//------------------------------//
// XIII 
// Story: We Are Born From The Mist 
// by NeverEatTheLemonsAlone 
//------------------------------//

The creature smiled mirthlessly at the two, then spoke in a voice a far cry from the raspy, creaking gurgle that it had previously used. It was a smooth, toneless sound, nearly hypnotic. The Dark Pony? Hmmm, I like it. So then, who is your little friend, Hurricane?

As Star looked up, Hurricane shot a quick look at her and whispered, “Don’t look into its eyes.” Nodding subtly, the ialtag tried her best to listen to Hurricane’s advice, ignoring the eyes as Hurricane stepped forwards.

“Good, you finally came out. Now you can answer my questions. First of all, who—or what—are you?” The Dark Pony chuckled, the sound sending chills up and down the pony’s spines. Who am I? It has been such a long time since I’ve had a name that I cannot remember. You may call me the Forgotten, or alternately, the Dark Pony. Hurricane growled at it. “You know full well that’s not what I meant.

Then I suppose you shall be living in confusion for quite some time, since there is no reason for me to reveal my identity to you. Its head turned to Star and she gasped for air as she made eye contact, the breath leaving her body as she was possessed by soul-wrenching terror. Flashes of unnamable colors burst like fireworks in front of her eyes. Hurricane hastily stepped in between them, cutting off the contact, and Star fell to the ground, gasping for air. The Dark Pony laughed once again, a cruel chuckle that filled the air.

It seems that she was too weak to withdraw from the fear. What a pity. I expected more from a Key-Keeper. Hurricane’s eyes narrowed. 

“A what?” Yet again, the creature laughed. It seemed to find the world, and her especially, extraordinarily amusing. 

Ah-ah-ah, Hurricane. What kind of enigma would I be if I went about, throwing secrets around willy-nilly? I have to keep some information to myself, you know, or else the game becomes boring.

Hurricane’s teeth ground together. Now that it spoke more like an actual pony, she found it irritating beyond words, it and its infuriating secrets. “Game? Game? What do you mean, game? This isn’t some sort of funhouse! Now tell me what I want to know!” Her hoof cracked down on the stone as she stomped forward a pace.

The thing sighed. How uncreative. With a twitch of its stolen forehoof, a blast of unholy agony seared through Hurricane, stemming from the dead-black limb. Her vision went dark as the sheer torment overloaded her senses, and the next thing she knew, she was on the ground as Star shook her. 

The Dark Pony slid to the edge of the barrier, placing its hooves against the border of light, and Hurricane couldn’t help but notice that the blue one began to slip through as it spoke. I think you shall find, Hurricane, that I am the one who gives the orders here. Not you.

She groaned incoherently as it moved back to the center of the circle, turning to face her with a sardonic grin on its face. Remember, Fury, I am always watching. Do not stray from your path again.

With that, it gave vent to one more spout of laughter and began to fade, the sound becoming garbled and warped as it melted down, until it finally ceased altogether. The pain, unfortunately, did not, though it did abate some. Hurricane struggled to her hooves, turning to Star.

“Well, there you go. You’ve seen it now, Star. Did you like what you saw?”

Star’s mouth moved for a moment, but no words came out. After a beat, Hurricane dropped her gaze and sighed. “It called itself the Forgotten. Does that mean anything to you?”

The ialtag responded quietly, more so than Hurricane had ever heard. The dead, soulless eyes of the thing had certainly done a number on her. “I can’t say I’ve ever heard of something called by that name. Perhaps some of the Council Elders would know, but I’ve got no way of reaching them.” With that, she turned abruptly away, shivering slightly.

Hurricane tapped her on the shoulder. “Hey, Star. Are you alright?”

Star slowly turned back, revealing tears in her eyes. “Oh, Saros, Hurricane. Those eyes…” The tears began to flow, slowly at first, then more freely, as she began to let out choked sobs. Hurricane awkwardly hugged her, murmuring into her fluffy ear.

“It’s all over, Star. It’s over. It’s alright.”

This went on for a good few minutes before the sobs came to a shuddering halt and Star pulled away, looking gratefully at Hurricane. “Thanks,” she murmured. Hurricane nodded and star silently took off. The pegasus watched her from below, concerned, before following.


North again, as the sun rose. They’d not slept, and as the dawn broke, they yawned, one after the other. Star’s mood had improved considerably over the night, leading to a few conversations, and they’d decided to head north until they reached the nearest gryphon settlement, a small village called Mjors, and rest there before continuing. It would be quite the long flight to make in one day, but they were confident they could make it.

After a period of silence, Star turned to Hurricane. “Hey, Hurricane. What did the Forgotten mean when it said to ‘not stray from your path’?”

Hurricane remained silent for a moment, thinking, before speaking. “I think that for some reason, it wants me to keep going north. Maybe there’s something up there that it wants, I can’t really say. Even so, whatever it wants, I won’t let it have its way. I promise you that.”

Star nodded, then faced forward again, accelerating and leaving Hurricane a short ways behind. She turned to the sunrise, smiling faintly, then sped up, joining the ialtag in the perpetual flight north.