//------------------------------// // Chapter 22; Bloatheads and Broken Spears // Story: The Wander Through Lands Unknown // by Tomas Lutwig //------------------------------// Celestia sighed as she followed the deer warrior called Hemlock. Her annoyance partially due to the strange Wanderer that had not only killed a then defenseless creature that was to be a prisoner in Tartarus, assaulted one of her subjects, but also gone AWOL a day after being formally inducted into the royal guard. 'If he causes any more issues, I may simply figure out how to extinguish that 'bonfire' he seems to re-materialize at and have the elements be...' she started thinking before blinking and shaking her head. 'No, I cannot give my ponies such an example to follow. A punishment is in order, but...' “Th-this is as far as I can take you Princess” Hemlock said pulling the diarch away from her thoughts. Looking at the deer warrior, the discomfort on his face was hidden admirably. “If you continue forward, you should come across the corrupted part of the forest” he said, being in the presence of the darkened forest affecting him making her wonder what it would've done to King Aspen, being the most in tune with the forest. “Thank you Hemlock, you may head back if you need, I can see how this desecration of the forest is affecting you” Celestia said using a comforting voice. While not as in tune with the forest as the deer, she did have an earth pony's connection to the earth, and what the evil force was doing to it made her feel sick. The deer warrior looked like he was about to refuse, but glancing again deeper into the forest, he nodded before turning back. “I will wait closer to the town, if you need any assistance, please do not refrain from sending for it” he said before heading back. Princess Celestia turned, facing the sinking feeling she felt in her gut and walked on. 'I do not think there would be anything capable of causing me that much issue, but the sentiment is nice' she thought as the forest started to darken drastically. Looking around, the trees had been stripped of their leaves leaving them black dried looking husks of their former glory. The Princess of the sun continued on, the look of concern growing deeper on her face before she noticed the red growths. She approached one of the trees putting her hoof up to it, 'What kind of magic can cause this?' she questioned looking around again before continuing into the darkened forest. As the Princess reached what seemed to be the darkest part of the forest, a strange growl sounded nearby making her turn to see something that made her heart sink. What was once a timberwolf looked upon her, though the bark making it up was a dead black like the surrounding trees. The normally yellow glow of the eyes was replaced by a similar red to the growths on the trees, some of the same growths sprouted from their wooden forms. Within a few moments, more of the corrupted timberwolves arrived, all snarling looking ready to attack. The solar Princess' horn shown like the sun for a moment as she blasted the first of the three. A beam emitting intense heat burned through the creature leaving little more than a few charred legs. The two other timberwolves, uncaring as their darkened comrade had been reduced to ash, leapt at the Princess. Changing strategy, she instead grabbed one of the oncoming creatures and slammed it into the other sending the two into a nearby tree where they shattered on impact. Letting out a sigh, the solar Princess watched as they started to slowly reassemble, though before they could finish she reduced them to ash as the first. 'What magic could cause even the timberwolves to change so drastically?' she wondered. Unnatural sounds started coming from the forest that sent shivers of an instinctive fear down her spine making her glance around. 'Laughter?' she thought again before the sound of something flying through the air made her put up a magical barrier around herself before a blob of darkness slammed against it with a force that rattled her brain. The high pitched laughter sounded again making her turn towards the origin of the dark magic and laughter. Lighting her horn up to see better, she watched as a figure shielded it's greatly distorted face with a long spindly hand. A deep sound emanated from it, sounding like a mix between a gurgle and a angered groan. Raising a strangely shaped staff in it's other hand, a dark aura formed around it before a black mist sprayed out from it, completely covering the area in utter blackness that burned her skin and eyes. Princess Celestia quickly started flapping her wings, making a great deal of the fog dissipate from around her before a number of smaller black orbs slammed into her side knocking into a nearby tree easily knocking the wind out of her and cracking a few ribs. The cruel laugh echoed through the darkened forest again, making her feel like this twisted being was playing some kind of cruel game with her. Rising again to her hooves with some difficulty, she charged her horn again before launching another beam at the disturbing looking sorcerer only for it to leap out of the way and the beam to burn through a number of trees. As the misshapen being raised it's staff again to summon more dark magic, the Princess quickly launched another beam straight through it leaving a gaping hole in the middle of it's spindly body. Another groan escaped it before it fell forward, lifeless. Slowly, Princess Celestia approached the fallen dark sorcerer. It's head was enlarged with the back bent at strange angles revealing bits of it's brain. Nudging it's head with her foot, she stepped back with a gasp as she saw beady little red eyes placed all over the creature's face with strange appendages that would look more at home on an insect of some kind than this freakish creature. “What in Equestria...” was all she could say before more sounds echoed around from the trees. Looking around, fear etched on her face she put up another shield and started galloping out of the darkened part of the forest as fast as her hooves could take her. Another spindly hand shot out from behind one of the blackened trees, but rebounded off her shield. Whatever creature gave an angered gurgle at the passing alicorn, but she didn't care. “HEMLOCK!” she shouted reaching the end of the corrupted part of the forest looking around for the deer warrior. Not finding him she dashed further from the darkened forest shouting out for the deer again. “Princess Celestia?” She heard whirling around horn ready to fry whatever it was only to find the stag who stumbled back seeing her disheveled look and lit horn. 'I'm not a huge fan of this damned horse, but if she's being attacked by one of the most annoying bosses in Dark Souls...' I thought running through the forest Princess Luna, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie in tow as I made my way to where the Princess and her deer guide had gone. “HEMLOCK” echoed through the forest making me turn towards the sound of the shout which was off the trail that the warrior in question had led me down. I stumbled to a stop to find a frazzled Princess Celestia trying to calm down while a confused deer guide was trying to ask her what happened. “Oh thank God” I said leaning on my spear trying to catch my breath. The procession behind me arrived not a moment later. The ponies questioning my actions before finding one of their Princesses scared and confused. “What were those things?” I heard Princess Celestia ask over a number of the other ponies and deer. Standing back up I let out a final breath before regaining my composure and raising an eyebrow, “I'm going to need more information than that Princess, I mean no offense but...” I started only for her to put her hoof up. Taking a few more deep breaths the solar Princess calmed herself, or at least evened her breathing. “They were a bit taller than you, elongated gray arm with bulbous twisted heads that had parts of their brains sticking out, with staves that they used to channel dark magic” she said making more than one of the ponies cringe. “Oh that doesn't sound like fun at all” Pinkie Pie said shaking her head as a shudder ran through her. I gave the Princess a knowing look mixed with an apologetic one. “Well I suppose it's better than what I was expecting, though not by much” I muttered. “Those are what happens when a person's humanity goes berserk due to the darkness of the abyss” I said trying to remember exactly how the darkness was supposed to affect humans. “Isn't this 'humanity' what you said keeps you from turning hollow?” Celestia asked giving me a raised eyebrow. I nodded making her put a hoof up to her head under her horn. “I think you're going to need to explain a lot about this world your from” she said finally. “Gladly” I said before looking in the direction of the blackened forest. “We need to get out of here though. Make sure you're alright, and see if we can't figure out anything for getting rid of the darkness that's trying to invade this world” I finished. The sound of a groan mixed with gurgling made my stomach drop and for my eyes to dart to the trees. A multitude of glowing red dots met my gaze before a malformed creature that was once human stepped out into the light making more than one of the surrounding equines gasp. A large dull golden head obviously too large for the creature's body was the crowning piece of this malformed creature of darkness. Attached was what looked like it was once a normal human's body, but the sickly gray tone along with a pair of elongated arms that were bent upwards allowing the creature to walk made it look like something from a sick individual's nightmares. 'Oh hell' I thought glancing around at the stunned ponies between me and the once human. It threw it's head back and let out a gurgling yell that shocked the ponies and deer more before starting to advance again. Without thinking I shoved past a few of the ponies and ran at the creature ready to impale it. The bloat headed monster threw it's arms back coming to a run itself before balling up it's fists together and bringing them down trying to brain me with it's over sized hands. Bringing my shield up I sidestepped allowing the blow to glance off the metal and wood, an action I quickly regretted. Shock and pain rolled up my arm as the hands bounced off and into the ground. Gritting my teeth I tried to swallow the pain. The creature picked its hands off the ground just in time for my spearhead to bite into it's chest, the tip glancing off the remnants of a rib cage before finding the softer material between. A groan sounded from the bloathead before it slammed it's hand into me knocking me away and into the dirt where I lay stunned on my stomach. After a second to regain my senses I looked up only to have the shaft of my spear sail over my head and bounce on the ground behind me. Returning my eyes to the creature as I tried to get to my feet reaching for the axe tucked into my belt, I found it quickly approaching attempting to again pummel me with it's large fists. Before it could near me though twin beams, one of a white energy and the other a near light blue blasted through the bloathead leaving a singed hole in it's chest and another that seeped a pale light in it's head. Without a sound the monster fell forward blood oozing from the non-cauterized wound in it's head. I stood back to my feet, hand resting on my injured side staring at the monster before looking back up at the two princesses who's eyes were on the bloathead along with the rest of the equines. “Thanks” I said in between labored breaths. After a moment I turned to retrieve my spear. “By the Heart...” I heard Hemlock say. Reaching to grab my spear I found much to my horror a large crack was spread from right below the spearhead to a quarter the way down. I let out a pained sigh looking at the damage 'I guess I didn't make it for actual combat, just to be a play pretty and to pose for some pictures or at best fend off a mugger' I thought before turning around. “We need to go” Princess Luna said motioning for the rest of the ponies to start moving before more sounds from the forest caught our attention making the princesses look at me. I leaned on the not broken part of my spear before motioning for them to go. “I'll be right behind you” I said “For someone who seemingly knows a lot about these creatures and has been trained to be in the royal guard, you fight like a novice” I heard Princess Celestia say as I was looking back to make sure nothing was following us only to whirl back around and look at her. “Yea well can't say I've ever had the pleasure of fighting one, at least not in person” I said giving her an annoyed look. “It's not as though your royal guard taught me all that much about spear fighting either. Most of my training with Strong Horn and Iron Arm was with swords, black smithing, or hand to hand or hoof.” The diarch let out a sigh and looked back to the path in front of her, “I suppose that makes sense, but it is worrying when the only being that knows anything about these creatures is nearly killed by the first one they encounter” she said. I let out a sigh of my own pinching the bridge of my nose. “No matter. You two and Twilight will need to figure out how to get rid of this corruption through the forest,” I started before pulling out the broken stone pendant from the pouch on my belt. “And hopefully figure out how to send this back where it came from. We don't need Manus coming through to here” I finished. “I don't know how we could even beat that...”I muttered under my breath.