"Come, come. Take a seat by the fire." I tell the three children as they enter my clearing.
My long coat is splayed over the back of the log I'm using at a seat. The three children sit on the a log opposite of me. A glowing fire was sitting between us.
"So, you want to hear a story?" I ask the three children.
"Yeah!" The pegasus shouts at me, "It needs action, and heroes!"
"A story with family." The one with a red bow says.
"A story with magic." says the pale one with soul gems.
I smile at their cheery expressions, "I know just the tale for you."
It all starts when I was in my adventuring days. You wouldn't know it, but I was a top tier adventurer. Up there with the best. I was searching for a long lost temple to an ancient race the early inhabitants of Equus had left behind. Long story short, I found it. But the temple wasn't the most interesting thing I found. I found two beings, arguing.
"Who were the beings?" the pegasus shouts, interrupting my story.
"All in good time." I respond with a smirk.
They were standing outside a beautiful temple, broke and weathered, sure. But beautiful none the less. Marble statues of beings with butterfly wings flanked the left side and being with wings of fire flanked the right.
"Wings of fire? That sounds like Rising Ember's wings!" The orange child interrupts me. Again.
"SHHH," the bow wearing child interrupts, "Let 'im finish the story."
Anyway, the two figures were arguing, I could make out their conversation anyway.
"...were told not to intervene!" a lady with pure white hair and a well fitted suit shouts.
"I'm not one for orders," Calmly replies a figure wearing tan trench coat as he plays with a wide brimmed hat, "Besides, I've been doing good. I thought you Glories were all about that?"
This jab seemed to have struck a chord with the suit wearing one. She seemed to be flustered and responded quickly with, "What would you know about doing good. You're just a soldier! You gained your wings through bloodshed and chaos!"
"And you gained yours through prayer and hiding from the world." He calmly replied.
She flustered at that comment, rolling her shoulders like something hidden was sitting heavily behind them.
"Look, you're my sister and I love you, but this is my job. I am a jailer whose jail is almost broken. So instead of guarding a broken door, I'm bringing these people to our level. I'm giving them the fighting chance we never had until it was too late. So if you're planning on taking me back and away from these people, there aren't enough Glories in heaven." He cut in harshly.
"We will fight you... hold on. It seems we have a eavesdropper." Her voice trails off as she looks at me.
Her pale blue eyes gaze into mine through as her long white hair. She strides towards me as she says, "We can't be having people hear what is going on here. I'm sorry but you will have to leave.
"Oh no! Story teller is in trouble!" The pale unicorn shouts!
"SHH!" The other two shush her. "We want to know is about to happen."
"No."
A metallic snikt following the flash of metal from a wickedly sharp machete punctuated the word.
"I will not allow you to kill him."
The women in the suit, referred to as a Glory, steps back as if in shock. Then rolls her shoulders as beautifully colorful butterfly wings unfurl from behind her.
"You wish to side with the inferior animals. So be it." says dejectedly as she draws a blade of her own. An ornate silver rapier with runes carved onto the hilt.
"Its getting late kiddos." I say as I glance at the setting sun
"What! You're leaving us at a cliffhanger. Not cool dude, not cool." the orange pegasus yells, outraged.
"Hey, the cliffhanger is leaving us with a story to imagine for tomorrow." The bow wearers says, "You will continue the story again."
"Same place, same time." I confirm as they walk towards the farm in the distance.
I stare into the fire for a while as the sounds of the night surround me. Birds singing their nightly songs, crickets chirping, children screaming, branches bre... wait WHAT!
I jump off my log and rush towards the screams. My wings flaring behind me, boosting my speed. The blade at my side flicks out of its sheath as I scan the area.
The 3 children, surrounded by 7 timberwolves, "I don't think the wolves are asking for directions to grannies." I mutter to myself with dark humor.
I spring into the clearing. Dropping onto a wolf from the skies using my wings and machete to take it out.
I rose into a stance I had seen someone take to defend me before. Blade down at his side, wings flared, back to me and shoulders squared towards the enemy. A stance of defiance towards death.
"No." my voice echoes around the clearing, cutting through the sounds of nature.
The wolves seem confused, who was this man to stand against them. They were the apex hunters, the kings of this forest.
A timberwolf on my left tenses to leap as I slowly pull my shining machete from the shattered skull under my feet.
A growl and charge.
The timberwolf thinks I don't see it. The wooden legs release their tension as it leaps. My arm does the same as it flies to my side, carrying the 18 inches of razor sharpened, spell enhanced steel flashing towards its head. A soon to be bisected head.
The flashing steel slides easily through its snout and eye. My foot pivots along with the blade, doing a pirouette of death carrying the blade through its path with the final destination being the wolf's throat.
A timberwolf's leap. An attack to be feared. Halted in a flash of steel. And that action only started the dance of death centered around me. 2 down, 5 left.
A young wolf charging from my right. Jump into the sky. Propel down with wings. Crush the magical core with my boot. 3 down, 4 left.
Two charging from my front and back. Duck. They hit each other. Rise with fury and use one the beat the other to death. 5 down, 2 left.
The last two seem afraid, after all they just saw all their pack members torn apart under 10 seconds flat.
A loud growl from my back alerts me to the presence of a new combatant. Of course, so did the scream of the children. "Its an Alpha! were doomed!" a squeaky voice cries.
"Not yet." I growl. My voice more akin to the wolves I am fighting instead of pony's.
My brown trench coat flutters from the Alpha's stinking breath. It was massive, teeth the size of my machete, limbs the size of the children and corrupted wooden spikes as sharp as the weapon held my hand. This will be difficult.
"Run." I tell the children, "Run to the town and get help."
They go to ask me a question. I interrupt them with a yell, "RUN!"
They run.
I twirl my machete. The three timberwolves, now emboldened, ignored the running children for the one who killed their pack.
"I wonder if I will be able to finish telling them my story?" I ask them, "Of course I will, who am I kidding. You're no threat."
The Alpha seems to have heard my insult and understood. It in response howled at me. A cry echoed by the two other wolves.
It readied its self as I readied by blade. Crouching low in order to achieve a strong stance and good degrees of movement.
My head swiveled as I tried to anticipate which wolf would jump at me first.
A growl was my only warning to a lunge. The two wolves opposite me leap at me, jaws open.
I hit to cold, firm ground. The crunch of wood was my cue to rise, slashing upward with my blade.
A worrying thunk sent chills down my spine. A shake of the wolf's neck sent my flying and my machete stuck in the wooden wolf's spine.
I stare, disarmed, at the three wolves growling at me. The Alpha seemed to be laughing. And it Ticked. Me. OFF!
Rain started to fall as I stood tall against the wolves, replying to their growl with my own.
Thunder crackled overhead as I stand in a torrential downpour. I look up and get a bolt of inspiration.
If I don't have a weapon. Well, I'll have to become one.
I crouched. flaring my wings, and tensed my legs.
With a roar, the wolves charged and I leaped.
I rose higher and higher into the air. Passing the tree tops. The cold air grew hard to breath. But I rose still.
I finally broke through the clouds. Then I wove my pegasus magic.
The storm below me answered my calls. Thunder striking me and charging me to levels never before seen.
And I fell.
I fell.
And fell.
The electricity coursing through my veins sharpened my vision so I could see the ground approaching. Very, very fast.
I flip and land in a perfect three point landing and discharge all of the energy.
A sound alike a thunderclap echoes throughout the forest as I hit the ground. And as I will soon try to coin, "Thunder and Lightening, bringing the pain."
The electricity discharging from my system hurts. like. HELL. The discharge snaps out into everything around me, trees, ground and wolves all together.
And every thing the discharge touches, gets a lightening bolt.
You get a lightening bolt!
You get a lightening bolt!
And you get a lightening bolt!
The thunderous lightening fried the wolves, and a bit of my coat, and wings, and my everything.
I rise from my, very painful, three point landing to look at the utter destruction surrounding me. For 10 yards in either direction he ground is scorched black with arcs of ash traveling to piles of shattered firewood that I think were either trees or timberwolves. Eh, doesn't matter.
I nearly collapse as a wave of exhaustion washes over me.
"That. Was. AWESOME!" A squeaky voice from some bushes on the edge of my blast radius cheers out. My head snaps up and I nearly pass out from the blood rush. "HOW DID YOU DO THAT! YOU HAVE TO TEACH ME! YOU ARE ALMOST AS AWESOME AS RAINBOW DASH!" The small child yells as she runs towards me.
"Whelp," I mutter to myself, "Never doing that again."
And promptly start making out with the dirt as the last of my energy decides to take a vacation to the crystal empire.
"I will admit, that was cool. you would have to ground yourself better if you wanted to pull a trick off like that, but still, impressive none the less."
"You're just jealous, brother."
"Now why would I be sister?"