//------------------------------// // 6. Heart of an Undead // Story: The Scrolls of Harmony I: Dawnguard // by Sadie //------------------------------// Getting down the mountain had mixed results. In sun-metal boots that didn’t grip the steep slope too well, Twilight found herself relying on Trixie’s help for most of the descent. She had no trouble whatsoever in practically gliding down the mountain with Twilight holding on for her life. It wasn’t until they stopped on flat land that she looked back to still see the Dawnguard holding onto her waist tightly. “You can let go now. Another advantage of being beyond life is having light hooves, but I think you can still learn a decent amount about the art. Without dying of course.” Twilight slowly released her hold on Trixie. While there, her eyes had settled on the Elder Scroll again. “I take it you’d like to know how it came into my possession now.” She jumped at the unexpected question. Caught red-hoofed staring at the object on her back. “Uhh... If it isn’t too much of a bother. If you’re worried about privacy, then I guess we can talk at the Gate. Nopony goes near it these days.” The sun had risen above the tree line at that point, roughly mid-morning. Trixie pulled her hood further over her face in response. It provoked more questions from Twilight that she reluctantly kept to herself. “It’s about a half hour walk to the Gate, though the ground is flat enough for a good gallop if you’d prefer. The shade is pretty good there.” Again, she found herself wondering whether she was still on the courteous side, or stepping into the insulting. There wasn’t any sign that she was offended. Seeing her break into a gallop in fact was reassurance enough for Twilight. It was the sort of activity that came as a refreshing first experience for Twilight. An abundance of green trees that went on in each direction. Thick grass that overflowed with Equestrian magic. The sorts of things that she didn’t see up close in Canterlot, where there simply wasn’t enough space for more than an arboretum and some small parks. For the first time, she actually felt like she could get close to understanding Trixie’s adoration of the sunrise. Maybe she has her own way of getting around quickly. It’s not as if we’re never going to talk again when she gets home. She pondered how to bring up the subject of becoming pen pals with an undead, ancient pony when the Gate came into view. Both ponies slowed to a steady walk. The area surrounding the Gate itself was devoid of normal plant life. Brightly coloured bulbous plants grew instead, gradually increasing in height until they reached the enormous arch itself. Four ponies tall, and two wide. The rock making up the arch itself bore dull veins of yellow. Many ponies looked at it with dread. The more knowledgeable, like Twilight, knew for certain that it was very dead. Trixie rested her hoof on the cold surface while looking through the empty opening. “I remember when Celestia defeated Discord. Most of Equestria was in ruins at that point, it was shortly after that I went into hiding. It’s almost disappointing to know that I missed the downfall of Sombra.” She sat down on a large stone that kept enough distance between her and the plants that had leaked into Equestria. Twilight settled down on a broken pillar nearby. “So, can I hold the Elder Scroll? Just for a moment. I know they hold great power, and I’m not stupid enough to take a peek anywhere but a very secure location.” There was a long pause. Trixie’s gaze at her put her on edge. It felt very much like she was being silently interrogated. Geez Twilight, last night you were ready to run her through. And now you’re letting her stare you down? What’s gotten into you? “As I said, I did a lot of study of Equestria’s history while training for the Dawnguard. And while I didn’t pay much attention to the Scrolls before, I’d like to be able to say that I’ve held one myself. Just for a little bit.” Seeing Trixie lift it off her back brought back memories of her fifth birthday. Only that time had been her first book, not an ancient artifact of great and mystical power. When it finally settled onto her hooves, she drew a sharp breath. It was heavier than she had expected, but just holding it was confirmation enough. Powerful magic was contained beneath the golden surface. And as tempting as it was to pull the tab open and take a look, she restrained herself. “Wow.” It began humming softly, the buzzing in her hooves made her entire body shiver. Her horn began to glow with increasing intensity. “Uh, is this supposed to happen? Trixie!” Blue hooves pulled the Scroll from Twilight’s reluctant hold. As soon as contact had been broken, she hastily shoved them under her shoulders for comfort. “Sorry, I couldn’t let go. I think that was long enough anyway, you can keep it.” Trixie made no comment while she slid the scroll back into place. The experience left Twilight hugging her hooves tightly for several minutes afterward. “I’ll admit, I didn’t expect anything to happen there at all. But, so long as you are unharmed, I don’t see anything to be concerned about.” She adjusted her cloak before sitting down again. Twilight still hadn’t worked up the nerve to expose her hooves. “So, while you continue to hold yourself tightly, why don’t you tell me about modern pony customs? I assume we’re going to be stopping at Baltimare soon, unless there is another town further south.” Their eyes met yet again. One was calm and completely serene, the other still shaking with magical energy that drew her towards the object on Trixie’s back. “On second thought, I’ll be back in a little while. Let’s just say that there are... certain things you need to do after being asleep for anything more than a day at least.” It was more out of not wanting to know that Twilight didn’t say anything while Trixie departed for the tree line, and beyond. “Maybe, one feed isn’t enough.” She needs more, that means another pony. Sure, she says she fed on one of the bad kind... It was odd that Trixie would suggest visiting a relatively large town, especially right after indirectly asking for lessons on modern pony culture. “Like I’m the ideal teacher on how to get along. I’ve gotten to know her better than anypony else. Including my parents.” Deep down, she was certain that realization should have brought on chills. There was only a faint comfort in its place. Great, my only ‘friend’ in the world feeds on other ponies. I’m sure my parents are going to love the pony I go on adventures with. Beneath the protection of her helmet, a tingling itch began on her neck. The air around her grew tense. Something was going to happen, obviously. “But what?” From the left, she spotted a shadowy face, with bright red eyes. “Trixie!” The pony leapt and tackled her down with incredible speed. There hadn’t even been enough time to pull the crossbow from her back. In seconds of falling to the ground, she found herself facing a very vicious pair of fangs. A firm punch to the jaw did little to delay the attack of the feral mare as her teeth grazed the side of Twilight’s helmet. “Get off me! Trixie! Get her off me!” As the pony above recoiled from biting metal, it gave Twilight enough time to get a good look at her armour. Identical to Trixie’s. Maybe she didn’t kill it after all... Red magic enveloped the thrashing mare to hurl her high into the air. Twilight rolled out of the way to allow Trixie to bring her back down. “Sorry about my delay Twilight, I didn’t think we would be followed during the day.” She kept the frenzied pony pinned to the ground with her magic while crouching down to look at her properly. “Hio unt luun ek lass? Ek los fahdon, hio fel paak wah reyliik!” The pony on the ground grew still, staring back at Trixie. Throughout the whole exchange, Twilight could only watch in confusion. What the hay is Trixie saying? Is it some sort of ancient Equestrian language I’ve never even read about? Yet again, her unspoken question was quickly met with an answer. “I just told her that you’re a friend. Unfortunately, this is the result of the disease that produces her kind. A poor copy of the real thing, at best.” The feral pony timidly stood up, shying away from Trixie’s fierce glare. She was a pegasus, or at least she used to be. What had been pink-feathered wings was now a pair of bony limbs with leather stretched across them. From her forehead, a black, twisted horn looked like it had literally burst from her skin. That itself was paler than Trixie’s, especially in the direct sunlight. “Sorry. I was supposed to be fed yesterday. But my dinner broke the cage, and escaped. I’m just so hungry, and the sun hurts more and more.” Twilight took a step back, keeping Trixie between herself and the stranger. The others didn’t have wings like that. And they didn’t have a horn either. She was very different. Even though Trixie seemed to have a certain power over her, she didn’t feel any better about how much emphasis that it was putting on her hunger. A hunger that would almost certainly be satisfied on ponies alone. “Look, I don’t know much about your kind. But I can’t just let you eat ponies. I’m supposed to protect them against Changelings, but that doesn’t mean I won’t extend it to... whatever you are.” She drew the crossbow from her back at last, keeping a steady aim at the newcomer. It was a very different situation from when she met Trixie. Back then, she had been in control of the situation, and she hadn’t been attacked outright. “Just... Sit there while I think about this.” Walking backwards brought her to the tree line far quicker than she had expected. The cover was enough to block out the sight of the undead mares, allowing her to breathe again. Trixie may be ancient, but at least she isn’t a twitching lunatic. “Please Celestia; tell me that I don’t have to take her to Trixie’s home as well.” The thought alone was quite unpleasant. She’d have to practically foalsit her the whole way. Trixie made her way over, out of concern as it soon turned out. “Her name is Spring Heart. She was only turned a few months ago, and it looks like she’s caught between the disease and magical form of my kind. We could stave off her hunger, if you’d allow, but she is going to need to feed on another pony eventually.” The particular emphasis on Twilight’s permission to ‘stave off her hunger’ immediately set warning bells off in her head. Allowing Spring to take whatever it was that they took for food from her own body was a truly horrible idea. “The alternative is that we try and capture one of the ponies fully afflicted with the disease. They’re more of a half-life than undead, and there is no soul left to recover. But, that will take time that she may not tolerate.” Great, either let the twitchy one do something that involves feeding, or else let her go outright mental and attack anything in site. Until we snag a feral pony of course. Her jaw clenched tightly. It didn’t seem likely that Trixie would just let her put Spring Heart out of her misery, or at least just leave her behind at the Tartarus Gate. “What does it involve? Because if there is even the slightest chance I could catch what she’s got, then you can forget it.” This time when she sat down, it was to reinforce her point of being very firm on her case, not out of tiredness. The message seemed to get across to Trixie well enough as she looked back at Spring. “You didn’t have much trouble catching one last night. Why don’t you just take her back to the forest for a bit of a hunt while I head to Baltimare? She’s not the only one who’s hungry you know.” As she thought more about it, that option seemed like the best. She could easily wait outside Baltimare the next day to meet up with them without drawing any unwanted attention. It all depended on Trixie agreeing to go their separate ways for a day. At the very least, it looked like she was considering it. Another look back at Spring Heart seemed to settle her expression on certainty. “Alright, I’ll be waiting outside Baltimare for you. Just try not to take too long, I’m already starting to feel the effects of the sun myself.” Twilight buckled her crossbow back on while Trixie moved away to explain their agreement. There wasn’t any obvious sign of resentment, or not wanting them to split up. At least she isn’t a stray. That’s more than I can handle right now. Trixie glanced back at her one last time before the two similarly dressed mares began galloping north. Twilight poked at the ground idly for several moments as she came to realize she was now very much alone again. In the presence of a Tartarus gate no less. “I just hope this is worth it. Zecora could be anywhere by now, and if she penalizes the result on my test for being late... I’ll be so far behind that I’ll never recover!” Granted, it wasn’t likely that Zecora would be that cruel and lack so much understanding. But it did get her motivated to gallop south for Baltimare at least. “Everything will be fine. Celestia’s got everything under control, and if she really didn’t want me doing this, then she’d intervene.” Somehow that didn’t bring anywhere near the comfort she had hoped for. In this case, she was truly alone. Not even Celestia herself was there to guide her on the right and wrong decisions ahead. I want to go home. And I wish Trixie didn’t want to as well.