Eternal Wind
The wind carried along with it the chirping of birds, leaves fallen from their trees, and the fresh scent of flowers as it rushed to greet the three adventurers who walked on the path that crested a rolling, green hill. The three ponies, Azure Vessel, Highwind, and Vintessa LaRouge, were chatting away, sometimes laughing, sometimes letting loose a surprised gasp, but always were they walking forward. It was a cool day, and the wind ushered in a few stray clouds that had gotten away from their handlers, but nothing that would mar the beauty of the skies. After a gentle breeze had passed, Vin looked up into the sky.
"Ahhh," she cooed, "Nothing beats a nice breeze complimenting a cool day. Highwind! I would expect you to have been in the skies by now. Not that I am ungrateful for the additional company, but would you not be more comfortable up there?" The red mage turned to the dragoon with a somewhat questioning look. He had been looking somewhat agitated, and had been somewhat taciturn, during most of the conversations the group had since leaving Cornelia, and Vin had assumed it was due to him remaining grounded for their sakes.
"I am fine where I am," he responded, "While I do enjoy taking wing, the strain that my training takes on my body sometimes requires me to rest, and to refrain for flight. It shall pass momentarily, and I shall take to the skies soon enough. Thank you for your concern." Highwind gave a small smile to Vin as he finished his answer, and turned to scan the horizon. The group had begun to diverge from the path, following Vin's lead. She had said the cave they were looking for would be somewhere in these wooded areas, and that, oddly enough, they were to use the winds as their guide. He had no clue what she meant, as the wind was gentle and calming in this area, and had remained so for many a year. It made for great flying, to be sure, and headwinds were gentle and easy enough for even beginning fliers to take to the skies, but nothing that suggested that it was anything more.
"I had meant to ask you, if you don't mind me prying," Vin continued, "Why did you take up the lance of the dragon knights? It seems to wear you down, taking its toll on your body, and seems to keep you from the skies. I would imagine one such as yourself would take every opportunity they would to take wing." She had a look of genuine confusion over the subject, the same one she expressed when Azure Vessel explained his blue magic to her. Vin took note that she had managed to find the strangest pair of ponies in her travels yet.
"It is an odd choice, and one not made often by a pegasus, or anypony for that matter. I certainly did not expect to become as the dragons are when I was but a colt. However, when I saw them in flight, how majestic they were, how they exude power, it entranced me. I became enamored with them, spending almost every waking moment thinking of them, of wanting to be them. When I heard of training given by them that allowed ponies to mimic some of their traits, I knew what I wanted to do. It was not easy, and the injuries I've sustained sometimes still act up, but I would not trade it for the world. I do it because I wish to push myself to my limits and beyond, because it is who I am." As he finished, Highwind stretched his wings, preparing for flight.
"I should take this opportunity to do a little stretching, and look about above the forest canopy before we are beneath it. It will be a while before I can take wing again once the trees block my way." With that, the dragoon took to the skies, circling and flying about, looking in various directions. Vin and Azure found a cool spot to sit at the nearest tree and took a rest until Highwind returned. A gentle breeze greeted them as Azure took out a water canteen for a drink while Vin looked about at the woods they were at the edge of. She had heard from some of the other inn patrons in Cornelia that they had been known as White Tail Woods, due to the tribe of deer that lived in them at one point. They traded occasionally with Cornelia and other nearby settlements once, but nopony had seen them in years, and after searching for months, had given up looking, assuming they had moved on. While she had never personally seen a deer, she had seen evidence of their craft. Elegant bows and arrows, lightweight armor that barely had any more presence than a tunic or cape, yet protected with the sturdiness of a suit of full plate barding, and techniques that had passed on to the ponies of the surrounding area in how they interacted with their environment. Vin saw how the ponies used plants and trees as part of their buildings, growing them into it, as opposed to just simply chopping them down and using them as materials.
After taking his drink, Azure returned his canteen to his saddlebags and turned to Vin. "So," he began, "White Tail, is it? I've spent many a year exploring this place in my youth, and patrolling it as a guard, and I don't ever recall a cave of any sort hiding out in here. Are you sure your information is correct, or is some wild goose leading us on a merry chase?" Vin's only response was a confident smirk as Highwind returned from his flight. The dragoon landed softly, and trotted up to his companions, a somewhat concerned look on his face.
"We should not tarry much longer here," he informed the others, "I believe we are being followed. I saw some of the tell-tale signs, but I could not find the culprit. Who- or whatever they are, they know what they are doing, and have at least enough skill to hide from my eyes." Highwind looked about, eyes alert for any sign of danger, as Azure and Vin packed up and began to get ready to be on the move again.
"Who would follow us out here?" Azure asked, "There is nothing to be had." Highwind turned back to his friend, before looking towards Vin.
"Our pursuer may not know that," he responded, "or they may believe we are what's valuable. Who knows? Our guide here wasn't exactly the most quiet speaker last night when sharing her tale." Vin gained a slight blush at Highwind's mention, and quickly added her own two bits.
"Regardless, we should probably get moving. I do believe we should be going this way." She stepped onward, with Highwind and Azure following behind. Vin took a moment to listen to the wind as it wound its way through the trees, and after a moment's hesitation, started to follow a path that took them deeper into the woods. The three ponies pressed on, slowly leaving behind their resting spot. Soon, all was quiet as their voices no longer carried this far.
A flash of green and white soon made its way past the spot, following the trio.
-=*=-
The three adventurers had made some progress after a few mishaps involving mixed directions, a landslide, and some tree sap, and soon stood before a dense copse of trees as Vin continued her habit of listening to the wind. Azure and Highwind were beginning to think that she may be a bit touched in the head when she turned to them, a happy expression on her face.
"We are getting close," she said in a sing-song voice, "The wind is picking up here. Can you hear it?" Upon her prompting, Azure and Highwind turned their ears towards where Vin was motioning, and a moment later, a look of shock crept across their faces. Indeed, coming from the direction of the cluster of trees was a wind that was slightly stronger than the surrounding area, and most definitely coming from one direction consistently. It gave a low, almost imperceptible groan as it whipped through the trees and branches. Without it having been pointed out to them, the two Cornelians easily understood they would have missed this, and most likely had in the past few years. It was something one would not have noticed if they knew not to look for it.
"How-?" Highwind started.
"Where did you say you got this knowledge again?" Azure asked. The two stallions looked on at the mare as if she had summoned pure gold before them and told them they need not ever worry about money again. Vin, for her part, simply held her smile, and her secrets, for now.
"That, my friends, is a tale for another time. For now, we should see to finding this cave. It is nearby, through those trees. I can feel it." The red mage made to push her way through the trees, with the blue mage and dragoon following. As the three ponies made their way past trees and bushes, they could indeed hear the wind gaining speed, strength, and sound as they got closer to some unseen source. As the whipping of the wind began to be problematic, Vin and Azure held onto their hats as the three of them pressed into a clearing in the woods. As they did so, the wind calmed down to a more manageable, gentle breeze. The three looked up, and the sight before them stole their breath.
Ahead of the clearing, the forest opened up to a small cliffside, one that barely grazed the top of the canopy of trees. Surrounding the entrance of a cave in one side of the cliff was a multitude of clouds, giving the area a feeling of being in a dense fog. Liquid rainbows flowed like miniature waterfalls down the clouds, pooling into a river that flowed off into the woods. Flowers of many different varieties and colors grew along the banks, and the gentle wind carried each of the scents upon it, a sweet perfume tickling each of the ponies' noses. Birds chirped in the trees surrounding the clearing, their notes carrying a soothing lullaby on the wind.
Vin was the first to collect her wits about her, as she strode forward, her eyes on her goal. Azure Vessel and Highwind followed soon after, the shock of finding so beautiful a place in the woods finally wearing off. The three walked up to the bank of the river made of rainbows. Vin and Azure looked closely at it, while Highwind stood back. As Azure made to take a drink from it, the dragoon spoke up.
"I would not drink from it, were I you," Highwind warned, "Rainbows aren't known for their taste, nor friendliness to one's tongue." Azure quickly backed away from the liquid, eying it precariously now. Vin had a small giggle upon seeing Azure's face, and turned to the clouds that produced the pretty, yet painful concoction.
"It is as if we walk in the sky here," she said idly, almost half to herself, "Whatever this treasure is, it must be truly wondrous to reside in such a place." She and the others made their way through the embankment of clouds, careful to be wary of any sudden pitfalls or other obstacles that would jump out at one in the low visibility of the fog. They eventually made their way to the cliff's side, and found there a cave. Vin's eye lit up at the discovery.
"Oooh, OOOH! Is this it?" She practically squealed in delight. "This must be it! The Cave of Wishes!" Vin trotted in place with giddiness as she turned to her companions, "Hurry, hurry! This way! We're so close!" As Azure and Highwind closed to follow, Vin turned back towards the cave and hurriedly began to enter. Just as she was about to cross the threshold of the entrance, Highwind jumped forward and held his hoof up before her, blocking her way.
"I understand your eagerness," he warned, "however, do not forget that danger may lie in wait within. We've no clue of what manner of creatures my call this place home. Be on your guard." As Highwind lowered his hoof, Vin's expression deflated a little, yet she retained an eager smile upon her lips.
"Yes, yes, I apologize for my outburst, but this is so exciting! Who knows what treasures and artifacts might be hidden in there? It will be well worth it to see." With that, the group entered the cave, curiosity piqued, and eyes wary of hidden dangers.
-=*=-
In a bush some distance away from the cave, a rustling gave away the position of something hidden away in there. After a moment, a pair of lavender eyes peered out from within. They looked about for a few seconds before retreating to the depths of the foliage.
"Now where did they go?" a feminine voice was heard asking.
-=*=-
The cave was lit with the soft glow of cave moss, which had taken on the various hues of the rainbow that had made its way into the cave over the years. A constant wind was felt throughout the tunnels, giving off a soft whistle as it blew out from some deeper part of the cavern. The group of ponies made their way to the deeper parts of the cave while exploring, taking note of dead ends and sudden drop offs. One such sudden fall would have ended disastrously for Azure had Highwind not been able to react in time to leap down and catch him. Slightly shaken, Azure nonetheless pressed on with the others.
It was some time later when the three of them found a large room that had a large cloud bank in the middle, not moving despite the presence of wind moving through. Across from the trio, on the far side of the room, was, inexplicably, a closed door, carved from stone. Etched upon the door was a relief of a cloud, bolts of thunder emanating from it, while it poured rain down below. Images of gusts of wind surrounded it at all angles. That sight caught Vin and Azure's attention more than the stationary clouds in the middle of the room, and they moved to inspect the door. Highwind, on the other hoof, was staring nervously at the clouds.
"I mean not to concern you with needless worry," he stated, "but I do not trust these clouds. Something about them is wrong." He moved to ready his lance in case it was needed, but Azure and Vin seemed to not see any danger. Azure turned to look at the clouds, and trotted up to them.
"I don't see what you're worried about, Highwind," he gestured tot he clouds, "They seem to be more of the same kinds of clouds that are out front of the cave. Harmless," he tapped his hoof against the nearest cloud, "decorative," gave it a little push, "insubstantial... err..." Azure turned to look at the suddenly substantial cloud he was moving with his hoof. "Umm, Highwind... shouldn't only pegasi be able to touch and move clouds?" Vin slowly turned to look at Azure as Highwind's only response was to rush forward and tackle Azure away from the clouds.
A moment later, right where Azure was standing, a large, draconic claw made of cloudstuff slammed down, the sharp ends digging gouges into the rock. Vin jumped back in surprise and drew her rapier, while Azure and Highwind gathered themselves off the ground and drew their weapons as well. All three ponies looked up in shock as the claw withdrew back into the clouds, which at this point had begun to shift form. After a few seconds, the clouds looked less like a roiling bank of rainclouds and more like a dragon. The dragon-clouds let loose a roar that shook the cave and the ponies to their cores.
"Be careful!" Highwind warned, "I've heard tales of such a beast. It is a mist dragon, and its kind are rarely seen, and only in the highest altitudes in the skies."
"Then why is it here, in an underground cave?" Azure asked as he readied his scimitar.
"I think it matters less how it got here," Vin quickly mentioned, "and more in how we are going to get by it to get into that room." As she said this, she focused a bit of magic into her horn, and shortly after, the white glow of the spell shone over the three of them. "There, that should provide at least a little protection from those claws." Shortly after she finished, another claw swipe slammed down in the middle of the group. They scattered as each of them jumped out of the way to dodge, and the mist dragon let loose another roar. Azure took the opportunity while he was near a part of its body to slice at it with his scimitar. The beast almost seemed as insubstantial as he first described it, but a moment's glance showed him that a cut had indeed been made. However, he felt a slight gust of wind, and he saw the wound being carried away on said wind, disappearing into the void.
"The- the wind just healed it!" Azure said with a slight bit of panic in his voice, "How do we fight such a creature?" He dodged to the side as a tendril of cloud that looked like the creature's tail swiped at him. Unlike the arm that the claw that he swiped at, he felt the weight of this part of the cloud, and knew that he'd be in a world of hurt should it make contact with him.
"It seems swordplay will not win this day," Vin chimed in, "so we must try with magic. Let us see if this fog can be burned away." Vin gathered her magic in her horn, and pointed it at the mist dragon. "Fire!" she yelled, and from the tip of her horn sprang a gout of flame. It formed into a small comet of heat and destruction as it launched itself at the beast before it. Upon contact with the cloudy hide of the creature, the flames licked and consumed the mist around it, and the great foe gave a pained, shrill roar as the spell concluded its destructive cycle and winked out of existence. The mist dragon then focused the entirety of its attention on the red mage.
"I do not believe it liked that," she said. Vin tried to dodge out of the way of the dragon's counter attack with a claw, but she was a tad slow, and the dragon managed to nick her with one of the sharp appendages. Her protection spell bore the brunt of the attack, but still she suffered some of the damage, and a bruise quickly appeared on her right foreleg. She yelped in pain as she hopped back a few more paces, slightly favoring her wounded leg. Azure rushed to her side, while Highwind opened his wings and took to what little open air there was in the room. He flew to the back of the dragon's head while it looked at his companions.
"Then let us see how it likes this!" he exclaimed as he drew in a deep breath. The mist dragon, hearing something behind its head, turned just in time to see a pony exhale a sizable gout of flame from his mouth, leaving the dragon's face awash in flame. The beast let loose another howling roar, and Azure noticed something this time. He saw leylines form about the beast, near the areas where Vin's fire spell and Highwind's flame breath attacks connected. He saw them mend the wounds of the creature, and as they did so, some of the cloudstuff melted away. He saw them carry the wounds away, and, most importantly, he saw the mist dragon shrink in size as it did so. The dragon was indeed using the winds to heal itself, but in doing so, the winds were slowly tearing it apart as well.
Vin turned to look at Azure, noticing a slight blue glow coming from him, and noticed that the source of the glow was his eyes as he stared at the dragon. She raised a hoof to poke him, but a moment later his eyes returned to normal, and he had a grin on his face. He turned to her and looked at her leg, and shortly after, a blue glow surrounded his horn. Vin felt a gust of wind as a faint, translucent ribbon of light, as multicolored as the rainbows and cave moss in the cave, wrapped around her and made its way to her wounded leg. As it washed over her bruise, it slowly disappeared, as did the pain. After the wind had passed, she felt as if the wound had never happened at all. Vin looked up at Azure, surprise evident upon her face.
"I didn't know you knew healing magics as well," she said somewhat breathlessly.
"I didn't," Azure responded, "until just now. I also think I know how to beat this thing." Azure stood up from tending to Vin's wound and turned to Highwind, who was flying circle around the dragon's head, occasionally swiping at it with his lance. He was keeping its attention, but not doing much else. Azure yelled out to the dragoon.
"Highwind! Can you use your breath any more? That seems to be the most effective!" The dragoon pulled a short dive to duck under a claw that came his way, and responded to his friend while avoiding an attempt by the mist dragon to snap its jaws around the offending pony.
"I can, but each attempt draws a lot out of me, and the dragon just heals the damage away with the wind."
"That's the idea, actually," Azure smirked as he put his plan into action. He then turned to Vin, "Help Highwind keep the heat on the dragon, if you would." Vin gathered a smirk of her own as she also gathered the energy for another fire spell. She blasted it off at the dragon's face, which caused it to pause and shake its head. That gave Highwind the chance he needed to build up another deep breath of flame, and let loose the fire's fury. The dragon writhed in pain shortly before the wind picked up again. This time, however, Azure added to it with his own magic, as the same rainbow light that accompanied his spell surrounded the wounds of the dragon at the same time as the wind caught the clouds. The wounds on the mist dragon were healed quickly, but much larger chunks of cloudstuff was ripped from the dragon as well, causing the beast to visibly shrink significantly in the process. Highwind and Vin looked on in shock and surprise.
"Azure, what are you doing!?" Vin yelled, "You're healing the thing trying to kill us-"
"-and in the process," Highwind interrupted, "tearing chunks of it away, killing it in the process. Look!" As he said that, the mist dragon began to gather the clouds around it tightly into itself, becoming more solid and looking more like an actual dragon, as opposed to a mass of clouds and fog.
"It's taking a solid form to prevent itself from being killed by that healing breeze," Highwind continued, "and by doing so, making it vulnerable to our weapons, and making it harder to heal itself." As he said this, the dragoon readied his lance for an attack, and kicked off of the ceiling of the cave, diving into the dragon's back with deadly force. At the same time Azure and Vin both swing their swords with their magic at the beast, both scoring solid hits as the creature now had to contend with being physically assaulted from three directions. Not one to put up with such affronts, the dragon turned to the two grounded unicorns and let loose with a breath of its own, a wave of icy cold wind and blasts of snow. Azure and Vin dove for cover behind nearby rocks as the area surrounding them was plunged into a sudden and instant winter, snow left behind as evidence of the mist dragon's rage.
Highwind jumped off the back of the dragon and took to the air once again, circling around for another strike, while Vin peeked out from behind her cover, charging up another fire spell. Azure, however, leapt out from behind his cover and started charging the dragon's position, his magic aglow in his horn, and energy gathering in his hooves. The dragon turned to the galloping pony, only to catch yet another eye full of flames from Vin's fire spell. It reared up, ready to roar its frustration, when Highwind saw the opening and dove for another attack, this time to the back of the creature's head. He connected square on, and the dragon was knocked off balance, tilting towards the still closing blue mage. Just as the dragon's head was about to crush the blue pony, Azure turned on the spot, raised his back hooves, and discharged the energy of his diamond dog punch into the side of the dragon's face through his kick. The dragon was sent reeling back across the room, slamming its face against the far wall, and slowly fell into a heap, dissipating into clouds before the wind in the cave slowly carried the fog away.
It was almost a full minute before any of the three moved from where they were, on edge and weapons and spells ready for a surprise attack. None came, and there was nothing but the wind to greet their ears. It was Azure that first spoke after the shock of what just happened wore off.
"We... we won..." Azure looked at the other two, and exclaimed again with a smile on his face, "WE WON!!! HAHA!!" Vin joined in on his laughter, as Highwind slowly glided down to them and relaxed, putting his lance away for the time being. After a few moments, the group gathered their wits about themselves and started to proceed to the door. Vin turned to Azure with a questioning look on her face.
"How did you know the dragon would react like that?" she asked. Azure turned to look at her, and simply shrugged.
"I didn't," he replied, "but I saw the energies of his healing making it shrink and taking pieces of it away each time it did so. I don't think it knew it was hurting itself overall every time it did that. I had no clue it'd change forms, though."
"We are lucky it did, though," Highwind added, "Otherwise, we may still be fighting it, or worse, by now." The other two ponies nodded their agreement as they reached the stone door. With a push, the three of them managed to get it to open up, and in the next room, something they didn't expect to see greeted their eyes.
It was a large, open room, much like the previous one, but not as expansive as the last. There was no cave moss within, or liquid rainbow, or clouds, or anything, but a small dias in the center of the room. Floating above this dias was a large crystal, spinning in place, and providing the only light in the entire room. The shimmering of its light cast a soft, faintly green glow about the room, and the trio could feel the wind emanating from the object. The three ponies slowly walked up the steps leading up to the crystal, their eyes latched upon the softly glowing object. After a bit, Vin looked away and examined the room.
"Do you suppose," she asked, almost to herself, "that this is the treasure the legends spoke of? I don't see any riches or anything like that around here." Highwind looked around as well at her prompting, and agreed that there was nothing in this room but this crystal. Azure Vessel, however, did not stop looking at the crystal. Instead, he began to reach a hoof out to it.
"Hey guys," he said, almost mumbling, "Don't you see this? It's amazing how all the energy goes to and flows from this..." Highwind and Vin turned to Azure, confusion and concern on their faces. A moment later, all three of them heard a voice in the room with them, seemingly emanating from the crystal itself.
Warriors chosen by the crystals,
Heed my plea,
Darkness consumes the lands,
And it comes for thee.
Together you must fight,
Together you must stand,
Together your might,
Shall save the land.
Sun and moon,
Shall stand by your side,
Your harmony must be true,
For it is within it they reside.
Chaos will divide,
Your love, the cost,
You must overcome,
Or all is lost.
After that, the winds died down and the crystal slowed its spinning. After it had stopped completely, the soft glow gathered in intensity until it became a blinding light, and just as suddenly as it shone, it stopped, becoming nothing more than a mote of light hovering in front of Azure. As soon as he regained his sight, Azure looked before him, and saw that the crystal had shrunk in size, and was small enough that he could pick it up and hold it within his hoof. Hesitating a moment, he looked to Highwind and Vin, who both motioned for him to take it. He gathered it up with his magic, and placed it delicately within his saddle bags. He then turned to his two companions, a question etched across his face.
"Just what in the hay was that all about?"