A Dangerous Sparkle

by David Silver


114 - For Those who are Helpless

Darkness descended quickly as the group huddled around the only tent available. They couldn't all fit inside, so lingering about it was as close as most could get. Many had sunk to the ground while some stood despite fatigue, perhaps urged by instincts old and forgotten.

Sonata was with them, standing and watching. When she had been a monster of the sea, swimming in the depths, darkness was no foe of hers. She was one of its guardians, and neither feared nor was slowed by it. As a sea pony, darkness became her enemy. She frowned and softly tapped at the tent, "Lex, are you in there? Can I brighten things a little bit? This is totally depressing out here." Barely waiting for reply, she gave a soft little musical note and extended a hoof to touch a scrap of metal. The metal burst into a soft light, shedding pale blue luminance. The keen eyes of Sonata and her fey friends allowed them to see for a short way in all directions from it, and the night no longer felt quite as all-encompassing.

Lex exited the tent a moment later, wearing his usual frown. It had less to do with Sonata than it did with the occupants of his tent. After setting it up, he'd flatly declared that those with the worst wounds would occupy it, which had been the phoenix wolf, still unconscious but apparently no longer in danger of dying, and the mare with the lamed legs. Lex had used another healing spell on her, but the damage had been extensive enough that she'd still needed considerable assistance to make it even the short distance to the tent.

He'd been looking the two of them over when Sonata had interrupted him, but it had been just as well. Those healing spells - he still felt uncomfortable with them, not just for the implications that they carried but also because that mare had been paying close attention when he'd used them - were the extent of his medical abilities. Looking over the pair in the tent, the only conclusion he'd been able to form was that he had no idea if they were going to be any better by the morning or not.

If they weren't, and if another application of healing magic wouldn't improve things, then it would be time to start making some hard decisions...

Pushing those thoughts out of his head for the moment, Lex scowled as he eyed the light Sonata had made. "Was that really necessary? If there's anything out there, this will act as a beacon," he glanced at the woods around them suspiciously. He hadn't gotten a good look at whatever had attacked the train, but the very fact that it had happened around here meant that this wasn't the safest of locations.

"Like, yes," said Sonata, her face falling to a half-frown before it rebounded into a smile, "It's way dark out here and everyone's getting worked up. I'm not standing guard in the middle of black nothing, you can forget that." She trotted away from Lex in a slowly circle around the tent, peering into the depths of darkness she hadn't seen for over a thousand years. As she finished her circle, she looked back to Lex, "Like, what are we going to do if something creepy shows up? I can entrance a human or a pony just fine, but I'm totally not prepared for hungry wolves or whatever." She squinted a little, "Are there wolves? I really don't want to fight wolves."

One of the ponies nearby perked an ear, "Did you say you saw wolves?" Fear and worry spread through the gathering, eroding the already fragile bits of rest anyone could get.

Lex cursed softly as he realized too late the problem with discussing their situation publicly. Turning, he directed his reply to the rest of the group. "All of you, calm down. Sonata and I will stand guard. If anything - wolf or otherwise - comes near us, we will drive it off or destroy it, as necessary. Now, get some rest." The tone in his voice made it clear that it was a command, rather than a request.

For all the steel in his voice, however, most of the group seemed reluctant to comply, muttering amongst themselves and casting nervous glanced around. Lex had just started to turn away when there was a shriek. Spinning back around, he saw one of the ponies - the stallion that had objected to sleeping inside the train before - pointing at...him. Or rather, at his shadow, which was stretching towards the light that Sonata had made, rather than away from it.

"Wh-what IS that?" he shivered, backing further away from the red-horned unicorn. "What are you?"

Sonata puffed up, approaching the pony, "He's the awesome pony that's protecting you." She stomped on the ground lightly, then turned away, "The night's super creepy enough with what's out there to be worried about our friends being a little weird, geeze." Whether she had just not seen the shadow or ignored it wasn't obvious, but her utter confidence in Lex was clear. Before she could say more, a shrill cry came from around the tent.

Trouble had arrived on four legs. It was the wolf Sonata had predicted, though it was quite a bit larger than a wolf had right to be. Its terrible jaws were set around the flailing back leg of a pony as it moved to haul her away into the dark. Sonata cringed as others screamed, but instead of fleeing or cowering, she advanced on the wolf, "Good boy, good... boy. Now you put that down right now. There's no point chewing on that, like, no point at all." Her words wove with subtle notes and the sway of her aquatic body and the wolf seemed to obey her, dropping the panicked pony and flopping to the ground listlessly, as if it were simply bored.

Lex, whose ears had perked up at Sonata's use of the word "friend" to describe him, stood back as she worked her magic, literally, on the attacking creature, pacifying it. So far she was proving herself to be surprisingly useful, under his direction of course. Maybe her suggestion, made just before the literal train-wreck that their situation had become, that they return to Equestria together wasn't a bad one.

Yes, he decided as he watched her pat the monstrous creature as though it were a pet. While her attitude was inscrutable and somewhat irritating, the results she was able to achieve spoke for themselves. The changes he planned on making to Equestria were for the better - of that he was absolutely certain - but if Sonata could help smooth the transition to the new order he'd envisioned, then she could be quite valuable indeed.

Sonata glanced back towards Lex a moment before resuming her soft petting of the wolf. "Lex? Come here Lex," she whispered harshly, "Before this wolf wakes up and eats my arm like a crunchy taco, Lex." She tried to look peaceful and calm for the wolf, but nervousness was building as she kept it placated. "Good boy, you just... stay right there..." During the confusion, the mare that had been grabbed had half-crawled away back to the others to huddle fearfully. All eyes were on the large beast and Sonata.

Blinking as he realized that Sonata's control over the creature was less than perfect, he started towards the pair, coming right next to her. "Be ready to move behind me," he said softly. "I'm going to drive it off." He had already decided on what spell to use. Attacking it would definitely break her control, and possibly make it resume its initial attack. Far better, at least for now, to simply make it go away. Luckily he had just the spell for that.

Adjusting a small, silver circlet that was barely visible under his mane, Lex's eyes again changed to the fearsome combination of green and purple as he chanted. This time he was using the magic that he had pioneered on his own, but there was no helping the manifestation of Sombra's power, not when all of a unicorn's magic was channeled through their horn.

Finishing his spellcasting, the effects on the wolf were instantaneous. It's eyes snapped open, fixing on Lex with a yelp as it backed away. He smirked at the animal, knowing that his presence was causing it revulsion so visceral that it was almost certainly sickened by it. A moment later, the creature turned and fled into the darkness.

Sonata raised a hoof at Lex with a big cheerful grin, "Now that's what I'm talking about!" After the barest moment of waiting, she patted him on the shoulder with the hoof as if that was what she meant to do the whole time, "See everyone? We're totes safe. Now go to sleep." She half-lidded her eyes, "Sleep is good..." Her words carried her magic, making the eyelids of the others grow heavy as a group. They soon slumped over in a pile, most fading off instantly.

Sonata gave a light nod at the sleeping crowd before her light winked out, "I changed my mind. I'll take some dark over crazy wolves. You were so right, Lex." She trotted carefully in the dark, finding an empty place near the others. "Goodnight."

Lex was silent for a long moment, looking at where she'd touched his shoulder before directing his gaze back at where she'd curled up, calling on Sombra's power again to view her clearly. It was a minor trick, but an obvious one - after all, a being that had dwelt in shadows needed sight beyond mere vision.

Pausing long enough to use his circlet again as he cast a spell that would create a loud, blaring alarm if the perimeter was breached, he spoke softly, just loud enough to reach Sonata's ears before she drifted off. "Goodnight Sonata, and don't worry, I'll watch over you. After all," a thin smile curled across his lips, unseen in the darkness, "we said we'd go back to Equestria together."

The night passed peacefully for the remainder of the evening. They had survived their first night together, but the Sun Queen's presence would bring them no closer to civilization.


Rainbow skipped out of the room, flapping her wings in tandem excitedly.

Spike gave a thumbs up, "Looking good, Dash!"

Dash was about to say something when the door slammed shut with the faint sounds of locks engaging. "Thanks? Anyway! Look, wings!" She extended one wing, then the other. She unfurled them as a pair and soon lifted herself into the air with a delighted giggle.

Soft pointed back towards the stairs leading out, "I'm very glad for you, Dash, but now that we have all our parts, we really should see about Sonata."

Spike softly huffed, "Most of our parts."

Twilight frowned, "Let's check and see if they haven't arrived on their own, first. We'd feel awful silly if we went out there just as they came into town."

They walked as a group out of the alchemist guild as Applejack asked, "Do ya think they're OK? That sounded like a mighty big crash back there. If they're not back yet, we really ought go check on 'em."

Rainbow nodded, "Even if that Lex guy gives me the creeps, Sonata seemed nice enough."

Twilight frowned, "Even if he is creepy, that is not how we decide who needs our help! If they're not here, we go find them."