A New Perspective Ch. 17
Hazelnut did a remarkable job leading me around the camp, pointing out various areas of interest and generally distracting me from the fact that I was about to spend the rest of my life in a coma or under six feet of dirt. We had a bit of free time while the arena was being set up, this apparently being a lengthy process according to Hazel. After the five bit tour, I decided to spend some time at the training field getting to know my way around the blade contraption that Gale had given me.
The training center was about fifty yards away from the arena proper, where the sounds of sawing lumber and ponies yelling carried over. It wasn't exactly a large place, barely even as large as a soccer field, but what did I expect. I trotted over to one of the practice dummies and, after removing my cloak and readying my blade, set to hacking the thing into ribbons.
It was weirdly relaxing, watching the burlap and straw facsimile fall away with each deft swipe, until it was leaking straw in record proportions. As the sweat started to bead on my forehead, I felt a sense of elation as I slashed mercilessly away at it. Some of the ponies who were there had stopped what they were doing and watched as I practiced.
The blade felt natural, like an extension of my hoof, and before I knew it the dummy was torn to pieces. Hazelnut had been watching from a bench, and giggled a little when I finished.
"What're you laughing at?" I asked between breaths
"You're going to fight my sister like THAT?"
"Well, yeah, why? Was I doing something wrong?"
"How about everything. You're stance is all off, you telegraph your attacks too much, you throw yourself off balance with every swing. It's almost painful to watch you."
I was honestly taken aback. I thought I had done pretty well.
"And how would you know about my style?"
"Uh, you do know that my big sis is the best fighter that we have, right? Don't you think that some of that talent would rub off on me? Here, let me see that thing," she said, walking over to me and undoing the device.
"Hey, careful with that! You could hurt yourself."
"Oh please," she grumbled. Strapping it to her own hoof, the filly trotted over to the next dummy. "Let me show you how it's done." After lowering the dummy to her height, she began attacking it with fervor I had never seen before.
By comparison, my fighting style may as well have been me brandishing a club and swinging it in circles. Even at her tender age, I could tell that she had done this for a few years at least. She made the blade into more than a tool, and her fighting style was like watching a dancer. I was beginning to wonder why she had even needed me to help take her home during the storm.
When she had deemed the target defeated, she quickly undid the blade and tossed it back over in my direction.
"And that's how you do it," she quipped.
"Wow. Just, wow," I stammered as I strapped the device back to my hoof. "That was incredible! Could you give me a few lessons, just so I don't get too badly thrashed in there?"
"Sure! Based off of what I've seen, though, you're going to need more than just a few lessons."
She trotted over to me and started examining me, circling around me with a look of concentration.
"What are you doing?" I asked, feeling a little awkward.
"Shh, I need to focus," she said as she lifted up one of my wings. This was about as unnerving as things got, but if it helped me stand a chance against Silver, then I'd deal with it.
The filly circled around me for maybe five minutes, occasionally asking me to lift a hoof or look up. Finally deeming me worthy, she started setting up another dummy.
"What was all that about?"
"Just sizing you up, checking for any strengths or weaknesses that you could exploit. That was one of the first things sis taught me; always know your opponent, it just might save your life."
"Oh. So, uh, what did you find out?"
"Well, for starters, you have an obvious natural advantage because you're a pegasus."
"Is that as big of an advantage as I'm hoping it is?" I asked, praying that it was.
"Were it anypony else, I'd say definitely. Unfortunately, I've seen sis take down pegasi that had wings twice as long as yours, so they might not help you that much."
"Is there anything that your sister can't beat the tar out of?" I asked, sarcasm thick in my voice.
"Not really. And if I had to bet on this, I'd go with Silver. No offense, but you're kinda scrawny. You have a bit of lean muscle on you, but there isn't enough to really make a difference."
"That's it? Isn't there anything I could use against her?"
"As far as brute strength is concerned, it'd be like trying to walk straight into a hurricane. Fortunately, your slight figure and the fact that your bones are lighter because you're a pegasus does give you one advantage. You could just outrun her."
Not what I was expecting to hear, but I'll roll with it.
"Outrun her?"
"Yeah!" she replied in a chipper voice. "Sis normally wins just by overwhelming her opponents in the first couple of minutes. If you could just avoid her until then, maybe fly around a bit, she'd eventually wear herself out. If there's one thing that isn't her strong suit, it's endurance."
"As long as it gets me my necklace back, I'll do backflips while balancing a beach ball on my nose."
"That's the spirit! Now let's get down to business," she said, gesturing to the dummy. With a nod of my head, I flipped out the blade and listened with rapt attention to every word the filly said. Every move she made, I mimicked to the best of my abilities, and I was rapidly learning the intricacies of this weapon that would become my best friend.
And with every slash, every cut made in that training dummy, I thought to myself, I can do this.
<===============>
Fluttershy had spent the better part of the morning helping Applejack fix up her cottage, and they were starting to make some real headway. The bottom floor was done, and they were halfway finished with the second floor. Soon she'd be able to move back into the place she had called home.
Still, she knew that it wouldn't be quite the same.
The repairs had been keeping her mind from wandering too much, but every now and then she had to fight the urge to go off someplace alone and cry her eyes out. Applejack had been keeping one eye peeled, and whenever it seemed like she was about to tear up, she'd stop what she was doing and give her a hug. Fluttershy was lucky to have a friend as good as Applejack.
Setting down her hammer and taking off her hard hat, she wiped a rivulet of sweat from her brow. The sun was high overhead, and its rays had been beating down on her all morning.
"You alright, sugarcube?" asked Applejack. "You need me to get you anything, maybe a cold drink?"
"No, I'm fine, it's just that we've been working all morning, and I'm really kind of interested in seeing how the rest of the town is coming along. You want to maybe take a break, go for a walk?"
"Well, it's not like me to leave a job to somepony else, and we really need to get this finished..."
"Pretty please?" begged Fluttershy, giving the best puppy dog eyes she could. For good measure, she also poked her lower lip out in a cute little pout.
"... Oh, alright, just so that you stop making that face. Hey, Rocky!" she called over her shoulder. A sturdy stallion ran over to the pair.
"Yes ma'am?"
"Fluttershy and I are going to be taking a bit of a break, so while we're gone, I'm putting you in charge. If I hear that y'all were slackin' off, then y'all be the ones that have to repaint the barn at Sweet Apple Acres, you hear?"
"Clear as day," he answered, before turning to the rest of the construction crew. "You heard the lady!" he barked. "Put your backs into it! That means you, Derpy!"
Fluttershy turned to Applejack, feeling slightly worried. "When did Derpy join the team?"
"Well, she just showed up this mornin', offering to work, a little bit after you got here. She said that everypony else in town had turned her down, and I just felt sorry for the poor thing."
"I don't know if this is the best place for her," Fluttershy replied, turning her gaze back to the pegasus mare who was presently dragging a leaking sandbag behind her. "Wouldn't they need her to deliver letters? That was her job before all of this."
"They would, except the post office hasn't even been rebuilt yet. Look, I'm worried about her too, but let's just give her a chance. She hasn't done anything wrong so far."
"I guess... anyway, let's forget about all of this and go walk around town."
"Right behind ya," replied the orange mare as the two made their way down the scaffolding. When their hooves were back firmly on the ground, they made their way down the dirt path into Ponyville. Fluttershy still had that little niggling doubt in the back of her mind about Derpy, but worrying about it wouldn't solve anything.
Not that it would stop her from worrying.
<===============>
Princess Luna paced the floor of her bedchambers, mind running in circles.
She threw her gaze to the telegram from Celestia that was sitting on her dark purple bedspread. The message said nothing more than that she was needed in the war room as soon as possible. Noticing how hastily it had been written, with her sister's normal regal cursive replaced with sloppy script, she could only guess as to the seriousness of the matter.
Even with her sister's obvious sense of urgency, she still had to wait for her guard to escort her. Ever since the truth had been revealed about that cult, the castle had been on high alert, and anypony of importance had to be escorted by the guard. It was a needless frivolity to the moon princess, but she would deal with it as long as was needed. Besides, Luna had more pressing issues on her mind than just pointless bureaucratic dilly-dallying.
It had been three months since Evan had been banished, and she had received no word from her guards about his whereabouts, or even if he was still alive. While she was certain that he could take care of himself, she felt a certain responsibility for his current state. If she had just put up a better fight at the senate hearing, if she had only had the strength of character to overrule Celestia...
"Your Majesty, we've come to escort you to the war room," came a voice from the other side of the door. Reaching out with her magic, she swung the door open while levitating her tiara and collar onto her body. She was happy to see that it was her personal guard that was escorting her instead of her sister's troops. These mares and stallions had been hoof picked by her for their strength and loyalty, and she felt more comfortable around them than she ever had around Celestia's guards.
"Thank you, Night Stalker," she said to the unicorn mare that had announced their presence. She made it a personal mission to know every member by name, something that she felt gave them a more personal relationship.
Night Stalker was accompanied by her brother, Wind Song, a strong pegasus stallion that was always with her when they made their rounds. She did not discourage a healthy working relationship between her guards, and always tried to put family members in the same squad, something that Celestia had quickly picked up on and tried to mimic.
After slipping into her armored horseshoes, she followed them out the door, striking up conversation as she did so.
"So, Wind Song, how is your wife? I heard she came down with a bad case of the pony pox."
"Oh, she did, Your Highness, but she's feeling much better, thank you for asking. I'm just worried that the foals might come down with it too. They're so young, and I don't want anything really nasty to come their way."
"Well, if they do, just let me know and I'll get one of the royal doctors on it. As thanks for your diligent service," she added.
"Hey, how do I get that kind of credibility?" asked Night Stalker incredulously. She had always been the more outspoken of the two, but Luna took it in good humor.
"Don't worry, I would gladly do the same for you if the need ever arose."
"And we are ever grateful for your kindness, aren't we Nighty?" asked Wind Song, throwing his sister a dirty look.
"I told you not to call me that when we're on duty. It's Night Stalker."
"Whatever you say, 'Night Stalker'," he replied with massive sarcasm. Luna chuckled a little at their banter, because of how much it reminded her of how she and Tia would go back and forth as fillies.
"Now now, let's not get distracted from the task at hoof," interjected Luna. "What exactly is this meeting needed for anyway? It's not like sister to call everypony together like this at such short notice."
"Well, ever since that pegasus got banished, Her Majesty has been tense, to say the least," answered Night Stalker, face set in an expression of worry. "I've never seen her this stressed out before, not even when Discord came back, and we all know she was freaking about that."
"Hmm... Tia has always been one to blow situations out of proportion, but I do believe she has a right to be worried. We still have that cult to deal with."
"Yeah, but I'm starting to doubt that they even exist. We've scoured what remained of the Everfree Forest, as well as any other ruins all over Equestria, but we haven't found hide nor hoof of them. It's like they disappeared into thin air. Ah, here we are," added Night Stalker as they approached a large set of oak doors in a bunker underneath the castle. Pushing them open with her magic, Luna found her sister, as well as all of the guard captains, circled around the war map, a miniature model of Equestria and the surrounding areas. Turning to her two guards, she dismissed them with a nod of the head and entered, taking her seat next to Celestia as the doors shut behind her.
"Ah, Luna, so kind of you to join us," said Celestia. While she had put up a good face for the assembled guard ponies, Luna could tell that Celestia was deeply troubled.
"It's good to see you as well Celestia, although I fear that there is a serious matter that needs attending to if this many high ranking mares and stallions are here."
"You would be right in thinking that. I'll let the Magical Regiment's commander explain the situation," answered Celestia, gesturing to the grey unicorn stallion at the far end of the table. After levitating his helmet off, he stepped up to the map, using his magic to illuminate several spots on it. Luna noted, with some dismay, that most were concentrated in or around what had been Ponyville.
"I'll cut right to the chase your highness. The unicorns that we have stationed in this area of Equestria have been picking up traces of a very ancient form of magic that hasn't been seen since... well, since the First Nightmare Moon incident."
"Do we have any idea what's causing these spurts of magic?"
"None so far, but the odd thing is that there are no known ponies alive that have even heard of this magic other than the ones currently sitting in this room."
"So unless we're dealing with a leak of sensitive knowledge, that means that our assumptions were incorrect. You said that the last time this magic was felt was when I first became Nightmare Moon?"
"Yes, although we only have Celestia to attest to that, seeing as how none of us were alive for that. From what Her Majesty has said, this is similar to the magic that was flowing through you when you turned, a sort of corruption, only different."
"Different how?" asked Luna, turning to her sister.
"It is stronger, purer." answered Celestia, staring intently at the map. "It is more powerful than the corruption that coursed through your veins by ten fold, easily."
"Why have there been no reports of unicorns in Ponyville feeling this?" asked Shining Armor, captain of the Canterlot Protection Regiment. "Surely my sister would have felt this, she's the most magical unicorn alive."
"That is actually how we received word of this," answered Celestia, looking over to the white unicorn. "In Twilight's most recent letter to me, sent just last night, she said that she had been having chronic headaches for the past few days, feeling a kind of magic that she couldn't explain. All she could tell me about it was that it felt dark and malevolent."
"Has anything been done to try and figure this out?" asked Luna. "If Twilight Sparkle has been feeling this, then surely other unicorns must be getting worried."
"We have sent in a squad from the Magical Regiment as well as one from the Expeditionary Force to monitor the situation. Their reports have been fairly standard, but they sense that something big is abou-"
"Shh... hear that?" interrupted the captain of the Magical Regiment. Everypony perked their ears, listening intently to the walls.
"Is that... hoof steps?" asked one of the other captains. "How would we hear hoof steps all the way down here? We're five hundred feet underground."
The murmurs and questions from the other captains were cut short by the doors bursting open. Night Stalker rushed in, her mane tangled, a cut bleeding over her eye, and her breastplate dented.
"Night Stalker, what happened?!" asked Luna, shocked by her soldier's appearance. "Why do you-"
"Your Majesties, I would love to explain right now, but we have a problem! I need all of you to follow me, and be ready for a fight!"
The guard captains didn't need any more prompting, quickly throwing their helmets on and racing up the stairs, with Night Stalker, Celestia, and Luna following in hot pursuit. As they ran, the princesses teleported all their combat armor pieces onto themselves, and when they reached the main floor of the castle they were decked out in head to hoof plate and chain mail, with two jeweled helmets adorning their heads. They raced through the main castle gates to find a sight that nopony had ever hoped to see.
Canterlot was under seige.
Everywhere Luna looked, there were soldiers battling in the streets, as well as families running for their lives, but it was nearly impossible to tell exactly what they were running from. These creatures reminded Luna the most of the changelings that had once made up part of her army, except that they weren't. They simply defied all known physical description. All Luna could truly make out of them were that they were vaguely pony shaped, but a thick shadow hung around them, obscuring any fine detailing.
A magic bolt flew past Luna's head, forcing her to duck as it exploded against the wall behind her. Whatever these things were, they meant business.
"Sister, what do we do?! There's simply too many of them!"
"I'll stay here with the guard and try to hold them off, but I need you to go to Ponyville and warn the town. I'm certain that the influx of magic from that area is related to this, and we need to be certain that the towns folk are prepared."
"But Tia, surely you would need me to-"
"There's no time! GO!!" shouted Celestia as she dove into the fray, horn blazing with golden fury. As soon as she landed she was forced to bat away one of the creatures with her wing as she slashed at another with her magically manifested broadsword.
It took all of the moon princess' strength to tear herself away from the scene, but Celestia was right. Not only did Ponyville need to be warned, but so did all of Equestria. Gathering her resolve, she took to the air, aiming towards the southern gate to the city. She was determined to get to Ponyville as soon as possible, so determined that she did not notice one of the creatures break off from the fight and leap towards her.
The creature hit her with enough force to knock her out of the air, causing her helmet to clatter to the ground as she struck the cobblestone streets. When her vision refocused, she saw the creature striding towards her. Defying any sort of common sense, she started shuffling backwards along the ground, only for the creature to leap atop her and pin her to the ground.
Luna and the creature stared at each other, her heart beating like a jackhammer. The creature cocked its head quizzically, almost like some insect, before it released a haunting howl from its gaping maw. Luna saw a glimpse of its true face while it screamed, although she wished for the life of her that she hadn't.
The creature had no face, no head of any kind. All that was there was a pony's skull, bleached white, with razor sharp incisors and canine teeth. What was the most disturbing though, were its eyes, black and soulless with a single point of red light in the center.
Luna was unsure whether it was from instinct or sheer terror, but she released a bolt of magic that caught the beast full in the face, sending it tumbling backward before it disappeared in a burst of black energy. Taking a moment to compose herself, the princess of the night got back up to her hooves and took flight once more, all the more determined to see this evil brought down.
<===============>
"Mares and Gentlecolts, welcome one and all!" proclaimed the unicorn announcer in the middle of the arena, having used his magic to amplify his voice so it could be heard by the hundred or so ponies that were in attendance to what was essentially my execution. A single spotlight focused on him, made from a few mirrors and candles, while the rest of the battlefield was cloaked in darkness.
The sun was low in the horizon when a messenger came to the training field and said that the arena was ready. My heart had leaped into my throat, but I couldn't respond to him before he ran back to the arena. Hazelnut tried to offer some comforting words, but even with her lessons I knew that this was going to be a one way fight. Resigned to my fate, I had trotted off to the arena to await my doom.
Which leads to me, standing here like a lemon with my blade contraption strapped to my hoof, with only fifty or so yards separating me from Silver Rush. Interspersed throughout the space between us were large wooden pillars and chest high walls, obviously meant to add a labyrinthian feel to the place. I was sort of thankful for them, as it meant that there would be more obstacles for Silver to weave and dodge around, whereas I could just fly over them.
The one thing that made me want to tear my mane out in frustration, though, was the fact that they placed a net over the arena to keep me from flying too high. I guess it was just a necessary measure to make sure that I didn't just swipe the necklace and fly away, but I'd have to keep one eye on it just to make sure that I didn't hit it and send myself into a tailspin.
"Tonight, for your viewing pleasure, we have a truly momentous battle waiting in the wings! In this corner," he said, gesturing to Silvers end of the arena, the spotlight dying as two torches illuminated on either side of her, "is a mare very near and dear to us all! She is the very beating soul of our community, and record holder for most matches won in a row, standing at fifty-seven!" Were it not for the crowds adulation, you probably could have heard me gulp from where I was standing.
"I mean none other than the unstoppable, the ruthless, the awe-inspiring... Silver Rush!!" The crowd went wild as the spotlight shone on her and twin jets of fire erupted from the torches at her sides, probably some spell cast by a couple of stage unicorns. She greeted the cheers of the gathered ponies in her own inimitable fashion, getting up on her hind legs so she could beckon to the crowd for more, and throwing me a few wicked glares and cut-throat gestures for good measure.
Unfortunately for me, I knew that she meant those, and that's what terrified me.
When the crowd died down, the announcer continued. "And in this corner," he said, motioning to my side as a couple of torches illuminated next to me, "is a newcomer all the way from Equestria!" the crowd hissed and booed when he mentioned Equestria, so I guessed that it wasn't just Silver that had contempt for it.
"Will his soft upbringing prove to be his downfall, or can he prove that he actually has the guts to make it out here? I give you tonights challenger, the mysterious stallion... Evan!!"
The spotlight shone bright in my face, illuminating me for everypony to see. I did my best to stand proud and tall, even while the crowd heckled and jeered. Were it not for the net, they probably would have been throwing things as well.
"Tonights prize will be this priceless artifact," continued the announcer, holding my necklace high as the spotlight turned back to him. The crowd ooh-ed and aah-ed as the lights glinted off of it. Seeing the necklace being held out like some grand prize even when everypony else had no idea about its significance made my blood boil, but it also steeled my nerves and served as a reminder of what I was fighting for.
A shimmer of magic illuminated the arena, and the announcer reappeared in a VIP box outside of the arena. Setting my necklace down on a pedestal, he turned back towards the crowd.
"Now just so everypony knows, the usage of weaponry for tonights fight has been authorized, so this may get a little hairy. If either of the contestants attempts to strike a killing blow, they will automatically forfeit the match. And now, without further ado," he added as torches started lighting all over the arena, casting an eerie orange glow.
"LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!"
A gong sounded, and Silver leaped off of her starting pad. It was almost uncanny how fast she moved, bobbing and weaving through the obstacles at speeds that would make Rainbow Dash proud.
I thought back to what Hazelnut had told me about her sisters weaknesses, and decided to put them into practice. Waiting until she was within ten feet of me, I rocketed into the air, causing her to slam into the arena wall. The whoops and hollers from the crowd gave me back a bit of my courage, but only a bit.
Unfortunately, this only proved to irritate Silver, who probably wasn't used to being shown up so early in a match. Turning to throw a truly evil glare at me, she leaped upwards, at a height that I didn't think possible for an earth pony. Her grip barely missed my hind legs, and that's when I decided to give her a literal run for her money.
As she turned to stare back up at me, I gave a sarcastic wave and a smile and bolted, taking off to the heart of the arena. I tried as hard as I could to remember everything that Rainbow had taught me about flying, and used it to great effect, swerving through the pillars at breakneck speeds. Silver was in hot pursuit behind me, but even with her phenomenal speed, she still lagged behind, thanks to the obstacles.
I played this deadly game of cat-and-mouse with her for ten whole minutes, and with every lap of the arena we took, I could tell that she was getting more and more tired, already running at half of her top speed. She still kept on me though, but the strain was starting to affect her perception, and she had occasionally tripped over the odd root, or didn't jump high enough to clear a wall. The fury that she was projecting at me could have scared away even the most terrifying of creatures.
I stopped and rested on top of one of the taller pillars, taking a moment to stretch my wings and hurl insults.
"What's the matter Silver, getting tired?" I taunted "And they say that you're the best that they've got out here. You ought to be ashamed of yourself, getting shown up by a lowly Equestrian!"
That last one hit the breaking point for her. Gathering up what strength she had left, she used a nearby pillar as a jumping off point and leaped straight at me, blade extended and a blood curdling scream escaping her lips.
I didn't even have time to react before she had floored me, landing punch after sickening punch. I tried to hold my hooves in front of my face to shield it, but she quickly broke through my defenses. I could feel the bruises welling up under one eye and on my cheek, and I silently cursed myself for getting so cocky. The bloodthirsty screams of the crowd only exacerbated my worry.
While Silver was distracted with beating me up, I carefully maneuvered my lower body and landed a kick square against her back, sending her tumbling forward and, more importantly, off of me. I quickly stumbled to my hooves as she tucked into a neat little roll and flipped back up. She didn't waste any time, whirling around with her blade singing in the air, right at my head. I narrowly ducked out of the way, and felt a hot stinging sensation at the top of my right ear as her blade passed over me, like it was heating the air itself.
Flicking my own blade forward, I lashed out at her with a quick stabbing motion that Hazel had taught me. It gouged a neat little hole right above her eyebrow, but it wasn't very deep and only drew a tiny trickle of blood. Fortunately it caused her to flinch and draw backward, and I took the opportunity to land a kick square into her jaw, sending her flying to the ground.
"Well I'll be, looks like the city colt has some teeth!" yelled the announcer over the cheers of the crowd, finally having something interesting to watch.
Silver got back up, spitting out blood as she did so, and lunged. Blinded though she was by rage, she still managed to tackle me, but wound up getting two hooves square to the stomach when we stopped tumbling.
We both got back up in the center of the arena and circled each other, neither of us wanting to provoke the other. Even though I had gotten more hits in on her, I was still winded and sore. I could barely see out of my left eye for the swelling, and my ear was still stinging, leading me to believe that she had cut it.
"You're good," spat Silver, along with another mouthful of blood. "Too good for an Equestrian. What's your angle, huh?"
"Just want to get back what you took from me," I said between labored breaths.
"There's more to it than that. I can see it in your eyes. Where'd you get that little trinket anyway?"
How was I supposed to answer that question? Did I tell her the truth? Did I lie and say it was an heirloom from a long deceased grandmother?
Oh what the hay, it'll come out in the end anyway. Best to get the truth out in the open now.
"It was a gift, a gift from a friend very near and dear to me. I miss them more than you could ever know, and that necklace is the only thing that's helped me to remember them."
"Well, they must not miss you very much, otherwise they might have come looking for you," she sneered. "They've probably already forgotten your name, and I wouldn't blame them. You are nobody, and nopony will ever love you or remember you when you're gone."
"What did you just say?" I asked, my temper rising.
"You heard me," she retorted. "You're a worthless waste of space. Anypony who ever claimed to be your friend was just taking pity on you."
"Fluttershy would beg to differ," I muttered under my breath.
"Who?"
"Fluttershy, the love of my life. She was the one pony that made me feel good, the only one who stood up for me, through thick and thin."
"Then where is she now, hmm? Probably back in Equestria, living it up now that you're not there to be her ball-and-chain. Face it, she's forgotten you."
She didn't just say that. She did NOT JUST SAY THAT!!!
A surge of power raced through me, illuminating the arena with a brilliant white light. At first unsure of what to make of this, I realized that this sensation felt familiar; the same thing had happened when Fluttershy had nearly been killed by the cultists. All around me the crowd burst forth with gasps and cries of terror, some trying to escape even as others stayed to watch, dumbstruck.
I turned my burning white gaze back to Silver, standing there with an expression halfway between amusement and terror.
"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?" I asked, my voice reverberating off of the forest.
"I... I..." she stuttered.
"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY, YOU FOAL!?" I screamed, my voice sending shockwaves that sent ponies hurtling to the ground and knocked down all of the obstacles in the arena. Silver was even forced to hold her ground against the sonic tidal wave.
When she refused to answer, I kicked her in the chest with all my might, sending her flying into the wall of the arena. Well, technically through the wall of the arena. I stomped my way over to her prone form, ready to give her what she so richly deserved, until a small voice cried out from the stands.
"Don't hurt her!"
I whipped my head around to find the source of the noise, only to find Hazelnut gripping the railing. Tears were streaming down her face, and these were tears that I recognized, ones that I had seen Fluttershy cry so many times before.
She was worried for her sister, worried about what this monster in the arena might do to the one pony in the world that she cared for.
"Please, don't hurt my sister," she pleaded. No longer did she see me A as protector from a storm, or a newfound friend. I was a beast, a creature that steals away those you love in the night.
No, I wasn't that. I could never be that, and I would never be that.
Even as my internal declaration set into my mind, I could feel myself powering down, and the world ceased to be bathed in whiteness. The moon shone brightly down from the trees, and all of the torches had been blown out, no doubt from my vocal tsunami.
When I was certain that I wouldn't do her any unintentional harm, I flew over to where Hazel was, but she shied away, afraid that I was going to turn again. I set down as gently as possible next to her and tried to wrap a hoof around her, but she soon wriggled free from my grasp, running to hide under one of the bleachers.
"Hazel," I said softly, poking my head underneath. She was wrapped up in a tiny quivering ball, not unlike when I had first found her.
"Hazel, if I scared you, I'm sorry. I... I don't know what happened down there, but it's over now. I'm me again, and you don't have to be afraid."
She poked one eye up over her hoof, but quickly put it back down again at the first sight of me. Great, I've alienated the one pony here who I could call a friend.
Looking up I saw that the few ponies who were still here were giving me very awkward looks. I backed away from Hazel slowly, and flew to where Silver lay just to avoid their piercing gaze.
Silvers body had made a shallow groove in the ground where she had landed, bits and pieces of the walls littering the area. At a first glance it was hard to tell if she was alive or not, but her very shallow breathing gave me a flicker of hope. I slung her over my back, and trotted back into the arena, as going around it would've taken longer to get her to the medical tent.
As I passed, the various ponies still there turned and stared, unsure what to make of my change of heart. Some looked at me with contempt, while others smiled slightly at my act of kindness. One even got Hazel to come out from under the bleachers, and while she didn't jump down to join me, she did smile a bit as I walked past, her sister slumped over my back.
That was the best I could hope for from her, but I doubt that it'd be enough to rekindle our friendship, not while the wounds were still so fresh, literally and figuratively. I probably needed a visit to the doctors as bad a Silver did.
Thinking back to the past months, I was starting to notice just how rough my life had become. Having to dodge wild animals, scrounge up my own meals, and now all of this.
I wonder if Fluttershy is having as hard of a time as I am?