lemonade.

She let out a small chuckle at a particularly lame scene before she floated the glass to her lips for a sip, the light hint of lemon and honey tickling her nose. Setting the glass back onto the table, she leaned back in her seat, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. After everything that had happened the last few days, this moment of normalcy was exactly what she needed. Unfortunately, even now, her mind couldn't help drifting towards a certain immortal earth pony.

While she didn't think very highly of how she was before her reformation, the agony Gold was forced to go through was something she wouldn't wish on even her worst enemies. The fact that she was stable in any way could only be considered a miracle. She could only imagine how she would've turned out if the Apples and Gaia hadn't taken her in. The few brief possible outcomes that came to mind put a deep chill down her spine.

Thank the Maker they found her, she thought, opening her eyes and leaning forward with a tired breath.

Before her thoughts could wander further, a mostly familiar set of voices broke the silence. It wasn't hard for her to place Twilight's and Spike's voices, but the irritated male one was a complete mystery. Curious, she slid out of her chair and headed for the door. Once she made it into the hall beyond, she followed the voices further into the castle. At first, she couldn't make out what was being said, but that slowly started to change. By the time she made it to the map room, what was being said came in clear as a bell.

"-and they said she was going to be moving in today!" she heard Spike cheer.

Twilight giggled at that while their guest let out an amused snort.

"She sounds like a nice filly," the stallion intoned, a tiny hint of mirth making it past his stoic tone. "Maybe she can give you a reason not to serve the Princess all of the time."

"I'm not that bad," Twilight squawked.

Starlight could almost feel the eye-roll the mystery stallion gave her, forcing a small giggle out of her.

"Princess, hire servants or give the boy less work and clean up after yourself. I am more than certain that will make it easer for the filly to become a sister-in-law further down the line."

"WHAT?!" Twilight and Spike squawked.

"I-I-I-It isn't like that!" Spike sputtered.

".....I mean.....well.....," Twilight mumbled, a veil of contemplation shimmering in her tone. "...That aside, maybe I should give him more time off."

"Wait...really?"

"Starting right now," the stallion stated, tone thick with finality.

"Now?!" Spike stammered out. "B-B-But, what about the chores?"

"You said she was moving in today, correct?" the stallion asked, his tone softening slightly and regaining its slight playful lilt.

"Y-Yeah," he gulped. "Lyra said she was going to be moving in today."

"Considering her...condition, I could only imagine how intimidating it would be to come to such a new location," the stallion continued. "She will need somepony trustworthy to make that easier for her."

"He's right," Twilight added, a small smile audible in her tone. "And don't worry about the chores. I'll take care of it for today."

"Are you sure?" he cautiously pressed.

"Absolutely," she giggled.

"I will keep an eye on the Princess," the stallion added playfully.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, a bit of edge entering her tone.

"Just that there is thorough by my standards and their is your definition of the word," he primly replied.

"Really Spider?" she flatly replied.

Spike burst out laughing at that, then merrily said, "Right. I guess I don't need to worry if Spider's keeping an eye on you."

"Hey!" she squawked, earning a chuckle and full laugh from the two males in the room.

"Well, I'll be heading out then," Spike announced. "I should be back before the sun sets."

"Have fun," Twilight giggled.

"Good luck, Lord Spike," the stallion, Spider, merrily intoned.

Starlight quickly stepped back from the door when she heard Spike's footsteps closing in on her. She had just enough time to get out of the way of the door as it flew open. Spike bolted past her too fast for her to greet him on his way back towards the castle's front door.

After taking a moment to watch the eager drake take his leave, she turned her head back towards the two ponies beyond the now open door. While Twilight aimed an exasperated frown at him, the presumed Spider met it with a look full of disinterest. The fact he could show that even with a pair of thick black sunglasses hiding his eyes made it even more impressive to her.

What instantly caught Starlight's attention was the fact that Spider was a Cheshire, not a detracting fact as far as she was concerned, but a novelty all the same. That didn't extend to the aura the stallion gave off. While faint, she could feel an eery energy coming off of him, like a freezing mildly toxic mist that continued to hang around him.

Shoving that to the back of her mind, Starlight cleared her throat to get their attention as she made her way into the room.

"Starlight!" Twilight cheered, meeting her halfway and pulling her into a hug.

Starlight returned the greeting, giggling in spite of Spider's cold stare.

"Welcome back," Starlight smiled, gently pulling out of the hug. "I guess this means you took care of things in Canterlot."

"In...a way," she sighed, a tired frown weighing down her muzzle.

"Princess?" Spider cut in, a warning hint coloring his tone.

"It's fine, Spider," she frowned. "Starlight is a good friend and my personal student. If we're able to handle this, then she should be able to, too."

"Right," Starlight frowned, eyes narrowing at the stallion. "Who is this guy, exactly?"

"Right," Twilight sighed. "Starlight, this is Spiderweb. He's Princess Luna's personal aid and the head of the Dark Magic Department of the Elite Guard."

"The Dark Magic Department?" she gulped. "Don't they-"

"Kill darkness with darkness, yes," he cut in with a subtle nod, no fear or shame in his features.

"Right...." she nodded, taking a step back from him. "Why is he here, exactly?"

"Officially?" he snorted. "To waste time with the Princess."

"Spider," Twilight sighed.

"Am I wrong?" he demanded.

"Well..."

"Anyway," Starlight cut in. "Why are you spending time with a dark mage? What the hay was going on in Canterlot?!"

"Right," Twilight sighed. "You need to know what's going on."

As she said that, she made her way towards her seat at the map. Taking a hint, she borrowed Rarity's seat while Spider stood at attention at Twilight's left. After taking a moment to gather her thoughts, Twilight somberly began her report.

"The day before I left, a dangerous unicorn noblemare named Moonstone Dagger escaped from the castle dungeons. Prior to her arrest, it was revealed that she and her family were responsible for countless cases of torture and murder. As such, she, along with everypony involved, were sentenced to life in the dungeons with no chance for release. When she escaped, she did so using an unknown dark blood ritual to summon an extremely powerful demon. She is also responsible for the deaths of...several orphaned foals and their caretakers."

Twilight started to faintly tremble by that point, a fact that did not go unnoticed by Spider.

"The demon in question was using their souls as a power source," he cut in. "This was made apparent when my brothers and I attempted to exterminate her. The demon was once a noblestallion named Bloodstone, a stallion that was far more depraved than Moonstone could ever hope to be. It appears that after his execution, he made a deal with the Taker for power. I believe that some part of that deal may be connected to the ritual needed to summon him, but that is mere speculation at this time."

"I see," Starlight gulped, barely held composure owning her features.

On the inside, she was screaming.

Not only was the pony responsible for Gold's suffering running loose, said pony now had a demon working for her. Over a dozen different spells ran through her mind, each meant to either protect Gold or gut Moonstone, respectively. The fact that Moonstone was even willing to kill foals made her start to become even more creative in the ways she wanted to destroy the madmare.

"I take it she's really hard to track," she added.

Both nodded, frustration dominating their features.

"One of the apparent perks of summoning Bloodstone is that he makes his summoner difficult to track," Spider seethed. "Both by magical or mundane means. The only reason I was able to track her the first time was because Bloodstone wasn't aware they were being hunted in the first place."

"So, then, what? You don't have any leads at all?" Starlight demanded.

"Not exactly," Twilight sighed. "Both of us noticed that Moonstone has a pony of interest."

Starlight let out a relieved sigh.

Well, that's something, at least.

"And that is?"

"A unicorn mare named Gold Vine," Spider stated.

The second Gold's name left his mouth, every cell in Starlight's body turned into ice. A look of pure dread very briefly flickered across her face before she reeled her features in.

"I see," she forced out, a small frown hiding her worry. "Any idea what their connection might be?"

"Considering the history between their family's, it is possible that she is a personal target for her," Spider stated. "It is also possible that they have a temporary alliance, considering Gold's more recent actions."

"What did she do?" Starlight pressed.

A deep frown graced Twilight's muzzle before she answered.

"She tried to kill Sunset, her marefriend, and tried to convince Discord to help her plot a coup against Princess Celestia."

Starlight had already heard this from Gold, but knew better than to show that in front of Spider. Faking a look of shock, she took a moment to organize her thoughts before she gestured for them to continue. Forcing down her anger, Twilight took a deep breath and did just that.

"Regardless of her actions, the fact that Moonstone is in some way interested in Gold Vine gives us a way to track her."

"How?" Starlight asked, more dread settling into her core.

"Live bait," Spider coldly stated.

"I see," Starlight gulped. "I guess that means you two know where she is?"

The bitter sighs they let out was all the answer she needed.

Oh thank the Maker, she thought, some of her fears falling away.

"For whatever reason," Twilight groaned. "Gold is just as hard as Moonstone is to find."

"Agreed," Spider spat. "Both conventional and....less legal forms of tracking have all failed to find the mare. It is almost as if she has been erased from existence."

"Yikes," Starlight cringed. "So, what can we do to fix that? Is there anything that we can do?"

"Maybe," Twilight nodded, staring down at the cutie map.

Some of Starlight's fears came back, doubling so when Spider smiled faintly at the map, as well.

Oh no...

***

Gold sported a small smirk, her orange eyes locked onto the chess board set on the grass before her. Rainbow grimaced at the same board, eyes flickering across it in a desperate attempt to find a way to win. A few rays of morning sun peeked through the branches of the tree shading them. A few dried leaves surrounded them, most of them already showing the telltale colors of autumn. All of it was a peaceful distraction for Gold, but went completely unnoticed to the frustrated pegasus glaring at the board.

"You can yield, you know," Gold calmly said, still staring at the board.

"Shut it," Rainbow grumbled, doing the same. "I just need to figure out what to do next."

"Very well," she shrugged.

For several long minutes, neither mare moved or spoke. In that time, Rainbow's frustration grew to teeth-grinding levels. Gold took it all in with a small bit of smug satisfaction, simply waiting for her opponent to admit defeat. Eventually, letting out a defeated groan, Rainbow knocked her king piece over and bitterly crossed her forelegs.

"This sucks," she huffed.

"None of that now," Gold smiled, reseting the board. "You may have lost, but you have improved. A few more games and you will be able to defeat Applebloom."

"Bite me," Rainbow grumbled.

Before Gold could respond, a bright flash of light blue magic summoned a scroll right onto the chess board. All mirth fell out of her as she picked up the scroll. When she unrolled it, what she read on it chilled her down to her soul.

Still staring at the message in her hooves, she stiffly said, "Rainbow. I need you to go to the house and tell Skully to meet me in the forest."

"What?" she blinked, taken aback by the sudden change in her friend's demeanor.

"Just do it!" she barked.

Before she could respond, Gold dropped the scroll and ran.

Terror beyond anything she could remember flooded her veins, egging her to run as fast as her hooves could take her. Her mind drifted to what she knew was coming for her. While the others were more than willing to let her live her new life, she knew that the Princess of Friendship would not give her that blessing. No. She needed to escape; to put as much distance between herself and her new family to keep them safe. As for her and Skully, if they could reach Gaia, then there was a chance that they could safely plead their case.

I just need to reach the forest! I just-

A faint, echoing mumble was the only warning she got before her entire body shut down. Pained yelps fell out of her as she slammed and slid across the ground. Her stunned body came to a sudden stop when it rammed into a tree, forcing loud snap and pained wail out of her. While her spine mended itself, she tried to move her body, but it refused to listen. Her eyes darted around, searching for who or what could've done this to her. When a cheshire stepped out from behind a nearby tree, pure terror flooded her soul.

She knew who this stallion was. Everypony in the criminal underworld knew who he was. Spiderweb; the Cheshire of the Tainted Tongue. The leader of the Dark Magic Department and personal aid to Princess Luna.

No....No....nonononononononononononononononononoNONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO! NOT HIM! ANYPONY BUT HIM! PLEASE NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

"So this is how you managed to avoid us," he coldly stated, slowly closing in on her. "I have to say, given your reputed pride, turning yourself into an earth pony was definitely a move I never thought you would make."

She tried to force herself to move, but her body still refused to listen to her. Her mind was running in a million different directions, her breathing becoming more rapid with each step he took towards her. She tried to call upon her magic, but it refused to operate. Her eyes darted around frantically, looking for any kind of help.When he finally stood over her, her eyes immediately locked with his.

Her heart hammered in her chest, desperate tears falling as she silently begged for mercy. Before the stallion could do anything, four massive shapes charged out of the trees and rammed him out of sight further into the orchard. The second he was gone, whatever spell he had on her started to fade. The second she could move, she jumped to her hooves and continued to run. The fading sounds of casting and enraged barking snarls were the only things she could hear past the pounding in her ears. Her limbs ached, but she used her fear to push past it. Her gate was drunken and frantic, but she didn't care. All that mattered was getting to the forest and her mistress's protection.

When the orchard trees gave way to the open field leading to the Everfree, a tiny flicker of joyous hope leaked into her panicked heart. The second she passed the tree line into the clearing, everything in front of her took on a slight lavender tint. That was the only hint she was given before she slammed head-first into an arcane wall and everything faded painfully to black.

***

Cold.

That was the only thing Gold could feel when she started to come to. She tried to reach out towards the trees, but there were no trees for her to connect with. She could feel cold metal on all four of her hooves and around her neck. It was a familiar feeling. The cold floor was hard, like crystal or polished stone.

She refused to open her eyes. There was no point. She was captured. She was now another's plaything again. She would never see her friends or family again. All she could do was enjoy the silence before her new tormentor came for her.

"I am sorry," she whispered, tears slowly forming a small puddle by her head.

She curled in on herself, softly muttering her apology between small hiccuping sobs like a brittle incantation.This continued for several long minutes until sleep reclaimed her. All the while, Twilight watched her, the golden mare held in a gray runic barrier in an empty guest room. Pain dominated the alicorn's features, both from what her friends told her and from what she saw of the mare before her. Wiping away the start of tears, she left the room to give Gold her rest.

There were things that still needed to be done.