The Hero of Oaton

by thatguyvex

Chapter 10: Heart of a Hero (Part 1)

Chapter 10: Heart of a Hero (Part 1)

Bushel’s hooves paced back and forth on the floorboards of her room, the filly’s breaths short and agitated. Her wide eyes kept casting looks between the door, which her parents had thoroughly locked, and the window, where nothing but a darkness, rain, and harsh flashes of lightning could be seen.

“Bushel!” Milkdrop cried from underneath her blankets, “C’mon! If ma and pa find your still awake we’ll all get in trouble!”

“Can’t sleep,” Bushel said, stopping her pacing only to jump up and down on the stop, “She’s out there! In that storm! Trixie is in trouble, I just know it!”

“So? She’s a hero, isn’t that what they do?” Milkdrop moaned from her bed, followed by a peal of thunder that caused another voice to start sobbing, “Aww Breadcrumb, its just some stupid thunder, you don’t have to cry about it!”

This only seemed to make the little colt cry harder, much to an exasperated sigh from Milkdrop. Bushel would’ve thought it odd that her parents hadn’t come to check on the noise, but then her ears strained and she could still hear it, even over the sound of the storm, an angry chorus of yelling voices. Ponies were downstairs in the tavern, and they were arguing over something fiercely. Bushel couldn’t hear the words, but thought she could every now and then make out her father’s voice. The harsh, angry tone of his voice was unmistakeable.

The adults were too busy arguing to pay much attention to the foals upstairs.

But why were they arguing? Bushel didn’t understand but she had a bad feeling about all of this, a feeling that had begun when the storm rolled in over Oaton. Her head had been aching before, but the pain had been steadily getting worse with the coming of the storm. Bushel ignored it though, she didn’t have time to worry about a silly headache! Trixie, Cheerilee, Raindrops, they were all out there putting themselves at risk, and Bushel had a horrible feeling that something bad was going to happen to them.

But what could she do about it?

The door was locked. Ma and pa weren’t taking chances were here getting into trouble again. The yellow filly kept giving the door a sour look. She bet if she had awesome magic like Trixie then she could just bust the door down! Or teleport herself out of here. She didn’t care that she’d heard some of the adults muttering things; that Trixie wasn’t a great mage, let alone a hero. Those were just dumb adults feeling sour. Trixie was... was...

Bushel believed in her. Which only made this horrible feeling of something going wrong all the worse. She wished she knew for sure that Trixie and her friends were okay.

She looked so hurt. I didn’t say I was sorry for doubting her. I should have! What do I do!? I can’t sleep, and pacing here isn’t helping anything! But I can’t leave either! I’d just get in the way again. But... but what if something happens to Trixie?

Bushel just couldn’t shake the notion her idol was in danger, and every time the flash of lightning rattled the window that feeling only intensified. If only her head would stop hurting so much maybe she could think clearly!

“Busheeellll, just go to sleep,” cried Milkdrop, finally getting up and throwing a pillow at her pacing sister, “You’re being dumb!”

Bushel teetered to the side when the pillow hit her and she gave the offending object a stomp as she yelled back, “I am not! I’m telling you I something bad is gonna happen to Trixie! I oughta be out there to help her!”

After her outburst her hoof stayed on the pillow and her eyes snapped down to it, her hoof pressing on the pillow a few times as if just realizing what it was. An idea took shape in her head while her little sister puffed out her cheeks and stood up on the bed. Still wrapped up in his own sheets Breadcrumb continued to cry. Milkdrop glared at her sister for a moment before going over to him and plopping down next to the colt, curling around him in a hug.

“Fine, you keep being dumb then,” she said but Bushel wasn’t listening. Her eyes had gone from the pillow to the window. The window that didn’t have a lock like the door did.

When Milkdrop heard the window swing open, bringing with a hard wind and billowing sheet of rain from outside and filling the room with the wave of sound that was the storm she looked over with wide eyes. Bushel was hoisting herself up awkwardly into the window sill, pillow clutched in her teeth.

“Bushel what are you doing!?”

“I got to help her! I just got to! Don’t tell ma and pa!”

Milkdrop’s eyes were fear filled moons as she stared, unbelieving as her sister tossed the pillow out the window, took one judging look at where it landed, then hopped out herself.

----------

As Sawdust sailed through the air, landing heavily on the wet, muddy ground, skidding a good half dozen yards before coming to a stop, he reflected that this was shaping into a very unpleasant night. Perhaps some ponies might look upon his current misfortunes as a sign of some sort that the choices that had brought him to this point had been poorly made. Sawdust was not such a pony. Getting back to his hooves, waiting patiently for his lungs to recall the proper way to breath, he merely turned his mind towards how he could still succeed at his plan.

Setbacks are merely opportunities waiting for one to find the way to exploit them.

Sawdust had nothing but spite for his father, but some lessons had still proven valuable enough to hold onto, even if they had come from such a deplorable pony.

Unfortunately it was a lesson that was not always easy to follow, especially now when it seemed all of the plans he’d made were starting to unravel around him. Even were he to survive the night, a prospect that was rapidly dwindling with each passing second, it seemed unlikely that he could spin the situation back towards a track that followed his original plan. Not impossible, just... problematic. Tarnished appeared to have completely succumbed to madness induced by the shrine. While he knew it wasn’t directly his fault, there was a painful little tug of guilt in his gut. He could have warned her. He could have done more to convince her to leave the forest for good. But he’d known so little at first, had no real idea what the shrine was until it seemed too late, before it was all too clear that it was only only affecting Tarnished but everypony who went into that forest. If she’d only allowed him to use his mind shielding spell, she might have resisted the influence of the shrine long enough for him to acquire the spell he’d discovered from Canterlot University’s archives. That spell may well still save her, but how to acquire it? He’d have needed another few days at least to have one of his ponies retrieve the spell from the archives without leaving a paper trail that could have lead to too many questions. Now? Well, it all was moot point, really, given that Tarnished’s attack upon the camp now, with the Element bearers present, would likely result in Tarnished being captured, either by the Elements or by the Count. Either result would limit his options, and certainly put a crimp in his plans to marry the mare.

Not that he was in love with her. He was fond of her, and she certainly was a looker, but the idea of marrying her was purely for the purpose of gaining control of her family. Some might call that underhooved. Despicable. But really, how many political marriages happened without the ponies intending to spend their lives together and raise a family even meeting one another before saying their vows? At least he would have made sure to see to her happiness. Molding Oaton into a true city, an economic powerhouse with all its natural resources, he could have wiped away the Copper Coin’s debts. Count Shiny, that high strung stallion, would have eventually learned to thank him for sparing him the burden of leadership. It was clear the Count was not suited to his position. He’d be happier without having to lead his family, and just spend time with his sister.

And of course Sawdust’s own family, his own beloved sister and her precious foals, could live better lives in the wealth of a prospering province. Even Sheaf, so stubborn, so proud, would have eventually learned that, in the end, Sawdust’s actions would lead to everypony being... happy.

That wasn’t too much a thing to ask for, was it? Everypony being happy?

Of course he imagined he’d have plenty of time to ponder such questions from within a comfortable prison cell, if Trixie Lulamoon had her way. Trixie might not have his journal, but she knew enough that really just one letter to Princess Luna would be enough to cast Sawdust into a tangled mess of investigations that would mire his Guild for years in legal issues, and that was the best case scenario. Worst case scenario involved a lengthy prison sentence and his Guild scattering to the four winds. Strange, but he found the prospect of prison less painful than the notion of the Hoofington Lumber Guild dissolving. What would happen to all of his employees, his ponies who worked so hard to earn a living and had no idea the schemes their leader had set up? Would they be all right?

Well, bridges to cross when I get to them. Rather more immediate concerns to deal with first... the dark violet unicorn thought as the Fire Drake that had sent him flying a moment before pounded towards him to finish the job it had started.

Sawdust licked his lips and strained some more magic through what was quickly becoming a taxed horn. He’d not been exaggerating with Trixie, he was far from a trained battlemage. He knew a number of useful tricks, but stamina was not his strong suit. Forming the opaque white barrier of magic in front of him took no small amount of effort, and the Fire Drake slamming into it sent a further burst of painful strain through his horn. Even past the shield he could feel the raw heat of the flames flowing from the Fire Drake’s body, the pouring rain doing little more than steaming off the creature's body and giving it a wraith-like shroud of mist.

Sawdust chanced a glance behind him. He could see that most of his Lumber Guild ponies had done as he’d instructed them and fled towards the back gate behind the main camp building. However several remained, all looking at him, a few even gathering saws and similar tools and making towards him as if planning to try and help. He felt his lips twitch into snarl of annoyance but he forced the expression away. Put on your mask. Do not let it slip. Lips not snarling, expression serious, but calm. Yes, that’s it. Tone level, authoritative.

“I do believe I told the lot of you to evacuate!”

“Sir, we can’t let you face that thing alone!” one of the mare’s said; a light brown one, curly green hair. Fresh Sap, he believed her name was. Sawdust learned the names of all his employees, though he at times couldn’t remember all the faces.

“You can, and you will,” he said as the Fire Drake smashed the shield again, the magic energy fluctuate and starting to crack like glass, “Do not fret, I’ll be right behind you all! But you must go now!”

“But-”

“Fresh Sap, if you and your team are not out the back gate in ten seconds flat I am docking your pay! Do not make me repeat myself!” he barked, letting just the right amount of his father’s old and familiar tone of no-nonsense anger fill his voice. Much as he loathed it, he had his father’s voice, could pull off the old stallion’s tone perfectly... and many of the Lumber Guild still responded to it.

To his satisfaction he saw the lumber ponies hesitate for only a moment before Fresh Sap turned and led her team away. They were good ponies. Strong work ethics, loyal to each other and their Guild. Sawdust was quite proud of them. It was regretful that he’d had to mire them in this whole mess. Ultimately the plan had required the use of the Guild. However he’d felt about it, simple practically had demanded he make use of them.

It would be highly... unfortunate, though, if anything untoward happened to any of them. It was to be avoided if possible, even at risk to himself. Part of the responsibility of being a leader. Even if he was a liar and manipulator, he still considered himself a leader. However neither lies, nor leadership skills would help him deal with his current issue.

His shield finally shattered under a heavy blow from the Fire Drake’s tail and Sawdust backpedaled away from the flaming appendage. It smashed into the back of the log cabin next to him and cracked one of the logs. Sawdust ran to circle around the beast, rain plastering his blue mane to his face. He heard the Fire Drake’s rumbling growl vibrating in his very bones as it started to chase after him.

My only current consolation is that, at this very moment, Trixie Lulamoon is not having any better an evening than I am.

----------

A day ago Trixie might have rushed to Cheerilee’s side the moment things turned violent. A day ago she felt an overpowering need to prove herself to the ponies of Oaton, to strain herself past her limits, to perform the role of ‘hero’ for her eager audience.

She remembered now quite keenly that a day ago she’d exhausted herself to the point of uselessness due to that gung-ho attitude. Trixie was not going to make that mistake again.

“Raindrops, take to the sky and wait until me and Cheerilee create an opening,” Trixie said to the pegasus at her side, “If you can pluck Tarnished off the basilisk and get her high enough, you might just break past the range of her control spell.”

“Good plan, but how are you and Cheerilee going to ‘create an opening’?” asked Raindrops as her lips pulled back in a teeth baring snarl, not at Trixie, but at the ensuing battle taking place several dozen yards away. Cheerilee was jumping and rolling aside of hefty swings from the giant basilisk's claws, staying out of harm’s way but all it would take is one small slip for the earth pony mare to be sent flying by the monster’s immense strength. Raindrops’s entire frame was shaking with the need to fly in there and help her friend.

“Any way we can,” Trixie said, “You just stay out of sight until you’re sure you can take her by surprise. Please wait until the right moment, Raindrops. If you turn to stone in mid-flight, I don’t know what happens to ponies that... break when petrified.”

Raindrops nodded once and with a pained look flapped her wings in one powerful swoop and burst up into the air, leaving Trixie to her own devices. The showpony took a deep breath, lowering her head so her hat kept the rain out of her face as she started to trot forward. She wove invisibility around herself, though with the heavy rain this illusion wouldn’t be quite as perfect as she otherwise would prefer. She could have compensated for the rain hitting her form, but that would’ve taken more magic, and she wanted to conserve as much as possible.

One of the Fire Drakes had vanished behind some of the cabins to her right and she could hear it’s loud guttural hisses. She caught sight of a few Lumber Guild ponies fleeing from that area, and she hoped they’d get away safely. To her knowledge they were not at fault for their leader’s schemes. As for Sawdust himself, she knew he was out here somewhere. She wouldn’t have minded if he got a bit singed, but ultimately she hoped he’d make it as well.

After all she wanted to be able to gloat a bit at him once this was over. Or a lot.

The other Fire Drakes had, fortunately, elected to ignore Cheerilee and instead had gone for the locked cabins that presumably were holding the other animals Count Shiny had been smuggling through the camp. One Drake smashed open the door of one cabin, while another simply started clawing through the log walls. Trixie could hear a raucous series of clucking noises from inside the cabins.

Great, cockatrices. This place is going to turn into a miniature version of the Royal Gardens if those things get loose too.

Trixie, while maintaining her invisibility, sent a few illusionary blasts of sparkling and swirling bright lights towards the Fire Drakes. The flaming lizards shook their heads and hissed in irritation, looking around for the source of the distracting lights. Trixie obliged with an illusion of herself appearing nearby and running away towards the distant front gate. One of the Fire Drakes took the bait and chased after the illusion, but the other resumed its work on tearing open the cabin.

Blast it! Well, should still buy some time, Trixie thought while she brushed a hoof over her ear clasp.

“Cheerilee, I want to lead Tarnished out of the camp. Can you get out the front gate?”

Cheerilee had, with a series of leaps and even a remarkably graceful flip out of a vicious tail slap from the basilisk, ended up backed towards the center of the camp, almost parallel to where Count Shiny and his House Guard were lying in wait. The magenta mare hoofed her own ear clasp while backpedaling from one of the basilisk's grasping claws.

Sort of focused on keeping my incredibly upset friend from turning me into a mulberry stain with Baskzilla. Besides I have a clearer shot at the side gate, I’m intimately more familiar with that one’s lock and can get it to pop with a light stroke.

Trixie involuntarily gagged a bit at Cheerilee’s choice of words but responded, “Fine! That’s fine! Do whatever you do with the lock! Just get her out of the camp and into a more open area. We need her away from Count Shiny before he-”

“N-now!” shouted the voice of the aforementioned Count, with only a slight stutter in his otherwise loud and authoritative tone. Trixie wanted to smack hoof to face, but there was no time.

Ponies in the livery of the Copper Coin family dashed from their hiding places between the cabins. A half dozen of the guards had either spears or thick rope nets clutched in mouths and charged the closest Fire Drake, quickly surrounding the beast. It snarled and snapped its jaws at the guardponies, flames dancing along its maw. The guardsponies didn’t back down from this, however, and aggressively pushed in, jabbing with their spears while their net-wielding fellows looked to trip up the Drake’s legs. The heavy rains from the storm kept the flames covering the Drake’s body from instantly burning the nets.

Meanwhile four other ponies, all unicorns, among them the rust colored guardsmare Trixie recognized from Oaton, rushed to get around the basilisk. Each carried metal rods floating beside them in their telekinetic grips. Tarnished, so focused upon Cheerilee, didn’t notice the unicorns starting to surround her. Count Shiny himself had walked out into the open, next to him that strange zebra with the vest of numerous bulging pockets.

Who is that zebra supposed to be? Trixie thought, not liking the look of him. He had a face that look like it was permanently chiseled into a displeased scowl, framed by a stripped mane woven into rows of braids. Count Shiny in contrast had nothing but fear and concern on his face as he looked past the invisible Trixie towards the sight of Cheerilee, the basilisk, and Tarnished.

“C-Cheerilee, this way!” Count Shiny called out, “Quickly!”

Cheerilee whipped her head around, looking at him, then at the unicorns taking up positions at four opposite points around the basilisk. Tarnished, for her part, seemed less concerned with the unicorns surrounding her or the guards trying to drive away one of her Fire Drakes, and spared only a snarling glance towards her brother.

“Wait your turn, brother! First I punish Cheerilee, then I’ll get to you! You were always trying to keep us apart, but did you ever admit to her those feelings you kept squirreled away inside? I bet not! Ha, as if it would’ve mattered. She’d have abandoned you too, just like she did me!”

Shiny balked, taking a step back, “Tha-that has nothing to do with... You’re wrong, she didn’t abandon anypony.”

“Shiny!” Cheerilee shouted over the din of rain and the harsh peals of lightning, “Please, stay back and let me take care of this.”

“I can’t d-d-do that Cheerilee. Now I’m t-telling you to get away from Tarnished before-”

Before the Count had finished speaking Trixie saw the huge basilisk pull back one of its huge claws, its eyes focused on Cheerilee. The earth pony wasn’t looking at the eyes, still focused on Shiny, and Trixie barely had time to shout a warning, “Cheerilee, dodge!”

Only after she shouted did she realize that she’d just given away her position by doing so. She cast a hasty glance behind her. Count Shiny only had eyes for his sister and Cheerilee, shifting on his hooves nervously. However the zebra was looking in her direction. Not right at her, but his brown eyes were narrowed. Trixie held her breath, ready to bolt, but the zebra made no move against her.

Thanks to Trixie’s warning Cheerilee had spotted the incoming claw in time, but when she jumped over it her tail failed to get clear. The basilisk's claw gripped around the tail and slammed downward. Cheerilee let out a yelp as she smacked hard into the muddy ground. She rolled away from a follow up slam from the basilisk’s other claw, scrambling to her hooves and just barely keeping ahead of the basilisk as it reared down and tried to snatch her up in its teeth.

“Give the order,” Trixie heard the zebra tell Count Shiny, “Why are you waiting?”

“Ch-Cheerilee will be t-t-t-trapped too! I h-have to convince her to-to get clear first!” Count Shiny said, hesitation screwing up his features.

“Not relevant. If you want the coin from this arrangement you will protect our interests,” said the zebra in a hard tone. Count Shiny had a look like he was moments from either screaming in frustration or punching the zebra in the face. The storm, Trixie realized. Count Shiny, like everypony else not shielded by Sawdust’s spell, would be feeling naturally more aggressive.

“The sun take you!” Shiny spat, tears brimming in his eyes as he then shouted, “Cut n’ Dry, d-do it now!”

The guardsmare gave a quick, curt nod and her horn lit up brighter, the metal rod floating before her. Trixie could see the aura of the unicorns’ magic even without her magic sight, the aura flowing into the rod and the tip glowing brightly like a brand. This feat was duplicated by the other three unicorns who had taken up positions around the basilisk, forming a rough circle. Trixie didn’t know what was about to happen but didn’t imagine it’d be good for her or her friends. They needed Tarnished captured, but not by her brother!

Trixie rushed forward. If she could just distract one of the unicorns it’d disrupt whatever spell they were trying to pull! She honed in on Cut n’ Dry, getting ready to send a flash of lights into the guardsmare’s face, but before she could unleash her spell she felt something suddenly grip around her withers and hind leg. In an eye blink Trixie found herself flipped end over end to land heavily on the slick mud, the breath knocked out of her. Her invisibility it dropped, and she looked up to see that zebra standing over her, one foreleg pressed to her throat.

“Count Copper Coin, the interfering factor you assured me would not be a problem appears to be a problem,” the zebra said with the distaste of somepony who’d stepped in something unpleasant.

Trixie immediately let magic flow into her horn, intending to shove a flare of light squarely up this arrogant zebra’s left nostril, but the zebra was fast to react to the tell tale blue glow around her horn by giving it a solid smack.

“Do that again and I will break it off.”

“That’s harder to do than someponies assume,” Trixie said dryly, mostly to hide her anxiety as she saw the Copper Coin unicorns were completing their spell.

Magic was pouring forth from the metal rods, white wisps of frost sparkled mist snaking out in a dense weave of tendrils that reached out from one rod to the next, forming a circle around the basilisk. Tarnished, high up upon the creature’s head, seemed to finally take notice of what was going on around her and twisted her lips in a grow.

“What is this brother? Trying to trap me with some spell?”

“I w-will stop you, and bring you h-h-home Tarnished!” Count Shiny declared, though his eyes were slick with a combination of rain and tears, the hard set of his jaw offset by the pleading tone in his voice, “Please stop! I’m b-begging you Tarn, please just surrender!”

A peal of unnatural laughter rolled from Tarnished’s tongue, “Beg!? No, brother, your begging will not stop, not for a long time. You, Cheerilee, these filthy lumber ponies, every one of you will feel pain!”

This was punctuated by a blinding stab of lightning that landed inside the camp, blasting apart the wall of the cabin the Copper Coin guards had barely managed to drive one of the Fire Drakes away from. The shock of the lightning had knocked some of those guardponies to the ground. At the same moment the basilisk finally brought its eyes to bear in the battle, the piercing yellow pits fixing right on Count Shiny Copper Coin across the distance of rain filled night. The young noble stallion seized up, unable to tear his eyes away in time.

“My lord!” Cut n’ Dry cried, unable to move otherwise risk breaking the spell she was creating with the three other unicorns.

“Shiny!” Cheerilee shouted, and even as the Count’s body began to harden and turn to gray stone Cheerilee scooped up some mud with her hoof and flung it for all she was worth.

The basilisk, focused on Shiny for that moment, didn’t see the mud coming and the glob hit it squarely in its right eye. The beast howled and shook its head, causing Tarnished to have to hunker down and hold onto one of its spine crests to stay on top. Its petrifying gaze broken, Shiny let out a sharp breath, legs trembling as the stone that had been crawling up them now began to fall off in small flecks and turn to dust.

The zebra took his eyes off of Trixie for just a second then. A second being all Trixie needed. Having seen that lightning had struck inside the camp she quickly channeled an illusion spell faster than she’d ever tried before, and in a blinding crash of light and sound created a false bolt of lightning right on top of her. The zebra gasped and jumped back on instinct, and Trixie rolled to her hooves in that same moment and used that time to dash away, channeling another illusion, this time of a thick fog. Invisibility hadn’t worked on the zebra, probably because she didn’t have time to make the rain look a if it passed through her, so a simpler but more practical illusion would serve better.

She heard the zebra curse behind her but she didn’t stop, aiming right for where she last saw Cut n’ Dry. As she emerged from the fog she spotted the rust coated unicorn, and saw that the spell she and her fellow guards had been creating was finally manifesting.

The tendrils of mist were solidifying into dense bands of ice, joining together in a circle that grew tall into a tall wall, easily five hoof lengths thick and twenty tall. Trixie realized upon seeing it that those metal rods had to have been spell-linking wands! By themselves such wands were of no use, but when a set came together it was possible for one unicorn to link his or her magic with others, drawing on the power of all unicorns in the link to cast a spell that might otherwise be impossible by themselves. The ice wall was probably beyond any one of the unicorns, but with all four they could maintain the wall indefinitely.

Almost immediately Tarnished reacted, horn glowing with an erratic aura as she directed the basilisk. The creature snarled, a throaty rumbling noise almost as loud as the storm’s thunder as it smashed its body into the ice wall, causing it to shudder, but not break.

“This will not hold me. It can’t hold my anger! Friends, free me!” Tarnished cried, horn gaining an overlay of spiky, wavering magic. Trixie didn’t bother with her own magic sight, guessing that the crazed mare was extending her control spell to the Fire Drakes, calling to them.

The trumpeting calls of said Fire Drakes was proof enough of that as the one that had chased the illusionary Trixie returned from the darkness to leap upon the ice wall, claws slashing and tearing into the thick blue wall. Another appeared from the west side of the camp, slamming the wall with a tail. The third was too busy with the Copper Coin guards, however, one of its legs tangled in net.

Trixie imagined it would only take Tarnished a moment to realize having her monsters attack the wall was less effective than going after the unicorn mages maintaining it, but Trixie intended to make that a moot point. Coming around the wall she found herself face to face with Cut n’ Dry.

“You!” the guardsmare’s lips pulled back in a growl. Her horn still glowed, the magical aura flowing into the metal rod which had now become a part of the wall, “What do you think you’re doing here!?”

“Sorry, but we need the whacko mare, and my friend is stuck behind that wall, so-” Trixie didn’t finish her sentence as she aimed her horn and let loose with a simple but effective close range illusion, a cone shaped spray of colors so bright and vivid that it was liable to blind or even knock out anypony that took a face full of them. Cut n’ Dry, despite having to focus on maintaining her spell, reacted quickly and turned her head aside from the blast of psychedelic colors, throat issuing a snarl as she tore her blade from her scabbard.

“Auf wundud tu du thush sunce au muut yuu!” the unicorn growled unintelligibly around the hilt of her blade as she swung out at Trixie. Trixie yelped, not expecting how quick the other mare was, nor the sudden use of a lethal weapon (it had to be the storm!). Nimbly side stepping Trixie still winced as she felt the tip of the short sword scrape by, tearing part of her cape. Trixie backed away, putting a little distance between herself and the guardsmare and casting another spell, the blue glow of her horn flowing over her body and turning into an indistinct blur. Invisibility might not be as effective in the rain, but just blurring her image should help keep that blade away from her too-pretty-to-be-stabbed face.

Cut n’ Dry of course was more than happy to test the effectiveness of that spell by leaping in at Trixie and slashing back and forth with her short sword, forcing the azure illusionist to twist and turn in ways she was not used to to avoid a painful and messy situation. Trixie imagined the only reason the clearly well trained gruardsmare kept failing to land a blow was because she had to divert some concentration to maintaining the ice wall.

Still it was only a matter of time before that blade found its mark and Trixie did not have time for this horsing around! Gulping, shoving down her fear that if this went wrong she may well be performing her last trick, Trixie feinted to the right as if she was trying to run. When Cut n’ Dry moved to slash that way Trixie suddenly threw herself to the left and let loose a spell at point-blank range at the rust coated mare’s face. A pattern of colors, similar to the blast she’d unleashed earlier, formed in a sphere surrounding Cut n’ Dry, their patterns subtly shifting in a hypnotic swirl of hues. At once Cut n’ Dry’s eyes seemed to take on the very same swirling hues of the spell and her whole body began to sway back and forth, staring into the sphere of color. Her short sword dropped to the muddy ground with a thud, forgotten.

“Good, good, just stay like that my bloodthirsty little audience member,” Trixie said as she edged around the dazed guardsmare. The spell would only keep Cut n’ Dry fascinated for a matter of moments, but long enough for Trixie to get at the spell-linking wand. She just hoped Cheerilee was doing alright in there.

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Cheerilee was starting to tire, trying to keep ahead of the basilisk’s claws without making eye contact with the monolithic lizard. Tarnished was directing the basilisk’s attention back upon her now that those Fire Drakes were attacking the ice wall itself. Cheerilee’s back ached from when the basilisk had managed to slam her to the ground a minute earlier but she grit her teeth and ignored the pain. She didn’t have time to feel pain. Tarnished needed her help! She had to clear the clouds from her friends eyes!

It would take more than a little laughter to fix this problem, but Cheerilee was not going to give up on Tarnished!

“You’re scurrying around like a rat, Cheerilee! Just stand still, I’ll show you how much I’ve missed you!” Tarnished shouted as the basilisk turned and twisted its body in the confines of the ice wall, tail slapping at the ice even as its head lowered and tried to shove itself straight into Cheerilee.

Cheerilee turned her head away from those piercing yellow eyes and rolled forward, feeling her hindleg get caught by the snout of the basilisk’s head with enough force she for a moment feared the bone had been broken. However as she hobbled back into an unsteady run she realized it was just a bad bruise. Cheerilee galloped for the back of the basilisk. If she could just get on top of the tail she could work her way up the creature’s spine and reach the head.

“Tarnished, listen to yourself! You’re not well! You’ve never wanted to hurt any living creature before in your life, least of all your friends or you family!” Cheerilee shouted, watching the tail for a good moment to jump onto it.

“What makes somepony friends!? What makes them family!?” Tarnished shouting back, the basilisk trying to turn to bring its foreclaws to bear on Cheerilee. Its huge size made turning slow, though, and Cheerilee wasn’t letting herself stay still, “Loyalty to each other!? Honesty with each other!? They laughter they share!? Generously giving to one another!? Being kind to one another!? NO! None of that! Its something much, much simpler!”

Cheerilee managed to leap upon the tail as the basilisk’ whipped it back and forth at her, hooves wrapping around the thick appendage. She held on tightly, but lost her grip as the basilisk smashed the tail into the ice wall, causing ice chunks to rain down around Cheerilee as she was thrown bodily across the small enclosed space, bouncing as she went. Cheerilee struggled to her hooves as Tarnished continued to rant in a voice that was cracking.

“The simple act of being together! Friends stay together. Through everything,” Tarnished laughed, bitter, painful, “I”m going to... to... make sure you can never leave me again!”

Cheerilee couldn’t risk looking up at Tarnished, if only because of that basilisk’s cursed eyes, but she did raise her head.

“Tarnished, friendship isn’t just about physically being there for somepony. It runs deeper than that. Friends support each other, even when they’re not together. Especially then. My mistake wasn’t leaving, it was doing it without making it clear that no matter how far apart we got, I’d always be friends with you. I’m correcting that mistake now!”

Something descended from above, crashing in front of Cheerilee. She dove to the side on instinct, and a good thing because what had dropped was a clay orb that burst when it hit the ground and from it issued forth a billowing cloud of green smoke. Cheerilee didn’t know what that smoke was but was quite sure inhaling any of it would be bad. She cantered back as another clay orb fell down and exploded in more of the swirling green cloud. Sparing a glance up she saw that there was a figure standing on top of the ice wall; a zebra. He was already pulling out another clay orb from one of his vest pockets and this one he aimed right for the basilisks’ face.

The orb exploded on the creature’s jaw and the creature snorted and scuffed at its nose from the green fumes. Tarnished, face twisted in fury, covered her mouth with a hoof.

“What is this!? First ice, now smoke? These cheap tricks will not stop me!”

The sky answered her rage with a thunderous roll of lightning that rained down around the camp, though none of it struck near the zebra. Cheerilee could only wonder if it was coincidence that lightning struck fiercest when Tarnished’s anger rose to new heights. The basilisk’s nostrils sniffed in the sickly green smoke and the creature made a rough cough like the sound of metal pots smashing together as its movements became sluggish. The zebra did not let up, throwing a barrage of clay bombs with remarkable speed. With each burst of smoke the basilisk took a step back, coughing more. Tarnished herself was also coughing, having inhaled some of the smoke. Cheerilee could see her friend stagger, almost falling off the basilisk's head, yet Tarnished held on with a feral snarl that was echoed much louder by the basilisk itself as it threw its entire body at the ice wall where the zebra stood.

The zebra apparently had not expected the basilisk to have so much fight left in it after breathing in so much of the smoke, which Cheerilee was suspecting now was a sleeping gas. She’d gotten a whiff of the stuff herself before getting far enough away from the cloud and even that small amount had made her feel tired. While it was slowing the basilisk down, it didn’t stop it from throwing its whole weight against the ice wall, causing a series of cracks to spiderweb along the rain slicked surface and the ground to shake violently. The zebra kept his hooves under him with graceful shifts of his weight and muttered something in his own language while getting out another clay orb, this one a bright yellow rather than beige.

Cheerilee lacked any weapons, but there was still mud around aplenty, and she scooped up more, planning to splatter it right over the zebra’s head, but she needed have bothered. Like a jasmine bolt loosed from a crossbow Raindrops shot out of the storm cloaked gloom and slammed the zebra right off the wall, pulling up sharply afterward in a slow bank that brought her around and down to land heavily next to Cheerilee.

“Hey,” said the pegasus.

“Hey,” said the earth pony.

“I was supposed to stay hidden,” said Raindrops, then flexed her legs, “Decided that wasn’t going to work out with you trapped in here, though. Think Trixie will be mad I ignored her plan?”

“I think she’ll get over it. Want to give me a lift?” asked Cheerilee as Tarnished, seeing the zebra wasn’t on the wall anymore, stopped having the basilisk smash into it to instead turn around towards the two ponies.

“Think I can accommodate you,” Raindrops said as she wrapped her hooves around Cheerilee’s barrel and started lifting off with strong, heavy wingbeats. The basilisk, sluggish or not from the poison smoke, still fixed its eyes towards Raindrops.

“Keep going up!” Cheerilee shouted as she brought her own hooves up and covered Raindrops eyes to break the basilisk's gaze. She had to quickly close her own eyes as the basilisk immediately switched to her as it surged forward. Cheerilee could hear Tarnished screaming over the roar of the storm.

“You get back here Cheerilee, I am not letting you go! Never again!”

Wind and rain slashed at Cheerilee, but even through all that sensation she felt the rush of air towards her lower half and instinctively pulled her legs up. Cheerilee felt a gasp of pain escape her lips as she felt the sharp agonizing feeling of something cutting her right hind leg the moment she heard a wet snapping sound below her followed by a thunderous crash. She chanced to open her eyes long enough to see the basilisk landing back in the ice wall, having jumped to try and snatch her out of Raindrop’s grasp by its own jaws. It’d nearly done so, its fangs narrowly missing clamping down on Cheerilee’s leg, but the teeth had still grazed her leg, tearing a shallow gash that was now bleeding, the red mixing with the rain water flowing off her.

“Cheerilee, you okay!?” Raindrops asked, shaking off Cheerilee’s hooves from her eyes, fear and worry straining her voice.

“Uhh, y-yeah, I’m fine!” Cheerilee smiled past the pain, “Just a little hickey, is all. Tarnished is the aggressive type apparently; who knew?”

“Don’t joke around! You sure you’re okay?”

“Yes, just get me over the wall, towards the dam. I got to lead her away from the camp before anypony gets seriously hurt,” Cheerilee said as she chanced a glance downward. Despite the darkness and rain she had a fairly good view of things from this high up, and the entire Lumber Guild camp was a site of chaos.

The log cabin that had its wall blasted open by lightning was now also partially on fire, and pouring out of it were a half dozen small fast moving forms, creatures with the heads of fowls placed upon serpent bodies; cockatrices. The Copper Coin guards were scrambling to contain them, but there were already a few that were stone statues from the cockatrice's own petrifying red eyes. The Fire Drakes were more free to move in the confusion, two of them tearing into the ice wall, and the third freeing itself from the nets that had wrapped up its legs, tail slapping aside a few guards that had gotten too close. The flames from their bodies washed the entire camp in an orange haze painted with inky shadows.

“What a mess...” Cheerilee said as Raindrops lowered her to the ground outside the ice wall.

Raindrops looked over at the ice wall as it shuddered from another blow from the basilisk, the creature’s roar rivaling the thunder in the sky. Chunks of ice were falling from the wall, more cracks running up and down its form with each passing second.

“They must have been counting on that zebra to knock the basilisk out with gas,” the pegasus said, “That wall won’t last much longer.”

The second she had finished her sentence it was as if a thousand cracks blossomed all over the ice wall at once and in one ear splitting crash the entire edifice shattered like a window hit with a brick.

“...Or not at all,” Raindrops said, blinking.

“Hahah!” a rather self-satisfied voice cried out nearby, “My anti magic skills are beyond amazing! I, Trixie, have broken your pathetic wall with my incredible prowess! To some it may have looked like I just turned off the wand, but I did it with finesse! The amazing finesse of... Cheerilee? What are you doing out here! You’re supposed to be inside the wall so I can save you!”

Cheerilee titled her head at the sight of Trixie nearby, who had been just around the bend of the ice wall out of sight until it’d been brought down. The azure unicorn, despite looking rather haggard with her hat dropping from the rain and her mane hanging drenched around her neck, still had a rather satisfied grin on her face. Next to her was a metal rod floating in the air in a aura of Trixie’s blue magic. Behind the magician was Cut n’ Dry, head engulfed by a multi-colored sphere of magic that had the guardsmare dazedly staring at the colors.

“Got a ride out,” Cheerilee called back, pointing a hoof at Raindrops. Trixie groaned.

“Raindrops, you’re supposed to be hiding and waiting for a chance to get Tarnished!”

“Hey, plans change! There was this weird zebra and-”

She cut herself off in an instant, Raindrops’ eyes narrowing as she threw herself to the side. Cheerilee didn’t know why for a second but saw the flashing movement of a black and white striped form slash down right where Raindrops had been a second ago. The zebra stallion from before, his chopping right hoof narrowing missing Raindrops. If the pegasus hadn’t moved it would’ve caught her right in the back of the neck. Cheerilee jumped away as well, narrowing avoiding a back buck from the zebra. She grunted as pain shot up her wounded leg.

“I am not ‘weird’,” the zebra said plainly, “Its rude to label others without knowing them first.”

“Don’t care to know you,” Raindrops said with steel in her voice, hide bristling and wings flared, “I’m about to make you a moot point!”

Raindrops darted in, not fast, but with strength and purpose. She reared up and panted her hind legs, her right hoof pistoning out in a forceful punch aimed for the zebra’s barrel. Like a blade of grass bent by a harsh winter breeze the zebra just flowed away from the punishing hoof of the pegasus. He danced backwards, coldly regarding Raindrops. She had a small look of surprise on her face, squaring off with the zebra and shifting her stance, widening it. Coming in again she used her wings to give herself a boost to what became a spinning aerial kick. The zebra bent sideways, Raindrops’ hoof narrowly missing him as he snapped back like a spring.

“How do you keep dodging!?” Raindrops growled as she landed from her missed flying kick and looked the zebra over with confusion.

“By moving out of the way,” the zebra replied with an arched eyebrow, “Though to your credit it is much harder than I am making it look. You move well for one who seems only partially trained.”

Cheerilee glanced to her left at the sound of hoofbeats through the mud, seeing Trixie as the azure unicorn ran up to them, skidding to a halt next to Cheerilee. Trixie was breathing hard, and her cape was torn, but she looked uninjured as far as Cheerilee could tell.

A moment later Cut n’ Dry blinked, the colored sphere vanishing as the magic fueling it ran out and the Copper Coin guardsmare shook herself from her daze. Count Shiny appeared from the thick sheets of rain, several guardsponies by his side, including Bootheel and the three other unicorns who’d been forming the ice wall before the circle of spell-linking wands had been broken.

“Cut n’ Dry, you’re u-u-uninjured?” asked Count Shiny.

“Only my pride has been stung, my lord,” she replied, spitting out her short sword and using her magic to levitate it, “I’m sorry, I couldn’t hold the wall.”

There was a brief pause then, everypony looking at each other, the sound of the storm mixing with the chaotic orchestra of the roaring Fire Drakes, cackling cockatrices, and cursing ponies that were still fighting. The silence was ended by a single, loud hiss that made Cheerilee shudder.

The basilisk, Tarnished still atop it, scattered aside the piles of ice chunks that was left of the wall. The mare that was one of Cheerilee’s oldest friends had parts of her tangled creme mane obscuring her face, but the tremble in her limbs spoke volumes of her anger.

“Cheerilee... Stop. Running. Away!”

Cheerilee took only one quick look at her two other friends, Raindrops with every muscle tense, and Trixie looking at the advancing Cut n’ Dry and her sword as if the guardsmare represented the bigger threat than the multi-ton lizard.

“Girls,” said Trixie, “How does taking all this somewhere else sound? This camp has gotten awfully crowded.”

“I’m all for that,” said Cheerilee, backing away from the basilisk, tensing to run, “Can you give a little cover?”

Trixie smirked, horn already glowing, “I can give a lot of cover!”

Cheerilee saw fog burst into being from her friend’s horn, not surprised at all Trixie chose a spell like that. Cheerilee was already in motion by the time Trixie’s fog spread out to cover them, galloping towards the direction she knew the camp’s side gate to be. She trusted that Trixie and Raindrops would get clear in their own way.

“You just keep trying to get away,” Cheerilee could hear Tarnished scoff as the ground shook to the smashing gait of the basilisk moving through the fog, “Is this how you were planning to show me that you care? By scurrying away as fast as you can like a scarred rat, Cheerilee!?”

No, Cheerilee thought with bitter resolve, her wounded leg screaming at her to stop moving, to which Cheerilee told it to suck it up, Once I get you off that basilisk, that’s when I start showing you I care. There may be rope involved, but you're in dire need of some tough love.

In all seriousness, she didn’t know what to do. Just subduing Tarnished was a temporary solution. Cheerilee needed some way to get through to her friend, to connect with Tarnished through all that pain and rage she was feeling. There was no time to think things through though, to come up with any plan beyond the next moment. Right now all she could do was lead Tarnished away from the camp and hope that nopony got hurt too badly in the process.

Cheerilee felt an intense heat straight ahead as she burst out of the fog cloud and had to go into a diving roll to avoid the snatching claw of one of the Fire Drakes that had apparently circled around the cloud, waiting for somepony to emerge from it. Cheerilee made an involuntary whimper as she had to put a little too much weight on her injured leg, stumbling but maintaining her gallop for the gate.

No time to even pick that easy lock, I’ll have to break through,, Cheerilee realized and lowered her head, forcing herself to pick up speed as the rain slashed at her. The Fire Drake hissed gutturally behind her, chasing after the magenta mare.

Cheerilee hit the gate full on with her shoulder, causing the wood legs to shudder and one of them to even crack, but the log held.

“Oh for the love of-!” Cheerilee grimaced. If her leg wasn’t hurt she could’ve hit the gate much harder. She glanced behind her, seeing the Fire Drake charging in at her with huge leaping bounds, and behind that, the towering form of the basilisk like a darker shadow on the rain soaked backdrop of the night, its eyes bright pools of yellow that were looking left and right at the ground before it. Cheerilee heard yells and shouts from the ponies over there, guardsponies of the Copper Coins most likely coming under the effects of the basilisk's gaze.

Cheerilee turned around, intending to dodge to the side of the Fire Drake, but just as the fire wreathed beast was about to reach her another pony came in from the side, delivering a solid buck to the side of the Fire Drake’s head. It didn’t stop the creature but it did make it veer off course and slam head first into the log palisade next to Cheerilee. The force of that, combined with Cheerilee’s earlier hit, weakened the gate and popped the lock clean off.

Cheerilee didn’t immediately flee through the now swinging open gate, instead looking with a little surprised at the pony who’d just helped her.

Bootheel still sported the bruises from their last encounter, plus a few fresh burns, but that didn’t stop him from grinning like a little colt at her as he posed for her in a manner that left little to the imagination.

“So, does the brave guard get a reward for leaping to the aid of the luscious mare?” he asked with a suggestive wag of his tail.

“No,” she deadpanned at him.

“Oh come on! That was textbook heroing right there! Can I at least cop a little feel? Just a second or two of proper groping?”

“No,” Cheerilee repeated, then looked to the side as the Fire Drake started to pick itself up, shaking its reptilian head like a cat that had gotten its face wet. “But survive this and I’ll consider introducing you to my sister.”

She saw Bootheel’s eyes widen and his nostrils flare as he mouthed the words ‘there's two of them?’ and Cheerilee almost face hoofed. Berry is going to kill me. Cheerilee could practically see steam snorting from the stallion’s nostrils.

“I’m going to remember that, sweet flanks!” he said, scuffing his back hooves in preparation to charge the Fire Drake again while it was still getting its bearings, then paused and looked at her with a deadly serious expression, “Seriously though, you stay alive too. Hate to see good plot go to waste!”

Cheerilee could only shake her head. Some stallions didn’t have a single serious bone in their body. Apparently Bootheel was a stallion with only one. She turned and galloped through the open gate just as the Fire Drake, rain evaporating off its flames in a white shroud of mist, growled at Bootheel and charged him. For a moment, as she ran, all Cheerilee could hear was the stallion’s boisterous laughter, then the sound and fury of the storm swallowed even that up and she was surrounded by rain and darkness.

----------

Count Shiny Copper Coin forced his face to be a collected, calm mask... or at least he was trying to. He wasn’t at all sure how well he was succeeding on that, but there was nothing else he could do. He could not allow himself to breakdown here, now, in front of his House Guard, especially with the crisis far from over. However much he felt like just falling down and crying out all the frustration and fear in him he had to see this through; for his sister, for his family... and Cheerilee.

“Cut n’ Dry, take Ruby Canter and help contain the cockatrices before they turn too many more ponies to stone, and rally our guards in the center of the camp” he commanded, focusing to keep his voice from stuttering, as he addressed the other unicorn mages, “High Rise, Starflash, you two are with me. We’ll push back the Fire Drakes, give Cut n’ Dry time to gather everypony whose been scattered by this chaos.”

“My lord,” Cut n’ Dry said, eyes scanning the darkness with her teeth bared, sword still levitating by her side, “Respectfully it would be wiser for you to remain somewhere safe while we deal with this matter-”

“I will n-not hide while my s-s-sister remains uncaptured!” he snapped, stutter returning as boiling emotions came to a head. He’d just watched Tarnished ride away on that monstrous basilisk of hers, probably chasing after Cheerilee. The east palisade was much a ruined mess as the south was now, and at least two of the log camps were smouldering despite the heavy rain. The harsh orange glow marked the location of the Fire Drakes, all still inside the camp, and Shiny could hear the unnatural warbling of the cockatrices he’d been trying to smuggle now running loose. This mess was his, and he had to clean it up.

He took a deep breath, “Now follow my orders,” good, stutter gone again, “Once we secure the camp we will pursue my sister and put an end to this.”

“I am afraid we have further complications, Count Copper Coin,” said a smooth, calm voice from the shadows, from which a form stepped forward and resolved into the shape of Sawdust. The violet stallion looked a little worse for wear, coat marred by a few scorch marks and part of his mane burned away.

“You,” Shiny felt a stab of anger flare through his heart as he glared at the Lumber Guild leader, “What are you still doing here? I thought you would’ve run off with the rest of your guild.”

“Oh, I ensured all of my little ponies escaped out the north gate unharmed,” Shiny said, approaching and looking out at the rest of the came, not paying any attention to the way Cut n’ Dry moved defensively in front of Shiny, “They are under instructions to wait one hour, and if they have not received new instructions by then to head for the hills... to high ground.”

“Why would you... ?” Shiny began to ask, then the realization hit him as he looked up into the thickness of the storm, with its unrelenting rain, “Oh no... the dam.”

“Indeed,” said Sawdust, “This unexpected storm will flood the dam before long. I imagine we have until daybreak at most before the dam breaks. We must either shore it up and hope for the best, evacuate, or find some way to disperse this storm.”

Shiny glared at Sawdust, then looked to his House Guard, “Everypony, hurry and secure the camp! Cut n’ Dry, I’m counting on you! Don’t let me down.”

She looked at him with just a hint of fear at the edge of her expression, a slight tightness to the set of lips. She was afraid for him, he was sure, but also he didn’t doubt part of her fear was for her fellow guards. Shiny knew that while they were good and stout ponies, he was asking them to do much that was outside their area of expertise. They were trained to deal with the occasional thug or thief, protecting the Copper Coin family’s property and persons from such common threats. Battling monsters in the thick of an unnatural storm with the threat of drowning in a flood now hanging over their heads... this was far more than had ever been asked of them before.

It was a wonder any of them were still here, rather than fleeing.

“Yes, my lord. Ruby Canter, with me!” Cut n’ Dry said, the rust coated unicorn mare dashing off into the night alongside the other unicorn mage. Shiny knew he could trust her to get the cockatrices contained and regroup his guards. From there they’d have to sweep the camp for injured, to ensure nopony was left behind one way or another.

“You have some brave ponies loyal to you, Count Copper Coin,” Sawdust said, smiling that calm smile of his that Shiny had never trusted nor particularly liked, “Perhaps if your House Guard and my Lumber Guild work together we can avert disaster here.”

“Perhaps,” Shiny said, not saying his thoughts, keeping them far from his face even though there was an urge in him to start tearing into Sawdust then and there. It never occurred to Shiny that those feelings of aggression were unnaturally high.

Disaster for you, or disaster for me? How much of all this is your doing, Sawdust!? You called this storm ‘unexpected’ but by that calm face of yours I’m willing to bet you know exactly what it is and where it came from! You want to ruin my family? I don’t intend to make it easy for you, bastard!

“You should probably join your ponies and get clear of danger,” he continued, proud he could keep his stutter under control when dealing with this pony, “The Copper Coin family will deal with its own affairs.”

“No doubt,” Sawdust said, gesturing at the burning cabins and the sight of a pair of Copper Coin guards netting a cockatrice Cut n’ Dry was holding down with telekinesis, “Yet all this will be pointless if it all gets washed away by these rains. Then there is the safety of Oaton to consider-”

“I don’t give two figs about Oaton!” Shiny shouted, breath shuddering in his chest. Why was he so angry? Sawdust infuriated him, yes, but it was like he couldn’t keep a reign on those feelings. Even if he wasn’t fond of Oaton, it was still a town in his province, technically under the protection of his family even if it wasn’t in any municipal registry. These feelings of anger were clouding his thoughts. They were like a hot, uncomfortable blanket on his mind, making it hard to think clearly. He tried slowing his breathing, “However, if the dam breaks, it will cause... issues, I agree. I will send a runner to warn the citizens of Oaton of this situation. Join your ponies, Sawdust, or help my guard bring the situation here under control. I don’t care. We can’t do anything about the dam until these monsters are dealt with!”

And I won’t spare another thought for anything else until I know my sister is secured and safe.

----------

Raindrops leaned her head against the wind and kept her wings flapping with powerful, steady flaps. She was not a fast flyer, but she was a strong one, and as much as the wind slashed at her like physical blades, Raindrops was not going to get knocked out of the air. She cursed this darkness though. It was making it hard to keep an eye on her friends.

She had no idea where Trixie was, but that wasn’t surprising. The magician no doubt turned herself invisible after summoning that cloud of fog. Raindrops had flown straight up when Trixie had done that, trusting her friends to get out of the camp... though now she was regretting that slightly as she’d lost track of both Trixie and Cheerilee.

Where are you two? Raindrops thought as she banked hard and circled, no more than fifty feet off the ground. She was flying above the logging area just east of the dam, where piles of logs were neatly stacked in ordered rows for transport onto the rafts waiting at the river bank; or rather the rafts that would’ve been waiting there if they hadn’t been swept away by the rising river and its swift currents. Raindrops was no expert but she could tell it was only a matter of time before that reservoir formed by the dam overflowed.

Should I go warn Oaton? But I can’t leave my friends behind!

Though indecision gripped her for a moment, it went away quickly as she spied a magenta form with the aid of a lightning flash illuminating the field of darkness with start white light. Cheerilee was galloping with a slight limp, leaping off the end of the walkway built along the back of the dam and onto the drenched lumber field. The reason for her friend’s haste became obvious as a huge shadowy form smashed into the walkway right behind Cheerilee from the depths of the reservoir. The basilisk reared from the watery depths like an over-sized alligator, the tiny blue form of Tarnished still riding upon the beast’s brow. It stomped from the watery reservoir bank and lumbered after the fleeing Cheerilee, smashing aside piles of stacked lumber like bits of kindling.

She’s totally focused on Cheerilee. This is as good a chance as I’m going to get!

Raindrops soared up, getting some altitude despite the heavy winds buffeting her from every direction. Once she got well over a hundred feet into the air she turned and rolled over, swinging into a dive. Rain lashed at her and her visibility was beyond poor, but the basilisk was hard to miss given it was larger than a cabin and was roaring loud enough to be heard over the thunder of the storm. Raindrops’ eyes were squinted, her teeth clenched in concentration. Another flash of lightning showed her she was on target, soaring down right at the basilisk’s head at a good angle to snatch Tarnished right off the top of it’s head! She just needed them to maintain that pace... almost...

Raindrops braced herself, sweeping a foreleg out with the intention of scooping Tarnished up the second she pulled up from her dive. However whether by pure chance or some instinct Raindrops couldn’t fathom Tarnished turned and looked up, right at the dive-bombing pegasus. For a second Raindrops could have sworn the crazy mare’s eyes were glowing green it the night, but didn’t have time to do a double take as the basilisk also turned its head and reared up on its hind legs, nearly doubling its height.

Raindrops let out a sharp curse as she was forced to close her eyes against the piercing glare of the basilisk, acting on pure intuition to barrel roll to the left as the last thing she saw before closing her eyes had been the basilisk's fore claw slashing at her. Raindrops felt the claw pass by her, the air currents rippling along her wing at the near miss and the sheer force of the blow.

That would’ve taken a wing off if it’d hit... she thought, risking opening her eyes and yelping as she realized her barrel roll had also lowered her height until she was almost touching the ground. She had to pull up sharply to avoid a pile of stacked lumber. Below her she heard Cheerilee yell.

“Raindrops! Watch out!”

Raindrops didn’t know what she meant for a second, then when the lightning lit up the lumber yard she saw the colossal shadow of a claw directly over her. She banked hard to the right, just as the basilisk smashed its whole body claw first down on the lumber pile she’d just passed over. There was an explosion of dirt, mud, and wood shards that sent Raindrops spinning through the air. She felt sharp wood chips cutting her and a few feathers violently ripped free as she rolled end over end, barely staying airborne only through sheer strength and willpower as she snapped her wings out and gave a solid push to start climbing.

However before she could get any height something leaped from the ground and slammed into her side. The breath was knocked out of her and she only barely managed to twist her body so she could land on her legs, skidding across the muddy ground as her hooves dug deep furrows in the ground.

She gasped, getting her lungs to remember how to breath as she looked up to see what had hit her. Standing atop a partially splintered log that had ended up sticking out of the ground tip first, the zebra from the camp stood perfectly balanced despite the wind and rain whipping around him.

“This entire affair has become more trouble than it is profitable. I have deemed this operation a failure and will happily leave the Count and the Lumber Guild to their fates. However before I depart I consider it a matter of personal interest to finish what you and I began.”

“The...the hay is your interest in me!? Who are you? One of the smugglers?”

The zebra dipped his head in a small approximation of a bow, “While I cannot give you my true name, you may refer to me as Tendaji. Anything else I may be is of no concern to you. My interest in you should be evident; you evaded my attack. You are one of three that have ever done so. Of the two others who have done this, one is my master, the other is my wife. Simply put, I wish to see if you can actually best me, or if that was a fluke.”

Raindrops coughed, getting her breath back, while focusing a look upon the zebra that could only be described as throat-choking mad. All she wanted to do was knock this zebra’s head into the next province! She buzzed her wings and almost dove at him to do exactly that... but after a few deep, ragged breaths she kept herself under control. Anger dripped through the cracks of her mental barriers, a hot twinge in her limbs begging to be set loose. She wanted to just blame it solely on the raging storm above, on whatever magic Trixie had said the storm had to amplify negative emotions, but she knew better. This anger was her. The storm was just pulling it out. Her jaw was clenched tight in concentration as she fought to regulate her breathing and finding her center.

I’m not being controlled by this. Just got to breath. Remember how you were taught to breath. Let the anger out with each breath, like draining rain from a cloud.

“Not. Interested,” she told the zebra between measured, calm breaths, “Kind of busy actually. You want to test me or whatever, we can do that later. Much later.”

The zebra quirked his head, “Why not fight me now?”

Raindrops gave him a perfectly deadpan look as she pointed a hoof at the gigantic basilisk, which had just finished looking under its claw to see if it’d smashed her and was only now noticing her and the zebra a little ways away. Its rumbling hiss drew the zebra’s attention and he frowned.

“Oh. That.” he said, then let out a sigh of consternation, ”She would not be a problem currently if you hadn’t stopped me from naturalizing her. That interference is costing my associates a great deal of money.”

“Cry me a river.”

Tendaji shrugged, “An early mistake in learning my alchemical art cost me the use of my tear ducts, so that is quite impossible, though why you think I could cry in such volume-”

“Its a figure of speech!” Raindrops yelled, stomping a hoof.

“... You ponies have strange turns of phrase. In any case I will agree that dueling you here and now would prove unsatisfying if your mind and heart are not fully focused upon it, so if I come to you at a later time will you agree to satisfy my interest in you without compunction?”

“Yes, yes, whatever, we’ll duel it out or whatever you want, just later!” Raindrops growled, her irritation with this weird zebra at its peak, her forehead throbbing with veins. The breathing helped but there was really only so much it could do for her.

The zebra nodded solemnly, and hopped off the log he’d been balancing on and began to trot away as casually as somepony taking a stroll in the moonlight. He paused only briefly to look back at her as the basilisk began to pound towards them and he pulled out one of those little round grenades; the yellow one he’d had out before she’d knocked him off the ice wall.

“Take this. It should help you deal with your current issues,” he said and tossed it to her. Raindrops fumbled in catching it between her hooves, lifting off with her wings as she examined it. It was clay, no larger than an apple, and painted yellow. There was a simple metal ring at the top.

“What am I supposed to do with this!?” she asked.

“Go for the eyes,” was all Tendaji said before he vanished into the night like an apparition. She didn’t have time to ponder what that had all been about or why he’d even been in the camp. Trixie was better at thinking this kind of stuff through, so assuming they were all still alive at the end of this Raindrops would run it by Trixie and let the Night Court Representative puzzle it out.

Her attention was drawn back to the basilisk and the mare atop it, Tarnished’s voice seeming to carry unnaturally loud across the sound of the raging storm above.

“So what makes you so special that Cheerilee decided to replace all her old ‘friends’ with you?” the basilisk’s mammoth head lowered, jaws widening a it let out a rank smelling roar at the hovering pegasus, “What do you possess that I lacked!? Huh!?”

“Well, I’m sane, and I’m not currently trying to kill her; that’s two things,” Raindrops said dryly as she flew backwards away from the basilisk's snapping jaws. The thing was incredibly quick in its movements for something so large. Raindrops had to keep zig-zagging left and right in an erratic pattern just to keep ahead of it and there wasn’t any clear opening to counter attack.

What’s that zebra expect me to do with this thing anyway? she thought as she held the clay grenade close, Am I supposed to use it on the basilisk or Tarnished? Will it knock them out, explode, shower them with flowers, what!? Guess it doesn’t matter if I can’t get an open shot to use it! If only I could see what they’re about to do before they... wait a second...

She had to tuck the clay grenade under the crook of one of her legs while she fumbled with her saddlebag, darting left away from jaws that nearly closed around her.

Don’t be broken, don’t be broken, don’t be -Ahah!

She pulled out the enchanted glasses. Her eyes narrowed at them and she licked her lips in distaste. These glasses, she didn’t like what they were, or what they represented... but sometimes you have to deal with things you don’t like to get something important done. With a determined breath she affixed them on her snout as she climbed higher into the air, circling the basilisk. Its head was turning to keep her in sight as she flew around it, and she had to be careful as she looked at it, avoiding its eyes while the glasses began to do their work. The enchantment took hold, faster than it had with the ponies Raindrops had looked at through the glasses before.

Perhaps the mind of the basilisk was simpler, or it being partially under the control of Tarnished’s magic made its thoughts easier to discern, but the misty haze formed around the basilisk's head quickly, filling with shapes and images representing the creature’s thought patterns; and they were simple, focused thoughts. They were images of the basilisk's intent, or perhaps Tarnished’s instructions to it, Raindrops didn’t know, and didn’t care. What it meant was that when those images dissolved into a single instance of the basilisk swinging its whip-like tail at her and knocking her out of the air Raindrops knew exactly what the basilisk was going to do next.

Of course knowing the tail was coming and actually dodging it were two totally different affairs, but with the beforehoof warning Raindrops was able to roll to the side of the basilisk's tail, the appendage easily twice as large around as her whole body, a second before it would’ve smashed her out of the sky. She heard the tail hit the ground with a thunderous crash and afterwards Tarnished screaming in rage.

Raindrops banked hard and climbed at the same time, keeping the basilisk in the corner of her vision. The images in the mist showed her the creature’s intent to surprise her by springing up on its powerful legs to try and snatch her out of the air with its jaws. Raindrops decided to give it some encouragement by curving down into a dive, supposedly making herself an easy target.

Should I use this?, she thought, glancing at the clay bomb. She had so little reason to trust the zebra. She didn’t need it for what she intended to do, so she decided to save it, in case this didn’t work. Diving, she waiting until she saw the basilisk tense, then rear up and spring with its hind legs into the air. Not high, really, but with a creature as big as the basilisk was it didn’t have to jump high to get at her.

Raindrops could see Tarnished clinging to one of the basilisk’ head spines, glaring at her and screaming something over the din of the storm. Raindrops didn’t really care what, as she was too busy slipping to the left in a move that was fairly agile by Raindrops’ standards, a spiral motion that let her cruise by the basilisks’ snapping jaws and instead tried to snatch Tarnished. Raindrops growled in frustration as she missed the timing, only getting a hooffull of Tarnished’s creme tail. Raindrops did, however, managed to snag one of the basilisk’s spines and grabbed it firmly as the creature slammed back to the ground from its jump. The force of the impact smacked Raindrops face into the creature’s hard scales and she bit back a curse as she bit her tongue. Miraculously, the enchanted glasses managed to stay perched on her nose.

Note to self; let Trixie know she enchants one tough pair of glasses, the pegasus thought as she tried to find her balance on the surprisingly slippery back of the basilisk’s neck. Tarnished was staring at her with unrestrained anger and loathing from further up on the basilisk’s head. Raindrops was no expert on magic but she was pretty sure that the aura around Tarnished’s horn shouldn’t look like a ripped apart gray cloth, with uneven, jagged edges rather than the smooth wavy form Raindrops was used to seeing when either Trixie or Lyra cast magic.

“Grraaah! Just fall already! I don’t care about you! I want Cheerilee!” Tarnished shouted, then for a moment her eyes twitched, and she shook her head, “I... don’t want to hurt... run-”

The look of confusion on Tarnished’s face vanished almost as fast as it appeared, replaced with nothing but anger and viciousness once again as her horn’s glow intensified.

“Or don’t. In fact, stay right there!”

Raindrops blinked. Had Tarnished just showed signs of trying to stop herself? Raindrops couldn’t claim to have any idea what they were dealing in regards to this storm, or whatever malevolent force had brought it on, but if that Sawdust jerk had a spell to shield minds from it then it made sense even an unshielded mind could at least try to resist it. Raindrops knew both she and Cheerilee were resisting it at any rate; though Raindrops had to admit she hadn’t been living on top of ground zero for years either.

Now that she was close to the mare, Raindrops could also see through the glasses at Tarnished’s thoughts; or would have if the mist that formed around Tarnished wasn’t a near jet black roiling cloud with no images beside red tinged scenes of violence. What was weird, though, was that amid all that there was one clear image that flickered on and off, and that was of Tarnished herself, curled into a tight little ball with chains wrapped around her. The image didn’t remain long, and Raindrops didn’t have time to think about it as she tensed to dodge whatever Tarnished intended to throw at her.

What flashed from Tarnished’s horn was the same kind of arcane bolt Raindrops had heard Trixie talk about on occasion when the magician showmare got into a rant about magic in general. Trixie didn’t put any stock in such blunt offensive magic, but it was apparently common enough among unicorns in the Equestrian military, and also among the aristocracy. Tarnished being from a noble family, never mind however long she spent getting into trouble with Cheerilee’s old gang, it wasn’t surprising the mare could do a basic arcane bolt.

Only Raindrops was pretty sure such bolts weren’t meant to be shaped like black jagged spears of energy tinged with violet and green light. Also a unicorn’s eyes probably shouldn’t go green like that either.

She kept one hoof on the basilisk’s spine, pivoting around it while trying to keep her balance. The creature itself was stomping around and making for a very bumpy ride, and Raindrops thought she caught sight of Cheerilee out of the corner of her eye, narrowing dodging between piles of lumber as the basilisk stomped after her. Raindrops could see nothing else though, and was distracted by the searing pain in her flank as the arcane bolt sizzled past her.

“Gah!” Raindrops grimaced, “Tarnished! I may not know you, but I can see this isn’t what you really want! You’re letting anger push you around into being somepony you’re not!”

Tarnished’s face was twisted up between scornful fury and a second of fearful doubt. “Don’t pretend you care either! You don’t know me! I... I’m...”

Raindrops saw it again, the image in the black storm around Tarnished’s mind. While most of the images of the mare’s thoughts were only on seeing Raindrops writhe in agony, there was that one image again of Tarnished in chains, only now she wasn’t just curled in a ball, but was struggling against the chains. Raindrops steadied herself and spoke in a stronger tone.

“I might not know you, but I know anger. It eats you alive if you let it. More than that, I know Cheerillee. She says she cares about you, then those are words you can trust! Tarnished, Cheerilee wants nothing else but to help you!”

“I... don’t trust you! You’re just saying that to confuse me!”

Raindrops had to throw herself into the air as Tarnished let loose another dark, green and violet tinged crackling bolt. While she avoided getting grazed again the speed of her ascent caused the glasses to tip off her nose and go sailing off into the darkness.

Raindrops started to circle around, growing in frustration. She had felt so close to getting through to that crazy mare! Before she could ruminate on it long, however, a voice rang out over the harsh screaming wind of the storm.

“Tarnished, over here! This has gone on long enough! Let’s put an end to it!”

Raindrops craned her neck as she banked around towards the voice. It sounded like Cheerilee, and indeed the magenta mare was standing atop one of the piles of lumber. Raindrops couldn’t place it though, but something felt off about Cheerilee’s stance. She was reared up on her hindlegs, like a posing knight about to charge. In stark contrast to the stance she also looked exceedingly terrified, but with a plastered on expression of bravado.

Raindrops, confused, quickly landed next to Cheerilee on the lumber pile.

“Oh, uh, hi Raindrops!” said Cheerilee, who was gulping as the basilisk began to stomp their way, then said in a quieter tone, “I’m the bait! I don’t like this plan, but since somepony didn’t want to wait for the right time to strike, this is Plan B. Or C. I actually don’t know which plan we’re on by now.”

Raindrops blinked, “Trixie?”

“Shhh! Don’t give it away. I got this,” Cheerilee/Trixie (Trixilee?) frowned at the clay orb Raindrops was holding, “What’s that?”

“Gift from an admirer,” Raindrops said cryptically, “Tell you more later. You sure you can be bait?”

Trixie rolled her eyes and whinnied, “Please, I’m irresistible!”

Raindrops didn’t think Trixie quite grasped what being bait was going to entail, but there was no time to argue about it; the basilisk was almost upon them.

“I’ll just assume Cheerilee knows what she’s doing. Don’t. Get. Squashed! Seriously, just keep her attention, keep evading. Also, don’t know what we can do about it, but I think she’s trying to fight whatever’s messing with her head,” Raindrops said, launching into the air once more. As she did so, however, she felt a strange heat on her back and the dark lumber yard got painted with shifting shades of orange light.

She turned around just in time to see the Fire Drake poised atop the edge of the dam, flames mixing with the rain to form a steamy shroud of mist around it, before it launched itself straight at her.

----------

Tarnished was the storm flashing its bolts of rage across the darkened world. She was its slashing, endless torrents of rain falling like needles, covering everything in her pain. She was the rumbling thunder, shaking the air with her hatred.

She was a terrified mare chained inside her own body, screaming at herself to stop, and instead found only twisted laughter that wasn’t her own spilling from her lips.

“Yes! Fall! Fall! You dare try to replace me!? Cheerilee is mine!” her mouth said, seeing the jasmine pegasus get knocked out of the air by one of her precious pawns, her lovely lizards of flame.

No! Don’t hurt anypony! Make this stop!, it was a tiny voice, she couldn’t even be sure it was hers or just a scrap of will from some other... better pony. A pony that had been happy once, maybe even strong, with her friends by her side. A pony she didn’t know she was anymore.

“Raindrops!” It was Cheerilee who was shouting, voice fearful for her friend even as the Fire Drake turned its attention from the fallen pegasus and slapped its fire wreathed tail at her. Tarnished was at once thrilled and horrified; part of her reveling in the idea of seeing her old friend be injured, just a small payback for all the pain she’d endured, while that other part of her cried out for Cheerilee to escape. Or to help her. Tarnished desperately wanted to cry out to her friend to stop her, before she hurt somepony... but it was like her mind was a burning pyre of dark flames, flames that coursed through her body and made it move on its own, made her voice speak words she didn’t want.

Cheerilee made a quick “Ack!” sound and scrambled off the log pile she’d been standing on, ungainly avoiding the lashing tail of the Fire Drake. Tarnished snarled, irritated her servants (No, they’re my friends! Don’t use them like this!) were being so inept! She only noted with some satisfaction that from the distant sound of yelling and the smell of smoke that the lumber camp was still in disarray and chaos. The chaos felt good, but more than that, the pain and suffering it caused was what tasted like properly aged wine to her senses. Yes, this place would be a good location to begin building a monument to destruction, once the ponies here were reminded of their place-

Why am I thinking like this!? What’s wrong with me!? This isn’t what I want!

Cheerilee, she just wanted Cheerilee back. And to stop her animal friends from being imprisoned. And... and to... to go home...

Why was she crying? No, that had to just be the rain. She shook her head vigorously. Tarnished could almost feel the thoughts in her head rattle about, regaining focus. Whispers of flame in her mind, pushing aside her doubts. Yes, she was here to punish Cheerilee for leaving her, her brother for getting in the way, and the Lumber Guild and anypony associated with them for daring to capture her animal friends! Punish them. Especially those supposed ‘friends’ Cheerilee had brought with her. Parading them in front of her just to mock her! Destroying them would feel so good.

...no...

Cheerilee was running again. She had done that quite a bit. It was irritating. All Cheerilee knew how to do, apparently, was run away. How fitting. Well, it’d be interesting to see her try and run once her legs were broken and Tarnished deposited the charred remains of her ‘friends’ in front of her eyes.

...please, stop...

----------

Trixie felt the hot flames of the Fire Drake nipping at her tail as she galloped, darting in between two neat and tall stacked lumber piles that she hoped would slow the lizard down a bit. She was circling around to get to Raindrops, having felt her heart jump into her throat when the pegasus had been knocked to the ground.

Trixie needn’t have worried. By the time she ran around the stack of logs she saw Raindrops was proving her own resilience, already shaking herself and flying back up into the air. Trixie was relieved the pegasus was holding up under the circumstances. She knew with the negative influence of the storm that Raindrops couldn't have been having an easy time of things. It was satisfying to know that she could rely so much on her friends. It was still, in a lot of ways, a new feeling for her.

She didn’t have time to bathe in that feeling, however, as Tarnished was directing the basilisk right towards her.

Basilisk in front of me, Fire Drake behind me, and me disguised as Cheerilee, so got to be careful how I use my magic so I don’t give away that I’m not the mare Tarnished is looking for, Trixie thought glumly, even though this whole gambit had been her idea.

When Trixie had made her unsteady way across the dam to the lumber yard she’d seen the basilisk trying to bite Raindrops, but before she’d been able to move in with her magic to start blinding the beast with her fabulous illusions Cheerilee had just appeared out of the shadows. Cheerilee hadn’t looked too good, breathing hard, and Trixie knew the stain of darker red on the magenta mare’s leg was from far too much blood loss. Trixie had quickly concocted the idea of taking on Cheerilee’s form to get Tarnished’s attention, ostensibly with the idea that the real Cheerilee would use the opportunity to get at Tarnished and hopefully subdue her before Trixie or Raindrops got crushed or turned to stone.

So far the distraction part was working; Trixie just didn’t know how long she’d be able to keep it up. She had to resist the urge to adjust her hat, which of course wasn’t visible due to her Cheerilee disguise. The illusion was easy enough to wear, even under duress, and wasn’t draining her magic much. Her horn was starting to seriously ache, however. They needed Tarnished off that basilisk, fast, before Trixie didn’t have enough magic to try copying Tarnished’s control spell.

The basilisk's head lowered until it was all but level with the ground as it stampeded towards her, bursting through piles of logs like the thick stacks of wood were little more than toothpicks. Behind her the Fire Drake had halted, blocking her route to escape the basilisk. Trixie’s heart was pounding as she tried to think of a way out. If she ran to the side the Fire Drake could still get at her. She could turn invisible but that would make it clear she wasn’t Cheerilee. Just standing still wasn’t an option. Any more complex illusions she could try would just drain her magic faster...

Trixie saw a flash of jasmine above her, Raindrops flying right towards the basilisk.

She saw her pegasus friend hurl something at the basilisk’s eyes, something small and yellow. Trixie heard the sound of something breaking, and suddenly the basilisk’s eyes were covered in a dull yellow goop like tree sap. The creature roared in pain but didn’t stop its charge, now a blind one.

Whether driven by a flash of inspiration of madness Trixie turned to the pile of lumber behind her and scrambled up it just as the basilisk reached her position. The Fire Drake growled and shot its head towards her, trying to catch her in its flaming maw, but she just barely managed to climb out of the way. At the very instant the basilisk hit the lumber pile, knocking the Fire Drake aside in its blind fury, Trixie threw herself backward, aiming for Tarnished atop the basilisk’s head.

Trixie was no acrobat. She was operating on pure adrenaline and instinct. She felt more than heard the impact against the pile of lumber, giant logs flying through the air around her like so much broken kindling. She flung her arms out as she sailed through the air, as blind in her action as the basilisk. Trixie felt herself impact with something warm and pony shaped that yelped. Then she only had a sense of vertigo as she tumbled end over end in the air before impacting hard on the slick ground. She ended up on her back, staring up into the black sky, aching from snout to tail. Trixie rolled over with a groan onto her barrel and started forcing herself to her hooves. With some satisfaction she noted she’d managed to maintain her illusion, the hooves beneath her were still the magenta coat color of Cheerilee.

The basilisk was a few dozen yards away, having lost its traction towards the end of its charge and slipped about on the muddy ground. It was quickly regaining its feet, shaking its head and wiping at its face with one claw, clearing away the odd goo that had temporarily blinded it. Trixie looked about. She was sure she’d managed to knock Tarnished off the basilisk, so where-?

The buck landed squarely on Trixie’s side right behind the spot her forelegs connected with her shoulder. She was sent sprawling, pain exploding in her. Trixie started to rise again, hearing the high, cracking tone of Tarnished and she looked up to see the crazed mare advancing on her.

“Why did you go away, Cheerilee? Everything was just... right, when you were with me. Why did you leave if you were just going to show up again and make me want to hurt you!? You should have stayed away!” Tarnished looked, if anything, worse off than Trixie. Her mane fell in tangled clumps around her face, which was somehow gaunter, more drained, than it had even when she’d first appeared in the camp. There were dark circles under her eyes, which were shifting about in nervous ticks. Trixie couldn’t be sure, but it looks like the mare’s magic was even more erratic than ever, the gray aura so frayed and spiked that it barely looked like a unicorn’s aura anymore so much as it reminded Trixie of a tattered rag.

Trixie, standing on shaking hooves, readied herself to avoid another attack, but it wasn’t necessary. Tarnished only got to take one more menacing step before a shape appeared out of the gloom behind her. While the move wasn’t what Trixie would’ve called elegant, Cheerilee was still gentle, or at least as gentle as one could be when sweep out Tarnished’s legs out from under her, pouncing upon her, and wrapping Tarnished up in a leg lock that looked rather uncomfortable (and indecent) to Trixie’s eyes.

Tarnished looked stunned for a second, struggling fiercely inside the hold and screeching, “Let me go! Let go! She’s right in front of me! You won’t keep me away-” her struggles ceased the second she noticed who was holding her, “-...Cheerilee?”

Trixie saw Cheerilee give her a nod and Trixie dropped the illusions. The image of the schoolteacher melted off her like evaporating mist, revealing her natural form underneath, hat, cape, and all. Just as she finished dispelling the illusion, Raindrops landed from the gloom above next to her.

“Trixie, Cheerilee, you two alright?” the pegasus asked in worry, looking Trixie over with concern.

“I’m none the worse for wear, death defying acrobatics aside,” Trixie said, then grunted as putting weight on her left foreleg sent a spear of pain shooting through her side, “Nothing a little quality down time with my physical therapist won’t cure.”

Raindrops raised an eyebrow, “Let me guess; Monsieur Bourbon?”

“Oh, you know him?” Trixie deadpanned.

“Trixie, not to interrupt the banter, but just a suggestion, might want to consider getting on this sometime soon, but...” Cheerilee nodding her head towards the basilisk, which Trixie noted was less blind now, and looking in their direction in a manner most unfriendly. Right, that part of the plan. The part where Trixie needed to use a spell she’d never used before to control a multi-ton killing machine. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

“Right,” Trixie put a hoof on her hat to keep it on her head as the wind picked up, “I was going to do that, wasn’t I?”

“None of you are doing anything!” yelled Tarnished, “My friend is going to turn you two into stone! Cheerilee and watch while it happens-ow!”

Cheerilee had one leg free and used it to bop Tarnished’s horn. Cheerilee had an unamused look. No, she had the unamused look. The look school foals across Ponyville dreaded and parents got sweaty under during parent/teacher conferences.

“Tarnished, you and I have a lot to talk about, but that talk is not starting with you threatening my friends. Now are you going to call the basilisk off, or do I really have to sic Trixie on it?”

“Sic me on it? What am I, a guard dog? Because I detest guard dogs! I’d rather be, say, a prized falcon or perhaps an ermine!”

“Is that really the issue here?” muttered Raindrops.

Tarnished glowered, voice darkening to a low, hissing tone, “Let her try. Just watch Cheerilee, just watch as your supposed friends fail! I won’t even resist... I want to watch too, I want to see the look on your face. Every. Little. Bit. Of. Pain.”

Cheerilee’s jaw tightened, “That isn’t you talking. Its whatever’s gotten into your head,” she bared her teeth, even as tears welled up in her eyes, “And if it’s got a physical body somewhere, I’m going to tear it apart with my teeth for doing this to you!”

To this Tarnished just laughed, a high pitched pealing cackle that hardly sounded like it could come from the throat of a pony. Trixie felt chilled to her core hearing it, but couldn’t spend any time worry about that; she had a basilisk to deal with. Tarnished’s horn wasn’t glowing anymore after Cheerilee hit it, which meant the basilisk wasn’t under the mad mare’s direct control. It was the opportunity Trixie needed to try and use her own control spell.

Trixie kept her eyes focused on the basilisk’s chest area, avoiding its eyes as the creature, confused without direction but still clearly loyal to Tarnished, pounded towards them. Raindrops was next to her, wings buzzing. Trixie imagined her friend was torn between going airborne to be in a position to attack the basilisk, or staying on the ground to stay close to her friends.

The basilisk was almost on them, not charging as fast as before, perhaps because it was concerned over injuring Tarnished, but its intent was clearly hostile from the threatening growl in its throat. Trixie didn’t plan on giving it time to strike first. She immediately lit up her horn, blue glow quickly gaining an overlay of magic as she pulled up as much of her remaining strength as she could to weave the spell. She remembered the pathways Tarnished’s own magic had taken, like an interlocking set of chains. The enchantment’s structure was so similar to basic charm magic that when Trixie had watched it earlier, examined its form and got a feel for the casting of it, that she’d concluded its function was a compulsion affect. It made sense to her that Tarnished had been compelling the basilisk’s to greater levels of hostility than would be their instinct. Trixie didn’t notice until she was halfway through casting the spell that it had some subtle differences from the charm spells she was familiar with. Mostly that the magical set of chains that were currently setting around the basilisk’s head weren’t actually chains, that the magic structure had formed into something more like a... conduit.

This wasn’t a spell for controlling animals.

It just happened to resemble one.

In actually what Trixie had just cast was-

Bad soft prey have good not-prey friend. Kill. Save not-prey friend. Bad noises everywhere. Bad smells everywhere. More soft prey coming. Hurry. Kill. Hurry.

-a spell for mentally communicating with animals.

It was so simple Trixie was floored she hadn’t realized it sooner. Tarnished’s special talent was supposedly working with animals so why would she have needed a spell to control them? The answer was; she didn’t. She used a spell to simplify communicating with them, linking her mind to theirs, but not in a way that forced dominance but just made it easy to share thoughts. Trixie had been so focused on the matter of copying the spell she hadn’t had time to notice the subtle differences in structure that would’ve allowed her to figure this out sooner. Now her mind and the basilisk's were linked by the magical tether between her horn and the basilisk.

While her instinct was to break the spell immediately, Trixie was canny enough to realize this might be her only chance to... well... talk to the basilisk.

The basilisk’s mind was a jumble of sharp, intense thoughts, not quite as animalistic as Trixie would have expected. She felt the creature’s anger and fear in equal measures. It was furious at all of them because Tarnished had been furious with them, while the basilisk itself was more simply afraid. Afraid for its friend, and for its mate... Trixie had trouble sorting out the images and feelings, but they were so base, so instinctual it was hard to miss their meaning. The spell was a little disorienting, her mind bombarded my sensations that weren’t her own, but she adapted quickly, focusing on sorting things out. She could tell the basilisk was equally confused with her, its own as much attached to her surface thoughts and emotions as she was to its. The beast had halted just above her, shaking its head as it apparently tried to sort out her mind as much as she was trying to sort out it’s.

Feel soft prey. Not friend. Inside like not-prey friend! Out!

The basilisk raised a claw to slam down at her and Trixie hastily tried thinking past the confusion to communicate. She might not have expected the spell to do this but she was going to roll with the situation. Not like she had a lot of choice, it was attempt diplomacy or be turned into pancake.

Wait, wait, wait! We’re trying to help your friend!

The claw didn’t come down, and Trixie didn’t dare look up to meet the basilisk’s eyes but she could feel the creature staring at down at her with intensity that made her mane itch. There was a deep rumbling growl from the beast, one that vibrated through Trixie’s entire body, but that was preferable to the basilisk just pulping her on the spot.

Soft prey lying. Soft prey scared. Hurt and chase not-prey friend!

Trixie could see the basilisk was thinking of more than just the recent fight, it was thinking of other events, earlier instances of what she could only assume was Count Shiny’s first attempt to find his sister. Mixed with those thoughts Trixie could still feel the basilisk’s own fear. It was scared for Tarnished, unable to make sense of the changes in the pony that had gradually happened and gotten particularly bad with Cheerilee’s arrival. Trixie could see images from a perspective hidden within the forest, watching Cheerilee trot along the road from the lumber camp to Oaton the night of the first attack.

Trixie felt the exceedingly uncomfortable sensation of the basilisk rooting around in her own thoughts. The spell went both ways apparently, allowing the basilisk as much access to Trixie’s emotions and surface thoughts as she had to its. Which she realized as disturbing as it was having a gigantic, angry carnivorous beast in her mind it might help her convince it of the truth.

I’m not lying. Look, look around at my thoughts, see all the fabulous not lying I’m doing!? Your, ugh, ‘not-prey’ friend is, was, a friend of my friend. It’s complicated. My friend wants to help you friend, because she’s not well. All those weird changes in her that have you feeling all uncomfortable? Yeah, that’s because of something very, very, bad in the forest you’ve been living in! We want to stop it! But we needed to stop your not-prey friend first before she hurt so many ponies that the ponies I represent don’t do bad things to her like lock her away. Understand?

“Trixie,” Raindrops asked by her side, “What’s happening? Do you have it under your control or what?”

“Not exactly. More like we’re having negotiations,” Trixie said with some strain in her voice. The spell was not easy to maintain, no less so than if it had been a full on control spell. She could feel her magic being used up like water being poured from a pitcher at an alarming rate. Didn’t help that the spell was infinitely more distracting than she’d expected because of all the mental backwash from the basilisk. Trixie never would have imagined that the survival of her and her friends would depend on how quickly she could sweet talk a twenty ton lizard while sharing brainspace with it.

This had just been a weird weekend.

Tarnished had gone from laughing to spitting anger almost instantaneously the second the basilisk had hesitated to smash Trixie into paste. Tarnished twisted and wrenched in Cheerilee’s ironclad grip, hoarsely screaming, “What are you waiting for!? Smash her! Crush her to bits! Turn her to stone then smash her head off, and then smash that into dust!”

Trixie could only think towards the basilisk, Do I even need to point out your friend isn’t well in the head?

The basilisk’s throat rumbled with what to Trixie sounded like a ponderous note. She could feel it looking at her own thoughts like a shifting pressure behind her skull. Trixie tried her best to keep her thoughts open and focused upon the events that had brought her and her friends to Oaton, so the creature could see exactly how things got to this point. It wasn’t easy, as her gut instincts were screaming at her to close her mind off; that this was a violation of her very coveted personal space. However, she really didn’t want to give the house sized carnivorous lizard in front of her any further reason to resume its attack.

Not-prey friend feels strange. Isn’t like self. I trust her. I protect her. Anger of friend growing, darker and darker. In pain, but no wound to lick, nothing to heal. Darkness in home, can’t crush, can kill, can’t eat. Want not-prey friend to be safe. To leave. But can’t. You soft prey everywhere. No safe place! Soft prey are bad! Hold others in hard place, not free! Red soft prey makes not-prey friend feel pain, feel anger! Betrayal!

The basilisk had turned its gaze towards Cheerilee and Tarnished, Cheerilee herself closing her eyes to protect herself while she struggled to keep Tarnished under control. Tarnished was growling like a caged animal, breathing heavily, and snapping her teeth in any attempt to bite at Cheerilee. Raindrops tapped Trixie on the shoulder.

“Trixie, we got another problem,” she said and Trixie flicked her eyes towards where the pegasus was pointing to see that the Fire Drake that had been knocked away by the basilisk’s blind charge had recovered and was stalking towards them.

Listen, Trixie thought thought towards the basilisk, The red one is only holding your friend to keep her from hurting herself and others! You say she feels strange; that’s because of the bad thing in the forest. You know, that ‘darkness’ you want to get away from? Help us, and we’ll stop the bad thing, and help your friend get better.

Why trust!? Not friend! No trust! You smell bad, of fear!

Trixie swallowed, her throat dry. No point denying it. She was scared. More so because of what she was about to do. She looked up at the basilisk, full on at its eyes.

Of course I’m afraid! You have teeth larger than my head. That is a pretty fear inducing thing! But right now you can see my thoughts just like I can yours. You should be able to see that all I’m after is a way to put an end to this without anypony, and, er, anycreature else from getting hurt. Even if you don’t trust me, the only other choice you have is to keep letting the bad thing in the forest hurt your friend, because I’m willing to bet you don’t have a way to stop it. I might be able to!

It wasn’t exactly her norm to be this honest, especially when she was at a disadvantage, but she wasn’t exactly swimming in options. She was betting on the basilisk wanting Tarnished safe more than it wanted to aid Tarnished’s madness. Trixie was hoping this creature was intelligent enough to realize that Tarnished’s actions were not of her own choosing, and that Trixie and her friends represented Tarnished’s best chance at getting better.

The basilisk’s eyes, two glowing yellow pits bright as torches in the night, looked at her. Trixie was fairly certain her heart decided to stop beating for a second. Raindrops was bracing herself to charge at the Fire Drake. Cheerilee was grimly holding onto Tarnished despite the other mare managing to get her teeth clamped down on one of Cheerilee’s legs.

Trixie blinked as a flash of lightning almost blinding her, and when she opened her eyes again the basilisk had looked away from her, instead lashing out with its tail and clipping the Fire Drake across its head. The Fire Drake’s eyes crossed and the creature fell over, unconscious. Raindrops looked at the basilisk in surprise.

“Did it... just help us?”

Trixie let out a breath, “I think we’ve come to an arrangement.”

Help not-prey friend. Make her better. the basilisk snorted and lowered its head until its massive snout was nearly touching Trixie and she was transfixed by its eyes, Betray trust and blue soft prey is eaten first. Now get out of head!

Trixie didn’t have any qualms with breaking the mental communication spell. She’d nearly exhausted herself maintaining it that long. It was a wonder Tarnished could use it so easily, and even with multiple animals simultaneously, but if it was part of her special talent for communicating with animals it was little wonder. Unicorns tended to have an easier time using spells that tied into their talents; it was how Trixie could use illusions for hours on end that other unicorns could drain themselves trying to maintain for as long.

“What is this!?” Tarnished screeched, ceasing biting Cheerilee as a look of absolute shock appeared on her face which then twisted into anguish, eyes locked on the basilisk, “No! You...you are turning on me!? After everything I’ve done for you!? I looked after you when you were sick! I introduced you to your mate! We’ve been friends for... for...”

Tarnished hung her head, then that unnatural laughing started bubbling up.

“Useless... friends are so... useless.”

Cheerilee’s own expression was drawn up one of pain, but Trixie doubted it was from the earth pony’s injuries. She watched the Element of Laughter not even bother to hold back tears as she held her one time friend down, one hoof, the hoof Tarnished had bitten into with her teeth, gently stroking Tarnished’s main.

“That’s not true, Tarnished. I’m here. I’m you friend-”

“No,” Tarnished cut Cheerilee off, and to Trixie’s surprise the rain slacked off suddenly.

Trixie looked up, blinking as the swirling clouds above condensed into a lowering mass above them and the air became abruptly much colder.

“No,” Tarnished repeated, her eyes flashing green, her horn’s aura roiling with motes of black and violet light. The condensed clouds above roiling and churning with a build up of... something, and Trixie heard thunder but saw no lightning. Gulping she turned on her magic sight and looked up at the clouds.

“Oh-” Trixie began

“NO!” Tarnished screamed.

“-merde!”

A bolt of magical lightning that Trixie could see was far more composed of destructive magic than it was natural electricity slashed down from the clouds and hit between all of them. Tarnished’s aim might have been horrible, or she wasn’t actually trying to hit anypony, or she wasn’t in direct control of the lightning, but regardless the concussive force released from the magic in the bolt striking the ground sent Trixie flying.

A sharp tangy scent of ozone filled her nostrils and she felt the world tilting a bit as she tried to right herself and failed, only succeeding to go from lying on one side to another. Blinking her eyes she looked around, seeing Raindrops a few yards away. Raindrops was stumbling to her hooves, mane a little frizzled and smoking. The bolt must have struck closer to her than Trixie, but at least the pegasus mare looked like she wasn’t hurt too badly.

The basilisk had back away slightly, hesitantly watching as if unsure what to do, and Trixie could almost imagine that it shrugged at her. Trixie wondered if it was a good or bad thing that the huge predator was apparently trying to give the ponies their space to sort this out.

Cheerilee was on her back, a little further away, and clearly dazed, but otherwise looking uninjured. However she was no longer holding Tarnished.

Trixie heard the mare’s laughter, and looked to see Tarnished’s blue form slowly trotting towards her through the renewed rain. Her lips were twisted in a horrible hybrid of a sneer and a grin, and her eyes were twitching erratically, not glowing green anymore but still filled with a mad light. Her horn was glowing, not with as much black and violet energy, but still a smokey dark gray, the aura frayed and jagged.

“What? No more magic tricks? No little firework displays or cheap figments to throw me off? Not even going to turn invisible?”

Legs, moving now would be great, Trixie thought with growing panic as she tried to get up on her hooves, but slipped in the mud, planting face first. She could feel the build up of thunderous energy in the clouds, and knew that the next bolt wasn’t going to be random. Tarnished was breathing heavily, looking exhausted, and Trixie didn’t know how much magical energy she was using to bring down the lightning, but it was clearly pushing her to her limit.

Tarnished was looking right at her, and all of that malevolent focus was likely to direct the next bolt right towards Trixie. Raindrops was moving, stumbling forward to try and stop Tarnished. Cheerilee, who was just now getting up to her own hooves, shouting something, probably a plea for Tarnished to stop given the look of desperate fear on the schoolteacher’s face. Trixie knew it wasn’t going to be enough, hearing the echoing crash of the lightning as it released from the magically charged clouds above. No time to move, no time for anypony to stop it.

Trixie suddenly felt something land on top of her, a warm pony shaped body landing on her back.

A rather tiny pony shaped body.

Trixie turned her head up and saw Bushel was standing on top of her. The magically charged lightning from the clouds was arching erratically around a point above the small yellow filly’s head. Bushel’s eyes were open wide and mouth was gaping, and Trixie, while panicking, noticed that the magic wasn’t coursing through Bushel, or causing her any obvious harm. Trixie’s magical sight was still active, however, and it was showing her clearly what was happening.

The lightning bolt had been far less electricity as it had been negatively charged magic gathered from the clouds. That magic was being drawn into a point on Bushel’s forehead, like water being pulled into a suction funnel. There the magic was being absorbed and concentrated, the aura of magic joining with another pool of magic that had taken a specific shape upon Bushel’s forehead.

That of a horn.

“Bushel?” Trixie blinked as the lightning dissipated completely and Bushel teetered back and forth for a second. Trixie was quick to steady the filly with her hooves, finding the filly was warm and feverish to the touch, even soaked as she was with rain and mud. Trixie realized Bushel must have run here through the storm. Trixie’s mind was locked up with too many sudden questions, all of which were overridden by concern for the filly.

“Uuuh...don’t feel so good,” the filly said, face scrunched up in pain and rubbing at her head where the horn was. She looked up at Trixie with glazed eyes, but she still, despite clearly being in pain, gave a sheepish smile, “T-Trixie! I, uh, wanted to help! Don’t tell my parents? They’ll be super mad... aah... head hurts.”

Trixie reached a hoof around Bushel and held the filly close her. Trixie could feel the little filly’s heart pounding erratically. While fear for the filly coursed through her, Trixie had to stare at Bushel’s head. The horn was both there, and it wasn’t. It was like the magic had pooled in a horn’s shape, a spike of swirling energy contained in a translucent, clear space like the horn itself was made of glass. Trixie had never seen anything like it, but her mind was tickled with the notion that she’d heard of something like this.

Even as she looked at it she could see the magic inside the horn, the same heavy, dark charge of the lightning bolt. The horn... it didn’t have any magic of its own, and now that she was looking at it the horn had other magic inside it besides from the lightning. She saw the swirling, greenish tinted magic of transmutation, like from the basilisk's petrifying gaze. There was traces of illusionary magic as well! Blue, like... like Trixie’s!

What is this? Its like this horn has been eating up magic from all around her! I... I’ve heard of this! Luna told me; one of her chamber maids has this condition. Reverse horns...no...Inverted! Bushel has an Inverted Horn! She’s a unicorn whose horn consumes magic instead of channels it!

Suddenly the reason the spells on her hat had gone inert made sense. Bushel had been wearing it, and her Inverted Horn must have consumed the magic from the hat. Was this horn the reason Bushel had fallen ill a year ago? It had to have been, because she was burning up now. Trixie could see the filly’s eyes fluttering between being wide open and nearly closing, and she was breathing in short gasps. Trixie knew very little about the medical condition of Inverted Horns, only that it was a exceedingly rare condition that had only a few documented cases, and that it was supposedly related to another uncommon phenomenon; that of ‘Null Ponies’. Regardless, Trixie’s knowledge was so limited she couldn’t be sure if this fever was supposed to be normal or not. Considering Bushel had just eaten a massive amount of invocation magic and negative energy there was no telling what it was doing to her body or spirit.

“Bushel, hold on, I’m going to get you somewhere safe,” Trixie said as she placed the filly more firmly on her back, covering Bushel with her cape.

Before she could take more than a step though a ragged, thin bolt of black tinged arcane energy burned by her nose. Tarnished was leveling her horn at Trixie, but the mare’s eyes were wide with disbelief and fear, rather than anger.

“I... I... why is there a foal here...?” Tarnished looked horrified, her neck straining as if she were forcing herself to not point her horn at Trixie. It suddenly hit Trixie that the bolt that Tarnished had just fired had missed because Tarnished had made it miss, not because she was a bad shot. As Trixie watched Tarnished’s face contorted back to anger, then to fear, back and forth.

“They’re not allowed to leave! Not until we’re done with them!”

“No...no more! Not a little filly...I don’t want this!”

“Its too late to stop. Stop. Resiting! Make them pay. Remember your pain is more important than theirs!”

“I...can’t...stop...”

Tarnished was shouting at herself, and Trixie heard Bushel say faintly from her back, “Trixie, what’s wrong with her?”

“Either she’s crazy, possessed by an ancient evil, or both. Either way I got to get you away from here!” Trixie said, concerned now only for the safety of the little pony wrapped up in her cape. Trixie didn’t want to leave Cheerilee and Raindrops to deal with Tarnished, but how could she keep fighting with Bushel’s safety at risk? She felt Bushel shift and then felt the filly’s forelegs hug around the back of Trixie’s neck.

“No, you gotta help her! Heroes help ponies, and she really sounds like she needs help,” Bushel was crying, soft little sobs she was clearly trying to hide, “I’ll be okay, doesn't h-hurt that much, I can deal with it. You just help...that poor mare. Please. I know you can do it... you’re the Great and Powerful Trixie.”

Trixie halted, gritting her teeth. Why did Bushel have to hit her right in her weak spot?

Meanwhile Raindrops had shaken off her own apparent shock at the turn of events and locked her eyes on Tarnished, the pegasus growling as she clearly got ready to pounce at Tarnished.

“Raindrops, wait!” Cheerilee shouted, causing Raindrops to pause, giving Cheerilee a disbelieving look. Cheerilee held up a hoof, then start slowly approaching Tarnished, each step careful and deliberate as she looked at her old friend with concern creasing her features, but with eyes hopeful.

“Tarnished?”

Tarnished whipped her head around at the sound of Cheerilee’s voice, eyes wild.

“Cheerilee I-... you did this! I didn’t want to hurt anypony! I just wanted to be happy with you!” Tarnished was shaking her head as if trying to dislodge something, “Its everywhere in my head! I... I can’t stop myself from wanting to make everypony suffer! I can’t... I’m not strong enough to...”

“You are strong Tarnished,” Cheerilee said, taking another step closer, “I felt that the first say I met you. I knew you were a good mare, who had a lot to give the world outside that little garden I found you in.”

“And I was happy you found me. You made my life so much...better. You and everypony in the gang; you were my family. Losing that hurt so much Cheerilee. It still hurts! Everything was perfect, then you just ended it, for...for what reason!? Didn’t we make you happy too? Weren’t we your family as much as you were ours!?”

“I didn’t know how strongly you felt about it Tarnished, and I could have found a way to break the news to you better than I did. I’m sorry I hurt you Tarnished. I was happy back then, in a way. No responsibilities, or worries. But I realized I wanted to do something else with my life, and I couldn’t keep the gang together and pursue my life the way I wanted to at the same time. But Tarnished, I’m telling you now, I never once stopped being you friend! You or anypony else in the old gang!”

Cheerilee was just a few steps away from Tarnished now. Raindrops was still poised to leap at the unicorn, and Trixie couldn’t blame her. Tarnished’s horn was wreathed with magic, black and violet motes of light leaking away from the horn erratically.

“Cheerilee, I can’t...I’m going to hurt you if you take another step! It doesn’t matter, I want to believe you, but it doesn’t matter! I can’t control myself! Its too much, all this anger in me, I can’t make it stop!”

“You can!” Cheerilee said, lifting a leg to step closer, “I know you can Tarnished! This thing that’s in you, you’re better than it is! You’re a good pony Tarnished and I trust you because you’re my friend.”

Cheerilee took that next step and Trixie could have replaced her stomach with snakes and it’d feel just as twisting and roil with worry. She had Sawdust’s mind shielding spell she could try putting on Tarnished, but she was too far away to get it off in time if she decided to shoot. Even Raindrops wouldn’t be able to tackle Tarnished in time, Cheerilee was too close to Tarnished, in point-blank range. Even if Tarnished tried forcing herself to miss like she had with Trixie, at that range it might not matter.

“Cheerilee...” Tarnished was biting her lip so hard that blood was trailing down her chin and her body was trembling like she was freezing. Her eyes had bled to a green tint, and her horn was covered in black now, “...run...”

“No,” said Cheerilee, “I won’t run out on a friend again. I’m here for you Tarnished, we can beat this thing together.”

Cheerilee took a final step and then she was right there before Tarnished, one hoof pulling the other mare into an embrace that Tarnished did not fight. However Trixie did see Tarnished’s horn flash and a bolt of raw black arcane energy rip free... only Tarnished was aiming it straight up into the clouds as she screamed in raw unleashed emotion. For a second Trixie just thought Cheerilee had timed her embrace to get past the bolt, but as Tarnished kept pushing magic out of her horn and into the sky, with a look of growing, pained determination, Trixie realized what Tarnished was trying to do.

“Merde, she’s trying to overchannel!” Trixie shouted, quickly setting Bushel down and rushing forward.

“What?” Cheerilee said in shock, still holding Tarnished close, and looking at her friends face in surprise.

Tarnished grimaced, but, for once, smiled in a way that looked like her own natural smile as she kept pouring magic out of her horn.

“I...I’m s-sorry Cheerilee...I’ll hurt you, unless I make myself...incapable of doing so,” she said.

Trixie got to the pair and in a rather desperate act touched her horn to Tarnished’s head and wove the mind shielding enchantment as fast as she could, feeling her own horn tingling in protest. In seconds she felt the shield snap into place, which caused Tarnished to gasp in surprise. Trixie took advantage of the distraction to smack Tarnished’s horn with a hoof. Trixie grunted in pain as some of the black magic firing from the horn singed her hoof, but it got Tarnished to stop and both blue unicorns ended up falling back to the ground in exhausted heaps, Cheerilee landing on top of Tarnished, still in a hug.

Raindrops had moved over to Bushel protectively while the little filly huddled in Trixie’s cape, watching the events unfold with wide eyes.

Trixie herself levered herself up into a half upright position with her forelegs, just in time to see Tarnished do the same as she rubbed her horn.

“O-ow! What is wrong with you!? I could have taken your leg off you crazy mare!” Tarnished shouted, eyes back to their normal color, though they still twitched slightly.

“You’re calling me crazy? I’m not the one who uses thirty foot tall lizards to attack...ponies...” Trixie started, but trailed off as Cheerilee gave her a look that could have stripped the silver enamel off a Night Guard’s armor. She settled for holding herself as proudly as she could, while almost laying on her back, dead tired, and covered in mud, “Just saying, pot, kettle, black. So, is she lucid now?”

Cheerilee, holding Tarnished close, looked the other mare in the eyes, “Tarnished, are you okay? Are you thinking clearly?”

“I...” Tarnished’s face was one of confusion and growing realization slowly transitioning into horror, “The whispers aren’t gone, but they’re so quiet, and all that anger is...it isn’t gone either, but its not burning me inside out. Dear Luna, what have I been doing!? Cheerilee I was...I was so angry at you, and brother was smuggling animals, and I just kept getting more angry, and it hurt thinking about you...so I wanted to hurt you...oh no, I...I’ve screwed everything up...”

“Shh, it’s okay,” Cheerilee said, tightening her embrace on Tarnished, “You believe me yet? That I’m you friend.”

“I’m sorry...I’m so sorry, Cheerilee...” Tarnished didn’t seem to be able to say much else between sobbing into Cheerilee’s shoulder, letting out what was probably years worth of pain at missing her friend. Trixie looked away from the display, feeling a little uncomfortable with it, and also concerned for Bushel and wanting to check on the filly.

Raindrops was looking over Bushel, shielding the filly from the rain with her wings. Trixie and Raindrops exchanged a look and Trixie gave a small nod of thanks, which Raindrops returned with a small smile. Bushel for her part was shaking as Trixie approached, and Trixie frowned, hoping the filly’s fever wasn’t getting worse. She knelt down next to Bushel, brining her face close to the filly’s. Bushel had a wan smile of her own as she looked at Trixie.

“You helped the... the mare?”

“Well, I did my part. I think,” Trixie cast a brief look back at where Tarnished and Cheerilee were still holding each other, “I think she got the most help from a very good friend.”

“Cool. I’m glad I got to see real heroes in action finally...um, I’m sorry Trixie, that I didn’t hold onto your hat back then. I didn’t want you to think I stopped believing you were awesome. Because you are,” Bushel said, then winced and made a soft moan, “Ahh...feel like I’m...gonna hurl...why do I have to be sick in front of Trixie? Not cool.”

Raindrops put her forelegs around the filly, one feeling her brow, “Trixie, she’s burning up. We need to get her back to Oaton. But...what’s with this glowing horn?”

“Glowing...horn?” asked Bushel, in surprise, “I have a glowing horn?”

Trixie gave Raindrops a look, then said, “Its... I think its an Inverted Horn, Bushel. Think of it like being a reverse unicorn. It eats magic. I think its what’s making you sick. I don't know for sure though. That’s why we have to get you home.”

“Whoa...wait, mom and dad will be soooo mad at me! You gotta sneak me...ugh, ooow, Trixie...I’m not feeling too...goo...d”

“Bushel?” Trixie asked, seeing the filly sort of condense into a tight little ball and then just relax. Trixie felt a stab of panic but a quick look showed the filly was just passed out. But that wasn’t all that comforting, considering Trixie knew all too well this filly had fallen into a comma once from a fever. A fever that must have somehow been caused by this Inverted Horn, but how could Trixie fix this!? She didn’t know anything about this condition! And there was still the problem of this storm, and the evil presence within the forest! Then there was Sawdust and Count Shiny both still to sort out!

Subduing Tarnished was one problem scratched off the list; but the danger was far from over.

A fact made even clearer by the distant sound of wood cracking, so loud it could be heard even over the noise of the storm.

“What was that?” Raindrops asked, worry clear in her tone.

“That,” said Trixie with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, “Was probably the sound of a dam starting to break.”

Author's Note:

Well, a part of me really wanted to be able to bring everything to a proper climax and close with this chapter, but as it turned out what I have in mind just didn't want to fit into the package I was trying to pack it into. So after posing the question to the forum I decided to split the final chapter into two parts. Even part 1 here has turned out rather hefty in size, but here's hoping you folks got a kick out of it. I seem to have a penchant for long action sequences. Anyways, I'd like to thank all of you who've kept reading this story. Feel free to comment away on anything about the story, let me know what you all think.

Comments

[RainbowDoubleDash]

SQUEE!!!!!

(Haven't read a word yet, but just seeing this update makes my day).

[RainbowDoubleDash]

Ah, an inverted horn. That makes sense. Wonder if there's something that can fix that? Nulling magic is actually a pretty neat ability there, Bushel.

Poor Tarnished, having Tirek some evil force it's probably Tirek stuck in her head for years and years...

Also - Tendaji. Swahili for "reaction." I see what you did there.

[thatguyvex]

Is that my story on the front page list?

2680738
Yeah, I agree one of the skills I still need to develop is how to properly 'trim down' an action scene. Thing is, there are several scenes I decided to leave out, even at this length (extended fight between Raindrops and Tendaji, a bit more a scuffle between Trixie and Cut n' Dry, and a sequence of Cheerilee being chased across the dam by the basilisk).

2680810
I felt a little worried about the Inverted Horn because while I thought it up before the idea of null ponies came in, its a very similar condition. Main difference is that while magic just doesn't affect a null pony, an Inverted Horn is like a open hole that wants to consume magic. Eat too much, or don't eat enough to satisfy it, and the horn starts to adversely affect the body. Kind of like being a magic vampire.

[sarkodine]

2680810
I know you had Celestia drop a fantastic nuke on him, but those signs point me to believing something more along the lines of Sombra, unless......you're saying Tirek was the source of Sombra's power... that's a scary thought

[DreadedCandiru2]

Hmmm.....I think I detect hints of that article about the Lunaverse in this chapter.....especially the imposter syndrome that's kind of obvious in Crisis. I half-way expect Trixie to tell Bushel that she's not quite as heroic as she'd like to believe.

[wolfstorm56]

I saw a lot of typos in this, the biggest of which was 'you friend' for 'your friend' but it was still great and really exciting to read! This is one of my favorite Lunaverse fics of all time, so it was super awesome to see this not only updated but in the feature box.

[CrowMagnon]

Congratulations, Raindrops! You've got a nemesis that fans'll be hoping to see a rematch with for season 2!

[Bree R]

A TON of incorrect word choices. You desperately need a beta or editor. Other then that this was a very well written and told story. Thanks for sharing.

[Blackbelt]

holy crap, this is awesome.

[Georg]

Why did Bushel have to hit her right in her weak spot?

What, her ego? Because it's such a huuuuggeee target

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Damn, this was almost exhausting to read. In a good way, mind. Can't wait to read the end. Holy cow this thing was and is epic.

[RanmaChaos]

So much Awesome!

[Tanglemane]

What a ride! And you're saved some for later? Can't wait!

Bootheel is still best worst pony.

[thatguyvex]

2681030
Interesting observation; hadn't read the article in question until this was mostly written, but I see the line of thinking here.

2681418
Yeah, typos seem to hide themselves from me every time I try to comb for them, but that's probably because once I finish a chapter I'm always eager to get it posted. It was awesome to see the story in the feature box, even if only for a short time.

2681480
Tendaji; your friendly neighborhood sequel bait.

2681631
Glad you like it. Heh, yeah I should rope somebody into pre-reading for me.

2681678
I try.

2682980
So huge even a little filly with a fever could still nail it.

2683011
Happy to hear I managed to get that epic feel I was going for with this. Wanted the fight with Tarnished to feel huge.

2683844
Thank you kindly for saying so.

2684169
Oh yes, there's more. And poor Bootheel, never getting what he's after... or will he? ...Probably not. ...Maybe.

[wolfstorm56]

2681030
Someone wrote an article on the Lunaverse? Could I have a link?

[Bree R]

2686511
If you really want one feel free to message me. I do a lot of peer review for published works and help a couple authors edit stuff in other fanfiction genres. Wouldn't at all be adverse to helping you out as well. Just let me know :-).

[Spammy Pie]

I don't want to be the negative one, but...Two quick complaints.

1) I know you've mentioned it quite often as something that you are aware of, but you really need to condense your work, especially action heavy scenes like this. They can become exhausting, and I found myself having to stop mid chapter multiple times. I understand you have a lot of cool things you want to throw into this story, but having a 20000 word action scene with very few breaks in between can be a bit too much.

2) That zebra alchemist, his role ultimately came down to "Provide goop ball that covers the eyes of the Basilisk". Given that he stops to declare Raindrops more or less a Worthy opponent and declaring a desire to fight her, setting himself himself up to appear in other fics down the line... With all the other things going on, introducing what any savvy reader will pick out is a future character is frankly distracting, and given his ultimately rather minor role in this story, rather pointless. It would have been better to introduce him in another story(I assume you have a plan for him, down the line?), or if you want to write a story without having to explain why super Kung-fu guy wants to fight Raindrops, create a webisode to explain that.

Even with me saying that, I did enjoy the chapter, so don't think I hate it because of those things. I still did enjoy it.

[thatguyvex]

2686927
I think its the analysis talked about in this thread.

2687428
I may do that. I'll definitely let you know when the time comes.

2687433
I agree with both your points, for the most part. I probably could have cut down the action scene as a whole by having, perhaps, the ice wall fail right off the bat and Trixie and co getting Tarnished out into the lumber field that much faster. Still learning to balance my desire for detailed scenes with the need to keep things moving, especially in a fanfic. As for Tendaji, yeah, even as I was writing his scenes I was thinking I either should've introduced him much earlier in the story, even if only in passing (perhaps by having him accompanying Cut n' Dry and Bootheel when they first meet up with Trixie and the others in Oaton), or just cut him out altogether. I do have future intentions for him, which was why he was there at all, but I hear what you're saying.

[Talon and Thorn]

Personally I liked the Ninja Zebra.

Only beaten by his wife and his master, hum, have we already met his wife?

[thatguyvex]

2690715
Not yet, but I got a few ideas for her, when the time comes. Not in this story, but for what I got in mind for Season 2.

[Emeral Bookwise]

Long chapter is long... too long for me to finish in one sitting, actually. I've pretty much had this tab open since the update. Not complaining though; I loved ever exhausting moment of it.

[Masterofgames]

2690715

You ask the wrong question.

2690786

Have we already met his MASTER?

[Undertone]

Trixie straight up scammed an entire Basilisk. Best pony.

[Fizzy Orange]

Finally got done with this EPIC chapter! I agree it could use a little trimming, or maybe being cut up into smaller parts at least, but it was incredible to read. I can't wait to see how this is all going to go down...

[Ether Echoes]

So, I have been waiting for a while to be able to say something about this story. I read most of it on my phone, then you posted up this new update. This will serve as my opinion for the whole story thus far + this chapter.
Really, this has become, flat-out, my favorite Lunaverse story, for a variety of reasons. It has a complex plot. It has ambiguous villains. It has a deep, compelling backstory. It has great characters, and those 'canon' characters it does have are used excellently. You've made something fantastic here, and if I could upvote you more than once I would.
There's so much I want to say about individual parts, but there's just so much stuff here that's incredible. Everything from the minor side characters to the major players. Suffice to say, it is an almost entirely positive feeling.
Really, this is why I love good series that make use of politics and economics. Some people may be bored by them, but to me, they make a series breathe.

I do want to level some relatively minor criticisms, though:
1) There are typos galore. I cover some of them following this, but it's just too many to count. Do you edit before posting? If so, you should look into getting an editor friend. If not, you should really do so - some of these typos are very distracting.
2) The Gurren Lagann reference near the beginning was a bit much, honestly. I know Pokey Pierce already has an inexplicable reference to that show, but it didn't need to be added to. Still, it could have been worse, since Bushel is super cute.
3) My biggest complaint, by far, is the use of D&D magic terminology. I don't think it's really suitable to MLP.
Just as someone who studies magic and religion as part of his degree and as a hobby, seeing the terms used here is extremely jarring.
For instance, you use 'evocation' and 'invocation.' Evocation is 'to bring out a spirit' (as in, to summon forth a spirit, ghost, demon, god, etc.) Invocation is to 'bring a spirit within' (as in, to take the power of a spirit into yourself, to gain strength, knowledge, or other such things.) The D&D senses of these (which were also used by the Dresden Files, displaying that series' tendency to use dime store tropes in place of anything creative) are rather odd to see.
4) While it's pretty tense, there is just way too much action. You could stand to rein in this chapter a bit. It just keeps ramping up and down over and over again.
5) Introduction of mind-reading magic. While I like the way you use it, I find it hard to believe that not everypony who is remotely important has a spell, enchanted item, or mental discipline to block it, too. If mind-reading is on the table and enchantment is relatively easy, then there should be a thriving market in counter charms.
6) Speaking of, if enchantment is this easy, why aren't enchanted items wide spread? In the show, we only really see Twilight's lightning rod and Tank's engine. Unless there's a lot more enchanted stuff than we see and it's just not brought attention to, you seem to have made this waaay too simple. For someone who is clearly versed in economic theory, this seems a surprising oversight! Still, you use them well, for what they are.

Some Typos

"If ma and pa find your still awake we’ll all get in trouble!”

you're

to start sobbing, “Aww Breadcrumb, it

Should be a period.

storm; the yelling

colon (:)

“I am not! I’m telling you I something bad is gonna happen to Trixie! I oughta be out there to help her!”

Missing something here

Copper Coin’s debuts.

debts.

Please, you turn to stone

Please, if you

One of the Fire Drakes has

had

(That's really only a small fraction, you should probably have gotten an editor!)

The tendrils of mist were solidifying into dense bands of ice, joining together in a circle that grew tall into a tall wall, easily five hoof lengths thick and twenty tall. Trixie realized upon seeing it that those metal rods had to have been spell-linking wands! By themselves such wands were of no use, but when a set came together it was possible for one unicorn to link his or her magic with others, drawing on the power of all unicorns in the link to cast a spell that might otherwise be impossible by themselves.

This, however, concerns me greatly. Unicorns having magic is already a pretty stiff advantage, thank you. The fact that Twilight is one of the few with any real power (see Rarity, who isn't even a fraction as strong) is one of the few things that doesn't make me go 'unicorns are OP.'
Allowing them to combine their power for spells is a dangerous precedent.

[yayme]

2725821

- but do you recognise the reference? Nobody's mentioned it yet :)

I want to say Green Lantern.
But to be honest I'm not sure. It fits so many superheros...

[Thegodhand]

Oh my god...this fic just went from good to unbelievable. I'm putting this in my best fic list now.

[Whiteeyes]

Dear Universe,
Did Trixie swipe your last doughnut or something? Cause DAMN.
Signed, a concerned fan.

[RainbowDoubleDash]

2760672
We've gone with Urban Ranger. Or at least I have.

[Lorthalis of Crows]

Trixie used color spray!
d&d for the win!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Valen]

I just want to say that this is one of the best story's i've read in a long time, and can't wait for the final chapter/s!
On that matter, do you have a rough idea for when the next one will be released?

[thatguyvex]

3110510
Glad to hear you've been enjoying it. Can't say for sure when I'll get the next, and final, segment done. My intention is to release the last chapter and the epilogue at the same time. I've been sort of side-tracked with my FoE related stuff the past month or so, but am refocusing my attentions on finishing this story. I'm horrible with deadlines, but I'm guessing about another week or two and I'll have officially completed my first Lunaverse story.

[Valen]

3113073
Awesome! I can't wait

[TDR]

it just keeps building up....

[the other sans]

where nothing but a darkness, rain, and harsh flashes of lightning
find your still awake
recall the proper way to breath
Her invisibility it dropped
least of all your friends or you family
Its something much, much simpler
planning to splatter it right over the zebra’s head, but she needed have bothered
his chopping right hoof narrowing missing Raindrops
I’ll have to break through,,
were glowing green it the night
remember how to breath
Just got to breath
Remember how you were taught to breath
She would not be a problem currently if you hadn’t stopped me from naturalizing her
as gentle as one could be when sweep out Tarnished’s legs out from under her
that she’d concluded its function was a compulsion affect
Trixie blinked as a flash of lightning almost blinding her
Bushel had a wan smile of her own

1. Extra A.
2. You're.
3. Breathe.
4. Extra It.
5. Your.
6. It's.
7. But she needn't have bothered.
8. Narrowly.
9. Some extra commas here, no idea why.
10. In.
11. Breathe.
12. BREATHE.
13. BREATHE!! RAINDROPS, BREATHE! *gives mouth to mouth but gets bucked in the face*
14. Neutralizing.
15. Sweeping.
16. Effect.
17. Blinded.
18. Warm.

Just hoping you manage to clean up your story after all this. I know you're online. I know you log on. I stalk you

But in all seriousness, I hope these things can get cleaned up. Ctrl+F works wonders with full details eh?

[nightelf37]

Will we see more of Tendaji?

[ShadowLDrago]

Wow, I think that Tarnished is using black Magic like King Sombra was, either way, it's destroying her mind. A reverse horn that eats magic instead of channeling it, wow, unless they can get her to get rid of that magic, this won't end well...

[Alchemystudent]

...

Do I have to read in the episode order?

This chapter, may not be close to FOE in terms of greatness...but good golly is it close!!

Wait, you wrote a Fallout fic?

(runs off to read and fave!)

[Alchemystudent]

I think I am running out of words to describ how much I love this story. Thge action, intense. The emotions, haeartwarming, and the insanity from tarnished, awesome. Every last inch of this story keeps dragging me in further and further. Its a wild ride that I don't really want to stop anytime soon.

[Sleepy_The_Zebra]

Wow. I couldn't say anything here a bunch of others haven't already said, but this is... amazing.

Also, Bushel with Trixie sounds like Scootaloo with Rainbow

[SWEETOLEBOB18]

“Tarnished, listen to yourself! You’re not well! You’ve never wanted to hurt any living creature before in your life, least of all your friends or you (your) family!” Cheerilee shouted, watching the tail for a good moment to jump onto it.

“Oh. That.” he said, then let out a sigh of consternation, ”She would not be a problem currently if you hadn’t stopped me from naturalizing (neutralizing) her. That interference is costing my associates a great deal of money.”