//------------------------------// // The Third Sword // Story: Amber Ashes // by GMBlackjack //------------------------------// In the middle of a desert, a purple sphere of light flashed into existence for less than a second. When it vanished, two ponies stood in its place, both staring into the face of the other with shock. “What did you do!?” Twilight and Rainbow shouted at the same time, pointing accusatory hooves. Twilight raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t do anything! You’re the one who activated my device!” “I saw it interact with your shield! It was supposed to make a tear, not do… this!” She gestured at the endless expanse of dunes around them. “May I remind you that it hadn’t been fully tested before?” “It was our only way out!” “I could have teleported us into space! I can bypass my own teleport locks!” “Then why didn’t you?” “Busy!” Twilight said dismissively. “I was analyzing their weaponry.” “That’s what they were planning on! They’re not idiots!” “And why were they chasing you?” “They’re the reason my device isn’t working!” Rainbow shouted, waving her disc-shaped device in the air. “Wait. We moved. Maybe…” She looked at the device and pressed its screen with her hoof. A few lights blinked along its edges, cycling around like a whirlwind. A big fat red zero appeared on the display. “So, all that trouble and you didn’t even get it to work?” Twilight smirked. “That doesn’t make sense… we translated. I… uuuuugh why don’t I have an egghead on hoof?” Twilight pointed at herself with a wing, grinning. “You were inventing the most primitive version of this. You wouldn’t know the finer nuances of quarantine protocols!” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “I’m getting the distinct impression you barely know what you’re talking about.” Rainbow growled. “Yeah. I’m usually not alone. No, I’m not counting you to know what this is.” “I must say, I’m finding this juvenile defiant upstart attitude refreshing, it’s been a while since anypony would dare talk to the Empress like that!” “Uuuuugh…” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “I’ve dealt with so many of your type. It’s just not worth it.” “Curious. Care to explain a bit more…?” “Bah. We need to figure out what to do.” “…We?” “Yes, we, working together, to figure out what’s going on, where we are, and how to get back.” “And do you have any ideas?” Rainbow sighed. “The device should know how to get back, but something about the way we translated confused it. Unless the connection was one-way…” “You really have no idea what you’re doing, do you?” Rainbow flared her wings and fumed. “I got us out of there!” “Falling back on a foolish attempt at escape that may have landed us in a worse predicament than before?” “You don’t know anything about what was going on there!” “And, strangely, you seem to know even less!” Twilight laughed. “We’re in this together, Twilight! We need to work together here, not… whatever this is!” “Hmm…” Twilight pondered this. “Nah. Have fun!” “Waiwaiwai-“ Too late. Twilight had already lit her horn and cast a teleport spell, vanishing… somewhere. Rainbow rammed her face into her hoof. “Snarkier than usual… just my luck.” She held up her device and glared at it. “You’re supposed to just work! Come on!” Under the zero, the message “searching…” flashed on and off. “So what, I’m just supposed to wait?” The machine was mindless, unable to respond to complex queries. Rainbow’s words fell on ears so deaf they didn’t exist. With a sigh, she pocketed the device and took a moment to look around. Sand. Sand, sand, more sand, and sand blowing into her face. No sign of anything – roads, structures, plants, or otherwise. The only object aside from the sand was the sun, and she couldn’t exactly fly there. Probably not, anyway. Rainbow needed to get a better picture of the area, so she stretched her wings and took to the air. As she rose higher and higher she saw… more sand. Lots more sand. A few rocks, maybe, in the far distance, but otherwise sand. “Ugh, why did it have to be one of those endless deserts?” She let out a groan that was more annoyed than anything. “The sand is going to get everywhere!” Realizing it was a little stupid to be complaining where no one could hear it, she took on a more practical mindset. Those rocks in the distance might have something and they were the only landmark she could head for. Might as well. She wound herself up and blasted toward the rocks, flying at a speed faster than most birds. She’d easily get there before the sun set. Assuming the sun moved as expected, which really wasn’t a safe assumption in her line of work. Though, even if the sun started moving like a mayfly with brain damage Rainbow would still head for the rocks. Why not? It wasn’t like she had much else to do. ~~~ Rarity had forgotten how helpful it was to have a pegasus around. They had better eyes than other ponies with or without magic and were able to see things much further away when their wings gave them height. Fluttershy hadn’t found evidence of any settlements but she had determined that the road led to a bunch of rocks jutting out of the sand. Nothing black – so no more Runes – but it was at least something. “Nothing green…” “Green things are almost unheard of beyond pony civilization,” Rarity explained. The two of them had taken to walking along the road side by side. Fluttershy could have flown to the rocks already but she had insisted Rarity needed the company. Rarity had not fought the suggestion, though inwardly she was slightly bitter Fluttershy jumped to that conclusion so quickly. Was it better to have companionship? Yes. But Rarity had been alone for so long it wasn’t like she needed somepony to talk to. “How do you survive then?” “Carefully,” Rarity said. “And with a lot of rationing of resources.” “I meant on the road. In a land like this… traveling would be nigh impossible without massive stores of food and water. I know you’ve got some things hidden under those robes of yours, but it’s definitely not enough to survive off of.” She’s observant. “I’m afraid that’s a trade secret. Don’t worry, neither of us is going to starve.” She paused. “And I’m not going to eat you.” At first, Fluttershy laughed at this – which was the intent, as it had been somewhat of a joke. However, Fluttershy picked up on the context behind the joke rather quickly and the laughter died in her throat. “…Ponies eat each other?” Rarity sighed. “If they’re desperate enough.” Fluttershy shivered, her armor clanking ominously with the motion. “…There are worse things than monsters.” “You mention these monsters a lot.” “They infest the land,” Fluttershy said, closing her eyes as she remembered. “Varied creatures of unknown origin, all with red eyes and an insatiable desire for blood. They are little more than animals, but they must kill. So we fight back. Always.” She gestured at the wide array of weapons on her back. “This is why I make weapons. For ponies to use to defend themselves from the monsters. They’re easy to remove, so anypony can take them at any time.” “Doesn’t that encourage thieves?” “I have been stolen from a few times,” Fluttershy admitted. “But I can always make more. Most ponies wouldn’t dare steal from me anyway.” “That may not be the case here,” Rarity pointed out. “Sure, but I have you with me to watch my back.” She grinned innocently. “You should not be so quick to trust.” Fluttershy shrugged with her wings. “You’re probably right. But I’m going to trust you anyway.” Rarity grunted. “That attitude will get you killed out here.” “Then it’s a good thing I found you first, huh?” “You are unimaginably lucky.” They walked along for a significant amount of time, watching as the sun approached the horizon. Before too long, Rarity could see the peaks of brown stone jutting out of the sand – a remnant of one of the great mountains of old, still resisting the erosion of the sands around them. As the world became desert the natural wonders of the earth stood defiant, but only the largest survived without pony assistance. Rarity had no doubt that the jutting stones they were approaching had once been a massive peak covered in trees, immense forests of wildlife, and mystical secrets. Now all that remained were its bones, jutting up in sections not unlike the ribs of an immense animal. Fluttershy evidently did not have this mental image, since the sight of the rocks only made her smile. “We’re almost there!” “An hour or two, still,” Rarity said. “We will probably make it before sundown.” “I can fly you at least a short distance if we’re running out of time, don’t worry.” Rarity nodded slowly, thinking about the offer. “I have not flown with a pegasus for a long, long time…” “Oh, if it’d make you uncomfortable, don’t worry about it.” “It’s fine,” Rarity said, smiling under her rags. “I may take you up on the offer even if it isn’t required. I have not felt the wind in my face in a while. Wind devoid of sand, you understand.” Fluttershy giggled. “Maybe we should go for a fly right now?” Rarity pondered this. Perhaps it would be good to distract herself from the constant walking. She could gauge how strong Fluttershy’s wings actually were, maybe figure out how she could fly with that ridiculous armor weighing her down. It would b- The sand on both sides of the road exploded, revealing four ponies coated hoof-to-head in sun-bleached fabric, each of them holding a rusty sword in their hooves. Raiders, Rarity thought, inwardly cursing herself. She should have been paying attention, looking for the signs of a trap beneath the sand… This was not to say she wasn’t prepared. She bounced back onto her rear hooves, sliding two swords out of her robes using nothing more than muscle memory. The two blades were thin, elegant, and old – but well kept, shimmering in the sun. Rarity’s blades met the attackers’ blades easily, pushing the two of them back. Their eyes widened in surprise since they had not expected such resistance from her. They had expected resistance from Fluttershy. They got none. One of their blades landed on her armor, bouncing off harmlessly, but the other hit a wing dead on, spraying blood over the attacker’s face. Fluttershy didn’t even cry out in pain. Her face was locked, frozen into a thousand-yard stare. She froze? Rarity thought, jumping over to her, clashing with their two blades while leaving her backside open to the others. She’s a weaponsmith, how can she freeze against simple ponies? The blades of her back attackers came down, one glancing harmlessly off the folds of her clothing, but the other managed to cut to skin. Rarity let out a pained hiss, turning sharply in an attempt to disarm the two currently locking swords with her. She only partially succeeded – one of the raiders lost their sword, but the other held fast by taking a few steps back. As she met the swords of the two ponies who had attacked her from behind, she realized with some annoyance that she wasn’t going to be able to face off against them with just two swords. There was only so much skill could do when outnumbered. She sighed. Maybe she won’t notice, frozen as she is. Rarity focused on her inner self, channeling energy throughout her body. A soft blue glow sparked into life behind her mane, an energy that was all but lost from the world. With a thrust of telekinetic magic, Rarity drew the third sword out from her robes. The sword coming down on her from behind didn’t stand a chance. Gripped in a blue aura at the hilt, Rarity’s third sword flew through the air as if handled by a ghost, severing the raider’s hoof from his leg. He screamed as he fell back, not that Rarity noticed or cared. She brought the third sword back around, angling it above her head so she could exert pressure on both of her current opponents. Not to mention terrify them with magic, something they had no doubt never seen in their lives. They were surprisingly resilient in their attack, however, likely because they were hungry and desperate. It didn’t matter how strong Rarity was: if they failed to take her out, they would probably die out here. A pity she had no intention of falling to them. The unarmed pony decided to tackle her, driving her hard into the unforgiving ground below. She didn’t break anything from the impact, but both of her swords were knocked from her front hooves, leaving her with only the levitating blade. She drove it to the unarmed pony, annoyed to find that one of the other raiders had anticipated this and deflected her attack. The third drove their sword into Rarity’s back leg, cutting right through the fabric, coat, and skin with ease. Rarity’s response was a hiss of pain. This was hardly the first time somepony had gotten her in the leg, and it would not be the last. She just had to use the tools available to her to survive, as always. A blue telekinetic aura grabbed the hilt of one of Fluttershy’s swords, pulling it off her armor with ease. Rarity swung the blade wide, attempting to do little more than push the three ponies back so she could get a moment to plan. She never got the chance. When she swung the blade, it lit up with an immense red glow and ejected bright orange flames from the tip that engulfed the three raiders in all-consuming fire. The heat differential between the fire and the air was so much a burst of wind hit Rarity in the face, blowing her mane back. The raiders got a lot more than a simple gust of air. Their skin and hair charred before the pain fully registered and they were barely able to scream by the time they thought to. The flames burned through them not like they were made of flesh and blood, but wood. This fire was an enchantment to do one thing and one thing only: kill quickly. It did its job admirably, reducing the three ponies to charred remains in seconds. Rarity stared in disbelief at the flames, completely unaware of her injuries, Fluttershy, or the crying fourth raider. Slowly, she turned the long blade over in her magic. It seemed mundane, but now that she was actively touching it, she could feel the power within. A quick test revealed that all of Fluttershy’s weapons had spells of similar or greater power on them. Rarity dropped the sword, letting it clatter against the ground. It let out a few sparks of flame but otherwise remained inert. Fluttershy looked at her with sorrow. “I… I should have explained what they all did first…” “How!?” Rarity asked. “Where did you get such magic?” “I enchanted it. I’m a weaponsmith.” Fluttershy ruffled her wings, wincing as she seemed to notice her injury for the first time. “I make weapons to fight the monsters.” “You? Enchant? How!?” “I may not be a unicorn like yourself, but pegasus magic can be formed into spells as well with enough practice.” Rarity tensed. “Unicorn?” Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. “Your mane is blown back.” Rarity looked up, realizing with dread that yes, her pearly white horn exposed. “I know lots of unicorns, so I don’t care what sort of stigm-“ “You know other unicorns!?” Fluttershy cocked her head. “Yeah. Several. Red Rage is one of my best hunters.” “I am the only unicorn in the world!” Rarity shouted. “I have never seen another of my race in my entire life!” Fluttershy’s expression softened. “That’s so sad… You must be so lonely.” Rarity opened her mouth to respond, quickly realizing she had no idea what to say. Fluttershy picked up the sword that had been on fire with her wing and carefully put it back on her back. “This was the first weapon I ever enchanted. It’s a very simple spell I have kept active for many years: fire burst. It was designed to take out a massive serpent of ice. As a consequence, it – like almost all weapons designed to fight monsters – has become a weapon that could kill hundreds of ordinary ponies.” She looked at the three smoldering piles with a grimace on her face. “…I fear what we will become when the monsters no longer force us to unite. Will we turn these weapons on each other?” Fluttershy took a moment to look at the desert around her. “If… If this really is the future…” Her gaze locked with Rarity’s. “It looks like we will.” Rarity gulped, unsure how to respond to that. Fluttershy wordlessly trotted over to the remaining raider. He was crying, holding his bloody leg. “Shhh…” Fluttershy said, spreading her wings. Rarity watched in fascination as the feathers upon them began to shiver and tremble with soft green magical energy. “This won’t hurt at all…” The stump stopped bleeding first, then slowly a new hoof grew in place of the old one, shiny as if it had just been born. “Now sleep,” Fluttershy said, waving a magical wing over the pony’s eyes. He fell asleep in the sand without so much as a grunt. “...I’ll heal you too.” Rarity managed to speak. “N-no, I know healing spells myself.” She focused the magic into her horn and poured energy into the wounds on her back legs, sealing them up until they were good as new. This did nothing to remove the bloodstains all over her leg and the ground below. Fluttershy trotted over to her and checked the wound just in case. “Looks good.” She gently patted Rarity on the back. “We’re okay. We were just acting in self-defense.” “This is not new to me,” Rarity said. “…Aside from the magic sword. I have studied magic all my life and I am meant to restore magic wherever I can. I never, in a thousand years, would be able to make that sword.” “You have less magic to work with,” Fluttershy said. “A… a lot less.” She spread her wings out and closed her eyes, presumably feeling the magic around her. “It seems… in pain.” “It’s dying. The whole world is dying.” “…Then we’re going to save it,” Fluttershy said, determined. “Many have said that,” Rarity pointed out. “Yourself?” Rarity nodded. “And now the world has two sources of magic. You, and me.” Fluttershy beamed. “Rarity, you’re not alone.” “You keep sa-“ “I don’t think you heard me. You’re not alone.” Rarity stopped short, finding the mare’s insistent tone… intimidating. Yet another thing she hadn’t experienced in a long while. So many things happening today that should have been impossible, all centered around this mare. It was too much. Rarity burst out laughing. “I guess there must be two Enchantresses!” She put a hoof to her mouth, trying to stifle the giggles. Fluttershy shrugged. “Or I’m really not supposed to be here, but hey, use every resource you have at your disposal!” Rarity managed to get herself under control. “That attitude will get you far in the Crystal Sea.” “Thanks!” She tossed her flowing pink mane back and furrowed her brow. “So, how do we save the world?” “You tell me. I’ve been trying for decades and haven’t gotten any luck. Ponies keep destroying themselves.” “So terrible…” Fluttershy said, though Rarity was pretty sure she wasn’t being addressed. “…Might as well keep going to the rocks.” Rarity nodded, using her magic to restyle her mane, hiding her horn once more. “Ponies know who you are, don’t they?” “They know the Enchantress,” Rarity said, restarting her walk to the distant rocks. “They will make her Queen. She may accept. And then the magic will fall in on itself and everything will collapse. …It is better if ponies do not know my power.” Fluttershy nodded. “Okay. …But now that you’re not hiding from me, can I have some water?” The conjure water spell was one of the simplest ones Rarity knew. With barely any effort she generated an orb of crystal clear liquid above Fluttershy’s head… and dropped it on her. “…You have been waiting years to do that to somepony, haven’t you?” “Maybe.” Fluttershy giggled, wringing some of the water out of her mane. “I am surprised you don’t know the spell yourself.” “I can create water enchantments, but those are generally… violent.” Rarity nodded, taking in this information. She let her mind wander as they walked – though she was careful not to take her eyes off the surrounding sand this time. This mare from… the past? Rarity wasn’t sure if she believed that, but it made the most sense out of anything so far, even if the histories mentioned nothing of an age of monsters. This mare might be more worthy of the Enchantress title than she was, and she wasn’t even a unicorn! And yet, Rarity didn’t feel like anything had been stolen from her. Let someone else take the title from her. She’d done enough with it, some other mare could carry the burden of restoring the world. Maybe Fluttershy could do it? No… no, Rarity couldn’t afford hope. They would try, naturally, but Rarity would not let herself lay all her trust in Fluttershy. The pegasus may have been just as doomed as the world around them. “Why help him?” Rarity asked, gesturing to the remaining raider. “He attacked us, wanted to kill us.” Fluttershy responded with a soft, understanding smile. “Why not?”