The Fourth Star.

by Golden Paw

Plans and Problems of Necessity

The three equines were glad to put the dank and sticky tunnels behind them, the burrow had never felt as welcoming as it did just after that experience. Foresight shook herself down and did her best to work the last of the webbing out of her mane. Sky Strike slunk off to the far side of the burrow and did his best to do the same for his wing.

For the first time since either pony had met this zebra the stallion removed his timber wolf mask. The face underneath was young while his amber eyes were full of mischief. The zebra didn't have a scratch on him, unlike the other two who both had scrapes and cuts from their past trials.

"Thank you again Mr?" Foresight asked politely, Sky Strike couldn't help but catch the grateful look in her eyes along with a voice full of besotted wonder. Even if he didn't have romantic intentions for the filly, Sky still burned that this complete stranger had won her over so fast. Feeling an ugly cringe of jealousy envelope his heart that mixed with Sky's guilt at letting Foresight be captured by the giant spider in the first place.

Seemingly oblivious to these hostile feeling, the zebra bowed and finally told them his name. "Greetings to you both equines, 'Shakala' is the name that is mine." Sky couldn't help but snort at the display of manners, which came from such a savage looking creature: Trinkets, a bone necklace and other bone bangles rattling as the stallion bowed.

"Shakala huh? That's a nice name," Foresight said with a slight wistful sound in her voice and Sky Strike rolled his eyes. If Shakala noticed his displeasure he didn't show it. "I'm Foresight, my friends call me..."

"'Foresight,'" Sky finished off, looking to bring the mare down from whatever fantasy cloud she was resting on. Foresight glared as only a nightborn could, grinding her teeth petulantly.

"No need to be rude Sky, he helped save us. I thought you would be grateful?" Foresight chided.

"No no he is right, best not to trust new ponies at first sight," Shakala said in a calm way, "You have only just met me and though my actions were in your favour, it will take time for you both to learn what is my true flavour." That was a frustratingly sensible thing to say and Sky Strike knew it.

"Yeah well, you just happened to turn up in a cave where we are. Swooping in to save the day when you haven't really told us what you're doing here," Sky Strike muttered flicking his hoof trying to unstick some more fibres that had transferred from his wing without much success.

"Indeed I have not, I must remedy this before further bad feeling take root and cause rot." Shakala went on in his normal melodic way that always got on Sky's nerves. "My purpose for finding you I have never hid, I came seeking to aid as by my elders I was bid." The zebra's face took on a serious expression. "Great things of import are abound, I searched far and wide until it was you both I finally found."

"You know about the prophecy?" Foresight asked in amazement, "Your people are known to mostly keep to themselves, I never would have guessed that you were so clued up about the goings on in Equestria!"

"We know little of that beautiful far flung place, but yes our people are aware of events that now move on apace," Shakala replied. "The rise and fall of the moon and bright celestial sphere, that is why my elders would send me here. Should events of import go awry, it’s not only the pony folk that would surely die." Shakala looked impressed, "Followed your trial for three days I have done, by my mane you ponies can run."

"See Sky, Shakala is here to help us," Foresight smiled at the grumbling pegasus, "I personally think we could use all the help we can get after what we have been through."

Sky Strike just snorted again before muttering, "Yeah, well we will see."

Foresight shook her head and gave a sad smile to Shakala, "Sorry he's been out of sorts since his home was destroyed. I don't blame him, I would be too."

Shakala nodded sadly, "The fall of the mountain town, the loss of home will cause any pony to frown." There was a brief look of pain in the zebra's eyes.

"So now all we have to do is get what we have learnt back to Celestia. We have the orb and everything we need now, time to head back to civilisation," Foresight coughed before blushing as she realised what she had just said. Sky was giving her a dirty look now, the unintended insult had cut him deep.

"Sorry, sorry I know....." Foresight began but Sky just snorted.

"Yeah we're all just uncultured savages out here, none of your high learning and pretty laws: Little better than beasts, I know what you think," Sky Strike retorted with no small venom, "The sooner you can get back to your precious Equestria the better. Well if that's what you need we had best hop to it huh? I'll go and make sure the way is clear for your highness." Sky Strike got to his hooves and began to trot angrily towards the burrow's entrance.

"Sky wait! I'm sorry okay, I didn't mean it like that!" Foresight tried to explain but it fell on deaf ears.

"Let him go and cool his rage. Loss hurts and best not to lock in a cage." Shakala advised.

"But what if he doesn't come back? In the mood he is in who knows what he may do?" Foresight trembled with panic and embarrassment. She was hurting too with the loss of friends that had come with her and now were gone, but to lose her whole home and way of life like Sky had, she didn't even begin to understand what he was going through.

---

Night time was falling again and Sky Strike hadn't come back. Foresight had been fidgeting anxiously the whole time, unable to settle. She had paced back and forth muttering about this and that; blaming herself for things she couldn't possibly have planned for.

Shakala just sat with his bladed staff rested across his knees. He was with delicate care, carving further patterns into it's haft, only pausing when Foresight gave a curious look in his work.

"They are a sign of respect for those who have fallen to my blade. I remember them and the ultimate sacrifice they have made." Shakala explained, seeing her interest, "We are often forced to do that which is not fair, but it does not mean that we do not care."

"Was that what you were saying when we had to kill that arachnus then?" Foresight asked and Shakala nodded.

"So that we never forget, and cause yet more unneeded regret," Shakala concluded as he went on carving of a large spider on his staff.

"That's a lot of markings. Does everyone represent something that you had to.....?" Foresight trailed off, but Shakala smiled a little sad smile.

"That they do mean, the marks of honoured dead, for to help keep my hooves clean," The zebra confirmed.

Foresight studied her hooves not sure what else to say to that. There was another few minutes of quiet thought before Shakala piped up again.

"You know names are special right? Yours being one of Foresight?" She looked up again to Shakala not sure what to expect with this line of questions.

"Um yes," Was all Foresight replied cautiously.

"It means to see far ahead, I do not envy you, it must be said. To see what is to come can be such a strain, I would not want to bear that kind of pain," Shakala looked down at his cutie mark; a bear paw's impression.

"My name is 'Hunting' in your speak, but it was never a talent that I for one would seek. Life has a way of giving us what is required, but seldom blessing us with what we desired."

Foresight was struggling to understand what the zebra was getting at, She looked into his melancholy eyes and tried to understand the meaning the zebra was really trying to convey.

Shakala blew gently on his weapon, pushing the shavings away to reveal the arachnus' image, "All this I tell to you young mare here, is so that when the time comes for hard choices, you can make them without fear. Though they may be hard and grey, but if done well may lead to a better day."

Foresight thought for awhile on that; it was such an odd thing to tell her and she could little know what was going on in the zebra's mind. If she understood it right then he was saying Foresight would have to make hard choices in the future, but with the potential to make something wonderful happen. She asked his such, but Shakala just smiled sadly once more in reply.

They both sat for a while longer in silence as the sun slipped behind the horizon and dusk fell properly and with it, much to Foresight's relief, Sky Strike aw well. He looked a little worse for wear but at least he didn't glower at Foresight as waved a hoof in greeting.

"They’re all over the place from what I can see, going to be a rough time getting out of here," Sky stated as he fluttered into the burrow's entrance. He looked to Foresight before raising a hoof to Shakala. "I'm sorry. I never really thanked you for all you did for us back there. Doesn't mean I trust you mind, but you have at least earned the right to the benefit of the doubt."

After a moment Shakala accepted the hoof shake and nodded, "I understand my winged friend, you cannot tell the full story of one's tale until you reach its end." Sky nodded, not fully understanding the words but hearing the meaning behind them.

That done he turned to Foresight, "So what's the plan now? Still want to head to Equestria with all these crazy cult ponies, monsters and who knows what else in our way?"

Foresight took a few moments to consider, maybe she could just run away? Just leave this all too some pony older and better? Celestia was an alicorn, surely she could sort this whole mess out! Foresight chuckled, yeah Celestia's plan had been to send her to deal with it.

Taking a deep breath Foresight gave a little nod, "There wasn't a place far enough away I can run to get away from Nightmare Moon even if I wanted to," Foresight finally reasoned, "I have ponies counting on me and I can't let them down."

Foresight felt that odd sense of comfort from before, like a friend patting her on the metaphorical back and stood a little taller as confidence returned. She glanced at Sky who was watching her with an expression of curiosity, he opened his mouth to ask something before thinking better of and finally nodded in agreement, "The only way I'm going to get back at those crazy ponies who attacked High Point is by helping you I guess."

She smiled at Shakala who had made his intentions known and after a brief moment the three snuck out into the deepening night

---

It didn't take long to see the signs they were being hunted: The skies were criss-crossed with bat ponies and other creatures spying out the night, the three fugitives often had to stop and hide so as not to be seen. They even had to take a wide detour around the ruins of High Point which was now between them and their goal which added time to the journey.

The dangers of the wastes were not helping either the pursuers or the fleeing equines. A couple of times they spotted the signs of pony bones having been stripped clean and one fight between a rattle python and some unicorns. Whatever control these ponies had used to force the native creatures of the wastes to attack High Point wasn't complete, or maybe leaders just didn't care. Whatever the reason Foresight, Sky Strike and Shakala were grateful they weren't chasing them too.

The trio's destination was the gap in the mountain range south east of the Macintosh hills. Equestrians knew this area as the badlands and it was the most northern point of the wastes. The trouble was that the Nightmare cult seemed to have predicted that move, so as Foresight and her friends pressed forward they were confronted with ever greater numbers of creatures looking for them.

"How are we ever going to get around them? There must be hundreds of ponies not to mention other things," Foresight whispered despondently; The night sky was alive with fliers, the normally empty expanse was crawling with searching ponies.

"Well you're a nightborn, can't you dull their minds or something so they can't see us? I know Enigma could pretty much go where she wanted in High Point with no pony knowing," Sky Strike asked with a doubtful tone.

Foresight shook her head, "No way, I haven't the first idea of how to do anything like that. We were never taught how to do stuff like that at school."

There was a moment before Shakala added his insight, "They have ponies searching for us no? Then why don't we just walk and go?" The other two equines looked at Shakala as if he had gone mad before he explained further, "What are three more ponies, among all these searching cronies?"

Foresight looked to Sky, that actually wasn't a bad idea. It was bold and crazily dangerous but without a better plan it was better than hiding here waiting to be caught. After a little further discussion the three resolved to strike out in an indirect route and make their way around.

For some time the plan seemed to be working: As the three did their best to look like they were scouring the ground for clues, none of the airborne searches gave them a second glance. Foresight had left her cloak and robes in their last hiding place, she had changed her mane style and rubbed earth into the blue strands to try and alter their colour.

Things only began to unravel when they came across the first ground based search party: It was a group consisting of a couple of earth ponies, one mare and a nightborn stallion. The two earth ponies were armed with spears and as they came closer the horned equine raised a hoof to stop them.

"All praise the night sister, how goes the search?" It was uttered in an accent that was unfamiliar to Foresight and came out as a gritty whisper despite the volume.

"All hail the night, no sign of them." Foresight replied and instantly knew that something was wrong as the nightborn's grey eyes took on a hard look. Too late she realised that her opposite had 'sent' rather than spoken while Foresight had replied verbally.

"You speak with your mouth, despite being in the company of other unenlightened?" The nightborn asked and Foresight saw the earth ponies had a slightly vacant looks in their eyes. She felt the panic begin to rise as a sneer appeared on the stallion's mouth, "You're not one of us, get them!"

The two earth ponies started forward, spears lowered and Sky Strike along with Shakala interposed themselves in front of Foresight. The nightborn stallion raised his aura and Foresight felt him trying to get into her mind. She was reminded how Enigma had read Foresight like an open book, but it was different this time. For some reason she could feel his mental probes sliding off her senses like water running around a glass globe, leaving her mind untouched.

For Sky it was worse, he felt impressions and desires filling his mind which were not his own. It was all he could do to keep his focus as the earth mare came at him thrusting forward with the spear. Bringing his wing about, he parried the attack and watched as Shakala easily fended off the other attacking pony. Despite their situation Sky was gaining a grudging respect for the zebra.

Snorting in frustration the dark unicorn 'sent' once again, "Well you are a strong one, I have never met a mental block of such skill apart from the master. You must be the one we're looking for," The cultist grinned wickedly. "But your friends are not so lucky it seems.”

Nothing happened for a moment, but then Shakala put up his pole arm and nodded to the earth pony he had at his mercy only a second ago. Before Foresight could call out a warning he had turned about and brought the butt of his weapon around in a precise way that connected with the back of Sky Strike's head.

Sky had just managed to disarm his opponent after catching the spear head in 'V' formed by his wing blades and yanked it out of her hooves when the traitorous blow from Shakala connected. He was just had time to congratulate himself on a job well done before he felt a sharp pain in the back of his skull.

Foresight felt fear paralysing her as the two earth ponies, Shakala and the nightborn stallion stepped over the recumbent Sky Strike and surrounded her.

---

It was cold, that was the first thing Sky noticed. The second was that his head hurt and that was much more pressing. As he brought his hoof up to the back of his skull he heard a clink, and upon opening his eyes saw nothing. Where ever he was it was totally black and Sky couldn't see his hooves in front of his face. As he stretched out fore legs, Sky found they were bound together, while further investigation led him to a heavy ring set into what felt like a stone wall.

The reality of Sky's situation sunk in and he let out a groan. To his shock there was an answering sound of misery and his ears pricked up as he did his best to listen over the pounding in his head: It sounded like a stallion crying. With nothing else for it Sky risked a cautious, "Who's there?" but all he got was an answering sob.

Sky tried feeling about himself to see what else he could discover: the walls felt like they formed into bricks and further probing revealed a space about two pony lengths squared with what felt like metal bars forming the fourth wall. The crying sound was coming from the other side of those bars.

"Hello?" Was all Sky could think to say again.

The crying stopped and was replaced by a sad voice that Sky recognised, "I see you have overcome the blow, the one I gave that laid you low." That was Shakala, "It pains me terribly to see that the very reason we are trapped is because of me."

Sky Strike gritted his teeth in anger and pain, "By Tartarus you're right there, I had that other pony unarmed you back stabbing...." His anger was coming out again and that only made his head pound more. The sobs returned and Strike felt his anger cool. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened.

"Dear pony friend, I chose not to do what I did to offend," Shakala sounded beside himself and to Sky's surprise he felt sorry for him.

Sky Strike had been on the receiving end of a nightborn's powers of persuasion. He had helped High Point's guards hunt down more than one dark unicorn in his time. Their brand of spells were all about trickery and deception and Sky had been given some training by Enigma in how to resist such attacks, but it seemed that Shakala had not been so fortunate.

"Never fought a nightborn before huh? They get in your head no mistake and I guess we should have warned you about that," Sky said in a conciliatory fashion. He wanted to help Shakala get over the horror of being 'puppeted' by such magic but he had more pressing matters to deal with.

Sky hesitantly asked, "Is Foresight here?"

Shakala gave another moan of sorrow before replying, "Where they have taken her is not known to me, but in this place she does not seem to be."

"Oh she is in very good company my little foals," Echoed in the minds of both stallions. "She is with Catalyst and he will show her the 'truth' as he has shown so many others." Sky Strike shuddered, he knew that 'voice' all too well and it chilled him to the bone.

"Enigma? Is that you?" Sky asked quietly.

"Is it? I think it is, but I can't be sure," Came back the echo of the once proud whisper that Sky knew. It sounded like Enigma, but all of the confidence and control that was present last time was gone. "I didn't listen to him you know, but it was so very hard. I used to think I was one of the best at what I did. playing with pony's minds and knowing how they thought, but I forgot one of the first lessons," This was given in an almost song like way as Enigma rambled on.

"And what's that Enigma?" Sky asked knowing he wouldn't like the answer.

"Why there is always a bigger fish in the sea of course, if Catalyst has Foresight then we are all pretty much doomed. If I couldn't block him out she will have no chance." Enigma 'sent' in a hopeless way. Sky Shuddered to think what the ex-head of security at High Point must have gone through to end up so thoroughly beaten and downhearted.

"What happened to you Enigma? What happened after High Point fell?" Strike asked with a tremble in his voice.

"To answer that, you need to know a bit more history about where you called home..." Came the cold whisper of a mare who had been through more than any pony should have had to.