Against the Dark One

by Hidden Brony

0.3 The Indiscriminate Healer

“Bring in the next one!” the healer shouted. He quickly wiped excess blood off of his hands in preparation for the next healing.

Two men brought in a third supported between them. He had a blade lodged deep in his gut, and from the blood running down his legs, he wasn’t long for the world. Their black leather armor and the red bandanas over their faces marked the three as Red Hand bandits. “Our buddy’s hurt!”

The healer nodded. “Put him on the table and I’ll see what I can do. No promises.”

One of the waiting patients exclaimed, “But he’s a bandit!”

The healer nodded, “So he is. Now careful, don’t want to jostle the sword.” The two bandits placed the third on the table as carefully as bandits could, and he moaned in pain.

Poking at the wound, the healer asked, “How long has this been in there?”

“Two, maybe three hours,” the left bandit said. “C’mon, doc. You could reattach my thumb, so this couldn’t be that hard, right?”

“I think I can heal him. He’ll need a couple of days of bed rest, though. How did this happen?” the healer asked.

“There was some kind of argument, and he and Scarlett got in a fight,” the other man said. “Scarlett swung first. Left swords in each others’ guts.”

“Ah, and Scarlett?”

A dark look flashed across the bandits’ faces. The left bandit spoke up again, “She won’t be needing your services.”

“I see,” the healer said as his hand started glowing. He slowly removed the sword, and when it was fully out, all that was visible from the wound was a light scar. “That should do it. He’ll need some help back, and make sure he doesn’t participate in any raids, alright?”

“Yes, sir, doc Charity,” the bandits said, picking up their companion. “We’ll try and avoid having any more patients for ya.”

“See that you do,” Charity smiled at them, wiping the injured bandit’s blood off on his pants. “Next patient!”

“You-you just healed a bandit!” the patient exclaimed again.

“Yes, I did. Now next patient?” he nonchalantly said.

An old man limped up, “Ah, doc, I think I twisted my ankle again.”

Charity sighed, “Mr. Greenhooves, how many times have I told you that you can’t keep doing the things you did as a young man in your old age?”

Greenhooves chuckled, “Always once more, doc.”

“Some men just refuse to grow old,” the younger man chuckled, shaking his head. “This seems like something that my daughter can help with doesn’t it? She needs the practice.”

Greenhooves smiled. “Of course. Haven’t seen her in ages.”

The healer chuckled, “It’s been barely a week, Green. Rarity? Could you come here, please?”

A young girl had just finished taking the information of the most recent patient. She looked up at her father through her elegantly curled purple bangs. Seeing Greenhooves, she rushed up and gave the old man a big hug. “Hi, grampa Green!”

The old man chuckled at the missile of adorableness that had just latched onto his chest, “Hey there, Rarity. Long time, no see.”

The girl giggled, “Silly grampa, it’s been only a week since you were last in here!” She put on a serious face. “You really do need to be more careful.”

“I’m sure he will be,” Charity said, giving Greenhooves a look. “Is there anyone more pressing?”

“Right now? Just cuts and scrapes,” Rarity said, before her eyes lit up. “Do I get to practice healing?”

“Yes you do, and on Mr. Greenhooves,” her father said, smiling.

Rarity started bouncing around, chanting, “Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.”

“If you don’t calm down, I’ll have to do this myself,” her father warned. She immediately stood still. “Good. Now, let’s review. What’s the first step to magic?”

“The first step is loyalty. Always be steadfast, to yourself and others,” she recited.

“Good, what are the rest of the steps?” he asked her.

“The second step is laughter. Always remain optimistic, or all is lost. The third step is generosity. Give care to all, giving no care to creed or kind. The fourth step is honesty. Never be unnecessarily deceitful to others or the self. The fifth step is kindness. Treat all with respect, never being cruel. When these have been met, the path to True Magic opens,” she recited without a pause.

“Good. Have you followed the steps?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

“No, father,” she said without hesitance.

“Have you followed them to the best of your ability?” he asked.

“Yes, father,” she said.

“Then you’re ready.” He gestured to Greenhooves’s ankle. “This is a fairly easy fix, but if you need my help, just ask.”

She nodded, placing her hands lightly on the injured ankle. She closed her eyes, repeating the Steps silently in her head. She saw, but at the same time didn’t see, her arms through her eyelids. They were glowing a faint purple, something she was more than used to seeing as she channeled True Magic.

Slowly, Greenhooves’s leg glowed a light grey. She could see a snag in his aura in the ankle, but looking further up, she saw a black knot tied inside the old man’s chest. She gasped, but her father put his hand on her shoulder. “Just focus on the leg, Rares.”

His tone made it clear that whatever that black knot was, there wasn’t anything that could be done about it. She inhaled through her nose to prepare for her task, holding it for a second before letting it out through her mouth in a sigh. Eyes still closed, she forced some of her essence into the small snag, carefully massaging it back into the proper shape.

Going a step farther, she wrapped a piece of her essence around the ankle, giving it a brace that should last for the next few days. She pulled out, watching as the small piece of purple slowly faded to a pale lavender, and finally it matched the rest of Greenhooves’s glow. She opened her eyes, smiling up at the older man.

He tested the ankle, spinning his foot this way and that. Satisfied with the work, he stood up and put a small amount of weight on it. When it held, he smiled at her. “Feels better than it has in years. Thanks, Rarity.”

She beamed at the compliment, “No problem, grampa Green!”

Her father chuckled, “You’re holding up the line, old man.”

Greenhooves crossed his arms in mock indignation, “That’s no way to talk to your father-in-law.”

Rarity giggled, “Grampa, you should be getting home. Try not to hurt your ankle for the next few weeks, will you?”

“Alright,” he sighed in false resignation, “but only for you.” The old man walked out of the building with a spring in his step.

Her father looked down at her, “Don’t think I didn’t see that, little missy. Essence manipulation is dangerous for amatuer healers.”

She shrugged, “Whatever that big knot was, it seems like something nasty, and it's going to hit soon from the looks of things. If I can give him a little bit of comfort, isn’t that my job?”

“That’s my job. Your job is to stay alive and learn how to use True Magic.” He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “We’ll talk later. Next patient!”

“Charity! Charity!” a voice shouted. The speaker became apparent as he ran into the building. It was one of the town guard. His face was a pale white, and his voice was shaking. “The whole town’s evacuating.”

“What, why?” he exclaimed. “What would threaten us so close to Everfree?”

“Everfree, sir,” the guard said, causing murmurs of confusion and the beginning of panic. “It’s the Dark One. Everfree’s gone. Corrupted. The paladins are holding off the hordes as best as they can, but we need to leave. Now.”

Rarity closed her eyes and stretched out her sight, watching as the essences of the assembled villagers started roiling at the news. She stretched out her aura to the closest people, attempting to calm them down.

Her attempts were foiled as a massive wave of pure white magic washed over her vision, instantly calming the essences. “Calm down.” Her father shot her a disapproving look at her attempt, recalling his essence as he spoke to the assembled villagers. “Panic doesn’t help anything. Gather up everyone you can. Take only the necessities, we’ll be walking a long way to the paladin’s monastery.”

He turned to her. “Grab some changes of clothes and your mother’s necklace, and I’ll grab supplies. We won’t be coming back here for a long time, possibly ever.”

Rarity’s eyes widened at the seriousness in his voice, running through the door leading to the rest of the house. She grabbed her backpack, throwing in only two changes of clothes. She hurried to her father’s room, hesitating slightly when she picked up the ornate box holding their most valuable possession. She peeked inside the box to find what was always there. Her late mother’s necklace was a purple gem carved into a smooth diamond shape and set into gold. It was elegant in its purity. She closed the box, relocking it, and placed it in the bag in the middle of the piles of clothes. She filled the rest of the bag with dried food and bandages.

“Rarity? Are you ready?” her father called out. “Everyone else has already left for the monastery.”

“Ready, dad,” she said pulling her pack over her shoulders.

“That looks pretty full for a few changes of clothes and a necklace. You grabbed food and bandages for the other refugees, didn’t you?”

She sheepishly nodded, and he rubbed her shoulder, resisting the urge to rustle her hair. “Always thinking of others, aren’t you?”

She smiled at him. “Always.”

—*~*~*—

The refugees were walking down the road, when an arrow slammed into the ground. Following the arrow came a man in dark leathers, his face shrouded by a red bandana. He had a longsword in his hand, and held it like he knew how to use it.

“Halt. This is our road. If you want to use it, you have to pay the toll,” he shouted, projecting his voice over the assembled townsfolk.

Charity scoffed and stepped forward, “I already paid my toll by an order of magnitude. Let us pass.“

The bandit narrowed his eyes at the healer, before laughing. “Damn! Guys, it’s Charity!” He walked to the group as more bandits with bows rose out of the bushes. "Yo, Charity, what brings you this far north? You had a sweet gig set up in that village by Everfree. And who are all these people? I see your daughter, lovely as ever."

"Dire news, I'm afraid. The Dark One grows bolder each day. Everfree has fallen. Corrupted," Charity said, sighing. "This is the entire village."

"Shit, man." The bandit let out a low whistle. He winced at the looks Charity and his daughter gave him. "Sorry, guys." He turned to the rest of the bandits. "Let's move out. Grab all the supplies, we're not coming back here." He looked at Charity. "You don't care if we join you, do you?"

There were disapproving murmurs in the crowd at that, but Charity silenced them. "There is strength in numbers. As long as your men behave themselves, Dirk, they are more than welcome to join us."

One of the crowd exclaimed, "But they're bandits!"

Rarity responded to this one. "How many people do you know that are sitting on a stable wage that wake up one day and say, 'Gee, it would be dandy to be a bandit?' They became bandits because they didn't see another choice."

"Most of us, yeah," the bandit confirmed. "There are always cases like Scarlett, though."

Rarity nodded. "Give care to all, giving no care to kind or creed."

"Well, with that settled, we're heading to the paladin monastery, so you are free to leave whenever." Charity said, starting to walk again. Rarity fell in step immediately. Hesitantly, the town followed them, and the bandits close behind.

—*~*~*—

Rarity stretched out her essence, watching for a moment the elegant dance of the rich purple glow flowing through the air. It flowed upwards, before flowing swiftly down into the ex-bandit in front of her.

Instantly, she found the rip in his essence where a sword had sliced nearly through his thigh. She placed her hand over the rip, guiding the purple glow through his body to the proper place.

Using nearly half of the essence she had put into him, she pulled the bone back together, strengthening it for a few days while it recovered. She didn't pause to watch her purple aura fade into the familiar green of her patient.

She concentrated for a moment, moving the magic through the complicated motions of knitting muscle together after it had been split cleanly.

Finally, with the last of the essence shoved into her patient, she sealed together the layer of skin, smoothing out the resulting scar to near-nonexistence.

Dirk waited for her nod before moving his leg. He hopped off the table, landing on the leg as if it had never been damaged. "High quality work," he complimented, pulling down his hand so that the scar around his thumb was level with his new scar. "World of a difference. You're much better than your old man, Rares." He gave her a wink, "Much easier on the eyes, too."

Rarity giggled at his playful mock-flirting. Dirk was an uncle to her, bandit though he may have been, and twice her age. He made it quite clear that there was no genuine attraction behind his teases years ago. "You might want to put your pants back on, Dirk."

He blushed slightly at his lapse, hurriedly grabbing his pants from the table to cover his naked lower half. "Sorry, Rares."

She waved his concern off, "Nothing I haven't seen before, Dirk. I heal you enough."

"Ah, but it's not polite to be 'free swinging' in front of a lady, is it?" Dirk laughed.

Rarity's face screwed up at his crude humor, as it always did. "That's the face I was lookin' for!" Dirk exclaimed, smiling. "Well, it's been fun, but I can't monopolise your time, not with half the men in the Baltimare area lookin' to spend some quality time with ya."

Rarity's face screwed up in disgust again. "If only that is what they really wanted," she muttered. "Or half of them weren't twice my age and married."

"Ah, look on the bright side," Dirk exclaimed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

She rolled her eyes. "What's your take on the bright side this time?" She asked.

"If'n you ever feel the burnin' in your loins, you won't have to look long for relief!" He cackled as he spun her around once and beat a hasty retreat

Not hasty enough. Rarity grabbed his essence by the legs and pulled, tripping him. He laughed as she launched herself at him, playfully attacking him. For a moment, she was nine again, and everything was okay.

"Rarity, Dirk, please don't flirt on my kitchen floor," a voice interrupted their moment. Suddenly reality reasserted itself. Everfree was gone, the Dark One stronger than ever, reaching farther than ever before.

She sighed as Dirk tried to respond, flustered. "I-you-Charity! She's half my age!"

“That’s part of the problem.” Charity turned to his daughter. “The Order asked for our help.”

She stood up off the ground, “What do they need?”

“They’re sending some paladins to patrol the northern border with the Griffon Empire. Nothing unusual, just looking for signs of the Dark One’s influence trying to sneak into the Empire,” he said.

“Then what do they need us for?” she asked him.

“Well, one of the paladins they’re sending doesn’t have her tabard yet,” he started elaborating.

“And they want a healer on hand in case she hurts herself?” Rarity asked, raising an eyebrow. “I thought they only sent competant members on missions.”

“That’s not the problem. The Headmaster himself said she was ranked in the top ten when it came to the fighting ability of his paladins, and she hasn’t even completed her training fully.” Rarity gave him a disbelieving look, but he continued, “The problem is that she was the sole survivor of Everfree, and they’re worried she won’t be able to control herself on the field.”

“Pinkie, right?” Dirk asked. “Heard of her. Tough girl.”

“Don’t get any ideas, you old pervert,” Charity shot him a look.

“She’s gonna be up there, while I’m still here. It don’t matter what I think, does it?” the ex-bandit asked.

“It does, because you’re going along with Rares.” Dirk coughed for a second, before looking at Charity with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

“You want me, a wanted criminal and former bandit, to accompany your only child to the edge of Equestria to meet with some paladins?” he asked.

The healer nodded. “And you’ll stay with her as a bodyguard.”

“Are you stupid?” Dirk exclaimed. “I’ll be in chains before the day is out!”

“If you are, then I’ll leave,” Rarity said.

“I told them that I was to supply a guard, whether they liked him or not, and they were not to do anything to him,” Charity explained. “I have the Headmaster’s word of honor that you won’t be harmed or arrested.”

“You. . . You got the Headmaster of the Order of Light to agree to grant temporary asylum to the former leader of one of the most notorious bandit gangs in Equestria?” Dirk asked, jaw dropped.

“He doesn’t exactly know,” the healer said, smirking.

Dirk started laughing, while Rarity shot a look at her father. The Headmaster was not going to be happy about being tricked like that. “You are a genius bastard, Charity,” the former bandit said between laughs. His laughter evaporated immediately at the looks he got from the man in question and his daughter. “Sorry, language.”

Rarity giggled. “So when are we leaving?”

Charity tossed her a pack. “They said ‘yesterday.’ “

—*~*~*—

Rarity traced a finger around the edge of the necklace on her neck. The purple gem in the center seemed to talk to her, calming her. Her father had placed her mother’s necklace around her neck as she was about to leave, telling her that it was hers, now.

She didn’t know what to think.

Her mother had died years ago, when she was but a baby. She had never met her, didn’t know what she was like or how she looked. Sure her dad had tried to explain, but there is only so much that words can tell you.

And now the only thing he had left of his wife was around her neck, leaving for the northern reaches of the country.

“C’mon, Rares,” Dirk said, putting an arm around her shoulders. “Look on the bright side!”

Rarity sighed, “What’s the bright side, this time?”

He smiled at her, “Now you’ll definitely make it back. What with having your mother’s necklace and all.” She smiled, glad to see the ex-bandit serious for once in his life. She scowled, however when he tacked on, “And think of all the handsome men in shining armor, waiting to sweep you off your feet! You’ll have the pick of the bunch!”

Rarity smacked her pseudo-uncle on the back of the head. “This better not be how you’ll act the entire time we’re out with the paladins. At least pretend to have some decorum.”

He rubbed the back of his head. “Ah, you know how I am. I’ll try to behave, but I hear that the Pinkie girl is a real cutie, so it’ll be hard.” He waggled his eyebrows. “If ya know what I mean.”

Rarity rolled her eyes. It was going to be a long walk.

Comments

[Midnight Crow]

cool now we need just the others