Valley Of Rainbows: Seeking Solutions

by Sparx


Fury Of The Wild

Fury Of The Wild

Rover ran as fast as his legs would carry him, paw gripping so hard to his sword that he could feel his own pulse. He had to keep running, because if what Lyra said was accurate, and he had no reason to doubt it was, then Tanzick had an advantage over the dog now. He was marked, his shadow copied and his resistance against the creature weakened.

He paused for a moment, trying to catch his breath, hoping for his friends to catch up to him. I hope missus Lyra is right about this. He clutched at his heart, feeling it rapidly thumping against his ribcage. He looked to either side of him, hoping to see his friends catching up with him.

Unfortunately, what he was met with instead was the sight of gnashing jaws flying at him, propelled by powerful wings. He was quick to throw his sword before him, catching the creature’s jaws. Blood began to trickle down the blade from his gums, but his bite didn’t stop, despite the cut and burning. Rover felt pressure as the beast tried hard to shatter the blade with his teeth. The metal was stubborn though, and so was its wielder. Rover stoked the emerald flames of the sword, forcing them to reach up and burn Tanzick’s snout, forcing his mouth open again.

Rover took advantage of the opening, plunging his sword upward in an attempt to impale the peryton’s jaw, but missed, instead taking a hard shot to his wrist with a hoof. The painful jolt forced Rover to scream as his paw flew open, dropping his sword.

Tanzick seized his sudden opportunity, thrusting his antlers directly for Rover’s chest. If the dog had moved any slower, he would have been dead in an instant, but he managed to grasp the horns with his free paw and push back some. It wasn’t enough to prevent injury however, as he could feel the scraping against his sternum, causing tremendous pain.

He was quick to grab the other antler and start pushing back with all he had. The pain in his chest wasn’t the only thing holding him back however, as he began to feel his wounds from his fight against Foki opening, spilling more of his blood into his fur. He was tired and his mortality was becoming apparent as Tanzick pushed harder in an attempt to seize his heart.

A disgusting cackle escaped his maw. “I share your shadow, and it will remain until I eliminate you. And here’s a secret,” Tanzick grunted, shoving his antlers deeper, feeling the bone beginning to crack and wrenching a cry of agony from Rover. “Nobody has shared a shadow with a peryton and lived.”

Rover felt his heart beat at frightening speeds, as if it were trying to run from the coming attack. He began taking rapid, shallow breaths, pushing back as hard as he could manage in what seemed like a futile effort. “No reason I can’t be the first!” he shot back, not necessarily believing it himself, but trying to keep hope.

Hope became fleeting though as they both heard a loud crack, followed shortly by Rover screaming yet again in pain, yet more points of the monster’s antlers began stabbing at him as well. His vision grew dark as the anger and fear began to take hold, becoming the only strength he held and the final barrier between his organ and its approaching doom.

“Fido, now!” Lyra’s voice called from somewhere in the trees.

In seemingly a second, the massive dog barged out of his hiding spot with his axe juddering rapidly in his paws and glowing wildly. Rover pulled his arms away just in time for the axe to swipe down onto the creature’s antler, separating the pieces stuck within Rover and forcing the creature back.

Rover fell instantly onto his back, passing out from the pain. In the instant he had let go, the antler had pushed in ever so slightly, and now his heart felt the angry poke of the severed horn.

Their plan hadn’t worked as well as they had hoped, but Rover was still alive. Fido faced off against the creature, vibrating blade in his paws.

“You damned creature!” Tanzick hissed. “How did—”

The swing of the axe interrupted him, forcing him to duck. Fido didn’t pause to answer anything, determined to keep the offense up for as long as he could manage it. He didn’t think Lyra’s plan necessary, believing that he and Spot had been managing alright against the beast, but he trusted her judgement.

The unicorn kept herself out of sight, humming quietly to herself, concentrating everything she had into keeping her enchantment active on Fido’s axe. It was a spell well beyond a unicorn of her level, allowing a blade to take on properties able to sever heads and limbs with even the simplest of strikes. If the weapon hit someone, they were going to lose something.

Fido kept swinging, aiming primarily for the rest of Tanzick’s antlers, attempting to disarm him from his most valuable weapon.

Spot emerged as well, quick to make his way to Rover, placing an ear to his heart to make sure he was still alive. The thumping had become weak and faint, but it was still there. With that knowledge, he brought his head back up, his leader’s blood covering half his face.

As Fido kept the peryton at bay, Spot began to work quickly, pulling out the salve they had received from Shepard. He grabbed hold of two of the antler points, reluctant to move as he saw Rover wince in pain, but after closing his eyes and tugging quickly, he plucked the points out. Rover’s eyes flared open as he let out a howl of agony, blood flowing quickly from his wounds. Spot scooped up two pads of the salve and was fast to apply it to the holes. The magical paste held fast, keeping the dog’s blood in his body. The smaller dog repeated the process until his leader was all patched up and passed out.

When he checked again to make sure that Rover was still alive, he took to his feet, drew his daggers, and charged to Fido’s side. As Fido kept up the assault, aiming for the antlers, Spot whirled his blades in a flurry, attempting to stick the creature in its eyes or slit open his throat.

The duo began to prove dangerous to Tanzick, he couldn’t turn back on the offensive, taking shallow cuts all across his face. It seemed whenever he would turn away from one attack, the dogs would meet him with another. Though he took more close calls to his throat, he was especially protective of his antlers, dodging any swipe the axe took to his antlers.

From her hiding place, Lyra began to feel very faint. This spell was one of her most powerful, and it was draining her energy quickly. She was going to have to let go of it soon or risk leaving herself unguarded and the dogs without aid. She kept her hum going, focusing as hard as she could with her dwindling power.

She wasn’t the only one to notice the drop in power. Fido had noticed the glow in his blade flickering like a dying light. He didn’t pause or hesitate however, knowing that if time was running out, he had to try harder. He continued to swing his vorpal blade against the branches of antler before him, growing more and more frustrated with each missed swipe.

Tanzick caught on quite quickly though as well, and with a smile that forced Fido’s stomach to drop, he lunged back onto his talons, stretching one out and catching the handle of the axe right as it was about to sever his head. He gave a sudden push, knocking the large dog onto his back before hopping and smacking Spot with his hoof across the jaw, exposing the smaller dog long enough for him to grasp him with a talon, pinning his arms to his side.

“Perhaps it’s time I stopped playing with my food, don’t you think?” Tanzick spread his jaws wide, pulling Spot closer as he struggled to break free of the avian claw. He could feel drool splashing across his face and the hot, moist breath of the creature as its throat came into view.

Spot shut his eyes tight and looked away, not looking forward to what was coming next. What he wasn’t expecting was for it to take this long however. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes and saw he was still at the same point as when he closed them, not being drawn any closer or the teeth clamping.

“Get out! Quick!”

Spot turned his head to the voice and saw Lyra standing a few feet away with her legs set firmly in the dirt, sweat dropping from her brow and her horn glowing violently. “I can’t hold him much longer!”

Spot was quick to act, struggling his hardest, and began pushing the talons outward. He was getting them to open, but too slowly for what he needed. He felt it was no use.

Before he could give up however, Fido was at his side, grabbing hold of the bird-like grippers and prying them open. When they were wide enough, Spot dropped to the ground and Fido gave a wicked punch into Tanzick’s lower jaw, before turning and running back for his weapon.

Lyra’s horn stopped glowing and she fell into the dirt with a final exhausted sigh, closing her eyes. Fido and Spot found themselves alone, two on one against a beast that was proving incredibly difficult for them, and guarding two unconscious allies with no plan.

The two stood side by side, ready to face off against their attacker. Tanzick charged them, antlers pointed forward. Fido stepped forward, catching the peryton and holding him back. Spot took advantage of the moment, moving to stab into Tanzick’s throat. He wasn’t expecting him to step backward however, forcing Fido to lose his footing and fall forward on top of Spot.

The two scrambled to try and bring themselves back to their feet, panicking as they saw Tanzick spread open his maw, drooling as he began running for Rover once again. They both cried out in anger and desperation, terrified for their leader’s life as he was scooped under Tanzick’s fangs.

With a menacing chuckle, Tanzick began to position Rover for a large bite with his tongue, making sure the other dogs could witness what was happening.

Then half his vision was gone, and he felt an incredible amount of pain. His scream forced Rover to drop back to the ground and reel backwards, throwing a foreleg in front of his eye, or rather, as he found out, his lack thereof.

“WHO DID IT!? WHO ARE YOU!?” Tanzick roared, flipping open his one good eye. In front of him he saw the cyan pony he had met above the trees, standing above the dog in a defensive position, staring daggers in his direction with a hoof held out to her side, his missing eye impaled on its blade. He flared his nostrils in fury, crouching for an attack, but before he could charge, the two other dogs rushed to her side, the large one carrying the unicorn on his back, and both clutching their weapons. From behind them all, two more ponies arrived on the scene riding atop moving trees.

The rage he had felt subsided as he felt a sick pleasure wash over him when the yellow pegasus came into view. He flared his wings, ignoring the pain Spot had inflicted in his joint, and took to the sky.

“Applejack, Fido and Spot, stay here and protect these two! See if you can manage to get Lyra back up! Fluttershy, you’re with me!” Rainbow Dash ordered, taking to the sky as well.

The others obeyed their commands, acting quickly. Applejack was fast to make sure Rover was stable and checked for new injuries.

Fluttershy knocked her hoof against her treant’s head, communicating what she wished of them before following Rainbow Dash.

The pegasi breached the treetops, getting a good look at Tanzick awaiting them. Nobody seemed ready to make the first move, the ponies staring down the peryton and the peryton staring down the ponies.

“Awfully kind of you to lure my prey out of hiding.” Tanzick smiled. “Been combing these woods for a long time trying to find her.”

Dash turned to Fluttershy, seeing the animal return to her eyes. “Fluttershy, are you with me?” She received no response, watching her friend float there with cloak blowing in the wind and eyes sharply focused. Dash turned back to see Tanzick returning the glare to Fluttershy, beginning to feel as if she were more an interference than a leader.

The way these two looked at one another reminded her of when she would go over to Fluttershy’s cottage. She remembered a time when she was left in charge and accidentally let a snake and a mongoose meet. The image of two natural enemies sizing one another up, communicating silently that only one would be walking away from the encounter alive. Back then, Fluttershy had arrived in time to break the fight up and separate the two. This time though, there wasn’t going to be anyone to break up the fight.

“Fluttershy… should I stay out of this?” Dash asked.

Fluttershy only gave a quick glance in Rainbow’s direction, but it was enough for her to know everything. Dash nodded and flew back, taking place as an observer.

“I’m not letting you die though,” she called out. “You get to throw blows, but finish him, or I will. We need you,” Dash clarified.

Fluttershy nodded, her gaze unturned from Tanzick’s eyes. The peryton gave a final chuckle, blood spilling from his empty eye and missing ear, but despite his injuries, he seemed renewed.

The three of them heard no sound but their wing beats for what felt like an eternity, neither Fluttershy nor Tanzick willing to make a failed move.

It seemed to happen faster than Dash could blink; Fluttershy and Tanzick were on top of one another, throwing hooves with ferocious speed and force. They couldn’t seem to land anything solid though, both trying to avoid taking any serious damage.

It didn’t take long for swings to start hitting hard though, and Fluttershy was the first one to deliver, sinking one of her thorns deep into Tanzick’s right shoulder. He roared in pain, delivering a bite into Fluttershy’s shoulder in return. They separated and began plotting their next attacks.

Lowering their heads, they both flew for one another, meeting antler to antler and eye to eye, pouring their hate for each other through their eyes.

Rainbow had no idea what had brought these two to such a powerful level of anger and hatred for one another. Every strike was made to kill, every move was aimed for a vital, and none of it seemed planned out beyond the instance it took place. They were both running on pure animal instinct and blood thirst. They were both beasts, even sweet and tender Fluttershy.

The yellow pegasus snarled and gnashed her teeth as if her intelligence were of no use to her. She had transformed, even her fur stood on end, pointing her ears and sharpening her muzzle, she looked almost like a wolf during a hunt.

Tanzick flung his head back, trying to rip Fluttershy’s crown from her head, but she flew along with the motion, bringing herself above the peryton so that they were back to back. She spun herself rapidly, forelegs out to her sides, turning herself into a giant spinning buzz saw of feathers and thorns. Tanzick’s neck suffered five rotations before he managed to drop himself below her reach. Fluttershy pursued though, hooves outstretched. She missed the impalement, but slashed across his side as she dove by.

Tanzick was growling in rage, sick of taking damage, and took the first chance for the offensive he could, clutching Fluttershy in his talons when she fell below him. With a greedy grin, he began to squeeze and crush her, forcing a scream out of the pony that sounded more appropriate for a wild dog.

Rainbow readied herself to jump in and help, but a sudden glance from Fluttershy froze her once again. This was personal, and Rainbow was not allowed to interfere.

Fluttershy pushed aside the pain of her ribs bending to their breaking point, sticking one of her thorns deep into Tanzick’s neck. The pain released his grip and Fluttershy used her wings to catch herself from dropping. She didn’t stop for a second, turning her attention back onto him and planting another thorn on the other side of his throat. Tanzick tried to scream, but blood was all that escaped his mouth.

The two of them locked eyes as Fluttershy kept the thorn in his neck, exchanging looks before she pulled her forehoof back, releasing him, and letting blood fly from the wound.

Things went silent as Fluttershy took a few flaps backwards, Tanzick struggling to keep his wings going with the severity of his wounds. He didn’t last though, and his eyelids drooped, his body following shortly after. The next sound they heard was the crashing of leaves and branches as his body plummeted to the forest once more.

Rainbow Dash looked on with her jaw agape. “Fluttershy… holy sh—”

She was interrupted suddenly by a deep and bellowing roar, coming from the direction of the marshes. The sound was hollow and lifeless, unnatural and chilling.

What the hell? Rainbow looked in the noise’s direction. She looked up to Fluttershy who had turned her gaze to the sun, both of them realizing that it had gotten late with the dark fast approaching.

“We have to go,” Fluttershy said.

“Why? What was—”

“NOW! RAINBOW!” Fluttershy was back to her normal self, terror in her eyes and urgency in her voice.

Dash simply nodded and the two of them dove back down into the forest. Rover had woken up, but wasn’t able to stand on his own, leaning against Fido for support with Lyra back on her own hooves.

“We gotta go guys,” Rainbow repeated Fluttershy’s order. “And from the sound of it, we gotta go FAST!”

The group nodded, Applejack quick to offer Rover transport on her back. Fluttershy gave her treants orders, dismissing them back to the glade.

The group took off quickly, Rainbow and Fluttershy hanging back to make sure nobody fell behind. Only a moment after, however, Fluttershy stopped, turning to look in the direction of where Tanzick had fallen.

“Fluttershy, come on! You said we have to go!” Dash insisted.

“I have to know he’s gone,” Fluttershy countered. “I need to know the forest will be safe.”

“Of course he’s gone!” Rainbow urged, trying to get them moving again. “We took care of it, now come on!”

“I can’t risk it, Rainbow Dash! I’m going to make sure!”

The roar from behind them came again, with massive thuds approaching as well; the sounds of splintering and crashing trees echoing along with the feral shouts.

“At this point, I don’t think he is what’s going to tear this place up, and I don’t think you’re too willing to go and meet whatever the hell that thing is behind us! We don’t have time for this mortal enemy shit and you’re no use to us or this forest dead, now come on!” Rainbow shouted.

Fluttershy looked back hesitantly, unwilling to leave her business unfinished, but she nodded in agreement, returning to Dash’s side as the two of them sped off towards the ship, shortly catching up with the rest of the group.

“Ah don’t mean ta be nosy at a time like this, but what exactly are we all runnin’ away from?” Applejack called over her shoulder.

“It doesn’t have a name, but it’s the most dangerous creature in this forest,” Fluttershy started. “We need to go before he tramples us, and we can’t come back where he walked for a week. He’s the source of most of the toxins in here!”

“But what is it?” No sooner had Applejack asked her question than the trees behind all of them toppled over. The fog began to flow rapidly towards the source of the crashing, into the mouth of a tremendous reptilian skull. “BUT WHAT IS IT!?” AJ repeated, screaming in fear.

“FASTER!” Rainbow cried. She couldn’t help but take a look herself though. Her ears went flat against her head, gulping hard and feeling her heart race. A colossal skeleton with decayed strips of flesh hanging like rotted gray flags flapping as it ran. Oh gods could this thing run, it was coming towards them at terrifying speed, sucking in air and fog and almost pulling the pegasi in as well. It let loose another roar, almost deafening everyone in the party and leaving them all with a loud ringing noise in their ears.

Everyone was running as fast as they could manage, Fluttershy and Rainbow having to struggle against the wind were keeping up from behind, but it was taxing. Rainbow began to feel her wing injury acting up, opening again and almost stopping her mid flight, but instinct and will kept her airborne. She noticed Fluttershy going through similar pains, her shoulder still bleeding and clutching at her ribs.

“Lyra, can you help with anything?” Dash asked in desperation, looking for options.

“I’m all tapped out!” Came Lyra’s reply. “I can only run!”

“Well then keep running!” It was the only thing they could do, they weren’t in any shape to take on something like this, and even if they were, it’d still be suicide.

They all began to feel the tire and pain catching up to them, having run half the forest trying to get away.

“We’re almost there!” Spot shouted through gasps. They could see the beach coming into view, hope pumping their legs forward with renewed vigor.

Dash couldn’t make the final stretch though as her wing gave out, the creature sucking her into his gaping maw. She closed her eyes, waiting for the jaws to clamp down upon her.

Fido had taken notice of this and acted quickly, jumping towards the skeleton. He grabbed hold of Rainbow Dash, hugging her tight to keep her close, and planted his feet on the monster’s snout, pushing off and landing next to Applejack and the others, continuing to run.

They came to the edge of the forest where suddenly they all heard Fluttershy shout “JUMP!” and they obeyed, taking a long leap, landing on the sands of the beach.

The others struggled to begin dashing for the ship again, but Fluttershy took her time to rest and catch her breath. “He won’t go beyond the forest,” she sighed. “We’re safe for now.”

At the mention of that, everybody stopped and plopped right into the sands, gasping for air. Sure enough, looking back, they saw the skeleton take a turn, continuing its rampage through the forest.

“Right,” Applejack panted. “Now… what in Celestia’s name was that thing?”

Fluttershy let out a sigh, followed shortly by a groan as she grabbed at her ribs again. “The trees insist that it is their wrath, but my master told me that it is the former creation of one of the titans. It’s a blight on the forest that comes with the night hours, reanimating the corpse of a dragon to decimate the wood and any travelers or inhabitants foolish or unfortunate enough to go wandering. The only way to avoid the chaos and destruction it brings is to either hide in the glade, or get out of the forest.”

“An’ you were all concerned about some flyin’ stag destroyin’ the forest?” Applejack asked with a crooked eyebrow.

“Nothing I protect leaves the glade at night,” Fluttershy countered, bringing herself up onto her hooves. “And each morning the trees return to their original position, giving them the idea that he’s something of theirs… Tanzick though…” She fell silent.

Everyone looked to Fluttershy, waiting for her to continue, but as she turned her back, they realized she wasn’t going to go on.

Rainbow Dash stood up next. “Hey, Fido,” she started, “thanks for getting me out of there.” The dog smiled and nodded in acceptance. Dash gave an entertained laugh. “You were pretty badass back there, jumping off a dragon to save me.”

“More agile than his appearance suggests,” Spot agreed.

Dash tried spreading her wings, but winced in pain. “Augh!” She gave a sigh. “Looks like I’m riding the boat back with you guys.”

“Actually joining us with the medic too,” Rover said, rubbing his wounds lightly. “We should probably bring new po-nee too. She doesn’t look in great shape either.”

Dash looked back to Fluttershy, still grabbing at her ribs. “I think we could all use a long rest,” Rainbow agreed.


Back on the Gilded Rain, Rover was rushed to the doctor on board. Dash and the others remained out on deck, planning out their next course of action.

Gilda was standing there when they arrived, waiting for their return. “Well, I see you’re all still alive, if just barely.” Her eyes drifted to Fluttershy. “Oh shit! You’re the one they were going for?” A bit of a cackle escaped the griffon. “I remember bumping into you in Ponyville. Timid little thing back then weren’t you? I’m guessing that due to the fact you’re coming out of there means you ain’t so timid anymore?”

Fluttershy simply curled her lip and turned her back, looking back to the forest.

“Or, maybe you are,” Gilda concluded with a shrug.

Dash walked over to Fluttershy. “You still thinking that guy is alive? After that giant fuckin’ zombie ran through?”

Fluttershy simply let out a sigh, shaking her head. “No, I don’t think so… but I feel that he is… probably just… disbelief that it’s over.”

Rainbow paused, studying Fluttershy’s behavior. “Thanks… for coming along,” she started. “When things are settled, I’ll bring you back if you want.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “You don’t need to do that. I know the way. Angel will keep things in check and the treants will keep it protected… The glade will be fine while I’m gone.”

“And even better when you return,” Dash finished, drawing a smile and a nod from Fluttershy. “I’m gonna go and check on Lyra, see if we can figure out where to go next.” Another nod from Fluttershy dismissed Dash.

Lyra was collapsed only a few feet away, scratching away at her journal with her quill in her mouth. She noticed Dash approaching and put the feather down in front of her. “Another rousing tale to entertain future generations, wouldn’t you say?”

“I guess that’s one way of putting it,” Rainbow returned. “Hey, not to seem demanding, but is it possible to get a scrying spell going to point us in the right direction?”

Lyra shook her head. “Wish I could, Dash. As I am right now though, I can hardly walk. I have to chronicle our latest endeavors by mouth, my magic is all tapped out for the day. Best I can do is tomorrow afternoon. Sorry.”

Rainbow Dash let out a disappointed sigh. “No need to apologize. Tomorrow should work fine; probably not a good idea heading off in this condition anyway.”

Lyra’s head bobbed in agreement. “Even the greatest of epics have their characters given time to recover, whether it is written or not. We heroes are not immortals after all.”

Rainbow chuckled. “That’s a fair point. Rest up Lyra, we can’t go very far with our navigator broken.” With a dip in her head that seemed like a bow, Lyra then picked up her quill and resumed her writing.

Dash decided it was about time to pack it in and started making her way to the ship's doctors. As soon as she passed the cabin doors though, she met somepony she wasn’t exactly in the mood to see.

“Ya wanna talk about what happened before them trolls came runnin’ up on us?” Applejack asked, leaning against the wall as if she had been waiting a while.

“What’s there to talk about?” Rainbow returned, walking past her friend before being stopped by an outstretched hoof.

“Plenty,” AJ retorted. “Ah’ll start off where I left it. You weren’t there.”

Dash let out a tired sigh. She almost felt like going back into the Reject’s Garden just to avoid this. “You told me to go, Applejack. You wanted me to go so you could too, so don’t even start dumping that junk on me.”

“Did it ever pass yer mind ta bring me along?” Applejack pushed.

“Yes, it did. But that would have defeated the purpose of trying to escape, wouldn’t it?”

“Jus’ how important was ah to ya then that ya couldn’t have brought it up?”

Dash curled her lip. “Are you being serious, Applejack? You are hearing yourself aren’t you? Why would I bring it up if I wasn’t serious about it?”

“Not serious about bringin’ me along?” AJ’s tone got more and more bitter.

“Stop!” Dash said. “You’re not thinking clearly, and I don’t want to get stuck in bickering with you over something stupid like this. You’re better than this, and so am I nowadays. Maybe when we were younger, I would have been in your position, but there is no need for this.”

“Ah’d say knowin’ where ah stand is a pretty good need,” Applejack shot back.

“You stand as my closest and best friend, that maybe there could have been something at some other time, but not now. I trust you with my life, and I look to you for help.” Dash took a moment to sigh. “But I need you to clear your head of this before I can even consider your advice. You’re the wisest of us AJ. Act like it.”

Applejack’s face didn’t change, but she pulled her hoof back, using it to pull her hat down in front of her eyes. Dash passed along, eager to leave the uncomfortable air.

Applejack let out a scoff once Dash had left, feeling the urge to scream, cry, or hit something all welling up inside her. If she had only acted before they all left, maybe things could have been different. She looked to the brim of her Stetson. An earthworm was hanging from it, almost as if it were looking at her. She gave a light smile to the little thing. “Hey there buddy. Least you seem ta care, huh?” A small wiggle from the bug made her giggle. “Maybe she’s right… ah might just be stuck in mah head an’ too focused on the past.” She looked back to the worm, and though most likely by coincidence, she could have sworn the worm was shaking as if it were saying ‘no’.