//------------------------------// // Chapter 35 Imamu and Adanna // Story: Spike the Knight // by vadram //------------------------------// Imamu and Adanna Imamu placed Spike on the ground and went to assist Apple Bloom with the ritual, while Kirabo was standing next to Spike. “Are they going to be alright?” he asked Kirabo. “If Imamu and Adanna can't do it, no one can.” “You keep calling Apple Bloom Adanna, what does that even mean?” “I am not calling the filly Adanna!” Kirabo protested. “So... you are referring to Zecora?” “Yeah, Zecora... and Adanna means our fathers daughter.” “And Imamu means father, right?” “It’s a crude translation, but yes, you could say that.” “So, Zecora is his daughter?” Kirabo did not respond for a while, instead his attention was focused on the sky, dark clouds were gathering above forming a spiral, thunder could be heard, but no lighting could be seen. Imamu walked through the spell circle, drawn on the ground, careful not to step on any of the lines and not to erase them. When he reached the smaller circle next to Apple Bloom he sat down in it, crossing his legs as he did so. “Do not worry Adanna, everything will be fine,” the giant said, reassuring her. “You know I do not worry, But the fillies mind is getting blurry, I fear it won’t be long, Until she’s gone.” Imamu began working with the ingredients, starting the ritual. First he crushed the shell in his hand, letting its contents drip onto the cloak, the shell’s shards cut into his skin, causing a few drops of blood to fall into the mix, alongside the ursa tear and the manticore venom, which he had added with his other hand. Spike was looking at him and wanted to ask Kirabo what was going on, but to his surprise he was still staring at the sky and not at the ritual Imamu and Zecora were trying to get done. “Is something wrong?” Spike asked, not sure why his attention was not on the two performing the ritual. He took a deep breath, sniffing the air. “Something does not smell right,” Spike overheard him say to himself. The piles of dust were picked up by the gigantic creature and placed into the smoking bowls. Red and yellow flames erupted from one, blue and black flames from the another, and green and cyan flames from the third. Kirabo’s was not looking at the sky anymore, instead his eyes started darting from one place to another. He was tense, a few drops of sweat had formed on his brown and, despite the humidity that filled the air, his lips were dry. It seemed that he was looking for something, or someone. He pulled his sword, as well as a little dagger from the back of his armor. Spike was even more worried now that he saw him unsheath his weapons. “What is wrong?” he asked looking around for whatever had the warrior spooked. “We are not alone. Stay here, I will be back.” And with that said he disappeared into the cave. “It’s not like I can go anywhere,” Spike tried to joke. Imamu placed the bowl with the yellow flames in front of Apple Bloom, the blue one in the empty circle and left the green one in front of himself. He dipped the tips of his fingers into the liquid that had formed on top of the cape, sprinkling some on the filly. The swirling cloud formation started spinning. “It’s just like...” Spike’s train of thoughts were interrupted by a lightning bolt hitting the ground. Imamu’s eyes were glowing and his lips were moving, but no sound came out. Lightning struck again. A scream was heard in the distance as second bolt hit this time it lighted the drawings on the ground making the entire symbol glow white for a second. A shriek, a scream and the sound of two blades clashing reached Spike’s ears. The yellow smoke twisted and turned around Apple Bloom, moving ever so closer to her little body, the blue smoke imitated its movements while the green started flowing from its bowl like it was a liquid. The green smoke slowly formed into a mist and filled the grooves that formed the intricate drawings of the spell circle. “Eeep.” Apple Bloom almost jumped as the smoke touched her more sensitive parts. Imamu was still chanting but turned his head to take a look at her. While he didn’t know what had caused her outburst, he couldn’t help but chuckle at the sheepish expression on her face. Several bolt of lightning hit the circle in rapid succession. This got Spike’s attention, so he barely noticed a green bolt hitting something in the distance, making no sound. Apple Bloom’s eyes started glowing; first her left eye started glowing blue, then her right one orange. Spike was amazed at the spectacle. A bright blue light formed the mass of blue smoke, it was hard to see at first, but then it shined as a blue star in the night sky. The green mist filled every part of the spell circle; it now glowed a soft green. A bolt of lightning hit the symbol and ignited the mist. Millions of small explosions could be heard as the bolt traveled through the fog, leaving a line of blue glowing liquid in it’s wake. A second light appeared in the middle of the mist. More bolts of lightning fell, but those were absorbed by the mist. Each of them left behind a few sparks. More and more lights were turned on, each spark made the shape seem a lot more familiar. At first it reminded Spike of the ursa he saw earlier that day, but the ‘stars’ were appearing more and more, soon he remember where he saw something similar: Her Royal Highness, The Princess of the Night herself, Princess Luna. Spike had only meet Princess Luna a couple of times, but one does not forget seeing a goddess very easily. The general feel of the ritual with the ursa’s tear, a star beast, as well well as all the blue colored smoke and blue light filling the ritual pointed towards her as well. And, after a time, the shape of the starry mass looked looked too much as princesses Luna ethereal mane to just be a coincidence. “Could they be Luna’s students, or disciples? Or even... moon worshipers?” Spike was disturbed by the thought. Ponies had long since stopped worshiping the moon and the sun, their religion, if you could call it that, focused on their living goddesses, Celestia and Luna. Those who still worship the cosmic bodies themselves were as rare as those who still pray to Discord, and every one of them was thought to be insane, dangerous, or both. At least that was what Spike knew from Twilight. Truth be told, he never actually met a cultist, as they were called, but that didn’t mean that they did not exist, and most certainly not that they weren’t dangerous. He tried to bury the though deep within his mind.