//------------------------------// // Helplessness. // Story: Blink of an Eye. // by iki //------------------------------// As soon as I get to the crystal castle, I see that a carriage with an armed guard is standing in front of it, so it means that Twilight has finally arrived from Canterlot from the meeting. I hope she is not busy, I would like to finally talk to her. I think to myself as I walk past sharp looking guards in gold armor, they out of familiarity, greeted me with a nod. The inside seems empty, nobody is here, I continue to the main room, where armed guards are standing in front of the door again, this time even tougher, with stronger armor and huge heavy spears. I can't stop thinking how funny it is that even their soldiers reach up to my chest, I feel like in kindergarten. Without a hint of what I'm thinking right now with the corners of my mouth twitching, I greet familiar faces who without a doubt lead me to a large hall with a big round stone table without chairs. A room of purple and blue crystals that holds a table so large in the middle that if a wedding party were placed on it, it would look like an ordinary breakfast. As soon as I looked for Twilight in the underwater crystal cave, I noticed that she was talking to someone behind such a thick pillar that I could only see her butt and tail, which did not even move. I stood at a discreet distance so I wouldn't accidentally hear something I shouldn't have and I waited for the princess to notice me. Okay, I'll take note, Twilight says, then steps out from behind the pillar where no one else is coming out. “What do you need? No interest in her face. "You said that when you're in Ponyville, you're going to involve me in war and and other important things" I say while I try to be calm and not notice how unpleasant Twilight is. "I don't have time for that right now, if you don't need anything else, you can go" A winged pony in a read leather decorated coat replies with a hoof pointed at the door without looking at me. "Have you figured out how to contact my friends yet? I watch her ignore me without saying a word, and when she doesn't answer for a while and doesn't raise her head from the table, I turn and leave the spiky castle. On my life I swear, I hear those words again. Exhaling a held breath from my beardless jaw, I close my eyes and tilt my head back so that the afternoon sun warms my lightly tanned face. I remember that day as if it were today, until now I feel anger, confusion and helplessness........I rub my eyes......it's true that before debating with Twilight I was planning to join the war, after what Starlight told me about it and that it's the reason why I'm here but damn, that doesn't mean I'm going to be humiliated and blackmailed. The loyalty oath is the best outcome I could have hoped for, but it's totally useless if she continues to ignore me, I just hope Twilight doesn't try to twist it somehow because she is definitely not as nice, friendly and understanding as Starlight claimed. Confused still in my head, I feel the grass on my bare feet, I look behind me and watch the village full of busy ponies illuminated by the rays of the sun through holes in a few fluffy white clouds across the sky. I walk slowly to the accompaniment of birdsong and other sounds enjoying the sunny day. As I tread the grass from the receding village, I think. I can't survive on apples and sweets for very long, what am I going to do? The only thing left for me is to start hunting and looking for spices in the woods. I smirk at the disgusting work that hunting and preparing animals entails. I don't have anything to hunt them with, I don't know the survival course in the wild, so trap production falls and I can't track either. I slap my forehead and stop for a moment with my eyes closed, looking directly into the sun, while the muscles on my body draw shadows, in the middle of a raised meadow where the grass dances in the pleasant breeze. Poke.......poke....poke, poke. “Sight…why are you poking me? I ask, just waking up in the grass. “Why are you here?” Starlight asks with one hoof on my chest. “Does it matter? I answer sleepily and fall asleep again. "Is something wrong?" She says as she sits next to me under the rays of the orange sun that is about to set. When I don't answer for a while, Starlight repeatedly pokes me and repeats the question. When I still don't answer, not because I haven't woken up, but because I don't feel like talking, Starlight decides that the best way to get my attention is to jump right on my stomach until I spit the air out of my lungs, under the weight of the animal, and now I'm looking up at the sky. "Are you going to talk to me now?" Says the heavy animal lying on top of me. "Don't you want to get off me? I'm not an attraction" I say, without a single movement and close my eyes again. "Come on, tell me what happened this time" She rolls off of me onto the grass next to me on her back. "I don't like it anymore" I start talking. "She didn't have time for me again, she doesn't want to tell me anything about the war, she doesn't want to tell me anything about the enemy, she almost never tells me anything when I talk to her" I describe my thoughts disappointedly and continue. " I don't understand what's going on, you call me here for help and then I'm sitting here and I'm bored, what's the point? so why am I here? What's Twilight's problem?! I shout angrily "That doesn't sound like Twilight at all, aren't you exaggerating again?" "Don't say I'm exaggerating, she's always like that when I talk to her" I say and put my hands behind my head. "It's true that she is often angry, but this really doesn't sound like her" The pony rolls onto its side. "I think it's since I mentioned that you told me about the war" "It's possible, I got a loooong lecture about it, I'm not supposed to share internal information, she was so angry that she ignored it when I told her that I didn't discuss anything important with you" The pony remembers with a look to the sky. “Why did you actually tell her that you know everything? Starlight wonders. "Mainly because I was uncomfortable being naked, Plus Twilight was obnoxious, so I wanted to speed up the conversation as much as possible," I answer. "Do you want to help with this?" Starlight asks lying corpse-like on her side. " You look exhausted, did you work late into the night again? I ask, but she passes it by in silence, motioning for me to continue with tired eyes. "I'm still thinking about it.............it's hard to help when I don't know how.....................or where............ Starlight? I turn to see her slowly falling asleep. "I thought of something, but I'll need your help," I turn on my side and pet the animal so that it wakes up a bit from fatigue. "I remembered the problem you have with researching the enemy, if I could capture one of them and bring them back alive or dead it probably doesn't matter, I could help with the research and improve my relationship with Twilight" "That probably won't be so good, you know that neither you nor I can go against Twilight and this requires a lot of planning and soldiers that she shouldn't know about, it's considered treason" She says slowly with her eyes closed. "That's the best thing about that plan, I'll go alone" I smile at the brilliant idea. " Are you out of your mind?! With a flash of green she disappeared and appeared with her front hooves on my chest with her head down without signs of fatigue. "Think about it, It's perfect, if I go alone I won't be risking any lives but my own, which Twilight doesn't really care about anyway, all I'll need from you is that you told me where the nearest enemy base is, Twilight still thinks you told me everything, so...............even you won't go against the princess with that" I gradually smile more and more as I come up with more and more things to say immediately. " I know you're strong and I don't want to underestimate you but this is madness, even Princess Luna couldn't handle the onslaught of their troops and until now she is unconscious and she was lucky and she was considered the strongest of us." She looks at me with fear and doubt. "I didn't expect it to be easy, but you're probably right" Thoughtfully, my gaze goes to the red sun in its setting that illuminates the pony standing over me. Starlight breathes a sigh of relief, she sat down next to me and also watches the sun as she says quietly. I'm glad I let you talk me into lying down here on the grass" She reminisces. "Yeah, I still remember how you stared blankly at what I was doing and how I could just rest in the time of war" I smile with a red glow on my face. "It was a beautiful day, I still can't believe how exhausted I was that I immediately fell asleep." With a sweet smile she looks dreamily into the past. "It's funny how we were looking for the way home after dark because I didn't want to wake you up because you were sleeping like a baby." I laugh and suddenly realize something, while Starlight blushes in embarrassment. "That's a good idea" I sit down with my chin in my hand, "I'll go there at night, I'll ambush one of them and drag them back to us, thus avoiding a fight" I say to Starlight's face. "I don't know" She looks directly into my smiling eyes. "what if something happens to you?" Starlight said ahead of me. We sit in silence, staring into each other as the last rays of the red giant play with the colors of the mane and coat of the pony in front of me. Me stunned by her concern for me and her by my willingness to risk my life, we listen to the rustling of the leafy trees from the forest, which stretches along the meadow where we sit and wait for whoever will be the first to break the gentle and cold silence, because of the disappearing sun that no longer wants to give us warmth and only illuminates the tips of the trees. When the silence is already Too long and the gloom thickens, I sit right up to her and put my hands on her shoulders. "Please" I say quietly, staring into her disbelieving face. "Even if you could do it, how....what will you do if .......How will you drag him to......" Starlight's head is running one thought after another, so loud that even I can hear them. I still hold the purple fear until she calms down and looks at me again. I wait, I won't tell her anything until I'm sure she perceives me. "You don't have to worry, I'll be back" I put my hand on her head from the grass that I sweep to the ground. " So you won't change your mind, you want to do it no matter what I say.............................fine............................... I'll help you" She looks at the ground for a moment and then back at me. "But answer me one question, do you REALLY want to take that risk just to please the princess or help with the research?" She points out and looks at me without blinking. "No" I smile. "Since I've been here I've been shaking with excitement until I get to fight again" My smile widens so that I look like a snarling animal. Disappointed, I stand with my eyes closed in the village after a failed hunt, I hoped that I would be able to get at least a piece of roast meat before the demanding event. While as the villagers walk around me resembling colorful ants, I hear those words again. On my life I swear. I keep hearing it over and over the last words of the oath. Until the war ends or one of us dies. I laugh out loud. Our agreement won't last very long if I die of hunger, it will be funny without meat and vegetables. I say with a slight fit of laughter. “You're training for the local lunatic Tropy? the voice chuckled. "Starlight" I smile as I turn around and open my eyes. "I didn't keep you waiting too long, did I? Didn't you go crazy in the meantime? Violet giggles right in front of me. "I don't know for sure, it depends on what news you bring" I smile and follow Starlight who invited me with a nod. "Of course good, I told you I was only going to find her, not to convince her, Rarity is a good friend of mine, she wouldn't reject me" chirped pony walking next to me. After a short walk to a small round building, shaped like a circus tent, Starlight stops in front of the door and chats. "Rarity is very sensitive, try to be considerate and above all don't ask her about nothing about her life and especially the past, you'd better not ask anything at all" She fixed me with a longing look that I take everything she said dead serious. "Your hypnosis doesn't work on me" I laugh and open the door for her who walks in first into the carefully colored decorated bar covered in dirt and dust. After entering the dusty round room in the convoy behind the Violet who leads me past a lot of sewing racks covered in gray fabric like the windows. Because of the poor lighting, everything around seems dirty and colorless, as if someone cleaned everything up many years ago and moved away. As soon as we pass the first room, we find ourselves at the top of the stairs in a corridor that leads to a couple of side doors. After passing through the only open door, we notice that on the opposite side, under the only window in the room, which is also covered with a gray cloth, a white pony is sitting at the table with its back to us. "Rarity?" Starlight said quietly with some concern in her voice. "I can't believe I'm here" Says the white pony peeking out of the window through the hole in the cloth. "Why did you want to meet right here?" Says the desperate Rarity, still with her back to us, with undisguised sadness in her voice and subsequent calming down. "I wouldn't have looked for you and disturbed you if it wasn't urgent," Starlight replies quietly. "But Why here? The purple mane meows quietly into the silence, while Starlight slowly approaches her. "Don't be angry, but I coul........." Interrupted starlight stops speaking. "Of all places, why this?! Rarity exclaims in a sneer of sadness. "I promised myself that I would be strong when you asked me for help, but when I'm here....I.............." Because of the incoming crying, she can no longer speak, she turns and looks with her tearful eyes directly into the blue ones who stand opposite her. I stand quietly in oblivion and watch as one pony comforts another in an embrace. The two ponies sit across from each other and embrace, Starlight stroking the mane at the back of Rarity's neck as the soft sunlight illuminates her purple mane, through the holes in the gray fabric of the window, in the dark room. I see Rarity crying with her snout buried in Starlight's mane, in a tight desperate hug. "I'm sorry" Starlight whispers to the shaking pony in her arms. "I didn't know you'd have such a problem coming back here after so many years," Continues starlight. "Me too, I thought it was over, that I was over it, that's why I agreed to it when you asked me" She wipes her tears. "But when I came, my memories started coming back and I saw her everywhere" She cries again and hugs Starlight harder, with a long flowing cry. It was stupid of me to watch them and do nothing, but what could I do? I don't know what it's about, I'm not allowed to ask about it, so I just stood there the whole time until the situation calmed down. As the two ponies separate, they smile at each other as Starlight wipes Rarity's tears from her eyes while her own are wet. Starlight apologizes to Rarity once more as she helps her up and was about to explain why she called her when Rarity thanked Starlight. This was so unexpected to Starlight that she stands in silence looking at the pony in front of her. " I... I've needed it for a long time........ whine....... I tried to run away from it, but when I thought it was good it always came back to me, sooner or later I would have to do it anyway, face the past" " I like to hear that? Starlight stands stunned. "I'll be fine........................tell me what's so urgent." Rarity says with a small smile and still moist eyes. It's unbelievable how strong the self-confidence of a pony who just a moment ago was sitting in tears in a hug and comforting from Starlight. Without hesitation, she listened to Starlight's plea and introduced me. One would think that it is perhaps impossible to throw her off balance, but still I was careful about what I said and followed what starlight asked me to do. After some time I explained to Rarity what the clothes I need should look like, she walked around me with a meter and her horn circled around me like a hungry shark who wants to bite my belly. We discussed measurements, material and cutting methods. Unfortunately, I couldn't show her the old clothes because Twilight destroyed them. While Rarity was busy working on my suit with the help of Starlight, I went over the plans of the nearest enemy camp and its surroundings. I don't have much information about the blacks, among the documents I found a parchment that captures the knowledge they have about them, but as I said, it's just one parchment with a few warning labels. -Black Demon- A two-legged creature one meter tall. Agile, acrobatic and often clumsy. Skinny without a tail. high morale. They don't run away from a fight. Always supported by his mates. Attacks only with upper limbs. They wear black armor that covers their entire body. Batches are separated by colored stripes on the helmet. A private soldier does not have stripes. Race- unknown. Place of birth - unknown. Language - unknown. Food - unknown. Mating - unknown. Cubs - unknown. Skin color - unknown. Blood color - green. Race character - unknown. Jump height - one and a half meters. Armor material - unknown. Weapons Material - Unknown. Weapons - unknown (one handed without shield) Attention! Extremely dangerous! Extremely fast! Extremely strong! Unpredictable! They never walk alone! As soon as you come across a black man alone, run away. That's pretty depressing, Are you telling me this is all the information they have for five years of war? How is that even possible? Starlight told me that they never managed to get an enemy body because the blacks take all their corpses away, but this is almost absurd. It looks like it will end up being a suicide mission. I stop thinking about it and continue to focus on the map of the enemy area. After some time studying documentaries, Violet walked into my room. I went to another room to have some peace and be able to concentrate. As soon as I saw her, I greeted her and together we sit in front of the papers and discuss the plan of action for a while, how is the suit and then we take a break for a while and I ask about Rarity. " How is she? "Thanks to work, she doesn't think about anything else, I'm happy to see her smile" Starlight replies and continues when she sees that I want to ask something else. "If you want to ask about what happened to Rarity, please leave it for another time" She stops me. "I'm not saying I'm not interested in what happened to her, but I'd rather ask about the food, I can't hunt and it's just........" In a moment I'm silenced by a green light covering my mouth. "Quiet..." She looks out the door into the corridor and closes it quietly behind her. "Never mention killing animals, anywhere" Says the enchantress, she lets go of my mouth and continues. "1. You will not hunt, never" "2. We don't kill animals, hunting is considered murder in our country" "3. If Rarity found out, I don't know what she would do and I don't even want to know" The Violet whispers in my ear. "Okay, well, I'll stop with that, but what should I do? The princess doesn't care what happens to me and I'm running out of time...............I guess I'll have to eat her" I laugh. "That's what Twilight mentioned to me, she looked scared when she told me you eat meat and when you told her you'd eat her too" She looks at me reproachfully as I laugh harder. "Doesn't she have a sense of humor?" I ask, wiping away tears. "I think it was a bad time for such a joke, but I admit that her scared expression when telling the story was funny" Starlight laughs. "Now you think it's funny, but it hasn't been that long since you cried in my claws out of fear, were you afraid I'd eat you? I smile at her with the look of a crazy clown. "It's not true, it was a misunderstanding, I didn't cry because of fear of you, but because of the pain in my nose when you breathed on me" She reflects my joke against me and we laugh together. "So what do you think I should do? I'll ask calmly. "Haven't you forgotten what to do when you need something?" She smiles at me and blinks in an exaggerated comical way as if she's flirting. After eating a dangerous amount of cakes, pies and apples without getting diabetes, we returned to our duties. Darkness, made even darker by the deep forest through which the sky cannot be seen. A deep night, so deep that it swallowed all the colors of this world and so I make my way through this black and gray lifeless region where not a single animal makes a sound. I don't know if all the animals are dead or just ran away, but the silence around me without a single little sound scares me so much that it gives me chills, because animals only make sounds when they feel safe. Only thanks to the great invention that I managed to take away from Twilight's laboratory, I can at least see the outlines of the surroundings. It's not much, but it's better than the complete darkness in which even a lit match would drown. I quietly make my way through the thicket of the slowly thinning forest, in which the sky is still not visible. According to the plan, I studied carefully, I should be there by now, the territory between allies and enemies is only one kilometer. According to Starlight, the enemy's base is an old forest settlement with a stone tower that served as a food warehouse from which the ponies were driven out by the war. When I catch sight of the first lights marking enemy territory, I'm crouched down so I'm almost lying down, slowly creeping out of sight of the lights of their built wall. I don't see a single enemy anywhere, I hope they are not sleeping, I will not drag them out of bed like this for the evening. I laughed in my head at the thought. As soon as I got into an advantageous position from where I had a good view on a nearby hill, I looked out for my prey. I am watching a village with five houses in a circle and in its center a huge tower that rises high into the sky and everything is surrounded by a temporary wall. There is not much lighting, it is strange how little light they have there, how could they see in the dark? It wasn't long before I saw some guards walking through the gate from the forest, which scared me a little. I just hope that none of them saw me while I walked past them like a complete idiot without noticing them. After some more waiting and no alarm, I calmed down and again began to look for the victim, which appeared unexpectedly quickly. I watched one of the soldiers slowly made his way around the wall, to a part where there wasn't much lighting or anything that someone could hide behind. That's ideal, as soon as he gets to the darkest part, I'll wait for him, as he gets closer I'll grab him and run away, the worse thing is how to silence him. Then I'll have to get him across the fifty meters of bare, treeless area that surrounds the entire base. I slapped my face and set out with determination. Unfortunately, I didn't choose a very good spot for observation, not in terms of watching the enemy but moving towards him, I was on a rather steep hill and a few times it was enough for me to slip on a stone or slippery moss, just thanks to the occasional tree sticking out of the rock which I could catch. As soon as I said to myself a thousand times that I promised to come back when I said goodbye, I really got to the bottom of the hill on which there was already a solid base of grass, not just stone and moss, although there were still a few trees around me, but it was already threatening the risk of someone finding me out. Nobody knows if they can see in the dark, I can't take any chances. Since it was clear to me that I was very late coming down the hill, I have to move fast to make the date. I was crawling like a snake in water crawling for life. I breathed a sigh of relief as I hit the wall. I watch the plain I crawled to illuminated by the moonlight, with lots of stumps and plants left after the quick felling of trees. Be a well-made disguise, or the magic that is in the uniform, that no one noticed me, I did not hesitate. Climbing the wall is no problem, as it is just logs piled on top of each other, something like a beaver dam. Damn, I think when I climb the logs sticking out in different directions and realize I'm going too late, my catch is gone. Damn it, I'll repeat myself and I'm about to leave because I'm too visible here. As I turn to go down, I notice that from the direction my previous victim went, another black comes back, at least I think it's different. Crouched and hidden among the logs, I wait for the victim who approaches me along the wall. Only the first rays of the carried light source bounce off the green topaz covering my right eye, one broken neck and a black one is served in front of me, ready to go. Because they are small, they have weak necks and big heads, he didn't even have a chance to scream, it was just a moment like opening a bottle cap. In no time I have him tied up on my shoulder in thickly stitched fabric and I'm climbing to freedom. Not that I don't want to be an optimist, but it seems too simple for them to be so dangerous, and I think of the moment I jump from the wall into an area full of trampled grass and stumps. I make sure I'm approaching in the right direction, still facing the high rocky hill I've almost fallen off several times, but this time I'll take a safer route around it. That body is much heavier than I expected, with sweat running down my greasy green masking paste on my face, that isn't supposed to reflect light. I hear the gate of the fortress has opened, from which lights are coming out towards me, I see them with a brief glance behind me I don't even have time to utter a curse word and there are two blacks standing in front of me, right next to the hill among the trees. This is quite a stupid situation, black behind me and in front of me, all that's left is........that I am straining at all......COME ON!! I scream and run as the enemy approaches me from all sides. The two blacks in front of me are not in a hurry as I run towards them, they draw short swords of shiny black armor that makes them well visible in the dark thanks to the moonlight. I'm not going to talk to them or stop for a coffee, I don't stop as soon as I'm near them, I grab my rider's leg and use him as a club. Thanks to the great weight of the corpse, I manage to repel both attackers far enough that I can unfortunately climb the hill while the army of blacks chases after me. As soon as I cross several dangerous and slippery places with a black sack on my back, I wish it was a sack of potatoes and I run to the top of the hill and rush through the forest towards home. Unfortunately, it didn't last long, the lights like Fireflies in the forest fly around me. Well, there is not much to think about, the only free direction is the upward direction. If I pass them, I can then leave in peace. But I don't care anymore, I think when a branch from the tree above falls in front of my feet, from where the crack of wood and falling goblins are now coming. I'm running, zigzagging through the little scum that keeps crossing my path and trying to stop me, with an ever-increasing weight on my back that seems heavier and heavier with each step. As much as it amazes me how fast they are for how small their legs are, there is absolutely no chance of me running away from them. One after the other like an endless line of people interested in the attraction, They jump after me and try to hit me, avoiding their fast and insidious attacks becomes almost unthinkable. Sweaty and sore from the body still hitting my back, I find myself surrounded, there is no way I can go on or back, no, I am now trapped by a black wall with sharp spikes ready to fend off anyone who wants to pass through it. With a spit, I throw the heavy corpse to the ground, with the memory of the sword from my dimension on my mind, I draw my dagger towards an iron-like material that is quite heavy for its size. Drenched in sweat and dirty from the ubiquitous wet dirt that I fell on several times after a few attacks by the enemy, I wait to see if the wall will move or if I will have to go to it first, and in the end I will change my mind, I won't wait even a moment. In a quick movement, I throw one of the corpses in front of me so as to defeat one of the skittles, I rush between them and, two blacks tried to stop me, after one I threw a dagger as I ran, which bounced off the helmet with sparks, did not hurt him, but stunned him for a moment long enough for me to catch the second black in a jump by the attacking arm with a small sword and threw him like a doll, while I catch a rather nasty blow from the goblin behind me who cut me across the shoulder blades with his sword. I roll sideways and find myself surrounded again. I can feel the wound on my back hissing softly as it closes under the cut camouflage fabric made of the dark colors of nature. I didn't expect the cloth to deflects anything, after all it's just cloth no matter how strong and how heavily stitched this one is, but I really didn't expect the enemy's weapon to pass through them so easily and inflict such damage, even though the cloth is enchanted with protective and defensive spells. My thoughts race as I watch the Enemies move around me. This is really not good if.......... Before I could even finish my thought, I was already dodging a back attack with a quick swipe at my neck, I tried to grab him, while the Second Black's Sword that attacked me from the side. I'm not thinking about anything anymore, I'm concentrating on avoiding the nimble bastards, who are now circling around me like a swarm of hungry mosquitoes. My reflexes sharpen with each dodge, my attack more crushing, surrounded by a circle of constantly attacking enemies, my body is as focused as ever. With my body covered in blood, I smile in the euphoria of a long-suppressed desire to fight. Like a cat I parry and avoid one attack that is followed by another without the first one ending at such a speed that the trees melt into one. Blood flows all over my body because the injuries I receive come much faster than I can heal, because I can't dodge anymore, the black ones rush at me like a pack of jackals, they attack quickly and effectively. They are like a machine, a coordinated machine that works incredibly well, one body, one being, look to the left, an attack will come from the right, a moment of inattention behind my back and I see the tip of the blade from my stomach. In a fit of aggression and frustration, I punch the ground with such force that the ground shakes enough to make most of my enemies lose their balance. One long exhalation in a forward bend with my eyes eager for blood, a trembling body full of adrenaline shoots like a slingshot at the first enemy I see, does not have time to make a single sound and my right hand crushes the helmet with the skull on the ground. I grabbed the corpse and threw it at the approaching enemy on my back, who knocked him down in flight, like a hungry wolf I jumped at him and before he hit the ground I held him with my right hand the larynx, the only place where he did not have armor so resistant. Only a short squeal broke the silence before a high-pitched howl from the blacks around me. With renewed strength and determination, they surrounded me like a wild animal and attacked one after another until the beast fell. Where is he? Says Starlight in an unlit wooden house. We should have been back a long time ago, what will I do if someone comes looking for me? What shall I say? But I can't just leave, I promised to wait for him here, but he is already very late, the moon is already setting, if he doesn't come soon........... Starlight is snapped out of her thoughts by a loud roar that echoes through the forest. It sounded like.......... Starlight doesn't finish again as the ground shakes with the wooden floor beneath her feet and then...... grave silence. KRRRRAAACHHH!!! Something breaks through the ceiling of the house with splinters and wood landing on the plank floor, which withstands the impact of the body with a groaning crack. The frightened pony screams, As soon as she realizes it's Tropy, she jumps on him like a frog and disappears with a green flash. Meanwhile, Tropy is lying on the ground without a single sign of life, Starlight is literally tearing off shreds of shredded clothing which is far from resembling clothing. Frightened pony looks for any serious injury on the lying body, his hair is full of dried blood, but he doesn't see any fresh or any wounds. She presses her ear to his chest After finding nothing to indicate Tropy's death, except a body full of gashes. Heart pounding, starlight takes a breath and calms down a bit, so why aren't all his wounds closing? She asks herself as she watches dozens of thin cuts slowly ooze blood. Starlight was preparing for a similar situation, that it might not turn out well if he came back seriously injured, so under the village of Ponyville where the staff complex is located, she prepared one room as a temporary infirmary and accommodation. No sooner had she washed him of the ubiquitous blood, bandaged his wounds, placed him in the double bed, and she notices something strange on the floor in a pile of rags from his clothes, a green light picks up the pouch in dark brown leather and brings it right under the pony's snout, who smiles after looking inside it. Covers the patient and she disappears in a flash of green leaving the room dark and silent.