Fallout: Equestria - The Storm

Fallout: Equestria - The Storm

Chapter 8: Limbo

***** ***** *****

An otherworldly, mirror image of the realm we were pulled from is what Knight and I were faced with. The ground was a shadowy mist, and all around us was a forest of stone pillars as far as we could see, which rose up forever into an infinite void of white. Our focus was drawn, however, to seven individuals. Six ponies surrounded the Pony of Shadows, binding it in magical chains. They wore entranced expressions, solely focused on their captive.

“The Pillars of Equestria,” Knight spoke, her voice filled with awe. She pointed a hoof to each as she named them. “Rockhoof, Mistmane, Somnambula, Flash Magnus, Mage Meadowbrook, and Starswirl the Bearded.”

The latter, an aged unicorn stallion adorned with a hat and cape embroidered with constellations, and sporting an impressive beard for which he was named, appeared to be the crux of the binding ritual he and his companions had maintained for millenia.

“No one knew what exactly had become of them. Now we know.” Her voice trembled. “They chose to endure eternity in Limbo to protect Equestria from this wretched creature.”

The Pony of Shadows was massive, an alicorn composed of living darkness. Unlike his entranced captors, he was aware of us, staring us down with the pale nothingness that served as his eyes.

“My, my…” he began, his booming voice dripping with smug malice. “Aren’t you an educated one?” The black alicorn leaned as close to us as his restraints allowed. “And what are you? Something about you reminds me of little Luna… but falsely. You are a machine. A puppet.” He turned his haunting gaze to me. “And you. A hippogriff? A long way from Aris, aren’t you?” Lifting a hoof, he revealed the shard I came for. “You’ve come for this, haven’t you? Retrieving it after your ancestor hid it so long ago. Come. Take it.”

Darkness crept up throughout my body, penetrating my soul and mind, and I took a step towards him. Knight darted in front of me and pressed a hoof to my chest.

“What are you doing? You cannot risk releasing him!” Her voice was pleading.

“I’m not leaving without that shard. My mission cannot fail.” I tried to sidestep her, but she clasped her claws and kept me still. I needed the Pearl. I craved it more than ever.

“What mission? What are you talking about?” She lifted her claw towards my head, but I leaped back before she could enter my mind. “Rosegold, whatever it is, it isn’t worth it! The Pony of Shadows will unleash untold destruction! He will thrive in Equestria’s current state!”

Narrowing my eyes, and gritting my beak, I remained focused on my goal. “Then I will live with the consequences. The Elements can handle this creature.” And leaving Equestria in a weakened state can only benefit my King. All that matters is succeeding.

The android’s metallic face could not express horror, but her voice could. “What!? How could you… You don’t mean that!”

“Oh, I think he does.” The Pony of Shadows interjected, and held up the shard in his hoof. “And I think he knows how to make you step aside.” The abyss stared into me. “The key is in that trinket around your neck, the strings within that puppet’s head, and the fools binding me.” A manic laughter echoed throughout Limbo and from within my head. “Transform the Pillars! Change them into what this machine was made to destroy! Free me, and I will give you your reward!”

*****

Knight tried to tackle me, but I rolled under her and focused the Pearl’s magic. I couldn’t change all of them at once, so I focused on the nearest. The hulking earth pony stallion known as Rockhoof warped into a zebra before my eyes, and more importantly, before Knight could shut hers off.

Rockhoof barely had a chance to become aware of surroundings and brandish his weapon before Knight was upon him. The Element of Strength defended himself for an impressive few seconds from the metal alicorn’s enraged flurry of attacks. All until his enchanted shovel was telekinetically wrenched from his grasp. The stallion cursed in an ancient tongue as six Star Metal blades pieced his body.

The binding ritual was already weakening, the entranced expressions of the remaining five Pillars becoming panicked as they struggled to keep control. The pegasus mare, Somnambula, was the next to fall victim to the Pearl’s magic and Knight’s compulsion towards zebra genocide. In almost an instant, the Element of Hope was violently extinguished. The other pegasus, the stallion named Flash Magnus, proved very nimble even without his wings, but it didn’t matter. To his credit, the Element of Bravery was fearless in death.

Mistmane, the elderly unicorn mare and Element of Beauty, was nearly as useless against Knight’s savagery as the next victim. The Element of Healing, Mage Meadowbrook, barely caught a glimpse of the irreversible carnage around her before her corpse was added to it. Each reverted to their real forms once they died and I shifted the Pearl’s magic to the next.

Becoming a zebra broke the magical focus of Starswirl the Bearded, freeing his captive completely. The Element of Sorcery let out a desperate gasp as Knight’s blades plunged through his lungs. I finally relaxed my focus on the shard, the rapid transformations quickly taking a toll on my energy. Knight came to her senses as Starswirl slid out of her bloody embrace.

A heavy fog I hadn’t noticed was there until now lifted from my mind. It had been there since we reached the forest. What have I done? I didn’t have to kill them. It was unnecessary. Surely there was a way to take the shard from this creature without doing its bidding.

“No…” the android’s voice was barely a whisper. She collapsed beside the unicorn and wailed as she tried to heal him. The Darkness only gave her a few moments, before abandoning its current host and consuming her. Left behind was a meek excuse for a stallion. The unicorn had a gray coat and dull, bowl-shaped blue mane. I quickly snatched the third Pearl shard from him and fused it into my collection. Knight struggled against the force attempting to control her, screaming and pleading.

A dying Starswirl looked up at the smaller stallion in shock. “Sty-Stygian!? The Pony of Shadows… was you!?”

Tears were streaming down Stygian’s face as he took in the death around him. He rushed to Starswirl and enveloped him in his meager magic, trying to save him. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”

“Oh, quiet.” The voice of the Pony of Shadows now had a feminine flair. She was on Stygian in a moment, caressing his throat with a shadowy blade of an appendage.

“I… what are you… but I…” The Darkness’s previous host stammered in terror.

“Expendable fool.” With a flick of her wrist, she separated Stygian’s head from his neck. She then turned towards me. “With this powerful new host, what use have I of you?”

I took a step back, and she closed the distance. Slipping into SATS barely gave me the reaction speed necessary to dodge her attempt to decapitate me. The possessed Knight positioned for another attack but faltered as her eyes went blank.

“What is this!?” The black alicorn of mist and metal fumbled around blindly. “This infernal machine!”

I found a collapsed pillar to hide behind. Why did I rush into this without an escape!? Did I believe this creature of darkness would release me once it had what it wanted? Hiding the Pearl in my armor, I looked for Starswirl, hoping he was alive and able to cast me out of this place. No, no, escape wasn’t enough. With Knight’s body, the Pony of Shadows could finish Starswirl with ease, and unleash itself on the world. It would not stop with destroying Equestria. Hippogriffia and beyond would fall victim.

Having crept to Starswirl and pulled him to my hiding place, I began pouring healing potions down his throat. “How do we leave without this thing, this Knightmare, from following?”

Starswirl coughed and pondered. “It has to be separated from its host. My magic can weaken the connection, but time is running short. The influence of the Darkness over its slave only grows with time. Had I known about Stygian…”

“Just tell me what I need to do.” As he said, time was running short.

“While I weaken the Darkness, you must help your friend pull herself from it. Not just physically, but mentally as well.” I had to connect my mind to hers.

Knightmare interrupted us with her manic cackling. “There, finally! No more blinding yourself, puppet!” She flew from one stone pillar to another, searching for us. “Now then… While I’d love to leave you both trapped here, I’d rather tie up loose ends.” Just get a little closer…

Starswirl and I dove from opposite ends of our cover, the former immediately casting his magic onto Knightmare. The creature shrieked as it and Knight began to split, the latter desperately trying to free herself. The unicorn’s magic almost immediately started to fade, and Knight’s struggles started to weaken. I had to act.

Grabbing hold of Knight’s only exposed hoof, I pulled back as hard as I could, but could only manage so much. After sharing a knowing look with the machine, I pressed her hoof to my head, pleading that Knightmare didn’t take over in that moment and skewer my brain. A calm washed over me as Knight and I were enveloped in a pale blue glow.

*****

Around me was a serene meadow running along a riverbank. Stars sparkled brightly in the night sky, lush grass and vibrant flowers flowed with the wind, and crystal water gently washed along a shore of stone and gravel. Not all of this was peaceful, however, as umbrakinetic tentacles encroached relentlessly from all directions, threatening to consume this sanctuary. At the center, laying weakly in the grass, was a radiant white alicorn mare. A gothic shield and cross emblazoned her flank. Her translucent cyan mane and tail billowed gracefully. Magic of the same color emanated from her horn to fight off the approaching shadows, but was steadily failing.

“Knight?” Was this how she perceived herself, or was this her true nature?

She looked up at me with tired, blue eyes. “How could you?” Tears began to fall down her cheeks. “You didn’t even hesitate before using me to MURDER the Pillars of Equestria!”

I took a step back. “That was… They were…”

“In your way?” Her eyes accused me. “An obstacle to your mission? I see you now, servant of the Storm King.”

Glancing down, I saw I was in my formal officer’s uniform. Blood dripped from my talons, betraying my otherwise proper appearance. I stood before Knight as my true self.

“Enough! This place, the Darkness, has its ways.” I had felt an irresistible pull from the moment we arrived in Hollow Shades, a pull that vanished the instant the Pony of Shadows was freed.

Knight huffed. “You could have fought it, but you didn’t even try. Because you don’t care.” She stood to her hooves, trembling. The darkness grew nearer.

“I’m fighting it now!” I argued.

“To save yourself and your master.” Knight retorted.

“So you’ll, what, allow it to kill Starswirl and I and torment Equestria out of spite against me?” My words made her hard gaze falter. “That spite is what this creature is feeding on to control you. You’ll have enough opportunity to give me whatever recompense you feel I deserve once we are free and it is trapped.” I extended a crimson claw to her.

She wanted me to die, but she wanted Equestria to live more. Knight placed her hoof in my grasp, and the mindscape was bathed in light.

*****

Returning to Limbo, we saw that Starswirl had the Darkness trapped in a magical snare. The unicorn laid on the ground, blood pooling heavily around him. The potions had failed to close his wounds. Knight approached him, but he snapped her a stern glare.

“No!” he shouted. “Do not heal me! I… I must die, and you must leave. The Darkness cannot be allowed to take another host.”

Knight trembled, and gave an understanding nod. “I am so sorry.”

Starswirl returned a weak smile. “Do not be. We had been trapped here for over one thousand years. This… will finally put this threat to rest. We can finally rest.” If the android’s metal eyes could manage tears, they’d be falling.

The Element of Sorcery put all he had left into a final spell, sending us back to Equestria.

*****

Knight landed gracefully on her hooves, while I was launched face-first into stone. Looking up, I saw Gritt and Slash standing before us. They wanted to laugh at me, but their beak and muzzle were bound. As were their wings and arms. Before I could react, something pinned me down and gave me the same treatment before yanking me onto my hooves. Bat ponies, dozens of them, surrounded us. Knight gave them pause.

They were like pegasi, only with leather wings rather than feathered ones. Their teeth sported fangs, their ears had pronounced tufts of fur, and their eyes were dragon-like. The ceremonially armored creatures looked upon Knight in awe, whispering to each other in an ancient language. What appeared to be the leader, an impressive mare in the most ornate obsidian armor, stepped forward. Her coat and mane were pitch black, aside from streaks of fiery orange that matched her eyes.

“YOU DARE TRESPASS IN THE WELL OF SHADE?” Her words boomed throughout the chamber, the volume causing Gritt, Slash, and I to wince in pain. I’d read about this. Royal Canterlot Voice, an enchantment bestowed upon much of the Royal Guard. “YOU RISK ANNIHILATION AT THE HOOVES OF THE DARKNESS.”

“The Darkness is trapped, forever and alone.” Knight stepped towards her, causing many bat-ponies to raise their ancient but well-polished ceremonial spears. “It no longer has a host.”

“IMPOSSIBLE.”

Knight extended a magically glowing hoof. “Search my mind if you desire confirmation.”

Our captors shared looks and whispers before the mare stepped forward and linked minds with the android. It did not take long for her to be convinced, her eyes going wide as the magic ceased. She looked at the rest of us, pausing on me to stare daggers into my soul, then raised a hoof to her soldiers.

“BRING THEM OUTSIDE AND SEAL THE WELL.” She gave additional orders in foreign whispers, likely updating their patrol schedules to prevent future intrusions.

*****

Once outside, we were unbound and our gear was returned to us. The bat-pony mare introduced herself as Lilith, Regent of Hollow Shades. As per her orders, the opening of the well was covered in heavy stones. Gritt, Slash, and I were out of our element, allowing Knight to handle diplomacy. The griffon and dragon had no idea how to interact with these creatures, and there was no chance of Lilith trusting me after seeing Knight’s memories.

Bat-ponies were almost completely unknown, their origins a mystery to even them. Awareness of their existence came about during the reign of Nightmare Moon, as she had used them as soldiers, but it is unclear whether she had created them or simply discovered them. Their confusion in regards to Knight was understandable. Some even tried to bow to her before both Knight and Lilith chastised them.

Upon Knight’s request, we were given shelter in caverns hidden in the woods. They led us into an interconnected underground town, where many bat-pony settlers looked upon us in surprise and curiosity. Farmers tended to subterranean crops consisting most of fungus, smiths forged and maintained armor and spears, a spiritual leader preached a sermon to the young, and soldiers patrolled. The architecture was intricate and gothic, carved into the cave walls, much of it similar to the Well. Peaking past the slightly open curtains of a home, I saw a family sleeping perched upside-down from ergonomically carved ceiling supports. It was very unlikely any of these buildings had actual beds for us to stay in.

The android kept her gaze to the ground, and I noticed that she had not disabled her vision as a precaution. The Darkness must have made that permanently impossible. That was a problem. Keeping Knight away from zebras was now extremely important. Quietly discussing it with her, I suggested a blindfold, but she explained that her optical sensors were too advanced for that to work. Unless we intended to encase her head in a meter of concrete, no covering was going to be sufficient.

*****

Lilith took the time to introduce us to her mates and children, the former being half-siblings and cousins. Living isolated and underground for two centuries, incest was an eventuality they had come to terms with. No, not centuries, a millenia. Our host explained that Nightmare Moon was fully aware of the Pony of Shadows and regarded him as a threat and rival. She assigned a full legion of troops to Hollow Shades to ensure he did not escape and challenge her rule. Lilith’s tribe were direct descendants of those soldiers.

Slash was the most openly revolted by it. “Us dragons have had our own issues with breeding, but it hasn’t come to… that.”

Lilith kept her voice to a whisper, not wanting to further damage our ears. “We have had no choice, and our healers have done what they can to mitigate related health issues. Family lines are closely tracked by our scholars to keep mates as genetically distant as possible.”

“Half-siblings are as ‘genetically distant as possible’ for you?” Slash sneered and Lilith gave a solemn nod.

“You haven’t gone looking for other bat-ponies?” Gritt chimed in. “I’m pretty sure there’s some near Hoofington.”

“I know of Hades and his tribe residing in Nightmare Castle, but we cannot stray from our vigil here.” Lilith’s voice was quiet but commanding. “Even with the Well of Shade more secure than it has ever been, we cannot leave it unguarded.” She gave us a contemptible look. “Our patrols had apparently grown lax enough as it is.”

With a sigh, I gave Lilith a look. “You know that Luna is dead, right? There’s no need to follow her commands.”

She stared daggers again. “Even though our Queen has left this world, the intent of her orders remain. The Darkness is a threat that must be watched over.”

“A noble goal,” Knight commended, “but your people will die out from genetic illness eventually. Perhaps we could persuade Hades to send breeding envoys?” Knight paused then looked at me. Rather, she looked through my breast plate at the Pearl underneath.

Oh no. Please don’t. I’m already exhausted.

*****

Under the telepathic threat of informing all of Equestria of my actions and purpose, Knight arranged for me to diversify Hollow Shades’ gene pool. For a week. As punishment for taking innocent souls out of the world, I was to help bring new ones into it. The fact I had been under an intense magical influence is the only reason she chose such a mild punishment, rather than simply having Slash cook me alive. Starswirl’s final words had also tempered her anger towards me, as she found some solace in them.

Not just me, however, as Gritt enthusiastically volunteered to assist. The twenty-four-year-old had far more energy than I did. Transforming into a bat-pony, or at all for that matter, took him a while to get used to, but he thoroughly enjoyed aiding Hollow Shades.

I, however, was practically at death’s door for most of my community service, kept going only by potions. Once this was over, I’d have to fly as much as possible to get around. The lower half of my body would not be functional for some time. I didn’t even get to enjoy the sex. Knight kept me trapped in her mindscape as bat-pony mares used my transformed body to breed.

The idea of becoming a father to many foals I would likely never meet stirred mixed feelings. Gritt shared a similar sentiment, revealing he already has a four-year-old daughter in Junction Town. He was unsure how to break the news to her that she’d gain a number of brothers and sisters who’d look nothing like her. Though he was oddly excited about someday introducing them. ‘Family’ generally wasn’t a big priority among his kind, but he wanted to be an exception.

During Gritt’s shifts, Knight learned and shared a great deal of medical knowledge with the local healers. The bat-pony apothecaries were extremely skilled at brewing potions from materials derived from flora and fauna. Knight took note of what to look out for, eager to brew fresh healing items rather than scavenge centuries-old ones.

Eventually, my punishment was over. Unless Knight comes up with something else. For now, my sore and drained body was yearning to leave this place and continue to Manehattan. After plenty of sleep and cold showers.

***** ***** *****

Footnote:
Welcome to Level 7!

Perk Added: Quick Recovery! AP now regenerates 30% faster.