Anima Mea Tenebre

by Nixus

We're in for One Wild Night

"Are you sure we're headin in the right direction, sugarcube?" Applejack called out over the roar of the wind as their balloon strained against the speed of the two pegasi attached to the basket by ropes. Twilight looked to the flapping map her mother had hidden with food and blankets and blinked as a small gust of wind caused her to tear up. She set behind the safety of one of the baskets walls and went back to charting their course.

"We're nearly there, Applejack." She pointed to the red line that went from Ponyville to Rieksadler, connecting the two in a slightly straight path, and followed it from the last point she had marked. They had been lucky so far. The path her mother had chosen and the addition of a Pegasus who knew her way around wind currents made for an easy trip. They had already crossed a considerable distance, but they were running out of time. They were perhaps a few miles away from the outer edges of the Griffon capital. The knowledge of that would have been reassurance enough for Twilight had the dual issue of the setting sun and the slowing of their pace not caught her attention.

Their speed settled into a slight drift as the ropes connecting Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy slackened and the two of them landed in the balloon's basket. They heaved and spluttered as their mouths tried to fill twit lungs.

"Can't go on anymoooorre..." Rainbow gasped before she slid onto the baskets bottom like a ice cube melting in the heat. "So tired..." She said while Fluttershy followed her friends lead and collapsed onto her side. Guilt filled Twilight as she watched her friends twitch and heave with exhaustion. Even the act of speaking was difficult to do without wheezing.

"Now I remember why I hate endurance flying..." Rainbow gasped. "Are we nearly there? I'm beat!"

"Almost, Rainbow. You and Fluttershy did great," Twilight said as she patted her friends side. A small grin lit up her face and the others all looked over the edge of the basket to see the mountain fortress. It was illuminated by the light of the setting sun, giving the stone exterior a warm red glow as the yellow disc slipped beyond the horizon. "We just need to land now."

She quickly enveloped a handle held up by a simple rope and pulled down. There was a slight jolt as the vent of the balloon opened and started their descent. Twilight licked her lips in anticipation as the basket slowly returned to the earth. She alternated between the controls, trying her best to steer the balloon into a clear patch of land.

"Easy now, easy..." She murmured to herself as she alternated between opening the heat valve and the vent. It had been some time since she had operated a balloon and she silently admitted that she had gotten rusty in how to properly control a balloon. She was actually quite surprised she had been able to do this well on muscle memory alone. That did not mean she was not going to reteach herself when she got home.

To her relief, the balloon didn't resist her efforts and the basket touched down gently on the grass of the glade. Pinkie Pie and Rarity were the first out of the basket, stretching their limbs and feeling the welcome texture of earth on under their hooves. They began to pull some of the necessities Twilight Velvet had packed from the balloon. Twilight and Applejack set about tucking the deflated balloon away while the two Pegasi in the basket slowly recovered.

"Where do ya reckon they camped, Twilight?" Applejack said through a mouthful of Fabric and rope. "I don't think we got a lot of time before they pack up an' leave, sugarcube."

Twilight looked up from her work, her brow creasing in thought. The flight there had been the easy part. Now was the hard part. She had accounted for everything till now, but the issue was that she had little idea what to do next. Without any knowledge of where their friends were located, there was not much she could have even done. Her other issue was the two pegasi recovering in the balloon's basket. Their condition was her fault entirely and the result was that they would have to slow down their search or wait untill they recovered.

Deep in thought, she sat on her rump and contemplated her next move. There were only a few options left available to them. Searching immediately was unacceptable because she was not going to abandon her friends as they recovered. Waiting until they recovered would have worked in any other case if it had been any other time than the dead of night. By the time Rainbow and Fluttershy recovered, Dante and his team would have probably moved on towards the capital.

She groaned in frustration as the situation stagnated in her mind. This was what she got for getting too eager and not creating a list of objectives. They had relied on her mothers forethought and charity, thinking it was going to lead them straight to where the needed to go when it was only meant to get them to their starting point.

Are you losing hope already?

Twilight's head shot up to the surprise of her friends."Did any of you say anything?" She asked quickly. A moment of drawn out silence told her that she had either imagined a voice, or her friends were playing a poorly timed prank. "I swear someone said something..."

"Twilight, none of us said a word just now," Rarity said with concern. "Are you feeling alright? Perhaps you're feeling a bit stressed or tired. You tend to hear things when you aren’t feeling the best.”

The effect between exhaustion and an actual presence is much different than what your friend thinks, Twilight. Though we do not have the time to discuss the semantics of exhaustion and the delusion of perceived voices. You have a destination and have little time to spare. Your farm friend is correct, they will not be held up for long and are preparing to move tomorrow.

"Hey, girls, I'm just going to be gone for a minute or two," Twilight said. "Just wait here, I'll be back soon with a plan."

"We'll be right here, Twilight," Pinkie Pie said cheerfully. "We won't move an inch! Not one inchy inch inch! We'll be right here just how you left us! Pinkie Promise!"

After a quick roll of the eyes, Twilight turned and quickly headed towards the bushes to her left. Pushing past foliage and avoiding the large, tightly clumped branches, she searched for a space out of earshot from the balloon. She came across a suitable clearing under a large tree and patiently waited for a few moments before there was a gust of wind and the sound of energy crackling in the air.

Turning her head, she caught the shuffle of a figure in the dim light of the night. Purple robes covered him from shoulder to his feet, swaying slightly in the wind. A ghostly pale face framed by the familiar white hair with black fringes became clear as he stepped forward. A genuine smile broke out on the Pureblood's face as he saw Twilight wave at him.

"It is good to see you again, Twilight," Beleth said. "Though I wish our meetings fell under better circumstances."

"It's great to see you too, Beleth," Twilight said enthusiastically. She went so far as to go up and embrace the shocked apparition, but he returned the gesture soon enough. “I don’t know if I should be frightened or relieved that you can talk telepathically.”

“I use the skill sparingly. I have always been one to converse face to face rather than skulking about in the shadows. That is my simple preference.”

“I’m glad it is, Beleth,” Twilight replied as she broke away. “Though I find it pretty suspicious that you always seem to pop up out of the blue. If I didn’t know better, i’d say you’ve been following me for a lot longer then from when I opened Dante’s journal.”

“I won’t comment on that, Twilight,” he said without looking at her. “Besides, do you really want to know how I can follow the course of events you and your friends experience and how I am able to speak to your mind?”

“Twilight laughed nervously. “You make a good point.”

“Indeed," he chuckled slightly. A moment passed, allowing for the mood to settle back into a semi serious one. "But proceeding back to the point, I can tell that your mind has reached an impasse. What is the issue if I may ask?”

Twilight sighed in disappointment. "I don't know what to do, Beleth. I think I'm way over my head," She confessed to him. "I never even came up with a checklist. I always come up with plan or a solution! It's not like me to suddenly break habit..."

"Looking before leaping is a common mistake many choose, but it is not necessarily an error. You chose to come to this place becauseyou knew it was not right to be idle. I believe that speaks highly if your character."

“Thank you, Beleth,” she replied with a rather sombre tone. “But what good is that if I have no idea where to go next? We rushed out here with no preparation and now everyone expects me to know what to do or where to go.”

“Such are the burdens of those who lead,” Beleth said quietly. He sat down on the grass and crossed his legs while he leaned his back against a tree. “If you do not have a plan, then make one. Use your mind and think of a solution. You have methods to find Dante and the others, but you must first unlock them.” his eyes twinkled with some secret but betrayed nothing that she could have used. All she could do was listen to him. “You can comprehend what I am saying, right?”

“I think so…”

Beleth shook his head at her uncertainty. “Twilight, your emotions and your mind betray you. You have no idea what I speak of. Think of what Celestia has told you; what she discussed. Therein lies your answer.”

Twilight said nothing. She racked her brain, thinking back to the day before. There was the argument between Coppa, Dante’s recovery, and the revelation of the hidden aspects of Equestria’s ancient history. From her plan to her admittance of the human presence in their country, there was so much information she needed to tackle. Ignoring the first minutes and the useless verbal argument devoid of information, Twilight felt she was getting closer to what Beleth had spoken about. It may have been the pureblood’s own hand guiding her as well, she couldn’t tell. There was so little she actually knew, but she didn’t doubt his ability when it came to magic.

Suddenly it became clear to her. “A link! She said there was a link between them and the Elements of Harmony!” she shouted gleefully. “Its so clear now. Magic can be traced back to those who cast it. The same goes for any living thing that came into contact with a magical source. If they are linked to the Elements of Harmony, and to us by extension, that means we can track them using a magic tracing spell!”

Beleth clapped as she calmed down and gave her an approving nod. “Very good. Very good indeed," he said, his eyes glittering with a slight twinkle of amusement. "There is always a way to beat significant odds, it only requires a bit of ingenuity and thought."

"Thank you," Twilight said. "This means so much to me, Beleth."

"Think nothing of it," he replied. Twilight thought for a moment, a question forming as the gears of her mind turned. She went to speak, but Beleth's staff took on an unnatural glow. The Pureblood gazed at his staff sadly and picked up the aged wooden relic. "It looks like I must return to the void." He shifted and rose to his feet, grunting slightly as he lifted his staff. There was a shift in the wind before black smoke rose from beneath Beleth's robes as he walked towards the brush away from Twilight. "I shall see you again soon."

"Beleth wait," Twilight shouted knowing her chance was fading. "I need to know something; just one thing. How did you know about what Celestia said?"

A wry smile crossed his face as he stopped and turned his head enough for her to see it. White teeth shone beneath now translucent lips. His image had turned into that of a grinning skull as the outer layers of his flesh disappeared. What was left was his skeleton, held together by little more than air, grinning at her. Then his lower jaw began to move in a way that sent shivers down her spine as a raspy voice em enacted from his mouth without the help of a tongue or vocal chords.

"You should know better than to ask, Twilight." He uttered loudly, but without any hint of malice. "Think of a conclusion to this then. Who ever said my spiritual links were ever limited to residing in Dante? What stops me from residing in other living beings?"

Then his remains vanished with the smoke, leaving his words hanging in the air. They echoed loudly in Twilight's ears and she found herself short of breath for a reason she couldn't explain. She felt strange, uncomfortable more than anything. She needed to leave, escape from the heavy atmosphere left in Beleth's wake.

She took off running, back towards the balloon and her friends voices as they called for her. It wasn't a threat she told herself, the tone in Beleth's voice was only frank and to the point. Yet, for the life of her, she knew that there was far more to him than just his position and his desire to aid them in banishing Belial. He had his reasonings and his own agenda, she just couldn’t place her hoof on what it was.

And like he had said, she couldn’t say if she really wanted to find out what he wanted and who he was.

*****

"Ok, the spell itself is really simple. I just need to set it up before I explain what we will need to do," Twilight announced as her friends , including the now recovered Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, surrounded her. She ignited her horn and concentrated. All around her the others gasped. With her eyes shut, she couldn't see what the spell was doing, but she could feel its effects.

There was a slight pull as her magic engulfed Applejack, wrapping around the farmpony and glowing. A small strand grew from the aura and moved towards the forest in a serpentine fashion. It floated lazily to the ground and disappeared as Applejack floated back to the ground where she stood wobbling, but no worse for wear. Save for the light trail of magic that floated outwards from her barrel, she looked pretty normal. Twilight smiled with satisfaction as she inspected the spell’s effects.

"Everything looks fine to me," she said as she plucked at the string of magic till it grew taught. "This will lead us straight to them. We just need to follow the trail."

Due to the nature of it, a magical tracer was a simple affair for practically any unicorn who had basic knowledge in spell craft. Using it required just the lingering magical presence which typically lasted anywhere from a few days to months depending on the complexity and a spell's power. It was far easier when there was a link connecting the caster and the item or being that was on the other end of the link. It was a continuous flow and was not subject to any degradation which may have hindered the tracer.

In her case, utilizing the link that connected two living beings to the same magical artifact was slightly trickier. With the absence of the elements, she'd need to match up two separate links. It required more concentration on the basis that it was like cutting a thread in three and connecting the end pieces together. In essence, she'd need to find the parts of her string that matched the element of magic and then follow the strand that connected Dante to it.

The only issue she could see would be Dante's own magical skill. It wouldn't take much for him to realise he or his friends were being traced. A sudden spike in magical energy would be noticeable for one who'd been studying it and though he wasn't well acquainted with it, she had to assume he'd be able to spot the spell. The same went for Moe and Sam. They may not have focused explicitly on magic, but she needed to account for the fact that both of them were able to utilize it. With three out of four possibilities eliminated, only Coppa remained.

Twilight grit her teeth slightly and dodged a branch and followed Applejack and the trail as they walked deeper into the forest. She had nothing against him and she'd never bad mouth any of her friends. However, when it came to him he was by all purposes, a complete meathead with little magical knowledge.

Too engrossed in her thoughts, she hardly noticed Applejack stop until her face was pressed against her orange friends rear end. Her attempt to question why they had stopped was quashed when her eyes followed the direction Applejack’s hoof pointed. Twilight leaned on the tips of her hoofs and glanced over the hedgerow. Beyond the wall of vegetation and in the centre of a covered clearing a small camp was set up, illuminated by a few campfires. Griffons sat around each of the roaring flames, conversing amongst themselves with weak and weary voices. Each was dressed in the same armor Twilight had seen, but their proud and stoic image had been tarnished by nervous paranoia from the way they shook at even the slightest noise.

“Where do you think they camped, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked quietly. “I don’t see Sam or any of them yet.”

Twilight scanned what she could see and couldn’t find a single living thing other than the Griffons. “I don’t know, I can’t see them either,” she said. “The spell I used only gives us the general area of where they are. Since this looks like the camp, they should be around here somewhere. We just need to circle the camp and then we'll find them. I say we split up and meet at the other side." She pointed to Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity. "You girls take the right side and we'll take the left."

They nodded and they slunk away from the bush. Twilight gathered Applejack and Fluttershy and silently urged them to follow her as she pressed her barrel to the ground and set off crawling beneath the bushes. Sticking to the foliage, they skirted along the flanks of the camp as they kept themselves hidden from sight. Inch by inch they moved along the outskirts, hiding beneath the branches and crawling on their stomachs. Out of the corner of her eyes she could see a few griffons positioned on the perimeter of the camp. They scanned the edges of the forest around them, hands on their spears and looking as though they were daring something to come out from the forest. It would take little more than a mouse's squeak to set them off.

A loud crunch broke the tense quiet and Twilight's head snapped around to see Applejack look at her apologetically as she lifted her hoof off a broken branch. Twilight's mind went into overdrive as the terror that set into her mind made the next few seconds of silence feel like hours. That feeling of terror became realised as the following squawk of alarm brought a shiver along Twilight's spine.

In a matter of moments nearly every griffon had assembled, weapons in hand and in formation. They assembled in a wall of metal and claws as six of them tried to slink back further into the brush. It did little to help with the large interweaving branches that created an impenetrable wall that trapped them in place.

Making themselves as small as possible, the three of them tried to hide beneath the leaves rather than risk being spotted moving to the side. Their breaths held, they only waited as the guards marched in step with their armour clanking with each footfall. Their approach was methodical and they were in front of the forest's edge within seconds, scanning the darkness and overlooking Twilight, Applejack, and Fluttershy.

A soft whimper caught Twilight's ear and get head snapped to the side to see Fluttershy begin to break down in tears. It wasn't overly loud, barely more than a whisper, but it was enough to catch one guards attention. A spear tip passed through the bushes and sliced right into the ground about an inch from Fluttershy’s nose. The timid pegasus looked about ready to faint as the glinting spearhead rose and slammed down again, this time a little farther away from her body. Twilight had no time feel relieved as tow spears slammed down in front of her and Applejack.

Twilight winced as the spearhead grazed her foreleg, drawing a small trickle of blood. She kept the gasp of pain to herself and pulled her legs closer to her body, trying her best to make herself as small as possible. Her mind calculated the few avenues of escape that she could use as the sharp point lifted from the ground and hovered directly above her. Run? Reveal themselves? Just shout out? Her mind screamed at her to run, to scream, but her body remained frozen in place and her mouth was clamped shut and dry. They refused to budge even as the sharp end began its descent, threatening to pierce through her body.

“I’m pretty sure the bush is dead!” a gruff, but familiar voice shouted impatiently above the snapping sound of branches. Twilight recognised it as Coppa’s and felt a wave of relief as she saw the spear in front of her retract. Her head inched forward and she peered through the hole left behind to see him walking up to the griffons, a sour look on his face and with his axe resting on his shoulder.

“What the hell are you idiots doing?” he asked. He unshouldered his axe and let the head of it fall to the ground before he leaned on the upright handle. When none of the griffons answered, he singled one out by pointing at him. “You there, what’s going on?”

The griffon he singled out appeared to be the youngest of them all. He was pushed forward by his companions and shot them a glare of anger before he faced Coppa. The dwarf’s gaze was intense enough to cause the griffon to shake. “Sir, we were investigating a noise we heard in the bushes there.”

He pointed towards the area where Twilight, Applejack, and Fluttershy hid. They ducked down as Coppa walked over and examined the bush. "So you decided to murder a bush... because of a noise?" He asked, feeling through the leaves and broken branches. "Does that not seem a little over excessive? Why not check the bush instead of stabbing the hell out of it?"

"We don't want to take chances. You haven't seen the sort of things that monster brought here. You don't know what they're able to do to us," The Griffon said shakily. "There are dangerous creatures living in this forest now."

A look at his fellow guards revealed that they would've said the same. Twilight felt a pang of pity for them that overwhelmed the sting of the cut on her foreleg. She then saw Coppa sigh and rub the bridge of his nose before he made his way to the bush they were in.

"So the noise came from in it, right?" Coppa asked. When the cluster of guards nodded Coppa waved at them to step back. With a grunt, he lifted his axe and swung it in a low arc. The blade of the weapon passed through the bush, and the strength behind allowed it to cut through the bush like a hot knife cutting through butter. Foliage scattered all around area and Twilight had to wait while here beating heart recovered from the deadly swing that had missed here by half a hoof length.

"Now that the problem's been dealt with, you should all get some sleep. We're moving in tomorrow and we can't stop to deal with every bush that aggressively rustles at you," he said, shooing them off. The guards filed out and returned to the camp, happy to return to the safety of their tents and campfires. Coppa muttered to himself as they left and shouldered his axe again. "It just keeps getting worse, doesn't it? The ships engines blew out and now this. I'll need a drink by the time we head out..."

With a final glance at the bushes he walked away, allowing the three mares to breathe a collective sigh of relief. They got up from the ground, their heads poking through the brush, and moved to the side. Coppa did not head directly back into the camp, but stayed to the side and walked slowly as though he were making the last rounds of the watch. His slow walk made it easy for them to tail him and they took advantage of his almost unaware state of mind.

Even then, they kept themselves quiet out of fear that he might catch any odd sounds. When they finally came to the area where the four students were, Twilight noticed that it was quite close to where they had originally started. The only thing that had kept it hidden was the large storage pile of boxes that were placed in front of the two tents that Coppa was walking to. The tents looked to be standard Griffon design, with a round eggshell shape and made up of a brown material that looked like treated cloth. In front of them was a set of four chairs placed around a fire pit and a box that had been repurposed into a table with a length of wood. A bit of food and a few tin bowls were still on the table and three felt their stomachs rumble as the became aware of how hungry they were.

As they got closer, Twilight was able to make out the rest of the group that sat around the warm fire. Sam was busy sharpening his sword with a flat stone, running it at an angle along the sides with smooth and fluid motions. Beside him was Moe who was busy testing his bow string and organizing his equipment. The two of them barely looked up from what they were doing, but they welcomed Coppa back with a silent nod. Coppa nodded back and put his axe on the ground before he let himself fall back into his chair. Once seated, he stretched and let out an audible yawn that could be heard from where the three mares hid.

*****

When Coppa finished stretching out on the chair, he lazed back and watched as Sam and Moe finished with their weapons. As much as he hated any sort of preparation, he knew he’d be in a tough spot if his things ever gave out in a fight. As such, he had taken the liberty of dealing with his entire prep list on the ship in order to curb his boredom. Now, while the others were busy dealing with their things, he could just relax the night away.

"So what did you manage to find out?" Moe said as he put his bow down and inspected one of his long knives. The metal glinted in the fire until he slid it back into its sheath before looking over the other. "Any idea of how we're going to get into the city?"

"Well the guards are pretty useless, but they do know how to keep their plans simple." He replied. "We're going in the morning, using an old path that basically goes up the mountainside and beside the wall. Used to be an escape path for the royals, but it wasn't used. From there we just sneak into the castle from the sewers, find Ravenn, deal with him, free the citizens, and then hope that with Ravenn out of the picture, his monsters go with him."

Moe and Sam both stopped their tasks and gave Coppa a long, confused stare. "That's it?" Moe asked, "We go in and hope for the best? No reports on what is in there; no layouts; just a plan a two year old could come up with..."

"Well it's not like I came up with this," Coppa complained. He looked over to Sam who was staring into the fire. "Back me up here, Sam."

"It is a rather terrible plan," Sam said with little emotion. Coppa's groan turned to an exasperated sigh and he sat back in his chair.

"It's the one that the Prince came up with, so it's the one we follow," Dante said as he left his tent, carrying the leather bound journal in the other. He took the final chair and flipped to a page before he began to read. "It may not be the best plan, but it's not the worst we've ever dealt with. Just remember to focus and don't get sloppy; we all have friends back home we want to see again."

"Speaking of home," Coppa started as they watched him reach for something in his bag. His hand withdrew from the bag, bringing a small cask with three red X's with it. He popped the stopper off with a swipe of his thumb and smelled the contents, leaving a large grin on his face. "Yep, definitely smells like it. It's got Granny's touch to it, that's for sure. Should make for a good time."

Moe was the only one who seemed to care enough to inquire as to what Coppa had in his hand. Dante and Sam didn’t question it, not that they would have been surprised when they saw what was painted on the side. “Coppa, please tell me that’s not what I think it is...”

"Just a bit of Granny’s private reserve that she gave me before we left. I say we cut loose before the everything goes down tomorrow. This is pretty much just camping, and a part of that is having a drink or two. What do you guys say?" Coppa asked as he shook the cask a little. The other three looked at him warily before Moe hung his head in defeat and picked up four cups from the table rather than feeling the need to argue. Quietly he passed them out but Coppa stuck his hand up and shook the cask. "No need. I got my cup right here."

"You're a pig Coppa," Moe said before he sat down. Coppa chuckled as he poured a bit of the golden liquid into each cup. As the golden liquid trickled into the cups, it almost appeared as though small arcs of electricity danced around the stream. Moe raised an eyebrow, questions and protests forming, but he kept them quiet. "This is going to be a terrible experience."

"Be sure to thank Granny for that,” Coppa said with joy as he took a sip. His face scrunched up as the alcohol ran over his tongue and down his throat. He coughed slightly and set the cask to the side. “Man, this stuff has to be at least four hundred and seventy proof.”

Moe looked at his cup with hesitance. “There’s no such thing as four hundred and seventy proof alcohol, Coppa. That’s pretty much enough to strip paint off a wall.”

Coppa didn’t reply but watched intently as Moe brought the cup to his lips and tilted it back. His eyes shot wide the moment the liquid touched his tongue and he sprayed it out and into the fire. Within a few seconds, the small campfire erupted into a roaring blaze for a few heartbeats. It died down immediately, leaving the night to be filled by Moe’s rapid continued coughing.

“So, Sam. I’ve been meaning to ask you a question about something.” Coppa said, turning to the samurai. “Two days ago, when we were in the throne room, you had this look on your face that really made me curious. Now it doesn't take too much to put the pieces together when I knew Fluttershy went to get you." Coppa thumbed his nose and grinned as he could see Sam's face pale. "So my question then, what happened that night?"

Sam's facade immediately shattered like a glass being struck by a sledgehammer. His face turned a bright crimson as he suddenly began to take an extreme interest in his cup while muttering incoherently. The reaction was the exact same within the bush as Fluttershy tried to avoid her friends eyes and hide her flushed face. On two fronts, wide, knowing grins formed on both Coppa's and Rainbow Dash's faces.

"We...we just talked," Sam said quietly. Twilight could see Fluttershy shift as she watched the exchange. Sam tensed and played with his fingers before he spoke under his breath. "Her and I... We… we talked about how we felt about each other."

Coppa scoffed into his drink and grinned. "Oh this is good. I knew something was up, but I just thought you two bumped uglies before you showed up,” he said after taking a swig from the cask. He coughed a bit, but it did little to quiet him. “This however is much nicer! So what do you think of Fluttershy then?”

Sam laced his fingers together and set them down on his lap. Deep in thought, he closed his eyes and a content smile came across his face, highlighted by the light of the fire. His tail twitched back and forth as his thoughts meandered to the image of the mare in question.

“She is important to me, and I would do anything for her. She deserves at least that much. She’s kind, thoughtful, and I couldn’t ask for someone— no, somepony, better than her. If I hadn’t have come here, I may never have found a reason to speak or the reason I could even use aura magic. She has helped me become who I was supposed to be. That is why I fell for her, and that’s why she is so important to me. Not because of any magical link, but for the reason that I’d do anything for her and she would do the same.”

Had he seen her, Sam would have noticed Fluttershy blushing and with a smile that could have melted the frostiest hearts. There was little doubt to be found in Sam’s voice and even less in the smile he had as he thought of her.

“So two out of the four of us have gone for the women of this world eh?” Coppa mused. He got up and started patting the retching elf on the back, trying to coax him back to normal. “Moe I expected. He is absolutely in love with Rarity and I had that feeling he’d go for her at the start.” He managed to get Moe to suck in a few breaths and the elf managed to give him a small, wheezy sound of thanks. “I doubt he’d need to tell Rarity that; I’m sure she’s already figured that out.”

Sam nodded and gave his full cup to the Dwarf, not wanting to end up like Moe who sat smiling as he recovered. Coppa took it and downed it with one gulp before he belched loudly. “What about you then, Coppa?” Sam asked as Coppa wiped his mouth with his arm.

“Huh? What are you even talking about?”

“You’re interested in our relationships with Fluttershy and Rarity, but what do you think of Applejack? You’ve lived with her family for this long so you obviously must enjoy her company to some degree. Not to mention while you two started out with nothing but dislike, you still took the time to save their family barn and you were nearly brained by a pipe when you defended her. There isn’t any possible way you can say that she doesn’t hold a place in your mind.”

Coppa put down the cask, keeping it away from the fire, and scratched his chin while he hummed in thought. A new grin formed on his face and picked up the cask, taking a large gulp of the alcohol. “Her family is good in my books, but she's a pain in my ass."

*****

"That no good son of mule," Applejack hissed through gritted teeth. It took both Rarity and Twilight's magic, as well as Rainbow Dash holding her to keep the Earth Pony from bursting from the bush and strangling the Dwarf.

"Stop it, Applejack. You're going to let them know we're here." Rarity whispered. "Just calm down, I'm sure he's only joking around. You know what he's like and how crass he can be."

Applejack loosened up and took a deep breath before blowing out and repeating the process a few times. When she appeared to have calmed down, the three let go and allowed her to stand on her own. “Maybe yer right, Rarity. Coppa’s a bit of a mule at heart. I’m sure he doesn’t mean anything by it. We’ve been gettin’ along like two peas in a pod these past few months.”

“She’s annoying as hell, stubborn, an absolute slave driver, quick to judge, and argumentative. Trying to negotiate anything with her is pretty much like trying to break a brick wall with your face. I swear to god, if she had that place to herself, she'd run herself into the ground before a single person could tell her to take a break. Plus her way of speaking is just odd. 'Hey ah'm Applejack, howdy, howdy, howdy!"

"Ah'm gonna kill him..."

"But... Y'know there are the positives. She may be all those things, but that's her and I like it that way," he said sheepishly. "We didn't have the best start, but she's grown on me. She's stubborn because she's devoted to that farm and wants to prove to the world that she can handle whatever it gives her. I may not like her like you and Moe, but I have a hell of a lot of respect for her and get family because of what they've gone through. They're like a second family, and I'd treat them as if they were my own." He rubbed the spot on his forehead where the pipe had connected with his head. "You'd take a pipe to the head or a hit to the wallet for your family."

Applejack pouted and raised her quivering hoof from the trench it had dug. “Well shoot, maybe I am quick to judge," she said with a pout. She pulled away from the group and sat back against a tree.

“I think you’re fine AJ. Coppa may have been a little blunt, but that’s him you know? I’m more surprised by what Sam said…” Rainbow murmured. “For a guy who hardly spoke a word, wow… that was… just wow! It was really sappy, but you’ve got a great guy, Flutters.”

"It's ok, Applejack," Twilight said as she made her way to Applejack and placed a reassuring hoof on her friend's shoulder. While she had been given the benefit of the doubt when she had met the farmpony, she knew that sometimes her friend had her moments. "He likes you for who you are. That's all that matters. We just need to figure out a way to-"

"Twilight, come listen," Rarity whispered, aware that Twilight was busy, but too engrossed in eavesdropping to notice why. Twilight moved back reluctantly and slightly annoyed, giving the white unicorn a questioning look. Rarity pointed towards the four and noticed the focus had shifted to a surprised looking Dante. "They're talking about you now!"

Twilight's mind went from mildly annoyed to inquisitive before Rarity could say another word. She had always thought about what Dante had thought about her, but he had never given any clear indication. Did he see them as friends? Did he see here as more? Or was she just somepony he knew and nothing more? There had been no way to tell before, but with Dante's changed outlook, perhaps she could finally get some answers. She only needed to listen closely.

From behind the bushes she could make out the others voices clearly, but Dante's came in hushed and infrequently. With a desire to obtain the truth in her mind, Twilight looked around for some way to get herself closer to the four of them. She spotted an overhanging branch that jutted out a good length from the forage. There were enough leaves to provide a spot to hide and the branch looked sturdy enough to hold her while giving her a closer spot to listen from.

With a grunt, she jumped up and wrapped her forelegs over the knotted branch. Muscles straining, she managed to pull herself upwards and onto it. Despite the protests of her friends, she moved forward and tried her best to keep herself hidden. The branch swayed slightly under her weight, but it stayed steady and didn’t move enough to be noticeable. Quickly, she inched forward until she reached the end of her perch. She wasn’t incredibly far out from the bush, perhaps the length of a pony or two, yet she could hear a lot more from her new spot.

In front of her she could see Dante being harassed again. His look of utter annoyance as Coppa poked at him relentlessly. He swiped at the dwarf's hand, knocking it away, and returned to the leather bound journal he was reading. It did little to cease Coppa's efforts and he went from poking to staring intently at Dante while downing the cask. It seemed to work as Dante closed the book and began to rub bridge of his nose.

“This is ridiculous, Coppa…”

"You're gonna answer the question one way or another,” Coppa said, tossing the now empty cask to the side and swaying unsteadily as he let out a large belch. “We all said what they think about the ponies they live with. Now I don’t want to hear the usual stuff you say, just give us a clear answer. Before you'd just be a silent and closed off, but you've been more open than ever. So what is Twilight to you? A friend, or do you got a thing for her?”

“Coppa, He doesn’t have to say anything if he doesn’t want,” Moe said. “You can’t force him to talk about something he doesn’t want to.”

“It’s ok, Moe. Let him do what he wants,” Dante replied calmly, “He’s drunk and what goes on here will stay between us and in the confines of the camp.”

“Yea, it isn’t like anyone cares enough to listen in on us,” Coppa added with a laugh. “Don’t be paranoid. I doubt any of the girls back home would be insane enough to follow us all the way here.”

Twilight had to hold her breath and stifle a snort of amusement. Maybe she was crazy, but then again, this felt felt right to her. She knew that she could have attributed this to the supposed connection she and the others had to their friends, though she was beginning to think her mother was right. It wasn’t the connection that Celestia spoke of. What drew her to do this was her morals. She was not going to let them put their safety at risk while she stood back.

She readjusted herself so that she got a little more comfort from the hard bark of the branch. Behind her there was a small measure of rustling; more than likely from one of her friends climbing up. The branch seemed sturdy enough for two so she paid little attention to it and kept herself focused on the four below her.

"Come on then, join the circle and tell us," Coppa said to Dante. The Diablon skirted closer to the fire and warmed his hands. He rubbed them together and sat a little straighter as Coppa snorted impatiently. "Any day now."

"I'm getting there, just let me think." Dante shot back.

Coppa stamped his foot impatiently and drummed his finger on his wooden chair. “You don't need to think about this sort of stuff. Just do what we all did and say what comes to mind. That's way better than rehearsing some speech you thought up in two minutes. Keeps you more honest too."

"Fine, I'll take your word for it, she's more or less..." He trailed off, leaving everyone waiting. His eyes squinted as he looked directly at the tree Twilight had hidden herself in. The others watched him impatiently before Coppa gave a fake cough into his hand.

"You gonna continue with what you were saying, or just leave us-"

Dante shoved a hand into Coppa's face and silenced the Dwarf. "Quiet, I'm trying to think."

Oh come on... Twilight groaned in her mind. She nearly had a heart attack when Dante seemed to look directly at her. Behind her she could hear the quiet sounds of somepony on the branch and their shallow breaths as they came closer. She motioned for them to quiet down and hide as she pressed herself against the branch.

"Twilight is an interesting pony, and I know that I have a lot to be thankful for because of her," Dante said quietly. "I didn't give her an easy time when we first came here, but she stood by me regardless. Not many would've put up with how I was outside of this team."

Coppa laughed as he propped himself against the chair. "You've got my axe to back you up."

"And my bow," Moe added, gripping the tool of his trade..

"And my blade," Sam finished. The three of them smiled and raised their weapons slightly while Dante returned with raising his staff to them.

"I'm lucky to have friends who will put up with my issues and who trust me like you three do."

"You're damn right!" Coppa barked loudly. "Now let's cut the chit chat, I want that answer."

Dante nodded and closed his eyes. "She is a dear friend, and I'm happy to have gotten to know her. I may not have known her as long as you all, but I trust her to the same degree."

Twilight rested her head against the branch with a strange, but welcome feeling of satisfaction. Knowing that Dante considered her a close friend was perhaps the most welcome notion that she was all too keen on accepting.

"Twilight..." Came a voice from below. She peered to the side and looked to see the other girls waving their hoofs and pointing to something, but she couldn't discern what it was. She waved back to them, trying her best to tell them to settle down. Her hoof faltered a bit as her mind registered an anomaly in the situation. She was sure that there was somepony behind her; she could feel their presence behind her and her the sight noise of something on the bark of the branch. She could even feel their short, shallow breaths on her neck as they got uncomfortably close. However none of this made sense when she looked to her friends.

All five of them…

Heart hammering in her chest and with the horrified looks of her friends both motivating and holding her back, she peered over her shoulder. She barely caught a glimpse of the creature that hovered over her before its teeth and claws flashed in the light of the spell she shot into its thin chest. The thing let out a shrill shriek as it slammed into her and sent them careening into the ground.

The force of the impact drove the air out of Twilight and she rolled to the side, gasping for breath. She could see the monster get up and leer at her with its three luminescent green eyes. It looked oddly insect like, with a body much like that of an ant, but with a leathery brown hide and a long, muscular neck that ended in an angular head with a flat crest on it. Supporting this strange creature were six limbs with long, sickle like claws that began at their joints. These seemed to give it enough mobility to quickly get to its feet and throw itself at her while its jaws separated into four fang lined mandibles.

Its attack was halted by the bolt of lightning that sent it into a nearby tree. The creature let out another sharp shriek as the attack left a smoking crater in its chest that turned the surrounding skin black and charred. It let out a pained wheeze as Twilight watched it struggle to rise in its daze. Its front left leg had been reduced to nothing but a smoking stump from the blast, leaving it to stumble as it attempted to compensate and adjust its balance.

Another bolt of lightning cracked above her and arced towards the monster. This time, the monster ducked forward, using the absence of its limb to purposely put itself off balance. Behind it, the tree exploded into the air and showered the camp with sharp needles of wood. She raised a hoof and winced as the hot pieces of wood pelted her, some finding purchase in her skin while others grazed her or bounced off harmlessly. Behind her she heard someone, most likely Coppa in art because of the slurred speech, curse out loud.

When the rain of hot splinters let up, Twilight watched as the creature gave them an angry screech and scurried off into the brush. Behind her, Dante breathed heavily as the entire camp scrambled over the sudden attack. Electricity still danced around the head of his staff, ready for the next monster to show itself. It cut out abruptly as Dante knelt down beside Twilight and began to check her over.

"Dante, I'm-"

The Diablon shushed her as he examined her leg. "It's ok, it's going to be fine," he said as he found a few splinters along her leg. Around them the griffons assembled in a defensive line. "I knew you were nearby; I felt your magic. You can explain why later, first we need to know if the others are here too."

Twilight nodded and pointed Dante to the spot they had hidden. One by one, the other girls exited the bush and quickly crowding both her and Dante. They pushed and fussed as Dante quickly took his chance and pulled the larger splinters from her foreleg. Twilight winced as the sharp barbs were removed, but was thankful as Dante cleaned her wound. Her leg was bound to hurt for a while, but Dante pulled a flask with a red liquid from his bag and uncapped it. It smelled like caramel mixed together with a bit of lemon and moved like molasses as Dante poured a small amount on the small holes in her skin and rubbed it in before tying a bandage over it.

"Thank you," Twilight said and stood up as her leg numbed slightly. She flexed her limb and looked at the bandage curiously. "What is that stuff?"

“Healing potion,” Dante replied. “This stuff has saved our lives more than you can imagine. It’ll close the punctures and clean them. You can remove the bandage in the morning.It should be done by that time.”

“Ok,” Twilight replied. Dante let go of her hoof and stood up just as the Griffons all stood at attention. Coming from within the camp and flanked by his entourage, was a visibly agitated Frostfeather. His feathers were disheveled and the bags under his eyes complimented the exhausted air around him. He still presented himself well despite that, choosing to cover himself with a purple silk night robe that was tied around his waist by a red sash. He approached the group and stared at the ponies questioningly before the smouldering stump caught his eye.

“What happened here?” he asked calmly, but with force to his voice.

"We were attacked," Dante replied. "My guess is that whatever it was had been stalking us. It found Twilight, startled her, and she caused it to reveal itself. I'm not sure if this means Ravenn knows we're here, but it's likely."

"I see..." Frostfeather replied. "I take it that you took the creature down?"

"Wounded it, but it shouldn't get too far. For now we should reinforce the camp, maybe bring the perimeter of it closer in and reduce the risk of the sentries being pulled into the forest. That way we can organise and better protect ourselves since we won't be getting much sleep tonight."

Frostfeather nodded. "I'll discuss it with my captain. I don't doubt that they'd suggest the same thing with our lack of manpower at the moment." The griffon prince then looked pat Dante and raised an eyebrow. "It looks like you're missing a member of your party. Did you tell him to go after the creature?"

Almost every head turned to where Frostfeather was looking. Between Moe and Sam, where Coppa had stood, was now an empty space. Dante’s head darted between his two confused friends as their eyes collectively widened. Dante’s groan could be heard almost from the other side of the camp as he noticed the footprints running from between the two and leading to destroyed bushes near the smoldering trunk.

*****

“I swear to god, you better not let me find you!” Coppa yelled as he pulled a large piece of wood from his arm with his teeth.

The smell of burnt flesh was in the air and Coppa could hear whatever the creature was clicking as it hid in the trees. A red haze had come over his eyes and adrenaline filled his body. His anger, fuelled by the sore spots peppered along his hands and chest and alcohol, pushed him onwards. A feral sort of feeling had taken over him and pushed him to pursue the creature in a deadly game of cat and mouse.

A game he had every intention of winning.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make it quick!” A young tree fell to the side as his axe smashed through it. He snarled as it stuck itself into the earth, forming a small crater. He grunted as he pulled the blade out and shouldered it. “Where are you?”

“Papa?”

Coppa spun around at the voice, axe trailing behind him as his instinct drove him to swing at the new arrival. The thirst for blood made him relish the confused and panicked look that would no doubt come when he chopped the creature in half. He had given himself fully to predatory instinct and he was drunk on the feeling. He didn’t even care about the lecture his friends were going to give him when he got back. All he wanted to do was finish off his prey.

“Papa? Mama?… where are you?”

The red haze in his eyes lifted almost immediately as a small griffon child came into view and he struggled to stop the momentum of his swing. The sudden halt of adrenaline and madness had exhausted him and it was all he could do as he adjusted his arms and let the swing carry him. That minor movement proved to be enough as the blade missed the child’s head by a few inches. It did manage to chop off the small bit of downy feathers that stuck up from the child’s head.

Knowing the danger was past, Coppa let himself relax and felt the axe leave his hands. The axe flew backwards and fell to the ground, kicking up dirt and mud. Coppa fell to the ground, head swimming and out of breath. His muscles failed him and he could only manage to barely stay on one knee. He fought the urge to pass out as a new panic swelled as the situation dawned on him. If he just exhausted himself, how was he going to be able to protect himself, let alone a child?

“Kid, it isn’t safe here. We need to leave,” he said, struggling to rise.

“Where’s Papa and Mama? He said he’d find Papa,” The child cried as he wrapped his arms around Coppa’s neck. “He said he’d let me see them if I helped.”

Confusion began to enter Coppa’s mind as he patted the child's back. His eyes darted around them, searching for his axe and the creature he had pursued. “Who are you talking about, kid?” Coppa said. “What do you mean?”

“He said he’d find them,” the child repeated and hugged Coppa tightly. “He said if I helped him find the dog, he’d show me where they were!”

“Wait, wha- agggh!” Coppa screamed when a vicious stabbing pain blossomed in his neck, right next to his spine. He whirled, pushing the child away who was now shaking and clutching a long thin needle, and slapped a hand to the spot where a wetness had begun to form. “What was thaaa-” He swooned as his vision became blurry and his body failed him.

“That, dwarf, was a cocktail of sedatives and anesthetics designed specifically for you,” a voice said as Coppa’s head hit the ground. He tried to turn to see who it was, but the muscles in his neck had locked up and he remained with his head turned the sobbing child. More bodies shambled out of the brush, a mix of creatures and almost lifeless looking griffons that swayed in the night. He could feel a hand brush along the back of his neck, poking and prodding around the wound. “Yes, it should be mixed in well enough by now. Let us get you back to the castle, there is much left to do and much left to learn.”

Had he been able to say anything, Coppa would have yelled and screamed in hopes that anyone would have been able to hear him. Instead, he suffered and watched as the child who had stabbed him was surrounded by two similar looking, older griffons. They picked him up by the scruff of his neck and followed the trenches created by Coppa’s heels. He spotted the naive happiness on the young griffons face with a silent sadness. The child’s joy was replaced by fear as their glassy eyes stared at him. Coppa only wished that he could delude himself that the tragic screams of despair and loss that the child uttered would fade from his memory.

Comments

[SilentMech]

Well, that went about as expected. Guess they are never giving Coppa booze or money ever again.