Chapter Thirty-one
Desert Isle
Scootaloo
The temperature began to increase the further north we traveled. By the time we reached our destination, I decided to leave my jacket in the boat, and many of the others were similarly dressing light. We stepped off of the vessel and onto the hot sands of Desert Isle.
“Spitfire just said that we’d find some people here that would help us.” Scratch stated. “Being in the Order for any amount of time seems to have a side-effect of being frustratingly vague about everything. Still… this village doesn’t look too big. We’ll find who we’re looking for before long.”
We stepped into the village, but saw nothing that seemed out of the ordinary. The houses and other buildings were built quite simply, comprised of wood and stone, and the people of the village, their skin darkened by the harsh sun, seemed equally content and non-threatening. There was no sign of the Order having reached this place yet, but there was also no sign of anyone who looked like people who could help us.
“We may be here for some time.” Dinky commented. “Should we seek out an inn to rest in for the time being?”
I nodded. “Good thinking. The rest of us should look around town more thoroughly and try to find whoever it is we’re supposed to meet… But someone should probably stay with you, we don’t want anyone by themselves when the Order’s still hunting us.”
“I’ll go with her.” Angel said after a moment’s pause.
Our group split into three; one to secure a room at the inn, and two to scout the town for anything out of the ordinary. However, when we reconvened in the center of town, we came to the agreement that nothing had caught our attention. We found no one who seemed to be waiting for us, and had little else to look for.
“Well…” Scratch began, “There’s not much we can do at the moment but wait. Let’s get our things put away in our rooms, and we’ll try to figure out what our next move should be.”
We all agreed, and made our way into the inn. On the way in, I turned back, and gazed out into the desert sands. Somewhere, a path forward waited for us, a way to begin to strike back at the Order. But I knew that we could never escape the Order for long, and that they were probably out here as well. It was now a test to see which we would run into first.
~
Year 515, Alt Timeline; Road to Eclipse
Octavia
Octavia, Lyra and Bon Bon sat near a small campfire, just off the side of the dirt path to Eclipse City. Normally, the shadow of the castle would be visible from where they rested, but Octavia could see nothing on the horizon yet, both because of the poor quality of the air, and because there was apparently not much left to be seen where the castle once stood.
The trio had made their way north through the day, and Bon Bon estimated that they would reach the ruins by tomorrow. From there, they would scout the wreckage for traps, before heading to the castle, where Minuet was surely waiting. Bon Bon had not seen the ruins yet for herself, but had heard reports that the western wing of the castle was mostly intact, and that it would make the ideal place to hold an ambush.
Bon Bon and Lyra sat close together on one side of the fire, with Octavia slightly to the side. She didn’t have to look very hard to see that the two of them were falling for each other more and more. Octavia was happy for them, but each time she saw them shyly flirting with each other, it made her miss Vinyl a bit more. She tried to only allow this to drive her forward, to the day when she could reach her own home and be with him again, but in the moments when she slowed down with her thoughts, she couldn’t help but long deeply for what had been taken from her.
“What do you think we’ll find when we get there?” Lyra asked.
“I’m not sure…” Bon Bon replied. “Reports that have come back so far have been sketchy, but they all seem to say that Eclipse was hit hard, and that there isn’t much left standing. I’m one of the main recon agents for Apollo, so this will be our official survey of the site… I can’t help but wonder if there’s anything still alive in there, aside from this Minuet character hiding in the ruins.
“I’ve also been wondering… What’s going to happen when you defeat her? I’ve been told that by defeating her, you’ll be able to go home… but what does that mean? Will you leave Equestria? Will we… have to part ways?”
Lyra didn’t answer right away, but after a paused replied “I hope not. I hope we won’t have to say goodbye, whatever happens… We’ll find a way, somehow.”
“Aw, isn’t that cute?” a voice said from behind the group. Octavia already knew who the voice belonged to before she turned. “Love blooming way out here, when everything else is dead but humanity’s desire to fight one another.”
“You.” said Octavia, standing and turning to face the ever-smirking Order member, Minuet. “Grew tired of waiting for us again already? What will it be this time?”
Minuet adopted a fake hurt expression. “I’m not here to harm you this time. I have some honor, you know. It’s still your move in this game, and I can see you intend to make it. No, I merely thought that I might help pass the time while we wait. There’s a story I’d like to tell you.”
~
Scratch
I sat with the other three dreamers in one of the hotel rooms, dream journals to my side. Each of them had their own records of their dreams with them as well. Scootaloo was right: we couldn’t wait any longer. The four of us had agreed to begin connecting the stories of our dreams, and tell the others that story. I knew that these dreams held the key to moving forward, to discovering a critical weakness in the Order and taking the offensive against them. It was just a matter of lining up the pieces of the puzzle, and seeing the whole picture.
Dinky shifted forward and put her journals on the table between us. “I think it might be best if I start. Things start happening for her before anyone else.”
I nodded. “Right.” I put mine forward and began comparing notes. Applebloom and Raphael offered theirs, and we began pouring over the journals. “It looks like mine starts just after yours, Dinky, and then after a bit, Applebloom’s and Raphael’s… Although chronologically, Applebloom’s start a little while earlier. Do we want to organize them according to when we had the dreams, or when the events took place in the dreams?”
Dinky shook her head after a moment. “These dreams were given to us for a purpose. I think we should leave them in the order they were given.” No one seemed to have any objection to this, so I nodded and began making notes on a blank sheet of paper.
Twenty minutes passed while we worked, before we heard the first explosion. We all paused, and then rushed to the window. We couldn’t see the full damage from where we stood, but smoke could be seen rising at the other end of town, our view obscured by several other buildings.
“Is it an Order attack?” Applebloom asked urgently.
“Probably!” I answered, moving to the door. “Come on!”
We exited into the street, where the townspeople were already running around in panic. “Keep your weapons sheathed.” I told the other three. “We don’t need to scare these people any more than they already are. Now let’s find the others, and whoever’s attacking!”
We made our way through the town, through the stream of people, though there weren’t many due to the town’s small size. We kept our eyes open for any signs of our friends, or our foes, but until we drew nearer to the site of the first explosion, we didn’t see either. A second explosion sounded nearby, just across from the first, and we redoubled our speed. We reached the edge of town, and saw a man in an Order cloak standing atop an undamaged building, crossbow in hand. Long, silvery-blue hair fell past his shoulders, and he wore a smirk below amused eyes.
He flashed them a grin. “About time you guys showed up. I thought I might have to blast another building before you decided to investigate.”
“You’re the one who was shooting at us at the raid on Eclipse!” Applebloom exclaimed, drawing her swords.
The man sighed. “Yeah, that’s me. Really wish I had managed to hit you back then, now that I know you’re one of the dreamers. Would’ve saved us a heap of trouble. But you’ve been kind enough to give me a second chance, haven’t you? Even got most of the rest of ‘em in one place, too. My name’s Quicksilver, and I’ll be your executioner today.”
Where are the others?! I thought frantically. They should have heard the explosions and headed right here.
“Though there were supposed to be more of you.” Quicksilver continued, idly toying with his weapon. “So before we begin… How’s about a little story?”
~
Octavia
“Once upon a time, at the edge of a dark, dangerous forest, there lay three baby children, with no mother to care for them…” Minuet began. Octavia locked her gaze cautiously, but allowed her to continue. “Two girls, one boy.
“The first girl was soon taken away and raised by wolves. She was taught to fight, to hate those in the castle, and trained to one day fight and kill them… Until she was whisked away by a boy who would become a hero when war erupted years later.”
~
Scratch
“Pinkie Pie…” Applebloom said in realization. “That girl was Pinkie.”
“Bingo.” Quicksilver said, pointing at Applebloom. “Two babies remained, waiting for someone to give them a home. Soon, a group of travelers passed by, and one of them noticed the brother and sister. Who can say why he took one and left the other, but he walked away with the boy in his arms, and that boy grew up to become a great alchemist, bowman, and the destroyer of those few people standing between the Order, and peace and safety for the world.” At this, he shifted the crossbow on his shoulder.
“Modest, eh?” I taunted. “I fail to see how you define all you’ve done as a quest for peace, though.”
“What we do, we do to eliminate those who choose to try to stop us. We only seek to protect this world.”
~
Octavia
“So this boy became one of your number,” Octavia confirmed, “and you claim that he is the brother of this hero Pinkie Pie as well?”
“That’s what I claim, yep.” Minuet said with a nod and grin. “But honestly, what good would it do me to lie about that?
“Anyway, the third child… She was left all alone, and soon, night began to fall… But just when it seemed that she would not survive, a man approached, one of the members of the group of travelers that passed earlier that day. This man saw something different in the girl, something different than what was seen in the boy. Regrettably, the girl could not be brought along with the group, but the man would not leave her for dead. He whisked her away to a safe place, a small, sleepy town, and brought her to a wealthy, but infertile couple. The two were overjoyed to have been given the chance to raise a baby child of their own, and naturally asked the man if there was anything they could do to repay him, as he had so far asked nothing in return.
“The man smiled and began to refuse, before thinking of one thing. He asked the couple if, when the girl began her studies… if his own son could study alongside her.”
Minuet gave a large grin, and Octavia’s stomach sank. The story sounded too familiar, and she knew it couldn’t be coincidence. It was her own story.
“Me…” she breathed, and Minuet nodded gleefully. “So you mean to say I am the sister of both a girl who will become a great hero, and one of your sick agents?”
“If you care to phrase it that way, yes.” Minuet confirmed with a smug grin.
~
Scratch
“No!” I shouted, knowing exactly who the bastard in the Order cloak was referring to.
“Yes!” he replied cheerfully. “Your dear Octavia… You know what this means, Scratch? You and I are practically in-laws already!”
I wasn’t about to let him claim to be tied at all to Tavi, when around us the buildings he had attacked still burned. The way I saw it, he deserved to be attacked for using her name alone. I drew my battle discs and leapt at him, but his reflexes were quick. He raised his crossbow, and in the split second before he fired, I noticed a vial of something attached to the bolt. In the next moment, and small explosion hit me head-on, and I was sent flying backward and into the ground, vision and hearing both disabled, pain swirling all over. A few agonizing moments passed this way, before the pain faded out to numbness, and my vision returned to see Dinky standing over me, staff glowing with healing light. Far-off at first, then growing, I heard the sounds of combat, of the swords of Raphael and Applebloom colliding with another blade.
I pulled myself to my feet, but I would still need a few moments before I could get back into the fight. Quicksilver was deftly deflecting attacks from my friends with a large dagger. “He’s got more of those explosive potions.” Dinky told me quickly. “Please be careful! He’s very skilled…”
~
Octavia
“Enough!” Lyra barked, aiming her crossbow at Minuet. Bon Bon’s kusarigama seemed to leap to her hands, and Octavia reached for a weapon as well. Her bow was back at her seat, but she noticed the hilt of the rapier taken from Icarus Mansion, which she had not been able to sell. She drew the sword and attempted to hold it in a way that gave the impression that she knew how to use it.
“Well now, that’s just rude.” Minuet said, but she drew her own sword with a grin. “I’ll try not to do too much damage just yet; I still look forward to fighting you in the ruins of Eclipse!”
She spun the sword in one hand, and lunged forward. Octavia brought the rapier up to block the attack, and Bon Bon’s attack drew Minuet away. One of the mini-scythes collided with her sword, and the other swung low, forcing Minuet to retreat a step to avoid having her leg sliced open. A light-enhanced crossbow bolt sailed just past her head, narrowly avoided.
Octavia rolled to the side, scooped up her bow and an arrow, and in one swift move, pulled back and fired. Minuet dove forward, once again narrowly avoiding the attack, and tackled Lyra to the ground. Her sword swung forward, threatening a lethal blow, but Bon Bon tackled Minuet off of her, both landing on the ground without control. The two wrestled on the ground for a few moments, before both scrambled to their feet and began slicing at one another again. Minuet’s sword began to glow with a threatening blue light, and gradually picked up speed.
Another crossbow bolt and arrow from Octavia and Lyra sailed forward, and with a snarl, Minuet leaped back. “You’re not bad, I’ll give you that. But let’s see how you hold up when it’s not three on one!”
She raised her hand to the sky, and dark energy began to swirl around it. From the ground, creatures of darkness began to arise, with soulless yellow eyes, and long limbs ending in vicious claws. The three readied their weapons, preparing as best they could for the redoubled attack.
~
Scratch
I stumbled into a run towards Quicksilver, battle discs swinging wildly and uncoordinatedly. Unsurprisingly, he evaded the attack, and I felt a foot connect to my stomach. Once again, I was sent reeling backwards, but was able to recover much more quickly this time. Raphael and Applebloom were keeping him at bay, but we couldn’t get a hit in.
I noticed an orange blur to my right a split second before it barreled into the fight. Scootaloo had arrived, and he was already expertly dancing around Quicksilver’s attacks. The longer reach afforded to him by his spear let him attack his opponent from a safe distance from his much shorter blade. Good, they’re here. This should give us the advantage… Angel charged into the fray next, his scythe swinging downward and narrowly missing Quicksilver’s head. This was the point at which our opponent realized he was severely outmatched, and dodged backwards and out of the way.
I heard the twang of a bowstring, and saw an arrow sail down from above and hit Quicksilver square in the leg. Looking up, I saw Sweetie Belle hovering in the air, held aloft by the crystalline wings afforded to her by the Icarus Charm. Quicksilver snarled, and raised his free hand aloft, dark energy swirling around it. The arrow popped free of his leg, and darkness swirled around the wound, seeming to heal it. Several columns of darkness arose from the ground, releasing countless dark creatures.
I shook off the last of my fatigue, and rushed forward, battle discs ablaze. I leaped and spun, slicing across and destroying one of the forms in one fell blow. My feet touched ground, and I dashed forward, swinging to the side and destroying another on my path to Quicksilver. He used his dagger to taunt me on, and when I jumped at him, he blocked my attack deftly. He spun around and attempted an elbow jab, but I was able to dodge to the side and slice across at him. My attack was blocked, but clumsily. He had been thrown off-balance, and I had one more chance to take advantage of that.
I ducked low, and sliced at his legs. My attack finally connected, and he released a sharp breath of pain, before dropping his elbow onto my head, giving me a shock and causing me to lose my focus for a moment. I was kicked back, and landed in the sand, with a dark creature diving for me. I grimaced and threw a battle disc at it, embedding my weapon in its chest for the split second before it disappeared.
Around me was chaos. Scootaloo had lunged at Quicksilver, keeping him well-occupied, and everyone else was managing the dark forms, keeping them from wreaking further havoc in the town. I struggled to my feet, and deflected an attack from one of the creatures, catching my other battle disc as it returned. Applebloom and Angel worked together, their combined strength and speed proving effective in fending off the attackers. Raphael stood firm, his sword a constant blur, one attack always leading into the next. Sweetie Belle stayed above the fray, launching arrows and light spells alike into the mass of dark creatures.
Quicksilver ducked out of the way of Scootaloo’s attack, then back-flipped further, sheathing his dagger and drawing his crossbow, already loaded. He fired, but his attack was deflected by a burst of light from Sweetie Belle. She dove to the ground, firing an arrow of her own, but missed. Quicksilver rushed towards Scootaloo, smashing a vial into the ground. The blast knocked both of them back, as well as Sweetie Belle. Quicksilver landed roughly on his feet, and while Scootaloo was knocked onto his back, Sweetie Belle recovered in the air and charged at him.
I slashed across, destroying the two shadow forms rapidly approaching, and kept one eye on the battle between Sweetie Belle and Quicksilver, in case she needed help. She kept him at a distance with her light spells, while launching another arrow every few seconds, few hitting. Those that did hit were ineffective, as the wounds healed before the next could hit. However, Quicksilver’s attacks were ineffective as well, his bolts consistently being deflected by Sweetie Belle’s light magic, or simply dodged.
Sweetie Belle’s attacks were growing more erratic, but I could tell that it was becoming more difficult for her opponent to dodge. More arrows were striking, and gradually, more and more black smoke began rising from Quicksilver’s body. It wasn’t clear what had caused this sudden change in the flow of battle, but Quicksilver soon realized that he was no longer winning. He snarled, and lunged forward with his knife, against which Sweetie Belle had little defense. I dashed forward at him, hoping to intercept, but I couldn’t make it in time. She was sliced once straight across the midsection, her sudden cry of alarm ringing with the sounds of battle, then she was slammed backwards to the ground, bleeding. I had nearly made it to Quicksilver, but was attacked from behind before I could retaliate on Sweetie Belle’s behalf.
I struggled under the weight of the dark creatures, and while I knew I could break free, it seemed as though I was too late. Quicksilver armed his crossbow, aiming a bolt at Sweetie Belle’s head, a foot on her chest. She was too injured to avoid the inevitable attack, and I felt like the world was moving in slow motion.
I heard the whistle of a weapon behind me, and watched as a blur of black and silver spun forward and knocked Quicksilver back. The blur stopped just past Sweetie Belle, and I could now see a young person in an Order cloak, with long black hair, and the gleam of a pair of sunglasses shining off of their face, though I couldn’t clearly see the shape, or whether this person was a boy or a girl. Their weapons were two blades, each reaching about a foot from each end of the handle, then curving around one side to meet each other, forming a semicircle. The other side was where the figure held the strangely-shaped weapons from.
“Alex!” Quicksilver shouted. “There you are! What the hell are you doing? And where are Max and Gilda?”
“Dead.” He answered, his voice not very deep, but deep enough that I was able to identify this newcomer as male. “They started arguing, then it became a full brawl. Max told me to run, and if I hadn’t, I probably would have been caught in the blast. Neither one of them walked away from it.”
Quicksilver adopted an exasperated expression, one that could even be called a look of panic. “Both dead…? Well, that doesn’t mean you have to do this, Alex. The Order needs you. First the Doctor ran away all those years ago, we can’t find Spitfire again, and we’ve had two others turn coat; I’m sure you can guess who. Don’t throw away your chance to help the world, Alex!”
“I’m not.” he said, shifting his weapons at his side. “The Order isn’t helping the world, it’s breaking it. The Doctor knew it, my sister and Tug knew it… and I know it.”
“So there’s no swaying you, then…?” Quicksilver said, not expecting an answer. “Fine. Die, traitor!”
~
Octavia
The three rushed forward again, fending off against the dark beasts. Minuet rose above the battle, observing from afar and recovering from her wounds. Bon Bon spun forward, slicing three of them apart with her blades, and Lyra and Octavia continually fired away at them with their bows. However, there were more of the creatures than the party of three had the resources to deal with, and the mob of enemies began to inch closer.
Lyra fell in closer to Octavia, drawing her combat knife, and she and Bon Bon began fending off the beasts, while Octavia continued to attack from what distance she could afford. Soon, however, Octavia was forced to draw her own combat knife, and slash around the long-reaching but clumsy claws of her enemies. Above, Minuet seemed perfectly content to let the three be overrun.
Octavia leaped backward after slashing another dark creature to destruction, and felt something bump against her side in her pocket. She ducked low and stabbed another beast, turning it to smoke, and reached into her pocket while there was a short lull in the battle. Her hand wrapped around a slender chain, and she pulled the Icarus Charm from her pocket, salvaged from the Icarus Manor just as the rapier had been.
“Go! I’ll cover you!” Lyra shouted, slicing through two dark beasts, then drawing her crossbow. Octavia nodded, and slipped the charm over her head, a sense of trepidation filling her chest.
~
Scratch
Quicksilver loosed the bolt in his crossbow, but the boy called Alex deftly deflected the attack with a flick of one blade. He didn’t even move his head or seem to look at the shot. Quicksilver quickly stored his bow and drew his dagger again, and he and Alex rushed at each other, blades at the ready. When he turned, I could see more clearly the sunglasses on Alex’s face; they were a strange triangular shape, with one corner of each meeting at the nose, one just below the eyes, and the last pointed up and away from the face. The two became locked in a duel, a dance that seemed well-practiced already. This was clearly not the first time these two had fought against one another.
I dispatched the dark forms around me and rushed to Sweetie Belle’s aid. She was struggling to her feet, but was in pain from her wound.
“Dinky, she needs healing!” I shouted. I then turned back to Sweetie Belle. “Are you alright? How bad is it?”
“I’ll… I’ll be alright… Honestly, I think my head hurts more than the rest of me, but not by much…”
Dinky’s on her way, but it may be a minute or two before she reaches Sweetie Belle. We may not have that long…
“Scratch.” Sweetie Belle said, drawing my attention. “I’ll be alright. I’ll fall back and get healed. Take this, and don’t let that slime escape!” She took my hand, took the Icarus Charm from around her neck and placed it in my palm. The wings vanished in a small burst of light from her back, and she nodded to me. I waited until she had risen to her feet and began making her way away from the center of the battle, with Angel breaking off from where he was fighting to cover her. I then looked at the charm, and slipped it over my head.
~
Octavia
There was no response from the charm at first, and Octavia glanced over her shoulder to see if it had had any effect. However, just as she was beginning to feel doubt, she also began to feel the effects of the magical artifact. A sharp pain flared in her back, growing rapidly. She grit her teeth, and saw that the Icarus charm was glowing furiously. With one final burst of pain and light, Octavia felt a new weight behind that spot on her back, and a smile grew on her face. She tensed her legs and leaped into the air, and her new wings caught her mid-jump and held her aloft.
She locked gazes with Minuet, who had clearly not been expecting this, and flew towards her. Octavia was able to set loose an arrow before her opponent could react, and the shot landed square in her left shoulder. Octavia allowed herself a smile, knowing that she had wrenched control of the battle- if only for the moment- and drew the rapier from her belt. Minuet was only just able to raise her sword in time to parry. Octavia knew she was outclassed in raw skill with the sword, but as long as she had the advantage of momentum, she would keep the upper hand in the battle.
“Your move.” Octavia said with a grin, lunging forward again.
~
Scratch
“Nice wings.” Quicksilver jeered, ducking and parrying another attack from Alex’s round blades.
“Still better than what you’ve got, pal.” I retorted, calling up a fire spell on my battle discs. The crystalline wings twitched slightly behind me, ready to leap into action. Luckily, the charm seemed to do most of the work, as I had no personal experience with flying. I shifted the battle discs in my hands and rushed forward, joining Alex in the battle directly against Quicksilver. Alex used a fighting style not unlike my own, taking advantage of the unique weight of his weapons to complete more complex and agile attacks, always keeping one weapon close to guard while slashing with the other. Knowing this, I was able to lock steps with him, and keep Quicksilver on his toes against two highly mobile fighters. With one of us always engaged against him, he was unable to draw his more dangerous crossbow, and was forced to continue fending off our blades with his dagger.
I could see him getting angrier, and several times his hand made a quick dart for his belt, only to be pulled back to defend. At last, though, his free hand retrieved something from his belt, and my eyes widened in alarm when I saw another vial of explosive liquid.
“Move!” I shouted. Alex’s head turned slightly in response, and as I dodged backward, I could see him making a few hasty steps back as well. We were able to avoid the worst of the blast, but the sheer force still sent us both tumbling a few more paces backwards. Quicksilver took more damage from the blast than we did, but black smoke continued to flow from his body, repairing his open wounds. He grimaced, and cast his hand to the air, a massive pillar of darkness forming behind him. A large pair of yellow eyes opened in the smoke, and with one last pained grin, Quicksilver stepped through the pillar and disappeared. In his place, a huge dark beast stepped through at least two stories high, dragging itself into the sands and into the battle.
I gave a quick glance back to check on the rest of our party. The army of dark forms seemed to be dwindling, and Sweetie Belle was back on her feet, firing arrows and light magic alike furiously at her enemies. I saw another unfamiliar figure fighting among my team as well, one with a mess of sky blue hair, a light jacket, and an unremarkable sword. He was holding his own near Raphael, but did not seem to be an expert of his weapon.
“He’s with me!” Alex shouted, adjusting his weapons. “Don’t worry about him! Help me kill this thing!”
I nodded, and the two of us charged at the giant dark form. The fatigue of battle was beginning to catch up to me, but we couldn’t stop as long as these things walked the sands.
~
Octavia
Minuet moved backward, floating on suspended darkness, and hauled across with her wider sword. Octavia had to brace herself to stay afloat in the air, as the rapier was not built for parrying. Octavia’s own skill with the blade was not as tested as her opponents’, either, and she knew that she had been put on the disadvantage. She flapped backward a few feet, then dove in again for a stab. The duel above the battle on the barren fields became a flurry of blades, Octavia using the extra agility afforded to her by her new wings to stay out of the reach of Minuet’s sword, occasionally landing a hit, occasionally being hit herself, the sting of her opponent’s blade slowing her for only a moment before she dove back in once more.
Octavia lunged forward, her attack parried and slid aside by Minuet’s blade. Minuet then swung in for an overhead slice, but Octavia was able to dodge out of the way and slice at Minuet’s leg, though the damage was minimal. She spun the sword back around again to block the next attack, which came directly over her head. The impact knocked her a few feet closer to the ground, but gave her enough room to backpedal again and prepare for another round of attacks.
A glance downwards showed Octavia that the battle below was drawing to a close, with Lyra and Bon Bon finishing off the last of the dark forms, but Minuet was too absorbed in her personal fight to notice. I just need to keep her distracted for another minute or two… she thought, slashing forward and parrying yet another attack. Minuet spun around and slashed from below, and Octavia was only just able to block. Another attack was right on its tail, the sword flicking back around and slicing at Octavia’s midsection, and this attack connected. She let out a sharp breath and flapped her wings, floating backwards and preparing for another exchange.
A beam of light erupted from the ground, and Minuet was only just able to avoid being hit head-on by it, instead being hit in the leg. Octavia glanced down to see Lyra, crossbow still aimed at Minuet, a triumphant gleam in her eyes. The dark beasts below had been completely dispatched.
Minuet glared, but then gave a sharp, harsh laugh. “So be it. We’ll finish this at Eclipse.” With that, she floated backwards, the darkness rising from her body growing to completely shroud her. It faded, and she was gone.
Octavia floated back to the ground, and removed the Icarus Charm from her neck. The wings disappeared in a short flash of light, completely painless upon exit as opposed to entry. Octavia looked to her companions, and they both nodded.
“We’ll finish resting for the night.” Bon Bon stated. “Tomorrow, we reach Eclipse, and- with any luck- we’ll end this.”
~
Scratch
I leaped into the air, battle discs blazing behind me, and slashed across at the giant. My attack slowed its advance, and Alex’s subsequent spinning slash to its knees brought it to a full halt. A massive claw dragged across, and Alex was hit square in the stomach, knocked back into the fray of the battle. I spun and slashed at the beasts’ hand, causing it to retract it quickly, and glanced back at Alex. He had risen to his feet again, and was clutching his side, but I could see darkness rising from his skin, just as I had seen on Quicksilver. A sense of worry filled my stomach, but I didn’t have time to think about it. He was on our side for this battle.
Sweetie Belle was beside me, an arrow glowing with light breaking free of her bow. The shot darted through the air and embedded itself into the giant’s chest, and the dark and light began to react and smoke. I turned to her and nodded, confident that she knew what to do. The vague sense of alarm I already had brewing in my stomach grew when I looked her in the eye: they weren’t just sparking with energy and adrenaline, but were literally glowing, with some kind of magic that I wasn’t able to identify.
Everyone is wearing thin. I realized. Not just from this battle, but from the whole conflict. I don’t know what’s happening, but I’m afraid that things may start falling apart… Just hang in there, Sweetie Belle!
I jumped again and blocked the giant’s next attack, as Sweetie Belle continued to fire charged shots into it. Each that struck home caused the same reaction, and soon the beast was burning in dark smoke from countless places on its body. We knew that this was damaging it, but it showed no signs of dying, still continuing to drag itself forward, closer to the village.
Alex rushed forward again, head down, and leaped into the air. He twisted midair, his body spinning, and slashed across the beasts’ chest. This caused a noticeable effect, and the giant attempted to swat at him, missing by a hair. He swung back around again immediately, jumping high and slashing at its head. His attack connected, but the beast didn’t miss this time. Its massive hand grabbed Alex by the waist on his way down, then pulled back its other fist, ready to strike. One of the blades clanged to the ground, while the other remained by Alex’s side.
Sweetie Belle exhaled sharply, then released an arrow that sailed straight into the monster’s fist. His grip on Alex remained strong, but his other fist reeled back in pain, smoke rising from the fingers. She reached for another arrow, only to find her quiver empty. She grimaced, but locked her eyes on those of the giant in determination. A light spell began charging on her bare hand, and while I had seen her do so in the past, this one seemed bigger than anything she had ever attempted. With a short cry, she thrust her hand forward, a beam of light blasting through the air and rending a hole straight through the giant.
The beast grunted and dropped Alex, who fell heavily to the ground. Black smoke began rising from the hole immediately, but the damage was too great to repair. The beast stumbled back a few steps, becoming completely enveloped in smoke. This time, when it faded, there was nothing standing in its place.
I turned to survey the rest of the battlefield, but it seemed as though the rest of the fight had come to a close as well. Dinky was rushing around, healing wounds, while Scootaloo, Raphael and Applebloom were doing the same as me and making sure we truly had vanquished all the dark forms. I glanced to Alex, who had picked himself up off the ground again, wisps of darkness fading from his body.
Sweetie Belle remained standing for a moment, panting from the battle, before sinking to her knees. I made my way to her immediately, the others joining us just as swiftly. She held a hand to her head, light still glowing from her eyes and dully from her hands.
“Sweetie Belle!” Applebloom exclaimed, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Are you alright? What’s wrong?”
“Nhng… My head…” she grunted, “feels like it’s gonna explode…”
My mind raced, but I couldn’t think of anything to do. I didn’t know what was wrong with her, or how to go about finding out and fixing it. If Doc were there, he would have known what to do, but I had no idea how to handle a situation like this by myself.
Before I could slip into panic, I heard the sound of a voice begin, and turned to see that it was coming from Alex. He was singing, but in a language I didn’t understand. The tune sounded familiar, but I wasn’t able to place it right away. Although I could see no magical effects of his song, the sound seemed to be soothing Sweetie Belle’s head all the same.
It was at that moment that I realized what song Alex was singing, and I wasn’t the only one. “That song…” Scootaloo began, “That’s the one Fluttershy would sing. The heron song, what was it…”
Alex finished his song, then nodded. “The Galdr of Bliss, yes.” he confirmed. “One of my friends, Max, taught it to me. I’m no heron, so it doesn’t have any magic tied to it… But I thought it would still help calm her mind.”
Sweetie Belle pulled herself into a normal sitting position, and nodded. “Well, you were right… My head still hurts, but it’s better… Man, not to sound repetitive, but I would kill for just a sip of good wine right now…”
I turned to Alex and nodded in gratitude. “I’ve only a guess about who you are, but I know that we owe you. We may not have all walked away from this battle without your help. Your name was Alex, right?”
“Yes.” he said, looking in my direction, but seemingly not directly at me. “And we seem to share a common enemy: my former employers. May I ask your names?”
We all introduced ourselves, and he seemed somewhat surprised when I stated my name. “Scratch… The one who travelled with the Doctor, right?”
My eyes widened in surprise. “Yeah! At least… before the Order got to him. That’s why I’m fighting against them.”
He nodded, but had a slight smile on his face. “Good to hear, but it sounds like you’ve been misled. I can’t be surprised. The Doctor isn’t dead. They’ve got him prisoner, but he’s still alive.”
I wasn’t able to formulate a response at first, and when I did, it was simply: “Do you mean it? Did you see him?!”
“Well… no.” he answered. “But, then, I don’t see anything. I’m blind, you see.” He removed his triangular shades for a moment to show me a pair of cloudy, sightless eyes, before slipping the shades back on again. “But I overheard my former allies, and there’s no mistaking it. They’ve got him locked up, probably to use him as a bargaining chip against you. Against us, if you’ll have me. There’s strength in numbers, and it’s suicide to try and take on the Order alone.”
“We’d be glad to have you, but there are a few things I need to ask first.” I said. He nodded. “I noticed your wounds healing with darkness earlier, the same as the other Order members we fought against.”
He sighed. “That’s part of the curse of being part of the Order. No matter how hard you try, you get steeped in darkness, and it’s hard to get out again. You use it, and it uses you… and the longer you use it, the deeper it sinks its claws in you. I don’t want it, but it’s not as easy as just not using it. You have to fight against it, and… I don’t know how.”
I heard someone else clear their throat, and turned to see Luna. She had mostly stayed at the edge of the battle, and seemed to have avoided serious injury. “We- I, sorry- may be able to help. I was in a similar situation once, but learned to conquer and control the darkness rooted in me. If we work together, we may be able to do the same for you.”
Alex nodded earnestly. “I would appreciate that.”
“I also wanted to ask,” I began, “about your ally here. I haven’t heard a word out of him yet.”
The ally in question stepped forward, and I was able to see him more clearly. I hadn’t noticed in the chaos of the battle, but there was a horn rising about an inch from his head, a slightly lighter shade of blue than his hair. The only other place I had seen such a feature was on the Order’s Number Two. This meant that this boy was one of the surviving Children of Water, as Spitfire had told me.
“My name’s Cole.” he greeted. “I was… with the Order for a while as well, but not as a proper member. I was closer to a slave, really, along with my sister, Tizona. We were the weapons of Number Two, and he kept a close eye on us… At least, until this conflict started. In the chaos, I was able to slip out, but I need to get back to save my sister.”
“He and I share that goal.” Alex added. “My own sister’s out there somewhere, too, fighting against the Order wherever she is. Lenora… I’m hoping we get to reunite with her before this is all over. We’ll need her, Tug, and whoever else they’ve recruited.”
“Lenora…” I thought for a moment. “Doc mentioned her. He was her teacher, right?”
“Almost like a father.” Alex confirmed. “She and I were brought into the Order when we were young. Doc trained her, and Spitfire trained me… It was as close to real family as we had. It was… good, for a while.”
Alex seemed to retreat into his own thoughts for the moment, so I allowed him his space and turned to Cole. “You’re one of the Children of Water, right? I spoke to Spitfire recently, and she mentioned them.”
He nodded, seemingly a bit surprised that I knew that much. “Yeah. Myself, my sister, and Number Two. We’re probably the only ones left. For a while, it was just Tiza and I, until the Order found us. From there, we’ve been kept under Number Two’s thumb…”
“As his personal agents?” I asked.
Cole shook his head. “Not exactly. When I said we were his weapons… I meant it in a bit more of a literal sense. Here, hold out your hand.” I did, more curious than hesitant. Cole closed his eyes and seemed to focus for a moment, then was enveloped in a flash of blue light. I felt something land in my hand, and found myself holding a familiar glowing blue katana. It was the same one that had run through Doc so long ago; but apparently had not killed him. The sword flashed blue again, and Cole returned to standing before me.
“This was the power of the Children of Water. Like water, we were malleable, able to change shape, to become the very weapons with which we fought. With practice, we were able to change shape to all manner of things, but we all have one weapon we are inherently able to become. My sister and I are swords, and on one occasion, I saw Number Two become a mighty battleax. Of course, this is useless without someone with the skill to use us as weapons.”
“What happened to the Children of Water?” I asked, genuinely curious. I hadn’t seen them before in my journeys through time, which was surprising.
Cole shrugged. “I wish I could tell you. Mine and my sister’s mother was a Child of Earth- our Water blood came from our father, and we never knew him- so we didn’t know anything about the legacy we carried until Number Two got to us. And what he told us, I’ve already told you. Apparently our people were driven to the brink of extinction long ago, but I do not know by whose hand.”
“I see…” I said thoughtfully. I made a mental note to make a physical note of this later. If Doc was still alive, he would want to see that there were still blanks that needed to be filled. “There was one other thing I needed to ask. Are you or Alex… dreamers? What I mean is, have you been having dreams lately in which you’re living another adventure through the eyes of someone else, someone not human?”
Cole’s eyes sparked with recognition. “Yeah, I have. I’m the hero of Hope in my dreams. Have you, as well?”
“Yes. I believe there are six of us, and with you here, this gives us five in our party. I don’t believe we have time to wait for the Dreamer of Space, though. The other three and I were just setting in to connect our journals, and begin tying the dreams together. We believe that they will be the key to striking against the Order.”
He nodded. “Very well. I’ll join you, then. Lead the way.”
~
Scootaloo
Soon, the dreamers had returned to the hotel room to connect their journals, leaving the rest of us to wait. One of the two new members of our party, Alex, now sat with us, while Cole left with Scratch, Applebloom and the others. The stories these two newcomers offered checked out, and I had no reason to distrust them, but I was still a bit uneasy at bringing them into the party. They were with the Order before. Maybe I’m worried that they might turn back… Or maybe I just don’t want to bring anyone else into this, when I know our lives are constantly on the line…
“So, Alex…” Sweetie Belle started, “How many times over do I owe you my life?”
Alex shrugged. “I saved you, then you saved me. I think we’re even.”
“Yeah, but then you fixed… whatever it was that was wrong with my head.”
He chuckled. “Alright, we’ll say that counts for half of one.”
“Hee hee… So, you said you were blind…?”
“Yeah.” Alex confirmed. “It’s alright though. I’ve been this way since I was born. I’m used to not being able to see, and I make do.”
“Hrm… Oh, I know! I can start by helping you get some new clothes. You kinda stand out with that cloak anyway. Let’s head into town, and we’ll find you something better.”
Alex nodded, and allowed Sweetie Belle to lead him elsewhere. I turned to Luna and Angel and shrugged, then began to make my own way into town for something to eat.
It was nearly three full days before I saw anything of the other half of our party. It took a longer time than I first expected for the five to compile their dreams, but I was told by Applebloom that the dreams hadn’t stopped, and that they were still receiving new information even as they compiled the old. At long last, however, Scratch approached me, and nodded knowingly.
“Gather the others. The story of our dreams is as complete as we can get it at the moment.”
My heart sped up slightly. Finally, we would be able to learn about these dreams, of what had happened in this story, and what that meant for our fight against the Order. I was eager to understand exactly what was happening, but at the same time, I was hesitant to know what had them all so scared.
The ten of us shortly gathered on the outskirts of town, where we wouldn’t be interrupted or listened-in on. There was some dry firewood gathered to the side, because although the afternoon was still young, we would likely be here for some time.
“Alright…” Dinky began, “I think I should start. Let’s see… The people in these dreams aren’t… Well, they aren’t people as we know them. They are called ponies, and resembled horses from Tellius, but smaller. And they can think and talk just the same as any human. Their technology even seems to surpass our own by centuries’ time. Anyway… We’ve organized the journals as a story, so that you’ll be able to hear the events the same way we saw them.”
She adjusted the journal on her lap and cleared her throat. “A young filly stands in her room…”
END OF PART TWO