Ponies of the Five Rings

by Simon_oSullivan

Chapter 2: The Night Mare. Part 3

Derpy was flying away from the Lore castle after her meeting with Twilight. She liked flying low, dodging the trees just like the old days in the training grounds. However, she also stayed alert to spot threats to report, or if there was a single enemy scout, to take him down.

Her eyes were a blessing to her, even though most ponies would feel uncomfortable if they had to talk to her. She had a chameleon-like vision, which made it really hard to catch her off-guard. That’s what gave her the advantage she needed as a scout in order to become a spymaster, and Rainbow Dash’s most trusted pony.

From the corner of her eye, Derpy noticed how the leaves on one of the trees were moving, even though there was no wind. Sslowing down her flight and scanning the moving leaves with one of her eyes, using the other one to guide her through a different route. She knew that somepony was watching her, but didn’t want to make clear that she’d noticed. She turned left, trying not to leave the tree out of sight. Even after checking from a distance, Derpy couldn’t identify the threat, but there was something obviously wrong; whatever it was, it was not a pony. The branches and leaves moved a second time, and she flapped her wings with all the strength she could just in time to avoid the creature’s leap towards her. It fell to the ground, slamming its weapons against a rock.

Derpy finally got to see her attacker with detail, though only from behind. Those wings and lower half resembling a lion, which were the only things she could see at the moment, made clear that the creature was a griffon. The grunts she heard identified it as a female. Derpy nocked an arrow on her bow, pointing at her attacker.

“Who are you and what are you doing here? Speak!” Derpy demanded before pulling the bow’s string.

The creature cackled, sliding her kamas against each other. “The name’s Gilda, and what I’m doing here is none of your business!”

Gilda? Derpy thought, before having to fly down to avoid another bull rush.

The arrow flew through the air and landed harmlessly on the ground. Derpy narrowly avoided the charge, using the second it got her to turn the tail and flee towards Cloudsdale. She flew low, looking for narrow spaces among the trees in order to lose the griffon, who kept getting closer.

I know I’ve heard that name before, Derpy thought, but where?

Even though she did her best to force Gilda to stop or get entangled by some branches, she could hear the noise of wood getting smashed. She had to think a way to lose her, and a plan came to her mind. All of a sudden, she stopped in mid-air, bending her hind legs and, when she saw that Gilda was almost on her, Derpy bucked her in the face with all her strength. Combined with the speed the griffon was flying at, the blow was strong enough to stun Gilda for a while, sending her tumbling into the forest below.

Thanks to the previous maneuver, Derpy had gained some distance, but the griffon didn’t look like she was going to give up, having retaken the chase. Knowing that she would need help, she flew above the treetops until she found one where she could hide for a while.

“Where are you, coward?!” Gilda roared, her voiced sounding quite far away. “I’ll find you and, when I do, I’ll rip you to shreds!”

Derpy knew she had to act soon, and she only had one opportunity to do it right. She took a hollow-tipped arrow from her quiver, and nocked it on her longbow. Pointing towards Cloudsdale, she tensed the bow, noticing that Gilda’s threats sounded closer every time she heard her.

This will give away my position, Derpy thought grimly. But I need help against her. I hope I can buy some time while the reinforcements arrive.

Derpy let the string go and the arrow flew towards Cloudsdale, producing a loud whistle.

“There you are, foal!” Gilda cried, charging towards Derpy, causing her to fly up to avoid the wild charge.

Derpy got out of the treetop, unsheathing her sword in order to attack her enemy. Doing a wing over, she dived down towards Gilda, who put her arm as a shield to stop the blade. The blow sounded like metal clashing against metal. The griffon smirked sardonically while Derpy looked at her arm in disbelief.

What the hay?! She noticed that the weapon Gilda wielded had a chain attached, and was wrapped around her arm. A chained kama!

She was able to react in time and dodge another attack. As soon as she recovered, she noticed that her enemy’s weapons had long chains attached, wrapped around her limbs. Seeing that the griffon only wore light body armor, the chains gave her a decent protection. Derpy decided to charge against her, even though she knew that there were little chances of fleeing, let alone killing her rival. Gilda charged towards the pegasus too, with her arms crossed.

A cross-shaped attack. Easy to dodge, Derpy assumed as she changed her flying route, going higher and hitting her enemy in the shoulder.

Gilda let out a painful grunt, though the cut was not deep. Derpy turned around to check if her rival was flying lower or even falling down. To her surprise, not only was the griffon still ready to keep fighting, but she was looking for something on her belt pockets.

She must be looking for a medicine or the like, it’s my chance! Derpy thought with enthusiasm, charging against the griffon in order to finish her.

When she was about to slash through her enemy’s throat, Gilda struggled to quickly pull out a blowgun, barely getting off a dart before Derpy was on her. The pegasus tried to dodge the surprise attack, but the projectile hit her on the right wing. She turned around and flew away, noticing that the griffon flew behind her, but there was something wrong. Her enemy just kept flying behind her, but she didn’t try to reach her. After a few seconds of chasing, Derpy noticed a tingling sensation in her right wing.

No, no, no! Derpy thought in horror as she found out that the dart had been coated in poison. I have to survive, I have to stay alive longer. Reinforcements should be on their way.

Her right wing felt heavier and harder until it became as motionless as a wooden plank. She was able to extend it just in time, making it possible for her to glide for some time, but couldn’t dodge trees with the same ease as before. Derpy focused on covering as much distance as she could and, when the landing became unavoidable, she went on galloping, looking back to see where Gilda was. The griffon was flying over her, ready to dive towards her. At her enemy’s war cry, she kept galloping, jumping to her left at the last second, avoiding the deadly strike, but Gilda smacked Derpy with her chained arm, throwing her against a tree.

“Now you’re mine!” she grunted, walking towards her while clashing her kamas against each other. “You’ll make an tasty dinner.”

“Derpy? Where are you?” a familiar voice called from far away.

Thank you, merciful Celestia!, Derpy wondered looking at the sky. I assumed I was a goner.

She tried to crawl away, but Gilda noticed and stepped on one of her hind legs.

“You’re not going anywhere for now,” spat the griffon with a intimidating smirk.

“There she is!” another voice sounding closer called.

A group of pegasi flew around the place and dived towards them, stopping in mid-air when they spotted the griffon. Most ponies nocked arrows on their bows and aimed at her. Derpy recognized Rainbow Dash, who was leading the squad.

“Gilda?” the Rainbow Leader said, surprised.

“Dash?” the griffon replied, raising an eyebrow.

Rainbow Dash lifted a hoof, making the scouts stop pulling their bows’ strings. She flew down towards the two fighters and got in front of the griffon glaring at her.

“Let her go, she works for me.”

Gilda grunted, lifting her paw to release Derpy, who still couldn’t fly properly.

“Overlord Dash,” said the spymaster with her head lowered. “I’ve been poisoned and I can’t fly.”

The leader whistled and called down a couple of pegasi. “Take her to the infirmary. Treat the poisoning and the injuries. I’ll take care of this.”

“Are you sure, Overlord Dash?” one of the scouts said, worried. “Wouldn’t you prefer-”

“Do not defy my orders, soldier. I said I’ll take care, and I hate repeating myself.”

“Y-yes, as you command.”

The soldiers lifted Derpy up and flew away towards the rest of the squad. She looked down for the last time, watching how the griffon and her leader stood face to face.

-o-

The dark spirit guided Trixie through the Everfree Forest, a place that was becoming very familiar and less dangerous to her. The power she had gained had restored her confidence, and she was still able to use the normal spells, but with less efficiency. Pure spirits despised Maho and whoever wielded it, and summoning them as a bloodspeaker was troublesome and won’t get her efficient results most of the time.

“We’re here,” announced the spirit, causing Trixie to focus back on the present task.

In front of them was a hut unlike anything she had seen in Equestria before. It was a simple house made of wood logs and a hay roof, but the ornaments hanging from it didn’t make it welcoming at all. The door frame was made from a couple of dragon ribs, and both windows had decorations made of skulls of little creatures.

“Whoever lives here certainly hates living things,” Trixie pointed out with a nervous giggle.

“You’ll find out when you enter,” replied the spirit. “Now go, we don’t have much time, there are plenty of things left to do.”

Trixie nodded and walked towards the doorless building, but something pushed her back violently, throwing her several feet away. She fell to the ground lading on her side, letting out a painful grunt. When she got up, she noticed that there was a circle surrounding the house, apparently acting as a ward.

“No monster here can make such sound, a pony guest I might have around”, a female voice said from inside the hut.

Trixie looked forward the hut to see what at first she thought it was a pony but, as the creature got close to her, it came obvious that it was a zebra. A necklace with fangs as beads hung around her neck. She wore a crown made of a vulture’s skull and decorated with tall grass and feathers over her long, wavy mane. A straw skirt covered her lower half and a snake rested wrapped around her waist and neck, hissing at Trixie.

Who in Equestria is this mare? Trixie wondered, unable to speak or move at such sight.

“I’m called Zecora by those around here, but I tell you, you have nothing to fear. Your tainted magic is similar to mine. If you show me respect you should be fine,” the zebra added with a shady smile.

“Trixie was told that you could protect her from further mutations,” Trixie replied without hesitation, as her eyes followed the movement of the snake’s head.

“What your informants told you is true, from the Taint my magic can save you,” she answered with a sardonic smile.

Zecora raised her hoof and whispered a few words, making a translucent dome appear around the hut. It lifted slowly until it was nowhere to be seen.

“Come, so I can lower the dome, it’s the only way to protect my home,” she warned, turning around and trotting into her hut again.

Trixie walked cautiously, waving her hoof around to make sure she wasn’t going to be repelled again. When she noticed that the magic field had indeed disappeared, she followed Zecora inside. What she saw once she entered made her freeze in place. Bloody depictions of horrible creatures she had never seen before covered the walls and ceiling, all of them looking at the center of the hut. Following their eyes, she noticed a large bloodied altar, with an equally bloody curved dagger on it. When Trixie looked at it, she realized that the blood was already dried out. She wasn’t able to identify the altar’s material, such was the amount of dried blood that covered it. Ointments, potions and vials, as well as several pouches were scattered around the tables in an order she couldn’t understand.

“Lay down upon the altar, young mare, of the rest of the ritual I’ll take care.”

“What’s this ritual about? And why do agree to help me just like that?”

“It is wise that I tell you before we start, that the ritual will tear away your heart.”

“What?!” Trixie yelled, jumping back off the altar. “You won’t lay a single hoof on Trixie!”

“Calm down, young mare, no need to fear, for the whole ritual you still have to hear. When I take away your fragile heart, your new life as an immortal will start.”

“Immortal, you say?” Trixie looked inquisitively at Zecora. “Tell me more about it.”

“Age and disease will affect you no more, and common violence won’t make you even sore. However, I do must advice you to take care, for leaving your heart unguarded you shouldn’t dare”

“Why did Trixie expect something like that?”
“
If somepony destroys it you’ll be doomed, and your body in unholy flames will be consumed. To keep it safe I’ll gift you a chest, but you’ll have to perform a simple quest.”

“Trixie doesn’t like what she’s hearing.”

“Fear not, I just want some fruit and fresh food. Bring it, and I’ll give it to you for good.”

“You just want some fruit?”

“My sustenance is limited, you see, most of the time I’m hungry as can be. Fruits, berries and water are often my feast, but I cannot bring down any mighty beast.”

“Okay, so you perform the ritual, seal Trixie’s heart in a chest,” she said, numbering the steps while tapping her chin with one of her claws. “Then I bring you some food and we’re even?”

Zecora nodded. “If I kept it for some other fool reason, from you I should soon expect treason. Bring me the food as the ritual’s pay, then get your beating heart and go away.”

Trixie nodded in approval. It seemed like a good deal, knowing that she could use some spells to sneak into the Empire at night and grab a crate or two. She lay down, face up, on the blood stained altar, feeling the cold touch of stone in her back. while Zecora stood in front of her on her hind legs, raising her hooves in the air.

“Gods from the Empire of Blood, bestow me with magical flood. For the Heartless’ ritual I must complete, if Death this pony wants to deceit!”

Mystical winds blew around the room, coming closer to Trixie and enclosing her in a gusty cage. The whirlwind kept shrinking until the vortex only covered the unicorn’s chest. With a cry of agony, she started levitating a few inches up, feeling how the whirlwind was pulling her up. The pain was indescribable, the screams and the torture seemed to last for hours.

Finally, she felt and saw with her own eyes her hearth sliding from her chest, floating a couple of feet over her. She landed on the altar, touching her body to notice that there was no open wound or blood. Trixie’s still beating heart floated slowly towards a black chest, which Zecora closed as soon as it landed.

“Ebony coffer, protect this heart, from those who want to tear it apart. Cover the darkness of this mare’s soul, her heart corrupted, black as coal.”

Zecora drew a few runes over the chest, which shone with a dark, spectral glow for a few seconds. From the inside of it, Trixie heard a low-pitch howl, making her crawl backwards and falling off the alter.
She got up, her eyes meeting with Zecora’s.

“Is it… is it over?” Trixie asked, completely disoriented and breathing heavily.

Zecora simply nodded. “I’ve added a spell that’ll do you well, every scrying attempts it will dispell. So unless they open themselves the coffer, nopony will your black heart discover.”

“Trixie appreciates the extra help,” she replied, bowing towards her. ”Trixie’s sure that she’ll gain too many enemies,keeping it safe is important.”

“I’ve done my part, that you can’t deny, and now my favor as temporal ally,” Zecora said, turning around and walking towards one of the tables.

“Yes, yes, the food. Trixie has not forgotten.”

-o-

At the Diamond Bulwark, Applejack stood at her position, trembling in despair. Every day that passed, more soldiers disappeared. If not for Rainbow Dash’s support troops, they wouldn’t even be able to cover the minimum defenses. The Apple Leader was restless, having deprived herself of proper sleep for a few days now, only allowing herself an hour-long nap a day. The rest of the soldiers’ morale was also very low these days, and she knew it. Sleeping had become a luxury they couldn’t afford. They were vulnerable now, and Discord could attack them at any moment.

“Where the hay are ya!?” Applejack screamed at the Everfree Forest. “Come out already!”

“Please, calm down, sis,” comforted Apple Bloom, who was standing next to her. “You should go to sleep now. You won’t be in shape to fight if you punish yourself this way.”

“Ahm fine, Ahm perfect, Ah need no sleep!” Applejack grunted, leaning on her war hammer. “We hafta defend the Empire, no matter what.”

Behind her, a light blast covered the section of the wall. She jumped and grabbed her weapon as she galloped down the tower’s stairs.

“There they are! Finally Ahm gonna take care of those monsters. Ahm gonna get my hooves on them and they’ll learn not to mock-”

“Applejack, wait!” Apple Bloom cried from above. “It’s just Twilight!”

The Apple Leader stopped almost instantly as she recognized her friend in front of her. She let out a long sigh in disappoint. However, she noticed that the Lore Clan had a broad smile on her face and was looking around, like looking for something or somepony.

“Hey, Twi,” she greeted, raising a hoof. “What can I do for ya?”

“Applejack, I,” she started, tapping the ground with her hoof. “Well, you see, I received a message about, well, everything that happened with the night mare, the spirit that’s been kidnapping ponies, you see?”

“Yyyes, I think I understand, but can ya please be a little more short on words? Ah’d rather go back to the lookout post.”
Twilight stepped forward and stared at Applejack in the eyes. “Where’s Big Macintosh?”

“Why do you want to see him?” she said, raising an eyebrow.

“He told me he found the way to defeat the night mare. Now, where is he?”

Applejack stepped back. She was surprised at her friend’s reaction, and even more when her brother got out of the barracks and saw the usually temper Lore leader hopping in glee and trotting towards him. It took her some time to match the pieces together for the sleep deprivation, but past memories started coming to her mind. She reminded Big Macintosh’s travels to Lore lands, before the time he seldom left his place at the wall, even when he was the Apple Leader.

So that was all about, brother, she wondered with a smirk. And Ah thought you were gonna be a hopeless bachelor. Ah’ll just wait and see how this goes.

She walked towards the two ponies, who were apparently discussing a strategy.

“If we can lure the night mare to come,” explained Twilight, “I can try to bind her so she can’t escape. We would then be able to gather the information we need and rescue our soldiers.”

“Are ya sure they’re alive?” Big Mac inquired.

“I’m sure of it. You see, night mares do not kill the ponies they abduct, but keep them in a place where they can be together. They have to be alive.”

“If ya say so, then it must be true.” He smiled, sighing in relief. “How do ya plan to lure her?”

“I’m sure I can cast an illusion. I don’t know why she goes after so many ponies, but I can say that she would try to lure the illusion.”

“Sounds like a plan. Where should we go to find her?”

“I have the feeling that we should look for her in the Everfree Forest,” Twilight suggested. “If we try to lure her inside of Equestria, she may try to kidnap a different pony. We should go to a place where she can only focus on the bait.”

“Hold yer horses, you two!” Applejack grumbled. “Yer goin’ on yer own to the Everfree Forest?”

“We have to, Applejack. Only we can defeat the night mare and rescue the abducted soldiers,” replied Twilight.

“And why only you two specifically can stop her?” she insisted with a rogue smile, leaving Twilight breathless and noticing how she started blushing.

“Well, I, you see-”

“We’ll bring the soldiers back, sis,” interrupted Big Macintosh. “You need a good night sleep.”

Both ponies walked down the through one of the main passages that would lead to the outer side of the wall. Applejack and Apple Bloom watched from above the Diamond Bulwark, waiting for the two ponies to come out of the wall. The Apple Leader snorted as she saw them together, especially how Twilight tried to discretely get close to her brother, thinking nopony was watching.

“Why are ya laughing, sis?” Applebloom said, lifting an eyebrow.

“Ahm just happy, Apple Bloom.”

“But you were almost in the middle of a breakdown up there.”

“Ah, don’t ruin the moment, sis!”

“What are ya talking about?”

“Shh, just look down there.”

“What? You mean Twilight and Big Mac walking together? They’re going on a mission, aren’t they?”

“Ya mean ya didn’t notice? Look closely, sis. Try to put the pieces together.”

“Well, Ah remember that Sweetie Belle said that the answer to Pinkie’s riddle was love, but Ah still don’t get-”

Applejack noticed how her sister changed from being clueless to surprised almost instantly.

-o-

Twilight and Big Macintosh walked into the Everfree Forest, neither of them saying a word. He had given her a jade hoof to put around her neck in order to be safe during their travel, avoiding the dangers of the Taint.

She closed her eyes and summoned the wind spirits to summon the illusion spell. When the blast occurred, a ghostly stallion stood in front of them. He was handsome and strong-built, with a long mane and charming smile.

“This should do it,” assured Twilight with a smile. She stepped forward and talked to the illusion. ”Go forward.”

He nodded and walked through the trees, wandering around. Both ponies hid among some bushes, trying to avoid being detected no matter from where she came.

The waiting ended up being longer than she had thought. The minutes turned into hours, and the night was almost coming to an end. Twilight even smacked herself on the cheek several times in order to avoid falling asleep, and Big Mac always scolded her gently for that.

“Big Mac,” she whispered, breaking the silence of the forest. “Why didn’t you tell Applejack about-”

“It was not the time, Twilight,” he replied bluntly, but then kept talking with a smile. “When this is over, we’ll be able to talk about it.”

“Really?”

“Eeeyup. To be honest, I wasn’t sure how they would react. Ours was a secret thing.”

“Yes, I remember it. Every single day those moments come to my mind. I’ve missed you so much, Big Mac.”

“Ah… Ah’ve missed you too, Twi, but Ah also feared that Ah could hurt you again. Ah remember your horror when we discussed about Maho and tainted ponies. Ah didn’t want to see you suffer because of me.”

“I’ve grown, Big Mac. I’m now a coward filly anymore.”

“Look over there!” he whispered,pointing towards a mist that appeared next to the illusion. The cloud condensed, shaping itself into a tall, dark mare with fiery mane and tail.

Both ponies kept quiet as the night mare got close to the illusion. She started to talk to him, trying to seduce him. Twilight chanted a few words in a low voice, but she had to dispel the illusion in order to get the spell perfectly done. She knew there wasn’t much hope if the night mare ran away, but getting a better chance of capturing her was a priority. In front of their eyes, the stallion disappeared and she noticed that the night mare was confused.

Perfect! Twilight cheered to herself.

She finished channeling her magic and a wind current surged from her sparkling horn, flying towards the night mare. When the gust reached her, it twisted around her like a small tornado. Even though the spirit tried to run away, she couldn’t move. Big Macintosh and Twilight came out of their hiding place and walked towards her.

“No!” the spirit screamed, “Stay away! You want to hurt me! Let me go!”

“That’s not true,” Twilight replied in a calmed voice. “In fact, we want to help you.”

“Help me? How?”

“Well, we want to know what happened to you. Why do you keep kidnapping ponies? I thought you only looked for one pony.”

“And I am looking for one, but they all look the same! Every time I find him, I bring him to my island, but when I arrive, I figure out it’s not him!”

“Why don’t you bring them back then?”

“Why should I? The fewer ponies in the Empire, the more chances the next one is the real one?”

“Ya mentioned they all look the same to ya,” Big Macintosh added, scratching his chin. “Who are you looking for exactly?”

“Why do you want to know? This doesn’t affect you!”

“You’re kidnapping our soldiers, spirit,” replied Big Macintosh. “Ahm sure it affects us.”

“We can help you to find him,” continued Twilight. She raised a hoof in order to soothe her companion. “Please, spirit, we can help, but you have to let us. We promise we won’t hurt you. Who are you looking for?”

The spirit looked away with a sorrowful expression. She closed her eyes as she tried in vain to move her hooves. She let out a long sigh before answering. “His name was Whirlwind.”

“Whirlwind?” repeated Twilight. “Where have I-” She gasped with her eyes wide open as soon as she remembered. “The Twin Blades’ Party blademaster!”

“Do you know him?” the spirit said with a huge smile on her face, yet watery eyes.

“Only that… well, he lived a couple centuries ago, so he should’ve passed away.”

“He was the one I loved, we were destined to be together,” started the spirit as she lowered her head. “When I died I was cursed with this shape, a ghost condemned to wander Equestria, searching for my love. But then I remembered Whirlwind and went to see him. I tried to charm him, but he-”

“Loved another mare?” Twilight asked, finishing the spirit’s story, who simply nodded weakly.

“But ponies reincarnate, and I was looking for his reincarnated self. I Know we could find peace and love together if I was able to meet him. But I never did. I had to wait years, decades.” She stopped for a moment, looking at both ponies with pleading eyes. “Do you know how hard it is to be in love with a pony, having to wait day after day until he’s reborn and grows up?”

“I think I have a small idea about how that feels,” she said, looking at Big Macintosh. “But that doesn’t explain why you can see Whirlwind everywhere.”

“Maybe… maybe it has something to do with that old unicorn I met several weeks ago.”

“What unicorn?”

“One what dwelt around the Forest. He told me that he’d cast a spell on me so I could find my beloved Whirlwind with ease. But everything since then has gone horrible wrong!”

“That’s horrible!” Twilight cried in disgust. “That sounds like a curse to me. Maybe I can lift it.”

“You… You would do that for me?”

“Spirit, I-”

“Please, call me Lullaby.”

“Lullaby,” she corrected herself with a smile. “We know that love is dangerous and painful, but it’s also something wonderful to have.”

“Eeeyup,” Big Macintosh added, smiling fondly.

“But if you have to look for Whirlwind, I think I can make it easier for you by lifting that curse, so you can only see your beloved one when he’s really here. Nopony deserves so much pain, Lullaby.”

“I… I don’t know what to say.”

“Well, I guess freeing the ponies would be nice.”

“Oh, certainly! If you can do that, I’ll let them go. None of them is my beloved Whirlwind.”
Twilight’s horn glowed with a bluish light, summoning the water spirits to purify the night mare. A misty cloud flooded her head with a warming, cleansing light. She blinked several times, looking around with a confused expression.

“Is it over?” Lullaby asked with hopeful eyes.

“It must be, the spell worked properly. By the way, I’m sure we won’t need that anymore,” she joked with a smile and, with a weak blink of her horn, the tornado puffed out, freeing the spirit.

“I… I feel different. I can feel a clearer mind. Thank you, summoner, you have released me from this horrible fate.”

“Please,” she said with a smile. “Call me Twilight.”

“Thank you, Twilight. Shall I also ask the name of your companion?”

“Big Macintosh. Pleased ta meet you, Lullaby. Ahm glad this is finally solved.”

“Yes, though I hope you’re able to forgive me once I find the real Whirlwind.”

“I know it’s our duty to protect our Empire, but I guess this could be an exception,” Twilight replied with a humble smile.

“I’ll summon a gate for the other ponies to return to Equestria.”

“Eeeyup, mah soldiers could really get some sleeping.”

“I’ll open the gate outside of your wall. Now you must leave, jade won’t protect you forever.”

With that being said, Lullaby vanished, leaving the two ponies alone again. Big Macintosh turned around to return to the Diamond Bulwark, but Twilight didn’t move.

“Twilight, are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine, Big Mac, it’s just that… I want to do something, and I don’t think I’ll have another chance like this one.”

“Then do it, Twilight. The last thing we should do is avoid doing things that we might regret,” he said, stepping forward.

She turned around slowly until she had him in front of her. The times she had missed him, the times she felt alone and wanted to hug him. Now she had him there.

“Big Mac, I… Would you like to…” She grunted and pounded the ground with her hoof. “This was so much easier in my head!”

She heard Big Macintosh snorting softly, trying to hide it from her, but she’d noticed, and felt much calmer, but she still couldn’t say the words.

“Care to try without words, Twi?” he said in a slightly brazen smile.

She blushed and looked away, but she liked what she heard. He knows it, and he approves! She wondered, looking up at him.

She stepped forward gently with shaking legs, only to jump energetically towards him, giving him a strong hug and a tender, passionate kiss. The world had given her a reason to smile again.

-o-

“I warned you she was not to be trusted, Lord Discord!” a Diamond Dog standing next to the draconequus grunted as he pointed at the scrying spell. “She’s giving away information to the enemy!”

“I can see that, General Rover,” he replied without showing any sign of anger.

“And you’re going to let it happen?”

“Why shouldn’t I? She is a mercenary after all.”

Rover was making huge efforts to avoid punching Discord in the face. “With all due respect, Lord Discord, I consider this counterproductive. Let me gather a squad and we’ll hunt the traitor down. I’d love to slit her throat open!”

“That won’t be necessary.”

“What?”

“Allow me to explain,” Discord said gently as he got up from his throne, making a sign with his hand for Rover to follow him. “I have no intention of winning this war immediately, mainly because I’m not allowed to take direct action. Also, it’s more interesting this way.”

“What’s the point of this war, then?” Rover grunted. “Unless you give me a good reason to send my soldiers to die there, I refuse to-”

“Remember who saved your insignificant race from the war against the buffaloes back then, General,” Discord said in a threatening tone.

Rover clutched his spear, containing the anger boiling in his heart.

“As I was saying, Gilda’s actions will benefit us.”

“I don’t see how.”

“Of course you don’t,” he mocked before moving on. “But, for a moment, imagine: The ponies think there’s a flaw in my plan, and they’ll surely try to exploit it. But we know about Gilda’s ‘treason’. Make your enemy believe that you have a weak point and they’ll use all their strength and resources to exploit it in every possible way. They’ll leave some flanks uncovered considering that their strike will be strong enough to weaken us. We just have to look for those weak spots.” After saying this, Discord smirked and closed his fist. “Then is where we’ll strike!”

Rover raised an eyebrow at the draconequus’ statement. “I’d prefer not to give away information to the enemy anyways.”

“And what do they know? That I was the one who summoned the night mare? That I forced Trixie’s events? Please, General, I am the Empire’s enemy. If something wrong happens there, they’ll point at me! Gilda only confirmed what everypony already suspected. Besides, my plans are too complex for such an insignificant ‘problem’ to wreck them apart.”

“What shall we do now then, Lord Discord?”

“Trixie’s training should be over, but I’m considering the idea of starting a political war. The death of that Hoity Toity should benefit us, and I know just the way. Go to Canabulum and use Oblivion’s Gate to bring him back from the dead. He shall become a worthy ally.”

“And what about Gilda?”

“Let her be. She serves the powerful and has no honor. Besides, she won’t be the most trusted one among ponies. Now go, there’s so much to do and so little time.” Discord turned around and disappeared in a glow of light, leaving Rover alone.

The Diamond Dog General sighed heavily, marching towards their former capital. He hated following order that went against their race’s principles, but he also knew that he had little to no choice.

A shadow of what we used to be, Rover lamented, feeling a heavy weight over his shoulders. That’s all what’s left of my people.

-o-

Fluttershy was going for a walk with a couple of bodyguards. After the problem with the night mare had been solved a couple of days ago, most ponies started going out of their homes again. With all the stallions recovered and back to their posts, the Empire felt safe again. The Wilderness leader, though, decided to take her shield sang kauw with her, just in case.

Few ponies used such an exotic weapon. It was a 4 feet long wooden shaft with metal spikes on both ends and a shield in the middle, shaped like a butterfly. Fluttershy loathed weapons, but she liked her sang kauw because it was more focused on defense, and was used to train and tame large animals. She had been invited several times to perform fighting demonstrations with it, but she always refused, not feeling comfortable with the idea of being in front of so many ponies.

“Lady Fluttershy,” said one of the bodyguards. “We’re going too far from the Wilderness borders and getting too close to the Everfree Forest. We should go back.”

“Oh, uhm, okay, though I wanted to walk a bit further, but-”

“Oh, come on, don’t be so overprotective with her,” joked the other bodyguard. “We’ve been locked in our castle for far too long. Things are under control now, and Lady Fluttershy wants to explore the land, and we’ll make sure she comes back safe and sound even if she wants to go to the end of the world.”

“Oh, you’re too kind, sir,” Fluttershy complimented.

“It’s our duty.”

The first bodyguard ended up nodding in approval, and they started walking again. Fluttershy was getting used to being the leader, but still wasn’t able to give direct orders with ease.

During the walk, a foul odor infested the area.“Holy cow, what’s that smell?” the first bodyguard demanded, covering his muzzle with his hoof.

“I don’t know, but reminds me of rotting corpses,” his companion added. “Hey, look! There’s something-” He stopped as he noticed where the smell came from. “Lady Fluttershy, don’t-”

However, she saw it. Fluttershy walked slowly, shaking her head with eyes wide open.

“B-b-b-bunnies?” she stuttered, getting close to the creatures.

A group of bunnies and small creatures lay dead, with their throats slit open and blood surrounding the area. Fluttershy pushed one of them with her muzzle, not being able to believe her eyes.

“W-w-why? What have they done to deserve this… this…”

“Lady Fluttershy,” one of the bodyguards said in a comforting voice, putting his hoof on her shoulder.

She pushed his hoof away. The bodyguards got close to her, trying to take her away from there, but she stood motionless. She pressed her teeth, growling weakly. Her eyes were closed, containing tears of sorrow and anger. A feeling she’d never experienced before made her pound the ground with her hoof.

“Who’s responsible for this?” Fluttershy roared, looking at every direction. “Show yourself!”

“Lady, Fluttershy, please, we have to-”

“We’re not going anywhere, you hear me!?” she cried as she looked at her escort in the eyes. “We’re not leaving until we punish the one who did this monstrosity!” she announced while pointing at the bunnies.

“Y-y-yes, as you wish, Lady Fluttershy.” Both bodyguards looked at each other, never expecting such a violent reaction from their leader.

The three ponies turned their heads towards the sound of moving grass and bushes. Fluttershy grabbed her weapon with both hooves, and the bodyguards unsheathed their swords. Growls came from behind the trees, but nopony was able to recognize the animal. A pony stumbled from the wilderness. Her flesh was partially decomposed, hanging off her bones in strips. More of them came behind him, making Fluttershy and the bodyguards step back.

“Undead ponies!” the first bodyguard said in awe. “But, how?”

“They kill innocent creatures for this?!” Fluttershy grunted, unable to contain her anger anymore.

“Look at them!” the other bodyguard announced, pointing at the undead. “That’s the Rainbow Clan symbol!”

“I don’t care who they were!” the first bodyguard shouted. “It’s them or us, we have to fight!”

The three ponies charged at the undead, slashing and piercing through rotten skin and uncovered bones. The undead didn’t pose a serious threat aside from the intimidating first impression, attacking with their hooves and trying to bite or slam their opponents. However, they were hard to defeat, forcing the bodyguards to dismember or decapitate the walking corpses in order to stop them.

Fluttershy moved with an unexpected grace, blocking blows with the shield and counter attacking with swift sweeps that made the undead fall to the ground. She hovered above her rival, piercing its throat with one of the metal ends, looking at the creature into its soulless eyed and gurgling growls of rage. She closed her eyes and turned her head before twisting the weapon, breaking its neck and leaving it motionless.

Sorry, Fluttershy apologized to the corpse of the Rainbow Scout, biting her lip.

“That was the last one,” said one of the bodyguards with a tired voice.

“Not quite,” said a female voice really close to them.

“Show yourself, coward!” Fluttershy screamed, tears flowing down her eyes. “Not only did you kill innocent creatures, but also turned honorable soldiers into abominations! What kind of monster are you!?”

“One who hates the Empire of Equestria and seeks its destruction.”

The two bodyguards galloped towards their leader, protecting her and looking at every direction. The enemy’s cackles sounded really close, but nopony could spot her. As soon as both soldiers looked forward, a blast of blue, fiery flames exploded in front of them. They took a defensive stance while Fluttershy stepped back, protecting herself with the shield. From inside the fireball, a creature started coming out slowly.

A blue claw was the first thing the three ponies saw, followed by the front half of the body of a unicorn. The facial features showed she was a female, but the claws she had where her hooves should be and the fangs that her sadistic smile showed terrorized them. Some parts of her body were covered in scales, and her mane and tail were made of blue fire. Her demonic blank eyes gave her a stare that froze the soldiers’ blood in their veins and made Fluttershy tremble like a bamboo cane in the middle of a storm. The unicorn’s body had scratches all over her, and the only clothes she had was a tattered cloak.

“By all that is holy…” one of the bodyguards was able to say, his sword shaking in his mouth.

“Now, let’s see what you were planning to do to the Great and Powerful Trixie.”

“Trixie!” Fluttershy said, remembering the name. “Y-you were the one who ran away from the battle!”

“How witty of you!” she applauded in a sarcastic voice. “Anyway, Trixie wants to test her new powers with ponies. Who wants to go first?”

“Run, lady Fluttershy,” one of the bodyguards ordered.

“No! I cannot let you stay here! She’ll kill you!”

“And if you stay, she’ll kill you too. You have to leave, get to a safe place and inform about what happened here. We’ll distract her. Run, now!”

Both soldiers charged against Trixie, while Fluttershy turned around and galloped toward her castle as fast as she could. She closed her eyes while running, trying to avoid the urge of going back to help, especially after hearing the soldiers’ cries of agony. She tried to gallop even faster, but tripped and fell to the ground, getting up instinctively and taking off. Trixie’s voice boomed inside her ears as she flew away.

“Let the whole Empire know! The Great and Powerful Trixie will make Equestria fall!”

Comments

[Blahman2816]

Ok, this story is pure WIN

On the chapter aspect: the chapters may be long enough to separate into 3 parts, possibly 1 chapter = 1 arc in the story, but that doesn't phase me one bit! The structure of this may make it easier for one to read, so that's a plus right there. Although it is the longest fic (and still going), I am amazed you have enough inspiration to keep this going. Kudos for the future!

On the content aspect: as stated above, this is LONG! And it is not composed of shit at all. The plot continuously adds to the much larger one, and keeps me going, enough that I would look for the next chapter button, when it isn't there. Few fics do that. All the characters, mane ponies, background ponies, etc. all of them blend in together as if they ALL have a purpose in the story. The detail just paints a picture of the story so realistically, kinda like I have a movie in my head. This is one fic NOT hastily, lazily, or apathetically written. I wouldn't be surprised if someone did make a movie (not likely) out of this masterpiece waiting to become a masterpiece.

On the preview aspect: the picture show Lyra the samurai kneeling. At first glance, the mind would stereotypically assume it is full of action. They would be mistaken by the dark and humble setting they are placed in at the beginning. I like that view of things. The discription would be a tiny bit excluding, and a little misleading according to the story. In my opinion it would be great if you could clarify and even give a little more of the 'appetizer', because with this amount of content, there should be a little more foreshadowing to what the fic holds in store for the reader.

Since mustaches are given as a rating here, I hereby give you out of 5 's

Have a nice day!

[Anquietas]

Awesome chapter! And go Big Mac and Twilight!

[Knicknack]

It's godd every character has a story behind them and every thing that happens has a impact to the story.