//------------------------------// // Undead On The March // Story: My Little Mages: The Nightmare's Return // by BrassHeart //------------------------------// MY LITTLE MAGES: THE NIGHTMARE'S RETURN UNDEAD ON THE MARCH ~~~~~~ The Charon and Rainbow Dash flew silently over the trees of the Everfree Forest. Twilight was, of course, manning the tiller, providing the Charon with the magical power it needed to move, Applejack was using a whetstone on her greatsword, Rarity was looking over the edge of the boat nervously, convinced that she had seen the trees reach up to try and grab them, Fluttershy was hugging the mast as if it was a friend she hadn’t seen in years, and Pinkie Pie was… “Are we there yet?” “No,” Twilight said, her eye twitching. “When are we gonna be there?” “When we get there.” “When are we gonna get there?” “When you stop bugging me.” “Okie-dokie-lokie!” Pinkie said, closing an imaginary zipper on her mouth. For a few minutes, there was blissful silence. “Are we there yet?” The imaginary zipper on Pinkie’s mouth became a lot less imaginary. “Thank you, Twilight,” Applejack said, peering at the blade of her sword. “No problem,” Twilight said. Pinkie tried to say something, but her voice was too muffled by the zipper. Rarity picked her head up, glancing around as if she was looking for something. “Does anybody hear that?” She asked. “Hear what?” Twilight asked. Rarity shrugged. “I’m not sure. It sounds like…” A rotting skyboat burst out of the clouds nearby, her three decaying sails filled with wind. The figurehead was a skeleton with crossed arms that didn’t look like it was made of wood. The name painted on the hull was visible even through the darkness: Hades. “…A boat,” Rarity said in a tiny voice. “Everybody, hold on!” Twilight said, noticing that the sailors were loading the cannons. It was too late. There was a loud boom as one of the cannons fired, and its aim was true. A heavy cannonball landed in the Charon. The five mages stared at it for a second as it started to glow like an ember. The cannonball wasn’t supposed to punch a hole in the boat. It was supposed to explode. Twilight threw a shield around the cannonball, hoping to deaden the explosion. Twilight's shield was able to absorb most of the blast, but it wasn't enough to save the Charon. The skyboat was destroyed, and the blast threw the five passengers away. Chrysalis grumbled as she looked over the side of the Hades. “Curses. They survived,” She concluded, not being able to smell the death of her target. She turned to address the Undead gathered behind her. “Get down there. And bring me back her corpse.” “Hey, lady.” Chrysalis turned her head to see a crackling yellow arrow pointed at her face, held by a rainbow-haired Elementalist. “Surprise,” Rainbow Dash said. The lightning bolt flew from her bow, and passed clean through Chrysalis’s skull. The Necromancer wasn’t even staggered, despite the brand new hole. “I’ve always hated surprises,” She told the shocked Elementalist. “What… what the hell are you?” The Elementalist asked, her fingers quivering. “Slightly irritated,” Chrysalis answered. “And now I have a headache.” An Undead armed with a warhammer swung at the Elementalist, but Rainbow Dash avoided it and flew away, vanishing into the trees. Chrysalis groaned, and felt at the hole in her forehead. “Blagh, it’s going to take me forever to grow back that brain matter,” She mumbled. “Oh, whatever. Go down there, kill her, yadda yadda. I’m going back to the castle.” The Undead moaned, and shuffled forwards to drop themselves off the Hades. After a few dozen Undead had been deployed, the Hades sailed off. ~~~~~~ “C’mon, Twilight! Wake up! Wake up!” was the first thing that Twilight heard. She moaned, and tried to open her eyes. She was met with the sight of something she never thought she would see in the middle of the Everfree Forest. “Ooh… a rainbow…” She said woozily, a dopey grin on her face. “Twilight, snap out of it! We’ve gotta move!” “Where’s the pot of gold?” Twilight wondered, looking around. The rainbow slapped her. “Unless you want to be corpse chow, wake up!” The rainbow snapped at her. Twilight blinked, and her vision started to sharpen. The ‘rainbow’ was Rainbow Dash’s hair. “…Dash? What… ow… what happened?” She asked, her head throbbing. “You guys got shot out of the sky by that freaky bitch,” Rainbow Dash said, pulling Twilight to her feet and supporting her. “Freaky… bitch? What… corpse chow?” Twilight repeated. “Don’t panic, but… I think Nightmare Moon has a pet Necromancer,” Rainbow Dash said. “What?!” Twilight shouted. “But… that’s not possible! Necromancy died off almost fifty…” She was interrupted by a loud moan. A grey-skinned, rotting man in armor shuffled out of the trees, dead eyes fixed on Twilight and Rainbow Dash. “…years ago,” Twilight finished. “Run?” Rainbow Dash suggested. The Undead opened its jaws and let out a piercing, animalistic howl. It was answered by other identical howls, and Twilight began to hear motion in the trees all around them. “Run!” Twilight agreed. They escaped into the trees just as more Undead appeared to answer their kin’s call. ~~~~~~ “My hair! Oh, my glorious, beautiful, hair! I’ll never get these little branches out of it! Never!” The woman tangled up in vines well above the forest floor sobbed. “Out of all the things that could have happened, this is THE…” She took a few deep breaths. “Calm down, Rarity. Calm down. It’s not the end of the world, things could be much, much OH GODDESS MY DRESS IS RUINED THIS IS THE WORST POSSIBLE THING!” “Hey, Rarity! Is that you up there?” A familiar voice called up. Rarity stopped struggling, and tried to turn her head so she could look down at the ground. “Pinkie? Is that you?” She asked. “The one and only! Need a hand?” “NOOO! DON’T LOOK AT ME! I’M HIDEOUS!” Rarity wailed. “JUST LEAVE ME HERE TO DIE!” “You’re being a drama queen, Rarity!” Pinkie shouted up as she flicked a deck of playing cards out of her sleeve. “I am not a drama queen! I am a-” Pinkie rolled her eyes mockingly, and threw a few cards from her deck like they were knives. The cards sliced through the vines holding Rarity captive, sending her tumbling and screaming to the ground. Rarity lay there in silence for a few moments, her eye twitching. “Pinkie Pie, one of these days, you will wake up to find that I have turned all your clothes plaid,” She threatened as she stood up and dusted herself off, trying to readjust her hair. “Great! I’ve been thinking about changing my image!” Pinkie said obliviously. Rarity groaned. “You are simply impossible,” Rarity said. “Not the first time I’ve heard that,” Pinkie said. “Now we’d better get moving. Otherwise the zombies might catch us!” “…Zombies?” Rarity repeated as Pinkie Pie skipped past her. “What zombies?” “Those zombies!” Pinkie said, pointing at an Undead as it stumbled into view. Rarity stared at it for a second before she remembered that she should start screaming. The Undead returned the scream with a frightful moan, and Rarity started running after Pinkie Pie as fast as she could wearing heels. ~~~~~~ It was a testament to Fluttershy’s arm strength that she was still clinging to the mast after the explosion. It was a further testament that she hadn’t been knocked unconscious when the mast, Fluttershy attached, was planted in the forest floor like a tree. It was also a testament to her self-preservation instincts that she hadn’t fainted when she found herself surrounded by Undead. Which was why she was stuck at the top of the mast while a dozen Undead were gathered around her, staring up as if they were daring her to climb down. “Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness,” was what Fluttershy’s mouth was saying, but her mind was following a different track. It went something like this: ‘Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit oh fuck oh shit.’ She was defenseless. No animals nearby to help her, no way to control the plant life without using her staff, which she couldn't use while holding onto the mast, and there was no way to run. Fluttershy felt she could empathize with Opalescence after she had been chased up a tree by Winona. Except in this case, there were zombies involved. “Um, excuse me, but if you don’t mind me saying, I think that eating me wouldn’t really be worth your time. I-I mean, I’m m-mostly skin and bones! N-no meat at all! So, if you could, um, l-let me go, that would be…” “YEE-HAW!” “OhthanktheGoddess.” Applejack tore into sight like a force of nature, swinging her sword in expert motions as she leapt at the Undead surrounding Fluttershy. The Undead didn’t even have time to react before the Paladin was upon them, slicing through them as if they were made of butter. The Undead burst into clouds of dust after being cut, cloaking Applejack’s movements. In moments, they were all gone. “May the Goddess judge you fairly,” Applejack intoned as she returned her sword to her back. She looked up at Fluttershy. “You doin’ okay there?” “Oh, yes, much better, now that you’re here,” Fluttershy said, shimmying down the mast. “Applejack, you’re hurt!” “What, this?” Applejack said, gesturing to the fresh blood on her arm. “It’s nothin’. Jus’ a scratch.” “But it could get infected if you ignore it!” Fluttershy scolded her. She applied pressure to the wound with her hands, and a warm, pink light emanated from her palms. When she took her hand away, the only sign that Applejack had been injured was the cut in her jacket. Applejack rolled her shoulder experimentally. “That feels a heckuva lot better. Thanks,” Applejack said. She glanced at her shoulder at the sound of a cracking branch in the trees around them. “Aw, by Blooregard. You gotta be kiddin’ me.” The Undead howled, making Fluttershy jump behind Applejack for protection. Applejack cracked the bones in her neck as she pulled her greatsword off her back. “Do me a favor, ‘Shy. We’re ‘bout t’ have some company, an’ I’d prefer it if you could lend me a hand by makin’ sure they don’t move around too much,” She said. Fluttershy nodded shakily, and summoned her staff to her hands. At her bidding, the grass at the Undead’s feet grew like wild, wrapping around its legs and anchoring it to the ground. Applejack cut it in half with ease. “A-Applejack! There’s… there’s more!” Fluttershy squeaked as more Undead stumbled out of the darkness. Applejack only grinned. “Good,” She said. ~~~~~~ The sounds of Undead screaming and metal cutting through metal rang through the forest, serving as a perfect beacon. Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie found Applejack and Fluttershy just as the Paladin was finishing off the last of the Undead attacking her. Applejack nodded at them in greeting, panting for breath as she leaned on her sword. “Why did I have the feeling that we’d find you in the middle of a fight, Applejack?” Rainbow Dash said teasingly, stepping away from Twilight so that Fluttershy could heal the Arcane Mage’s ankle. “Too tired… t’ banter, Dash,” Applejack said, panting. “Goddess, Granny ain’t gonna let me hear the end o’ this.” She kicked up some of the dust left behind by the Undead. “All this time, we thought she was goin’ senile, sayin’ there were still Necromancers about. Looks like we were wrong.” “We can talk about that later. Right now, do you think you can keep fighting?” Twilight asked. Applejack stared at her. “Please don’t tell me.” There was a faint moan in the distance. “They were chasin’ you, weren’t they?” “Yeah,” The four mages answered sheepishly. Applejack groaned. “We’re sorry, Applejack, but you know that…” “Only Holy magic can permanently kill Undead. I know,” Applejack said, finishing Twilight’s sentence. “Trouble is, I don’t think I’ve got the energy t’ fight however many Undead were followin’ you.” “Maybe we should run?” Fluttershy suggested. There was the sound of Undead moans coming from every direction around them. “Or maybe not.” “Well, we’re dead,” Rainbow Dash decided. Applejack shook her head. “Not yet,” She said. “There’s still somethin’ I can do, but… it’s risky.” “How ‘risky’?” Rarity asked, looking around nervously as the moans came closer and closer. “Pretty damn risky,” Applejack said. “It… might end up killin’ all o’ you as well as the Undead.” “So, we can either be eaten by zombies, or accidentally get killed by you,” Rainbow Dash said. She sighed. “Looks like we don’t have much choice.” “Wait, hold on a second,” Twilight cut in. “How much of a risk does this pose to us? Percentage-wise, I mean. I don’t think we should completely invest in a plan that has a chance of us dying even if we succeed.” “I jus’ need ya t’ trust me, Twilight,” Applejack said, putting her sword on her back. “You’re asking us to gamble our lives here! There has to be some other way we can…” Applejack stepped forwards and put her hands on Twilight’s shoulders, staring her straight in the eye. “Twilight,” She said, her voice deadly serious. “Trust me.” Twilight gulped at the look in the Paladin’s eyes. At first glance, it looked like Applejack’s eyes were saying “Trust me or you won’t get out of this alive.” But that wasn’t right. There was a certain softness in her eyes, a softness that was saying “Please trust me. I will not let anything happen to you.” “…Alright,” Twilight decided. Applejack smiled. “What do you need us to do?” “That’s the easy part,” Applejack said. “Keep ‘em off me.” Twilight nodded. “Girls, circle up!” She ordered. “I’m going to put up a barrier, but it’ll be best if there’s more people supporting it!” The five mages quickly followed Twilight’s orders, forming a pentagon around Applejack, their backs to the center. Twilight jammed her staff into the ground next to Applejack, and magenta light began to fountain from it, forming a perfect bubble around the six mages. Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity all put their hands on the surface of the bubble, letting their magic mingle with Twilight’s, fortifying the shield around them. Applejack knelt in the center, her hands together in prayer. “O Goddess, who crafted this beautiful world with naught but pen an’ paper…” Applejack intoned. Fluttershy squeaked. “They’re coming!” She announced as the Undead started to appear out of the darkness. There were dozens of them, walking slowly but purposefully towards them. Applejack’s prayer never stopped. “…You, who taught the first mages: Blossom the Brave, Bubbles the Bashful, an’ Buttercup the Brash…” The Undead surrounded the shield, hammering it with their swords, axes, and hammers. Occasionally, a crack would appear in the shield, but they were quickly sealed up by the mage nearest to it. “…Who communed with Saint Blooregard an’ Saint Mac, an’ led them t’ found the First Church…” A thin film of sweat began to appear on Rainbow Dash’s face, as she struggled to mend the cracks in her section of the barrier. “You have taught us t’ live by the virtues o’ truth, fairness, an’ compassion, an’ we honor you by spreadin’ your lessons t’ those who would listen. It is with great humility that I ask…” Rainbow Dash growled as she forced more magic into the barrier, causing the spider web of cracks to fade away. She was perspiring heavily, and taking in shallow, rapid breaths. “…that you allow the dead so rudely taken from their eternal rest t’ return t’ their slumber…” “I… can’t… hold this… much longer!” Rainbow Dash grunted while the Undead continued to hammer at the shield. “Just a bit more!” Twilight shouted. “…an’ strike back at the one who forced them t’ return. T’ this end, I invoke your name, an’ pray that you see fit t’ grant my request.” Rainbow Dash screamed as the Undead finally managed to make a hole in her section of the barrier. They focused all their strength on that one tiny hole, and in seconds, the barrier had shattered. Applejack opened her eyes, and they were burning with an impossibly bright light. “IN FAUST’S NAME!” She screamed, her voice carrying for miles. “I SEND Y’ALL BACK T’ THE GRAVE!” She drew a sharp cross in the air in front of her, and spoke one last word. “AMEN!” And then, there was only light. Pure, white light. ~~~~~~ Twilight’s eyes fluttered open, and she blinked rapidly to dispel the spots behind her eyes. “Is everybody okay?” She called out, sitting up and checking her surroundings. Not a single Undead in sight. “I might be blind, but… I’m alright,” Rarity said. “Did it work? Are they gone?” Fluttershy asked, picking herself up off the ground. “Looks like it,” Rainbow Dash said. “THAT WAS AWESOME!” Pinkie shrieked. “Applejack?” Twilight asked after a moment of silence. The Paladin grunted in response. “I told ya we’d be okay,” She proudly said as she stood up. “Have I ever lied?” “Not to my knowledge,” Twilight said, grabbing Applejack’s hand so she could be pulled to her feet. “But… let’s never do that again.” “I can live with that,” Applejack said, giving Twilight a friendly punch on the shoulder. “Now, that was probably all the Undead around here, so it should be safe t’ keep movin’.” “Yeah, and since we lost the boat…” Twilight gestured at the Charon’s mast, sticking out of the ground like a naked tree. “We’re going to have to walk.” “Walking? Through all the dirt and the… mud?” Rarity asked, her face ashen. “Got a better idea?” Rainbow Dash asked. Rarity sighed, defeated. “No, I don’t. Lead on, then.” ~~~~~~ “And you are certain they are dead?” The Grand Master asked, trying not to be too distracted by the hole in Chrysalis’s forehead. “My minions are hunting them down as we speak,” Chrysalis said. “I am most certain that the Queen will be quite pleased with my success. Oh, but what will she say when she learns that her precious little assassin…” She pinched the Grand Master’s cheek as if he was a child. “…Was of no use whatsoever?” The Grand Master growled in annoyance while Chrysalis gloated. Suddenly, the Necromancer fell silent, and her eyes widened. She whirled around, and saw a pillar of light rising up from the forest in the distance. “Oh, you must be joking,” She said. “Something wrong, Chrysalis?” The Grand Master asked, grinning widely. The Necromancer clenched her teeth. “The apprentice… must have a Paladin with her,” She deduced. “My Undead have been…” She grumbled something, not wanting to meet the Grand Master’s eyes. “Have been what? Defeated? Obliterated? Hung out to dry?” The Grand Master asked, his eyes twinkling under his hood. “Stop me when I get it. Vaporized? Annihilated? Whitewashed? Trounced?” The Grand Master paused, as if realizing something for the first time. “Trounced. Trounced. I think I quite like that word.” “Oh, shut up!” Chrysalis snapped, stomping past him to the castle. The Grand Master just laughed. “I can’t wait to hear what the Queen will say when she hears when her precious little Necromancer failed!” He shouted after her. She showed him a very rude gesture. “The bag of bones failed, did she?” A growling voice said from the ground next to the Grand Master’s foot. He looked down to see Roh-Ver sticking his head out of a hole. “Do you want something, dog?” The Grand Master asked. Roh-Ver grunted. “The Diamond Dogs are prepared to hunt down the apprentice. These are our woods, and it is time we showed them why,” The werewolf said, a wolfish grin on his muzzle. “Very well,” The Grand Master said. “It’s not like you can do any worse than… what did you call her? The bag of bones?” “One day, I will gnaw on her shins.” “I wish you the best of luck with that. Happy hunting,” The Grand Master said. Roh-Ver nodded, and disappeared down his hole.