Faultlines

by FawkesThePhoney

6. Creation Myths

Spec stood her ground, shoulders hunched, wings outstretched. She could feel the cool metal of the blades through the thin fur on her wings. Sweat dripped down her face. Across from her, Noble was in similar condition. He crouched, his horseshoes slick with mud and sweat. They faced each other, neither moving.

Spec ran through the upcoming fight with instincts honed since she was a filly. Noble was using brass horseshoes with attached shin guards. That meant he needed to come in close. He was taller than her and her wingspan wasn’t the longest, but with the extra length provided by her blades she could keep him at bay. If he got in close, she might go down, but he’d have to be fast to get past her wings.

Spec grinned. No one was faster than her.

Noble shifted his weight, a slight tell, but it was enough. She dodged to the side just as he came towards her, raising a wing to deflect his first punch. It turned out to be a feint, however, and she barely got her other wing around in time to deflect his uppercut. He skidded back but used his momentum to launch into a flurry of strikes aimed at her center: left right left right back right left.... She dodged them all, using her wings to guide their momentum around her, but noted a pattern. He was too slow; that meant something else was coming.

She preempted whatever he had planned by launching into an attack of her own, digging her right blade into the ground and using it as a springboard to deliver a roundhouse kick to his jaw. He dodged it easily enough, but she wasn’t finished. Stabbing the earth with her other blade, she swung her body around, lifting the right blade out and swinging it around over his head. He jerked to the side but she blocked him with her body. There was nowhere to go.

But Noble was not finished yet. Ducking low, he swung his foot around to her planted blade, kicking it to the side and making Spec wobble and almost fall. She instinctively lowered herself to compensate, but when she did Noble was ready. He exploded up and out, driving her off the ground and into the air, where he sent a volley of punches aimed at the base of her wing. He was under her guard now, and she had difficulty parrying. One of his hits got through and her wing went numb, slumping by her side.

Spec disengaged hurriedly, aiming to regroup and wait for sensation to return in her wing, but Noble was still too fast. He dodged left and right, against her attacks, focusing on her left side. She had to keep herself turned to block him, but it was only a matter of time before he got lucky and ended the fight. She needed to act.

Spec deflected another hit and changed her tactics, rolling with the hit around and back. It was a risky maneuver; her back was briefly exposed. But Noble’s momentum was thrown off and he didn’t capitalize, and a moment later she was behind him. He tried to turn but Spec moved with lightning speed, finishing her roll with a double kick to his sternum. The air whooshed from his lungs, and she moved with lightning speed, laying the blade of her good wing on his neck.

“Match,” she gasped out. Noble nodded and she dropped the blade, breathing heavily. Her fur was drenched in sweat. “I gotta say, Noble, you almost had me that time.”

“Almost,” he said, breathing heavily. “Those blades, I swear…” he trailed off, chuckling. “I didn’t realize you could stab them like that. I was taught that wingblading was all about slashing.”

“That’s what makes our filly here special,” Capricorn said. Spec blinked; she hadn’t noticed him arrive. “Pegasi wings are supposed to be too frail to withstand stabling attacks, but Spec is an unusual case. When she blocked that one strike head on?” He shook his head. “That’s a one-in-a-million level of skill.”

“To the dismay of the warg, I’m sure,” Noble said, removing his horseshoes.

Spec couldn’t shake a smirk. She’d showed Noble the body of the beast after it had happened, before they set off again.

“This is it,” Spec said, gesturing to the body of the warg on the ground. It was right where she and Amber had left it, the blood frozen, a faint dusting of snow settled over its features.

Noble gave a slow nod. “I’m impressed,” he said. “That’s quite the beast. I knew the Lady was trained, but I wouldn’t have expected this.”

“Is that an insult?”

“No, no, it’s a complement,” Noble said. “You’ve got skill.”

“That’s right,” Spec said, puffing out her chest. “I’m the best wingblader there is!”

“You should spar with us sometime, then,” Noble said.

“Huh?”

“Jade and I. Could keep all our skills sharp.”

Spec frowned. “I’ll think about it.”

And sparred they had, nearly every time they’d stopped. She was getting used to his fighting style, the slow, powerful attacks accentuated by moments where he moved faster than she would have thought possible. So far, she’d won them all, but he was learning her style too.

“Come on,” Capricorn said, “let’s get back to camp.”

“Shame Jade won’t spar too,” Noble said.

“I’d beat her just the same,” Spec said, falling in line with the other two. “She’s just afraid she’ll lose.”

“Jade isn’t afraid of much,” Noble said, “so you’ll forgive me if I doubt that’s her reasoning.”

“Hey,” Spec said, “I just call them as I see them.”

They walked down the trail off of the hill and towards where the camp had been built, following the line of smoke up into the sky. The company had left the snowy forests behind a few days before, and they now walked through rocky tiaga, the fields dense with boulders and grey lichen. The air was crisp and cold, but she no longer had to cover her face just to move around.

They’d built their camp on top of a copse that overlooked the gradual sloping down of the continental shelf. In the distance, Axel said, on a clear day, they would be able to see their destination, but Fort Tain was still a week’s travel away. And that week she said, was the most dangerous of them all.

Axel was waiting for them when they returned to camp, looking out over the scene, eyes squinted.

“Hey boss,” Capricorn said, “I brought the runaways.”

“Don’t stray so far from camp again,” Axel said as Spec walked up next to her. “This area isn’t as safe.”

“I’m not reassured,” Spec said. “Noble and I can handle ourselves.”

“I’m sure,” Axel said. “But highwaymen are not wargs; they’re much smarter.”

“You think someone’s going to try to rob us?”

“I’m almost certain of it,” Axel said. “This route connects Fort Tain with a number of smaller towns and hamlets, and if anyone wants to go to the big market, they’re going to have to go past one of these roads. That means robbers.”

“So what?” Spec said. “We’re a fully armed caravan. They’re not about to jump us.”

“You’d be surprised at their skill,” Axel said. “Besides, great skill differences can be overcome with surprise. We’ll need to be careful. They’ll set a trap for us, if I had to guess.”

“Have you told the Andalusians?”

“Of course. Amber assured me that they have the utmost confidence in our abilities. Plus her guards aren’t exactly untrained. We’ll be fine, so long as we keep our heads on our shoulders.”

Spec saluted. “That’s never been a problem for me boss.”

“I’m sure,” Axel said. “Come on, let’s get some food.”

The pair returned to the campfire, where Cesar was stirring a pot. He looked up as they approached. “Got some mountain stew tonight,” he said, lifting up the spoon. Spec saw chunks of what looked like potatoes inside. “The Andalusians were kind enough to share some of their spices with us, and I found some wild potatoes. We’re eating well tonight.”

“The Andalusians brought spices?” Spec said. Amber, sitting next to the fire, nodded.

“I’ve remarked many times on the lack of seasoning in Ridgeback cuisine,” she said. “Simply put, I find it rather bland. Andalusians rarely eat a meal that hasn’t at least some chilies in it, and we bring them with us too. It’s no trouble.”

“Hmm,” Capricorn said, sitting down as well, “I don’t know about this.”

“Don’t knock it till you try it, Cap,” Cesar said. “My momma used to cook with chili. The smell reminds me of home.”

Spec sat down next to Amber with a grunt of greeting, holding out her bowl. Cesar scooped some in, and then prepared a bowl for himself. Spec took a sip. It was spicy, but tolerable, the chilies offering an interesting distraction from the sturdier taste of the potatoes beneath.

“So Noble tells me you two had quite a good spar,” Amber said.

“Yeah,” Spec said, puffing out her chest. “Did he tell you I beat him?”

“Yes,” Amber said. “But he said that you let your guard down and that your arrogance almost cost you the fight.”

Spec choked. “What? That’s bogus.”

“It’s true,” Noble said, shrugging. “I never would have immobilized your leg if you were paying proper attention. You thought your speed would be enough.”

“It was!”

“Only because you got lucky.”

“You do get lucky a lot,” Cesar said between mouthfuls. Spec whirled around and glared at him.

“Yeah?” she said. “Guess you’re just jealous.”

“Guess so,” he said.

“Calm down, dear, we’re only joking,” Amber said. “Personally, I find your combat style quite mesmerizing to watch. It is very beautiful.”

“Oh, um, thanks.”

“Not at all. What it lacks in grace and finesse it more than makes up for in speed and agility.”

“I am fast aren’t I—wait, what?”

Amber hid a chuckle behind a hoof.

“Are you saying I’m not graceful? Why I’ll have you know that—“ Spec made to point a hoof at Amber, but hit the edge of her bowl and sent the soup spilling into the fire. She could only bite her lip and sit down, red faced, as the others laughed.

“Fine,” she grumbled. “But you’ll be sorry when I save your pretty little hide from bandits or whatever.”

“That’s smart talk coming from the mare who I saved from the wargs.”

“I did most of the work on that thing and you know it.”

“I know that somepony was about to get gored before I distracted the beast.”

“Yeah, so that I could take the kill shot!” Spec said.

“Some kill shot. You stabbed that brute through the neck. Where’s the grace? The beauty? The finesse? I thought wingbladers were supposed to be graceful.”

“We’re not all fashion designers, you know. Beauty and finesse aren’t exactly my thing.”

Amber blinked. “I don’t design clothes,” she said.

“And that’s another thing! I— what?”

“You just said I was a fashion designer. I’ve never touched a seam in my life.”

“I—know that,” Spec said. She opened her mouth to say something else, but closed it again. The other ponies in the circle were looking at them curiously. “I… also know that Axel is about to talk about the plan tomorrow! Take it away, Axel.”

The ponies turned from Spec to Axel, who blinked. “Um, yes,” she said. “Thank you for that introduction, Spec. So, Fort Tain is only about five days away at this time, but they’re a dangerous five days. This part of the road is notorious for being infested with robbers; it’s right outside the guard patrol route for the fort but still close enough that the road is used a great deal.”

“So basically we can expect some company,” Noble said.

“That’s correct,” Axel said. “I don’t believe it’s going to be serious. We’re fully armed and there are much easier targets on the road. But with four Andalusians and that ridiculous tent you carry with you, we’re going to look very tantalizing for anyone who’s especially cocky, or especially stupid.”

“Well,” Amber said, “I suppose the payoff for robbing us would be unusually large. We do have several jewels that would fetch a pretty price.”

“That’s an understatement,” Axel said. “If half the things you put on the ledger are actually in your bags somewhere, these guys wouldn’t have to make another robbery for a long, long time. So I expect someone’s going to try something.”

There was silence at her words. Ivy poked at the ground beside her. Axel looked over the crew. “But we’re going to be fine,” she said. “That I can promise. Just keep your eyes and ears sharp and we’ll handle the rest.”

The crew nodded at her words. Axel sat back, satisfied. “Good she said. Capricorn!”

“Huh?” the stallion said, looking up.

“How about a story? Something to pass the time.”

“A story, eh?” Capricorn said. “Actually, there is one I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. Sure, why not?” He sat up on his hind hooves, his front legs spread out before him. In the flickering light, he looked almost ghoulish. “This is the story that my mother told me about the dawn of the earth. It’s an old story, older than the oldest bricks in Ridgeback, older than all memory, living or dead.” The ponies around him fell silent as Capricorn held their attention.

“Once, before the earth, before time, the Great Sky Sisters danced together through the heavens. They were opposites and equals, light and dark. And as they grew older, they desired to make the world greater, for they were lonely in the heavens and sought company. So the eldest looked down onto the earth and saw ponies, huddled together in the ice and snow, and saw that they were suffering. Her heart went out to them, and so she took the fire in her heart and tied it to the world, and the sun burst into being for all to see. Into it she put her passion, her love of truth, and her desire for order and serenity. The ice was melted from the hearts of ponies and—“

“Psssh, that’s not how I heard it.”

Capricorn put down his hooves and looked at Cesar with an unamused expression. “That so, eh?”

“Just saying,” Cesar said. “The eldest sister wasn’t the passionate one, she was the calm one. The sun was created as a vessel of truth and order, because it showed the true nature of all things. You can’t have the oldest sister stand for both passion and truth; then the younger one gets left out. She’s got to love; it’s what destroys her in the end.”

“Who’s telling the story, you or me?”

Amber, who had been listening in silence, frowned. “I suppose it can be attributed to differences between cultures. After all, the Celestial Twins show up in a number of different stories. Where are you from, Cesar?”

“Ridgeback,” Cesar said.

“There you go,” Capricorn said. “They probably stem from an original Aurora story.”

“I’m from Ridgeback, but my mom was the one who told it to me,” Cesar said. “This story isn’t Auroran at all; it’s native.”

“I’m pretty sure I know where my stories come from,” Capricorn said, an edge to his voice.

“Cesar, shut up,” Axel said. “Capricorn, keep talking.”

“Thank you,” Capricorn said, and continued.

“—the ice melted from the hearts of ponies and they could see the truth in everything. That was the power of the sun and the power of the eldest sister: darkness, secrets, shame, all were cast into the light. The ponies loved it, at first. But the sun is all hard lines, and not all of a pony’s soul can stand the light.

“Her sister saw that the ponies were afraid, so she created the moon. She gave it light, but not much, only enough to shine on forms and render them visible. In the dimness, ponies were free to create themselves, without the harsh light of the sun to force them into being. The elder was displeased at first, but when she saw how happy the ponies were in the moon, she conceded to her sister. She divided the world, putting the sun in one place and allowing ponies to choose the light they saw fit. Some ponies, those that valued objectivity, harshness, and lines, decided to stay in the sunlight, where the red soaked into their fur and manes and remade them in the elder’s image.

The rest of the ponies, those who loved soul and song and the ability to make of themselves what they wanted, chose to live in the twilight. The silver of the moon soaked into their coats and made them blue as the Aurora above them, blue as the midnight sky. And so the world was divided into the Children of the Sun and the Children of the Moon. Red and blue, light and dark, truth and love.”

Jade snorted. “That’s a load of bull,” she said.

“Jade!” Amber hissed.

Capricorn raised an eyebrow. “No, please,” he said, “let the mare who hasn’t said more than five words to us criticize my story.”

“I’m not criticizing it,” Jade said, “I’m just saying it’s a load of bull.”

“Well, it sure sounds like you’re criticizing it.”

“Here you start off with a really interesting take on the Solar Sky Twins, and then suddenly it’s a fur coat origin story? Please. I will never understand you Sagittarians and your obsession with coat color. You’re not even blue!”

“She’s got you there,” Cesar said.

“Shut up, Cesar,” Capricorn said. “Purple is a shade of blue. It’s just an expression.”

“It’s a stupid one. Red and Blue? Why, Axel is yellow! You’re purple! Half the so-called ‘Red’ ponies I’ve met in this country have been some variant of orange. And what about Cesar?”

“What about me?” Cesar said.

“You’re green!”

“So?”

“So,” Jade said, gritting her teeth, “your whole system is stupid. It doesn’t make any sense. Children of the Moon? Children of the Sun? Are you kidding me?”

“Yeesh, lady,” Capricorn said. “It’s just a story.”

“I’m just saying I’m sick of you Auroran-descended ponies and your obsession with pedigree. I literally can’t escape it. I mean, do you realize how inane you sound?”

“Oho,” Capricorn said, leaning back, “sounds like someone’s got a bone to pick. Go ahead, Andalusian. Tell us how to run our society.” He snorted. “What a hill to die on.”

By now, Jade had worked herself into a frenzy. Spec stared at her in amazement; she’d never seen the guard speak more than a few words to anyone.

And she was still going. “…you ascribe all sorts of nonsense to fur color, and then you have the gall to create a contradictory, meaningless system that gets ponies killed! Why, if I—“

“We ascribe nonsense to fur color?” Capricorn shot back. “Look at yourself! If a pony has two tones in their hair, they aren’t true Andalusians? What’s that about, if you don’t believe in coat pedigree?”

“That’s different,” Jade said.

“How, exactly? Because you’re used to it? Or maybe there’s something special about manes that don’t have anything to do with fur coats? You’re just as bad as us, worse, even! Our issues were in the past. You cling to archaic traditions as if your life depended on them.”

“In the past, eh?” Axel said. Capricorn shot her a look.

“You know what I mean,” he said. “Some ponies still have issues but it’s not like it was. They have a whole society based around it.”

“You know nothing about Andalusian society,” Jade said. “You look at us with the arrogance of an outsider, unable to see the problems in your own backyard.”

“I’m just saying,” Capricorn said, “that your ladies over there don’t seem to have any problem putting themselves about others on the basis of ‘arbitrary’ fur colors. Hell, I’m even prepared to take what you all say at face value, but don’t pretend like you’re better than me. I can’t stand that.”

“That’s enough, both of you,” Axel said, interrupting Jade’s furious rebuttal. “We need to get some sleep. There’s a long day of traveling tomorrow, and we’re going to have to watch out for highwaymen. If we can’t work as a team we’re all going to be in trouble. As I’ve said before, and Capricorn knows this, that I don’t care what you believe as long as you can work with the ponies in this caravan. If you can’t, we’ll have a problem. Otherwise think what you want.”

Jade bit her lip, but Amber stood. “Miss Cartwright is correct,” she said, motioning to her guards. “It’s time we all got some sleep.”

She turned and entered the big tent, her sister and guards following. Capricorn shook his head. “Andalusians,” he said.

Spec poked at her food.

“That means all of us,” Axel said. “Finish your food and get some sleep. I want your wits about you tomorrow. I can’t control the guards’ sleeping patterns, but I sure as hell can control yours.”

“Roger, boss,” Spec said, finishing the soup with a gulp and passing the bowl to Capricorn. She was grateful she wasn’t on cleanup that night. She stood and went into the tent. Amber was laying down next to her sister, who already appeared to be sleeping. She caught Spec’s eye and raised her eyebrows. Spec shrugged.

She rolled out her own mat and laid down. In minutes she was fast asleep.

The next morning they packed their camp up quickly and began the path down from the old continental shelf and towards Fort Tain. Spec didn’t say much, keeping point at the front of the group and trying to spot threats. Axel didn’t let her range as far as she normally did, an understandable request that was all the more annoying because of it. So she kept her eyes sharp and her ears pricked, and they did not run into trouble for most of the day.

But they didn’t get through unscathed.

A few hours before they were ready to stop, Spec spotted a motionless form in the middle of the road in front of them. She called out to Axel.

“I see him,” the mare replied. “Keep the blades ready.”

As they walked closer, Spec realized it was the huddled form of a stallion, his face bloodied. His eyes were closed, and he took breaths in short, ragged gasps. Spec went to approach, but Axel stopped her.

“Wait,” she said.

“But he’s in trouble!”

“He can wait a couple of seconds.”

Axel motioned to Capricorn, who withdrew his quarterstaff from his pack. The two of them approached the pony. Jade and Noble softly donned their horseshoes.

With a cry, the stallion leapt up, pulling a knife from within his jacket. He lunged for Axel, but she stepped back and dodged. Capricorn rapped him on the side with his quarterstaff.

That was all they had time for before a shout rang out around them, an seven other ponies jumped out from behind the rocks that lined the path, armed with horseshoes, staffs, and even a wingblader. They had the company surrounded. Axel took a step back.

“Hello, travelers,” one of the ponies, a tall Camargue who appeared to be in charge, said. “We’ll just take your money and valuables and no one has to get hurt.”

“Unlikely,” Axel said, nodding to Spec. Then the company moved as one. Spec pulled the rope to open up her blades, bringing them high above her head and stretching. Axel did the same. The Camargue sighed.

“So be it,” he said, and the robbers lunged at them.

Spec met the first one, a wingblader like herself, head on. He brought his blades forward in a classic slashing motion, aiming for the weak spot where her wing connected with her body. She blocked it easily and pressed the advantage, digging one blade into the ground and swinging around with the other. He blocked the attack but the sheer force of it knocked him back. His eyes widened. Spec grinned.

“That’s right,” she said. “You’ve bit off more than you can chew.”

The pony pushed forward again, teeth bared in defiance, but Spec was ready for him. She blocked his attacks with ease, driving him back all the while. He was sloppy, had the marks of only being partially taught. Perhaps not a problem for most ponies he would encounter, but she was a different story. He made a mistake, shifted off-balance, and she made her move.

Spec lunged in and under the swinging blades, kicking him in the gut with a hoof. The wind whooshed out of his lungs and he fell back. She brought one blade around and aimed for the midline of his wing; he tried to block but failed and she sliced a nick through the side. Nothing serious, but the pain would but him out of action. He yelled out, and she kicked him in the side of the face. He went down without a sound.

She turned around and surveyed the battle. It was going well, for the most part. Capricorn was fighting with an earth pony with horseshoes, dancing around him with his quarterstaff. Axel and the other wingblader were similarly locked in combat. Cesar had fallen back, a few nicks in his side showed that the pony with the knife was better than he looked. Jade and Noble were working like a single unit, cutting off any attempts to get to the ladies.

Amber wasn’t doing much at the moment, trying not to look bored. The guards were too good at what they did.

A shout made Spec turn. The guard with the knife had gotten through Cesar’s defenses. He tried to block but was too slow, and she watched as the pony brought the knife down into his shoulder. Cesar yelled out.

“Cesar!” she shouted, running across the field. The pony with the knife turned away from Cesar and had just enough time to widen his eyes before Spec ploughed headfirst into him. The pair rolled in the dirt before Spec came out on top, kicking his knife away.

“You’re going to pay for that one,” she hissed.

“Make me,” the pony said, kicking her in the chest with both back hooves. Spec flew back, using her wings to stabilize herself. She was disoriented. The pony picked up the knife and moved towards her, wary of the wings. He couldn’t get close. Well, she would make that easier for him, at least.

Spec dove again, her wings in front of her, protecting her face. He managed to get the knife into a weak spot between them but couldn’t capitialize before she brought the blunt end of the wing into his temple. His head jerked sideways, and he fell to the ground.

“Serves you right,” Spec said. She turned towards Cesar, who had removed part of his armor. The stabbed shoulder was soaked in blood. “You okay?”

“I’ll be alright,” he said, “so long as everyone else is. You can patch me up later.”

Spec nodded and turned back towards the fight. Noble and been pushed away from the little group, fighting two at once. This had given Amber her chance, and she was now in the thick of the fight, twirling around with her throwing knives, moving like water around the attackers. Ivy was nowhere to be seen, presumably she had gone to hide.

Noble needed help. Spec ran towards him, spreading out her blades again. These bozos were nowhere near her level. She crashed into one of the two that Noble was fighting, sending him flying. He looked at her.

“Don’t you get dizzy when you do that?”

“Nah,” she said. “I’ve got a thick skull.”

Noble parried an attack from the other pony. “I guess you do,” he said. “Now we get to fight on the same side.”

“These goons have got nothing on you,” Spec said, dodging a clumsy attack from one of them. “You’re playing with them.”

“I’m not the only one,” Noble said, knocking out his attacker with an almost casual blow. “I saw you with that first guy. You worked him so long I thought you two were flirting.”

“He’s not my type,” Spec said. Together, the two of them advanced on the other robber, who backed up. Spec smirked at him. “You see a lost fight, right?”

The robber turned and ran. “That’s right,” Spec said. “Now, what else is—“

“Help! He’s got me!”

The sound made her blood freeze like ice. She turned around. The lead stallion stood in front of the caravan, holding a struggling Ivy in his grasp. A knife was pressed to her throat.

“Nobody move,” the stallion shouted, “or I open this kitty up and see what’s inside.”

“Ivy!” Amber shouted. Noble and Jade exchanged glances. Jade’s entire body was coiled like a spring; she tensed, but waited. The stallion grinned. “That’s right, missy,” he said. “We can take this nice and easy.”

“You kill her, and there won’t be enough of you left to send home,” Amber said, her voice low.

“Nobody needs to be killing anyone,” the stallion said. “All we want are the valuables. Caravan like this, has to have something nice.”

There was a pause. The caravan looked at each other. Spec looked towards Axel, whose face was screwed up in concentration. She was looking between the stallion and Ivy, eyes narrowed.

“Well?” the stallion shouted, pulling Ivy up and pressing the knife deeper, “am I going to have to make a demonstration?”

Slowly, a baleful look in her eye, Amber reached into her pack and withdrew a glimmering diamond necklace. She threw it on the ground in front of her. One of the robbers picked it up, eyeing the jewels.

“I think they’re real, boss,” he called to the leader.

“Thought so,” the leader said. “But I know that’s not all you’ve got. Empty everything!”

Slowly, the crew began to move. Jade reached into her bag and withdrew a pair of earrings, while Noble rummaged for something as well. Spec stared; she hadn’t realized they had brought so many valuables. Axel was going to have a talking with them when this was over.

“And how about you?” the highwayman said, bringing the knife down to poke at Ivy’s saddlebags. “I bet you have something in there that’s worth a few pennies, don’t you?”

Ivy’s eyes were wide with fear. “I don’t—I promise!” she said, but it was to no avail. The robber was already using the knife to unclasp one of the pouches. Ivy began to struggle, but he was much stronger than her and soon he had removed a small velvet box, dangling from a simple silver chain.

“No!” Ivy shouted, beginning to kick, “you don’t understand! Give it back!”

“Shut up, filly,” the stallion shouted, shifting his stance to better hold onto her. “What’s this?”

The situation was going south. Spec’s eyes met Axel’s. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, Axel gave a nod, flicking her chin towards the robber. Spec looked back, and with a jolt realized Capricorn was sneaking up on them, his staff at the ready. Axel licked her lips. Spec tensed, ready to sprink.

“Ivy, stop struggling!” Amber shouted.

Ivy didn’t listen, and the guard’s knife slipped slightly, grazing her cheek. The white coat was at once dampened with red blood. Amber gave a moan. “Stop!”

“But he’s got—“ Ivy began, but that was as far as she got before Spec and Axel leapt in motion. Axel spread her wings and took a step forward. As the stallion turned towards her, shouting warnings, Capricorn jumped on him from behind, wrapping the staff around his neck, and Spec shot forward like a rocket, her whole body pushing at the movement, faster than most ponies would have thought possible. She moved through the air like a bullet and before the robber could react she ploughed into him, her hoof contacting with his head, knocking it back. Spec thought she saw a tooth fly out of his mouth. The knife and the chain went flying, and everything slowed down.

Ivy screamed. Spec felt as if there was an unstoppable force turning her head, away from the guard and towards the chain. It sailed through the air in a graceful arc, flying far, far longer than it should have, landing in the middle of the crowd of ponies. As it landed, the latch holding it together clicked off, and something dark and glossy bounced out into the air.

Instantly the air was dead, and all sound became muted. Spec felt like she was underwater. Ivy’s mouth was open, but she wasn’t saying anything. Her hair moved around her face in a breeze that did not exist.

Slowly, like clockwork, the shadows over every pony and every object in the vicinity turned towards the floating object. They began to stretch and darken, until nothing but inky, oily darkness could be seen in their midst. Spec felt something in her gut shift, a warmth drain from her. She felt sick.

Capricorn screamed. His shadow, the closest to the object was stretching the longest, coming closer and closer to the thing. He leaned back but was rooted to the spot. His eyes were wild, bucking, she could see spittle flying from his cheeks. The shadow became closer, closer, if it touched something terrible would happen—

Ivy leapt into the middle of the circle and jumped on the object with the box, clasping it up again. At once, as if a light had been covered, the shadows twisted back and the feeling lifted. Spec heard shouts, and realized that the robbers had all fled.

She stood, shaky, on her feet. Ivy was sitting in the middle of the circle, locking the box shut. Amber rushed to her, sweeping her in a bear hug, tears running down her face. Noble and Jade followed, pulling the two apart to check Ivy for wounds. Axel stood, panting. Cesar looked as sick as Spec felt. And Capricorn—

Spec froze. Capricorn rolled around on the ground, his face squeezed shut, teeth clenched. He muttered something, but Spec did not understand it. He twisted and arched his back so that Spec thought it would almost break. Axel rushed to him, shouting his name, but Capricorn did not respond. Spec threw up on the ground and sat. She tried to go to him, to help, but some force kept her rooted to the spot, and she could only stare, listening as Capricorn fought with something only he could see.

Comments

[Tim the Planes-pony]

Looks interesting so far, but I am seriously hoping it doesn't drop into grimderp territory. I have seen enough of that already. Will be looking forward to more for now.

[Solaris Hemera]

Cool stuff!

[clubbzz]

Really hope there's more to it then " oh, everything was Sunset's fault".

[ferret]

too frail to withstand stabling attacks,