20. Insanity Descends (rw)
Diamond Tiara sweeps clear the surface of her smooth sandalwood desk, scattering bits of silvery metal and gems to the floor with a clatter. She is careful to leave untouched the makings of her newest piece: a necklace made of sterling silver that is still missing the decorations for the pendant. Diamond Tiara glares at the gems on the floor. “None of them are the right color or even the right thickness! How do those numbskulls expect me to do this with such a paltry selection!?”
Diamond Tiara gets up from her desk and throws herself onto her large four-poster bed, her hooves splaying out across the pale blue fabric in a helpless display of rage. She blinks in the dim evening light that filters in through the window. “I spent all this time designing my perfect piece, and these cheap discolored gems is all I get!?”
She briefly recalls the argument she’d had earlier that day, when not only had her father explained how he’d been unable to give that blasted human the punishment he deserved, but her servants didn’t even want to give her what she needed to finish her project on her own.
“How dare they defy me? My father controls their livelihood! One word from me and I could ruin them!” The filly rolls over on the bed until she comes to a rest beside the small stuffed figure of Princess Celestia resting against her silken pillows. She glances over to the floor beside her nightstand, where all the tools she needs to set the gems into their proper places are gathered. She’d had to sneak them out of the workshop because the servants insisted they were too dangerous for her.
She grabs her plush and holds it close as she pouts into its mane, various growls escaping her. “I’m going to finish this piece. By myself. No servants, no smiths, just me.” Saying it aloud makes her feel better, despite the frustration. “I know exactly how I want it to look! I want a soft ruby, completely flawless, set right in the center, with garnets wrapped around the back. The other ponies at school will be so jealous when they see me with it!”
Diamond Tiara stares up at the canopy of her bed, noting how the light in the room is dimming rapidly. “How am I going to get the gems I need? My servants clearly can’t do it for me, or this’ll all be pointless.” She thinks hard about what her next step should be. The answer is obvious. “I’ll have to get them myself. But all the known crystal caves are too far away, and all the ones you can get around here are too riddled with flaws.”
Diamond Tiara freezes as one cave comes to mind. It was the best option, but the prospect of finding it terrifies her. She gulps, breaking out into a cold sweat. She starts to reconsider if it’s really worth it.
“Someone like you, who eats out of her father’s hoof and thinks the world owes her something, will never succeed on her own.”
Diamond Tiara’s rage comes back full force, her muzzle screwing up into a vicious scowl. She sets her plush aside and hops off the bed, her hooves sinking into the soft pink rug.
“I’ll go first thing tomorrow morning!” Diamond Tiara declares, and then she throws open her drawers and closets. It’s time to pack.
Music: Two Steps From Hell - Photos In Darkness (Halloween)
The next morning, before the sun had peaked above the horizon, Diamond Tiara plods up a snowy path, clad in warm white clothing with a set of saddlebags hanging down her side. A cart rumbles along behind her, filled with various informational books and mining tools such as a helmet, rope, and a pickaxe.
“I’ll slip right in, get what I need, and then be back before anypony even knows I’ve gone!” Diamond Tiara asserts with a confident smirk. She comes to a halt as the shadow of the trees falls over her. She gazes up at the twisted fringe of the Everfree Forest. The trees sway in the morning wind, causing errant snow to fall from their branches in a powdery white shower. In the darkness, the forest looks almost alive. She can’t help but recall the horror stories the adults have told her about the forest over the years. “I’ll...I’ll be fine. If that rhyming zebra can live in there, then I can handle a short trip inside.”
Diamond Tiara takes a moment to strap a flashlight to her shoulder and switch it on, a white circle illuminating the ground a few feet in front of her. Thus encouraged, she bravely takes the first step into the forest, the darkness falling over her like an oppressive blanket.
“I can’t wait to see the look on that smug human’s face when I come back with a beautiful piece of jewelry that I made entirely on my own!” Diamond gloats to herself. She makes sure to double-check where she walks, using the flashlight on her shoulder to keep herself oriented. Every so often she stops and pulls out the map she’d taken from her father’s study, upon which the location of the crystal cave is clearly marked. “As long as I stick to the path, I’ll be fine!” A bird caws loudly nearby, causing her to jump.
“It’s okay, Diamond Tiara. It’s not that far to the cave. I just need to keep walking. Just. Keep. Walking,” she says after calming herself.
Every little rustle from the undergrowth causes her to look about worriedly, and even the slightest motion of a tree branch causes her no small amount of anxiety. Diamond Tiara does her best to push the many stories of the dangers within the Everfree that she’d heard from Cheerilee and her father out of her mind.
“I knew this would be easy!” Diamond Tiara proclaims as she spots the lights of Zecora’s hut in the distance. According to the map, it’s just a short walk from here to the cave entrance.
Before long, the cave entrance looms in front of her. It’s little more than a cleft in the vine-encrusted hillside and proves difficult to make out. Without the map, Diamond Tiara is sure that she would have walked right past it. With new determination, she lifts the pickaxe out of her cart with her mouth and trots into the cave.
POV: Seth
After a rather filling breakfast of cheese omelets, I make my way through the streets of Ponyville once more. As per usual, ponies filter out of their houses to get ready for the day, finding a fresh layer of snow upon the ground to trod upon.
I stretch out as I walk, feeling surprisingly good despite how sore I was yesterday. I have no illusions that it’ll last for very long, but it’s nice to have a break from the pain. For once, the guards lining the streets appear unusually active. One unicorn guard in particular bounds from place to place, delivering some sort of message to each other guard he meets that causes their eyes to widen as they whisper excitedly to one another. They snap their gaze to me as I pass before going right back to talking with one another. Up ahead, Flitter emerges from her home, her sister not far behind.
“Good morning, Seth,” she greets me amiably. I give her a noncommittal grunt as she and Cloud Chaser fall into step behind me. “Do you always get up this early in the morning?”
“Pretty much. You know I work at the farm, right?” I remind them. “What about you two?”
“It depends. There’s always the weather that needs preparing, no matter what time of day it is. Sometimes we have to work nights so the weather comes through at the right time,” Cloud Chaser explains, walking on my other side. “Not today though. Today we need to get these skies cleared up before the end of the day.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing the sun again. It’s been snowing for three days now!” Flitter expresses happily. Cloud Chaser nods in agreement, and the two throw out different ideas for what they should do after work. The three of us walk into the town square. It’s not typically busy this hour of the morning, but today Mayor Mare is out and about, giving orders to several other official-looking ponies dressed in business suits. Even the guards are moving to and fro, streaming into the square from various directions to form up in the square.
Flitter notices the activity and tilts her head to one side. “Hey, don’t the guards seem a little...excited?”
“Does this happen often?”I say, glad that I’m not just imagining things after all. I wring my hands together nervously. My mind jumps to the worst possible conclusion; what if Filthy Rich jumped the gun and told the guard everything? I’d be absolutely done for.
“No, the guards barely do anything apart from patrol every now and again. There aren’t even this many in town, usually,” Cloud Chaser reveals. She looks like she’s about to say something else, but then she pauses. “Hold on, what are they doing?”
All of the guards rush to form a single file line along either side of the street, forming an aisle leading right to the town square from the train station. On the left side of the street were the unicorn guards dressed in fancy golden armor signifying their Canterlot origin. On the right side were the usual earth pony guards dressed in silver armor.
“Canterlot Royal Guard, at attention!” A decorated guard dressed in an engraved golden armor snaps out, and the unicorns present their spears and bark out their acknowledgment in unison. My heart starts to sink—this almost looks like some kind of royal welcome. If the princesses are here…
“Ponyville Police Force, at attention!” The earth pony guards do the same. The display of force causes the ponies in the street to clear the way, gathering in the square outside the line of guards to see what’s going on.
“Over here!” Cloud Chaser ushers the two of us into the square next to Lyra and Bonbon, where we join a forming crowd of curious ponies who are peering through the line of steel to catch a glimpse of whoever warrants such ceremony from the guards. “I don’t know what’s going on, but this is cool.”
“Right? When’s the last time this happened?” Lyra whispers excitedly back.
“I hope nothing is wrong,” Bon Bon says, scuffling her hooves restlessly on the ground.
Music: Fire Emblem Awakening OST - Champion
“Salute your commanding officer!” The same decorated guard as before snaps out. Being taller than the other ponies, I can see into the main street. Someone is approaching.
Walking down the street from the train station is a steel blue unicorn stallion clad in gleaming silver armor. While the standard guard armor is little more than a helmet and breastplate to protect the neck and vitals, this armor is more akin to 14th century knight plate mail. Silver chainmail poking between the metal plates protects the joints, and his entire chest and back are protected by a breastplate emblazoned with the insignia of golden eagle whose wings stretch upwards to form spiked pauldrons. Small golden wings jut out from the back of his hooves and the back of his open helmet. Strapped to his right side is a silver trident with engraved lightning bolt designs stretching along its handle, and to his left a slender knight’s shield. Accompanying the stallion is a full score of additional royal guards dressed in the golden armor of the Canterlot Royal Guard, though even among them only he stands out.
“Who the hell is that?” I whisper to myself in awe. The other ponies whisper excitedly to one another as the stallion approaches the mayor, and from their words, I glean the name Stalwart Iron.
“Oh! isn’t Stalwart Iron a big name up in Canterlot?” Flitter whispers to her sister. Cloud Chaser shrugs. Bon Bon overhears us and turns her head back.
Bonbon turns towards us in shock at our cluelessness. “Of course he is! He’s the second-in-command in the Canterlot Royal Unicorn First Regiment, right underneath Captain Shining Armor!” she says, the mare trembling a little. “What’s someone that important doing in a farming town like this!?”
“I don’t know. I hope nothing bad is about to happen,” Flitter clutches her hooves together anxiously.
I stare intently at Stalwart Iron. These ponies might be clueless, but considering the royal guards wouldn’t even be here if not for me, it’s not hard to guess I’m involved. The commander stops in front of the mayor and exchanges with her a few words. The mayor blinks, and then she scans the crowd. When she spots me, she points a hoof in my direction, and Stalwart Iron locks his gaze with mine before I can look away. I swallow loudly. As if things weren’t bad enough, now I have someone like this to possibly contend with.
After a brief moment, Stalwart Iron nods tersely, and then he turns back to the mayor. I let out a sigh of relief...only to notice all the ponies around me looking at me with wide eyes and open mouths.
“Did he just...look at you!?” Lyra exclaims, clapping her hooves to her cheeks. “He did! Commander Stalwart Iron looked at you!”
“Wow, what an honor!” Cloud Chaser expresses. She blushes, a smirk forming on her face. “I wish he would look at me. You think he likes weather ponies?”
“I guess you would get that kind of attention, being human and all,” Bon Bon grumbles, looking away from me. “Not that you deserve it.”
“Excuse me?” I snap at her, bristling at her remark.
“You heard me. It’s been one thing after another since you came to town. I can’t imagine why you stick around if all you do is make ponies miserable,” Bon Bon’s words become increasingly nasty.
“Probably because I don’t have a choice. Maybe think about someone other than yourself, you hag,” I shoot right back at her. I’m already anxious from someone like a commander arriving in town, I don’t need this right now. Doubly so because the rising tension is causing my curse to stir.
“You’re not one to talk! And what did you just call me?” Bon Bon takes a step closer, but then Lyra and Cloud Chaser get involved just in time, the former pressing a leg against her friend and the latter stepping in front of me.
“Take it easy you two. I know you don’t get along, but maybe we shouldn’t start a fight right in front of the commander,” Cloud Chaser advises us, pointing a hoof over to where the armored stallion and the mayor are still talking.
“I guess not...it’s not worth it anyway,” Bon Bon relents. She walks the other direction, beckoning for Lyra to follow her. “Let’s go. The crowd is leaving and I need to open my shop.”
“Okay, I’ll see you later, Seth!” Lyra waves to me, giving me a mouthed ‘sorry’ as she goes.
“We should probably get to work as well, or Rainbow Dash will yell at us,” Cloud Chaser remarks. “Seth, you gonna be at the ciderhouse on Sunday for Vinyl’s performance?”
“Every time. I work for the mare,” I remind her with a shrug.
“Awesome. See you there!”
“Have a good day at work, Seth!” With that, Flitter and Cloud Chaser take to the skies as the crowd disperses, leaving me on my own. I give one last anxious look at Stalwart Iron, then make my way to the farm.
“Huh? Some kind of fancy armored pony showed up?” Applejack takes off her hat and presses it against her chest, looking understandably shocked by the news. She and I make our way to the barn to get ready for the days work, my muscles already aching in anticipation. “That’s something you don’t hear every day. Them big folk from Canterlot don’t come down here all that often.”
I push open the door and step into the barn, the air displacement causing my hair to flutter. “Do you know anything about him? His name is Stalwart Iron and doesn't look like the other guards,” I ask her. I want to know just how much danger I’m in when this guy is around.
“Sorry sugarcube. I don’t know much about them Canterlot folk,” Applejack gives a shrug. “I hope he’s here to do something about that rotten Scorpio. Big MacIntosh is tired of scaring away timberwolves, and I hear Fluttershy’s been staying over at Rainbow’s. The poor thing is mighty scared of living near the Everfree while that thing’s around.”
“I hope that’s the reason too,” I mutter, turning my gaze to the dark fringe of the Everfree Forest in the distance and shudder as I remember the black and white image of the scorpion-like monstrosity in Vinyl’s newspaper . “Right. You said today was going to be another short day?”
“That’s right. Then you get tomorrow off. Then we’re gonna have a lot of clean-up to do after the storm Rainbow’s whipping up, so get plenty of rest,” Applejack answers. She picks up a box of tools from a nearby shelf in her mouth and drops them in my hands. “Let’s get to it then!”
Rainbow meets me outside almost immediately after I step onto the path back to town, once my workday is over. “There you are! I hope you’re not that tired. I’m just itching for a run!”
“You certainly didn’t waste any time,” I comment with crossed arms. “I don’t suppose I can convince you to change your mind and let me rest?”
Rainbow sticks her tongue out at me, having no patience for my lack of enthusiasm. She lands on the ground and goes through a series of stretches, focusing on her legs. “Don’t give me that! I decided you get to run with me and that’s that! So stretch out those legs, or you’re gonna get cramps!”
“I’m so glad I have your permission to exhaust myself with such an esteemed personage as yourself, oh glorious Rainbow Dash.” The sarcasm practically drips from my tone as I kneel down and start to stretch. I’ve taken enough mandatory physical education classes to know how to stretch out before a run, even if I hated taking them.
“See, now you’re getting it!” Rainbow stops her stretching just long enough to preen. She does a double-take after a few seconds. She screws up her nose and glares at me. “Wait, you were being sarcastic, weren’t you?”
“See? You can learn.” My blatant sarcasm earns me a snowball to the face from point-blank range. I splutter from the impact and glare right back at her. “You are such a brat! I’m going to get you for that!”
“You’ll have to catch me first! See ya!” Rainbow flashes me a grin and breaks into a sprint at a blinding pace, taking the long route along the perimeter of Ponyville.
“Wait, we’re starting now!?” Caught off guard, I run along behind her, though she’s quickly leaving me in the dust. I shake my head, wondering why I expected anything less.
Thankfully, Rainbow does slow down and allow me to catch up. When I do manage to catch up with her, my lungs are burning from exertion. The freezing air is quickly drying out my throat, making me wish I had brought a water bottle to keep myself hydrated. “How far are we going?” I ask with difficulty, doing my best to keep breathing in a steady rhythm.
“I hope you’re not tired already! I’m thinking two laps around Ponyville!” Rainbow’s mane flutters against her neck as she runs, the mare not sounding out of breath in the slightest.
My eyes bug out. “Two laps!? Are you serious!? I thought we agreed this was a casual run!”
“This is a casual run! I could do five times this at three times the speed, easy!” Rainbow brags shamelessly as we start to round the corner of town where the train station is located. I stare at her with disbelief.
“What are you, Hercules turned pony!?” I demand.
Rainbow, of course, has no idea who I’m talking about. “Who the what now?”
“Nevermind. You’re just ridiculous.” I roll my eyes and keep running. With the way my legs are burning, I doubt I’ll make it to two laps before collapsing of exhaustion. I fall into silence and focus on regulating my breathing to keep the oxygen flowing.
The first lap comes to an end with the two of us passing the bridge leading to the town square. To my surprise, I’m not suffering as much as I thought I would. It hurt like hell for the first few minutes, but since then the pain has faded to the background and I’m actually starting to feel good.
As we reach the part of town that faces the Everfree Forest, Rainbow’s ears twitch and she glances back toward the square.
“Hey, do you hear that?” Rainbow asks. She slows down to a trot, her ears perked and listening. “It sounds like someone’s calling you.”
“You’re imagining it. Nobody would follow us all the way out here,” I start to refute her on principle, but then I hear it as well.
“Hey! Seth Rogers! Please wait!” I skid to a halt, snow showering across the ground in front of me. My body immediately protests at the sudden deceleration, causing my mouth to fill with the taste of iron. I turn to see Filthy Rich galloping out of town, his suit crumpled and his usually well-kept mane falling out of sorts. Rainbow’s mouth drops open at the sight of him. On principle, I reach for my rifle with gritted teeth in case I need to use it to bluff again. Filthy Rich spots what I’m doing and he raises his hooves hastily when he reaches me. “Please, stay your weapon. I’m not here for the same reason as before!”
“Then what in god’s name do you want!?” My voice is filled with so much venom that Rich flinches and Dash looks at me as though I’ve gone crazy.
“Seth, you know Filthy Rich!?” Rainbow exclaims, her eyes wide. Her shock is expounded when Filthy Rich practically prostrates himself before me.
“I desperately need your help! It’s a matter of utmost importance! My daughter, she’s gone missing!”
“What, Diamond Tiara? Did something happen to make you worried?” Rainbow asks.
“She left a note early this morning saying she was going to collect gems for her project, without taking any of her usual servants with her. When I went looking for clues on where she could have gone, I found that the map to the crystal cave in the Everfree Forest that was in my study was taken!” Filthy Rich’s face turns pale. “If she went into the forest...oh dear Celestia, I don’t even want to think about what could happen to her!”
Rainbow immediately spreads her wings, getting ready to take off. “That’s terrible! We need to do something!”
“Hold on,” I finally speak up. I can already feel the curse rising within me along with a burning indignance. “Let me get this straight. Your daughter went into the Everfree Forest on her own, and instead of going to the guard, you came to me?”
“I already went to the guard before tracking you down, but they’re busy with the arrival of their commander and who knows how long they’ll take!?. Only you, with your rifle, can get to her fast enough while being able to fight off anything the forest sends at you. You said it’s a powerful weapon, didn’t you?” Filthy Rich gets closer and places a hoof on my chest, looking at me pleadingly. “You have to do something!”
“You’ve got it, Mr. Rich! If Seth’s got a cool weapon, we’ll go and save her. Let’s go, Seth!” Rainbow Dash leaps into the air and flaps her wings.
I slap away his hoof. “Are you kidding!?” My refusal is so vehement that both Filthy Rich and Rainbow are taken off guard. They stop and stare at me with surprise. “Absolutely not. First of all, you have a lot of nerve asking for my help with anything after you threatened both my reputation and my livelihood over something I still don’t regret in the slightest.”
“Please, you don’t understand! My daughter means everything to me!” Filthy Rich produces a hefty pouch of jangling bits and throws it at the ground before me. “Here, and I’ll rescind my earlier demand. Save her, and I’ll shower you with so many bits you’ll never work again!”
I kick the pouch away from me, loose coins jangling out. “I don’t want your money! You can leave it to the guard. Weapon or not, I’m not getting involved.” I move to walk away from him, but Rainbow’s hoof slams onto my shoulder and jerks me around so hard I almost trip.
“Okay, that’s enough. What the hay is wrong with you, Seth!?” Rainbow demands. She gestures emphatically at Filthy Rich as the stallion quickly becomes more distraught. “I don’t care even if you two don’t like each other or whatever, but there’s a filly in danger!”
“And it’s really not my problem.” I say with a shrug, causing Rainbow’s jaw to drop in sheer disbelief. “As it stands, I assume Diamond was well aware of the risks when she went in there. Why should I be held responsible?”
Rainbow gets closer to me, her face flush with rage. “Do you not get it!? Who cares why she did it or how you feel about them!? A filly could die, and you could do something about it! It’s the right thing to do!”
“No, I think I understand well enough.” I refuse to be intimidated by her. Even if my rifle could do what I told Filthy Rich it could, it doesn’t matter. I wouldn’t help Janna, so I won’t help him. “I’m a civilian, not a policeman or a soldier, and in case you forgot, there are creatures of nightmares prowling around in there. Weapon or not, there is not a force on this planet that could get me to go back.”
“What if the guards can’t get there in time!? What if you’re the only one that could save her!?”
“If you’re so insistent on saving her, go visit the guard and tell them to pick up the pace. Expecting heroics from me is both unfair and irresponsible. Normal people don’t run off to play hero.” I finish with finality. That’s the nicest way I could have possibly put what I’m feeling right now.
Rainbow opens and closes her mouth for a moment, and then her face contorts in anger. Her hoof shoots out in a flash of cyan. The next thing I know, I’m tumbling backward into the snow, my cheek exploding with pain. Filthy Rich gasps in shock, holding a hoof to his mouth. I stare up at her in shock, holding a hand to where she struck me.
“You know what? I was wrong about you after all. I don’t like Diamond Tiara, but I’m going to go and save her anyway because nopony deserves to die when I can do something about it! I didn’t even like you, but I saved you anyway! Do you know where you would be if I hadn’t? Not here talking to me, that’s for sure!” While she yells at me, Filthy Rich stands there, wincing as he watches her onslaught. “So fine! Stay here! And be the kind of monster that would let a filly die all because all you care about is yourself!”
Rainbow turns away from me in disgust and nudges Filthy Rich. “Don’t worry, Mr. Rich. I’ll save your daughter. I’ll find her before the guards even take a step out of Ponyville!”
“Thank you so much, Miss Dash. You really are a hero! I’ll head back to town and see if I can’t find more help!” Looking relieved, Filthy Rich gallops back towards town as Rainbow Dash zips towards the forest at her top speed.
I watch them go, emotions boiling within my breast along with the curse that presses against my mind, threatening to break loose. “Goddamn it!” I slam my fist into a nearby pole, causing the metal to vibrate and ring shrilly while my knuckles bruise. “Who the hell do you think you are!? You wouldn’t expect a random stranger off the street to walk into a burning building when there are firefighters on the way, would you!? Stupid. Self-righteous. Pony! Graagh!” I hammer each word with another punch.
After some more punching, I eventually stop and hunch down, pressing both hands against my chest to keep the curse down, all of these feelings making it easier for it to act. Not that yelling any further at the sky is going to help—Dash can’t hear me anyway .Once I’ve managed to restrain the curse, I get up from the ground and sullenly walk back towards the town, my hands tucked into my pockets.
“I never asked you to save me anyway.”
Dash POV:
“Come on come on, where is she?” Rainbow Dash flies as high above the Everfree Forest as she can manage, weaving through the unfamiliar winds as best she can. The moment she’d passed into the forest skies, the weather took on a mind of its own. Every weather pegasi knew that the Everfree Forest played by its own rules, and the clouded skies present high above the canopy prove no exception.“Stupid wind! If I could just fly a little higher!”
As she scans the forest, Rainbow realizes that it’s nearly impossible to get a clear view of anything below the canopy due to its thickness. Giving up on trying to spot her from high above, Rainbow swoops down closer to the canopy and cups her hooves around her mouth. “Diamond Tiara! Diamond! Are you down there?” She yelps as one of the trees lashes up at her with a vine, forcing her to barrel roll to the side. “Hey! Don’t you start getting grabby! I’m just flying here!”
Rainbow dips dangerously lower when she suddenly finds herself flying through an ambient arboreal enchantment that causes her eyes to droop and her vision to get woozy. She lifts a hoof and smacks herself across the face a few times. “I hate this forest!” Rainbow complains. She sighs in relief as she exits the enchantment’s area of effect.
Rainbow continues to call out for her quarry, until she flies above a small clearing in the canopy. This particular clearing was one of the few landmarks in the untamed forest. Typically, the trees and underbrush had a well-known habit of clumping close together when nobody was watching, getting as close as they could to the path without encroaching upon it. This clearing was an exception, consisting of an open grassy field about half the size of the Ponyville town square, broken up only by the occasional free standing tree.
All around the perimeter of the clearing, gnarled trees twisted and wound around one another, choked with shark ivy and vines covered in thorns tipped in a viscous amber fluid. In other areas, clumps of sweet-smelling white flowers concealed dangerous carnivorous plants just waiting for travelers to leave the beaten path. The only two “exits” to and from the clearing was the beaten path spanning its diameter. Framing each exit were two unusually thick trees, speckled with sharp branches and leaves smattered in purple.
Trundling out from the far end of the clearing was a dirt-stained Diamond Tiara, who was attached to a small cart laden high with mining tools and glittering gems of every kind. Upon being called, Diamond gazed up at the canopy. “Is that...Rainbow Dash?”
“There you are,” Rainbow says with a soft smile. Just as she’s about to dive into the clearing, she spots a disturbance in the canopy not far away. The trees themselves shake from side to side as something large pushes its way through the wood. Some are violently shoved aside, while others uproot themselves clear off the ground and move out of the way. Rainbow hovers in place and squints at the source of the disturbance.
“What in the hay is that?” Rainbow’s heart shoots up into her throat as the trees part just long enough for her to get a clear view of black segmented plates and a long prehensile tail tipped with a lethal stinger. This may be her first time seeing it with her own eyes, but every grown pony in Ponyville knows the appearance of the great monster that is swiftly advancing upon the small pink pony that just entered the clearing. Rainbow immediately flies down to the clearing at her top speed, desperately hoping that she can make it in time. “Diamond Tiara! Run!”
“Wait, what? Why?” Diamond Tiara turns out to see the form of a monster the likes of which she’s never seen. It stands a little over ten feet tall and resembles a scorpion almost thirty feet long, with a body made of segmented black plates that’s held up by eight triple-jointed legs like those of a spider. Above its curved mandibles are eight faceted eyes spread across the top of its head, giving it unparalleled vision in nearly all directions. Extending beneath its head are two limbs that each terminate in a wide serrated pincer easily capable of cleaving a grown pony in half. Diamond Tiara freezes with horror, her blood turning as cold as ice. A puddle forms on the ground beneath her as the monster’s tail lifts high in the air, giving her an excellent view of its deadly stinger.
Music: Jormungand OST - 06 H.W. COMPLEX NO'3 |HD
The creature hisses and lunges, closing the distance between them in less than a second...and then Rainbow Dash zooms down from straight above and slams both of her front hooves into the creature’s head, shoving its mandibles down into the dirt.
Before Rainbow can gloat, the monster’s right pincer comes racing up at her hovering body. Rainbow throws herself to the ground a split second before the pincer mercilessly clamps on the air where she’d been. Without missing a beat, the Scorpio’s tail shoots out like a bolt of black lightning, heading through the air in a deadly downward arc. Rainbow uses her hooves to propel herself forward closer to the Scorpio, avoiding the stinger entirely and kicking the monster directly in its mandibles.
“Why are you still here!? Run, you moron!” As the Scorpio recoils, Rainbow flips backwards in midair and charges the monster head on. She punches it directly in the mandibles, and then again in the nearest eye. She unleashes a flurry of fast punches, forcing the monster back a step with every punch.
Diamond Tiara turns and bolts with a high-pitched scream, her saddlebags slipping off next to her discarded cart. “I want my daddy!”
“You run! I’ll hold this thing off!” Rainbow orders her. However, the moment Diamond Tiara tries to make a run for it, the Scorpio lifts a pincer and swings it through the air with a deep whoosh, slamming into Rainbow’s body and knocking her end over end backwards through the air until she collides into a tree with a thwack.
The Scorpio’s tail slams down far to the left of Diamond Tiara and rakes across the ground towards her, gouging up the earth and underbrush in a straight line towards her. The filly gasps and flails her hooves, frantically skidding to a halt only inches away from being sliced apart by the bladed stinger. The monster advances towards her, a pincer zooming forward.
Having recovered from the crash, Rainbow rams into the side of the pincer, her momentum changing its trajectory just enough that it zips right past Diamond Tiara’s head, knocking her tiara to the ground. “Not happening!” Rainbow twists her body to deliver a spinning kick to the monster’s mouth.
The Scorpio retreats several feet and scuttles around the clearing for a bit before leaping forward in the air, the earth buckling beneath its limbs. It twists its entire body and sends its tail whizzing through the entire clearing with tremendous force. Rainbow turns shoves Tiara into the ground.The tail whooshes over their heads harmlessly, but the stinger slices through tree after tree on the far end of the clearing, where the two of them had been running to. With the creaking and cracking of dying wood, the trees fall to the ground one after the other, blocking the only other exit out of the clearing.
The Scorpio lands upright with a thunderous impact after finishing its spinning attack, its legs tearing into the earth as it stabilizes itself. Yet only moments later, it jumps once more and brings both pincers down at the same time, their serrated edges promising death. Rainbow hears it coming and she rolls to the side, carrying the terrified filly with her. With only an instant before the Scorpio attacks again, Rainbow flings Diamond Tiara clear of its pincers and continues rolling beneath the monster’s body just before its mandibles clap down on her.
Rainbow deals it a harsh buck to its belly and then flies out from beneath it to avoid its counterattack. She grits her teeth and goes on the offensive once again. She swerves in a narrow arc and plants both her front hooves into its side. Without waiting to see if her attack dealt any lasting damage, she flies away long enough to reorient herself for another attack.
“Take this!” Rainbow curves around again and hits the Scorpio from the other side before retreating once again. Again and again, she flies out and back in, harrying the Scorpio like an angry hornet. She knows that if she lets up for even a second, Diamond Tiara will pay the price. “And this! And this! No big dumb monster messes with the Dash!”
Rainbow continues her assault relentlessly irregardless of whether her attacks are dealing any real damage, but then the Scorpio adapts. With a short hop, the monster orients itself to face Rainbow just as she’s flying in for another attack. Her eyes widen and she flaps her wings wildly in an attempt to change her trajectory, but it’s too late.
“Aaagh! My wing!” Rainbow yells in agony as the monster’s tail rakes past her right wing. She’s able to twist her body just enough to keep from losing her wing entirely and plummets to the ground. The Scorpio leaps forward once again, its mouth opening wide to catch her.
In a burst of adrenaline, Rainbow flips in midair and brings her dominant hoof down on its largest eyes, causing the Scorpio to screech loudly and scuttle backwards. Rainbow lands and doesn’t try to take to the air again, knowing the monster had successfully removed her greatest advantage.
Her eyes fixed on the swiftly recovering Scorpio, Rainbow runs around and stands in front of Diamond Tiara. The filly behind her is shaking like a leaf.
“Don’t worry, Diamond Tiara! I won’t let that thing lay a single pincer on you!” Rainbow declares and hunches down, scuffing the dirt with her hoof. She glares at the Scorpio, channeling all of her defiance and rage into that one single expression. There in a small clearing of the Everfree Forest, the Element of Loyalty stands alone against the undefeated hunter of the forest. With a determined yell, Rainbow Dash charges to meet the Scorpio once more.
POV: Seth
Vinyl looks up in surprise when I storm in through her front door, slamming it behind me. “Whoa, easy on the door, dude. Is everything cool?” She asks, climbing off the couch and walking around to look at me.
“It doesn’t matter.” My voice comes out like a whip, the snap in my tone causing her to recoil. Before Vinyl can say anything, I walk past her and climb up the stairs. When I reach my room, I slam the door shut and turn the deadbolt, locking it tightly.
Lying back on my bed, I let out a long sigh that evolves into a groan as I stare at the ceiling. I just can’t catch a break lately. What I need is to have some time to myself, where I can relax and unwind. Uncomfortable, I turn over in the bed. Despite being alone in this quiet room, my heart is pounding so hard I think it might burst and my breathing isn’t coming easily to me. Like this, I can’t even keep my eyes closed for a second, much less get to sleep. I curse and rise to a sitting position, placing my hand over my heart as if to still its beating. What is wrong with me? I finally have that alone time I’ve always wanted, so why can’t I relax?
Ten or so minutes later, Vinyl knocks on the door. “Hey, Seth? You in there?” she asks. I stare at the wall, my eyes unfocused and mind barely registering her voice, too focused on the feeling that something is wrong?
The latch on the inside of the door lights up magenta and clicks open. Vinyl noses her way into the room and gently closes the door behind her. Her concern deepens when I don’t bother to snap at her for forcing her way in.
“Dude, what’s going on? You look terrible.” She zones in on the bruise on my face and blinks. “Did somepony hit you? And…are you sweating?”
“Am I?” I press a finger to the side of my head, and sure enough, there’s a line of sweat forming there. I look at the moisture left behind on my finger and shake my head. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I feel sick.”
Vinyl sits down on the floor in front of my bed, her eyes a foot away from mine. “Did something happen out there? I’ve never seen you like this,” She frowns when I sit there in silence. “Come on, I can’t help you work things out if you won’t talk to me.”
I lie back on the bed. “There’s nothing to work out. Rainbow Dash went into the Everfree Forest to save a lost filly instead of letting the guard handle it. And she hit me when I wouldn’t go with her,” I explain listlessly.
Instantly, Vinyl jumps to her hooves, her eyes as wide as saucers. “She went WHERE?! Seth, this is terrible! Dude, the Scorpio is on the hunt! We’ve got to tell the guard!”
“The guard already knows,” I tell her impassively, and Vinyl visibly relaxes back into a sitting position on the floor. “Besides, it doesn’t matter anymore anyway. If Rainbow wants to be stupid enough to take a risk like that, it’s none of my business.” Vinyl’s eyes narrow, anger at my words darkening her expression. “I…I know that. This has nothing to do with me. Rainbow can make her own decisions. If she doesn’t make it back it’s not my problem. It’s not my problem.”
Slowly, my composure deteriorates the more I talk. I curse my own shaking voice. I don’t understand why I’m so bent out of shape. The more I talk, the more anger fades from Vinyl’s expression.
Music: Owari no Seraph OST - 1hundredknight: M [終わりのセラフ]
After a brief moment of silence, Vinyl says what’s on her mind. “You’re worried about her, aren’t you?”
“That’s ridiculous,” I immediately deny. Vinyl raises a brow and frowns. “I mean it should be ridiculous. Worried about her? Why am I worried about that nosy, childish, egotistical brat who can’t even understand simple logic?”
“Probably because that nosy, childish, egotistical brat is your friend,” Vinyl answers without missing a beat.
“That’s…” I pinch my brow and let out an agonized sigh. “That can’t be right. How does that make any sense?”
Vinyl gives a small smile. “It makes a whole lot of sense if you think about it,” I don’t respond. “Tell you what, after I make us some tea and snacks, I’ll help you sort through it.”
“Do whatever you want,” I say as Vinyl dips her head and retreats from the room, closing the door behind her. I sit up on the edge of the bed and hunch over, looking at the floor while thinking deeply about Vinyl’s words.
This whole situation is ludicrous. Rainbow Dash is just some annoying technicolored pony that I can hardly look at without getting a headache. She’s the exact personality type that I despise: a jock with an ego who can’t mind her own business. She’s been following me around and causing me no end of grief ever since I met her.
“I, Rainbow Dash, am going to stick by your side from here on out. You hear me? I’ll show you just what kind of pony I am! From now on, you and I are friends!”
I clasp my hands together on my lap tightly, my knuckles turning white. It’s getting harder to deny Vinyl’s words, the longer I think about them. I recall the events of the last few days: Rainbow’s silly pranking parade, our ridiculous smack talk, my first snowball fight. It… it hasn’t been a terrible time.
Furthermore, no matter what I try to tell myself, the single fact remains: Rainbow saved my life, and she’s kept her word.
“Friends take chances on each other, even when we don’t know what’s gonna happen! So how’s it fair if I’m the only one taking that chance? You’ll never know if you can trust me if you keep running away all the time!”
I can’t help but chuckle despite myself, massaging my temples. It’s funny. I tried to physically harm Rainbow once. I’ve snapped at her countless times. I’ve doubted her from the moment I met her. But she never let any of that push her away. She kept her word to me, so the least I can do is continue to keep my word to her. At least this time. I’ve already lost one friend, and the thought of going through it again is too much to bear.
I rise to my feet and grab my rifle from where I placed it beside my bed and leave the room. Vinyl hears me coming down the stairs and looks up from the steaming kettle in front of her. “You ready to talk?” She asks. She begins to look anxious as I move for the front door.
“I’m going after Rainbow,” I answer simply without stopping. Vinyl’s jaw drops, and she bolts from the kitchen to catch up to me.
“Wait, for real? Into the Everfree Forest?” She demands incredulously as the two of us reach the front door. “Seth, you can’t! You know what’s in there! If it finds you-”
“Then I’m dead. Simple as that,” I answer flatly, opening the door.
“And that doesn’t bother you!?” Vinyl demands, flustered.
“It doesn’t.” I look back at her. “Vinyl, there’s no point to any of this soul searching or whatever if Rainbow doesn’t make it back.”
“What about the guard?” She reminds me. “You might not need to do anything if they get there first.”
“I don’t trust that they will,” I say, unknowingly echoing what Filthy Rich said. “But who knows; if I’m lucky, maybe I’ll find her at the edge of the forest after a job well done.”
Vinyl transfixes me with a serious stare, looking for any sign of doubt. “I don’t like this. It’s too dangerous.” Vinyl admits with an unhappy huff before steeling herself. “Listen to me. The Everfree Forest is dangerous. If you need to go in, stick to the path, and no heroics. Get in, find her, and get right back out. And remember, stay on the path. I’m going to the guard to kick their commander’s tail if they haven’t started moving yet.”
“Sounds good to me!” Without another word, I turn and dash out the door. breaking into a run, all the soreness I’ve been feeling seeming to fade away in the face of my emotions.
My feet plod against the streets of Ponyville, garnering attention from the ponies all around as I do so. Those who don’t move out of my way immediately are gently shoved to one side, earning yelps and indignant remarks from several of them. This is unusual for me, and they all know it.
As I draw closer to the edge of town, I spot a great deal of activity. The Ponyville Police Force and the Canterlot Royal Guard are forming up along the street leading out of the town, no doubt getting ready to rescue the filly. This could all be pointless and they might be able to reach Rainbow and her in time, but I’m not about to take that chance. My eyes are focused straight forward, where I can see the dark fringe of the Everfree Forest looming ahead of me.
Despite the sun shining down from above, nothing brightens the fringe of the forest before me. The trees are choked with thorny vines and unidentifiable plants, daring me to come closer. The wind blows, rustling through the canopy to carry me the faint howls of the wildlife within. There’s no sign of Rainbow or Diamond Tiara, no matter how hard I peer into the darkness. I don’t have a choice. I have to delve inside.
An involuntary shudder ripples through my body, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Goosebumps form on my skin. Flashbacks of that dark horrifying night come to me, where I was chased by magical wooden wolves and the long dead corpse of a family member I never knew. Nothing has changed. The forest terrifies me more than ever before.
I clap my hands to my cheeks to shake me out of my terror. It doesn’t matter what’s in that forest. It doesn’t matter what I’ve seen in there. With every second that I waste, Rainbow could be in terrible danger.
I take my first shaking step into the forest. Everything else aside, I know one thing for damn certain. I can’t lose another friend.
“Rainbow! Rainbow Dash!” I call out as I push through the dense foliage. I use my rifle to bat branches and thorns out of my way and use what little remains of my phone’s battery to light my way through the darkness. I look here and there, keeping both my eyes and ears open for any sign of her. “Answer me!”
The only answer I receive is an angry growl from the brush ahead. The same angry growl I heard when I first emerged from the ruins of my college. I instantly throw myself off the path and hit the ground, thanking my lucky stars that the underbrush is so thick.
Within seconds, a timberwolf plods onto the path, its glowing green eyes scanning every which way. While watching through the gaps between leaves, I spot more and more timberwolves emerging from the darkness, their emerald eyes glittering in the darkness like a swarm of green fireflies.
I gulp and try not to gag at the smell of earthen decay and rotting leaves emanating from the wolves’s mouths. Thankfully, unlike real wolves their noses appear to be solely for show; as they aren’t even bothering to sniff their surroundings.
After a few minutes being unable to find me , the pack splits up. I have no doubt that if even one finds me, it’ll howl and alert the rest of the pack. Yet the tactic has one key weakness that even someone as inexperienced as me can exploit.
The singular timberwolf notices me as I leap from my hiding place, but it doesn’t even have time to howl. Using the technique Big MacIntosh taught me, I bring my rifle down right on top of its head like an axe to firewood. With the cracking of wood, the timberwolf’s head disintegrates and the creature’s body falls limply to the forest floor.
Without waiting, I turn on my heel and bolt. For all I know, the timberwolves have good hearing as well. Thankfully, it seems like my gambit paid off. By the time the wolves find their fallen compatriot, I’ll be long gone.
My boots plod against the underbrush, carrying me deeper and deeper into this dark leafy hell. Vines coil mysteriously atop the tree branches as if waiting for a chance to strike. Other times simply passing by a certain tree causes me to feel strange physical effects, such as fatigue or calm. Yet, now I know precisely why I’m here, and I won’t let anything hold me back.
I hear a colossal crash, the ground shaking beneath my feet. I slow to a stop, listening closely to try and discern the source. Coming from somewhere up ahead, not far off the beaten path, is a cacophonous hissing and thudding, followed by familiar grunts of exertion and the sound of something smacking against flesh. A tremendous screech rings out, shaking the air around me. I clap my hands to my ears, wincing in pain.
The moment the screech dies down, I bravely sprint towards the source. The odds of finding her in such a large and dangerous forest were abysmally low, but it seems that whatever force controls the laws of causality has smiled upon me today.
After a few minutes of chasing the sounds, I find myself up against a wall of fallen trees stacked several meters high that look to have been sliced off at the trunk. On the other side, I can hear a young female voice whimpering. Without hesitation, I strap my rifle to my back and leap up the trees, using protruding branches and hollows in the trunk as handholds.
Once I reach the top, I find myself gazing out over a large clearing. Just below me is a trembling Diamond Tiara huddled into the nest of fallen trees.
Music: Black Rock Shooter - Battle of BRS.
I see Rainbow Dash, the mare hardly recognizable due to the sheer amount of dirt, leaves, and twigs stuck in her fur and mane. Attacking her is the one creature I’d hoped to never see past the newspaper Vinyl had shown me.
“Not…so fast!” Rainbow leaps from side to side to avoid the Scorpio’s onslaught of pincers, each limb swooping in one after the other and clamping shut only inches away from her body. Despite how strong I know she is, she appears little more than a foal compared to what she’s fighting. Rainbow wipes her chin free of a trickle of blood and leaps forward, ducking beneath one of the pincers as it barrels past her head like a speeding train. She skids across the ground and aims a kick to the Scorpio’s face, but the creature scuttles backwards and aims its second pincer.
I can’t watch any longer. I gather what little courage I have and leap off the top of the fallen trees. Along the way I grab onto an overhanging branch and use it to give me just enough momentum to reach my target. Screaming out my fear and defiance, I land right on top of the Scorpio’s pincer, just behind the serrated edges. My weight is enough to press the limb into the ground and halt its momentum, giving Rainbow just enough time to leap backwards.
“Seth!? Is that you!?” Rainbow utters with pure shock in her voice. Her eyes widen. “Seth, get down! It’s coming!”
I turn my head to see the Scorpio’s second pincer zooming towards me. I have just enough time to turn my torso to the left to evade the full brunt of the attack, but the blunt edge of its pincer scrapes against my chest, tearing the skin and flesh there. I cry out in pain and fall backwards onto the dirt, clutching my chest.
The Scorpio’s tail comes up, its bladed stinger heading directly for me. Before I have a chance to scream, Rainbow leaps into the air and deals a spinning kick to the tail just behind the stinger, slamming into the ground right beside me.
“Move!” I don’t need to be told twice. I get to my feet and sprint away, grabbing my rifle to use as a club. Along the way, the Scorpio’s left pincer shoots towards me. A string of curses not fit for innocent pony ears escapes me as I leap forwards, barely avoiding the attack.
“Get down, it’s going to sweep!” Trusting her, I let myself fall to the ground. The Scorpio, using its eight legs to great effect, turns its entire body in a circle, sending its bladed tail across nearly the entirety of the clearing. I scream with fear as it passes right over my head, the displaced air blowing down against my neck. I roll over and try to rise, only for one of the Scorpio’s legs to slam down on the ground right where I’d been a moment prior. By reflex, I smack the leg with my rifle. Two things happen at once. The monster unbalances as its leg gives out, and the muzzle of my rifle crumples in on itself, the dying metal finally giving out.
“Yes! Get some of this!” Rainbow uses the opportunity to zip beneath the monster at top speed and buck it right in the belly, knocking it back several feet. This gives me enough time to roll out from beneath the Scorpio and run back to the far side of the clearing with Rainbow. Now that I’m this close to her, I notice just how beat up she is. She’s covered in all sorts of cuts and bruises, and blood is trickling from her mouth. “Seth, what in the name of Celestia are you doing out here? I thought no force on the planet would make you go into the forest?”
“No force except you apparently,” I snap at her, too busy watching the Scorpio as it rights itself to care about what’s coming out of my mouth.
“Do…do you mean that?” Rainbow asks me softly. I suddenly realize what I just said and flush, hating just how stupid I just sounded. “Wait, what’s it doing!?”
The Scorpio screeches, lifting itself up as if to gaze at the sky. It extends its pincers outwards. Then, a crimson aura bursts into existence around it. The mana licks up and down its form like fire till its entire body is suffused with a reddish light. Its body becomes translucent and points of light similar to stars appear all throughout its form. Some of the stars are much brighter than the rest: one each in its pincers, one inside its mouth, and a line of them stretching down along its body and up its tail.
“It’s attacking!” Rainbow has just enough time to shout before reddish thorns erupt from the Scorpio’s body in all directions. I don’t react fast enough and a thorn slices into my right shoulder, my left arm, and my hip before I start to dodge. “Watch out!”
The Scorpio slams itself into the ground, causing a crimson shockwave to spread outwards, tearing up the dirt and scorching the earth as it travels. Rainbow grabs me before I can react and hurls me up into the air above the shockwave, and then she leaps over it herself. I land hard and roll once before getting to my feet, and Rainbow lands beside me. The Scorpio is on top of us before we can prepare. Its pincers spread outwards, hitting us both.
“Agh!” I’m knocked underneath a tree like a ragdoll, some of my ribs cracking on impact. I try to rise, but pain wracks my torso with the attempt. I reach up and grab a low hanging tree branch and use it to rise.
“The rifle! Use your rifle!” Rainbow calls over to me as she unsteadily gets to her hooves. “If that thing’s as awesome as Filthy Rich said it was, now’s the time!”
“It doesn’t work!” I finally admit.
“What!?” Rainbow exclaims. “What do you mean it doesn’t work!?”
“I was bluffing! It’s been a useless metal stick ever since I picked it up! It may have worked once, but—” I yelp and fling myself to the side as a cutting wave of magic slices through the tree behind. The Scorpio lunges, its massive crimson body slams into the ground and causes the earth to shake. Acting on reflex, I roll my body around to avoid its legs as it attempts to trample me underfoot.
“Leave him alone, you big bully!” Rainbow runs at its rear and unleashes a flurry of punches, aiming for the spot where its tail connects to the rest of its body. The Scorpio slightly tilts its body, then turns itself around in less than a second, its right pincer slams right into Rainbow’s barrel, knocking her flying in my direction. She hits a tree branch and bounces back to the ground, blood splattering from her mouth.
“No!” I heft what’s left of my rifle and lunge at the Scorpio before it can follow up. To my horror, the rifle collides with the monster’s left pincer and snaps in half. The Scorpio turns to face me slowly as I take several steps back in terror.
The Scorpio’s pincer closes around my torso, the barbs cutting into my skin just long enough for the monster to slam me right into a tree, my shoulder popping out of its socket with a tremendous pain worse even than when I’d had my side slashed.
I fall to the ground limply beside Rainbow, the two of us beaten so badly that we can’t even move any longer. At the impact, Rainbow opens her eyes to see me lying there. We lock eyes.
“You shouldn’t have come…now it’s just gonna be both of us that bite it…” Rainbow tells me with difficulty. I stare at her, wanting to say something, but no amount of words could possibly quantify what I’m feeling right now.
The Scorpio retreats to the far end of the clearing and lifts both of its pincers, the red glow of its body increasing in intensity. Mana starts to collect around the monster’s pincers, suggesting that it’s charging up the attack that’s going to finish us.
Time seems to slow down as I gaze at Rainbow’s battered form. A helpless rage fills me up from inside. Even after coming all this way and going through this much, we’re just going to die after all. But…I don’t want to die anymore. I don’t want her to die. I want us to go home and go back to screwing around like we did at the bar. I want to know what’s like to have a friend in this lonely world.
Rainbow smiles weakly at me. “But I’m happy you did. I don’t regret a single thing.”
My heart stops as I watch her accept the situation we’re in. I struggle to rise, but my body won’t obey me. I can’t let this happen. I can’t let her die. I refuse to lose anything else, after everything. It can’t end like this. It’s not fair. It’s not fair, dammit!
The curse stirs within me as my thoughts grow more and more frantic. I turn and glare at the Scorpio, the source of all of this emotion, and the reason our lives are about to end. The curse rises to the surface and my body starts to feel that usual chill.
I take a deep breath. I don’t know what this curse does. It can possibly kill me if I let it loose—but if there’s even the slightest chance that it can save Rainbow, then there’s no reason to hesitate.
My resistance falls at long last, and somewhere deep inside me a dam bursts. My body rapidly drops in temperature as the mana rushes through me in a flood of untamed power.
In Canterlot
Princess Celestia sits on her haunches atop her royal throne, a rehearsed patient expression upon her face as she listens to the concerns of the noble ponies spread out before her. Her presence is only a formality, as every day matters are typically decided by the councilponies that sit around her in the wings of the throne room. Despite knowing this, she never once allows her mind to drift.
“The steady decline of commerce between Griffonstone and Equestria has been a known issue for quite some time, Lord Du Gaskin,” says Elegant Style, an old councilpony with a pastel red coat and a curly two-toned mane of plum and beige, to the Duke of Manhattan standing at the forefront of the noble ponies. She gazes at him over her half-moon spectacles. “Viceroy Zythe simply does not seem as interested in our luxury consumer goods as his predecessors, so your business will likely continue to suffer. I am against forcing the issue, unless you’re implying that Manehattan cannot survive without their bits.”
The duke bristles at the implication. He lifts his nose and runs a hoof through his straight black mane as he composes his answer. “That’s absurd, Lady Style. I merely wish to continue to expand our economic influence, and before this new Viceroy seized power, their various tribes were more than willing to provide me with the bits I needed, in exchange for Equestrian consumer goods. I humbly request that we send—oh dear. Your Highness, is something the matter?”
Princess Celestia has gone rigid, the color leaving her face. Without answering, she turns her head in the direction of Ponyville. In the middle of the discussion between Elegant Style and Lord Du Gaskin, she felt the fabric of mana suddenly spike, reaching a height the likes of which she hasn’t sensed in over a thousand years.
Before Celestia can give an answer, the double doors leading into the throne room slam open without decorum to reveal Princess Luna sporting dishevelled bed hair and a grave expression. “Sister! The situation is dire! I hast sensed a presence most heinous that requires our present attention!”
“No need to explain, dear sister. I have felt it as well.” Celestia gives one apologetic look to the councilponies and nobleponies who had begun whispering among themselves before she steps down from her throne to meet Luna halfway. “I leave the good duke in your capable hooves, my councilponies.”
“With all due respect, your Highness, this is most irregular!” One of the councilponies gets to his hooves, looking less than pleased. All around him, the rest of the council and the petitioners murmur their agreement, unsettled by what they’ve heard.
“I recognize that, but this is a matter of national security. I trust you will understand.” Celestia turns her head and locks eyes with the offending councilpony. As flustered as he's become, he can only last a moment beneath the weight of Celestia’s gaze. Celestia returns her attention to her sister. “Let us go, Luna.”
The two princesses quicken their pace and exit the throne room, magically closing the doors behind them. “How is this possible? The Elements of Harmony disposed of him!” Luna demands once they’re out of earshot of the council room. The two of them turn a corner and climb a set of stairs, heading to Luna’s bedchambers. “Ye cannot mean to tell me he had a plan for that particular outcome as well!?”
Upon reaching Luna’s chambers, the two of them walk out to the balcony. “I’m uncertain as to what this could mean as well. However, one thing is clear. It is indeed King Sombra’s magical energy coming from the Everfree Forest,” Celestia says with a shake of her head. “I have my suspicions, but in the event that the worst-case scenario has come to pass and he has returned, I cannot let this be.”
Celestia hunches down, spreads her wings, and takes to the sky. Golden light explodes from her body as she summons up her mana, accelerating her to a blinding speed. With a similar burst of midnight blue, Luna takes her place in the air beside her, catching up to her without much difficulty.
“We are coming with thee! If king sombra hath returned, it shall require both of us to bring him to heel!” Luna asserts
“Your presence can only give me strength, dear sister,” Celestia replies, her lips briefly curving into a warm smile before she once again becomes serious. “I only hope Commander Stalwart Iron will be able to hold him off long enough for us to arrive.”
“We share thy hope,” Luna says simply. Her brow furrows into a glare. “Thou shall not take Ponyville, Sombra! We are coming!”
In the forest
After charging up its attack, the Scorpio hurls all of the stored up mana in its pincers in the form of a large ball of crimson mana that flickers like fire as it soars across the clearing. Rainbow watches the ball steadily grow closer and the red light more intense. She struggles to rise, her whole body aching in protest. With only a moment to spare, she glares defiantly at the ball of incoming death.
Music: Dream Theater - Panic Attack + Lyrics
She blinks, and Seth appears in front of her in a burst of displaced air. He slowly lifts his uninjured arm and backhands the orb of mana, sharply redirecting it towards the treeline where it explodes with enough force to completely vaporize anything hit. A terrible wind sweeps across the forest canopy, filling the air with the sound of complaining wood.
“Seth? H-How did you…?” Rainbow manages to get to her hooves, her legs shaking beneath her. She gazes at Seth’s back, noticing how the human’s body is no longer trembling. He seems almost eerily still. “Seth?”
Seth reaches up his good hand and moves it to his dislocated shoulder. With a sickening crack, he snaps it back into place. Upon hearing Rainbow call his name again, he turns his head ever so slightly.
When she sees his eyes, Rainbow takes a step back. They’re no longer a calm green. Instead, his pupils are a deep menacing red, and his sclera a bright sickly green. From the corners of his eyes, purple wisps of corrupt mana trail away into the air, where they gradually fade away.
“Seth!” Rainbow calls out as the Scorpio closes the distance between them in an instant. The monster leaps into the air and brings a single pincer down with all the force it can muster. For a split instant, Seth dissolves into black smoke before reappearing a few inches to the left. The pincer slams into the ground where he’d just been standing, embedding itself into the ground.
Seth’s body suddenly erupts in an aura of darkness that swirls up along his form like fire. With a shadowy fist crackling with green lightning, Seth punches the Scorpio right in its mandibles. The Scorpio screeches with pain as it’s forced backwards several meters. Without a word, Seth zips across the field, his body briefly dissolving into a wisp of shadow before rematerializing just to the left of the Scorpio. Then, he similarly zips up into the air directly above it and brings his elbow down onto the middle of its back. A horrendous crack fills the air, and the Scorpio’s screeching grows louder as it scuttles along the ground wildly.
The Scorpio leaps into the air and uses its tail to latch onto a nearby tree. Using it as an anchor, it swings itself through the air and slams its back against the tree line. Rainbow blinks, and Seth is no longer on its back. Seth reappears directly in front of her just as the Scorpio rights itself. Its aura flares, and an entire volley of thorns surges forth at the two of them. Seth’s hand flashes through the air, deflecting each thorn with the flat of his hand.
“Seth? Is this…really happening?” Rainbow said disbelievingly. Seth summons up green lightning and sends a bolt from each palm towards the Scorpio, each one slamming into its pincers and burning its flesh. He follows it up by conjuring a wave of darkness with arcane motions of both of his hands and sending it hurtling across the clearing.
With a swipe of its glowing pincers, the Scorpio dispels the wave. It scuttles towards Seth and unleashes a flurry of attacks with both pincers. Hardly moving his feet, Seth either deftly evades or redirects each attack with his hands…and then he releases his own flurry of dark punches. Each time his fist collides with a pincer, the air around them distorts and crackles with green lightning.
Rainbow watches them fight, unable to close her mouth. The Seth she knows could never do this stuff. Not only has Seth never shown any magical ability, but up until five minutes ago he’s spent the fight flailing around, hitting whatever’s in reach. So what gives? Is this even Seth anymore?
With a roar, the Scorpio rams its body into Seth, sending him skidding across the dirt. It scuttles backwards, zigzagging across the clearing and keeping its eyes trained on Seth. Once it’s far enough away, it leaps up and skitters along the trunks of the trees as though they are a solid wall. As it does so, it releases another swarm of thorns. This time, Seth doesn’t bother to dodge or deflect, each thorn harmlessly bouncing off his steadily mounting magical aura.
With a boom, Seth zips up, flips his body midair, and brings his fist to bear down upon the Scorpio that blocks it with its pincer. The Scorpio’s aura intensifies till it overpowers Seth’s momentum and knocks him away, the human hitting the ground in an explosion of dirt and tree branches. Rainbow winces at the impact, but Seth easily gets to his feet, his blazing eyes fixed solely on the Scorpio.
The Scorpio propels itself from the trees and it uses its bulk as a weapon, aiming to crush Seth beneath it. He brings up both hands and catches the Scorpio’s flesh on either side of its mandibles, a quarter of his boots gouging into the earth. To keep its momentum, the Scorpio uses its legs to push forward, the two of them moving across the entirety of the clearing and into the opposite treeline. Trees fall as Seth slams into them, darkness erupting from his body upon impact.
In one motion, the Scorpio grabs Seth with a pincer and hurls him back across the clearing. Like a gymnast, Seth reorients himself in midair and lands on his feet on the trunk of a tree. Just as he leaps onto the ground, the Scorpio’s tail comes up and hurtles through the air towards him, its blade promising instant death upon impact.
Rainbow is about to call out to him, but then Seth phases to the left to evade the tail and wraps his arms around it in a vice grip. Seth lets out a distorted yell and his aura grows in size, the darkness accompanied by rings of green electricity rising up from around his feet. Rainbow’s eyes bug out as he rips the tail out of the ground and lifts the Scorpio clear off the ground, spins it around the circumference of the clearing, and hurls against the trees directly opposite her and the Tiara.
The Scorpio tumbles end over end, trees snapping off at the trunk before the bulk of its body. Before it can come to a halt, Seth leaps high into the air. He clasps his hands together and streaks across the sky like a shooting star of darkness, bringing them down right on the Scorpio’s head. The Scorpio’s agonized screeching fills the air once more, a crater forming beneath it as the earth gives way.
The tail comes up once more and whips Seth right in the stomach, sending him hurtling back into the clearing, where he lands on his feet with a crash. The Scorpio’s aura explodes in intensity and it stares back at Seth with murderous intent gleaming in its eyes.
Seth lifts a hand. All at once, the broken pieces of the scattered rifle across the forest floor glow bright green and lift up off of the ground, suspended in the air by an emerald aura. As Rainbow watches, the pieces gravitate towards one another and reassemble like puzzle pieces. The dent in the front straightens itself out as though it had never been. The seam where the rifle had split in two disappears. Centuries of decay and rust shed away, leaving behind a gleaming black sheen.
The rifle hurtles into Seth’s waiting hand. The darkness traveling along his body surges into the rifle, turning it into a construct of black crystal. As the Scorpio approaches, Seth lifts the rifle to chest height and braces it against his shoulder, one crimson eye peering down a tube attached to the top.
A beam of pure darkness ringed by green electricity erupts from the front with a clap of thunder. Upon colliding with the Scorpio, the beam presses hard against the monster’s aura, slowing it down to a near stop.
Seth remains calm even as the Scorpio struggles against the beam. As if in response to the beast’s struggle, his aura once again intensifies, growing so high that it begins to pierce through the canopy, and the beam doubles in size. The Scorpio roars loudly as the beam implodes, a ball of darkness spreading outward and a pillar of green light shooting high into the canopy and beyond.
Rainbow looks between Seth and the cloud of darkness and debris, where the Scorpio had once been, her mouth open in awe. Seth slowly lowers his rifle.
“Seth…that...was...AWESOME!” Rainbow has no better words to describe the fight she just witnessed. She limps up to him, spitting out the blood that had pooled in her mouth. “When did you learn to do something like that!? I thought you didn’t have any magic!”
He turns to face her, and Rainbow quails beneath the dark intensity in his eyes. His face looks different—his skin flakes away bit by bit in streak-like patterns, revealing a hard black surface beneath. Rainbow isn’t sure she can even detect a hint of Seth in those eyes at all.
“Seth?” Rainbow asks hesitantly, concerned that his aura hasn’t faded in the slightest. It doesn’t even look like he recognizes her.
Seth lifts a hand that sparks with green lightning, pointing a black mana orb directly at Diamond Tiara, murderous intent evident in his merciless eyes. The filly screams at the sight and covers her head with her hooves. Rainbow immediately steps in front of the two ponies, who scream and cling to one another tighter than ever.
“Seth, stop, it’s over!" Rainbow tries to plead with him, but then the smoke and darkness clears from the other side of the clearing. The Scorpio rises from the ground, the monster burnt and blackened, but very much alive. “Are you kidding me?! How do you get up after a hit like that!?”
Without hesitation, Seth turns his hand over to the Scorpio and lets loose the bolt of lightning. The Scorpio leaps to the side to avoid it and brings up its tail, its aura streaming up to its tip to form a pulsing orb of mana so strong that Rainbow can feel it.
Seth smirks and powers up even further, seemingly having no limits to how much strength he can call upon. His aura doubles in size, his skin flakes away faster than ever, and his hair starts to undulate and float, as if submerged in water. Seth lowers his body and spreads out his hands, his fingers slowly tapering to points as she watches.
Rainbow yelps and covers her head as bolts of green lightning strike down around Seth, the air around him thrumming with intense magical power. Just as he reaches a height Rainbow hadn’t thought possible, he explodes in a shower of blood, his aura dying away like a candle being snuffed out.
A strangled gurgle emerges from Seth’s throat, accompanied by a rush of blood. Rainbow rushes up to him to catch him as he falls to his knees. He turns pale and clutches at Rainbow, his eyes slowly returning to normal. Blood oozes out from countless pores in his skin and underneath his fingernails. “Rai…ain…buh...”
“No talking! I’ve got you, okay?” Rainbow snaps at him, her heart pounding out of her chest. Seth looks like he wants to answer, but before he can he closes his eyes and loses consciousness in her grip. She looks up at the Scorpio, whose attack is nearing completion. “Grrr…I’ve got to get…them all out of here…”
No time. The Scorpio unleashes a beam similar to the one Seth had used from the tip of its tail, the crimson light ripping across the ground directly towards her.
Music: Date a Live II - Hurricane
A dark form leaps over the top of her and lands directly in front of her with the clatter of armored plates. A lone unicorn stallion dressed in gleaming silver and golden armor stood before her, unflinching even in the face of incoming destruction. Rainbow watches in awe as the stallion lifts up his shield and brings it to bear against the beam of crimson light.
The light slams into the shield at full force, the resulting blast of displaced air surging through the air towards Rainbow and dissipating harmlessly against a magical magenta barrier. To her shock, the next moment Twilight Sparkle teleports directly in front of them, her horn ablaze with magic.
“Are you two okay?” Twilight asks, her voice laden with anxiety. She takes one look at the heavily injured forms of the two of them and her eyes well up with tears. “I’m so so sorry we couldn’t get here sooner. There was a whole pack of timberwolves between us and you. Please forgive me!” Twilight explains. “Leave the rest to Commander Iron.”
The emblem of the golden eagle on the front of Stalwart Iron’s shield glows with power, and all of the incoming mana is sucked right into the shield. The stallion grunts as his body seems to swell somewhat. Once all of the mana has gone, the light fades.
With a defiant shout, Stalwart Iron lifts his trident and sends back every last bit of mana that the Scorpio had sent at him in a ball of warm, silvery light. The Scorpio takes the hit directly and fills the clearing with its pained screeching.
“Canterlot Royal Guard!” Stalwart Iron calls out, his voice brimming with authority. In an instant, a score and a half of soldiers stream out of the treeline and form up behind the commander as the Scorpio forces away the assaulting mana with its aura. “Brightspear, form a perimeter around the rear of the clearing!” Stalwart Iron sweeps his hoof across the area in question. Then, he gestures towards Diamond Tiara, Seth, and Rainbow. “Earth Dweller, secure the civilians and retreat! Lady Twilight Sparkle!” Stalwart Iron snaps out. Twilight looks up from Seth and Rainbow Dash, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Stabilize the injured and take cover behind the perimeter! Now!”
“Hey, I can still fight!” Rainbow protests weakly as Twilight turns back to the two of them. She lowers her horn, and a bubble of magenta light spills around Seth. As it stabilizes, the blood ceases to flow from Seth’s body, hanging in place as though frozen in time.
“O-Okay. What about you?” Twilight asks of the commander with a shaking voice as she completes the spell.
The Scorpio reorients itself upon its new target. The monster’s exoskeleton has cracked in multiple places, exposing tender flesh beneath. It briefly wavers in place, an assortment of its legs bent at odd angles and providing unsteady footing. Its entire body is covered with a layer of burns, some of which have burnt a number of its eyes clean off. Despite its injuries, it lets out a roar and scuttles towards the commander..
There isn’t a trace of doubt in Stalwart Iron’s words. “I have a mission to complete.” His horn lights up as he casts several spells upon himself, his body briefly glowing silver for a moment. Just before the Scorpio meets him, Stalwart Iron telekinetically brings up his shield just in time to fend off the monster's mana clad pincers. They crash upon his shield one after the other, a wispy cloud of silvery and crimson mana sparking from each impact. After each attack, the wisps of mana are sucked into the shield and through the commander’s body before reforming along the length of his trident.
Stalwart Iron swings his trident in a glittering vertical arc at the Scorpio’s right pincer. Upon impact, the collected mana bursts, knocking the limb up in the air. The commander seizes the opportunity to close the distance between them, gliding across the earth and knocking aside the Scorpio’s left pincer with his shield as he does so.
As Stalwart Iron nears the creature’s mouth, the Scorpio releases a shockwave of crimson mana. The commander barely brings up his shield, but despite absorbing the mana he’s repulsed several feet back. Stalwart Iron’s horn lights up as he comes to a halt, and several orbs of silvery light the size of golf balls spread outwards from its tip.
Before the Scorpio can prepare another attack, Stalwart Iron directs the swarm of orbs with a sweep of his dominant hoof. The orbs rotate around the Scorpio in the shape of a dome for two seconds before coalescing upon its body. As the orbs explode with a tumultuous roar, the commander twirls his trident around and unleashes the stored up mana in the form of a silver beam.
The Scorpio writhes in agony among the onslaught of silvery light, but manages to cloak one pincer with its mana long enough to swipe the beam away through the canopy, incinerating any leaves and branches in its way. As the dust clears, the monster spots Stalwart Iron charging directly towards it. With a tilt of its body, its tail arcs up and over top, the bladed tip aimed directly at the commander.
His body slowed by his heavy armor, Stalwart Iron doesn’t bother to dodge. He twists his body just enough that the tail slides across his armor with an ear-rending screech, sparks scattering across the earth and silvery mana streaming into the air. The commander pushes his advantage, his trident lifting up into the air. The weapon comes to life, arcs of blue electricity running up and along its haft to the points. With a roar, Stalwart Iron pushes aside the Scorpio’s attacking pincers, leaps into the air, and brings the trident down upon the monster’s head.
Twilight, Rainbow, and the surrounding ponies still in the clearing clap their hooves to their ears as an ear-splitting thunderclap echoes through the clearing. At the same time, a bolt of lightning falls down from the heavens and strikes the head of the trident. The Scorpio screeches out as electricity runs through the length of its body. Stalwart Iron takes a step forward and swings his trident once more, lightning once again striking the Scorpio. He attacks again and again mercilessly. With every strike, the Scorpio is driven back, electricity overpowering the creature’s every attempt to fight back.
Just as the Scorpio begins struggling to keep itself upright, Stalwart Iron brings his trident up by his head and pours his mana into the weapon, a ball of lightning forming around its prongs. Then, he turns his body and leaps towards the Scorpio. With a powerful uppercut, the monster is knocked clear up into the air and onto its back.
“Return to your slumber, Scorpio!” Stalwart Iron lifts his trident in one hoof and brings it back. A lightning aura erupts from the weapon, completely obscuring it from view and giving it the appearance of an untamed lightning bolt resting in his hoof. With one last shout, the commander hurls the lightning lance directly into the Scorpio’s vulnerable belly.
The resulting explosion of electricity is so great the Scorpio’s screams are drowned out by the rumbling of disturbed air. Stalwart Iron brings up his shield and quickly casts a spell, a silvery barrier stretching out from the shield to protect Twilight, the wounded, and the other guards behind him from the electrical energy. When the explosion clears, the Scorpio has lost any trace of its magical aura, its body once again black. The Scorpio stares at them with what few undamaged eyes it has remaining for several seconds. Stalwart Iron lifts a hoof and the trident he’d thrown comes flying back to him with the ring of metal on metal. With one last hiss, the Scorpio retreats back into the forest, the foliage closing around its form like a protective barrier.
“Commander, the monster is getting away. Is that okay?” Twilight points out once she notices that Stalwart Iron isn’t moving to pursue. “Didn’t you say your mission was to deal with it?”
“And I have.” Iron turns to face Twilight just as the remainder of the guards present erupt into cheers of victory and praise. Stalwart Iron remains as stoic as ever as he slots the trident and his shield back onto his armor. “There are few creatures in the world as resilient as the Constellations. It would take a being far stronger than myself to exterminate one entirely. The Scorpio is no exception.”
“You make them sound similar to a force of nature,” Twilight observes with a frown.
“An apt description. It is...very impressive that your friends managed to last as long as they did,” Stalwart Iron admits as he gazes down at the unconscious forms of both Seth and Rainbow. While they converse, Twilight’s horn remains alight as she does her best to touch up their injuries as best she can. “Rest assured. The Scorpio will not return in our lifetimes, given the injuries it has sustained. But enough about that; are your friends fit to move?”
“I...I think so. Seth has the worst of it by far. Even considering what he fought, I don’t know what could have happened to put him in this state…” Twilight pauses after she says that, moving a hoof to her chin thoughtfully. “You’re right. We need to get them to the hospital as soon as we can. All of my questions can come later.”
“A sound decision.” With a few orders, Stalwart Iron has an entourage of guards load Rainbow Dash and Seth onto stretchers and carry them into the thick of the woods back to town. “Let us go, Lady Twilight Sparkle. For what’s worth, you were right to come to me.”
“I just wanted everyone to come home safe.” Twilight sniffs and wipes her eyes, and then she falls into step beside the commander as the two of them follow the rest of the guards. “Oh, and Commander? You can just call me Twilight, if you’d like.”
“As you say, Twilight. You may also refer to me as Iron, if it pleases you,” The commander responds. His words are amiable, but his tone remains even and emotionless.
“It would. I hope we can be friends, Iron. Thank you so much for saving my friends.” With that, Twilight and Iron steadily made their way back to Ponyville.
Celestia remains still from her position just outside the forest clearing, her eyes closed with a grim expression. Beside her is a fuming Luna, who looks as though she’d wanted to be in the clearing herself.
“Celestia, thou canst still wish to leave the human unattended Ponyville after what we just saw!” She jerks a hoof over to the torn apart clearing. “Thou saw with thine own eyes what lies within him, same as us! It is no act of providence that the human brought here by Sombra is capable of his vile magic!”
Celestia agrees with a solemn nod. She opens her eyes and gazes at her sister. “You are correct, Luna. I firmly believe that we are dealing with another of Sombra’s endless contingency plans. What this means for Equestria now that he’s gone, however, remains to be seen.”
“Then thou agreest we ought to detain him and have him brought to Canterlot post-haste?” Luna questions forcefully with twitchy wings. Celestia doesn’t doubt that if she were to give the word, Luna would be upon Seth in an instant.
“I agree that something needs to be done. But not here, and not now,” Celestia responds, much to Luna’s shock and frustration. Celestia’s eyes harden as she already begins to formulate several plans in her mind. She turns away from the clearing and walks in the other direction, spreading her wings in preparation to take off. “Let us return to Canterlot for the time being, where we may discuss further. This situation requires a meticulous and deft touch.”
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I see you're bringing the meticulousness regarding
animebattles from your later chapters to the early ones. Not bad at all. Also found it interesting that you brought in Stalwart Iron much earlier (is it me or does his armor sound more decorated than Shining's, his superior).Anway, great job, and I'm eager to see more! Keep it up!
Great chapter! I wish I remember the old write, so I could give some sort of feedback, but I don't... So this is what you get instead!
It lives! It's good to know you aren't dead. I missed this.
when presenting superpowers, it is best to leave it to one "ability" at a time, throwing the 4 or 5 in all at once comes as a complete shock and pulls entirely too much from the immersion of the scene, still far better than having a hero go "I have powers now, cool" and just brush of the encounter
Now that right there was a hell of finishing show for book 1. Very well done!
The action was tense and neither side seemed to gain too much ground in the battle of attrition until right before Seth let the curse free. The scene by that point made me feel their struggle, their desperation, in such a deadly fight.
Damn, now it's going to be even harder to wait for the next chapter rewrite! Seriously good hooks/cliffhanger.
Edit: I'm an idiot -_- there's 2 more to go. Woooooo!