//------------------------------//
// 13 Honest Death 
// Story: Blitz And Balance 
// by Ennelly Von Swortts 
//------------------------------//


Author:  Ennelly Von Swortts 


Co-Author:  ElectroPHX228 


Chapter Thirteen:  Honest Death 


 

  The road was long as the four ponies got ever closer to their goal.  Silver glanced at Trixie.  She seemed to be angry.  A frown upon her face, and determination in her eyes made it clear she wasn't going to stop easily.  He glanced at the sun as it moved ever closer to the western horizon to his left.

  After what happened the night before, Trixie nearly took off right then.  Silver had managed to keep her at the camp, if only by stepping in front of her wagon to sleep.  They had gotten up almost before the sun that morning, and had been making Good time since.  Another day, and they'd be on the other side of the hills in the large valley where Ponyville sat.

  Red Delicious walked between the wagons as they were pulled side by side.  "What has ye'al so determined to get to Ponyville, lass?"  He asked the showmare.

  She kept her gaze straight ahead as she answered.  "Trixie has one friend only.  And she lives in Ponyville.  If anything happens to her, Trixie will go after the Nightmares and their master herself.  If Trixie fails, it would be better then living without friends again."  Silver glanced at her.

  "If you want to protect your friend, we have a surefire way to get rid of the Nightmares and their master.  It won't be easy, and it is also why we are bringing you with us."  He said.

  "Trixie has a question.  How was she able to drive the first Nightmare off, and how can she use that power again?  Trixie wishes to learn how to use it at will."  Trixie glanced at Silver.

  Silver closed his eyes for a moment.  "That power was the power of balance released when you used your element.  Strong emotion can set it off.  Strife tends to go hand in hand with anger.  Fear and Kindness are the same.  But really, it could have been any strong emotion.  If you want to use that kind of power at will, you first have to master yourself and your element."

  Trixie looked thoughtful for a moment.  "Trixie will do whatever it takes."  She said.

  Silver nodded.  "True mastery of oneself is easier said then done.  I myself, am close.  Mastery of ones element, however, is harder.  A true master of their element is more powerful then what you held for that brief time the other day.  You have a ways to go to achieve complete mastery over yourself, before you can reach mastery over your element.  Now tell me, Trixie, what is it of yourself you shun with such force?"

  Trixie looked thoughtful.  "Trixie would have to say her past.  She has done things she wishes she could erase."

  Silver smiled.  She wasn't being difficult yet.  "Good.  You know what you shun, at least in part.  That's more then most ponies admit right away.  The next step is to accept them as a part of who you are.  By accepting it, you create an inner balance of your mind and soul."

  Trixie's face showed guilt.  Heavy guilt.  "Trixie does not know if she can do that..."

  "You can.  But only if you try will you see it.  You don't have to accept it all at once either."  Silver glanced at the setting sun as Trixie thought.  "We'll have to stop soon.  We don't want to get caught in the dark."

  Trixie turned to Silver.  "What kind of power will Trixie have?"

  "Once you've mastered your element?"  Trixie nodded.  "A true master of Strife can take a room full of close friends who never really argue, and have them screaming murder as they try to kill each other within minutes just by walking through the door.  Or take a room full of enemies trying to kill each other, and have them sharing drinks around within minutes of walking in said door.

  "But that isn't the power you are after.  That power comes from mastery and balance of oneself, and ones element.  You achieved a temporary balance within yourself the other day, and took the excess magic from receiving Strife, creating a magic overflow of magic you then used to go after the Nightmare in your anger."  Trixie nodded.  "That was weak when compared to what you will hold with true balance and mastery."

  Ground Frost stepped up besides Silver as the sun sank past the horizon.  "That clear spot looks like a nice camp spot."  The group quickly set up camp to their liking.

...0.. 

  Trixie watched as the Unicorn known as Ground Frost light the fire.  Silver had given her a lot to think about.  Thinking back to her old life, she saw how she hadn't really been a good pony.  Always causing fights and strife among others, she had just been greedy for any bits she could get.  As she thought back to the past, she realized she couldn't run from who she used to be.  It was a part of her, and always would be.  Slowly, she began to accept who she had been was a part of what she was today.

  And that was ok, she decided.  It may be a part of her, but it didn't control her.  A weight slowly eased off her shoulders as she accepted her past more and more.  She felt her jealousy and anger finally begin to truly fade for the first time she could remember.  She took a shaky breath as she smiled a true smile of piece for the first time.


  Silver sat across from her.  "I see you've made major headway.  Impressive, really.  Tell me, what have you accepted that has brought this about."  His friendly smile tried to plaster itself on Trixie's face, but couldn't quite make the jump across the fire.

  Trixie was dealing with something she hadn't since she was just a filly.  "Trixie has- I mean I have accepted I am who I am.  Not just some role in a play I was the star character of.  I distanced my conscience from my body and soul, because they didn't feel like me.  I now know I am my own mare.  My past is mine, and mine alone.  There is no use running from it."  She smirked.  "I realized it was like trying to run from your own tail."

  Silver nodded. "Consider me impressed.  You accepted the change easily, and much faster then most.  But are you fully at piece, or is there something you have yet to accept?  You should ask yourself that."  Trixie nodded.

  "Tri- I mean I had a time I was filled with jealousy and anger.  I went after and found the Alicorn Amulet.  During that time, I made several bad choices.  I don't know if it was me or the Amulet, but some things in my head...  I can't accept that it was me.  And yet...  She trailed off as memories passed through her head.  Of how the thoughts hadn't stopped.

  Silver looked up.  "An Alicorn Amulet you say?"  Trixie nodded, still thinking on the past.  "Wait, you wouldn't be the same mare who took one of those things to Ponyville, are you?"  Trixie's wince was enough of an answer.  He smiled at her with understanding in his eyes.  "Now I know why you haven't achieved balance of mind yet.

  "Let me explain how the Amulets work.  They were made by members of the Order of Balance back some twenty thousand years ago.  Being made with balance in mind, they were designed to take power from all emotions.  When you put one on, it drew most of its power from your anger and jealousy.  In turn, it gave you power born of the same emotions.  If somepony with balance of mind, however, puts it on...  It pulls from all the wearer's emotions."

  "So it made my emotions stronger, which in turn influenced my thoughts?"  Trixie asked.

  Silver nodded.  "It didn't try to influence your thoughts.  Everything you thought, still think, are your own.  I can understand it will take time to accept them, but at least your trying."  Something flashed between them, blowing the wind to the side for a moment.  A trail of a black whispy substance was left behind.

  The ponies were on high alert instantly.  Laughter echoed through the darkness outside the fire.  Without warning, something sped between them, putting out the fire.  "You were warned not to continue.  After I have my... fun here, Ponyville will be wiped from the map.  Permanently."  Red Delicious suddenly cried out.  Trixie fired a light spell where he was standing, only to find the pony missing.

  Laughter again echoed through the dark.  "This stallion is mine now.  He'll make a nice gift for my master."  Trixie had had enough.  The voice had threatened the only friend she had.  She was tired of hearing that same old threat.  She was beyond angry.  She was pissed

  Trixie's head filled with thoughts.  Dark, dark thoughts about what she would do to the voice.  Thoughts she would normally shun, and push to the back of her mind.  But this time, she did not shun them.  Instead, she embraced them.  Suddenly, the darkness disappeared.  She could see better then she had ever before.  She saw a gray Pegasus a good courter mile away.  Then her anger dissipated, and she saw the Pegasus in startling detail.  Every filament on every feather.  Each strand of gray fur.

  She saw no face.  A red, crossed out circle was on its flank.  Next to the Nightmare was an Earth pony piled in a heap.  She saw Red Delicious in the same detail as the Nightmare.

  The Nightmare opened its wings, unaware Trixie saw it coming.  Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as it flew straight at her.  Trixie's horn glowed as she prepared a spell, before firing it in the thing's face.  She watched as it, too late, tried to doge.  The fire ball exploded, throwing it's target over a hill.  Trixie's horn glowed for a moment before she disappeared in a flash of light.

...0... 

  Silver felt the power seeping off Trixie in waves.  Ground Frost cast a calming aura to calm his nerves, and the power coming of Trixie increased tenfold.  Her eyes glowed a faint gold as she stared at a point in the dark.  Silver knew this power.  It was something he had once used.  It was the power of balance of one self, with the power of an element.  Even if it wasn't mastered yet.

  Trixie's horn glowed before sending a large fireball straight ahead.  He caught a brief glimpse of something as it exploded.  A moment later, Trixie teleported away.

  Ground Frost looked at Silver in the faint light of the embers that remained of the fire.  "Was that what I thought it was?"

  "The power of balance only a bearer can hold?  Yes."  Ground frost suddenly fired a spell over Silver's shoulder.

  "I must return this to you, as I have no interest of accepting it."  The spell flew back at Ground Frost as Silver turned.  A gray, faceless Unicorn stood on the edge of the low light.  "I'm going to take care of you while my companions take care of your friend who has gained some unwanted power.  Goodbye."  A bright flash of light sent something flying into the Nightmare even as it charged a spell.

  The gray Pegasus quickly untangled itself and spred it's wings in time for another flash to send something into it without warning.  Before any of them could move, Trixie appeared in a flash of light and contained the three figures.  The third was a gray earth pony with no face.

  Silver raised an eyebrow.  "You were saying?"  All three Nightmares disappeared.  Before Silver could even blink, a loud explosion to his right threw him to the ground.  Dazed, he looked up to see Trixie walking toward the new crater.

  "You really thought I wasn't prepared for a teleportation spell?  I saw it coming a mile away.  Now, you will face my wrath."  With that, she stepped down into to crater, soon followed by the screams of the three Nightmares.  What felt like hours passed before Trixie left the crater as her eyes slowly returned to their normal color.  Looking around, a look of confusion crossed her face.  "Where's Ground Frost?"  She asked.

  A single, bone chilling scream answered her question.  Silver shook his head as he sat up.  Looking around, he could not see anypony other then him and Trixie.  "It seems the shadows have claimed him."  Silver said somewhat shakily.  Trixie's eye twitched.  Turning, she fired a fireball into the crater.

...0... 

  Applejack was looking forward to a good night's rest after a hard day of Apple bucking.  As she walked into her room, though, fear gripped her heart in a death hold.  As quickly as it had come, it was gone.  She felt like something was missing.  "There goes a good night's rest."  She muttered to herself as she closed the door.

...0... 

  Twilight was zoned out as she read a new book.  This one held legends and stories from the time before Equestria was founded.  And a few since then.  'Tales of Balance Third Edition' was shaping to be an interesting read.

  Without warning, fear gripped her heart.  The book fell to the ground as Twilight's magic failed.  Just like that, it was gone.  She felt as if something was missing.  Something she'd had for a long time.

  She took a deep breath before turning to the many shelves of her castle's library.  Frowning, she started going through books, looking for one that could explain what just happened.  'Tales of Balance Third Edition' layed on the floor, forgotten.  The title of the page facing up was 'The connection between bearers and elements'.

...0... 

  The light of the morning sun revealed two mutilated bodies within sight of a camp with two wagons.  Silver and Trixie carefully buried both, before leaving down the road.  Trixie had become more reclusive after she'd defeated the Nightmares, and Silver couldn't get her to say a word even as they left a crater with three gray and battered bodies.

  Perhaps an hour or so after the ponies left, a sudden fog rolled in, bringing a sharp chill.  Tree branches bent in unnatural ways, looking too much like claws reaching toward the crater for comfort.  The Nightmares knew what it meant.  He had come.  sound of hooves on cobblestone slowly reached their ears.  A figure slowly appeared out of the fog.  An impossibly skinny figure just slightly taller then Celestia. A faceless figure.

  The gray Pegasus winced.  "She was much stronger then anticipated.  She took us by surprise."

  The Earth Pony cocked its head to the side.  "She sure has a kick."  The figure above them turned its attention to the remaining Nightmare.

  "Wing speaks true.  I noticed, however, it didn't feel like just her.  It felt like something was giving her power, keeping her...  Balanced."  The figure took a sudden step back.

  All three Nightmares went wide eyed.  Nightmare Wing took a slow, deep breath.  "It was him, wasn't it.  It was-"  It cut off as the figure before them faced it.  Nightmare Wing reeled back as far as possible, fear coming off it in waves.  "I-I didn't-t m-mean a-a-anything-g!"  it was left shaking as the figure turned slightly away from the Nightmares.

  All three Nightmares froze.  "W-weak?  W-what are you going-"  The Unicorn cut off as black tentacles reached for them from the figure's back.  Three screams echoed loudly through the fog, reaching the ears of two ponies several miles outside the edge of the white substance.

…0… 

  Trixie paused.  "Sounds like something has gotten to them.  I strongly hope we don't encounter whatever it is that could make those three scream like that."  Silver stated to her, who nodded.