Star-Strider

Luna stretched out her legs and wings as she let out a yawn. Her eyes fluttered open in the darkness of her tent. For a moment, she didn’t know if she was awake yet or not. Her eyes gained bearing on the small dancing lights on her ceiling, and she noticed a slight aching in her wing. Definitely awake now.

She stood up from the cot and shook her wing gently. It still hurt, but much less than it had before. She noticed the throbbing pain on her ribs and neck from the earlier battle, but everything seemed dull compared to how Luna had felt earlier. Making her way to the entrance, Luna breathed a sigh of reluctance as she knew there was much work to return to. She opened the flap to see the sun on the verge of setting and ponies wandering about the clearing. General Magnus was outside of his command cabin looking over a parchment with another higher up. Luna made her way over to them, looking around for Star Strider as she did.

“General, good evening.” She bowed as she spoke to him. “What needs to happen tonight?” The general looked up from his map, a hollow look in his eyes. He waved away the other pony and gestured for the princess to follow him. She walked with him into the cabin, confused at the secrecy of their meeting. The general turned and hung his head.

“Star Strider is missing. The recon team stopped responding. I think we lost.”

Luna’s jaw hit the floor as Magnus spoke. She raised a hoof to her head to process what he had just thrown at her. “What?” She almost whispered it. Magnus took his helmet off and rested on the table.

“Nopony has seen the commander for the last twelve hours. The recon team stopped transmitting a magical beacon about seven hours ago. I think Cosmic Sunder has got exactly what he wanted.”

“Bu—but but that’s impossible! Star Strider! I saw him before I fell asleep he wouldn’t just leave!” Would he? Luna racked her head for any secret messages Star Strider had left for her, any hints he might disappear. She started to breathe heavily in a panic.

“Whoa princess, I know this is a very… very suboptimal position, but we need to remain calm if we are to mitigate the damage. Can I count on you?” He rested a hoof on her shoulder. Luna calmed her breathing slowly and cleared her throat.

“Absolutely. What needs to happen?” She raised her head high, trying desperately to hold in the tears. The general turned back to his sheets and sighed.

“To be honest, I don’t know. I’m shooting in the dark at this point. I sent for general armor to reinforce a secondary line while we try to scrounge up a retreat. The only thing I could possibly think of you doing is wounded evac. Pegasi teams are already starting.” Luna sighed in frustration.

“We can’t send a strike team to go recover our lost patrol? If we can get Star Strider back—”

“No!” The pegasi general shouted out at her. Luna was taken aback for a second. “I mean, while it would be great to have them back, but we lost our greatest asset. We can’t risk you too. I’m sorry.” Flash looked up with a pained expression and held a weak smile when they met their eyes. “Think about the wounded, princess. They need you.”

“Very… well. I’ll get started.” She turned away from him before he could see the tears glistening in her eyes.

“Thank you princess. Gods’ speed.” The general nodded to her and turned around, tracing a hoof on the map of the camp. Luna sped out before she let her emotions get the better of her.

The camp was even busier than it had been the last few days. Luna never expected to see so many ponies running around with such purpose. So many teams of ponies moved in unison, unpacking supplies, lifting wounded, directing traffic. It was like a kicked over beehive in a state of organized panic. She trotted over towards the medical center, surprised to see most of it empty. As she approached, she was halted by a nurse in combat fatigues. She spoke with a shrill voice.

“Princess, please come with me. I have something you may want.” The pony didn’t wait for a response and turned to hustle around the back end of the last-standing medical tent. Luna frowned and pursued the curt pony. She rounded the corner and began to demand an explanation.

“What is going on? I’m supposed to get you ponies out of—”

“We want to form a strike team under your command princess.” Luna was cut off by a familiar voice. She looked at a small team of five ponies; The nurse who led her, a rugged-looking brown unicorn, two red-coated pegasi who were obviously siblings, and Streak Lighter. Luna was shocked for a moment. Streak walked up proudly to her and bowed before her. The others followed suit. “We understand the importance of… commander Strider. We’re willing to follow you in there.” Luna thought for a moment before she spoke.

“You realize if you do this, it’s technically going AWOL, right?” She raised an eyebrow in concern.

“Well… you’re a commander-in-chief so not really. Your command outranks the general’s. Plus, it doesn’t matter. We know the risks and are going in there, your highness. Will you?” Streak raised his head to look at her. His eyes seemed to speak more than just undying loyalty to the throne. They were hopeful. It looks like he’s… sorry? Luna sighed and lowered her head.

“Then come, my compatriots. Let’s go run away into the woods.”

Star Strider let out a breath of air followed by his head collapsing as he spit up blood and vomit. Dusk Bringer stepped away from his hunched body as she smiled down at him. She shook out her hoof as she brought it away from his stomach.

“The Lord said all he wanted was you to stay alive, he failed to mention in what state.” She laughed gleefully as the stallion lifted his head to meet her eyes. She quickly stopped laughing and scowled at him.

“Did I say you could look upon me?” Her horn glowed as she shocked him. Star Strider reeled in pain and let out a painful yelp through grit teeth. The two earth ponies holding his legs began shaking as the powerful shock was sent through them as well. Dusk Bringer let up on her assault for a moment and approached the smoldering body of Star Strider. She brought a hoof to his chin and lifted his eyes to meet hers.

“Now you may look at me.” She grinned at him as she dropped his head and turned away. “I don’t see why the Lord finds you so important. Had I the decision, I would have killed you upon your entrance. How does he see you fit to witness his conquering and I left behind to clean his scraps?” She hissed down at the grass and stamped on a snake that slithered through her legs.

“Perhaps he takes you for granted Twilight, or perhaps he knows how powerful you are and fears you.” The whispered voice of the broken pony stretched across and sent Dusk Bringer’s ears to fold backwards. She whipped around violently and narrowed her eyes.

“That is not my name!” She seethed at him. How dare he refer to her cowardly counterpart? Her thoughts clouded for a moment, and she stared at the flattened corpse that once was a snake. “That’s not my name?” She whispered down and felt a tinge of regret at the death of the creature. A flash a memory crossed her mind as she saw a scene watching her friends hug her dearly. Dusk Bringer shook her head and frowned. Not my friends. Her friends.

“You will refer to me by my name of power, old pony. If you fail to do so, I will relinquish you of your ability to speak incorrectly. She motioned one of the guarding unicorns to step forward. She grabbed her tongue and forced it out of her mouth with magic, pulling the tongue clean off and searing her mouth shut. The unicorn look unphased as she stepped back in formation, eyes lulled under a glaze of blue magic. She heard Star Strider sigh. I want him to fear me, how does he not get that?

“Twilight, I may not know you as well as some of your other friends, but I do know how brilliant you are and powerful your magic is. Cosmic Sunder sought after you because your power of friendship is one of the only things that poses any threat. He is afraid of you Twilight. Come back to us and save your friends.” Star Strider struggled up between the holds of the guards. Dusk Bringer staggered backwards for a second as she rubbed her temples.

“NO! Get out of my head you old fool!” She fell to the ground and began to tremor in pain. She closed her eyes tightly as an aura appeared over her head. Dusk Bringer looked up and squinted before the brilliant light. It descended onto her, and her world went white.

Remembrance

Star Strider struggled to keep the memory spell upon Twilight as the guards restrained his every move. Luckily for him, the guards operated on strict orders. They had been told to keep him there no matter what, but not to restrain him. Your mistake, Cosmic Sunder. Star Strider ignored the shaking pain in his gut and the cuts that lined his back and face. The brief altercation Cosmic Sunder had with him left him defeated and in the clutches of Dusk Bringer. Or so that monster thought. Star Strider closed his eyes and concentrated on Twilight, bringing the aura further down along her face. After what felt an eternity, he cracked one eye open to see Dusk Bringer’s form begin shrinking to that of her former self. A painful cry echoed through the field as the guards stood unmoving at the magic. Star Strider opened his eyes as sweat dripped down his neck. He smiled as he saw Twilight Sparkle laying on the grass in front of him.

“Twilight! Quickly, get these guards under!” Star Strider ripped his hoof away from one of the earth ponies and shoved him. Using the momentum, he crashed into the other and sent the two toppling over each other. Star Strider quickly regained his balance and jumped up, casting a sleeping spell over the two ponies. He turned to see the other guards moving in, and Twilight still laying there. He shook his head and concentrated. He would have to worry about her later. Spinning around, he kicked a burly pegasi out of the air as it swooped to tackle him. Without a moment to think, he ducked under a unicorn’s bolt and sprung forward to tackle him. With every pony he grounded, he cast a simple spell to keep them incapacitated. Twenty guards became ten, and then two. Star Strider caught the hoof of one earth pony and punched his chest using his other hoof. The guard went toppling backwards with a loud grunt. He was about to turn around to face his final adversary when a purple bolt shot across and struck the guard in the side. The pony fell instantly, but still breathed through the shot. Alive, thank goodness.

Star Strider let out an exhausted breath and turned to see Twilight struggling to her feet, her horn still glowing from her shot and sweat dripping down her face. She weakly smiled at Star Strider before her knees began to wobble and her eyes well up. Star Strider ran and caught her just in time as she collapsed again.

“Twilight my dear, what is the matter?” He stroked her mane as she began to cry.

“I-I-I… He made me do—such unspeakable things.” Her eyes glanced to a unicorn that lay collapsed a few meters away. “He did horrible things. To me. To everyone. I- I can’t believe it.” She choked out another sob as she curled deeper into Star Strider’s hold.

“Twilight, it is not your fault.” He soothed her as he spoke. “You are not responsible for the evil that he brought out in you. You are better than that monster.” His words did little to stop her crying.

“But he… he took me.” She shivered as she cried. Star Strider raised an eyebrow and looked down at her.

“Twilight… What do you mean?” He hoped his concern was unwarranted.

“He… he had his way with me.” She cried harder and tried to wipe her eyes. “He took me by force and I… no Dusk Bringer, liked it. I hate it! I hate him! I hate myself.” She collapsed fully as Star Strider held her up. He closed his eyes and let a few tears escape.

“Twilight, I am sorry. Truly. I know not how you feel, but I would do anything to help you. Please understand it is not your fault.” He rested his chin atop her sobbing head. After a few minutes of Twilight sobbing into his chest, she finally stopped shaking and her cries quieted. Star Strider bent down to look at her face. It was soaked, red, and messy. She couldn’t meet his eyes as he tried to level with her. “But you are back Twilight. You are finally back, and you will never have that happen again. I swear by my life.” His voice quivered in sadness as she finally met his eyes. Tears welled up in them again as she pulled him into a kiss. Star Strider kept his eyes open as her lips locked against his. He knew she was fragile in this moment, but he could not allow this to continue. After a few seconds, he gently pushed against her to pull his mouth away from hers. Twilight opened her eyes with a sad and confused look on her face.

“Star Strider, what’s wrong? I thought—”

“I am sorry princess. I did not mean for these words to stir your heart in romance. I am promised to another already.” His voice was soft as he kept her a hoof away. She let her eyelids droop as she awkwardly looked to the ground.

“It’s Luna, isn’t it?” She whispered to him.

“Yes. I am sorry Twilight. I love her.” His words sent his own heart into a slight flitter as he thought of his abandonment of the princess of night.

“It’s okay. I know you two have been close. I just hoped that maybe you would find boring old me a little more interesting.” She flashed him a weak smile that disappeared in an instant.

“You are interesting my dear, but my feelings for Luna are the strongest I have felt.” He stood and offered her a hoof. She took it reluctantly as he looked down again. “But I am afraid it does not matter now.”

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked as she wiped her cheeks again.

“I came here on the mission to free you and stop Cosmic Sunder by separating him from the Lichen. Once that is done, I will need to embrace it again and…” He trailed off. Twilight looked at him as her eyes went wide with understanding.

“You came to die, didn’t you?”

Silence stood between them as a soft breeze blew Star Strider’s mane out of his harrowed face.

“If I must. Come now. I need your help for this plan to succeed.” He regained his stoic composure and turned quickly.

“Star Strider wait! Why do you have to die? We could think of another plan there’s always—”

“Princess, I would appreciate your help. Think of Equestria. Every second Cosmic Sunder is out there, bonded to the Lichen, he grows in power. If we do not act quickly, he will dominate this world. For the good of all creatures, please help me.” His eyes met hers with pleading in them. He could see that Twilight was shaken by his request. She let out a sigh and nodded.

“For the good of Equestria. What do we need to do then?”

Luna followed in the trailing of Streak Lighter. The team had been traveling the better part of the day. The sun hung low in the sky, making the forest grow darker with every passing minute. The pegasi siblings flanked her, on the lookout diligently for any threats as the small nurse pony followed slightly behind. The unicorn that accompanied them followed from a distance to surprise any potential ambush. Despite the danger they were walking into, Luna could only think about how dirty she was. How long has it been since I’ve bathed? Three days? A week? Time had become the least of her worries since setting out for the Elder Tree with Star Strider. Her fur was caked in a layer of dirt and grime. Her mane had become slightly frizzed and dry along with her tail. To reduce any potential danger of them getting caught, she had bundled it up into tight ponytails that hugged her head. Sweat dripped down her forehead and neck as she huffed through the trail. Streak Lighter had been proving himself quite the tracker as he noticed tiny details along the path that changed their direction. Much like Star Strider. Luna noted.

The group came to a halt as Streak held up a hoof and crouched down. The pegasi spread their wings and crouched, ready to take off as the nurse tucked herself behind Luna. The unicorn in tow ducked behind a tree, horn glowing dimly at the ready. Luna crawled up to Streak as he gazed between blades of grass. “What is it?” She asked quietly. Without breaking his gaze, he responded in a near-empty whisper.

“Bodies. Quite a few of them. They look like night guard. Possibly sleeping, possibly dead. I’ll have a closer look.” He inched forward on his stomach, careful to raise his torso just enough that his armor wouldn’t scrape the dirt. Luna watched carefully as he disappeared into the grass before them. She held her breath as she expected a sudden outburst of combat. The light-blue Pegasus suddenly stood and turned around. “Clear.” He spoke loudly. The other members stood immediately and marched towards him. Luna followed suit and looked around at the small clearing. About twenty ponies lay, bound by vines and what looked like spare rope. Their cutie marks all the weaning moon of the taken forces. All of them appeared heavily unconscious. She strode up next to Streak as he was bent over, looking at a unicorn that was tied alone.

“Looks like they definitely came through here.” She said as she swung her head back and forth to observe.

“Yes. Though I’m a little worried about what happened.” He stood back up and raised the unicorn’s head. “This soldier had her tongue burned out it seems. Not the style of the commander, but definitely one of Dusk Bringer and Cosmic.” Luna frowned.

“Then why would they tie their own troops up?” She questioned. Streak shook his head and shrugged.

“Maybe the commander got to them somehow and turned them over. Maybe he did resort to drastic measures. All I know is these ones are all harmless and left for dead by Cosmic. I’ll let a flare off for recovery.” He shuffled through his saddle bag.

“If you let a flare off, won’t both parties know where we are? Kind of defeats the whole ‘undercover recon mission’.” She raised her eyebrow at him. He paused for a second and dropped his hoof from his bag.

“Right. Kind of forgot that’s what’s going on.” He looked regretfully at the tied-up unicorn. Luna sensed that he knew this particular one. She placed her hoof on his shoulder as he stared at the unconscious form.

“Was she…”

“Dazzled Pearl. We were close before she got sent out here in the first battalion.” His eyes never left her form. Luna felt wracked with guilt as she thought of all those soldiers who were enslaved by Cosmic Sunder so long ago.

“I’m… sorry. But she’s free now. We can see what we can do about healing her once we bring her home.” Her words fell on deaf ears as Streak shrugged her hoof off and turned back to the team.

“Alright troops let’s get back on the move.” He pointed towards the nurse. “You should stay with them and keep Umber for support. Try to heal what you can. The rest of you, scour this campsite for retreating tracks. Wherever you see multiple prints is probably where they took the commander. Move it.” His tone was flat as he sauntered off in another direction. Luna watched sorrowfully as his head drooped. She looked back to Dazzled Pearl and closed her eyes. I’m sorry. She rested a hoof on her sleeping form for a moment before she raised her head again and trotted after the others.