//------------------------------// // Day One // Story: The Burning Traveler // by Dramize the Salamander //------------------------------// Acellex watched as everyone fell in different spots in the forest before she fell into a mud pit. Acellex looked around trying to get a sense of her surroundings. "Ugh the proving grounds are bigger this year I didn't expect to land in a swamp. Well I better start trying to find the others." Acellex was saying to herself before she heard a roar from behind her. She turned to see a twenty headed hydra with wings roaring at her. "After I kill this hydra." The hydra slammed three of it head at Acellex kicking up a bunch of dust before it roared in pain as it pulled back only the necks of its three heads. The smoke cleared and Acellex was sitting on one of its head spinning one her hook swords with her chain with the other two head next to her new seat. "Lets go big boy." Acellex threw one of her swords at one of the beasts heads then grabbing her chain lunching herself at the hydra. Meanwhile the CMC had gotten back together quickly thanks to Sweetie Belle's quick thinking tagging her friends with her spirits as they were lunched so they were trying to find Acellex the only one Sweetie couldn't tag in time before she landed so they were wondering around with the strange feeling they were being watched from the trees. "It's quiet too quiet." Applebloom said picking up her pace from a hurried walk to a careful run. "Yeah it's creeping me out." Sweetie Belle said matching Applebloom's pace with Scootaloo. "Lets just find Acellex she might know what we need to do." "Umm girls we have company." Scootaloo said pulling out her pistols and shooting into the last tree they pasted. A shadow fell from the tree and into the brush then they heard laughing all around them as the shadow Scoot shot walked out of the brush and into the light it had a hyena's head a panther's legs a cheetah's body, owl like wings and a pit viper for a tail. It was staring at the three fillies like they were its next meal making a weird noise that sounded like mix between hissing and laughing. "What is that?" Sweetie Belle asked backing away slowly. "Something we should be running from. like now." "I don't think we can." Applebloom said as she backed into Sweetie Belle away from her own creatures. "Surrounded?" "Completely." "Ok so we fight Sweetie get between us we've got this." Scootaloo said with all the confidence could muster while she raised her pistols and Applebloom raised her fists. "I hope." The beasts circled them but didn't make any other moves. "What are they waiting for?" That's when they heard it a laugh that made the other creatures fall silent. Two glowing gold eyes started to move closer until it finally stepped in to the light it was the same creature but twice the size and covered in black armor and in its mouth was a terrifying looking halberd with a dark green metal serrated blade encrusted with emeralds, rubies, and jets. Applebloom and Scootaloo were starting to shake as it started to approach the circle but Sweetie Belle's eyes were locked at the weapon in it's mouth. "Mine." Was all she said before moving toward the beast almost in a trance but as soon as she got close she was swatted away into a tree hitting her head on the hard wood. Sweetie's eyes closed as she laid against the tree and touched the back of her head and felt the warm liquid in between her fingers then she started to laugh opening her eyes and everything moved back as she stared at her own blood. "Cloak, Dagger get me my halberd." She said her horn glowing a darker shade of green than normal as two pale green flames appeared next to her. "Yes mistress Belle." said two voices at the same time as the flame got bigger then forming a large earth pony covered in scars and guard armor bound in chains with a tower shield on his back and a small pegasus with a collar around her neck she wore a feathered cap that looked to match the tattered scarf and fencer garb she wore as she pulled out a rapier. Both pony specters charged the beast and it charged back but when it got close the larger specter snapped his chains punched the beast in the face knocking it off balance and knocking the weapon out of it's mouth which the other specter picked up only to get absorbed into it. Sweetie saw this and ran to her weapon only to be cut off by one of the other creature that lunged at her. "OH NO YOU DON'T!" Said both Applebloom and Scootaloo at the same time. Scootaloo firing a bullet which turned into a fire ball knocking the beast away and Applebloom raised her hand and a shell of air surrounded Sweetie moving with her as she grabbed her weapon and losing control of her other specter watching it vanish then running behind a tree breaking line of sight before running back in shell still active watching as the creatures were blown away from her she giggles as she got closer to leader. She jump up to bring her blade down the beasts head but it was ready it leapt up exposing it's neck ready to counter Sweeite Belle but that's when it happened a large root from a tree shot up from the ground a stabbed the beast letting Sweetie cleave the corpse in half leaving her covered in blood and still laughing but with tears in her eyes as the other creatures fled. A few hours later the three had finally calmed down and were looking for some water bath in before the moon rose. The moon rose and they were tired, hungry, and jumpy after an encounter with some giant wasps that shot webbing from their stingers they we going to give up and stop for the night until they saw an orange glow and heard a familiar voice. "I wonder how everyone is doing." They ran to see Acellex sitting on a stump covered in bruises next to a small pool of red water and her campfire about to take a bite out of something they couldn't identify but it smell good the three ran in surprising the kirin making her drop her food and fall into her pool before coming back up holding both her weapons read to kill only to calm down as she realized she had guests. "Oh hey girls having fun."