Chapter 13: Shadow of Terror
Our forest excursions went along swimmingly. The forest near Neighagra Falls was serene, calm, and a pleasure to traverse. The relative ease of pathfinding through the forest gave plenty of leeway for small-talk.
“So, through all this travel, I don’t think we ever got your name, Your Highness,” I asked, my spear relaxed against my shoulder. “Since we’re on the path to where you evidently hang your laurels, wouldn’t it be polite of you to tell us your name, at the very least?”
The queen chuckled. It was difficult to register if it was one of casualness or one of nobility.
“Well, since you’re granting me that same etiquette, I suppose I can extend that dignity to you,” she replied, her violet eyes twinkling as she whisked a hoof through her silken mane. “I am Archnid, after the word “Arachnid.” I am a skilled seamstress.”
I regarded the queen’s figure for a moment. I had seen changelings in books years ago, but the queen bore a significant discrepancy from the images in my head. Though she maintained that same black, chitinous hide and membranous hair and wings that many of her peers had, both she and her entourage bore a strange… wholeness to them. Their bodies didn’t have that same decayed, emaciated, near-corpse like look to them.The queen’s horn, which in most books was usually a jagged, saw-like terror, was a single uniform blade. Her mane and tail were a single, uniform sheet that flowed like proper hair. It all came together in a rather fetching glamour. Her subordinates were similarly adorned, their figures more complete and their horns’ edges smoothed out to a finer finish.
“You and your brood look so much different than typical changelings,” Roughshod noted. “Through what blessing did you manage that?”
“Uhuhuhuhu…” Archnid tittered. Stopping to place a hoof against her muzzle as she assumed the shape of a mauve pegasus in a violet flare, her entourage taking navy and gamboge forms of the other two tribes. “‘Tis a long story, and I don’t feel it is appropriate to talk about here. When we get to Pasofino, you’re free to get your answer then.”
“Fair enough,” he grumbled. “Speaking of that town, how far are we from there, Spike?”
We stopped and checked our bearings for a moment.
“We’re in luck,” he said with a smile as he unfurled the map. “Once we get out of the Hollow Shades where that village is, we should be able to use a train to get to Pasofino.”
“Know anything about the Hollow Shades?” Napalm asked.
Spike shook his head. “The only thing the map tells me is that it’s a somewhat secluded village.”
“Interesting,” I mused as I scratched my chin. “Then we should proceed there with caution. We don’t know how much contact they may have with the rest of Equestria proper. And considering that it’s in a forest, we’ll need to be wary of any incendiary spells we lob off.”
Napalm glowered. “Just when we were getting out of the cold.”
“Just be glad that we’re not too far in,” Spike said. “A fire can spread pretty darn fast if you’re not careful.”
Napalm scrunched her face. “I know, I know; I just like to burn things.”
“Kind of figured that, given your name.” Roughshod murmurred.
Soon enough, the canopy and greenery gave way to a massive, sprawling, grassy hill. From this shallow vantage, we could see two sets of train tracks in the distance, hearing the distant roar of a steam engine’s whistle as it rumbled into view. It was not the boxy, homey Friendship Express, but the polygonal, jagged, almost serpentine Diamondback that hailed from the Crystal Empire. There were no freight cars attached to it this particular time it passed; only a uniform serpent carved of precious crystals that snaked along the railroad.
As it roared along past us, we had another opportunity to pass time with idle chatter.
“What was it like in the empire, by the way?” Spike wondered. “I never did ask.”
“I didn’t mind the time I’d spent there, if that’s what you’re asking,” I replied. “It’s nice and bright during the daytime, the ponies are nice and friendly, and the atmosphere is almost certainly uplifting. The only downside is that it takes a good while for the lights to go out.”
Spike gave an empathetic cringe. “I know what you mean. It’s a wonder how they can sleep.”
A brief pause came as I rubbed my eyes.
“So, what about you, Napalm?” I asked. “Any memories from your hometown?”
As I turned to her, she was turned away from me, her tail curled over her flank in a shamed look.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” she sighed. “Not now, at least.”
I was about to ask a follow up question, but the pained look on her face dissuaded me. I decided to let it be for now.
Thankfully, the train was almost past us, saving us the trouble of trying to make small talk. Not for lack of trying, mind; we just didn’t have much common ground to talk about just yet.
That was, until Roughshod decided to speak up.
“Pray tell, boy, where did you get a necklace like that?” he asked, pointing to the glimmering jewel that was hanging from my neck.
As I held the necklace in my hand, a thought came to me in a wistful sigh. A memory of my younger years gave me calming nostalgia as it became ever clearer to me.
“A friend gave it to me in elementary school, many years ago,” I said in a calm, happy tone. “Her name was Sparkling Spring. She gave this to me when we were having a lesson on jade.”
“Whoa-ho-ho…” Spike chuckled. “Did you have a little crush back then?”
I blushed, my hand clasping over the necklace.
“Not exactly,” I denied, looking away. “We were just friends. She saw me being left out when everyone else was passing jade around, and gave it to me so I wouldn’t feel left out.”
“Aw, that’s sweet…” he cooed, patting my back. “Do you know where she is now?”
I shook my head. “By the time I was getting ready to join the scouts, we sort of went our separate ways. By the time of my first camping trip, I’d already made another friend in a pegasus named Robin. Goodness knows where either of them are.”
“Who knows,” Spike said with a shrug. “Maybe we’ll run into them at some point along the way. Sometimes, the friends you make when you’re really young are the ones that may end up saving you when you need them most.”
I grasped my necklace a little tighter. A small hope filled in my chest as the wind whipped my hair back. Maybe I would find them later on along the path I was headed. For now, however, only the path ahead was of importance. There would be time to rekindle past relations in the future.
Spike waved over to me from the other side of the tracks. “Come on; it’s clear.”
Quickly, I snapped back to reality and deftly made my way across the rails, following the rest of my party off into the thick of the shades.
Inside, there was definitely a much eerier aura around the environs. Though the odd frog or bird called out into the wilderness, there was never much of a reply. The odd fleck of a firefly’s light passing by lit the way in an otherwise hollow and dark place. The further in I proceeded, the more apparent that this place had been named the Hollow Shades with good reason. Perhaps in a show of empathy, we all began to bunch together in a tight formation, our eyes scanning around us in the hopes that we were not being spied upon.
So naturally, when we ended up bumping into a rather bulky straggler, we all collectively jumped out of our skin.
Before us was a Diamond Dog. He was of a cream and white palette, and possessed an almost infectiously cheery countenance. Such expression stood in rather stark contrast to the rather morbid paraphernalia he was armed with. Armor made from scales and furs, weapons crafted from claws and bones, and a helm made from the hollowed head of a beast shaped in such a way to make everyone—Spike in particular—somewhat uneasy.
His response only compounded things further.
“Oh, pardon!” he politely pleaded. “I didn’t know someone else was in this forsaken forest.”
“Forsaken?” Roughshod asked, cocking his head. “In what manner?”
“There is unrest of a monstrous nature near the settlement deep in these woods.” he warned. “Unless you are feeling brave, I suggest turning away now.”
“Thanks for the warning,” Napalm scoffed. “And just who the hay are you?”
“Kenta,” he replied. “I am a traveling smith and hunter.”
“A hunter of what?” Spike asked, incredulous. “Colossi? Titans? Wyverns?”
The smith shrugged “I’m not picky. Anything big, fearsome, and harmful to potential patrons.”
“How not picky?” Spike asked, leering down at the dog.
“Relax, I don’t hunt indiscriminately,” he assured. “I only go after the ones who are actively endangering civilizations.”
“Do you have anything about this creature that you can share?” I asked, looking closer at his attre.
“Nothing much,” he grunted, rolling his shoulder. “It stands not much higher than you do right now, and is faster than my eyes can track.”
“You mean you can’t see this thing?” Napalm snapped.
Kenta shook his head. “Even if I could, I would rather live to tell the tale than die to see the visage of a monster.”
I nodded in understanding. “And you were by yourself, I’d wager.”
Kenta seconded my nod. “This creature is too much for a lone hunter like myself to handle. If you think you can handle it, feel free to try.”
“When was the last time you saw it?” The queen asked.
“It disappeared about an hour ago,” said the dog. “I am still not certain what it is after, but given the bones that lay upon the path, it can’t be good.”
I froze for a moment. The very mention of the possibility of death made my heart skip a beat as my hand instinctively reached for my scabbard.
“This may bear investigating,” Roughshod grunted. “We may yet have a window of opportunity to gather information before this beast rears its head again, and in the name of helping the ailing innocent, we should take it.”
“And you’re okay with the possibility of this dooming us to a terrible fate?” I asked.
Spike then proceeded to give me perhaps the coldest glare I’d ever been given.
“I… was a dog once.”
A pregnant pause soon followed, our thoughts stopped cold by the rather sudden revelation from the dragon. One of the subordinates cleared his throat.
“So what may we receive should we do you the favor of felling this fiend?” I asked.
“Assuming you leave plenty for salvage, I’d be happy to use the spoils to more appropriately outfit you lot,” Kenta replied. “As you might be able to see, most of my equipment is crafted from genuine monster hides. Surely, a creature as swift as this may be more than suitable for you to wear.”
“Will you be staying long?” Archnid asked.
Kenta shook his head. “Not in this forest, I won’t be. I’ll be camping out someplace safe by the threshold of the forest.”
The queen nodded. “And we’ll be able to find it?”
Kenta gave a reassuring smile. “Shouldn’t be hard to miss. When in doubt, follow the smoke.”
“We’ll be sure to remember that, sir,” I said. “Best of luck to you.”
“The same to you,” Kenta replied, tipping his hat. “Take good care of yourselves.”
We parted ways, hastily heading towards the village hidden in the Hollow Shades.
***
A strange, ambient silence greeted us as we entered the small village. The sound of rustling wind was the only sound that dared stand against the quiet. The road was empty, the prints of many ponies littered across the dirt. Nia trotted up to one of the paths of hoof prints and examined it.
“These were recently laid,” Nia concluded. “The residents must have fled for safety, likely to their homes. We should be tactful.”
Spike nodded. “Roughshod, do you think you can handle this?”
The donkey gave a tired, if confident, grin. “I’ve dealt with weary villagers many times before. Perhaps the sight of a holy jack will ease their troubled minds.”
Quickly, Roughshod approached the doorstep of the nearest house and rapped slowly at the door, so as not to frighten whomever resided within. For a brief moment, silence returned. The rattling of an olden knob and the squeak of well-worn hinges scratched against our ears as a young mare appeared in the crack of the doorframe.
“Please,” she pleaded. “Leave us be. We have nothing to give. The beast took from us most everything we had.”
“You mistake me for something else, miss,” Roughshod hummed, a hoof to his chest. “I am not here to plunder, but to protect. We are here on word of a hunter whom we passed along the path here.”
“We?” asked the mare as she began to peek out. “Who else is with you?”
Roughshod took a few steps back, allowing the mare to better see the rest of us. With a quick tug, I removed the scarf that had been covering my face, wrapping it against my shoulders. As a matter of respect, I also removed my beret. Spike held a claw against the spines at the back of his head. Napalm tried her best to look casual, and Archnid and her two subordinates took to being more formal.
I made a brief mental note to test the autonomy of the two drones; referring to them by their rank or profession began to tire on me. Perhaps I was being silly to question it, but considering how quiet they were being up to this point had at least made me curious. A matter for another time, I reasoned.
I took a calm bow.
“Well met, milady.” I greeted in as noble a fashion as I could muster. “I am Lance, an Emissary of Northern Equestria.”
The mare seemed to shy away for a moment, fiddling with the locks and bolts on her door. As she finally exposed herself, I was able to gain a visual on the poor dear. She was an auburn Earth Pony, clad in a red bandanna that hid away a slightly ratty mane. Her hazel eyes bore a slight undershadow typical of at least a week of restless nights. She bore a look of desperation and squalor.
Cautiously, she neared me, her hoof held out as she examined me. Typically, I would have sooner rebuked such an invasion of privacy. However, given I had recently given full disclosure of most everything beneath the very thin barrier between my flesh, being examined by the hooves of a curious mare was perhaps the better option than trying to answer the question of just what I was before a town of people ravaged by another nameless beast.
“I understand if you are curious of what I am,” I murmured, looking down. “I have certainly wondered what I am more than once. However, we were hoping you might be able to tell us what you know of the beast that has plagued your town.”
The mare looked to me, her irises wide and her pupils narrow.
“Please, sir,” she sighed. “I shudder every time I think about it. I don’t want to relive that moment again.”
“I cannot say I am able to know what you’ve gone through,” I whispered. “But, if you can tell me what you know—or at least direct me to someone who can—I promise you we will do everything we can to help you.”
The mare took a sharp breath, and I saw that a few tears had been shed upon my coat.
“You’ll want the village elder,” she stammered. “He has seen the beast closely. He may have the knowledge that you seek.”
“If you could take us to him, we can get to figuring out a plan of action,” Spike assured.
“Of course, Sir Dragon!” The mare marveled, a twinge of hope in her voice. “Please, follow me.”
As the mare led us to one of the larger buildings, I looked about, seeing other villagers peek out of their homes and regard my party and I with varying degrees of interest and wariness. Some were as aged as the trees, while others barely stood as high as my knee. All of them had looks ranging from melancholy, to despair, to even the faintest bit of faith. They all wore somewhat simple clothes, wearing at most a shirt, if even that. There was almost no jewelry on any of them, even on the most well-kept mares at the street. Were it not for their palettes, I would have had a hard time telling them apart, especially considering the massive zebra presence.
However, there was no mistaking who the village elder was. A distinctly sky blue stallion with wispy, beige locks approached us. His face bore the telltale wrinkles of a pony who’d gone through considerable tribulation. His eyes were glazed and grey, wizened by decades of labor and toil, and the horn that adorned his face barely even glinted with any kind of thaumaturgical power. He was very clearly not a very happy pony, and he was none too pleased by my being in his line of sight.
“You had best provide a good explanation for why you have brought outsiders before me, Nutmeg,” he grumbled. “You do not know from where they hail.”
Roughshod cleared his throat as he motioned for me to step aside.
“Good elder, we have come on word of the plight that has plagued your poor colony,” he explained, putting on his sincerest of vocal ranges. “A hunter has told us you’ve been having troubles with a beast, and as the altruistic sorts we are, we thought we’d try to help.”
The Elder rose an eyebrow. “You and your ragtag bunch of misfits?”
Spike then decided to speak up.
“We’re no mere misfits, sir!” he called out, trying his damnedest to sound gallant. “We’ve already dealt with at least one monstrous evil before this, so we aren’t exactly greenhorns.”
The elder paused for a moment, a hoof to his forehead. His eyes shut as he stroked his beard, as if wracking his brain on a decision. Sour nothings were muttered between his teeth, and I could vaguely hear at least one vulgarity mixed in. When he finally came upon a thought, he stamped the ground firmly.
“Very well then,” he spat, looking down to himself. “What will you need?”
I smiled. This had come slightly easier than I had initially expected.
“We’ll need as much information, resources, and courtesies as you can provide us,” I answered. “Give us shelter, and I promise you, we will see the fall of whomever is doing your village wrong.”
The Elder glowered. “How can I be certain you will keep to your word?”
“I was raised beneath the banners of royalty, good sir,” I assured. “I am a man of honor and dignity, a noble lacking either is not one I’d like to have the pleasure of meeting.”
The two of us shared a good long stare between each other. Perhaps the elder was testing my words, and my resolve. Making sure that I was not about to turn about face and literally ram a spear into his backside. When he was certain of this, he backed away from me and gave a half-hearted smile.
“I will hold you to your honor,” he rumbled, her hoof to my chest. “May we bind this contract to our names.”
I smiled in turn, bowing before him. “I am Lance, Emissary and son of Celestia.”
The Elder’s eyes rose, and he mirrored my bow, his horn down to my knees.
“Forgive my indiscretion,” he mumbled in surprise. “I am Elder Berry.”
I kneeled down and offered my hand. “Well met.”
Elder Berry took my hand and rose back up.
“About the creature, then,” he coughed. “It stands perhaps far larger than even you, larger than most of our homes and is as swift as the wind. Its feathers were black as pitch, and its talons were covered in such horrible filth. Barely any trace of it was left but a single shed feather. When it dared to take a life, it was swift, shattering the skull and flaying apart the flesh in a manner almost too quick to see. I am not sure of its intellect, but it is a crafty fiend, nevertheless.”
“How many has it taken prior to our arrival?” I asked.
The elder lowered his head. “All too many. Even the loss of one life in this town leaves a deep scar in my heart.”
“When did it last make a strike?” Nia asked, tapping her staff against the ground.
“Last evening. It came from practically nowhere, and to nowhere did it swiftly return.”
Nia looked down to the ground. “Then we may have to keep ears to the ground.”
“Do you have a place where we can sleep?” Napalm yawned. “Somewhere where we can keep watch?”
“Of course,” Elder Berry replied. “There’s a small lodging nearby you’re free to stay in. It doesn’t have much for furnishings, but it should serve as a suitable place of respite for you.”
The elder motioned for us to follow him, and we were led to a simple little domicile. Nothing about this building was particularly extravagant. A simple structure of wood with only the basic creature comforts. Enough space to set up the bedrolls and get a comfortable amount of rest and preparation done.
“Thank you for allowing us a place for respite, sir.” Archnid purred. “We can assure you that we will do what we can to help you.”
“And we will do what we can to help you help us,” the elder replied. “So long as you are able to do what you have promised.”
I knelt before the elder and lowered my head.
“You’ve nothing to worry about, sir. We shall dedicate our time to helping you as best we can.”
With this, the elder left us to our own devices, closing the door behind him. We all breathed a collective sigh of relief as we sat down.
“You have a plan for this, don’t you?” Spike asked me.
A beat passed by.
“Horseapples.”
***
Night soon descended upon the quiet village. I was the only soul in that small little shack that was still awake. Taking as many precautions to unencumber myself, I sat with my legs crossed, Book of Shadows in lap, and a finger scanning across the pages. In a cursory flip-through, only a few of the initial pages were readable to me, with the rest being in a language I’d yet to understand.
“To walk the moonless path is to dedicate one’s self, in mind and in body, to the pursuit of meaning behind the Five Dark Words. This journey will help you to define for yourself these ancient tenants, developing yourself in turn.
“In opening this book, you now have been trusted with a power few others possess. Perhaps you sought it yourself, or perhaps somepony else granted it or thrust it upon you. As you take your first tentative steps down this road, you must seek to understand the Truth of this power you may hope to possess.
A candle flickered next to me, and my eyes scanned feverishly across the darkened pages, as if binding me by some enchantment. A strange, calming effect washed over me, as if an errant wind blew past me. I shuddered, but kept my eyes glued onto the book.
“You may come to find several sayings and phrases where there ought to be incantations and descriptions. This is perfectly normal; a Book of Shadows is more than a mere book of thaumaturgical lore. It is meant to be a text that inspires you to find your own path towards unravelling the secrets behind this ancient craft. Let the instructions and inspirations of those who had used this tome before you serve as a guide down the moonless path, and may the shadows grant you safety.”
As I turned to the candle, I took note of the way its shadow danced on the floor. Such a small flame cast a substantial shade near me, just barely covering my thigh.
As I looked down on the quotations, one particular statement caught my attention.
“A common misconception is that Umbramancers manipulate the darkness around them to blot out the light. What most novices of this craft seem to not be aware of is the fact that a shadow is not a pure darkness. Much as yin is to yang, darkness and light are opposite, but equal. One simply cannot exist without the other, and the shadow is the ideal union of the two forces. The shadow is the darkness that is cast when light is brought into existence. To understand shadows, you must understand how to play with light and darkness. Only when you discover the truth of their interplay can you discover what shadows themselves can offer.”
I beheld the shadow at my thigh, extending one of my hands to it. A coldness greeted my palm, and goosebumps started to rise on my skin. For a brief instant, teeny little tendrils extended from a pool upon my thigh. Like caterpillars, they wriggled across my skin. I could only hold this effect for a moment before I had to stop myself. I shuddered, my mind calling out a volley of negatives as my hand trembled. Something was…off about this force I’d evoked, and I simply couldn’t stand it.
That night, I decided to curse Luna for damning my sleep.
***
One of the supposed advantages of a restless sleep, I would suppose, is that it allows you a sense of alertness that keeps you ready for any eventuality.
Of course, some divine entity up there must have seen I was tense, and just to further spite me, decided to liven things up a bit by introducing their little friend to me.
Early into the day, I was roused from my bedroll to the wonderful sounds of the shrill cries of a child. It was a cry for help too loud and too grating to be ignored. Without even the thought of adorning myself, I charged out of the shack, my eyes stretched considerably wide.
A young filly had been backed into a corner by a titanic avian. A creature of such massive size that its full profile overshadowed the tallest buildings in the vicinity. Extending from his head was a beak of a hatchet-like shape, tipped like a miner’s pick. Its eyes were furiously golden, with savage, jagged pupils staring down at the poor child, and angular crest adorned its head. Its legs were not too far off from that of a pony’s, but were scaly, repugnant, and tiger-taloned. Its body was covered in purple plumage that stuck out at every angle possible, with a fan of sharpened quills at its tail.
It was a sight and a smell that seized my steps and stole away my breath.
This creature was like a nightmare made flesh.
Within an instant, the filly its eyes were fixed on was gone. A crackling like the sound of a nutshell being cracked filled the air, and a fine red mist danced down to the dirt. The poor child was lucky, in a way. At least he was spared a torturous death.
The beast began to feast. All I could do was watch, mortified. It feasted in a fashion so feral and brutal that even describing the act nauseates me with but a passing thought. That horrific vision filled my eyes, my feet rigid as if filled with clay. My spear dared not to move, only trembling very slightly in my hand as my body refused to tear itself away. In more than one respect, I felt naked before this beast, my senses seizing as I stood frozen from what I’d witnessed. For a moment, I felt my conscious self dip, my ego collapsing into itself like a neutron star. My legs very nearly gave way, until my vision was clouded by a dense field of purple.
I found myself snapped back to reality when my head decided to have a lovely altercation with Madame Dirt. Directly in front of me was Spike, who was now straining to keep the beak of this terrifying bird away from me. As my brain started piecing together what in Tartarus was going on, the dragon looked behind himself to me, his eyes burning with the embers of protection.
“What are you doing?!” he growled, his throat rattling with exertion. “Get up and get moving!”
“What about you?” I called out.
“I’ll be fine,” Spike grunted, heaving the bird’s maw shut as he stood sentinel over me. The young dragon’s resolve was clear in the way his heels dragged trenches in the dirt. He kept his palms firmly clasped around its beak, and wasn’t keen on letting it get near me. “I’ve been through a lot worse than this! Just get someplace safe and get ready!”
Needing no further instruction, I scurried back to the shack, hurrying to gather my belongings and arm myself. I never let Spike drift too far from my sight, and I rushed back out the door. Spike, perhaps wanting to lead the beast away from the village, made a mad dash towards me, opening one of his arms to get me in his grasp, pulling me into cover where the others kept watch. After a few tense moments, it seemed the beast had lost interest, going off into the forest as quickly as it had arrived.
“By Celestia’s beard, this thing’s fast!” I gasped. “How are we supposed to keep up with something like this?”
“We probably won’t be able to,” Roughshod grumbled. “We’ll have to focus on leading it away from the villagers and start preparing what we can.”
“How can we hope to manage that?!” I protested. “That thing showed up out of nowhere, and I doubt we’d be able to land a square blow on it.”
Napalm and Nia, however, seemed pensive. They had a particular look on their faces that hinted at them having more than a few ideas.
“Perhaps this battle need not be fought through sheer force.” Nia mused. “Instead, perhaps we direct its course?”
“And how do you propose we do that?” Spike asks.
“It’s simple, really,” Napalm said with a slightly too cheery expression. “If there’s one thing that draws in and repels animals most, it’s fire. Seeing as fire’s my bread and butter, why don’t we try luring him out from the village and throwing him on a wild goose chase?”
“I can’t imagine that’s safe,” I answered. “This whole village is surrounded by forest. There’s a good chance we could set the whole forest ablaze and cause even more damage than that beast ever could.”
“You saying I can’t cast a good Flare spell?” Napalm asked, a bit insulted by my quip. “I might be a pyromancer, but I’m not reckless.”
“And you’re sure you can do this?” Spike asked. “Where exactly do you intend to get this thing to go?”
“Far enough to do what we can to prepare for when he comes back,” Nia replied. “We should be able to direct him a far enough distance away from the village to prepare countermeasures.”
We rolled out a map and made quick note of our position. Spike groaned for a moment, holding his chest. The two of us shared a short glance. By the look he gave me, he seemed none too worse for wear aside from a brief exhaustion.
“We should get a plan going,” Spike grunted. “If we aim to survive this without loss of life and limb, we should at least figure out how we’re going to go about this.”
“Good thinking,” I noted. “Nia, Napalm, since you two are critical to this, I’m having you out in front. Then Roughshod behind them to keep us all in good form, and then Spike and I to act as the moving shield.”
“Sound reasonable enough,” Napalm said. “Problem is, I doubt any of us could keep up with a thing that fast. We should probably keep the formation loose and try to kite him about until we send him running.”
“Indeed,” Nia concurred. “Through my mysticism, I may be able to help guide this creature down the path of least resistance.”
“How good of a range can you invoke your spells, Roughshod?” I asked. “We’ll likely need to keep spread out so as not to be so easily stamped out.”
“My power of my benefactors’ divinity can carry as far as my voice,” the pastor promised. “So long as I can draw a breath, my power can reach as far as it is needed.”
“That’s good,.” I smiled. “I feel we might need that divine aid both soon and in the future.”
“And you’re sure you can do this?” Spike pondered. “I’ve seen friends make spontaneous plans; they don’t always pan out so well.”
“So long as we stick together and stay collected, we should be able to make this work and have some breathing room to make a better plan than this one,” I replied. “Fortune favors the brave and the bold.”
“That doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in me.” Spike said flatly.
I gave Spike a sharp eye, intent on showing him the fires of conviction that burned inside my heart. I clasped his scaled shoulders in my hands, gripping them firm and tight, and met his gaze with mine, searing my passion into him with the most cocksure smile I could muster. Our faces were so close that our brows were but mere inches from colliding against each other.
“I understand this whole thing might not seem the most surefire undertaking,” I assured him, trying my best to form a rousing voice. “But I can be sure of one thing; if that thing lays even one scratch on you, I will promise you that it will feel my retribution soon thereafter. For now, all I’m asking is that you trust me.”
A beat passed by. The rest of us were silent, up until Archnid and her entourage spoke up.
“I believe you forgot about us,” she chimed, chuckling. “Do you believe you can make room for three more?”
I took a breath in surprise, then held my chin to rework my plan just a bit.
“Your Highness, seeing as you are of great potency in your magic, I suggest you join Nia and Napalm up front.” I ordered. “The drones should flank Roughshod and keep him protected. That should give us a solid formation.”
“Excellent.,” the queen cheerfully chirped. “Now all we need to do is act.”
I mashed my fist into my hand with a confident smirk.
“Let’s get into position, everypony,” I announced. “We bell the cat in but a few moments.”
***
The dullest din of silence rang in the ears of our party. Each of us had taken cover, waiting for just the right moment to lash out. The rustling of leaves and shrubbery only barely cut the tense quietness as we kept an eye on the bird. For reasons not immediately clear, and to our great serendipity, the bird had left the village as quickly as it came. We knew that time was of the essence, but we also knew that a hasty approach could prove fatal. We had to be precise and methodical. As it turned towards the forest, I rose my arm, wavering tentatively with a firm palm, as if to applaud the heavens.
“Wait for it…”
Soon, the staccato of two taloned feet shook the earth. A foreboding presence neared us, and it seemed as though at the slightest provocation, it would lunge out to snatch the interloper nearest to him. As it neared me, I shuddered, knowing I was so danger-close. One errant twitch would doom me, and I had to make my next move count.
Then, when the chill of the foul beast blew past me, I knew the time was now.
My arm came down like an axehead, and not but a short breath after, the forest filled with mystical flame, an orange-green flare that burst in a loud, sparkling display. The bird craned its neck up, and another plume shot up into the sky as we dashed right past its field of awareness. One after another, the sky filled with color as we moved into position. Spike and I took to the front, being mindful to not get too close to the monster’s beak. Roughshod pulled ahead, the drones crossing between us in a figure eight to watch his flanks. Nia, Napalm, and Archnid took to the front, Archnid taking the crown of the formation.
Roughshod kept his voice firm, even as his very breath grew more and more taxed from the strain of dashing for his very livelihood.
“Foul beast of wings black as the twisting nether!” he called back to the bird. “Know that the weight of your sins is soon to come crashing down upon you like a ball of wrought iron! Know that soon, the blinding embers of the sun and the exposing light of the moon shall be shining down upon you in judgement, and the retribution of the heavens will rain upon you like fire!”
As if it had taken offense to that comment, the bird lunged toward us, just barely missing Spike and I as it narrowly nipped Roughshod’s tail.
“This is getting a little close for comfort!” Spike called out. “Do you think we can hurry this up?!”
“We just need a good clearing!” I shouted back. “One slip up, and this whole forest could be up in flames!”
“We’re coming up to one as we speak!” Napalm barked from the front. “I think I’ve got a good idea!”
Archnid gave a plain look.“Judging by that look on your face, I’m not sure that’s a good thing.”
Napalm scoffed. “Trust me, I’ve got a good grip on how to do this; when I give the word, I want you all to shut your eyes and take cover!”
“That isn’t exactly helping your case!” Archnid gasped.
“We may just have to run with it, Your Highness!” I called from the rear. “At the rate we’re going, we won’t be able to keep ahead of him for long!”
The queen looked to me for a brief moment, then to Napalm. Perhaps in resignation, she sighed, as if no other good choice seemed to remain.
“On your signal, then,” she told Napalm, returning to proper running posture.
As the scalding puffs of hot breaths danced across our backs, scattered beams of sunlight greeted us as the walls of the forest began to part into a clearing. As we began to enter, Napalm turned about face with a fierce glint in her eyes.
“Everypony to the ground, now!”
Acting thoughtlessly, we all collectively dived into the grass, as a warm radial aura began to circle around Napalm. A hot wind began to pool as the surrounding area rose in temperature. The air seemed thicker, hazier as waves of power radiated around us. Spike seemed to shield me from the building pressure and heat. Bless his draconic heart; he must have wanted to protect me.
From the haze of building heat, a fierce, scorching nova erupted into being, singeing the grass around it as the crackling ball of hot fury flashed outward. I could only bear to look upon it for the briefest of moments before the intense brightness of it forced me to look away. A shrill cry pierced the air, and the smell of burning shortgrass and plumage acridly wafted into my nose. I could hear and feel the large wooshes of the bird thrashing and flailing around, trying to shake away its confusion. Eventually, the rapid, thundering footfalls filled the air, drifting away as anguished cries faded away into the setting sun.
When the dust settled, we all looked about, noticing a distinct black mark with a purple pony lying exhausted inside it. Much of her body was riddled with flecks of ash and soot, and her breath was deep and ragged. The lot of us rushed to her side, Nia frantically producing poultices and Roughshod murmuring prayers and invocations.
As I examined her, she let out a whooping cough.
‘Yeesh, that look a lot out of me,” she groaned, trying to tiredly get to her hooves. “I’ve never done something that intense.”
“Can you stand?” I asked, offering a hand.
As I tried to help the pooped pyromancer to her hooves, her legs wobbled and buckled wearily under her exhausted weight like a newborn foal.
“Pony feathers,” she dejectedly sighed. “I don’t think I have the strength to even stand up.”
My finger curled around Napalm’s hoof as I wrapped my arms against her forelegs. With a quick heave, I slung the exhausted pyromancer onto my back, gasping in exertion.
“Then don’t exhaust what little you have left,” I grunted, holding the mare against my back like a rucksack. “Let’s just get back to the village and take stock of damage; we can worry about the bird when we’ve given the fallen their last rites.”
Spike groaned and nodded. “Good thinking; we better get a move on. We don’t know how long that thing will be gone.”
With a quick look to one another and an affirmation that we were all well and accounted for, our party made haste for the village hidden in the Hollow Shades, constantly looking back to assure we were not being trailed. Our hearts raced, our nostrils burned with rushing air, and our minds filled with trepidation.
Little had we known, however, that the worst of our troubles had yet to make itself known.
***
It was a somber return when we arrived to the village. Though it had appeared to have been spared any lasting wounds, the looks upon the villagers’ faces knowing that another young flame had been so unrighteously snuffed out cut into me like a thousand needles. As I looked upon them, ashamed and half-defeated, my only course of action was to prostrate myself before them all.
“I am...sorry,” I choked, hanging my head. “I was ill prepared for this threat, and in my trepidation, I allowed an innocent colt’s blood to be spilled.”
There was a hush over the populace. The villagers all turned their gazes toward me, and my companions looked on with concern.
“I will not try to excuse my failings,” I continued, holding in my sorrows. “I was just as afraid of it as all of you could be, if not more, and I wasn’t able to act because of that fear.”
I rose to one knee, my head slowly craning up to face the Elder Berry.
“For the moment, however, I and my companions have chased the beast away. We should be able to rest a little easier, and perform any rites and preparations we can before it returns.”
The elder looked upon me, as I bowed my head before him. He trotted towards me, a hoof to my head.
“It is a shame that another poor soul had to be lost this day,” he rumbled, cradling my chin to look me in my eye. “But, there is a saying that has been passed through the hooves of many a civilization, this one included—Give one life today, and you save a thousand more in the morrow.”
I blinked, uncertain. “What do you mean?”
“The loss of one life can ensure the safety of many more,” he replied. “The child’s passing will be mourned and remembered, and his sacrifice will hopefully not have come in vain.”
Spike walked up to me, limping slightly as his minor injuries started to flare up.
“So you aren’t angry at him? Or us?”
Elder Berry looked between the two of us and sighed.
“Truly, in a fairer time, such despair would not befall us pony folk,” he shuddered. “But as this colt has stated, the youngling’s passing allowed for a chance for you lot to come to our aid, and with this window of opportunity now open, the heavens may yet grant you the favor needed to slay such a demon.”
After this, no one spoke. Not even a murmur among the villagers was heard as we regrouped. As I lodged my spear into the dirt shaft-first, I pondered the recent happenings.
Inside my thoughts, Iando decided to speak.
”You felt it too, didn’t you?” He asked. ”That strange energy.”
I shuddered, holding my face in my palm.
”I did feel something,” I somberly thought back. ”But I am not certain of what, and right now, I don’t feel I am in any capacity to make theories.”
It was then that I spoke up again, this time with a heavier voice.
“Spike,” I snapped, looking to Napalm. “Gather Napalm and the girls and retire to the shed. I’ll join you shortly while Roughshod helps with the mourning efforts.”
Spike looked to me, a look of unease on his face until our eyes met. He didn’t need to say a word to confirm my command, and nodded, gathering the others and making his way back.
As I looked to the setting sun, I clutched my necklace in my hand once more, seeing the tiny reflection of myself within and picturing those I might have myself lost. Though I knew not whom he was, the colt that passed away today would both haunt my sleep and push me towards the coming dawn.
In the nadir of that day, I swore to myself, however silently, that not another life would go to that beast again.