The Chronicles of Dark Star: A Blade of Redemption

by D4ftP0ny

Chapter 4

Even before he was fully awake, Dark Star knew something was wrong.

His ears had been flicking back and forth for the past hour and a half, training on the half-dozen or so conversations that had passed by his door and window; conversations held in whispered tones, full of worry and fear that had, for better or worse, robbed him of his peaceful slumber and were quickly compelling him to get his rump out of bed. The black stallion sighed once and slid out of the warm bed, his hooves barely making a sound on the carpeted floor of the inn. He shook his mane and stretched, his ears still perked intently as yet another pair of voices passed his window, their whispers soft, but not soft enough.

“… you absolutely sure? How many was it this time?”

“Three that we know of, but we’re still checking…”

Dark Star’s sword levitated to his side, the belt looping around him and securing itself before his cloak did the same, draping across his broad shoulders. That doesn’t sound good, he thought as he secured the clasp across his throat. Almost as an afterthought his horn sparked and the hood of his cloak rose over his head, shrouding him in its comforting blackness; he didn’t know what was going on, but being a stranger in a town that was suddenly confronting a crisis didn’t always bode well.

He exited his room and made his way to the desk at the front, where Quickfire the innkeeper sat mulling over paperwork… or at least, where he was pretending to mull over paperwork as Dark Star approached. His quick blue eyes kept darting to the door and windows, as if he wanted nothing more than to be outside of his business but knew that he couldn’t leave. Dark glanced out the window as well, and across the street he could see a small crowd gather, then disperse again almost as quickly as it had formed, scattering into groups of two or three that darted out of his vision with looks of determination and fear on their faces. The unicorn frowned, but approached the desk with no hurry in his step.

“Good morning, sir,” he said to Quickfire with a polite nod. “I’ll be checking out.”

“Mmm,” was the innkeeper’s only response; he didn’t even so much as look up from his paperwork as he held out his hoof for the key. Dark Star’s eyes narrowed slightly beneath his hood. Yesterday, it was all I could do to get him to shut up…

Dark levitated the key from a pocket inside his cloak and held it above Quickfire’s hoof, the shining silver key not quite touching the pad of the other stallion’s hoof. “And what is going on outside?” he asked. He knew better than to act casual about such queries- it was better to ask directly than to feign ignorance, in Dark Star’s opinion.

Quickfire’s eyes rose from the paperwork on his desk, and a flash of annoyance darted across them as he gestured for the key. “What’s going on?” he said. “Nothin’s goin’ on, stranger, except you keepin’ my key from me.” He made a grab for the key, but Dark’s midnight-blue aura danced it up out of his reach.

“Is that so,” Dark said, his voice flat. “Then why are there search parties darting around your city like there’s been a natural disaster?” He knew he was taking a stab in the dark, but the surprise that danced across the other stallion’s expression was more than enough to confirm what he’d begun to suspect for the past hour.

Quickfire opened his mouth… and closed it again just as quickly. Dark felt his eyebrows raise slightly as the innkeeper slouched back down into his chair with a grunt and placed his hooves firmly on the tabletop. “It’s none o’ your concern, stranger,” he said, his voice tight and clipped. “The only thing you need to concern yourself with is givin’ me my key, and movin’ on.” Then he proceeded to pretend to be interested in the papers in front of him once more, even though a casual glance showed Dark Star that several of the papers were upside down.

Dark Star watched him closely for a moment, waiting to see if this stallion, whom he could barely get to shut up the night before, was really going to sit there and pretend like he didn’t know anything… but after a few long seconds, the blue stallion shifted uncomfortably under the taller pony’s scrutiny, and Dark Star realized that yes, that was exactly what Quickfire intended to do.

“Thank you for your hospitality,” Dark said as politely as he could. His magic released the key, and it dropped to the tabletop with a gentle jingle. Quickfire didn’t even look up as Dark turned his back and walked to the door.

The air outside the inn was fresh and pleasant; it washed over Dark as he closed the door behind him, surging into his hood and filling his nostrils with the scent of cool, moist earth and newly-budding trees. It was a beautiful, wonderful spring morning… but there was something else in the air that tickled the edges of his mind, and it only increased as his eyes swept the street. It seemed that everywhere he looked, ponies were doing their best to go about their day-to-day routines- but something was off.

A mother and her filly walked past him, on their way to the market he had passed through on his way into town; the filly’s eyes were bright and cheerful, as if she had not a single care in the world… but there were bags beneath the mare’s bloodshot eyes, and they never rested on any one spot for more than a moment, always darting this way and that, as if she expected at any moment to be attacked or waylaid. They continued past Dark, the mare’s eyes alighting on him for a second; he gave her a small smile and a nod, but if she noticed, she gave no indication. Instead, she turned her head, her eyes resuming their frantic search for nothing as she and her filly plodded on down the street.

As he turned to watch them go, he noticed yet another crowd of ponies gather at the end of the street, at least fifteen heads strong. They stood very close together and it was clear even from this distance that they were speaking intently; then, as quickly as they had arrived they dispersed, scattering into the morning breeze like a puff of smoke.

It seemed that no matter where he turned, there were ponies at the edge of his vision, always moving, always seemingly searching for something… but what? His curiosity rose, tickling the back of his mind, but even as it did so Quickfire’s words rose to quash it.

“It’s none o’ your concern, stranger. The only thing you need to concern yourself with is givin’ me my key, and movin’ on.” And he was absolutely right; this town wasn’t Dark Star’s to worry about. In fact, he was certain that it had a sheriff or lawpony of its very own to make sure that whatever happened got set right and to make sure that these ponies got on with their happy lives. He knew that it would be easiest if he turned on his hooves and kept trekking north, the way he had been heading before; it would save himself and quite possibly this town a whole lot of trouble…

…and yet even as he thought that, he smiled ever so slightly. He could feel his curiosity rising, quashing his doubts in a wave of excitement and determination. Whatever was happening, he wanted to get to the bottom of it. He wanted to find out why these ponies seemed so afraid and, though he didn’t want to admit it, he wanted to help them solve their problems, as well. But beneath the tickling sensation at the back of his mind that he knew was his curiosity perking up was a subtle fire, burning deep in his chest like the embers of a forest fire smoldering beneath the ashes. As his hooves moved him forward towards the market, flashes of his inner conflict the day before spiraled across his mind.

They’ll call you a hero again. Do you really want to get wrapped up in another situation like Withersville? Yet another town from which you are forced to run?

Yet even as the doubts surfaced again, he knew the answer- something so simple that it surprised him how long it had taken himself to wrap his brain around it. I can help, he thought as he meandered down the street. I may not want their praise, but I want to help. And judging from the frightened looks on the faces of the townsponies here in Clyde’s Dale, they could use it. He felt a small, confident smile slide onto his lips as he entered the wide market.

As long as the folks of this town wanted his help, he would give it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Nope.”

“…oh come now, surely you can-,”

“No way, stranger.”

“Listen, I’m just trying to help.”

“We don’t need your help, sir. On your way.”

Dark Star gritted his teeth at the stallion behind the small stand, who had turned his eyes away from Dark as soon as he had finished speaking. A biting comment slammed against the inside of Dark Star’s teeth, and it was with great effort that he swallowed the angry and rather harsh words that he longed to spit at the stubborn shopkeeper. He sighed, a bit more harshly than he had intended to. So far, he had tried four merchants at four different stands selling four different things, and had been met by the same answers from each one of them- We don’t need your help, and we won’t talk to you. It was incredibly frustrating, because he had yet to find out what exactly had happened. Everypony was being so incredibly tight-lipped that he couldn’t even get a vague idea of what had transpired, try as he might. Granted, he wasn’t exactly trying to be tactful- small talk was not one of his strong suits- but he had thought that at least ONE of them would be willing to tell him even a little of what had happened.

He was RARELY wrong, and when he was it irritated him beyond all reason… which was exactly where his mental state was right at that moment. He snorted a little louder than he had intended, but he took a deep breath and tried once more with the stubborn stallion behind the apple cart.

“Well… would you at least perhaps tell me what transpired?”

The gray stallion sniffed at one of his apples, even though he had already checked each and every one of them at least once during the course of his conversation with Dark Star. “Not sure what you’re talking about, stranger,” he said. “Nothing out of the ordinary’s happened.”

Dark felt his ire rising. After four ponies telling him nothing had happened, he was quickly reaching the end of his rope. “So I guess my ears were just playing tricks on me when I kept hearing ponies rushing about outside my room this morning, talking about three going missing this time, huh?”

The stallion didn’t even blink. “Must have,” he answered coolly. “Can’t say for sure, but you might want to have your ears checked out, stranger.”

The black-cloaked stallion was on the verge of drawing his sword and threatening to permanently damage this infuriating stallion’s hearing (even though that would have severely counteracted his good intentions) when he heard the sweeping of large wings behind him. The wing beats drew closer and closer before speeding up rapidly, then dying completely, indicating that whatever had just flown near him had landed; firm hoofsteps that approached and stopped directly behind him confirmed it, and with one last baleful glare at the stubborn stallion before him, Dark turned to see who had arrived.

The newcomer was a large, dark brown Pegasus with a black mane and tail; he rustled his wings in what Dark could only assume was irritation as he took a few more steps towards the black unicorn, his sky-blue eyes carefully neutral even if his wings weren’t. Dark’s eyes wandered past the large pony and saw that a good deal of citizens, who had been doing their best to ignore him up to this point, were now turning their eyes to the situation, as if this pony before him were well-known to them and was here to deal with the unruly stranger.

Dark could barely stop himself from rolling his eyes. If this is the sheriff and I’m under arrest… this is going to be extremely awkward.

Thankfully, the Pegasus stallion smiled at Dark Star in a friendly fashion. “Good morning to you, sir.” His voice was deep and soothing, and his words carried a comforting weight to them. The stallion tilted his head slightly to one side. “Is… there some kind of problem? I keep getting reports of a strange pony in town, pressing my citizens for information.”

Dark Star straightened to his full height, topping the large Pegasus by perhaps half a head. “Your citizens?” he asked.

“That is correct, sir,” the Pegasus replied, extending his wings slightly and giving Dark Star a deep nod. “My name is Downdraft, and I am the Mayor of Clyde’s Dale.” He raised his head, and when his eyes met Dark’s again there was an edge of distrust in their formerly neutral depths. “And I can’t help but wonder why a pony, cloaked and hooded as you are, would be bothering the ponies of my town in such a way.”

The accusation was thin, and normally Dark would have let it slide; but his patience was easily as thin as the accusation in Downdraft’s voice, and right at that moment he didn’t feel particularly inclined towards verbal grace.

“And I can’t help but wonder why your citizens can’t seem to answer a few simple questions,” Dark growled. “Questions that should not require me the better part of the morning to procure answers to.”

Downdraft’s eyes narrowed and he glanced over Dark’s shoulder to the shopkeeper pony behind him. “Granite Seed?” he said.

The gray stallion turned to face the Mayor. “Yessir?”

“What did this pony ask you?”

Granite’s eyes went to Dark, and the stallion was surprised by the triumph he saw there. They really must have confidence that this Pegasus can deal with me properly. “Well sir,” Granite said, “he asked me about why there were groups of ponies moving around the streets so secret-like, and what had happened to spook everypony so.” He sat up straight on his stool, his eyes closed proudly. “I didn’t tell him a ruttin’ thing, neither, sir.”

Downdraft turned his eyes back to Dark, and now the disapproval was plain on his features. “Asking about what’s scared everypony,” he repeated. “And what makes you think that anything has scared these fine folks?”

Dark was hard-pressed not to roll his eyes at the other stallion. “Oh come now. Regardless of what kinds of ponies usually visit your town, I assure you that I am no fool, Downdraft- I’ve been hearing whispered conversations all morning about how somepony has gone missing. I’ve seen groups gather and disperse as if running a census on the town, and I’ve seen the faces of the mares and stallions, eyes darting to and fro as if afraid that some nightmare is going to phase out of the very woodwork around them and spirit them away.” He shifted his shoulders, his eyes firm and confident. “And I’ve been called many things, but paranoid is not one of them.”

The Pegasus watched Dark for several moments, his eyes sweeping him from hoof to mane. Finally, the Mayor shifted his hooves slightly and nodded.

“What you say is true,” he conceded. "You are not paranoid; something has happened here…” Now the Mayor’s eyes became firm once more. “…but it is nothing that we cannot handle ourselves. So, while I thank you for your concern, mister…” He hesitated, and then smiled ever so slightly. “I’m sorry; I don’t believe I caught your name.”

“I don’t believe I threw it,” Dark retorted, his face blank. The Mayor squinted at him with one eye, then raised his eyebrows and sighed before moving on.

“At any rate, stranger, I can assure you that whatever problems we are having we can take care of them without assistance from any outsiders.” Downdraft stepped backwards and gestured towards the road with his wing, a road that was all but choked with onlookers to the conversation between the two large stallions. “I would ask that you stop harassing my citizens, and be on your way.”

“And just what are we doing to “solve” these problems of ours, Mr. Mayor?!” a voice called from the crowd. Dark blinked, and turned his eyes to the ponies surrounding them, trying to find who had spoken. And it didn’t take long for him to find them, because the crowd began to murmur almost immediately as it shifted and parted, allowing a small mare and her smaller foal to come trotting up the newly-created aisle, straight to the Mayor.

The Pegasus smiled at the mare, though it was obvious that he had to force it something awful. “Mrs. Turnover,” he said, his voice as saccharine sweet as any Dark had ever heard. “And how are you doing today?”

“Don’t give me that,” the mare hissed, her red mane draping over one of her dangerously hooded eyes. “Don’t you dare talk to ME that way Downdraft.” She stepped further into the circle surrounding the two stallions, her son, Cinnamon, huddled behind her legs, shooting furtive glances between Dark and the Mayor. Cherry Turnover glared at the Mayor with undisguised disdain as she stalked towards him, her ears pinned against her head.

“What seems to be the problem, Mrs. Turnover?” Downdraft said, his voice never losing its sugary-sweet edge; but Dark Star knew that he couldn’t be the only pony in the group to see the tiniest flame of ire spark to life in the Pegasus’ eyes.

“The PROBLEM,” she spat, “is that you keep telling us that ‘We can take care of it without outside help, we can take care of this if we just stick together’… but we’re not DOING anything about it!”

Downdraft sighed. “Mrs. Turnover- Cherry- please, you have to understand that I’m doing everything I can-,”

“That’s what you said the last time this happened,” Cherry said, the green flecks in her brown eyes flashing accusatorially. “And the time before that… and the time before that!!” She turned to the crowd of ponies, clearly trying to rally support. “Every time somepony goes missing, Downdraft tells us to let him take care of it, to trust him… but every time we do, more ponies go missing!” She rounded on the Pegasus again as a murmur of agreement rose from the gathered ponies, a victorious smile touching her lips. “We need help, Downdraft- and this stranger seems ready to offer to do just that, and you’re chasing him out of town!”

The Pegasus was silent for a moment before shuffling his wings slightly. “Taking up your husband’s cry, I see,” he said softly.

“I have to,” Cherry Turnover said just as quietly in return. “He was one of those taken last night.” Beneath his mother, Cinnamon winced as if he’d been struck, and the mare looked down at her son, trying to give him a confident smile. “We’ll find him,” she said softly, nuzzling the colt’s brown mane. “You’ll see.”

Downdraft looked at Cinnamon, and his eyes softened slightly… but just as quickly Dark saw the resolve strengthen in them, and as it did, his hopes of convincing the Mayor to let him help flickered.

“…I sympathize with you, Cherry… truly, I do,” he said, his voice gentle. He turned back to Dark Star, his jaw clenched. “But I can’t help but wonder exactly what brought this stranger to our town on the night of one of these attacks,” he said, loudly enough for the whole crowd to hear. “I don’t normally accuse ponies without proof,” he continued in a normal tone as whispers rippled along the ring of ponies around them. “But I’m afraid that the situation being what it is I’m still going to have to ask you to leave, stranger.”

“What?!” Cherry seemed almost fit to scream. “What?! You… you’re still making him leave?!”

“What choice do I have, Cherry?” Downdraft said, turning his head to face her. “I have to be suspicious of any stranger ponies in town; it’s a part of my job, and part of keeping you all safe.” Before the brown mare could say anything to the contrary, the Pegasus turned back to Dark Star, his eyes hard. “Please take no offense, but you need to take your leave- north or south, it doesn’t matter to me; but you need to be on your way.”

Dark studied the Pegasus for a long moment as the crowd around him started to mutter louder, their voices rising and falling like the wind through the high trees of the forest. His eyes went to Cherry Turnover, who looked about ready to fall over on the spot from incredulity and anger; then they went to the colt between her front hooves, and Dark felt his heart wrench at the look of absolute desolation on the poor foal’s face. The night before, Cinnamon Turnover had been bouncing in the street, begging to hear adventure stories from far away, a bundle of energy that seemed to have no limits… but now, he looked as if every last dream he’d ever had had been taken from him and smashed before his very eyes. He looked as if he would never smile, ever again… and that struck deep into Dark Star’s heart.

He turned his eyes back to the Mayor, his mouth a firm line. “…and if I refuse?” he asked quietly.

Without a word, Downdraft’s wings extended ever so slightly outwards and upwards, a display that was as old as ponykind, and one that Dark knew well: Just try it.

The unicorn closed his eyes and smiled ever so slightly. “I see. Then I won’t fight you; I’ll leave peacefully… if you tell me one thing.” He raised his eyes to Downdraft once more. “Who is taking the ponies from your town?”

Before Downdraft could say anything, Cherry Turnover spoke. “We don’t know who they are exactly, but they’re ponies,” she said quickly. “We’ve found hoofprints outside the houses that were broken into.” Downdraft gave her a sharp glare, but she wasn’t about to be deterred now. “The prints all lead off into the forest to the west, but every time we send ponies in to investigate… they disappear, too.”

“That is ENOUGH, Cherry,” Downdraft snapped, his eyes blazing with anger, but Dark Star raised a hoof.

“All right, that’s what I wanted to know.” He smiled at Downdraft. “I will be leaving… into the forest, to the west.”

A gasp went up from the ponies surrounding them, and Downdraft’s eyes narrowed.

“You will do no such thing, stranger,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “You’re going to take the road north or south, and-,”

“What difference does it make?” Dark star asked calmly, his face neutral. “I’m leaving your town, just as you wanted.” He shrugged. “I’m gone, out of your mane; what difference to you is it if I leave into the forest?”

“You’re not hearing me, stranger, those woods are DANGEROUS-,”

“So I’ve gathered. I guess if I don’t come back you’ll know for absolutely certain that they really ARE dangerous.”

Downdraft stomped a hoof angrily, gritting his teeth. “I won’t have your blood on my hooves!” he shouted. “This is our problem to deal with!”

Dark Star gave him a small smile. “Downdraft… if they can get my blood on their hooves… then whoever they are, they are much more than you can handle.”

The Pegasus glared at him, distaste clear on his face now. “If you go into those woods, stranger, don’t ever come back here,” he spat. “Because if you do, we’ll assume it’s because you’re one of them, and we’ll treat you accordingly.”

“I think I can handle that,” Dark said. He turned to Cherry Turnover. “I’ll try to find your husband, ma’am,” he said. “I’ll try to find all of your loved ones,” he said loudly, sweeping his eyes over the whole crowd. “And if I’m acting against the wishes of every last one of you in town, then I’m sorry- but I won’t be dissuaded.”

He turned his eyes back to Downdraft, who was glaring at him in something very close to hatred, and offered him a smile. “Look on the bright side, Mr. Mayor,” he said. “I might be able to help, even if you don’t want me to.”

“The only bright side,” Downdraft huffed, “is that I won’t have to see you ever again. I’m telling you, once a pony goes in to the western woods… they don’t come out again.”

Dark grinned. “Then I guess this is goodbye, sir.” He gave Downdraft a nod, then turned smartly and headed off down the street to the west. The crowd around them parted smoothly before the large black stallion; behind him, he could hear the murmurs of the onlookers begin to swell, and amidst it all he could hear Downdraft spouting reassurances of safety and solutions to their problems.

As he approached the edge of town, a series of small, rapid hoofsteps reached his ears, and he turned around to see Cinnamon Turnover racing at him, his eyes wide. Dark smiled within the dark depths of his hood and paused in his course, turning slightly to face the young colt.

“You shouldn’t be away from your mother,” Dark chided gently. “It sounds to me like this town is a bit more dangerous than I thought.”

Cinnamon screeched to a halt before the large stallion, his tiny chest heaving. He held up a hoof as he tried to breathe, indicating that Dark should just wait a moment. It was all the unicorn could do not to chuckle at the smaller pony, but after a dozen or so deep breaths the colt finally spoke.

“Mister… please try to find my Dad,” he said hoarsely. “They took him last night… hit my Mom an’ knocked her out ‘fore they did…” His tiny jaw clenched, and he looked up at Dark with blazing anger in his young eyes. “I want you t’ make ‘em pay for hurting my Mom, for takin’ my Dad! I… I wish I could go with you, an’ hurt them a whole lot myself!”

The large stallion’s smile shrank, and with a sigh he shook his head slightly. “Young colt,” he said gently. “You’re thinking about this the wrong way.”

Cinnamon blinked. “…wha?”

Dark Star threw back the edge of his cloak, revealing the shining sword at his side. “Do you see this, Turnover?” he asked. The colt’s eyes were as wide as dinner plates as he nodded. “Do you know what this is?” Another almost reverent nod as the colt stared at the sword. Dark smiled slightly, and with a touch of magic he slid the blade from its sheath, the long sliver of metal glinting brightly in the sunshine as he held it out for the colt to see. “I made this sword a very, very long time ago, when I was somepony very different,” he said softly. “I trained for a very long time to be good with this weapon, so good that nopony else could beat me. It was my special talent, once upon a time, and I was good enough that I became a very important pony.”

“Wow…”

“But then I did something that I was not supposed to,” Dark said, and with a sharp snap of his magic the blade flicked to the side, then flew back to the sheath and slid into it with a click. “I tried to use that talent to hurt others for selfish reasons, reasons that got many ponies hurt and even killed.” He smiled down at the colt. “I realize, now, that I had gone against the most important thing you learn as a knight.”

Cinnamon stared up at him. “…a-and what’s that?” he whispered.

“Use your talents to help those who cannot help themselves,” Dark said. “And never use them just to try and hurt others for revenge; sometimes we have to fight, young colt, but we must make sure it is for the right reasons- and revenge is a very poor reason, indeed.”

“Then… then why are you doin’ this?” the colt asked him, tilting his head to the side quizzically. “You’re not goin’ in for revenge… then why do this, when you could get killed??”

Dark closed his eyes, and smiled again. Oh Luna… sometimes I wonder if they weren’t right to call you a goddess all those years ago; if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were hoof-picking these situations for me… After a moment he sighed and opened his eyes before answering.

“Because I have the power to help your town, Turnover; and those with the power to help should always lend a hoof when they are needed.”

With one last nod to the colt, Dark turned towards the line of trees outside of town and started towards it, leaving Cinnamon Turnover standing in the street, watching him go. He was almost to the trees when a small voice floated to him across the distance:

“I believe in you, mister! Thank you!”

The stallion smiled slightly beneath his hood. Somehow, the “thank you” of a foal didn’t feel as wrong as the thanks of full-grown ponies… and he wasn’t about to let that colt down. Slowly but surely the forest rose around him, quickly blotting out the noonday sun and plunging him into darkness.

Comments

[Lelouch Vi Britania]

I really, really, want to punch that mayor.

[Aeternus Frigore]

oh great now i have to wait for another damn chapter , but alas keep up the good work

[Applejack-fan]

Dark Star is just a freaking BOSS!!! In your face Downdraft (which I'm sure you're somehow behind it all)!!!