Shadow Flame (The War of Azgaren)

by Dranlu

Chapter 5: A Mission in the Dark

Shadow Flame

(The War of Azgaren)

Chapter 5: A Mission in the Dark

The night gripped Azgaren, there were no clouds in the sky and every star could be seen. The moon of Azgaren hung silently lighting the dark night. Thyme pointed into the sky and began to speak

"See those stars there shadow?"

Shadow looked up into the sky where she was pointing and responded with a nod.

"That's the constellation for hope" she drew imaginary lines in her mind, the connected stars forming a pegasi wing.

"Where almost to the camp" said Ritzia

Shadow looked forward to see a slightly wooded area, but it looked empty this confused him.
"Wait I don't see anything, are your numbers really THAT few?"

"No Shadow watch this." said Thyme

Thyme placed her hoof near her mouth and made a whistle of a bird. A bird responded and then Thyme repeated the noise 3 times quickly, just as she finished a magical opening formed and 2 armored stallions stepped out.

"Wow! An invisibility spell powerful enough to hide an entire camp, that's amazing!" exclaimed Shadow.

The group walked through the opening of the spell to reveal a big camp full of tents and even a few crude building built into trees.

The group headed toward the tent with a big red medical symbol on it, Thyme was the first to enter. She started a conversation with the nurse on duty and shortly after she waved the rest of the group in.

Inside the tent was princess Sacredwind laying on a bed with 2 guards at her sides. She propped her head up to look at the group.

"It's true….so this means I have to do the unthinkable…I have to fight a war with my own sister so save this planet. I'm scared and…I don't want to hurt anypony, I don't want to fight this war!" cried the princess

"Then you don't have to…I'll do it for you Sacred" responded Shadow

The group all looked at shadow like he was crazy but then the princess motioned for him to step forward.

"Shadow you know this task won't be easy and you are putting yourself in danger in order to save a planet you barely know correct?"

"Yes princess, this place is my home now. I swore my loyalty to you"

Sacred smiled as she pulled shadow closer and kissed his forehead.

"Now listen everypony, you will all listen to Shadow and Follow him as if you were receiving orders directly from me, Is that understood?!"

Everypony in the room saluted the princess.

"Good now let shadow rest and explore the camp while you spread the word."

Everypony nodded including the guards as they all left the tent, now leaving shadow and Sacred together. They looked at each other as an awkward moment of silence passed Shadow cut the silence by saying,

"Sacred I'm going to do some planning I'll return to you when I'm done."

She nodded as Shadow left the tent; he walked a ways and looked around the camp. Shadow then started charging some magic in his horn, attracting the attention of a few ponies walking about.

Shadows horn stopped glowing; a large group of black and red butterflies were summoned. They all started to fly away in different directions as shadow said out loud,

"I see what you see and I hear what you hear. Now go my scouts and bring me what I need to know."

Shadow noticed the group of ponies watching him, he smiled at them for a second and began to walk away, as he was walking he heard a mare's voice say

"That was a neat trick."

Shadow turned to see a white female unicorn with a bright red mane sitting in a cage. She had a red cloak on, shadow couldn't see what her cutie mark was, but another feature stuck out on her. She had green eyes that seemed to stare into his soul.

"Why are you locked up in a cage far away from everypony else?" asked Shadow

"I am too evil in their eyes" she responded

"How can that be? You don't look evil to me; may I ask your name?

"My name is Raise Sapphire."

"It's nice to meet you Raise, My name is Shadow Flame. Now tell me why they locked you up."
The unicorn in the cage looked down to the ground and then back at shadow, she moved her cloak to reveal her cutie mark. It was 2 sapphires with a halo floating above them. As she removed her cloak she began to speak,

"Don't let my mark deceive you… my special talent is too raise the dead and use them as I see fit. I've caused a lot of pain and suffering in this place in the past, but now that I look back at it…It seems like it was useless. I feel like I might have been able to do something better with this power. But it's too late now."

Shadow put his hoof on the cage and starred at Raise with a serious look on his face.

"No…it's never too late to redeem yourself, don't look at your power as a burden instead look at it as a chance to help others. I'm a lot like you Raise, I once caused great harm among many ponies and I can never forgive myself for that...but I'm doing my best to erase my past and paint myself a bright future"

Shadow melted the lock off of the cage holding Raise.

"Now Raise Sapphire will you accompany me in my quest to help save this planet?"
Raise stood up and starred at shadow.

"No pony has ever really talked to me…..and if you say your past is similar to mine…… Shadow Flame I will help you."

She walked out of the cage and stood next to shadow, as she did it immediately caught the attention of a large group of ponies, one of them running towards them.

"What are you doing with her Shadow?!" yelled the familiar voice of Ritzia.

"Calm yourself Ritzia, She swore herself to the cause and I myself will be watching over her, now could you do me a favor and send Night Surfer and Thyme to me? I need to have a quick word with them."

She nodded and then walked away in the direction she came from. Shadow then turned to Raise and began to speak to her.

"I have a special task for me you and the others Raise, after you help me do this I'm sure everypony here will have forgiven you for what you have done in the past and become your friends."

Raise nodded and smiled a little, "That would be……nice."

Thyme and Night Surfer were now approaching Shadow and Raise. Shadow looked at them smiling; he could tell they were both looking at Raise.

"Is what Ritzia said true? Is she on our side now?" asked Thyme.

"Yes don't worry Thyme, now I asked you and Night Surfer to come here for a reason."

"Yeah what do you need Shadow?" questioned Night Surfer.

"So Thyme according to what you told me this axe resides in the woods a ways away from camp and that some of the kings final words were talking about how this axe could only be wielded by a hero that could save the planet correct?"

"Yes" responded Thyme

"Well here's your hero right here." Shadow said as he pointed to Raise.

"Wait?! You think I'm going to be the one to save everyone?!" Raise said shocked

"Yeah and when you do it everypony will forgive you" Shadow said smiling.

"Now Thyme, Night Surfer, and Raise I have a special mission for all of us to carry out. Now listen up cause this is the plan."

"Thyme you will use your magic along with Night Surfers ability to hide all of us as we go to the forest, when we get there I can cut paths through the forest with my fire and when we get to this ancient weapon Raise will pull it free and use it to take back this planet!"

"Ok Shadow your plan seems good but one question. Why aren't you having us bring additional guards or at least Ritzia and Golden Sun?" asked Thyme

"Good question Thyme, The reason I don't want Ritzia to come along is because I want this mission carried out silently and well from what I've seen of her she isn't the silent type…as for Golden Sun the poor girl would probably have a heart attack if we made her go in these "Terrifying" woods. Do you see my reasoning?"

Thyme nodded and looked at Night Surfer who did the same.

"Ok are you guys ready to go?" asked Shadow

Everypony nodded and the group left the camp hidden from the combination of Thyme and Night Surfer. They left without telling anypony where they were going.

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The group approached the dark forest, the trees where huge stretching high into the sky they seemed…unnatural , twisting and growing in weird ways. The forest was black just entering it the light of the moon was barely visible. But the group has come too far to turn back now; they would press on into the darkness.

A little way into the forest Thyme stopped the stream of magic to Night Surfer and the group was once again visible. Shadow who was leading the group turned and began to whisper,

"Ok everypony, I don't know what threats if any are here so please keep your voices down and be on your guard."

Everypony nodded, Night Surfer pulled out a dagger and held it in his mouth. Biting down on the handle, the blade shining from what moonlight was able to break into the forest.
Raise's horn glowed with a bright green color and suddenly the ground next to her began to crack, 2 ponies raised up from it. Both badly decayed, bones showing with rotten flesh barely clinging them. They held crudely sharpened swords made of bone. They both stood next to Raise.

Raise saw that when she summoned them Night Surfer and Thyme cringed. Shadow had a slight smile on his face.

"Don't worry they won't bite…any of us anyway" said Raise with a smirk.

Shadows horn was glowing as a cone of fire flowed in front of him burning down trees in his paths, he quickly put out the flames once his path was made. When suddenly he stopped and held his hoof in the air to signal for the others to stop.

He turned quickly and started whispering

"I saw the reflection of something from my fire up ahead, be ready for anything."

"I'll take to the air, I can't fly quickly here but at least I can attack from a different point if need be." whispered Night Surfer

"Good idea" responded Shadow as Night Surfer faded into the darkness and flew up high.
Thymes horn was now faintly glowing with a dark blue color; light blue runes seemed to dance around as she was channeling the magic.

"Ok", said shadow, "On 3, 1……..2…."

"3!"

The three unicorns along with the 2 undead minions on the ground jumped forward all the horns of the unicorns glowing ready to attack whatever was in front of them but when they landed and looked forward they all stopped the channeling of the magic in their horns to gaze in amazement at the site in front of them.

In front of them was an ancient looking axe stuck in a huge tree stump. There was a perfect beam of moonlight cutting through the woods and hitting the axe making the weapon look like something that no mortal pony should touch. This was the ancient axe of Azgaren.

"Wow……that is an old weapon" said shadow. "Looks like getting this axe will be easier than we thou-!"

Shadow was cut off by a scream above him he looked up and saw a dagger fall and land in the ground in front of him.

The three on the ground all immediately looked up as Thyme yelled

"Night Surfer are you alright?!"

Shadows horn started glowing and small fire flies were summoned they started flying high into the branches of the trees.

Just as the fireflies got to the top of the trees they revealed that Night Surfer was tangled in dark red tree vines, he spit a vine out of his mouth and yelled ,

"It's a trap, look out!"

Just as Night Surfer yelled a thunderous roar seemed to shake the air behind the ponies in the group, they all turned to see a big colt who seemed to be made of pure muscle and evil. Dark power was emanating off of him. His flesh was worn scared and damaged. He had dark red glowing eyes.

He was almost directly behind them. His arms rose and came down obliterating Raise's minions, smashing their skulls into the ground. Cracking their heads into a million pieces, sending skull fragments and coagulated blood flying. Then he charged at Raise herself. Before anypony could respond she was sent flying into a tree, she hit it hard and then hit the ground. She then laid their motionless.

"No Raise!" yelled Shadow as he charged a fireball and quickly fired it at the monster, he aimed for the center of his chest. The fireball passed right through a hole in the creature's chest.

"What in the hell is this thing?!" screamed Shadow

Thymes horn was intensely glowing and magic runes were pouring off of it. "Almost" she said

The creature Lunged forward in an attempt to swing his arm at shadow, but luckily shadow was able to jump back far enough to avoid it, his horn now charging another spell. But this left Thyme within the creatures range.

He grabbed her and lifted her into the air as he laughed with a dark evil voice, he was slowly strangling her to death the veins in his strong arm showing from the strength of his grip.

"Shadow!" choked Thyme through the creatures grip

"I won't miss this time you monster!" yelled shadow as the fire started to visibly form around his horn.

The creature looked at shadow with his blaze red soulless eyes and Let out a screech that was ear shattering.

Shadow dropped to the ground in pain.

"No…….NO!" Shadow stood up and began to fire the spell he was channeling.
But nothing happened

"What?!"

Shadow Tried again but still nothing. Then a sudden horrifying realization hit him. The creatures scream must have disabled his magical abilities.

"NO! I'm not going to let my friends and I die here!"

The creature was still choking Thyme, whose eyes now looked very glassy as she was attempting to gasp for air.

Shadow looked around quickly and saw the axe, he ran to it. Placed his hoof on it and said,

"I know I am nopony special and this axe is meant for a hero but please….LET ME USE IT TO SAVE MY FRIENDS!!!!

As shadow yelled those lines and pulled upward the axe it started to glow orange and shoot flares of dark orange magic into the air and then the stump under it seemed to explode. Leaving the Axe free in shadow hoof.

Shadow turned holding the ancient weapon of power, orange swirls of energy encircling his arms and body like a rhythmic heartbeat of power given off of the axe.

Shadow lifted the axe high into the air and looked the creature in the eyes and said

"Prepare to die"