//------------------------------//
// A Brief Respite 
// Story: The Scarlet Eventide 
// by Burningbloom78 
//------------------------------//

Setiya opened her eyes and found herself on a white sandy beach with the sky a cherry red. The brisk wind blew softly, and the sounds of the ocean's crashing waves filled the mare's ears as she gazed out on a distant horizon. For the moment, Setiya felt at ease; all of her pain and sorrow began to gradually disappear like the sand being swept away by the ocean's retreating tide.

Setiya trotted carefully amongst a fantasy world. She sighed silently, wondering how she got here. The mare clutched the ring as usual before she heard whistling coming from up ahead. It was catchy and vibrant, the tune made Setiya smile, and then she remembered: the tune she heard was commonly tweeted by Flint.

It was an original melody he would utter in their younger days. Setiya galloped as fast as she could until she glimpsed a figure, a stallion, who sat near the shore of the ocean. His brown coat and even darker brown mane shimmered in the light's pleasant rays, and he wore a black bandanna around his neck. 

Setiya rushed over to him, embracing Flint as tears of happiness shed from her eyes. She buried her face within Flint's chest in euphoria and squeezed him tightly.

"Flint!" Setiya cried out. "Flint! It's you! It's you! I'm so happy!"

Flint chuckled. "Setiya, please, you'll stain my coat with your tears," he teased. "I'm happy to see you as well. How have you been?"

"Terrible!" she shouted in response. "After I lost you, I thought...I thought it was surely over. How are you alive?"

"You tell me," he said. "Didn't you bring me here?"

Setiya didn't understand. "What do you mean? I... I just woke up not too long ago."

"Are you awake?"

The mare nodded. "Of course... I am, silly."

"Then how am I here?"

Setiya stepped back as her head began to thump in pain. Her mane and coat darkened as three black tentacles erected out of her back. Setiya screamed in horror, her mouth seeping the black substance as she retched. "Argh... What's happening?!"

The world around Setiya flickered and blackened, then her vision was blurred. She kneeled to the white sand, but that became distorted, and blood phased in. 

"Wha-what's going on?! Flint?!"

Setiya's vision returned to witness Flint's body covered in blood with his guts hanging out. His eyes were black, his bones were showing, and far behind him was the black dragon helm that Emmerich bears. 

Setiya held her head in despair. "No, not now! Not this time!" she wailed. "Let me have this, please!"

"Setiya... my dear Setiya..." the living corpse of Flint uttered.

Before she could say anything else, Setiya watched Flint get snatched away by a gauntlet covered in black sludge.

Setiya's heart raced, an ear-piercing pitch rang in her head, and she was hyperventilating. Her eyes pulsed and sweat covered her body. The black cross ignited and coated Setiya in a dark dome.  The dome then shattered, and the troubled mare screeched out in pain, her distant wailing echoed into the shattering sky.

Setiya yelled and sprang forward in a cold sweat. She was in bed. She veered constantly as she retched, falling out of the bed before near vomiting. The mare tried desperately to catch her breath.

"It was... a dream. It was a dream," she told herself. 

Soon after she awoke, Setiya blurrily saw Queen Ninis rush in and help her off the floor, followed by Janus, and a mysterious pony cloaked in a white and gold robe wearing a mask of teal, grasping an old wooden cane.

"Thank Heavens you're finally awake," Queen Ninis said, embracing Setiya lovingly. "We were afraid that we truly lost you."

"I... I don't... What happened?"

Janus put Setiya back into bed gently. "You were unconscious for over a week with the most horrible nightmares."

"You weren't making any progress; there were no signs of you ever waking up," Queen Ninis softly spoke to her, stroking Setiya's mane.

Setiya's ears perked up and worried. "Emmerich was here...that means he had Darkside soldiers! Are Nils and Mari safe?!"

Queen Ninis assured the troubled mare that the children were fine. Letting out a sigh of relief, Setiya tried to relax.

"You had us rightfully scared," Janus said. "Believe it or not, you died four times in your sleep, however, you always came back at the last minute. We are glad to see you finally awake."

Setiya was at a loss for words. She gazed at her shaken hooves and gasped in silence. "I don't understand," she finally uttered. I should be dead, but I'm not."

The mysterious pony stepped forward. Setiya's gaze was fixated on the pony. "You would have if absent of that brand. It's magical, however, it has a mind of its own. If you survived against that beast, then it's because of the black cross," she explained. 

"Who are you?" Setiya asked.

"I am (unintelligible utterances), a sorcerous in service to the dutiful king and queen," she replied.

Queen Ninis giggled. "She said 'Ina-Sona-Lapon.' Address her as Ina."

"What language was that?"

"An archaic form of Old Ponish," Ina stated. "It was abandoned in favor of a newer, more understandable vernacular. Old Ponish is used for writing, while mine is for communicating. Inside of Equestria, it's nothing more to them than a dialect contrived of garbled speech and nonsense. It's too obsolete for most, however, Queen Ninis is the only one that can attempt to understand the language and serves as one of the reasons I live here."

"Ina is also quite proficient in the ways of elder mysticism, or ancient magic," Queen Ninis told the earth pony. "Ina may be able to figure out how to remove your brand."

Setiya's ears perked up. "Truly?"

Ina nodded, trotting up and brushing her hoof on Setiya's chest. "You were struck by dark magic, ancient mysticism abandoned due to its tendency to corrupt," she explained. 

"However," Queen Ninis chimed in, "Ina may think it's also something else."

The odd mare agreed. "I used my magic and identified another form of mysticism while you slept: black magic."

Janus tensed up. "That sounds... odd."

"You're correct. Black magic is intrinsically destructive and potentially lethal to living creatures, so I have a theory."

"Tell me," Setiya asserted. "I need to know."

Ina-Sona-Lapon tapped the floor with her wooded cane as magic shot from it and formed into a large screen. The screen depicted a pony, (Setiya), Emmerich (a hulking monster), and the two magic: dark (purple) and black (jet-black).

Ina observed to the rest that Emmerich surged the dark magic into Setiya's chest by etching a black cross. Setiya confirmed. Then Ina presumed that Emmerich at one point implanted black magic through various means or that Setiya ingested an ample amount.

Ina theorized that the interaction of both dark and black magic united, and in a joint of consolidation, somehow got Setiya to survive Emmerich's assault.

Setiya stopped Ina, asking, "Ingestion?"

Ina nodded. "Looking at you now, there seems to be no other mark or stigma than the black cross. So, it is more likely you swallowed black magic."

"How could one swallow magic?"

"Magic comes in a variety of forms," Ina stated. "Magic can be consumed like food in certain species, however, black magic is only in the form of the usual and the physical; taking on the form of black liquid."

Setiya closed her eyes and attempted to recant the event, a thumping headache formed as she struggled. In her mind, Setiya witnessed flashes of Emmerich's cruelty and her torment. Setiya was sweating, her breathing was raspy, and her body shivered. Despite the toil, she recalled the harrowing ordeal.

"I remember being in a dark world, and Emmerich was there. He snatched my face and attempted to drown me in... this water," Setiya recounted in a dry tone. "It tasted... like bl-" Setiya coughed and retched in disgust.

Ina sighed. "If one would taste black magic, it would taste metallic, like blood. Do you remember how much you had been forced to consume?"

"Enough to make me vomit," Setiya responded.

Ina was fazed. "That is... an exorbitant amount. If that's the case, then I wonder what would happen if I did this..."

Ina tapped her cane again as it conjured four golden ethereal daggers and directed them at Setiya. Surprised, Setiya braced herself until a purple portal appeared on her back, then four black tentacles erupted from her and grabbed the magical knives, shattering them. Shadowy tendrils in appearance gave off a fading black smoke. Queen Ninis, Janus, and Setiya were awestruck. Ina adjusted her mask before nodding.

"Why do I have tentacles bursting from my back?!" Setiya yelled in confusion. "What should I do about these things?!"

Ina shook her head. "Please, compose yourself. It sensed you were in danger and sprang into action. Once it has decided you aren't in danger, it will recede into your body."

The purple portal churned as the black appendages burrowed into Setiya's back. Underneath her skin, the tentacles pulsated, protruding and bulging in a slimy, unsettling plash before settling in, vanishing. Setiya was immediately disturbed.

Queen Ninis was at a loss for words. "What just happened?"

"The amalgamation of dark and black magic inside Setiya manifested into black tendrils," Ina answered. "The oddity seems to operate as a protector of sorts. Doubtless, to say, this is not everything your newfound power can achieve."

"Power?!" Setiya shouted. "I have icky, black tentacles that come out my back! When it digs itself beneath my skin, I should not feel the urge to smile and laugh!"

A black tentacle sprouted behind Setiya, slapping the back of her head before disappearing. Setiya snipped at the situation, rubbing her head in vexation.

Ina giggled quietly. "It is also sentient as it took offense to your cruel words," she quipped.

"Cruel?!"

"It did keep you from staying dead, so at the least, you should try and sound a bit more grateful."

"I can't believe this," Setiya shook her head. "Can you get rid of it?"

Ina sighed. "That may not be possible."

"What?! Why?!"

"Because it is not dark or black magic, it is both, and it has a will of its own, so trying to remove this... oddity from your person seems out of the question for now."

"Do you have any good news?"

"I am a bit envious of your position if that helps."

"I said 'good news.'"

Queen Ninis embraced Setiya. "I need to check up on things with my husband and deliver the news of your awakening, and your... development," she said. "If you have any more questions, please direct them to Ina and she will gladly answer them."

"Okay," Setiya uttered.

Queen Ninis left the royal chambers. Janus began to follow her out.

"I'll relay the information to Ms. Frendi," Janus said.

Setiya rubbed her mane and then her precious ring. "Is she alright?"

"She will be when she knows that you're awake. She was afraid that she'd lose you, we all were," he confessed. "Now we can ease our worries, at least for now. Stay in bed."

Setiya agreed as Janus left the royal chambers. The extravagant room was filled with silence as Ina pondered. Looking to a conversation, Setiya asked Ina about the mask she wore.

"There is nothing worth seeing," she mumbled.

"What do you mean? Don't you have a... face?"

"Yes, I do, but it is not why I wear this mask."

"Can I see it?"

Ina declined, however, Setiya inquiries became incessant.

Ina sighed. "You truly want to know?"

"Of course, I do. Who wouldn't?"

"I don this mask to conceal my face from anypony that gazes at me. Without it, I feel... or become a whiny, fearful filly," she muttered.

Setiya stifled a giggle. "You become shy?"

"I prefer the term 'uneasy'."

"Okay, what about your cane? You're a unicorn, but I see you only do magic with it."

"That's because the cane acts as a catalyst for my magic. Without it, I am as powerless as a unicorn could be," she elucidated. "If you want to know more about it, withhold your questions for later."

Setiya nodded. "Anyway, do you think I'll be okay?"

Ina brushed Setiya's chest in assurance. "Of course. If you weren't, you'd be dead. I know it's a shock, but at least try to form a relationship with your new... companion, because it is not going away anytime soon."

"Fine," she said. "I can't stay in bed all day. Emmerich was here, right? He can show up at any moment."

Ina shook her head. "Relax. I was told that thing and the Darkside soldiers retreated to The Kingdom of Darkness, and there hasn't been word of them appearing anywhere else."

"What you're saying is...that we are safe?"

"For the time being. We've been granted a brief respite from the war. That is why you need to learn about your new power so you can defend yourself. I was told that you, the centaur, and the griffin ally that you three came here to help end the conflict," Ina said.

"Yeah," Setiya mumbled.

"That's quite brave of you considering the series of unfortunate events you had the displeasure of experiencing."

"You know about me?"

"Only what Janus and Ms. Frendi were able to disclose. You're very lucky to be alive."

"Sometimes I just..." her voice began to trail off. "I contemplated it. I kept on thinking about it since he died."

Ina stared at Setiya clutching the ring with adoration. "It's a wonder," she whispered, Ina's voice was low and sweet. "Through your strife, you continue to move forward. It's tiring, isn't it? Sometimes... you want to lie down and die."

Setiya rubbed the ring before placing it over her heart. She thought about Ina's words and kept quiet. Setiya was tired. Setiya was scared. Setiya is hurting. And Setiya had the idea to give up and stop trying, even after her defiance toward Emmerich. Even when she wanted to honor Flint... the thought in her mind continued to persist. The dark thoughts skitter through her mind; it was a vexing itch the mare had since Flint's death. She still doubted herself.

"It's painful... this war," Ina said, letting out a deep sigh. "Princess Celestia won't interfere because she fears for her citizens' safety. Not a single creature came to assist us; we were alone against a force that's steadily gaining ground. It's so much to take in... let alone hope to prevail."

"Then why fight at all?" Setiya asked, her voice starting to break. "I know this war has been going on for quite some time... but maybe it is the time to give up." Setiya gazed at the ring. "But we won't, none of us will. Not after everything that's happened."

The atmosphere was heavy. Looking to make light of the situation, Ina asks, "What was your favorite thing to do with Flint? Tell me what you loved doing most with him."

Setiya didn't meet Ina's mask, instead, her attention was glued to the wonderful ring, and then she cracked a weak grin, her cheeks were red. "Sneaking out of the village at night," she answered. "Flint would... hold my hoof with excitement, gently pulling me to a small clearing near the village. In Orbis, the stars were always visible, but Flint... he took me to that place where the stars shined the most."

"Anything else?"

Setiya nodded. "We'd watch the stars, laying on the grass. He would crack jokes that made me laugh, and even snort," she giggled. "He'd take me out there when I was sad or angry... just to see my face beam with joy. Flint tried everything, and I mean everything to keep me happy; he even put on a dress and makeup one time, just to make me smile," she sniffled. "I owed him so much... and when he was ripped away from me, future memories of going out to watch the stars and have a good time died with him."

"I mean it when I say that I'm sorry for your loss," Ina said.

Setiya chuckles, saying, "Thanks, Ina. When I stood up to Emmerich, I was still afraid... but I had to do something."

Ina looked up to the ceiling. "I would have done the same thing," she confessed, turning her concealed gaze at Setiya. She leaned forward. "Since you cheated death, I guess I could show you my face as a reward for escaping perilousness on a near-daily basis."

Setiya was a little excited. Ina sat on the edge of the bed and stretched out her limps before setting her cane against the wall. She sighed and began to take off her mask. Setiya saw steam blowing out of the mask and gears turning with multiple unlocking clicks. Then it slipped off into Ina's hoof and Setiya gazed at the face of perfection; it was beauty incarnate. Her gorgeous silver countenance expressed frailty, yet also intense focus from her crystal blue eyes. 

If Princess Celestia was gorgeous, then Ina would make her jealous, she thought.

Setiya was blown away. "I... you look, uh... wow."

Ina stared at Setiya and she immediately cowered, hiding her face in a panic. Her mask fell on the bed. She let out a cute squeal before crying. "Why did I show you?! Oh... (uttering in the archaic vernacular)."

Setiya was snapped out of her stupor from Ina's terror. "Wait! Calm down, Ina!" she exclaimed. "Here. Close your eyes and hold still."

Ina shut her eyes as Setiya put the mask back on her face. It latched perfectly into place, and Setiya heard the gears grind, and the various locks click and buckle as the steam blew once again.

Ina took a big whiff of air and exhaled, regaining her composure. "And that's why the mask stays on."

Setiya agreed. "Have you shown anypony else?"

"Only the king and queen," she muttered. "In any case, tomorrow shall be the day we get to see what your new companion is capable of."

"Tomorrow?" Setiya asked.

Ina nodded. "The training grounds are located just behind the castle."

Setiya laid down and stared at the opulent ceiling with a light grimace. "Who could instruct me? I have tentacles that come out of my back, y'know."

"Come now, let's be prudent. It just so happens that I'm available," Ina chuckled. "Because of the invasion, there will be no soldiers occupying the training grounds. We can begin the edification of your new power in the afternoon.

"You'd help me, truly?"

"As long as you don't kill me by accident while training," she quipped.

Setiya rolled her eyes. "That's not funny." She then cracked another grin.

Ina giggled before grabbing her wooden cane. "I'll see you tomorrow." Ina-Sona-Lapon bid Setiya a brief farewell.