//------------------------------// // Trial Five: Home // Story: Born In Light, Forged In Darkness // by Jest //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash’s gaze lingered on her former friend, even as the wind whipped about her form and she passed through the barrier, shedding her pony disguise as she did so. The look of shock and confusion Rainbow Dash had guessed was coming never reached the shy pegasus’ face. Was she even surprised by that? Rainbow Dash wondered, only to be pulled from her thoughts by the voice of her mistress. “Eyes forward! They are right behind us!” shouted Kanathara, who all but grabbed Rainbow Dash’s face and forced her to look straight ahead of them. The vengant grumbled but did as she was told, flapping her wings and pulling above the treetops that had threatened to pull her from the sky. With her attention forcibly pulled from her former friend, and the chaos around their sudden reunion, Rainbow Dash realized just how close her enemies had become. The pegasi were surprisingly close behind her, despite their heavy-looking armor, and large, bulky weapons. Something she didn't have to worry about, as Kanathara’s form had bled into her own, reducing the weight on her back and allowing the vengant the full range of motion she would need to evade her attackers. We need to throw them off before we meet back up with father, Kanathara thought to her familiar. Focus on losing them, and I’ll do my best to shake off their attempts at scrying us. Rainbow Dash nodded and focused the whole of her being on flight, discarding the uncomfortable feelings of guilt and remorse that swirled in her heart. The wind billowed beneath her wings and carried away everything other than the thrill of the hunt and freedom that came with flying. Here she was queen, with enemies all but breathing down her neck, and death waiting for even a minor mistake, there was no room for worries or cares, not here. Eyes narrowing, Rainbow Dash pulled her wings tight against her back and dove down, her entire body spinning to the right as she punched through a small pocket of branches. Her scales held firm as shards of wood flew against her, unable to slow her descent in any meaningful way. Meanwhile, she could feel her mistress’ worried thoughts, but could also feel the overwhelming trust she had for the vengant. Before they hit the ground, Rainbow Dash opened her wings and pumped the leathery appendages hard, her body leveling out before turning sharply to the right. Tree trunks, bushes, and fallen logs zipped past their vision in a near blur, their body moving so quickly that an outside observer would struggle to follow them. The maneuver itself was dangerous in the extreme, and only a few of the pegasi who followed behind them could replicate it, and even less so with any real modicum of success due to their bulky armor. Rainbow Dash would have normally laughed at her enemies’ misfortune as she heard them tumble through the canopy, their feathered wings catching on twigs her leather ones did not, but she had no time for that now. She knew from Kanathara’s thoughts that the unicorns following them had locked onto them with several scrying spells, meaning escape was now completely impossible. She also knew that meant that any enemy that they lost until this point might be able to catch up to them given enough time. Thinking quickly, she closed her wings and extended her hooves before and behind her, passing through a narrow opening between two trees. Opening her wings, the demon rolled to the left without gaining any altitude, knowing from Kanathara’s perfect memory that a ravine should open up just beyond. Sure enough, a deep crack in the earth opened before them, at the bottom of which a thin strip of water flowed. Flapping hard, the demon poured on the speed, weaving left and right as the ravine changed course ever so slightly. She was dimly aware of only a single pegasus following her, the rest having missed the ravine, or ran face first into a tree, or the bank of the small creek. Rainbow Dash nearly smiled to herself, relishing the small victory, until she heard the twang of a crossbow and heard the fwip noise as a bolt flew over her head. Then she did smile, for the enemy on her tail was a true master of not only flight, but also aerial combat. Something the vengant was as well, and with a great inhale of air, the demon summoned forth a bit of hellish flame before swooping down and ejecting it as a solid mass of fire. The second the fireball hit the water a great gout of hot steam exploded upwards, obscuring everything and burning the unfortunate pegasus who accidentally flew into it. Their cry of pain and confusion was cut off a second later as they ran into the side of the bank. Rainbow Dash idly wondered if they had died, their neck snapping from the impact, but she kept those thoughts short as there were more important things to consider. How long until you shed those scrying spells? she asked. Thirty seconds, Kanathara replied quickly. Casting magic while ethereal is difficult. Rainbow Dash didn't know much about spells, given her own inability to cast anything more than a few basic demonic spells, but she knew enough to know that Kanathara was working as quickly as possible. With a surge of her wings, the demon erupted from the treetops, piercing the thin covering of branches before turning and spinning to her left. Her assumption was correct, for as she leapt and spun she noticed several unicorns lined the ground near the bank of the ravine just up ahead. With the treetops now between her and her enemies, their spells either fizzled, or were fired haphazardly, going wide and flying off into the distance. More pressing were the trio of pegasi who were diving down from the cloud cover, crossbows raised, and ready. With a grunt of irritation, Rainbow Dash repeated her first maneuver again, diving back down between the trees and using her improved turning capability to dodge and weave through the foliage. Fast though she was, the forest was still not easy to maneuver in, slowing the vengant down significantly. The trade off would have been an easy getaway in any normal situation, as few could track the black blur, something these ponies were more than capable of. They seemed able to see Rainbow Dash even as she zipped through the shadows, their vision no doubt enhanced in some way. Grumbling to herself, the vengant tried to shake her pursuers, only for bolts to begin to rain from the sky. Though the shots themselves weren’t terribly close, the fact that they could even fly and shoot at the same time made Rainbow Dash’s respect for her opponents surge higher than before. They were clearly well-trained, and if her assumption was correct, they were also trying to push her into going left for some reason. No doubt an ambush, Kanathara thought. Rainbow Dash nodded, their attempts were good, but about as subtle as the hammers some of them wielded. They would need to do better than that to pin her down, something Rainbow Dash was about to viscerally remind them of. With a great heave of her lungs, the demon sucked back as much oxygen as she could while focusing her inner magic on her wings, pulling from deep within herself. Her body began to glow a cruel, crimson light that spilled forth from the cracks in her scales and illuminated the dark forest. With one last push of her magic, she felt the heat boiling within her shift and reach her wings before exploding outwards in a violent crescendo of hellfire. The pegasi chasing her were mostly out of range of the attack, though a small group that had caught up ended up temporarily blind due to their sight spells backfiring as they stared at the incredibly hot flames. The unicorns which had begun to close in also managed to avoid it with ease, as did the few earth ponies whom had managed to keep up. It was obvious that the attack itself did little damage to her pursuers, but that wasn't the point, as the hellfire latched onto everything it could, burning dirt, wet grass, and living trees alike with impunity. Nothing was spared from the fury of the magical fire, which turned all it touched to ash while spilling outwards, hungrily devouring everything it could. Rainbow Dash could hear orders being shouted, and the flap of wings renew as a pegasus broke off in order to aid in the containment effort. The vengant smirked and began to inhale another deep lungful of oxygen, while pushing her magic into her chest, infusing it with hellfire. Ten seconds, Kanathara reminded. Rainbow Dash smirked, and was about to think that this was too easy, until a bolt clipped her shoulder and nearly drove her into the ground. Forced to abandon her next attack early, Rainbow Dash turned and released her fireball, sending it in the general direction of her enemies. Though easily dodged, the vengant wasn't intent on killing them, and utilized the slight opening she had created to double back, and hopefully throw them off. Not wanting to test her luck, and knowing that Kanathara’ spell was going to be ready at any moment, Rainbow Dash released another explosion of hellfire, targeting a particularly dense group of trees. Instantly the entire area was alight, as bright green foliage was turned to ash in a matter of seconds. The hungry flames spread wildly, consuming everything in their path, no matter how wet or non-flammable until this point. Done! Kanathara declared a second before Rainbow Dash felt something hot, yet soothing wash over their forms, wiping themselves clean of whatever scrying spells had targeted them. Immediately the uncomfortable sensation of being watched was gone, and Rainbow Dash would have shouted in victory, would that not be a terrible idea. Stowing that urge down deep inside of her, Rainbow Dash focused on the job ahead, namely throwing off any mundane efforts of tracking them. A quick check told her that Kanathara was spent, her magic strained as it was after being forced into use without a proper focus like a horn. Rainbow Dash swerved this way and that, ducking under trees, and frequently changing direction at random. Her pursers lost track of her within minutes without the aid of their seers and their enchantments. With no magical assistance of any kind, the two pegasi had been forced to track her with their unenhanced eyes, a task they found completely impossible. Yet even after she heard the flutter of feathered wings going in a different direction, Rainbow Dash continued her evasive maneuvers. With Kanathara no longer casting a spell, Rainbow Dash was free to turn to smoke, and slip silently through the underbrush, winding her way randomly through the forest. Only when she was certain they weren’t being followed did she begin to slow, her breathing coming in hard due to the recent expenditure of magic. “Whew, been a while since I worked that hard,” Rainbow Dash muttered. Not since the Citadel of pain did you have to deal with a passenger, while evading capture, Kanathara remarked. Rainbow Dash smirked as she thought back to that moment. “Ahh, that was a good time. We killed so many demons that day.” We sure did, affirmed Kanathara. Rainbow Dash sighed as she flew over the treetops, her pace slow, and focused more on being quiet now that she had lost her pursers. “I’m sorry about losing my head back there.” I’m sorry I had to command you to move, replied Kanathara regretfully. “Yeah…” Rainbow Dash sighed. “Do you think that maybe after a while we could go see her?” Kanathara hummed thoughtfully. She is going to be under watch for a long time after what happened today, but maybe eventually we could figure something out. “You are probably right,” murmured Rainbow Dash, who turned and began to fly towards Ghastly Gorge, the familiar being guided by the ever perfect mental map given to her by her mistress. On the upside, we did find some good information and have a solid inkling about our enemies’ abilities, Kanathara offered. So it wasn't all a wasted effort. “I suppose knowing that Fluttershy is alive and relatively okay is a good thing as well,” added the vengant, as she continued to fly at a lazy pace. Plus we know for certain that this is likely the plane I was born on, Kanathara exclaimed. “You guessed that years ago,” retorted Rainbow Dash. “Unless there is some other plane of ponies we don't know about.” No, you are right. It’s just weird. I haven't thought about it in a long time and I just assumed I would never come here. Or if I did, it would only be in a few hundred years, Kanathara whispered. I knew I was from here, but I didn't think I’d come here, at least not for a long while. Not until my birth parents had long since passed from old age... Rainbow Dash winced as she ducked into a dive, tucking her wings in as she deftly dodged around the holes containing quarry eels which she could sense hiding in the rock walls. “I never thought of that either,” Rainbow Dash admitted. “I mean, what would I even say to my own parents? Hey guys, I’m a demon now and I got a sexy demon girlfriend?” Kanathara laughed. Which part of that would be worse do you think? “I’m not sure. Probably the demon part, but my mom also really wanted grandkids.” The vengant smirked. “So unless I can knock you-” Don't even finish that sentence, Kanathara warned, though her mental voice was light and filled with mirth. Rainbow Dash chuckled as she leveled out her flight, realizing that the eels knew they were in the presence of an alpha predator, and thus would continue to keep their distance. “So are you going to look for them? Your parents I mean.” Pear Butter is my mother, and Tirek my father. Nothing will change that, Kanathara stated, though her voice wavered slightly near the end. “I mean yeah, but aren't you curious at least?” Rainbow Dash offered. “I mean they could be serial killers, or Celestia’s biggest fans.” Kanathara shuddered, even though she had no physical body to speak of. Now that's a terrifying thought. “But seriously. What are you going to do?” Rainbow Dash pressed. Kanathara sighed as the pair twisted and turned, lazily flying down the long, deep gorge. I don't know, she admitted at length. Rainbow Dash frowned as they flew under a waterfall. “I mean. We probably got a ton of work to do now that the tower has been destroyed, and we’re stuck here, but after that we could do anything we want. Pretty much anyway.” I suppose and we already have a clue on where to start the search for my birth parents, Kanathara announced. “Really, where?” Rainbow Dash asked. I got a… flash, when I saw the commander of the paladins, Kanathara admitted. He felt familiar for some reason. I’m sure he knows something. “Well, that's just great. How would we possibly get the head honcho of an order of demon killers to sit down for a chat?” Rainbow Dash remarked dryly. I have absolutely no idea, but it felt like I knew him, Kanathara murmured. Perhaps I should go back and research that memory spell I learned all those years ago. “You can actually cast it properly now, right?” Rainbow Dash inquired as she weaved through a small area of the gorge which was littered with fallen vines. I can, though I haven't tried it since my transformation, Kanathara replied. Everything since then has moved so fast. “It does seem like things are moving a little quicker recently,” Rainbow Dash agreed. I know, someone is definitely trying to get to father, and perhaps us as well, Kanathara added grimly. I need time to get my magic under control, and to reassess our surroundings. “I’m sure Tirek will have the hideout loaded with enough defences that we can relax for a bit,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “I mean, he did have like a few hundred years to make sure this place was locked tight, right?” Yes, but father hasn't been able to reach this plane due to being bound by Celestia’s enforcer, Kanathara explained. “But the guy keeping your dad there is dead now, right?” Rainbow Dash pressed. He has to be, otherwise he would be here, chasing father down and trying to return him to the tower, Kanathara replied, only to pause. Unless there was no tower to return to. “Do you think this was all part of your dad’s plan?” Rainbow Dash asked as she flapped a little harder, seeing their destination come into view. I don't know, but it certainly sounds like something father would use as a backup plan, Kanathara admitted. Now that he is here though, I’m curious if we’ll be staying for long. Father has other bases littered throughout Tartarus and the other planes, so it’s not like we have to stay here after I’m freed from the plane-binding spell that was tied to the summoning spell itself. “True.” Rainbow Dash paused and tucked in her wings a second before she dove through a waterfall, emerging on the other side in a small cave. “Have you ever asked him why he hates her so much?” Once. It did not go well. “Huh. Maybe it's time to ask him again?” Rainbow Dash offered as she looked around the winding cave which turned down and to her right. Maybe… If it was possible to kill the alicorn, now would be the time to do so, Kanathara exclaimed, while deep in thought. The deployment of her commander might even be a decent distraction. “Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves too much,” warned Rainbow Dash. “Don't get me wrong, I’ve still got your back if you want to off her, but maybe we should hear what your old man has to say first. After all, she does control the sun and moon of this plane, so she must be powerful.” Fair enough. We just need to get past whatever defences father placed on this cave. Give me a second, Kanathara announced before smoke began to billow from her familiar’s body and quickly formed the keeper’s physical manifestation. “There, much better,” Kanathara proclaimed, before giving her body a quick shake, waking up her sleeping muscles. Rainbow Dash smirked, and bumped her hip against the keeper’s. “What, you don't like being inside me? I’m shocked I tell you, shocked.” The shorter demon rolled her eyes. “That wasn't even funny the first time you said it, never mind the three hundredth time you said it.” Rainbow Dash smirked. “That's weird, you got so big, yet you still don't have a funny bone. Maybe I can-” Kanathara smacked her friend hard across the ass. “Would you cut it out already?” The vengant merely stuck her tongue out at the other female. “You know, there are less rude ways to say you want to take a break and have sex,” quipped Rainbow Dash. Kanathara sighed and pressed her hoof into her face. “Would you please stop?” “Fine. Spoilsport,” Rainbow Dash muttered, only to stumble back after hitting an invisible wall. “Ouch.” Kanathara leaned forward and tapped the spot where Rainbow Dash had been stopped in her tracks, causing ripples to form in the air. “Interesting. It's a barrier of some kind.” The vengant rubbed her nose and took a step back. “What is it with me and my bad luck with shields? This is getting ridiculous,” Rainbow Dash muttered angrily. Kanathara shook her head and lit her horn, illuminating the almost pitch black cave with her magical aura. The barrier spell seemed to stretch from one wall to the other, cutting off the tunnel a dozen or so feet before another turn. Though the walls, floors and ceilings looked natural, Kanathara knew better than to trust what her eyes told her. Sure enough, the first spell she used told her that there were several illusions in the room, including the wall itself. Smirking to herself, the demon conjured forth a powerful dispel and pointed it at the wall itself, revealing that it was still a wall, though no longer a magical one. “What the hell?” Rainbow Dash muttered, tapping the now solid stone wall. “Why would the wall be disguised as a wall?” “Because the illusion spell that hid it was very well constructed, and would prompt any would be invader to try and get rid of it magically. Something that would be impossible, as it's just a rock wall with an illusion overtop of it. Thankfully father taught me how to see through his particular brand of nasty mirages,” Kanathara explained, her gaze narrowing. “Though I am not sure what we are supposed to do after this.” “Remind me to pay attention the next time that old fart starts rambling about magic,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Kanathara snorted. “You know, there is going to come a time where I won’t be around to explain this all to you, and then you are going to be in big trouble.” “No way. We are stuck together like glue, and even more glue,” Rainbow Dash proclaimed, while squeezing the keeper with a hoof. “Your talent for metaphor is surpassed only by your knowledge of magic,” Kanathara remarked dryly. The vengant scoffed. “Whatever. So do you know how to get past this wall, or do I need to start busting it down?” “No need. Just stand back and let me get to work,” Kanathara proclaimed. Rainbow Dash did as she was told, watching closely as the other demon’s hooves moved this way and that across the perfectly flat wall of stone. After a few minutes of silent searching, the keeper laughed aloud, before shaking her head. “Oh father, you and your terrible attempts at making secret passwords,” she murmured. “Don't tell me it's the sphinx’s riddle again,” groaned Rainbow Dash. “No, even better, it's not a riddle at all. It's a math question,” Kanathara explained. “How did you know that just from touching the wall?” Rainbow Dash asked, cocking her head. “I don't see anything written on there.” “There are very subtle lines of magic hidden behind the wall,” Kanathara continued, her horn lighting and causing the invisible lines to glow a light red. “See?” Rainbow Dash looked at the veritable wall of math and cocked her head. “That's math? It's like, ten paragraphs long, and what is this part over here with a bunch of letters?” Kanathara snickered. “It’s meant to be an impossible question. The answer is eight.” “Eight?” Rainbow Dash muttered. “But I thought you said it was impossible?” “Oh it is. You see eight is also the symbol for infinity. It's a little joke father liked to play when he ran out of ideas,” Kanathara mused idly, as her horn glowed and her magic carved the number eight into the small empty space at the bottom right. Rainbow Dash sighed, and ran a hoof down her face. “You two nerds were meant for each other.” Kanathara snickered to herself. “I thought you were a demon of vengeance, not envy.” “And I thought you were a keeper of secrets, not a keeper of nerd facts,” Rainbow Dash shot back. “Technically nerd facts are secrets so long as few know of them,” corrected Kanathara. The vengant was about to fire back again when a loud crunch followed by the noisy turning of many gears made her stop and hold her hooves over her ears. “Could he have made this any louder?” shouted Rainbow Dash. “They probably teleported directly inside. This door hasn't been used in centuries!” Kanathara shouted back, the keeper covering her own ears as well. Rainbow Dash grunted as the gears finally stopped turning and the demon could remove her hooves and open her eyes. She was greeted with the sight of another long hallway like the last, save for this one was made of cut stone and was clearly artificial, unlike the cave they had just passed through a minute ago. “Let's get moving. I do not want to be here when that stupid door closes behind us,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Kanathara nodded. “Good thinking, take the lead. I need to summon my book.” The vengant did just that, trotting out in front and proceeding down the hall at a relatively leisurely pace. Her mistress kept her horn alight, bringing forth her grimoire which now hung from her neck by thin silver chains. Her attention was then focused ahead of them, ensuring they didn't run into another wall, or worse, trap. With their minds put to task, neither spoke, and simply trod the long hall in relative silence, constantly analyzing their surroundings. Though Kanathara found that traps littered the hall, they were all either deactivated, or had fallen inert due to poor maintenance and now lacked a power source. She continued her vigil regardless, well aware of the price of failure, and only let her horn dull when a tall door emerged from the gloom. The keeper sighed, a small smile spreading across her face the second she saw the door open, and a familiar face emerge. The long, clawed hands of a certain seer pushed the door open, allowing the demon to step fully into the low light granted by several small torches that burned within the next room. Not like any demon actually needed the light, as they could all see perfectly fine in absolute darkness, but it was a comforting sight regardless. As was the tall, lanky form of Pythias, who was now adorned in a hooded, scorched, and hole-ridden black robe that stretched all the way to the floor. Her stitched lips turned upwards in a painful smile, and she gestured inside. “Alright, Pythias! You are okay!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she bounced up to the taller demon and extended a hoof. The seer nodded and pulled back her hood before gently pressing her knuckles against the vengant’s offered limb. “Woah, what happened to you?” Rainbow Dash murmured, stopping just inside the door. The seer seemed confused before a clawed hand went up to her head and touched the long, bladelike horn that protruded from the center of her forehead. She seemed to struggle with an explanation for a few seconds before Kanathara stepped forward and placed a hoof on her familiar’s back. “The transition to a different plane changes a demon’s body,” she explained before gesturing to herself. “We lacked several of our key features when we first arrived here, remember?” The vengant looked her mistress up and down, her gaze following the glowing silver lines of power that covered every spot that the female’s dark purple fur did not. Rainbow Dash slapped a hoof across her face and groaned aloud, her brain just now catching up with her. “Which explains why you didn't materialize your grimoire until now,” she exclaimed. Kanathara nodded. “The transition was a rough one. Being pulled here by two different summoners, but I believe we are ourselves once more. Or will be after an extended rest.” The vengant grinned. “Good, because that pony form was not doing you any favors.” The seer next to them raised an eyebrow questioningly. “We’ll explain once everyone is together,” Kanathara hastily exclaimed, only to look around at the relatively empty room. “Speaking of which, where is everyone? They did make it, right?” The seer nodded quickly and pointed towards the lone hallway across the room which went deeper underground. Rainbow Dash breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness they are in one piece.” She stopped, and raised an eyebrow, turning to the seer. “They are in one piece, right?” Pythias nodded but sighed, poking a clawed finger through the holes of her robe sadly, and raising her hands, as if suggesting that the others were not quite as lucky as her. Kanathara frowned, silently thankful that her seer friend was relatively uninjured but still uncomfortable due to the odd look she was being given. “Take us to them, please,” she half commanded, half asked. The seer nodded and began to trot down the hall, ducking and weaving through the various piles of dust-covered boxes that littered the area. Both Rainbow Dash and Kanathara followed close behind, though the vengant stopped near the end of the room and prodded a random crate. “What is all this junk anyway?” she asked. Kanathara shrugged. “It looks like a supply room of some kind.” Pythias nodded and waved a hand over the various piles of boxes, crates, weapon racks, and other random things that cluttered the area. “I wonder if there is any cool stuff in here,” Rainbow Dash muttered, lifting a lid from one of the boxes and peering inside. Kanathara rolled her eyes and pulled her familiar along with her. “Come on. We can dig around in a bunch of boxes later. I need to know if mother and father are okay.” Rainbow Dash grumbled, but did as she was told, following the keeper of secrets closely as the trio trotted deeper into the hideout. As they walked, doors began to line the walls at odd intervals and Pythias turned sharply down a hallway, before stopping a few feet from a larger, more ornate wooden portal. She extended a hand towards the door and bowed slightly, taking a small step back in order to allow the other two demons access. Kanathara sighed and stopped at the door, a hoof mere inches from the wooden object. “I wonder…” Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. “Wonder what?” “Should I even ask about my origins and what happened between Tirek and Celestia?” Kanathara asked hesitantly. “They are injured, and we likely have much to do after all…” Rainbow Dash shook her head, her flaming mane whipping about as she did so. “If you don't ask now, when could you?” “You are right. There won't ever be a perfect time. I need to do this soon,” Kanathara admitted, before breathing deeply and letting out a slow sigh. “Alright, let's get this over with.”