Chapter 3
Operation "Save Pie Saver"
Weren't they supposed to be a rumor?, thought the light blue pegasus frantically. The mere growls of the creatures were enough to make him freeze in place.
Daemostera were coal black scaly creatures, with the body built of changelings, only about five times bigger. They were supposed to be a fairy tale, a myth! Meant to bring out negative feelings in a pony, they fed off them, creating illusions of every single bad memory the victim had and growing into their full black forms from the original smoke like matter.
Legend had it that the creatures were carriers of death. They appeared when the smell of a wounded pony caught their attention. After that, the trap was set, starting from the illusions and ending with the blood sucking.
Soarin gulped quite loudly and cursed his memory for bringing up that particular text from the history book. Why couldn't his mind remember something like 'how to defeat mythical monsters that were meant to be a myth while protecting a wounded mare and staying alive?', why?!
Those pupil less crimson eyes, dripping with malice were staring at him in a manner that made him think he was X-rayed.
As a chill ran down his spine all the way to his tail.
In the black void, right under the pair of eyes that was closest to him, something moved.
Two long yellowish fangs appeared, followed by an open jaw, complete with three rows of small sharp teeth. The greenish spit cocooning them was making the whole picture even more scary then ever.
He couldn't stare anywhere but at the smile..promising death, it was drawing him in.
Suddenly, he had an irresistible urge to run, run far away and hide under his bed or in his mothers lap, comforted and away from pain, away from death.
And here he was, surrounded by the warmth of his parents, in their old home.
It was..so warm, and the smell of his beloved apple pie, his favourite flavor, the one his mother made in the past was there. The unruly happiness...it made him smile and laugh of joy.
When was the last time he had sincerely been happy? When he flew?..No, it wasn't the same joy. The feeling of being complete, of having loved ones beside you...it was different. Even his freedom in the sky wasn't complete.
Darkness loomed over him, coating him in it's shadows. His young, innocent eyes widened in fear and he clutched the apron of his mother in a death grip. His eyes, the color of emerald stared up at her, in desperate need of..protection?
"Sorin....my dearest Sorin....."
Her melodic voice made his heart tremble, but when he looked up, he found nothing. His mother was gone, and the voice was fading in the black.
He yelled out in panic and galloped towards the last ray of light he saw - her voice, giving him hope, love, home.
But why wasn't he moving?
Something was wrong.
Looking down, he realized in sheer horror that his hooves wouldn't move. Something..sticky and thorny had them in it's trap.
"Mother!!!"
He followed his own voice as it ripped out of his throat and danced away, taking his soul, his flight, his everything with it.
What am I doing? I am a pegasus for the bucks sake!, he thought and kneeled down on his front legs, eyes focused on the light beam of the voice.
W..what??!!!
The takeoff didn't happen. He looked back at his wings. What he saw would still hunt his nightmares years later.
The light blue feathers were being peeled off, one by one by some invisible force.
And it hurt.
He felt as if his very heart was being peeled off.
His very being was being ripped out of him.
His reason for existing...
His cutie mark....gone with the wind.
It was getting hard to breathe.
The light beams had vanished, leaving him in total darkness.
Just like the day SHE died....
The pain returned, this time as an enormous rock, weighing a ton, if not more, only to crash right through his chest, leaving nothing but an endless hole.
Just like the time when HE left....
The pain doubled.
He wanted it to end.
Right at that time, he heard screaming. Who could scream like that? Like an innocent foal, sheer terror reflected in the voice. No pony should endure such pain, it was soul ripping! The anguish in it could literally kill!
He wanted to help them, whoever they were.
This was when he realized it was his voice. His screaming. His pain.
However, a single sound made him stop. That single sound made the darkness waver. The yelling...it was inside him. His very soul. That single sound made him realize the pain was just an echo of old scars.
A small, barely audible groan, that cleared the darkness away.
The haze from his eyes vanished just enough for him to get back to reality.
The Everfee forest came into view. Everything refocused.
He was still standing over Rainbow Dash, visibly shaking. The mare in question had seemingly stirred awake, long enough to utter a groan of pain and black out again.
Well, no one could argue that the cyan pegasus had the best timing ever.
Along with the worst luck of course.
The Daemosteria were still there, now all of them with their maws open wide and saliva dripping on the rocky ground.
They feed off your worst memories and create an illusion, he reminded himself and shook his head once, to clear the aftereffects of the images his own mind had recreated.
They needed to get out of there and fast before those monsters started their assault on a different level.
He slowly leaned down, never taking his eyes off the red eyed monsters.
The usually playful apple green was a striking emerald now, full of determination.
He wanted them to get out of there alive.
"Sorry fellas, dinner will not be served today", he said a bit sarcastically while trying to glare at them.
A roar escaped the maw of the closest and Soarin backed away instantly.
He lifted Rainbow Dash with his front hooves and plopped her on his back, making sure she was positioned in a way that wont hinder any movement from his wings.
The demons of death all growled at once, scaly claws flying at them at speeds that could equal a Sonic Rainboom.
But Soarin had already disappeared, taking the rainbow maned mare with him.
He lowered the cyan pegasus on a cloud nearby and plopped on it next to her tiredly. It was a first for him, to be out of breath after a flight, but the need to live and the desire to save this mare was all it took for him to go all out.
As his breath returned to normal, he glanced sideways at Rainbow Dash.
Her whole body was marred with angry red slashes, some of them caked with mud. Her wings were battered and feathers kept falling off. The blood on them had dried somewhat. The odd angles of her wings made him wince.
Poor dear, she won't be able to fly at all for a while..
He wasn't much of a doctor, and with him being a klutz, he doubted he could even tend to her wounds properly. If not, he could even make them worse. Broken wings needed extremely tender care, or else the pegasi in question would be stripped of their flying.
"Dash...", he whispered, prodding her muzzle gently with his.
She moved, but didn't open her eyes.
He licked the small cut on her cheek gently and pressed his forehead to hers.
At least she was alive and safe now.
Sighing, the stallion picked her up once more, this time more gently. No monsters after them this time at least.
Her mane dropped like a waterfall of rainbows on his neck, tickling him slightly.He smiled a bit, mind briefly wondering about the softness of it despite the situation. He'd think she wasn't one to take care of her looks, judging from her attitude. Soarin also noted that she weighed like a feather. And he knew she ate quite a lot. When she and her friends had left the gala, he had seen them with princess Celestia in a small restaurant. He remembered wondering at that time what would they be doing with the princess.
And he had seen her eat quite a lot of cakes.
Yet, she was so small and...fragile.
With a shrug, he took off once more, going just as fast.
Her wounds needed to be treated. Everything else could wait, even if it meant a yummy pie or a good sleep.
Dr. Whooves wasn't one to ask questions, especially when the patient was in a bad state. They usually came later. When the earth pony saw the state the young mare was in, he had rushed her in the emergancy room. Soarin was allowed to go in there as well.
Rainbow Dash was still in dreamland, but her Wonderbolt idol was there through all the cleaning , stitches ( she had woken up at that, and had gripped the closest pony with both hooves out of the pain. Was it luck that the pony in question was Soarin? Well, Dash didnt know she was squeezing his hoof so hard that it had turned red) and the bandaging. He even helped turn her over on her belly when they were ready to bndage her wings and put them in casts.
It was past midnight.
The light blue pegasus stared at the occupant of the bed unblinking.
Just why was he staying here now? He could just leave. He saved her...and himself, and even waited while her injuries were tended to.
He wasn't obliged to stay.
Something was just keeping him, as if someone had glued him to the bedside.
He knew, deep inside that he wanted to make sure she was all right. He wanted her to open those pretty magenta eyes of hers.
But I can't stay long, he thought and sulked a bit for reasons he himself didn't know. Spitfire would have his head on a dish if he didn't show up to the base.
Suddenly, and idea struck him. If somepony was awake at that time, she would see a lighbulb right on top of his head. Or was it just an illusion?
Soarin grinned to himself and flew out of the window.
He might stay in the base, but that didn't mean he no longer had his own place in Cloudsdale.
He just didn't stay there, after certain events of his chilhood.
In fact, he hadn't even set hoof there after HE abandoned him.
Shaking his head, he reached the small cloud home. It was located quite high and not noticeable at all. In fact, he doubted other pegasi even knew this was a house.
Taking a deep, calming breath, he stepped in.
The encounter with Daemostera had opened up old scars. Maybe it was time to finally face them.
About half an hour later, Rainbow Dash stirred awake.
She didnt recognize the smell of antithetic, or even feel the stiffness of her wings and the pain that came in spasms.
No, she was busy staring with half lidden eyes at a certain object, propped beside her pillow.
There was a small note attacked to it.
"Hope you like it, Pie Saver"
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I admit, I had been listening to "Falling in the Black" by Skillet.
976262
chap posted. finally. if you see any typos, please tell. i dont think im in the mood to reread lol
staring from the illusions and ending with the blood sucking. Think you meant starting
As
A chill ran down his spine all the way to his tail. (Line got separated)
whole picture even more scary then ever. (scarier, just a nitpick though.)
or in his mother lap,
"Sorin....my dearest Sorin....."
I am a pergasus for the bucks sake!, he thought and knelled down on his front legs, eyes focused on the light beam of the voice. (the green part just confuses me a bit...not sure why though)
would still hunt him years later.
He felt his very heart was being peeled off. ("like" his very heart)
there through all the claning
and th bandaging.
to bndage her wings
didn't show up tot he base.
and flew out of th window.
recognize the smell of antytheptic,
I think that's everything...Was a good chapter, more depth for Soarin, why he likes apple pie so much.
Ooooo what object did he leave her!? Must know, must know!
Also the Daemostera, the description made me think of this http://lordpankake.deviantart.com/art/MLP-Changeling-305604829
I await your next chapter to proof-read th01.deviantart.net/fs71/150/f/2011/179/8/b/rainbow_dash_salute_ansi_by_qeinone-d3kck9q.png
And to enjoy of course
I did see typos, it was just stuff like writing tot he instead of to the though. Honestly, gammar isn't my strong suit. I loved this chapter. Wonder what it was soarin left....guess we'll find out next chapter.
976562
o.o omg, i make s much mistakes. lets go redoing it! thanks tomodachiiiii~
tomo-what now? *googles it* ohhhh, you're quite welcome my friend.
In case you missed the link here it is again without all the distracting red words http://lordpankake.deviantart.com/art/MLP-Changeling-305604829
That picture instantly came to mind when I read your description of Daemostera.(I'd put the image in the comment but I'm pretty sure it's bigger than max size allowed)
i actually wanted the snow wind spirit things, but made my own monsters like them xDD.
anyways, i changes stuff, but kept some.
his mom says 'sorin' for a reason. :P
which will be revealed later on. just waaaaaiiiiiit.
btw, i'd think people who like mlp would dunno watch anime too and be otakus o.o
You...wouldn't be wrong...especially in terms of my friends...I just watch very little anime...and it's always dubbed when I do so if someone says 'friend' it's in English...after all the whole point of television was to remove the need to read.
976799
xD anyways, o.o you only showed me the typos and all, what do you think of the chap in whole?
Oh I liked it. I like the depth you're giving Soarin, the scars he needs to confront, the reason for his obsession with apple pie, and the caring for Dash even though they aren't in love yet. After all it's good characters that make the basis of good shipping stories.
Edit: And I really want to know what object he left for Dash, it seems to be something from his old home so it's likely very sentimental and personal, and...hmmm oh! are you making it so that his real name is Sorin, but he changed it when he joined the Wonderbolts to Soarin? because that's actually kind of interesting.
976825
you're close. but it's more like a special somepony giving him that name. no telling anymore, it'll spoil it. myeh, i wanna make their pasts really interesting and well not all pink bubbles. i know that the land is all happy etc, but i kind of down want my fic to be...too sentimentally happy sappy thing with *ehem" scenes.
this is truning to be more of a oneshot though. :D
just wait and seeeeeee~
But i don wanna waaaaait.
Well it's good that it isn't "too sentimentally happy sappy" the more adult matters and tones makes it even more enjoyable for me, I watch the show for the childlike fun, I come here for the next level.
976886
xD at first when i heard of the show i was like 'they probably have human forms o.o", then, after confirming they werent and sulking, i was like 'surely they'll at least grow up and look a bit more like celestia in the body build and face". another fail. then my last hope was romance, but even that didnt happen.
i really want soarin/dash to be cannon, along with caramel/jack.
dunno about mac/fluttershy though
976916
As do I for the Soarin/Dash, Caramel/Jack is another one I like, but not nearly as fervently as Soarin/Dash. Flutter/Mac...I've seen a fair number of good stories with that pairing but I have no preference either way...I think I actually prefer Apple/Shy...but that would never happen in a kids show...
976934
i dunno why people want yaoi an dyuri pairings in mlp. o.o
i have nothing against it, but dunno, i cant read the stuff. now will i ever be able to write one. it's be offending to anyone of that orientation.
-died here-
976945
To each their own, I prefer straight pairings, but I have read a few same gender stories and they were good, very well written stories that did a great job of ringing out the characters and making me care about them, as a good story should. Though I tend to avoid stories that have Dash as a lesbian on principle...
976969
hehe, me too. dash and soarin are my fav characters out of the show xDD
977008
Agreed! Loved Dash from ep 1, then the moment I saw Soarin and heard his voice (It's Finn from Storm Hawks!) he jumped straight to the number 2 spot on my list...then I started shipping them. Even came up with scientific reasons as to why the pairing was better than my friends pairing of Dash and Shy. Dash's mane has Red, yellow, orange, green, blue, and violet, but is missing the darker blue indigo...Soarin has a dark blue mane...so he completes her...color scheme.
977025
xD i loved dadh from ep one. even when she did egoistic things sometimes, i really really like her xD
er..storm hawks? havent seen it o.o
myeh, those two are made for each other. i mean emember the pic aat the wedding? she is smiling, he is laughing, and they seem to be dancing. i man come ooon, xDD i know that soarin/fire is logical too, but to me it's only soarin/dash xD
i even wanted to draw them (human versions though).
oh yeah I remember that pic, It was leaked early and I kept looking for it throughout the entire finale. Was hoping there would be more but even so it was great.
Anyway you should check out storm hawks it's an older show but it was a lot of fun. In fact MLP uses A LOT of Voice actors from that show. Soarin and that purple dragon with blond hair in the dragon quest episode had Finns VA, Daring Doo had Piper's VA, the Flim Flam bros had Aerrow and stork's VA's...etc. and those are just the ones I remember and know about. Pretty much the entire main cast from Storm Hawks has done some voice work for MLP.
977054
okie. lets go see what it is xD
I really liked this chapter! Not the way Dash was mortally wounded but the way you had Soarin' worrying about her and trying to help her by licking a wound. That was a real tender moment. Well done.
Just... awww.
Hey dude, you spelt Skrillex wrong in your Author's Note. - every Skrillex fanboy's reaction upon reading Skillet
980599
skrillex? lol, no thats Skillet. "Falling in the Black"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnHpeF1RPgI
here, see this xD
and i'm not a dude
980640 Yeah I know, I read something about Skillet before and one comment was: "Stupid fanboys trying to steal Skrillex's name to be popular" or something like that. Also, nice to see some more non-dude writers on here.
980657
i have never heard of skrillex lol. i know the group as skillet xD
-goes to google it o.o-
980664 wow, never heard of Skrillex. That's really weird considering how well know he is.
980670
i havent!!!
:flutterrage: I feel likenkilling you now
We dost order thee to give us MOOOOOOOAAAAARRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!