//------------------------------// // Chapter 15: The Campfire // Story: To Earn One's Wings // by HollowPony //------------------------------// To Earn One’s Wings Chapter 15: The Campfire When Thunderbolt awoke, he groggily looked around him. He was in the mouth of a small tunnel, with a fire crackling merrily nearby. On the far side, with his back to him, Magnum was staring into the darkened forest. With a groan, Thunderbolt pulled himself to his hooves. Magnum’s head spun around, presumably alerted by the groan, and his face broke into a wide grin. “Ah, you’re awake. Miss Quartz will be pleased.” Thunderbolt nodded groggily. He felt oddly happy about that but couldn’t quite put his hoof on why. Rather than ponder on that conundrum he let his eyes roam the room again, slower this time. His brain finally registered that he and Magnum were alone. “Where is she, anyway? I don’t see Scales either.” “She went to answer a call of nature. The lizard is keeping watch.” Thunderbolt raised an eyebrow. “Is that necessary?” Magnum gave him a pointed look. “There are things in this forest that make our scrap with the Timberwolves look like foals playfighting. And some of those things only come out at night. So, yes, it is pretty fucking necessary.” Thunderbolt held up his hooves defensively. “Alright, alright. I get it.” Magnum nodded and went back to staring into the forest. “What’s biting you, Mags? You aren’t usually this aggressive.” Magnum glared at Thunderbolt. “What the hell do you think is biting me? My best friend collapsed, and I had to drag him to a cave in the middle of the Everfree. What the fuck happened back there?” “I’m not sure. It feels more like a dream than anything else…” Thunderbolt shook his head. “But after I touched that thing in the courtyard, I found myself in the same courtyard, just without the bodies and chaos. Someone was waiting for me. Called himself… Thanatos. Said he was a reaper.” “A reaper? Like the Grim Reaper? How is that possible. You didn’t die.” “And he would agree with you. He said that he wasn’t there to take me to my ‘final judgement’.” “Why was he was there then?” Thunderbolt shrugged. “To observe, he said.” “To observe what?” “Hell if I know. He didn’t exactly make himself useful in helping me escape.” “What did he do then?” “He just spouted some bullshit about providence and how the lives of my dead companions made him believe that I didn’t deserve to wander in the spirit realm or something.” “Your dead companions? He didn’t mention anyone by name, did he?” “No. Why are you asking that? Do you have someone specific in mind?” Magnum looked out of the cave and sighed. “Flare.” “Flare?” “Yes, Flare. Are you deaf?” “Why?” “That mare back at the ruins… She looks a lot like her, right?” Thunderbolt frowned. He had to admit that the mare did look like the late Captain, but… “So what? It’s rare, but some people have eerily similar lookalikes.” “I’m not sure that that mare is just a lookalike. The way she moved, the way she smelled… It couldn’t have been anyone else. It had to be Flare.” Thunderbolt shook his head. “She’s dead. You know that.” “Do I? All I have is second-hoof information. People have only told me that she’s dead. But I’ve never seen the body. The brass refuses to show it to me.” “Do you think they’re hiding something?” “They’re always hiding something.” Thunderbolt rolled his eyes. “She’s dead, Mags. There is nothing we can do to change that. Those are your words.” “The situation has changed. If Flare is still alive, I have to find her.” “And I understand that, really, I do. But ponies don’t just come back from the dead. No one can change that.” “Why are you so insistent? Of all the ponies I know, I thought that you would want to see my wife alive and healthy again at least as much as I do?” “You’re right, but I can’t change the facts. She is dead.” “And how the hell are you sure that’s the case? Did you see the body?” Thunderbolt hesitated. “Not exactly, but...” “Then how are you so sure? Unless you saw the body, you can’t-” “I know because I killed her!” Magnum frowned in confusion, his mouth hanging open. Thunderbolt could see the gears in his head turn as he processed the assertion. After a few tense moments, he slowly closed his mouth and glared at Thunderbolt. “Explain.” The word was little more than a whisper. Thunderbolt swore. “I lied to you,” he admitted after a tense moment. “I lied about not remembering much about my escape. The truth is that I remember more than I want to.” “And what is it you remember?” Magnum hissed through clenched teeth. “I remember Flare blocking my path out of the cave. I remember her attacking me. We fought. She was relentless. I could barely keep up.” Thunderbolt pointed to the circular scar on his left side. “She shoved her horn into my side and fired off some sort of spell. I don’t know what kind. All I know is that I went flying and that I felt a burning sensation throughout my body. I barely had time to get back onto my hooves before she charged. I rolled out of the way and…” He hesitated and bit his lip. “And?” Magnum pressed for the answer. Thunderbolt licked his lips. “I thrust my horn into her neck. Her body stiffened, I had to try and support her weight on my neck. Her attack must have weakened me. I collapsed with her on top of me. Somehow I pulled myself from under her and… well, you know the rest.” Magnum was quiet for a long moment. He furrowed his brow as he processed this new information. “If what you are saying is true, Sparks-” “It is.” Magnum glared at Thunderbolt. “IF what you are saying is true, it means that you killed my wife.” “I’m sorry, Mags, but it was-” Magnum threw a wide punch at Thunderbolt’s head. He ducked under it reflexively. “Screw your sorry! It won’t bring my wife back, will it? Because of you, the love of my life is dead! Eclipse is motherless because of you. I have to raise her on my own.” He pointed an accusing hoof in Thunderbolt’s direction. “All because of you. Do you really think ‘sorry’ will fix that?” “What do you expect me to do? I can’t bring Flare back from the dead, can I? Look, it was me or her. I had to make a choice-” “And I understand that. I just…” Magnum sighed. “I just need some air.” He started walking to the cave entrance. “Mags…” Magnum spun around. A murderous look had entered his eyes. “Shut up, Thunderbolt! Just… shut up. I’m still processing what you told me and your voice makes me want to cave your head in right now.” He grimaced. “I’d rather avoid killing my best friend, so… just… shut up.” With that Magnum stalked out of the cave and into the forest. Thunderbolt watched him leave with a grimace. He wished that the conversation had gone smoother. In reality, he wished that the conversation didn’t happen, but since the conversation did happen he opted for the next best thing. He did not have much time to dwell on it, however, because shortly after Magnum’s departure Aurum stepped into the firelight, with Char curled up on her back like a cat. The mare’s face was filled with confusion. She kept looking back at the entrance of the cave. It was only once Thunderbolt asked her what was troubling her that she noticed his presence. Her eyes widened. She rushed forward and embraced him, throwing Char off of her back in the process. “Thank God you’re awake!” she cried. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” “Not as glad as I am,” Thunderbolt chuckled. A look of concern entered his eyes. “How are you holding up? You’ve been through a lot today.” Aurum grew quiet. Thunderbolt saw her reliving the day’s events in her eyes. He opened his mouth to reassure her when her mouth cracked open in a smile that was too wide. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.” She started poking Thunderbolt in the chest. “You should be more worried about yourself. You collapsed. What happened to you?” Thunderbolt hesitated. Aurum almost died today. Would it be fair to burden her with the things that he had seen? “It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” he said, deciding against telling her. “We can talk about it in the morning. It’s been a long day.” He plastered an encouraging smile onto his face, hoping that she wouldn’t press the question. Aurum nodded as she took in the question. Thunderbolt felt a feeling of relief flow through him. His deflection worked. ‘No,” Char interjected. He had settled next to the fire before growing to about the size of a pony. The growth sent a chill through the cave. “Tell us what happened.” “Why do you care?” “Because, pony, my wellbeing depends on it,” Char growled. “Do not forget that in exchange for not being handed over to be tried in the courts of my homeland, your ruler has obligated me to ensure your safety and I can not do that if I do not have all the available information. Tell me what happened.” Thunderbolt ground his teeth before sighing. ‘Fine, I’ll tell you. Do you remember some sort of distortion at the castle ruins.” Char nodded. “It looked like some sort of mirage, right?” “Yeah. After you left, it grew bigger and the dead started walking around. Mags thought we could fix things by closing the source of the problems, the tear in reality.” “And how did you do that?” “I’m not quite sure. We fought our way to the tear and… this is going to sound crazy, but I heard a voice.” Char raised an eyebrow. “A voice?” “I know how it sounds, but it’s not the first time I heard it. I heard it back at the cathedral.” Thunderbolt glanced at Aurum. She had a concerned look in her eyes. “He gave me some advice back then too. This time, he suggested touching the portal.” “Did it work?” “I think so. I don’t think that we’d be here if it didn’t, but I don’t remember how I got into the cave.” “What do you remember?” “After touching the tear, I found myself in the spirit realm. There I met-” “Hold on,” Aurum interjected. “What is the spirit realm?” “It’s exactly what it says on the tin. It’s the realm of spirits.” “Yeah, but what is it? Is that where dead ponies go?” “No,” Char answered in a low rumble. “It is not the land of the dead. The Great Sages tell us that it is the source of magic. All creatures draw from it, whether unicorns casting spells or changelings changing their shape.” He narrowed his eyes at Aurum. Thunderbolt felt her heartbeat speed up as she pressed into his body. “Even your pegasus flight draws from this realm.” “My instructor back at the Academy said something similar. In any case, we’re getting off track. Thanks, we get the idea, Scales. Now, where was I? Right, I was in the spirit realm…” Thunderbolt recounted his journey through the spirit realm. When he concluded with him waking up at the campfire, Char had a sceptical look on his face. Aurum seemed to struggle to believe the tale as well. She couldn’t meet his eyes and kept biting her lip. “Look, I know how this sounds…” “Do you?” Aurum interrupted him. “It sounds insane, Thunderbolt. Do you expect us to believe that you met a demon that gave The Sage some sort of special powers? And you met God? And he wants you to do what exactly? Forgive The Sage? For what? What did he do to you?” “I know that it sounds crazy, but I’m just telling you what I remember.” “In his defence, the Great Sages tell of stories where mortals are empowered by spirits. They can surpass their natural limits, but these pacts always come at a terrible cost.” Char narrows his eyes at Thunderbolt. “She does make a good point, however. What exactly is the nature of your relationship with our enemy?” “Yes, Mister Stormbringer. What is our relationship?” a raspy voice from the cave entrance cut through the air like a knife. A deep growl rumbled from his chest. From the gloom of the cave entrance, the cloaked figure of The Sage emerged. Behind him floated a familiar chestnut pony, held aloft by shadowy tendrils. Thunderbolt pushed Aurum behind him, his horn alight with magical energy. From the corner of his eye, he could see that Char had adopted a low fighting stance. Thunderbolt ground his teeth. The Sage was blocking the cave entrance. Not only that, but he also had a hostage. They were trapped. And the smirk on his face told Thunderbold that he knew it. “I’m hurt, Mister Stormbringer,” The Sage complained. “Is that really how you’re going to greet an old acquaintance?” He pointed to his captive. “And after I returned your lost friend to you.” The shadowy tendrils shook the stallion like a ragdoll. “He was surprisingly easy to capture. Almost walked right into me. He seemed rather distracted.” Char started to inch forward, his fangs bared. Thunderbolt shot a hoof out to stop him. The dragon looked at him questioningly. Thunderbolt kept his eyes on The Sage. “What is it you want?” “That’s what I want to ask you, Mister Stormbringer. I cannot find you for two years and now I encounter you three times in the same two week period? That can’t be a coincidence. It’s almost like you’re hunting me…” The Sage paused. A sneer grew on his lips. “Did Celestia put you up to this? That would explain our recent encounters. She must be getting desperate if she’s sending such a motley group to kill me.” He laughed. “Is it not a great irony that I have captured you each time we’ve met? Now, will you not come along quietly this time? If you do, I will consider not harming your companions. We don’t want a repeat of what happened last time, do we? Such a shame what happened to your previous companions.” Time seemed to freeze. Thunderbolt’s vision tunnelled. He could see nothing but The Sage in front of him. A rational part of him understood the threat. Cooperate or your friends get hurt. Like the old squad. Like Flare. Like Mags right in front of you. ‘Over my dead body,’ he swore. With that thought and a guttural warcry, he released the magic built up in his horn as a blinding white bolt of lightning. The bolt hit The Sage square in the chest, blasting him into the darkness of the forest beyond the cave. He did not have a chance to follow up on that attack, however. He had forgotten one element that was inextricably linked with lightning: thunder. The sound rang in his ears, amplified by the claustrophobic atmosphere of the cave. It caused him to clutch at his ears and stagger. He didn’t notice the rumble of the earth or the pebbles falling around him. What he did notice was the stones falling on his back. Looking up, he saw cracks forming in the ceiling. Along those cracks, stones started falling. With a swear, Thunderbolt threw up a forcefield around him. Rocks bounced off the magical bubble. ‘Now, where are the others?’ He looked around him. Char and Aurum were inside the bubble. ‘Good… good, now, where’s Mags?’ Thunderbolt spied him near the entrance, stones piling up around him. A swear slipped from between his lips. He glanced back at the two under the shield. “Scales, Rosie, listen up.” He pointed at Magnum. “I’m going to get him out of there. Keep up if you don’t want to get crushed.” With those words, Thunderbolt started inching toward his best friend. It felt like he was going at a snail’s pace. The falling rocks did not help. Each time a significant mass of stone impacted the shield, it flickered, threatening to collapse. The strain threatened to pop the veins in Thunderbolt’s forehead. Yet he pressed on with a grimace. He had to get to Mags. No one would die today, not if he could help it. When they got to Magnum, they found that one of his legs had been pinned underneath a growing pile of rocks. Thunderbolt knelt next to him and grabbed his torso. “Scales, help me get him out of here.” He pointed at the rubble on Magnum’s legs. “See if you can’t lift those stones so I can drag him out.” “This pile of stones are very unstable. You do realize that you risk us being crushed under them, right?” “I know. I don’t need you to pick them up, Scales. Just lift them enough for me to move him.” “Fine,” Char growled, placing his claws underneath the stone pinning Magnum’s leg. “Just be wary, once I lower this stone, the pile will likely shift. It could collapse on top of us.” Thunderbolt nodded in response. “On the count of three… one… two… three!” Char lifted the stone with a grunt. Pebbles cascaded down the pile. “Hurry,” he hissed at Thunderbolt, who had already started to pull Magnum’s body away from the pile of stones. “He’s out! You can let go, Scales.” Carefully, Char lowered the stone he was holding. His eyes darted across the pile of stones, watching for every shift, every shower of pebbles. Yet, the pile seemed stable. Not a stone moved as he dropped the stone the final distance as to not flatten his own claws. He turned to Thunderbolt. He was looking over Magnum’s body with Aurum peering over his shoulder. “Are you satisfied?” Thunderbolt nodded. “All we need to do now is-” At that moment, a gigantic stone hit the forcefield, causing it to shatter. The magical feedback from the broken spell sent pain lancing through Thunderbolt’s horn and his vision blurred. The stone itself bounced from the now broken forcefield, landing in the campfire, extinguishing it, plunging the cave into complete darkness.