//------------------------------// // Chapter Four // Story: Freedom Through Harmony // by Electricut //------------------------------// Chapter Four EverFree Forest Lower Canyon After the rest of the party was prepared, we plotted a new course along what looked like it may have been a road at one point in its life, but was vastly disused even by the forest’s standards, at the bottom of the gorge. Though Twilight was loathe to let me take the helm of the group, everyone else realized we needed someone more skilled to take point- so I ended up leading the group through the mess of a path, while Applejack brought up the rear. I sliced yet another stray branch out of the way, silently growing impatient with the amount of effort it was taking to travel so short a distance. Luna isn’t making this easy on us... I can’t expect she’d expect someone with my mindset seeking her out, though... I kept my thoughts to myself, hoping to preserve whatever morale the group had at this point. It’s been fight after fight so far... Still, I think Fluttershy’s performance back there may have had some positive effect on them. Then again, I don’t think that’ll be enough to push us all the way through... All of a sudden, the brush ended, giving way to a wide river. The water was extremely choppy. I grabbed a stick, hovered over to the deepest point, but it wouldn’t reach the bottom even with my arm fully submerged. We could always fly them over, I suppose... Might take longer than it needs to, but what other options do we have to choose from...? I was about to fly back to the shore to confer with the others, but was suddenly slammed into from behind, connecting with the opposite bank a moment later. With effort, I pulled my stiffening frame off the ground, turning quickly to face the river, sword drawn and ready for combat. If my spirits had any room to drop after the previous battle, they certainly did now. No less than a huge river-dragon, teeth barred, eyes blackest of pitch, stared me down, towering a good story above me. I’m beginning to wonder if this is even remotely worth it. Ah... Alright, his eyes are totally black. I thought, avoiding a pot-shot fireball with less than maximum effort. They usually aren’t, if those old stories he used to tell me are true, which goes without saying. Could he be blinded into rage, by Luna’s magic, perhaps? The dragon abruptly turned about- Twilight had thrown several low-power fireballs at him, mainly to distract him. I used the opportunity to yell to them- “He’s been blinded! He’s not truly against us- he can’t tell the difference this way!” They nodded, and after a moment, Rarity sent a shot of light magic straight over his head, which, curiously, his eyes followed before it vanished. He then picked up where he left off- trying to crush the others with his tail. She may be on to something. Perhaps his affliction isn’t total... I found enough spare magic energy to launch a large but un-concentrated mass of wind his way, enough to draw his attention my way. He swept his tail over the ground, I jumped powerfully over the attack, using a balance of weak attacks to keep him busy. Between attacks, I glimpsed what was going on across the stream- mainly, I kept my eye on Rarity, because I had a feeling she had a plan. Or at the very least, I hoped she did. Her grabbing a large stone- powering up another light spell- It looked like she was trying for something, but it was hard to tell what. I continued to dodge his hits and supply my own, until his attention once again was brought to the other group, in the form of Applejack tossing a rock at him. It appeared to have been under the direction of Rarity, who drew his attention once again with a sphere of light. She brought it slowly down towards herself, then dispersed it. In it’s place was an even brighter one- an incredible luminescence focused in the stone. She stepped forward apprehensively, setting the rock near the water, the dragon keeping his snout pointed towards her curiously. “For you.” She said, trying to keep her voice clear and level. He sniffed at it for a moment, then used his tail to scoop it up, holding it close, testing its distance, and generally just experimenting with it. He turned his attention to her once again, and in a low, slightly disused sounding voice, asked simply: “Why?” So it’s true. I’d heard dragons were highly intelligent beings, and were capable of speech. Still, it’s a bit odd, seeing a being so different speaking so clearly. “Did Nightmare Moon do this to you?” She inquired politely. He confirmed. “We’re on our way to the old castle in the center of the woods, to acquire the Elements of Harmony and defeat her. Keep that stone with you- that light will guide you through until we restore light to the world.” Personally, I thought this was just a tiny bit much, but the dragon seemed pleased by it. He spoke again. “This is quite a symbolic gift, to be sure. In return, I must warn you- Nightmare Moon is not your only enemy here, nor is she necessarily your prime target. Things may seem black and white enough now- but keep alert.” He set the stone down on the bank, lifted a large fallen tree, and laid it across the river as a bridge. He then retrieved the stone. “Go now, to the ruin. Find your fate, young ones.” We crossed the bridge, the others complimenting Rarity on her solution, but I stayed behind for a moment. “Sir... Was it really Luna who did this?” He waited a moment before answering. “Or someone who claimed to be.” He replied, working his way down the river. ______________ The forest only got stronger past that- Soon it got to the point where I could hardly see the ground directly in front of me. Rarity and Twilight both used low-powered light and fire spells to try and cast some light, but it only lit a small area around it. Branches grew rampant along the path, and for the most part I stayed at the head, slicing them apart as I went. The branches began to recede, but the darkness refused to abate. Soon the path widened into a wide circle, free of rubble- but still blacker than night. The path continued on the other side. We were preparing to cross, but we suddenly became aware of something standing in the center of the clearing. A lone figure, glowing with dull illumination, like the dying embers of a great fire. A battered yet otherwise unremarkable sword sat in its hand, and its blank eyes stared us down with half-interest. Before we could make a move against it, the sword flew into the air, landing in its hand in a battle stance. I was prepared to fight, but before Applejack or I could react, another stepped forward, lance over her shoulder. “My turn.” Pinkie stated simply, spinning the weapon and bringing it to bear. The being charged, and when Pinkie blocked, it dashed to the side and hit again. Her reflexes kept up with ease, blocking each attack, quicker and quicker. The luminescent figure hardly seemed to be moving anymore- appearing now to simply teleport from attack to attack. Sword flew to slash, Lance spun to counter. Pinkie stood her ground, parrying every hit. A change occurred suddenly. Pinkie’s very demeanor seemed to shift- she dropped her stance, smirking darkly, blocking much more aggressively. For every two hits the being dealt, she gave a counter-attack, and the being was hit each time. It’s speed was its defense, and it could not defend without abandoning the offense. Soon it dropped its strategy altogether, blocking each lightning-fast shot at it, the two locked in a vicious dance to the death invisible to the naked eye. And just like that, it was over. Pinkie stood in the center of the clearing, the figure limp, impaled on her weapon. Its illumination began to fade, and the forest became visible once again. When normal light had returned, the being vanished altogether. I turned to Applejack, who seemed just as stunned. She somehow just knew to fight that thing. She knew how it would fight, and knew she could kill it. And my goodness, where did that fighting skill come from? We decided to rest in the clearing for a few minutes, gathering our thoughts, recovering our strength. Twilight had started us a small campfire. “Hey.” I said, thoughtfully. “I was thinking about what Pinkie said a bit ago- about it being her turn... I think she might be on to something. Each of these fights- the more major ones- seem to be almost tailor-made for one of us. Like, almost to test us. The one with Pinkie, the dragon and Rarity, the beast from before and Fluttershy-” “And I had to fight a bunch of fliers on the way down the mountainside with Twilight.” Applejack added. “Oh, really?” I asked, curious. “Huh, I didn’t notice, fighting all those evil-dog things. Sorry.” She brushed the apology aside. “So, I’d be willing to bet, all of us are going to have to do something like somewhere along the line on this journey. Which means...” I looked to Twilight. “It’s either you or me next.” ______________ We gathered what few supplies we had spread out, and ventured further into the woods. On the other side of the thick forest, a large canyon stretched out before us. A large building- the castle we had been working towards- loomed on the other side. “Finally.” Twilight said, relieved. “All we need to do is get over there and we can head back to town.” “Yeah, that would be nice, but I’m just going to stop you there for a minute. Do you happen to see something wrong with this picture?” I retorted. She looked around, and quickly found what I was referring to. “There’s no bridge? Well, we made one before, didn’t we?” I scanned the edge of the drop, searching for a narrow place to put that plan into action. I found instead a dock where a bridge used to be, and I could see that there was still something tied to it this end. I flew over and peered over the edge, and saw that the majority of the bridge was still there, a rope bridge that was likely sliced at some point. “There’s the remains of a bridge over here. Anybody got a rope on them?” Applejack retrieved a length from her pack. (I didn’t bother asking why she had it in the first place- in all the time I’d known her, I’d learned she was nothing if not prepared.) “Sit tight, I’ll get over there and fix it.” I jumped down the cliff and let myself free fall for a moment, then banked up and grabbed the end bridge, checking the old rope quickly for durability. Doesn’t seem too rotten. This was cut, it would be fine otherwise. We’ll be fine if I just tie it off again. I kicked off the wall and flew over to the other edge, tied the rope around the bridge in an unnecessarily complicated and aimless, but solid knot, then affixed it to the first stake in the ground. I used my sword to slice off the other half of the rope, and was preparing to tie off the other side, when I heard something indistinct from behind me. I turned, and saw three figures, all in unmarked armor, all battle-ready. One wielded a sword, one brandished a spear, and the third hefted an axe- though all three weapons were very basic. “Well.” I said, resting my had on my weapon. “I guess it’s my turn then.”