//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 - Shelter from the Storm // Story: Ode to a Monster // by Tekkonair //------------------------------// “Urgh… My head…” Groaned the downed pegasus as she stirred. “I don’t remember drinking…” She muttered, opening her bleary eyes, blinking away the blurriness. “… What the buck?” She asked, her eyes rolling around as she took in her surroundings. The twisted, gnarled trees, the oppressive gloom, the scent was all too familiar. “I’m in the Everfree.” Her breathing began to quicken. “I’m in the Everfree. I’m in the bucking Everfree at night.” She gulped loudly, looking around. “O-Ok, calm down Dash. Just get to your hooves. You can do this. You’ve been in the Everfree plenty of times. You’ll be fine” She told herself, her voice cracking slightly as she struggled to her hooves. She winced every time she moved, her back flaring with pain, and she cried out in pain as she tried to put weight on her front left hoof. “That’s broken. That’s fine, just gotta fly out of here instead.” She looked back at her wings and gasped. “My wings!” Her wings had been badly charred by the thunderbolt, the feathers burnt away completely, and the skin badly burnt. Her left wing hung awkwardly from her side, and when she tried to move it, she cried out. “Ok, so that’s broken as well.” She said, gritting her teeth and forcing tears back. “Ok, ok… Is there anything here I recognise?” She asked herself, turning around and jumping slightly. “Whoa…” Her crash site was right at, what appeared to be, the entrance to a ruined shrine of some kind. Ancient, monolithic stones encircled the site, which was a small clearing bordered by a semi-circular cliff face and the stones themselves. Further in, past the stones, what were once intricately carved pillars stood, the engravings worn away by the ages. In the middle of it all, a solid black altar with dull, off-white lettering carved into its surface rested atop a stone platform. Behind it all, an ornate entryway was carved into the cliff face. The place was permeated with the weight of ages, and the site promised knowledge of ages past, insights into the lives of ponies that lived thousands of years ago. All this was lost on Dash in her current state, whose only thoughts were that Twilight would love this, and that it looked like a scene out of a Daring Doo book. She grit her teeth and limped forwards, moving carefully as she approached the shrine. “Hello!” She called. “Anypony here?” She paused, hearing only her echo. She frowned, and continued limping forwards, passing between two pillars that flanked the path. “Well, well, what do we have here, sisters?” Dash froze as a voice echoed across the clearing, hollow and sinister. She awkwardly spun round as the voice giggled, and her eyes widened as a shadowy figure stepped out from behind one of the standing stones. Vaguely equine in shape, a pair of blazing red spheres formed its eyes and dark mists gathered at the ends of each leg. “Looks like a downed pegasus, sisters.” Responded another voice, a second shadowy figure stepping out from another stone. “What shall we do with it, sisters?” The first shadow asked. “It looks so lonely...” “And so tasty.” Rainbow began to back away from the shadows, shivering as she stumbled backwards. She yelped as a feeling of intense cold swept across her back, and almost screamed as she saw a third shadow leering over her. As Dash gazed upon the shadow, more features became distinct. The angry orbs of scarlet swirled before her eyes, shapes forming and dispelling before she could identify them in a maddening display, flecks of other colours appearing and disappearing. In an attempt to save her mind, she turned her gaze slightly downward, away from the eyes and to where she judged the mouth to be. A part of her expected the creature’s mouth to be similar to that of a pony. That expectation was shattered by the impossibly twisted maw of the beast. The fangs that lined the infernal orifice were jagged shadows, of a barely lighter colour than the surrounding shadow. As opposed to the shifting, roiling darkness that comprised the rest of the creature’s body, the gloom which inhabited its mouth was unchanging, an endless abyss that, try as she might, she couldn’t tear her gaze away from. The jaw closed and twisted into a smirk. “Oh sisters, I think she’d make a lovely meal. Wouldn’t you agree, pony?” Asked this third shadow. The shadow leered at her, a dark tongue snaking out of its mouth to lick its lips as they spread into a grin. Rainbow shivered as the other two shadows drew closer, paralysed with fear by these shadows. Inwardly, she screamed at her hooves to move, to swing at the shadow. To do something, anything to try and avert a gruesome fate. A tear formed in her eye as she realised her body wouldn’t respond.  Oh Celestia, not like this. Any way but this. Please, no… Another shiver went through her as the shadows drew close around her, leering at her as they licked their lips and bared fangs. She screwed her eyes shut as the first shadow bared its teeth, silently praying it would be quick. “Back shades! Back!” A new voice shouted. “You won’t be eating today!” The shadows turned to face the new arrival, and instantly shrank back. Rainbow turned to see a unicorn stallion shrouded in a black cloak brandishing a burning torch in his magic. He jabbed it at one of the shadows, which reeled back with a hiss. “It burns us sisters!” It keened as a lick of flame traced across its ‘hoof’. “Back! Back into the darkness!” He shouted again, chasing the shadows back. “Leave this place and do not return! Back!” The first shadow hissed again. “Come sisters, we will not win here.” It said, turning and retreating from the shrine. The other two reluctantly followed, one looking back and snarling. “We will have you.” It glared at Rainbow, who was still frozen in place. The stallion brandished the torch again, and the last shadow left. Once they were out of sight, the stallion relaxed, lowering the torch and sighing. “Too close… “Are you alright?” The stallion asked Rainbow, turning to look at her. Illuminated by the torch, Rainbow could make out a long black mane, light grey fur, and green eyes. “What…” She gulped, tasting bile in the back of her throat as she caught her breath. “What were those things?” “The ponies that built this place called them ‘singulti’. I prefer to call them shades. Creatures that vile do not deserve proper names.” The stallion said. “Now, are you alright?” “I-I think so. S-save for my wings, and leg.” She said, clearly shaken by what happened. He nodded, walking towards her steadily. “Let’s get you inside and tend to those injuries.” He said, gently guiding Rainbow towards the doorway carved into the cliff. “You got hit by the storm, right? Trying to break it up? Takes a brave one to dive into the heart of a supercell like that.” “Y-yeah, though I think those shadows are scarier than a storm…” Shield chuckled at that, nodding. “I’d have to agree with you there. Just be glad they didn’t take you.” “Why? What do they do?” “To be honest, I don’t actually know. But, given they talk about eating ponies, and that I’ve never found any remains of their victims…” He tailed off as he saw Dash’s face going pale. “Right, sorry, freaking out a crash-landed pegasus probably isn’t the best idea.” “Y-you think?” She huffed, looking back out to the treeline and shivering. “I’ve never seen anything like them before.” “They’re attracted to this site, best I can tell. Oh, where are my manners. Call me Shield.” He said, stepping into the doorway. Rainbow followed, blinking as she passed a boundary of warm air. “Rainbow Dash. It’s warm in here…” “One of the benefits of magic, I don’t need a door to keep the elements out and the warmth in.” He said, walking over to a burning fireplace. “Let’s get you bandaged up. I’m not a healer, unfortunately, but I know at least enough to dress and splint and stop infection.” She nodded, limping after him and carefully sitting by the fire. She watched as he boiled some water, soaking bandages in the water to sterilise them before hanging them to dry as he fished out a bottle of whisky. “I’m out of regular disinfectant, so whisky’s going to have to suffice. This is going to sting, ok?” She nodded. “I’ve had disinfectant on wounds before, just get it over with.” He nodded, and started pouring alcohol on her open wounds. She hissed in pain, clenching her jaw as he cleaned her wounds, before bandaging them with the dried bandages and splinting her leg and wing. “Now, where are you from, Dash? We should try and get you home as soon as possible.” “I live in Ponyville, but I don’t know how to get back from here. Not on the ground anyway.” She said, looking at her bandaged wings and flinching. Shield nodded. “Afraid I don’t either. I know how to get to Manehattan, but in your condition…” Rainbow nodded. “I know better than to try and get through the Everfree like this… But I still need to get home.” “That you do. The good news is that I should be getting a supply run soon. They know their way through the Everfree, they’ll be able to get you home.” Rainbow nodded, then blinked. “Wait, a supply run? There’s more than just you out here in the Everfree?” She asked, tilting her head. “There’s a few of us. Not really at liberty to say more than that.” Rainbow frowned, opening her mouth to press the issue before deciding against it. “Right, right. And they can take me to Ponyville?” At Shield’s nod, she continued. “How long until they get here?” “Hmm… They’re about a week out at best guess. Plus or minus a couple of days, depending on their progress each day.” “A week?! B-but my friends…” She stopped as Shield raised a hoof. “I know it’s not ideal, but it’s a week’s wait, or a trek to Manehattan through the Everfree on one broken leg. Plus you might have a concussion, since you hit your head. And I can’t leave this place unattended either, so you’d be doing it on your own. Sorry. On the plus side, they’ve got a proper healer with them and I requested additional medical supplies, so… Silver lining?” He offered. “I guess it’d be pretty stupid to try and make it on my own… Why can’t you leave this place?” She asked, tilting her head. Shield was silent for a moment, staring at the fire. “You remember how I said those shades were attracted to this place?” She nodded slowly. “It’s to do with that. I can’t tell you any more, sorry.” “You keep saying you can’t tell me, or you’re ‘not at liberty to say more’. Sounds like you’re under orders of some kind.” She said, squinting a little. “Well, you’re thinking clearly at least, that’s a good sign. You are correct in that I’m under orders not to say anything. But, look at it this way. Even if I’m under orders not to tell you anything, I still helped you, right?” She nodded slowly. “It’s a good thing there was someone here, otherwise you’d be in the Everfree on your own. And if I was a bad guy, I wouldn’t have saved you or treated your injuries, right?” Rainbow nodded again. “Alright, I get your point.” “Good! Now, you’re probably cold and hungry, and it’s been a while since I’ve gotten news from outside the Everfree. We’re going to be here for a while, so I’ll get some food going, and let’s talk.” Rainbow Dash had to admit it. Shield was a good cook, and surprisingly easy to talk to once her initial shock and trepidation had worn off. There were a lot of gaps in his knowledge of recent events, though if he’d spent as long in the Everfree as he claimed, that was understandable. “Alright, I’m going to camp out here. You’re injured and need a proper bed.” He pointed to one of the doorways inside the shrine. “Just through there. I changed the sheets when you were eating, and there’s a washroom if you want to clean up, just avoid getting the bandages wet. If you do, we’ll need to change them.” “A washroom? In the Everfree?” She asked, blinking as she looked at him. “Rainwater. So, it’ll be cold unless you want me to heat it up.” “No, thanks, I can deal with cold water.” He nodded, sitting back down by the fire. “I think I’m going to go sleep now…” “Alright, sleep well. If you wake up with a headache or throw up in the night, let me know, you’ve probably got a concussion if that happens.” She nodded, limping through the bedroom Shield mentioned. She quickly looked around, taking in the bare room. Few decorations save for some roughly whittled figures, some odds-and-ends likely collected from the forest, a few books, and little else besides Rainbow sighed, carefully climbing into the simple bed and lying on her belly, closing her eyes and quickly nodding off. “Why do you dare disturb me?” A thousand voices asked at once, a pair of light blue orbs turning to gaze upon the three assembled shades. “This had better be good.” “Oh, it is, isn’t it sisters?” Hissed the first one, all three grinning. “One of the Elements has chanced upon the shrine of Marabas.” The orbs widened, and there was a rustling as their owner stood. “Are you positive?” The voices asked again. “Yes, we saw her with our own eyes.” The voices chuckled darkly, white teeth forming a grin beneath the eyes. “Oh, this is excellent news.” The voices purred. “Such raw power in the shrine. We must not allow this opportunity to pass us by. Keep watch by the shrine. If Marabas does indeed take notice of the Element Bearer, we must be ready. Failure is not an option. I believe you three know the punishment should you fail?” The voices took a dangerous edge towards the end, and the three shades shuddered in recollection. “Yes, we sisters remember.” They hissed as one. “I shall send more Singulti to assist you in apprehending the Element Bearer when, and if, Marabas has finished with her. Do not interfere with Marabas, nor will I allow you to harm the Element Bearer should Marabas ignore her. If, however, Marabas does not ignore the Element, use whatever force necessary to bring her in. Do I make myself clear?” The shades nodded. “What shall we sisters do about the unicorn?” “The Guardian? If Marabas does not kill him, then you shall do so. But do not attack if Marabas ignores the pair of them. He may be useful later if the Element is left untouched.” The orbs narrowed at the shades again. “Now, go. And do not fail me, Singulti.” Rainbow Dash woke with a start and a yelp as she jerked her injured limbs, blinking in confusion. “... Right, the crash and the shrine.” She said, groaning as she worked the stiffness out of her body before carefully stepping off the bed, limping back out into the main room of the shrine. Now that she was rested, and sunlight was pouring in through the doorway, she could get a better look at the interior. A high vaulted ceiling was carved into the rock of the cliff, and a number of closed and barred doorways led deeper into the shrine. A number of bedrolls were spread across the hall, a large bookcase, and several chests, weapon racks, and stands holding enough arms and armour to equip a Guard platoon. “Morning,” greeted Shield from the fireplace. “I made coffee, figured you’d need some. Sounded like you had a bad night.” He said, setting a steaming mug on a table. She took it gratefully, carefully sipping. “Yeah, nightmares I think.” “Nightmares? Mind if I ask what about?” He asked, sitting across from her with his own mug. “Lightning, I think. Pretty sure it was lightning, and falling.” Shield nodded, sipping his coffee. “Makes sense I guess, after the storm yesterday. No nausea or dizziness?” She shook her head. “Little bit of a headache, but nothing else.” “That’s good, sounds like you got lucky on that count. That bump to the head could have been really bad.” Dash nodded. “So, after breakfast I figured we should probably check to make sure there’s no other physical damage. Between getting hit by lightning and the fall, I want to make sure we didn’t miss anything.” “Alright then, sounds good. What’s for breakfast?” She asked, following with her eyes as he stood up and went to one of the chests. “Let’s see what we’ve got…” He opened one of the chests, cold mist drifting out of it. “You have an ice box?” She asked, surprised. “Well, a chest enchanted to act as one. I often don’t get to resupply regularly, so I need to freeze some. That one there acts like a fridge.” He rooted around in the chest, pulling out a wrapped lump of… Something. He blinked once, looking to Dash, then back to the lump. “… Not that.” He dropped it back in and closed the chest, moving to the one he’d called a fridge. “Might be a bit unorthodox for breakfast, but I can do some fried peppers?” The next few days passed in much the same way. Breakfast, followed by Shield checking and redressing Dash’s injuries, some conversation, lunch, more conversation and limited physical therapy, dinner, some more conversation, then bed. The dull, repetitive days were grating on Dash, and to make matters worse, some of the damage to her wings seemed to be permanent. “These burns from the bolt look like they’re going to scar. No way to tell how much they’ll impact your performance yet, you’ll need time and a proper doctor to figure that out.” Shield had told her one morning, sympathy lacing his voice. Her nightmares were getting worse as well. She slept fitfully that night, the storm that caused her crash flashing in her mind. The other weather ponies, the whipping winds, the searing pain, the Everfree rushing up to meet her. She muttered and shifted in her sleep, her dreams straying to darker places. Images of her friends desperately searching for her, of Scootaloo waiting for her, her parents worried sick… Of Shield, cloaked in black, turning to face her with the awful red eyes and terrible maw of the shades- “Rainbow Dash!” “Waaah!” She flailed as she jerked awake, briefly tangling her good hooves in the blanket. “S=Shield?! What the buck?!” She blearily looked up at Shield, who was standing with a look of worry. “You were having another nightmare, this one sounded really bad. You were screaming.” She paused, suddenly noticing how dry her mouth was. “I… I was, yeah. The storm again, and my friends looking for me…” Shield hummed thoughtfully. “Sounds like the crash really rattled you, might be worth talking to someone when you get back? Lots of ponies who survive stuff like that need to talk to someone who can help. Crash landing in the Everfree, coming face to face with a shade… That’s pretty traumatic. Let’s get you something to drink, I’m guessing you’re unlikely to go back to sleep after that?” “Probably not, no.” She shook her head, standing to follow him. “The Everfree is bad enough on a good day, let alone the day I crashed.” “I will admit, it creeped me out when I first came here. Wild places like this set ponies on edge. The weather resists pegasi, the ground resists earth ponies, and unicorns… Well, it just feels wrong.” He said, setting some water to boil. “How long have you been here, anyway? You said it had been a while, but you never gave a number.” “Hmm… Just about ten years, give or take.” He said after thinking for a moment. Dash’s eyes widened as her jaw dropped. “Ten years? How do you deal with it for that long?” She asked, incredulous. “As I said, you get used to it. I can filter out the feeling pretty well now. Plus I’m not exactly roughing it. I’ve got shelter, a bed, a range, food. All the essentials for long-term survival.” “You still haven’t told me why you need to be here.” “I told you, I’m the guardian of this place.” Dash groaned in frustration. “Yes, but why does this place need a guardian? You said it had something to do with the shades, but you never went any further than that. In fact, you’ve been really vague with almost all your answers! You won’t talk about where you’re from, your family, or anything else I’ve tried to talk about beyond basic smalltalk!” Shield sighed, rubbing the bridge of his muzzle. “You’re right, I have been vague and unhelpful and that’s not fair to you, but it’s not up to me. I have my orders, and more than that I swore an oath. Just,” he sighed again. “Just focus on recovering. You’ll be home with your friends soon, and then you can forget about the strange stallion you met in the forest. And never mention this place to anyone.” “Are you kidding? Twilight would love this place! She’d totally nerd out over it! And I can’t just lie to my friends!” “I’m deadly serious.” He turned to meet her eyes, his gaze piercing, causing Rainbow to shrink back a little as she remembered the eyes from the nightmare. “The fewer ponies know about this place, the better.” He blinked as a rune on the wall started glowing, before trotting towards the entrance. He’s hiding things from you. What? Rainbow blinked, looking around swiftly for the voice. Shield frowned as he approached the entrance, peering out. His eyes widened, and he turned back to Dash. “Rainbow, I need to ask you a question, and it is imperative you answer honestly. Are you in any way a user or carrier of any powerful magic?” He asked, voice low and level. Dash swallowed, her mouth dry again. “W-well.” She set her mug down. “I-I’m one of the fastest pegasi alive, and did a Sonic Rainboom.” “Impressive, but not enough.” He shook his head, pacing and looking to the entrance. “Erm, there’s the… I’m one one of the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony.” Shield’s eyes grew wider as his head snapped back to her. “Oh buck. Oh buck!” He swore. “W-what? Is something wrong?” She asked, standing. “Yes, we have a serious problem.” He swore again under his breath, dashing back to the entrance to peer out into the night. He means HE has a problem. He doesn’t want to help you. “Come take a look,” said Shield. Dash warily limped over. He’s going to leave you to die, a sacrifice for the singulti to save his own skin. Dash shook her head, looking out the doorway and gasping. “Why is the altar glowing?” She asked, a little scared. The runes on the black altar were glowing white, whilst the altar itself was surrounded by a nimbus of pulsating purple. He’s trying to distract you. “Get away from the door.” He said, pushing her back and lighting his horn, a blazing sigil appearing in the doorway before being replaced by a wall of force. “W-what’s going on? And why can I hear somepony in my head?” Shield stumbled at that, staring at her in horror for a moment before racing across to the other side of the chamber. He’s not helping you. You’re trapped in here now. Shut up! Rainbow shouted in her head, trying to ignore the voice. “We can’t leave until the altar stops glowing,” Shield said to her, muttering worriedly under his breath as he rushed around the room. See? Stuck. He’s been in the Everfree for ten years and he doesn’t know where Ponyville is? And he’s strong enough to fight off the singulti with just a torch, he couldn’t have protected you on the journey back? You’d be home by now, in a proper hospital with a proper doctor. Instead, you’re stuck in the Everfree, and who knows how bad the damage to your wings is thanks to the lack of proper care. And aren’t you worried about your friends? Or that little Scootaloo? Dash froze, the guilt and frustration that had been mounting over the last few days coming crashing down. “Let me go.” “What?” Shield asked incredulously, turning to look at Dash. “I said let me go! I can’t believe I actually trusted you when you said you didn’t know where Ponyville was! I was breaking a storm that was going to hit the town when I crashed, I can’t be that far! After ten years, you must know where it is! My friends are going to be worried sick!” She pressed, stepping forwards and glaring as the voice egged her on. “I can’t do that. I promise, I really don’t know where Ponyville is,” said Shield, his incredulous expression changing to worry. “And besides, even if I did, with the altar like that-”  He’s lying. You need to get home, to your friends, to Scootaloo. The voice rattled and scratched around inside her head, dragging forth memories of the orange filly, images of her and the Crusaders desperately, recklessly looking for her. They’ve always been reckless, what if they go into the forest looking for you? “Stop lying to me!” She shouted, the guilt tearing at her strengthened by the voice. “I need to get home before Scootaloo does something that’ll get her hurt!” I can help you. All you need to do is accept my help. I can make you all better, fix your wounds, and show you the way back to Ponyville. “I’m not lying.” Shield replied, doing his best to remain calm as he looked her in the eyes. “Listen to me, I’m begging you. Do not listen to the voice. On my honour, I swear that I am not lying to you, and want to help you.” “Buck your honour!” Dash shouted, pushing him away. “Rainbow Dash, please listen to me! If I drop that shield, we could both die here!” *More lies. You and your friends have survived hydras and manticores, and none of you are soldiers. But he mentioned pyromancy, ACTUAL combat magic.* “I thought you were supposed to be able to fight?! So what’s stopping you?” “That!” He waved his hoof at the altar. “I can’t fight that. Rainbow, please, you have to listen to me!” He begged. I can HELP you. Just accept my help, say the words. ‘Marabas, help me’. Fine! Marabas, help me!  “My pleasure.” The voice, dark and alluring, powerful and terrible, echoed across the clearing, audible to all. Shield froze in place, eyes wide in horror as turned to the altar again. The nimbus around the altar grew larger, the runes beginning to float away from the surface of the black stone as the nimbus was leached away to a point hovering above the altar. “Now, sisters?” Hissed a shade, prowling around the edge of the stone circle. “Wait, sisters. Not yet.” Hissed one of the Singulti, as several of the others almost leapt forwards. “We were ordered not to interfere with Marabas, sisters.” “You wouldn’t get through that shield anyway sisters.” Hissed another. “We wait until Marabas has finished.” “I hope she leaves that unicorn alive, sisters.” “Oh yes. A good meal for us, sisters.” “Shh my sisters. She’s starting…” “What have you done?” Asked Shield as he backed deeper into the chamber, dashing towards a large chest. “What have you done?!” “I-I… S-she promised to fix my wing. She showed me images of my friends, Scootaloo…” “Do you have any idea what you’ve just unleashed?!” He shouted as he threw open the chest and pulled out a sword; a double-edged longsword that narrowed to a fine point, the flats of the blade covered in runes. Dash eyed the sword with wide, terrified eyes as Shield also retrieved its scabbard, sheathing the blade and discarding his cloak, revealing a cutie-mark of a sword over a moon. “Too late to explain now.” He muttered, rearing back as his horn flashed. A suit of armour was engulfed in his aura and flew off the stand, closing piece by piece around him, runes flashing all across the surface and fading again. Armoured, he strapped the scabbard across his back and ran to the wall, pressing a rune that pulsed red at his touch. Third alarm, under my watch as well. Stars damn it, Rainbow Dash! “W-what do you mean too late-” She began, before the orb of pulsating light above the altar flashed and rocketed towards the chamber. She reeled back as the orb slammed into the layers of force blocking the entrance and shattered them. Her eyes went wide and she tried to run, but the orb easily caught her and Shield, expanding to cover them both. The pair were dragged from the shrine and deposited roughly on the ground in front of the glowing altar. The two ponies quickly got to their hooves, Rainbow much more sluggishly thanks to her wounds, to see a figure stood atop the altar. She stood tall, much taller than either of the ponies before it, and sported wickedly-pointed horn and a pair of draconic wings, marking her as an alicorn. Her fur was dark purple, with a pattern of pure white lacing itself through her fur, mane, and tail. The mane and tail were unkempt, spiking randomly and both were a paler, greyer shade of purple. Two metal bands adorned each of her legs, each featuring a small metal disk, unique runes carved into each one. Her most striking, terrible feature, however, were her solid, bright yellow eyes. No pupils, no sclera, just perfect yellow orbs, slight variations in shade swirling across them. Before Rainbow Dash could do anything Shield let out a war cry and charged, leaping forwards as a set of four blades resembling long claws sprung out of each gauntlet, the blades surrounded by a field of crackling energy. The alicorn contemptuously swatted Shield down with a blast of magic before turning to Dash. “W-who are you?” Asked Dash, shaking quietly. The alicorn grinned at her, showing a maw of sharp teeth. “My name is Marabas.” Replied the alicorn, the voice making Rainbow shiver. It send chills down her spine and scratched in her ears. “And you are Rainbow Dash, Bearer of the Element of Loyalty. I thank you for freeing me from this… Dismal place.” Her grin turned to a smirk. “And I do believe I have a debt to pay to you.” Marabas spread her draconic wings, revealing her cutie mark, a pattern of runes on each flank. “What are you going to do?” Asked Dash, backing away slightly. “Just what I said I’d do. Make you all better, and show you the way back to Ponyville.” Said Marabas, runes appearing in a circle around Rainbow Dash. “Now, please remain still as-” The alicorn was interrupted by Shield leaping from behind her and raking along her side with the claws, the attack drawing black, brackish blood. Marabas hissed, a circle of runes appearing in front of her before a beam of white light flashed out of it and blasted Shield into one of the pillars around the shrine. The pillar broke upon impact, crumbling on top of Shield. “Irritating specimen.” She muttered, more runes flaring to life around Dash, forming a dome around her. “What are those things?” Asked Dash, shrinking away from them slightly. “The runes I will use to repay my debt. Now, please remain still.” Marabas said, grinning again as they grew brighter. “U-umm, I… I don’t think this is a good idea anymore.” Said Rainbow, eyeing the runes. “Nonsense, you want to be healed, no?” “Actually I think… I think I should just go.” She tried to leave the dome, but the runes threw her back. “H-hey, let me go!” “I must insist that you let me repay you for all you’ve done.” Marabas grinned, as the runes passed over Rainbow, her skin crawling. Rainbow opened her mouth to protest as she backed up, but stopped as she felt her broken wing squirm. Grimacing, she looked at her broken wing, which had begun to shift under the linen bandages. The bandages on both wings slowly fell away, revealing the scarred and damaged wings. She watched, mouth agape, as the bones in the broken wing, to her surprise, painlessly shifted beneath the skin and muscles, resetting in their correct positions. “W-wow, that’s amazing! I’m surprised that didn’t hurt..” “Oh, that comes next, little pony.” “What?” Rainbow turned back to Marabas, and froze before throwing her head back, screaming in agony as every nerve was set ablaze. “My reward for freeing me. I do hope you enjoy it.” Marabas’ mouth curled into a cruel grin as Rainbow writhed, the shadows pressing in as Marabas laughed.