The Shaded Path

by Crensler

Chapter 8

“So, what can you tell me about your clan?” Star asked as she went about retracing the wards Princess Luna had inlaid along the walls when the containment room was first built, Seeker standing at its very center with an annoyed look on his face. Honestly, though, his repertoire of expressions seemed fairly limited from what she'd seen so far, the earth pony having not even cracked so much as the tiniest of smiles when she'd used one of her better jokes on him earlier. He'd only looked at her with those flinty crimson eyes, like she'd spoken a foreign language at him or something. Her question only seemed to flip the annoyance to irritation, the stallion pawing the metal floor as his mouth twisted into a grimace.

“What's there to tell?” He seemed intent on avoiding her gaze, ears pinned back as he continued his idle pawing. “There's maybe a dozen of us left, soon to be one fewer, if he isn't dead already.”

“He?” She questioned, finding herself curious despite his obvious wish to have her drop it. She wasn't going to stand around in silence, so he'd just have to learn to deal with it.

“The Eldest, the title given to the oldest and wisest of us,” he replied gruffly, starting to pace restlessly. He certainly didn't seem to like remaining idle for long, Star wondering if that was because he'd been on the road for so long or if it were merely just part of his nature to be always on the move. “Part grandparent, part teacher, part shaman, the Eldest is the closest thing we've had to a leader since the Fall.” He glanced at her briefly. “What the Keeper calls the time when our supposed blessing became a curse.”

“And what of this Keeper?” She inquired further, pausing in her work, causing him to sigh in weary resignation, the mare smirking as he gave up trying to be stubborn. Good, he was learning.

“The Lore Keeper,” he muttered, sitting down finally and frowning at her, brow lowered and patience frayed. “The name itself should be explanation enough, but since you seem the dense sort,” he rolled his eyes when she stuck her tongue out at him, “I'll elaborate. The Lore Keeper is the one who, well, keeps our history, our collected knowledge and whatever other information we've collected over the years safe. The Keeper and Eldest are the ones that teach us our heritage and help those of us that the curse has passed on to adjust to the changes.” He looked away, right ear flicking a bit. “Though this generation not one of us was spared it.”

“When does the curse take hold?” Star asked, sitting as well, knowing she wouldn't get any work done until her curiosity was satisfied. “Are you born able to change?”

“No, fortunately we aren't,” he told her, tail lashing behind him from his right to his left, the conversation clearly making him uncomfortable. Still she wouldn't be deterred, motioning for him to continue. “Usually it happens around the time when a foal begins their life change, shedding childhood for adolescence and brain numbing hormones.” She stared at him, surprised, the left corner of his mouth having risen every so slightly. He'd actually made a joke. Well, she supposed it had to happen eventually. One couldn't remain stoic and grumpy forever after all...right? “The days leading up to their next full moon are then beset with nightmares, which are unceasing until the day we die.”

“What? Seriously?” His nod made her shiver. “So every night you...dear Harmony, that's awful.”

“Well, you learn to cope with it,” he said, shrugging in a defeated sort of way, as if to say there was nothing to be done about it. “But yes, I have never had a full night of rest since the change.” He chuckled weakly. “Makes it hard to be productive some days, let me tell you. Anyway, the change happens, we move on with our lives, usually as far away from other ponies as we can get.” He gestured to his well worn saddle bags in the far corner of the room to her right. “I chose to travel but most find some remote corner of the world to settle in or...or they give up.” He cleared his throat, her eyes having widened in shock at the meaning behind what he'd just said. “So, any more questions, miss tough mare?” He...was he seriously teasing her at a time like this? Was this some form of gallows humor or something? No, there wasn't any amusement in those eyes, despite the wry smirk on his face. He just looked tired, tired and older than she'd first guessed.

“D-do you have any contact with the others?” She decided to swiftly focus on something else, feeling tired herself, in a way. “Surely you must have a way of getting in touch with them in an emergency, right?”

“Once a year we gather at the Eldest's home, just a few miles outside of Vanhoover.” He shook his head slightly. “But no, we can't easily get in touch with one another otherwise.”

“But what if one of you is hurt? What if something happens you all need to know?” She asked, confused by this. “Don't any of you care?”

“Of course we care, we're family for Luna's sake.” Seeker frowned, looking even more uncomfortable now than he had at the start. “But keeping in touch is hard when we need to stay separated like this. I mean, look at me.” He tapped a hoof against his chest for emphasis. “How am I supposed to receive letters with how much traveling I do? The whole point of us separating in the first place was to avoid civilization, so it's not like any of the others have addresses I could send mail to, either.”

“I guess I see your point,” Star muttered, still not happy about it. A family should be close, there to support one another in times of need, not flung to the far corners of the world like Seeker's was. “What time of year do you all gather, then?”

“Hearth's Warming, when else?” Seeker made it sound as if it should have been obvious, though she supposed it was an easy enough thing to guess. She would have been surprised if, say, they gathered on Nightmare Night, for example. “We don't always exchange gifts, but we always have stories to share.” His expression fell suddenly. “Though I haven't attended in quite some time.”

“What?” Star was shocked, to say the least. “Why?”

“Because I didn't want to return to them emptyhoofed,” he replied quietly, shoulders sagging at the admission. “I send letters to the Eldest when I can but, well, I have no way of knowing if they're even being received.” Things were silent between them for some time after that, Star unsure of what she could possibly say in response to that and Seeker likely in no mood for further conversation.

“Well, we'll just have to make sure that you can return with good news this year,” Star said firmly, more determined to help them than ever now. “Let me finish up with the preparations and we can get started.”

0o0o0o0o0o0

“And you're sure this is going to work?” Seeker asked, feeling understandably nervous as Mystic Star took her position outside the circle, earning an irritated frown for his trouble.

“For the tenth time, yes, now be quiet so I can concentrate,” Star snapped, causing him to roll his eyes in response. She'd been all for yammering on when he hadn't wanted to talk, but was the reverse okay? No, of course it wasn't. Typical mare. Still he kept silent as she requested, curious to see how it would pan out. Where Seeker had expected muttered incantations and the manifestation of arcane sigils, Star merely lowered her head and closed her eyes, horn glowing with the light of her magic, a low hum filling the air. The air seemed to become charged with unseen energies, the hair of his coat standing on end, the hum growing to a thundering pulse as the glow of her horn became almost blinding, the mare's eyes now open and shining with that very same light. That was the last thing he was able to see before the light consumed his world and all turned to white.

0o0o0o0o0o0

“Star?” Seeker called, finding himself in the middle of a strangely familiar dark expanse, nothing to be seen around him save for oily shadows and a terrible silence. Where was she? For that matter where was he? “Mystic Star!” Again, there was nothing, not even a responding echo. Just the oppressive, all encompassing silence. That was until something out in the darkness moved and he had the distinct feeling that he wasn't as alone as he'd first assumed. “W-who's there?” The earth pony widened his stance, watching whatever it was shift within the shadows. “Show yourself!”

“Whoa, easy there Mr. Grumpy Pants,” Star said as she emerged from the darkness, the stallion relaxing despite the fresh surge of annoyance he felt regarding what she'd just called him. “Geez, this place is a complete mess.” She wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Guess the outside really does reflect the inside in this case.”

“Hey!” His protest was ignored, Star too intent on studying their surroundings, or lack thereof in this case. “Where in the hay are we anyway?” This couldn't really be the inside of his head...could it?

“We're in you, sort of,” Star replied, crushing his hopes in one fell swoop. She was right, he really was a mess. “Honestly I wasn't expecting to get sucked into your head but I can work with this. I think.”

“Wait, you didn't know this would happen?” Seeker couldn't believe his ears. “Are you serious right now?”

“Well I told you, didn't I? I don't tell the magic what to do so much as allow it to work the way it's supposed to.” She said it like it was no big deal, like they were talking about the weather instead of magic that was literally messing with his head. “If we're in here, then it's the best way to go about working to remove the Nightmare from your soul.”

“That makes it sound like you took a guess,” Seeker remarked in a snarky fashion, only for him to gape in shock when Mystic Star shuffled her hooves and looked away guiltily. “You bucking guessed?!? You gotta be kidding me, Star, you can't just take a shot in the dark and hope for the best!”

“Hey, the worst that would have happened would've been nothing,” Star said defensively. “If it's not going to work then the magic just fizzles out, so quit your whining!”

“Whining?” Seeker snorted and stamped his hooves, clearly agitated. “That wasn't whining, tough mare, this is whining!” He immediately plonked his flanks down on the...floor and changed the pitch of his voice to a crude, mocking falsetto. “It's dark and I'm stuck in here with some crazy mare who doesn't even know what she's doing!” He even added in some obnoxious crying for good measure. “I don't wanna be here anymore, lemme out!”

“Okay, seriously, shut up!” Star snapped, growling as he leveled a flat stare her way. “You are not helping right now. We're here, aren't we?” She ignored his indignant snort, turning to face the darkness. “Now, if you're quite finished, let's get a move on.”

“And where do you suggest we go?” Seeker asked, looking around pointedly. “There's nothing here, nothing but inky blackness as far as the eye can...see.” His eyes focused on a tower that had seemingly appeared from nowhere behind Mystic Star, blinking rapidly before rubbing his eyes just to be certain he was actually seeing it. “Well, I guess we have a destination.”

“What?” Star turned, surprised to see the structure as well. Tall, crumbling and entangled in a thick weave of thorny black vines, the tower also had a giant hole in one side and a single open window near the top. “That's certainly convenient.”

“Yeah, too convenient,” Seeker muttered, starting towards it for lack of a better option. They had yet to encounter the Nightmare fragment, so if it wasn't in the dark, spooky tower he'd be seriously surprised. It was a short hike, the distance closing faster than he had expected. Then again, given where they were supposed to be, he shouldn't have been surprised things worked differently in this place. But the closer he got to the tower, the colder he felt, until he was openly shivering as he stood at its base.

“Seeker?” Star's worried voice drew him from his contemplation of the hole in the side of the tower and how they could get up to it. “Are you okay?”

“No,” he replied honestly, shivering again as he felt chilled to his very bones. “But we don't have time to be standing around.” He reached up and hooked his hoof over one of the vines, grunting as he used it to pull himself up, slowly starting to climb. “Come on, we need to-”

“What are you doing?” Star's voice was somehow above him, the mare standing at the edge of the hole, looking down at him, appearing rather amused. “Are you forgetting this isn't the real world? You don't need to climb, silly~” Seeker decided to test this, rising into the air with a bit of focus and setting down beside the unicorn moments later.

“You can stop looking smug now,” he grumbled, a smirk on the mare's face over his embarrassment. “Now, let's see if we can't-” He suddenly froze up, eyes wide and ears falling as he stared at the contents of the room. Trussed up in the center of the otherwise featureless room was none other than himself, strung up by a tangled nest of the same black vines that seemed to be choking the life out of the tower. Seeing himself like this had him too stunned for words, not sure what to make of it. Then his other self opened his eyes. Even though he had never seen them himself, Seeker somehow knew those eyes belonged to the Nightmare and his alter ego seemed all too happy to see him.

“Ah, my dear host graces me with his presence at last,” it hissed, grinning as the vines lowered it to the floor, Seeker taking a few steps back before he could stop himself. “To think we could ever come to speak like this...if dear Luna hadn't intervened I would have remained nothing more than a simple beast.” It scowled in disgust. “Mere fragments of my former glory, when Luna and I had the world in our hooves!” It stamped its hooves, growling angrily. “Then Celestia and those stupid foals stripped me from her, shattered me, broke me apart...but you.” It smiled, striding towards him with movements more like those a predatory cat than a pony. “You and your kin kept small pieces of me alive, all these years. I really must thank you for giving me this second chance.”

“A chance at what? You're done, creature,” Mystic Star spat, crossing in front of Seeker and blocking the entity's path. “We're here to stop you, here and now.”

“You're kidding,” it said, sounding incredulous. “You're kidding, right?” When Star only glared at the creature it laughed chillingly. “What could a worthless little filly such as you possibly do? Please, enthrall me with how you plan to stop me~”

“How about I show you instead?” Star lowered her head, horn glowing brightly, the Nightmare watching with a look of supreme overconfidence that Seeker didn't think worked on his face. The earth pony really hoped whatever Star was hoping to do here actually worked, the crumbling room lit by the intense light shining from her horn. The vines around them started to roil and twist, the Nightmare frowning as it observed the odd phenomenon. Cracks formed along their black bark, white light shining from within, only for them to burst open to reveal chains the shot from all sides to ensnare the Nightmare in their grasp.

“No, I refuse to be cowed by some amateurish foal!” It howled, struggling furiously against the chains as they wrapped around its limbs, neck and barrel, snorting and stamping as Star began to sweat from the exertion of her spell. “Release me! Release me this instant, damn you!” The floor opened up, the Nightmare slowly sinking down into it. “I swear by the darkness that devours all things that I will destroy you, girl! I will not rest until I have erased you from this world!” It glared at them hatefully, madness flickering through its eyes. “You won't contain me forever and when I-” The stone slammed shut over its head, silencing it completely, Mystic Star dropping to the floor and panting raggedly.

“What...what did you just...?” Seeker couldn't even begin to process what had just happened. He moved over to Mystic Star's side, reaching down to rest a hoof gently on her back. “Are you okay, Star?”

“It's time...to wake up,” she said, sounding as tired as she looked.

“What?” Seeker was understandably taken aback by her response.

“I said-”

0o0o0o0o0o0

“WAKE UP!” The shout right next to his ear had Seeker scrambling up from the floor of the reinforced chamber, screaming out in startled fright, flopping over onto his back and looking around frantically.

“I'm up, I'm up, I...” He trailed off as the sound of feminine laughter reached his ears, cheeks burning as he glared impotently at Mystic Star, who was obviously finding his reaction to her screaming in his ear absolutely hilarious. “Oh shut up!” He snapped, voice cracking much to his embarrassment, and Star's continued amusement. “Stupid mares,” he grumbled as he rolled over and stood up, still blushing brightly. “Are you done laughing yet?”

“O-oh, yes, quite done,” she replied, giggling as she brought herself under control at last. “More to the point, how are you feeling?”

“How am I feeling? What kind of-” Seeker stopped mid sentence, blinking as he took stock of how he actually felt at the moment. He felt...lighter somehow. Like he'd been carrying around this huge weight and hadn't known about it until he noticed its absence. “I feel...good. Great, even.” He'd never felt so relaxed, having always been tense, like a tightly wound spring ready to snap at any moment. Yet now it was all gone, having melted away like a bad dream. “You...you did it!” He perked up at the realization, grinning broadly. “Oh, by Luna, thank you!”

“Wha-” Star yelped as he suddenly rushed her, closing the distance and squeezing her tight in a hug that spoke volumes about his gratitude, the mare's cheeks just about on fire as a result. “W-whoa, personal space!”

“Thank you, thank you so much,” he said against her neck, nuzzling her coat, making it feel oddly wet. Was he crying? “I never dreamed this was possible but you actually did it.”

“H-hey, easy now,” she shushed him, bringing up a hoof to awkwardly pat his back, feeling incredibly awkward at the moment. “I'm glad you're happy, Seeker, but please, you're messing up my coat.” She made a joke of it, the earth pony clearing his throat and stepping back, looking rather embarrassed and rightfully so in her opinion.

“S-sorry, it's just I'm so happy to finally be free,” he said, smiling at her warmly. “I can't wait till we can help the others.”

“Actually we may want to hold off on celebrating,” Star began tentatively. “The Nightmare isn't gone. I was only able to seal it away deep inside your subconscious and even then it wasn't an easy feat to accomplish.”

“What?” Seeker's mood immediately came crashing down, the stallion staring at her blankly.

“Hey now, relax,” she said, holding one hoof up in a placating gesture. “This is just the first step, I promise. What I need to completely rid you of it is knowledge of the binding ritual but I wanted to cut it off from you before we set out.” She offered him a smile. “Besides, I think you'll like the results.”

“So let me get this straight,” Seeker began, forcing himself to remain calm and get the whole picture before he started freaking out over the fact he wasn't cured yet. “You've sealed it off from me?” She nodded in response. “And now we're going to take the next step in curing me and my family?” She nodded again. “Okay...okay, sorry, I'm just...I'm sort of conditioned to expect the worst these days.”

“Hey, I get it,” she said, still smiling kindly. “You've all lived with this for a long time, so it's to be expected. Don't worry, though, like I said this is just the first step.” Her smile soon became a grin. “Come on, there's something I think you ought to see.” That said she trotted past him and out of the room, leaving him to catch up.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Mystic Star watched as Seeker stood on upon the balcony she'd led him to, staring upwards at the star filled sky, the moon having crested the horizon moments before. The final night of the full moon and he hadn't transformed. Honestly if he hadn't been fazed by this fact she would have been shocked. He had yet to even so much as twitch and she let him have his moment, figuring interrupting would be rude somehow.

“Eighteen years,” she heard him whisper, startled to see something shimmering in the moonlight fall from his face. “I can't believe I'm finally able to see this moon after so long without fear.” She slowly moved up to his left side, seeing a smile on his face despite his freely flowing tears. “Even if it ends up being temporary, this was worth the wait.” He turned his head towards her, his sense of gratitude towards her shining in his eyes. “I know this isn't finished, not by a long shot, but no matter how it turns out I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate all you've done so far.” He closed his eyes, smile widening considerably. “Thank you. Thank you so much.” Star couldn't help herself, smiling back despite the fact he couldn't see it.

“Anytime~”

0o0o0o0o0o0

A rage filled, frustration laden scream ripped apart the quiet stillness of the night, the countryside to the southwest of Ponyville soon swept with brilliant flames. At the epicenter of this conflagration stood the Nightmare's embodiment, teeth grinding together as she snorted and stamped, chartreuse eyes burning just as brightly as the fires that surrounded her.

“Those miserable, contemptible foals!” She snarled, having sensed the sealing of Seeker's fragment, her body practically quivering with the force of her anger. The only thing that galled her more than this knowledge was the fact that, for the moment, there was nothing she could do about it. She hadn't the power to march into Canterlot and face either Luna or Celestia, let alone both of them at once. Still, she could not let this affront stand unavenged. Yet she must be patient, which burned worse than the knowledge she was powerless to act directly. She had been patient for a thousand years, she had waited long enough.

“No...no, I cannot be rash.” She forced herself to be calm, breathing deeply and slowly managing to relax, despite the wildly raging fire around her that she herself had started. Slowly her severe frown lifted into a nasty grin, showing off her fangs. “Besides, there are so many delicious ways to take my vengeance.” Her gaze turned northwards. “And I know just where to start~” With that she vanished in a burst of teleportation magic, just as the emergency team of pegasi stationed in Ponyville arrived with water laden storm clouds, the source of the blaze they had come to fight a total mystery to them once they had managed to douse it.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Gray Shroud, better known to his kin as the Eldest, an aging pegasus with a steel colored mane and tail, faded green eyes behind a pair of black-rimmed glasses and possessing a grayish-blue coat, was seated behind his desk, scribbling something down in a weathered looking book, pen grasped firmly in his mouth as he worked. He'd been feeling restless for days now and wasn't able to grasp why, his sleep disturbed by shadowy figures in his dreams. He belonged to one of the previous generation of the now greatly diminished Crescent tribe, descendants of the ponies who had so foalishly bound their fates to those of the Lunar Priests more than a thousand years ago, one of those that had managed to escape the touch of their shared curse.

Now he felt the need to get his thoughts down on paper, the visions still vibrant in his mind. His family was in danger, he was certain of it, but it would be next to impossible to contact them at this time of year. Seeker was constantly on the move, trying to find the impossible, his own granddaughter, Amber Dawn, at the farthest end of Equestria compared to himself and the rest were equally as isolated. He snorted as he paused in his writing, having received mail from Quick Shot with the return address being in Griffonstone, of all places. There would be no warning them, not in time, so he had to at least do something in case these vision come to pass.

“Red would likely call me a fool,” he muttered around the pen, thinking about the Keeper in question briefly. “I hope that's all it is.” He continued writing, describing it in as much detail as he could. The shadows had gathered in the ruins of some structure he couldn't identify, standing around a pedestal that held something that had shown with a crimson light. He knew it was important somehow, though he wasn't sure exactly beyond this overwhelming sense of menace the whole scene had instilled in him.

He was roused from his work, however, when there was a knock at the door, surprising him enough to drop the pen to the floor. “Who could that even be at this hour?” He wondered, his sense of dread growing as he walked over to answer it. His eyes widened as it swung open before he could even touch the handle, the shadowed figure before him grinning at him, showing off a mouth filled with fangs.

“Hello grandfather,” she said, a chill running down his spine as he barely recognized her voice. “Did you miss me~?”

Author's Note:

Yeah, I'm terrible, ending it on a bit of a cliffhanger and all. Still, I thought it a great place to leave off, until I manage to write up the next chapter that is. As some of you may have noticed, I'm working without a proof reader. What that means is that I'm going to have to go back over the first few chapters at some point, because honestly I don't think the quality of them is up to snuff. Still, don't worry, it won't keep me from writing future chapters. I'll just have to do it later or something. Anyway, thanks for reading and have a nice day