Black Aether

by Herokiller111

Rating: teen
Tags: Adventure, Violence, Applejack, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, Rainbow Dash, Other, Starlight Glimmer, Thriller
Length: 11458

As a long war rages between the Dark Powers and the remnants of Ponykind ruled by the Church, a few select immortal warriors are sent to find and extract artifacts of immense power that can very well secure victory in this endless conflict.

A war rages between the Dark Powers, known as Witches and Warlocks and their minions, and the remnants of Ponykind ruled by The Church of The Two Sisters.

In the territory controlled by one of the Witches, Papal scouts have been sent by a vision deep inside the borders of the enemy, and their faith is rewarded when they discover the wreckage of a legendary ship that was lost over a century ago. On this ship was carried a mysterious and powerful artifact, one of six, that can truly alter the course of the conflict and secure a true victory for Ponykind from their dark oppressors.

The ancient gods of all Ponies, The Two Sisters, are seemingly gone from the world physically. But their presence is still felt by all, and it is they who are the primary reasons why the Dark Powers have not consumed the world in shadow.
Their Honest, Generous, Compassionate, Loyal, Optimistic, and Knowledgeable servants fight day in and day out to protect the innocent, and all Ponies are taught from foalhood how to fight and kill should the need ever arise in this fallen, broken world.

-

Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Starlight Glimmer are all members of a secret sect of immortal warriors, known as Preyers, who are sent into this dangerous land to retrieve the artifact.
The Witch, a vicious entity that is called Queen Chrysalis, rules over a shapeshifting race of supernatural horrors called Changelings, and has gained access to the holy relic and is keeping it hidden in the bowels of her nightmarish fortress-hive. She cannot use the item as it is anathema to her and her kind, but she will not allow her foes to gain access to it.

If the brave trio succeed in killing the Witch and regaining the artifact, their world will be one step closer to salvation. If not… the long march to oblivion continues.

Published 2024-12-03 07:20:01 UTC
Last updated 2024-12-18 07:37:13 UTC

Applejack

Applejack gritted her teeth as she yanked hard, and the deadly silver rope burned and ripped through the undead flesh of the parasitic monster like a knife through wet bread, the creature’s disgusting death scream slicing loudly into the dimly lit air like an echo in a cave while the flaming sparks of Black Aether, the supernatural force that was used by the Dark Powers for all their dastardly purposes and that heavily fueled the power of a Preyer, erupted from its body and flowed around her before being absorbed into her body.
The pony skillfully and gently swung her head around a few times, keeping the rope spinning about in the air above her head as she eyed her foes that surrounded her, pouring in from the trees and houses and barn and the road.
It was as if they were crawling up from the very earth itself, and in an increasingly high number of cases right now… they actually were.

She swung her shield arm as another thrall dove at her, and the hard wood with the iron dome at the center of it struck the hissing monster directly in the face.
As an instant result, several dull teeth were knocked out of it’s gaping mouth, along with tiny drops of putrid blood as its body was sent stumbling harshly down and rolling along the ground and crashing against the fence in a limp heap, but the Preyer was not going to delude herself into thinking that this particular one was dead for good, as it was already stirring back to it’s hooves in a second while she had to turn away to face her other foes.

Applejack now swung again, and this time successfully decapitated another undead rotter and then raised her shield high before bringing it crashing forward onto the place where the head had once been, and gruesomely CUT THE BODY IN TWO diagonally, yanking her gore-soaked shield out of the mutilated pony’s corpse as it collapsed to the equally bloody ground, more of the dark Magic energy swirling through the air like a mass of ten thousands burning fireflies.
Spitting off to the side, Applejack quickly maneuvered her front right leg/right arm in a slight twisting gesture twice over and the shield automatically folded in on itself, basically folding around her right arm into a sort of gauntlet that allowed her to run more easily.

Having already coiled her lasso at her side, she took off running down the road, fixing her gaze forward and not letting the gurgled grunts and snarls of the undead ponies from behind to distract her.
She made her way past the old railway and through the train station, but there she found herself confronted with an undead Bat Pony.

“For bucks sake… Come ere’ you,” she muttered, and switched on her shield as the creature lunged at her like a shadow, its tattered wings literally streaming a wave of trailing darkness.

Vampire Bat Ponies were purely creatures of the dark side, and were among the most difficult and dangerous to engage with in combat, due to their nasty habit of being able to move in the shadows and strike from virtually any direction in the midst of it. It was virtually hopeless to try finding real victory when fighting even one when the night had fallen, and suicide to engage several. Only exceptionally strong and skilled Unicorns and maybe Pegasi(and Alicorns, obviously) could do that and hope to emerge victorious, and even then the advantage could be lost at a moments notice.

But fortunately for the cowpony Preyer, the struggling Sun still had some light to give, even if it was only a fraction of what it once was capable of.

The monster suddenly dispersed into pure blackness and zipped all around sad encased her in darkness where she would be vulnerable to the attacks of her would-be killer, but Applejack was not fooled.
Her instincts, already naturally sharp and further honed by numerous battles, didn’t fail her this time, and she ducked her head down and whirled around with all her considerable strength and speed, narrowly avoiding the spectral fangs of her attacker and blowing away enough smoke to run out of the dark cloud that had encased her.

She sped out just as the monster rematerialized partially and slashed at her with one of its wings, the sharp bone-like edge of the appendage slicing into the back left leg of the pony.
Applejack, on her part, barely felt anything and grabbed her whip in her jaws and whipped around while holding her shield up just as the physical jaws and fangs bit into the iron dome and slid off before becoming the deadly black cloud again.

But this was not to the advantage of the undead pony. For by now, Applejack had gotten her whip out and held fast in her jaws by its handle.
She now spun around in a deadly arch, the weapon slicing through the surrounding darkness like a hot knife through melting butter and leaving shining white streaks lingering in the air that mingled their own slicing sounds with the rumbling hiss of the pained monster.

Applejack cleared the space around her as she spun about with a triumphant “Yeehaw!” through gritted teeth.
She then immediately whirled her whip back into a bundle and sped on down the road again while affixing it to her side again, breathing heavily through her nostrils as the horde of pursuing zombies and vampiric thralls had now caught up with her, climbing over the small buildings and houses or literally materializing in trails of red and black flame and ash.

Applejack ran fast and easy and occasionally let her eyes dart to either side to make sure that any new monsters coming in from the side were not close enough to need to be dealt with, as that would slow her down just a bit and thus would allow her pursuers more time to catch up with her.
She could easily hold her in any old fight, but taking on too many foes at once, no matter how weak they individually might be, could overwhelm even the mightiest of ponies or any other creature.

The strong young mare ran and leapt over the various obstacles in her way, including a small crowd of zombies that appeared suddenly in front of her as she was passing the haunted depths of the Everfree Forest. She wouldn’t have minded killing them all under any other circumstance, but right next to those dangerous woods? It would be a death sentence.

But now more than one of her pursuers were Vampire Bat Ponies and they rapidly gaining on her, rushing through the air like black bolts of shadow as the last light of the Sun still lingered just a little bit longer and managed to keep the shadows from consuming the entire land and dooming the fleeing mare.

Applejack herself now outed every ounce of strength into her powerful legs, speeding down the road and in one case making a sharp turn and smashing through a fence line and into somepony’s deserted farmyard in order to take a short cut to her destination.

“Cmon Applejack, yer almost there.”
She grunted to herself.

She was getting closer to the safe haven from these horrors and would soon be able to rest. But they also knew that, and just as she was almost in sight of it, Applejack was tackled at her hind legs by a diving Vampire Bat Pony, as it used all its supernatural speed to try stopping the pony from escaping yet again from their grasp!

Fortunately for her, while she did fall, she managed to roll back onto her hooves while quickly reassembling her shield and reaching back for her silver whip.
Unfortunately for her, the flying pursuers were already upon her, and the running ones were not far behind.

A Vampire Bat Pony slammed into her just as she raised her shield, and Applejack was driven backwards by the force of the attack and nearly fell over.
Still, she managed to shove it back and pull out her whip as she jerked her shield back, but immediately the young mare was knocked to the ground on one side by the swooping attack of another one of these creatures as it sliced into her right shoulder and shield, drawing out a thin stream of the mare’s blood into the air while the others now lunged at her, fangs and claw-like front hooves bared and ready to rip her to pieces.

But reacting on pure muscle memory, Applejack turned her rear to them and shoved herself up by her front legs, her powerful back legs being thrown out with as much force as she could manage and her back hooves collided with the face and chest of the two monsters before they could dodge or transform into smoke or shadow.

Applejack was an Earth Pony, having long ago become one of the strongest ones alive due to her natural talent and life of hard work, and the training she’d endured in more recent times since this darkness had first fallen upon this world… well, let’s just say that she was strong enough to be mistaken for a monster herself, even more so than usual.

The head of one of the Vampire Bat Ponies violently exploded into a cloud of gruesome viscera and fire-colored sparks, and Applejack’s other hoof was impaled into the mangled chest of the other, with this monster now making a loud gurgling and sound in its throat and starting to convulse in agony as the full effect of the physical trauma was quickly starting to overwhelm it’s mind.

Applejack herself didn’t take her time to admire her handiwork. She simply yanked her hoof out of the monster’s chest as fast as she could in order to get into better fighting stance, ignoring the gore still on her hoof and leg as she slammed it into the ground and spun to face the oncoming assault by the horde, as the third undead flying pony was nowhere to be seen and this could be problematic.
But Applejack ignored such worried ideas as she let her survival instinct and harsh training guide her now, managing to take a solid stance with her shield and her whip
And as the horrific unnatural creatures descended upon her with murderous intent, Applejack of Apple Acres tensed her powerful leg muscles and prepared for a mighty lunge and charged fearlessly into battle!

She lashed out with her deadly whip, and the pure silver burnt and lashed through the unholy flesh of her undead foes, cradling a way for her through the many weaker ones.
Meanwhile, the powerful pony swung her shield around her at any that got close, crushing skulls and shattering jaws and snapping outstretched limbs and sending full teeth and sharp fangs, along with little pieces of broken bone and ripped flesh and splashes of black blood into the air.
This violent battlefield between the living and the dead all around was swiftly coated with an ever-increasing covering of gore, and the air all around was filled with Magic that looked tens of thousands of tiny sparks or long swirling beams that sliced across the space like fiery sea serpents.

Even though the undead Unicorns could still use telekinesis and cast bolts of magical energy, they were nowhere as powerful or as focused as Applejack’s trainers had been and they might as well have not been doing so at all, even though some blasts managed to land on her and do some rather minor damage.

“HA! Ah’ve had tougher fahts’ with Rainbow when she’s snorin’ off her sahder’ drunkenness!”

The mare shouted over the din of the grunts and screeches and mashing of bodies from her hideous enemies, the feeling of excitement that Rainbow Dash had once described as “fighting joy” steadily overtaking her as she got more and more into the battle, even if she didn’t particularly like the idea of it.
The ground was starting to become a bit slippery as the sheer amount of blood and innards only increased as the number of dead and destroyed creatures only grew by the moment, but she managed to keep herself balanced enough to keep up her rather one-sides slaughter of the undead.

One thing she’d forgotten though… was that the bodies of the seemingly destroyed Vampire Bat Ponies were not lying there anymore, along with the third one that hadn’t been “killed” yet.

Several teeth flew off and went bouncing and rolling before coming to a stop some sixty feet from the scene of where they’d been knocked out.
A zombies decapitated head flew over the others and landed in a tree, towering over everything else in the vicinity.
A dozen zombies and thralls were killed by Applejack’s shield and front left leg/left arm so fast they practically fell together into a gruesome imitation of a pyramid, dark blood slowly oozing down from their mutilated bodies.

But at one opportune moment, just as she finished crashing the jaws of yet another zombified pony, the dark vampiric beast saw its chance and dove down from above onto Applejack’s back… and sank it’s knife-like fangs into the back of her neck.

“What the darned buck!”
She screamed and thrashed her head wildly she began to leap about and try to dislodge her deadly foe.
But this only resulted in the flesh there being completely ripped off and the beast quickly biting down even deeper, digging it’s claw-hooves into her back and flanks as it began to jab it’s sharp wingtips into her sides, each time leaving a new bloody stab wound that began to drip blood out alarmingly.

In desperation, Applejack swung her head around with more force than she had done so all day and all night so far, and the blood-coated silver strand of her deadliest weapon lashed out behind her.
The monster didn’t see this as soon as she did it, but immediately realized right after as its left wing was suddenly wrapped partially in the horribly burning sensation of pure silver and steel, but held on and savagely tore even deeper into her neck.
In fury born of pain, the Earth Pony now yanked her head forward and cut the wing off in a spray of blood and shadow, and the Vampire Bat Pony finally released it’s prey as it let out a sudden screaming snarl of agony.

Blood pouring from her gashed neck and stabbed sides and legs, the enraged and panting Earth Pony now threw herself to the bloody ground while simultaneously spinning around and managing to strike her foe in the side with her shield, finally and successfully dislodging her fearsome foe from atop her body.

“To Tartarus witchu’ an’ all yer’ kind!”
Operating on adrenaline more than anything else, Applejack spun around on the ground and furiously brought her shield down onto the monster’s head, but it had already transformed into shadow and was gone!

“Are ya kiddin’ me!?”
She shouted at the night before scrambling back up to her hooves. Only now did she see for herself… that the Sun was down completely and she was alone in the dark, the numbers of other unliving enemies already only seconds away from being upon her.
And only now did she remember what she’d read about the Bat Ponies who’d become members of the darkness that now plagued Equestria, and how they were pretty much as immortal as she was when it came to physical combat and wounds.

“Oh, fer’ Celestia’s sake…”

The bloodied, battered pony turned to fully face the other monsters now and spinning her deadly rope all around herself to keep back the three Vampire Bat Ponies undoubtedly circling her right now from the endless shadows all around, silently mocking her and waiting impatiently for an opening in her defense.
Despite the vast reserves of Black Aether that she’s gathered, the Vampire Bat Ponies were all more than capable of quickly draining her down if they’d continue to strike at her from the darkness as she was busy with the fodder, and she was alone right now with no backup.

This was it, wasn’t it? She was going to die here tonight. Right?

…wrong.

Just as the first of the zombified Unicorns blasted their magical beams at their sole source of attention and the infected Earth Ponies were THIS CLOSE to reaching her deadly arch of silver with their hooves and fangs, the skies above suddenly exploded in a mighty burst of colors and light, and the air was torn by the power of the Magic that had just been used.
And at the exact same time this suddenly appeared, the crowd of unnatural things was suddenly reduced to an explosive cloud of gore as a rainbow blur smashed through them at a speed almost no mortal could ever hope to ever see properly with multiple bolts of lightning striking out from the blur and incinerating many others who were still somewhat physically intact from the sheer wind alone of the speeding entity.

The amount of glowing orange and red Magic that was released as those bodies were torn apart or were burned horribly that it almost looked like a second Sun appeared for a moment, such was the massive sudden dispersal of mystical energy!

Applejack knew full well who her savior was and why she was here, and so simply turned and resumed fleeing down the road towards her destination.
She could feel the other Preyer zooming around above and behind her, and knew that the three most dangerous monsters here wouldn’t try taking on two Preyers. It’d be too difficult to do.

“Ah’ll see ya back at base, Dash!”
She shouted over her shoulder.

She knew that Rainbow Dash would hear her just fine.
After all, Applejack herself wasn’t the only pony her who’d been given special training and had been magically strengthened beyond what she’d once thought she was capable of.

-

Upon hearing the massive doors slam shut behind her, Applejack finally took a deep breath and let her shoulders sag. Another day survived, a few less abominations to haunt the lands and stalk those who still retained their minds and their own souls.
But soon enough, she also knew that the more medical and spiritually specialized Unicorns and Earth Ponies would be looking her over carefully, and she honestly couldn’t find it in her to be annoyed with them. After all, she HAD been rather reckless in her decisions tonight, even if she hadn’t had much of a choice to do anything else.
Her numerous injuries across her body were not something that could be survived by many other ponies, after all, especially not the repeated bites of a highly infectious Vampire Bat Pony. Sure, she was still healing even now due to the mystical powers coursing through her blood and from her very soul, but she was still potentially carrying the dangerous taint from the Dark Powers, and this could sneakily spread to the others here and that was a serious threat.

She was currently still alone in this particular area, and that was both a good and understandable thing. She didn’t want any other ponies who weren’t quite as resilient to corruption as she was to be exposed to it, after all.
She could feel how many of her injuries were closed up by dried blood, but the ones in her neck were still bleeding just a bit in a steady trickle.

“Then darnd’ varmints,” she growled to herself.
“Them and ther’ unhealin’ bahts’.

Indeed, wounds inflicted by Vampire Bat Ponies didn’t heal naturally and were guaranteed to kill or forcibly transform whoever was bitten, unless great medicinal treatment was applied ASAP.

Applejack sighed and dropped her head as the door across the room was unlocked and opened, and Doctor Redheart quickly was now coming up to her personally, dressed in her official white uniform with a Red Cross symbol on it. The medical pony looked quite peeved by what she could already see, her skillful eyes being able to quickly make out that Applejack had plenty of injuries of her own and that was simply not good.

“You already know what happens, Miss Applejack. Come along this way.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Both ponies knew that the Preyer would be fine ultimately. She’d be able to heal from anything. But the touch of corruption from the monsters she fought was the real threat, and Redheart knew more than just how to stitch up wounds and other non-magic techniques. She could also cleanse and purge darkness itself from another living being, and her own personal laboratory was precisely for that.

Applejack knew she was in good hooves. Nurse Redheart was the kind of pony who took her job very seriously, and she NEVER let her own frustrations or biases get in the way of doing what she needed to do. This meant that she would soon be finished with the cleansing process, which was very good indeed.

After all, the Preyer also needed to attend to a very important appointment tonight.

To the mission

“You are to go there and retrieve the Helmet at any cost, Preyer Applejack. Nopony cares what you must do in order to perform this task, and nopony shall judge you for it either. All that matters is the completion of this mission.”

The Preyer remained kneeling before the burning avatar of the Saint of The Church of The Two Sisters, her head lowered just a bit respectfully, but still keeping both eyes obediently fixed upon the fiery violet form that was burning brightly and yet silently, as if the flames themselves did not dare to make a sound whilst she was present.
Around them both, the smoothly carved stone of the sacred Room of Voice was eerily still and silent, the supernatural flames not casting it’s full light affect upon them, not even releasing any rising sparks for that matter.
It was more like looking at a portrait than an actual burning fire, a portrait that was alive and only giving off enough light to be properly visible to the one whom was allowed to see it and none else.

Mage Saint, Head Alchemist, and High Priestess Twilight Sparkle was a legend among many ponies and particularly in the Church, a fiercely loyal and wholly devoted servant and student of The Solar Monarch, the mightier and elder of The Two Sisters. She was the most knowledgeable and respected young scholar in this Age of the world, and was known to be well on her way to becoming the top in the studies of History, Magic, Mathematics, Arcana, Theology, Alchemy, and Spirituality.
Her own contributions to several of these fields had helped also out considerably in the war against the Witches and Warlocks, commonly known as the Dark Powers, particularly in the creation of the Preyers, powerful immortal warriors who had swiftly become the greatest weapon against the many evils of the world and of whom Applejack herself was a member of.

Such were Twilight’s sincere works and devotion that she had been granted the status of Mage Saint at an amazingly young age, and this was immediately followed by the unspeakable privilege of majestically ascending to the status of Alicorn, something that had only happened a hoof-full of times throughout all of history.
These were soon followed by her other promotions to Head Alchemist and soon High Priestess.

Applejack held this pony in both high regard and respectful fear.
After all, it had been HER who had personally placed the BRAND on Applejack that fateful night of torment, death, and rebirth.
The strong Earth Pony had nearly died, but Saint Sparkle, although she had been a mere Senior Alchemist Apprentice at the time, had pushed her extremely risky plan into motion and had Applejack endure the torturous process known as The Trials of Fell Remaking.

The details were forever obscured and known only by Twilight Sparkle herself and her one closest companion, rumored to be an actual Dragon she had magically hatched and personally raised herself, a feat impossible for anypony… except her.
But so far, every KNOWN Trial had been overwhelmingly successful, a testament to the skill and integrity of the young Alchemist’s abilities and effectiveness in her work, all of which had allowed her to rapidly rise through the ranks and achieve greater heights of success and accomplishment.

For each Preyer, she was the ultimate authority they answered to, as The Two Sisters did not speak to them and were not physically manifest in the world(as far as seemingly anypony knew).
Besides the twin deities themselves, she held almost unchecked authority in the Church and across all lands that worshipped the two divines, and was in charge of much of what went on in every city, temple, and advanced fortress such as this one, and for her to contact a pony and give them orders personally… it was a severe understatement to describe it as simply rare or exceptional.

And while it was a guarantee that the mission itself was exceptionally dangerous and the chances of survival were much lower than usual, it indeed also meant that she placed enough trust in the pony in question to personally give them their assignments, and this level of support also came with certain privileges.

Bluntly put, Applejack could look forward to gaining access to certain information and potentially even some incredible artifacts that nopony else was permitted to use, or maybe even to lay eyes on. And truly, there was something she deeply desired to be allowed to see and know for herself.
Something she knew that she could only get if she succeeded in the expedition that the High Priestess now had in mind for her.

“You will not be alone during this assignment, Preyer Dash will also be sent alongside you. In addition to this, I will be sending my own personal apprentice, Preyer Starlight Glimmer. If you have any doubts or concerns about this decision, raise them now.”

“… ah’ have no questions tuh’ ask, yer’ grace.”

“Then you are dismissed. Make your preparations and be ready to depart at once.”

The violet flaming avatar then promptly vanished and the sacred room was silent again, only a brief mystical sort of echo sounding off from her vanishing. The many candles flickered again around the room and then burnt out entirely, the smell of incense and smoke filling the Preyer’s nostrils afresh like a sudden flood in an underground passage.

Slowly rising to her hooves, Applejack turned her back and immediately walked away. She had her full orders, and there wasn’t any time to waste.
She may be immortal, but that certainly didn’t mean that she liked wasting time. She was a Preyer, her entire reason for existence now was to protect all Ponykind from the Dark Powers and slay whoever The Church told her to slay, whether they be living or dead, beast or heretic.

She quietly stepped out the mystical stone door which opened to her of it’s own accord to let her out and walked down the long silent hallway, small gatherings of lit candles seemingly randomly placed along the way with small bits of written notes and special scripture placed on small wooden and stone alters that were used as worship waypoints for those who resided here.
There were also some ornate carvings here and there depicting the legends of The Two Sisters at certain points as well, mostly as small personal worship sites, and turning a corner the Preyer came across a number of servants and a young priest all kneeling in silent prayer and reverence. She’d heard and smelled them before she actually laid eyes on them as her senses were stronger than they had been before her rebirth.
Applejack herself drew near and knelt down with them. She’d need all the divine favor she could get for this mission, and praying with her spiritual sisters and brethren was a good thing to do.

-

Three mares in three dark and different locations stood before alters of bricks and candles, the scrolls of their oaths stretched out before them, written in their own blood.

“What is your life?”

The voice of an Inquisitor, a Priest, and the Saint herself spoke from all directions, echoing through shadows hallways, growing greater in the light that shone from the candles flames and the Moon light shining down from a sky-view window of glass and diamond, and from a great bonfire that burnt with frightful colors.

“Mah’ honor is mah’ life.”
Said the blonde-maned and tailed Earth Pony, ritualistically closing her satchel after placing her whip inside it.

“What is your fate?”

“My duty is my fate.”
Replied the Cyan Pegasus, tightening the last strap of her gauntlets on her forelegs one final time.

“What is your fear?”

“My fear is to fail.”
Replied the light purple Unicorn, slowly setting aside her pen as she finished marking a sacred text, one drop of black-red ink dropping to the floor and sizzling upon contact with the stone.

“What is your reward?”

“Mah’ salvation is mah’ reward.”
The Earth Pony spoke, tightening the belt of her uniform around her barrel.

“What is your craft?”

“My craft is death.”
The Pegasus growled, stretching her wings out one last time for now, the blades glistening within them as they were now firmly secured.

“What is your strength?”

“My strength is my faith.”
Whispered the Unicorn, gazing into the flames before placing a pair of black spectacles into her special pouch.

“What… is your pledge?”

“My pledge…”

Replied the three Preyers, divided the distance between them each, but connected by their destinies.
The Earth Pony placed her hat atop her head, the Pegasus pulled her hood up, and the Unicorn finished pulling on her cape.

“… is eternal service.”

TO BE CONTINUED…

Preyer Dash

Preyer Dash, full name Rainbow Dash, was a friend and rival to Applejack. Both had a surprisingly close bond considering their bloody occupations, and both shared a sincere appreciation for both the other’s faith in the Two Sisters and got their personal skills in combat, while also continually working hard to improve their own to surpass the other’s.
Currently, Dash held the bragging rights as she had recently saved Applejack from being killed by the trio of Vampire Bat Ponies and the other creatures of the horde, and so this meant that the Earth Pony would need to endure any and all boasting that might come until she could do something equally awesome in return.

The Shimmering Wave released from the dock, the magically enhanced sails catching the slightest gust of wind and quickly making its way out to sea and following the exact route laid out for it in the Captains quarters, overlaid on the mystical Nautica Table Map.
Said map was very similar to the Harmony Quest Map used by Saint Twilight Sparkle back at her own secret home and base, which gave her a view of the entirety of Equestria and other countries and territories.
The Nautica Map, on the other hoof, gave an impressive view of the oceans and real-time changes in weather and other useful bits of information related to all things that were related to sailing.

Beneath the center mast, Rainbow Dash stood alone on the deck of the ship, looking out over the dark ocean on the starboard side. Her large and powerful wings, capable of propelling her through the air at unrivaled speeds and velocity, were neatly tucked away at her sides. The keen blades hidden among the feathers were visible to the specialized eyes of a Preyer, but regular mortals saw nothing.

Her rainbow mane was cut rather short, but still long enough to cover her head and let some bangs remain partially in front of her face, although her identically colored tail was not cut and was the same length as that of a normal Pegasus.

Before she had been chosen to become a Preyer, Rainbow Dash had been proud of her beautiful mane and took great pleasure in feeling the wind comb through them as she zipped and soared over everything and everypony in the days of her early youth between school and combat lessons, as Pegasi culture was one of peerless warriors and masters of the sky. After all, it was their responsibility to protect the lower world by keeping the skies clear of any and all unholy beasts and phenomena that were an affront to The Two Sisters.

But the day soon came when she’d been seen and taken in by the great Cloudsdale Weather Corporation, or CWC, where she had worked and quickly began to rise through the ranks.
Managing the weather carefully and battling the unnatural conditions in the air that were conjured up by the Witches and Warlocks was a daily task for the average Pegasus, and all had to serve this greater purpose in any way possible.

All had been quite well… until the terrible event known by many ponies as the Heresy of The Flock, where a number of Pegasi were revealed as traitors who’d been carefully scheming with one of the Warlocks to overthrow Cloudsdale and destroy the Pegasi presence across the northern and western territories of Equestria.
It was during this bloody and brutal period of conflict that Rainbow Dash outdid herself on the battleclouds and performed many acts of valor and heroism… but it was all for nought when she, bluntly put, had both allowed a traitor to escape and ultimately had even made (in probable hindsight) the incredibly foolish choice of physically grabbing and destroying a Black Soul Crystal, objects of pure Black Magic that were infamous for the corrupting nature of their mere presence alone, let alone being physically touched.

Having been one of numerous witnesses to her doing this, the Pegasus named Lightning Dust, who was a new member of the famed warriors known as the Wonderbolts, had immediately reported her to the Pegasi branch of The Imperial Inquisition.

The result was Rainbow Dash being found guilty of treachery by letting a Heretic go in the midst of battle and also being strongly suspected of Umbra Taint, with the Inquisition and CWC stripping away her status as an official member and blacklisting her from ever being able to become a Wonderbolt herself.
Dash herself, deeply regretful and broken, had no protests as the Inquisition took her into harsh captivity and subjected her to many harsh and cruel treatments as they sought to find and rip away any and all traces of darkness within her. But strangely… nothing was ever found.

It was during this short but dark time of great shame and torment that she’d been visited and secretly recruited by a dark organization within the Corporation. It was a powerful and highly feared secret society that was only known both inside and outside of the CWC in hushed whispers and rumors, and that was referred to as…

The Rainbow Factory.

It was here that she saw even more just how harsh it was out there in the wider world, as the students of the Rainbow Factory (or RF) were… ‘specially trained’… to strike down any treacherous ponies and horrid unnatural abominations that they came across.
Sure, training and taking missions in the skies of Equestria was important and risky even though veterans were necessary to accompany new troops, and the Heresy of The Flock was a horrific war that saw many thousands of Pegasi deaths. But the absolute harshness of this new conditioning, and the sheer magnitude of the danger that Rainbow Dash faced after joining with them was on such another level that, for a while, she was extremely paranoid and completely unable to tell apart whenever she was still on a mission or not, even when safe deep in the RF bunkers.
Eventually though, she was able to cope better with her traumas and steadily advance in the hierarchy of this secret society, proving herself repeatedly as an exceptional operative even by RF standards, and became a high-ranking member of her peers in a shockingly short period of time.

Then came that day, when she had embarked upon an exceptionally dangerous mission and had almost died, but had been saved last-moment and soon awoke within the bunkers and facing none other than the newly-appointed High Alchemist Twilight Sparkle herself, who informed her that she was now no longer trapped as a full-time member of the Rainbow Factory if she wished to leave, but had been chosen for a higher and greater role than anything else she had ever done or even imagined.

What followed had been… torment. But she’d survived it, and had been permanently changed in more ways than one.

-

Now it was the present day, and here she was as an incredibly awesome immortal warrior of Ponykind, and had realized the hard way that attempting to perform combat maneuvers in flight and battling against the kinds of foes that she did resulted in it not being in her best interest to have a long mane, and so she had needed to make a necessary sacrifice.
That and.. she no longer really felt like the same pony she used to be, her former personality still present, but not like quite before.

Unlike Applejack, she wore her black Preyer body suit very often, only taking it off when there wasn’t a mission to be prepared for on schedule.
She also often spoke in a rather calm and reserved manner when in conversation, and carried an air of calm and quiet confidence and coldness wherever she went.
All in all, she was an image of discipline and professionalism.

“Do you think we’ll get a chance to do something that is… you know, REALLY AWESOME?”

But just occasionally, she’d allow some of her famous charm and wit come out to play.

“Ah’ really dunno know fer’ sure, sugar cube,” Came the honest reply, a bit of a chuckle in there as well.

“But ah’ think’ thet’ there’s somethin’ reeeaaally fishy bout’ this whole thang’. Fer’ Twilight herself ta’ send her own apprentis’ n’ all, along wit’ the two ah’ us? That ther’ sure means this here’s a real importin’ thang’. Moreso then anythin’ else ah’ve faced so far, y’know?”

“I know, but that’s not what I was asking, AJ. Sure, I’m completely aware it’s gonna be real important and ridiculously dangerous, it always tends to be whenever more than one of us get called up to go to the same place, on the same job, and all that stuff.”

Dash turned to face her rival and fellow dark mystical warrior of Ponykind, and her eyes were a mixture of serious and almost mischievous.

“YOU think you’ll get a chance to do something as awesome as I did? Hmmmmmm?”
And she had that mud-eating grin on her proud, battle-scarred face. She knew she was being an annoying little filly right now, but didn’t care. She rarely ever got to express herself like this, and it was always a precious commodity whenever it happened.
Sure, Applejack was probably the only pony who ever really got to SEE this side to her, but that made it even better!

“Well obviously, sugar cube.”
The Earth Pony shot right back. She too could be ridiculous if she wanted to be, and besides, this was an opportunity for her to be more relaxed, too. Her enhanced hearing allowed her to know that there was no risk of any crew members close enough to hear them speak in this manner, and so they could afford a few moments of talk and playful banter.

“S’matter, you still sore about making a rookie mistake, cowgirl?”
Rainbow Dash snarked, her cheeky grin and cockily narrow eyes making her face all the more punchable, in an innocent way of course.

“Oh, and you’ll know all bout’ makin’ rookie mistakes, wouldn’t ya, Rainbaw’ Crash?”

The cheekiness on the face of the Pegasus didn’t fade, but it was just a bit duller now.
“Still trying to bring up what I did on my first mission AJ, really? But then again, I can’t blame you for doing that…”

And here she turned away and flicked her tail at Applejack’s face, her nose turned up like a snobby lady.
“After all… it’s the only thing I did that you can use against me, isn’t it? The same can’t be said for you, Trippy McGee...”

The Earth Pony now set her face in a grin, and was halfway deciding whether or not to make a rush at the cocky Pegasus and teach her a thing or two about being such an immature filly or just say something else that would wipe the pride off her face, but their playful mood was ended by the arrival of several crew members from below who had finished their time in the Mess Hall and now returned to their respective roles aboard the ship.
The two Preyers were by now again images of pure calm and discipline, and Applejack herself turned away and headed across the deck to stand at the front, the crew members giving her a noticeably wide berth, but not acting too fearful or anything like that.

Reaching her destination, Applejack stepped up to the bow of the ship and leaned slightly over the waters below, thinking about the near future and how they would proceed with this mission.
So far they were to first stop at a small port that was run by both other Ponies and allied Minotaurs, The Bay of Toro, and there they would pick up Preyer Glimmer and truly embark with their mission. She looked up at the sky, and thought over the details of this expedition.

The East Coast Badlands had once been a wet and green realm, famous for its vast swamplands and dense forests. That had been before the arrival of the Witch, an exceptionally vicious and aggressive one at that, and she’d spread her darkness and multiplied her hordes of foul monsters into the lands.
Now the land itself had become ravaged by the black magic and it was twisted and altered massively so, more akin to a series of cold forests and Saify’s hills and vast rocky fields and mountains than a series of swampy biomes, even though there was reportedly still some swampy areas that held high levels of danger.

There also was the question of why and how there had been a number of most unusual discoveries that had been made on the very fringes of this accursed land, like why odd and unusual mystical chests made of stone and roots had been found at the roots of massive trees, or why a tunnel into ancient ruins had been found in a nearby hill that apparently lead under the Witch’s land and was crawling with monsters. All of that was a bit of Arcana Applejack didn’t think she’d be too interested in deciphering… although something told her that Preyer Glimmer probably would be very different, especially when considering the fact that she was the personal student of the most well-read Pony in existence.

It don’t matter…

She decided thus, blinking away the stray thoughts and choosing to focus on other things instead, and then the idea entered into her mind to wander about just what Dash herself was thinking about right now.
This got a small smile out of her, and she soon heard Dash heading to her cabin to retire for now. The Pegasus would wake up when they reached their destination, but she could use this opportunity to rest up as much as possible. Dash always liked resting when she could between missions, and Applejack didn’t mind keeping watch for long periods of time anyway.

Up ahead on the horizon, a storm was starting to form…

The Arrival

Starlight Glimmer was close to death, and whether that was temporary or not would still be a pain. The mystical fire of Magic in her blood had cooled, with most of it having been spent to save her life during the maelstrom that had thrown her ashore where she’d awoken amongst boulders. Had the last spark been gone, she wood be either awakening in Tartarus or somewhere with the same amount of charm.

The Shimmering Wave had been caught in a tempest that had doubtlessly been sent by the Dark Powers, and she did not yet know where her two main comrades had gone. But she was sure that they were alive.
If she could make it through this, so could they.

The rescue, unlikely as it was, came thanks to the vices of Pony greed and stupidity. The birds did not sing here at all since she’d awoken earlier evening and there were no deer or wolves about to be heard or smelled, having clearly not decided to come or stay here, and the ground had a certain unwelcoming feel to it.

Clear signs to the Preyer that this was the realm of the Witch, even if only the very borders.
Starlight knew it well, but the band of what were clearly desperate bandits concealed in the rugged roadside bushes understandably did not.
Even in her weakened state, Starlight could still sense each and every one perfectly. She moved forward, pretending she knew nothing of their presence.

Shrieking in intimidation, they leapt out onto the road, excited by the prospect of easy prey. Sick and famished, crippled and filthy. Poor wretches ready for anything, just seeking to survive another day in a world that hated them.
The dark ornate hood on Starlight’s head seemed to confuse them, but only for a brief moment. Their chief was the first to regain his resolve. Must be why he was their chief.

“I do not know what kind of unicorn you are, ma’am, but you do not look poor. So, you will share with those in need… And get that thing off your body. We’ll melt it down and sell it – should be enough for some bread.”

A moment later, he seemed to come to a realization about his comrades, and spoke up again.
“And no, we won’t slay you or violate your body either. It’s clear that you can fight, but just give us what we need and be off on your way. They say a Witch is nearby to this broken land, so I’d advise you to go back the way you came and not proceed any further.”

It crossed the Preyer’s mind that
removing her robes entirely could easily serve her purpose whilst being a less violent solution.
Then, the usual story would unfold.

Panic and flight upon seeing the numerous scars crisscrossing her form, enhanced more so with a simple Spell.

The terrified bandits would scatter, with some of them going deeper into the Witch’s realm, where the beasts and wraiths would take care of them.

But no, that would be wasteful. She needed to be in complete control of where the bodies would be. It was for the best in her case.
Besides, the leader seemed to be a surprisingly reasonable and somewhat moral stallion despite being a thief and clearly a murderer, and she decided that he deserved a quicker and less horrifying death. Maybe the others too, if her gut feeling was right… And it always was.

“I strongly must object to that idea, and must not do so. The sight of my true form cannot be forgotten. Or endured. Crawl back into the bushes, we will pretend you have not seen me, and all will be well.”
Starlight lied, just to ease her conscience slightly when they inevitably refused. She knew they were too desperate, she could see it in their eyes.

Smell it from their bodies inner chemical signals.

Hear it in their hearts and flowing blood.

The leader shook his head with a deep inhalation. He looked around and sniffed the air, confirming that this Unicorn was alone, and his own companions numbered half a dozen. Even if she knew a Spell or three, she was still far from invincible.

“Well, miss, you were meant to die quickly, I would prefer to slit throats real quick and so on, with no pointless bucking struggle which only prolongs the pain. But in this case, it seems there’ll be an exception. Get her!”

They all ran around the Preyer and came in from several sides while an archer launched his arrows to distract her as they used one of the standard tactics of taking down a Mage.

The fight did not last long.

Whether half a dozen or two it made no matter – they were a meagre challenge for even an exhausted Preyer. Just before death, each of the thugs had a chance to see wonders they had never before experienced.

Her metal-clad leathery foreleg boots, suddenly spitting out flashes of hot metal as she raised them up.

The sight of her teleporting from one lethally blasted chest or head to another.

Her horn casting freezing and burning spells one after the other in flawless form, for it is the common idea that Magic typically is used to that degree by either Ponies who have made dark deals for power or the more experienced elder Pony Mages, not one who LOOKED like she was young and in her prime.

It ended quickly, but the price was very noticeable. Starlight felt just a little dizzy and somewhat out of breath. However much cursed Magic she still had in her, it certainly would not be enough for another encounter.

Starlight began to search the bodies and found a small amount of rope belonging to one of the thugs and used it to tie the leader tightly to a thin tree. She piled the bodies of the others around another wider thicker tree and arrayed each in a sitting-up position.
The Preyer than sat nearby and waited for nightfall, keeping her senses carefully sharp for any other intruders.

As always in the lands overrun by the Dark Powers, it grew steadily more noticeable in the air itself. Either chilly or having a hint of sulfur, there was always something wrong with the air.

And here, it tasted like cold sulfur.

When the shadows were thick and the dreadful time of night known as The Witching Hour struck, the air altered again more noticeably now and now sparked with invisible Magic. The corpses slowly opened their magic-infused eyes, and began to turn their heads and look at the unicorn who had slain them. The ghouls growled and started to rise up fast, and the leader himself began shifting and kicking wildly, seeking to free himself from his bonds.

Starlight waited until they had clearly regained all of their strength, and several were now only a few feet from her. She aimed one of her Gun Gauntlets at each forehead and let fire more magical bullets. Their heads erupted immediately into thousands of particles of Black Aether, which hung in the air like a cloud of orange-red fireflies and began to wisp around and into Starlight. The Preyer warmed herself in this supernatural glowing embrace, recovering stamina with each passing moment.

There was nothing she could do for the former bandits now. As long as the Witch was alive, they would continue to reanimate indefinitely. They were now from Black Aether, and would be reborn from such.

Starlight narrowed her eyes,
The Witch must have already known that the Preyer had come. A normal pony should have already been dead and become another of her minions. And yet this one still roamed free, with her insolently unperishable soul.

Oh yes, it was indeed clear now the dark mistress knew, and the forest was no longer silent. From both near and far, and from every direction, Starlight could hear the growls and howls of undead, both physical and corporeal.

Their merciless intentions for her were all too clear, but her own were no different for them. And being a class of Preyer known as an Arcanist, she especially could use more mystical fuel for her arsenal of Spells and incantations.

Starlight turned in the direction of the nearest approaching monsters and felt the newly gained Magic sparking and crackling along the length of her horn, then focused her power on a stronger spell than usual.
Her horn flashed ever so slightly, and a great ball of magical fire engulfed the trees and misshapen forms that were shambling and flying towards her.

-

Rainbow Dash leapt quietly over the shallow waters and onto each slightly raised mound of grassy soil, eyeing the deceptively peaceful water suspiciously as she could feel something dangerous within them. She was in a more swampy area that was near to the ocean, and nearby were a series of cliffs.
She could feel the darkness growing stronger as the witching hour drew near, but there weren’t any detectable undead or other monsters. That meant she wasn’t detected yet, but she could practically feel the Witch’s attention on her.

Rainbow finished clearing the swampy area and made her way to the small wrecked cabin she’d spotted a little earlier, and there discovered a genuinely esoteric chest with a Tome as its lock.

“Hmm, I’ll need to check on this later…”

She memorized the location of the chest and continued on, covering more dry grassy and hilly terrain as she left the swamp and headed further inland, the many live or dead trees getting a bit more dense as she flew between them, being careful not to be too easily visible to the pine trail hostile eyes that were still beyond her current senses in her weakened state.

“I know you guys are alive out there, I can feel it.”
She said aloud to nothing in particular, but addressing her fellow Preyers.
“Come on, give me a hint about where you each are.”

Dash didn’t have to wait too long for an answer, as she soon had to sit down in a small clearing to rest and wait for the witching hour to fully come… and soon enough could feel the air thicken with Magic and the afterward she could sense the release of a particularly strong Spell being cast not that far away.

“Wow, was that… nah, it can’t be the Witch. It’d be more frightful and intimidating, not as awesome as what I just felt! Must be Starlight, AJ can’t do stuff like that.”
And with that, Rainbow Dash leapt up and began to run quietly through the dark woods towards the source of the immense power that he just been unleashed, but soon caught sight and sound and scent of numerous other creatures manifesting as well.
Of course the Witch could now detect them, and so she was sending her minions to snuff out the souls of the Preyers, and that realization made Dash grin fiercely.

“About time, you ugly waste of Aether! Come on now, ya rotters! I’ve been getting a third-degree level of boredom!”

And then, Dash leapt up and flipped to avoid the flash of bloody light that zipped towards her from the nearest tree and the equally crimson arc that suddenly was sliced through the air!
Upside down in midair, the Pegasus saw the unnatural blackish-red blade of the hideous winged creature that had ambushed and attacked her. Completing her leap over it’s form and twisting to land on her hooves, Dash threw out her arms/forelegs and from her gauntlets came a pair of curved, gray blades about half the rest of each limbs.

The monster whirled around to face the Preyer, and she could see more clearly now that the black creature was a Changeling Duelist. It’s main front limbs were long and slightly curved razor-sharp blades that had a reddish hue along the edges, and it also had two smaller hooked limbs on its chest.
The hind legs were similar to her own, but the hooves were instead curved claws, and the head was a savage thing with a mouth full of sharp light gray fangs, with a pair of shredded insect-like wings on it’s back.
The worst aspect of a Duelist, however, was its ability to learn. The longer a battle went on, the more it adapted itself to the flow of the fight and it’s moved became more fluent and better at picking apart the flaws in an opponents fighting style, whether it be offense or defense or even both.

All in all, Duelists were fearsome foes who would give any skilled swordspony a potentially lethal fight, and the additional ability to faze in and out of reality in a form of teleportation made a fight all the deadlier, and often futile.

Rainbow Dash knew that she couldn’t just drag this out and let the monster get a proper read on her. She didn’t have enough stamina to take on a foe that only would trickier and more precise with every moment she took with it, and needed to end this fast before others arrived.

And so, Rainbow dashed!

The two fighters, one an experienced prodigious master and the other an unnaturally adaptive prodigy, clashed blades in a wild series of fiery red and icy blue arcs, and the air was filled with the ringing or their blades and the endless flashing of sparks in a grand display of speed and skill. The noise was unceasing, neither side giving the other a chance to pull back and change form or plan a strategy.
Rainbow was slashing almost mindlessly, but her foe was already capable of seeing how each and every blow was precise and focused on landing a crippling or even LETHAL strike and so it copied her strategy immediately, refusing to let itself be so easily overwhelmed and instead meeting her ferocity head-on, showcasing a Duelists frightening ability to copycat virtually ANY style and exploit it’s advantages to the fullest extent.

But this was what the Pegasus wanted, for her foe to copy her current skills set.
Now, she saw the right moment!

Taking half a second longer than usual to launch her next attack, Dash instead transferred much of her energy to her left hind leg and thrusted herself forward, and her right arm shot forward at blinding speed.
The Changeling was taken off guard by her sudden delay and change of form, but it reacted with pure instinct and lunged it’s on main right arm forward as well, the two smaller hooked limbs preparing to try whatever they could to balance this out.

The two weapons flew right last each other, speeding towards their destinations.

The smaller arms lashed out at Rainbow’s blade, aiming to grapple it down, and then…
Dash simply gritted her teeth and allowed the fearsome blade-limb to rip through the flesh on one side of her neck. If it had been a single inch more to the right, it would have impaled her through the throat.
But as it stood, she could survive this.

Her own weapon, on the other hoof, had also missed, and she cursed under her breath. The backup pair of smaller forearms of the monster facing her had down their job, yanking the tip of her sword just enough to avoid her hitting the lethal point of the Duelist’s throat. The blade now instead was imbedded into the chest of her foe, who let out a gasping gurgle for a second, but then she could feel its lifeless eyes suddenly regain their focus.

“Go to Tartarus…”
She hissed. Then suddenly lashed out with her other blade, sliding it along the other’s own as well as it too began to move, and stabbed upwards in an uppercut-style stab maneuver.

She could live with her own neck wound.

And she would… because her second strike had NOT missed the mark, and the Duelist simply spasmed for two seconds before Black Aether began to put out of its mouth and eyes, and from the impalement injury starting at its throat and ending at the top of its head as she yanked her weapon out and the Duelist fell into a crumpled heap.
Coughing a bit, the Preyer stood over the corpse of her opponent and simply breathed in the Magic energy sparks as they soaked into her body and her soul.

“Ahhhh, I love the feeling this stuff gives me. It’s like cider, but it actually makes me better than before.”
She closed her eyes for a moment and hummed as she got her first taste of her private addiction… well, not exactly, but she did love the feeling of Dark Aether flooding into her bloodstream and heart and mingling with the natural Magic flowing within her soul, almost as much as she relished the rush she got when she slew the abominable slaves of Witches and Warlocks, the Dark Powers as they were often referred for as.

And already, the Slayer-Class Preyer could feel her own deadly wound slowly closing up and her own power increasing slowly, promising that soon enough that she would be able to demonstrate her even more complex techniques and abilities, and the echoing haunting sounds of the other hordes of evil lurking in the shadows of the trees all around her for miles were now making themselves heard. They were converging on her and her comrade’s positions with murderous intent.

Rainbow Dash didn’t feel the slightest ounce of fear or uncertainty about this situation, nor did she need to wonder about what other more powerful monsters would appear who served the Witch. She was too excited.

The horrors of this realm were legion, and she herself was on the list to be slaughtered. They desired nothing more than to rip the flesh from her bones and test the scream from her throat. They were thirsty for her blood…

But she was thirsty for theirs, too.

“Like always, I can tell this is gonna be AWE.SUM!”
Dash spoke aloud to nopony and nothing.
Then she braced herself and waited, and only after the first hellishly glowing eyes appeared in the shadows did she lunge forward, her razor-keen blades on either arm making a sharp slicing sound through the air as she cried out and began her brutal work of butchery with a smile and a laugh.

-

Applejack pushed the barn door open and immediately raised her shield as she entered, her sharp senses easily picking every single sound from every corner of the farm building.

Including the very soft and sudden whispering crackle of Black Aether as some form of fell creature no doubt had manifested itself in the upper floor of this barn. Applejack merely narrowed her eyes and started for the ladder that led upstairs to the monster.

Since she’d forced herself ashore from the raging sea, the Preyer had immediately forced her weakened body to get out of the open and into the temporary safety of the trees and nearby bushes, where she’d forced herself to take a brief nap before awakening and starting inland to search for her comrades and the safe spot that had been place for them by The Church.

Indeed, the Crusher-Class Preyer had been trapped in the violent waves the longest, unable to force herself to teleport or fly like her fellow Preyers, and had been engaged in fending off Sea Phantoms in the black waters, dark intangible specters that lurked in the watery bodies controlled by the Dark Powers and tried to weigh down the mind with painful thoughts and induce suicide.

Long she struggled in the dark depths, battling both in body and in mind, and more than once was she almost consumed by the waves which seemed to have a mind of their own as they attempted to claim the Preyer at the behest of their dark mistress.

Minutes dragged into hours, but at long last Applejack found her hoofing and finally crawled onto the sandy beach, exhausted and battered, but still very much alive. As a result, she was more weary than the other two had been, and thus was just a tad more vulnerable.
But she was also the strongest physically, and thus not at all as vulnerable as others would have been.

Traveling slowly through the dark woods and feeling the ever-approaching Witching Hour getting closer and closer and promising to end her immortal life(at least temporarily and shamefully) unless she found a source of shelter to rest better and then recharge her Black Aether. So far she was seemingly out of luck, but then discovered this old structure on the burnt remains of a mysterious farm of sorts.
Now it was the dreaded hour of the night, and already a possible form of undead had found her.

“Yer most welcome, ya waste ah’ Magic.”
She growled in response to the gurgling hiss. Then the strong young pony simply prepared her hind legs a bit and m launched herself up and onto the second floor!
Spinning in midair as she heard the creature behind her just before she landed, Applejack now found herself facing a Hood Ghoul, a ghostly creature that could teleport to a certain degree in order to stalk and ambush it’s prey.
But this was no ordinary Pony it confronted. Exhausted beyond belief and having nearly drowned two dozen individual times while fighting endlessly in the grasp of the supernatural sea, Applejack was a Pony of well-nigh unmatched integrity and faith, a Preyer who’s strength of her powerful body, earned through a life of hard work and mystical enhancements, was only matched and exceeded by that of her heart.
Even if she was on the verge of death, it still wouldn’t be recommended for any minion of the Dark Powers who was not exceptional to try engaging her on hoof to hoof combat.

The Hood Ghoul lunged at her with a flying leap, almost gliding in the air. Applejack raised her shield and swung hard, but still, her depleted state left her unable to one-shot the monster’s like she would’ve been capable of normally, and instead it fell to one side and snarled before attacking again.

The Preyer forced herself forward, and the creature’s fang and sharp hooves clashed against the shield she brought up as she managed to duck down and move swiftly behind it to launch a kick, which thankfully managed to knock her foe off balance, but resulted in a vicious counterstrike which led to her leg getting a nasty scratch.

Drawing in as much breath as she could to keep going, Applejack now surged forward and managed to tackle the ghoul down. Her foe snarled and began to slash at her wildly with its clawed hooves, biting on the edge of her shield and striking her across the face, but the Pony now jabbed her left arm forward repeatedly with a growl of her own, and soon a *crunch* sound announced the shattering of the monster’s jaw.
The mighty Preyer then brought up her shield and used all her strength to swing down upon the undead’s face, and the sheer power of the impact was so great that it completely smashed the body through the upper boards and both beings came crashing down to the floor!

“Damn undead…”
She muttered, trying it stand and instead collapsing atop the fallen ghoul as it began to quickly leak out the much-needed Black Aether.
Lying there upon the body of her fallen foe, Applejack could feel the a silent exhaustion that now coursed through her, and her eyes were soon closed…
And then shot open again as she immediately felt herself becoming revitalized by the fresh Magic making its way through her bloodstream.

“It’s bout’ time.”

It wasn’t a lot at all, but enough to help the wounded, weary Preyer to stave off exhaustion and fight again. If more and weaker minions of the Witch came by soon(and she knew that they would, she could practically feel the darkness surrounding her from the trees) she would be infighting shape in no time at all.

Applejack rose to her hooves, taking a few moments to pant briefly, and then turned her attention to the faint sounds of growling and howling that started to come from the surrounding trees. Yeah, the Witch knew she was here and where she was, alright.

“Well, les’ git’ this sho’un’ the road!”

And with that, she started to walk rapidly, and then run, to the spot of the trees where she felt the nearest presence of Black Aether, and saw the hellish burning eyes rapidly coming into view. It was Preying time!