Chapter Seventeen
Town
Sweet Apple Acres
The two lights turned as they approached the main gate and headed straight for us. I could now see two figures in light generic armor holding them, one tall and lanky, one stout and bulky. I knew them both from several missions- members of the local town militia, Vicks and Wedge.
“You two. What is it?” I said, moving to meet them. They stopped and slouched over, panting. “Spit it out guys, what happened?”
Vicks recovered first, standing to face me. “We’re not quite sure. Something huge- this big-bear looking thing with fur like the night sky...”
Wedge cut in. “Look, let’s just cut to the chase. It’s big and terrifying and breaking freaking everything. We don’t have enough man power to kill it, we need help!”
I looked to Applejack, who already had her axe. I smiled slightly, then turned back, drawing my sword. “You got it. Let’s move.”
“Out of my way!” I heard from behind me, and Mac charged through from another of the buildings, his Weapon in hand. I turned to AJ again, both of us more alarmed now. Mac had decided to take the field against this thing. Not only did that attest to it’s power, but Mac would likely succumb to the power of the Weapon if it took too long.
“Don’t just stand there! Move!” I shouted, and the four of us took off quickly. The two semi-competent soldiers soon fell behind, winded from their previous run, but the two of us didn’t slow up. We both knew that if we didn’t get to Mac before he finished the thing off, we’d just have to take him on instead. And that was something I wasn’t looking forward to.
As we ran, we could see some of the damage the creature had caused- bits of wood and brick thrown from further into town, though it seemed it hadn’t reached this neighborhood. A few stragglers were running in the opposite direction to escape, many of which supported others with various wounds. How long has this thing been at it? Looks like he’s already done some damage...
I skidded into the town square with AJ right on my heels, and turned to see what we were up against. Right before us Mac stood, both hands on the hilt of the Weapon. There was no going back now- he was going to obliterate whatever was threatening the town. Looming over one of the buildings, eyeing him curiously, was the creature they must have been referring to- It was twice as tall as the largest building near it, and had the general shape of a bear, but almost seemed to disappear into the night sky if looked at head on. I had to view it out of the corner of my eye to get a good idea of what it looked like.
Nearby I could see Twilight and Trixie, panting, covered in wounds and dirt, another spell ready. Spike had drawn his dual knives, and was crouching in battle stance near them, between them and the creature. They had clearly been fighting it off for some time, apparently to little avail. I could discern no wounds on the creature, magical or otherwise. The two stood in a similar stance, and were readying a similar spell. Looks like they’ve been working on some kind of combo technique. Those are usually pretty effective if you can pull them off...
“Dash!” Twilight called, exasperated. “W-what the Hell’s going on?! This... This thing’s insane, there’s no way...”
“Get out of here, kid!” Trixie yelled, even though she was just as old, if not younger, than I was. She clearly thought herself to be in power here. “Less people get involved and hurt, the better. We’ve got one more card up our sleeves, though, don’t we Spike?”
“I doubt if it’ll be necessary now, Trixie.” He said, cleverly dodging the question. “I can feel the power off that thing from here.” He pointed to Mac’s Weapon. “If he can use it, that thing stands no chance.”
Mac spoke, seeming to have not heard him. “An Ursa Major... A creature largely thought to be of legend, whose power far exceeds that of any other, whose brute strength and cunning wit have led it to become an anti-glorious beast worthy of only the bravest heroes. A truly worthy opponent.” He pointed his Weapon at it and held it aloft with ease, halving the distance between it and the creature. I haven’t heard talk like that out of Mac for years. Only time I heard that before was on that last mission, before... Oh man, that thing is so screwed.
It flinched away from the blade for a moment, then barred its teeth and leapt clear over the buildings and at Mac. Snapping to attention, he swung the blade behind him with both hands, and, jumping into the air, slammed the Weapon into the creature, catching it in it’s gaping maw. Time seemed to stand still as the two impacted into each other, then the beast was sent flying, landing outside the town altogether.
The sister’s, as well as the few others still around the square, jaws dropped, in awe of the might of the Weapon. Such power was practically unfathomable, and I couldn’t blame them for being surprised. AJ and I, though, had seen it’s power first hand, and knew that we needed to stay close to Mac for when he was finished mauling the thing. As he dashed forward to engage the beast again, we ran as fast as we could to keep up, and stayed right on his heels.
He leapt over the fence guarding the town, blade brandished behind him, and brought it down heavily upon the Ursa. It attempted to dodge away from the incoming threat, but hit firmly on it’s shoulder, nearly severing the limb. It rolled out of the way, and stood just in time to receive another blow, this one to its legs. It buckled under the pain and fell, rolling down an incline behind it.
Mac jumped once again, Weapon streaming to his side, and brought it down with brutal force. A sickening crack echoed out of the small ditch, and the blade came back up, the mid section slick with curiously blue blood.
“Go!” Applejack yelled, and I followed her in running to his side. She wrenched the weapon out of his grip, and it clattered to the ground, far too heavy for her to hold- only it’s chosen master could hope to wield it. I rolled behind him and put him in a full nelson before he could react. He made a lunge for the blade, but I pulled back and kicked into the air slightly, keeping my wings flapping hard to keep him aloft.
He continued to struggle for a time, and it became difficult to keep him still. AJ grabbed my feet and pulled me back to earth as he began to throw me all over the place, and together we were able to hold him down much more sturdily. Soon though, the fires in his eyes began to die down, and at last he collapsed to the ground, awake but recovering his breath.
The two of us turned back in the direction of town, where the spectators we had amassed were all gathered. Spike, the mage sisters, Vicks and Wedge- as well as Rarity and a few others. They were all understandably awestruck- the battle had lasted no more than two minutes, and the terrifying beast which could be dealt no damage by them, in a pitiful little heap below. Rare was the occasion Mac fought, as he had forsworn his gift for battle wholly, save to protect his home or loved ones. And with power like the Weapon at his disposal, even rarer was the fight that required him to join in. AJ and I were some of the only people who had seen him in action like this before now.
“What... What was that? That weapon...” Wedge was the first one to speak.
“No one really knows it’s true story.” Applejack began. “It was dug up on the Acres many years ago, when Mac was tilling the fields. There had been a lot of rain that year, and plenty of old ground was washed away. The ground got low enough that the hilt was near the surface, and it took more than a week to dig up the whole thing. Even when we did, no one could use it. No one but Mac.
“Only explanation we could come up with was that it had some kind of ancient magic on it- Mac was the one to find it, and he’s the only one who can properly use it. He don’t even have to try too hard, it’s just like an axe in his hands. Only thing is... As you can see, it wears on his mind after even a minute using it. He goes crazy with bloodlust, and we have to forcibly take it from him to calm him down. He knows well enough to only use it if there’s no other way.”
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EverFree Forest
House of The Hylian
The two watched from up high, standing upon a disc of darkness held together and aloft by Link. He watched with detached interest, but Phil would have been off on a moment’s notice were he in prime condition.
“Look, we can’t just sit around and watch them get destroyed!” He exclaimed. I can’t fight, but you could get us down there and kill it, no problem! Why let them die?!”
“Calm down, lad. First off, I told you- I’m a spectator here. I’m not getting involved, and certainly not becoming a hero. Leave the precious spotlight to some other bloke, I’ll just sit off to the side and record it in the pages of history. ‘S true I could kill it with one well-aimed blow, but what would that serve? These people need to stay on their own feet, deal with their own problems. And if you’ll look... It seems they’ve got something just for it.”
Phil peered over the edge, and saw the blood red gleam of the Weapon as it travelled swiftly through the streets, coming to rest before the Ursa. It froze, and the two watched with amazement and slight surprise, respectively, as the fearsome spectral bear was destroyed.
“What... What the hell was that?! How can anyone have that kind of power?” Phil said, especially out of breath.
Link rubbed his chin thoughtfully, eyes uncharacteristically alight. “Can’t say, but... I doubt if it’s master is in possession of too much of the power himself. It’s all in the sword... axe... thing. Storing power in a weapon’s no biggie, but to have that much, even with it’s size... And who would craft something that enormous in the first place? Even with it’s largeness, it must have taken decades of work to get that much energy in it. What could it be... I’m going to need to get a closer look at it before too long. This is indeed an interesting development...”
Phil only caught about the first half of the conversation, as he had become hunched over in pain without Link noticing. “S-Set us down, quick... I’m about to end this cycle, and I can’t hold on much longer... All the ashes will blow away at this height... ugh...”
“Hm? Oh, sorry kid. Hang tight, I’ll put us down. I think I can do a little windproof barrier, too, if we need all the ashes in one place.”
“Y-Yeah, do it, just... hurry...”
Link slowly ebbed the power away from the platform, and when they reached the ground, the plank he had focused it on sat between the two. With a final cry, Phil burst into flames, and in an instant was nothing but ashes. Link moved his hand slightly, and a tiny, weak dark nexus was erected around the pile. “Wind can’t touch it now, but it’s weak enough he’ll break right through when he gets reborn. A work of mastery if I do say so myself.”
For a few minutes nothing happened. The ashes lay, the wired barrier remained, and Link found himself glancing at the timepiece he kept around his wrist. But soon the small pile of black grains began to stir, and Link watched curiously as they burst aflame once more, and a human form erupted from their core. Standing tall, wings and hair orange and red as a burning flame, Phil stood once again. Energy and vitality could be felt in the air. The broken boy who had collapsed near the fringe of the woods was long gone.
Link clapped his hands humorously as Phil turned to face him. “Not bad, right? Man, I feel like I could take that beast down myself now!”
“Certainly a sight to see, I’ll admit. Only one thing, kid.”
“What?”
“Your clothes are still ashes. They gonna come back at some point?”
“Agh... crap. I was distracted and rushed, I usually strip before doing that. Dangit, there goes my good leather jacket...”
“No worries, mate. I got some extra clothes. Just... Let me throw them out to you.”