//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Black Winter // by EMBER SPIRIT SHIELD //------------------------------// Black Winter Chapter 3 Ember slammed into a thick tree trunk, feeling something give. He crashed into the forest floor hard, the thick covering of leaves and undergrowth doing little to soften the impact. After rolling and bouncing a small ways, he felt his head collide with a tree and a branch hit..., then nothing. Back a ways Princess Luna was hovering over her groaning sister, who was whimpering in pain. “Mmhh my horn,” she whimpered, “was his wing made of stone?!" “Sister you have been buried under a tower before surely this is nothing in comparison.” stated Luna “But that was two thousand years agoooo.” whined Celestia “Does this mean, Gasp, my older sister hath gone soft!” Luna said in mock surprise. Grunting in annoyance Celestia got to her hooves, glaring at her sister. “It was only half a tower…” Celestia grumbled. “Come we must find that fiend before he gets too far.” Luna said “ Captain Steel Cross” addressed Princess Celestia “Yes Princess?” replied Caption Steel Cross “I want you to take lieutenant Skywishes and begin searching for the agresor, nofro the individual, we don’t know the intentions this...pony holds.”stated Princess Celestia” It’s a stallion, your highness.” Skywishes interjected, as she trotted over from reporting to her commanding officer, and bowed to all three Princesses. “Rise My little pony, and please explain how you came across this information” Celestia Inquired. “I know he is a stallion because of two things: One, because of his voice, and unless he was modifying his voice though magic, then it was indeed a stallion. Two, I saw his eyes.” stated Skywishes “Can you describe his eyes?” said Princess Luna and Princess Twilight in unison “Yes your highnesses, His eye’s where a green color, if I was to be specific, a beautiful emerald Irises, with a purple pupil.” said Skywishes in a slight wistful tone. Princess Celestia and Luna exchanged a look that only they could discern the meaning behind it. “I would also say that his eyes held a sadness that I have ever never seen before.” Finished Skywishes with a hint of melancholy in her voice. The two sisters looked at each other and lit their horns’ and stared into eachothers eyes. Among the guard this was known as private speak and it was very rude to interrupt, so Skywishes just stood there and used her training to seem like a statue. ‘hmm I wonder why his eyes had a purple iris, It was really quite beautiful. I wonder if he is seeing anypony…--where the heck did that come from, I don’t even know him let alone anything anything about him! Besides I don’t even know if his intentions are hostile or not! what is wrong with me!!’ skywishes thought becoming concerned on where that came from. ‘Maybe it was the Hearth's Warming spirit getting to me, yeah that must be it. The Hearth’s warming spirit got to me.’ Skywishes thought to console and comfort herself. “Thank you Lieutenant Skywishes, do you think you are fit for another mission?” asked Luna. snapping Skywishes out of her revery “Of course ma’am.” affirmed skywishes with a salute of her wing. “Good, we would like you to accompany Captain Steel Cross and search for the stallion. More teams will be dispatched in time, However until that time we need to move fast and begin looking for the stallion as soon as possible.” Began Princess Luna “Yes ma’am, is there anything else ma’am?” Asked Captain Steel Cross. “Yes, if and when you find the stallion, Please secure him and make sure any injuries that he may have received are treated, and only if he does not have hostile intentions.” Finished Princess Celestia. The Pegasus and Unicorn saluted and said “Understood.” Ember groaned in pain as he regained consciousness, every part of his body hurt. the last thing he remembered was the chase, crashing into Celestia’s horn (that thing was like a steal beam), spinning into the trees, and a branch hitting a not so nice place. Then nothing. He opened his eyes and winced in pain as the bright light assaulted his eyes. He tried to get to his hooves but there was a grinding sensation in his back left leg. The leg was broken. Ember knew this even as he looked back to check. It was twisted to the side and he could see the bulge beneath his fur, that indicated the brake. “Sooty feathers” Ember groaned. ‘well let's try to fix this’ he thought and fired up his magic, or he tried to. A sharp pain pulsed through his head, and he quickly stopped trying to use magic. Ember lifted his hoof to his horn to check for any damage. Finding none along it’s length, he moved to his forehead. There he found blood, and a lot of it.as his hoof made contact with the broaken skin, he gasped in pain. by his judgement from how big the gash was he was lucky to be alive. ‘A head wound will bleed a lot, so as long as I don’t panic then I will be fine.’ He thought as he got to his hooves. Once on his hooves Ember let out a sigh, but when he sighed the portion of the blade still in his chest fell to the ground. It had been loosened by his crash landing and moved around giving the wound new cuts. The new cuts had bled, wetting the blade with blood. So when Ember sighed the blade slipped out of the wound. Ember realised what had happened when he heard the blade hit the forest floor with a wet *THUMP*. As a horrendous pain filled his chest, a pain filled scream that would put a banshee to shame, tore itself from his lips. Lieutenant Skywishes and Captain Steel Cross were flying low over the treetops, after they reached the end of the forest the chariot started to descend. When the Chariot landed with a bump, Steel Cross got out of the chariot as Skywishes unhooked herself from the front of the chariot. “I hate flying” grumbled Steel Cross in his gravelly voice, “So what are we looking for lieutenant?” in a louder voice. “Well, the stallion had a orange coat and a grey cloak.” Skywishes said “Well a orange coat will make it easier to see in the snow so the grey will make it harder to see.” Steel Cross mumbled “So look for anything orange.” commanded Captain Steel Cross. “Yes sir.” Skywishes said with a salute and took to the air. With that Steel Cross summoned his magic, and cast a spell called ‘Blood Compass’, It was a spell that he had learned when he was a recruit. The spell would create a compass that would point to the nearest injured creature. The needle spun three times and stopped, pointing east. “Well best start there” Steel Cross said to himself and began walking east as a gentle pulsing glowed from the compass needle, indicating if he was getting closer. Suddenly there was a shriek of pain from an animal, for a pony could not make that sound. It was in the eastward direction. “Well, let’s go see what that was…” Steel Cross said and galloped off into the woods. As Skywishes soared across the forest she couldn’t see a thing through the snow topped trees. As she decided something she looked around to make sure no one was around, and once she was sure she was alone she used her secret. She activated her heat vision that she had inherited from her mother who was a thestral. when she was young she had been bullied about how she looked because she had leather wings when she was young, but later on her feathers had come in and the bullying stopped. Ever since her secret remained a secret. “I am using my gift’s for good now, right mom?” Skywishes muttered with a hint of loss in her tone. As she looked about the forest, she saw a few creatures that did not hibernate like a family of owls in a tree off to her left about two hundred yards. A few hundred more and to the south a unicorn who started running east. ‘there is the Captain, but where--’ Skywishes thoughts were interrupted by a scream of pain. as she franticly looked around worried that her secret was exposed she saw a large heat signature about a thousand yards ahead of Steel Cross. “There.” Skywishes said and flew towards it . as she flew she started to notice that the creature was producing a lot of heat for the ground and rapidly losing its own body heat. That meant only one thing, the creature was bleeding out. Skywishes returned her eyes to normal and flew harder to where the creature had last been. The pain was unimaginable, Ember could feel that one of his lungs had been punctured and had collapsed, ‘thanks to the HOLE IN IT.’ Ember thought sarcastically “Grraaa, I am So stupid, huuuuh, never get up until you are sure that movement won't kill you, huuuuh.” Ember shouted while he struggled to breath. He started coughing up blood. ‘DAM IT!’ Ember thought as his diaphragm calmed down. He could hear hooves snapping twigs in the distance. “Shit , I can't let them catch me, I can’t let them know what happened to them, or their families will suffer the same fate as them, I won't let them know my love of Chocolate chip raisin cookies. huuuuh.” Ember whispered horsley with a mineacle tone at the end then gasped. Ember started off towards the more spaced out trees indicating the edge of the forest, limping heavily and leaving Splatters of blood behind him as he walked. As Skywishes landed on the forest floor she noticed a silver glint in the trench in the ground caused by the stallion’s crash landing. The silver glint was the rest of the sword blade that was in the stallion. She noticed the blood glistening on the blade when she picked up out of the dirt and snow. She put it in her armor’s saddle bags. and looked for any trace of the stallion, and she found one, a big one. Her jaw dropped as she dropped to her haunches in shock. there wats a blanket of snow on the ground but there was a dark crimson strip going to the south-west and edge of the forest. the blood had congealed and was so thick that it was like a carpet. “To lose that much blood and still be moving, let alone alive…”Skywishes gasped in horror. “Yes he needs medical attention immediately” A gruff voice said behind her. Skywishes whirled around and found Captain Steel Cross, looking at the blood trail in awe and suppressed horror.”Yes, he does and we need to find him now.” Skywishes said with purpose as she shook off her surprise and annoyance. “I will fly ahead and try to stop him from doing more harm to himself, while you contact the princesses and get more help” Skywishes said decisively. “Alright, just make sure that you keep him alive until we can get there with help.” Agreed Steel Cross and disappeared in a flash of teleportation magic. With that Skywishes turned and flew kicking up dirt where she left the ground. ‘Faust, please don’t let another pony die in my arms due to my inability to save them.’ Skywishes prayed as she zipped above the path of blood. As Sky wishes flew she started to notice that the trees were getting farther apart making it easier for her to see more. As she scoured the trail ahead of her she saw a orange and grey figure ahead moving slowly. Sky wishes stated to slow down so to not run into the stallion. Then she was ten feet from the figure she opened her mouth to tell him to stop moving but she never got the chance. Ember was getting tired which started worry him because he knew it was from blood loss. ‘I’m almost there almost out of here.’ he thought to himself. He heard something approaching him from the right and started to slow down and get his sword out with his magic, pushing through the pain and making his head wound bleed more. Then he heard flapping wings coming from behind him. He started to turn to face the being, “Hey, yo-” The voice started but was stopped by a war cry from above and a thud of a Shadow beast landing on her. Ember was fully turned and charged towards the shadow beast, IT roared in the pegasus's face causing the pegasus to flinch and lunged for her throught. It never had a chance. Ember thrust his sword through the beast's head, sending it off the mare and to the ground. As Ember looked around, he heard more coming from the East, North and South. He looked down at the mare, She was looking back at him with wide fearful eyes and stuttered “Wh-What was that th-thing?” Ember looked at her and said “If we live I will tell you. Now get behind me against this tree.” Ember said.She complied and got behind him, As he turned towards the oncoming attackers. As Captain Steel Cross Appeared in the throne room, startling the princesses, and bowed and started talking. “Your highnesses I have news,” he wheezed, teleporting such a long distance had really taken it out of him. “We have found his trail and he need’s intense medical treatment” Steel Cross said “Where?!” Said both princesses “Just a few hundred yards from the edge of the Black Hair forest” replied Steel Cross. “Point us there with your magic, we will teleport us all there along with the battalion of guards here with us.” Princess Luna said Steel Cross noticed that there was indeed a battalion in the throne room with them. ‘How did I miss that?’ He nodded and closed his eyes and thought of the place in the forest that was decorated with blood that he would never forget. “Alright I have the place” he said as he lit his horn. The princesses touched their horns to his and they flashed away to the trail of blood in the black hair forest. “Is this it?” Princess Celestia asked as they appeared at the trail of blood. “Yes your highnesses, this is the place. Lieutenant Skywishes went on ahead to stop the pony from hurting himself more” Steel Cross said groggily. “Well let's go then” the princesses said. The group started off along the blood path at a gallop. Skywishes was in shock. She had almost died and this stallion had saved her life and was going to defend her from the monsters that were coming. she had not questioned why because if he really wanted to hurt her he would have let her die. See watched as the stallion took a defencive position in front of her as more of the monsters came to a stop ahead of him. “Halt! Gut, gut , gut , was haben wir denn hier? Ein totes Pony ist es? (Halt! Well, well, well what do we have here? A dead pony is it?) the demon growled “Noch nicht.”(Not yet.) the stallion growled back and attacked. Skywishes had never seen such ferocity in battle before the stallion spun and slashed through the hoard of monsters. He was a Orange and grey blur fighting them all at once.It was as if he didn’t evenhave a gapeing hole in his cheast! he was putting bods in trees with his magic and bucks when he lept over a beast that charged him. He was putting bodies on the ground left and right. Suddenly he was kicked in the chest and fly clear of the pile of bodies and crashed to the ground beside Skywishes,kicking up snow, dirt and blood from his wounds.There was only five of the monsters left and they were approaching the two ponies on the ground Skywishes scrambled over to the stallion and tried to help him up but he was unconscious Thinking quickly she picked up his sword in her jaws and stood between the monsters and her savior. “Hach hff!”(Back off!) She shouted brandishing the sword. “Ha ha ha ha, Or vat little pony, you going to kill us?” the lead monster said, But there was a flash of silver as the pegasus flared her wings sending daggers at all of their throats. The leader grasped the one aimed at him, but the other four weren't so lucky. As four bodies fell to the ground grasping at their throats, Skywishes lunged at the remaining monster. The leader scowled at the fact that his men were dead, but smiled at the pegasuses attempt to save her companion. He grabbed her by the throat from the air with his claws and slammed her to the ground knocking the wind out of her and the sword from her mouth. “I like your spirit little pony maybe I will spare you vor vater…enjoyment.” He growed in her ear, in a tone that let her know what exactly ‘vater enjoyment’ ment. She shivered in fear and struggled against his grip. “Oh there is no need vor that, little pony” the Shadow demon said ‘No, No I don’t want to do anything like that I will never-Oh You vill, there is no question about that and I am going to LOVE IT, HA HA HA HA’ Skywishes eyes shrunk to pinpricks as her soul was violated, her thoughts were violated! She started to shake and cry, the tears leaking out of her eyes and running down the sides of face as her senses started to fade the world went quiet and her vision started to go black. “GET OFF OF HER .” The Beast looked up and was shocked to see the orange stallion getting to his hooves “Vhat did you say?!” the Shadow Demon said. “GET OFF HER.” Ember said again a little louder. “Vhy should I?” The shadow demon asked in an amused tone. “BECAUSE I SAID TO!!" Ember Screamed at The Demon as he lunged at it. The demon watched in slow motion as the stallion,which by any right should be dead, lunged at him with glowing Blood Red pupils and Sky Blue irises. The next moment the Shadow demon was against a tree being beaten to a bruised and bloodied mass. The tree behind him shattered and he was thrown into another tree where the beating continued. his ears were ringing and he could not hear anything from the outside world. For the first time in his life The shadow Demon was scared. He teleported two trees over and gasped in pain, collapsing to the ground. He felt the stallion pick him up by his throat and started to squeeze. He heard something in his mind ‘If You Ever Come Near her again I will Kill you as slowly as possible and if I kill you, Well, I’ll just bring you back and start again.’ Then the stallion punched him in the chest sending him flying far off into the frozen north. Brass Shield and the rest of the guard and the princesses arrived to see Sky wishes take down the four creatures and then get taken down by the final creature. As they started forward they heard a voice scream “BECAUSE I SAID TO!!” and say a orange blur shoot into the creature and through a tree, as the orange thing punched it went through another tree and then the creature teleported to the side and fell down. Only to grabbed by what looked like orange claws and Then They heard a voice in their head scream ‘If You Ever Come Near her again I will Kill you as slowly as possible and if I kill you, Well, I’ll just bring you back and start again.’ and then the orange creature sent the black one flying all of this in twenty seconds. Skywishes felt the weight on her throat vanish and glimpsed a orange blur then the sky. As she struggled to sit up she felt her hearing return along with the rest of her senses and felt her neck start to swell around the claw marks on her neck. See saw the stallion send the monster it the sky at a speed it shattered the sound barrier. She saw his eyes they were a mix of anger and fear and worry. They were returning to their original color as he rushed back to her. But he froze, skidding on the ground and came to a stop next to her. He looked at her with an... apology? in his eyes, as he collapsed to his knees then to the side as his eyes rolled up into his head. Skywishes leaned forward and coat him in her hooves as he whispered something to her as the rest of the guards and princesses came rushing over to her. “I’am Sorry...” That is all that she heard before she blacked out as well as her system crashed from too much adrenalin.