//------------------------------// // The Rules Are Set... // Story: The Legend of a Shadowmare 2: Journey for Firefly // by JasontheDemon //------------------------------// Chapter 5: The Rules Are Set... After Daemon flew off, a cloud of dark blue energy manifested. When it dissipated, Luna rushed forth with a look mixed with worry and fear. “Tia! Flara!” She shouted breathlessly. “There has been a breakout at the prison! Most of the convicts are loose in Canterlot! Reports show that all the guards have been incapacitated!” “Slow down sister! What has happened?!” Celestia asked as if the answer wasn’t obvious. “It’s Lux... isn’t it?” Flara said darkly, knowing she was correct. Luna looked to the wooden stage beneath her, ears flopped down in remorse. “Yes... From what we can tell, he managed to escape his cell and release all the other prisoners, bringing a few along with him. We don’t know where he went, but we know that he brought four others with him.” Four?! Flara prayed that it wasn’t the four she was thinking of, but she had to know for sure. “Which four...?” Luna cringed at the question before she answered. “Well from what we can discern, #666, the one you know as Lux has taken #619, #008, #911, and...” At Luna’s pause Flara hoped with all her heart, ‘Please just don’t say...’ “#777” “MOTHERBUCKER!” Flara swore at the top of her lungs. That last prisoner was contained since she was only six years old because of her powers. She was more dangerous than Lux if she wanted to be. The thing that made her so dangerous wasn't just her power... it was her innocent appearance. She could use her looks to lower your guard and get a chance to use you for her escape. Because of this her cell was made especially for her. It had what was called a ‘blackout’ light. It kept sound and light from penetrating anything it contained, making it impossible for her to make any contact with the guards other than taking the tray of food they brought her and giving it back when she was done. These extreme measures were deemed necessary to keep her from doing anything like escaping to wreak havoc. Now that she was free and with Lux to top it off, the entire planet could be in grave danger. * * * * * * Daemon was looking at what he dreaded most... General Lux. His fear interfused with his immense anger froze him in place. He wanted to pound Lux’s smug face in but his body refused to move. “Someone looks a tad angry. I thought this would be a great surprise. Me, in your home, holding your little hellspawn... ON THE DAY YOU HUMILIATED ME!” Lux shouted, enraged. Daemon looked at the small form cradled in his arm, and as he said, it was indeed Firefly. “What did you do to her?!” Daemon snarled fiercely. Lux chuckled, “Don’t worry, I just put her to sleep with a spell. She is going to play an important role in this and I can't have her harmed... at least not yet. By the way, kudos to you on that bodyguard you left for her. The animal was loyal to the bitter end!” Daemon gasped. The sick bastard was actually saying he murdered Sting! ~Yes... feed your rage...~ What was that? Daemon thought he heard a voice but... it came from inside his head. Passing it off as his imagination, Daemon asked, “What are you planning to do to her?” “I’m not telling... we wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise, now would we? For now lets just call her encouragement. I can already tell that the power you possessed when we last fought has faded. This may even be the weakest you have ever been! So, to make things a little more fun, I am going to leave, and you will hunt me down for a change. All the while, you will get stronger... or you will perish!” “You’re not going anywhere with her!” Daemon yelled, lunging at the casually seated Lightmare. Without even blinking, Lux used his magic to slam Daemon hard against the floor, knocking the air out of his lungs. Daemon attempted to stand back up but screamed in pain and fell to the floor as he felt a rib crack. “Pathetic...” Lux scoffed. Daemon grunted as he tried to stand one more time. Lux walked over and leaned his head in close. “What was that? You want to know how I escaped? I’d be delighted to tell you! You see the thing they said was a magic draining field was actually just a dampening field. My magic wasn't being sucked away from me... it was just a little weaker.” Daemon could only glare at Lux as he continued to explain. “This gave me an idea. If I could keep my magic stored in something and release it all at once I could probably create a decent spell. So I saved a seed and kept feeding my magic into it. After that, I waited for the right opportunity to escape. The years passed and the energized seed grew in power. Around a week ago I felt something... I felt a wave of Shadowmare energy. I knew that it must have been from that ‘Ritual’ you Shadowmares are so proud of, which meant that there was another one of you born! I couldn’t have you repopulating so I decided that now was the best time to act. I swallowed the seed that I hid and used the stored magical power to cast a hypnotizing spell on a lesser guard. In his mind, I was the princess and he did exactly as he was told... he wrote you a letter. I knew you would follow the letters instructions and take my EX-lieutenant away. After she left, an average dimwitted guard served me my evening gruel. I asked him for a simple toothpick. The fool never saw it coming!” Lux started laughing hysterically. “Y-you killed him... with a toothpick?!” Daemon asked in horror. Lux halted his laughter and wore a huge sadistic grin. “Not just him... I KILLED THEM ALL! HA HA HA HA HA! I killed the guards, released the prisoners, and took a few that were contained on the same floor as me along! EVERY GENERAL NEEDS SOLDIERS AFTER ALL!” Daemon struggled to his hooves and asked one final question, “What does any of this have to do with me?” Lux made his way to the door before answering, “A rematch. Nopony from the Shadowmare race could hope to defeat me without some method of bending the rules, so now I’m setting the rules! I want to see you get stronger... as strong as you can be. You can bring any friends you want... hell, make some new friends for all I care, just make sure you are willing to see them die. This time around you will be hunting for me. The journey won’t be short... you will need to travel far and wide. The most important rule of this game is that you must bring the other Shadowmare with you, no exceptions!” “But she can’t fly! You-” Daemons explanation was cut short. “Shattered her wings? Yes, I thought I did. That is part of what makes this difficult! Can you keep her alive long enough to reach me? You won’t lose anything from her death, aside from a bit of grief and mourning. However if you refuse to bring her, your daughter won’t be seeing you again, you can be sure of that! Just to give you a sporting chance, I will give you a tip on how to find me... go to the base.” Daemon couldn't believe what was happening. He was being forced to risk everything in order to save his daughter. It was as if Lux had a royal flush and Daemon was only holding a pair of two’s. What the Lightmare asked of him seemed impossible, but he had to try. Daemon knew he couldn’t stop him now and he would have to go along with whatever Lux said... he was at the General's mercy. Before Lux took flight, he had one last thing to tell his pain wracked rival. “Oh, before I forget... I left you a present in what I believe is your room”. The gigantic blond stallion then flew off, laughing evilly. Daemon reached out for Firefly as she was carried up high into the atmosphere. Lux was going to use the Quickstream, which told Daemon that he was indeed going to be hundreds of miles away. Daemon's heart was hurting far more than anything he had ever felt before. His daughter was just kidnapped, his loyal manticore pet was probably lying dead somewhere in the house, and there wasn’t a damn thing he could have done to stop it. After a few moments of struggling with his losses he decided to find out what Lux meant when he said he left a ‘present’ in his room. As he trudged up the stairs he thought that it was probably Sting, but when he got to Fireflys bedroom he saw that the door was shredded to pieces from the inside out. he peered through a hole that was created from one of the large gashes, and there lying in the middle of the room, was Sting. He wasn’t bleeding but Daemon could already tell that he was long gone. The way he was positioned made him look like he was sleeping... if only that was the case. As much as he wanted to stop to mourn his lost friend, he had another mystery to solve. Daemon limped over to his room. The door was open just a crack but otherwise nothing seemed amiss. He nudged at it, making it slowly swing open. It was incredibly dark inside, more so than Firefly's room. It was times like these that he was actually scared of dark. After making his way inside his eyes began to adjust to the low lighting. He saw a mysterious lump against the far wall he couldn’t make out what it was or even the color but his curiosity drew him closer. after getting within two feet of the shape, he stepped in something wet. He lifted his hoof to his face and examined the substance that coated it. It was liquid but it was a bit thicker than water. It was red but definitely not ketchup or jelly. It smelled familiar... very familiar. Unable to place the scent Daemon wearily brought his tongue to it... blood. He stepped in blood! Turning his attention back to the mysterious mass he saw it was breathing. After noticing that, it finally struck him. “FLUTTERSHY!” Daemon screamed before dashing to wrap his arms around her. In one mighty burst of magic he teleported them both into a hallway at the local hospital. His desperate and hasty teleportation created a violent shockwave that made it look like a bomb went off, cracking the floor, ceiling and walls around them. “SOMEPONY HELP HER! PLEASE!” Daemon screamed, his voice cracking under the stress. At least four nurses and two doctors quickly surrounded them and helped Fluttershy to a stretcher. Now that Daemon could fully see her, he was shocked. Bruises covered her body and she had a black eye, not to mention the blood that was seeping from her nose, mouth and a few gashes on her forehead, arms and legs. Her wings were broken only slightly, scraped up and the feathers were out of place and falling out in a few areas. After Fluttershy was rushed into one of the nearby rooms, Daemon was halted by a mare with a name tag that read ‘Nurse Redheart’. “I’m sorry sir, but you’ll have to wait out here!”. Daemon wasn’t in the mood for these games. He flashed her a glare so fierce that she shrunk from intimidation and allowed him to pass. All sorts of devices were already hooked up to Fluttershy. alarms were going off from the machines as the ponies in the room worked frantically with needles, fluids, gauze and bandages. They were trying everything to keep her alive. “Doctor! Her pulse is dropping! Vitals are in the red! We’re losing her!” Daemon knew that they were unable to do anything at this point. They were only capable of so much. He had no choice... he would not lose another. With adrenaline running through his veins, he shoved a nurse out of the way and leaned over his quickly dying wife. Daemon started to charge his magic. The doctor who had been busy scrounging in a drawer for medical supplies grew aware of Daemons actions. “What is he doing in here?! He needs to leave now! We can’t have him getting in the...”, the doctor trailed off as Daemon started to glow ever brighter with a white holy light. The building magical energy swirled around Daemon, encompassing him and Fluttershy with a heavenly brilliance. When the spell climaxed, Daemon poured the energy into Fluttershy. The others could only watch in wonder as he put nearly everything he had in his effort to save her. Suddenly the monitors that were screaming warning signs started to die down. “Oh my gosh! Doctor, her condition! She’s... stabilizing!” One of the many nurses said in astonishment, looking at the screen beside Fluttershy. The doctors jaw steadily dropped. He saw that the cuts and bruises on the battered pegasus began to vanish one by one. Daemon kept the spell going, pushing himself farther than he ever had before. “Not again... NEVER AGAIN!” he yelled, finishing off the last of his energy. After he was done, Nurse Redheart walked up to him in complete disbelief. Daemon was breathing heavily, obviously fatigued by his efforts. “H-how did you do that?!” the white mare asked. “It was something Celestia taught me... It’s a great spell but... its hard... to...”, unable to finish his sentence Daemon passed out and was caught by Redheart beside him. * * * * * * Daemon awoke nearly two hours later. The healing spell was only supposed to be used for extreme emergencies because of the toll it took on the mind and body. Daemons thoughts were cloudy for a few moments and he was unable to remember what happened or where he was. Then in a flash, he recalled everything. The concert, Lux's return, Firefly's kidnapping and... “Fluttershy!” “SHH!” Daemon looked over to see the nurse from before. She was by his bed dropping off what seemed to be orange juice. “Be quiet. She is still in a fragile condition. Waking her now wouldn’t be healthy.” “You don’t have to worry about me... I’m leaving.” Daemon said solemnly, scooting over to the side of the bed to get off. “Are you crazy?! You aren’t in any condition to be going anywhere! We examined you while you were passed out. You have two cracked ribs and a sprained ankle!” Nurse Redheart whispered harshly. “I had two cracked ribs and a sprained ankle... but not anymore. I heal faster than you can imagine, so if you’re smart, you will let me go.” As she gazed into his eyes, she saw a fire that was far too intense for her to handle. With a sigh she waved him off and allowed him to leave. Before Daemon headed out the door he gave one last look at Fluttershy. She was hooked up to an IV and put on oxygen. Tears welled up in Daemon's eyes as he stared at her. Unable to take it anymore, he left closing the door behind him. His tears were streaming down his face by the time he made it three feet from the door. His emotions were afflicting him greatly, causing him to stagger and weave. the floor felt like jelly, his eyes burned with sorrow for Fluttershy and rage for Lux. He propped himself against a wall. He had barely made it twenty feet from Fluttershy's room. Images of Luxs wicked grin forced their way into Daemons head. That STUPID arrogant smile! *BAM!* Gritting his teeth, Daemon thrusted his front right hoof into the wall, making a sizable hole. Lux was going to pay for what he did this time! No more mercy! Daemon took a few steps back from the wall and turned to continue his way down the hall. His goal was clear. “When I get ahold of him this time... I’M GOING TO RIP THAT BLACK THING HE CALLS A HEART OUT OF HIS MOTHER BUCKING CHEST!” After shouting his vow to kill the Lightmare General, a fierce magical energy surged through Daemons horn from pure hatred, blowing out the florescent lights behind him. * * * * * * Desdemona was rudely awoken by a knocking at her door. She looked over to the clock on her nightstand. “3:47?! Argh, for the love of... this had better not be another drunk mare who forgot where her house is!” She grumbled, remembering the last few times she ‘got visitors’ at her mansion. Desdemona had actually done quite well for herself since becoming the head chef and owner of the most prestigious restaurant in Canterlot. The only thing she hated about her life at this moment were the stuck up, so-called ‘higher class’. Pfft... what a joke that was. The only thing high class about them was their rude behavior. There was one customer she rather liked serving though, if only because he was the only humble rich guy around. Fancy Pants was not only a pleasure to be around, he was also loaded. One of the richest stallions around was actually one of the nicest. His presence was always welcome since the ponies that thought the food Desdemona served was garbage quickly changed their tune when he complimented it. However he only came around on special occasions, so most of her work was criticized as bland and tasteless. After a few more knocks at the door, Desemona rushed down stairs hollering, “Shut up! I hear you!” Having reached the door, she undid the locks and opened it angrily, never expecting to see Daemon on the other side. Tilting her head, Desemona asked, “Daemon? What are you doing here so late?” His face was that of grave seriousness, one that Desdemona had never seen before. His bloodshot eyes were overlooked by his rigid and cold demeanor. “We are going to kill Lux...”