The Shadow of the First Star

by moguera

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Chapter 7: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Firefly suppressed a yawn as she coasted along the mountain face. She was tired, having made the journey to Talon Mountain and back countless times before. Fortunately, this would be her last. After many years of privation and toil, she would finally be retiring. She was lucky to have reached this point while she still had so many good years left in her life. It would be nice to reconnect with Rainbow Dash after Firefly's work had forced her to spend so much of her time away from her precious adopted daughter. She remembered hearing that Rainbow had taken up residence in a village that wasn't far away from Canterlot. Apparently she was doing well for herself.

The winds were intensifying, dragging at the cloak draped over Firefly's wings. She frowned, mountain storms were frequent and often difficult to navigate. An inexperienced flyer would have found themselves careening out of control before smashing into the unforgiving stone of some cliff or rock spire. But Firefly was anything but inexperienced. She could easily navigate the worst of storms as though the sky were perfectly clear. Years of traveling through storms like these had taught her how to read the flow of the wind and travel along the paths of least resistance. Even tired as she was, flying through a storm like this was foal's play for her.

However, with a sudden surge, the winds changed their flow and direction without the slightest warning. The pink Pegasus was nearly knocked out of the sky as the raging winds closed about her, forming a cyclone that seemed to cut off the sky. This was not a natural storm. The winds did not normally move in this manner and changes as drastic as the one she had just experienced could not occur so quickly. Firefly knew that something else must be behind the storm. Most telling was the roar that echoed through off the distant peaks, making the mountainside shiver.

"Honestly Kushala," muttered Firefly, "A simple hello would suffice." With a low chuckle, Firefly banked around and flew directly up the side of the mountain, heading for the peak.

There he was, his claws and tail wrapped around the top of the mountain while his head towered atop its elongated neck. He swung his head about and let out another roar, a blast of pure wind erupting from his gaping maw and enshrouding the mountain further. Firefly flew in closer until she could make out the individual steel-gray scales that formed the elder dragon's armor.

"You certainly have an effective way of getting my attention," shouted Firefly, her voice barely carrying over the roar of the wind, much less the roar of the dragon. But he heard her all the same. The tooth-lined jaws closed and the great beast turned his glowing yes on her.

"But you have a tendency to ignore me if I don't do this," he pointed out.

Firefly had to laugh at that. The gray dragon had an unusual fondness for ponies. He even occasionally took the shape of a Pegasus to visit the towns and villages that lined the Equestrian border near his range. He and Firefly had spoken many times before as she was a frequent visitor to the area due to being called out to the Griffin lands so often. He was a wonderful conversationalist, she had to admit. She had even been flattered when he had made a pass at her. The dragon had a strong fondness for Pegasi and he had always loved the way she flew. However, Firefly had turned him down for a variety of reasons. But the old dragon never held a grudge and remained a good friend.

"I suppose it's for the best," she sighed, "This will probably be the last time we have the chance to talk like this."

Kushala, the Wind King of the North grimaced. "Is it time for that already? Good grief the years pass by so quickly."

Firefly winced at the implication that she was dying. But she understood his confusion. To a dragon who had been fully grown for many centuries on the day Nightmare Moon had been banished, the brief clawful of years that encompassed a pony's life could be over in a blink from his perspective.

"No, I'm not that old," replied Firefly, "But I am retiring. I was hoping to meet up with my daughter and spend some time with her to make up for all the years I spent on the move in this business."

"Ah yes, your daughter, the one you adopted," Kushala mused, stroking his elongated chin with a silvery claw that was longer than Firefly's whole body, "She was the one from that time wasn't she?"

Firefly grinned. "Yes. That was the first time we met, come to think of it."

"And how is your daughter doing?" asked the Wind Dragon.

Firefly sighed. It made her heart ache to realize that the last time she had seen Rainbow Dash was years ago, a filly barely out of her foalhood; she hadn't had the chance to check on Rainbow's progress for months. "She was doing well, the last time I checked. I even heard that during her time in Flight School, she managed to pull off the legendary Sonic Rainboom."

Kushala tilted his head. "Really, I would have loved to see that. I love a Pegasus who really knows how to fly."

"You keep away from her you old charmer," said Firefly wryly, "I may be behind in my checks on her, but I know that my daughter is still too young for that sort of thing. Besides, you'd break her heart and then I'd have to come and teach you a lesson."

The dragon tilted his head off and let out a booming laugh that echoed off the distant peaks, making him sound like a whole chorus. "I suppose I should know better than to infringe on your family, Firefly. Speaking of infringement, I have a small favor to ask of you."

Firefly looked up at the gray dragon expectantly. To her surprise, for the first time in their acquaintance, he tilted his head aside and avoided meeting her gaze. It wasn't like Kushala at all to be so hesitant. "What is it that you need."

"There is a Pegasus who lives in Konik, not far from the northern border." He gave her an exacting description of the pony in question. Firefly frowned. If the errand involved looking up this pony, there was not telling what problems she might run across. With his typical draconic perspective, Kushala might well be unaware of how much time had passed since he had last seen the Pegasus he was describing to her now. His description might well be years out of date.

But there was something else that rang alarm bells in Firefly's mind: the wistful expression with which Kushala gave out the pony's features, his short asides on how he wished he could go and see her again, the slightly...ashamed expression he now wore as he continued to avoid making direct eye-contact. Then it clicked.

"Oh you old fool," Firefly whispered, "You did it again didn't you."

"Yes," replied Kushala, turning his head to look at her.

Firefly had heard Kushala's stories. This would not be the first time he had been taken with a particular pony and transformed to spend time with her...only to end up spending more than just time. Ultimately, the reality of the situation would assert itself and Kushala would have to return to his proper place. And in his usual manner, he would lose track of the intervening years until everything was a confusing muddle. Even worse, while Firefly knew that Kushala was able to stop himself before things went too far, most of the time, this would not be the first time that he had fathered a half-breed child.

"You want me to check up on your child," she said softly.

Kushala nodded. "You're right about my sense of time. I'm not entirely sure how long it's been. All I ask is that you find out what has become of my son. You don't even need to come back to tell me. I trust you."

Firefly sighed and shook her head at the old dragon. At least he had the presence of mind to learn the gender of his foal before he had left the colt and his mother to their fate. Worse still, Firefly knew about Konik, having used the village as a stopping point in her journey to and from the Griffin kingdom. The ponies who lived there labored in the harsh climate to eke out what living they could, the harsh, wild weather from the mountains often sabotaging the efforts of their Pegasi to make it more hospitable. They were coarse and harsh and much too stubborn to leave. Firefly shuddered to think of what close-minded ponies like them might do to an unfortunate half-breed who lived among them.

"Alright, I'll go," she said, "But you're probably right that you probably won't hear back from me. If your son is still alive, I'll do what I can."

"Thank you." The old dragon bowed his head. "I ask for nothing else."

---

"So what happened then?" asked Rainbow Dash, her eyes wide as she listened to Firefly's story. She had been shocked to learn that her mother had known a dragon of all things.

"I went to Konik to look into the matter," said Firefly, "I had stayed there a few times, but generally avoided the place. They're a close bunch who don't like visitors, among other things. I half expected to have my questions lead me to the gravestone of some long-dead pony."

"But they didn't," Rainbow guessed, having seen where this story was going.

Firefly shook her head. "That actually was the case with Zephyr's mother, the Pegasus Kushala had asked me to look into. It turned out that he actually was more on top of things this time as I only missed her by a few months."

"What happened?"

"She had apparently always been in poor health after giving birth to Zephyr," replied Firefly, "A half-dragon's gestation period is just as prolonged as their other stages of development. But a mare's body isn't built to endure a pregnancy that can last well over a year. She managed to hold on for several years, but she was weak and able to do little. She barely had the strength to care for her own son. It's a testament to her love for him that she lasted so long and did manage to care for him for several years before finally passing away.

"But Zephyr had his own problems. As you might expect, the ponies of Konik weren't very accommodating to a half-breed foal. He was tormented by the other foals who lived in the town with him, especially at school. Not only did his teachers and the other adults do nothing to discourage that behavior, they actively encouraged it at times. To make matters worse, because she barely had the strength to see to his basic needs, Zephyr's mother wasn't up to the task of facing down her own neighbors to better her son's lot."

"That's awful," whispered Rainbow. She didn't even think to ask what had been done to Zephyr. She didn't think she could stand knowing. Worse, she might have been tempted to fly off to that village and give those ponies a piece of her mind. Then she looked up abruptly as the episode at the library earlier that day occurred to her. "What about the dragon slayers?"

Firefly directed a furtive look up the stairs that led to the guest room where Zephyr was currently sleeping. Carefully, she lowered her voice as much as she dared, forcing Rainbow to lean in as she talked about this most sensitive of topics.

"Once I found Zephyr, I realized that he was much too young to endure a journey of any distance. He wasn't able to fly yet and the prospect of trying to take him on hoof through the areas surrounding Konik wasn't a pleasant idea." Firefly decided to not bring up her other reasons for not bringing him down to Ponyville right away. "I decided to take care of him, so I settled into his mother's house to look after his needs. With a healthy pony looking after him, I'd like to think I made things easier on Zephyr, but not by much. I was an outsider after all and we outsiders were only a few steps above half-breeds like Zephyr in the villagers' estimation.

"More importantly, Kushala wasn't the only dragon the villagers had had dealings with. There were other dragons that made their homes in the northern ranges and not all of them were as friendly. Several ponies lost their lives to dragon raids. There were a few ponies who took up arms as dragon slayers to defend their homes. Some were more zealous than others.

"It happened on a day where I had gone to the market. A dragon slayer had heard about the half-dragon who had been living in Konik. From what I gathered afterward, he had seen Zephyr playing by himself in our yard and recognized him almost immediately. The dragon slayer attacked and tried to kill Zephyr. I only got home just in time to stop him from landing the killing blow. Fortunately, I was able to fend him off." Actually, she had been more than able to do that and had done more than just fend the murderous bigot off, but Firefly felt that Rainbow didn't need to know that much.

Rainbow Dash had her hooves pressed over her mouth, her eyes watering at the thought. Firefly gathered her wits to finish the story. "Zephyr was hurt pretty badly. I had to treat his injuries myself because the doctor in town refused to treat a half-dragon. We were lucky that I was able to do enough. At this point I realized that there was no way we could keep staying in Konik. So, even though Zephyr might not have been up to making the journey, we set out as soon as he was better. We traveled by hoof for a couple of years until he was strong enough to fly. Once he could fly, we flew the rest of the way and the rest of the story is just us coming here to Ponyville."

As Firefly finished, Rainbow Dash found herself thinking that there were a few holes in her mother's story. For one thing, while Equestria was large, it wasn't so vast that a journey from the northern border to Ponyville would take years. Ponies traveled all across Equestria by hoof all the time and their journeys usually only took a few weeks at most. She found herself wondering what had actually taken Firefly so long to come to Ponyville with Zephyr. However, she decided not to press the issue.

Rainbow Dash looked up the stairs, where her new little brother was sleeping. "I can't imagine what he went through."

"Neither can I," added Firefly, "But it's terrifying to think about. In spite his age and the fact that he finished his schooling, Zephyr is still very much a child. To go to a school and have your classmates grow up around you while you remain a little foal for much longer only added to the alienation he experienced for simply being born different in the first place. It's a world we will never see or understand. But hopefully, this town can be a home for him."

Rainbow turned her eyes back to the mare she acknowledged as her mother. "It can and it will," she said in her firmest tone, "I promise."

---

"Is something wrong?"

Luna looked up as Celestia approached. Luna had raised the moon some time ago. By all rights, Celestia should have been in bed already. "I should be asking you the same question, sister," said Luna, "You're up past your bedtime."

"Don't worry about it," said Celestia cheerfully, "Covering for you for the last few centuries has turned me into quite the night owl. It seems that even newly acquired habits die hard."

Luna frowned, but knew better than to apologize (again) for the changes Celestia was forced to undergo in order to make up for Luna's absence. Celestia always brushed off such apologies as though the inconvenience caused for her by having to seal her own sister into the moon was nothing. Luna also knew that Celestia would reject the idea that Luna herself was somehow responsible for her actions as Nightmare Moon. That didn't assuage Luna's guilt in the slightest. Until she knew what had caused her transformation into that unholy demon, she couldn't be able to rest peacefully without knowing whether or not she had been the cause of her own downfall.

Instead, Luna turned her gaze to the windows of her study, which overlooked her Night Garden. Celestia had always praised her younger sister's sense of aesthetics. The hedges and carefully tended flowerbeds were lower to the ground than Celestia's garden. There were no trees, no mazes. The whole thing was very understated. During the day it looked plain...dull even. It was only during the night that the true beauty of Luna's garden was revealed.

Everything in her garden was a variant of a unique family of flowers that Luna herself had created millennia ago, back when Equestria had first been founded, moon-blossoms, luminescent flowers that bloomed only during the night, underneath the moon. Different breeds, each with their own characteristic and color, bloomed during different phases of the moon. Because of these subtle qualities, every night in the Night Garden presented a different picture. If she were walking through that garden right now, even the scents in the air would be different from previous nights.

After Nightmare Moon had been sealed away, Celestia ensured that the Night Garden was meticulously maintained in Luna's absence so that it would still be there when she returned. To Luna, it was a testament to how much Celestia missed her and how much Celestia regretted what she had done. However, as she looked out over the garden now, Luna's thoughts were occupied by a very pleasant memory. "There is nothing wrong, sister," she said finally, "I was just going through a fond memory."

---

Luna sighed as she looked out over the vast courtyard. Even though the sun had set, the Summer Sun Celebration continued. That actually wasn't accurate. Celestia had essentially started a new celebration on the heels of the last one to celebrate Luna's return and her liberation from the specter of Nightmare Moon. Luna didn't really want to go through with it right now though. She had already participated in the celebration in Ponyville. While she had enjoyed that thoroughly, she saw no reason to continue in Canterlot.

Celestia had other plans though. Her main purpose had been to reintroduce Luna to the nobility and start getting them accustomed to having her back. To be honest, Luna wanted nothing to to with the stuffy nobles and their formal events. As the Princess of the Night, she preferred the art of understatement and subtlety. Even before her banishment, the nobility, with their inclinations toward decadence and garish displays of wealth and privilege always disgusted her.

"Bored already?"

Luna flinched as Celestia's voice came up from behind her. Straightening up, the Night Princess looked over her shoulder to see Celestia striding up behind her. "I can understand," said Celestia, "I always end up doing this when I decide to hold the Summer Sun Celebration somewhere other than Canterlot. The nobles always get miffed and are in need of placation. Usually I just throw a little after party here in the palace and call it good. But for once, we actually have something to celebrate."

Luna had to suppress another sigh. Here her sister had thrown a party because she felt she actually had a legitimate reason and Luna was being a stick in the mud. "You look like you could use some quiet time," Celestia whispered into her ear, "But before that, could you look into the Night Garden. Somepony's been working on a little surprise for you."

Luna frowned, a little suspicious at the suggestion. Even a thousand years ago, Celestia had been a prankster and a trickster. While she found it unlikely, Luna wouldn't have been surprised that she was about to be the target of a little lighthearted fun. Celestia never went overboard with her pranks, fortunately. Luna decided that, whatever it was that was being planned for her, it would be infinitely better than continuing to linger among these stuffy nobles.

Luna trotted down the castle hallways until she reached the entrance to her Night Garden. Looking out, she was greeted by the sights and scents of three different varieties of moon-blossom blooming under the nearly full moon that had only just begun to wane. Not seeing anything or anypony, Luna trotted down the pathways of her garden, content for the time being to enjoy the sight and smell of her flowers, glad that Celestia had worked so hard to preserve the garden for her return.

It took Luna a moment to notice the creeping mist that had begun to spread across her garden. It was barely above fetlock level, expanding like a silvery carpet over the ground. As it encompassed her, Luna felt the telltale tingling sensation of a spell field being established. She tensed, ready for an attack, until she realized that there was no indication of hostility. Her magic was being left untouched, not that a mortal spell field had a hope of truly inconveniencing an immortal Alicorn. Instead she felt it go to work in a different way. The Earth Pony that made up one third of Luna's essence could sense that the magic was interacting with her beloved moon-blossoms in a remarkably subtle way.

All at once, every single one of the flowers in the garden burst into full bloom, regardless of the current phase of the moon. Luna looked around in shock as the entire courtyard was bathed in a soft gentle light. She then realized that the light was revealing several figures who had all but materialized out of the night, several cloaked figures.

"Princess Luna."

The soft spoken voice redirected the Night Princess's attention back in front of her, where a pony now stood. Underneath his dark-green cloak, she could make out the shape of a Unicorn who looked at her with gentle eyes and an expression of undisguised happiness.

"You," she whispered. Even though she did not recognize the pony, she recognized the cloak that he wore, the cloak of the Order...of her Order.

"We have been waiting," said the pony, "For a thousand years, our predecessors and their predecessors all waited and prayed for this night, the night we finally get to come before you again. For many years, we have been hoping to get the chance to finally say this to you."

Luna felt tears beginning to stream down from her eyes. Her Rangers were there.

"Princess, welcome home."

The shock was almost too much for Luna. They had been waiting for her all this time. Even after what she had done as Nightmare Moon, they had not lost faith in her. Her legs began to give way beneath her. But she felt herself being held up as the Unicorn in front of her pressed in under her and used his body to support her. Two more were suddenly at Luna's side, leaning up against her and lending their strength as well, while more still closed in. Her composure breaking down, Luna began to weep as she swept up as many ponies as she could in her embrace while more still closed ranks around her.

All the while, Celestia looked on as the Rangers welcomed their founder and leader back to the world, like a group of foals welcoming their beloved mother home after many years of absence. She did nothing to hide the tears that streamed down her face as, down below, Luna basked in the love and affection of the ponies who had been waiting most devotedly for her return. "Welcome home, sister," she whispered, "This is what you deserve." Her task completed, Celestia turned and began to make her way back to the official party, drying her tears as she went.

---

"I was happy that they stayed with you," said Celestia quietly as she stood next to her sister, easily recalling what Luna was reminiscing about, "Even though the years came and went and generations passed, they never ceased to remain yours and yours alone."

"And I am glad that you let them," said Luna.

"I couldn't have made them, even if I wanted to," replied Celestia, shaking her head slightly, "Another trait your Rangers possess is that they can be overwhelmingly stubborn."

Luna chuckled quietly and nodded in agreement. Looking up, she spied a glittering cloud tracing its way across the sky. The silvery cloud of mist slithered through the minuscule cracks in the windows and congealed into a letter before her eyes. "Word from Oceanus." Luna opened the letter and scanned its contents.

"Sister! This is terrible!"

"What is it?" asked Celestia, frowning as she moved to read over Luna's shoulder.

"Somepony or something wiped out the population of Haytenview. Worse still, whatever it is is apparently heading in the direction of the Third Seal!"

Celestia gasped in shock. It appeared that the mysterious enemies who threatened the future of Equestria, if not the entire world, we're stepping up the scope of their attacks. Now innocent ponies had fallen victim to their evil machinations. Stepping back, Celestia let her head drop down. "This is only going to get worse, isn't it?"

"Yes," agreed Luna.

"Let me know when you receive more information," said Celestia as she turned around and headed for the door.

"I'm going out," said Luna, "If I hurry, then maybe I can be of some help."

Celestia nodded. "Very well then. In the meantime, I am going to make preparations to tell Twilight and the others. The Archmage was right. We can't afford to keep this secret from them for any longer."

Celestia left the room. Luna used her magic to teleport to the other side of the wall and spread her wings in the open air. With a swift downstroke, she lifted herself into the sky, heading south at a swift pace.

---

"So let me get this straight, you call him the Operator?"

"Well yes."

"Are you sure we're talking about the same creature? The one held by the topaz seal in southwest Everfree?"

"That's the one. You know; tall, skinny guy, no face to speak of, pretty snappy dresser for an eldritch entity born to prey on ponies by driving them to fear and madness."

"But why in Luna's name do you call him the Operator?"

"Because it's the kind of name you might think of for a spy, you know, like James Buck. He's always dressed so suavely."

"Well, I guess you have a point there. It's hard to think of another monster that could make a basic suit and tie ensemble look so intimidating."

Oceanus chuckled as they returned to the task at hand. Tracking an unknown entity with a head start of undefined length over broken terrain in the middle of the night was tedious business. Fortunately, Star Sapphire was one of those Rangers who enjoyed conversation, at least with her peers. While most Rangers were introverted and preferred their own company, there were few who could pass up the chance for conversation afforded by a pony who had had similar experiences. One of the greatest barriers for social interaction between Rangers and the other ponies of Equestria was the veil of secrecy. Being unable to bring up their profession and their experiences (at least openly) with regular ponies put a damper on spending time with them. Conversation with fellow Rangers was much easier as there was nothing for them to hide from one another.

To eat away the hours while they tried to close the distance with the mysterious pony responsible for the destruction of the town lost to the distance behind them, Oceanus and Star had opted to spend time talking about the different creatures they had dealt with during their travels. Star Sapphire was endlessly creative when it came to giving various beasties nicknames, some of which Oceanus found downright absurd, even if there was some degree of logic to Star's thinking.

Thus the banter continued as the night wore on, their journey taking them through the dense forest. But the terrain was changing. Slowly, the ground was getting softer, the air more humid. They were getting closer to the Black Bog. Oceanus paused and held up a hoof, signaling his companion to silence. Straining his ears, Oceanus heard an unfamiliar sound in the distance.

Whatever it was, it was either something immense or a great number of smaller somethings. It was a constant sound of something writhing and wriggling, of soft, moist objects being rubbed together, altogether a sickening chorus. Oceanus turned and nodded his head to Star Sapphire and the two of them leapt into a full gallop. Their quarry was within earshot and had been heading in the direction that Oceanus feared. They had to stop it immediately.

A few minutes later, they came to a stop. The sounds were much louder now, signaling the Rangers' increased proximity to their quarry. The only problem was that the sounds were no longer coming from ahead of the two ponies...they were coming from all around. Oceanus's ears perked up, swiveling about as he tried to pinpoint individual sources from among the grotesque cacophony echoing all around them. "I do believe we have run into an ambush," he intoned gravely.

Star Sapphire carefully stood so that she stood almost directly behind Oceanus, facing in the opposite direction. She slowly began to tense her body, getting into her combat stance. Out in the darkness between the trees, unsettlingly alien shapes moved. The ponies' eyes narrowed. The shapes undulated and slithered like hoards of snakes. But they were not snakes. As the hideous things closed in, they could make out more details. They were not snakes, but tentacles covered with massive suckers that reached forward and dragged their central bodies across the ground. Others walked upon their uncounted legs. More than a few had hauled their bodies up into the trees and climbed along, reaching from branch to trunk to neighboring branch, practically oozing through the forest canopy. Their central bodies were unremarkable, devoid of any features or spectacular shapes, save one, an open maw lined with razor-sharp teeth arranged in circular patterns.

Oceanus gritted his teeth and did his best to control the nausea that surged through him at the sight of these ugly beasts. He had faced down countless monsters and seen a great deal of the darkness that was so carefully locked away in Equestria's depths. But these things were in a class of their own. Whatever they were, they were utterly alien and completely unnatural. This may be something from the Archmage's arena, thought Oceanus, fully realizing that there was no way creatures like these could exist in Equestria, or the world around it.

"This is going to be a difficult battle," muttered Star as she took in the daunting number of abominations surrounding them.

In front of Oceanus, the ranks of demons parted to make way for a single Unicorn. This must have been the perpetrator of the atrocity that they had encountered earlier then. Once again, Oceanus found himself suppressing his nausea. This...thing could barely be called a pony. Whatever color his hide had been, it had long been overrun by rust-red stains that could only be dried blood. The Unicorn's mane hung in scraggly strands along his neck, matted and dyed dark. His tail seemed to have been combed through with pure filth. He was about the most wretched and vile looking pony Oceanus had ever seen. But worst of all were his eyes, set unnaturally in the madpony's head so that that they projected out and slightly to the side, looking to all the world like they were about to come tumbling out of their sockets. They seemed more like fish-eyes in that respect than eyes that belonged to a pony. Shifting his gaze slightly, Oceanus could see a patch of raw scars crisscrossing the Unicorn's flank where his cutie mark should have been.

"A pair of meddlers have come to see my efforts," said the pony in a whining sort of voice, "Since you were so determined to come after me, I thought I would reward you for the trouble so that you could behold the magnificence of my work. Are they not beautiful. Nopony in this world could possibly hope to best my artistry. You should have seen the canvas where I prepared my work."

Oceanus and Star knew, that when he had said canvas, the sick bastard had meant the town. Looking more closely, Oceanus could see scraps of flesh hanging from the bodies of the monstrosities arrayed around them. A blood sacrifice then, he deduced. It was the most horrid and abominable magic imaginable, one that used the flesh and blood of innocent ponies as a conduit for magical power. But to what end? Oceanus couldn't bring himself to believe that these creatures had been conjured. Was it the result of some horrid transformation spell? Or had his initial assessment been right?

Then he noticed something else. Hanging in the air next to that despicable pony was a book, a tome of some kind. To his horror, Oceanus realized that the cover was made from pony skin. The front depicted the image of a pony's face projecting slightly out and screaming in fear or agony. Without needing to check, Oceanus could sense the magical energy flowing outwards from the book. It seemed that the only energy that the Unicorn was using, was the magic that he needed to hold the book itself aloft. That must be the source of the problem.

Oceanus decided to play for time while he came up with a viable strategy. "And who is the great artist that stand's before us?"

To his disgust, the pony smiled earnestly and bowed politely, as though he were introducing himself to Luna's court. "I call myself Threshold. I am but a simple artisan who wishes to make the world beautiful once more."

"And how do you plan to do this?"

Threshold grinned widely. "I will take my art to spectacular new places until the ponies of the world are forced to acknowledge my greatness. I will capture their hearts and minds as their faces are contorted into terror beyond their wildest imaginations. I will compose an orchestra of anguished howls and shrieks of fear. All of Equestria shall be my canvas!"

"Lovely," muttered Star over her shoulder.

"And now you two shall become the next strokes of my brush," declared Threshold grandly. That had apparently been the signal as the monsters he had marshaled advanced on the two Rangers. Some slithered across the ground like the nests of snakes they had initially resembled. Others used their legs to propel themselves into the air with unnatural leaps while still more swung in from the surrounding trees.

Star Sapphire moved first, rearing up and slamming her hooves into the ground. The ground in a large radius around her and Oceanus erupted, sending stones, boulders and a healthy quantity of dirt surging upward and outward with enough force to tear through the rubbery bodies of the fiendish creatures. At the same time, Oceanus took a deep breath and unleashed a dense cloud of mist that filled the area around them. Wisps of steam arose from the mist to form a head of low clouds over the battlefield. And as the next wave of monsters closed in, the clouds unleashed a torrent of rain. But this rain was far from normal. Instead, the water hurled down in the form of countless minuscule knives, razor-sharp and moving at supernatural speed. The incoming blades sliced reaching tentacles to ribbons, pierced tooth-filled maws and drove back the remaining attackers. In the first seconds alone of the battle, the ground was littered with the bodies of the defeated demons.

"Your artistry appears to be lacking," Oceanus pointed out as he turned to face Threshold again.

To his surprise, the insane Unicorn's grin had not vanished. If anything, it was even wider than before. Then Oceanus's hearing picked up the sound of shifting and ripping. He looked around, expecting more of the monsters, but then he realized that the corpses of the ones he and Star had dispatched were twitching. Before their very eyes, the torn chunks of the abominations exploded outward into newly formed forests of tentacles as fully formed creatures burst out form every severed limb and scrap of flesh, their numbers multiplying exponentially.

Not waiting for an attack, Oceanus called up more of his mist. Realizing it would be a waste to try and keep killing the demonic entities, which only seemed to reform after every attack, he instead decided to deal with the source of the problem directly. The quality of the mist changed as it surged toward Threshold, turning into a potent acid that would dissolve flesh in seconds. Threshold's grin didn't so much as twitch as the monstrosities he controlled flung themselves between him and the rushing wall of acidic mist. Several of the creatures wrapped their tentacles around him, sinuous limbs interweaving until they formed an airtight cocoon. Oceanus resolved to let his acid melt its way straight through the impromptu barrier, only to find that the monsters weren't reacting at all.

That acid should react to all worldly matter, thought Oceanus, his suspicions confirmed, These creatures are from a different world, one with a different set of physical laws.

His attention was drawn by the sound of several wet objects being smashed. Turning around, he saw Star Sapphire slamming her hooves into the center of one the creatures, sending it flying back even as it burst apart like an overripe melon from the impact. Moving smoothly, she sidestepped the lashing tentacles of another abomination and slammed her shoulder against it, spattering the filthy thing across several trees around her. She continued to fight, avoiding attacks and counterattacking flawlessly as the beasts attempted to press in, clearly determined to do her job to keep Oceanus's back covered.

Oceanus turned his attention back to the front as he condensed loads of water into the air around him. The large droplets flowed into the shape of several different varieties of flowers before rotating like circular saws. He sent them flying toward the deranged summoner. Once again, the demons moved quickly to his aid, piling on top of one another as the whirling blades of water carved through them, using their mass to completely crush Oceanus's attack with their sheer density.

This is getting nowhere, thought Oceanus as the slaughtered monsters again regenerated and multiplied. He harbored no illusions that Star Sapphire was faring any better than he was. It was only a matter of time before they were buried under an avalanche of the monstrosities. Matters were getting desperate.

"Ack!" The strangled cry from behind him drew Oceanus's attention back to Star. To his horror, he saw that a tentacle had whipped out from one of the monsters from an absurd distance to wrap around her right foreleg. Her balance broken, Star Sapphire's defense faltered and with speed that boggled the mind, several more tentacles whipped out from different directions to wrap around her other legs. Another closed around her torso while yet another looped over her neck. Before Oceanus had a chance to do anything, Star had been fully restrained and now was fighting for her breath. And even as he looked, the tentacle holding the Earth Pony's neck bulged unnaturally and the applied pressure began to increase as the beast apparently opted to simply tear her head right off.

Oceanus quickly moved to support his comrade, but the demons that had been in front of him pounced on his moment of distraction and less than a second later, Oceanus was trussed up just as thoroughly. This is no good, he thought.

Then, just as the tentacle around his neck began to squeeze, there was a rush of wind and the tentacles holding them fell away. Crescents of air distorted as blades of wind sliced away the restraining appendages, dropping the two captured ponies to the ground. As Oceanus and Star Sapphire gasped and coughed, a new pony landed amongst them. "That was disappointing Oceanus. I know you're better than this."

Looking up, Oceanus spied Mountain Breeze, whom he had sent ahead to the Seal. She smiled wryly down at her senior and then turned to glare at Threshold, who looked enraged that somepony had butted into his fun.

"How dare you interfere with my art?" he practically screamed.

"Sorry," answered Threshold with a taunting lilt in her voice, "I got a good look at your art just now and that was me expressing my opinion."

Apparently at a loss for words, the monster in a pony's shape let out an inarticulate screech of pure rage, prompting Mountain to raise her eyebrows. "What are you so mad about? It's like the old saying goes, everypony's a critic. If you're a real artist, deal with it."

With sounds like bursting balloons, the ranks of monsters replenished themselves and then swelled. Oceanus frowned as he observed the situation. The demonic creatures were endless in quantity. He couldn't even begin to imagine the amount of magical energy that was being spent. One pony simply couldn't have this quantity of power. However, Oceanus detected something abnormal. He turned to glance at Mountain Breeze.

"I need you and Star to keep them busy for a short time," he whispered to her.

"Why?" asked Mountain, perplexed, "You could have destroyed them all already."

"In case you haven't noticed, destroying them only makes them regenerate and multiply. Presumably, as long as they continue to receive their supply of magical energy, they can remain and even multiply endlessly. Destroying them gets us nowhere and only makes things worse in the long run. I think I've figured out what Threshold is doing. I just need you to buy me the time I need to confirm it and then some more time for me to do something about it."

Mountain Breeze frowned but nodded. Oceanus turned his mist into an extension of his senses and spread his spell field in the direction of Threshold. The mist crept along close to the ground. Oceanus felt his insides twist with nausea as the mist flowed around the serpentine legs of the assembled abominations. The mist had almost reached Threshold when, once again, the monsters tightened their holds around him, enveloping him with their tentacles to keep the mist from reaching him. As they did so, the front ranks launched themselves forward with renewed vigor.

Mountain Breeze spread her wings and unleashed a barrage of wind blades in all directions, cutting down the monsters like stalks of wheat before the reaper's scythe. But there were still plenty more, slithering and leaping over the bodies of the fallen, even as the pieces of the dead ones regenerated to create more enemies still. In spite of this, Oceanus remained focused on his task, his mist seeming to flow uselessly against the impenetrable wall of tentacles that surrounded Threshold. Just a little longer...

Then it was done. Oceanus had his suspicions confirmed. A smile slowly formed on his face. It was time to turn the tide. "Star, Mountain, I'll take it from here."

Mountain Breeze grinned eagerly. "Does that mean you're finally gonna cut loose?"

Oceanus grinned at her in return. He pulled his mist back. Perceiving that the threat had withdrawn the demons shielding their master withdrew their tentacles, leaving the fish-eyed Unicorn a clear view of his intended victims. "Have you given up already?" he taunted, "Oh how mortifying it must be to be completely outclassed by pure numbers, to be suffocated by a horde of unholy demons. I can't wait to see your faces contorted into terror and agony. Accept the inevitable and surrender yourselves TO MY ART!!!"

As Threshold's voice became a shriek, the demo s launched themselves en mass, with even greater numbers than before. But Oceanus remained calm and confident. On his flank, the cutie mark depicting eight silvery pearls flickered and came to life. The pearls detached themselves from his flank, shifting from two-dimensional images to three-dimensional orbs the size of apples. Eight gleaming silver orbs now floated in the air around Oceanus.

The monsters closed in. The orbs shot away from their master and formed a circle around the three beleaguered ponies. As one they began to flash. The monsters rushed forward, closing in on the Rangers. They crossed the invisible boundary depicted by the arrangement of the eight pearls...and exploded into fountains of blood that poured to the ground. More monsters came behind them and collapsed similarly.

Threshold let out a shriek of rage and the monsters, as though responding to his voice, recoiled away from the invisible barrier. Oceanus grinned at his adversary. "I've figured you out," he said, "You aren't the one supplying magical energy to these monsters. It's that book. The book itself is an individual energy source. And from the look of things, that tome's power is near limitless."

Threshold's expression changed from one of rage to one of disbelief. "How?"

Oceanus tilted his head. "I'd theorized that not long after our little session began. After all, there's no way that a single Unicorn could supply power to all these abominations by himself, much less regenerate and multiply them after they were struck down. And you were holding that book up in plain view for all to see. I was almost certain that it was a decoy and used my spell field to check, just to make sure. But it seems that you really are that poor of a mage."

"Impossible!" screeched Threshold, bearing his teeth, "Your mist couldn't penetrate my familiars' barrier."

Oceanus chuckled, but wasn't going to tell that monster of agony the secret of that trick anytime soon. In truth, it had been a simple matter of exploiting the qualities of his mist, which, while magical, was still condensed water. It had been foal's play to let the mist seep into the ground before bringing it back up through the ground underneath Threshold, where he hadn't thought to use his barrier to protect him. "In any case, all I needed was to establish a simple boundary field to cut those monstrosities off from their source of energy and they dissolve back into nothing."

"I wouldn't say 'nothing,'" groused Star as she lifted a hoof off the ground, which had become saturated with blood.

"And now," said Oceanus with finality, "It's time to bring your career as an artist to an end. It's a pity. You envisioned yourself as a great artist, but in reality, you're nothing more than a hack who can't accomplish anything without that tome."

"I won't forgive you for this!" shrieked Threshold, "I will strip the flesh from your bones while you breathe! I will weave your intestines into a tapestry while you can still watch! And I will make sure you feel every second of it!"

"Mountain," said Oceanus, "Focus all your strength on the front and scatter the ones before us."

"You got it boss!" chirped the Pegasus before lifting her wings. With a single tremendous flap, she unleashed a whirling blast of pure wind that drove straight through the packed ranks of the creatures between them and Threshold. The horizontal tornado tore through the beasts and scattered them in all directions.

Oceanus leapt straight in, following in the tornado's wake. The eight orbs, which had been hovering in a circle around the three Rangers, joined him, flying through the air in twisting and curving paths, glowing a brilliant white as they did so. They surged ahead of the rushing Unicorn, intercepting the few monsters that were still in his way. When they impacted, the monsters burst into rivers of blood. Meanwhile Oceanus concentrated all his remaining energy into his horn. The tiniest light flickering at the tip was the only indicator of the spell he was preparing.

Threshold was not about to sit quietly and let his enemy come closer. He ordered more of his monsters to attack, but Oceanus's orbs were already closing in. The pearls swooped down, aiming for the book. Threshold used his magical grip to swing the book out of the way, dodging one pearl, then another, then a third, a fourth, a fifth, a sixth, a seventh. Finally, with one last swift movement, Threshold managed to swing the book out of the way of the eight and final orb. Now he could focus on using his demons to keep Oceanus's attacks at bay with the time he had bought.

Turning his attention away from the orbs, Threshold's eyes widened to see that Oceanus himself had already closed in behind his pearls. Instead of simply being avoided, he had predicted that Threshold would move the book to avoid his attacks. Instead, he had carefully manipulated how Threshold had moved the book out of the way. The tome was now positioned directly in the path of the charging Unicorn's horn. It was too late for Threshold to get the book out of the way entirely.

Oceanus's horn pierced the cover of the book close to its spine. Threshold's last attempt at evasion meant that Oceanus's horn carved a gash through the spine of the book. The damage could have been minimal, but then the disruption spell that Oceanus's horn was carrying activated.

The demons closing in around Star and Mountain exploded into a torrent of blood that pooled on the ground around them. There was nothing left of the unnatural creatures, only small lakes of crimson fluid that dotted the landscape. Threshold now stood alone, completely unprotected by the hideous creatures that he had been so proud of.

"And now, your art is finished," said Oceanus grimly as he turned to face Threshold for the last time, "And so are you."

"It's time to face justice," said Star Sapphire as she closed in from the other side.

Then, to Oceanus's shock, the damage inflicted on the book, which more resembled a wound on a flesh and blood creature, closed over itself. The tome was healing it's own damage. Before their eyes, the tome began to shine as it released a tremendous amount of magical energy.

"Stop!" shouted Oceanus as he rushed forward.

Threshold paid him no heed and instead let out a shriek of pure rage and hatred. Before any of the Rangers could approach by more than two steps, the pools of blood all around them exploded into a crimson mist that filled the air, completely blocking their view of the monstrous criminal. Mountain Breeze was the first to respond, using a powerful beat of her wings to banish the fog, revealing empty ground where their enemy once stood.

Oceanus exhaled a massive cloud of mist and extended his spell field to its limits, trying to find Threshold before he could get away. But it was an act of futility. The insane Unicorn was gone. He had escaped completely. Oceanus turned to his comrades and said the only word that he could think of at this time. "Damn."

As the three Rangers took a moment to contemplate their next course of action, the light shining from the moon above them began to flicker and dim. Looking up, they spotted a winged shape slowly descending towards them. The three ponies carefully backed up to make room as Princess Luna landed amongst them.

"Princess?" Star Sapphire tilted her head in confusion as she regarded their monarch.

"I am glad that I was able to find you," said Luna, "I had to track you three from Haytenview. It wasn't easy. Clearly my skills in this area are rusty. From the looks of things, it seems that the situation is somewhat under control."

Oceanus nodded, his eight pearls returning to their usual locations on his cutie mark. "Yes, we were able to track our target and thwart his efforts to reach the Third Seal. However, as you can see, we failed to apprehend the culprit. Even worse, we believe that nopony survived his attack on the village." The three Rangers bowed their heads. "We are sorry. Our negligence has cost untold numbers of ponies their lives this night."

"No. It is I who must apologize," said Luna softly, "You were never meant to pit yourself against other ponies. This should have been well outside the scope of your duties. I do not know how the secrets of the Six Seals were leaked, but it is clearly the fault of my sister and I that this has come to pass."

"In any case," said Mountain Breeze, "The situation is under control for now. What should we do next?"

"My sister and I have opted to inform the Bearers of the situation," answered Luna, "Should the worst come to pass, they will be the ones tasked with sealing the Star of Creation once again."

"Um, let me get this straight," muttered Mountain Breeze, "You're talking about the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony right?"

Luna nodded.

"Those six mares currently living in Ponyville?"

Again, Luna nodded.

"The ones that Princess Celestia depicted in no less than two stained glass windows decorating your throne room and the ones that she honored for defeating Discord in a very loud, very public ceremony?"

"Yes," agreed Luna, worry beginning to make itself apparent on her face.

"In other words, as opposed to the Seals, which were carefully hidden away and placed in extremely inhospitable and inaccessible locations, you and Princess Celestia not only left the only ones capable of using the only weapons that could be of use against the First Star in a place that is easy to find and reach and you practically shouted their existence out to the farthest reaches of Equestria so that just about anypony who wants to find them could know exactly where they are!"

"I...see your point," said Luna, taken aback by Mountain's vehemence, while, at the same time, understanding it completely. The implications did not escape her notice.

Luna turned to Oceanus. "I would like for you to come back to Canterlot with me. We have some arrangements to make."

Oceanus made to bow, but began to wobble. "Understood...my...Princess..." His body slumped to the ground.

"Is he all right?" asked Luna as she bent down to examine him.

"I think so," replied Star Sapphire.

"He's worn out," said Mountain Breeze, "You had him move out to the Thotep Pass last night and he was there for most of the day. Then he got our request for assistance and had to use his mistform to travel to Haytenview. Then he was with us, tracking that damn maniac for the better part of the night. And then there was the fight against those nasty monsters, which Oceanus used a lot of magic for. He's spent."

"I see," said Luna softly, leaning down to gently nuzzle Oceanus's unconscious form, "He always works so hard. I will go ahead and bring him to Canterlot with me." She then turned to Star Sapphire. "And I would like for you to make haste to Ponyville. You will be stationed there until further notice."

"What should I do then?" asked Mountain Breeze.

Luma sighed. "I'm afraid that I have a difficult task for you. You will continue your rounds. However, you will also have to help with Oceanus's and Star's workloads while they are otherwise occupied, possibly others as well. I am going to ask the Archmage to redistribute their duties so that somepony can be on hoof to respond should any more of the Seals come under threat. This means that your numbers are going to be spread thinner than ever before. I hate to ask this of you, but can you do it?"

Mountain Breeze bowed deeply. "Should you ask it of us, we will fly to the furthest reaches of the world for your sake, Princess."

"Thank you, my little pony."

Using her magic, Luna lifted Oceanus gently onto her back and took to the skies, heading back to Canterlot. Star Sapphire and Mountain Breeze locked eyes and nodded to each other before taking off in separate directions as well.

---

"THE ARROGANCE!!!" shrieked Threshold as he smashed a hoof against the stone wall, honestly wishing that he had something more fleshy upon which to vent his frustrations, "Those cretins dare defile my art and then deign to pass judgment on me!"

"To be honest, I don't find it that hard to agree with them," taunted a feminine voice. With a flash, the chamber was suddenly lit with blue and white flames. "Your art is so droll and tasteless."

A manic grin spread across Threshold's face as he turned to regard the yellow Unicorn now illuminated by the dancing flames. "Ah, there you are. I was hoping to see you again. One day I will have you give yourself to my art."

"You wish," taunted Pyre with a cheeky grin, "I want to see how well your little beasties taste once I've smoked 'em real good."

"THAT'S ENOUGH FROM BOTH OF YOU."

The two Unicorns froze in place, not daring to twitch. For a moment, the domed chamber was silent, save for the crackling of the flames that marked its circumference. There were no visible entrances or exits, only walls of solid rock in every direction, including above. The shadows of the two ponies seemed to stretch forward, meeting in the center of the chamber before bubbling upward and resolving into the form of a stallion. His pitch-black coat and mane would have made him invisible were it not for Pyre's flames. The only thing that could be easily seen was the bone-white horn that jutted out from his head, twisting crookedly. Even the stallion's eyes were black.

He wasn't alone. His companion was an Earth Pony, whose coat was black with flecks of white, contrasting with his light-amber mane and golden eyes. Remarkably, the Earth Pony stallion was enormous. His body easily dwarfed that of his companion and was even larger than Princess Celestia herself. As he emerged from his companion's shadow, the solid-rock floor of the cavern crackled before finally giving way with a low crunching sound, dropping the massive pony about an inch before the ground was compact enough to support his weight, which was even greater than his apparent size would suggest.

The smaller of the two black ponies stepped away from his companion. There was a brief rustling on his back as a pair of wings slowly extended before retracting. "Unfortunately, both of you have failed me," he said, his voice cold as ice.

"Ridiculous," protested Pyre, "After all, I actually reached my Seal and put your spell on it."

"Yes, after which, you lingered around long enough to advertise our presence to the Princesses, who are now aware of our objective and are in position to counter our moves. Had you actually done your job right instead of playing around with that Ranger, we would have had the opportunity to secure at least three of the Seals before anypony became aware of what we were after."

"Then what?" asked the massive Earth Pony stallion.

"Then we try something else that will divert Celestia and Luna's attention long enough for us to reach the other Seals. For that, I've sent Carrion to the Griffin King at Talon Mountain to set things in motion there. Meanwhile, we will have to make our plans to dispose of the Bearers of the Elements so that they cannot interfere when we achieve our aim. For now, I want all of you to go to ground and stay out of sight for a while. If we are patient, our chance will come again." Shadows washed out from the pitch-black pony and engulfed the room, snuffing out Pyre's flames before leaving the room as empty as it had been before.

---

Is anyone out there? I understand that this story isn't as popular as my other one, but it's been five whole chapters with nary a peep. I'd love to hear some feedback, something, anything...please...it's so lonely here.

Comments

[DraconianTransmuter]

it finally updated!

Re-favourited

[Icy Star]

peep

[potdl]

Hey i'm not one to normally leave comment but I think you need to hear this.

Your story is excellent and i personally think it seem to have a lot more potential depth compared to some of your other work, however, it just doesn't have that drawing in factor (can't think of another way of describing it). I do not know how to fix such a problem I believe it just one of those thing that occurs for all people of the creative arts were some of their works are praised loudly while other are such admired quietly even though both piece or just as good.

So although it might not be as loudly praised as some of your other work and might not be commented as much do not lose heart and know that their are many of us who are just quietly watching and enjoying your work

your sincerely POTDL

A.K.A Prophet Of The Dark Lord/Lady

Thought for the day

Kindness to those who deserve it, instead of love wasted on ingrates

[rainsparkle]

I have never commented before. I enjoy all your stories. Please keep them coming. Is this story finished?

[NoLongerSober]

Part of me wants to read this but the long hiatus is offsetting...what are the chances - realistically - of this story being finished?

[Mike Struble]

I love this story