Chapter 5: Naming and Capture
Angel, Nia and I were flooring it across the skies, occasionally clipping a cloud or two. Did you know that clouds are semi-corporeal in this world? We passed a thin layer of cloud. The moment we emerged, it was like a gray veil was ripped from my eyes. Everything was literally brighter: the clouds, the grass, everything. The smell of lavender and jasmine invaded my nasal orifices, giving me a kind of heady giddiness. I should probably just land on the fields and take a nice, long nap…
I slapped myself and shook it off. No. I had a job to do, and even if I was employed by the jaws of Hell, I was damn well going to do it. I looked over and noticed Nia getting woozy too. There was probably no chance I could maneuver my way to slap her, so I told Angel to climb along my wing and guide her down. He did just that, braving the 60 mile-per-hour winds in order to pound Nia’s body to a lower altitude. We eventually got her down to land. I stared at her for a moment, looking her over like a technician. There was a vacant smile on her face, and she was leaning backwards, as though to sit back. I shook her. She didn’t respond. I slapped her. That didn’t work either.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” I shouted. “You got any ideas Angel?”
“Well, I suppose she needs a big shock. I’ve got one idea, but she’ll probably kill you afterwards.”
“I’m not groping her,” I immediately stated.
“No, nothing that dramatic. But…” he whispered his plan in my ear. I felt my eyes widen for just a moment, but quickly contracted them.
“You owe me free sweets for a day,” I said simply. He shrugged and nodded. I turned to Nia, and without missing a heartbeat, I pressed my mouth to hers.
Her reaction was immediate. Her eyes refocused, widened, then flared with embarrassment. Her cheeks burned a bright crimson color. I pulled away, surprisingly satisfied with the kiss. She blanked for a second before beginning to blabber incoherently. I smiled a little and shook my head.
“Come on, I’m not that bad of a kisser, am I?” I asked, faking hurt. She noticed, unfortunately, and I soon found my face in a pile of dirt.
“Never do that again without asking me, got it?” Nia hissed. I got up and rubbed my forehead, trying to locate the small bump that was undoubtedly there.
“Well excuuuuse me, princess,” I complained. “Jeez, the next time you want to sink into a giddy stupor for the rest of your life with no chance of getting out, tell me, okay? I’ll be sure to leave you here, smiling like an idiot who’s having a constant orgasm.”
Nia slowly realized her predicament. She turned red again. “Oh, jeez. I should be thanking you, and here I am kicking you to the ground. I’m sorry, Cooper.”
“Ah, don’t sweat it.” I waved a hand. “In all fairness, that was a little bit uncalled for. Wasn't it, Angel?” I glared at the rabbit, who snorted and settled back down in my hair.
“Oh, please,” he said. “Don’t act like neither of you enjoyed it.”
“He’s right.” I grinned. “That was delicious.”
“You’re just mocking me, aren’t you?” Nia still had a faint blush, but for the most part had an expression of amused annoyance.
“Guilty as charged. Now then, kitties and gentlerabbits, let us fly!” I shouted. We took off, Angel hanging for dear life onto my head, Nia laughing along with me as we rose. I took a quick note of the surrounding countryside. A small town was just barely visible through the rising sun, and while the glare from the ball of fire was blinding, the surrounding countryside was still clear. Hold on a moment…
Sun is made of fire.
Fire gives off energy.
Energy is absorbed by sword.
“HOLD IT!” I shouted. Nia stopped and stared at me as I spiraled down into a nearby field. I slipped the sword from its sheath, trying to figure out how to approach my theory.
“Hey, what’s up?” Nia asked as she landed.
“I have an idea with the sword. You remember how it absorbed that unicorn’s blast at the tavern?” she nodded. “Well, if my theory is correct, I should be able to use the sun as a direct power source. I just need to figure out how…” as I talked, I absently inspected the sword. My focus slipped, just for a moment, and everything vanished.
What remained was incredible.
A kaleidoscope of light splayed across my vision. The basic outline of everything was still there, but I could see a vibrant, thrumming pulse flow off of it all. I looked up. The sun was a flare of golden light. My sword, even against the harsh glare, was a pure white color that tore the other colors from everything around it.
My real vision came back with a ringing blare of solidity. Nia and Angel were looking at me with some concern.
“Did… did you guys just see that?” I asked shakily. It was like my eyes had been stripped away of any and all lies, leaving only the bare truth behind. It was so awe-inspiring, a normal man (or pony for that matter) would probably be driven insane by the sight. As it was, I had to blink several times to convince myself I wasn’t dreaming.
“Uh, what exactly were we supposed to be seeing?” Nia asked hesitantly. I shook my head and gripped the blade once more.
I let everything blank.
There it was again.
Just like before, color whisked all over the place. This time, though, there was a subtle difference in the sword. It had gained a small amount of color. Barely noticeable, I admit, but color nonetheless. And the main source of power was…
“There we go,” I murmured. I concentrated, bringing the new perspective into startling clarity. A sudden torrent of light rippled into the sword from the bright ball in the sky. Soon the blade was a deep orange, seemingly unable to become any fuller. I slowly shut off the new “Sight”, as to not disorient myself when I returned. Nia and Angel were still in their spots, slightly worried now.
“Alright,” I huffed. “Let’s try this. Stand back.” They complied as I brought the blade to rest in the air in front of me. I swung it at a slight angle, and a stream of yellow fire flared from the edge. It whipped around in an arc before disappearing back the way we had come. I placed the blade back into its sheath, marveling at what I’d just done.
“Wow,” Nia said after a little while. “That was the biggest shot you’ve pulled off so far.”
“Yeah,” Angel agreed. “It even looks like the sword’s got some juice left in it.”
“That’s because I was holding back. Releasing all that energy in one go would not only tire me out, but probably burn this field to cinders. Nia, your father has some scary skill when it comes to making magical weaponry.”
“So, what are ya gonna call it?” Angel asked. I cocked my head.
“Hmmm… something that sounds awesome, not overly fear inspiring, but still intimidating. Hungry flame is a good one, but that doesn’t sound cool. Maybe if it’s in another language…” I tested Latin, Korean, Chinese, and several others before coming to a conclusion. “How about… Lasair Ocras? Lasair for short.”
“What kind of language is that?” Angel asked.
“Irish,” I replied. “Not too weird, not too lame. It’s good.”
“Well, I, for one, like it,” Nia said. “But now that that’s out of the way, can we get a move on? I’m beginning to get impatient.”
“Alas, good sir,” I said to Angel. “The mistress is becoming restless. Let us make haste, for if we do not, grave consequences will fall upon us both.” I smirked as Angel burst out laughing. Nia took the opportunity to slap us both with a wing.
“Grave consequences is right. Now get in the air before I kill you both.”
Shining Armor and Cadence buzzed the fields, checking over every nook and cranny for a tall, cloaked figure. The town of Ponyville glimmered only a few miles away, a small shadow against the setting sun. Armor hovered over to his wife, a determined, yet angry, expression on his face.
“We’ve been searching like this for a day and a half now,” he said irritatedly. “If this keeps up, we’ll never find it.”
“Calm down, dear,” Cadence said. She gestured towards Ponyville with her horn. “It’s getting late, and we don’t have anywhere to sleep right now. Why don’t we check on Twilight and the others.” Upon seeing Armor’s doubtful face, she sighed. “Fine. I guess we can listen for unusual news as well.”
Armor grinned and nodded his head. “It will be nice to see Twilight after that Tailton mishap.”
So the two set out for Ponyville. Mere minutes later, they set down just outside of the town. As they trotted through the gate, only a few rather nubby ponies bowed. The others merely waved or nodded in their direction. Armor sighed in relief.
“Oh, thank Celestia,” he murmured. Cadence giggled.
“I told you it’d be fine,” she whispered back. The couple soon arrived at an absolutely massive tree with a door jutting out at the trunk. Armor lightly tapped against the door. There was a crash and a yell, then the door swung open. A small violet and green lizard stood in the doorway, looking guilty.
“I didn’t do anything, Twi! I swear…” he looked up at Armor’s amused face. “Oh… hey, Shining.”
“Hey, Spike. Is Twilight around?”
“Nah. Princess Celestia wanted to see her in Canterlot about a test,” Spike said casually. He let them in and set out a tray of iced tea and scones. “So what brings you lovebirds here?”
Armor chuckled. “Well, we were searching for a criminal on our way back to the Crystal Kingdom, but we couldn’t find a place to stay, and I really wanted to see Twilight.” Armor sipped at his tea thoughtfully.
“Haha, Twi expected you guys to come over sometime,” Spike said. “She set up a full size guest bedroom specifically for you two.”
“Well, that was very considerate,” Cadence quipped. She turned and headed towards the stairs. “Shining? Are you coming to bed?”
“No, not yet. Spike and I have a guy’s night to set up.” Spike grinned like an idiot and pulled out a quill and some parchment.
“Who’s coming?” he asked.
In the end, it was only Shining Armor, Spike, and a couple of Royal Guards that participated. They were in the middle of their fifth game of poker when a loud banging sound came from the balcony. Curious and wary, Armor told everypony to stay put and slowly approached the door to said balcony. Armor slowly turned the knob, then with a single heave, flung the door open. He was met with a confused looking creature that was staring at him with huge emerald eyes. It seemed to be akin to the cat species he had observed in the Great Southern Rainforests, albeit with a long cloak and a massive pair of feathered wings. Armor instantly remembered the conversation he had with the bartender. This creature was obviously the “friend” that he had mentioned to be traveling with the criminal. He immediately cast a knockout spell on the cat. It slumped to the ground,
unconscious, as Armor dragged it out into the room.
“Guards, Spike, give me a little help here. We’re going to catch a criminal.”