Chapter Two - What Makes a Monster
o/\o/\o
As Epic's hooves splashed away in the mud Ashley couldn't help but grin at luck at being able to fly. The storm had really made a mess of the landscape, but the two companions had slept through it like foals. Despite the good night's sleep, though, the stallion had reasonably been upset at the loss of his tarp that was stolen by the storm during the night. The mare had been impressed that the fire had actually burnt all through the night.
But now they had more important duties, namely to find a cave that only one of them vaguely knew where was. Suffice it to say that the search was not going well.
"Gee, I sure miss when the pegasi would manually work storms. This whole thing about building them up and shooting them off is sure frustrating." The earth bound pony grumbled.
"Eh, my parents were weather ponies." The sky dweller remarked. "So honestly storms have always been a gray area for me."
"I suppose that's how you knew which way the storm was coming from yesterday?"
"Yep. Bit more difficult to do it with out feathers, but it doesn't hurt to know the storms almost always blow in from that way- Hey! Would the cave look like a big black spot on the side of a hill" Ashley switched topic as her body spun in the direction of the spot.
Epic climbed over the next hill to get a better look before confirming for her. "Uh huh. The thing that looks exactly like a cave entrance is definitely a cave entrance. Let's hope it's the only one around."
As the two drew nearer to the cave Ashley landed to walk along side her partner, as he drew his sword from it's scabbard. It was obvious that the entrance itself held no immediate thread, but the pair entered cautiously anyway. The cave turned after only a few meters in, so the ambient light was quickly consumed by the hungry walls.
"Good thing your here," Epic whispered to the faint outline of Ashley. "Since you can see in the dark you can guide us without the need of light that would easily give us away."
He stopped when she stopped. "WOW! You think just because I look like a bat I can see in the dark. That is so rude!"
"I- What? Can't thestrals see in the dark? They're nocturnal right?"
"Hello, it's the middle of the day. I'm not nocturnal."
"I just I was taught..." The unicorn trailed for a bit before changing his mind. "You know what, I'll just provide us with some light."
"FLAMETOUNGE!"
And on cue flames began to lick off of Epic's sword as the enchantment illuminated their surroundings all to fast. The cave widened as it slopped and twisted around walls of rough stone. Save for the occasional natural pillar, the ceiling and floor were bare of their respective formations giving the place an unnatural emptiness. The uncomfortable glances they both shared told one another that they both felt like something else should have taken the missing stone's place but neither could place just what was missing.
Soon the cave began to grow taller as well, eventually causing the light they carried to no longer dance on any surface but the floor. Ashley was ahead of Epic by about a third of the flame's radius so he couldn't seem to grab her attention without making a sound. with a resigned sigh he began to call for her, slightly increasing his volume each time.
"Ashley... Ashley. Ashley! ASHED!"
The final call got the attention of more than one creature in the area as the black of the ceiling descended on the party. Being just bats, they avoided Epic's flaming sword as he gently waved it around. The pony beating her similar wings to drive them off however, just seemed to be drawing their attention. Her shrieking like, well, a startled bat probably didn't help her case. Quickly enough Epic fending the little creatures off of her as well, helping her up with a satirical look.
"They're just bats. I'm surprised you freaked out so bad."
"Not like I knew what they were! They took me by surprise." The bat pony caught her breath before adding. "Not that you calling to me helped, you sort of caused it."
"My apologies, I was just going to suggest hugging a wall, so as not to get lost." He moved his blade towards the one on his left until it came in view. "Besides, now maybe you'll walk with me instead of ahead of me since you now how easy it is to be ambushed in situations like these, and I can get your attention when needed."
With a nicker Ashley began to walk along side her companion. Time was easily lost in the cave, the trek a long one with measured slowness. Eventually Ashley had Epic strike the wall with his blade to mark the distance she said they had travelled. It had happened well over a while a go for the second time before they reached a offshoot tunnel that caused Epic to immediately drop his enchantment.
Before Ashley could complain, she noticed way he suddenly became so worried: At the end of this tunnel was a light. A soft orange like that of an actual torch. After Epic started creeping forward so did she, until the both could see the source. A hollow that could reasonably be assumed to be a bed room, torches on the walk and a rough stone desk and all.
"What kind of monster were you sent after, Epic." Ashley whispered from closer to the bed-slab she was moving towards. It had a strangely colorful quilt, that when she noticed what it was made from, quickly made her back-petal and gag.
"I don't rightly know," He had found a pile of miscellaneous bones, pony bones included. "The kind capable of rending armor and crushing house supports like they were paper and twig. The kind that burrows and catches it's prey off guard and forces them into the open if they manage to get somewhere safe."
"What can do that? It sounds eerily intelligent."
"I'll tell the ponahs what howls in the night. What howls in the night is dogs."
Spinning to face the entrance caused his hooves to audibly grate on the stone Epic prepared his sword against his mysterious foe. The mystery wasn't held long as the large two legged blue gray dog stepped into the light of the room. The torch light flickered on the stained claws and scarred body of the behemoth, but fell flat on it's eyes, long having lost any humanity.
"It has been much time since ponahs brought themselves here. Dog is happy it does no have to dig through mud for next hunt."
Epic did not reply as the Diamond Dog began to circle, but merely began to turn with his foe. Ashley had reasonably flown as high a she could. A height that would be out of reach as long as the Diamond Dog was a terrible jumper.
"Dog wonder though, why dinner has come. Surely ponah no want to be eaten."
"My name is Epic-"
"Dog sees the mouth move, but no words come out. Dinner thinks Dog hears. This dog no hears. This Dog sees. This Dog feels. This Dog tastes the dinner ponah."
It circled a few more times before before lunging at the stallion with an uppercut. Epic quickly jumped back and to the side in a flanking position, getting a clean swipe on the Dog's shoulder. But no damage was done, despite Epic's intentions. His surprise didn't distract him from the Dog's heavy back hand though as he jumped to the side and rolled. His opponent's little legs did have enough power to launch him fast and far, which meant Epic was out ranged.
The Dog didn't seem to notice this advantage as it went back into circling it's prey. At least that's what it seemed to do before just as fast it left it's feint to loose a slash at Epic. Unable to block knowing the Dog could tear through his blade like it was air the Epic dove between the beast's legs as another dodge. However, being a unicorn his blade could stay in place, something else the Dog failed to realise as it turned again to Epic, as the sword reared and delivered a mighty blow to the forearm of the Dog. The most powerful swing the unicorn could muster, and it barely penetrated the hide of his opponent.
Grasping for the sword the was already flying away, the Diamond Dog let out a laugh, finding it a perfect time to taunt his meal. "The swordponah's blade is to light to do more than sting this Dog. Dog will win by not dieing, same can no be said for ponah."
It did nothing to hamper Epic's resolve though, as stallion and behemoth once again dove into the fray, and Ashley watched on. While her partner battled she had done nothing but moved a few times, and called out a few encouragements that fell on seemingly deaf ears, and a few insults that fell on actually deaf ears. She wasn't sure how long Epic could last, but the Dog certainly didn't seem to be slowing down, and any opening it left was the arms, a place Epic had shown he could do very little with, even as he was kicked across the stone floor to land a second swing on the wound on the hand.
Ashley figured she should do something to cause an opening, but having no combat prowess she knew of no solution we quick to come to her. But then she though of the bats and how Epic didn't flinch at them, but the surprise they gave her momentarily crippled her. Taking that into heart she dove on the Diamond Dog, with poor results. It immediately seized her tail and flung her into a wall, causing her head to hit it with a loud thud.
"Giant bat ... can ... this dog?"
Ashley could barely make out a few of the words over the ringing in her ears. But through her wavering vision she could see Epic backing away from the Dog. He was going the wrong way!
"Dog live with ... no surprise ... head."
What was Epic doing? He had said something but she didn't hear it.
"... after unicorn."
Ashley was hurt and she knew it. She needed to brace herself up against the wall, close her eyes, focus. Epic knew it to, and had been mulling over a decision. When the Dog spoke that last sentence and turned to him he let of a sigh knowing he wouldn't need to make it.
"So silly swordponah no run? Is he stupid? He knows little sword cannot do real harm to Dog?"
Epic smiled in response. Right outside of the Dog's view was his sword, no longer a longsword, the blade was now the whole width of the hilt, having spilt itself in half and moving impossibly to the sides to allow a much larger blade to sprout out. This time when Epic dodged and the Dog left itself open, the weight of the much larger blade tore through the wounded arm, severing it in a single hard slash that ended with the blade slicing the floor underneath.
Letting out a howl, the Dog grasped it's stub, and in that second of distraction the blade lifted again and with a heavy whoosh, decapitated the creature known as the Cave Beast. The wounded mare saw, though motion sickness glasses, this stage of the triumph, as well as Epic's blade returning to normal, and him galloping over to her.
She missed a second though drifting in to him saying, "Come on now, there you are. I'm no doctor, but I think you've got a little concussion. I can't get you help anytime soon so let's hope it's the the kind you can sleep off and just wake up feeling terrible."
Not comforting but not something she could argue. She quickly found herself on the bed slab, quilt missing, then sometime latter still on the slab, indeed filling terrible.
"You alive?"
"Not if you keep speaking so loud." The newly woken pony shouted back.
"Nope. This is punishment for being a fool. I didn't realise you couldn't fight, but when I did I was glad you didn't try and get killed. But I defiantly didn't realise you wouldn't know I was herding him to get a chance to cast Greatsword without him seeing it. When he hit you- damn it, Ashley!- if he would have went for the kill I would have had to let him in order to get a clean shot." Epic was visibly shaking as he berated his companion. "It was stupid and don't do it a again!"
She had already started crying at the part where he yelled her name. No sorry, just all the different sobs of upsetting a friend, knowing your life almost ended, and general pain she was still under, and a little more.
"Why was he like that though! Diamond Dogs are rough, but they're supposed to be down right gentle when push comes to shove!"
Accepting the deflection, Epic explained his theory, "He was hunted long before he started killing ponies. Like I said, I'm no doctor, but some of these bullet wounds look like they they where made even perhaps before the Rebalancing occurred. He was hunted so ponies could make something out of that tough hide he was so proud of, that's probably why he made that pony quilt, out of irony. It's sick what some ponies do to others. If you treat a creature like a monster long enough it's bound to become one."
He shared a significant glance with his companion before she asked, "Couldn't we have helped him though?"
"You can't help everyone Ashley. He was to far gone. Believe me, I would love to be able to fix things without killing anypony, but he was killing others had a bounty on his head. Even if we could have fixed him, he would have to live with that on his conscious and it would drive him to ruin in some other way." He paused long enough that he could have easily have finished before adding in one last though. "It pains me to say it, but killing him was an act of kindness to both him and the world."
o/\o/\o
It was sad really, and brown stallion pacing the room really didn't understand why these poor ponies made the decision they did so often. It was simple really. He would show up, offer them safely and community, and they would either accept or deny his help. They denied so often though, and that was a shame. Without others to watch your back, Equestria could be so cruel.
So once again he asked the Father. "No."
And he asked the Mother. "No."
He knew better than to ask the filly. Without her parents she would never accept.
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!
One shot from his revolver for each square between the eyes, no pain. One of his three companions shuffled uncomfortably. This cause the brown stallion to round on the younger one.
"Do you have a problem with this?"
"Well, Fatal Draw, sir, I don't understand really."
"What is there not to understand. I offered them food, family, safety! And they refused my help. Tsk, tsk. They would have stayed here, ever in danger of starvation, or bandits, or worse. I would be torture, and eventually death. By killing now I've done them a kindness, they won't have to suffer anymore. I would have done the same thing to you if you would have refused my help."
"But, even the filly. We could have-"
"Could have what? Killed her parents in front of her? Forced her to come with us against her will? That's sick. It's exactly what I was trying to stop. Now come on, we have three graves to dig. One final kindness."