//------------------------------// // Frightful Betrayal // Story: Dancing with the Devil // by Nathaniel Fray //------------------------------// I so wanted to forget the last chapter and move on... gee, I'm excited! *rubs hands* so let’s take the devil for a dance and start this story! Chapter 3: Frightful Betrayal -Quite wondrous indeed, I surely wasn't expecting you to be so swift… - Trixie said, approaching us with her trademark smirk. I glared at her and took a step backwards, tightly holding the unicorn between my arms, as she was the most precious and fragile thing in the universe. -Promise me that you won't hurt her…- I say, slowly and with clear voice. Her left eyelid twitched briefly, I acted as I didn’t notice. -I won't, you have my word- I feigned a sigh of relief; I knew she was lying, she wasn’t good at it, not when I was the one she had to speak with at least –The next step will take place at 10:00 this morning, release her- She ordered, I reluctantly freed the unicorn from my protective embrace. Twilight shirked to the left as soon she was able to move by herself, glaring at Trixie with hatred; she didn’t turn her gaze to me. I fell on my right knee, wheezing harshly: I was exhausted, and the teleportation spell hadn't help at all. Still, I kept my head poised, observing the tense meeting between the two unicorns. -You… you forced him to… you soulless monster! –Twilight roared. Her eyes suddenly shut down, and her legs flexed. The muscles and veins in her forehead tensed, forming bulgy lines. Trixie chuckled, a short, mocking laugh. A shimmering blue rope appeared from behind her. -Your magic won’t work here sweetie, now be a good girl and don’t move- The rope sprang towards Twilight’s mouth in the blink of an eye, wrapping itself around the head of the unicorn with a swift twirl. Trixie restrained the purple unicorn in place with a spell before focusing on me –Are you alright? – She asked in a soothing whisper, I forced a smile. -I just… had a… hard day… I’ve barely slept an hour… in two days… - I say, each word draining the few oxygen in my lungs. Trixie placed one hoof under my chin, lifted my head, and kissed me deeply but gently, purring inside my mouth as I caught up. The red mark painted on my chest seemed to turn back to life, blazing with blinding light, a shine that was in par with my anger. Twilight muffled screams now had a touch of confusion in them. -You think he would kiss me like this if I was forcing him? – Trixie said arrogantly as we got separated; Twilight screams were now a soundless sob. Her gaze fell, tears flooding her eyes, downhearted. I looked away and stood up, dagger on my hand. -Take this, I’ve had enough blood for days… - I whisper, offering the red dagger to Trixie. The unicorn nodded and advanced towards it. -Ow! – She yelped, lurching backwards as a flash of candent red light sparkled as soon her hoof contacted with the blade. A red aura proceeded to envelop the edge, increasing its overall longitude by three times –Looks like she made a good job…- The unicorn whispered to herself, her lips curving in a smile. I sighed and placed the blade inside one of my pockets. Its aura faded away, as if it was pleased to be with me once again. -Look at you… has he broken your heart? Did you honestly think he loved you for once…? – Trixie asked sarcastically, fully focusing on Twilight once again, the unicorn rose her teary eyes and shot her a cold glare –I’ll send someone to wake you up when the time comes, sleep all the time you want… darling- She added with emphasis, refusing to look back to me. The blue unicorn walked towards the door, magically dragging Twilight behind her like a sack. Her purple gaze met mine; no emotion shone in her eyes. I had time to whisper a silent “Hold on” before the door closed between us. I gave them a 1 minute edge before rushing towards the door, trying to open it. I bitted my tongue as the knob didn’t respond to my jerks. I was expecting it, but imaging one thing is easier to experience it, the locked door made the overall plan harder. I strode around the room nervously for a couple of minutes, trying to order my thoughts, but exhaustion blurred my mind. I sat on the bed, unable to keep my eyes open, and somehow drifted into a hazy sleep. 9 hours later… -Nathan… - A sweet and familiar voice echoed inside my hollow dream, waking me up –Open your eyes… - I sighed and blurrily glimpsed the doorframe: still closed shut, but I stood up anyways. Still rubbing the sleep off my eyes, I realized something. “Nathan?” The door knob rotated with a low screech as I groaned in pain: I had hurt myself in one eye, distracted by my own mind. A thin, golden figure appeared from the other side of the door. I cleaned the tears hindering my sight and gave a better look to the… -Sara? – I ask in a mix of horror, bliss and confusion, stepping backwards and brandishing the dagger defensively. I blinked and shook my head, my pupils finally decided to focus, sharpening my vision. I froze in place, with my mouth wide open in a now full-scale cold fear. The hand grasping the dagger shook wildly at each exhalation coming from my suddenly sore throat. The figure widened her arms and lunged towards me in an embrace, just to halt without the tiniest flinch a couple of meters ahead from my position. Her warm and familiar expression morphed into a glacial and emotionless mask. It was her: Isabelle Fray. -Mother? – I croak, hiding the blade, as there was no way I could even think about hurting her. At first I thought it was that hellish beast that had the shape of my girlfriend when I first saw it, but this was 10 times worse. “Is she real…? Can Trixie magic… summon her?” -You must follow me- She said, I couldn’t recognize a single emotion in her tone. Her factions suddenly twisted with worry –I’m so sorry… - She murmured with passion. Her eyes became reddish, as she was about to cry. I glared at her, with my mind much more organized than before. Her golden hair, sharp factions, stormy gray eyes... she was like a mirror in certain aspects. Her tallness and beauty didn’t surprise me: She was still young when she left us. -Why should I trust you? – I ask with neutral voice, Isabelle looked down; a shining tear fell on the floor. Its owner broke into a weep. -She'll hurt me if you don't obey… - She whispered between sobs and more tears, my muscles tensed as I closed distances with her. -Then better if we don't make her wait… - I say in a whisper as I got close enough, she nodded, gave me a warm smile, and turned back gracefully. "You must kill her! She's a monster!" I walked behind her without trying to haste our march. Her feet didn’t seem to be touching the floor, the long, white slink she wore waved at each silent step. “Kill her” After some turns to the right, and one to the left “kill her…”, a long corridor, with two familiar black doors on the other side “Kill her”, waited for us. I followed my mother as she slid on the floor with an eerie calm. The doors opened by themselves as she “Kill her!” got close. -Did you like my surprise, Nate? – Trixie asked, she was wearing those jeweled robes I had briefly seen on my first “visit” to the fort, and her always-present smirk of confidence drawn on her mouth. I didn’t answer, part because of the soul-gnawing rage I felt, part because of who she had on her side. On her left, a sweaty Twilight was chained to the ground. She had black half-moons under her eyes, and a twitch on her hooves. She gave me a look full of horror, and… was she begging for mercy? My heart shrank as she started to sob once again. My mother slid behind both of the unicorns without gazing at any of them, and fixed her eyes on one point between the black doors, apparently unaware of anything happening around her. I walked on Twilight’s left, facing Trixie, hands behind my back, near the pocket holding the dagger. We were on the weapons room, on my right hand side, the semicircle and the cabinets holding my remaining weapon and pieces of armor were silent spectators of what was happening in front of them. -As I said, I will not hurt her- Trixie started, I didn’t like her tone a single bit. Her horn shimmered as a blue screen appeared where once the doors were. Blurry shapes could be noticed within the heavy static.Ten seconds later, the image became clear and colorful: Princess Celestia was tapping the white tapestry on the floor in front of her throne. Her factions were twisted in sadness: glazed and tired eyes, lips bluish and thin, a visible urge on her movements and expression… on her left, a dejected Luna nodded down to the floor, her mouth was moving, but sound needed a couple of extra seconds to catch up. - …there are no reports or sightings of neither Twilight nor Nathaniel… patrols on the forest don’t have much hope in finding them… - The night princess explained huskily. -I shouldn’t have let that creature free… - Celestia hissed with hatred. Her voice sounded much more different if I compare it with the one she used on our first meeting -Don’t say that sister! We don’t know if he has something to do with her disappearance! – Luna replied with energy. I couldn’t keep looking: she defended the indefensible. -… you will be the one to hurt her- Trixie finished her phrase, long seconds of silence followed, my mind trying to process and link her words. My head poised in understanding, my wide-open eyes fixed on the smiling blue unicorn. -You can’t be serious- I say, a sparkle of red flashed in front of my eyes. The gigantic claymore and the black armors materialized next to me, the tip of the blade was stuck on the floor, its hilt few centimeters away from my hands. -Wear them- Trixie ordered coldly, I bitted my lip and obeyed –We’ll go live in three minutes, the execution of Twilight Sparkle will be broadcasted for every single citizen in Canterlot, and the blackmailing part will be done- Trixie explained as I tightened the gloves in silence –We had agreed about this before, Nate- She added sourly. There wasn’t any trace of sweetness on her voice: I was talking with a psychopath, a psychopath that wanted to recruit a new member for the club. “This is not going well” I wrapped my hand around the hilt of the claymore, lifting the surprisingly light blade up in the air. I rested its edge on my shoulders, and lowered the mouth protector of the helmet. My breathing echoed inside the hollow interior of the armor. -1 minute- Trixie said, the loud weeps of Twilight barely allowed me to hear her. “This is it…” Trixie retouched her tilted hat, her horn started to shine. “…now it’s the time to choose…” -It’s on- “…farewell…” The screen flashed, and millions of faces appeared on it. Surprise, commotion and confusion crossed their factions. A couple of seconds was enough to make everyone understand what was going on. Millions of eyes focused on us. Trixie cleared her throat, and spoke with clear voice. -Citizens of Canterlot…- Trixie started to say, a quick explanation of the situation (she didn’t talk about the oncoming execution, nor she talked about me), a long of speech of her motivations followed -… this is the beginning of our rising. Your leaders have 3 minutes to decide… and we’ll make sure they choose well… - Trixie finished saying, adding her typical smirk as cherry of the cake. A quick flash of two crying unicorns appeared on the screen. A wide-eyed Twilight screamed, the rope didn’t muffle her words well enough. Mom, dad, she said. Their faces faded away, now the screen was showing the princesses, their pupils darted left and right, trying to make sense of the situation. Trixie suddenly appeared next to me. I swallowed hard as her hoof rubbed my waist, slowly climbed up my chest, stopping around my neck. The helmet fled away as she pushed upwards. -I present you the tool of your destruction- Trixie said with solemnity. Recognition flashed on the princesses faces. Trixie placed her hooves on my shoulders, and used them to rose herself until her mouth was grazing my ear –Do it- She whispered, with a sudden tinge of sweetness in her tone. I blinked, ignored the angry stare of Celestia, and the confusion in Luna’s face, and turned to Twilight. I heard Trixie chuckling, proud, before teleporting back to her place. I raised the claymore, holding it with both hands, until the bottom of the hilt was above my head. -Surrender, or she’ll be the first of many- Trixie said, ominous, turning her head towards the screen. I lunged forwards, and lowered the blade with strength. I could hear Twilight, Luna, Celestia and every single citizen of Canterlot scream in horror. A blinding pain made me fell on my knees, holding my head between my hands. Trixie’s unconscious body fell on the floor with a thud, next to the claymore, whose hilt was tainted with her blood. The screen faded away a second later, leaving the room under an unnatural silence. Between wheezing and grunts of pain, I opened one eye and looked to my right. My eye widened in fear as the horribly twisted face of my mother lunged towards me with a deafening shriek: -Welcome to your hell- It said. Nightmare… The warm and pleasant breeze blowing on my face was so peaceful that it took me a fair amount of time to gather the energy to push my eyes open: Cloudy sky on top of me. I looked to my left: My gaze got lost in the immensity of the ocean. I gasped in fear, standing up with a sudden outburst of movement and energy. I strode backwards between yelps and unintelligible jabbering until my back collided with a solid and spiky surface. I groaned in pain and turned back. My heart rushed within my chest: An unnaturally high and rocky cliff blocked every single way out, isolating me in a 3 meter square of soaked-sand beach. My eyes analyzed the rocks nervously; climbing wasn’t a viable option, the only chance was… I turned back, staring at the black water while panting heavily. I couldn’t see the bottom, or an island or even land on the kilometers of water I had in front of me. Swimming was my only and possible way out. I curled, hugging my knees. I was a good swimmer, but oceans horrified me. An indescribable fear. Phobia, they said, but it was so much worse… not being able to see the bottom… the unspeakable creatures that may be staring from the wet abyss… A muffled roar came from the water, making the waves suddenly stop; cutting the breeze abruptly… my own yelps of terror broke the otherwise deadly silence. “Was that some kind of… monster? “ As soon as I thought that, a slimy tentacle appeared from within the black water, wrapped itself around my left leg, and yanked me into the dark depths of the ocean. Bubbles replaced my screams; I helplessly saw how the light of the sun faded away as I got dragged downwards. I rose my hands, trying to catch the blazing star between my palms, but it vanished too quickly. I gathered every single drop of valor in my body and turned back, gazing at the black nothingness. A red shimmer coming from my waist got my attention... my dagger! I swiftly grasped its handle, wanting to kiss the little but loyal blade. Its shining allowed me to see the revolting, yellowish tentacle that kept dragging me deeper and deeper with impressive speed. I didn’t feel the need to breathe, the salty water didn’t hurt my eyes and my eardrums hadn’t burst out from the heavy pressure: I could still fight back. I focused on the slimy grip and aimed an accurate slash. A deafening roar came from the abyss as I severed the tip of the tentacle, the remaining limb retracted into the darkness, leaving back a trail of brownish goo. I shook off the grip from my ankle and projected the blaze of the blade downwards. My whole body shrank in panic as I saw a gigantic shadow approaching me from the darkest of the depths. I felt like I was edging my own insanity: An immense squid, with shining grey eyes, swam from within the dark towards my position. Its size just grew larger at every second. I couldn’t swim up, nor escape: I was too far from the surface, and we both seemed to know it. Every single tentacle of the hellish beast surrounded me, enclosing me in a tight spiral. His mouth opened with a revolting suctioning sound, revealing rows and rows of elongated, yellowish teeth. I slashed the nearest tentacle of the beast in panic, only achieving a dense slime to spurt from the open cut; I groaned and shook the disgusting substance out from my eyes. His mouth kept closing distances with my toes, although his pace was slow, as if he wanted to enjoy the moment. I clenched my teeth, swallowing my fear (and a good dose of salty water) and replacing it with the cold rage I felt minutes ago. A pack of bubbles came from my mouth as I pushed my body downwards, shouting in self-encouragement. His movements became quicker, the distance between dwindled at alarming speed. His mouth, literally, expanded towards me with a bellow, its sharp teeth aiming at my feet. I got hold of a near tentacle, and pulled myself upwards with a strength that only desperate people possess. The lips of the beast closed few centimeters away from my toe tips before starting to slowly retract to its original stance. I freed my hand from the tentacle and joggled my arms, swimming downwards towards his eye as fast as I could. The beast tried to open his mouth, but its lips were glued against each other with its own sticky drool. The pupil of the monster shrank as I thrust the blazing edge of the dagger deep into his iris, mercilessly stabbing the soft flesh. I ignored the reddish ichor floating all over me and kept hammering and yanking violently. The mouth of the beast finally opened with a revolting noise. A powerful roar of pain came from his insides, revving up a heavy current that drove me upwards to the surface. The golden brilliance of the sun got closer as the water below me dragged me to freedom. Not so far from a nightmare… -Nate! Stop! – A female voice shouted, I blinked, confused by the sudden change of surroundings. A translucent shadow was pinned down on the ground below my knees. My hands were moving by themselves, stabbing the chest of the creature with the tiny knife I had borrowed from AppleJack. I blinked once again, and froze my hands in place. Silvery blood covered the otherwise color-sucking armor. I stood up, pressing a hand against my head, some blood was running down my hair, pouring from the same place I had hit Trixie with the hilt of the blade. -Wicked maniac… - I spit, glaring at the unconscious body of the unicorn. I had luck by not fainting with her, but I doubted that I could actually kill her without sharing the same fate. I approached its body, taking the helmet and the claymore from the ground, and throwing the silver knife away. I held both blades with my hands, and placed them in their respective sheathes: dagger on my waist, claymore on my back. The gigantic claymore, which was almost as tall as me, made moving around a little bit awkward, but nothing major. I wore the helmet, and turned to Twilight. The unicorn was at her limit, but she kept her eyes wide open. The rope from her mouth had fallen by itself, but the metallic cuffs held her down firmly. I broke them with a single slash of my dagger. -Why... – The unicorn asked huskily as I helped her to get on her feet. My gaze fell down. -I was forced, you said it before… but I’ve already chosen- I whisper, I gave Twilight a quick kiss on the forehead –There’ll be time to talk about that later, we need to get out of here- I say, opening the black doors slowly, taking my time to peek outside. -What about… her? – Twilight asked, pointing at Trixie, her eyelids fluttered sporadically. -If she gets cut, I get cut… if she dies... – I smiled and shrugged –We’ll find a way to sort this out, now we must get out of here, and fast, she’s about to wake up- I say, offering my hand to the unicorn. -Did you faked… about us? – She asked, refusing to take my open palm. -I did, but I didn’t, I just can’t untangle the mess inside my head right now- I answer, holding my arm poised. Twilight hesitated. -I love you, I just want you to know that… - She added with a blush, I broke into a smile. -Let’s get out of here so I can kiss you like never before- I say, Twilight grinned and walked next to me, taking me by the hand. A groan coming from Trixie made us snap from our candy world, we both frowned and looked back: the blue unicorn hooves twitched as their owner tried to stand up. We both shuffled out of the room and started to run through the corridors. -We’ll never find a way out; we find the same corridor at every turn! – Twilight exclaimed, stopping at the fifth turn to our right, I had to agree with her. -If we could walk through these bloody walls… - I murmur, rubbing its cold white and sighing in hopelessness, a purple spark startled me, I turned at its owner, decision blazed in both her eyes and horn –Twilight… Twilight! – I shout, but it was too late. A bolt of purple lightning crossed the corridor; the unicorn pushed me behind the corner the second before it collided with the wall on the other side. A loud, messy noise, accompanied by a cloud of dust appeared from the corridor. The unicorn smiled proudly and turned the corner, I followed her. The projectile had broke an irregular, but large enough opening on the wall. Something green stood on the other side, breaking the harmony of white. -It’s a tree! Let’s get out of here! – I exclaim, dashing towards freedom, beckoning at the unicorn as I did so –We aren’t that high, ju… - Twilight cut me by squirming under my arm and leaping outside without thinking it twice. I scooted towards the opening, fast enough to see Twilight tail retracting gracefully as she landed without any visible problem. I rose a thumb and crouched so I could fit. I heard a tinkle coming from my collarbone. I frowned, Twilight horn wasn’t shining. I instinctively unsheathed the dagger and turned back, Trixie limped towards me, her horn shimmering; it didn’t take long for her to realize it was useless; spells couldn't control me, not even hers. -You made an outstanding job with this- I snarl cockily, showing her the badges and mimicking her smirk. She clenched her teeth and flexed her hooves, her horn blazing with strength; I widened my eyes and turned on my heels hastily and jumping outside. I heard the buzz of her deadly spell near my ear for a split second before landing on my shoulder and rolling forwards. Twilight helped me to get back on my feet. -I’ve used some magic to know where to go, follow me! – She said, I nodded and started to run behind her, looking over my shoulder. The building was simple in shape and design: Cubic whiteness. Only one color highlighted between the white: A blue figure stared at us through the opening; she pointed at us with one hoof as her lips muttered something I wasn’t able to hear. 2 minutes of running later… A quick succession of unnaturally grave howls stressed over our breaths. -Keep running! – I shout, as Twilight was looking over her shoulder, which made her lose speed. -They didn’t sound that far- She commented while recovering her pace, her panting worried me: she didn’t have much of a rest. 3 minutes of running faster later… -Halt! – Twilight shouted, turning back sharply, I did the same, already grasping the hilt of the claymore. A brief noise of rustling leaves gave place to a couple of menacing bellows. Two large dog-like figures landed on top of a rock, a dozen of meters far from us. I reckoned they looked like the chimeras of the Greek mythology, only without the goat head on their backs. -Take the one on the left! – I shout as the beasts flexed their legs and leaped towards the clearing we were standing on. I lowered the mouth protector of the helmet and ran in front of the unicorn, as the beast I had to take care of was already charging towards her. The snake he had for a tail fixed his yellowish eyes on me. A long, hissing tongue came from his mouth before his body sprang towards me in an outburst of speed. I swiftly jerked my head aside, and unleashed a downwards slash aimed at the disgustingly long neck of the equally disgusting animal. A stream of corrosive green blood showered me, mixing with the already silvery ichor of the shape shifter. Thankfully, the armor shrugged the burning substance as it was nothing. I turned to the lion: he was too close. I just had enough time to brace myself with the thick edge of the blade. His pounce left me breathless, and pinned down right under his drooling mouth. His sharp teeth gnawed the metal of my shoulder, unable to rip through it. I stretched my arm towards the sheath on my waist, and got a good grasp of the dagger. I twirled it on my hand, brandishing it upside down before punching the nose of the lion with the short spikes on my knuckles. The beast bent his head back, yelping at the sight of the bleeding scuff on his nose, I stuck my dagger right between his eyes before he had the chance to move again. The beast roared in pain, standing on his back legs while trying to take the blade out from his skull with his front paws, ripping off more skin from his bloodied face. I dragged myself towards the fallen claymore, and stood up, helping myself with its tip. The beast kept hurting himself while grunting in pain. I held the claymore up in the air, drawing an imaginary dartboard on the stomach of the beast, and lunged, sticking the entire edge deep inside of him. I yanked it out just in time before his lifeless body fell on the floor I was just standing on, revving up a cloud of dust around him. His eyelashes fluttered before closing completely. I yanked out the dagger from his skull with disdain. Yelps coming from over my shoulder made me turn back: Twilight levitated the remaining beast; dozens of purple arrows surrounded him, aiming at his head. He didn’t have the time to yelp again. I ran next to Twilight, who had fell on her knees, panting and throbbing heavily. I felt a new kind of respect towards her: she had proven her braveness. I gently lifted her body between my arms, and carefully carried her as I resumed our flight. 15 minutes later… -Let… me… out! – I yell, slashing the last branch separating us from freedom. A white beam of blinding light burned our eyes, Twilight covered hers with a moan, and so did I. I gazed at the distant town as best as I could –We must convince everyone to leave the town immediately, Trixie was planning to destroy and kill everyone in sight if the blackmailing didn’t work… - I explain, the unicorn between my arms stirred until our eyes met. -Then stop wasting time and keep running- She replied with a mocking smile, I laughed, a short, breathless guffaw, and jogged as fast as my legs allowed me to. The colorful mixes of blood on my armors gleamed under the morning sun. I left Twilight on the ground as we approached the bridge built on the left hand side of the town. -Nopony’s in the streets… strange… - Twilight commented absently as we crossed the bridge and walked between rows of shabby houses. -These don’t like very busy streets if you ask me- I say, staring at the narrow and badly-illuminated roads separating lines of buildings “Suburbs…” The unicorn suddenly halted and poised, pushing me back. She took a peek around the corner we had just stopped on before explaining me what she had seen: -They’ve set up a stage in front of my house, and it looks like the entire town is there- The screech of a microphone being tested emphasized her words, I briefly glimpsed the scene by myself. -We can use the backstage to get in: that microphone might we our only chance to warn every single pony in the town- I say, Twilight agreed with a hum. A slight, purple aura enveloped us. -Invisibility, 30 seconds, hurry! – She explained, already striding towards the backstairs of the scenario, I followed her closely. We climbed the stairs and hid behind the red curtains before the spell ran out. We could see the center of the scenario through a tiny gap between the curtains. -… if any of you sees Twilight, report it to the Princess instantly… - finished saying a grayish-amber pony, her voice resounded, amplified by the speakers, throughout the main road. The crowd (which was surprisingly dense), sighed collectively in sadness. Two familiar Pegasus appeared from the right side; the amber pony gave them a dispirited bow before leaving the stage, also using the stairs on the right. Fluttershy and Dash briefly described me, taking turns to talk, as they couldn’t keep a steady voice long enough. -…If someone sees Nathaniel… please, report it to us… - Fluttershy finished saying, breaking into a sob. I had waited long enough. The horns on my helmet ripped the cloth as Twilight and I appeared from the backstage. The two Pegasus and the entire town gasped in surprise. The purple unicorn joined her friends with watery-eyes, melting into a hug. -You… you are the sick bastard that kidnapped her? I will kill you! – Dash shouted hoarsely, her wings revved up, hooves flexed, ready to fly. I chuckled and caught the Pegasus in the middle of her lunge, sliding up the mouth protector of the helmet and kissing her on the lips as we twirled. The town went deadly silent, staring with confusion and interest at the scene happening right in front of them. -N-Nathaniel? – Dash asked as we got separated, I threw the helmet over my head, and winked an eye to her while nodding. I painfully left the cyan Pegasus on the ground and ordered Fluttershy to stay on her place before walking towards the microphone, the smile on my lips disappeared. -I’ll be quick and concise: we need to evacuate the entire town, right now. Trixie’s army will be here shortly- I took a deep breath, every pony on the crowd stared at their neighbor, murmuring nervously –I was ordered to kidnap Twilight to blackmail the Princess; this was the only way to avoid the destruction of Ponyville… and as you can see, her plan didn’t go quite as planned- I sighed- I’ve seen her army… I was part of it after all… they are ruthless, not even half as clever as I am, they won’t doubt in killing any of you, and neither they will rebel like I did- I wiped out some sweat from my forehead, and leaned forwards, holding the microphone with my hand –We all, ALL, need to get out of here and travel to Canterlot, it’s our only chance to live another day- I finished saying, my argument got reinforced by a chorus or howls, roars, screams and shrieks coming from the forest. I wetted my lips nervously. -This is worse than I thought… - Twilight murmured from behind, I nodded. -We need to get out of here! NOW! – I shout, unsheathing the claymore and pointing its tip towards the distant castle –Run, neatly but fast, never look back, MOVE! – I roar, trying to keep my voice steady. A couple of silent seconds followed my words, before the entire crowd became frenzied and started to scream in panic. I groaned and obliterated one of the speakers with a sweep of my blade, hushing the town –I’ve said with order! – I shout, enraged. The entire town seemed reluctant, but started to form a queue fairly quickly. I sighed in relief and turned back, Rarity and Pinkie had joined the mares. I walked towards Twilight. -Lead them to the castle, keep calm, we are the leaders, we can’t break now. I’ll be in the rearguard, we’ll have time for explanations later, now go! – I whisper, Twilight, followed by Dash and Pinkie, jumped off the stage and circled the crowd by its right side. Fluttershy kept immobile, staring at me with watery eyes and an expression of worry. I had to control myself to avoid hugging her: it wasn’t time for cuddling. -Nate- Rarity said, surprisingly calm –AppleJack and her sister are still in the orchard- The unicorn explained briefly. I bitted my lower lip and widened my eyes, but quickly dashed towards the helmet resting on the ground. -Leave them to me, catch up with them- I order while wearing the piece of armor. Rarity nodded and tried to move Fluttershy from her place, but she shrugged her off and strode towards me –You will not follow me, I will not let her catch any of you- I say, with a tone and a stare full of severity. Fluttershy whispered something before joining Rarity. I turned back and sheathed the blade, but kept my hand wrapped around its hilt as I ran towards the hill the red barn was built, with the progressively louder screaming and roaring coming from the forest as company. The building looked empty from the outside: the doors and windows were close shut. My heart shrank: the house was built dangerously close from the forest. That was enough urge for me: I kicked the door open and dwelled inside. No lights on the lower floor were on. -AJ! – I shout, without any answer. I booked up the stairs; the second floor was completely dark: no light illuminated the stance, and the sunlight couldn’t squeeze through the covered windows. I silently crept through the corridor, placing my ear on each door –AppleJack…? – I ask near the second door on the left, a bit of yellow light squeezed under the doorframe. I heard a quick rustle. I swallowed and opened the door slowly. -Get away from her! –Someone shouted in panic, a pillow and a cloud of feathers appeared in front of my eyes. -AppleJack! It’s me, Nathaniel! Calm down! – I exclaim, rising my arms up in the air. The pony, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, looked at me in the eyes. -Nate…? What are those noises? – She asked, with a tinge of fear in her voice. -Listen, we need to get out of here, we’ve got an entire army of… monsters right on our heels, get AppleBloom so we can get out of here- I explain, not even worrying about soothing my words. Our gazes turned towards the small shape under the blankets of the bed. Half of AppleBloom’s face showed from under the cloth, thick beads of sweat fell from her exposed forehead. -I’ll take care of her- AppleJack said, pulling aside the blankets covering the filly and wrapping her body with a much smaller, but thicker wool bum. She looked like a fragile cocoon –I was so worried about Twilight, but I couldn’t leav- -It’s okay, I understand, and I’m sure she will- I say, cutting her, a sparkle of happiness shone in her eyes as she heard the word “she” -Catch up with the rest of the town; you’ll be able to see them once you exit the house. Never look back, go! – I say, the pony nodded and gently carried her sister on her back, I followed them as they got out of the house. -Stay safe! - AJ shouted while running towards the fleeing crowd, I took a moment to recover my breath and look towards the forest. The first row of trees shook violently. I turned on my heels and started to run, refusing to catch a second glimpse. 200 meters from Canterlot road… I ran few steps behind AJ, who at the same time was a couple of meters far from the rear of the crowd. I couldn’t turn back, as I had to slash and avoid thin, but long, gloomy-brown snakes that appeared from under the ground. Each time their heads got severed, a spurt of corrosive, greenish acid forced me to jump back. They kept spawning without an end, and I kept killing them without a rest, not allowing them to catch up with the group. -How far are we from the city? – I ask in desperation, red-eyed wolves, with a color-sucking black fur were closing distances between us at alarming speed. -Its main road is right after this hill! – She shouted, I looked over my shoulder. The dirt trail we were following curved into a heavily pronounced uphill. I cut in half one last snake before turning back, helping AppleJack in her climbing. -Hold AppleBloom! – She shouted, I wrapped one arm around the filly, and pushed the pony upwards, sending them both over the top of the hill. Her tail disappeared as I managed to stride up the two meters that separated me from salvation. I rose from the uphill with groan and gazed at the scene. A stone road, with streetlamps and benches on its sides was built on the feet of a high plain that started few meters far from my right hand side. Its elevation became progressively higher until it reached its maximum on the bottom of a waterfall (which came from a taller mountain on its right). The city was built right after the river the falling water had formed with the pass of the years. On the left hand side, and right under the gleaming city, there was an enormously wide and long field, circled by tall mountains. There was nothing remarkable about it; it was just… plain grass, without any curvature aside from the high plain on its right and the feet of the mountains surrounding it. It wasn’t the countryside what made it jaw-dropping. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of armored soldiers awaited for the incoming army of foes on the valley, with even more Pegasus patrolling the skies above the road, castle and valley. Some Pegasus had landed on the road and were greeting and escorting the crowd of ponies towards the castle. I didn’t have the time to admire anything else, as an arrow fled from within the tight formation on the valley, ripping through the metal of the armor and the flesh of my chest. I gasped, more in surprise than in pain, and lost my balance, lurching backwards. I caught a last glimpse of the crowd as I fell downhill. I hit the ground between a messy sound of metal clattering and my own broken cough, the blood pouring out from my mouth fell all over my inner shirt, as the helmet blocked its way out. I breathed as best as I could, ignoring the stabbing pain I felt on my left lung, and started to drag myself uphill as best as I could, leaving back a trail of removed dirt and blood at each meter I managed to advance. A pony appeared on top of the hill. -Run… RUN! – I manage to scream, wasting the few oxygen I had left in my body. AppleJack covered her face with her hat before disappearing behind the dirt. I scooted over another meter before a roar froze me in place. I looked over my shoulder, briefly glimpsing one of the coal-like-fur wolves flexing his legs and jumping up in the air, landing on top of the hill gracefully. His mates halted, and formed a tight circle around the feet of the hill. They all stared at me with their eyes, which seemed to be bleeding, expectantly. The one on top of the hill retracted his upper torso backwards, taking a deep breath, before springing forwards with his mouth wide open. A thick cloud of fire appeared from between his sharp teeth. I lost my grip and fell backwards as the melting fire struck my fingertips. The sharply pointed tip of the arrow twisted inside my chest as my back collided with the ground, a soundless shout of pain came from my throat. The wolf on top of the hill howled, content with the outcome of the hunting, so did his mates. Their victory chant cut abruptly, as a reddish arrow had appeared on the neck of the leading wolf. His eyes started to lose color until it was nothing but a shade of orange. “Thanks” I thought as the lifeless body fell downhill. I was unlucky, the corpse of the wolf landed, between a revolting sound of bones shattering, on top of my lower torso. My head shot upwards, my mouth wide open, but I wasn’t able to scream. I tried to push away the dead weight off from me, only achieving waves of blinding pain to come from my broken legs. Exhausted for the loss of blood, I couldn’t manage to keep my head poised. My muscles relaxed, the pace of my breathing dropped to a minimum. My eyes closed, but my ears couldn’t be shut down. The noise of a wolf gnawing my shoulder… the hissing of the snakes… my own heart beating without a defined rhythm… I just wished to die by my own before they could.