//------------------------------// // S6.2 — Horror // Story: Where Only Silver Shines // by Etyco Filly //------------------------------// At some point, we’d arrived at the entrance to the prison Vitro had told us about a few hours ago. I’d immediately recognised it. Keeper was exhausted from the long and careful trip. Or was she just pretending? No, not thinking about that now. I was beginning to feel tired as well, though obviously less than her. I’d offered to have her stay behind, but she insisted her magic was unaffected. Regardless, we ended up taking a ten-minute break in a nearby hallway, before finally making our way into the open area. The sight of the old prison banished whatever remained of my fatigue. The claw marks on the doors, the tracks in the dirt, the fur stuck to edges; they all reminded me the chimæra could be around any corner, anywhere. Since the prison was pretty small, checking the entirety of its surroundings only took us fifteen minutes, give or take. Either the beast was out hunting—unlikely, given the late hour—or its lair lay within the prison itself. Unlike the Duskbringer prison, this one had an inner courtyard, visible through one of the collapsed walls. The lack of open spaces worried me; the chimæra had many places to hide; walls, corners, old furniture. While my senses were relatively keen, and my reflexes sharp, I could not claim the same for Keeper. Magic or not, if this chimæra got the jump on her, I wouldn’t be able to save her. Still, if I placed too much trust in my body, I ran the risk of underestimating the chimæra. A horrible idea, to say the least. I couldn’t wait to kill it, and finally have Aurora acknowledge me and my talent, but I also couldn’t afford to let my guard down. Once we worked up the courage to enter, we proceeded with extreme caution. Keeper watched my back, while I checked every corner. As we approached the central courtyard, more and more objects littered the ground. Half-finished weapons, tools, and the occasional steel ingot all lay strewn around. The workshop must have been nearby, but I had no time to think about it. The courtyard itself further set me on edge. The piles of rubble here stood tall enough to easily conceal even a beast as large as the chimæra. The sheer number of potential hiding places made it impossible to check one without exposing myself to another three. The solution was to lift off and look around from high above. However, that left Keeper out in the open. Sweet Sun, I knew I should have insisted harder. Yes, her magic was decent, but she still held me back. That was a lie as well, wasn’t it? That she knew how to handle herself in a fight. Sure, she had a bunch of combat spells, but how far could those go without experience? Not. The time. To think. I only needed to keep her safe. Actually, what did I care? She had insisted on coming with me. If she got injured, it wouldn't be my fault. Stop thinking, already! I needed a way to safely check behind those piles. That was all I could allow on my mind. The easiest way to do so would be to fly straight up. A shiver ran down my spine. Leaving her to die would make me a horrible pony. She was still my friend, even if her web of lies ran deeper and wider than I could have imagined. Even if she was a total stranger, I might get in trouble. But she wasn’t. She was my friend. I’d known about her lies; why was I angry that they were more important than expected? Sweet Sun, Silver, stop fucking thinking! “Hey Keeper?” I whispered. She winced. “Yes?” “What do you think we should do about this?” I gestured to the rubble and collapsed walls. “It’s risky to just waltz in, because the beast could be hiding anywhere.” She raised an eyebrow. “Can’t you fly above all the rubble?” “What about you? I’m supposed to have your back.” I tilted my head. Keeper shook hers. “Just go, I’ll handle myself.” She pulled out her four daggers, each more damaged than the last. Reluctant, I took to the air. The chimæra jumped out from a collapsed pillar. It happened so fast that I only had a glimpse of it. Then, it was on me. Ducking underneath its paw, I tried to retaliate with a kick, but had to fly back to avoid its bite. I kept dodging its rapid swipes, each closer than the last, for a few instants—somewhere between a second and an hour—looking for an opening. Bat wings. A wolf’s head. The other a giant snake’s head. Leonine front left paw. Other one bovine. Its serpentine maw snapped close where my foreleg had been a split second before. Way too close. Yet expected. I slashed at its abdomen with the tip of my sword, drawing blood. It was fast, but its movements predictable. Don’t gloat! I dove to the side, avoiding its scorpion tail. I saw the paw coming, but couldn’t dodge in time. The gash it left on my cheek burnt. I kept my distance; struggled to get back into the rhythm. No, it wasn’t just the rhythm. It was faster. Or I was slower. I hadn’t trained enough. Stop thinking! I dropped under its charge and hit its jaw with a two-legged buck, drawing a satisfying crunch for my efforts. Only for its tail to slam into my ribs. I was sent barrelling, barely able to stop my crash. I maintained the distance between us, constantly dodging backwards as it lunged, bit, and swiped. I lacked the stamina to stay on the defensive for long, but I needed to think. The chimæra was hurt; unable to close its shattered wolf jaw, bleeding from the shallow cut. A few more injuries like this, and it too would slow down. Would I slow down faster, though? A dagger flashed past its torso, leaving a thin wound. Three others joined it, and the four danced around their prey. The chimæra desperately swatted at them, only to be overwhelmed. I bolted forward, plunging my sword into its side. A split-second later I realised what a horrible idea this was. It let out a furious roar and struck my chest with its hoof. Bones cracked, air shot out of my lungs, the ground crashed into me, and my vision blackened. That would have killed any other beast… It shouldn’t have been able to… The chimæra landed in front of me. That would have been my end, had the daggers not drawn its attention again. While I caught my breath, it batted the blades away. The swarm stung and slashed with more vigour than before, but the chimæra had grown wise. With every passing second, fewer blows landed. It only lasted a few more before the beast spotted Keeper. The instant before it lunged lasted an eternity. I dashed after it, ignoring my body’s protests. When the beast realised it wouldn’t reach her in time, it spun around. Too slow to dodge my cut, it lost its hooved leg as I flew past it. Arterial wound. Good. Focusing every feather, every muscle, every fibre of my being, I slowed down, storing my momentum as pure magic at the base of my wings. It burned like hundreds of white-hot needles. When I released the magic, a split second before hitting the wall, the pain spread throughout my wings, just as intense. I slingshotted backwards, but the chimæra expected me. At the last moment, I managed to roll to the side while its claws dug into my chest. Where was Keeper? I had to keep it off of her. If I waited too long, it would find her. I needed to go on the offensive, now! Blood dripping, I charged forward again. I took a chunk out of its abdomen, but was kicked away by one of its back legs. A rabbit’s? The pain didn’t register. It dove for me again, and we resumed our dance. I had to take it out before I passed out. Otherwise, it would kill Keeper. Dozens of manoeuvres flooded my mind, but my body held me back. Even staying on the defensive proved more and more difficult, let alone landing an actual hit. Had Keeper run away? Was she hiding anywhere? Would her invisibility help her against this thing? I dodged its claws, but its back leg connected with my barrel before I could even think of avoiding it. I slammed into the ground, breath knocked out of my lungs. As quickly as I could, I flipped on my stomach. Standing proved more difficult than expected, with one of my hooves slipping in the puddle of blood. The gash ran a lot deeper than I originally thought, didn’t it? Was this the end of me? Keeper was nowhere in sight, for better or for worse. It only took a few moments for the chimæra to land right in front of me. It was taking its time now. It knew I was done for, but it also knew not to underestimate cornered prey. Its eyes held a glint I had seen so many times; that primordial respect a hunter has for a hard-earned kill. And the beast was right. I wouldn’t let it end like that. I truly had nothing to lose anymore. If I were to die here, I was sure as sunshine going to drag it to Tartarus with me. My vision was swimming; I didn’t have much time. My heart sank when Keeper stepped out from around a corner. What was she doing? Her blades hadn’t been more than an inconvenience to the chimæra. It would kill her in an instant, before she did significant damage to it. I almost shouted for her to flee, but that would have only turned the chimæra’s attention to her. Whatever her plan was, I had to let her try. I lunged, ignoring the complaints of my bruised and broken body. Driven by instinct, it dodged the blade, only for me to slash again. I left my side wide open; I could only hope it wouldn’t capitalise on it. My blade connected, drawing blood. The cut ran only slightly deeper than my previous one, but it was a step in the right direction. Its serpentine head snapped at me, but I dodged forward, catching it off-guard. Again, I only found a mild opportunity for a weak slash across its tough hide. But then, I ended up on the other side. On the same side as Keeper. She was behind me. I’d blown her cover. So why did something move behind the chimæra? Something red was rising from the ground. My eyes wouldn’t focus on it. The beast once again swiped its claws at me, balancing on its hind legs. Dodging to the side and underneath the swing, I tried to counterattack. The chimæra jumped, now used to my reckless tactics. I ducked under another one of its blows, and stepped away from another. I was panting. I couldn’t keep this up for much longer. I took another step back, but tripped on a piece of rubble. The chimæra raised its claw in a last, almost theatrical overhead swing, when a red blade pierced its body. Then another. And another. Seven more impaled it in rhythmic succession. It stood still as a statue for a few more seconds, until the red swords disintegrated into a grey sludge, running down the chimæra’s side along its own blood. It was then my own body finally gave out, while Keeper rushed to me. In the dead of night, I stood in the middle of the training grounds that Hockney guards, squires, and knights alike used. A thick mist shrouded the nearby outer walls. What was I doing here at such a time? A shiver ran down my spine as a glacial breeze bit into my coat. Why the Hades was it so damn cold? We were in the middle of Summer. Winter wasn’t due for another two months! When did I even leave The Tower? Did they finally discharge me for my heroism? It would sort of make sense, but I would have at least remembered making my way out here. Unless I had slept in the medical wing and walked out here without waking up? Whatever. It would probably come back to me. At least my wounds had healed up nicely. Wait. Was this the afterlife? Shit. But why would the afterlife put me in the training grounds? Made no sense. I started walking towards the equipment shack. It was a minute or two away on hoof. I could have flown there and saved myself the time, but I didn’t. I needed it to let my mind slow down. A sharp gust blew, chilling me to the bone, making me press my eyes shut instinctively. When I opened them, the fog in front of my hooves was gone. When I lifted my eyes, the starlit night revealed itself to me. The outer walls and buildings that should have surrounded me were gone. Past a few dozen paces, the ground itself was crumbling away, pieces falling into the night sky below. Okay, this was definitely a dream. Or I guess the afterlife. I stared at the horizon. Dream or not, this was pretty. Trottish weather rarely allowed for such a clear sky. On nights like these, I would often stay up until dawn, staring and marvelling at the beauty above. Auntie never understood it, but Mum said it must have been because I was born in similar conditions; under the full moon. So maybe this was the afterlife. My own personal heaven. I spread my wings and lay on my back; the cold no longer bothered me. Stars knew how long I lay there, admiring the moonless night. Minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades, centuries, millennia. Time had no meaning. There was only the endless sea of stars. I roamed amongst them, spending an eternity with each. Some were kind and warm. Others, cold and baleful. Some were wise beyond understanding. Others, tricksters who played pranks on me when I visited them. Some were loud, boisterous, obnoxious. Others, shy but beautiful once I learned to know them. They were all beautiful. Each of the dozens, hundreds, thousands, millions. So many, and so utterly wonderful. I was among them, until I wasn’t. Until I was alone. With every breath, they shrank back. Was this what eternity had in store for me? I would get bored. What, how long had it been, five minutes? I was already starting to lose interest. What if I was bored forever? That would be torture. With every thought, the stars trembled. I cleared my mind; continued staring. They were right, I had to calm down. They were so very beautiful. Yet my pulse kept rising, dread building in my stomach. My fur stood on end. Even the stars were terrified. They knew better. I knew better. With every beat of my heart, they became scarcer. With every beat of my heart, the darkness between them grew. With every beat of my heart, the sky turned vaster, emptier. The stars were all there, unmoving, unchanging, but with every beat of my heart, I understood how insignificant they were. How insignificant I was. A pair of eyes met mine. Everything froze. My blood, my heart, my mind, the stars. Above me hung a constellation I had never seen. A skull. Piercing into mine, its eyes were the brightest stars in the sky. “Come ye and listen, Silverstring, and listen well.” My own voice echoed from everywhere, yet only inside my head. “Who are you?” I blurted. “What are you?” Why wasn’t I waking up? The voice chuckled, shaking my very soul. “Thy kind name me Erebus.” My fur stood on end. “Thou art in my domain.” “I’m sorry, tell me how to leave and I will!” I was stumbling on my own words. Sweet Sun, I wanted to live. Again, it chuckled. “Escape, yes! For this selfsame reason have I sought thee. We share a common goal.” Despite my thundering pulse, each and every one of its words rang clear, no matter how quiet. “That which thy kind call The Tower belongeth to me. It is my bastion, my home, and I shall have it rightfully again.” It paused for but an instant, allowing me to speak. I gulped. “In due time, my power shall return, and my usurper shall fall before me. Remember thy promise, o Silverstring, and slip thy bonds.” Pain started to build in my body, my chest and wings catching fire, while my skull and ribs pulsed in dull agony. The next moment, I woke up, drenched in sweat and tears, in the medical bay. I had never been happier to see The Tower’s ethereal lights lining the walls.