Chapter Seventy-five
Ruins of Dusk
Rainbow Dash
Time was running out. Gilda still stood at the door to the tavern, her claws ready, but she had told me that she thought she heard some creatures lurking outside. We were in for another fight, and Fluttershy was still unconscious. I stood over her in the back corner of the bar, waiting desperately for her to awake, my sword held at the ready in case she didnʼt make it in time for us to flee. Angel also stood at her side, ever the silent sentinel.
Mercifully, she finally began to stir before anything terrible happened, and I was at herside in an instant. I wanted her to wake up so we could get a move on, sure, but I was actually more worried about her than I was us. I didnʼt know what had caused her to be knocked out, and was very concerned about her safety. As her eyes cracked open, I breathed a sigh of relief, and helped her to sit up from where she lay on the ground. Angel, a load taken off his shoulders, gave her a little hug, and she gave him a loving pat on the head in return.
She shook her head to rid herself of her sleepiness, then noticed the look of concern on my face and giggled lightly. “Iʼm okay, Dash. That was supposed to happen... I had to goto the Dreamscape to meet my ancestor in person. I... I also got to meet another person descended from him, an explorer thatʼs out somewhere away from Equestria... His name was Daring Do, I think...”
I frowned slightly, confused. “Daring Do? ... Fluttershy, I think he was using an alias. Daring Do was a book series. My brother read every one to me when I was little.”
Gilda spoke up from where she stood. “Yeah, Iʼve been reading ʻem too, whenever Iʼm bored and fighting stuff doesnʼt cut it. Might explain why Iʼm only on the second one. Actually, I might... might have it with me, hang on... Yeah, here you go. But letʼs try to hurry, ʻkay?” She tossed a small book our way, retrieved from somewhere in the folds of her oversized black cloak, and Fluttershy picked it up with a confused expression on her face.
“This... the person on the cover of this book... It pretty much looks like the boy I met, too. I wonder if he based his outfit off of them too, as well as his fake name... Or is it all a coincidence? Oh, um... I guess it doesnʼt matter much right now. We need to find your ancestor now, Dash.”
I nodded, suddenly a bit apprehensive. Iʼd have to do some fighting, and even when I won, I had to be knocked out. Fluttershy seemed cheerful enough, so I guessed that it didnʼt hurt too much, but it still wasnʼt much to look forward to. I stood, helped Fluttershy to her feet, and the three of us moved over to the door where Gilda was waiting. After she took her book back, she nodded silently and led the way out the door and back into the streets.
“Be really careful.” She whispered. “These guys are good at tracking people, but they arenʼt perfect. Thereʼs still a chance we could cover some ground before they find us...” I nodded tersely, and our team dashed forward through the dead streets, Fluttershy and Angel sticking close to me, and me keeping not far behind Gilda. The windmill towers loomed overhead, closer than ever, and I knew we were nearing the center of the city. However, I could also make out the near-silent scampering of the creatures of darkness just beyond our line of sight, and my heart raced as fast as my feet.
Up ahead, I noticed that the cobble path was ripped apart, and had been for a long time, but only in a small area. It almost seemed to be a line that cut directly across our path, but it wasnʼt too high that we couldnʼt get over. Strangely, though, it seemed the innermost part of the city was on raised ground as opposed to the rest of the city, because past the damaged zone, everything was at least a foot higher up.
Naturally, I was a bit curious about this, but we didnʼt have the time to stop and wonder about it. As soon as we hit it, Gilda and I vaulted over the ledge, then I stopped for a moment to help Fluttershy and Angel scramble up, and we continued on. The scratching and smashing of the creatures was growing in intensity, and I knew we had maybe seconds remaining before they were on us. Regardless, we pushed on for a few more meters before swinging into an open-doored building and readying our weapons.
Upon closer inspection, the room we now found ourselves in looked to be a meeting place of some kind, judging by the large table in the center and all the chairs scattered around. However, all kinds of strange, ancient-yet-futuristic equipment lined the walls, having once done who knows what, but now succumbing to rust and cobwebs.
Whatever it was once supposed to do, we simply didnʼt have a chance to look into it. The split second after we settled into our battle stances, the beasts cascaded fourth from every side street like a black tide, and we were fighting for our lives once again against the swarm.
Gilda and I alternated holding up the front door, cutting down each one that threw themselves at us and switching out every minute or so to prevent fatigue or fatal screw-ups. Fluttershyʼs arrows sailed over our heads, striking down a fair number of their troops as well, until she ran out of ammunition. Since the forms just evaporated after being killed, each and every arrow could be recycled, but we had to wait until they were all slain to retrieve them. Angel remained by Fluttershyʼs side, unable to get a decent vantage point from which to fight.
Gilda and I fought brutally against the oncoming waves of creatures, the swarm seeming endless, but after several hard minutes of solid fighting, large gaps began forming in their ranks. A little time passed, and the gaps became more common than solid masses of creatures, and as we continued our relentless defense, the numbers dwindled further until the whole group had disappeared.
“Where do they come from?!” I exclaimed, shaking my head in dismay. “There were more in that batch than should have been able to even fit in the city!”
“Theyʼre practically the essence of the city.” Answered Gilda sharply. “They re-spawn soon after being killed, because whatever malevolent force brings them to life is still in effect. You wanna kill them all and make them stay dead, youʼre going to have to kill that force, but no oneʼs ever tried. No one even knows where to start. By the time you get in here to research it- too late, youʼre dead.” She sighed, then took a step out the door. “Well, weʼve got some time to work with now. Where else is there to look...?”
“Is there anything special in the very center of the city?” I asked curiously. “And... What is this room? What did all these controls do?”
“Never checked the dead center, to be honest.” She answered. “Dunno what any of this stuff does, but there's a couple of stations like it in this central district. Anyway, they don't do anything anymore. There's no power feeding to them, and they're all rusted over anyway. Let's just get moving to the center, shall we? Even if we don't find anything there, we could use it as a vantage point to see the rest of the city and plan our next move.”
I nodded with newfound determination, and allowed Fluttershy and Angel to pass before leaving myself. Angel cast a wary, confused look back at me, and I tilted my head in question. “Dash... Do you feel okay?” He asked me.
I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, then shook my head. “Yeah, I feel fine. Why?”
“You're acting kind of weird.” The rabbit-child stated bluntly. “Fluttershy too. You've been all... Friendly.”
“Aren't we always friendly though?” I replied, jogging alongside him to catch up with Gilda. Fluttershy was only a few paces ahead of us, keeping her distance from the Order operative.
“More than usual, I mean. It's just weird is all...” Looking across from me, I could see that Fluttershy had heard what Angel said too, and she looked just as confused. However, after a moment's thought, I realized what he was talking about. Ever since we'd set off on this journey, I had been a lot closer to Fluttershy... half the time I didn't even notice it. I could hardly help it though... Fluttershy was still upset about losing her sister, just like I had lost my brother. I understood what she was going through, and wanted to be there for her, to provide a shoulder for her to lean on. And she seemed so innocent and helpless, and beautiful...
I shook my head clear once again. What am I thinking? This is no time for that, even if Fluttershy wasn't spoken for! Or at least... I think she's spoken for... Well, even if she isn't, I don't have time for that right now. We're fighting for our lives, and I have to be focused on surviving, finding my ancestor, and getting out of this place. I can worry about feelings later.
Still, the thoughts were hard to shake, and as our group continued our trek to the center of the capital of Dusk, I couldn't help but continue to think of Fluttershy... We rounded another corner, and my thoughts were instantly drawn from the girl I may have been rapidly falling for. In the dead center of the city, directly before us, was some kind of huge cylinder, with filthy but intact glass shielding a defunct crystal from the effects of nature. Several pipes, wires and cables ran from the thing, going to other sets of machinery like the one we had seen earlier, or running off further into the city.
“Now... what is this?” I asked, feeling a little stupid for knowing so little about this place.
Gilda shook her head and sighed. “I don't know. Some kind of power generator. Crystal inside looks like one that stored magical power, and there's a bunch of conduits leading from it... Might hook up to the windmills, and all the control stations that do... something.” It occurred to me that while Gilda may have been to this dead city before, she really didn't know much more about it than I did.
“So there was a power station at the center...” I concluded, mostly to keep the conversation going. “I'm going to take a look up top and see if I can find a place where that other statue would be. Be right back.”
I backed up a few paces, then took a running start and launched myself into the air. My wings carried me up and around the cylinder, and the grime obscuring the glass gradually became less thick. The crystal within, spanning from top to bottom of its container, was a dull grey, but was discolored in places due to what I guessed was magic stored within over the years. However, no resonance could be felt from it now, as everything in the city had long since gone cold.
I alighted with the top of the cylinder, and froze in my tracks (save for my wings keeping me aloft, of course). Standing in the dead center of the round platform was another statue, face towards me. What are the odds...? If I hadn't come up here to look for it elsewhere, I never would have found it... I decided to land atop the platform to get a closer look at this effigy of my ancestor. My sword was still held firmly before me, in case it came to life before I had a chance to examine it fully.
The hairstyle my ancestor wore was more or less similar to mine- which is to say none at all, just shoulder-length and horribly unkempt- but the structure of its face and eyes were a dead giveaway that it was a woman. She wore an unusual set of body armor, which didn't seem able to decide whether to be fully iron or leather, and instead settled for a mix of both. She held a sword close to her, at an angle to the ground, but the design of the weapon was unlike any I'd ever seen. It was about the same size as my broadsword, but had a large slit running down the length, making it resemble two back-to-back katanas rather than a broadsword. I wasn't sure what practical purpose having a split blade served, but I had to admit, it sure looked cool.
Before I could examine her statue further, the same light that had come over Fluttershyʼs opponent began to radiate from her, but in more of an orange-pinkish color. I braced myself for combat, staying a few feet away to improve my own chances of a successful reaction. Beneath me, I could hear the others calling my name, anxious and worried about what was going on beyond their line of sight. Without taking my eyes off my soon-to-be opponent, I shout down to them. "Ancestor's statue is up here! Don't worry, I'm going to fight it up here. Just sit tight!"
I fully expected my ancestor's statue to come to life and attack me, but I couldn't have anticipated the insane speed this hunk of rock was packing. Literally as soon as the light had receded to its eyes and brought it to life, I found myself blocking an overhead strike by the winged warrior. I barely had time to blink. Where did she come from?! How does a statue move that fast? Man, I'm really going to have to push to keep up now...
I wasn't about to let that stop me though. This statue may have been fast, but so was I. I slipped from the parry and sidestepped my opponent, then spun around to whack it from behind. The statue was already on the move again, dodging back from my strike, but I used the momentum to launch a frenzy of strikes against it, forcing it to retreat from my whirling blade.
My ancestor wasn't to be deterred, either. As she reached the edge of our dueling platform, she leapt nimbly around me, her wings flaring out behind her and carrying her around my attacks and back on the offensive. She sailed towards me in a vicious stab, and as I parried her strike and shifted the position of her sword, she delivered a punch right to my gut as she flew past.
It was all I could do not to collapse right then. Getting punched by a rock tends to be painful. Still, I held my ground as she righted herself for another attack, and I wasn't prepared to give up yet either. We faced off on opposite sides of the arena, each daring the other to make the next move. Her possessed sunset-colored eyes locked with mine in an obvious challenge. Gritting my teeth in determination and gripping my sword until my knuckles turned white, I let out a bloody battle cry and charged towards her.
She waited until the last moment to react, making things even more trying for me. She brought up her blade to block my attack from the left, but just as she was preparing to block and counter, I ducked under her weapon entirely and whack away at her legs. It seemed to do some damage, as she momentarily fell to her knees, but her drop also brought her elbow down right onto my head, and I was slammed into the ground. She then proceeded to kick me across the makeshift arena, and I rolled for several yards before coming to a stop.
"Rainbow Dash!" I vaguely heard Fluttershy cry from below. I cracked my eyes open and saw through the red my ancestor stalking towards me for the kill. I put my hand to my throbbing head, and it came away bloody. I was an absolute wreck, but I knew I couldn't give up yet. As real as the pain was, this was only a test, and I had to succeed, or I'd never be able to defeat Celestia. As I struggled to my feet in the face of my impending doom, two more figures skidded to a halt between me and my ancestor, and she stopped short.
"F-Fluttershy? Gilda?" I said, somewhat astonished, but more annoyed. The two girls had flown up to the arena as well, and were keeping the statue from getting any closer. "You two! Get out of here! I have to kill this thing alone."
"Yeah, well, that doesn't seem to be working too well for you, does it?" Gilda retorted. "Not much point in letting you get killed because of your petty honor."
"This isn't about honor!" I shouted, desperate to get them out of the line of fire. "I'm supposed to be the one to defeat my ancestor, and I have to do it alone. It's a test of my own strength, and it won't count for anything if I don't prove myself alone."
"Not quite." An unfamiliar female voice stated. "But you're close." All four of us standing atop the platform froze, including the statue. This proved to be the worst thing it could have done, as a moment later, a large projectile hit it in the back of the head, powerfully enough to send the heavy effigy sprawling across the ground. The projectile continued on its path for a few more feet, sticking fast in the ground, and when it came to a rest, my eyes widened and my heart skipped a beat. Gilda's reaction was of momentary shock, then anger.
It was none other than the giant double-headed blue battle, trademark of the legendary Wonderbolt Spitfire.