//------------------------------// // Chapter 25: Monsters, Gems, And Ghosts // Story: The Last Healing Dragon // by Gearsmash King //------------------------------// After what felt like forever, Starlight finally emerged from the forest. But she wasn't close to Ponyville, instead Starlight was standing near the entrance to the mines. She knew what she had to do, but at the same time, Starlight was frightened by what might happen if she failed. "Alright," Starlight said to herself, "go in, get the gems, and try to convince Crawl to help. Hopefully." Bravely, she proceeded into the darkness. Considering the fact that she used to live in these mines, finding her way around was easy. When Starlight finally reached the hoist and platform, she realized one detail that she had forgotten. "Darn it!" Starlight scolded herself, "I don't have anypony to lower the platform." Her mind began to process her options, but stopped when her horn glowed gently. "Wait a minute." She intensified her magic and started to levitate herself. Suddenly, Starlight felt a little foolish, because she had almost forgotten that she was able to do that. Hovering off of the platform and moving over the abyss, she started to slowly descended into the darkness. But this time, Starlight knew where she was going and what was down below. Shortly after, Starlight touched down on the cavern floor and turned to where she and Applejack found the tunnel. Her horn illuminated, allowing her to see where she was going. "Crawl?!" Starlight called out, "Can you hear me?!" Her words echoed through the darkness, but received no response. In a way, it made Starlight a little concerned. Mostly because she wasn't very familiar with the caves. After all, she had only been down there once. Using her bravery to the best of it's abilities, Starlight began walking into the tunnel. Thankfully, Starlight did remember the way to Korg's tomb, because it was a straight line. There were other tunnels that branched off her path, but she knew that they would lead to other chambers. It was actually somewhat amusing to her that she and Applejack got lost, when they were being chased by Crawl. Starlight quietly chuckled to herself about their simple mistake. As she kept walking through the tunnels, Starlight couldn't help but get the sense that she wasn't alone. However, her mind kept reminding her of the giant centipede that roamed freely in the caves. In reality, she was less afraid of him, than she was of Changelings. Shortly after, Starlight reached the tomb. It was as gloomy and empty as the last time she had seen it. But this time, she arrived by herself. Her gaze fell to the water and she saw one of the things that she was looking for. There, under the water and resting next to a dragon's skull, the wooden crate that they had left behind was still intact. Starlight was relieved to see that it was undamaged. But in the back of her mind, she had a small shred of fear because of what was in the crate. "Alright," she said to herself, focusing her magic, "I've come too far to turn back now. The only way to go, from here, is forward." She wrapped the old box in magic and watched as it floated up and out of the water. Drip, drip, drip, drip! Even in her magic, Starlight felt the weight of the crate. But she knew that was to be expected from heavy rocks and water-logged boards. It bobbed in the air as it drifted towards her. Then when it was at the water's edge, Starlight lowered it gently to the ground, being careful not to damage the gems inside. Creak! The hinges creaked loudly as she opened the lid, before removing the rocks that had held the crate under the water. When the last rock was hauled out of the crate, Starlight saw the two gems that she and Applejack hid. Both of them were unharmed and gleamed their respective colours. "One ruins minds," Starlight said, openly remembering what Lazarus had said about them, "while the other can do just about anything it's master wishes." "Yes." Several voices whispered, "Imagine what we can do for you." A cold chill ran through Starlight as the voices spoke. "Wh-who are you?" She asked, frantically looking for the source of the voices, "Where are you?" "We are what you came looking for, Starlight." The voices replied in a very eerie tone, "As for where we are, why don't you look back at the two gems in the box." Starlight slowly turned her gaze back to the crate and saw the gems pulsing like heartbeats in the dark. "Y-you're..." Starlight tried protest, but was too stunned by what she was seeing and hearing. "Yes." The gems replied as their pulses matched the sound of words, "And we want to help you." "Help... how?" "We can give you the world, we can give you everlasting life, we can even destroy your most hated enemy. All will respect you, all will fear you, and all will kneel before you without hesitation. Nothing in the world will be out of your reach. Even the most powerful being, will fall. But, nothing can be achieved without payment." Something in Starlight's mind made her reel at that last part. She could tell that what they wanted was something of great value to her. However, her curiosity wanted to know more. "What kind of... payment?" She asked, trembling with fear. "Just a single drop of blood will do. Hee, hee, hee!" The voices chuckled, but they quickly formed a chorus of laughs that would give a foal nightmares for years, "HA, HA, HA, HA!!!" Starlight covered her ears and dropped to the ground, but the laughs could still be heard as they invaded her mind. "STOP!!!" Starlight cried, "I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU USE ME!!! AND I WON'T USE YOU TO CAUSE PAIN AND DEATH!!!" "Then how are you going to protect yourself from him?" The voices cackled. "From wh-" Whumpf! "Umph!" Before Starlight could say another word, she was knocked to the ground and stunned by the impact. It took her a moment to recollect herself, but when she did, Starlight looked at who attacked her and was shocked by who she saw. "Sh-Shadow Chaser?" She stammered, staring at the bat pony standing over her. "Starlight?" He replied, looking down at her, "Are you okay?" Starlight was too stunned to answer. All of her thoughts and senses came to a grinding halt. "I-I saw you get stabbed in the chest!" Starlight exclaimed, starring at him, "I watched as your blood seeped from your body. I-I held you in my hooves as your heart..." Then Starlight's shock turned to anger and fear as she realized who was actually standing in front of her. "G-get away from me!" Starlight said, her voice trembling as she quickly backpedaled on her back, in order to get away. "I'm not going to hurt you." He said as he advanced towards her, "The only things I want are those gems." He pointed at the crate and Starlight's heart pounded as she felt the wall stop her escape. "Besides," he continued, stepping closer, "I'm your friend and you trust your friends, right?" That's when all of Starlight's fear and anger merged into a burning rage. Before she knew it, her horn lit up and her knife was in between them, the sharp tip pointing at him. "You might look like my friend," Starlight seethed, getting back on her hooves, "but you don't even come close to what he really was!" "And what would that be?" He smiled menacingly. "A warrior, a hero, a husband, and above all else, a loving father! Where do you get the nerve to wear his face?!" "What can I say, I'm a heartless monster." "I swear, if you harmed his family in any way..." "Oh, relax. As far as they know, he's been ordered to stay at the castle at all times, until further notice." Then the bat pony stallion's smile grew wider and more twisted as he stared at her with emerald green eyes. "But I'll admit," He chuckled, "his wife's love for her husband can clearly be seen in the bedroom." Now Starlight started to feel her blood boil as those words entered her ears, forming an image that disgusted her. If there ever was a rage that rivaled a large tornado, Starlight had found it and was about to use it's full force to destroy the only other living thing in that chamber. At that moment, green flames erupted all over his body as he transformed. But Starlight didn't flinch when she saw what had become of the bat pony. "So," the Changeling sneered, drawing his own blade, "how do you want this to end?" "I don't know yet." She said plainly, undoing the straps on her saddlebags and placing them on the ground, before blaring out, "But I'm not going to let you get away with everything you've done!" "We'll see about that!" Then both the unicorn and Changeling lunged at each other, their blades clattering around the chamber, blocking each others attacks. But that didn't stop them from using their hooves to beat each other. Wham! Whack, whack, crack! Pch, pch! Clink, clack! The Changeling got lucky as Starlight found him on top of her. But she quickly brought up her hind legs and kicked him off, sending him through the air. But, he caught himself as his wings beat just enough to balance his unintentional launch. But Starlight was quick to react as she rolled back onto her hooves. Then she looked over at her knife and saw that it wasn't being bothered by it's rival. "Let's finish this up, shall we!" She grinned as the knife sailed towards the Changeling. The Changeling saw the knife approaching and quickly brought up his own. Unfortunately for him, the knife only changed course and sheered through one of his wings. "AAARRRHHH!!!" He cried out as he fell and hit the ground. To Starlight's surprise, the Changeling quickly recovered and was on his hooves within a second. But now he was only down to one wing, which made the fight more even. "You'll pay for that!" He hissed as he surged forward and caught her by the neck. "Ack!" Starlight choked as the Changeling picked her up and threw her to one side. Splash! Starlight landed face first into the water. She tried to use her magic and find her knife, but she was too stunned to do anything. And that's when she felt her attacker jump onto her back and hold her head under the surface, leaving her ears exposed. "I know what you're thinking." He snarled as Starlight squirmed under his hooves, "You're thinking; 'why won't this monster just use his knife?' Well, the answer to that is simple." He leaned in closer and spoke crudely and quietly into one of her ears. "It's more enjoyable to kill without weapons." Starlight's thrashing became less frantic as she slowly drowned. As her mind started to darken, Starlight thought back to all of her best moments. Memories floated in front of her eyes, much like they were bits of debris in the water. Then, after a moment, her eyes closed and she became motionless. Rumble, rumble! Suddenly, the Changeling felt the ground vibrate under him and stepped off the partially submerged unicorn mare. He quickly looked around and found himself completely alone. At least, that's what he thought. Rumble, rumble! Cra-crunch! The Changeling' gaze quickly darted to a part of the wall that had collapsed, making a large hole. He focused on the opening and saw three dimly glowing green lights, which swayed and bobbed in the darkness. But then he saw the lights start to move out of the darkness and into the chamber, revealing to him that they were actually eyes that belonged to the biggest centipede that he had ever seen. Clek, chep! He watched as the centipede's gaze shifted from him to Starlight. And that opened an opportunity for him to try and escape out of the chamber. CHEEEEEEEEEEECH!!!! The centipede quickly darted towards the exit, cutting off the Changeling's escape. The two of them stared at each other, both knowing that a short fight would ensue. Bzzzzzzz! CHEEEEEEEECH!!!! The Changeling attacked, hoping to distract the creature. But that only made the centipede surge forward and grasp the Changeling in his large mandibles. This killed the Changeling instantly and the centipede ate him whole. After Crawl had finished eating his snack, his gaze shifted back to Starlight, who was still face-down in the water. Quickly, the large centipede approached her and used his antennas to lift her out of the pool. He held her and tilted her body, allowing water to drain out of her mouth. Then, after all the water had been poured out of her, Crawl placed Starlight on the ground and waited. The chamber was silent as he watched her motionless body. Yellow blood was still dripping from in between his mandibles. But, just as he was about to move away, Crawl saw Starlight twitch. He moved in closer and nudged her gently, receiving another twitch. Cough! Wheeze! Cough, cough! Finally, Starlight started to breath again, after coughing and vomiting out whatever water remained in her. Her eyes slowly opened and slowly rolled to look at her very large savior. At first, she was a little surprised to see the creature, but after a moment, Starlight was smiling up at him. "Hey, big guy." She smiled, reaching out and touching one of his mandibles. Chep, clek. "I'm getting really tired of this whole near death thing." Clek. Slowly Starlight heaved herself to her hooves and retrieved her bags. Opening a flap and floating out the four memory gems, Starlight presented them to Crawl. The centipede took the gems and placed them in some of the dents in the wall. "Crawl," Starlight said softly, making him look back at her, "I need some help." The centipede tilted his head, which made Starlight believe that he wanted an explanation. "That creature you ate," Starlight began, noticing the yellow liquid that dripped under his mandibles, "has friends. A lot of friends and they want to hurt innocent lives in order to get what they want. But there are too many of them for just me and my friends to handle. I'm hoping that with the gems in that crate and your help, they can be stopped." Crawl didn't make a sound as they stayed focused on one another. But Starlight knew that the longer she waited, the less time she would have. "Crawl, please!" She pleaded, "We don't have much time and I'm scared enough as it is. So, will you help me?" This time, the centipede nodded, making Starlight smile again as she realized that they now had a better chance. Quickly, she put her saddlebags back on and floated the crate to her, before tilting it and dumping the gems into her bags. Then she looked back at Crawl, or more specifically, the many spikes that stuck out along his body. All of them were pointed away from his head, but they were at an angle that would allow a pony to hide under them. And that's what Starlight was hoping for. "You wouldn't mind if I caught a ride with you back to the surface, right?" She asked, grinning at him, "That is, if you're planning on digging." Crawl responded by using his antennas to pick her up and place her near the closet spike. Starlight took her place under the spike, behind the base. Then she felt the centipede move to one of the walls. But just before he started to dig, Starlight saw her knife laying on the ground and quickly floated it into her holster. Crumble, crunch, cr-crack! Rocks and dirt were no match for Crawl as he started to dig. To Starlight, it was a little strange seeing walls of rock moving on both sides of her. For some reason, the thought of the world moving quickly around her, while she wasn't moving, made Starlight feel slightly nauseous. So, to fix that problem, Starlight decided to lay down and rest as they journeyed to the surface. Which she believed wouldn't be too long of a trip, considering Crawl was moving very quickly through the earth. Starlight wanted to sleep, but she was forcing herself to stay awake, because there was far too much to do, before she could enjoy the soothing comfort of a bed. Unfortunately, the thought of a bed made Starlight's mind remember the Changeling's cruel words. "I really hope that he was lying." Starlight said to herself, pushing the thought out of her mind. Shortly after, they reached the surface and found that it was late afternoon. Starlight had to shield her eyes and wait for them to readjust to the light. But Crawl was starting to reel and coil as he was blinded. CHEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!!!! "Whoa!" Starlight exclaimed throwing herself over his eyes, "It's okay! You're alright! Just hold still and let me help you!" Chep, clek! The centipede relaxed and Starlight remained were she was, trying to help him adjust to the sunlight. Then after a few minutes, Starlight lifted herself and allowed Crawl to see the surface for the first time in a very, very, very long time. He moved forward and brought the rest of his body to the surface. Starlight might not be able to understand an animals language, but she could see it in his movements that it was an odd experience for him. Her heart went out to him, because he was looking at a world that formed around him. She approached the monster centipede and put a hoof on one of his legs. "Maybe," Starlight said, trying to be comforting, "when all of this is over, you could stay with me and my friends. If you want to." Crawl turned his head and looked at her, before giving her a gentle nudge. Starlight smiled as she figured that movement meant that he accepted her kindness. R-rumble! B-boom! Starlight turned when they heard the sound of thunder and saw black clouds approaching. The clouds weren't like any others that she had seen. As they got closer, Starlight and Crawl darted towards the forest and hid under the trees. They were seeking shelter as the rain started to pour. The clouds slowly loomed over them and Starlight looked up as they passed by. Cra-BOOM!!! Sheet lightning flashed through the clouds and revealed several tiny shadows inside them. While in front of the group was a far larger shadow that resembled a dragon. The large cloud cover, started to blot out the sun, making it dark enough to appear as night. But that wasn't what Starlight was worried about. Levitating herself enough to look above the trees, Starlight looked in the direction that they were heading and started to panic. In the distance was a mountain with what looked like a city on the side of it. Starlight didn't even need to think about what city that was, because it was the only city in all of Equestria that would deal the most damage if it fell. "Canterlot." Starlight said, lowering herself back down to the ground and looking at Crawl, "And they're using cloud cover as a disguise. But if Celestia sees the clouds, she'll send out weather pegasi to deal with them. But that's a deathtrap, because once they get close, they'll either be killed by the dragon or the Changelings." She took some deep breathes and tried to get her senses back into proper order. After a moment, Starlight climbed onto Crawl's back and pointed in the direction they had to go. "Go that way." Starlight ordered without sounding demanding, "And forget about digging, we'll have to risk others seeing you, if we want to get ahead of the cloud cover." The centipede nodded and surged forward, barreling through the forest like a train without rails. "You won't be able to beat them without us." The gems hissed, from inside Starlight's saddlebags, "And you won't save everyone." "Maybe not," Starlight replied, "but that doesn't mean that I can't try." With that, they charged through the trees and headed toward Canterlot. But there was still something in Starlight's mind that reminded her of what would happen if the Changelings win. And that was something she wasn't interested in seeing.