Skydrop Part II

Darkness. That was all that had met me when I hit the deck. Darkness. Cold, chilling, gnawing Darkness. There was no light. There was no Hope. Just plain Darkness. Death. Oblivion.

All hope is gone. You feel lost. Forsaken. And Damned. I felt as my memories faded. My identity lost. I was gone. The Horizon? I would never reach it. I recall as Frostbite promised to write down my memories in my journal. That must've been the feeling. But it was not. Truly it was not. The cold washed over me as a wave from the ocean. The chill settled in my bones and dwelled there. I was dying or dead. Forgotten. My body hath been laid to rest. Eternal Peace. Salvation no where in sight. That was what greet me on the other side. The DarkSide.

I narrowed my eyes as I watched as Hawke and Glade rested ___'s body on the table. He was fading fast, and I could do nothing to save him. But I could try. But what use what trying when all that remained was failure? No, I thought, I will try. If not for my friend's sake then for Sky's. She risked her life to save him, and so should I. I steadily opened ___'s back. His flesh rended and torn from the impact and fight. His eyes were hollow. Iris-less. His heart beat every so slowly. Slowing down with every passing moment. Every breath. Time was running out in the match between Death and I. The race to whom would get to ___ First. His soul, fate, and life rested in my hooves. Memories of the short time we spent together began to converge and fill up my mind. I felt as the slightest tear fell from my eye. I was truly sad for the first time. I looked as Sierra Myst began applying medicine in the effort to preserve our patient. Our friend. But to what end? I took a deep breath and began the incision. His flesh opened up with ease. His blood flowed free and his bones fell apart steadily. The damage had been done, and it was now up to me...To us to fix it. He gave his life for us, it's then our duty to save him. So help me Celestia and Luna. I would need all the strength I could get.

Ba-bump

I paused as the sound echoed through the darkness. Cutting through it as a blade would through bread.

Ba-bump

My heart was still there. It was still working. I now, at the very least, now had known that I had Hope.

Ba-bump

Would I return back to the land of the living? Or would I remain here. Despair and Agony both awaited me at both ends.

Ba-bump

Skyfall. Glade. Hawke. Frostbite. Greyson. SIerra Myst. They awaited me and I was prepared to let them go.

bump

They depended on me and I let them down.

-mp

Skyfall. I remembered her. How she tried to save me. Was I prepared to leave her for all eternity because of my selfishness?

No. I was going to live. My time was not yet finished damn it. I. Am. Not. Going. To. Die. Here.

Bump.
Ba-Bump
Ba-bump, Ba-bump.

My eyes widened as ___'s heart began beating again. Stronger than ever. A moment ago I thought Frost and I had lost him. But he was still there. Holding on. I felt myself smile. I somehow knew that he wouldn't let us go. "Thanks" I whispered. For the slightest moment, I could've sworn that he smiled.

I looked up as I saw my heart. It was funny. A moment ago, I had wished for peace. Eternal rest. And now, all I wanted was to see my friend again. And Skyfall. And Glade. And Myst...Damn that beating is annoying....

I felt my eyes widen as I examined our friend's back. I was right. He was just any ordinary Earth Pony. This was really how he survived (Albeit barely). Severed wings. From magic. Possibly from before birth. He was destined to be born one thing, but was altered to be another. Not for the first time I felt myself questioning our existence. How could such a thing happen? Better yet, who would do such a thing? And what happened to ___'s parents? I recalled how Grey told me that BOTH of ___'s parent's were Earth Ponies. It didn't add up. Something was wrong. I heard a faint whispering and out of the corner of my eye I saw that shadowy mist again. Yet again, that same chill crawled down my spine slowly. That wasn't just any mist...There was something off about it. It seemed almost...Sentient. Or alive. My realization came too late as I finally figured out what it was...I saw the same thing on the day that the Brotherhood attacked Manehattan. Just as the thought reached my head, a loud tremor occurred above us.
"We were being watched..." I whispered.

I frowned as I felt a disturbing presence intruding on me. It felt...Wrong. Tainted. Corrupted. Slowly a strange black and green mist began flowing in until it created a being across from me. A large pony in black, inky green, and faint purple armor that covered his entire body.

"Nice place you got here." He said simply.

I glared at him. Something was wrong about him. Something frightening. He nodded toward me.

"My name is Miserix. Or Miserax. Depends on where you live. I prefer Miserix. Sounds more...Miserable-ix."

I attempted to back up. Only I couldn't because there was nowhere to back up.

"Tut-tut-tut. No need to be afraid. I'm not your enemy. Indeed, I am rather here to make sure you remain alive."

A memory fragment appeared between us as it showed a picture of him inside the book that Grey gave me before it was taken away.

"But you were killed by Blaze..."

Miserix let loose a chilling chuckle. "Indeed. But not quite. I was actually left to rot on an island until the end of time. Or until I faded away. My pupil replaced me and became the new leader of the Brotherhood. To him, it was nothing more than a game. A machination of his. He manipulated them to complete his own agendas. You."

My eyes widened in shock. If he was right...

"Exactly kid. You're all part of his final plan. His grand scheme. His redemption. A spark of what he...We...Once were lit up in him. Dying, he led to a final confrontation with Blaze. A confrontation that could've ended in two ways. Blaze dying or Blaze surviving. Here, he survived and went on to have a descendant. You. The last of the great lineage of the forerunners of the Equestrian. Before they came here, they existed in another land. Blaze was born there. Only 6 families remained today because they slowly vanished or died out over time. And you, with your friends, are the last of their lineage."

I collapsed. It was too much.

"But...But what about the 6 captains?"

Miserix once again laughed at me. "Soon to be dead. They're time is approaching rapidly. The only reason I'm here is to keep you alive kid. If you die then your friends will fall too. I cannot. Will not let that happen."
I could not tell if Miserix was lying, but his serious tone told me he was not. "How?"
Miserix turned toward the side for a moment before he replied. "The Brotherhood is attacking the ship currently. Your friends are busy at work on you. They're hoping to keep you alive. I suspect the white one saw me earlier. He's sharp I'll say."

I looked up and saw my heart beginning to beat even faster.

"How long until I'm back?"

Miserix shrugged. "Not much longer. Your friend is trying his best. Even more."

Miserix let loose a faint growl. "What?! NO!"

"What's happening?" I asked. I placed my hoof on his leg.

"The Brotherhood. They're coming after you!"

He growled directly at me.

"Wake up! Now kid!"

I narrowed my eyes. The sound of those hooves up the stairs didn't reassure me. And they sure as Tartarus didn't sound friendly.

I steadily leaned against the wall and levitated my blade. Custom and broad, it was a blade devised for heavy trauma and death dealing.

I slowly raised my blade.

A Brotherhood soldier entered the room. His gaze focused on ___. The last thing he saw was a really pissed off doctor and a huge deadly chunk of steel falling towards his helmet.

Miserix's eyes narrowed.

"Tough colt. He killed off a member. Just a recruit. They didn't think that they'd need much to kill you off."

I glanced at him before turning to face my heart again.

"Why are they hunting me down?"

Miserix shrugged.

"Not much reason. They just view you as a threat, kid. The thirteen of you have two connections. You all are descended from the 6 Captains, and you all were manipulated by my pupil to find the Southern Islands. It was all planned out years ago. 500+ years ago to be accurate." Miserix's form began wavering "Not much time left for me. But remember kid, when the Brotherhood had learned of remnants of their group's knowledge had remained in Equestria they sought to get rid of it. When they learned that the 6 Captains were still alive, and better yet, that they had children who had children who had children...Et cetera...They viewed you as threats. The Captains were the only beings alive who were a threat to them. The children of the captains are practically the same danger to the Brotherhood as the Captains were. And since you were the only living descendant of Blaze, you were viewed as the greatest threat."

"ONLY living descendant!? But what about my family!? "What about my parents!?"

Miserix gave a long, and dry laugh. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, OH THAT IS SOOO FUNNY!" He sobered up. His form was flickering even more. "I said you were the ONLY living descendant. Your parents were NOT your real parents. Your real parents were a Pegasus and a Earth Pony, kid. Your father had special innate magic from his grandparents. He could generate a magical aura at times, but he couldn't control as well as a Unicorn could. Before you were born, a very special magic was activated. It was connected to you from birth. Yet another machination devised by my pupil. It sliced your wings off, and prevented them from repairing themselves. Instead of wings you had a pair of nubs. But the magic from being a Pegasus still slightly remained within you kid. That's why you survived the fall. That's why you're here now. A attempt by my pupil to uncover the truth of Equestria to everyone."

"What was his name?" I asked.

Miserix gave a low chuckle. "That, my friend, you'll have to learn by yourself."

His form faded completely.

And I was left alone in the shadows. Surrounded by mystery and darkness.

Frost grimaced as he charged up his magic again. ___ was nearly back. He just needed time and a few more electro-shocks. And maybe some hay. With extra apple cider on the side....

Greyson grimaced as he spun around quickly and cut down two Brotherhood soldiers. They came down from nowhere. As swift and as deadly as none other. It was only with Hawke and Glade's assistance that they managed to protect the Captain's deck. Greyson suspected that they were secretly targeting the med-bay, and his suspicions were confirmed as the toughest of the soldiers attempted to "stealthily infiltrate" the lower area. They did not last long against Grey's blades and Scorch's SteelHooves.

"I just hope Frost can get ___ Back up to shape in time..." He murmured as he decapitated another soldier. It's a good thing I honed my skills on this ship, he thought.

Frost's magic charged up one last time, he was mostly drained and if this didn't work then they'd be in trouble. "So let's hope this works..."

*Pmmmm*

___'s eyes shot open.

"......OOOOOWWWWW!!!"

Frost smiled.

"You alright?"

___ weakly got up and wobbled a bit as he stood. "Ugh, yeah. I think I prefer being dead though. So how long was I out?"
Frost`grabbed his blade and peeked outside. "Almost a day. We got attacked by the Brotherhood a couple of hours ago. I'm amazed that we managed to survive this long..."

___ weakly stumbled to the door and picked up a metal bar. "How about I help you guys? I'm pretty sure I can fight."
Frost's eyes widened. "Not a chance in Tartarus! You wouldn't last a second! You're too weak, and I barely managed to bring you back! Are you really planning to go out there and risk it all!?"

___ nodded. "Yeah. I'm pretty sure we won't survive otherwise. You guys need help."
Frost grimaced. He couldn't believe what his friend was saying. "Help? From you? What could you do? You're barely strong enough to walk let alone fight!"

___ opened the door and just before walking out he turned to Frost. "I may not be strong enough, but I can still help. I know why they're here. And I can stop them. Just trust me on this."
Frost hesitated. He didn't want to let his friend go, but ___'s face was...Serious. Frost had never seen his friend so serious. It was almost as if he knew what to do. Almost as if he had to...

"...Alright. Let's go." Said Frost reluctantly.

___ Stepped outside and looked around. Of course, there wasn't much to look at. destruction and chaos ruled everywhere. Of the corpses that were scattered across the ship, ___ was relieved to see that none of them were his friends or allies. Just heaps and mounds of Brotherhood corpses.

"How did they manage to kill so many?" He asked.

Frost scowled "They snuck up on us and attacked. We weren't prepared, but we had the advantage of fighting in a place we knew well. We had to rely on trickery and defense to protect our flanks from them. They weren't even fighting hard. They seemed...New to this."

___ grabbed a lance from one of the fallen soldiers. "That's because they're recruits. Grunts. Sent to weaken us so the big guys can finish us off. They're expendable and weak."

Frost's eyes widened "Oh buck..."

___ looked around. The area was covered in debris and rubble from the battle. The cargo was scattered across the ship. The ship's decks and buildings were badly damaged, covered in dents and such. The Brotherhood recruit's bodies were scattered and strewn all over. Armor pieces were lying around all over the place. And the entire battlefield had a chilling sensation to it. One that made you want to leave, and never look back. It frightened him.

___ examined the lance. It appeared normal except for the long coiling tube that surrounded the lance. ___ lowered the lance and pressed the small pad on the lance. It started making a humming noise and the tip of the lance began glowing with a blue color. With a zapping sound it fired a blast of the blue energy straight at one of the recruits who, conveniently, decided to climb the ship. With a shriek he flew off the ship and straight into the ocean. The front of his armor was still smoking from the blast.

"Go figure" Muttered Frost. "An energy lance...Are you bucking kidding me?"

Greyson was breathing hard. The soldiers kept coming. It wouldn't be much longer until they were all overrun. The majority of their group was badly injured. At least we managed to protect Frost and ___, thought Grey.

"Grey, how many of them are left?" Shouted Sierra!

"Too many! We won't be able to hold them off!" Grey shouted back. That is, until we get some backup at the very least, he thought.

As if on cue or by the divine act of a Deus Ex Machina or by all that Poison Joke that Glade has been stealing and smoking in secret, ___ and Frost managed to arrive in time. With Energy Lances no less.

"Look out below you bloody scourges!" yelled ___ before he landed hoof first on one of the soldiers. It was quite convenient that there was a ladder on the side of the ship that led to its top. It was only now that ___ realized that it was less of a ship and more of a yacht...

It took a while, but in the end they barely managed to wipe all the soldiers off the ship. "Makes me wonder why no one used the energy lances..." Muttered ___. Little did he know that he was lucky to be able to use that one as nearly all of them had a dead pony's switch that caused the weapon's energy battery to shut off after their owners were killed. It was luck that the lance was re-activated as soon as he lifted it up. Surprisingly, Miserix's presence left behind a faint aura on ___ that reacted well to the switch. In more ways than one, Miserix was right. ___ really was the key to the end that saved them all. But they were wrong for their journey and trials had only just begun as they sailed ever so closer to the island and the looming Darkness Beyond The Horizon...

Back in the present

Ripper smiled as he recalled the memory. It was a long time ago, but it sure as Tartarus was one of his fondest.
Ripper dodged the massive axe as it sailed past his head. The Keeper was still really, really angry about what had happened earlier. Apparently Ripper's execution date was pushed up to today. For now anyways.

"So. How did they get here?" He rumbled.

Ripper smiled slightly. "Simple my dear giant (Pain in the flank). Your portal caused a slight transportational error and transported a timber wolf here for a bit. No need to make anyone lose their head."

The Keeper narrowed his golden eyes. He was obviously thinking that Ripper was lying, but then again The Keeper just could've been wrong. After all, he was watching over Ripper for a very, very long time, and not even once did someone other than the Keeper manage to enter the prison. He sighed and lowered his axe. "You best hope upon your life that you're right. Or else your life will end tragically short as I "accidentally" execute you early." The Keeper waved his hoof and yet another portal appeared

A moment later and he was gone. Once again, not for the first, and hopefully for the last was Ripper left in the darkness. Cold, alone, and forgotten. He was never much for religion, but he prayed to the Princesses, his friends, that someone would come save him from this hell.

Rainbow narrowed her eyes as she faced the cave. Covered in a mysterious rock she yet again tackled it, but to no avail. The day went on as Rainbow tried again and again to destroy the stone. Nothing had happened, but she would not quit. She would not falter. She would not fail.

Vinyl Scratch laid the recording down. She now knew what to do. And she would be damned if anyone would stop her. She would get her answers and she wouldn't stop until she got 'em.

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. Her element of harmony had appeared and yet she had not noticed. She had little strength left, but she would use it all to shatter the stone. It had taken her days to find it. And all she had was a memory orb, a map, and a journal of an age long since forgotten. Loyalty was her driving force. She made a promise to free him and she would. Rainbow Dash flew up high in the sky and dived down. Surrounded by a rainbow. A sonic-rainboom was her last resort. As she grew nearer and nearer to the stone her element began to glow and so did the stone. She closed her eyes and what had happened next would change the lives of many. Especially a very specific pony who had been long imprisoned.

*CRASH*

Ripper's eyes widened as faint light poured into the cavern.
And for the first time in a long time did a true smile appear on his face.
Not of a smug, sarcastic smile.
But of a smile of Friendship.
Many ponies that day would feel a cold, chilling, biting wind embrace them.
They would never know why.
But the world did.
And it was fear.

And so ends the beginning of our tale, spun long and short. Of silver and of Gold.
But it is far from over.

Author's Note

And here is the end of Darkness Beyond the Horizon. With luck (Since, thanks to everyone, I have reached my goal of 100 views by 300 total I now will make a sequel soon) the sequel will possibly be released next week/month. It will still retain its Dark and will possibly have more action scenes. Hope you like my story, it's been a long run and I'm happy.

P.S. This fanfiction is actually based off of a fiction I once wrote.

-Ashe S. Black.