//------------------------------// // Goblin's Song // Story: What Lies Beyond // by Sparx //------------------------------// Goblin's Song "SMASH THE PONY!" The bugbear yelled it's attack orders and the goblins all sheathed their very crude blades, drawing long pointed sticks instead. "Throw the spears!" suddenly a hail of pointed wood flew towards Rainbow Dash and Nilt, who flew up as fast as they could, dodging the branches. "You fight before?" Dash called up to the Sprite. "Of course I have pony. The cockroach army stood no chance before the power of the sprites, and these goblins are no different!" With that, Nilt flew off as fast as he could, blade pointed forward into the nearest goblin, jabbing it's eye. "Augh! Stinking fairy put out my eye!" "Me help you!" The neighboring goblin drew his sword and aimed for Nilt, but the sprite was too quick for the goblin and flew out of the way, causing the sheet of metal to cut through the goblin's face. "Oop." Dash flew down at high speed, sliding her hoof across the length of the blade. Various yellow spots appeared on her foes below and she struck at each one. Right leg, left arm, jaw, left eye, spine, she struck them all down, moving too fast for them to lay a strike on her body. Any that she didn't cut she would kick as it tried to jump at her. She bashed one so hard in the chest that he flew back into about three of his other companion, dropping his sword somewhere in the crowd where she heard a painful scream. Nilt found his way back to Rainbow Dash and stood within her mane. "We don't have to beat them all, just take out their leader and a good chunk of their ranks, goblins are notorious cowards." "Got it!" Dash continued to fly forward, cutting down any goblin that dared come close to her. She felt a sudden weight hit her back as a goblin jumped on top of her back. "NOT cool!" Dash started to fly rapidly in circles until she was only visible as a rainbow tornado, the goblin and Nilt hanging onto her for dear life. The goblin let go first and went flying with two of his companions into the water, resurfacing with claw marks and blood across their faces and bodies. A number of the goblins started to panic, running at Dash with their eyes closed. Some of these ended up chopping down their own comrades, while still others would run right past her into a tree, one broke his neck doing such a thing. "Idiots! SMASH the damned pony!" The bugbear grew angry with his minions, bringing fear into their eyes, yet somehow forcing more competence from them. It seemed their fear for their leader outweighed the fear for the pony that kept defeating them. One ran up behind Dash, trying to jump up on her back again, but she gave him a good BUCK and knocked him hard against a nearby tree. As the battle proceeded, more and more goblins fell, lowering their morale, but for some reason, Iris began to glow brighter and brighter red. Was more danger approaching? Or were the goblins getting worse? Maybe Iris was just broken. Or maybe... Dash turned in the direction of the Bugbear and saw him charging after her, morningstar held high. "Dodge it!" Nilt screamed out, fearing for his own life as well as Rainbow's. Too late, Dash felt the spikes of the club pierce her side as she was knocked into a tree, knocking the wind out of her lungs. "Holy shit!" She wheezed out. She couldn't breathe, and DAMN that hurt! "I think I broke a rib." As she stood, the bugbear ran after her again, ready to finish this in a single blow. Nilt then appeared at the bugbear's face and jabbed his nose about three to four times before flying off as quickly as his wings would take him. He had attracted the bugbear's attention, and long enough for Dash to get up to her hooves. She should have been intimidated, but instead, she was angry. She lowered her eyebrows and tightened her bite upon her blade, charging full speed into the large goblin, piercing his back and causing him to give out a loud shriek. He turned to smack Dash again, but she was expecting it this time, and jumped back with help from her wings. She ran a hoof across the length of the blade again to reveal the spot she just stabbed in a yellow glow. She must have hit him deeper than she thought, but it didn't matter, she dashed to try and cut him again, but she only grazed him as he swiped a large claw through her mane, barely missing her face. Nilt did his best to fight against the bugbear as well, jabbing it in the face with his little stings whenever he saw an opening. The rest of the goblins were cheering on their leader, avoiding actual involvement in this fight, whether they were more afraid of Rainbow Dash or the bugbear, nopony knew. Cuts and scrapes littered the bugbear's body, but the only serious injury it had taken was the jab that Dash had given him to his back, which was bleeding, but not a lot. She flew at him once again, only to have to dodge his club once again. No good, she couldn't get close to him as he was now, she had to think of something. The hairy creature charged her, and she jumped to the right as he brought his weapon into the dirt. Suddenly, she had an idea. She slid her hoof horizontally across the blade, and a blue mist that only she could see drew a circle going around the creature twice before finally reaching his wound, and Dash followed it, dodging any strikes that he made, but before she could sink her blade in, she felt a tug at her tail. She turned and saw two goblins tugging at her, trying to pull her towards the water. Her face felt a hard SMACK as the bugbear's meaty hand slapped her across the jaw, knocking her into the dirt. Dash felt her tail tuggers pulling her towards the water. She jumped back towards them, kicking them both square in the chest, forcing them into the pond where they met the same fates as the other goblins. In the corner of her vision, she saw the lumbering figure turn and swing towards her, she jumped back into the water, and readied herself to charge. She felt small claws rake her back legs though and gave a yell. She turned to see what looked like large fairies with webbed hands clawing at her hind legs, trying to pull her into the water. She readied to kick them but Nilt shouted "Don't hurt them! They are nixies! Guardians of this glade like us!" So Dash instead flew up, flinching in pain as the claws raked down to her hooves. "They don't SEEM like they're on our side!" "They just want to protect the pond." Nilt flew up to Dash's eye level. "They don't see you as any different from the goblins. "Speaking of which." Dash looked back down at the bugbear, who looked back at them with a fire in his eyes. "What'll we do about him? I can't get close enough to do any damage!" Nilt rubbed at his chin, then darted into Rainbow Dash, trying to push her. "MOVE!" Dash moved to the side as a large stone grazed her ear, the bugbear was growing impatient, and was beginning to lift another boulder. "Go NOW!" Nilt slapped the cyan pegasus on the neck as a signal and she dashed through the air towards her target. SHE HIT! She sank her blade deep into his left shoulder, forcing him to let go of the boulder and slap her away leaving the blade in his wound. His left arm hung limp and motionless as he held it. She severed it from his control! This should be easy now! However, Iris only glowed a more violent red, and even began to shudder within the bugbear's arm. "HOW?!" The fire in the creature's eyes blazed brightly as he charged Rainbow Dash, reclaiming his morningstar with his good arm. He swung, faster than before, Dash could barely dodge it and ended up with some pretty deep cuts along her left foreleg. "AUGH!" "He's gone berserk!" Nilt yelled to Rainbow Dash. "He's more dangerous now than ever!" "Smash, smash, Smash, SMash, SMAsh, SMASh, SMASH, SMASH! SMASH!! SMASHSMASHSMASHSMASHSMASHSMASHSMASH!!!!!!!!" He had lost his mind! Rainbow Dash saw it in his eyes. Nothing more mattered to this creature than killing HER. "SMASH THE PONY!!!!!!!!" Dash dodged, and jumped, but she was losing steam, and without her weapon, she couldn't hurt the mad terror before her, even with one arm. As he continued on, he began to sing, at least that's what it sounded like, a terrifying, angry madman's tune. SMASH THE PONY EAT IT UP! KILL IT DEAD THEN CHOP IT'S HEAD! SMASH THE PONY EAT IT UP! KILL IT DEAD THEN CHOP IT'S HEAD! Dash was getting too tired, she couldn't keep this up. He was going to kill her, she saw it in his eyes, she felt it in the back of her mind, this bugbear was going to kill her, and she couldn't stop it. And what of Nilt? Would he die here too? They only just met, but she couldn't help but fear for her comrade's life. And the nixies, and weren't there other sprites around here too? Other living creatures? This mad creature would slaughter them all, and she couldn't do anything about it. Dash tripped, she fell on her face. This was it, she was going to die here... she knew that now, and one last thought went through her head. Spitfire, Applejack... I'm... I'm sorry. I love you guys, and I'm sorry I couldn't choose. The End... ...OF THIS CHAPTER!