Chapter 1: Maiden
~-~
Atlas stood upon the edge of a cliff, his wings level with his crouched form. He peered out over the expanse of green below. In the distance he could see a familiar clearing of trees in the distance, where the small town of Emeraldine was situated. The soft visage of snow covered the great expanse, even as it fell from the sky above.
Atlas had a simple black leather barding covered his cold body, a dagger sheathed upon his left shoulder. It wasn’t much, but it was enough insulation and protection to make him comfortable. They covered his light grey coat, only visible between the stitched together armor, along with his hooves and face. His jaw was colored white in contrast, running down his chest and across his underbelly. His snow white mane, was long and unkempt, reaching just under his jawline. His oceanic blue eyes were covered by flight goggles, secured tightly around his head. A simple bow and quiver were secured to his back, and a dead rabbit hanging from his side.
A quick flap of his wings launched him into the open air. I soared low, sure to not clip the trees. His eyes scanned the area below him, searching for a small clearing to land in safely. The search ended quickly, as a small clearing soon appeared nearby.
Atlas came in close before closing his wings and dropping. He landed with a roll, breaking the fall and simultaneously drawing his bow and three arrows, one already in place, should there have been a dangerous animal. Once ensured of his safety, he relaxed the string and let his bow drop.
The clearing was as indescribable as that, a clearing, the only defining feature was a small pool of water. It was possibly a known resource for water to the animals of the forest. If he had some materials, he probably could have made a trap, sadly, he had no such material. Atlas walked in a random direction, his bow held ready in his left hoof.
The pleasant sounds of the forest played a natural soundtrack to his hunt. Atlas walked slowly, ensuring that he didn’t step on any twigs. He would have flew, so that he didn't have to worry about that, but the tree branches rested too low, hanging at a height of himself and a head.
The faintest of sounds reached his ears. With great speed, he spun toward a bush behind him, and released an arrow, the squeal of the small animal confirming his hit. After moving the leaves of the bush, it was revealed to be yet another rabbit. Atlas scoffed at the fluffy white creature. His tendency to catch rabbits had earned him a monicker of the same name within the town. With practiced ease, he remove his arrow and hung the rabbit next to the other on his side. He quickly moved on, knowing that the stench of blood could attract some more hostile denizens of the forest.
The forest continued playing it's natural sounds. Once Atlas believed he was a fair distance away, he slowed his pace. Ahead, he could see a small clearing, light brown shapes visible within. He pulled another arrow, holding two extra arrows in his wing, and creeping forward. As he neared he found that the shapes were a small herd of deer. They occupied most of the clearing, resting in the sunlight, and taking their moment of respite to eat and drink. Sadly, he had to disrupt their rest.
Atlas found a doe, toward the outer edge of the pack, it’s leg raised as though injured. He drew the bow’s string taut as he aimed at the young deer, and released the arrow. It struck true, embedding itself in his victim's neck. The herd immediately sprang into motion, bolting in the general direction of away. Once the herd had cleared, he moved out of his cover and approached the writhing creature that was left behind. He unsheathed his knife, quickly ending the beast’s suffering with a splat of blood. He removed the arrow and replaced it with the others. Then with a grunt of effort, he picked the doe up and rested the corpse on his back.
Atlas flapped his wings, slowly lifting off the ground. The flight was slow and costly, however it was the best way to return to town. Once above the treeline, he found Emeraldine, and angled himself homeward.
~-~
The small town of Emeraldine was, as the name suggests, very green. The soft grass almost seemed to glow in the clearing, each house, built of oak wood. A large majority of the residents had small plantings of crops in their yards, large enough to sustain them, and trade with. Some prefered to make other things, such as baskets and furniture. Then there were those who hunted, like him.
Our means of defence was as simple as a large fence with a few sentries to watch for wild animals. We didn't need any more than that. The only things that could get past the barriers was one of the cosmic beings, but they usually left us alone, so long as we returned the favor.
Atlas walked in through the front gate, the two sentries nodding in acknowledgment. The town itself was rather active. Many people enjoyed being outside, conversing with their friends and family while either working or resting. The town seemed to sense his presence, as many of the ponies turned to acknowledge his return. They greeted him with smiles and waves, sounding warm ‘Hello’s and ‘Welcome back’s.
He made his way to a large building, or at least, larger than most. A sign in front labeled it as the ‘Meat-Mart’. Yeah, it was a stupid name, but hey, it gets the job done. It was a butcher, the only one in the town. Seeing as he didn’t need a whole lot to sustain himself, when he got anything too large, he brought it to the owner of the Meat-Mart, Clean Cut. He bought the excess meat for a rather good price, which allowed him to buy some things that he would otherwise be unable to.
Upon entering the building, Atlas found himself overcome with the stench of meat. A pony stood behind the counter, his black mane slicked back. He was a unicorn, a dull red color acting as his coat.
“Rabbit! Good to see ya!” He said happily. If there’s one thing he learned about Clean Cut, it’s that he is almost always cheerful. It's kinda creepy.
“Nice too see you to, Cleaner.” Atlas replied, a smile on his face. “I brought you a present.” He told him, setting the doe on the counter.
“Ah, a doe. Seems to be in good condition, young yet plenty of meat.” He said, examining the corpse. “This is a good catch, Rabbit, and I see ya got two of those as well.” He said with a smile. “Anyways, I think I can give you fifty bits for this.”
“Fine with me.” Atlas replied. Clean Cut quickly disappeared into a back room, returning after a few moments, a small bag of bits levitating beside him.
“There ya go, Rabbit.” He handed the bag to him, where Atlas tied it onto his barding.
“Thanks, Cleaner. I’ll be seeing you.” Atlas called as he turned to walk out.
“Ya better, ya still owe me that drink!” He called back.
“I’ll get around to it.”
Outside, he stepped back onto the snowy streets. he made his way toward his house, which resided not far from the butcher’s shop. It was a small, two story house. Made out of oak wood, like the rest of the buildings of the town.
Upon opening the door, he entered a little, cozy living room, furnished with two chairs and a couch, all facing a fireplace on the far wall. A passage directly in front of the door led to the kitchen, a set of stairs between the walls separating the two rooms.
He moved into the kitchen, which was filled with various cutlery and cooking supplies. Cabinets lined the walls, and a large island was in the center, a pair of metal doors opening to a large metal cabinet inside. Atlas unstrung the two rabbits on his side and laid them upon the island.
He then set about the process of skinning and cleaning them. It wasn’t a very hard process, but it was rather time consuming. After the skinning, Atlas quickly set about cutting of usable pieces of meat. Once he had accomplished the task, he took the meat, cleaned it, and wrapped it in plastic before placing them in the island’s cabinet, which was enchanted to keep meat fresh.
Upon finishing, he headed upstairs. It was a small hallway with three doors, the doors on either side led to bedrooms, and the one at the end was the bathroom. The door to the left led to his little sister’s room, where as the door to his right was his. Apparently his sister, Lucky Clover, was out with her friends or something. He didn't worry too much, as she was old enough to do stuff on her own.
Atlas entered his room with a sigh. It was a small room as far as bedrooms go. A queen sized bed encompassed a good two thirds of the room, a small nightstand on either side. Above the bed was a window, its curtains cutting off a portion of the light. He stripped the leather barding from his coat, and hung it upon the wall, along with his bow and quiver.
He then moved back out and into the bathroom, which wasn’t much, it was a simple toilet, sink, and shower. He turned on the shower, letting the water warm up before stepping underneath. The warm water streamed over his body, causing him to release a sigh of content before going through the motions.
~-~
Atlas reemerged from his housing, thanks to his pegasus resistance to the cold, he had no need for anything more than his silver scarf. His little sister on the other hand, who was a unicorn, needed a scarf and boots. She was running over, a bright smile on her face.
"Las!" She called, using her nickname for him. When she was younger, she could never pronounce his name, always coming out as 'Las'. He guessed it just stuck over the years.
"Hey, Clover!" Atlas called back. She stopped just short of crashing into him. She was a brown mare, with a green braided mane. She was only a few years younger than himself, and she was only as tall as his chin, though the same could be said for almost any pony he met.
"Did you hear?" She asked, obviously excited.
"Hear what?" Atlas asked in confusion.
"Someone new is in town!" She squealed. "I heard that he's some sort of warrior who roamed the lands and helped people in need."
"Don't believe everything you hear, Clover. I'm sure he's just someone who's passing through." Atlas told her with a smile. "How's your day been?" He asked as he began to wander off.
"Well, me and Maroon were at the park..." She then spun off into a long tale of them, a dog, and a sandwich. One that left him rather confused by the end. "And that's how the park was made." She said with finality, and he just stared blankly at her.
"Remind me never to ask how your day was." Atlas told her, but she shook her head.
"You know I never do." She replied with a small laugh.
"I know."
"Anyways, how was your hunt?"
"Pretty good, I bagged two rabbits-"
"No surprise there." She commented.
"-and a doe." Atlas finished.
"Hey, you're moving up in the world!" She smirked causing atlas to roll his eyes.
"Yeah, I'm really climbing that ladder now." He grinned back. "Anyways, I got to go meet up with Spectra. She wanted to talk about our defences."
"Maybe, or maybe she wants to talk about something else." Clover said suggestively.
"We're just friends, Clover." Atlas replied quickly, a slight blush on his face.
"Sure, if you say so." She winked as she took her leave. Atlas rolled his eyes as she walked off. It was no secret that she spent a lot of time with him, but she was only a friend. In a town as small as Emeraldine, it wasn't uncommon for rumors to spread. Especially when two ponies spend a significant amount of time together. Brushing off some of the snow that had accumulated on his shoulder, he moved on.
Atlas walked towards the park, where he often met Spectra. The park wasn't very large, to say the least. It was more or less a small area of trees that the foals of Emeraldine enjoyed spending their time in. There was one bench off to the edge, where a white unicorn sat. In a three foot radius, everything was melted, and as soon as atlas neared, he felt warm as well. It was a simple heating spell that was spread out over a radius determined by the user. Atlas smiled as he stepped into the warmth of it, feeling the cold leave his body.
Spectra herself, was a white mare, as described prior. Her mane, however, was the special part about her. It was short and spiky, but colored in the same way as a rainbow. Her eyes were of a bright blue, as though it were a pool in an expanse of white.
"Rabbit!" She said in greeting, a smile on her face.
"A rabbit? Where?" Atlas asked jokingly, his head whipping around in a comical fashion.
"Haha, smartass." She chuckled, her eyes rolling. "Sit down."
"Don't mind if I do." Atlas replied with a smile, sitting on the bench next to Spectra.
“How was your hunt?” She asked casually.
“Fairly good. I got two rabbits and a doe.” Came the reply.
“Sold the doe?” She asked.
“Of course.”
“Good, I might have to get some of the meat later on.” Spectra said, with a smile. She really did love her venison. “Anyways, did you see anything on your hunt?”
“Nothing on the south or east side. I was planning to go north west in a couple days.” Spectra nodded at Atlas’ words.
“Good. I’ve been hearing rumors that the Star Beasts have been agitated as of late.” She said, her brow furrowed. “They haven’t been aggressive per se, but they seem to be coming closer towards the town.”
“That doesn’t sound good. It takes quite a bit to spook the Star Beasts.” Spectra nodded.
“Exactly. That’s why I called you here, do you think you could check it out?” She asked.
“Of course. If something is spooking them, we need to find out what it is.” Atlas said, a frown on his face. “If that’s the case, I need to get ready. The best time to observe the Star Beasts is during the night.”
“Right. Thanks again.” Spectra smiled as Atlas stood up.
“Hey, all you gotta do is ask. Of course, some food would be an acceptable bribe.” Atlas smirked.
“Oh, shut up.” She rolled her eyes. “I’ll make sure Clover makes you something nice when you get back.”
“Thanks. Well, I’m off.” He said as he walked off.
~-~
Atlas sat in a tree, his leather armor back on, and his bow in hoof. He watched as the sun slowly, lowered. He was near a known Ursa den. The bear Star Beast. The massive cave opening was shrouded in darkness, though he knew that before long it would light up. He kept his eyes towards the sky, watching the sun. Slowly, it moved, reaching downwards towards the horizon. Before long, it touched. The sky around the horizon forming into a bright pink and orange color. If Atlas were to turn around, he would see the sight of the moon slowly rising to replace its sister. When the sun fully disappeared, a faint light filled the cave. The light slowly, grew stronger, and a light thud could be heard.
Slowly, a beast emerged from the cave. It was only an Ursa Minor, but even so, it was massive. Standing at least as tall as a small tree, the glowing bear walked out into the open. Its glowing body was the same color as the night sky, various white dots that glowed like stars were spread out among it. On its forehead was a five pointed star, giving it the name of a Star Beast. The Ursa Minor peered around, seemingly fearful of something. Seeing nothing, the beast began to move forward for its hunt. Atlas placed his bow on his back as he followed the lumbering beast.
The movements were slow and loud, but its large legs were capable of crossing a large distance when it wanted to. Suddenly, the Ursa shot downwards, its jaws carving through the earth as it grabbed a small herd of deer in its teeth. With blood dripping down its jaws, the Ursa swallowed the deer before continuing. The Ursa moved on at a steady pace, never knocking down a tree, despite its size. It was about halfway through the night before Atlas saw something. It was faint, but there was a strange glint. Before Atlas could react, blood sprayed into the air. The Ursa stood there, a massive wound in its neck that was gushing blood. There was no sound, except for when it toppled over. Trees splintered and snapped as it fell over, a massive thud filling the air.
Atlas gaped at the scene, fear clutching his heart. He could not discern what could have killed an Ursa with such ease. Swallowing his fear, Atlas, slowly opened his wings and headed towards the sight, his bow already strung with an arrow.
Upon arrival, he found a veritable pool of blood that surrounded the upper body of the Ursa. The flow had slowed, as blood clotted in the wound, but the beast was assuredly dead. As he landed near the beast, he heard a low growl from behind. Swiftly turning, bow at the ready, he saw another Star Beast. This one was a Vulpes. He was slightly taller than Atlas, and its starry coat was a light grey instead of a blue. He had his ears back in an aggressive manner, his back arched slightly and tail swishing. he must have thought that Atlas had killed the Ursa Minor.
Atlas stood stock still, his arrow ready. The Vulpes stood at a distance, not daring to come closer. Slowly, Atlas loosened the tense bow, lowering it, causing the Vulpes to cock his head. Slowly Atlas laid the bow on the ground, showing that he was no threat. The Vulpes slowly moved towards him, obviously suspicious of the pegasus.
Atlas stood still as the Vulpes approached, that is, until a something gleamed in the night sky. Atlas, rushed forward, grabbing the Vulpes and jumping out of the way. The Vulpes bit deep into his arm as he did so. Suddenly, the ground exploded in a shower of dirt.
Looking back, Atlas saw a deep cut in the ground where the Vulpes stood moments before. He winced in pain as the Vulpes let go of his arm, staring at the cut in the earth. He whimpered as he seemingly understood what was happening. Another glint in the sky caused Atlas to react once more. The Vulpes whined as they hit the ground again.
"Dammit! Run, fox, run!" Atlas said as he began to run, which was difficult with the gaping wound in his leg. Suddenly, he was thrown into the air, landing softly on the Vulpes' back. The Vulpes nodded back at him as he began to sprint away. Wind blew past him as they ran.
The Star Beast zigzagged around the trees to make it more difficult for their pursuer. Faster and faster they went, continuing on for what seemed like hours, but in reality were only a couple minutes. Atlas panicked slightly as he suddenly found himself in the dark, but the Vulpes began to slow.
He was glad that the beast's coat was luminescent, as he got a vague idea of his surroundings. It was a rather large den under a tree, walls of dirt tightly holding the ground above up. The Vulpes slowly lowered himself, a drawn out breath escaping his nose.
"A-are we safe here?" Atlas asked him, unsure of if he would understand. The Vulpes turned back to him and nodded. This caused Atlas to smile. With a groan, Atlas rolled off the fox, landing with a thud. Struggling, Atlas sat up and pulled off his bags.
Opening the bag, he grabbed his canteen, pouring water onto his wound. Once he was satisfied it was clean of dirt and grime, he pulled out some bandaging and tightly bound his leg, stopping the blood flow. Obviously, he was gonna need more professional help, but it was good enough for the night. That line of thinking came from the need to stay with the Vulpes. It would be dangerous to go out during the night, when it would be difficult to see his attacker, and if he went alone, he would be screwed.
With a sigh, he laid down resting his head on his uninjured arm. Surprisingly, he found himself wrapped in starry fur as the Vulpes wrapped around him. Smiling gratefully at the beast fox, he rested his head in an attempt to sleep.
~-~
Atlas found himself yawning as he woke up from a restless sleep. He frowned as he remembered the events of the night prior. Looking around, he found that the Vulpes from the night prior was gone. With a sigh, he tried to stand, but fell on his face when his injured leg gave out. Groaning, he sat up, hoping that the Vulpes would be back.
As if summoned, the Vulpes walked into the den, a large leaf in its mouth. The Vulpes had lost his glowing coat, reverting to a dull grey color, white covering its belly. Atlas chuckled internally at their matching color scheme, even as the fox laid the leaf down before him. In the leaf was a large amount of blue-berries, which the fox nudged with his nose.
"Thanks." Atlas said with a smile, grabbing the leaf in his hooves. Glancing at the fox, he began to eat the blueberries, juice covering his muzzle as he did so. When he finished, he placed the leaf down, before being assaulted by the fox's tongue as it began to lick up the juice on his muzzle. Once Atlas was clean, the Vulpes backed up.
"Thanks, uh, hey. You mind helping me back to the town." Atlas asked, causing the Vulpes to nod and lift him onto his back. At a significantly more relaxed pace, the fox walked out of his den and walked through the forest. It was vastly different from the night prior. Instead of running in fear, they strolled with ease, and Atlas was enjoying the feeling of the fox's soft fur. Before too long, Atlas found that they were arriving at the town.
"Atlas!?" A familiar voice said in panic. Spectra ran up, but was stopped by the Vulpes snarling at her.
"It's okay, boy. She's a friend." Atlas said, petting the side of his neck. This caused the fox to visibly calm as it laid down to let Atlas off. With a flap of wings he lifted himself onto the ground, carefully standing on three legs.
"A-are you okay?" She asked hesitantly moving over to him, offering her shoulder as support.
"No worse for wear." He replied, wrapping a wing around her shoulders. "Suffice it to say, I found out what was pissing them off so much. Something is killing them."
"What?" Spectra asked in surprise as she led him into town, the large fox following close behind.
"I watched it kill an Ursa Minor in one attack. It was about to kill the Vulpes too, but I got him out of the way." The beast in question barked in affirmation.
"If that thing could kill an Ursa, how come you only have a leg injured?"
"The Vulpes thought I was attacking him, so he bit me." Atlas responded, a rather carefree smile on his face. As the two slowly walked into town, various ponies backed up, scared of the fox, but it was obvious they were concerned about Atlas.
"Atlas!" Sounded a younger voice. Looking over, Atlas saw his sister run up to him, obviously not caring about the Star Beast. "Are you okay!?"
"Never better.” He replied with a dumb smile.
“Don’t you lie to me.” Clover frowned at him. “Let me look at that leg.”
“Yes, mom.” Atlas said jokingly, holding out his bandaged leg as he turned back to Spectra. “In all seriousness, what do you think we should do about this?”
“I don’t know. Honestly, I would like to stop them, but if what you said is true, then they are far too powerful for us to take on.” Spectra sighed. “Perhaps if we can find who it is, we could talk to them.”
“I kinda wish I just got a better look at ‘em. I really don’t like this. It’s one thing to kill out of necessity, it’s another to simply kill for the pleasure of it.” Atlas said with a frown.
“I feel the same, but there’s nothing we can do at this point.” Spectra said.
“I guess you’re right, and I won’t be able to do much with this leg.” Atlas sighed. “How long do you think until it heals, Clover?”
“I can’t say for sure, but I’d say a week or two at least.” She said with a frown. “You won’t be doing much for a while.”
“Damn. Good thing we got some money left over.” Clover nodded. “In that case, I’m going to the bar, I need a drink.” Atlas began to hobble off before he found himself on the Vulpes’ back once more. “You don't need to stick around anymore, y’know.” The vulpes shook his head in response. “Have it your way.” Atlas said as they walked off.
“I hate how he does that.” Spectra said.
“Yep.” Clover agreed.
~-~
“Right here.” Atlas said pointing at a building. It was rather small, an uncentered sign displaying the words: Pub-lic. Laziness at it’s finest. The vulpes lowered himself to let Atlas off once more.
“Er, I don’t think you going inside is much of an option.” The vulpes cocked his head. “Well, for one, you’re too big to get through the door. Then if you do get inside, I don’t think the owner will be happy with an adult vulpes in his bar.” The vulpes seemed to think for a moment before closing his eyes. Suddenly, he started to shrink down to the size of a normal fox. “I guess that works.”
With a shrug, Atlas hobbled his way into the bar even as the vulpes hopped onto his back. With careful movements, Atlas moved through the bar towards the counter. Only three ponies were inside, only one he didn’t recognized.
Atlas vaguely remembered Clover mentioning a new pony in town. He presumed that this was him. The pony in question was a towering stallion, a large sword sheathed upon his back. A cowl obscured his features, the dim light assisting very little. Atlas hobbled over to a stool, sitting down with a sigh. Upon sitting down the bartender came over, a smile on his face.
“Atlas, good to see you.” He said happily. “What happened to your leg?”
“Get me a drink and I’ll tell you.” Atlas replied with a smirk.
“The usual?”
“Of course.”
“Coming right up.” The bartender quickly pulled out a glass, poured whiskey inside, and dropped two cubes of ice into it.
“Thanks, Glass.” Atlas picked up the glass and took a long drink, clearing half the glass in one go. “I needed that.” He said with a sigh.
“I can tell. Mind informing me of this story and why you suddenly have a fox?” Glass said.
“Well, you know how the star beasts have been getting a little riled up lately?” Glass nodded. “Well, Spectra asked me to go investigate last night.”
“I take it things didn’t go so well?” Atlas chuckled lightly.
“Not in the slightest. Turns out that what’s happening is that someone is killing them. I don’t exactly know who, but I really don’t want to know. I watched them take out an ursa minor in a single blow.” Atlas said, grabbing his glass again.
“A single blow? That sounds impossible.”
“Well, apparently it’s not. I went down to investigate, that’s when I found this guy.” Atlas said, gesturing to the fox on his back. “Believe it or not, he’s a vulpes. Apparently they can reduce their size. Anyways, he was about to get killed too, so I pushed him out of the way, and because he didn’t understand the situation, he bit me.” Atlas said waving his injured arm. “Once he realized what was happening, he help me get away. He’s been stuck to me ever since.” The fox confirmed his story with a bark.
“Well, no wonder you're here. Must have been a long night.” Atlas nodded.
“Excuse me.” The voice caused Atlas’ head to turn to his side, where the hulking stallion from before was now sitting. “Could you describe something a little more for me?” He was clothed in a cloak that covered his form, a hood obscuring his face. The most noticeable thing about him was the massive sword strewn across his back.
“Uh, yeah, sure.”
“Is there anything else you could say about the pony who was killing these star beasts?” The stallion asked.
“Well, not a whole lot to say. I was sitting in a tree when it happened. I saw a gleam in the sky and then suddenly the ursa was dead. The same thing happened with the vulpes, except there was a large cut in the earth. That’s about all I know.” The stallion nodded.
“Hmm, that is certainly foreboding. I believe I shall have to keep an eye out when I depart from this place. If I learn of anything, I shall send word. Anyways, I believe I will take my leave now, thank you, Mr. Glass, for the drinks.” The stallion said warmly as he placed money on the counter and stood. As he walked out the door, Glass turned to me.
“You gonna tail him or no?” He asked.
“Nah, I don’t think he’ll cause much trouble. Besides, it’s gonna be hard to be discrete with armor and a busted leg.”
“Fair enough.”
~-~
It was only a half hour later, and Atlas was in the middle of a conversation when someone burst through the door. He was obviously in a panic, and Atlas turned to him curiously.
“Hey, you okay?” Atlas asked the stallion, who shook his head.
“The town…! I-it’s under attack!” The stallion said between heavy breaths.
“What!?” Atlas exclaimed in shock. “Attacked by what!?”
“Sombra’s personal guard. The Royal Maidens.” He said.
“The… Why are the Maidens attacking!?” Atlas exclaimed as he hopped off his stool. He began to rush to the door, but fell flat on his face. “Fuck.” As if he knew, the vulpes had already hopped off of Atlas and returned to his normal size. He picked Atlas up and rushed out of the bar, breaking the doorframe on the way out.
Atlas and the vulpes rushed through the town moving between people that ran around in an attempt to hide. A figure flew overhead, a white mare with long blonde hair. She had a sword in each hoof and blades upon her wings. It was obvious, she was one of the maidens. Atlas opened his wings to approach her, but just as soon as he did, she was gone.
“Damn. C’mon boy, let’s go get my sister.” The vulpes nodded as he sniffed the air before moving off again. The two bolted through the streets, wind blowing through Atlas’ mane as they moved. Building moved by in a blur, when suddenly:
“There!” Atlas said, pointing towards his house. The vulpes changed course and made his way to the house. There, Atlas found his sister, but not in the situation he would have like. There, one of the Maidens had her in her grasp. Dressed in light armor, made out of purple metal, she looked rather fearsome. The fact that she was a bat-pony only helped the fact. Then there were the sharp blades attached to her shoes, slightly larger than knives. Her hair was a deep purple, similar to that of her armor, which covered her grey coat.
“Hey!” Atlas shouted in both panic and anger. The bat-pony looked up, glaring in Atlas’ direction.
“Oh, it’s you.” The mare said with a grin, letting Clover drop. “Y’know, you really annoyed me last night. You should really let a mare have their way.” In a blur, the bat-pony disappeared. Atlas instantly knew what was happening, and he attempted to yank on the Vulpes and dodge. However, the bat-pony’s speed was far greater than that of Atlas’, and he was knocked back before he could move.
His body was launched into the wall of a home, which cracked upon impact. The bat-pony appeared in front of him, holding his body against the wall while pressing her hoof blades to his neck.
“Atlas!” Clover shrieked in panic as she attempted to stand. She grit her teeth in pain as she did so, falling back down to the ground. The Vulpes growled from where he was, knowing that should he move, the bat-pony would end Atlas’ life.
“Heheh. Can’t run now, can you?” The mare asked with a sadistic grin, her fangs glinting in the morning light. “Now the- urk!” Her words cut off as she was knocked aside by a familiar figure. Atlas collapsed onto the ground instantly, groaning in pain. Looking up, he saw Spectra wrestling with the bat-pony.
“Atlas, run!” She yelled back at him.
“No, I’m not leaving you here, you’ll die!” Atlas argued, struggling to his hooves.
“You can’t do anything in your state, take your sister and- hnkk!” Her shouts ended as the bat-pony impaled her with her bladed shoes. With a grunt, the bat-pony, pushed her off to the side, her shoes stained in blood. Spectra clutched at her side in pain, blood freely flowing from the wound.
“What an annoying girl.” The bat-pony said, spitting in Spectra’s direction. “Now, where were we?” She asked, turning back to Atlas who stared on in horror.
“Y-you bitch!” He shouted in anger.
“Spectra!” Clover screamed, tears streaming down her face.
“Yes, yes, very original. I haven’t heard that a thousand times.” She said in a bored tone. “If you could be a little more creative, that would be nice. Thanks.” Before the final word escaped her mouth, she disappeared once more. Atlas attempted to move, but the pain was too much for him. Collapsin on the ground once more, he closed his eyes, waiting for death.
Clang!
Opening his eyes, Atlas found that he was not, in fact, dead. Rather, he found that standing before him was the stallion from the bar. He had blocked the bat-pony’s attack with a large sword. With a grunt, the bat-pony flipped away from the stallion, landing with a frown.
“So, you finally show up, eh?” She asked with a snort.
“Your after me, this town has nothing to do with it.” The stallion growled in reply.
“Oh, but it does. They were housing a fugitive. Besides, who’s going to care if a small town like this gets wiped off the map, our lord is always looking for new servants.” The bat-pony told him with a grin. “In fact, we might just make that little lady over there a Maiden. Wouldn’t that be nice, hmm?”
“Damnit, Vesper, leave them out of this!” The stallion shouted, grasping the sword in his mouth.
“Ohoho, scary. Have you grown soft on this place old man? Even if you have, what are you gonna do, huh? You won’t hurt me. You still think there’s a way to convert me, don’t you?” The mare chuckled. “You should know by now that my loyalty to our lord can’t be broken! I don’t know what you did to Petals, but it won’t work on me!” In a blur, the mare disappeared once more, only to collide with the stallion’s massive blade. The two seemed to fall into a pattern of the mare attacking, and the stallion fending off each strike. How he could tell where she was aiming, he had no idea. If only he had his bow, he could help out.
“Kid, run!” The stallion shouted, almost at the same time, Atlas had felt himself being lifted onto the Vulpes’ back along with Clover. The star beast bark at the stallion with a worried tone. “Go!” He shouted, causing the fox to turn and run.
“I won’t let you get away that easily!” Vesper shouted, shooting past the large stallion to chase after Atlas and Clover.
“Oh no, you don’t.” The stallion grunted in effort as he lifted his large sword and slammed it on top of the flying mare. Using the side of the blade, he smashed her into the ground, knocking the breath out of her. Not missing a beat, he moved to slam a hoof into her skull, but she recovered too quickly, zipping away before he could connect. Instead of attacking the stallion, she began to charge at the Vulpes once more. This time, the stallion was too far away to stop her.
With the speed of a train, she collided with the Vulpes’ rear, sending all three of them flying into a building. The force of their impact was too great, and the wall collapsed under the pressure. Dust erupted from the event, filling the room that they had crashed into. Through the dust, the sound of wings came as Vesper entered the building.
Atlas could hear her hoofsteps as she walked through the dust, drawing ever closer. Then he felt a weight above him. She was standing on a piece of wall that had landed on top of him. Holding his breath, he prayed that she would just pass him by and, to his infinite pleasure, she did. Then to his infinite displeasure, she found someone else.
“Hello there, my little pony.” She said in a pleased voice. “Oh good, she’s unconscious, I don’t have to hear her scream.”
“N-no!” Atlas shouted before being racked with coughs. “Don’t take my sister!”
“Hehe. Sorry, boy, but you can’t stop me. You should be proud, she going to be serving our lord as a Maiden. Now, as much as I’d like to stay and chat, I have to leave before that old man comes back. But don’t worry,” suddenly, her face appeared through the dust, “I’ll be back to finish you off.” Then she was gone. The old stallion came rushing in soon after. By this time, most of the dust had settled, though because he was under a piece of wall, Atlas couldn’t see him.
“Kid!?” He shouted, his heavy hoofsteps moving away from where Atlas was.
“Over here!” Atlas called out before hearing the hoofsteps coming back his way.
“Shit, kid, you okay?” The stallion asked as soon as he arrived.
“No.” Atlas said simply. “Get me out of here, I gotta go kill a bat.”
“Don’t be stupid, you’ll die.” The stallion responded.
“I don’t care!” Atlas shouted at the stallion who was taken aback by the sudden outburst. “She took my sister! I’m gonna kill her! Now get me out of here!” The stallion sighed, before lifting the wall as though it were a sheet of paper.
“Kid, I’ll help you get your sister back, but if you go right now, I assure you, you will die. If you die, then who’ll save your sister, hmm?” Atlas knew he was right, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.
“Damnit! Fine! Help me find the fox.” Atlas said as he attempted to get to his hooves, but his body would barely move.
“Stay here, you’re in no condition to be moving. I’ll go find your starry friend.” The stallion moved away in search. His head move side to side as he scoured the room for the fox. Before long, the stallion seemed to find something and rushed over to a nearby pile of rubble. With little effort, the stallion moved the rubble, revealing the oversized fox underneath. Once the fox was free, he stumbled to his feet looking around in a worried expression.
“He’s over there.” The stallion told him, pointing at Atlas. In an instant, the fox was by his side, scanning his body with his nose. With ears splayed back, he turned to look at the stallion. “Don’t worry, he’ll be fine.” The stallion said as he returned. “In either case, we need to leave, else we’ll end up like your friend out there.”
“Spectra! Is she okay?” Atlas asked with a panicked tone.
“She’ll live, I stopped the bleeding before a couple of the other villagers took her away. That’s why it took me so long to get here.” The stallion replied. “C’mon, we gotta go.” The Vulpes nodded and carefully picked up Atlas and placed him on his back. The Vulpes looked at the stallion, his ears flicking.
“I’ll probably break your back.” The stallion told the Vulpes before walking back outside. “Shit, they already started! We gotta hurry!” The stallion shouted back at the two as they came up behind him. As they approached the hole, Atlas could smell smoke, and upon getting outside, he could see a burning building down the road.
“They’re burning the village down!?” Atlas shouted in surprise.
“When they decide to eliminate a town, they capture everyone and burn it down to kill anyone who’s left.” The stallion responded.
“Why?”
“Because they will tell the word that it was a town of traitors that they had to eliminate. If anyone were to survive, they would, of course, hold resentment. If they let enough people live, they would form a resistance, and Sombra doesn’t want to deal with that. So he stops it here. If one or two escape, it wouldn’t matter, because what can such a small number accomplish?” The stallion told him.
“He shouldn’t underestimate the power of a pony with nothing left to lose.” Atlas responded.
“I would agree.” The stallion said with a grin. “C’mon, if they started burning it down, then that means they have everyone already, we need to get out of here.”
“Okay, you know what to do, boy.” Atlas said, patting the vulpes’ side, who nodded. The three moved out onto the street and ran.
~-~
“They seem to be running.” The golden maned pegasus said, hovering high in the sky.
“Let them go.” Vesper told her fellow Maiden with a grin. “I’m feeling up for a hunt.”