Chapter 5: A Nightmare To Remember
“A nightmare to remember,I'd never be the same
What began as laughter,so soon would turn to pain”
Sage rushed to my side when the spectral form of Nightmare Moon faded, not before speaking to Illusion. The adrenaline that had once pumped through my veins was now gone. Sage had tried to find a place to take cover, as she had an idea of what was about to happen. Although the limitless energy I was feeling had vanished, my body was still tense, ready for any kind of beating I’d receive from the one that had helped in my arcane training.
An azure light glowed in front of me, causing me to raise a hoof up to block the blinding the light. Illusion stepped through the portal and appeared in his true physical form. His crimson body was unusually thicker, as if he’d been lifting weights, his new nightmarish armor adding to said thickness. The stallion’s annoying smug grin had disappeared, now holding a more serious expression. I had rarely actually feared a pony, but looking at the one person who was once a good friend, I had trembled at the sight of him. His armor’s rectangular shaped azure lights on the chest plate and shoulder would have added more intimidation value, if it were his signature crimson color, but the armor from hell had enough of that.
My mind reeled, trying to think of ways I could defend myself without the use of a blade. I had my magic, but I could only guess how much fuel Nightmare Moon had added to the fire. Illusion was a master in the arcane arts, and with Nightmare Moon’s enhancements, he could be capable of power that rivaled Starswirl The Bearded, or even Celestia herself. I could use the environment. There was plenty of debris laying around, and if I could manage to get Illusion’s stamina low enough to slam the rubble on top of him and acquire the book should he even have it. No that would be too long. Magic might not be the only thing that has been enhanced for him.
“Maybe after this skirmish,” Illusion spoke, tossing a blade to me. “You’ll reconsider your decision to resist and join the true ruler of Equestria.”
My magic grasped the sword. It was that of a Royal Guard, golden hilt and silver blade. “You’re pretty cocky. You may have skills in magic, but how’s your swordplay?”
“We’ll see about that.” The stallion unsheathed the wicked blade, a black aura radiating from the grey blade.
I glanced back at Sage, who was hiding in a house almost caved in by the second floor. She had an expression of terror, but I knew that somehow I would prevail in our deathmatch. I looked back at Illusion who was standing, as if waiting for me to deal the first blow. My body tensed as I approached the stallion, stopping about four yards away from him.
“Be lucky I am to show only a fraction of the power bestowed upon me.” Illusion said like he was the most powerful being that ever roamed Equestria. He would be soon enough if Nightmare Moon completes her mission. “I could kill you in an instant if I-”
Clink!
Damn! Illusion’s wicked blade deflected the surprise blow I had in store for him. I slashed again, hoping this time would be different and that I’d actually hit the pony. Another deflection. This time my blade struck the ground, and I had to pull it out before Illusion used a massive force spell that knocked me back half a mile. At least it assisted with getting my blade out of the ground. I grabbed, my body jolting from the sight of a leaping mass flying towards me.
My body rolled out of pure reflex and suffered from another shockwave from Illusion’s impact on the ground, leaving a crater where I once was. The stallion looked at me, then proceeded to attack. His blade met mine, my mind still trying to piece together the fact that Illusion flew at me. Another swing from the stallion had earned me a quick cut on my fore-hoof, and the swing I had finally managed to hit him with just nicked his armor.
Clink!
I had hit Illusion right in his side, but his armor took the blow. I stood, baffled that such a powerful blow was absorbed by the stallion’s azure carapace. A wave of magic came over me, draining me of my stamina. I tried to lift my blade, but it felt like lifting lead. Illusion pushed me back again with another force wave, and shot me with an arcane bolt. I recoiled from the shot, staggering back, my head about to burst. The hilt of Illusion’s wicked blade hit my muzzle, and a sudden wave of his blade earned me a gash on my chest.
Strength returned to me, though in tiny portions.I just had to focus on defending myself, and then when I had the appropriate amount, I could probably begin the attacks of my own.
My sword raised, blocking Illusion’s swift barrage of attacks. Like a ball player, I kept my eyes on the stallion’s blade, never letting it out of my sight. Illusion, however, was obviously bored. I could just see it in his eyes, and the malicious way he looked at me.
Clink!
“Give up, Peacekeeper.” Illusion spoke calmly. “You know that this battle is out of your league.”
I grunted, trying to resist the wicked blade’s push. “Your offensive magic may be better than mine. But, how’s your defense?”
Illusion looked shocked at first, but then regained his aggressive demeanor. Upon pulling his blade away, my horn shot a force blast at the stallion. For the first time, I actually had the advantage against my mentor. I sliced him in an unprotected spot of his armor, crimson liquid staining his crimson coat. Illusion went to attack me, but I raised an arcane barrier, bouncing the stallion back a few feet.
I ducked from a swing from the onyx blade, and tackled the crimson unicorn. Illusion covered his face with his hooves as I attempted to pummel his face with the hilt of my blade.
BOOM!
“Oh shit!” Wind blew past me as I soared through the air. Illusion appeared from the crimson smoke from the massive force spell. I could only imagine how this battle was going to end. Would I die at the mercy of my own mentor? Was this even an honorable way to die?
A hoof increased my descent, and no matter how hard I tried, Illusion’s hoof stayed in its position on my chest. I could feel the ground approaching me.
THUD--CRACK!
I gasped desperately for air. The warm touch of a pony attempted to calm me down. I was transported into a white room; the Ponyville hospital. I was on a table, though not one of operating variety. My chest was pounding, my lungs not operating correctly. Sweat covered my body, and multiple cuts were stinging, as if the battle wounds from my battle with Illusion had been transported into the real world.
My eyes were wide with fear, as I tried to catch my breath. The hooves tried to subdue me, pulling me back to the table, but I resisted every attempt to get me down. I glanced to my right, Jester calling a doctor from the bustling hallway or so it seemed. I couldn’t tell whether or not the doctor was in the room before or if she was part of the muffled riff-raff out in the halls. A hazel mare rushed in, searching for something on the counter behind Jester. She had a bandage that wrapped around her stomach and head. When the grey mare opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Only muffled sounds registered in my ears, the upbeat voice of Jester trying to gain the doctor’s attention. The doctor’s attention was on the counter, and the drawers, looking for something, probably something that would calm me down.
It had taken me awhile to realize that my hearing was impaired, and was slowly crawling back to me. Jester’s voice became more audible. The doctor stumbled over to me, a needle in her mouth. I panicked more, doing my best to avoid getting stabbed.
“Calm down Rook!” Jester voiced. I disobeyed my superior, shoving the doctor away from me each attempt she made to try and inject the needle into my body. I kicked the mare, thankfully not in the face, but in her shoulder, but at a price.
The sudden meeting with the floor left me bewildered, and my chest on agonizing pain, this time, feeling something definitely wrong with my lung. My breaths were shorter and my vision began to darken. A sudden pinch in my back made my eyes widen. The pain was still there, so what was the shot supposed to do exactly?
“Get him back up on the table!” The doctor commanded. Jester’s arcane grip weakly lifted me up and onto the cold metal table. My breathing was still being obstructed by something, and I hoped that the doctor was aware that I needed to breath in order to survive.
“Rookie,” Jester spoke, levitating a crimson vial to me. “Drink this. It won’t heal everything, but it should heal your breathing problem.”
I snatched the vial from the mare’s grip, and gulped down on everything inside, the sweet strawberry-like taste running wildly in my mouth. I could feel the invigorating effects of the healing poultice taking place. My breathing came out at a calmer rate, and my hearing was actually coming back to its full potential. The agony in my chest was too unbearable for me, leaving me speechless as another pony trotted into the room. I glanced over to my right, where the doorway was, and saw a battered Nocturnal.
It pained me to see the two mares like this; my best friends beat to a pulp, just because of a simple mistake I made. That damn book. It made me open it, and now Nightmare Moon is ever closer to returning and possibly conquering all of Equestria.
“What’s happening?” Nocturnal questioned. “Is everything okay?”
“Peacekeeper had an episode.” Jester responded, before the doctor could give the medical explanation of what happened. “Its under control though.”
The hazel mare in the white lab coat looked shock. “Under control?! When I was in here two hours ago, this stallion was fine! Just a few cuts and bruises, but now look at him! He just started shaking and then his ribcage just burst! You call that ‘under control’?!”
I was too hurt to even retort. Jester held her best poker face, while Nocturnal tried her best to resist yelling at the hazel mare. I could just see it in her face. Jester turned back to me, leaving Nocturnal and my doctor to have a ‘friendly chat’ out in the halls.
“You know she’s right.” The grey mare spoke to me. “You were doing just well a while ago. Next thing i know, you get broken bones out of nowhere. Then you wake up gasping for air. What the hell happened?”
I tried to form words, but instead let out a wheezing cough. Blood spluttered from my mouth, and the throbbing in my chest resumed, this time in a more intense state. I clutched the spot that was in agony, only making it worse. Jester handed me another vial, but I refused. As much as the taste was addicting, there was only one problem with it. It was addicting. Repeated use of the health poultice could result in an unhealthy addiction. It might be easy to get rid of, but I don’t anything on my records about a silly health poultice addiction. That would probably prevent me from getting promoted in the Royal Guard.
The turmoil in the halls grew louder, forcing Nocturnal and the hazel earth pony back in to get out of the other medical ponies’ way. On the stretchers were a group of, what I assumed to be the townsfolk; all of which were cut and/or injured pretty badly. Were those the Royal Guards sent in to the forest earlier? Probably not. Judging from their build, or as much of it as I could see since they passed by so fast, they were probably townsfolk.
Nocturnal glanced at me, more worry in her eyes. The doctor who had mended most of my wounds paid no attention to me, as though she were scared of me. Jester put down the vial of restoration, and walked over to the Lunar Guard, leaving me on the metal table to try and learn how to speak again. The two mares whispered to each other, trying to reach a compromise with the doctor, as it seemed. From what I could tell, the doctor was refusing to let me leave without the proper medical care.
Jester didn’t move a muscle, except for her mouth. Nocturnal, towering over the hazel earth pony, was using an extreme amount of effort to resist letting her anger flow. When Nocturnal got mad, just imagine the meanest and toughest mare in your neighborhood. Now imagine said mare on her estrous cycle. It is probably the scariest thing I have ever experienced, although I wasn’t the one who made her mad.
I sat upright on the table, the pain in my chest beginning to subside. My hearing came back in its full strength, and I was able to listen into the mares’ conversation.
“I can’t allow him to leave.” The hazel doctor said. “Not in that state anyway. You’re going to have to wait until his broken bones are almost completely healed.”
“I gave him a health potion.” Jester informed. “It won’t fully repair his ribs and chest, but once in Canterlot, we can get him the proper treatment. This is important Royal Guard business.”
“I don’t care what kind of business this is. My job is to make sure ponies can live once they are done here. Your mission can wait right? I mean, its not like the fate of Equestria is in a balance or anything, right?”
Jester glanced over at Nocturnal, an uneasy expression drawn on her face. Nocturnal didn’t say anything. Instead, she let her expression speak for her.
“Oh...” The hazel pony looked frightened. “Well, you two can leave, and I can keep him here? He’s in no shape to fight, or travel such a long distance-”
“We have a pegasus, ready to take us back to Canterlot.” Nocturnal said bluntly, probably the first thing she said the whole time I was listening.
“Is it that ‘Pacifist’ character?”
The Lunar Guard’s eyes widened, but then returned to their normal size. “Yes. Is he okay?”
“Umm...” The mare looked at the two Guards with uncertainty. Oh, I couldn’t wait to hear this! Where was the popcorn when you needed it? “He’s okay. So to speak.”
“So to speak?” All of us spoke in unison.
“He’s suffered.... a broken wing.”
“What!?” Nocturnal bellowed, though not directing it towards the hazel mare. “Oh, that dumbass! What did he do to earn that?”
The hazel earth pony looked uneasy. Here it comes! What could the pegasus have done to compromise a mission this time? Ooh, maybe he got drunk again? A bar fight? Oh, the suspense was killing me, what did he do to fuck up this time?
“He... well.... he fell. And a couple of shady characters took his wagon.” The mare cowered, as if she were about to get beat by Nocturnal. The Lunar Guard’s fuse was too short and she ended up blasting all her anger.
“We are leaving!” Nocturnal’s voice raised. She grabbed the medical mare by the collar of her white coat. “Patch him up as quick as possible! We are Royal Guards, and our duty is to protect ponies like you! If you want to live the rest of your life, I suggest you do what I tell you and let us leave as soon as possible. I’ll deal with Pacifist.”
There was only one time when I had seen Nocturnal’s demeanor change from calm to infuriated. Jester still kept her poker face, only moving back to me once Nocturnal stormed out of the room, taking the door along with her. With Jester’s aid, we watched the Lunar Guard wreak havoc down the silver halls, the door to my room managing to stay on her back. Surprisingly, the wooden door only cracked in half, but had managed to stay on the mare’s back, and she only shook off one half. Doctors glanced down the halls, watching Nocturnal search for Pacifist, kicking the broken wooden door back at them when she took notice.
“She’s a little pissed.” I spoke, returning to my position on the table. The hazel mare trembled as she approached me, grabbing bandages as she shifted along the floor.
“Don’t worry about me.” I said to the mare, trying to reassure her that I was very level headed at the moment. “I don’t have as much of a bite as she does. Just get me patched up and we’ll be on our way.”
The mare didn’t speak, but instead she began to wrap the cloth around my midsection, and the other various wounds I had suffered during my time in The Realm of Nightmares. Jester sat back in her seat and gave the doc assistance when it was needed.
About an hour later I was healed up, despite my ribs still being cracked. The doctor suggested I take a bag full of healing vials for the trip to Canterlot. If Pacifist were able to get in the air, we could be at the golden city in about two hours. Now that we had to travel by foot, it might take us double the time. Unless we have a wagon, the travel time won’t be so long, but it will still take a while. We just had to wait and see.
Nocturnal returned after I had come back from my bathroom break. Man, I’ll tell you, it is not good to bottle up all of your urine like I did. You’ll be stuck in there for at least two hours. Nocturnal, going back to the story, was a lot more calm. I hoped she had good news, but knowing my luck, there was none.
“Pacifist is going to have to stay here awhile.” Nocturnal informed, Grabbing Jester and I to leave the building. As we went down the crowded halls, the Lunar Guard explained the game plan. There was a wagon at the border of the town, from what the ponies said. She also went into further detail as to what happened to Pacifist. Apparently, a group of Nightmare Moon’s cultists stopped by, and shot the stallion out of the sky before he could escape. His condition was... poor, but I knew that he would make it somehow.
When we had entered the lobby, ponies were screaming bloody murder. I did my best to avoid bumping in to anypony, all attempts successful. Out of the doors I got an idea of how long I was out. Dark clouds hung over the land, as did the silver moon. The raining that had occurred earlier had stopped, thankfully. I hated when my coat got wet, the damn thing taking an eternity to clean. Though in our current situation, I think I would have taken my chances and walked outside.
“Somepony help them!” A voice called.
Jester, Nocturnal and I bust the glass door open, a cold nightly chill blowing against my soft coat. High pitched screams filled my ears and echoed in the town, sending cold chills down my spine, and making each strand of fur on my body stand up. I glanced around, but there was no source of the cries for help. Ahead of us was Ponyville, the hospital perched on a hill overlooking some of the village.
“You three!” A voice called out to my right. It was Twilight Sparkle, the lavender unicorn we met before entering the forest. “You have to help those ponies!”
The mare gestured for us to follow her towards the town. My eyes could vaguely see the black forms that were ravaging the town. Were those the things that had attacked Nocturnal when we entered the Everfree?
All six of them were tall, lumbering over the townsfolk on two bleeding legs. Their arms were long, almost reaching the ground they limped on. Just guessing here, but I had a feeling that the beings were pretty tough in a fight, and should not be underestimated. They just walked around, glancing around the town, but not attacking any particular pony. They just observed, their glowing yellow eyes like flashlights, casting beams of light wherever they looked.
No pony looked at the monsters, but instead rushed past them. Only one pony was being attacked, viciously being beat, the black mass using its fist to pound the mare into submission. No wait, there was a second pony, an older stallion, being smacked around as he was hung by his tail.His face was bruised, and severe cuts were scattered about on his body. It was amazing he was still alive. Then again; it was amazing I was still alive.
Wind blew past me, as I struggled down the hill, my chest and ribs beginning to ache again. Jester looked back at me, obviously concerned, slowing down to keep up with my pace.
“I’m fine,” I managed. “Help those ponies!”
Jester bit her lower lip, trying to decide whether she should assist the civilians, or assist me. Shaking her head, the mare dashed for the town. I was only able to watch before I could actually reach the town.
Nocturnal slammed into the creature attacking the mare first. She knocked it down, using her blade to stab the creature, but her acts of violence had no effect. The monster just grabbed the Lunar guard by the tail, and flung her into a nearby tree. With a loud thud, the grey mare recovered from the intense impact in a matter of seconds, dashing at the shade, using her wings to gain more speed.
A massive roar surged from the beast Nocturnal was attacking, making her stagger and cover her ears as she flew. With a simple smack, the pegasus was launched into my direction.
“Catch me, catch me, catch me!” The pegasus pleaded. My horn flared, and the highest level of telekinesis I could ever muster helped cushion the mare’s fall. She landed with a grunt and got back up obviously dazed from the impact.
She gave me a look. I wasn’t sure if it was anger or appreciation, but whatever it was made me smile sheepishly and give a nervous laugh.
“Good enough.” The mare rushed back to the battle. The mare who was once being beat by the black shade was now running for her life, Twilight shooting arcane bolts at the monster, trying to slow its approach. Nothing worked, the beast was taking hits, and was going through the crowd of ponies, trampling some, slamming others out of the way, or tossing others, trying to kill the mare it was chasing. Whatever the earth pony did, it pissed it off really bad.
“Peacekeeper!” Jester called. She was trying to defend the battered stallion, using her magic to force the shade back.“I need a healing potion!”
Now, I assumed it wasn’t her that needed the potion, but instead it was the stallion. I rushed over as fast as I could, my levitation not having the best range. I kneeled down beside the stallion, trying to find the potion in my pack, and fed it to him, only allowing him two big sips before I was knocked out of the way.
Now there was some good news and some bad news. The bad news was that my broken bones were now aching more than ever, and that my breathing was coming out in short gasps. The good news was that I may have landed on my wounded back, but not on my pack full of healing solutions.
I strained to get a potion from the leather pouch, my mind not really focused on my magic, but instead trying to concentrate on my breathing. Once I had managed to down a sip of the potion, a force pulled the ground from underneath me. I closed my eyes, and screamed at the same time, my hooves wiggling around, as if trying to run. When I had found out death didn’t take me, I opened my eyes and saw the battle raging on. I glanced up, looking to see who had picked me up. A cyan pegasus had saved my life, a look of determination spread across her face. At first I thought it a rainbow following us, but it turned out to be the mare’s tail.
“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight yelled. She was obviously talking to the mare carrying me. “Get him to safety, and then get the others!”
The others? There were more rainbow pegasi? Was it like a small town Wonderbolt impersonators? Well, that didn’t matter, at least not now. I had just been saved, and now wasn’t the time to ask questions.
The rainbow maned mare dropped me only a few yards from the battle, making me roll around on the ground upon landing. My ribs and chest exploded, an agonizing scream leaving my mouth. Tears welled up behind my closed eyelids, as I tried to rub the pain away. Hooves echoed through the town, either the steps of fleeing ponies, or new ponies entering the fray. I struggled to open my eyes, but when they managed to open, five ponies, including Rainbow Dash, were approaching me.
Holy shit! I thought. That fast? Talk about super heroes! That is straight out of a comic!
The rainbow maned pegasus dashed over my head, practically breaking the sound barrier. When I glanced back up, Rainbow dash had slammed one of the tall lanky figures into the ground, though that didn’t have much of an effect on the black creature. The ponies that had appeared rushed past me, each ready to lend a helping hoof.
A silver unicorn, with a mane that would make any mare in Canterlot jealous, shot arcane bolts, making the forms do nothing more than stagger. I had to give her credit for moving so elegantly as she shot the bolts, and dodged incoming swings from the beast. She managed to do well, though not as good as Twilight, who was using higher level arcane shots, even excelling up into super charged arcane scattershots. The beasts only shrugged off the hits it took.
An orange earth pony, sporting a brown rancher hat, as if completely embracing the fact that she lives in the country. She had a lasso, trying to get the rope around the beast, but to no avail. The monster thrashed when the rope managed to get around its body. Was her rope made out of steel; because the beast was having trouble getting it off. With a loud, thunderous roar, the beast managed to rip the rope apart, but ignored the mare completely. Instead, it was heading towards the stallion it once held and beat.
“Applejack,” Twilight yelled. “Keep it away from him!”
“Already on it!” The orange mare spoke with a heavy country accent. I darted out of the way as fast as I could when the black monster ran my direction.
“Peacekeeper!” Nocturnal called. I averted my attention to the pegasus, who was fighting against one beast, but pointing a hoof to another. “Don’t look them in the eyes! That’s what--oh fuck!”
A long slender arm extended and grabbed her by the wing, which was already damaged enough. Jester trotted over, only to get smacked out of the way. The monster gripping the Lunar Guard punched the mare in the gut, and slammed her against the ground. Energy flowed through my horn and a massive force blasted the monster on its rear-end. The thing got up as quickly as it got knocked down. I shot another force blast at it, trying to think of the right spell to use that could possibly damage this foe.
“Arcane bolts slow them down!” Twilight yelled to me, fighting her own monster. I charged up the shot, waiting for it to reach maximum power. While I was busy charging the spell, the monster was getting back on its feet.
“Shoot it now!” Nocturnal ordered, startling me and making me blast the unready bolt.
BAM!
“Damn Rookie!” Jester admired. I didn’t get to see the damage done, as I was focused on regaining my stamina, and recuperating from the agonizing pain in my chest. “Shit, It’s coming back!”
The black form rose up from the ground, its eyes glowing a crimson shade. I shuddered at the sight of the being, unable to move. Fuck, I was under a form of paralysis!
“Peacekeeper.” Nocturnal managed. “Hit it again.”
My horn charged, though with not enough speed. The beast broke into a rapid sprint, screaming in the process. It came closer, and despite all of Jester’s efforts. I was almost there! Just a little more!
“Rookie!” Jester called, breaking me out of my concentration.
BONG!
“Ah crap!” I said, rubbing my head. Rapid spell changes were not my strong suit. And that fucking sucked. Hey, at least the deflection field worked. At least that’s what I thought I used.
I opened my eyes once more, examining the situation. The beasts; they were fleeing!
“Where are they going?” I heard one of the townsfolk ask.
I glanced at the beasts, watching them as they walked sluggishly into the mist that was beginning to blanket the town. Ahead of them was the entrance to the Everfree.
“They’re going back into the Everfree Forest.” I said. “Probably to get more creatures of some sort.”
“Luna, I hate those things.” Nocturnal sighed, standing up, and assisting me onto my hooves.
“You know what those were?” Twilight questioned. The lavender unicorn and her friends had gathered around Jester, Nocturnal and I.
“When we entered the Everfree a day or two ago, my group encountered one of those things. There was only one, and we managed to only cut it once. They can take hits like they’re made of bricks or something.”
“We need to get the Royal Guard here.” I suggested. “We need to get to Canterlot, and fast.”
Jester and Nocturnal agreed, though there was no way of sending a message at this time, especially when the need of reinforcements was as urgent as it was now. If there was a unicorn that could send messages as fast as I could puff out a spell, then we’d be in luck, but as far as I knew; no pony in town knew how to do instant messaging spells.
“We need to warn the princess.” Twilight spoke, gesturing us to follow her. “Celestia or Luna will know what to do.”
“Right.” I muttered.
The massive tree I had seen during our descent into the town had turned out to be what I suspected: a home. The best part about this place was that it was a mix of a house, and a library. Candles were lit, recently too. Twilight had done her best to move around, without making any noise, as if she was afraid of waking someone up from their sleep.
While we had been waiting for Twilight to fetch her things, I had gotten better acquainted with her friends. The silver unicorn was Rarity, the town’s fashionista. Judging from her boasting, although the timing could have been better, she took great pride in her work. The orange earth pony was Applejack, one of Ponyville’s best athletes, according to Rainbow Dash (who I did thank for saving my life. She only brushed it off, and said ‘Aw, it was nothin’ really.’). Applejack’s family owned Sweet Apple Acres, a farm I only heard about in the news. According to the news around Canterlot and Ponyville, their cider was legendary.
A pink pony, conveniently named Pinkie Pie, was probably the craziest pony I had ever come across. I had suspected some kind of drug, like the new ‘happy powder’ kids used, in use, but there was no real sign of that. During the dark times we were facing, she had managed to stay so happy and cheery, as if the inevitable end of the world was a thought that she thoroughly enjoyed. I sure as hell didn’t know how she managed to stay so enthusiastic, but I wished I had the same ability. The only problem was that her mouth was like a motor engine; she never shut her mouth once you got her to start talking. With the aid of her friends, we managed to get her to quiet down, though I had the feeling she’d start talking to herself, once everypony else was occupied with each other.
“Who’s that?” I asked, pointing at a scared looking yellow pegasus. Her wing had bandages wrapped around it, but she had managed to move it around normally. Rainbow Dash hovered next to her, as if trying to console her, but her attempts looked futile.
All the mares looked back at the two pegasi.
“Why that dear,” Rarity spoke. She had a very formal way of speaking. “Is our friend Fluttershy. It would probably be for the best to leave her alone until we could get this all sorted out.”
I nodded, glancing around. I wish that I could grab all of the defensive spell tomes in here, should Twilight own any, and bring them back with me to Canterlot and study up on the things I haven’t learned. It fascinated me that Twilight had so many books, but only a handful of them were spell books, ranging from the basic telekinesis, to advanced object morphing. There were colorful books, and just plain ones. I never knew that there were over fifteen different encyclopedias, each one practically talking about the same thing; Equestria’s history.
“Ooh, what is this?” I managed to get a book out of a tight little space. The cover of the book was plain, only containing a few words. Intermediate Magic: Alteration.
“Nice.” I said, opening the book. While we wait for Twilight to send her letter to Celestia, at least I could learn something while I waited.
Or not. This was something else for me. What the hell is transmutate? Oh Celestia, I have a lot to learn. Way too much to learn. I think I’ll focus on my defensive magic.
“Alright.” Twilight spoke, trotting down the stairs, a small figure following her. “I’ve sent the-”
“Is that... a dragon?” Nocturnal asked, caution in her voice.
“Yeah, and a sleepy one.”
I’d never seen a baby dragon, and I never thought I’d ever see one, but now that I have... well I’m at a loss for words. I was expecting a baby dragon to be at least bigger and taller than the tiny, grumpy, purple scaled dragon I was looking at with awe right now.
“Don’t worry,” Twilight whispered to Nocturnal who was examining the small creature. “Spike’s always like this when I wake him up this time of night.”
“It’s alright.”
“Anyway, I sent the letter to Celestia,” Twilight continued. “She’s sending The Royal Guard, along with Luna’s Guards too. We have to make the trip quick, but the trains don’t run to Canterlot at this time of night.”
“Then what do we do now?” Applejack asked.
“There’s a wagon just outside of the town,” Nocturnal suggested. “It might be able to hold all of us.”
Twilight let out a sigh of relief. “Well, lets go check out that chariot. If it’s still there. C’mon girls.” The lavender mare glanced at me and smiled sheepishly. “And guys.”
Subconsciously I stuffed Twilight’s book into my saddle pack, along with my health vials. A cold chill went down my spine as I exited the giant tree, the mist that had appeared in the town moments before had become thicker. My visual range was about five feet. I could barely make out the mares’ shadowy figures through the thick mist.
“Fuck, I can’t see a damn thing!” Jester yelled in frustration.
“Ah!” Rarity gasped. “Language!”
“Gonna have to get used to that.” Nocturnal chuckled. “Royal Guards’ top priority is to protect civilians, not to watch their language.”
“Oh,” A timid voice, almost like a whisper, spoke. “I-I should g-go home and check up on the animals. S-sorry to l-leave so soon.”
“Fluttershy,” Pinkie Pie spoke. “Your animals will be fine! Those mean ol’ monsters were only attacking ponies, not animals, remember?”
“The gleeful way in which you bring that topic up, disturbs me.” I said. “Is she always like this?”
An outside force stopped me in my tracks. I opened my eyes, to see Nocturnal’s rear end staring at me. The pegasus turned, her face visibly heating up. She shuffled to her left, standing shamefully next to Jester, who was laughing inside; I could just see it in her eyes.
I stood on all fours, glancing around to make sure that all the mares were still with us. Fortunately for me, they were. Ahead of me was the wagon that we would be riding. It was... well, it was pretty big. The wooden transport was spherical in shape, and was recently painted silver, matching a chariot a Canterlot noble would ride. The rails that assisted ponies into the chariot were made of gold, as were the rims of the wheels. There was enough space for about eight ponies to sit inside, and two seats on the top of the wooden vehicle.
A single stallion sat on a step of the wagon. He was playing with a twig, making art on the dirt. His emerald coat managed to reflect the light of the seemingly non-existent moon. He looked depress, as if he had just lost someone he cared about. We would have been in luck, if this stallion were a pegasus, but as a Royal Guard, luck is never on your side.
“Excuse me sir?” Twilight spoke, cutting Nocturnal off. Spike was asleep on the lavender unicorn’s back, completely knocked out.
“Yep.” He replied, the stallion’s voice was deep, making my chest shake slightly from the bass in his voice.
“We’d like to hire your carriage.” Nocturnal finished. “If you can travel at this time.”
The stallion thought for a moment. “I guess the boys and I could make another trip. Where to?”
“Canterlot.” Twilight answered. “I don’t mean to rush you, but when need to get there as soon as possible.”
The stallion ignored that last comment, instead, he opened the door to his grand wagon, revealing three ponies, each one asleep. the emerald earth pony slapped each of them awake, and like cadets in Royal Guard training, the ponies left the vehicle, and began to strap themselves into position to pull the wagon.
Twilight entered the carriage first, Rarity next in line. Nocturnal blocked her way though.
“I apologize, but this is Royal Guard business only.”
“But Twilight’s not a Guard, why can she go and not me?”
“Twilight is Celestia’s student, and her efforts could prove useful for our mission.
Rarity opened her mouth to speak, but closed it, only looking at Twilight. “Let them on board.”
“Sorry Twilight, but like I said-”
“With respect, I heard what you said, but the Princess ordered to see me along with my friends.”
“Why would the princess want these ponies?” Nocturnal asked, without the typical Canterlot condescending tone.
I wondered the same thing though. I mean, there was nothing wrong with them, except maybe Pinkie Pie, but what was so special about them? Rarity had a smoking hot body, one that would make all the mares in Canterlot jealous. Applejack and Rainbow Dash had the combination of stamina and strength. Pinkie Pie... well, I don’t know, maybe drugs? Fluttershy... that’s a mystery too.
Twilight sighed, frustrated with Nocturnal’s successful attempts to keep the ponies off the wagon.
“We, are the Elements of Harmony.” I heard the lavender mare whisper in Nocturnal’s ear. Suddenly, the pegasus jumped up and out of the five ponies’ way.
“Apologies.” Nocturnal spoke bowing her head. Both Jester and I did the same. It was a true honor to be in the presence of ponies with such a status. “Had I known who you were, I wouldn’t have done that. It’s an honor to be in your presence.”
“Oh, don’t worry ‘bout it none.” Applejack forgave. “We’re wastin’ time, so let’s get a move on.”
Jester climbed inside the carriage before I could, so I had to sit up on the top of the wooden vehicle, the thing creaking with each step I climbed.
“Ready?” The emerald stallion asked.
All of us simultaneously said yes, and we were off. The bouncing of the wagon bothered me, giving me that stomach churning feeling again. Oh Celestia, why did I get sick easily. A pony could be given the stupidest flaws sometimes, I swear.
Nocturnal pat me on the back, asking if I was okay. A simple nod acted as my answer, though, in truth, I was obviously feeling like shit. My stomach was lurching, and my head was beginning to feel lighter. I shut my eyes,getting ready to go back to Sage, and make begin our trek to Canterlot in the Nightmare Realm.
“Oh shit!” I whispered to myself.
“What?” Nocturnal asked.
“I can’t go back there. Fuck, after what Illusion did to me, I’m risking death going back to that place.”
“You said it yourself; whatever happens in there happens out here. So if you die in there, let’s say right now, you would die out here. I mean you can go back and hunt for Illusion right now, which I highly suggest, but you’re going to have to make it quick. Once we get into Canterlot, we’re going to have to get you to Celestia or Luna, depending on when we get there.”
“I’d rather we get to Canterlot first. When I find that book, we would be in the safety of the Royal Guard and the Princess’s, not to mention the Elements of Harmony. Once I get that book, then we’ll figure out what to do with the book.”
“So, what is your ‘mission anyway?” Rainbow Dash questioned, hovering beside me. “Or is that ‘classified’?”
“Our mission was to search for the missing ponies in your town.” Nocturnal answered. “The rest is just a long story. Peacekeeper here would have to tell you that story.”
“Well can he?” Twilight asked from inside the carriage. Rainbow flew back inside of the wooden vehicle, I guess to avoid wasting more energy than she already did.
Nocturnal glanced at me with a questioning gaze. I sighed. I started off from when Jester and I left to enter the forest. I explained to them the book’s compelling aura, and how it got me to open it. Recalling my first hour in the realm was like actually reliving them; having deformed ponies chasing me through a derelict hospital. Then I told them all about Sage, the scared mare that was so glad to see me.
“Wait,” Rarity paused me. “Sage? As in the herbalist?”
“Oh goddess, I don’t know what she did prior to entering that realm. I just pray that she’s okay.”
“Green earth pony? About my height? Azure mane?”
Check on all of that. For some reason I felt a bit of relief that somepony out here knew Sage.
“She was a pretty mare, worked as an herbalist, and she was such a sweet girl.” My ears twitched when she said ‘sweet girl’. “Ah, and she would sometimes drop by into the spa! I didn’t know her too well, but she was a real polite mare. She used to come into the spa with me, but then she stopped coming in two weeks ago.”
My ear twitched again when the mare said ‘two weeks’. Did that mean Sage had been trapped in the Realm of Nightmares for two weeks, but just didn’t remember it? Oh Celestia, what happened to her real body? Was it rotting away somewhere? My worries became worse and worse the more I thought about it.
I continued my story, though I was more focused on Sage’s well being at the moment. Nopony said anything when I mentioned Nightmare Moon. Everyone stayed silent as if trying to wrap their heads around what I had just said.
“Ah don’t understand.” Applejack finally broke the silence. “We used the Elements on her right? It changed her back t’ Luna, Nightmare Moon is gone. At least she should be.”
“I think it’s more complicated than that,” The first thing Jester said ever since leaving Ponyville. “From what the Rookie saw and heard, Nightmare Moon is trying to come back, though in her own form. How she does it, is still up to speculation.”
“You’ve got yourself in a sticky situation,” Twilight said sympathetically. “We’ll try our best to help in any way possi-”
“Halt!” A stern voice spoke, making the ponies pulling the wagon... well, stop. I turned my head and turned right back around when I saw the ponies who had ordered our halt.
“Fuck, they’re cultists.” I whispered to Nocturnal.
“Play it cool, don’t do anything unless you need to.”
The pony leading the group was big, like he’d taken some kind of muscle enhancing pill. An illegal one. He was wearing a black cloak, a blade sheath strapped around his waist. As big as he was, what would help me was his moderately slow movement. There were four ponies behind him, each one pulling a large wagon full of unicorns, each one wearing their hoods, in a poor attempt to cover their horns. I was only glancing, barely able to see how many unicorns were behind us exactly.
Nocturnal twisted her whole body around to see the cultist, and frowned. Knowing her, she would want to deal with only a few ponies, not a whole death squad full of unicorns. That was the tricky part of being a Royal Guard, and that was deciding if you and your squad could take on a group of hostiles, and when they were all unicorns, it became trickier. Nopony could ever guess the powers a unicorn could wield; the only way to do so is with another unicorn, but sometimes even another unicorn can’t measure one of their own race’s power.
From what I could tell, only two of them knew the most basic magic; like the level of a foal. The others were different, each blocking my power detection.
Jester, I managed, trying to see if our spell had worn off.
Silence.
Shit.
My heart began to beat faster as the cult sub-leader stepped to my side of the wagon. I continued to look at Nocturnal even when the stallion called for my attention.
“If he does anything, end him.” Nocturnal ordered.
I nodded. Still not taking my gaze away from the mare. I was too scared to turn around. We were outnumbered by at least a dozen of ponies who could throw projectiles at us, with a single thought. I closed my eyes and gave a quick prayer.
“I’m speaking to you!” The stallion grabbed my shoulder, whipping me around. His eyes widened once he saw my face. Before he could say anything to his comrades, I threw a hoof at his face, my chest pained when doing so. With a sound thud, the stallion fell to the ground,recovering quickly though.
“It’s the heretic!” He shouted to his fellow cultists. The first bolt fired, signaled the ponies to run pulling us to run. The cult followed us down the dirt path. Wind blew through my mane, and stung my eyes. Leaves from trees and bushes plotted against us, finding their way into our eyes, and obstructing our vision. The forces of nature wasn’t our only problem though. I was dodging arcane bolts, some brushing past my head, others missing completely. Twilight screamed when one bolt penetrated the wood of the vehicle, making Spike scream himself awake.
“Whoa!” Spike exclaimed. “What’s going on?”
“Keep yer head down!” Applejack commanded. “Let them take care of it!”
Jester opened a latch to access the roof of the vehicle, though she only poked her upper body out. She began shooting magic of her own at the cult. An arcane shot came towards Jester’s head, but I raised up a barrier, enough to deflect the weak shots.
“Keep the barrier up!” Jester demanded. “Can you make a hole for me to shoot out of?”
I complied, effortlessly making a small rectangular opening, enough for the mare to shoot, but enough to give the cultists a hard time to aim for her face.
Nocturnal couldn’t do anything except for watch our struggle, and occasionally duck down to avoid getting hit.
Jester shot a more powerful bolt at the unicorns, surprising all of them.
ZAP!
“Oh Celestia!” Twilight screamed. “You killed that pony!”
“Get used to it honey!” Jester spoke above all the screams. A bolt rushed past my head, and I ducked down next to the grey unicorn, extending the blue barrier to accommodate myself.
“Shoot the ones pulling the wagon!” Nocturnal ordered.
Jester stopped firing, charging another powerful shot. Beads of sweat rolled down her face as she struggled to get maximum power. The unicorns firing at us were charging a spell of their own up. A turquoise blade appeared in the middle of the air. Then another. And another.
“Oh Luna, she’s using a blades spell!” I shouted.
Jester was still conjuring her spell, as was the mare on the other chariot.
Fuck it
My barrier fell, and instead, my horn had mustered the power to shoot a small lightning bolt. Damn! I missed! Another charge up, and I shot again. Another miss. The bright blue blades appearing out of thin air became more than enough to stab all angles of the wagon. The sight of the blades didn’t fortify my patience to kill their drivers. The unicorn next to me shot out her supercharged spell and sent it towards the mare charging her blade conjuration.
ZAP!
ZAP!
ZAP!
“Chain lightning baby!” The mare boasted, watching her own work with such pride. Each pony on the enemy wagon spasmed as light coursed through each of their bodies. The ponies stopped their trots and stumbled over, the ones in the wagon falling out the rear of the wagon and piling on top of one another.
“Oh dear Celestia!” a frail voice, who I assumed to be Fluttershy, screamed. “I-I can’t do this!”
“Stay calm,” Nocturnal tried to reassure the mare. “We’ll get you guys to Canterlot. Just bear with us.”
“It could be worse.” Jester stated. “We could have the monsters from the town coming at us.”
“That’s...Reassuring.”
Keeping herself situated between Nocturnal and I, Jester continued to look out for any more cultist ponies. The forest that we were traversing out of Ponyville had disappeared, replaced with a great valley, green and teeming with all kinds of wildlife. Train tracks leading to Canterlot coursed through the various caves and zig-zagged around the valley. If there were no ponies chasing us, trying to kill us, this would be a more tranquil sight to me rather than just an average natural occurrence.
Other dirt paths connected to the main ‘highway’, the one path we were traveling on. When we took off from Canterlot, there were numerous ponies traveling to and from Ponyville.This was one of many routes to the Golden City, and probably one of the safest. In our current situation though, these roads were one of the most dangerous; cultists able to ambush us at any intersection. At the rate we were traveling though, we would arrive at Canterlot in another two hours.
If there was a wagon in Ponyville available, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy could have flown us to Canterlot and get us there in half the time it took to get there on foot. The problem about flying was cultists trying to shoot us down, which would be easy if Rainbow and Fluttershy couldn’t get the right coordination and successfully evade all the cultists attacks. I don’t know Fluttershy all that much, but if we were under attack in the air, we might all die. And not from the cult.
“There it is!” The emerald stallion pulling the wagon said, slowing down. “Finally!”
“Don’t get your hopes up.” Jester said plainly. “It may look close now, but it’s pretty fuckin’ far.”
“Really!” Rarity gasped. “Do improve your language!”
“Yeah, I’ll try.”
I chuckled a little, fully aware that Jester would continue using her foul language. I know I was. Using ‘bad language’ was part of my programming and I’ve been cursing like a sailor since I was in the third grade.
“Is that another cultist wagon?” Jester pointed to a rapid moving light coming down the same path we were. I had desperately hoped that the thing behind us was nothing more than a courier pony with an illumination spell.
ZIP!
“Yeah that’s a cultist wagon,” I said, narrowly dodging a lightning bolt. “And there’s more unicorns.”
“Heads up!” Nocturnal pointed a hoof at the path beside us, another wagon on its way to us. “We’re being flanked.”
“Aw, damn!” I raised a barrier around the whole wagon when the carriage to my right came within knocking distance.
BOM!
The wagon slammed into the barrier, earning the ponies on it a good bounce, some even falling off and making a heavy impact on the ground. The ones behind us shot rapid bolts of lightning or just pure magical energy at us. My blue barrier remained, taking the impact of both, the ponies shooting us from behind, and the ponies slashing blades on our right.
“We need to lose these guys!” Rainbow whinnied. “Let me out there, I could crash their wagons!”
“Too dangerous!” I yelled over the sounds of the cultists attacks. “Stay in there!”
“No way, I can help!” The cyan pegasus opened the door, only to have it shut in her face by Jester’s magic.
“If you want to live, keep your head inside and don’t be an idiot. Peacekeeper, give me a place to shoot out of!”
I reduced the size of the barrier, limiting it to Nocturnal, Jester and I. Like before, I left a small hole where the grey unicorn could shoot the ponies. The only problem was that my barrier was wavering; taking too many hits in almost all directions.
“Hey, we could use some help here!” One of our driver ponies yelled. She was getting rammed into, and tried her best to avoid contact, without sending us off the road. I turned to Jester, who just nodded and went back to fighting off the unicorns behind us. I turned my attention to the wagon riding next to us.
“Die heretic!” A stallion swung a blade at me, making me fall back on Nocturnal. I shot a small force wave at him making him stagger, giving me time to get up and grab his own blade.
SNIKT!
Blood poured from the stallion’s new wound, falling, blade still in his chest. Another pony, a mare this time, took his place, slashing at my chest area. Searing pain erupted from the exposed flesh, making me cringe. Another force blast, this time sending the wagon veering off into a tree. With a loud crash, both blood and wooden shrapnel flew at us, some of the crimson liquid getting into our carriage making the inhabitants scream in fear. We ended up having to slow down, the ponies driving getting things out of their manes and eyes.
“I’ve had enough of this!” Rarity cried. “Get them away from us already!”
“Workin’ on it!” I replied above the yelling and terrifying screams. I turned to the back, watching as Jester shot numerous destructive spells, only to miss the ponies, due to the constant motion of the carriage.
“Keep it the hell still!” The frustrated mare demanded.
“We’re running out of energy!” A mare said. “We need a break!”
Jester turned, and created four emerald spheres about the size of a golf ball. She shot each orb at each pony cantering, and suddenly, they broke into a fast sprint each going the same pace. It amazed me, the amount of magic Jester was capable of. But now was not the time to think about the mare’s arcane ability, we had to focus on surviving this fight.
“Wow!” The emerald stallion admired. “Re-energized! Let’s go guys!”
Another arcane blast smashed into the wagon, though not hitting anyone.
“Ahh!” Twilight cried.
I opened up my saddle pack, taking out a healing poultice and levitated it into the small space in the wagon. “Drink it!”
An opposing grip took hold of the vial, and I let go, going back to the problem at hand. The glass viale dropped, though there was no curse, clueing me in that the lavender mare managed to drink the potion before dropping it.
ZIP!
ZIP!
Damn those lightning bolts! I put up another barrier, this time with a more personal flare to it. A strike hit my barrier, the arcane wall absorbing the shot, and then spitting it back out, with twice the power. Jester glanced at me with amazement with eyes that said ‘teach me that spell when this is all over’. More shots came to me, though the wall kept reflecting each shot, though the accuracy could use some work.
My mind slipped from the arcane wall spell, making it disappear for a split second. That was enough time for an arcane bolt to pierce into my chest.
Blood poured from the new wound, an agonizing pain erupting from the spot. Tears flowed from my eyes as I tried to ignore the pain, though my attempts were all in vain. I couldn’t even focus on getting the health solution out of my pack, instead I fell on Nocturnal, who was panicking and trying to reassure me that I was going to be fine. She rummaged through my pack, looking desperately for a potion. I glanced up at the city ahead of us. A little while longer and I could get into the hospital. I prayed to Celestia to keep me and my friends safe from this hell.
“Aha!” Nocturnal fed me the solution,and almost instantaneously, my chest and ribs were relieved of the pain. I looked again at the Golden City.
“Oh Celestia!” I exclaimed. “It’s the Royal Guard!”
Flying from the city were four wagons full of ponies in both golden Royal Guard armor, and Lunar Guard armor. One of them, I managed to spot, was pointing his hoof to our left, and screaming something at us. I wasn’t able to hear him, but instead of trying to listen, I averted my attention to my left.
“Oh sweet Celestia!” Nocturnal exclaimed. “Stop the wagon! NOW!”
An enemy wagon in flames was charging at us from the other road, and was going to meet up with us at the intersection. The ponies pulling our carriage tried to come to a complete halt, their hooves digging into the ground trying to stop.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” I screamed in terror, my heart pounding with enough force to rip my chest open. “Everypony keep your heads down!”
Jester closed her little hatch, and I clutched Nocturnal’s hooves, the mare doing the same to me, bracing for the inevitable impact.
Celestia, Luna! I prayed. Please, I beg of you, let us live from this! Keep us alive at least until our mission is over! I pray to you asking for forgiveness should I die from this!