//------------------------------// // 288. Catch you on the Bright Side - Part 3 // Story: Blaze the Pony Tale // by Wolven5 //------------------------------// The morning came and with it a small relief that the two friends could explore the ruins of Everfree Village during the day even though the sunlight that managed to shine upon the forgotten place was sporadic at best. What with the thick foliage of the trees blocking the majority of the morning light out, leaving only shifting sunbeams here and there like shaky spotlights. Even so, it was truly fascinating to walk streets that had not been touched by pony hooves for centuries and gazing upon what they had left behind after Princess Celestia decided to relocate the Equestria royal capitol to Mount Canterhorn. Midnight insisted they stay together, for even with the sun shining, the area remained unnaturally quiet and there was still that sense of unease even though it wasn’t as bad as last night. As though whatever presence had been there had retreated but was still around. As they’d explored, Midnight had spotted two places that were familiar from memories of his prior life, a blacksmith’s forge and an inn with a sign that showed a sleeping pegasus making Zs that had almost completely worn away from exposure to the elements. He wondered if the ponies who had ran these old places of business had descendants still living in Equestria though he recalled seeing the blacksmith’s son as an adult during that whole time traveling fiasco he was made to endure. “Interesting...” Midnight looked back to see Bright examining what looked to be some kind of mural. Stepping over, Midnight asked, “What’cha got here?” “This mural...” Bright pointed out the various scenes, “it seems to detail some kind of legend or history regarding this village.” “And it’s in rather good condition,” Midnight pointed out before he lit up his horn, “Hmmm...! This mural has some kind of charm on it, some magic that has kept it in good condition despite centuries of exposure!” “That reinforces my theory that this mural is about something really important,” Bright commented before he gave the mural a closer look, “It looks like... thousands of years ago, there was some kind of epidemic that swept through the Everfree Village. Many perished from this disease and nothing seemed to help, not magic, not traditional medicine, even the Royal Sisters’ efforts to quell the sickness! “The ponies of the Everfree Village prayed to the Goddess for salvation, and then... A figure appeared from the Everfree Forest, leaving a trail of flowers and fresh green grass wherever she walked that sparkled with... gem dust!” The both of them gasped and shared a look of wonder, Midnight asking, “Do you think...?” “Let’s see...” Bright looked at the mural again, “The figure wore a heavy cloak but spoke with kindness. She invited the sick and the worried to sit with her in prayer, and then... she shed... tears? Yes, tears! And wherever the tears fell a flower suddenly bloomed! She instructed the ponies of the Everfree Village to collect the flowers’ nectar for the sick to drink, and just like that, the sickness was stopped! The ponies of the Everfree were saved, but the mysterious was gone before anypony could offer her gratitude. “Princess Celestia believed... yes! She believed the figure was Gaia Everfree and she suggested a shrine be made to honor the Spirit of the Everfree. And that shrine... is right here in this village!” “You wanna see if we can find it?” asked Midnight, smiling at the excited look of his friend. “Heck yeah! This shrine could tell us knowledge of Gaia nopony has ever discovered before, c’mon!” Bright galloped off, Midnight following frantically. “Bright, wait up!” Midnight galloped after the earth pony, thinking, For a big guy he can really hoof it when he sets his mind to it! However, neither of them noticed the presence watching from the shadows, growling at the sight of these intruders... For the next couple of hours, they searched the ruins of the village for this shrine dedicated to Gaia Everfree. Bright had suggested they split up but Midnight absolutely forbade it because he still felt something about the village that instinctively told him to keep his guard up. They tried looking in the village’s court building but no records had survived due to a hole in the roof that had allowed rain in. They checked the garrison but found nothing but rusty old pieces or armor and broken weapons. The library had become such a wreck that Midnight made a mental note to never let Twilight see it. Sighing, Bright sat on the remains of a stone bench as they took a break in what appeared to be an old park set in what used to be the village square, “That shrine has to be around here somewhere!” “It’s possible the shrine’s gone, Bright,” Midnight shrugged, “a thousand years is a long time, after all. A lot could have happened in that interim, perhaps something that destroyed the shrine or something.” “Maybe... but I can’t help but feel it in my big plushy gut that that shrine is nearby, somewhere just under our muzzles!” Bright groaned as he tapped his head, hoping the answer would come to him by knocking on his brain. “Hmm...” Midnight considered Bright’s words and scanned their surroundings. The square was large, even larger than the town square of Ponyville, edged with cobblestone roads, the remains of shops, old iron lampposts still standing, the court building located across the street from one end, but when he looked the opposite way... Huh... maybe it’s just me or does that look out of place? he thought, seeing a vast wall of hedge-like bushes growing out and over the roads from the half of the park behind them. Granted, this place has been abandoned for centuries so it makes sense if the park’s hedge bushes got out of control. But... The instinct that told Midnight to be careful became a warning to be on the alert. Something was close, something dangerous, and it hadn’t become apparent until Midnight had shifted his attention to those hedge bushes. “What’cha looking at, Midnight?” “Huh?!” Midnight startled and saw that Bright was giving him a curious look, “Oh, uh! It’s...” Midnight hesitated but he knew how much this meant to his old friend, “It’s those hedge bushes over there. It just dawned on me that a shrine dedicated to Gaia Everfree would probably be somewhere surrounded by plants, not in buildings.” Following Midnight’s line of sight, Bright brightened up at the suggestion, “Of course! It makes perfect sense, good thinking, Midnight. C’mon, let’s go check it out.” Bright started to trot towards the hedge bushes when Midnight suddenly felt a horrible feeling that made a shiver run from the tip of his horn, down his spine, all the way to the end of his tail - The intent to kill! “BRIGHT, GET BACK!!” Midnight shouted, causing Bright to suddenly grind to a halt but trip over to fall on his chest, ow’ing as his chin struck the ground... just a hoof short of a large spear embedding itself into the ground, causing both ponies to gasp in terror at how close Bright had come to being shish-kabob’d! Midnight lit up his horn, levitating Bright back to his side, before looking in the direction the spear came from, “Who threw that?!” A large and imposing figure stood upon the roof of a nearby shop, glinting a golden bronze under the sunlight so neither of them could get a good look. But at that moment, a cloud passed overhead to bar the sun, and the two ponies were awed to see a warrior clad in armor from head to toe so not hide nor hair could be seen. All they could tell was that the warrior walked on two legs. “Who goes there...?” the warrior called in a voice harsh yet disturbingly soft. “I am Midnight Blaze, Head of House Obsidian and a Guardian of Harmony,” Midnight responded while flaring his wings and lighting his horn to show he meant business, “and this is my friend Bright Side. Identify yourself and why you just tried to do us harm!” “I am Grrawl, a Knight of Sirius and guardian dog of this forgotten place, owner of its sacred treasure!” the warrior snarled as he heaved a sword as long as he was tall and held out a paw-shaped gauntlet, “All who dare approach my protectorate are my enemies!!” A blast of power launched from Grrawl’s open grasp and washed over the ponies with a painful pulse, causing them both their knees to buckle but they didn’t go down. Lucky thing too, as Grrawl rushed them, his sword raised to strike. Midnight quickly dove into his own shadow, easily avoiding the blade as it came down on him, and slithered away towards Bright, who yelped in alarm as he sank into the shadow before it sped away. Grrawl growled as he yanked his sword out of the ground and looked around, barking, “SHOW YOURSELVES, you yellow-bellied ponies! Face your demises with dignity...” In a nearby alleyway west of the park, Bright shivered after Midnight had brought them out of the shadow, the yellow earth pony whispering, “Seems you’ve picked up on some tricks...” “Stay out of sight, that dog clearly means to kill us for trespassing,” instructed Midnight as he looked out of the alley and saw Grrawl lurching around, looking for them. “I’ll take care of him...” “Midnight, wait!” Bright protested, “He said he’s a knight, so maybe we can reason with him, appeal to his honor-” “A true knight does not attempt murder with warning or provocation,” Midnight responded with a steely tone, “and besides, he clearly has some kind of magic and if we try to run he might come after us. I can’t just leave him be, not when he might pose a threat to other unwary explorers in the future. It’s better he’s dealt with sooner than later.” “Are you gonna...?” Bright didn’t want to say it. “Only if I have to,” Midngiht answered, “but if I can force him to yield I will command him to return to his homeland and never come back. Stay here and don’t call attention to yourself.” “...Be careful, my friend,” Bright bade with concern, and smiled a little when Midnight gave him a smirking wink before taking flight. “Hmm?” Grrawl heard the beat of wings and looked to see the sapphire alicorn rise up from between two buildings and come to face him, landing a few yeards away from the knight with a resilient look on his face. “Well, at least you have the courage to face me man to man! Prepare to fall to my sword!!” Midnight didn’t respond nor move as Grrawl roared and charged but this time Midnight raised his wings and willed shadow to enshroud them with unyielding solidness, causing a splash of sparks when Grrawl’s sword came down on them. The dog knight snarled with vexation as he stepped back and swung his blade `round at Midnight’s neck, only for the alicorn to burst into smoky shadowstuff and slither around Grrawl before popping out of the smog, his tail raised with a blade of solid shadow, the tip curved down like a scorpion! The attack was quickly defended against as Grrawl has raised his sword to intercept the shadow blade, impressing Midnight one moment before he was blown back by whatever force Grrawl had used before, launching another blast of power from his gauntlet, sending Midnight flying backwards towards the hedge wall, landing on his back just a yard shy of it. “You are a cunning adversary but ultimately no match for me!!” Grrawl growled as he raised his sword but held it up as he seemed to concentrate, Midnight sensing a quick build-up of mana before Grrawl swung forward, and a crescent-shaped golden blade of energy was hurled at Midnight! He cried out in alarm as he quickly rolled to the side, feeling the wind cloven by the energy blade as it passed him by. The blade parted the hedge wall and almost instantly both ponies felt it! A power, soft, gentle, warm, like the comforting presence of compassion, and they looked through the opening in the hedge to see what appeared to be a stone shrine made up of monolithic stones, two standing upright with the third horizontally placed on top. Beneath the third, nestled safely between the two vertical stones, grew three flowers that had yet to bloom. Leaf, stem, and bud all gave off an ethereal glow of bright gold and soft blue. “Wha- What are those...?” Bright asked aloud from the sidelines and was apparently heard by Grrawl. “You know full well what they are, thieves!” Grrawl seethed, holding his sword in both gauntlets, “They are the Tears of Gaia, my treasures you have come to plunder!” “You are mistaken!” Bright exclaimed, “We didn’t come here to steal those flowers from you!” “You lie!” Grrawl snapped. “He’s telling the truth!” They both looked to see Midnight slowly walk towards them, putting himself between the dog knight and his friend, “We were just exploring the remains of this village and were unaware of your presence or of those flowers.” “Heh! Stop insulting my intelligence,” Grrawl scoffed, “you want them for yourselves as I did long ago. I will not be taken for a fool!!” Grrawl roared as he lunged his sword at Midnight, who grunted while forming shadow blades with his wings and fighting off the dog’s sword but he was ferocious! They locked blades, grunting and growling, when Midnight asked, “Why do you want these flowers so much anyway?” “That is my business, and nothing shall get in the way of seeing my goal fulfilled!” Grrawl snarled, “Those flowers are meant for one and only one!! Once my goal is fulfilled only then can I be worthy to stand before She who brings the night and day.” “Night and day?! You speak as though Princess Celestia’s sister Princess Luna had never returned from her exile!” Midnight was confused. “Who is this... Princess Luna?” Grrawl asked off-handedly as though he were barely interested before he snarled and pushed back, Midnight leaping away as Bright stepped out of the alley. “He doesn’t know of Princess Luna? Could he be-” Another pulse of power from Grrawl interrupted Bright mid-sentence, causing the earth pony to groan in pain while Midnight was caught off guard and blown back. “I know of no such princess!” Grrawl growled suspiciously, “I have protected the Tears of Gaia ever since I first laid eyes on them. I am uncertain how long it’s been since that time but surely I’d have heard of this so-called sister of the Sun Princess, assuming she does exist...” Could he... could he have found the flowers sometime after Nightmare Moon’s defeat by Princess Celestia? thought Bright as he felt Grrawl’s power weigh upon him and his legs felt that needle-like sensation of waking up a sleeping limb. From where he was, Mifngiht groaned as he came to when he saw something laying nearby, “Huh...? That helm...” “Tell me of this... Princess Luna,” growled Grrawl in a relatively calm voice but held his sword threateningly. Still, whatever magic he’d worked seemed to have receded, allowing Bright to stand upright. “Over a thousand years ago, two sisters were found by the legendary archmage Starswirl the Beareded,” Bright began, “two fillies who had horns and wings, bearing the traits of all three of the pony tribes. The elder sister was named Celestia and the younger was called Luna. In these two sisters, Starswirl saw a promise of hope and raised them to become the Princesses of Equestria, equal in rule, one to raise the sun and bring the day, the other the moon to bring the night. “Alas, as the centuries passed, the ponies of Equestria praised and adulated the Princess of the Sun while shunning the Princess of the Moon, and a painful envy was seeded into her heart. Ignored in favor of her older sister, Princess Luna was soon corrupted by darkness and became a fearsome evil known as Nightmare Moon. She swore to bring about Nighttime Eternal and thus Princess Celestia was forced to do battle with her fallen sister that escalated until finally Princess Celestia used the most powerful magical artifacts of ponykind, the Elements of Harmony, to vanquish her sister to bring back the day. Nightmare Moon was banished to the moon itself for a thousand years and in that time Celestia raised the sun and moon to maintain the natural order though a prophecy warned that on the longest day of the thousandth year Nightmare Moon would return to finish what she’d started. “Return she did but this time, a band of heroes wielded the Elements of Harmony as they were meant to be wielded and so the true power of Harmony saved Princess Luna, who was happily reunited with her sister and so Celestia and Luna have rekindled their love and friendship and again rule Equestria as they did over a thousand years ago, with them both wiser and closer than ever before.” “Hmph! Your attempt to beguile me with a pony’s tale is pitiful,” Grrawl responded dryly. “But it’s true! Everything I just told you is true!” Bright exclaimed only to groan in pain as Grrawl used his magic again and raised his sword. “SILENCE!!! I’ve entertained your foalish delusions long enough!!” Grrawl snarled and Bright knew the dog was going to kill him. “Hold it right there, you coward!!” Grrawl froze before he could swing his blade at the helpless earth pony before him, snarling in offense, “What was that?! How dare you call me, a knight of Sirius, a coward!!?” “You may wear the armor of a knight but you do not have the heart of one,” responded Midnight, a shadow blade extended from his wing as he glared at Grrawl. “A true knight stands for honor!” “What do you know of honor, pony?” spat Grrawl. “Over there...” Midnight pointed with his other wing towards two rusted suits of armor lying like corpses on the cobblestones nearby, armor that matched Grrawl’s perfectly. “The remains of two Sirian knights, your comrades I assume, both slain by a blade. Tell me, Grrawl, how did they meet their ends?” The knight hesitated, a whimper echoing in that helmet of his before he uttered, “My... my comrades- Nay, my true brothers in arms! The moment they saw the Tears of Gaia, they immediately ventured forward, their paws reaching out towards them!” “Your... your brothers?!” Bright whispered in shock. “I... I had to do it!” Grrawl went on as the memories came back, leaving him stunned with pain and regret. “I had told them of my mission, there was only enough nectar for one! I begged them to stop as I pursued but one of them tore one of the Tears out of the soil, roots and all, and I drew my sword before I realized what I was doing, and they drew their swords too. As I fought my brothers, the Tears’ nectar fell to waste in the dirt and by the time I had... dealt with my brothers, the Tears had withered... “But I did not despair. I knew that if I protected the Tears and waited, in time they would bloom again and the nectar would be ready to collect so then I could complete my mission. As the new buds began to rise from the soil, I planted the hedge bushes to conceal them and slew any who dared come too close!” As Grrawl was lost in his memory, Bright noticed Midnight very quietly and slowly moved around the knight. “Anyone who ventured too close could not be allowed to threaten the buds before they bloomed! I slew monsters, encroachers, it didn’t matter what they were! None would stand in the way of my mission, for the nectar of the Tears of Gaia belong to one and only one!!!” *VSSHHHUNK* Bright gasped, Grrawl groaned, and both looked to see a long blade of solid shadow extending out of his chest and the rest extending from his back towards Midnight’s wing, whose gaze was dour. “Forgive me...” Midnight spoke, sorrow in his voice... only for Grrawl’s uttered groans to turn into laughter, dark, arrogant, mad! “AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!” Grrawl’s barking laughter was disturbing enough, but the fact that he’d just been run through and was acting like it had tickled was what made the ponies’ blood run cold. “Impossible! That should’ve been a fatal blow!” Midnight was horrified. Grrawl whirled about, somehow shattering the shadow blade with his sword while using his free paw to sock Midnight in the face, as he was struck to the ground. Groaning, Midnight peered up at the armored dog who snarled, “You thought you could defeat me...? You will SUFFER!!!!” Grrawl moved in for the kill, but Bright ran over and wrapped his forelegs around the dog’s sword arm, begging, “Please Grrawl, you don’t have to do this!” “Get off me, you oaf!” Grrawl barked as he punched Bright off, but in that moment as he fell towards the ground, it was as if time had slowed and Bright felt something, and emotion that was not his own, a deep and desperate love. Accompanying it were visions that flashed into the earth pony’s mind, of Grrawl, clad in his armor but his removed, revealing a face like a doberman, as he kneeled at the bedside of his son. The pup was sick and feeble but gazed up at his father with shaky eyes that shined with faith and admiring love as his father clasped his tiny little paw. The visions ended, leaving Bright to groan from his aching jaw as Grrawl snarled, “You wait your turn, fat one...” “Grrawl, wait! Who are the flowers for?” Bright ignored the pain and gave Grrawl a serious look, the question causing the warrior to pause. “...I already said that is my business.” “What could drive a knight to slay his brothers over a prize like the Tears of Gaia?” asked Bright rhetorically, “What else but a father’s love for his son.” “Huh?! How could you know that?!” demanded Grrawl. “I have a gift, Grrawl, a gift that allows me to feel the emotions of those around me,” Bright explained, “and sometimes a potent emotion from someone can give me visions of what it is that causes those emotions. The Tears of Gaia were said to have saved the ponies that once lived here in this village from a terrible sickness. That’s why you went looking for them, because they could save your son from his own illness!” “My... my son, my dearest treasure,” Grrawl shuddered in his armor, “He and his mother, the love of my life, they were both touched by the same disease but my wife... she... didn’t have the strength to- On her deathbed, she made me swear that I would save our son! No matter the cost. I made the same vow to my little boy and left him in the care of his aunt. “My brothers betrayed my trust and tried to take the flowers for themselves, and I had sworn that no matter what I would save my son whatever the cost. My brothers’ betrayal may have waylaid me but before long the Tears will bloom and their nectar will cure my son!!” “Grrawl... how long have you been guarding the Tears of Gaia?” Bright asked sympathetically, noticing Midnight was watching and listening with rapt attention and sympathy in his own eyes too. “What does that matter?! The Tears will bloom and their nectar will save my son!” Grrawl snarled, raising his blade again, “But nothing will save you...” “Grrawl, think about it! You’ve been guarding the Tears for a long time, haven’t you?” Bright pointed out, “How many times have the seasons passed you by? How many times have the leaves turned red, the snow fallen and melted, the blossoms turn to fruit?” Grrawl growled but as he considered the pony’s words, he recalled the seasons changing many times since he had sworn to guard the Tears until they bloomed again. This realization caused an anxious whimper to escape him. “I’m sorry, Grawl... but look at the armor of your brothers,” Bright added, “Rusted and decayed. Many years have passed ever since that awful day you were forced to slay them to protect the Tears for your son’s sake. Many years have passed since you’ve left your son to find the Tears. You must realize...” “Shut up...” Grrawl uttered softly. “Your son is no longer of this earth,” Bright said sadly. “SHUT UPPP!!!!!” Grrawl roared as he lunged forward at Bright, only for Midnight to bar his weapon with another shadow blade and push him back with a telekinetic pulse, the dog warrior anchoring himself with his sword even as he was forced back three yards. “LIARS! THIEVES!! I SWORE TO SAVE MY SON WITH THE TEARS OF GAIA AND THAT’S WHAT I’M GOING TO-” *Cr-Crack/KRSHLAAMM...* Bright and Midnight were stunned as a wall from one of the ruined buildings suddenly toppled and collapsed on top of Grrawl, and as the dust cleared, they slwoly approached only to be shocked! “Wha- I- I don’t understand!” Bright couldn’t believe his eyes! “It’s... empty!” Midnight said as they looked upon the crushed armor of Grrawl, only to find there was no corpse inside. It was empty. “Could... could that be why my attack didn’t hurt him?” Midnight thought about it aloud, “Because there was nothing inside to wound?” Bright gasped softly as he felt a presence and looked around. He couldn’t tell exactly where it was coming from, for it felt as though it were all around him. A presence that was stern yet now seemed relieved, as though a weight had been lifted. He looked back at the empty armor and understood, “I think.... i think Grrawl’s body turned to dust long ago, but his unfulfilled vow to save his son, along with his single-minded goal of harvesting the nectar from the Tears of Gaia, it somehow caused his spirit to posses his armor. “But once the armor was destroyed, what had been inside could no longer persist.” “Poor wretch...” Midnight bowed his head solemnly, Bright doing the same as the alicorn prince said, “Be at peace, Knight of Sirius, and go now to be with you family in the next great adventure.” For a moment, they were silent but then Bright felt that presence again, a feeling of urgency and then as though something were coming to life! He looked back at the opening in the hedge and gasped, “Midnight, the Tears!” Midnight looked too and gasped as they saw the Tears of Gaia finally bloom, their five petals blue like the sky yet edged with cloud white, and something liquid and golden running down the lowest petal. “Oh!” Bright hurried over, to Midnight’s confusion, and the earth pony took out a couple of small phials from his saddlebag and carefully held it below the flower’s petal, making sure to catch the nectar before doing the same with the other two flowers. Both of the phials were filled, and no sooner did Bright cork the phial did the Tears of Gaia suddenly wilt, the petals falling and the pollen being caught in the breeze. “They withered so quickly...” Midnight noted, his voice just a little sad. “It’s not much, but at least I got some,” Bright said with a smile, “These two phials contain a real treasure! Something much more special than gold or jewels.” “Will they ever bloom again?” asked Midnight. “I believe they will, and somehow I think with Grrawl gone the Tears will grow back even stronger than before,” Bright placed the phials of nectar into his saddlebag. “His goal was right but his obsession had some kind of negative effect on the Tears, which is why they took so long to bloom.” “To think, we were saved by some building crumbling,” Midnight looked back at the broken remains of the fallen knight’s armor and all the rubble and debris around it. “I’m not sure whther to call it luck or something else... Either way, I think there’s nothing left for us here, Bright. Let’s go back to Ponyville.” “That’s for me,” agreed the earth pony and he began to follow his old friend but paused a moment before looking back. There, standing beside the shrine where the Tears had wilted, a tall cloaked figure with a horn extending from the hood, and sparkles of gem dust surrounding the cloak, looked directly at Bright Side. Although the figure looked intimidating, Bright didn’t feel afraid. In fact, if he didn’t know better he could swear that the figure was smiling at him. “Bright Side, what’s keeping ya?” Bright looked forward to see Midnight waiting for him, and then back. He gasped to see he figure was gone, but the Tears had already began to bud again. He chuckled to himself, and galloped onward, “I’m coming, I’m coming.”