I paused briefly beside Fluttershy’s cottage near the edge of the forest to summon an assegai spear, a Dane axe, and a short messer... Or, whatever they call them in this world. I took off my vest and hung it on Fluttershy’s fence, leaving me with just my combat harness.
I had upgraded from the simple belt. Now, the belt included two straps that crossed across my chest with multiple pouches and connected to thicker straps on my back. My spear and axe went into hoops across my back made for them while the short messer was kept in my paw.
I used the messer to clear a path as I made my way through the forest. I only had a vague idea of where I had to go, but I had a feeling I would find my way.
I thought about the letter I was sent. It was intentionally vague, obviously meant to further dissuade anyone who could actually read Aurebesh. Of course, that begged the question of how the letter’s author could know the language. Few people on Earth even knew it existed. I couldn’t imagine many people that actually knew it would just happen to be in Equestria.
The trip was mostly uneventful. I only encountered a single manticore, but I was able to intimidate it into backing down. Manticores were smarter than most animals. They knew what a spear was and knew anyone out here alone would be capable. It just wasn’t worth the risk when there was easier prey to be found.
Eventually, I found a familiar scent. I followed it to an equally familiar tree. It was empty. I glanced around, trying to catch sight of my caller.
“That was quick,” came a voice.
I twisted around. There, on the same branch that was empty seconds ago, was a pegasus with a shimmering gold coat and short silver mane.
“Look at you, all armed to the teeth. Are all those weapons for me?” she asked, sarcastically.
I eyed her warily. “Should they be?”
Mischief twinkled in her eyes. “Oh, do you believe they would help you if I attacked?”
I had to force myself not to show my fear. “Ah get the feelin’ they won’t help if you did.”
She smiled. “Then worry not, for I called you here to help you.”
“Yeah... how do you know Aurebesh?” I asked. “Ah doubt you’re terran.”
She chuckled. “A girl has to have her secrets.”
I held back a groan. “Fine. That’s not what’s really important, anyway. Your letter made it sound like you know what’s goin’ on with the monsters. You know why they’re actin’ odd?”
“Yes,” she said. “That mare, the one from the Crystal Spire and the orphanage.”
I furrowed my brow in thoughtful confusion. “The cultist? Or, suspected cultist, Ah guess.”
“Oh, ‘cultist’ is right,” she said. “But far more than just that. That mare is far more dangerous than any of you realize. She isn’t just some cultist.”
“What is she, then?” I asked.
“I don’t know, and that’s what makes her dangerous,” she said, her own brow furrowing.
I was about to ask her what she meant, but she didn’t give me the chance.
“Anyway, that’s not why I asked you to come,” she said, her tone immediately losing the seriousness and reverting back to that strangely predatory mirth. “I brought you here because things are only going to get worse and you need to be ready.”
I decided to let the previous subject drop and humor her. “Okay, what do Ah need to be ready? You goin’ to train me?”
She laughed. “Oh, goodness, no. This isn’t some comic book where a week of training will suddenly make you ten times more powerful. No, what I will do for you, is arm you.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Beggin’ your pardon, but Ah’m plenty armed. Ah got a contract with a demon smith. That’s who made these.” I indicated the weapons on my back and in my paw... and then realized I was still holding a sword while having a conversation.
She chuckled at how I swiftly slid the sword into a belt loop. I had found that when I summon a weapon, it couldn’t cut me unless I allowed it, so I wasn’t worried about the lack of a scabbard.
“And those are very good weapons, indeed,” she said. “However, I’m talking about a weapon far more powerful.”
I regarded her suspiciously. “And where is this weapon?”
There was that gleam in her eye, again. “Why, you’ll have to go fetch it, of course.”
I knew there was a catch. “How do Ah ‘fetch it’?”
She waved a hoof, dismissively. “Oh, it’ll be easy. You just have to go through Tartarus and grab it.”
She laughed at me as I looked at her with a flat, unamused look. “Oh, don’t worry. It isn’t Tartarus proper. It’s merely in a separate section of it, one set aside just for this.”
She chuckled at my confused look. “Don’t think too much about it.”
“Then you shouldn’t have said anything,” I said. “Alright, so you want me to get some weapon from Hell. How do I do that? What does it involve?”
“Honestly, I have no idea,” she said. “All I know is where the entrance to the cavern is located. Even I do not know what lies within.”
“So, how do you know this weapon is even in there?” I asked.
“Because if it was anywhere else, I would know of it,” she said.
I sighed. “Ah take it gettin’ this weapon will be dangerous.”
“Honestly, I do not know,” she said. “As I said, I don’t know what is inside. I would assume so, if only because it is better to expect danger where there is none than to expect none where there is plenty.”
“And this weapon’ll be worth it?” I asked.
“Absolutely.”
I sighed. I didn’t know why this creature would help me, but she was right about the orphanage. I still wasn’t sure I could trust her, but at the same time if she was right about things getting worse, I could use a weapon as powerful as she claims this one is.
“Alright, fine. Ah’ll take a look,” I said.
“Excellent,” she said as she hopped down. “Follow me.”
As we walked through the forest, I couldn’t help but notice a few things. First was how quiet the forest had become. Normally, I would have been worried, searching for whatever predator stalked the forest, but there was no need in this case. She was already right in front of me.
The second thing I noticed was how she moved. She didn’t move like a pony. She moved more like me. I already knew she was dangerous, but it was still strange to see a creature whose appearance was so much like a pony, yet everything else was not.
“You can stop staring at my rump, now. We’re here,” she said.
I started. “Ah... Sorry, Ah wasn’t lookin’ at your butt, just... at you in general. Just tryin’ to figure you out.”
“Ah, yes. Am I friend, or am I foe?” she asked. “Am I just using you for some nefarious ends or am I a secret ally of the good pony folk?”
“Somethin’ like that,” I said.
“Well, I’m sure you can ponder that later,” she said. “Right now, you should focus on the task ahead.” She gestured to a cave entrance. It was a small entrance, hidden away on the side of a rocky outcropping surrounded by trees. Vines hid most of it. I wouldn’t have noticed if it wasn’t pointed out to me.
“So... this is the gateway to Hell?” I asked, with a smirk. “Ah expected more.”
My companion chuckled. “More the gateway to Hell's neighbor.”
“Well, let’s not dally, then,” I said.
“Good luck, Shirotora,” she said. “We will meet again.”
“You aren’t going to wait for me?” I asked.
“I have things to do,” she said.
I nodded. “Before Ah go, then... you got a name?”
She gave me a smile and replied, “Yes.”
When I realized I wasn’t getting more, I sighed and said, “Till next time, then.”
And with that, I took a deep breath and plunged into the dark.
It was a tight fit, but it was never so tight that I had to struggle to move forward. A part of me asked myself why I was trusting a creature that every instinct I had told me was dangerous. I mean, she said it herself, she could have easily sent me to that orphanage to get me to trust her.
My instincts told me she was dangerous, yet they never made me feel she was a threat.
“Ah really wish she’d just tell me who she... is...” I trailed off as the cavern suddenly opened up into a massive underground glade.
It was as if a small sliver of Eden was tucked away. A small river flowed through the cavern, parting around a raised, grass covered hill in the middle where a single willow tree stood. The entire place was illuminated, but I couldn’t see a source of the light. Butterflies fluttered about while a pair of bunnies skipped by without a care in the world.
I took a step towards the little island in the middle, in awe of the beauty of such a small paradise. I was careful to step lightly and not trample any of the flowers as I made my way through.
“Well, Ah’ll be,” I whispered in reverence. “There are no words.”
“You like it, then?” came a soft, kind voice.
Despite the voice’s suddenness, it didn’t startle me. Instead, I just looked toward the willow as a female deer stepped from around it, despite there not being room behind the tree for her to have been hidden.
She was a beautiful doe, with golden fur that shimmered with a rainbow of colors and eyes that shifted across the spectrum.
“Yes, ma’am,” I replied, totally at ease. “It’s amazing.”
The deer smiled. “I’m glad. I don’t get to entertain guests, often. Would you care for some tea?”
I walked to the top of the hill and sat on the picnic blanket as the doe poured two cups of tea.
When did this get here? I pondered as I accepted the offered cup. I found myself unnaturally accepting of what was going on.
“So, to what do I owe the pleasure?” the doe asked, sipping her own tea.
I took a sip. It was the most delicious tea I had ever tasted.
It tasted like... like... actually, I don’t even know. There was nothing to compare it to. Not even the basic descriptions of ‘sweet’ or ‘salty’ or ‘earthy’ or the such could be used. It tasted of a moment, a memory of pleasant times. It tasted of warmth and peace. As vague as that is, I can’t really elaborate.
I was so distracted, I nearly missed the question I was just asked. “I... I was told I could find a weapon here. Something that could help fight when things get bad.”
“Oh?” the doe took another sip. “So, you wish to destroy?”
I shook my head. “No ma’am. Ah wish to protect.”
“You think you can protect by killing?” she asked, still calm and serene.
“Well, kind of,” I said.
She gave me a curious look. “Explain.”
“Well...” I took a breath, gathering my thought. “Ah don’t believe one can protect by just goin’ out and killin’ whatever threatens you. If you do that, you’re no better than whatever was a danger in the first place. Ah do believe that if you want to protect others you have to be willin’ to fight, but Ah also believe that you should avoid killing if at all possible.”
The doe regarded me for a moment before she continued. “And what if it isn’t possible? Is it really okay to kill something, even if it was trying to kill you? Is your life truly more valuable than theirs?”
“No, but that’s why Ah would try to end it without killin’,” I replied.
“And if you can’t?” she asked. “What if, instead of a monster, it was a pony that was threatening to take the life of another pony and the only way to stop them was to kill them?”
“Then Ah would kill them, and live with that for the rest of mah life,” I replied.
The doe nodded, and just like that, it was as if a veil was lifted from my mind. The strange calm acceptance and willingness to just talk as if we were old friends vanished. I leaped to my feet, drawing my sword.
“What the hell was that?” I demanded.
The doe smiled. “Forgive me. I merely brought your true self to the surface.”
“Why?” I demanded, feeling violated.
“I needed to know who you truly were,” the doe said. “Anyone could have said what you did under normal circumstances, but I needed to know your true answers.”
“How? Did you drug the tea?” I demanded, even though I knew it couldn’t have been. I was under the effect before I even accepted the cup.
“Of course not. You are in my domain,” the doe said.
I narrowed my eyes at her. “Who the hell are you?”
She smiled. “My name is Gaea, Goddess of life.”
My anger and suspicions vanished. I took her in, again. The coat that shone with rainbows, the eyes that were so many colors at once. It was just like Celestia and Luna.
But...
“Ah... Ah thought Gaea was dead?” I said.
Her expression became somber. “Yes, I am. Like mortals, when a god dies, their spirit usually returns to the realm of the gods. However, I bound my soul to this world.”
That was... shocking to say the least. “You bound yourself? Willin’ly? Why?”
She sighed. “To bind my husband, Kronos. Tartarus is the physical manifestation of my soul.”
Realization dawned on me. “So... when she told me this was Tartarus...?”
Gaea nodded. “Yes. This is the small part of Tartarus I created for myself.”
I let out a small chuckle. “So, Ah’m guessin’ the ‘weapon’ she told me about ain’t actually a literal weapon, then.”
Gaea grinned. “On, no. It’s an actual weapon.”
I gawked. Gaea was all about peace, not killing. Why would she give me a weapon?
She giggled. “I see you are confused. However, you must understand, this isn’t a normal weapon. This is a weapon forged from a shard of my very soul.”
I gasped. “A divine element?”
“So, you know the significance?” she asked, rhetorically.
Of course I knew the significance. Divine elements were the most powerful magic items ever made. Hell, the Elements of Harmony were divine elements. Of course, they were the most powerful divine elements, but still.
Gaea got to her hooves and backed away, slightly.
The cavern lit up as an aurora filled the room, seeping from her very body.
“Bifrost,” I gasped. I had read of it, of the aurora-like ribbons of divine magic. It was only ever seen when living gods cast powerful magic, or when powerful divine elements unleashed their power.
Now, here it was being used by an actual divine right in front of me.
The divine magic shot down into the ground. A second later, one of the willow’s roots broke through the ground. The root rose up, twisting around itself as it rose. A silver blade took shape, as if growing from the root. It took the shape of a long, spade-like blade, sharp on both ends. A smaller blade, the same shape, formed from the root about three feet down the root, facing the other way.
When the blades finished forming, it separated from the roots, leaving a strange polearm floating in the air. It was about five feet in length, total. The larger blade was about two feet long, though almost a foot of that was hanging down over the shaft, like a handguard. The other end had a smaller blade, a little over a foot long with the same overall shape. The entire thing seemed to shine with the same rainbow light as Gaea’s, as well as Celestia’s and Luna’s coats.
“This is my gift to you,” Gaea said. “Never before have I felt the need to give this blade to a mortal, but I fear it will be needed.”
“Ah... Ah’m honored,” I said, graciously accepting the weapon. “What’s it called?”
“It is called ‘Gaea’s Thorn’,” she replied. “May it serve you well.”