//------------------------------// // Of Forbidden magic, and Thrown Daggers // Story: The War of Equestria // by rainbowtiger00 //------------------------------// Jonathan jogged along the dirt path of the alleyway that lay between the wooden houses and the wooden wall as he tried to find his halberd. The energy from staying up all night kept his adrenaline pumping. His breath came in slowly. Going was slow, as the lack of light made him bump into many things, people included. After muttering apologies every few minutes, he chose to take the alleyway. One thing that he saw while taking the alleyway, was the lack of cats in the fort. For some reason, that bothered him. It was understandable that since the Katzes were probably half cat themselves that they would be able to hunt the mice. Back in the town, though cats were a common sight. They lived outdoors and ate the bugs and mice that otherwise would have plagued the town. As a reward, the rich people left dishes of milk and cream beside their doorstep. The poor rewarded the cats by letting them inside the Slob, where the cats would curl up near a smoky fire and fall asleep. Every spring there were several litters of kittens, that lived in the alleyways. They were not drowned, as that was considered bad luck. Most of the male cats and a few female cats would usually go off into the forest to live in the wild, only to return for food, and occasionally naps. Mostly, it was the females, with an occasional male cat that prowled the town. Almost everyone petted the cats, especially the children. Even Rayon would stoop down and stroke a cat now and then. Jonathan felt a tightening in his chest. He glanced down and saw his necklace. With a grimace, he stuffed it beneath his shirt and stopped reminiscing. He exited the alleyway and headed down the remaining path to the stable. Both female and male Katzes and Engels were out and about, hands gripping their weapons. Jonathan frowned. “Looks like everyone has been put on edge by these Second and Third Commanders.” He thought. He dodged past a house and found the stable. At the front of it was several wooden planks cobbled together with nails and rope to form a stall. Several more stalls were behind the first. An empty house was near the stable on the right. A rain barrel with a small pile of hay near it was on the left. Lightingfeet was stamping and snorting in his stall, clearly unhappy. Jonathan approached him but then froze. A man was there, staring at Lightingfeet. “Who is that?” He wondered. The man's face was hidden. He was wearing a brown cloak with a hood. He also wore a light brown shirt, with gray pants and black boots. A dagger gleamed in his gloved hand. It was the Third Commander. Jonathan gritted his teeth. “Lands!” He thought. Jonathan began to back away as he quickly scanned the area for his halberd. “This is real bad.” Lightingfeet kicked his foot against the stable door and lunged forward trying to bite the Third Commander. The Third Commander wisely stayed a few feet away. Jonathan continued to look furiously around, while praying that the Third Commander wouldn't turn around. Lightingfeet snorted angrily. Then the horse caught sight of Jonathan. His ears suddenly perked up, and he neighed. The Third Commander's grip on the dagger tightened. Jonathan bit his lip, as the Third Commander turned around. They made eye contact. The Third Commander's silver eyes fastened on him. Jonathan knew that his own face was partly hidden by the hood, yet he hoped that the Third Commander wouldn't notice how afraid he was. The Third Commander did not move, and neither did Jonathan. Just like in the dream, the silver eyes were full of sadness and grief. Curiously enough, Jonathan felt like he was rather familiar. But he couldn't place where. For a moment, they stayed frozen like that. Then a hair-raising growl sounded out. Jonathan's eyes widened, as Africanus appeared out of nowhere and landed behind the Third Commander on all fours. The Third Commander whirled around, tossing the dagger at him with high speed. Africanus only dodged the dagger with inhuman speed, allowing it to bury itself in the wood. He snarled at the Third Commander much like a cat would, raising his spine, tail whipping about. His ears were flat upon his skull, and his lips were drawn back giving him a full view of his teeth. The spear was clutched in one hand, and Jonathan could see Africanus's claws digging into the wood. With the two distracted, Jonathan ran into the empty house and hid to await his chance to go into the stable. The Third Commander swung his arm, throwing another dagger at Africanus. Africanus dodged that dagger as well. Lightingfeet drew back his own lips and kicked the door again. The door cracked from the force. Africanus glanced at him and spoke a few words. Then he turned back to the Third Commander. He crouched, then jumped into the air. Jonathan watched as Africanus landed where he had been moments ago. The Katze saw Jonathan in the house and quickly turned his gaze back to the Third Commander. With his back turned to the house, he slowly drew a paw behind his back. One finger pointed to the rain barrel, and the small pile of hay near it. Jonathan looked more closely. A glint of crystal shone from behind the barrel. He started. “There it is!” He frowned. “But it is over there, and I am over here. And if I go out there, I will have no chance of defending myself.” He sighed, and continued to wait. The spearhead of Africanus's spear had been dug into the ground, leaving it to stick up in the air. The Third Commander turned to where Africanus was and charged. Africanus suddenly moved lighting fast and kicked at the Third Commander. His foot nearly hit the Third Commander's head, but missed by several inches. The Third Commander leaped onto the roof of the house Jonathan was hiding in. Africanus snarled again and took off. Jonathan slowly poked his head out and watched him. He ran down the path and turned back. He tossed the spear at the Third Commander who dodged it. The spear suddenly burst into a fiery red ball of flames. The Third Commander backed away from the fire. Jonathan noticed that the glowing flames didn't catch the house on fire. “It must be magic.” He thought. The Third Commander jumped down from the house and ran toward Africanus, leaving the stable open. Jonathan made a mad dash to the rain barrel. Sure enough, behind it was the crystal halberd. He quickly snatched it and hooked it onto his back. “I'd better go help Africanus.” He thought. Lightingfeet kicked the door one final time. It broke apart, allowing him to exit. Jonathan jumped. “What? Lightingfeet!” The horse dashed outside, his mane flapping against his neck. Jonathan ran after him. “Lightingfeet! Get back here, you dumb horse! You are going to get killed!” The horse ignored him completely, continuing to run. And run fast. He dashed down onto the path and galloped across it. People that were in the way had to make a quick getaway in order to avoid being knocked over. Jonathan brushed past them, shouting apologies. He panted as he tried to keep up with the horse. “No wonder they call you Lightingfeet.” He thought with a bitter grunt. His legs burned, and breath came with short gasps that left his throat parched. The crystal halberd was slowing him down. Lightingfeet suddenly stopped, and kicked the wall of a house. Jonathan shook his head. “What has gotten into you?!” An outcry of surprise rang out. Jonathan looked up to see the Third Commander on the roof. The kick had caused him to nearly lose his balance, distracting him from Africanus. Africanus was on the roof. His shoulder was bleeding rather heavily from a dagger wound. Jonathan groaned. “How did he get up there? How do I get up there?” He unhooked his halberd and looked around. He saw a wagon that had several barrels in it. Jonathan took a step towards it but halted when he saw Africanus move. Africanus jumped off the roof, and onto Lightingfeet's back. The horse reared and began to run. Jonathan jumped out of the way, dropping his halberd in the process. It fell to the ground with a loud clatter. Lightingfeet galloped past him. Jonathan could see Africanus clutching on the horse. The shoulder was going to need medical attention soon, or Africanus would fall unconscious from loss of blood. Jonathan watched as Lightingfeet went off to another part of the town, bearing faithfully the burden of his master. He stiffened. In watching Lightingfeet, he had utterly forgotten about the Third Commander. Swiftly turning about, he froze at the sight. The Third Commander was kneeling on the ground, examining the crystal halberd with his silver eyes. The daggers that had been in his hands were now sheathed at his belt. He seemed like he was ignoring Jonathan completely. Jonathan tried to make a move toward him but was halted by an invisible force. An icy hand clutched at his heart. Some force of magic had been cast, to keep him there. “Lands! I shouldn't have been so careless!” There wasn't anything to do about it, though. He stared at the Third Commander as he, in turn, stared at the halberd. Very slowly, almost hesitatingly he touched the cool, smooth surface of the crystal halberd with his left hand. His hand inexplicably shook, as if there were an emotion invoked by the halberd. The Third Commander began to mutter something over the halberd. As he muttered, he drew his hand over his face several times. He looked up and saw Jonathan standing there. Jonathan couldn't see the Third Commander's face very well, but he did notice that he had pale skin. And a silvery gray goatee. From the wet trails on the skin, he could see that the Third Commander had been crying. The silvery eyes focused on Jonathan's. They were accusatory, full of anger, and hate. The left hand on the weapon clenched. His teeth gnashed. The right hand lifted and pointed straight at Jonathan. His voice sounded out, raspy from emotion. Despite the rasping, there was an unnerving factor about the voice. It was very similar to Rayon's. “Thief.” The Third Commander said. Jonathan blinked. “Thief?” He thought. The Third Commander snarled, and shook his fist at him. “Thief!” He cried, louder this time. The Third Commander's eyes narrowed. The fist clenched tightly. The silver eyes began to change. Jonathan watched in horror. The whites of the eyes turned lime green, the irises bright red. Smoky purple floated from the corners of the eye. The clenched fist shook, as black tendrils of magic wrapped themselves around it. Jonathan's nose wrinkled as a rotten smell pierced the air. The same smell that was in the dream. His gut tightened. The same black tendrils of magic were curling around him, lifting him off his feet and high into the air. “Uh oh.” The Third Commander punched the air with his fist. Jonathan felt himself be tossed into the air as the black tendrils responded to the unspoken command that they were given. The air pushed against him as the ground disappeared. “Oh, fantastic!” He cried as he flew through the air. With a loud crunch, he landed on the dirt a few feet away. Jonathan shook his legs, then his arms, wrists, and hands. Nothing was broken. Incredibly. He had fallen that distance before from climbing a tree. Argon and Lena had to drag him back to town, as he was unable to walk. But now, except for being a little bruised, he was fine. Another addition to having the Nightrunner rune, apparently. The Third Commander crouched, then jumped impossibly high. Jonathan jumped up onto his feet. The Third Commander was drawing his daggers out as he flew through the air. Jonathan gritted his teeth. “Move, move, move!” He told himself. He ran toward his crystal halberd and dived. Doing a somersault, he grabbed it and rolled back onto his feet. The Third Commander landed right where Jonathan used to be. The daggers hit the ground, pushing the dirt aside. The Third Commander turned and tossed a dagger straight at him. Jonathan dodged it and ran at the Third Commander. He swung the halberd at him. The Third Commander ducked under the attack and kicked him in the chest. “Oof!” He grunted, falling back from the force. The Third Commander wielded a new pair of daggers, glaring at him. The eyes were back to silver, yet Jonathan was a little unnerved. “Thief!” The Third Commander accused. He jumped up again and kicked him in the jaw. Jonathan landed onto his side, tasting blood. With a snarl, he lifted his halberd up to block the incoming attack. The Third Commander smashed his daggers down onto the crystal halberd. Jonathan lay flat on his back, pushing against the Third Commander. The Third Commander pushed back. Neither gave the other any advantage. Jonathan grunted. A thought popped into his head suddenly. “What would Felix do?” He looked the Third Commander up and down. In the action of pushing the daggers against the halberd, he had left his legs open for attack. Jonathan swept his leg underneath and knocked the Third Commander off his feet. He rolled onto his feet, standing over him. The Third Commander crouched, then jumped up. He landed on Jonathan's shoulders. “Gah! Get off!” Jonathan glared back at the Third Commander. The Third Commander sneered at him. “Make me, you robber.” He lifted a pair of gleaming daggers. Jonathan lifted his halberd up to block the daggers. “Thief!” Jonathan snarled at him. “I'm not a thief!” He ducked down, knocking off the Third Commander. The Third Commander rolled into a somersault of his own and got right back to his feet. “Says the one with that halberd!” The Third Commander threw another dagger. Jonathan turned to the side to avoid that one, leaving his face open for attack. Which is what the Third Commander was waiting for. With one quick throw, he tossed a small dagger. Jonathan saw the flash a minute too late. He tried to dodge, but just barely missed getting a dagger in his head. Instead, his cheek was cut. “Ow!” Jonathan charged at him, raising his halberd to swipe at him. The Third Commander made a move to jump to the left to avoid it. Which is what Jonathan was waiting for. He swung the staff part of the halberd right into The Third Commander's chest. “Oof!” Grunted the Third Commander as he was knocked back by the handle. “Jeez! That hurt!” Jonathan bit his cheek. “Good thing Felix taught me that trick.” He thought. Inwardly, he winced from the pain of the memories. “Ahhhhhh!” Jonathan started. “That's Andromeda screaming.” He turned his head to see what was beside him. On one side, the path stretched out around a corner of a wooden house. On the other, the wall of the fort. Andromeda came out from behind the corner, and ran toward him, looking rather scared. Her sword was held in her right hand. Her necklace was bouncing on her chest. Her gray shirt was missing a sleeve, leaving one arm bare, the area where the sleeve met the shoulder ripped with a very clean cut. As if the wielder of the blade was unnaturally graceful. Jonathan's gut tightened once more. “Oh great, I forgot. The Second Commander is also here.” She stopped, panting. “Jonathan! The Second Commander is in the fort. She is turning out to be more adept than the rumors suggested. We might be in trouble. Jacomina sent me here to help you. She said she had things under control, but I highly doubt it, considering the skill she was facing.” She noticed the grounded Third Commander who was slowly getting to his feet. “It appears you have things in control over here?” Jonathan stepped back. “Nope. This guy is nimble as anything, and seems to think that I am a thief.” The Third Commander turned to look at Andromeda and froze. His silver eyes widened in shock. Jonathan blinked as the Third Commander gritted his teeth in anger. “So… Not only did you steal the halberd, but you also stole the necklace.” His voice was calm, yet carried a menacing note of fury. Andromeda looked at him as if he were crazy. “Stole the necklace? This is my necklace!” The Third Commander glared at her. Then, he raised his hand and snapped his fingers. The silver eyes flashed back into the lime green whites, bright red irises, and purple smoke. Andromeda's mouth dropped open in shock. “H-his eyes. They changed.” She squeaked in surprise as black tendrils of magic suddenly shot from the ground, and formed a shape. It was the shape of a wolf, with burning red eyes. It snarled threateningly at them. The Third Commander pointed at Andromeda with one gloved hand. “Sunac, kcatta!” He growled. The words sounded peculiar, and the meaning was lost. The wolf, however, knew what the Third Commander said. With a bark, it attacked Andromeda. She yelped, and ran from the dog, swiping her sword at it with short jabs. The Third Commander then turned to Jonathan and jumped toward him once more. Jonathan groaned, and held up his halberd. This time, when the Third Commander tried to kick him in the jaw, he would be prepared. The Third Commander's foot stretched toward him, only to be stopped by the halberd. Jonathan ducked his head and bent toward the ground. He successfully blocked the kick. The Third Commander landed onto the ground behind him. The Third Commander turned and grasped another dagger. Jonathan idly wondered how many daggers the guy had. The Third Commander's silver eyes narrowed again, and he jumped onto the roof of the nearby house. Jumping over the roof, he vanished. Jonathan blinked, shrugged, and turned back to Andromeda. She was very busy fending off the dog. So busy was she, that she did not see Jacomina appear from the corner until she nearly bumped into her. “Oh! Sorry, Jacomina!” Jacomina's face was tight, and she was panting slightly. She had suffered no wounds, but there was no guarantee that she would stay that way. The dog jumped up and tried to bite Andromeda's face. Andromeda blocked the dog with her sword. The dog's jaws fastened onto the sword and remained there. It tugged, dragging Andromeda closer. Andromeda dug in her feet and pulled back. As they pulled, a gooey black substance dripped from the dog's mouth and over the sword. When the substance hit the dirt, the dirt shriveled and burnt. It smelled. Jonathan got the feeling that if Andromeda's skin touched the substance, it would end badly. The whole thing was like a game, with the loser ending up dead. Jacomina watched them. Her yellow eyes focused on the dog and narrowed. “Just what we need. A Canus.” With a sweep of her swords, she sliced the dog in half. A sharp wine of pain sounded out, and the halves of the dog melted into thin air. Andromeda stared, her sword covered in the substance. “Wow. Thanks, Jacomina.” Jacomina turned to her and sheathed one sword. “Andromeda. Quickly, show me your sword. That goo from the Canus can eat through metal if given enough time.” Andromeda started and handed out her sword to Jacomina. Jacomina waved her hand over the blade of the sword. Her hand glowed a white color, and the sword was surrounded by a white bubble of magic. Inside the bubble, the goo lifted up and shriveled away. Once all the goo was gone, the bubble vanished. Jonathan headed over to them. “What is a Canus?” Jacomina flexed her hand around as if it was sore. “One of the many creatures that can be summoned through Forbidden magic.” Jonathan raised an eyebrow at her. “You alright Jacomina? You seem a little tired.” Jacomina smiled bitterly. “Just a little winded from casting a spell. Have you seen Africanus?” Jonathan nodded. “He was injured by the Third Commander. Last I saw of him, he was riding on Lightingfeet.” Jacomina gave a sigh of relief. “Good. If he is with Lightingfeet, then he will be okay. That horse is very smart, if a little rash.” Jonathan cocked his head. “Have you seen that Second Commander? According to one of my dreams, she is very skilled with a blade.” Jacomina nodded. “Yes I have But for a while, she will not be a problem. I am nowhere near the Second Commander's equal. But I know a few tricks to fend her off.” Andromeda looked at her. “Speaking of which, what happened to her? I saw you guys do some fancy swordplay before I left to help Jonathan. But then you appeared and she hasn't followed you.” Jacomina grinned faintly. “One thing about me. I know a few pieces of magic. Since the Second Commander only uses one piece of magic, her attacks become predictable to an experienced Mage.” Jonathan raised an eyebrow. “Mage?” Andromeda glanced at him. “A spell caster.” Jacomina nodded. “I will not assume that my abilities fall into such a category. However, I know enough to seal her feet in large, heavy chunks of a diamond.” Jonathan felt his jaw drop. “Seriously?! Diamond? Real, actual diamond? You are able to conjure diamond straight out of thin air?” Jacomina looked at him. “Not exactly. I am able to conjure a spell that creates a shackle made out of diamond. I cannot use it for any other purpose. The diamond can only form around the thing it is meant to encase, living or not. If it is removed by the , it will shatter.” Andromeda cocked her head and frowned. “She should be able to get out of that pretty easily with Forbidden magic.” Jacomina's ear twitched. “Not if she is distracted by several warriors striking at her.” Andromeda blinked in shock. “I thought we didn't strike at fallen warriors.” Jacomina shook her head. “We don't strike at warriors who are unable to fight back. The Second Commander is still fully able to fight back and is fighting back. While her sword lies at her feet, her bow is still within reach. So are her arrows. Therefore, several nimble Katzes distract her while she shoots her arrows. It is not a perfect strategy. She is very clever, and shoots quite well.” Jonathan nodded and glanced behind him. “Anyone got any idea where the Third Commander went off to?” Jacomina glanced briefly at him. “Good chance he is regrouping with the Second Commander. I'm guessing that as we speak, he is fending off my warriors and cutting the Second Commander out of the diamond. They work better together, after all.” Andromeda snorted. “The guys that were looting Jonathan's town argued a lot with each other.” Jacomina sniffed. “I meant in combat. Their leader has taught them the values of teamwork. It is one of the reasons that they are so efficient. To them, any human can sign up. It doesn't matter who the human is, or used to be, they can sign up and help defend themselves. With these Demons of Shadow, there is no shortage of such people.” Jonathan sighed. “The Third Commander thought I was some sort of thief. But this crystal halberd is mine.” Jacomina glanced at it. “I wonder why he thinks you stole it. Another mystery I suppose.” Andromeda's wings fluttered slightly. “If only someone could help us in fending them off.” Jacomina looked at her. “Is the moon full?” Jonathan looked up at the sky. The moon was setting into the horizon, about half full. “Only half full.” Jacomina looked up at the sky as well. “Then don't worry. I am certain that help will come. Somehow.” Jonathan looked at her. “What help could possibly come?” He wondered. The look in Jacomina's eyes, however, showed that she fully believed that help would come. Sooner or later. Hopefully sooner. Jacomina unsheathed her sword, and slowly twirled it around. “We'd better get a move on if we are to get them out.” Jonathan and Andromeda ran off to find the Second and Third Commanders. Before Jacomina followed them, she turned to the sky and looked at the moon. “I know you are coming. But please, for the sake of the people in this fort, hurry.”